Arranged Scars

This the final book in the Whelan Irish Crime Family. Finn Whelan, the youngest of the family is always known for cracking jokes. He uses humor to deflect when he does not want to talk about something. When his brother tells him he needs to marry, he is completely upset because Caroline, his bride, is the daughter of the family he hates. He hates her too just for having the same last name. He hires her as a cleaner so he can watch her before he has to marry her. The more he watches her, the more he becomes obsessed. One night he catches her in his pool not wearing anything and he can’t control himself around her. They have an instant attraction and end up having a very passionate night. When he is told he needs to tell her soon, he has no choice but to speak to her again. He never meant to sleep with her but he wanted her right then and there. What will happen when she finds out he knew?

Caroline works as a cleaner for a rich man named Finn. That is all she knows about him. She does not know his last name. She cleans his house then she swims in his pool without a swimsuit. He is never home so why not. One night he catches her and they have an intense night she will always remember. However, when she goes home, her brother is there waiting for her. He tells her she needs to go see her parents. They tell her she must marry Finn Whelan for their family alliance. When they show her his picture, she is shocked to find out it is her boss. When she confronts him, she tells him she refuses to marry him. Finn does not want to marry her either but he decides to strike a deal with her. He hates her brothers and wants them dead along with her father. So if she helps him kill them, he will set her free and set her up for life.

BB Hamel had me feeling bad for both of them. Finn was hiding a lot of trauma behind his signature smirk. It was so sad that he would not tell anyone. I felt bad for Caroline too. She was her brothers’ and father’s punching bag all her life. Every time she thought it was wrong to want to hurt one of them, she remembered their cruel actions. They had amazing chemistry. It was nice to see them open up to each other about their past. Their scenes were hot. I also loved their heartwarming moments. I rooted for them since their first meeting. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the book. It was a definite roller coaster. It was filled with drama, action, heat, secrets, danger, shocking twists, and heartbreaking moments. I will miss this series.

Sandy S

8,529 reviews211 followers

March 20, 2026

4.25stars-ARRANGED SCARS by BB Hamel is a contemporary, adult dark erotic, Mafia romance storyline set in the dark Mafia romance series focusing on the Whelan family. This is Finn Whelan, and Mafia princess Caroline Flanagan’s story line. ARRANGED SCARS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty .Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Finn and Caroline) ARRANGED SCARS focuses on the deadly need for vengeance by our story line couple. Caroline Flanagan has been sold to the Whelan clan as a means of power and control but unbeknownst to the Flanagan’s Caroline new husband has plans of his own. Caroline has been used and abused all of her life, and Finn Whelan is offering Caroline vengeance as he seeks retribution of his own.

The world building follows Finn and Caroline as they set their plans into motion-the take down of the Flanagan family, one body at a time. Finn is unsure as to how far his new bride is willing to go but a mutual desire to destroy their personal demons means leaving no stone unturned.

The relationship between Finn and Caroline begins as boss and employee but Caroline is unaware of Finn’s future role in her life. Believing she overstepped, Caroline is willing to play along until she discovers their collective ideals as it pertains for their need to avenge. The $ex scenes are provocative and passionate.

There is a large ensemble cast of questionable and determined secondary and supporting characters including the return of Finn’s brothers: Declan (Arranged Addiction) , Cormac (Arranged Obsession) and Seamus (Arranged Control), and their wives Alina, Bianca and Casey; Finn’s lieutenant Liam; Caroline’s brothers Dermot, Malachy, Shane, and Redmond, as well as their Eamon Flanagan

ARRANGED SCARS is a story of power and control, secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, dysfunctional family ideals, acceptance and love. The character driven premise dark, dramatic and heart breaking; the romance is emotional and seductive; the characters are determined, desperate, broken and seeking revenge.

copy supplied for review

Sal’s life

246 reviews2 followers

March 23, 2026

This the final book in the Whelan Irish Crime Family series, a series I have really enjoyed reading.
Finn Whelan is the youngest member of the Whelan family and is best known for making light of every situation, like the family joker, tending to use jokes and humour to hide what he really feels or thinks.

Like all his brothers, his time comes to step up and marry for the good of the family. Unfortunately for Finn, he has been asked to marry Caroline, who happens to be the daughter of the family he hates the most in the world.

Caroline gets a job offer as a cleaner paying more than she thought it would and that the apartments are never dirty and she thinks no one really uses them. She is in part correct, Finn employed her so he can watch her before he has to marry her. This results in Finn becoming a little obsessed.
One night Caroline takes a swim in the pool, naked, Finn makes his presence known and the pair clearly have an instant attraction and they make good on this attraction that night. Caroline is summoned by her awful father and told she has to marry and to her surprise is given a photograph of Finn, she realises in this moment he knew who she was all along.

Caroline and Finn discover that they both HATE her family, they have both suffered awful physical and psychological abuse from them for years since they were children, and together they plan how to make them pay for all that they did to them.

It was great to see Caroline written as a strong woman who had suffered immense abuse but would not be a victim, together with Finn she found strength in a shared trauma, this clearly was the foundation of their relationship and this worked for them and the story.

Naughty Nightie

945 reviews21 followers

I loved Finn and Caroline's story, and the author keeps you turning the pages with all the twists and turns. Caroline is a cleaner for Finn and has to do the job at night. Since Finn never seems to be there, Caroline takes advantage of his sauna and pool when she's finished her cleaning job. One night, she gets caught when he comes home. She's worried she will lose her job, but he assures her that she won't. Caroline had a rough childhood, bullied and abused by her family, and she was glad she had a place away from them all now. She is stunned when she learns Finn has been keeping secrets from her, and when she is summoned home and told she is to marry Finn to unite their families. Once married, they find they share something in common in their lives, stemming from her family. So the pair set out for revenge against Caroline's family. B.B keeps you riveted reading this book, and it's hard to put down when you see what action Finn and Caroline take and the revenge that ensues. Will Funn and Caroline ever get what they're after, or will it tear them apart?
I recieved an arc from Booksprout for my voluntary honest review for NN Book Blog. If you love an action-packed, bloodthirsty revenge mafia romance, then you will love this book. This book may not be for everyone, so please heed the author's warnings before reading or purchasing it.

Cindy Jones

794 reviews2 followers

March 23, 2026

Arranged Scars is the fourth and final story in the Wheelan Irish Crime Family series. It is another amazingly well-written story in this series.

Caroline has lived on her own away from her abusive father and brothers. She has taken a job as a maid to clean a penthouse apartment. She decides to go for a swim in the sauna and pool when she realizes someone is watching. The owner of the apartment comes to join her and asks her to stay. They have a steamy scene. Caroline doesn't realize that the man is Finn. Her father has informed her that she has an arranged marriage to Finn but she doesn't know him yet. Finn knew about the arrangement and hired Caroline. He wants revenge against her family since they are enemies.

Neither Caroline or Finn want to be married. As they get to know each other they realize they have similar things. Finn makes her a deal that she can't refuse. She wants the freedom she has been wanting for so long. Finn craves revenge but then decides to include her in his plans. How will their story end? This was another suspenseful story from this talented author.

I loved how strong Caroline was. She was determined to get away from her father's brutality. I loved how Finn plotted and hired Caroline. Their chemistry was so good. I look forward to more from this author.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Grinning Cat

4,219 reviews122 followers

forced-or-arranged-marriage mob revenge

Who doesn’t love a good revenge story, especially if the hero and heroine team up to do it?
Elevator pitch: Finn and Caroline are stuck in an arranged marriage with one thing in common: they both dislike her family with the heat of a thousand suns. Together, they work to unalive her brothers and father, who spent a summer torturing Finn and many years torturing Caroline. United in their dislike-tred, they fall in love.
Thoughts- Finn and Caroline are both nuts, and that is probably due to the torture inflicted by her father and brothers. They can even compare scars, which is always a fun thing to do if you’re bored on your honeymoon. But there is something vicariously satisfying about the revenge. Her family had no redeeming value, as far as I could tell, although they left her mother out of it. At first, I lumped her mother in with the rest of the family because she was gaslighting Caroline, but her mother was just trying to survive an abusive life.
Cat’s Stats
Heat- explicit
Bechdel test- failed
Safety? Y
Triggers- graphic violence, torture, abuse, emotional abuse, language.
Tropes- forced/arranged marriage, the couple who slays together, revenge romance, secret identity, safe stalking.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Dora

1,936 reviews14 followers

Finn, the Wesley who seemed to take things lightly and without much responsibility, and the quiet, submissive Caroline find themselves forced to join forces for the good of the organizations they belong to. But unexpectedly, something in common binds them down an even more dangerous path that will change their lives forever. For Finn and Caroline, much had become too much, beyond what they could tolerate, and their minds were giving way to dark emotions that seemed to align with the pain they had suffered. The book had a good pace, engaging, with intense scenes that sometimes made me put down my e-reader to consider the protagonists' perspectives. I felt sadness, anger and even a bit of horror and anguish, but I also seemed to understand the reasons behind some of the decisions made. The exciting narrative with its twists gave me way to emotions that gripped my heart. I always find the author's writing style interesting, and it keeps my attention with the way she handles situations that were or could be disastrous for the protagonists but ultimately have their happy ending. Action, suspense, intriguing situations, dark filings and emotions, violence, romance and passion.

Laure

3,049 reviews21 followers

March 17, 2026

She wants to be free, not married off.

To say Caroline Flannagan grew up in a dysfunctional family is putting it mildly. After a year of relative peace her father informs her that he has arranged for her to marry Finn Whelan, the youngest brother of New Yor’s most ruthless mob family. But what the heads of those families don’t consider is that both Caroline and Finn were viciously abused by the same group, and that a mutual thirst for revenge will be the thing to bring them together.
To say that the main characters are morally gray might be putting it mildly, but I loved them and could understand their motivations. Complex, and in some cases, completely reprehensible characters kept me completely riveted to this book. Vicious and bloody violence, mental, emotional and physical abuse which might be triggering to some readers, some unexpected twists in the plot, and a happily ever after. This is a fantastic must-read, very steamy and dark romance that I recommend to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC provided by Book Sprout.

1,245 reviews16 followers

March 21, 2026

I'm convinced BB Hamel can write anything, and I'll enjoy the heck out of it, but the way she writes mafia romance is just so addictive. The plot and characters are always so easy to get invested in. I've been reading this series since it began, and I have been looking forward to Finn's story, and it was so much better than I anticipated. The Whelan men are all unhinged morally-grey obssesed delicious Irish mafia men. Caroline had no chance not falling for the youngest Whelan brother. Their connection and build-up emotionally felt so right. This book was full of action, suspense, and spice that had me melting.

I'm so sad the series is over, but I was so happy to see all the previous characters show up in this book. It all came together so perfectly with the four Whelan brothers and their women getting their HEAs.

Tropes:
Mafia
Arranged marriage
Morally-gray
Revenge
Enemies-to-lovers
Obsessed/Possesive MMC
Stalker
Dual POV

Check TW

Whelan Irish Crime Family book 4 can be read as a standalone, though characters are interconnected. I recommend every book in this series.

Judy

2,095 reviews2 followers

This is a Dark Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance with Caroline who has lived the past year on her own away from her brutal father and brothers only to be pulled back in with an arranged marriage to Finn from the Whelan family. Neither one wants to be married especially to an enemy. Finn knows his family has a reputation of being ruthless so wanting revenge is his only goal. Getting to know one another Finn finds similarities with Caroline that she’s not ready to share and Finn pushes and then makes her a deal she can’t refuse to gain her freedom. These two find themselves becoming more and learn when working together they can accomplish just about anything! Get ready for a morally gray journey with revenge, alliances, violence, brutal physical and mental torture and the most unexpected explosive love with finding something special! I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Michele

1,953 reviews9 followers

arc-review kindle-unlimited

Sometimes fate plays a cruel joke!
I fell in love with Caroline as she meticulously cleans a penthouse apartment without ever seeing the owner when she partakes in a little relaxation with his sauna and pool. Or that is until Finn shows up while she jumps into the pool and what follows takes hot and steamy to a whole new level. Finn knew about his arranged marriage to Caroline, so hired her to learn what makes her tick as he plans his revenge against her family. Yet after discovering that they are two in the same creatures thanks to her vicious family, he changes his plans for revenge to include Caroline. With some serious revenge on their minds, they easily fall into a relationship that becomes so much more than either could imagine. Yet when plans run awry, they have to pit one brother against the other. How will it all end? You have to read to find out and don’t expect to put the book down until you turn the last page!

CherylB

812 reviews

March 17, 2026

Caroline has suffered abuse her entire life. Just when she thinks she has escaped her family she is compelled to marry to cement a bond with the ruling clan. The Whelan’s control of their mafia is almost complete. Finn is arranged to marry Caroline Flanagan. The four brothers who were his tormentors and responsible for most of the scars on his body. He has vowed to wipe them out. if he has to marry their sister he will use her to make that happen. Only she had scars too. Ones he recognizes. That changes his plans. Especially as she wants the same thing. Can they take out her brothers without getting caught? Can Finn convince Caroline that the arrangement is more real? Can Caroline accept that she deserves a happily ever after? This story is full of steam and action. It is spicy and brutal and full of twists and turns.

Rachel Santillan

1 review

April 21, 2026

3.75⭐ I didn’t read the earlier books in this series, and parts of the story felt familiar. Finn and Caroline are forced into an arranged marriage to secure an alliance between their families. Both are carrying deep physical and emotional scars, caused by Caroline’s own family.

Finn’s original goal is revenge, to take out her entire family, including her. But when he sees just how deep Caroline’s scars go, much deeper than his, everything shifts. Instead, they form their own alliance, built on vengeance. With each kill, they grow closer, and the lines of their “agreement” start to blur.

As always, there’s a thin line between love and hate, and Finn and Caroline slowly cross it throughout the story, finding both connection and justice as they work through the trauma they’ve endured. Overall, I enjoyed the read and was invested in their journey.

Jenni

9,296 reviews66 followers

Caroline works nights as a cleaner for Finn, a boss shes only seen once after the mystery job offer arrived, but when he catches her taking a midnight skinny dip in his pool shes in for a surprise, her family are forcing a marriage between her and Finn and he knew all along who she was, and resented her and her family but when he sees she suffered aswell at their hands he offers her the one thing that will truly set her free of her family and also their marriage she cant turn it down, only as feelings grow plans start to change, will Finn complete his end of the bargain and set her free? Well written this story is dark and twisting and utterly captivating! A great addition to the series, with violence trauma steamy scenes and more.

Debbie Brown

2,101 reviews17 followers

I'm loving this series the Whelan Irish Crime family drama. Next up Finn Whelan he's sexy and very dangerous and out for revenge. Caroline is trying to leave the family trying to make a life for herself, or so she thought until her father ordered her home. There's an unexpected twist with an enemy to lovers' marriage of convivence story and a different sort of contract. I love them together; there both wounded souls who have survived against the odds. I love their sizzling chemistry, their witty banter and taking back their lives. A captivating story of revenge and romance with twists and turns that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat just waiting to see what happens next. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

J.p

1,527 reviews4 followers

March 20, 2026

Finally the youngest Whelan gets his time to shine. Finn is the joker of the pack the one that cracks a joke rather than talk about feelings, as it’s often done in the mafia world ( this one being the Irish mafia) a marriage of convenience has to happen, alliances are formed in this manner. His chosen bride? That’ll be his cleaner Caroline only shes not just that as he has been keeping secrets from her until shes told by her family that she needs to marry Finn Whelan. Finn hates her family and as coincidence would have it so does Caroline! It was so good watching these two fall for real and work together to bring down her family. A book with twists, secrets, heat and heart. The last Whelan gets his hea. Great read.

Gwen Smith-leak

357 reviews6 followers

Finn hired Caroline as his cleaning lady he seemed to never be around until this one day he showed up so she was in the pool.Then went to the summer. Guardian with no clothes came out so she could see and she went in. That was their first encounter.. her father asked her to see him and it was to marry Finn. The story goes on and they’re trying to kill her brothers and his brother They got married, that’s when they started on the killing spree. They both had scars that mostly why they wanted to kill their brothers check out the ending.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

MrsL

325 reviews

Read

March 17, 2026

Caroline Flanagan is working as cleaner for Finn Whelan, although she doesn't know his surname. Unbeknownst to her, she is to be married to Finn, in order to forge an alliance between their families.
He has a hatred of anything Flanagan and that includes her until his observations reveal that they might have more in common than he thought. She seems to have scars that match his and when he finds out that she hates her brothers and father as much as him they decide to use their marriage as a cover to eliminate them all to make them pay.

A great read that kept me engaged from beginning to end.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Debbie Lyon

1,001 reviews3 followers

March 20, 2026

So Good!

This story is about abuse not just for Finn but Caroline too, he was abuse by her brother's each summer and she would getting abused by each of her brother's and her mother would clean her up and look the other way,it was much later Caroline found out that her mother was being abused too.Finn was out to killed her family and her too but the closer they got his feelings were changing too.He finally got her too open up about the abuse she went thru and she wanted payback too! This story maybe was about abuse,greed,hate but it was also about two people climbing out of hell and given a second chance and the abusers put down!

Michelle

11k reviews28 followers

March 30, 2026

Caroline has been abused by her father and brothers since she was a child, so when she gets offered a job as a cleaning lady, she jumps at the chance to get away. Little did she know she was working for Fin, the youngest brother of the Whelan Mob family, and her future husband, because of an arranged marriage. He was out for his revenge against her brothers and father, so they worked together, and things took some crazy, dark, and dangerous turns. This is a steamy, dark, Mafia romance with a revenge twist that turns into so much more. Arranged Scars is well written, with danger, violence, heartbreak, and a twisted relationship that becomes love. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

2026 5-star-read arc

Kathi

3,132 reviews18 followers

April 5, 2026

Raw, Gritty and Beautiful Mafia Romance!!

Caroline has four older brothers, has the scars to show for it, and has moved out cleaning houses to make her way. She skinny dips for a client who is never home, until he is.

Finn has his own three brothers. He watches Caroline without her knowledge. The families have arranged for these two to marry. It is supposed to be part of a retribution plan, but things never go as planned - in the most entertaining and dangerous way.

Hold on to the edge of your seat - this one is incredible, and will thoroughly entertain. Absolutely devoured this one.

***** I am voluntarily leaving my honest review of this book *****

Merry Jelks-Emmanuel

14.4k reviews158 followers

It starts with skinny dipping in the boss's pool followed by an arranged marriage that solves both of their problems. Caroline and Finn are colorful characters that captivates and draws you into this book and holds your attention from start to finish. They both have dysfunctional families that calls for questionable actions to survive. It is filled with dangerous twists and turns that had me cheering them on to getting their chance for success and happiness.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Leslie

761 reviews11 followers

Out for Revenge
B.B, Hamel has given us another thrilling dark mafia romance with an arranged marriage that had me turning the pages as fast as I could read them. As Caroline and Finn set out for revenge of their shared traumatic past there is explicit danger, violence and suspense, but their enemies to lovers relationship develops with lots of steamy spice along the way. Incredible plot. This is definitely my favorite Whelan brother story in this series.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

SassyCM

163 reviews

This must have been the fastest I've ever read a book. Or I should say 'consumed it'.
I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what happens next.

Something just clicked when starting to read Arranged Scars. It was the perfect story. I loved it.
I loved Caroline.
I loved Finn (who finally got his own book!).
I loved the way they are together - just a perfect fit.
I love that shared pain and revenge brought them closer together.
I loved their darkness.

This was such an easy and beautifully dark read. A perfect all-rounder.

Tasha Thrall

135 reviews2 followers

This book is a wild ride filled with mafia power, deep trauma bonds, and an arranged marriage you can’t look away from.
Caroline escaped her abusers a year ago and found steady work cleaning apartments. One day, she took a chance and used her boss’s pool while he was out—until he walked in and caught her.
Finn is reminded he needs to meet his arranged bride for his arrange marriage. What his brother doesn’t know is that Finn already met her… Stalked her... And hired her to clean his place.
Check the trigger warnings, but once I started reading, I couldn’t stop.

Didi

2,209 reviews

A riveting dark romance that you might need to check your triggers on as this is an emotional story. Caroline’s strength through her family’s evil was incredible. Escaping by taking jobs was her way out so a cleaning job was perfect until she finds out Finn’s manipulation. I could not put this one down as I got wrapped up in Finn and Caroline’s love journey. I enjoyed as they find that they are imperfectly perfect for each other as they work together. Murder, revenge, mafia life, sizzling steam, torture and so much more. Dark, dangerous and decadent romance read.

RoseyLovesBooks

2,181 reviews14 followers