Nero

Nero is a dark mafia romance that begins in a shabby second-floor walk-up with an open door, a bowl of popcorn, and a woman who has learned to survive by staying small. Payton is scarred by a childhood of abuse and by the constant breath of fear on her neck. Nero is the deadly man who steps into her quiet apartment—and into every corner of her future.

What starts as a surreal encounter becomes a spiral: a protective stalker who calls himself a monster, a late-night confession about past violence, and a secret vow to keep her safe no matter the cost. Payton fights panic, poverty, and the grief of old wounds. Nero fights his own nature—and the enemies who would tear apart anything he cares about. Along the way there’s a tender dog, a favorite latte scrawled in Sharpie, a stolen bottle of rose-scented body wash, a gala that feels like a betrayal, and a rescue that ignites a war.

This story doesn’t pretend the past didn’t happen. It shows how two people who don’t get easy things like safety or softness build them anyway—awkwardly, fiercely, and sometimes wrong. It is a love story wrapped in danger, a confession wrapped in heat, and a promise wrapped in blood and roses. If you like your romance protective, obsessive, and painfully honest about trauma and healing, this is your ride.

• Listeners who love dark, possessive romance with a fiercely protective hero
• Fans of trauma-to-trust arcs who want tenderness amid danger
• Romance readers who enjoy morally gray worlds and found-family dynamics
• Anyone who prefers contemporary love stories with heat, heart, and high stakes

S. J. Tilly writes contemporary and dark romance from Minnesota, where winters are cold and reading is a survival skill. When she’s not writing protective heroes and women who choose themselves, she’s with her husband and a beloved pack of rescued boxers or pretending to know what she’s doing in the garden. She loves crafting messy, grown-up love stories that blend obsession, humor, and genuine healing.