Gilded in Flames: The Ricci Empire (Imperial Garden Series)

She was supposed to save her family.

Instead, she found herself trapped inside an empire built on blood.

When Maria Marchetti agrees to marry Enzo Ricci, heir to one of the most powerful mafia families in the world, she believes she is sacrificing her future to protect the people she loves.

She is wrong.

Behind the gates of the Ricci estate lies a world more dangerous than she ever imagined. A world of ruthless men, buried secrets, and loyalties forged in violence. A world where every smile hides a threat and every act of kindness comes with a price.

Enzo is cold, controlled, and impossible to read.

Nico is reckless, charming, and far too tempting.

Leo looks at her like she is both a problem and a temptation he refuses to acknowledge.

And somewhere in the shadows lingers Antonio Ricci, the missing heir whose absence haunts the empire he left behind.

Surrounded by enemies, watched from every angle, and caught between duty and desire, Maria quickly learns that surviving the mafia is one thing.

Surviving the men who claim her is another.

As old enemies rise, alliances fracture, and a war begins to stir beneath the surface, Maria must decide who she can trust before the flames consume everything.

Including her.

Gilded in Flames is the first book in The Ricci Empire, a dark mafia romance featuring forced marriage, morally gray characters, found family, dangerous secrets, and a heroine who refuses to burn quietly.