Dangerous Thoughts

Fortune City Mafia #2

by Evelyn Ward

For years, Sydney tamped down her anger and swallowed her rage. She played the part of the perfect girl. Calm. Behaved. That was before she met Alec, Ashton, Sebastian, and Viper—four mafia men who irrevocably changed her life by setting her free.

But one dark secret was enough to drive them apart. Now, Sydney must untangle her complicated feelings for these men and their dangerous world, while learning to embrace the monster they’ve unleashed inside of her.

Dangerous Thoughts is book two of the Fortune City Mafia series, a dark “why choose” mafia romance with adult themes. Readers are advised this series contains adult content, strong language, and violence.

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Why Choose, Mafia Romance, Dark, Smut, Found Family

424 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 14, 2026

About the author

Evelyn Ward is a dark fantasy author, a lover of 'why choose' romance, and a huge fan of feminine rage. She likes dark, dark stories, spicy scenes, and plots that twist and turn.

Reviews

[Melanie Jakusz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The whole book felt like a drawn out lovers quarrel that could have been easily avoided. I’m still invested, especially standing at the edge of this perilous cliff, but am undeniably unsatisfied after that book.

[Amanda Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another absolute BANGER by Evelyn Ward. Even darker and sexier than book one.

We get more background on the 4 men, learning a little bit more about them, especially Viper and Sebastian (enter heart eyes emoji here) and we get spicy scenes with each guy finally! While not full home base with all 4 yet, it is an amazing build up and I NEED the next book like I need air 😮‍💨🤝

I love diving deeper into the friendship between Sydney and her best friend, Jade, AND WE ALSO GET A CAT NOW I loved it.

The miscommunication trope goes wild in this one, between multiple characters, so please understand you’ll be yelling at the walls this whole book if you hate that trope. But it makes it all the better when things start to even out.

Overall,
5 ⭐️
4 🌶️

Thank you so much to the authors and team for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Dangerous Thoughts!

[kaylareadssometimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Evelyn Ward for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own!

I absolutely DEVOURED the second installment of the Fourtune City Mafia series. Sydney and Jade are friendship goals and the complex relationships Sydney has with her men are explored even more deeply. We see her continue her independence and really growing into her own. The men were chef’s kiss as always and I loved seeing them squirm. We get more glimpses into her relationships with Seb and Viper which was such a treat. The cliffy the book ends on had me on the edge of my seat and has me salivating for book three!

[britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

DAMN THESE AUTHORS FOR NOT RELEASING BOOK 3 SIMULTANEOUSLY!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭 excuse me while i enter a depression for making me wait

[Ashly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so here we gooooooo.....This would have been higher [it was seriously close] but I felt like this book didnt quite live up to book #1 and I was expecting it to surpass it. Now, thats not to say this wasnt a good book, it was and maybe its unfair to pit it against book #1 but this is my page and my review sooo i'll do as I please 🙃

Girl gang is still top notch, Jade and Sydney are ride-or-die and their chats make the book which is absolutely needed as the relationships between Sydney and the men get explored further. I would also like to point out, that the miscommunication trope was alive and well in this book. Which since you all know is my absolute favorite trope 😒 *insert sarcasm here* i was absolutely climbing the walls over here. Here is to hoping the next book goes further with the guys, but relies less heavily on my *favorite* trope.

Book #3 now please!!!

[Kim J Seymour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of an advance copy from an author:


OMG this book! I had the hardest time putting it down to complete my actual work. I loved it. The emotional rollercoaster I was just taken on, and that epilogue? Chef's kiss. I cannot wait for book three to come out.

All I can say is "Line Sydney."

[Marta Furiosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I pre-ordered book 2 on my Kindle this morning. These are just my feelings, so don't be offended. I was super excited after book 1, but honestly, I'm a bit disappointed. The first 60% of the book felt like it dragged on and wasn't that interesting. Finally, when Sydney and the guy's start to understand each other, things pick up after that 60%. I guess I won't be eagerly waiting for book 3 but I will still read to see how this massive slow burn will end and how the plot resolved around people from the past.

[greymystery · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book pissed me off so bad. Sydney was so annoying.

First off she kept telling Alec and Ash she didn’t want to talk to them because they lied yet she was doing that to Jade her best friend like the hypocrisy. Also she got cheated on with Chase yet she did that to the guy. She went on a date with like what are we doing viper and Sebastian never did anything wrong if anything Sebastian told you the truth point blank

Second of all the miscommunication in this book was horrible. It was the entire book and she’s like I need space I need space you wouldn’t even let them explain themselves. I can understand space so you can think it over. You had nothing to think over because you wouldn’t let them explain.

And lastly, not her stringing along Sebastian like that. He did nothing wrong actually he thought he did something wrong but because she didn’t communicate well she just let him think that he harassed her and then later they have a “phone call.” And she hangs up because “she has all the power.” like girl please either distant yourself completely from them or get back together make up your mind. The toying with them is honestly just cruel.

Some end thoughts I love the first book. It was so good, but Sydney is one of the worst fmc. The book had great characters. I feel like Jade should’ve called Sydney‘s behavior out if you’re a true friend, don’t endorse crappy behavior. I definitely recommend reading it. The ending was good. It’s just I was at 60% complete wanting to DNF the book. The writing is great. The male main characters are great side characters are great plot’s amazing. It’s just all of the in-between that really left me completely annoyed and wanting to drop this book off a building. ⭐️⭐️

[Lemon Loser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot: 5/5 • Spice: 5/5 ———> I’m so annoyed that it took till 50% through this to realize this is in fact NOT a duet like I thought it was. There’s more after this book. I’m not sure why my brain thought this was a duet, but now i’m left hanging.


Little Sydney is quite the drama queen. I understand she has every right to be, but at the same time she could have taken 5 damn minutes to hear ANYONE out. All the guys blamed each other, minus Viper.


She still hasn’t slept with Ash, but the rest of them have fulfilled their fantasies of her. We meet the infamous wife of Alec in this one. She seems like a delight. 🔪🔪


This ends on a cliffy. I’m glad Sydney catches on that
something is wrong with Jade after she doesn’t say their usually “i love you”. Their shop has burnt down along with everything to Sydney’s name. And that’s it. That’s the end. 😡😡😡 how long is it till book 3???

[King.Roberts.Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had everything I should have loved: morally gray men, multiple POVs, tension, spice, and high-stakes danger. And yet… it fell completely flat for me.

The biggest issue? The heroine.

We’re told she’s strong, independent, filled with rage — but her actions and internal monologues say otherwise. Her thoughts loop endlessly without growth or evolution. The same doubts. The same assumptions. The same circular reasoning. Over and over. Instead of development, we get repetition.

It’s exhausting to be told how powerful a character is while watching her ignore obvious danger, jump to conclusions, avoid honest conversations, and contradict her own “independence” every other chapter.

The saving grace? The men.

Sebastian’s controlled, strategic POVs were the highlight. Ash remains the emotional core — morally grounded, protective, and genuinely compelling. Even Viper’s limited chaos added texture. Their internal chapters carried the entire book.

Unfortunately, every time the narrative returned to the heroine’s repetitive inner monologue, the momentum stalled.

I wanted growth. I wanted evolution. Instead, I got the same internal spiral on repeat.

I stayed for the men and the vibes — but the inconsistency capped this at 2 stars.

[Hannah Tilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uhhhh 5 stars… okay no 4 because the miscommunication made me want to scream. But still my favorite dark mafia romance 👀 and I mean dark. Take the TW’s seriously.
The FMC was annoying for a while in the first book but I’m glad I kept reading 👀 I’ll be touching grass and trying not to think about 🐍

[Yvonne Ptk · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

[Megs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Dangerous Men, the first installment in the Fortune City Mafia, and this second book did not disappoint. We get to see Sydney accepting herself more and more, and becoming who she is meant to be. We also get glimpse of parts of her that she's trying hard to keep in check, and I'm absolutely here for it. I cannot wait to see more of her descent hehehe.

We got more of the absolute amazing friendship that is Sydney and Jade's. They love each other so much (to the moon and back) and constantly show up for each other.
The conflict brought at the end of book one did feel dragged on a bit in this book, and I got sooo mad at some of the characters for... reasons (spoilers). But it made it possible to get the conversations around respecting boundaries - and not only the physical ones - which were executed beautifully. I particularly appreciated that conversation between Sebastian and Ash. Speaking of which, this is absolutely Sebastian's book. I was already feral for him in book one, and this book only confirmed he was my favorite. He absolutely shined through this whole book and I need more of him please.
We also got more of Viper - which I'm not going to complain about hehehe - and while I'm a bit concerned by his definition of "gentle", I cannot wait to see more of it!

[Amanda Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ rounded ⬆️

Dangerous Thoughts is coming February 14th and it’s absolutely for the Seb & Viper lovers 🖤

Sebastian shines as my favorite of the 4 MMCs in this installment and it made for such a great read!! Alec and Ash…. they may have been the source of many frustrated highlights/notes, but it was a conflict that lead to Sydney standing her ground and setting boundaries that were so needed after the events of book 1 (you’ll have to read to see who followed those like a good boy 👀)

I enjoyed the new characters introduced and there were so many conversations Sydney had with Jade & Justin that had me yelling “yeah!!!!!” I love how relatable the Evelyn’s make the inside of these platonic friendships. It’s a relief between all the danger she’s entangled in to read about her and Jade getting drinks and trying new crafts together, which led to me laughing right along with them.

All that aside, this is a dark mafia romance and we’re definitely getting higher stakes in book 2! The spice is *chefs kiss* amazing. Don’t skip the trigger warnings before diving in to make sure you’ll vibe with the book! This was a fast read just like Dangerous Men and I cannot wait to eat up the third book after another killer cliffhanger!

**Thank you to the authors for the eARC of Dangerous Thoughts in exchange for my honest review**

[Chihu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I have little words for this. I went in with high expectations and honestly expected at least a little dissapointment, because after that first book, how could it ever get better? But I don't think I will ever doubt Evelyn Ward again because that was so much better than the last one. I rated the last one five stars, but if there was an option to rate this one higher, I would do it. There was nothing about this book I could say I didn't like, even though I love finding reasons to hate the men in books. And don't doubt that Ashton and Alec didn't make me question my love for them in this book, but character development made it better by the end. I would say I can't tell you if the previous book's cliff hanger was better or this one, but I can. This one was SO MUCH better. The stakes just got higher, and I hate Evelyn Ward for making me wait months, or maybe even an year or two, for the next book. Their writing is one of my favorite from all the dark romance I have read, which isn't a big selection of authors bur still. It's easy to read but not too simplistic, and I love the way they show friendship, both of the boys and Jade and Sydney. I wish I had someone like Jade in my life😭 Also, thank you Evelyn Ward for the ARC of this amazing book❤️

[Pirra Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Peor de lo que esperaba porque el anterior dejó expectativas.

La primera parte tuvo unas correctas tres estrellas (entretenida, cumple). Como termina en cliffhanger, me quedé picadísima y corriendo me fui a por la siguiente (esta).

Los problemas de esta segunda parte son dos:

El primero, heredado de la anterior: la aparición del cuarto componente, Viper, no se sostiene por ningún lado. Lo que dije en mi opinión de la anterior se mantiene:

Entiendo por qué está incluido: es el punto más alejado de los típicos intereses amorosos y el más oscuro de los de este libro (que ninguno es un ser de luz). Pero tiene cero sentido el acercamiento entre ambos. Podría haberlo comprado si se hubiera desarrollado de otra forma, con más apariciones en las páginas... pero es como que solo está para follar a lo bruto y, sinceramente, me repelió bastante.

Pero a este se le añade que lo que era una parte buena del primero:

Me gusta el desarrollo de personaje de ella, cómo acaba con el imbécil del ex y luego va ganando confianza en sí misma. Es genial la forma en la que los mafiosos la apoyan en ser ella misma.

Se va completamente a la porra en esta segunda parte. Ella se convierte en alguien que no quiere escuchar, no se comunica, no confía... y yo no entiendo cómo puede ser este cambio. A ver, obviamente que le oculten cosas no ayuda, pero no todos lo hacen y no quiere hablar con Sebastian.

No se lo perdono.

AVISO: Esta segunda parte termina en cliffhanger; hay más por venir y, sinceramente, estoy lo suficientemente picada como para aguantar algunas tonterías y seguir leyendo a pesar de las 2 estrellas.

[Olga Higb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS AN ARC.

This is my honest review. I was not compensated for this.

I think there may be some spoilers so proceed with caution.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
My 🌶️ rating; 2.5


I read “dangerous men” (also as an ARC) and couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book. Unfortunately, I have to say that I’m disappointed.

The action that was happening wasn’t grabbing me. The plot was stagnant. I felt like really not a whole lot happened. I was expecting to find out why the guys ended up in orphanage and how they bonded. There was a skimming of some but not all of their stories. We still don’t know how they became close. We don’t know what happened between them and Dante, or them and Annika.

The spice was also on a very mild side and slightly repetitive. There was no “more than 2 ppl action”. There were no ⚔️ which for some reason I thought there would be from how the first book went. I was disappointed in that too.

Overall I felt that this was 400+ pages of stalled action and no plot or character development. I love these authors and their other books and really hope that book three brings this all back together and ties up all the loose ends and unanswered questions.

[Sam Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whew, what a wild ride! Secrets are unraveled, enemies are encroaching and danger is just a flick away. I was hoping for a little more from certain characters in this book but it didn’t take away from the storyline or the ending, especially because the series isn’t completed yet. I think the side characters are written perfectly and I don’t feel annoyed by them. You’ll actually meet a new side character that has Jade setting some boundaries. “Hey! We do not slut shame in this store. That’s my number one rule!”

Can we talk about the MMCs bc gaaawdamn. There’s tension and fighting and stalking and obsessing. Here are some of my favorite quotes from them.

“I lied. Give me one more.”

“Hello, little rabbit.” He grins, and there’s nothing kind about it. “I’ve been waiting for you to come out of your hole.”

“We both sit silently, obsessing. Watching.”

[Jolliejjbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got the incredible opportunity to read this as ARC, just like with Dangerous Men.
That I enjoyed it would be an understatement. It’s clear that it’s a continuation, so best to read Dangerous men before. Jade, remains and I think will be forever my favorite character. Her dry wit, her supportiveness and her contagious energy is everything. And the men.. how do I even begin? Out of the four, Alec remains my favorite. But I’m warming up to Seb. Maybe even Viper still. I loved how Syd was not suppressing her angry side as much. And that ending.. I’m still reading.. part three is coming soon right? Right?!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between 3-4⭐️

Kinda boring, plot, add p*** in there, some plot, more p***, and then bam! The cliffhanger ending. I truly thought it could end at 2 books but I clearly thought incorrectly. Sucks cause I do want to see how this ends but my god, will it end at book 3 or more?! I truly don’t think we need more than 3 books in this series, but what do I know?!

I want to know what happens w/ the whole Dante situation & of course crazy chase. But that’s it really. At first the wild, s** w/ Alec, Sebastian & Ashton was great but then for book 2 to basically write only about s** got a little old. When you’re over s** scenes, that says a lot… and I was over it, I needed more plot.

[Conchetta Royster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an ARC through the authors, this review is based only on my opinions and my opinions only.

I spent every waking moment I had today reading this book losing sleep because I simply could not put this book down, I haven’t read a book I couldn’t put down like this since the first book was released. I am genuinely obsessed with everyone in this book and everything the FMC stands for and how she handles her own evolution as a character. The men…..just wow, I simply have no words for how hot this book was. I am eagerly awaiting the next book. Read the trigger warnings this may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it was definitely mine. I can’t say more without feeling like i’m spoiling this amazing aggressively spicy masterpiece so I leave you with this. “I don’t have to do it. I could hang up right now. But I follow his orders”

[Lexi Yannaccone · Rating 4 out of 5]

These mennnn wow. The way they fight for their woman will always amaze me. Dennis lowkey my fav tho at this point. This one was so hot and steaming and I’m just glad she found her way back to her men. But this Dante guy, over it. Did not see him burning down her bookstore though or kidnapping jade. I need the next book immediately I’m sickkkk

[Holly Cassani · Rating 5 out of 5]

*ARC Review *

oh my. I read this book in one sitting. I couldn't not put it down. it is dark. it is steamy. it twists like no other book. the ending...WHAT?! I need book 3 like yesterday. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. such a good book!

[Krista-Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ IT WAS ENTERTAINING. but just because it was entertaining and full of smut doesn’t mean it was GOOD. She still hasn’t done or shown ANY reason for 4 dudes to be this obsessed with her. They’re also very lame for 4 billionaire mafia dudes, just saying.

[Sharita Biloro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fuuuuuuuuck. When is book 3 coming out?

[Kalin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh I couldn’t get enough of this book! Loved it just like the first one! Can’t wait for book three to come out!

[Carola · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,25*

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ya know what I had a good time with this series and will probably read the next one when it comes out since it leaves on a cliff hanger… I would say more like 3.5 ⭐️ rounded up bc I zoomed through

[Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️3/4

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good dark smutty book. I need answers though so book 3 needs to come out soon!!