Forbidden love in a town where danger lurks at every corner. Emilia Bonacci, introverted daughter of an overbearing jewelry tycoon. For one brief moment, she had it all. Now she's on the run from a family who wants to destroy her. Small, charming, and picturesque. Harlow, Minnesota, seems like the perfect place to hide. Except a chance encounter throws her into the path of her forbidden first love... Blaine Callaghan always had dreams of living in a big city, until he made the mistake of falling for Emilia. Her powerful family doomed him to exile in this small town, away from his family and future. Seeing her now unearths years of buried love and resentment. But this earth-shattering attraction is impossible to avoid. Maybe they could be together this time. Except that anyone involved with Emilia will never be safe. If you enjoy Virgin River, slow-burn romance, quaint country towns, and a touch of suspense; you'll love Sapphires and Secrets. Curl up with the first book in this bold, small-town romance series with a sinister mafia twist! Shortlisted for the International North Street Book Prize, Katerina Simms is a contemporary romance author, who was originally born on a sunny Mediterranean island. She later moved to the weather-challenged suburbs of Melbourne, Australia.Tea addict, nature lover, and terrible gardener, Katerina's novels feature vivid modern settings and heart-stirring characters, punctuated with the occasional good laugh. Her romances skirt the edges of women's fiction, and her favorite tropes are opposites attract, slow burn, and heat with heart.