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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Honestly I just got bored. I feel like nothing was really happening and all the time skips were just not my thing.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Too jumpy between timelines. Very little plot imo.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Almost DNFed this book so many times. The FMC is annoyingly stubborn. If she would have just talked to somebody, the main issue would have been solved soooooo much earlier.
Toxic
Mafia Wars New York, Book 1
By: Maggie Cole
Narrated by: Aaron Shedlock, Ava Lucas
There I was. Sitting at my desk working, starting this book. And now how much do you think I got done? Maggie Cole monopolized my whole day with this new spinoff mafia story! I couldn't wait to get my earbuds in and hear it. This is a second chance romance and it's full of the suspense I love. Bridget O'Connor has fled to New York with her two children, changing her name back to her maiden name and does not look back. After the brutal death of her husband Sean, she is going to do whatever it takes to keep her family safe. But now with her in-laws coming to seek her out, things may get messy and dangerous. Dante, Bridget's crush in high school who was not ready to commit is back in her life. His feelings still burn as bright at 40 as they did at 18, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to win her heart. But can this Italian mafia man keep the Irish mafia woman safe? Maggie Cole pens this story with love and compassion. While the storyline does not minimize the brutality, she lets us go through the grief and fear together. Plus we get an amazing hero, great interaction with the O'Malleys and a trip back to the garage! I love how all the stories standalone, but are interconnected and keep us in the midst of a family far greater than it's syndicates. It's a fantastic story, one of the best of Cole's to date.
Now for the narration. These two are my all time favorites and they are together! Aaron Shedlock as Dante brings out his strong, protectiveness with that alpha feel. But the softness he provides just adds to the warmth I fell for Dante. He is a tough one, but the layers in Shedlock's voice show just how complex he is. Ava Lucas, what a performance. She has so much to deal with as Bridget. Conflict of love, dealing with grief, being mom, and each inflection is spot on. She creates the feelings we have as women, and makes Bridget real. Together this is one of my favorite performances!
Mafia Wars New York, Book 1
By: Maggie Cole
Narrated by: Aaron Shedlock, Ava Lucas
There I was. Sitting at my desk working, starting this book. And now how much do you think I got done? Maggie Cole monopolized my whole day with this new spinoff mafia story! I couldn't wait to get my earbuds in and hear it. This is a second chance romance and it's full of the suspense I love. Bridget O'Connor has fled to New York with her two children, changing her name back to her maiden name and does not look back. After the brutal death of her husband Sean, she is going to do whatever it takes to keep her family safe. But now with her in-laws coming to seek her out, things may get messy and dangerous. Dante, Bridget's crush in high school who was not ready to commit is back in her life. His feelings still burn as bright at 40 as they did at 18, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to win her heart. But can this Italian mafia man keep the Irish mafia woman safe? Maggie Cole pens this story with love and compassion. While the storyline does not minimize the brutality, she lets us go through the grief and fear together. Plus we get an amazing hero, great interaction with the O'Malleys and a trip back to the garage! I love how all the stories standalone, but are interconnected and keep us in the midst of a family far greater than it's syndicates. It's a fantastic story, one of the best of Cole's to date.
Now for the narration. These two are my all time favorites and they are together! Aaron Shedlock as Dante brings out his strong, protectiveness with that alpha feel. But the softness he provides just adds to the warmth I fell for Dante. He is a tough one, but the layers in Shedlock's voice show just how complex he is. Ava Lucas, what a performance. She has so much to deal with as Bridget. Conflict of love, dealing with grief, being mom, and each inflection is spot on. She creates the feelings we have as women, and makes Bridget real. Together this is one of my favorite performances!
Dante and Bridget’s story. I loved that you got to see what caused Bridget’s distrust in Dante and their life over the years. I definitely feel like he earned it after all the stringing along. Bridget definitely did what was best for her at the time. Bridget has had a long life and Dante has always been a part of it. The spice in it was soooo hot. I listened to the audiobook with Aaron Shedlock and Ava Lucas. They definitely brought the audiobook to life. Both did an amazing job with it and it was a joy to listen too.
Burying the Past
4.5 stars - This is a steamy heartbreaker of a book! It's a highly emotional read with plenty of wins and losses in the game of life. It's a second chance romantic suspense on two levels - Bridget gets a second chance at a forever love and Dante gets a second chance with Bridget after his youthful actions created a rift and allowed another access to her heart.
In the Mafia Wars series, we were introduced to the undeniable love between Bridget and Sean. His untimely death left her widowed with two young children and the heavy burden of some seriously dark secrets.
I love how we see Dante and Bridget before and after Sean entered the scene and how their relationship morphed throughout the years. They have their work cut out for them but the chemistry is fantastic!
4.5 stars - This is a steamy heartbreaker of a book! It's a highly emotional read with plenty of wins and losses in the game of life. It's a second chance romantic suspense on two levels - Bridget gets a second chance at a forever love and Dante gets a second chance with Bridget after his youthful actions created a rift and allowed another access to her heart.
I need to forget everything about Dante Marino, except one thing.
He's toxic.
-- Bridget O'Connor
In the Mafia Wars series, we were introduced to the undeniable love between Bridget and Sean. His untimely death left her widowed with two young children and the heavy burden of some seriously dark secrets.
I love how we see Dante and Bridget before and after Sean entered the scene and how their relationship morphed throughout the years. They have their work cut out for them but the chemistry is fantastic!
2.5 stars ✨ This just did not really hit the mark for me. I found it quite sloppy at times and somewhat hurried but hey, that may just be me.