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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
This book hooked me from page 1. Bianca Rossi is making a pact with the devil to protect her baby sister from marrying a monster. But not all plans go accordingly and she gets married to an enforcer. Vincent saw her and wanted her, the best part is that all the pieces fell in his favor and he got away with it. Their romance was quick on his part - it was actually kind of sweet from his side - and then once they confessed their secrets to each other the spice was off the charts. This one had an amazing twist that I had not seen coming and a second romance in the making (probably the next couple in the series... I hope)
Incredible story and characters! finally a good mafia with good mafia politics, side characters, and crime!!! lots and lots of suspense and romance. AMAZING!
Incredible story and characters! finally a good mafia with good mafia politics, side characters, and crime!!! lots and lots of suspense and romance. AMAZING!
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Synopsis: In Haley Jenner's compelling mafia-inspired romance, "Virtuous Lies," Bianca Rossi, the obedient mafia daughter, finds herself in an arranged marriage to protect her sister. Committed to the Chicago Outfit's peace, she enters matrimony with the family's enforcer, only to discover a world of deceit and blurred lines between lust and love. As lies unravel, Bianca's virtuous heart is put to the test, and the risk she takes for her sister's safety might jeopardize her own life and newfound love with a husband whose actions could shatter her heart. The novel delves into the complexities of loyalty, love, and the moral gray areas within the underworld.
What I liked: I am a HOE for some arranged marriage mafia romance and Haley Jenner has never disappointed me. I also love a MMC that’s OBSSEESSSEEDDD and Vincent is 100% that. We love a ruthless killer turned softie for his woman. Just 😫🤌🏻. The spice is just amazing and there’s CRAWLING?! SIGN. ME. UP. I could not get enough of Bianca and Vinnie.
What I would change: More crawling 🤣🥵
❤️Tropes: Mafia romance, age gap, arranged marriage, forced proximity
⚠️Triggers: on page murder, on page torture, betrayal
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Synopsis: In Haley Jenner's compelling mafia-inspired romance, "Virtuous Lies," Bianca Rossi, the obedient mafia daughter, finds herself in an arranged marriage to protect her sister. Committed to the Chicago Outfit's peace, she enters matrimony with the family's enforcer, only to discover a world of deceit and blurred lines between lust and love. As lies unravel, Bianca's virtuous heart is put to the test, and the risk she takes for her sister's safety might jeopardize her own life and newfound love with a husband whose actions could shatter her heart. The novel delves into the complexities of loyalty, love, and the moral gray areas within the underworld.
What I liked: I am a HOE for some arranged marriage mafia romance and Haley Jenner has never disappointed me. I also love a MMC that’s OBSSEESSSEEDDD and Vincent is 100% that. We love a ruthless killer turned softie for his woman. Just 😫🤌🏻. The spice is just amazing and there’s CRAWLING?! SIGN. ME. UP. I could not get enough of Bianca and Vinnie.
What I would change: More crawling 🤣🥵
❤️Tropes: Mafia romance, age gap, arranged marriage, forced proximity
⚠️Triggers: on page murder, on page torture, betrayal
A great quick mafia read. This took me a bit to get into but once I did, I really liked it! There were some amazing spicy scenes too!
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence
(IMO) MFC was too young, and MMC too old, and had interest in FMC prior to turning 18. Ick. The word "whore" was used constantly, and the second book seemed setup to follow the same age issues.
dark
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The sexy cover, so many recommendations, arranged mafia marriage, I was ravenous and ready to dive into this story! And oh how I wanted to love it- it has all the ingredients I want in a dark mafia romance, all the tropes I gobble right up. And, I certainly enjoyed parts of it- but I didn’t fall into this quite the way I anticipated or hoped. This is my first Haley Jenner book, and I can certainly see the hype- even if this didn’t quite land for me.
What really worked for me was the relationship dynamic and the spice! Like holy moly can Haley Jenner write some spice. And, I did appreciate our characters. Our mafia princess Bianca is courageous, selfless, strong, but also indelibly sweet. And Vincent- well this man is HOT. Controlling, dangerous, manipulative and ruthlessly strategic. The way he arranges the pieces on the board is really compelling, but what I loved even more was just how obsessed (and unapologetically so) about her heroine Bianca. Like worships her- even more than we could know. And there is AMPLE spice- spice a plenty! I wish we’d had a bit more emotional intimacy between these two, but their chemistry is super engaging.
Where I didn’t enjoy this as much was just the overall flow and plot of the story. There were plot holes and dropped storylines, too much emphasis on Bianca’s “secret” from Vincent, when really what else did he expect from her given the situation? And the plot itself just felt disjointed, like two parts of a duet squished together since we had multiple conflicts (both over dramatized, and neither had very intensive stakes when it comes to our characters), and the ending felt more focused on other characters and setting up their own books than a meaningful focus and evolution for these characters. Their journey and arc felt a bit static, and unsatisfying. I ended up skimming parts of the ending, just because I felt like we lost focus on our couple. Not to mention, the finale and the “bad guy” felt super out of nowhere. It was like Jenner didn’t have anywhere to go with the rest of the story after the main couple’s drama wrapped up, so it felt like part epilogue and part a whole new story- but for like 50% of the book. It was just…well disjointed, and needed more developing.
SO, the couple I loved, the spice great, the overarching flow of the story FOR Me didn’t land or work. I’m not sure I’ll dive into the next- though I am intrigued by the couple and I think Jenner certainly has some talent I’d love to explore more. The future heroine was NOT my favorite character in this book, however, but perhaps there’s more to her.
What really worked for me was the relationship dynamic and the spice! Like holy moly can Haley Jenner write some spice. And, I did appreciate our characters. Our mafia princess Bianca is courageous, selfless, strong, but also indelibly sweet. And Vincent- well this man is HOT. Controlling, dangerous, manipulative and ruthlessly strategic. The way he arranges the pieces on the board is really compelling, but what I loved even more was just how obsessed (and unapologetically so) about her heroine Bianca. Like worships her- even more than we could know. And there is AMPLE spice- spice a plenty! I wish we’d had a bit more emotional intimacy between these two, but their chemistry is super engaging.
Where I didn’t enjoy this as much was just the overall flow and plot of the story. There were plot holes and dropped storylines, too much emphasis on Bianca’s “secret” from Vincent, when really what else did he expect from her given the situation? And the plot itself just felt disjointed, like two parts of a duet squished together since we had multiple conflicts (both over dramatized, and neither had very intensive stakes when it comes to our characters), and the ending felt more focused on other characters and setting up their own books than a meaningful focus and evolution for these characters. Their journey and arc felt a bit static, and unsatisfying. I ended up skimming parts of the ending, just because I felt like we lost focus on our couple. Not to mention, the finale and the “bad guy” felt super out of nowhere. It was like Jenner didn’t have anywhere to go with the rest of the story after the main couple’s drama wrapped up, so it felt like part epilogue and part a whole new story- but for like 50% of the book. It was just…well disjointed, and needed more developing.
SO, the couple I loved, the spice great, the overarching flow of the story FOR Me didn’t land or work. I’m not sure I’ll dive into the next- though I am intrigued by the couple and I think Jenner certainly has some talent I’d love to explore more. The future heroine was NOT my favorite character in this book, however, but perhaps there’s more to her.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No