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tiramisuandpasta's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
made my inner feminist cry. it’s just like a well-written Wattpad story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment
septembersuns's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
As part of my recent foray into Mafia romance this book has been a perfect intro into the sub-genre.
Nico was my favourite kind of brooding male lead. A man of few words, but when he did speak it was with intention and he always backed it up with action.
Elena started off as our shy and sheltered female lead but watching her become herself and learning to fight for what was important to her had me cheering for her from the sidelines.
Dual POVs sometimes feel like a chore to read, but it did not feel that way with Nico and Elena's chapters. While there aren't many 'spicy' scenes the tension between Nico and Elena is electric and had me finishing this book in one day. A clear, strong story that tided up nicely.
This would have been a higher rated read if not for the following:
I could not stop thinking about this line throughout the book once I read it:
'the Cosa Nostra was a worse advocate for the LGBT community than they were for the women's movement. It was a work in progress.'
- It's a mafia romance, I don't need further reminders that my fictional reading goes against my real world core values. This line adds nothing to the story and I can't help but wonder why the author would willingly alienate a portion of her readership?
- There is a HUGE emphasis on Elena only marrying someone Italian. I brushed this off as 'mafia rules' when reading, but in light of the above are there are now implied racial undertones??
As a black reader and ally, I am very aware of the demographic of this book and it's typical reader; and I am more than happy to just come along from the ride. I am not looking for representation but also do not expect there to be active exclusion.
3/5 spice
Nico was my favourite kind of brooding male lead. A man of few words, but when he did speak it was with intention and he always backed it up with action.
Elena started off as our shy and sheltered female lead but watching her become herself and learning to fight for what was important to her had me cheering for her from the sidelines.
Dual POVs sometimes feel like a chore to read, but it did not feel that way with Nico and Elena's chapters. While there aren't many 'spicy' scenes the tension between Nico and Elena is electric and had me finishing this book in one day. A clear, strong story that tided up nicely.
This would have been a higher rated read if not for the following:
I could not stop thinking about this line throughout the book once I read it:
'the Cosa Nostra was a worse advocate for the LGBT community than they were for the women's movement. It was a work in progress.'
- It's a mafia romance, I don't need further reminders that my fictional reading goes against my real world core values. This line adds nothing to the story and I can't help but wonder why the author would willingly alienate a portion of her readership?
- There is a HUGE emphasis on Elena only marrying someone Italian. I brushed this off as 'mafia rules' when reading, but in light of the above are there are now implied racial undertones??
As a black reader and ally, I am very aware of the demographic of this book and it's typical reader; and I am more than happy to just come along from the ride. I am not looking for representation but also do not expect there to be active exclusion.
3/5 spice
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence
maruu_t's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
tianabooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Blood
acelodie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Vomit, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
chaotic_reading's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
two words: cosa nostra.
dark, toxic, italian mafia romance. it was twisted and spicy but maintained the perfect balance
dark, toxic, italian mafia romance. it was twisted and spicy but maintained the perfect balance
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
anger566's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I felt like it was longer than it needed to be, with an anti-climatic ending
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Rape, Sexism, and Death of parent
It’s a mafia romance so there’s parts concerning organized crime (death, murder, gun violence, regular violence, blood). There’s some sexist elements (women in the family aren’t allowed to choose their husbands-arranged marriage; they’re seen as tainted if they have sex before marriage).bribreez's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
After so much back and forth on whether or not I wanted to read this book. I finally decided to take the plunge and read this book. Initially, I was always hesitant since this book is considered a “Dark Romance” book and sometimes I’m not comfortable with the material that goes on in dark romances, but I will say I have read some mafia romance books in the past… most of them being on Wattpad. Nonetheless, after hearing so many good things about this book and series, I wanted to know myself.
This was another book out of my comfort zone, similar to when I first read the “Twisted” series books by Ana Huang. I’ve always been fascinated by mafia storylines, and while most of the men in these stories aren’t exactly… within the feminist ideals, I made sure to keep an open mind while reading, especially with the characters. The whole time I kept reading all I could think was, “GOODBYE FEMINIST VIEWS AND HELLO CONTROLLING POSSESSIVE ALPHA MAN!” Not to mention the amount of unaliving people left and right, it took me by surprise, but then again it is a mafia story so I wasn’t completely unaware it wasn’t going to happen at some point in the book.
Elena and Nico were a mixture a hot tension that was about to erupt at any moment, and when they finally gave into each other… WOW! They did not hold back. In a way, I felt like the beginning half of the book was a back and forth of Elena and Nico flirting, almost crossing the boundaries between them, in a sense it reminded me of “cat and mouse”. Obviously neither accurately depicts how Elena and Nico were, but that’s what kept crossing my mind while reading.
This was my first dark romance book, and thankfully I enjoyed it. I was initially worried that some of the themes or characters wouldn’t be my “cup of tea”, but I actually liked the story and while the characters didn’t become my absolute favorites, nonetheless I found Elena and Nico’s relationship fascinating. Obviously this book did mention some violent themes, but for the most part the subject material wasn’t too much that I found myself feeling uncomfortable. I would say if you’re curious about this book/series and looking to dip your toes into dark romance books, I would say this would be a good place to start.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder
callmeluh's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I read this book for two reasons: I wanted to read smut, and BookTok has finally won.
Maybe I had too many expectations, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I'd hoped. I hated the first part: Elena annoyed me to no ends, and I was bored out of my mind. I did decide to push through, mostly because I hate dropping a book. And thank f*ck the second half was better, and it made up for the first part, BUT I can't say that I loved this book as a whole.
So yes, it wasn't love at first page, however I will continue reading this series, because I'm too curious for my own good
Maybe I had too many expectations, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I'd hoped. I hated the first part: Elena annoyed me to no ends, and I was bored out of my mind. I did decide to push through, mostly because I hate dropping a book. And thank f*ck the second half was better, and it made up for the first part, BUT I can't say that I loved this book as a whole.
So yes, it wasn't love at first page, however I will continue reading this series, because I'm too curious for my own good
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual harassment
messyread's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Torture