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Keeping What's Mine #1
Keeping My Bride
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Angela Snyder comes a new standalone, full-length romantic suspense novel.
I was forced to marry a monster.
Luca Vitale is the heir to his father’s empire.
He has the reputation of being a dangerous monster who can bring even grown men to their knees.
And he’s about to become my husband.
Our families have been at war with one another ever since I can remember.
I am the daughter of his enemy, and he will try everything to control me, to bend me…to break me.
When I’m forced to make a deal with the devil himself, one question still remains — will our union be one of love or violence?
Keeping My Bride is book number 1 in the Keeping What's Mine Series, but each book in the series can be read as a standalone. It is a dark mafia arranged marriage romance. It contains adult content for mature readers.
I was forced to marry a monster.
Luca Vitale is the heir to his father’s empire.
He has the reputation of being a dangerous monster who can bring even grown men to their knees.
And he’s about to become my husband.
Our families have been at war with one another ever since I can remember.
I am the daughter of his enemy, and he will try everything to control me, to bend me…to break me.
When I’m forced to make a deal with the devil himself, one question still remains — will our union be one of love or violence?
Keeping My Bride is book number 1 in the Keeping What's Mine Series, but each book in the series can be read as a standalone. It is a dark mafia arranged marriage romance. It contains adult content for mature readers.
328 pages, Paperback
Published January 22, 2023
2652 people are currently reading
15610 people want to read
About the author
Angela Snyder
22 books640 followersAngela Snyder is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Angela grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania with a passion for reading and writing stories since she was a child. Angela currently lives in an even smaller town in Pennsylvania with her husband and her very spoiled Golden Retriever.
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Find Angela's books on Amazon: http://Author.to/AngelaSnyder
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--------------------
Find Angela's books on Amazon: http://Author.to/AngelaSnyder
Sign up for Angela's newsletter to be the first to know about her upcoming new releases, sales, freebies and more: http://eepurl.com/cNF0o5
You can also follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/AuthorAngelaSnyder and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AuthorAngelaS
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 827 reviews
September 25, 2021
Luca acts like a petulant child.
This story feels like a overused tropes filled with cliches.
I need a mafia romance where there’s isn’t big age gap and its exceptionally written.
This story feels like a overused tropes filled with cliches.
I need a mafia romance where there’s isn’t big age gap and its exceptionally written.
August 29, 2021
This one was a fast read with some heavy sexual tension. If it didn't have one scene I would have rated it higher.
Luca and Verona knew eachother when they were kids but some bad things happened that had them become enemies well more from Luca side.. Verona was clueless to why he disliked her. Years later they are forced to be married and Luca has one goal treat his wife like shit and have her go though hell.. well it wasn't hell persay.. he did Humiliated her about simple things and her clothes thinking she was a rich spoiled girl he learned she wasn't. He though wrong but he still acted like an ass.. he even spanked her because she didn't know how to work a dishwasher..
As for Verona shes confused and turned on why her husband does these things she's to nice. I wish she grew more of a backbone and stodd up to him. She even made his fave dish and catches lipstick on his shirt thinking he cheated.
Luca went to a strip club and he already had it in his head he was going to cheat he kept changing his mind until he got a Lap dance and the girl was about to fk him but HE COULDN'T GET IT UP!!
So he went home. Their relationship starts to changed after that they started becoming closer Luca figuring out his wife is to innocent to known about his mother's death. And they have other enemies. And one very clothes to home that ruined both their childhoods.. now he has to make sure his wife is safe.
Low angst, om drama (few men), ehh not really cheating, slight secondary character, drama, sexy times, virgin gal and sorta manwhore
Recommend-maybe
Cover-⭐⭐⭐
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶
Slowburnish
Push away from both sides more H
Tiny Humiliation
Mentions Human Trafficking
Murder
No condom
Dub-conish punishment
Ptsdish
Violence
Hea
Epilogue
Luca and Verona knew eachother when they were kids but some bad things happened that had them become enemies well more from Luca side.. Verona was clueless to why he disliked her. Years later they are forced to be married and Luca has one goal treat his wife like shit and have her go though hell.. well it wasn't hell persay.. he did Humiliated her about simple things and her clothes thinking she was a rich spoiled girl he learned she wasn't. He though wrong but he still acted like an ass.. he even spanked her because she didn't know how to work a dishwasher..
As for Verona shes confused and turned on why her husband does these things she's to nice. I wish she grew more of a backbone and stodd up to him. She even made his fave dish and catches lipstick on his shirt thinking he cheated.
Luca went to a strip club and he already had it in his head he was going to cheat he kept changing his mind until he got a Lap dance and the girl was about to fk him but HE COULDN'T GET IT UP!!
So he went home. Their relationship starts to changed after that they started becoming closer Luca figuring out his wife is to innocent to known about his mother's death. And they have other enemies. And one very clothes to home that ruined both their childhoods.. now he has to make sure his wife is safe.
Low angst, om drama (few men), ehh not really cheating, slight secondary character, drama, sexy times, virgin gal and sorta manwhore
Recommend-maybe
Cover-⭐⭐⭐
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶
Slowburnish
Push away from both sides more H
Tiny Humiliation
Mentions Human Trafficking
Murder
No condom
Dub-conish punishment
Ptsdish
Violence
Hea
Epilogue
September 20, 2021
I feel as dizzily confused about this book as the book was itself.
Not much logic happening here.
Never did completely figure out simple things like the MC's ages. It starts with both of them living with their parents, and the father of the H barges into the H's room in the morning as if the H is a unruly teenager. And honestly, that's what I thought he was. Twenty-one TOPS... he seems like a rich pampered frat boy who just effs around and gets drunk/high while lazing about nursing his hangovers and STDs.
But then the h enters the scene... these two used to be playground besties, so my logical assumption is that they are around the same age... but then some of the background information about the h (where she went to school, and what she did after) makes me think that she's possibly in her late 20s... which makes the H also that age... but the H treats her like he's 10 years her senior. It's a very odd dynamic. I scoured the book for their ages, and couldn't find anything definitive...
The H is very schizophrenic toward the h... One minute he's deriding her clothes as "rags", and the next he's accusing of her of being a spoiled pampered princess... which is an odd allegation coming from him on MANY levels.
He spends most of the 1st half of the book sporting a boner for the h, but then says later than he's so surprised that he's attracted to her... dude... you've been panting after her since she walked in the door. Pick a lane.
Me watching the H go back and forth on how he feels about the h:
There's a funny scene where they are supposed to go to a party together but he leaves without her. So, she shows up on her own. The party requires masks... and somehow he doesn't recognize her. His wife. Who he's been seeing everyday for weeks. It's comical.
Anyway... the smexxy times are a little confusing as well, but at the end of the day, surprisingly, they are what sell this book. The bright spot in our otherwise confusing story.
I do think the writing smoothes out in the last half of the book. So, I spent the first half dying to DNF, and I would have if I wasn't buddy reading this one, and the last half grudgingly enjoying the book...
Bottom Line? If you like mafia arranged marriage enemies-to-lovers tropes with loads of drama and hot smexxy times, you might enjoy this one. Just be patient. 3.5 stars
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating after they h and H are intimate - but he does visit a strip club after they are married with the expressed purpose of cheating, but his ding-dong doesn't cooperate 👀🤡
- no sharing
- only the strip club OW drama
- OM drama - the H assumes she's into her bodyguard
- no dubcon
- the h is virgin, the H is a manwhore
Not much logic happening here.
Never did completely figure out simple things like the MC's ages. It starts with both of them living with their parents, and the father of the H barges into the H's room in the morning as if the H is a unruly teenager. And honestly, that's what I thought he was. Twenty-one TOPS... he seems like a rich pampered frat boy who just effs around and gets drunk/high while lazing about nursing his hangovers and STDs.
But then the h enters the scene... these two used to be playground besties, so my logical assumption is that they are around the same age... but then some of the background information about the h (where she went to school, and what she did after) makes me think that she's possibly in her late 20s... which makes the H also that age... but the H treats her like he's 10 years her senior. It's a very odd dynamic. I scoured the book for their ages, and couldn't find anything definitive...
The H is very schizophrenic toward the h... One minute he's deriding her clothes as "rags", and the next he's accusing of her of being a spoiled pampered princess... which is an odd allegation coming from him on MANY levels.
He spends most of the 1st half of the book sporting a boner for the h, but then says later than he's so surprised that he's attracted to her... dude... you've been panting after her since she walked in the door. Pick a lane.
Me watching the H go back and forth on how he feels about the h:
There's a funny scene where they are supposed to go to a party together but he leaves without her. So, she shows up on her own. The party requires masks... and somehow he doesn't recognize her. His wife. Who he's been seeing everyday for weeks. It's comical.
Anyway... the smexxy times are a little confusing as well, but at the end of the day, surprisingly, they are what sell this book. The bright spot in our otherwise confusing story.
I do think the writing smoothes out in the last half of the book. So, I spent the first half dying to DNF, and I would have if I wasn't buddy reading this one, and the last half grudgingly enjoying the book...
Bottom Line? If you like mafia arranged marriage enemies-to-lovers tropes with loads of drama and hot smexxy times, you might enjoy this one. Just be patient. 3.5 stars
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating after they h and H are intimate - but he does visit a strip club after they are married with the expressed purpose of cheating, but his ding-dong doesn't cooperate 👀🤡
- no sharing
- only the strip club OW drama
- OM drama - the H assumes she's into her bodyguard
- no dubcon
- the h is virgin, the H is a manwhore
Read
September 8, 2021DNF @ 83% because I can't STAND the "I woke up and immediately threw up so I'm pregnant" trope 😭😭
May 2, 2024
Fast paced, quick read with potential. It feeled a little bit rushed especially in certain scenes but overall pleasant read.
September 4, 2021
This could have been a great book
It was still good. The hero is really a good guy and she is very sweet. I love Benito too. Great side kick and he really made me like the book. I kept thinking of him looking like the Manager of the hotel in Pretty Woman. He hated her but he didn't know her and she won him over. The reason I didn't give this four stars is the totally crude sex scenes in the book. It's just not for me. Personal opinion and if you like back door play and spanking you will like this. I just skimmed over it because it was not romantic to me. Just not my cup of tea. But the love did come through and there are bad guys and violence throughout. I think that Amazon has got my recommendations out of sync because this is really not my usual fare. I am going back to HP and thriller books now. I have walked in the wild side and it was just a little too raunchy for me. This had a great epilogue though and it was very sweet.
It was still good. The hero is really a good guy and she is very sweet. I love Benito too. Great side kick and he really made me like the book. I kept thinking of him looking like the Manager of the hotel in Pretty Woman. He hated her but he didn't know her and she won him over. The reason I didn't give this four stars is the totally crude sex scenes in the book. It's just not for me. Personal opinion and if you like back door play and spanking you will like this. I just skimmed over it because it was not romantic to me. Just not my cup of tea. But the love did come through and there are bad guys and violence throughout. I think that Amazon has got my recommendations out of sync because this is really not my usual fare. I am going back to HP and thriller books now. I have walked in the wild side and it was just a little too raunchy for me. This had a great epilogue though and it was very sweet.
March 11, 2023
This was a mess- I don't even remember how I came across the book aside from seeing the words mafia and going 'yes'.
The characters as a whole were just so immature and unbelievably inconsistent to the point where it made the book so questionable, especially in terms of the dialogue - it all just felt so random and didn't really make sense for any of the characters.
There were definitely some enjoyable parts- I thought the smut was nice, and although with certain characters their switch in personalities was random, there were still some cute scenes. (🤩 No but when he throws all your clothes on the floor and calls them rags, but you don't care because he's hot🤩).
-=-
The more that I read the more unbelievable it became- the story just spun out of control and didn't really make any sense to me. I did start to get a bit bored towards the end (despite a lot of things happening), just because there wasn't really any buildup/ meaning as to why certain things happened.
But yeah, not a great read.
The characters as a whole were just so immature and unbelievably inconsistent to the point where it made the book so questionable, especially in terms of the dialogue - it all just felt so random and didn't really make sense for any of the characters.
There were definitely some enjoyable parts- I thought the smut was nice, and although with certain characters their switch in personalities was random, there were still some cute scenes. (🤩 No but when he throws all your clothes on the floor and calls them rags, but you don't care because he's hot🤩).
-=-
The more that I read the more unbelievable it became- the story just spun out of control and didn't really make any sense to me. I did start to get a bit bored towards the end (despite a lot of things happening), just because there wasn't really any buildup/ meaning as to why certain things happened.
But yeah, not a great read.
August 17, 2021
2.5 - 3 Star Read. It's not good enough though to round up to a 3.
I just finished this book a few minutes ago, and I took a huge sigh of relief that it was over. This is a new author to me, so I wanted to go into this book with an open mind. However, I just had a gut feeling that things weren't going to get better. Within the first couple of chapters, it feels like the same wording and situations are repeated. It's one thing to set the background of your story, but it's another to just constantly relate the same information. Eventually, the story did move on, but the tone was already set. There was nothing else there that could persuade me that this is well-written.
I am debating what my rating will actually be. I am leaning towards a 2 even though I did finish it. Like I mentioned, I should have given up somewhere near the 40 percent mark. I didn't though, and I have a bad book hangover for all the wrong reasons. I was drawn in by the pretenses that this was going to be an enemies to lovers arranged marriage. I was all for it! Yay! It is that, but not in a traditional sense. Luca and Verona have a prior history as friends, but due to several events, their families have become sworn enemies. However, they will have to marry in order to have peace even though they can't stand each other. The plotting of the story is what really drives me nuts about this one. I can look past the slow paced beginning, but towards the middle, it's like a light bulb goes off for the author. I am not sure what happened, but in my opinion, it's like she realized that all of a sudden she's written 50 percent of the story filled with hate. There's no transition from hate to friends to love. The story literally does a 360 right in the middle so that the characters can work on a real relationship. It doesn't work at all and makes the rest even more miserable.
The plot wasn't that bad beyond what I have already mentioned. However, the characters could have used more development. The beginning is very sweet in which we get to see a little bit about their childhood friendship. It then transitions into their wedding and how they are going to navigate these new circumstances. Luca literally is petulant child that throws tantrums at the drop of a hat. He's mean to Verona and assumes all the wrong things without getting to know her as an adult. It's a very soap opera type style of drama. He sets her up to fail and then when she does, he's the first one to laugh and say I was right. You weren't, you just set it up to get the correct outcome that you wanted. It's hard to believe that he can all of a sudden see past his prejudices towards his wife and wants to get to know her. It just doesn't work like that. See the 360 comment above, as it works here too.
If Luca is a the bratty child, then Verona is the one who is too naive to live. She's been sheltered her whole life, so I can explain away a few of the issues that I have with her character. I can also appreciate that she's put into a bad situation and tries to make the best of it. In the beginning, he believes she's a spoiled princess, and that she's too good for everything. This isn't the case, but Luca doesn't take the time to right those opinions. After so much abuse, there has to come a point in time when you get angry. Defend yourself! Say no! She never does. It's disappointing as she could have this really great breakthrough moment, but it just doesn't happen. She falls in love with a monster who treats her like scum. I wish there had been a 360 moment here, but Verona never comes to realize that she should respect herself enough to ask for better.
I just finished this book a few minutes ago, and I took a huge sigh of relief that it was over. This is a new author to me, so I wanted to go into this book with an open mind. However, I just had a gut feeling that things weren't going to get better. Within the first couple of chapters, it feels like the same wording and situations are repeated. It's one thing to set the background of your story, but it's another to just constantly relate the same information. Eventually, the story did move on, but the tone was already set. There was nothing else there that could persuade me that this is well-written.
I am debating what my rating will actually be. I am leaning towards a 2 even though I did finish it. Like I mentioned, I should have given up somewhere near the 40 percent mark. I didn't though, and I have a bad book hangover for all the wrong reasons. I was drawn in by the pretenses that this was going to be an enemies to lovers arranged marriage. I was all for it! Yay! It is that, but not in a traditional sense. Luca and Verona have a prior history as friends, but due to several events, their families have become sworn enemies. However, they will have to marry in order to have peace even though they can't stand each other. The plotting of the story is what really drives me nuts about this one. I can look past the slow paced beginning, but towards the middle, it's like a light bulb goes off for the author. I am not sure what happened, but in my opinion, it's like she realized that all of a sudden she's written 50 percent of the story filled with hate. There's no transition from hate to friends to love. The story literally does a 360 right in the middle so that the characters can work on a real relationship. It doesn't work at all and makes the rest even more miserable.
The plot wasn't that bad beyond what I have already mentioned. However, the characters could have used more development. The beginning is very sweet in which we get to see a little bit about their childhood friendship. It then transitions into their wedding and how they are going to navigate these new circumstances. Luca literally is petulant child that throws tantrums at the drop of a hat. He's mean to Verona and assumes all the wrong things without getting to know her as an adult. It's a very soap opera type style of drama. He sets her up to fail and then when she does, he's the first one to laugh and say I was right. You weren't, you just set it up to get the correct outcome that you wanted. It's hard to believe that he can all of a sudden see past his prejudices towards his wife and wants to get to know her. It just doesn't work like that. See the 360 comment above, as it works here too.
If Luca is a the bratty child, then Verona is the one who is too naive to live. She's been sheltered her whole life, so I can explain away a few of the issues that I have with her character. I can also appreciate that she's put into a bad situation and tries to make the best of it. In the beginning, he believes she's a spoiled princess, and that she's too good for everything. This isn't the case, but Luca doesn't take the time to right those opinions. After so much abuse, there has to come a point in time when you get angry. Defend yourself! Say no! She never does. It's disappointing as she could have this really great breakthrough moment, but it just doesn't happen. She falls in love with a monster who treats her like scum. I wish there had been a 360 moment here, but Verona never comes to realize that she should respect herself enough to ask for better.
September 6, 2021
“If you come to my room in the middle of the night again, it better be because you either want to sit on my face or get on your knees.”
Holy hotness this book had it all...
Mafia romance✔️
Arranged marriage✔️
Steam, steam, steam ✔️
I'm a fan of dark romance, add in all of the above and this is one book I couldn't resist!! From the first chapter I was hooked and couldn't put it down, the story and characters captivated me.
“If you hadn’t been wearing panties, I think I would have had no choice but to punish you. I might still punish you for dressing like this, for enticing all the men at the party…and for enticing me,”
Luca and Verona's story was a suspenseful, edge of your seat, sexy read that had me devouring page after page. I absolutely loved the friends to enemies then enemies to lovers relationship that evolved between these two characters. If you love the push and pull between characters then you'll definitely love this book!!
"I love her more than anything on this fucking planet. I would kill for her. I would live for her. But more importantly, if it came right down to it, I would die for her."
Holy hotness this book had it all...
Mafia romance✔️
Arranged marriage✔️
Steam, steam, steam ✔️
I'm a fan of dark romance, add in all of the above and this is one book I couldn't resist!! From the first chapter I was hooked and couldn't put it down, the story and characters captivated me.
“If you hadn’t been wearing panties, I think I would have had no choice but to punish you. I might still punish you for dressing like this, for enticing all the men at the party…and for enticing me,”
Luca and Verona's story was a suspenseful, edge of your seat, sexy read that had me devouring page after page. I absolutely loved the friends to enemies then enemies to lovers relationship that evolved between these two characters. If you love the push and pull between characters then you'll definitely love this book!!
"I love her more than anything on this fucking planet. I would kill for her. I would live for her. But more importantly, if it came right down to it, I would die for her."
Read
September 1, 2023Nope. This wasn't it. I was forcing my self to finish it. Luca (H) was supposed to be this dangerous Mafia man but instead acted like a whiney idiot who treated the h terribly. Then he instantly became this whole other person devoted to her 🙄 Like yh I wasn't buying it. Also I can usually deal with the writing but I just couldn't with this book, I couldn't stand this book. ✋️😑 Glad that it's over.
November 19, 2021
Another mafia romance book with a domineering asshole, doormat heroine, and predictable plot.
August 4, 2025
10/10 ragebait
did-not-finish
September 22, 2021I don’t even know why I picked this up
May 10, 2023
The intro with them as kids was so dramatized but also that's how kids are so it was hilarious. And low key adorable tbh. I was so worried tho, when she first talked about a car pulling up, that Luca was gonna be like SIGNIFICANTLY older than her (I've read it before) and I cannot tell you how relieved I was that he was almost the same age. Also idk why but it was HILARIOUS to me that they have a Romeo and Juliet family rivalry and her name is fucking VERONA. Like oh my god.
God her dad SUCKED tho like seriously? (Quote: “What you want is of no consequence to me, Verona.") YOU'RE HER DAD YES IT IS. I feel so bad for Verona, especially because she thinks she has to love him because he's all she has. But she doesn't. She really doesn't. And the fucking AUDACITY of this bitch to say "do it for the family" when he doesn't even treat her as such. I spent the entire book hoping Luca would shank a man honestly. But at least he just...stops existing for most of the book.
Fuck Luca tho. I hate the mentality of "oh you're from this family therefore fuck you" and I wanted to strangle him (quotes: “If I have to marry her so that we don’t lose everything we worked so hard for, then so be it. But I won’t be faithful. I won’t ever love her.” "But there’s nothing saying I can’t take my anger and frustration out on my new bride to be, that I won’t treat her like my own little plaything. She will be my wife in name only. And I’m going to make her regret signing the contract. I’m going to make her life a living hell.") like bitch you BETTER HAVE BEEN FUCKING JOKING. I WILL FIGHT YOU. AND THEN HE DOES CHEAT ON HER. TF. Also he was so misogynistic with the "all girls dream of their perfect wedding" like...no tf they don't my dude, and then the "oh her being pretty makes me feel better" like fuck you my dude. My eye literally twitched with his thought of "make her show her husband respect" and I *eagerly* waited for him to fall head first and stop being an ASSHOLE. Like the audacity to be such a horny jackass when he wouldn't even kiss her at their fucking wedding. At least this asshole realized he fucked up immediately with the pool thing and swore (albeit to himself) to never use it against her. He does have a soul in there somewhere. Although not enough of one with how he treats her with the clothes and like she's constantly a spoiled princess when she proves constantly to be anything but. Like she can't even speak their language and he still makes an excuse on how that makes her spoiled. The lengths he'll go to hate her is ridiculous, he just keeps saying he can't possibly wrong about her and just *throttle hands*. Half the book. It takes literally half the book for him to admit he was wrong about her. And then the guilt comes rushing in and it was a fucking revelation. Like my dude yeah, you're an asshole. You treated her like shit like everyone else always has and she's SWEET. SHE'S SO NICE. He had no right to be upset that she didn't trust him.
Also he's such a like sick bastard for the sexual fantasies but at least the asshole is self aware about it Jesus (quote: "I’m sick for getting off on her fear, but I can’t help it. I’ve wanted her to suffer for a long time now. Her and her entire fucking family.") But the fucking way he narrates abusing her?? I literally nearly dropped the book for that (quote: "My hands itch at the need to take my belt out of the loops and beat her until she can no longer walk. But I know that if I start hurting her, I might not be able to stop. I don’t trust that I won’t take it too far.") But alas my completionist OCD would never let me. Also tf is he on with the whole "I can barely look at her" bs. Your dick says otherwise, buddy.
This book did go...so kinky so fast. Like tf was with the spanking thing and why did Verona get off on it. That's what has me very confused and a lil fucked up. Like she was so horny so someone that supposedly hates her husband. Tf? That was a very fast 180 on both of their parts. And the ideal of "looking different" after a sexual experience is so archaic and slightly misogynistic so ick. But the three for one special of him realizing he was wrong, starting to fall for her and fucking all in the span of like twenty pages was fucking HILARIOUS okay. My mans did a whole ass 180 from a raging aashole into affectionate as fuck so fast I think I got whiplash tho.
Verona was a...weird character though. Living poor and underfed but unable to do even the most simple of tasks? Like it astonishes me that she didn't even know how to load a dishwasher. Also she was written as such an ultra virgin in the beginning before the spanking that the complete 180 was so jarring. Also the way she talks? Like why (quote: "It wasn’t bad enough you had to fuck me between my legs. You have to fuck me by kicking me out of your house too?”) girl just say pussy. Or "it wasn't bad enough you had to fuck me, you have to fuck me over too?" Like there are so many better ways to phrase that. However her relationship with Benito was so fucking cute. Him happily offering up Luca's fave meal and then HELPING HER do it, and promising to get Luca to eat it was so sweet. Also the "I won't let you fall in" at the pool was 🥺🥺 He could see how hard she was trying and I'm glad *someone* appreciated her Jesus. I literally went "aw omg" when she called him Benny and he smiled and said he liked it. She needed a friend and I was glad it was him. I was so hoping he'd knock some since into Luca and get him to, you know, *not* cheat on his wife but here we are. This book loses major points for the cheating.
When he was in the strip club and went "I don't want her but I don't want anyone else to have her either" I literally went "you piece of shit" because he was LITERALLY CHEATING ON HER. HE DOESN'T GET TO SAY SHE CAN'T BE WITH ANYONE ELSE. FUCKING ASSHOLE. Literally the only reason he doesn't fuck someone else is because he can't get hard. Like I hate shit like this. And I feel bad for Benito because he assuredly feels like he failed Verona both because of missing dinner and his friend being a piece of shit. Especially after Verona's response when she finds out. Poor girl was fucking heartbroken and Luca just had to be an ass about it.
And then Luca just going "I'll just give her space she just needs to cool off" instead of apologizing or trying to fix this?? The FUCK is wrong with him. Then the party. The fucking PARTY. Just when I thought I couldn't HATE THE MAN MORE HE DOES ALL THAT SHIT. I hate very very little more than voyeurism, but ESPECIALLY fucking unwilling voyeurism. Neither Dante nor Verona consented to that and it was scummy as fuck. I was starting to like him even the tiniest bit with how affectionate and adoring he was being during the car ride and then THAT?? And then he later ignores her saying no and does MORE public borderline voyeurism shit, and essentially forcing anal on her?? The absolute fuck. My opinion of him could not recover. Everytime I thought he couldn't make me like him less, he found a goddamn way.
I knew from fucking second one that it wasn't Verona's family that killed Luca's mom, but Dante tho. That he also killed Verona's. It was so fucking obvious he was behind it and the pictures/attacks but of course Luca had to be too much of an oblivious ASSHOLE to care.
Also, btw, can authors pls stop with surprise pregnancies for suspenseful action plot devices and as an attempt to fix toxic relationships. It doesn't work.
All in all this book was sloppily written, predictable and it's literal only redeeming quality was Verona and Benito's friendship. Nothing else was worth this borderline abusive bullshit. I will not be reading the rest of the series.
God her dad SUCKED tho like seriously? (Quote: “What you want is of no consequence to me, Verona.") YOU'RE HER DAD YES IT IS. I feel so bad for Verona, especially because she thinks she has to love him because he's all she has. But she doesn't. She really doesn't. And the fucking AUDACITY of this bitch to say "do it for the family" when he doesn't even treat her as such. I spent the entire book hoping Luca would shank a man honestly. But at least he just...stops existing for most of the book.
Fuck Luca tho. I hate the mentality of "oh you're from this family therefore fuck you" and I wanted to strangle him (quotes: “If I have to marry her so that we don’t lose everything we worked so hard for, then so be it. But I won’t be faithful. I won’t ever love her.” "But there’s nothing saying I can’t take my anger and frustration out on my new bride to be, that I won’t treat her like my own little plaything. She will be my wife in name only. And I’m going to make her regret signing the contract. I’m going to make her life a living hell.") like bitch you BETTER HAVE BEEN FUCKING JOKING. I WILL FIGHT YOU. AND THEN HE DOES CHEAT ON HER. TF. Also he was so misogynistic with the "all girls dream of their perfect wedding" like...no tf they don't my dude, and then the "oh her being pretty makes me feel better" like fuck you my dude. My eye literally twitched with his thought of "make her show her husband respect" and I *eagerly* waited for him to fall head first and stop being an ASSHOLE. Like the audacity to be such a horny jackass when he wouldn't even kiss her at their fucking wedding. At least this asshole realized he fucked up immediately with the pool thing and swore (albeit to himself) to never use it against her. He does have a soul in there somewhere. Although not enough of one with how he treats her with the clothes and like she's constantly a spoiled princess when she proves constantly to be anything but. Like she can't even speak their language and he still makes an excuse on how that makes her spoiled. The lengths he'll go to hate her is ridiculous, he just keeps saying he can't possibly wrong about her and just *throttle hands*. Half the book. It takes literally half the book for him to admit he was wrong about her. And then the guilt comes rushing in and it was a fucking revelation. Like my dude yeah, you're an asshole. You treated her like shit like everyone else always has and she's SWEET. SHE'S SO NICE. He had no right to be upset that she didn't trust him.
Also he's such a like sick bastard for the sexual fantasies but at least the asshole is self aware about it Jesus (quote: "I’m sick for getting off on her fear, but I can’t help it. I’ve wanted her to suffer for a long time now. Her and her entire fucking family.") But the fucking way he narrates abusing her?? I literally nearly dropped the book for that (quote: "My hands itch at the need to take my belt out of the loops and beat her until she can no longer walk. But I know that if I start hurting her, I might not be able to stop. I don’t trust that I won’t take it too far.") But alas my completionist OCD would never let me. Also tf is he on with the whole "I can barely look at her" bs. Your dick says otherwise, buddy.
This book did go...so kinky so fast. Like tf was with the spanking thing and why did Verona get off on it. That's what has me very confused and a lil fucked up. Like she was so horny so someone that supposedly hates her husband. Tf? That was a very fast 180 on both of their parts. And the ideal of "looking different" after a sexual experience is so archaic and slightly misogynistic so ick. But the three for one special of him realizing he was wrong, starting to fall for her and fucking all in the span of like twenty pages was fucking HILARIOUS okay. My mans did a whole ass 180 from a raging aashole into affectionate as fuck so fast I think I got whiplash tho.
Verona was a...weird character though. Living poor and underfed but unable to do even the most simple of tasks? Like it astonishes me that she didn't even know how to load a dishwasher. Also she was written as such an ultra virgin in the beginning before the spanking that the complete 180 was so jarring. Also the way she talks? Like why (quote: "It wasn’t bad enough you had to fuck me between my legs. You have to fuck me by kicking me out of your house too?”) girl just say pussy. Or "it wasn't bad enough you had to fuck me, you have to fuck me over too?" Like there are so many better ways to phrase that. However her relationship with Benito was so fucking cute. Him happily offering up Luca's fave meal and then HELPING HER do it, and promising to get Luca to eat it was so sweet. Also the "I won't let you fall in" at the pool was 🥺🥺 He could see how hard she was trying and I'm glad *someone* appreciated her Jesus. I literally went "aw omg" when she called him Benny and he smiled and said he liked it. She needed a friend and I was glad it was him. I was so hoping he'd knock some since into Luca and get him to, you know, *not* cheat on his wife but here we are. This book loses major points for the cheating.
When he was in the strip club and went "I don't want her but I don't want anyone else to have her either" I literally went "you piece of shit" because he was LITERALLY CHEATING ON HER. HE DOESN'T GET TO SAY SHE CAN'T BE WITH ANYONE ELSE. FUCKING ASSHOLE. Literally the only reason he doesn't fuck someone else is because he can't get hard. Like I hate shit like this. And I feel bad for Benito because he assuredly feels like he failed Verona both because of missing dinner and his friend being a piece of shit. Especially after Verona's response when she finds out. Poor girl was fucking heartbroken and Luca just had to be an ass about it.
And then Luca just going "I'll just give her space she just needs to cool off" instead of apologizing or trying to fix this?? The FUCK is wrong with him. Then the party. The fucking PARTY. Just when I thought I couldn't HATE THE MAN MORE HE DOES ALL THAT SHIT. I hate very very little more than voyeurism, but ESPECIALLY fucking unwilling voyeurism. Neither Dante nor Verona consented to that and it was scummy as fuck. I was starting to like him even the tiniest bit with how affectionate and adoring he was being during the car ride and then THAT?? And then he later ignores her saying no and does MORE public borderline voyeurism shit, and essentially forcing anal on her?? The absolute fuck. My opinion of him could not recover. Everytime I thought he couldn't make me like him less, he found a goddamn way.
I knew from fucking second one that it wasn't Verona's family that killed Luca's mom, but Dante tho. That he also killed Verona's. It was so fucking obvious he was behind it and the pictures/attacks but of course Luca had to be too much of an oblivious ASSHOLE to care.
Also, btw, can authors pls stop with surprise pregnancies for suspenseful action plot devices and as an attempt to fix toxic relationships. It doesn't work.
All in all this book was sloppily written, predictable and it's literal only redeeming quality was Verona and Benito's friendship. Nothing else was worth this borderline abusive bullshit. I will not be reading the rest of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2021
This book is definitely worth the five stars. This forced/arranged mafia romance had me turning page after page all night long. "I would burn the F**** world to the ground just to find her". Oh, sends shivers up my spine!
The relationship between Verona and Luca is fraught with misunderstanding and miscommunications. His need to hate her for her family name and her naive nature reminds me a lot of Romeo and Juliet and I love it!
This book will have you on the edge of your seat, burning the candle through the night as the tale of Verona and Luca unravel before your very eyes! A definite must-read!!
The relationship between Verona and Luca is fraught with misunderstanding and miscommunications. His need to hate her for her family name and her naive nature reminds me a lot of Romeo and Juliet and I love it!
This book will have you on the edge of your seat, burning the candle through the night as the tale of Verona and Luca unravel before your very eyes! A definite must-read!!
August 23, 2023
every single misogynistic, assholish mafia cliche tropes wrapped into one book
August 12, 2021
Verona and Luca's story blew me away. I absolutely loved it and didn't want it to end.
Fantastic characters that suck you in and even though Luca was hard to like at first,as the story progressed I loved him. With both their mother's dying young and Luca believing it to be Verona's father that killed her he had deep hatred for anyone belonging to the Moretti family. What transpired had me shaking my head in disbelief. I never saw that coming. AT ALL.
My only wish was that there could have been a scene where Verona and Luca went to see their father's to tell them what had happened to their wives but this wasn't included in the book sadly.
I would love this story to continue with Benito getting a book as he was a fantastic character.
Fantastic characters that suck you in and even though Luca was hard to like at first,as the story progressed I loved him. With both their mother's dying young and Luca believing it to be Verona's father that killed her he had deep hatred for anyone belonging to the Moretti family. What transpired had me shaking my head in disbelief. I never saw that coming. AT ALL.
My only wish was that there could have been a scene where Verona and Luca went to see their father's to tell them what had happened to their wives but this wasn't included in the book sadly.
I would love this story to continue with Benito getting a book as he was a fantastic character.
April 3, 2024
DNF
This was so boring I couldn’t finish it
This was so boring I couldn’t finish it
December 24, 2025
أصير أستخير قبل ما اقرا كتاب 🌚
كتاب تافه جدا و من الهراء المنتشر كأنو كاتبه عجزت تعصر دماغها و تبتكر قامت اخذت من كل كتاب رائج فكرة 🥴
بطل كأنو مو ألفا مان يعيش طفولته في الوقت الضائع يتصرف زي الأطفال نرفزني
و بطلة بدون ما احكي كالعادة الغباء و ضعف تقهررررر
كتاب تافه جدا و من الهراء المنتشر كأنو كاتبه عجزت تعصر دماغها و تبتكر قامت اخذت من كل كتاب رائج فكرة 🥴
بطل كأنو مو ألفا مان يعيش طفولته في الوقت الضائع يتصرف زي الأطفال نرفزني
و بطلة بدون ما احكي كالعادة الغباء و ضعف تقهررررر
July 28, 2025
It wasn’t terrible, but it was nothing original—completely predictable.
August 23, 2021
It's been so freaking long since I had a book from this author.
She has given me some of my favorite dark and intense books of my life and to know that I have a new book waiting...
It was torture, wanna know why? Because I was reading another book the moment this new one entered my kindle.
Angela Snyder is the author that I'm talking about.
Her books will rock your world, page by page.
Trust me. I know what I'm saying.
Keeping Her Bride is her latest release and explores the lives of Verona and Luca.
Verona was forced into an arranged marriage.
A marriage she didn't want but have to accept.
Her family thinks that by doing so, the feud between the families can be solved but...
This could be a good thing but the fact that her husband is a monster...
Luca is not a good guy... He's not friendly... It's the opposite. He's ruthless and will do everything to achieve his goals.
When he's obligated to get married to a girl from a rival family...
OMG... I missed this writing so much.
What a story this was.
Amazing plot, very well written, super dark, and engaging.
Each chapter was even more addictive than the latest and I couldn't stop reading.
The need to know more was so high that I couldn't stop.
I couldn't, nor did I wanted to.
The characters worked perfectly with each other and they for on my nerves a few times.
There were parts of the book that I wanted to slap someone silly... Seriously... Stubborn much?
But then, there were others that I wanted to hold them and promise better days.
Amazing story, steamy and dark.
The dark part consumed me in a way that I can't explain.
It was intense and frustrating sometimes.
Overall it was the perfect story.
Great book Angela. It's great to have you back.
She has given me some of my favorite dark and intense books of my life and to know that I have a new book waiting...
It was torture, wanna know why? Because I was reading another book the moment this new one entered my kindle.
Angela Snyder is the author that I'm talking about.
Her books will rock your world, page by page.
Trust me. I know what I'm saying.
Keeping Her Bride is her latest release and explores the lives of Verona and Luca.
Verona was forced into an arranged marriage.
A marriage she didn't want but have to accept.
Her family thinks that by doing so, the feud between the families can be solved but...
This could be a good thing but the fact that her husband is a monster...
Luca is not a good guy... He's not friendly... It's the opposite. He's ruthless and will do everything to achieve his goals.
When he's obligated to get married to a girl from a rival family...
OMG... I missed this writing so much.
What a story this was.
Amazing plot, very well written, super dark, and engaging.
Each chapter was even more addictive than the latest and I couldn't stop reading.
The need to know more was so high that I couldn't stop.
I couldn't, nor did I wanted to.
The characters worked perfectly with each other and they for on my nerves a few times.
There were parts of the book that I wanted to slap someone silly... Seriously... Stubborn much?
But then, there were others that I wanted to hold them and promise better days.
Amazing story, steamy and dark.
The dark part consumed me in a way that I can't explain.
It was intense and frustrating sometimes.
Overall it was the perfect story.
Great book Angela. It's great to have you back.
September 9, 2021
Desperately wanted to like this more
This was undeveloped film. It has the rough bones of something this could have been so good, but lacks the fleshing out that it needed to BE good. The writing style is choppy, and the storyline needed a lot of smoothing over.
Inconsistent character behaviors, loose ends left hanging, awkward settings with very little description, all left foggy impressions instead if painting clear pictures.
I forced myself to finish it, and I'm more disappointed for doing it.
This was undeveloped film. It has the rough bones of something this could have been so good, but lacks the fleshing out that it needed to BE good. The writing style is choppy, and the storyline needed a lot of smoothing over.
Inconsistent character behaviors, loose ends left hanging, awkward settings with very little description, all left foggy impressions instead if painting clear pictures.
I forced myself to finish it, and I'm more disappointed for doing it.
June 22, 2024
This book had so much potential but fell short in every category. Both of the main characters were so unbelievably annoying and the fact that they constantly made assumptions about what the other was thinking or feeling drove me up a wall. Even though it was spicy I didn't really feel it because the connection between the characters just didn't feel real. Every aspect was just very underdeveloped. I don't know if I'm going to give this author another chance yet.
September 29, 2021
DO NOT READ
Run. Run far away from this book. It has no real substance to it. I read hundreds of romance + smut novels. This book is terrible compared to the real mafia romances. I wasted my time reading this book. If you want a good mafia romance look up Cora Reilly. This writing has no build up to its characters.
Run. Run far away from this book. It has no real substance to it. I read hundreds of romance + smut novels. This book is terrible compared to the real mafia romances. I wasted my time reading this book. If you want a good mafia romance look up Cora Reilly. This writing has no build up to its characters.
September 25, 2023
Not my usual read but found it in KU so I decided to give it a try.
Fast read, full of trigger warnings, sexual tension, Cringey at times and very predictable.
I like it anyway.
Fast read, full of trigger warnings, sexual tension, Cringey at times and very predictable.
I like it anyway.
June 26, 2023
THINK MAFIA ROMANCE MY NEWWW ADDICTION
WHO EVER SAID MAFIA ROMANCE CANT SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS?
MUST NOT HAVE HAD ENOUGH MAFIA ROMANCE TO SOLVE ‘EM
THEY SAY WHICH ONE, I SAY NAH, I WANT ALL ‘EM
HAPPINESS IS THE SAME PRICE AS THE MAFIAS
✨sings in Ariana Grande✨
HEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH 😏😏💅🏽💅🏽
WHO EVER SAID MAFIA ROMANCE CANT SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS?
MUST NOT HAVE HAD ENOUGH MAFIA ROMANCE TO SOLVE ‘EM
THEY SAY WHICH ONE, I SAY NAH, I WANT ALL ‘EM
HAPPINESS IS THE SAME PRICE AS THE MAFIAS
✨sings in Ariana Grande✨
HEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH 😏😏💅🏽💅🏽
August 10, 2021
Keeping my Bride is an incredibly hot read that you don't want to miss! It's full of steamy scenes and unexpected twists and turns. The chemistry between Luca and Verona is off the charts!
April 29, 2025
Stolen Future Forged from Similar Pasts
Poor Verona Moretti. Being forced to marry one-time childhood friend turned persona non grata Luca Vitale would be bad enough, but when he turns out to be a giant alphahole? Man, oh man. Good thing she's got some naivety and kindness in her court.
Now, I read the second book in the series first, so I knew where this was going, but to actually read it was definitely worth it.
Tears are in my eyes as we walk down the silent aisle. I don’t feel like a bride at all. No, I feel like a prisoner being taken to jail for a life sentence.
-- Verona Moretti
I love how she proves him wrong at every turn. His rose, or rather hate, colored glasses allow him to make so many assumptions. I love how he can't comprehend what he sees. Of course, once things start to click, he still manages to make missteps because his communication skills can use an overhaul. 😄
There are twists and turns. Some are obvious, some less so. All in all, a good, dark foray into this Mafia family. Oh, it's also really steamy with many BDSM elements.
I received an author's copy of the audio book. The narrators, Cecily Foster and Vincent Skye, are engaging with the emotions matching the words and situations. I really like them.
Story: 4 stars
Narration: 4 stars
Listening Speed: 1.8x
H & h = mid-20s?
September 27, 2021
3.8 stars.
So this was a lot softer than I thought it would be.
A lot lighter for something claiming to be a dark romance.
It was definitely enemies to lovers.
It was mafia, arranged marriage, basically a bully romance just outside of school.
But I wouldn’t call it dark.
I mean that may be because my darkness scale is skewed, but I’m not sure that’s completely it.
The whole first half of the book was Luca hating her guts because she was a Moretti. Then he learns like two things and his entire demeanor changes over night.
I don’t know.
I liked it.
It had some really sexy moments of violent sex.
It also had a few sweet moments I really liked.
But I feel like it was softer than I expected or really wanted.
Also. A small thing that sort of made the dialogue just a hair Off.
Luca calling Verona ‘honey’ every time he talked to her.
It was used so much it felt unnatural and forced.
I just want to know Who in their right mind uses a nickname in Every sentence addressed to that person. Unless it’s an honorific and in the rules lol😉
I liked it.
I’m glad I read it because BookTok recommended and it was killing me to see those excerpts and not know if it was good or not.
And now I know.
Maybe I’ll check out more by this author later, but I’m not super motivated to do it right this second, so we’ll see.
So this was a lot softer than I thought it would be.
A lot lighter for something claiming to be a dark romance.
It was definitely enemies to lovers.
It was mafia, arranged marriage, basically a bully romance just outside of school.
But I wouldn’t call it dark.
I mean that may be because my darkness scale is skewed, but I’m not sure that’s completely it.
The whole first half of the book was Luca hating her guts because she was a Moretti. Then he learns like two things and his entire demeanor changes over night.
I don’t know.
I liked it.
It had some really sexy moments of violent sex.
It also had a few sweet moments I really liked.
But I feel like it was softer than I expected or really wanted.
Also. A small thing that sort of made the dialogue just a hair Off.
Luca calling Verona ‘honey’ every time he talked to her.
It was used so much it felt unnatural and forced.
I just want to know Who in their right mind uses a nickname in Every sentence addressed to that person. Unless it’s an honorific and in the rules lol😉
I liked it.
I’m glad I read it because BookTok recommended and it was killing me to see those excerpts and not know if it was good or not.
And now I know.
Maybe I’ll check out more by this author later, but I’m not super motivated to do it right this second, so we’ll see.
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