Since the dawn of time, waging war on those who have wronged us has been embedded in the very fiber of mankind’s true nature. The thirst for vengeance and retribution has always prevailed overturning the other cheek to one’s enemies. Creating chaos and bloodshed is preferable to being subjected to vapid dialogues of peaceful negotiation.

None hold this way of life more sacred than made men.

Honor.
Loyalty.
Courage.

These are the codes of conduct of every mafia family.

However, the same cannot be said when dealing with their enemies.

Throughout recent decades, in the midst of civil evolution, an ancient war was being fought. From both sides of the globe, blood was spilled in the name of honor, while the brutal carnage each family bestowed upon the other was anything but noble. Soldiers, kin, and innocent lives were lost on all sides, and the inevitable extinction of the mafioso way of life was fast approaching.

In the most unlikely scenarios, six families came together in an undisclosed location to negotiate a peace treaty. As the leaders of the most influential crime families in the world, they recognized that a ceasefire was the only way to guarantee their endurance. Should this attempt fail, then their annihilation was all but imminent.

The treaty was effectively simple.

Each family would offer up one of their daughters as a sacrifice to their enemies. Marriage was the only way to ensure that the families wouldn’t retaliate against one another. It would also guarantee that the following successor’s bloodline would be forever changed, creating an alliance that would continue throughout generations to come.

Not all in attendance were happy with the arrangement.

The deep scars gained from years of plight and hatred can’t be so easily healed or erased. However, even the cynical and leery knew that this pact was their best chance of survival. Although the uncertainty of the treaty’s success was felt by every mob boss there, one by one, the families swore an oath that would bind them to it forever.

And as the words spilled from their lips and the scent of blood hung in the air, they made sure innocent lives would yet again be deemed collateral damage to their mafia wars—one last time.

Their daughters would have to pay the price of peace.

Whether they wanted to or not.

By
Ivy Fox

I was sold to my enemies.

You would think that being forced into a loveless marriage to ensure an alliance would be unheard of in this day and age. And in most cases, you would be correct in that assumption.

But not for me.

A cartel princess has no vote on who she can or cannot marry—much less love.
Any decision in my life was forfeited just by being born into the most powerful Mexican cartel there is.

Still, it does sting that I’m to be hand-delivered to the Irish mob and marry into the Kelly family, who my own brother has coined to be nothing more than bloodthirsty savages.

They’re animals, Rosa. Filthy, unscrupulous, vicious animals.

Those were his exact words, yet he still followed our father’s orders to walk me down the aisle, making sure I didn’t run from my obligation.

As if that was even an option.

All my choices were stolen away from me the minute I became another pawn to be used and abused at the hands of evil men.

Which leaves me to question…

Can a rose blossom in the dark?
Or will I have to rely on my thorns to protect me against the fate that’s been bestowed upon me?

Only time will tell if I’ll survive this cursed life or become another lost soul in these cruel and merciless Mafia Wars.

NOTE:
Recommended 18+ due to mature language, adult situations, and sensitive content.

In this first book of the Mafia Wars multi-author series, we meet a few of the major characters.

Tiernan Kelly is the oldest son of the Irish Mafia residing in Boston. On this day he watches on as his sister Iris packs to leave for Las Vegas and her arranged marriage into the Volkov Bratva Family. She refuses to have anyone go with her on this journey.

Rosa is the sister of Alejandro of the Mexican Cartel. He is escorting her to her wedding to Tiernan. There is still much animosity between these families, but her brother offers her some hope in that if she produces an heir, he will leave her alone for mistresses.

Alejandro is expecting them to be met at the plane by Tiernan and is a bit insulted when instead it’s Tiernan’s brother, Shay and cousin, Colin.

Rosa is wed the following day and her brother has to leave to attend his own wedding ceremony. She’s left alone in a strange city with a husband who is a stranger at a wedding reception where everyone is ignoring the bride, including her groom.

It’s Shay who approaches her at the head table and that’s where she makes a mistake. One she refuses to feel sorry for.

This is a favorite scene.

I turn around to see what all my men are snickering about, only to find my wife, hand in hand with my brother, as he leads her to the dance floor. The music suddenly stops when their feet touch the vinyl, making everyone that was dancing disperse to the side, leaving the floor empty for my new bride to have her first dance with my brother, no less.

Custom says that I should have the honor, but apparently Shay doesn’t agree.

When Colin sees the unlikely pair and figures out what’s about to happen, his green eyes turn a shade darker. Instantly, he breaks from the rigid stance he’s held all night, with the goal of pulling Shay by his hair, if need be, far away from my bride. Before my cousin has time to fly past me in a disgruntled rage, I shake my head, keeping him from taking another step.

“Leave him be,” I order, taking another sip of my whiskey, hating that the liquid hasn’t made much of a dent in my sobriety tonight.

“I don’t like it,” Colin mutters beside me.

“You don’t like most of Shay’s shenanigans. So why should this be any different?” I take another pull.

“Boss—”

“I said leave it,” I repeat more harshly.

This time Colin doesn’t protest, crossing his arms over his chest disapprovingly.

It’s not that I don’t understand why my cousin is pissed at my baby brother’s latest show of insubordination. It’s just that I don’t care. Shay has always danced to the beat of his own drum, and thinking that I can control him in any way, shape, or form is setting me up for failure. I’ve always given Shay free rein to do as he pleases, knowing that ultimately his loyalty starts and ends with me. If I learned anything from the great leaders of the past, it’s that family can either make you stronger, or it can be the chink in the chain that finally destroys you. Many a mafia boss have been overthrown and killed by their own kin—brothers, cousins and uncles who got weary of taking orders and decided that they could do a better job of being in charge of the family business. Shay has never given me any reason to think he wants my seat at the head of the table, but I’m not foolish enough to give him one, either.

If dancing with Rosa is how he’ll get his kicks tonight, I say let him have at it.

I won’t berate him in front of all our family and guests and start the rumor mill going that my new wife has barely been here a day and is already causing a rift between us.

I do, however, wonder what her motives are, though.

She doesn’t look the type to be easily seduced by a pretty face.

And she also doesn’t look dumb enough to try and purposely embarrass me in front of my men.

Which leaves me to think this is her manipulative way of paying me back.

Either because she’s still licking her wounds at my lack of presence before our wedding, or because I was less than welcoming on our drive to the reception hall. Whatever the reason, if she thought that accepting Shay’s offer to dance would somehow upset me or put me in my place, she has another thing coming.

When they are both at the very center of the dancefloor, Shay nods over to the DJ and a Spanish ballad begins to play through the speakers. Rosa’s eyes lift up to my brother in unspoken gratitude, to which he smiles back almost dotingly. He then places a respectful hand carefully on her lower back, while the other clasps her hand. They start to waltz around the dancefloor, seemingly uncaring that every pair of eyes in this room are on them, and like everyone else, I study their interaction down to a T.

Shay is just being Shay, putting on a show, but Rosa looks stiff as a board while my brother leads her in the dance. When her gaze constantly lowers, unwilling to meet anyone’s eyes, it’s blatantly apparent that she’s uncomfortable with the attention they are getting. When she looks at her feet for the third time in as many minutes, my brother takes his hand off her back and tilts her chin up to look at him.

“Just keep your eyes on me,” I watch him mouth to her.

The gesture is supposed to be comforting, Shay’s way of putting my bride at ease, but from the outside looking in, it looks intimate.

Almost as if he cares.

Hmm.

Maybe Colin wasn’t so off-base after all.

Maybe I should put a stop to this.

Although, I can’t blame my brother for wanting to use any excuse in the book to touch my wife.

The fates must have had a hell of a laugh at my expense when my father picked Rosa’s name out of the dreadful fruit bowl ten years ago. The fact that she is a Hernandez was my first cause for concern, but when she stepped into the Holy Cross Cathedral earlier today, I knew in that instant she was going to be more trouble than she was worth.

I’m not a man that is known for getting caught off guard in regards to anything.

I’m always prepared for any and all eventualities.

But I have to admit, even I wasn’t expecting her.

Not that there was any way I could have prepared myself either.

A few months after that horrid day in Bermuda, I succumbed to my curiosity and looked Rosa up online. I just wanted a glimpse of her, nothing more. Just a face to put to the name. However, her father, Miguel, had been careful and ensured that not one picture of his daughter could be found, leaving her existence limited to just a name online. And as the years passed and our deadline to marry approached, my curiosity about my future wife waned.

Somewhere along the way, I had made the decision that’s exactly how Rosa Hernandez would remain.

Just a name.

First online.

Now a scribbled signature on a wedding certificate and nothing more.

I had no intention of giving Rosa more importance than that. I’d give her my protection, set her up in some lavish brownstone in Beacon Hill, and forget she existed after that.

But then I lifted that fucking veil.

I wasn’t expecting her to be so fucking breathtaking.

Large brown doe eyes looked up at me, and suddenly every intention I had went out the window. I’m still not sure what I’m going to do with her, but keeping her secluded and away from my sight doesn’t seem as appealing to me as it once did.

Beautiful.

That’s the word Colin used to describe her. I should have known that my cousin’s limited vocabulary could never do her justice.

My wife is so much more than that small word.

She’s devastating.

An exotic flower plucked from her homeland and gifted to me on a silver platter to do whatever I want with. I could pluck out her petals, one by one. I could cut out her thorns and leave her defenseless. I could crush her in the palm of my hand if I so wished. Or I can nurture her and stand back to watch her blossom.

Such a frail thing to be put in my ungodly hands.

But as I watch her cheeks tinge a pretty shade of red, and her cupid-bow lips part for breath while her gaze remains fixed on my brother’s, the sudden need to remind her that I’m the one who is the master of her fate violently springs free from my chest.

When the song finishes, both Shay and Rosa stare into each other’s eyes, as if they are sharing a private little secret that no one should be made privy to. Annoyed with the cozy display, I step onto the dancefloor and walk over to them. Shay instantly lets go of her hand, his usual carefree expression nowhere in sight, while the wedding guests wait on bated breath to see what I’ll do.

“I’ll take it from here, brother,” I state evenly.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind giving her another twirl?” He smirks at me, his innuendo clear as day.

“You’ve warmed her up enough. It’s time to let the adults have their turn.”

Shay runs his tongue over his teeth before directing his attention back to my nervous bride. He lifts her hand and places a tender kiss along her knuckles.

“Now you have something to look back on,” he says playfully.

“Thank you,” she responds with genuine sincerity in her tone, making my usual cocky brother timidly smile back at her.

“Go,” I order, my patience starting to wear thin.
Fox, Ivy . Binding Rose: A Dark Mafia Romance (Mafia Wars) (Kindle Locations 1532-1600). X-Factory. Kindle Edition.

Tiernan has many issues with this marriage, and he’s certainly not very nice, one would say abusive even.

He has his reasons, but Rosa doesn’t deserve the treatment she’s getting, and Shay and Colin try to ease things a bit.

Then Rosa herself does something that was uncharacteristic but also brilliant.

I truly enjoyed this book. Rosa turns out to be quite an amazing woman. Animosity from an unexpected source and Tiernan and the rest of his family well, there’s much to be said here but ultimately family wins out.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

5 Contented Purrs for Ivy!

Lover of books, coffee, and chocolate!

Ivy lives a blessed life, surrounded by her two most important men – her husband and son. She also doesn’t mind living with the fictional characters in her head that can’t seem to shut up. Books and romance are her passion. A strong believer in happy endings and that love will always prevail in the end. Both in life and in fiction.

For more news on upcoming projects, get the inside scoop and sneak peeks by stalking Ivy on Social media!

By
Ivy Fox

They thought they could get away with it, but they are sorely mistaken.
They have been judged. They have been sentenced. All that remains is their execution.
No one goes unpunished. We’ll make sure of it.
We are The Society and all who dare cross us will find their miserable end by our hand.
Don’t be fooled. This is not their story.
It’s ours.

Finn

As long as I can remember, I’ve played by the rules.
On and off the football field, I’ve done everything that has been expected of me.
Until that fatal night.
Now my life and the lives of my best friends hang in the balance, hung there by a sadistic sinister shadow forcing us to do their will.
And it’s just my damn luck that I’m the first to be put on their butcher’s block.
I must prove my worth by eradicating a certain pebble in their shoe.
The order is simple.
To save ourselves, I must ruin another—a life for a life.
Meaning Stone Bennett’s life is about to be forfeited in exchange for my own.
The poor girl never stood a chance.

Stone

He’s all American perfection.
I’m the poster child for this country’s rejects.
He’s old Asheville money and privilege.
I’m the Southie eyesore people stay clear from.
He’s caviar dreams and champagne wishes.
I’m the trailer trash his momma probably warned him about.
I doubt it can get any further away from the elitist’s social spectrum than the two of us.
So why the hell is Finn Walker, Richfield’s football god, suddenly all in my face wanting my attention?
Nothing good can come from this.
I can feel it.

NOTES:
*The Society is an Enemies to Lovers, New Adult College Romance.
*Each book can be read as standalones. However all four books in this series have an entwined subplot, that will only be resolved in the final book.
*Recommended 18+ due to mature language and situations.

The prologue of this book gives us a hint of what’s to come. We are hearing the thoughts of someone at the funeral of Lincoln’s parents. Those thoughts are of revenge, not sympathy.

It’s the end of summer and the first of the guys we meet is Finn as he pulls up to the mansion where Lincoln lives. We hear his thoughts of a day back in May when all of them got blood on their hands.

He is joined first by Easton who pounds on his Porche, followed a bit later by Colt, Lincoln’s cousin. It’s finally Lincoln who yells at them to join him inside. He’s the one to tell them someone knows what they have done and want them to pay. The black embossed envelope and letter spell it out.

The Society will first put their claws in Finn. He’s to befriend one Stone Bennett only to destroy her later. It’s Easton who finds out enough about her for them to visit her place of employment, Big Jim’s Bar a dive biker’s bar on the South side of town.

This is a favorite scene.

“You’re Stone, right? Finn and I were just talking about how we’ve seen you around campus before,” Easton continues, feeding me a bullshit lie.

Like hell, they have.

Guys like them don’t pay attention to anything or anyone but their own reflection. I’d never be on their radar, so Easton suddenly knowing my name is all the warning I need to know they are definitely up to no good. I’m not sure what their intentions are, but I certainly need to make it clear I want no part of it. I have better things to do than waste my time with two entitled Northsiders looking to cause trouble on my side of town.

Screw that and screw them.

“And?” I quip back, unamused, hoping my resting bitch face is enough to dampen whatever game they’ve got going.

“And my friend here is trying to be polite. How about you cut him some slack, huh?” Finn counters, the annoyed scowl on his brow deepening by the second.

“Oh, that’s so cute, you sticking up for your boyfriend. Is that why you boys came here? To hide your love affair away from your mammas and pappas? Chin up boys. It’s the twenty-first century. No one gives a rat’s ass if you like cock or not. Own that shit. I do,” I reply sarcastically, giving them a little wink and blowing a kiss to Finn to annoy him further.

I sway my way back to the bar, the tiny adrenaline from toying with those idiots putting a smile on my face. It will probably be the only amusement I’ll get tonight. But too quickly is my fun tarnished when Finn-fucking-Walker jumps over the bar counter like a stealthy cat, and corners me against the wall of liquor shelves behind us as if he owned the damned place.

“You are something else, you know that, little girl?” he growls, his chest heaving against mine.

Standing up to his full height, Finn really is a sight to behold. Unfortunately, I’m unable to appreciate appreciate all of him at the moment. My neck is craned so far back that the strain of it is actually painful. He’s twice my size, both in height and in width, but if he thinks he intimidates me, he’s got another thing coming. I’ve dealt with far worse than pretty boy here.

“Stone, you okay? Do you need me to pull that motherfucker out of there?” Lamar asks, promptly leaving his post at the door and walking toward the bar, ready to earn his bouncer paycheck.

There are a few curious eyes on us, but none of them are too concerned for my welfare. That’s because they know I can handle shit just fine on my own.

I hold out my hand, halting Lamar’s next step, and with resolve stitched into my expression, I state evenly, “I’ve got this one, Lamar. I’m good.”

Finn lets out a little arrogant scoff but doesn’t break eye contact with me for a second. From my peripheral vision, I watch Lamar go back to his post, all the while keeping one eye on us, just in case I have to tap out and let him deal with the heathen of a man before me.

Never going to happen. Like I said, I got this.

Most of the privileged brats who attend Richfield are all bark and no bite, and Finn is no different. The minute someone stands up to him, he’ll shrivel back into his little shell, running away with his tail between his legs and licking his wounds because a girl from the Southside got the best of him. He has an ego as inflated as his hatred of being challenged. Sad thing is, I’ve dealt with this brand of intimidation before—bullies relying on their size and not their brains to terrorize the weak. Someone should have warned him that I might be small, but I’ve got a damn big mouth ready to sling bricks and stones where it’ll do the most damage.

“Okay, pretty boy. You got my attention. Now what are you going to do with it?” I taunt, not one bit threatened by his size or his imposing form.

Finn’s brows push together on his forehead, revealing his confusion. His perplexed glare isn’t as irritating as witnessing him lose a bit of the angry steam that was fueling his drive.

So disappointing.

He’s already unraveling, and all I had to do was to give him a little nickname. I watch his Adam’s apple bob, his eyes still fixed on mine, and I have to give him props for not taking advantage of peeking down my shirt. Most guys here have gone to far greater lengths to see the goods, so I commend Finn on his restraint at least.

“Cat got your tongue, pretty boy?” I tease him again with his own line, biting my lower lip, triggered by the flicker of the furious fire in his eye ready to lash out.

“You talk too much,” he finally grunts and my smile only grows wider at the poor excuse of a comeback he came up with.

“Oh yeah? And how do you propose to shut me up?” I provoke, unimpressed, but before I have time to chastise him any further, he takes the wind out of my sails when he grabs the back of my head and presses his lips forcefully on mine.

Every other time an asshole dared to put his hands on me without my say so, he’d have been kneed in his family jewels so fast he’d need surgery to see his dick again. But my knee-jerk reaction is nowhere in sight because Finn’s warm lips come as a surprise to me in more ways than one.

His plump, rich mouth dominates my own, his tongue teasing my lower lip in a way that leaves me helpless not to open up and let him take whatever he wants. But Finn doesn’t take my red-carpet invitation as I expected. Instead, he leaves me frustrated, using his teeth to scrape at my lower lip and then extinguish the tiny ache by sucking on it with his full, luscious mouth. His kiss is a combination of both brutish dominance and alarming tenderness. His lips promise wicked, dirty adventures, while his tongue toys with me, hinting that I’m not ready for everything he’s capable of giving.

Well, I’ll be damned. The boy does have some moves, after all.

If this is Finn at his tamest, then I shiver in anticipation at what he’s like at his wildest. When I feel the tip of my toes starting to lift me of their own accord—just so I can lean into his kiss more fully—he pulls away, ending one of the hottest kisses I’ve had all year.

Maybe even ever.

The smoldering look he gives me is enough to build a small fire in my core, leaving me needy for more. I’d rather die than let on he’s affected me so much, so I instantly school my features as best I can to feign annoyance. It’s awfully hard to maintain the charade since Finn seizes the moment by running his thumb over my lower lip, making my tongue ache to come out and play with it. And since shame is not part of my vocabulary, I give in to temptation and wrap my lips around his digit, his throbbing cock immediately responding to the gesture by the way it’s poking at my midsection. With his eyes fixed on mine, Finn lets out a suppressed moan when I finally let his imprisoned thumb out of my hot cage with a loud pop. I’m pretty sure the term ‘panty-melting stare’ was coined from sexy smolders like the one Finn has plastered all over his face.

“See you around, Stone,” he rasps huskily, biting his lip as if restraining himself from stealing another kiss from me.

“I doubt it, pretty boy,” I retort, licking my lips to make sure I leave him just as hot and frazzled as he left me.

The corner of his mouth deviously tugs upward as he leans his head down, low enough that I can feel his warm breath tickle my neck. My face is still cool and collected, but the shiver that runs down my spine is unavoidable. I’m sure the bastard knows he got to me.

“Oh, you’ll see much more of me, little girl. Count on it,” he threatens, biting my lobe so deliciously, my lids shut just so I can relish this one touch.

When sense finally sets in and I open my eyes, Finn is already at the door with his buddy Easton trailing right behind him. The cocky sidekick even has the nerve to throw me a conspiring wink.

Northside bastards.

Hmm. I wonder what that was all about.
Fox, Ivy. See No Evil: A Secret Society Enemies to Lovers College Romance (The Society Book 1). Kindle Locations (871-935). X-Factory. Kindle Edition.

It’s almost amusing to watch these two fall for each other. I love Stone’s snark, she’s not taking anything from anyone.

Finn on the other hand, starts feeling guilty and finds himself deeply conflicted with what he wants and what the Society wants him to do.

There’s plenty of suspense and intrigue as we learn bits of what these guys have done and the way the Society is going to punish them, one at a time.

I’ve already started the second book in this series, I need to know everything.

5 Contented Purrs for Ivy!

Lover of books, coffee, and chocolate!

Ivy lives a blessed life, surrounded by her two most important men – her husband and son. She also doesn’t mind living with the fictional characters in her head that can’t seem to shut up. Books and romance are her passion. A strong believer in happy endings and that love will always prevail in the end. Both in life and in fiction.

For more news on upcoming projects, get the inside scoop and sneak peeks by stalking Ivy on Social media!