Brutal Crown
(2026)(The first book in the Vesperi Empire series)
A novel by Wren Fox and Sable Sinclair
Dark obsession. Possessive mafia boss. Hidden identity. "Touch her and die." Slow burn.
Sofia Davide (real name: Scarlett Ezra) has survived eighteen months in witness protection, hiding from a corrupt official who wants her silenced permanently. When her government stipend runs out, she jumps at a job giving historical tours at a luxury hotel in Rome. She doesn't know who owns it. She doesn't know he's already watching.
Dante Vesperi is the head of Rome's most powerful crime family—a billionaire Don who built his empire on control and never forgetting a face. He knows exactly who she is. He had her real name, her secrets, and her entire history before she walked through his door. He should have kept his distance. Instead, he books a private tour. Fixes her apartment. Moves her somewhere safer. Has her followed by people she'll never see. He tells himself it's about control — that a woman with her secrets inside his operation is a liability he needs to manage. He's lying, and he knows it, and he does it anyway.
Every kindness is a chain. Every gift pulls her deeper into a world she can't unsee and a man she can't stop wanting. Dante Vesperi is possessive, patient, and completely unwilling to let her go — and the closer she gets, the harder it becomes to tell where his protection ends and his obsession begins.
But Sofia isn't the only one looking for answers. The man who destroyed her life is getting closer, and the walls Dante built around her won't hold forever. When the truth finally catches up to both of them, Sofia will have to decide what she's willing to risk — and Dante will have to decide how far he's willing to burn to keep her.
Brutal Crown is a dark mafia romance. Book 1 of The Vesperi Empire series featuring a possessive Don, a heroine with secrets, and morally grey decisions that blur the line between protection and control.
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Sofia Davide (real name: Scarlett Ezra) has survived eighteen months in witness protection, hiding from a corrupt official who wants her silenced permanently. When her government stipend runs out, she jumps at a job giving historical tours at a luxury hotel in Rome. She doesn't know who owns it. She doesn't know he's already watching.
Dante Vesperi is the head of Rome's most powerful crime family—a billionaire Don who built his empire on control and never forgetting a face. He knows exactly who she is. He had her real name, her secrets, and her entire history before she walked through his door. He should have kept his distance. Instead, he books a private tour. Fixes her apartment. Moves her somewhere safer. Has her followed by people she'll never see. He tells himself it's about control — that a woman with her secrets inside his operation is a liability he needs to manage. He's lying, and he knows it, and he does it anyway.
Every kindness is a chain. Every gift pulls her deeper into a world she can't unsee and a man she can't stop wanting. Dante Vesperi is possessive, patient, and completely unwilling to let her go — and the closer she gets, the harder it becomes to tell where his protection ends and his obsession begins.
But Sofia isn't the only one looking for answers. The man who destroyed her life is getting closer, and the walls Dante built around her won't hold forever. When the truth finally catches up to both of them, Sofia will have to decide what she's willing to risk — and Dante will have to decide how far he's willing to burn to keep her.
Brutal Crown is a dark mafia romance. Book 1 of The Vesperi Empire series featuring a possessive Don, a heroine with secrets, and morally grey decisions that blur the line between protection and control.
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Used availability for Wren Fox's Brutal Crown