Hello guys, I'm searching for a dark contemporary RH novel (no paranormal or high school bully stuff) and exhausted my search methods so I thought I'd ask the good people of the GR community. Unfortunately I don't remember many details but anyway, here it goes.The harem consists of the heroine and 3 or 4 guys (there are 3 'core guys' and a fourth man who I'm not sure about if he'll become a member of the harem or not, but more about that later on). I don't remember any names, unfortunately.The heroine is 30ish and a successful business woman or lawyer (?), but I think she is a bit shy/timid/unsure of herself.The core guys are:- a tattoo artist with his own studio. He is the first to fall for the heroine and if I remember correctly he is the only one she sleeps with in book 1.- a mafia guy. She meets him in some kind of sex club (with masks on) and they have a sexual encounter of some sort. If I remember correctly he is in a fake or arranged engagement to a mafia princess he cannot stand.- a grumpy/broody/closed-off personal trainer she meets at a gym (he trains her). He is the most reluctant in regards to his feelings though they share a steamy kiss. After that he pushes her away.There is a fourth guy who is attracted to the heroine: it's the right hand man of the mafia guy and his longtime friend, they shared women before I think though I'm not sure if he'll become part of the harem or not.The twist in the story is that the heroine meets every guy separately but the men are all somehow connected to each other and know each other (I remember an accidental meeting at a night club).The book is part of a series and book 1 ends in a cliffy: the broody, mysterious personal trainer vanishes. I think book 1 was in the time span of early till summer 2021 but I could be wrong.Does this ring anyone's bell?
What if the reflection staring back at you had become a stranger?Inside, I was dying—empty, dark, alone.Keeping it all together was exhausting and the ‘perfect’ mask I wore was beginning to slip. Pretending to have it all together wasn’t working anymore as the lies I had to tell weighed heavier each day. I’d done everything right my whole life and I still ended up divorced What if the reflection staring back at you had become a stranger?Inside, I was dying—empty, dark, alone.Keeping it all together was exhausting and the ‘perfect’ mask I wore was beginning to slip. Pretending to have it all together wasn’t working anymore as the lies I had to tell weighed heavier each day. I’d done everything right my whole life and I still ended up divorced, childless, and alone. All I had left was my job.Maybe it was time to be a little bad? Seductive choices pulled me over into darkness and I no longer had to pretend. The escape was addictive as recklessness marred my skin and desperate decisions led me into the arms of unknown danger. The hardest part was knowing whether they would save me, or destroy me. Because their destruction was beginning to taste like salvation and I didn’t know if I could walk away.After all, the sweetest lie was the one you told yourself, especially when the truth was the most dangerous confession of all.*Author's note: This is a why choose novel, meaning the main female character doesn't have to choose between love interests. This is a dark contemporary mafia romance, medium burn with a slow build harem. The characters are adults with most being 30 and above. This story deals with depression and other themes that may be triggering. Please read the forward at the beginning of the book for more details. This is an adult romance and intended for readers 18+ due to language and content. This series will contain MM though not in book 1. ...more