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De Kysa Mafia #1
The Devil's Den
Nico De Kysa.
Cold. Detached. Ruthless.
And my new husband.
I didn’t want to marry the despicable mafia don.
But my father made a deal with the devil and lucky me, I’m the currency.
If I leave…
He’ll destroy my father’s fortune.
But if I stay…
He’ll obliterate my heart.
Because in this union, the lines between love and hate are blurred.
So blurred.
He’s a cold-blooded monster with ice in his veins and frost in his heart.
But in bed, Nico De Kysa burns like wildfire.
And in the heat of the night, I begin to forget why I hate the mobster.
I’m trapped in a world I despise.
With a man too wicked to fall for.
Yet, I can’t leave.
Maybe if I knew what was coming it would be easier to run.
The Devil’s Den is book 1 in the De Kysa Mafia series. A scorching hot enemies-to-lovers romance with tension-filled banter and sizzling chemistry. Expect ‘touch her and die’ vibes, forced proximity, and all the delicious darkness of a mafia romance. A full length novel. No cliffhanger. For readers 18+. Please read author’s note for trigger warnings.
Cold. Detached. Ruthless.
And my new husband.
I didn’t want to marry the despicable mafia don.
But my father made a deal with the devil and lucky me, I’m the currency.
If I leave…
He’ll destroy my father’s fortune.
But if I stay…
He’ll obliterate my heart.
Because in this union, the lines between love and hate are blurred.
So blurred.
He’s a cold-blooded monster with ice in his veins and frost in his heart.
But in bed, Nico De Kysa burns like wildfire.
And in the heat of the night, I begin to forget why I hate the mobster.
I’m trapped in a world I despise.
With a man too wicked to fall for.
Yet, I can’t leave.
Maybe if I knew what was coming it would be easier to run.
The Devil’s Den is book 1 in the De Kysa Mafia series. A scorching hot enemies-to-lovers romance with tension-filled banter and sizzling chemistry. Expect ‘touch her and die’ vibes, forced proximity, and all the delicious darkness of a mafia romance. A full length novel. No cliffhanger. For readers 18+. Please read author’s note for trigger warnings.
398 pages, Paperback
Published April 19, 2023
About the author
Penny Dee
23 books1,913 followersPenny Dee writes mafia and motorcycle club romance. Her stories bring the suspense, the feels, and a whole lot of heat.
She found her happily ever after with an Australian hottie who she met on a blind date.
You can connect with Penny Dee here:
FB: www.facebook.com/pennydeebooks/
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Instagram: @pennydeebooks
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Penny-Dee/e/B0...
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Pinterest: Penny Dee
Website: www.pennydeebooks.com
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YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiBV...
She found her happily ever after with an Australian hottie who she met on a blind date.
You can connect with Penny Dee here:
FB: www.facebook.com/pennydeebooks/
Penny's Queens of Mayhem: www.facebook.com/groups/604941899983066/
Instagram: @pennydeebooks
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Penny-Dee/e/B0...
Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/authors/penny-dee
Pinterest: Penny Dee
Website: www.pennydeebooks.com
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/PennyDeeVIPClub
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiBV...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 783 reviews
May 13, 2023
3 ❤️🔥🤔⭐️s
Nico and Bella were childhood sweethearts and arranged to be married when the both grew up.
After a bad incident, they were separated and met again after 10 years.
Nico needs to get married and Bella is the best suitor for the position, since he wants to avenge for his mother’s death where Bella’s father was responsible for.
The passion and chemistry they shared were strong, their journey wasn’t easy - filled with misunderstandings, secrets, twists and turns.
The ending was definitely a surprise but not a pleasant one for me. Besides that turn in the end has been done before, its execution wasn’t convincing.
There was no indication from his actions or lifestyle that Nico had any desire to change his way of life, and the conversion was very abrupt.
Nico and Bella were childhood sweethearts and arranged to be married when the both grew up.
After a bad incident, they were separated and met again after 10 years.
Nico needs to get married and Bella is the best suitor for the position, since he wants to avenge for his mother’s death where Bella’s father was responsible for.
The passion and chemistry they shared were strong, their journey wasn’t easy - filled with misunderstandings, secrets, twists and turns.
The ending was definitely a surprise but not a pleasant one for me. Besides that turn in the end has been done before, its execution wasn’t convincing.
There was no indication from his actions or lifestyle that Nico had any desire to change his way of life, and the conversion was very abrupt.
May 26, 2023
It had a really good premiseand I was hooked at the start but then it just died down for me. I didn’t want to dnf so I pushed through until 90% then ended up skimming :/
There were also too many third act “conflicts” 😅
There were also too many third act “conflicts” 😅
Read
October 31, 2023So this was DNF within 2 chapters. Apologies for the unorganized review.
Extremely unlikeable characters, the H is getting a BJ from OW pretty much when he's introduced to the reader. And the writing is just so so. I'm actually ok of the manwhore trope--as long as all the manwhoring is done off paper. I have no desire to witness it, or read about it. AND absolutely no manwhoring once the H meets the h. But I'm not rating this because I didn't get beyond the OW BJ. The H was so unlikeable in the first few pages of his POV that he was unredeemable for me. So, DNF.
Extremely unlikeable characters, the H is getting a BJ from OW pretty much when he's introduced to the reader. And the writing is just so so. I'm actually ok of the manwhore trope--as long as all the manwhoring is done off paper. I have no desire to witness it, or read about it. AND absolutely no manwhoring once the H meets the h. But I'm not rating this because I didn't get beyond the OW BJ. The H was so unlikeable in the first few pages of his POV that he was unredeemable for me. So, DNF.
March 26, 2024
This book was stretched out too much. Don’t get me wrong I love a book with a lot of pages BUT only if you’ve got a story to tell. There wasn’t a lot of plot going on here. Nico and Bella Circled around The same dialogue over and over, I hate you, you’re a monster, you’re a robot. Everybody’s a robot. Nico wants revenge, yeah yeah we get it Nico wants revenge. Only thing is he’s not very vengeful. Despite all the I hate you by Bella it’s clear these two never fell out of love. Nico and Bella fell in love as teens. They were each others first everything. Bella has to leave Italy for America for a fresh start after Nico’s Mother commits suicide because she had an affair with Bella’s mafia Father. 10 years later Nico is a Don and moves to NY. He needs a wife and chooses Bella as part of his revenge on her father. He never acts vengeful to her and you can tell they’re both in love despite denials. This goes on for 3/4 of the book and it gets boring. There’s no angst and then towards the end there the requisite kidnapping, then shooting and then the ending everyone is complaining about. He fakes his death so that he can leave the mafia and they can run away to his private island alive hea. I skimmed a lot after about halfway.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2023
WOW!!! The Devil's Den is book 1 in the new De Kysa Mafia series & i recommend jumping straight into this book head first don't even hesitate!!!
Nico and Belle were written in the stars from the very beginning, their life long history was just the beginning of their journey together and it was certainly a rocky one!
There are twists and turns throughout and this story grabbed me from the very first page.
I have been reading Penny Dee's stories for years now and i can say without a doubt this series is going to be off the charts!!!
I can only hope and pray that Massimo is next in line because YAS!!!!!
Rating: 5/5
Nico and Belle were written in the stars from the very beginning, their life long history was just the beginning of their journey together and it was certainly a rocky one!
There are twists and turns throughout and this story grabbed me from the very first page.
I have been reading Penny Dee's stories for years now and i can say without a doubt this series is going to be off the charts!!!
I can only hope and pray that Massimo is next in line because YAS!!!!!
Rating: 5/5
May 3, 2023
I spent my eve and night finishing this cuz this was finally SOMETHING halfway decent and that's how this ends?
This has got to be the most loser ass don alongside his lame ass so called queen (?) in the fictional mafia realm! Seriously what the heck?
Such a good story is crafted, they both have killer chemistry and then just... disastrous ending.
Makes me mad. Wasted my time.
This has got to be the most loser ass don alongside his lame ass so called queen (?) in the fictional mafia realm! Seriously what the heck?
Such a good story is crafted, they both have killer chemistry and then just... disastrous ending.
Makes me mad. Wasted my time.
May 20, 2023
Dnf. Can't stand Bella's attitude from young to adult.
May 11, 2023
DNF, around 50%. FMC kept running away, throwing insults, and calling herself a prisoner to anyone who would listen. Over and over and over. I just wasn’t connecting to the characters like I should have/wanted to, so I’m throwing this one back.
August 1, 2023
So much potential and such a disappointing story.
The two MCs are teenage sweethearts but were separated due to a family fallout. Years later - in his quest for revenge - the hero arranges a marriage to the heroine. There's lots of sexual tension and witty banter between them, I really was looking forward to the first sex scene which happens in a sex club (which I hate) ... and then it's already the following day and we get some boring snippets here and there but the deed was done. Arggggghh *headdesk*.
Because of the hero's life - he's a hugely influential mafia don - the heroine flees the country because she can't deal with mafia reality. She's grown up as a mafia princess and lost some family members to the life. The book ends with the hero simulating his death and fleeing with the heroine to an isolated island. Leaving his empire to his brother, and spending the rest of his life as a recluse.
I HATED that ending. HATED it. Mafia romance is pure escapism romance and it works because a good story sells me that there's happiness because of the grime and the grittiness, and because the two MCs know how to work with the world not against it.
D
The two MCs are teenage sweethearts but were separated due to a family fallout. Years later - in his quest for revenge - the hero arranges a marriage to the heroine. There's lots of sexual tension and witty banter between them, I really was looking forward to the first sex scene which happens in a sex club (which I hate) ... and then it's already the following day and we get some boring snippets here and there but the deed was done. Arggggghh *headdesk*.
Because of the hero's life - he's a hugely influential mafia don - the heroine flees the country because she can't deal with mafia reality. She's grown up as a mafia princess and lost some family members to the life. The book ends with the hero simulating his death and fleeing with the heroine to an isolated island. Leaving his empire to his brother, and spending the rest of his life as a recluse.
I HATED that ending. HATED it. Mafia romance is pure escapism romance and it works because a good story sells me that there's happiness because of the grime and the grittiness, and because the two MCs know how to work with the world not against it.
D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2023
I’ll be totally honest, Penny Dee is one of my favorite authors but I’ve only read her MC books. That being said I was a little leery about a mafia story but I shouldn’t have been. The Devil’s Den is absolutely fantastic! Nico and Bella were childhood friends who became teenage loves who are torn apart. After a series of misunderstandings the only feelings they have for each other as adults is anger, hurt and a good dose of hatred. The sweet young man that Nico was has been replaced with a cold, demanding man who’s used to having what he wants when he wants it. Bella remembers the boy Nico was but despises everything about the man he is. Imagine the fireworks when Nico decides he wants Bella back. This book is such a great read…exciting, super sexy and pretty hilarious at times…Bella is tough and has a mouth on her! There are great supporting characters including Nico’s siblings and Bella’s best friend, hopefully we’ll see more of them in future books…please let there be future books. Thanks for the great read, Ms. Dee, you never let me down.
April 26, 2023
This was a great story about lovers to enemies to lovers again. An extremely engaging story that hooks your interest from the very beginning until the final page. It has everything a fantastic story could have; interesting lead characters—an alpha male and strong female, a hard won romance, loads of emotions, terrific suspense and surprise twists that you definitely don’t see coming.
I absolutely loved the fierce tenacity with which Bella fought against Nico. She certainly is no wallflower and showed him constantly. Likewise, he was there to foil her plans every step of the way too. Their chemistry, which they tried valiantly to reject, was far too strong. The passion they ignited was extremely intense as was their relationship as a whole.
Honestly, the whole book was basically about Nico and Bella’s romance and everything in their lives as well. It’s what’s in their lives that’s so interesting, the mafia influences and concerns create some very hairy and suspenseful moments. I loved how resilient and self-reliant Bella was, she fought her attackers tooth and nail at times with such bravado and determination. Nico discovered so much through these events too, truly eye opening for him.
As usual, this author knows how to throw some curve balls into her books and the twists and turns in this story were terrific. I really enjoyed how everything panned out and can’t wait for the next book, The Devil’s Lair.
I absolutely loved the fierce tenacity with which Bella fought against Nico. She certainly is no wallflower and showed him constantly. Likewise, he was there to foil her plans every step of the way too. Their chemistry, which they tried valiantly to reject, was far too strong. The passion they ignited was extremely intense as was their relationship as a whole.
Honestly, the whole book was basically about Nico and Bella’s romance and everything in their lives as well. It’s what’s in their lives that’s so interesting, the mafia influences and concerns create some very hairy and suspenseful moments. I loved how resilient and self-reliant Bella was, she fought her attackers tooth and nail at times with such bravado and determination. Nico discovered so much through these events too, truly eye opening for him.
As usual, this author knows how to throw some curve balls into her books and the twists and turns in this story were terrific. I really enjoyed how everything panned out and can’t wait for the next book, The Devil’s Lair.
February 9, 2025
DNF at 19%
No, just no. My time is too precious to waste it on books I don’t enjoy.
This was a mess and not in the good way. First I thought the idea was interesting but it wasn‘t done well. Bella and Dominico are so in love and all at 16, then Bella goes (against her will) to New York and they swear to find each other again. Ten years later she doesn‘t want to marry him? Huh? I thought he was the love of her life and „she was born to love him“. For my part I would be happy af if my teen love would want to marry me. So this didn‘t make sense in my eyes.
Furthermore the characters lack in depth and their decisions weren‘t explained well. I couldn’t form a connection to either of them.
The writing style is not that good and everything was pretty superficial.
I don‘t like rating books bad or to DNF but I realised my time is too short to waste in on bad books (my opinion) and I would rather read another book in this time.
No, just no. My time is too precious to waste it on books I don’t enjoy.
This was a mess and not in the good way. First I thought the idea was interesting but it wasn‘t done well. Bella and Dominico are so in love and all at 16, then Bella goes (against her will) to New York and they swear to find each other again. Ten years later she doesn‘t want to marry him? Huh? I thought he was the love of her life and „she was born to love him“. For my part I would be happy af if my teen love would want to marry me. So this didn‘t make sense in my eyes.
Furthermore the characters lack in depth and their decisions weren‘t explained well. I couldn’t form a connection to either of them.
The writing style is not that good and everything was pretty superficial.
I don‘t like rating books bad or to DNF but I realised my time is too short to waste in on bad books (my opinion) and I would rather read another book in this time.
April 24, 2023
Mama Mia what a rollercoaster of a ride was this book . !
I'm still laying here gob smacked at what I just read .
This book had me from the get go and I couldn't put it down .
I loved Nico and Bella so much they went through so much heart ache and despair and the lies that they would later find out broke me for these two amazing characters. I swear I didn't want this book to end .
I laughed I cried and I wanted to nut sack some characters in this book .
I love Penny Dee's writing style and the way she brought these two characters together and the story line gosh it was amazing. I'll be buying this book in paper back and really hope that there is another book .
10/10 stars from me .
I'm still laying here gob smacked at what I just read .
This book had me from the get go and I couldn't put it down .
I loved Nico and Bella so much they went through so much heart ache and despair and the lies that they would later find out broke me for these two amazing characters. I swear I didn't want this book to end .
I laughed I cried and I wanted to nut sack some characters in this book .
I love Penny Dee's writing style and the way she brought these two characters together and the story line gosh it was amazing. I'll be buying this book in paper back and really hope that there is another book .
10/10 stars from me .
March 15, 2024
I don’t think this couple likes each other beyond sex.
September 22, 2025
5 hellcat stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4🌶
4🌶
May 2, 2023
Good
This is a great start to this series. Nico and Bella story is full of heartbreak and full of happiness. These two had one hell of a ride, but they got what they wanted in the end of their happiness.
This is a great start to this series. Nico and Bella story is full of heartbreak and full of happiness. These two had one hell of a ride, but they got what they wanted in the end of their happiness.
Did Not Finish
June 20, 2025DNF at 28%
This book was so poorly written, with no depth at all. It feels like a horny teenager wrote this shit, since it literally started with the MMC receiving a blow job from a random woman (hooker?). Eww…
Makes me wonder how little talent is required to get a book published nowadays!
Everything was happening so quickly. The main characters’ behaviors were impossible to understand. I gathered that the FMC’s father had an affair with the MMC’s mother after his wife died. Then the MMC’s mother commits suicide. And then both families become enemies. The main characters grew up together up until that point, were madly in love, and were supposed to marry each other in the future!
So the main characters’ hatred toward each other can’t really be understood. And to spite each other, they do dumb, unrealistic things…
Yeah, no thank you!
This book was so poorly written, with no depth at all. It feels like a horny teenager wrote this shit, since it literally started with the MMC receiving a blow job from a random woman (hooker?). Eww…
Makes me wonder how little talent is required to get a book published nowadays!
Everything was happening so quickly. The main characters’ behaviors were impossible to understand. I gathered that the FMC’s father had an affair with the MMC’s mother after his wife died. Then the MMC’s mother commits suicide. And then both families become enemies. The main characters grew up together up until that point, were madly in love, and were supposed to marry each other in the future!
So the main characters’ hatred toward each other can’t really be understood. And to spite each other, they do dumb, unrealistic things…
Yeah, no thank you!
April 12, 2025
Touch her and die vibes all the way! I like a good mafia romance book. Nico thought he was getting revenge but deep down he knew he loved Bella. And speaking of Bella that girl is a fighter for sure.
January 22, 2026
Meh… Men jeg fik mit mafia romance fix 🙂↕️ så jeg er glad
July 28, 2025
Overall, it was okay. The ending was unexpected, though the execution could’ve been stronger.
April 21, 2024
MY FIRST MAFIA ROMANCE🥀🥃🫢🔪❤️🔥 honestly this was a vibe, I get it.
January 28, 2026
That plot twist at the end had me going!!!
April 15, 2026
3.5 stars because this book had me by the throat, by the ovaries and occasionally by the patience, but the romance itself still needed a harder slap before I fully folded.
Mamma mia.
This was a greasy, messy mafia fever dream.
And I mean that affectionately.
This book had me kicking my feet, rolling my eyes, clutching my chest, side-eyeing the pacing and occasionally staring into space like okay... are we building to something delicious here or are you two just going to keep glaring at each other until somebody gets horny again?
Because make no mistake: this book has the ingredients.
Mafia family bullshit.
Forced proximity.
Old heartbreak.
Sexual tension.
Revenge nonsense.
A man built like a criminal wet dream.
A woman with enough attitude to make God flinch.
And for a while?
I was eating.
Bella and Nico were nasty little freaks, respectfully.
Not in a everyone-needs-jail-bleach-and-a-priest way.
More in a you-two-clearly-need-to-either-fuck-fight-or-get-locked-in-separate-rooms-before-you-infect-the-wallpaper-with-unresolved-issues way.
Bella especially carried this book for me in a lot of ways because thank God this girl had a backbone. If she had come into this story acting meek, pliant or vaguely decorative, I would have had to get involved personally. But no. Bella had temper. Bella had teeth. Bella had that very satisfying energy of a woman who hears a man say “don’t test me” and immediately starts sharpening sticks.
And as she should.
She fought Nico constantly, mouthed off with commitment, pushed every button he had and probably a few that had not even been installed yet. She was not just feisty in a cute marketable way. She was genuinely a pain in his ass, and I mean that as the highest compliment.
Because that is what made them fun.
She did not just react to Nico. She antagonized him like it was cardio. She made sure Nico never got to enjoy his little power plays in peace. Every time he tried to force the situation in his favor, she was right there making sure he paid for it spiritually.
And Nico?
Oh, brother, this bitch.
This man spent half the book acting like some cold, controlled mafia kingpin and the other half reacting to Bella like his dick had legal custody of his brain.
Every time he tried to convince me this was revenge, I wanted to spray him with water.
Sir, stand up.
You are not brooding.
You are not detached.
You are not orchestrating some grand punishment.
You are in the middle of a ten-year mental illness with dress shoes on.
That man was down.
Not normal down.
Not manageable down.
Not “I still have perspective” down.
I mean down in the way a chandelier comes down.
Fast, dramatic and with expensive consequences.
And the worst part is, he really thought he was hiding it.
No babe.
Every scene with Bella had him acting like he was one inconvenience away from either bending her over a table or starting a small war in her honor. There was no mystery there. No subtlety. No dignified repression. Just pure uncut I’m still obsessed with the girl who ruined my adolescence and apparently also my blood pressure.
Which, naturally, did work on me.
Because I am not above a man whose entire personality is “mine” plus hypertension.
The banter between them was one of the best things about this book. It had spark. It had snap. It had enough hostility to keep things fun without tipping fully into me wanting to chloroform them both. Bella gave as good as she got, Nico clearly lived for her attitude even while pretending to be annoyed. Every conversation felt like it was balancing on that nice little edge between foreplay and attempted manslaughter, which is exactly where a romance like this should live.
And the history between them?
Filthy.
Not literally. Relax, you little degenerates.
I mean emotionally filthy.
The whole young love gets torn apart by lies and betrayal and then they have to deal with the rotting corpse of that heartbreak years later setup is evil, and I love evil. There is something so specifically delicious about two people who were once each other’s entire universe and now have to look at each other through all that old resentment, confusion and unfinished business without spontaneously combusting.
That always gets me.
Because it gives the tension teeth.
This is not random chemistry between two hot people with a criminal record. This is history. This is grievance. This is ten years of emotional plaque built up around feelings neither of them had the maturity or opportunity to deal with properly.
And when this book leaned into that, I was having a great time.
I also liked the suspense side of things. This is definitely more romance with dark/mafia elements than a truly dark romance, but there was enough danger, scheming, family dysfunction and criminal drama to keep it from going stale. The outside plot gave the book somewhere to go other than Nico staring at Bella like she was the final cigarette before execution.
And then the twist at the end?
Bitch.
That actually got me.
I love when a book can still come out of nowhere and slap me hard enough to make me sit up. That kind of surprise genuinely delights me. It is one of the few times I enjoy being disrespected.
BUT.
Here is why this stayed at 3.5 for me instead of pushing higher.
Because for all the chemistry, all the history, all the banter and all the sexy mafia dysfunction, the romance itself was not fully cooked.
The problem is not that I did not buy the attraction.
Please.
That part was obvious from space.
The problem is that I did not fully buy how quickly all that pain translated into payoff.
For two people with ten years of heartbreak, mistrust, resentment and emotional gangrene between them, I needed more suffering. More pain. More reluctance. More rot. More of them actually having to claw their way through the ugly middle instead of the story kind of nudging them toward each other and trusting that chemistry would do the rest.
And chemistry did do a lot.
But not enough.
Because I can buy lust in one glance.
I can buy obsession in three pages.
I can buy a man losing his mind because a woman tucked her hair behind her ear one time.
That is easy.
What I need more help with is the love. The forgiveness. The re-opening. The after everything, I am choosing you again part.
That is where this felt too quick for me.
It needed more emotional marinating.
More conflict with actual weight to it.
More conversations where somebody says something so raw I have to put my kindle down and blink.
More consequences.
More blood on the reunion.
Instead, parts of their romantic progression felt like the book was double-parking in front of emotional complexity and hoping I would not notice.
I noticed.
Because that is the thing: I was having fun, but I was not fully being ruined.
And that hurt the emotional payoff because while I enjoyed them together, I did not feel like the story fully earned every step of how fast they got there.
But also this is where I think the book really missed some opportunities. There were multiple little details and setup moments that felt like they were going to matter more and then the story just... let them float away.
Like Bella seeing someone in her window.
Okay??
And then what???
That is the kind of detail that immediately makes me perk up because I am expecting it to come back in a meaningful way, add tension, connect to a reveal, deepen the danger, something.
But it just kind of sits there like a creepy little appetizer that never turns into a meal.
Same with Ari.
He is mentioned early on and then he basically evaporates from the face of the earth. And I kept waiting for the story to circle back because when a character is introduced with enough emphasis, I expect them to matter. If not to the plot directly, then at least to Bella in a way that gets revisited.
But no.
Gone.
And even smaller details, like Bella telling the housekeeper she is getting a raise just to spite Nico, felt like the kind of thing that could have been used later in a fun or revealing way. Not because it needed to become some massive plot point, but because those kinds of callbacks make a story feel more alive and connected. Like maybe the housekeeper mentions it to Nico later. Maybe it sparks another argument. Maybe it turns into one of those petty, charged little moments between them that escalates into something hotter and meaner.
Instead, a lot of those moments felt introduced and then abandoned.
And that added to the overall feeling that the book had good material in its hands but was not always using it as well as it could have.
That is really the frustration here.
Because this book is not boring.
It is not flat-out bad.
It is not a chore to read.
It is fun.
It has chemistry.
It has banter.
It has mafia chaos.
It has a heroine with backbone.
It has a man acting like Bella’s existence has permanently damaged his internal organs.
But it also feels like it leaves things on the table.
Emotionally.
Plot-wise.
Even in small character details.
There were opportunities for more tension, more payoff, more cohesion, more depth and the book did not always take them.
Because I had fun, but I could feel the stronger version of this book hovering just out of reach the whole time.
A version where the romance was given more time to breathe.
A version where the emotional wounds were explored more deeply.
A version where the shift from hate and resentment into craving and vulnerability felt messier, slower and more earned.
A version where those little details actually came back around and made the story feel tighter and more intentional.
Instead, I got a book that definitely entertained me, definitely kept me reading, definitely gave me tension and banter and a couple of really fun moments...
but did not fully land the way it could have.
I also think the writing could have used more flesh in places. Sometimes it felt a little too brisk, a little too eager to move to the next beat without really grinding the knife in where it needed to. There were scenes that should have had more sting, more filth, more emotional bruising and instead they kind of passed by like a car that splashes you with puddle water and keeps driving.
Rude, yes.
Life-changing, no.
And the ending?
Wild.
A little rushed.
A little chaotic.
A little like the book put on acrylics and started driving with both hands off the wheel.
Not enough to ruin it.
Enough to keep me from rating higher.
So yeah, 3.5 stars.
Not because this was boring.
Not because Nico and Bella did not have chemistry.
And definitely not because Nico was not acting like Bella’s existence had permanently lowered his life expectancy.
But because the banter and tension were stronger than the emotional payoff.
Because the setup promised me a dirtier wound than the romance actually delivered.
And because I enjoyed this book like I enjoy trashy men in fiction: enthusiastically, against my better judgment, while fully aware that it could have treated me worse and I might have liked it more.
Still, I had fun.
Bella was a menace.
Nico was a lost cause.
The twist had teeth.
And the whole thing was dramatic enough to keep me seated even while I was side-eyeing half the emotional pacing.
So no, this did not ruin my life.
But it did grab me by the jaw, shake me around a little and leave me entertained enough to come back for more mafia nonsense.
Mamma mia.
This was a greasy, messy mafia fever dream.
And I mean that affectionately.
This book had me kicking my feet, rolling my eyes, clutching my chest, side-eyeing the pacing and occasionally staring into space like okay... are we building to something delicious here or are you two just going to keep glaring at each other until somebody gets horny again?
Because make no mistake: this book has the ingredients.
Mafia family bullshit.
Forced proximity.
Old heartbreak.
Sexual tension.
Revenge nonsense.
A man built like a criminal wet dream.
A woman with enough attitude to make God flinch.
And for a while?
I was eating.
Bella and Nico were nasty little freaks, respectfully.
Not in a everyone-needs-jail-bleach-and-a-priest way.
More in a you-two-clearly-need-to-either-fuck-fight-or-get-locked-in-separate-rooms-before-you-infect-the-wallpaper-with-unresolved-issues way.
Bella especially carried this book for me in a lot of ways because thank God this girl had a backbone. If she had come into this story acting meek, pliant or vaguely decorative, I would have had to get involved personally. But no. Bella had temper. Bella had teeth. Bella had that very satisfying energy of a woman who hears a man say “don’t test me” and immediately starts sharpening sticks.
And as she should.
She fought Nico constantly, mouthed off with commitment, pushed every button he had and probably a few that had not even been installed yet. She was not just feisty in a cute marketable way. She was genuinely a pain in his ass, and I mean that as the highest compliment.
Because that is what made them fun.
She did not just react to Nico. She antagonized him like it was cardio. She made sure Nico never got to enjoy his little power plays in peace. Every time he tried to force the situation in his favor, she was right there making sure he paid for it spiritually.
"Well, if Murder is off the table, why are you here? Shouldn't you be out doing gangsterish things with your gangsterish friends?"
And Nico?
Oh, brother, this bitch.
This man spent half the book acting like some cold, controlled mafia kingpin and the other half reacting to Bella like his dick had legal custody of his brain.
Every time he tried to convince me this was revenge, I wanted to spray him with water.
Sir, stand up.
You are not brooding.
You are not detached.
You are not orchestrating some grand punishment.
You are in the middle of a ten-year mental illness with dress shoes on.
That man was down.
Not normal down.
Not manageable down.
Not “I still have perspective” down.
I mean down in the way a chandelier comes down.
Fast, dramatic and with expensive consequences.
And the worst part is, he really thought he was hiding it.
No babe.
Every scene with Bella had him acting like he was one inconvenience away from either bending her over a table or starting a small war in her honor. There was no mystery there. No subtlety. No dignified repression. Just pure uncut I’m still obsessed with the girl who ruined my adolescence and apparently also my blood pressure.
“There is no end for us,” he says with certainty. “It would be like trying to stop the tides. Impossible. My reason for breathing is you.”
Which, naturally, did work on me.
Because I am not above a man whose entire personality is “mine” plus hypertension.
The banter between them was one of the best things about this book. It had spark. It had snap. It had enough hostility to keep things fun without tipping fully into me wanting to chloroform them both. Bella gave as good as she got, Nico clearly lived for her attitude even while pretending to be annoyed. Every conversation felt like it was balancing on that nice little edge between foreplay and attempted manslaughter, which is exactly where a romance like this should live.
And the history between them?
Filthy.
Not literally. Relax, you little degenerates.
I mean emotionally filthy.
The whole young love gets torn apart by lies and betrayal and then they have to deal with the rotting corpse of that heartbreak years later setup is evil, and I love evil. There is something so specifically delicious about two people who were once each other’s entire universe and now have to look at each other through all that old resentment, confusion and unfinished business without spontaneously combusting.
“Hell has officially frozen over. Domenico De Kysa”
That always gets me.
Because it gives the tension teeth.
This is not random chemistry between two hot people with a criminal record. This is history. This is grievance. This is ten years of emotional plaque built up around feelings neither of them had the maturity or opportunity to deal with properly.
And when this book leaned into that, I was having a great time.
I also liked the suspense side of things. This is definitely more romance with dark/mafia elements than a truly dark romance, but there was enough danger, scheming, family dysfunction and criminal drama to keep it from going stale. The outside plot gave the book somewhere to go other than Nico staring at Bella like she was the final cigarette before execution.
And then the twist at the end?
Bitch.
That actually got me.
I love when a book can still come out of nowhere and slap me hard enough to make me sit up. That kind of surprise genuinely delights me. It is one of the few times I enjoy being disrespected.
BUT.
Here is why this stayed at 3.5 for me instead of pushing higher.
Because for all the chemistry, all the history, all the banter and all the sexy mafia dysfunction, the romance itself was not fully cooked.
The problem is not that I did not buy the attraction.
Please.
That part was obvious from space.
The problem is that I did not fully buy how quickly all that pain translated into payoff.
For two people with ten years of heartbreak, mistrust, resentment and emotional gangrene between them, I needed more suffering. More pain. More reluctance. More rot. More of them actually having to claw their way through the ugly middle instead of the story kind of nudging them toward each other and trusting that chemistry would do the rest.
And chemistry did do a lot.
But not enough.
Because I can buy lust in one glance.
I can buy obsession in three pages.
I can buy a man losing his mind because a woman tucked her hair behind her ear one time.
That is easy.
What I need more help with is the love. The forgiveness. The re-opening. The after everything, I am choosing you again part.
“No matter what happens, I will always find my way back to you.”
“And I would die a thousand times for you.”
That is where this felt too quick for me.
It needed more emotional marinating.
More conflict with actual weight to it.
More conversations where somebody says something so raw I have to put my kindle down and blink.
More consequences.
More blood on the reunion.
Instead, parts of their romantic progression felt like the book was double-parking in front of emotional complexity and hoping I would not notice.
I noticed.
Because that is the thing: I was having fun, but I was not fully being ruined.
And that hurt the emotional payoff because while I enjoyed them together, I did not feel like the story fully earned every step of how fast they got there.
But also this is where I think the book really missed some opportunities. There were multiple little details and setup moments that felt like they were going to matter more and then the story just... let them float away.
Like Bella seeing someone in her window.
Okay??
And then what???
That is the kind of detail that immediately makes me perk up because I am expecting it to come back in a meaningful way, add tension, connect to a reveal, deepen the danger, something.
But it just kind of sits there like a creepy little appetizer that never turns into a meal.
Same with Ari.
He is mentioned early on and then he basically evaporates from the face of the earth. And I kept waiting for the story to circle back because when a character is introduced with enough emphasis, I expect them to matter. If not to the plot directly, then at least to Bella in a way that gets revisited.
But no.
Gone.
And even smaller details, like Bella telling the housekeeper she is getting a raise just to spite Nico, felt like the kind of thing that could have been used later in a fun or revealing way. Not because it needed to become some massive plot point, but because those kinds of callbacks make a story feel more alive and connected. Like maybe the housekeeper mentions it to Nico later. Maybe it sparks another argument. Maybe it turns into one of those petty, charged little moments between them that escalates into something hotter and meaner.
Instead, a lot of those moments felt introduced and then abandoned.
And that added to the overall feeling that the book had good material in its hands but was not always using it as well as it could have.
That is really the frustration here.
Because this book is not boring.
It is not flat-out bad.
It is not a chore to read.
It is fun.
It has chemistry.
It has banter.
It has mafia chaos.
It has a heroine with backbone.
It has a man acting like Bella’s existence has permanently damaged his internal organs.
But it also feels like it leaves things on the table.
Emotionally.
Plot-wise.
Even in small character details.
There were opportunities for more tension, more payoff, more cohesion, more depth and the book did not always take them.
Because I had fun, but I could feel the stronger version of this book hovering just out of reach the whole time.
A version where the romance was given more time to breathe.
A version where the emotional wounds were explored more deeply.
A version where the shift from hate and resentment into craving and vulnerability felt messier, slower and more earned.
A version where those little details actually came back around and made the story feel tighter and more intentional.
Instead, I got a book that definitely entertained me, definitely kept me reading, definitely gave me tension and banter and a couple of really fun moments...
but did not fully land the way it could have.
I also think the writing could have used more flesh in places. Sometimes it felt a little too brisk, a little too eager to move to the next beat without really grinding the knife in where it needed to. There were scenes that should have had more sting, more filth, more emotional bruising and instead they kind of passed by like a car that splashes you with puddle water and keeps driving.
Rude, yes.
Life-changing, no.
And the ending?
Wild.
A little rushed.
A little chaotic.
A little like the book put on acrylics and started driving with both hands off the wheel.
Not enough to ruin it.
Enough to keep me from rating higher.
So yeah, 3.5 stars.
Not because this was boring.
Not because Nico and Bella did not have chemistry.
And definitely not because Nico was not acting like Bella’s existence had permanently lowered his life expectancy.
But because the banter and tension were stronger than the emotional payoff.
Because the setup promised me a dirtier wound than the romance actually delivered.
And because I enjoyed this book like I enjoy trashy men in fiction: enthusiastically, against my better judgment, while fully aware that it could have treated me worse and I might have liked it more.
Still, I had fun.
Bella was a menace.
Nico was a lost cause.
The twist had teeth.
And the whole thing was dramatic enough to keep me seated even while I was side-eyeing half the emotional pacing.
So no, this did not ruin my life.
But it did grab me by the jaw, shake me around a little and leave me entertained enough to come back for more mafia nonsense.
May 2, 2023
“No matter what happens, I will always find my way back to you.”
I readthis author's work for the first time and wow, the writing and the characters fascinated me. Nico & Bella were childhood sweethearts but an incident separated them for ten years. Now Nico is back in Bella's life but this time for revenge. Will they ever be able to rekindle their love or will his actions drive them further away from each other? Bella & Nico had a great connection and it was visible in their chemistry. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop until I finished it. Albeit the twists were predictable, I still enjoyed reading this book.
I readthis author's work for the first time and wow, the writing and the characters fascinated me. Nico & Bella were childhood sweethearts but an incident separated them for ten years. Now Nico is back in Bella's life but this time for revenge. Will they ever be able to rekindle their love or will his actions drive them further away from each other? Bella & Nico had a great connection and it was visible in their chemistry. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop until I finished it. Albeit the twists were predictable, I still enjoyed reading this book.
Did Not Finish
November 20, 2023Honestly this starts off good. The writing isn’t the best but it’s readable and addicting, and that’s good enough. But I had to look at the ending and that’s going to be a no for me. The contemporary romance readers would like it but the dark romance reader in me is upset at the ending - This is a mafia/billionaire romance and THAT’S the ending?? That’s a no for me.
DNF @ 30% after peaking at the ending.
DNF @ 30% after peaking at the ending.
April 16, 2023
Belle and Nico. What can I say? From childhood sweethearts to bitter enemies that cumulated into a forced marriage between the son of his father's once best friend and his enemy's only daughter.
Great story with lots of pace, hate smex and some ow drama.
Great read
Great story with lots of pace, hate smex and some ow drama.
Great read
May 13, 2024
I wasn't a fan of the main characters or the ending. A lot of the dialogue physically made me cringe.
January 12, 2024
“I almost died because of you.” “And I would die a thousand times for you.”
This was a ‘stuff your kindle’ read and in honor of the event, I want to be honest, not harsh. I liked the premise a LOT! Everyone knows I’m a sl*t for all things mafia, and childhood friends who were promised to each other but became enemies instead had me hooked immediately.
The writing and the tone just fell a little flat for me. If this was more fleshed out and had some life to it, I would have loved it. There were still some great scenes, I didn’t expect the plot twist in the LAST TWENTY PAGES and I GASPED, genuinely brought me joy over the fact I was in pure shock. I just needed this to read less like an outline and more like a story. And it felt like there was no buildup between Bella and Nico at all, they just went from hating each other to suddenly having sex and acting like they were a couple.
Still fun, still an easy read, and my very first stuff your kindle read!
This was a ‘stuff your kindle’ read and in honor of the event, I want to be honest, not harsh. I liked the premise a LOT! Everyone knows I’m a sl*t for all things mafia, and childhood friends who were promised to each other but became enemies instead had me hooked immediately.
The writing and the tone just fell a little flat for me. If this was more fleshed out and had some life to it, I would have loved it. There were still some great scenes, I didn’t expect the plot twist in the LAST TWENTY PAGES and I GASPED, genuinely brought me joy over the fact I was in pure shock. I just needed this to read less like an outline and more like a story. And it felt like there was no buildup between Bella and Nico at all, they just went from hating each other to suddenly having sex and acting like they were a couple.
Still fun, still an easy read, and my very first stuff your kindle read!
February 12, 2024
PONGAMOSLE 3 pero le apunto pa' abajo.
al libro anterior que leí y de mafia no tenía nada, la idea es por acá... pero este tampoco me convenció.
el chabon se quiere vengar de la muerte de su madre y obliga a la hija del supuesto culpable a casarse con el.
a su vez ellos ya tenían un pasado y la distancia no les quito las ganas.
cuestión que todo fluye medianamente normal (secuestro, peleas, mucho spicy jajaa) hasta que una ex loca de el aparece con un arma y empieza a disparar. por la cant de hojas que faltaba por terminar yy era obvio que podría llegar a pasar.
.
.
.
Cosa no menos importante(? NO me parece salirse de la vida mafiosa, de esto va el libro te bancas las peleas....
además de un libro que ni se desarrolla tantas situaciones peligrosas...
al libro anterior que leí y de mafia no tenía nada, la idea es por acá... pero este tampoco me convenció.
el chabon se quiere vengar de la muerte de su madre y obliga a la hija del supuesto culpable a casarse con el.
a su vez ellos ya tenían un pasado y la distancia no les quito las ganas.
cuestión que todo fluye medianamente normal (secuestro, peleas, mucho spicy jajaa) hasta que una ex loca de el aparece con un arma y empieza a disparar. por la cant de hojas que faltaba por terminar yy era obvio que podría llegar a pasar.
.
.
.
Cosa no menos importante(? NO me parece salirse de la vida mafiosa, de esto va el libro te bancas las peleas....
además de un libro que ni se desarrolla tantas situaciones peligrosas...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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