Stolen Hearts

by Ani Mansouri

All Alena Richards wanted was to open her art gallery in the Hamptons and live the quiet, happy life she dreamed. With the gallery opening looming and her creative spark at a low, the last thing she needed was love.

Fate had other ideas when renowned billionaire, Dorian Bradley, hid in her gallery after being chased by paparazzi.

Offered an undeniable opportunity, Alena finds herself working on a commission for the handsome, future CEO’s company. Sparks start to fly between the two of them. Thanks to Dorian’s charming ways, Alena once again opens up her heart.

But secrets can’t always be hidden. No one can keep running from the past. There are some things that Alena and Dorian can’t forget. Especially when it comes to love…

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 27, 2026

Reviews

[Tohfaaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arc review
4.5⭐
I really liked Stolen Hearts. It was a sweet and easy romance to read. The story starts a little slow, but after a few chapters, I didn't want to stop reading.

The main characters are Alena and Dorian. I really liked both of them. Alena is kind, strong, and works hard. Dorian looks cold at first, but he's actually caring and treats Alena with respect. I loved seeing them get closer little by little instead of falling in love right away. Their chemistry was really good, and their moments together were my favorite.

The writing is simple, so it was easy to follow. The only thing I didn't like was that the beginning felt a bit slow. Other than that, I had a really good time reading it.

[Soha Amer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sometimes the past will find its way back to you..."

I went into Stolen Hearts expecting a cute billionaire romance and came out emotionally wrecked in the best way.

Alena Richards just wants one thing — to open her art gallery in the Hamptons and finally live the quiet, creative life she's dreamed of. Her spark is low, her opening is looming, and love is the absolute last thing on her mind.

Until Dorian Bradley — renowned billionaire, future CEO, walking paparazzi magnet — hides in her gallery.

What starts as an undeniable business opportunity (a commission for his company) slowly turns into something neither of them can ignore.

What I loved:

The slow burn is PERFECTION. Ani Mansouri takes her time with Alena and Dorian and it pays off so well. Every glance, every touch, every late-night conversation in the gallery felt earned.

He falls first and he falls HARD. Dorian Bradley is my new favorite. Protective, charming, quietly obsessed in the most swoony way. He doesn't just see Alena's art — he sees her. And when he decides she's his, it's over for everyone else.

The emotional depth. This isn't just fluff. Both Alena and Dorian are carrying past trauma and secrets they thought they could outrun. Watching them heal together, learning to trust and open their hearts again — I cried. More than once.

Alena is such a relatable FMC. She's strong, ambitious, but also vulnerable. I loved watching her find her creative spark again through love.

If you love:

• Artist x CEO client
• Billionaire who is a total softie for his girl
• Slow burn with real angst
• Protective MMC + emotional healing
• Hamptons / art gallery setting


You need to read this immediately.

Thank you to Ani Mansouri and Epica Book PR for the ARC. Stolen Hearts truly stole mine.

Available now on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.

[Ashley 💙 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of advanced copy received from the author.

• 5 ⭐️ • 4 🌶️

Alena Richards, an artist who is opening her dream art gallery in the Hamptons. Dorian Bradley, a soon-to-be CEO of his father’s company and has a reputation of a bit of a playboy. To avoid the paparazzi, Dorian stumbles into Alena’s art gallery. From there, their love story evolves.

Initially, what caught my eye was the plot and the tropes of Artist x CEO Client and he falls first! As the story progressed, I fell more connected with the main characters.

Now, what I enjoyed/connected with…
✨ I absolutely love the friendship between Alena and Beth. Beth definitely made me laugh a loud a couple times.
✨ the slow burn romance between Alena and Dorian felt just right. Their relationship now holds a very special place in my heart. The way he cared for her since the beginning and continued to do so despite the times Alena tried to push away and the secrets, it did something to my heart 🥲
✨ The Bradley family dynamics. They weren’t the stereotypical billionaire family. They displayed such kindness, love and empathy towards people and that truly warmed my heart, especially in the world we live in.
✨ felt like I was watching a movie

While I adored this book, the one thing that I didn’t quite understand was that it was mentioned that Dorian was a playboy but his actions and other parts mentioned, didn’t make him out to be one. Perhaps I misunderstood and it was more of a tabloids rumor but it was just a tad confusing.

Overall, this book was so beautiful and an emotional rollercoaster. I truly didn’t want it to end. Thank you to the author for this opportunity!

[Emmy Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t mind me, just over here crying about a billionaire and broken artist who fell in love. This book was a masterpiece and I was hooked from beginning to end. I love a man who pines; and this book rocked the love at first sight trope, because from their not so meet cute, this guy was already obsessed. The way he literally begged her to go on a date with him was so adorable and had me swooning over him so hard. Alena has a pretty sad past but she didn’t know Dorian’s part in it which this book heavy on the angsty side, as no matter how sweet the book was I always knew something bad was coming. I will admit the “plot twist” and third act breakup wasn’t the most shocking but it was written in a way that devastated me (and the whole “note” scenario was not fully resolved). Now let me just take a second to praise the fabulous writing because it was honestly perfect, not too many details, some humour, and reflected both really well. And it takes a brilliant writer to turn an overused and hated trope into something actually emotionally wrecking. Somewhere along the way I fell in love with this chaotic billionaire and sunshine artist, especially the way the author ripped apart the “cold arrogant billionaire” stereotype and made him into this lovable and super sweet person. This book had me going through all the emotions and was 100% worth all the tears. Dorian and Alena are literally perfect and if you didn’t believe in true love before, trust me you will after reading this. I give this a 5/5

[Phi · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW
⭐️4.5

I love how this went well as I expected. Our FMC Alena is a creative artist from London who seeks a new life and creating a new identity for herself in Hamptons. She meets billionaire MMC Dorian whom she has a connection that she wasn't aware of in the past.

They met in a meet cute situation and surprisingly fast paced flourishing relationship throughout the book. To be really honest this was new to me as most romance books I've read are msotly slow burn 😅 But I'm glad the storyline's pacing was just right.

What made me love about this book is not just the growing relationship between the characters, but this gave me the tension cause of the secrets. Also love how mature these characters are when it comes to some misunderstandings cause they actually talk about it instead of making things worse... except the revelations 🫢also the side characters were really funny which added the fun in this story.

All in all, I loved the book it's pretty great for a debut novel 🩵

[chinka · Rating 4 out of 5]

arc review °❀⋆.

omg! i honestly don't remember the last time i couldn't put a book down, but stolen hearts was it. i'm so happy i could finish it at work because i was so invested.

i love how dorian's and alena's story was so light and cute, but by the end i was absolutely devastated... in the best way.

okay so i didn't really feel like it was a slow burn since they kissed at 17%, BUT it was a slow burn between them, if you know what i mean. they just kept getting to know each other, and it was super, super cute because dorian did everything he could to make her happy. i love him.

[Naomi kimbrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful romance book, that delves into Alena's current life and her past.  She has to navigate her past to move on with her future.  This book explores healing for death of loved ones and learning to live again.  I loved that it deals with healing and working through traumas and hardship inorder to fully live.  This book kept me going the whole way, could put it down!   If you love romance, real life issues and found family, you will love this book!  I received an advanced copy reader and am voluntarily leaving my review.

[FantasyHuntt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Tropes: billionaire X artist, secrets and twists, slow burn, love after heartbreak, romance, HEA, he falls first, age gap, angst and tension.

I could not put this book down. This is the first billionaire romance I have read and it did not disappoint. I had thoughts how the book would turn out and I was wrong, my expectations were exceeded in the best of ways.

FMC Alena is a creative artist, mentally strong willed and created a new identity for herself.

MMC Dorian is a caring billionaire, determined to help others.

These two meet in the most unconventional meet cute kind of way and it was beautiful. Watching their relationship flourish throughout the book was a true joy.

Knowing there are secrets in the closet held so much tension over me, I just needed to know what happens and couldn’t stop reading.

Seeing what Alena has been through, and seeing where she is now was honestly inspiration. Ani wrote her character so well and truly did her background justice.

The only reason I didn’t give a 5 star rating is I felt Alena was a little quick to forgive and move on. However, after processing and thinking about it. It actually makes perfect sense for Alena to act the way she did. After everything she went through her actions truly do mimic the type of person she is. So overall in the end I was honestly impressed with the ending.

This book is beautiful inside and out. There are various witty comments made by delightful characters throughout the book. Some heartfelt moments, teary eyed moments, motivation, strength. It is a truly well written romance book. I am beyond happy I read this.

Notable quotes:
“It’s non existent like my love life”
“He was dressed too smartly to be a psychopathic killer”
“I absolutely despise early mornings”
“Told you to call me by my name. But you’re my client”
“For once I let myself and my past go”
“I wanted something that was mine and someone I loved”

[Adeeba Jafri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setup of Stolen Hearts is a fun meet-cute. Alena is running her gallery in the Hamptons when Dorian, newly appointed CEO of his father’s company, ends up hiding out there to avoid paparazzi. The chemistry between them is immediate.

As we move between Alena’s and Dorian’s perspectives, it becomes clear that both are holding onto secrets, and those secrets turn out to be tied to a shared history from before the events of the book.

Stolen Hearts wasn’t a typical romance for me. It has a mystery like quality to it. Discovering their history alongside the characters made for a much richer reading experience.

One note for readers: this is an open door romance, so keep that in mind if you prefer things subtle.

For a debut novel, this was a confident and layered read. It delivers the meet-cute romance readers are looking for while also keeping them guessing, which is a difficult balance to strike well.

Thanks for the arc!

[Michelle Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Ani Mansouri and Epica for allowing me to arc read this cute novel.

Stolen hearts follows Alena Richards, an artist about to open her own art gallery, and Dorian Bradley, a billionaire who falls head over heels for her at first sight. Alena has a past that she wishes to move on from but the past has a way of catching up to her.

It is a cute novel that is low stakes and a palate cleanser for anyone reading heavily books. If there is a sequel, I would be interested in reading it.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it! I felt it starts a bit slow in the beginning but once it gets going, it’s such an enjoyable read. The writing was great which made me enjoy it even more, and the characters and the plot actually makes sense. Also I loved the cover! Overall it was just a great, easy read. Thank you! Hoping for another book!

[Lyndsay’s Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stolen Hearts quite literally stole my heart. It rare that I love a contemporary romance as much as I love this, but Ani wrote this so beautifully. I laughed, I cried, and even begged “Just do it already!”. I cannot wait to read more by her.

Billionaire x Artist
Slow Burn
Secret Identity
Past Trauma
He Falls First

[Ayesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book completely stole my heart!!! I loved the chemistry, tension, and the way the relationship unfolded. It was so addictive. It also definitely made me emotional. Definitely one that left me with a serious book hangover!

[Sarah Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book. Dorian and Alexa are a beautifully written couple. The story line is on point .

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I wanted something that was mine and someone I loved"

Read this one overnight and omg I had so much fun reading!

[Sam Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I loved this book. Dorian and Alena’s story just drew me in right away. Having to go on the roller coaster of their story was amazing

[⋆ miya ☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

you’re not ready for this excellence. full rtc.

[Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a good debut novel! Love the dedication! All I can say is that Alena and Dorian are such a healthy couple with their communication besides secrets and the past. I really love how they met. So glad it’s a low stakes story.