נדר של אהבה ונקמה

Tainted Vows #2

by L.P. Lovell, לורן לאוול, דורית שטיינר-שריג (Translator)

רצחתי את אבא שלי ומלחמת חורמה פרצה בעולם התחתון.
ראשי המאפיות נלחמים זה בזה, אנשים נרצחים ודם נשפך בבתים וברחובות.
הנישואים שמהם ברחתי עשויים להיות הישועה היחידה שלי עכשיו.
אני כבר לא יכולה להעמיד פנים שאני לא רוצה את עזרתו ואהבתו של ג'ובאני גוארה, ולרצות גבר כמוהו זה דבר מסוכן יותר מהמשפחה האכזרית והבוגדנית שלי.
אומרים שבאהבה, במלחמה ובנקמה – הכול מותר.
ועכשיו הגיע הרגע שלי לנקום את נקמתי.

נדר של אהבה ונקמה הוא החלק השני בדואט מלכי העולם התחתון. התשוקה והאהבה נמהלות בשנאה ובנקמה ויוצרות כאוס פנימי ברגשותיהם של הגיבורים.

לורן לאוול היא כותבת מוכשרת שספריה תורגמו לשפות רבות והעפילו לרשימת הספרים הנמכרים ביותר באמזון. גם בישראל, ספריה הפכו לרבי־מכר וקצרו תשבחות ואהדה מהקוראים. היא חיה בבריטניה באושר גדול עם בן זוגה אדם ואוהבת לשתות יין אדום. וכשזה קורה, היא מצחיקה בטירוף ומקללת כמו יורד־ים.

Genres: Romance, Mafia Romance, Dark Romance, Dark, Enemies To Lovers, Crime, Erotica

282 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2022

About the author

Lauren Lovell is an indie author from England. She suffers from a total lack of brain to mouth filter and is the friend you have to explain before you introduce her to anyone, and apologise for afterwards.
She's a self confessed shameless pervert, who may be suffering from slight peen envy.

Lauren loves to hear from readers so please add her on Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter. Visit her website www.lplovell.com.

Reviews

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story. Gio 🤯.
It’s worth the reading.

[NiCoLeTa E. {Addicted To Books} · Rating 5 out of 5]

***4,5 "Trojan Horse!!!" stars***



"The lines of love and lust and hate had never been so blurred."

It tooks month to get the second part of this beautiful story in my hands, but the waiting totally worth it!!!
This is a dark mafia arranged marriage story and it is everything that I am searching in a book!!!
LP Lovell writes hauntingly beautifully and she is always delivering captivating stories that you are becoming addicted to...
But if you think that things in here weren't complicated as hell, then you are fooling yourselves!!!

"Baptized in blood with no way out."

The story picked up exactly where the first part left us...
Emilia did something unexpected that is bringing the war one step closer to Gio's door, but he is determined to protect her no matter what...
Emilia is starting to lose herself in guilt, and Gio is the only one that can calm the storm that is brewing inside of her...
Of course, many unexpected things are happening that have the power to break their newfound feelings...
Can these two survive the maelstorm full of blood and vengeance that is coming their way???

"There was no room for weakness."

I love Gio sooo much!!! Yes, he was a scary motherfucker, but at the same time, he was so good to the ones that he was caring about... In here, he had proved to us over and over again how much Emilia meant to him by actions and I can say that the man except of hot as hell, he is a PROTECTOR with everything he had.... Add to that and extremely POSSESSIVE, but I liked him that way!!!
And even though it is raining hell in his turf, Amelia is always his first priority. But what will happen when the enemy realize that she is his weakness???

"This was why men like me only married for business. The mafia had no place for feelings and sentiment, and honestly, the way I felt about her fucking terrified me."

Amelia's thinking didn't change miraculously.... She is still craving her freedom, even though her feelings for Gio are getting stronger and stronger every day...
She is keep fighting Gio in every turn, in a way to exorcise these feelings that she is feeling them as shackles around her heart...
But maybe is she making a huge mistake???
Will she give up her freedom for love??? Or will she destroy something rare and beautiful???

"I loved Giovanni Guerra, and I didn't know how to feel about the fact that I'd fallen for the very man I vowed I never would."

I adore these heroes and their story was a story full of bullets, blood, tears and death....
Still these two were like a beacon of light in the darkness!!!
Their love was shining so brightly even though they were surrounding by bloodshed and violence...
Their adventure can make them or break them.
Will they get a happily ever after???
Gawd, I think I will miss this couple, but honestly, I can not wait for LP Lovell's next book, cause I am sure that it will be another epic ride!!!

"You can fight me and scratch me, kitten, but you are mine."

**I received an ARC for the exchange of an honest review**

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: arranged marriage, enemies to lovers
Angst: 😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

A Vow of Love and Vengeance is the second part of the Tainted Vows duet by LP Lovell and picks up directly after where the first book ended. Emilia trying to come to terms with both her actions as well as her desire to be with a man like Gio.

This story was definitely action packed from the first page. I do wish it had just been trimmed a bit and combined with the first book, but I'm not a huge fan of duets and the first cliffy was an unexpected one. I absolutely loved Gio, the hard mafia man who was soft only for his girl and gave her everything she needed. Personally, I found Emilia a little too broken and her coping mechanisms not necessarily for me 🤷🏻‍♀️. Regardless, it was a good read overall and am glad I read it. Always appreciate a well written and fast moving story with hot smexy times 😅. Can't wait for the next book, but I'm not gonna lie, I hope it's a standalone .

⛔️ My bookshelves can sometimes contain spoilers

[Natalia]

This was my thought 1 month ago:
I'm 20% done with A Vow of Love and Vengeance: OMG... I'm struggling so hard, the way she is "breaking" For a person that in the scale of life just treated her like 💩💩💩, a person that was undirected responsible for her sister death, and she just shuts down and mopes around, and the story keeps going around that and the way the H fucks her to shake her of that Pity party...

I have been on vacation and had zero will to pick up this book... I'm so bummed, because I really loved the 1st book, that this one was not up to that.

[lady d ⚡️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

love a kind of feminist mafia man 👏🏼😫👏🏼😫👏🏼 and the spice in this was 🗣🗣🗣 and i love the dynamic of the entire family it was so precious!!! also WHEN DO TOMMY AND JACKSON GET BOOKS, i’d much rather that than next gen books if that’s even possible 😫😫😫

[Kim Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phew! What an adrenaline rush! Exciting is and understatement! Rapidly turning the page’s, I found myself so engrossed with the story! Raw, gritty and obsessive! A love so great, it was overly protective! Chaos and turmoil were at the forefront, but the relationship between Emilia and Gio was vicious and intense! A passion so deep! Incredible ending to a phenomenal journey!!

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this duet. The slow burn from the first book paid off 🔥🔥🔥🔥 but there was still so much tension.

I loved all the drama with the different mafia families which was a nice change up.

Highly recommended mafia drama with tonnes of tension and steam.

[Rossy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would rate the whole duet @ 4.5⭐

I devoured it in a day and after reading so many mafia books still found this one engaging and unique in a way.

It had everything I like:

* an ott possesive hero;
* Strong heroine, more so on character strength;
* a guy who is only soft-er for his h and also those he considers family. He wasn't soft by any means tho😅
* he gave her the life she wanted within mafia constraints;
* S€X was hot, possesive, rough and sadistic. But not too sadistic, just enough for BOTH to enjoy it.
*no cheating!
*emotional!
*slow burnish on the first book to the main event.. but there is plenty other type of 🔥🔥
* a plot which actually keeps you guessing at times.

Only true criticism - one bit in the beginning of book 1 - not sure if it fit the character truly truly once we find out some stuff about him.

Anycase, I loved it😌

[Ketharini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man, how about we have one conversation, just ONE between the two main characters without it turning into a sexfest?! I get it, this book is after all smut. But am I completely stupid to also expect some good, uninterrupted-by-sex plot?! Sighhhh... I had high expectations for this. Emilia was annoying as hell. Bye.

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conclusion to Gio and Emilia’s story was fabulous it was packed full of passion darkness and danger. It wasn’t plain sailing by any means and both Gio and Emilia still had a rocky road with plenty of roadblocks ahead of them before reaching their final destination. After the events of the previous book, Emilia is left feeling all sorts of intense emotions regarding her prior actions. Reconciling herself with what she did causes her to feel such internal conflict and her only real outlet and reprieve comes from Gio and what he offers in the form of alternate therapy. Initially, he is her safe space and she recognises just how much her heart has changed in regards to sharing their lives together.

Until that is he manages to betray her fragile trust setting them back and proving to her that he is just like all of the other made men in her life. Gio desperately wants things to return to the way they were before he managed to break them with his doubts but Emilia is having none of it shutting down her heart and turning cold and he can’t stand it. Gone now is any option of choice he’ll have her in his life however he can take her and for the first time, he places something above his duty. Emilia is his and he’s planning on keeping her forever he’ll worry about earning her forgiveness later. This had a lot of darkness not in the relationship between Gio and Emilia but because of the war that has escalated all hostilities. This conflict places everyone in danger and scrambling to come out on top.

The heat is also turned up here and if praise kink is your thing this one has that in abundance. This was definitely red hot and the intimate scenes were fabulous and well done. There are Lots of delicious encounters where Gio provides his girl with exactly what she needs and craves to subdue her internal strife. I’ve enjoyed this duet immensely it was an easy engrossing experience and can’t wait to read other stories set in this world. If you like mafia romance then this is a good one and I definitely recommend this.




Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/63435390

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars (For Gio only)

Truthfully I finished this duet for Gio. And maybe Renzo. Otherwise I would have threw in the towel at about 50%.

I feel like because this was split into a duet that the story suffered for it. Book one didn't actually cover much ground thinking back on it. A week, maybe two from their first meeting? And then book two opens after the cliffy that we left with and tbh it wasn't even that good of a cliffy. Sure I didn't quite expect Emilia to do what she did but I also didn't care either 😂

Emilia for me was problematic. The heroines usually are for me... But specifically it felt like the author took a nineteen year old sheltered Mafia born woman who already had a jaded (but foolishly naïve) view of the life she was born into due to her older sister's death and just kept tossing in random pain kinks and a codependency on the hero Gio. Her spiral into said darkness was a little silly to me. Sure, I got feeling guilty over what she did but after she got a handle on that it seemed that the author thought "gee she's not fucked up enough let's add more!" And then she's became even more overdramatic, continued jumping to conclusions and trying to save the world while also thriving on the sexual pain and kink her new husband can only give her. I mean, after her confrontation with her older brother Luca she legit held a knife to her arm while sobbing... I mean, really???? It wasn't even Renzo the decent brother who tried to save you and ran away with you! What the fuck did Luca ever do to gain that power over her?? I didn't understand why the author found THAT to be an appropriate reaction to his anger at her. Like, what the fuck. I absolutely did not understand Emilia's need to save both brothers when Renzo was the only one who ever gave a damn for her and showed her loyalty.

Gio was still the possessively in love kinky bastard I enjoyed in book one. So no complaints there. He was worth reading this duet for tbh. He was exactly the type of possessive crazy Mafia hero I love. And despite disliking Emilia I adored the way he loved and treated her.

Overall it was just exhausting. The author's need to keep finding reasons for Emilia to fight Gio or the Mafia life got old super fast. And then I couldn't buy into how fucked in the head Emilia seemed to be considering she hadn't really had anything to warrant that sort of transformation tbh.

By 60% I began skimming because I wanted to finish. At that point even the Mafia plot wasn't holding my interest either.

[Travelogged Blogs · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He looked at me like he’d burn the entire world around us if the flames would chase the darkness from my mind."

I never expected to love this book so much but I did! Gio & Emilia were such a great match! Their chemistry left me feeling breathless and some moments had me feel all the butterflies! The way Gio started to care so much about Emilia and how the slow progress of their relationship melted Emilia's insecurities was heartwarming. Gio was such a smart man, he took his vow to protect Emilia seriously and never let her be seriously harmed. So he kept her both physically and mentally safe and that's what I loved the most about him. Emilia grew so much stronger and I admired her guts. Also, I did enjoy seeing Nero & Una too and the whole situation with Dante & Reagan has me intrigued. I wonder if they are going to get a book because I'll be down to read that too lol!

[Coco.V · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

[Sandy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A VOW OF LOVE AND VENGEANCE is the second instalment in LP Lovell’s contemporary, adult TAINTED VOWS dark, erotic, Mafia romance duet first introduced in the multi-authored Underworld Kings, set in the author’s Kiss of Death world. This is the continuing story of Mafia boss Giovanni Guerra, and eighteen year old, Mafia princess Emilia Donato. A VOW OF LOVE AND VENGEANCE should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of book one A VOW OF LUST AND FURY.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise including graphic violence and dubious consent, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Giovanni and Emilia) A VOW OF LOVE AND VENGEANCE continues to focus on the acrimonious relationship between Mafia boss Giovanni Guerra, and eighteen year old, Mafia princess Emilia Donato. Emilia Donato was sold by her uncle to Giovanni Guerra, a move to acquire more power within the Chicago Criminal Underworld but the murder of Roberto Donato at the hands of his daughter Emilia Donato was about to add gas to the proverbial fire and fight for power, a fight wherein the various factions of both the Italian Mafia, and the Irish mob are about to go to war. Meanwhile Emilia and Giovanni’s relationship continues to be troubled and exacerbated by her family connections, and the ongoing pursuit of both her brother and her uncle, a relationship that will be called into question when their marriage of convenience is seen as more of a power play than a love match. What ensues is the building relationship between Emilia and Giovanni, and the potential fall-out as the encroaching war pits family against family, and a hired assassin is called in to finish the deal.

The relationship between Giovanni and Emilia is antagonistic and contentious. Issues of trust begin to bleed into an already volatile situation, a situation that becomes more belligerent as Emilia struggles with what happened and why. Giovanni Guerra doesn’t want his wife to take the blame for the death of her father but the deeper he digs, the more secrets reveal a shaky foundation for the merger between the Guerra and Donato worlds. The $ex scenes are aggressive, intense and passionate.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, charismatic and dangerous secondary and supporting characters including Emilia’s uncle Sergio, and her brothers Luca and Renzo; Sergio’s right hand man Matteo; Giovanni’s men Tommy and Jackson, as well as Nero and Una (Kiss of Death), Una’s brother Sasha, and several members of the Irish mob including Liam O’Hara. The requisite evil has many faces.

A VOW OF LOVE AND VENGEANCE is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, violence and death, acceptance and love. The premise is dramatic, edgy, dark and gritty; the romance is combative and impassioned; the characters are energetic, determined and captivating.


www.thereadingcafe.com

[Bonny Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in J. P. Lovell's Vow duet. (Book 1, A Vow of Lust and Fury, should be read first.). Book two opens where book one left off. Where book one was all about lust and fury, book two also lives up to it's title.

More betrayals occur, once again causing a rift betwern Giovanni and Emiiia as well as accelerating the war with the Irish mob and the Chicago outfit. With both enemies out for blood and Emilia's uncle and Matteo still a threat, there is more danger. An agreement made to keep her oldest brother alive eventually leads Giovanni and Emilia to begin finding their way to each other again. An attempted kidnapping brings them closer together again and the capture of Matteo allows Emelia to get revenge for her sister and provides Giovanni with the location of Emelia's uncle. There are struggles with Emilia's older brother until he is finally made to see the light. Loved this entire duet! It was intense, violent and emotinal! 5 stars for this book and the whole duet!

[Lovetoread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars

The second book was just as fun as the first one. And equally as fast pace. But I felt like the story didn't really have any substance. It's meant to be a quick and fun read, and it delivered with that. The descriptions felt sometimes a bit repetitive and weird. The author used over-complicated words to describe scenery or feelings when much simpler writing would have fit better. At least for me. 
We didn't learn anything new about the characters, they stayed the same. They didn't really have any growth. But at the same time, that's not what is most important to me, I just wanna have a good time. I still love Emilia and her fight. How strong-minded she is. She is not some doormat, weak heroine. 
I also fell in love with Jackson. He has that twisted, funny, and scary thing going on, and I’m here for it. 


Plot
This is the second and last book about Emilia and Gio. We start right off where we left off in the first book. At the end of book one, Emilia killed her father. But even though he was a horrible person and treated his daughters disgustingly, Emilia is ridden with guilt, while mourning her father. 
Gio tries to help her get past this grief and mental battle. Emilia killed her father, but who she wanted to kill in the first place, is nowhere to be found. Sergio Donato, her uncle. He has disappeared and Gio´s men are slowly being killed off.


Tropes
- Mafia 
- Age gap


Point of view
We follow both Emilia and Gio´s POV

Pacing of the story
It was good. I skim-read a few times. But it was a fast pace and fun read.


Character rating
Gio
Three stars. He’s a great hero. He is loyal, hot, rich, and possessive. He is very protective of Emilia. And would do anything for her. But he is still more off a two-dimensional character to me. We don't see much of who he is, other than when he is obsessing over Emilia. 

Emilia
Five stars. She’s just perfect. She is so strong-minded and never gives up. She doesn’t cower beneath these men in her life, and always tries to be heard. 
She also showed us and the other characters that she is smart. 
Emilia is the only person in this book, that I feel had a character growth. After killing her father she grows to become more fearless and badass.

Side characters
I liked the side characters. 
I liked Gio´s group of friends. They had me laughing a few times.
Love Emilias brother, Renzo. He’s such a sweetheart. How he would do anything for his sister. 
Her other brother though. Luca. Didn't like him, but his actions were understandable. 
But I didn't feel like they were flushed out. As with Gio, they felt two-dimensional. 


.
.
.
NOW SPOILERS!!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Other woman
No.
But there is one scene. Gio and Emilia have a fight, she tells him she refuses to have sex with him, and he could go and find it somewhere else. Gio´s pissed at that but agrees. 
They go to a club, and he goes into a room with a girl, after she asks him to talk.
He tells Emilia pretty quickly that nothing happened and he didnt touch her. 


Other men
No.
But on the same night as with Gio. Emilia got angry at herself because she got jealous at the thought of Gio with another woman. So she went to the dance floor and danced with a guy, and he kissed her neck.

Cheating
No



Some of my thoughts;

Luca was so annoying. I felt like he was forgiven waayyy too quickly. After all that he said to Emilia, and that she was a whore and he wanted to kill her. Emilia shouldn’t have forgiven him. I’m glad he got on their team and that they’re working together. But she should have just ignored his ass because he doesn’t deserve Emilia's friendship and love. 


Can we take a second to appreciate Gio? I just loved his interaction with that waitress lady at his club. Laylah or something I this her name was. She started touching him, and he said, «what’s on my hand? A wedding ring.» And kicked her out of the room, and if she ever tried that again, she would be fired. Screaming!!


Omg! That tampon scene. Where he pulled out her tampon so they could have sex. But the part I’m cringing over is that he took a new one in. Him. Who has probably never touched a tampon before. I'm sorry but I know that that did not go well. The first time I took a tampon in, I was crying before it was painful to just sit down. I just know that that tampon is not properly placed.


Possible triggers
- Mention suicide, murder, and SA, on and off page
- Minor assault scene
- Torture
- Self-harm 
- Blood
- Knife and gun violence

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie's Book Reports.

I killed my father and started a mafia war. The marriage I've been running from may now be my only salvation. The problem is, I can no longer say I don't want Giovanni Guerra. And wanting a man like him could prove far more dangerous than my traitorous family. All is fair in love and war, and vengeance...vengeance will be mine.

This is the second part of Gio and Emilia's story. You have to read the first part which is A Vow of Lust and Fury. A Vow of Love and Vengeance picks up right were the first book left off and we find that Emilia has done something surprising and Gio is not about to let her take the fall for it. But it has the potential to start a huge war and Emilia has also stuck her nose in where it doesn't belong and the whole thing is just a mess. But Gio will be getting one thing he really wanted and I really didn't like that Emilia didn't want the same thing. Well not that she didn't want it she just liked to make him think that she hated the very ground he stood one and him with on it. I don't really know how to tell you much about the story and not ruin it for someone. This book is really really amazing and I did not lay it down. It is action packed and smoking hot from the very beginning to the very end. I am kind of sad this story it over because I was loving so much being in Gio and Emilia's world!!

[Maria (Ri) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

From the moment that I read the Kiss of Death books and I fell in love with Una, Nero, and eventually Sasha, I was hooked. This is a gritty world that these characters reside but I do not hesitate to step back into that world any chance I can. Discovering that Emilia and Gio was going to be a part of this world was like a Festivus miracle.

This is not a book where you can get squeamish. The violence is gory with a capital G. Yet, that enhances the storyline. The steam? Good lord... So hot. However, its the love born from the darkness and manages to shine bright that makes this a great book.

I loved seeing cameos from my favorites, in fact, just seeing the interactions with Una had me laughing. There is a reason that she is one of my favorite characters... Ever.

[Sarah Leather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again a strong 4 stars.

Book 2 of this duet didn’t disappoint at all. I haven’t been able to put this duet down all weekend. I’ve read both books in 2 days. I will definitely read more by this author starting with Una and Nero’s story.

If you’re in the mood for a dark mafia story I would definitely recommend this.

[Mari (Mystics & Metaphysics Book Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emilia and Gio are back and I love that this starts off right where book 1 ends. It's intense, dangerous, sexy, and so much more. I could not put it down.

[Paperback Princess]

DNF @35%

[Winter’s Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when men simp and I love when ✨women✨
RTC

[Shalva · Rating 4 out of 5]

אהבתי ששאר הדמויות מהספרים הקודמים גם פה🤩

[annasbook nookk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yessssssss, I freaking loved this book.
It picks up straight from book 1 and back into Gio and Emilia's world.
Emilia, forced in an arranged marriage, and Gio is not what she expected. Will she be able to keep him at arms length?
Still reeling from events that occurred in book 1, Gio is there for her in ways unexpected.
The enemy is still out there, can Gio find them? Who can he trust?

Action packed/ drama and sexual tension, left me hanging on the edge of my seat.
I love L. P. Powell's writing and look forward to reading more.

[Book Recs by Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEWING: A VOW OF LOVE AND VENGEANCE (UNDERWORLD KINGS, TAINTED VOWS BOOK 2)
TROPE: MAFIA, FORCED PROXIMITY, AGE-GAP ROMANCE
AUTHOR: LP LOVELL
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
KINDLE UNLIMITED: YES

HERO: GIOVANNI
HEROINE: EMILIA

STEAM: 🔥🔥🔥🔥/5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻/5
STORYLINE: 😊🙂😊😊😊/5
BOOK COVER: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/ 5
SERIES/STAND-ALONE: INTERCONNECTED STAND-ALONE
HEA: YES

AFTER THOUGHTS/NOTES:

Age gap - Hero is 10 plus years older than the heroine.

Such a jam-packed storyline that kept you hooked from start to finish with little bits of everything. Great conclusion to Emi and Gio's story and one I will remember for awhile to come. Probably one of my favourite mafia series to date!

[Rina | booksofthemuggleborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating: 4 stars!

**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**

This book picks up right from the ending of A Vow of Lust & Fury… and it takes you straight into a gritty, highly emotional rollercoaster as Emilia and Gio try their damnedest to navigate through the deep end of mob life unscathed.

This second half of the duet is definitely more emotion and character-driven with Emilia in the forefront of a high-stake war that’s only getting more dicey by the day. It’s extra angsty, a lot more dramatic, and their relationship is all the more explosive because of it!

- One part dangerous romance.
- One part action and suspense.
- One part strong familial dynamics.

These elements along with a solid storyline continuation made A Vow of Love & Vengeance an excellent conclusion to The Tainted Vows Duet. It’s well-paced with dual points of view that, in my opinion, elevated the storytelling as it switches back and forth from the protagonists’ perspective, really delving into their thoughts.

You’ll see pain and trauma that Emilia endures and how hauntingly genuine her struggles mirror real-life grief and hardships. It also demonstrates how a fierce and loving support system can make such a difference in one’s recovery and healing.

As the story progressed, Gio, a morally grey hero evolved into a more humanized character. Once a solely domineering and intimidating Made Man with a dark and powerful reputation has cracked open his character to vulnerability and love. As if he couldn’t be any more swoon-worthy! Sigh. 😍

This is a standalone story but if you’ve read Lovell’s previous mafia romance books set in the same world, such as the Kiss of Death duet and/or the Touch of Death duet, then you’ll recognise the character crossovers included. These secondary characters were one of the highlights for me, not only providing dimension and further complexity to the narrative, but at times they provided much needed (and unsuspecting) light-hearted humour that breaks through the overall dark and gritty atmosphere.

Please note, this book does contain sensitive subject matter that may be triggering for some readers such as, graphic violence, attempted kidnapping, and certain events resulting in depression and PTSD— along with self-harm and suicidal tendencies. It also includes strong sexual content (minor BDSM), and intended for readers 18+ only.

I’ve read a few of Lovell’s books in the past and have loved them oh-so deeply. Now, this duet is one of them, having been a gripping mafia romance story with eye-catching characters that I immediately got invested in. It’s also a nice addition to Lovell’s already vivid and exciting mafia world. I’ve always found her storytelling effortless to follow and this story was no different.

It’s an enemies-to-lovers, arranged marriage with an intricately sinful twist. The age-gap trope also plays quite a contrast in Emilia’s and Gio’s interactions and the roles they take on within their relationship. If you like strong, protective, and possessive heroes, Giovanni Guerra is your man. Emilia Donato is much younger and at times her youthfulness is evident, but she’s a damsel in distress who eventually grows into her own.

Overall, a satisfyingly devious yet smoking-hot love story! I found it to be hearty, soulful, and with the journey these characters go through, the ending left me happy sighing in pure contentment. It’s such a top-quality mafia romance that had all the elements I loved reading within this romance genre, and because of that, I would highly recommend it to fellow readers who enjoy reading dark mafia romance/ romantic suspense books. It’s more than a guilty pleasure read.

🚨 Full review on my blog: https://booksofthemuggleborn.wordpres...

[Thea™ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My rating: 4.5 stars for the complete duet.
Liked book #1 A Vow of Lust and Fury a little better than book #2 A Vow of Love and Vengeance. {Vond Emilia op den duur een beetje zeurderig worden en het einde voelde wat afgerafeld!}
I even remembered bits and pieces of Nero & Una's story, which is kind of a miracle 🤪 lol!
Hope some day Jackson and Tommy get their own books! Very interesting characters! 😄



This duet is part of the 💀 Underworld Kings series 💀




▬ ★ ▬ ★ ▬ ★ ▬ ★ ▬ ★ ▬ ★ ▬ ★ ▬

Connected series by L.P. Lovell:

📌 Kiss of Death Series (Nero & Una)
{Read August 2017}


📌 Collateral Series (Anna (Una's sister) & Rafael d'Cruze)
{Read November 2018}


📌 Touch of Death Series (Sasha Ivanov & Adelina Ricci-Bianchi)
{Read April 2020}


📌 Tainted Vows Duet (Giovanni Guerra & Emilia)
{Read March 2023}


▬ ★ ▬ ★ ▬ ★ ▬ ★ ▬ ★ ▬ ★ ▬ ★ ▬

[Edie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Literally read this right after I read the first book in the duet. I finished both in two days. Sleep is for the weak. Or at least for those who aren't reading such a compelling, fast-paced, lust-filled, thrilling mafia dark romance.

It was so well-written and I know that it was marketed as arranged marriage dark mafia romance but it was more than that. What I love about the stories that I've read are the characters. Gio and Emilia won, everybody. Add them to the list of my favorite couples, now, shall we?

I'm not new to LP Lovell. I had the pleasure of reading the Bad duet she co-wrote with Stevie Cole and that was when I first fell in love with her writing. The Tainted Vows duet very much has the same vibe with Bad albeit being so different from each other.

A Vow of Love and Vengeance contains such a satisfying conclusion that all the heart ache and pain caused by the first book, A Vow of Lust and Fury, was all worth it. Trust LP Lovell to stretch out the tension, misunderstanding, and angst only to give the very much needed groveling, justice, and HEA. I swear I haven't enjoyed reading such a dark romance mafia book as much as I do when it's penned by the author.

Gio and Emilia are so perfect for each other it hurts being single lmfao but seriously. Gio was such an asshole, but he loves as fiercely as he acts as the consigliere of such a powerful mafia. He has no remorse in what he does, and he acts out of instinct. Mostly, that would be to protect Emilia and give her what she needed.

I swear Gio is the perfect combination of nice guy and bad guy. He possesses a moral compass he'd hate for other people to discover, and he prioritizes the people he cares about the most, mainly Emilia, but also his family in the form of Nero (and his family), Tommy, and Jackson, and even Emilia's brothers. He also cares about his men and everyone else who works for him. He's done bad things especially to people who hurt his family, but really, does that make him a bad person?

I always say that the end doesn't justify the means, but reading such good books about morally gray characters like this had me begging to differ.

Emilia has been through a lot at a young age and she barely escaped the clutches of the devil when she was thrown into the claws of another only this one uses its evilness to protect her and not to hurt her… well, unless she wanted to. It was understandable why she couldn't put her trust in Gio and why she kept on fighting her feelings for him. But the heart doesn't lie, it cannot, no matter how hard the mind forces it to.

In this book, Emilia grew wings to let herself be vulnerable and give Gio her all, allowing him to catch her as she found herself trapped once again in the deepest most darkest memory of her mind. Emilia was such a pure soul tainted by bad people who made her experience such atrocities, forced her to change her outlook in the world.

It broke my heart to learn what happened to her sister and how she felt powerless over it. It shattered my heart to read about her going through even more pain as she remembered that while feeling guilty about committing a deed that the vile men in her life before had forced her to do (it's a spoiler so I'm gonna leave this as is).

Through it all Gio had been with her and how freaking touching it was that he remembered everything she told him, how thoughtful he'd been all throughout the time that she was hurting and even after that? All his previous assholery were forgiven lmfao not to mention the amount of smut in this book totally made up for all the angst and the slow burn of the first book. And that HEA at the end? I love it but come on, miss LP Lovell, I need more! XD

This duet solidified my love for her. I am now on a mission to read everything in her backlist (uhm hello, how can I skip Nero and Una's story? the audacity lmfao) and to buy everything else she'd publish. Thank you.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Vow of Love and Vengeance is the second book after The Vow of Lust and Fury and completes the love story between Gio and Emilia. This book picks up right where the first one ends. The action continues throughout this book and it did not disappoint.

I absolutely adore Gio and Emilia. Emilia is going through tremendous loss and the way she comes out on top, with the comfort of Gio, is Oh soo good! She is not your typical mafia princess, she is a BADASS QUEEN and I love it! Gio. Oh, what can I say about Gio? HE is a MAN. The way he protects Emilia, the way he pushes her to be everything that SHE wants to be, not the way the familgia wants her/them to be, the way he takes NO prisoners. He would do anything for his piccola and I am here for it.

This book kept me on my toes! With Sergio missing and Matteo being a whack-a-doo, it was action-packed and full of twists and turns. I couldn't put this book down!

Finally, the SMUT. The author did not hold back on this book. Whoa! There were some scenes, I was like, "WHAT, did that just happen?"

I definitely recommend it!

Rating: 4.5/5
Spice: 3/5
Trope: mafia, age gap, touch her and die, arranged marriage
Check TW/CWs prior to reading


*ARC for an honest review*

[Kat W · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one picks up where book 1 finishes, so you definitely need to read these in order and the graphic descriptions of the vengeance is gruesome and delightful. It touched my cold black heart and just elevates this story. There’s no denying that Gio loves his piccola fiercely and will do literally anything to protect her but also allows her the sense of freedom she never experienced in her own family. This is Mafia versus the Mob with all the darkness that comes with them, marriage, love and just a guy giving his woman the world. It just happens that he’s a formidable member of the familigia. It’s a fast paced, action packed read with just the perfect amount of bedroom spice. This baby is hot! She thrives off the fine line between pain and pleasure and he is driven by her submission.

Lauren is so good at getting you right there in the thick of it and has you investing in even the darkest of characters. You can’t help but love them all.

Pick A Vow of Love and Vengeance for the conclusion to this fantastic mafia duet.