Do It For Me: An Arranged Marriage Dark Romance

by A. R. Aravena

HE PROMISED HER FREEDOM

Lana Müller feels shattered, filthy, and hurt.
She has always lived in hell, but things got worse after being kidnapped.
Even after her rescues, she can't escape her nightmares.
Dante Cassano is handsome, kind, and caring. The prince charming she has always dreamed of.
He wants her heart. But, for her, their marriage will be just an arrangement.
No one in her family has ever had a happy ending, so why should she be the exception?

The author highly recommends reading the 'content warning' page.
This is NOT a standalone.
This book ends on a cliffhanger.

Genres: Dark Romance

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 23, 2025

Reviews

[Caitlin Mccarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky to be given a spot on the ARC TEAM and all I can say is:
Mind f**king blown! This is hand down the best mafia story I have read! Please note this book doesn’t have a morally grey character it has a pitch black!! Talk about dark this book had me turning pages faster than I did with haunting and hunting Adeline!!

I love that this is a Italian MMC and the fact you are using the Italian language through out the book just makes it more amazing! It was a perfect touch! I also loved the art works through out the book!

You are thrown into a captivating scene from the get go! Lana endures some crazy shit but watching her slowly take back her life and empower her self is amazing

This book is very triggering so please know your triggers! She spares no details and I feel the pain, longing, sadness and need for wanting to be enough reading this book. I personally cried reading this book. A.R. Aravena this book captures the very torture that rape and domestic violence victims endure on a daily. The way you have started this book and the way you continue to tell Lana’s story is so well written that I am here to support your writing for many years to come!

This is the prequel to the series! The fucking prequel!! I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am for the series to drop!!

The cliffhanger was superb! And I cannot wait to see if Dante will be her worst nightmare come true or if he really is the man he was before the wedding!!

Ohh the wedding can we talk about that! I was not expecting that!!!! 👌😮‍💨

I would love to see more than one POV in the future books. I wanna know what’s going on in that crazy man’s head!

Star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Recommendation 10/10

[A. R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote it, I love it😭

[Diana Cornelio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book on amazon and I noticed it was a shorter book than all the ones on my TBR so I thought hey why not give it a chance. I hadn't had my Dark Romance fill to start the new year so I thought its the perfect time. Let me tell you when I went into this book I did not know what I was getting into. I saw Dark Romance and said ok.

I could not put this book down. I read it in one day.

I don't even know where to begin with this book. It wasn't dark romance it was pitch black when I tell you I was in a chokehold the entire time I read it. Trying to remain spoiler free I did not expect anything to go down the way it did. I was taken for a ride. The FMC was a young girl who was wrapped up in a terrible home with a terrible father however as you go through the book you believe her savior has arrived... but has he? Once I finished this book I was left gasping for air because I thought this would be a standalone but oh no A.R. had something else in mind. So now I have to patiently wait for Book 2 because I need more.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received an ARC of this and in no way has that influenced my opinion of this book*

This for me is a 3.75 rounded up to 4 stars and I think that mostly had to do with the fact I forgot what this story was going to be about. However, I did enjoy it.
Multiple times throughout reading, I kept feeling/thinking that I've read this before. Even though I'm 99.9% sure I haven't.

This is a short, quick paced dark romance told from Lana's point of view. while reading it was easy to feel the emotions Lana was going through: hopefulness, desire, caution, deceit, betrayal, fear, pain, insecurity, vulnerability and much more. And for a short story that is impressive.

Knowing this is a prequal, I'm interested in seeing where the story goes from here. I feel that there is so much more to explore with the story, the characters and their past. So, I'm definitely going to read the next book to see where it goes.

[Cons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite mafia books. the emotions of both characters— The relationship between them, the secrets and the revelations are impressive.
I spent most of the books heartbroken. Their story are one of my favorites forever, and I can’t wait for them to release the other books.

[Courtney Hanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite mafia books. I have just entered into this genre and after reading this book i don’t why I waited so long. If you are looking to get into mafia romance books then this is the perfect entrance book. I love this authors writing style and want to read whatever else they want to publish.

[Brooke E Brunelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was chosen as a arc to do a review. It was a quick read. I did have a real hate relationship with her father. He was an awful man. I wish there was more character development in the beginning so we could have fallen more in hate with him. I honestly just wanted a happy ending after all the torture she endured. We will see how that ending goes with the next book.

[Brittany Carranza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. It was twisted. I was mad I was happy I was scared and I was all the emotion for Lana! I honestly cannot wait for the next book to be released. The cliffhanger 😭

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review
I was fortunate enough to be picked to be an ARC reader!
I devoured this book in one sitting and I can’t stop crying, this book has officially ruined me and I need the next one right now!
At first the book wasn’t seeking its teeth into me the first couple pages I started reading a bit slowly and I had to push through. There was moments in the books where I caught myself tearing up and sobbing.
This book his heart wrenching!! There’s a lot of sensitive topics so I wouldn’t really recommend it to people that are just dipping their toes into dark romance.
The writing had me feeling like I was reading a wattpad book and I honestly wasn’t mad at it.
I absolutely loved Dante! Even with his supposed betrayal he’s definitely the one for Lana. It was hard to believe that he used her the whole time, we got to know him and the things he was doing and how he was helping her with her trauma is really what seals the deal for me that he didn’t really betray her.
Her mother you can tell loves her so much and no matter what she goes through she tries her hardest to be there emotionally for Lana. I cried each time Lana was talking about offing herself but thinking about her mom and not wanting to leave her because of what she’ll endure from her father. I love how strong Lana is, no matter what she’s been through she tries her hardest to trust even when she knows she shouldn’t. When Dante was taking her away and her mom helped pack her bags I kid you not I sobbed when her mom yelled at her to help pack because she wanted her child to be safe and happy. I love how her mom smiled when she seen Lana smile when she saw Dante. I loved how Dante looked at her like she dreamed of after watching the videos are bastard of a father made her watch.
My absolute favorite scene was when Dante wore a mask, ifykyk ;) A close second behind that was the ending with Daniel. My spidey senses were tingling and was telling me Daniel was actually Dante!! I can’t wait for the second book to come out, I only rated the book 4.5 stars because of the ending because I’m still clearly sobbing writing this review!

[Emily (emilysdarkcorner) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do It For Me by @ar.aravena

Please make sure you check trigger and content warnings before reading this
Make sure you know this ends in a cliffhanger

I'm not going to say too much because I don't want to spoil anything of give anything away.

Lara has been through it. From living in an abusive household to one day being told she can go out alone but to get taken and experience terrible things. Lara thinks she is able to finally experience the real world only to be taken by 3 men and go through things no one should ever experience. One day her father tells her that she better get ready to meet her husband. She doesn't want to be with a man because she doesn't trust them. She wants nothing but to escape the world she is living in. When she meets Dante everything changes. She gets told that she will have to marry him.

She finally starts thinking maybe there is a man that she can finally trust. But was everything a lie!?

What I didn't expect is that this was going to leave me on the biggest cliffhanger. I couldn't believe the way it ended because you're kidding me.

Me and Dante need to have some words because what in the FFF is wrong with him. I NEED the next book right now.

[Samantha Alejandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally picked up an ARC of Scream For Me, and while the author said you technically don’t need to read the prequel… one chapter in and curiosity had already won.

I kept asking myself, why is he like this?
There had to be a backstory.

So I paused Scream For Me and dove straight into Do It For Me.

And as a dark romance reader, this delivered everything I look for. The tension. The character depth. The kind of moral grayness that makes you question whether you should even be rooting for someone in the first place.

And then there’s Dante.

“Ti amerò anche quando il mio cuore smetterà di battere.
I will love you even when my heart stops beating.”

Tell me why that line had me falling right alongside Lana.

But just when you think you understand him, a question starts to linger.
Is Dante really a morally gray character?

Or is he something far more sinister, far more unhinged, far more dangerous than we want to admit?

That’s where the story shifts. And the twist? Not even close to what I expected.

Let’s just say it made me pause and seriously question my feelings about Dante as a character.

Now I understand exactly why Scream For Me exists… and it looks like I’ll be spending my free time diving straight into book two.

Because apparently, I enjoy emotional chaos.

[Corazón · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read the prequel before reading the first book of the Duet (I'm not sure if it is a duet) so that I could understand the background story of the characters and where it's all going. I knew it would be a challenging read for me, but I wasn't sure how I would deal with it, especially now that I am part of the arc team for the first book. I would like to categorise that book in the black/dark grey area because of how dark the plot is. This series isn't dark because of the relationship between the mcs it's dark because of the plot and the environment that the story is based in. I would recommend it to you only if you are ready for such darkness. The dark scenes are written in a way that you have to conclude what is happening and be ready for the heartbreak. Some are downright black so be prepared. In a nutshell, this whole book sets the background story for the first book and it has sensitive topics that are being depicted you should be ready and aware of what you are reading.

[Michelle Muller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good dark mafia read - all the dark and twisty things that one expects from a dark mafia read - and possibly even more. Please check the trigger warnings on this one - I honestly don't really have an triggers - but there were times this was hard to read. The story is told from the perspective of the FMC Lana - she's been through it all and some of it was heartbreaking to read. I struggled with some of the writing - but the story was solid and that twist at the end - did NOT see that one coming to kudos to the author for a great debut and as a prequel to a series - it's off to a banger start! There's alot still to explore and all I wanted to do at the end was keep reading!

[ShellsBooksandCoffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐
3/4 🌶

This book is not going to be for everyone and I will advise to look up the trigger warnings before hand - these can be found on the authors website.

I love this book having read the ARC of Scream For Me earlier in the year - As this is the prequel do you read it 1st or after: Definitely AFTER is my opinion but the choice is yours

Being taken on the journey from Lana's view point - all her hurt, the manipulation, panic attacks, nightmares, the abuse of those who are meant to love you the most and then the betrayal.
How does someone keep going after all of this??

This book is beautifully written and I think it highlights everything with care for Lana

[Claudia Gidney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Is My First ARC Review Thank You To @ar.aravena For The Oppurtunity❤️ COMES OUT SEPT 23rd FOLLOW THEIR PAGE‼️‼️

NOWWWW This Book Right Here ?! It Has EVERYTHINGGGGG You Need‼️ Abusive Parents , Arranged Marriages , A Damsel In Distress , A Beautiful Love Etc , & Mystery🤩 This Book Will Have U HOOKED At EVERYYYYY Turn I Literally Could Not Put It Down😵‍💫😵‍💫

Listen This Book Right Here Is FANFCKINGTASTIC , My 1st Book Back & This Ignited Feelings Like No Other . This Is The Kind Of Bookwriting I Live For😮‍💨

[tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this as an arc and I really enjoyed it, basically it just goes through Lana’s trauma and how she deals with it especially with not having any professional help. And how Dante has helped her through the trauma that Lana has from her father and what happened through her kidnapping. Which I liked seeing what the author done because in most mafia books it’s just kind of trauma dump and then loads of smut. But also that the author touched on what’s going on and how Lana and Dante went on the sex scene. Though the CLIFFHANGER?!? I can’t wait to read the next book since this is a prequel ☺️

[Jenita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just mind-blowing !! loved the way it was written... and the twists were just twisting in an unexpected manner, just couldn't get enough of the book!! just waiting for the second one eagerly!! it has so many trigger warnings and I pray that you take them seriously! but this book was just it for me!! one of my fav reads of 2025, the one book that brought back all my emotions and had to stare at the wall for a few mins to collect myself!! if you are looking for a short dark romantic thriller, that excels in creepy vibes then I purely recommend this!!

[psych0_4books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the trigger warnings and still wasn't prepared for the emotions that raged through me. Lana's story is so dark and depraved. I had to pause my reading during some of the flashbacks because I got triggered and remembered my own situation.

Dante swooping in as the white knight only for the plot twist absolutely broke me and I felt horrible for Lana. She endures so much and the cruelty in the third act... Please read the trigger warnings and prepare for a very dark and twisted story if you choose to pick this up.

[Prabhnoor Kaur · Rating 1 out of 5]

What an utter waste of time!! Complete non sense!! And not because of the themes or warning but because of the utterly stupid plot!!! Actually there was no plot just plain stupidity!! Trust me when I say these kind should not be promoted on any platform!! I made a mistake by going through that Instagram reel thinking it might be a sweet romance Book where he makes her believe in love...but this was utter non sense!!!!! And then there is the second part for this where they do fall in Love after all this!!!! Good god I think I got a migraine!!

[Eljesa Ahm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good book! Lana’s story is deeply moving and filled with so much sadness that it really got under my skin. At first, Dante seemed like her hero, the one who would give her hope—but he turned out to be her worst nightmare. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s a reason behind it all, and it’s been stuck in my head ever since I finished reading. The ending left me hanging on a huge cliffhanger, and now I need the next book right away. Absolutely loved it!

[Dynal Farrier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do it for me is heartbreaking. I loved the book, but man, did it have me in my feelings. I felt so horrible for the FMC that I wished I could pull her out and give her the biggest hug. A. R. Aravena did an amazing job writing this. The way she ended the book has me needing book 2 in my hands ASAP! For me, I love trigger lists they are flavor menus of the books, but for those of you that have triggers, I HIGHLY recommend reading the list. Will definitely be recommending this book to others!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!! This book broke me from the very beginning! The things that Lara has been through are horrible and her dad is a monster! When Dante entered her life, I was so excited for Lana and relieved that she would finally be treated how she deserved. Boy....was I wrong!!! The cliffhanger left me with my jaw dropped and cuss words coming out my mouth! This one is a page-turner and I finished it within a few hours because I couldn't put it down. I need the next book STAT!!!!

[FN · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really feel sorry for the FMC, enduring abuse after abuse. The emotions and twists are wild! You really need to keep your TW in check. While I wished for more depth in the storytelling, the author excels at building suspense and keeping readers curious to know what's going to happen next. Grateful for the opportunity.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, what the hell. I cried like 80% of the book by Lana's father's behaviour and words. And don't get me started on her poor mother.
And Dante.. the way he was patient with her and everything. The date at the bowling alley and him getting her a phone. For your own good, don't read after "Here comes the bride". It broke me.

[Rachael Sturgeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I picked up this book I couldn’t put it down. I loved everything about it. Although, I hate the father in this story. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. Spoiler! There’s a little bit of a cliffhanger at the end. I will definitely be reading more of her books.

[Siya Breakfast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im not gonna lie this book wrecked me. Like emotionaly demolished me.. to the point i had to go outside and touch grass once i finished it..the romance is a real slow burn it actually frustrated me...i had a real fun time reading this and hope for more..the author did a good job with this one

[Crystal Counelis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a tough, tough read. Definitely check your triggers. I had a hard time getting into this , the writing was a little tough for me. It got better toward the end and had me interested, and now I will read the next book cause. Well, I need to know.

[Melanie Perez · Rating 2 out of 5]

so i'm so confused lol. i felt like the plot twist was just done for shock factor and more hints or foreshadowing should've been done to make it lined up better. i will still continue for now but im hoping the writing style also gets a bit better :(

[Alicia Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am so honored i had the privilege of being on the arc team for this book.
it was so freaking good!
i read this entire book in one sitting!
i can’t wait until the next book comes out!

[Amanda Wolfrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was very well-written. Engaging characters, great story line, and interesting twists and turns.