A Cinderella Crime Story

by Gracie Qu

Aiden Hui has spent his entire life running away from Infinite, the Chinese American mafia his family has served for generations. His only hope for a life of his own is his older brother, Hui Ye—the patriarch of the Hui family. But when Aiden starts college, Hui Ye is brutally murdered, with no clues to the culprit.

Aiden is left at the mercy of his powerful stepmother, who pressures him to accept his “duty” to Infinite for the sake of her and her two children. Drowning in grief and unwilling to abandon the only family he has left, Aiden resigns himself to his fate—until he meets Brendan.

Unconditionally kind, Brendan is like a prince from a another world, ushering Aiden into a life where friendships aren’t dangerous and hobbies can finally belong to him alone. As they grow closer, Aiden’s desire for freedom reignites—even as the pressure from his stepmother mounts for him to take up Hui Ye’s place in Infinite.

But when both Aiden and Brendan find their lives in danger, a mysterious assassin who calls herself Aiden's fairy godmother intervenes. With her help—and with Brendan at his side—Aiden must confront the identity he inherited, the family he can’t escape, and the freedom he refuses to lose again.

Genres: M M Romance

273 pages, ebook

Published January 30, 2026

About the author

Writer, accountant, and anime blogger. Gracie entered daycare fluent in Chinese and completely at loss with English. It was through picture books that she learned to communicate with the kind, patient, and loving daycare workers. Since then, she has become obsessed with stories in every possible medium. Becoming an author has been her dream since first grade, and in 2026, she finally published her first novel. Aside from spending her days writing complicated characters and Asian-inspired worlds, she’s also addicted to anime, Wikipedia articles, and tax law changes.

You can find her anime obsession at her Twitter social, @Girltaku_AT.

Reviews

[Audrey I. · Rating 4 out of 5]

so cool to read a book by someone i know!! i have two nickels and i only hope i will get more in the future!! i was very swept away by all the mafia mystery stuff and i also had so many aha moments where it clicked for me which parts and characters represented different parts of cinderella… i will admit that some of the stuff clicked really late for me bc i was not thinking critically enough i guess HFJSKFK oops thats on me. especially at the end when i realized how * mirrored a character in cinderella i was like OHHH how did i not get that. anyway aiden was such a fun main character to follow and root for, and it was so interesting to see his reactions and behaviors in “normal” situations that were tainted for him bc of his mafia family background. my guy :( him and brendan were very sweet together but i actually ended up enjoying all the non-romance mystery stuff a lot more which was unexpected for me!! i ate this up so fast my eyes were glued to my kobo i had a lot of fun maybe it's time for me to branch out into this kind of genre again…

also adding on from my storygraph review, i really liked the family portrayal in this story and how aiden's relationships with his two stepsiblings were very different but both very realistic. different experiences with the same parent!! so real!!

[Thalia Minh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual kinda genre, but honestly, the gays are GIVINGGGG!

There’s so much deep chemistry between Aiden and Brennan that I forgot I was in a large, high-action packed mafia novel. They make me believe in wholesome romance again, and not the trashy stuff on Hollywood screen.

The book’s massive points are absolutely the dialogue and the emotional beats surrounding the theme of “freedom.” It’s not just about the gay lovebirds finding their own future, but a deeper look into families (primarily Asian-American) that often blur the lines of co-dependency, control, and ill-placed “love.” I don’t think I’ve ever felt personally close to a novel like this, even though it takes place in a stranger-than-not setting of a mafia family with Cinderella overtones.

Honestly, I can’t complain much about this book. I only give it a four stars because I was expecting more of a deep dive in Chinese triads/mafias, but if that’s the case, then the writer had to be in on something… right?

[Katja Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world where the Cinderella story trope has been repurposed, adapted, animated, filmed in live action, and reimagined in a multitude of ways, Gracie has successfully broken the stale curse of the original story. Drawing on elements of the Cinderella archetype, Gracie has written a whimsical (yet modern), familiar (but not clichéd), and heartwarming tale that follows a young Chinese boy torn between his obligations to his family’s business (a mafia crime organization) and staying true to himself and his values. By using this familiar narrative, Gracie has created a story that transcends the repetitive recycling loop and instead delivers a thoughtful, heartwarming coming-of-age tale shaped by the complexities of Asian American upbringing and queer experiences.

This book was such a fun read, and I especially loved Celia’s character! Do yourself a favor and buy this book, you won’t want to miss out on this story!

[Clay Levinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t typically pick up fiction but was intrigued by a mafia and BL twist on cinderella. Sure to say, this book did not disappoint! I was hooked by the second chapter and couldn’t put it down. I fell in love with the main character as he found his voice and discovered his feelings. Also, where can I sign up for the photography club?! I want to photograph the albino squirrel!

[nana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fun and interesting take on the Cinderella trope! Also, dare I say, the best fairy godmother of all time?

I read this in one sitting. The romance is cute, and the twists and turns keep you hooked. Really well-written and thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really liked it. So many emotions were conveyed trough out the pages and there was this panic at the beginning that everything was going to end so badly but the resolution was really something else. Loveed the godmother character, such an excellent addition to the story.