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natalie202's review
4.0
This is the first in a series and has a lot of great potential! I love the f/f mafia plot which, while available, is not a popular topic recommended to me. Shout out to Chat GPT for recommending the author to me!
lezreadalot's review
2.0
1.5 stars. My first mafia romance! It... didn't go well. It's a novella, insta-lust and insta-love to the max (including an under-negotiated first date at a BDSM club). Though there turns out to be a reason behind all that, I guess? Still, the pacing! I've read enough amazing novellas that do so much in so little pages that I'm not as patient as I used to be with short romance books that zoom through the relationship like the Road Runner on speed. But I also didn't want to DNF this, because I've read several books in the last few months that started off bad and ended really well for me.
Alas... this didn't. Kenley and Courtlin had no chemistry; this was certainly explicit, but not very sexy imo. The mafia aspects were equally eye-rolly and upsetting. I expected it to get dark and violent, but it didn't, not really? But Ken's brothers and father were OTT gross and horrible and I hated them so much. She was supposed to be this boss-ass mafia bitch, but it felt like they took away all her agency. This isn't a critique of the book; they're not good people and we're meant to dislike them. It just wasn't fun to read, and nothing else about it was fun to read.
So, you know. Alas. I'd still like to try to find a good f/f mafia romance someday, maybe.
Content warnings:.
Alas... this didn't. Kenley and Courtlin had no chemistry; this was certainly explicit, but not very sexy imo. The mafia aspects were equally eye-rolly and upsetting. I expected it to get dark and violent, but it didn't, not really? But Ken's brothers and father were OTT gross and horrible and I hated them so much. She was supposed to be this boss-ass mafia bitch, but it felt like they took away all her agency. This isn't a critique of the book; they're not good people and we're meant to dislike them. It just wasn't fun to read, and nothing else about it was fun to read.
So, you know. Alas. I'd still like to try to find a good f/f mafia romance someday, maybe.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
forced prostitutioncorvinascloud's review
2.0
i saw the words ff and mafia and jumped head first into this novella. the main issue i had wasn't that it felt rushed per se, i didn't mind their insta lust/love, but the best part of the story for me was the plot twist and if that had been developed this could have been so so good. the potential was there but it fell short and the smut was just very unsatisfactory, performative. the only way i can describe it is that it felt queerbating even if there was a queer couple with an hea.
sophiareads_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Drug abuse, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Misogyny
nefariousreads's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this short and spicy read. I'm typically not a huge fan of novellas, but I really enjoyed this one. I felt like it was a great balance between plot and spice for such a short read. I really enjoyed this couple, and I was instantly drawn to them. I loved the high action that came with the mafia, and the plot twist that blew my mind. I would love to read more in this series, and I hope to see this couple again!
If you are looking for a quick easy read, love FF romances, mafia romances, and a spicy read than this one might be good for you.
If you are looking for a quick easy read, love FF romances, mafia romances, and a spicy read than this one might be good for you.
olix's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
kursed_reads's review against another edition
4.0
She’s With Me is a short and smexy prequel/novella to the Ciccone Brothers series.
Despite the short length, there is surprising depth to the characters and their story. Likewise, there are glimpses into the personalities of several of the brothers and even Papa Ciccone.
I’ve not read much FF romance and really enjoyed it! I’m also really looking forward to the rest of the series and getting to know the Ciccone brothers better.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat:
Despite the short length, there is surprising depth to the characters and their story. Likewise, there are glimpses into the personalities of several of the brothers and even Papa Ciccone.
I’ve not read much FF romance and really enjoyed it! I’m also really looking forward to the rest of the series and getting to know the Ciccone brothers better.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat:
literary_hoe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
scr123's review
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
2.5
The first half of the book was good, it set the scene, the characters were well written.
The second half felt rushed as though the author couldn’t wait to get to the end and finish the story.
We’ve all heard a story must have a beginning, a middle and, an end, this book had no middle. It was rushed.
That said, it is one of the better F/F romances I’ve read, I think that’s why I was disappointed with the second half because it had so much potential. Instead once again we’re left with a half hearted attempt at inclusion.
The second half felt rushed as though the author couldn’t wait to get to the end and finish the story.
We’ve all heard a story must have a beginning, a middle and, an end, this book had no middle. It was rushed.
That said, it is one of the better F/F romances I’ve read, I think that’s why I was disappointed with the second half because it had so much potential. Instead once again we’re left with a half hearted attempt at inclusion.