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Tethered Fates #1

Tainted Ties

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Ten years ago, Aurora Bianchi fled Italy after a fatal decision. When she reached the safety of New York City, she thought she'd successfully left her dark past—and her demon—behind.

"No one was allowed to have her pain and misery except for me."

But for the last decade, Roman Mancini has been plotting revenge against the Bianchi family for the murder of his cousin. After seizing their assets and crippling their business, there's one remaining piece to complete his nefarious puzzle.

"I was treading on a path to hell, but I found myself welcoming the devil in front of me."

When Aurora is dragged back to Italy to negotiate a peace treaty between the two opposing Mafia families, she's forced to face down her demon. But she quickly learns there's only one thing that Roman her hand in marriage. As Roman's callous plans force them closer together, they both find something they aren't expecting.

302 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 19, 2023

388 people are currently reading
8572 people want to read

About the author

Gheeti Nusrati

2 books233 followers

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5 stars
575 (18%)
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852 (27%)
3 stars
1,058 (33%)
2 stars
414 (13%)
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224 (7%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 330 reviews
Profile Image for Athena Torrance.
1 review4 followers
October 12, 2023
Wow.. just seeing some of these reviews.. I believe people need to understand that yes not liking a book IS OKAY but seeing certain people basically BULLYING this author is actually crazy.

My friend recommended this book to me and which I am SO THANKFUL that she did because I LOVED this book! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves dark mafia romance books! I loved the slow burn, the anticipation of “what’s going to happen next”. I was on facetime reading this book with my friend, each reaction was a straight emotion from my soul. Roman… CHEF’S FUCKING KISS 🥵🧎🏻‍♀️!!!!!!!!!! BUT BUT.. our mother Aurora?? A FUCKING BADDIE!!! I can’t wait for book 2 and like I stated previously.. I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ALL DARK MAFIA ROMANCE GIRLYS!!!

I also would like to say to the author.. if you don’t hear this enough, you did AMAZING! Your work is ABSOLUTELY amazing, please don’t listen to these negative reviews. I’m not big on social media but I will create accounts to follow yours because I seen videos my friend had sent me and you are such an angel that we don’t deserve.

Amazing book and please get to writing book 2 if you haven’t already!! 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
Profile Image for mumu.
331 reviews26 followers
September 29, 2023
okay so my first review was apparently triggering for some people and it got taken down so here i am again!

i really thought i'd like this book but it fell flat for me. it was fine if you like generic mafia romance books with no plot but it wasn't really living up to my expectations. aurora and roman had basically no chemistry and when they did, it was all insta love. i just didn't feel like they loved each other all that much apart from being told it because of the way we didn't get to see much relationship building between them. there was just heated arguments and intimacy and although the former is arguably as heated and passionate as love, you can't suddenly declare you love someone when you've hated them for so long.

also, roman just didn't make sense to me. he make it make sense please. it just didn't pay off - for someone so set on his hate, it was unlike him.

the banter between roman and aurora didn't really feel genuine and i just couldn't really see them together. roman turns into a softie out of nowhere and then instantly like?? it's so out of character it's confusing.

i said this before but as soon as roman told aurora to i knew exactly where his character was going. it's so disappointing because literally every book out there does this and it's not even done tastefully.

the writing style was also not the best but i can give it a pass as it's the author's first book and to be honest, it wasn't terrible but it was a lot of back and forth dialogue. the build up to the end scenes could have been written better and with more suspense to make them more impactful but it's not the end of the world.

one thing that stood out was that the kind of came out of nowhere. it wasn't really hinted at, and even though some people are pointing out everything led to it, i wouldn't say it was written like that. it felt like everything led up to but maybe that's how i perceived it.

finally, just because many of my dark romance reads are one or two stars doesn't mean i rate all of them the same 💀 certain people have clearly been stalking my read books and i don't mind that but it's ignorant to say i read all of these books just to rate them low. i have rated many of the ones written well with good plot, chemistry and flow 4 and even 5 stars, most recently the camorra chronicles which people would have seen if they scrolled a bit. my apologies if i attacked your favourite book but it's really not that deep!

an opinion is an opinion even if you don't like it. i've never lashed out at someone in their comments just because i thought they didn't read the book properly and they hated the whole genre. it's distasteful to the book community and is literally the reason why so many people choose to stay silent rather than state their opinion.

the only redeeming part if enzo. my 1 star is for him x
Profile Image for destiny.
527 reviews154 followers
November 28, 2024
reread review: I MISSED THEM SO MUCH !! getting ready to read the next book i just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read and roman and aurora again. ugh they are EVERYTHING 🥹 i cried so much my damn lashes flew off

roman and aurora are just beautiful, sexy, and fit so well together 🖤 the enemies to lovers with a lingering “always been you” trope had me absolutely SHEDDING TEARS !! ugh i felt all the feelings while reading this.

mafia romance, rival families, stalking, forced arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, banter, morally grey/possessive mmc, virgin fmc, dark secrets, betrayal, plot twist, yummy smut, and a whole lot of heart aching moments 🫀

i would simply let roman mancini run me over with a car and i’d smile and tell him to do it again 🧎🏻‍♀️ this man is filthy and all the yummy bits !! he literally had me by the throat the second he bumped into aurora while she was covered in blood 🤭 when he found out why she was drenched in blood, this man literally said “you can run, but i will find you” 💥💳 GIMME THAT RN !! and he literally stalked this girl in NYC for 10 years and if he couldn’t physically be there, he had other people do his stalking for him HAHA 😂 he’s so damn fine it’s insane and i want him so damn bad

sweet aurora was dragged into this mess her father made, just because he hated roman’s family. she has a fear of blood and her father wanted her to shoot a man he captured. she did it just so her father can get off her back but she then ran for her life when she found out who the man she just shot was 😳 she went 10 years thinking she was in the clear, but what happens when some random man bumps into you while crossing the street ?? 🫢 she was told to go back to italy because her family’s assets were stolen by roman, and her brother enzo had came up with a legal plan to get it back. he set up a meeting with roman, but those plans took a fat turn 🫠

i was giggling and kicking my damn feet every time roman and aurora bickered 🤭 their banter was so funny and their heated moments were just so filled with tension i was GASPING !!! the mouth on roman is actually panties dropping 😮‍💨 i will never get over this man !! i loved aurora so much but this girl could’ve easily told him something was up 😭 i cried so hard !!

not only did i love roman and aurora, but also the side characters !! LUCA AND IRINA AHHH 🤩 im hype to start the arc for their book. i can already tell the push and pull between them is going to have me FROTHING AT THE MOUTH !!

🌶️🌶️🌶️ (in roman’s office at the house when his uncle almost walked in ??? HELLO ?!!! i was panting omg)

slight spoilers:
enzo and sofia ?!!? HELLO 😳 i need a book on them. i’m so intrigued by sofia’s story and to find out what really happened to enzo during that time “away” !!
46 reviews2 followers
October 13, 2023
no chemistry between them whatsoever.

started out good idk what happened in the middle.
skimmed towards the end, was bland.
writing style was okay, considering it's her debut novel it was good.

what's sofia's deal tho? need sofia×enzo.
anyways dk if ill continue with more of her books but let's see, the thought process might change.
Profile Image for ᥫ᭡..
403 reviews35 followers
November 8, 2024
This book has a lot of potential but it just felt really rushed and flat.
The next book sounds good so hopefully it’s better.
Profile Image for ya.vl.
283 reviews86 followers
May 12, 2024
5/5♥️
Це було прекрасно 🥰
Я не могла відірватись але книга сама по собі читається легко
А яка між ними хімія❤️‍🔥
Роман такий прекрасний чоловік, Аврора просто богиня😻
я знов хочу її перечитати
Profile Image for livy.
26 reviews2 followers
October 11, 2023
“No one was allowed to have her pain and misery except for me.” ❤️‍🩹

ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES FROM THIS MASTERPIECE
Profile Image for Alina Kravets.
198 reviews11 followers
December 17, 2024
Впринципі книга не погана, розумію що це тільки перша робота автроки. Мені сподобалось.

Пара: Роман & Аврора

Тропи:
🤍 Мафія
🤍Вороги до закоханих
🤍Фіктивний шлюб
🤍Rival Families
🤍Virgin FMC
🤍Morally Grey MMC

Роман Манчіні — класичний мафіозний герой: небезпечний, владний, але шалено привабливий. Він готовий на все заради Аврори, навіть якщо це означає переслідувати її 10 років, щоб повернути у своє життя.

Аврора Біанчі — ніжна, але смілива героїня, яка змушена боротися з наслідками вчинків своєї родини.

І так Аврора після смерті мами постійно терпить погане вдношення від батька. Одного разу він кличе їх в конюшню, і вона думає що він хоче налагодити з нею зв'язки. Але ні, він змушує її вбити людину. Аврора має страх перед кров'ю тому, одразу втрачає свідомість. Коли вона приходить до тями, вона розуміє що повинна втікати з дому. В цьому їй допомагає брат Енцо.

Але вона натикається на чоловіка, цей чоловік є кузеном вбитого хлопця. І він говорить що вона може втікти, але він все одно ї знайде.

Аврора їде до Нью-Йорку, і там влаштовує життя.
Минає 10 років, вона успішний адвокат, і має команію з подругою, Іриною.

Але до неї телефонує брат, і говрить що цому треба допомога, так вона зможе повернути борг, типу те що він їй допоміг. Вона має скласти контракт.

Коли вона прибуває в Італію, розуміє щоо їх з братом провели. Тому вона змушена вийти за Романа.
Роман це той чоловік брата якого вбила Аврора.

Так і починаються їх стосунки.

Скажу що думала що дядько Романа виявиться поганцем, і я тут помилилась. Що мене уже порадувало.

Момент з обручкою, теж сподобався.

Окремо варто відзначити фінал: авторка вдало показала, що любов не завжди миттєво зцілює рани, але надає сили для відновлення.

Ось декілька цитат:
"І якби ти все своє життя лише ненавиділа мене, я б помер щасливим, знаючи, що ти щось до мене відчувала."


"Тріщина в моїх грудях розширилася, залишаючи місце для Романа Манчіні."


І те що сказав брат Аврори:
"Багатий ти чи ні, якщо зробиш їй боляче, я тебе вб'ю".



Рекомендую всім, хто любить темні мафіозні історії з насиченим сюжетом, глибокими персонажами та краплею пристрасті.❤️‍🔥
14 reviews
December 16, 2023
Hmmm definitely not the best book out there…. It’s not even dark romance lmao 😭

WTH?? This book had potential honestly but it just wasn’t executed well. The usual cliche “I hate him but my body betrays me” 🙄🙄🙄 ugh , it could have been better if the characters had spent more time getting to know each other other & not just ONE scene where they say their mom was their fave parent before dying, LOL.. how is that considered “baring their souls” 😭🤣 ugh can’t stand dumb ppl , especially women who trust their fathers with their eyes closed 🙄 girl, he used to make you bleed as a CHILD and you believed him when he said he wasn’t gonna kill your man, bffr 😑 she is TERRIFIED of him for 10 yrs but he kisses her ONCE and she starts getting butterflies after that 😑 are you dumb or are you DUMB🫢 0 angst, 0 emotions, just felt like someone stating facts …
I was scared of the blood
I got on a plane & told the flight attendant to “go heavy on the alcohol” 🙄
I’ve been an attorney for so and so years… feels like someone just saying “my room is pink, I went to the restaurant and told the waitress to go “heavy on the cheese” , it all just felt very middle school-ish & the smut was sooo generic like I’ve read the exact same thing on a lot of books lol 😏
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Allia Reads (semi hiatus).
259 reviews128 followers
April 25, 2024
“And if all you ever did was hate me, I’d die a happy man knowing you felt something for me” ❤️‍🩹😩

I ABSOLUTELY DEVOURED THIS BOOK!😋
I started and finished this book in one day because it was really good. It’s the type of book you just can’t put down because everything about it is amazing - the story, the characters, and the smut🤭

I am already looking forward to the next book with Luca and Irina and i hope Enzo and Sofia will get their own story too because he deserves his own hea🥹

Safety:
-No owd

-Omd: During the 10 years, Aurora was in a relationship with Romans brother ( Raphael) even though she didn’t know that the two of them were related. They broke up before the book started and he was causing some problems for the couple by planning to kill his own brother so he could have Aurora to himself.

Celibate during seperation: We actually don’t get any information if the H was celibate during the years but Roman is not a manwhore and only has eyes for his Anima mia🥹

“No one could replace Aurora. She was mine to do with as I pleased.” 🥹❤️‍🔥🫠

-No cheating

-And hea
Profile Image for J.
39 reviews
September 27, 2023
Writing style isn’t the best imo
170 reviews
June 12, 2024
Aurora babe, you're twenty-eight, use your little brain
Profile Image for marylife.
272 reviews363 followers
March 17, 2024
4 ⭐️s

Ughh this was such a fun mafia palette cleanser! The MCs’ chemistry was insane especially in the beginning. I just love enemies to lovers so much especially if the FMC doesn’t back down. Ughh the banter was just chef’s kiss! There were some moments where Roman g@gged me with his lines and i am just weeping on the floor. Ahhh i love them

This book was so fast paced I just wish it was a slower burn. Otherwise it’s a really good debut novel! I cannot wait for Luca’s book aaaahhh the chemistry between him and Irina was insaneeee i cannot wait!
Profile Image for Roxy.
12 reviews1 follower
October 28, 2023
3,5/5 strong stars

I finished this in one sitting.
Was it perfect? No. Was it the best book I've ever read? Also no. But was it a good read and a good time? Hell yeah.
It was so, so entertaining. Idk what it was but the plot twists, goddamn. I think I scream 3 times aloud throughout the book because of shit I 👏🏽 was 👏🏽 not 👏🏽 ex 👏🏽 pec 👏🏽 ting👏🏽
It was a little hard to get into, because it's very fast paced. I think that an extra 50 pages wouldn't have hurt at all and would have given the beginning-through-middle of the book the depth that it was lacking. The middle-through-end of the book was surprisingly different and the emotions that the author was putting in her words were much more palpable.
The writing was honestly beautiful at times. The descriptions especially. A think the problem area was in the details of some scenes and the lack of depth there.

Honestly can't complain. 3,5/5 stars.

Spoilers ahead!!!!!

The spice thoooooo????? Can't complain there either.
"Keep quiet and take my cock like the good, obedient girl you are.”

Aurora literally being sick because of her feeling for him? Show me something more relatable.
"The crack in my chest widened, leaving room for Roman Mancini." Ok let me just cry real quick

Roman is something else entirely though, I mean THIS MAN?????
"I am nothing without the heart that beats for you." EXCUSE ME?????
Roman "Get your hands off my fucking wife. Now.” Mancini

Edit:
Though the conflict at the end and the betrayal were very unnecessary, I'll give it a pass for the ✨ drama✨
I liked the way the aftermath of these events toward the end was portrayed and how it showed that Aurora wasn't okay and needed time to heal and the love between the main characters isn't always going to heal somebody immediately 100% yk. That you can still feel the love and be there but need time.

dark romance
No owd
No cheating
hea
Profile Image for izzzyyy.
232 reviews2 followers
February 29, 2024
The potential this book had 😩 dude idk what it was but this book disappointed me

1) they went from I hate you to I wanna fuck you to I love you in 3 seconds
2) it was a bit cringe
3) everything moved so so fast yet the book was so long??
4) why in the world did she bring him to her farther???
She could’ve just told Roman about her father’s plan???
5) the baby thing came soo out of the blue I was laughing at the scene where they found out 😭😭😭
6) I just couldn’t connect with the characters and the book overall
Profile Image for Mishty.
262 reviews16 followers
July 18, 2024
had been craving a mafia romance
Profile Image for Kamryn.
131 reviews9 followers
May 28, 2025
It was entertaining
Profile Image for mayaarreadss.
50 reviews1 follower
October 2, 2023
I don’t even know what to say after finishing this book it was definitely a fun read though even though I’m not the biggest dark romance fan I still enjoyed reading this book I would have rated it five stars but I’m not a fan of insta love and aggressive ml so I had to deduct some points for that but other than that this book was ok

There were some plot holes and things I noticed that confused me and I did feel the book was a bit rushed but I still liked it Im curious about Luca and Irina and Enzo and Sofia so hopefully they get a book but I’ll definitely be returning to this series
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Zephyr.
94 reviews1 follower
January 3, 2025
Tainted Ties ( Minor Spoilers )

Tainted Ties was an emotional rollercoaster that I couldn’t put down. From the moment Roman and Aurora were introduced, I was completely drawn to the undeniable pull and electric tension between them. Their chemistry was intense and addictive—every interaction crackled with emotion, whether it was fiery clashes or tender moments.

Aurora instantly became one of my favorite heroines. Her strength, resilience, and unapologetic sass were inspiring. I loved how she wasn’t afraid to go head-to-head with Roman, challenging him at every turn and even pushing his buttons just for fun. Watching her stand her ground despite everything life threw at her was nothing short of empowering.

That being said, there was a moment when I genuinely hated Roman’s character. The fact that he told his brother to spy on Aurora left me fuming. It felt like such a betrayal, and my heart ached for Aurora in that moment. Her pain, the constant betrayals she faced from the people she loved, and the lack of warmth and affection from her father were devastating. I found myself crying for her—I could feel her heartbreak as if it were my own.

But what made this book truly special for me was the way Roman and Aurora’s relationship evolved. Their journey wasn’t easy—it was raw, messy, and full of mistakes—but that’s what made it so real. They both carried so much pain, yet somehow, they found solace in each other. Watching them let down their walls, embrace their feelings, and ultimately heal each other was incredibly moving.

Tainted Ties is more than just a romance. It’s a story of love, trust, redemption, and finding light in the darkness. Aurora and Roman’s story is one that will stay with me for a long time.
Profile Image for Maeve.
45 reviews27 followers
October 3, 2023
Gheeti is the most hard-working person I know. She has a job and still managed to write an amazing book, putting her heart into making it perfect. We’d spend HOURS on FaceTime every day, working on books and I never heard her saying she should give up. She worked and worked, and had sleepless nights to get this book where it is today. I'm so proud of her and this is only her debut novel, I can't wait for everyone to read her next book 😍
Profile Image for Fsdigitaldiary.
463 reviews55 followers
December 16, 2024
i read most of this in a hospitals waiting room and it kept me entertained, but then again i think a colored wall would have entertained me then also. do with that what you will.
i did “huh” at the writing like a million times because they were so random and out of left field sometimes
Profile Image for Maryam Khan.
6 reviews
July 25, 2023
SO SO EXCITED FOR EVERYONE TO MEET THEM AND LOVE THEM ALL THE WAY I DO OMG 😭💕🦋🫶🏻
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