Dark Escapes

McGowan Mafia #1

by Effie Campbell

I’m supposed to marry the man who killed my mother, but I’ll do anything to escape my fate.

When I flee into the night I’m hoping to find a better tomorrow.

All hope is dashed when Alec is sent to drag me home.

He’s tall, tattooed and ruthless. I’m screwed.

But I fight. Escape after escape, I will make every second of his job miserable.

The more I fight, the more heat sizzles between us, both of us battling to avoid giving into baser desires.

He’s going to return me to my intended whether I like it or not, but will his growing feelings give him a reason to fight with me instead of against me?

Dark Escapes is a stand alone dark romance involving Scottish mafia and adult themes. Heat level is high. Expect one bed trope, other man drama, road trip and plenty of pining and angst with an occasional ‘good girl’ for good measure.

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

274 pages, Paperback

Published May 4, 2023

Reviews

[ReneeReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just ok. Short and spicy. The spicy scenes were great. The plot was….not plotting haha. Kinda cheesy but I’m still going to read the next book 😂.

[Grinning Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Effie Campbell delivers a smashing first novel. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, and will definitely be keeping an eye out for more books by this author.
Here’s the breakdown:
MMC/FMC- Alec and Esther
POV- 1st person dual
Genre- Mafia Romance
Sub Genre- Dark erotic romance
Heat- they do all the things and use the words beginning with C
Language- UK English
Series? Y
Cliffhanger? N
HEA/HFN? Y
Triggers- graphic violence, language, explicit erotic content, s. assault
Tropes- Hot Scots, Arranged Marriage, Bodyguard Romance, Uptown Girl/Downtown Boy
What I liked- the book was action-packed and impossible to put down. The heroine was feisty, intelligent, and determined never to give up. The hero was hot, capable, and fierce. They were a good match. Chemistry? The book nearly set fire to my Kindle.
What I didn’t- I don’t have the next book yet.
Verdict- excellent debut that will be loved by readers who love Mafia romance, heavy on the romance. Recommended.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Zia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot is not plotting.

[RavenReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hooked on the first half, not so much on the second half. I'll eventually read the entire series ❤️

[Talia the book-addict · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star

MMC is basically a wet spaghetti.

FMC’s dad is actually AWFUL? As is the rest of her family to just sell her out to someone like that. What’s worse is that the FMC’s family wasn’t painted as “bad” so it felt very contradictory.

FMC herself is so annoying too.

And the ending…??? What in the Wattpad is going on… also the fact that the MMC spends the ENTIRE book bringing her back to her abusive fiancé and then only once he’s basically put her back in said abusive fiancé’s hands does he change his mind and realised he f*cked up?

Honestly.

[Natasha Niezgoda · Rating 1 out of 5]

The absolute worst book i have read all year. GAWD AWFUL. How you people are giving this 4 to 5 stars, let alone 3 stars, seriously concerns me.

[Nalía Premeru · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book that had UK formatting. So it was very interesting to read. Alec, to me, seemed like a very hard-headed man but I also soon realized that Esther is his weakness and he can give in to her very fast. He is the protector you would want in your life but you would also have to realize that he has a very dark side. Esther, to me, seemed like she had it all but I quickly learned that she is a tough one and that to the outside world, she might seem spoiled but is a very powerful woman. Her runaway path was written amazingly. I feel like it is the first time that Esther actually shows the outside world that she is more than just a mafia princess. Alec becomes a softy more and more but brings out his dark side when needed. Let me tell you, when sh!t went down I was so stressed. And I feel like that scene was rushed. But I did my research and I guess I will get more of the aftermath in the second Book. All in all, this was a great read with a new author on my radar.

💀Dark Romance
💀Mafia
💀Forbidden Love
💀Forced marriage
💀Abuse

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

[Kait · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yikes 😬 There's actually so much of this that I didn't like, I don't even know where to start.

Alec is so bipolar with his emotions towards Esther that he actually gave me emotional whiplash. One second he's treating her like a prisoner and talking to her like she's not even a person. The next minute he's internally battling himself on his feelings towards her and hating that he has to bring her home to someone who's ready to destroy her. Someone he's been willing to take her to because he's jealous of the life she's had.. even though he knows absolutely nothing of her life, just what he wants to believe. I literally wanted to smash his face in.

Let's not even talk about the multiple pet names he gives her.. it felt so awkward and unnatural. And I love how in the end they totally just move on from everything that was caused.. Maeve is left on her own YET AGAIN even though Esther was so concerned about her being left to Harold.. umm what? The back and forth feelings from her was insane.

I own the next three books so let's hope they're better than this train wreck.

[Amanda LeAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hands down was a great mafia book read. Hands down a solid 5 star. Esther, a spoiled bratty mafia princess was being forced to marry Harold, the man who offed her mother and brother, in order to settle the peace between the two families. Harold was a vile man, and the only way Esther knew she could escape him was disappearing for good. She just needed to get passed her hot attractive crush bodyguard Alec. After escaping and running off, Alec was made to find her and bring her back. Did Esther make this easy for him? Heck no lol. Not only did she ruin every one of his plans, but she tangled herself into his heart and had him falling in love with him. So what happens when the bodyguard falls for the bratty mafia princess who’s to be married off to a dangerous man? Read to find out!!!!

Rating: 5⭐️
Spicy: 5⭐️

[Allia Reads (semi hiatus)]

Self note to myself for the whole series:
I asked the author about the safety warnings for the whole series and this is her answer:

Book one and two don’t have any OWD or cheating. Book 3 has cheating (she cheats on her abusive boyfriend with the MMC), book 4 does not have OWD but the book has no cheating as the H has an arrangement with the fiance, their engagement is business only (and he shares the h with his friends) and book 5 doesn’t have have either OWD or cheating.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨𝒜𝐿𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌✨
🎧: Dark Escapes (Book 1 in the McGowan Mafia series)
🎙️: Betty Black & William Macleod

From the surface, she’s the poised and spoiled mafia princess. With her arranged marriage to a monster looming, Esther is torn between her loyalty to her family and seeking her own happiness.

Her escape is planned and her freedom is within reach, but the bodyguard tasked to bring her back will stop at nothing to succeed. But she’s not going to make it easy.

Tropes:
🎙️Duet narration (Scottish accents)
💍Forced marriage
💪🏻Bodyguard MMC
🫂Forced proximity
🚫Touch her & 💀
💰Mafia romance
🛏️One bed
💔Slow-burn revenge
🌶️: open door

The narrators deliver stellar duet performances capturing this angsty, tension-filled, and sizzling forbidden romance.

The narrator channels Esther’s resourcefulness and thirst for a life outside of her gilded cage. Alec needs to prove his worth to the McGowan family, who took a chance on him. The narrator embodies his determination to find Esther and subsequent desperation to keep her.

The chemistry between this runaway mafia bride and tall, broody, tattooed bodyguard is electrifying. Dark Escapes is a globe-trotting adventure exploring the lengths they’re willing to go for love.

Huge thanks to the author and Blue Nose Audio for the listening copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Falling_Into_Ink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this mafia dark romance.

It was sweet spicy and had such a thrill to the chase.

The description of the taverna in Spain really makes me want to go there on holiday!

I think I'll definitely be reading more of Effies work

[Bec Condran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down! Mafia romance with a plot. The way it was written and the suspense of everything.
Can’t wait to get the 2nd book!

[Crazydutchbooklady · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️
The first half was a lot of fun to read. I liked how resourceful Esther was.
It was a bit cheesy and predictable. I also didn’t really believe the romance, probably because it was cheesy.
The story definitely had potential, but could’ve been worked out a bit better.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot had so much promise but didn't quite meet expectations. The ending felt a bit rushed and I'm lowkey mad that some of the main issues were skipped over.

[Katie (Katie's Corner Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75🍁 | 1.5🌶️

Can someone explain to me why I thought this was an RH, and I was only half way through the book when i finally realised that somewhere my TBR recommendations got messed up and the whole series is interconnected stand-alone about the same family and I won’t be getting my RH….

It took me some time to get into the book, I both liked Esther and she was pissing me off. She had balls to disappear but at the same time, the girl had no wits about her. The girl should have devised a plan on how to unalive her future husband and take over his empire. But nah, she was on the verge of being a damsel in distress with her moping around the whole house. Now don’t get me started on her father, that man doesn’t deserve to be a father. Don’t get me wrong I’ve read my share of irredeemable ahole fathers, but this man somehow is topping the charts! At least with other guys if they would propose such a union they didn’t care about their daughter, but it seems like Malcolm did care about his kids, but for some reason he cared more about all others and not Esther. Why was he even contemplating to literally bring his daughter to a slaughter just so his other kids would survive (which honestly I’m pretty sure Harold would have never upheld his end of the deal).

Alec, Alec, Alec, our MMC was one one huge red flag trying to pass as a green one. The dude seriously thought that paying off his house was more important than his friends sister… What kind of friend are you? Also her brothers offering a bounty for him to bring her back? That whole family needs a lobotomy!

If you’re reached up till here, well with all my rant I did enjoy the book, especially once it started to pick up and those spicy scenes!!! I was melting! Will I finish off the series? I will for sure!

[Bronde DiRollo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Effie Campbell is surely not from Glasgow.

Esther caught the “red eye” to Madrid - girl the flight is about 2 hours..
Everyone has guns???? Sorry no they don’t??
The most ABRASIVE use of the words “aye” and “pal” made this borderline unreadable
OF COURSE there is a character called Jock 🙄🙄🙄🙄

[Heather Roue · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5⭐️
4/5🌶️

[Cassandra Doon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book: Dark Escapes
Read By: Ebook
Author: Effie Campbell
Narrator: N/A
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Main Characters: Claire
Recommend: Yes
Spice: 🌶️️ 🌶️️ 🌶️️
Age recommendation: 18-30+ Years
My feelings:

‘So nothing out of the ordinary happened at all?’

I love love love verbal banter! Its honestly is like my bread and butter for a book.

‘I was figuring it out. You know nothing about me. Your head is so far up your ass you only see what you think to be true.’

This book was full of it.

“Heat arose in my cheeks as I looked down and watched him inside me, his tattooed fingers pressing me down firmly while my legs were splayed wide. It was intoxicating.”

I Really enjoyed this! Reminded me of Painted Truths which I also loved! Holding high hopes for this author for the future.

‘At least you have a family. No ones cared about me since I was four years old. You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t give in to your pity party. Lots of people have shitty marriages to shitty people.’

[D. L. Foley | My Last Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

In Short: An enjoyable super spicy forced proximity.

General Thoughts: I read the fifth book in this series first, and then I went back to read the first one. This book is super spicy, so know that going in. If that's your jam, perfect. If not, keep it moving. The spice doesn't overtake the plot. There definitely still is a story and a plot, but the spice is very very detailed and very frequent.

I enjoyed this one. A lot of people I know love Effie Campbell. This was her debut. I think she's gotten stronger as a writer as the series goes one based on her later books I've read. Again, I read this out of order. But this was an enjoyable book and a great debut all the same.

Spice Meter: ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 It was definitely spicy.

Romantic Tropes:
-dual POV
-dark mafia
-forced proximity
-dislike to like
-spicy!

You can also find me on Insta @mylastromancenovel.

[LainieLibrary · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 Stat - DNF @ ~45%

Just no. I'm surprised I made it to 45%. It was intriguing enough at the beginning - FMC (mafia princess) is sold off to marry some nasty old mafia head (he killed her mother???) and runs off. Alec, a lower level guard (?) works for her father and is sent off to bring her back. He finds her in Spain and is attempting to drag her home (she's making this extremely difficult). Of course, they have this attraction between them and can't help but hook up with each other in the midst of the cat and mouse chase/constant fighting.

It's not even well done. So lackluster - both MCs have the depth of a puddle. Their attraction is based on both being hot (which, sure, that's the basis of 99% of books in this genre but this felt especially thin and lacking). The chase is extremely repetitive and I find myself not caring.

[Read.and.Blossom · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

My first book by this author and it was a buddy read with my friend.

I enjoyed it a lot! I technically binged read it. I started last night and finished it around noon.

I loved our MCs. They both are different from what they seem like. The FMC was my fav hahha. She was funny and very smart. I loved the way she thought and all the plans she tried. A bit unhinged but honestly very needed for what was happening.

I was worrying how everything would work out but I was revealed how it played out. I was glad how the ending turned out. It was actually what I hoped would happen.

[Brooklyn Lowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you do when you’re forced to marry the head of the rival mafia? Get on your knees for your guard who is the enforcer for your family and once he’s blissed out… run. And keep running. But what happens when the enforcer comes to find you? He punishes you.

The banter. The back and forth. I laughed. It was tense. The lengths Esther goes to not return home is brave, extremely laughable.

This is book 1 in the McGowan Mafia series… and I can’t wait to read the next one!

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this for free today on the dark romance stuff your kindle day.
It was ok, it was a quick read. Not sure yet if I’ll continue the series.
No owd in this book.

I’m not really a fan of UK based books though, even though I’m from the UK I just prefer my books to be set anywhere but here. This is my own fault though because I knew it was going to be set in the UK when I started so that’s on me.

[Allyse Reinauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m glad I kept going after the first 15% or so. I think the editor maybe put an original version of the 1st chapter in because it was riddled with mistakes, but the rest of the book wasn’t bad for grammar (just a few spots).

The storyline was good, but it took a long time to get where we were going but there were some good spicy scenes along the way so I won’t complain too much.

[Lauren * · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esther and Alec

So this is a new to me author and I really enjoyed this book. Can’t wait to start the next one in the series. There are a few things that were kinda cringey in the book but overall it was fun. I like Esther more than Alec. Sometimes I wanted to shake him because I felt like he was too soft. She had the fight in her that made me love her character. Can’t wait to see what happens with the family next!

[Stray Starling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Promptly buying the next two books in the series.

[Debra Johnson]

Prch Amz Feb. 26, 2024

[Stephanie Lucia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry Effie but I renamed your FMC to Amy because I hated Esther.

[Jade Mollard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book, I liked the storyline. Nice, easy, smutty read lol