Dark romance author

I write love stories,
unfortunately, I make them suffer first.

Romantic suspense, morally gray men, complicated women, questionable decisions, and the occasional emotional breakdown.

The Foundations trilogy · Book three
FOUNDATIONS
OF RECKONING
MARIA RAYE

The new novel
Coming November 5
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Bad decisions

Excellent banter

Love with teeth

The stories

Pick your
emotional damage.

01Foundations of Guilt book cover

Book one · The Foundations trilogy

Foundations of Guilt

One firm. Two brothers. And a choice that will destroy her either way.

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For readers who crave explicitly spicy dark romance filled with morally gray men, forbidden desire, and the slow-burn agony of a love triangle, Foundations of Guilt is where the obsession begins.

Mila Harrington wanted a future in architecture. What she gets instead is an internship that pulls her into a world of power, obsession, and dangerous desire.

Adrian Roen is control in a tailored suit—cold, ruthless, and impossible to escape. Every look is a warning. Every command tightens the grip he has on her. He terrifies her. And worse—she wants him.

Levi Roen is temptation dressed as kindness. His charm offers relief from Adrian’s shadow, but safety is an illusion. One touch from him could unravel everything just as completely.

Caught between two brothers, every choice Mila makes is a betrayal. Every kiss is a risk. And the truth buried beneath Roen Architecture isn’t just dangerous—it’s unforgivable.

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02Foundations of Vengeance book cover

Book two · The Foundations trilogy

Foundations of Vengeance

She was built to design beauty. He taught her how to survive ugliness.

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Once, Mila Harrington dreamed in sketches and skylines. Then her brother, Maksym Kovalenko, dragged her into a world ruled by blood, secrets, and debt. Under his hand, the softness burned away, leaving a woman who knows how to fight—and how to destroy.

Now the enemies who created her are closing in.

To end them, Mila must work alongside the very men who tore her heart in two—Adrian Roen, the man who saved her and destroyed her, and Levi Roen, the brother who still believes she can be redeemed.

Bound by vengeance, trust, and impossible love, they’ll have to build fragile alliances in a war that could bring everything—and everyone—crashing down.

Foundations of Vengeance is Book Two of the Foundations Trilogy—a dark romantic suspense about obsession, divided loyalties, and what it costs to become the weapon you once feared.

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03Tainted Embrace book cover

A dark mafia romance

Tainted Embrace

He was never meant to love… until she decides he belongs to her.

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A dark mafia romance with a ruthless anti-hero, obsession, and explicit spice.

He is death in human form—untouchable, unfeeling, inevitable.

They call me the Reaper for a reason. I don’t threaten. I don’t warn. I erase.

Violence shaped me. Blood taught me patience. Control kept me alive—over my body, my mind, my need. I built distance between the boy I once was and the man I’ve become. I thought it would be enough.

But I was wrong. The past I buried clawed its way back and now the hunt has begun. The ones who thought they were safe will learn otherwise. The ones who kept their hands clean will bleed first. I will tear through every lie, every betrayal—and leave nothing standing.

Except her.

Kira is the problem I didn’t plan for. Women were never worth losing control. But she saw exactly what I am and stepped closer anyway. She didn’t flinch at the damage. She didn’t care about the violence. She didn’t ask for safety or softness. She wanted me—all of me—with an obsession that mirrored my own.

Now I can’t get her out of my head. And I don’t want to. She wants the monster. And I want the girl who doesn’t mind the blood.

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The shop

Emotional damage,
now available in paperback.

Pick your poison, the Foundations trilogy or Tainted Embrace. Your shelf will thank you, your sleep schedule will not.

Straight from Iceland

Request a signed copy.

Signed paperbacks start at $35 USD. Final price depends on destination and shipping. International shipping is available; customs fees, VAT, or import taxes may apply.

Maria will review your request, confirm the final price, and send payment details separately.

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Currently causing chaos

Work in
progress.

What’s nearly done, what’s coming next, and what is currently living in my notes app like a tiny feral creature.

Current manuscriptFinal editing

Foundations of Reckoning

The final Foundations book. The secrets are out. The consequences are here. And surviving them might cost more than anyone is prepared to lose.

Nearly ready90%
ReleaseNovember 5
ARC signups
Transmission incoming · New series

The Watchers

They’re watching. That’s all you get for now.

CLASSIFIED
Maria writes sci-fi. Wait, what?

Currently untitled

A sci-fi rom-com thriller with mystery, humor, high spice, and time-travel elements.

IN DEVELOPMENT
From the Foundations universe · Standalone one

Identity classified

A familiar face is getting a story of their own. No names. No clues. Not yet.

PLANNED
From the Foundations universe · Standalone two

Also classified

Someone else from the Foundations universe has unfinished business. That’s all you’re getting.

PLANNED
Maria Raye

Hi, it’s me

If you’re emotionally fine,
I’m not done yet.

Maria Raye writes dark romance and romantic suspense filled with obsession, morally questionable decisions, complicated relationships, and men you probably shouldn’t fall in love with—but will anyway.

When she’s not emotionally torturing fictional characters, Maria works in the corporate world, lifts heavy things for fun, travels whenever she gets the chance, and spends an unreasonable amount of time thinking about her next story.

She lives in Iceland with her family, where she continues creating stories about love, darkness, and people making spectacularly questionable choices.

Maria Raye

Enter the inner circle

Inbox chaos,
the good kind.

New book news, WIP updates, bonus bits, and the occasional message written while avoiding my actual manuscript.