If you’ve been following Amber’s guest posts on my blog, you know that she is consistently adding to her Lozano Cartel series. And the newest Lozano Cartel title comes out next week on October 6, 2026! It’s called Breaking Her Enforcer, and has a unique twist on a beloved holiday: Christmas. I have interviewed Amber on the holiday aspect of the story, which you can read below.

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1. What holiday does your story highlight?

Breaking Her Enforcer takes place in December with Christmas quickly approaching. Marisol and Ángel are moving through their lives with signs of the holiday all around them. From the Christmas trees, garland, and nativity sets to the bouncy music and some scrumptious dishes that made my stomach growl when I writing those scenes, Christmas is in full swing. The holiday culminates in the final chapters, when both Marisol and Ángel confront their families and their pasts. So while this is absolutely a dark stalker romance, the holiday season provides the emotional backdrop.

2. What inspired you to choose that holiday when you were writing your story?

I had several emotional themes in mind when I was coming up with the plot, which include: family, loss, forgiveness, second chances, and coming home. These themes are often featured in Christmas movies and books, though Breaking Her Enforcer is definitely NOT meant for the Hallmark crowd. Plus, the last book in the series (Corrupting His Wife) took place in October, so the possible timeline to set this one at Christmas was too good to pass up. For Marisol, Christmas has traditionally been a time when her brother Raul came home to celebrate with her. This year is going to be completely different. For Ángel, Christmas represents home in a different way. He’s been estranged from his parents for years, and the holiday gives him a reason—and an emotional push—to finally return and try to make amends

3. How do your characters celebrate Christmas? What’s similar or different for the average reader?

My characters celebrate Christmas in many ways that will feel familiar to readers. Their homes and workplaces are decorated with Christmas trees, ornaments, wreaths, lights, and other holiday decorations. Ángel’s family also has a strong religious tradition, including attending Mass and gathering with their extended family for a large Christmas Eve dinner. Food plays an important role in their celebration, with homemade dishes, desserts, and leftovers shared among family members.

What may feel different for some readers is the Mexican setting and the way cultural and Catholic traditions shape the holiday. Christmas is very much a family-centered occasion for these characters, but their celebrations also take place within the darker world of the cartel. That creates an unusual contrast between the warmth and familiarity of Christmas and the violence and danger surrounding the characters. For example, during one confrontation in Marisol’s home, Bruno knocks over a crucifix and kicks it into her lit Christmas tree, breaking several ornaments. So while readers may recognize many of the traditions—the decorations, food, religious observances, family gatherings, and gift-giving—their experience of Christmas is complicated by the dangers and emotional turmoil that come with living in the cartel world.

4. How does the holiday play into the overall plot?

Christmas becomes an emotional deadline for my protagonists. For Marisol, she has to learn to let go of the past. For Ángel, he has to learn that it’s time to go home. And that mirrors their romance perfectly. They both spend Christmas dealing with family wounds and growing as people, as well as deciding on what kind of family and future they want to create together.

5. Anything else you’d like to share?

The next book in the Lozano Cartel series is Her Twisted Bodyguard, which follows Carlota Lozano and Tajo Aguilar. Fans have been hungry for Carlota’s story for a while! Carlota is a cartel princess trapped in an unhappy marriage to Manuel, a ruthless capo. Tajo is her husband’s estranged half-brother, and he’s willing to use Carlota to get revenge. Neither expected that they would have to work together to stay alive. Her Twisted Bodyguard will be live in May 2027.

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Amber Daulton writes raw, edgy romantic suspense and dark cartel romance featuring high stakes, deep
passion, and defiant hearts. She’s the author of the Lozano Cartel, Arresting Onyx, Embracing You, and
Ramseys in Time series, as well as a rich catalog of standalone novellas. Her books are available
worldwide in digital, print, and select audio formats.
From her home base in North Carolina, she builds dangerous criminal underworlds and maps out
fierce, second-chance love stories alongside her supportive husband and her demanding feline writing
assistant, Zita.

Amber Daulton is the author of the Lozano Cartel, the Arresting Onyx, the Embracing You, and the
Ramseys in Time series, as well as several standalone novellas. Her books are available in ebook and
print on demand while select titles are in audio and foreign language formats.
She lives in North Carolina, USA, with her husband and demanding cats. Connect with her and purchase her books on her website: https://amberdaulton.com

A drive-by shooting lands him in the hospital. And in the arms of temptation.
Cartel enforcer Ángel Rascón knows he should stay away from the woman who saved his life. Marisol
is a sensual blend of fire and innocence, irresistible to his inner beast. She’s also the little sister of a
man now on the run from the cartel—Ángel’s friend and former partner. Getting involved with her
could destroy everything he’s worked for, but when she’s threatened, it’s game on.
Physical therapist Marisol Cruz knows Ángel is dangerous, yet he’s always there. Watching. Waiting.
Wanting. After her brother’s enemies track her down, Ángel appoints himself her protector with every
intoxicating kiss.
Ángel will have to risk his position—and his life—to keep her safe. But Marisol faces the most
devastating choice of all. Loving her stubborn enforcer may mean losing her brother forever.

– Book 3.5 in the dark romance series, the Lozano Cartel. All the books can be read as a standalone,
but are part of an interconnected series.
– Scenes featuring gang violence and suicide may be uncomfortable for some readers.
– No cheating. HEA guaranteed!

Ángel latched the squeaky iron gate behind him and crept across Marisol’s darkened front yard.
The soothing droll of crickets masked the sound of his footsteps while the overgrown trees, shrubs, and
cacti at the far property line shielded him from any nosy neighbors. Not that she had any in this quiet,
working-class neighborhood on the city’s outskirts. As he braced himself against the side of her house,
the rough stucco scraped his jacket and the back of his head as it always did. Yellow light poured from
the living room window in horizontal beams as though to expose him.

Fuck that. He wasn’t an amateur.

Faint music seeped from inside the house.

He smirked, willing to bet his bank account that Marisol was streaming reruns of her favorite
telenovela. Desperate for a glimpse of her, he pressed closer toward the glass pane and peered through
the slatted blinds.

Inside, Marisol was bundled under a thick red-and-green checkered quilt on the sofa and cheered like a love-struck teenager over something that happened on the TV.

Damn right. He knew his woman well. From the high-stakes story lines to the nineteenth-
century period costumes, Las Sombras del Imperio had found its way into countless living rooms
across the country. Including his own.

After the program ended, Marisol turned off the television and grabbed her dinner plate and
glass.

He darted around the house and ducked under a mesquite branch in the side yard. The crisp
breeze rustled through the leafy branches, swept back his hair, and chilled his skin. Gritting his teeth,
he huddled deeper into his denim jacket. His thick, cable-knit shirt caught against the hard ridge over
his collarbone, irritating the taut skin. A deep, metallic chill radiated from the inside out, numbing the
fracture site with a dull ache. He yanked the collar away from his neck and cursed.

Light now streamed out from the kitchen window.

As the rambunctious mutt next door yapped at something stirring in the bushes, Marisol peered
out the glass into the darkness. Fine lines crimped her face.

Ángel slunk deeper into the shadowy foliage. Once she focused on washing the dishes, he
swiped a branch out of his way and rolled his tight, sore shoulders. A low grunt tore from his mouth.
Distant laughter rang out, disrupting the tranquility of the night.

He tsked, shaking his head. The university-aged kids who lived in that dingy house at the end of
the street were partying again. It was only Thursday, for fuck’s sake. Sighing, he pinched the bridge of
his nose. As if he had any room to judge. At twenty-eight years old, he’d surely partied harder than
those guys down the block could imagine.

He pulled his phone from his jeans back pocket and checked his notifications. Nothing from
Raul. Or Muniz. What the hell was going on with them? He slid the cell back in.
A crash echoed from the other side of the house.

Ángel jerked upright.

Marisol flung her dish towel aside and raced out of the kitchen.

“Mierda,” Ángel dashed back around the house and snatched his gun from his hip holster. His
pulse thundered in his ears. Icy dread slashed through his stomach.

The front door hung open.

“Get out!” Marisol shouted from inside. Something shattered. “Get out of my house!”