Poisonous Series by Sem Thornwood

Isabella VasileMy mother called me Belladonna. The poisonous plant with sweet cherries as fruit. She wanted me to become just that for every man who lay eyes on me. Sweet on their tongue but deadly. She said it is the only way a woman can be powerful in our world. But I never wanted that. I never wanted to be toxic. I wanted to love and be loved. I wanted to be sweet without being deadly. I didn’t want to hurt anyone... moreIsabella VasileMy mother called me Belladonna. The poisonous plant with sweet cherries as fruit. She wanted me to become just that for every man who lay eyes on me. Sweet on their tongue but deadly. She said it is the only way a woman can be powerful in our world. But I never wanted that. I never wanted to be toxic. I wanted to love and be loved. I wanted to be sweet without being deadly. I didn’t want to hurt anyone.Only I did… I did become a sweet-looking deadly thing to reach what I have always wanted. True love.Alessio MazzoniShe had the darkest eyes I have ever seen. So dark they were almost black, just like the poisonous cherries she once warned me about. When I was a little boy I promised her that one day I will marry her. I never forgot that promise. Even though how unworthy I am, I will have her at the end. One way or another. less

*can be read as a standalone*SalvatoreShe has always been so perfect. She beautiful and fragile and something I don’t deserve. Yet, she has been given to me. And now she is looking at me with hope in her eyes. She is an Angel hoping for love from a Devil, but the only thing my touch could give her is pain.And there is nothing I want more than to touch her.MiaHe is feared, unhinged, hot-headed. People call him “Crazy Eyes,” and even his best friend doesn’t believe he can treat me right... more*can be read as a standalone*SalvatoreShe has always been so perfect. She beautiful and fragile and something I don’t deserve. Yet, she has been given to me. And now she is looking at me with hope in her eyes. She is an Angel hoping for love from a Devil, but the only thing my touch could give her is pain.And there is nothing I want more than to touch her.MiaHe is feared, unhinged, hot-headed. People call him “Crazy Eyes,” and even his best friend doesn’t believe he can treat me right. No one believes he can make me happy. No one but me.Because no one knows that I also have a dark side, and it will match his perfectly.*can be read as a standalone* less

Gabriele FalzoneMy father once told me, “Every man makes one big mistake for a woman in his lifetime.” Mine was a costly one. I made a big mistake for a woman with fire-like hair and ice-like eyes. I made a mistake; I was going to pay for a long time. My father was right about that.What he didn’t get right was that I was ready to make more mistakes for her.Because she was worth it. Kira KozlovI never had my teen years. I never had sleepovers and crushes... moreGabriele FalzoneMy father once told me, “Every man makes one big mistake for a woman in his lifetime.” Mine was a costly one. I made a big mistake for a woman with fire-like hair and ice-like eyes. I made a mistake; I was going to pay for a long time. My father was right about that.What he didn’t get right was that I was ready to make more mistakes for her.Because she was worth it. Kira KozlovI never had my teen years. I never had sleepovers and crushes. I was stolen and used for the happiness of my admirers. They admired my beauty. They always wanted to take a piece of it for themselves. Didn’t care if I was willing to give or not. Every time they brought hell to my feet, I closed my eyes and imagined a memory. I imagined him. I loved him, and I hated him but not even once I thought I would see him again.Yet I did.And he made a promise to kill me. Trigger Warning: mentions and graphic descriptions of physical abuse, mental abuse, child abuse, rape, grooming, violence, torture, mental illness, and suicide. (The hero and the heroine have only one year age gap between them and there is no romanticizing of rape in the book. Most of the triggers belong to the heroine's past.) less

AntonioEverything in my life always depended on logic, order. Emotions were a foreign concept to me. So, when I start searching for a bride, I have some requirements. I want a woman who will be okay with settling up with the Heartless, the Ice King. I want someone who will accept the fact that I will never love them.Yet the person I find is the exact opposite, but there is no way I can stay away from her sunshine. I can’t go back to the darkness... moreAntonioEverything in my life always depended on logic, order. Emotions were a foreign concept to me. So, when I start searching for a bride, I have some requirements. I want a woman who will be okay with settling up with the Heartless, the Ice King. I want someone who will accept the fact that I will never love them.Yet the person I find is the exact opposite, but there is no way I can stay away from her sunshine. I can’t go back to the darkness.PriscillaI always knew my life was meant to be a fairy tale. I dreamed of seeing the love of my life across the room and falling in love at first sight. When I see Antonio Mazzoni, it is everything I dreamed of. I know he is my prince charming.Unfortunately, things change when we start talking. He says he can’t love. But I have no intention of giving him up. I know I can make this grumpy man’s heart beat faster than he knew possible.I am ready to fight for my fairytale.*can be read as a standalone* less

RobertoShe is my wife, the mother of my child, and the love of my life. She is the reason I breathe. She is all my best memories. But she doesn’t have memories of her own anymore. A devil took it all away from her. He tried to break my family.He failed.Because I won’t stop until I get her back.BeatriceI have a house I don’t recognize. There is a scary man in my house who looks at me with soft eyes. There is a baby who stops crying in my arms. It is strange. It is frightening... moreRobertoShe is my wife, the mother of my child, and the love of my life. She is the reason I breathe. She is all my best memories. But she doesn’t have memories of her own anymore. A devil took it all away from her. He tried to break my family.He failed.Because I won’t stop until I get her back.BeatriceI have a house I don’t recognize. There is a scary man in my house who looks at me with soft eyes. There is a baby who stops crying in my arms. It is strange. It is frightening.I wish I could remember. I wish I could believe the cruel man I knew as a kid is the loving husband everyone says he is.How can I trust a mafia man with my heart? How did I do it the first time?Extra stories included:Alessio & IsabellaGabriele & KiraAntonio & PriscillaSalvatore & MiaWARNING: This is a novella collection of short stories about Poisonous couples. All stories take place after Pomegranate Seeds, and it is suggested you read this book after you have completed all the books that come before (Deadly Nightshade, Angel’s Trumpet, Forget-Me-Nots, Pomegranate Seeds) for the best experience. less

LucianaI had many life lessons as a mafia princess but the one that stuck the most is that love always hurts. I trusted my heart once and it broke me so badly that I promised to never do it again. That’s why when my father forces me to marry Valerio Vasile, I know it is going to be a loveless one but the more I get to know him I realize he is not the monster everyone says he is. He is just extremely annoying.ValerioFollowing the rules has never been my thing... moreLucianaI had many life lessons as a mafia princess but the one that stuck the most is that love always hurts. I trusted my heart once and it broke me so badly that I promised to never do it again. That’s why when my father forces me to marry Valerio Vasile, I know it is going to be a loveless one but the more I get to know him I realize he is not the monster everyone says he is. He is just extremely annoying.ValerioFollowing the rules has never been my thing. I didn’t care about many things other people did. I have been an outlier. Yet all of us have secrets. I have a voice in my head mocking me, stopping me, hurting me. I cannot silence the ghost from my past but maybe there is someone out there who is louder than him. Maybe there is a time for everyone to spill their secrets, no matter how painful.*Trigger Warning: Contains scenes of child sexual abuse, trauma and self-harm also has mentions about grooming and unwanted pregnancy. less