Lars

Mafia Kings #4

by Olivia Thorn

#4 in the Mafia Kings dark mafia romance series!This is a pre-order. Coming in 2024.Mafia Lars is the fourth in a dark Mafia Romance series.#1 – Mafia Dario#2 – Mafia Adriano#3 – Mafia Massimo#4 – Mafia LarsThere is NO cheating. There IS an this book contains adult situations, profanity, violence, and dark romance themes.

Genres: Dark Romance, Mafia Romance, Romance, Crime, Fiction, Morally Grey, Second Chance

774 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 9, 2024

Reviews

[Dani Mazziotta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I JUST WANNA SAY ONE THING

WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT ENDING?????????????????????

okay two things: f*** alistair till the day i die

[Aisha ♡ (semi-hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ✨

So, this book wasn't exactly my favorite in the series. The constant job talk got old fast, and it felt like forever until Lars and Rachel finally got together. But hey, Darios and Lars' bromance was off-the-charts awesome! 🙌🏼

I gotta say, though, this book felt like it was 95% flashbacks and only 5% of what was actually happening in the present with Lars and Rachel. And let’s talk about that page count – 850 pages? Seriously? It got boring real quick, especially if you’ve already read the previous books because it’s basically just rehashing everything. I found myself skimming through it rather than fully immersing in Lars and Rachel’s present storyline. It’s a shame because I genuinely adore the characters, and the story itself is quite captivating, especially if you’re new to the series.

But you know what kept me entertained? Niccolo. Poor dude’s stress levels were through the roof! I was half-expecting him to pop a vein or something.

Don't even get me started on the romance. It felt like it was all about instant attraction, not any real emotional connection. With the flashbacks taking up most of the book, we didn't really get to see the characters grow together emotionally; it was more about their physical desires. But you know what? Lars still managed to steal my heart, and I'm just happy he finally got the happy ending he deserved.

Other than that, I actually enjoyed this book, and I'm a huge fan of the author's writing style! I'm really excited for the next books in the series. The cliff hanger?! I need Roberto’s book

[Joud · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is my favorite in this series, enjoyed the bromance between Dario and Lars, also the couples were great..

[Carolyn Norman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the next book in The Mafia Kings series. So a couple of things:

- The featured person is Lars who is NOT a Rosolini brother. He’s the enforcer that Dario befriended in prison.
- This is a long book with 850+ pages. Now this doesn’t bother me because the author gave us Lars entire backstory. It was interesting learning who he was before meeting Dario and afterwards.
- The ending was so abrupt. Even with the added epilogue that you had to get through Book Funnel. It just stopped and I felt unsatisfied.
- I would have given this book 5 ⭐️ if it wasn’t for the ending. I’m hoping there is more of Rachel & Lars story in the next book.
- Rachel & Lars - this is an epic love story over 5+ years. When Dario says “The One” will be waiting for you, Lars believes that and never stops loving Rachel through all the twists and turns
- The twists - I knew who the villain was in Lars & Rachel’s love story from the beginning. It didn’t harm the story for me. But the depth of the betrayal when it was revealed was amazing. Then the takedown of him was perfect.
- This was a spicy, intriguing, all encompassing love story. Lars was such a wonderful man - loyal, understanding and accommodating. You rooted for him in all 850+ pages.

It was the perfect continuation to this series. And now I wait for the next one!

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was actually really enjoyable and I would edge to say my favourite in the series so far.

Its definitely plot heavy and less sexy mafia than the others but I really enjoyed the spy plot/Lars secret agent plot (although I knew we couldn’t trust Alistair from the jump which proved to be correct)

This book is definitely for people who enjoy plot and character development / long term yearning but I can see how some folks thought it was too long for what the rest of the series was in terms of length and content type. Definitely heavier on the development and character building them on the insta love / romance or sexual scenes but I actually think it added a lot to the series

Overall I really enjoyed this although you do have to suspend your disbelief the last 10% of the book because theres no way in real life a mafia Don lets his would be assassin live or come into his home

Recommended to me by a colleague

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars for Lars and Rachel's story. Very action packed story. Most of it was from the past and covers some of the previous books and time while Lars and Dario were in prison. Good for the background on why Lars is so close and trusted in the family and also why they were in prison in the first place. Lars and Rachel are like equals in their skills and work well with each other. It ends by a slight cliff hanger, leaving you wondering what will actually happen with Rachel.
Now for me, did I need all of that background to make anything mean more than what I'd been given? No. But, I did enjoy how Lars and Rachel's relationship developed--a lot!--and it was interwoven throughout this book.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

so I appreciated this book had back story not only regarding Lars and Rachel but also Dario and Lars.

what i didn't enjoy much was some repetition from previous books that could of just been mentioned instead of full blown chapters just in different POV.

[Kelli Poston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series! Can't wait for the other books to come out!

[Majan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa. Far and away the best book of the series!

I didn't know what to expect, much less want Lars' book going into this, tbh. I thought he would get a novella or something down the road. This author has been surprising me with her book order all series!

I knew I was going to read Lars' book no matter what, though, because I love the ongoing storyline and their brotherhood. I didn't even read the blurb and just dove in.

A spectacular h, a second chance like no other; this is less romance, more story driven for sure, but getting all the books retold through Lars' POV is 🤌🏻. It was a fine line that Lars walked throughout his story, and he did so with integrity and grace. Loving this series!

[L H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is this so sort of a joke????
This book was probably miss-categorize under mafia Romance!!!! This was more of a mission, impossible wannabe book with a huge part emphasis on Bromance!!!
Here’s the thing, this was not Lars and Rachel’s romance story. This was basically Lars’s story.!! in fact until 74% of the book you could say that this was Lars and Dario’s love story!!!!

Here’s the thing, 74% of the book at the beginning was purely dedicated to the backstory of Lars. Out of the 74% you would read for approximately five minutes about the extremely shallow and sex based relationship of Lars and Rachel. Jay met one day had sex then met three months after that had sex falling in love and we a relationship. But I am not exaggerating when I say that this whole thing will take you 5 to 10 minutes to read the rest? Is the retailing of Lars life from his childhood to the time he enters the military his time in Afghanistan The missions that he went through history and politics explanation about combat and weapon uses as well as many explanations of exchange rates, explanations of idioms differences and languages, and basically the most boring narrations of the same scene from the point of view of the MCs. a little when we get introduced to the love/friendship between Lars and Dario that developed while Lars was in prison for a few years don’t get me wrong, relationship was beautiful to read about; In fact, the author spins most of the book talking about development of their Bromance in details that makes you wonder why did not she do the same thing to describe the relationship between Lars and Rachel??!!
We also get a retelling of Dario and Rachel‘s love story during the first 74% of the book…why?! as another reviewer had said, around 50% of the scenes and dialogues were repeated from previous books which made this a very frustrating and boring read.
Also, there were a lot of repetition and retelling of the same events over and over again between different people.

It doesn’t get any better when it is gets to the present though. The first encounter of Lars and Rachel is a copy from the fight scene in Mr. & Mrs. Smith! Aaaaand then they have sex on the roof of the building they were just shot at in. And then he proposed…and she said yes…of course. That all happens within hours after 4 years separation. This was 74% to 80%.

80% to 92% is a recap of Rachel’s life from the last time she saw large all the way until her failed mission to assassinate Dario. How fun…NOT!

And that ending! Wow! It just ends with Rachel being handcuffed by Niccolo while Lars goes to save the day with Massimo (again if you read Massimo’s story, he will just get a little bit of repetition). To get a slightly better ending, you have to download the separate epilogue.

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rarely rate books the minute I get done with them but, I had to for this one!

I really TRIED to pace myself. I figured an 800+ page book, I could extend it out to read over a week and enjoy it but, I absolutely could not do that. I finished it in a day and a half and am SO sad it is over. I WISH I would have paced myself, now I will have to wait who knows how long for Roberto's book - hopefully just 3 or 4 months (I am VERY excited about Roberto's book, he is the most mysterious of the brothers and I am dying to get to know him better and find out more about Niccolo's twin!!!)

This is, in my opinion, the best in the series! It's funny for me to think back to book 1 because, I almost didn't finish it but, I am SO glad I did because, this has become one of my favorite series! I was a little bit worried that this book would drag because, it went back all the way to before book 1 - I was concerned it would be boring rehashing what already happened in the other books however, that is not how I felt at all. I actually appreciated the trip down memory lane from Lars's perspective. I love how much we got to see Dario and Lars bond over their stay in prison together and it made me respect and appreciate their relationship so much more! I started out not too crazy about Rachel and her double standards. However, I grew to love her when we got more of her POV later in the book.

Some of the complaints I have had with the other 3 books are the repetitive POV chapters where you will get essentially an exact play by play from the different POVs and it gets boring - that did not happen in this book. Also, I felt like some of the unnecessary explanations that appeared in the other books did not happen in this one either. I swear Ms. Thorn just keeps getting better! It is hard for me to believe the same author who wrote Dario wrote Lars as well.

A SOLID 4 star read for me, when I go back and give this another read I may up it to 5 stars.

[Amberlyn Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was by far the best book in the series. Damn! I love Lars. I want one. I do not, however, like Rachel. She honestly... seems like a bitch? Oh well. At least our man is happy.


"I half-smiled. “A little advice from a sniper?” Dario looked over at me, waiting to hear what I would say. “When you have the shot,” I said slowly, “take the shot.”"

“The truth is, there is no ‘right time.’ There is no perfect moment. We just tell ourselves there is because we’re afraid. Of fucking up… of losing what we have. So we wait for the perfect moment… which never comes. “When you’re a sniper, there’s a brief instant when you have everything lined up in your sights. The shot will never be perfect – it can only be ‘good enough.’ So you shouldn’t wait for the perfect moment. You look for a moment that’s good enough. “If you wait and the moment passes you by, you might get a second chance if you’re lucky. But you shouldn’t count on that. And you ...more"

"It was a moment that only the two of us understood. Only I knew he had admitted his love for the woman he now held in his arms. Only I knew that he had called her the One – And only I knew he had told me that if I had to choose, I was to save her, even if it cost him his life."

“Ingen ko på isen,” I said, waving my hand dismissively. She looked at me like I’d just spoken Martian. “…what?” “It’s Swedish for ‘don’t worry.’ But literally it means, ‘There’s no cow on the ice.’” She stared at me – then burst out howling with laughter. “WHAT?!” “‘No cow on the ice,’” I repeated. “I heard you the first time – what the hell does a cow on the ice have to do with – ” “Trust me, if you’re out on a frozen lake in Sweden and a cow decides to join you, you’re going to start worrying.”

[Sarah G · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, and the only reason is because I love Lars. Let me begin by saying at least half (and I’m being generous) of this book was literally copied and pasted from the previous books. Why is this necessary? It was like re-reading the previous books in the series, over and over again. So many flashbacks, I found myself just skipping pages, and SO many unnecessary details! Lars, the MMC was this sexy sweet guy that just wanted to be with Rachel, the FMC, who is beyond horrible. She is such an unlikable character! She was self-entitled, selfish, and had zero self insight. Everything from her point of view was about HER and her feelings, no real regard for Lars at all. This guy traveled religiously to see her, spending all his money, meanwhile Rachel never left London, never gave him her phone number, never told him where she lived and only met him in hotels. She wouldn’t tell him anything about her super secret job, which I could understand, however, when she demanded Lars tell her about his equally super secret job and he declined she had one tantrum after another. He should have kicked her to the curb! By the end of the book I could not have cared less if they stayed together or not. Rachel liked the sex and wanted to make sure her needs were met, nothing else really mattered. This book is unnecessarily long, with all the minute details and copying and pasting. I was really hopeful that Lars’s story would put him with a woman that was loving and kind, considering he had no family, instead he ended up with a spoiled brat. So unimpressed!

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lars

Usually I like my romances shorter but I read through this long one all in one go. The story was complex with lots of moving parts and revisited scenes from previous books from a different POV. It filled in the canvas of the other books with more detail by going back in time and moving forward.

It was also interesting to read about some of the back story from the first three books. I loved learning how Dario and the MMC met and became such good friends. I enjoyed the comparison of the Swedish military and fighting in Afghanistan, to how MI6 operates, to the misery of existing in prison, to how this powerful and loving Mafia family functions.

Both main characters are total bad asses but not OP. They have limits and make mistakes that are realistic and human.

Dario and the MMC both make great speeches with each other so I had trouble picking my favorite but I went with this one. It's shortened a bit - the sniper metaphor is apt - for brevity,

“The truth is, there is no ‘right time.’ There is no perfect moment. We just tell ourselves there is because we’re afraid. Of fucking up… of losing what we have. So we wait for the perfect moment… which never comes….
“When everything is good enough, you have one decision to make: ‘Do I pull the trigger?’
“And the only rule is… when you have the shot… you take the shot.”

It was brilliant how the author maneuvered this lesson into book one from this book. We knew something changed Dario’s mind in book one but it was this lesson revealed to the reader in book four that did so.

[Tina Thompson · Rating 1 out of 5]

768 pages & most of it is recapping their childhoods, and their meeting. it’s so boring!! Mfc is horrid at the beginning again!

This was definitely the worst one in the series so far. The book starts with Lars being 4 years old. FOUR! It goes through his childhood and how he got into the Swedish special forces. I’m not interested at all! Maybe a little recap would have been good, but not that! Then it overlaps to when Dario meets Alessandra and I’ve read that so I don’t want to again.

Then it moves onto Rachel and again it starts in her childhood and how she joined MI6. Again I’m not interested!!! Eventually it finally moves onto Lars and Rachel meeting, but again it goes into endless details. Rachel at this pint is horrid to Lars and he’s never even allowed into her apartment for some bizarre reason that’s never explained. Then it moves forward to Lars meeting Dario in prison and about their prison time. BORING! Eventually it goes forward to Lars meeting the family and starting work. AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHH!

Finally right near the end of the book Lars and Rachel get back together after five years apart they’re madly in love with each other. HOW????

After skimming pages and pages the book ends in a cliffhanger and we don’t get a proper ending with them! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

Sorry it’s terrible!

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book….. this BOOK!!! Sooo much action!! Wow the beginning was a whirlwind it was soooo much backstory and I really felt like this should’ve been the first book in the series!! It goes back to when Lars met Dario in prison and really goes into detail about how they became friends and associates in prison and I felt like the series should’ve started with that story. Airstaid or whatever his dumb name is was so jealous of Lars and set him up so he could propose to Rachel. I’m so obsessed with Lars and Rachel they are just so badass individually and I wish there was more scenes of them working together to get bad guys. I always wish the books I read were movies but k feel especially like that about this one because the action and craziness would have my eyes glued to the screen!!! I’m so happy Rachel and Lars found each other again and got engaged and this book made me love Dario even more for his care and loyalty towards Lars and just wanting Lars to be happy even if Rachel accidentally tried to kill Dario lmao. I just wish they would have gotten married in this book, hopefully we will see their wedding in another book. I cannot get enough of this family lol and I can hardly wait for the next book.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been in such a book slump lately, but I’m so glad I finished this one!

I honestly love all the books in this series so far. I knew Lars would have a difficult past but I just didn’t know to what extent. This book is definitely on the longer side, but I really think it was needed to really understand Lars and what he went through.

One thing I like about these books is that it gives you backstory on what happened during the other books but from a different view point. So it was really cool to see what happened to Lars the two weeks he was away. And I’m sure we are going to see how him and Rachel evolve In the other books.

This book kept me interested from start to finish. It’s gonna be so hard to wait for Roberto’s book. He is the quiet one, so I’m not sure what to expect! But I’m excited nonetheless.

[Holly Woolums · Rating 2 out of 5]

way too loooonnnggg!!!!

I can’t believe this book was as long as it was! It was all in the past it was all things that have been said and other books so it was pretty boring up until the 75% area. Then everything got into the present even though it’s still had some past issues the first 75% was mostly blah blah blah blah blah. Because you already read it why even bother. You gotta look at the time Lars and Dario were in prison together and that was kind of interesting but most of it what had to do with past times in other books in the series. after 851 digital pages of which most of it, I was bored out of my mind I think I would’ve just given up reading this book if it wasn’t a series. Most of the other books are much better than this one they could’ve done so much better by Lars then they did what a shame!

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️

Now one of my favorite aspect of books is when they cover a long period of history for a couple and this book had that, but man was this book long!! Some parts dragged out just a bit, but not a detail was missed!!!

I loved learning about Lars and Rachel through childhood all the way up until their reunion!

Olivia can write an MMC who loves his woman and will always love his woman no matter what gets thrown their way.

One of my favorite parts was learning about how Lars and Dario met. We heard about it a little in the other books, but we finally got the whole scope of how things happened!

Now I was not excited about Roberto’s book because he has barely been a part of these books, but then I saw that he was the kinky one of the bunch and now I’m ready!!! More than him I need Valentino’s book ASAP!!!

[Ebony K · Rating 5 out of 5]

The BEST!!

I love this series and I can’t wait to finish this review so I can move on to the other one, but I HAD to share that Lars’ story hit me the hardest! It was profound, entertaining, amazing, fun and love filled! 10 stars if I could!!! While he’s always been mentioned in the previous books, I had no idea his story would’ve been so deep and I’m just in love with his story! And Rachel! What a woman!!

There was more of a plot with this one and I couldn’t put it down! So many layers, especially when Lars met and bonded with Dario while in prison. And when Lars and Rachel fell in love? Omg!😍! I think that’s what I love about this series, the characters pull you in with their humanity. It’s so layered and well done without being cheesy or unbelievable! I’m a huge fan Ms Thorn! A HUGE FAN!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[NL Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

HUNDREDS of pages of backstory is TOO MUCH!

The book is well-written - few technical errors and a NICE narrative voice - the characters are well-developed and stay true to form throughout, and the plot is engaging and imaginative...

HOWEVER...

HUNDREDS OF PAGES OF BACKSTORY??!!??

PLEASE!

Author! You gave us the bare bones of the main characters' history in the previous books; I certainly don't need to know it in such excruciating detail! And, you effing interrupted the flow of the present-day drama???

I barely skimmed most of that "stuff," skipped a whole TON of it, and only read/concentrated on the chapters that revealed the main female character's interactions with the villains.

Anyway, great novel, but way too long, and stabbed one of my major buttons (over and over and over!). As always, just my opinion and just one of my major "hot buttons."

[Hazelwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this series overall, but this book was tedious to get through. It started out great, however the author spent a good majority of the book retelling the stories of the other books. I mean not just from a different perspective but the COMPLETE dialogue and pages with a little added insight. I had to skip over a bunch because it was rather boring to essentially reread a book I just read. The FMC and MMC spent the majority of time apart in this book and when they were together it was basically just sex, not much to talk between the characters of anything substantial when both sides are living secret lives. As a female romance reader, I was often bored. I felt like I was reading one of my dad’s spy mission books, so much tactical, strategic and spy assassin scenario stuff in fine detail. But I like the overall family saga, so I kept on reading. Hoping the next book is better.

[Kim_C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was way too long but worth a read

I had my reservations about starting a 700+ page book and a part of me enjoyed reading it, I love how the story is developing and I loved seeing Lars in all his glory BUT this book was too long. If you've been following the series its A LOT of repetition and retelling. The author also has the annoying habit of repeating entire chapters from a different characters point of view and inserting entire pages worth of exerpts which can be so tedious. But apart from skipping the a few chapters because of that I found myself still entertained by the storyline. A lot of the story takes place before he meets Dario then there's a lot of retelling of the last two books and finally a tiny bit of present day romance. I will say that this story is so original and I am still thoroughly enjoying this series and enjoyed this book immensely.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you follow the Mafia Kings series, Lars story can fells quite dry and repetitive of past stories. It is also a bit slower paced than the others where we expect non-stop action, drama, and hot scorching sex. What those books don’t give us is how this man of intrigue and mystery came to be working for the Rossolini family, specifically, Dario. We knew he served time with Dario and what he does for the family, but nothing else. Lars story, while slow, tells us about a very good man who has loved and lost many times. Of exceptional bravery, duty, and honor. And Of being fiercely loyal above all else. While Lars is by far Thorn’s tamest book in the series, so far, I think its love story is the most beautiful one told.

[Slavena Peneva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hesitated for a long time whether to start it, because it was much longer than the other three. It turns out that it is long because it retells a lot of things from the previous three books, which for me personally was not necessary, there is also a before and after of Lars' life. Since it is a standalone book, I don't think it is necessary to go into so much detail, in my opinion. But if there is someone who doesn't like reading long series to get to the conclusion, they can safely skip the first three books and start with Lars. Also, of all the books so far, I can truly say that Lars is the best and I don't regret starting it at all. I see that the rest are still much longer than Dario and Adriano and I really hope that there will be no unnecessary retellings of the books again

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lars and Rachel

This book is huge and covers Lars life from military to mafia. I loved it and could have read another 400 pages lol. Lars is special forces and Rachel is MI6 and both snipers. When they go after a terrorist she located the two eventually begin their relationship. I felt Rachel was using a double standard when she demanded to know Lars employer and where he was going after leaving the service when she never told him her real name or address. Then things get worse when Lars is caught with illegal weapons and put in an Italian prison for 5 years. He meets Dario there and their friendship begins. I loved reading that part. I’m loving this series!

[Ay · Rating 2 out of 5]

varför var denna boken 700s…. 90% av boken är tillbaka blickar och hur Lars och Racheal träffade och gjorde och bla bla bla. Tror jag läste totalt 10% av hela boken och ändå fattade jag hela storyn. De träffas i militären, gör slut för att de joinar något organisation utan att de både vet om det och bossen Alistair ”set them up” och Rachael tror Lars har lämnat henne medan han var i fängelse. Träffas efter flera år och hon är förlovad med Alistair säger till Lars att gå vidare i livet. Kmr till present moment och hon blir anställd av deras farbror och sonen att skytta, men husets väggar är stabila och Lars inser det är hon och istället i en kafe pratar och löser allt och säger i love u.

[Lisa M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long distance love

Lars is the "adopted" brother and it was interesting to hear his back story and find out the trajectory of his life. Lars seemed to have a purpose in the military when he met the love of his life who was also a strong character in her own right. This relationship changed everything about his life's career but reading about their connection, despite their past experiences, and knowing he gave everything up for her showed that my immediate impression of Lars' character in the other books was correct. I wish I knew more of their story after Massimo is injured but I really enjoyed this book and hope we learn more about them in the other books to come.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense_ Intriguing _ and Whew! 🔥

Lars' backstory is finally revealed, and it's a wild ride! From his time in Special Forces in Afghanistan to his fateful meeting with Rachel, a British Intelligence agent, Lars' story is filled with espionage, intrigue, ruthlessness, and cunning.
The connection between Lars and Rachel is intense, and their heated moments are scorching hot! But disaster strikes, and Lars finds himself in prison, where he meets Dario and forms a bond that changes his life.
Overall, Mafia Kings: Lars is a gripping, sexy, and intense read that will keep you on the edge! 🤓

[Jayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Swedish Special Forces fighting in Afghanistan, MI6 Operatives crossing into their sphere - leads to spontaneous combustion when Lars Hendricksson encounters Rachael Bauer! Each constrained by the secretive nature of their line of work, they find a way to see each other while maintaining their operational obligations. There is a lot of back story in this 4th installment of the Mafia Kings in order to fill in how a Swedish native ultimately becomes the closest friend of a Mafia Don to-be and they join forces. Where does leave Rachael - whom Lars comes to think of THE ONE? Action packed, steamy and salty with violence, adult situations, profanity and dark romantic themes.