Frozen Heart (Special Edition Print)

Perfectly Imperfect #12

by Neva Altaj

Love.
What a pathetic, absurd illusion.
A fairy tale spun for weak, useless bastards,
Too blind to grasp the world as it truly is.

The world is a rotting, godforsaken wasteland
Where only lies and deception thrive.
Everyone wears a mask.
Everyone hides a blade.
There are no saints here.
Nothing left but shades of grey.

I swore by that claim for years,
Until I met her.

A single innocent soul in a world drenched in sin.
A ray of sunshine in the bottomless black abyss,
A delicate flower from whom I must stay as far away as possible.

I can't.
I am going to steal her light,
Even knowing it was never meant for me.

Genres: Dark Romance, Mafia Romance, Romance, Slow Burn, Dark, Enemies To Lovers, Forced Proximity

406 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2026

Reviews

[꧁ ༺Minne༻ ꧂ (Back :)) · Rating 1 out of 5]

ISSA FLOP.



This was really bad. I’m still looking for the romance in this because tell me why I had to read chapter after chapter of this man’s one-on-one sessions with his therapist, while it feels like our MCs never have a meaningful conversation throughout the entire book. I’m all about mental health awareness but if I’m being honest, I came for the toxicity. I realise how that sounds but hear me out, the therapy sessions didn’t even help much. This man’s demons were working overtime.

“I’ll use my bare hands to rip the still-beating heart from your mother’s chest, and squash it.” - referring to his future mother-in-law

He is dark, unapologetic, and cold hearted and that cold exterior was intriguing until he forgot to thaw. The potential was there, but his charm wasn’t put to good use. A good hero should know when to soften. 300 pages of “I can’t love, I’m too cold-hearted for that” was a little too much for me. Then again I look at the title and think what did I expect?

There were moments here and there when I could see the potential for Adriano and Iris to be a great couple. The Pretty Woman scene was adorable. The problem is they barely spend any time together, and I never felt the chemistry between them 😭 I also wasn’t a fan of his nickname for her, little Iris. Tweak it a little and she could be an upcoming rapper. Worst part is he kept using it at every given instance.

Then there’s the unnecessary love triangle which wasn’t really a love triangle that was added in the mix. It 👏🏽 dragged 👏🏽 on 👏🏽 for 👏🏽 far 👏🏽 too 👏🏽 long. By the time Iris finally gravitates toward Adriano, it doesn’t feel like she fully accepts him for who he is. Their first sex scene doesn’t happen until around 74% (after hardly spending any time together), and even then it’s overshadowed by lies and deception.

Iris is such a child. She drove me crazy. She starts a charade that makes her look like a cheater and keeps it going for 3 months instead of just communicating. Her motivation was stubbornness. Maybe revenge, too? I’m not sure but at this point I was like that’s it, I’m done.



But the book was like well, I’m not done with you yet, missy. That last 10% was lethal. Preposterous. Loco loco. I was watching a train wreck happen in real time. I had to message Fiona to make sure we were experiencing the same thing. Lmaooo. Now I know why she was silent 😂😂 Her immediate response was : 💀💀💀💀💀💀 I was waitingggggggg pookie lmaoooo.

I will forever be traumatised by the name Barty. The drama toward the end is just so silly. The only thing it’s missing is accompanying music. But your girl’s got that covered.



This didn’t feel like Altaj’s usual style. I love to be taken on a ride, sadly this was a MISadventure and it was just too long. I didn’t even read the epilogues. Fiona told me there were about three of them and we get to see them happy there. *Laughs in hysterical* Mr and Mrs Ruffo, that ship has sailed.

I’m weak. I feel like this book stole 10 years of my life.



On the bright side, our next buddy read can’t be any worse than this, right? 🥺 Let’s go, pookie 😍

[mary ♡⋆ ࣪₊ꫂ᭪݁⋆˙ · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

She’s mine. My pure little flower. My Little Iris.

I’m a bit emotional rn because wdym my favorite series is over?
But I’m also happy because I’m gonna see them again (hopefully) in the second generation.

Neva wrote yet another book that I will be obsessing over 🤭🤍

I crave her presence like a drug. I need my next fix, and soon. Without it, I’m going to descend into madness.

Iris from Sweet Prison is here again as the main character this time. And now she’s a girl who’s stalking a hot as fuck man (I totally get it 🧎🏻‍♀️) I mean, she stalks him in a cute way because she has a crush on him. He’s so composed, wears glasses, and never curses. In her mind, she’s questioning if he’s really a made man because he seems so normal… until she sees a side of him she definitely wasn’t supposed to see 👀

And when she needs help with something so important to her, guess who jumps in, The one and only…

DADDY Adriano Ruffo

“I. Will. Destroy. The world. To keep. Her. Safe. And I will die before I fail. That’s not a promise but a guarantee.”

this is the equivalent of “I'm not jealous. I just have an uncontrollable urge to kill any man who even looks at my wife” from my forever favorite Salvatore Ajello and I'm so here for it 🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️

When I tell you this man is sex on sticks, you better believe me. This man is so whipped, it’s unreal. The amount of giggling I let out at 1 am is crazy because what do you mean he did all of that for her? 😋

You’re my air. My sun. My lifeline. I’m drowning without you. I need you.

When Iris catches him in a very compromising situation, he was supposed to not leave any witnesses, so when she pulls his own gun on him, THIS MAN GETS A HARD ON 🤣
Then she gives him a cookie to help with his migraines and flees, to tell you he was stunned is an understatement 😂

Does he forget that interaction? Never!!!!!

This man put meaning to “to be loved is to be known” He memorizes every little thing about his little flower. Every. Thing. Even if she thinks it’s ridiculous. He was denying his feelings at every turn until he wasn’t....... until she melted his frozen heart 🥹🤍

The plot line was AMAZING. I loved when she turned the tables on him, it was satisfying seeing her play him like that 😂

Overall, the book was really enjoyable. It left me missing these two and all of the characters in the series. The epilogues made me tear up a lot. Seeing all of them in one scene made me emotional af

I’m so excited and can’t wait for what’s coming!!

____________________________
pre read 𝜗ৎ

the amount of excitement I have for this book is indescribable
_____
12 books 12 couples, a whole universe I’m not ready to say goodbye to..
SIKE we're gonna see them and their children in the second generation 🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️

SOS a silver fox is coming (ADRIANO MF RUFFO)


I'm still thinking about him, it’s not even funny, he's giving off so much Salvatore vibes istg if this man has the same obsession as Salvatore I WILL BE DONE FOR, the fact that he's her stalker too???? I can’t wait till 2026. 😭
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[Soft Nectarine ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stalker mafioso so obsessed he’s in therapy 🖤🔥 he STALKS TO CLOSE TO THE SUN because she falls for him & the ‘other him’?! But then he gets jealous of THE OTHER HIM?! Poetic!

Silent yearning. Blatant denial. Obsessive stalking.

Little Iris is a hardworking maid of a mafioso household so truly nothing can faze her. She’s actually got a mini crush on a handsome older gent in slutty little glasses…he just seems so genteel 👀 Until she walks in on stoic Adriano ‘losing it’ and realizes he’s THE BADDDEST OF THEM ALL! Iris thinks she escaped him but he can’t stop thinking about her cookie (no spoilers!)…

”Reason is gone. There’s only her.”

This book should be called STALKER’S OBSESSION because this man is not yearning…he’s stalking & salivating while pretending it’s not a big deal at all 🔥 This man is in PHYSICAL PAIN when she’s not near and finds desperate ways to be in her orbit. I mean he forces her to marry him but you know…it’s not like he likes her or anything…my man is so deep in denial! Truly giving Christian Allister vibes…

The many details I was obsessing over:

🖤 he’s unhinged but in THERAPY *that’s good I guess*

🍪 only she can calm him!

🖤 he only allows her to see his true ‘unhinged’ self

🍪 she slowly cracks his stoic veneer & the man starts LOSING IT!!

🖤 his dog hates him but loves her!

Slow burn for the ages! The writing builds up the romance so incredibly well that it has you absolutely thirsting by the end of it 🔥 FEAR & LUST are a potent mix and emotional intimacy between these two didn’t even require the physical touch to emphasize the CHEMISTRY and tension.

MINI REUNION! I’m balling that this is the last book in the series. I loved all the references to the previous books and the hilarious reunion scene. But seriously…I need more.

mafia romance
delicious AGE GAP! (he’s 43!)
OTT protective & jealous mmc
stalking
pure soul fmc
opposites attract
forced marriage
slow burn
blindfold
no OW drama
no 3rd act breakup
HEA

Thank you to Neva Altaj for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Fiona · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

The blurb promised obsessive devotion.

The book delivered obsessive devotion.

Unfortunately, it also delivered approximately four hundred pages of emotional dodgeball.

Reader, the denial was aggressive.

What Worked For Me
(aka: the crumbs that sustained me)

Adriano

Let's start with the obvious.

Adriano's love language is apparently stress, migraines and solving problems nobody asked him to solve. And somehow, it worked.

This man was down horrendous. Every thoughtful gesture, protective meltdown and quietly feral act of service had me kicking my feet.

The book was at its strongest whenever Adriano and Iris were simply allowed to exist in the same room. Every time it focused on his devotion, I was seated.

The emotional core

For all the detours, the emotional conflict itself was actually solid.

Adriano doesn't struggle with loving Iris.

He struggles with believing that she could ever love the real version of him.

That insecurity ended up being far more interesting than the secret identity itself.

When the book focused on Adriano's fear of being unworthy rather than simply prolonging the mystery, it became significantly stronger.

Daddy Adriano

The Bonus Scene is literally titled Daddy Adriano, so yes, I'm absolutely counting it.

Because somehow the bonus scene ended up containing some of my favorite material in the entire book.

Protective husband Adriano.
Obsessive father Adriano.
Taffy-appointed-bodyguard Adriano.

That version of the story worked far better for me than large portions of the actual third act.

Where It Lost Me
(aka: the longest route to a confession imaginable)

We get it, they're in denial

The emotional wheel-spinning became repetitive.

I didn't need another chapter proving Adriano had feelings. I didn't need another chapter proving Iris was confused. The book had already successfully established both.

Instead of deepening the conflict, many scenes felt like variations of conversations we'd already had.

By the halfway mark, I wasn't asking questions anymore.

I was checking page counts.

The payoff arrived five minutes before closing

The reveal itself wasn't the problem.

The timing was.

By the time the masks finally came off, there were barely any pages left to enjoy the version of the story I'd been waiting for all along.

I wanted more husband Adriano. More conversations. More domestic moments. More relationship.

Instead, most of that payoff was saved for the epilogue and bonus content.

The third act went completely off the rails

Without spoiling specifics, the final stretch introduces a level of drama that felt completely disconnected from what I was enjoying most about the story.

The strongest parts of this book were always Adriano and Iris. Their yearning. Their devotion. Their emotional vulnerability.

Then Barty apparently decided traditional therapy wasn't enough.

What followed felt increasingly ridiculous as the story escalated from emotional conflict into a series of increasingly unbelievable decisions that seemed designed to force a resolution rather than let it happen naturally.

By that point, I wasn't asking for bigger drama.

I was asking for these two grown adults to have a conversation.

The world's most expensive therapy session

The early chapters tested my patience in a way I wasn't prepared for.

A significant portion of the romance consists of Iris sitting in a room at the Annex and volunteering increasingly random details about her life while Adriano listens in silence.

And I mean everything.

Her day. Her neighbours. Her worries. Her observations. If it happened within a five-mile radius of Iris, there was a good chance we were going to hear about it.

The concept makes sense in hindsight but the execution often felt repetitive. Instead of building tension, many of those scenes started to blur together making the romance feel far slower than it needed to be.

Final Thoughts

This was a frustrating reading experience because I could constantly see the version of the book I wanted hiding inside the book I was actually reading.

Every time Adriano and Iris shared the page, I was interested.

Every time the story focused on devotion, vulnerability, caretaking or emotional intimacy, it reminded me of the book I wished I was reading.

But the pacing, repetitive emotional loops and increasingly overcomplicated third act repeatedly pulled me out of the story.

Final Verdict

2.5 ⭐️ - I wanted more husband Adriano and less everything standing between him and Iris.

Justice for the 150-page domestic romance trapped inside this book.

**Minne - A shared struggle is a lighter struggle. Adriano vs. Adriano 💕

Tropes and Vibes:
• Mafia romance
• Secret identity romance
• Obsessive MMC
• Touch her and die energy
• Acts of service as a love language
• Caretaking hero / Protective husband
• Quiet obsession
• Slow burn
• Marriage of convenience elements
• "I would burn the world for you" energy

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Pre-read: BR with Minne 💕

What are the odds we'd read two books back-to-back with mafia MMCs named Adriano? 😭💀

It's Adriano vs Adriano and only one can emerge victorious.

[aira · Rating 2 out of 5]

honestly, this was too long and it's also been a while since I read the rest of the series so I don't remember much. Anyways, don't take my review seriously and read whatever you like...and with that, I finished another series.

[Milica's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iris works as a maid in the Don Spada household... as well as a few extra jobs to keep her and her seriously ill mom from ending up on the streets, and continuing her never-ending battle with hospital bills. The only salvation for her mom lies in a heart transplant with a sum Iris can only dream of.

Adriano Ruffo is an unscrupulous and ambitious man who doesn't care about anyone - a man rumored to have killed his wife.
When Iris finds him in an inconvenient circumstance, he starts paying more attention to her. And he slowly becomes... obsessed (even though he claims he isn't).

It is very difficult not to give away spoilers (even the small ones, which you find out right at the start of the story).

I adore Iris; she's a strong, determined, hard-working, unwavering heroine, ready to do anything to save her mom - her only remaining unconditional support in life. Always ready to help others. Some would even consider her too naive, but I don't think so; she's just a good person.
And that is what particularly fascinates Adriano about her.
Their relationship, from acquaintances to lovers, is slow but so great and full of emotions.

Adriano, with his obsession, can match my favorite man, Salvatore Ajello from the fifth book of this series, 'Stolen Touches'.
I love obsessed male characters, where there is no one else for them but her. And as always - he's obsessed with her, and I'm obsessed with him.😂

What you can expect:
♡ age gap
♡ mafia romance
♡ arranged/forced marriage
♡ opposites attract
♡ obsessed mmc/touch her and die vibes

Although I'm very sad that this series is ending, I can't wait to see what Neva has in store for us with the second generation. ♥
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[Jen ♥]

This doesn't need to be 400+ pages, and to make things worse, they didn't become an official couple "couple" until the last chapter. What was that??? Idk, I didn't enjoy it, and I was mostly bored reading it. Apparently, reading too many monologues can drain the energy out of me. Anyway, it didn't work for me, but it could be a different story for someone else. 🤷‍♀️

[Readbyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐
With this book, the Perfectly Imperfect series has finally come to an end. 🥹❤️ I really enjoyed reading this book, but there were quite a few things that held it back from being a five-star read.

➣ 𝐀𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐎 𝐑𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐎
I love cold and emotionally unavailable MMCs... but Adriano was too emotionally unavailable. This man was in denial for literally the whole book.

He is cruel, ruthless, and truly a wolf hiding behind an expensive suit. But I absolutely loved seeing him lose control whenever it was about Iris. Those moments were my favorite.

I also loved how obsessed he was with her.
Though her literally being his cure for migraines was a bit too much. 🤭

And the bonus scene?? It was so endearing to see him as a girl dad. 🥹🫶🏻

➣ 𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐁𝐁𝐑𝐈
She was such a pure soul. Kind, hardworking, thoughtful, and quietly strong. I especially loved everything she did to save her mother.

And I totally get it her crush on Adriano. I mean who wouldn't love A man in his forties, wears glasses, drool worthy muscles and a little bit grey in his hair.🫣

I Don't have much to say about her.

➣ 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑
I really enjoyed their first meeting, and the stalking part was surprisingly fun to read. Some of the annex scenes were also really good... until they started feeling repetitive.

My biggest issue was that these two barely had an actual conversation as a married couple. They were constantly tiptoeing around each other instead of just talking.

The silent client storyline was interesting at first, but it dragged on for way too long. Even after Iris found out that the silent client was actually her husband, they kept avoiding the confrontation.

What frustrated me even more was that Adriano thought Iris was cheating on him (which she obviously wasn't because she already knew it was him), BUT HE DIDN'T KNOW THAT SHE KNEW. Instead of confronting her immediately, he just kept assuming things for over three months. 😭

Honestly, if it wasn't for Braty (the therapist), I don't think these two would've ever confessed their love or revealed all their secrets.

➣ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐃𝐈𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐄
This book felt unnecessarily long because of the endless one-sided conversations between Iris and her silent client, and Adriano and his therapist. At one point, Adriano talked more to his therapist than to his own wife.

There was so much these two needed to talk about... but they just didn't. Iris never asked why he killed his first wife. Adriano's past never got fully explained. They hardly spent any quality time together, and I just wished all those pages spent on the annex scenes had been used to show their domestic life instead.

The ending also felt rushed. They literally confessed their feelings at the very end... and then the book just ended. We didn't even get an explanation of how Iris got pregnant when it was made clear at the beginning that Adriano couldn't become a father.

And I think that's been my biggest issue with this entire series. The couples rarely communicate. They don't really share their pasts, their fears, or their goals. They just... don't talk.

Overall, I still had a really good time reading it. I enjoyed it more than a few of the previous books. And even with its flaws, I'm going to miss these obsessed mafia men. ❤️


➣ 𝑷𝒓𝒆-𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 :-
The last book. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐅𝐓𝐇 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞.
I honestly can’t believe this series is ending. Not every book worked for me, but the ones that did? They really did.
And the men in this series? 𝘼𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙧.
And now we’re closing it with a man in his forties. 𝙁𝙊𝙍𝙏𝙄𝙀𝙎?
And a STALKER???
I’m very much seated and slightly concerned. 😭

⤷ ​̲𝑺​̲𝒕​̲𝒂​̲𝒓​̲𝒕​̲ ​̲𝒅​̲𝒂​̲𝒕​̲𝒆​̲:​̲- 5/July/26
⤷ ​̲𝑭​̲𝒊​̲𝒏​̲𝒊​̲𝒔​̲𝒉​̲ ​̲𝒅​̲𝒂​̲𝒕​̲𝒆​̲:​̲- 6/July/26

[♡Naz♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨️ "Dr Barty tells me I have issues. I tell him I just have a very specific, permanent fixation on my wife." ✨️

The Perfectly Imperfect series might be officially over, but Adriano has permanently ruined my standards, and I am not okay. Neva Altaj saved the absolute best for last because this book is pure, unadulterated cinema.

Adriano is the ultimate 'touch her and die' alphahole, a stalker who sets the bar terrifyingly high, and a man so scrumdilyicious he makes me want to scream into my pillow. He literally forces Iris to marry him under the absolute BS excuse that she is his "walking dose of migraine pain reliever" instead of just admitting he is completely down bad.

✨️ "You are my peace, Iris. My walking migraine relief. And I am never letting you go." ✨️

The delusion? Off the charts. The obsession? Impeccable. He has a boatload of psychological issues, but watching him navigate therapy while sending the sweetest, most considerate love letters and gifts to Iris had me sobbing. He is the ultimate definition of a man who is rock-hard on the outside but a melted, gooey caramel chocolate inside for his girl. 5 out of 5 stars does not even begin to cover it.

Let’s talk about the absolute comedy gold that elevated this dark romance into a legendary read: the jealousy. Adriano is out here losing his absolute mind and getting aggressively jealous of HIS OWN ALTER EGO, "The Silent Guest." I was cackling so hard I could barely breathe. The dramatic irony was delectable, and his priceless, unhinged reactions to his own shadow deserve an award.

And can we please give a standing ovation to Dr Barty? That crazy old therapist is chaotic evil in the best way possible. His highly questionable methods to force Adriano into a confession had me rolling my eyes so hard, but you just know his meddling came from a place of love. The banter, the absolute stupidity of men in love, and the forced proximity trope made the pages fly by so fast it should be illegal.

I am genuinely devastated that this is the end of the series because nobody does unhinged, fiercely protective mafia men like Altaj. Iris and Adriano gave us everything we could ever want in a dark romance: a marriage of convenience, an obsessive antihero who is actually in therapy, and the kind of soul-deep devotion that spoils you for any other book couples. I am actively begging, crying, and throwing up for Ms Altaj to drop a second-generation series because I am simply not ready to leave this universe or these beautifully crazy, obsessed men behind. If you haven't picked this up yet, CONSIDER THIS YOUR SIGN.

✨️ "I would burn the world to ash just to keep you warm, and I wouldn’t care who was caught in the flames." ✨️

[Dahlia · Rating 4 out of 5]

𓏲 ๋࣭  ࣪ 4.5 🌟 rtc
Am so emotional right now , I loved this one .
I cant believe this was the last book 😭🥺



---
Completely forgot about this one , and tbh i really need some good age gap mafia romance

ADRIANO BABY COME HOME 💔
And who tf is iris now,,
12couples , 12 books 🤭
Can't believe this will be the last book , I want it out rn but am not ready for it to be done 😫
This serie is really confusing me because some books were good and some others weren't but if you ask me? Totally would recommend it 🙈

[Ri ♡]

wdym its coming 2026 🤨 give it to me rn!

[Mannel Rkd · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review with possible spoiler

Rating: ⭐️



Okay, so this is my review of this whole book. I wanna preface it by saying that reading is subjective. Just because my review is not very nice, doesn't mean you're not gonna like it. But I would just really like to make a few points.

First of all, the first thing I want to make sure that I get across is that I love both the main characters. I love, there's nothing wrong with them. Now, my problem with this whole book, the reason I gave it a one star is the whole story and writing. Neva used to be one of my favorite authors. Book one through nine of this series are repeat reads for me. They are what gets me out of book slumps. They are my comfort. However, for the last three books, where she started basically writing longer books, everything went downhill. Like we have Massimo book. That was a complete disaster. And then we have Arturo book, a book that I waited for over a hear only to be met with such a huge disappointment. And the same happened today with this book



first of all, I wish neva would go back to her previous writing style where the books were short, but they were more to the point, rather this 450-page book where there are just endless and honestly, more importantly, useless monologues that serve no purpose whatsoever to the story. They don't add anything to it, in my opinion. They are just nonsense writing for no reason. Absolutely no reason.



So honestly, I miss, I miss the first few books where everything made sense, even the monologue and the plot description. They served a purpose. That's number one. Second thing is, what type of romance book is this where I get the couple in the epilogue? What the hell? It's advertised aa arranged /forced marriage However, they don't even get married until 60% of the book. which would have been fine if, you know, they had started some type of relationship before that, but no, no, they had basically met twice before that, and he blackmailed her, and that's it. And then he become jealous, but he doesn't want to accept that, he is. So his psychiatrist plays a trick on him to force him to, you know, reveal his feelings, which he does in the last chapter.



You know what? There was no build-up, no relationship, no chemistry between the two, that actually his confession was really cringy, because I don't have the love story, like, it doesn't make sense whatsoever. What he ended up, he was so stupid. She was meeting him at a club where she didn't know it was him, and that's fine before she got married, but then after she got married and she discovered it's him, rather then confronting him and having an adult conversation, she went back and pretended she still didn't know it was her husband. They started sleeping together. He didn't know his wife was aware that it was him. That's the extent of their relationship. And there were no feelings. Nothing, absolutely nothing. And then suddenly she's pregnant and they are in love and that's the end of the book ( like literally in the epilogue).



A waste of 440 pages for nothing. And the worst part is, there isn't even a proper plot that's interesting that would explain why the book is long or why the romance part of the story was completely neglected. No, no, no, there was actually nothing. You know what, for a series that started really great, I wish she would have stopped while the writing was so great, because these last few books that are completely, completely disappointing.

[readabookonce · Rating 2 out of 5]

unfortunately, an anticlimactic ending to a climactic series

MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Iris Fabbri (24) | Adriano Ruffo (43)

FEATURES
∘ mafia-adjacent romance
∘ age gap
∘ secret identity
∘ forced marriage
∘ emotionally stunted mmc
∘ anything she asks for, she gets

REVIEW
mild spoilers ahead
I have never been more disappointed in my life.

I had a lot of hype going into the book, as I was looking forward to reading stoic and steely Adriano’s story AND this is the final installment of the series.

There was so much mind-numbing angst from both Adriano and Iris. While I sympathized with Iris’s situation and her ill mother, her do-gooder self with 5+ jobs made her feel like a caricature. I have not seen the likes of a Mary Sue in a while. Iris had no personality aside from how compassionate and giving she was.

Adriano completely morphed from his unperturbed persona in a completely unbelievable way. I understand his personality shift is meant to convey how he’s “showing his true self” because of how obsessed he is with Iris, but aside from the beginning, never once did he portray “unruffled and unbothered”. He threw temper tantrums and stroked his own ego in a very ruffled and bothered way. His age regression was, frankly, embarrassing.

The little time they spent together—where Iris knew it was Adriano—had wasted potential. They barely got to know each other, and it mostly just became Adriano acting evil and Iris calling him evil—after her initial meekness, of course.

I also felt Adriano’s past was skimmed over, despite his obvious trauma from it. The moment he shared a piece of it with Iris could’ve been SO GOOD. Aside from one sentence, he doesn’t expand on it to her. Too many moments where the relationship could’ve developed were left unexplored and underutilized.

There is a plot point where Adriano orchestrated Iris’s mother being denied financial aid for a heart donor so that he could force her into a marriage. This left such a bad taste in my mouth, especially after he kissed Iris while she was damn-near blackout drunk. Granted, he got a heart donor for her mother (RIP to that dude; he seemed kind), which she wasn’t guaranteed, but STILL.

Their refusal to communicate and lofty time skips made this such a frustrating read. Bogged down by maudlin inner monologues from both our main characters, it is missing the magic we’ve come to know.

Maybe there were too many expectations riding on this. It wasn’t the worst book I’ve read, nor was it the worst in the series (TO ME 🫪). I’m sad to say goodbye, but I’m excited for what’s next.

OW/OM DRAMA OW — Adriano is married in the beginning before he promptly kills her (they hadn’t been intimate in years and their relationship was contractual)
|||
OW — Adriano has “never been short on lovers” but hasn’t been with anyone since he met Iris
|||
not really OW — Adriano says his marriage to Iris has nothing to do with sex, and if he needs to, he’ll “find [his] release elsewhere” (he is lying to his therapist and himself)
|||
mentions of past OM — Iris talks about having an ex-boyfriend who was disinterested in her
|||
not really OM — Iris’s friend sets her up with another man while they are at the club, but nothing comes of it (mostly to make Adriano jealous)
|||
not OM OM — Iris works at an establishment where she has an exclusive contract with a “Silent Guest” (Adriano). She discovers it his him after they are married, and she sleeps with the man, much to Adriano’s rage (idiot is jealous of himself)
CHEATING none (perceived from Adriano with himself, but he dgaf, and she knows it’s him)
THIRD ACT BREAKUP no, they are not together at this point
ENDING HEA — few months later epilogue

POV dual / first person
SPICE LEVEL 3.5 / 5
RATING 2.5 / 5

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this one.

*sigh*

I feel like SUCH a downer because I have been so hyped for this release and Neva is one of my favorite authors but the last two releases have been lackluster for me and it's hard to put my finger on why. Sometimes author's styles just evolve and we start to diverge in taste. She's allowed to change what she wants to write and readers are allowed to still crave what they got in earlier years.

I personally, miss the snappier, scrappier, to-the-point Mafia Romances from earlier in the series. Where we got introduced to a couple, they got forced into each other's lives somehow, the hero fell head over heels and then went about stealing our heart's and then the heroines. All in less than 300 pages. It was no less punchy and impactful for it's brevity. However, Sweet Prison, which is not short, and is quite a slow burn, is still my favorite in the series.

Why am I waxing about previous books and not this one? Well... I didn't like this one very much. I thought I was enjoying it at points. But it took me 10 days to read. When I usually devour her books in hours.

There were telltale signs of a good Neva book. Intense quotes about longing and even some grand possessive gestures done in secret. (The cookie crumbs? Iconic.) Adriano is broody and dangerous and he even has psycho-sematic migraines and a therpist who gives him shit and made me laugh a few times.

There's also Iris, who is from Sweet Prision (my aforementioned favorite book), she sees Adriano do something bad, but she keeps her mouth shut. He becomes obsessed and he wants to find a way to have her for himself. Except he lies to himself about why. She is desperate and she'll do what she has to for her mother who is ill. Which leads to her working at a gentleman's club with Adriano as her only client.

But she doesn't know that.

And then they end up married.

And then they continue that facade at the gentleman's club?

What?

These two never have one serious conversation. He is either threatening her, manipulating her, letting her talk while pretending to be someone else, or they are having sex while she's blindfolded. That's it. That's their romance. For over 400 pages.

I wish I was kidding.

And the "villain" in this story.... um... okay sure.

I just wanted more and I feel let down by this one. I'm sorry to say it but I won't sugarcoat it. This one was not what I was hoping it would be. I don't feel like I got to see them together outside of the annex, so I don't know who they were as a couple. They were lying to one another for the literal ENTIRE BOOK. Until 95%. Until the credits rolled and the cut scenes started playing.

That just never felt satisfying.

I didn't even get enough out of the dog in this one. What even is that?

Okay, now I'm just being petty and I respect this author too much to do that.

3 Stars
2.5 on the spice scale

CW: Death, kidnapping, violence, kidnapping, gore, parent with a serious health condition, drugging of a pregnant woman

*Thank you to the author for an ARC of this title.*

[Carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s unfortunately boring!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unas 10 horas me duró este libro, toda una proeza en mí porque aparte de que trabajo, es un libro extenso.

Es otra prueba irrefutable de que cuando el chisme me interesa, allí pueden tener secuestrada leyendo diciendo al mismo tiempo que dormir está sobrevalorado; pero tiene que ser algo muy pero muy interesante para yo hacer tal sacrificio.

....................................................................................

ANTES DE SEGUIR, LES QUIERO CONTAR...

Me abrí una cuenta en Substack y me haría mucha ilusión si me apoyasen allá al seguirme.

Les dejo enlace y vista previa de mi primer post:.

Primer post en Substack

....................................................................................

Pues sigamos, en este punto sólo les vengo a decir que Adriano Ruffo se ganó un puesto especial en mi corazón. ¡QUÉ HOMBREEEE!

Por cierto, por motivos personales, ese nombre cada vez resuena en mi vida y no conozco a nadie en la vida real con dicho nombre (Adriano). ¿Será algún topo de señal del Universo?

Disfruté demasiado esta historia, cada vez que estaba en "sesión" yo lo que hacía era soltar la carcajada riéndome con sus razonamientos ante el doc jaja.

Al final siento que este es el cierre de esta serie, ¿correcto? No estoy muy segura, pero lo que sí sé es que fue un cierre excelente y lo que sea que tenga Neva preparado para publicar de ahora en adelante, sin duda lo leeré.

P.D: Ahora sí no sé qué leer jaja, quedé saturada gracias a mis dos últimas lecturas tan buenass.



--------------------------------------



31/07/2025 Act

EL NOMBREEEEE, sólo di el nombreeee jajaja.

[Irene]

PAUSE was this here before ???

[Samantha (bookgramsaga reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 (ARC Review)

''Nothing will ever be the same again''

Safety warnings::
- H 43 / h 24
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Kidnapping
- D*ath
- Blackmail
- Violence
- Torture
- Illness
- HEA

What a great finale to an amazing series. I cannot believe I've been an ARC reader since book 3 (Hidden Truths)!

When Iris witnesses something she should not have, her life is no longer her own. Adriano starts taking in interest in her and slowly becomes obsessed with the woman he never noticed before. Though let’s not forget that Iris is a little stalker herself, she has been watching Adriano from afar before he ever noticed her.

Adriano, despite his flaws, understood he was absolutely unhinged. The man was actively in therapy.

She needs help financially and he in his black heart finds ways to make it his business to help her by helping himself along the way aka having her marry him to receive his help and she will do anything to help the ones she loves so she accepts.

Iris becomes his crutch (you will know what that means once you read the book). She genuinely is his only source of solace.

There is a side plot concerning his business and a part of me knew the twist, but I did not care since I just wanted to know WHY? I did not quite understand the motive.
It’s hard to write about this book without giving away any spoilers so I will leave it here.
I am sad this series is over, but we still have the next gen to help us get through the next phase in Neva's world!

[Lilyya ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

rtc

[clicktojointhemafia]

ugh i wish this wasn't the last book but imma eat up the 2nd gen 🤞

[AvidReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75🌟!

Along with the whole mafia world, Adriano Ruffo even managed to fool us, the readers. I never thought he would be this wicked and grey.
From their first meeting to the epilogue, I was hooked.
Each time Adriano lost his immaculate composure, I giggled. That man needed someone to shake his world and boy, did Iris made a pulp of it😂!

The chemistry, yearning, plot, excecution, the twist in the end (which was a shock), I enjoyed it all. Characterisation was superb, especially Adriano’s.
My only complain is ending a felt a tiny bit rushed when I wanted to read more about them.

Special thanks to the author for the second epilogue and bonus scene.

-Forced marriage.
-Morally grey hero.
-Opposite attract.
-Obsessed hero.
-Grumpy x sunshine, age gap.
Absolutely recommended and TW.

I received an advance review copy and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tribbiani's books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sinceramente no sé como escribir mi opinión porque todo fue un gran "meh".
Siento que quiso experimentar el slow burn nivel Mariana Zapata pero le salio nivel Rina Kent, es decir, que le salio para el culo.
2.5/5 estrellas 🌟

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado mucho, ha sido de esos que dices, sólo un capítulo más.

Los momentos de Adriano en terapia son tan buenos, leer lo que dice vs lo que piensa y cómo su psiquiatra le lleva al límite. Geniales.

La relación de Iris y Adriano es diferente, hay que leerlo para saber, no quiero revelar nada. Pero me gusta que se construya lentamente y de muy diferentes formas.

Y la trama de fondo no está mal, medio previsible, pero me ha seguido sorprendiendo en parte. Le ha dado un plus al libro.

Cómo ha caído la imperfección en este libro! Lista para más.

[Lina K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I f**cking LOVED IT!!!!

[˙⋆☆ Pameee ☆⋆˙]

WAIT, WHATTTTT??? Omggg de quién será este libro lptm. Esa sinopsis aaaahhhhhh

[Kat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Las palabras que definen a este libro para mí son las siguientes: aburrido, lento y largo (sin ninguna razón). La verdad, quedé bastante decepcionada de este cierre de saga, esperé más. Los últimos libros de Neva ya venían siendo muy diferentes de cómo inicio y me aburrían, pero este me pareció un suplicio leerlo. No todas deben escribir Slow Burn, de verdad no es obligatorio, pero si ya todas se empeñaron, al menos háganlo un poco más entretenido, ahora los libros duran más y queda un montón de relleno porque no saben ni cómo cubrir todo, haciendo así la historia pesada sin razón alguna.

Lo que justo me pasó con este libro es que ya venía con expectativas, y luego me frustró la relación de Iris y Adriano. Es increíble que haya más capítulos de Adriano hablando con su terapeuta de temu que con su propia esposa, ¿WTF eso??? ¿Cómo quieren que me enamore de una relación si es tan aburrida? Había páginas y páginas de monólogos internos eternos y aburridos, de Iris hablando de sus vecinos, de su amiga, del gato de su amiga, cosas que genuinamente no me interesaban. Créeme, no me importa si el novio de tu amiga le fue infiel, (no pasó aca, pero es un ej que doy) realmente son detalles que me importan muy poco. Estoy acá para saber de ti como persona y de la relación que vas a tener con el protagonista, pero Iris solo de eso hablaba, de que su vecina sufría y de todas las tristezas de su barrio. Me daba un terrible sueño.
Las únicas pláticas que tuvieron estos dos fue en el club, cuando jugaban al gato y al ratón, y era Iris con los ojos vendados hablando puras pendejadas y media, esas escenas fueron entretenidas las dos primeras veces, pero lo alargaron demasiado, aburriéndome más que las cadenas nacionales que se lanzaban el difunto Chávez (que ojalá, si existe un infierno, él esté allí). Y por otro lado tenemos a Adriano hablando con el psicólogo de Temu, padre amado. Eso también fue agradable las primeras veces, pero en cada capítulo que avanzaba había más y más capítulos del psicólogo y Adriano hablando. Llegó un momento en el que pensé: ¿serán el psicólogo y Adriano los protagonistas? ¿Qué tan triste es que en un libro de romance sean contadas las veces que los protagonistas hablen? Déjenme decirles, muy, muy triste. Y cuando por fin Adriano e Iris hablaban ya siendo pareja, eran las conversaciones más frías, más aburridas y cortas del planeta Tierra. Dios, qué insípidos, pongan voluntad por amor a Jesucristo. Que sí, que sí, entiendo el contexto y el porqué querían hacerlo así, pero la ejecución a mi parecer estuvo bastante mala y aburrida.

Lo otro que me dejó un poco decepcionada y sacada de onda, en muchas partes parecía que estuviera leyendo a Rina Kent en vez de a Neva. Por ejemplo, me dejó un mal sabor de boca cuando Adriano obliga a Iris a casarse con él y le confiesa que él es el responsable de que no haya podido encontrar ayuda en las fundaciones para la enfermedad de su madre. El tipo de verdad llegó al punto de chantajearla con la salud de su madre, bloqueó todos los medios donde ella pudo haber recibido la ayuda adecuada, y todo para que ella se casara con él. De paso, como si eso no fuera suficiente, hizo que un pobre señor se matara enfrente de ella, también obligó al señor a eso, en plan: "o te matas o mato a tu nieto" (creo que era el nieto o hijo). Fue bastante turbia toda esa escena, y en vez de hacer eso después de que Iris se fuera, no, él hizo que todo pasara frente a ella, ¿bro??? En esa escena pensé que estaba leyendo a un personaje de Rina, y claro, a mí me gusta mucho Rina, es verdad, y he leído cosas más turbias que estas, pero mi punto es que Neva era diferente. Ella escribía cosas cuestionables, pero a la vez lindas, era muy diferente, era una de las razones por las que más me gustaba, porque no era más del montón. Sus protagonistas eran únicos y sus historias de mafia romance igual, cada una tenía algo particular, y ahora en sus últimos libros es como si esa Neva se hubiera ido y viniera una que quiere escribir las mismas cosas que las demás, algo sin personalidad propia, algo que se lo leemos a las otras autoras que escriben este tipo de libros. Y es eso lo que me hace sentir triste y decepcionada, porque Neva era diferente y ahora está comenzando a escribir lo mismo que todas las demás, y eso me quedó más claro al final del libro, genuinamente se parece tanto a los giros de Rina que realmente tuve que preguntarme varias veces, ¿esta es Neva? Y sé que parece que tal vez no me guste Rina y la esté criticando, pero no, es que para mí Neva y Rina eran polos opuestos, y que ahora se parezcan un poco en su manera de escribir las historias me deja un poco confundida, y ojo, al final me gustó Adriano, pero espere más, es solo eso, en cuanto al romance, y todo lo demás.

Pero en fin, ando acá desahogándome.
Luego, para ponerle la cereza al pastel, estos dos obvio siguen su juego del gato y al ratón hasta más del 80% del libro, donde ella finge que no sabe que es él y blabla, hasta haciéndo creer Adriano que ella le es infiel y blabla, solo para alargar más un libro que debió haberse acabado ya. Pero ok, y es así cuando llegamos a donde por fin se pone interesante el libro, que es como en el 86%, y ya era demasiado tarde. Nos lanzan un tremendo giro de trama donde el psicólogo de Temu secuestra a Iris, obliga a Adriano a confesar su amor por Iris o si no la "mata", y así sigue y sigue, y pasan un montón de cosas que para mí fueron bastante exageradas, si me lo preguntas. Pero bueh, como era de esperarse, el terapeuta de Temu termina muerto, pero resulta que todo era plan del terapeuta para hacer que Adriano sacará la cabeza del culo, que vuelvo y repito, para mí todo eso fue bastante exageradado jajaja, y luego de allí, todos felices y contentos. Bruscamente pasamos al primer epílogo, donde nos muestran que estos dos siguen con el mismo juego de siempre (lo agarraron de juegos previos en la intimidad, al parecer), y luego otro epílogo donde ya es el cierre de todo eso, y luego una escena extra. Fin, eso fue todo.

Lo que más odié de este libro es que la primera vez de ellos dos teniendo sexo fue tan meh, y fue él creyendo que ella pensaba que él era otro tipo. Sí, es un enredo, no entiendo por qué alargar tanto eso. Me hubiera gustado leer más de Iris y Adriano como esposos y ya, que comenzaran a convivir más, a hablar de verdad, a conocerse mutuamente. Pero no, después de tanto esperar por el primer beso de estos dos, a Iris se le olvida, y después de esperar tanto su primera vez en intimidad es él fingiendo ser otro hombre. En fin, una cagada. Todo eso hizo que nunca pudiera conectar del todo con la pareja como tal y quedé insatisfecha, me dieron mucho, pero a la vez nada, pasó de todo, pero a la vez nada, así siento.

En fin, una pena que Neva haya dejado a un lado sus historias tan lindas que me hacían suspirar, para escribir historias más genéricas y del montón.

[Han · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that was … something. Yes it had some cute moment but idk I mean he thought she was cheating (with him) on him for like 45% of the book. He didn’t know she knew it was him until they were forced to tell each other so we saw like none of at home relationship life as them being themselves until the epilogue if that makes sense lol it’s hard to describe this book without spoiling all of it!!! No sleeping in the same bed like… nothing.

Safety (in highlights too)
No v’s
He was married he never loved her. Only slept together the first 2 years to conceive which never happened so they stop. They both sleep with different people throughout the 10 year marriage

He wasn’t with anyone after meeting her

Brief talk about h ex she was with for 3 years but she didn’t seem broken up about it we never meet him or anything.

[Tea · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I liked Iris and found Adriano to be tolerable(at times), I am disappointed. The book is too long, the plot too dragged out, the execution poor. I found myself wanting to skip monologues several times because I got boooooored. I wanted to see romance.. not whatever the fuck that was. The maaannnyyyyyy chapters before they got their HEA were not worth it, I was left highly unsatisfied with the ending. Honestly it all felt like a bunch of non romantic nonsense til BAM 95% in and all is fine and dandy, the end.

[alexleasins · Rating 1 out of 5]

1⭐️ I came for a good time but ended up having withdrawals from how much this book bored me. Mind you, 60% of it was absolute nothing and then he 'forces her into marriage' bitch stfu

[Seda ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️
The idea sounded good, but the execution fell short of my expectations.

The excessive internal monologue and the constant denial of feelings got boring after a while. Adriano spending more time talking to his therapist than to his wife didn’t exactly help the romance either.🙄

I understand the cold, emotionally detached hero denying his feelings. In fact, I usually enjoy that. But having to wait until the last 5% of the book for the “I love you” confession was just too much 😮‍💨

I liked the characters, but their potential was definitely wasted. They didn’t communicate properly, didn’t spend enough time together, and honestly, I struggled to see the romance.

The ending wrapped everything up a little too quickly. I would’ve liked to see more confrontation and emotional growth.