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The Women of the Mafia #2
The Mafia's Daughter
Capable and intelligent, Collins O’Brien was the obedient, favorite daughter of the deceased Irish mobster. Now, she’s just a woman trying to survive medical school, while hiding her weekly Saturday night adventures. After all, she’s not as perfect as she appears.
When the notorious Capo of the Bruno family, sends a marriage contract for her on the eve of her sister revealing The Games, a trio of deadly trials that determine the second-in-command of her family’s clan, she has to think fast. With no other choice, she claims to be engaged already to Hayes Monticello, her sister’s best friend.
Arrogant, hot and possessive, Hayes, the bane of her existence, has been her bodyguard since she was a kid—and is completely off limits. But right now, he’s her only hope.
Together, they agree to a tenuous deal—he’ll pretend to be the perfect fiancé, if she’ll help him win the Games. Once he’s Second, he can stop the contract and their relationship will end.
But when childish irritation gives way to forbidden passion, will the engagement remain fake? Or will their love be drowned by the incoming storm of deception and betrayal as Hayes’ dark past comes to light. And endangers them both.
When the notorious Capo of the Bruno family, sends a marriage contract for her on the eve of her sister revealing The Games, a trio of deadly trials that determine the second-in-command of her family’s clan, she has to think fast. With no other choice, she claims to be engaged already to Hayes Monticello, her sister’s best friend.
Arrogant, hot and possessive, Hayes, the bane of her existence, has been her bodyguard since she was a kid—and is completely off limits. But right now, he’s her only hope.
Together, they agree to a tenuous deal—he’ll pretend to be the perfect fiancé, if she’ll help him win the Games. Once he’s Second, he can stop the contract and their relationship will end.
But when childish irritation gives way to forbidden passion, will the engagement remain fake? Or will their love be drowned by the incoming storm of deception and betrayal as Hayes’ dark past comes to light. And endangers them both.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 20, 2026
24 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
E.D. Crowe
8 books72 followersE.D Crowe is a new author who runs on coffee, chaos, and unhealthy amounts of dark chocolate.
When not writing (which is a lot), she can be found howling at the moon, crafting potions in her kitchen or swooning over the deranged villains.
She has two Australian Shepherds who think they’re lap dogs, three feral children, and a golden retriever husband who is as far from the villain as possible.
Want to see new releases before they're announced? Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/iWvDCk
Want to chat about my books? Join my Coven (Facebook Reader group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/55189...
When not writing (which is a lot), she can be found howling at the moon, crafting potions in her kitchen or swooning over the deranged villains.
She has two Australian Shepherds who think they’re lap dogs, three feral children, and a golden retriever husband who is as far from the villain as possible.
Want to see new releases before they're announced? Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/iWvDCk
Want to chat about my books? Join my Coven (Facebook Reader group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/55189...
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February 3, 20265⭐️
3.5🌶️
🔥Dark Mafia Romance
🔥Sister’s Best Friend
🔥Fake Fiancé
🔥Forced Proximity
🔥Traumatic Backgrounds
🔥Touch Him & ☠️
🔥Dual First Person POV
The Mafia’s Daughter is a dark and raw mafia romance about the fierce women of the O’Brien clan. As a child, Collins thought if she was the obedient daughter and endured her father’s ‘lessons’ she would be safe from something like an arranged marriage. Collins has been secretly rebelling against the suffocating expectations with her “study breaks” and dancing as Topaz every Saturday night. She never thought anyone would want her with the darkness and secrets she harbors, especially her sister’s best friend. Hayes is the O’Brien hitter and has loved Collins since they were kids. They both have shocking and traumatic backgrounds that have forged them into what they needed to be to survive their world. Collins is desperate to stop her sister signing a contract for an arranged marriage to a horrible man, that she ends up blurting out that she’s already engaged to Hayes. But what she didn’t know was he already made a deal with her sister that if he won The Games to become second, he’d have the power to stop the contract. Hayes agrees to go along with the fake engagement if Collins helps him win The Games and agrees to be completely his. The games are brutal, you win or you die, and Hayes doesn’t plan on losing just when he finally has Collins to himself. He survived his childhood and rose in the ranks in the O’Brien clan with a reputation for how he takes care of his enemies. These two are perfect for each other, Hayes accepts her dark parts and Collins brings the light into his world. Collins fights her feelings believing he would never want her, but when their walls crumble their chemistry lights up the page.
🚩Be sure to read the author’s note and content warnings before reading.
Plot: 5
Engaging: 5
Character: 5
Thank you E.D. Crowe and Grey’s Promotions for the gifted advanced copy.
📚All thoughts and opinions are my own📚
🐦🔥Follow me on socials @myrisingphoenixera.reads🐦🔥
A Few Favorite Quotes:
“First rule, Collins. I touch, kiss, and f * € ķ what’s mine. And that’s you.”
“Baby, you’ve always belonged to me. You’ve just never realized it.”
“Somewhere, Hayes became my safe harbor in rough waters and something more—deeper. He became the place where my darkness can rest and be loved.”
“Rest, baby. You’ve had a rough day. I’ll fight the monsters while you sleep.”
“I’m going to f * € ķ this throat until you’re sore, and begging for release. Then I’m going to paint it white with my c * m.”
“You show me the darkest bits of your soul and trust me with it—and I feel more at home in the dark with you, than I ever did alone in the light.”
“This isn’t fake anymore, Collins. This is it. Until the stars call us home, forever and day. You’re mine.”
“Don’t act like you hate it,” I tease. “We both know you get hot and bothered when I let out my inner psycho.” I grab her close, bodies fusing together. “Your inner psycho feeds off of it. Steady hand with a blade too. If you promise to kiss it after, you can slice into me all night.”
“I bared my soul, offered up the broken black pieces and he looked at them, gathered them close and took them into his heart as if they belonged. As if I belonged.”
3.5🌶️
🔥Dark Mafia Romance
🔥Sister’s Best Friend
🔥Fake Fiancé
🔥Forced Proximity
🔥Traumatic Backgrounds
🔥Touch Him & ☠️
🔥Dual First Person POV
The Mafia’s Daughter is a dark and raw mafia romance about the fierce women of the O’Brien clan. As a child, Collins thought if she was the obedient daughter and endured her father’s ‘lessons’ she would be safe from something like an arranged marriage. Collins has been secretly rebelling against the suffocating expectations with her “study breaks” and dancing as Topaz every Saturday night. She never thought anyone would want her with the darkness and secrets she harbors, especially her sister’s best friend. Hayes is the O’Brien hitter and has loved Collins since they were kids. They both have shocking and traumatic backgrounds that have forged them into what they needed to be to survive their world. Collins is desperate to stop her sister signing a contract for an arranged marriage to a horrible man, that she ends up blurting out that she’s already engaged to Hayes. But what she didn’t know was he already made a deal with her sister that if he won The Games to become second, he’d have the power to stop the contract. Hayes agrees to go along with the fake engagement if Collins helps him win The Games and agrees to be completely his. The games are brutal, you win or you die, and Hayes doesn’t plan on losing just when he finally has Collins to himself. He survived his childhood and rose in the ranks in the O’Brien clan with a reputation for how he takes care of his enemies. These two are perfect for each other, Hayes accepts her dark parts and Collins brings the light into his world. Collins fights her feelings believing he would never want her, but when their walls crumble their chemistry lights up the page.
🚩Be sure to read the author’s note and content warnings before reading.
Plot: 5
Engaging: 5
Character: 5
Thank you E.D. Crowe and Grey’s Promotions for the gifted advanced copy.
📚All thoughts and opinions are my own📚
🐦🔥Follow me on socials @myrisingphoenixera.reads🐦🔥
A Few Favorite Quotes:
“First rule, Collins. I touch, kiss, and f * € ķ what’s mine. And that’s you.”
“Baby, you’ve always belonged to me. You’ve just never realized it.”
“Somewhere, Hayes became my safe harbor in rough waters and something more—deeper. He became the place where my darkness can rest and be loved.”
“Rest, baby. You’ve had a rough day. I’ll fight the monsters while you sleep.”
“I’m going to f * € ķ this throat until you’re sore, and begging for release. Then I’m going to paint it white with my c * m.”
“You show me the darkest bits of your soul and trust me with it—and I feel more at home in the dark with you, than I ever did alone in the light.”
“This isn’t fake anymore, Collins. This is it. Until the stars call us home, forever and day. You’re mine.”
“Don’t act like you hate it,” I tease. “We both know you get hot and bothered when I let out my inner psycho.” I grab her close, bodies fusing together. “Your inner psycho feeds off of it. Steady hand with a blade too. If you promise to kiss it after, you can slice into me all night.”
“I bared my soul, offered up the broken black pieces and he looked at them, gathered them close and took them into his heart as if they belonged. As if I belonged.”
January 12, 2026
The Mafia's Daughter, book 2 in The Women of the Mafia series.
This book is so dang good!!! FMC Collins is just trying to finish medical school, and enjoy her weekly evening performance where she secretly gets to show a bit of her dark side off to strangers. In a horrible twist, one of the rival mafia leaders plan to have Collins as his wife, but he's a brutal man who only uses and breaks women. Collins is concerned her sister, Maeve (Ace) has more regard for what is best for the clan vs caring about Collins, and makes a rash decision to say that she is engaged....to Hayes. MMC Hayes, Maeve's best friend, is taken completely off guard, as he already had a plan in place to prevent the contract. Hayes and Collins agree to their fake engagement, until the clan games for second in command, has finished.
This story is delectably dark and twisted, and I loved every second of it! First, I appreciate how much actual mafia action we get in these stories, this is not just a mafia romance, but a true mafia story with romance. The author holds no punches when it comes to the mafia aspects of the story, and I am here for it. Collins is not the "good girl" that everyone thinks she is, but has a very dark side, one that happens to match perfectly to Hayes. Hayes, of course, has secretly wanted Collins forever, but O'Brien sisters are off limits, a decree from Maeve. But now? Hayes finally has the opportunity to make Collins truly HIS. Hayes and Collins dark sides are match for match, as they discover secrets about each other and slowly wonder if this "fake" engagement might be something real.
So much action in this story too, I could not put this book down, there was a new turn at every chapter with the looming war between two mafia clans, the clan games taking place, and Hayes and Collins' explosive chemistry. I enjoyed getting to know Maeve and Killian's characters better as well, and I really look forward to the next book between them, their love/hate for each other is just going to make for a perfect story!
Some fav quotes:
"Does it add a bit of taboo, knowing my sister's best friend, the man who annoys me to no end, is out there? That he's seen my naked body, lusted over it all like the rest? That I know, he never looks away? Absolutely."
"But when the woman you're in love with starts to strip? You park your ass in the chair and thank God for the small gift. It was a deeply held secret. I'm in love with Maeve's younger sister."
"She's a viper, with a bite strong enough to bring down a man three times her size, hidden inside this tiny package of big green eyes and plump lips. She puts me in my place, and f***, if I don't enjoy it."
"Because Hayes is hot-royally, exquisitely hot, in a way men shouldn't be. With strong hands, a chiseled body and vicious blue eyes, he is a walking thunderstorm ready to unleash torrents of chaos all over my life."
""You're completely, utterly, mine.""
"This beautiful creature to my side is as dirty as the rest of us, and if it doesn't warm the black soul inside my chest to feel a kinship with her."
""Baby, you've always belonged to me. You've just never realized it.""
"I'm drenched. Something about Hayes hurting someone else-for me, has turned my mind into mush and that deranged side perks up, wanting more. Including, wondering how good would he taste?"
"He sees the darkness and lets it consume him. Then, he asks for more."
""You show me the darkest bits of your soul and trust me with it-and I feel more at home in the dark with you, than I ever did alone in the light.""
""Viper, you could cut out my heart, hand it to me and I would say thank you. I'll let you do anything you want to me-as long as you say you're mine.""
Thank you so much to Grey's Promotions and the author for a copy of this book!
This book is so dang good!!! FMC Collins is just trying to finish medical school, and enjoy her weekly evening performance where she secretly gets to show a bit of her dark side off to strangers. In a horrible twist, one of the rival mafia leaders plan to have Collins as his wife, but he's a brutal man who only uses and breaks women. Collins is concerned her sister, Maeve (Ace) has more regard for what is best for the clan vs caring about Collins, and makes a rash decision to say that she is engaged....to Hayes. MMC Hayes, Maeve's best friend, is taken completely off guard, as he already had a plan in place to prevent the contract. Hayes and Collins agree to their fake engagement, until the clan games for second in command, has finished.
This story is delectably dark and twisted, and I loved every second of it! First, I appreciate how much actual mafia action we get in these stories, this is not just a mafia romance, but a true mafia story with romance. The author holds no punches when it comes to the mafia aspects of the story, and I am here for it. Collins is not the "good girl" that everyone thinks she is, but has a very dark side, one that happens to match perfectly to Hayes. Hayes, of course, has secretly wanted Collins forever, but O'Brien sisters are off limits, a decree from Maeve. But now? Hayes finally has the opportunity to make Collins truly HIS. Hayes and Collins dark sides are match for match, as they discover secrets about each other and slowly wonder if this "fake" engagement might be something real.
So much action in this story too, I could not put this book down, there was a new turn at every chapter with the looming war between two mafia clans, the clan games taking place, and Hayes and Collins' explosive chemistry. I enjoyed getting to know Maeve and Killian's characters better as well, and I really look forward to the next book between them, their love/hate for each other is just going to make for a perfect story!
Some fav quotes:
"Does it add a bit of taboo, knowing my sister's best friend, the man who annoys me to no end, is out there? That he's seen my naked body, lusted over it all like the rest? That I know, he never looks away? Absolutely."
"But when the woman you're in love with starts to strip? You park your ass in the chair and thank God for the small gift. It was a deeply held secret. I'm in love with Maeve's younger sister."
"She's a viper, with a bite strong enough to bring down a man three times her size, hidden inside this tiny package of big green eyes and plump lips. She puts me in my place, and f***, if I don't enjoy it."
"Because Hayes is hot-royally, exquisitely hot, in a way men shouldn't be. With strong hands, a chiseled body and vicious blue eyes, he is a walking thunderstorm ready to unleash torrents of chaos all over my life."
""You're completely, utterly, mine.""
"This beautiful creature to my side is as dirty as the rest of us, and if it doesn't warm the black soul inside my chest to feel a kinship with her."
""Baby, you've always belonged to me. You've just never realized it.""
"I'm drenched. Something about Hayes hurting someone else-for me, has turned my mind into mush and that deranged side perks up, wanting more. Including, wondering how good would he taste?"
"He sees the darkness and lets it consume him. Then, he asks for more."
""You show me the darkest bits of your soul and trust me with it-and I feel more at home in the dark with you, than I ever did alone in the light.""
""Viper, you could cut out my heart, hand it to me and I would say thank you. I'll let you do anything you want to me-as long as you say you're mine.""
Thank you so much to Grey's Promotions and the author for a copy of this book!
February 20, 2026
Another fantastic read, this story follows hitman Hayes and the mafia princess/doctor who he will love for forever and a day Collins.
In the dark romance we see how Hayes first joins the Irish Clan after escaping the horrors of the blue room that is utterly heartbreaking and how he will do anything including going through the games to earn his spot as a 2nd so he can keep Collins safe so she doesn't have to marry his deranged snake of a brother.
Hayes has been in love with Collins for years and with him being best friends with her sister who also happens to be the head of the Irish Clan it makes life harder, so when Hayes brother tries to get a contract for Collins to marry him she tells her sister that she's engaged to Hayes in hopes that she won't sign the contract. As the Irish Clan leader doesn't have a 2nd she declares they do 3 games and the winner will be her 2nd so Collins can marry him instead.
I absolutely loved this story and the chemistry between the characters and although Hayes hurts his best friend to go along with a fake engagement to her sister she still tries to do everything she can to help him win, I can't wait for the next book.
In the dark romance we see how Hayes first joins the Irish Clan after escaping the horrors of the blue room that is utterly heartbreaking and how he will do anything including going through the games to earn his spot as a 2nd so he can keep Collins safe so she doesn't have to marry his deranged snake of a brother.
Hayes has been in love with Collins for years and with him being best friends with her sister who also happens to be the head of the Irish Clan it makes life harder, so when Hayes brother tries to get a contract for Collins to marry him she tells her sister that she's engaged to Hayes in hopes that she won't sign the contract. As the Irish Clan leader doesn't have a 2nd she declares they do 3 games and the winner will be her 2nd so Collins can marry him instead.
I absolutely loved this story and the chemistry between the characters and although Hayes hurts his best friend to go along with a fake engagement to her sister she still tries to do everything she can to help him win, I can't wait for the next book.
January 22, 2026
The Mafia’s Daughter by E.D. Crowe was an interesting story, especially because of its characters. I loved Hayes’s possessiveness and how he doesn’t hesitate for a second when it comes to Collins. What starts as a lie becomes an opportunity for him, and he takes full advantage of it. The intensity of his character is absolutely breath-stealing. And the way he complements Collins so perfectly! I loved how well Hayes understands her, how he sees beyond her good-girl image. I loved the magnetism between them, watching their relationship unfold in a way that feels completely natural. He comes from a violent world, and violence is what makes her feel alive. There were so many lines I loved, capturing both the beauty of the author’s writing and the intensity of the characters and the story itself.
“You’re made for my madness, Collins. And I want more of yours.”
I appreciated the power given to women in this mafia world. Even though I didn’t always like her, Maeve stands out the most in this regard, being at the top of the hierarchy. However, Collins is also a strong woman — one who is trying to carve her own path.
“You show me the darkest bits of your soul and trust me with it—and I feel more at home in the dark with you, than I ever did alone in the light.”
I got into the story a bit more slowly, as the first chapters focus quite a lot on other characters. At first, I found myself more curious about Maeve and Killian’s story than about the characters this volume revolves around. However, as I kept reading, I was pleasantly surprised.
“If there was anyone who I would let see all my broken pieces, it was always going to be you.”
● ● ● ◐○
Thanks @greyspromo for the ARC of this book!
“You’re made for my madness, Collins. And I want more of yours.”
I appreciated the power given to women in this mafia world. Even though I didn’t always like her, Maeve stands out the most in this regard, being at the top of the hierarchy. However, Collins is also a strong woman — one who is trying to carve her own path.
“You show me the darkest bits of your soul and trust me with it—and I feel more at home in the dark with you, than I ever did alone in the light.”
I got into the story a bit more slowly, as the first chapters focus quite a lot on other characters. At first, I found myself more curious about Maeve and Killian’s story than about the characters this volume revolves around. However, as I kept reading, I was pleasantly surprised.
“If there was anyone who I would let see all my broken pieces, it was always going to be you.”
● ● ● ◐○
Thanks @greyspromo for the ARC of this book!
January 12, 2026
Thank you Greys Promotion and E.D. Crowe for the ARC for an honest review! 🩶
This book has SOOOOO many triggers so be warned but this book I think destroyed me because it was so good and so bad—in the this was dark for me. 😭
I stayed up determined to finish this and it didn’t disappoint!! THE DARKNESS IN THIS BOOK. The vulnerability, the protection, the strength, the love…ugh so good but so dark i cant!
You will need to just read this for yourself and prepare to read a pick me up after…maybe? 😩👀
This book has SOOOOO many triggers so be warned but this book I think destroyed me because it was so good and so bad—in the this was dark for me. 😭
I stayed up determined to finish this and it didn’t disappoint!! THE DARKNESS IN THIS BOOK. The vulnerability, the protection, the strength, the love…ugh so good but so dark i cant!
You will need to just read this for yourself and prepare to read a pick me up after…maybe? 😩👀
January 9, 2026
A woman raised to obey. A man willing to burn the world.
4.75 ⭐️ | 4.25 🌶️
E.D. Crowe did not come to play with The Mafia’s Daughter, the second instalment in the Women Of The Mafia series and honestly? I devoured it.
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of book one, so I already knew Crowe’s writing style and the brutal, seductive world she was building. But this book? This one is rawer, darker, and far more twisted in the best possible way. The stakes are higher, the emotions cut deeper and the characters feel painfully, achingly human.
Collins O’Brien is a fascinating FMC. On the surface, she’s composed, brilliant, and dutiful: the perfect mafia daughter. Beneath that? She’s exhausted, scarred, and quietly suffocating under expectations she never chose. Groomed from childhood to be the clan’s doctor, shaped by trauma, illness, and loss, Collins is strong in a way that feels real: not glamorous, not effortless, but earned. Her internal battle for autonomy is one of the most compelling threads in the story.
And then there’s Hayes Monticello. Arrogant, possessive, infuriating and devastatingly loyal. The bodyguard-best-friend-forbidden-love dynamic is executed so well here. Hayes has loved Collins in silence for years and the tension that simmers between them? Electric. Their fake engagement trope is deliciously messy, charged with unspoken truths, longing and a constant sense of “this is going to implode, isn’t it?”
What really got me, though, was their relationship. It’s not polished or pretty. It’s raw, deep, frustrating, tender, and painfully honest. The way childish irritation gives way to something far more dangerous and intimate feels natural and earned. No insta-love, no easy answers, just two deeply flawed people trying to survive a world designed to own them.
The plot is fast-paced and ruthless, full of twists that kept me hooked from page one. I told myself I’d read “a few chapters.” Reader, I finished it in one sitting, responsibilities be damned.
Dark, unhinged, emotional, and intoxicating, The Mafia’s Daughter is the kind of book that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go.
Thank you to Grey’s Promotions for the e-ARC, and congratulations to E.D. Crowe on the upcoming release (January 20th). I cannot wait for the third instalment, Maeve and Killian already have me in a chokehold.
Highly recommend if you love dark romance, forbidden tension, morally grey men, and women fighting to reclaim their destiny.
4.75 ⭐️ | 4.25 🌶️
E.D. Crowe did not come to play with The Mafia’s Daughter, the second instalment in the Women Of The Mafia series and honestly? I devoured it.
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of book one, so I already knew Crowe’s writing style and the brutal, seductive world she was building. But this book? This one is rawer, darker, and far more twisted in the best possible way. The stakes are higher, the emotions cut deeper and the characters feel painfully, achingly human.
Collins O’Brien is a fascinating FMC. On the surface, she’s composed, brilliant, and dutiful: the perfect mafia daughter. Beneath that? She’s exhausted, scarred, and quietly suffocating under expectations she never chose. Groomed from childhood to be the clan’s doctor, shaped by trauma, illness, and loss, Collins is strong in a way that feels real: not glamorous, not effortless, but earned. Her internal battle for autonomy is one of the most compelling threads in the story.
And then there’s Hayes Monticello. Arrogant, possessive, infuriating and devastatingly loyal. The bodyguard-best-friend-forbidden-love dynamic is executed so well here. Hayes has loved Collins in silence for years and the tension that simmers between them? Electric. Their fake engagement trope is deliciously messy, charged with unspoken truths, longing and a constant sense of “this is going to implode, isn’t it?”
What really got me, though, was their relationship. It’s not polished or pretty. It’s raw, deep, frustrating, tender, and painfully honest. The way childish irritation gives way to something far more dangerous and intimate feels natural and earned. No insta-love, no easy answers, just two deeply flawed people trying to survive a world designed to own them.
The plot is fast-paced and ruthless, full of twists that kept me hooked from page one. I told myself I’d read “a few chapters.” Reader, I finished it in one sitting, responsibilities be damned.
Dark, unhinged, emotional, and intoxicating, The Mafia’s Daughter is the kind of book that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go.
Thank you to Grey’s Promotions for the e-ARC, and congratulations to E.D. Crowe on the upcoming release (January 20th). I cannot wait for the third instalment, Maeve and Killian already have me in a chokehold.
Highly recommend if you love dark romance, forbidden tension, morally grey men, and women fighting to reclaim their destiny.
January 9, 2026
ARC Review of ‘The Mafia’s Daughter’ by ED Crowe.
This story pulled me in real quick so I was able to finish this within a few hours!
Book 2 delves in the story if Hayes and Collins.
Hayes, the one that got away from the Bruno Mafia and manages to get in the O’Brian syndicate. Working himself up to be Maeve’s right hand.
So many skeletons in this man’s closet, he really is good in his job taking care of ‘business’ with their enemies.
But his soft spot is Collins, who he has loved since they were young.
Collins, one of the daughters of Ferguson, cruel previous boss of the O’Brian clan, that’s until he was ‘gently’ removed.
She is supposed to be the kind, soft and demure daughter, going through medical school.
But she has something dark inside if her, courtesy of her upbringing.
And she too has had a crush on Hayes since childhood.
Their love story is of a push and pull, till they finally get together and chemistry blasts through.
Their 🌶️ is delicious, although some scenes I wished there was a shower involved before diving in🫣🤣. But 🌶️ nonetheless.
The subplots weave naturally throughout the book and are enjoyable to keep the intrigue up.
Would definitely want to read more installments of this series.
4/5⭐️
This story pulled me in real quick so I was able to finish this within a few hours!
Book 2 delves in the story if Hayes and Collins.
Hayes, the one that got away from the Bruno Mafia and manages to get in the O’Brian syndicate. Working himself up to be Maeve’s right hand.
So many skeletons in this man’s closet, he really is good in his job taking care of ‘business’ with their enemies.
But his soft spot is Collins, who he has loved since they were young.
Collins, one of the daughters of Ferguson, cruel previous boss of the O’Brian clan, that’s until he was ‘gently’ removed.
She is supposed to be the kind, soft and demure daughter, going through medical school.
But she has something dark inside if her, courtesy of her upbringing.
And she too has had a crush on Hayes since childhood.
Their love story is of a push and pull, till they finally get together and chemistry blasts through.
Their 🌶️ is delicious, although some scenes I wished there was a shower involved before diving in🫣🤣. But 🌶️ nonetheless.
The subplots weave naturally throughout the book and are enjoyable to keep the intrigue up.
Would definitely want to read more installments of this series.
4/5⭐️
Review of advance copy received from Author
What a wild ride The Mafia's Daughter was! I don't know what it says about me. But I absolutely loved how Collins embraced all her sided. You know it's true love just by the things Hayes is willing to do for Collins. This may not be your "typical" romance, but I don't think "typical" would work for them.
This is a darrrrkkkk romance. Please check your trigger warnings. Because this is a definite recommendation from me.
This is a darrrrkkkk romance. Please check your trigger warnings. Because this is a definite recommendation from me.
January 13, 2026
Another fantastic book by E.D. Crowe. the writing is great, plot is amazing and that SPICE... Nothing can touch it.
I loved this story... I am a sucker for a fake marriage for sure. I love how the FMC came into her own. Of course not without the help of our MMC. What a great romance for them as well. And the plot!!! I loved how it connected all the characters we have met so far and the "mafia' dynamics. Such an interesting story and I can't want to see more unfold.
I am hooked on this Family! The Series is killer (pun intended). I can't wait for the next installment. I realllllyyyyy hope we get more on Maeve & Killian!!! Fingers crossed!
I loved this story... I am a sucker for a fake marriage for sure. I love how the FMC came into her own. Of course not without the help of our MMC. What a great romance for them as well. And the plot!!! I loved how it connected all the characters we have met so far and the "mafia' dynamics. Such an interesting story and I can't want to see more unfold.
I am hooked on this Family! The Series is killer (pun intended). I can't wait for the next installment. I realllllyyyyy hope we get more on Maeve & Killian!!! Fingers crossed!
January 13, 2026
I did not expect this book to be what it was. Hayes is sort of unhinged in his own way, not as much as Killian, but still unhinged nonetheless. And then collins has a darkness that calls to Hayes’s darkness, they are basically made for one another. But they both have past traumas which just depends their connection that they already have by being forced to be around each other, since he was placed as her bodyguard. this book was amazingly written because of the main characters backstories, their storyline, the plot of collins navigating and finding herself in the life of the mafia world, the dramas that ensue of being in the mafia world, finding comfort in each other, and so much more. Such a great read and book overall. LOVED!
January 15, 2026
FUCK TO THE FUCK YES
What more could you what?????? I’m actually obsessed with these two. Like it literally starts out with her showing her entire goodies to a dirty club….
“Forever & a day” 😭😭😭😭
What more could you what?????? I’m actually obsessed with these two. Like it literally starts out with her showing her entire goodies to a dirty club….
“Forever & a day” 😭😭😭😭
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC review
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
This was intense! There was so much drama and I loved it!! This was so good!!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
This was intense! There was so much drama and I loved it!! This was so good!!
January 23, 2026
I am so obsessed with this series it might be unhealthy. But let me be unhealthy.
My boy Hayes was giving his ALL. He said deadly trials- sign me up. Fake marriage to save the girl I've been secretly obsessed with for years- yes please.
And Collins- she is every girl who has ever felt that they had to be perfect for everyone else. The girl who needs someone to just see her for who she is and love her for it.
This story had me laughing, crying, yelling in the group chat, sending a million GIFs of wet things (IYKYK). If you love a mafia romance full of action, twists and turns, and all the spice- look no further.
My boy Hayes was giving his ALL. He said deadly trials- sign me up. Fake marriage to save the girl I've been secretly obsessed with for years- yes please.
And Collins- she is every girl who has ever felt that they had to be perfect for everyone else. The girl who needs someone to just see her for who she is and love her for it.
This story had me laughing, crying, yelling in the group chat, sending a million GIFs of wet things (IYKYK). If you love a mafia romance full of action, twists and turns, and all the spice- look no further.
January 19, 2026
⚠️ Trigger Warnings: This is a very dark romance. Please check the author’s trigger warnings before reading.
The Mafia’s Daughter is brutal, emotionally charged, and unflinching in its darkness.
Collins is the younger sister of Maeve, the powerful and ruthless head of their clan. Maeve and Hayes share a deep, long-standing friendship. Through that bond, Hayes becomes entwined with Collins’ life, first as her protector, then as something far more dangerous.
Hayes has served as Collins’ bodyguard since they were young, unwaveringly loyal while remaining firmly in her orbit. While Collins is on the verge of starting her medical residency, she also leads a secret double life as a pole dancer for a rival clan run by the sadistic Roman. Every Saturday night, Hayes watches her from the shadows, his restraint masking obsession, devotion, and a love he’s never allowed himself to claim.
When Roman corners Collins and attempts to force her into a marriage arrangement, one rooted in cruelty, control, and abuse, she refuses to become his property. Roman is a monster, violent toward women and children alike, and Collins knows she will never belong to him. To protect herself, her sister, and avoid an all-out war between clans, Collins claims she is already engaged… to Hayes.
Hayes doesn’t hesitate. He steps into the role without question, openly supporting her because he already loves her. What follows is a vicious, escalating power struggle between the two clans, acts of intimidation and retaliation.
Despite the bloodshed, the true strength of this story lies in its emotional depth and healing. Both Collins and Hayes are burdened by trauma, and watching them slowly unravel their pasts together is gripping and heartbreaking. Their bond is built on years of loyalty, shared pain, and survival, making their romance feel raw, earned, and inevitable.
Hayes’ teasing humor adds moments of levity that cut through the darkness, offering brief relief without diminishing the brutality of the story.
Killian emerges as a compelling secondary character—dark, complex, and unpredictable. The evolving bond between Hayes and Killian adds an unexpected layer to the narrative and hints at deeper emotional ties within this dangerous world.
Final Thoughts:
The Mafia’s Daughter is not a safe romance, but it is a powerful one. Violent, intense, and emotionally devastating, this book explores loyalty, control, and love forged in the shadows. If you enjoy dark romance with morally grey characters, found family, and emotional depth beneath the blood and brutality, this story will not disappoint.
The Mafia’s Daughter is brutal, emotionally charged, and unflinching in its darkness.
Collins is the younger sister of Maeve, the powerful and ruthless head of their clan. Maeve and Hayes share a deep, long-standing friendship. Through that bond, Hayes becomes entwined with Collins’ life, first as her protector, then as something far more dangerous.
Hayes has served as Collins’ bodyguard since they were young, unwaveringly loyal while remaining firmly in her orbit. While Collins is on the verge of starting her medical residency, she also leads a secret double life as a pole dancer for a rival clan run by the sadistic Roman. Every Saturday night, Hayes watches her from the shadows, his restraint masking obsession, devotion, and a love he’s never allowed himself to claim.
When Roman corners Collins and attempts to force her into a marriage arrangement, one rooted in cruelty, control, and abuse, she refuses to become his property. Roman is a monster, violent toward women and children alike, and Collins knows she will never belong to him. To protect herself, her sister, and avoid an all-out war between clans, Collins claims she is already engaged… to Hayes.
Hayes doesn’t hesitate. He steps into the role without question, openly supporting her because he already loves her. What follows is a vicious, escalating power struggle between the two clans, acts of intimidation and retaliation.
Despite the bloodshed, the true strength of this story lies in its emotional depth and healing. Both Collins and Hayes are burdened by trauma, and watching them slowly unravel their pasts together is gripping and heartbreaking. Their bond is built on years of loyalty, shared pain, and survival, making their romance feel raw, earned, and inevitable.
Hayes’ teasing humor adds moments of levity that cut through the darkness, offering brief relief without diminishing the brutality of the story.
Killian emerges as a compelling secondary character—dark, complex, and unpredictable. The evolving bond between Hayes and Killian adds an unexpected layer to the narrative and hints at deeper emotional ties within this dangerous world.
Final Thoughts:
The Mafia’s Daughter is not a safe romance, but it is a powerful one. Violent, intense, and emotionally devastating, this book explores loyalty, control, and love forged in the shadows. If you enjoy dark romance with morally grey characters, found family, and emotional depth beneath the blood and brutality, this story will not disappoint.
Review of advance copy
The Mafia's Daughter - E. D. Crowe
3.75 stars
"The art of our necessities is strange/That can make vile things precious."
- William Shakespeare, King Lear
As an English major specializing in Shakespeare studies, my niche probably isn't the target audience for this book, but King Lear is my favorite play. Naturally, I knew I needed to read this! Modern Shakespeare adaptations struggle with elements such as wars, family feuds, arranged marriages - but the mafia backdrop provides the perfect opportunity. Although this is "loosely inspired," it's more faithful than several Lear adaptations I've come across!
My honest take:
Well, I'm being fair here. Dark romance isn't my main genre, so I wasn't the prime audience for "possessive" romance aspects BUT I was surprised how much I really rooted for the characters to get together! However, for the genre, OMG! Well-executed (from what I can tell) and if you're a dark romance girlie, I can tell you would be FERAL for Hayes. I had a fantastic time digging for little references to the source material, and I also had a grand time. I would have loved even more details on the trials (and fake engagements are always fun)! My main critique is that the prose felt a bit unpolished in places, things an editor should have caught, but no fault of the author! I am actually seriously considering picking up the rest of the series now. Even if this is not my genre, it speaks to the strength of the book that I'm hooked.
(Side note: I thought it would be darker? It actually wasn't very squeamish to me, BUT check trigger warnings.)
I'll definitely convince my fellow scholars to look for some adaptations off the beaten path! This was an adventure ✨️⚔️👑
Thank you to @greyspromo for the ARC!
3.75 stars
"The art of our necessities is strange/That can make vile things precious."
- William Shakespeare, King Lear
As an English major specializing in Shakespeare studies, my niche probably isn't the target audience for this book, but King Lear is my favorite play. Naturally, I knew I needed to read this! Modern Shakespeare adaptations struggle with elements such as wars, family feuds, arranged marriages - but the mafia backdrop provides the perfect opportunity. Although this is "loosely inspired," it's more faithful than several Lear adaptations I've come across!
My honest take:
Well, I'm being fair here. Dark romance isn't my main genre, so I wasn't the prime audience for "possessive" romance aspects BUT I was surprised how much I really rooted for the characters to get together! However, for the genre, OMG! Well-executed (from what I can tell) and if you're a dark romance girlie, I can tell you would be FERAL for Hayes. I had a fantastic time digging for little references to the source material, and I also had a grand time. I would have loved even more details on the trials (and fake engagements are always fun)! My main critique is that the prose felt a bit unpolished in places, things an editor should have caught, but no fault of the author! I am actually seriously considering picking up the rest of the series now. Even if this is not my genre, it speaks to the strength of the book that I'm hooked.
(Side note: I thought it would be darker? It actually wasn't very squeamish to me, BUT check trigger warnings.)
I'll definitely convince my fellow scholars to look for some adaptations off the beaten path! This was an adventure ✨️⚔️👑
Thank you to @greyspromo for the ARC!
January 11, 2026
Rating: 5 ☆
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️
Pub: January 20, 2026
Thank you to @greyspromo for this ARC!
Tropes:
-Older sibling’s best friend
-Fake fiancée
-Forced proximity
-Mafia romance
This book owned me from page one. I could barely put it down!! What starts as a mafia marriage-contract-and-bodyguard setup spins into this electric, high-stakes duet of survival, strategy, and enemies-to-lovers tension that only gets more unhinged in the best ways. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time!
“Rest, baby. You’ve had a rough day. I’ll fight the monsters while you sleep.”
Collins was such a badass FMC—capable, brilliant, calculating, and far less perfect than everyone assumes. I loved how she navigated med school, family politics, and her secret Saturday adventures all while refusing to be a pawn in the Irish mob’s marriage games. She doesn’t just endure the chaos—she outsmarts it, and I was cheering for her every chapter. I also really loved her sister, Maeve, who was also a badass.
Then there’s Hayes—arrogant, possessive, infuriatingly hot, and the exact kind of off-limits that makes you want to break rules. Their fake engagement + strategic alliance gave tension, partnership, and betrayal all rolled into one. The slow shift from mutual irritation to forbidden passion was deliiiicious.
And the plot? So. Much. Plot. Deadly trials. Secret pasts. Power plays. Mafia clans. The Games themselves added such a sharp, clever layer and raised the stakes beyond just romance. While this had a decent amount of spice, it didn’t take away from the plot which I appreciated.
Honestly? I’m already mourning the fact it’s over.
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️
Pub: January 20, 2026
Thank you to @greyspromo for this ARC!
Tropes:
-Older sibling’s best friend
-Fake fiancée
-Forced proximity
-Mafia romance
This book owned me from page one. I could barely put it down!! What starts as a mafia marriage-contract-and-bodyguard setup spins into this electric, high-stakes duet of survival, strategy, and enemies-to-lovers tension that only gets more unhinged in the best ways. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time!
“Rest, baby. You’ve had a rough day. I’ll fight the monsters while you sleep.”
Collins was such a badass FMC—capable, brilliant, calculating, and far less perfect than everyone assumes. I loved how she navigated med school, family politics, and her secret Saturday adventures all while refusing to be a pawn in the Irish mob’s marriage games. She doesn’t just endure the chaos—she outsmarts it, and I was cheering for her every chapter. I also really loved her sister, Maeve, who was also a badass.
Then there’s Hayes—arrogant, possessive, infuriatingly hot, and the exact kind of off-limits that makes you want to break rules. Their fake engagement + strategic alliance gave tension, partnership, and betrayal all rolled into one. The slow shift from mutual irritation to forbidden passion was deliiiicious.
And the plot? So. Much. Plot. Deadly trials. Secret pasts. Power plays. Mafia clans. The Games themselves added such a sharp, clever layer and raised the stakes beyond just romance. While this had a decent amount of spice, it didn’t take away from the plot which I appreciated.
Honestly? I’m already mourning the fact it’s over.
January 27, 2026
I love a mutual pining situation where both think they’re the only one yearning!!! Baby!!
Hayes and Collins were actually so captivating! I’ve read way too many mafia books and wasn’t expecting anything to take me by surprise and somehow the author managed to hook my attention and never let go. (I immediately think of the episode of SpongeBob “the hooook” 😂)
We meet Collins “the perfect middle child” — as a middle child that has tried to live up to that trope and came to my own identity break years ago, I related so much to her!!
Hayes the MMC who was so complex and layered. So loyal and overlooked!!
They truly deserved each other in the best of best ways! The subtle things made this romance great, (I won’t include spoilers).
I will be going back to read the previous books in this series! I need Maeve and “Reaper” story 👀
Thank you Greys Promo for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are honest, and my own. 🩷
Hayes and Collins were actually so captivating! I’ve read way too many mafia books and wasn’t expecting anything to take me by surprise and somehow the author managed to hook my attention and never let go. (I immediately think of the episode of SpongeBob “the hooook” 😂)
We meet Collins “the perfect middle child” — as a middle child that has tried to live up to that trope and came to my own identity break years ago, I related so much to her!!
Hayes the MMC who was so complex and layered. So loyal and overlooked!!
They truly deserved each other in the best of best ways! The subtle things made this romance great, (I won’t include spoilers).
I will be going back to read the previous books in this series! I need Maeve and “Reaper” story 👀
Thank you Greys Promo for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are honest, and my own. 🩷
Review of advance copy
ARC Review
A spicy mafia tale that had me from the start. It is woven with so much story. Never quite read a mafia book of its kind. We're talking about packing a punch. As the FMC of the story is a wild rebellious soul, but she had more to her than meets the eye. Although doesn't want others to know the secrets she keeps. While someone she knows, watches her closer than she can ever imagine. Forcing these main characters into a forbidden, fake engagement, one is the siblings best friend, and it is a “she's mine” vibe from early on.
Absolutely a delicious, stunning written work I could not put down. Finished within hours of starting. This is my first book read by this author. I definitely was not disappointed. I only wished it was double in size. What a wild ride! Fully action packed, more story than smut but when it was hot, it was a scorcher. Loved this, five stars! I highly recommend it!
A spicy mafia tale that had me from the start. It is woven with so much story. Never quite read a mafia book of its kind. We're talking about packing a punch. As the FMC of the story is a wild rebellious soul, but she had more to her than meets the eye. Although doesn't want others to know the secrets she keeps. While someone she knows, watches her closer than she can ever imagine. Forcing these main characters into a forbidden, fake engagement, one is the siblings best friend, and it is a “she's mine” vibe from early on.
Absolutely a delicious, stunning written work I could not put down. Finished within hours of starting. This is my first book read by this author. I definitely was not disappointed. I only wished it was double in size. What a wild ride! Fully action packed, more story than smut but when it was hot, it was a scorcher. Loved this, five stars! I highly recommend it!
January 12, 2026
What a read. This is how you do mafia romance. You get all of it—the violence, the heat, the romance, the impossible choices, the trauma—every element done right. E.D. Crowe gives you just enough to keep you hooked until you hit that absolutely explosive ending.
Her writing is phenomenal. The storytelling is phenomenal. Honestly, everything I’ve read by her has been amazing. If you love fantasy, mafia, dark romance, and men who are powerful yet fiercely devoted—obsessive, protective, and unapologetic about loving their women—this is for you.
There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to trauma, much of it carefully alluded to through out until you have eto facet if Italy’s the case. The first book; The Mafia Bride focuses on the baby sister, Sloan. This book centers on the middle daughter, Collins. The final book in the trilogy will be about Maeve.
These are interconnected standalones, that can be read as it own story but has the same family/world with different past traumas and every single one is worth the read.
As always, your mental health matters, check your triggers
Her writing is phenomenal. The storytelling is phenomenal. Honestly, everything I’ve read by her has been amazing. If you love fantasy, mafia, dark romance, and men who are powerful yet fiercely devoted—obsessive, protective, and unapologetic about loving their women—this is for you.
There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to trauma, much of it carefully alluded to through out until you have eto facet if Italy’s the case. The first book; The Mafia Bride focuses on the baby sister, Sloan. This book centers on the middle daughter, Collins. The final book in the trilogy will be about Maeve.
These are interconnected standalones, that can be read as it own story but has the same family/world with different past traumas and every single one is worth the read.
As always, your mental health matters, check your triggers
January 20, 2026
Oh Hayes!!! I absolutely fell in love with Hayes and Collins’ love story. A tale of what you think will never be, both loving each other from a far then finding the other half of their soul with forced proximity. The enduring love that all these characters have for each other even though they are in a mafia and all show it with violence is just a beautiful thing to read. Men who will but the world for their woman is why I love dark romance! I absolutely loved how Collins found herself and allowed her past to help shape her future with Hayes instead of being scared of it. “Hayes without you, I’m a boat lost at sea, but with you? I’m home.” I can’t wait to see Maeve and Killians story! I received this book as an ARC. This is my voluntary and honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Collins was the middle daughter who was smart and wanted to be a doctor. Her sister is in charge of the Irish clan and will do whatever is needed to keep the clan safe. If it means selling a family member to another family if it is good for the clan. Hayes is her sister's right hand person. They take care of each other. Collins has had a crush on him forever. When a contract comes in for Collins, she tells her sister that she is already engaged, to her right hand man. This is the start of a good dark romance that has tons of action and a storyline that keeps you reading to the last page.
I voluntarily wrote this review from reading an advanced copy of this book.
I voluntarily wrote this review from reading an advanced copy of this book.
January 10, 2026
”if there was anyone who i would let see all my broken pieces, it was always going to be you”
i loved this! wasn’t sure at first because “the games” was giving gladiator in my head but thankfully, that wasn’t the case!
Both Collin’s and Hayes have had a crush for pretty much the entire time they’ve known each other. Collin’s thought there was no way Hayes was interested and Hayes didn’t want to go there with his best friend (and chief’s) little sister.
But when an enemy comes knocking with a marriage proposal for Collin’s that her sister seems to be considering, Collin’s tells her that she’s already engaged..to Hayes.
She thinks they can fake an engagement to get her sister off her back and they can call it quits once Hayes wins The Games.. but now that Hayes has a chance with his dream girl? He’s never letting her go
-fake engagement
-sister’s best friend
-bodyguard romance
-forced proximity
-mafia
-medical student/dancer FMC
-mutual pining
-OTT protective/possessive
-touch her and die
i loved this! wasn’t sure at first because “the games” was giving gladiator in my head but thankfully, that wasn’t the case!
Both Collin’s and Hayes have had a crush for pretty much the entire time they’ve known each other. Collin’s thought there was no way Hayes was interested and Hayes didn’t want to go there with his best friend (and chief’s) little sister.
But when an enemy comes knocking with a marriage proposal for Collin’s that her sister seems to be considering, Collin’s tells her that she’s already engaged..to Hayes.
She thinks they can fake an engagement to get her sister off her back and they can call it quits once Hayes wins The Games.. but now that Hayes has a chance with his dream girl? He’s never letting her go
-fake engagement
-sister’s best friend
-bodyguard romance
-forced proximity
-mafia
-medical student/dancer FMC
-mutual pining
-OTT protective/possessive
-touch her and die
January 9, 2026
This is a new author for me. The blurb caught my attention & I was hooked from the start. I love a fmc who doesn’t play & shows her confidence. Collins has her own insecurities & life hasn’t been easy on her. Her family runs the clan. She is one of the younger siblings. But she didn’t leave that world unscathed. Then comes her sister’s best friend. We all love when we fall in love with someone we can’t have. Hayes. Bad boy who will do anything for the woman he loves. Possessive to the core. Touch her and die. Though he has his own demons to battle he will face them for her, Collins. These 2 will have challenges to face but will their love make it through? Or will they loose it to that dark world they live in?? From beginning to end you will be hooked. I loved it & can’t wait to see the next book in the series to come.
January 25, 2026
ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀꜰɪᴀ’ꜱ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ || ᴀʀᴄ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ
𝓘'𝓶 𝓯𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓷 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓯𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓬é.
✨4/5
🌶️4/5
Reading Hayes and Collins was incredibly enjoyable. Hayes's love for Collins, nurtured over the years, and Collins revealing his dark side only when he was with Hayes, their return to each other's homes... BUT MOST OF ALL, MY PSYCHOPATH KILLIAN... 3rd book it’s a need…
💙Sibling’s Best Friend
💙Fake Engagement
💙Childhood Frenemies
💙She Heals Him
My Collins. The woman I've loved for years
“The forbidden is always better, viper. Baby, you were made for the forbidden."
“If you're mine, then you're mine. No more library hookups with fuckboys who can't find your clit. No more study dates. Just mine.”
“Then how will I-“
“You want to cum? Then you come to me. Only my cock goes between your thighs."
“First rule, Collins. I touch, kiss, and fuck what's mine. And that's you."
“Did you scream my name?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Do it again.”
“You taste like Heaven, viper.”
He's always been my safe place. As a child, it felt overbearing. Now, it feels like home”
“So I belong to you, huh?"
“Baby, you've always belonged to me. You've just never realized it."
“You were made for me, baby."
“You are mine, Collins. You belong to me as much as I belong to you.”
“You belong to me?"
“Absolutely, baby. Every part of me—every horrible part-belongs to you."
“My filthy girl. You're made for my madness, Collins. And I want more of yours."
My fucking ring. My fucking pussy. My fucking wife
"This isn't fake anymore, Collins. This is it. Until the stars call us home, forever and day. You're mine."
“I've never been a good man, baby. Ever. You want me to slaughter hundreds of men, give me the word. But when you talk about our future together, I want to drop to my knees right now and take you until you see all the galaxies."
"Viper, there isn't much you can do that would ever make me stop loving you. Nothing you've done could make me stop. I'm in it for life."
“You've wrecked me, viper. If there was anyone who I would let see all my broken pieces, it was always going to be you.”
“My soul is yours…My heart is yours. My life, yours. I'm yours, Collins."
“Fuck, you sound so good with my name on your lips."
Forever and a day
𝓘'𝓶 𝓯𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓷 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓯𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓬é.
✨4/5
🌶️4/5
Reading Hayes and Collins was incredibly enjoyable. Hayes's love for Collins, nurtured over the years, and Collins revealing his dark side only when he was with Hayes, their return to each other's homes... BUT MOST OF ALL, MY PSYCHOPATH KILLIAN... 3rd book it’s a need…
💙Sibling’s Best Friend
💙Fake Engagement
💙Childhood Frenemies
💙She Heals Him
My Collins. The woman I've loved for years
“The forbidden is always better, viper. Baby, you were made for the forbidden."
“If you're mine, then you're mine. No more library hookups with fuckboys who can't find your clit. No more study dates. Just mine.”
“Then how will I-“
“You want to cum? Then you come to me. Only my cock goes between your thighs."
“First rule, Collins. I touch, kiss, and fuck what's mine. And that's you."
“Did you scream my name?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Do it again.”
“You taste like Heaven, viper.”
He's always been my safe place. As a child, it felt overbearing. Now, it feels like home”
“So I belong to you, huh?"
“Baby, you've always belonged to me. You've just never realized it."
“You were made for me, baby."
“You are mine, Collins. You belong to me as much as I belong to you.”
“You belong to me?"
“Absolutely, baby. Every part of me—every horrible part-belongs to you."
“My filthy girl. You're made for my madness, Collins. And I want more of yours."
My fucking ring. My fucking pussy. My fucking wife
"This isn't fake anymore, Collins. This is it. Until the stars call us home, forever and day. You're mine."
“I've never been a good man, baby. Ever. You want me to slaughter hundreds of men, give me the word. But when you talk about our future together, I want to drop to my knees right now and take you until you see all the galaxies."
"Viper, there isn't much you can do that would ever make me stop loving you. Nothing you've done could make me stop. I'm in it for life."
“You've wrecked me, viper. If there was anyone who I would let see all my broken pieces, it was always going to be you.”
“My soul is yours…My heart is yours. My life, yours. I'm yours, Collins."
“Fuck, you sound so good with my name on your lips."
Forever and a day
January 22, 2026
The Mafia’s Daughter written by E.D. Crowe is book two in The Women of the Mafia series. Thank you to Grey’s Promotions for the opportunity to find this author and read this ARC. Technically, the books in the series are interconnected standalones. However, don't even think about skipping the prequel and book one before you open this. I was hooked from the prequel for the O'Brien clan. This story has a balanced mixture of plot and romance, violence and love. This chosen family will do anything to protect each other. Collins and Hayes’ story is a true testament to that.
The O'Brien sisters are - take charge, fierce, “nobody is going to hurt my family” boss ladies. Collins is no exception even though she feels sheltered from the family business by her sister. By the end of the story Collins comes into her own and we see the depravity that lives deep within her soul. She was groomed from an early age to become a doctor. She can patch up the members with business injuries. In this book she uses her medical skills for good and evil, and I am here for every second of it! Hayes is so loyal and protective of his chosen family, but especially with Collins. The two of them have loved each other from a distance since childhood. They finally let their walls crumble down. Allowing them to feel seen for the first time, truly loved and safe. The trials and tribulations that Hayes and Collins go through in this book are crazy from anyone on the outside, but for them it is just a normal day in the life of a clan.
If you are a mafia romance fan, then this is going to be right up your alley. This story has dark and violent elements. Add a dash of "it's always been you" and a fake engagement, and you have the perfect combination of a well written mafia storyline. I am so excited that I found The Women of the Mafia series and E.D. Crowe. I am truly a fan of the O'Brien family and E.D. Crowe. I will be anxiously counting down the days until the next book is released. I can only imagine the wild ride that the series will continue to take the readers on.
The O'Brien sisters are - take charge, fierce, “nobody is going to hurt my family” boss ladies. Collins is no exception even though she feels sheltered from the family business by her sister. By the end of the story Collins comes into her own and we see the depravity that lives deep within her soul. She was groomed from an early age to become a doctor. She can patch up the members with business injuries. In this book she uses her medical skills for good and evil, and I am here for every second of it! Hayes is so loyal and protective of his chosen family, but especially with Collins. The two of them have loved each other from a distance since childhood. They finally let their walls crumble down. Allowing them to feel seen for the first time, truly loved and safe. The trials and tribulations that Hayes and Collins go through in this book are crazy from anyone on the outside, but for them it is just a normal day in the life of a clan.
If you are a mafia romance fan, then this is going to be right up your alley. This story has dark and violent elements. Add a dash of "it's always been you" and a fake engagement, and you have the perfect combination of a well written mafia storyline. I am so excited that I found The Women of the Mafia series and E.D. Crowe. I am truly a fan of the O'Brien family and E.D. Crowe. I will be anxiously counting down the days until the next book is released. I can only imagine the wild ride that the series will continue to take the readers on.
January 20, 2026
PLEASE CHECK YOUR TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING THIS BOOK UF YOU NEED TO, YOUR MENTAL HEALTH IS IMPORTANT! THAT BEING SAID I READ THIS BOOK IN ONE DAY!
This is my first time reading from this author and this book did not disappoint!
This follows FMC Collin's and MMC Hayes. Collins is a medical student and has had a very hard life. She has overcome a severe illness and was made to do "interviews" by her father (a deceased Irish mobster). She is thought to be the favorite daughter, but this is deceiving. She is a very capable and extremely smart sister of the heir to the Irish clan (Maeve) and dances to have an outlet and to turn her mind off from her thoughts. Collins has had a crush on Hayes since she was young and he's always helped her with her panic attacks and whenever she was bullied.
Hayes is really close to Collin's sister and has been in love with Collin's for years. He started as a runner for the Irish clan and has also had a very hard life. He has a very dark past that will rip your heart out.
These two finally end up together after Colins is told by Hayes' brother that he is asking her sister for a marriage and alliance. However, he does not accept that she is now engaged to Hayes and continues to call her his wife much to their dismay.
So much happens in this book. This is a dark mafia romance and it covers all of the bases. There's plenty of violence, betrayal, action, past trauma for both characters, and spice.
I cannot wait for Maeve and Killian's book next!
Thank you @authore.d_crowe and @greyspromo for this e-arc.
Quotes:
“I love you. For forever and a day.”
“I love you too. For forever and a day.” “You’re my home, Hayes. Without you, I’m lost at sea, but with you? I’m home.”
“And I’m going to tell you every single day that I love you. Because you need to know you’re loved. That you’re safe.
Story: 6⭐️
Characters: 6⭐️
Character Growth: 6⭐️
Spice: 3🌶️
This is my first time reading from this author and this book did not disappoint!
This follows FMC Collin's and MMC Hayes. Collins is a medical student and has had a very hard life. She has overcome a severe illness and was made to do "interviews" by her father (a deceased Irish mobster). She is thought to be the favorite daughter, but this is deceiving. She is a very capable and extremely smart sister of the heir to the Irish clan (Maeve) and dances to have an outlet and to turn her mind off from her thoughts. Collins has had a crush on Hayes since she was young and he's always helped her with her panic attacks and whenever she was bullied.
Hayes is really close to Collin's sister and has been in love with Collin's for years. He started as a runner for the Irish clan and has also had a very hard life. He has a very dark past that will rip your heart out.
These two finally end up together after Colins is told by Hayes' brother that he is asking her sister for a marriage and alliance. However, he does not accept that she is now engaged to Hayes and continues to call her his wife much to their dismay.
So much happens in this book. This is a dark mafia romance and it covers all of the bases. There's plenty of violence, betrayal, action, past trauma for both characters, and spice.
I cannot wait for Maeve and Killian's book next!
Thank you @authore.d_crowe and @greyspromo for this e-arc.
Quotes:
“I love you. For forever and a day.”
“I love you too. For forever and a day.” “You’re my home, Hayes. Without you, I’m lost at sea, but with you? I’m home.”
“And I’m going to tell you every single day that I love you. Because you need to know you’re loved. That you’re safe.
Story: 6⭐️
Characters: 6⭐️
Character Growth: 6⭐️
Spice: 3🌶️
January 20, 2026
4 stars, 3 on the spice scale.
I’m not sure whether I was in a bit of a reading slump or just not fully in the right mood, but I didn’t connect with this one as quickly as I expected. I read it over a few days, put it down around the halfway mark, tried something else, and then came back to finish it. Even so, once I stepped back and looked at the whole story, I could appreciate what the author was doing. It’s a gritty, darker‑toned mafia romance with a unique vibe, and there were definitely elements I enjoyed.
Collins is a fascinating heroine. She's a mafia daughter shaped by a horrific upbringing, hiding deep trauma behind a polished, perfect exterior. Her sister Maeve, now head of the clan, seems cold and ruthless but clearly loves her sisters fiercely. That dynamic alone gave the book a strong emotional backbone.
Hayes, Maeve’s best friend and Collins’s long‑time bodyguard, has been quietly in love with her for years, and their fake‑engagement setup brings all that buried tension to the surface.
The plot is twisty and layered: rival families, old wounds, dangerous trials, and a lot of internal clan politics. Hayes’s past with the Brunos, Collins’s complicated history, and Killian’s chaotic presence all add to the messy, tangled world the author is building. And while the story goes to some dark places, the romance between Collins and Hayes grows into something protective, intense, and ultimately very sweet. Their HEA feels earned after everything they go through.
Even though some parts didn’t fully click for me personally, there’s a lot here for readers who enjoy grittier mafia romances with complex family dynamics and morally grey characters. Several side characters really intrigued me, and I’ll definitely pick up more from this author. A solid read with some standout moments.
*Thank to the author and Grey's Promotions for an ARC of this title.
I’m not sure whether I was in a bit of a reading slump or just not fully in the right mood, but I didn’t connect with this one as quickly as I expected. I read it over a few days, put it down around the halfway mark, tried something else, and then came back to finish it. Even so, once I stepped back and looked at the whole story, I could appreciate what the author was doing. It’s a gritty, darker‑toned mafia romance with a unique vibe, and there were definitely elements I enjoyed.
Collins is a fascinating heroine. She's a mafia daughter shaped by a horrific upbringing, hiding deep trauma behind a polished, perfect exterior. Her sister Maeve, now head of the clan, seems cold and ruthless but clearly loves her sisters fiercely. That dynamic alone gave the book a strong emotional backbone.
Hayes, Maeve’s best friend and Collins’s long‑time bodyguard, has been quietly in love with her for years, and their fake‑engagement setup brings all that buried tension to the surface.
The plot is twisty and layered: rival families, old wounds, dangerous trials, and a lot of internal clan politics. Hayes’s past with the Brunos, Collins’s complicated history, and Killian’s chaotic presence all add to the messy, tangled world the author is building. And while the story goes to some dark places, the romance between Collins and Hayes grows into something protective, intense, and ultimately very sweet. Their HEA feels earned after everything they go through.
Even though some parts didn’t fully click for me personally, there’s a lot here for readers who enjoy grittier mafia romances with complex family dynamics and morally grey characters. Several side characters really intrigued me, and I’ll definitely pick up more from this author. A solid read with some standout moments.
*Thank to the author and Grey's Promotions for an ARC of this title.
January 19, 2026
“We both know you get hot and bothered when I let out my inner psycho. Your inner psycho feeds off of it. Steady hand with a blade too. If you promise to kiss it after, you can slice into me all night.”
Collins was born into a world meant to break her. It didn't matter that she was the perfect daughter or that she did everything asked of her or that she is currently the med student her terrible father wanted her to be. Now as an adult, the rival mob boss DEMANDS she marries him. Desperate to keep as far away from him as possible, she turns to the only person that has had her back over the years.. Hayes, her lifelong bodyguard and sister's best friend. Suggesting a fake engagement with Hayes was not on her bingo card but she knows it's her only option. What she doesn't know is that Hayes is full of life-changing secrets.. like he's been in love with her since they were kids. He sees everything that she tries to keep closed off. Always her protector, always talking down from a panic attack, always just there. Now that Hayes has the chance to claim the one woman he's always wanted, he will do anything to keep her. Even if that threatens his life.
Hayes really needs to be protected at all costs. This man is the perfect amount of O/P vs how soft he really is for Collins. And Collins?! She really does try to keep the dark and depraved to herself but Hayes is always right there to remind her that she is not alone. I definitely enjoyed the lies and the secrets in the story. Hayes hides behind his cocky attitude and Collins masks everything with a soft smile. It's a very easy world to fall into and every character tugs at the heart in their own way.
Mafia, Fake engagement, Sister's best friend, Touch him and die, 1st person, dual POV
Collins was born into a world meant to break her. It didn't matter that she was the perfect daughter or that she did everything asked of her or that she is currently the med student her terrible father wanted her to be. Now as an adult, the rival mob boss DEMANDS she marries him. Desperate to keep as far away from him as possible, she turns to the only person that has had her back over the years.. Hayes, her lifelong bodyguard and sister's best friend. Suggesting a fake engagement with Hayes was not on her bingo card but she knows it's her only option. What she doesn't know is that Hayes is full of life-changing secrets.. like he's been in love with her since they were kids. He sees everything that she tries to keep closed off. Always her protector, always talking down from a panic attack, always just there. Now that Hayes has the chance to claim the one woman he's always wanted, he will do anything to keep her. Even if that threatens his life.
Hayes really needs to be protected at all costs. This man is the perfect amount of O/P vs how soft he really is for Collins. And Collins?! She really does try to keep the dark and depraved to herself but Hayes is always right there to remind her that she is not alone. I definitely enjoyed the lies and the secrets in the story. Hayes hides behind his cocky attitude and Collins masks everything with a soft smile. It's a very easy world to fall into and every character tugs at the heart in their own way.
Mafia, Fake engagement, Sister's best friend, Touch him and die, 1st person, dual POV
January 29, 2026
What a satisfying ending! 💥
For all the girlies who want their men to be obsessed with you, love your worst side, protect you with their life, kill for you & understand you through & through..... Y'all should read this book ☝🏻
As a person with lots of insecurities this book was my rock in the storm, it gave me peace & assurance that I am enough & there's men out there who'll love you, regardless of your imperfections!! 💯
This story is a complete standalone in this interconnected series. Series that revolves around the women of the O’Brien Clan: A renowned mafia family!
The story is between Hayes Bruno (hitter) & Collin O'Brien (medical resident). They both have a crush on each other which they are adamant on not admitting but you know life throws curve balls & it landed on them 😂. Just as you guessed... Yes, A fake relationship!
The yearning, jealousy & possessiveness is real tho! 🔥
Besides I love the energy of Killian the reaper 😂 He's.....idk... unpredictable!?? & Present everywhere, lurking in shadows!! I wholeheartedly ship Killian & Hayes ( bromance on top, fr!☝🏻) Enemies to lovers trope for them 😂. I religiously love to their bickering!
The protection & support they all have for each other as a family is so precious #foundfamily so ready to kill for each other!
"Something about Hayes hurting someone else for me has turned my mind into mush & that deranged side perks up, wanting more"
(Us collins Us) 😌🤝🏻
Tropes:
-Criminal families
-Morally gray-morally black characters
-Touch her & die
-Tortured MMC
-Traumatized FMC
-Childhood Frenemies
-Mafia Romance
-Sister's bsf
-Fake engagement
Lastly, Thankyou @e.d.crowe & @greyspromo for giving me this ARC!
For all the girlies who want their men to be obsessed with you, love your worst side, protect you with their life, kill for you & understand you through & through..... Y'all should read this book ☝🏻
As a person with lots of insecurities this book was my rock in the storm, it gave me peace & assurance that I am enough & there's men out there who'll love you, regardless of your imperfections!! 💯
This story is a complete standalone in this interconnected series. Series that revolves around the women of the O’Brien Clan: A renowned mafia family!
The story is between Hayes Bruno (hitter) & Collin O'Brien (medical resident). They both have a crush on each other which they are adamant on not admitting but you know life throws curve balls & it landed on them 😂. Just as you guessed... Yes, A fake relationship!
The yearning, jealousy & possessiveness is real tho! 🔥
Besides I love the energy of Killian the reaper 😂 He's.....idk... unpredictable!?? & Present everywhere, lurking in shadows!! I wholeheartedly ship Killian & Hayes ( bromance on top, fr!☝🏻) Enemies to lovers trope for them 😂. I religiously love to their bickering!
The protection & support they all have for each other as a family is so precious #foundfamily so ready to kill for each other!
"Something about Hayes hurting someone else for me has turned my mind into mush & that deranged side perks up, wanting more"
(Us collins Us) 😌🤝🏻
Tropes:
-Criminal families
-Morally gray-morally black characters
-Touch her & die
-Tortured MMC
-Traumatized FMC
-Childhood Frenemies
-Mafia Romance
-Sister's bsf
-Fake engagement
Lastly, Thankyou @e.d.crowe & @greyspromo for giving me this ARC!
January 20, 2026
The Mafia’s Daughter by E.D. Crowe is a gripping, slow-burn mafia romance packed with tension, danger, and forbidden desire.
Collins O’Brien is the perfect blend of strength and vulnerability—a capable med student carrying the weight of her mob legacy while hiding the parts of herself she’s afraid to show. When a forced marriage contract threatens her freedom, her only escape is claiming engagement to the one man she can’t have: her arrogant, infuriating, and fiercely protective bodyguard, Hayes Monticello oh and he's also her sister's best friend!!!
Hayes is everything you want in a morally grey hero—possessive, broody, loyal, and hiding a dark past that slowly unravels alongside his growing feelings for Collins. Their fake engagement trope is executed beautifully, with delicious tension, sharp banter, and a slow-burn romance that turns scorching when lines finally blur.
The Games add a deadly, high-stakes edge to the story, keeping the plot fast-paced and unpredictable, while the emotional depth between Collins and Hayes grounds the chaos in real, heartfelt connection. As secrets surface and betrayal looms, the story delivers both intensity and heartbreak, making it impossible to put down.
If you love mafia romance with bodyguard tropes, fake engagement, forbidden love, and morally grey characters then you'll love this!!
Collins O’Brien is the perfect blend of strength and vulnerability—a capable med student carrying the weight of her mob legacy while hiding the parts of herself she’s afraid to show. When a forced marriage contract threatens her freedom, her only escape is claiming engagement to the one man she can’t have: her arrogant, infuriating, and fiercely protective bodyguard, Hayes Monticello oh and he's also her sister's best friend!!!
Hayes is everything you want in a morally grey hero—possessive, broody, loyal, and hiding a dark past that slowly unravels alongside his growing feelings for Collins. Their fake engagement trope is executed beautifully, with delicious tension, sharp banter, and a slow-burn romance that turns scorching when lines finally blur.
The Games add a deadly, high-stakes edge to the story, keeping the plot fast-paced and unpredictable, while the emotional depth between Collins and Hayes grounds the chaos in real, heartfelt connection. As secrets surface and betrayal looms, the story delivers both intensity and heartbreak, making it impossible to put down.
If you love mafia romance with bodyguard tropes, fake engagement, forbidden love, and morally grey characters then you'll love this!!
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