The streets had been lulled back into uproarious decadence and nights that went on and on-like this one, where theatergoers could watch a picture and then saunter along the Huangpu River until sunrise. Marking the first day of the Gregorian calendar as a time for celebration was a Western matter, but the West had long stuck its roots into this city. It was loud jazz music audible from the cabaret across the street, the cool air of handheld bamboo fans waving about in rapid color, the smell of something fried smuggled into the viewing room despite Screen One’s strict rules. It was the way the people moved about-the extra bounce in their toes and the twinkle in their eye as they leaned over the seats of the Grand Theatre to whisper to their companion. The New Year in Shanghai passed with such fanfare that a sense of party still permeated the city a week later. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right-even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure.

Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood.

One wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.Īfter sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on a mission.

Shanghai is under siege in this captivating and searingly romantic sequel to These Violent Delights, which New York Times bestselling author Natasha Ngan calls “deliciously dark.”

Our violent end