Marco: Hearts of the Underworld

by Heidi Stark

The vibrant life of Alessia Moretti, a spirited cafe owner, collides with the shadowy realm of Marco De Luca, a formidable mafia boss. When Marco's dangerous world threatens her peaceful existence, their fates become inextricably linked. Forced into a sham marriage for her protection, Alessia finds herself drawn to the man she should fear most. This is a spicy, enemies to lovers, fake marriage, grumpy sunshine romance - and as always, it has a Happily Ever After!

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 19, 2024

About the author

Heidi Stark writes contemporary dark romance with a twist of danger, desire, and the occasional sports scandal.

Known for her badass heroines and irresistibly morally grey men, Heidi has captivated readers with 20+ titles, including the gripping Blood and Sand series, the fiery Volcano of Pain, and her highly anticipated new release, Beautiful Terror.

Originally hailing from the lush landscapes of New Zealand, Heidi now calls the U.S. home, where she shares her creative chaos with her feline sidekick, Fang.

When she’s not crafting heart-pounding stories, Heidi is a whirlwind of energy—hitting up barre classes, devouring true crime podcasts, dabbling in roller derby, people-watching, or indulging in her guilty pleasure: reality TV binges. Always on the hunt for inspiration, she’s probably plotting her next book—or her next travel adventure.

Dark, daring, and deliciously addictive—Heidi’s world is one you’ll never want to leave.

Subscribe to Heidi's newsletter here, and join her on social media:
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Website

Reviews

[reader. kore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid read, loved the premise. Love an unassuming heroine meets a dark hero. Well he wasn't much of a hero if we go by traditional standards. But this is why I love mafia books, the non realistic situations the characters find themselves in, twisting and turning to reach the seemingly unreachable happy ending.

This book is dark and certainly not for the ones who can't separate fiction and reality. If you like men with pitch dark hearts who find love, give this a read.

4 ✨

[♡ᓚᘏᗢⲊⲒⲚⲒⲊⲦⲄⲈᗢᘏᓗ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I normally love mafia romances, they are one of my favourites but this one did not hit the spot, it was too disjointed and the story did not flow well. Also, I lost interest in this DISGUSTING "HERO" after one sentence he said early in the book, have fun reading this 🤢 "Burn one of my warehouses down? I'll burn down three of yours and sell your daughter into sex trafficking after letting all my guys test her out first." Wow, should I be swooning, begging to be your girl? UMM NO, the only thing I am dreaming about is putting a bullet in the back of your head you disgusting piece of trash 😡 He looses his mind thinking that Alessia is being physically harmed in that way but it's fine for everyone elses daughters. Oh and nice that all of your men would be willing to take part in SA. I read a lot of dark books with morally gray heroes, antiheroes, alphas, they are the BEST not a one of them has ever needed to resort to SA to show they are tough and bad. Here are just a few examples of what didn't work for me.

1. Marco convinces Alessia that they immediately need to have a marriage in name only for her protection. So she moves in to his mansion and they start calling each other Husband and Wife (I thought the marriage ceremony happened off page) But no, they didn't get married until near the very end of the book.

2. Alessia is a cafe owner, no mob ties, loathes violence and has only just (as in two days ago) learned that her parents were forced to launder money for the mob. Fast forward several WEEKS and Alessia is kidnapped where she is then able to incapacitate her guard with a spoon, escape the warehouse in the shipping yard and win in hand to hand combat with over half a dozen armed mob guards, including disarming one of his gun and using it to beat others unconscious. She the climbs the perimeter fence and hikes back to town where they recapture her.

3. Marco then shows up a couple days later to rescue her and is distraught because her appearance shows she has been beaten, which Alessia confirms. Wait, when did this happen, also who and how because not a word of her being beaten was written during her time as a captive, or how they hurt her. Nothing of this ordeal was mentioned until Marco picked her up and then she just said she didn't want to go into details, ok 🙄

4. Another few weeks later, to win their freedom, Alessia takes part in the final showdown between her and Marco's family and another rival. This includes, walking into a huge fight at a dark warehouse where lots of men are shooting and dying. She is armed with a gun and shooting someone who was going to shoot at Marco. She is also  able to strategize on the fly with him and then helping him corner their enemy simultaneously shooting him dead with Marco. Of course, they both walk away without a scratch. Was it ever mentioned she had any training with weapons or practice, no of course not because every regular cafe owner just naturally has the skills to be a contract killer 😂

5. This seemingly badass 🙄 woman really wants him out of the life so that they can live life on their own terms and Marco can be a gardener.

6. The characters inner monologues were also completely repetitive and confusing with them expressing the same thoughts multiple times in different wording, it got so annoying. They were also both very wishy washy, just no. This book was chaotic and the chain of events was a complete mess. You are left completely confused.

I do not know whether I am proud of myself or disappointed that I made myself finish this book. There is so much more that is wrong with this book but I am so done writing about it. In case it was not clear, I absolutely do not recommend this book to anyone.

I generously received a free copy of this book from the author via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

[D. L. Foley | My Last Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating: ❤️❤️.75

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks to the author and Book Sirens.

General Thoughts: I hate leaving bad reviews, especially when an author generously gave me an arc/when I'm worried that the author will see it, too. But sometimes, that can't be helped. I've read books by Heidi before that were better than this one. And I applaud any author who publishes. It's hard work.

But this one did not work for me.

I had no sense of how much time had passed in the story. I would suddenly read that months had passed. I would also be told about a lot of things that happened without seeing them. I felt that this novel fell into the trap of "tell instead of show." Key moments in their relationship were told to us but not shown. I was lost the whole book. The pacing was really off.

I never really felt like I got to see the romance develop or the characters. I felt disconnected from them. Perhaps because of the above. The characters took actions that seemed way out of character and a departure because I didn't really feel the transformation. I didn't feel the chemistry/connection between the characters.

I am not sure what happened with this one, as Heidi has some good books. But the fast-paced, go-go-go plot here felt rushed and forced. I left feeling dissatisfied.

Spice Meter:❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥.5-❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Romantic Tropes
-dual POV
-romance
-contemporary realistic
-mafia romance
-novella
-extremely fast paces.

You can read more of my reviews on Insta @mylastromancenovel.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marco: Hearts of the Underworld, written by Heidi Stark, is a light mafia-style darkish romance. This book comes in at 189 pages and is a quick, easy read that is an excellent palette cleanser.

Alessia Moretti owns a small, local cafe that was handed down to her by her parents. She is vibrant, spirited, and absolutely loves what she does. Unbeknownst to her, there is a dark family secret that involves the cafe, and when it comes to light, it flips Alessia’s world upside down.

Marco De Luca, a handsome and formidable mob boss, shows up out of the blue and demands that she shut down the cafe. Alessia stands her ground and refuses. Marco is stunned by Alessia's lady balls and is impressed by her. Marco can’t get Alessia out of his head and comes up with a plan to keep her safe - marriage.

This is a spicy, enemies-to-lovers, fake marriage, grumpy sunshine romance that will make you smile. Considering the book is only 189 pages, a lot happens, and you do form a connection with the characters. At times, it was a bit rushed, but I would have enjoyed a tad more character development. However, that would have pushed the page count. There is action and romance. Both characters evolved in the book, and I enjoyed it. Also, there is a happy ever after that leaves you in a happy place.

Thank you so much to Heidi Stark for gifting me a copy of Marco: Hearts of the Underworld. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Jesslynxreay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid book. It did take me a few chapters to get more into it. The inner monologues drag on a bit in the beginning, repetitive descriptions and inner workings of the mind to try to make the reader understand the motives and what’s going on, to try to really separate the personalities of the two main characters. This improves as the book continues, but occasionally the reasons and explanations are lacking, or are not explained until later where it’s briefly reasoned why something happened and it adds up then. Which is fine. It’s an interesting story, bad boy mafia man, cracks in his hard exterior when he meets the sweet bakery owner woman. I like the forced proximity, the building of their relationship. The author takes us through some scenes of the relationship growing, seeing the softer side of the male. It helps ease us into believing that she would fall in love with him, despite what he does for a living and her initial adamancy that she wants nothing to do with this mafia world. First spicy scene is good, not a lot of tension leading up to it, but it’s detailed and a good read. I liked the happy ending, it felt good. It was really neat how the author showed snippets of their near future, it was sweet and something that isn’t done often. Overall, this was a sweet book that really focuses on the two characters and their relationship. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Amie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written mafia story which has outstanding characters, easy to read as well as a great page turner. A suspenseful, intriguing, as well as action pact with a perfectly steamy romantic happy ever after ending.
A mafia story about two people brought together by a family secret but wind up finding love for one another at the end. The woman with a bakery where a mafia don wanted to force her into closing. The two fought against one another until the mafia don found out who the woman was and what dangers she would face if he didn’t help her. Even at the beginning the two felt something about one another but they both pushed the feelings down so they could deal with what was happening at that moment.
Two souls looking for what was missing in their lives and finding it in the other person. They brought one another kindness, caring, strength, understanding and a fearless love for each other as well as their family and friends that they have.
The road in between brought them together even more because of the obstacles they faced. From the beginning where neither completely trusted the other to the woman’s kidnapping, them leaving the mafia, their wedding and to their happily ever after.

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

[M H · Rating 1 out of 5]

I apologize to the author because it takes courage to write and publish. I am not able to give this book over a one star. It feels like the book had no editor.

1. You never really know how much time has passed.

2. The story would contradict itself, first saying one thing than another.

3. A content editor would have caught all of the irregularities. In one scene they are doing something intimately and in the next sentence they are doing something 100 % different. Then they go back to what they were originally doing.

4. There is so much focus on the life the h had before, her passion, joy and love she had for her job. Yet it's never really addressed again.

5. Some characters come out of nowhere it was like oh we should have a different character now. So no character was well developed.

6. The H does not act like a mafia boss in love. In moment of need he doesn't go in to look for the h.

7. It was just not well plotted. For example in one scene the H said they would do something "tonight." And then it never happened.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Dreaming Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marco: Hearts of the Underworld is my personal 4 star read. I enjoyed it for what it was worth! A story about a mafia boss Marco needing to do whatever it takes to protect Alesia, no matter what it takes.

With that being said, I felt like this book had a lot of pacing issues, which ruined a lot of moments for me personally. For example, Alesia, the heroine who is a sweet girl had to shoot one of the mafia people and she just... wasn't traumatized..not even a little bit.

I am not saying to explore grief but a lot of emotions were brushed off very easily throughout the book for the sake of this being a quick read. And truth to be told I just don't have it in me to rate it lower than 4 stars, despite it being a mediocre read.

I am rating this book on my own accord due to getting the book from the author.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow 5 ***** This book is amazing l couldn't put it down and read it in a day. Alessia the fmc was such a great character, she was so likeable. The life she had with her nonna and her cafe, was so well described l could picture it in my mind , it sounded perfect. Marco was the mmc, he was a mob boss, at the beginning you get the feeling he is a very hard man, very ordered in everything he does. He takes no nonsense from anyone and rules with an iron fist. Then he meets Alessia and we see a completely different sides to him. His love and devoted to Alessia was so brilliant. They had to overcome many things, l don't want to give too much away and ruin this story for anyone.
Please check out this book, you won't regret it xx

[GKP2460 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The shadows have found me at last. The ghosts of my family are not so easily outrun."

If chemistry could solve world problems, then Alessia Moretti and Marco DeLuca would have everything sorted out then some. The chemistry between these two from the very beginning is explosive. And Alessia, there's not much better than a strong, determined, fierce woman, unless it's a possessive, intense, domineering man and that's exactly what Marco is. This story is full of lies, secrets, twists, turns, surprises and betrayals all of which keep it's readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish.

[Shifty Bugger · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

Wow, this was an awesome book to read, the story was written well with the characters Marco De Luca and Alessia, Marco has promised to keep her safe. He remembered when her father and himself were much younger that they don't touch the wives or children. Alessia heard a knock at the door so she went and answered the door only to get kidnapped by the Rosales Cartel, they are Brutal, Ruthless, men. Marco is angry that they even touched his wife so now he is out for blood and he won't stop until their gone.

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

[Merilu Keenum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marco and Alessia’s story is action packed, full of danger, and shows how love can develop between very different people. She’s gentle, caring, and kind, but she has a will of iron. He’s a mafia don who only cares about his territory and crime family, he’s ruthless and cruel. Heidi Stark created a dark atmosphere that lightened up as Alessia’s heart and soul won over the darkness in Marco’s world. Learning what makes life worth living. Their chemistry was spicy, even though it was a slow burn. Their HEA is promising and heartwarming!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Anni Barkla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short, action based mafia romance. Handsome, blue eyed, Mafia Boss, Marco presents as a wall of power & the independent & feisty Alessia is his perfect lead lady. There is instant admiration between the 2 which quickly turns into flames after Marco suggests a sham marriage to Alessia to protect her from impending harm. Will Marco reject & ignore his feelings to protect Alessia… or will Alessia be his saving grace. You will have to read this yourself to find out 😉. Thank you for writing this book 👌🏻

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cafe owner Alissa life was normal and calm before mafia boss Marco comes in like a tornado putting her in dangerba fake marriage is the only way Marco can keep her safe but as she brings down his walls could real feelings make their marriage more permanent? Well written steamy, desires, protective fake marriage turned real, action, drama and more!.

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

[Brenda Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short mafia romance with strong characters in Marco and Alessia. The author takes you into their lives with an explosive passion and kept me reading with all the secrets, betrayals and surprises as well as all the twists and turns along the way. It's well written with descriptive scenes, moves fluidly and is a terrific read.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and are freely given.

[Rachel Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marco and Alessia
I thought this was a guick read and it kept my interest.
Filled with tropes like enimies to lovers, mafia, fake marriage and more!
There was suspense and action, drama, and spice.
I really liked Alessia. She was smart, confident, and overall likable.
I wasn't a big fan of Marco at first, but throughout the story I liked him more.
Together, their chemistry and spice was perfect.
I loved seeing the growth and changes in Marco.

Overall, I really enjoyed it.

[River Wolf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to the author for the ARC copy.

This was a really easy read but I'm likely not the right audience member since very little in this tale captured my soul. Based on the other reviews, it seems that this book stands out among its genre and has found many people who recognize the writer's talents.

[JM G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. Once I started reading it I had a hard time putting my tablet down. The characters are well developed and the storyline grabbed my attention from the start, Alessia and Marco have steamy chemistry. I would recommend reading this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Marco and Alessia’s story.
This is a well written story which has family, friendships, enemies / lovers, emotions, fake marriage, grumpy / sunshine, opposites attract, danger, suspense, intrigue, and love, which leads to an entertaining and steamy addictive page turner.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[S I · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marco by Heidi Stark
When unexpectedly circumstance come your way and makes your safety in danger nothing better then going under the protection of having Marco by your side. Alessia Is sassy. She’s stronger than you would think and they grow to have sizzling chemistry together.

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

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a much sweeter read than most mafia books. It's not nearly as dark as they tend to be. That was a nice change honestly. The story line was fairly unpredictable in my opinion too. I really didn't think they'd end up how they did in the end. There were refreshing changes from the typical mafia romance genre and I really enjoyed it. The characters were super lovable.

[Michelle Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and easy read.

There is something about Heidi's books that are easy to fall into and just sit back and enjoy the ride.

The main characters were fun to watch their journey unfold. Loved their chemistry. Story line was good as well.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Brandy Rice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella is fast paced with a solid premise, but the story seemed to be rushed. I felt like the timeline was all over the place and we were told what happened instead of it actually seeing what happened. It was a little frustrating because this definitely had to potential to be a great read. All in all the idea of the story was good, but not one of my favorite reads.

[BusyM3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark, mafia romance story. The story of two people who come from different backgrounds and end up falling in love with each other. The characters are likeable and fit well together. A good read.

I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one Marco and Alessia come to a standoff she is one brave lady and has a past she knew nothing about and now could be in danger.

It's not to dark but keeps your attention with the characters and the writing is great. It packs a punch for a shirt one. I really liked it.

[Tera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marco definitely defies the odds when it comes to being a mafia Don. The twists and turns in this shorter book keep you engaged throughout. It's definitely a good palate cleansing book while still embarking in the mafia romance world.

[Kelley wellmeier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alessias family has a past, Marco is trying to save her from that past. Will it destroy them both or make them stronger?!Story line has great potential, it felt rushed. Missing pieces in timeframe and missing details of storyline. The idea of the story itself is good!

[Alanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, interesting characters, and a happy ending!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! Story. Definitely worth your time.

[Genoveva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please check CW and TW before starting this one. Faking dating that heats up!!! Ok can I find me my own Marco! He’s willing to burn the world down to ensure her safety is swoon worthy.