The Killer Cupcake

Some recipes are written in blood. Some loves are worth dying for.

They fled to New Orleans seeking freedom. In Aunt Janey’s world of midnight suppers and whispered hexes, Carmelo and Kathy discover a place where Sicilian tradition meets Creole power. Here, their love isn’t forbidden—it’s celebrated. But the boxing ring calls to Carmelo. With each brutal victory, Kathy discovers his talent for violence attracts dangerous attention. Each win feeds his hunger for power.

Secrets pile up like bodies. Family duty weighs heavier than championship belts. Torn between his mother’s dying wishes and the woman who owns his soul, Carmelo makes choices that will shape their future in the most unexpected of ways. We learn why Ely and Matteo were enlisted in the army, and what brotherhood in blood they both discover there. We see into the past, the deaths that have scarred so many reveal a resilience within the Freeman and Ricci families that could eventually heal them both.

From 1950 to 1978, The Killer Cupcake explores the terrible cost of keeping secrets from the one you’d die for—and rewards the love strong enough to survive it all.

Start here. Start anywhere. This book is the dark heart of the entire series.