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Stealing Cinder: An Age Gap, Mafia Romance
These mafia kingpins are shackled to their thrones. Loveless. Heirless.
Until they decide to break their chains and steal love anywhere they can find it.
Cinder
I gave my body to a monster, knowing he’d ruin me.
Samuel “Bones” Payne is sin wrapped in shadows—a killer with a devil’s smile and hands that burned me alive.
One night was all it took for him to leave his mark on my soul and my body.
I walked away, believing I’d left him behind in that tangle of luxury sheets.
But now he’s back, standing before me with a hunger that threatens to destroy the delicate threads holding my life together.
“I’ve waited too long for this moment,” he growls, his voice a dark promise.
My heart stutters. “You can’t have me. I belong to someone else.”
His hand brushes over my baby bump, his smile wicked with possession.
“Then I’ll steal you both.”
Samuel
One night with her wasn’t enough.
Eve is my salvation in a world painted in blood and violence. She’s the light I never deserved, the home I never had.
But she ran. Left me hollow and spiraling.
Now, my runaway princess is back within my grasp—her belly swollen with my child and my enemy’s name on her lips.
She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m not leaving here without her.
Before the night is over, I’ll steal Cinder from the bastard who thinks he can claim her.
And this time, she’ll wear my ring, bear my name, and rule my world as my queen.
Stealing Cinder is a standalone Cinderella retelling mafia romance featuring a strong heroine and a delicious and utterly morally gray hero who takes what he wants. Be ready for a spicy, wild ride. Every book in the Mafia Daddies series can be read as a standalone.
OTHER BOOKS IN THE
Owning Amethyst
Ruining Lili
Possessing Bella
Until they decide to break their chains and steal love anywhere they can find it.
Cinder
I gave my body to a monster, knowing he’d ruin me.
Samuel “Bones” Payne is sin wrapped in shadows—a killer with a devil’s smile and hands that burned me alive.
One night was all it took for him to leave his mark on my soul and my body.
I walked away, believing I’d left him behind in that tangle of luxury sheets.
But now he’s back, standing before me with a hunger that threatens to destroy the delicate threads holding my life together.
“I’ve waited too long for this moment,” he growls, his voice a dark promise.
My heart stutters. “You can’t have me. I belong to someone else.”
His hand brushes over my baby bump, his smile wicked with possession.
“Then I’ll steal you both.”
Samuel
One night with her wasn’t enough.
Eve is my salvation in a world painted in blood and violence. She’s the light I never deserved, the home I never had.
But she ran. Left me hollow and spiraling.
Now, my runaway princess is back within my grasp—her belly swollen with my child and my enemy’s name on her lips.
She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m not leaving here without her.
Before the night is over, I’ll steal Cinder from the bastard who thinks he can claim her.
And this time, she’ll wear my ring, bear my name, and rule my world as my queen.
Stealing Cinder is a standalone Cinderella retelling mafia romance featuring a strong heroine and a delicious and utterly morally gray hero who takes what he wants. Be ready for a spicy, wild ride. Every book in the Mafia Daddies series can be read as a standalone.
OTHER BOOKS IN THE
Owning Amethyst
Ruining Lili
Possessing Bella
204 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 12, 2026
About the author
Penelope Wylde
141 books541 followersRomance author Penelope Wylde is the naughty alter ego of a rebel southern belle who loves writing extra dirty, over-the-top romances that are NSFW. She loves beach time, sunsets, and all the book boyfriends she can fantasize about.
Wylde readers like it naughty, a bit sweet and always with a wicked happily-ever-after and Penelope always delivers! No matter what you're in the mood for all her heroes are bad boy sinners at heart and will make you swoon for them on every steam page.
If you love your romance wet, wicked, and WYLDE, you're in the right place!
Stalk me at:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/penelopewyl...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penelopewyld...
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Penelope-Wylde...
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/penel...
Wylde readers like it naughty, a bit sweet and always with a wicked happily-ever-after and Penelope always delivers! No matter what you're in the mood for all her heroes are bad boy sinners at heart and will make you swoon for them on every steam page.
If you love your romance wet, wicked, and WYLDE, you're in the right place!
Stalk me at:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/penelopewyl...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penelopewyld...
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Penelope-Wylde...
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/penel...
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 20, 2026
Cinder and Samuel
Penelope Wylde’s “Stealing Cinder” is the fourth book in her Mafia Daddies series. Lots of action and steam in this age gap dark romance. Leading the action is Samuel “Bones” Payne, a mafia boss with a dark past. An interesting character to be sure, I liked him and his no nonsense style (except when he left the shower water running!). The woman who claimed his heart was Cinder Ashford. Cinder was drowning in grief when she met Samuel and ended up pregnant after their one night stand. She disappeared from his life to pursue justice for her father. Cinder and Samuel had an instant connection, their chemistry was obvious. The story moves along quickly, it jumps from their one night stand to five months later when they reunite and then from there less than half a day before the story wraps. Lots of bullets were flying and, of all things, an ax was used in a gunfight. I was glad for the epilogue at the end because it tied up some lingering details. I did find it interesting that this group of men thought highly of Cinder’s father but was basically unaware of Cinder, as she was always in the background of her father’s business, she kept a low profile. Definitely shorter and more compact than many of Ms. Wylde’s stories, she managed to create a cohesive story that fits in her world of dark romance and the questionable moral fiber of her antiheroes who manage to find just the right woman who changes their lonely futures. Samuel’s cohorts from prior books in this series are in this story, which strengthens the world in which the story is set. I liked their inclusion to help protect Cinder and act as Samuel’s backup. This can be read and understood as a standalone. Even Society 69 is mentioned, anyone who has read the Red Letter Syndicate series is aware of that notorious trafficking business. Anyway, I did enjoy the mixture of dark and light with a nod to Cinderella. Well written shorter read with plenty of scorching passion, flying bullets, and a satisfying happy ever after. We learn enough about the characters to cheer them on. Recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review, my thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
Penelope Wylde’s “Stealing Cinder” is the fourth book in her Mafia Daddies series. Lots of action and steam in this age gap dark romance. Leading the action is Samuel “Bones” Payne, a mafia boss with a dark past. An interesting character to be sure, I liked him and his no nonsense style (except when he left the shower water running!). The woman who claimed his heart was Cinder Ashford. Cinder was drowning in grief when she met Samuel and ended up pregnant after their one night stand. She disappeared from his life to pursue justice for her father. Cinder and Samuel had an instant connection, their chemistry was obvious. The story moves along quickly, it jumps from their one night stand to five months later when they reunite and then from there less than half a day before the story wraps. Lots of bullets were flying and, of all things, an ax was used in a gunfight. I was glad for the epilogue at the end because it tied up some lingering details. I did find it interesting that this group of men thought highly of Cinder’s father but was basically unaware of Cinder, as she was always in the background of her father’s business, she kept a low profile. Definitely shorter and more compact than many of Ms. Wylde’s stories, she managed to create a cohesive story that fits in her world of dark romance and the questionable moral fiber of her antiheroes who manage to find just the right woman who changes their lonely futures. Samuel’s cohorts from prior books in this series are in this story, which strengthens the world in which the story is set. I liked their inclusion to help protect Cinder and act as Samuel’s backup. This can be read and understood as a standalone. Even Society 69 is mentioned, anyone who has read the Red Letter Syndicate series is aware of that notorious trafficking business. Anyway, I did enjoy the mixture of dark and light with a nod to Cinderella. Well written shorter read with plenty of scorching passion, flying bullets, and a satisfying happy ever after. We learn enough about the characters to cheer them on. Recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review, my thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
September 17, 2026
A dark romance with its roots based loosely in the story of Cinderella. Cinder is innocent but yet worldly in the view of her stepmother and step sisters with murder on her mind, then she meets Samuel and everything changes. They are explosive together and then add in his friends - woohoo - and things get explosive!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 16, 2026
A mugging gone wrong is what the police tell Cinder, but she has a very different theory about who is responsible for her father’s death and the closer she looks, the more convinced she becomes that the real culprits are much closer to home. Especially when she discovers that the father who adored her has mysteriously written her out of his will. Watching her stepmother and her father’s best friend silently gloat beneath the theatrical veneer of their grief, Cinder makes herself a promise: she will find the evidence she needs to prove they killed her father. But before she throws herself into the fight for justice, Cinder needs one night to forget. One night to lose herself in a man’s arms and surrender the one thing she still has control over. Enter Samuel “Bones” Payne. Cinder knows exactly who he is, but when he offers her a night to remember, she gets far more than she bargained for. Samuel is already thinking forever when Cinder disappears for five long months without a trace. Five months in which Samuel can’t forget the woman who changed his whole life, while Cinder gets closer and closer to the answers she needs. When they finally reunite, it’s with an explosion of violence that lands Cinder straight back in Samuel’s protective and decidedly possessive hands. This time, he’s determined never to let her go again, and anyone who tries to take her from him is going to have a very bad day. I think I can sum up this book in one word: WOW! I genuinely couldn’t read fast enough. I absolutely loved how the bones of the original Cinderella story were still recognizable beneath the mafia overcoat of this retelling. So, if you’ve ever wondered what Cinderella would look like if she decided to skip the glass slippers and go straight for revenge, this one will have you cheering. We have the evil stepmother, the ugly stepsisters and, naturally, Prince Charming—but in this version, Prince Charming comes with scarred knuckles, a lethal reputation and a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later. And honestly? I’m not complaining. I couldn’t get enough of Samuel’s devotion to Cinder and his determination to take the burden of revenge from her shoulders. His protective instincts go into overdrive when he discovers she’s carrying his child, but Cinder is no little bird waiting to be locked away in a gilded cage. She’s perfectly capable of looking after herself, and she has absolutely no intention of surrendering control of her life—or her revenge. Of course, that attitude doesn’t necessarily extend to the bedroom, where things get hot, hot, hot! And those tattoos…with that little addition. Hmm. Say no more. I also loved seeing Bastian, Oliver and Valerian return from the first three books. They may appear to have mellowed after finding their own soulmates, but all it takes is a few bullets to start flying to remind us exactly who they are. There’s action. There’s violence. There’s revenge. There’s spice. There are possessive mafia men and enough danger to keep the pages turning—and, of course, there’s a very satisfying happy ending. In Samuel’s own words: Stealing Cinder was the best decision of his life. I think Cinder would agree.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 14, 2026
She wanted justice for her father. He wanted the woman who vanished from his bed.
Cinder has just buried her father, lost her inheritance to the family she suspects destroyed him, and decided grief won’t be the only thing she feels. One reckless night with Samuel gives her something she desperately needs: choice, pleasure, and a dangerous sense of safety in the arms of a man everyone else fears.
Then she disappears. Five months later, Cinder is still hunting for the truth and trusting no one but herself. Samuel has spent those same months unable to forget the woman who walked away. When their paths collide again, old hunger returns alongside a far more dangerous question: whether either of them can walk away twice.
Samuel’s instinct is to protect, possess, and destroy anything that threatens her. Cinder has fought too hard for control to simply hand it over, even to the man whose touch makes surrender feel dangerously tempting. His world offers protection with blood on its hands, while hers demands answers he can’t simply force into existence. As violence closes in, they have to learn the difference between being claimed and being chosen.
Cinder moves from using intimacy as one fierce act of control to trusting Samuel with the parts of herself she keeps guarded without giving up her independence. Samuel learns that loving her means more than protecting her through force. Their intensely physical connection deepens into mutual devotion, consensual surrender, and a partnership where vulnerability runs both ways. Neither of them knows how to love cautiously once trust takes hold.
An ultra-steamy, age gap, daddy romance blending mafia danger, secret baby tension, possessive devotion, found family, and a morally dark protector who meets his match in a woman determined to keep control of her own life. It’s about grief, justice, autonomy, obsession, trust, and discovering that surrender can still be a choice when love makes room for both darkness and strength.
The Elevator Pitch: A grieving heiress chasing the truth behind her father’s murder collides again with the ruthless man she once trusted with her body, only to discover that five months apart have made their connection more dangerous, not less. As buried corruption turns her private search for justice into a war, his fierce need to protect her clashes with her refusal to surrender control of her own fight. Between violence, obsession, and a love neither expected to survive, they must decide whether choosing each other means losing themselves or finally finding somewhere they belong.
Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥 Ultra-Steamy / Erotic Romance
Cinder has just buried her father, lost her inheritance to the family she suspects destroyed him, and decided grief won’t be the only thing she feels. One reckless night with Samuel gives her something she desperately needs: choice, pleasure, and a dangerous sense of safety in the arms of a man everyone else fears.
Then she disappears. Five months later, Cinder is still hunting for the truth and trusting no one but herself. Samuel has spent those same months unable to forget the woman who walked away. When their paths collide again, old hunger returns alongside a far more dangerous question: whether either of them can walk away twice.
Samuel’s instinct is to protect, possess, and destroy anything that threatens her. Cinder has fought too hard for control to simply hand it over, even to the man whose touch makes surrender feel dangerously tempting. His world offers protection with blood on its hands, while hers demands answers he can’t simply force into existence. As violence closes in, they have to learn the difference between being claimed and being chosen.
Cinder moves from using intimacy as one fierce act of control to trusting Samuel with the parts of herself she keeps guarded without giving up her independence. Samuel learns that loving her means more than protecting her through force. Their intensely physical connection deepens into mutual devotion, consensual surrender, and a partnership where vulnerability runs both ways. Neither of them knows how to love cautiously once trust takes hold.
An ultra-steamy, age gap, daddy romance blending mafia danger, secret baby tension, possessive devotion, found family, and a morally dark protector who meets his match in a woman determined to keep control of her own life. It’s about grief, justice, autonomy, obsession, trust, and discovering that surrender can still be a choice when love makes room for both darkness and strength.
The Elevator Pitch: A grieving heiress chasing the truth behind her father’s murder collides again with the ruthless man she once trusted with her body, only to discover that five months apart have made their connection more dangerous, not less. As buried corruption turns her private search for justice into a war, his fierce need to protect her clashes with her refusal to surrender control of her own fight. Between violence, obsession, and a love neither expected to survive, they must decide whether choosing each other means losing themselves or finally finding somewhere they belong.
Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥 Ultra-Steamy / Erotic Romance
September 18, 2026
A dark Cinderella tale where the prince and the fairy godmother are one and the same. Forget the glass slipper—this story delivers a far more dangerous surprise.
Samuel, a ruthless mafia kingpin, is completely blindsided when he first meets Cinder, never suspecting who she truly is. After one wild, scorching night together, she vanishes and leaves him stripped of everything. Their next unexpected encounter ignites a full-blown war.
This is not a story for the faint of heart—bodies fall left and right. Yet the way Samuel falls for Cinder is surprisingly tender. As a true alpha, he is fiercely protective of the woman he loves, and he takes immense pride when she reveals her steel spine and proves herself more than worthy of becoming the queen of his brutal world.
A highly enjoyable, 4.5 star pulse-pounding read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Samuel, a ruthless mafia kingpin, is completely blindsided when he first meets Cinder, never suspecting who she truly is. After one wild, scorching night together, she vanishes and leaves him stripped of everything. Their next unexpected encounter ignites a full-blown war.
This is not a story for the faint of heart—bodies fall left and right. Yet the way Samuel falls for Cinder is surprisingly tender. As a true alpha, he is fiercely protective of the woman he loves, and he takes immense pride when she reveals her steel spine and proves herself more than worthy of becoming the queen of his brutal world.
A highly enjoyable, 4.5 star pulse-pounding read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 16, 2026
I enjoyed Samuel & Cinder's story! It is fast paced.... I really like the characters... you feel for Cinder - she thinks her Dad was murdered & she's determined to figure it out (but first, let's go lose my virginity!! LOL... random, but I get that she needed a distraction the day she buried her Dad).
This is Book 4 in the Mafia Daddies series, as an interconnected standalone.
I like Samuel's friends - I am assuming they are from previous books (I haven't read them yet, but plan to!) I like that they come to help, no questions asked...
The book is told in a dual 1st person POV
Spice level: 3.5/5
*Mafia Romance
*Dark romance
*romantic suspense
*Age gap
*she's a virgin
*morally grey characters
*found family
*"Daddy" romance
Thank you to the author (Penelope Wylde) & Booksprout for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
This is Book 4 in the Mafia Daddies series, as an interconnected standalone.
I like Samuel's friends - I am assuming they are from previous books (I haven't read them yet, but plan to!) I like that they come to help, no questions asked...
The book is told in a dual 1st person POV
Spice level: 3.5/5
*Mafia Romance
*Dark romance
*romantic suspense
*Age gap
*she's a virgin
*morally grey characters
*found family
*"Daddy" romance
Thank you to the author (Penelope Wylde) & Booksprout for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
September 13, 2026
Evil Stepfather
A Cinderella story where prince and fairy godmother are one and the same. No glass slipper, but a different surprise. A violent mafia kingpin, thrown off his feet when meeting Cinder, without knowing who she is. But after a wild, hot sexy night she disappears and leaves him destitute. Until a surprise encounter that starts a war. A story not for the faint of heart, because bodies are falling right and left. The way Samuel falls for Cinder is very sweet, as a true alpha man he wants to protect his love and is also extremely proud when she shows her backbone and proves she is worth to become the queen of his world. Highly enjoyable read <3
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
A Cinderella story where prince and fairy godmother are one and the same. No glass slipper, but a different surprise. A violent mafia kingpin, thrown off his feet when meeting Cinder, without knowing who she is. But after a wild, hot sexy night she disappears and leaves him destitute. Until a surprise encounter that starts a war. A story not for the faint of heart, because bodies are falling right and left. The way Samuel falls for Cinder is very sweet, as a true alpha man he wants to protect his love and is also extremely proud when she shows her backbone and proves she is worth to become the queen of his world. Highly enjoyable read <3
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 14, 2026
A Cinderella retelling where Prince Charming, Samuel, is a mafia man - how fitting. They have a ONS and she leaves without giving her full name. He looks for her for 5 months and then runs into her in the most unfortunate of times. He champions her cause and they work together to exact revenge on her father, Hugh, Stepmother Francesca, and two stepsisters. Their demise was extremely satisfying.
Samuel has a group of friends, that immediately embrace Cinder, no questions asked. I liked that for her. A nice quick read with enough danger, chemistry, action, and revenge to keep it interesting.
Samuel has a group of friends, that immediately embrace Cinder, no questions asked. I liked that for her. A nice quick read with enough danger, chemistry, action, and revenge to keep it interesting.
September 16, 2026
This another exciting addition to the series and I love how Cinder and Samuel come together for a one-nighter as their beginning. She needed to make a choice for herself, feel pleasure and like she had some control. Samuel was blown away by their night and has been looking for her ever since... I really enjoyed the idea that a mafia man was the prince and the fairy godmother, rolled into one, and he sure was sweet on her ;P Expect to get caught up in her quest for vengeance, their hot chemistry, the action, drama, danger and the fab HEA that includes the demise of the baddies. So good and a page turner for me. Good fun!
September 13, 2026
The Full Circle
This series though! Makes me a happy reader. P always comes through.
Revenge isn't always best cold. But a steamy hot spoonful.
She knew dirt when she saw it. She couldn't stop it before the nightmare evolved. A touch on a classic fairytale definitely noticed.
The ball became a focus of dead bodies littered about. A different brand of justice she needed. But learned secrets had her shifting that focus. Accepting help from a one night stand that had no intentions of it just being one night.
Sass and gunfire. Friends that are family. A story done well.
This series though! Makes me a happy reader. P always comes through.
Revenge isn't always best cold. But a steamy hot spoonful.
She knew dirt when she saw it. She couldn't stop it before the nightmare evolved. A touch on a classic fairytale definitely noticed.
The ball became a focus of dead bodies littered about. A different brand of justice she needed. But learned secrets had her shifting that focus. Accepting help from a one night stand that had no intentions of it just being one night.
Sass and gunfire. Friends that are family. A story done well.
September 15, 2026
I love retelling of fairytales and Stealing Cinder is a great one. Cinder and Samuel spend one intimate night together and it was all she needed for it to leave a lasting mark. She leaves never expecting to see him again but for Samuel she is his ray of sunshine and the spark that ignites him. When they meet again, she is expecting and promised to another, but Samuel doesn't give up so easily. I loved their metamorphosis and how it led them along their path to happiness.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 16, 2026
A mafia version of Cinderella. When Cinder's father is killed in a mugging and her stepmother and the step's boyfriend push her out of her father's empire, Cinder is out for revenge. A one night stand, 5 months later and Samuel hasn't gotten over Cinder. When the two of them meet again, its explosive in all of the ways. This is a fast paced, quick read with loads of tension and steam.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 18, 2026
A one-night stand becomes his salvation and now he's obsessed. They are explosive and sizzing together. Samuel “Bones” Payne and Cinder have their one night then she disappears searching for her answers about her father. Fate through them together and fate brings them back together with a surprise. Who doesn't love a possessive alpha male and the woman who turn their world upside down. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 13, 2026
Definitely not your Golden Book Cinderella story. This is without a doubt the Big Girl version. Romantic steamy age gap action packed page turner with Cinder who has everything taken from her and Samuel, her Prince Charming.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 23, 2026
Cinder and Samuel had a hot night together. He can't just leave it at one night. He will do whatever he has to get her back. This is a great retelling of Cinderella with a twist. I absolutely love the mafia angle.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 14, 2026
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I liked this action packed version of Cinderella with the mafia aspect. I liked that Samuel and Cinder find love together.
September 17, 2026
This is the fourth book in the Mafia Daddies series. Samuel and Cinder‘s story is action packed, entertaining and steamy. It’s a very engaging age gap romance. I enjoyed it from start to finish.
September 20, 2026
A great read
Super steamy romance with guaranteed HEA. Fab characters as always from Penelope Wylde and a strong premise. I enjoyed it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Super steamy romance with guaranteed HEA. Fab characters as always from Penelope Wylde and a strong premise. I enjoyed it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 22, 2026
I thought that this was a terrific read. Samuel and Cinder's story was a delectable Cinderella retelling the fell deep into and didn't even think about or wanting a way out. Lots of action and steam are woven into this captivating tale that sinks its claws in deep and just refuses to ease up.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews