Ruined

by M. James

I thought he was nothing more than a rebellious fling. But now I’m his…with no way out.

Ibiza was meant to be an escape. With my father dead, my brother sent away, and my mother frantically trying to marry me off to anyone who will have me, all I want is to forget all of this is happening. So when my friends give me the opportunity to sneak away with them to the mecca of yachts, parties, extravagance and sin–I take my chance and go.

I have every intention of leaving my worries behind me in Chicago, and my virginity in Ibiza–and David is everything I want. Handsome, charming, and utterly uninterested in anything beyond our brief fling, the whirlwind romance he takes me on is one I plan to enjoy every second of, taking only the memories of it when I go.

But too late, I find out that memories aren’t all I have left of our time together. And when I discover that the man I’m meant to marry is the same one who swept me off my feet an ocean away, that secret becomes something far worse. It could end our unwanted union–or make it impossible to escape.

I thought I’d never see him again. But now he’s my reluctant groom–and I’m going to be his ruined bride.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Mafia Romance, Smut, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

402 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 23, 2023

About the author

Prepare to be captivated by the sensational world of M. James, the mastermind behind a genre-defying realm of romance and intrigue. With a pen dipped in passion and a heart that beats to the rhythm of forbidden desires, M. James weaves tantalizing tales that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

Follow her to the dark side where strong heroines fearlessly navigate treacherous paths and damaged heroes find solace in their darkest corners. Her words will wrap around your senses like a seductive embrace, transporting you to a world where love and danger dance a wicked tango.

M. James resides in the suburbs of Chicago but lives for the big moments that make life interesting. Although writing brings her passion and darkest fantasies alive, watching suspenseful thrillers with her two dogs and loving husband brings her excitement in the most exhilarating way. Nonetheless, getting lost in a dark mafia romance along with a tall glass of wine makes any day a bit juicier.

From enemies to lovers to forbidden romances, M. James' stories of passion, intrigue, and betrayal will keep you hooked until the very end. If your appetite craves the intoxicating prose of Rina Kent or the allure of Sophie Lark, prepare to be entangled in M. James' captivating new series. But be warned, dear reader, for her world is not for the faint of heart. It is a world where inhibitions are shed, and inhibitions are tested. It is a world where passion reigns supreme, and where the pursuit of love can ignite a blaze that consumes all in its path.

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Reviews

[Soft Nectarine ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

underboss’s daughter x mafia heir

When Amalie escapes on a party trip to Ibiza 🏝️ she has all plans to loose her virginity. She doesn’t want to get into an arranged marriage without first getting a taste of that D 🤌 On the island of Sin she meets David tall-dark-and-handsome & you can imagine what happens next…

This book is heavy on the smut so be prepared for minimal plot. The smut is quite varied though so it’s still an interesting read 🌶️ I really enjoyed some of the praise/humiliation moments during their bedroom encounters!

I have to say I disliked the MMC immensely. Aghhh he truly made me angry with how mean and rude he was towards the fmc. His whole problem with Amalie not being a virgin on their first night because she didn’t “act like one” and wanted it too much was a huge ick for me. And the slut shaming 🤦🏽‍♀️

I loved the first and last 10% of the book because David was actually obsessed with Amalie and genuinely cared about their relationship.

arranged marriage 💍
blackmail
virgin heroine
humiliation
hidden cameras 📸
forced proximity
exhibitionism

[andrea.el · Rating 2 out of 5]

was the same author in the room with us???

[Amber Ransley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finally decided to DNF this book 50% through, just didn’t interest me like I thought it would and I got so bored so I had it sitting in my library unfinished thinking I could push through.

[Charlene Gaskins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another rinse and repeat arranged marriage

DNF. Archaic arranged marriages in 2024 in this genre have grown extremely boring and repetitive. The writing was okay and the characters in David and Amalia were what one expects from the arranged marriage/mafia style trope that has been written to death wherein the women must be virgins’ while the men are left to doing whatever they want with whoever they want before and after marriage.

If authors are going to attempt at writing about a subject that has been written about for years, then they need to find something original and more appropriate for 2024. If you are writing about an arranged marriage, then give it a current time frame with a unique aspect involving the characters and the plot.

Two strangers meet in Ibiza, have sex whereas the MFC loses her virginity to said stranger. Both return home to find out they are each other’s arranged marriage partner choices per their family’s decisions… drum roll; so that their criminal families can gain more power, money or to form an alliance.

A little believability goes a long way in fiction. Chances of this happening between two complete strangers are about the same odds as winning the lottery.

[kiera · Rating 1 out of 5]

The sex scene is repetitive. The twisted story of David's past is hard to accept. And the way the male character doesn't even try hard to make it better until the very end is just so annoying and I personally don't think that the L word he said to Amelie at the end are real. It does not sound very genuine. And honestly, their background does not have to be mafia because they don't behave like one. The character as so called "MAFIA" doesn't sit well with David.

[AA · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 20%
As soon as she said she wanted to continue the trip even after being caught by her mother, wanted her not to cancel her card, and starts crying, says yes to blackmail, without even exploring other option, chooses the worst option….I knew she will be a dumb FMC.
Coming across so confident with everything until she faces first problem. Then starts crying at first step like a baby…lol
that’s a waste of time for me.

[Mariana · Rating 2 out of 5]

not for me

[Juls · Rating 1 out of 5]

worst mafia romance ever

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This played with my emotions way too much 😒 and not in a tearful way.

[Jacinda Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great(ish)

I was really enjoy this book until we got to the point in the marriage that everything repeated; the moods, the same scenes but in different ways and the say sort of roughness, meanness and forcefulness as before.

There needed to be a point in between that that Amalie got the power back and that David wouldn't dare forcing her and humiliating her in such a way that it would disgust him. That was the pregnancy but that was a missed opportunity. It should've been her first doctors appointment where he found out the dates and also saw it for the first time. That was a big turning point that wasn't written about and was missed. Reading about a big, tough, dangerous Mafioso crumbling to his true self when they see and hear for the first time is one of the best scenarios to read about.
Even giving Amalie the realisation of using the cameras to tease David would've given her power back but alas another missed opportunity.

I did enjoy the story and the twists. While David's past is outlined, Amalie's is not. We also don't know key details like age.

There are good parts but I like to tell the truth in my reviews so that hopefully the author would read it and know that some of the things that were missed could've made it so much better.

I did enjoy the various scenes although I would've liked some of the scenarios that were spoken about by the characters to be written about. Namely the rear just to see the change in David with his tenderness transformation.

A good book, I've read others from this author, but what I thought was a standalone has a second book attached to it.

[𓆩ᥫ᭡𓆪 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I loved the premise, but the execution, not so much…

I’m reeling at the fact that this story had so much potential, but was mired by repetition and predictability. Please take a shot whenever Ibiza is mentioned for starters…it all became exhausting as the stunted characters grew more and more frustrating.

I loved Amelie’s character at the start, fierce and headstrong but then I grew to hate her as she willed to David’s borderline manic behaviour. No amount of justification could make sense of him and it was dizzying to read their interactions that somehow always resulted in sex. The onslaught of scene after scene of smut grew tiring and SO random, I started SKIMMING over it!

The writing was compelling and was what kept me reading, but the ending felt flat and unresolved. I’m curious for the next book but hope there’s less drawn out misunderstandings!

[Natasha Collens · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this novel I did find it a bit difficult to stay focused on. I was definitely expecting more mafia content since they are supposed to be a mafia prince and princess. I found it hard to connect to since there never was any explanation about her father's death or her brothers exile. I've read other people's comments and while most people seem to hate David I actually enjoyed his character, yes he was a dick to her at times but considering he was acting from a trauma informed place it makes sense. I have to say I enjoyed the smut when they were in Ibiza but the smut in Providence was better, more real. Angry sex is absolutely amazing and shows more emotion than lust sex. I do wish there was more of a storyline, more characters to bring believability to the story. Not sure I will read the rest of the series because this one left me wanting more.

[Chelsea Hackert · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was just to be a spring break fling in Ibiza…….and for Amalie to loose her sacred virginity. When Amalie sneaks away to Ibiza with her best friend and other friends, she’s not expecting to get hung up on one guy and one guy only. David is t expecting to have to one girl in his bed he would rather have as many girls in his bed as possible each and every night. But one night with Amalie has ruined that idea for him. He ends up keeping her for a week due to some unforeseen circumstances of Amalies sneaking away with her mother knowing. But Amalie doesn’t really leave David behind in Ibiza……..What happens when a mafia guy and a mafia girl are forced into an arranged marriage and they have already been together?

[Nithusa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had higher expectations for this book and it just fell flat. The problems between the couple was just meh and could have been solved by them talking things over. I didn’t really feel the chemistry between them anywhere except in bed. Also, the ending wasn’t really that believable. There was miscommunication for the entire book but then they have one honest conversation and they were all good. I also thought the secret David was hiding was going to be bigger and be more justified into why he was acting like such a dick but that didn’t happen either. I felt like this romance was just mostly smut and the plot was meh at best. Definitely a 2.5 🌟 read.

[Michelle Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

David and Amalie- from enemies to lovers to a one night stand into forced marriage. I wanted to love David so much but he was honestly an asshole up until the end!! The story has me on my toes of what he was hiding which all came out in the end. Him being so dominating with Amalie in the beginning had me cringing because she was shrinking herself into a hopeless girl. She did stand up for herself when she tried to run away but it took way longer than it should have. I wish we got more of them happily together but it ended well. Only thing that I didn’t love was the surprise pregnancy.

[Good Booking Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ SPOILERS ⭐️
I don’t typically write reviews, I just rate with stars, but I felt I had to with this one. The spice was definitely spicy and overall, I thought the two POVs were well written and descriptive. But… I could not get past just how cruel, mean, and spiteful the MMC was towards the FMC. It was just a lot- so much so that even though the end was a HEA , I could not bring myself to like him enough to “forgive and forget” how he behaved. I gave three stars because the writing was great, the spice was 🔥🌶️ and I’m glad it had a HEA. All this to say, I’ll be reading Cruel Heir regardless how I felt about this book.

[Crescent Fox Tales · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really thought I was going to like this book up until about half way through ..
There was minimal plot to the story, and what little there was came off repetively..
I feel this book would have received a 4 star review if David wasn't so intolerable, and Amalie wasn't so naive.
Feel like the dynamics between the two characters were out of balance and would of enjoyed something maybe a little more action-packed. But if you enjoy your books with a lot of smut and a small amount of plot, then this is a must read fir you.

[Aliu Wasilat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ohh miscommunication at its finest . Why does David have to be such a dick . He is a certified one at that .
The amount of eye rolling I did , seriously David is insufferable. He is the worst MMC to ever exist .
The spicy scenes were okay , just okay and I hate how Amalie is being treated like a doormat by her annoying husband .
He should do us a favour by not existing honestly . And where is the action that's supposed to be In this "Mafia" book .
I honestly lost brain cells reading this .

[Kiley H · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book itself is pretty good. I enjoyed the ending, and the angst made my heart hurt and happy at the same time.

It definitely felt like there was too much smut, though. It would sometimes happen when it really didn't need to, and it pissed me off how the FL would just go along with it every single time. (And this is coming from someone who thoroughly enjoys a lot of smut in books.)

Other than that, I enjoyed the book.

[Ashley Marie Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 ⭐️

I was really looking forward to this book. But sadly, I was disappointed. There is more smut than plot which I'm not a huge fan of. And the MMC gave me the ick the way he was talking about whether or not she was a virgin, the way he treated her and how he talked about her. I won't be re-reading this one unfortunately. 🫤

[R M · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

3.5 stars
Dark mafia. Alpha hero. Brutal when he wants to be.
But beneath it all, hurting from tragedy.
Amalie is incredibly spoiled and willful and spiteful.
I didn’t really like her at all.
But I do like M James’ dark romances.

[Van Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy more the male point of view. I feel like he was more mature most of the time.

And the FMC, kind of annoyed me the last 20% of the book, but still managed it to finished it.

I really enjoy the first half of the book though.

[Kerry Cullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angsty, dark and addictive

This book was my first for this author and I was so hooked, devoured ina day. I loved that this book had such a dark and twisty story line but it was original. Don’t let the genre fool you

[Ruby Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The spicy was giving!! It was great. I loved it. I do have to agree with some of the other on the review it did get a little repetitive but it was wrapped up at the end perfectly. I was fully invested the entire time. Now I want to read the others!

[rosebt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t like David at all. He’s an entitled as$! He believed he was doing her a favor. Like he’s god’s gift to women. He called her an idiot and he’s cold and mean to her. Just no! And she’s just a doormat. It’s boring.

[Anastasia Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enemies to Lovers

Great story. They were lovers, then enemies and then lovers again. Their back and forth with their hatred, lust and hot and cold attitude towards each other was great. Kept the story moving and they learned to trust each other and fall in love. Great book.

[Kaytea Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book , but I almost wish the ending was closer to the middle so that we could have more of the family aspect . It was so nice to read how they turned their relationship around and I wanted more of that

[Carhira Gerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, this book was amazing

This book was a rollercoaster of emotions. I loved the plot twists and the character and their chemistry especially if u love a good enemies to lovers, you will love this book and I recommend it to you

[Gianna Gavito Southard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is HEAVY on the spice and smut! David’s character while very alpha and brooding was also so incredibly broken, that he held my interest. The secrets he held tugged at my heart strings. Overall a good quick read!

[Mrs.Capone · Rating 3 out of 5]

👂I listened to this book
Firstly....🌶🌶🌶🌶 ALL the spice😅
The back are forth or the couple was kind of annoying at points but I definitely finished the book👀🎉🎉