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poisonednikka's review
4.0
Savage is able to bring the reader into the story, feel the embarrassment and the cringe of the character, not something many writers are able to do. The dialogue is believable and make you want to follow these characters further than the book extends. This is my first read from this author, I will be picking up another of her books.
baylie_durocher's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
jamies_bookreads's review
4.0
Really Enjoying This Series!
Wilted Orchid brings the Italian Mafia family Moretti to join their son with the daughter of the Rossi Cosa Nostra outfit. Just one more arranged marriage in hopes to broker peace between the different Mafia outfits. This may finally put their war to rest.
Salvatore Moretti wants no part of the arrangement, but will honor his dad’s word in the treaty. Poor Valentina Rossi has no idea what is awaiting her when she turns 18. Sal’s hatred towards the Rossi family is understandable. However, he punishes Val for that hatred, and his twin brothers (Fausto & Armani) don’t understand it. Sal crosses lines that may just fracture the peace treaty and his and his brother’s relationship. Val may be young but she is smart and has a heart of gold. The guys sure do bring the heat to some of the scenes. TW/18+
Wilted Orchid brings the Italian Mafia family Moretti to join their son with the daughter of the Rossi Cosa Nostra outfit. Just one more arranged marriage in hopes to broker peace between the different Mafia outfits. This may finally put their war to rest.
Salvatore Moretti wants no part of the arrangement, but will honor his dad’s word in the treaty. Poor Valentina Rossi has no idea what is awaiting her when she turns 18. Sal’s hatred towards the Rossi family is understandable. However, he punishes Val for that hatred, and his twin brothers (Fausto & Armani) don’t understand it. Sal crosses lines that may just fracture the peace treaty and his and his brother’s relationship. Val may be young but she is smart and has a heart of gold. The guys sure do bring the heat to some of the scenes. TW/18+
bookish_dandan's review
4.0
I enjoyed the writing style and feel like the twins saved this story for me. Feel like Sal went through so much and that was unforgivably taken out on Val. Loved how strong she became towards the end of the story and the lessons Sal had to learn.
traci_booksagram's review
5.0
So this book has a very different feel then the others in this series. I think some of it has to do with the fact that Valentina is the youngest of the mafia princess who were traded in the name of peace at only 18 years old (17 at the start of the book). Other reasons is the history that Salvatore had with Val's father and then there is how Val was informed of this transaction. All of this combined results in the darkest of the books so far in the Mafia Wars series. This book is full of triggers, and therefore is something I had to read (I have stopped psychoanalyzing myself due to this).
The darkness of especially Salvatore also means that this book has some pretty substantial growth for one of the members of the harem. I absolutely HATED him at the start of this book, even after what he went through. This guy could not look past his own pain to realize what was standing right in front of him & he drove me nuts. I will say that he does redeem himself, but definitely not in any way that I could have expected.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but it is definitely not one for everyone. But if reading a list of triggers means a one click book to you, then this is definitely one to read
The darkness of especially Salvatore also means that this book has some pretty substantial growth for one of the members of the harem. I absolutely HATED him at the start of this book, even after what he went through. This guy could not look past his own pain to realize what was standing right in front of him & he drove me nuts. I will say that he does redeem himself, but definitely not in any way that I could have expected.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but it is definitely not one for everyone. But if reading a list of triggers means a one click book to you, then this is definitely one to read
lisa_1986's review
5.0
WOW
Such a good series of books. They are well worth reading. Can't wait to read the rest.
Would highly recommend
Such a good series of books. They are well worth reading. Can't wait to read the rest.
Would highly recommend
chelseathebookaddict's review
3.0
So this one is different from the first 3 in this series. We do not open with a marriage or even get the wedding anywhere near the beginning of the book. We are first introduced to each character individually in their current lives (pre- wedding). I can see the thought process on trying to make this book unique to the other ones which seemed like similar plot lines, but this one fell short. This one was set up to be a series. There were multiple plot lines and a bit of a twist at the end. What this lacked was character and relationship development. For that reason alone - this is a 3 star book for me since I am here for the romance and stay for the plot.
My issues:
- Val doesn't even meet the guys until 32-34% of the way through the book. When I looked down and saw how far into the book I was when they meet, I was instantly disappointed and knew this book would end up having lack of character/relationship development/growth. There is just not enough time for 1 man, let alone 3 men! We need time to get to know each character: their back story, their personality, why they are the way they are, etc. Although we get some of these items, it just wasn't enough.
- This series having only reverse harems is getting ANNOYING. I am the biggest fan of reverse harems and almost only read them. I know we aren't going for realistic here, but what are the chances that every single mafia boss is willing to share with brothers/family members. Reverse harems are difficult to write to begin with, but then these authors are restricted to 1 book which is rarely enough time to really dive into each character (see my note above).
- Sal: I wanted so much more from/of him. He was the one that we were given the tortured past and reasons for why is was acting the way he was but we don't get ANY time to believe that they would actually fall in love with each other. It was insta-love and a complete let down. There was ONE scene where we see him attempt to redeem himself and we are supposed to believe they fell in love after this? Also Sal went through at least 2-3 major personality switches for seemingly no reason. At the end - he ends up just being a completely different person.
- Her virginity: I was expecting more angst surrounding which brother got to take it. It was completely anti-climactic. And not what I wanted to happen.
-Sex scenes: not enough - author ran out of time because they DIDN'T EVEN MEET until 34%!!!! Fausto was the only one who got a 1:1 full scene which is bullshit.
- The proposal: hella cheesy
What I liked:
- Armani and Fausto were great, mostly. I liked how protective they were almost from the beginning.
I am just so disappointed. I wouldn't say the story/writing is bad. I enjoyed the general plot line and respected the hell out of it being different from the others so far, but in general - I was hoping for better from this Mafia Wars series. I think some content editors would have really helped this book. I am probably being a little more critical than I should be having just finished the book and not letting it sit with me overnight first, but I just had to get these thoughts down. I am not turned off from trying something from this author in the future. I am hoping the last 2 books will help make me feel better about this series.
My issues:
- Val doesn't even meet the guys until 32-34% of the way through the book. When I looked down and saw how far into the book I was when they meet, I was instantly disappointed and knew this book would end up having lack of character/relationship development/growth. There is just not enough time for 1 man, let alone 3 men! We need time to get to know each character: their back story, their personality, why they are the way they are, etc. Although we get some of these items, it just wasn't enough.
- This series having only reverse harems is getting ANNOYING. I am the biggest fan of reverse harems and almost only read them. I know we aren't going for realistic here, but what are the chances that every single mafia boss is willing to share with brothers/family members. Reverse harems are difficult to write to begin with, but then these authors are restricted to 1 book which is rarely enough time to really dive into each character (see my note above).
- Sal: I wanted so much more from/of him. He was the one that we were given the tortured past and reasons for why is was acting the way he was but we don't get ANY time to believe that they would actually fall in love with each other. It was insta-love and a complete let down. There was ONE scene where we see him attempt to redeem himself and we are supposed to believe they fell in love after this? Also Sal went through at least 2-3 major personality switches for seemingly no reason. At the end - he ends up just being a completely different person.
- Her virginity: I was expecting more angst surrounding which brother got to take it. It was completely anti-climactic. And not what I wanted to happen.
-Sex scenes: not enough - author ran out of time because they DIDN'T EVEN MEET until 34%!!!! Fausto was the only one who got a 1:1 full scene which is bullshit.
- The proposal: hella cheesy
What I liked:
- Armani and Fausto were great, mostly. I liked how protective they were almost from the beginning.
I am just so disappointed. I wouldn't say the story/writing is bad. I enjoyed the general plot line and respected the hell out of it being different from the others so far, but in general - I was hoping for better from this Mafia Wars series. I think some content editors would have really helped this book. I am probably being a little more critical than I should be having just finished the book and not letting it sit with me overnight first, but I just had to get these thoughts down. I am not turned off from trying something from this author in the future. I am hoping the last 2 books will help make me feel better about this series.
acourtofbooksncoffee's review
3.0
3.5 The plot on this one has so much potential compared to some of the other mafia war books but it fell short. I just felt like there was not enough time to build to the full potential of the characters. Overall I liked it but didn’t love it.
Also I thought they were all supposed to marry the girls at a similar time and she obviously doesn’t marry them till long after the other girls do and nobody (the other mafia families) sees that as a problem?
Also I thought they were all supposed to marry the girls at a similar time and she obviously doesn’t marry them till long after the other girls do and nobody (the other mafia families) sees that as a problem?
ladyyluna's review
2.0
I wanted to like this book, but I found myself struggling. It's not a bad book, by any means, but it isn't one I can see myself thinking about after finishing it. I still appreciate it as a contribution to the series. However, there were some issues with story consistency and character reactions(and actions) that didn't feel like they fit.
It's kind of like when you look at a puzzle, and you wonder if the pieces have been forced to fit because the overall picture seems off? I never got to the point where I felt wrapped up in the story or absorbed by it.
That said, it did get better towards the end, though getting to that 60-70% felt like a struggle.
Some important notes that bear mentioning: first, reviews are highly subjective, including mine. My opinion is meant to give an overview of what I saw/felt when I read it. What I see might not be what you see, and what I don't like might be what you enjoy, which is just fine. My advice to anyone looking into a book? Read the premise, and if it interests you enough, give it a chance and form your own opinion.
It's kind of like when you look at a puzzle, and you wonder if the pieces have been forced to fit because the overall picture seems off? I never got to the point where I felt wrapped up in the story or absorbed by it.
That said, it did get better towards the end, though getting to that 60-70% felt like a struggle.
Spoiler
I am not sure how many sentences should be dedicated to describing how someone eats their cereal. Maybe I'm weird, maybe this is normal, but I don't think those details contribute to a story...Some important notes that bear mentioning: first, reviews are highly subjective, including mine. My opinion is meant to give an overview of what I saw/felt when I read it. What I see might not be what you see, and what I don't like might be what you enjoy, which is just fine. My advice to anyone looking into a book? Read the premise, and if it interests you enough, give it a chance and form your own opinion.