Never Say Never

Vitale Brothers #4

by Brea Alepoú, Skyler Snow

I’d do anything for my family. Even go undercover and devote my life to the FBI so they can continue to thrive. Everything I do is for the Vitale name. I just have to focus, complete my job, divert attention and stay out of trouble.

But trouble finds me.

Not just me, but York Washington. He’s my boss, but more than that he’s my friend. When he and his daughters are thrown into danger I have no choice but to step into the light. Finally, I get to go back home.

But home is a strange hellscape I no longer understand.

While a war wages on, I’m caught between who I am and who I was with a man I’ve betrayed. There’s no happily ever after for me.

The fourth book in the Vitale brother series. Each book can be read as a standalone but best enjoyed read in order. HEA guaranteed. (Will be released beforePreOrder date)

Genres: M M Romance, Dark Romance, Romance, Dark, Mafia Romance, Enemies To Lovers, LGBT

462 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 2024

About the author

Brea Alepoú realized her dream was to write and tell stories after spending five years in college getting a degree. She has since been writing and letting her imagination free. She thought she would only write contemporary at first but soon found her love for making worlds. So now she writes it all. With her wild imagination, expect lots of different stories, from fairies ruling to vampires killing everyone, to the sweet loving between two men, passion between two fierce women, or the love of multiple partners. She believes that everyone deserves love even if not all of her characters get it right away. Love is passionate, hot, needy, confusing, painful, fulfilling, and all-consuming.
(pnr, contemporary, fantasy, erotica, romance, shifter mpreg, & rh)
There will be a book for everyone.
Insanity is Contagious.
Brea Alepoú

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

HATE SEX HATE SEX HATE SEX HATE SEX HATE SEX HATE SEX HATE SEX HATE SEX HATE SEX HATE SEX HATE SEX
+ non-con-ish or maybe dub-con vibes (sometimes) + A SURPRISE DOUBLE EDGED DILDO (a surprise for me, not the MC) = a happy Chelsea... 🤭🤭🤭



I love me some hate sex.
I love me some rough sex.
I love me some bitches who switch.
I love me some jizzin and splizzin all over the place. and oddly enough, I like the soft side (but ultimately INSANER HARDCORE PROTECTIVE SIDE ALSO) that the two kids bring out in Paulo, and normally I hate fuck ass kids in books, but the family protectiveness business HAD ME HOT AND BOVVERED.

York was whatever, he was giving DILF Zaddy vibes, was cop... not much else to say about him really. He served his purpose. Keep kids safe, make Paulo cum. Done.

These are my kind of toxic men.

[Nerlie౨ৎ 🎧📚 · Rating 2 out of 5]

⋆˚࿔ review 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
2⭐️

I’m so disappointed in this one like wow… this was easily the worst in the series for me.
It was just so bland there was no real substance at ALL everything felt weirdly surface level.
Their relationship?? I didn’t get it because it was so underdeveloped I felt nothing.
Even the plot was flat 😭 like completely flatline energy.
I didn’t give it 1 star only because it wasn’t boring just… BLAND. And yes there’s a difference.
Also the way everyone jumped Paul and Benito knew everything the entire time but said nothing??? That bothered me so bad.
So yeah overall this was a flop.


ෆ ༚︶︶︶︶ෆ ༚꒰ ෆ ꒱༚ ෆ︶︶︶︶༚ ෆ

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ pre read ⋆. 𐙚 ˚
Did I basically read this series backwards?😔Maybe. But I’m committed so I’m finishing it anyway.
I never know what to read😭

[Renae Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was the most curious about the mysterious Gianpaolo Vitale and his story does not disappoint. His story is nothing short of complicated, nearly impossible, and forbidden. His insane chemistry with his FBI boss, York while maintaining his connection to his mafia roots was such a delicate balancing act that I thought was well done.

I thought the stark differences in Paul and Paulo's personalities and demeanor were also fun to see. His ability to switch from dutiful agent to dangerously unhinged mafioso was brilliantly done and showed Paulo's intense commitment to the role he had to play.

There were many surprises throughout Paulo's story and many complications with his dueling loyalties to his brothers and York. Overall this story was a whirlwind that I could not get enough of and thought was executed perfectly. I cannot wait to get the grand finale next because my goodness was that one epic cliffhanger that left me desperate for the final installment.

Also... I loved getting to see all of the brothers again. They are all so much fun and I love their growing family in all its dysfunctional glory.

*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this story.***

[Kati *☆･ﾟ · Rating 5 out of 5]

re-read on audio April 2025

Just what I needed. Ofc it only got better on audio.



4.25***** stars


I was tired of waiting for the audio so I picked up the ebook. But there is always the re-read, right?

Paul didn't know a thing about me. Even if I knew everything about him.

Bahahaha, THE DELUSION!!! 🤣🤣🤣

I never thought Gianpaolo would be as deranged as the rest of them but that was obvs delusional on my part.


As with previous books in the series I’m giving five stars even though these are not 5-star reads for me—just because this family is freaking awesome.

**************
Vitale Brothers Series

Book 1 - Take Me Apart - 4.25 stars
Book 2 - Paid in Full - 4.25 stars
Book 3 - Say I Do - 4.5 stars
Book 4 - Never Say Never - 4.25 stars
Book 5 - End It All - release in two days
Book 6 - Always the Villain - release 12/25

[vicky ꨄ︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won’t lie this is honestly such a sweet story (if you ignore the mafia side)





———————————————————————————————

𐙚⋆°. preread

Did I mention that I’m obsessed with this series

[TrippyBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you infiltrate the FBI so you can sabotage any investigation into your psychopath brothers but you accidentally fall for the one person u cant have, your boss.

I knew id love this one . All of the Vitale brothers are insane and Gianpaolo is no different . If you enjoy the other books, I think you will like this one as well. At some points you don’t understand how they could possibly work through It . They are on opposite sides of the law.


That ending 👀
I need the last book!

Single dad
Possessive love
Lots of violence
Betrayal

[natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I needed to see more domestic scenes between York & Paolo before things went to shit. It would have helped me believe that they had a proper connection.

The shift from lovers to being in love felt sudden. I didn’t get how Paolo could already consider York to be his or how he was calling York’s daughters “My girls” as quickly as he did. I can’t figure out if I’m supposed to assume that there were off-page moments between them that spurred the relationship on?

I also wasn’t buying York caring for Paolo all that much. Up until the halfway point, I felt he’d only seen Paolo as a means to explore his sexuality and more like a convenient fuckbuddy. There wasn’t much evidence to suggest York felt a deep connection. It felt more like he was begrudgingly attracted to him. It took half the book before I began to see York romantically caring for Paolo.

[❀ Alex ❀ [Hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

"Sanity was only a facade with me. I was born into chaos and I wielded mayhem freely."

I have no words, this book blew me away !!

The story follows Gianpaolo, Giancarlo's twin brother who has been acting as a FBI agent for 10 years to protect his family. But life as law abiding citizen is quite difficult as he longs to be with his brothers,
especially his twin. His boss at the office doesn't make things easier for him either when the said sexy man calls out to his inner demon to possess him and own him. Paolo is flirty, crazy, loyal, possessive, and an absolute delight on page.

York, his boss on the other hand despises the Vitales and made it his mission to bring them down, all the while trying to be the best dad for his twin girls.
He has avoided all sexual advances from Paul (Paolo) but it's really hard to keep the barriers up and temptations at bay when the pursuer is an unhinged, obsessive, psycho mafia.

This book was full of action with twists and turns at every corner. And the chemistry between the characters was off the charts. I was waiting for the moment when York will find out about Paolo's identity, cause I knew things will implode and boy, did the authors deliver on angst and drama.
I also really loved Paolo's relationship with the girls, it was so precious. And I'm glad both Paolo and York found their HEA even though it was a rough journey.

I highly recommend this and it can be read as a standalone, but I do feel some parts might be confusing if you haven't read the previous ones.

Tropes/Triggers
Dark Romance
Mafia/FBI
Secret Identity
Opposite Attracts
Possessive MC
Office Romance
Found Family
Suspense
Twins

*I was provided an Arc Copy by the authors*

[♡Naz♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 STARS — THIS BOOK ABSOLUTELY ATE, BUT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE CRINGE.

Never Say Never by Brea Alepou and Skyler Snow delivers the ultimate forbidden cocktail: a delicious age gap, a scorching single dad, high-stakes deep cover/secret identity, and an elite forbidden workplace setup that had me completely hooked. The spice was genuinely spicing, the tension was elite, and the plot kept me turning pages at 2 AM.

BUT. We need to talk about the one massive, soul-crushing ICK that made me shiver—and NOT in the good way. When Gianpaolo looked at York—a gorgeous, forty-something man who is literally older than him—and called him... "SWEETCHEEKS"?! I gagged. I physically recoiled. The cringe factor was completely off the radar and nearly sent me into orbit! Aside from that absolute crime against romance dialogue, this book was great.
------------------------------

[Payal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vitale family is crazyy😂😂

see no matter how much i don't trust the authority and the govt, the mafia is never the solution. this book was playing with the line between right and wrong. when I read mafia romances i only focus on the romance part and ignore the hell outta violence part. tex in the first book didn't wanna be a police officer so it was easy for him to back out of it for enzo but york wanted to be a fed from his childhood so it is very unrealistic that he turned a blind eye towards mafia stuff because of a good dick. if york didn't has such sweet children and ginpaulo wasn't good to them there is no way in hell the authors could have pulled this book. the plot was interesting enough to keep me entertain. the smut was good but this book just toyed the line with what is right and wrong on so many levels and idts a dick is good enough reason to sway from what you have believed in for years.

I totally forgot how hot harlow is!!! I was a puddle the second he came onto the pages.

"I wish you could trust me." He said calmly as if he wasn't faking his identity for 7 years🤣

"Or what? You're going to kill me?"
"No, I don't want you dead, never have." Bitch pls you were ready to kill him till 30% if benito had said so

"I need you somewhere safe. There is a hit out on your head, in case you’ve forgotten."
"That's my problem."
"Egh! Wrong answer. You're my problem."🤭🤭

Gin grunted. "Ash would die without me, and we're in the middle of trying to have a baby."
My brows nearly kissed my hair line. "You have a surrogate?"
"A what now?" Gin asked.
Enzo shook his head "Don't get him started, he's an idiot who refuses to understand he cannot carry a baby."
"It's worth a damn try." You can always count on girncarlo to say stupidest shit😂he would have loved omegaverse

"Calm down—Ah, fuck, really, Harlow? You're going to pay for that." Benito grunted as his voice got clearer. "What, Paolo?"
The elevator dinged and opened up. Benito stood in the middle of the living room with an object protruding from his arm.
"What's that?"
He glared at me while hanging up the phone. "A fucking fork."
I looked around for Harlow, knowing instantly who the culprit was. "Maybe you should get rid of all the sharp objects around the house." Eeeeee fav couple💗👀

Ti amo più di ieri e ti amerò per sempre.🥹🥹

"I'm getting out of here before I vomit," Benito muttered. "I swear all of you give me indigestion." Poor benito🤣🤣


~~~
Yes, this is the gay mafia. Does the gay mafia exist in real life? No. You know what else doesn’t exist in real life? Vampires, werewolves, or my will to live. So, sit back, enjoy the book, don’t be THAT person. It’s a work of fiction. Enjoy. love love love the dedication

missing my gay mafia brothers plus it is one up from the previous one cuz it is FBI x Mafia with dash of single dad trope. tbh, I ain't that interested in this brother to begin with but still hoping for a good ride iykwim👀

[S · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not the date being pushed to may from april 11....this has been too long of a wait already.
Update: after actually reading it.
Disappointing. I waited a year for this book only for it to not work. At all. The story started all wrong and the dynamic was lacklustre. Tony and Benito have more chemistry than this. And the author mentioning his brown skin every other page? Like yes dude we get it. He has deep brown skin and two kids who took up 25% of this book. Where was the mafia aspect in their chemistry? Even the boss subordinate trope wasn't carried out well. I cannot believe we got this after the exquisite story benito had. Also giancarlo and gianpaulos dynamic didn't get any depth?? Like you mean to tell me actual twins separated like they were with kne thinking he was dead and then apparently going crazy in prison and we get no proper explanation?? York was boring as hell you want me to believe the guy who sacrificed his identity for his family for years fell for a bore who thought he would marry his female nanny even tho he knew he was gay and then also took her side over his love interest. Bro claimed to love his children so much but didn't his nanny he would have married if he was straight was abusing them? Gianpaulo would have been better with tony lol they already have a better story than this mess. Icb this is the sequel to say i do. What a waste.
The damn nanny of the 2 kids of the love interest got more pages for her. This felt like a book where they couldn't decide what to write and hence came up with this disaster after a year of keeping us waiting.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a surprise!!!
I loved this story.
It’s worth reading.

[Liza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit: this review is for ‚Say I do‘. I accidentally left it here. This also explains why I thought I was the first to review. Now I’m laughing at myself, so I leave it here as advertisement for say I do. (You’re welcome to call me an idiot 😂)

Seems like I’m the first to write a review. That never happens 😂

I loved this book. Harlow is the absolute right amount of insane. I laughed a lot while reading this.
Brea Alepous are never for the delicate. I said it once and I say it again: she is the Quentin Tarantino of mm romance and I love it.
Also, how is it that the boss books in mafia romances are always the best? Anyways I can not only recommend this one but all of her other work as well.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing addition to the Vitale Brothers series! I loved Paulo and York's story so freaking much! It was hot and sexy, made me laugh, made me sad, was action packed, and full of excitement, just all the feels! Not to mention I loved seeing a bunch of familiar faces. I'm so into this series and am so happy there's one more book to come. Fabulous read, highly recommend!

[Cat the bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swear, I’m usually a gentle and mostly kind person. And yet: I gobbling up all this mafia gore and have a blast while doing so 🤣

I waited for a while after finishing book 3, because the audio wasn’t out yet at that point, and I grew to LOVE the narration by Declan Winters. And it didn’t disappoint: I got sucked in right from the start, and it wasn’t hard to remember everything about the Vitale brothers (and their feuds). This time, the focus is on Gianpaolo aka Paul Gallo. He’s Giancarlo’s twin, but almost everyone thinks he died in a car accident years ago. In truth (only known by his father, and later on Benito) he’s been undercover for years, building a new life as an FBI agent, infiltrating the very one team that’s bent upon bringing the Vitale brothers down.

The boss of said team is York Washington, a widowed father of 2 (twin) girls, who vowed to do everything in his power to bring down the ones who killed his wife.

I won’t spill the plot - just let it be said that this is one of the audiobooks that’s definitely worth your audible credit. It’s been like a movie in my head, with all the growling and postoring and Italian accents. Speaking of Italian: I’ve just started learning Italian with Duolingo, and I’m happy to report that I put my newly acquired knowledge to good use (we do get the odd Italian phrase when Paolo is passionate).

I loved how Paolo re-assumed his real identity, and I loved to witness York’s struggle to accept that he’s attracted to the very person he wants to bring down. And I loved York’s dark side 😬

Another thing that I surprisingly liked: the preteen twins. And ofc all the cameos ❤️

The one thing that almost kept me from rating it with 5 stars: I wanted to see one more baddie/mole brought down. I mean- it was pretty clear who the mole is, but still - I wanted him dead. Paolo promised 🤣

I’m honestly thinking about re listening to the 4 books I have - after reading the reviews for book 5, I’m not really tempted to go there.

[Romysaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐

“Mine. Everything that was York Washington was meant to be mine.”

Gianpaolo the man you are.
I am physically mentally everything ends with “lly” in love with this obsessed man.

He carried the book, literally all the rating because of him.
I liked the story, but it was kinda slow at the beginning. I started loving it after 50% and it is still longer than necessary.

York got on my nerves most of the time, like back off asshole and stop insulting my baby.

I understand his behaviors though but I accept no criticism on Gianpaolo.

And the twin, omfg.. they are making the best trio ever. I couldn't get enough.

This book was very close to top Take me apart if it was less longer, but everything aside from it was perfect. I even loved the painful dialogues between York and Gianpaolo. Something about their complicated relationship makes me very affected.. they could make each other calm by just a look or touch. This is painfully sweet. And fair to say, despite of everything they have the healthiest relationship out of all the fucked up couples in the series.

“People in my life I thought I could trust were gone, and the one man I'd treated horribly, the one who had been a criminal all along treated me like a king. How was that for a fucked up twist of fate?”

Series Rating:
1_ Take me apart. 4.5⭐ (a masterpiece)
2_ Paid in full. 3.75⭐
3_ Say I do. 3.5⭐
4_ Never say Never. 4.25⭐

[Kaity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio: 5 stars for Declan Winters! Well worth the wait for this audio!

Book: 4-4.5 stars

Great to be back with these insane brothers! I do think I should have done a bit of a reread haha, but honestly it was fine on its own too!

Paolo and York, definition of opposites, but really loved seeing them together! And the girls! Wishes we had more of those scenes! Haha

Hard to say if I liked this book or book 3 more.. maybe I’ll do a reread later this year and decide!

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read on 8th June/25

I did fast-read and skim over this book throughout the day, just to refresh my memory a little bit.
Yeah, it's a 3.9 - 4⭐ book for me, I did mind the very underdeveloped ending though. Again. I really wanted them settled somewhere.

I did like this book, even though I'm not a fan of kids in books and could do without. And no, this wasn't a step up from the previous two installments, just from Say I Do. Keep in mind that I completely changed my mind about Gin and Ash's book a few days ago on my re-read, so whatever I said here about it, it's not true anymore.

If I were to rank all the read installments so far, it would be

1. Paid In Full (imagine that)
2. Take Me Apart
3. Never Say Never
4. Say I do

So, I do find the twist of getting another brother very welcoming, I can't wait to read it.

I did find quite a few grammatical mistakes in the last 2-3 books, it apparently initially didn't bother me, but on all the re-reads, these mistakes kind of stand out.

_____________________________________

Original review on 1st June/24

3.75⭐ and rounding it up, because for me this was a step up from the previous two installments and I'm looking forward to the final one.

The story is interesting and has a hot, spicy dynamic between the two main characters who are fleshed out and eventually immersed into the family, but they had more potential than the last two couples and weren't awarded with a more fitting ending or epilogue, at least for my taste.

🔵 Both characters FBI agents
🟣 Paolo is undercover and falls for his boss
🟠 Age gap - 11 years (35/46)
🟡 The family business makes them go into hiding where Paolo's cover is blown
🟢 Palpable chemistry
🔵 Gay/straight married-->gay
🌶️ The sex is great, the intimacy has passion and depth; one mmc is gay but inexperienced; both vers

I was waiting for Gianpaolo's story for a long time and it didn't disappoint. Paolo is an undercover agent working for the FBI, has a different identity and when at work he's a blonde, blue eyed man whore, but he's a good agent and is essentially protecting his family from the inside.
Paolo hasn't seen his family in a decade and more, most of them think he's dead so to believably protect them, his best bet was to hop into the sack with York, his boss who's a widower, presumably straight and wants nothing to do with Paul.

Paolo finds out York came out later in life, he's gay, so they eventually start hooking up with York being a complete beginner, but a quick learner, so the more they spend time together, the more Paolo gets a front seat to York's very guarded private life, access to his family and the hooking up strictly for business purposes becomes something more.

"I don't know, you looking like a sex god, but being virtually untouched makes my dick so fucking hard for you, I just want to slide myself in your ass until my balls touch your skin, and fuck you until you cry for me." He licked his lips. "Respectfully.""



Sex scenes are good and well described, some things were explored in this book that I really liked (like both penetrated with the double dildo, Paolo DP with the dildo and York, I loved the fact they were vers, it really spiced things up), so the chemistry between them was undeniably good. I loved it. They really fit together and Paolo's possessiveness wasn't OTT or out of place, it grew gradually and developed into a deeper love that's still growing at the end of the story, so everything was definitely believable, made especially so because York was a really mature character that went into this not only with his dick and his heart, but his head too.

When York gets attacked for trying to clean up the streets of the three mafia families who are at war, Paolo saves York and his daughters, his cover is blown and that's when the real guy comes out - and I liked him much more than I did Paul. York went from kind of liking Paul to dead on being strongly attracted to Paolo, although he felt betrayed and found himself in the middle of the very mob family he was supposed to be working against.

"Gianpaolo. Whoever the fuck he was. I didn't even know the name of the man that I had been screwing. The person I fell asleep with at night, his arms wrapped around my body. The guy that had made his way into my life and made my daughters fall in love. He was a stranger that I had touched, and kissed, and fucked, and thought about wanting more, and all this time, he was the person I was after. My enemy."



Paolo and York's dynamic worked really well for me, the time they spent apart was necessary and even though they switched to love pretty soon considering, I thought it was fine, they professed it at the end of the book, so that was believable.

Even though Paolo was the bad guy here and the more powerful one, York seemed to be the stable, mature, protective guy that centred Paolo, he was Paolo's very good match - I won't say perfect, but definitely something Paolo very much needed.

"My obsession only seemed to grow by the day, and I was fully aware as to why. He was the one person that made me feel whole when I felt like I was losing all sense of myself. York recognized parts of me that not even my brothers could see. York Washington was my everything. I had no idea when he took a piece of me but I wasn't ever getting it back."

The daughters weren't a problematic addition to the story, but they bothered me a little bit. They were always in the background, I didn't feel that amazing connection it was told they had with Paul, so with him calling them his daughters and his kids that early on was a little bit OTT. I didn't like it. That should've come at the end.

The story had a satisfying ending, I'm glad York didn't quit his job at the FBI, but they still don't have a home of their own, so that was left out. There was no engagement or anything like that and then Paolo's brother Giancarlo bringing a baby home that he bought off some woman kind of dampened the mood for me.

This definitely could've been much better if the story focused even more on Paolo and York, simply because they were really good together. I liked the family drama and the fighting, but there was no resolution to Paolo's and York's absence at the office, no conclusion there, Shelly was quickly killed off and nothing is said about their life after the mob war that went down.

An interesting twist comes in the form of another unknown brother (or son?), so I'm definitely looking forward to the final installment.








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[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accidentally read another MM mafia romance.

THE PREMISE: an undercover mobster falls for his FBI boss.

TROPES & VIBES:
- Obsessive and possessive
- “You’re mine”
- Single dad

4⭐️ 3.5🌶️

[siera 🪷! (mitsuki’s vers.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

SINGLE DAD FBI AGENT BOSS X SECRET UNDERCOVER MAFIA SON IS WILD AND AMAZING THIS BOOK EATS SO HARD OMG OMG AND THE KIDS WERE SO CUTE READ THIS NOW

[Nile Princess · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Eh, I guess. So much to say. So, clearly, I'm in the minority on this one because there are five star reviews out the wazoo, but mama said there'd be days like this. :)

First off, thank you to the authors for giving us a love interest of color. I asked at the end of my last review, but this book was already written so the writers were way ahead of me. Yay! Having said that, while I appreciate that the authors tried to broaden the characters, this book is exactly the type of book that makes me go 'be careful what you wish for' after wanting a black love interest to be added to a series. York had brown skin and literally nothing else to indicate that he was any different from a non melanated character. I still don't know what race/ethnicity he was - we know that he had brown skin, warm brown skin, deep brown skin, dark brown skin...Ok! Anything else? Oh yes, he had brown eyes, soulful brown eyes....and that's it! That's all the description we get, along with him being 6'6, in 437 pages. We don't know if he was black, or Latino, or Indian. He had zero identity. And for those going, "I mean, does it matter?" Yes! Yes, it does! Gianpaolo's Italian heritage is a HUGE part of who he is! He felt fully back to his true self when he shed the contacts and bleach blond hair, and went back to his natural eye and hair color. It was part of who he is; it linked him to his brothers, his heritage. I still don't know if York even had hair. Shaved head, curls, locs? Did he have parents/family that could give us some clue to his heritage like we know about Gianpaolo? Or did the stork just drop him off at the Federal Bureau of Investigations fully grown? Lol, but seriously, this graying out of melanated characters is worse than just not writing black and brown people at all. And I'm not saying every series has to have black and brown people, I'm saying it's NICE when we are included. But when we are, include fully actualized characters. Don't just make a character brown and that's it. What is his culture?? Apart from that, literally no one mentioned his skin color EVER. It's like it didn't exist outside of Gianpaolo's need to wax poetic about him. I guess it's supposed to be progressive, but it's just weird! It's an Italian, crime family. He and Melony meet and never acknowledge each other as two brown people in a sea of non black/brown people (and Harlow - who by the way we know all about, down to his long flowing hair). I need to be able to 'see' my characters and not being able to do that with York was frustrating.

Let's talk about the storyline. This book was about 200 pages too long. It doesn't even remotely get interesting until after the 50% mark, and that was largely due to the fact that the authors tried to write 'Paul' as a hugely different personality from 'Gianpaolo' so the change would be dramatic. Well, I spent the whole first half of the book wishing for the reveal because Paul was such a court jester that I couldn't take anything about him seriously, including that bleach blond hair. It made the odds of York giving him the time of day slim to none. Nothing York did in the start of the book made sense given the way York was written, and this meant the whole relationship didn't work. There was zero chemistry between them for me. None. The sex scenes were mediocre and I was just praying to move things along. At 50% the sole interesting thing in this book was York's relationship with his daughters and 'Paul' meeting them.

Then, 'Paolo' is revealed and THANK GOD because I finally felt like I was reading the book I signed up for. The chemistry between Paolo and York was MUCH better. Loved the girls, and Paolo's fierce protective streak, even though him calling the girls his daughters was a bit 'huh' after such a short time. I do like that York put up a decent fight to hold onto his dignity, eventually succumbing to the attraction, but this couple never really reached the level for me that the authors tried to convince me they were at. They were cool; I just never saw them as madly in love and needing each other. Maybe on Paolo's part. I don't know. I think the lame start spoiled things.

As for the story itself, this book suffers the same fate as all books post Book 1. I don't need to be told how crazy the Vitale brothers are at every given turn. Just write them doing violent, possessive things that don't feel solely gratuitous. We are an intelligent audience. I promise you; we get it. Harlow playing such a prominent role in this book, le and sigh. He was such a wasted love interest for Benito that I can't even. When the triad demanded he be handed over to avoid a war, I was like yes, please! Then Benito can get a real husband. Alas, my pleas fell on deaf ears.
Surprisingly, Giancarlo was funny and provided great comic relief in this book; I can do him in small doses. The ending was a bit fantastical. It wasn't like Tex and Enzo where you could see things working out. Nothing about York's personality said this ending would work. But whatevs.

2.5 and as usual, I am promptly re-reading Book 1 as a palette cleanser. It is the lowest rated book in this series (still 4 stars +) but my absolute favorite.

[Jo Bennesch · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️

[Luce · Rating 5 out of 5]

After book 3, this series had lost its spark for me. The books were starting to feel a bit too long and the storyline repetitive. I was apprehensive to read book 4 and have been avoiding it for a while. Now I'm annoyed with myself because this book was BRILLIANT and my favourite in the series!

I absolutely devoured this book.

I adored Gianpaulo x York, both as a couple and separate characters. The storyline, the pacing, the relationship development were so well-done and this is easily the best book in the series. Tex x Enzo will always be my favourite couple but Paulo x York came very close!

I also loved every single interaction Paulo has with York's kids. They were such a great addition to the series and I'm excited for the last book in the series!

Favourite Couple :
1. Enzo x Tex (Book 1)
2. Gianpaulo x York (Book 4)
3. Giancarlo x Ash (Book 2)
4. Benito x Harlow (Book 3)

Favourite Book :
1. Never Say Never (Book 4)
2. Take Me Apart (Book 1)
3. Paid in Full (Book 2)
4. Say I Do (Book 3)

(Is it obvious I didn't like Book 3...)

[KaylaMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

✰4.5 stars✰ rounded up

"I like what's mine, to be mine. And when I care, I really fucking care. You like your freedom, right?" When I nodded, he smiled once more, but it was disconnected from his eyes. "If you were mine, I wouldn't give it to you. I don't give a damn. I would want you near me every single day and night. I would consume you. Most people can't handle that."

Damn. I feel like I've probably started every review for each book in this series that way. But seriously, damn.

York and Paulo are the perfect push and pull. There was just the right amount of fight and tension in this one at the right moments. It's hard to give a lot of detail on these without spoiling anything, but there were always twists and turns that I hadn't expected.

This was a great installation to this series that ended with a lead up to the next book for the overall Vitale Brothers universe. I'm so so so excited to see where Brea takes us next.

[Lionelle Pmuls (That's Slump Backwards & It's What I Do) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vitale Brothers Series:
1. Take Me Apart - Enzo & Tex's Story - 5,0 stars
2. Paid in Full - Giancarlo & Ash's Story - 5,0 stars
3. Say I Do - Benito & Harlow's Story - 5,0 stars
4. Never Say Never - Gianpaolo & York's Story - 4,7 stars
Next Blake & Quincy's Story - Expected on 10/01/2025:
5. End It All - 5 stars
Expected on 26/12/2025
6. Always The Villain - 😈 ? 's Story

Bonus Shorts:
👉1,5/2,5. Vitale Brothers Bonus Shorts Vol.1 👈freebie (prolificworks link)
-1,5. Story 1: Tex and Enzo go meet Tex's parents. - 4,5 stars
-2,5. Story 2: Ash must get answers about the man in the picture - 4,0 stars
More Bonus Shorts On Patreon - Twisted Tales Romance


👇👇👇👇
SPIN-OFF Series The Hitters MC Club 1st Book:
👉3,5. Bad Habits - Caleb & Tony's Story

[Evelyn Bella (there WILL be spoilers) · Rating 3 out of 5]

What do you do when the person you trusted suddenly became the person you questioned? The answer? Fuck him, apparently.

Full honesty. I didn't like this book until like 40% in. Gianpaolo seemed too crazy. At the time I thought this was either much darker than the other 3 books or I was sanitizing them with hindsight.

'The thought of running them over, even the sweet old lady, was tempting, but then I'd be even later than I already was.'

"Well, breathing isn't a requirement. Just as long as you're pretty enough, I'll breed a corpse too."

Sigh. Why am I hearing this from a romance MC 🤦🏾‍♀️

"You liked bashing that man's brains in," I said, disgust dripping into my voice. "I watched you smile."
"We all have our issues."

💀Um.

Anyway. Like I said. Wasn't really into the book. Then shit hit the fan. The betrayal was discovered, the pace picked up. Giancarlo showed up🙈

'Gin picked up a charred brick and threw it. The damn thing hit one of the men in the back of the head and he went down.  "Get him the fuck out of here. Who the fuck passes out from a small ass brick?"

OH MY GOD?????????? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Not this being the thing that made me realize I don't mind lunacy, I just never bonded with Paolo.

Because honestly? Giancarlo is a lot more unhinged, now that I remember. But his crazy was somehow endearing. Yes. I know how that sounds. And the book isn't even about him.

Sidenote- The Giancarlo cameos go hard in this one. 10/10. Still our sweet baby psycho killer that's trying to get pregnant.

Back to the book. I kind of got onto the Gianpaolo train after being reminded that he's actually no worse than his brothers, really.

"Shelly, calm down, he's not going to hurt you." York glared at me.
"Are you, Paolo?"
"I am."
😂😂😂 No fucks given. No thought to minimizing the fallout from his cover being blown.

But honestly, it's an okay book. Not my best in this series by far, but I liked it more than Benito's. Mostly because that one had two psychos. I like a calming influence. Though these Vitale love interests tend to lose the plot too, at a point. Because....

"I didn't have to stay in organized crime. It was fun, but I had plenty of interests elsewhere."

Wonder which bits were the fun ones for York. When his wife and best friend was killed as a result of him working with the organized crime unit of the Feds, or the time two collaborating mafia families broke into his home and almost killed his kids? Or maybe it was the time they all got kidnapped and his lover was beaten to within an inch of his life, and his daughters threatened with guns.

Either way, like he said. Wholesome family fun. Great 😬

Also this man kissed him after he'd been unconscious for MULTIPLE days? Nah, I KNOW his mouth tasted like death.

"I will never let you leave me. I'd rather kill us both than let you go. Mine for eternity."

Yes. This also contains the on-brand slightly scary Vitale type of love.

Also, Melony is a weird ass name. Right?

I hate that I was too impatient to wait for the audiobook because I KNOW Declan Winters would (will!?) kick it out of the park like with the others.

[Nadja ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st read: 5 ⭐️
2nd read: 5 ⭐️

The review I wrote the first time still pretty much sums up my thoughts on this book. I disliked how much York didn't trust Paolo when he found out but it was also kinda understandable.

Paolo's whole story felt sadder to me this time around because poor guy was really going trough it.

Harlow was an absolute mother hen in this book, I ate up every scene he was in.

𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱

I wasn't sure if I was going to reread books 4 and 5 but Paolo cameos in the last book had me in a chokehold. Also I remember really loving this book so yay!

𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄

This series is definitely becoming one of my favourites, it's so addicting and good.

It's starting to scare me how much I'm enjoying these books, like I gave the 1st books 4 starts and every book after that has been 5 stars.

I actually liked the whole undercover plot and found it pretty interesting. This book followed trough on what the last one set up with the war between mafia families but it didn't feel extremely high stake, like it was there yes but it could have also been a bit more.

I loved York and Paolo, and how they managed to work things out without either one of them sacrificing too much of their original plan. Like York stayed at FBI but switched divisions and that feels much more true to his character than it would have been for him to quit all together.

Harlow and Benito are still my faves, and I loved their scenes. Also stan Harlow for being a mother hen of the mobster wives, it was nice to see how he cared for Ash and Tex.

Giancarlo's got a 101 how to build a family;
1. Buy a husband
2. Buy a kid
Honestly he was so funny in this book and he finally got his kid after failing to get pregnant. Gin reads MPreg on AO3, fight me.

It was nice seeing Paolo go back to his family, and it took a little time but they all reunited and forgave each other.
Also the way he cared for York and for the twins was so heartwarming. Those are his kids, not biologically but they are. Everytime he called them his girls it was so cute.

I don't know how to feel about another Vitale brother popping up but guess we'll see in the next book.

[Gabs (gaybism) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book so fast but needed a minute to compose myself.

I am a Gin lover. I love Gin always and forever.

Now Paolo has taken his rightful place next to his twin on my list. He was unhinged. He was ruthless. And he was adorable.

As an FBI agent, Paolo protects his brothers from being taken down. The only distraction for him is his boss.

York hates the Vitales. He wants to destroy them and put them behind bars where they supposedly belong. When Paolo flirts shamelessly with him one night (even though he has been doing that for years) York’s resolve breaks and things escalate.

How can a relationship progress between an FBI team leader and an FBI agent who is actually part of the most dangerous mafia family?

I was on the edge of my seat with that question. I needed answers. I needed to know how it would work out.

Again, I love Paolo…and him and those girls own my heart. They had the best relationship. York just pissed me off at times…because why doesn’t he understand that the ruthless mafioso just wants him? Yeah you are an FBI agent so what…

Paolo finally got his HEA and it was so well deserved!
That final spicy scene was 🤯🤯🤯

[Jacob Elijah · Rating 5 out of 5]

another crazy Vitale bro and I love him

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Another crazy Vitale brother for me to fall in love with. This series is still my favorite MM Maria series!! Paolo and York’s story was definitely a roller coaster. I was worried that the fbi agent and mafia brother story wouldn’t work well but I think Skyler and Brea did a great job. Plus I love York. His backstory was sad but he was such a great character and a great dad. I just loved him. Glad he found his insane mafia pit bull to watch over him.

[Nataliia_SM · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐ 2,5🌶️
Оууу єєєєс😍 Emozioni incredibili😎😎😎
Я реально не могла відірватися від цієї книжечки, поки не прочитала😚 І хто ж в цьому винен? Та, звісно ж, це ще один божевільний член родини Вітале - Джанпауло😎😋
Головне питання: ЯК, як він став агентом ФБР? 🤯
І тут я вкотре переконалась, що для старого виродка дона Вітале немає нічого важливішого за справу його життя. Пожертвувати сином - на раз два, викинути його із сім'ї, відірвати від брата-близнюка - та легко🤯🤯🤯
Без надії, без варіантів, сам один під прикриттям приречений вести слідство проти власної родини.
Не дивно, що добра випивка та хороший секс - це єдине, що не дає Пауло остаточно втратити глузд. А ще - вольове керівництво шефа ФБР красунчика Йорка Вашингтона. Високий, жорсткий, міцний, рельєфний і такий недоступний... Але ж Джанпауло - Вітале, хіба ні? А для Вітале - немає нічого неможливого😈😈😈
Крихкі, але щирі почуття між Йорком та Пауло, живі емоції та шалено гаряча пристрасть, що розвиваються на фоні жорстокої війни між мафіозі - це захоплює і тримає в напрузі буквально до кінця книги.
Обидва сильні владні домінантні, рівні у всьому та неймовірно сексуальні😍
Ось, це саме те, чого мені не вистачало в історії Беніто. Він домінував сам, а тут їх таких двоє і мені це дуже подобається.
Парочка Джанпауло та Йорк тепер офіційно моя улюблена 😘