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A review by fantasy_fiction_and_fae
Not Mine to Keep by Brittney Sahin
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Audiobook with Connor Crais (Narrator), Allie Piper (Narrator)
Pub Date: Sep 24, 2024
It is a delicious tale about a gorgeous rich playboy who reluctantly is tied to a seemingly innocent small-town girl who happens to be the child of the largest mafia boss in Italy. A fast-paced story filled with danger, family honor, heat, and what people will do for power, love, and family.
Calliope (Callie) is a 29-year-old schoolteacher with a passion for music and plays in a band for fun. With a limited relationship with her birth mother, she has lived a happy and simple life being raised by her aunt Tia. Tia couldn't have children, so when her sister told her she was pregnant with the child of a married big mob boss in Italy and didn't want to raise a child in that environment, she convinced her sister to have Callie and let her raise her. Callie was completely unaware of who her father was until he showed up at her mother's funeral and realized she was his daughter. He never had children and Callie was his sole heir since he confirmed she was his daughter, he has made it a mission to marry her off and continue the bloodline to take over "the family business" when he is gone. She is followed day and night by her father's goons and is being pressured by him to get married and start a family.
Alessandro Costa is just shy of 40 and has zero interest in settling down. Ever. In his line of business, it's best to play the field which he is very good at and likes being single. His family "takes care" of problems with dangerous people and is as good at his job as he is at winning over women's affection. An old school friend to whom he owed a huge debt invites him to meet at a fundraiser where Alessandro meets a beautiful woman who sparks his interest while waiting for him to arrive. Alessandro's friend calls and tells him his favor owed is to help him take over the biggest mafia family in Italy and happens to involve the southern siren that caught Alessandro's eye at the fundraiser. Knowing Alessandro is an honorable man and can't resist a beautiful woman, he was chosen for this task and now that he met her, it makes it even harder to say no.
Alessandro has two choices.
1. Hide her forever from the world with a new identity which will be difficult to do with who her father is, or
2. Marry Calliope himself before her father forces her hand to pass along his legacy to her and his future grandchildren and marry a monster he and his family despise.
Previously, Callie's dangerous father was giving her time to find a husband, and although he pushed rich Italian men with powerful families he approved of her way, he found out time was ticking due to his failing health. He now pushes up the timeline unbeknownst to her and the man her father chose is a monster that the Costa family has a vendetta against. Alessandro would never allow someone like that near an innocent woman. He has to convince her that the safest thing she can do is agree to the marriage until they can find a way to appease her father, keep her safe, pay off the debt, and get revenge on an old enemy. Piece of cake right?
This was a fast-paced, fun read that I ate up and couldn't stop listening. It's a spicy romance with danger, a sassy FMC who loves to push buttons and gets under a seemingly hard-to-crack billionaire playboy who is tough but will protect the ones he loves at all costs (Especially when it comes to Callie).
Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio for the advanced audiobook to review in exchange for an honest review of this new book.