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A year and a half ago, everything changed.
My sister, my best friend, was murdered–and it was my fault.
I brought her to London. I dragged her to the club where she was kidnapped. I lost her.
Adriana paid the price for my mistakes.
The guilt and grief have eaten me alive, but I'm done hiding in the shadows of my failures.
Our brother spent eighteen months chasing ghosts, trying to find her body, her killer, only to come up empty handed.
Now it's my turn.
I won't be sidelined any longer.
I'm going back to Firenze, the club where it all started, and I'm going to find answers. I'll turn over every rock, burn every bridge, and make any enemy necessary to get to the truth.
There's nothing I won't risk and nothing I won't do to avenge Adriana.
Not even if it means going head to head with Matteo Leone, the man second in line to become Don of the Italian Mafia.
If he doesn't get out of my way, I'll make him.
I didn't expect to find a kindred soul behind the mask, a soul I'm quickly learning I can't live without.
There's only one problem–at least one of the Leones is responsible for Adriana's murder.
And it might be Matteo.

Phantom Mine is the second book in the London Underworld series. Although it can be read as a standalone, it's recommended to read Devil Mine first to get a full understanding of the subplots.

536 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 3, 2025

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About the author

Khai Hara

14 books913 followers
Khai Hara is an American author currently based out of New York City. An avid fan of the romance genre, her debut novel 'Long Live The King' comes after years of planning. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, reading and spending time with her boyfriend and their dog Thunder.

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5 stars
1,460 (43%)
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3 stars
573 (17%)
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57 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 474 reviews
Profile Image for naima .
295 reviews239 followers
July 18, 2026
carve ts onto my chest💔. literal chills reading parts of this, every now and then i read a shattering book like this and wonder how i will ever enjoy a sweet romcom again😭
Profile Image for Taskin⋆彡⭒ (s-ia).
234 reviews144 followers
August 17, 2026
6/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
。𖦹°‧⋆.ೃ࿔*:・
I was wrong, this book is a million times better than the last one. Matteo has a PhD in yearnalism, he ruined everyone for me. I don't know how I am gonna move on from this book.
Profile Image for Annie ˖.
134 reviews112 followers
August 28, 2026
After reading this, I want to stab my retinas with sharpened forks. Full RTC.
Profile Image for nadine.
311 reviews185 followers
May 10, 2025
I’m obsessed

“I don’t own you,” I say flatly.
He blinks at me, a look of almost boyish confusion on his face. “Says who?”
Profile Image for Alexandra.
214 reviews81 followers
April 17, 2025
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

Khai Hara is back with Phantom Mine, the second book from the London Underworld series. And wow, what a freaking intense read it was! I absolutely love the first book, Devil Mine, mainly because of the characters and how much I loved their relationship, so I feared they wouldn’t be as great as Thiago and Tess. Of course, I was wrong; I shouldn’t have doubted the author because, clearly, she never disappoints! You can see the improvement in the writing’s style and the editing. I still can’t believe it’s the same author who wrote the disaster that was Long Live the King.

This time, we’re following Matteo Leone and Valentina da Silva’s love story. The plot wasn’t what I expected, based on the snippets we got from the first book. Instead of an arranged marriage, and a female character spying on her husband (like I initially thought), we got a protagonist, who’s ready to do anything to find the truth about her sister’s disappearance.

Valentina and Adriana’s bond is really adorable; you can feel how much the latter is important to Valentina. They’re platonic soulmates. I’m glad the author chose to write great friendships. That was already the case in the Royal Crown Academy. Valentina is absolutely a girl’s girl, which is something I loved! She stood her grounds, defend women, and took no shit from everyone.

As expected from Khai Hara, Matteo was unhinged, and completely intense. Each time, he opened his mouth, it was to say the most romantic or deranged thing. While I loved Matteo (he’s just a pretty boy for his lover, you know), my heart will always go to Thiago. I don’t think his spot will be taken. The reason? I felt like Matteo was too much sometimes. His dominant and possessive sides were too dramatic (sexy but still a lot to take). Like, we get it, you caveman. I wanted to punch him at some point, especially when he thought Valentina was engaged.

However, what I loved the most about him was his loyalty and complete devotion towards Valentina. If you know me, you know that I’m extremely picky when it comes to safety and double standards in books. I like my men obsessed for one woman and one only! To learn that Matteo stayed celibate during the year Valentina and him were separated was everything I needed.

I really appreciate the road Khai has taken with their male protagonists. So far, there’s no manwhore or icky scenes that made my skin crawl in this series. I like to believe this author can be trusted when it comes to safety.I hope it will be the same for the other books.

My only complaint is that Matteo was a bit too much in denial. He really fought his feelings for Valentina, because he wanted revenge on his family more than anything else. But no matter how much he wanted to forget her, he just couldn’t.

The side characters are really interesting. I just can’t wait for the next stories, especially Dagny’s. This woman is a gem! I know she’ll be my favorite, because once again, she’s a true girl’s girl.

I loved the fact that all the characters slowly began to form their little family (found family trope, yeah!). I can’t wait for Adriana’s story, too. She’ll be paired up with Darko, I believe (the head of the Serbian Mafia). It’s so exciting, and yet, I know her story will be very emotional.

Safety warnings:
- Celibate H/Celibate h;
- No OMD: Valentina didn’t have any relationship during her separation with Matteo;
- No OWD: my man, Matteo, was loyal to Valentina from the beginning. He’s engaged to a woman, though. But he was honest with Valentina about this, and he had no interest in the other woman. Because I’m a picky and annoying girl (I’m sorry), I want to pinpoint that it’s mentioned that a few months before Valentina arrived in London, Matteo went out more often in the Leone’s club (Firenze) to flirt with other girls in order to prepare himself to be married to another woman (it’s part of his revenge plan to get more power). Clearly, he couldn’t do anything because at the end, the poor man just wanted Valentina.
Profile Image for A..
35 reviews
March 22, 2025
beta review | release date: april 3rd

preface by saying i am honored to have been selected as a beta reader !

𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐝𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐚 (𝐥𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞)

Valentina is far from the naive cartel princess you might expect. A woman shaped by trauma and loss, she’s fierce, driven by revenge, and unbreakable. After losing her sister, she’s built walls no one can breach — except for Matteo Leone, a man just as broken and determined. Their connection is raw, intense, and fueled by their mutual need for vengeance. You'll feel her pain, but also her unrelenting strength.

i LOVE her.

—

𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞

Matteo is more than a charming mafia leader — he’s hiding deep scars beneath his confident exterior. His trauma will tear at your heart, but what makes him stand out is how he refuses to let it define him. Despite his lethal edge, Matteo’s heart remains kind, and his obsession with Valentina is like no other. Their love is fiery, possessive, and beautiful in its chaos.

"𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦"

—

𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰

Their romance is a poetic masterpiece — two broken souls bound by fate, their love filled with tension, banter, and passion. Matteo’s obsession with Valentina is unmatched, making their interactions thrilling, especially with the intense "boy obsessed" trope. Their banter is gold; black cat and golden retriever energy:

""𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞...𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞..."

"𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞?"

"𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠"

"𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 "𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫" 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞. 𝐢 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐭. 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐢'𝐦 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰."

and their sexy moments will make you seek out holy water and leave you a panting mess— holy fuck. hottest khai hara couple yet and I don’t say that lightly because at one point I’m fairly sure even jesus wept.
honorable mention to the Mr and Mrs smith scene because it’s truly pure cinema !

"𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭?"

"𝐢 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨"

"𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥?"

"𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬, 𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐦"

matteo leone has a phd in yearnalism.

also, if my man doesn’t want to fistfight the rain because i caught a cold, then i simply don’t want him.

—

𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀

While their romance is intense, the bond between Valentina and her sister Adriana is just as powerful. The story beautifully highlights female friendship and grief, making you cry and cheer for these women. it makes you believe that soulmates are found in friends, because vale and adri are soulmates, in every sense of the word.

“𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈’𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐨, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐀𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞,”

—

𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 *𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒*

—> 𝐌𝐘 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲 🔐

when i tell you i screamed ‘MOMMYYYY’ the instant my princess addy made an appearance. sadly, daddy callum didn’t make one this time but he was def mentioned !

khai knows that i am the owner of callumaddy and the whole tellier/sinclair family ( she wrote them for me, she told me so herself ) and so this was def one of my highlights of the book

"𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞. 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫"

say less. he’s known to be psychotically insane over his wife especially with how she’s famed for her otherworldly beauty. I fear he might own the title of being the most unhinged man once he comes come. I need their book NOW. please and thank you.

again, they’re & the whole tellier/sinclair families are mine so y’all better keep your ownership claims to yourselves hehe *not joking*

—> 𝐀𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 & 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧 ( 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 )

If you’re a genius like myself you will clock who her future husband is, if not…well how do you say ‘daddy’ in serbian ?

i needed their book yesterday. khai knows exactly what she did with this pairing and she knows how they will become my personality till their book comes out… I’ve already got so many theories but i can def reveal that they’re giving BEAUTY AND THE BEAST & HATE EVERYONE BUT YOU In the best way !

—> 𝐝𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝

if you thought you knew who dagny’s man was in devil mine… no you didn’t. i went FERAL when i found out… khai really said *hold my beer*. YOU GUYS ARE NOT READY FOR THIS POWERCOUPLE.

let’s just say my diva badass fashion icon dagny will bring him to his KNEES.

— > 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐬 ( 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 )

it was so funny to me how thiago teased matteo for being pathetic when it comes to his wife, when this is him :

𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆, 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆, “𝗕𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗲.”
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱. 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵.
𝗜 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁.

they should def form a ‘pathetic for my wife’ alliance… happy family and all 😭

—

In short, this book is a storm of emotions — full of grief, revenge, and a love so intense that it can’t be described with mere words.

khai absolutely outdid herself with phantom mine; it’s in a league of its own. i cannot wait for everyone to love this as much as i do 🫶🏻god knows that i am going to ship my therapy bills to khai 😭
Profile Image for ˚₊‧꒰ა vruxreads ໒꒱ ‧₊˚.
631 reviews41 followers
March 26, 2025
4.5⭐

Thank you so much khai for this arc!

If you love a dark angsty mafia romance where the hero is utterly obsessed, fiercely protective, and possessive in the best way, then this is a must-read. From the moment he laid eyes on the heroine, there was no turning back—he was ready to burn the world down for her, leave everything behind, and make her his. And honestly? I lived for every second of it.

The heroine wasn’t just a damsel waiting to be claimed; she was strong, fiery, and had a backbone of steel. She challenged him, met his intensity with her own, and never let herself be overpowered. Their dynamic was electric—passion, tension, and devotion woven into every interaction.

The plot? Absolutely gripping. It wasn’t just about the romance, the twists, the danger, and the high stakes kept me glued to the pages. Every moment builds up their connection, proving that they were made for each other, no matter the cost.

If you love dark, obsessive heroes who would do anything for their woman and who won’t be tamed, this book delivers. It’s intense, addictive, and left me with the biggest book hangover. THE SMUT WAS SMUTTING I SWEAR. The gun and the candle scene HUH HOT AF!!!

- no cheating, no ow drama, both were celibate since they met each other for the first time (SWOONING)

The side characters were amazing, I loved each and every one of them. And the ending OMG I LITERALLY CAN'T WAIT FOR KHAI WRITING THEIR BOOK.
Profile Image for Dahlia .
503 reviews546 followers
June 14, 2026
𓏲 ๋࣭  ࣪ ˖5 🌟
THIS MAAAAAN AM OBSESSEDDD

---
How come there are only two books in this serie ? Anywho please be as good as the first one 🙏
Profile Image for addictedtodarkromance.
551 reviews168 followers
April 2, 2025
I was so excited when this book dropped!! I loved this book so much, it's one of my fav reads of the year.

Valentina took her sister (Adri) to a nightclub, which ended in heartbreak; Adri was kidnapped and murdered. They weren't able to find the body or the killer, even though their brother (from Book 1) had been trying. After a year and a half, Valentina decides it's her turn to locate the one responsible for taking Adri away from her by going undercover. She's going back to Firenze, the club where this all happened. She'll have to face Matteo Leone, second in line to be the Don of the Italian Mafia, with whom she's had a past.

When Valentina goes to the club to audition, she is met by Matteo, and he won't let anyone else near her. At first, she doesn't realize who he is. She dances for Matteo (to try and get the job), and he decides that she will never do that for anyone but him. He's just as taken by her now as he was a year and a half ago when they first met. There was one problem: to take his place as Don (when his father passes away), he has to marry Marina, the daughter of the Marchesanis family, to avoid a civil war and continue to hold power in the underworld. At first, I was a little worried about how this was going to play out, but it was really well done - there's never any cheating or OW drama, he only has eyes for her!!

Valentina was strong, determined, and willing to do anything for the ones she loved, even if that meant putting herself in danger. Matteo was possessive, dominant and very confident; I seriously could not get enough of him. He wouldn't let her slip through his hands again and was willing to burn the world down to make sure!

These two were on fire... The chemistry.... The steam.... The way they would die without each other... Absolutely amazing! They have a push-and-pull dynamic (usually her trying to push him away), but it's always very shortly lived as he doesn't let her get away with it!

The other characters in the book were great and really added to the story. You may need to get some tissues out near the end of the book as my heart was def hurting, knowing just how deep their love went for each other!

I seriously cannot wait for the next book!

Overall: 5 out of 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice/Heat Intensity: 5 out of 5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Main Characters: Matteo & Valentina (Leni)
Nickname: Cara Mia
Darkness: 1 out of 5 🖤
Type of book: MF, Fast Burn, Duel 1st Person POV
Reading Order: Standalone with an Interconnected Storyline & Characters. I do recommend reading book 1, Devil Mine, first (Valentina's brother and his wife) but I think you could read this one first.
Title: London Underworld Series- Phantom Mine: Book 2
Epilogue: Yes
Ending Type: HEA


*OTT Possessive, obsessive, dominant, loyal and protective MMC
*Eyes only for her
*Italian Mafia & Cartel
*Praise/Degradation/Light Punishments
*MINE!
*Unholy (but oh so good) Church Scenes
*Super Steamy!!
*Unalive anyone who looks at her
*Second Chance
*Burn the world down for her
*Celibate since they first met
*No cheating or sharing


⚠️ This book has descriptive parts that may be offensive or triggering to some. Please check the TW/CW before reading! 18+

*I received an early copy of this book & am voluntarily leaving this review.
Profile Image for Anastasiia.
88 reviews4 followers
November 10, 2026
4.5⭐️
Ох вже ці мафіозіозні чоловіки зі своєю одержимістю та владністю 😈
Насправді ця частина сподобалась мені більше за першу. Обожнюю саме таку "одержимість" 🫠
У книжці була купа смачних моментів, а ще моментів, де одразу видно, наскільки Маттео цінував Валентину.
Люблю сильних героїнь, а Валентина — та ще штучка. Хоча перед італійським красенем, звісно, не встояла 😉
Сюжет класний, робота під прикриттям додавала напруги. Ну і куди ж без сцени з приватним танцем 🤭
До того ж вони як сучасні "Монтеккі та Капулетті" у мафіозному світі.
Обох намагалися одружити з іншими, тож ревнощів вистачало.
Але не без крінжу 🙈
Сцена в церкві — це вже класика мафіозних романів 🌚
А той "мафіозний порятунок" — взагалі окремий новий жанр літератури, де про закони фізики можна забути 🫣
І на додачу солодющий епілог, де всі банди, що ворогували, помирилися і живуть дружньою родиною 😅

Оцінка для Маттео 🥵
Profile Image for Kseniia.
101 reviews6 followers
November 7, 2026
Маттео-Маттео… 😈

я на колінах 🧎🏻‍♀️

ps. але задній прохід зачинений 😹😹😹
Profile Image for Luna  ♡.
745 reviews285 followers
April 17, 2025
»You're... you're...«
»Adorable?«
»Overbearing.«
»All I heard was "bear" and they're super cute. I knew it. Tell me I'm adorable right now.«

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

❥ 𝑽𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
One of my favorite book woman ever! She is intelligent, badass and knows her worth. Valentina is a cartel princess who wants to avenge her sister. Loved her.

❥ 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒐 ࣪⋆✮
This man is everything. His love for Valentina was beautiful and the way he was willing to give up everything for her. He is the standard.

✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
This book was everything I could wish for. It‘s dark, funny and has a captivating storyline. As a reader you will go down an emotional rollercoaster: I laughed, I cried and I was angry and shocked a lot of times. It‘s an enjoyable and entertaining book with the right amount of drama, action and spice. Khai Hara is wonderfully talented in writing dark and twisted books. I adored every single one of her stories and this was amazing again. I hope she will publish many books in the future.
Valentina and Matteo have great tension and their chemistry was chefs kiss. They‘re a badass couple. Both know how to fight and grew up in the Underworld. I liked their dynamic and the way both fall head over heels for each other. The love story is wonderful and goes hand in hand with the thrilling plot.
I was glued to my kindle all morning and couldn‘t stop reading. The book intrigued me and I deeply dived into the London Underworld. I was so curious what happened to Adriana (Valentinas sister) and every new tip had me on the edge of my seat.
There were some new characters introduced and some of them already catched my interest. A story about Darko please? Of course we got a glimpse of the couple from the previous book (Thiago & Tess) and I ate this up. I love the universe the author has created and I hope many books will follow.
All in all this book made me so happy. It is one of these rare honestly good dark mafia romance books and I devoured it. Thumbs up!

𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
Yes. Khai Haras books get better and better.

𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 ׂㅤ𐙚 ࣪ ⭒
plot: 5/5
spice: 2/5
humor: 4/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 5/5
happy end?: yes

𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 ᡣ𐭩ྀི₊ ⊹
possessive and protective hero, dark romance, mafia, cartel princess x italian mafia heir, forced proximity, forbidden love, badass fmc, dark golden retriever mmc, touch her and die, second chance, he falls first, romeo and juliet coded

𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: Valentina (23) and Matteo (in his late twenties I think)
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: no

𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 Devil Mine ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Phantom Mine ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Profile Image for Melodious Midnight Melancholy「مروة」.
307 reviews27 followers
April 19, 2025
DNF at 43%.
Thiago was a saint compared to this lying cheating hypocritical piece of shit Matteo, I'm genuinely disgusted that he thought he could have "fun" and supposedly claim Valentina all the while practically engaged to another woman and saying that he'd forget all about her once he was married ?!?!🤮
And Valentina was no better ! Saying she wanted to avenge her murdered sister all the while fucking and fooling around with Matteo and being a spineless coward for half the book OMFG BE FR CUZ WTAF 💀
Profile Image for Allia Reads (semi hiatus).
340 reviews153 followers
May 29, 2025
UGHHH this is my first book after a really long book slump.
I can definitely say that I love Matteo. The way he cares, loves, and is definitely obsessive and possessive of Leni is absolutely everything!! I love the fact that he never spared another woman a glance after he met her and that he was so down bad for her after just seeing her that he stayed in London because he needed to find her.🙂‍↕️

The fact that he also sacrificed his position as a don because he couldn’t stand the thought of another man marrying Valentina😭 He is so devoted and in love with her that when he thought Thiago was Valentina’s lover instead of her brother, he was heartbroken and all teared up 😭😭 My poor baby thought the worst, and yet he still loved her despite the small misunderstanding.

I can definitely say my rating is based on his devotion and love for Leni and how amazing he has been with her. The sweet moments between Valentina and Matteo were also everything and made their connection even deeper. I also liked the fact that despite Valentina not telling him her identity, she was still real with him and he was there for her no matter what.

Even Enzo was annoyed by Matteo being a lover boy, and during the time he searched for her, the only thing Matteo talked about was how he yearned for her again. The only thing I can say was a little annoying was when he was in denial about his feelings for Valentina in the beginning, but he is the one who ends up falling in love first 🤣

Overall, I really loved this one, even though it took me some time to read it.

𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨:

- There is no actual OWD or OMD, only jealousy scenes.

- No others after meeting—both are only interested in each other.

- No info on how long it has been for both of them, but Matteo didn’t come across as a manhoe, which I appreciated.

- Matteo informed Valentina early on about his engagement to OW, but nothing ever comes out of it. He never even met Marina and was never interested in another woman after meeting Valentina.

- It was mentioned briefly that a few months before Valentina arrived in London, he tried to flirt with other women to forget about her and to prepare himself because he had to marry the OW, but nothing happened. He couldn’t go through with it because he only wants Valentina and no one else.

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬:

“You’d forgive your father’s death with no retaliation and set terms for a truce instead, but you’d wage war for Valentina?”
Violence crawls like a maddening itch through my veins, poisoning my blood and turning it black.
“I won’t just wage it, Thiago. I’ll fucking win. You’ll die for nothing, because I’ll pry your sister from your cold dead hands and take her anyway.” His eyes darken but he says nothing. “What are you willing to risk for her? Think long and hard before you respond, because if the answer isn’t absolutely everything, then you won’t win against me. I only have everything to lose here and that’s Valentina.”
“You would destroy her family to have her?”
I shrug. “If that’s what it takes. If her family is standing in my way, then yes, without a moment’s hesitation.”
“Why?”
“Wouldn’t you do the same for your wife?”
Two of the guards look at each other in surprise. Even Thiago seems to still once more.
“So you intend to marry her?”
I straighten, the muscles of my back locking into place as I scowl. This fucker isn’t paying attention.”
-
“Then you found each other again and I saw the way you looked at her.” He pauses, inhaling a long, slow breath as he rakes his hand through his hair. “That’s when I knew we were in trouble. You stare at her with a restless, unyielding sort of hunger, as if just the sight of her replenishes your soul.” He blows out an aggrieved breath now. “You know you’re not supposed to look directly at the sun, right? They taught us that in kindergarten, but you must have been out sick that day because you stand there looking right into the equivalent of your sun with the dopiest, most lovesick grin on your face, uncaring that you’re getting your metaphorical corneas absolutely scorched to a crisp in the process. Look at you, you’re doing it right fucking now,” he says, waving at my face exaggeratingly. “You can’t look away. It would be adorable if you were staring at the right woman.”
-
“You would rather give up being Don than give up a woman?” The disbelief rings shrilly in Emiliano’s voice. “Not a woman, my woman,” I clarify. “And yes.”
-
“I can’t look away from you when you’re in the room. Ever since the first time I touched your hair, nothing else has felt quite right to my touch. I made you laugh again and I want to keep making you laugh. I want more of those arepas you made. I want a home with you. I want to come home to you. Everything I can imagine wanting or needing in this life revolves entirely around you,”
Profile Image for 【 ☠︎︎ 】.
551 reviews34 followers
December 31, 2025
اخخ كيف اوصل شعوري اتجاه رواية مش عارفه تصدقو من يوم ما نزلت وأنا أقرا فيها ليومنا هذا
ماثيو بجد شخصيته من نوع يلي اعشقها عادة تصرفاته كلامه كل شي يسويه مع بطلة في قلبي.. مع كل ذا ما قدرت احبه دمه ثقيل ما ينبلع

فالنتينا حتى هي نوع ذا من شخصياتي المفضلة لكن ما حبيت انها راقصة تعاري و كذا برغم اتفهم أسببها لكن ما أقدر أدعمه سوري وحتى هي نفس وضع ماثيو ما قدرت أبلعها

كاتبه مطت في قصة و ربنا لو كان ف ايدها تخليها الف صفحة برغم قصة ما تحتاج كل الحشو ذا
صدق بلوت ضعيف يعني كتاب اول من سلسلة افضل من هذا بألفين مرة
خاب املي فيها توقعت تبدع في جزء ثاني لكن ما صار مستوها تراجع اتمنى ما تخرب قصة داجني لأني متحمسه ل شخصية مابدي ارجع أعيد العبث يلي صار في رواية ذي
Profile Image for Kateryna Vasylivna.
141 reviews
November 5, 2026
Куди ж без дрібки крінжі з цими обссесів чоловіками 😁
48 reviews
April 22, 2025
I started to dislike it after the first half. It became just spice without anything interesting. I liked Valentina at first. Matteo too. But somewhere, they became just boring. He talked too much. They fucked too much. When are you going to investigate about Adrianna ? Because Valentina is really into her investigation at first and she found really interesting stuff. Then, she is more into getting fucked everywhere. Sorry Adri, sex first.

And the ending. WTF. Without any more information, investigation or explaination, it's the worst ending ever. And I don't talk about the boudoir thing, which was useless. I talk about a broken person who should be the main interest and Valentina acting like everything is fine.
4 reviews
March 20, 2026
I had to DNF this book. I absolutely can’t do scenes involving sex in a church, it’s a hard no for me. It feels like a lot of dark romance books are trying to be provocative and shocking, but instead they come across as sacrilegious.
Profile Image for Jamie.
1,212 reviews295 followers
June 18, 2025
Wow I loved them🥹 I felt their love for each other so strongly which is not always the case in book! When she was carrying him on her back to save him 😩😩😩😩that got me!
I was also kind of dreading leni in the beginning because I thought she was going to be pushing Matteo away the whole time, but she didn’t and I loved that!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for ayan.
179 reviews52 followers
Currently Reading
April 30, 2026
dnf at 12% i asked for christian allister and got nico russo instead...this is false advertising
Profile Image for lina.
220 reviews37 followers
April 22, 2025
sooooo boring i hate when yall hype up mid!
Profile Image for nini..
418 reviews33 followers
June 23, 2025
can't believe i read 2 books and the main plot got solved in a fucking epilogue 😭
Profile Image for Kiani.
155 reviews468 followers
September 21, 2026
4.5💫 This book is so underrated such a unique mafia romance concept and I loved how it included Cartels. The beginning feels like insta love I was so hesitant because the MMC is just protective after just meeting her but if you push through until about 20% you find out context & their shared history.

Matteo Leone is a new top 10 mafia man his YEARNING & protectiveness is unmatched the way this man did everything for her and was completely devoted. THE SPICE IN THIS BOOK IS WILD & NASTY. Matteo is so hot I actually had to take breaks because the mouth on that man & the things he be doing

Knocking off a star because towards the end it did feel like the spicy scenes could have been cut down and it was a little long but loved this so much

Profile Image for mia ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆。˚.
274 reviews
April 7, 2025
"My final wish remains unchanged--I still want to die with the taste of you on my lips, even knowing everything. But you love him, Valentina. So, please...just kill me when you're done."

4.5 stars ‧₊˚🕷‧₊˚-`♡´-

god, this was even better than i hoped. i went through so many emotions reading this. i can't even began to describe how well Hara writes. it feels like she immerses herself within the writing until she leaves and breathes the characters. phantom <3

matteo and valentina are so catastrophically beautiful together, and though the ANGST got to me sometimes 🙈 matteo is one of the best mmc i've ever read before. he is unabashedly devoted to leni, though he can be incredibly posessive at times. he's the obsessed, OTT, alpha hero. i don't wanna spoil anything but i think what he does in order to have leni shows how much he loved that, and literally swoon.

⋆⭒˚。⋆ minor annoyances/triggers/potential spoilers
- a lot of the side characters kind of seemed irrelevant. like enzo is obv his second in command, but he doesn't do much for me but he ends up with one of the other characters, so its like, are we gonna get a book on him...? but he seems boring so idk 😒

- while this was kind of obvious that it was gonna happen, there isn't a lot of information given on her whereabouts and what happened. i think Hara did this so there is still interest in her book which is coming soon (?!) which i am excited for, but i was hoping for some clarification since when it is revealed, its like hip hip hooray but no one knows what happened.

- i found this to be the most dramatic scene in the book. i mean matteo almost mf dies and its so out of wack like how did this go from 0-100? they don't actually kill anyone so i guess its to show again how far hes willing to go for her but it seemed hella dramatic because they only end up getting themselves hurt.

- there is so much smut . while i can see how it furthers their relationship, there was multiple chapters depicting one scene from both of their povs. it kinda just starts to blend into another "when he gives her that dark look" that im kinda like ok here we go again. its written well, but i feel like for at least 1/2 of the book thats what the majority of their relationship is.
Profile Image for destiny.
556 reviews205 followers
April 29, 2025
when he has a fear of fires and he literally barges into a burning building to save her 🧎🏻‍♀️

GOOD LORD I’M IN LOVEEEEE 😍😍😍

mateo is so book husband and no one can tell me otherwise. the way i’m so down bad for this man is absolutely obsessive behavior 😩

valetina is a mafia princess looking for answers about what happened to her sister adriana. there’s a lot more information about who adriana is and why valentina is off doing her own investigations in book one which is “devil mine” !! but these are interconnected standalones 🖤

nearly two years ago adriana and valentina go to the club and when valentina gets sidetracked by a masked stranger that’s when adriana goes missing. since then she has been trying to find any clues or answers to what happened. this leads valentina to get a job at the same club. she knew the family at this club is responsible for adriana’s disappearance and working there under a hidden identity is what her plan is to get justice. but when the owner of the club happens to notice her … he tries everything in the book to get her to remember 👀

i absolutely ate this story of mateo and valentina !! there were definitely parts where i thought were just being dragged on. it lost me for a minute but then picked back up quickly after that. i couldn’t just leave it hanging omg 😭 if i thought i fell head over heels for thiago then i just immediately drowned in mateo 🤤 FUCKING A I LOVE HIM 🫀🫀

i can’t wait for more omg !!

🌶️🌶️🌶️
Profile Image for Jessica Shaw.
803 reviews25 followers
April 5, 2026
1.5- this writing was sooo bad. It gave me a headache and WOULD NOT END. Ngl the plot had so much potential so I kept reading, but it was soooo underwhelming.

It started off ok!! But it got progressively worse and worse ugh. Wish I could bleach my eyeballs. The smut wasn’t even good! I had to skim it after a while and even skipped it by the end because it was just so mehhh
Profile Image for ☆maia☆.
343 reviews
February 4, 2026
no what i acc have nothing to say except just go read this immediately best book ever

like hi matteoleni my no. 1 fav book couple ever infinity motherfreaking stars

soooooo much better than whatever drivel the last book was
Displaying 1 - 30 of 474 reviews