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VAL

When I was nine, I went to my first funeral. Along with accepting my father's death, I had to accept new and awful truths I wasn't prepared for.

When I was nineteen, I went to my mother's funeral. We weren't close, but with her gone, I became more alone than ever before.

Sure, I have a half-brother who runs The Alliance. And yeah, he's given me his protection — in the form of a bodyguard and chauffeur. But I don't have anyone that really knows me. No one to really love me.

Until I meet him. The man in the airport.

And when one chance meeting turns into something hotter, something more serious, I let myself believe that maybe he's the one. Maybe this man is the one who will finally save me from my loneliness. The one to give me the family I've always craved.

DOM

The Mafia is in my blood. It's what I do.

So when that blood is spilled and one funeral turns into three, drastic measures need to be taken.

And when this battle turns into a war, I'm going to need more men. More power.

I'm going to need The Alliance.

And I'll become a member. By any means necessary.

445 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2023

33161 people want to read

About the author

S.J. Tilly

27 books10.6k followers
S.J. Tilly lives in Minnesota with her husband and their herd of boxers. She spends an unhealthy amount of time with her face buried in books, reading and writing. If she’s not nose deep in text, or harassing her dogs, she’s probably playing with her plants, pretending she knows how to garden.

You can find her stumbling around on Instagram @sjtillyauthor

https://www.amazon.com/S.J.-Tilly/e/B...

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,228 reviews
Profile Image for Larissa Cambusano.
649 reviews54.9k followers
Read
May 6, 2025
dnf 😭😭😭😭😭 (this is a me problem, i’m not in the mood for anything rn)
Profile Image for Marianna Moore.
471 reviews64.9k followers
February 8, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ Daddy. Dom. The way this man has me SAT. I almost didn’t finish this series because I found the first two books to be pretty and average and let me just say I AM SO HAPPY I picked it back up because this was type of dark mafia romance I was LOOKING FOR!!

This man is quite literally the biggest red flag and OBVIOUSLY I’m only seeing green. I will say it over and over again there’s just something about mafia book men that is so UNMATCHED. If you want a man obsessed that takes “touch her and die” very seriously but also has a sense of humor and WORSHIPS THE GROUND SHE WALKS ON…. Just read this.

When he slips her sedatives before bed and tattoos his name on her ring finger FOUR TIMES (one time for every man she’s slept with 😭) because she refused to wear her wedding ring after he FORCED her to marry him >>>>> 🤭🤭 swoon. I think there’s something wrong with me but that’s a problem for my therapist.

This reminded me why I love the forced marriage trope so much! But what I loved so much about this book in particular is that they didn’t spend the majority of their time hating each other, like this man was so down bad the ENTIRE TIME without it feeling insta-lovie. Ate and left no crumbs.

Also the mouth on him…. Don’t. Don’t even get me started.

As always with dark romance check your trigger warnings, this will not be for everyone but if you like dark mafia romance and haven’t read this yet, it is an absolute MUST!! I also think this would be good for those new the the genre and are interested in trying it!
Profile Image for siff ♡.
170 reviews1,315 followers
Read
November 19, 2025
➵ 2 stars
“𝙄’𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨.”
“𝙎𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣.”
“𝙄’𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨.”


summary:
honestly, this book was a whole mess but that could also be because i started with the third book in the series (i’ll read the other ones sometime, but not now because one was enough for now). anyways the two main characters dominic and valentine meet at the airport, and then they get to talking, and after some things have happened they find out they’re boarding the same plane, and then she finds out her seat is beside his when the plane landed they proceed to go in the bathroom and then they fuck. then blah blah blah… they meet up again for dinner in vegas, he drugs her, he marries her while she’s drugged and continues to manipulate her into thinking they were both just drunk and they should just see where it leads them. then blah blah blah… she finds out he manipulated her right from the start to get to her brother because he’s in something called “the alliance” and then she gets mad (obviously) because everything was a big fat lie. then he gives her an orgasm and suddenly it’s all good again.

i’m not gonna do a usual review for this book because that would be a waste of my time, and i’d rather rot in bed whilst watching friends. anyways, the characters were flat in my opinion, i mean dominic was hot, but he was also a boring little bitch tbh, and valentine was a complete doormat. she “tried” to be mad at him, but as soon as she saw his dick she forgot everything he did to her and jumped his bones (not sure i blame her on that one tho), but come on girl you could at least try to have some self-respect, it’s really not that hard. their relationship was honestly like it is in every other wattpad mafia book, so nothing new there. it was a quick, easy read and i enjoyed some parts but it just wasn’t enough. what i did enjoy tho was him tattooing her name across his neck and then “till death” (marriage vows” right above his dick, but i couldn’t even enjoy that as much as i wanted to because honestly, it was only fair since he drugged her again and tattooed his name across her ring finger four times because she threw the wedding ring out of the car window.

⎯ some things i hated:
one thing that bothered me really much was when she started to open up to him and told him about her past and how she wanted a family because her family never really had been a family. then after that conversation, he switched out her birth control pills right after she fell asleep and didn’t tell her about it at all. and i get that she wanted a family but dude wtf ? that’s really not the way to go about it, you could’ve just sat her down and said you wanted to talk to her about the future or something. and what bothered me the most was how she wasn’t even mad about it, girl get some fucking self-respect, why tf would you ever be okay with that. and that just really showed me that no matter how many times she would talk to him and open up to him, he wouldn’t communicate with her the same way she did with him. he would just do what he wanted and what he thought was right, without involving her, which pisses me off, and i just don’t understand how she couldn’t see that.


everyone in this book referred to valentine as dominic’s “wife” instead of calling her by her actual name, like she wasn’t her own fucking person. lemme give y’all an example of what dominic’s mother said:
”Come on, let's go get your wife something to drink. Then we can start shopping.”



the way dominic called her “shorty” made my fucking skin crawl istg. some forty-plus-year-old mafia man isn’t supposed to call people “shorty” like some sixteen-year-old teenage boy trying to sound cool. it was just not it, and it made me wanna throw up.

"Get off me," I pant.
"No." Dom is breathing just as heavily as I am. And I can feel his naked body against mine.
"I don't want to fuck you," I lie.
He chuckles against my hair as his hips lift.
He pulls aside my thong, and the head of his cock nudges against my slippery entry.
"That's fine," he groans. "I'll fuck you."

Profile Image for Noa.
554 reviews812 followers
August 23, 2025
"A good woman can change your life."

Valentine Gandy has never "belonged."
She's always been alone, but at least she had herself.
Yeah, she had half-siblings in The Alliance. But she has no one that really knows her.
No one that truly loves her.
Until Dominic Gonzalez.
She meets Dominic Gonzalez and everything changes.
For good or bad. For better or worse.

"Dominic Gonzalez. But my friends call me Dom."

Dominic Gonzalez.
Head of the Chicago Mafia.
He's been going through war and he needs the Alliance.
He will do everything to protect his family.
Anything.

"There is no room for mercy in the Alliance. And I am the Alliance now."

I received an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Updated for Reread 1

"When you do things with purpose, you have nothing to apologize for."

S.J. Tilly keeps serving us hits with this series!!
I cannot express to you how happy I was to receive an arc for this book.
I was sucked into "The Alliance" world ever since I picked up Nero and I have not regretted a single moment!!
The reread was just what I needed after exams because this book HITS EVERY SINGLE TIME OMG!!!
Dom is literally "You wanna play? Oh we can play!" and I am melting thank you very much.
Now the playlist is longer and I will not be apologizing so you're welcome 💙

"Life is too short not to lean in, my Valentine."

We have Valentine Gandy A.K.A. Val, who has never felt like she truly belonged. She's never felt wanted. She has always felt like a burden. And I swear to you I did not expect to have so many emotions in this book but like always S.J. Tilly pulls it out of me with ease, people. WITH FUCKING EASE!!

"Just because we can't change the past, doesn't mean we can't be mad at it."

And then we have Mr. Dominic Gonzalez A.K.A Dom. Yes, yes, THE Dom.
And when I tell you that the wait was worth it. THE WAIT WAS WORTH IT!!
Dom was everything I wanted, everything I didn't know I needed and proves that S.J. Tilly can write the most elite mafia men (I will die on this hill.)

And if you need any proof… well… 😏😏

"You. Are. My. Wife. And people need to know that."

"If someone hurts you, I will kill them. Do not attempt to stop me."

And this book brought out a playlist so please enjoy:
Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0vp...

🎵 "One in a Million" - Bebe Rexha
🎵 "Lonely" - Noah Cyrus
🎵 "Crazy in Love" - Beyonce
🎵 "Vegas" - Doja Cat
🎵 "Waking Up in Vegas" - Katy Perry
🎵 "No Mercy" - Austin Giorgio
🎵 "Lipstick" - Charlie Puth (as you can see I am obsessed with this song)
🎵 "Doomsday" - Lizzy McAlpine
🎵 "Shatter Me" - Lindsey Sterling
🎵 "Babydoll" - Ari Abdul
🎵 "Diamonds" - Rihanna
🎵 "Morally Grey" - April Jai
🎵 "STUPID IN LOVE" - MAX, HUH YUNJIN
🎵 "Imaginary" - Evanescence
🎵 "Senses" - MICO
🎵 "Coincidence" - Rosse
🎵 "Zombie Lady" - Damiano David
🎵 "Shy" - Renee Rapp
🎵 "Call Out My Name - Live" - The Weeknd
🎵 "Siren Sounds (bonus)" - Tate McRae
🎵 "Control" - Zoe Wees
🎵 "Angels Like You" - Miley Cyrus
🎵 "Smells Like Sex" - Sizzy Rocket
🎵 "Cologne" - SM6
🎵 "happy ending" - Bailey Spinn
🎵 "traitor" - Olivia Rodrigo
🎵 "First Class" - Jack Harlow
🎵 "damn!" - Jeris Johnson, Ricky Desktop
🎵 "Harder To Breathe" - Maroon 5
🎵 "WET DREAM" - Snow Wife
🎵 "BITE" - Mad Tsai
🎵 "Dopamine" - American Dream Machine, Loveless
🎵 "Friday Night Big Screen" - girli
🎵 "How I Look On You" - Ariana Grande
🎵 "I Feel You" - Depeche Mode
🎵 "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" - Aerosmith
🎵 "Hurry Up And Save Me" - Tiffany Giardina
🎵 "Pour It Up" - Rihanna
🎵 "NASTY" - Russ
🎵 "High" - Whethan, Dua Lipa
🎵 "Taste" - Ari Abdul
🎵 "Electricity" - Ashley Jana
🎵 "Tattoo" - Loreen
🎵 "Guess" - Charli xcx, Billie Eilish
🎵 "Eve" - Precious Pepala
🎵 "Candy" - Doja Cat
🎵 "Dirrty" - Christina Aguilera, Redman
🎵 "All Mine" - PLAZA
🎵 "HEARTBEAT" - Isabel LaRosa
🎵 "A.D.I.D.A.S" - Little Mix
🎵 "Way down We Go" - KALEO
🎵 "Juno" - Sabrina Carpenter
🎵 "Movement" - Hozier
🎵 "Horror Movie" - Ally Salort
🎵 "on your knees" - Ex Habit
🎵 "NASTY" - Zeina
🎵 "Buttons" - The Pussycat Dolls
🎵 "Don't Blame Me" - Taylor Swift
🎵 "Dangerous" - Hailee Steinfeld
🎵 "Dazed & Confused" - Ruel
🎵 "IDGAF" - Besomorph, Silent Child
🎵 "Hot For Me!" - NightMareKommunity, AKA
🎵 "Do It For Me" - Rosenfeld
🎵 "Like You Mean It" - Steven Rodriguez
🎵 "Beg" - Aryia
🎵 "I wish I hated you" - Ariana Grande
🎵 "On Purpose" - Sabrina Carpenter
🎵 "do you really want to hurt me?" - Nessa Barrett
🎵 "Wise Enough" - Lamb
🎵 "Narcissist" - Lauren Spencer Smith
🎵 "Anyone" - Demi Lovato
🎵 "Love Your Voice" - JONY
🎵 "This City - Acoustic" - Sam Fischer
🎵 "Fix You" - Tommee Profitt, Stanaj, Staarz
🎵 "1:5" - Chinchilla
🎵 "Would Anyone Care" - Citizen Soldier
🎵 "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" - My Chemical Romance
🎵 "Amore" - Bebe Rexha, Rick Ross
🎵 "Let Me Love You" - Mario
🎵 "Make Me Feel" - Janelle Monae
🎵 "idfc" - blackbear
🎵 "You Don't Own Me" - SAYGRACE, G-Eazy
🎵 "Whisper - Slowed" - Able Heart
🎵 "Hate Me" - Nico Collins
🎵 "Soaked" - Shy Smith
🎵 "Beautiful Liar" - Beyonce, Shakira
🎵 "Criminals" - Meghan Trainor
🎵 "Clandestine - Remix" - FILV, Edmofo, Emma Peters, JVSTIN
🎵 "imagine" - Ben Platt
🎵 "All My Love" - George Ezra
🎵 "Silence" - Marshmello, Khalid
🎵 "Too Sweet" - Hozier
🎵 "fOoL fOr YoU" - ZAYN
🎵 "Drunk In Love" - Beyonce, Jay-z
🎵 "Freak" - Doja Cat
🎵 "Take Me Away" - Christina Vidal Mitchell
🎵 "If I Can't Have You" - Shawn Mendes
🎵 "Miss possessive" - Tate McRae
🎵 "Revolving Door" - Tate McRae
🎵 "Power Over Me" - Dermot Kennedy
🎵 "Forever and a Day" - Benson Boone
🎵 "I Fell In Love With The Devil" - Avril Lavigne
🎵 "Gimme More" - Britney Spears
🎵 "LET THE WORLD BURN" - Chris Grey
🎵 "Toxic" - Sofia Karlberg
🎵 "Church" - Chase Atlantic
🎵 "Santa Tell Me - Naughty Version" - Ariana Grande
🎵 "Holiday" - KSI
🎵 "Close To You" - Gracie Abrams
🎵 "Never Let Me Go" - Florence + The Machine
🎵 "Gangsta - Harley Quinn & Joker Flashback Version" - Kehlani
🎵 "I'm yours" - Isabel LaRosa
🎵 "Pointless - Strings Acoustic" - Lewis Capaldi
🎵 "My Valentine" - Michael Buble
🎵 "Love On The Brain" - Rihanna
🎵 "Espresso" - Sabrina Carpenter

And because I loved it so much, here is another delicious part:

"I need a taste of you, Angel. A taste of whatever you'll give me."

"You're gonna stay right there, Valentine. It's been a long day. And if you run, I'm chasing."

"Open up, Angel. Open up and show me you'll take everything I give you."

💙 Tropes 💙

💎 Dark Mafia Romance
💎 Age Gap (16 Years)
💎 Plus Size FMC
💎 Obsessive MMC
💎 Touch Her and Die
💎 Vegas Wedding
💎 One Bed
💎 Close Proximity

Book Edit - https://www.instagram.com/p/DNgA2f0Io...
Profile Image for cldchld.
199 reviews21 followers
October 16, 2023
This was initially a 2 star rating, but after some thought, I've had to drop it.

The more and more I thought about this, it left a bad taste so I knew it wasn't right.

This whole book is manipulation to the max.

I liked the unhinged-ness of Dom, but other than that, the characters were very unlikeable to me.

Valentine as a character was just so horrible. She was a 25-year-old woman who behaved like a 12-year-old. She was incredibly indecisive and had no thoughts of her own to stand on. She let Dom get away with a lot of things without a second thought because she wanted to be loved. Which would be fair, but there hadn't been any indications that he loved her as of that point of time.

Dom, as a dark romance character, was certainly unhinged and had no boundaries. However, his actions came from no affection, no obsession, or positive feelings for her. He simply saw her as a way into the Alliance. Whilst he does later develop feelings for her, it just doesn't feel genuine.

Dom's character was so hyped and given a sense of mystery, but it fell short in the actual book. There were many aspects of the book that were just so cringey (for lack of a better word), and for some reason, I felt so irritated reading this book from the 20% onwards.

I like that Valentine's social anxiety was shown and how she struggled in simple situations, but it just felt so off when she was constantly portrayed as a woman who couldn't function 'normally' 😕. It also felt like half this book was just them communicating through messages where Valentine deleted half of them and the other half felt like they were just the weirdest conversations.

Much of the dialogue throughout the book was very inconsistent 😑 and lacked originality. I hated the fact that King was portrayed as a bad person in this book just to make Dom look like a saviour when that wasn't the case. It is to be expected that King and Aspen would not want to interact with someone they regarded a result as their father's betrayal but yet King still made an effort to help Valentine out when he didn't have to. Nor did Aspen mistreat her or have a mean streak towards her. So, Valentine should have had some basic understanding of these nuances but still decided to view herself as a victim in every situation. I do understand that her parents and her childhood were surrounded in very unfortunate circumstances, but that doesn't mean she can muddle her experiences with other people.

I found this to be a very frustrating read overall.

Disclaimer: I would like to say that I am not judging this book based on the dark romance aspect, and I do love reading about crazy characters. But I am simply judging this book based on the character and plot aspects that drag down the dark romance part of it, and that is exactly what gives dark romances a negative reputation. This book perfectly embodies why dark romance readers are hated on.

Thank you for reading through my mini rant.
Profile Image for Samantha (bookgramsaga reviews).
911 reviews1,195 followers
September 27, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dom 🥵

''But I’ll always be good to you.''

Safety warnings:
- H 41 / h 25
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Violence/d*ath
- Drugging
- Mention of su*cide
- Parental abuse
- Dub-con
- BC tampering
- HEA

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

I fell in love with this in the first two pages. I was hooked and I could not put it down. I have been in a weird place with books this month where it is taking me a bit longer to get through them depending on my mood, but this book got my right back in my rhythm.

I loved and I mean LOVED Dom. I enjoyed Nero and King, but I did not expect to fall for Dom this way, he was a total talking walking red flag, but he was the perfect red flag. I enjoyed every scene in this book, I was not bored nor skipping anything. Even the mundane moments made me smile.

Dom had a specific aura I love about dark romance MMC's. He was determined and unapologetic and it felt parallel to my ultimate MMC which is Adrian Volkov. Dom was his own version but the dedication to his woman was everything.

To find out he had spent a year celibate after seeing her for the first time was a massive shock. I didn't expect it nor even thought it was needed but it was a perfect surprise. It showed his intentions, despite it being absolutely insane and unhinged was not purely for his own power benefit of joining the Alliance, but it had to also do with the fact he was obsessed with her from the beginning.

I loved their first scenes at the airport and on the plane. In a way it was wholesome (even if it was all planned and calculated).

Now, this is not to say his actions were all okay. He drugged Val TWICE. Once to get them married in Vegas and the second is to tattoo his name 4 times on her finger because she would not wear a wedding ring.

There is a lot of push from Val, and I do not blame her, she is angry about his lies and how he played her but she cannot help but also feel like he is the only one who truly has ever cared for her, and I know that sounds insane but you will understand when you read the book.

I loved how he confronted King and Aspen about how they had been with Val and how they acted in the past.

If you were not aware, Val is the product of an affair King/Aspen's father had and the age difference is 20 years with King and Val. Their father dies when she is 9 years old and all she remembers from the funeral is the hatred she saw in their eyes (except King because she could not look at him out of fear).

Her whole life up until she was 19, her mother emotionally abused her and would pinch her relentlessly. Shame her and make her feel small. She was left alone for years until King showed up and got her a better education and some money left by her father. Her mother resented her and KILLED herself on Christmas day when Val refused to help her financially. It was a messed-up situation, and she was all alone.

Val had a lot of insecurities, and it was blatantly obvious how they manifested. Dom fucked up a bunch of times, but he tries to make up for it even more.

I am obsessed with their relationship and their sex scenes were perfect. Their relationship was a mixture of soft and hard.

Oh and he does tamper with her birth control and she does end up getting pregnant. Her reaction to finding out what he did was her at this point not being shocked lol.

A few things to mention:
1) Nero was hilarious in this book and his obsession with Dom’s brass knuckles was too funny.
2) I am glad King got his ass beat and finally noticed how he had unfairly treated Val along with Aspen too
3) Aspen getting together with Dom's second in command was too good. I actually thought he would be a traitor but when this happened, I knew it was not the case.
4) Let us not forget to mention that Dom got Valentine tattooed on his lower throat and Til Death right above his dick for Val in order to match her finger tattoo.

I was a bit shocked we were kept out of the loop concerning what was going on in his life and who was after him. It was a bit of a mystery for almost the entirety of the book, it was weird to me, but the real subplot was not his enemy but the man who was being PINNED by his enemy. HANS. The world believes he is a human trafficker, and this was an insane moment where you realize nope, not that. He had an army of women who saved Dom and Val, and then he shows up and we get a small hint that yeah, the world is wrong about him and he might just be helping these women and not trafficking them and that has to be it since his book is next!

A few quotes I loved:

''Hope is heavy''

''I can't believe you idiots run The fucking Alliance''

''A good woman can change your life''

Honorable mention:

''Something about this man tells me he doesn't write his name on his luggage. He probably narrows his eyes at his suitcase, daring it to get lost''
Profile Image for Anna.
897 reviews629 followers
May 3, 2025
Audio reread 🤩😭⭐️❤️ DOM & VAL FOREVERRRRR! Listen I am obsessed with this man and I stayed obsessed with him.
______

10 stars!!!!! NO, ALL THE STARS!!! I didn’t want this book to end. It was phenomenal from start to finish & if I had recorded myself reading, you would see me screaming 75% of the time 😂💋

I love this series, but THIS BOOK is absolutely my favorite & was actually my top book of the year (2023).

Dominic motherfucking Gonzalez aka TAT DADDY is M I N E and I claim him forever!!!!! He was actual perfection. A big man, with a dirty mouth, body full of tats & lowkey romantic AF!! If he doesn’t take a bullet for you, or tat your name on his neck (& get a little something something special tatted lower down…) then I DONT WANT HIM!!!!!!

I seriously loved this book with every cell in my body. The story line was so fcking emotional but beautifully written. I seriously felt all the emotions possible. The way that I actually cackled out loud but also had to hold back tears is my favorite because that attests to what an amazing book this is was!! Val is one of the strongest characters ever. Her childhood was shit & she had so many traumas haunting her but regardless, she still stood tall & made it through her life. My heart broke for her so many times when we learn more about her history. And then she found someone who fought for her & worshipped her & it made my heart so damn happy.

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Tropes:
Touch her and you die
Dark romance
Some stalkery vibes
Age gap
Mafia
Romantic suspense
Plus size rep
Alpha male
One night stand ish
Profile Image for Yasmine.
150 reviews
October 25, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — 5/5 🙂‍↕️🦋✨🔥

My dad is a liar.
My mom is a liar.
I think I have siblings. But I think they hate me.
And I don’t want to be hated.
I just want to be loved.


From the very first lines, this story completely consumed me 😩 The prologue had me in tears, and Valentine’s journey through pain, betrayal, and resilience gripped my heart 💔
Her loneliness, quiet strength, and the weight she carried alone struck me deeply 😭 Watching her finally discover the love and happiness she truly deserved was pure magic ✨

Dom is intense and commanding—tattooed, unapologetically dominant, and wrapped in the dangerous world of the Chicago mafia 🔥 At first, he hides his motives, using Valentine to achieve his goals. Yet beneath that ruthless exterior lies a fiercely loyal and protective heart, and seeing him choose love over power made his character impossible to forget 😮‍💨

Their connection isn’t just romantic. it’s raw, intense, and transformative. Valentine and Dom’s story is full of trust, sacrifice, and redemption. They stay with you long after the last page, haunting your thoughts and capturing your heart ❤️‍🩹
Profile Image for Adriele Douglas.
17 reviews4 followers
September 23, 2023
I hated the FMC in this book. She was super weak and very annoying. Compared to Savannah and Peyton, Valentine was just awful, whiny, and WEAK. She barely put up a fight against Dom. Aside from her shooting the guy trying to kill Dom (during last 10 pages of the book) she was lame and weak. She was entirely too forgiving. Also… Maybe I missed it but, I hated that Dom never went down on her (that pissed me off so much). he drugged her, tattood her while she drugged… and she barely put up a fight …super freaking weak. I had such high hopes for this book because I loved Nero and King. I hated this book so much.
Profile Image for Kursed Reads.
801 reviews9,302 followers
October 26, 2023
Twenty five-year old Valentine Gandy falls fast and hard for the enigmatic man she meets on a flight home.

Dominic Gonzalez is everything Valentine has dreamt about. He’s also determined to right the wrongs. By any means necessary.

Wow! I legit don’t even know what to say about these two. I was so ticked off that, even though I knew Dom would earn redemption, I just couldn’t see how. Yet here I am, so in love with these two and they’re hard-fought happily ever after.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥1/2
Darkness: 🖤
Heat: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Range of Emotions: 😊🥵😫😭😍
Ending: 💗 {HEA}
POV: 👫🏻 {Dual}

🗂 Genre: Contemporary Romance

✨ Tropes: Age Gap (16), Alphahole, Curvy Woman, Insta-Obsession, Jealous/Possessive, Mafia/Bratva/Organized Crime, Manipulation, MINE!, Rich AF, Who Hurt You

💋 Kinks: Branding, Breath Play (Mild), Dirty Talk, Domination, Spit

⚠️ Warning: This steamy read will leave your panties wet and reaching for BOB.

🚩 Safety Squad: UnaIiving, VioIençe, and other potentially triggering elements. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!

📣 Type: Dom is part of The Alliance series, but can be read as a standalone. While no other books need to be read in order to follow the story, reading prior books may enhance the experience.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.
Profile Image for Soft Nectarine ~.
423 reviews876 followers
January 18, 2025
Love. Loved. Still loving. This was a perfect romance with an obsessed mafia man, delicious smut & unhinged besotted behavior.

When Valentine meets Dom she doesn’t know their whole meet-cute was planned. While Dom takes advantage of the marriage connections Valentine provides this is alllllllll forgiven because this man is absolutely and irrevocably obsessed with her!!!

Examples of unhinged behavior (SPOILERS!!)
✔️ when she throws her wedding band out the window he TATTOOS his name on her ring finger
✔️ spying on her therapy sessions so he can understand her better
✔️ he tattoos his wedding vow above his dick so even on her kneees she doesn’t forget his vows (honestly A+ for this one)
✔️ he switches her birth control

I really enjoyed the relationship between the main characters 💕 Dom was so caring and observant with Valentine and was devoted to her from the first page. I mean guys…they banged in the breastfeeding pod at the airport after only meeting on the flight 👀 👀

He also kept calling her ‘Mama’ from the start as a nickname and it kind of worked for me. It went along with his suave charm 🥵

I thought Valentine was a perfect fit for Dom. She was soft & kind but didn’t cower before him. She had a lot of past trauma but was working through it without needlessly damaging their partnership.

age gap (but she is 25)
dirty talk 😮‍💨
overprotective mmc
size difference
spitting 💧
pregnancy (mostly at the end)
found family
Profile Image for Nunu.
136 reviews30 followers
February 12, 2024
3,5 ☆
This is the type you enjoy only once. Second read you question your sanity
Profile Image for Mackenzie.
180 reviews2 followers
September 30, 2023
dnf @ 71% - I can’t do this anymore I’m sorry 😭 Val is quite possibly the biggest pushover I’ve ever read about in a dark romance and Dom literally only married her to get an in with the Alliance and imo doesn’t actually “love” her soooo…

also why is she just ignoring the fact that he drugged her?!?! why was she so happy getting that picture?!?! like these reactions don’t make sense EVEN in the context of dark romance
Profile Image for Sarah.
555 reviews338 followers
September 26, 2025
*audiobook

What a disappointment this was...

I am still looking forward to Hans tho, cause I've heard the tropes it has and I enjoy those tropes!


Review:

Why i didn't enjoy this one.

- Pathetic fmc.

-Mmc's "love"/"obsession" with fmc didn't feel authentic. I never reached the part where he realized he HAD to have her... all i read about was a man who used the fmc to accomplish a goal and thats it. No passion.

- The way the fmc acted after she "found out." I saw the twist coming a mile away, which isn't why im disappointed, but it's the way the fmc acted after she finds about mmc's betrayal. I loved her initial, shocked, and hurt reaction when she went catatonic.

But then the book went downhill for me after that. Because she gave in pretty much immediately after she arrived at his home lmao.

Gurl, did you forget what this man did to you? At least do something to try to escape or give him the cold treatment or do anything OTHER than fall into his dick...

There is nothing exciting about an fmc who acts like this.

- Again, mmc doesn't love fmc... the author forgot to write that, i think.

Cause where is the part where he started to pursue her as one thing, then the obsession became too much and overshadowed his original plan because now his life is all about her...? Where is that part?

Cause it was missing.

I hope Hans is better than this one!

Because Dom is definitely a downgrade from King and Nero.
Profile Image for Kiara.
62 reviews21 followers
December 16, 2025
Sometimes a book sneaks up on you — this was one of those. 🖤

💍The Premise
“A good woman can change your life.”

When Valentine Gandy meets Dominic Gonzalez at the airport, it feels like fate. He’s older, charming, confident … the kind of man who makes her feel seen for the first time in forever.

They end up on the same flight, sparks fly, and soon they’re texting and flirting across cities.

When they finally meet again in Vegas — boom — everything changes. Because nothing about their “chance” meeting was actually chance. 👀

👼🏼Valentine Gandy

Val, my sweet girl 😭 She’s twenty-five, kind, and starved for love in the most heartbreaking way. Her mom was awful, her dad kept her a secret from his family, and even her newly found family still feels distant. She’s spent her whole life trying to earn love — she measures being loved by “not being hated.” Like… ouch??

Despite everything, she stays hopeful, still believing love can exist for her too.

💎Dominic Gonzalez

And then there’s Dom. Forty-one. Tattooed. Dangerous. Mafia boss. Diamond importer.

He crosses serious lines — no sugarcoating that — but when you learn why, it’s hard to hate him. His world runs on survival and family, and Val becomes part of that before she even realizes what’s happening.

This man saw her once and went full “mine.” Like… stayed celibate for a year (!) before staging their “accidental” meet-cute at the airport?? Wild.

But for all his obsession and chaos, Dom adores Val. The way he protects her, cherishes her, and helps her find herself again? Ugh. My heart.

🎲 Final Thoughts

This book gave me so many feelings. I laughed way too hard at Nero (his obsession with Dom’s brass knuckles?? Iconic). It’s dark and spicy, but also full of healing, vulnerability, and found family.

I started this series to get to Hans, so I’m thrilled I’ve finally made it here. ✨

Tropes / What to Expect

🔥 Age gap (16 years)
💞 Plus-size FMC
🖤 Touch Her and Die
🏠 Found family
👰‍♀️ Vegas wedding
👀 Who Hurt You

Series Ranking

1. Hans — Book 4 (5⭐️) My review
2. Nero — Book 1 (4⭐️) My review
3. Dom — Book 3 (4⭐️)
4. King — Book 2 (3⭐️) My review
Profile Image for  ~*~Princess Nya Vasiliev~*~.
1,174 reviews7 followers
February 4, 2025
In a word? WOW...🤯🤯🤯🤯

Dominic Gonzalez is off the chain 🔗 in every respect a male should be, and needs to be when it comes to his world.. He ticked me off so bad when it came to his "By any means necessary" vision, when it came to getting what he wanted, what he ultimately needed. BUT he more than redeemed himself for these sins well before we even reach the halfway mark of this novel...

This is a long novel, though with what's on the pages it doesn't feel that way. When you learn the reasons that fuel Dom's motivations to his end game, you understand the whys and it makes it VERY hard to remain mad at him.. But when you see his actions, not just his words, that rights these wrongs, there is no choice but to forgive him. And Dom's actions of righting his wrongs are the gift that just keeps on giving. Each chapter he continues to prove why he is worthy of Valentine's, AKA- (his Angel, Shorty, Mama, Love) FORGIVENESS... And I was right there with Val when she makes the choices to choose healing, love, family and forgiveness. Which in many respects she would not have had the opportunity to do so, without Dominic...

Phenomenal writing here. Each book in this series thus far has just gotten better and better and I must say this book 3 journey is the best of all of them. I loved Nero's book, but Loved King's even more. I really did not think King's book could be topped.. Then Dominic Gonzalez walks into my book world and completely rocks it.. Thank you Ms.Tilly for penning such amazing characters here..

Valentine, her story completely wrecked me. I love her, feel for her and will have her back and front in any way, if she were real and my sister friend🤣.... Her HEA was well deserved and I have to say she's actually my fave heroine out of this series thus far..

The heat 🔥 and intensity of this story was on point and running high on all cylinders. And I was here for it. Totally savored this one...

I love how the conclusion to Dom's reasons for seeking out the alliance in the manner that he did played out. I LOVED the climax to his own enemies that required him to seek the Alliance, how it came about as well... But I really loved the unexpected aid/twist that came in the 11th hour.. Wow.. 😱Chap 79 had me 💩 85 bricks 🤣🤣🤣

If you want to experience the unorthodox, imbalanced, love and intrigue of these men of the Alliance, please start with book 1, Nero, and work your way through to the other side to Dom..

Based on all 3 books I would definitely recommend this series..

I'm...curious about book 4 though, Hans story..whenever he comes to us..
Until then I'll remain cautiously optimistic that I'm gonna love him and his story as well..🤞🤞🤞

Ms. Tilly don't tease me or break my heart, M'kay?? Okay.
Profile Image for Alexandra.
580 reviews1,081 followers
Read
October 10, 2023
DNF. i really tried. i really did but this left me drier than the sahara and by 50% i really had no idea what the point of the book was.
Profile Image for Kailynn (slump 😔).
277 reviews61 followers
September 2, 2024
2.5 stars for Val only 🫶🏻💗

MCs:
Dominic/Dom (41)
Valentine/Val (25)

Tropes:
🖤 “Forced” Marriage
🖤 Age Gap
🖤 Curvy FMC
🖤 Tattooed MMC
🖤 He calls her ‘Mama’
🖤 Special Tattoos

Info:
Prologue
Dual POV
Panic Attacks
Mentioned child abuse
Mentioned mental abuse
Drugging (H to h)
No real ow/om drama
No cheating
No virgins
Open door spice
BC tampering
Praise
No third-act breakup
Epilogue
HEA


𝓓𝓸𝓶

He had me blushing, giggling, and kicking my feet not even 10% in.

BUT IT WAS ALL A LIE! 😠 He had me crying. I felt so bad for Val, and I don’t think I can ever forgive him even if he kinda felt bad (emphasis on the kinda part) and had an okay reason for tricking her. He hurt her badly, which made her cry a lot. Which then made me cry a lot.

I wish he groveled, but then again Val didn’t make him 😒

He tattooed his name on her ring finger four times (every guy she was with) and “Til death”. It kind of pissed me off. Especially when she asked him how many people he’d been with, and he said more than four. Like dude, you have no right to be acting like that. Then he tattooed her name on his throat and “Til death” above his dick…so it got a little better 🤷‍♀️

He called her Shorty 👎🏻

He listens in on her therapy sessions to understand her better…👀😐

There was a part in the book where she made him jealous on purpose to mess with him, so he has his girl cousin “help around the house” to mess with her. I hate jealousy scenes 😑↔️

He sounds like a past manwhore 🙄, but he has been celibate ever since he saw her (1 year).


𝓥𝓪𝓵

I love Val. She had insecurities that felt real and some that I could relate to. They didn’t get annoying like other books tend to make them. It also hurt having read about them when she’s such an amazing person. 🥹🫶🏻

AND SHE'S A BADASS!!

Her past was so sad ����😢

I wish she had made him grovel. Yeah, he’s hot, he put up a good show, and had a good-ish reason for tricking her, but girl!! A little more anger towards him was needed, and suffering! I needed him to suffer! 😡😡


𝓜𝔂 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼

I had a really hard time understanding what was real and what was fake when it came to Dom. I still don’t understand how much he was faking when he first met Val.

I just didn’t like Dom that much, and I still don’t forgive him. He confused me so much, and his feelings didn’t feel genuine. Which made it hard to finish.

I feel like he only saw her as a way into the alliance and ending up realizing she wasn’t that bad.

He was a big manipulator, and she just wanted to be loved. It’s really sad if you think about it.

I don’t recommend this. I hold grudges till I die, and I never forgive men. I know. It’s a problem. BUT he also didn’t grovel, so of course I didn’t forgive him. He never even apologized.

Nero really wanted those brass knuckles…

I will say it was nice to read a book that made me really feel. I haven’t read a book this angsty and emotional in a while.

The epilogue was so stupid. It just set up the story for the next book.

In the end, Dom = 😒 and Val = 🥹

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

pre-read

I don’t even know what this is about, but it’s a mafia romance with no virgins, no opd, and a celibate H. That’s very hard to find, so on the tbr it goes.
Profile Image for Gloria.
1,134 reviews110 followers
February 22, 2025
2.5 stars

The basic plot had potential, but the writing lacked nuance and substance and stuck to the standard “mafia romance” formula. The heroine had the mental and emotional maturity of a 13-year-old in a horny 25-year-old body prone to leaking: soaked panties, disintegrating panties, dirty panties, dripping panties. Who could have guessed there would be a market for thong Depends? She self-pitied and whined and teared up and sniffled, in between bouts of rampant horniness and hope for someone to care about her. If the book had focused more on mature attempts by Valentine to build something for herself instead of her clinging to whomever vowed to protect her, I might have liked this book a lot more.

For instance, I did feel a rush of optimism when Dom’s underlying motives for the Vegas marriage came to light, and Valentine saw her dreams being snatched from her, leaving her in catatonic devastation. She’ll make him pay! Or so I thought. She’ll make him suffer and grovel! She’ll make him apologize and beg her for forgiveness! No. She trotted along behind him to his apartment and left her toothbrush lying on the counter for revenge.

And Dom with the body and the tattoos covering it from neck to feet and the caveman “my woman, my wife, mine. Touch her and die. Look at her and die. Poor little sweet thing. Here’s a big wad of cash, a handkerchief for your tears, and my entire family at your disposal. Now let me school your brother on how he betrayed you, even though I betrayed you too.”

Honestly, none of the above is necessarily bad if a writer can make it unique and insert genuine emotion, but this writer either can’t or didn’t.

I did enjoy some things: Valentine’s giddiness over meeting Big Guy at the airport, the big twist of the marriage motives, the very funny banter between Dom, King, and Nero at the cabin in the mountains. The action sequence outside the airport was exciting. Why couldn’t the rest of the book have been as interesting?
Profile Image for Ashley.
660 reviews2,791 followers
May 6, 2024
Looking for mafia + the most possessive MMC yet? Well.... that's Dom. 🤣🤣

Man... this might be my favorite so far. The way Dom was TOP TIER possessive and I am just here for it.

Every time he said "my wife" I went weak in the knees 😏

"I've done bad things Valentine, but I'll always be good to you."

-mafia
-possessive mmc
-touch her & die
-age gap
-suspense
-dark(ish) romance
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Profile Image for Darlene I read WAY to many books.
3,676 reviews2,429 followers
September 22, 2023
My heart.. broke for lil Val and adult val.. 😪 how she was treated by her mother and felt like she never belonged because she was a child from an affair. And now, as an adult, she sorta feels like she's alone in the family. Until she meets Dom at the airport, it's a cute first meet you fall so hard for him, and Val did. Like, THEY HAD a SPICY MOMENTS loss, THEN 3 HOURS. OMGG LOVE IT!!

Everything was perfect until the mask was off she was lied and tricked. Dom, we met him in book 2 he wanted to join the Alliance, and one way is family, so he lied to Val. Even if deep down he felt something for her, he just needed a way in. And I kid you not Val let him off easy I wish she kicked him in the shin or gave him a longer silent treatment. She did have a hard time trusting him, but he showed her time again that he was hers.

But with what happened, these 2 crazy kids were perfect for one another. All the love Dom gave Val was just perfect 🥰 💞. They fell deeper in love and were handling the problem themselves. The sexy times were on point!!!

We got the guys back, which was funny. And a new guy!! Makes me wonder about his story.



Low angst, no ow/om drama, no cheating, slight secondary character, drama, sexy times, no virgins

Recommend-yes
Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶

Prologue
Slowinsta
Age gap
41H/25h
Public sex
Drugging (H Drugged h)
Tiny dub-con
Tiny spit play
Mentioned child abuse/mental abuse
Praise kink
Messing with birth control
No condom
Hea
Epilogue
Profile Image for Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth).
2,255 reviews1,525 followers
September 11, 2023
Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trope: Age gap, mafia
Angst: 😱😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥1/2

Fracking fantastic! Seriously, each book in this series has gotten better and better! Dom is well written and fast-paced and there's just so many things to love about this story. First and foremost is Valentine, our heroine. She is super sweet and endearing and just so likable in her quirkiness. Her running inner dialogue will leave you in stitches. This was a pretty angsty read and let me tell you, I felt her pain and shed a couple of her tears. She definitely hasn't had an easy life and you'll definitely bleed along side her before the book is through. Then, there's Dom. Señor red flag himself, lol. A controlling, completely over the top possessive, manipulative, and birth-control tampering red flag of red flags, lol. No man should be like that and still be so hot, but he definitely manages 🥵. If these types of fictional men are not your jam, this is probably not the book for you. The chemistry between them was SUPER hot, right from the start and just does not let up. We get cameos of King, Nero, and their ladies, but the interactions between all the guys was seriously the best! Can't WAIT for the next book!

⛔️ My bookshelves can sometimes be spoilers
165 reviews3 followers
September 23, 2023
I wanted to love this book like I have all the other books but I'm so frustrated I'm having a book break to see if I can finish it!! I knew what would happen when I read the blurb, which imo gives the whole plot away. 200 pages in and I want Nero to turn up and shoot Dom. He is so shitty and I don't care what and why he's shafted poor valentine but she doesn't deserve it and king is in my bad books too. Just finished the tattoo chapter and I'm fuming, it's not good for my blood pressure!! This isn't the first book I've read and wished the heroine would turn full psycho and shoot the mmc!!!!
Profile Image for Zainab.
623 reviews109 followers
January 22, 2024
Why do I keep signing up for more torture by continuing with this series? Now I've had my fair share of reading mafia romances and this guy can never even come across the definition of what a Chicago mafia's boss is. He's unhinged and rich and obsessed with Val but that's just it. And Val? Don't even get me started on how much I hated this character. She's a literal whiny teenager seeking attention. I hated this book so much, I don't even know if I'm gonna read the latest one in the series or not
Profile Image for CriSsStina.
358 reviews
May 20, 2025
3.5 ⭐️

Soooooo, the real duo of this book was... Dom and Nero 😂. The few interactions they had made me giggle.

.. possible small spoilers below..


I feel like all these couples are quite similar. The FMCs are all blending in my mind, while all the MMCs are big, bad, and obsessed with their wifes. It's a fine formula, but I'm feeling like it's repetitive for this series.

I read so many mafia and dark romances that the bc tampering, the tattooing, or the wedding parts were not new to me.

What I wanted to see more developed, though, was how he ended up deciding on his plan, how he kept an eye on her on all those months when she didn't even know he existed. What were his thoughts, and what was he feeling? Was he struggling? Why did he wait so much time to put his plan into action? At the same time, I feel like his obsession was not deep enough in the beginning since he knowingly hurt her so much with his actions.

The spice was repetitive and just made me roll my eyes a few times.

I liked the FMC overall, but I think that she forgave too easily and just rolled out by the end with whatever he did.

The Mama nickname didn't make any sense because he used it from the start, when he didn't even have any thoughts about kids, etc., except marrying her for getting access to the alliance. I didn't understand why he used it. Was it his subconstient!? Wanting maybe more even at that stage!? I feel like some things were just thrown into this book , but it didn't make sense.

The big conflict with his enemy just ended too easily. It was just a flat ending of such a big issue that he had for over a year. Also, who goes on such a mission three days after surgery as a result of being shot twice? Dom, the Terminator, it seems 😂.

I loved the scenes with the previous couples and can't wait to read the next one. Nero is still my favorite.

...
- mafia
- age gap
- no OP drama
- lust at first sight
- quite spicy
- no 3rd act breakup
- HEA
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