Married to the Mafia

by Lucy Smoke

From bestselling author Lucy Smoke comes a new dark mafia romcom full of high heat, hilarious banter, and a marriage-of-convenience love story, perfect for fans of Butcher & Blackbird and Rook & Rebel. 

Daisy Turner is a broke, single, recent college graduate who would say yes to just about anything if it helps her climb out of the pile of debt she’s in. Which is why she agrees to fill in for her roommate as a waitress catering a high-end private wedding. Her expectations are low—at most she’ll get a small stack of cash and a free meal, right? Wrong. Bad luck has a way of finding her, and so it’s no surprise that she would become an accomplice to a murder. Okay, not an accomplice but definitely a witness.   

Turns out the wedding is an arranged marriage between two rival crime families, and the woman who died was supposed to be the bride. As the sole witness and the only living, breathing woman within feet of the angry and ruggedly handsome soon-to-be husband, Daisy knows she has to do something. Unfortunately offering to bake him a sympathy casserole isn’t what he was looking for. Sorry for your loss, also not good enough. She's sure he’ll kill her on the spot but instead he shakes his head and gives an ultimatum.  

Death or marriage.  

Of course Daisy chooses to marry the man. Marriages can be annulled, but there’s no coming back from death...

Genres: Romance, Marriage Of Convenience

352 pages, Paperback

Expected publication April 21, 2026

About the author

Lucy Smoke, also known as Lucinda Dark for her fantasy works, has a master’s degree in English and is a self-proclaimed creative chihuahua. She enjoys feeding her wanderlust, cover addiction, as well as her face, and truly hopes people will stop giving her bath bombs as gifts. Bath’s get cold too fast and it’s just not as wonderful as the commercials make it out to be when the tub isn’t a jacuzzi.

When she’s not on a never-ending quest to find the perfect milkshake, she lives and works in the southern United States with her beloved fur-baby, Hiro, and her family and friends.


Reviews

[b.andherbooks]

DNF @11%

the heroine was giving a rehash of the 50 Shades of Grey "inner goddess" interior monologue and i could not, would not force myself to go through that again

[Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for a good mafia romance and this definitely hit the spot! It has some darkness to it with it being a mafia romance but the rom-com to it made it such a good read. Daisy is HILARIOUS and had me laughing from the very first chapter. The spice in this was so good. My first read by this author but I now need to find more. GREAT READ!

[Alli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this read! I've been in a bit of a slump lately where I've only been able to finish audiobooks, but this book hooked me quickly and kept my attention throughout. I may have ignored a responsibility or two and lost a few hours of sleep so I could devour it ASAP.

This book follows Daisy, who struggles with ADHD. She's struggling to break into her dream career that she went to NYC to chase. Her temp waitressing gig lands her in an interesting situation, where she takes the place of a bride in an arranged marriage to a high-ranking Italian mobster. Daisy's inner (and outer) musings are comical. They left me giggling and always wondering just what she'd do next. While this story focuses mostly on the blooming romance of this unexpected marriage, there are some outside plot factors that contribute to the story as well, which I really liked!

Quick Content Peek:
- Standalone
- Mafia romance
- M/F romance
- Dark rom com
- Plot-focused, but spicy
- ADHD rep
- Age gap
- Morally gray / unhinged characters
- Poor FMC / Rich MMC
- Protective MMC
- FMC with a ride or die bestie

[Katy Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was *really* excited to get my hands on **Married to the Mafia**, and once again Lucy Smoke did not disappoint. Her dark romances are already a favorite of mine, but a **dark romcom**? Turns out that was *exactly* what I needed.

This book perfectly balances a dark undertone with light, laugh-out-loud moments, and I honestly don’t know how she pulled it off—but she absolutely did. The humor never takes away from the darkness; instead, it enhances it.

Daisy was such a relatable FMC. I loved that she genuinely didn’t see how incredible she was, even when everyone else did. Her inner psycho had me smiling the whole time—quietly helping her along while she tried her hardest to ignore it. Giulio’s similar background made their connection feel natural and fast, and their dynamic was one of my favorite parts of the book. Watching him slowly (and not so subtly) try to make her fall in love while she completely misses what’s happening was equal parts sweet and hilarious.

Dark, funny, and unexpectedly charming, **Married to the Mafia** is another win for Lucy Smoke and a must-read for fans of dark romance with a twist. 🖤📚

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Daisy wanted after moving to New York with her best friend was to find a job in the publishing world and pay off her debts while living her life. Her plans take a sharp turn into the unknown when she stumbles into a situation which leaves her as the new bride to Giulio. Giulio just needs a bride in order to fulfill the request of his adopted father, who also happens to be the head of their "family".

This was a dark rom-com that was had me shaking my head at Daisy's inner monologue. Although it's labeled as dark due to the nature of Giulio's role in the mob, it overall was a fun read. Both Daisy and Giulio had similar childhoods before Giulio was adopted by his best friends family. I enjoyed reading about them getting to know each other and figuring how to make this unconvetional relationship work while trying to figure out who was trying to undermine Giulio's place in the mob.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the advanced readers copy.

[LO📚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Adulthood is literally the worst neighborhood you could ever live in. Zero stars. Do not recommend.” 😂😂

⭐️⭐️⭐️½

This was a fun, dark mafia romcom with a solid build-up and an engaging plot. The pacing worked well, the banter was cute, and the marriage-of-convenience trope kept things entertaining. The FMC was a standout for me—her low-key unhinged, slightly psycho tendencies added humor and personality that made her feel refreshing rather than generic.

That said, I did find myself wanting more—more tension, more depth, and a bit more payoff once everything came together. Still, it’s a great story overall with a strong premise and enjoyable execution. A good read if you’re in the mood for something dark but playful.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down this was the best book I’ve read so far this year! Dark romance with comedy? Sign me up!

Ever hear of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Well that’s just what happens to Daisy, but will this end up being a good thing? When she is working what should be a normal temp job turns into her walking into something she shouldn’t have seen well this is where things get interesting. In order to stay alive she must marry the man whose original fiancé is now dead. They think she’s just some weak and fragile civilian, but “mean daisy” may just come out to play.

This starts off as a simple arranged marriage where they both know nothing about each other. As the story goes on, will romance bloom or is that smell in the air just blood?

[Aly Carnevale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book. I’m so biased because I haven’t read anything by Lucy I didn’t love. However, this is out of the normal for her. We know and love her for her dark romance and dark romantasy. This is her first trad published AND DARK ROM COM. I find rom coms not written by navessa allen and or Brynne weaver as cringey. This is now one of my top ones I’ve read. Lucy can literally write her grocery list and I’d buy it.

Mafia? I’m in. But dark rom com mafia? Even better. We have forced marriage which is one of my favorites to. He falls first. She doesn’t know she’s pretty. She’s quirky and so relatable to myself. Absolutely lots of love for daisy and this book.

Great job Lucy 🫶🏼

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 🌟. I love Lucy smoke but unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. The inner monologue the FMC has was distracting and sort of took me ‘out of the moment’ a lot in the story. There were funny moments and decent tension but I wish the entire book had the style and writing of the epilogue. Personal opinions aside, If you want a quirky light-hearted dark romance that serves as a quick read you should still check this out because you may love it. Thank you so much to netgalley and forever publishing for allowing me to read this in advance!

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, this book just wasn't for me. I finished it but it was hard to get to the end...I just didn't care about any of the characters and I really, really disliked the inner monologue that Daisy had. Nothing really kept my attention and the opening of the book had lots of potential but never lived up to it, in my opinion.
Thanks to Hachette for the ARC!

[Samantha Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this rom-com spin of a mafia romance. Daisy has this inner monologue that despite being comical shines a light on the way a mind can fracture in order to protect ourselves when we needed it the most. Giulio had a similar childhood as Daisy, and they are the perfect pair for each other on so many levels. On the surface the book is pretty comical, but the underlying messages of healing and building the bonds of family is super sweet. I really loved the pacing of this book and in addition to the the fun dynamic between Daisy and Giulio, the side characters are equally as great, id Michelle or Dante happen to get their own books I would not complain.

*I would like to thank NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and author Lucy Smoke for this arc”

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't even begin to tell you how much I laughed at Daisy! Or highlighted the chapter headers, because her mental monologue and banter with herself is hysterical!!!! Guilio is so much more than book boyfriend material. That man is #booksoulmategoals I could not put it down! Now... the spice!!! Holy HOTNESS!!! My husband loved this book too and he didn't even read it. 🫠

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a quirky dark romance!! I enjoyed it lots and I recommend it to all my fellow reader! Thank you for NetGalley and Forever publishing for letting me get an ARC of this! Don’t sleep on this book yall!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read for my last book of the year! I was entertained the entire time, laughing out loud at Daisy and her inner monologue. The plot was great and it was such a fun take on a dark romance. I need Lucy to write more dark rom-coms!

[Meccalynette · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Are wives like cats? Do they bring you dead bodies if they like you?” I snickered so hard at this chapter heading lolol. Quite a fun little book.