Beautiful Things Obey

Three authors. Two morally grey characters. One deadly world.

In the silence of the morgue, she fixes what violence ruins. Bullet wounds disappear beneath careful stitching. Evidence vanishes. Secrets are buried with the dead. Every crew in the city relies on her.

All except one.

The largest. The most powerful. The one even other criminals fear.

She has spent years avoiding them.

Until the night their leader walks through her doors.

He does not shout. He does not threaten. He simply watches her work, calm, immaculate, disturbingly intrigued. When he tells her she will be working for him from now on, it sounds less like a request and more like fate closing in.

She refuses.

He returns.

Again.
And again.
And again.

The more she resists, the more fascinated he becomes. He calls her extraordinary. Says her talent is wasted on small men with smaller ambitions. Says beautiful things belong in powerful hands.

He thinks she will bend.

He has no idea she has been surrounded by monsters her entire life and survived them all.

Penny Dee writes contemporary romance about rockstars, bikers, hockey players and everyone in-between. Her stories bring the suspense, the feels and a whole lot of heat.

She found her happily ever after with an Australian hottie who she met on a blind date.

Beautiful Things Obey was an addictive blend of dark romance, mafia politics, mystery, and obsession. I flew through it in three days and never once wanted to put it down. Between the unforgettable characters, gripping plot, brilliant banter, and deliciously dark atmosphere, this easily became one of my favourite mafia romances of the year. (Christine, Goodreads review)

This book is dark but not heavy dark which makes it such an enjoyable read! I've been in a reading slump and this book reminded me why I love reading. (Anna, Goodreads review)

Honestly, putting Kia Carrington-Russell, T.L. Smith, and Penny Dee together is just unfair. They're already incredible authors individually, but together? They're an absolute powerhouse. The bar was already ridiculously high going into this book, and somehow they still managed to exceed it. And THAT PLOT TWIST WITH LEONORE?! My jaw genuinely dropped. (Kim, Goodreads review)

I ATE THIS UP. This story was fresh, fun, and super addictive. Absolutely loved it! (Amanda, Goodreads review)

Beautiful Things Obey completely consumed me from the very first page. I was instantly hooked, and the story never let go. These three authors delivered a dark, addictive mafia romance filled with suspense, sizzling chemistry, and unforgettable characters. (Crystal, Goodreads review)

Absolutely loved this book! Loved everything about it. Quirky characters, suspenseful plot and oh, the off beat romance. (Tesh, Goodreads review)

These 3 amazing authors worked some serious magic with this book!! Like can we please get another one?!!! LOL!! This was pure unhinged madness and I'm living for it!! Absolutely 100% recommend this book!! It's a hilarious, unhinged, morally grey read that I couldn't get enough of!! (Jessica, Goodreads review)

The chemistry between these two? UNHINGED. I was giggling, kicking my feet, and cackling one minute, then fanning myself the next. The banter was razor sharp, the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife, and the push and pull had me screaming. THEY. ARE. HOT. HOT. HOT. Then throw in the plot twists...totally locked from start to finish. LOVED!!!! (Hayley, Goodreads review)

Beautiful Things Obey, co-authored by Penny Dee, TL Smith, and Kia Carrington-Russell, is a dark, gritty, and deeply erotic Mafia romance that immerses readers in a dangerous world of organized crime. The novel thrives on a character-driven narrative centered entirely around two morally grey individuals whose lives collide in an atmosphere thick with tension, obsession, and violence. Written through a unique collaborative process where each author took turns forcing the narrative deeper into the dark, the story delivers constant twists and betrayals. It is a seductive exploration of power dynamics, survival, and the inescapable pull between a fiercely independent woman and a terrifyingly calm crime boss who refuses to take no for an answer.

At the heart of the story is Dr. Leonore Graves, a local mortician who operates far outside the boundaries of the law. In the cold, sterile silence of her morgue, Leonore does much more than prepare ordinary citizens for their final rest; she fixes what violence ruins. She has built a lucrative, highly secretive side business doing favors for the city's various criminal underworld factions. Bullet wounds disappear beneath her careful, precise stitching, damning evidence vanishes into thin air, and dangerous secrets are literally buried with the dead. Almost every illicit crew in the city relies on her exceptional skills to keep the authorities at bay. However, Leonore has spent years meticulously avoiding one specific syndicate—the largest, most powerful, and most ruthless criminal organization in the city, knowing that their attention brings a level of peril she might not survive.

This fragile equilibrium shatters the night Silas Vescari, the feared leader of that very syndicate, walks through the doors of her morgue. Silas is a man whose mere name strikes terror into the hearts of seasoned criminals, yet his demeanor is entirely unexpected. He does not shout, posture, or make overt threats. Instead, he simply stands in the shadows and watches Leonore work. He is calm, immaculate, and disturbingly intrigued by her macabre artistry. When he finally speaks, he casually informs her that from now on, she will be working exclusively for him. It is not framed as a request or even a negotiation; it is delivered with the chilling finality of fate closing in around her, signaling the end of the quiet, controlled life she has carefully constructed.

Fiercely stubborn and deeply resilient, Leonore outright refuses his demand. Having been surrounded by various monsters and manipulative men her entire life, she has learned how to survive them all. She relies on no one but herself and refuses to become another possession in a mafia kingpin's vast empire. However, her defiance only serves to fuel Silas’s dark fascination. When she pushes him away, he simply returns. He comes back again and again, steadily wearing down her defenses. Silas views her as an extraordinary talent utterly wasted on small men with small ambitions, confidently declaring that beautiful things belong in powerful hands. Their relationship rapidly evolves into a tempestuous, highly aggressive push-and-pull dynamic, defined by acrimonious banter and a seductive, inescapable physical chemistry that neither can ignore.

As Silas relentlessly inserts himself into her daily existence, the narrative peels back the layers of Leonore’s carefully guarded life, revealing that she is not exactly the simple mortician she claims to be. The mounting bodies and the hidden wealth she has accumulated are tied to deeply buried secrets and a traumatic past that is slowly catching up to her. A sudden personal betrayal and a dangerous hint of recognition threaten to expose her true identity to the warring factions of the mob. This revelation places a massive target squarely on her back, threatening not only Leonore but also her close circle of friends, including her assistant Tori and her confidantes Nessa and Sophie. The people she cares about most are suddenly at risk of becoming collateral damage in a brutal underworld war.

Faced with this escalating threat, the dynamic between Leonore and Silas fundamentally shifts. Silas transitions from being a looming, oppressive threat to a fierce, obsessive guardian and protector. He recognizes the perilous path her secrets have paved and is more than willing to travel down it with her, unleashing his full, ruthless power to shield her from the enemies crawling out of the woodwork. The romance that blossoms between them is far from traditional; it is gritty, intense, and forged in the crucible of extreme danger. Silas provides a twisted kind of safety, proving that he is the only monster capable of keeping the other monsters at bay, while Leonore slowly accepts the dark reality of her circumstances and the undeniable bond she shares with him.

Ultimately, the book delivers a gripping tale of vengeance, madness, and unyielding control. It is a story about the desperate lengths people will go to in order to survive and protect what is theirs. Through a labyrinth of lies and betrayals, Leonore and Silas navigate a deadly landscape where love and obsession are dangerously intertwined. The story culminates in a dramatic fight for dominance, proving that even in a world governed by violence and corruption, an unbreakable bond can form between two broken souls. The novel stands as a thrilling, seductive dive into the shadows, offering a compelling portrait of a woman who refuses to break and the powerful man who is determined to make her his queen.