Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Disclaimer I do not usually read mafia romances but the description of this and the gorgeous cover made me take a chance. So glad that I did because I really enjoyed this book. Mia was good, kind and starved of the love someone like her deserves. She also had backbone which I really liked, and even more so once the push and pull with Rom began. Also really liked Rom. His pov chapters were a wonderful delve into his character, that struggle between his family and growing feelings for Mia and the messed up past that had shaped him. The chemistry between Mia and Rom was so good, heat, yearning, curiosity and two people finding what was missing with each other. A good start to the series and I look forward to the next one. 4 š
āWith him, I was safe to be exactly who I was. And for the first time in my life, love didnāt feel like a sacrifice. It felt like freedom.ā
i loved this book. the plot and the pacing was so well written and the tension between rom and mia had me giggling and kicking my feet! also i loved that mia was a stylist!!! iām really excited for the rest of the series and to read more of gabrielleās work!
read if you like
- mafia romance
- obsessed mmc
- touch her and die
- good girl x bad boy
- forbidden romance
thank you so much gabrielle for the arc!
i loved this book. the plot and the pacing was so well written and the tension between rom and mia had me giggling and kicking my feet! also i loved that mia was a stylist!!! iām really excited for the rest of the series and to read more of gabrielleās work!
read if you like
- mafia romance
- obsessed mmc
- touch her and die
- good girl x bad boy
- forbidden romance
thank you so much gabrielle for the arc!
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A stunning modern day mafia retelling of Romeo and Juliet.
The mayor-to-beās perfect
daughter falls into the dark
depths of the donās ruthless son.
Love means ruin for them both.
Iāve been obsessed with Gabrielleās writing since When She Unravels. I never thought my #1 When She Tempts could be dethroned. But she did it. Romolo and Miaās story ripped me apart and sewed me back together in the best way. Their push and pull between what their families say is right, and what their hearts know to be right is sheer perfection. 100/100 stars āļøāļøāļøāļøāļø
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
"Be a good girl and play by the rules"
"Somewhere along the way, I stopped being mine and became yours"
"Tell me... who takes care of you?"
I knew within 2 chapters that I was going to love this book! I was right because I devoured this in 2 days - it would have been 1 day but life responsibilities got in the way š®āšØ
This is a modern day Romeo and Juliet inspired mafia romance. Following Mia and Romolo, Mia is the mayors daughter and Rom is responsible for the secrets of his mafia family.
Itās a dual point of view (I loved getting Romās thoughts), forbidden romance (good girl / bad boy), mafia book with both spice and a plot. The bedroom scene after the ball was *chefs kiss*
I canāt wait for more from the Ferraro brothers!
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
summary:
Mia Morales is the mayor-to-be's daughter. Her father is dead set on taking down the mafia. So what happens when sparks fly when she meets Romolo Ferraro of the most notorious mafia family in the city?
my thoughts:
- I feel like I have a lot to say about books I don't like so you can imagine why I have nothing to say for this one
- this was so amazing, I literally devoured it in hours!
- Mia & Rom were just perfect for each other & I would read an entire series about them
- the thrill of a forbidden romance is unmatched & Gabrielle left no crumbs hereš
- I loved reading about the creative fmc in fashionš
- my heart broke for Rom when we got to know about his pastš„ŗ
- I'm already so excited for the next book because arranged marriage in mafia romances is one of my favourite tropes ever
excuse me while go read every one of gabrielle's backlist titles
thank you to netgalley & the author for the eARC!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
If you know me, you know I am SO picky with my mafia romances, and this book hit every single mark and then some! I read this book in two sittings because I could just not get enough. The plot had me hooked the entire time and I was beyond obsessed with the charactersš„¹
I saw so much of myself in Mia, the daughter who spreads herself thin caring for everyone else and feels like being herself is just never good enough. And Romolo is going down as one of my top mafia book boyfriends. I loved how he had a tough exterior and not only a soft side, but real vulnerabilities that weighed heavy on him daily. Both of these characters were so complex and grew so much once they found eachother and I love them both so much!
And the spice?š„µš„µš„µ this book was so hot and Romoloās mouth had me SWEATING. He is so flirty and cocky and I ate up every crumb of banter between themš®āšØ I also loved seeing the push and pull of them both wanting each other so bad but knowing they shouldnāt give inš¤
Read if youāre looking for:
š¤ spicy mafia romance
š¤ good girl/bad boy
š¤ forbidden romance
š¤ yearning
š¤ enemies to lovers
š¤ heās obsessed with her
š¤ āIām a better version of me when Iām with youā
tysm Gabrielle for the arc in exchange for my honest review!š¤
I saw so much of myself in Mia, the daughter who spreads herself thin caring for everyone else and feels like being herself is just never good enough. And Romolo is going down as one of my top mafia book boyfriends. I loved how he had a tough exterior and not only a soft side, but real vulnerabilities that weighed heavy on him daily. Both of these characters were so complex and grew so much once they found eachother and I love them both so much!
And the spice?š„µš„µš„µ this book was so hot and Romoloās mouth had me SWEATING. He is so flirty and cocky and I ate up every crumb of banter between themš®āšØ I also loved seeing the push and pull of them both wanting each other so bad but knowing they shouldnāt give inš¤
Read if youāre looking for:
š¤ spicy mafia romance
š¤ good girl/bad boy
š¤ forbidden romance
š¤ yearning
š¤ enemies to lovers
š¤ heās obsessed with her
š¤ āIām a better version of me when Iām with youā
tysm Gabrielle for the arc in exchange for my honest review!š¤
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
rating: 4.5
spice: 3
ROMOLO THE MAN THAT YOU ARE. š§š»āāļø i am so obsessed with him and the way heās obsessed with mia. š„¹
i adore mia so much!! she is literally such a giver and is always taking care of the people around her. and she finally found someone to take care of her. š„¹
- mafia romance
- forbidden romance
- good girl x bad boy
- enemies to lovers
- romantic suspense vibes
- enemies with benefits
spice: 3
ROMOLO THE MAN THAT YOU ARE. š§š»āāļø i am so obsessed with him and the way heās obsessed with mia. š„¹
i adore mia so much!! she is literally such a giver and is always taking care of the people around her. and she finally found someone to take care of her. š„¹
- mafia romance
- forbidden romance
- good girl x bad boy
- enemies to lovers
- romantic suspense vibes
- enemies with benefits
Starting from the duet and now with this book, I really think the authorās writing has been steadily improving. This one had me hooked from the start. (Beginning is definitely the highlight of this book and their first intimate scene, after that itās kinda okayish and meh) Itās fast-paced, fun, easy to read, and I couldāve finished it in a couple of hours, but I slowed down to savor it. I enjoyed it right up until the breakupāafter that, the plot lost momentum and started to feel underwhelming and a little boring. The romance, already light and surface-level, felt completely dropped. I really wanted more of their moments, domestic scenes and a longer/prospective epilogue. The characters are fun. The heroineās savior complex at times grated on me, but not enough to be truly annoying. We also didnāt really get to see the hero actually living his mafia life or the heroine in her usual world, which felt like a missed opportunity to add layers and depth to them both. The hero being a coward when the heroine asked the hero to take a risk on their relationship, and him calling it just a friends-with-benefits thing and saying it was āoverā was very predictable. Iām sure the leftover questions will be answered in the next book in this series, like- what happened to the heroās mother? What is she hiding? Where is she?
Still, I wanted more. I wanted some romantic intimate moments, couldāve used another detailed sex scene since there were only two, and some domestic scenes after they finally got together for good. I really wanted more of them, but the ending felt rushed.
Ending: Hfn, theyāve been living together for a month.
Overall, Easy to read, fast-paced, shallow romance, and somewhat entertaining. I had some fun.
Fav line- heroine to her step mom- āSorry that you didn't have it in you to love me, that hurt you more than it will ever hurt me.ā
Fav line- heroine to her step mom- āSorry that you didn't have it in you to love me, that hurt you more than it will ever hurt me.ā