Handsome Devil

Forbidden Love #3

by L.J. Shen, Leila Allarie (Narrator), Troy Duran (Narrator)

"I made a deal with the devil . . . but is it really hell if I love the way it burns?"

Gia
Tatum Blackthorn is Lucifer personified. A monster from my nightmares, now masquerading as my boss. When he discovers my weakness, he makes me an offer I cannot refuse, and I become his wife.

I always knew he was depraved, but as his twisted vendetta unfurls, so does my darkest secret.

Now we're both the targets of very nefarious people . . . but they're about to find out no one matches my husband's wrath.

Tate
I am a man of few pleasures, one of which is taunting my secretary, Gia Bennett. But after I blackmailed her into becoming my bride, it's clear my fixation has no limits.

When my revenge spree sparks into an all-consuming mafia war, it isn't just my life that's on the line.

And in this chess game, the king protects the queen . . . even at the price of losing his entire empire.

For fans of Ana Huang and Lauren Asher, Handsome Devil is an intense, addictive and very sexy dark romance that you won't be able to stop thinking about.

The new book in the Forbidden Love series, it can also be enjoyed as a standalone. But if you haven't listened to Books 1 and 2, Truly Madly Deeply and Wildest Dreams, there's still time...

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Marriage Of Convenience, Mafia Romance, Dark, Forced Proximity

13 pages, Audible Audio

Published August 12, 2025

About the author

L.J. Shen is a New York Times, USA Today, WSJ, Washington Post and #1 Amazon Kindle Store bestselling author of contemporary romance books.

She writes angsty books, unredeemable anti-heroes who are in Bill Gates's tax bracket, and sassy heroines who bring them to their knees (for more reasons than one).


Keep up with L.J. on all platforms:
Newsletter Sign up ➜ https://bit.ly/3LhsIrb
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TikTok ➜ shorturl.at/frw59
Facebook➜ https://goo.gl/fKCSo4
Website ➜ www.authorljshen.com

Reviews

[Marianna Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

No notes. Perfection. LJ Shen might just be my new favorite dark romance author. The banter, the tension, TATE BLACKTHORN?!!!!!! No idk what she puts into her MMCs but I need this man in a way that defies logic. I want him to run me over. Listen and funny morally black MMC with multi personality disorder who literally only knows how to feel emotions for her is my all time favorite type of dark romance MMC. And then add that he also has OCD???? My fellow ocd girlies LJ did it sooooo right I felt so seen, not me relating to a billionaire sociopath..??? No like I simply don’t understand it this is reigniting my love for this genre. This is everything I want from dark romance!! And oh my god I loved Gia as well!!! Walking him like a dog as she should.

No like I actually can’t even speak right now I’m sprinting to read the other books in this series!!!!

“Listen to me carefully, Gia. I am yours. All of me belongs to you. My body—yours. Brain—yours. Money—yours. Kingdom—yours. Every inch. Every cell. Every atom. Every single breath has your name on it.”

“No more jokes about making someone else happy either,” she warned. “Sweetheart, I’d never deliberately bring joy to anyone but you. You’re the only human I can stand.”

“Don’t cry.” Kiss. “I’ll do anything to make you happy.” Kiss. “Rearrange constellations.” Kiss. “Pluck the moon from the sky.” Kiss. “I’ll buy you the fucking sun, Apricity.” Kiss.

[Laura Jane ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 40% 😭
I promise I’m not a hater, I’m a nice person 😭
I truly cannot have another bad read so I’m calling it. I tried, but I cannot connect to the MCs at all, I feel like it’s trying to be a dark mafia romance but it’s really not. For me this is an example of throwing loads of random tropes together, with a morally grey (??) character and hoping for the best. Terrible. Honestly, the most random things kept happening and I was just like huh??? Like, bro turned up on a horse? What now? There was no depth - it was all just, weird to be honest.

If you pick this up, I hope you adore it but unfortunately it’s another miss for me.

[Fairuz ᥫ᭡. · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ HANDSOME DEVIL by L.J. Shen ✨
★ ★ ★ ★ .5 / spice 🌶️🌶️.5 / enemies-to-lovers mafia chaos 🖤

💌 first off… TATE BLACKTHORN. Tbh i didn’t know if i was gonna love him or wanna throw my phone at the wall. he’s chaotic, obsessive, morally gray, all the red flags, but omg the banter? the obsession? the way he worships Gia?? absolute chaos i live for it 😭🔥

Gia tho… SASSY. SMART. SPICY. this girl held her own so hard. she’s not some weak damsel. she’s like “oh you think you can scare me? try again” 💅💖 and their chemistry? literally combustible. fire + gasoline vibes. literally had me screaming internally for 85% of the book before the drama hit 😭

⚠️ spoiler-adjacent chaos: at some point Tiernan kidnaps Gia & then the Ferrantes kidnap his sister, plots twist everywhere, Achilles is… ugh don’t even get me started. misogyny level yikes 😭 but honestly i cannot wait for Tierney’s book. and Lila…girl we need a timeskip pls.

💖 the dark romance, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers + mafia marriage contract vibes? PERFECT. spice level insane 🔥🔥🔥 eleven years age gap + obsessive boss energy? yes ma’am.

i devoured this. i laughed, i blushed, i almost cried, i SCREAMED. Tate is a whole mood. Gia is my queen. if you like morally gray men who are secretly soft for the right person, enemies-to-lovers slow burn tension, mafia chaos, and hot, twisted romance… GO READ THIS. NOW.

[L.J. Shen]

Handsome Devil is now live!

I'm so excited to give you this fast-paced, sexy, angsty enemies-to-lovers romance.

🖤 eBook: https://shor.by/Ckrj

🖤 Paperback: https://shor.by/7xaw

🖤 Audiobook (duet narration): link TBR.

🖤 UK/Commonwealth: https://shor.by/zUsw

Blurb:

I made a deal with the devil to save my mother…
But is it really hell if I love the way it burns?

Gia

The monster from my nightmares crawled into my reality, masquerading as my boss.
Tatum Blackthorne is Lucifer, personified.
When he discovers my weakness, he makes me an offer I cannot refuse, and I become his wife.
I always knew he was depraved, but as his twisted vendetta unfurls, so does my darkest secret.
Now we’re both the target of very nefarious people…
They’re about to find out no one matches my husband’s wrath.

Tate

I am a man of a few pleasures, one of which is destroying Gia Bennett.
Slowly. Patiently. Systematically.
My fixation with my secretary has an origin, but no limits.
When my revenge spree sparks into an all-consuming Mafia war, I expect nothing but a good time.
After all, death cannot come too soon.
Alas, it isn’t just my life that’s on the line now.
In this chess name, the king protects the queen.
Even at the price of burning down his entire empire.

[❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 𝖳𝖶𝖮, 𝖲𝖨𝖷, 𝖳𝖶𝖮 𝖲𝖳𝖠𝖱𝖲...

📚'𝙼𝚈 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁𝚂'📚 can also be found on my blog:
╰┈➤KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS

'𝐇A𝐍D𝐒O𝐌E D𝐄V𝐈L' is a full length mafia-themed, enemies-to-lovers standalone romance book by author L.J. Shen.

One word had all my attention DARK, this book is meant to be a bit darker than this author has gone before, trigger warnings set in place. So of course I want to read it!!

I must be desensitised when it comes to dark reads, if it doesn't hit me in the face, I miss it.. I kept on waiting for it to grab me, chapter after chapter, a bit of gore but nothing like I usually pinpoint or tag as dark. So for me, wouldn't call this a dark read. But please before you dive into this check the trigger warnings..

I enjoyed the banter between these two, she gave him a run for his money, the poor guy didn't know what he was in for when it came to her, but that was their foreplay because he seemed to come alive. The spice in this was out the park, their sexual connection was what kept me glued to the pages, it was hot, sizzling, combustible, fire and spice.. 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

Gia had to strike a deal with the devil to save her mother who was declining in front of her very eyes, a marriage of convenience was struck with stipulations to be adhered. An enemies to lovers story which had those feels combusting when it came to Tate. This man had me in a chokehold, the broken dark pieces of himself called to me. And it was Gia who wrung the best out of him..He was a man obsessed, an obsession which goes back many years.

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[Annika · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Spoon fed ⭐️

This was so boring, but at least I almost finished it. DNF’ed AT 90 % 😂 how funny is that. It was a waste of my time.

I adore this authors early work, but I don’t even recognize her writing anymore. She was the queen of tension and angst and now she is McDonalds.
Which can be fine, but not if you want real feelings. Harsh? Yes but it’s true.

This book is marketed as a dark romance and I promise you, it is NOT.

LJ Shen can write dark romance, because she has in her early days, but not today.
Goodread friends of mine will definitely beg to differ 😂 we have dark bookshelves, and I doubt this will be on any of those shelves.
It is as vanilla is it comes, yes there is spice but not close to an entering a light grey area, baby blue🩵🩵 maybe.

Mafia romance is also a stretch, yes it’s mentioned but it feels like filler.

Gia is Tate’s assistant ( have we seen this before) for years, and as a part of his vengeance, he marries her and she does it to get care for her sick mother. That is it, that is the story, they are in love from the beginning. The only problem they have, is that he is incapable of feeling anything ever, but we know he is, because of the dual POV. 🤦‍♀️ 50/50.

What it is, is witty, and hence the mafia background doesn’t really work. Pick a lane.

Am I the only reader who is exasperated by of a whole gallery of characters from previous books? It’s presumptuous to think we care about them and they take away from the story. Filler filler filler.

What I did like was the mental health issues and how it impacted his life.

Tate’s flashbacks works really well though, and it explains his mental health issues, perhaps they are being told a little late in the story. Because the reason for vengeance, seems a little weak the first half of the book.

Should you read it? I don’t think so, I would never recommend it.

Ps. The cover 🤦‍♀️ He looks like the captain of the Highschool football team and not a big bad mafia / math guy😂

P.P.S. I listened to the audiobook, and as good as Troy Duran is, I am not sure he was the right pick for Tate. He is very talented, but almost too witty and upbeat for someone who is supposed to be dark. It’s a personal preference. 🎧🎧 if I read the book instead of listening to it, I think he would read different for me.

[Karla Espinosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5! A book with this cover should not be this good... but it really was lol. Dark romances/mafia romances are so back! <3

[annie]

MOMMY AND DADDDYY ARE HERE!!!!

i need this book like i need air. I'm seriously on a chokehold after seeing the reels and wdym he'll CRAWL! 😭🤧

okay, based on the scenes from other books, he's a womanizer and also THRICE divorced wth 😭 but i'm sure that shen would do smth about it!

“Where shall I put the contract?” she asked in an elegant English accent.
“The ceiling,” Tate huffed sarcastically. “There’s only one surface in this room.”
Her lips shaped the word twat noiselessly, and she arranged a pile of documents on the counter by the window, producing a pen from her purse.”

“He raised a finger, putting his phone to his ear. “Gia. Where the fuck are you?” Pause.
“Seventy texts are completely acceptable when my assistant has been MIA for an entire night.” Pause.
“So what if it’s lost? It’s a cat, not a fucking kid. Get a new one. Now where are those files?”

“Did you have company?” He sniffed the air. “Smells like green apples and white musk. And…is it cat piss?”
Fucking Semus. “Pretty sure there are more pressing matters than my girlfriend’s fragrance.”
“Is cat piss a fragrance now?” He scowled. “Middle-class people are so fucking basic.” – um i- 😭

“Why are you working for this douche canoe?” I parked my elbow on the bar. I was genuinely interested to know. And it wasn’t like I was needed in my own fucking kitchen for my debut night. Taylor was doing a fantastic job.
Gia considered my question with a small frown. “While as a person and as a boss, he is a complete disaster, he actually pays a lot and is generous with my bonuses too.” She glanced down, a little embarrassed. “I tried to find another job several times. But each time I get an offer, it’s like he senses it. He calls me into his office and gives me a twenty percent increase or something ridiculous like that. I am making mid–six figures for an admin job while all my mates make a fraction of that and work the same hours in banking and HR. I’d be mental to leave.”

“Then he found out I’m thrice divorced.”
“Thrice? Je-sus, man. You’re in your early thirties.”
“When you know, you know.”
“You obviously didn’t know since none of the marriages lasted.”

“Tate was as nocturnal as a viper and twice as venomous, a cold-blooded creature best suited to dark places. I’d yet to find one redeemable quality about him, save for the fact that he was (probably) mortal and would eventually relieve this earth of his toxic existence. I’d found myself friends with him on account of him being one, a corporate genius who saw any event or catastrophe as a fiscal opportunity, and two, well-connected to anyone worth knowing”

[nadine · Rating 1 out of 5]

disgusting

[Irene]

three times divorced and womanizer.... not even a side eye FULL TURN......

if anyone can confirm this idk

I CAN!

Maybe she was. Sometime in the last few years, I had stopped paying attention to what women looked like. I just fucked the ones others deemed attractive while pining for my PA.

I wasn’t being cocky. Nine inches were a lot. It pissed me off when women started tearing up and making drunk girl sounds when my dick was not even a quarter of the way down their throat.

This wasn’t a kiss. I knew, because I’d kissed enough women in my life to file the experience under inadequate. Something I needed to do in order to hit the home run.

How unreasonable of her to be mad that I was late, considering my plane was stranded. Equally unreasonable of her to expect I wouldn’t take an important business call, as I’d taken board meetings while buried in women’s pussies before.

My brief marriages aside, I’d had plenty of cold arrangements with women before. Brilliant, classy, beautiful women. I paid their rent and gave them monthly allowances. In return, they were available to me a few times a week, where I dropped by unannounced, bent them over the side of their couch, and fucked them mercilessly. All of them would have gladly given me an heir. Hell, some would have agreed to give me a kidney.

“That’s not true. I am very good with giving women earth-shattering orgasms. References are available upon request.”

This”—he pointed at them with a tumbler full of whiskey, taking another drag of his fag—“is Precious and Paris trying to solve an Algebra II equation. The first to work it out shall have the honor of sucking my cock. What do you think?”

“Personal space!” I cried out. “I order your condoms for you.”
“How does this invade your personal space? You’re not the one I’m using them with.”
True, but I was also the one to approach his hookups with an ironclad NDA and ask for their clean bill of health and proof of contraception”

“I hadn’t been this affected when, two years ago, I mounted three Sports Illustrated models on top of one another and fucked them from behind simultaneously, slamming into a different hole each time”

[Nerlie౨ৎ&#x1f3a7;&#x1f4da; · Rating 4 out of 5]

⋆˚࿔ Review 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
4⭐️

She was right… I loved it 😒

The moment this man was even mentioned, I was like yes, that’s him, I want him 😝 Everyone kept talking about how awful he was, and naturally, that just made me more curious. I love a good marriage of convenience or forced proximity trope, and this book scratched that itch so well.

He was dreamy to me. Was he a complete jerk? Absolutely. Did that stop me from liking him? Not even a little. Gina, my beloved, matched him so well—it was honestly beautiful to witness. I loved how she knew all his little quirks, every tick, every detail about him. She was just the perfect person for him. She’s insanely smart, sharp, and not a pushover. I know, my standards are in the trenches, but in this romance climate you’ve got to take the wins where you can 😭

He’s just as intelligent, and together they’re this perfect, chaotic duo that works so well. Their chemistry was insane in the best way. Every scene they shared had me grinning because they just get each other. She challenges him, he matches her energy, and their dynamic is such a joy to read.

The ending dragged a little, which threw me off, especially considering the plot itself is fairly simple. But honestly, I had such a great time with this book overall. The banter, the tension, the way they orbit each other, it was giving everything I wanted.

Now, let’s talk about this author’s plotting for a second because she truly knows how to get on my nerves 😭 She has so many opportunities to make the story sharper or more shocking, but every single time she picks the weakest, most unnecessary plotline like she’s doing it on purpose. The amount of missed potential makes me want to throw something. I could genuinely go on a whole rant about this because it frustrates me so deeply.

Still, despite my rage at the plot choices, I adored these two so much that they carried the entire book for me. Their dynamic, their moments, and their energy made this such a fun read.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ Pre Read ⋆. 𐙚 ˚
She swears this is the best one, so my hopes are high 😭

[Jaz k · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not safe

“Personal space!” I cried out. “I order your condoms for you.”
“How does this invade your personal space? You’re not the one I’m using them with.”
True, but I was also the one to approach his hookups with an ironclad NDA and ask for their clean bill of health and proof of contraception”

“I hadn’t been this affected when, two years ago, I mounted three Sports Illustrated models on top of one another and fucked them from behind simultaneously, slamming into a different hole each time”

“Our deal. The terms of which were abundantly clear. You can only divorce me when she dies. Not before. Even if she’s in hospice,” he clipped out, his eyes darkening into something terrifying. “Even if she is in a vegetative state for years. It’s all in the fine print. Read it.” She just received bad news about her mother

[Jovanna sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mouth? On the FLOOR. My DIGNITY? Left my BODY. TATE BLACKTHORN? My current OBSESSION.

Be ready for the ride of your life because Mrs LJ Shen did not come to play with this book!!! 5 F*CKING STARS!! An absolute masterpiece. I’m in love, im devoted, I’m obsessed, but most importantly I’m WILLING!!! Willing to be MR. Blackthorns PA for alllll those PERKS 🤣🙈

I love this new ERA for us as readers because if we’ve loved LJ before we’re going to go even more FERAL now that she’s unlocked this new layer of story telling. I loved how she wrote in real issues that people have and deal with, in her character and she did it so well. I know when I read some mental health representation I feel like I cannot connect with it because it doesn’t speak very true but this was not the case at all and she did it marvelously. I loved that Tate reminded us so much of vicious and our first real love but was even MORE.

MORE OBSESSIVE, MORE CRAZY, MORE REDFLAGS 🤭

Gia was such an amazing FMC. You really felt for her and her issues. But I loved that she didn’t write her as a weak character but as Tates equal. Gia was so quick to dish it back to Tate just as much as he was giving it to her. (Figuratively & literally 🤣) The chemistry really had me going crazy at some points because HELLOOOO it’s happening. The push and pull game really gets my motors going. Add in Tate being an absolute psychopath? Yes ma’am. I am SAT.

I devoured this in 1 day. Couldn’t help myself. I’m so excited for what’s to come and just know you will not regret falling in love with Gia & Tate as much as I did.

So what are you waiting for?! GO READ THIS NOW!! <3

P.S. That little glimpse of Tiernan we got for what’s to come? DEAD. Like I need his story NOW. I just know she’s gunna wreck us in the best way possible with this brand new series!

[zaraa]

not lj comparing tate to vicious and then saying there’s a vicious cameo in this book like PLEASE SAY LESS 😭🧎🏻‍♀️‍➡️(🤡)

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️

"I wanted to protect her and kill her in the same breath. I'd never met a woman so insolent, so independent, so completely unmanageable and fuck my life, but it made me want her even more."

My new favorite L.J. Shen book. I loved this book sooo much. Tate and Gia were just so good together, and I never wanted it to end.

Things I loved:
—> This book had so many hilarious moments. I marked so many funny conversations.
—> The cameos: Wolfe Keaton from The Kiss Thief is the president. Also Baron "Vicious" Spencer was mentioned a few times, as well as Cillian Fitzpatrick.🥹
—> One of the best things for me was the friendships between Tate, Row and Rhyland - but also with the Ferrante brothers. I loved their interactions.
—> Tate’s development was impressive, and it was so satisfying when he finally accepted that he loved Gia. He was such an asshole, but also so SWEET toward Gia when he developed real feelings for her.
—> Tate's possessiveness.🥰
"They fucking hurt my wife. My wife. Nobody touched what was mine."

tropes:
~> boss x employee
~> forced marriage/ marriage of convenience
~> age gap (26 x 35)
~> he falls first and hard
~> mafia themes
~> morally grey MMC
~> he would do ANYTHING for her

After this book, I’m also excited for the Society of Villains series. The Ferrantes and Callaghans are such interesting families, and I NEED their stories.
—> Luca and his (arranged marriage) fiancée?
—> Achilles and Tierney? He already gave her a nickname piccola fiamma☺️
—> Enzo and…?
—> I can’t wait for Bad Bishop and read about Lila and Tiernan. It’s going to be so good.🥰

[Adar Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did lj shen write this book cuz that was wayyy too good 😍😍😍

spoiler alert ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️

I did not expect this from LJ shen at all.....this is like my 9th or 10th book of hers (Wow I'm surprised myself), but I have never read a book written by her that's soo freaking good. The writing development this woman has is insane and I am sooooo excited for the new villain series. Especially for Achilles and Tierney though they say there's cheating?????? I don't know and I hope it doesn't ruin all the hype for me......ANYWAYS let's get back to handsome Tate - real name GABRIEL, I mean, is there something hotter than a broken, good-lookin, hawt billionaire who ends the war for HIS WIFFEE??



So it starts with Tate being a heartless millionaire who doesn't give a dang about anyone and anything except messing with people and growing his GS properties. He's ruthless and makes the life of his assistant, Gia (whom he finds absolutely gorgeous) hell.

Everytime she tries to quit her job, he increases her payments and gives her bonuses.......but everything changes when she asks him a favour. Namely, bringing her sick mother who suffers from dementia into a high-something hospital where they could treat her. Although Gia already knows there's nothing to help, once the cells die they die and it's irreversible. In order for tate to pull strings to get her mother into this place, he wants her to marry him. She of course doesn't have an option and they marry. Now that'a where all the fun starts :)



So after they marry, he continues to make her life hell and one day she asks why he hates her that much. Turns out it was because of his father, Daniel who got into prison bcuz of Gia and was murdered there. So he on the other hand kills the murderers of his father and gets into trouble with the italian mafia. was it the italian mafia??? I don't even remember bruh but it's some kind of mafia.

The more they spend time together, the more Gia cannot resist the pull of her husband and they start to get intimate with eachother



Gia falls in love with Tate - how can she not? He's literally the devil and calls her APRICITY (=the warmth in the winter)



She finds out that he taps his fingers in an unusual rhythm TWO SIX TWO and the story behind it with the math solving and he had only 10 minutes but the clock was a little broken with this exact rhythm....damn where did LJ shen get this idea from I mean this is genius. I am no hater but wayy to genius for her- I like her writing development and ideas.

The trauma Tate has is because of his stepfather, who turns out to be his mother's ex who killed Tate's parents and wanted to kill him too but the police came too quickly so he decided to torture him instead. And luckily his stepfather Daniel did kill him somehow - that's what Tate thought. However the truth is that GIA killed the monster of a man because he was the drunk driver who killed her little brother and dad in a car accident but got away since he was rich and had much influence.

Tate was in a war between the Callaghans and needed the help of Achilles, Enzo and so on (don't know their family name...) to help protect Gia.

Gia got kidnapped by the Callaghans just when Tate/Gabriel told her that he would end the war for her cuz he wants to be better, get to a psychiatrist, to sessions and have a shrink for her. Since he also fell in love with her and didn't want to lose her when her mother died.

To be honest, now that I'm recalling and writing everything that happened.....A LOT happened in this book and it's insane.



Ok soooo, generally was this book really really good.



I think I will burst with curiosity....I need to have the series NOWWW

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is dark with amazing characters and funny moments.
It’s worth reading.

[aleerless · Rating 5 out of 5]

i would walk through broken glass on bare hands and knees for him. is that too much i'm sorry

[Dawn Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay... whew. LJ Shen did not hold back with this one. This one is intense, twisted, and completely addictive from the very first page. If you're a fan of morally gray characters, unhinged anti-heroes, and high-stakes, mafia-fueled dramas, this one is going to grab you by the throat and not let go.

Gia and Tate are fire and gasoline. Their dynamic? Pure enemies-to-lovers perfection with all the tension, mind games, and slow-burning obsession you could want. There’s a dark, almost poetic rhythm to the way they unravel each other, both dangerous and vulnerable in their own ways.

Tate is… a lot. Broody, brutal, brilliant. The definition of "do not fall for him" and yet here we are. And Gia? She’s not the helpless heroine, she’s fierce, layered, and fights just as dirty when she needs to.

There’s revenge. Secrets. A forced marriage. Plot twists. Blood. Betrayal. And somehow, amidst all the chaos, a beautifully broken love story begins to bloom. 💔🔥

[Nafisa King · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing

five stars, obviously. my rating scale is hanging on by a thread these days, but this one? fully earned. would i reread it? yes. would i bring it on a layover and devour it between gate changes? also yes.

marriage of convenience? elite. the bonnet gets mentioned and explained? validating. tate and gia both have compelling povs, and there isn’t a wasted moment…every page matters. i pray i never meet a tate in real life, but on paper? 100/10, no notes.

just a heads-up: there are trigger warnings, and i do recommend looking at them. there’s some tough material. as someone who had a parent in hospice, those scenes hit in a deeply true way. some moments made me pause and think, “why didn’t i do that?” in the best, most cathartic way.

and the teaser for the upcoming trilogy? okay, yes, it gave Camorra chronicles by Cora Reilly vibes….three brothers, brains, baby, broody, but i’m hopeful it goes a different route. finally, i really appreciated that the story didn’t end on the usual “all tied up in a bow” family note. instead, it leaned into the idea of pouring back into others once your own cup is full. i loved that. i felt that. i will be annoying about this book until someone else reads it.

[Aleksandra]

Disgusting 🤮

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Lola · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was extremely unserious 😭

It started off fine, but somewhere along the way it just became… bland. The story was so trope-heavy it felt like the author was working through a checklist instead of actually telling a story.

And the MMC? Sir, we get it. You’re tall, you have perfect teeth, you’re a billionaire, you can apparently see in the dark—okay, congratulations, now please give it a rest. He was so over-the-top it became exhausting.

The FMC wasn’t much better. I understand why she was putting up with him because of what he was doing for her mom, but girl… stand up. Please.

The mafia plotline was also very unserious. I could see the vision for this book, I really could, but the execution just wasn’t there. It had potential, but it ended up feeling more like a collection of tropes than a fully developed story.

Also I can’t get over the author writing: “I’d choke and expire on it.” Just say die 😭

[Tabatha (tab.talks.books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

* 5⭐️5🌶️
* Gia Bennett is forced into a marriage of convenience with her ruthless boss, the mafia-connected Tatum "Tate" Blackthorn, as he uses her dying mother's need for a life-saving medical trial to secure a twisted deal. While Tate initially targets Gia as part of his vengeance, his obsession with her soon evolves into a passionate, possessive protectiveness, igniting a dangerous Mafia war that threatens both their lives but cements their volatile and combustible connection
* The absolute way that LJ Shen wrote Tates character is honest to god the best. He is one of thee most likeable disliked character I have ever wrote. He is by far my favorite. His complete lack of reading a room and his just general no effs given is just perfect. His relationship with Gia and their back and forth banter is just 6⭐️

[Liz | Bookslizreads90 · Rating 5 out of 5]

arc review
Tropes-
Mafia
Forced marriage
Enemies to lovers
He Falls first and hard
Age gap
Workplace romance

“I wanted to protect her and kill her in the same breath. I’d never met a woman so insolent, so independent, so completely unmanageable, and fuck my life, but it made me want her even more."

✨️ Thank you so much to LJ Shen and The Author Agency for this ARC for my honest review! I'm going to be honest, in the first couple of chapters I thought I wasn't going to like Tate, but oh how I was completely wrong. I adored him so much. He went through so much as a child and just needed someone to love him. The way he falls for Gia and worships the ground she walks on. Omg. I loved their banter and chemistry that they shared. Gia made me laugh out loud on multiple occasions. I adored their relationship they built together. I truly recommend this to all my friends. Make sure you check the triggers because this is a little darker than the other books in this series!

[alexleasins · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75•••TATE BLACKTHORN. Oh this man😩😩

[Mimi · Rating 1 out of 5]

How can a woman write such a disgusting piece of shit of a MMC? Do NOT recommend

[carliereadssss · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my FAVORITE L.J. books this far! The dark romance elements were written to absolute PERFECTION and I could NOT put it down.

[TheBookPlatypus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think… I think Tate Blackthorn might be LJ Shen’s biggest antihero yet.
He’s an alphahole to the MAX.
He’s a straight up villian.
And there’s only one woman that sees any type of redemption in this man. A woman that Tate happens to be obsessed over.

Gia Bennett. His personal assistant.

This is an enemies to lovers
office romance
coerced marriage through a strict contract
mafia-esque
He’s obsessed with her
35/26 age gap
I’ll burn the world down for you vibes

“Tatum Blackthorn always got what he wanted and made sure to leave a string of casualties behind.”

Gia knows Tate is insufferable and a horrible person but something… something about him she craves. Her darkness craves his darkness.

“I hated him. Yet I was attracted to him in the same way the moth longed for the flame, knowing it’d kill it.”

LJ Shen’s writing is addictive to read. I read this one so fast, loving every minute of it.
When you have a man so powerful, so relentless, so terrifying… come down to his knees for his one and only.. it’s the kind of romance story I absolutely eat up.
And Tate with Gia is all that and more.

[Kayla_Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love the series crossovers!!

[✨️ Jessica's Bookshelf ✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Tate and Gia 🥵🥵🥵

This book has a laundry list of tw so be warned.

full rtc