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You guys, it happened again. And by it, I mean not being able to read anything.
I recently had to leave my school dormitory because I’m supposed to do a six-week attachment at a court. In the days leading up to my departure from school – and now, about five days after leaving – I haven’t been able to read anything.
But as usual, today something clicked. I picked up five different books and actually finished every one of them! You guys know I try to write all the book reviews on the blog, so I decided to start reviewing this one because I literally just finished reading it.
Like, I put the book down and here I am, writing the review.
You guys, this was one of my New Year’s resolutions for 2025 – to review books immediately after finishing them – and I feel like if I don’t get some applause for this, I might just give up and move on.
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Who am I, really? How am I reading books and actually writing reviews right away? I feel unstoppable. Anyway, let’s get into this book.
So, this is a mafia romance novel. You know I love mafia romance. I live for danger in books. Especially the Russian mafia. I’ve said this before, but I honestly feel like the Bratva is always portrayed as way more dangerous and ruthless than the Italian, British, or American mafias. But this book is about the Italian mafia and I was still super interested.
This is a new-to-me author, by the way – but as I always say, I’m there for any mafia romance, period.
One thing I’ll say after reading this book is that it’s considerably less steamy than I’m used to for most mafia romances. Normally the chemistry hits hard and fast – fiery, explosive, especially if it’s an enemies-to-lovers book.
You know it’s coming; you expect tension, sexy scenes, the whole package. But here? I felt like it was a little dull on that front. Most of the actual romance between the couple didn’t even show up until the third quarter of the book.
Now, that wouldn’t have been bad if this was a different genre, but for mafia romance? Meh. Not the best method in my opinion, especially when readers (me included) have certain expectations. I was kind of disappointed.
The story is pretty simple: Our female lead, Raven, was in a relationship with her former bodyguard – but he was killed right in front of her. And she was secretly pregnant at the time. No one knew.
So, she’s assigned a new bodyguard, Ace, our male lead. Meanwhile, there’s mafia politics going on; apparently, there’s a new sect of the mafia trying to infiltrate all the other families, and her old bodyguard, Louis, was killed because he was part of that scheme.
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Our male lead has a very complicated past. I can’t spill everything without spoiling the book, but basically, he’s brought in as her new bodyguard because he had cut off his feelings.
They have history – when she was younger, they lived in the same house and she had a huge crush on him. She even tried to seduce him once, but he rejected her (awkward). So they don’t exactly see eye to eye.
Of course, while he’s protecting her and their baby, feelings start to build and you know the drill.
One thing I appreciated was the author’s note at the beginning. God bless authors who do this. Seriously, these books are complicated with so many names and connections. Without that note, I would’ve been so lost. And even with it, I found myself flipping back to the author’s note several times because there were just too many characters, too many names flying around.
It was messy. The book could’ve done a better job explaining all these relationships in the actual story rather than dumping them in the beginning and expecting us to remember everything.
Before I get into the actual review properly, I have to mention something that really stood out to me: this trend some authors have where they try to make every single line of dialogue quote-worthy.
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Like, I get it. Book quotes sell on BookTok and Pinterest and everywhere else. We all love snippets that scream drama, passion, steam.
But here? It was so obvious. God forgive me, but every time a character launched into some dramatic, poetic speech, I rolled my eyes. It was just too much. Too forced. Let them talk like real people, please.
One thing I did love though? The banter. Pure gold. I adored the playful energy between the two leads. That’s what frustrated me – because that banter never fully turned into real tension or chemistry. I’ll explain more below, but seriously, the moments where they weren’t being all Shakespearean and weird? Perfect. Funny, light, and just what I love in dialogue.
Remember that author’s note I mentioned? It gave me a rough idea of what to expect, and I loved that because if you know me, you know I’m a sucker for an underdog story. I love when characters are building something from the ground up, laying foundations, and fighting to rise.
And that’s what we get here. Yes, the bigger mafia families make appearances, but the focus is mostly on this smaller sect trying to grow and survive. And (no spoilers) another little twist becomes important in the second half of the book. You’ll have to read to find out.
Now, about the pacing. So slow. This book made me realize I wouldn’t wish a slow-burn romance on my worst enemy. I’ve read some amazing slow-burns before, but this one was downright painful. The couple didn’t even show real romantic interest in each other until way past the halfway point.
And I actually read another book today with this same problem, so stay tuned for that review. But back to this one.
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Honestly, I’m not even curious about the other books in this series (and this is obviously part of a huge series with interconnected characters). I think some parents in this universe even have their own love stories.
But I don’t feel like picking up more of this author’s work and that’s because, as I said earlier, the overly poetic writing style just isn’t for me.
Also, this author uses twists and characters in the most bizarre way. There’s an excerpt from the next book in the series that follows Raven’s twin sister Tempest and her love interest had to have been a deliberate choice. So, I’m not exactly holding myself out for anything at this point.
It’s icky all the way through (you’ll need to read to understand this) and I wouldn’t go in the vicinity of that story even if I was being paid.
And, the biggest point this author has to make is definitely about how dark and dangerous the mafia life is. It seems like we were being told on every other page about how people were being killed, tortured, or flayed for one thing or the other.
Again, I get it. Not on every page, though. I actually felt like it was constantly in our face about how dangerous things can get and was often spoken about in this shadowy way that didn’t add up at the end of the day.
I also felt incredibly led on by the time the twist came around. Honestly, you have to actually read it to see in full detail what really goes down, but, I kid you not, I was so confused. A conversation then a goodbye pop then some other pops then marital bliss. I read it three times and still had no idea what I was looking at.
So, yeah, while this was an okay mafia romance book, I personally wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for something steamy and angsty.
I know I said this was a slow burn, but honestly, even that label feels wrong because at least with slow burns, there’s tension and chemistry simmering under the surface. Here? They were forced together and the romance popped out of nowhere.
Not a fan. I won’t be rereading this one. But if you did read it and loved it, let me know.
I’ve heard this author has a big fan community on Facebook. And if you think there’s another book by her I absolutely have to try, drop it in the comments.
Also, if you want more mafia romance recs – the good, steamy, angsty kind I love – check out my other posts.
I even made a post on the best mafia arranged marriage books everyone should read (I’ve read every single one and they’re all fire).
And tell me: what have you been reading lately? I’m looking for new recs!
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