A forced engagement binds them, but the secrets simmering between them threaten to implode their lives far sooner than any wedding bells—part one of a slow-burn duet…
Author: S.D. Lettie
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 298
Genre: New Adult, Romantic Suspense
Format: Paperback, Kindle, FREE with Kindle Unlimited
You know that guy you fell for at sixteen—the one who vanished without explanation, leaving behind enough damage to last years? Now imagine being forced into an engagement with him because your parents decided you’re more useful as leverage than as a daughter.
And the part he forgot to mention? He’s heir to a Bratva empire with blood on its hands.
That’s Emilia’s life. Her future is not her own, and her fiancé, Nikolai Volkov, is a man whose silence is more dangerous than his words. Their past is a wound. Their engagement is a threat. And what grows between them is something neither of them should let happen.
The Arrangement is a dark, slow-burn story of buried truths, political corruption, and a connection that pulls two damaged people toward a collision neither may survive unscathed.
Read sample.
The Arrangement is available at Amazon.
Book Excerpt
“Emilia.” His voice is calm, clipped. Not cold, just clean, like everything else he controls. He says my name like punctuation.
“Yes, sir.”
“Your mother asked me to check on the brunch.”
She didn’t want to ask herself. She never does. She strategically delegates through him, like always. “It’s done,” I say. “Final headcount is confirmed. Catering’s squared. My remarks are short and already vetted.” There’s a pause, the sound of him moving paper in the background, or maybe pouring a drink. I can’t tell. He’s always multitasking, even when he speaks like everything is a priority.
“She wants it to go smoothly.”
It will. He knows that. He wouldn’t have called if he didn’t already trust it was handled.
“There’s something else,” my father says right as I think we’re done, his voice flat and clipped in the way he reserves for things that aren’t up for discussion. “I’ve arranged a meeting with Nikolai and his father next week at the Four Seasons. I’d like you to be there. We have some important things to discuss.”
– Excerpted from The Arrangement by S.D. Lettie, Independent, 2025. Reprinted with permission.
Author Interview with S.D. Lettie
Can you tell us a little about yourself? Are you a full time author?
I’m a Texas-based author who's attempting to make writing my full-time career. I’ve loved writing since I was little, and it only got worse - in a good way - when my seventh grade Language Arts teacher made us write short stories every day in a composition notebook. I guess you could say she fueled the creativity.
In my corporate life, I’ve worked in inbound marketing. You’d assume that means I know exactly how to market my own book, but that assumption would be wrong. Very wrong. Moving from B2B to B2C feels like going from riding a bike to riding a unicycle while juggling. I’m learning, but it’s a process.
Can you tell us about The Arrangement?
The Arrangement is a blend of dark romance, suspense, and new adult vibes all wrapped into one story. It’s also book one of a duet, so this is just the beginning of the craziness. Think Gossip Girl levels of elite drama combined with the underworld tension of The Sopranos - but if the mobsters were Russian and really, really hot.
Emilia, my main female character, has spent her entire life performing: cameras, politics, expectations... you name it. She’s the VP’s daughter, Chi Omega chapter president, and the girl everyone thinks they want to be. Meanwhile, she’s quietly falling apart. She’s finally about to escape all of it (hello senior year)… but then Nikolai Volkov walks back into her life. He’s supposed to be a ghost from her past, not her suddenly arranged fiancé. But apparently, deals were made without her input. Shocking, right?
Throw in political secrets, family drama that could give the Lodges from Riverdale a run for their money, and the early sparks of a love triangle, and that’s The Arrangement.
I’ve always loved espionage shows and movies - Jack Ryan, Mission Impossible, Jack Reacher. That whole world of secrets, agencies, and hidden agendas fascinates me. So when I started outlining this story, I wanted a setting that highlighted how opposite Emilia and Nikolai's lives were. And really, what better place than the capital of American politics? D.C. practically hands you drama on a silver platter.
How can people benefit from reading The Arrangement?
I think the big themes in The Arrangement are “love conquers all” and “good vs. evil.”
We see Emilia wrestling with her feelings for Nikolai - there’s history there, and a kind of connection she’s never had with anyone else. He was the first person she ever opened up to, even if it was only through letters. And that mattered, especially because Emilia has never gotten real affection from her parents. Everything in her world has always felt transactional.
There’s also this bigger moral thread running through the book. I’m not trying to say politics are inherently bad, but in this story, Emilia sees the corruption up close and wants to tear it down from the inside. That fight between right and wrong is woven through her whole journey.
At its core, the story is about breaking cycles - emotional, political, familial, all of it. Emilia’s life is basically one giant checklist of what she “should” do, and readers get to watch her slowly burn that list. There’s something really satisfying about that.
Is The Arrangement your only book?
It’s the only book I have published right now, but it’s definitely not the only one I’ll write. Book two of the Bancroft University Chronicles comes out in Spring 2026 and will wrap up Emilia and Nikolai’s story. And who knows... some of the side characters might get their own books down the line.
Thank you so much for this interview, S.D.. What’s next for you?
Book two - The Unraveling - comes out in Spring 2026. After that, I’m already working on another story, so there’s definitely more to come.
Where to purchase the book:
The Arrangement is available at the following retailers:
Ebook / KU:
Amazon: https://a.co/d/6sN5s9X
Paperback:
Amazon: https://a.co/d/ecGeVSC
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.
Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/
Where to find S.D.:
Follow or connect with me here:
Website: https://www.sdlettieauthor.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/
About the Author
Before she ever had “author” next to her name, S.D. Lettie was—and still is—an avid reader first; the kind who would finish a book in a day and beg her parents to take her back to the bookstore. Reading started as a hobby and, as she got older, became her source of entertainment, escape, and comfort. Over the years, she found herself wanting to write the kind of worlds readers could get excited about—a world that could grow into a fandom of its own.
Today, Lettie writes slow-burn romances—stories about characters who are imperfectly perfect, the hard moments that shape them, and the plot twists that leave readers reeling. Outside her writing life, she’s a wife and mom of two, roles that influence both her time and perspective. She’s also a dedicated soccer fan, the kind who will plan her day around a match and openly admit she’ll yell at the TV when things get heated.
Through all of it, her goal as an author is simple: she wants her characters to stay with readers long after the book ends.
Her latest book is the new adult romantic suspense, The Arrangement (Bancroft University Chronicles Book 1).
Visit her website at www.sdlettieauthor.com. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, BookBub and Goodreads.
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