Blurb
Talia
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I see the world in patterns — not to calculate my distance, but to understand the people no one else sees. I don't build walls. I build bridges. Even when it costs me.
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So when the Society offers me a contract, one year as the wife of legacy billionaire Stellan Rothwell, I say yes.
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His empire is fracturing from within. Someone close to him is leaking secrets, and I’m here to find the fault line before everything collapses.
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I wasn’t hired to love him. I was hired to anchor him, protect him, and leave when the work is done.
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But the longer I stay, the harder it is to pretend that saving him doesn’t feel a little like saving myself.
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Stellan
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I didn’t ask for a wife. I asked for containment.
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The Society promised me someone strategic — polished, detached. A safeguard, nothing more.
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So, they sent Talia Cerny — perceptive, unshakable, disarming in ways I didn’t see coming.
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She studies without judgment. Moves through my world like she was always meant to find the cracks and hold them together.
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I built my life around control. Around silence. But now, all I want is to hear her voice.
She came to protect the illusion of my stability.
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Instead, she’s becoming the only real thing I have left.
Kelley Joy, Goodreads
"Y’all this book is downright amazing! I absolutely fell in love with the characters and their storyline."
Linda, Goodreads
"Twists, turns, fantastic characters and world-building! Loved this story—it was so hard to put down!"
Sarah Toon, Goodreads
"This book has it all—twists, turns, action, and romance. Refreshing, bold, and absolutely worth the read!"
Content Warnings and Triggers
Emotional/Psychological
Physical/Violent
Sexual
Additional
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Arranged marriage / marriage of convenience
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Power imbalance
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Emotional manipulation and deception
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Parental emotional abuse / toxic family dynamics
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Pregnancy loss / miscarriage
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Grief and complicated emotional processing (both Talia and Stellan)
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Betrayal, trust issues, and emotional isolation
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Anxiety and spiraling thoughts under high pressure
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Workplace manipulation and corporate coercion
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Coercive legal threats, interrogation, wrongful arrest
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Discussion of homicide, murder investigations, violent crime
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Active criminal investigations, cybercrime, corruption, and cover-ups
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Threats of violence, blackmail, and coercion
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Stalking and harassment
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Legal manipulation
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Police questioning, investigation pressure, and arrest scenes
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Implied off-page murder
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Physical danger and threats
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Kidnapping and abduction
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Physical assault and violence
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Shooting / firearm violence
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Sexual assault (past rape referenced; on-page memory and verbal discussion of non-consensual encounter with Hunter Grange)
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General discussion of rape, sexual assault, and sex crimes
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Coercive sexual dynamics in backstory
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High heat sexual content
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Power play/control dynamics
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Profanity / strong language throughout
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Alcohol use
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Gambling references
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Social elitism and class power dynamics
More in The Shadow Brides
Not all brides are chosen for love...
