The Ruler

Roman Republic #1

by Penelope Sky

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Sky, an unforgettable golden retriever mafia romance set in modern-day Italy, bursting with violence, dripping with blood, and crackling with desire.

We spent weeks planning this trip to Sicily together. And I was damn sure going to enjoy it, even if my lying, cheating boyfriend just abandoned me.

I push aside self-pity to venture out and take photographs. Later, I lock eyes with a stranger at a bar. This tattooed god, Constantine, is way out of my league, but to my surprise, he’s all in—every inch. And up in his hotel suite, he claims me for his own. Over and over again.

Constantine’s touch helps take away the pain, and he possesses me like I’ve never known. I fall hard. But beneath his kindness to me, to his family, to his dog, I sense danger. How could I know that to the city of Rome, he’s a brutal enforcer?

When I trust the wrong man, I discover just how dangerous Constantine can be. He may call me sweetheart, but the Roman Republic calls him Emperor—and trembles at his feet.

Genres: Romance, Dark Romance, Mafia Romance, Audiobook, Dark, Contemporary, Crime

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 7, 2026

About the author

A New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Penelope Sky is known for her dark romance that makes you fall for her characters….no matter how dark they seem. Her books are being translated into several languages around the world, and she’s sold more than a million books worldwide. She lives in a small town in California with her husband, where she spends most of her time writing on the back porch.

Reviews

[Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️]

4 Smut Stars
I love Penelope Sky and thus know she writes pretty much everything in trilogy format.

So shame on me for grabbing this and reading it before checking to make sure the full series had been released before diving in.

[Olivia Brown]

This was so bad that it's genuinely stressing me out a little bit. The characters were both so completely unlikeable, with the only redeeming qualities for either of them being their level of hotness. The blurb calls Constantine a "golden retriever", and I've never read something so incorrectly descriptive of a character in my life. He is cold and calculating and just...a zero on the fun scale. The FMC isn't much better, but that's mostly because the only things we learn about her are that her ex cheated and she likes to take pictures of stuff. She also hates everything about the MMCs life, but the sex is great so she...gets over it, kind of, but also not really? It's also such an abrupt ending that it almost felt like it was missing a chapter. This really should be a one star read, but it's bad enough that I want everyone to read it and see for themselves, which deserves an extra star.

[♡Naz♡]

“I would let Rome burn to the ground before I let anything happen to you, Aurelia.”

OH MY GOD AND I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, OH MY GWAAARD! 😭🙌 This is my first book by Penelope Sky, and to say she absolutely shattered my expectations is a massive understatement! I was trapped in the deepest, most suffocating book slump ever because of Bonds of Hercules—which was honestly a tragic disappointment—but this book dragged me right out of that hellhole. Thank you, Penelope Sky, you are officially my favourite person ever!

The Ruler is a vacation romance turned dark mafia addiction. The absolute chokehold this modern Roman Empire setting has on me is unreal. It is so incredibly hot that at this point, I literally want to get dumped in Sicily just so a tattooed, ruthless enforcer like Constantine can sweep me into his hotel suite and claim me as his own!

The pacing is completely relentless, and the dark, high-stakes tension left me absolutely breathless. I had no idea this was the start of a trilogy, but I am already obsessed and ready to binge the rest of the series.

📚 THE TROPES:
• Vacation romance / Strangers-to-lovers
• Cruel, ultra-rich alpha enforcer MMC
• "Who did this to you?" protective energy
• Secret identity / High-stakes mafia world

[Dozelina 666]

I actually really enjoyed the first part of the book, especially everything set in Sicily. Our FMC, Aurelia, goes on vacation with her boyfriend, but things are already rocky between them. She was hoping that maybe they could save their relationship, but... instead doing that, he packs his bags and leaves her there. (The guy is just a peach, isn’t he?)

She decides to make the best of her trip and that’s when she meets Constantine, super sexy, tattooed and the definition of "too good to be true". Their time together in Sicily was genuinely fun to read and set up a good foundation for their relationship.

But once the vacation glow fades and they go back to reality… the book started to lose me a little. Aurelia was actually quite a reasonable heroine. She wanted a bit of time and space to sort her life out: find a new place, fix her business and think things through.

Constantine, however, wasn’t having any of it. His impatience and ultimatums drove me nuts. Dude, chill. He’s supposed to be in his 30s but acted like a hormonal teenager. And no groveling at the end? Nope. Big missed opportunity.

Spice-wise, maybe a 3/5. Plot-wise, the first half was strong, but the pacing after that was off. Some parts felt rushed instead of explored, and the ending twist? It came out of nowhere. (I know it was maybe?!? hinted at, but still… what are the odds??)

Overall, the idea was really interesting: mafia, blood, romance, all the fun things, but the execution didn’t hit me as hard as I hoped.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3–3.5★)

Tnx NetGalley & Montlake for the ARC

[Buffy・❥・]

Honestly going into this I was expecting the typical dark mafia romance… but finished it feeling extremely underwhelmed- very amateur writing, lacked context where it was needed and both of the main characters personalities were dry and boring 🤷🏼‍♀️ it is what it is I guess

[Book Addict]

They ate alot of food.... ?? 🤷🏼‍♀️😅 Otherwise, the book is forgettable.

[Avianna]

Genuinely so so bad. Insta love, childish MC’s with no personality, massive holes, they fucked so great for them, but that’s about all. I’m not even sure if this was finished or just published in the middle of a sentence. I wish I could articulate just how bad that truly was. Dude literally barked at someone??

[Kayla_Wilson]

This was okay for me. I liked the first half but after that it started to go downhill. The spice was good but I just felt like they were going in circles and then the ending…

[Kelsey reviews•books]

Hmmm…how do I say this…this book was not for me.

▹My ⭐ Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
▹Format: 📱 eReader
(Thank you to Goodreads and the publisher for this rewarded copy from the Goodreads giveaways).
─────────────────────────

○★○ What to Expect from This Book: ○★○

– FMC: Aurelia (aka “sweetheart”). professional photographer who came to Taormina with her boyfriend, but he’s acting off…
– MMC: Constantine. mafia guy from Rome visiting family in Taormina when he comes across a woman to keep his bed warm...
– Location: Italy (Taormina, Sicily and Rome)
– POV: Dual first-person
– Spice: 6-7 open-door spicy scenes (including some dubious consent and food play)
– Tropes: strangers to lovers, mafia romance, “fuck-ation” (vacation but…you know)
– Content warning: cheating ex, abandonment issues
– Representation: Italian culture (maybe? but also not)

─────────────────────────

🎯 My Thoughts:

This book just plainly was not for me. The prose leaned more bawdy, which I know is great for some readers, but I wanted just a touch more sensitivity in the dialogue and characters.

In the first few chapters, the FMC (who is on vacation in Taormina with her boyfriend) describes her boyfriend as having been pulling away and being more preoccupied with work and less with their relationship. She goes on to say that she’s “beautiful” and could “get any guy to replace” said boyfriend, which GO OFF QUEEN! Level up! But then in the next chapter, she’s written as meek and “devoid of confidence.” There were other instances of this that felt contradictory and pulled me out of the character development. It made me really dislike the FMC.

The MMC...yuck... At one point very early on, he has sex with the FMC while she’s still sleeping and then follows that up with the internal dialogue “I finished within a minute, because this was just a means to an end.” ew. I just think there’s a better way to write a morally grey, emotionally-stunted mafia boss than make him a stereotypical gross guy. But don’t worry if he gets more romantic, because he does later say “This pussy hits better than coke.”

The third-act conflict also made me see red. And that’s all I will say.

The only redeeming quality for me was that this was a shorter book and I love Italy.

Would I Recommend?: I won’t go so far as to say “there is no one on this earth that would like or love this book.” but I will not recommend it to 99% of my friends...

─────────────────────────

⍟»This or That«⍟

Character Driven—✧——————————Plot Driven
Fast Burn——✧—————————Slow Burn
Sweet——————————✧—Spicy
Light/Fluffy———✧————————Heavy/Emotional



•♥Consider following me on Instagram @kelseyreviewsbooks for more visual content and bookish discussions.♥•

[Ceacea]

Genre: Contemporary Romance
⭐️ 2/5
🌶 2.5/5
Cliffhanger: No but Maybe???
Noteworthy: Book 1 of an incomplete trilogy. Dual first-person POV. Free audio read along narration on KU.

What the actual hell is that ending? Is part of this book missing? They end in the middle of a conversation at lunch where they are working things out. Never in my life. lol

The story we got has it's moments. The spice is 🔥 and the moments with Constantine's family were fun. But the relationship was not great. Aurelia was so back an forth that even I was done with her drama. I liked how she held firm with her ex and did not let him gaslight her. But this just feels like an incomplete story about two people who probably shouldn't be together. And we never found out what happened to his brother. I needed to know dang it! There were a few dark aspects to this book but it isn't mafia by any means. Bro is really just a politically backed Batman.

Read this for spice but don't expect to be satisfied in any other way unless you're a foodie. Lots and lots of food in this book.

[Amalie Midtigard]

Sometimes you make bad decisions on purpose. Reading this was one of those.

OHHH I’m a tall woman but I’m so small and frail and vulnerable but I’m a tall woman but I’m so tiny. And this MAN!! He’s so big and full of muscles and like a Roman god, but best of all he respects his MOM!!!! He’s perfect!! So big and full of muscles!! And did I mention he’s so big and full of muscles?? And he’s so HUMBLE and down to earth! And his golden bullet proof door costs at least 1 million euros! And his body is rock hard and full of muscles. And he’s so intimidating and he’s got so much power but he BARKS at my ex. But his muscles ..

[Polly]

Unfortunately it’s been so long since I read the last book from the Butcher series, it took me the whole book trying to figure out if this guy was even in it. I thought we were finally getting the book that was teased at the end of the final book from the last series. Of course as stated it’s been so long that I didn’t recall his name. Went to Amazon to get book three again and it’s not even available to buy in kindle format?
The author was so secretive and dodged so many questions about the 4th book we were waiting on for this one to come out? It was lackluster at best. I doubt I’ll continue.

[Laura Smith]

THE RULER BY PENELOPE SKY
ROMAN REPUBLIC
BOOK 1.
4✨ ✨ ✨ ✨s
Oh Constantine 😉
Brilliant first book in this series. So looking forward to seeing what happens next

[Bria Boyd]

I love this man 😭 raw next question...

[Marissa Dailey]

It’s a no from me dawg.

[Kelsey H]

DNF @ 15%

This sounded like it would be exactly my kind of book, but the amateur-ish writing completely lost me. The dialogue felt awkward, the flirting didn't land for me, and when I got to the first spicy scene all I could think was, "Girl... no." The descriptions just gave me the ick instead of pulling me into the moment :/

I realized pretty quickly that I wasn't interested in spending another 200-some pages with this book. It just wasn't for me. And considering I looooove some raunchy smut, that's saying something 😆

[Nikki Bogard]

This book really said “plot who?” and chose chaos instead 😮‍💨🔥

Constantine is the definition of obsession wrapped in a man—impulsive, intense, and one bad decision away from spiraling at all times. And the FMC? Somehow still managing to be the most rational person in a VERY irrational situation… which honestly just makes everything messier.

The vibe here is dark, toxic, and completely addictive. The chemistry? Off the charts feral. The tension? Constant. The sanity? Nowhere to be found.

Is it structured? Not really.
Is it unhinged? Absolutely.
Did I devour it anyway? Without hesitation.

If you love dark romance that prioritizes obsession, tension, and spice over perfect plot lines… this one will hook you.

Just don’t go in expecting soft or sweet—this book bites.

[Sentranced Jem]

A trilogy based on the Roman Empire?! Sign me up!

Update:
Having read and loved the Fifth Republic series, The Butcher felt tame. I get it...different strokes for different folks..different characters, different storylines. But while the republic had an air of tension that felt dangerous and addictive, The Butcher with a golden retriever mafia MMC ,felt lighter. Nothing wrong with it at all..it sort of goes with the setting ... Italian Riviera and it's Mediterranean beauty.
But I'm really curious and looking forward to the next books in the series

[Natalia]

Couldn't stand any more of the FMC drooling for the hot and sexy MMC, That and also because both character had the personality of a peanut shell.

[Lisa]

Hahaha wtf to the ending! I thought my kindle broke.
Ooof.

[Brina's Emotional Borrow]

I rated this book 3.5 stars.

This was a great binge read. It’s quick, easy to get through, and has likable characters, spicy scenes, and a touch of darkness. The story is straightforward with just enough angst and drama to keep things interesting.

Aurelia plans a romantic vacation with her boyfriend, Enzo, hoping to rekindle their spark. Instead, he leaves her stranded and heartbroken. She’s lost her confidence and spark, but while sticking out the trip alone, she meets Constantine, one of the hottest guys she’s ever seen, and they fall into an unexpected situationship.

The first half focuses on Aurelia’s vacation and her emotional fallout with Enzo. Constantine helps her rebuild her confidence, and their chemistry is instant. Once they’re back home in Rome, Aurelia has to figure out her life while facing the reality that Constantine’s job isn’t exactly ethical. The second half follows her trying to get to a good place for a relationship while Constantine does his best to be patient. There’s a brief third‑act breakup and a mystery tied to Constantine’s work that starts to unravel.

I liked that the main characters were in their early 30's. While there was drama it never felt immature, and the Italian setting was refreshing. Constantine's line of work is also interesting and not your run of the mill underworld career.

I also enjoyed the audiobook. I’m not Italian, so I can’t speak to authenticity, but I liked the accents.

Overall, this was a fun, spicy, dark lite read that’s perfect for a quick binge.

[Diksha]

Seeing as the author writes similar storyline...... atleast my review is going to get creative and innovative!
seeing as the butcher series, bartholomew series, betrayal series, the skull series and the lesser series were similar, i could have copy pasted my review of these books here...........but what can i say I don't want to bore you guys with same stuff!

First things first we get hot, sexy, beautiful fmc who is on this trip in sicily with her bf who is busy texting and cheating on her, he dumps her mid trip and poor fmc is all alone.......or is she? coz next thing we know, she goes to a nice restaurant and stares at a hot, sexy and handsome man across the table.............guess what happens next? come you all know... we have read this plotline like everytime this author writes book. well they find each other sexy and proceed to do the deed.
No meet cute, interesting first impression or great first interaction.
Now,
understand this they do this (sex) quite few times and he takes her to do all touristy stuff in return, they come back to rome and suddenly mmc tells her to leave with him, mmc tells her that he doesn't want casual.
This book like all her recent release, has two best looking characters on this planet, they have no real connection other than being good in bed, they do this deed enough times that they feel ohhh now we can have meals and sex together so we should get married.
No real connection, lack of bond or chemistry, bland characters who throughout every chapter describe other as hot, handsome, sexy and beautiful, we even have to read about the fmc being like....( omg have you seen yourself, you are god, so hot and sexy any girl can be with you, so why me.......basically she has zero self confidence and letz not talk about her other characterstic becoz there are none........other being hot and beautiful, a photographer, a recent single, and losing her mother this fmc has nothing going on her life..............i would go ahead and say she should go and learn from kardashians on how to have colourful and interesting personality)
And the way these two characters interact my five year old niece interacts way better and she is more fun and amazing personality.
Also imagine this fmc meeting mmc and having unprotected sex with him since the beginning .............like is she dumb? and her excuse.....omg he is so hot and sexy i just want him. slap some sense into her idk how she became photographer. there was this scene were they are discussing their future relationship and mmc says and i state "you aren't the kind of woman you wear a condom with" ...............is this supposed to be romantic? idk gosh.......
And then they had a little breakup/fight mmc says to his friend, " so many women would be happy to take her place in my bed" believe me no one would you have zero personality.
Ohh this mmc has more conversation with his friend than fmc and understand this he is all alpha and manly infront of her and gossips and talks like aunties with big mouth.

My question to this author is why every book has to be where two people have to be good looking and had to have one night stand in the start of the book? what makes fmc so outstand from all past hookups of mmc that she is getting this special treatment and where the hell is romance? nor i am swooning or laughing or smiling like an idiot while reading this books? why the characters have no personality? you cannot differentiate one mmc or fmc from other in all her books becoz they are same!

lastly i think my yapping session won't be ending anytime soon so i want you guys to tell me is it just me or you readers think so too?

[Alli Mowrey]

This was a quick, but disappointing read. The plot itself was intriguing, especially the twist on a typical dark romance with the MMC in such a dangerous, high-stakes line of work. I was particularly fascinated by his role as the “emperor,” which added a unique layer to the story.

That said, the book really lacked character and emotional depth. And while that’s not a dealbreaker for every romance—sometimes you just want something smutty and a little gratuitous—I still need some romance. I want to feel warmth and connection between the main characters, and that piece was missing for me.

Aurelia was fine, but overall pretty flat. I didn’t dislike her, but I also didn’t feel pulled toward her. She came off a bit annoying and wishy-washy at times, and while I understand that she had just gotten out of a relationship, the way she spoke and acted often grated on my nerves.

Constantine was even more of a miss for me. He started off alluring and mysterious, which I loved—I’m always here for a morally gray hero—but as the story went on, he just kept turning me off. It didn’t feel like there was any real romance, love, or kindness from him toward Aurelia. What really got me was how relentlessly he pursued her, only to abruptly detach himself from her life, seemingly pulling away her protection. And yes, he does come to her rescue when she needs it, but even then, he’s kind of a jerk once she wakes up. There’s no emotional payoff—no declarations of love, no “I can’t believe I almost lost you,” nothing that makes their relationship feel meaningful.

Overall, it was an engaging read plot-wise, but it lacked the emotional depth and romantic connection I personally need to really love a story.

[Brittany Juds]

4 chapters in and hit delete bc this is AWFUL. Sounds like a teenager writing a smut book for the first time. Could get drunk in 2 chapters time if you took a shot every time the word “smirked” is mentioned.

[Jessica]

I feel like I’m being generous with 3 stars because I enjoyed this…but it wasn’t written well. The pacing was terrible and then it just abruptly ends. I enjoyed this in the way I used to enjoy watching daytime soaps when I was home sick from school though. You know what I mean? Also, like Jerry Springer style trashy TV. Like you know you’re reading a bad book, but that’s lowkey the point? I’m usually fine with the story being unrealistic and a bit shit, but when a book this short feels abnormally long because of the pacing issues I do have an issue with that. Let’s move this along.

[Louise]

These two characters are both tall. They eat a lot of food that sounds amazing. They use americanisms but are supposed to be italian. She’s a photographer. He’s some Emperor of Rome. She will give you whiplash with her indecisiveness. He will intrigue you with his views on hating misogynists and confuse you by being slightly misogynistic. Attagirl.

[Sandra]

Okay so I picked up this book on whim and It’s just so goofy. So so goofy. Im not a stranger to spicy books or even mafia romance books, but this one… where do I even start.

This book is so confusing to me because the author somehow managed to write characters that are both so reasonable and so unhinged - it’s actually kinda hilarious. Basically, this is a fun palette cleanser that you really cannot take seriously at all. It’s so funny too, but I think unintentionally?

Quick Plot Summary:

MC Aurelia is going on a trip with her BF to reconnect, finds out he’s cheating, he breaks up with her and leaves. She’s left on the trip and meets a guy, they hook up, spend the rest of the week together. She finds out HE”S THE ROMAN EMPEROR??! When they return to Rome, they continue hooking up, he pushes for serious (even though they’ve known each other like two weeks and she just broke up), she says she needs more time. He gets unhinged and breaks down her door when her ex-bf is returning her photos and visiting. She says she wishes he were more normal, he has a breakdown and breaks it off, cutting her out entirely. She’s super upset. She goes out for drinks with a friend, her friend’s bf’s friend drugs and almost kidnaps her. He comes rushing in, graphically kills them all in front of her, then takes her home. They’re back together, and she’s in it for the long haul. All of this happens in like 4 weeks. Lol.


A bunch of quotes and comments I had throughout:

Hilarious that this is meant to be set in Italy, yet everyone speaks highly highly American English and acts so very American: “Just visiting the fam.” “If you’ve got time, hit me up.” He fist-bumped me. “We’ll hit the beach.” I fist-bumped him back. “Sounds like a plan, man.” -> Don’t tell me this doesn’t sound like a stereotypical west coast surfer bro talk. I only realised that this is meant to be about Italians speaking Italian like 30% of the way in. I 100% thought everyone was American, but then Aurelia says home is Rome!!

During his chapter, he says: “I didn’t respect liars, and anyone who chose to obscure the truth was someone I could do without, but she was so painfully bad at it that I knew it was one of the first lies she’d ever told. It wasn’t her character. Wasn’t who she was.” Hahaha okay. In like two seconds he decides she has never lied in her entire life. Also, he seems to forget this little speech when he hides the fact that he has people following her around - is that not typical OBSCURING OF THE TRUTH!

Later on, Aurelia says this to Constantine: “I can tell by your faces that Constantine didn’t tell you I was coming, so I’m sorry about that. But I promise, guy talk doesn’t bother me one bit. Pussies and tits . . . I’m here for it.” Ew why. Why would you say that.

The number of times he “grabs her ass and gives it a smack” is hilarious. I didn’t count but im sure this happens DOZENs of times. Almost every time they meet up it happens.

When I found out he has AN EVIL TWIN - THE WAY I LAUGHED. His twin didn’t show up in this book, but how much am I willing to bet he shows up later on in this series? He says his brother is dead. Well, we instantly know he’s not going to be dead and will show up and there will be some complication where it’s like IT’S THE TWIN.

“As the First Roman Emperor of the Roman Republic, not only was all of Rome my responsibility, but the rest of the country too.” HAHAHA WHAT. And he does real coliseum bullshit too, with prisoners running around and put to death.

“So, we stationed our men at all the main monuments, and whenever they caught someone, they smashed their faces into the cobblestones and forced them to eat the paint from the bottles. Most of them ended up in the hospital, and word had spread that the Roman Republic would come for anyone who tried that shit again.” What. The. Fuck. And then, apparently, if they graffiti again they lose a hand, and if again, they lose… worse? Every time this man speaks im like ?????? This guy says he only deals with violent crime and criminals… buddy, graffiti is not a violent crime.

Ok so there are multiple scenes where Constantine parks in a non-parking spot and when the MC questions it, he’s like don’t worry about it. And is this meant to be sexy? Because it’s just obnoxious. Like you are blocking the entrance and inconveniencing everyone around you. Is being inconsiderate a turn-off?

“And the pope . . . he brings me back to God when I stray too far.” BAHAHAHAHAH WHAT. Oh dear, we’re going full religion and bloodlines!
“I could absolutely see that. The ultimate bad boy. The draw of his power. The magnetism of his strength.” This woman is told the man she met on vacation and had a ‘fuck-action’ with (her words, not mine) is the EMPEROR of Italy and descended from Emperor Augustus and she’s like, ‘wow, the ultimate bad boy.”

So when he tries to tell her he wants to be serious, he phrases it as “you’re not a woman to wear a condom with” UM WHAT.

All these metaphors:
- “and the climax I released was like spewing lava from Mount Etna. “
- “his dick still hard inside me like that single shot from his cannon wasn’t enough to empty the barrel.”

Also, this is kind of a sidenote but it’s repeatedly emphasised that he enjoys activities and leaving the evidence without cleaning up and this happens repeatedly. I guess the fantasy of it is fun, but the anxiety of getting a UTI is just too much.

The entire conversation about how he doesn’t employ women is so ridiculous (It starts when he mentions he has an assistant and Aurelia asks if it’s a female assistant). His reasoning is:
“I like women a hell of a lot more than men… Because they’re better in every way. Morally. Emotionally. Physically. My father was a good man, and I loved him dearly. He taught me how to punch, but my mother taught me how to fight. He taught me how to fish, but my mother taught me how to cook. Whenever he’d catch a cold, he’d be sick in bed for days, but when my mother had the flu, she’d still get us ready in the morning, cook breakfast, and take us to school. My mother carried and birthed three children while running the house and taking care of everyone else. I’m the man I am today because my mother raised me that way.” He says he’s descended from one of Emperor Augustus’ daughters (he doesn’t name which one and just lumps them together), but appears ‘personally offended’ that after his reign he chose a nephew to inherent instead of his daughters, and goes on to say that “this world would be a much better place if more women were in charge… Fewer lives would be lost because fewer wars would have been fought. Because women think before they punch. They can fight an entire battle and eviscerate you with just words, while most men can barely put a few words together and form a sentence.” I mean I don’t disagree with him here, but then he goes on to say “My job is to protect women, so no, I don’t employ them. But if I ever have a daughter and she ever wanted a job, it’d be hers.”

You do this whole speech about how women are better and your takeaway is to do the exact same thing and NOT give women the opportunity by employing them? Ew. Gross and systematic sexism, except when it’s nepotism I guess. Nepotism supersedes sexism. I’m happy he’s so into women’s rights, but like women’s wrongs too. The way he talks about women is like this monolith of moral good and superiority, which is also very identity stripping.

“She wore this little dark-blue dress with a ton of boobage . . . and damn.” So descriptive.

This entire section is from the climax scene and my comments:

Constantine charges into her home, and she, honestly quite calmly, explains to him that she's why this is not okay: “I was fine before you burst in the door like that.” Like a fucking guard dog.” And when he questions her (her ex boyfriend was there returning photos, and Constantine charges in and chases him out) “Why are you defending him?” “I’m not. But when you scared the shit out of him, you also scared it out of me.” I’d never witnessed Constantine act like that. He was all smiles and jokes and sexy, smoldering looks. He’d never . . . lost his mind. “I would never hurt you.” “I know that, but you were still fucking terrifying.” “Well, I’m a terrifying guy.” He remained completely unapologetic. “I’ve just never seen you like that. I’m a little shaken up.”

Then he reveals he has had her followed, and this conversation happens: “I felt violated, and I didn’t know why. “I feel like this is something you should have told me.” “If that asshole hadn’t swung by, you never would have known.” “And that makes it okay?” “Sweetheart.” He didn’t say it affectionately like he normally did, but sternly. “Did you see how quickly I got here? He was here for, what? Three minutes? And my men would have been here instantly if it was necessary. You’re afraid to pursue this with me because of the risks, but I’ve proven to you I don’t take risks. I protect you—always.” “I still feel like I had the right to know.” “All right, that was an error on my part. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” He dropped his arms to his sides. “Can we move on now?” My heart was pounding so hard in my chest that I wasn’t sure if we could just move on. “I—I don’t know.” “You don’t know?” he challenged.

This guy who says obscuring the truth is the same as lying, and lying is one of the worst sins. And then she says she wished he was more ‘normal’ and he absolutely loses it.

“I’ve been really patient with you. More patient than the fucking pope.” He spoke calmly, but something about that sheathed tone was just as scary as when he’d yelled at Enzo a couple minutes ago. “One step forward, fifty steps back, back and forth, back and forth. But it was fine because you were worth it. But let me tell you something right now.” He took a step toward me and raised his hand to point at me. “I’m proud that I’m not normal. I’m proud of what I do for my people and my country. I need a woman who feels the same way, and that’s clearly not you.” “I thought you were tougher than this. I thought you just needed time to remember who you are, what you’re capable of. But I see now that you’re just a coward.” “I want the woman who jumped off that rock. I want the woman who carried herself when she had no one else to help her to her feet. I don’t know what happened to her, but I think she’s gone.” He stepped back, his eyes filling with disappointment. Not the kind of disappointment he showed when he didn’t get what he wanted. But disappointment in me . . . as a person. “This is over.” He turned toward the door to leave.

Keep in mind they have known each other like ONE MONTH at this point. ONE MONTH. What on earth is this crazy talk. Why does she end this scene apologising even though HE barged in and the only thing she did was make on comment that he takes completely out of context.

Then his friend, Rocco, says what all of us were thinking and honestly I’ve never been more surprised:

“Was her ex abusive? Did he hit her? Did he do anything to give you any indication that he was there to physically cause her harm?” “You didn’t storm in there because you were worried about her. You went because you were jealous.” “So this poor woman, who’s already nervous just getting into the car with a bunch of dudes and guns, has you storm into her apartment and verbally assault her ex who stopped by to deliver some pictures she’d left behind. And then you reveal that you’ve had a security team watching her of who knows how long? And you wonder why she was upset?”

And then we go back to Aurelia perspective where the woman is Pining and Regretful. I’m so annoyed that she’s not more annoyed by Con’s frankly outrageous behaviour. And wow “We’ve known each other for less than a month, but there was so much substance and depth to what we had.” Girl. Stop.

Then the kidnapping happens, Con comes charging in and she watches him brutally torture and kill them by lighting them on fire. She’s brought back to his place, sleeps, and the next day, the first thing he says to her is: “Still wish I were normal?” This is so petulant - he does apologise for the comment immediately after but still!!

He then does this speech:
“This time apart has given me some perspective on the whole thing. And I fucked up too. I broke down your door with my toxic masculinity and set the place on fire. If I’d never done that, I’m sure you and Enzo would have finished an unremarkable conversation, and he would have left, and that would have been the end of it. But I went in there like a psychopath… and provoked you.” YES. YES YOU DID. Thank you of acknowledging it (I’m still upset that Aurelia didn’t demand for it!)

Also he keeps going back to how she said she would be proud if he were her son. And… I mean the sentiment is sweet but that’s such an icky thing to say.

She also notes, multiple times, that when he sits, his knees are wide apart. Thanks for the repeated information that he is a serial man spreader.

Then he has the audacity to say: “I’ve been delicate and patient with you these last few weeks.” EXCUSE YOU IN WHAT WAY? When you were pressuring her for more? When you charged into her home and chased her ex out?

The book ends so abruptly. He is way over the line. She is upset, then suddenly he is kidnapped, he charges in, she goes back to his for medical care, they have a brief 1 minute conversation and are then fucking and swear their eternal devotion. WHAT. Do they actually even like each other?

And the last lines of the book:
He stared at me for a long time, eyes focused and stern, seeing something on my face that I couldn’t. “Because you know the guy who jumped off the rock in Taormina with his friends. You know the guy who helps his mom with dinner in the kitchen. You know the guy who’s just like everyone else. Because you know me for me.”

HAHAHAHAH. no.



The FMC Aurelia is honestly a pretty reasonable character. Every conversation she has with Constantine is him acting insane, and her being like… cool down. The guy also soliloquises quite a lot.

My final takeaway: It was fun, but deeply deeply unserious. And with all that, the smut wasn’t even that good.

[Síle]

Thank you to Penelope Sky and Montlake for giving me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m still blinking at the wall a bit after this one.

This book is DARK dark. Horny dark. “Sir, please take a cold shower” dark. Constantine is an absolute mess of a man, driven almost entirely by impulse and obsession, while the FMC is… surprisingly reasonable, all things considered. Which somehow makes the dynamic even wilder.

Let’s be honest. The plot? Questionable. Coherent? Sometimes. But the chemistry? Completely unhinged. These two are deeply messed up individuals with absolutely feral bed chemistry, and Penelope Sky leans into that with zero hesitation. The spice overshadows almost everything else, and if that’s not your thing, this book will absolutely not be for you.

That said, if you like dark romance where logic taps out early and desire takes the wheel, this delivers. I’m a little mind-blown, slightly overwhelmed, and mildly impressed that Constantine managed to keep it together even a little.

Read for the darkness. Read for the spice. Do not read expecting a carefully plotted masterpiece.

[V]

I have enjoyed other Books by Penelope Sky. Her Butcher series was amazing. So I started Ruler. Constantine and Aurelia were back and fourth throughout the series. He of course knew what he wanted but she definetly wasnt sure.

Constantine is watches over the criminals to keep them in check. He is one part of an organization to protect the people. He meets Aurelia who is on a vacation with her REG FLAG boyfriend. Their relationship bombs and she ends up staying as he goes home to his Boss/girlfriend and her two kids. Constantine and Aurelia end up spending the rest of the week there.

They slowly learn over time about each other so there is some growth. However there comes a time that I find myself screaming FINALLY when he is just over the B.s that she keeps pulling and tells her how he feels. I don't blame him for a second in that moment.

The pace was nice and spice was definitely there. The only thing I didnt like, it felt rushed at the end. Now- I wasn't aware that this is part of a 3 book series so it's like Butcher. So makes sense to end how it did.
4/5 and 5 chillies!

[Jo C]

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5)

I listened to The Ruler on audiobook and overall really enjoyed it. One of my favorite aspects was the setting, Sicily and Rome provided such a vivid, atmospheric backdrop and added a lot of charm to the story.

While this is marketed as a Mafia romance, I found it wasn’t quite as heavy on the Mafia elements as I personally prefer. However, since this is only book one, it felt like the author was laying the groundwork for the series, and I’m hopeful the darker criminal aspects will become more prominent in later books.

Constantine was definitely a highlight for me as the MMC. He absolutely delivered on the possessive, protective energy that I love in this genre, and his chemistry with the heroine kept me invested throughout.

Overall, this was an enjoyable start to the series, with a great Italian setting, a strong male lead, and enough intrigue to make me curious about what comes next.