The Heart Behind the Cold
(2025)(The first book in the Hearts That Melted the Ice Trilogy series)
A novel by Stan Hendriks
Previously published as A Dark and Callous Soul: In Love With a Psychopath by Stan Hendriks.
Yua believes in beauty, in goodness, in silver linings most people overlook. She lives with heart, not caution, trusting her instincts even when the world feels unsteady. But everything changes when she witnesses a brutal murder and becomes the target of a powerful cartel—blamed for a crime she didn’t commit.
Her only protector is Christopher, the assassin responsible for the kill.
He’s unreadable, ice-cold, and devastatingly dangerous. She should be terrified. Instead, she feels drawn to the quiet gravity behind his actions—the way he shields her, even though he swears he’s incapable of love. And Chris, for reasons he can’t explain, finds himself breaking rules he’s never questioned.
She’s warmth. He’s ice. And somewhere between blood and silence, she begins to melt the walls he thought would never fall.
Their worlds were never meant to touch.
But now that they have, neither one can let go.
Can Yua soften a soul shaped by shadows? Or will loving him mean losing herself—and everything she believes in?
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Yua believes in beauty, in goodness, in silver linings most people overlook. She lives with heart, not caution, trusting her instincts even when the world feels unsteady. But everything changes when she witnesses a brutal murder and becomes the target of a powerful cartel—blamed for a crime she didn’t commit.
Her only protector is Christopher, the assassin responsible for the kill.
He’s unreadable, ice-cold, and devastatingly dangerous. She should be terrified. Instead, she feels drawn to the quiet gravity behind his actions—the way he shields her, even though he swears he’s incapable of love. And Chris, for reasons he can’t explain, finds himself breaking rules he’s never questioned.
She’s warmth. He’s ice. And somewhere between blood and silence, she begins to melt the walls he thought would never fall.
Their worlds were never meant to touch.
But now that they have, neither one can let go.
Can Yua soften a soul shaped by shadows? Or will loving him mean losing herself—and everything she believes in?
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Used availability for Stan Hendriks's The Heart Behind the Cold