Burning Caine
Caine & Ferraro, Book 1
A slow-burn romantic suspense mystery where a former FBI Art Crimes investigator — stuck doing boring insurance claims in her tiny Michigan hometown so she can care for her sick sister — gets paired with the dark-haired Italian art conservator who’s been quietly pining for her since they met ten years ago. He recognized the million-dollar painting at the heart of her case as a forgery the second he saw it. Telling her would reveal a family secret better left buried. She’s sworn off dating; he’s a reformed playboy who falls first and fast. And the fire that destroyed the painting also killed someone — the deeper she digs, the more she suspects his recognition of the forgery is the smallest of his secrets.
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Samantha Caine
I used to be a rising star in the FBI’s Art Crimes Team. Now I’m back in my tiny Michigan hometown, caring for my sick sister and working as a bored-out-of-my-skull insurance adjuster. Until, finally, an assignment that’s right up my alley—a claim for a million-dollar painting damaged in a fatal house fire.
From the get-go, something’s not adding up. The police are blowing it off. My boss is pressuring me to wrap it up ASAP. Worse, I’m paired with an art conservator who’s the kind of dark-haired, chisel-faced, Italian-accented distraction I don’t need.
Antonio Ferraro, Ph.D.
I met Samantha once ten years ago, and I’ve never forgotten the fiery, passionate woman. When she storms back into my life, I know I have to have her, despite her insistence she’ll never date again.
Telling her I immediately recognize the painting’s a forgery would reveal family secrets better left buried. So, I’ll complete the authentication to prove the fraud and win her over in the process. But if my deception’s uncovered, it risks her case and my family’s reputation—and our second chance will go up in smoke.
Secrets, danger, and slow-burning passions collide in this romantic suspense mystery.
Burning Caine is the first installment in the completed Caine & Ferraro series, featuring a strong heroine, a swoon-worthy Italian love interest, and an art-world mystery in every book. The main couple is together from book one, with no cheating and no cliffhangers.
Perfect for readers who love
- A kickass female sleuth with an FBI Art Crimes past
- A hero who falls first and fast for the one woman he can’t forget
- A reformed playboy with a PhD and an Italian accent
- An overprotective big-brother figure who’s not actually her brother
- Reluctant-homecoming-while-caring-for-a-sick-sister
- Art forgery and fraud at the heart of the mystery
- Dual first-person POV
Tropes & content tags
Genre: Romantic suspense, Mystery romance, Slow-burn romance
Tropes: Slow Burn, Dangerous Secret, Rivals/Work Enemies, Burdened by Beauty/Talent, Commitment Phobia, Opposites Attract, One Crime/Mystery Hides Much Larger One
Content tags: Kickass female sleuth; hero who falls first and fast; overprotective big brother; secret second chance; reluctant homecoming; experienced main characters with specialized careers; art crime mystery; reformed playboy
Quick facts
| Heat tier | Steamy (3/5 chili peppers) |
| POV | Dual first-person |
| Tense | First-person past |
| Setting | Tiny Michigan hometown — small-town setting that is NOT cozy; an art forgery and arson mystery at its center |
| Series | Caine & Ferraro, Book 1 |
| Read order | Must be read in order |
| Length | Full-length novel — 396 pages |
| Formats | Ebook, Paperback |
| Language | English |
| HEA | Yes — guaranteed happy ever after, no cliffhanger, no cheating |
| Status | Published January 21, 2022 |
About Caine & Ferraro
A strong heroine, a swoon-worthy Italian love interest, and an art-world mystery in every book. Same couple from book one, slow-burn arc culminating in their HEA by book five. The series must be read in order. No cheating, no cliffhangers, no dark romance.
A completed five-book romantic suspense series. The romance arc — Samantha and Antonio’s slow burn — runs continuously across all five novels, landing the HEA at the end of book five. Each book centers on a different art-crime case, but the relationship, characters, and timeline are continuous, so the books are best read in order.
