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PIETROI'm already dead inside.

Loving her could finish the job.

Thirteen years ago, I died with my best friend Pablo in a warehouse ambush.

I just didn't stop breathing.

I've spent over a decade as a ghost.

Ruthless, cold, already dead inside.

Then Nora Kelly walks into my office.

My new secretary. Sharp. Fearless.

I swore I'd never feel again. But she's cracking something open inside me.

Making me want to live instead of just survive.

NORAI'm lying with every breath.

When he finds out, we'll both burn.

My real name is Nora O'Sullivan.

I'm the daughter of the Irish mob boss who wants Pietro Sartori six feet under.

Every time Pietro looks at me with something that might be trust, I'm lying to his face.

He thinks I'm his salvation.

He's letting me past walls no one else has breached.

I'm the knife aimed at his heart.

And when he discovers the truth, there won't be anything left of either of us.

486 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2025

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Sherry Blake

24 books126 followers

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5 stars
333 (52%)
4 stars
201 (31%)
3 stars
76 (12%)
2 stars
18 (2%)
1 star
4 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
Profile Image for jaedin.
339 reviews
March 1, 2026
This was my first book by Sherry Blake and I had it on pause for a while, but when I unpaused it I couldn’t even fathom it by I had it one pause in the first place🤦🏽‍♀️ The writing style is so easy and ever chapter has you wanting more.

What can I say besides this book was yummy. I loved how Nora is a strong fmc and doesn’t take even crap, but when she lets herself be vulnerable, ugh I loved that. It really felt like chefs kiss. Pierto was a lovely mmc who thought he didn’t deserve good things and bam in walks Nora and making him feel things he thought he looked away long ago. I will definitely be continuing with the next few books and then swing back around to the beginning!

Pierto (36) Nora (23)
Profile Image for The Bou.
380 reviews32 followers
January 8, 2026
For some reason I still haven’t figured out, mafia office romances are my kryptonite.
Overall, I enjoyed the book because it has all the ingredients for a good mafia romance and was rather well-written, it did drag on at the end tbh. This type of mafia should def be shorter.
✅ workplace/office setting
✅ Irish mafia vs. Italian mafia
✅ hidden identity
✅ kidnapped by the villain / torture
✅ action-packed
No virgin FMC
Minor OM drama and OW drama

However, the MMC gave me massive headache.
Pietro was the king of a-holes. The guy was a douche and an alcoholic.

Writers should be more careful with how they describe their MMCs; a guy who scares the shit out of his secretaries, f***s half of them, and discards them like objects doesn’t scream dark, dangerous, and mysterious… just an idiot with a lot of red flags, and not in a good way.
Of course, Pietro will tell you he’s always in control, and then he breaks a glass, phone, or wall every other morning just because…
Also, his BFF died 13 years ago and the guy is still not over it! Even Pablo’s mum has a better handle on her emotions, and it was her son!!!
And because the MMC is an idiot, we get some small OW drama.

Also, things that didn’t make sense:
Nora’s salary?? 54k? For Boston mafia?? What is going on here?
They live in the same place but arrive at work separately, a few minutes apart.
Shipping manifests. I have no idea how they work or what they look like, but do some research, this comes up a lot.
Pietro asks to double the security every chapter… he’s probably run out of people by chapter 10.
682 reviews5 followers
November 27, 2025
I loved this book. The writing style is smooth, easy to fall into, and perfectly paced—I ended up reading it in a single day because once it pulled me in, that was it.

Nora and Pietro were fantastic main characters. Nora is intelligent, stubborn, and a true survivor. To stay alive, she ends up working as secretary to the angry, miserable Italian Don, Pietro Sartori. Pietro is weighed down by grief and guilt, convinced he’s undeserving of happiness and carrying demons he can’t let go of.

What made this story really shine for me was how well Nora matches him. She isn’t easily intimidated, and unlike his previous secretaries, she stands her ground. Their banter is sharp and entertaining, their chemistry builds naturally, and more than once I found myself smiling at their dynamic.

The plot is full of addictive twists and turns—immersive, fast-moving, and angsty in all the right ways. The family dynamics were a great addition and added emotional depth to the story.

I would have loved an epilogue set a few years later, but honestly, that just means I’m even more excited for Lorenzo and Sophia’s story.

Thank you for the ARC—I really enjoyed this one. It just hit right.
Profile Image for McKayla.
156 reviews2 followers
December 28, 2025
I really wanted to dislike Pietro after Lucrezia's story, but his story with Nora? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. The spice was spicy, the plot and drama was juicy with twists, turns, and a couple of "holy shit, what???"s. The banter and sexual tension between Nora and Pietro was perfect. 10/10, would read again.I would read this book again and again and I don't reread anything, ever. I devoured this book, this story in 2.5 days.

I was given an early copy as an ARC reader and I'm so honored. ❤️ I absolutely love how Sherry Blake writes women that are real with real problems, real thoughts and real needs. The women in her books aren't just blank and boring. I feel like I could be friends with many of the women in her stories.
Profile Image for Redcurlsangel.
179 reviews7 followers
November 29, 2025
ARC Review, thx Sherry Blake


This book is my favorite so far.
I wasn't bored for a single second and devoured it in one sitting.
This is the first installment in the Sartori Syndicate series, and it was a well-written, tangled web of drama, lies, deception, betrayal, and romance.
I like both main characters and felt the palpable chemistry between them. The reader feels Pietro's inner turmoil, and Nora is the perfect counterpart for him.
Plot, emotions, smut, and suspense combine to create a fantastic, highly readable storyline.
The epilogue could have offered more of a glimpse into the future, but readers will likely hear what happens to the entire Sartori family in Lorenzo's story. The Sartori family already played a role in the Feretti Syndicate.
HEA, no cheating or sharing
⭐️ 4/5
🌶 3/5
Profile Image for Heather.
112 reviews
May 24, 2026
I love a good cliché mafia book. It’s a comfort read for me and this book checked all the boxes. First time reading anything from Sherry Blake and I wasn’t disappointed. Will definitely be reading more.
Profile Image for Zainabandherbooks.
251 reviews2 followers
Read
June 15, 2026
3.5 ⭐️’s

A little more than in love with this family so now I’m working my way through their books
Profile Image for jhea.reads.
23 reviews3 followers
April 28, 2026
ARC Review,

Thank you Sherry Blake.

I really enjoyed Pietro. This book has just the right amount of dark, messy, and emotional vibe in all the ways a mafia romance should be.

Pietro is a hothead and starts off so closed-off, but watching him fall hard for Nora was honestly one of my favorite characters of the whole book but also of the entire series.

And that restaurant scene when he shows up, tells her to leave ALONE or else, and come home to him had me literally kicking my feet. I re-read that scene multiple times.

Their chemistry is intense, their dynamic chaotic but still sweet underneath all the chaos, and Nora’s secret keeps everything tense in the best way. The spice for me was the exceeded my expectations.

I devoured this book and can’t wait for the next one.

⭐️ 5/5
Profile Image for Kristen Thomas.
47 reviews1 follower
November 23, 2025
OMG AMAZING!!!! Sherry Blake did it AGAIN!! I did not want this book to be over! Nora and Pietro were absolutely perfect for each other! The action was incredible, the story literally had me on the edge of my seat, and the spice was 🔥 🔥 🔥!!!! I have LOVED literally EVERY SINGLE BOOK by Sherry Blake and I will ALWAYS HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend her books! They have everything you would want in a dark mafia romance!! Can’t wait for the next one!
Profile Image for maya.
131 reviews
July 4, 2026
♥︎ Maya's Reads ♥︎

★★★★★ overall rating

Okay, for some context i have had this series saved to read since December 2025. Another thing was that I actually found this series scrolling on Amazon. What caught my attention was the covers, and immediately I knew that they were mafia books, so I took a picture and finally got around to reading them, not knowing there were so many books, but I’m now determined to finish the Sartori Syndicate series!! So here it goes…

*Spoilers Ahead*

For this book, Pierto & Nora were truly such a good and fun couple to have read, because of the fact that they were so close and working together, her being his secretary, and her catching a lot of mistakes or people stealing from the business. I think that was super cool, because we were able to see an FMC truly get involved within the mafia world and not be like a typical FMC where they are not involved to the extent in that she is. I think having read the previous book with Daniel and Lucerzia, and how the ending of that book was where we see Riccardo die and Bruno fall into a coma, there was always some lingering around the family and how both families are going to navigate their wanted alliance, but also it gave us a backstory to how Pierto came to be Don and and why he is the way he is, which was because of the death of his brother and the ongoing coma of his other brother could also revealing that many many years ago, his best friend was killed as well. So once again, you can see that he just has a lot of guilt within his character and truly doesn't believe that he should be alive nor rewarded anything good and should just have eternal suffering, which definitely impacted the way he moved when it came to Nora. I think once he saw Nora literally was like a puzzle, like he was trying to solve, but also being that he wasn't allowing himself to accept and truly love until they did. I think the book was gradually paced because, compared to the other books, where the Feretti family couples fall in love within the same timeframe that Pierto & Nora do, but with their story, it really was a well-developed story, to where the time frame didn't matter. In addition to the comparison of the. Feretti family, I do see heavy similarities between Pierto & Damiano and Nora & Zoe, essentially these are the same couple but just different fonts. And I didn't enjoy the conversation or the subtle comment that Damiano had told Pierto, which was that he had something finally to fight for and some and someone to finally be alive for. I think once we finally get them sleeping together. We immediately knew that after that, like shit was going to hit the fan, and we were finally gonna have to hear Nora try to explain to him who she is, being his enemy's daughter, but literally in the process of almost doing that, she gets caught and ends up running away very similar to Zoe. I think the clear shock was when we find out that Pierto find Nora in the hotel that her uncle Finn had put her open and literally have her dad Connor busted and then uncle Finn shoot his brother and tells Pierto to take Nora and within two hours, he will explain everything, but then Nora goes off to tell the siblings that she was supposed to be engaged, but that she caught him being a traitor confronted him got strangled by him ended up telling her dad her dad said fuck off, fix it yourself and then run away, BUT THENN have uncle Finn refill to Nora and everybody else that I'm your father not Connor, EXXCUSMEEEE QUEEE? I think for me the best part of this book was definitely the entire plot where she runs away, she and essentially the whole plot point of the truth being revealed and then navigating through it and essentially believing her and helping her in the process. And lastly, I do really enjoy the last chapter because essentially, we finally got two people who believe they were so broken. Both finally meeting each other, very spontaneous in their lives, both looking for different reasons, but we're able to essentially become a couple, and both finally accept that we were worthy of loving each other. So yeah, I completely love that they had a conversation and that's how the book ended, and not them ending the book and a typical wedding, which obviously we might get in future books, but it was nice to see their conversation because essentially it ended how it started so a full circle moment.
Profile Image for Jesmin Nawaz.
1,291 reviews14 followers
August 14, 2026
So the book comes up under the Feretti Syndiate but it's actually the Sartori Syndicate which is a spinoff. Not that it makes a big deal at all but just something I noticed.

That being said, I was not ready for the angst this book had or how much this family would have me in my feels. I always will be a mafia girlie and this book delivers! It's an unknown enemies to lovers because Pietro doesn't know his hot secretary is actually the daughter of his enemy. She was running from her uncle, hidden in plain sight but under the protection of the Sartori's. Of course, she's about to tell him the truth in minutes but his brother shows up with the truth and all hell breaks lose. Despite his family thinking Nora is spying on them and working against them, Pietro knows that she's not in his heart of hearts. Eventually the dust settles and Nora's family eventually becomes a non issue. I love how they tied Nora's mother in with Gulia - besties!

I am excited for the rest of the books.
Profile Image for Deborah.
548 reviews7 followers
November 24, 2025
Nora ‘Kelly’ is on the run and even though she’s got someone on her side, they’re in charge of pulling the strings and she’s at their mercy, or is she. Drowning in paperwork, Pietro Sartori is in desperate need of a secretary, one that will last longer than a hot minute. When Nora doesn’t bat an eye at the disaster of an office or flinch at the over the top temper of the handsome and powerful Don who, doesn’t trust her, although he’s deeply intrigued by her efficiency, knowledge and spirit. Lines get blurred, truths aren’t shared and enemies are closer than you think all the while Pietro and Nora’s romance cannot be denied. First in a new series and it was a well written tangled web of lies, deceit, drama and an off the chart romance from start to finish. Thanks to the author for the opportunity to be a part of her ARC team to read and review her work.
Profile Image for Carrie.
175 reviews8 followers
November 30, 2025
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Amazing start to the Sartori Syndicate series!! Pietro and Nora were everything! You can feel and see all of the emotions Pietro had about things the happened to his family and his best friend. He held the weight of that grief on his own. Nora was definitely an unexpected twist in his life. He couldn’t resist her. There was so many times during the book where i was dying for her to just tell Pietro what happened lol He always had enough trust issues lol I truly did love this book. There were twists and turns that i definitely was not expecting at all and it kept me super interested as a reader. Sherry did well with character development and amazing plot! Can’t wait until the next book 🖤
Profile Image for Wendy Livingstone.
20.9k reviews264 followers
January 15, 2026
Great story!!

This is the seventh book in this phenomenal series and this is Pietro and Nora's story.
This is a well written action packed, easy to read story, with family dynamics, friendships, emotions, loyalty, secrets, danger, suspense, intrigue, tension, challenges, humour, close proximity, making choices, determination, revelations, undeniable chemistry, and unconditional love, which leads to an entertaining, twisted, and unpredictable addictive page turner.
I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.
Profile Image for Sundy Tr..
304 reviews12 followers
June 20, 2026
Pietro (36) & Nora (23).

The book starts strong and kept me hooked. Office romance & mafia; I ate it up!

Nora is awesome, very strong and a perfect match for Pietro. I liked them both a lot and the chemistry was there from the beginning. I could feel their struggles and I liked how they connected.

The jealousy and the possessiveness is top tier. There was some action, secrets and betrayal.
I only wish the angst lasted a little longer and maybe the spice could be less repetitive.

-Dual 1st person POV
-Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Overall: 4/5 ⭐️ for me.
44 reviews
July 29, 2026
I didn't read these in the right order, but I don't care. I actually think it made this book that much better. The mysterious Pietro was finally revealed. I read Bruno first, tried reading the very first book (didn't like it - DNF), Lorenzo, Vittoria and then finally Pietro's story. This was my favourite! Pietro was amazing - I loved his character. I loved Nora, too. They just worked so well together ❤️ I'd definitely recommend this book. It was well written. And steamy af. Gah. I'm dying...in a good way. 🥰
Profile Image for Khou Yang.
102 reviews2 followers
February 28, 2026
I'm convinced Sherry Blake can't write a bad book!

This book was so good! Two broken people come together and with their baggage and trauma they find a way to make each other whole. I loved the characters in this book. I find it hard to read about a strong a FMC without her being annoying, but Sherry Blake did an amazing job! Nora was strong and defiant, but knew when to draw the line. Definitely recommend this to all mafia book readers!
Profile Image for Belle.
603 reviews7 followers
March 3, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️,5

Pietro really had to go through so much. For someone who supposedly doesn’t feel much, he certainly has a high libido based on all the stories about his past, and a serious aggression problem. Nora is such a badass character. She’s incredibly smart and impressive. Her past has clearly left its marks on her as well. I found it genuinely gripping, though at times it all moved a bit too quickly.
Profile Image for victoriaamd.
517 reviews1 follower
July 16, 2026
Pietro más bipolar y me muero diosss, la propia jeva. Por otro lado era OBVIO que Finn era el verdadero papá de Nora y fue Obvio que Declan la iba a secuestrar.
Genuinamente esperaba que pasara algo diferente, al principio me gustó bastante todo el enemies to lovers, pero luego fue más de lo mismo y se volvió aburrido. I mean, pietro pensó que Nora lo traicionó, se molestó y luego de la nada volvieron a andar de honeymoon..

2.5/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Sal Fred.
55 reviews
August 5, 2026
perfect summer read

Read book Pietro- Dante but not the first 7.
Enjoyed the escapism. Interesting characters even if the brothers tend to be carbon copies emotionally. Lorenzo is the nearest they get to a poet. Good pace, easy writing style, very enjoyable. Oh and sex obviously but you can skip those pages if you need to.
Profile Image for Lynda Luna.
17 reviews
December 7, 2025
Love this story

Another great npvel. It has its moments of romance, comedy, with sprinkles of violence and steamy scenes. Also a stubborn and defiant MFC and the MMC can't get enough of her.
Profile Image for Andrea.
371 reviews
January 15, 2026
- mafiánské rodiny
- tajná identita, útěk před bývalým
- láska na pracovišti (šéf a asistentka)
- myslí že si nezaslouží lásku
- smrt blízkého
- třetí syn nepočítal s vedením rodiny
- rodinná tajemství
- mučení
Profile Image for Marija M. Veljković .
32 reviews3 followers
March 17, 2026
This is my first book by this author, and it won't be my last. I liked the style and manner of writing, I enjoyed the characters and the story. Mafia is my favorite genre at the moment, so I can't wait for the sequels.
Profile Image for Tay.
176 reviews
June 26, 2026
1st impressions matter

This book is the introduction into the Satori family and a part of the Feretti syndicate series. I am absolutely smitten with Pietro and Nora. I cannot wait to read the rest of these books.
7 reviews
July 24, 2026
Good!

Really enjoying this series. I did notice some grammar and punctuation errors in here. And the males do sometimes need their heads knocked together. But the strong female lead was great!
Profile Image for Snow.
1,464 reviews17 followers
Read
November 30, 2025
DNF @ 82%.

it took me four days to get this far. it just didn't hold my interest, and i didn't like the heroine. i'd be willing to give this author another shot sometime though.
Profile Image for Kelly Palmer.
926 reviews1 follower
January 24, 2026
🔥🔥

I love how this series carries on with the Sartori family.
Pietro, now the Don fighting to survive. Nora Kelly stepping in to rival territory hoping to survive, loved it!
Profile Image for Sid.
365 reviews
March 23, 2026
I really liked the characters. The story was nice and read in a few days.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews