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17 days and 05:57:35
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Hunted Kingdom #2
Ember: A Mafia Romance
Not yet published
Expected 14 Jul 26Win a free print copy of this book!
17 days and 05:57:35
50 copies available
U.S. only
400 pages, Paperback
Expected publication July 14, 2026
3 people are currently reading
2565 people want to read
About the author
Naima Simone
171 books2,184 followersPublished since 2009, USA Today Bestselling author Naima Simone loves writing sizzling romances with heart, a touch of humor and snark. Her books have been featured in The Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly, and described as balancing “crackling, electric love scenes with exquisitely rendered characters caught in emotional turmoil.”
She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.
She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 16, 2026
naima simone you are crazy in the best way
January 26, 2026
4.25 stars!
naima did not come to play with ember!! the cinderella inspiration was incredible. ember was a strong fmc, and asad, our mmc, was NOT intimidated by that. and the ending??? i did not see that coming. this kept me hooked from beginning to end!
tropes:
• cinderella retelling
• step siblings
• arranged marriage
• touch him/her and 💀
naima did not come to play with ember!! the cinderella inspiration was incredible. ember was a strong fmc, and asad, our mmc, was NOT intimidated by that. and the ending??? i did not see that coming. this kept me hooked from beginning to end!
tropes:
• cinderella retelling
• step siblings
• arranged marriage
• touch him/her and 💀
March 10, 2026
This doesn’t happen often, but the second book in this series was better than the first! I really enjoyed this story line! Also just love Naima and her crazy self! :)
February 23, 2026
Now this is a true villain origin story.
I don't know how Mrs. Simone does it, but I laughed, cried, and clutched my pearls all within 383 pages. Loved every raunchy, diabolical minute of this story.
Asad Prince is hands down the best character ever. The character development on him needs to be studied. I went from hating him, to fearing him, and then understanding him.
Ember Cross also needs to be studied. She's sick and depraved, but I totally understood it. Maybe that makes me sick and depraved too.
I'm ready for the next dark mafia fairytale reimagining. Will it be Beauty and the Beast? I, for one, vote for Princess and the Frog. Voodoo, the bayou, and a splash of the mafia? Sounds like a time to me.
I don't know how Mrs. Simone does it, but I laughed, cried, and clutched my pearls all within 383 pages. Loved every raunchy, diabolical minute of this story.
Asad Prince is hands down the best character ever. The character development on him needs to be studied. I went from hating him, to fearing him, and then understanding him.
Ember Cross also needs to be studied. She's sick and depraved, but I totally understood it. Maybe that makes me sick and depraved too.
I'm ready for the next dark mafia fairytale reimagining. Will it be Beauty and the Beast? I, for one, vote for Princess and the Frog. Voodoo, the bayou, and a splash of the mafia? Sounds like a time to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Rating: 4/5
Heat Level: 4/5
Pub Date: July 14th
Premise:
After Ember's father, the CEO of a fashion empire and a more covert drug empire dies, her wicked stepbrother Asad takes over with one caveat: he has sixty days to marry, and he wants to marry Ember, not only because she's the genius behind the drugs they manufacture, and also because he's always wanted her.
My review:
The most batshit, horniest, and darkest Cinderella-inspired romance I've ever read and I mean all those words in a complimentary sense. In a time when even mafia romances are starting to feel sanitized, Naima Simone goes all-in on BOTH a hero and heroine who are morally-grey, fucked up, and twisted... which makes them perfect for each other.
In many ways, this feels like such a classic mafia romance because daddy's dead, there's a criminal empire succession crisis AND marriage contract to be fulfilled... which is how Ember is coerced into an engagement with her hot evil stepbrother and childhood tormentor Asad. Where Ember differs from your standard mafia romance heroine is that she's willingly taking part in the organized crime element— she puts her multiple degrees to good use by creating the designer drugs that fund her family's empire. Her test subjects are... deserving, and she isn't afraid to put more lethal compounds to good use. In that sense, she's Asad's perfect counterpart, even though she hates his guts FOR GOOD REASON. He was her bully growing up, and his mother, the wicked stepmother of this story, abused her. I think the dark romance of it all allows you to buy into Ember falling in love with Asad despite this, though it does take a minute— AS IT SHOULD.
Naima Simone writes moments of violence with genuine shock factor where Asad is concerned, and in a way, it feels refreshing (see: what I said earlier about sanitized mafia romances). On the other hand, he's actually pretty damn down-bad for Ember from the start, even though he kind of(?) tries to push her away... with death threats. And despite their initial enmity, his devotion to Ember almost never wavers. Almost.
The sex:
If there's one thing mafia romances love, it's a virgin and, I guess, a surprise virgin, so the sex is actually more tender than you think... dare I say, ROMANTIC, as far as sex between two stone-cold killers go, and the dirty talk is off the charts insane— I'm telling y'all, Naima is a romance author who is So Good at writing dirty talk in a way I'm seeing less and less these days.
Overall:
You want something fun (and funny!) and dark and hot, this is your book, and I would highly highly recommend you try Huntsman as well as Ember.
Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
Heat Level: 4/5
Pub Date: July 14th
Premise:
After Ember's father, the CEO of a fashion empire and a more covert drug empire dies, her wicked stepbrother Asad takes over with one caveat: he has sixty days to marry, and he wants to marry Ember, not only because she's the genius behind the drugs they manufacture, and also because he's always wanted her.
My review:
The most batshit, horniest, and darkest Cinderella-inspired romance I've ever read and I mean all those words in a complimentary sense. In a time when even mafia romances are starting to feel sanitized, Naima Simone goes all-in on BOTH a hero and heroine who are morally-grey, fucked up, and twisted... which makes them perfect for each other.
In many ways, this feels like such a classic mafia romance because daddy's dead, there's a criminal empire succession crisis AND marriage contract to be fulfilled... which is how Ember is coerced into an engagement with her hot evil stepbrother and childhood tormentor Asad. Where Ember differs from your standard mafia romance heroine is that she's willingly taking part in the organized crime element— she puts her multiple degrees to good use by creating the designer drugs that fund her family's empire. Her test subjects are... deserving, and she isn't afraid to put more lethal compounds to good use. In that sense, she's Asad's perfect counterpart, even though she hates his guts FOR GOOD REASON. He was her bully growing up, and his mother, the wicked stepmother of this story, abused her. I think the dark romance of it all allows you to buy into Ember falling in love with Asad despite this, though it does take a minute— AS IT SHOULD.
Naima Simone writes moments of violence with genuine shock factor where Asad is concerned, and in a way, it feels refreshing (see: what I said earlier about sanitized mafia romances). On the other hand, he's actually pretty damn down-bad for Ember from the start, even though he kind of(?) tries to push her away... with death threats. And despite their initial enmity, his devotion to Ember almost never wavers. Almost.
The sex:
If there's one thing mafia romances love, it's a virgin and, I guess, a surprise virgin, so the sex is actually more tender than you think... dare I say, ROMANTIC, as far as sex between two stone-cold killers go, and the dirty talk is off the charts insane— I'm telling y'all, Naima is a romance author who is So Good at writing dirty talk in a way I'm seeing less and less these days.
Overall:
You want something fun (and funny!) and dark and hot, this is your book, and I would highly highly recommend you try Huntsman as well as Ember.
Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I didn't read the first book in this series and I think I should have....I felt like I was going into this story a little blind but maybe not?
Ember is a bada** that doesn't take shit from anyone....she can't show weakness, thanks to the world that she lives in. Asad, her stepbrother and the heir to her father's company/fortune, doesn't put up any shit....so they should be perfect for one another, right?
First time reading a Naima Simone book and I would definitely read others by her. I struggled to connect with Ember for about half of this book...but I am glad I kept going.
Thanks to Bramble for the ARC!
Ember is a bada** that doesn't take shit from anyone....she can't show weakness, thanks to the world that she lives in. Asad, her stepbrother and the heir to her father's company/fortune, doesn't put up any shit....so they should be perfect for one another, right?
First time reading a Naima Simone book and I would definitely read others by her. I struggled to connect with Ember for about half of this book...but I am glad I kept going.
Thanks to Bramble for the ARC!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews