Luca: A Mafia Arranged Marriage Romance

by Heather Carmel

Gabriella
Tomorrow, my twin is set to marry a mafia king.
Tonight, she’s drowning in satin and tears, begging me to save her.
So I do the unthinkable.
I take her place.
Now I’m walking down the aisle toward Luca Romano.
Cold. Powerful. Deadly.
He thinks I’m the timid bride he was promised.
But I don’t cower. I don’t tremble.
And when he kisses me, I kiss him back.
I can play the perfect wife.
But if I make a mistake, he’ll bury me.

Luca
My bride was supposed to be silent.
Obedient. Invisible.
Instead, she stares me down at the altar.
Drinks whiskey like sin.
And kisses me like a dare.
She’s different. Wilder.
Not the woman I agreed to marry.
She’s the storm I should contain.
But I crave the chaos she leaves behind.
And if she’s lying to me…
I’ll burn the world to uncover the truth.

Genres: Mafia Romance

254 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 30, 2025

About the author

Heather Carmel is a quirky, fun-loving contemporary reverse harem author. She spends most of her time writing at the beach with her toes in the sand and a cold drink in her hand.

Heather loves to hear from her readers. She can be contacted by email: authorheathercarmel@gmail.com

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorheath...

On Tiktok: @authorheathercarmel

On Facebook: @authorheathercarmel

Reviews

[Dora Koutsoukou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part 1

2 🤔🤔⭐️s

If this was the author’s debut I would have been lenient.
The premise was good yet the execution was amateurish.

While I will not read this series, I wonder why the first 2 parts have the same (model) cover…

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars--Luca and Gabriella's story was a good read.

Gabriella is Sofia's identical twin. Sofia is soft and delicate, trying to fit into a world she doesn't fit into, raised by a controlling father. Gabriella was separated from Sofia at a young age and is stronger since she had to learn life on her own after her mother passed away when she was 17.

Luca is an Italian mafia king set up in an arranged marriage to Sofia. Luca's intention is to just get the marriage over with and continue his life as he sees fit. Sofia is in panic mode and calls her sister to help her, who happens to live right now in Prague. Gabriella gets to her sister in the early morning to help get her out of this marriage. But the only way they can find that won't damage their families is for them to just switch identities. Gabriella does well enough acting like her sister, she feels, until things start happening where Luca begins to realize the woman he married is not the same woman he'd met prior to the wedding. Luca digs into Sophia's background and finds nothing, he follows her and what he finds puts everyone in danger.

This was a good read that flows well, has spice and an element of danger. The plot took twists that could have gone a number of ways but went perfectly. A few spots have typos but wasn't really enough to take away from the story, but enough that should have been caught in editing.

[Roberta Curmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[P.Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick Mafia Read

This was a one-sitting read, and I really enjoyed Luca and Gabrielle.

I love a strong FMC, and Gabrielle is exactly that.

When Sofia has a panic attack about marrying Luca, she switches places with her twin, Gabrielle. Luca quickly realizes something is different about his bride and becomes determined to uncover the truth. In the midst of figuring out who his wife really is, he may have already fallen in love with her.

This is a must-read—straight to the point with no unnecessary runaround.

[Brenda A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad

The book was not bad it just wasn't what I was looking for. I thought it was going to be a mafia romance with the little bit of angst and some good spice with an innocent heroin. This book was just the opposite it was not bad it just wasn't my cup of tea. What's up with the hair on the cover picture he looks like a greasy politician LOL

[Amandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the book.
The strong, loving relationship between the two sisters and the way Luca cared for them both really drew me in. It had the perfect level of angst to keep me on the edge of the seat.
Highly recommended. .

[Janet Hammons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luca & Gabriella

I love this couple. The story line is so intriguing. I couldn't put it down. The way they get married is different. It's arranged but he marries the wrong woman. I love it all.

[Tychedea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this book was a good read. I really enjoyed the characters. The FMC Gabriella was not the best actress, but a bad ass and ended up being a perfect fit for the MMC Luca. The plot really needed to be a little more complex though. Because of this I would probably rate it a 3.5.

[Madison Caruthers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m happy for Sophia because she was able to live her life for the first time ever. I was worried about her because after she left, we didn’t hear from her again so I feel like it would’ve been nice to have a point of view of what Sophia is doing throughout the book but overall it was good read.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book from it being a twin swap to falling in love with each other ❤️

[Austyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twin love

When your twin is in need you give her your life and take her place! I loved getting to see both the sisters grow into who they were meant to be. One finds love in her husband and the other finds how to love her self.

[Denise T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent read by this author. Great characters, an exciting story.
I highly recommend this book. A storyline in a mafia book that’s not identical to many others. It’s a great read.

[Charmaine Breytenbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this series so much

[kochamciehogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 /5 ⭐️

[Mrs Eileen McKeague · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book…the twin trope was good..but told in a different way.