Toxic Paradise Series by Marie Maravilla

So the streets taint another soul…. Ryan. To survive in the Los Muertos Cartel, you have to stay useful, especially when you're a woman. So I made sure I couldn't be replaced. Now my name is whispered about in the shadows— La Brujita de Los Muertos. Too bad I forgot that lies and deceit are the lifeblood of this toxic paradise. I should have seen the betrayal coming. My hands were always destined to be drenched in the blood of guilty men. Gunner... moreSo the streets taint another soul…. Ryan. To survive in the Los Muertos Cartel, you have to stay useful, especially when you're a woman. So I made sure I couldn't be replaced. Now my name is whispered about in the shadows— La Brujita de Los Muertos. Too bad I forgot that lies and deceit are the lifeblood of this toxic paradise. I should have seen the betrayal coming. My hands were always destined to be drenched in the blood of guilty men. Gunner. Sometimes it takes someone willing to walk in the dark to allow others to live in the light. She is a beautiful savage. All the things I am not supposed to have and maybe never will. Meeting her changed all of my plans, altered the very fabric of my future. Skeletons of Society is book 1 in the Toxic Paradise Series. The couple gets wrapped up in this book but the story arc will continue through the series.  It's a contemporary crime romance (think mafia romance) featuring a strong female lead whose an arms dealer for the cartel and a male lead who is the Sergeant at Arms of the motorcycle club she's forced to work with. You will love this book if you like your characters to be morally grey, lots of action, and a woman with an attitude. This book revolves around a cartel and due to the nature of that, this story is on the darker side of romance. And it is for those 18+ as it contains explicit sex/language, violence, and death. Trigger warnings: graphic torture/death, sex trafficking (this does not occur to the main characters but it is a subject addressed in this book more than once. No graphic details are given) mentions of sexual assault (does not occur to the main FMC or MMC. No details are given), manipulation, and abuse. less

The problem with caging a predator, someday, they may get out…. Scarletta. Bastard, daughter of a traitor. To the Italian Don of New York, I’m nothing more than a tool to be wielded. My obedience was the price I had to pay for the sins of my father. But Dominick Romano should have worked on gaining my loyalty because the chains he shackled me with have been undone. The Four Families have always run New York. Italian Mafia, Irish Mob, Russian Bratva, and the Jirocho Yakuza Clan... moreThe problem with caging a predator, someday, they may get out…. Scarletta. Bastard, daughter of a traitor. To the Italian Don of New York, I’m nothing more than a tool to be wielded. My obedience was the price I had to pay for the sins of my father. But Dominick Romano should have worked on gaining my loyalty because the chains he shackled me with have been undone. The Four Families have always run New York. Italian Mafia, Irish Mob, Russian Bratva, and the Jirocho Yakuza Clan. An alliance cloaked in proclamations of peace while they hold knives to one another’s backs. But a new player has emerged, The Syndicate. Three men born of the same blood as those whose kingdoms they’ve come to conquer. They think they can use me the same way my uncle did, but they’re in for a rude awakening when they realize I’m not a damsel in distress. There’s been a blade in my hand this whole time, and I’ve been waiting to land the blow that starts the bloodbath. I will not bow at their feet. But soon, all of New York, and those who think they can rule it, will kneel at mine. less

True delusion was believing that if you pretended your problems didn’t exist, they’d go away on their own. That the monsters living under your bed wouldn’t get tired of waiting for you to crawl into the dark with them. But they always did. Nikki:. Running away and becoming someone new would be far easier if the demons of my past didn’t insist on showing up at my doorstep... moreTrue delusion was believing that if you pretended your problems didn’t exist, they’d go away on their own. That the monsters living under your bed wouldn’t get tired of waiting for you to crawl into the dark with them. But they always did. Nikki:. Running away and becoming someone new would be far easier if the demons of my past didn’t insist on showing up at my doorstep. Turns out that leaving an evil Russian Bratva leader at the altar after helping stage his assassination only pissed him off and made me a target. I tried blending, but hiding in the shadows under a fake alias is no longer enough. It should have been easy to keep my distance from the MC member burdened with protecting me. He is just as averse to commitment as I am, yet he’s been the only person ever to see me, even through all the smoke and mirrors I keep between us. Dex:. She’s shrouded in secrets, and there’s nothing I want more than to peel back every layer and discover what’s at her core. The glimpses she gives me have me hooked in a way I’ve never experienced before. I’ve always been:. No commitments. No girlfriends—hell, I’ve never had a female friend. Yet here I am, wanting to protect her, to be the weapon she wields against her enemies. Because if there’s one thing I have learned during our time together, it’s that the ache in my chest only stops when I am with her. She’s mine now. •. •. •. City of Salvation is book three in the Toxic Paradise Series. While you could read the books as standalones, it is highly encouraged that you read them in order to fully grasp the over-arching plot and avoid spoilers. This book is for 18+ as it contains material not suitable for children. Please visit my website for full cw/tw or the book's interior will also list them. less