DELUXE EDITION--featuring beautiful blue sprayed edges!

From USA Today bestselling author Naima Simone comes a new scorching dark mafia romance in the Hunted Kingdom series in which a modern-day Cinderella must fight against the stepbrother who inherited her legacy--but he wants more than just the family empire: he wants her.

He’ll burn it all to keep her.
Her fire will consume his soul.

Today, my father gave me the perfect gift: he died.

But he left my legacy, the multibillion drug empire, to pure evil―my stepbrother, Asad Prince.

Petty even in death? Two can play that game.

As the last Cross, I’ll leave it all behind. And I will have the last laugh too: I’ll take the formula for the drug I created with me.

It’s the perfect plan until Asad makes his final move―marry him, or everyone I love dies.

A deal with the devil. Until he reveals his secrets.

His obsession might have always been my freedom.

Now, Asad might rule with fire.

But I'll light the match.

EMBER is a dark mafia romance that explores themes, subjects, and scenes that may not be suitable for everyone. Please see the author's content note at the beginning of the book.

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Arranged marriage
Forced proximity
Touch her/him and die
Morally grey MMC/FMC
Fairy tale reimagining

",{"_1111":61,"_30":82,"_1164":1165,"_1166":43},400,"1250352967","#292d46",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5073i/3b61c097-8682-4c4f-8e56-34087e4df0b7.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5073i%2F3b61c097-8682-4c4f-8e56-34087e4df0b7.jpg","The Hunted Kingdom","b6855355-ac5b-4c18-bbf9-0f3c6aa0ddbf",{"_1111":1674,"_30":1675,"_533":1676,"_1170":-5,"_1171":-5,"_1172":61,"_1173":1677,"_1175":1072},"b8d397a9-a53b-4ace-bf01-aa5b07f2db76","Naima Simone","624-naima-simone",[1176],"2aad26b6-0366-4daa-9432-ae4fcc475535",[],[1695],"Own It: An Urban Romance","b2a541b1-abbe-4f20-8bfe-7a765395f323","Aug 2026","2026-08-11","5142-own-it","He captured her & conquered her heart. She captivated him.",{"_1111":662,"_30":84,"_1164":1165,"_1166":43},"August 11, 2026","August 11","B0H7KZT7C4","#8cc0c1",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5074i/b2a541b1-abbe-4f20-8bfe-7a765395f323.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5074i%2Fb2a541b1-abbe-4f20-8bfe-7a765395f323.jpg",{"_1111":1696,"_30":1030,"_533":1697,"_1170":-5,"_1171":-5,"_1172":1028,"_1173":1698,"_1175":1072},"a9d651fd-cd4d-43a8-af74-ff903e48ba00","41-shvonne-latrice",[1176],"e46c25a0-623e-4d67-975a-699387f34bbb","4.75",[1722],[1717],"Frisco: Welcome to the Woods","93bdebe7-67d2-4023-a300-1e1282a612da","2023-02-14","5144-frisco","“You’ll know them. They have the letter ‘M’ branded on them like cattle.”- Henry Melvin

Since Yakima’s been able to date, her detective father has reminded her of the type of men to steer clear of. At twenty-seven, she’s done just that until one night of partying, and a botched raid leads her into the house of mob boss, Francisco Matisse.

Calm, cool, and collected are frequent words used to describe Francisco ‘Frisco’ Matisse. His main focus is business, and everything else, including his relationship with his longtime girlfriend, Alyce Smalls, comes afterward. In a hostile takeover gone wrong, Frisco schemes his way into Yakima’s life, proving to his adversaries that his reach is far. Despite her skepticism, Yakima gives Frisco a chance.

As their relationship intensifies, he realizes he's in too deep to pull himself out. In a twisted turn of events, his scheme backfires, putting everyone involved at deadly risk. What was meant to be strictly business turns into something deeper, faster than he expected. With Alyce in his ear, Yakima in his heart, and people trying to threaten his empire, his back is against the wall.

When Frisco’s secrets are threatened to be unveiled before he can reveal them himself, he must decide where his love and loyalty lie. Will it be with the woman who's been in his life or the woman who has his heart?",{"_1111":662,"_30":84,"_1164":1165,"_1166":43},498,"February 14, 2023","February 14","B0BVTCLQGX","#dac2a6",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5075i/93bdebe7-67d2-4023-a300-1e1282a612da.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5075i%2F93bdebe7-67d2-4023-a300-1e1282a612da.jpg",{"_1111":1718,"_30":1719,"_533":1720,"_1170":-5,"_1171":-5,"_1172":672,"_1173":1721,"_1175":1072},"f922036f-38f3-41aa-a9d1-cf2bab150f8c","Bianca Xaviera","90-bianca-xaviera",[1176],{"_30":1723,"_533":1724,"_1535":1536,"_1175":1072},"Crystallized Editing","625-crystallized-editing","37936441-c961-44de-9570-02d45a156d84",[],[1742],"Love, Restricted","34e34433-be75-42dc-80dd-725aac417a26","2026-07-15","5145-love-restricted","After a tumultuous relationship ends, Mycah Cooper leaves town in search of a fresh start. She arrives in Sunrise Valley, and the only thing on her mind is finding a job as she gets acclimated to her new environment. Getting wrapped up in another man is the last thing on Mycah's mind, but life has other plans.

Chief of police, Kairo Bishop is in over his head at work. He is in desperate need of an assistant. The no-fraternizing policy screams for Kairo to pass up the beauty who just rolled into town, but he is confident he won't violate the rule he's lived by for years.

Sparks fly, but Mycah and Kairo know they shouldn't cross the line. Love has a way of breaking all the rules, but is love worth jeopardizing their jobs? Or are they better off letting those feelings die?",{"_1111":662,"_30":84,"_1164":1165,"_1166":43},155,"July 15, 2026","July 15","B0H8ZLH6VR","#24231f",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5076i/34e34433-be75-42dc-80dd-725aac417a26.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5076i%2F34e34433-be75-42dc-80dd-725aac417a26.jpg",{"_1111":1743,"_30":1744,"_533":1745,"_1170":-5,"_1171":-5,"_1172":662,"_1173":1746,"_1175":1072},"73bcc666-07ba-4c98-b10e-ee71fb0df05b","Soleil","237-soleil",[1176],"f5850424-027f-4775-a687-ed5e66a6b7ca",[],[1763],"Amaretto Sour After Dark","32c914dd-bc99-4770-bc2d-f80c4d8f046c",{"_19":1761,"_1111":1762,"_1267":662},"5146-amaretto-sour-after-dark","

Ivy Adams has always had a carefully calculated, foolproof plan for her life. Then, her ex-husband gets engaged just six months after their divorce… and suddenly, Ivy is the only one left standing still. With no backup plan for heartbreak, she does the unthinkable: books a solo trip to a summer resort, determined, for once, not to have everything figured out.

Elijah Short has never met a risk he wouldn’t take. Living fast and thinking later has always worked for him until one reckless fling leaves his business in shambles. With nowhere to go but away, Elijah takes a friend’s advice and escapes to an island resort, expecting nothing more than a temporary distraction.

Neither of them was looking for anything real.

But when a perfectionist desperate to let go meets a risk-taker finally forced to slow down, one unexpected summer might change everything.

",{"_1111":662,"_30":84,"_1164":1165,"_1166":43},"B0H8ZVQVFD","#552420",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5077i/32c914dd-bc99-4770-bc2d-f80c4d8f046c.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5077i%2F32c914dd-bc99-4770-bc2d-f80c4d8f046c.jpg","Drunken Summer Nights","24717288-e499-4953-807a-53b823467ec1",{"_1111":1764,"_30":1765,"_533":1766,"_1170":-5,"_1171":-5,"_1172":435,"_1173":1767,"_1175":1072},"44c82636-fd5e-463b-a9cd-20a7b9245863","J.D. Southwell","128-jd-southwell",[1176],"435c5d7a-db96-4e67-a886-db2188cf4c7b",[],[1785],"The Snake Inside Me","1e7d8927-d589-4e40-a26d-ced01da86fda","2026-07-18","5149-the-snake-inside-me","

A simple post on social media dove her headfirst into an arrangement that she never thought she’d find herself in and with a rapper at that.

With everything starting to close in and bills piling up, the unexpected came in and changed it all, but will it last?

Evie has to find out who she really is and what it is that her body craves without the influence of others telling her what she should and should not do.

When snakes slither into her life, she’ll have to find out if it was worth it to eat from the forbidden fruit, is it really the sweetest taste of sin? Or do the snakes that she let in wrap around her too tight and then swallow her whole?

",{"_1111":662,"_30":84,"_1164":1165,"_1166":43},250,"July 18, 2026","July 18","B0H3557JNF","#3e2418",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5078i/1e7d8927-d589-4e40-a26d-ced01da86fda.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5078i%2F1e7d8927-d589-4e40-a26d-ced01da86fda.jpg",{"_1111":1786,"_30":1787,"_533":1788,"_1170":-5,"_1171":-5,"_1172":61,"_1173":1789,"_1175":1072},"5dd015e6-bdba-430f-a9db-f2132d1d1019","Amina Dean","628-amina-dean",[1176],"c36036ec-58b1-4387-990e-59afa46884ed",[],[1810],"Falling for the Savage","5b6ddac0-3f90-4a15-b52d-e89f181f1bc9",{"_19":1808,"_1111":1809,"_1267":66},"2026-07-17","5150-falling-for-the-savage","

Angel Dozier goes on vacation with one goal; fuck a stranger and meets Kashton Santana, a dangerously fine drug lord who decides on sight that she’s his wife. She slips away after their one night, but Kash tracks her home, kidnaps her, and moves her entire life into his mansion, insisting they’re married now.

Angel fights him at every turn, torn between fury at being trapped and the undeniable chemistry that explodes every time he touches her. Kash is lethal, obsessively protective, and completely uninterested in letting her go, killing anyone who threatens or even flirts with her.

As Angel struggles to keep control of her own life and thriving weed brand, she’s dragged deeper into Kash’s bloody world and learns her own family is even more dangerous than his. Angel has to decide if she’s going to keep running from the monster who claimed her…or become one with him.

",{"_1111":662,"_30":84,"_1164":1165,"_1166":43},358,"July 17, 2026","July 17","B0H118DLR1","#070526",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5079i/5b6ddac0-3f90-4a15-b52d-e89f181f1bc9.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5079i%2F5b6ddac0-3f90-4a15-b52d-e89f181f1bc9.jpg","highville","267e65a8-f2b1-4a98-af3d-d1971c94a191",{"_1111":1811,"_30":1812,"_533":1813,"_1170":-5,"_1171":-5,"_1172":61,"_1173":1814,"_1175":1072},"c75d118f-0952-48ef-86ef-2f7943e3510f","SUNSHINES URBAN NOVELS","629-sunshines-urban-novels",[1176],"c54f64f4-f35d-42c3-a034-8a10ff72e305",[],[1831],"Dove","143cc0d2-0cbc-418a-9f46-b3b3bb8b7d4a","2026-07-16","5151-dove","Florist, Dove Flowers needs an escape. A year has passed since her very public relationship humiliation occurred. Now that the first anniversary has rolled around, so have the rumors and her ex. She needs protection.

MMA champion, Reighvyn Bloom needs an escape. Managing doping allegations, the breakup with his supermodel girlfriend, and his mentally unbalanced mother’s return, all he wants is peace and to silence the noise.

One beach cottage. Two old childhood friends. A long overdue reunion may be what Dove and Reighvyn need to find peace, acceptance, and healing in each other’s arms.

But as they finally act on their years long mutual attraction, could their pairing be more damaging than therapeutic?",{"_1111":662,"_30":84,"_1164":1165,"_1166":43},"July 16, 2026","July 16","B0H5MGLZ53","#955d55",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5080i/143cc0d2-0cbc-418a-9f46-b3b3bb8b7d4a.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5080i%2F143cc0d2-0cbc-418a-9f46-b3b3bb8b7d4a.jpg",{"_1111":1832,"_30":1833,"_533":1834,"_1170":-5,"_1171":-5,"_1172":672,"_1173":1835,"_1175":1072},"ed923d2e-4af8-4da1-a218-55a2710ae6f4","Egypt Cynaé","351-egypt-cynae",[1176],"d5a4eeb0-97e0-43b6-a9de-8a272ede1a8a",[],[1849],"Wrong Door","aed33603-bc03-442d-bd7d-06431eed7e80","5152-wrong-door","

Rochelle thought she knew the man she loved. She trusted Tevyn with her heart. Her future. Even enough to help him pull one last robbery inside a house in North Philly that should've been empty. It wasn't.
The deeper they make it into the house, the stranger things become. The walls seem to know Tevyn's secrets. Voices call out things Rochelle was never supposed to hear. Every locked door uncovers another piece of a double life her boyfriend spent months hiding.
Now she doesn't know what's more terrifying... The house that refuses to let them leave. Or the man she's been sleeping beside.
Some secrets die with people. Others wait behind the wrong door...

",{"_1111":662,"_30":84,"_1164":1165,"_1166":43},"B0GX2ZXH9S","#000000",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5081i/aed33603-bc03-442d-bd7d-06431eed7e80.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5081i%2Faed33603-bc03-442d-bd7d-06431eed7e80.jpg",{"_1111":1850,"_30":1851,"_533":1852,"_1170":-5,"_1171":-5,"_1172":61,"_1173":1853,"_1175":1072},"2b837d23-b1db-4cd0-80b9-045e5996630d","Nycole B","630-nycole-b",[1176],"4f334952-9cbf-4d8a-991b-54311e158310",[],[1875],"Savvy Summers and the Po'boy Perils (Savvy Summers Mysteries, #2)","4a271f02-78ff-470a-89c6-e8fe316be6e5",{"_19":1873,"_1111":1874,"_1267":66},"2026-07-21","5153-savvy-summers-and-the-po-boy-perils-savvy-summers-mysteries-2","The next delectable mystery featuring quick-witted, unforgettable Savvy Summers, owner of a soul food café in Chicago.

Savvy has her work cut out when an old friend hires her to cater a company luncheon at a nearby office building on Chicago's South Side. Stepping out of her traditional soul food comfort zone, Savvy whips together a menu of Creole classics, with her own spin, of course—mini po’boys with assorted fillings, sunburst salad, and bread pudding using Great Aunt Essie’s famous buttermilk biscuits.

But when someone is found dead in the company’s conference room, Savvy’s culinary creations are suddenly in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. While the focus should be on their delicious flavors and inventive techniques, Savvy’s beloved café instead becomes the center of a murder investigation once again.

Caught within a messy web of gossip, miscommunication, and fraught coworker relationships, Savvy will have to settle the confusion to clear her name. Somebody’s hiding something, and with the help of her trusty assistant manager, Penny Lopés, Savvy sets out uncover exactly who is to blame. With familiar faces turning up the heat on her investigation and her café still in hot water, will Savvy be able to save her reputation before it’s too late?",{"_1111":66,"_30":80,"_1164":1165,"_1166":43},"Minotaur Books","July 21, 2026","July 21","9781250428066","1250428068","#886d0b",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5082i/4a271f02-78ff-470a-89c6-e8fe316be6e5.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5082i%2F4a271f02-78ff-470a-89c6-e8fe316be6e5.jpg","Savvy Summers","b258f921-2676-44c4-9368-d8ec7d3b410d",{"_1111":1876,"_30":1877,"_533":1878,"_1170":-5,"_1171":-5,"_1172":61,"_1173":1879,"_1175":1072},"c4fb9f95-c79e-4727-a71a-1ef52ddc1f12","Sandra Jackson-Opoku","631-sandra-jackson-opoku",[1176],"611da084-a2fb-4ba0-8aff-c946da644f3a",[],[1894],"Alone with You","1b6af0d5-3251-484c-9661-e7e029c58b77","5154-alone-with-you","Oaklyn Bridges
When my best friend called to invite me to her birthday cabin trip in the mountains, it was an automatic yes. She promised me lots of shots and the chance to unwind from the pressures of being a highly sought after actress. What she forgot to mention was that the itinerary included a friend from my past that my heart had never forgotten, and before I can make an escape, a storm blows in, forcing me to sit with all the things I never got to say and him.

Jasoni Ward
When my sister told me she was planning a cabin trip for her birthday, the first question to come to mind was if Oaklyn would be there. I knew I had no right to ask after that one choice I was still regretting years later. I was willing to get on my knees and beg if that’s what it would take for reconciliation, but until now I’d never had the chance. So, with my sister’s help and a winter storm blowing in like God’s perfect plan, every second trapped with her would be used to get back the friend I’d lost.",{"_1111":662,"_30":84,"_1164":1165,"_1166":43},112,"B0H9FQD5ZR","#292724",[],"https://cdn.blackauthored.com/books/5083i/1b6af0d5-3251-484c-9661-e7e029c58b77.jpg","https://img.blackauthored.com/?preset=poster_thumb&image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.blackauthored.com%2Fbooks%2F5083i%2F1b6af0d5-3251-484c-9661-e7e029c58b77.jpg",{"_1111":1895,"_30":1896,"_533":1897,"_1170":-5,"_1171":-5,"_1172":61,"_1173":1898,"_1175":1072},"c15f7a5a-64e9-421f-bbfc-a4897c1435a8","Faith J.","632-faith-j",[1176],"isLoggedIn",["P",1900],"result",{"_19":1909,"_21":1910,"_17":1911,"_1912":1913,"_23":1914,"_1915":1916,"_24":1917},"user","themePreference","light","storedTheme","gaId","G-Z1HVZ17GZ3","Blackauthored","%s","Find your next Black authored read and connect with readers with the similar taste.","handle","@blackauthored","https://blackauthored.com","robots",{"_1928":43,"_1929":43},{"_26":27,"_28":1918,"_30":1909,"_1919":1920,"_1921":1922,"_23":1914},"Organization","logo","https://cdn.blackauthored.com/images/og-image.png","sameAs",[1923,1924,1925,1926,1927],"https://twitter.com/blackauthored","https://facebook.com/blackauthored","https://instagram.com/blackauthored","https://youtube.com/blackauthored","https://tiktok.com/@blackauthored","noIndex","noFollow"]

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