The Broker

Venice Mafia #2

by Tara Crescent

I’m a hacker who works for the mafia. My job is sometimes dangerous, and I’m okay with it.

Dante isn’t. The heir apparent of the Venetian Mafia and my boss, he insists on inserting himself between me and danger. I can't go on a job without him acting like my personal bodyguard. The overprotective lug looms over me, acts as if I’m made of glass, and refuses to let me take reasonable risks.

And when I protest, he pulls rank over me. So annoying.

Obviously, I hate him.

Then we’re attacked by a rival, and Dante insists that I move in with him along with my young daughter.
We're forced to work together to vanquish the threat.

Trapped in his house, my resolve to ignore him melts away.
Because he’s everywhere, with his hard body and his eyes that see too much.

That’s when I discover…
Dante Colonna might be my nemesis, but he’s also a d*mn good kisser.

Genres: Enemies To Lovers, Mafia Romance, Romance, Dark Romance, Forced Proximity, Dark, Contemporary Romance

433 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 2023

About the author

Tara Crescent writes steamy contemporary romances for readers who like hot, dominant heroes and strong, sassy heroines.

When she's not writing, she can be found curled up on a couch with a good book, often with a cat on her lap.

She lives in Toronto.

Reviews

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Mafia Romance, and this is the second book in this series. I have read the first book in this series before picking up this book. This starts around the same point that the first book in this series started from, but it is just told from a different point of view. I love the characters in this book, and I loved getting to know the characters in this book better. This book is a fast paced book with a lot of steam and romance with action and a little suspense mixed into it. Loved it and I could not put this book down. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher or author (Tara Crescent) via Booksirens, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

[Karon Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the dynamic of these two MCs. Dante is Valentina's ex's brother. Ex was an abusive jerk and now dead. Dante and Valentina work for the same mafia organization and although they're attracted to each other, have never acted on that attraction due to their shared traumatic past. Circumstances changed and they start to reveal their feelings to each other. Smexy times ensue and all is looking good until the bad guy rears his head. Not much of a mystery and it's a bit anti-climatic, but I loved their relationship and how you saw them grow. Great HEA.

[Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate booktok

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5
Отже, це друга частина з серії


• Валентина - мати одиночка, колишня дружина та вдова брата Данте,його помічниця та найкращий хакер у мафії.

• Данте - начальник головної героїні,дядько Анжеліки,брат колишнього чоловіка Вал і по сумісництву безмежно закоханий у гг.

Історія про Валентину та Данте розпочинається ще з того часу як гг була одружена з братом Данте.
Данте намагався її захищати та вберегти від усього того що його брат робив з нею і до яких наслідків це привело.
Данте 10 років чекав на неї і так сталось що Валентина та Анжеліка(її дочка та його племінниця) потребували захисти та безпеки і таким чином переїхали до Данте.
Ось так і зародилась історія їхнього кохання .
Вони були ворогами,хоча кожен з них так вважав до певного моменту,хоча їх тягнуло постійно один одного.

І знаючи всі книги,я знала що буде неприємний момент.. і ось на 68 % книги у них вже все чудово,всі щасливі,зізнаються у коханні і тд..
ПРОТЕ , вже через 2% начинається піздєц😅
так, мягко кажучи,адже вона дізналась правду про свого чоловіка і що з ним сталось,точніше хто насправді його мав нагоду і не одну,щоб розповісти правду Вал,але не наважився , але з іншої не хотів усе руйнувати, проте краще розповісти правду аніж жити з брехнею.
"На брехні нічого хорошого не збудуєш"

[Joud · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, engaging read with great characters, sharp banter, and an interesting plot that keeps me hooked. total delight from start to finish!

[Kate V · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Broker broke my heart and put it back together. Valentina had a bad hand dealt to her in the form of an abusive boyfriend who is now deceased. Dante is Valentina's ex's brother and they share space in the same mafia organization. Dante has always felt an intense connection to Valentina and when danger arises he must protect her at all costs.

Valentina is reluctant to accept help but knows she needs it. Working together, Valentina and Dante begin to explore the chemistry between them. Will they have a future?

This was a slow burn and I appreciated that because it gave them a chance to really create a wonderful foundation of love and trust. When the steam did happen, it was pretty hot. Valentina was...at times...too stubborn in my opinion and Dante a little too much of a pushover. But ultimately I liked them as real authentic human beings who have seen the worst parts of humanity and become better for it.

The suspense and action was decent but rather anti-climatic and unoriginal. The Broker was an enjoyable ride.

ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[mary ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

He met her ten years ago in the hospital, beaten from her abusive boyfriend, also known as his brother.

Dante and Valentina
What a ride, she always thought of him as her nemesis, she hated him or did she just dislike him?
Secrets unravel, love gets in the way, will she forgive him when she knows the truth?

Valentina, The Sparrow, I loved Valentina's personality, she's a badass hacker, a strong mother who didn't let anything defeat her, a survivor of her abusive asshole of an ex

Dante, The Broker, dark hair smoky gray eyes, he gives the best compliments out of nowhere, an overprotective ass who adores his niece (what else could you ask for??)
He gives out his control for her, so she could feel safe with him, he literally has a tattoo of a sparrow that matches hers HOW CUTE IS THAT???


“And the flowers keep appearing in the office.
Every day, there is a fresh vase of blooms.”

“That’s why I never see any of those damned women again. Because none of them are you.”

"Tie me up" he said
“Hang on. Am I hearing you correctly? Dante Colonna, control freak extraordinaire, is voluntarily offering to give up control.”

“I do the math. Dante’s telling me he’s had sex once in the last five years. Once. He wasn’t traumatized like I was. He wasn’t afraid of sex, wasn’t terrified of intimacy.
It was because he wanted me.”

“That’s my sparrow.”

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Broker is a fast-paced story with a sexy Alpha male who is a bad man with a heart bent on protecting those he cares about and a feisty female with a past that instead of crippling her makes her fight to be in charge of her own destiny. I love the banter between the two characters and the fact that it is oblivious to the both of them that there truly is a thin line between love and hate. I loved the secondary characters as well and look forward to the next book in the series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Danny · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay read. It was something to pass the time and honestly to reach my year reading goal. 😅
This is an enemies to lovers mafia romance, it was interesting enough that I kept reading till the end but not a favorite.

I don’t get how Antonio wasn’t even on the scenes regarding the incident with Angelica. He wasn’t mentioned at all even though he is the head of the Venice mafia and this was a direct attack on his people. Anyway, just another one that didn’t do it for me. I don’t know why tho but I feel like reading the rest of the series so that’s what I’ll do. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Nour · Rating 4 out of 5]

RELECTURE : on commence l'année par la relecture de toute la série Venice Mafia, j'adore cette série. Carrément je passe de 3 étoiles à 4 étoiles.
Lire cette série dans l'ordre et enchainer les livres permet vraiment d'être à fond dedans et de comprendre tous les petits détails.

----------------------
3,5 ⭐️
Dante & Valentina (+Angelica 👩‍👧) / Mafia romance (plutôt soft je dirai)
Elle est hakeuse (original j’aime bien même si c’est pas trop développé). Il est un des chef mais genre mega sweet / gentil et tout à certain moment.

Ça manque de transition, ils sont censé se détester mais bon c’est pas trop visible. Elle est censée avoir des difficultés avec les moments intimes mdrrr elle a vite oublié.
J’aurai aimé qu’on s’attarde plus sur certaines scènes mais bon.
En vrai c’est pas mal !
(Ça se passe en Italie, 🥰 référence à plein de nom de villes j’ai biennggg)

[Hanna K. Brojan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5⭐️ —mediocre 😬

[Sara Paps · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶

𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐒:
❥ mafia romance
❥ enemies to lovers
❥ single mom
❥ he fell first
❥ forced proximity
❥ found family
❥ workplace romance

𝐋𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐳𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢 𝐜𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢 𝐡𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚: 😊 😯 🙄 🥱

𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐨:
Valentina è una hacker della mafia veneziana molto capace nel suo lavoro ma non nel sopportare la presenza di Dante, collega e fratello del suo ex, abusivo e deceduto. Subentra una missione con problemi annessi, i due collaborano per sventare il pericolo e tutti noi sappiamo che succede quando la miccia e l'accendino sono a contatto. 〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞:
Posso reputarlo una soft dark romance per gli iniziati, seppur lo spice sia piuttosto esplicito quindi mi sento di dire che c'è un pizzico di dislivello nell'intensità degli argomenti trattati. (•ˋ _ ˊ•)
Non è stato approfondito il trauma di Valentina, suppongo perché sono effettivamente passati dieci anni dalla morte dell'ex e la fine delle violenze domestiche, ma allora protesto nei confronti dell'improvvisa gelosia e ossessione che i due sembrano avere nei reciproci confronti tutto d'un tratto. Ci sono vari buchi come questo in giro, che io posso anche giustificare ma che purtroppo mi tolgono quel minimo di realismo e profondità che mi serve per immergermi bene nella storia, ecco perchè arrivata al 70% ho iniziato ad annoiarmi un pochino.

Vorrei dire che i personaggi mi hanno lasciato qualcosa ma, per quanto io ami i cliché, erano piuttosto banali e non ho sentito alcuno spessore che mi abbia fatta affezionare. Le scene di sesso non sono memorabili. ┐(￣ヘ￣;)┌
Sembra una cattiva recensione, ma come ho detto secondo me è un buon libro per chi non vuole esagerare con 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 ed è curioso di leggere una mafia romance; resta banalotta e poco coinvolgente a mio parere, peccato perchè aveva del potenziale.

[Hotpinkaloe · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 65% because I don't understand what is so wrong with the MMC having to kill the FMC's abusive boyfriend and making such a fuss about worrying that she won't forgive him. HIS POV: "You can’t keep this from her. She would see it as a betrayal of her trust." I don't see any problem here, to be honest. It's basically communication!!! Just talk!!

Another thing that irks me is why the MMC is still going on dates when he has been in love with the FMC for so many years.

However, I do love those chapters where they spend quality time together in the MMC's home like any other typical family. It's very heartwarming, NGL.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.7 stars

I really liked the book in the beginning but the rest of the book fell flat. The characters had depth but there wasn’t a lot of romance between Dante and Valentina. One moment they hate each other and the next they’re in “love”. Like I get that they had 10 years of pining but we didn’t see any of that. The plot was so generic. I’ve read the same plot in like every mafia book ever. I wished we got more of Angelica though. The books pacing was also very awkward. There were a lot of time jumps and a lot of things were happening in past tense.

[Speed · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I loved it! And 2nd, though this cover is nice, the Kindle cover version is exactly how I pictured Dante!
I really loved this story. Frenemies turned into lovers. The only problem I had was that it took too damn long. 10 years, they have been juggling their feelings. Granted, Valentina had a totally legit reason, but I just wished they came to the conclusion sooner. Great story filled with betrayal, suspense, hot sex scenes, plus the killing. I love the killing sooooooo much, Lol. In the end, Valentina and Dante get their HEA, and I am overly happy that Leo is getting his own story!!! Yessssssss totally love that dude. And the bonus scene, I freaking lurrrrvvvveeed it!!!!
Kudos on a job well done 4.5 stars🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Suzanne McNeill Taviner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, the story was just so good. I loved how much they both pined for each other but never admitted it, until they had to! I also enjoyed how much of a devoted uncle Dante was. Great storytelling and likeable character, would like to read about more of them.

[Apoorva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilariously, I forgot to mark it as read

[Zaain · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a way to have my comeback to reading.
Incredibly predictable plot but had a grand time nonetheless.

[Aisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8
Okay so it definitely wasn’t bad, I feel like some scenes were missed but oh well. It got really good at the end tho

[Olivia H · Rating 4 out of 5]

It moved a bit too quickly for my liking but was well written and had a very good story line!

[Lisbeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Podría haber habido un mejor desarrollo.

[lobelyys]

dnf’ed @ 6%
big constipated alpha italian mafia male

[Ariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Single mom hacker and a guy in the mafia. It was good! It was really fast paced, really action packed which I loved. A lot of mafia romances tend to focus on the romance side for the most part but this had a lot of action to the point almost where the romance felt like a subplot but I liked it a lot. The characters were good together. Dante and Valentina were great as individuals too.The third act breakup kind of annoyed me but I could see both sides easily tbh. It was a still a pretty good read and this one was one that tiktok got right for me for the first time in a long time so that's good. This can also be a really good palate cleanser. I'd recommend!

[Andromeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I FINALLY FINISHED ANOTHER BOOK!!!
Yayy fuck reading slump.
.
.
.
This book is good. Not something great to imprint on your heart and mind forever, but really good. Good plot ending in a whimper...not a bang as the FMC called it 😂
Good characters, good smut, good fast pacing. All in all it works really well 🩷 Well that I want to read other two books in the series. Lessgooo

[Gloria Wenman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ' B ' movie standard

Sorry, but this novel did nothing for me. It was like reading a ' B' movie script. I kept hoping it would improve, sadly, it didn't. The characters were not wholly believable, and Valentine for all her life experiences, came across very naive and annoying.

The best part of this book was the cover. This author can do better than this, I have read a couple of her novels and enjoyed them in the past.

[Cinder · Rating 2 out of 5]

READ

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 2/5⭐
𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘: 𝖢𝗈𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗆𝗉𝗈𝗋𝖺𝗋𝗒 𝖱𝗈𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 / 𝖣𝖺𝗋𝗄 𝖱𝗈𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾
𝗧𝗬𝗣𝗘: 𝖨𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗇𝖾𝖼𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌
𝗔𝗚𝗘: 𝖠𝖽𝗎𝗅𝗍
𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘𝗧𝗬: 🟡
✦•····························••····························•✦•····························••····························•✦
𝗘𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗨𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡:
𝖢𝗈𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗉𝗍 𝗂𝖽𝖾𝖺: 3/𝟻 🤔
𝖯𝗅𝗈𝗍: 3/𝟻 📖
𝖶𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀: 3/𝟻 📝
𝖯𝖺𝖼𝗂𝗇𝗀: 3/𝟻 ⏱
𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌: 2/𝟻 👥
𝖱𝗈𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾: 2/𝟻 ❤️
𝖲𝗉𝗂𝖼𝖾: 2/𝟻 🔥
✦•····························••····························•✦•····························••····························•✦
𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦 / 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘:
🕵🚬 𝖬𝖺𝖿𝗂𝖺
❤️🔥⚔️ 𝖣𝗂𝗌𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖫𝗈𝗏𝖾
👶🤰 𝖲𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗅𝖾 𝖯𝖺𝗋𝖾𝗇𝗍
👩‍💻 𝖧𝖺𝖼𝗄𝖾𝗋
✦•····························••····························•✦•····························••····························•✦
𝗠𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦:
It was mediocre and really predictable. I didn't really care for the characters and the story was quite boring
✦•····························••····························•✦•····························••····························•✦
𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗬: Valentina and Angelica moved in with Dante, because mafia rivals threatened them. Valentina and Dante work together, but Dante kept it a secret from her that he was the one who killed her abusive boyfriend 10 years ago. Then Angelica was kidnapped and they managed to save her. HEA
✦•····························••····························•✦•····························••····························•✦
𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦:
👩 Valentina: hacker for the Venetian Mafia
👨 Dante: second in command in Venetian mafia, accidentally killed his brother
👧 Angelica: daughter of Valentina, niece of Dante
✦•····························••····························•✦•····························••····························•✦
𝖶𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝖨 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖻𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖺𝗎𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗋? ❌
𝖶𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝖨 𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖾𝗇𝖽? ❌
✦•····························••····························•✦•····························••····························•✦
𝗧𝗪 / 𝗖𝗪: kidnapping, death, torture, domestic violence (past, mentioned)

[Grinning Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

MMC/FMC- Dante and Valentina

POV- 1st person dual

Genre- Mafia Romance

Setting- Venice, Italy

Meet Cute? He rescued her from his abusive brother.

Heat- 🌋🌋🌋☄️the C word and a little bit of kink are involved.

Series? Y

Safety: no cheating, no S. Violence, no sharing, no cliffhanger. There was dating of other women (without details) after they met but before they got romantic, and she went on one disastrous blind date. But no cheating. HEA.

Triggers- Graphic Violence, Explicit Erotic Content, Child Abduction, Language, and They May as Well Have Played That Sarah McLaughlin Song Because They Described Pound Puppies.

Tropes- welcome to the Trope-icana! We’ve got Ex’s Brother, Enemies to Lovers, Workplace Romance, Forced Proximity, Do-Si-Do With The Mafioso, Alpha Male (who is also Protective Hero), Single Mom, Adorable Moppet, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

What I liked- Valentina was strong and brilliant and I loved seeing her in her element as a hacker. And Dante was tender towards the ones he loved, but was also one scary b*stard. They were both so loving towards her daughter. It was sweet when Valentina helped her work on the massive LEGO project, and when we saw the delightful room Dante had set up for the child with all of the details to make her happy. I also love a good loving from afar/anear romance and the zexytime was hot and creative. And when the’54 came out I swooned.

What I didn’t- Oh, the ‘54….

Verdict- recommended, and I’m going to find and read the rest of the series.

I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

[Debbie Orazi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an enemies to lovers, forced proximity mafia romance.

I loved this story! I'm a bit leery of mafia books except by a few authors but this one was a fantastic read. Fast paced, tons of action, intrigue and lots of steam! Highly recommend!

Valentina Linari aka Sparrow is a hacker working for the Venetian mafia. She has a 9 year old daughter Angelica.

Dante Colonna aka the Broker is second in command of the Venetian mafia. He is Angelica's uncle.

Valentina goes on her first field mission to retrieve Salvatore Verratti's computer in a remote farmhouse. Dante drives up while she is waiting for the ok to proceed and tells her he is her security detail. They get the data off the computer and she works on decrypting it. She discovers Verratti hired his own hacker known as the Revenant. Antonio Moretti the head of the Venetian mafia tells Dante he wants to take over the Verratti territory because he started dealing with the Russian bratva. To protect his people Moretti orders them to his island fortress. Dante has Valentina & Angelica stay with him at his house to not disturb Angelica's schooling. Valentina sees another side of Dante and starts giving into her attraction (he has been in love with her for ten years). They start a relationship but it blows up when she discovers a secret he has kept from her. Angelica gets kidnapped and they work together to find her and bring her home. They reconcile and get their HEA.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[ash.readsalot_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Went in with high hopes but came out with disappointment 😶😶. I saw one of my favorite booktokers talk about this book and the way she described it made me really excited to read it...but, unfortunately I was disappointed with what I read😭😭.

In this we follow Valentina and Dante. Valentina has had a rough life due to her abusive ex boyfriend. Because of him she has formed a new fear of intimacy and dating. Dante is the brother of said ex boyfriend and he blames himself for not focusing more on the rumors about how Valentina was being treated. Valentina in order to pay her gratitude towards the Padrino of the Mafia she agreed to work for them as a hacker. When an unfortunate incident cause her and her daughter to be in danger, Dante demands that she comes stay with him in order to protect both the woman he has deep feeling for and he daughter.

I don't know you guys, when I saw that the FMC was a hacker and etc etc... I was so hyped to read this. But the FMC srsly got on my nerves at some point of the book tbh. Also even though it was single parent, her daughter rarely appears throughout the book. She appears maybe 5 times max? Anyways also their relationship moved WAY too fast. Like towards the end there was no love confession or anything. They just say "I Love you" in ONE PART throughout the whole book and I'm like, wait what!? Y'all confessed your love to each other? WHEN!? So basically what I'm saying is that I didn't like the book☠️ there were some parts where I found Dante and Valentina really cute and stuff but otherwise... 🥴🥴

[ALR · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not your typical mafia romance (truly it’s not). Valentina, yes a woman, is the hacker extraordinaire for the Venetian mafia and while her skills mean her work is mostly behind the scenes the book starts off with her first field job. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on you view, this job was a one and done since her mortal enemy, aka Dante, who’s the second only the the head of the mafia, wants her to have no field experience. Little did they know there was more to this job than what it first seems to be. So the tension between these two frenemies ( I mean Dante is her daughter’s uncle so he’s not a true enemy) is evident from the start and both Valentina and Dante are strong in their own way so they seem evenly matched. Yes they have some personal struggles and couple issues but Dante does support Valentina in many ways. There is a nice amount of steam, lots of intrigue and action, and yes the mafia elements ( although not as much as I thought It would), but there is softness and some sadness ( please read the trigger warning) that balance well throughout. It’s a nice quick read but definitely different than most mafia romances. This book is apparently part of a series but having never read the other stories I was easily able to follow along with no problems.
4.5 stars. thank you to BookSirens for the opportunity to read this arc and provide my honest review