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Claiming Mercy: Arranged Marriage Second Chance Dark Mafia Romance
I spent years being the villain in everyone else’s story.
The difficult daughter.
The dangerous sister.
The problem girl who needed to be punished.
No one cared that every scene I caused was just me trying not to be devoured.
That the “sweet” one was the real monster.
That I was the one being beaten, gaslit, and thrown to wolves in designer suits.
The only person who ever made me feel chosen was him—the heir, my brother’s friend,
the man who pulled me out of a hallway and tore a predator off my body at fifteen.
One night in his arms, one soft vow that no one would humiliate me again…
and I did the stupidest thing a girl like me can do.
I built my entire heart around a man who never came back.
While my family destroyed me,
while my sister twisted everyone against me,
he judged from a distance.
He believed every lie.
He signed a marriage contract with the girl he’d spent years avoiding—
because that’s what duty demanded.
Now the truth is out.
The “good” sister is dead by my hand.
The brother I thought I’d lost is back.
My friends know who I really am.
And the man I used to pray for shows up at my door
with flowers, apologies, and a ring I no longer want.
He says he was wrong about me.
He says he’s here to make it right.
He says he wants me to be happy.
If he really did, he’d break the engagement that chains me
to a love that almost killed me.
But vows are already signed,
the alliance balanced on our wedding,
and walking away could start a war.
He can’t free me.
And I refuse to go back to being the girl who begs to be loved.
So I make my own
I will not lose myself to another man’s promises.
If he wants a wife, he can earn a woman who finally knows her worth.
If he wants forgiveness, he can bleed for it.
And if I ever fall for him again,
it will be because he stood beside me while I saved myself—
not because he played the hero in a story I outgrew.
He was never meant to deserve mercy.
Now he’ll spend his life claiming it—
one apology, one bruise, one broken vow at a time.
Claiming Mercy is a steamy, emotional dark mafia romance in dual POV, featuring a former “villain” heroine reclaiming her worth, a guilt-ridden heir determined to atone, a blood-soaked act of sisterly revenge, an arranged marriage gone wrong, and a love story about choosing yourself first— and daring someone else to love all the broken, sharp-edged pieces.
The difficult daughter.
The dangerous sister.
The problem girl who needed to be punished.
No one cared that every scene I caused was just me trying not to be devoured.
That the “sweet” one was the real monster.
That I was the one being beaten, gaslit, and thrown to wolves in designer suits.
The only person who ever made me feel chosen was him—the heir, my brother’s friend,
the man who pulled me out of a hallway and tore a predator off my body at fifteen.
One night in his arms, one soft vow that no one would humiliate me again…
and I did the stupidest thing a girl like me can do.
I built my entire heart around a man who never came back.
While my family destroyed me,
while my sister twisted everyone against me,
he judged from a distance.
He believed every lie.
He signed a marriage contract with the girl he’d spent years avoiding—
because that’s what duty demanded.
Now the truth is out.
The “good” sister is dead by my hand.
The brother I thought I’d lost is back.
My friends know who I really am.
And the man I used to pray for shows up at my door
with flowers, apologies, and a ring I no longer want.
He says he was wrong about me.
He says he’s here to make it right.
He says he wants me to be happy.
If he really did, he’d break the engagement that chains me
to a love that almost killed me.
But vows are already signed,
the alliance balanced on our wedding,
and walking away could start a war.
He can’t free me.
And I refuse to go back to being the girl who begs to be loved.
So I make my own
I will not lose myself to another man’s promises.
If he wants a wife, he can earn a woman who finally knows her worth.
If he wants forgiveness, he can bleed for it.
And if I ever fall for him again,
it will be because he stood beside me while I saved myself—
not because he played the hero in a story I outgrew.
He was never meant to deserve mercy.
Now he’ll spend his life claiming it—
one apology, one bruise, one broken vow at a time.
Claiming Mercy is a steamy, emotional dark mafia romance in dual POV, featuring a former “villain” heroine reclaiming her worth, a guilt-ridden heir determined to atone, a blood-soaked act of sisterly revenge, an arranged marriage gone wrong, and a love story about choosing yourself first— and daring someone else to love all the broken, sharp-edged pieces.
656 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 19, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 31, 2026
Flipped a switch
I wasn't sure I was going to like this one at first because the MMC was so in love with someone else before his arranged marriage to the FMC so it hurt my heart for her. Josephine had been suffering at home and in society and been in love with Black for so long, all the while, and unbeknownst to her, he's been in a relationship and in love with a woman not in the mafia lifestyle and has been totally devoted to her. He has even despised Josephine for the was she has acted. Granted, he did break up with this girl when the marriage contract was signed but he was still "taking care of her" by paying her mother's medical bills and bought\designed a house for her.
But, my girl Josephine, like a Phoenix, rose from the ashes of her crappy life and decided that she was going to live her life for herself and stop trying to seek out Black for a source of happiness. She told him that she was done chasing him and trying to get him to like her. She really didn't even want to marry him anymore and tried to break the marriage contract so she could move on.
Black finally started to see how much he hurt her over the years and what a strong person she was. He then started to become attracted to the person she was growing into. They both started sharing their childhood traumas with each other and , while I am on the fence about the other woman from the past thing, it was resolved. Black did tell Josephine about her and early on she was hurt but seemed to do a 180 on that rather quickly, as did Black in his feelings.
I liked the HEA but sometimes felt the relationship moved rather quickly. Black seemed to be so in love with one girl one day then things changed so much once he was married, which was hard for me to grasp at times. I kept waiting for something bad to happen.
Don't get me wrong, it is a dark, violent mafia story so there are bad things happening. Since this is the final book of the Monster Quartet, it wrapped everything up nicely for the.
I wasn't sure I was going to like this one at first because the MMC was so in love with someone else before his arranged marriage to the FMC so it hurt my heart for her. Josephine had been suffering at home and in society and been in love with Black for so long, all the while, and unbeknownst to her, he's been in a relationship and in love with a woman not in the mafia lifestyle and has been totally devoted to her. He has even despised Josephine for the was she has acted. Granted, he did break up with this girl when the marriage contract was signed but he was still "taking care of her" by paying her mother's medical bills and bought\designed a house for her.
But, my girl Josephine, like a Phoenix, rose from the ashes of her crappy life and decided that she was going to live her life for herself and stop trying to seek out Black for a source of happiness. She told him that she was done chasing him and trying to get him to like her. She really didn't even want to marry him anymore and tried to break the marriage contract so she could move on.
Black finally started to see how much he hurt her over the years and what a strong person she was. He then started to become attracted to the person she was growing into. They both started sharing their childhood traumas with each other and , while I am on the fence about the other woman from the past thing, it was resolved. Black did tell Josephine about her and early on she was hurt but seemed to do a 180 on that rather quickly, as did Black in his feelings.
I liked the HEA but sometimes felt the relationship moved rather quickly. Black seemed to be so in love with one girl one day then things changed so much once he was married, which was hard for me to grasp at times. I kept waiting for something bad to happen.
Don't get me wrong, it is a dark, violent mafia story so there are bad things happening. Since this is the final book of the Monster Quartet, it wrapped everything up nicely for the.
February 9, 2026
3.75 stars
Josephine has been in love with Black for most of these books, but her feelings started changing at the end of book 3 when she realized she may have been making more of their relationship up in her mind than was actually there. Their arranged marriage is already in place though so they must go through with it. Black, seeing Josephine for the first time in a new light at their engagement party, starts to have different feelings for her after all of these years of indifference. The longest of the books in the series, this romance follows the many changes that Josephine and Black go through. But it also brings together the other couples and the loose ends begin to get wrapped up.
I always love an epilogue and this one definitely brought some closure and some possibilities for future books!
Josephine has been in love with Black for most of these books, but her feelings started changing at the end of book 3 when she realized she may have been making more of their relationship up in her mind than was actually there. Their arranged marriage is already in place though so they must go through with it. Black, seeing Josephine for the first time in a new light at their engagement party, starts to have different feelings for her after all of these years of indifference. The longest of the books in the series, this romance follows the many changes that Josephine and Black go through. But it also brings together the other couples and the loose ends begin to get wrapped up.
I always love an epilogue and this one definitely brought some closure and some possibilities for future books!
February 6, 2026
3.5⭐️ great ending to the series and really liked both their characters, however felt it was too long and some unnecessary chapters and events happened
April 20, 2026
second chance was worth the wait
4.25 ⭐️
4.75 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
This was a very long read, I believe it would of been good if it was shorter. I understand that the author wanted to add the past in the book. Especially for those who didn’t read the other books (like me). They were some grammar errors and some repetitive paragraphs. Got me a bit confused that they were American Mafia family and instead of saying miles they kept saying kilometers 🤷🏻♀️.
I loved how they gave each other a chance to love one another. I did felt that she rushed Blacks falling in love with her, since the book was so long I thought she was going to make him suffer to win her love but that was not the case.
I did want to DNF it a couple times since I felt the story dragging but I kept. Pushing through, since I really loved this couple very much (well mostly Josephine).
Loved that the became dotting parents and that they had a big family and that they all stayed close and how the future generation is still intertwined with each other.
4.25 ⭐️
4.75 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
This was a very long read, I believe it would of been good if it was shorter. I understand that the author wanted to add the past in the book. Especially for those who didn’t read the other books (like me). They were some grammar errors and some repetitive paragraphs. Got me a bit confused that they were American Mafia family and instead of saying miles they kept saying kilometers 🤷🏻♀️.
I loved how they gave each other a chance to love one another. I did felt that she rushed Blacks falling in love with her, since the book was so long I thought she was going to make him suffer to win her love but that was not the case.
I did want to DNF it a couple times since I felt the story dragging but I kept. Pushing through, since I really loved this couple very much (well mostly Josephine).
Loved that the became dotting parents and that they had a big family and that they all stayed close and how the future generation is still intertwined with each other.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews