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Dario - Wicked Legacies
Dangerous secrets will get you killed. Sometimes it might even be me that's pulling the trigger.
Dario
I'm hours away from finally inheriting my father's legacy. All I need to do is dodge the Russians and the Irish, and put a wedding band on my fiancée. Until the moment I find out my father's best-friend and fiancée's papa ordered the hit that had taken out my parents eighteen years ago.
And my fiancée will step over my dead body as she walks back down the aisle and marry into the Irish Mob. The ones that have promised my future father-in-law he will have everything that is rightfully mine.
Not happening.
Even if I have to light the night sky with the fires of revenge and retribution.
I just need to get married first.
Then miracle of miracles, I find out my traitorous fiancée has a half-brother. An illegitimate one, but one that still fulfills the terms of my father's will, so the territory rightfull becomes mine.
I just have to convince the brother of that.
A twenty-year-old innocent that has been a near slave all his life? Piece of cake.
Or is it?
Dario
I'm hours away from finally inheriting my father's legacy. All I need to do is dodge the Russians and the Irish, and put a wedding band on my fiancée. Until the moment I find out my father's best-friend and fiancée's papa ordered the hit that had taken out my parents eighteen years ago.
And my fiancée will step over my dead body as she walks back down the aisle and marry into the Irish Mob. The ones that have promised my future father-in-law he will have everything that is rightfully mine.
Not happening.
Even if I have to light the night sky with the fires of revenge and retribution.
I just need to get married first.
Then miracle of miracles, I find out my traitorous fiancée has a half-brother. An illegitimate one, but one that still fulfills the terms of my father's will, so the territory rightfull becomes mine.
I just have to convince the brother of that.
A twenty-year-old innocent that has been a near slave all his life? Piece of cake.
Or is it?
235 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 11, 2024
71 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Sue
115 books1,013 followersBullets and Babies!
Victoria writes about guys loving other guys in between dodging bullets, kidnappers, and serial killers. She enjoys putting them through hell to get their happy ever after—it’s a character flaw she embraces.
She also believes that family is who you choose, that dogs are often much wiser than human beings, and that we’re steadily destroying the world we live in.
And if people read more books, they'd be much happier.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
January 17, 2024
Tropes: age gap, mafia, forced/arranged marriage
Feels: 2/5
Steam*: 1.5/5
Kinks: n/a
Angst: medium
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: violence, murder, human trafficking, CSA, abuse
Dario is 30 and he is about to satisfy final requirements to become the Don of his family branch of the mafia. He has to marry the heir of his dead father's trusted second Rocco. He just found out that Rocco is responsible for his parents' death and is betraying him in business and likely plotting his death after the wedding to his daughter Sofia. Dario sees a loophole to the marriage requirement. Rocco has an illegitimate 20-year-old son. Since Dario is bisexual he decides to marry the son Alessandro.
Alessandro has been used as slave labor all his life. He has no affection for Rocco and he wants to escape. However his mother is ill and Rocco is paying for her nursing care so he feels tied.
Dario convinces Alessandro to marry him and promises his mother's safety. They marry but then they have to fight a lot of threats from all sides. A lot of people want both of them dead and want to hurt people around them.
SPOILER ALERT - I can't really review this book the way that I want to without giving away a bunch of twists. So keep in mind this has a lot of spoilers.
This book was probably 2 or 2.5 stars. I think it failed pretty hard with relationship development.
This book had an interesting premise. I thought it was going relatively okay. I kept an open mind about this book for a big hunk of it. But I started to lose hope for it around the 67% mark. At that point, I realized there was an utter lack of communication between Dario and Alessandro. They are still so distrusting of each other, suspecting each other's motives, and really having had no actual development of feelings other than attraction to this point. There's a lot of missed opportunity here. They should have progressed further in their relationship by then.
About the storyline where Sofia tells Alessandro that he has a secret brother who's 9 years old, and she threatens to sex traffick the little brother unless Alessandro leaves Dario... Neither Sofia nor other people telling Alessandro things are actually trustworthy. So as far as I could tell, there might be no little brother, they could be making it all up. That uncertainty made it really hard to stay invested in this storyline about the brother. Spoiler, the brother did exist. I lost respect for Alessandro with how easily he believed things and let himself be manipulated.
Dario was not seeming very smart either in his interactions with people. A lot of people have bested him and pulled the wool over his eyes. And Dario also is not communicating with Alessandro so it's quite easy for people to interfere in their relationship. I like my MCs to be smarter! Though I will give the author credit for making Dario have some smart moments in the last 20% of the book, where he got devious and got his way and triumphed over the people that were trying to pull one over him and hurt his loved ones.
One of my major complaints about this book is that there were basically no interactions between Dario and Alessandro that realistically developed a relationship and love. At the 76% mark, Dario's Nonna is assuring Dario that Alessandro loves him with all his heart. Honestly it's ridiculous that she or anyone would think that love had developed. They had only spoken to each other for the first time like 3 days ago which was on their wedding day. Yeah they had glimpsed each other at moments as Dario interacted with Rocco in the past, but Dario didn't even pay any attention to Alessandro in the past, didn't even remember his existence until someone mentioned his existence and he thought hard and recalled a scrawny kid hanging around. They have hardly spent any time together after their official meeting and same day wedding because Dario has been so busy with Mafia business and all the threats. Even at the conclusion of the book before the epilogue only 5 days had passed since they had first spoken to each other / gotten married, and the number of hours that they had spent awake in each other's company was like 7 hours across the five days. They didn't even have reciprocal sex in the course of this book. There were two occasions where Dario quickly got Alessandro off but Alessandro never had time to reciprocate.
Another small complaint ... There were a couple early very cryptic references that Alessandro made where it made it sound like he had been forced to perform sexual favors on his knees for either his uncle or his cronies. I kept waiting for that angst ball to drop on us and it didn't. That left me confused. Was I reading too much into the cryptic references and Alessandro wasn't a victim too? Or did the author just forget to address that plot point or change their mind and not want to address that?
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
Feels: 2/5
Steam*: 1.5/5
Kinks: n/a
Angst: medium
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: violence, murder, human trafficking, CSA, abuse
Dario is 30 and he is about to satisfy final requirements to become the Don of his family branch of the mafia. He has to marry the heir of his dead father's trusted second Rocco. He just found out that Rocco is responsible for his parents' death and is betraying him in business and likely plotting his death after the wedding to his daughter Sofia. Dario sees a loophole to the marriage requirement. Rocco has an illegitimate 20-year-old son. Since Dario is bisexual he decides to marry the son Alessandro.
Alessandro has been used as slave labor all his life. He has no affection for Rocco and he wants to escape. However his mother is ill and Rocco is paying for her nursing care so he feels tied.
Dario convinces Alessandro to marry him and promises his mother's safety. They marry but then they have to fight a lot of threats from all sides. A lot of people want both of them dead and want to hurt people around them.
SPOILER ALERT - I can't really review this book the way that I want to without giving away a bunch of twists. So keep in mind this has a lot of spoilers.
This book was probably 2 or 2.5 stars. I think it failed pretty hard with relationship development.
This book had an interesting premise. I thought it was going relatively okay. I kept an open mind about this book for a big hunk of it. But I started to lose hope for it around the 67% mark. At that point, I realized there was an utter lack of communication between Dario and Alessandro. They are still so distrusting of each other, suspecting each other's motives, and really having had no actual development of feelings other than attraction to this point. There's a lot of missed opportunity here. They should have progressed further in their relationship by then.
About the storyline where Sofia tells Alessandro that he has a secret brother who's 9 years old, and she threatens to sex traffick the little brother unless Alessandro leaves Dario... Neither Sofia nor other people telling Alessandro things are actually trustworthy. So as far as I could tell, there might be no little brother, they could be making it all up. That uncertainty made it really hard to stay invested in this storyline about the brother. Spoiler, the brother did exist. I lost respect for Alessandro with how easily he believed things and let himself be manipulated.
Dario was not seeming very smart either in his interactions with people. A lot of people have bested him and pulled the wool over his eyes. And Dario also is not communicating with Alessandro so it's quite easy for people to interfere in their relationship. I like my MCs to be smarter! Though I will give the author credit for making Dario have some smart moments in the last 20% of the book, where he got devious and got his way and triumphed over the people that were trying to pull one over him and hurt his loved ones.
One of my major complaints about this book is that there were basically no interactions between Dario and Alessandro that realistically developed a relationship and love. At the 76% mark, Dario's Nonna is assuring Dario that Alessandro loves him with all his heart. Honestly it's ridiculous that she or anyone would think that love had developed. They had only spoken to each other for the first time like 3 days ago which was on their wedding day. Yeah they had glimpsed each other at moments as Dario interacted with Rocco in the past, but Dario didn't even pay any attention to Alessandro in the past, didn't even remember his existence until someone mentioned his existence and he thought hard and recalled a scrawny kid hanging around. They have hardly spent any time together after their official meeting and same day wedding because Dario has been so busy with Mafia business and all the threats. Even at the conclusion of the book before the epilogue only 5 days had passed since they had first spoken to each other / gotten married, and the number of hours that they had spent awake in each other's company was like 7 hours across the five days. They didn't even have reciprocal sex in the course of this book. There were two occasions where Dario quickly got Alessandro off but Alessandro never had time to reciprocate.
Another small complaint ... There were a couple early very cryptic references that Alessandro made where it made it sound like he had been forced to perform sexual favors on his knees for either his uncle or his cronies. I kept waiting for that angst ball to drop on us and it didn't. That left me confused. Was I reading too much into the cryptic references and Alessandro wasn't a victim too? Or did the author just forget to address that plot point or change their mind and not want to address that?
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2024
This book was complicated AF since it had so many names, and Alessandro was so fucking stupid! His decision to accede to Sofia's plan added more drama to both his and Dario's lives.
At first, I liked Alessandro, but after every stupid decision he made, I turned to dislike him. He very much deserved Dario's silence treatment.
I gave it 2 stars, not only because its story was dragged on too long but also because there were too many names that I couldn't keep up with, Alessandro's stupid decision to trust Sofia, and the deal breaker was that instead of a sex scene between Alessandro and Dario, there were detailed scenes about how Gabriel Amato humiliated and assaulted Alessandro. Thank goodness he wasn't raped by him. And I don't even know if their story will continue or end here. What I'm sure of is that Lucio has a soft spot for Terence "Terry" Gianelli.
At first, I liked Alessandro, but after every stupid decision he made, I turned to dislike him. He very much deserved Dario's silence treatment.
I gave it 2 stars, not only because its story was dragged on too long but also because there were too many names that I couldn't keep up with, Alessandro's stupid decision to trust Sofia, and the deal breaker was that instead of a sex scene between Alessandro and Dario, there were detailed scenes about how Gabriel Amato humiliated and assaulted Alessandro. Thank goodness he wasn't raped by him. And I don't even know if their story will continue or end here. What I'm sure of is that Lucio has a soft spot for Terence "Terry" Gianelli.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2024
2.5 stars
I do believe Dario may be one of the most clueless Dons in existence. He has no idea who is loyal, makes a lot of wrong choices, but still comes out on top. He's like the Maxwell Smart of mobsters. Alessandro didn't feel really fleshed out and was mostly there to build Dario as a character.
I do believe Dario may be one of the most clueless Dons in existence. He has no idea who is loyal, makes a lot of wrong choices, but still comes out on top. He's like the Maxwell Smart of mobsters. Alessandro didn't feel really fleshed out and was mostly there to build Dario as a character.
January 12, 2024
Missed opportunity
Loved the possibility with this story and these characters. I auto buy this author so was surprised I didn't love this book. The story was choppy and had weird transitions. The world built needed more explanation as well as the numerous characters. The MC barely spent time together and had no significant conversations but fell in love in just a few days......I could go on
Loved the possibility with this story and these characters. I auto buy this author so was surprised I didn't love this book. The story was choppy and had weird transitions. The world built needed more explanation as well as the numerous characters. The MC barely spent time together and had no significant conversations but fell in love in just a few days......I could go on
January 15, 2024
Brilliant as always
To say that Dario deserved to have Nonna smack him upside the head is an understatement. All of his problems with Alessandro were because of his refusal to communicate and admit that he actually cared for his husband. Poor Alessandro was beset on all sides. All he wanted was his freedom. Luckily, Dario finally pulled his head out of his 🍑 . This was a roller-coaster ride, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
To say that Dario deserved to have Nonna smack him upside the head is an understatement. All of his problems with Alessandro were because of his refusal to communicate and admit that he actually cared for his husband. Poor Alessandro was beset on all sides. All he wanted was his freedom. Luckily, Dario finally pulled his head out of his 🍑 . This was a roller-coaster ride, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
January 12, 2026
Continuing on a dark romance kick...and oddly enough a TBR/Beat-The-Backlog kick (and ignoring my ARCs kick). Here's Victoria Sue's "Dario."
["Dangerous secrets will get you killed. Sometimes it might even be me that's pulling the trigger.
Dario
I'm hours away from finally inheriting my father's legacy. All I need to do is dodge the Russians and the Irish, and put a wedding band on my fiancée. Until the moment I find out my father's best-friend and fiancée's papa ordered the hit that had taken out my parents eighteen years ago.
And my fiancée will step over my dead body as she walks back down the aisle and marry into the Irish Mob. The ones that have promised my future father-in-law he will have everything that is rightfully mine.
Not happening.
Even if I have to light the night sky with the fires of revenge and retribution.
I just need to get married first.
Then miracle of miracles, I find out my traitorous fiancée has a half-brother. An illegitimate one, but one that still fulfills the terms of my father's will, so the territory rightfull becomes mine.
I just have to convince the brother of that.
A twenty-year-old innocent that has been a near slave all his life? Piece of cake.
Or is it?"]
One of the things I love about dark romances are the utterly powerful feelings they have for each other from the very beginning. Even if they want to deny it, it's there and it's strong as fuck. Though...it did ebb and flow. Okay, so the chemistry and the Want didn't change, the trust and the trusting of your own feelings and the trust of the relationship/their feelings kept changing.
All of that plus the secrets and testing and impending doom were...a lot. Like a lot a lot. It wasn't fun on my end, it sure as fuck wasn't fun on their ends. I wanted to slap Dario upside the head (a few times) and hug the fuck out of Alessandro; then put them both in a room with Nonna so she could intimidate them into talking their feelings out.
Which is almost what happened, actually.
I wouldn’t mind more from this universe.
Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, drugging, attempted kidnapping, attempted murder, human trafficking, blackmail of all kinds, and more
#dario #dariowickedlegacies #wickedlegacies #victoriasue #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
["Dangerous secrets will get you killed. Sometimes it might even be me that's pulling the trigger.
Dario
I'm hours away from finally inheriting my father's legacy. All I need to do is dodge the Russians and the Irish, and put a wedding band on my fiancée. Until the moment I find out my father's best-friend and fiancée's papa ordered the hit that had taken out my parents eighteen years ago.
And my fiancée will step over my dead body as she walks back down the aisle and marry into the Irish Mob. The ones that have promised my future father-in-law he will have everything that is rightfully mine.
Not happening.
Even if I have to light the night sky with the fires of revenge and retribution.
I just need to get married first.
Then miracle of miracles, I find out my traitorous fiancée has a half-brother. An illegitimate one, but one that still fulfills the terms of my father's will, so the territory rightfull becomes mine.
I just have to convince the brother of that.
A twenty-year-old innocent that has been a near slave all his life? Piece of cake.
Or is it?"]
One of the things I love about dark romances are the utterly powerful feelings they have for each other from the very beginning. Even if they want to deny it, it's there and it's strong as fuck. Though...it did ebb and flow. Okay, so the chemistry and the Want didn't change, the trust and the trusting of your own feelings and the trust of the relationship/their feelings kept changing.
All of that plus the secrets and testing and impending doom were...a lot. Like a lot a lot. It wasn't fun on my end, it sure as fuck wasn't fun on their ends. I wanted to slap Dario upside the head (a few times) and hug the fuck out of Alessandro; then put them both in a room with Nonna so she could intimidate them into talking their feelings out.
Which is almost what happened, actually.
I wouldn’t mind more from this universe.
Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, drugging, attempted kidnapping, attempted murder, human trafficking, blackmail of all kinds, and more
#dario #dariowickedlegacies #wickedlegacies #victoriasue #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
January 7, 2024
Dario is the first book in a new series, Wicked Legacies, by Victoria Sue, and it is definitely wicked. Gritty with raw emotions and the brutal prices that must be paid to be in la famiglia, this story kept me enthralled from start to finish.
Betrayal isn’t a new concept in the mafia world. Still, when it comes to the inception of Dario’s ultimate control of his rightful territory, immediate and life-altering decisions must be made. The discovery of a means to an end gives Dario an option to survive and save face with the five families, even if it means trapping a young man in a marriage he doesn’t want.
Allesandro didn’t ask to be the son of Dario’s traitorous second, Rocco, but the man has controlled his life for the past six years; well, him or his despicable wife and daughter. One more day would allow him and his mom freedom, one way or another, but that choice is wrenched from his hands by the man he despises and desires; Dario Banetti. In reality, there really is no choice, but he’s only traded one prison for another. Only this one doesn’t come with an out. Sangue dentro, sangue fuori. Blood in, blood out.
The mafia storyline and author are what drew me to this book, and it definitely did not disappoint. Dario is ruthless with his enemies, loyal to those loyal to him, and all about family. He fights the pull he feels toward his new husband at every turn, but even when he tries he cannot stay away. Alessandro immediately falls in love with Nonna, Dario’s fraternal grandmother. The pull of a new family draws him in, and the tenderness he glimpses from his new husband buys his reluctant loyalty. Despite the machinations of friends and foes, the two build an unexpected romance that stands the trials put in their paths.
I thoroughly enjoyed this action-packed book. With unexpected twists and the race to the finish, I thought the storyline was well thought out and executed nicely. The secondary characters came to life, and I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this series in the future.
Happy reading!
* I received an ARC of this book and I am leaving my honest review. *
Betrayal isn’t a new concept in the mafia world. Still, when it comes to the inception of Dario’s ultimate control of his rightful territory, immediate and life-altering decisions must be made. The discovery of a means to an end gives Dario an option to survive and save face with the five families, even if it means trapping a young man in a marriage he doesn’t want.
Allesandro didn’t ask to be the son of Dario’s traitorous second, Rocco, but the man has controlled his life for the past six years; well, him or his despicable wife and daughter. One more day would allow him and his mom freedom, one way or another, but that choice is wrenched from his hands by the man he despises and desires; Dario Banetti. In reality, there really is no choice, but he’s only traded one prison for another. Only this one doesn’t come with an out. Sangue dentro, sangue fuori. Blood in, blood out.
The mafia storyline and author are what drew me to this book, and it definitely did not disappoint. Dario is ruthless with his enemies, loyal to those loyal to him, and all about family. He fights the pull he feels toward his new husband at every turn, but even when he tries he cannot stay away. Alessandro immediately falls in love with Nonna, Dario’s fraternal grandmother. The pull of a new family draws him in, and the tenderness he glimpses from his new husband buys his reluctant loyalty. Despite the machinations of friends and foes, the two build an unexpected romance that stands the trials put in their paths.
I thoroughly enjoyed this action-packed book. With unexpected twists and the race to the finish, I thought the storyline was well thought out and executed nicely. The secondary characters came to life, and I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this series in the future.
Happy reading!
* I received an ARC of this book and I am leaving my honest review. *
February 9, 2024
I really enjoy Victoria Sue's. books and this was no exception. Dario was a strong don who needed to make his position secure in the family by marrying the daughter of Rocco. He then learned that Rocco had ordered his parents' deaths and he wanted revenge. He found out that Rocco had fathered a son with a housekeeper and he decided to marry Alessandro instead which of course caused a lot of trouble and the more Dario learned about the woman he had been going to marry the more he realized how corrupt she and her mother were and that they were involved in trafficking of boys and girls and that they needed to be stopped. Dario learned about e-mails that seemed to show that Alessandro was traitor but he didn't discuss it with him and instead he kept him almost a prisoner and did not allow himself to feel anything for him except lust. Alessandro's mother died in the nursing home and it was murder and Alessandro was devastated. The woman who had been engaged to Dario, Sofia, came to Alessandro and told him that he had a half-brother and that he was being mistreated. She told him that if he agreed to divorce Dario that he and his brother would be able to leave. Alessandro knew that it was a lie but he did agree to it and the man who was the real power behind the trafficking abused him and was going to burn him alive but Dario finally got his head out of his ass and came and rescued him and his brother. I was glad that the man who tried to hurt him was killed and that Sofia and her mother would be taken care of in Portugal later. Looking forward to more stories.
January 30, 2024
exciting mob revenge story but romance needs more development
Rating: 3.75🌈
Victoria Sue’s mafia boss romance was a good read. It was exciting, had many fast paced moments, thrilling scenes, and good characters.
And had the book been longer or tweaked so that the time frame let the main characters have more time to develop their relationship, this would have been a much better story.
Everything that surrounds the romantic aspect of the story is interesting and could easily be even more fully explored in additional stories. The multiple storylines that Sue has created are really intriguing, as are the five Mafia factions that go along with them. They are factor into the main narrative as well as the subplots that make the book so compelling.
But the romantic story itself between mob boss Dario and reluctant husband, Alessandro, feels as contrived as the marriage. Too instant love for me. Especially given the short timeline here. It doesn’t work. Dario is all killing Alessandro one minute and loving him the next. For Alessandro, it’s all I love him but won’t communicate with him.
I understand that last. For me, the relationship needs more time to grow before these feelings feel realistic.
So while the story is still very exciting, a terrific mob takeover tale of revenge and retribution, the romantic aspect leaves something that could have been better developed.
I enjoyed it and if this is your jam, you might too.
Rating: 3.75🌈
Victoria Sue’s mafia boss romance was a good read. It was exciting, had many fast paced moments, thrilling scenes, and good characters.
And had the book been longer or tweaked so that the time frame let the main characters have more time to develop their relationship, this would have been a much better story.
Everything that surrounds the romantic aspect of the story is interesting and could easily be even more fully explored in additional stories. The multiple storylines that Sue has created are really intriguing, as are the five Mafia factions that go along with them. They are factor into the main narrative as well as the subplots that make the book so compelling.
But the romantic story itself between mob boss Dario and reluctant husband, Alessandro, feels as contrived as the marriage. Too instant love for me. Especially given the short timeline here. It doesn’t work. Dario is all killing Alessandro one minute and loving him the next. For Alessandro, it’s all I love him but won’t communicate with him.
I understand that last. For me, the relationship needs more time to grow before these feelings feel realistic.
So while the story is still very exciting, a terrific mob takeover tale of revenge and retribution, the romantic aspect leaves something that could have been better developed.
I enjoyed it and if this is your jam, you might too.
January 8, 2024
I already knew I'd like this because I love Victoria Sue's books, and this definitely didn't disappoint!
Dario... what can I say? He's yummy. He's the head of the mafia, assuming he can meet the marriage requirements for his inheritance, but there's all kinds of shady stuff going on, and he has to take an unorthodox route to try and beat those out to get him. The result? Forcing a man into marriage with him, not realising for a second just how it would play out.
Dario is forceful, determined, hot as hell, and shows a level of compassion I didn't expect for a man in his position. I was rooting for him the whole damn time. Alessandro didn't plan to be married off to the head of the family, but he can't resist the hotness and appeal of Dario (and neither would I be able to).
It was a real page turner, with betrayals and twists coming right and left, and leaving me wondering if they'd survive everything being thrown at them.
I absolutely loved their story, and would love to read more about the other characters we met along the way!
Dario... what can I say? He's yummy. He's the head of the mafia, assuming he can meet the marriage requirements for his inheritance, but there's all kinds of shady stuff going on, and he has to take an unorthodox route to try and beat those out to get him. The result? Forcing a man into marriage with him, not realising for a second just how it would play out.
Dario is forceful, determined, hot as hell, and shows a level of compassion I didn't expect for a man in his position. I was rooting for him the whole damn time. Alessandro didn't plan to be married off to the head of the family, but he can't resist the hotness and appeal of Dario (and neither would I be able to).
It was a real page turner, with betrayals and twists coming right and left, and leaving me wondering if they'd survive everything being thrown at them.
I absolutely loved their story, and would love to read more about the other characters we met along the way!
January 5, 2024
I loved this book!! This story has all the tropes I enjoy. Dario, a mafia boss, must marry by his 30th birthday in order to inherit his father's legacy. He has an arranged marriage to his father's best friend's daughter, but on the day of the wedding, he uncovers secrets and a planned assassination attempt...his!
So he does what any normal person would do to secure he stays in charge as the head of the family. He convinces his fiance's much younger secret half brother to marry him instead. The plot is full of many twists and plenty of action. The side characters come alive. And there are surprises you won't see coming. But the best part for me is the swoon worthy romance between Dario and Alessandro. It isn't smooth or even traditional, and the two go through many ups and downs of mistrust, but in the end they are loyal to each other and deeply in love. I am left anxiously waiting for next story in the series.
So he does what any normal person would do to secure he stays in charge as the head of the family. He convinces his fiance's much younger secret half brother to marry him instead. The plot is full of many twists and plenty of action. The side characters come alive. And there are surprises you won't see coming. But the best part for me is the swoon worthy romance between Dario and Alessandro. It isn't smooth or even traditional, and the two go through many ups and downs of mistrust, but in the end they are loyal to each other and deeply in love. I am left anxiously waiting for next story in the series.
January 7, 2024
Dario and Alessandro are in for one heck of a see-saw ride of their lives. The plot held my attention with the dual conflicts held in place by both MM characters. Mafia themes haven't been a thing in the books I've previously read but Ms. Sue wrote such a fascinating concept that I couldn't help but wrap my head around the la famiglia plots of revenge, threats, assignations, backstabbing, and the hard choices Dario and Alessandro were coerced into making just to survive. Each character was well developed; even the secondary characters were: Rocco, Elisabetta, and Sofia, though despicable as all get out. This was a story of each man's self-exploration of their desires for family, acceptance, and love. I was pleased with how this whole book opened like a flower unfolding its petals to reveal the beauty within.
January 11, 2024
I seriously could not put this book down. It starts off with Dario on a mission that seems a bit self-serving with a side of revenge maybe. Then we get a very realistic mafia journey with Dario. He does what he needs to do to secure his family and position but, in the process, accidentally falls in love with his reluctant husband. I really respected Alessandro. He also does what he needs to do but he really was young and innocent and just looking for a way out of his previous situation. Dario's progression of giving into his feelings for Alessandro was perfectly written. Dario is a man you do not want as an enemy but that you definitely want as a loyal friend or lover. I adored seeing Alessandro find a new and real family with Dario's family. Especially Nonna! This is my kind of new series.
January 15, 2024
Usually, I wouldn't say I like mafia stories but I think I'm hooked now. Dario and Alessandro's story pulled me in and now I'm in the mafia state of mind. Alessandro's love for his mom and his actions to protect them spoke to me. He wanted Dario but like everything in Alessandro's life, it was nothing but a pipe dream that would never happen for him. Dario knew Alessandro was special but the hazards of mafia life made him question everything and everyone. Trust was worth more to him than his huge bank account and he would not let himself feel what he wanted the moment he had Alessandro.
I was so drawn into the characters of Dario-Wicked Legacies and I'm so invested that I want more. Who do I have to kill off to get more Wicked Legacies? I have a feeling we have not heard the last of Dario, Alessandro, and the Mafia family.
I was so drawn into the characters of Dario-Wicked Legacies and I'm so invested that I want more. Who do I have to kill off to get more Wicked Legacies? I have a feeling we have not heard the last of Dario, Alessandro, and the Mafia family.
January 11, 2024
Dark and gritty
Dario is in danger. His world has just imploded and he's racing to put the pieces back together.
He has to get married to a stranger and bring down a traitor.
Alessandro has been abused, manipulated and held hostage his entire life and just as he thought his freedom was within reach, Dario swoops in and demands his hand in marriage.
Just because Alessandro has been quiet doesn't mean he's a pushover.
In fact he's very much strong willed and opinionated.
While Dario enjoys it he can't show affection, it would be seen as weakness.
He also doesn't trust Alessandro and it nearly has deadly consequences.
There's plenty of fast paced action, danger, drama and lots of steamy moments between these two.
Dario is in danger. His world has just imploded and he's racing to put the pieces back together.
He has to get married to a stranger and bring down a traitor.
Alessandro has been abused, manipulated and held hostage his entire life and just as he thought his freedom was within reach, Dario swoops in and demands his hand in marriage.
Just because Alessandro has been quiet doesn't mean he's a pushover.
In fact he's very much strong willed and opinionated.
While Dario enjoys it he can't show affection, it would be seen as weakness.
He also doesn't trust Alessandro and it nearly has deadly consequences.
There's plenty of fast paced action, danger, drama and lots of steamy moments between these two.
February 18, 2024
Dario and Alessandro
If you like your Mafia MM dirty and gritty, this is the book you need to download and read ASAP...
The plot is intense and fast paced... We see the lies, cover ups, and betrayals happening in Dario's world as he tries to establish his position in the 5 families... Unfortunately or fortunately... Depending who you ask in the end... Alessandro is swept up into Dario's very dark and murderous world just as he thought he was to obtain real freedom... The manipulation is top tier... The loyalty is unwavering... Absolutely loved this book... Just don't expect too much in the sex department... The priority of this author is the storyline and plot!!!
HEA
MM
Strict Top/Bottom
Mafia/Assassin/Loyalty/Revenge
1 outta 5 in the 🔥🔥🔥 Department
If you like your Mafia MM dirty and gritty, this is the book you need to download and read ASAP...
The plot is intense and fast paced... We see the lies, cover ups, and betrayals happening in Dario's world as he tries to establish his position in the 5 families... Unfortunately or fortunately... Depending who you ask in the end... Alessandro is swept up into Dario's very dark and murderous world just as he thought he was to obtain real freedom... The manipulation is top tier... The loyalty is unwavering... Absolutely loved this book... Just don't expect too much in the sex department... The priority of this author is the storyline and plot!!!
HEA
MM
Strict Top/Bottom
Mafia/Assassin/Loyalty/Revenge
1 outta 5 in the 🔥🔥🔥 Department
January 8, 2024
This book captures your attention from the very start and holds it throughout. Dario is to become the head of the Mafia in his territory when he turns 30. He finds out on the eve of his marriage that nothing is as it seems. Enter Alessandro, a way to fix some of Dario's problems by changing who he marries. With betrayal, sinister plots and death surrounding them everywhere, will Dario and Alessandro survive to actually have a marriage? Or will the eviĺ win out? This was a great book that I read in one sitting. It is well written and though at times dark still well worth the read.
An honest arc review.
MM - Mafia
An honest arc review.
MM - Mafia
January 13, 2024
this pains me 2.5
I wanted to like this but it just didn’t work for me. This is one of my favorite authors and I usually love their work so I’m sad about this one. There was just too much lack of trust. The mcs spent more time not trusting each other both while they were together and apart. So where did love come? I have to idea. I do you love someone you don’t trust. The beginning was great right up until the 50% when they both spiraled into no trust. I was hoping it would last for just a little while but they didn’t trust each other until the end then they trusted each other once they found out the truth. The. They loved each other. How?
Oh well can’t love them all
I wanted to like this but it just didn’t work for me. This is one of my favorite authors and I usually love their work so I’m sad about this one. There was just too much lack of trust. The mcs spent more time not trusting each other both while they were together and apart. So where did love come? I have to idea. I do you love someone you don’t trust. The beginning was great right up until the 50% when they both spiraled into no trust. I was hoping it would last for just a little while but they didn’t trust each other until the end then they trusted each other once they found out the truth. The. They loved each other. How?
Oh well can’t love them all
January 15, 2024
I loved this book right from the first paragraph. I don't usually read mafia books, but I like Victoria She's writing style and was have it a try. I'm so glad I did.
Dario is a hard man living a hard life. Alessandro has also lived a hard life. He is trapped into marrying Dario, a man he has had a crush on for many years, though Dario does not know that. Dario does it as a means to an end.
There marriage is passionate, fiery and dangerous. As Dario must decide who is loyal to him and who is not.
There is suspense, intrigue and gunfire.
Great start, I hope, to a new series.
Dario is a hard man living a hard life. Alessandro has also lived a hard life. He is trapped into marrying Dario, a man he has had a crush on for many years, though Dario does not know that. Dario does it as a means to an end.
There marriage is passionate, fiery and dangerous. As Dario must decide who is loyal to him and who is not.
There is suspense, intrigue and gunfire.
Great start, I hope, to a new series.
January 25, 2024
Rating: 4 stars
Even though the title character was not a good man, I really enjoyed this story. What I liked about the story was the drama with the family. It was like reading a mafia soap opera and I liked how over the top parts of it was. I just wish the story took place over a longer span of time so that the romance between Dario and Alessandro was more realistic. It was hard to buy into how quickly the two MC’s fell in love. Especially Alessandro. Overall, it was enjoyable and I would read more set in this world.
Even though the title character was not a good man, I really enjoyed this story. What I liked about the story was the drama with the family. It was like reading a mafia soap opera and I liked how over the top parts of it was. I just wish the story took place over a longer span of time so that the romance between Dario and Alessandro was more realistic. It was hard to buy into how quickly the two MC’s fell in love. Especially Alessandro. Overall, it was enjoyable and I would read more set in this world.
June 30, 2025
Great Story!
Dario and Allesandro’s story starts with a bang and keeps your attention riveted with almost non-stop action. It’s probably one of the best crime family stories I’ve read.
My only complaint is that the misunderstandings and other happenings that keep Dario and Allesandro apart continue until very late in the story. After all the angst and action and misunderstandings, the ending where the HEA happens is exceedingly short.
Perhaps we’ll see them again in a Book 2? I certainly hope we get to see more of this universe.
Dario and Allesandro’s story starts with a bang and keeps your attention riveted with almost non-stop action. It’s probably one of the best crime family stories I’ve read.
My only complaint is that the misunderstandings and other happenings that keep Dario and Allesandro apart continue until very late in the story. After all the angst and action and misunderstandings, the ending where the HEA happens is exceedingly short.
Perhaps we’ll see them again in a Book 2? I certainly hope we get to see more of this universe.
January 12, 2024
There are a lot of MM mafia romance books out there, and I've read a good number of them. I really enjoyed this one. I am a bit squeamish and there are torture scenes in there. There is a good story with lots of twists and turns as Dario tries to figure out who is behind various plots and whether his new husband is to be trusted. Lots of interesting characters and potential for this series to grow.
January 14, 2024
Finding out that there is an attempt on his life, Dario finds a solution and replaces the spouse at his wedding. It just happens to be Alessandro who has not had a very good life growing up.
So ensues a marriage of convenience, poor communication, undeniable passion, all the whilst dealing with intrigue and danger.
This was an overall good read but there are some moments in the plot that detract from the good storyline.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for me.
So ensues a marriage of convenience, poor communication, undeniable passion, all the whilst dealing with intrigue and danger.
This was an overall good read but there are some moments in the plot that detract from the good storyline.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for me.
January 15, 2024
Dario needs to be married in order to take control over his family, but when he is betrayed by his fiance and her father que discovers the existence of a half-brother.
Sandro wants to take care of his mother and accepts a marriage with Dario.
Between betrayals, murders and violence, this two find love unexpectedly.
A new genre for Victoria Sue, not so sweet but an amazing reading alltogether.
I highly recommend this.
Sandro wants to take care of his mother and accepts a marriage with Dario.
Between betrayals, murders and violence, this two find love unexpectedly.
A new genre for Victoria Sue, not so sweet but an amazing reading alltogether.
I highly recommend this.
January 16, 2024
Mafia Chaos
I enjoyed this book and the story writing. I was pulled in and became invested in the characters. I hope the author expands this world. My only issue is that I wish I got to spend more time with the MCs enjoying their HEA. By the end, I wasn't ready for the story to end.
I enjoyed this book and the story writing. I was pulled in and became invested in the characters. I hope the author expands this world. My only issue is that I wish I got to spend more time with the MCs enjoying their HEA. By the end, I wasn't ready for the story to end.
January 4, 2024
I absolutely loved this story. Wow, this was a roller coaster of a ride with twists and turns that kept me guessing throughout the entire story. I loved the push and pull between the characters and the tension was off the chart. This was a fantastic story and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
January 12, 2024
This mm mafia story is full of action, intrigue with twists and turns. Dario tries to sort everything out while also trying to ferret out who’s loyal and Alessandro doesn’t make it easy either with his secrets. I look forward to reading the next book in the series if there is one.
January 15, 2024
Ruthless Mafia
I loved it. Dario is very ruthless and sets about getting what he wants at all costs. Alessandro has been made into a space by his biological father. Together they overcome difficulties and make a family.
I loved it. Dario is very ruthless and sets about getting what he wants at all costs. Alessandro has been made into a space by his biological father. Together they overcome difficulties and make a family.
February 13, 2024
This book was such trash. You hate/ don’t trust your husband for the entirety of the book (which takes place over the course of 1 week) and all of a sudden it slots into place that you were wrong all along????
The pacing in this was awful, I want to forget I ever read it.
The pacing in this was awful, I want to forget I ever read it.
March 4, 2024
Fantastic
Absolutely enjoyed this book. Lots of action and intrigue which I love. Very well written with great characters. Must confess not read this author before so I’m off now to see what else there is on offer. Thank you for an awesome read.
Absolutely enjoyed this book. Lots of action and intrigue which I love. Very well written with great characters. Must confess not read this author before so I’m off now to see what else there is on offer. Thank you for an awesome read.
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