Where Dark Hearts Devour

Dark Hearts #1

by Victoria Holliday

I know only one way to acknowledge the anniversary of my mama’s death – by drinking away the memories in a back street bar. But there’s nothing like waking up to the news I’m to marry the don of New York’s biggest mafia family to induce the hangover from hell.

My husband-to-be is unhinged and terrifying, but marrying him is the only way to save our family. I expect my fiancé to be disinterested in me, and he is. What I don’t expect is… his brother.

Cristiano Di Santo is intense, unfairly handsome, and has a tendency to shoot people’s hands off if they don’t do as he demands. He’s also charged with protecting me. If that means crippling any man who looks my way, and carrying me upside down out of parties, his performance is exemplary. If it means not watching me when I shower, and not holding me through my nightmares… not so much.

It takes me just six weeks to realize I’m falling for the wrong brother, and with my wedding day around the corner, my heart isn’t all I want to give him.

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Mafia ~ Forbidden romance ~ Arranged marriage ~ Virgin bride ~ Touch her and d^e ~ Forced proximity

Genres: Dark Romance, Mafia Romance, Romance, Forced Proximity, Dark, Forbidden Romance, Slow Burn

390 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2024

Reviews

[Shadow Reader (semi-Hiatus)]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Tropes:
🩵 Mafia Romance
🩵 Forbidden
🩵 Forced Proximity
🩵 Touch her and 💀
🩵 Slow Burn
🩵 Angst/Tension
🩵 First Person POV
🩵 Dual POV

✨ The Characters ✨

Cristiano – One of my absolute favourite cinnamon roll MMCs. He’s a Mafia Don in his own right! Ruthless, cunning, intelligent.. but beneath all that, he has a heart of gold. There’s a softness to him that’s so disarming, and when it comes to Trilby 😩 He’s absolute mush. I adored every second of his perspective.

Trilby – I LOVED her. Fierce, loyal, and unapologetically devoted to her family. The way she sacrifices her own happiness for her sister’s sake had me admiring her more and more as the story unfolded. Her resilience in the face of past trauma was beautifully written, and her POV was powerful and heartfelt.

✨ The Plot ✨

The story begins with the death of the Don and a resulting power shift. Savero, the new Don, is making some seriously questionable moves… enter Cristiano, his brother. After a tragedy drove him away from the Mafia, Cristiano built a (mostly) legitimate casino empire far removed from his criminal roots.

Trilby, meanwhile, has been promised to Savero. She meets Cristiano without knowing who he is, and the connection between them? Instant. Off-the-charts. The kind that leaps off the page and punches you in the chest.

When they meet again at the Don’s funeral, Cristiano learns his brother is betrothed to her… and long story short he is utterly furious 🤭 I absolutely love it 😂.

What follows is a slow burn, packed full of back-and-forth tension, forbidden longing, and relentless angst. It was a proper page-turner.

✨ The Spice ✨

This is a true slow burn, with so much tension and emotional heat I had to put the Kindle down just to breathe. And when the spice finally hits? It’s not the wild, jaw-dropping kind but the aching, soul-deep kind that fits these characters perfectly. It’s tender, emotional, and completely in line with the tone of their romance. Cristiano and Trilby are genuinely beautiful together.

✨ My Final Thoughts ✨

This book was an emotional, romantic, angsty delight. A forbidden love story wrapped in Mafia intrigue, but not a dark romance… so if that’s what you’re after, I would adjust expectations. Yes, it includes trauma and heartache, but it’s handled with care and doesn’t drag the book into the dark that you would expect from a true dark romance.

It’s a story about love rising from impossible circumstances, and it was exceptionally written. I felt every moment. I loved every page. I whole heartedly recommend this as a Mafia Romance read 🖤

[Alla ♡]

4,5⭐️
Це було добре, тут гарна і цікава мафія, без тупих жорстких (без причини) гг, дуже сподобалось як описана лл🫶
Буду читати далі, інші сестри теж цікаві.

[Angelina]

This book ate me up in the best way. I wasn’t expecting to be so drawn into Trilby and Cristiano’s story, but wow, the push and pull between them was addictive. Trilby felt real—grieving, messy, trying to do the “right” thing while secretly wanting the completely “wrong” one. And Cristiano? Broody, dangerous, morally grey, and somehow still the only one who really saw her. Their chemistry was so sharp it almost hurt to read at times, especially with the whole fiancé situation hanging over everything.
I loved the tension and all the forbidden moments where you know they shouldn’t, but you’re begging them to anyway. The small-town, mafia-ish backdrop gave it just the right grit. That said, a couple plot points felt a little rushed near the end—I wanted more time to sit with the fallout—but it didn’t stop me from devouring it.

[Cristina]

It was an okay read. Very slow… I believe they kiss at about the 60% mark or so. It has some violence but the H is not your typical “mafia” guy.

[Sundy Tr.]

Trilby and Cristiano. A slow-burn forbidden romance since he is her fiancé’s brother. The book was quite an enjoyable read, the pacing was nice. There is chemistry between them but I found some of their decisions illogical. I think I missed some angst given the fact that they were quite careless and I definitely would have liked more pages from Cristiano’s POV. Maybe some more scenes with Savero, the fiancé, too. Some parts towards the end felt a bit rushed but overall it was pretty decent.

-Dual 1st person POV (75% FMC)
-Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Overall: 3.5/5 ⭐️ for me.

[Ela]

This book completely pulled me in. It's a real mafia romance — dark, intense, and dripping with danger from the first page. The chemistry between the leads is electric, and the power dynamics feel authentic, not watered down like so many "mafia" books out there.
I could not put it down. I read it in almost one sitting because every chapter left me needing more. Holliday knows how to build tension — both romantic and plot-driven — without losing pace.
If you're looking for a mafia romance that actually delivers the grit and obsession the genre promises, this one impressed me deeply. Highly recommend for dark romance lovers. 🖤🔪

[Emma (emjbookshelf)]

Where Dark Hearts Devour

I was absolutely mesmerised with the story and the characters were absolutely captivating. When Dark Hearts Devour is about Trilby, the oldest daughter who is being forced into an arranged marriage to save her family's business. Savero is now the head of the family and who she is set to marry, however she has already had an encounter with Cristiano who is the brother of Savero who left town to escape the mafia life and has returned for a family funeral.

This book was everything, dark, delicious and dirty with some mystery and suspense. Loved Trilby learning to be strong with what she wants, and her and Cristiano's chemistry was everything.
Welcome to the dark side, Victoria, cannot wait to see what comes next.

[helen]

3.5⭐️

[Colleen]

-Dual pov
-Small age gap h20 H28
-Slow burn
-Arranged marriage
-Mafia
-virgin fmc/ no details about mmc past
-Safe no owd 👏🏻🙌🏻
-No omd apart from-
(She’s engaged to the H’s brother, she doesn’t want to be, he doesn’t care about her it’s arranged so he can partner in her father’s business. He’s a cold psychopath who barely acknowledges her so you are actively routing for the fmc and mmc against the brother)
-push/pull a lot because of the circumstances
-HFN ending- they’re engaged and living together

He’s the new Don and the next book is the h’s sister and one of the H’s men so hopefully we will see more of Trilby and Cristiano in future books.

[Victoria]

4.5 stars

[Jenni]

Trilby is being forced into an arranged marriage with Savero, only she has a past connection to his brother Cristiano, he wanted out of the mafia life, but when he returns and croses paths with Trilby once more he cant let her go, esepically not to his brother! well written the story draws you in and holds your attention the characters develop well and the story flows, engaging, steamy drama and more.

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

[Hannah]

arranged marriage, forbidden romance, possessive alpha male, forced proximity....some of my favorite troupes!

This was such a good read for me. I was hooked early on and could not put the book down. Cannot wait for the next one to come out!

[Tiffany Shaner]

Absolutely loved this story. Christiano and Trilby are a match made in heaven. He brings the best out of Trilby and gets her to open herself up to the person she once was before her mom passed away.

[Keza Campbell]

What a fantastic story.

Trilby Castellano is set to marry Savero Di Santo in an arranged marriage to save her families business. The only problem is she has met his brother first, Cristiano.

Cristiano has the ability to see her. They spark feelings within each other. He is everywhere and cares for her when she needs it. But she is still to marry Savero.

This story was utterly captivating from the beginning, I LOVED Cristiano. He has such a sweet heart and cares for those around him, such a stark difference between him and his brother Savero. The heat and connection between between Christiano and Trilby was beautiful, and I feel for them both! To know there is more to this world makes me super excited. I can't wait.

Definitely recommend 👌

[Kimberly Sanchez]

“She’s my winning hand, my lucky dice, the millions that no matter how hard you gamble you can never quite grasp” ✨🖤

I fell in love with this book within the first few chapters. It’s truly such an amazing read. This story is full of tension, desire, loss & trauma.
Cristiano & Trilby had a fantastic chemistry from the start & I loved their journey.

[Tasha_loves_to_read]

What a story of twists and turns. A great start into this world
I absolutely adored Trilby and Cristiano. Their chemistry and tension was perfect.
I loved her sisters and the relationship that they had. I'm excited to read more in this series! 4.5/5

[Courtney]

4.5 ⭐️

Everyone should know by now that I love a slow burn! I loved "Where Dark Hearts Devour." I liked both main characters, Cristiano and Trilby. There's a ton of tension and banter. I will definitely be looking out for the second book in this series.

[BookmarkedByJenn]

A phenomenal first book in a new mafia series that will not disappoint.

Who doesn't love a fun, a bit awkward, and ultra sexy meet cute? What about an arranged marriage to a mafia kingpin who couldn't care less about you, but his dark and intriguing brother can't keep his eyes (or hands) off you? Trilby and Cristiano bring the heat in this story...you will never look at hide and seek the same way again that's for sure.

I was hooked from the beginning and became even more invested in the amazing side characters (who will be getting a starring role in their own books soon). Cristiano stole the show for me. I love a brooding hero, but he took his obsessive and stalkerish behavior to a yummy level that hit just right. Trilby did not disappoint either. I am here for a strong heroine who knows how to hold her own and ultimately own her man and she did that and much more.

These 2 were dynamite together and I cannot wait for the next book and to dive back into this world.

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐
Spice: 3.5/5🌶️
Dual POV

[Carola]

3,75*

[Ioana Reads]

♾️5 Don stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♾️
3.5🌶

Ce tensiune..ce slow-burn..ce acțiune..🙉

[Lori]

This was my first book by Victoria, and I loved it!!! Cristiano and Trilby have a forbidden love because Trilby is being married off to his brother to save her family. Trust me when I say that this book was the longest foreplay until they couldn't hold back any longer. Loved it!!!!

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Shakira Tifloen]

Wow, this Author keeps getting better and better. Not gonna lie I was in a total book slump and couldn't finish my current reads, until this book landed in my inbox. Best surprise ever.

[Nimi (Warner's Version )]

3.5 stars

I like a good slow burn, and this one was great. It really cranked up the tension, and I thought it paid off. Worth reading to get to the end.

[Geri Stoikova]

Where Dark Hearts Devour is a dark mafia romance with an arranged marriage and a forbidden attraction on the side and Victoria Holliday did an excellent job. Trilby and Cristiano's story is intense and angsty one with a lot of tension and forbidden desires. Their first meeting isn't a meet cute one. Cristiano's life just changed for a second time and he's back in town. Trilby has other reasons to be where they meet. And their attraction is undeniable but they don't act on it . Anyway they are connected in more ways than they know or remember. This story is full of so many plot twists that your head will spin constantly. Add the mafia connection and the suspense is sky high. And that brothers rivalry and all the secrets from the past that are coming to light , the situation is more than complicated. Savero is definitely the evil and unhinged brother. Cristiano is morally grey, level headed and dangerous. And Trilby has him on her side but unfortunately has to marry his brother. And their attraction is undeniable and when they finally give in they are pure fire together. And all that threaten the fragile peace. Savero's suspicious are making him more dangerous and desperate and he acts on them. And the consequences are life altering and world changing. Because nothing is the same after that. Some of Cristiano's buried memories resurface and the picture became more clear for him and he acts to protect what's important to him. And that man is so dark and dangerous. All that plot twist got my head spinning. But what's important is that Cristiano and Trilby's world is right again and their world is in order . For now . But they got their happily ever after. Victoria Holliday's mafia suspense romance is dark and alluring and you'll definitely won't want to miss out on it . And after all that hints and sneak peak I'm so excited for the next story and more of the sassy Castelano girls.

Thanks to the author for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of this book.

[Larks Books]

The Wrong Brother

Trilby tries to shelter her younger sisters from the world of organized crime and the pain of a past that continues to haunt her in her nightmares. With her father confirming the setup of an arranged marriage her nightmares become a reality she can't escape. Her path crosses another dangerous man who makes her long for the chance of a different life she can't risk having at the expense of her family's safety.
Although our couple has an age gap and Trilby is romantically inexperienced, she isn't a sheltered princess. She's dealt with major trauma that has forced her to grow up. Our MC Cristiano feels an instant attraction for our herione but tries his best to give it space until he finds out who she's promised to. Then he goes all mine, Mine, MINE. As the story builds so does the pressure between our forbidden couple, until it finally blows.
This is a dual POV with a happy ending (several LOL) that sets up for the next couple in the series.

[Natalie Brown]

I absolutely devoured this book in a couple of hours and loved every second of it. Cristiano and Trilby had an intense connection from the second they met and it didn't dim one bit even when Trilby was supposed to be marrying Cristiano's brother!

The slow burn is so worth the wait in this book. The tension was off the charts by the time they finally gave into what had been brewing between them from the very beginning.

This had all of the best bits that I love in mafia romance. Cristiano was willing to burn down the entire world if it ment Trilby was safe.

The world building was great with not too many people introduced to make it confusing. I am beyond excited to see some of the characters that we have already met in this book get their stories.

[Linda]

My first Victoria Holliday novel. Absolutely NOT my LAST!!!

Oh my gosh am I ever still swooning over Cristiano! I need him! Want him! And, so does Trilby.

BUT, she's in an arranged marriage with the Don, his brother.

Not to be mean, but, I was hoping and praying for something to happen to Sav.
I was also hoping Cristiano would have a discussion with him and convince him he doesn't want a wife, and that he, Cristiano would take Tril off his hands and still maintain the alliance with Tril's father.

This slow burn romance had my heart beating so hard for an HEA for the main characters!

I'm off to find other Holliday stories, I loved this so, so much!

[Cathy]

The debut mafia romance from this author was outstanding. I could not out this book down. The chemistry is off the charts. Cristiano DiSanto is not the brother she’s engaged to nor the one she should be falling in love with. The problem is he is everywhere. From the moment they met the pull towards each other was undeniable. Every situation brought them closer together. As this is a mafia romance there were situations they were part of and unfortunately her fiance Savero it seems doesn’t think of her, however Cristiano does. The verbal exchange between Cristiano and Trilby is spectacular. This story was perfection. I cannot wait for the next story in this series. Well done.

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth)]

Amazing!

Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: taboo: Brothers fiance
Angst: 😱😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥

Holy sheets! Victoria Holliday is a new to me author that I'll definitely be reading again! Fantastic storyline, well-written, and fast-paced. The taboo aspect of this story was delicious. The angst just kept coming and the tension between them was building and building in this wonderful slow burn. By the time they touched one another, everyone was ready to combust (to include me, lol). It really was a fantastic read and I'm looking forward to continuing with the series. This author is definitely one to keep your eye on!

[The Unrepentant Bookaholic]

There was so much angst in this, and it was downright delightful - dark, steamy, forbidden and oh-so tantalising!

The push and pull between Trilby and Cristiano was addictive, and when he finally gave in....boy did he give in.

This has reignited my mafia romance flame with a vengeance, and I cannot wait for the next book.