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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Age gap. Too much.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
So I think I love this. I couldn’t be more thankful to get this ARC.
____________________________________
Okay, okay, here it is. This forbidden, pen pal mafia romance was spectacular. The longing, the angst, the will-they-wont-they, the forbidden vibes... everything just adds up to this awesome story.
Zahara was so precious, not the little meek lamb everyone (but Massimo) thought her to be. She was smart and knew that the world she grew up in wasn't all that bad, because she was intrigued and wanted to be brave. She grew into her skin, thanks to Massimo and his attention, and she finally saw for herself how beautiful OUTSIDE and inside she was. And how bold she became, cause she knew she had nothing to fear with that mountain of a man by her side.
Massimo...holy smokes, he was the hottest man I've read in a second. His dominant, protective, and soft-only-for-her vibe did it for me big time! He was way better than I saw coming. I loved how attached he became to her, and how he could do little to resist their connection.
Also, the letters aspect of this book has to be one of my favorite things ever. That and the fact that both of them not only read those letters but kept them to reread and think of the other.
I think I say this every time, but Neva, you could keep this series going forever and I would be here, ready and waiting!
____________________________________
Okay, okay, here it is. This forbidden, pen pal mafia romance was spectacular. The longing, the angst, the will-they-wont-they, the forbidden vibes... everything just adds up to this awesome story.
Zahara was so precious, not the little meek lamb everyone (but Massimo) thought her to be. She was smart and knew that the world she grew up in wasn't all that bad, because she was intrigued and wanted to be brave. She grew into her skin, thanks to Massimo and his attention, and she finally saw for herself how beautiful OUTSIDE and inside she was. And how bold she became, cause she knew she had nothing to fear with that mountain of a man by her side.
Massimo...holy smokes, he was the hottest man I've read in a second. His dominant, protective, and soft-only-for-her vibe did it for me big time! He was way better than I saw coming. I loved how attached he became to her, and how he could do little to resist their connection.
Also, the letters aspect of this book has to be one of my favorite things ever. That and the fact that both of them not only read those letters but kept them to reread and think of the other.
I think I say this every time, but Neva, you could keep this series going forever and I would be here, ready and waiting!
SO FREAKING GOOD!
my tagged shelves may be spoilers
Ok so this series is one of my favs! Every book has been 4-5⭐️ and Sweet Prison is no different! I love how they all can standalone but at the same time the further you get into the series, the more ongoing threads pan out and character connections develop.
That being said — HIGHLY recommend reading bool #8 before this one (#9) because there are overlaps in the timeline. You *may* be able to get by with context clues but you’ll definitely miss a lot of the deeper connections imo.
For Sweet Prison — I loved Zahara (FMC) so much. She appears quiet and shy to everyone but in the inside she’s a firehouse! The way she likes a little danger and comes into her strength and confidence was so perfect imo. I also loved how she put her foot down with Massimo (MMC) and didn’t let him walk all over her when she was hurt by him.
As for Massimo — so hot! I love a brooding, little bit broken, anti-hero! After being in prison for the last 20yrs, he definitely has a lot he’s working through mentally and emotionally. A bit of paranoia heightens his protective streak which I loved. But more so, I swooned with how he was able to find a feeling of safety and calm with the Zahara.
I am not usually a slow burn but the chemistry and tension in their letters back and forth when Massimo was in prison had me hooked that I didn’t even care they didn’t meet until like 20/30% of the way in! And then once they were in same place — the tension skyrocketed and then the spice burned sooooo well!!!
Cannot wait to continue this series!
Tropes/CW:
•mafia family
•morally gray
•prison penpals
•age gap (21/39 — I think…)
•exhibitionism
•ott possessive and protective mmc
•paranoia & other mental/emotional issues
•fmc with vitiligo
•inexperienced fmc
•step-siblings (don’t grow up together)
•murder (on page — it’s mafia duh lol)
•heroine in danger
my tagged shelves may be spoilers
Ok so this series is one of my favs! Every book has been 4-5⭐️ and Sweet Prison is no different! I love how they all can standalone but at the same time the further you get into the series, the more ongoing threads pan out and character connections develop.
That being said — HIGHLY recommend reading bool #8 before this one (#9) because there are overlaps in the timeline. You *may* be able to get by with context clues but you’ll definitely miss a lot of the deeper connections imo.
For Sweet Prison — I loved Zahara (FMC) so much. She appears quiet and shy to everyone but in the inside she’s a firehouse! The way she likes a little danger and comes into her strength and confidence was so perfect imo. I also loved how she put her foot down with Massimo (MMC) and didn’t let him walk all over her when she was hurt by him.
As for Massimo — so hot! I love a brooding, little bit broken, anti-hero! After being in prison for the last 20yrs, he definitely has a lot he’s working through mentally and emotionally. A bit of paranoia heightens his protective streak which I loved. But more so, I swooned with how he was able to find a feeling of safety and calm with the Zahara.
I am not usually a slow burn but the chemistry and tension in their letters back and forth when Massimo was in prison had me hooked that I didn’t even care they didn’t meet until like 20/30% of the way in! And then once they were in same place — the tension skyrocketed and then the spice burned sooooo well!!!
Cannot wait to continue this series!
Tropes/CW:
•mafia family
•morally gray
•prison penpals
•age gap (21/39 — I think…)
•exhibitionism
•ott possessive and protective mmc
•paranoia & other mental/emotional issues
•fmc with vitiligo
•inexperienced fmc
•step-siblings (don’t grow up together)
•murder (on page — it’s mafia duh lol)
•heroine in danger
dark
emotional
funny
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
Massimo is quite the character, I’m not sure I loved him. His love for Zahara was real, but I find it hard to believe his actions as Don once he got out of prison would have been allowed. Although I know nothing about real life mafia so who knows.
It was nice seeing Zahara come into her own, and not hide herself away like she had done for most of her life. The first 40% of the book is the buildup of their relationship and starts when Zahara is still a little girl.
The step sibling thing really didn’t bother me as they weren’t raised together and never really knew each other until much later on. It would have been worse if they were closer in age and had grown up together. The exhibitionism during the capo meetings though was a bit much. I find it hard to believe Zahara would really be ok with that, even with her newfound confidence. It was a decent book, but not one of my favorites of the series.
Age gap
No third act breakup
4/5 on the Spicy Scale
M/F
Mafia
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
liked this book enough to not be able to stop reading but the slow burn was just so… slow.
dark
tense
fast-paced