Bound by Shadows
About the Book
She never meant to catch the attention of Chicago’s most dangerous man. He never meant to let her go.
Isabella Romano’s life was simple—paint, survive, repeat. Struggling to make ends meet in her Lincoln Park studio, the last thing she expected was a mysterious commission worth more money than she’d ever seen. Paint a portrait. No questions asked. Easy enough.
Until she meets her subject.
Dante Salvatore doesn’t just own Chicago’s elite art scene—he owns everything that matters in this city. Heir to the most powerful crime family on the East Coast, he’s ruthless, calculating, and absolutely lethal. But when Isabella’s brush captures something in his soul that no one else has ever seen, he becomes obsessed.
One night. One mistake. One witness to a world she should never have entered.
Now Isabella belongs to him, whether she wants to or not.
Held captive in his fortress estate, she discovers that beneath Dante’s cold exterior burns a man desperate for the light only she can provide. But the mafia doesn’t forgive, and it doesn’t forget. When rival families target Isabella to get to Dante, she must choose between the safe life she’s always known and the dangerous man who’s sworn to protect her.
As she’s drawn deeper into the Salvatore family’s world of loyalty and tradition, Isabella finds herself fighting not just for her freedom, but for her heart. Because falling for a man like Dante means accepting a life where love and violence walk hand in hand, where family comes before everything—including her own desires.
But when an arranged marriage threatens to tear them apart and enemies close in from all sides, Isabella must decide: Will she run from the shadows that bind them, or fight for the man who’s shown her a love worth any risk?
In the heart of Chicago’s underworld, some bonds are forged in darkness. Some love stories begin with captivity. And some hearts are worth breaking every rule to protect.
Perfect for readers who love dangerous alpha heroes, emotional romantic tension, and the intoxicating blend of art and danger. Contains mature themes, intense emotional situations, and building romantic content.