Donned in Black

by Sara Vice

Donny Valentino is the name that haunts me. This was supposed to be my last hush money payment to a dirty cop, for a crime I didn’t commit. I’ve been tethered to danger since I was a little girl because of my last name. Of course when I see light at the end of the tunnel, it’s stripped from me… by him. A ruthless up-and-coming mob boss who has no business being this hot. Donny’s the guy they call to kill the hitmen. And now he’s trapped me for the rest of my days. I scheme and plan and try to escape, but he’s always one step ahead of me. He’s been hunting prey since I’ve been hiding from mobsters. His hands are soaked in blood, and yet when his silver eyes land on me, I find myself wanting to draw nearer. Donny may be a killer, but he’s a killer with a code. The torture I anticipated never comes. He’s protecting me… from all the things I used to run from. I keep telling myself I’ll win my freedom. But now I realize…I don’t want to. Donned in Black is a standalone spicy, dark mafia, enemies to lovers, forced proximity romance with a HEA. Some scenes include violence and sexually explicit content.

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

216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2023

Reviews

[Susan The Trucker]

Meh

Spoiler ahead.

I can not enjoy a book where the H backhands the h. No. Nope. After that terrible bit, I skimmed the rest to the end. Do not recommend.

[Lacey Jae]

Well… I finished it. So there’s that. 😂

The second the MMC physically abused the FMC early on, I was pretty much OUT. I can handle morally gray, unhinged, questionable men, but that particular flavor is not for me.

Then add in the insta-love? Girl. You fell for this man and got over him putting his hands on you in anger THAT fast?! Only to later realize, “Wait…he’s actually a terrible person,” leave, and then COME BACK?! 😭

I didn’t DNF because apparently I needed to see this chaos through to the bitter end, but this one just wasn’t for me.

Morally gray? Yes.
Red flags? Sure.
Whatever this was? I respectfully decline. 😬

[Patti]

1.5 stars. Was a bit too much drama

[JoAnna VanDorn]

Absolutely disgusting having the MML abuse the MFL!!! 🤬🤬 Dark romance is about the couple doing anything for each other. Not about the leads abusing each other!!! Bring back the good dark romance and stop romanticizing abuse‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

[Patti]

- They seemed to go from enemies to lovers in the blink of an eye. Which I found tacky. And the tackiness continued till I dnf at 51%. I did sneak ahead to read the epilogue before quitting to see if it would change my mind. It only solidified my reasons to stop.
- The steam was lame and honestly cringey.

[Angela Turner]

slapping experience

I’m ok with the Bratva boss/type not exactly being a nice guy but even though they’re not nice, they at least protect the heroine. But I absolutely HATE the “hero” slapping my heroine. Tried to read past it but no dice. Don’t know, don’t care if he’s sorry or even apologized later. Done with this book.

[Alexa Rae Voge]

This was way too cringey 😬

[DSquared]

Strong mafia story with forced proximity romance that blooms

Romance grows organically from the forced proximity of the male and female main characters. The mafia presence is strong with on page violence. Be aware of potential triggers of an almost sexual assault and kidnapping. The MMC makes no apology for his mafia related actions (this reader appreciates that he is depicted as smart, ruthless and committed to his love). The FMC is more than just a sassy brat as so often depicted in this genre- she has strength, smarts, and is in no way naively blind to the reality of a mafia life. A solid story with fairly complex characters.

[Alyx Reese]

Wow that was a ride!

This is my first book by Sara Vice, I LOVED IT!

This is absolutely a dark mafia romance novel. It has plenty of sex, violence, murder, torture, sa, to go around. Surprisingly there wasn’t any profanity, it was a very well written book. The dialogue between the main character and supporting characters was often sharp and witty. The action was fast and consistent and compelling.

All in all this was a great story. I loved loved loved Donny and Ellie’s story, their relationship is everything. They’d burn the world down for each other.

[Mr D]

In A Class Of Its Own

Such a brilliant read! This book is full of dark gritty realism with plenty of plot twists. It wasn’t overtly gory, instead it drew the reader in to empathise with the characters.

A careful balance of believable drama and passion between the two main characters. It kept me interested and guessing on potential plot twists, given the amount of books I read that was like finding a unicorn casually wandering down the street.

I’ll definitely be looking for more from this author.

[Maria]

His family is involved in human trafficking and abuse. Absolutely unacceptable! How can she possibly love him??? She seems to have no morals whatsoever! Would you love someone who sells women and girls to the highest bidder, without a shred of remorse for what will happen to those poor souls?
Well, I was angry and disappointed. It got better halfway through the audiobook. Thanks to some unexpected twists and a major dramatic turn of events, I ended up giving it 3 stars instead of 1.

[Shellie]

Donny and Ellie

This is the first time reading this author and she wrote a great mafia book with an unusual twist. This is definitely enemies to lovers but it’s actually more than that. Ellie and Donny both were broken by their family and needed each other to heal or come together. There are twists and turns and the story line is great. Well done and worth the read.

[Tina Brown]

Good Read!

I just started this series, and the 1st book was a good read. Their love story started out in a dark and dangerous way, but they brought each other through it by fight together. I'm looking forward to reading the 2nd book in this series.

[Lucy-Jane Burns]

It was fine. It's an easy, quick mafia read. 

What really brought it down for me was the fact the MMC backhanded the FMC for saying something he didn't like... UM? Not sexually either, it's not long after kidnaps her. 
Yes, she does hit him back, but idk i dont like it 

[Elle]

I liked the overall story, however I am not sure about the quickness of their love. There was attraction, then a bit tease, then togetherness.

The love scenes were not too explicit for those who like it so.

[Sara]

I finished the book however, nothing the mmc did redeemed him from physically hitting her earlier in the book.

However I do have to say , I don't know if its just me, but the girl on the cover looks really similar to Angelina Jolie

[Brenda]

Good book

An entertaining love story with a rocky beginning. As the title indicates, the story does includes violence. I recommend this book.

[Holly]

DNF 10%

[Brianna]

A wild ride

Keeps you guessing. Could use more spice, but overall great and keeps you guessing what’s to come, whether or not they can make it.

[Tammy Chaneyfield]

Donned in black

I love this book because she was strong woman that didn't take shit.Love that he ever gave up and I will recommend this.

[Alberta]

Decided not for me after 8% read.

[Toula]

Loved the audio book

[Diane Bell]

I loved the book

It was a wonderful read. The ultimate in romance with blood tears terror and intrigue. The best of all HEA. Don’t miss out!

[Elizabeth K]

Overall a good read. I wish there would have been a little more drama, maybe some more action. I felt like the author kept skipping forward to much in between bigger scenes.

[Christy Gibson]

Dnf

[Celia Lee]

Good one

[Meadow :p]

I can’t this girl legit got kidnapped and hit by him and then is like but he’s lowkey hot so she forgives him and falls in love.

[Lynn Porter]

For a free book on Audible, I thought it was stellar. The author gave me so many highs and lows in the short period of time I was fascinated by the book.

[Avery Lennox]

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

[Zhy Vu]

3.5⭐️ quick and cute read. Well not that cute but a good read! Enjoyed the audiobook.