The following description may contain spoilers for book one.
Kerry
You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.
And Amy’s grandfather is about to learn just that.
He wants to use Amy as a pawn?
He’s going to fail, because she’s the King.
The most important piece on the board.
And I’ll guard her at all costs.
Amy
My grandfather’s selfish greed is costing me everything.
Just when I begin to understand Kerry and am falling in love with him, the rug is pulled out from under me.
Now I’m worried Kerry will see me as the enemy.
But he doesn’t. Instead, he offers me the opposite of what I thought.
To run away with him. Go to Ireland. Leave all of the drama behind.
His colleagues in the Nameless will protect us.
It’s crazy, right? Running away with a dangerous man like him to another country.
But I can’t help but feel like it’s the right decision.
And for the first time in my life, I’m going with my gut and not relying on others to make decisions for me.
Kerry’s right. I’m in charge of my own life, and he’s handing me the reins.
My family won’t let me go without a fight.
But with the Irish Demon by my side, I know they won’t ever have the same control over me as they once did.
A Merciless Husband is book two of the Irish Demon duet. It’s a light mafia romance between an autistic fmc and an Irish mafia leader who’s infatuated with her. It’s spicy, has low-violence and cozy vibes, but does contain themes of crime, obsession, and stalking. It’s part of The Nameless International universe but can be read as a standalone. Buy now for a romance with heavy yearning, neurodivergence rep, and funny moments. Free in Kindle Unlimited!
Please note: While this book is light mafia and low-violence, it is not a no-violence story. This book is a spicy romance with adult themes. A list of trigger warnings is in the author’s note.
2.5 ⭐️ It would’ve been better if she didn’t keep mentioning how fragile and autistic the Fmc is . And to give us a good plot instead of forcing random plot lines into it .
This did not hit the same as the first book for me. I did love how Amy grows more here and stands her ground though. Kerry was absolutely the man for her though. The way he observed and let her know if she was uncomfortable he was there was great. I think the growth was done well. I did love the story behind his name for her. I think the fact she ends up being open around her new family showed her blood relatives never tried either. I was underwhelmed when it came to all the villians just being written off rather quietly.
This picks up exactly where the first book left off, and let me just say, the male lead had to beg. This man was on his knees, begging her to stay with him. He even admitted that he'd been stalking her for a couple of years and showed her the photo evidence.
I have to admit, though, that part gave me the ick a little because it felt like several pages of him just begging her. He kept saying things like, "If you want, I'll leave. I'll leave all of Ireland." Normally, I like that kind of devotion, but I felt like it was laid on a little too heavily at the beginning. The entire first chapter was basically him begging her to stay and trying to convince her to be with him.
Let's be honest, we all knew this man was never going to let her go. The moment the grandfather called off the engagement, there was no chance he was walking away from her.
This is when I knew they were perfect for each other. The normal reaction would have been, "Oh my God, this man is kind of not right in the head." But she was basically like, "He's obsessed with me. That means he'll never get tired of me. He'll want me forever." And that made her feel safe.
The way he convinced her to stay by pretending to be calm gave me the image of a snake toying with a rat. He was slowly circling her while she was thinking, "Everything is fine," when really he was just waiting for the perfect moment to strike. That's the vibe I got from him.
Overall, I got what I wanted. My girl had a backbone in this book, especially toward the end. She wasn't taking nonsense from anyone anymore, not even the other mafia leaders, and I absolutely loved that for her.
Overall, the duology was a nice read. I would mostly recommend this series to people who want something in between heavier books. If you've just finished a dark romance, a romance with a lot of betrayal or torture, or even a really heavy fantasy, this is a good palate cleanser if you enjoy mafia romances. It's a much lighter series, and the books don't take long to get through.
Fav Quotes
She’s looking down at me like I’m crazy, and I don’t give a damn. I know I am.
“Amy, sweet Amy, what can I do to make you understand? For you to see how mad I am for you? How far I’ll go just to hold you in my arms? How I would wrench down the moon just so I can see you bathed in its silvery light? The docks are nothing, not in the long run. The docks were an excuse. They were what I needed to get you, the silly thing everyone expected me to want. But you? You are so much more than the world I live in could ever give me.”
Understand me, Amy. I’m trying to be good, so good…everything within me just wants to take, like I always do. I want to sweep you off your feet and take you to Ireland to bathe you in riches and all of your heart’s desires so you’ll never leave
But the magnitude of the starvation in his eyes makes me wonder just what it’ll take for him to be satisfied. How long will it take before he’s had his fill of me? Everything in his gaze makes me think that it’ll be a long time. And, somehow, that brings relief. He’s not going to leave. He’s not going to get tired of me a few days in, a few weeks, a few months…
“A natural reaction, I think, for a man like me when he’s before a woman like you. A king bows before his queen if he knows what’s good for him.”
“I actually think it’s more like you’re the Queen and I’m the King,“Ah, I like that. You might not be able to make as many moves as me, but that doesn’t change the fact that the whole game is pointless without you. You’re the most important piece there is.”
“I’m not just obsessed with you anymore, Amy. I’m in love with you, and I think I have been for quite some time.”
“Why? So you guys can sell me off to the next highest bidder? So you can hide wealth from me and lie more? So you can tell me how awful my grandparents are all while working for them and making more money than you ever let me believe we had?” (I was so proud when she stood up for herself to her fake ass mother)
You are sunlight dancing through a forest’s canopy personified. You are the golden hour, a sparrow’s summer song, and…I don’t have words to describe just how beautiful you are.”
“You said that just to bother my husband and rile him up. I don’t appreciate you trying to upset him like that, and I especially don’t appreciate you using me to do so. I’ve been used as a pawn my whole life, and I’m rather sick of it.” I’m fucking pissed off. “If you want a good view of me, then enjoy this one.” I stomp on his foot and he grunts. Before he can react, I slam my knee straight into his balls, making him wheeze and bend over in anguish. “My husband is right, you’re a fucking piece of shit, and your mind games aren’t welcome here.” I turn to Alessandro, who’s looking a bit wide-eyed at me. “Get your brother out of here. Now. And if you pull a stunt like this again with us, it’ll be your balls I go for next.”
this one was so cute! it was a lot more fluffy than the last book, which was done well! i also really liked that we got some pov in the spicy scenes from kerry--as a lesbian, i'm usually on both sides of being served and serving, so it was really special seeing that end of it. and it was reeeeal good, lol.
we also got to meet the head of the nameless, alessandro! and his brother, briefly. in a spectacular confrontation with amy. (look forward to it, lolol) allessandro is flamboyant, which i looooove and cannot wait for his book. his brother we did not see much of, but we at least got a little taste. i'm excited to learn what his friggin deal is in later books.
we got some DELICIOUS family drama on amy's side. i ate it uuuup. idk, it's both cathartic and also is my ethically sourced gossip XD but for real-it highlighted a lot of how difficult family can be, and how to establish and maintain boundaries. which, i appreciated the representation. while i've not had to cut off any of my family or go no contact, i have plenty of loved ones who have or have gone minimum contact, so it was nice to see.
ALSO. BALL. lily was present for this one, and we got to learn a bit more about her. i'm super excited for lily's book-it's feeling kinda gothic coded, from my view? and to see all the politics and intrigue in her family and the mafia she's become involved with. she's also autistic, so it'll be interesting to see how hers manifests versus amy's.
the wedding was super wonderful-i liked how it felt like she was coming in to a new family, after dealing with the pain of her own.
i liked that we got more of o'neil, and met his wife. and omg. her dog's name is princess puddlecup. i am really really hoping his daughter gets a book, because i love this family so much XD
and one small spoiler to get you excited: autistic bdsm. i will not elaborate. >)
A Merciless Husband was such a great ending to this duology! 🖤
This entire duology is SO easy to read, and I 100% recommend it when you need a little palate cleanser between those heavier mafia series or dark romances that have you questioning every life choice you've ever made. 😂
This one is basically their honeymoon, and you know what?! I AM HERE FOR IT. Give me the fluffy, sweet, happy scenes!! 😭💕 And don't worry, there are some spicy scenes mixed in there too. 🌶️👀
But I think my favorite part was watching our FMC really step into her confidence. And I want to make something clear: she was confident BEFORE the MMC. He didn't come along and magically give that to her. It was already there. He just helped her feel comfortable enough to LET. IT. OUT. 👏
And I absolutely loved that he never wanted to change her. He just wanted her to be HER, loudly, confidently, and completely unapologetically.
We love a man whose entire agenda is basically, “Please be even MORE yourself.” 😭👏
Fluffy. Sweet. Spicy. Easy to devour. Exactly what I needed. 💕
Suite directe de "a ruthless arrangement", ce roman est tout aussi réussi que le précédent. On avait quitté nos deux héros sur un coup de théâtre. Nous les retrouvons dans la minute qui suit ! Les malentendus se sont envolés, mais les évènements s'accélèrent. Si Amy et Kerry se comprennent de mieux en mieux, ils doivent apprendre à se faire confiance. Ils ont en commun un passé difficile et des traumatismes... J'ai été plutôt surprise par la scène revigorante finale, avec certaines réactions inattendues.
L'intrigue ne tombe pas dans le piège du "s'ils avaient communiqué"... parce qu'ils le font et bien. C'est ce que j'ai apprécié dans cette histoire, voir peu à peu leur amour s'approfondir, ce que l'on ne voit que rarement en fait, dans ces romans. Parallèlement, je pense que se dessine le couple suivant : la meilleure amie de Amy, Lily elle aussi, avec un trouble autistique, et son mari "arrangé" également.
As an autistic woman myself, I am in awe of just how amazingly confident and powerful she feels because of how much her husband loves her. This is such an amazing story, even if it has crime in it it that’s fine. He loves her so much and she loves him. The only spoiler I’ll be giving you is that someone is rude and misbehaves in a disrespecting manner. She knees him in the balls and stomps his foot and tells him that his behavior is absolutely unacceptable and it’s amazing that she is so confident in her life now it makes me so happy. He doesn’t try to change her autism and her stems and her issues. He just gives her the confidence to not have to mask all the time. I hope that if I find love in the future that they’ll turn out to treat me a lot like Carrie treats his Amy with love and acceptance and humor , this was amazing to read, Eva. You did amazing!!!
Want a man who is devotedly obsessed with you while still being very understanding, accommodating, and respectful of your autistic needs? Then this book is for you.
Plus I don’t really blame Amy for marrying Kerry a mafia boss since he’s the only one (apart from her best friend Lily) who accepts her being autistic and her whole family treated her like shit.
This book is basically Amy and Kerry being like, “Oh, Amy’s grandfather called off the arranged marriage, screw him. We love each other, so let’s get married anyway.”
Though personally I kinda liked the first book more because it had more drama, especially the tension of being autistic is already hard enough, but then being forced by your family to marry a dangerous mafia doesn’t help! As this one (the sequel) feels like the whole book just a montage of Kerry loving Amy- which isn’t bad or anything. I just wanted something more.
I was a little let down with the final book of the duet. There wasn’t a whole lot of plot happening in this half of the duet and what did occur; it felt like most of it was “off screen” so to speak. The tensions and misunderstandings between Amy and Kerry kinda feel like they get almost magically resolved and the rest of the book is kind of a honeymoon of their relationship. It’s sweet but not very interesting. The mafia aspect always become really toned down from the first book where it almost like a cozy secret society.
The conclusion of Kerry and Amy’s tale. This was a sweet conclusion to book 1. Kerry’s character development feels accelerated, but still realistic given the situation. It did feel like a few points were glossed over in the ending, but not in a way that impacts the story or main couple.
I am excited for more in The Nameless word. There are a few very interesting side characters, that would be great lead MMC’s in future books.
This is an amazing light hearted mafia romance. Love the connection between Kerry and Amy and the spice is amazing and makes sense with the story not just thrown in like other books.
Looking forward to reading more from the author and other characters in the nameless
Will be recommending this book to others that want to dip their toes into the mafia romance genre as it’s a very good introduction into it.
Eva Blackwood has given us a wonderful stopping point for Amy and Kerry. I am so glad her POS Family got what was coming to them. (Though I can't help but wonder if they will make more trouble later in the series) Kerry is so in love its tooth-rotting and the Touch Her and Die vibes are immaculate. Amy remains incredibly relatable and I love her. (I also loved her moments of getting to stand up for herself. Go Amy!)
So adorable. The story really grew compared to book one, characters grew and flourished, were more fleshed out. I do wish there had been more about Amy’s autism but it was still amazing representation. Kerry and her were adorable. Hope to get more of them in the future and to get lily’s story soon.
This is only a nitpick but it was a turnoff that after being considerate with condoms. He wants to feel her without barrier (thats ok), but says SHE needs to get on a birth control... why couldn’t he have said WE should look for another option of birth control, after all there are options that men can use AND gets much fewer to none side effects than the ones women use
i didn’t love this one as much as the first one but it was still so good. i really really enjoyed the first half of the book but felt the second half dragged on a little. but overall i thought it was a really good conclusion to amy and kerry’s story!!
This was a fine read, but there was no need to split this story into two halves. There just isn’t enough here to warrant an entire second book in my opinion.