Castello di Lusso
About the book
She refused to be a pawn. So they made her a queen. After severing ties with a toxic corporate world in Atlanta, Simone Bellamy has built an independent life and an architecture firm of her own. When she travels to the shores of Lake Como to transform a magnificent seventeenth-century stone fortress into an exclusive luxury wellness retreat, the commission appears to be her crowning achievement. But the project’s powerful investor, Arthur Thorne, has motives extending far beyond architecture. He intends to use Simone as leverage to force his estranged son, Italian master craftsman Elias Thorne, back into the family empire he escaped. When Arthur launches a campaign of corporate sabotage, he expects Simone to surrender beneath the weight of his wealth and influence. Instead, she and Elias must protect the project, defend the lives they built independently, and confront a dynasty determined to control them both. Against the breathtaking backdrop of Lake Como, Simone discovers that love does not have to demand surrender—and that true power is not inherited. It is built. Castello di Lusso is a sophisticated contemporary romance about Black excellence, architecture, family power, hard-won sovereignty, and creating luxury with a soul. It is Book Two of The Bella Musa Stories.
What to expect
Purchasing takes you to the author's retailer (shop.ingramspark.com).
Available in paperback. Paperback ISBN 9798234186003.
About the author
Sandra M. Holliday is an author, storyteller, digital artist, and the founder of Luna Asthera Studio. Through fiction and guided journals, she creates imaginative worlds centered on Black women and girls claiming their power, protecting their dreams, and building lives defined by purpose, beauty, and freedom. For adult readers, Sandra is the author of The Bella Musa Stories, a sophisticated contemporary romance series following visionary architect Simone Bellamy. Across Savannah, Lake Como, and Brooklyn, the series explores Black luxury, healing, mature love, creative ownership, and legacy through Rose Clarity, Castello di Lusso, and The Obsidian Empire Reserve. For younger readers, Sandra created The Grumble Toad Adventures and the magical Mycelium Undergrowth—a whimsical world where mushrooms glow, toads wear crowns, and even monsters may simply need a little kindness. The series follows Amara Spore, a courageous Black fairy, and her mischievous companions as they protect their enchanted forest. Sandra believes readers of every age deserve to see themselves as the heroes, visionaries, and architects of extraordinary stories. Based in South Carolina, she continues to expand Luna Asthera Studio through books, journals, original artwork, and meaningful creative experiences.
