De Luca: The Devil

Men of Mayhem #1

by Chelle Rose

Gia Baretti

On my twenty-third birthday my father promised me to Enzo Bianchi. As a mafia princess I have no say. In three months I’ll marry the most heinous man the mafia has ever seen.

My death was ordered by my father. It’s not in the way you think. He didn’t order a hit on me but forcing me to go after his mortal enemy is a death sentence. Dominic De Luca or the Devil as I know him is not a man you toy with. I’m well aware when I walk into his lair I’ll never get out alive. When he develops a fondness for my body it will keep me alive for a little while. The end result will still be the same. Sex. Torture. Eventual death. No one escapes his clutches. Can I make him fall for me and set me free? Or will the most dangerous thing happen to me? Will I fall in love with the devil himself?

Dominic DeLuca

When Antonio Baretti sends his daughter to distract me from business so he can steal my territory I’m delighted. I have men under me, it will never happen. They don’t call me Lord of Drug Lords for nothing. The rumors are that I am Lucifer himself. When I finish with Gia Baretti she will be be wishing I was the devil. He’d go easier on her than I will. There’s no doubt, I will end her life. Just not before I have my fill of that sweet little body made for sin.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Romance, Mafia Romance, M F Romance

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 3, 2024

About the author

I hate talking about myself. I'm awkward AF and write super spicy books with twisty plots. Most of my books are dark romance so always check the content warnings!

Reviews

[Buffy ❤️‍🔥💀 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m going to start off by saying that yes the MMCs in these mafia dark romances are always morally grey, or even worse- but the MMC in this book was a straight up rapist.. count me out 🤮🤮🤮

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I have been in such a reading slump this whole month, not really loving anything. Then I started this book and bam slump broken to pieces.

This is mafia romance at it's very best.
I felt so bad for Giada. She has been treated like dirt her entire life and I loved seeing her finally be treated the way she truly deserves.

Dom and Giada are the definition of soulmates. Dom teaches Giada she's worthy of love and she teaches him he is capable of love.

I did think the book moved a little too fast there in the middel but man did it come back and finish strong.

This book kinda ends on a cliffhanger and I will definitely be reading the next book.

[Paperbackstoriess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess this is the second amazing mafia romance I have read as a published book (I mean not on wattpad). I loved it. The book was short but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Book review:
What happens when you see your mother getting murdered in front of your eyes? What happens when your father arranges your marriage to a ruthless man, who gets off on torturing and beating women? What happens when your father asks you to get information on a mafia boss also known as "Devil" in the mafia world? What happens when you refuses but he leaves no choice, either you get information or he puts a bullet through your head? Do you think he'll do that? Well, ofcouse he'll do that because you are his daughter and not his son. What happens when you visit the club owned by the devil and he notices you and approaches you? What happens when he asks you to have a quickie with him? What do you think will happens when you gets to know you are the daughter of his rival family? Why do you think he's been called "Devil"? Will you murder you knowing you were there to get information on him? Or do you think he'll use her as a bait? Do you think her father will care about her getting murdered?

Tropes:
>> Mafia romance
>> Abuse / torture
>> R@pe
>> Domestic V!olence
>> Murder
>> Weapon dealers
>> Kidn@pping
>> Body sh@ming
>> C@ged
>> Dog food
>> Brutally tortured (MC)
>> Mob wars
>> V!rgin FMC
>> Forced marriage
>> Blackm@il
>> Somnophili@
>> Strong FMC

Read this amazing forced marriage mafia romance and fall for both main characters. They are both amazing.

[Lori Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! JUST… Wow!!!

This is the darkest book Chelle has written and it is oh so delicious! So much entailed into this amazing book.

Now I can say, that her other books had darkness in them, just a different kind. This book brought the romantic darkness with a broody, dark MC, Domenic! All his brothers each have their own darkness as well… but I hear they will each get their own books! Which makes this one that much more necessary!

I’m looking forward to Book 2 now.

[Erin Under_Covers_Smut_Lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating 5⭐️
Spice 🌶 🌶 🌶. 5
Darkness 🖤🖤🖤🖤

Tropes:
- Mafia Romance
- Forced Marriage
- Alpha Male
- Virgin FMC
- Dark
- Kidnapping
- Mob Wars
- Spicy

Triggers:
- Graphic Sexual Scenes
- Rape (not from MMC)
- Primal
- Murder
- Torture
- Domestic Violence (not MMC)
- Starving (not MMC)
- Weapons Dealer
- Kidnapping
- Drugs
- Blackmail
- Snakes
- Somnophelia

This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster. This book gave me all the feels.
My heart literally broke for the FMC in this book. Everything she's been through from her father and ex fiance. Talk about evil people who, I'm glad, got what they deserved.

Giada is the daughter of a mob boss. All she's ever wanted was to be loved, taken care of, and have a family someone who's not in the mafia. In her world, women are only good for one thing. Having many children with her spouse, hopefully boys. Women don't matter to their husband in her life. Their fathers arrange their marriage, and they must remain virgins. The husband's don't even love them. They often times beat and cheat on them. Giada’s father has already arranged her marriage to a monster, Enzo.

Domenic "The Devil" DeLuca is a Mob boss. He isn't called the devil for no reason. He's earned that name. He owns a club/bar and works with his brothers. He also has a sister that he is Protective of. He doesn't believe in hurting women unless it's a necessity. He doesn't trust many people, and he definitely doesn't do love.

One day, Giada’s father sends her out to another DeLuca's club to gather information on him. This is surely going to get her killed, but she doesn't have a choice. If she doesn't, then her father will kill her. Either way, she's sure it's a death wish in her part.

Once DeLuca finds out who Giada is, he's sure she's sent as a spy, and he's going to have to kill the beautiful woman. He's got a plan, though. He's going to Kidnap and force her to marry him instead, have his way with her, then start a mob war between her father and now ex fiance.

Once DeLuca starts this Mob war, things happen that he doesn't see coming. Things do not go as planned, and it leads to him breaking his promise to keep Giada safe.

This book is hot and steamy at times. Then dark, disturbing, and truly heartbreaking at others. The author Chelle Rose kept me in this book, and I couldn't put it down. I truly hated her father and ex-fiance and wanted to hurt them myself. Who does that? There were certain times I wanted to reach into the pages and smack DeLuca. I'm glad he got his head on straight, though, because him and Giada’s chemistry was through the roof, and the steamy times were very spicy.

This book is fast-paced and not for the faint of heart. This is a dark romance. Please read the triggers. If any of the triggers bother you, please don't read it. I can't wait for the next book to come out on the brother, Damian "The Saint" DeLuca.

I received this book as an ARC from the author. This is my honest opinion on the book.

[Shawnna · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️ 4 🌶 4 💀

This is the first book that I have from Chelle Rose, and it won't be the last. I love the dedication from the book. Chelle knew that I needed a 6'7"tattooed devil in my world.

From the first chapter, I knew that I was in for an emotional roller-coaster ride. I could relate to Giada. Wanting to be loved by someone and not used has a pawn. She is a woman who accepted her fate. She will either die by her father's or fiance's hands. I was shocked, too, when her father ordered her gain information on Domenie De Luca, The Devil. If she fails, then her own father will kill her. Of course, she thinks dead is better than marrying Enzo Bianchi. He's as bad as her father.

Giada is not prepared for how sexy and handsome Domenie is in person. The man gets under her skin like no one else has. The man was made for kissing. I have no idea how Giada did not just tell him to take her right then and there. Of course, he didn't know who she was at the time, but once he did, he couldn't decide if he wanted to kill her or f her.

Of course, The Devil decides to marry her instead. A great way to tick off her father and fiance. He is willing to start a war if it means that Giada's father comes out of hiding so he can end him.

It's a crazy ride that these two go on. There are steamy bedroom scenes, heartbreaking scenes, and deadly revenge scenes. I would definitely read the trigger warnings before reading this. There are some tough scenes to read.

I definitely can't wait to read more from The Men of Mayhem series. I have a feeling that Chelle Rose has big plans for the De Luca family.

[Zahra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why does he function like a robot everytime he is with her? use.me.my.beautiful.wife. yes.my.beautiful.wife. 🤖🤖🤖 i was cringing soo hard. And why is he calling her "little wife" Fuckoff 😭😭
God she is so annoying, poster child for a virgni helpless distressed damsel who falls in love in 3 days. She said i love after he violated her infront of his brother. Her character is unbearable. And dont even get me started on the mmc. God he's a fucking asshole. No doubt about that.
The plot was just meh.

[Kelly_Reads_Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had lots of action and some very intense scenes. Beware of the trigger warnings for sure.
I was not a fan of Dom, he is arrogant and at times cruel. But Gia made up for it with all her sweetness and positivity. I’m so happy she did not end up with Enzo.
Great story and I loved it ❤️

[laur · Rating 5 out of 5]

*this arc was sent in exchange for an honest review*

“I don’t want to let you go because I need you. I may be the devil, but you’re a goddamn angel. Your light make living in the dark more bearable”

When I say I binged this book in a matter of hours I just couldn’t put it down. Dom is the possessive obsessive devil of my dreams. I’m really looking forward to the next book!

Thank you for letting me read this book early 🖤

[What the smut · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an ARC review

I devoured this book! It was so good! I loved everything about it. I swear, I couldn’t fault it at all! It had everything I could ever want in a book. Dom was dark and so delicious, Giada was sweet and delicate. Together they were a tornado of emotions. So much happens in such a short read that I couldn’t help but want more! And that cliffhanger!!!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the moment I met DeLuca in Unholy (Max and Willow's book) I KNEW I was going to be obsessed with his book and I was sooooo right 😂😂
The way Chelle writes her characters is just so captivating! I feel like I know them! This spinoff series is going to be absolutely AMAZING and I cannot WAIT to read more!
And don't even get me started on that cliffhanger! 🫣

[Bekah Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good story! Domenic doesn’t think he’s a good man or capable of loving anyone, until Giada. Both from enemy Mafia families. Giada was given a mission by her father, and walked into Domenic’s club. After she leaves Domenic finds out who she is and vows to take her from her promised husband to mess with family. After a marriage, and learning more about each other Dom and Giada grow in their relationship. Maybe the Devil really does just need an Angel to show him the light.

This book is broken into three parts and does end in a cliffhanger. Look at the trigger warnings, it does get tough to read. With that said I can’t wait for The Saint!!!!

[Mariah Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible! But had some very intense scenes. If you’ve not read it, I highly suggest reading the trigger warning first.

I had a love/hate relationship with Dom. He was so possessive and controlling and part of me hated that about him. But also part of me absolutely loved that. This was the book to get me out of my book slump. And it was absolutely incredible. One of the darker books I’ve read, but also one of the better ones. I highly recommend this book!

I received a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

[Elodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a roller coaster!!

Ok Domenic... that was quite a ride! This mmc made me go from swooning to angry and loving him and then repeat the process all over again!!

If there's one thing I love about Chelle Rose's books, it's the way no matter how the relationship between the two mc's starts off, by the end, their love will be epic. The Devil was no exception!

Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, spice, organized crime, strong fmc, 0bsessed mmc... this book had it all for me!!

Now onto book 2!

[Jenn O'Leary · Rating 5 out of 5]

De Luca: The Devil is one intense, fast paced, short spicy read.
Make sure to check the trigger warnings before diving in.
Dom is one ruthless, possessive man, who kidnaps Gia on the day of her wedding.
Gia was raised by her Mafia Boss father, who made it known she is only useful for marrying off to an evil man.
I could not put this book down. And can't wait for The Saint.
It does end on a cliffhanger so be warned.

[read_with_twink · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It keeps you on your toes with it having multiple parts.

If you liked the dark desires series and you like mafia then you will love this.

De Luca: The Devil is the first book which sees the head of the De Luca syndicate marry an enemies daughter - but not through the usual means.

The story has some twists and turns and leaves you set up for book 2 in the series - which I already cannot wait for!!!

[Victoria Vankirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This left me gripping the pages for dear life! A story filled with raw passion,lust and an unbeatable plot. I highly recommend especially if you love a good spicy read with a 6 foot devil 🖤

[Vivienne Cristina Arya Federico]

De Luca is just my very favourite character in this book.
While I understand why the author has to be a little graphic with the whole trauma thing for FMC. I certainly didn't think the story was told enough as what caused such hatr3d.

Aside that, the book was good. I just didn't like reading those gruesome parts even though the author warned about it.
What well, I'm always curious and yep. Haven't found my trigger and hopefully I won't.🤣

[Vic Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Domenic and Giada are so f***ing hot it's indescribable. Giada is from one crime family, and Domenic is head of the another. The chemistry from the first time they meet, off the charts! Domenic swears off love and knows he'll never fall in love again. Giada falls fast and hard. How does it end, can't tell ya, but it's hot hot hot!!!

[Nikki reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely Chelle darkest book yet! I absolutely loved this, the trigger warning list is huge so make sure you check that. The world building and character growth is so good. It’s absolutely gripping I couldn’t put this down. Can’t wait for book 2! This has got to be my favourite book from Chelle rose!

[Moldy Bread · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad writers rule!

There can’t possibly be a professional editor, so, Author, you need to go back through and fix a few things. Namely these:

1. When using “mom” or “dad”, and so on, as a proper noun, the first letter needs to be capitalized. For example:
“…no matter how much I cried, mommy was not coming back.”
Yeah, that “mommy” needs capitalized. (Freaking duh). And seriously, an adult woman referring to her mother as “mommy”? Are you nuts??

2. Paragraphs are way too long. When there’s a shift in narrative or topic, however slight, a new paragraph needs to be started.
For example:
“My mother set her free when my father left for the day on business. Sometimes, I wonder if that woman thinks about my mom and what she sacrificed to save her. Surely, she would have died if not for her.”
The paragraph was already long-winded. You should’ve begun a new paragraph with the second sentence. Notice the shift—you went from having the FMC recalling a past event to giving her opinion of that same event.

3. Repetitive narrative.
For example:
“Any daughters will be worthless to him, other than to marry her off for a profit.”
And then a handful of paragraphs later, she goes on about it again as if readers didn’t get it the first time:
“Girls are mostly useless. Normally we are married off to someone that can provide money and power to our fathers.”

Another example:
This was part of the fourth paragraph of the book. “I’ve never been allowed to date because I must stay a virgin for my future husband. If I lose my virginity, I will likely lose my life.”
And a couple minutes of reading later, there’s this:
“My father had strict rules because if ever he decided to marry me off, I had to be untouched.” I shortened the passages, but they’re longer than that. Several sentences explaining one very simple concept: she must remain a virgin.
So, yeah, we get it, Author. At this point I can only deduce that you think readers are stupid or liable to miss of few things or you’re careless with your content or you’re trying to fill page space. Regardless, repeating ideas and thoughts the way you are is annoying and bad writing. There are books out there on the psychology of writing and reading. You need to check them out in KU and pick up some tips.

4. Weak dialogue.
You need to look into improving dialogue. Yours ain’t up to scratch. In fact, it’s cringe worthy. There isn’t a good conversational flow between characters. It’s slapped together and there’s a disjointed quality to it—and it’s not there because you’re trying to show how uncomfortable one of the characters is when speaking to the other. It’s due to your lack of understanding of how people speak to each other and the syntax we tend to use in speech. Oftentimes, you’re writing speech as if it’s narrative. We don’t speak the way we think, and vice versa. Your punctuation in dialogue is atrocious as well, which can confuse readers.

5. Punctuation in general.
Please take the time to educate yourself on appropriate punctuation. Thought and dialogue interruptions need to be paired with an em dash (—).
For example:
“Giad, Gia,” she stutters.
It should be “Giad—Gia,” she stutters.

There are a lot more punctuation issues, but I’m already spending too much time on this review.

6. Weak characters.
Very little effort went into the characterization of the primary, secondary and tertiary characters. They’re textbook stereotypes with no originality and absolutely ZERO class. I love smut but only the well-written kind. This book doesn’t contain that kind. The “dirty” narrative and dialogue are weak and extremely trashy, forced and disingenuous. You, Author, had an idea that these Mafia boys think, behave and say things a certain way and never bothered to try to create something fresh and interesting.

I doubt the quality of the work improves, but I won’t know because I’m DNFing at the start of Chapter Two. I have no desire to know anything more about these characters or their story, or waste time on such substandard writing skills.

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sent this as an ARC for an honest review. This is a book that if you have triggers, please check the warnings. If you're like me and view trigger warnings as a shopping list, I think you've found your book! Domenic DeLuca is absolutely called the devil for a reason!

It was a super spicy, dark read I really enjoyed. I do feel as if the story was rushed a bit but overall it was a really good read!

[bookwh0rebryce · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trigger warnings are not accurate

[Kayla P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the amazing opportunity to ARC read this book and I absolutely loved it!! I loved the storyline and the relationship between Gia and Dom is so good! It starts off a marriage of revenge but they grow into such a beautiful couple! Despite the terrible trauma she went through he never left her side and it was amazing! Absolutely recommend!

[Alina · Rating 1 out of 5]

1⭐️

Well this was a fucking mess.👁️👄👁️

He kidnappes her and 2 days later He forces her to marry him. Fuck her on the wedding night, tells her he will never love her. and the NEXT DAY after she’s “flirting” with his brother he r*pes her in front of his brother. She doesn’t speak to him after that for like 2 weeks, but than SHE IS IN LOVE WITH HIM?! Bitch when did she fall in love?! oh and right after that she gets kidnapped and held captive for a YEAR. And she gets amnesia, doesn’t even remember the MMC.
Oh but he is also in love with her.

The whole book timeline is so weird.

We get 1 chapter of her being held captive and after that we get that it’s been 1 year since she is missing
No chapter of how he was trying to find her.
He has brothers and a sister but she meets them like one time before she is kidnapped.

Okay it’s a short book but still it was just a mess..
it should have been a dnf from 45%.

[Rachel Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book in advance and I am leaving a review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this book - both the MC are very well suited, you get a great back story into their lives and what’s brought them together.

This is a darker book with darker characters and I really look forward to reading more about each one of them - looking through other reviews I see that each brother will get there own book so I’m super excited for that and Will definitely be reading each one of them!!

[Bridgot Everly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Hell!!! This is one delicious devil! I am simply obsessed with Domenic De Luca! I reread this just to make sure I didn’t miss any details, Chelle Rose has done it again! Another amazing book I cannot wait for the series to be complete and reread them all together!

[Tampatha · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been awhile since I've read a mafia romance and I'm so happy I got to read this one!

Read the TWs! They are there for a reason. That being said, the darker the better for me and I ate this book up in one sitting. I hadn't read Chelle before and obviously I've been missing out!

This book took me on a whirlwind of emotions which I absolutely loved! There were some twists as can be expected and a cliffhanger that definitely has me coming back for more. I'm totally invested in this series now.

Dom is everything I want him to be: dark, possessive, broody and morally grey and once he stops denying it and just accepts it, every cell in his body is devoted to Giada!🥵

Giada is beautiful, sweet, a little broken and her strength left me in awe. For all that she has to endure as a daughter of the mafia and still be able to find love when she is nothing more than a commodity. She made my heart ache for her.

I thought these two, being so opposite, balanced each other out so well and I loved their story! Parts of their relationship seemed kind of quick to evolve but for me that didn't really deter from the story that much. Dom and Gia have some amazing chemistry (I am a sucker for enemies to lovers) and those spicy scenes were hawt!

Chelle did such an amazing job with this book! I love this mafia world she has created and put us in and I am excited to get more into it. Her characters are intense and I just got so caught up in everything, and then **poof** it's done and I NEED more.

It's beautiful, definitely dark, absolutely sexy and oh so delicious. You are going to be left wanting more and I'm so glad that this is just the beginning!

Thanks to Chelle for the ARC to read her book. This is my honest review.

[Charlene Alana Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, I'm lost for words. Chelle has gone and done it again, what a fabulous start to a new series. This one grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go, and I loved every minute off it. It's a rollercoaster ride that just keeps on giving and giving. It's dark, twisted, emotional and delicious. I could not put it down , I needed to find out what happens next and next oh you get the point. Until it was done and I was left on my knees. And that ending , what!! This book will take you on a wonderful dark journey filled with love, revenge, kidnapping, Torture and so much more. I loved the characters, I love their story. Highly recommend

" No g*d here, baby. Only you and the d*vil.'

Giada is our beautiful, strong, intelligent FMC, shes the daughter of a mafia don, but her life hasn't been full off fairytales and magic. She lives in a world off hell. She ends up down a path not of her own choosing, but finds herself falling in love with the devil himself!. Dom is a mafia don " the devil" everyone fears him, he's sexy as s*n, strong and will take any MF out that threatens or touches his own. He gets married to giada as a game, he will never love her, that is until he does but life is cruel and she's kidnapped. Her life just got worse, forced to fight for your life, being r*ped and tortured day in day out. Will she ever survive this nightmare.

Dom has never stopped looking for his wife, he's never gave up living without her isn't a choice. He will burn down this world to find her. And find her he does but just one problem she's in a bad way and don't know who he is.

Will he get his wife back? Will she remember everything? Will they get there revenge ? Grab the book and find out , you won't be sorry. Can't wait to read more in this series.

[Margaret McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of De Luca: The Devil by Chelle Rose in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book in the mafia romance series Men of Mayhem. It follows mafia princess, Gia, as she struggles to survive a war between her abusive father and the Lord of Drug Lords, Dominic De Luca. This is a very dark mafia romance so please check the trigger warnings prior to proceeding.

What I loved:
💀 I loved the beginning of the relationship between Dom and Gia. I especially loved how he ended up proposing to her via a kidnapping. This is probably a sign that I read too many dark romances, but I found it romantic
💀 The world building and the characters within that world. This was one of the first mafia romances I have read, and I loved the description of how corrupt everyone was in that world. I would love to see more of Dom’s brothers and the characters in the “smut club” in subsequent books
💀 The creative ways in which Dom and Gia exacted their revenge on those monsters. I can honestly state that I would never want to be killed that way
💀 Favorite quote: “My wife thinks I don’t know she reads smut, especially monster smut, but I know everything she does.”

What I wasn’t as much a fan of: ******spoilers ahead*******
💀 Dom being a bit of a hypocrite in regard to really important matters. Dom gets so jealous of his wife talking with his brother that he forces himself on her while making his brother watch and yet when his traumatized wife asks if he would ever force himself on her, he is incredibly offended and states that he would never do something like that
💀 How quickly Gia falls in love with Dom repeatedly. I know that Gia had never been shown any sort of affection prior to Dom and I recognize that the books skips forward in time. However, I would have loved more chapters describing their early relationship and the resistance both of them had in developing feelings for the other; it would have made their relationship more organic and who doesn’t love a slow enemies to lovers trope

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice rating: 🌶🌶