Sacrificial Saint
Joanna Valenti, the sheltered “Holy Maiden” of one of Manhattan’s Five Families, is engaged to Lorenzo Luciano—a dangerous, volatile heir who once took a bullet for her. But their fairy tale shatters when Joanna discovers that Lorenzo’s love was a lie, a calculated performance to protect his secret lover, Sophia, his late brother’s widow.
Cast aside on a dirty street, humiliated in front of underworld thugs, Joanna endures a devastating miscarriage after Lorenzo physically shoves her aside to chase after Sophia. When she learns the truth—that their romantic “rescue” three years ago was staged, and that she is nothing but a pawn—her grief turns to ice.
Lorenzo, believing Sophia’s lies, has Joanna stripped of her status, locks her in a water tank at a seedy nightclub, and puts her up for auction. She escapes by throwing herself into the arms of Anthony Moretti, head of a rival family and a man with his own deadly agenda.
Bartering her family’s secrets and her soul, Joanna trades the Valenti name for a black mandala tattoo—a death vow marking her rebirth. She seizes control of her family, allies with the Morettis, and launches a ruthless war against the Lucianos. As Lorenzo’s empire crumbles, he kneels before her, begging for a place at her feet. But Joanna’s heart has turned to stone. Mercy is no longer in her vocabulary.
The Sacrificial Maiden is a dark, electrifying tale of betrayal, survival, and the terrifying transformation of a woman who loses everything—only to become the most dangerous player in the game.
