Sweet Prison: An Age Gap Mafia Romance

Perfectly Imperfect #10

by Neva Altaj

Is it possible to fall for a man you've never met?

Before I saw his face,
Or heard his voice,
Or felt the warmth of his touch,
I fell in love with his mind.
Devious. Cunning. Deceptive .

The master of deadly and dangerous plans.
The silent threat no one saw coming.
Manipulating people's lives like pawns on a chessboard.
Setting the Cosa Nostra world aflame.

And burning my heart to ashes...

Genres: Dark Romance, Mafia Romance, Romance, Dark, Slow Burn, Forbidden Romance, Contemporary

376 pages, Paperback

First published December 13, 2024

Reviews

[Lilyya ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am weighing my words when I say that this author’s writing prowess improves with each book she releases. from the layered way the characters are depicted to their depth, the meticulously orchestrated plotline, and the endearing found family that ironically contrasts with the ruthless world these personages belong to. one thing is certain for me after closing this novel; Massimo and Zahara will always have a special place in my heart.❤️‍🩹

[Soft Nectarine ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

from shy WALLFLOWER to sneaky SPY to mafia QUEEN riding her man during his meetings ⛓️🩶🖤 slow burn STEPBROTHER romance with extra extra spice!

“And amid the chaos, the violence, my wrath, there’s her. My Zahara. My peaceful haven. An angel, offering a hand of salvation to a man burning in his own inferno.”

Zahara has spent her entire life hiding behind her skin condition. That is until she gets recruited to use her sneaky wallflower ways to SPY for her INPRISONED stepbrother. 17 YEARS pass and hundreds of letters are exchanged ✉️ but when he sees her for the first time…his whole life purpose changes in a millisecond! Of course, their relationship is the definition of FORBIDDEN LOVE but that’s what makes it that much spicier 🌶️

🩶 only she can calm him

🖤 AGE GAP

🩶 mmc with a massive separation anxiety

🖤 exhibitionism!! *gasp*

🩶 the YEARNING

🖤 fmc begs him to let his ‘inner beast’ out

I don’t even know what I enjoyed the most! The genuinely unhinged Massimo who could not function without Zahara in the room might take the cake. When I tell you this man could not sleep unless his eyes were ON HER 👀 Neva just knows how to write insane mafia bad boys that will literally crawl & bark for their fmc. If you loved Sergei you will salivate for Massimo!

I absolutely adored the shy mafia princess turned spy, Zahara. I learned so much about vitiligo and how it affected her mental health. Who knew that all she needed in her life was a 6”4’ brute with anger issues that is obsessed with her.


mafia romance
step siblings *no blood relations
age gap
unhinged mmc
forbidden love
OTT protective mmc
virgin fmc
slow burn 🔥
exhibitionism
HEA

Thank you so much to Neva Altaj for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[trestitia ⵊⵊⵊ deamorski · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh my fucking god, step-brother, age-gap, heroine with skin condition, hero who spends his best years in prison, and the fucking silent connection between them, hades mou this is gonna wreck me...

I'm still recovering...

[Fairuz ᥫ᭡. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars ✨ Okay, Sweet Prison by Neva Altaj... yikes 😬 This one was a bit of a letdown. I had SUCH high hopes after seeing Massimo and Zahara in Darkest Sins (Book 9), but this? Nope. Let’s dive into why this didn’t quite hit the mark for me. 😅

Tropes:
✧ Age Gap 💖
✧ Forbidden Romance 💓
✧ Possessive Hero 💪
✧ Dark Romance 🖤
✧ Power Struggle 👑
✧ Unstable Hero 😵
✧ Slow Burn 🔥

The pacing? Oh. My. God. 😵 The first 22% felt like we were getting backstory and nothing else. I was already yawning before Massimo was even out of prison, and we didn’t see him free until 37%! I’m like, WHY the slow burn? 😑 Oh, and don’t even get me started on the exhibitionism—where did that even come from?! It was totally random and not even mentioned in the content warnings. I’m all for taboo moments, but this one was too much. 🥴

Now, let’s talk romance. The age gap and forbidden romance were cute at first, but I needed MORE tension, MORE buildup! Instead, it felt rushed, with too many awkward moments. And the whole “family won’t accept them” drama? Then they immediately accept them? Where’s the conflict? Where’s the struggle? 🤷‍♀️

And MASSIMO, seriously?! The betrayal plot? I saw it coming from a mile away. How did it take him so long to figure out who the traitor was? SO slow. Also, the possessive hero vibes were all over the place—until they weren’t. Letting his girl get down in front of the whole mafia crew? Just... nope. Big red flag for me. 🚩

BUT, I’m still holding out hope for Arturo & Tara’s book (fingers crossed it’s better)! 🤞 And I’m guessing the 12th book will be Adriano’s story? Here’s hoping it redeems this series.

CW:
- Exhibitionism (not for everyone!)
- Gore, violence, and graphic descriptions of torture

Anyway, here’s to hoping the next one actually delivers! 💁‍♀️

[clicktojointhemafia · Rating 3 out of 5]

PRE READ: after reading darkest sins i am kicking my feet, giggling and screaming about the couple this book is going to be about 🤭🤭

POST READ: the way i was squealing into my pillow at 3am in the morning reading this book.

As always, this author has served yet AGAIN. I've read all of her works and I can say that she has improved so so much and you can really tell. This book has so many cute moments, scandalous moments that really had me like 👁👄👁 and moments that had me laughing my ass off. And if there's one thing this author can totally for sure do successfully is write a tortured man 🤭.

This book follows Zahara and Massimo, who are stepsiblings and have a long 17 year age gap. Luckily the step sibling thing wasn't made wieird because they never really interacted and he got sent to prison when she was like a couple years old. Anyway, the book follows their relationship which starts from them being penpals during is time in prison, then him making her little spy to keep tabs on the his mafia and then when he gets out it's a whole other story.

Tropes:
🖤 Age gap (She is 22, he is 39)
🦋 Possessive/protective MMC
🖤 Exhibitionism
🦋 Tortured MMC
🖤 Vitiligo rep
🦋 Hates everybody but her
🖤 Slaying FMC
🦋 Pen pals with a prisoner


I loved this story, buuuutt there's stuff that could have been better but we shall get into that later. The characters were so amazing and Zahara was such a compelling main character to read. I loved how at the start when the focus was on them being pen pals, the author didn't try and make it weird or insert chemistry. It was so pure and innocent and seeing Zahara develop a crush on him as a young teen girl was adorable. The letters were honestly so cute I couldn't stop smiling at their friendship. Why she started writing to him was honestly the cutest thing too. She was a character I really understood and reading about her struggles in school with bullying due to her vitiligo made me feel for her, but she is literally a FORCE to be reckoned with I adore her.

Also y'all, she TOTALLY wears the pants in this relationship, I'm so dead.

Now, Massimo. Goddamn the minute he saw her for that short moment at Nuncio's funeral he was a GONNER. I shit you not he was so down bad and pathetic for her I was clutching my heart painfully. Zahara is a lucky woman (but he is luckier fr). He saw her only, he became immediately fixated and it might be my favourite scene of the book. It when I felt the strength of the chemistry the most. THE THE WAYYYYYY HE APPROACHED HER AFTERWARDS. It was such a little thing he did but oh my lord, I was gone. I won't spoil it but I just wanna say it had such a profound impact on me I could die. He would also just do crazy things or offer to do so in the name of her. His continuous shouting and wack threats had me truuuly cackling- this author makes such unique men.

Also, strangely enough, he didn't feel like a 39 year old man? I feel like he had a stunted mental age or something, likely from prison but I feel that's not an intentional choice by the author? His emotional cowardice felt a little bit childish too. Zahara lowkey acts like HIS age. However, this man does acknowledge that he needs therapy so that is something.

The chemistry was quite good. Until... like, I'm not sure. I feel like it flat lined the moment they gave each other head before ever kissing eachother. It is disappointing when that happens in a book after so much angst and pining. If it's a book where the relationship blooms after a spicy encounter I am A-okay with that but relationships like Zahara and Masimo's? Nope. In my head it made sense for Zahara to just suddenly grab him and kiss him in the heat of the moment because honestly girly goes for what she wants. but then... she didn't? In fact I feel like some part of the relationship did have a tiny lack luster because the entirety of it (after he got released from prison) was just him being intensely protective of her. I feel like they could have been made into a power couple if she began to get involved in the mafia things publicly. I think other than this, I have no complaints.

The way he called her angel 🦋🦋

There was a big focus on the business related things of the mafia I feel like it took from the plot of Massimo finding the 'mole'. So much yap about business, but nobody who reads mafia romance quite cares about that shit ICL. But I'm still impressed by this authors knowledge of all this stuff.

Okay time for a bad confession: I found Salvo lowkey attractive for a lengthy period of the book. I started to wonder if Zahara and him could be compatible (sue me, i'm easy) and although I just could sense his villain arc I secretly hoped he would be good so I could hope for a Salvo book.

Overall, a soldi neva altaj book. I still had fun despite the cons. As for the next book... the little teasing at the end. Goddamn, THEY (Tara and Arturo) ARE GONNA BE GOOOODD.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

[Vivany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't wait for Massimo & Zara Story ❤️🥳

I can't describe how disappointed I am
First, let me say I didn't care about Massimo and Zahara being siblings cause they are not related by blood
But what I hate the most is the huge age gap between the two because it felt like Massimo was grooming a little girl half his age since the age of 12 even if she was 21 when he had her
He was still twice her age
And secondly, Zara doesn't have to be riding Massimo's dick in front of everyone at every meeting to calm him enough not to go into a rage episode, that behavior felt overdo since they barely managed the scandal of their marriage, what's with them being half-siblings and all
so They don't need to be topping the ice with them going at it at every meeting
(besides I thought being possessive doesn't allow any man to look at ur wife, but letting her ride you in front of others and maybe letting them have a boner doesn't qualify that possessed character)

This time Neva printed her hero as a pedo, with mental issues and rage episodes with too many obsessive behaviors that went out of control it was like Neva wanted me to start liking the pedo predator by forcing me to like Massimo which I didn't
And I feel betrayed since I'm a huge fan and have been waiting for this book to release since I read her last book 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
I feel I got betrayed by my fav. Author and I'm not exaggerating

[Isabella. R · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 A Remedy to My Madness Stars ⭐

I would follow him anywhere. Even to the depths of hell.

He was destined to be Capo until a well serving crime makes a young Massimo Spada serve 18 years in prison. And while he runs a criminal enterprise from his cell, it's the assistance of his stepsister that flips the dial.

Zahara has been a wallflower all her life until a harmless letter to Massimo creates a path she never thought that she'd be brave enough to travel. One that pushes Zahara beyond her imperfections. For many years these two are unlikely pen pals. She becomes an ally.

Amid the chaos, the violence, my wrath, there’s her. My Zahara offering a hand of salvation to a man burning in his own inferno. She’s grace, kindness, and my last hope. The only thing that keeps me tied to this mortal coil.

Told over many years, Massimo plans his life after prison while Zahara weaves an unattainable fairytale in her mind. Although Massimo is using her as a pawn it isn't until he lays eyes on Zahara that all of a sudden it's no longer a game. The beast wants her.

I was completely enthralled the first half of the book. I'm a total sucker for romances through letters and the suspense of what they were doing was killing me. Once Massimo served his sentence and was released, he unleashed his Neanderthal. He was exactly what Zahara needed to flourish.

Admittedly the reluctance to take the relationship further became a little annoying and the endearments borderline cheesy. But who am I kidding? I adore this series and all these imperfect couples and this was damn good!

[Elyvia (eliv_bookstagram) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pre-read:
OMG, OMG, If any author can make me like forbidden step-sibling romance, Neva might be the one. I'm beyond excited to read this🤩

3.5⭐️
Sadly, this will be my least favourite book from Neva. I didn't hate it, but I don't love it enough. The flashback is taking too long, I was bored 😑 Not a fan of Massimo alter ego, and his inability to figure out the villain (I mean, this was not even a good twist).

[Jen ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐ (Looong rambling 😅)


Hmmm, it wasn't bad, but I just couldn't take it seriously because of Massimo and his alter ego. 😅

This is slowburn-ish because of the constant push and pull between the MCs—well, mostly on Massimo's (38) part. They were step-siblings after all, and with the Cosa Nostra being all traditional and stuff, their relationship—or the absence of one—would definitely raise some eyebrows, especially since he’s the Don.

So the first half of the story was the intro to the start of their correspondence. Zahara (21) started writing letters to Massimo when she was just 14 for a school assignment. Eventually, it became her way of sharing her thoughts that she couldn’t really say out loud to anyone, and she thinks he wasn’t even reading any of her letters. What’s the worst that could happen, right?

But then one day he replied, and that's when he began planting little seeds in his letters, hoping she'd become his spy. Massimo knew this was wrong because she's a teenager but still went ahead with it as he sees her as an asset and nothing more. Long story short, she became one of his eyes on the outside since she was 15.

When she turned 18, they finally met in person for the first time, and it just happened to be at her father's funeral. That's when things started to shift between them, and Massimo found himself thinking about doing a lot of things with Zahara that definitely crossed the line of being just stepsiblings. 🫣😅

As for Zahara, she finally figured out her feelings for him even before she turned legal and before they actually met. She mentioned that she was drawn to his intelligence and all the things she discovered during their years of being pen pals. And their in-person meeting just confirms what she already felt deep down.

Anyway, three years later after that first meeting, Massimo ended up getting out six months earlier before his 18-year sentence was up.

His first agenda, though? It was trying to get laid so he could move past what he feels for Zahara. Once he got out of prison, he instructed one of his trusted men to drive him to a strip club. But his junk didn't work for anyone else, so he ended up leaving the place. 😑

After that, it took him days to sort out his things before he finally decided to bring her to move in with him.

Basically, the first half of the story was him trying to put distance between them yet failing every time. Even though this internal struggle went on longer than it probably should have, I think Massimo handled it in a pretty decent way. He could be pretty abrasive and ruthless to other people, but he was never like that with Zahara, and I really appreciate that about him. He was really nice and gentle, even though he was trying to push her away for both of their sakes.

They did get frisky at the 57% mark, only for him to backtrack when he found out she had never been with a man before. So, once more, we have this long back-and-forth until they finally come clean about their feelings for one another. They finally decide to be together at the 66% mark. I think the reason I enjoyed it was that they were both fully committed when it finally happened, and they understood their feelings for each other and are on the same page.

On the other hand, about the things I wasn't a fan of:

First was the ongoing dialogue between Massimo and his alter ego. 😅 At times, the convos he has with himself seem to stretch on much longer than he ever did with Zahara. I really can't take that seriously. 😭 He was often found talking loudly to himself. While I know it's not entirely a bad thing, for a Don I think that's not quite a good impression. 🫣

Then this alter ego is constantly pissing him off. It seems like he might have a split personality. I mean, how can he be all chill one minute and then just blow up the next, only to go back to being calm again? There were so many mood swings in the book, and I’m not sure if it’s meant to be funny, but I think they were?? 😅

Second was Zahara's attitude in the beginning. She says one thing but does the opposite of it. In the first half, when she thought Massimo was not interested in her, she kept saying she finally got it and would stop daydreaming about him, only for her to fold so freaking fast once he became sweet to her again. Like, girl, I mean, where's the backbone? You thought this man didn't see you the way you see him, and yet you're still willing to take scraps from him? Come on, we can do better than that. 🤧 Of course, as a reader, I know the truth. But it still had me questioning, why would she chase after someone who's so keen on rejecting her time and time again? It doesn't even make sense, but to each their own, I suppose.

Third was the villain who's so obvious right from the start. It's usually the ones closest to the MCs, the ones they trust the most, who end up betraying them like total cowards. I feel like his comeuppance was anticlimactic, and surprisingly, it wasn't even Massimo who handled it. Idk, I feel like he should've been the one who ended the prick after what he put him through. 🤷‍♀️

As for the ending, it was so rushed and even made me think, "That was it?". There's not even a bonus epilogue, just a preview of the next book and the couple in it. Like Ms. Altaj, I need more than that.

Anyway, like I said, it wasn't bad. It just felt drawn out in some ways that wasn't enjoyable to read sometimes. I did get the slow burn, but I wish there were more moments to build up their romance. It would be great to have something to get excited about while they were figuring things out. I just felt that the tug of war with their emotions won out most of the time.

But overall, it was still an okay read and SAFE (imo, small mercies).


Book info:
- Step sibling romance
- Forbidden romance
- Age gap (17)
- Slowburn
- Violence, death, gore
- Bullying
- Skin condition (vitiligo)
- Push and pull
- Exhibitionism
- Paranoia
- No cheating, OW, separation
- OM (not really)
- V FMC, Celibate MMC (18 yrs)
- HEA (2 mos later, married)
- Safe, imo.


Notes:
- OM. His best friend was interested in Zahara for years. When Massimo said he would give him anything in exchange for his help over the years, the OM requested her hand in marriage, but Massimo refused. 😅
- After getting out of jail, literally after inhaling the scent of freedom. He asked to be driven to one of their strip clubs to get laid, thinking this would help him get past his feelings for Zahara. But since no one was doing it for him, he decided to leave the place instead. 😒🙄
- OW. Not really. When they went to shop for a suit, the saleslady tried to hit on Massimo, but he shut her down right away. In Zahara's POV, she said that women were constantly staring at him wherever they went, but he showed no interest in them.



PS. I really don't want to compare, but I feel like Massimo is a combination of Salvatore (Stolen Touches), with his paranoia and obsession to be with Milene all the time, and Pavel (Fractured Souls), with his short temper and propensity for violence against people who so much as look at Asya the wrong way.

[Katerina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ho, is you ok? Since when did it become a good idea to have sexy time in a room full of old men? Laughing stock of a couple.

This couple had some potential.

1. In the previous book it was implied that Massimo used to love both sisters as a step brother figure when they were young. But once he got locked up, he completely cut them out of his life and there was zero interaction until they both came of age. Wrong, we learn in this book he cared for neither.

2. Neva holding a grudge against him for making her take over the Cosa Nostra in his absence. This plot stayed in fact.

3. Zahara had a childhood crush on him that blossomed into love. ✅ The letters she sent to Massimo during his time in prison never mentioned her skin condition, vitiligo. Decent plot device. It's understandable that he saw her differently once they actually meet prior to which he used her as an informant. The 18 year age gap had me double taking on whether they would need a social worker because the reason *she* did things when she was underage is because he groomed her. She believed herself in love with him by the time she hit 15/16 years of age. Salvo stand up and hold your flowers because you were bang on there (at least).

Things that didn’t sit right with me:
1. Zahara being a weirdo. She *was* meek - no one said she wasn’t intelligent. Spying on your sister for a MAN? Stand up. Ew, ew, ew. I can get her reasons for spying on her father when he was a lousy Don, but sly enough to do it to your own sister. Below bar

2. She had absolutely no experience. I think they should have played around more with the idea of Salvo and her, especially just before Massimo and her got together. A love triangle would have added more depth. The first thing this man did after he got out of jail was head to a strip club except he couldn’t get it up. Nasty work right there.

3. Massimo's inner monologues yap yap yapping whilst his girls right next to him. I’m about to section you if you don’t shut up.

4. And the worst scene. Icky, yucky, smelly, stinky. This is a woman who's been covered up her whole life due to her lack of self confidence. Then she hears him yelling at the other capos in the Cosa Nostra and decides to march in wearing only a t-shirt, and get intimate with him in front of these old men to help him relax? Is this supposed to be her experiencing body positivity? Getting raw dogged will unwilling participants? Don’t even go there. No man worth his dime in the mafia would allow that to be seen. Not a live porno. Highly contrary to the possessive hero image. And one thing I look for in a hero is self-control when they think their woman is at risk.

5. No resistance to the step-siblings' relationship. There should have been an attempt to overthrow Massimo or at least some dissension around it.

You guys hungry? For NOTHING. Bring back the old mafia books. I said what I said.

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

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (ARC)

''I would follow him anywhere.''

Safety warnings:
- H 38 (35) / h 21 (18)
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Stepsiblings
- Violence/d*ath
- Loss of loved ones
- Torture
- HEA

When we got to see these two interact briefly in book 9 I was instantly intrigued and wondered how they even connected considering the fact they were barely around each other before Massimo was sent to prison for almost two decades.

Zahara has always been a wallflower amongst the people around her and that is used to Massimo's advantage. I won't go into detail on how that happens or why but there are a lot of moving parts and from what we do know from the events in Darkest Sins (book 9), we know that Massimo has been the one to truly run the mafia ever since he was incarcerated.

The one thing that bugged me was how easily I found out who the traitor was and how it was a little too late when everyone else did. I also wish it was not that it ended up being that person considering how they were portrayed prior to this book but oh well.

This is also somewhat of a slow burn. A lot of denial and holding off on going there since they were technically stepsiblings but honestly I did not see it that way since her father has passed and his mom passed years ago, plus they never were raised together since he went to prison when she was a toddler. They also had no interactions growing up.

We got to see Kai and Nera again and I loved seeing them.

[•°Dahlia ( hiatus ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

𓏲 ๋࣭  ࣪ ˖3 🌟
I had really high hopes for this one Zahara and Massimo had my full attention since Nera's book so I really want it to be good ( that's why I rated it 3 stars instead of 2.5 because I couldn't do that to them 🥺)

The first 30% made me bored to death because all of that we had already seen it in the last book aside from Massimo's life in prison all I wanted was for them to meet-up excepting to feel 🔥🔥😩 but yk what I got , Massimo ignoring Zahara.

The build up was sooo slow and boring this could have been a 200 pages book instead of 300 because 100 pages were just them being annoying and whinny about how they couldn't be together .
It started picking up at the 55% but I need MORE angst and tension , it just wasn't enough i wanted tension and sexual chemistry but they made up two chapters later..
But still I did enjoy it because hello .. how Massimo is obsessed with Zahara like no one is made me feel a whole bunch of weird shit 😩🙈

--
I just know these two last books are gonna eaaaat 😋🤭 and please never don't disappoint me 🙏🙏

[Ri ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i can’t believe they continue to fuck during meetings with capos and mafia bosses just because they love exhibitionism so much. talk about not caring about people’s feelings. this is so weird and unnecessary. make them go to clubs that are actually made for these types of kinks so they can enjoy themselves without offending anyone. ugh, so annoying honestly.

[Dul · Rating 3 out of 5]

While "Sweet Prison" definitely had its captivating moments, I finished it with mixed feelings. Let me be honest - I had sky-high expectations going in, and while the book didn't disappoint completely, it didn't quite reach the heights I was hoping for.

The story's strongest point is undoubtedly the letter exchanges between Massimo and Zahara. Their written connection felt genuine and drew me in completely - I found myself eagerly turning pages to read their next correspondence. The way their relationship developed through these letters was beautifully crafted and kept me invested in their story.

However, once Massimo gets out of prison, something shifts. Yes, their chemistry is still there, but the story loses some of its magic. There were moments when the push-and-pull of their relationship started to feel repetitive, and some of the romantic dialogue veered into overly sweet territory that didn't quite match the gritty undertones of their world.

That said, I still enjoyed the book.

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

'Sweet Prison' is the tenth book in the Perfectly Imperfect series and it's a deliciously dark and swoony mafia romance that has all the tropes I love the most:

♡ age gap
♡ stepsiblings/taboo
♡ penpals
♡ mental health rep
♡ "touch her and die" possessive MMC
♡ only she can calm him down
♡ he hates everyone but her
♡ virgin heroine
♡ slow burn

With its unhinged yet utterly captivating hero, resilient heroine, sizzling chemistry that leaps off the pages and emotional depth, this book delivers a riveting and satisfying escape. I thoroughly enjoyed every page! 🥰

For the best experience, I recommend you to consider reading Darkest Sins (Book 9) first for a better understanding of the storyline and side characters.

It's amazing! You gonna love it peeps ♥️♥️♥️


before reading:
THE WAY I AM EXCITED ABOUT THIS STORY!!! OMG

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

This has always been a solid series for me. But these last few books just keep ratcheting it up and up!

This was perfect. I loved every second.

The slow build. The letters. The deep connection thay grows. The voice in someone's head (spoilers). The dash of forbiddenness

The absolutely delightful romance between Massimo and Zahara... I was so engaged and I couldn't look away.

This is truly Neva Altaj's BEST work, in my opinion.

It was well balanced, poignant, and sweet.

You will be best served to read Darkest Sin first, as there are overlaps and spoilers.

Brava, Ms. Altaj. Brava.

6 stars
3.5 on the spice scale

CW: See another's note

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

[˙⋆ Esme Lance ⋆˙ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ☆☆☆

Well, I didn't know what to expect from this book, but honestly, I liked it. What I liked most was their emotional, rather than physical, closeness. I really loved that. But the last 20% of the book wasn't really my thing, so that's why I couldn't give it 4 stars.

RTC (I need to write 5 reviews already, help😭😭😭)




ˋ°•*⁀➷ pre-read – 12.07.2025 ᡣ𐭩

Excited about this book? No. I'm not really into this whole step-sibling thing, but I don't have a choice I guess??? really love the series. Still, I'm curious to see what happens next soooo, happy reading to me💖💖

[Soph]

It went wrong when a character was named Elmo. It really went wrong when there was a girl pining after a man who rejected her three times. It truly went wrong when Massimo was doing way too much about them being step siblings. Don’t even get me started on their spice.

Neva, please get the pen back that you had with alessandroravi and nerakai like those are your best works.

[Rachael*Caribbean*girl*bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead

Not my usual review style but just my final thoughts on this book

1) I've read every book by this author and to me she draws out the first half of the book too much and then the latter half becomes a scramble to wrap things up.

2) Like the previous book too much time passed, Massimo was in prison for 18 years! The entire first half is them not even having really "met" as yet because she was very young when he went to jail. So we live through their correspondence over the years and her falling in love with him. I'd have preferred more time with them together

3) He could've been released when she was 18, tacking on the additional 4 years ? Ugh

4) When he's released from prison he instantly heads to a strip club planning to get laid.....but he'd already developed feelings for her, so why TF would he do that? Thankfully his dick didn't even stand up( his dick is smarter than he is🙄)

5) I like how he was unhinged and almost feral when dealing with others and she's the only one who could calm him down but I think it went a little too far. This is the same guy who was running the family from inside prison for years! C'mon now I expected better, definitely enjoyed his crazy but business wise I wanted him more logical

6) The bad guy was glaringly obvious once Massimo got out, and seriously a takeover plot almost 20 years in the making???? Seriously? Again just too much


7) Massimo has developed a split personality/alter ego during his time in solitary in the prison. His inner voice was funny sometimes but then again it was just another thing that was just TOO much. Idk I'm particular about my mafia and MC men, I like em unhinged but I was having concerns for his actual sanity 🤷🏿‍♀️

8)And my biggest issue with this book......the exhibitionism. Where'd that come from? So he's ranting and raving in the middle of a meeting and she goes in and has sex with him in front of the other capos? Ok at the first meeting I rolled with it but seriously it continued!!! You're running the MF Boston Family have some damn respect 😂. I'm laughing but I too was appalled. In a normal book maybe but I just dont expect that around the table in a family meeting. To me those meetings are like bikers having church ya know? A certain amount of respect is expected 🤷🏿‍♀️

I did like seeing Zahara grow however, she suffered bullying because of her vertiligo throughout the years but being Massimo's spy started her on the journey to discovering her confidence, maybe she became a little TOO confident because the sex in the middle of the meetings whew 😅

All in all, I'll say I enjoyed quite a bit of this book but it just became a little too extra. I'll still read everything this author puts out and I'm already excited for Arturo's story..... I'm not keeping my expectations as high as I had for this one however.

********
Step siblings
Age gap of 17 years
H is in prison for I believe 18 years, we see that through the first half of the book
When he left for prison she was very young so they didn't have any type of family relationship and are not blood related
When he gets out they've been communicating for years and have only seen each other twice in person, he goes to get laid but can't go through with it
h is a virgin
She has vertiligo


******


Thoughts while reading


He's released from prison halfway through the book😒
Omggggg the saleslady and the foundation 🤭👏🏿
He's quite a bit feral, a little unhinged 😏🤤



Massive kudos to the author for two things
1)the cover!!! We know Zara has vertiligo so the cover reflects that
2) advising readers to read the previous book because she's trying to avoid repetition in this one!! 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿


The only way he can sleep is if he's close to her, so he sleeps outside her bedroom door 🫠


He has an armed guard watching the breakfast he made her to be sure no one poisons it #swoon

“Iris went grocery shopping,” he says. “I’m not supposed to let anyone get close to your breakfast. If anyone does, I’m to off them, immediately.”




Initial thoughts
When I tell you this is one of my 2 most anticipated books this year! Now I've got it and I'm scared to begin 😂 because omg #expectations

[Allia Reads (semi hiatus)]

Self note:

I’m not sure if I should give this one a chance, but I hate that I now have to check for safety before reading her books. And the fact that I’ve been waiting for this one for over six months makes it even worse…😔

Here’s a quote from the book that made me feel uncomfortable and left a bad taste in my mouth🥴:

“I shouldn’t have even…
But like the asshole I am, I still did.
Remembered, what I once told her in a letter. The one where she asked what I would do when I was set free. I’d fuck my way through a whorehouse, is what I told her. After almost twenty years without getting laid, a fucking frenzy should’ve been a piece of cake. Should’ve easily wiped the daydreams of making love to Zahara from my mind. Something I desperately needed. So, that’s exactly where I headed. Had McBride drive me directly from the prison’s gate to a Cosa Nostra strip club, where they serve pussy dessert on the side. A goddamned sugar buffet.
And I couldn’t get my dick up.
Blonde. Dark-haired. Tall and short. Scantily dressed. Naked. The manager kept bringing girl after girl into the VIP room, and my damn cock didn’t even twitch. Not once.
I figured the prison messed me up more than I ever thought, so I left, my broken cock the least of my worries.
That’s one problem I no longer need to solve, though. My cock is stone-hard whenever I picture Zahara in my arms”

[Wobilba · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

The way I was looking forward to Massimo’s book. He seemed so manipulative, strategic and calculating in the previous book I just knew I would love him but unfortunately I got a totally different Massimo in this book, a very unhinged character (and not even the fun kind 🙄). How disappointing.

And Zahara just was not it. Got on my damn nerves with her nativity, woe-is-me attitude and crying in every damn chapter.

It’s a miracle I managed to finish this book at all and with my sanity intact too *sigh*

[Mairi Swan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started it quite skeptical because I'm not really a fan of stepsiblings love but in this one it wasn't exactly the case as they haven't met since she was 3 years old and he 21 so they were really just strangers. I liked the story, I loved the unhinged characters but I didn't like the scenes in the meeting room at the end. Frankly they were really unnecessary.

[nana · Rating 2 out of 5]

zahara and massimo really peaked my interest in darkest sins which is why i’ve been waiting for this book to be released. and the beginning was actually interesting. seeing the event that got massimo thrown in jail, how he and zahara came in contact and why they stayed in contact, how it finally made sense why she chose to stay with him in the previous book.

it all went downhill after that…

first of all, massimo’s take over was too easy. yeah yeah he had men loyal to him men scared of him but you can’t keep implying how many people hate him and want him dead and then not have a power struggle. it was all too easy. easy is boring.

second, all that talk about how the family wouldn’t accept their relationship, the stigma that’ll follow her, how taboo it is etc just for them to immediately accept their relationship? and even some praised it? again, we get it, massimo is a big bad scary guy who’ll kill everyone who opens their mouth. but if you say the gossip will be vicious then the gossip should be vicious.

this brings me to my next point. i know we needed a moment to show zahara’s character development to show that she’s more than just a nice polite girl. but exhibition? really? making her get down on her knees in front of the family… is this power? she couldn’t have a moment to defend her honor with a speech or something? or any other way that isn’t degrading? and then it being a regular occurrence like okayyy. massimo wanted to kill salvo for even thinking of asking her hand in marriage but he’s fine with every men seeing his girl getting dirty? what the hell, sure

lastly, i don’t think massimo’s mental issues are being taken seriously. sometimes it’s as if it’s purely for comedic purposes. it’s really disappointing that he wasn’t given a chance to explore this more. massimo could’ve gotten a nice arc but ok

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was great to read with a lot of actions and suspense but I couldn’t find the connection between the main characters .
Unfortunately!

[readabookonce · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love a man who has erectile dysfunction around women who are not the love of his life

MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Zahara “Zara” Veronese (18–21) | Massimo Spada (35–38)

FEATURES
∘ mafia romance
∘ age gap
∘ letter writing
∘ she’s the only one who can calm him
∘ would give up everything for her

REVIEW
Neva Altaj’s ability to make me read a 300+ page in 1–2 sittings is unparalleled. I am invested and hooked every. single. time.

Elephant in the room—yes, Zahara and Massimo are step-siblings; yes, they are in contact before she turns 18; yes, she has feelings for him during that time; and no, he does not have feelings for her until he sees her in person (she’s 18). I would say it was a minor plot point, but it was a major reason why they couldn’t go public with their relationship.

Massimo is manipulative, cunning, and brash. While Zahara is far kinder and more reserved than Massimo, she matches his cunning (and exceeds it). I loved that while he believed he was manipulating her to get intel, she knew exactly what he was doing and did it because she wanted to.

Their letters back and forth were so sweet that I was almost disappointed when Massimo got out of prison and could interact with her in person. I was giddy when Massimo called her in a panic while he was still incarcerated because he was worried she was hurt. He wanted to protect her, but there was only so much he could do while incarcerated. Forced separation is the direct opposite of forced proximity, yet it hits just as hard.

Massimo does end up becoming a bit of a caricature and loses some of his identity. His over-the-top possessiveness is reminiscent of previous heroes without much to differentiate him. Honestly, in a few months when I’m struggling to remember what happened, the step-siblings plot is probably going to be the most helpful refresher.

After they get together, the story is predictable and outrageous in all the best ways. There is no way that anyone who sees them together wouldn’t guess they were sleeping with each other. Furthermore, in no world is the Family going to just immediately approve and accept this man, especially with how trigger-happy he is. The way he acts after he is inducted? I can see why there’s threats to his leadership, I’m not going to lie.

The ridiculousness of some situations, while unbelievable, were incredibly endearing. This series is well-loved for a reason, and I can only hope it goes on forever.

OW/OM DRAMA minor OW — Massimo tells Zahara (before he has romantic feelings for her) that after he gets out of prison, he’s going to “find a goddamn whorehouse” and “fuck [his] way through every woman in the joint”. He does go (he tells us, it is NOT shown), but he states that none of the women sparked his interest—hence the ED comment in the beginning of the review lol. While he does have feelings for Zahara at this time, he genuinely felt they could not be together. I know some may view this as a dealbreaker, but it didn’t feel like cheating AT ALL to me

minor OM — Massimo’s best friend is interested in Zahara; Massimo gets jealous. Zahara doesn’t care for the om at all

not really OW — a salesgirl is interested in Massimo and flirts with him but he doesn’t even notice
CHEATING no
THIRD ACT BREAKUP no
ENDING HEA — two months later epilogue

POV dual / first person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 4 / 5

[Saranya ⋆☕︎ ˖ [hibernating] · Rating 1 out of 5]

"I’m glad. You two are good together. Like opposing forces finally combining into one, and their polarities fusing in harmony. Just like vinegar and oil in mayonnaise.”
“You did not just compare my future marriage to goddamned mayo!”
(YO! WHAT?!)😂

“You can wear any damn thing you want, Zahara. If I don’t like how other men look at you, I’ll just kill them.”
Ohhh! You'd do that? Wow(✿◕‿◕✿)

My Rankings
1. Milene & Ajello from Stolen Touches
2. Asya & Pavel from Fractured Souls
3. Sienna & Drago from Silent Lies
4. Nera & Kai from Darkest Sins
5. Nina & Roman from Painted Scars
6. Bianca & Mikhail from Broken Whispers
7. Tara & Arturo from Precious Hazard
8. Angelina & Sergei from Hidden Truths
9. Zahara and Massimo from Sweet Prison
10. Isabella & Luca from Ruined Secrets
11. Ravenna and Alessandro from Burned Dreams

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me encantan las historias de la autora, siempre devoro los libros y me sacan de cualquier bloqueo.

Me ha encantado esta historia, Massimo es increíble y el comienzo del libro me encantó a pesar de que el romance empiece algo mas lento.

Una pena que el plot fuese tan obvio y poco desarrollado, habría sido un 5⭐️

4⭐️ 3.5🌶️

[Writers Multiverse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't my favourite. I think Milene's book might have been the best in the series so far.

[Canan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bitirdim demeyi unutmuşum.
Teşhircilik çok alakaya maydonoz olmuş. Nerden çıktı bir anda çözemedim.
Bir de Massimo'nun o ilk bakış sahnesinden sonraki sahiplenici tavrı?
Ay ben meleğime bunu nasıl yaptım zırvaları 😅 pek geçmedi ama okuttu kendini.

[Tee 🪷 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75-4 ⭐️ i thought id like it better than i did😭 still good though