Messages from the Mafia Boss

by Evie Rose

I shouldn't have pretended to be a hitman, and now the mafia boss is obsessed.

My brother made me join a super anonymous messaging service, and when I teased him about being a spy or in the mob, I thought it was a joke. I even changed my profile pic to a skull, and my name to Bunny the Killer.

Then I get added to a mafia group chat, with my brother and tattooed men in suits.

The Kingpin messages me privately. He wants to know who I am.

I can't put my brother in danger by revealing his mistake, so I play along.

But the mafia boss isn’t convinced. He says he’s going to track me down, and make me pay.

I ghost him.

And I think that’s the end.

Until the gifts begin to arrive.

Messages from the mafia boss is a spicy and hilarious age gap romcom novella with a possessive and obsessed kingpin and his innocent girl.

Part of the Letters in Love series.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Novella, Contemporary, Mafia Romance, Dark Romance, Humor

152 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 21, 2026

About the author

If you stop at sane, you miss all the best stuff.

Evie Rose writes gleefully improbable instalove short mafia-lite romances, with heroes who are all-in obsessed for their heroines.

You’ll find all her books packed with age gap, tons of spice, virgin heroines, praise, good girl, breeding kink, forced proximity, pining, possessive and protective alpha kingpin heroes, and swoony romantic bits.

Reviews

[angelinabvby ۶ৎ (semi-ia) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley & Evie Rose for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

dnf @ 57%

loved the premise, loathed the execution. the instalove btwn mafia boss shane and fake assassin bunny killer was shallow and unoriginal. for a mafia boss blake acted pretty stupidly throughout the book. their sexy facetiming and jokes felt very preschool. sorry for the brutal rage review evie rose, i still love you 🌹

preread 💋
u don't even know how sat i am for this ☺️☺️🔪

[Sammy's Study · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

"What happend to; Hello, my name is..."

This was short, spicy and gave me the giggles. I do love an authoritative man. And a mafia boss will be just that. The banter was great!

This story starts of hard and heavy, and is here to deliver on the spice. It was a funn story but I do struggle with the intensity of it. Because it is a novella, it will be shot. I get that! I just like a bit more background and introduction. I like to feel a connection with the characters and with short story's that is just difficult to achieve.

🎧 This was an audio duet, and girl Shane East voice was hot. A bit cringe at times, but I was totally invested.

Thank you so much Netgalley and RBMEDIA for this ARC!! ❤️

[❀ Tia ❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

| ALC REVIEW | ★ 3 stars ★

This was a cute, spicy and very fast-paced novella containing an age-gap romance, smile-inducing banter, and a lot of steamy talk, which can easily be listened to in one sitting.

In true spicy novella fashion, we really hit the ground running with the spice. As I've mentioned before, I'm not a lover of the insta-love trope, but in all fairness I feel that it does work pretty well for novellas. (I actually think novellas are the ONLY place this trope belongs).

Yes, this book was incredibly unrealistic, often cheesy/cringey, and the plot was pretty much just smut, but it was still an enjoyable story. I liked the humour throughout the book, and I enjoyed the playful banter between the characters.

And hey, sometimes ya just fancy some easy-reading mafia romance, right?

The duet narration is what really made this book as entertaining as it was for me. The voice actors Shane East and Evelyn Rose really brought Nina and Blake to life with their expressions and enthusiasm. However, I didn't like the voices they used for the couple's children in the epilogue. It made me kind of uncomfortable, but because it was only during the epilogue it didn't affect my rating too much. I will definitely look out for more books narrated by this pair, and will no doubt also pick up another Evie Rose novella in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Evie Rose, and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for gifting this audiobook in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

[Dozelina 666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh well, if you know me, then you also know that Shane East is basically my kryptonite when it comes to audiobook narrators.

I'm convinced the man could narrate a newspaper, an IKEA catalog, or the back of a cereal box and I'd still happily listen.

So yes... I was already sold before I even pressed play.

As for the story itself, this is a quick, fun audiobook at around three hours long, and it knows exactly what it wants to be.

Our heroine accidentally ends up (by accident) in a mafia group chat after pretending to be a hitman (because obviously that's a perfectly reasonable life choice). Before long, the mafia boss starts messaging her privately, determined to figure out who this mysterious "Bunny the Killer" really is.

From there, the chaos only escalates.

We get hilarious banter, an age-gap romance (20s/40s), mafia shenanigans, possessive hero energy, dirty talk, plenty of spice, kidnapping and even a little breeding kink thrown into the mix.

In other words...

It's all there.

And I was absolutely here for it.

This isn't trying to be a dark, realistic mafia romance. It's over-the-top, playful, spicy, and completely aware of the kind of fun it's delivering.

Shane East and Evelyn Rose were both fantastic, but let's be honest... Shane East could probably convince me to listen to just about anything.

If you're looking for a short, spicy, humorous mafia romance that doesn't take itself too seriously, this one is definitely worth a listen.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC.

https://turnthepagewithana.blogspot.c...

[CrazyGal609 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nina A.K.A: “Bunny The Killer” is just too adorable, love that Blake (The Mafia Boss) immediately called her out for her “Fictional murders” 😂😂
Even after 8 chapters I’m smiling when I’m not lol or snort-laughing at their banter-flirting ❤️

💋Funny 💋Cute 💋& Naughty❣️
💚Loved It💚

She’s definitely entertaining
💀“I am to being cool what polar bears are to the tropical rainforest—hopelessly out of place.”
☠️“Uhhgghh.” The gurgling sound I make is because this conversation pulled a plug from my pussy and my brain drained out
⭐️This was the best one “I have all the experience of sex of a nun from 1487” 🤣🤣🤣
Blake’s pretty funny too:
🪦“Death’s Apprentice” (alternate title, as she doesn’t like be called an “ASS ASS IN”😆

🤎💙💚💛 “You’re my love.”💛💚💙🤎

[Alylally⛰️⛺️⛈️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5! Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing!

A short, sweet and spicy novella! Although, it is MOSTLY spice and minimal plot lol.

I enjoyed our characters, our FMC was the innocent type and we got our big bad mafia boss MMC! The relationship was fast built but I love how it ended!!

This was so cute and is a nice break from other big books I read! The narrators were also great! I loved our FMC!! She was perfect! I actually would like a full novel of these two! I'll need to look into more by this author! I also loved the kidnapping scene 👀👀🥰 I wish we got more of the brother (maybe freaking out more??) when he found out!

[kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank you to netgalley and victory editing for providing me with the ALC of this book for a voluntary and honest review!

2.75/5
Evie Rose delivers a funny, spicy mafia romance novella yet again! if you ever need a quick read that will give you a bit of a giggle then shes the perfect author to jump onto an read. I've had the pleasure of listening to a few of the audiobooks from this novella series over the past few months and each time the narrators have been super expressive, easy to listen to and had copious amounts of chemistry and this novella was no different!

i will say, towards the end of the book there was a pretty significant chunk of breeding kink talk which personally isnt something i enjoy (and wasn't listed alongside some of the other tropes/cw's so i was kinda blindsided by it) so it reduced my rating a decent bit in the moment - i could potentially come back at a later date and up my rating a little?

[Darlene I read WAY to many books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nina think her brother added her to a group chat and her display name is killerbunny him thinking it isnt her. The chat is of hitman/assassins who work for his boss. Blake knows this person should not be in the chat and trying to get info. The more he texts Nina the more he is interested. There talks are funny and Nina tries to keep her brother safe by faking it. Little did she know Blake knows she's to innocent.

Lots of back and forth and phone sex and flirting between the 2 and once Blake finds out who she is he's still all in and wanting to bring his bunny home for good.

No ow/om drama, no cheating, tiny drama, sexy times, virgin gal no manwhore

Recommend-maybe
Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat level-🌶🌶


Slowinsta
Age gap
Praise kink
Food porn
Masturbation
Phone sex
No condom
Hea
Epilogue

[Leticia🌻 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5

Messages from the Mafia Boss is a a fast-paced, entertaining and funny story featuring Nina (Bunny Killer) who ends up signing up for a messaging system used mostly by mafia members. While in the messaging system she starts a conversation with Blake (the boss); Blake is under the impression that Nina (Bunny Killer) is a hired assassin. These chats eventually turn into steamy chats involving gift he sends her.

The story was so entertaining, that it can be read/listened in one sitting. The narrators chosen for this audiobook did a fantastic job portraying the characters in this story.

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Nikola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book.

This was a quick and short read. I enjoyed the duel narration and the banter of Nina and Blake. My favorite part has to be Nina deciding to name herself as Bunny the Killer and adding a skull to her profile plus all the bunny puns. I just enjoyed every second of it. I could not stop smiling at the fun and steamy romance blossoming between Nina and Blake.

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is lite smutty novella fluff.

Blake 🐰 Nina

Blake and Nina meet in a mafia chat group where she jokingly refers to herself as “bunny the killer” and pretends to be an assassin. They strike up flirty chats as he tries to discover her identity and she refuses. They each become obsessed, etc etc.

- curvy virgin FMC and tall handsome mob boss
- Lots of flirty texts, then video calls before they finally meet in person near the end
- No OM/OW. She’s a virgin; no mention of his prior experience.
- Age gap - 22 and 40
- Nickname - Bunny
- Low angst
- obsessed/possessive MMC
- Spice - open door, full consent
- Dual POV; HEA. I love yous; 7 yr later epilogue; married w three children

This is the lightest of mafia lite, completely fairy tale ridiculousness. Quick and fun; requires zero brain cells.

[Fiction Junkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Reads fast and easy.
No cheating.
No ow/om drama.
Virgin fmc.
No separations.
Epilogue- 7 years.
HEA-Married with kids.
They actually weren't in physical contact till near the end, but this was so good. I loved the messaging back and forth. They were adorable and just funny bantering.

[Lexisbookishburrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick easy read that’s more smut than plot, but with a title like Messages from the Mafia Boss it’s basically telling you that’s exactly what you’ll find. The premise is intriguing enough, the main character, Nina is accidentally added to a mafia group chat by her brother who’s apart of the mafia syndicate and she jokingly makes her username Bunny the Killer. When the mafia boss, Blake, messages her trying to figure out who she is, Nina has no choice but to play along to keep her brother safe. It’s silly and fun and that’s all I can really ask from a novel like this. The banter was enjoyable and the epilogue wraps it all up nicely with a little happily ever after ribbon on top.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun quick little read but not my favorite

[Snafuzled · Rating 3 out of 5]

This plot was original, silly, absurd, and a lot of fun! I liked both the MMC and FMC. Their texting banter was giggle worthy.

A quick, entertaining, smexy palette cleanser. 🐰

[Gosia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes a girl needs a silly little unhinged mafia romcom, am I right?

I grabbed it last week from “listen now” NetGalley section but only started today. It helped me get out of my head and do some way overdue chores, yay!

It’s not my first novella by Evie so I know the drill. This one felt spicier than the previous one I listened to but just the perfect amount of ridiculous and unhinged (in the best way!). If you want dark mafia romance, this one is not it. This is more like darkish mafiaish romcom, it def has comedy elements and as I mentioned it’s a bit silly and unhinged but all in all good way!

It has two tropes I don’t like - age gap and insta love - but the age you could easily forget, I mean it was mentioned couple times but without much emphasis on it, and the insta love - yea, it was instant but even with my averse to this trope, somehow it worked. The silliness of it all made it work, lol.

Quick and good time story providing spicyyy spice and laughs!

The audio narration was good, I have no notes. Both narrators did well! It’s a duet and lasts about 3h so very easy to read/listen in one go.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and fun listen from Netgalley! The story opens with Nina, our main character, agreeing to download a secure messaging app since her brother has recently started using it for texting at his new job. Unbeknowst to her, of course, his new job happens to be with the mafia. And as luck would have it, her brother unknowingly accidentally adds her to the mafia group chat with the mafia boss.

Blake, the mafia boss, immediately realizes there seems to be an unknown member of the group chat and begins to try to figure out who this mole could be. Nina catches on to what is happening and figures she needs to protect her brother who would surely be punished if someone found out he was the one who added a civilian to the chat. Best course of action? Pretend to be a hired killer for the mafia. Her lies begin to catch up to her as Blake becomes obsessed with her and is determined to hunt her down to make her his. It was cute and the audio was only 3 hours long. I enjoyed it but as always with the novella length stories I wish there was more!

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Victory Editing Netgalley Co-Op for the "Listen Now" ALC via Netgalley.

This was a quick and spicy (very) novella between a Mafia Boss and a woman who is accidentally added to their mafia branch's group chat. Since he is the boss, he sends her a private message because he doesn't recognize her name from amongst his ranks. Eventually the two start texting which leads to both voice and video calls.

Their relationship progresses very quick, as this is novella length.

Overall, the audio for this was great being narrated by Shane East and Evelyn Rose.

[Athena 💗 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, this was pretty dang funny!!!

Not my usual go to but I can never seem to turn down an Evie Rose audio novella. The texts between Nina and Blake were absolutely hilarious and made this such a fun time. Shane East’s narration knocked this production out of the park and of course duet narration is always appreciated.

This is perfect if you are looking for a shameless, palate cleanser that will have you giggling out loud. The audio is only a little over 3 hours so it’s perfect for throwing on while you’re multitasking around the house.

[Clary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version of this short story and I devoured it!!! This is an insta-love kind of story so if you are not into that, this might not be for you, but it was definitely for me. Blake and Nina's chemistry is off the chart. There was so much humor, banter, and flirting packed into this short read that I could not get enough. I loved the text messages between these two characters and I adored Blake. He was the perfect mafia boss with the perfect mixture of possessive, respectful, sweet, and scary all in one. The narration by Shane East and Evelyn Rose was exquisite, their voices, their inflections, their chemistry, everything worked for me. An easy 5 star read!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute book! I love the premise of it and I enjoyed that the mistaken identity troupe didn't carry on too long. Both narrators were amazing The male narrator had the perfect voice for a mafia boss with a soft spot. As it was a short book the pacing didn't feel too rushed. The spice in it worked well all in all a good read.

[Cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so funny. The sex bit? meh. Honestly, though this was such fun to read.

[Ana M. Román · Rating 2 out of 5]

Empezó con un toque de humor que me enganchó pero se ha ido desinflando con el pasar de las páginas y el final ha sido completamente descafeinado.

[Mia Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ I already love Evie Rose’s London Maths club but I think this one just became my favourite. A bookish heroine who accidentally mistaken as a killer for hire and the mafia boss who becomes obsessed with her. Would happily re-read!

Rom-com novella
Billionaire Mafia Don
Gift giving
Possessive vibes
Phenomenal dual narration
Standalone with HEA
Pub Date | 25 June 2026
Thanks to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC. My thoughts are my own.

[Liv Young · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad evil penis from old man

[Suelen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐
Mensagens do Chefe da Máfia

Eu não costumo ler muitos romances sobre máfia, mas estava curiosa para conferir esse. Infelizmente, o começo foi bem arrastado pra mim. Durante 70% do livro, Nina ainda mantinha a farsa da Bunny, achando que não podia revelar a verdade, e Blake - já sabendo de tudo há tempos - só dando corda pra ela. A história simplesmente não andou, e nesse período eles só conversavam por mensagens e pelo telefone. No início era até interessante, mas quando mais da metade do livro se passou sem que nada de fato houvesse acontecido, começou a ficar bem entendiante, confesso. A história só dava voltas, mas não saía do lugar. Era sempre aquilo: ligação, presente, provocação. Repete. Repete.

Depois dos 70% Blake finalmente fazer jus ao homem dominador, decidido e alfa que a história dizia que ele era e, enfim, foi atrás da Nina. Aí, sim, eu comecei a me empolgar, mas tirando o capítulo que ele foi no apartamento dela, todos os demais que vieram depois foram mostrando a primeira vez dele. Vários capítulos nessa mesma cena, e depois epílogo, seguido de fim da história. Então, na verdade, não teve muita história para acompanhar. Eu esperei muito pelo momento que eles se encontrariam face a face para poder vê-los juntos - e não só no sentido físico da coisa - mas foi só isso mesmo que eu recebi. Até a cena extra foi focada num momento íntimo do casal. Só o epílogo mesmo é que deu um vislumbre de como os dois eram fora do quarto. Nada contra cenas sensuais, mas senti falta de mais história atrelada a isso.

[Morgan | bookish_morgano · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

You have to go into this knowing it’s an instalove novella. I had the pleasure of listening to the ALC for this with duet narration (Thanks to the author!)

What I liked:
This story really embodies the rom com banter, a majority of the book occurs through anonymous text app then FaceTime and their flirting was HILARIOUS. I wanted to know how he was gonna convince her to meet him so badly!

What was less for me:
I like a OTT male, possesssive, ‘mine’ all that, but in this story it was the first time she had met him in person, she was losing her virginity and they didn’t have any type of consent/ limitations talk while jumping straight into use of handcuffs. This felt really jarring for me and I can’t imagine how a virgin would find that safe and appealing even if she fell in love through the first portion of the book.

Either way, I would recommend if you want a quick read, lots of banter and a palate cleanser.
- virgin FMC
- age gap (he’s 40)
- mafia boss x employees younger sister
- so much banter
- ‘bunny’ ‘mine’
- OTT male
- he buys her special edition books

[Rach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, steamy and quick age-gap mafia romance (novella) that followed Nina and mafia boss, Blake.

I am personally not a fan of insta-love, which this had, and some of the things the MMC said made me cringe (e.g., a bit overkill on the possessiveness and immediately wanting to “breed” her); however, I think for the genre, dynamic between the characters and smutty nature of the book, it worked. The narrators both did a great job at their respective parts, bringing playfulness, believability and a whole lot of heat to the dialogue and relationship between the two. Their banter over text messages had me laughing to myself at times and was my favourite part, as Blake tried to discover the identity behind Bunny the Killer. The epilogue was also wholesome, and I liked the references to the bunnies, which felt so full circle.

A great palate cleanser that makes for a one-sitting read or listen. Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Evie Rose and NetGalley for the ALC; all opinions are my own.

[Joseandbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

If you’re looking for a quick, fun, and flirty mafia romance that doesn’t take itself too seriously, Messages from the Mafia Boss was a great listen. The story follows a woman who accidentally gets added to a mafia group chat and ends up pretending to be a hitman named “Bunny the Killer.” What starts as a misunderstanding quickly turns into a hilarious exchange of messages with an intrigued and slightly obsessed mafia boss.

This audiobook was a fast-paced, entertaining listen that had me smiling more than once. The banter between the characters was easily the highlight for me, and the chemistry developed quickly while still feeling playful and fun. The story leans into the over-the-top, possessive mafia romance vibes, but keeps things light with plenty of humor. Readers and listeners who enjoy age-gap romance, flirty texting, and obsessed MMCs will probably have a great time with this one. ony mafia boss energy. 📚💕 🎧

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4/5
🌶️4/5

I listened to this one as an audiobook (which I highly recommend if you decide to read it), and it was a really quick and fun read! The majority of this book is a spicy “sexting” conversation between Blake and Nina, and yes, the spice is definitely spicing with this one 😆It’s a short story so the plot is easy to follow and the book reads well!

Fair warning, there’s a bit of “breeding kink” towards the end, but overall I really enjoyed listening to this.

The narrator’s, Shane East and Evelyn Rose did a fantastic job. Shane East is one of my favourite narrators and will always manage to make everything sound extra spicy! 🥵😎

Thank you NetGalley and Evie Rose for this ALC of Messages from the Mafia Boss 🩷