Twisted Devotion

Ruthless Arrangements #3

by Lilith Vincent

He’s waited five years to come home to her. She’s spent five years praying he never would.

Cristiano Montoni would crawl over broken glass for one touch, one kiss, one sweet word from me. He has the face of an avenging angel and a body to die for. Powerful. Rich. Dangerous. Deadly.

And heaven protect me, he’s back in Malus.

Five years ago, Cristiano worked his dark magic on me and ruined my life. Five years ago, I fell pregnant with his child. Then he vanished—and I was free.

I gave myself to a man I knew was twisted and terrifying. As the housekeeper’s daughter, I witnessed Cristiano’s brutal punishments at the hands of his father. I tried to put the pieces back together, but Agnello Montoni broke his son. Shattered his heart. Warped his mind.

Now I’m terrified that Cristiano will do the same to his son.

My son.

Our child.

I’ll protect Leon with my life. Cristiano can never know the child is his, or my son will be dragged into a violent underworld from which there’s no escape.

But Cristiano won’t stay away from me. Five years have passed, and he hasn’t changed. He’s still a monster of his father’s making. And I’ve never stopped wanting him.

Author’s Note: This book features a manipulative and possessive anti-hero, a fierce single mom, mutual virgins, and a secret baby.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Mafia Romance, Second Chance, He Falls First, Second Chance Romance, Stalker

442 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 22, 2026

About the author

Lilith Vincent is a steamy mafia reverse harem writer who believes in living on the wild side! Why choose one when you could choose them all.

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Reviews

[nikki]

4.5⭐️
Okay y’all THIS is what I mean when I say I want to see a man YEARNNNNN😩 I mean sure, did Cristiano go about yearnin the wrong way at times? Sure he did. But seeing him so desperate for his girl? Nothing beats that😭 I really liked Mina for the first 60% - I mean any sane person would get why she hid her child from his mafia/criminal father - but what I didn’t like was how she constantly gave Cristiano the hot/cold treatment and was basically into him one second and then ran away the next.

Like BITCH HE JUST PROTECTED YOU AND YOUR SON FROM DANGER AND YOU WANNA RUN AWAY WHEN HE’S INJURED?!?!?!?! That shit pissed me off SO. BAD. And hey look, I’m all for the FMC being a bitch and treating the hero the way men have treated women for so long (#certifiedmanhater🤪) but even I can tell that in this case, it was totally uncalled for. Cristiano was everything!! Regardless, it was a really good read. Something that I’ve noticed with this author is that I either LOVE her books or absolutely DESPISE them - there’s no in between (as seen in my rants/reviews)😂 So I’m glad this one doesn’t fall in the latter category.

10/10 would recommend if you love an obsessed hero who btw STAYED CELIBATE (can I get a hallelujah - ik this should be more normalised in books but I have PTSD from so many shitty heroes that I can’t help but celebrate this one lolz) and is ready to sacrifice anything for the heroine and their family🥹

Safety squad:
- negligible OW/OM drama (h has gone on dates with other men during seperation period + goes on one with OM once H is back. H is “engaged” to OW because one of his higher up men acted without H’s consent and sent the ring to OW but when H finds out he’s furious and the first thing he does is clear it up with the h. no actual drama other than mild jealousy for both MCs)
- no cheating/sharing
- lost their virginities to each other and both stayed celibate during separation (5 years)
- secret baby
- mentions/depictions of violence, gore, child abuse, domestic violence, emotional abuse and neglect, manipulation, life or death situation for a child so please check the TWs
- HEA with marriage + another baby otw

***

Update: AAAAAAHHHH I JUST FOUND OUT HE’S BEEN CELIBATE HALLELUJAH😭😭😭😭

Dual virgins and single mom? BABY I’M SAT

P.S. I’m really hoping that the H is celibate (my brain just saw dual virgins and I instantly got excited lmao but TBD ig - gonna take one for the team in July and keep y’all updated)

[Kursed Reads]

Five years after fleeing Malus for Italy, Cristiano Montoni returns home when he learns his father has been murdered. Ready to claim his birthright as Don of the Montoni empire, he quickly realizes the city holds far more than power and a throne. It’s where Mina Santoro still lives… along with the son he never knew existed.

This. Right. Here. This is the brand of obsessed, morally gray, delightfully unhinged MMC that Lilith Vincent writes so damn well. Every move Cristiano makes is deliberate, every decision calculated, and every thought ultimately circles back to one goal: Mina. The man’s obsession practically bleeds off the page, and I devoured every second of it.

Likewise, I always appreciate Lilith’s attention to detail. Her descriptions are vivid enough to immerse you in the story without ever slowing the pace or bogging down the narrative.

Ugh… So many hardships these two had to face. Not the least of which was Mina herself. As much as I admired her fierce mama-bear instincts, I definitely struggled with her naïveté and how rigidly she viewed the world. Everything was black or white, right or wrong, and that unwavering certainty occasionally had me wanting to bitch slap her.

Even so, watching these two fight their way back to each other made every ounce of angst worth it.

Favorite Quote: “How can I prove myself to you?” I stare up at him, still trembling and reeling. “That you’ve changed?” “I haven’t changed. I’ll never change. How can I convince you that you should love me anyway?”

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: 📱

🗄️ Genre: Contemporary Romance
🗂️ Subgenre(s): Dark, New Adult

Ending: 💗 {HEA}
Length: 📚📚📚📚📚
POV: 👫🏻 {Dual | Present • Past}
Emotions: 🥺🫣🥵🫠😍
Darkness: 🖤
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

✨ Tropes: Bad Boy x Good Girl, Billionaire, Forced Proximity, Friends-to-Enemies-to-Lovers, Mafia/Bratva/Organized Crime, Rich Boy x Poor Girl, Second Chance, Secret Baby, Single Parent, Stalker
 
💫 Microtropes: Boy Obsessed, Caretaker/Protective MMC, Caveman/Bridal Carry, Celibate MMC, Forehead Kisses, “Good Girl”, It’s Always Been You, Secret Tattoo, Virgin FMC, Virgin MMC

🔆 Character: Illegal Enterprises, Masseuse

💋 Kinks: Biting/Marking, Breeding, Cum Jammer, Domination, Edging, Finger Licking Good

🤰🏻 Pregnancy: Epilogue

🚩 Red Flags: Alphahole, Dominant MMC, Jealous/Possessive/Obsessive, Manipulation, MINE!, OTT Hero, Touch-Her-and-💀, Tracking/Spying, Unhinged MMC

⛔️ Safety Squad: Child Abuse (Not by MMC), OM Drama (Mild, One Sided), Rough Handling of FMC (by MMC), Unaliving, Violence, and other potentially triggering elements. Triggers may appear both on- and off-page and in the past and/or present. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!

📍 Setting: City

📣 Type: Twisted Devotion is part of the Ruthless Arrangements series of interconnected standalones.

⚠️ Warning: The angst in this slow-burn will edge you to the point of combustion!

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[Han]

Cristiano was down BADDDD for his Mina 😌
Mina was a bit naive for me and her hang ups on Cristiano was a bit repetitive and annoying

Dual v, first everything together
Both celibate after meeting/ during separation
irrelevant owd/omd neither wanted anyone else (Mina tried dating and does go on a date H shows up, let’s H believe she had been with another man during separation for awhile, owd as in a capo arranged a marriage for H and she shows up where h works and announces it. H clears it up fast he also was not in agreement nor would he have agreed to an arranged marriage. And in highschool he had some girl trying to touch him her names Valerie it was nothing just made h jealous.)

[eve (semi hiatus)]

Safety note - Dual V. Both celibate during separation.
FMC did go on the dates but they were unsuccessful (1)

OM drama - FMC did not say that MMC is the father, letting him think he’s from another man, he discovers he’s the father at 65% (2)
At one point she goes on the date with OM, after they are back in each other lives (3)
OW drama- mild. mostly jealousy. about MMCs supposed fiancé, he doesn’t care about her or even agreed to it (4)

─ ✦ ────
(1) "I tried a few disastrous first dates after Leon was born, but no man wanted a second date after he saw the reality of my life."

(2) I hid his son from him. I let him believe Leon belonged to another man, let him torture himself with jealousy over a rival who never existed. No man can forgive that kind of betrayal.

(3) "But maybe this is what I need to do. If I can sit across normal man and feel normal things, and imagine a future that doesn’t have Cristiano’s shadow stretching across it, I might not be as trapped as I feel. Maybe the pull toward him is just habit. Just trauma.
And there’s another reason to go on this date. A darker one.
Cristiano has been so careful. So patient. The flowers, the toys, the polite retreat at the park. He’s playing the long game, and it’s working. I’m starting to wonder if this time will be different."

"Cristiano draws my face back up to his. “I’ve spent every single one of the days we were parted wanting no one but you. Living in the memory of touching you. I was a virgin the first time we were together, and I haven’t been with a woman since."

(4) "I never proposed to her. I never wanted to marry her. One of my capos vastly overstepped. One of my father’s men.” His voice is rough, almost pained.
“I didn’t even know about the ring until today.”
“How can you not know when you’re engaged?” I whisper, but my voice lacks conviction.
“It was a misunderstanding. I’ve been distracted.” He pulls back just enough to look at my face, his amber eyes burning into mine. “I belong to you, Mina. Only you. I’ve never belonged to anyone else, and I never will.”
──── ✦ ─

[Lena]

4⭐️

rtc

[Aleksandra [semi hiatus]]

read 1 chapter and I know I’m not gonna like so into my dnr list straight it goes

[Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾]

3.5 STARS

Some loves leave scars. Some leave children. Mine left both.

If there is one thing about me, it's that I am feral for a fictional red flag. And Cristiano is one walking red flag. If you love a man obsessed, Cristiano just may be the blue print. Think a psychotic golden retriever vibe. Like the man is a cold blooded killer, a mafia don, but all he's ever wanted is the one woman that he just can't seem to have.

Tomorrow I’ll be Don Cristiano again. A cold-blooded killer, controlled and untouchable. I’ll make deals and crush enemies and build up my empire brick by brick. But tonight, in this narrow bed in this empty room, I let myself be the man who loved her. The man who lost her. The man who will never, ever stop wanting her back.

Cristiano and Mina grew up together but on two very different sides of the coin. Cristiano as the son of a ruthless don who knew nothing but pain at his father's fists and lessons. Mina as the daughter of the Montoni maid, always on the outside looking in. They developed a bond as children that blossomed into a beautiful friendship over time, and then eventually into more. While Mina's feelings blossomed, Cristiano's were like a Mac truck. This is a man obsessed and he doesn't always know how to control his urges when that obsession hits. And by that I mean, the man is absolutely unhinged.

Now I will say, the secret baby trope is not my favorite. Mainly because more often than not, I simply can't connect to the reason the child is kept a secret. But in this story, it worked. I understood Mina's decisions and her reason to run and keep her child hidden.

It's been five years since Mina saw Cristiano last, and suddenly he's back from Italy and turning up everywhere she is. And Cristiano is back to his obsessive pining ways. And oh the way this man pines.

Now I love a man who pines, and Cristiano is definitely down bad. I love the dichotomy of this man and the way he can murder an enemy one minute, and be pining after the woman he can't have the next. No other woman exists for him, even when they were apart. And I loved his unhinged obsession.

But Mina took me about 95% to warm up to. I spent a good chunk of this book wanting to punch her in the boob. She grows up in the Montoni household and somehow remains blissfully ignorant to who they are and what they do. Even that aside, she has the majority of the book to see and understand who Cristiano really is. And yet after everything, when this man saves her life over protecting his own, she's shocked at the fact that he's in the mafia. GIRL. She watched Cristiano pick her safety over his own and she still does the running. She runs from him the entire book and I actually loved the push and pull, but that scene just put a sour taste in my mouth towards her and I had a hard time getting past it.

The ending was satisfying, but I do wish we got a slightly longer epilogue to get me to fully forgive Mina. As it was, I still highly enjoyed the story and the romance. It was gritty, sexy, with just the right splash of dark, and a red flag of an MMC whose obsession hit the spot thoroughly. If you're looking for a dark and sexy romp, this one will surely hit the spot.

ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review

Find me on:

[Cristina]

I’m surprised to have enjoyed this as much as I did. This is completely safe, both celibate during separation.
The only thing that bothered me was how did the h living in a mafioso house for majority of her life was afraid of the H. You’d think she’d be a bit more accustomed. H was obsessed with her.

[Gel]

I don’t really know how to rate this yet. As much as I loved Cristiano (seriously….hes so down bad unhinged and dedicated) I was not a fan of Mina. She did a lot of things that bothered me. I understood how she was afraid of him bc of the way he acted. Any SANE woman would run away from that behavior….buuuuut I didn’t want a sane woman lol. She ran too much and pushed too hard.

However, the part that irritated me the most was when their son was quite literally dying quickly and she STILL refused to let him know he was the father EVEN though she knew it would probably save her kids life. Seriously??? That was insane to me. That’s always a pet peeve of mine when kids are involved. I’m at stubborn as they come but you bet your ass if something would benefit my children I’d suck up my pride and shitty attitude. Soooooo I’m not rating this yet.

Settled on 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ but rounded up bc I like the author

[vi]

that girl is a whole dumbass im sorry 😭 so she's 18 and decides to not end the pregnancy while being broke and then almost kills her son because she can't afford medical care for him. great parenting. and then she risks her son's life because she decides to stay with the mmc who's clearly traumatized from his abusive father. riiiight. the guy literally has visions of hurting his son but she's like noo at least you stopped yourself its fine hehe i know ways to kill you if you decide to hurt him no worries like???? why would you want to risk it?? broooo

[Sentranced Jem]

Dude is a walking talking red flag. Like seriously. But this dark romance girlie went “eh” 😅
Their 🌶️ scenes were 🔥
Twisted Devotion was addictive

[Sarah♡books]

3/5 ⭐️

Mina x Cristiano🤍

📚 Friends to lovers
📚 Second Chance
📚 Separation ( 5 years )
📚 Virgin h x H & then celibate h x H
📚 Surprise pregnancy
🚩 no cheating or sharing, no OW/OM

[Danielle's]

Lilith Vincent is queen and Twisted Devotion proves it! There are so many of Lilith Vincent books I love and this is another. When you finish every book by the author think this was my favourite one you know you have an addiction.

Mina didn’t have to hide her secret until now. What’s changed you ask? 5 years ago Cristiano was sent away by his father. As head of the family, his dad’s word is final. Now Cristiano is back and Mina needs to keep her composure. The problem is Cristiano has no intention in staying away. He’s obsessed.

This story was soooo good. It had an emotional undertone that honestly I didn’t mind. Mina can run from Cristiano and he’s deadly focused on her.

This is a dark romance but the couple are perfect for each other. I haven’t read the other books in the series yet but I’m so looking forward to it.

[Jen Teeter]

no one needs to write about “amber eyes” 67 times.

My god. Enough already. You can literally just write “eyes” we don’t need to know the unique color every. single. time.

But otherwise it was kind of boring.

[Nimi (Warner's Version )]

MAFIA ROMANCE. SECOND CHANCE. 5 YEARS OF SEPARATION. BOTH OF THEM STAYING VIRGINS ALL THOSE YEARS. AND A SECRET BABY???

I'M GONNA SAY LESS, BESTIES. 😭✋🏻

Hands down, one of the best OTT, obsessive, possessive MMCs I've ever read. Like, WHAT ON EARTH??? This man sees, breathes, and hears only her and treats everyone else like they're furniture. BROOOO. CRAZYYYY. 😭😭

The plot reminded me a little of Skin of a Sinner by Avina Graves especially the childhood friends-to-lovers aspect but with a mafia touch. He's the Don's son, and she's the housekeeper's daughter. The house where he was abused and abandoned was never a home to him, but she was the only one who ever felt like home and his safe haven. 😭😭

I'M IN LOVEEEEEE with each and everything about this book. The yearning, the angst, the tension, the separation... my heart was run over by a truck multiple times. 😭💔

The only thing I didn't love was that the FMC became a little frustrating toward the end. She kept pushing him away and running from him until the very end, and the pain she caused him was honestly gut-wrenching. It made me dislike her a little, even though she was actually a very decent FMC and I loved her for most of the book.

Overall, though? I LOVED THIS BOOK SOOOO MUCH. 😭❤️‍🔥

[Bibliophile]

Well i can say i did enjoyed it in the first half but then i start get annoyed with the FMC so yeah (you get what i mean when you read it)…. I can say it is an ok read

[Madison]

Mina was so annoying

[The Romantic Rush Blog]

I picked this up expecting an obsessive mafia hero and some deliciously unhinged chaos. What I got was an addictive second chance romance packed with angst, obsession, emotional punches, and one of Lilith Vincent's best morally gray heroes yet. I could not put this book down, even if our heroine did take me out a few times.

Five years after being forced out of Malus, Cristiano returns to claim his place as Don after his father's murder. What he doesn't expect is discovering that Mina has been raising the son he never knew existed. Cue the angst, because these two have a mountain of hurt, misunderstandings, and unresolved feelings standing between them.

Cristiano Montoni is exactly the kind of anti-hero Lilith writes better than almost anyone. Morally gray, possessive, completely unhinged, and so hopelessly devoted that every thought, every decision, every move somehow comes back to Mina. This man is DOWN BAD. His obsession isn't subtle, it isn't healthy, and honestly...that's exactly why I loved him. Every time he showed up determined to get his girl back, I was eating it up.

I loved the emotional core of this story just as much as the romance. Watching Cristiano fight with everything he had for the woman he never stopped loving made every reunion, every confrontation, and every tiny crack in Mina's walls feel so satisfying. Their chemistry never disappeared, even after years apart, and once they finally gave in...the spice absolutely delivered.

Mina was the one place I struggled a bit. I completely understood why she feared Cristiano and why protecting her son came before anything else. She is a fiercely devoted mother, and I respected that about her. But there were definitely moments where her black and white view of everything and her repeated resistance became frustrating. I wanted her to meet Cristiano halfway just a little sooner. Thankfully, as the story progressed, her character really settled into the relationship, and by the end I was more invested. I just didn't want her to fight so hard- this is fiction lol. But I did love the dual virgin trope!

Completely over the top, emotionally consuming, wildly obsessive, and exactly the kind of dark romance I wanted. Twisted Devotion is another winner from Lilith Vincent and proof that nobody writes a psychotically devoted hero quite like she does.

What to Expect:
🖤 Mafia Romance
🖤 Morally Gray, Obsessive Hero
🖤 Second Chance Romance
🖤 Secret Baby
🖤 Friends to Lovers
🖤 Five Year Separation
🖤 Possessive Hero
🖤 "Who Did This to You?"
🖤 Dual Virgins
🖤 Celibate During Separation
🖤 Protective Mama Bear Heroine
🖤 High Angst
🖤 Dark Romance

[Jetscarbie]

First time I’ve heard this word. I thought it was interesting.

Yandere- A yandere is a fictional character archetype originating from Japanese media that starts out loving, caring, and sweet before turning intensely obsessive, possessive, or violently unhinged in the name of love 🚩

I guess you could say that accurately describes the hero in this book. That could describe all the heroes that are OTT/P in dark romances. 🙃

Both MCs were virgins when they experienced all their firsts together. They’ve never been with anybody else. A little bit of OP drama but it doesn’t amount to much except making each other jealous.

Possible spoilers ahead

Cristiano (H) lives, breathes, worships, and kills for Mina. He’s heir to a mafia and she’s the housekeeper’s daughter. They meet as kids, and she became his WHOLE purpose in life. H’s dad was a very abusive ahole. Cristiano’s whole trauma stems from that.

My whole problem with this book is that Mina was actually scared of Cristiano. In real life, this would absolutely make sense. I’m not reading a dark mafia romance to be hit with real life, though. I NEED my heroine to not be afraid of the hero.
Yes, Cristiano did some OTT/P things to Mina. MINE MINE MINE 😂 but she was legit scared of him. They ended up sending Cristiano away to Italy for 5 years.

The book starts where H’s abusive father is killed, so H returns to take over. Also, what’s Mina up to? 😜 ohhhhh she just so happens to have a 4 year old son. But wait….this woman puts brown contact lens on her son’s eyes to hide the fact he has the same color eyes as H.
CONTACTS ON A 4 YEAR OLD?

Also, her son is sick and needs a kidney. She’s not a match. There’s a good chance his dad would be a match. Does she tell H to save her son’s life? Nope. She keeps making this man believe she was with somebody else. H will not find out it’s his kid until 65%- and that’s ONLY because the kid is almost dead.

Mina was not my favorite heroine. I just didn’t like her.

I really felt so uncomfortable with the intrusive thoughts H had when he was standing over his son while he was asleep. I GET that it was to show us how traumatic his own childhood was. It was just his whole thought process of him hitting his son- uncomfortable. I really just thought H needed some intense therapy.

Mina’s sudden personality shift at the very end was jarring. She went the whole book scared to death of H and the lifestyle he lived. Now….she is totally okay with it all?

3 stars. I probably would’ve rated this higher if the heroine actually loved H and wasn’t with him just because she was afraid he’d kill her/son. 🤷‍♀️ The hero always felt like he was one second away from going postal. Bizarre

[Gabriela Farias]

I really enjoyed the book but Mina infuriated me so much, she was so stupid and I hated the way she treated Cristiano. So that brought the book down for me besides that I liked it.

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth)]

Exactly what I was looking for

Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1\2
Trope: secret baby
Angst: 😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥

I just love secret baby books and Twisted Devotion totally hit the spot. Completely over the top and exactly what I was looking for. Our hero was psychotically obsessed and fully comfortable with that fact, lol. I found the heroine to be a little whiny at the beginning, but her character seemed to settle down enough to still make it a really good read by the end of the book. If you're a fan of Lilith Vincent then you're definitely going to like this book as well. I know whose book I want next and can't wait to see if we get it!

[Lexi Cubbins]

I enjoyed the previous books more, the mafia plot was way less interesting here and honestly, I wanted to choke some sense into our heroine, Mina. But Cristiano? He was everything I imagined him to be and more, the perfect example of why I love obsessive, unhinged heroes.

Cristiano has been in love with the housekeeper's daughter, Mina, since he was 8 without knowing what the feeling means. He just knew she's his safe place, his only solace, his home.
But the kind of upbringing he had to endure by his father leaves a mark and his love towards Mina is as obsessive as it can get. To the point of closing her in the wardrobe or taking her virginity than tying her up so she can't keep him from killing his father. It's out of control and that's why his dad sends him away to Italy.
5 years later his dad is dead and he can come back to take what's his and become the next Montoni don. He now has everything he could want, except for one thing, Mina. But when he learns that she's still in town, he can't help himself and seeks her out.
Mina might be a struggling single mom, but her son, Leon is her everything. Noone knows that Cristiano is his father and it's only safe if it stays that way, but when it's a matter of life and death, she has no other choice but to turn to him for help.

Mina was naive and annoying, I respected how hard she worked to be a good mum, but other than, I don't even want to talk about her.
Cristiano, on the other hand, that cunning, manipulative, psycho of a man. We all love our anti-heroes, but I fall even harder when the hero doesn't even want to change for the better. Cristiano knew he was crazy, he accepted that, he wanted Mina to love him just the way he is.

[‧₊˚✧lelelvsbooks]

5🌟

RTC 🙂‍↕️

[Michelle Brashars]

It’s sick how much I loved Cristiano 😂 he’s so crazy and damaged, but I loved how much he loved Mina and yearned and obsessed over her. She could do no wrong in his eyes and he never got mad at (or punished ) her for anything she did or was feeling which I absolutely loved.

[Tohfaaa]

4.5⭐
I really enjoyed it

[Sama]

I CANT EVEN TALK ABOUT

CRISTIANO ???? WHAT A MANNNNN

I LOVED his groveling his love his obsession EVERYTHINGGGG and I LOVED MINA

this book was emotionally EXHAUSTING

and it was written PERFECTLY

[Brittany Hernandez]

4.5 stars rounded up.

My favorite of the series so far!! I am so surprised that a blonde MMC wormed his way into my heart. But, Cristiano was the perfect amount of absolutely bat shit crazy. The way his love for Mina manifested into obsession and desperation was honestly so frightening. But, I loved their relationship. I thought Mina's character was strong. She was a woman who would do anything for her child and I LOVE that. Cristiano's desire to be a better man than his father for their son is the highlight of the book for SURE. So much character development in this one. It was so fun to read!

I love this series so much, can't wait to continue!

[NiCoLeTa E. {Addicted To Books}]

***4 "Obsessive..." stars***



"Some loves leave scars.
Some leave children.
Mine left both."

It's been far too many days that I've finished reading this book, cause this period of time is always very hard on me... but I really wanted to share with you my thoughts about this story!!!
Christiano was the epitome of unhinged and obsessive in a terrifying way... From time to time, his thoughts were scaring me!!! LOL!!!
But no one can deny his obsessive devotion to Mina... This woman was holding his heart from a young age and Christiano was refusing to let her go no matter what the consequences would be...
Add to these two, a hidden love child and a brewing mafia war and it was perfect!!!

"I'm poison to her. I've always been poison."

Christiano had suffered greatly in the hands of his monster father and Mina was always there to their secret spot in the garden to soothe his pain... Mina was the only ray of light in the dark place that Christiano was always living...
But Mina wasn't used to his world and his monster ways and Christiano from time to time was slipping up and Mina ran away... until the next time...

"That's how he builds the cage. Not with bars and locks, but with a thousand tiny yeses that I don't even notice until I'm trapped inside."

Now, five years later and after a painful separation, Christiano is back in Malus and he is becoming the Montoni Don since his father is dead... But being back to Malus doesn't mean only power and mafia stuff, but Mina too... and his old obsession is coming back with force...
But Mina is not alone anymore and she has to protect not only her heart, but her only son...
She can't allow Christiano to come closer and turned her baby into a monster too...
But what will happen when Christiano insisting to be around them or when fate will knock down on their door???

"How can I prove myself to you?"
"That you've changed?"
"I haven't changed. I'll never change... How can I convince you that you should love me anyway?"

As I told you above, Christiano's ways were terrifying from time to time, even though his devotion to Mina was out of this world!!! This man could give anything for this woman... But when he was thinking that he will lose her, his ugly side was coming to the surface and a mess was making!!!
Mina was a great character but she was struggling too much with her inner shelf... She was giving me whiplashes with her indecision if she wanted Christiano or if she was afraid of him.... She was giving mixed signals!!! From time to time, I didn't like her reactions!!!

"I love Christiano. I'm terrified of him.
And I don't know which feeling will win."

Overall, I enjoyed very much this addition to the 'Ruthless Arrangements' series and i can not wait for the fourth book!!!
I am soooo curious about it!!!
I am really enjoying this series placed in Malus with its mafia powerplays and forbidden relationships!!!

"It should make me feel special, chosen, cherished.
But this isn't devotion. This is obsession."

**I received an ARC for the exchange of an honest review**

[Kellyythoralabatalla]

No pensé que me fuera a gustar pero me compraron con el cliché de bebé secreto y que solo habían estado entre ellos.

La forma en que la autora representó a Cristiano como un yandere, me parece acertada, me pareció bien. Si bien Mina me cayó mal a partir de la mitad o más de la mitad del libro, lo puedo llegar a entender por todo lo que había vivido con Cristiano. Lo que si no me hace sentido es que ella no entendiera que ellos eran mafiosos 😂😂 y que solo al final cuando va donde Adora es que se de cuenta y ate cabos.

Me hubiera gustado ver más capítulos de ellos como familia y del nuevo bebé.

[timap]

3.5⭐️
I’m so conflicted on this one! I loved him… but I HATED her. I literally don’t know if I’ve ever disliked an FMC more? She’s terrible. Absolutely terrible, and it kind of ruined the ending for me, which is incredibly disappointing because I LOVED him. He is over the top obsessive, totally crazy devoted to her… but she SUCKS.

So yes. Please tell me this hot as sin man who is your psychopathic but absolutely sweetest childhood best friend is not completely obsessed with you? Perfect 👌

He is abused by his father throughout his whole childhood, the only person who ever cared for him was the maids daughter (Mina). So he 100% latched on to her, like he is absolutely obsessed. She is the ONLY thing that he cares about. But his mother scared her into thinking that he’s evil and just like his father, and when he (kind of) freaked out on her and locked her in his closet so she couldn’t leave… well, she decided he IS terrifying and wanted nothing to do with him. But he’s just like this psychopathic little puppy that I just wanted to hug 🤣 he follows her from afar, he’s still obsessed but thinks he needs to control himself so she’s not afraid of him.

And she knew him since they were children, yet she was still all of a sudden scared of him and refusing to see him for 4 years? Then she loves him again. Then she’s scared of him again. 🙄

I also didn’t particularly like the secret baby trope for this story, just because her hiding their son from him was just kind of ridiculous, of course Cristiano would actually be AMAZING and for her to even consider anything else actually makes me a little angry 🤣 but, whatever. I ate this up until the about 60%. Mostly because of him though. He is perfection, she sucked, and the plot…. meh. Sorry. The ending? All of the things she was saying to him… I’m like yeah, duh. He’s been a freaking amazing guy THIS WHOLE ENTIRE TIME you were just stupid and blind and don’t deserve him.

MMC: Cristiano Montoni
FMC: Mina Santoro
❤️Tropes: mafia, OTT obsessed MMC 🤭, stalking, mutual V’s, childhood friends, psychopath MMC, red flags, touch her and ☠️, secret baby, it’s always been you, no condoms, breeding
📍Setting: Malus
💁POV: dual, first person
🖤Darkness level: 2/5
🔥Spice starts at 49%
🌶️Spice: 3/5
📚Plot: 3/5
🌎World building: 4/5
⚠️Triggers: child abuse (past), murder, stalking, red flag MMC, pregnancy, child illness, surgery, mild suicidal tendencies