Calabrese Empire Series by Meg Shannon

My abusive husband is finally dead. But in our world, a widow doesn’t stay unprotected for long.Three marriage proposals arrive before Vittorio’s body is cold—each one a different kind of cage, a new master to replace the old. My father has already chosen my Giuseppe Torrino, a man whose cruelty makes my dead husband look gentle.Then Marcus Calabrese makes me an offer I can’t refuse.Brilliant. Ruthless. Unpredictable... moreMy abusive husband is finally dead. But in our world, a widow doesn’t stay unprotected for long.Three marriage proposals arrive before Vittorio’s body is cold—each one a different kind of cage, a new master to replace the old. My father has already chosen my Giuseppe Torrino, a man whose cruelty makes my dead husband look gentle.Then Marcus Calabrese makes me an offer I can’t refuse.Brilliant. Ruthless. Unpredictable. Everything about him screams danger, from his predatory smile to the way he moves through rooms like he owns every soul in them. Smart women fear him. I should fear him.Instead, I choose him.Because when you’re trapped between monsters, you pick the one intelligent enough to make your cage interesting.Marcus promises me partnership instead of ownership, respect instead of brutality. But every choice has a price, and Marcus Calabrese doesn’t make deals that don’t benefit him.The question will I be his greatest asset—or his most dangerous mistake?Some cages are worth choosing. less

I thought I’d chosen the right monster. I was wrong. I’d chosen the most dangerous one of all.Six months as Marcus Calabrese’s wife, and I finally understand what partnership means in our world. Shared power. Shared secrets. Shared enemies who want us both dead.But partnerships require trust, and I’ve been keeping secrets of my own.The intelligence network I built for survival. The escape routes I maintained for protection... moreI thought I’d chosen the right monster. I was wrong. I’d chosen the most dangerous one of all.Six months as Marcus Calabrese’s wife, and I finally understand what partnership means in our world. Shared power. Shared secrets. Shared enemies who want us both dead.But partnerships require trust, and I’ve been keeping secrets of my own.The intelligence network I built for survival. The escape routes I maintained for protection. The contacts who could provide safe passage if Marcus ever decided I was more liability than asset.Insurance policies that seemed smart—until Marcus discovered them.Now Aurora is dead, executed for betraying family secrets she learned from me. The coalition of enemies I’d been monitoring is moving against us. And Marcus is looking at me like I’m the threat he should have eliminated months ago.“You can hate me for the betrayal, Marcus. But don’t pretend that what we built together was all performance.”There’s only one way to survive the wreckage of my careful turn the betrayal that destroyed his trust into the weapon that saves us both.Because Marina’s coalition thinks they’ve neutralized his greatest asset. They have no idea they’ve just created his most dangerous one.Sometimes the best partnerships are born from the worst betrayals. less

Some women are born to be queens. Others are forged in fire.I chose fire.When my intelligence network was exposed, I had two run or fight. The old Vespera would have chosen escape. The woman Marcus Calabrese helped me become chose war.Because this isn’t just about survival anymore—it’s about the future we’re building together. A partnership based on mutual respect rather than traditional submission. An empire founded on strategic thinking rather than brute force... moreSome women are born to be queens. Others are forged in fire.I chose fire.When my intelligence network was exposed, I had two run or fight. The old Vespera would have chosen escape. The woman Marcus Calabrese helped me become chose war.Because this isn’t just about survival anymore—it’s about the future we’re building together. A partnership based on mutual respect rather than traditional submission. An empire founded on strategic thinking rather than brute force.Marina Rossini’s coalition wants to destroy us for daring to rewrite the rules. They don’t understand what we’ve become.We’re not just husband and wife. We’re predators who’ve learned to hunt together. We’re strategists who complement each other’s strengths. We’re two people who’ve discovered that love doesn’t make you weak—it makes you willing to do anything to protect what matters.The old world is ending. We’re here to build something better from its ashes.Starting with everyone who stands in our way. less