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Syndicate Rules #2
Demanding Mob Boss
Anna
The world is too loud, too bright, too everything. Until I meet him. What happens when the one person I need is the utterly ruthless Boss of the Irish Mob? His touch sends me to a place I've never been. I want more of him, bloodstained hands and all.
Cian
Some call me a psychopath. I don't feel. Until I meet her. I need to know she is safe. Every minute of every day. I hire her to work for my legitimate business. I watch her. I crave her. But I am a monster. What happens when the one person who makes me feel is pure, sweet innocence? I will never let her go.
This is a stand alone Mafia romance with a guaranteed HEA.
violence, foul language, stalking.
The world is too loud, too bright, too everything. Until I meet him. What happens when the one person I need is the utterly ruthless Boss of the Irish Mob? His touch sends me to a place I've never been. I want more of him, bloodstained hands and all.
Cian
Some call me a psychopath. I don't feel. Until I meet her. I need to know she is safe. Every minute of every day. I hire her to work for my legitimate business. I watch her. I crave her. But I am a monster. What happens when the one person who makes me feel is pure, sweet innocence? I will never let her go.
This is a stand alone Mafia romance with a guaranteed HEA.
violence, foul language, stalking.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2023
608 people are currently reading
2294 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Monroe
610 books1,575 followersI write spicy romance books that end in an HEA. Contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance…I write it all. The two things my books all have in common is lots of emotion and spice. Last year, I fell in love with a new subgenre: mafia romance. Since I write what I love to read, I started a new standalone series, Syndicate Rules where you’ll meet over the top alpha heroes in the Italian and Greek mafias as well as the Irish mob. There are arranged marriages, forced marriages, enemies to lovers, stalkers, forced proximity and lots of mafia intrigue. Morally gray is my new favorite color.
Follow me on BookBub for alerts on my next release: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lucy-...
I’ve been published a while and most of my 90+ books have hit the Nielson Bookscan bestseller list, a few ended up on the USA Today bestseller list and some even hit national bestseller lists in the UK and Australia. My books have been translated into numerous languages and are for sale in dozens of countries around the world. I’ve won awards and been published with most of the big houses in New York, but my greatest achievement is touching readers’ hearts. When I hear from a reader who got caught up in one of my books, I know I’m doing what I’m meant to do.
I love writing emotionally deep stories with snappy dialogue and solid plots. I’m more grateful than I’ll ever be able to express that so many readers have taken my stories into their hearts and put my books on their reread and keeper shelves.
Follow me on BookBub for alerts on my next release: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lucy-...
I’ve been published a while and most of my 90+ books have hit the Nielson Bookscan bestseller list, a few ended up on the USA Today bestseller list and some even hit national bestseller lists in the UK and Australia. My books have been translated into numerous languages and are for sale in dozens of countries around the world. I’ve won awards and been published with most of the big houses in New York, but my greatest achievement is touching readers’ hearts. When I hear from a reader who got caught up in one of my books, I know I’m doing what I’m meant to do.
I love writing emotionally deep stories with snappy dialogue and solid plots. I’m more grateful than I’ll ever be able to express that so many readers have taken my stories into their hearts and put my books on their reread and keeper shelves.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 243 reviews
December 24, 2023
2 Stars
I just didn't love it despite it having all of the ingredients I usually adore. A couple things irked me. And overall I just found myself bored and wanting to skim. Which I ended up doing quite heavily.
I just didn't love it despite it having all of the ingredients I usually adore. A couple things irked me. And overall I just found myself bored and wanting to skim. Which I ended up doing quite heavily.
June 18, 2024
5/5 this book caused a rollercoaster of emotions
TROPES:
~8 year age gap
~mafia
~boss x employee
~autism representation
~stalker
I've read a few books by Lucy Monroe, but I believe this one is my favorite. It's so pure. You can tell that the author put in a lot of work to make this amazing novel.
Anna is autistic. She has her own view of the world and beats to her own drum. She's in a bad spot financially, so she goes to interview for a secretary job to help support herself and her roommate. A man walks in the room and takes her breath away. Cian. Mob boss, antihero, yet still intriguing.
She feels safe with him. Their relationship leading up to them getting together was the cutest. Cian is so sweet.
What did I like?:
~Anna hates eye contact, but loves when she has eye contact with Cian. They'll just stare at each other for minutes and minutes, as if they're having a silent conversation. I loved that!!
~Autism representation. The author handles this with care and it turned out so good. Anna is such a sweet soul.
~Cian buys her lunch every single day.
~Anna offered the sight of her boobs to Cian to calm him down from a rage. I was so shocked, wasn't expecting that at all LOL. It certainly worked, though!!
~Cian put cameras in her apartment, her friends house, and a tracker installed on her phone. When she finds out... she LOVES it. She offers to get an implantable device but he opted to get her an anklet that can't be removed. Love me some OTT J/P H's who need to track their love all the time!
~It's hinted that Cian was a manwhore in the past, but he stays celibate since the very first time he saw Anna. I loved that.
SAFETY:
Ages: 20h, 28H
Virgin/celibate?: virgin heroine, celibate hero
OM/OW?:no
Cheating/sharing?: no
Triggers: SA (off page, not to heroine)
HEA? yes!
TROPES:
~8 year age gap
~mafia
~boss x employee
~autism representation
~stalker
I've read a few books by Lucy Monroe, but I believe this one is my favorite. It's so pure. You can tell that the author put in a lot of work to make this amazing novel.
Anna is autistic. She has her own view of the world and beats to her own drum. She's in a bad spot financially, so she goes to interview for a secretary job to help support herself and her roommate. A man walks in the room and takes her breath away. Cian. Mob boss, antihero, yet still intriguing.
She feels safe with him. Their relationship leading up to them getting together was the cutest. Cian is so sweet.
What did I like?:
~Anna hates eye contact, but loves when she has eye contact with Cian. They'll just stare at each other for minutes and minutes, as if they're having a silent conversation. I loved that!!
~Autism representation. The author handles this with care and it turned out so good. Anna is such a sweet soul.
~Cian buys her lunch every single day.
~Anna offered the sight of her boobs to Cian to calm him down from a rage. I was so shocked, wasn't expecting that at all LOL. It certainly worked, though!!
~Cian put cameras in her apartment, her friends house, and a tracker installed on her phone. When she finds out... she LOVES it. She offers to get an implantable device but he opted to get her an anklet that can't be removed. Love me some OTT J/P H's who need to track their love all the time!
~It's hinted that Cian was a manwhore in the past, but he stays celibate since the very first time he saw Anna. I loved that.
SAFETY:
Ages: 20h, 28H
Virgin/celibate?: virgin heroine, celibate hero
OM/OW?:no
Cheating/sharing?: no
Triggers: SA (off page, not to heroine)
HEA? yes!
Read
May 21, 2024Part 2
A combination of many tropes that went wrong.
Dnf @ 63%
A combination of many tropes that went wrong.
Dnf @ 63%
September 8, 2023
4.75 ⭐️.
What a crazy ride.
I loved the pairing! Together Cian and Anna were absolutely perfect. They balanced and complimented each other really well and was so in sync with each other’s personalities. Anna was a Neurodiverse and hats off to the author for crafting her so perfectly. My heart broke for her in certain scenes.
From the first unexpected meeting, they both were enamoured with each other. Their relationship progressed beautifully. Cian was such a protective and obsessed hero.
There were many unexpected twists and I adored the plot. It was solid and well developed.
There were a bunch of secondary characters that complemented the story. Connor was a personal favourite.
Overall a very enjoyable and steamy romance.
—workplace romance.
—boy obsessed.
—neurodiverse.
—TW, standalone, safe and KU.
I received an advance review copy from Booksprout and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.
What a crazy ride.
I loved the pairing! Together Cian and Anna were absolutely perfect. They balanced and complimented each other really well and was so in sync with each other’s personalities. Anna was a Neurodiverse and hats off to the author for crafting her so perfectly. My heart broke for her in certain scenes.
From the first unexpected meeting, they both were enamoured with each other. Their relationship progressed beautifully. Cian was such a protective and obsessed hero.
There were many unexpected twists and I adored the plot. It was solid and well developed.
There were a bunch of secondary characters that complemented the story. Connor was a personal favourite.
Overall a very enjoyable and steamy romance.
—workplace romance.
—boy obsessed.
—neurodiverse.
—TW, standalone, safe and KU.
I received an advance review copy from Booksprout and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.
September 22, 2023
so political
pls tell me why tf when someone reads a romance book for entertainment the author thinks they want to get politically preached at??? I don’t care where the hell you align with politics, but leave it tf out of books people read to get away from the real world. this applies to both sides. I’m tired of getting politically preached at when I want to fucking relax.
(and don’t start on the “oh but I want to bring awareness” or “these issues need to be brought to everyone’s attention” like bitch this is a mafia age gap romance where tf in that description does it sound like this is where someone would get their politics with a penny?)
would’ve been a 3 star but the book went downhill so fast, not because of the political talk.
pls tell me why tf when someone reads a romance book for entertainment the author thinks they want to get politically preached at??? I don’t care where the hell you align with politics, but leave it tf out of books people read to get away from the real world. this applies to both sides. I’m tired of getting politically preached at when I want to fucking relax.
(and don’t start on the “oh but I want to bring awareness” or “these issues need to be brought to everyone’s attention” like bitch this is a mafia age gap romance where tf in that description does it sound like this is where someone would get their politics with a penny?)
would’ve been a 3 star but the book went downhill so fast, not because of the political talk.
December 1, 2025
"You are my earth, my moon, my sun, and my stars. I don’t want to take a single breath in this world without you in it. What is that, if not love?"
HE WAS SO OBSESSED WITH HER BOOBS AND I WAS HERE FOR IT😏
HE WAS SO OBSESSED WITH HER BOOBS AND I WAS HERE FOR IT😏
September 20, 2023
2.5 ⭐
mcs:
- cian, 28,
- anna, 20
book info:
- irish organized crime
- representation of asd
- representation of lgbt
- violence / torture/ death
- sa (off page), sexual harassment (groping)
- no cheating, opd, third act breakup
- hea (married)
notes:
- virgin fmc
- mm not sure how to categorized him, he said he had smex before but he usually prefer getting oral. he also do it sometimes with strippers from his club. so i'm not sure if he's a manhoe if he only used mouth for his release.
- when anna asked him if he used escorts, he said no and that no one else has sucked him after meeting her 😑
the story is okay, imo. it didn't pull me unlike the first two in this series. i just didn't feel the connection between the mcs (could be a me case 🤷♀️)
cian saw anna when she was waiting to be called for the interview, and he felt some sort of possession immediately with her. so he hired her to be the assistant of his assistant (he made up this position 😂) and ever since, they were working closely together.
anna is on asd and cian is a sociopath. she feels too much all the time but when cian is around he calms everything inside her. as for cian, anna made him feel things he never felt before. (well there was one girl who piqued his interest when he was younger but his parents sent this girl and her family far away, 'cause they knew cian's obsession wouldn't be good) but according to his pov the feeling he has for anna isn't the same with what he had with helen.
anyway, cian stalks her, plants cameras in her office and apartment 'cause he couldn't imagine not seeing her. and anna loooove this obsession, she doesn't like to be touched and she's uncomfortable looking anyone in the eyes, but with cian she feels safe, and she wants him to always look at her and touch her. she falls for him even more when he confessed that he planted surveillance to have eyes on her all the time. i guess it's safe to say they're equally crazy obsessed with each other .
yet for some reason, i didn't feel the connection between these two, and i honestly don't know why 😭 i feel like they're in lust not in love and cian's obsession with anna's rack didn't help either 😑 he has to always say something about her tits and to be honest i think this is the only reason he got interested at her the first time they met (it was the first thing he noticed) i just didn't get the obsession and feeling of possession between the characters, and up to end the chemistry is still lacking and the emotional pull is nowhere to be found.
but like i said this could be a me problem and other readers might feel differently. overall, though this book didn't do it for me, i think other readers would appreciate this if they want an unhinged obsessed and possessive mmc, who don't do emotions but is protective and caring with the fmc.
mcs:
- cian, 28,
- anna, 20
book info:
- irish organized crime
- representation of asd
- representation of lgbt
- violence / torture/ death
- sa (off page), sexual harassment (groping)
- no cheating, opd, third act breakup
- hea (married)
notes:
- virgin fmc
- mm not sure how to categorized him, he said he had smex before but he usually prefer getting oral. he also do it sometimes with strippers from his club. so i'm not sure if he's a manhoe if he only used mouth for his release.
- when anna asked him if he used escorts, he said no and that no one else has sucked him after meeting her 😑
the story is okay, imo. it didn't pull me unlike the first two in this series. i just didn't feel the connection between the mcs (could be a me case 🤷♀️)
cian saw anna when she was waiting to be called for the interview, and he felt some sort of possession immediately with her. so he hired her to be the assistant of his assistant (he made up this position 😂) and ever since, they were working closely together.
anna is on asd and cian is a sociopath. she feels too much all the time but when cian is around he calms everything inside her. as for cian, anna made him feel things he never felt before. (well there was one girl who piqued his interest when he was younger but his parents sent this girl and her family far away, 'cause they knew cian's obsession wouldn't be good) but according to his pov the feeling he has for anna isn't the same with what he had with helen.
anyway, cian stalks her, plants cameras in her office and apartment 'cause he couldn't imagine not seeing her. and anna loooove this obsession, she doesn't like to be touched and she's uncomfortable looking anyone in the eyes, but with cian she feels safe, and she wants him to always look at her and touch her. she falls for him even more when he confessed that he planted surveillance to have eyes on her all the time. i guess it's safe to say they're equally crazy obsessed with each other .
yet for some reason, i didn't feel the connection between these two, and i honestly don't know why 😭 i feel like they're in lust not in love and cian's obsession with anna's rack didn't help either 😑 he has to always say something about her tits and to be honest i think this is the only reason he got interested at her the first time they met (it was the first thing he noticed) i just didn't get the obsession and feeling of possession between the characters, and up to end the chemistry is still lacking and the emotional pull is nowhere to be found.
but like i said this could be a me problem and other readers might feel differently. overall, though this book didn't do it for me, i think other readers would appreciate this if they want an unhinged obsessed and possessive mmc, who don't do emotions but is protective and caring with the fmc.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2025
2.5 stars - the autistic heroine and psychopath hero was an unfortunate combo. It means no one has any real feelings or emotional connection. Which made the sex feel too cringe for me. It could have been good but one of them needed to be neurotypical. Also, while I seem to share the author’s politics, I found the heavy-handed way she inserted her beliefs preachy, off-putting, and boring. I ended up DNF-ing at 85%.
September 18, 2023
What happened to my sweet little Lucy Monroe? Spicy!
Not sure how I feel about this book, but nice change when the H is besotted from the minute he sees the h and vise versa.
I think my problem is that the H is a real mob boss and does a lot of killing and torture. Yeah, yeah is says "Mob Boss" in the title, I didn't realize just how much.
Not sure how I feel about this book, but nice change when the H is besotted from the minute he sees the h and vise versa.
I think my problem is that the H is a real mob boss and does a lot of killing and torture. Yeah, yeah is says "Mob Boss" in the title, I didn't realize just how much.
September 9, 2023
Not too sweet but not dark either for MCS!
January 20, 2025
Spoilers ahead, 3.5*
Anna Lake struggles to find and/or keep a job, in a world that requires ppl to fit in and be "normal" she's not, but bills have to be paid so she applies for the receptionist position at Doyle construction firm.
Cian is the boss of the Irish mob , he's a sociopath but from the moment he sees Anna ge knows she's his. He hires her and ensures she's as comfortable as possible. But an enemy is encroaching on their territory, now Cian has to protect his woman and eliminate the threats to his family.
*******
This was good! Mostly 😂 there were a couple eye roll worthy moments when things went a little too OTT but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
Anna has ASD and Cian is a sociopath with an obsessive need to keep her safe. His crazy matches hers and they click like two pieces of a puzzle and I loved that for them.
I loved Anna, she's a big part of my high rating for this book
Cian was all the Alpha unhinged mcs that I love.
Just enough mafia action for me, though all the alliances became a little confusing but I generally like a little bad guy unaliving to keep things spicy.
There were a couple mentions of what Cian did in the past, such as using escorts or getting BJ's from his club employees that pissed me off but he was totally gone for the h so that helped. I just wished authors didn't feel the need to mention stuff like that.
All in all my second read from this author,my first was 1 star 🤭. It'll be interesting to see where we go from here.
********
No cheating
Reformed manwhore
Virgin h
ASD rep though she didn't have a diagnosis
Violence
Torture
Murder
Stalking by h by H
Sexual assault
Anna Lake struggles to find and/or keep a job, in a world that requires ppl to fit in and be "normal" she's not, but bills have to be paid so she applies for the receptionist position at Doyle construction firm.
Cian is the boss of the Irish mob , he's a sociopath but from the moment he sees Anna ge knows she's his. He hires her and ensures she's as comfortable as possible. But an enemy is encroaching on their territory, now Cian has to protect his woman and eliminate the threats to his family.
*******
This was good! Mostly 😂 there were a couple eye roll worthy moments when things went a little too OTT but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
Anna has ASD and Cian is a sociopath with an obsessive need to keep her safe. His crazy matches hers and they click like two pieces of a puzzle and I loved that for them.
I loved Anna, she's a big part of my high rating for this book
Cian was all the Alpha unhinged mcs that I love.
Just enough mafia action for me, though all the alliances became a little confusing but I generally like a little bad guy unaliving to keep things spicy.
There were a couple mentions of what Cian did in the past, such as using escorts or getting BJ's from his club employees that pissed me off but he was totally gone for the h so that helped. I just wished authors didn't feel the need to mention stuff like that.
All in all my second read from this author,my first was 1 star 🤭. It'll be interesting to see where we go from here.
********
No cheating
Reformed manwhore
Virgin h
ASD rep though she didn't have a diagnosis
Violence
Torture
Murder
Stalking by h by H
Sexual assault
November 18, 2023
Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: forced proximity, autistic heroine
Angst: 😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥1\2
If you're in the mood for something sweet and spicy, this will definitely be the book for you! Great storyline, that moved a little slower at times, but still kept me invested to the end. I eat up any book with a neurodivergent MC and this one had two that complimented each other in the best of ways. Even though this was a mafia story, this definitely wasn't dark, more lighthearted and sweet. Nice change from my usual reads. Ill most certainly be reading this author again if the trope is right.
Trope: forced proximity, autistic heroine
Angst: 😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥1\2
If you're in the mood for something sweet and spicy, this will definitely be the book for you! Great storyline, that moved a little slower at times, but still kept me invested to the end. I eat up any book with a neurodivergent MC and this one had two that complimented each other in the best of ways. Even though this was a mafia story, this definitely wasn't dark, more lighthearted and sweet. Nice change from my usual reads. Ill most certainly be reading this author again if the trope is right.
August 2, 2023
This book takes off like a house on fire, beginning with a strange first encounter. Anna Lake's life is dictated by an orderly series of mind-quieting, self-orienting count downs of numbers and made up rhymes that are an obsessive ritual of her life. The disorienting noise taking place in a waiting room full of hopeful applicants for a receptionist position was tormenting Anna so much that when a sudden, complete absence of noise descends as Cian Doyle appears in the doorway Anna is beyond grateful and she offers him a spontaneous smile of gratitude. Cian, Chicago's Irish Mob Boss, lives in a colorless gray world so when he watches the show of colors that surround Anna he is blown away. All he can rationalize is that he wants her, that she will become his. She becomes his enigma and he becomes her safe place. The pieces of each of them fit the other. They are becoming one.
Mob life is brutal in so many ways; loyalty is tested; family is tested; alliances are tested; outsiders are tested; and day to day public laws that dictate what is perceived as normal life are tested. Failure is not an option and is rarely forgiven. This wonderful book brings all the unforgiving norms of mob life together with the day to day trying and difficult to understand aspects of a personality that resides on the autism spectrum. Abnormal meets and recognizes abnormal and the final result is simply incredible. Things the reader may think they understand will become something else entirely before they are finished reading this book. This is not just a timely and sweet love story. This is an educational manifesto for what life is really like for those among us who live with ASD.
Lucy Monroe has done it again. Her research is impeccable. Her ability to communicate with her readers, helping us visualize her stories through her own eyes is an incredible gift. I honestly cannot give her sufficient kudos. If Pulitzers were awarded for fictional romance writers she would be at the head of the line. Oh, and I love her periodic mutterings to Alex Trebek.
Mob life is brutal in so many ways; loyalty is tested; family is tested; alliances are tested; outsiders are tested; and day to day public laws that dictate what is perceived as normal life are tested. Failure is not an option and is rarely forgiven. This wonderful book brings all the unforgiving norms of mob life together with the day to day trying and difficult to understand aspects of a personality that resides on the autism spectrum. Abnormal meets and recognizes abnormal and the final result is simply incredible. Things the reader may think they understand will become something else entirely before they are finished reading this book. This is not just a timely and sweet love story. This is an educational manifesto for what life is really like for those among us who live with ASD.
Lucy Monroe has done it again. Her research is impeccable. Her ability to communicate with her readers, helping us visualize her stories through her own eyes is an incredible gift. I honestly cannot give her sufficient kudos. If Pulitzers were awarded for fictional romance writers she would be at the head of the line. Oh, and I love her periodic mutterings to Alex Trebek.
August 23, 2024
I liked it for the neurodivergent, poor orphaned h and sociopath H who likes to track, stalk, and obsess over his woman. Shes also a bit OCD and needs someone who will never get tired of her as she can obsess like he can.
didn't like how he was so enamoured by her huge, big tits that was his FIRST IMPRESSION of her *shrug*. So hes a boob man. okur. She gets a job as a personal assistant with him since she needs to pay for her rent and food that she shares with her best friend.
that scene when she gets picked up by the two crooked cops was a bit puzzling. She gets taken by the two cops while she had two or three (I can't remember) bodyguards with her and they don't stop her from being taken to the station with them. While shes in the car with them, the guy that is next to her gropes her HUGE BIG TITS and then strokes her no-no square. Shes yelling at the female cop with them to stop him from touching her and the female cop does nothing. She hates being touched by anyone but the H so she is so so upset and it felt a bit like a rape scene with her reaction which is more severe with her mental ND. But not to worry, the cops get what they deserve!
anyway, I didn't hate it! I wish more books had this over the top, crazy obsessed like this! and more autistic or neurodivergent different h's!
didn't like how he was so enamoured by her huge, big tits that was his FIRST IMPRESSION of her *shrug*. So hes a boob man. okur. She gets a job as a personal assistant with him since she needs to pay for her rent and food that she shares with her best friend.
that scene when she gets picked up by the two crooked cops was a bit puzzling. She gets taken by the two cops while she had two or three (I can't remember) bodyguards with her and they don't stop her from being taken to the station with them. While shes in the car with them, the guy that is next to her gropes her HUGE BIG TITS and then strokes her no-no square. Shes yelling at the female cop with them to stop him from touching her and the female cop does nothing. She hates being touched by anyone but the H so she is so so upset and it felt a bit like a rape scene with her reaction which is more severe with her mental ND. But not to worry, the cops get what they deserve!
anyway, I didn't hate it! I wish more books had this over the top, crazy obsessed like this! and more autistic or neurodivergent different h's!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2023
4 stars
Tropes : mafia romance, mental disabilities, possessive male
Ending : HEA (they got married)
Triggers : violence, death of parents, sexual assault, blood
Spice : 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Angst : 🔥🔥/5
OM/OW drama : OM (H got jealous of OM when he tried to hit on the h; another OM assaulted the h)
Kink: virgin h, boobs fetish (?), creampie, oral
Hero : Cian Doyle
Heroine: Anna Lake
The h surely took ‘I’m different from the other girls’ to a while new level.
For the first time ever, a heroine that wanted the hero to spy on her and be obsessed with her by encouraging him to put tracker on her and applaud him on putting spy cam in her apartment and her friend’s apartment so he could watch her whenever he wanted. She even installed an app on his phone called ‘nanny cam’ or sth along the line that he could access whenever and look at her through the front cam or the back one.
They were wiiillldddd like that lol. The sex was okay. Oh and a mob boss that was sweet to the h since the very beginning and no push and pull? A mob boss that acknowledge his obsessiveness towards his woman and didn’t try to deny it? But the mob boss still look badass while being whipped and head over heels for the h. Those are new ones in the history of my exploration of romance novels.
Sometimes when a hero becomes sappy they looked too pussy whipped for my liking. This one succeeded in balancing out everything.
That was kinda disturbing ngl.
There were parts where I was confused and kinda amused at but I don’t want to elaborate since it might be too controversial for woke people and I don’t want to get bombarded by outlook that I don’t agree nor subscribe to *le gasp*.
This book is pretty unique for me bcs of the h tbh. i quite enjoyed this.
Tropes : mafia romance, mental disabilities, possessive male
Ending : HEA (they got married)
Triggers : violence, death of parents, sexual assault, blood
Spice : 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Angst : 🔥🔥/5
OM/OW drama : OM (H got jealous of OM when he tried to hit on the h; another OM assaulted the h)
Kink: virgin h, boobs fetish (?), creampie, oral
Hero : Cian Doyle
Heroine: Anna Lake
The h surely took ‘I’m different from the other girls’ to a while new level.
For the first time ever, a heroine that wanted the hero to spy on her and be obsessed with her by encouraging him to put tracker on her and applaud him on putting spy cam in her apartment and her friend’s apartment so he could watch her whenever he wanted. She even installed an app on his phone called ‘nanny cam’ or sth along the line that he could access whenever and look at her through the front cam or the back one.
They were wiiillldddd like that lol. The sex was okay. Oh and a mob boss that was sweet to the h since the very beginning and no push and pull? A mob boss that acknowledge his obsessiveness towards his woman and didn’t try to deny it? But the mob boss still look badass while being whipped and head over heels for the h. Those are new ones in the history of my exploration of romance novels.
Sometimes when a hero becomes sappy they looked too pussy whipped for my liking. This one succeeded in balancing out everything.
That was kinda disturbing ngl.
There were parts where I was confused and kinda amused at but I don’t want to elaborate since it might be too controversial for woke people and I don’t want to get bombarded by outlook that I don’t agree nor subscribe to *le gasp*.
This book is pretty unique for me bcs of the h tbh. i quite enjoyed this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
January 5, 2024DNF 53%
I didn’t feel any chemistry between the main characters and I hate when H is not claiming h and is like “I need to keep a distance to protect her” ugh noo.
🔶 virgin h
🔶 on spectrum h
🔶 sociopath H
🔶 no cheating
🔶 no ow/om drama
🔶 slow burn ( didn’t arrive to smexy times)
🔶 heavy petting (so far 2x)
🔶 Irish mafia boss
🔶 boss/employee
🔶 barely financially handling h
I didn’t feel any chemistry between the main characters and I hate when H is not claiming h and is like “I need to keep a distance to protect her” ugh noo.
🔶 virgin h
🔶 on spectrum h
🔶 sociopath H
🔶 no cheating
🔶 no ow/om drama
🔶 slow burn ( didn’t arrive to smexy times)
🔶 heavy petting (so far 2x)
🔶 Irish mafia boss
🔶 boss/employee
🔶 barely financially handling h
January 12, 2025
4.5 rounded up to 5
I loved soooo much about this book! Even the things that annoyed me, I’m willing to forgive simply because I really enjoyed this! I will say though, I KNOW this is a mafia book, but it just had sooo much mafia stuff that I just didn’t care about. It was a little too much action for me, and I skipped past all the boring mafia stuff
I loved soooo much about this book! Even the things that annoyed me, I’m willing to forgive simply because I really enjoyed this! I will say though, I KNOW this is a mafia book, but it just had sooo much mafia stuff that I just didn’t care about. It was a little too much action for me, and I skipped past all the boring mafia stuff
September 11, 2023
What do get when you put a neurodiverse FMC with a sociopath MMC? Insta obsession (well at least in this case) two of my favorite types of characters should have been amazing but I’m sad to say I didn’t like this book as much as I thought I would. So this will be a 3.5-3.75 for me!!
Things I liked:
-these two wanted each other from the moment they locked eyes and Anna smiled at Cian. Neither of them knew what it meant at the time but they knew they were meant to be together. She calms his rage and he quiets the noise in her head
-It’s definitely touch her and die vibes.
-I liked how there was no guessing with them. Both of them were very blunt with their words so the communication was great.
-I loved the secondary characters
Things I didn’t like:
-I didn’t really like that Cian owned strip clubs and escort services. The first chapter he’s in the strip club and mentions some strippers boobs which happens after he meets the FMC. With that comes him telling us how he sleeps with and gets blown by the strippers and the escorts. He even tells this to Anna. In the book before this we hear none of the MMCs sexual history so I was expecting it here and was mad that was not the case. He takes her with him to the escort service when he has to do business. Idk why I didn’t like that either.
-They had so much damn sex! Again. Even using the epilogue for another sex scene which I HATE. She was also led by her body a lot.
-I loved Connor, he was one of my favorites but I felt like his situation was just thrown in there to add more pages to the book but not more substance to if it if that makes sense.
-I didn’t really care about the conflict that was happening with Cian and his clan. Usually the conflict kind of includes both the MCs but I feel like it only included Cian here so we saw lots of him dealing with it. I would have liked to see more between him and Anna instead.
I’m hoping this author circles back around and gives us books for some secondary characters (Lachlan and Shea)
NO CHEATING
NO OW/OM DRAMA
VIRGIN FMC
NOT SURE IF HE WAS A MANWHORE BEFORE BUT HE HOOKS UP WITH THE WOMEN HE EMPLOYS AT HIS STRIP CLUBS AND ESCORT SERVICES SO IM ASSUMING HES DONE HIS FAIR SHARE
TRIGGER WARNING FOR SA (secondary character) AND FOR THE GRAPHIC TORTURE
Things I liked:
-these two wanted each other from the moment they locked eyes and Anna smiled at Cian. Neither of them knew what it meant at the time but they knew they were meant to be together. She calms his rage and he quiets the noise in her head
-It’s definitely touch her and die vibes.
-I liked how there was no guessing with them. Both of them were very blunt with their words so the communication was great.
-I loved the secondary characters
Things I didn’t like:
-I didn’t really like that Cian owned strip clubs and escort services. The first chapter he’s in the strip club and mentions some strippers boobs which happens after he meets the FMC. With that comes him telling us how he sleeps with and gets blown by the strippers and the escorts. He even tells this to Anna. In the book before this we hear none of the MMCs sexual history so I was expecting it here and was mad that was not the case. He takes her with him to the escort service when he has to do business. Idk why I didn’t like that either.
-They had so much damn sex! Again. Even using the epilogue for another sex scene which I HATE. She was also led by her body a lot.
-I loved Connor, he was one of my favorites but I felt like his situation was just thrown in there to add more pages to the book but not more substance to if it if that makes sense.
-I didn’t really care about the conflict that was happening with Cian and his clan. Usually the conflict kind of includes both the MCs but I feel like it only included Cian here so we saw lots of him dealing with it. I would have liked to see more between him and Anna instead.
I’m hoping this author circles back around and gives us books for some secondary characters (Lachlan and Shea)
NO CHEATING
NO OW/OM DRAMA
VIRGIN FMC
NOT SURE IF HE WAS A MANWHORE BEFORE BUT HE HOOKS UP WITH THE WOMEN HE EMPLOYS AT HIS STRIP CLUBS AND ESCORT SERVICES SO IM ASSUMING HES DONE HIS FAIR SHARE
TRIGGER WARNING FOR SA (secondary character) AND FOR THE GRAPHIC TORTURE
August 16, 2025
He was not possessive or protective enough for me. He literally let the police take her in for interrogation as part of his "protocol" when they became suspicious, and he didn’t say anything to her about the situation. He didn’t explain that the police would take her or reassure her that she didn’t need to worry. Instead, he stayed silent. The worst part was that the two detectives who took her molested her breasts and hurt her. Honestly, if Cian had stood up and said, “Nobody will take my woman, forget the protocol,” maybe this could have been avoided. Instead, he let the police take her. Poor h was even hoping the bodyguards would step in, but they did nothing.
I also expected him to get his revenge immediately. But no, we had to wait until the end, after he finished with his mafia business, and even that was anticlimactic. I also felt like he gave more attention to his mob dealings than to her. He literally kept his distance to “protect” her, but after the police incident, that clearly wasn’t the smartest choice. Even Cian himself realized that.
Safety-
Virgin h, manwhore H- He normally get a blow from a dancer of his club because it's less trouble but sometimes he use escort
Condom use- they don't want to use it a first, but h doesn't want to get pregnant yet so they decided to use in the epilogue they switched to birth control.
Assault- a secondary character, is r@pe, although it is not something that explicitly is heavily implied. Also, the h situation with the detective.
HEA- epilogue a few months later in they wedding day, not kids yet, but h decided in one year she want to try for a baby
I also expected him to get his revenge immediately. But no, we had to wait until the end, after he finished with his mafia business, and even that was anticlimactic. I also felt like he gave more attention to his mob dealings than to her. He literally kept his distance to “protect” her, but after the police incident, that clearly wasn’t the smartest choice. Even Cian himself realized that.
Safety-
Virgin h, manwhore H- He normally get a blow from a dancer of his club because it's less trouble but sometimes he use escort
Condom use- they don't want to use it a first, but h doesn't want to get pregnant yet so they decided to use in the epilogue they switched to birth control.
Assault- a secondary character, is r@pe, although it is not something that explicitly is heavily implied. Also, the h situation with the detective.
HEA- epilogue a few months later in they wedding day, not kids yet, but h decided in one year she want to try for a baby
October 29, 2023
h was not a normal person in most people's point of view, but H made her feel safe. They were meant to be together. The plot was great at first, but in the middle, sth bad happened to H's sister, and other thing happened to h, ( although not as bad as H's sister) still influenced my mood in reading this book. So only three stars.
September 19, 2023
DNF 50%
The Mafia stuff was interesting. The main characters were not. It felt like the guy was wooing a child, or maybe a doll. Insta-love doesn't do it for me. It only made sense from the girl's perspective.
The Mafia stuff was interesting. The main characters were not. It felt like the guy was wooing a child, or maybe a doll. Insta-love doesn't do it for me. It only made sense from the girl's perspective.
November 9, 2023
Personally this book to me had so much potential however for me I felt like it needed more description like when the hero went to his mums house I needed more detail of what it was like, just felt like it was missing elements
March 29, 2024
𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗠𝗢𝗕 𝗕𝗢𝗦𝗦
𝒮𝓎𝓃𝒹𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝑅𝓊𝓁𝑒𝓈 #2
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ꜱᴘɪᴄᴇ: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
🎧 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 (ALC code provided)
⏳ 08𝗛 50𝗠
🎙️𝗗𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺𝘀 & 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗸
💛𝙸𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝙼𝚊𝚏𝚒𝚊
🌼𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
💛𝙱𝚘𝚜𝚜 𝚇 𝙴𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚎
🌼𝙽𝚎𝚞𝚛𝚘��𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚎
💛𝚂𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚘
🌼𝙰𝚐𝚎 𝙶𝚊𝚙
💛𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐
For Anna, the world is too loud, too bright, too everything. Until she met Cian, her boss who is also an Irish Mafia leader. She doesn’t mind his touch, in fact, she wants more of him, bloodstained hands and all. Cian is a sociopath, but he secretly craves her and starts stalking her to keep her safe. When his bad side of business almost threatened her safety, he vows to make them pay for hurting his woman…
This was the second book of the Syndicate Rules, and since I was reading this out of order too, I was surprised that this was about Irish Mafia. So far we have Italian, Greek, and Irish both have very little connection to each other. But I enjoy this book nonetheless. Cian and Anna are such an unlikely couple, both of them have problems with connecting to other people. Anna is autistic, and Cian is an undiagnosed sociopath, but their attraction is undeniable.
It was pretty much an instalove, Cian was smitten at first sight and started stalking Anna. She, on the other hand, is very attracted to her boss too, but was oblivious that it was reciprocated. When she found out she was being stalked, she was over the moon instead of thinking that he was creepy, but I found it cute. Especially the scene when she calms him down with her boobs🫣 Overall, it was an adorable mafia story, not too dark and a little bit on the sweeter side with an interesting side character storyline. If you’re already a fan of Lucy Monroe, or new to mafia romance, this will be a great book for you.
🎧𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄🎧
Both narrators are new to me, and this was the first dual-style narration audiobook for Lucy Monroe and I was lucky enough to be able to listen to this audio. I have to say Faith Clark did such a good job portraying Anna as a character with ASD, I feel like her voice was really spot on, just what I imagine Anna will sound like, blunt, a little bit awkward, and somewhat cute. The same goes for Denver Adams, I quite enjoy his voice and he did well on the Irish accent too. This was a high-quality audio and I enjoyed it immensely.
⚠️𝗖𝗪/𝗧𝗪/𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀/𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿⚠️
- Sexual Assault
- Violence
- Virgin FMC
- Character experiences fear of being discovered as gay
- LGBTQ+ Representation
✿ 𝙸 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 ALC 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 The Author 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚖 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚢 ✿
𝒮𝓎𝓃𝒹𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝑅𝓊𝓁𝑒𝓈 #2
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ꜱᴘɪᴄᴇ: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
🎧 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 (ALC code provided)
⏳ 08𝗛 50𝗠
🎙️𝗗𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺𝘀 & 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗸
💛𝙸𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝙼𝚊𝚏𝚒𝚊
🌼𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
💛𝙱𝚘𝚜𝚜 𝚇 𝙴𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚎
🌼𝙽𝚎𝚞𝚛𝚘��𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚎
💛𝚂𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚘
🌼𝙰𝚐𝚎 𝙶𝚊𝚙
💛𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐
For Anna, the world is too loud, too bright, too everything. Until she met Cian, her boss who is also an Irish Mafia leader. She doesn’t mind his touch, in fact, she wants more of him, bloodstained hands and all. Cian is a sociopath, but he secretly craves her and starts stalking her to keep her safe. When his bad side of business almost threatened her safety, he vows to make them pay for hurting his woman…
This was the second book of the Syndicate Rules, and since I was reading this out of order too, I was surprised that this was about Irish Mafia. So far we have Italian, Greek, and Irish both have very little connection to each other. But I enjoy this book nonetheless. Cian and Anna are such an unlikely couple, both of them have problems with connecting to other people. Anna is autistic, and Cian is an undiagnosed sociopath, but their attraction is undeniable.
It was pretty much an instalove, Cian was smitten at first sight and started stalking Anna. She, on the other hand, is very attracted to her boss too, but was oblivious that it was reciprocated. When she found out she was being stalked, she was over the moon instead of thinking that he was creepy, but I found it cute. Especially the scene when she calms him down with her boobs🫣 Overall, it was an adorable mafia story, not too dark and a little bit on the sweeter side with an interesting side character storyline. If you’re already a fan of Lucy Monroe, or new to mafia romance, this will be a great book for you.
🎧𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄🎧
Both narrators are new to me, and this was the first dual-style narration audiobook for Lucy Monroe and I was lucky enough to be able to listen to this audio. I have to say Faith Clark did such a good job portraying Anna as a character with ASD, I feel like her voice was really spot on, just what I imagine Anna will sound like, blunt, a little bit awkward, and somewhat cute. The same goes for Denver Adams, I quite enjoy his voice and he did well on the Irish accent too. This was a high-quality audio and I enjoyed it immensely.
⚠️𝗖𝗪/𝗧𝗪/𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀/𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿⚠️
- Sexual Assault
- Violence
- Virgin FMC
- Character experiences fear of being discovered as gay
- LGBTQ+ Representation
✿ 𝙸 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 ALC 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 The Author 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚖 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚢 ✿
August 30, 2023
Anna really needed a job and when Cian sees her he know he needs to keep her close, and makes a position for her. The world overpowers Anna's senses but Cian brings her the calmness, ironic as he's a a man that felt nothing until Anna came along. He's ruthless, a psychopathic reputation ahead of him, but when it comes to Anna she's his and will do anything to keep her safe. This story has you hooked from the start! Engaging depth of character, Anna's portrayal is the perfect mix, and Cians dark depth know no bounds.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 28, 2024
3.5 Stars
Obsession an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind.
I don’t know what it was but this couple clicked with me from the start.
Loved both the H/h and the storyline had it all; steamy scenes, dirty cops, mob business and great supporting characters.
Obsession an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind.
I don’t know what it was but this couple clicked with me from the start.
Loved both the H/h and the storyline had it all; steamy scenes, dirty cops, mob business and great supporting characters.
December 23, 2024
I liked how the two MCs fit together with their quirks. Consensual stalking was oddly fun to read about. But Taylor Swift references and stilted dialogue ultimately brought the rating down for me
January 15, 2025
2.25 ⭐️ “You are my earth, my moon, my sun, and my stars. I don’t want to take a single breath in this world without you in it. What is that, if not love?”
May 24, 2025
There were so many things I did and did not like about this book. So many inconsistencies and I was really over the amount of political ad-libbing and over explaining. I did love the beginning of Anna and Cian's relationship but the relationship just kind of fizzled towards the end.
January 4, 2025
The couple: Cian and Anna
Romance trope: mafia
Series: Syndicate Rules
Length: 314 pages
Plot: Anna is interviewing for a new job, in a group of other people, when she meets her boss, Cian. Even though he normally feels little to no affection for people, he knows that Anna is meant to be his. He hires her and puts her right outside his office. He also puts cameras everywhere that she might be so he can keep an eye on her. Anna, who struggles with the overstimulation of normal life, finds this attention surprisingly affirming and doesn't try too hard to disconnect from him, despite her friends' concerns. The trick here is that Cian's life is dangerous and he needs to keep Anna safe from his enemies at all costs.
Commentary: This one was surprisingly sweet. Anna is on the spectrum and struggles with sensory issues more than anything. She enjoys being watched constantly and makes it easy for Cian to do so. They were perfect for each other and I liked that Cian didn't question Anna's needs at all.
Previous book in the series: Urgent Vows
Next book in the series: Ruthless Enforcer
Romance trope: mafia
Series: Syndicate Rules
Length: 314 pages
Plot: Anna is interviewing for a new job, in a group of other people, when she meets her boss, Cian. Even though he normally feels little to no affection for people, he knows that Anna is meant to be his. He hires her and puts her right outside his office. He also puts cameras everywhere that she might be so he can keep an eye on her. Anna, who struggles with the overstimulation of normal life, finds this attention surprisingly affirming and doesn't try too hard to disconnect from him, despite her friends' concerns. The trick here is that Cian's life is dangerous and he needs to keep Anna safe from his enemies at all costs.
Commentary: This one was surprisingly sweet. Anna is on the spectrum and struggles with sensory issues more than anything. She enjoys being watched constantly and makes it easy for Cian to do so. They were perfect for each other and I liked that Cian didn't question Anna's needs at all.
Previous book in the series: Urgent Vows
Next book in the series: Ruthless Enforcer
November 30, 2023
It was so boring. No way I came out of the first two books happy and jump into this mess. No romance, no plot, heroine was bland and weak compared to the previous heroines. No development. But I still have faith for the next book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 243 reviews