Etiquette of the Cruel: A Dark Mafia Romance (The Damned Book 1)

"How would it feel to kill him?"

ADELINA

I don't get distracted.

I don't make mistakes.

And I sure as hell don't allow my enemies to keep breathing.

Cezar Torrim, the son of the man who took everything from me, is a loose end.

He should be dead.

He knows it.

I know it.

The plan always ends with his father six feet under. Everyone else is just in the way.

So why is Cezar still alive?

Why is he tied to my chair instead of buried in the ground where he belongs?

This should've been simple.

Except he doesn't act like a hostage. He doesn't try to run. He doesn't even pretend to fear me.

He just watches me-too calm for a man marked for death, like this is all a game.

It's irritating.

Dangerous.

And I wonder how far he'd let me go.

"I wasn't good for her. But I was greedy."

CEZAR

I should probably be more concerned.

She broke into my life, tied me to a chair, and made it very clear she could end me whenever she felt like it. And all I can think about is how good she looked doing it.

Everything Lina does is deliberate-controlled. She is dangerous.

The problem?

I've never been good at staying away from things that will ruin me. After all, I like to play.

If she wanted me dead, I would be. That's what makes this fun. She hasn't decided, and I can tell it bothers her.

The way she looks at me, like I'm hers to kill...

Or keep.

It turns me on.

Yeah.

I'm not going anywhere.

Etiquette of the Cruel is a dual POV, fast-paced, character-driven dark mafia romance where insta-lust grows into obsession, then love, with high chemistry, a romance-focused plot, explicit scenes, graphic violence, mature themes, and a hard-won HEA. Reader discretion is advised. Please see the front matter for detailed content warnings.

Tropes & Microtropes:

* Safe word... for him

* BDSM elements

* Touch her/him and die

* Femdom/power exchange

* He whimpers

* Found family

* Tortured MMC

* Morally black characters

* Dark humor (in the worst moments)

* Enemies to lovers

* Revenge plot

* Forbidden love

* Captive/captor

* Cat & Mouse

* Black cat & golden retriever vibe

* Completely unhinged MMC

* Female assassin FMC

* He falls first. Hard. And doesn't get back up

* Romantic suspense

Author's Note: Etiquette of the Cruel is the first book in The Damned series and can be enjoyed as a standalone romance.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Jane Carmine
Published: 07/14/2026
ISBN: 9798994367803
Pages: 344
Weight: 0.88lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.77d