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4.37 AVERAGE
4.37 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Rory is the daughter of the Pakhan in Boston, but she never wanted anything to do with that dark world—until she was forcibly pulled into it. Her passion is figure skating, and she believes in the promise her father made her: as long as you succeed, you’ll be free. But promises break, lies unravel... and getting tangled up with a dangerous Irishman never helps. Or does it?
The O’Rourkes stole my heart! They’re protective, warm, and welcoming—even before it’s the "smart" thing to do. All thanks to Aidan and his stubborn determination to save a girl he first sees as an innocent victim. Aidan may have an explosive personality, but he’s that kind of charming idiot you can’t help but fall for. And once he enters Rory’s orbit, it’s only a matter of time before they collide.
Because Rory doesn’t back down, even when she’s scared. If she has to dance with death, she’ll do it with her chin high and a fight in her eyes. She’s smart—smarter than her family and her so-called fiancé care to admit. And that plays in her favor until the very end. Matteo deserved his fate (honestly, he deserved to suffer even more!!), and that final scene had me kicking my feet in excitement. Imagine "I had nowhere else to go" and "Who did this to you?" happening at the same time, dripping with tension. 😭🤌🏻💕
Morally gray, tension-filled, and absolutely addictive! Aidan has just the right amount of moral grayness, and Rory? She’s not far behind. Their relationship is an enemies-to-lovers slow burn, a push-and-pull game of who will fall first—with a lot of teasing and even more tension. And let’s be real: Aidan is a dirty talker, but Rory won’t give him the satisfaction that easily. 😏
I was so hooked on these two that I carried my Kindle everywhere, sneaking in pages whenever I could. The writing is smooth and engaging, with the perfect balance of calm moments and escalating tension, leading to a jaw-dropping ending. Because no, I never see these twists coming, and this one? Best possible ending!!
Rory is the daughter of the Pakhan in Boston, but she never wanted anything to do with that dark world—until she was forcibly pulled into it. Her passion is figure skating, and she believes in the promise her father made her: as long as you succeed, you’ll be free. But promises break, lies unravel... and getting tangled up with a dangerous Irishman never helps. Or does it?
The O’Rourkes stole my heart! They’re protective, warm, and welcoming—even before it’s the "smart" thing to do. All thanks to Aidan and his stubborn determination to save a girl he first sees as an innocent victim. Aidan may have an explosive personality, but he’s that kind of charming idiot you can’t help but fall for. And once he enters Rory’s orbit, it’s only a matter of time before they collide.
Because Rory doesn’t back down, even when she’s scared. If she has to dance with death, she’ll do it with her chin high and a fight in her eyes. She’s smart—smarter than her family and her so-called fiancé care to admit. And that plays in her favor until the very end. Matteo deserved his fate (honestly, he deserved to suffer even more!!), and that final scene had me kicking my feet in excitement. Imagine "I had nowhere else to go" and "Who did this to you?" happening at the same time, dripping with tension. 😭🤌🏻💕
Morally gray, tension-filled, and absolutely addictive! Aidan has just the right amount of moral grayness, and Rory? She’s not far behind. Their relationship is an enemies-to-lovers slow burn, a push-and-pull game of who will fall first—with a lot of teasing and even more tension. And let’s be real: Aidan is a dirty talker, but Rory won’t give him the satisfaction that easily. 😏
I was so hooked on these two that I carried my Kindle everywhere, sneaking in pages whenever I could. The writing is smooth and engaging, with the perfect balance of calm moments and escalating tension, leading to a jaw-dropping ending. Because no, I never see these twists coming, and this one? Best possible ending!!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book is a wild ride! Great to binge is you just want a little escape
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
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
This was way better than I expected. Not like creepy dark but still bad mafia vibes. Not a dumb FMC so love that and sexy MMC.
slow-paced
I found this author on tiktok and she wasn't joking when she says her book has everything...
Mafia ✔️ (Irish, Italian and Russian)
Hockey ✔️
Bikers ✔️
Masked Men ✔️
Enemies to Lovers ✔️
Rory is a phenomenal Mafia princess but not the typical one she has goals and dreams and refuses to just be a Mafia bride.
Aiden oh the Irish devil 🥵 enough said
The plot and story line is intriguing and is a different aspect you don't get in the Mafia romances. It's a slow burn but once they get there the spice is spicing 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Mafia ✔️ (Irish, Italian and Russian)
Hockey ✔️
Bikers ✔️
Masked Men ✔️
Enemies to Lovers ✔️
Rory is a phenomenal Mafia princess but not the typical one she has goals and dreams and refuses to just be a Mafia bride.
Aiden oh the Irish devil 🥵 enough said
The plot and story line is intriguing and is a different aspect you don't get in the Mafia romances. It's a slow burn but once they get there the spice is spicing 🌶️🌶️🌶️
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Rory and Aiden were thrown together in the most unconventional circumstance. There are A LOT of tropes thrown into this book but I feel like they worked well with the storyline.
You’ve got sports, mafia, quick marriage, and enemies to lovers.
This was a great read and I really enjoyed it.
You’ve got sports, mafia, quick marriage, and enemies to lovers.
This was a great read and I really enjoyed it.
So— kinda mind blowing to learn this is a debut novel.
I was invested from the start, which can be tricky… but I was sucked right into this story unfolding with its fast moving plot.
Honestly, I blitzed through this wanting to know how it would all play out and see how the different tropes were weaved in together… and was pleasantly surprised.
Character dynamic was on point! There was banter, sass, a bit of that alpha over protectiveness we all love sprinkled with a smidge of arranged marriage, some slight kidnapping— yeah, this was a good read, and made even better by the hockey and mafia aspect… I wasn’t really sure how that was going to work out going into the book, and the fact it worked just tickled the absolute crap out of me :)
This is the first book of AJ Wildings ‘Devils & Darlings’ and I liked it enough that I’ll definitely be back to have a sticky-beak at any other books this series might bring.
I received this ARC with the intention of giving my honest opinion— which I’ve done.
I was invested from the start, which can be tricky… but I was sucked right into this story unfolding with its fast moving plot.
Honestly, I blitzed through this wanting to know how it would all play out and see how the different tropes were weaved in together… and was pleasantly surprised.
Character dynamic was on point! There was banter, sass, a bit of that alpha over protectiveness we all love sprinkled with a smidge of arranged marriage, some slight kidnapping— yeah, this was a good read, and made even better by the hockey and mafia aspect… I wasn’t really sure how that was going to work out going into the book, and the fact it worked just tickled the absolute crap out of me :)
This is the first book of AJ Wildings ‘Devils & Darlings’ and I liked it enough that I’ll definitely be back to have a sticky-beak at any other books this series might bring.
I received this ARC with the intention of giving my honest opinion— which I’ve done.