Daisy Haites

Daisy Haites is a contemporary adult romance novel by Australian author Jessa Hastings. Originally self-published by The Ephemeral Happiness of the House of Hastings in 2021, Daisy Haites is the second title in Hastings’s Magnolia Parks Universe series. When 20-year-old Daisy Haites realizes that she’s in love with Christian Hemmes, who doesn’t love her back, Daisy must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice for romance. She pushes Christian aside to rekindle her relationship with her unfaithful ex Romeo Bambrilla, only to discover that she can’t trust him either. Caught in a life of crime because of her brother Julian Haites’s role as a gang lord in the London underworld of organized crime, Daisy feels emotionally, personally, and circumstantially trapped. The more Julian controls her relationships and decisions, the more desperate she is to escape. Written from Daisy’s, Julian’s, and Christian’s alternating first-person points of view, the novel explores themes including the Struggle for Personal Autonomy, The Complexities of Navigating Love and Betrayal, and the Influence of Family Legacy.

This guide is based on the 2023 Dutton paperback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: Both the source text and this guide include cursing, substance use, sexual content, and depictions of graphic violence and death.

Plot Summary

Four years after Daisy and her boyfriend Romeo broke up, Daisy is living in London, England, with her brother Julian. Ever since their parents’ deaths 16 years earlier, Julian has played the role of Daisy’s guardian, parent, and friend. However, 20-year-old Daisy often feels stifled by her older brother’s obsessive control over her life. He weighs in on where Daisy goes, who she dates, and how she spends her time. To act out, Daisy starts sleeping with members of the Haites gang—the Lost Boys.

Most recently, Daisy has entered a sexual relationship with Christian Hemmes. His brother Jonah Hemmes is Julian’s best friend. Julian is initially upset by their affair, but tries to stifle his frustrations even as Daisy falls in love with Christian. He’s not only attractive and sexually adept, but also kind and caring, but Daisy has no evidence that Christian reciprocates her feelings. Whenever they’re together, Daisy feels overcome by longing. She wishes she could tell Christian how she feels, but fears that he’s still hung up on his ex, Magnolia Parks.

The more time that Christian spends with Daisy, the more confused he feels. He keeps telling himself that his interest in Daisy is nothing more than friendship. He reminds himself that he is still in love with Magnolia, even if she doesn’t love him back. Magnolia is with BJ Ballentine, another close friend and member of their criminal organization. BJ assures Christian that he doesn’t have a chance with Magnolia, but Christian is reluctant to let her go.

Meanwhile, Julian takes on a new job with a client named Eamon Brown, who hires the Lost Boys to steal a Gustav Klimt painting, Adam and Eve. The job is dangerous, and Brown is a dubious character, but Julian accepts because it’s good pay.

Daisy worries about the upcoming Belvedere Museum art heist. She’s concerned about Christian’s involvement and hopes that Julian won’t break their moral code. Although she’s always known what her family does, she’s made Julian promise not to endanger others.

Romeo resurfaces in London and tries to rekindle his and Daisy’s relationship. Daisy is still angry with Romeo for cheating on her and leaving for New York four years ago, and seeing him again reminds her of their rich history. They’ve been friends since childhood, and Romeo has saved her from numerous near-death experiences. She wonders if it’s better to be with him than to wait around for Christian to commit to her.

During a trip to Paris with Romeo and the Lost Boys, Daisy and Romeo start sleeping together again. Back in London, she informs Christian of her and Romeo’s affair. Christian is hurt, but lies and tells Daisy he’s sleeping with other people, too. Meanwhile, his friends insist that he’s in love with Daisy and should just tell her how he feels. After several more emotionally tumultuous weeks, Christian and Daisy confess that they like each other and start to officially date.

The Belvedere Museum heist goes awry when a rival gang intercedes and almost kills Daisy and the Lost Boys. Daisy grabs a gun and shoots one of the rival gang members. Only days later, the rival gang tries to kill Daisy out of revenge. Julian locks Daisy up in her room to protect her.

On Julian’s birthday, Daisy finally emerges from hiding. She and Christian spend the day with Julian and throw him a party that night. When Magnolia arrives, Daisy is convinced that Christian is pining after her. She tells him their relationship is over and goes home with Romeo.

Daisy and Romeo start seeing each other again. Daisy doesn’t love Romeo but uses him to distract from her heartbreak over Christian. Daisy discovers that Julian has gone behind her back and broken their moral code of conduct when Brown refuses to pay for the Klimt job. To get the money, Julian kidnapped Brown’s children. A horrified Daisy works with law enforcement to set the children free and gets injured in the operation.

Julian visits Daisy at the hospital. Daisy tells him their relationship is over and she is done with their family business. Christian arrives for a visit, and he and Daisy profess their love for each other. Daisy insists that they can’t be together unless Christian leaves the London crime scene, too. A torn Christian lets Daisy go despite how much he loves her.

In the epilogue, Magnolia Parks is living in New York with her new boyfriend, Tom England. She tells herself that she’s over her ex-boyfriend BJ and doesn’t miss London. However, when Tom discovers she still has feelings for BJ, he leaves her. A devastated Magnolia has sex with a new acquaintance to ease her sorrow.