Mafia & Scars

Marchiano & Petrov Mafia #7

by Isa Oliver

A romance in the Marchiano & Petrov Mafia world.

Full blurb and title reveal to follow.

Standalone.

Release date will be brought forward and will be confirmed shortly.

Genres: Mafia Romance, Romance, Dark Romance, Found Family, Disability, Booktok, Forced Proximity

508 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 9, 2025

Reviews

[Elizabeth Neal]

I will never understand how someone (the H) who is written as being unable to accept touch -- so much so that he struggles to even touch a cat -- can manage to have sex. Even if he does, and it's stated he does, restrain the women so they can't touch him...YOU ARE STILL TOUCHING THEM AND THEM YOU! This makes no sense to me. He can't stand for me who are like brothers to him, that he's known since childhood, nor his own grandmother to make contact, but he can bang a woman (women) because they can't touch him all because he has needs. *rolls eyes* Seriously, I almost DNF on the spot because I didn't want to touch that. *see what I did there*

[Carmen Ami]

DNF at 35%.
I couldn’t connect with the female main character. As a mother, I found it hard to accept her decisions — especially staying overnight in a house full of unknown mafia members with two small children.
In the following days, she even left her children in the care of these men while she rested, which felt unrealistic and irresponsible to me. Because of this, I struggled to see her as a convincing or caring mother, and it completely broke my immersion in the story.
Unfortunately, the book just wasn’t for me.

[Celine]

Had to DNF this book. Writing was terrible and I cringed the whole time

[Kayla_Wilson]

2.5 to 3 this had so much potential but just missed the mark for me

[Erica]

The portrayal of autism in this book is really done with care and a main theme in the book as well as two of the characters. It was unique having this in a mafia style book. It’s a much lighter style mafia than I’m used to reading but it worked nonetheless.

[Sierra Atwood]

This started out with so much potential. I was excited to finally read something that represented autism. But the inconsistencies throughout the book was super hard to get through. The storyline just was dragged out, and every chapter that was in Viktor’s pov, it felt repetitive. Which I know better than anyone how repetitive anxiety thoughts can run. But it reached a point where every pov felt the exact same.




SPOILERS..





Starting off with Avelina.. She left her 9month old with her bay daddy while her and the six year old went to Russia for a two week long job opportunity. Not too bad, weird but alright. Secondly, after said trip, she finds out her baby daddy is more of a dumbass than she already knew. He left the baby with a life long friend that is in the Bravta, and in a house full of random men he didn’t really know. Avelina, goes along with it and ends up staying with this group of men, who she doesn’t know all because of child services. Weird. Next, she leaves her children alone with these men a couple of times, because one of the mens grandmother lives there and offered to take care of the children while she goes out to ice skate, not even for a job, but for fun.. All of that just sounds risky in so many ways. As time goes on, yes, we find out that all these scary mafia men are big teddy bears deep down but still..

Now, Viktor had some promise. He found out he was autistic on his own, when he was a kid. He is an orphan that banded together with his 3 friends, who have become his brothers. They all know he is different and has his quirks but Viktor is so ashamed of himself and his autism that they don’t speak about it. Viktor becomes obsessed with Avelina and her children, as if it’s a hyper fixation. He repulses touch in any shape of form, but can still have sex with random women?? by tying them up so they cant touch him??? makes no sense. He doesn’t even like his brothers or grandmother touching him, but you are trying to tell me that he is okay with touching another human just to get his fix?? Nope. Doesn’t make sense. He sits 3 feet away from everyone else so they don’t touch him and he DOESN’T touch them. But you’re telling me the moment Avelina touches his arm because she trips and uses his arm to balance, all that goes out the window?? It just doesn’t make sense. Ive been around my fair share of autistic persons of all ages and this just doesn’t happen. Sure, they have people that they prefer to help them, or allow to touch but because they build a trust and respect between them. But the moment, Avelina touches him, he can all of a sudden handle peoples touch, I mean, he didn’t even want to touch the cat! FFS!!!

[Iris]

While the characters were sweet and the author's attention to a neurodivergent character was beautiful, I could never get into the book fully. There is no real plot to speak of. The characters have interesting backgrounds but everything is always solved without any real change. The pace is very, very, very slow. It could almost be called cozy, despite being a Mafia romance, if it weren't for a handful of violent scenes.

The spice is good and expected in this type of book. But some of it felt forced. I know it is a mark of the genre to have dominant males who say "good girl" and such, but it didn't feel right for this MMC. I would not imagine the autistic man to spout the same things. It felt incredibly out of character. It felt more like it was catering to the trope than writing something true to character.

And lastly, I got the sinking feeling that AI might have been used to assist writing here. It's only my speculation but it tipped off patterns I have begun to recognize from AI. The same phrases repeated with slightly different words, the formulaic ending to the chapters, the repeated scenes that were already resolved previously... it just reeks of patterns I have seen AI use.

[Mary Bendon]

I really wanted to love this book. It was so unrealistic to me. I think this had a lot of potential but definitely failed to hit the mark. I did love the love story but it was drawn out way too long. Lots of unnecessary content. A chapter just for queenie? Really??

[Katie]

3.5/5 Stars

let me start off by saying that ​I have a real soft spot for neurodivergent representation in romance. having said that, I think Mafia & Scars missed the mark for me. While I appreciate the author’s intent to bring visibility to the spectrum, it felt a bit too "in your face."

​The "autism factor" was brought up so frequently that it started to feel like a clinical checklist rather than a natural part of the character's personality. When every action or thought is explicitly tied back to a diagnosis, it creates a distance that makes it hard to truly connect with the lead as a person.

​I kept comparing this to Lev by Belle Aurora. In that book, Lev is 100% on the spectrum, but it’s just one layer of his soul—it doesn't define his entire existence. He feels like a man who happens to be neurodivergent, whereas this felt like a character built entirely around a label.

​I love seeing disability representation in the Mafia subgenre, but I prefer it when the character is allowed to just be, without the prose constantly "explaining" them to the reader.

[Maureen Walsh]

I absolutely devoured this book. From start to finish it left me warm, fuzzy, and completely invested. A fantastic read.

Avelina and Viktor stole my heart. Both come from traumatic childhoods in Russia, and Isa Oliver does an incredible job weaving their pasts into who they are now. Avelina especially broke me—her vulnerability is so raw, but at the same time she’s a survivor through and through. A fierce mama bear who would burn the world down for her kids. (And her ex-husband? A complete waste of space.)

And Viktor… Viktor! Viktor! Viktor! I adored this man. He’s written with so much depth, love, and compassion. As an autistic character, the way he connects with his family and supports the people he loves is beautiful. His understanding of Sofia’s sensory overload and the safe, gentle bond that forms between them was one of my favorite parts of the book.

I loved how Avelina and Viktor’s relationship developed—it felt so natural, real, and beautifully paced. Their chemistry was absolutely tangible, the kind that leaps off the page and wraps around you.

Isa Oliver portrayed Autism with nuance, respect, and care—showing that it’s a spectrum, and that people experience and navigate it in many different ways. It felt authentic and meaningful rather than stereotyped, and I appreciated that so much.

The family dynamics were chef’s kiss. Viktor’s relationship with his brothers had me laughing out loud more than once, and their banter added so much heart to the story.

This book is definitely in my top 10 reads of the year. A feel-good, emotional, beautifully written romance that wrapped me up from the first page and didn’t let go. I was absolutely here for it.

Huge thank-you to the author for the ARC—such a superb read. ❤️📚

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth)]

Loved it!

Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: neurodivergent MMC
Angst: 😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥

My 1st book by Isa Oliver, but it won't be my last! It was definitely different from any other Mafia book I've ever read, LOL. I loved the MMC and if you're a fan of neurodivergent MMCs, you're going to love him too ❤. I loved his relationship with the heroine's daughter. It was so cute. Overall, it was a sweet and emotional read.

[Valerie]

The idea of the characters and the book are good but I wanted more. There are sweet moments and humorous scenes but the side characters aren’t well developed and often behave and react inconsistently. It would have added so much for us to get more interaction between the main characters and the prominent side characters.

[Ashley 💙]

First read of 2026 with 5 🌟!! I enjoyed this immensely and definitely appreciated the neurodivergent representation. Avelina and Viktor are so sweet together. He really means “touch her and you die.”

[Lucia Catherine]

Well done!

First time reading this author and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Autism was described so realistically and accurately. I teared up a few times. Great book!

[Eliza]

Had to read for book club. Lost of lost ideas

[Rachel Hager]

Not for me. Lol

[Britney rogers]

So good

This book had me in my feels! I absolutely loved this book!!! Viktor and Avelina were so cute!!! I love the way the nuerodivergence is portrayed it was a perfect read!

[nyans ദ്ദി（• ˕ •マ.ᐟ]

baited by an ad once again 🥀

[Irie❤Life]

honest review…Spoilers

Pros - I love books that touch on disabilities or just things that make people different. I also like that it touched on FMC’s abuse as a child. The characters were nice enough.

Cons - The book could have been at least 20% shorter, easily, without losing anything necessary for good writing. The author beat the reader over the head with the fact that the MMC wasn’t sure about if he could be a good partner due to his autism. I mean an obscene number of times. I’m aware they’re trying to prove a point with struggles of autism, but after the tenth time, it’s like, we get it already, he can have progress and move past it now. Also, same goes for the number of times the MMC buys specials gifts (or huge gifts) or says special things to the little girl and the FMC stands there watching with a sweet smile on her face (or from FMC’s perspective, she gets all the feels for him). A perfectly appropriate response but still, can we think of some other ways to learn and grow? The chapter from the cat’s perspective - Am I reading a child’s book?
Also, Grifey - are we supposed to just accept that he’s somehow refeeemdd himself from his intimidating and almost abusive behavior toward FMC in the beginning few interactions? Hope a book wasn’t written about him.

Overall, it was an Okay book. It had huge redeeming factors due to touching on an important and oft ignored subject, but it could use a rewrite to take out extraneous details and repeat performances. 3.5 stars.

[Jacquelyn G]

Not great.. at all

It was an awesome idea.. a nerodivergent hero and his love. Sadly, many things didn't work.
Avelina was not likeable to me in any way. I understand she had trauma when she was a teen (and younger) but the author glossed over most of the abuse so it was hard to relate. Yes, slaps and nasty words are abuse.. but I grew up with that so this wasn't so Earth shaking-ly bad. We were told she was forced in two sentences at around 90% in.. at that point the story is over and it's not important to the reader. Her low self-esteem was like middle school level insecurity. Honestly i didn't like anything about her.

The entire book was focused on emotions, it took over everything. The excitement, action, conversations E V E R Y T H I N G!!0
The typical "mafia" is completely absent here.
The mafia guys were not hard, tough or anything that screamed bad boys to me.
This was a disappointment for me.

[ava]

I know I said I wouldn't be engaging with reels recommended content but I really mean it this time.

[Patti Yuliano]

spoon

I really liked the characters except for the grandmother. The fact that she whipped out the wooden spoon and started hitting a grown man makes me think she would do the same to those sweet children. I can’t believe the Mom would ever let the “grandma “ any where near the kids, especially one who has Autism , let alone having her babysit them.

[Kim Janey]

Avelina is just trying to keep her life together while raising two children and dealing with a husband who has given up on being a partner. So when Viktor enters her world, everything shifts. He is a man with a hard exterior and a complicated world but beneath the cold exterior lies a man capable of fierce loyalty and unexpected tenderness. What starts off as protection slowly transforms into something deeper as Viktor steps in to be there for Avelina and her family, becoming the steady force Avelina never had.

Y’all, this book was so heartwarming and feel good that I kept smiling like an idiot through entire chapters. It had that perfect mafia lite vibe where the danger exists yes but the real story lives in the softness and the chaos that comes with building a family out of broken pieces. The characters were such a goofy bunch and the warmth between them made everything feel alive. I loved how naturally they all became a family, almost without realizing it, and that really made my heart squeeze.

“Viktor is my sunshine after a storm.”

Viktor was such an unexpectedly beautiful character. Watching him learn how to be a man for his new family felt SO endearing! He is written with so much care, especially in how his autism and behavioural traits are portrayed. It never felt like a gimmick or disrespectful, Isa did such an amazing job at writing Viktor in such an honest and deeply respectful way. Despite struggling with emotional connection, he still loved fiercely in his own way and stepped up for Avelina and her children with every part of himself. His growth felt so real and sincere. The man had a true heart of gold and I would say that he truly was the soul of this story.

And Avelina was such a sweetheart, the kindest of FMCs and she deserved a lifetime of happiness. Every decision she made came from love, even when she had nothing left to give. Watching her finally receive the love and safety she had been denied for so long, ugh it made me so emotional. She was strong, gentle, patient, and so easy to root for.

Honestly, Isa Oliver’s writing shines here. She is so dynamic with every release, always bringing something fresh while staying true to the emotional core of her stories. She can make you laugh one second, melt the next, and then hit you with a scene so sweet you’re going “awww”. Every book of hers feels a little different in the best way and this one really showed off how talented she is at blending humor and heart.

“You’re great just as you are.”

The side characters added so much charm y’all, I can’t help but give them a shoutout. Grigory’s entire arc made me want to scream in the best way. He learned to be kinder and moments like him bringing Queenie’s toys or the sensitivity training scenes had me gagging because it was happening in the Bratva of all places. The Queenie POV chapter was incredibly endearing and made me so happy and Albert’s moment in the epilogue was just as sweet. All the shenanigans, all the chaos, all the unexpected tenderness reminded me that this book is about broken souls learning how to be a family. It was tender, funny, and full of comfort, which made this such a memorable read. Let’s not forget NOSE BOOPS, ENOUGH SAID! I really had a blast with this book, kudos for Isa bringing her A game as she always does.

[BiblioDarling]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating System (as of 8/14/2025):
⭐: It was a struggle to read. I almost DNF
⭐⭐: This could have been so much better.
⭐⭐⭐: Good/Average
⭐⭐⭐⭐: Great book. I will probably reread it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: I absolutely loved this book.
***********************************************************************
Triggers:
🚩Violence
🚩Child Abuse
🚩Mental Health
🚩Mention of Past Sexual Assault
🚩Homelessness

Tropes:
💕Neurodivergent/Autistic Main Character
💕MF Romance
💕Forced Proximity
💕Mafia Romance
💕Single Parent
💕Multiple Points of View (including pets)
💕He Falls First
💕Slow Burn
💕Romantic Comedy
💕Touch Her and Die

Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥

Spice Level Rating System (as of 9/4/25)
🔥: Clean. Handholding. Kissing.
🔥🔥: Non-Descriptive/Implied on Page Sex
🔥🔥🔥: Hot-Descriptive on Page Sex
🔥🔥🔥🔥: So Hot—Do Not Read in Public
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥: Oh My-BDSM. Blood Play. Smut.
************************************************************************
Quote:
"When we were younger," I say slowly, "did you know that I wasn't like you? You know, because of the way I needed things to be a certain way."

Summary:
FMC and MMC meet when her ex-husband leaves their baby with the MMC. An incident happens and the MMC states that the FMC and her children need to stay with him. During this time, he finds that she understands him in ways most people don't. She calms him in ways he cannot understand.

For most of his life he has been hiding his autism from his chosen family. With the FMC he begins to lean into who he really is. FMC was an orphan who was given away. She was taken to be trained as a figure skater for Russia. She endured much abuse from that but also from her ex-husband.

This relationship evolves slowly and naturally. FMC and MMC are healed in the process by this love--by each other.

Review:
I have read a few books by this author. This is by far the best. It is at it best a romantic comedy on paper. Yes, you have the mafia aspect. You see both the FMC and MMC dealing with past pain and hurts. But then out of nowhere you find yourself chuckling. Whether it is something the daughter says, or a reaction from one of his chosen brothers, maybe something the pets state---you will laugh.

I also loved how autism was given real life in the book. It wasn't just stated that the MMC and her daughter where autistic, but it shows their inner pains and struggles. It was done in a way that helps you relate to them.

The story and the way it is written keeps you engaged. Kudos to the author.
*****************************************************************************
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[BookishMarineMama03]

Mafia And Scars by Isa Oliver is book 7 in the Marchiano & Petrov Mafia Romance Series and I can’t express just how good this book was! This is the perfect Mafia Bratva book with so much heart, laughter, emotion, tears and spicy spice! Isa outdid herself writing a beautiful story from the perspective of Viktor, the MMC, is neurodivergent (ASD), and the daughter of Avelina is also. And she did it so thoughtfully and respectively.

Viktor and Avelina come from tragic pasts and are brought together due to her horrible ex-husband leaving her son at Viktor’s home. Their chemistry comes so easily. She has been through a horrible past and has never truly been loved or taken care of. He has always censored himself to hide his autism for fear of people thinking he’s weird. The man that has never been able to take being touched, kissed wants nothing more than to lose himself in her. These two find such peace and acceptance in each other, it's purely raw and beautiful. And the connection when they come together is so beyond hot and spicy, it burns.

“Listen to me,” I say, voice low as I cup her face, thumb brushing her jaw. “I don’t care what anyone else has ever said to you. Because I think you’re stunning and perfection. Every part of you is beautiful. Every curve. Every laughter line. Every mark from childbirth. And even the scars on your shoulder—they don’t make you broken. They make you whole. They’re proof you survived. I want all of you—the quiet, the mess, and the parts you hide. You’re not less because of whatever happened to you. You’re more. I’ll keep you safe, and I’ll stand between you and anyone who tries to harm you ever again.”

“You think those things make you too much? They’re the things I crave. The things that ruin me. You’re not too much—you’re everything. And I want all of you if you’ll let me have it.”

Add in so many amazing side characters, a true found family. Avelina’s children are precious! Sofie finds her home in this beautifully broken man who is like her and to watch him fall to his knees for this little girl will melt you! His Bratva brothers, omg the humor and support they add to this story and the kitten Queenie and dog Albert, they make this the perfect story!

Autism is a HUGE part of this book and it touched me so much how well Isa communicated this and helped me understand even more what it is like in a daily life. This book was so raw, honest, every emotion, I cried multiple times because it just hits your heart deeply! This is my definite favorite of the series now! YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!!!

Rate: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 4/5🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

🖤 Mafia Romance
❤️ Neurodivergent MMC
🖤 Tragic Pasts
❤️ Touch Her and ☠️
🖤 Found Family

[ALR]

This book has a little bit of everything that you may be looking for in a mafia romance. There is action, drama, spice, and the typical shenanigans of being part of the Bratva lifestyle. It is book 7 in the Marciano and Petrov Mafia series focusing on Viktor and Avelina, yet it can be read on its own. While not as dark as some mafia romances when pertaining to the Bratva´s actions, there are some dark and troubling experiences for both main characters so beware.

So I’ll be honest. This is not by any means your typical mafia romance, as the MMC is neurodivergent, however the author does a beautiful job of dealing with the reality of someone living with these characteristics. The beginning, especially is amazing as a young Viktor realizes, on his own, that he is ¨different¨from his found family yet able to overcome the obstacles that those differences made while keeping up with his other ¨brothers¨ when they were creating their crew. Victor’s one saving grace that brings him peace is an old video that he constantly rewatches of a figure skater performing. Avelina´s childhood in some ways, was even rougher than Victor’s. Not only does she have to deal with the struggles of being a child athlete but the body image trauma is heart breaking.

Through a twist of fate, these two meet up, not realizing at first what the other will soon mean to them, but their chemistry is very dynamic right from the start. Both are accepting of the other, which is amazing in and of itself, but the way they complement each other is amazing. For Avelina, Viktor is ¨just Viktor¨ and she understands that ¨being different doesn´t mean you’re broken¨ and for Viktor, ¨every part of (Avelina) is beautiful¨ and these are not emotions that you typically see with this genre of romance. Yes, Viktor is a gruff, alpha male that is always in charge, but he is gentle enough to deal with Avelina´s kids, especially young Sofie who also is on the spectrum. And I love how Avelina and her kids are able to bring just the perfect amount of chaos into his neat and orderly life. She is able to emit a sunshine nature (even when it’s not easy to do) to combat Viktor´s grumpy nature.

Now, don’t be afraid. It’s not all strong emotions and tears in this book and the chemistry between the leads is not just companionship. There is definitely heat between Viktor and Avelina. The spice between them is definitely a 4/5 in intensity. There is also a great group of supporting characters in this book and it’s a toss up for me between Victor’s brothers and his grandma on who’s my most favorite (although the cat is also an interesting character too). I received an arc copy of this book from BookSirens for my honest review. All thoughts are my own. 4 stars

[Brandi-Lynn Weiser]

I’m not sure what to say about this book. I didn’t love it. But I also didn’t not like it either. There were parts I found myself bored with and had a hard time staying interested and the more the book went on Avelina really started getting more and more annoying. Her ex husband had me wanting to scratch his eyes out and beat the crap out of him. The way he was with not only Avelina, but also baby Leon was disgusting. And his mother made me even more mad. That woman was vile and I really wish at some point by the end of the book it showed Avelina laying into her and standing up for herself. She was getting on my nerves too with her reaction to seeing how irritated all the guys were with her and her kids being there and having to change their routine for her. If it was me I’d take the hint that I should take my kids and leave. Grigory made it very obvious that he wanted her gone, she heard the other men complaining about her being there. And for her to change Viktor’s spreadsheet system and then think it was cute, right after getting reamed out by Grigory for the kids toys being everywhere had me rolling my damn eyes out of how dense she was.
Now Viktor, I absolutely loved and adored from start to finish. And the bond that formed between him Sofia was beautiful and exactly what each of them needed.
This book did have some very funny and hilarious moments. I had to laugh at the beginning when the guys were debating who was going to change Leon’s diaper. And watching Viktor call the “agency” looking for a nanny and ended up calling a different kind of service agency was downright hilarious. That had me laughing out loud. Then when he finally got the right agency and they asked him what kind of nanny he was looking for and his reply was…
“A woman. Just for today and some of tomorrow. She should, er, have a hat. And an umbrella thing…” “A hat and an umbrella, sir?” Her voice hitches with confusion. I sigh in exasperation. “Yes, an umbrella so that she can fly.”
And watching him interview the prospects was even better. Especially when he told the one she dressed like Winnie the Pooh.
Grigory really surprised me with how quickly he changed his tune with how he felt about the pets Viktor rescued and how he went from livid to completely accepting that the office was turned into a play area for the pets- complete with the correct lighting for ambience. And how he started being more supportive of Viktor and helping him with dating by doing a mock date with Nikolai being Avelina.
All in all this wasn’t bad. Viktor is what it so much enjoyable for me and I loved how his guys supported him with everything and were right there willing to help.

[Nevena]

🖤 “You’re family now, Avelina. And I protect what’s mine.”
~~~
Avelina is incredible! She’s so brave and resilient. And despite all the horrible things she’s been through, she still remains so kind, caring and compassionate. Even more, she’s such an incredible mother to two absolutely wonderful children. Avelina is an amazing woman and I loved her so, so much!

And then, there’s Viktor! As part of the Bratva, Viktor is one lethal, dangerous and powerful man. He gets things done, keeps everything in order and has very strict routines and systems. But there’s so much more to him than meets the eye. Because underneath his permanently scowly facade is a man with a huge heart. Viktor might think that his autism is something that makes him broken and strange, but it’s one of the reasons he’s absolutely lovable. Even more, he’s caring, considerate and fiercely protects what’s his. Viktor is one incredible man and I couldn’t help but adore every single thing about him!

I absolutely loved everything that happened between Avelina and Viktor! Their worlds collide when Avelina’s ex-husband leaves their little baby boy in the care of the Bratva and the moment Viktor meets the sunshiny woman, his organized, black and white world turns upside down. I adored those two together! Their chemistry was incredible and I loved every moment they spent together! Even more, I loved how understanding, caring and supportive they were of one another and accepted each other exactly as they were. Avelina and Viktor were scarred inside and out, but their jagged pieces fit perfectly together. And when they gave into the undeniable attraction, the passionate moments they shared were so hot and I couldn’t get enough! Victor and Avelina were absolutely perfect for each other and, after everything both went through, they more than deserved to find happiness and love together!

In addition, I loved so many other things about this story! The bond between Viktor and Sofia (Avelina’s daughter) was so precious. I also really liked Matvey, Nikolai and even Grigory. And I adored Babulya - that woman is a loving menace with a wooden spoon! Even more, having the chance to read a chapter from Queenie’s (the cat) point of view melted my heart.

Overall, Mafia and Scars is a spectacular addition to the series filled with danger, action, suspense, twists, humor, colors, glitter, chaos, passion and amazing characters.

I loved it!

[TrishAM]

Although this is book seven in this brilliant mafia series, it shies away a little from the brutal mafia side to a more heart warming, heart wrenching, emotional side, Isa Oliver has written a book that digs deep into your soul.
Avelina Nosova had been a Russian child athlete, brutally abused both physically and mentally to succeed ,leaving her broken, with acute body image issues. Her life didn't get any better when she grew up, married and divorced her ex military husband leaving her with two young children to raise on her own.
Viktor Kozlov's childhood in Russia had been bleak, but along with his childhood friends, Grigory, Matvey and Nikolai, he was now part of the Russian Petrov bratva in Las Vegas.
From a young age, Viktor knew that he was different from his "brothers", he didn't like being touched, he couldn't keep eye contact, he was obsessed with order but he had to keep this from his brothers, they couldn't know.........or could they? When Victor became stressed he found his peaceful place by watching an old video of a beautiful ice skater as she glided gracefully across the ice, he could loose himself in the music and her movements.
When, under awkward circumstances, Avelina met Viktor, there was an attraction which Viktor fought against, Avelina deserved someone who could love her, he couldn't even touch her.

What I like about this story........everything,
I love that Avelina's six year old daughter, Sofia, also autistic, and Viktor, recognised that they were both "different" and how the ruthless bratva man bent over backwards to help Sofia understand and come to terms with it, at the same time, helping himself.
How the brothers eventually came to accept the noise, the disruption, the toys and the glitter that accompanied two young children, not forgetting the pampered pets, Queenie the kitten and Albert the dog.
How Viktor found ways, within the scope of his spectrum, to show Avelina love, to make her feel special.
How the author has addressed the autism spectrum with knowledge and sensitivity, this book will have you laughing it will have you crying but mostly, it will leave you with an understanding of autism that you probably didn't have.
I received a free copy of this book and my review is voluntary.

[Rachell Reilly]

Absolutely beautiful!

This is not a typical mafia romance. It’s not even a typical mafia brotherhood family. All because it treats autism as so wonderfully typical and non-typical, as autism is!
I kept expecting little Sofia to pipe up like little Nolan in A.L. Jackson’s “Moonlit Ridge” series “Family is the people you love the most.” Even if the autistic hero didn’t know that he was feeling love. And I love that his mafia brothers gave him unshaken loyalty, and loved him and understood him, accepted him always, and accommodated his needs.
Both hero and heroine were cracked and broken, but fighting through fears, fighting through past traumas, and trying to heal and move forward, and intimately and ultimately healing each other. They each found their power and safety and protected each other. And they grew as individuals and expanded as a family. I adored the part the animals played in the family healing, and giggled as the animals and babies changed these tough mafia brothers, too.
Experiences, feelings, inner thoughts, fears, and hopes of autistic people were all explained and shown so well. As a Mom of an autistic child who is growing up, I understand the mama bear feelings to protect and empower her child. I know the feeling that I need to be strong and stand up for him and protect him from relatives that criticize him but should love him. I know the struggle to explain to him what he is, how to help him to cope, how to learn and grow and empower him to influence his own world—to make his own mark and have his own success.
What Mom of an autistic child hasn’t been in a situation at a store, just like Adelina and Sofia had in the shoe store in this book? It was shown so beautifully, with how Viktor showed up, trying to overcome his own autistic overload to support little Sofia and her Mom! This scene invoked heart-wrenching memories and heart-melting empathies all at once! And the book is filled with beautiful, powerful scenes like this one.
If you have autism or someone in your life with autism, do not miss this book!
I could be satisfied with finishing this book, but I know I’ll be reading the rest of the series because I care about these mafia brothers, and want to see them get happier-ever-afters and love.