These Violent Delights

This New York Times bestselling debut reimagines Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in a vibrant, dangerous 1920s Shanghai. Eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, heir to the powerful Scarlet Gang, finds herself forced to work with Roma Montagov, heir to their bitter rivals, the White Flowers, and her first love, after a mysterious contagion begins to drive people to madness and death. The story explores themes of loyalty, betrayal, cultural identity, and the devastating consequences of long-held grudges against a backdrop of political unrest and a looming supernatural threat. It's a fast-paced, immersive read for young adults, offering a blend of historical fiction, fantasy, and dark romance.

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love… and first betrayal. But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.