My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 26

First of all, this is a dark mafia romance. I always include detailed trigger warnings at the beginning, so you know exactly what kind of story you’re stepping into. Choosing to read something with darker themes and then being upset by those same elements doesn’t quite align, the darkness is part of the story, not separate from it.

Secondly, I make a conscious effort to give each character their own identity. I don’t want my characters, male or female, to feel like copies of one another. If anything, their differences are intentional. When you look closely, you’ll see that each of them carries a distinct personality, which keeps the story from feeling repetitive.

Thirdly, I always draw inspiration from real-world elements. I research, I explore the darker sides of power, and then I shape it into a more romanticized version for storytelling. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to strip away the darkness entirely.

Now, about the “hunts feel high school-ish” comment. I genuinely have to ask... what kind of high school are we talking about?

What teenagers are organizing events that involve this level of planning, power, wealth, and control? What high schoolers have access to that kind of influence? Because last I checked, they don’t. These are not playground games, they are tied to ultra-rich, deeply corrupt individuals and families who operate on a completely different level.

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