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Vigilant Vows: A Closed Door Mafia Romance
A fake marriage to save my nephew becomes dangerously real when the man I've secretly loved proves he'll risk everything for me.
Cora
One phone call shattered my world—my sister's dead, and I'm suddenly the guardian of a two-month-old nephew I didn't know existed.
At twenty-four, I'm fighting for custody against my sister's abusive husband in a Texas courthouse, and I'm losing.
The court wants stability.
A two-parent home.
Everything I can't give Elias on my own.
Then my boss—the gorgeous, untouchable Jason Georgiou—offers me a marry him.
It's supposed to be temporary. Just for the custody battle.
Except nothing about the way Jason holds Elias feels fake. And the heat between us is becoming impossible to ignore…
Jason
I've loved Cora from the moment she walked into my office, but I never thought I deserved her.
Now she needs me, and I'll do whatever it takes to protect her and Elias—even if it means putting a ring on her finger and pretending this marriage is just for show.
But there's nothing fake about the way I feel when she looks at me like I'm her hero.
Or how right it feels when Elias falls asleep in my arms.
Cora thinks this is temporary, that once the custody battle is won, we'll go our separate ways. But I'm not letting her go.
This marriage might have started as a lie, but I'll fight to make it real…
Vigilant Vows is a contemporary romance with suspense, protective heroes, found family, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Download today and fall in love with Cora and Jason.
Cora
One phone call shattered my world—my sister's dead, and I'm suddenly the guardian of a two-month-old nephew I didn't know existed.
At twenty-four, I'm fighting for custody against my sister's abusive husband in a Texas courthouse, and I'm losing.
The court wants stability.
A two-parent home.
Everything I can't give Elias on my own.
Then my boss—the gorgeous, untouchable Jason Georgiou—offers me a marry him.
It's supposed to be temporary. Just for the custody battle.
Except nothing about the way Jason holds Elias feels fake. And the heat between us is becoming impossible to ignore…
Jason
I've loved Cora from the moment she walked into my office, but I never thought I deserved her.
Now she needs me, and I'll do whatever it takes to protect her and Elias—even if it means putting a ring on her finger and pretending this marriage is just for show.
But there's nothing fake about the way I feel when she looks at me like I'm her hero.
Or how right it feels when Elias falls asleep in my arms.
Cora thinks this is temporary, that once the custody battle is won, we'll go our separate ways. But I'm not letting her go.
This marriage might have started as a lie, but I'll fight to make it real…
Vigilant Vows is a contemporary romance with suspense, protective heroes, found family, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Download today and fall in love with Cora and Jason.
- GenresMafia Romance
225 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 2, 2026
19 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 2, 2026
Amazing. The found family in this book was BEAUTIFUL. Jason and Cora’s journey through the books before and coming to a beautiful conclusion in this one was just amazing… Their relationship is my fav in this series. Big fan of a no spice mafia romance read!
November 21, 2025
"What's the other part saying?"
"I'd rather be a villain."
Jason Georgiou! 😍 My heart! I didn't know what to expect from a book that was labeled "closed door mafia romance" and which didn't have a blurb at the moment I started it, but Jason and Cora's story completely sucked me in and made me a fan of the series! It's got the perfect mix of romance, mystery, suspense, and action, and I can't recommend it enough! It's got marriage of convenience (though it was more of an engagement of convenience, but still. One of my favorite tropes!), as well as a swoony, protective hero, a "strong and fierce in her own right" heroine, and the sweetest baby (Elias) that will change both their worlds.
Fans of the series will love the updates on past characters, but new readers (like me) will enjoy all the fun side characters and the dynamics they add to the story (I especially enjoyed the bromance with Thomas). 🙂 The pace was also great, and I loved the development between our two main leads. That chemistry was 🔥, and the wait totally paid off.
Seriously, there's a bit of something for everyone, so grab your copy and enjoy the ride or re-immersing yourself in this world. I know I'm looking forward to more from this series, and I'm glad I have books to get caught up with. :) ~ 5 stars!
Content: pretty clean
Romance: just passionate/descriptive kissing. Mention of making out.
Language: none. Closest is "son of a—" but it's never spelled out (which proves you can write a mafia romance without language).
Violence: It is a mafia romance, and it's set in a border town. Which means guns and gunshots, punches, mentions of torture, but not full-on descriptions. There are nightmares and an ongoing investigation.
"I'd rather be a villain."
Jason Georgiou! 😍 My heart! I didn't know what to expect from a book that was labeled "closed door mafia romance" and which didn't have a blurb at the moment I started it, but Jason and Cora's story completely sucked me in and made me a fan of the series! It's got the perfect mix of romance, mystery, suspense, and action, and I can't recommend it enough! It's got marriage of convenience (though it was more of an engagement of convenience, but still. One of my favorite tropes!), as well as a swoony, protective hero, a "strong and fierce in her own right" heroine, and the sweetest baby (Elias) that will change both their worlds.
Fans of the series will love the updates on past characters, but new readers (like me) will enjoy all the fun side characters and the dynamics they add to the story (I especially enjoyed the bromance with Thomas). 🙂 The pace was also great, and I loved the development between our two main leads. That chemistry was 🔥, and the wait totally paid off.
Seriously, there's a bit of something for everyone, so grab your copy and enjoy the ride or re-immersing yourself in this world. I know I'm looking forward to more from this series, and I'm glad I have books to get caught up with. :) ~ 5 stars!
Content: pretty clean
Romance: just passionate/descriptive kissing. Mention of making out.
Language: none. Closest is "son of a—" but it's never spelled out (which proves you can write a mafia romance without language).
Violence: It is a mafia romance, and it's set in a border town. Which means guns and gunshots, punches, mentions of torture, but not full-on descriptions. There are nightmares and an ongoing investigation.
January 2, 2026
Vigilant Vows by Kess Avalon is now available, and I am so excited it’s out in the world now. I devoured this beauty so quickly, the emotional angst, mutual pining and level of commitment from both of them for each other and sweet baby Elias dripped from the page and tugged right on my heartstrings.
I don’t want to give anything away, so suffice it to say, if you love a good marriage of convenience, found family, danger, a bit of “touch her and die” with a whole lot of sizzle with no spice, you will thoroughly enjoy this beauty. I must admit, it also throws in some twists and turns that took me by surprise on the way towards happily ever after. It’s definitely an adventure worth taking, so grab your copy and enjoy!
As a friendly FYI, while this is a clean and closed door read, it IS a mafia romance. There is a fair bit of violence and killing, with occasional mild language.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thoughts and opinions are my own.
I don’t want to give anything away, so suffice it to say, if you love a good marriage of convenience, found family, danger, a bit of “touch her and die” with a whole lot of sizzle with no spice, you will thoroughly enjoy this beauty. I must admit, it also throws in some twists and turns that took me by surprise on the way towards happily ever after. It’s definitely an adventure worth taking, so grab your copy and enjoy!
As a friendly FYI, while this is a clean and closed door read, it IS a mafia romance. There is a fair bit of violence and killing, with occasional mild language.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was a great read! It's a perfect addition to the rest of the series. This author has a way of getting the reader to fall in love with the sweetest "grey area" men. This story has suspense, action, and heartwarming moments. This works as a standalone, but you might as well read the rest of the series. Kisses only, some violence (duh.. it's mafia), no cussing and an HEA. Tropes: He falls first, boss/employee, single mom, fake fiance. Thanks for the early read Kess!
January 4, 2026
a nice update
This was a nice read/ update following Ari and Anna’s book. The end felt a bit unfinished/ rushed so I would have liked the book to have been longer. This book was shorter than expected so it felt more like a novella. I would have liked more development of the relationship outside of the situation with Cora’s nephew. Nonetheless there was yearning, it was a slow burn containing some action.
This was a nice read/ update following Ari and Anna’s book. The end felt a bit unfinished/ rushed so I would have liked the book to have been longer. This book was shorter than expected so it felt more like a novella. I would have liked more development of the relationship outside of the situation with Cora’s nephew. Nonetheless there was yearning, it was a slow burn containing some action.
January 4, 2026
Vigilant Vows
This book is well written but not exactly the type I normally would read. I enjoy Bree Livingston books but this one was a bit on the dark side for me. It is also not a standalone book as she referred quite a bit to a situation that seemed important to the character development that occurred in a previous book. Or at least I presume it was in the previous book. I have another of the series in my KU to be read but not sure if I will do so before I return it.
This book is well written but not exactly the type I normally would read. I enjoy Bree Livingston books but this one was a bit on the dark side for me. It is also not a standalone book as she referred quite a bit to a situation that seemed important to the character development that occurred in a previous book. Or at least I presume it was in the previous book. I have another of the series in my KU to be read but not sure if I will do so before I return it.
January 5, 2026
My least favorite of the series by far. It was too short so the whole storyline felt rushed and resolved way too quickly. In my opinion there wasn’t much of a slow burn like the other ones since they both already liked each other going into it. There also wasn’t much for ‘mafia’ action in this one. It was a fine, easy read but really lacked the depth and development the other books in this series had so I was really disappointed in it.
January 10, 2026
I think this was my leave favorite book in this series so far. After reading desperate vows (10/10) I was ready for this to do the same. Just didn’t do it for me. Personally I feel it lacked details, background, and some other deeper things I would’ve liked. Still enjoyed this book and the sweetness between these two characters!!
January 4, 2026
amazing
This is an amazing book. There’s excitement on every page, and so worth the time to read. I have read all of Bree Livingston’s books, and can’t wait until her next book comes out!
This is an amazing book. There’s excitement on every page, and so worth the time to read. I have read all of Bree Livingston’s books, and can’t wait until her next book comes out!
January 5, 2026
never enough
I always want more from each book, it’s never long enough for me. While this is a mafia book it’s a light mafia. Has some darker themes but not really described. Romance is clean but 🫠🔥 and the language is clean too, at least to my remembrance.
I always want more from each book, it’s never long enough for me. While this is a mafia book it’s a light mafia. Has some darker themes but not really described. Romance is clean but 🫠🔥 and the language is clean too, at least to my remembrance.
January 5, 2026
Jason and Cora’s book was the perfect addition to this series! Intensity matches the other books I’d say, but I never thought I would like a Mafia series so much!
January 5, 2026
My Favorite
I think this might be my favorite book in this series. I loved Jason and Cora together. And baby Elias...how adorable! I am looking forward to the next book.
I think this might be my favorite book in this series. I loved Jason and Cora together. And baby Elias...how adorable! I am looking forward to the next book.
January 10, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
like i already said, this series could go on forever and i will read every. single. one. i'm obsessed with this universe forever and ever
like i already said, this series could go on forever and i will read every. single. one. i'm obsessed with this universe forever and ever
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews