Deviant Hearts

Dark Hearts #1

by Jagger Cole

To stop a mafia war, I’m being forced to marry my sworn enemy.

A brutal, domineering, and lethally beautiful monster with a body built for violence. Ares Drakos—new king of the Drakos Mafia family—is every inch the God of War he’s named after.

And now, I belong to him.

Our unholy union is meant to end the bloodshed between Irish and Greek. A rising tide to lift all ships.

A match made in hell. And if we can’t stop from killing each other, “until death do us part” might happen before we can say “I do”.

It’s not supposed to be real. Until it becomes something else.

Something dark, dangerous, and deliciously deviant.

The God of War might be invading my bed, my dreams, and my every sinful desire.

But there’s one thing he’ll never conquer.

My heart.


𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚, 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬-𝐭𝐨-𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 "𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮" 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐖 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞. 𝐍𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫; 𝐇𝐄𝐀 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝.

Genres: Dark Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Mafia Romance, Romance, Dark, Marriage Of Convenience, Forced Proximity

452 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 30, 2023

About the author

A reader first and foremost, Jagger Cole cut his romance writing teeth penning various fan-fiction stories years ago. After deciding to hang up his writing boots, Jagger worked in advertising pretending to be Don Draper. It worked enough to convince a woman way out of his league to marry him, though, which is a total win.

Now, Dad to two little princesses and King to a Queen, Jagger is thrilled to be back at the keyboard.

When not writing or reading romance books, he can be found woodworking, enjoying good whiskey, and grilling outside—rain or shine.

You can find all of his books at www.jaggercolewrites.com


Grab a FREE book for joining my fans-only newsletter! -> https://dl.bookfunnel.com/8rld1ik3sd

Reviews

[Larissa Cambusano · Rating 3 out of 5]

ATE THIS UP

[Zainab Qadeer - Hiatus till May · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I didn’t just get a wife and sign a peace treaty.
I got a partner.
An equal.
Someone who makes my steps easier and my heart lighter.
Someone I love. Even if I haven’t figured out how to tell her that yet.” 🥹💞

I LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK DID I RE READ THIS TO RE WRITE MY REVIEW LETS BE HONEST ITS AN ESSAY BUT WHATEVER ??? I MOST CERTAINLY DID 😭 I DONT KNOW WHO I LOVE MORE NEVE OR ARES THIS HAS TO BE HANDS DOWN MY FAVOURITE MAFIA BOOK THERE I SAID IT IF YOU LOVE A GOOD ENEMIES TO LOVERS WITH A FMC THAT ISNT A DOORMAT AND A POSSESSIVE MMC THEN THIS BOOK WAS MADE FOR YOU AND ME. If you don’t like this book YOU DO YOU don’t come for me please but I’ll never stop loving this book.

⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING - SA (not by mmc)

“He’s not just my neighbor.
He’s the enemy.” 😍

Neve Kildare belongs to the Irish mafia and can’t take her eyes off her insanely hot neighbour that lives across her penthouse and let’s be honest it’s not her fault that it’s made out of glass and he practically walks around naked . BUT HE’S NOT JUST THE NEIGHBOUR HE’S THE ENEMY ARES DRAKOS THE HEAD OF THE GREEK MAFIA.

“It’s the only way, Neve. You’re going to marry Ares, and that’s final.”
She blinks, shaking as her mouth forms silent words, none getting out.
“No—”
“It’s the twenty-first fucking century, and we’re in New York,” I spit. “He can fucking marry Ares. This had me rolling she has a point her uncle can marry ares to stop the rivalry 😂💀💀💀

As Neve and her sister Eilish make their way to the family meeting with their childhood bodyguard castle she senses somethings off and to her surprise this isn’t an ordinary family meeting the enemy is also there and that’s when her uncle Cillian announces that to end this feud between the two families Neve is to marry Ares. Neve being neve she outright refuses and storms out but Cillian tells her she has no choice and this step must be taken as this is only making the empire stronger . Ares isn’t ecstatic about this marriage arrangement either as neve is far from his type but as the new head he does what needs to be done. Neve and Ares now both bound together in a marriage when all they want to do is rip each others heads off their hatred is set to a side when the scariest psychopath known as the executioner who’s been jailed for hundreds of murders and his signature style is to bleed out his victims calls out neve on live television what is neve hiding and will this marriage only stay in name or is there still hope for love …


“I think you’ll find, Neve, this is the best way to settle all of the bad blood—”
“And I think you’ll find yourself, Ares, with a knife in your throat if you come anywhere fucking near me.”

Neve fricking Kildare is literally a bad ass bitch. She is literally doesn’t take shit from anyone and is sooo strong you can’t help but fall in love with her . The sassiness and the sarcastic responses she came out with had me in tears because let’s be honest we hate a beg and she was far from it. 😘🥵

“This may have started as a political alignment. But make no fucking mistake,” he rasps. “You are fucking mine.”

“What’s the matter, Castle? Jealous?”
I doubt it. But this is something I’ve been wondering about, and I have to know. Fake or not, Neve is my fucking wife now.”

“Christ, no, you fuckin’ pervert. I was just concerned because she’s basically my kid sister.”
I push the point.
“You positive? Sure it’s not a little crush, Castle? Not the teensiest bit jealous that I got to go places you’ve only—”

He snaps, more viciously than I was expecting. I grunt as he his hands wrap around my neck, slamming me back against the wall.

“You’re talking about a woman who is basically my sister,” he snarls. “So shut the fuck up and show a little fucking respect, you deviant little fuck—”

Ares has my heart he’s a dream of a mafia husband just the perfect amount of jealous and protective which WE LOVE . The way he always protected neve and couldn’t stand a single man around neve was entertaining and not mention how his sarcasm matched neves perfectly they’r a match made in heaven the way he got jealous of castle when he’s literally like an older brother to them and watched the girls grow him had me howling 💀😭😂😂

“So, I’m your new granddaughter-in-law.” I arch my brows at her, smiling wryly. “Lucky you,” I add sarcastically. “Bet you didn’t have any idea what a headache I’d be for your grandson.”
She smiles, still nodding.

“You’re probably smiling because you think I’m going to fall in love with him and give you all lots of babies. But that’s just not going to happen. Sorry.”

“Dimitra just keeps on smiling.
“I just had the most mind-blowing sex of my life in your guest bathroom with your grandson,” I blurt. “I mean, like wow type sex. Know what I mean?”
She smiles, nodding again.”

My favourite part from the book has to be the part where neve tells yaya Ares’s grandma that her grandson literally just had sex with her when they’r at a dinner party and that she’s not having kids with him because yaya made her think she doesn’t speak any English only seconds later yaya makes a speech in perfect English and raises a special toast to neve like she played neve soo hard 😭😭💀

“Ohh,” Calliope nods slowly. “So that explains the coke under your nose.” ha ha kill me that had me howling for reference Lucia's dad is a drug lord 😭

I loved Callie Drakos she’s the sister inlaw we all deserve. The way she bonded with neve straight away was soo cute and how she literally got rid of Lucia who was flirting with ares at his engagement party was hilarious she did not hesitate in the slightest. It’s sad that she’s engaged to some older creep Iv got a feeling she’s going to end up with Castle and I hope she does because don’t tell me I’m the only one that felt the tension between the pair


“She might be tempestuous. She might be a force of fucking nature, like a goddamn hurricane, when she gets angry.
But this isn’t her. I know my wife. I know her maybe even better than she knows herself, and this doesn’t check out.”

What I loved most about ares and neves relationship was that they trusted eachother and knew each other. When neve found those panties in the bathroom she threw massive hissy fit but that was because of the text message she got on her phone she knew that ares wouldn’t cheat on her. In that rage she left the apartment and ares got the call that neve was in that bartenders house he was jealous and pissed but he knew she wouldn’t have gone there to sleep with him. I just loved how no matter what the disastrous situation they were in didn’t let it get in the way 🥹😫

“You ready to discuss body armor for you dick yet, or do you wanna talk bachelor party?” ha ha loved hades for this 😭

“Cillian smiles thinly. “Perhaps we should break out a the ouija board and ask your mother how it’s relevant.” I CANNOT WITH CILLIAN JUST FOR REFERENCE THEIR MOTHER IS DEAD 💀

This book had me loving every Fricking side character Cillian and hades were definitely my faves because of their unhinged psychopathic tendencies. They were so dark and funny they had me gasping for air. 💀🥵

Ares wasn’t just protective but he was supportive the way he was soo buzzed about neves result and bragged about it to his sister and came back from his business trip to surprise her like helllo where’s my fake husband and where’s my surprise 😭💀

Spoilers ahead ⚠️⚠️⚠️

“I hit Leery a third time, making sure he’s a sniveling, writhing worm on the ground before I do what comes next.
Which is to unzip my pants and pull out my cock.
Greg’s face turns white, his eyes wide in horror as he looks up at me.
“Woah! WOAH, man! Chill! I’m not gay or any—”
The back of my hand cracks him across the jaw.
“Shut the fuck up.”
I glare down at him as I wave my dick in his face.
“Doesn’t feel good, does it? To have intimacy forced on you when you don’t want it. Or when you can’t say if you want it or not.”

I will never stop loving Ares for beating the shit out of Greg and Mike teaching the pair of them a lesson for sexually assaulting neve and getting her the closure and justice her own father didn’t get for her because that dirt bag cared about the fat check that their fathers wrote him. He didnt just beat them up he degraded them the way they degraded neve he gave them a taste of their own medicine 🥺😫

“No, assholes, your last chance to ‘walk away’ was when my husband beat the fuck out of both of you. That was it. That was your wipe the slate clean card. But now?”

“Now? He’s going to fucking kill you all.”

Neve was soo strong after being sexually assaulted by them two pricks she never backed down and even when they were blackmailing her she didn’t let that scare her she only held her head higher.

I KNEWW ITTT IT WAS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE I KNEW SEAMUS THE PSYCHO WAS ALIVE. But wow was he scary not in a he’s soo good looking kind of way 😂 and hello I knew there was something seriously off about Owen the way it was all his fault the whole rivalry between the Dracos and kildares but what I didn’t understand was why was he surprised when seamus was going to drain neves blood like helllooooo what did you think he was going to do have a picnic with her 💀😭😭😭


“She’s the woman I love.
And I will not watch her fucking die.”

“Even if I don’t wake up myself. When I glance at the gaping wound in my shoulder, I’m fairly sure I won’t.

But that’s okay. It’s all okay if she lives.”

“Maybe just don’t do it through your own fucking body this time, you goddamn psycho. What were you thinking?” haha same hades same 😂💀

ARESSSSS JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I COULDN’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE YOU JUST WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND. THIS MAN LITERALLY SHOT HIMSELF THROUGH THE SHOULDER TO SAVE NEVE KILLING THE EXECUTIONER AND WHILST HES DYING AND LOSING BLOOD DECIDES TO GIVE NEVE A BLOOD TRANSFUSION BECAUSE SHE WAS DYING AND HE WOULD RATHER DIE THAN LIVE WITHOUT HER MY HEART. One thing that doesn’t sit right me with me is that there just happened to be a first aid box lying around for ares to give neve a blood transfusion but I didn’t give a flying shit because I’m Delulu af sooo im closing my eyes for that one

“I am going to my fucking wife,” I hiss, my gaze stabbing into them both. “You can let me crawl there and maybe bleed out on the way. Or you can fucking help. Either way, I’m getting out of this goddamn bed.”

“ I grab the tubes, IVs, and sensors attached to my body and stuck into my veins and start to rip them off. No fucking way am I going to let Neve see me with all these tubes in me.” STOPPPP 😭

The whole hospital scene was adorable the way Ares just literally barely survived and when he opens his eyes the first thing he thinks about is Neve and goes to her hospital room even though he can’t walk and rips out the IVs from his arms so that she doesn’t worry has my heart 😭😭😭 The way neve equally worries for Ares and when he faints she refuses to let him be shifted to another room so they’r forced to put their beds together and they both confess their love SOMEONE SHOOT ME BECAUSE I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE WHY ARE THEY LITERAL PERFECTION 🥺🥹

“Neve and I aren’t the only ones with type O-negative blood.
Castle does, too. And that’s who I really owe my life to. That big asshole carried me out of the cabin, dumped me into the passenger seat of the car, and gave me a transfusion from his own veins while he drove us to the local hospital.”

Castle is just sooooooo adorable the way he cares about the girls is soo cute. The way he gave neve a panic button and was like a little therapist for them has my heart bursting. But my favourite part was definitely when he gave Ares a blood transfusion in the car because he had lost alot of blood trying to save neve the bond they formed was everything and when ares tried to thank him he brushed him off and said that that’s what family do for each-other.

SPOILERS END HERE ⚠️⚠️⚠️

Now the smut yess you guessed it was a lot because your girl was skipping pagessss but Heyy if you love that stuff then your in for a treat. 😂❤️

ONE THING I WILL SAY IS THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE JUST A LITTLE FAAR FETCHED AND UNBELIEVABLE BUT CLOSED MY EYES FOR THAT BECAUSE I LOVE NEVE

“And she is my WIFE!” I roar.” just leaving this here 🥵🫢

[Marianna Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun spicy silly goofy mafia time. Insta lust but like good enough for me to be excited about reading the rest of the series!!

[Lilyya ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

❛ ❛ I’ll burn the goddamn world down just to have you in the ashes. ❜ ❜

lately I can’t even coordinate two sentences together to pull a well structured review so I’m simply going to dissect this one into two parts and enumerate what I liked and what I didn’t about the book.

part one

I liked the fact that the intrigue had a well-orchestrated chronological sequence of events. It had a sort of domino or butterfly effect from what engendered the two families to sign a trêve pact with an arranged marriage between them to the last eventful scenes.

although the female lead's personality and character were a patchwork of vivid emotions and temperament, I appreciated the fact that she wasn't confined and submitted to the man-only-world she belonged to. despite making some compromises to accommodate, she never agreed to do anything against her will to support or protect her family and their empire. she was a hell of a woman who knew how and when she had to impose herself and reclaim respect.

the support characters added so much colors and warmth to the plot. i like the relationship of fmc with the members of her family and the camaraderie she shared with her bodyguard and her husband’s sister.

part two

It would have been more enjoyable if the writing had been a bit more polished around the edges. plus, certain dialogues seemed unrealistic and I couldn’t overlook it.

the reason I love to read marriage of convenience or arranged marriages is because of the famous 'my wife' singsong. It didn't work out, though, in this case because it was thrown in their relationship so prematurely that it literally broke the spell. If it had occurred after some relationship buildup, rather than two seconds within them being married, I would have devoured it.

now their relationship.. their chemistry was undeniable but there was practically no relationship development. I mean we see them being together and having mind blowing sex while hating each other and then we see them together while having mind blowing sex and loving each-other and no in between.
also there was a misunderstanding situation and ow drama that wasn’t sorted at all at the end.

[Warda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was some mafia goodness! Couldn’t stop reading once I started!

Was it perfect? No.
Was it enjoyable. Heck yes.

Definitely continuing on with the series.

[Rossy · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this is was 2 ish stars for me.

Writing dragged me in enough that I wanted to read it.. But!

But..

*it was over-described (God of war, god of death etc). The H just claimed he is one but we weren't shown why he is one. 🥲

*Plot felt relatively superficial/predictable and had this mafia lite feels to it. Yes, there were some killings, kidnappings but they didn't build up enough and you could always feel the resolution early enough. I guessed the "bad-y" straight away.

*The h and H sneaking looks at each other over two high rise building windows opposite each other and walking naked in front of them?? Like ehh, cheesy.

*Their family is supposed to be rivals and enemies.. but feel like they only hate each other for like the shortest amount possible. Wouldn't call that real enemies. There was no real conflict there.

*h is feisty in a way I didn't like. She is just loud and brash... But with no substance imo, it was more for the sake of being feisty 🫠

*There were some 🔥 which were OK, but I didn't feel their romance development tbh, again we were told but not shown..

*At times, it very much felt as if they are teenagers who call themselves "god of war", "queen" etc.it had this humours undertone almost, at least for me.


The final nugget though..

And HUGE spoiler...


At the end when H is bleeding out, near death, he does a blood transfusion to h.. 🫠🫠🫠🫠 like transfusion kit was just lying in the cabin they were kidnapped to and after being shot through the shoulder he just had the ability to go and transfuse his blood to her. Cause she was his blood type. How convenient 😅😅 oh and later on, her body guard saved H cause the bodyguard also has same blood and does a transfusion on the way to the hospital 🙈

Oh and.. nearly forgot... he knew they have the same blood type because a few days before kidnapping, they were targeted for bombing and when ambulance came to patch up a scrape on H, H also donates blood whilst being checked out. Cause ofcourse, what a compassionate mafia soul the H is...

[EmBibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I love a good marriage of convenience mafia romance with actually decent action scenes.

[Herica Lopez · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5⭐️ fictional men in romance books written by men should be a crime but at least the plot was interesting

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for the Mafia Romance Readathon 2023.

Really enjoyed the push and pull and the sexual tension.

This type of arranged marriage for the good of two families is something I love so much. I also loved the side dangers and the past that was stalking our character's steps. The past that we needed to excise to have an HEA.

It was thrilling, steamy, and also full of great side characters that I'm looking forward to more of.

4.5 stars
4 on the spice scale

CW: Violence, previous SA, harm done to a child (past and not overly detailes)

[Samantha (bookgramsaga reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

''Enemies who become family''

Safety warnings:
- H 31 / h 24
- No cheating
- No OM drama
- Stupid OW drama
- Kidnapping
- Captivity
- Violence/d*ath
- S*xual assault
- Trauma
- HEA

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

Sadly, this will not be a long review as I read this almost a month ago and I completely forgot to write anything down. I did like it though and despite my busy schedule at the time I was able to finish it pretty quickly!

Neve and Ares are arranged to be married to end a long-standing feud between two opposing families and the best part of it is that Neve has been ogling him through her apartment window as he is her neighbor (unbeknownst to her of course) so when it’s revealed that her new husband is actually the guy she has been checking out naked like a peeper it gets pretty funny since he knows who she is and how she has been spying on him.

They start off hating each other - well hate is a strong world as they have massive sexual tension between each other, and it blurs the lines of love and hate.

There is also something massive plaguing Neve, well actually there are two things. One of which is that when she was 19 she was sexually assaulted by two guys after a night out and they took photos of her and blackmailed her, the other one though? That one is something that is part of the subplot and is the reason so much of her past haunts her.

Seamus O’Connor is the main villain in this story, and he is this religious nutbag who kills and harms anyone who he thinks is a sinner. He kidnapped Neve when she was younger and kept her captive for a while until her uncle Cillian saved her.

The thing that happened though is that Seamus was handed over to the FBI and placed in prison which he btw breaks out of not once but twice and he wants to get to Neve to kill her.

Ares and Neve along the way become something more and fall in love with each other. The enemy becomes family as the quote stated.

Ares's brothers all seem like interesting characters, and I am intrigued to read more about them but next is Cillian's book (Neve's uncle).

[AvidReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn you, Ares Drakos Damn you!
You have now ruined all other mafia heroes for me.

From the start to the last, I was constantly smiling, shaking my head and FANNING myself. It’s been a while since I enjoyed a book with this much witty banter.
Ares and Neve were both stubborn and strong but together they were one powerhouse.
It was truly a battle of wills and god, there were many scenes I absolutely adored. Especially those where Ares purposefully nags Neve. I was laughing so much at his antics.
Neve was such a memorable heroine. Fearless, sarcastic but kind. I loved them all (secondary character included).
It was a refreshing change to read a mafia hero who wasn’t silent, broody grumpy but still an alpha and dangerous.

I also haven’t encountered a villain this vile in a while. That man was scary with capital S.
The last part of the book was so good. There were so many twists and revelations I wasn’t expecting and then there was Ares! I still can’t believe the things he did for Neve.

I would describe the secondary characters as a bunch of psychos except Eilish and Callie. Also the writing style and the pace of the book is also so good.
I can’t decide if Cillian is creepy or charming. But I’m so ready to the read his story (the second book in the series).

Safe, highly recommended and KU.

This book contains mention of SA and torture. So check the TW.

[Bookgasms Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

AHH! Jagger Cole legit wrote his best book with Deviant Hearts! I am SO obsessed with this series it isn't even funny. Ares and Neve were sexy, intense and just perfect for another. This story was 1000% pure fire! Cole knocked it out of the park with this one!

I absolutely loved how protective, dominant and edgy Ares was. Likewise, Neve was sassy, strong and so assertive. I love how they perfectly complemented one another. The jealousy, protectiveness and all around fiery connection is not one to be missed!

Now I can't wait for more books in this series! Bring on Vicious Hearts! 5 stars! ~Ratula

[Teresa González · Rating 1 out of 5]

ew

[safeya ༒︎]

dnf
i had no right reading an FM romance written by a man. i’m sorry but absolutely not.
i couldn’t even get past the first chapter. it’s SO cliche. wth was that writing??? i was rolling my eyes from the first page ngl.
booktok LIED.

[Luna ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

»This may have started as a political alignment. But make no fucking mistake: You are fucking mine.«

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

❥ 𝑵𝒆𝒗𝒆
What a great main character. She‘s kind, strong and very relatable.

❥ 𝑨𝒓𝒆𝒔
Loved him. He‘s intelligent and knows how to pick his battles. I liked that he gives Neve time and accepts her temper.

✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
This was a very good and enjoyable read.
The arranged marriage was well done and there were many interesting plot elements. It is well thought out and thrilling up to the last page.
I liked all of the characters, the character building and development is very good. The tension between Ares and Neve is sooo good and they are perfect for each other.
Overall this is an amazing mafia read with some twist and turns.
I am excited to read Cillians story soon.

~I didn't just get a wife and sign a peace treaty. I got a partner. An equal. Someone who makes my steps easier and my heart lighter. Someone I love. Even if I haven't figured out how to tell her that yet. ~ Ares

plot: 5/5
spice: 2/5
humor: 3/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 5/5
happy end?: yes

keywords: mafia, arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, possessive and protective hero, family secrets, bad past, touch her and you‘ll die, forced proximity



𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 Deviant Hearts ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Vicious Hearts ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#3 Sinful Hearts ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#4 Twisted Hearts ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#5 Stolen Hearts ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#6 Reckless Hearts ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Aditi · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story is good but it's writing style really needs improvement, I mean what the hell did I just read??
Also, the h is so fucking annoying like she stares at the H through her window when he is naked but when H does it, she is angry.

She bad mouths at every single chance she gets. H even though has some hidden motive for marrying h, he at least treats her right, but h kept mad mouthing him, insulting him and what not!!!
She was insufferable, if felt like I was reading some 12-13 yr old rich brat's book.

On their wedding night, after they've done the deed, H asks her to sleep with him on his bed because she is his wife and the annoying h denies that she won't and sleep on the couch as if she couldn't sleep in the same bed with her husband even after having sex with him, why? Because she wants to prove that she is not attracted to him.

She even slaps the H because he asks if she thinks herself as a whore because she does not want to sleep beside him because that's what they do, sleep and go away and that was what h was doing but when H just says what she was doing aloud, she slaps him???

She even fucking goes out of the room and into another and masturbates remembering their night??? I can't, I just can't finish this book!! This was intolerable on another level, and I'm so pissed off at his h that I think I might never read any books from this author.

[Harim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh, it's pretty generic.
I was really looking forward to it since the blurb is so good but i found myself incredibly bored and constantly zoned out.

Zero connection to the story or characters, long drawn out chapters of nothingness but most importantly the astoundingly dull interactions between the hero and heroine.

They talk like high schoolers and have lukewarm chemistry at best.

Anyhoo, the mafia stories these days are pretty redundant and lacking.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

My god, this book was screaming for an editor. Grammatical errors, typos, and the plot was average at best. All of the characters were so over the top they read like caricatures. And I seriously did not enjoy how the author made every other dialogue seem like people were screaming (uppercase letters and exclamation points galore). Yeah, this is a no from me.

[Corinne [hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mafia romance, enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, possessive & reckless alpha, fiery & strong heroine, touch her and you die, light bondage, angry sex

🍀🏺A tale as old as time where the characters are forced into an arranged marriage to end the conflict between the Irish and Greek mafia families of New York.
They move from angry mindblowing sex to real feelings. The guy is pretty possessive off the bat although not really explained by the author.
Long story short, pretty entertaining for a mafia romance. I liked the last 10% quite a bit.

What I hated was how everybody was reffering to the main character, Ares, as the god of war, multiple times. I was losing my god damn mind over it.
Also, you don't see their relationship build in time. You hear it from the characters but there's nothing shown, except for sex scenes and the hero being super possessive and being violent to people disrespecting his wife.

-------
Update: a few months after reading this I can't remember anything about it.

[Ainhoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The moment when the college professor tells her her sex life gave her purpose and focus, puh-lease. It’s late for me people, but you know what you need to do to get good grades 🤓💀

I kinda liked the plot and the action but I’m not sold on their relationship and super hyper mega out of the charts explosive chemistry and how they fixed each others faults.

[Lover of Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Introduction
Deviant Hearts was the pick for our Dark Romance Book Club. (If you want an invite or love dark romance, DM me :) ) and this is an author that I have been wanting to read for multiple of reasons. One is that he is becoming very popular, and I adore male romance authors. They just are rare in the genre and I do think that they have so much to give to the community. In this one, we see a male author writing dark mafia romance and I actually think this is a solid mafia romance and will appeal to many readers. It has many elements to the story that ended up really working out for me in the end though. Its super angsty type of an arranged marriage, so if you love a enemies to lovers set up than I highly recommend this one to you here.


The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Ares
Known as the "God of War" recent leader in his family, savvy in his business dealings and loyal to his family and willing to do whatever it takes for them. He is an alpha in and out of the bedrooom and enjoys rough sex and elements of BDSM.

The Heroine: Neve
Desires freedom from the mafia life, sassy and strong, independent and willful. Suffered from a kidnapping as a child and has moments of PTSD.

Summary
Neve, has a new apartment in New York City and is so proud to be living independently from her family and getting an education in college. But when her uncle betroths her to their enemy, she is furious at him for that. She doesn't understand why she has to be the sacrifical lamb right when she was gaining independence from her family. She finds Ares to be arrogant yet she is drawn to him sexually. There is a powerful chemistry that is so magnetic between them. As they do their familial duties and do what is needed to bring stability to New York and their families, they find something deeper. But when an enemy from Neve's past comes out from the shadows, it will take Neve and Ares embracing their love and strong hearts to win in the end...

My Outlook
Deviant Hearts was such a stunning story and I will say that I thorughly enjoyed myself. Now is it a perfect mafia romance? No its not. It definitely has some aspects to the story that I feel could have been better transitioned. However, its not a bad book at all. In fact I had a most difficult time rating this book, its definitely between a 4 and 4.5 for me. But I do tend to be picky about angst elements in a romance, and I do wish that the enemies to lovers transition had flowed more smoothly throughout the story. I also struggled with the heroine's character in the beginning. There was something that just didn't add up. She was a bit too conflicting as a character and she wasn't easy to relate with. It took most of the book before I grew to really enjoy her character. I did enjoy the ways in which this couple comes together. And when they are finally together and stop fighting their connection and their marriage, that is when their story really blossoms. Seeing them get to this point can be a rough road for some readers though.

Now as for the side plot of suspense that comes into the story. I actually adored this element in the book, it was so delightful to read and I couldn't get enough of it here. This villain is a really well written villain. This author definitely knows how to build on suspense and it gets very intense in this story. But the way it culminates in the end, was so different than I expected. But what I enjoyed most was seeing how Ares and Neve stand together and are able to defeat the villain in the end but its definitely not easy for them. I truly admired the way in which this happened. I love a couple learning to stand together as a team and we really see how well they do together, through the good and the bad. I found such satisfying turnout on this book and I am so intrigued by these families and what the author is planning for this series.

Overall View
Deviant Hearts is a highly powered romance packed with thrills and chills, deeply sensual and a gratifying read to leave you satisfied.

Rating Evaluation:
Plot:5
World Building:4
Cover:4
Hero: 5
Heroine: 3.5
Steam: 4
Heart & Feels:4
Ending:5
Overall View: 4.25

[Dul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Está más o menos

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

- mafia
- arranged marriage
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity
- he falls first

Ares Drakos has completely ruined me for all other mafia heroes/kings, that is all 😩

[Travelogged Blogs · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Maybe I’ll tame her. Or maybe she’ll kill me in my sleep. Either way, this is happening."

I am always up for a good mafia arranged marriage romance and this book was really enjoyable with some amount of suspense thrown in. Ares & Neve went from being enemies to lovers and since the moment they met, their chemistry was palpable. Ares was ott jealous and possesive and the things he did for Neve to protect her from harm were really appreciable. Neve was stubborn and sassy and pretend she didn't care about the marriage but I loved seeing her jealous side come out lol. Overall, the plot was engaging but somewhat predictable and the side characters were really interesting especially Ares' siblings and Neve's sister Eilish. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Jane aka Coughy019 (Safety info included) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tropes: arranged marriage, mafia, enemies to lovers
Feels: 4/5
Steam*: 4/5
Kinks: praise, cum play, rough and dirty sex
Angst: medium
HEA: yes
Pairing: MF
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: violence, murder, drugging, assault, abduction and abuse of a child in past

3.75 stars

Ares is 31, Neve is 24. He's the leader of a Greek Mafia family. She is part of the Irish Mafia family. Their families have been warring because they had a conflict recently and parties on both sides died. To keep the peace between them and to form an alliance that will make both sides stronger against other families, a marriage is arranged between Ares and Neve.

Neve is doing postgrad studies. She has a strong woman and has no interest in being used as a bargaining chip. But they're forced into it. She's reluctantly attracted to him. Initially they intended to have a marriage just on paper, but that idea goes out the door very quickly on their wedding day. They fall into a heated sexual relationship. He is whipped for her.

There are a bunch of threats to them from mafia families and an enemy from her past who traumatized her in her childhood. They have to spend a lot of time together to stay safe from threats. And they start to fall in love.

This was a decent book. And there was plot, suspense, sexual tension, and the characters had a likable dynamic together. There was some nice comic relief. There were some over the top moments (with the references to Greek gods and how he protected/defended his woman) and at the 70% mark I did wish that they had spent more time together getting to know and like each other outside of their sexual relationship, because it seemed at that point that their relationship was very physical and I'd have liked to see more tenderness and falling for the person that they are as opposed to just their body.

Some notable moments:

I love a slob, lol. "“It means,” I snap. “You are the furthest fucking thing from the ideal wife I could imagine.” The redhead gapes at me. “Okay, rude,” she sneers, shaking her head. “And fuck you, too—” “You’re tempestuous, opinionated, rash, foul-mouthed… shall I continue?” “Oh, please do!” “You’re a slob.” “I’m n—” “I’ve seen your bedroom, Neve.”"

"“You okay?” “Fine,” I shrug casually. “You?” Ares glances at me, arching a brow. It’s like the Cold War we had all week, with neither of us wanting to be the first to suggest another round of Olympian, god-like sex to the other. I smirk to myself. Guess I won that one, seeing as he’s the one who just dragged me into the bathroom to fuck my brains out."

"“What are you guys doing over here?” Callie blurts as she joins us on the couch. “Just Neve sexting your brother.” “Am not!” Callie snorts and makes a face. “Eww! Gross!” “You totally are,” Eilish giggles before turning to Callie. “And hey, girl, you asked!” “And I’m extremely sorry I did,” Callie shudders."

*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.

**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.

[ya.vl · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️
Перший раз читаю мафію написану від лиця чоловіка
Чесно сказати, то різницю важко не відчути, з самого початку замітно що це написав чоловік
Мене і не дуже цікавив сюжет, цікавіше було подивитись що ж він написав
Ну таке собі якщо чесно, куча лишньої драми, якогось крінжа, головна героїня яка вічно в шось встрягне, а Арес такий зразу витягає їі
Мені шось більше сподобались другорядні персонажі, ніж головні герої
Вроді і така сильна, впевнена в собі жінка але така дурна🤦🏿‍♀️
Арес поводив себе як типічний одержимий чоловік, з величезним его яке в кімнату не поміститься, таких чоловіків як він в реальному житті я б уникала
Може це я вже так докулупуюсь але і любові між ними я не бачила
Що це за дитяча сварка за якісь трусики в ванній, доросла жінка а такою фігнею страдає🤦🏿‍♀️ жінка б такого точно не написала
І оцей епік фейл в кінці, я хоть і не маю медичної освіти але це якось нереально звучить
Такий екшин шо капець🤦🏿‍♀️😂🤯
Книжка точно шоб посміятись
Не знаю чи буду продовжувати далі читати, хоча чесно кажучи мене багато хто з них зацікавив, ну подивлюсь пізніше бо якщо інші книги такі самі як ця то точно продовжувати не буду

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Greek and Irish mafia. Enemies to lovers. What's not to like!

[Daisy James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost went blind from how much I've rolled my eyes reading this

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

[Abstract ♥ Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALL MY REVIEWS CAN BE FOUND ON MY BLOG: ABSTRACT BOOKS

because my neighbor isn’t just eye candy. He’s Ares fucking Drakos, the brand-new king of the entire Drakos family.”

Star Rating : 4 / 5 Stars

POV : Dual

Cliffhanger : None

Hero : Ares

Heroine : Neve

Pace of the story : Moderate

Angst Rating : 6/10

Heat Rating : 6/10

Triggers Involved : Past Trauma , Hate Love

My little peeping Tom of a neighbor. My enemy. My wife.”

Plot Summary :
Neve is living a simple life. That is until a Greek god moves next door. Ares Drakos is a man not to be messed with. And now she can't help but look at him all the time through her windows. But there is one thing she can't forget. He is the enemy and would destroy her without chance. He was forbidden and no matter how much she wanted him and hated him, she could not have him.

If only fate listened to her. Because her family and his family had made a deal. To break the enmity between them , they were taking the old approach of joining the families. And that meant Raes marrying the oldest daughter of her family. Which was her. So now the one man she loved looking at but also hated was her husband to be. And he had no plans of making this easy for her.

Overall Opinion :
Omg , ares is here! I have been after this man ever since I met him in the last book by this author 🤣 And now that he has his own book , I went crazy!

I started reading this book as soon as it appeared on my Kindle and immediately loved it so much. Ares is a force to be reckoned with and Neve is the true queen he never knew he wanted. They both are literally the power couple and I loved seeing them together! Another thing that drove me crazy about this book were the side characters. All of them are so freaking amazing and now I can wait to see who gets their book next !

Definitely recommending this one to all the dark romance loving people out there!
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