First published 2026
Briar Thornton arrives in Bane Falls, Montana to settle her uncle's estate. She has been running from someone who tried to kill her, but this small town brings new dangers. Roman Syxx operates as a lieutenant in the covert Icarus Squad under Dark Forces command. The organization built him into a weapon, cold and precise. His mission in Bane Falls requires him to infiltrate, eliminate his target, and vanish. When Briar appears in town, she breaks through Roman's conditioning in ways no enemy has managed. Their shared trauma draws them together. They strip away each other's protective barriers until their connection becomes as dangerous as combat. Roman discovers that Briar connects to his assignment in ways neither expected. Both must face the reality that escaping their pasts will require others to die.
Genres: romance, adventure, suspense, thriller, action, contemporary-romance
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Bane Falls, Montana
Period: Contemporary
320 pages · Paperback · Bloom Books
Content warnings: violence