A Hateful Negotiation

By: Tijan

Narrated by: Benjamin Sands, Mia Madison

In a slow-burn mafia romance from New York Times bestselling author Tijan, a dangerous psychopath—and deadly crime boss—drops his defenses for the one girl he’s vowed to protect.

Creighton was a dangerous crime boss with a growing empire. And he’s a psychopath.

He’s also obsessed with Blake.

She wanted a normal life. That meant new friends and a life without Creighton.

Except when Blake moves to New York for her senior year of college, Creighton follows because he knows that danger is close behind. He has always protected Blake, and he always will protect her, even if Blake hates how ruthless Creighton has become for her.

However, once they’re in New York, the dynamics between the two begin to change. Tensions heat up, and soon their chemistry is sizzling beyond what Blake can handle.

That means that their usual back-and-forth has to change, with new rules and a new agreement.

Perhaps this negotiation could be for their happily ever after?

They’ll just need to survive each other first…

©2026 by Tijan. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Benjamin Sands' and Mia Madison's voices complement each other beautifully, heightening the suspense and emotion in this dark, slow-burn mafia romance. Sands narrates with chilling intensity, precise pacing, and restrained emotion, capturing Creighton's menace and vulnerability. Madison delivers a standout performance as Blake, conveying her strength, fear, growth, and resilience with nuance. An immersive, engaging experience that will keep listeners invested."—Kirkus Audiobook Reviews

Dark mafia romance

I received this ALC and really enjoyed it. If you like a dark mafia romance I highly recommend it. Blake meets Creighton when she goes to a foster home when she is young. Years pass and Blake is now a senior in college. Creighton is a psychopath who cares about nothing except Blake. People around him know if you want the monster you mess with Blake. This was my first book by Tijan and I really enjoyed it and cannot wait to read more books by them. Thank you so much for sending me this ALC.

Creighton and Blake finally

A Hateful Negotiation is book 4 in the Kings of New York series and we finally get Creighton and Blake's story.

Creighton grew up on the streets. He began the mafia lifestyle at a young age. He already has his devoted followers in Levi and Lassiter, This is just the beginning for him, as we will see.

Blake grew up in foster care. She has been in many foster homes over the eight years of her life, and not all have been good homes. When her social worker sees her on one of his visits, it is time to move her again. This time she ends up at Miss Marcie's home. It is a good home. And it is where she meets Creighton, who she calls Eight, Levi and Lasiter, who goes by Last.

Creighton decides to watch over Blake, and will continue to do so for forever. Blake pushes him away for things he has done, but he continues to watch over her. She does not understand why he has done some of the things he has done, but she cannot condone them. She needs some space from him and his controlling ways. What she does not understand is that there are reasons for what he has done.

Creighton is a mafia boss. No other way to describe it. And he is trying to move in to territory that is already under another family's control. He is taking over by force. But the leaders of the other family are not having it. Tristan and Ashton are fighting him tooth and nail and will stop at nothing to protect their assets.

We see kidnapping, torture, threats, and more.

When Blake and Creighton's relationship changes, she becomes an even bigger target. But when an unknown threat comes after his family, Creighton will stop at nothing to exact his revenge.

I found myself unable to hit pause on this book for very long. I needed to know what would happen next. Even if that meant listening until two in the morning.

The relationship between Blake and Creighton has been written in the stars. It was just a matter of time before one or the other acted on it. But when it is Blake who makes the first move, we are shown a new side of him.

I found myself wanting to sit Blake down for a conversation about her and Creighton. She blames him for everything, but she never acknowledges the good he has done for her. If it was not him who taught her self defense, then it was someone on his team who did. He always wanted to make sure she was safe, but she despised him for it instead of appreciating it.

Creighton, on the other hand, forgets to be more subtle. He is like a bull in a china shop when it comes to Blake's protection. For good reason, but sometimes, you just need to give a woman a little space.

I will admit I needed more when this book ended. I need Levi's story. And for goodness sake, I really need Lassiter's story. Please please please, give me his story.

Benjamin Sands and Mia Madison were both new narrators to me. I found them to work well as a team in this story and their play on the characters was enjoyable. I am hoping to listen to more audiobooks by them in the future, possibly even in this series.

Great narration!

✨ALC✨

🎧🎧🎧🎧

I enjoyed this listen. The storyline was a little bit confusing at some points but I did love Creighton and Blake, although Blake’s back and forth was starting to make me angry 😂

I really enjoyed the narration. Mia Madison and Benjamin Sands were great and did a fantastic job with the emotion, different characters, and bringing this story to life.

🌶️

Loved it

This was a very emotional book, way more than I was expecting but it really hooked me in. This is a mafia romance with a psychopathic hero who only has feelings when it comes to the heroine. Not usually my thing but the author pulled it off beautifully. The narration was fantastic and really brought the story to life. Personally I loved it and definitely recommend.

Oh I'm so torn

because I really want to hate Creighton, especially because I really like West and Waldon, but much like Blake you just can't and that's what makes it so good. You're right there in the story with them and the narration just made it that much better.