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Scars of Winter: A Dark Mafia Forced Proximity Romance
Paperback
Series: The Silent Protectors
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Feb 3 2026
Pages: 710
Weight: 2.06
Height: 1.56 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Thirty days. One house. A killer and her target trapped in a game of lies.
Five years ago, a fire took everything from Aileen Mullins. Her home. Her parents. Her life. She emerged from the ashes with a new face, a new name, and a single purpose: to kill the man who lit the match.
Sylvester O'Brien. The Wolf of the Catskills. A ruthless mafia recluse who hides in a brutalist fortress of concrete and glass, guarded by silence and snow.
To get close to him, Aileen became a ghost. To kill him, she walked into his den. But she didn't expect him to be waiting. And she didn't expect him to offer her a deal instead of a bullet.
He bought her life for thirty days.
Now, she is a prisoner in his estate, trapped by a winter storm and a contract signed in blood. He gives her the run of the house, the clothes on her back, and a terrifying challenge: Find proof that I'm the monster you think I am, and I'll let you pull the trigger.
But the Obsidian Estate hides secrets darker than Aileen's past. A locked wing with a humming ventilator. A silver lighter that Sylvester guards like a soul. And a man who doesn't act like a killer, but like a savior with a broken heart.
As the snow piles up and the temperature drops, the line between hatred and obsession blurs. Sylvester isn't just the target anymore; he's the only thing keeping her warm. And when the real enemy comes to finish what the fire started, Aileen must decide if she's willing to burn down the world to save the monster she swore to destroy.
He stole her grief. She stole his peace. Together, they might just survive the winter.
Scars of Winter is a high-heat, high-stakes dark mafia romance. It features a vengeful heroine, a touch-starved anti-hero, and a forced proximity arrangement that will melt your kindle. No cheating, no cliffhanger, and a hard-earned Happily Ever After.
Tropes & Themes:
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity (Snowed In)
Morally Grey Touch Her and Die Hero
Female Assassin / Revenge Plot
Grumpy x Sunshine (But she's a storm)
Who Did This To You?
One Bed Energy
Captor/Captive Dynamic
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