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nastja_m's review
3.0
More of a prequel slash introduction to the world than a fully-fledged standalone, really.
Thing is, I was way more invested in Mia and Mateo than I was in the relationship between her and Vince, who was kinda passive and not all that appealing.
Also, I'm not quite sure about that eyebrow-raising one-eighty...
In the end, Mia became more of a stand-in than a character in her own right, with her POV serving to further Mateo's story more than anything; a look at what he was like before he finds "the one” in future installments.
At least, that's my understanding.
Probably why there’s this lingering feeling of dissatisfaction, slight but there…
Guess I’ll have to keep reading to see if this approach pays off.
Thing is, I was way more invested in Mia and Mateo than I was in the relationship between her and Vince, who was kinda passive and not all that appealing.
Also, I'm not quite sure about that eyebrow-raising one-eighty...
In the end, Mia became more of a stand-in than a character in her own right, with her POV serving to further Mateo's story more than anything; a look at what he was like before he finds "the one” in future installments.
At least, that's my understanding.
Probably why there’s this lingering feeling of dissatisfaction, slight but there…
Guess I’ll have to keep reading to see if this approach pays off.
inniebin's review against another edition
5.0
Edited after reading the WHOLE series: Stick with it guys! I still stand by what I felt about this book, I really liked the 2nd one, but this series is so so full of twists and turns it's actually a masterpiece. So stick with it, just read them all - in the correct reading order, I ended up loving the Irreparable Damage duet. All I can say is read my other reviews for this series - but yes, really stick with it, it's a slow start - but my gosh does it get dark, it gets twisty and Matteo? OMFG he just will find his way to you because he gives 0 fucks and never turns into a marshmallow haha. He is BAD and DARK and I LOVE IT! So the series as a WHOLE is a definite 5-star from me. Things really start picking up in books 2 and 3 but read the story knowing that this whole series is basically Mia and Matteo's story, and everyone else is just his minions haha. And Vincent whom I felt wasn't bad enough? Oh...he'll surprise you haha. He's still a little shit, but he gets his own book again way later, and even that book is good. Again...the shit Matteo does... nothing...nothing...gets past him or happens without his say-so. It's actually an amazingly written series and in the end, it all comes together.
Ok...as I write this I have also read the 2nd book in the series, which is [b:Surviving Mateo|34519156|Surviving Mateo (Morelli Family, #2)|Sam Mariano|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490499121l/34519156._SY75_.jpg|55650846].
Sadly this first book just did not do it for me. I mean I really liked the start of the book, and the book had really good elements, but I could not get on with Vincent.
I also realized at the end, that this was actually a series I have tried to read before - but didn't read past the 1st book, because of the ending.
Vincent doesn't want anything to do with this crime syndicate life, he's very very young (and I say that because I'm..well..older. I find that I find books with H/h the same age as my oldest child to be less fantastic to read, but again..that's personal opinion hehe), I mean both him and Mia are only 18 and a lot of the book setting is in High School.
This is very much a book where you FEEL the age of the main couple, and especially how naive they both are. Vince is not as naive as Mia, for obvious reasons, but still - he's just not a bad boy.
Don't get me wrong, he does bad things here and there, and their relationship is def., not easy.
There are some dark scenes here and Mia has some really triggering experiences, so this series is a DARK romance - most definitely, but them as a couple in this book...yeh they had a couple of dark issues, but in general, I read the book but nothing really sat with me.
I didn't feel connected to them, on the contrary, I really don't like their life choices (hahaha). But that's a personal preference. Things like pregnancy and children, marriages etc is something that I enjoy in this sort of book category and I kind of look for - and Mia doesn't want to get Married and Vince never wants to have children. Now we can say that this is because they are so young, but ... it puts a downer on the book for me.
Who knows, maybe later on in the series this changes. But we see them in book 2 a fair bit as cameo - and I still didn't really like them. They are just too...tame for me.
However, fair not - book 2 definitely brought more to the table - since that is our dear boss man himself: Mateo
His book has def. brought the series more into my kind of book - and yes that book also has darkness.
In general, this series in total is quite dark - I haven't made it to book 3 yet, because at the end of the book 2 I'm told I NEED TO read the [b:Irreparable Damage|61441920|Irreparable Damage (Irreparable, #1)|Sam Mariano|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657830959l/61441920._SY75_.jpg|42486555] & [b:Irreparable Lives|61441926|Irreparable Lives (Irreparable, #2)|Sam Mariano|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657831058l/61441926._SY75_.jpg|43083321] duet if I don't want spoilers for those books, because apparently book 3 will spoil the hell out of that duett.
Which...is kind of offputting? Because I've never heard of them, and they aren't mentioned at all anywhere in book 1...I did put them on my TBR list though, but I still felt like more info had to be given about this duet and why I should read it before I read book 3.
After reading the bio for the duett, I'm thinking that possibly - this PI is the same PI we have a super short meet within Accidental Witness, but I can't be sure as he only introduces himself with a first name and he's such a brief encounter, I had to actually do a search in the book when reading this - to find this out.
So yeh...def. would have liked more info here. *shrug*
Ok...as I write this I have also read the 2nd book in the series, which is [b:Surviving Mateo|34519156|Surviving Mateo (Morelli Family, #2)|Sam Mariano|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490499121l/34519156._SY75_.jpg|55650846].
Sadly this first book just did not do it for me. I mean I really liked the start of the book, and the book had really good elements, but I could not get on with Vincent.
I also realized at the end, that this was actually a series I have tried to read before - but didn't read past the 1st book, because of the ending.
Vincent doesn't want anything to do with this crime syndicate life, he's very very young (and I say that because I'm..well..older. I find that I find books with H/h the same age as my oldest child to be less fantastic to read, but again..that's personal opinion hehe), I mean both him and Mia are only 18 and a lot of the book setting is in High School.
This is very much a book where you FEEL the age of the main couple, and especially how naive they both are. Vince is not as naive as Mia, for obvious reasons, but still - he's just not a bad boy.
Don't get me wrong, he does bad things here and there, and their relationship is def., not easy.
There are some dark scenes here and Mia has some really triggering experiences, so this series is a DARK romance - most definitely, but them as a couple in this book...yeh they had a couple of dark issues, but in general, I read the book but nothing really sat with me.
I didn't feel connected to them, on the contrary, I really don't like their life choices (hahaha). But that's a personal preference. Things like pregnancy and children, marriages etc is something that I enjoy in this sort of book category and I kind of look for - and Mia doesn't want to get Married and Vince never wants to have children. Now we can say that this is because they are so young, but ... it puts a downer on the book for me.
Who knows, maybe later on in the series this changes. But we see them in book 2 a fair bit as cameo - and I still didn't really like them. They are just too...tame for me.
However, fair not - book 2 definitely brought more to the table - since that is our dear boss man himself: Mateo
His book has def. brought the series more into my kind of book - and yes that book also has darkness.
In general, this series in total is quite dark - I haven't made it to book 3 yet, because at the end of the book 2 I'm told I NEED TO read the [b:Irreparable Damage|61441920|Irreparable Damage (Irreparable, #1)|Sam Mariano|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657830959l/61441920._SY75_.jpg|42486555] & [b:Irreparable Lives|61441926|Irreparable Lives (Irreparable, #2)|Sam Mariano|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657831058l/61441926._SY75_.jpg|43083321] duet if I don't want spoilers for those books, because apparently book 3 will spoil the hell out of that duett.
Which...is kind of offputting? Because I've never heard of them, and they aren't mentioned at all anywhere in book 1...I did put them on my TBR list though, but I still felt like more info had to be given about this duet and why I should read it before I read book 3.
After reading the bio for the duett, I'm thinking that possibly - this PI is the same PI we have a super short meet within Accidental Witness, but I can't be sure as he only introduces himself with a first name and he's such a brief encounter, I had to actually do a search in the book when reading this - to find this out.
So yeh...def. would have liked more info here. *shrug*
viktoriread's review against another edition
the plot was okay-ish. hell i’d probably give it a three star review. i’m used to stupid & naive female leads so i’d survive mia. however the author lost me when mia got raped repeatedly and was okay with it?? i’m supposed to read more books about this rapist? yeah no thank you. the way the author jumped over the rape and acted like it wasn’t a big deal pissed me off. also i had absolutely no emotional attachment to mia and vince as a couple. like zero. considering this was my first read by this author and the fact i was blinded by all those five stars reviews, to say i’m disappointed is an understatement.
devilll's review against another edition
3.0
Finally read this and enjoyed it! The h was kind of TSTL at times, I came rooting for the H and left in love with Mateo, I totally get the hype, who doesn’t like a manipulative bastard?
thebusybookmom's review
4.0
This was one of my first books diving into the Mafia and family crime. Vince and Mia are two people who are the very definition of opposites attract.
Mia has to learn quick how to navigate the life of a family who is steeped in secrets and crime if she wants to live. Vince wants to protect her at all costs.
Sam wrote Mia's character perfect. A girl who has been sheltered will not usually be strong. She is out into a situation where almost all of the men are alphas with Vince's cousin being the top Alpha. She is drawn to the strong men, but sticks with what she knows in Vince. At the end of the day she just wants to live and be with Vince. I love that we start to see a peak of strong convictions as she notices someone has to be strong for Vince. With Vince what I thought was protection is starting to seem as possession and jealousy.
Read this book if you like strong alphas who know what they want, and young women who can learn to be the strong person they should be fated to come!
Mia has to learn quick how to navigate the life of a family who is steeped in secrets and crime if she wants to live. Vince wants to protect her at all costs.
Sam wrote Mia's character perfect. A girl who has been sheltered will not usually be strong. She is out into a situation where almost all of the men are alphas with Vince's cousin being the top Alpha. She is drawn to the strong men, but sticks with what she knows in Vince. At the end of the day she just wants to live and be with Vince. I love that we start to see a peak of strong convictions as she notices someone has to be strong for Vince. With Vince what I thought was protection is starting to seem as possession and jealousy.
Read this book if you like strong alphas who know what they want, and young women who can learn to be the strong person they should be fated to come!
forfictionssake's review
1.0
I lost sleep staying up to read this and it makes me kinda angry.....
There was no plot...none at all. I kept pushing through reading all while thinking to myself "there has to be a plot SOMEWHERE?! Right?!" No. Just no. None.
There was no plot...none at all. I kept pushing through reading all while thinking to myself "there has to be a plot SOMEWHERE?! Right?!" No. Just no. None.
amberreadsromance28's review
5.0
This book wasn't the best Sam Mariano book, but I stayed up late into the night to finish even though I had to get up early for work. I could not put it down.
Mia accidentally witnesses a crime, committed by a teen from her high school who is part of a Mafia family. He catches her trying to film them, she drops her phone and runs in the house. She is living on eggshells when Vince sits by her in English and keeps popping up. They have an instant connection and start to see each other. He is keeping it low key due to his family though. Everyone is warning her that Mateo cannot find out about her because than it will connect her to seeing the crime.
Vince and Mia's romance was a little insta love, but I like them in the beginning. However, Mateo changed everything. The scene where she meets Mateo was intense.
Vince became boring to me once Mateo was introduced. Mateo does heinous things in this book, but I must be sick because I couldn't put it down. He was fascinating.
I was going to go right into his book, but was bummed that it had a different h in it. Thought it would continue this story.
Mia accidentally witnesses a crime, committed by a teen from her high school who is part of a Mafia family. He catches her trying to film them, she drops her phone and runs in the house. She is living on eggshells when Vince sits by her in English and keeps popping up. They have an instant connection and start to see each other. He is keeping it low key due to his family though. Everyone is warning her that Mateo cannot find out about her because than it will connect her to seeing the crime.
Vince and Mia's romance was a little insta love, but I like them in the beginning. However, Mateo changed everything. The scene where she meets Mateo was intense.
Vince became boring to me once Mateo was introduced. Mateo does heinous things in this book, but I must be sick because I couldn't put it down. He was fascinating.
I was going to go right into his book, but was bummed that it had a different h in it. Thought it would continue this story.
chatterbookbabe's review
4.0
Accidental Witness is the first book of Sam Mariano’s that I've read, and as you know, reading a book by an author that’s new to you is always a gamble. The stakes seemed a lot higher to me for this one, because I am friends with the author on Instagram. I crossed my fingers and hoped to God that I liked it or things might get really awkward! I am not the type of person that will say I enjoyed a book if I didn’t. I might feel bad about it, but in the end, I’m going to give my honest opinion no matter what.
So what’s the verdict? Sam, you and I can still be friends, because I enjoyed the hell out of this one! LOL A crime family, morally challenged characters, bad boys, an innocent girl being dragged into their world, lust, sex, danger, twists, and turns?! Yes, please, and give me some more!
Mia is outside her house one night when she witnesses a crime taking place. While trying to record what is going on with her phone, she realizes one of the perpetrators is a guy from her high school rumored to be a part of a notorious Chicago crime family, Vince Morelli. That might not have been too bad except for the fact that he sees her, too. Mia freaks out and halls ass inside her house dropping her phone along the way.
As you might guess, when she goes back to get her phone the next day, it’s gone. Vince knows where she lives and where she goes to school. What she saw isn’t something a family like his can let her just walk away from. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it’s going to change her life forever.
First, I want to say that I was intrigued the entire time I was reading this. I only put it down once and that was to sleep. Second, I love the author's writing style, and it makes it really easy to fly through the book in no time. The third thing I want to talk about is the most surprising to me. In about 98 percent of the books I read, if I don’t like the heroine, I can’t love the story. If there is not at least one character that is perfection to me, I won’t want to continue with the book. Basically, characters make or break a book for me. That was not the case here. Maybe it’s because I started out loving all of the characters, or maybe it’s just the author’s ability to tell an awesome story! Either way, I have issues with all of the main characters, but I am still dying to read the next book!
What is my problem with the characters? Mia drove me crazy at times with her rationale and behavior, Vince pissed me off with some of the decisions he made and the actions that followed them, and the villain/second love interest, Mateo, made me want to beat him in the face! Now, I know what you’re thinking…shouldn’t you want to beat the villain in the face? You probably should, but in books like this, I tend to fall in love with the villain. Mateo had me in the beginning, but now I just want him to go away and never come back. Who knows? That might change in the next book, but for now, I’m done with his ass! Vince is my favorite character, because despite his mistakes, I feel for him. He doesn’t want the life he was given, but there is no way for him to get out of it. His asshole cousin wants his girl and has gone to great lengths to break them up. His whole life is being controlled, and he is forced to do things that will haunt him forever. Even the ending wasn’t really a happy one, because Mateo had a hand in it.
All in all, Accidental Witness is engaging and twisted with surprising revelations and characters that make you FEEL! I’m going to try to get to the next book as fast as I possibly can, because I can’t wait to see where the characters go from here! If you decide to read this, I recommend having the next book on standby, because you are probably going to want to dive right into the next one, too! Mafia romance fans, I recommend this one to you!
ARC generously provided for an honest review.
So what’s the verdict? Sam, you and I can still be friends, because I enjoyed the hell out of this one! LOL A crime family, morally challenged characters, bad boys, an innocent girl being dragged into their world, lust, sex, danger, twists, and turns?! Yes, please, and give me some more!
Mia is outside her house one night when she witnesses a crime taking place. While trying to record what is going on with her phone, she realizes one of the perpetrators is a guy from her high school rumored to be a part of a notorious Chicago crime family, Vince Morelli. That might not have been too bad except for the fact that he sees her, too. Mia freaks out and halls ass inside her house dropping her phone along the way.
As you might guess, when she goes back to get her phone the next day, it’s gone. Vince knows where she lives and where she goes to school. What she saw isn’t something a family like his can let her just walk away from. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it’s going to change her life forever.
First, I want to say that I was intrigued the entire time I was reading this. I only put it down once and that was to sleep. Second, I love the author's writing style, and it makes it really easy to fly through the book in no time. The third thing I want to talk about is the most surprising to me. In about 98 percent of the books I read, if I don’t like the heroine, I can’t love the story. If there is not at least one character that is perfection to me, I won’t want to continue with the book. Basically, characters make or break a book for me. That was not the case here. Maybe it’s because I started out loving all of the characters, or maybe it’s just the author’s ability to tell an awesome story! Either way, I have issues with all of the main characters, but I am still dying to read the next book!
What is my problem with the characters? Mia drove me crazy at times with her rationale and behavior, Vince pissed me off with some of the decisions he made and the actions that followed them, and the villain/second love interest, Mateo, made me want to beat him in the face! Now, I know what you’re thinking…shouldn’t you want to beat the villain in the face? You probably should, but in books like this, I tend to fall in love with the villain. Mateo had me in the beginning, but now I just want him to go away and never come back. Who knows? That might change in the next book, but for now, I’m done with his ass! Vince is my favorite character, because despite his mistakes, I feel for him. He doesn’t want the life he was given, but there is no way for him to get out of it. His asshole cousin wants his girl and has gone to great lengths to break them up. His whole life is being controlled, and he is forced to do things that will haunt him forever. Even the ending wasn’t really a happy one, because Mateo had a hand in it.
All in all, Accidental Witness is engaging and twisted with surprising revelations and characters that make you FEEL! I’m going to try to get to the next book as fast as I possibly can, because I can’t wait to see where the characters go from here! If you decide to read this, I recommend having the next book on standby, because you are probably going to want to dive right into the next one, too! Mafia romance fans, I recommend this one to you!
ARC generously provided for an honest review.