readwithmesashamarie's reviews
469 reviews

 

One of my good friends read this book (possibly as an ARC) years ago. She told me I needed to pick this one up ASAP, and I trusted her judgement so I went out right away and bought a copy the year it was published. And it sat. On my shelves. This entire time. I wouldn’t have been ready mentally or emotionally to take in a book like this. I was just beginning to reshape my worldview. The feminine rage that courses through this book wouldn’t have been as impactful if I personally had read it before February of 2025. This book was everything I’d been searching for to pull myself out of a depression and reading slump that had consumed me for days on end. 

I couldn’t have known that world events, including a social media cock fight between our government, would lead me to a Little Red Book app in January 2025. I couldn’t have known that I’d spend most of the new year logging into an app with an enthusiastic green bird who helped me learn the basics of Chinese. I couldn’t have known that at the same time that I was diving head first into Chinese culture through apps, shows and movies, that my book club would select a Chinese, somewhat historical, dystopian sci-fi novel that tied in so perfectly with my current hyperfixation. And yet, here we are. 

This book dumps the reader straight into the story, with a prologue that you just have to accept you won’t understand until later on, when the world is more fleshed out. This novel digs its claws into you and doesn’t let up for even a second. Not only were our characters consistently finding themselves manipulated as massive cogs in someone else’s war games, they were constantly dealing with mental battles during their perceived down time. This novel was almost impossible to look away from, like a car crash on a freeway. 

There were so many elements of Chinese culture and history woven into this book. I’m certainly not the appropriate person to comment on the complexities of these themes, but it was striking to me that during our book club discussions many members commented on the various elements they were unfamiliar with. A few members struggled to imagine these war machines that I likened to Transformers, Pacific Rim, or Power Rangers. Another member, though they agreed ultimately with the character’s actions, was shocked by how becoming powerful had negative (putting it lightly) impacts/consequences on the character’s family. 

The one moment and underlying character trait we all had visceral reactions to was the foot binding scene, and how the character’s life was completely and forever altered by that one act of violence. We talked at length about how when our two main characters shared mind space and memories, her nightmares were multiple and vast, while his was simply a feeling; constantly being in unrelenting pain. 

This novel had an incredible character arc for all three of our main characters. The depths with which these characters suffered was staggering, as layer by layer more was uncovered for the reader. I personally loved watching our FMC connect mind to mind with three different men through the course of the novel. In my opinion this is the best way to watch her growth, and to see the way the circumstances of the novel have changed her over time. We also got to see moments of weakness when it came to her decisions regarding her family, when prior our FMC acted like an exposed nerve - all raw emotions that were barely kept in check by those around her. 

My book club members described her progress through the novel as someone who had snapped, but I saw someone who realized they had been given (however brief) a second chance. Our FMC knew she would die the moment she avenged her sister, so when she is kept alive there is no limit to how far she is willing to go. The limit no longer exists, because she should be dead already. She had already come to terms with her eventual death so why not break all the boundaries when it comes to her second chance at life? 

I haven’t even begun to discuss our two male characters, the incredible way jealousy and infinite love comes into play between this eventual throuple, or the staggering plot twists towards the end. I could gush and rave about this book for many more pages but I’ll leave you here. If you want to feel true feminine rage, if you want a glimpse into the dystopian life of a Chinese woman who has nothing left to lose, this is your book. 

 

Like many people I discovered rugby through social media and players like Ilona Maher. When I saw this author promoting a rugby romance I jumped at the chance to join the ARC team. When it comes to sports romances I tend to stick with hockey and baseball romances, so I couldn’t wait to learn some new sports terms and get a sneak peak at what life as a player or coach might be like. 

If you’re newer to the sport of rugby like I am, I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed by the plethora of rugby terminology. There’s a very helpful glossary in the beginning of the novel, and honestly in context a lot of the new terms made sense regardless. 

This romance is adorable, quirky, sweet, spicy, silly, and at times pulls at your heartstrings. I spent most of my time reading this novel with a huge smile on my face, even laughing out loud at a few different scenes due to our characters’ silly banter and antics on and off the field. Robyn is a women’s rugby player who is rising to celebrity status due to her social media presence. Isaiah was a professional men’s rugby player who met Robyn while they were both in college, and is about to become her newest coach after he sustains a career ending injury. Dell is their personal trainer who may or may not be in love with both of them, despite his steadfast rule to never date his clients.

Through different chapter POV’s, and even some flashbacks, we get to go back in time and watch Isaiah and Robyn meet through their college teams. We also get to see a flashback of how Dell and Robyn met before he became her personal trainer. I loved these additional layers to their stories that truly laid the foundation beautifully for the epic love story that eventually culminates in the present. 

While all three characters are out and comfortable with their sexuality, none of them had ever entered into a polyamorous relationship before. They each had to consider how their love life would affect each of their careers as well as their personal lives, before deciding to go public. There was great lgbtqia+ representation in this book, including another throuple (mentioned but never physically introduced), a handful of additional lesbian characters, and of course bi representation via our two main male characters Dell and Isaiah. 

In addition to great queer diversity Isaiah also speaks to our characters in Spanish a few times, with full sentences being translated to both Spanish and English throughout the novel. We met the families of all three of our main characters which again added a lot of depth and dimension to who they were and informed how they interacted with others.

Robyn is known for her body positivity online, with her strong physical features and her willingness to express her femininity through clothes and makeup. Unfortunately her parents continuously tear her down in what they believe are misguided attempts to build her up. Dell’s family are extremely welcoming, with a few major secrets of their own, while Isaiah’s family was torn apart by his mother’s death when he was a child. 

While a majority of this novel is light and entertaining, there are understandable undercurrents of grief as Isaiah deals with his mother’s death. There are also discussions regarding revenge porn, and verbal abuse from parents as we get to know these characters on a deeper level. Aside from the major inciting incident and resulting conflict in the third act, I had a ton of fun with this book and these three characters. This was a sweet (but please don’t forget…spicy) story that I could see a ton of readers enjoying. Whether they’re fans of rugby, or simply fans of polyamorous romances, this book has a little something for everyone. 

 

Some of my favorite book reviewers, bloggers, and the women in this book club have spoken extremely highly about this book. For many it was their favorite book of 2024. With these glowing recommendations I was excited to jump into a literary fiction novel with a speculative twist. 

I enjoyed how this book didn’t waste any time in introducing the mystery of the attic and the appearance of our FMC’s many husbands. Though they only appeared one at a time, we encounter over 200 by the time the novel comes to its fiery ending. The novelty of this concept hooked me in the beginning, and left me questioning how and why this phenomenon was happening. However, after her favorite husband is unintentionally taken away by the attic, my attention span for the book began to dwindle. 

I waited until meeting with the book club to write this review because I wanted to include some additional perspectives. While this book didn’t work for me, someone who is single, chronically ill, and in their early thirties, this story did work for many of the women in the club who are married and mothers. 

At the very least, regardless of my rating or reading experience, this book left us all with questions. Questions about the characters, the plot, the attic, and our own lives. This book was a great gateway for discussion and opening up conversations about what might have been, and how one single event can have ripple effects years down the line. 

While I can see how this book worked for so many readers, once it lost my interest it wasn’t able to get it back. I hung on until about 70% through the book before I began heavily skimming just to reach the conclusion. I’d had a theory the entire time that our FMC was in a coma and was seeing flashes of her life, or what could have been, while in that state. While that wasn’t the ultimate outcome I wasn’t disappointed with the ending. I was just happy it was over.

This book was intentionally repetitive. I knew the repetition was created to make the reader feel the mundane, hopelessness, and desperation alongside our main character, but I really didn’t enjoy the experience (which is probably the point). This book also spiked my anxiety, as our FMC got more and more unhinged, and even dangerous at times. There was never a guarantee that the attic would always work to reverse the damage she had caused, and yet she continued to cross moral and ethical boundaries more and more as the novel progressed. The repetitive nature and the novel and this dissolution of our protagonist’s moral compass was what ended up leaving me really dissatisfied as a reader. 

If you’re looking for a novel that will make you reflect on your life I’d say give this a try. You might not enjoy the experience, but at the very least you’ll come out the other side a more reflective and introspective human. 

If you know me you know I live, laugh, love dragons. They are one of my favorite mythical creatures and I couldn’t wait to explore them in a new world through the eyes of a new-to-me author. This young adult fantasy was poised to become a favorite, with two sisters doing everything in their power to keep one another safe and alive in a war torn world. 

Unfortunately, I think I picked this book up at the wrong time in my own life. I have had a lot of mental health struggles for most of 2025, and my experience of the book suffered because of that. While I’ll be honest about how I felt about the book I also want you to know that I think my enjoyment and experience would have been a lot different had I been happy, in general, while reading. 

Our story begins a few years after a major war, where the enslaved people defeated their colonizers. The physical and mental scars linger within all the people of this island, including our main characters, Faron, Elara, and Reeve. All our main characters were children during this war where they were present on the front lines. Faron was said to be twelve at the time she gained her power to communicate with the gods and to use their powers through her own body. When our story begins she is in her late teens, still communing with the gods but doing mostly mundane teenager things like going to school and fighting off bullies. 

Faron’s sister, Elara, struggles with not having a name for herself. Under the shadow of her sister she wants her own claim to fame, which she gets in the form of a very unintended consequence, by bonding with a colonizer's dragon. And so begins the crux of the novel. 

I was pretty invested in this story and the world building for about 60% of this book. Once Elara was sent to the mainland my attention started to drift a bit. Her chapters included a lot of information and not a lot of entertainment or excitement. Faron’s chapters weren’t that much better, as we are introduced to a fourth god, who appears to Faron as a boy her own age. 

This is the one part of the novel that I took major issue with. While this character reminded me a lot of the Darkling from Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone series, this hundred or thousand year old god appearing as a young teenager and flirting with Faron gave me the major ick. It’s one thing for a teenage girl to be infatuated with a much older deity and their power, as long as that deity doesn’t reciprocate. In this case the deity was initiating most of these subtle moments and it had my hackles raised the entire time he was around. 

The middle of this book was a bit slow, as both characters are in the learning-more-information phase of the story. The last 15-20% of this novel explodes into chaos, but even that wasn’t able to grab my full attention. I ended up skimming about the last 80 pages just to see how the story wrapped up. 

I think if I had been in a better mood in my regular life I would have had a better time reading this book. Instead I was harshly judging the characters, their actions, and wasn’t able to really settle into the pacing of this novel. I’ve heard the second book in this duology is better than the first, and I would be tempted to reread this later on to give this series a second chance. I enjoyed the worldbuilding, the writing, and how fleshed out every character was. They all had very distinct voices, and were presented as a diverse and LGBT cast, which I appreciated. Overall I’m glad I gave this one a chance, I just wish I had been in a better mood while reading it. 

 Sci-fi was way higher up in my reading preferences in college, but I haven’t been able to escape this series. It probably doesn’t help my case that I’m following the author directly on social media, and most of my mutuals are obsessed with this series. I’d been in a reading slump for most of January and decided maybe a short, sci-fi novel was exactly what I needed to dive back into my TBR pile. While it didn’t alleviate my reading slump, I did manage to finish this in one sitting and that accomplishment alone was a win for me. 

When I checked this book out from the library even the circulation clerk couldn’t help but start raving about how much they loved this series. I was genuinely encouraged by their enthusiastic support of my selection, and love seeing another book lover get so excited over their favorite reads. I knew going into this that it was about a robot who called themselves Murderbot who had worked around their programming, and began a hyperfixation on binging tv dramas and consuming other types of very human media. 

I guess what I didn’t fully expect was for there to be a completely fleshed out plot, full of danger, misunderstandings, prejudices, and well – murder. That was naive of me, but like I said, I went into this expecting it to be more of a cozy sci-fi where we just chilled with this robot as he explored human media. While that was kind of true, I definitely wouldn’t categorize this novel as cozy. There was a lot of suspense and mystery packed into those one hundred and forty something pages that kept me engaged the entire time. 

I honestly can’t imagine what our Murderbot will get up to in the next novel, but since all my mutuals seem to rave about this series (and we can’t forget the circulation clerk) I think I’m going to have to keep reading to find out. 

 Before we begin I want to let you know that this review will include spoilers. There’s almost no way to talk about this book without spoiling the ending, which impacts the entire novel. Readers, proceed with caution.

More often than not I enjoy going into novels relatively unaware of the major plot points. For this novel, I did actually read the synopsis on the back, which threw me off completely. I was under the impression that this would be a dark, taboo romance between a widow and a man in prison. I was wholly unprepared to encounter scenes that left me spooked, and feeling like I had unwittingly fallen into a thriller of some sort. 

Our FMC opens the novel at a funeral, wondering how her life will move forward now that her husband is gone. She begins receiving letters from a man in prison, who insists he knows her. She entertains these letters as a way to communicate with someone other than her house keeper, and the repairmen who flock in and out of her old fixer upper of a house.

When the roofer was introduced I knew immediately he was being set up to be our leading man, but I couldn’t figure out how? Was he the man from prison? How was he still writing her letters postmarked from the prison, and sneaking them into her house unseen? Then I wondered if we were dealing with a dark romance that included fantasy elements. There were clues here and there that I was, at times, too obtuse to connect the more logical dots. 

When our MC asks our FMC if her husband had ever beat her, because of her bruises, and she notices a bruise on her arm in her wedding photo, I thought to myself, I’ve cracked it. The pen pal is a demon who has been haunting her her entire life. This demon killed her husband, and is now going to try and make her fall in love with him through this nice roofer guy persona. That would explain all the weird, ghost-like phenomena happening in and around her home. 

Well, I was close. But that’s definitely not what was going on. Before the big reveal we get to watch our FMC and MMC fall in love. Very spicy, kinky, master and pet love, but love nonetheless. I wasn’t a huge fan of the naive way the FMC was written. Some of the language used to describe these sexy encounters grated on my nerves, but that’s a personal annoyance. I really enjoyed the exploration into kink between this couple, and watching them explore this relationship while hiding so much of their past from one another.

I won’t lie, I was scared and frustrated. I was one page away from figuring it out, from the talk between the FMC and her housekeeper where they discuss ghosts and what keeps them from moving on, and how you can’t tell a ghost they’re dead, when I flipped to the last chapter of the book. If I had just kept reading I would have figured it out on the next page, but I had to know if our FMC and MMC made it to the end of the novel in one piece.

Turns out, her husband had killed them both. Before the novel even began. It’s basically the Nicole Kidman ghost movie (The Others) but with spice and romance thrown into the mix. I was shocked. Flummoxed. My flabber was truly gasted. She’d been dead this whole time?! And so was he! I sped through the rest of this novel, reading the entire book in one sitting. My eyes blurred together from fatigue as I read the final chapters. As I sobbed watching these two people who had finally found their happily ever afters have their lives cut short by domestic violence. This part of the novel was extremely traumatizing and triggering to read. I honestly couldn’t emotionally process what I had read until I did my video review of the book a few days later and couldn’t stop sobbing through the entire review.

 

What I thought would be a fun, spicy dark romance, was a haunting, dark, sexy and heartbreaking story of domestic violence at its worst. I could not believe the turn this book took, especially when I thought from the beginning we were just getting a spicy pen pal, taboo romance story. No wonder I’ve never heard anyone talk about the actual plot of this book. There’s no way you can without completely ruining the shocking twist that alters the entire story.

 

 

I can’t tell you if I loved it or hated it. I loved the chemistry between this couple. I loved how creatively this was written, despite having seen a movie with almost the exact same plot a decade ago (the movie came out in 2001 but I probably saw it when I was in college around 2013). I hate that they died so violently. I hate that her abusive husband killed the only man who had made her feel safe and loved right in front of her. And I hate that this could so easily not be a fictional story, but a headline on the nine o’clock news report. I loved these characters, and hated how short their time together was. I guess I loved that even in death, they found their way back to one another.

 

 In my pursuit of reading more diversely it was a no brainer to pick up one of Aiden Thomas’s books. This book had an incredibly diverse cast of queer, trans, and non binary characters, and it also introduced readers to Mexican-inspired gods, goddesses, and other culturally relevant easter eggs. I first picked this book up as an audiobook, but my reading was cut short when I reached my monthly limit (I didn’t even know that was a thing). At that point I was invested in the story and grabbed a physical copy from my local library.

I’m glad I started with the audiobook because it really helped to set the tone of the novel, as well as helping me pronounce names more correctly in my head. My very rusty high school and college Spanish courses were finally put to the test as I encountered familiar, yet fantastical versions of words I’d seen before. 

One of the things I loved the most about this novel was how lush and descriptive it was. Our characters travel to many different places over the course of the story, and each one is vastly different and unique in its own ways. It was so easy to imagine these places as I was reading thanks to Thomas’ attention to detail at every turn. So many of our senses were engaged throughout this story, whether it was the stunning visual imagery of cascading waterfalls, the aches and pains after the trials, or the sweet candy some of these characters seemed to live off of, this book kept my senses well and truly satiated. 

I do tend to have a love and hate relationship with trial stories in general. On one hand I know that our main characters are going to make it through every trial, otherwise they wouldn’t be the main character. This relief is short lived by wondering just how beat down they’re going to get along the way, and the undercurrent of anxiety that inexplicably buzzes through the competing characters. I did find the trials in this story to be entertaining, in the same kind of way The Hunger Games were entertaining. I wasn’t happy our characters were put into these situations, but I also wasn’t bored as a reader. 

I’m not going to comment too much on the queer, trans, and diversity representation in this book as a white woman, other than to say I enjoyed how effortlessly these moments were interspersed throughout the novel. I’m really happy that this book exists, and I hope that it finds the right readers. 

I’m honestly still reeling a bit over the big revelation at the end. I had expected something completely different to happen, and am still wrapping my mind around the outcome. I’m very curious to see what book two has in store for these characters, and how they’ll repair what was broken. If anything this book solidified the fact that I’ve always wished I could conjure up a pair of wings. Until I do, I’ll live vicariously through characters who can. 

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eARC of this novel in 2019 in exchange for an honest review. My deepest apologies for my review being so egregiously late.

I tandem read a physical library copy of this book while listening to a library copy of the audiobook.

I knew of Anastasia from the heartbreaking and hilarious animated movie from my childhood. You know the one, with the haunting ‘Once Upon a December’ song that gets ingrained into your soul, and the little bat who famously said, “I’ll give her a ha, and a hiya, and a wooah, and I’ll kick her, sir.” 

Despite this movie being a childhood favorite, as I got older I never looked further into the history of Anastasia. When this book popped up on Netgalley many years ago, I was excited by the prospect of learning more about this character that I had so deeply loved growing up. Fast forward to the present, and instead of excitement, I now felt an intense sense of anxiety at the prospect of reading Anastasia’s story, especially once I realized the book starts with her entire family still alive. 

At first I could only read this book in short bursts, naturally stopping a page or two before tragedy struck, instinctively knowing I wasn’t ready to see Anastasia’s world torn apart. It wasn’t until my own world, and the external forces that had been heightening my own anxiety in January 2025, had crested, that I was able to sit down and read two thirds of the novel in one go. 

I highly recommend the audiobook of this novel. While the writing is masterful, weaving history and fantasy together as if they were a recollection of actual historical events, the narrator should be credited for bringing the atmosphere of this story to life. They expertly added what I assume are Russian accents, and spoke the various languages written throughout this novel. It heightened Nastya’s story in ways I couldn’t have achieved on my own; stuck in my own head with my very American accent, stumbling my way over new-to-me words and phrases.

I had no idea going into this novel that it would feature two disabled characters. Both Nastya’s younger brother, and their mother, suffered from disabilities and chronic conditions that left them confined to their beds, or a wheelchair, more often than not. I appreciated the disabled representation, and the way both characters were portrayed realistically. Physically they were weaker than their peers, but mentally and emotionally they proved how incredibly strong they had become in the face of such physical adversity.

This story was incredibly touching and topical. The message of Nastya’s father, his unwavering ability to show love not only to his family, but also to his captors, was a deeply profound message and theme throughout this novel. While I won’t pretend to have a good grasp on the current politics in today’s Russia, I do believe the political themes that run throughout this novel, including the trials Nastya, her family, and the soldiers forced to oversee their imprisonment, are timeless and still extremely poignant in today’s political climate world wide. 

This was a challenging novel to read. I can’t ascertain whether I believe this has a happily ever after, but it did end on an unmistakable feeling of hope for the future. There are so many beautiful messages and exploration of the human experience woven into Nastya’s story. It left me wondering what I would do in Nastya’s situation? In Zash’s? And above all, it made me ponder if I’m doing enough to send love out into the world, even if in the end the outcome results in unforetold tragedy. 

 

Emilia Emerson/Rossi has easily become one of my favorite authors in 2024. This year alone I’ve read 5 of her books and have had such different experiences with each one! Emerson/Rossi is proving that she has range as a writer, and isn’t afraid to try out new storylines or diversify her characters. 

His Tesoro was my first time meeting Emilia Rossi, the mafia romance writer, after reading four of Emilia Emerson’s omegaverse books back to back. I can definitely understand why she decided to keep two pen names for her writing, and can’t wait to watch both of her voices in these romance genres develop. 

My one minor complaint, and I’m getting it out of the way early so I can gush for the rest of this, is that the writing felt a bit disjointed. The chapters felt a little too short, and we didn’t get to sit in on scenes for as long as I would have liked. Another thing working against me with this book is my prior understanding of the author’s writing style from her omegaverse books. I felt myself comparing the two, and wondering why instead of a 6 or 7 page spicy scene we’d get a page or two (this didn’t only occur during spicy scenes it’s just my best example at the moment). It felt like the author was cutting herself off a bit, perhaps cutting scenes to fit a specific word count, instead of letting them mature and expand in a way that I’m familiar with from her omegaverse books.

I have seen this author write some pretty dark scenes and was fully prepared for this novel to deliver some deranged plot twists. Compared to some other mafia and dark romances I’ve read this story was relatively tame. I think this will become my go to, a great recommendation, for people who are curious about mafia romance and want to dip their toes into the shallow end. The rival mafia bosses, traitors within the ranks, and clandestine weapons deals were all very on brand mafia business, with the occasional act of in cold blood violence sprinkled in and depicted on the page. 

Where this book thrives, in my opinion, is the disability representation. This author has become a go to for representation that has a happily ever after in a way that does not dismiss or magically cure the main characters. In this story our FMC has hypermobile ehlers danlos syndrome. I was pleasantly surprised to realize this as someone who shares the FMC’s condition. I loved the very obvious work, research, and care that was put into covering all aspects of this condition with regards to daily life, mobility aids, service animals, medications, physical therapy, and dynamic disabilities. 

It was so nice to watch our FMC learn to regain her power while embracing her differences. It’s further proof that in the right environment people can thrive. Our MMC does everything in his power, which as the Mafia Don is a fuck ton of power, to ensure our FMC has everything she needs for her health and to improve her overall quality of life.

There were so many swoon worthy moments in this story. One of my favorites I feel like is too big of a spoiler to talk about in detail now, but just know if a man ever did this for me I’d be his forever. No questions asked. Our MMC researched his wife’s condition, took the time to speak to a dungeon master about roping her safely, and found out which sorts of pillows would be the most supportive for her to keep her pain down during their spicy times. Once he learned more about our FMC he anticipated her wants and needs, while still keeping an open line of communication between them and ensuring consent was always discussed beforehand. 

I cannot understate how nice it is to see your own physical condition or disability represented in a character who is just as worthy of love and respect as someone who is able bodied. I think in the right hands of the right readers this story will be a gateway to a lot of healing. I think for readers looking for a tame approach to mafia romances in general, or a taste of kink/bdsm/dom/sub dynamics, this is a very good place to start. I get so happy any time I have the chance to read one of Emilia’s books, and I can’t wait to read whatever she puts out next. 

 I picked up this book in the hopes of using it for Books and Lala’s Storygraph 2025 reading challenge. This review will go over both Part One and Part Two, with no spoilers. Please check the trigger warnings for this series including but not limited to: rape, kidnapping, murder, torture, cnc, dub con, pet play, knife play. 

I’m learning there are very specific things that I like, or that work for me, in mafia romances. I want the raw, underground, feral vibes that come with having a constant target on your back just for being part of your family. I want the forbidden romances that blossom and are threatened at every turn. I crave the danger and violence, mixed elegantly with moments of tenderness, care, and devotion to one another. And I obviously want hot, passionate, kinky sex. 

While this duet had some of these elements it definitely didn’t satisfy all of my mafia romance cravings. We meet our FMC as she is hiding out from her baby daddy in her four year olds pediatrician's office. I loved the set up for this novel, and the way we were introduced to all of the main love interests. This story is a why choose, eventual polycule, romance with many differing dynamics at play. 

I thought the first book in this duet was the strongest. The characters each had very distinct voices in their chapters, and it’s always entertaining watching characters interacting in new ways for the first time. Our FMC Sofia is a mafia princess who has been used for her sex appeal and had it thrown back in her face. She’s survived domestic abuse from her baby daddy and kept that information from her family, who would prefer she marry him now that she’s ‘tainted goods’. 

Our three MMCs are Nick, Dante, and Lorenzo. Nick is a former mafia son turned pediatrician. He left the life after his first kill at 18. Dante is a scary mother fucker from Sicily who ends up in New York, determined to use any means necessary to get what was stolen from him. Lorenzo is Sofia’s father’s closest soldier besides his own son, and has pined after Sofia their entire lives. 

Each man brings their own dynamic to their relationship with Sofia as well, who previously had led a very vanilla sex life. This is probably one part of the books I had the biggest problem with. Characters, in general, are just so confused all the time about what they’re feeling and what it means. This is not a book for someone who is curious about how poly relationships and multiple dynamics might work. Nick was probably the closest to a character with good and safe Dom/sub representation, while Dante exhibited Master/pet dynamics that were borderline unsafe, and Lorenzo had no idea what dynamics were and said some pretty fucked up things along the way because of his ignorance. 

This story had an underlying plot that should have felt more engaging, but moved so slowly. I was honestly bored through most of the second book. The only reason I wasn’t bored in the first book was because of the newness of the characters and their interactions together. The novel was very character driven, but this didn’t work either because the characters were just confused the whole time. There was no clear direction, and by the time we got to the second book there were no clear or distinct character voices. I often had no idea whose chapter I was in anymore as everyone started sounding exactly the same. 

This duet had a really encouraging start. I thought it would shape up nicely in the second book and become a series I could easily recommend to mafia dark romance enthusiasts. Unfortunately this series fell flat. While I can understand that confusion may play a role in new poly relationships, the lack of communication for the entirety of the story leaves me to believe this isn’t great representation, and not something I would recommend to someone looking for a kink positive, poly positive story. I can tell it was trying to be those things, and somehow it missed the mark for me personally. I also don’t think there was a decent balance between mafia antics and interpersonal relationship time. I’m sad this wasn’t a win, but I’m another step closer to knowing what I do and don’t want from these types of romances. So that’s a win for me overall.