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The Lost Boys of Hell's Kitchen #5
The Blue Viper
A monster set a trap, and I fell right in.
I’m the heir of the Brooklyn Mafia and I’ve always followed the rules of my family. I made one mistake, and gave in to my desires with a beautiful stranger. Now he’s everywhere … and he won’t let me go. Finn Callahan is an ex-con from the Irish Mob, and he’s telling me I have to do every depraved thing he wants, or he’ll tell my secret. If the Mafia finds out I’m gay, I’m dead. In two months, I’m supposed to marry the daughter of the Don of the Brooklyn Mafia. This is not only my duty to my family, but a vow I can’t break. My fiancée is counting on me to protect her from the monsters of our world. Monsters like him. He says he owns me. When I run, he chases. When I fight, he fights harder. No matter what I do, I can’t win. Finn Callahan fights dirty and surrender is sweet.
I’m the heir of the Brooklyn Mafia and I’ve always followed the rules of my family. I made one mistake, and gave in to my desires with a beautiful stranger. Now he’s everywhere … and he won’t let me go. Finn Callahan is an ex-con from the Irish Mob, and he’s telling me I have to do every depraved thing he wants, or he’ll tell my secret. If the Mafia finds out I’m gay, I’m dead. In two months, I’m supposed to marry the daughter of the Don of the Brooklyn Mafia. This is not only my duty to my family, but a vow I can’t break. My fiancée is counting on me to protect her from the monsters of our world. Monsters like him. He says he owns me. When I run, he chases. When I fight, he fights harder. No matter what I do, I can’t win. Finn Callahan fights dirty and surrender is sweet.
261 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 16, 2024
51 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
About the author
Bella Barnes
5 books44 followersI live in Texas with my twins and Mr. Barnes. I work full time and write steamy mafia stories when I should be asleep.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
October 10, 2024
Tropes: failed one night stand, dark romance, mafia/mafia, arranged marriage (but not between mmc's)
Feels: 3/5
Steam*: 3.5/5
Kinks: lots of toys, cum play, semi public sex
Angst: medium/high
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: Child CSA (past), child abuse, forcing child to murder, violence, murder, cheating (with each other, but there's also Finn getting an aborted bj from a woman)
3.5 Stars
Dante is 21, he is the son of the underboss of an Italian mafia family and he's engaged to the daughter of the mafia Don. He's a virgin. He's not really attracted to his fiance Juliana, but he's been close friends with her and her sister for years and he's protective of them and he knows she'll be better off married to him so he's going to go through with the wedding. He and Juliana are in an open relationship kind of, he's the one encouraging her to live her life and not feel like she has to save herself for him. But he's not interested in anyone really himself. Until he meets Finn.
Finn is 23, he just got out of prison where he did three and a half years. He's part of the Irish mob and he does hacking and security stuff. Finn has a really dark past where he was a victim of CSA and forced to murder from a really young age as a child. They meet when Dante and his friends sneak into Finn's welcome home from jail party. Finn and Dante have an instant chemistry when they lock eyes, and they get off together but Dante runs off after. Finn wants to chase him down afterwards, but that doesn't end up being necessary because the Italian mafia brings in Finn to do some work for them and they meet again. Finn doggedly pursues Dante even though Dante is trying to be good and stay away from him. They give in to their attraction and start hooking up, but Dante see this is having an expiry date whereas Finn is determined to make Dante his from the get-go.
Dante feels like they can't be together because he's committed to marry and he feels he would get killed if he backs out and he doesn't really want to anyway because he cares about his and the girl's future. He's also afraid to come out as gay because the mafia world is homophobic. Things come to a head and get complicated and bloody as the wedding is upon them.
This was an okay book. The sexual chemistry between the characters was great. I liked how unhinged Finn was and how 100% committed to Dante he was. I have a weakness for that kind of character! And there was some decent complexity to the plot.
I didn't love how the book resolved the conflict, Dante taking the role he did in the mafia seemed out of character, because he's been nothing but innocent and hesitant to get involved in the bloody work, so I don't see him as long-term being up for the life. Dante was a bit of an inconsistent, wishy-washy character. Not my favorite character. Him falling in love all of a sudden was too fast to me. I feel like this book also would have been better if there had been an age gap and at least one of them was older and more mature, it would have made the badass mafiosa stuff be more realistic. There were a few typos. Overall it was very entertaining though.
Some notable moments:
"His weight crushes me as he catches his breath, spreading our stickiness between our bodies. We stare at each other, chests heaving. “Holy Shit.” He groans, staring into my eyes. “Just so we're clear, you’re mine now.”"
The way I giggled at the hostage situation line. "He’s everywhere. Every time I close my eyes, I hear myself screaming in pleasure as he rips it from me. Every time my phone rings or a new text dings, I feel my stomach flip in fear, in arousal. Anticipation and anxiety it’s all the same feeling now. He keeps sending me texts. He’s crazy. This isn’t a romance; this is a hostage situation."
"He smirks. “Have you ever heard the saying, when you love someone, let them go and if they return to you it was meant to be and blah, blah, blah?” “Yeah.” “It's bullshit. When you love someone, you wreck house. You destroy fucking everything you have to.” He clinks his beer with mine."
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
Feels: 3/5
Steam*: 3.5/5
Kinks: lots of toys, cum play, semi public sex
Angst: medium/high
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: Child CSA (past), child abuse, forcing child to murder, violence, murder, cheating (with each other, but there's also Finn getting an aborted bj from a woman)
3.5 Stars
Dante is 21, he is the son of the underboss of an Italian mafia family and he's engaged to the daughter of the mafia Don. He's a virgin. He's not really attracted to his fiance Juliana, but he's been close friends with her and her sister for years and he's protective of them and he knows she'll be better off married to him so he's going to go through with the wedding. He and Juliana are in an open relationship kind of, he's the one encouraging her to live her life and not feel like she has to save herself for him. But he's not interested in anyone really himself. Until he meets Finn.
Finn is 23, he just got out of prison where he did three and a half years. He's part of the Irish mob and he does hacking and security stuff. Finn has a really dark past where he was a victim of CSA and forced to murder from a really young age as a child. They meet when Dante and his friends sneak into Finn's welcome home from jail party. Finn and Dante have an instant chemistry when they lock eyes, and they get off together but Dante runs off after. Finn wants to chase him down afterwards, but that doesn't end up being necessary because the Italian mafia brings in Finn to do some work for them and they meet again. Finn doggedly pursues Dante even though Dante is trying to be good and stay away from him. They give in to their attraction and start hooking up, but Dante see this is having an expiry date whereas Finn is determined to make Dante his from the get-go.
Dante feels like they can't be together because he's committed to marry and he feels he would get killed if he backs out and he doesn't really want to anyway because he cares about his and the girl's future. He's also afraid to come out as gay because the mafia world is homophobic. Things come to a head and get complicated and bloody as the wedding is upon them.
This was an okay book. The sexual chemistry between the characters was great. I liked how unhinged Finn was and how 100% committed to Dante he was. I have a weakness for that kind of character! And there was some decent complexity to the plot.
I didn't love how the book resolved the conflict, Dante taking the role he did in the mafia seemed out of character, because he's been nothing but innocent and hesitant to get involved in the bloody work, so I don't see him as long-term being up for the life. Dante was a bit of an inconsistent, wishy-washy character. Not my favorite character. Him falling in love all of a sudden was too fast to me. I feel like this book also would have been better if there had been an age gap and at least one of them was older and more mature, it would have made the badass mafiosa stuff be more realistic. There were a few typos. Overall it was very entertaining though.
Some notable moments:
"His weight crushes me as he catches his breath, spreading our stickiness between our bodies. We stare at each other, chests heaving. “Holy Shit.” He groans, staring into my eyes. “Just so we're clear, you’re mine now.”"
The way I giggled at the hostage situation line. "He’s everywhere. Every time I close my eyes, I hear myself screaming in pleasure as he rips it from me. Every time my phone rings or a new text dings, I feel my stomach flip in fear, in arousal. Anticipation and anxiety it’s all the same feeling now. He keeps sending me texts. He’s crazy. This isn’t a romance; this is a hostage situation."
"He smirks. “Have you ever heard the saying, when you love someone, let them go and if they return to you it was meant to be and blah, blah, blah?” “Yeah.” “It's bullshit. When you love someone, you wreck house. You destroy fucking everything you have to.” He clinks his beer with mine."
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2024
4⭐️ 3.5 🌶️
Finn and Dante are a match made in chaos. A recently released inmate and member of the Irish Mob meets the good boy heir to the Italian Mafia.
While the story is a bit predictable if you read mafia romances, it’s still fun and entertaining. It reminds me of the dynamic between Niko and Brandon (God of Fury by Rina Kent) where there is kind of a cat and mouse chase for most of the book.
This isn’t as dark as most mafia romances are but there are definitely some triggers and content warnings to be looked at before diving in. These can be found on the authors website!
I really enjoyed the way the character growth took place. It wasn’t forced or sped up for the plot even though things happen really quickly near the end. It wasn’t rushed.
Though this is the 5th book in the series, it can be read as a complete standalone.
I had fun.
Read it.
Okay, bye.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but this is my honest and voluntary opinion! 🖤
Finn and Dante are a match made in chaos. A recently released inmate and member of the Irish Mob meets the good boy heir to the Italian Mafia.
While the story is a bit predictable if you read mafia romances, it’s still fun and entertaining. It reminds me of the dynamic between Niko and Brandon (God of Fury by Rina Kent) where there is kind of a cat and mouse chase for most of the book.
This isn’t as dark as most mafia romances are but there are definitely some triggers and content warnings to be looked at before diving in. These can be found on the authors website!
I really enjoyed the way the character growth took place. It wasn’t forced or sped up for the plot even though things happen really quickly near the end. It wasn’t rushed.
Though this is the 5th book in the series, it can be read as a complete standalone.
I had fun.
Read it.
Okay, bye.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but this is my honest and voluntary opinion! 🖤
April 6, 2024
Takie książki o mafii to jest to
October 25, 2024
5/5⭐️ ——arc review——
Literal perfection! I swear that’s what this book is. Mafia, mm, and forbidden love romance hits every time!
Dante, the soon-to-be Don, has to marry the current Don’s daughter in order to save her from horrible life under her father, but also to gain the title of “Don.” His friends and him crash a welcome party, honoring the return of an ex-con, Irish mob man. And that’s where he meets Finn.
Finn just got out of prison and when he sees Dante for the first time, he immediately becomes obsessed and has to have him…again…and again…and again. Finn knows their forbidden fling is on the clock, and he thinks he’ll be able to leave Dante, but what happens when he finds himself unable to do so?
Oh. Em. Gee. When I tell y’all this book had me giggling and squealing, I mean it. I’ve always loved obsessive men in mf romances, but when you got two obsessive men, I jump for joy. Finn was so crazy for Dante and Finn’s inner monologues are so funny. My heart really goes out to Dante and his struggles with choosing the mafia and his family or choosing Finn. It’s a tough decision. But their little heartfelt moments together were so cute. I read this book fast and enjoyed every millisecond of it. I haven’t enjoyed a book like this in a while and I need to find more books like this one. The side characters have peaked my interest and now I really want to read the books before this one. I 10/10 recommend this book for dark romance, mafia, and mm romance lovers, who also enjoy A TON of forbidden romance. The secret touches and gestures are EVERYTHING. I’ve read a lot of mafia, mm romances, and this one has to be one of my favorites.
Tropes:
-Mafia x Irish Mob romance
-MM romance
-Forbidden love
-Touch him and 💀
-Obsessive MMCs
Literal perfection! I swear that’s what this book is. Mafia, mm, and forbidden love romance hits every time!
Dante, the soon-to-be Don, has to marry the current Don’s daughter in order to save her from horrible life under her father, but also to gain the title of “Don.” His friends and him crash a welcome party, honoring the return of an ex-con, Irish mob man. And that’s where he meets Finn.
Finn just got out of prison and when he sees Dante for the first time, he immediately becomes obsessed and has to have him…again…and again…and again. Finn knows their forbidden fling is on the clock, and he thinks he’ll be able to leave Dante, but what happens when he finds himself unable to do so?
Oh. Em. Gee. When I tell y’all this book had me giggling and squealing, I mean it. I’ve always loved obsessive men in mf romances, but when you got two obsessive men, I jump for joy. Finn was so crazy for Dante and Finn’s inner monologues are so funny. My heart really goes out to Dante and his struggles with choosing the mafia and his family or choosing Finn. It’s a tough decision. But their little heartfelt moments together were so cute. I read this book fast and enjoyed every millisecond of it. I haven’t enjoyed a book like this in a while and I need to find more books like this one. The side characters have peaked my interest and now I really want to read the books before this one. I 10/10 recommend this book for dark romance, mafia, and mm romance lovers, who also enjoy A TON of forbidden romance. The secret touches and gestures are EVERYTHING. I’ve read a lot of mafia, mm romances, and this one has to be one of my favorites.
Tropes:
-Mafia x Irish Mob romance
-MM romance
-Forbidden love
-Touch him and 💀
-Obsessive MMCs
February 13, 2024
✨ARC REVIEW✨
📚⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🌶️🌶️.5
* MM Romance • Mafia/Irish Mob • Forbidden Love • Virgin Hero/Obsessed Hero • Dub-con • Somnophilia •
CW/TW: CSA (recounting)
This was a quick read, only about 250 pgs. It had its good moments, I liked the plot. Dante is a 21 year old college student who’s engaged to be married and is slated to be the next Don of the Brooklyn Mafia. Finn is a 23 year old ex con hacker genius who just got out of prison and is bi. Their first encounter leads Finn to giving Dante his first gay experience, albeit reluctantly.
Dante can’t be gay because his future father-in-law and current Don of the Brooklyn Mafia would have him killed. And bring the good Catholic boy he is, Dante has suppressed his sexuality his entire life. He’s the golden child, the good boy who’s going to do what gets told… until Finn.
Finn basically drags Dante out of the closet. There’s lots of male aggression and strong sexual chemistry in this book.
For the subject matter covered, I felt there was more story to be told, more angst that was needed, and more reluctance on Dante’s part to embrace his queerness. He seems to accept it and come completely out to everyone in his life too quickly.
The spice was spicy. Lots of great variation and some good description.
Jumping into the middle of a series is usually difficult, but this one stood as a standalone pretty well.
📚⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🌶️🌶️.5
* MM Romance • Mafia/Irish Mob • Forbidden Love • Virgin Hero/Obsessed Hero • Dub-con • Somnophilia •
CW/TW: CSA (recounting)
This was a quick read, only about 250 pgs. It had its good moments, I liked the plot. Dante is a 21 year old college student who’s engaged to be married and is slated to be the next Don of the Brooklyn Mafia. Finn is a 23 year old ex con hacker genius who just got out of prison and is bi. Their first encounter leads Finn to giving Dante his first gay experience, albeit reluctantly.
Dante can’t be gay because his future father-in-law and current Don of the Brooklyn Mafia would have him killed. And bring the good Catholic boy he is, Dante has suppressed his sexuality his entire life. He’s the golden child, the good boy who’s going to do what gets told… until Finn.
Finn basically drags Dante out of the closet. There’s lots of male aggression and strong sexual chemistry in this book.
For the subject matter covered, I felt there was more story to be told, more angst that was needed, and more reluctance on Dante’s part to embrace his queerness. He seems to accept it and come completely out to everyone in his life too quickly.
The spice was spicy. Lots of great variation and some good description.
Jumping into the middle of a series is usually difficult, but this one stood as a standalone pretty well.
February 9, 2024
Thanks to @theauthoragency and @bellabarnesauthor for providing me with an e-ARC of "The Blue Viper" to review ✨️
This story was a journey. First of all, Bella Barnes has a wonderful writing style, world building, and dialogue management. Everything is very detailed but easy to read, fast paced and very organic throughout the story. She owns the story during its development and I think that makes her a very complete author.
Her main characters are very well written, with a well-done background and motivations; I personally couldn't connect with Finn at all, but I really liked Dante. Their relationship evolved very well, but it was pretty twisted (to be honest, I have mixed feelings on this part). The supporting characters were also good, but I would have loved to see more of some of them, like Nicco and Julianna.
I want to put special emphasis on the conflict between both MCs, because this was the best part of the story. How they both fight against their beliefs and traditions. It felt natural, real, provided a sense of humanity, and made these two guys three-dimensional. This is the reason (aside from the wonderful writing) four stars.
Overall, this is a good story (wonderful writing, good dialogue, good characters), but it's not for everyone, and I consider that a pretty essential point. Dark romance is not for everyone. And the themes this story touches on, including the dynamics between the main characters, can be very triggering for some people. If you like dark romance, I can assure you that you will like it because Bella has a unique way of telling stories.
This story was a journey. First of all, Bella Barnes has a wonderful writing style, world building, and dialogue management. Everything is very detailed but easy to read, fast paced and very organic throughout the story. She owns the story during its development and I think that makes her a very complete author.
Her main characters are very well written, with a well-done background and motivations; I personally couldn't connect with Finn at all, but I really liked Dante. Their relationship evolved very well, but it was pretty twisted (to be honest, I have mixed feelings on this part). The supporting characters were also good, but I would have loved to see more of some of them, like Nicco and Julianna.
I want to put special emphasis on the conflict between both MCs, because this was the best part of the story. How they both fight against their beliefs and traditions. It felt natural, real, provided a sense of humanity, and made these two guys three-dimensional. This is the reason (aside from the wonderful writing) four stars.
Overall, this is a good story (wonderful writing, good dialogue, good characters), but it's not for everyone, and I consider that a pretty essential point. Dark romance is not for everyone. And the themes this story touches on, including the dynamics between the main characters, can be very triggering for some people. If you like dark romance, I can assure you that you will like it because Bella has a unique way of telling stories.
February 11, 2024
“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺 𝘧𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰.”
5/⭐️
3/🌶️
This is my first book by Bella and I’m already obsessed with her writing! I can’t wait to read the rest of this series!
Dante is engaged to the Don of the Brooklyn Mafia’s daughter. He’s in line to be the next Don, while still studying in school. He meets Finn, who just got out of prison and is part of the Irish mob. Finn wants Dante, but Dante is too afraid to admit how he feels. This is a spicy, mm romance with some suspense and twists.
Y’ALL THIS BOOK! I was giggling, blushing, screaming. The jealousness, the possessiveness, the spice. Omg I love Dante and Finn so much! Finn knew what he wanted and he was not going to let Dante push him away. I loved how Finn was always helping Dante. “𝘏𝘪, 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯. 𝘞𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺.” 🤭🤭
I’ve been on a huge MM kick, and this did not disappoint. The spiiiiiice omg 🥵 Dante learning, and them exploring/figuring it out together. “𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘺” 🫠
I loved the suspense and twists too. I definitely wasn’t expecting how everything went down. I loved the side characters, and seeing everyone involved. I’m super stoked to go back and read this series 🫶🏼
tropes - mm, mafia/mob, forbidden, enemies to lovers, virgin hero/obsessed hero
5/⭐️
3/🌶️
This is my first book by Bella and I’m already obsessed with her writing! I can’t wait to read the rest of this series!
Dante is engaged to the Don of the Brooklyn Mafia’s daughter. He’s in line to be the next Don, while still studying in school. He meets Finn, who just got out of prison and is part of the Irish mob. Finn wants Dante, but Dante is too afraid to admit how he feels. This is a spicy, mm romance with some suspense and twists.
Y’ALL THIS BOOK! I was giggling, blushing, screaming. The jealousness, the possessiveness, the spice. Omg I love Dante and Finn so much! Finn knew what he wanted and he was not going to let Dante push him away. I loved how Finn was always helping Dante. “𝘏𝘪, 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯. 𝘞𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺.” 🤭🤭
I’ve been on a huge MM kick, and this did not disappoint. The spiiiiiice omg 🥵 Dante learning, and them exploring/figuring it out together. “𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘺” 🫠
I loved the suspense and twists too. I definitely wasn’t expecting how everything went down. I loved the side characters, and seeing everyone involved. I’m super stoked to go back and read this series 🫶🏼
tropes - mm, mafia/mob, forbidden, enemies to lovers, virgin hero/obsessed hero
February 19, 2024
I will preface that I have not read a mafia romance in awhile, but I really really enjoyed this story. I was so excited to read an MM Mafia romance and this book did not disappoint. I loved the dynamic between Dante and Finn. The push and pull, the chemistry, HOT. Finn was by far my favorite character. He was the possessive in all the right ways. By the end I wanted more of their relationship. 10/10 recommend.
February 2, 2024
If you love mafia, bi awakening, and morally grey but lovable guys, just read this! You will love Dante and Finn so much. I read this without putting it down. Great writing!
February 16, 2024
4.5 stars
This was my first book by the author, and I'm definitely hooked on Bella's writing style and storytelling! I haven't read a ton of MM outside of why choose, and I'm so glad I took a chance on it!
I loved the depth to Dante and his sense of duty. I thought his awakening and struggle to come to terms with that was done very thoughtfully. Finn on the other hand was unapologetically himself, good/bad/a little OTT, and in loved him for it!
I can't wait to read more!
This was my first book by the author, and I'm definitely hooked on Bella's writing style and storytelling! I haven't read a ton of MM outside of why choose, and I'm so glad I took a chance on it!
I loved the depth to Dante and his sense of duty. I thought his awakening and struggle to come to terms with that was done very thoughtfully. Finn on the other hand was unapologetically himself, good/bad/a little OTT, and in loved him for it!
I can't wait to read more!
February 16, 2024
The Blue Viper
By Bella Barnes
The Blue Viper is written in first person POV, alternating between Dante and Finn. I do not read a lot of MM romance books but this one was everything I would have wanted or expected. I have read some prior to this that seem to be more focused on steamy scenes than actually creating characters and plots. The Blue Viper developed in-depth characters in Dante and Finn, in my opinion. I felt the emotions between the both of them from Barnes’ writing. This book was not all about sex; the characters’ backgrounds were well laid out, and after they met each other the development continued.
Dante is in the Italian mafia and Finn is a former Irish mob member. This is a forbidden relationship for those reasons, obviously. However, another level adds to it when you consider the Italian mafia does not tend to be welcoming to gay men. The writing of Dante’s internal dialogue was amazing because I felt his agony, torn with desire as I read his thoughts throughout this book. He can admit to himself he’s attracted to Finn but he knows everything he’s been taught says his feelings are wrong and immoral. He struggles with this quite a bit with his sexuality in the book and I agonized with him as I was reading.
Finn’s character was so realistic to me as he was a self proclaimed bad guy who does terrible things but in all reality the end result of his actions tend to positively impact those around him. When he meets Dante, he knows immediately this is his person and he stops at nothing to make him his, regardless of obstacles ahead of him. I loved how he was always there for Dante. Some may call it sketchy stalking, I call it passionate obsession 😉 💙 Regardless, Finn always seems to be where he needs to be to keep Dante out of trouble.
There are multiple plot twists in this book that I enjoyed which made the story more interesting because then I had to know what was going to happen next. I only saw one of the twists coming, but it was just a hint of suspicion; the others weren’t predictable but still interesting.
Also, the spicy scenes were 🌶️ on point! Dante and Finn are hot together! As I mentioned in the beginning, I’ll say these scenes didn’t follow the typical MM romance scenes, they felt original and different. The passion was certainly there, too. Phew! 😅
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
BookIG: @tequilamockingbirdlady
GR profile: mvporter
By Bella Barnes
The Blue Viper is written in first person POV, alternating between Dante and Finn. I do not read a lot of MM romance books but this one was everything I would have wanted or expected. I have read some prior to this that seem to be more focused on steamy scenes than actually creating characters and plots. The Blue Viper developed in-depth characters in Dante and Finn, in my opinion. I felt the emotions between the both of them from Barnes’ writing. This book was not all about sex; the characters’ backgrounds were well laid out, and after they met each other the development continued.
Dante is in the Italian mafia and Finn is a former Irish mob member. This is a forbidden relationship for those reasons, obviously. However, another level adds to it when you consider the Italian mafia does not tend to be welcoming to gay men. The writing of Dante’s internal dialogue was amazing because I felt his agony, torn with desire as I read his thoughts throughout this book. He can admit to himself he’s attracted to Finn but he knows everything he’s been taught says his feelings are wrong and immoral. He struggles with this quite a bit with his sexuality in the book and I agonized with him as I was reading.
Finn’s character was so realistic to me as he was a self proclaimed bad guy who does terrible things but in all reality the end result of his actions tend to positively impact those around him. When he meets Dante, he knows immediately this is his person and he stops at nothing to make him his, regardless of obstacles ahead of him. I loved how he was always there for Dante. Some may call it sketchy stalking, I call it passionate obsession 😉 💙 Regardless, Finn always seems to be where he needs to be to keep Dante out of trouble.
There are multiple plot twists in this book that I enjoyed which made the story more interesting because then I had to know what was going to happen next. I only saw one of the twists coming, but it was just a hint of suspicion; the others weren’t predictable but still interesting.
Also, the spicy scenes were 🌶️ on point! Dante and Finn are hot together! As I mentioned in the beginning, I’ll say these scenes didn’t follow the typical MM romance scenes, they felt original and different. The passion was certainly there, too. Phew! 😅
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
BookIG: @tequilamockingbirdlady
GR profile: mvporter
February 17, 2024
My first MM Mafia romance, and oh boy do I need MORE! 🤤
💙 MM Romance
🐍 Mafia/ Irish Mob
💙 Forbidden Love
🐍 Virgin H/ Obsessed H
Although this is the 5th book in this series, it can absolutely be read as a standalone. I even did so myself and I didn't feel like I was missing out on much context. I'm sure if I had read the first 4 books I would have appreciated this more ultimately it was still a good time.
Dante Valentino is a 21 year old college student, who also a member of the Italian Mafia. He is arranged to marry one the leading Mafia don's daughters. However after spending a drunken night in bed with an Irish mobster named Finn, Dante realizes he may be a teeny tiny bit...gay. GASP. Struggling with his identity, sexuality, and trying to figure out what the right thing to do, the boy is going through it to say the least. Add in the fact that Finn will not let him have a minute alone, just adds to the boys stress levels.
I felt for that Dante a lot. He had quite literally the weight of maybe not the world, but definitely the entirety of the NY Mafia. I liked watching him go from a daddy's boy, to just...well as Finn would say plain ✨daddy✨ (I'm sorry but I had to 😅).
Speaking of Finn, I adored him!! Finn is a member of the Irish mob who is fresh out of prison. He's dark, deranged, and a maybe a little depraved 😈. He was OBSESSED with Dante. Truly unhinged, but also like sweet? Odd but it worked well. I really liked his humor, and how unflappable he was. He knew what he wanted and no one was going to stop him, we love!
The reason I didn't rate this quite as high was one, the pacing of the story felt a little off for me in spots. For example, Finn's declaration of love felt a little abrupt and too soon when it happened. Secondly, there was a particular scene that was just rather uncomfortable for me to read. Yes this is a dark Mafia romance so I expected some dark things, but the scene felt like it undermined the growth of one particular character, and just let me feeling icky.
Overall though, I loved the forbidden aspect of this one and the power dynamic between the two MC's. The humor in the writing made it easy to get through quickly, and I just wanted more time with these two in the end. I would definitely pick up another book by Bella Barnes in the future! 🤗
Thank you to The Author Agency and Bella Barnes for the arc in exchange for my honest review 💙
💙 MM Romance
🐍 Mafia/ Irish Mob
💙 Forbidden Love
🐍 Virgin H/ Obsessed H
Although this is the 5th book in this series, it can absolutely be read as a standalone. I even did so myself and I didn't feel like I was missing out on much context. I'm sure if I had read the first 4 books I would have appreciated this more ultimately it was still a good time.
Dante Valentino is a 21 year old college student, who also a member of the Italian Mafia. He is arranged to marry one the leading Mafia don's daughters. However after spending a drunken night in bed with an Irish mobster named Finn, Dante realizes he may be a teeny tiny bit...gay. GASP. Struggling with his identity, sexuality, and trying to figure out what the right thing to do, the boy is going through it to say the least. Add in the fact that Finn will not let him have a minute alone, just adds to the boys stress levels.
I felt for that Dante a lot. He had quite literally the weight of maybe not the world, but definitely the entirety of the NY Mafia. I liked watching him go from a daddy's boy, to just...well as Finn would say plain ✨daddy✨ (I'm sorry but I had to 😅).
Speaking of Finn, I adored him!! Finn is a member of the Irish mob who is fresh out of prison. He's dark, deranged, and a maybe a little depraved 😈. He was OBSESSED with Dante. Truly unhinged, but also like sweet? Odd but it worked well. I really liked his humor, and how unflappable he was. He knew what he wanted and no one was going to stop him, we love!
The reason I didn't rate this quite as high was one, the pacing of the story felt a little off for me in spots. For example, Finn's declaration of love felt a little abrupt and too soon when it happened. Secondly, there was a particular scene that was just rather uncomfortable for me to read. Yes this is a dark Mafia romance so I expected some dark things, but the scene felt like it undermined the growth of one particular character, and just let me feeling icky.
Overall though, I loved the forbidden aspect of this one and the power dynamic between the two MC's. The humor in the writing made it easy to get through quickly, and I just wanted more time with these two in the end. I would definitely pick up another book by Bella Barnes in the future! 🤗
Thank you to The Author Agency and Bella Barnes for the arc in exchange for my honest review 💙
February 5, 2024
🔥Mafia/Irish Mob
🔥 Forbidden Love
🔥 Dub-Con
🔥 Enemies to Lovers
🔥 MM Romance
🔥 Virgin H/Obsessed H
Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫
Spice 🌶️🌶️
"The Blue Viper" by Bella Barnes - A Dark and Intense Tale of Forbidden Desires and Looming Danger
Bella Barnes's "The Blue Viper" thrusts readers into a world of mafia intrigue, forbidden passion, and the relentless pursuit of power. The narrative follows the heir of the Brooklyn Mafia, entangled in a web of secrets and desires that could unravel the carefully constructed facade of his life.
From the opening lines, Bella Barnes immerses readers in a gripping story of consequences, duty, and forbidden love. Dante struggles with his own desires, set against the backdrop of a looming arranged marriage and the brutal consequences of being outed by the Mafia, creates a tension that keeps the reader on edge.
Finn Callahan, the enigmatic and dangerous figure from the Irish Mob, adds an electrifying dynamic to the narrative. His demands and the threat of exposing Dante’s secret propel the story forward, creating a sense of urgency and danger that permeates each chapter.
The author skillfully navigates the complexities of the characters, portraying the internal conflict of Dante torn between duty, love, and survival. The impending marriage becomes a ticking time bomb, and the reader is taken on a suspenseful journey as Dante grapples with the mounting pressure.
The forbidden romance and the power play between the characters contribute to the dark and intense atmosphere of the novel. Bella Barnes doesn't shy away from exploring the gritty aspects of the Mafia world, making "The Blue Viper" a compelling read for those who enjoy stories of danger, passion, and moral dilemmas.
The pacing is well-managed, with the author strategically revealing secrets and unraveling the plot in a way that keeps readers hooked. The sense of desperation and the inevitability of the characters' choices add depth to the narrative, making it a multifaceted exploration of love and sacrifice.
In "The Blue Viper," Bella Barnes delivers a gripping tale that combines elements of romance, danger, and moral quandaries. Fans of dark, mafia-themed stories will find this novel to be a thrilling and engaging read, filled with suspense, passion, and the inescapable pull of forbidden desires.
🔥 Forbidden Love
🔥 Dub-Con
🔥 Enemies to Lovers
🔥 MM Romance
🔥 Virgin H/Obsessed H
Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫
Spice 🌶️🌶️
"The Blue Viper" by Bella Barnes - A Dark and Intense Tale of Forbidden Desires and Looming Danger
Bella Barnes's "The Blue Viper" thrusts readers into a world of mafia intrigue, forbidden passion, and the relentless pursuit of power. The narrative follows the heir of the Brooklyn Mafia, entangled in a web of secrets and desires that could unravel the carefully constructed facade of his life.
From the opening lines, Bella Barnes immerses readers in a gripping story of consequences, duty, and forbidden love. Dante struggles with his own desires, set against the backdrop of a looming arranged marriage and the brutal consequences of being outed by the Mafia, creates a tension that keeps the reader on edge.
Finn Callahan, the enigmatic and dangerous figure from the Irish Mob, adds an electrifying dynamic to the narrative. His demands and the threat of exposing Dante’s secret propel the story forward, creating a sense of urgency and danger that permeates each chapter.
The author skillfully navigates the complexities of the characters, portraying the internal conflict of Dante torn between duty, love, and survival. The impending marriage becomes a ticking time bomb, and the reader is taken on a suspenseful journey as Dante grapples with the mounting pressure.
The forbidden romance and the power play between the characters contribute to the dark and intense atmosphere of the novel. Bella Barnes doesn't shy away from exploring the gritty aspects of the Mafia world, making "The Blue Viper" a compelling read for those who enjoy stories of danger, passion, and moral dilemmas.
The pacing is well-managed, with the author strategically revealing secrets and unraveling the plot in a way that keeps readers hooked. The sense of desperation and the inevitability of the characters' choices add depth to the narrative, making it a multifaceted exploration of love and sacrifice.
In "The Blue Viper," Bella Barnes delivers a gripping tale that combines elements of romance, danger, and moral quandaries. Fans of dark, mafia-themed stories will find this novel to be a thrilling and engaging read, filled with suspense, passion, and the inescapable pull of forbidden desires.
February 24, 2024
A MM mafia romance with a lot of angst, character growth, unhinged characters and some sexy tension and delicious spice.
The book was prefaced as an angsty romance, and it definitely deliver on that front. I really enjoyed it, however, since it wasn't between the budding couple, but more the characters themselves, and it really led to growth and some very profound and meaningful discussions and realizations.
I have so many highlights from this book... I couldn't choose which to share.
Tropes:
Mafia, rival families, enemies to lovers, stalker/kidnapping, angsty, trauma, obsessed MMC.
ARC review:
I'm a sucker for MM mafia romances, and this one had everything I wished for and more. There was an interesting storyline, some layered and complex characters, a bit of suspense, quite a lot of angst and internal struggle and also some seriously hot spice!
The story was quite angsty, and it was heart wrenching seeing Dante being at war with himself, his beliefs and the demands of the mafia.
Finn Callahan is affiliated with the Irish mob and has just been released from prison. At his homecoming party, Dante Valentine and his cousins crash the party. Dante is the soon-to-be heir to the Italian mafia after he is married. He is also, however, harboring a huge secret - his attraction to guys, and Finn in particular.
As soon as Finn sees Dante, he knows he will do anything to make him his, and even though Dante is pushing against it and severely struggling with his feelings, it is clear the connection between them is epic.
I ached for Dante, seeing him struggling - the internalized homophobia, the expectations put upon him and him just wanting to do the right thing even at his own expanse. I loved how Finn just got him, supported him and also challenged him to start living his own true self. I was also deeply touched by Finn's backstory, it was really heartbreaking, and I just kept being amazed that he came out stronger and as well-adjusted as he actually is.
Both Dante and Finn are flawed and complex, and they bounce off each other very well - they are both each other's opposites and their missing pieces. The chemistry was fire and resulted in both some very sexy tension building, but also in some spice that had me sweating - I loved the spice, the tension and the deep connection between the two of them. I was also really hooked on the story line and the suspense and shocking turn of events that happened. Also, seeing the families and the different connections they each had, was great and added both some levity, and some emotional depth to the already angsty story.
It was a very good story, and I will definitely want to read more from the author!
The book was prefaced as an angsty romance, and it definitely deliver on that front. I really enjoyed it, however, since it wasn't between the budding couple, but more the characters themselves, and it really led to growth and some very profound and meaningful discussions and realizations.
I have so many highlights from this book... I couldn't choose which to share.
Tropes:
Mafia, rival families, enemies to lovers, stalker/kidnapping, angsty, trauma, obsessed MMC.
ARC review:
I'm a sucker for MM mafia romances, and this one had everything I wished for and more. There was an interesting storyline, some layered and complex characters, a bit of suspense, quite a lot of angst and internal struggle and also some seriously hot spice!
The story was quite angsty, and it was heart wrenching seeing Dante being at war with himself, his beliefs and the demands of the mafia.
Finn Callahan is affiliated with the Irish mob and has just been released from prison. At his homecoming party, Dante Valentine and his cousins crash the party. Dante is the soon-to-be heir to the Italian mafia after he is married. He is also, however, harboring a huge secret - his attraction to guys, and Finn in particular.
As soon as Finn sees Dante, he knows he will do anything to make him his, and even though Dante is pushing against it and severely struggling with his feelings, it is clear the connection between them is epic.
I ached for Dante, seeing him struggling - the internalized homophobia, the expectations put upon him and him just wanting to do the right thing even at his own expanse. I loved how Finn just got him, supported him and also challenged him to start living his own true self. I was also deeply touched by Finn's backstory, it was really heartbreaking, and I just kept being amazed that he came out stronger and as well-adjusted as he actually is.
Both Dante and Finn are flawed and complex, and they bounce off each other very well - they are both each other's opposites and their missing pieces. The chemistry was fire and resulted in both some very sexy tension building, but also in some spice that had me sweating - I loved the spice, the tension and the deep connection between the two of them. I was also really hooked on the story line and the suspense and shocking turn of events that happened. Also, seeing the families and the different connections they each had, was great and added both some levity, and some emotional depth to the already angsty story.
It was a very good story, and I will definitely want to read more from the author!
February 3, 2024
Dante Italian Mafia (sweet, loyal and a virgin)
Finn Irish Mob (Ex Con, unhinged and obsessed with Dante)
🔥Mafia/ Irish Mob
🔥Forbidden Love
🔥Dub-Con
🔥Enemies to Lovers
🔥MM
🔥Virgin H/ Obsessed H
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
OMG 🥵🥵 where to even start, this is my first ever MM romance and Bella did an amazing job writing these two characters and their love story, the first few chapters you are hooked but then you can not and I mean can not put this book down it swallows you whole!! The way the story has been written to capture this beautiful crazy couple is **chefs kiss** the spice oh my lord! Don't want to give too much away but I can't get enough. This book can be read as a standalone so you don't have to read the other 4 books but now I'm really excited to read the others. Thank you beautiful Bella for creating an amazing story!!
Blurb
A monster set a trap, and I fell right in.
I’m the heir of the Brooklyn Mafia and I’ve always followed the rules of my family.
I made one mistake, and gave into my desires with a beautiful stranger.
Now he’s everywhere … and he won’t let me go.
Finn Callahan is an ex-con from the Irish Mob, and he’s telling me I have to do every depraved thing he wants, or he’ll tell my secret.
If the Mafia finds out I’m gay, I’m dead.
In two months, I’m supposed to marry the daughter of the Don of the Brooklyn Mafia. This is not only my duty to my family, but a vow I can’t break. My fiancée is counting on me to protect her from the monsters of our world.
Monsters like him.
He says he owns me.
When I run, he chases. When I fight, he fights harder.
No matter what I do, I can’t win.
Finn Callahan fights dirty and surrender is sweet.
Finn Irish Mob (Ex Con, unhinged and obsessed with Dante)
🔥Mafia/ Irish Mob
🔥Forbidden Love
🔥Dub-Con
🔥Enemies to Lovers
🔥MM
🔥Virgin H/ Obsessed H
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
OMG 🥵🥵 where to even start, this is my first ever MM romance and Bella did an amazing job writing these two characters and their love story, the first few chapters you are hooked but then you can not and I mean can not put this book down it swallows you whole!! The way the story has been written to capture this beautiful crazy couple is **chefs kiss** the spice oh my lord! Don't want to give too much away but I can't get enough. This book can be read as a standalone so you don't have to read the other 4 books but now I'm really excited to read the others. Thank you beautiful Bella for creating an amazing story!!
Blurb
A monster set a trap, and I fell right in.
I’m the heir of the Brooklyn Mafia and I’ve always followed the rules of my family.
I made one mistake, and gave into my desires with a beautiful stranger.
Now he’s everywhere … and he won’t let me go.
Finn Callahan is an ex-con from the Irish Mob, and he’s telling me I have to do every depraved thing he wants, or he’ll tell my secret.
If the Mafia finds out I’m gay, I’m dead.
In two months, I’m supposed to marry the daughter of the Don of the Brooklyn Mafia. This is not only my duty to my family, but a vow I can’t break. My fiancée is counting on me to protect her from the monsters of our world.
Monsters like him.
He says he owns me.
When I run, he chases. When I fight, he fights harder.
No matter what I do, I can’t win.
Finn Callahan fights dirty and surrender is sweet.
February 16, 2024
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐏𝐄𝐑
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ꜱᴘɪᴄᴇ: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
💙𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝙼𝚊𝚏𝚒𝚊 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
💙𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗
💙𝙸𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝙼𝚘𝚋 𝚡 𝙸𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝙼𝚊𝚏𝚒𝚊
💙𝙶𝚊𝚢 𝙰𝚠𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐
𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘭𝘺𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘧𝘪𝘢, 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘧𝘪𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳-𝘪𝘯-𝘭𝘢𝘸’𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘰𝘯. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳…
I enjoy Finn and Dante’s story so much, the forbidden aspect of their relationship kept me on edge till the end, wondering how it all could work out. The chemistry between these two is so palpable from their first meeting, I love how Finn is so relentless in pursuing Dante and eventually wears him down. It’s understandable why Dante is in denial, being raised in a mafia family with a bigot of a father, it’s hard for him to accept who he is, but in the end, Finn helps him realize and accept who he is, and it’s beautiful. Though it feels a bit instalovey on Finn’s side, I’m glad it took more time for Dante to accept his feelings so it made it believable. I definitely would like to check out the other book in this series.
⚠️𝗖𝗪/𝗧𝗪/𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀⚠️
- Dubcon
- Mention of Childhood Sexual Abuse
- Violence/Gore/Murder/Torture
- Religious Angst
- Gay Angst
- Stalking
𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 The Author Agency 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠.
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ꜱᴘɪᴄᴇ: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
💙𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝙼𝚊𝚏𝚒𝚊 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
💙𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗
💙𝙸𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝙼𝚘𝚋 𝚡 𝙸𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝙼𝚊𝚏𝚒𝚊
💙𝙶𝚊𝚢 𝙰𝚠𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐
𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘭𝘺𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘧𝘪𝘢, 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘧𝘪𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳-𝘪𝘯-𝘭𝘢𝘸’𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘰𝘯. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳…
I enjoy Finn and Dante’s story so much, the forbidden aspect of their relationship kept me on edge till the end, wondering how it all could work out. The chemistry between these two is so palpable from their first meeting, I love how Finn is so relentless in pursuing Dante and eventually wears him down. It’s understandable why Dante is in denial, being raised in a mafia family with a bigot of a father, it’s hard for him to accept who he is, but in the end, Finn helps him realize and accept who he is, and it’s beautiful. Though it feels a bit instalovey on Finn’s side, I’m glad it took more time for Dante to accept his feelings so it made it believable. I definitely would like to check out the other book in this series.
⚠️𝗖𝗪/𝗧𝗪/𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀⚠️
- Dubcon
- Mention of Childhood Sexual Abuse
- Violence/Gore/Murder/Torture
- Religious Angst
- Gay Angst
- Stalking
𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 The Author Agency 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠.
February 16, 2024
🔥 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚕𝚞𝚎 𝚅𝚒𝚙𝚎𝚛 🔥
𝚋𝚢 @bellabarnesauthor
🄰🅁🄲 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆
4.5/5 ⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️
↓↓
This was a first from this author for me and now I'm about to go binge the other books in this series!
Dante is engaged to a mafia daughter and expected to overtake some part in the mafia once he's finished with school. They have known each other for years and knew what their future held for them. Each other. That is until one night Dante sneaks into a party, unknowingly falling into a trap.
Finn just got out of prison, and is part of the Irish mob. He meets Dante at his release party and instantly becomes OBSESSED with him. Finn has to have Dante no matter the cost.
This book took me on a journey but I loved it! The way that Finn accepted Dante even when he didn't accept himself at first. Finn not letting Dante push him away. Dante finally accepting himself and his fate once he comes out.
Bella does a great job in keeping the readers hooked while unraveling the couples relationship along with the plot and twists that came along the whirlwind ride of their craziness.
𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤 / 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥
🔥 Mafia/Irish Mob
🔥 Forbidden Love
🔥 Dub-Con
🔥 Enemies to Lovers
🔥 MM
🔥 Virgin H/Obsessed H
🔥 Touch him and 💀
🏷️
#bellabarnes #kindleunlimited #mmromance #mafiaromance #enemiestolovers #dubcon #newbookalert #bookish #bookstagram #booktok #romancebooks #spicyromance #theauthoragency @theauthor.agency #booktropes #smutbooks #romancereader #arcreaders #bookboyfriendsdoitbetter #spicyromance #smutlovers #igreads #romancebooks #spicyromancebooks #ReadNow #momswhoread
𝚋𝚢 @bellabarnesauthor
🄰🅁🄲 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆
4.5/5 ⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️
↓↓
This was a first from this author for me and now I'm about to go binge the other books in this series!
Dante is engaged to a mafia daughter and expected to overtake some part in the mafia once he's finished with school. They have known each other for years and knew what their future held for them. Each other. That is until one night Dante sneaks into a party, unknowingly falling into a trap.
Finn just got out of prison, and is part of the Irish mob. He meets Dante at his release party and instantly becomes OBSESSED with him. Finn has to have Dante no matter the cost.
This book took me on a journey but I loved it! The way that Finn accepted Dante even when he didn't accept himself at first. Finn not letting Dante push him away. Dante finally accepting himself and his fate once he comes out.
Bella does a great job in keeping the readers hooked while unraveling the couples relationship along with the plot and twists that came along the whirlwind ride of their craziness.
𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤 / 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥
🔥 Mafia/Irish Mob
🔥 Forbidden Love
🔥 Dub-Con
🔥 Enemies to Lovers
🔥 MM
🔥 Virgin H/Obsessed H
🔥 Touch him and 💀
🏷️
#bellabarnes #kindleunlimited #mmromance #mafiaromance #enemiestolovers #dubcon #newbookalert #bookish #bookstagram #booktok #romancebooks #spicyromance #theauthoragency @theauthor.agency #booktropes #smutbooks #romancereader #arcreaders #bookboyfriendsdoitbetter #spicyromance #smutlovers #igreads #romancebooks #spicyromancebooks #ReadNow #momswhoread
February 10, 2024
🔥Mafia/Irish Mob
🔥Forbidden Love
🔥Dub-Con
🔥Enemies to Lovers
🔥MM Romance
🔥Virgin H/Obsessed H
🔥Morally Grey MMCs
Bella Barnes’ The Blue Viper immerses the reader into a world of danger, forbidden love, a quest for power, and finding a path to living your authentic life.
Dante is a 21 year old college student and member of the Italian mafia about to be wed in an arranged marriage so that he will one day succeed his soon-to-be father-in-law as the Don of Brooklyn. He has always accepted that this will be his path while at the same time questioning if his leadership skills are strong enough.
Finn is a member of the Irish mob who just got out of prison after 3 1/2 years. He’s a dark, obsessed man hell bent on getting what he wants. He’s determined to let nothing and no one stand in his way.
The two come together explosively when Dante and his cousins crash Finn’s welcome home party. What follows is a fast-paced tale of mafia wars, confronting one’s own sexuality, and the fight between familial loyalty and one’s own happiness.
The aspect of forbidden love between these two MMCs as well as the power dynamic between them is well written and keeps the reader’s interest.
Bella skillfully weaves this tale with well-paced world building and character development that makes you keep turning the pages. She delivers an intriguing tale of danger, forbidden romance, power struggles, and moral dilemmas. If you like dark, MM mafia-themed romances, you will enjoy this book.
🔥Forbidden Love
🔥Dub-Con
🔥Enemies to Lovers
🔥MM Romance
🔥Virgin H/Obsessed H
🔥Morally Grey MMCs
Bella Barnes’ The Blue Viper immerses the reader into a world of danger, forbidden love, a quest for power, and finding a path to living your authentic life.
Dante is a 21 year old college student and member of the Italian mafia about to be wed in an arranged marriage so that he will one day succeed his soon-to-be father-in-law as the Don of Brooklyn. He has always accepted that this will be his path while at the same time questioning if his leadership skills are strong enough.
Finn is a member of the Irish mob who just got out of prison after 3 1/2 years. He’s a dark, obsessed man hell bent on getting what he wants. He’s determined to let nothing and no one stand in his way.
The two come together explosively when Dante and his cousins crash Finn’s welcome home party. What follows is a fast-paced tale of mafia wars, confronting one’s own sexuality, and the fight between familial loyalty and one’s own happiness.
The aspect of forbidden love between these two MMCs as well as the power dynamic between them is well written and keeps the reader’s interest.
Bella skillfully weaves this tale with well-paced world building and character development that makes you keep turning the pages. She delivers an intriguing tale of danger, forbidden romance, power struggles, and moral dilemmas. If you like dark, MM mafia-themed romances, you will enjoy this book.
February 22, 2024
❤️Thoughts❤️
OMG, I loved this story! This was my first book from this author and man she knocked this one out of the park! I loved the sexual tension between Dante and Finn and don’t get me started on how much I loved Finn’s stalker and obsessive ways! Finn literally is crazy for Dante and doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants! Finn is also a little unhinged which I loved! Who doesn’t love a gray unhinged man?!
Quick recap: Dante didn’t know he was gay until Finn literally drops onto his lap and from there his world is rocked to his core on finally realizing who he really is. You feel for Dante, because he struggles with accepting the fact that he is gay in a world that is homophobic and kills those who are. But once he becomes free and wants the world to know he loves Finn, you see a strong man finally rise from the boy he once was. Having Finn always have his back and protect him everyway he could made just fall harder for Finn. Finn will not let anyone, or anything hurt Dante and throughout this story you see how much he truly loves him which was amazing.
You rarely see an MM romance in the mafia world, so this was a treat to read!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐⭐
Tropes🔦:Mafia meets Irish Mob, MM, Dark romance, Virgin MC, No Cheating, Forbidden love, Touch him and 💀 and Obsessive MMCs.
Steamy:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV: Dual
Type📣: Standalone
Recommend: Yes! Highly Recommend this story if you love slightly dark MM romances in the mafia world!
OMG, I loved this story! This was my first book from this author and man she knocked this one out of the park! I loved the sexual tension between Dante and Finn and don’t get me started on how much I loved Finn’s stalker and obsessive ways! Finn literally is crazy for Dante and doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants! Finn is also a little unhinged which I loved! Who doesn’t love a gray unhinged man?!
Quick recap: Dante didn’t know he was gay until Finn literally drops onto his lap and from there his world is rocked to his core on finally realizing who he really is. You feel for Dante, because he struggles with accepting the fact that he is gay in a world that is homophobic and kills those who are. But once he becomes free and wants the world to know he loves Finn, you see a strong man finally rise from the boy he once was. Having Finn always have his back and protect him everyway he could made just fall harder for Finn. Finn will not let anyone, or anything hurt Dante and throughout this story you see how much he truly loves him which was amazing.
You rarely see an MM romance in the mafia world, so this was a treat to read!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐⭐
Tropes🔦:Mafia meets Irish Mob, MM, Dark romance, Virgin MC, No Cheating, Forbidden love, Touch him and 💀 and Obsessive MMCs.
Steamy:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV: Dual
Type📣: Standalone
Recommend: Yes! Highly Recommend this story if you love slightly dark MM romances in the mafia world!
May 12, 2024
Bella Barnes' "Blue Viper" is my introduction to her writing, and it left a lasting impression with its poignant narrative. Barnes showcases a commendable dedication to her craft, evident in the meticulous attention to detail and sophisticated prose that permeates the novel. While "Blue Viper" stands alone within "The Lost Boys of Hell’s Kitchen" series, Barnes' adeptness at constructing intricate mafia worlds is evident, highlighting her imaginative prowess.
The characters within the narrative are masterfully crafted, exhibiting depth and complexity that adds layers to the storyline. However, despite the commendable aspects of Barnes' writing, the novel does suffer from pacing issues. The central conflict and rising action take longer than desired to unfold, which contrasts with the fast-paced nature of mafia life portrayed within the narrative.
Indeed, "Blue Viper" is a tale rich in gore and action, yet at times, the narrative drags due to excessive wording and unnecessary dialogue. However, for readers willing to exercise patience, the latter part of the novel proves rewarding as the story gains momentum and delivers a satisfying conclusion.
Overall, while "Blue Viper" may have its pacing shortcomings, Bella Barnes' remarkable storytelling abilities shine through, making it a captivating read for fans of mafia dramas.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The characters within the narrative are masterfully crafted, exhibiting depth and complexity that adds layers to the storyline. However, despite the commendable aspects of Barnes' writing, the novel does suffer from pacing issues. The central conflict and rising action take longer than desired to unfold, which contrasts with the fast-paced nature of mafia life portrayed within the narrative.
Indeed, "Blue Viper" is a tale rich in gore and action, yet at times, the narrative drags due to excessive wording and unnecessary dialogue. However, for readers willing to exercise patience, the latter part of the novel proves rewarding as the story gains momentum and delivers a satisfying conclusion.
Overall, while "Blue Viper" may have its pacing shortcomings, Bella Barnes' remarkable storytelling abilities shine through, making it a captivating read for fans of mafia dramas.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 6, 2024
Well this was a little unexpected. I have found mafia books to be quite hit and Miss so was surprised when I became so invested in this one. And quite quickly as well.
21 yo mafia heir Dante is due to marry his childhood betrothed to extend the reach and secure familial relationships. In the lead up to the wedding he meets 23 yo Irish mafia ex-con (white collar crimes) Finn. Cue the steam and angels singing except for Dante’s wanting to stay on the ‘straight’ and narrow so to speak. Finn does not take no for an answer and is … obsessed and a stalker. Now normally I would say no, it’s a big ick but Dante is really conflicted and whilst he’s naive, he is really really conflicted about what he wants and Finn is a big part of that.
There’s no doubt both these guys have issues, so they are perfectly imperfect together. It’s messy, complicated and at times violent. There’s past traumas and relationships that go pear shaped. But there’s also some strong familial ties, lots of discussion about loyalty and expectations, and there’s a side serving of loving which is 🔥.
I enjoyed this foray into this series (it’s book 5 so who knows what’s happened otherwise) and was here for it. Definitely an unexpected fun read.
Alexa play Jelly Roll’s Need A Favor!
Thanks to Book Sirens for the digital copy.
21 yo mafia heir Dante is due to marry his childhood betrothed to extend the reach and secure familial relationships. In the lead up to the wedding he meets 23 yo Irish mafia ex-con (white collar crimes) Finn. Cue the steam and angels singing except for Dante’s wanting to stay on the ‘straight’ and narrow so to speak. Finn does not take no for an answer and is … obsessed and a stalker. Now normally I would say no, it’s a big ick but Dante is really conflicted and whilst he’s naive, he is really really conflicted about what he wants and Finn is a big part of that.
There’s no doubt both these guys have issues, so they are perfectly imperfect together. It’s messy, complicated and at times violent. There’s past traumas and relationships that go pear shaped. But there’s also some strong familial ties, lots of discussion about loyalty and expectations, and there’s a side serving of loving which is 🔥.
I enjoyed this foray into this series (it’s book 5 so who knows what’s happened otherwise) and was here for it. Definitely an unexpected fun read.
Alexa play Jelly Roll’s Need A Favor!
Thanks to Book Sirens for the digital copy.
February 13, 2024
Bella Barnes: Thank you for popping my MM cherry! 🌶️
This was my first MM book (I’ve read F/M, M/M/F) but not straight MM and this FOR SURE will not be my last. Holy SPICYYYYYY.
We follow Italian mob man Dante and Irish mob man Finn. A chance sexual encounter at Finn’s welcome home party from prison ends up being the start of a thrilling car and mouse chase, a true awakening for Dante as he navigates his sexual orientation while being engaged to the Don’s daughter Julianna. Through the story you see him fighting with the part of himself he has to be for the mafia image and the part of himself he wants to be, which includes Finn. Over time, it became more than sex for the two of them, but can the next Don be gay? Are they the only ones hiding a secret, afraid of being judged for their true selves? You’ll have to read and find out.
This book was a serious page turner and kept a thrilling fast pace throughout. There was twists I didn’t see coming AT ALL. AND FINN IS INSANELY PSYCHO AND HOT.
The spice level was an easy 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️. Finn really brings Dante out of his shell and some of their scenes was really hot.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book, devoured it within hours and will be following Bella to read more of her work! Amazing writing skills and storytelling! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
This was my first MM book (I’ve read F/M, M/M/F) but not straight MM and this FOR SURE will not be my last. Holy SPICYYYYYY.
We follow Italian mob man Dante and Irish mob man Finn. A chance sexual encounter at Finn’s welcome home party from prison ends up being the start of a thrilling car and mouse chase, a true awakening for Dante as he navigates his sexual orientation while being engaged to the Don’s daughter Julianna. Through the story you see him fighting with the part of himself he has to be for the mafia image and the part of himself he wants to be, which includes Finn. Over time, it became more than sex for the two of them, but can the next Don be gay? Are they the only ones hiding a secret, afraid of being judged for their true selves? You’ll have to read and find out.
This book was a serious page turner and kept a thrilling fast pace throughout. There was twists I didn’t see coming AT ALL. AND FINN IS INSANELY PSYCHO AND HOT.
The spice level was an easy 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️. Finn really brings Dante out of his shell and some of their scenes was really hot.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book, devoured it within hours and will be following Bella to read more of her work! Amazing writing skills and storytelling! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
February 16, 2024
This story absolutely blew me away. It had everything—spice, angst, humour, a bit of danger, and a whole lot of sweetness—which sounds odd when describing a Mafia romance, but it just worked so well.
Dante is due to marry his childhood best friend, Juliana. The plan is to marry her and then take over from his father as the Underboos to Juliana's father, Don Leone. As the wedding date approaches, nerves start to set in, and his cousins take him to a party to let loose. It's there that Dante encounters Finn, a member of the Irish Mafia recently released from prison. Sparks actually fly between the two, and they have a very hot and heavy moment that leaves Dante in a world of turmoil as he tries to come to terms with what just happened and the realisation that he's gay.
As a story of gay-awakening, I thought this was beautifully written. The dual POV showed both Finn trying to come to terms with the fact that he loves someone for the first time and Dante trying to deal with the fact that he's gay while handling the pressures set upon him by mafia life and not wanting to let his family or his best friend down. There were moments where they both acted out of anger and frustration and then there were moments of sweet tenderness. I genuinely enjoyed the character growth as they both explored their new-found feelings.
Dante is due to marry his childhood best friend, Juliana. The plan is to marry her and then take over from his father as the Underboos to Juliana's father, Don Leone. As the wedding date approaches, nerves start to set in, and his cousins take him to a party to let loose. It's there that Dante encounters Finn, a member of the Irish Mafia recently released from prison. Sparks actually fly between the two, and they have a very hot and heavy moment that leaves Dante in a world of turmoil as he tries to come to terms with what just happened and the realisation that he's gay.
As a story of gay-awakening, I thought this was beautifully written. The dual POV showed both Finn trying to come to terms with the fact that he loves someone for the first time and Dante trying to deal with the fact that he's gay while handling the pressures set upon him by mafia life and not wanting to let his family or his best friend down. There were moments where they both acted out of anger and frustration and then there were moments of sweet tenderness. I genuinely enjoyed the character growth as they both explored their new-found feelings.
March 29, 2024
This is the first book I have read from this author. I found the story hard to get into to start off with but once the momentum got going and Dante's wedding approached I found it hard to put down.
The chemistry between Dante and Finn was definately there though sometimes I felt Finn's behaviour towards Dante was abit too much but when you learn about his life and past you can see how the author has made it into his character.
Even though this is a Mafia romance I felt it was abit 'soft' to start with as I have read more graphic stories but I can see the author has tried to get across the feelings of the two leads where being gay is forbidden in this world where the Don has refused to accept these relationships. You see how Dante refuses to accept his feelings for Finn and keeps pushing him away knowing that his marriage is how things are supposed to be.
After the events of Dante's wedding the story gets going and you can see why Dante was being made the next Don. His character and fearlessness comes through and he decides to fight for what he wants even if it means he would suffer the consequences.
I havent read any of the other books in this series but didn't find that an issue, this can be read as a standalone and would recommend giving it a try.
I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily
The chemistry between Dante and Finn was definately there though sometimes I felt Finn's behaviour towards Dante was abit too much but when you learn about his life and past you can see how the author has made it into his character.
Even though this is a Mafia romance I felt it was abit 'soft' to start with as I have read more graphic stories but I can see the author has tried to get across the feelings of the two leads where being gay is forbidden in this world where the Don has refused to accept these relationships. You see how Dante refuses to accept his feelings for Finn and keeps pushing him away knowing that his marriage is how things are supposed to be.
After the events of Dante's wedding the story gets going and you can see why Dante was being made the next Don. His character and fearlessness comes through and he decides to fight for what he wants even if it means he would suffer the consequences.
I havent read any of the other books in this series but didn't find that an issue, this can be read as a standalone and would recommend giving it a try.
I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily
February 5, 2024
Dante, Dante, Dante, you did not stand a chance. Did you?
From the moment Finn laid his eyes on him, he was done for.
He wanted Dante more than everything in the world and he went after his guy.
His very straight guy haha. Oopsie.
Dante had never been attracted to guys before. Not to girls either, but he loved his fiancé whom he would marry to please his family.
But all this doesn’t matter because they could never be.
Being gay in the mafia means the end of you. And since he’s going to be the next Don of Brooklyn… That’s not an option.
Throughout the book, you could feel and understand his struggle and I felt for the sweet guy.
Luckily Finn never gave up on him.
He was so unhinged and adorable at the same time. Definitely one of my new favorite characters!
It was an easy read (I finished it pretty much in a day) but The Blue Viper kept me guessing till the end. I wondered time after time how on earth they would end up together.
Because yes, obviously I was rooting for these two lovebirds.
Tropes:
✨ Mafia/ Irish Mob
✨ Forbidden Love
✨ Dub-Con
✨ Enemies to Lovers
✨ MM
✨ Virgin H/ Obsessed H
✨ Snowballing
I received an ARC of this lovely book and give it 4.5⭐️ because it’s such a lovely read and the spice is spicing!!
From the moment Finn laid his eyes on him, he was done for.
He wanted Dante more than everything in the world and he went after his guy.
His very straight guy haha. Oopsie.
Dante had never been attracted to guys before. Not to girls either, but he loved his fiancé whom he would marry to please his family.
But all this doesn’t matter because they could never be.
Being gay in the mafia means the end of you. And since he’s going to be the next Don of Brooklyn… That’s not an option.
Throughout the book, you could feel and understand his struggle and I felt for the sweet guy.
Luckily Finn never gave up on him.
He was so unhinged and adorable at the same time. Definitely one of my new favorite characters!
It was an easy read (I finished it pretty much in a day) but The Blue Viper kept me guessing till the end. I wondered time after time how on earth they would end up together.
Because yes, obviously I was rooting for these two lovebirds.
Tropes:
✨ Mafia/ Irish Mob
✨ Forbidden Love
✨ Dub-Con
✨ Enemies to Lovers
✨ MM
✨ Virgin H/ Obsessed H
✨ Snowballing
I received an ARC of this lovely book and give it 4.5⭐️ because it’s such a lovely read and the spice is spicing!!
March 4, 2024
Highly enjoyable read. The main characters were written well and showed growth throughout the story. The pacing was pretty good. There were some places that seemed to lull.
It's a bit of the standard mafia type story. Dante is the heir to the Italian mafia. Finn was supposed to take over the Irish mafia, until he got incarcerated. During that time, other family members took charge.
Dante and Finn meet at a party celebrating Finn's release from prison in a very steamy manner. Leaving Dante confused yet intrigued.
Dante is pretty clean cut, doesn't get into trouble. He's pretty much the poster boy for the next mafia heir.
Finn was the right mix of dark, moody, possessive yet he was funny and caring.
I'm absolutely in love with Finn. His character showed the most depth in my opinion. He went through a lot and he was flawed, but he owned up to it.
Dante was strong, but he showed a lot of vulnerability. He questions if he will be a good leader. Even more so with the his feelings towards Finn.
It has possessiveness, it was dark-ish (I read a lot of dark stories. Like intensely dark stories so my meter is skewed lol), action, and a few plot twists making it a really great story and worth reading.
It's a bit of the standard mafia type story. Dante is the heir to the Italian mafia. Finn was supposed to take over the Irish mafia, until he got incarcerated. During that time, other family members took charge.
Dante and Finn meet at a party celebrating Finn's release from prison in a very steamy manner. Leaving Dante confused yet intrigued.
Dante is pretty clean cut, doesn't get into trouble. He's pretty much the poster boy for the next mafia heir.
Finn was the right mix of dark, moody, possessive yet he was funny and caring.
I'm absolutely in love with Finn. His character showed the most depth in my opinion. He went through a lot and he was flawed, but he owned up to it.
Dante was strong, but he showed a lot of vulnerability. He questions if he will be a good leader. Even more so with the his feelings towards Finn.
It has possessiveness, it was dark-ish (I read a lot of dark stories. Like intensely dark stories so my meter is skewed lol), action, and a few plot twists making it a really great story and worth reading.
February 12, 2024
This is my first introduction to Bella Barnes. And she certainly didn't disappoint me.
Dante, a mafia son who is about to marry his sweetheart and best friend (Julianna) and thus take over a section of the mafia.
Dante is still a virgin and doesn't actually feel much attraction to his girlfriend or anyone else. Until he meets Finn. Finn is also a mafia son (Irish Mafia) and has just been released from prison. Their first meeting is so hot! The attraction simply jumps out of the book.
The rest of the book talks about the struggles Dante feels about his relationship with Finn and Julianna. The book reads very quickly and the spice is so hot! You get a lot of forbidden romance vibes, because being gay in the mafia is not allowed. I didn't see all the twists coming, which I always think is a plus.
It was a very good book and I will definitely read the other books in the series.
🅡🅐🅣🅘🅝🅖
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🅢🅟🅘🅒🅔
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
🅣🅡🅞🅟🅔🅢
🖤 MM
🖤 Mafia
🖤 Dub Con
🖤 Spitplay
🖤 Forbidden Romance
🖤 Enemies-To-Lovers
🅕🅐🅥🅞🅡🅘🅣🅔 🅠🅤🅞🅣🅔🅢
𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑜. 𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑜. 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑐𝑟𝑢𝑠ℎ. 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑡. 𝐼'𝑚 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑑.
𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠, 𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜.
𝑌𝑜𝑢'𝑣𝑒 𝑟𝑢𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒.
𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑. 𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚.
Dante, a mafia son who is about to marry his sweetheart and best friend (Julianna) and thus take over a section of the mafia.
Dante is still a virgin and doesn't actually feel much attraction to his girlfriend or anyone else. Until he meets Finn. Finn is also a mafia son (Irish Mafia) and has just been released from prison. Their first meeting is so hot! The attraction simply jumps out of the book.
The rest of the book talks about the struggles Dante feels about his relationship with Finn and Julianna. The book reads very quickly and the spice is so hot! You get a lot of forbidden romance vibes, because being gay in the mafia is not allowed. I didn't see all the twists coming, which I always think is a plus.
It was a very good book and I will definitely read the other books in the series.
🅡🅐🅣🅘🅝🅖
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🅢🅟🅘🅒🅔
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
🅣🅡🅞🅟🅔🅢
🖤 MM
🖤 Mafia
🖤 Dub Con
🖤 Spitplay
🖤 Forbidden Romance
🖤 Enemies-To-Lovers
🅕🅐🅥🅞🅡🅘🅣🅔 🅠🅤🅞🅣🅔🅢
𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑜. 𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑜. 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑐𝑟𝑢𝑠ℎ. 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑡. 𝐼'𝑚 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑑.
𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠, 𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜.
𝑌𝑜𝑢'𝑣𝑒 𝑟𝑢𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒.
𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑. 𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚.
February 18, 2024
𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔹𝕝𝕦𝕖 𝕍𝕚𝕡𝕖𝕣 - 𝔹𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕒 𝔹𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕤
𝓔𝔁𝓬𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓻𝓾𝓷𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓶𝔂 𝓫𝓸𝓭𝔂, 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓼𝓸𝓸𝓷 𝓫𝓮 𝓲𝓷 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓶𝓼. 𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮, 𝓘’𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓹𝓾𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸𝓸 𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓭, 𝓽𝓻𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭, 𝓫𝓸𝓭𝔂, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓸𝓾𝓵 𝓼𝓺𝓾𝓮𝓮𝔃𝓮 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓘 𝓭𝓸𝓷’𝓽 𝓯𝓲𝓽 𝓲𝓷.
This was my first experience with @bellabarnesauthor, and I loved it.
The Mafia prince falls for the Italian mob hacker. This sort of gave me MM Romeo and Juliet vibe with the different sides that should clash.
Finn is crazy. He's all in from the moment he sees Dante. As we get to know Finn he goes from stalker, to love boomer and then a reluctant hero.
Dante doesn't realise he's gay until one drunken night that he can never forget. How does he tell his finance, they are destined to be together. They have a blood sworn contract, and there is no way out.
Turns out his wife to be has been holding secrets of her own.
I really appreciated the relationships formed in this story. It could have gone many different ways, and I'm the end those who mean the most to each other, stick together.
Dirty, gritty, fast-paced.
Thank you @theauthor.agency
for this ARC opportunity
𝓔𝔁𝓬𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓻𝓾𝓷𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓶𝔂 𝓫𝓸𝓭𝔂, 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓼𝓸𝓸𝓷 𝓫𝓮 𝓲𝓷 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓶𝓼. 𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮, 𝓘’𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓹𝓾𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸𝓸 𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓭, 𝓽𝓻𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭, 𝓫𝓸𝓭𝔂, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓸𝓾𝓵 𝓼𝓺𝓾𝓮𝓮𝔃𝓮 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓘 𝓭𝓸𝓷’𝓽 𝓯𝓲𝓽 𝓲𝓷.
This was my first experience with @bellabarnesauthor, and I loved it.
The Mafia prince falls for the Italian mob hacker. This sort of gave me MM Romeo and Juliet vibe with the different sides that should clash.
Finn is crazy. He's all in from the moment he sees Dante. As we get to know Finn he goes from stalker, to love boomer and then a reluctant hero.
Dante doesn't realise he's gay until one drunken night that he can never forget. How does he tell his finance, they are destined to be together. They have a blood sworn contract, and there is no way out.
Turns out his wife to be has been holding secrets of her own.
I really appreciated the relationships formed in this story. It could have gone many different ways, and I'm the end those who mean the most to each other, stick together.
Dirty, gritty, fast-paced.
Thank you @theauthor.agency
for this ARC opportunity
March 31, 2024
“Sometimes life gives you one perfect moment, and you take it.”
This is at the heart of Dante and Finn’s tale, one a member of the Italian mob, the other in the Irish mob, both groomed to take over when the time comes. An unintentional meeting at a party to welcome Finn home from prison sets these two men on a collision course sexually, interrupting culture and tradition, clashing with different ethnic branches of the mob, fighting a pull to bring them together, and leading to choices which have unknown consequences.
Facing an impossible attraction to Finn, Dante is to marry in two months, but agrees to belong to Finn until then. How the two try to navigate their fears and desires, as well as obligations, over those two months, then deal with a devastating attack and changes as a result, form an engrossing tale of love and intrigue, oaths and expectations, and a few perfect moments to be taken and held. A fast paced read with hot, steamy times, violence and death, family and tradition, sure to hold the reader in its grip.
I received an advance review copy, and this is my voluntary review.
This is at the heart of Dante and Finn’s tale, one a member of the Italian mob, the other in the Irish mob, both groomed to take over when the time comes. An unintentional meeting at a party to welcome Finn home from prison sets these two men on a collision course sexually, interrupting culture and tradition, clashing with different ethnic branches of the mob, fighting a pull to bring them together, and leading to choices which have unknown consequences.
Facing an impossible attraction to Finn, Dante is to marry in two months, but agrees to belong to Finn until then. How the two try to navigate their fears and desires, as well as obligations, over those two months, then deal with a devastating attack and changes as a result, form an engrossing tale of love and intrigue, oaths and expectations, and a few perfect moments to be taken and held. A fast paced read with hot, steamy times, violence and death, family and tradition, sure to hold the reader in its grip.
I received an advance review copy, and this is my voluntary review.
February 4, 2024
rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️
🔥MM
🔥 Mafia/Irish Mob
🔥 Forbidden love
🔥 Virgin Hero/ Obsessed Hero
🔥 Dub-con
Finn, an Irish mobster with psychopathic tendencies, has recently been released from prison. He finds his welcome home party to be tedious and draining. Despite his attempts to withdraw, his brother has a surprise waiting for him in the pool house. Upon entering, Finn's gaze is not drawn to the professional his brother has arranged for him, but instead to the young man beneath her.
Dante belongs to the mafia aristocracy and is engaged to the daughter of the don of the Brooklyn mafia, who has been his best friend since childhood. Although she is his one and only, there are no romantic sparks between them, and he remains a virgin. His cousins and his fiancée's brother attempt to change this by hijacking a welcome party for an Irish ex-con.
Sparks fly from the moment Finn and Dante meet for the first time. This book is a must read and very captivating. I adore Finn and his tireless efforts to win the love of Dante.
spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️
🔥MM
🔥 Mafia/Irish Mob
🔥 Forbidden love
🔥 Virgin Hero/ Obsessed Hero
🔥 Dub-con
Finn, an Irish mobster with psychopathic tendencies, has recently been released from prison. He finds his welcome home party to be tedious and draining. Despite his attempts to withdraw, his brother has a surprise waiting for him in the pool house. Upon entering, Finn's gaze is not drawn to the professional his brother has arranged for him, but instead to the young man beneath her.
Dante belongs to the mafia aristocracy and is engaged to the daughter of the don of the Brooklyn mafia, who has been his best friend since childhood. Although she is his one and only, there are no romantic sparks between them, and he remains a virgin. His cousins and his fiancée's brother attempt to change this by hijacking a welcome party for an Irish ex-con.
Sparks fly from the moment Finn and Dante meet for the first time. This book is a must read and very captivating. I adore Finn and his tireless efforts to win the love of Dante.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews