The Danger By Association Trilogy
New Adult,
Dark Contemporary,
Slow Burn Romance,
French Mafia Rivals,
New Orleans,
France,
Snarky Banter,
Multi-POV.
So, it's just like Dark Romance?
Nope! Think dark themes, baby spice.
Synopses
The Price of Innoncence
There is the plan and only the plan.
Marius Gray has big plans for his family’s business, but as the heir, he must share the reign of Le Milieu, French Mafia, with his snake of an uncle until he comes of age.
His rival attacks, forcing the Gray family to uproot for the time being, causing them to sweep unexpectedly into the legendary bayou city of New Orleans.
There are new alliances to be made and new opportunities to be had on American soil, as long as Marius follows the plan. But his dark and cunning world is upturned in the most unexpected way; a snarky, intuitive senior named Celine.
When Marius’ attentions are torn between what he must do and what he finds himself inexplicably wanting with Celine, doors are opened to the enemy that may have dire consequences for Marius and his associates.
When rival mobsters go head to head, Celine is forced to confront the world of black and white, only to find that it bleeds Gray.
Will it be the formidable Marius Gray, or the resilient Celine Bouchard that pays the price of blood and tears?
And what will be the cost if the darkness proves stronger and more cunning than them both?
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The Price of Protection
​​If life was complicated for New Orleans native, Céline Bouchard, before she was swept into a world of dangerous criminals and their ruthless rivalries, you can only imagine the whirlwind of chaos and confusion that followed.
Now, with Jacques Mesrine targeting her, Céline is in mortal danger at every turn. She must decide whether or not to trust Marius' organization to protect her, or attempt to outrun Mesrine on her own.
Marius Gray, a brooding enigma, has become ensnared in a tale as old as time: the Beast meets Beauty. Now solely burdened with the responsibility of the Gray empire, Marius must navigate the storm of Céline’s grief and her complicated feelings for him, all while ensuring her safety from his relentless nemesis.
Family ties will be severed, long-buried secrets unearthed, and boundaries tested. But in this world of crime and deception, no one is exactly who they seem to be.
Is the worst of Céline’s trauma behind her? Can she protect her friends from being caught in the crossfire between two rival kings of crime? Will Marius rise above his personal feelings and defeat his rival to keep those he cares for safe, or will his ego become his undoing?
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The Price of Loyalty
The Price of Innocence
was paid in loss and mistrust.
The Price of Protection
was paid in grief and blood.
But sometimes it is the Price of Loyalty that is the hardest to bear.
It’s time to find out if the final price to be paid will be worth the sacrifices required.
DBA Playlists
3
The Price of Loyalty
The aftermath.
Longing.
Closure.
Fun Facts About the Series
Every book-every series-has background thoughts, motivations, inspirations, and purpose that the reader never sees.
I've decided to add some of those tidbits for you all.
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If you want to see more like this, contact me via email!
Céline's Birthday :
Céline was born on May 20th, but celebrates her birthday on the 20th of December. It was the year after her mother died that she asked her dad if she could switch her birthday by Christmas to have extra presents. Still learning how to be a single parent and loving his daughter too much to deny her seven-year-old face, Marcus Bouchard conceded to celebrating every December as long as it wasn't too close to Christmas.
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As Céline grew, Marcus would ask every year if she wanted a spring birthday again and she would say, "No, dad. I want to smell snow when I wake up."
What Started It All:
In The Price of Protection, chapter 44, Céline and Marius engage in communication in the form of dance. My original idea for this scene was simply to have two complex characters with big opinions that needed a way to communicate other than speaking. Thus, the dance.
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I imagined a ballroom scene where they would dance passionately in a way that would speak to each other clearly. From there, I just had to decide who this man and woman were and how they ended up in the ballroom arguing in the first place.
About the same time, I heard the song "The Devil Doesn't Bargain" by Alec Benjamin and a mafia story was born.
Duology Turned Trilogy:
Originally I planned the series as two books. I wrote what is now books one and two together and began planning to publish. As the word count edged towards 200k I knew it was much too long for both a debut, and a New Adult novel, and set to splitting it.
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After publishing book one, I rewrote the majority of book two, only keeping a couple of my favorite scenes including the ending which I knew was always where the story was destined to arrive at eventually.