So, idk how to feel about this book. I guess it's okay? Not bad, not amazing either.
I didn't read the first book, so I have no clue whether the MCs here have already known each other since then. Anyway, Luca (34) and Natalya (22) got married to unite their family and form an alliance.
On their wedding day, Luca's ex-fb or ex-mistress, (idk what to call her) Jessica, came to the event and kissed Luca in front of their guests. Natalya saw this and ran away, because, hello, that's rude and humiliating! Then, when she got back to the reception, the OW was already gone, but it was never shown how Luca did that, and this was never addressed in the story at all.
So, Natalya, the doormat acted like the kiss didn't happen, and they went to their honeymoon. During their three weeks in Paris, Luca treated her like a queen, because little did she know, it was part of Luca's plan to manipulate her and make her fall in love with him. And once he's done and has Natalya under his palms and pregnant, he'll go back to being the feared leader that he is.
There were time jumps during her pregnancy, and Luca left her on her own most of the time. He was always away doing his job, whatever that is. She's already hurting that she's doing it alone despite having a "husband," and to add more pain, she sometimes saw Luca photographed with the ow. He didn't cheat; to be clear, he never even engaged with the ow, but he said they move in the same circles, so it is inevitable that they would be at the same event.
Then, on the day Natalya gave birth, Luca had a meeting with another family, and this was important to him. His second in command, Dario, told him that his wife was about to give birth, but instead of excusing himself for the meeting, he ordered Dario to go to the hospital in his stead. He deliberately chose not to attend his own son's birth because the business took precedence over everything else, and he wanted these people to know that he was not driven by his feelings for his wife. Stupidest thought I've ever read!!!
Natalya gave birth, and this is when she truly realized that Luca would never care for her. I think almost two months have passed, and she is no longer happy and is showing signs of postpartum depression. And Luca, during this time, realized what a huge dick he was and started to show that he cares for his wife and son. But Natalya was not having any of it and became distant and a bit indifferent towards him. She also found out that Luca promised to give their son to her parents to raise when he turns eight, but he said it was only the alcohol talking and wouldn't go through with that.
She was living a double life and was an excellent hacker. But one of the groups she has stolen traced her, and they kidnapped her and her son. Natalya got separated from her son to lure away their abductors. She drove their attention away successfully, and in the end, she protected her son, but it's not until two years later that she will be found again.
She had amnesia for the last two years and made a new life in a small town. Fortunately, or not, Dario saw her in this town and informed Luca about this new information. Once it was confirmed that it was really Natalya, Luca and his men drove to the place to take her home.
I honestly enjoyed Luca seeing Natalya kiss someone else, not just once but twice. He was raging and about to kill the guy, but this gives me so much satisfaction as I remember their wedding day and his kiss with the OW. Now he knows how it feels to see someone you love kiss another person. Anyway, the good thing Luca did here was remain celibate during those two years because he didn't believe that his wife was dead.
They said he would grovel; that's why I had so many hopes for this story. Because he was a grade-A asshole in the first 40%-ish of the book. People around him call him the king of indenial and avoidance because that is what he was in the first half of the book. But the "grovel" here was utter crap. It was only two weeks, and I can't even call that freaking groveling.
They were sharing kisses and quick pecks, even though Natalya was supposed to be mad at him. I honestly thought she would hold her ground because, despite not remembering anything, the pain was so deeply ingrained in her, and her heart apparently knows how much she was hurt by this person. But unfortunately, she gave in to the attraction and hormones but only set some boundaries by not being intimate with him.
The first week, Natalya avoided Luca, but he sent her flowers and chocolates every day. Then the next week, he planned a trip for them to a private island. They talked and did domestic stuff together, but most of it was more about telling than showing. Then, not even three days on the island, she was more than ready to jump his bones because she couldn't stop her attraction or whatever. And I was like, girl, are you for real? What he did was the bare minimum, and you're ready to give him another chance already? He didn't even put in so much effort and hard work to make up for all the things he did in the past. So how is this even called grovel? It was disappointing and was so meh.
Tbh, I already lost interest in the last 15% of the book. There were a lot of things that happened; there was a (almost) death match fight, kidnapping, killing, and everything was like thrown in the end just to add another plot. It was a bit overwhelming for me.
Overall, this was okay. But I think Luca didn't fully redeem himself, and what he did here was not enough for all the pain he caused Natalya. She was a better person, that's for sure. Anyway, though this didn't work for me, I'm sure other readers will appreciate it.
Book info:
- Mafia romance
- Arranged marriage
- Second chance (2 years)
- Amnesia
- Violence, death
- Kidnapping
- No cheating
- OMD/OWD
- HEA