Depraved Lust: A Dark Standalone Mafia Romance

Valetti Crime Family #5

by Willow Winters

I’m a dangerous man. You may be fooled by my good looks and charm, but my eyes give it away.

I’m the hitman for the Valetti familia, and I’m damn good at what I do.
They want men to talk, and I make them talk. They want men gone — bang, it’s done. It’s as simple as that.

Until her.
She’s on my list, but I want her. On her knees and submitting to my every command.
I'll give her a simple choice — die, or be mine.

Formerly titled Bad A Dark Standalone Mafia Romance

Genres: Romance, Dark Romance, Contemporary

264 pages, Paperback

Published September 4, 2025

About the author

Willow Winters is so happy to be a USA Today, Wall Street Journal and #1 Contemporary Best Selling Author!

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Willow started writing after having her little girl, Evie, December 2015. All during her pregnancy with Evie she continued to read and she only wanted to read romance. She was reading a book a day — sometimes two.

In January 2016 Willow was staying up late with Evie and just thinking of all these stories. They came to her constantly so she finally sat down and just started writing. She always wanted to do it so she figured, why not? Today Willow cannot be happier for making that decision!


Want to know how to read Willow's books? Get a FREE PDF download from Willow here: https://www.willowwinterswrites.com/o...

Reviews

[Leanna Streeter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is hands-down my favorite of the series so far. Anthony and Catherine’s story was dark, gritty, and completely addictive. Anthony is lethal, ruthless, and absolutely captivating as a hitman for the Valetti family and Catherine should’ve been nothing more than another name on his list. Instead, she becomes his obsession, and the chemistry between them is explosive.

I loved the mix of danger and desire in this book. Catherine’s strength paired with her vulnerability made her such a compelling heroine, and the way her dynamic with Anthony unfolded kept me hooked from the first page. Their relationship is twisted, passionate, and impossible to look away from.

This story has everything suspense, secrets, spice, and heart-pounding tension. It’s dark, it’s raw, and it’s the kind of romance that lingers with you after you finish. Easily my top pick in the Valetti series so far! Thanks to Hambright PR for the gifted ARC.

[PP's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Willow Winters saved the spiciest one for the last standalone in Valetti Crime Family series. Anthony is so dark and depraved and twisted and I love it. He is taking antihero to next level and he is unapologetic about it. And I think all of us romance readers will find a piece of us in Catherine. A book blogger who works in the romance book world in various capacities and is obsessed with dark romance. Sounds familiar? Only that her fantasy of getting abducted and owned by an alpha antihero is coming true.

🖤dark romance
🖤 enemies to lovers
🖤mafia romance
🖤 captive romance
🖤 BDSM romance

Anthony is the hitman of Valetti family. He is cold hearted and feared by all. But his next target is making him go crazy. He has to have her. Train her. Own her. Make her pleasure and pain his business. Even if it means breaking the deal and bringing the wrath of a rival mafia family. Catherine will be his submissive. At any cost.

This book is hard core BDAM in the sense that the author takes us through each and every step of how Anthony breaks Catherine. He breaks her reservation about her own desires. At the beginning, she is fighting him because she is scared of his intentions. She thinks he will kill her as she is danger to another mafia family. She also feels guilty and shameful of wanting Anthony but slowly Anthony wins her trust. He plays the game of rewards and punishment so well. He is obsessed with her and that is so sexy. He wants to take care of her and protect her and give her every kind of pleasure imaginable and that makes him happy. BDSM dynamics is a slippery slope ans Willow Winters is one of those authors who can do it so well. The power plays and mind games can turn into something wrong but Anthony knew what he is doing. He knew what Catherine needs. He slayed her demons and she filled the emptiness in his life like he never expected. It was absolutely filthy and sometimes we just need that.

I reviewed a copy voluntarily

[Astrid Whispers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthony and Catherine 📖

Anthony is a hit man for the familia. That’s what he does and there isn’t anyone that does the job better than him. He gets the names and it’s over for them. Just like that. Until he sees Catherine’s name on the list and he has to know why.

The Cassano familila wants her dead, but Anthony wants Catherine all to himself. He has desires that he knows only she can fulfil. He wants her to submit and give in to his every Comanche. The choice is simple. She a die or be his.

He wants this. He wants her and now he has a chance, to make his desires his reality. After searching her up, Anthony knows that Catherine has desires too and he knows he can grant them, but he doesn’t just want her to choose it. He wants her to beg for it.

Anthony has always craved what others have had, but in a way he knows no one will understand. He wants Catherine all to himself, to submit to him and he’s positive that she will, but he knows that she’ll put up a fight and he’ll have to punish her for it.

The way that they both crave each other, even though at first Catherine does resist, creates tension and suspense, but Anthony would never hurt Catherine.

Even if no one understands what he wants from her, he would never lay a hand on her like he knows others have.

Catherine is conflicted, on the one hand she wants to escape and leave and will do anything she has to do to be able to fool him so that she can escape but on the other hand she can’t help but be excited by Anthony and the things he wants from her but won’t take.

As the two spend more and more time together, it becomes clear that they both enjoy one another. Catherine belongs to Anthony, there is no question in his mind that she is his, but he knows that the Cassano familila wants her gone. They want her dead and he’ll do whatever he has to do make sure that she stays alive.

[Tommie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Valetti Crime Family Series

Dirty Dom - Willow Winters
Valetti Crime Family Book 1

His Hostage - Willow Winters
Valetti Crime Family Book 2

Rough Touch - Willow Winters
Valetti Crime Family Book 3

Cuffed Kiss - Willow Winters
Valetti Crime Family Book 4

Depraved Lust -Willow Winters
Valetti Crime Family Book 5


Thank you @willowwintersshouldbewriting & @hambright_pr for these gifted ebooks

My Review:
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Pages:
Dirty Dom: 262
His Hostage 260
Rough Touch 278
Cuffed Kiss 242
Depraved Lust 264 - My Favorite of the series

Genre: Mafia Romance
Tropes:
💼 M@f!a
🌑 Dark romance
🚪 Forced proximity
🔗 K!dn@p

#HPRDirtyDom
#willowwinters
#HambrightPR

Dirty Dom: This is Dom and Becca’s story
His Hostage: This is Vincenti and Elle’s story
Rough Touch: This is Kane and Ava’s story
Cuffed Kiss: This is Tommy and Tonya’s story
Depraved Lust: This is Anthony and Catherine’s story

Each of these books are dark mafia romances and are very fast paced. This author’s books are always well written with excellent character and storyline development. Each are spicy.

Her books always hook me in the first few pages. I devoured this series one book after the other. Book covers always lure me into books and these covers are definitely my style.

I loved this series and highly recommend each book. Honestly I wish there were more in this series.

#willowwinters #hambright_pr #valetticrimegamily #dirtydom #hishostage #roughtouch #cuffedkiss #depravedlust #mafiaromance #mustread #booktok #bookstagram

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Book 5 of the Valetti Crime Family series.

I was lucky enough to receive as an ARC 🥰

Anthony isn’t your typical antihero—he’s a hitman for the Valetti familia, ruthless, skilled, and utterly lethal. Catherine should’ve just been another mark on his list, but instead, she becomes his obsession. What starts as a dangerous ultimatum quickly spirals into something far more twisted: passion, submission, and an all-consuming connection that neither of them can resist.

Willow Winters delivers a dark, gritty, and addictive mafia romance that hooks you from page one. The tension between Anthony and Catherine crackles off the page, blending danger and desire in a way that makes this story unforgettable.

Tropes:
✨Mafia romance
✨Possessive antihero
✨Captive/forced proximity
✨Obsession turns to love
✨Dark and dangerous chemistry

If you love your romances dark, intense, and a little unhinged, this one will hit all the right notes.

Depraved Lust is seductive, gritty, and raw. It’s a standalone in the Valetti world that proves sometimes the most dangerous man is the one you can’t resist.

[sarah_is_booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you @willowwintersshouldbewriting and @hambright_pr for my copy!

This is book # 5 in the Valetti Crime Family series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Anthony is a hitman for the Valetti family, and Catherine is on his list. He doesn’t want to do through with it, and instead wants to make her his. Anthony craves a complete power exchange, and Catherine is the prefect one to make his dream come true. Dark, kidnapping romance books can be a fun escape for many reader like Catherine— until it happens in real life. Catherine has been taken, and there’s nothing she can do about it. She must submit to him, or meet her demise. Catherine is grappling with her desire and her self preservation as she understands the dangerous situation she’s in. She can’t help be drawn to Anthony and crave his touch. I enjoyed the tension between them, and the mafia suspense throughout the story. Overall, this was an enjoyable end to the series and I would recommend it.

“I’m …. desperate for his touch. It’s sick. I shouldn’t want this, but I do.”

Read if you enjoy:
✔️Maf!a
✔️Dark romance
✔️Forced proximity
✔️K!dn@p
✔️Dual POV

[Pà · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book completely consumed me from the first page and kept me hooked until the end. Catherine stood out as strong yet vulnerable, shaped by her pain but still fighting for herself, and I admired how her character carried both fire and fragility. Anthony was intense, ruthless, and commanding as a hitman, but underneath all that darkness he was also broken in ways that made him fascinating. The chemistry between them was addictive. The writing blended mafia grit with an emotional depth that I didn’t expect. The pacing was fast, full of suspense, secrets, and shocking moments that had me glued to the book. I loved how the story showed both the brutality and the tenderness that can exist in such a dark romance. Loved it. Thank you so much to the author and Hambright for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving an honest review.

[BookLoverNicNic · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bookworm and the mafia hitman. Catherine and Anthony.

Anthony is the guy who takes the hits-people that need taken care of for his mafia family- and Catherine's name is on that list. But he doesnt want to kill her, he wants to keep her as his so he offers her a choice. Submit to him or die?

Catherine is in a scary place in her life from her previous relationship with a mafia guy that abused her and tried to kill her. When Anthony finds her and offers her a choice, she chooses Anthony.

This book, was sexy, raw, and gritty. It had dark themes and mild bdsm.
Its thigh-clenching, sweat-dripping, and heart-pounding perfection in a book!! This couple was my favorite and I wish I had more of them!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶

[allireads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay let me preface that this is my FIRST dark romance after swearing off of romance from the moment I learnt to read.
Did not think I would like it as much as I did. It was kind of like reading a Wattpad story and I loved it. My only gripe, the only thing I couldn’t get behind, is how quickly it switched from Catherine HATING Anthony to absolutely infatuated and borderline stock-homey over him. I think that trope needed more time. Overall really good storyline, easy to follow and I enjoyed it a lot.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to read Anthony's story and it didn't dissapoint! Anthony is Tommy's brother and a hit man for the Valetti familia. Catherine is on his hit list. She was perviously in a relationship with a man in the mafia who abused her and almost killed her. When Anthony sees her, he doesn't want to kill her....he wants to make her his. She has a choice to make...submit to Anthony or die. She chooses Anthony and their relationship is SPICY! I think they're my favorite couple of the series!

[Crystal Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony is a hitman for the Valetti family. He is ruthless, skilled, commanding, and lethal. Catherine is a name on his list, but becomes his obsession. He can’t take her out, he won’t. There is so much chemistry between the two of them. The book is full of suspense, secrets and spice. Catherine is strong, but also showed vulnerability. The book is a beautiful mixture of danger and desire.

[black swan 🦢 · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf 61%

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

These brothers in book 4 and 5 do not give af! They are willing to give it all up for their women.

This one was my favorite and definitely the darkest.

Literally going head to head with the boss, Vince, risking everything he has ever known!!!!

What to expect
Mafia
Paid unaliver
She is his next target
Forced proximity
Dom/sub

Thank you Willow and Hambright PR for allowing me to read this entire series as ARCs!