להתאהב בחוטא

Sinners #1

by Michelle Heard, מישל הרד (Author's Hebrew Name), מיכל כהן (Translator)

אני טובעת במים העכורים של המאפיה ונחושה לחלץ את עצמי משם. אני רוצה להיות במאית קולנוע ולא אתן לשום דבר ולאף אחד לעמוד בדרכי.

ואז אימא שלי מתחתנת עם הסנדק לשעבר של המאפיה, ואני מקבלת בתור אח חורג את ראש המאפיה היוונית.

ניקולס סטאתוּליס נחוש לחרב את כל התוכניות המפורטות שלי. המוניטין האכזרי שיצא לו מבריח אותי להסתתר במפלט הדירה שלי.

אבל הוא כל הזמן שם. בקמפוס. בדירה שלי. מצפה שאשחק לפי הכללים שלו.

הלוואי שהייתי מסוגלת להתעלם ממראה האל היווני שלו ולמנוע מהלב שלי לעשות סלטות בכל פעם שאני רואה אותו.

אל יווני? הו, כן.

אבל הוא גס רוח, תובעני ונחוש למרר את חיי.

אבל שניים יכולים לשחק במשחק הזה... נכון?

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Mafia Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Dark, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

318 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2022

About the author

Michelle Heard is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon #3 Bestselling romance author.

She writes emotional heart-shattering stories with a whole lot of Mafia & Romance that will leave you smiling with satisfaction. Every book has an unexpected twist that will show the strength of the characters.

Before becoming an author, Michelle had a career in banking. She lives in South Africa with her son, Sheldon, who's also her right-hand man when it comes to all things publishing, and her daughter-in-law, Tayla, who's her best friend.

Reading Order on AMAZON


STANDALONE NOVELS:
***Mafia & Bratva Romance (in order)***

THE SAINTS SERIES:
Merciless Saints - Damien Vetrov
Cruel Saints - Lucian Cotroni
Ruthless Saints - Carson Koslov
Tears of Betrayal - Demitri Vetrov
Tears of Salvation - Alexei Koslov

THE SINNERS SERIES:
Taken By A Sinner - Nikolas Stathoulis
Owned By A Sinner - Liam Byrne
Stolen By A Sinner - Gabriel Demir
Chosen By A Sinner - Luca Cotroni
Captured By A Sinner - Viktor Vetrov


THE CORRUPTED ROYALS SERIES:
Destroy Me - Misha Petrov
Control Me - Nikolai Vetrov
Brutalize Me - Armani De Santis
Restrain Me - Maxim Levin
Possess Me - Alek Aslanhov


SERIES (In Order):

ENEMIES TO LOVERS SERIES:
***College & New Adult Romance***

Heartless - Carter & Della
Reckless - Logan & Mia
Careless - Jaxson & Leigh
Ruthless - Marcus & Willow
Shameless - Rhett & Evie

TRINITY ACADEMY SERIES:
***College Romance***

Falcon - Falcon & Layla
Mason - Mason & Kingsley
Lake - Lake & Lee
Julian - Julian & Jamie
The Epilogue

THE HEIRS:
***College & New Adult Romance***

Coldhearted Heir - Hunter & Jade
Arrogant Heir - Jase & Mila
Defiant Heir - Kao & Fallon
Loyal Heir - Forest & Aria
Callous Heir - Noah & Carla
Sinful Heir - Tristan & Hana
Tempted Heir - Christopher & Dash
Forbidden Heir - Ryker & Danny


SOUTHERN HEROES SERIES:
***Suspense Romance***

The Ocean Between Us – Aiden & Emma
The Girl In The Closet – Cole & Birdie
The Lies We Tell Ourselves – Alec & Reece
All The Wasted Time – Wyatt & Scarlett
We Were Lost – Zac & Chloe


OTHER STANDALONE NOVELS:

Not My Hero - Dark YA Romance

Reviews

[Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

This wasn't the best thing I've ever read...but it was exactly what I was in the mood for. If you have followed my reviews for a decent length of time, you know I am a dyed-in-the-wool mafia romance fan and constantly on the lookout for more.

This was focused on Nikolas, the head of the Greek mafia...and while I thought that sounded weird...I mean is there REALLY a Greek mafia...? Who knows.



Because at the end of the day, this is smut for smut's sake and I'm not here to nitpick. Also, I love Greek billionaire romances too, so the more the merrier, I say. Plus, regardless of the...dubiousness of a potential Greek mafia, Nikolas acted very mafia-like and Heard wasn't afraid to make him hurt people.

But I digress.

Nikolas was deliciously possessive and super annoyed by it. Enter some really awesome alphahole moments. I even really liked Tess.

Later in the book, certain elements started to sound...familiar, and I soon realized this is the same author who wrote THIS book - which I didn't love. Luckily this one had a very different...vibe than that one.

Anyway, like I said, I was just really in the mood for this. The plot wasn't the greatest and some of the side plots weren't all that...believable. But still, the chemistry between Nikolas and Tess sizzled, which always offsets a lot for me. Plus...age gap.

I have already downloaded book two from Kindle Unlimited and am hopeful it's got the same vibe as this one.

[Dora Koutsoukou]

Really????
GREEK mafia???!!??? 🤯🙄

Has the author done ANY research regarding the existence of Greek mafia?? Because mafia doesn’t exist in Greece. Organised syndicate does.
Did the author just plaster the Greek nationality as to make a difference in the mafia genre??

The Greek crime bosses have absolutely nothing to do with the “polish” of the Italian/American/Russian mafia bosses, at least as authors in general try to impose the mafia world on readers. They (Greeks) simply lack in every aspect!!

Didn’t ever occur to this author that there is a reason why there are no stories written about Greek mafia heroes?????

Also, the Greek Orthodox Church prohibits marriage of first degree step-siblings!!! 😳

I am most certainly staying away from this … (unfortunately, I couldn’t remove this title from to-read shelf 🤦🏻‍♀️)

A Greek, citizen and reader! 🇬🇷

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

OTT jp age gap mafia enemies-to-lovers romance

Ah. This book gave me all the feels. The tension. The chemistry. The swooniness. The tears. The smiles. The smexxiness. The STEAM!!! Shoot, even the revenge I crave. I. Loved. It!

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

When the book begins, Tess (22) is finding out that her mom’s engaged to a mafia boss’s dad, one that has retired already. Tess doesn’t want to get involved or be a mafia princess. She wants to live her life, be independent, and stay away from all of that. But now, she’s being forced to live in a family that lives, breathes, and eats mafia business. Her new stepbrother, Nikolas (36), is the Canadian Mafia king, and she better learn to accept it and play nice- or else 😅.

Except that she doesn’t want to do that. Nikolas isn’t gonna let her get away from them. She’s expected to follow the rules and do what she’s told, but Tess isn’t having that. In fact, she’s gonna fight him every chance she gets, and escape/evade the guards and Nikolas whenever she can 😈. Let the chasing and punishments begin 💅😅.

Ah the chemistry 🔥 the tension 🥵 the steam 💦. I love how she tries to escape Nikolas but he just grabs her and forces her to stay by his side, in very unbrotherly holds that leave no question to any man as to who she “belongs” to. Poor innocent men better not smile or look at her, lest they wanna feel his wrath unfold lol 💅and Nikolas doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty 😅. Oh and she better wear loose clothes. He is OTT JP lol. Even though they’re not official yet, this curvy, feisty woman is HIS 😈 and only HIS 💁🏻‍♀️.

Gahhh their first kiss is 🥵. He sure shows her how much he looooves her curves 😅. They have their first intense kiss at about 29% with full smexx at about 36%. There’s hair pulling, breath play, praise kink, biting, ripping of clothes… gah… so damn primal and intense🔥💦. She IS his favorite meal 💅.

"You can hate me all you want, moró.” I hear his belt unbuckle, and my abdomen clenches hard with anticipation. “It won’t save you from being f*ck€d raw.”


His lips find my ear. “You f*cking love this, don’t you?”
Unable to deny him, I nod while trying to salvage whatever pride I have left. “Still hate you.”
With savage thrusts, he creates a second heartbeat between my legs. “Oh, but you love my c0ck.

Jeeeezus 🔥🔥🔥. They have raw, passionate, and visceral smexx throughout. But they also have loving smexxx. I love that Nikolas is the first to fall 🥰.

I need to keep the only weakness I have right by my side and protect it with my life. If Tess falls, I fall. If she dies, I die.

“You can do anything you want to, little dreamer. As long as you do it by my side.”

SWOOOOON 🥰🥰🥰 he’s overprotective, makes sense. He’s a mafia king, which means danger lurks. But he’s gonna do everything in his power to ensure her safety.

I lower my hand to the side of her neck, and feeling her pulse, I lock eyes with her and wait. Soon enough, her heartbeat speeds up, and once it’s fluttering against my fingers, I murmur, “All it takes is one look from me to get your heart racing.” I take hold of her hand and press it to my chest so she can feel she has the same effect on me. “... Just by breathing, you make my heart beat faster.”

Did I cry? Oh yeah🥺. I was BAWLING at various parts of the book. But I’m excited to see the future books that are scheduled to come out.

I only wish we had seen the comeuppance that some people deserved to receive. 😐. One in particular was over too quickly for my vindictive tastes lol😑.

I loooooved it!!!❤️❤️❤️

⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/owd/omd
-violence/bl00dshed/t0rtur€/deaths
-dubcon ish
-drugs (Xanax) anxiety/mental health
-past bullying remembered/family drama/parents death
-breath play/praise kink/spanking
-No condoms/she’s has the IUD
-h has been with one person years before/no mention of H’s previous history
-HEA 🥰

[mariasbookss_ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just so you know, I'm going to spoil a shit ton of this book and I'm not going to conceal my review cause i don't want you to spend your precious time and money on something like this. I don't usually write long reviews or talk shit about books unless it was absolutely needed. And in this case if i don't speak the truth about this book I'm going to burn in hell.

So let me start with the fact that i absolutely can't believe i actually read this book, like honestly. This is my first one star read this year and believe me when i tell you giving it one star was actually me being nice. After that being said, if you are into low quality/budget Walmart movies and supper cheesy things then you will love this book 😃

I don't know what the author was thinking when she decided to write about GREEK Mafia, like really???! GREEK ?? are you for real?? Is there even a thing called GREEK Mafia in the world?? Guess what, there isn't!!! This is the first indication that the author did no research or whatsoever concerning her book, i believe she was trying be creative and write about something that hasn't been written about before. Newsflash, it hasn't been written about before for a REASON??!

And lemme be honest here, this book DID NOT give the feels or the aura of a Mafia book. Aside from few descriptions of let's say gory scenes, you wouldn't feel that this was a Mafia book. At all. This is coming from someone who reads A LOT of Mafia romance so trust me when i say that THIS WAS NOT IT.
There are so many things i hated about this book that i can't even begin to explain. You know when you read a book that renders you speechless and you can't even know what to think and how to think, and you just stare at nothing??? That's exactly how I'm feeling right now, but this isn't the it was good kind of speechless this is the what in the world did i just read kind of speechless 🤯.

Let's start with the fact that i hated both MCs, both Nikolas and Tess were a huge disappointment. Her mother gets engaged with the former leader of the GREEK Mafia which in turn turns her into a Mafia princess. Her first meeting with Nikolas she is scared shitless of him, and he gets this urge to control her completely. The next thing she knows she is his puppet and is expected to do as he says.

One second he needs to keep her in line the next he wants her. Emm okay 😀. Let me tell you that he is the lamest Mafia leader I've EVER read. Like he is 36yo but he acts as if he is 20yo, i swear it was if i was reading about a petulant baby who keeps throwing tantrums here and there. And Tess, oh my where to begin. She is a weak heroine and a complete dormant!!! Like how can you just sit and let people you met a week ago control your life?? Like at least say NO!! She is expected to act and react a certain way and to do as Mr. Nikolas pleases and she DOESN'T EVEN OBJECT!!?!! She was such a disappointment, and the funny part is when Nikolas says that she is so strong and brave for doing something he ordered her to do!!! KILL ME PLEASE!!!

it's only been two weeks, but Tess has obeyed every order

And her mother is the worst mother ever!!!? Like what the hell is wrong with you too???? You just gonna sit and watch your daughter being controlled like a child and not do a thing about it?? I mean it's understandable since Tess didn't stand for her self so 🤷‍♀️. Let's talk about the wedding now, after two weeks or so of her being a member of their family he wants her and he needs to have her. So obviously he does, but then he decides that she is a distraction he can't afford so he opts to marry her off. And she DOES NOT FIGHT THIS!!! the only thing she knows how to do is take her anxiety pills. Like i said, a total dormant. But then he decides that he can't let another man have her so at the last minute he is the one standing at the altar. And she just marries him, she does not say no, she does not object AT ALL. So funny.

Keep in mind that all of this happens in less than a month. Now he is madly in love with her and he calls her my queen. GAG 🤮. The dormant who can't even stand for herself ends up being a pro in handling a gun and killing a man. I forgot something important here. The reason she has anxiety and can't seem to stand for herself is because she was bullied by her cousin when she was young. I get it the cousin was 18 and Tess was 8 so she couldn't stand for herself and fight back, but now she is 21yo and she JUST STANDS there and let her beat her ass and DOES NOT DEFEND HERSELF!!! What the hell is this??! When Nikolas finds her all black and blue he decides to kill her cousin and she just lets him!!? She is your cousin and your just gonna let him kill her with COLD BLOOD!!!? Jesus. Let's go back to the killing thing, she is supposed to have anxiety and can't deal with confrontations and then she kills a man with cold blood and nothing happens to her?!??? No remorse no anxiety attack no nothing ???! Emm, okay. The logic of this author is flabbergasting.

I feel like i talked enough to last me two lives. This book was so so soo bad and everything about it was very lame. The writing style was extremely cheesy, like my 15yo brother can write better than this. I kid you not. There was too much going on, pretty fast and there was no time to process the changes. This was a huge waste of my both time and my brain cells, because i honestly feel like I'm going to have nightmares about this book. Just don't read it and skip it all together, and don't EVER AND I MEAN EVER TRUST THE 5 STAR REVIEW, this is the perfect prof.

You're welcome ☺

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was torn between 2 & 3 stars for this one but I went lower because too many things annoyed me with this book.
I’ll start off by saying that I can see why some people enjoyed this book, there were enjoyable moments in it. This book COULD have been good, my emphasis is on COULD, sadly it was not. It was good at stirring emotions, it certainly riled me up. The angst and anger and frustration and lust were palpable at times. I felt for Tess being manipulated and bullied, being alone with no support from her worthless mother, so this author was good at tapping into readers’ emotions. But there were too many other problems within this book that would have benefitted by a good editor(s) and much much more research.
I read a quote once from one of my favourite authors (Lisa Kleypas) who said she often spends more time researching a book than writing it...MH please take a page out of her book (pun intended).

This author did not seem to have done any research for this book. It would have been relatively easy to fact check many of the errors or inaccuracies, a simple google search on my part turned up answers to my questions such as ‘is there a Greek mafia in Vancouver?’ The RCMP has a list of top organized crime rings on their watch list in Vancouver and Greek mafia is not on it.
Also the head of the Sicilian mob was running the show from his house in TORONTO...let’s look at a map of Canada, there is no effective way a mafia is being run three time zones and 4200kms away. People, Canada is a HUGE country, there is no way you can meet up in Vancouver, and then fly out to Toronto with all your dudes and weapons to have a mafia war in an hour.
Also he (Nikolas) teams up with his priesthood of mobster king pins in Chicago...just go look at a map and find Chicago and then find Vancouver and then think of the logistics of managing mobs across different countries on separate sides of a continent. Why did she just throw all these cities into her book? Just leave it all in Vancouver and be done.
Also any of my Canadians out there, were we not pissed off about the scene in the Hospital? Wtf? Let’s discuss the insurance information of the CANADIAN CITIZEN in a CANADIAN HOSPITAL? We do not have medical insurance conversations in our hospitals before preforming emergency procedures, because we all have the same coverage in our non-tiered socialized healthcare system. Anyway small point of the story but made me turn my Canadian nose up. Don’t confuse us for Americans authors, we hate that more than life.
Ok so beyond the badly researched content, the love in this book came on way too fast. One second he forces her to marry him, she hates him and wants to kill him in his sleep, the next they are in love, he is remorseful and a total simp. Don’t get me wrong, I love a badass who simps for his girl, but this was not that. He was a cold hard asshole one second and a doting husband the next. And what about her about face? She was an anxiety riddled meek mouse popping Xanax one second and then emptying a clip in a guys chest the next. There was no growth, no transition, just wham, we have two completely new characters at play half way through the book. Just warm me up to it, you have to show character growth in stages. Sigh.
Lastly, the ending of this book was long. The last two chapters read as a cheese filled epilogue, and then there was an actual epilogue which made me roll my eyes....spoiler she wins an Oscar....puh-leez.
Anyway if this author had taken the time to flesh out this book, research her premise and setting, write believable characters and show steady growth and development, this could have been a great book. But she didn’t, so it wasn’t. Not for me at least.

[❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 TAKEN BY A SINNER 📚 Is the first full length mafia romance book in the series (SINNERS) by 'Michelle Heard' Get ready to meet Tessa (21) & Nikolas (36)

'𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀, 𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗶𝘁.'

Once again this author has pulled off the impossible, making me fall in love with another character of hers. This pulled me effortlessly which this author is prone to do, he wrung out all those swoony sighs and she was the perfect match for him, making her so easy to connect with. Her highs and lows just made her that much more real.



Tessa's mother is set to marry a retired Godfather of the Greek Mafia unit which is a recipe for disaster for Tessa as she wants nothing to do with this life, she wants the freedom to study a career as a producer, she's an introvert who feels more at hoe behind her trusty camera and screen plays, put her in a social gathering and she's out of her element.

Nikolas instills fear in those who meet him, he's merciless and brutal and runs his fathers empire with an iron fist which he took over twelve years ago.

From the moment these two met they set the pages alight, him with his push and pull tactics her with her quick retorts, these two were bound to clash, but underlying all that was a spark that grew chapter by chapter, these two had me so twisted up inside I inhaled their story like no other, I loved these two together, they made the perfect sense, I just wish we got more of them.

This wasn’t by any means dark and no big revealing twists were revealed and readers after me will be happy to learn that no one was thrown over a cliffy!!

I can’t wait to read what’s next in this series.

* Teaser used is off the authors facebook page *

                  

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Many of my GR friends enjoyed this book and I really wanted to love it too but I honestly couldn't finish it fast enough :(
I'm sorry but I found it super lame and boring with very juvenile and off-putting writing style, an extremely predictable plot and both MCs were so flat and unlikable.
99% sure I won't read from this author again.

[Alexandraa XX · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW THE COVER IS AMAZING AND THE STORY ITSELF IS AMAZING. I EVEN CRIED IN THE END CAUSE HOW ROMANTIC THIS STORY IS SERIOUSLY🥺🥺 I am such a hopeless romantic person😂😂😁😚😚 Somehow it touched my heart and i lost count on how many times i say awwww 🥺🥺❤️❤️

“I know I won’t be able to breathe without her in my life. Without her, life is just existing without reason or rhyme.”

I never read from this author but this first book that i read is definitely be my first love and will continue reading from this author. Author you made me obsessed with your amazing work here. Great job!


This story is not boring at all... No unnecessary drama, no bullsh*t drama. All the drama is somehow interesting and fun to read, not to heavy and not too annoying. I have a fun time reading this, periodt. It made my day... I wish it was longer but this definitely will do for sure. Also what i love is that, the situations or moments when the hero finally have the heroine for himself or telling her he loves her it doesn't take a long time for him to say that. Because when i first read this, I have doubts on probably the hero being in the mafia like he is, it will take a long time for him to get close to the heroine or telling her what he truly feels.... But no. It doesn't take a long time. Which is good, cause it's annoying to see when a hero hold his feelings way too long... So that's why it made me more happier to continue with the story😍😍😍😍


The story begins with The hero is the head of mafia because his dad is retired. The heroine's mom told her that she is going to marry her boyfriend who is the hero's father. When her mom go to his fiance house to meet his children with the heroine, that's when the heroine meet the hero for the first time. He was her future step brother... It was hot and romantic actually. Great moment to start they're relationship 😆



‼️‼️‼️SAFE ROMANTIC HOT LOVE STORY.

‼️‼️‼️NO CHEATING

‼️‼️‼️THE HERO IS OTT. YES OVER THE TOP POSSESSIVE PROTECTIVE ALPHA MALE.

NO THE HERO IS NOT A MANWHOR3. He never ever brings a woman to his family before or anyone. The heroine is the first woman he brings with. He said once like only once that he have his fair share of woman but never too much though and he was very busy with his job as a mafia boss.

At first he was mean to the heroine because she was stubborn and don't want to hear his advice or words, but he soon start to be more gentle and nice to her because he knows he was starting to feel something for her... Like he wanted her so bad..

“Until I was forced to face my true feelings and admit the unmistakable truth to myself. I wanted Tess. Her fear, her passion, her feistiness. I wanted it all to myself because I’ve fucking fallen in love with her. I didn’t recognize the emotions, because I’ve never loved a woman before.”

I loved it when the hero still support the heroine's work and study even after she marries him. He didn't make it difficult for her or try to stop her🥺🥺

When his friends tries to make fun of him being too good to the heroine, he didn't listen to them or give a fck. He continues to be good to the heroine and showing it to anyone that see 🥺🥺❤️


‼️‼️‼️TRIGGER: Killing, high on violence, bullying, guns, hospital, mafia, knives, death and alcohol.


‼️‼️‼️THE HERO IS INSANELY OBSESSED WITH THE HEROINE...

In the right and romantic way okay. Not in a bad or weird way so don't worry lol.

He even asked how many men the heroine's been with when he first talk to her😂😂😂😂 Idk but that's funny and hot for me😆

“I need to keep the only weakness I have right by my side and protect it with my life. If Tess falls, I fall. If she dies, I die.”

🥺🥺🥺🥺

The hero is in the mafia, killing his enemies in almost every week (no sometimes it doesn't make a scene but only afterwards so don't worry) BUT HE IS LOVING TO THE HEROINE LIKE NO OTHER 🥺❤️❤️❤️😍

“I don’t share.”

I wave my other hand over the length of her body.

“Every inch of you belongs to me.”

🥺🥺🥺


‼️‼️‼️THE HEROINE IS AMAZING. I love the way she is not being too difficult with her new life like having her mom married a retired mafia. At first she hated it because there new rules for her to follow regarding her mom but afterwards she accepted it and not being dramatic or difficult about it. Like overall, the heroine is a great character. She started as a scared person, have insecurities (she mentioned it from time to time but not too much though) and she have personal issues, but we get to see how she grown from that and healed. She of course became a strong amazing badass queen mafia...

Even when the heroine knows what the hero is doing like in the mafia world, she never asked and she never cause him a trouble or judge him. That's amazing.

The heroine have many guys likes to flirt with her and checked her out but she never acknowledge it even before she's with the hero😂😂😂 I love that. It's so rare these days to read a heroine having many guys likes her cause it's always the hero who gets that which is annoying af. So to read the heroine is getting all the attention and not the hero, is pretty great scene to read. Great job author 😍😍👍


‼️‼️‼️NO SEPARATION when they actually are officially together. They got separated when the hero was trying to marry the heroine's with someone else who is his own cousin (which it didn't work so don't worry). It was more than a week, but of course both are very loyal when they first meet and even before they start to get closer. Loyal to the core. Both never go to anyone else ever...


‼️‼️‼️LOVE IN FIRST SIGHT.

But both didn't really think it was serious cause both never been in a serious relationship before and never ever been in love before.

‼️‼️‼️BOTH ARE SINGLE when they first meet. Both didn't have side chick or side guy lol.


‼️‼️‼️NO PAST PARTNER EVER MENTIONED.

Which makes me glad that I don't get to see the hero's ex running towards him or make a scene. Cause sometimes in the mafia story, those things usually make a appearance which is annoying. BUT WITH THIS HERO, ZEROOO. PHEEWW🙏🙏🙏 THX AUTHOR.


‼️‼️‼️MANY JEALOUS SCENES FROM THE HERO. Very little from the heroine....

I wrap my arm around Tess’ shoulders, tug her to my side, and leaning forward, I growl,

“Unless you want to lose your fucking eyesight, you’ll stop looking at her.”

(This is because the guy who works in the store is looking at the heroine way too long😂)

“Temptation, wrapped in black silk, floats down the stairs, and every fucking pair of male eyes lock onto her. The itch to rip my gun out and go to town on every fucker who dares to ogle Tess crawls beneath my skin.”

“Shrugging out of my jacket, I wrap it around Tess’ shoulders so it will cover her ass, back, and shoulders. My actions have Tess giving me a what the fuck look. “Just keep the fucking jacket on. I don’t need every man in a mile radius drooling over you.”

Even when some guy just shake her hand to be formal, the hero immediately say do not touch or stopped it immediately 😂😂😂


‼️‼️‼️NO VIRGINS

‼️‼️‼️NO DRAMA WITH OW. IT HAS DRAMA WITH OM BUT NOT TOO ANNOYING AND NOT TOO MUCH.... ONLY LIKE ONE TIME. OTHER DRAMA IS ABOUT THEMSELVES, FAMILY ESPECIALLY THE HEROINE'S COUSIN WHO USED TO BULLY THE HEROINE SINCE AGE OF 8 BUT IN THE END SHE GOT WHAT SHE DESERVED... AND MOSTLY ABOUT THE ENEMIES....

AND NO the heroine's cousin never ever been with the hero before. Just in case you're curious about that😂😂😂


‼️‼️‼️THE HEROINE IS 21 years old and THE HERO is 36.

‼️‼️‼️VERY HOT.... HOT SMUT SCENES YOU HAVE NO FREAKIN IDEA. I love the way the hero always worship the heroine's body and makes her satisfied.

“and I fucking come so hard, I lose all sense of my surroundings. There’s only Tess. Her body. Her scent. Her sounds.”

The heroine is the first woman who made him feel that way and the hero is the first man who made her feel that way too...


‼️‼️‼️IT HAS PUSHING AWAY AT FIRST for couple of times but never too much though and not annoying at all....

‼️‼️‼️Location: CANADA


‼️‼️‼️THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THEM WOW. JUST WOW. SOOOO FREAKIN ROMANTIC YOU HAVE NO IDEA. Like i said above, it even made me cry in the end cause how beautiful and strong the love is between the couple. Seriously freakin romantic made me emotional to cry a bit😆😛🥺🥺

To see the heroine and hero build they're relationship even after married, is so romantic and hot. Many cute scenes between them like the hero spoils her with gifts and the heroine goes to his office and brings him lunch🥺🥺🥺 So even though this story is about a mafia boss fell in love with a beautiful woman who is his former step sister, cute scenes like that made a appearance. Which so rare these days to see... Again, great job author.


‼️‼️‼️HAPPY ENDING.

15 YEARS LATER.... Both are still madly in love and going strong with their beautiful family❤️❤️



I can't wait for more from this series and author. Keep up the amazing work author 😍😍😍😍







👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽Thank you so much for reading my review❤️❤️ For you who loves my review and follow it, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I did not get paid or be told to do a review on a book. I’m here just to write review about a book so i can remember it. Its my honest opinion😚 I didn’t know at first people will find me and follow me and trust me to be honest, I was surprised myself to look at the notifications from people who reach out to me😆 So everything i write down here on a review is based on my personal opinion and based on my true writing. I DID NOT COPY SOMEONE’S REVIEW OR WRITING SKILL because at first when i was using this app for one year i didn’t know how to scroll down on a book and see the reviews from others😂😅🤣 I know, silly me but hey I finally learned my lesson 😛😛😛 Thats why when people assume i copy someone’s review i was like what? Because at first i didn’t know how to use this app properly and i didn’t know how to open someone’s review because for a year i never follow someone or add friends or someone😂😂😂🤣 (I’m laughing so hard) 🤪 AND I NEVER COPY SOMEONE’S REVIEW EVER. IF I WRITE SOMETHING WRONG OR DOESN’T MAKE SENSE PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND BE NICE OKAY. 👈🏽👈🏽👈🏽✋🏽✋🏽


I have a disclaimer down bellow if you have negative thoughts about my review😙😙😙



🌐🌐🌐➡️↘️⬇️➡️This is my own personal thoughts and opinion about the book so if thats not sit right with you or you feel I’m not being fair blablabla, please know that everybody in this world have their own different things that they like and don’t like. It may not be the same thing with you but thats okay because i am my own person and you cannot control me or tell me what to do. For example; i put ketchup (tomato sauce) on my fried chicken. You think that’s disgusting? For me its not and i’ve been eating it like that for many many years. You tell me to put another sauce and see if i like that better? I already did many many times in years but i still like the way i like it. It’s called differences between me and you and billions people in this world😊 be open minded😙 I respect people’s opinions about my opinions but in the end of the day if i say I don’t like it or i do like it, its up to me and its on me. And in the end of the day i always liked and show my respect to books and people’s opinions on books whenever that book is good or not good in my opinion 😊 Respect people’s opinions guys😙😙 I don’t want to write this down because its not really my thing to do it. To like address something like this when obviously i know the people who’s been reading my reviews many times and all the time, they are smart enough to understand and respect other people’s opinions no matter what their opinions on book or their point of view 😙😙 am i right? 💕 also there are people even though i already write “this book is different because i have my own taste of book” those people still comment my taste is this and that when HELLO… everybody have their own thoughts on books and what they want to read… why i read it then? I read it and give it a review because i have to read a book to give it a review… why not read the description book to understand before I’m going to read it? Hello just in case you haven’t notice, description books can be tricky because they write this amazing things about a book but turns out the story is so toxic. Maybe for me its toxic but not for you? YES HELLO THATS WHY US HUMAN BEING HAVE OUR DIFFERENCES, WHAT I LIKE IT DOESN’T MEAN YOU WILL LIKE IT AND EITHER WAY TOO. why i still write the review then if i just don’t like a book? Because I CAN and i want to, you cannot tell me what to do and not what to do🤪 if you still wants to be negative and be karens about my review on book after all of what i just write, i will never acknowledge you and simply ignore you because its not that hard🙏 I won’t respond to negativity comments🙏🏼🙏🏼 DON’T ASK ME AGAIN ABOUT WHY NOT RESPONDING TO YOUR NEGATIVE COMMENTS BECAUSE I ALREADY SAY IT HERE AND I WON’T BE EXPLAINING AGAIN BECAUSE WE’RE NOT CHILDREN SO ITS NOT HARD FOR YOU AN ADULT TO UNDERSTAND😌😌 YES MY REVIEW IS LONG BUT YOU READ IT ANYWAY AND ITS FINE ACTUALLY I CAN WRITE AS LONG AS I LIKE😎 YES MY GRAMMAR IS BAD SOMETIMES AND MAYBE ALL THE TIME BUT LUCKILY MANY PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT I’M SAYING🤪 ⬅️↖️↕️⬅️↩️⤴️

[The Lushy Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Mr Vetrov,

I regret to inform you that I have moved on. Our time together was wonderful HOWEVER I have met a Greek God!! Please don’t blame me, blame Michelle. It’s not my fault she does mafia romance right. And she is 1000% to blame for making me fall head over heals for Nikolas Stathoulis.

Nik’s forever,
TLR


My friends, the Greek mafia is where it’s at. Not just the head of the mafia, this Greek God is everything my dark little heart and my little friend, Lib Ido, desires - angry, arrogant, possessive, and obsessive. Yes, he takes what he wants and gives zero fucks - but Gah Damn, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t offer it all on a silver platter.

The chemistry between him and Tess is so tangible I felt it down to my core. Tess is no meek little girl who will allow this man to walk all over her. Her fight and their banter make this one hell of a ride. She deserves that crown and Nik can get on his knees in front of her 😏

Michelle has created one of the best mafia worlds to date and I can’t wait to see what’s next! Chefs kiss mama 🤌💋

[Arini · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

ive never heard of Greek mafia, and Nikolas Stathoulis (H) doesnt hold a candle to Nicolas Russo (The Sweetest Oblivion), but i wouldnt mind being the object of his possessiveness who gets all his forehead kisses. 🥰 🤸 the MCs relationship is tense at the beginning because the H always try to taunt and intimidate the h, which only adds to the tension and its cheffs kiss. i love how overprotective (and touchy) he gets with the h. i’d say he falls for her first, and its adorable to see especially because hes annoyed that he cares for her. 😆 this is a light mafia read (trigger warnings on child abuse, fat shaming, and anxiety) with an age gap (H 36, h 21) romance between step siblings. it sounds taboo, but its actually not at all. theres action & violence, but the mafia stuff is rather tame and the romance sweet. i wouldnt call this dark whatsoever if compared to some others ive read. still i recommend! its a quick read.

(read as an audiobook)

[ree · Rating 1 out of 5]

im just mad at myself for thinking this book would be decent

[Darlene I read WAY to many books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im be honest I was shocked at how much I love this book!! It’s rare for me to love mafia books because sometimes those guys are manwhores and I have to say Nikolas wasn’t he was a mean jerk but no manwhore lol.

Let’s start at the top poor Theresa she’s happy her mom is getting married it sucks it’s to a retired mafia boss or godfather.. first impressions the family was okay until she met the new head of the family and her “stepbrother” Nikolas who walked with blood on him. Not a good look he’s also a jerk he already demanded that Theresa obey his rules and him. She’s like I just met you naw. She also hated just because her mother got married those rules apply to her. Sunday dinners, events and later in the story Arranged marriage!! The chemistry and banter between them was off the charts. Nik did bite himself in the butt once he told Theresa that she was getting married after they slept together the first time… (don’t worry that doesn’t happen) angry and hurt she kept her distance from the man until her wedding day and found out a switch a roo happened now her stepbrother turned into her husband. I know!!!! But beside them and there banter there was drama with rival family’s ans a cousin who loved to torture Theresa when they were younger.. don’t worry she gets what’s coming to her.

The thing I disliked about this book was probably the mom… if you read the book you’ll understand why I had trouble liking her.


Low angst, sorta not really op drama , No cheating, slight secondary chars, drama, sexy times, no virgins no manwhore

Recommend-yes
Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶🌶



Slowinsta
Push away from both
Age gap
21h/36H
Punishments
Mentions past abuse mental and physical
Death
Torture
No condom
Violence
Hea
Epilogue

[*˚Remnant Light ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5/5 stars**

I hadn't read a mafia romance in a while and I'd forgotten how much I loved and had missed that type of tension and passion you can usually find in them. I was honestly hooked by it right from the start!

The premise wasn't really groundbreaking but still entertaining; Tess is a young woman who is pursuing her dream to become a producer. She studies and works very hard to try and achieve her goals. When her mother marries a retired Godfather, Tess who is now under the Stathoulis' responsability, is forced to play the part of a mafia princess and obey the rules... but most of all, submit to her new step-brother, Nikolas, the head of the family. If at first Nikolas plans to arrange a marriage for his new step-sister, ridding himself from this new burden of a step-sister, he never plans to desire her so much...

When Tess takes her seat, I’m hit with a light feminine fragrance. Something fresh with hints of blossoms and vanilla. She smells like beauty and youth… ready to be corrupted.
-Nikolas

Let's start with Tess! I liked that she was passionate about her dreams and ambition. Even afraid, she would still stand up for herself when it came to Nikolas. Having a history of being abused by her horrible cousin, I found her to be brave and emotionally strong. I enjoyed the fact that she wasn't oblivious to her entourage, because too often, heroines are just heedless and make you roll your eyes. Not her. It was nice seeing her gain some confidence in herself since she'd always been self-conscious of her body for the majority of her life. I also felt like her reactions were all realistic during different situation.

In Nikolas’ arms, with him still buried deep inside me, I realize one thing – Nikolas isn’t the most powerful person any longer. I am.-Tess

As for Nikolas, he reminded me a little bit of Nico from The Sweetest Oblivion. Just a little bit and not just in the name. His personality was unhinged and dangerous, his temper easily triggered. He quickly became possessive and protective of Tess, and also very jealous of any man even looking at her. The only thing that bothered me was how his personality shifted in the last third of the book. He didn't feel as intense or interesting once he became super soft and caring towards Tess. Maybe I'm just weird but it made him a bit boring in intimacy. I could've done without the lovey-dovey declarations of love and repetition of 'I love you's. If it'd been toned down, I wouldn't have minded though.

“My woman…” Thrust. “…likes being spanked….” Thrust. “No wonder…” Spank. “…you keep testing me.”-Nikolas

😳

But anyway, I really liked the chemistry that they had. I loved their arguments leading to passionate hate-love moments. It was intense and hot, and even if it was a little bit repetitive over time, it really helped developing their relationship to become much deeper without them even noticing it.

Other than that, there were little things that I didn't like, or rather, didn't care for. For one, I really didn't care about the cousin, Irene resurfacing and still a bully (and an absolute idiot apparently). I felt that the confrontation with her was a bit over the top, and her character overall was just very...drafty and dull? She was just evil to be evil and that's unfortunate, had there been a reason for the way she treated Tess, a twist of something, it would've been super interesting. Instead, she was just one-dimensional. Another character I didn't really enjoy was Tess's mother. As much as I wanted the mom to be happy with her new husband, her decision to marry that man literally took away her daughter's freedom. And Tess was supposed to just accept to be arranged in a marriage, the husband picked by none other than Nikolas? AND THEN HER MOM TOLD HER TO SMILE?! I'm sorry, the mom really annoyed me. It just sucked how the mother just didn't care about the position she put her daughter in by marrying the man. Seems a bit selfish to chain your daughter to a fate with no choice while the mom lives blissfully and happily with a man she LOVES and CHOSE to marry herself.

Certain things in the story could've been researched better, I could definitely tell the author had not researched anything about Canada when I read about hospital insurance and fees in a Canadian hospital. I know it's just a detail, and there are some exceptions but still. As a Canadian myself, I was taken aback by the mention of fees and other various little details.

✔️HEA Epilogue: 15 years later, H and h have two kids, and h is winning an award. I personally would've preferred the epilogue to be about the kids but oh well...🤔
✔️Standalone
✔️Dual POV
✔️Age gap H is 36 and h is 21
✔️Enemies to lovers
✔️Step-siblings Non blood related/ They hadn't met prior to the books events
✔️Possessive/OTT/Jealous H
✔️Strong h
✔️No OW/OM
OM1 (h's friend) wants to meet up with her on a weekend. To him it's probably like a date while for her it's platonic. h cancels the meet up with OM1 at H's request.
OM2 (H's cousin), H tries to arrange a marriage between h and OM2 but cancels it at the last minute. He really can't give her away.
OW (h's cousin) tries to hit on H but he rejects her.
✔️No cheating
✔️Push and pull H is confused about the way he feels towards h. It's a love hate relationship for both, and they like to trigger the other
🔥Steam level: 3/5 stars I personally think it could've been even more intense but overall they were super enjoyable
⚡Content warning No condom/ Contraceptive (IUD)/ Dubcon/ Spanking/ Rough/ Biting/ Oral sex/ Blowjob/ Praise kink/ Against a wall
⚡Trigger warning Medication (Xanax)/ Anxiety/ Torture/ Violence/ History of abuse

Overall, I really enjoyed this mafia romance. As much as I enjoy sweet stuff, I need my dose of dubcon sometimes too. I plan to read the next standalones in this series, some of the characters made a really good first impression.

[Fiza · ia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ✰

This was literally the definition of a hot grown ahh ruthless protective caring mafia head billionaire gentle-man on his god damn knees for you.

"You’ll teach me? How to become the queen you need me to be.”
“You’re already the queen I need, kardiá mou.”

You heard that bihh


Also

Me all the time inhaling marriage of convenience and step-siblings tropes

Author: Hold my pen, this one is gonna be 2 in 1

Moreover shat ap cuz the interaction of the last book characters' was so 👹 the urge to gulp down that one too 📈

[Melluvsbooks]

DNF - I keep trying this author and striking out. I don’t understand her characters’ motivations. Clearly she was trying to make the “step-brother” thing a major conflict but it just didn’t make sense to me. Their parents just got married. They are strangers to each other. They are both adults who don’t live together…. So what’s the problem? The “age-gap” taboo didn’t make sense either. That’s par for the course in the mafia world. And every “Greek” book I’ve read had the older Greek H paired with a sweet young wife… so why would anyone around them care about this? And why would the MCs? She 21, not 17. He’s 36, not 60. I don’t understand. And for me the tension is killed when he’s obviously simping for her after their first meeting. I don’t understand why. I don’t understand all the overwrought emotions so early in the book after just a handful of interactions. I need more tension and buildup and angst before we’re already declaring ourselves in our head. Particularly in a mafia book.

I just think this author isn’t for me. 😬🤷🏼‍♀️

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an okay book for me. It was quick moving and full of quick and fast emotions. I felt pretty jerked around from scene to scene. Not much finesse in getting for beat to beat.

It was sexy and the hero falls fast. The heroine is guarded yet quickly enthralled by her step-brothers hotness and bossy attitude.

My biggest complaint is that her trauma is just "poof" gone once her villian is killed. She's literally on anxiety meds and that all instantly goes away once her tormentor is dead... Nope.

And love happened way to quick.

4 Stars
3.5 on the spice scale.

TW: childhood abuse, assault, death of a parent, and violence.

[Jel · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75

It started off pretty well but went downhill just as fast; However, it got better towards the end. A trainwreck. Anyways this book was very predictable besides the wedding scene and some parts felt as if it was written by a Wattpad writer.

The hero treated the heroine like absolute garbage 🗑

They are stepsiblings for a couple days until they had seggs. They hated each other right from the start as the hero kept intimidating and trying to control every aspect of the heroine’s life. He did get better after falling for her but there was no real groveling. He helped her with her trauma and get over her fears causing her to fall for him.


Hero is head of mafia age 31 or 35 I can’t remember

Heroine is 21 and a college student

SPOILERS

He was into her but he did not like that so after fuking her, he chose to arrange her to get married with this cousin. So she can stay out of his sight. When they first did the deed. He just went into her without preparing her at all. It was considered her punishment since she refused to obey him and kept going against his words. He loved it when she cowered and he oved controlling her. Nasty. She liked it so I just thought “Whatever.”

BUT THEN, he had to go and be a piece of trash all over again. He got angry at her again and they did it. He was also pointing a gun at her head… They fucked without him preparing her. Then she went down on him and after making him c*m, she felt so proud of herself I would’ve thought she won a competition or something. Then she proceeds to say Tess 1: Nikolai 0 and I’m speechless at this point. Anyways the hero wants to get back at her so he goes down on her, sucks her so hard that she sees stars. What’s the point of doing foreplay after seggs but oh well. 😑🤮

“I hardly get to relish the feel of his hardness pressing against my opening when he roughly surges inside me. He stretches me until it’s painful. Then, with a desperate grunt, he pulls out, and entering me harder and even deeper than before, I realize he’s too big for me.
Holy shit.”

After the hero realizes about the heroine’s trauma, he starts treating her like fragile glass. He tries to make her fall for him because if she doesn’t, it’ll break him. He went through a personality switch from a controlling asshole to a caring husband😒

The hero probably is the weakest mafia head I’ve ever read about. All he does is threaten and say ‘I will kill him’ but he is unsuccessful at doing so. This results in his family getting killed and in danger. He also had to ask for help from the other head mafias. All his threat towards the heroine now seems ridiculous.

Thoughts about the heroine.

She’s unrealistic and stupid. The only time she felt real was when she had the trauma. I did like her then until she because a ‘MAFIA QUEEN’ PLZ 🥴. I expect more from someone with such a title. She is manipulated and gaslighted all her life with little to none self esteem because of her bully cousin. What I did like was that she did not have mercy on the shitty cousin. Most heroines would forgive and I find that frustrating.

What I hated.

She had the chance to marry a sweet and kind guy, the H’s cousin but all she did was throw a trantrum that she did not love him and she wanted it to be HER choice.

However she instantly contradicted herself by agreeing to marry the H (she did not know about this switch prior to the wedding and her mum was threaded by Nicholas not to tell her about it.) She even felt relieved to be marrying the asshole because she was physically attracted to him. Why do authors make it so that we females seem weak to looks and lust. Ugh 😣

When she found out that her wedding partner was switched to Nicolas, she agreed to marry him and said this.

“Lifting my chin with pride, I force a smile to my face. “Once we get home, you better hide because I’m grabbing the first sharp object and stabbing you.”

Why would you marry someone just to try and kill them. And who threatens the person you want to kill. Of course she never went through with her silly plans. As soon as her sis in law asks her to treat Nicolas nicely, she accepts and starts acting like a house wife.

That so called hate did not last long at all.

The way they r treated their workers were bad too. James got shot while saving the h and had to go through surgery. Not even one day after the surgery he is called to be on duty because the h is having an emotional moment as her mother and stepfather got killed by the enemies. Poor James. Not getting a moment of rest before he has go guard the heroine on a plane.

The heroine also forgot and moved on from her mother’s death so fast I was shocked.

The way the story end was that the h gave birth to 2 babies and won a freaking Oscar. I laughed so hard lol. Plain stupid. I did not need to know that. 🤡😪

[Niki {Still a Widow but reading more} · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 50%

okay maybe it's just me and I'm in a really weird funk but I just couldn't with Nickolas. Up until the 50% mark I didn't see anything even remotely redeemable. He pretty much was just an angry asshole. My breaking point was after telling Tess to "shut up and obey or else" the whole book, Nikolas then says after marrying her how he now loves that she learned to stand up for herself because she's the new mafia queen. Oh yeah and he's fallen in love with her.

Now Tess and Nikolas have had very little interactions, except for him treating her like shit and verbally putting her down. There was nothing to back up his change of heart or "feelings." Not to mention Tess is a Xanax popping anxiety attack on legs but all of a sudden, she's like a defiant regal mafia queen....gimme a break.

I could have dealt with the beginning and Nikolas and Tess' personalities, through redemptive storytelling and growth to see them fall in love and been happy. I just got aggravated when literally it was only over a few page span, they both did a 180 and had feelings for each other. I was excited to start this series, and so I'm bummed I couldn't get into it.

[aashi · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf @94% forgot what this book was about

[ari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t understand why so many people were hyping this up because frankly, this was the most uneventful mafia story I have ever read.

[cher · Rating 1 out of 5]

i hate booktok

[Crazy About Love 💕 · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️ two stars -

Meh. I mostly enjoyed this one up until the last quarter of it, when it became too much on the mafia and less on the romance 💁‍♀️

While I am a sucker for the mafia romance genre, I need it to be a romance first and foremost for me to enjoy it. In this story, the romance kind of peters out a bit past the halfway mark, and I just lost interest and found myself skimming to get to the dialogue between the mc’s, and to read the ending.

There was just too much mafia blood and gore detail, which I don’t enjoy. I definitely enjoyed the romance build up in the beginning here; much more than the nitty gritty mafia pieces. I started skimming past these scenes in search of the romance…

Well, the search was hard to find lol. The h gets a declaration of love from our H, but she neglects to vocally reciprocate, and I found that to be a romance killer. The “I love you” declarations are a core part of a romance story! I want both characters to give and receive love, as it’s these scenes that tend to warm my little heart 💓 The heroine here never says it back to the Hero (not until later in the story, and by that point, he’s outright declared his love to her several times over), and that just made me sad for him, as he was already truly in love with her by that point, and that killed the romantic bubble for me 😕

Overall, it became too boring, nothing special, and nothing original in mafia land romance. Not to mention the cheesefest that is the epilogue here. Just no.

Two stars - as I did enjoy the promise of the beginning. Just wish it had continued more in that vein. Can’t say I’d recommend this one.

[Bri · Rating 1 out of 5]

These stupid goddamn mafia books.

I hated this. The mafia’s misogyny. The weak MFC (grow a goddamn vagina, lady). The fact that the MMC essentially emotionally torments her for the first half of the book and triggers her due to her past abuse. Which, OF COURSE, works to show her how physically attracted she is to the MMC. And then *POOF*. She can’t keep her legs closed???? And then they’re suddenly in fucking love with each other???? No dick is that magical. NO DICK IS THAT GOOD THAT IS NOT HOW DICKS WORK.

And then at the end she wins an Oscar???? Because, as the queen of the Greek mafia, she has time for her screen writing. O-fucking-kay. 😑

I finished this book out of pure stubbornness. I hated this book. HATED IT.

[Alina Syrotiuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

За що люблю книги Мішель Херд, так це за те як легко їх читати. Час просто не помітно йде, навіть не зрозуміла як так швидко прочитата 400 сторінок.


Тесса Дракотос — 21 рік, майбутній продюсер.

Ніколас Статуліс — 36 років, дон грецької мафії, один з п’яти учасників «Священства».

Тесса народилася і виросла у світі мафії, але майже ніколи не бачила темної та кривавої сторони цієї організації. Її батько був звичайним бухгалтером, але коли Тессі було вісім років він трагічно загинув. Вона була змушенна переїхати з мамою до своїх родичів, де протягом дев‘яти років страждала від жорстокості власної кузини. Вона била Тессу та знущалася з неї та її фігури. Через це при найменшому стресі Тесс не може обійтись без заспокійливих таблеток. Але здається все налагодилось після того як вона вступила до коледжу і почала жити у власній квартирі.
До моменту поки її мама, не вирішила одружитися з минулим доном грецької мафії. Тесса ніколи не хотіла бути частиною цього світу і принцесою мафії, але теперешній дон її зведений брат Ніколас так не важає. Він понад все хоче підкорити її своїй волі.

Не скажу, що мені дуже сподобалась любовна лінія але - це було не погано. Вчинки головного героя на початку книги, я досі не можу зрозуміти. Ця незрозуміла агресія, бажання володіти головною героїнею а потім просто відкинути її в бік🫣 щоб через деякий час зрозуміти, що кохає її.
Він безжальний дон, який не перекладає вбивства на своїх підлеглих, задоволенням вбиває зрадників та ворогів самостійно. Лінія мафії тут також непогана, задум з «Сященством» дуже цікавий, але мені не вистачило опису саме територій та сім‘ї якою керує Ніколас.

Тому цій книзі ставлю 3/5⭐️, бо все ж ця модель стосунків яка була між Ніколасом та Тессою не на мій смак. Навіть троп «різниця у віці» не врятував ситуацію.

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trope: enemies to lovers; step-bother
Angst: 😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥

Tessa is just trying to finish her degree so she can get a job allowing her the independence to extricate herself from the mafia. Everything was going perfectly until her mother marries the retired Don, bringing her to the attention of her future step-brother, Nicholas whose presence does nothing to quell the anxiety with which she suffers. Despite this, she feels an inexplicable attraction to the dangerous man who seems to bring out the worst in her. Nicholas decides the best course of action would be to marry her off, but Tessa isn’t giving up her freedom without a fight.

I just loved this book so much! Well written and fast paced, there is tons of action from beginning to end. I loved the characters and how they both grew during the story. Nicholas just couldn’t understand his protectiveness and the jealous/possessive side that was brought out when she was around and I adored the fact that he fell before her! Tessa really grew during the story and was able to find a strength she didn’t know she possessed. The chemistry between the two of them was fiery hot right from the get go and despite what either of them wanted, lol. Loved it and can’t wait for the rest of the series!

Taken By A Sinner is the first book in The Sinners series by Michelle Heard and is a standalone. It is told in first person from dual perspective.

[Sentranced Jem · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a die hard mafia romance fan, I have read my fair share of organised crime/ mafia romances... The Italians mafia romances are a favourite, the Russian Bratva are a close second, the cartels...you name it I've read them all...but a Greek mafia romance? well, that's a first for me.
I didn't even second guess it when I saw that Michelle Heard had written a Greek Mafia romance. Taken by a Sinner was without a doubt sinfully good. Such a page turner! The steam is wow. Angst is off the charts.
Nikolas has the right amount of possessive and protectiveness that I LOVE in my mafia men.

You know what I've loved most about Michelle Heard's mafia romances? She doesn't shy away from giving us dangerous, bloody, you-need-adult- supervision kind of book. It's savage with class..makes sense? it's ruthless and merciless..and I devoured Taken by a sinner.

[❤️Court - Villains Do It Better❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

Just okay. There a lot of cringe worthy moments that were hard to get through, and the insta love was too much for me. This was also a huge problem I had with the prequel series too. I do recall some books being better or worse than others, so I will probably read the next one and hopefully it gets better.

Safety:

Safe

No manho(at least no details)/no virgin

Heroine has been with only one man before, hero had been with more but not really any details

Ow drama: heroines cousin wants the hero but it causes very small drama

Om drama: not really. One of her classmates wants to hang out with her and she says yes at first, but later no.

No cheating/sharing. Only with each other after meeting.

[Suzan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yunan mafyasıda okumadım demem.

[Abstract ♥ Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALL MY REVIEWS CAN BE FOUND ON MY BLOG: ABSTRACT BOOKS



Star Rating : 4.5/5 Stars

POV : Dual

Cliffhanger : None

Hero : Nikolas

Heroine : Tess

Pace of the story : Moderate

Angst Rating : 6/10

Heat Rating : 6/10

Triggers Involved : Bully , enemies to lovers , crazy hero , Hero with an old mafia style thinking of how women need to be married to be safe

Plot Summary :
Tess had an easy life until her mother married the retired head of the mafia. With her being stuck with the Head of Greek mafia as her stepbrother, is safe to say that her simple life became much more complicated. Nicolas was a man who instilled fear in people who have heard of his deeds. He was ruthless, sinful and downright cut throat. God forbid anyone who came in his way because the one thing he was not known for was his forgiving tendencies. Fear was not the only thing Tess felt in the presence of her stepbrother. He was a bully, a ruthless criminal who would do anything to keep her line but soon she finds that she likes the challenge he presents.

Overall Opinion :
Omg. I swear everytime I think that a new release by this author is my favorite read of hers but nahh, she has to bring something new and prove me wrong again!! This standalone book was downright sinful and everything my dark mafia romance loving heart desired.

I am crazy for mafia books and sub tropes like bully, stepbrother, enemies to lovers are my all time binging categories, so when I knew that this author was combining these all and creating a single book? Yeah, I went crazy to get my hands on it. My review is horribly late but that's because of my heavy schedule, but I read this one as soon As it came on my Kindle.

Nickolas is just… well anything I say will be pointless and you won't get the level of hotness and intimidating personality this man has until you read it on your own. I mean I was shivering whenever he was in a scene , that's how ruthless and hot he was. I love intimidating heroes, the ones who are just so tough and Nickolas was just that in every way that counts.

Definitely recommending this book to all the dark romance loving people out there. It is one of the best reads I have had after a huge book slump so yeah, crazily recommending this one.

Website | Bookstagram | Facebook Page | Newsletter

[Ashleyjo]

Ehhh, this is like my tenth DNF, but this book just didn’t hold my interest.

The tone is very YA. The overall essence, texture, tempo, etc… just feels childish. I don’t feel anything the FMC portrays within scenes.

She’s 21, but she sounds more like she’s 16…

“I’m not getting married,” I object, my tone weak instead of filled with the strength I seem to lack whenever I’m in his presence. It’s as if he drains it from me only to use it against me. The man is a damn strength vampire.

🙄

I pour her a glass of water and nudge it closer to her. “Drink.” “I’m not thirsty,” she stubbornly declines. “It’s an order.” She lets out a huff of air but obeys. I watch as her throat works the liquid down, and a weird satisfaction rushes through me.

If she’s going to be a submissive doormat, at least make it interesting.

And, it’s not just a submissive nature with the MMC. Why, for example, would the FMC still be so terrified of her abusive female cousin?

The FMC is also rather prudish. She’s just judgmental enough to be annoying. She has this people-pleasing mentality that’s not appealing.

Meanwhile, the MMC is internally blabbing about how he gets off on both her fear and disrespect. Yet, the bitch has been nothing but submissive… she just don’t smile and fawn all over him. It’s just such a wishy-washy bullshit of saying she’s so strong while everything she does is weak AF. That kinda fabricated angst doesn’t do it for me.

This is also extremely slow moving. By 15%, nothing has happened. The author has simply set up the premise - FMC’s mom marries MMC’s dad. MMC is head of family and mob, and he demands to be in control of the FMC’s life. She’s ain’t down for that, but don’t want to get financially cut off … so she plays the nice little submissive capable of giving dirty looks while saying “yes, sir.”

^^ I literally know no more than what the blurb had already told me.

Bottom Line

This just isn’t a story, characters, not writing style that’s for me. I can’t say it’s bad nor good… it’s just not streamlined, mature, and moving at a pace to hold my attention.