A review by sami_leigh
Painted Scars by Neva Altaj

dark emotional funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

“What would he do with me? I’m…nobody.”
“You’re my wife. Hurting you would mean hurting me.”

“I don’t care what we agreed to. You’re mine now and I’m not letting you go.”

🗡️ First person dual POV
🗡️ First in a series that can be read as stand alone (I read book 2 first)
🗡️ Arranged marriage — blackmail to save father’s life
🗡️ Mafia romance
🗡️ Artist / mafia boss
🗡️ Age gap
🗡️ Nicknames 
🗡️ Banter 👌🏻
🗡️ Toxic family 
🗡️ Tension & spice 🥵
🗡️ Insta-love
🗡️ Protective & possessive MC 🙌🏻
🗡️ ‘My wife!’
🗡️ Well established secondary characters
🗡️ MC growth: trust, overcoming past trauma. 
🗡️ Epilogue 
🗡️ Quick read
• Issues with Nina’s family are never resolved fully — she puts her life in danger, marrying Roman, to fix his mistake.
• Third act breakup resolves quickly. Doesn’t for the severity with which the situation was presented.

⚠️ Violence (explicit), gun violence (explicit), death (explicit), torture (explicit), death of a parent (past), medical content/trauma (minor), injury/injury detail (explicit), pregnancy, drugs (minor, trafficking).
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