Lorenzo: A Grumpy / Sunshine Dark Mafia Romance Novel

Chicago Ruthless #3

by Sadie Kincaid

Grief is the price we pay for love

My name is Lorenzo Moretti. Born to be head of the Cosa Nostra, except that I chose love over my birthright.

On our wedding day, my father cursed our union, swearing on his own blood that my wife and I would never live out our days in happiness.

I guess he was right, because fate stole her from me and I’m left to live an empty life without her, with a shattered heart and only half a soul.

On the day my wife died, I swore I’d never love anyone like that again, and it’s a promise I kept for two years.

A promise I kept until her…

She sauntered into my life wearing a dress the color of sunshine and with nothing else but an old Mustang and a smile. Beaten and bruised and seeking refuge behind my family’s walls. But I’m no white knight looking for redemption, and she’s sure no damsel in distress.

She’s annoying as hell. With no filter and an eternally sunny disposition. She says whatever’s on her mind, no matter how poorly judged it might be.

She’s everything I don’t want.

But she might just be everything I need.

And I don’t know how much longer I can resist her sweet smile and her sinful curves…

Because there’s only so long you can stand in the sun before giving in to its heat.

This book contains:
Grumpy/ sunshine
Dark mafia
Heartbreak and angst
Love after loss
Grovelling
Dom/ sub scenes
A HEA

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Mafia Romance, BDSM, Dark, Smut, Forced Proximity

432 pages, Paperback

Expected publication July 21, 2026

About the author

I'm a bestselling author of dark mafia, billionaire, and paranormal romance. I love to read and write about hot, filthy talking alphas that would burn the world down for the women they love.

I love chatting to readers about my books, or books in general, so please get in touch! You can follow me on Facebook and instagram as well as on here as Sadie Kincaid Author.

Amazon: author.to/SadieKincaid
Facebook Reader group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/16et...

Reviews

[♡Hey_Hayley♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 disappointing star.⭐

Let me start by saying. I wanted to fucking love this book.

I was on my toes for it to get released and Lorenzo's book was the one I was looking most forward to. But it just felt short.

I love Sadie and her books. I've read all of them but Lorenzo just wasn't it.

I liked it but I didn't love it.

I didn't feel connected to the characters. I usually love Sadie's FMCs but Mia just wasn't good enough. And what was the whole "banana" thing. It was so annoying! And I don't understand why everyone is saying that she wasn't a pushover because she did some questionable things making me wonder - 'Girl, where's your self-respect?' but I still gave her a chance. But when she started that "I-am-so-confident crap while saying self-depriciating shit like my-ass-is-too-fat." I gave up on FMC. She was fucking annoying.

Lorenzo was okay-ish, usual Sadie Kincaid MMC but I just felt like he wasn't truly in love with Mia. He was tired of being alone and she was a distraction from his dark world and dead wife. This is abso-fucking-lutely the wrong reason to be together. I kind of wanted to smack him at times. I mean why would he choose a dead woman over a living one.

I get that he loved Anya but his obsession to compare Mia with her made me feel like Mia was an OW, even though she wasn't. And I almost felt bad for Mia. ALMOST.

The fact that she cheated on her abusive husband didn't make sense to me. I mean you're scared shitless of your trainwreck of a husband and yet you sleep with HIS brother in HIS house and still can't file a divorce or runaway sooner than you did? C'mon Mia? That's just unacceptable.

The spice was good, I will give it 🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of five because Ms. Kincaid has done so much with her previous books.

Anyways, I have never been so disappointed in my own view for Sadie's work before. Because I love her and this book was some sort of big deal for me.

I wanted to love it and I really did try. But I just couldn't. And now I am left feeling a little heartbroken.

Plot- Mia (FMC) is Kat's cousin. She has been married to a police officer for ten years and he is an abusive asshole. But she still stays with him for TEN-motherfucking-YEARS because she thought she could change hum and sex was good.🤡🤡

Yeah! She literally said that!

_“Same reasons everyone stays, I guess. First because I thought he could change. I thought I could change him.” “Then I convinced myself it wasn’t so bad. That the good times outweighed the bad. The sex was incredible.”_

But then later this same woman says that the husband raped her. 🤧

Girl make up your mind please!

Then there's Lorenzo (MMC) he lost his wife to cancer. And he swore to her on the death bed that he'd never love another woman. 🤥🤥

But 2 years later, he meets Mia when she oh-so-easily-escapes her abusive husband. There's instant attraction but they both fight it. Mostly MMC is fighting it, Mia is just ready for him with her legs open.👌🏻👈🏻

But then, after a few weeks he gives in and sleeps with her only to leve her abruptly as soon as he cums. Then he says some hurtful shit but Mia takes his crap.🫠🫠

They fuck!😈🤡

Mia keeps being a pushover and he sleeps with her again and again saying that this will be the last time. He feels guilty for sleeping with her and keeps remembering his dead wife ever so often.🥱🥱

They fuck again.😈🤡

Then after a fight with Lorenzo Mia decides to leave his mansion and goes to a different state and starts anew. But then her husband comes to her and she kills the husband. Then she calls Lorenzo and he takes her back to his mansion.🙄

They continue fucking.😈🤡

MMC tells her that he would never be a Don again. But then few scenes later he becomes her Dom.

They fuck Dom/Sub style.😈🤡

Mia's brother-in-law THE ONE SHE SLEPT WITH shows up and arrests her because he knows that Mia killed her husband. Lorenzo saves her yet again but he keeps remembering the dead wife.🥴

They fuck some more.😈🤡

They get married but he still tals about his dead wife before the wedding. Like WTF bro 🙄😐🫤

They fuck again.😈🤡

Then have kids and live happily ever after.

So yeah, not my favourite because Sadie has much better books.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book should have been about Anya and Lorenzo.

The dead spouse who she the fmc can never measure up to. . . Yeah, i found myself wishing this was Anya and Lorenzo's angsty, tragic story.

Mia never measured up lol. And I could feel it.

Lorenzo never loves her the way or as much as he loved/loves Anya. And it shows in the writing.

The dead spouse trope (especially when it's a wife who is the dead spouse,) l find that I don't enjoy that.

I knew it would be hard for me to get into a romance where the fmc is the one doing most of the emotional heavy lifting and asking a man to love her. Ew. And that's what we got here...

I saw a few glimpses of Anya and Lorenzo's relationship in the two previous and i totally expected to be reading about them here in this book, but instead I got a stupid, desperate heroine who keeps coming back after the hero has rejected her over and over again. Disgusting. I don't like desperate heroines.

Again, Anya and Lorenzo's story sounded more intense and romantic.

I would have loved reading about a mmc who loves his wife so much, but she is dying and he doesn't know what to do, because even though he's her dom, the cancer is the one thing he cannot control/take out of her.

The little glimpse in the prologue where Lorenzo was at Anya's funeral and just wanted to be buried with her, was sooooo angsty and good, I wanted THAT love story.

Even if Anya had died at the end of that story too, I would still have preferred to read about that than whatever this is...

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm quite passionate about this review, and I need to express my feelings. I've been a fan of this author for a while, having enjoyed many of their previous works. However, this book left me disappointed. It's not what I expected from the author. I am super pissed about this book.
It lacks intimacy. From one abusive relationship to the next. ALso was she curvy or plus size- pick a damn lane. The fat phobia was yucky. The heroine never deals with the trauma of 10+ years of abuse and an alcoholic/ abusive father. The heroine is excited to be second best to a dead women. It was really a love triangle where the 3rd person was dead. I don't believe in their HEA and I hated Lorenzo in the end.
the possibility for a story here could have been so powerful instead we got crap.

I have really enjoyed this series but this book was a complete letdown for me. The storyline got lost in all the cum...

Full review at https://Bookcaseandcoffee.com

[✩ layla ✩ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

Heroine was waaaaaay too much of a pushover, and the hero was only with the heroine because the love of his life (his Anya) had died. Even in the epilogue, the heroine talks about how his late wife was the love of his life. She tries to correct it by saying she was one of the loves of his life but nah, we all knew she got it right the first time. And if the heroine is thinking that during the epilogue, then even she knows she’s second best 🙄 Everything about their relationship seemed forced, and I just didn’t care about either of them by the end.

[RavenOfTheSea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel her beneath my skin, creeping through my veins and forcing her way into my heart.

4/5 ⭐ 3.5/5 🌶️

This is Lorenzo's and Mia's story, the final -(I think)- couple of the Chicago series. I initially had some doubts because of Lorenzo’s late wife, Anya, who we met in the previous books. I really liked her and I am not much of a fan of the second chance / widower / widow trope. Yet, I actually enjoyed it. Mia was a very hopeful, sweet, sunshine fmc, that you couldn’t not like and the book treated Anya respectfully. I am still not a fan of the trope and I’ll probably avoid it like the plague but I enjoyed the book a lot.

This is a Sadie Kincaid book so I was prepared for the scorching hot spice. There was so much smut and it was s p i c y! The book focuses a lot on the dom/sub lifestyle and it is a major dynamic between the characters but there’s also a mutual appreciation between and a journey of healing for both of them.

Both characters had their own demons. Lorenzo had faced a great loss and Mia had been in an abusive relationship, so reading how their relationship slowly bloomed and how they faced their demons and started healing was fun!

I really enjoyed Lorenzo. He was hot and cold but I really liked him. I wish Mia was less of a push-over. She did fight Lorenzo but she also gave in faster than I would have liked. Still, she retained her charm.

In conclusion, Max owns the series. Who can top him?! He and Joey are the best couple!

Did I like it? Yeap.
Would I reread it? Nope.

[Krystal Skye H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got what I came for -

So I wanted to read this book to see what Anya's surprise was, and I enjoyed reading her letter. I also enjoyed the overall theme of grief and how a person can "move on" after their spouse dies. However, I didn't really like Lorenzo 😕.

I especially didn't like Lorenzo FOR Mia. Mia deserved to find her "person" and to be loved by them like Lorenzo loved Anya. I also don't agree with Mia going straight into "sub training" without going to any type of therapist for what she endured with her ex-husband across a 10-year span. I feel like Lorenzo is training Mia to not be herself and to be more like reserved Anya.."training" her not to speak so much when she's clearly a very social person. I also don't think this particular story should've ended with Mia and Lorenzo being together. Imo, I think they had a lot of self work to do before they jumped into a serious relationship.

And to be perfectly honest, I think just about any single person that was around Lorenzo at that point in time could've ended up with Lorenzo. Didn't have to be Mia at all. I said what I said. Lol Mia happens to be 2 things -1.) kind and 2.) understanding about Lorenzo's dead wife and how he's still in love with her. In his own words, Mia would never live up to her. I know that was said in an argument, but i think those words would forever live in the back of Mia's head.

Even though it was mentioned multiple times that they had "chemistry," I just didn't feel it. The whole time, I wanted them to go their separate ways and for Mia to be better off. HOWEVER, every time she did, something bad would miraculously happen, and they'd be back together. For Mia's protection or whatever. 🙄😒 To each their own and people can live however they want but this felt like settling. Mia's nice, and Lorenzo doesn't beat up Mia. That's the criteria for their relationship. This is just my opinion and is how I perceived their overall interactions. Because of this, I didn't enjoy the Dom/sub scenes as I didn't like Lorenzo and what he did to Mia at the club. Especially his "the perfect woman" comment. Just grossed me out.

I am excited about the next book. Hopefully, Lorenzo will get taken out by Kere 😅🤣 OVERALL, good addition to the series. I just didn't like Lorenzo, and that's fine. We aren't going to like everybody, right?

[(*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈) · Rating 1 out of 5]

mia was so fuckinggggg annoying omfg , every page she’s saying “holy bananas” STFU + she said her husband raped her but then she also said the s3x was good ??? HUH & SHE STAYED WITH HIM FIRST 10 YEARS

Lorenzo was literally annoying, every page he’s comparing mia to anya , we get it your wife died jesus christ but stop with the comparisons damn

brad (mia’s abusive husband) literally was fucking his biological mom , yes the woman who had him 🤢 + him and mia were having unprotected sex while he was having unprotected sex with other people

ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOTTT , so unrealistic if you think for one got damn min i’m going to sit up here and believe that mia didn’t catch anything, and the way sadie described brad was as if he was this beer belly, fat , greasy nasty looking guy just made it even WORSE

mia was such a annoying character i literally dnfed like i literally wanted to snatch that bitch out the book and slap some common sense into her wtf , she ain’t relatable or likable AT ALL (had to look at the spoilers)

and i also i HATE how sadie kincaid made it like having a fat ass was such a bad thing , sounds like exactly like another white women trying her hardest to make her FMC have no features similar to black women

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could never be in a 24/7 Dom-sub relationship cause ain’t no way you put a blanket on the floor and tell me to sleep there like a dog. My anger is too strong.

[Vintage · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out so promising. The heroine leaves her abusive husband and is a Little Miss Sunshine facing off the grumpy and mourning mafia guy who loves to kill people. It was pretty amusing that the minute they have sex he's runs around telling all his guy friends about how guilty he feels. He, of course, tells the h it can NEVER happen again, and her response that it wasn't that great anyway is like a red flag to a bull.

Anyhoo, things went south when they decide to be official and in a BDSM relationship. Kind of out of nowhere, but the h seemed to leave her personality behind when he became Sir. That and she's still married to a homicidal bastard so technically cheating, then there's her husband and BIL backstory of incest, as well as the affair she had with her BIL. Too much yuck for me.

[mar ۶ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You have it all wrong, Sir. You might have lost yourself in me, but I found myself in you.”

ৎ⋆｡‧📖‧ 3.75★

── .✦ be aware of spoilers

𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴:
"(falling - chase atlantic)"
0:09 ━●────────── 3:43
ㅤ ㅤ◁ㅤ ❚❚ ㅤ▷ ㅤ

full playlist for mia & lorenzoღ

↬ So I want Sadie to pay for my therapy because it is BRUTAL to start with a funeral, I can't handle that shit. I cried so much it felt like I was there in real life and I knew these people it's crazy.

↬ The whole beginning of the book broke me because what do you mean these people are both truly at their worst, Lorenzo because his wife died and he feels like he can never love anyone again and Mia because she just got out of a abuse relationship. I broke down when I read that Mia was escaping from her abusive relationship I don't even really know why, I think it just hurt extra that they were both going to find each other at their lowest point in life and that hurt because nothing good could've come out of that and I wasn't prepared for the rollercoaster

↬ Anya her letter was in fact in this book but maybe for my mental health it would've been better if it wasn't. I CRIED SO MUCH. What do you mean she wrote a letter for him that he could read when he would fall in love with someone else, I couldn't do it. More proof that Anya was literally the sweetest woman ever.

↬ Also Lorenzo his mood swings on what he felt for Mia were worse that my mood swings on my period but I will FOREVER be a Lorenzo defender. Maybe he shouldn't have pushed her away. BUT NOBODY GAVE HIM A HUG OR COMFORTED HIM OF SOME SORT WHEN HE WAS HURTING. He loved her but he felt like he was cheating on his dead wife. OFCOURSE HE WILL FEEL BAD. I think his actions were wrong but I can't be mad at him because at the end of the day he is a human with real feelings and I just felt so bad for him, I wanted to hug him. I WANTED TO HUG A FRICKING MAFIA BOSS, crazy me.....

↬ Overal I did think that the book was really disappointing because it felt like reading p0rn with sad elements and mafia plottwist and I just did not vibe with that, it felt unrealistic and just weird. They chose the most weird moments and it switch from being super duper sad to having sex, like make up your mind and I only enjoyed the sad parts lowkey.. Also the whole sub and dom situation they were having really wasn't for me it was so icky but yeah I did love the characters beside from those moments.

── .✦ pre-read🌑⭑.ᐟ
⤿ prediction: a whole lot of tears
reading this book is like choosing to have a mental breakdown/crash-out

wish me luck
If Anya's letter is not in this book I am suing.

[NELLA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers/TW ahead

Ok skip this review if you don’t want to read spoilers or triggers. I really contemplated not leaving this review or rating because I love and adore all things Sadie Kincaid. I devoured everything she published immediately as soon as I found her and like everyone else I wait ever so impatiently for each new release. But this book, was my least favorite unfortunately. I’m not used to Sadie writing such weak h’s and I was appalled at how weak Mia was. Like sick over it. And Lorenzo, as much as I wanted to love him, he was selfish and cruel and did and said unforgivable things to Mia IMO. I’ve never really been a fan of the widower trope so I knew going in it would be rough for me, also the Dom/sub and bdsm is not my fave either. Not when it’s constant and the only intimacy the couple shores after the established the Dom/ sub relationship. The constant “scenes“ are just not it for me. And that is a personal preference so not at all a reason for this rating.

That would be that whole widower role and weak h and cruel H thing going on. Not only was Mia abused by her husband for a decade, and Lorenzo knew that, saw it, but then he abuses her too just in a difficult way. And yeah we get it your a sad man after losing your wife 2 years prior, that is no excuse for the way he treated Mia over and over. Also, the cruel stuff he said to her after she took him back …I could never forgive, and I didn’t feel like he groveled enough or suffered for his actions at all. She always just rolled over for him and they fkd and that’s the end. And I’m sorry but the way he explained and expected no jealousy with other women but his ex’s kept approaching and were creeping and Mia just supposed to be silent because she would get punished if not. Yuck. Dom/sub or not that is so not cool. How would Lorenzo feel if Mia had and ex rub on her dress like his ex’s rubbed on his suit, and then the contact of cheek kisses by both of them. He would lose his mind. And Mia being so happy to meet them? Give me a damn break! Seriously. Wanting to be friends with them? Omg. No. Just no. But none of that infuriated me as much as the wedding day. Mind you, he NEVER told her she wasn’t second best like he said, that still bothers me. Not even his internal dialogue acknowledges it. But the wedding day, he couldn’t even give her that without making it a huge thing about Anya!? His behavior, his internal dialogue and his meeting with her right before she walked down the aisle! I’m furious that Sadie couldn’t give Mia this one damn day without her having Anya shadow. Yeah I get that she knew she would always hold a piece of his ❤️, ok but damn Mia deserves so much better.3 kids later and he still so torn up that he wants to think about and talk about his dead wife and can’t even give Mia one day solely celebrating her. Like I’ve never been more disappointed for and with 2 characters in my 44 years. No matter how you write it, and try to justify it, Mia got the short end and is still years later and will always be second best to Lorenzo and she allows it and seemingly celebrates in it. After all the ways she has suffered already she still getting the crap end. She was so desperate for love and attention without physical abuse that she clings to less than what she deserves and everyone just turns a blind eye and goes with it, including her own cousin. Books with the widow trope are always a challenge to write because we never want to read about our h being second best or being settled for and unfortunately, this book dug into that so deep and glorified it. Also, we the readers are sick of reading weak FMC’s in 2023. We’ve been weak for all eternity and we are sick of it. And this isn’t how Sadie usually writes the FMC’s so it was a double whammy to read. I love her books because of the strong FMC’s. Lorenzo should have grovel more and for much longer both times he abandoned her and she got hurt and even arrested. Like what kind of a Dom are you even. Both times you crush her after using her then tossing her away like trash and she goes through catastrophic trauma. And then it seemed like his selfish childish behavior was just wanting his toy back so he demanded it back at his leisure. Honestly I wanted Dante and Max and Joey to go upside his head so many times and demand he stop his crap but they all just walked on eggshells and co-signed his crap. Everyone goes through trauma but that is never an excuse for treating people like they are crap. Over and over at that.

Anyways, I love Sadie so much. I hate to not have a better review or personal opinion about this book. She is my automatic add to cart on release day author. She was actually pivotal in getting me back into reading last year. I stumbled upon her books and that lit a fire in me and since I’ve read a book a day. I don’t ever want to disrespect her talents. She is an amazing author. This book just wasn’t for me. It left me feeling ick.

[Nunu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't supposed to read this , but I gave in. Felt bad leaving one book out of the series so I had to right?

3/5☆
4.5/5 🌶 spice was surprisingly good and there was a lot of it.

•Dom/sub
•dual pov, duet audio 🎧
•insta lust, attractions
•dead ex
•touch her and you die
•sunshine x grumpy


I can't hate it nor can I love love it

This is Lorenzos ( I bet u didnt realise that HA) story filled with grief and questionable choices..??
Back in book 1 and 2 we meet his lovely wife but now she has passed away. And that's just a big no for me. I hate reading books with the dead ex trope. Especially if the ex was actually good, love of their life. Just heartbreaking. So why did I read this? This book is filled with his love for her past wife SO WHY AM I DOING THIS TO MYSELF..

I felt bad for the fmc, the mmc , also for the people who had to witness their relationship happen and me.

Mia runs away from a 10 year long, abusive relationship and our gang takes her in. Lorenzo and Mia have instantly chemistry and their relationship is just a lot of back and forth. Like a lot. And that was annoying. Lorenzo weeps for his past wife constantly, so much I cried with him. Him not being able to move on and Mia just standing there and taking all the shit he throws at her. GIRL YOU DESERVE BETTER. Their relationship is toxic 90% of the book, but hey we get a HEA and that's all that matters.
Also there is the drama with her abusive ex husband and this book was already a mess before that so more the merrier, I suppose!

I did like how Mia was understanding towards Loz, how she tried to support him and tell him it's alright to love another and that doesn't mean he wouldn't love his ex too. How it's ok to move on.. but honestly our boy was not ready for a relationship. He did do self therapy and punched some poor guys whenever he got sad , selfcare king🥰

He is a Dom, she is a sub and that happens later on in the book. The scenes were hot, but imo it was pretty mild? Idk I might be insane, but there was a chance to make this so so so much more 🔥🫣.

ANYWAY, the smut scenes were hot, gotta question their stamina a bit cuz HOW.
Impressive, that's all.


Overall it was an enjoyable, emotional rollercoaster, and im all about that!
Try the series out if u need more spice, bad men and bad life choices😈

[Danielle Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I read Dante, hated it. I didn’t plan on reading another book in this series even though I usually love Sadie’s work but figured I’d give Lorenzo a chance given the nature of the book. It’s not a common situation and I admired the uniqueness of the plot.

However, I think Sadie forgot how to write a strong FMC. And I’m not talking physically kick your butt strong, but even mentally. There was so so so much potential here. Literally this woman goes from a 10 year abusive relationship to the arms of a man who lost the love of his life. His wish-washyness was understandable for some time, but then it dragged on. And on. And on. And on.

And what does Mia do? Forgives him. Every. Single. Time. With hardly any work. This man literally tells you he’ll never love you like he did his dead wife and you’ll always be second best, and then what 3 days later you forgive him? All because he said some pretty words?……seriously? That’s all it took? She should’ve been focusing on herself and healing and not so concerned with a man who compared her to his wife time and time again. For someone who was so insecure it shocked me that she consistently let his words go.

Mind you, this was AFTER he already chased her away for 4 months. Mind you, after she takes him back THE SAME DAY she calls him after not seeing him for 4 months. Where was the grovel? Where was the effort? It’s like authors constantly glorifying just accepting scraps and forgiving with no expectation of showing a change. It’s crazy to me.

The spice was ok. I wasn’t expecting the dom/sub relationship aspect (oh yeah, he tells her he’ll literally never have a sub again cause she could never be Anya, multiple times) but it was fine. I get why Mia needed someone to take healthy control after her relationship with her husband. My big issue with dom/sub books is a lot of the times, like Sadie did here, they do absolutely no aftercare and it drives me nuts. How do they not discuss aftercare until 80% into the book? Gross. She calls him sir and he does what he wants but it doesn’t really show how it benefits the sub.

Overall, I just really couldn’t get past that many pages of him constantly bringing up his wife and then on the other page them having sex. I would’ve loved to see Mia go off on her own again and actually stand strong and not take him back same day. Normally if I eye-roll during a book more than 5 times that’s not a good sign, and there were countless in this book. Again, had potential, but ultimately fell short with both characters being a disappointment.

[VoraciousReader · Rating 1 out of 5]

1. I’m not an expert on domestic violence but I find it hard to believe that a woman who has been SA and physically abused by her husband for a decade would have Mia’s sunny, optimistic outlook on life.
2. Mia had absolutely no issues as a result of this DV – no fear of men, no fear of intimacy. I call bullshit.
3. This book could not decide what it was going to be. First, it was about DV and Mia running away from her abusive husband. Then, it was all about Lorenzo not being able to move on from his dead wife. Then, it was all about the mafia. Then, it turned into just another rip off of FSOG. When Lorenzo turned into a Dom and told Mia that he was going to control every aspect of her life 24/7, I was done.
DNF

[☆EmilyEverAfter☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

okayyyy, as much as I wanted Anya's back story I couldn't help but like Mia.. She really was like a ray of sunshine to Lorenzo. 🥹

[Bryanna]

Sadly for me this is a DNF @ 41%

The start of the book was so strong for me! I thought for sure this would be a 5 ⭐️.

The FMC is running away from her abusive husband and in the first spicy scene the MMC was quite rough with her and stormed off. There wasn’t the care needed and they both jumped into this sexual relationship with so much trauma that hadn’t been properly addressed.

In my opinion, the MMC didn’t treat the FMC well and she was professing her love at 41%. I was blindsided TBH.

I felt this had so much potential but unfortunately due to the treatment of the FMC I had to pause.

[Tarynrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

I genuinely thought I wasn't going to like this one but I'm pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed it

[Jac K]

DNF-Skim finish

I saw this online when I was on the hunt for some “hero still hung up on his ex” recommendations. It came up as an alternative to Rachel Van Dyken’s Empire (grieving mobster forced into another MOC), because I could NOT deal with that h, (she constantly spoke of princesses and fairytales), but this wasn’t a MOC, so they weren’t forced together.

I read this trope for the feels, so I didn’t mind that Lorenzo was still hung up on Anya. I’m even here for all the push-pull, he’s an asshole drama-llama. What I found lacking was the balance of relationship building between Lorenzo and his Sunshine girl, Mia. Instead, we got loads of Dom/sub stuff that didn’t (for me at least) adequately substitute what I needed in creating chemistry or dig deep enough to make it emotional.

And what was up with the bananas. I HATE when the badass anti-H is paired with the goody-goody, non-cursing, no violence h. Holy Bananas. Her character wasn’t consistent, and she had so many opportunities to grow from her experience with her abusive husband, but the author kept her mostly pathetic. Then there were all these tidbits that didn’t fit like her telling Lorenzo she stayed with her husband because the sex was great. Or her having an affair when she was terrified of him. Or her not wanting him to disappear when she knew he was after her.

Bottom Line- I wanted more connection, more dialogue, more being vulnerable, more groveling, and less Anya in the last 40%. She definitely shouldn’t have been in the epilogue. Still, I live for reading pretend people’s heartache and drama, so I’ll keep coming back to the genre… hoping the next one will be the right mix.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

[Daniella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Banana!!

I was waiting for this book since Dante came out, because Lorenzo had me intrigued. I, along with probably most readers, knew Anya wasn't going to find a miracle cure. But it still hurt my heart that Lorenzo, and the rest of the Moretti fam, had to suffer with her lost. But in came sunshine personified in Mia. Even with the hand she was dealt in life, she was a ray of sunshine. Sunshine that Lorenzo fought to let in; but, ultimately, it was inevitable. (Side note: love the Sunshine term of endearment). I love how she made him grovel, because he was a real ass to her while he tried to fight his feelings. There were multiple times my heart broke for him though. Especially when he felt like he cheated on Anya. I loved how Mia didn't make him feel like he couldn't think or talk about her. She let him know it was okay to and to love again. and the letter, the LETTER. My heart broke for Lorenzo, and Max because I know how hard it must have been to keep it all that time. I love this family and how they are ride or die (for real). I'm a little worried after reading the preview of Keres. But Sadie never disappoints and I can't wait to see what's next.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I wanted with Lorenzo’s story. I knew this was gonna be a sad one, with how much he loved his wife. I definitely cried a couple times reading their story. Mia was so perfect for him. The spice in this one was off the charts hot. I loved everything about this series, it just kept getting better and better. I can’t wait to see who the next book is about and what’s going to happen.

[Priya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed Disappointed Disappointed

I was waiting to read Lorenzo's story from book one. To read about Lorenzo, him being a widower and his journey of finding love again being a Dom.
But it was nowhere near what I was expecting.
I was not expecting a FMC to be this happy and sunshiney after being beaten up and being a victim of DA n SA.
Nothing was their in this book to read. No story no plot development no character development no chemistry.
Overall Disappointed

[Neveen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read Dante's story and almost done with Joey's, I cant wait for Lorenzo's story, although I'm worried cause anya was sick in both books, and I dont know if she's still alive or not, but I hope it ends with a happy ending nevertheless.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy banana balls 🍌

This is by far my favorite book of the Chicago Ruthless series. It was packed full of emotion and spice and drama and tension, and I loved every minute of it.

I may have wanted to hit Lorenzo upside the head a few times, but I understood where he was coming from. He was experiencing so much hurt and pain from losing his wife, and trying to learn that it was okay to love again.

Mia is a complete ray of sunshine, and even though she had such a hard life, I loved how she was independent and strong, and knew what she wanted from the get-go. She held her own, and wanted an equal partnership, a love worth taking risks for.

This is a Dark Mafia Romance, so there are some triggers that you might want to be check before diving in. (References to SA and domestic mainly)

Grumpy/Sunshine
Second Chance Romance

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This is book three in a series, so definitely read Dante and then, Joey, and then come devour this lengthy masterpiece, & keep in mind that you will get your HEA.

[kanieshhh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve sat on this review for a minute because I really don’t like giving negative reviews… but alas, honest reviews always help me when I’m on here.

I felt like nothing was consistent here & I’m bummed because THE POTENTIAL. TW & spoilers to comeeeee

my issues:

but first disclosure: I’ve never lost a spouse so take this with a grain of salt & the abusive relationship I’ve been in was short lived and not too physical.

- I can’t imagine losing a spouse & trying to find love after that loss AND I absolutely hated the consistent comparison of the fmc and his dead wife and how insanely obvious it was that he was only really interested because she was there in front of him.

- what in the actual fuck was up with the fmc’s abusive husband sleeping with his mom… what. I… I just… no.

- mia (fmc) wasn’t afraid of being thrown around during sex & things getting rough and not a mention of fear of the sound of belts during spicy scenes until like 70% into the book and then it’s an issue??? (again, totally valid fear but where’s the continuity babe?) and I also wish we could have seen a little bit more of her accepting and addressing her trauma instead of sexing it away (again, I recognize that we all deal with trauma differently, I just wish I could have seen that and grown with her)

- mia & kat’s friendship was so important and then all of a sudden zero mention of them spending time together or leaning on each other? again, continuity.

- honestly I kinda just hated lorenzo.

- then it randomly turns into a fknnnn bdsm dom/sub book? whattttttttt was going on?! training her and shit. wild, wild stuff. & not in the fun way.

ultimately I felt like mia was constantly second best and never enough for lorenzo while lorenzo was a controlling dick. love after loss can be so healing and it feels like they both settled for who was there and it was weird. I didn’t even care about the characters by the end & just wanted the book to be over.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story line had the potential to be really good but "holy bananas" 50x ruined it for me. I know Mia is supposed to be naive, but she's not five.

[Aleid · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.0 | I was hoping for more of a plot, but if you skip over all the sex scenes there are about 15 pages left…

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I expected more.

I have been a huge fan of this series along with really anything Sadie writes. However, this book? I don’t know. It just, ugh. It felt like 60% of the book was smut. And listen, I love some good smut but this was just too much. Also, I didn’t like how Lorenzo could tell Mia she’ll never be Anya, he’ll never love her like that blah blah blah and she very easily took him back. With this being said, this is the same character who talks about how belittling and emotionally abusive her ex husband, who she ran from was. (let’s not get into the physical abuse) Now, I’m not saying Lorenzo degraded her or emotionally abused her the same way. But I just felt she had no backbone with Lorenzo and allowed him to really make her feel like she wasn’t good enough and oh well that’s fine I’ll forgive him and move on. Regardless, it’s a good book overall, I just think I expected more.

[Serialbookstarter:Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Dead wife trope
Anya is the love of Lorenzo’s life. Problem
Is she’s not the fmc in this book. Mia is. Throw in some weak Dom/sub vibes and Mia makes it to Second best. I’m Not sure the soul mates/dead wife trope ever works in a light weight romance.

[Kazhe Akram · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't support emotional abuse <3