The below books were all ones I read for the Mafia Romance Readathon this
year and, thus, they are all mafia romances which often have some cross-over with dark romance themes. I've tried my best to pick out TW/CWs for them,
but since I read them pretty much back to back over 4 days, I know I
didn't hit every single one in the below reviews. A number of these
books contained CWs in the beginning of the book (which I always
appreciate), but I wanted to give a general disclaimer that these
romances often do have dark themes/settings/situations that may not be a comfy
read for all readers.
The Bastard's Betrayal - Katee Robert
This is the first book in the Scandalous Scions series which is the second generation of the O’Malley’s series. We're following mafia princess Rose Romanov and we see her relationship to an outsider who doesn't know anything of her mafia family. Or so she thought. Turns out, her boyfriend is actually Dante Verducci who was sent to evaluate the Romanov family for weaknesses. When Rose finds out the truth, she shoots Dante - twice. She doesn't expect to see him again, especially since she's now arranged to marry another man, but Dante shows up on her wedding day and kidnaps her. I enjoyed this read but I think Robert's mafia series just might not be for me. I read the first book in the O'Malley's series (The Marriage Contract) and I was similarly pretty middle of the road on it. I prefer my mafia romances to lean toward the dark side and venture into romantic suspense territory. I did really enjoy the dynamic between Rose and Dante and their bickering was *chef's kiss* perfection. I really enjoyed Rose's character development as she finally admitted to herself that she loved Dante and then had to figure out what that meant for the life she had pictured for herself going forward. This was a shorter read (230ish pages) and I think it would have been really great if we saw more of Rose and Dante's initial relationship on page. There's a ton of both characters thinking back to their time together and wondering what parts were real and which parts were fake and I think those emotional beats would have hit a lot harder if we were actually there with them for some of it. I do think this book does a good job of setting up the world and the web of these various mafia families.
TW/CW: drug abuse (not MC), kidnapping,
Reaper - A Zavarelli
This is the second book in the Boston Underworld series and follows Sasha and Ronan. They met three years prior, when Sasha had captured the eye of another mafia man. Unfortunately, that other man was an abusive prick ... until he disappeared. The two share a secret, one that if ever revealed would destroy them both. Ronan doesn't speak to Sasha, but the attraction the two have is palpable. This was a case where I really enjoyed different aspects of the story but they didn't come together well for me. I really liked the world building and how straightforward the mafia side of the plot was. This is the second book in the series and I hadn't read the first, but I wasn't ever lost on that side of things. My main issue was that it felt like so much of the relationship development between Sasha and Ronan was done off page. We get flashbacks to some of these pivotal moments between the two of them, but those moments were so important that having all of them off page felt like it undercut the emotional importance of them. Once they actually started acting on their feelings and not just brooding about them (pretty sure the first 50% of this book was brooding), I really enjoyed Sasha and Ronan together. Ronan's backstory is intense and he's definitely working through a lot of that baggage but he's got a good friend by his side and Sasha is patient with him while he works through his feelings. I think they worked together well and had a lot of chemistry. There were a few plot points that I think were dropped too quickly but I wouldn't exactly call it a plot hole so I'm fine with it overall. This is a very loved and highly rated series, so I'd be open to trying another book from it, but I'm thinking the writing style just might not be entirely for me.
TW/CW: domestic violence, child abuse, pregnancy, CSA by priest, death of a parent, cancer
The Woman in the Trunk - Jessica Gadziala
This is the first book in the Costa Family series and follows Lorenzo and Giana. Giana's father is behind on his payments to the Costa family so Lorenzo is tasked with kidnapping Giana and holding her hostage until her father pays up. Lorenzo is expecting a typical kidnapping victim, but instead he gets a snappy, firecracker of a woman who isn't impressed or intimidated by Lorenzo. With them both staying in Lorenzo's apartment, there's a lot of time and attractions start to grow. But they both know that if Giana's father doesn't pay, it could be her that pays the price. This was pretty much the perfect mafia romance for me. Kick ass FMC, just the right amount of alpha-hole MMC, great mafia business plot, and a fantastic cast of characters. Lorenzo and Giana had some fantastic banter and chemistry right from the start and I loved how much she stands up to him from the get-go. I liked that we see a good amount of Lorenzo going about his daily business although I would have liked a little more of the sort of behind the scenes scheming on page. Their relationship starts off a little odd with Lorenzo thinking Giana is 17 because she has a young face. He is nothing but a gentleman but as soon as he finds out the truth (she's 22), he is suddenly all over her. I got a little squicked out by this sudden flip but it happens early enough in the book that we have a ton of continuing character development to get past that one point. They have chemistry in spades and while Lorenzo may be the next in line to be Capo, he doesn't overly dominate Giana. Giana is smart, capable, and resourceful and I loved how she really kept herself together in order to save herself. I loved the side characters and there were a good number of darkly humorous moments with them.
TW/CW: kidnapping, rape of a minor, suicide, death of a parent, torture
Dark Queen - Ker Dukey
This standalone romance follows Luca and Alyssa. They meet by chance when Alyssa is in NYC to audition for a ballet school scholarship. Luca is impressed with her attitude as well as her body and unbeknownst to her, he makes arrangements to pay the tuition for her. Alyssa ends up working at a wine bar that Luca owns and the two have explosive chemistry. However, Luca has a suspicion that someone is killing the people closest to him so he wants to keep Alyssa away. But when Luca's father wants to see him married before he dies, Luca and Alyssa make a deal - marriage for her schooling. This was just middle of the road for me. I liked the push/pull of Luca and Alyssa but I think it went on for a bit too long. We didn't see them get together until pretty late in the book and then it wraps up pretty quickly from there. I liked the side characters and thought the suspense plotline was pretty well plotted out. I loved how similar Luca and Alyssa's personalities were and how well they came together - they both have a mean streak that really makes it feel like they're meant to be together.
TW/CW: sexual coercion, pregnancy, miscarriage, disordered eating
Sold to the Cartel - Simone Scarlet
This is the second book in the Knuckleheads MC series and follows Valerie and Mendoza. Valerie is swept away to a Mexico resort by her boyfriend for a spontaneous vacation. Only, this isn't the romantic getaway Valerie expects and soon, there's a group of men at their room picking her up and handing her boyfriend cash. He sold her off after she saw some of his work spreadsheets - money laundering details for Mendoza. Her photographic memory makes her a risk and her boyfriend thinks this is the best way out of a bad situation. Only, Mendoza knows he and Valerie are in his territory and he has questions. I want to say right away that if sexual assault is at all a sensitive topic for you - I would not recommend this book. We have numerous sexual assaults on page including Valerie and Mendoza sexually assaulting someone else together. Them assaulting the other character is played off as getting revenge and they don't see anything wrong with their actions. This would have been a DNF for me except that the writing and descriptions were so off the wall that it ended up being hilarious (in general, not the assault parts). For example, Mendoza's member was described as being as long as three soda cans stacked on top of each other and just as wide. The sexy scenes are long and detailed and I actually liked the plotline with Valerie's photographic memory. However, I think the writing was just too bonkers for me and this ended up being the kind of book where I was laughing while reading certain lines aloud to my partner.
TW/CW: sexual assault (by MCs as well as other characters), human trafficking, torture
Judge - Jessica Gadziala
This is the first book in the Shady Valley Henchmen series and follows Judge - recently released from prison - and Delaney - sheltered sister of the local Irish mafia. Delaney had a crush on Judge since she first saw him but between him going to prison for 4 years and her overprotected brothers, she wasn't expecting to see him again. So she was surprised to see him walk into the bar she worked at and even more surprised when he wanted to take her somewhere else. She agrees and ends up losing her virginity to him. It isn't until her brothers find him to deliver a message to stay away that Judge realizes who she is. The two know they should stay away from each other, but they're drawn together. I really liked this read, but I wish we got some more of the suspense plot thrown in. We don't really have any idea something is wrong until Delaney gets attacked and afterward, the focus is on her healing. I wish maybe Judge was investigating on his own or something to keep that plot line focused before the big climax. I thought Judge and Delaney were actually really great together and I loved how caring he was toward her. The side characters were well developed (which is great since this is the start of a series) and this band of bikers seemed to be pretty soft when it comes to women.
TW/CW: stalking, assault, alcohol use, kidnapping
Carnal Urges - J.T. Geissinger
This is the second book in the Queens and Monsters series and follows Declan and Sloane. Declan kidnaps Sloane at the end of the first book in the series and we pick up pretty much right from that point. Declan blames Sloane for starting a war between the Irish and the Russians but she disagrees. Sloane is his captive until he can figure out what, exactly, to do with her. Sloane isn't a typical captive, she's smart, witty, and charming. She quickly endears herself to multiple of Declan's men, much to Declan's annoyance. When her and Declan's verbal sparring turns to physical passion, both of them fear losing the other and what that means for them. I absolutely loved this book - an instant all time favorite. Sloane and Declan's verbal sparring was absolute perfection and I've never had so much fun reading a mafia romance. There were some genuinely funny lines that made me laugh but the mafia plot was also really well developed. When they finally give into their attraction, it is explosive and I really enjoyed how the powerplay worked in the bedroom. I really enjoyed the communication between Declan and Sloane and how honest they were together. Highly recommend!
TW/CW: kidnapping, drugging, torture, sexual assault leading to pregnancy, miscarriage
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