Take Me Apart

Vitale Brothers #1

by Brea Alepoú, Skyler Snow, Declan Winters (Narrator)

I have only one goal in life: become a detective. It’s there, just out of reach, so close I can taste it. When I find out the Vitale family is about to be investigated again, I do what I do best.

Jump in head first.

There’s just one problem; Enzo Vitale. The man is red hot danger, every word a dare from his lips. And I never was one to turn away from a challenge….

But when things get rough, lies reign and deceit is around every corner. I find myself drawn to the one man I should be running from. The criminal whose hands are bathed in blood.

Am I falling for the enemy?

Genres: M M Romance, Dark Romance, Romance, Dark, Enemies To Lovers, Mafia Romance, LGBT

9 pages, Audible Audio

First published December 29, 2022

About the author

Brea Alepoú realized her dream was to write and tell stories after spending five years in college getting a degree. She has since been writing and letting her imagination free. She thought she would only write contemporary at first but soon found her love for making worlds. So now she writes it all. With her wild imagination, expect lots of different stories, from fairies ruling to vampires killing everyone, to the sweet loving between two men, passion between two fierce women, or the love of multiple partners. She believes that everyone deserves love even if not all of her characters get it right away. Love is passionate, hot, needy, confusing, painful, fulfilling, and all-consuming.
(pnr, contemporary, fantasy, erotica, romance, shifter mpreg, & rh)
There will be a book for everyone.
Insanity is Contagious.
Brea Alepoú

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was awaiting the ick to come with this one because crime/mafia boss normally make me giggle with cringe...
BUT IT NEVER CAME BECAUSE HOLY FUCK


SOMETHING IN THIS ROOM IS WET RIGHT NOW, AND I PROMISE YOU, IT'S NOT MELTING ICE. 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭


Enzo is so babygirl. 💅🏻
Enzo is a sweet little murder baby with germaphobe tendencies.

HE IS ONE OF THE SCARIEST MF CRIME LORDS AND HE BREAKS INTO A COP'S APARTMENT AND CLEANS, AND WASHES HIS CAT.

HE IS ONE OF THE SCARIEST MF CRIME LORDS AND HE GETS DISTRACTED FROM MURDERING BY SEXY COP SUGGESTING TO BUILD CUPBOARDS TOGETHER.

These two excel at unintentional domesticity with an evil murdery, penis-chopping-off goodness as a side plot to enjoy haha. Alongside some wholesome "Who did this to you?" and "you will never fucking escape from me" toxic vibes. OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM.

The smut was smutting 🥵🥵🥵


Things I hate in my smut: (things this book DIDN'T DO)
- "fuck me right now" instead of any fun foreplay. I really dislike impatient demands.
- Sex scenes that last 1 page or less.
- 80% of MM using the same descriptions on repeat, like the term "tight ring of muscle". SO boring, unoriginal and always makes me want to yeet my kindle into a food processor and turn it on.
- Fade to black (yes it has time and place, I know but generally. no.)

Things I love in my smut: (that this book excelled at)
- Lots of foreplay
- TENSION THAT ABSOLUTELY FUCKING TENSIONS🥵
- Most scenes were completely different
- The power imbalance 🥵🥵🥵
- Use of toys & other things.
- Blue balling/edging
- Dirty talk
- UNEXPECTED DOUBLE PENETRATION. (it was unexpected to me, not to the mc, he knew what he was in for hahaha 🤭)


Anyway.
5/5 enjoyment. The audio slapped hard.
I listened to it at work, and felt so wrong that Tex was getting his insides rearranged while little old ladies were asking me where to find things. 🤭

[Marianna Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay hear me out, this series is promising!! I’m definitely going to continue it and I really had fun reading this first book but it didn’t do anything special for me if that makes any sense?! Enzo carrriedddddd god I loved him so much! I also loved loved seeing autism rep! But Tex was so boring to me that I had a hard time feeling their chemistry as a couple. But this will not be the end of my MM mafia romance journey never fear

[Kati *☆･ﾟ · Rating 5 out of 5]

re-listen November 2024

These books are really becoming comfort audios. *happy sigh


4.25***** stars

I’d fucked the enemy last night.

Bahahaha, not me giving this shit 5 stars *lmfaooo!!
You wanna know what it is that usually makes me stay far away from mafia romances? It’s the trifecta of my nightmares. I know many of you go crazy for this shit but for me these are some of my biggest turn-offs in romance:

💀 obsession with a love interest
💀 over-possessiveness
💀 jealousy that’s rooted in an illegitimate and unspoken claim of said love interest.


Gawd, writing this I’m instantly reminded of this author’s “Break me, Daddy”, I hated that one so much. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely don’t mind jealousy if its adding to the tension, is not just plain stupid or is totally irrational and coming from someone who’s basically claiming ownership. *shuddering


Of course all of it was in here too, BUT somehow it worked for me and I was able roll with it without feeling like a caged animal while reading it like I usually do. *lol

I couldn’t fathom Tex, not near me, not mine.

I wondered a lot if Enzo was ever diagnosed with something that would explain his compulsive behavior and habits. And he actually was. Shit sure was intense! But because I had the feeling that his obsession was more a psychological issue coming from him being on the autism spectrum than just a plain display of power and arrogance that it was working for me.

I wanted Enzo Vitale to make me feel nothing but his brand of possession and control.

Well then… to each their own, I guess.



Anyway. All in all it wasn’t actually a five-star read, and it could’ve used a bit more editing, BUT it is a mafia romance after all and I usually don’t like them. But I did like this one. A lot actually, so I’m being generous here. *wink

“Go ahead and fall apart.” […] “You trust me, don’t you?” […]
“I... I trust... you.”
“Then trust I will put you back together.”

**************
Vitale Brothers Series

Book 1 - Take Me Apart - 4.25 stars
Book 2 - Paid in Full - 4.25 stars
Book 3 - Say I Do - 4.5 stars
Book 4 - Never Say Never - 4.25 stars
Book 5 - End It All - release in two days
Book 6 - Always the Villain - release 12/25

[Surajat Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4⭐️ “You know what they say. If you love something, let it free or some shit like that.”
I shook my head. “That is ridiculous. It should be, if you love something, lock it away so that it never escapes.” 😭

This was a good one. Not great but still good and I’ll probably continue with the series.

Before I start my review, it’s important to just say this is a cheesy, fast, dark, mafia romance with a ton of spice. It’s extremely unrealistic and a good portion of it is smut 😂. This is not a problem at alllll!! I think it’s just important to say that you need to be in a specific mood for this sort of book otherwise it will just seem annoying hahaha. It’s also insta lust/love…which I know we all hate. BUT given the type of story it is, I think it makes sense and you kind of get over it half way through.

Enzo Vitale is part of the Vitale crime family. He’s extremely type A and it’s clear from the beginning he’s quite high on the spectrum. In my (non medical) opinion he is a high functioning (put loosely since he’s a he is a killer) individual with autism and OCD.

Tex is a cute 25 year old police officer looking to take down the Vitale family so he can be promoted to detective.

Enzo and Tex meet, and sparks FLY at the first interaction. *insert smut filled goodness here*

I liked this story. It’s an MM Mafia romance, which sold me from the beginning 👌🏾 Enzo is an actual sweetheart if you take away the whole killer and torturer vibe he has going on 😭. He falls HARD AND FAST. Which is annoying at first, but I promise you the relationship and romance becomes really beautiful (annnnnddddd toxic but let’s ignore that.)

I’ve not rated it higher because the dark parts just got to me a bit too much. The gore and torture scenes were too detailed for me. I don’t know how to explain without including a spoiler. So just please know that this was INTENSE 🤢🩸🔪. I KNOW THIS IS MY PROBLEM. I KNOW ITS DARK ROMANCE AND IT COMES WITH THE TERRITORY. DONT ASK ME WHY I KEEP TRYING TO READ THESE TYPES OF BOOKS. I HAVE A DEEP FEAR OF MISSING OUT AND WANT TO BE IN WITH THE DARK ROMANCE CROWD. OKAY??????

Anyways, I’m recommending for anyone who’s a fan of these types of stories. Because the writing and smut scenes were good in the context of the story 👌🏾 couldn’t fault it. And I can’t complain that it was unrealistic…that was minor.

——————————————————————

Dropping everything because what do you mean there’s a queer mafia romance series out in the world?! Oh I’m about to eat this up.

[Imme [trying to crawl out of hiatus] van Gorp · Rating 3 out of 5]

|| 2.5 stars ||

I have mixed feelings about this one because although I think this book was decent at what it was trying to do, it wasn’t really working for me.

This book is about a cop, Tex, and the psychotic mobster, Enzo, he is investigating. Although they are natural enemies, it is lust at first sight between them, and it does not take long for Enzo to get completely fixated on Tex. He wants to own him, and he’s not always gentle about it.

“From now on, I’m the only one allowed to hurt you or make you cry. Every inch of you belongs to me.” I bit his lip. “Even your life.” Tex groaned. “Yeah. Where do I sign, Satan?”

They have a complicated and tumultuous relationship with quite a bit of push-and-pull. Tex especially does not want to get in too deep with a bad guy that he needs to take down to further his own career, and Enzo also goes back-and-forth constantly on his resolve to want to kill or not kill Tex. It is not until the very end that they finally get together permanently.

He was in need, and what kind of person would I be to ignore the man that had my mind, body, and black soul in the palm of his hands? I’d be worse than a monster.

All in all, I think there will be plenty of people who might really enjoy this. For me, however, I struggled to feel a connection to the characters and the romance. I wasn’t really feeling the overall vibe, and the love between these two felt random. It just wasn’t my thing.

[hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy read with Stacy and you can find her review here! 😍

In Enzo’s arms, I could fall apart and know that he would take the lead. He’d tell me where to go, how to move, and how to hold my position until all I had to do was rely on him. The thought of having someone to rely on sent butterflies through my stomach. He was there, even when I didn’t want or expect him to be.

I’m thoroughly surprised by how much I loved this. This is an insta love/lust story and I don’t normally like those tropes. But this is about a cop who falls for a mafia man who he is trying to catch. So of course, I was intrigued as hell. Enzo and Tex’s relationship is toxic, obsessive, and all consuming. I didn’t expect to get this whirlwind emotional connection between these two but somehow these two developed a connection that I couldn’t help but fall for (despite it being insta love). Books with insta love/lust I tend not to believe in the characters connection, but this book was not that. There was plenty of soft moments between them that I didn’t expect at all. These two hooked up as soon as they saw each other, but it just worked for them and me. I find hooking up so soon ruins the tension, but it didn’t feel that way here. It made sense for them because they had such an instant animalistic attraction to each other that they couldn’t deny. Even when literally EVERYTHING is at stake if they were to be together.

This had the who hurt you trope🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️😍

“What happened?” he asked, dragging a finger over my bandage. “Who did this to you?”
I froze. “It’s nothing.”
“Tell me,” he demanded, gripping my arm. “Who hurt you?”

And not just the who hurt you trope, but also I’d kill for you AND touch him and you die 😩😩😩

He looked good enough to eat. I snatched up his wrist and yanked him close. I smoothed my thumb over the scar left on Tex’s cheek.
“What?”
“I’d kill for you.”

How can this be in a book and I NOT fall for it? The authors knew what they were doing 😍 It had me in an absolute chokehold.

“From now on, I’m the only one allowed to hurt you or make you cry. Every inch of you belongs to me.” I bit his lip. “Even your life.”

I loved how possessive they were over each other. Enzo is the dark mafia man who you would expect to be overly possessive which he was, but Tex was equally possessive especially towards the end. The push and pull was amazing and the steam was phenomenal 🔥 I loved how Tex wanted to submit to Enzo and wanted to be taken care of. Tex also understood Enzo in a way no one really had before, and I adored seeing the little moments that made Enzo fall for him.

I wanted to claim Tex in every way possible. I needed him to know mind, body, and soul. He was mine and mine alone.

Enzo being in the mafia has huge responsibilities and can’t have relationships. His loyalties lie with his family, and they have always been his number one. But as the story goes on, you get to see how his loyalties shift towards Tex and that was probably my favorite part of the book. I love when the MC choses the other MC over everything. So while their romance was addicting to read about, the plot had me on the edge of my seat and was so twisty. I never knew what way it was going to go. I can’t wait for Enzo’s brothers’ books. I loved Gin from the beginning, and it took me till the end of the book to warm up to Benito. But they are all so different from each other and I’m interested to see how those two find love 😌

Thanks so much for buddy reading this with me Stacy!💕

'Vitale Brothers' series
book 1 - Take Me Apart - 4 stars
book 2 - Paid in Full - dnf
book 3 - Say I Do - 2 stars
book 4 - Never Say Never - to be released
book 5 - End it All - to be released

[Cat the bookworm (semi hiatus ish) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not usually into mafia “romances”. But this one definitely proved to be the exception for the rule 😍

To state the obvious first: I’ll rate it with 5 stars even though, technically, if I’m honest, it’s more of a 4 stars read. But I was in the right headspace, and I had A LOT of fun with it while listening to the narration by Declan Winters.

So yeah. My first 5 star rating this year 🙂

And it’s surprisingly fun, considering that I’m not one to be fond of gore and violence in books, but it was so completely over the top here, that it didn’t feel “real” in my head, if that makes sense.

It’s the story of Enzo Vitale, who looks like a college professor, but is, in fact, the executioner in his “family business”. It helped that we’re in his head during his pov and it’s very obvious that he’s somewhere on the autistic spectrum, watching and doing things differently than most of us would, and who occasionally gets overwhelmed with noise, or people, or emotions, a state that his brothers know how to deal with him because he can’t articulate himself properly.

So yeah. That helped with accepting that despite the fact that he kills and tortures a few people, he’s still a bit of a lovable teddy bear. A very, VERY (the caps are intentional) possessive teddy bear.

And yes, I know how it sounds 😂

On the other hand, we have Tex, a cop bent on taking the Vitale brothers down. Tex and Enzo have CHEMISTRY (with caps again), and can’t stay away from each other despite the less than stellar circumstances.

Let me tell you, the smut it SMUTTING (again, all caps). Because in this book, everything is a bit OTT, and thankfully though not in an eye-rolling kind of way. It’s a telenovela where you grab a bag of popcorn, or nachos dripping with cheese, and you enjoy the ride. I think the moment you start questioning or overanalysing it, the book won’t work any more.

It’s… fun. Bloody, gory, and surprisingly funny.

Loved it, thank you to all of you who put it in my feed ❤️

[Drusilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The evil bastard just also needs love 🖤🖤🖤 Enzo and Tex will stay with me for a while, they are so unhinged and so intense ... delicious madness ...
Obsessiveness, possessiveness, violence, lots and lots of blood, torture and the sex...definitely not fluffy.

A whimper broke free the moment I let his balls go, and it made me smirk. He was a greedy thing. Even now, with a knife so close to him, his body was begging for more. 😳👀😳

“I will fuck you until you can’t walk away from me ever again.” 🥵🥵🥵

The dynamic between Enzo and Tex is so toxic yet so perfect for these two characters. I was a little afraid of how this might end, the plot didn't seem to have a happy ending for a long time. I'm glad how it all played out.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy read with Hope. Check out her review too!

“You know what they say. If you love something, let it free or some shit like that.” I shook my head. “That is ridiculous. It should be, if you love something, lock it away so that it never escapes.”

Initially, I felt like this started out a tad bit slow, but boy did it pick up! Tex is a cop who meets Enzo at his family's club. Even though Tex went there to investigate the Vitales, he is immediately drawn to Enzo and vice versa. Right upon meeting, Enzo is in control of their entire interaction, but it takes Tex a minute to figure that out and it's a little humorous.

The man was going to turn me into a crazy person. Every chance he got, he made me question everything I knew about him, the cold, hard facts in his files. I could almost see him as a different man. Someone with a dangerous edge, sure. But not the murderous psychopath he was.

Enzo is a mafia man, but he looks like a hot college professor with glasses, which I think is a really cool juxtaposition and makes his character even more interesting. Enzo is slightly smaller than Tex in size, but he dominates in every other way, even physically and Tex loves it. He loves that Enzo takes control so he can just be in the moment.

Enzo's brothers are not a fan of his new obsession with Tex for obvious reasons. Tex is trying to become a detective and he's nosing around in their business, but Enzo is too far into Tex at this point to let him go. Enzo even goes out of his way to protect Tex from his family.

Don’t get that look in your eyes.” “What look?” I rolled my eyes. “That look that says you want to do something illegal to anyone you think is too close to me.” Not that I hate that it’s his first instinct. Something might be wrong with me, but that’s fucking hot.

To say Enzo is intense might be a slight understatement. He can be down right obsessive, but I loved that about him. At one point he even breaks into Tex's apartment to see what else he can learn about him. While there he cleans the whole place and gives his cat Penelope a bath. LOL.

Enzo dragged me toward him. “Didn’t you hear when I said you were mine?” A shiver ran up my spine. “Y-yeah,” I muttered. “But that’s just something people say when they’re screwing.” “I don’t just say things.”

Tex and Enzo are so obsessed with each other. I love how possessive Enzo is of Tex. He decides Tex is his and that's that. It just takes Tex a minute to realize it. These two are playing this little game of cat and mouse, but the whole time they are falling so hard for one another. I also loved how everyone was obsessed with Penelope. That cat stole everyone's heart.

“You bought him a cat tree?” I shook my head. “I bought him four cat trees. Two can go upstairs, one in the living room and the other is mounted on the walls.”

Be aware that there are some very violent moments in this book, but they work for the story. There is also actually quite a bit of funny banter in this book, which I didn't expect, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! Towards the end of the book there is a little plot twist, which is really interesting. This leads to one of the more gruesome scenes in the book.

“Do you miss me that much?” I pulled a face. “More like my dick is going to explode if you don’t touch me.” “All I heard is that you miss me.”

Ultimately, Tex and Enzo realize their feelings for one another and are amazing as a couple. I loved these two together! The sex was super hot. All the possessiveness was fantastic. I can't wait for Giancarlo's book!

I loved Tex Caster, and there was a future for us even if I had to clear the way with blood.

[Lilly [Hiatus due to School] · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Take Me Apart! It was dark, twisted, and had a healthy dose of obsessiveness and possessiveness.

We have Tex, who is a cop aiming to step outside his father's shadow and Enzo, the youngest of the Vitale brothers, Mafias who run New York.

I loved how Enzo was obsessed with Tex. Tex is conflicted as the man who is part of the family he needs to put away has a grip on him. Yet, deep down, he desires to be taken care of, loved, and held above everyone, and while Enzo is there to own him, he also fights himself and as he tries to be good in order to make detective like his father.

"In Enzo's arms I could fall apart and know that he would take the lead. He'd tell me where to go, how to move, how to hold my position until all I had to do was rely on him. The thought of having someone to rely on sent butterflies through my stomach. He was there, even when I didn't want or expect him to be."

"From now on I'm the only one allowed to hurt you or make you cry, every inch of you belongs to me." I bit his lip. "Even your life."

Their chemistry was amazing. I love the push and pull (well, mainly on Tex's end) and the sex! It was intense and hot from the get-go. I also loved how Tex wanted to be owned during sex and submit to Enzo. It was cute how as Enzo developed feelings for Tex he slowly allowed him to occupy his space. Since Enzo is on the spectrum, I enjoyed seeing how Tex understood his need to clean and tidy as well.

I also adored the brothers!! I need them to get their HEA! Hoping for their stories one day

I do not really read many mafia-themed stories. To date, I have enjoyed only one other. This is the second one I loved! While this is my first time reading works from these two amazing authors, they have been on my tbr list for a long time.

Overall, I enjoyed this dark, possessive, sweet romance between Tex and Enzo. I recommend this story if you want dark mafia romance, obsessive and possessive love, and high heat!

Please check TWs, as there are violence, gore, blood, and some knife play.

[Nerlie౨ৎ🎧📚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

⋆˚࿔ review 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
3.5⭐️

Enzo, my nerdy boy, I adore him. He comes across so calm and put-together, but deep down he’s unhinged, and that mix made him so entertaining. The way he was possessive over Tex had me hooked, and let’s be real…he was basically a stalker (though he’ll never admit it 😭).

Tex, on the other hand, gave as much as he got. The fact that they both knew things about each other and still just went along with it? Questionable. But it made their dynamic feel messy in the best way.

Even with the chaos, they were probably the softest couple in the series. I loved how much they paid attention to each other’s little quirks. Tex noticing Enzo’s constant cleaning and gently asking about his autism was such a sweet moment 🥹.

I also loved that their relationship had both extremes unhinged jealousy (Harlow may be the king of jealousy, but Enzo’s right behind him) mixed with genuine tenderness. They balanced each other out in a way that made their story feel different from the others.

Overall, this wasn’t my favorite in the series, but Enzo and Tex’s mix of chaos and softness kept me invested. Their dynamic was unique, and honestly, I wouldn’t mind more of them.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ pre read ⋆. 𐙚 ˚
Nerdy men on top (of me)🤭

[Jono Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

∞⭐ -- Completely surprised by this one… and honestly? I think it’s probably my favorite dark romance of all time. No joke. It has everything I want from the genre: two strong, badass MMCs; an action-packed, twisty plot that actually stands on its own beyond the spice; and, yes, smut that’s top tier.

There’s something so cinematic about this book. Alepoú and Snow’s writing pulls you right into the world with vivid visuals and incredible world building that make it feel like a movie playing in your head.

But what I love most is how it breaks away from the typical MM dark romance tropes. There’s no coming-out storyline, no trauma-as-identity plot. The darkness here comes from who these men are, what they’ve done, and the danger of their world… not from their sexuality. Tex and Enzo know exactly who they are, and that confidence makes their story hit so much harder.

Across the board, this is a huge win for me and easily one of my favorite reads of the year.

[Astra · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading this book I was a little bored. But then towards the middle it picked up a lot and I found myself just getting lost in the plot. It was a fun read :)

[Aricka Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The horny brain side of me almost wanted him to hold me down and never let me escape. Then I will know he really cares about me.”

They almost had me in the beginning. The start of this book had me rolling my eyes and thinking I was starting a book that wouldn’t hold my attention. Tex is a cop and he just follows a know mob man into a hotel and lets him fuck him hard and dirty? Girl please. Anyways Enzo the autistic psycho murdering mafia man and Tex turned out to be kinda cute in their own weird dark romance type of way. We ain’t getting any deep connections, emotional moments of love with this, maybe like a couple oddly cute moments. So I can’t give it a five star because I crave emotional shit in my romance books. Anyways I haven’t read a mm mafia romance before and well at least Tex didn’t have me wanting to punch him in the face like most of the women in these books do. I enjoyed his character even though he struggled with wanting the murdering Enzo, which makes sense cause he is a cop. Anyways it was pretty fun, but I’m actually more interested in the other brothers’ books, so I will continue the series.

[♡ cal ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tex audibly swallowed. "You're the devil."
I kissed him again. It was as if I couldn't get enough. "But I'm your devil."

i devoured this. i was kinda hesitant to pick this one up because coming this year i told myself mafia/mob romances is one of those topics that i need to let go. but, fuck that, this one completely won me over. basically, good cop meets bad mobster royalty and yada yada yada we all knew that. and i loved everything about it. the push-and-pull romance, the gory shit, and the high intensity kind of sex. my attention was gripped from start to finish.

my tbr:
➵ expert by alessandra hazard - 3 stars
➵ take me apart by brea alepou - 5 stars
➵ ???
➵ ???
➵ ???

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 'It would be better as a pwp' stars

I don't even know what to say about this.

“I will fuck you until you can’t walk away from me ever again.”

🥵 The only positive thing was sex
🥵 Deliciously filthy, kinky, and toxic
🥵 Mafia lifestyle was presented really dark (bonus points!)

“I’m distracting you? How?”
I sighed. “You being so close makes me want to bend you over the counter and fuck you as I hold a knife to your throat.”

But...
💣 The plot was kind of a mess
💣 I didn't care for the charachters at all
💣 Tex was not exactly inteligent for a detective-to-be and his investigation methods were very sloppy *roll eyes*
💣 Enzo's personality was mostly just torturing people, which I don't exactly mind in a charachter but when it's front and centre... let's just say it can be hot in certain circumstences but it was just too much here
💣 Tex and Enzo together - they fucked, they tried to kill each other, fucked, tried to kill each other, repeat, repeat, repeat, boom, they are in love, together forever, *gasp* so beliveable 🙄
💣 Anyway, ciao, I'm out of here (eh, who am I kidding, I'll still read book 3 because that's the one I originally wanted to read)

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enzo + Tex 🖤
Mobster and cop | OTT/JP | "Mine" | "Who did this to you?"

"It was like we were magnets unable to fight the pull. The world had made us oil and fire, a combination that should never be mixed."

I loved these two. They really shouldn't be together and they definitely shouldn't fall in love. But life had other plans for them. I also really enjoyed their banter with the love hate thing they had going on.

....

"Enzo Vitale. Neat. Strong. Notices things. Crazy as fuck."

“Do you want me?” Tex’s mouth opened, but he clamped it shut and shook his head. My chest felt as if a blade had pierced through me. “I shouldn’t, but you make my fucking head hurt.”

“You think we’re nothing?” I blinked at him. “Besides some hot sex? I don’t know.” Enzo dragged me toward him. “Didn’t you hear when I said you were mine?” A shiver ran up my spine. “Y- yeah,” I muttered. “But that’s just something people say when they’re screwing.”
“I don’t just say things.”

“Enzo.” “Keep moaning my name, Tex,” he said, his voice a breathy whisper. “The more you do it, the more I know you’re mine.”

“Please let me cum,” Tex begged. “You cum by my cock, or you don’t cum at all.” I leaned forward, folding him practically in half. “I can keep fucking you until you do.”

“You know what they say. If you love something, let it free or some shit like that.” I shook my head. “That is ridiculous. It should be, if you love something, lock it away so that it never escapes.”

“Stop,” Enzo muttered at me. “You look like shit when you cry.”

“You called me your boyfriend.” My face heated. “I did.” “I’m your boyfriend?” “Oh my god,” I said, burying my face in my hands after dropping Pen. “Don’t make it a huge thing.” “Am I?” “Yes!” I yelled, pulling my hands away to glare daggers at him. “Happy?” Enzo’s smile grew, bordering on insanity. “Happier than I’ve ever been.” My heart skipped a beat, and I gripped my shirt. The man who loved to kill looked like a child who had just received the best Christmas present ever.

....

⚠️possible spoilers below in detailed tropes and trigger warnings





Tropes/Content:
Polished buttoned up mobster x cop
Crime family
Mafia
Rough quick handjob in an elevator
Naked sub, clothed dom
Knife play
Manhandling
Toys
Neat freak (Enzo breaks into Tex's apartment and cleans it)
Sleeping with the enemy
Violence as foreplay
Spice starts at 10%
Breaks into each others apartments
Pierced nips
Jealousy
Rough sex
Mine
OTT
Shower sex
Nipple clamps
DP (with dildo, not other person)
Cat dad
"Stay"
Possessive claiming
Enzo used Tex's own handcuffs to lock him down and claim him when he tried to leave (still got consent before penetration)
Cuts all his clothing off to get to him faster
Kissing and licking tears away
Bruising kisses
Biting
Bareback
Sex in an alleyway
"Who did this to you?"
Takes a bullet for him
Brought to tears during sex
Revenge
Strict roles
Touch him and die
Begging
"Tell me you don't want this"
Banter
"I hate that I love you"


TWs:
Dislocated shoulder
Gunshot wounds
Violence between MCs
Sex with no prep
Stalking between MCs
Graphic torture (including guy getting his dick cut off and put in his mouth)
Murder
Abusive parent

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 stars -Rating kept changing every chapter and if I’m being honest, I kinda enjoyed this. I usually steer clear of mafia books since they can be too cringey, but this story kept me thoroughly entertained. It was undeniably cheesy, but still fun. I’ll definitely be continuing with the series

Audiobook is pretty good.

[Shonee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-reading 06/01/2024
I blame Megan.

[haletostilinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much, much better experience overall with this one. Must be because of the new-to-me author, Brea Alepoú. Also helps that I liked and enjoyed both characters - with the one Skyler Snow one, I really disliked on of the MC's and that really brought down my enjoyment.

At times, it was a little hard for me to take. Because Enzo loves the blood and the gore and there are some quite graphic scenes. Especially when - Warning for graphic description under the cut: - he castrates a guy and then once he's dead, sticks his decapitated dick into his throat. That was....so gross.

But, I've read some gory shit in the past, so it wasn't too much of a deterrent. (If I could read about Stavros and Daniel by Avril Ashton, especially in the second one and the way they kill a guy...then I can handle this.) It just was a little too much at times.

But Enzo really did calm down and show a softer side with Tex, and that really helped. I mean, he was also hard, rough and possessive AF with Tex, but he was also soft and sweet with him later on - and Tex's cat, Penelope. He came to love that cat as well and I loved that. Also I even found Enzo a tad adorable even in his grumpiness near the end, especially because at that point he would never truly harm Tex and Tex knew it, so his anger didn't hold as much weight as before.

They are, for a good portion of this, seemingly on opposing sides, because Tex is a cop and Enzo is a part of the mafia. But Tex was a bit of a bad boy before he became a cop - and addict - so he's a little bit drawn into a bit of the dark side.

He never goes to Enzo's level, but he loves the rough sex and Enzo's darker side, at times, turns him on more than anything.

Enzo had a partner two years ago who ended up betraying him and the whole Vitale family, really, so he's a bit weary of Tex, of letting someone in who could not only hurt him, but his brothers Benito and Giancarlo again as well.

They're just not recovering from the hit to their organization 2 years prior, and in some ways, Tex is similar to the guy Enzo had been with. And his two brothers caution him as well. But Enzo and Tex can't stay away from each other. And it turns out while there are some similarities to Enzo's ex, Tex is really his own person and truly nothing like him.

I do think there wasn't quite enough build up to the in love place they get to, but once they were there it was very good and I really enjoyed their connection then. Also, the sex was nice and spicy.

There were a lot of positives in this for me, I will definitely be readying more in this series. It was a tad slow going for me at times, but for the most part kept me invested and reading steadily.

Definitely worth a read, and I will definitely be diving into Giancarlo's book - either right away or soon, haven't made my mind up. But I will definitely be reading it either way.

Can't wait! 🥰

[Ben Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tex is determined to make detective, and he knows he has to do something to stand out. Naturally, he chooses the most dangerous option; taking down the Vitale crime family. He meets Enzo Vitale at a Vitale-owned club and he has his way in.

Enzo knows Tex is a cop from the outset, but that's not gonna stop him having some fun. But the hotel room fun sets him on a path of obsession. And it seems like Tex isn't immune to it either.

Take Me Apart has all the toxicity, violence, and angst you'd expect from a dark romance and then some. I like Tex and Enzo as characters but there was something stopping me from joining in on their obsession with one another. Most likely a me problem, but I might give the next book a try down the road to see if I can hitch a ride on the Vitale Brothers bandwagon.

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read on 5th Jun/25

I wanted to re-read this series because I'm trying to get to End It All and I probably won't re-read the whole series because I distinctly remember not liking Gin and Benito's book, but I'll maybe just skim over those two books, just to refresh my memory.

This book still remains one of my favorites. 4.5⭐ and I'm rounding it up again, I'm staying with my original rating.

It's interesting, well written, it has a good plot and I think the cherry on top for me was the fact that Enzo was autistic. He's intense. Smart. Loyal. The perfect bad boy with a heart bleeding with love and devotion for Tex.

"I wanted to wrap my arms around Enzo and never let him go. Even when he was in obvious pain, I could feel how much he worried about me. The crazy, housebreaking, stalking piece of shit cared about me."



Enzo and Tex were still great this time around, their love story well developed, I would've maybe liked more epilogue to their life after Tex moving in with Enzo at the very end; I did read the bonus chapter from Patreon and it was good, but more could be said about their life together.

That aside, the book is actually really good and I definitely recommend reading it.
_________________________________

Original review on 4th July/23



This was an intense, unpredictable and an amazing love story.

The story is worth 4.4 - 4.5⭐, but I'm rounding it up, because I absolutely loved the main characters, the side characters, the world building and I'm completely excited about everything that's yet to come.

🟢 A cop / mobster
🟠 Bisexual / gay
🟣 Age gap 25 / 33
🔵 A bit of a size difference
🟡 Neurodivergent MC
🌶️ Plenty of great sex scenes; oral, some rimming, penetrative; t/b
❗ mentioning of addiction, murder, torture

Was this a ride or what??

Wow, I didn't expect this. I usually don't go for mafia stories at all, but if you're really into that, you're gonna love this one.

Enzo is one part of the trio of Vitale brothers, one of the biggest and most important crime families in New York. Enzo's autistic, very particular about the way he lives his life and tends to get very obsessed about things or people that pull him in. That's one of the reasons he hardly finds anyone interested enough to stick around, much less to accept him as he is.

Tex is an ex addict, a new cop from a police family. He's trying to prove his worth by going after the Vitale brothers and becoming a detective like his father, but things get very complicated for him when he hooks up with Enzo in the middle of his investigation of the Vitale family.

Enzo becomes very fixated on Tex and the circumstances being what they were, Tex should've been killed, because he's too close to Enzo and knows too much, but Enzo somehow can't do it, because he's falling in love for the first time in his life.

Tex tries to leave and let go of Enzo, but then keeps coming back. He's never really felt loved or important to anyone and Enzo's obsession is turning out to be exactly what he was missing.

"Some stupid part of me thought about experiencing this all the time. Having someone who couldn’t keep their hands off of me, someone who would be obsessed with me until the end of time. It’s too good to be true."



They have absolutely amazing sex, it's intense, it's rough, it's passionate and both are giving each other what they want and need, despite the danger and a lot being on the line. Tex is considerate and very attentive to Enzo's particular habits and Enzo simply decides Tex is his and can't leave.

"I will fuck you until you can't walk away from me ever again."

I didn't know if the book was even going to have a satisfying happy ending way over 70% in, because I just couldn't see it. There were so many things out in the open that I couldn't imagine what would it take for the Vitale brothers to accept Tex into their family and in what world would Tex and Enzo be able to be together? But in the final conflict Tex shows his loyalty to Enzo and he firmly decides to stay with him and never leave.

I loved Tex' loyalty, it was exactly what Enzo needed to heal certain wounded parts of his past. I think Tex choosing a side, choosing Enzo and his future life with him over everything he knew and wanted before he met Enzo, really convinced me, I think that was very much needed and I loved that for Enzo. I also appreciated Enzo deciding he'd do anything for Tex, even fight his own brothers.

Enzo was, even if very unhinged, a really special character.
He's neurodivergent and lives with it everyday, he's letting out his pain and anger in torturing people, yet underneath it all he's very caring and simple, wanting only love and acceptance and when he finds it with Tex, it's no wonder he's not letting him go.

"Gin pushed his fingers through his hair. “You know what they say. If you love something, let it free or some shit like that.”
I shook my head. “That is ridiculous. It should be, if you love something, lock it away so that it never escapes.”"

Their feelings evolved naturally from lust to love and forget about mushy romantic dialogues, there aren't any, it's obsession, crazy lust and desire combined with two grown men secretly hoping they could really be in each other's lives and have the relationship and home they both wanted .

The Vitale brothers eventually accepted Tex into the family with that mandatory promise to rip his heart out if he were to ever hurt Enzo. It's a bold move to trust an ex cop and a really young one at that, but Tex and Enzo really do have this amazing love story between them and it was one of the best I've read lately.

I loved them both and I really recommend this book.

[Jackbees · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to DNF this. The early nightclub and elevator scenes were super hot but unfortunately these possessive romances aren’t for me. Sadly I have seen too much in my years and I know exactly where this type of “you are mine, you must never leave” kind of relationships can end up. I have trouble seperating fiction from reality in these kind of books. Physically restraining someone when they try and leave is not love. Thinking you own someone is not love. Also, I can’t imagine that I will ever warm up to an MC who enjoys inflicting pain on other people (real pain and terror not fun consensual spanky spank) no matter how many cats he washes and rooms he cleans.

[Sebby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright the whole time I was reading this book I was convinced I fucking hated it but then you know what I finished it and the strangest thing happened, I looked back on the experience fondly??? Like these two are both fucking insane and the things they do are so stupid but god dammit they were crazy in love and I was rooting for them by the end ok? Nothing makes sense and stupid things happen but I won’t lie it was entertaining as all hell. I was totally expecting something dark but they were actually sickeningly sweet and adorably codependent so you know what yeah fuck it go get your happy ending you crazy kids

[Mx. T *Chaotic Reader*]

This was messy and the pacing was weird. The plot was... where? But I ate this shit up like the mafia ho that I am. Cop and mobster? Sign me tf up everytime. Enzo bathing Penelope and them being cuddly was the fucking highlight of the book.
Also shorter dude topping the hunk, YES please thank-you. I want reverse size difference in all my books from now on.

[Marci]

Calling it quits at 6% I’m so predictable🤣 maybe one day I’ll be into mafia romance but today is not the day!

[₊ ˚ ale ࿓ ♡ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 2 out of 5]

🗡 ── ᝰ .ᐟ read.
Gods, this was pure hell. 😭

Rtc.

[TrippyBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Loved this one . Their chemistry was hot . It gets pretty dark. Will definitely continue the series.

Enzo is a murderous neurodivergent gay babygirl. He develops an obsession with the cop thats supposed to take down his family.

Tex is a masochistic cop who means well & has a dream to become detective one day. He has a furbaby 🐱 named Penelope who he loves more than anything. He has a past drug problem. He finds himself questioning his own goals in life after realizing he is infatuated with a mobster.

[Kaity]

Audio: 4.5 stars, I enjoy listening to Declan Winters

Book: DNF @44%...

Maybe I am reading a different book than everyone else, but I was losing interest and fast.

Even the audio couldn't help me, I just didn't give a shit about either character and there are a lot more books I could be reading that I am just going to throw in the towel... maybe I will try again another time.

I am bummed because I really loved Skyler Snow's book I read/listened to Break Me Daddy, but I really haven't enjoyed any Brea Alepoú books I have read.. I think a lot of them I started then put down because I lost interest.

Oh well, on to the next!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine for a quick filler read. Superficial mafia/cop story with OTT unhinged characters and lots of sex scenes - to give you the vibe this is over 350pgs and they are having sex at 9%. Nothing wrong with that but overall this was still a 3 somewhat entertaining stars for me.