Be With Me

by Gabrielle Sands

She’s the mayor-to-be’s perfect daughter. He’s the ruthless villain set to ruin her.I’ve spent my life putting others first. So when my father runs for New York City mayor—on a promise to take down the city’s most notorious crime family—I do what I always push my own dreams aside to help him win.

Until I wind up at the wrong party. Trapped in a bedroom with Romolo Ferraro—the dangerous, merciless youngest son of the man my father has sworn to destroy.

He terrifies me. He fascinates me. Six foot four and covered in tattoos, he’s everything I should avoid.

When he starts pursuing me, I know I’m just a pawn in his game. A means to an end. And yet… part of me wants to play along.

I tell myself it’s to protect my father’s campaign. But I’m not thinking about politics when Romolo’s rough hands slide over my skin, teaching me how good it feels to burn.

They say good girls don’t fall for the villain.

But maybe, I’m tired of being good.

~

Be With Me is book 1 in House of Ferraro, a series of interconnected standalones following the Ferraro brothers, where dark and sensual romance plays out against a backdrop of family secrets and mafia intrigue.

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

408 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 14, 2025

Reviews

[Marianna Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

This served ✨nothing✨ until the last 10%. Something about him stealing her lip gloss then nicknaming her berry also made me recoil.

[Brittany (Brit.tea.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

He steals her lipgloss and calls her berry. Obsessed with Mia and Rom 🥰

The good girl sneaking around with the bad boy 😈

Rom & Mia were perfect together. They both brought baggage and trauma and helped each other through it, pushing each other to be better versions of themselves. ♥️

[Fairuz ᥫ᭡. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! ⭐️ Huge thanks to Velvet Pages LLC & NetGalley for the ARC 💌

Okay so it had been a while since I opened NetGalley—blame exam chaos, a TBR mountain, and my attention span—but THEN one of my friends posted about this highly anticipated book, and when I went to request it, I SAW THIS and SCREEEAMED (#jskdjak IYKYK). I’ve been waiting for this one since forever, and finally diving in felt like ✨coming home✨ to all my fav tropes.

So here’s the deal:

Be With Me is the first book in the House of Ferraro series and OHMYGOD it starts with a bang. It’s about Mia, the picture-perfect daughter of NYC’s future mayor, and Romolo Ferraro, the tattooed, intense, morally grey son of the mafia don her dad wants to destroy.

One wrong party.
One locked door.
One life-changing moment.

Enemies-to-lovers? Check.
Obsessed mafia hero? CHECK.
The forbidden tension? OH, IT'S CHECKED.
This book is dripping with angst and chemistry and YES, I WAS LIVING FOR IT.

I love how Mia starts off being this polished, polite daughter doing everything “right”... but you can literally feel her suffocating under all that perfection. And then Romolo waltzes in with his shadows and danger and I’m like YEP, she’s gonna crack and I can’t wait.

Also Romolo?? Man was DOWN BAD for Mia and didn’t even try to hide it. The way he watches her. The jealousy. The “I hate you but let me save your life real quick” vibe. TOP TIER.

And the mystery/suspense?? UMM YES. The political intrigue + mafia secrets + past betrayals = I was flipping pages like a maniac. There are layers here, and Gabrielle Sands didn’t just write a romance—she wrote a situation.

ALSO. I love how everything made sense. The pacing was tight, the family dynamics were explained without info dumping, and the world was rich but never overwhelming. Like THANK YOU for letting me enjoy mafia without needing a genealogy chart on standby.

Let’s talk ✨TROPES✨:
🌹 Enemies to lovers
🖤 Good girl x bad boy
🌹 Forbidden romance
🖤 Mafia/Crime family daama
🌹 Protective obsessed MMC
🖤 Slow burn with explosive payoff
🌹 Touch her and die
🖤 Political scandal twisty bits

ALSO I HAVE SO MANY THEORIES AHHH.
First of all, what Vita did—EXCUSE ME??? I’m still screaming.
Next book is Cosimo & Fabi and I really hope Cosimo didn’t cheat on her with Rosa. I swear Gabrielle wouldn’t do us dirty with a cheating trope… right?? Right???

Also i’m curious—who’s the 4th Ferraro?? we’ve got Romano, Cosimo, Alessio... but the series is called House of Ferraro so there’s GOTTA be a 4th, right?? and listen… the girl group?? Mila, Fabi, Zo, and Nina? i feel like they’re all gonna end up with a Ferraro. Mila already got Romano, now Cosimo & Fabi. Maybe Alessio & Zo?? (Nina is their cousin on their mom’s side so not her). But like maybe she ends up with a cousin from their dad’s side? Idk i’m literally living for the theories rn.

Anyway—
This was a banger of a first book.
Bold. Sexy. Addictive.
Gabrielle Sands?? You’ve got me hooked.

Can’t wait for book 2 IMMEDIATELY.

[Laura Jane ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Insta-love strikes again.

Updating my review because I feel like I have more to say lol.
This was like a really bad soap opera where all the actors spoke in monotone. The romance was so dull. Given this is meant to be an enemies to lovers, forbidden romance - there was zero chemistry or tension between them at all. I don’t even think they disliked each other at any point, and they hooked up so quickly for saying there was zero build up - & of course magically fell deeply in love, meh. I am so over the characters having zero chemistry but then I am meant to believe they are in love because they banged? yeah na.
I’m also confused to why this is labeled as dark mafia romance? It’s not. The MMC is in the mafia but that doesn't equal mafia romance, we didn't get any insight into his life in the mafia. Now of course I have zero idea how to mafia works in real life, but I have read enough mafia romance to understand the fictional mafia world and this truly is not it. As for the 'dark romance', there wasn't anything here either. The plot in general felt very robotic and had no 'story' to it.

The plot was so underwhelming and quite frankly boring. The characters were so bland, I genuinely couldn’t care less about them. Cookie cutter ‘mafia’ romance. This was so dumb - sorry.

I think the biggest issue is that this book is marketed as something that it isn't. Even if it wasn't, I still don't think I would have enjoyed it because it had nothing going for it, but perhaps I wouldn't have been so disappointed.

Maybe next month I’ll actually like our book club pick HAHA - so glad you girls love me regardless 🤭
_______________
Pre-read: Some mafia seems like a good weekend vibe.
This months pick with besties Grace & Kayla 🩵

[naz · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅.

If you're a forbidden romance reader, let me tell you this was sooo goood !!! 👏 mayor-to-be daughter x mafia son = CAN’T. EVER. BE. But what happens when he just can’t stay away? Heheheh GIMMEEEE 😈 Don't even get me started on how she is "perfectly a good girl" and he isn't AHHH love love love.

“𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈?” 𝑰 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒆𝒅. “𝑰𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑪𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕. 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒚?”

Gabrielle Sands gave us all the Romeo and Juliet feels but make it mafia. Two people from completely different families and a history that should’ve kept them apart forever. Obviously nothing stops them and omfg the angst, the tension, the constant "we can’t but we want to" VIBES had me on the edge of my seat and don't forget me fanning at that precise seat as well 🥵

As someone who doesn’t usually read a ton of mafia romance (that is going to change ASAP), I loved how easy it was to follow the family trees and gang dynamics. It was clear, well written, and didn’t make me feel lost at all!!


I also really enjoyed how the storyline was built from clear intentions: Romolo wanted info on Mia’s father, and he was going to stop at nothing to get it. But Mia? She saw right through his little scheme. And once they started to play the game... let’s just say the mission was very quickly forgotten 😏🔥💋💦🫣

𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒅—𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒖𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒅, 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆.

Listen. I don’t know what it is about MMCs who are down BAD, but it gets me EVERY time. And Romolo Ferrero?? He had it baaaaad for Mia, and it made me DEVOUR this book. The way he protects her? The way he watches her? The way he finally gives in to the forbidden? MAMMA MIAAAA 😮‍💨🖤

This book doesn’t just deliver on the romance, it also weaves in a mystery element that elevates the entire storyline. The plot doesn’t rely solely on the romance to keep you hooked, and that makes it all the more amazing.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves mafia romance, especially when the MMC starts off with a tough exterior but completely softens for his girl. If you're into a FMC who transforms from an overthinker to a confident badass, this one’s for you.

tropes
🖤 enemies to lovers
🖤 forbidden romance
🖤 mafia romance
🖤 good girl/bad boy
🖤 mystery & suspense elements

⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
➳ 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅omg im so excited for this one!!! i been on the kick for some mafia vibes.

thank you Gabrielle Sands for my eARC

[Samantha (bookgramsaga reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 (ARC)

''We were both lying to each other''

Safety warnings:
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Violence
- Loss of loved ones
- Blackmail
- SA
- Kidnapping
- HEA

Rom and Mia’s story had me stressing. In a good way I promise. There just was so much tension and angst.

Mia's father is set to become the new mayor, and he is not going to stop until all the Ferraro's are placed in prison and taken off the streets. She's stuck being the picture-perfect daughter to someone who we find out is not really a father to her. We never got to see him be fatherly and I felt like Mia was giving too much of herself for something that was superficial and one-sided.

Rom is the youngest son of the Ferraro family and the playboy. Despite his former ways, we never get that side of him after he meets Mia. He's obsessed and unable to stay away from her, he is willing to do anything to be around her.

There are things that we find out about Rom that show you what happened in his past to make him the way he is now and honestly, you’ll hate someone close to him for it. The poor guy was manipulated and used. It’s truly heartbreaking…that chapter of his past was gut-wrenching.

Mia and Rom have a connection that links them through Fabiana (who is engaged to Cos – the eldest brother). Though this marriage is arranged, and he does not want it, and we also get a hint about something I am so iffy about, but I trust Gabrielle to lead things the right way. Right now, I am not his biggest fan lol but I’ll be patient and wait for book two.
Seeing Rom become someone who he never imagined was amazing. He lacked so much in life that Mia made him realize what he was missing. The kindest gestures from her were shocking him to his core.
There is an obvious forbidden sense between the two as they come from different worlds, her father is absolutely against his family and his reasons are dubious. You know there is something bigger and that obviously it would all come out, but you still hope that th actual person is good……yeah no. Her stepmother was a fucking piece of work tbh. I hated her the second she was on page.

It was kind of a slow burn, there was a lot of pushing and pulling from these two but the journey to them fully being together was worth it.

I know that the next two books are about Cos and Alessio but who is book 4??

[annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

slowly i'm loving all gabrielle's books, her writing style is improving and getting perfect. so, as usual, this book was really good. I love RomoloMia's dynamic, they were sweet, hot, and achingly emotional. their whole pining and separation scenes were making this book so better.

- while Nero De Luca & Rafaele Massero are still my #1 favs 😭🙏🏻 Romolo is close. in the start and even in the middle, he had his jerky moments, but the way he cared for mia? and legit developed bad insomnia just because they both weren't seeing each other 🤧 yeah, THAT'S MY TYPE!!!

This was really good with the plot and the relationship. and one thing as well, i've always thought that romolo and his brothers' life would be really awesome considering they have loving parents, BUT DAMN VITA YOU CUNT 🤡 i never ever imagined that she'd be such a bitch, and whole gabrielle did say that she's imp and MIGHT get her redemption arc, ngl there's no saving. i'll still hate her, and everyone was right about her. she just uses everyone and jajsjwjw Gino's death was a shocker lmao because i really thought that the last book would be about Gino Vita lol.

- Cosimo better treat Fabi preciously. i also know that gabrielle would just do smth about it, and obviously he'll fall in line. and also, Alessio's book pls ‼️ i'm waiting for his story, BUT i don't want him with Nina or Zo 🥲 because like they're good friends, but i didn't feel anything towards them and Zo kinda gave me ick wkxhwjs

[lauren‎♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧ (semi-ia) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2💫

read this in a big slump to get me out of it and this didn’t help. i did not like this one at all.

i was bored, annoyed, and didn’t care about anything going on. i wanted mafia bad ass boss and he gave loser!

[Brittany Ferraro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A NEW BOOK HUSBAND HAS ENTERED THE CHAT.
Romolo shot to the top so fast I got whiplash. I was literally highlighting every single thing that came out of his mouth. I love a dangerous man in a suit, carrying a gun, a little cocky, a little flirty.. GIVE MEEEE.

Yeah, so I’m obsessed with this book. It was everything I want in a mafia romance. The whole “mayors daughter/forbidden love” angle? PERFECTION. And the best part? It was so easy to follow. No 45 million side characters to keep track of just vibes, tension, and a damn good story.

If you’re looking for THE BEST tension( like every time these two were in a room together I was grinning) yearning, and all that delicious slow-burn goodness? Oh baby, it’s right here. Gabrielle is now an auto-buy author for me. The writing was so smooth, it just flowed.

And don’t even get me started on the spice. When that first scene hit, I literally sat straight up in bed. The way it was written? I was fanning myself like, oh my GOD. I could not get enough.

I loved everything about this book, the characters, their chemistry, the “we shouldn’t be doing this” tension, the sneaking around, the plot, the pacing, it was all so damn good.

I’m screaming from the rooftops about this one. Absolute must read.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

there’s just something about a kindle unlimited mafia romance that gets the gears grinding. Do you know what I’m saying?

[Luciana (✿◠‿◠) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solo soy una chica que ama los romances prohibidos y los villanos que dan todo por su mujer.
Nada más para decir señor juez.

[mikayla ✿ (catching up) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️ be with me isn’t a slow burn, nor a dark romance. it certainly isn’t an enemies to lovers read. it is a forbidden romance, just not a particularly exciting one. honestly, reading this book was the equivalent of ordering a three-seater couch from temu, only for the couch to be the size of a christmas decoration when it arrives. it wasn’t what i signed up for, but it was alright.

i didn’t feel connected to either of the main characters, probably because the actual relationship portion of their connection was totally brushed over. i would have enjoyed seeing mia and romolo get to know each other and witness this “love” develop along with all the little moments that make relationships special.

i finished the book knowing next to nothing about romolo. yes, he spilled some dark secrets and showed some vulnerability, but that’s not what i mean. i mean romolo's essence - who he is on the day to day, the quirks that made a person feel authentic. it didn’t feel like romolo was a main character, but rather an accessory for the sake of a “mafia romance”. he employs all of the typical mafia-man traits without any sense of individuality - a cardboard cutout.

at the same time, the book fails to actually deliver the suspense, mystery or danger expected from a mafia romance. throughout the entire book, there is one moment of “danger” however, there isn’t actually any real sense of genuine fear or peril given the circumstances (i won’t expand on this to avoid spoilers). honestly, this book was just too soft to consider itself a true mafia romance.

i also have to ask: if mia’s father was such a danger to the ferraro family, why didn’t the family put out a hit on him? did they forget that they are supposed to be the mafia? seems like an easy solution to their apparent ongoing problems with the man… it isn't a believable story line. it might be a fictional book, but it's not intended to be fantasy... it doesn't make a lot of sense to paint the ferraro family as ruthless mobsters then have them behave as harmless kittens when it comes to their greatest rival.

would i recommend this book? probably not. i’m also fairly sure that the reason why i didn't totally hate it had a lot more to do with the audiobook than anything else. i’ve come to the conclusion that i love vanessa vasquez as a narrator. if she narrated a shopping list, i’d still be down for a listen.

gabrielle sands has vanessa to thank for an extra half-star. without the audiobook, this would have been a 2.5 star read for me.

[Milica's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's one of my favorite reads of the year!❤️
I devoured this story from the first word to the last. It had everything I love in a dark mafia romance: tension, emotion, danger, and characters that felt so real.

What you can expect:
♡ forbidden romance
♡ enemies to lovers
♡ good girl/bad boy
♡ obsessed mafia hero
♡ yearning
♡ mystery/suspense
♡ guaranteed HEA

Rom is the kind of hero I can’t get enough of - brooding, dangerous, and utterly devoted once he falls. And fall he does. I loved watching him unravel for Mia. His backstory wrecked me. My heart broke for him, and I just wanted to hug him hard.

Mia's been giving so much of herself to help her father’s mayoral campaign, even though he’s never truly been a father to her. She’s stuck playing the perfect daughter for someone who doesn’t deserve her, and seeing her start to choose herself was incredibly satisfying.
She brought a softness to Rom that he didn’t even know he needed, and in turn, he gave her the protection, passion, and care she never got at home.

The push and pull between them had me glued to the page. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but the emotional reward at the end is so worth it! 🥹
I was holding my breath more than once, wondering how they’d make it work when everything seemed stacked against them.

I also loved how naturally this book ties into the world of the Fallen God duet and The Fallen series. As someone familiar with those stories, it was such a treat to see it all connect, but if you’re new to Gabrielle’s books, this still works perfectly as the start.
I'm beyond excited about Cossimo and Fabi’s story!

[˚₊‧꒰ა vruxreads ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ · Rating 1 out of 5]

never seen such a coward hero and well heroine is the same weak and doormat. both of them were annoying with no personality whatsoever so yeah a very pathetic read.
i personally think he treated her like shit.

and i really don't know why authors cannot let heroine have good sex life before meeting the hero. as usual she had an ex who was bad and had no sex life while hero gave full manwhore vibes.

[bee (on and off) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 ★

I really enjoyed this. It was a fast-paced, easy, and entertaining read.

It did feel more contemporary romance than dark. The mafia element was pretty subtle IMO—I would’ve liked to see more of Rom’s actual job and what he does.

Romance was very sweet though and I will always love a bad boy/good girl dynamic.

Overall decent, light mafia read.

[Grace Btrs · Rating 2 out of 5]

🚨 Reminder: Mafia ≠ Mafia Romance
Say it with me: characters being in the mafia does not automatically equal a mafia romance.
One more time.
A little louder for the people in the back. 🎤
2.75 ⭐I guess

Now that we’ve settled that, let’s talk about this very falsely branded book. And just so we’re clear: I’m not inventing tags, I’m pulling these straight off the main page.

🕶️ Dark Romance (…or not)
Nothing dark here. The one dark-ish theme even came with a note from the author saying it was hard to write and her editors wanted to cut it. Honestly? As angry as I was at what happened, it didn’t even scratch the surface of horrifying or emotional. Rebrand, please.

💀 Mafia Romance (??)
No mafia vibes. None. Mafia romance means the air itself should feel drenched in violence, power, and foreboding. This? This was billionaire romance in a mafia costume.

🍪 Enemies to Lovers (except… not)
Imagine buying a chocolate cookie, only to bite into vanilla with a few chocolate chips sprinkled in. That’s what we got.
Sure, there’s a passing mention that his family killed her uncle (to which she has zero emotional reaction). Sure, he initially tries to dig up info on her dad (then drops it). That’s not enemies. That’s a faint whiff of cocoa dust.

🔥 Slow Burn (spoiler: it wasn’t)
When lust is basically the first emotion, and we get smut at 38% in… that’s not a slow burn. That’s a campfire someone poured lighter fluid on.

😮‍💨 Forced Proximity (…where?)
If we’re calling “coincidentally” planned meetings while constantly running away from each other, forced proximity, then we need to re-tag too many books.

🎧 Audiobook (the real MVP)
This was a saving grace; the duet narration adds at least half a star. But even here, the male narrator started hot and then fizzled, while the female narrator began enthusiastic and gradually flattened into neutral. Not ideal when one voice is dripping lust and the other sounds like they’d rather be folding laundry.

🍒 The “Cherries” on Top (of our very vanilla cake)
(…and yes, my brain is clearly stuck on dessert analogies today 🍰)
The whole book felt like hopping:
• The author had a clear blueprint: A → B → C → D.
• But instead of cursive, it’s typed block letters. No smooth connections.
• Worse, we skipped steps entirely.
The elements are there. The writing is cute. The narrators did their best. But the actual romance?
Zero tension.
No spark.
No “why her?”
He’s painted as a Playboy, yet nothing about her was special. One kind sentence from her and he decides he’s in love? Please.

🎭 Final Bite
This book looked red as a red velvet cake, but inside it’s just whipped cream with food colouring. Fluffy, bland, and pretending to be richer than it was.

--
Pre-read:
I heard good things when this was released, so I am holding out hope for some good mafia vibes...please 🤞🏻🤞🏻

[•°Dahlia ( hiatus ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

๋ ࣭ ⭑๋ ࣭ ⭑“We were like two magnets reversed—drawn to each other with a force neither of us understood, only to be repelled every time we got too close.”๋ ࣭ ⭑๋ ࣭ ⭑

𓏲 ๋࣭  ࣪ ˖4.5 🌟
I WANT A ROM IN MY LIFE 😩🙈 Omg this was so freaking good , am not really a mafia romance girlie but now ? am sold .

When I say I loved this book, I mean I freaking LOVED it , started it the morning finished it in the afternoon , hello Romolo got me obsessed 🙏

Mia is the sweetest soul with the softest heart 🤍. You can’t help but fall for her and want just the best for her , and let's just agree that she did deserve better than that family because what the bitch Vita said in the end ? you can burn in hell for all I care.

She’s selfless, kind, and always putting others first 🥺. But underneath that gentle exterior , she’d do everything to protect the people she loves. She had to bear her father's expectations , and be there with him sacrificing her life for his mayor campaign to bring the Ferraros down .

๋ ࣭ ⭑๋ ࣭ ⭑“You haven’t had dinner. You’ll need the energy if you’re pulling an all-nighter.”
“You’re very bossy. You know that?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t like it when I boss you around, Berry.”๋ ࣭ ⭑๋ ࣭ ⭑ 🔥🔥🙏

Then there’s Romolo freaking Ferraro … sigh 😮‍💨.
Six foot four, tattooed, broody ,dangerous 😩and the youngest son of the crime family Mia’s father is trying to destroy.
At first, he just wants to use her, so he gets information against her father. But somewhere in all the chaos, his plan shifts. He starts to care. He wants to protect her. And OMG… he falls hard for her. This man was absolutely obsessed more than me 👁👄👁

Their chemistry? BOOM FUCKING BOOM. The tension the hate the angst it was ALL there.
He’s everything Mia didn’t know she needed💗. Dark, loyal, infuriating, and would burn the world down just to keep her safe ❤️‍🔥. She’s the daughter of his enemy, but love doesn’t know when to stop ..
He makes her see her worth , fight for her rights and discover that she is worthy of love and vice versa , their relationship made each one of them heal 🥺..

Now that am officially obsessed with Romolo I need Cossimo 🙏 I just know that he and Fabi are gonna be fire 🔥🔥.

๋ ࣭ ⭑๋ ࣭ ⭑“And for the first time in my life, love didn’t feel like a sacrifice. It felt like freedom.”๋ ࣭ ⭑๋ ࣭ ⭑

--
➻Pre-Read:
Saw this , loved the cover , grabbed it and here I am .. Not me starting a bunch of random books at the same time 🤭👀𓏲

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Gabrielle Sands is easily becoming a new mafia romance author of mine and I get so excited each time I pick up a new book from her. This one!?!? This gives Romeo and Juliet vibes where she's the daughter of someone running for mayor and her dad's entire platform is about taking down the mafia in their town. The hero? Part of the notorious mafia family he wants to get rid of. The two meet, though, and the heroine is freaked because she knows how dangerous he and his family are. BUT he can't stay away and starts showing up everywhere she is. The tension!?! The way the hero is SO OBSESSED WITH HER!?!?! I couldn't get enough. I devoured this and can't recommend Be with Me enough!!

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be With Me is the first book in the House of Ferraro series. This was my first read from the author and I’d definitely read more! This was super bingeable, so easy to get into, and just a fun read. It’s a mafia romance with forbidden vibes and a good girl x bad boy set up. He’s an obsessed mafia hero and she’s the mayor-to-be’s daughter (her father is determined to take down the hero’s family).

Mia’s father is running for Mayor and she’s been right at his side for his campaign. The story kicks off with her hearing her good friend from boarding school is engaged, Mia is surprised and decides to show up at the engagement party without being invited and finds herself falling head-first into the mafia world that her father is adamantly opposed to. While at the party she catches the attention of Romolo Ferraro, the brother of her friend’s fiancé. Romolo is equally intrigued by Mia and jumps at the chance to find out more about her father’s campaign through her.

If you love a hero obsessed, Romolo is definitely that! He goes out of his way to be around her, helps out her fashion styling company, and even secretly pockets her lip gloss because he can’t stop thinking about her. Both have tragic pasts and I liked how they connected and shared their trauma with one another. She has vasovagal syncope which I feel like I haven’t read a character with that rep before. Like I said I flew through this one. The drama, the chemistry, the action, it was all super easy to just fly through the pages. I’d definitely read more from this author and for sure want to read the next in the series when it comes out!

[Luna ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

»I'm torn. Between proudly displaying you to the world and keeping you all to myself.«

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

❥ 𝑴𝒊𝒂 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
What a wonderful person. She‘s ambitious, intelligent and hard working. I liked the way she stood her ground against Romolo.

❥ 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒍𝒐 ࣪⋆✮
I want him for myself. He is possessive, dangerous and obsessed with Mia.

✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
Amazing. Ten out of ten!
This book was everything I could wish for and Gabrielle Sands didn‘t let her readers down. I loved all of her previous books and this one was a five star read as well. The writing style is fluent and easy to read. The pages just flew by and I read the whole story in one sitting. There are a lot of emotions and I could easily dive into the book. It is an easy read with good plot and likeable characters.
The mafia world is created well and it felt realistic. Of course a mafia romance never will be 100% true to the real world but the structures and problems felt relatable.
Mia and Romolo are great together. Their tension was on point and their banter was funny. I enjoyed their dialogue and liked the fact that they really talked with each other. Mia is so sweet and Romolo is her exact opposites which fits well.
I am so in love with the start of this new series and I can‘t wait for the next book.

𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
Yes!!

𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 ׂㅤ𐙚 ࣪ ⭒
plot: 5/5
spice: 2/5
humor: 5/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 5/5
happy end?: yes

𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 ᡣ𐭩ྀི₊ ⊹
possessive and protective hero, instant attraction, mafia, forbidden love, secret relationship, opposites attract, mafia heir x stylist/mayors daughter, slow burn, touch her and die, from different worlds, stalker (kinda), enemies to lovers, good girl x bad boy

𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: Mia (25) and Romolo (25)
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: no

[Jeeves Reads Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ATE this up like the catnip that it is, yet another 5-star read from the talented Gabrielle Sands. I cleared my schedule when it hit my kindle, and I’ve got no regrets. She is so skilled at tying her series together in a way that’s natural and compelling, infusing organized crime plot into the romance and making me feel genuinely invested in all the drama. This series starter is a great point for new readers to jump in, but it also builds on the Fallen God duet and The Fallen series before it. Ultimately, it’s a bad boy/good girl romance featuring an antihero who is so much more than the ruthless playboy he appears to be on the surface, and I loved peeling back the layers of his character. I also loved the exploration of a relationship between a made man and a woman who knows better than to get involved with him, which took the forbidden tension up another level. It’s suspenseful, sexy, and a little bit sweet; a multifaceted read that pulled me in more and more as the story progressed. I loved it!

The story follows Mia, the daughter of a man who is running for mayor. She’s been helping him campaign, and is genuinely proud of his work - though she’ll be happy once she can go back to her own business. When Mia discovers that her best friend is actually part of a family that makes a living from organized crime, she is shocked. And when she meets Romolo, she writes him off as trouble she needs to avoid at all costs. As the person in his family who gathers intel, Romolo has been tasked with finding dirt on Mia’s father through her. But something about the woman keeps drawing him closer, and Romolo isn’t sure what to think. They’re doomed from the start, but Mia and Romolo just keep getting closer.

We got to know Romolo’s family in the Fallen God duet, but he was a little bit of a mystery, so I loved finding out more about him as the story progressed. He comes off as this unfeeling playboy who will do whatever he needs to do to gather information, but Mia is a shock to his system. I love a smitten man, and Romolo’s world is turned upside down by her. His backstory is a complicated and dark one, which took the story in a direction I didn’t anticipate. It was great that Mia was strong and solid on her own, shy in some ways yet bold in others. She makes a perfect match for Romolo, and the Romeo & Juliet vibes were an absolute win. I’m even more intrigued by the rest of the family now, and very excited for the brothers’ books.

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite the ride!

I loved the Romeo and Juliet vibes of this story and it had me hooked. There were so many twists and turns that I wasn't expecting!

I was already hyped about the Ferraros from the previous series, so I was ready to jump in with both feet. Romeo was charming yet a little more subdued in character than some previous leading men from this author. He has a lot of expectation on him and Mia is a job to him at first.

But what I think was really clever, is how similar Mia is to him without even realizing it. They me from different sides of the tracks, but there are definitely parallels to their roles in their families. They have deferred some of their own wants and needs to please others. I just really liked how their time together became a little oasis from it all.

I was a bit unsure about a particular character in this book, I won't say who, but I had a certain impression of them from a previous book and so I am a bit confused. I trust the author to know her characters much better than I do though, so I look forward to seeing where it all leads!

P.S. I really liked that Mia wasn't shy about what kind of sex she wanted from Romelo, though I do always roll my eyes a bit at the cliche of "all sex was bad for me before the MC". Why do the heroes never say that?

Anyway... I can't wait for Fabi and Cosimo!

4 Stars
3 on the spice scale

CW: Gas-lighting, coercive parents, parental neglect, violence, murder

*Thank you to the author for an ARC of this title.*

[LoveBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

To all the girls who gave too much and asked for too little—no wonder you prefer the villain who tells you to be selfish while he burns the world to keep you.

💥𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒!!



Hey Lovebooks!

The House of Ferraro is coming, and it’s bringing a storm! 🌪️

This new series dives into the gritty, dangerous, and oh-so-irresistible lives of the Ferraro family.

Get ready to step into a world where loyalty is everything and power always has a price.

This new series is filled with intense romance, jaw-dropping secrets, and a family legacy that demands respect…and envy.

Stay tuned for sneak peeks, character reveals, and exclusive content that will make you fall head over heels with this intense new world.

I know many of you are eagerly waiting for Alessio’s story, and trust me, I can’t wait to bring him to life for you. But… Alessio might just have to wait a little longer because the first one up is the charming, bad-boy Romolo 😍

[Carla Bulian]

Unfortunately boring!

[Annika · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 complicated ⭐️🎧

It’s definitely a romance; a mafia romance is a stretch!
If I were to color code it, it would be a pink. It’s well written, and I loved “When She Unravels” by the same author. But this was kind of boring most of the time, and had very little of the angst and tension I crave.

The drama between the dad and the Ferraros was drawn out, and through most of the book, I was aching for drama. The last 20% was the best part of the book; it just took too long for me.

First 20% 3 ⭐️
Mid 60% 2 ⭐️
Last 20 % 4 ⭐️

The hero is such a cinnamon roll, and his personality is narrowly following booktoks demand for microtropes, to a point where he is a little emasculated.
He is so molded into what is expected by us ( romance readers) that he is Disneyfied, and loses his masculinity.
It’s an unfortunate trend I see more often. I miss an edge, or nuance, a flaw, in his masculinity/humanity. If a book creates a male character to be everything booktok says it wants, is it too designed to be desirable?

🤦‍♀️Who did this to you!
🤦‍♀️Who takes care of you!
🤦‍♀️You will be the death of me!

Etc etc. it’s too artificial for me and I miss a real dialogue!

The dual POV was making him even more of a golden retriever. Please when I read Mafia romances I want shock and awe! Not necessarily dark, but a mafia romance does insinuate a certain level of nonconformity and danger.
That is not this book.
He keeps thinking how into her he is, when did this become the standard? Am I the only reader who craves tension and at least some level of uncertainty? Where trust of the author, makes the pain bearable.

The only drama was the dad’s race for mayor and Mia’s lack of boundaries.

She lets her family bully her and she is an adult! She lets the campaign manager threaten to lock her up. At this point I was like, girl put on your big girl pants!! It was excruciating to see an adult behave this way.

Romero’s back story was heartbreaking and did explain a lot about him, it just wasn’t enough of a story.

Should you read it? Yes but I am unsure, don’t expect a lot of drama.

Ps. Bruschetta really needs to be pronounced correctly in audiobooks🎧

[Em (semi-hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s fast-paced, fun, and an easy read, with a beginning that hooked me right in. The romance felt light, but the plot fizzled after the breakup. I craved more depth, intimacy, and domestic moments. The hero’s cowardice was predictable, and the aspects of his actual job were completely absent from the story. The ending is hfn, but I was left wanting more. Still, it was a quick, entertaining read with its moments.

[Medollga · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid mafia read! 🔥

and the relationship was great 🤌🏼 the only thing that irked me is the easy way out the author took to bring them together iykwim 🤷🏼‍♀️

P.S. not really feeling Cosimo and Fabi🙈 i was hoping he'd end up with Elena 😅🫣

[nat ⋆˙⟡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book encompasses the reasons why i am a mafia romance girly through and through and why i will always find comfort in this genre. one thing about me is that I will always eat up a good mafia romance. practically read this in one sitting. throw in some romeo and juliet vibes? yeah i will eat it right up. first time i have seen this in a mafia romance and i absolutely loved it.

this is my submission to mafia romance and dark romance authors to please start writing yearning in your books. i WAS feral for the yearning in this book between Mia and Rom.

Mia is the daughter of the mayor and Rom is the son of the Ferraro crime family that was responsible for her uncle's death many many years ago. their first encounter was at the engagement party of one of her bestfriend's. she also did not know that her bestie was getting married much less her actual legal last name. she did not know that her best friend is an italian mafia princess. and who happens to be the man that she meets while hiding so no one sees her you ask? he happens to be the cousin of one of her other friends who is also part of the italian mafia. so mia is obviously trying to cope with all of this new information.

her and rom are enemies. her father is trying to get rid of and put in jail those families that are in organized crime and his family is trying to get rid of him. he tells his family that they could possible get to the mayor by going through his daughter so he is told to seduce her and try to get information out of her. she also gets into an agreement with rom that if she styles him for an event, he will put her name out there so she can get more clients to style. obviously they end up falling for each other despite the fact that it's forbidden.

the yearning both characters showed i lived for it. when i tell you this man is obsessed...... he carries her tube of lipstick in his pocket from the first time they met. he stalks her instagram page and watches her on tv, yeah i need me one of these.

this is so bingeable honestly anyone can read it one sitting. i loved the plot, the characters, the side characters, the emotions, the yearning. this has my stamp of approval. added a new mafia romance to the stack!

tropes:
- mafia romance
- good girl x bad boy
- obsessive mafia hero
- forbidden romance
-enemies to lovers
- yearning

5 ☆

[Fahmida · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐

I really really enjoyed this one. It was fast paced, nothing too simple or too complicated and perfect if you want to switch off your brain and indulge something lighter after an intense read.

I initially wanted to give this a 4 star but if you really, REALLY think about it, there were some loose points in the story. It is unbelievable that their relationship developed so much over the span of only two months. I figured this would be a dark, mafia romance but it wasn't dark at all and the mafia part felt really subtle to me personally. The plot was pretty cliché but also surprisingly enjoyable but the characters and the world didn't feel as intense as I hoped it'd feel. I wanted more depth and domesticity between the characters.

Rom is the son of one of the most powerful capos but he didn't quite exude the mysterious, scary vibe that much. His character was well written but I hoped he'd be a little more intense?

Mia's character was pretty basic with the usual 'good girl complex' syndrome but atleast she grew a backbone towards the end. I feel like her part of the story with her dad could've been concluded better.

Cos and Fabi's book seems intriguing but Rom mentioned something about Fabi not willing to accept Cos's mistress so now I'm not so sure how I feel about them. Cos didn't intrigue me much and gave off major irredeemable asshole vibes but I could be wrong.

[Lilyya ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝟒.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

“I wasn’t living before I met you, Mia. I was just existing. Trying to drown the parts of me I couldn’t face. But you—you came in with all your light, and suddenly there was nowhere left to hide. You cracked me open. Made me feel again.”

she’s the daughter of a mayoral candidate. he’s the son of a mafia don—one her father holds a personal vendetta against.

a modern romeo and juliet retelling, but with sharper edges and darker stakes. the tension between them? absolutely exquisite. from their first encounter, the chemistry felt combustible, like something neither of them could stop even if they tried.

It’s rare that the suspense or mafia subplots in dark romance capture me entirely, but this one did. I devoured every twist, every reveal kept me turning pages faster. I went in certain the Ferraro family dynamic wouldn’t follow the usual formula—the toxic, domineering father and silent, complicit sons—but what unfolded still managed to gut me with the devastating plot line concerning Romolo that i didn’t anticipate. the shift in tone when it came to his family and how it impacted him hit hard. he entered the story with the carefree mask of a flirt, a charming playboy with a habit of breaking menages, the one you don’t take too seriously… and then slowly, heartbreakingly, you see what’s underneath.

Mila, though—she completely won me over. i didn’t expect to feel so much for her, but her strength, the quiet fire she carried, made her stand out. she might be in my top two heroines from Gabrielle Sands now.

and together, Mila and Romolo were something else. the kind of couple that feels inevitable—like the universe had been planning their story all along.


many thanks to the author for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review