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King Family #1
Becoming His
Enter the world of Derrick King and the infamous KINGS crime family, where power and fortune reign supreme. In this gripping tale, secrets collide with desire, and one woman becomes the beacon of light in a dark and ruthless world.
Derrick, the tall, brooding leader, never sleeps alone but never lets a woman into his bed—until he meets Stellina. A sweet and innocent chef who moved across the country for a change, Stellina is drawn to Derrick's magnetic energy and easy conversations. Little did she know that her encounter with him would plunge her into a world she never imagined.
As their lives intertwine, Stellina should have run from the danger lurking beneath Derrick's surface. But instead, she finds herself wanting him, willing to risk it all. Can she satisfy a man like Derrick and keep her own secrets hidden? The journey ahead is filled with passion, suspense, and choices that could unravel their love story.
In "BECOMING HIS," experience a captivating romance that delves into the depths of desire, loyalty, and the price one pays for power. Will Derrick's darkness consume them both, or will Stellina's light be enough to guide them through? Prepare for a thrilling ride where trust is tested, and hearts are on the line.Get ready to be enthralled. Becoming His is Book 1 in the King Family Series and can be read alone with its own HEA but you won't want to stop there once you become engaged and enamored by the other characters of this world of anti-heroes.
Derrick, the tall, brooding leader, never sleeps alone but never lets a woman into his bed—until he meets Stellina. A sweet and innocent chef who moved across the country for a change, Stellina is drawn to Derrick's magnetic energy and easy conversations. Little did she know that her encounter with him would plunge her into a world she never imagined.
As their lives intertwine, Stellina should have run from the danger lurking beneath Derrick's surface. But instead, she finds herself wanting him, willing to risk it all. Can she satisfy a man like Derrick and keep her own secrets hidden? The journey ahead is filled with passion, suspense, and choices that could unravel their love story.
In "BECOMING HIS," experience a captivating romance that delves into the depths of desire, loyalty, and the price one pays for power. Will Derrick's darkness consume them both, or will Stellina's light be enough to guide them through? Prepare for a thrilling ride where trust is tested, and hearts are on the line.Get ready to be enthralled. Becoming His is Book 1 in the King Family Series and can be read alone with its own HEA but you won't want to stop there once you become engaged and enamored by the other characters of this world of anti-heroes.
511 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2019
956 people are currently reading
1017 people want to read
About the author
Ami Van
14 books199 followersIt only took me 16 years to pen and publish my first book and now...I'm hooked! As a newcomer to writing and publishing, I must say that this journey has been an amazing one so far. Join me on my adventures of love lost, love found, comedy and heartache. Feisty heroines, alpha males and happily ever afters galore!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
August 20, 2019
This is a long book (681 pages) and it’s a mess. It’s such a mess it shouldn’t work. At all. But I read every page and that’s got to count for something right?
So what’s wrong?
It needs editing.
They didn’t returned to their hotel either.
I don’t consider myself particularly picky when it comes to editing. But this is a disaster and it makes reading difficult. It’s also needs trimming it doesn’t need to be so long.
And at times it’s anyone’s guess who’s talking.
Stella starts the book as a chef. She comes across as a nice normal person. Yes we know early on there’s something else. And yes we have a pretty good idea what it’s going to be.
Then she undergoes a complete personality change. We’re talking invasion of the body snatchers kind of change.
This is “explained”... Okay no it’s not I didn’t buy that for a minute.
I could go on and on but the fact is despite all its faults. Of which there are many. I actually found myself enjoying this. I still can’t believe it. I mean seriously on paper it just doesn’t work. But yet it did.
Is it me?
Shall I put it down to temporary insanity?
I want more. I want the other brothers to get their own books. But I also want them edited and trimmed. I know, I know I’m greedy.
So what’s wrong?
It needs editing.
They didn’t returned to their hotel either.
I don’t consider myself particularly picky when it comes to editing. But this is a disaster and it makes reading difficult. It’s also needs trimming it doesn’t need to be so long.
And at times it’s anyone’s guess who’s talking.
Stella starts the book as a chef. She comes across as a nice normal person. Yes we know early on there’s something else. And yes we have a pretty good idea what it’s going to be.
Then she undergoes a complete personality change. We’re talking invasion of the body snatchers kind of change.
This is “explained”... Okay no it’s not I didn’t buy that for a minute.
I could go on and on but the fact is despite all its faults. Of which there are many. I actually found myself enjoying this. I still can’t believe it. I mean seriously on paper it just doesn’t work. But yet it did.
Is it me?
Shall I put it down to temporary insanity?
I want more. I want the other brothers to get their own books. But I also want them edited and trimmed. I know, I know I’m greedy.
April 24, 2019
The H purposely kisses another woman in front of the h to hurt her, all because his ego is bruised. He looks the h in the eye and kisses the woman, all while they’re in a relationship. The reason for his bruised ego is... (drumroll please)... his brothers and men respect her. She earned their respect and the H thinks that makes him less of a man, so he wants to put her in her place. Then the h, being the idiot she is, forgives him... time and time again, like it’s no big deal he keeps hurting her for dumb reasons.
July 13, 2019
Definitely worth abandoning my kids for a couple of hours 😂
Honestly I couldn't put it down it was great!!
Honestly I couldn't put it down it was great!!
May 2, 2019
Again, communication could have prevented the drama
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I like that the heroine, Stella, was on board with the relationship from the get go. I love that she stepped up to the plate and handled business when three brothers were stuck out of country and trying to get home.
There will be some spoilers in this review. But they’re crucial to why I couldn’t rate higher.
I read one review that almost made me not give this book a try. The person mentioned the different guys and made a comment about how one didn’t survive. She must be low on intelligence because NO where in the book did a main character pass THANK GOSH. If they had, I would have trashed this book. So while the mains and high secondaries might get injured, it’s still a safe read.
I ended up really liking all of the brothers and the cousin, Carter. The main brother and H of the book, Derrick was most likely my LEAST favorite though.
I didn’t like how he remained hot and cold emotionally throughout the book towards her until like 80%ish range.
After they get back from being stuck in South America for four months he can’t handle the respect and authority she is given by all the men. He thinks in his mind it makes him look weaker. So he purposely kisses some skeeze chick in the club IN FRONT OF STELLA on purpose to try and show he can do what he wants. This made him look like a total jerk. He ends up apologizes and she ends up forgiving him. I seriously ALMOST DNF THE BOOK because of that! That’s no real man. He deserved no respect to hurt her like that. But boy did Stella handle it classy. She just straight up walked out of the club and took off after they verbally fought about it and he acted like a moron she left him. He gets her back. But shame on him. The brothers all hated his behavior and I was proud of them for that. The brothers and the potential for them to have stories in the future are the only reasons I finished the book after his cheating. If the author continues to write guys cheating, then I’ll stop reading her books.
I know they’re a crime family, and while their violence and gun slinging did not bother me, I HATE the fact that they had drugs produced and sold. I don’t use drugs and I don’t want to be anywhere near that junk. So it was a HUGE TURN OFF when Stella smoked weed twice in the book. Just seemed so useless and trashy of a thing for such an otherwise intelligent women to do. It’s not like she needed to escape. And frankly it was a poor decision when in her line of work she took on she should remain alert.
The book was extremely long. By half way through I kept thinking okay okay wrap this up even though it was all rather good scenes for the most part. I hope that any additional books the author drops in this series are shorter now that everyone has been introduced strongly. This was a positive on the author that she was able to write in so many secondary characters and make them appealing and me wanting more of them.
However, the grammar and wrong word use etc. throughout the book was disappointing. A few moments of wait, who said that? Or something needed to be cleared up. I would highly encourage this author to read her works through at least TWICE after completion slowly to catch those mistakes. And if she did do that and didn’t catch them, then pay for a strong editor going forward because some readers simply won’t over look that carelessness.
Loved that it was in Kindle Unlimited.
I loved also how strong and kick you know what that Stella was. Also, great she could cook. It’s also nice when the heroines have a unique talent and/or interest that helps them be more likable and stand out.
However, once she made the call to have them pulled out of South America to save them....she SHOULD HAVE TOLD THE GUYS HER CONNECTION! Cause at that point she was already in the business. So it’s not like she could still avoid it. Had she then told them and called you know who to avoid a major spoiler, then all the pain she went through and Carter being shot could have been most likely avoided since she could have called in reenforcement. I did not like how Stella treated Ivanov since he was never mean to her. She was rude to him. She was borderline getting too big of a head.
I’d say read it and try to stick with it. Hopefully this author will strengthen her craft of writing going forward.
I will say that the brother Adam needs HIS OWN WOMAN and not Stella. I felt the author kept hinting too much of them going to a MFM relationship because the guys are twins. No. No. No. don’t you do that to them. Adam deserves his own woman and no strong mafia man would want to share his woman,even with a twin. So get that idea out of your head. Now if they weren’t related and it went MMF instead that MIGHT be okay. But give Adam his own strong woman!
I kinda think I’d like Chase or Carter as the next main guy! And then all the others!
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I like that the heroine, Stella, was on board with the relationship from the get go. I love that she stepped up to the plate and handled business when three brothers were stuck out of country and trying to get home.
There will be some spoilers in this review. But they’re crucial to why I couldn’t rate higher.
I read one review that almost made me not give this book a try. The person mentioned the different guys and made a comment about how one didn’t survive. She must be low on intelligence because NO where in the book did a main character pass THANK GOSH. If they had, I would have trashed this book. So while the mains and high secondaries might get injured, it’s still a safe read.
I ended up really liking all of the brothers and the cousin, Carter. The main brother and H of the book, Derrick was most likely my LEAST favorite though.
I didn’t like how he remained hot and cold emotionally throughout the book towards her until like 80%ish range.
After they get back from being stuck in South America for four months he can’t handle the respect and authority she is given by all the men. He thinks in his mind it makes him look weaker. So he purposely kisses some skeeze chick in the club IN FRONT OF STELLA on purpose to try and show he can do what he wants. This made him look like a total jerk. He ends up apologizes and she ends up forgiving him. I seriously ALMOST DNF THE BOOK because of that! That’s no real man. He deserved no respect to hurt her like that. But boy did Stella handle it classy. She just straight up walked out of the club and took off after they verbally fought about it and he acted like a moron she left him. He gets her back. But shame on him. The brothers all hated his behavior and I was proud of them for that. The brothers and the potential for them to have stories in the future are the only reasons I finished the book after his cheating. If the author continues to write guys cheating, then I’ll stop reading her books.
I know they’re a crime family, and while their violence and gun slinging did not bother me, I HATE the fact that they had drugs produced and sold. I don’t use drugs and I don’t want to be anywhere near that junk. So it was a HUGE TURN OFF when Stella smoked weed twice in the book. Just seemed so useless and trashy of a thing for such an otherwise intelligent women to do. It’s not like she needed to escape. And frankly it was a poor decision when in her line of work she took on she should remain alert.
The book was extremely long. By half way through I kept thinking okay okay wrap this up even though it was all rather good scenes for the most part. I hope that any additional books the author drops in this series are shorter now that everyone has been introduced strongly. This was a positive on the author that she was able to write in so many secondary characters and make them appealing and me wanting more of them.
However, the grammar and wrong word use etc. throughout the book was disappointing. A few moments of wait, who said that? Or something needed to be cleared up. I would highly encourage this author to read her works through at least TWICE after completion slowly to catch those mistakes. And if she did do that and didn’t catch them, then pay for a strong editor going forward because some readers simply won’t over look that carelessness.
Loved that it was in Kindle Unlimited.
I loved also how strong and kick you know what that Stella was. Also, great she could cook. It’s also nice when the heroines have a unique talent and/or interest that helps them be more likable and stand out.
However, once she made the call to have them pulled out of South America to save them....she SHOULD HAVE TOLD THE GUYS HER CONNECTION! Cause at that point she was already in the business. So it’s not like she could still avoid it. Had she then told them and called you know who to avoid a major spoiler, then all the pain she went through and Carter being shot could have been most likely avoided since she could have called in reenforcement. I did not like how Stella treated Ivanov since he was never mean to her. She was rude to him. She was borderline getting too big of a head.
I’d say read it and try to stick with it. Hopefully this author will strengthen her craft of writing going forward.
I will say that the brother Adam needs HIS OWN WOMAN and not Stella. I felt the author kept hinting too much of them going to a MFM relationship because the guys are twins. No. No. No. don’t you do that to them. Adam deserves his own woman and no strong mafia man would want to share his woman,even with a twin. So get that idea out of your head. Now if they weren’t related and it went MMF instead that MIGHT be okay. But give Adam his own strong woman!
I kinda think I’d like Chase or Carter as the next main guy! And then all the others!
June 29, 2020
Chef meets and gains the attention of a King of the underworld and her life is never the same again. Derrick King finds himself drawn to Stellina Dane in a way he has never been drawn to a woman, the more he has her, the more he wants, but with enemies circling and the life of crime he leads, their HEA is going to be more than just a little bloody.
This was a good bit of escapism even if there were some issues with the plot and the heroine's character development, she goes from .
I did hate when
Wanted more showing rather than telling.
Wouldn't mind reading another book in the series.
Acquired via KU.
This was a good bit of escapism even if there were some issues with the plot and the heroine's character development, she goes from .
I did hate when
Wanted more showing rather than telling.
Wouldn't mind reading another book in the series.
Acquired via KU.
June 15, 2019
Book 1
This easily could’ve been a 5 star book. Shout out to my book friend who suggested this read 😘. I’m usually very hesitant to read books suggested to me by others because there have been a few who have and I end up disappointed. With that said, I sadly couldn’t give this book the full 5 it deserves. The plot was excellent the characters interesting, the book was a long one, and I was surprised that there was such a detailed storyline. Was actually quite thrilled that it kept going on and on. Which is really a first as I sometimes feel like my attention span wavers. I loved the evolution of characters. Stella was a complete bad a** and I love a good strong female lead. The steaminess was on point! So why did I not give this the five stars it deserves
My hang ups:
1. The grammatical errors. It got pretty ugly trying to read this and muddle through what the author was trying to say. It took away from the book. This could have been a reason some stopped reading and that would have been a loss.
2. This falls a little under the grammatical errors: The point of view of the story. This author has some big ideas and great wordplay simply a wonderful detailed work. However, the point of view detracts from the book. The writing style was confusing when you had to re-read who was saying what. I’d suggest starting the chapter as a character to keep their point of view and then if you want to continue narrating create another chapter with your use of point of view. This became monotonous, the continued “he said” and then you’d have to backtrack to find out which “he” he was. There are more than 3 main male characters. And a lot of miscellaneous men in this book.
3. Writing style. There were a few times when I almost didn’t finish this book. I had an incredibly hard time with this author’s writing style. She narrates every portion of this book and doesn’t let words flow or “creatively” write so as the reader feels more into the story. Trying to explain the best that I can I would say her writing can be so stilted and blocky that I can picture a robot reading it. This was a huge one for me.
A random example: “he sits down and hands her the drink. His eyes actually had a twinkle in them now.” I spent 90% of the time restructuring her sentences in my head on how it could’ve sounded so much better ( neurotic I know) and I am in no way shape or form a writer, but the sentence structuring wasn’t telling a story, the author told you every bit of it in an unappealing way. This was the most basic of random quotes I skimmed through while writing this critique. I would’ve written it “ sitting down he handed her the drink eyes twinkling now”. It flows so much nicer, sounds much more developed, allows the reader to actually visualize what is happening instead of being told he handed her a drink and has a twinkle in his eyes now. This was just randomly pulled, but it makes up 100% of the way this book came off. It makes up the blockiness of this author’s writing style. The lack of word flow. This was my biggest pet peeve. I normally stop reading these books because authors are unable to convey the creative writing to capture what is happening in the book. I don’t want to be told, I want to get lost and visualize what’s happening. This was everything. It accounted for most of my low scoring.
4. All of a sudden the boys come back and she’s running an empire. Out of nowhere. I repeat out of nowhere. The author does give little bits later on, on how this was accomplished, but the reality is this was a long book why didn’t she include in the story Stella becoming this bad a**? What she had to go through, how she was able to handle weapons, how she trained to harden herself, how she became friends with the other bosses in the areas, their relationship and friendships. She did what the Kings could not. How she handled business, how she would fall apart from it and get right back up and do it again the next day. This component was missing completely and was only given to the readers in small parts if given any info at all. What’s another 5-10 chapters to get into the mind of this woman and how she basically made it to play with the big boys, because when the guys came back after a few months she was some mastermind boss getting crap done instead of the sweet little chief they left for a business trip. This was another really big one for me. Show me this characters growth. Show me her struggles in a man’s world.
This story needs an editor and to be re-written. This story deserves a second chance. It was such a great idea the follow through and execution was not there. Most of my comments have nothing much to do with storyline, but structural errors that a great editor could fix and make it what it was meant to be. With that said I cannot wait to read the next in the series and more by this author. I don’t know how she’s going to be able to write stories for the other brothers’ love interests because Stella was just so awesome.
This easily could’ve been a 5 star book. Shout out to my book friend who suggested this read 😘. I’m usually very hesitant to read books suggested to me by others because there have been a few who have and I end up disappointed. With that said, I sadly couldn’t give this book the full 5 it deserves. The plot was excellent the characters interesting, the book was a long one, and I was surprised that there was such a detailed storyline. Was actually quite thrilled that it kept going on and on. Which is really a first as I sometimes feel like my attention span wavers. I loved the evolution of characters. Stella was a complete bad a** and I love a good strong female lead. The steaminess was on point! So why did I not give this the five stars it deserves
My hang ups:
1. The grammatical errors. It got pretty ugly trying to read this and muddle through what the author was trying to say. It took away from the book. This could have been a reason some stopped reading and that would have been a loss.
2. This falls a little under the grammatical errors: The point of view of the story. This author has some big ideas and great wordplay simply a wonderful detailed work. However, the point of view detracts from the book. The writing style was confusing when you had to re-read who was saying what. I’d suggest starting the chapter as a character to keep their point of view and then if you want to continue narrating create another chapter with your use of point of view. This became monotonous, the continued “he said” and then you’d have to backtrack to find out which “he” he was. There are more than 3 main male characters. And a lot of miscellaneous men in this book.
3. Writing style. There were a few times when I almost didn’t finish this book. I had an incredibly hard time with this author’s writing style. She narrates every portion of this book and doesn’t let words flow or “creatively” write so as the reader feels more into the story. Trying to explain the best that I can I would say her writing can be so stilted and blocky that I can picture a robot reading it. This was a huge one for me.
A random example: “he sits down and hands her the drink. His eyes actually had a twinkle in them now.” I spent 90% of the time restructuring her sentences in my head on how it could’ve sounded so much better ( neurotic I know) and I am in no way shape or form a writer, but the sentence structuring wasn’t telling a story, the author told you every bit of it in an unappealing way. This was the most basic of random quotes I skimmed through while writing this critique. I would’ve written it “ sitting down he handed her the drink eyes twinkling now”. It flows so much nicer, sounds much more developed, allows the reader to actually visualize what is happening instead of being told he handed her a drink and has a twinkle in his eyes now. This was just randomly pulled, but it makes up 100% of the way this book came off. It makes up the blockiness of this author’s writing style. The lack of word flow. This was my biggest pet peeve. I normally stop reading these books because authors are unable to convey the creative writing to capture what is happening in the book. I don’t want to be told, I want to get lost and visualize what’s happening. This was everything. It accounted for most of my low scoring.
4. All of a sudden the boys come back and she’s running an empire. Out of nowhere. I repeat out of nowhere. The author does give little bits later on, on how this was accomplished, but the reality is this was a long book why didn’t she include in the story Stella becoming this bad a**? What she had to go through, how she was able to handle weapons, how she trained to harden herself, how she became friends with the other bosses in the areas, their relationship and friendships. She did what the Kings could not. How she handled business, how she would fall apart from it and get right back up and do it again the next day. This component was missing completely and was only given to the readers in small parts if given any info at all. What’s another 5-10 chapters to get into the mind of this woman and how she basically made it to play with the big boys, because when the guys came back after a few months she was some mastermind boss getting crap done instead of the sweet little chief they left for a business trip. This was another really big one for me. Show me this characters growth. Show me her struggles in a man’s world.
This story needs an editor and to be re-written. This story deserves a second chance. It was such a great idea the follow through and execution was not there. Most of my comments have nothing much to do with storyline, but structural errors that a great editor could fix and make it what it was meant to be. With that said I cannot wait to read the next in the series and more by this author. I don’t know how she’s going to be able to write stories for the other brothers’ love interests because Stella was just so awesome.
April 16, 2019
This book is freaking good!
I really enjoyed it thoroughly! Every aspect!
Suspense after suspense and Derrick and Stellina were absolutely perfect together!
I loved this book! Couldn't put it down at all.
I can't wait for the other King Brothers
I really enjoyed it thoroughly! Every aspect!
Suspense after suspense and Derrick and Stellina were absolutely perfect together!
I loved this book! Couldn't put it down at all.
I can't wait for the other King Brothers
April 21, 2019
I wanted to like this book because it had everything to be a good one but... there was a lot of telling and not showing, and the H was pretty stupid and I couldn't understand his reasons for doing what he did.
April 16, 2019
I liked it. It was longer than expected but never felt like the story was being dragged.
There were interesting twists and comic moments.
There were interesting twists and comic moments.
Read
March 29, 2020Third person POV. I just could not get into it.
July 26, 2019
Oh my God!!! How do such horrible books gets published
One of the worst books I have read. Seriously makes me question the quality of kindle.
The book starts good. The first few chapters are really good and then it takes a worst turn. The plot has no meaning at all after that. Its all Stella this Stella that. Its like a biography of Stella written by some obsessed stalker. And the mafia stuff is action-comedy. Its unrealistic and ridiculous. Halfway through the book plot gets meaningless and lost any interest to read or even know how it ends. There are many good books out there. This one certainly doesn't deserve the time or money
One of the worst books I have read. Seriously makes me question the quality of kindle.
The book starts good. The first few chapters are really good and then it takes a worst turn. The plot has no meaning at all after that. Its all Stella this Stella that. Its like a biography of Stella written by some obsessed stalker. And the mafia stuff is action-comedy. Its unrealistic and ridiculous. Halfway through the book plot gets meaningless and lost any interest to read or even know how it ends. There are many good books out there. This one certainly doesn't deserve the time or money
May 31, 2019
This book I will keep in my collection!!
This book is fast paced, non stop excitement, violence and steamy HOT!!!! U have to pay attention with all the twists and turns!!! I will keep this book in my collection and read again!! This book is a KEEPER!!! Keep writing Ami!! What’s gonna happen next?!?!?
This book is fast paced, non stop excitement, violence and steamy HOT!!!! U have to pay attention with all the twists and turns!!! I will keep this book in my collection and read again!! This book is a KEEPER!!! Keep writing Ami!! What’s gonna happen next?!?!?
January 28, 2020
Kings
This is a faced paced book with lots of characters and dark subjects. The Kings are the local mafia family and Stella is a local chef that falls for Dominick. But is there more too the story as truths come out and bullets fly.
This is a faced paced book with lots of characters and dark subjects. The Kings are the local mafia family and Stella is a local chef that falls for Dominick. But is there more too the story as truths come out and bullets fly.
August 8, 2024
I enjoyed the book. Some parts more than others. So many things happening, yet still confusing and on the verge of boredom more than once or twice. I was really into the mood for mafia and romance themes, however, it felt like a fantasy a bit and some parts were so bloody and violent, I just skipped the details. The mistakes also irritated me.
On the positive side, I liked the love and devotion between the main characters, and the perception/notion of close, united family.
On the positive side, I liked the love and devotion between the main characters, and the perception/notion of close, united family.
June 7, 2019
Best mafia romance I’ve ever read
Where do I even start ? This is a first by this author for me and with one book she has me hooked and obsessed. The King brothers are mob bosses and own several businesses. When Stella meets Derrick King in a club she has no idea what she is getting into. I loved all of the brothers ! They were amazing and all loved Stella in their own way but the star of this book is this sassy heroine who showed these men how to do business . Stella is definitely the most kick ass heroine that I’ve ever read . She was all that and a bag of chips and Derrick King is damn lucky to have found her . This book is hella long but never drags or gets boring. It actually allows the reader to become immersed in the mob world and allows more character development to the point that you feel like you actually know these characters . There is a HEA but as for cheating there is a kiss . I am always against cheating but surprisingly got past this kiss. There was so much going on in this complex multi layered story . I can’t wait until the other King brothers get their own books and will be reading every book by this author that I can !
Where do I even start ? This is a first by this author for me and with one book she has me hooked and obsessed. The King brothers are mob bosses and own several businesses. When Stella meets Derrick King in a club she has no idea what she is getting into. I loved all of the brothers ! They were amazing and all loved Stella in their own way but the star of this book is this sassy heroine who showed these men how to do business . Stella is definitely the most kick ass heroine that I’ve ever read . She was all that and a bag of chips and Derrick King is damn lucky to have found her . This book is hella long but never drags or gets boring. It actually allows the reader to become immersed in the mob world and allows more character development to the point that you feel like you actually know these characters . There is a HEA but as for cheating there is a kiss . I am always against cheating but surprisingly got past this kiss. There was so much going on in this complex multi layered story . I can’t wait until the other King brothers get their own books and will be reading every book by this author that I can !
July 19, 2019
A MILLION STARS PLUS!!!!!!
I actually got this book bc a reviewer said that this "might be the best Mafia book ever," and I thought, "no way," I have read every Mafia book I can get my hands on and, there are some incredible ones that have crossed my path. This reviewer is absolutely right!!! This by far the best Mafia story (hoping to hell it becomes a series cause they're a lot of delicious brothers) that I have had the pure enjoyment of reading! It is worth the price for the incredible story, the female lead goes from a sous chef in a new town to a Mafia queen as the story progress, forced to by circumstance, but boy does she step up to the plate. It is fantastic to see such a strong woman in a Mafia book!! It's worth the price because it is a long story, one of the longest I read on Kindle Unlimited, but be warned, have time to read it because you will not be able to put it down. Thank you so very much, Ms. Ami Van, for writing this - please, please continue this story, don't rush, your writing style is phenomenal!!!
I actually got this book bc a reviewer said that this "might be the best Mafia book ever," and I thought, "no way," I have read every Mafia book I can get my hands on and, there are some incredible ones that have crossed my path. This reviewer is absolutely right!!! This by far the best Mafia story (hoping to hell it becomes a series cause they're a lot of delicious brothers) that I have had the pure enjoyment of reading! It is worth the price for the incredible story, the female lead goes from a sous chef in a new town to a Mafia queen as the story progress, forced to by circumstance, but boy does she step up to the plate. It is fantastic to see such a strong woman in a Mafia book!! It's worth the price because it is a long story, one of the longest I read on Kindle Unlimited, but be warned, have time to read it because you will not be able to put it down. Thank you so very much, Ms. Ami Van, for writing this - please, please continue this story, don't rush, your writing style is phenomenal!!!
April 15, 2019
Best book so hilarious a reread
October 21, 2019
Best book in a long time!!!
Wow,just WOW!
This book kept me entertained from the beginning straight to the end. Stellina is just magnificent.LOVED LOVED IT!!
Wow,just WOW!
This book kept me entertained from the beginning straight to the end. Stellina is just magnificent.LOVED LOVED IT!!
November 28, 2020
I first read this Authors book back in April 2019. It was her first book and I actually love to try new authors work, her book blew me away. I could not believe that it was her first book. The story was well thought out and develop and I love when the female is a Bad Ass. Stella King can hold her own among some of the best Mafia Queen novels I have read. Since then I have read everything by Ms. Van and she still continue to amaze me with her writing. I wish Authors like her would get the recognition they need, because I see so many wonderful authors whose books are outstanding, Authors that take the time to develop the stories regardless of how long it takes and yet they get so little recognition. I just hope they keep writing and that they know that the fans they have are for life. So if you haven't read her books, please give it a try, you wouldn't be disappointed.
My Review on Amazon - Probably one of the BEST Mafia Books....
Reviewed in Canada on April 24, 2019
I have been reading romance novels for over 35 yrs, everything from Historical to Dark Romance. And this has to be one of THE BEST books I have read in a really, really long time. If there were grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, I didn't notice them. The story line was well thought out, the characters, wow...I wish each and everyone of them could get their own book. The way this story plays out kept you on your toes, never a dull moment. Yes, it was a different take on a Mafia Book, but I think it was all about raising a Mafia Queen and did she ever fulfilled that role. This book was almost 700 pages, yet I didn't want it to end, just wish I could keep reading their story...Thanks so Much Ami Van for this wonderful read. I can't believe it's your first book. Looking forward to what comes next.
My Review on Amazon - Probably one of the BEST Mafia Books....
Reviewed in Canada on April 24, 2019
I have been reading romance novels for over 35 yrs, everything from Historical to Dark Romance. And this has to be one of THE BEST books I have read in a really, really long time. If there were grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, I didn't notice them. The story line was well thought out, the characters, wow...I wish each and everyone of them could get their own book. The way this story plays out kept you on your toes, never a dull moment. Yes, it was a different take on a Mafia Book, but I think it was all about raising a Mafia Queen and did she ever fulfilled that role. This book was almost 700 pages, yet I didn't want it to end, just wish I could keep reading their story...Thanks so Much Ami Van for this wonderful read. I can't believe it's your first book. Looking forward to what comes next.
April 5, 2020
3.5 ⭐️.
Empezaré diciendo lo que no me ha gustado que es poco: el libro se me ha hecho largo, y, algunas partes de la historia me sobraban. Los personajes aunque están bien, hay veces que me parecen flojos.
La historia va así:
Stella es una chef que una noche en una discoteca un chico la invita a ella y a sus amigas a tomar una copa con él y sus hermanos, y es así como conoce a Derrick King. Empiezan a salir y todo bien, pero a los 3 meses y después de un tiroteo, Derrick le dice que es un mafioso. Ella no se lo toma nada bien, pero acaba perdonándolo y se va a vivir con él y sus hermanos. Días después, Derrick y sus hermanos tienen que irse a un viaje de negocios a Brasil, solo por unos días. Al final fueron 4 meses, porque le surgieron varios problemas. Stella está viviendo con el hermano pequeño de Derrick, Rory y su sobrina Jazz, y ahí decide que quiere implicarse en los negocios. Y cuando el resto de los hermanos regresa, ella ya tiene una reputación en la calle y el respeto de otros jefes mafiosos. En tan solo 4 meses! Derrick, siendo el alpha que es, lo lleva mal y tiene un momento de debilidad con otra mujer, lo que hace que Stella lo deje. El la convence para que vuelva con él y siguen con los negocios como si tal cosa. Stella será parte activa de una guerra de mafiosos y matará y torturara sin problemas a todo el que se enfrente a ella.
Me falto más tensión en las escenas de acción, Stella es una mujer fuerte hasta que Derrick dice algo y se convierte en una mujer sumisa, la dinámica de ella con los otros jefes mafiosos es de risa.
Pero pese a todo leeré la continuación para ver si mejora algo la cosa.
March 13, 2025
This author is in serious need of an editor. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those obsessive readers that comb over every line looking for any small infraction of the writing rules, but this story was all over the place with incorrect verb tenses, going from 1st person to 3rd person in the same sentence, it was just a lot - too much to ignore. The book began decently enough, but it started falling apart midway, and finally derailed so badly that I couldn't tolerate it anymore. The three main brothers that run the family are taken out of the picture for an extended absence, and we're told they have no way of getting home safely. That, in itself, felt thin and implausible. Meanwhile the fourth brother, who was raised in this mafia family with full expectations that he'd be taking the reins alongside his brothers someday, decides to hide behind the FMC and goes off to run a club instead of handling things while his brothers are away? Then we're asked to believe that the FMC, a chef in a restaurant with no prior knowledge of, or experience with the mafia, can suddenly just take over the family's illegal enterprises and become the big, bad boss overnight? That's when it fell off the cliff for me and I DNF'd at that point. Most of the time I can force myself to finish a book, but for this one, any interest I had in the story got blown out of that water with that dubious turn of events, and my patience just ran out. From reviews I read, after the fact, it only got worse from there. If you're looking for a good mafia read, this isn't it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2019
Aright I liked this book a lot despite some of the flaws that would normally kill a book for me. These characters really grew on me and while there are a few moments where I felt things were unbelievable I ignored it because the story and the characters worked for me. It was a long book but again, story and characters carried me through.
My gripes: it took me a long long time to get over the weird mix of present tense (well I guess this is how to define it??) and past tense writing. Here’s a quote to show you what I’m talking about: “she hears another voice greeting them but wasn’t sure where or who it came from. Her co-workers had already taken their seats, leaving her standing awkwardly looking around for a place to plant down”
I found it really disconcerting to read something written in present tense to begin with but having the tenses all mixed up was hard. I kept correcting them in my head and omg some of the sex scenes just seemed super awkward because of this.
And there were a ton of awkward phrasing moments too: “she was already too close already”. There were a lot of he says and she says over and over as well.
Honestly though, again, characters and the storyline carried me past all of this. I can’t even say they were well developed characters either. But I want to read the next book in her series! I want to know what happens to the other characters! Apparently I’m just a sucker for interesting characters.
My gripes: it took me a long long time to get over the weird mix of present tense (well I guess this is how to define it??) and past tense writing. Here’s a quote to show you what I’m talking about: “she hears another voice greeting them but wasn’t sure where or who it came from. Her co-workers had already taken their seats, leaving her standing awkwardly looking around for a place to plant down”
I found it really disconcerting to read something written in present tense to begin with but having the tenses all mixed up was hard. I kept correcting them in my head and omg some of the sex scenes just seemed super awkward because of this.
And there were a ton of awkward phrasing moments too: “she was already too close already”. There were a lot of he says and she says over and over as well.
Honestly though, again, characters and the storyline carried me past all of this. I can’t even say they were well developed characters either. But I want to read the next book in her series! I want to know what happens to the other characters! Apparently I’m just a sucker for interesting characters.
June 10, 2019
I do not normally do five stars but I really loved this book I stayed up until 4:30am to finish it. This book is long and worth the entire read there is so much in this book that makes it seems much shorter than it is let me start by saying that Stellina is amazing she was willing to step up and take care of the family when they needed her most. This book had dark elements and violence yet there was a lot of laughs I mean yoga with the arms dealer! The one part I had an issue with was when Derrick and his brother returned and he can not seem to get over his man issues causing pain for Stellina when she did not deserve it. I will say there is no cheating but there is a part in the book that makes me dislike Derrick. I liked this book because while a bit out there it was good and some of it was based in reality. I want the other brothers to get stories as well however I hope the author keeps in mind there should only be one Stellina in the family I would like softer women who will still be there for the Kings yet not int he way Stellina is I do not think that it would work in the dynamic. I would also like to see stories about the other arms deals and bosses and see how they find a woman like Stellina.
October 28, 2020
Shouldn't of worked but did 🤷🏻♀️
This is a long book and it’s a mess 😩 It’s such a mess it shouldn’t work. At all. But I read every page and that’s got to count for something right?
So what’s wrong with it??
IT. NEEDS. EDITING!! Like so badly 😭
I don’t consider myself particularly picky when it comes to editing but this is a disaster and it makes reading difficult. It’s also needs trimming it doesn’t need to be so long. Most of the time it’s anyone’s guess as to who’s talking. 🤷🏻♀️ I found myself going back to double check half the time and was still confused 🤷🏻♀️ Stella starts the book as a chef. She comes across as a nice normal person. Yes we know early on there’s something else. And yes we have a pretty good idea what it’s going to be. Then she undergoes a complete personality change. We’re talking invasion of the body snatchers kind of change. This is “explained”. OK no it’s not 🤦🏻♀️ I could go on and on but the fact is despite all its faults. Of which there are many. I actually found myself enjoying this. I still can’t believe it. I mean seriously on paper it just doesn’t work. But yet it did. I want more. I want the other brothers to get their own books. But I also want them edited and trimmed. 🤷🏻♀️
This is a long book and it’s a mess 😩 It’s such a mess it shouldn’t work. At all. But I read every page and that’s got to count for something right?
So what’s wrong with it??
IT. NEEDS. EDITING!! Like so badly 😭
I don’t consider myself particularly picky when it comes to editing but this is a disaster and it makes reading difficult. It’s also needs trimming it doesn’t need to be so long. Most of the time it’s anyone’s guess as to who’s talking. 🤷🏻♀️ I found myself going back to double check half the time and was still confused 🤷🏻♀️ Stella starts the book as a chef. She comes across as a nice normal person. Yes we know early on there’s something else. And yes we have a pretty good idea what it’s going to be. Then she undergoes a complete personality change. We’re talking invasion of the body snatchers kind of change. This is “explained”. OK no it’s not 🤦🏻♀️ I could go on and on but the fact is despite all its faults. Of which there are many. I actually found myself enjoying this. I still can’t believe it. I mean seriously on paper it just doesn’t work. But yet it did. I want more. I want the other brothers to get their own books. But I also want them edited and trimmed. 🤷🏻♀️
October 1, 2019
Wow...not what I expected at all!
Where to start with this review....this book blew me away, I thought this would be a typical mafia romance book, but it is so much more....i read lots of books and I can count on one hand the amount of books that can literally make me cry one minute, be on the edge of my seat the next and then laughing out loud the next ( waking my husband up in the process as it was the middle of the night) This book just had it all!! I just couldn't get enough of Adam, Derrick, Rory, Carter and Chase....their interactions with each other was so real, it was like I was in the story with them feeling very emotion along the roller coaster of twists and turns this book had, and as for Stella what a character...i loved how she interacted with the brothers. I just want more and can't wait for more from this author and I'm really hoping we have more spin offs from the other King brothers!! Honestly if you like Romance with lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing, with steamy sex scenes and genuine sibling banter...you will love this book!!! Thank you Ami
Where to start with this review....this book blew me away, I thought this would be a typical mafia romance book, but it is so much more....i read lots of books and I can count on one hand the amount of books that can literally make me cry one minute, be on the edge of my seat the next and then laughing out loud the next ( waking my husband up in the process as it was the middle of the night) This book just had it all!! I just couldn't get enough of Adam, Derrick, Rory, Carter and Chase....their interactions with each other was so real, it was like I was in the story with them feeling very emotion along the roller coaster of twists and turns this book had, and as for Stella what a character...i loved how she interacted with the brothers. I just want more and can't wait for more from this author and I'm really hoping we have more spin offs from the other King brothers!! Honestly if you like Romance with lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing, with steamy sex scenes and genuine sibling banter...you will love this book!!! Thank you Ami
July 19, 2019
Disappointed and Annoyed
Stellina meets Derrick. She falls in love only to find out she doesn’t know him as well as she should. She gives him a chance and then plot sort of thickens, whatever the heck the plot is. She later loses her job as a chef and gets involved in Derrick’s line of work but he doesn’t like that she gets respect and whatnot so he cheats on her by kissing someone else in front of her only to later get mad at her that night for provoking him. She leaves and comes back. The story doesn’t much evolving going on other than the fact that she will always come back to him and he will always mess up. Their life is dangerous and the gamily seems tight knitted but the book has no objective and no clear structure on whatever the fudge is going on. Derrick’s character started out clear and conscious and mature, even mentally repeating his love for her yet he never acts out on it. The book started out at three stars only to later go down to one. If anything, she should’ve gotten together with Rory.
Stellina meets Derrick. She falls in love only to find out she doesn’t know him as well as she should. She gives him a chance and then plot sort of thickens, whatever the heck the plot is. She later loses her job as a chef and gets involved in Derrick’s line of work but he doesn’t like that she gets respect and whatnot so he cheats on her by kissing someone else in front of her only to later get mad at her that night for provoking him. She leaves and comes back. The story doesn’t much evolving going on other than the fact that she will always come back to him and he will always mess up. Their life is dangerous and the gamily seems tight knitted but the book has no objective and no clear structure on whatever the fudge is going on. Derrick’s character started out clear and conscious and mature, even mentally repeating his love for her yet he never acts out on it. The book started out at three stars only to later go down to one. If anything, she should’ve gotten together with Rory.
June 17, 2019
Conflicted
The story feels long, too long. However, it also lacks the details necessary to really pull you into the story.
Is it a romance? Maybe sort of.. . Is it a mystery, suspense? Kind of.. Erotic? Well... There are bedroom scenes, but not great ones. Mafia? Yes.
And the conflict and 2* rating? I think the story plot was good, but too much happened. Instead of 1, 2, maybe 3 pressure points and resolutions, you had 8 to 10. That is just exhausting. And then it was all told. Very little show. We were told what the female character did... A little more feel and insight for the male character. But blah. Nothing that could pull you into the story. Very he said, she said, this is what they did after the fact type of writing. I kept hoping it would get better and then I had invested too much time in the story and were committed to finishing it, not because it was good or I wanted to really read the conclusion. Just to not feel my time was totally wasted.
The story feels long, too long. However, it also lacks the details necessary to really pull you into the story.
Is it a romance? Maybe sort of.. . Is it a mystery, suspense? Kind of.. Erotic? Well... There are bedroom scenes, but not great ones. Mafia? Yes.
And the conflict and 2* rating? I think the story plot was good, but too much happened. Instead of 1, 2, maybe 3 pressure points and resolutions, you had 8 to 10. That is just exhausting. And then it was all told. Very little show. We were told what the female character did... A little more feel and insight for the male character. But blah. Nothing that could pull you into the story. Very he said, she said, this is what they did after the fact type of writing. I kept hoping it would get better and then I had invested too much time in the story and were committed to finishing it, not because it was good or I wanted to really read the conclusion. Just to not feel my time was totally wasted.
April 25, 2019
No Spoiler Alerts
This was a real novel, long with great world building and characters with depth and enough plot twists to keep you up until you finish it. (Seriously. I got 2hrs of rest & I knew I would not be calling out!! And still finished)
I loved, loved Stella! I can only say, keep up this series, please dont make me wait! In the series I hope she starts with:
Chase (hope he does end up with twins!)
Rory
Gaston
Brooks
Adam (is last cause I want a reverse harem for Stella and the Twins....yessss)
3 Spin off series (I hope, I hope)
Dominic (prequel)
Caul (poor Colin is dead so no book 4him *sniff, sniff)
Ben (cause we all want to know about the yoga instructor lol)
Get for free on Kindle Unlimited, the purchase it cause it's that good and you will read it again.
This was a real novel, long with great world building and characters with depth and enough plot twists to keep you up until you finish it. (Seriously. I got 2hrs of rest & I knew I would not be calling out!! And still finished)
I loved, loved Stella! I can only say, keep up this series, please dont make me wait! In the series I hope she starts with:
Chase (hope he does end up with twins!)
Rory
Gaston
Brooks
Adam (is last cause I want a reverse harem for Stella and the Twins....yessss)
3 Spin off series (I hope, I hope)
Dominic (prequel)
Caul (poor Colin is dead so no book 4him *sniff, sniff)
Ben (cause we all want to know about the yoga instructor lol)
Get for free on Kindle Unlimited, the purchase it cause it's that good and you will read it again.
June 19, 2019
OMFG
You know those times when you have been reading mediocre book after mediocre book, and then BOOM!! You stumble on to a mf GEM!! Well that's what just happened. OMG I needed this book! Soooo good! It started out good and then a little ways in I was like, "huh, that was fast. Where's she gonna go next? This is just gonna get boring and fall off." Well she takes it to a whole other level and blew my dang socks off! I cleared the house house out, made myself a pitcher of margaritas, and busted out some snacks because I wasn't putting this book down. I can't wait to see this series continue. I got this book on KU but I have every intention of buying it because it's definitely a new favorite that I plan on coming back to time and again. WOW! Where have you been Ami Van!?!?
You know those times when you have been reading mediocre book after mediocre book, and then BOOM!! You stumble on to a mf GEM!! Well that's what just happened. OMG I needed this book! Soooo good! It started out good and then a little ways in I was like, "huh, that was fast. Where's she gonna go next? This is just gonna get boring and fall off." Well she takes it to a whole other level and blew my dang socks off! I cleared the house house out, made myself a pitcher of margaritas, and busted out some snacks because I wasn't putting this book down. I can't wait to see this series continue. I got this book on KU but I have every intention of buying it because it's definitely a new favorite that I plan on coming back to time and again. WOW! Where have you been Ami Van!?!?
April 5, 2020
Wow.. best mafia type book ever
This book blew me away. It was long but in a good way. The storyline about a mafia boss falling for a younger women who turned out to be a diamond in disguised was awesome especially the added mystery about the FMC. The mc was badass but yet innocent in other things. The author did a great job combining humor, sexy times, actions, and family moments. Loved the Kings.
The characters are well developed and captivating. I was pulled in to the story and felt the emotions of the characters. The best part about this is that it focused on the romance development and the actions without the detailed mafia business life. Also, the author did a great job showing instead of telling the story. Just wow..Definitely will read more books from this author. Totally recommend this book.
This book blew me away. It was long but in a good way. The storyline about a mafia boss falling for a younger women who turned out to be a diamond in disguised was awesome especially the added mystery about the FMC. The mc was badass but yet innocent in other things. The author did a great job combining humor, sexy times, actions, and family moments. Loved the Kings.
The characters are well developed and captivating. I was pulled in to the story and felt the emotions of the characters. The best part about this is that it focused on the romance development and the actions without the detailed mafia business life. Also, the author did a great job showing instead of telling the story. Just wow..Definitely will read more books from this author. Totally recommend this book.
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