The most dangerous obsession is a mutually assured one

Emma Lane is an accomplished attorney who has spent nine years constructing a life of control and respectability to survive a predatory past. She has the career, the stability, and a carefully chosen future — but her emotional autonomy remains tethered to the one man who refuses to let her go.

Alexander Grey is an apex predator in a bespoke suit. He doesn't believe in "goodness." He believes in possession. To keep Emma, he has betrayed blood, manipulated the law, and curated a version of the truth that keeps her worshiping at his feet. As much as he wants to save her, he wants to corrupt her, until she’s the only thing left in his dark world.

As the two collide, the masks of "Alexander Grey" and "The Accomplished Attorney" finally shatter, and Emma must face the ultimate indictment: Is she falling in love with a monster, or is she finally becoming the woman her mother was?

In the Grey family mansion, the wine is poured, the silver is polished, and the betrayal is a familial tradition. But when the truth about a decade-old suicide attempt surfaces, Emma must decide if she’s his partner in crime... or his next casualty.

Pride and Pleadings is a dark, psychologically driven romance that interrogates obsession, agency, and desire through a feminist lens. It is best suited for readers who enjoy morally gray characters, thematic depth in Romance, and stories that resist simple answers. It is the second book in the Game of Hearts series, but can be read as a standalone.

Content Warning: This novel contains explicit intimacy, non-consensual dynamics explored critically, and references to past emotional trauma. These elements are presented as part of a broader examination of power, desire, and self-definition

ABOUT THE GAME OF HEARTS SERIES:

The Game of Hearts is an interconnected standalone romance series that revolves around three career-oriented young women as they pursue their ambitions while exploring love, passion, and romance.