The traditional Italian dishes are described in delectable detail, and readers will want to find the nearest authentic ristorante (or at the very least, cookbook) to try some of the meals Emilia mentions. There are many references to Sicilian food, since the twins' family owns a beloved local restaurant. Not everything in the book is heavy and hellish.

Maniscalco doesn't make the romance the center of the story, however - that belongs to Emilia's quest to solve the mysteries of Vittoria's death and punish her killers, even if it means sacrificing her safety and that of her family. The opposites-attract romance practically writes itself. He's a seemingly ageless prince of darkness with anger issues, and she's a disciplined, hardworking witch on a mission. Readers will be invested in the world building, the obvious slow-burn romance full of witty banter, longing looks, and sizzling chemistry between Emilia and Wrath.

Part paranormal romance, part page-turning thriller, this series-opener by Kerri Maniscalco is entertaining, fast-paced, and intricately plotted. In a world where demons, witches, shape-shifters battle for supernatural control, humans also deal with the influence of a dominant Catholic brotherhood. Despite the warnings of her grandmother to be careful using the family magic, Vittoria forms an unlikely alliance with Wrath, who's every bit the sexy, never-aging bad boy readers of paranormal young adult novels would expect. Normally quiet and romantic Emilia is anguished and desperate to not only stop further killings but figure out what happened to Vittoria and avenge her death. Vittoria, the extroverted and bold twin, had been keeping a romance secret, so when Emilia finds her sister's journal of spells, she decides to try them but accidentally summons one of the seven Princes of Hell, also known as the Malvagi or the Wicked: Wrath (they're all named after the Deadly Sins, so the others are Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, and Sloth). KINGDOM OF THE WICKED by Kerri Maniscalco follows Emilia, a Sicilian witch whose twin Vittoria is brutally murdered, one of several local young women from witchy families to wind up dead.

Kingdom of feared series