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piabartolini's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
4.25
Miko and Nessa were great together. A pretty on the nose Beauty and the Beast tale, with some Hades and Persephone thrown in and a little bit of forbidden romance. I didn’t like this one quite as much as Cal and Aida’s story, which surprised me. But their banter was top notch, whereas the dynamic with Miko was more sober and serious.
This was a light read in terms of themes, too. The most emotionally challenging component was the very first chapter and learning what happened to Miko’s sister, which set him on the mafia path.
Overall a very enjoyable read. No flaws except one typo in there that I saw, the storytelling and romance were lovely and the plot was just tense enough to keep it interesting without real stomach churning drama and high stakes.
This was a light read in terms of themes, too. The most emotionally challenging component was the very first chapter and learning what happened to Miko’s sister, which set him on the mafia path.
Overall a very enjoyable read. No flaws except one typo in there that I saw, the storytelling and romance were lovely and the plot was just tense enough to keep it interesting without real stomach churning drama and high stakes.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide and Sexual assault
bookishxintrovert's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Kidnapping
Moderate: Suicide and Rape
cheffreckles's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Rape and Murder
marybsimp's review
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Violence
gwynn0715's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Gun violence, and Suicide
Minor: Death and Medical content
weelasswithabook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
CW: rape, suicide, death of a sibling, neo Nazis, knife violence, gun violence, stalking, murder
⭐ Mafia romance
⭐ Beauty and the Beast
⭐ Captor/Captive
Holy hell, I thought this mf was going to be irredeemable. But, as expected, Sophie Lark managed to make me fall in love with someone I felt was beyond redemption.
Cold and callous, I understood why Miko ended up the way he did based off of his childhood backstory. However, it took a long time for me to actually feel that softness towards him that I wasn't expecting.
Nessa was like a baby bird that had fallen from the nest and ended up much stronger with a wealth of independence I didn't believe she was capable of achieving.
While this is an opposites attract, the two personalities complimented each other completely and created a fine balance.
I really enjoyed this book in the end, having wavered near the beginning, and I'm glad I continued reading.
⭐ Mafia romance
⭐ Beauty and the Beast
⭐ Captor/Captive
Holy hell, I thought this mf was going to be irredeemable. But, as expected, Sophie Lark managed to make me fall in love with someone I felt was beyond redemption.
Cold and callous, I understood why Miko ended up the way he did based off of his childhood backstory. However, it took a long time for me to actually feel that softness towards him that I wasn't expecting.
Nessa was like a baby bird that had fallen from the nest and ended up much stronger with a wealth of independence I didn't believe she was capable of achieving.
While this is an opposites attract, the two personalities complimented each other completely and created a fine balance.
I really enjoyed this book in the end, having wavered near the beginning, and I'm glad I continued reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Child death, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Suicide
Minor: Torture
hq_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-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? No
4.0
I really enjoyed this, it was such a quick, spicy, easy read. Lots of sexual tension between Miko and Nessa - I was so invested in their relationship.
I found them both to be really likeable characters with good character development throughout. The plot was fairly basic, however I was intrigued to see where the story went and there were some unexpected twists.
It’s a mafia retelling of beauty and the beast and I know some say it’s too close to the original story but I still really enjoyed it. I thought the description of Miko’s mansion really added to the dark atmosphere of the book that honoured the original fairytale well.
I found them both to be really likeable characters with good character development throughout. The plot was fairly basic, however I was intrigued to see where the story went and there were some unexpected twists.
It’s a mafia retelling of beauty and the beast and I know some say it’s too close to the original story but I still really enjoyed it. I thought the description of Miko’s mansion really added to the dark atmosphere of the book that honoured the original fairytale well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Rape and Suicide
thisreadingcorner's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, and Suicide
midnightrose_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Stolen Heir is the second book in the ‘Brutal Birthright’ series. Nessa Griffin is the youngest daughter of the Griffin family. She’s a college student and ballet dancer. She gets kidnapped after her Jeep malfunctions. Mikolaj Wilk is apart of the Polish Braterstwo. He wants to get revenge on the Gallo’s and the Griffin’s who in the previous book killed his mentor/adoptive father Tymon Zajac. So he has one of his men kidnap Nessa and bring her to his house. Her family are frantic to find her. After a false exchange and brief alliance with the Russian Bratva, Miko realizes that he not only loves Nessa but that he wants a marriage alliance with the Griffins (and by extension the Gallos). And Nessa feels a strong connection to him as well. The get married at the end of the book, both having been changed for the better having met each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Blood, Cursing, Self harm, Death, Misogyny, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Violence
Minor: Rape
ariallbooked's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
The Beauty & the Beast retelling I didn't know I needed!!
Straight out of the gate, I knew I was going to love Mikolaj. His backstory brought me to tears & completely broke my heart, but it left me with this little glimmer of hope for him as the story went on. Yes, he's the leader of the Polish mafia out to destroy the family unit I grew to love back in book one, but still, Miko had a piece of my heart! Nessa Griffin, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of Miko. Nessa is super sheltered, but she's so sweet & pure and just wants to be your average college-aged ballerina. She's the youngest Griffin in the Irish mafia family, and though she's aware of her family's mafia involvement, she's not interested in the business like her older brother and sister.
"Sometimes I think they want to keep me that way so at least one part of the family stays pure and innocent."
I'm not going to lie, when I found out this book was following Nessa, I was a bit weary. I enjoyed her in Brutal Prince, but at the time, she didn't stick out much to me enough to have her own book, but OH BOY was I wrong!!! Nessa's character development was AMAZING! She realized that her being sheltered has hindered her more than helped, and she's set on changing it (Sidenote: I loved her friendship with Klara so much).
“I see her, and she sees me. I was death, and she was life. I thought I’d had stolen her, brought her down to the underworld. All the while she was waking me up. Stirring the blood in my veins. Breathing air into my lungs.”
Watching Miko slowly fall for Nessa made me swoon! Because Nessa is innocent and inexperienced in all things life, this book isn't as spicy as the first, but I didn't mind it at all. Also in true mafia romance fashion, there's a lot of action, violence, and gore, so PLEASE check the trigger warning before going into this one.
Nero's book is next, and I'm super excited!
Straight out of the gate, I knew I was going to love Mikolaj. His backstory brought me to tears & completely broke my heart, but it left me with this little glimmer of hope for him as the story went on. Yes, he's the leader of the Polish mafia out to destroy the family unit I grew to love back in book one, but still, Miko had a piece of my heart! Nessa Griffin, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of Miko. Nessa is super sheltered, but she's so sweet & pure and just wants to be your average college-aged ballerina. She's the youngest Griffin in the Irish mafia family, and though she's aware of her family's mafia involvement, she's not interested in the business like her older brother and sister.
"Sometimes I think they want to keep me that way so at least one part of the family stays pure and innocent."
I'm not going to lie, when I found out this book was following Nessa, I was a bit weary. I enjoyed her in Brutal Prince, but at the time, she didn't stick out much to me enough to have her own book, but OH BOY was I wrong!!! Nessa's character development was AMAZING! She realized that her being sheltered has hindered her more than helped, and she's set on changing it (Sidenote: I loved her friendship with Klara so much).
“I see her, and she sees me. I was death, and she was life. I thought I’d had stolen her, brought her down to the underworld. All the while she was waking me up. Stirring the blood in my veins. Breathing air into my lungs.”
Watching Miko slowly fall for Nessa made me swoon! Because Nessa is innocent and inexperienced in all things life, this book isn't as spicy as the first, but I didn't mind it at all. Also in true mafia romance fashion, there's a lot of action, violence, and gore, so PLEASE check the trigger warning before going into this one.
Nero's book is next, and I'm super excited!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Rape and Suicide