Unholy Vows

Original Sin #1

by Mila Kane

Forgive me father, for I’m about to sin…
Renato
We never should have met. She wandered like an innocent lamb into my world, and the door slammed shut behind her.
Leaving her alive and free was a risk no capo would take.
I’ll let her live, for a price.
Her freedom.
She isn’t what she seems, but it’s already too late.
I'm obsessed, and nothing, and no one will keep her from me.
A forced marriage, age gap dark mafia romance with a jealous, possessive Italian boss anti-hero and the feisty young nurse that wandered unwillingly into his dangerous world.
Unholy Vows is a standalone dark age-gap romance with a guaranteed HEA and no OWD.
This is a dark mafia romance and as such contains themes which some readers may find triggering. Please read with caution.

Genres: Dark Romance, Mafia Romance, Romance, Dark, Enemies To Lovers, Forced Proximity, Contemporary

444 pages, Paperback

First published November 8, 2023

Reviews

[Noa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Then I'll pray to you. Worship you instead… accept your word as your gospel… if you'll give us a chance to live. Please… please. I'll do anything, whatever I have to do, please."

Charlotte Burke is studying to be an ER nurse.
She has a younger sister who is her whole world.
But what happens when that whole world gets turned upside down.
What happens when Charlotte finds herself having to marry the most notorious man in Atlantic City?
What happens when she has to marry the don of the Italian Mafia.
Charlotte will do anything to protect her sister…
No matter the cost.

"I'd always taken care of my sister and I always would."

She was not supposed to be a part of his world.
She was not supposed to cross his path.
But when Renato DeSanctis, the don of the Italian Mafia in Atlantic City crosses paths with Charlotte Burke.
It's Game Over.
Because what Charlotte doesn't know is that he will never let her go, and he will do anything to keep her…

"You'll do whatever you have to. Whatever I want you to."

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

✨ 4.75 Stars ✨

"When it came to protecting Lucy, nothing would ever be too painful or inconvenient to stop me."

Charlie has always wanted to protect her sister. At any cost. And Ren DeSanctis will do anything to keep Charlotte. At any cost.

"Let's get something straight, right here and now, Miss Burke. You promised to make me your new higher power. Like any cruel and terrible god, when I want something, I take it."

Not me still fanning myself after this book.
I regret not picking up a Mila Kane book before.
OMFG what kind of cartel crack is in this book???
How can I feel both like this is contemporary and dark romance??
Please explain I will take explanations thank you very much!!

"You offered to make me your god, Charlotte. A man like me doesn't forget a promise like that."

First we have Renato. Who is possessive to say the least and the "him falling first" is EVERYTHING!!! I was obsessed with him from the first appearance. He says all the right things (in my opinion). And he literally embodies the "touch her and die" persona and we love that for us. And the banter and flirting that he just naturally has I MEAN COME THE FUCK ON PEOPLE!! And the "little nurse" nickname is just muah *chef's kiss*

"Never say never, bambina. It makes me want to prove you wrong."

"Charlotte Burke was a burst of color against a black-and-white background. She was too tantalizing a prospect to pass on."

"On your knees, isn't that how sinners ask for forgiveness?"

Charlie Burke is a certified badass who will not take shit from anyone and we STAN THAT!! Anything that came out of her mouth I was OBSESSED and she ain't taking no shit let me tell you that. She will do everything to protect Lucy (who I can make a full rant about but I digress) and she doesn't take no crap even with her life on the line and we love that!!! She reminds me of Fiona from Shameless and legit for me that is the biggest compliment not even fucking joking!! I love her and as I always say I will let her run me over with her car, treat me in the hospital, and then run me over again and I WILL SAY THANK YOU PEOPLE!!

"My soon-to-be wife had grit. And it was hot as hell."

Here is the playlist in all it's glory 😊😊:

(Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0rM...)

🎵 "Control" - Halsey
🎵 "Dial Drunk" - Noah Kahan, Post Malone
🎵 "Morally Grey" - April Jai
🎵 "American Money" - BORNS
🎵 "Only One King" - Tommee Profitt, Jung Youth
🎵 "the AUDACITY" - emlyn
🎵 "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody" - Fergie, Q-Tip, Goon Rock
🎵 "Lion" - Saint Mesa
🎵 "RUNRUNRUN" - Dutch Melrose
🎵 "Thumbs" - Sabrina Carpenter
🎵 "Aimed To Kill" - Jade LeMac
🎵 "Little Girl Gone" - CHINCHILLA
🎵 "salvation" - Christabelle Marbun
🎵 "labour" - Paris Paloma
🎵 "Anyone" - Demi Lovato
🎵 "Do It For Me" - Rosenfeld
🎵 "Like A God" - Lia Maria Johnson
🎵 "I Fell In Love With The Devil" - Avril Lavigne
🎵 "You've Created A Monster" - BOHNES
🎵 "birthday cake" - Dylan Conrique
🎵 "Heaven" - Julia Michaels
🎵 "Bigger Person" - Lauren Spencer Smith
🎵 "Cry" - Kelly Clarkson
🎵 "Money, Money, Money" - ABBA
🎵 "Lay All Your Love On Me" - The Butterfly Effect
🎵 "Electricity" - Ashley Jana
🎵 "I Want It All" - Cameron Grey
🎵 "Taste" - Ari Abdul
🎵 "911" - Ellise
🎵 "Devil in Her Eyes" - Bryce Savae
🎵 "DEVILISH" - Chase Atlantic
🎵 "OHMAMI" - Chase Atlantic
🎵 "Young God" - Halsey
🎵 "Harder to Breathe" - Letdown.
🎵 "Castle" - Halsey
🎵 "Don't Ever Stop Running" - Maggie Jean Martin
🎵 "this is how I learn to say no" - EMELINE
🎵 "Not Afraid Anymore" - Halsey
🎵 "Dirty Thoughts" - Chloe Adams
🎵 "Shameless" - Camila Cabello
🎵 "No Mercy" - Austin Giorgio
🎵 "Paralyzer" - Finger Eleven
🎵 "If I Died Last Night" - Jessie Murph
🎵 "Medusa" - Kaia Jette
🎵 "Haunted (Taylor's Version)" - Taylor Swift
🎵 "Angry" - Paravi
🎵 "Smoke and Fire" - Sabrina Carpenter
🎵 "Fire On Fire" - Sam Smith
🎵 "Devil Saint" - Luma, Yuppycult
🎵 "The Devil Is A Gentleman" - Merci Raines
🎵 "I Fell Like I'm Drowning" - Two Feet
🎵 "ever fallen?" - Kate Peytavin
🎵 "You Found Me" - Our Last Night
🎵 "Gangsta" - Kehlani
🎵 "lovely liar" - Stevie Howie
🎵 "You Are Enough" - Sleeping At Last
🎵 "la di die (Acoustic)" - Nessa Barrett, jxdn
🎵 "Praying" - Kesha
🎵 "Cravin'" - Stileto, Kendyle Paige
🎵 "Ruin My Life" - Zara Larsson
🎵 "Ain't My Fault" - Zara Larsson
🎵 "You Put A Spell On Me" - Austin Giorgio
🎵 "Everytime We Touch" - Cascada
🎵 "Pacify Her" - Melanie Martinez
🎵 "Pity Party" - Neoni, Ellise
🎵 "Heavy" - Empire Cast
🎵 "Holy" - Zolita
🎵 "Eat Your Young" - Hozier
🎵 "Goddess" - Xana
🎵 "Killer" - Valerie Broussard
🎵 "Shatter Me" - Lindsey Sterling, Lzzy Hale
🎵 "People Watching" - Conan Gray
🎵 "Do Or Die" - Natalie Jane
🎵 "The Only Exception" - Paramore


And people people people. Mila Kane can write some hot ass dirty talk thank you very much…

"You're attracted to me. Every time you lie about that, I'll make you taste yourself."

"If you think biting me will prevent me putting anything in your mouth, you're wrong."

"You're going to come, and there's nothing you can do about it, anima mia."

💉 Tropes 💉

🖤 Mafia Romance
🖤 Age Gap
🖤 Forced Marriage
🖤 Forced Proximity
🖤 He Falls First
🖤 Hate To Love
🖤 Badass FMC
🖤 Jealous/Possessive MMC
🖤 Touch her and die (and probs worse)

[Hey Lin]

I can't take the heroine of this story anymore. She a dumb bitch 😂😂😂🤷✌ her sister is 19, and is with some douche canoe drug dealer/low level mafia guy. She follows her 19 year old sister who is a dumb bitch as well and gets caught up with the head mafia guy.

She's like "ill do anything to protect my stupid, ratchet, dumb ass, lazy mother fucker sister because she's my sister and no other reason! You'll be my god and ill worship at your feet as such"

What the.....?

Bitch?! Grab his gun while you suck his dick and kill him off. There. Done. No more problem. Finish nursing school and then live yo life.

This book is dumb and I can't hang. So guess what? Chicken butt. And dnf.

[Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS

I don’t need or want a white knight to sweep in and take care of me.” A chuckle left me at that comparison. “I’m no white knight, Miss Burke, as I’m sure you realized last night. I’m the dragon who guards the maiden in the keep and will swallow you whole if you try to escape me.

I have a new addiction and it's name is Mila Kane books. I'm a self proclaimed mafia romance connoisseur. But I'm also a picky sh*t and truly good mafia romance is hard to find. Either the heroine is insufferable, it's shock value for the sake of shock value, or it's not even remotely dark. But this one? This was deliciously dark, with an antihero who was to die for and a heroine who never lost an ounce of her fierceness or backbone. And this girl was so addicted that I'm immediately planning a binge of Mila's mafia backlist. But I digress. Let's talk about this book.

She was an intriguing mix of contradictions. Good and pure, and mercenary as hell.

Charlie has been taking care of her troublesome younger sister since losing their parents years ago. When she follows her sister and her new boyfriend, she lands in deeper trouble then she ever expected when they witness something that they never should have seen. Suddenly Charlie finds herself in the sighs of a devil of a man who's as alluring as he is dangerous. Renato De Sanctis, King of Atlantic City, and the capo dei capi of New Jersey. And Rentato will take nothing less than her soul in exchange for not killing her sister and her for what they saw. Better yet, he'll take her unwilling hand in marriage to keep her quiet. The pesky attraction to the man doesn't stop her healthy fear, but it also makes it that much more fiery.

“Have you ever been properly fucked?”
“Are you asking me if I’m a virgin? I’m twenty-six.” “I’m not talking about a little piece of inconvenient skin. I didn’t ask if you’d ever been pawed by some sucker who was punching above his weight. I meant have you ever been fucked properly… Have you ever seen stars behind your eyes while some lucky bastard pumped his cum into you? Have you ever come so hard, you forgot how to talk… how to breathe?”
“You can’t expect me to answer that,” she muttered.
“I don’t need you to, bambina; it’s obvious. But don’t worry...We’ll remedy that soon enough.”

I loved the development their relationship goes through. Charlie doesn't just fall into lust and forgets her whits. She knows that she made a deal with the devil and she doesn't disillusion herself that he's a good man.

“You tell me to let it go, and I don’t have to worry about paying the bills. Do you think seriously that’ll comfort me? A woman who has worked her entire life to be independent and free? You think I’ve just been waiting for a man like you to come along and save me?”
“I told you already that I’m no white knight, Charlotte. I’m the villain in your story, and no one is coming to cut you free from the belly of this beast. No one.”

Ren was everything I love in an anti hero. He's dark, dangerous, and as possessive as he is protective. The story is fast paced and addictive. I binged on this story and can't wait for more in this series.

ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review

Find me on:

[Soft Nectarine ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

She witnessed a murder and now she needs to marry the big bad Italian capo BUT he is also 17 years older & looking for a new heir STAT 🩺 🤍 ♱ 🖤🩸

She was mine to save, mine to protect, and mine to keep. The power was heady. She really did make me feel like a god.”

Renato Di Santis is mafia elite and at the age of 42 he finds the top…very boring. That is until a Charlie stumbles into his world & HE BECOMES OBSESSED! Things conveniently align for him i.e. he manipulates the circumstances, and Charlie is on the fast track to become his new baby mama 🤰🏽Delicious smut with obligatory mafia kidnappings, spankings and your new book husband!

Charlie 🩺 ♱ 🤍 ♱
-nursing student, rule follower and survivalist
-shedding her religious shame through filthy sex with her mafia husband
-absolutely thrives as a submissive
-switched religions AND NOW WORSHIPS HER HUSBAND (I’m actually not even kidding, the girl prays to him)

Renato 🩸 ♱ 🖤 ♱
- domeneering Capo dei capi
-OBSESSED with his future wife who can do no wrong
-baby-obsessed husband
-loves to put his fingers in wife’s mouth (it’s a whole thing)
-likes to give order like “be on my placemat, pantiless, legs spread, in time for me to come home and eat”

I LOVED LOVED the fiery dynamic between Ren & Charlie. There was something about age gap, mafia danger and religious shame that was just a perfect mix of dark romance for me 🖤🌶️ The breeding kink worked so incredibly well! I actually shrieked at the few fade to black scenes though.

I don’t know if it was his age or what but Renato…….THAT MAN knew how to treat a woman! He praised, adored and spoiled Charlie from the very start even if she was technically kidnapped. Charlie could literally do no wrong. She literally spies on him & he could not care lessssssss


mafia romance
posessive & obsessive mmc
kidnappings
age gap
independent fmc
body betrayal
spanking
bondage
breeding kink
gagging
found family
HEA

[Jen ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

MCs:
- Renato, 42
- Charlotte/Charlie, 26

Book info:
- Mafia romance
- Forced marriage
- Age gap
- Blackmail
- Physical assault
- Death of a loved one
- Violence
- BC tampering
- Breeding
- No cheating, omd/owd, breakup
- Non-virgin MCs (h - had 3 bf, H - no info)
- HEA (with 2 epilogues and twin daughters)


This is your typical mafia story, where the H caught sight of the h and became obsessed, going so far as to blackmail and coerce the h to make her his forever.

Ren. He certainly carried the brunt of this book, and I really love a man who was devoted to his woman that he would stop at nothing to get her and do anything for her. He is unapologetically himself, an anti-hero, and a morally grey character. This man is very confident and powerful, and it's scary to find out how much control he has over everyone. On a positive note, though, it's kind of cool to be on his good side. He did some really sweet things for Charlie, and it was really adorable at times. This guy doesn't take no for an answer, and he gets whatever he wants. He invaded her space, both figuratively and physically, wanting to become as connected with her as she was to him. When it comes to her, he never holds back and was all in when he realized how much he is obsessed.

Charlie. Her initial feistiness and backbone were admirable, and it actually surprises me. For the first 40% or so, I'd say she held her ground. At first, this was entertaining because she was able to match Ren's capacity, and she gives as good as she gets; in fact, I would say that she's the perfect match for him. However, the dreadful body-betraying syndrome eventually came out. In the second half of the book, she lost her fighting spirit as her hormones finally took over. It could also be that she stopped resisting her feelings for her captor/husband at this point because she was starting to fall for him.

Lucy. It was really hard to like this nasty, immature, and selfish brat. I expected she would cause Charlie trouble from the beginning, and boy, oh boy, was I right. This ungrateful girl constantly puts her older sister in danger, and every time Charlie did something to shield her, she had the gall to throw a tantrum, every damn time! They wouldn't even be in their current situation if Lucy hadn't been so stupid, and she had the audacity to be angry with Charlie for agreeing to marry Ren. And her reckless act at the end? That was the dumbest thing she had ever done. I just can't get past it, and she's my least favourite character in this story.

As for the romance, the story goes started as insta-lust and then grew into love. Although they were attracted to each other, Charlie was determined to resist it. In her head, who in their right mind would want to fall in love with their captor, after all? She tried her hardest not to give in to his charms, but Ren wouldn't have any of it and pushed his way into her life. She eventually gave in to her feelings for him and acknowledged that their union was inevitable—she really didn't have much choice in the matter. 😂

Although the plot is nothing new, I still found it to be enjoyable (mainly because of Ren). The book had a lot of violent scenes, some of which I had to skim because they were so detailed. In terms of how the people against the MMC ended, while some of the deaths were anticlimactic, others were so fun to read, they had it coming anyway.

Overall, I had fun reading this. It was a lengthy book, though; it could have been cut down by a few pages. Even so, it was a decent read, and the two epilogues were enjoyable.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a safe reading with no dramas and the same plot.

[Serialbookstarter:Marla · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars because I read half then got bored and skimmed to the end. Charlie the fmc was so ruled by everyone. She needed to kick her little sister o the curb and stop talking to the police. Problem solved.

[Mairi Swan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really good with action and tense moments though I really really wanted to slap the sister. Talk about THE brat!

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Trope: enemies to lovers, forced marriage
Angst: 😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥1/2

This was only my second Mila Kane novel and first mafia romance by her and I really liked it! Great storyline that moved quickly with a relatable heroine. Charlie was definitely a girl who was hanging by a thread, working herself to the bone, trying to provide the best life she could for her younger sister. She definitely deserved to be swept off her feet. I loved how over the top Ren was, definitely a caveman for his girl, lol. The chemistry was certainly there for the both of them. Highly entertaining read!

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great treat of a Mafia snack!

It was very sexy without just being smut, which surprised me actually! It had a few of my favorite taboo kinks (breeding and breast play) IYKYK.. 😉

The sister was endlessly frustrating, but she gets this Forced Marriage going so we can't hate her too much!

4.5 stars
3.5 on the spice scale

Sexy TWs: birth control meddling, dubcon, spanking, bondage, gags, butt plug and more

But surprisingly not heavy handed, I swear! 🤣

[Izzah ꒰Duchess of Cabria ಇ ⭑✧ ᴏɴ ᴘᴀᴛʀᴇᴏɴ ✧ ⋆꒱ · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much wasted potential

Well represent by

the sky was shifting from dishwater gray to pale white, tinged with pink

Let me explain~
・
・
・
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[giulsxx]

➼ DNF 62%

this is my last fucking straw and my 13th reason. such a good way to end the year.
i’ve seen so many good reviews about this book, saying the age gap is well done. since i was in the mood for it, i started this shit, but let me say this…
y’all are liars!!!!!
this book started bad, continued bad and i guess i could say my experience ended badly as well.

╰┈➤ renato de santis is a mafia boss and when charlotte burke—a nursing student—finds herself in mafia’s business after assisting at the murder of her sister’s wannabe gangster bf. renato becomes immediately obsessed with her and offers her a deal: marrying him and carrying his kids, in exchange of protection for both her and her sister.

this man is bloody mental. and don’t you dare tell me it’s hot when a man force you to do things. IT’S NOT!!!!! his povs were fucking mental as well.
let me share a sneak peak of his inner monologue:

”The thought of sinking into Charlotte and ordering her to bounce on my lap while I worked had my cum boiling in my balls. But it was the thought of my soon-to-be wife round with my baby, her nipples large and her breasts heavy with milk, that had me finishing against the wall in ribbon after ribbon of white, coming so hard my balls ached a little in the aftermath.

you get it, don’t you?
i had to take a 3h break due to the cringe.
but if that wasn’t my last straw, chapter 23 did the trick:

I turned to look at him. The sight was absolutely terrifying. He was wearing a sterile glove and had a case of medical instruments set out on the bedside table.
“What are you doing?” I panicked.
“Nothing you didn’t already expect,” he said and dropped something into a metal dish. It landed with a clink. I thought of that sharp prick that had woken me up, the pain just above my elbow. There was only one thing there.
“My birth control implant,” I guessed. “You removed it.”
“Of course I removed it.” He snapped off the glove and balled it up. He then wrapped a stretchy bandage around my upper arm, securing it just tight enough to seal the small incision he’d have made to remove the implant. I’d removed enough of them to know the procedure well.
“You don’t need it anymore,” he continued.

THIS FUCKER IS BLOODY MENTAL.
he removed her birth control implant, with no medical degree or license whatsoever while being unconscious.
THIS was what made me say “enough is enough”.
and for the love of god—i’m speaking to authors—if y’all want to write a book about an italian mafia boss, at least write it in a correct italian. the shit i had to read jesus… i’m taking italian as an example because it’s my first language, but this also applies to other languages as well. do some research!!! and if you do, don’t fucking use google translator!!!!!!!!

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You’re not lost anymore, bambina. I’ve found you, and I’m keeping you.”

This book was a huge surprise to me, I found it randomly while looking for similar books and I thought oh hey finally a mafia book where the cover model looks like he could be Italian and it went from there.

I was immediately captivated by the writing, exciting plot, and likable characters. I kept wanting more and more with every page, and now I'm sad that it's over. But what a ride it was!!!

Unholy Vows has the "marriage out of necessity" trope, and it does it so well because the characters were developed enough to make it believable. Even though they wanted each other, it was almost a slow burn by the time Charlotte felt comfortable enough to be with Renato fully.

Lucy did annoy me at times, but I really hope she gets her own book in the series. I'm also curious about the cameo characters, I think I'll have to read their books too.

Also, at first I thought this was going to be a duology because the author has a few of those, but I'm kind of glad it's a standalone because their story seems complete (for now). No loose ends etc, so now it's time to make the other characters in the universe happy.

P. S. I'll have to get a physical copy at some point because the KU highlights aren't gonna cut it, I need to highlight physically.

4.5

[tyrosine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I audibly yelled “WTF” when I read the scene of this 42-year-old freak cutting out her birth control implant WHILE SHE WAS UNCONSCIOUS

KINDLE UNLIMITED IS A LAWLESS TOWN

[nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
This was really good. Drama free with no third act breakup and an obsessed hero. I LOVE IT. The cherry on top was obv the age gap + mafia romance with a hint of captor x captive vibes. The only thing I hated about this book was Lucy (the h's sister). Nom scratch that...I DESPISED her. The fucking audacity of that bitch I - 🤬🤬🤬 Istfg if I were Charlie, I would have ended that brat ages ago. Like she was so fucking ungrateful for what??? You dumb cunt, your sister has sacrificed so much for you and you have the gall to badmouth her, make her feel guilty and almost get her killed????? WTF. My temper could NEVER. I really wish Charlie would have given that nasty ass brat a reality check and taught her a lesson and some much needed gratitude. Other than that, the entire story was SPECTACULAR. Renato was DADDY and an absolute beast in bed🥵 Charlotte was an amazing character to read about and I loved seeing her grow throughout the book. Giada was a side character I warmed up to as well eventually eventhough I thought she was a bit of a bitch initially lol. Elio, Sonny, Vinny (I think?), the lawyer dude whose name I forgot and the Irish mafia man who was into Giada were all SCRUMPTIOUS as well. I hope they get their own stories - I would love to read them! Though I really hope Lucy doesn't get one - I hope she ends up miserable and alone for the rest of her life😃 I'm most def gonna read more Mila Kane because HELLO that "about the author" section had me sold. A woman that writes about anti heroes that are obsessed with their women, have eyes only for them and no OW drama? COUNT ME IN BITCHESSSSSS🫡

Safety Squad:
- no OW/OM drama
- no virgins/manwhores
- forced marriage
- captor x captive vibes (stockholm syndrome *cough cough*)
- breeding kink
- lactation kink
- mafia romance
- age gap
- silver fox H
- H is obsessed with the h
- spanking, usage of sex toys and LOTS of steamy moments😏
- "I'll take care of you"
- violence, gore, death of a parent (off page), murder, etc (please check the TWs!)

[Allia Reads (semi hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the sister had died, I would have jumped with joy and tears because she was THAT annoying. She frustrated me so much that I had hoped Renato or Castillo would kill her.😤😃

But still, I liked and enjoyed this book, even though it was my first from this author.😙

[Dani (Daniiireads)]

TOD 47%

I skimmed through this hoping for some solid chemistry despite the blackmail/forced marriage and it never gave me that

[Luna ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

»Keep your soul. I'll take your heart.«

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

❥ 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆
She is hard working, strong willed and cares about those she loves. Charlie is an relatable character.

❥ 𝑹𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒐
A dangerous mafiaboss with a soft side for his girl. He is everything a woman could possibly want.

✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
This was an amazing mafia romance with great characters and a thrilling plot.
Mila Kanes writing style is fluent and easy to read. As a reader you can dive in the story without any problems and the pages just flew by.
The plot is thrilling and entertaining. It‘s focused on the love story but has a great side story which was well thought out and interesting.
Charlotte and Renato are a great couple. I liked their tension and enjoyed their dialogue. Renato is obsessed with Charlie and does everything for her. Charlie herself was unsure at first but learned to love Ren. I really liked them together. Both are loyal, strong and passionate.
Overall this was a very good mafia romance with all the right tropes.

𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
Yes, if you‘re in the mood for an age gap, forced marriage mafia romance.

𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓
plot: 5/5
spice: 2/5
humor: 5/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 5/5
happy end?: yes

𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
possessive and protective hero, mafia, instant attraction, lies and secrets, forced proximity, he falls first and harder, morally dark hero, darkromance, family problems, forced marriage, kidnapping

𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: Charlotte (26) and Renato (42)
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: breeding

𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬
Devil Mine - Khai Hara
A Sinners Promise - Kylie Kent
Savage Little Games - Lane Hart
Hunted by a Shadow - Michelle Heard

𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 Unholy Vows ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Brutal Legacy ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[❤️Court - Villains Do It Better❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Pretty good for what it was! It was cheesy at times and I HATED the sister. She never got what she deserved either which made it worse. Heroine was too nice. It was an easy read too. They did lack chemistry for awhile imo, but it got better towards the end.


Safety:

No virgins/manhos

No cheating/sharing

No ow/om drama (a bit wannabe om drama tho)

[Alina Syrotiuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Нарешті книга про мафію, де незабули її описати та не погана любовна лінія..🖤🔥

Шарлотта Берк — 26 років, навчається на медсестру та паралельно працює офіціанткою.

Ренато Де Санктис — 42 роки, капо у Нью-Джерсі.

Почну з головних героїв:

Шарлота або як її часто називали Чарлі, була скромною, відповідальною та сильною духом дівчиною. Вона з тринадцяти років виховувала свою молодшу сестру та дбала про неї. Понад все вона хотіла нормального життя для себе та Люсі.

Ренато має все: надійних друзів та вірних підлеглих, гроші та владу. Він жорстокий, маніпулятивний але справедливий капо, у нього є кодекс честі за яким він живе. В його житті немає лиш кохання…


Шарлотта проходила практику вдень медсестрою у лікарні, а вночі працювала офіціанткою - і все для того аби забезпечити себе та свою сестру Люсі. Але з часом стосунки між сестрами почали псуватися, Люсі все частіше потрапляла не в ті компанії, знаходила небезпечних друзів. І так однієї ночі Чарлі немогла знайти її, тому скористалася додатком який встановила Люсі на телефон та відстежила її. Та ніч змінила все їх життя, вони стали свідками вбивства і потенційними жертвами. Щоб врятувати себе та Люсі від смерті, Чарлі обіцяє віддати свою душу дияволу - Ренато.

Що скажу відразу так це те, що Люсі бісила мене більшу частину книги. Так їй 19 років, але це вже далеко не дитина а її вчинки говорили зовсім інше. Постійно звинувачувати Чарлі, хоч вона просто ратявула їх з ситуацій які ж заварювала Люсі. Можливо це в якійсь мірі був захисний механізм, але як для мене це занадто, я не побачила від неї жодного адекватного вчинку, якщо не враховувати фінал книги.


Любовна лінія: ну що сказати, якщо ви любите одержимого та власницького головного героя, з вайбом «торкнись її і помреш» - ця книга для вас.
Так спочатку їх стосунки не складалися - це і не дивно, адже вони дві незнайомі людини. Але їх динаміка і взаємодія підкорили мене. Те як мило Ренато називав її італійськими словами “bambina”(крихітка) та “anima mia”(моя душа) 😍 або просто те як він допоміг їй позбутися скутості та невпевненості у собі, і повністю розкрив характер Чарлі.
Від його слів у мене інколи були мурашки:

«- Я не лицар на білому коні, міс Берк, як ти напевно вже зрозуміла минулої ночі. Я - дракон, який охороняє діву в замку і проковтну тебе цілком, якщо ти спробуєш втекти від мене. Ти віддала мені контроль над своїм життям, не забувай про це.» (ці власницькі мафіозі🤭🔥)


Загалом книга мені дуже сподобалась, та і прочитала я її доволі швидко. Ієрархія мафії описана гарно, баланс між любовною лінією та мафіозними справами теж прекрасний - все в міру і гармонійно. Є над чим подумати після прочитання, адже всі ми інколи можемо бути як Чарлі - забути про себе і свої бажання, тому Ренато нагадає що потрібно бути інколи егоїстом та обирати себе.
Ставлю цій книзі 5/5⭐️, та з нетерпінням чекаю наступні книги в цій серії🖤

[Lover of Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quickie Review

So Unholy Vows I saw recommended on a booktube video and I have been curious about this author as I have been seeing her around a bit. So I immediately jumped into this one and while I did enjoy aspects of this book, it also had some major issues in the story. The heroine honestly drove me bonkers. I really wanted to love her but just the way she reacted to the hero felt too much because she was confrontational for the WHOLE book and it was so exhausting. It just came off being naive at times for me and I wanted to throw my kindle against the wall more often than not haha I didn't mind the drama with the sister other than wanting our heroine to stand up to her sister more. She needed a firmer hand on the facts of life. I did enjoy the third act though and that was very well done. And I absolutely had a blast with this hero, he was just delightful. I am wanting to read more of this author though as I am intrigued by this world she has created. And this book did engage me very quickly so I did appreciate that.

[Tabatha Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I this took me days to read. I don’t want to hold it against the book but I’m normally a pretty fast reader. The pace just drug on for ages in the first half.

Pacing aside, I liked the premise. I liked the MMC, the FMC wasn’t my favorite but she’s mostly tolerable EXCEPT in regard to her 19 yo sister. The sister, Lucy, is *theeeee most* unbearable part of this story. She’s the definition of TSTL and every annoying or bad thing in this story is in direct relation to her. I hope this author never writes a book for her because she’s beyond stupid and beyond redemption.

There are a few scattered steamy scenes that are all foreplay before they finally get it on. They don’t consummate their relationship until 62%. This seemed unrealistic to me but *shrug*

He wasn’t a manwhore
No virgins
Push away from h
Forced proximity
Forced marriage
Captive
No OW drama
Mild OM drama
No cheating
No sex scenes with others
No sharing
No 3rd act breakup or separation
HEA
Epilogue

Safety - no OW drama. The OM drama is mild, a doctor she works with is an asshat who keeps hitting on her, H puts him in his place. This is pretty safe overall.

[Callie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This surprised me with how I ended up liking it! The beginning was iffy for me since I didn’t know if I loved their vibes but the writing and characters pulled me in!

In a darker romance, I take things with a grain of salt. Obviously you’d be horrified by these things in real life, but in a book I can usually put that aside. 😂

I wasn’t sure I liked Renato for a while. He seems to want her more as an obsession in the beginning, a possession almost, but thankfully that changes to love.

I kind of like that he remains morally gray or bad at times, but softens for her and will do anything for her. And that he’s protective but still let her follow her dreams and career.

I liked Charlotte. She was a caregiver but she had great backbone. She would do anything for her sister Lucy but this did drive me crazy at times. I was happy when she yelled at her and told her this whole situation was her fault.

I wish there was some moments of Lucy not sucking so I could like her more, but I guess that was the point. I’m sure she’d mature with age.

It was definitely insta lust and there’s a few moments I wanted the body betraying syndrome to leave the building, but I can tell their love definitely grew. I wish the middle part of that actual love was longer and some other things cut down.

But I do think the book was well written, made me like the couple, and had some good angst and action!

”Keep your soul. I’ll take your heart.”

Safety:
•triggers: murders, violence, death of a parent in the past, assault, probably more I don’t remember
•romance info: no ow/om drama. Some anger on his side from a doctor she’s not interested in. I get the impression he’s experienced but no real details, he had been celibate for a while, and never in love. She’s had boyfriends but never loved them or had good intimate moments with them.

[Joud · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to find at least one positive thing about this book, but there’s nothing. The characters were weird, creepy, and boring, even the side characters were dull. There was no interesting plot, nothing.

[Natalie ~ The Biblioholic · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first time reading from Mila Kane and I'll be back for more. I loved how possessive and almost out-of-control Renato's obsession with Charlie. Honestly, it was the only thing I really appreciated about this book.

Charlie has been taking care of her sister for years. More a mother than anything else, she's constantly cleaning up her messes and trying to keep her in line. When Lucy's latest mishap puts them on the radar of both the mob and a cartel, Charlie doesn't have a clue what to do. And it's very obvious. Lucky for her Renato took such a shine to her.

Charlie drove me nuts. Her sister drove me nuts. They were just too silly to take seriously. Again, I'm thankful for Renato and everything and everyone that had anything to do with him. I wonder if there are books for the side characters because I also liked them. Giada, Elio and Sonny deserve happy endings too.

[dia · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @22% cringe

[Mia S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mafia romance

This one had so much emotion!!! Ren just writes as just a rough put you against a wall and takes you and will burn the life of anyone that looks at you- so yes my book HUSBAND. I want to give 5, but oh I wanted to just do away with the little sister so many times and truly the last big drama I swear I think I wanted her exit from the book, ugh too much but it might have been written to just see what Charlie deals with- then ok get it but ugh bratty times 10. Still loved the book, loved the mafia, and his crazy rant I think I fell in love!

[vixen ‹𝟹 reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀, 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 + 𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴𝘀 🚩

When Charlie’s sister makes another bad choice, Charlie comes to her rescue, however this time it puts her on the radar of Renato; a mafia man who knows what he wants and is ready to take it. She would do anything to save her sister, and he will use it against her.

After reading bad intentions (<—— read this ASAP) by this author; MK immediately went on my “if they write it I’m gonna read it list”, so I jumped at the chance for this book and it did not disappoint.

If the tropes alone don’t draw you in like they did me, then believe me when I say MK has a gift for describing sexy powerful men to make you melt; and when they speak… it’s full combustion 🥵🥵

If I were to use 3 words to draw you in with this one they’d be “her new God” and it’s everything you’re thinking and more 😈

—— ❗️𝘔𝘠 𝘚𝘗𝘐𝘊𝘌𝘚 𝘉𝘌𝘓𝘖𝘞 𝘊𝘖𝘜𝘓𝘋 𝘉𝘌 𝘚𝘗𝘖𝘐𝘓𝘌𝘙-𝘠 ❗️——

_____________

🏷️ 𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦:
Angsty, Hate to love, He falls first, Italian Mafia, Forced Proximity, Age-Gap (26/42), Forced Marriage, J/P MMC, Touch her & Bye, Alpha-male, Poor FMC x Mafia rich MMC, Sassy FMC

😈 𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗦:
Breedkhink , Hand necklaces, He’s obsessed, Two-Finger pacifier, Dominant-esqe, Self Care, Bondage, Toys, 🔪 Play, Cream Stuffing, Punishment 👋🏼,
🍑 Play, TLC Pampering

🫠 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀:
—> “My wife,”
—> “Use your words.”

🚩 𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗴𝘀 (𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝘆 😉):
Birth control tampering, Dubcon, Kiddnapping, Stalkhing, Blackmail/Devil’s Bargain, Tracker, Knife Branding

⛔️ 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲:
This book contains potential triggers similar to most dark romance books, among others. If unsure always check them first.

𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Original Sin Series
𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞: standalone
𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: dark mafia romance
𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞: Charlie Burke & Renato De Sanctis
𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫: Bambina, little nurse, Anima mia
𝐏𝐎𝐕’𝐬: dual 👩🏻👨🏻‍🦱

——❗️𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚜 ❗️——

[destiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

if there’s one thing about me i LOVE an obsessed mafia man + forced marriage trope

SOMEONE RIP ME FROM THIS REAL WORLD AND DUMP ME IN A MAFIA ROMANCE BOOK BC THAT’S WHERE I BELONG 😩

i’ve seen this literally all over my bestie’s tiktok and i just couldn’t pass it up to read during mafia march. it simply did not disappoint !!

this is a dark mafia romance, forced marriage, nurse fmc, age gap, kidnapping, branding, marking, knife play, breeding kink, cockwarming, possessive, and duo pov 🖤

charlie is so relatable omg 😭 she is in a part time nursing program and having to take care of herself plus her little sister, she just simply had no time for anything else. she’s always on the go and running from job to job. her sister on the hand is a trouble seeker. she lives for the adventure, doing things she’s not supposed to do and falling for the wrong guys. one night, her boyfriend who is a part of the castillo men, brought her to steal something from their rival. she finds herself hiding out at the de sanctis warehouse during this heist and witnessing everything that went down. charlie was looking for her sister and eventually found her and saved her. they didn’t know that the warehouse belongs to the one and only renato de sanctis. when the cameras caught a glimpse of charlie’s face and renato learns her identity, this man did everything and all to have her. he stalked her and placed a gps in her. he would have her no matter what. and when charlie ran away with her sister, renato is right there to snatch her right up and make a deal she had no choice but to take.

GOOD LORD I LOVE RENATO 🥵 that man is so fucking fine it’s ridiculous!! i would’ve folded immediately. charlie is one strong bitch but i felt her melting too 🤭 like who wouldn’t ???? renato babyyyyy come get me please i beg 🙏🏼 i’ll happily give you heirs and live it up in your big mansion

i’m also super intrigued by the rest of these characters omg !!! like kirill 👀 i’ve had his book in my tbr for a while so this just solidified it for me to push it up my tbr. i need to read his book like right now

🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Samantha (bookgramsaga reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

RTC