Old Flame

Morelli Family #8

by Sam Mariano

You've met the Morelli family, now delve into the love story of Mateo's callous brother, Dante Morelli... Loving Dante was my original sin. They warned me of the slippery slope, the moral corruption, the outright debasement of the Morelli family. They warned me not to get involved. Not to love him.I didn't listen. I thought I would be his saving grace. I was a fool.Once upon a time, Dante Morelli was the source of my happiness, the powerful embrace which would always keep me safe and loved.Now, Dante Morelli is the source of every moment of pain, every moment of grief, every heart-breaking moment of my young life.Once, his love was my lifeblood.Now, his love is my prison. Once, I thought it might kill me to leave him.Now, I know he will never let me go.Warnings: This is a dark romance with a bad guy hero. This is also a comprehensive series, so you'll have a MUCH better time with Dante's story if you have read all previous Morelli family series books first. The author does NOT recommend trying to read this as a standalone if you haven't read the Morelli family series.

Genres: Dark, Dark Romance, Romance, Mafia Romance, Contemporary Romance, Second Chance, Second Chance Romance

330 pages, Paperback

Published July 17, 2019

About the author

Follow Sam Mariano on Facebook, Instagram (@sammarianobooks), or check out her Blog! If you need to email her, she can be reached at sammarianoauthor@gmail.com (but she is sometimes tardy about checking email. Mateo is very demanding).

Sign up for Sam's mailing list (to stay up to date on current projects--she won't spam you! Only for notification of new releases or book sales.)

All of Sam's books are available on Amazon! (And don't forget to follow Sam's Amazon Author page to get notified about the newest releases.)

Sam Mariano has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. She lives in Ohio and has a sweet and wonderful daughter.
Because of You was her first finished story (she started writing it when she was 18) and due to a full-time work and college schedule, it took her years to finish. She has also been telling people for years that there would never be a sequel (sorry, guys!)…which turned out to be a lie.
Sam Mariano is currently working on Dante’s book (if you’re a Morelli reader) and some other WIP.
Feel free to find her on Facebook, Goodreads, or her blog—she loves hearing from readers!

Reviews

[ReadMeAStory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because you followed the author's explicit advice and read the Morelli series before jumping into Dante & Colette's world, you've got a pretty good idea of how the story starts.

You know, for example, that Colette's struggling a bit with Dante's method of renewing their relationship.


And all right, all right--you get where she's coming from. But Dante deserves love too!


You don't know is how damn sweet Dante can be! For instance, when he remarks to himself on what he's been doing for Colette's shop during the slow months. OMG--I melted.


And when Dante informs Colette of what's his, and what he's allowed to do with it?


AND THEN HE DOES THE OVER-THE-HEART THING?




Obviously, by this point, you've made peace with the fact that if Colette doesn't want this crazy bastard, you do.


And then when he asks her--finally asks her to forgive him?




This story shocked me with it's sweet. Sure, sure--there was some brutal, but nothing you fellow Morelli-lovers would choose to stay up at night hashing over. If a Morelli is going to cause you to lose sleep, you'll make sure it's for a good reason


THIS WAS SUCH A FABULOUS story for Dante--I loved it!! And more than ever, (if they wouldn't wreck the whole world--MY whole world) I'd like one of each Morelli brother, please! Now I have high hopes for Alec--he's been so quiet and well behaved and easy-going, that it's time we watch him fall wildly in love, and unlock that sleeper cell of insanity inside him ;D

[Kat |Demented Paramour · Rating 1 out of 5]

Despite the author's warning to not read this book as a standalone, I still did it anyway. I was going to read it chronologically from the first book, I swear, but then read the reviews of that book and I was like fuck no. So I checked out the second book, read the reviews again, and hm ok this one's not for me either, maybe the third one will be it. Third time's a charm, right? Turned out none of the books catch my attention so I just dive in and read this book. Honestly I don't even remember why I put this particular book from this series in my to-read shelf, but ain't nobody got time reading 7 books before reading the one that you actually want to read.

I must admit it's confusing reading about the relationship dynamic in this book without reading the previous books. I read about how Dante seems to really hate Mia and I was like "wait, isn't Mia one of the heroines? Aren't the readers going to hate him for hating on a main character that seems like a totally good girl?" So due to my curiosity I went back and read reviews that contain spoilers from all of the previous books, and man, am I glad that I didn't waste my time reading the entire series. Because from what I've gathered, Mia is an annoying piece of idiotic shit and Mateo is a manwhore on the highest level and most of the series focuses on some kind of a love rectangle that's going on. Fucking hate that.

But I'm here not to review the entire series, only this particular book. I'm okay with what mafia book entails, like murder, torture, drug dealing, etc. But human trafficking is a hard pass for me. That's where I draw the fucking line. How could you expect me to love a hero that sells women and trades them around like a fucking cattle? More importantly, how could a woman writes about a hero like this and still thinks he's redeemable? How could a woman be so disrespectful to other women and even gives the monster his own love story? No fucking way. I know real life is cruel and human trafficking is real, but why don't we just stop romanticizing the monsters that think it's okay to treat women like that? Why don't we stop painting them as a misunderstood redeemable hero, and just leave them as the fucking monsters they really are?

And then as if it's not bad enough, our dear hero actually befriends the son of a bitch Luca. He even brought Colette to Luca's house hoping that she will like him, knowing how Luca keeps slaves there and how he treats them. How dumb can a person be? Doesn't he know how traumatizing it is to be exposed to that kind of cruelty? Of course not, because he's a monster and he thinks it's normal for women to be kept as slaves. Fucking asshole.

Other than the really bad choice for a hero, what made it hard for me to enjoy this book is the non existent plot. What's the story? What is this book even trying to tell? All I get is that the hero and heroine used to have a past and the heroine left and fast forward a few years later the hero wants her back. This is all in the first 10% of the book, and after that, there's nothing going on. They fight, they have sex, they eat, they sleep, repeat. This book should be titled The Fucked Up Mateo and Mia: through Dante's eyes since it feels like the actual focus of the book is these two fuck ups. The majority of the book is Dante observing about Mateo's feeling towards Mia and I DON'T FUCKING CARE OK? If I want to know about Mateo's feeling, I'll read his fucking book. It's very obvious that this author favors Mateo and Mia heavily based on this book alone, and since I hate those two, I really want to stab something whenever Mateo and Mia popped up in a scene.

I can't even remember the last time I get this strung up about a book. I think this author is not safe for me.

[Elfina Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember how you felt when Sam introduced us to Mateo? Hmmmmm I do, laughs wickedly. Yeah…..thought he was a walking talking nightmare. Sinister to the core, ruthless, psychotic, sex on legs with more carisma and sex appeal than the Greek God of the underworld. In short the perfect villain!

Now picture someone being ten times worse, equally dangerous. Hahahahahah, not possible you say? You haven’t met his brother Dante but you’re about to!

Five bullet casing stars with all the dysfunction and family drama you’ve come to love and expect from Sam Mariano.

Speaking of shoutouts and so much love. Thank you so much for generously gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. But you make it so damn easy with the mafia family and the hardcore alpha men leading them.

Everything is visually described and the world perfectly written. Its as if I’m really there! Sam give my kindest regards to Mateo and devilish wink to Vince…….yummy! To the rest of you fellow reviewers, happy reading…..enjoy!

[Mas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will a read a book featuring two characters I dislike so that I can get Mateo and Mia crumbs? Why, yes. Yes, I would. After reading the book, I still don't like Dante nor Colette but as anything Sam Mariano writes, the book was enjoyable.

Can we please get Alec's book next? Heck, I'll even read Meg's redemption book if I get more of Mia and Mateo.

[Anushka Malik · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ★★★★☆

“𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚," 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙢𝙚, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.
"𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚," 𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬. "𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄'𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨." ♡


Of course I knew what I was signing up for when I started this particular Morelli mafia romance. And yet, Dante, being painted usually as the most surly and least likeable of all Morellis, ended up not quite a totally horrible mobster/monster husband.
He did monstrous things, sure.
But we sign up for that when we pick up mafia fictional romance novels.
This was just a lot darker though. But real for all that darkness.






𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 -- Dark Adult Mafia Romance





𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 -- Exes-reunite, Second chance romance, Captive girlfriend, Kidnapping romance







𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 --

✔️ Immersive

✔️ Romance of the dark-possessive variety

✔️ "She's mine and I'm hers" Vibe


Inside the head of one scary Mobster/Monster Dante Morelli ---> // 𝘐𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘱 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘷𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴.
𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥. // ♡




✔️ Morally G̶r̶e̶y̶ Black hero (no redeeming qualities except his love for his woman, Colette.

✔️ Sizzling chemistry

✔️ A kitten and two kids in the epilogue







𝙁𝙡𝙖𝙬𝙨 (𝙞𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙮) -- I could've most definitely enjoyed more Mia-Mateo scenes. Like most Morelli readers. But, oh well.
Tbh, I still enjoyed Dante and Colette's journey more than I had Sal and Francesca's. Even though I 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 the latter couple way more than the former. Strange how that works out.







𝙁𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨 --

♡ When Dante showed up at Colette's house to kidnap her.

// "𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙄'𝙢 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚."

"𝙏𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚? 𝙏𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚, 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨?"

"𝙄𝙛 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤. 𝙄𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚." //







♡ When Colette jokes about the possibility of ever marrying Dante.

// "𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙄 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪?"

"𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚. 𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙙𝙤."

"𝙄'𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙖 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨... 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜." //






♡ When Colette struggles with forgiving Dante.

// "𝙄'𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡."

"𝘼 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙖𝙜𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙨𝙤 𝙄 𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙬𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨." //







♡ When Dante finally proposes marriage to Colette.

// "𝙄'𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙄 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚, 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚. 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚." // ♡






𝘽𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 --

➷ Mia wasting everyone's time at the breakfast table and Mateo letting her.


➷ Mateo not telling Mia just how much he hates cream in his coffee just because she made it.


➷ Mateo being super protective of Mia all the time.


➷ Mateo suggesting to Dante that he would happily take a bullet for a bit of Mia's affection and he should consider doing that to win/manipulate Colette back.



➷ The way Dante handled Colette's anxiety and panic attacks.
It didn't exactly seem medically accurate but boy, it was all sorts of warm and fuzzy in a fictional setting for sure.



➷ The way Dante had a sarcastic, witty, even humorous side that only ever came out when he and Colette were alone.


➷ The way Dante was with Daisy, the kitten and later, as a father of two super adorable babies.


➷ The way Dante proposed. 💍


➷ The way Colette told him she was pregnant. 🤰








𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡 --- As far as Morelli romances that aren't 100% Mia-Mateo go, this was a good one.

[Medollga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, the nostalgia of returning to the craziness of Morelli world 🥹😭❤️❤️🙌

🛑Do NOT read this book as a standalone, people! You'll be confused, the plot won't make much sense and you'll just waste your time tbh 🛑

THINGS I CONSIDER UNIQUE IN THIS MAFIA SERIES:

- the lack of tropes and rigid and predictable outcomes for each book: Sam Mariano writes STORIES that sometimes maybe will have a trope here and there accidentally, but she doesn't make it her goal to write a book simply to showcase current popular tropes 👑🥇👌

- no sugarcoating of the mafia lifestyle: yes, they're rich and powerful, and can flex their unchecked power for the sake of impressing the heroine. But ALSO they are killers, traffickers, drug overlords etc. The heroines will always have bodyguards on them 24/7, the amount of "freedom" will be constricted due to security reasons, the mafia men are traditional, so they expect traditional women in return, meaning serving them at Sunday dinners, being always dolled up in tight dresses, on heels etc. Is it old-fashioned? YES! Is it uncomfortable to read at times? ALSO YES! But TO ME it makes more sense and is more realistic on the context of Italian Mafia than a lot of new mafia books 🤷🏼‍♀️😅🙈

- the way this series is set up. We do have certain books dedicated to different couples, BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE: THIS WHOLE SERIES IS ONE GIANT SAGA ABOUT THE ONE AND ONLY MATEO MORELLI AND HIS WOMAN 🔥🔥🔥🥵🥵🥵🥵🙌😍💘💘💘 We see Mateo's journey through the eyes of different characters in each of their respective books. This is also the case here. So if you don't know anything previously about the story, you'll have a hard time understanding this current book.

- MATEO FUCKING MORELLI! He's in a league of his own when it comes to mafia heroes. He's a master manipulator, strategist, magician, charismatic baster and Machiavelli level genius! 👑🥵🍆💥 there's NO ONE LIKE HIM EVER!!!! which is also a downside to this series, because NO HERO can come even close to Mateo and every FMC and every other MMC knows it and thinks it!

BUT MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK'S COUPLE: DANTE AND COLETTE

This could technically be defined as a second chance romance. What's great about it is the fact that the heroine was the one doing the breaking up, which is not something I see often. Plus I LOVED her reasoning behind it! ❤❤❤

Dante was a walking talking red flag, but in the best way possible, if you know what i mean🚩🆘😈🥵 the way he got her back was dark and twisted, but hot nonetheless. and the things he did to her and her flower shop? getting her a kitten? taking her on adventures? buying a house for them just because SHE wanted to have one?

The couple had great chemistry, surprisingly great banter and sometimes they even knew how to communicate their needs to one another 👌😂

The situations where Dante, Mia, Mateo and Colette got to interact about the house visit situation and bathroom occurrence were HILARIOUS! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🤣🤣🤣🤣

Their epilogue though...lost a bit of their character and turned into a sappy and cheesy something😂

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

These are ALL really terrible people. We're supposed to believe that what's-her-name is struggling with how terrible Dante is but she's not. She already chose him. She knew that being with another man would put him in danger and she did it anyway. She doesn't even have enough guilt to care about that person or even kill herself for being a murderer. She's just as much a psychopath as anyone else in this book. It was all just foreplay for the lovely couple. You do not need to read other books in the series because there's nothing THAT important to remember here. They are related yes but it's an overestimation of the author's talent/story line that this book is incomplete without the others. Most likely it's just marketing and simpletons pushing that narrative. This book basically normalises and romanticises murder, human trafficking, female abuse, abusive relationships etc etc etc. It's not that it's dark that's the problem. It's that it uses this type of content to cover up the fact that there is no real content. This is the most basic cliched story-line you can write in as basic a way as you can write it. The violence is just shock factor.

[Jewel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dante's probably my second favorite Morelli man. Nobody can beat Mateo, and I didn't expect that going into this book. With that being said, this was still a great story. And there were a lot of interesting conversations in this novel about morality that really made me think.

Of course, the scenes with Mateo and Mia were brilliant, and made me add on extra star, just cause I love them. It was cool to see their dynamic from Dante's perspective, since he has a deep hatred for Mia. He likes the unemotional Mateo, and doesn't like the power that Mia has over him, reasonably enough. Mateo really messes Dante up in this novel. Can't say I didn't enjoy it a little bit.

Collette was a cool character. Her self awareness and sweetness made her a really lovely protagonist. I love that this whole family's stories are happening at the same time, and I loved that this book showed all the ways they began to overlap.

TW: Non-con.

[Esra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dante'den hiç hoşlanmadığıma karar verdim.
Bunda Mateo'dan daha manyak olmasının da payı büyük tabii.
Kendisine sayıp sövmek istediğim bir sürü şey var ama kendimi yoramayacağım.
En çok da Luca ile olan arkadaşlığından ve onu savunmasından nefret ettim sanırım.
O sevimli sonsöz bile hislerimin değişmesine yetmedi maalesef.
Morelliler içinde en çok Alec'i sevdim ama onun kitabı henüz çıkmadığı için davulun sesi uzaktan hoş geliyor olabilir.

[Summer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Everthing is same with Mariano's stories. Everybody is with everybody before or after in the same family. No boundaries, no respect, no love only lusting after or before and calling it soul-mate thing. Sister wives, brother lovers, ect..

[Kim Brewing · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Morelli's are bad men and Dante is no different but an extra dose of crazy comes out when they fall in love....
I liked seeing more of everyone and can't wait for Alec to have a story. Mateo is the master manipulator! This story was just missing that little bit of extra for me. Other than the reason they were back together, the story settled on what Colette's moral compass would do. I thought there would be a bit more drama thrown in, maybe from Dante's "insider" or the housekeeper, so I kept waiting for something that didn't happen. Overall I really enjoyed being back in this world.

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected

For those who know the series ....
Let me preface that I've been waiting for this book a long time. The first time I met Dante, I knew he maybe the only one to finally break the love spell I had with Mateo. Mateo at that point, could not be kicked off the throne I had placed him on as my favorite villain. Others had come real close, but never succeeded. As time went on I realized I loved Mateo as much as I did, because I also loved Mia. The two put me in a spell. That was when I started to worry. Had I expected to much from Dante? Old flame, yes was about Dante, but also about Colette. As the release day got closer, I was haunted with the fact I had put to much pressure on my expectations. I actually put of reading it for like a whole 10 hours. Then I snapped and started at 4 am.
My God! This bastard did it! I didn't think anyone could rival Mateo in ruthless behavior, and still come out lovable. However, let's talk about Colette. All I can say is I love her! That's the power couple I imagined. She is soft, loving, but not a push over. Dante, is by far my favorite. I think in some weird way this couple works so well because they don't even try to hide emotions. Like they get mad, and they snap. Whereas Mateo was all ways level headed, and Mia was always trying to make peace.

Now for those who don't know the series....
I've done what you are about to do ( with other authors). You see 5, stars, get snippets from reviews, and click buy. You pick up maybe book 3, or 8, and then you are like "oh wow, I really want to get to know said character" and find yourself going back to start the series from the start. Do not do that with this series. Trust me. You will hate yourself. Trust me, you will want to know everyone they engage with, and reading this book will ruin the others for you! Start with accidental witness.
Warning, if you are not into bad guys, monster behavior, and illegal activities, then this series is not for you.

For the author.....
Thank you! He was worth the wait!

[Penny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope...nope...nope. I thoroughly enjoyed the Accidental Witness series. I love the development of Mateo and Mia’s relationship, but part of the reason I love it is because it was a slow progression over many many books. One of my issues with Collette and Dante’s story was the fact that she forgave him so quickly and easily for killing her fiancé. Now, I love dark romances, and when written well and when it progresses the character’s development, I can get past rape (Mateo and Mia) and I could get past murder (Dante killing Collette’s fiancé). However, I couldn’t get past Dante and Luca’s friendship. Dante flat out called his sister’s abuser his best friend, was mad when Mateo said they’re shutting down human trafficking once he became in charge. I couldn’t get past Dante thinking it’s perfectly okay to take Collette to Luca’s and make her sit there while Luca abused and trained slaves. Dante couldn’t even call them women. Now I’ve read and loved books about this same topic, but the tone was completely different in those novels as were the circumstances and the writing. In this book, it make Dante unforgivable mainly because we never got to see him change his mind about Luca. We never got to see the fallout of his little fling (Collette wasn’t with him) with the police officer after he met with her to get information about luca’s house. It wasn’t even brought up again. I love a good asshole, alpha male (Mateo) but I don’t like insecure asshole little shits with tempers (Dante & Vince) Honestly, this book is supposed to be about Dante and Collette but the only thing the book accomplished was making me love Mateo and Mia more than I already do.

[Cindy M. Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Dante, how I love thee ❤️❤️❤️

Sam Mariano does a great job of bringing us back into the fold of the dangerous and captivating Morelli family. This is Dante and Collette's story, but the entire family is of course present while we navigate through their turbulent relationship.

Yes, you absolutely need to start with Accidental Witness in order to enjoy this crazy ride. Trust me when I say the journey in getting to know this mob family is one I'm so happy I took. I love this series and I'm thrilled to have a piece of Dante in my heart!

[Tiffany S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dante is a BAD man. Total villain. Wow. Hot. So good. This fit in with the rest of the series seamlessly.



Also!! I’m on board with whatever Sam wants to do, obviously. Want to kill the fiancé and make the girl fall back in love with the killer? Sure! Let’s do it! BUT I think planting some not nice things about dead fiancé would have made it easier for Collete. Dante or Mateo should have thought of that. Like make it seam like the dead fiancé had been cheating on her.

[Celia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dante you earned a permanent spot in my shit list for being a dick to Mia

[Maria (Ri) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to start this review out with the reminder that it is imperative that this book needs to be read in order. Even though the story is about Dante it still has major perspectives to the story that would either a) not make sense or b) spoil this part of the story. I would hate for anyone to not understand the dynamics at play ESPECIALLY when it comes to Mateo.

Now that I have said that let me get on with this story. Sweet holy Mary, Joseph, Gabriel, and baby Jesus. I am not sure how it is that this author can make antiheroes so dang intriguing but she takes it to a whole different level. This lifestyle is pretty repugnant in so many ways. Something that all of the characters know. Hell, even the author knows but the author portrays it with an authenticity that makes it compelling to read. She even gives insight that even the main characters feel the demons left behind from their choices.

That was definitely the case with Dante. He knows that what he does to ensure he doesn't lose Colette is wrong, he just is willing to accept that because the love he does feel for her is right. He showed that he wasn't remorseful but that he would have, and did, do anything to have her be the light in his life. I am pretty sure he would have sold his soul to be with her. That is unconditional love. He showed his moments of love, tenderness, and even vulnerability when he needed to. He also showed that he might as well been made of steel in other ways because he was definitely a made man and one not about to bend. And that is what had me love him even more because I knew that he would have had no qualms lighting the world on fire for his Colette.

Dante was much different than Mateo but also the same in many ways. The same could be said about Colette and Mia. There was something intrinsically good and pure about both of these ladies. They knew the world they were getting into just as they knew that the men they loved weren't truly good. I liked watching Colette struggle with how to accept this and finally quit fighting it. Together, Dante and Colette were just as epic as Mateo and Mia just in a different way. They burned just as bright just with a different intensity.

I really enjoyed seeing some of the scenes that had occurred in previous books from a different perspective or lens. It helped add additional insight into the characters and the overall story. It also allowed me the chance to see how fantastic Mateo is at being the puppet master that he is. That man truly is a manipulative bastage/genius (tomato/tomahto) and cemented his placement in my top BBF's of all time. However, it also allowed the chance for Dante to creep up in the rankings because there is this "Je ne say quois" type feel to him. Basically, this author has proven that I would sell my soul for a Morelli man. Speaking of which, I am going to need this author to write about Alec asap. He has had some pivotal scenes in a couple of books and I am needing to know more.

The bottom line now that I have rambled like a rabbit shiny squirrel is read this book. However, read this book AFTER the others have been read. Even though I have read the series several times now as well as the Vegas spinoff, it makes me want to go back and reread it again because not only is it amazing but because I learn something every time I read it. I also suggest reading the often times missed book Entrapment, which is Mateo's POV and deleted scenes from various parts of the series (it isn't numbered as part of the Morelli series) because it really adds another dimension to the story.

[Laura Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Morelli Family Series is a must read series! Here we are in book 8 and the excitement is still there. Reading this book or any book for that matter, we must always remind ourselves, this is fiction we are reading. When sensitive subjects are talked about, it is how the author feels, how the author wants her story to be. If the darkness scares you or you can’t handle reading about dark subject matters, this book is not for you.

Yes, this is a standalone book as it focuses on Dante, you need to read the 7 previous books to totally enjoy this one. There are parts in the book that will be spoilers for you. There are parts in the book that will not make sense if you haven’t already met the family previously.

With that being said, Dante is 100% Morelli.

“Nah, I prefer the single life. No attachments. Plus, it seems like the males in my family have a sleeper cell of insanity that unlocks when they fall in love, and I’m not trying to turn into a raging lunatic.”

Boy doesn’t this perfectly describe the Morelli Men! Dante has fallen in love and the sleeper cell has been unlocked. He will do any and everything to ensure that his love will always belong to him.

Colette the cute florist was let go once by Dante. But deep down inside she knew that it truly wasn’t a lifelong break. Dante would always be there. Always protecting. Always watching. Knowing this, she still managed to move on and attempt a normal life.

Jump into this one and devour the words. I’m still waiting to get my invite over for a Sunday Dinner at the Morelli house. Great job telling us Dante’s story!!!

[myfiftyshadesmood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah yeah I know i should read every book from this series but seriously this sister wife thing is not for me and I tried i seriously tried to read it but it was a fucking headache for me. Anyways I believe they're the only normal couple from this series also i have a little hatred for dante because of his friend Luca. Also do you guys think the author is good in the head cuz the book she writes.. yeah I don't believe it.

[Deepstrz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had huge expectation for this book from reading the Morelli family saga however I wasn't very impressed. I love Sam Mariano's books this one was lacking for me.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I dared to run away from the devil and start a life without him and now he's going to burn me for that unforgivable sin."

I CAN NOT GET ENOUGH OF THIS SERIES! I CAN NOT GET ENOUGH OF THESE CHARACTERS! I CAN NOT GET ENOUGH OF THIS AUTHORS WORDS! The thing with Sam's writing is, she aims to obliterate your sense of morality (when it comes to the stories you read). That black and white world that you live in? She will push you into that gray area that resides in between. She pushes you past your limits without you even realizing it (which I LOVE that she can do this! Because a true testament to her abilities to get, me as a reader, "out of my own head"). She creates such a compelling book world that it is IMPOSSIBLE not to be consumed by it and love on the characters that would be scorned and loathed in other books because they would be deemed "evil". But us as readers, LOVE them with her books. Sam ALWAYS brings a uniqueness that can only be reached by her words.

Sam never aims to blow rainbows and glitter up your arse with her stories. She brings raw, animalistic passion between her characters. A tangible want and need within her characters that jumps off the page. It's the rawest kind of love. The kind of love that you would literally kill for. And as a reader, you will crave for Sam's lead male characters to tear down the world and everyone in their path to get to their one and only woman. And you will want for her lead woman to get caught. Captured by her man, just as much as you the reader, have been captured by their passion for their woman."A man like Dante can't lose, because he refuses to. Whatever he has to do to win, he'll do it. If there's a line drawn to show how far is too far, Dante will step over it like a meaningless crack in the pavement. He won't bat an eye at doing things far worse than I could ever even imagine." She did all these things I mentioned above with this story! Dante and Colette each other's end game and their love is inevitable.

One thing I absolutely love and applaud Sam for is, she stays true to her characters, no matter how despicable or evil they can be. She aims to bring us readers characters that will have us gasping with the audacity of the things that they say and do."Dante goes after what he wants, especially when he's running on jealously. I know his need to dominate takes over, but I also know it doesn't mean he loves me any less. It's pure animal instinct for him, and it's one of the things I loved about Dante in its more civilized forms. One can't pick a brutish, dominant man and then be shocked when he behaves like one."There were several times while reading this book where I was thinking, "How the f&*k is Sam gonna pull this off?? Dante's just SO INTENSE! He has no moral compass! He's SO dark!" But then Sam would have me inevitably falling for the bad guy right along with the heroine. That's talent right there!

Sam truly has me captive with her words and this book world. I am "drinking the koolaid" like my life depends on it. If you are interested in reading about the bad guys winning the girl, then THIS is the series for you!

NOTE: This story run parallel to the first 7 books in the series, but in NO WAY is it a retelling. Dante and Colette's story is very much their own. It's the timeline that runs parallel but Dante and Colette were both minimally in the first 7 books. I am ASTOUNDED by how well Sam executed this. She literally had to weave Dante and Colette's story within the characters from the first 7 books and still stay true to THAT story/characters. It's like she created a world within a world and she did so masterfully! If you haven't read the first books in this series, STOP NOW! You MUST read them in order to get the full experience with this book. You will be left feeling confused at times because you will not have the knowledge from the first books and if that happens, you will not enjoy this book. Believe me, Dante and Colette deserve your full cooperation *wink*...you will want to read ALL the books before OLD FLAME.

6 stars!

[Izzie d · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay.
Some parts were really good.
You got to see more about the dynamic with Dante and Matteo and to see a different side of him as seeing him through his brothers eyes.
The author warns readers not to start the series with this book as the series needs to be read in order or you will have major plot spoilers.
This book starts with Matteo and Beth's relationship and moves to the present day.
It skims over some details the reader didn't know or maybe see from this different perspective.
There was small ex drama.
The heroine has a dead ex so there is guilt and baggage from that relationship.
The Hero was with others during their separation when they broke up so he has really small ex drama from one of those.
I thought it might have worked better as a duet.
The heroine starts off pretty determined but gives in over sex. She got over her guilt pretty fast whereas if it had been two books then I might have found it more believable.
There were opportunities for more ex drama on his side and the animosity with the heroine and house keeper could have led to more angst, I just felt it wasn't enough.
There are more details about Alec and also the history with their sister.
There are no intimate details of anyone other than the Hero and heroine.
HEA.
Epilogue.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Didn't enjoy this as much as i expected too. I was curious about Dante from the other books but didn't like him much. His ex Colette was about to marry a lawyer until Dante had him killed on their wedding day. He then takes her hostage in his house until she adjusts. While Dante was as monstrous as Mateo, he lacked his charisma. We know the cruelty Mateo unleashed on Mia in the first book, but in the following books we watched him bend for Mia in so many ways. Mateo even quit trafficking women to please Mia. He showed in so many way how much he loved her. Dante didn't bend at all. Didn't like his manhandling and hatred of Mia. He wasn't likable and the fact that Luca was his best friend disgusted me. I wish SM had written about all the ways Sal tortured Luca because I loathe that abusive bastard so much. The scene with Luca abusing women in front of Dante and him not caring turned my stomach.While I understood Colette's hatred toward Dante for murdering Declan who was a good man, I found her a bit whiny. It didn't take her long to cave and her rudeness toward Declan's grieving brother at the end was heartless. She and Dante deserve each other.

I kept wishing for more scenes with Mia and Mateo since I wasn't invested much in Dante and Colette's story.

[Gemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm, good job of making him a more ruthless Mateo. But just could not get on board with the romance. The way he treated Colette and Mia and his own sister... it just went past the line of scary sexy and into gross dude. He was not willing to give up anything for Colette the way Mateo does for Mia, and that made it harder to deal with him being bad. Shallow, but true. Sal comes off as very cool in this.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old Flame is a dark romance spin off that fans of the Morelli Family series will enjoy. The pace was not as fast as previous books with the suspense based on Dante winning Colette over. What I enjoyed was the time spent outside the relationship and the insight into the overarching plot in the series.

3.5 Stars

[figuranta❤️addicted❤️to❤️books❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

I enjoyed Dante's book more then others in this series and i think at this point i am really done with this series.

I like the hero to be a bit of an ass but Dante was a bit too much for my liking.

And really Mateo rubs be the wrong way so so so badly. I have NEVER hated a hero as much as i hate him. And Mia is such a doormat. I can't really believe i read all their books.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahh, damn. Dante stole my twisted little heart away from Mateo and Adrian. This is officially my favourite book in the series. What a great way to end it. Sliding this on in with my other all-time favourites.

6 stars. <3

[RosieGold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharp and witty dialogue, tight story, interesting characters that have depth and complex emotions despite the dark world they live in. This is the best one-off Morelli spin offs, IMO. Book #3 and #4, and the Vegas series were great, no mistake, but this installment of the Morelli saga hit all the right notes and reflects Mariano's ever sharpening and strengthening skills as a romance writer.

Other reviews have mentioned that it's imperative to read most if not all of the Morelli books, and the author recommends that. The book may not have as much punch for the reader unless they have a solid understanding of the primary characters.

Mariano, as she does in all her Morelli books, weaves in the other dynamics of characters in this family, and their story line, which allows the readers (familiar with the series, that is) to compare and add to their understanding of the love story between Mia and Mateo, and give them a deeper understanding of this underworld and their crime boss. It can't be easy, to continually humanize characters that dance with evil, to get readers to empathize with them despite being mobsters - that kill, main, etc... -without much of a second thought, but Mariano does this brilliantly.

The subject matter is not for the weak stomached. This is the story of an aggressive, macho to the max, morally compromised man and a woman who most people would consider as being crazy for loving him. But it works. The author wrings enough raw emotion out of the characters, even the lead with his black soul, to make it plausible that this could actually happen in real life.

Mariano's fan base, the ones in the know who keep up with her, have inferred that for a couple reasons, this past year was a challenging one for the author on a personal level. I was worried that Old Flame would reflect an author thats fatigued by circumstance but also by expectation and demand, but she gave us a wonderful book. I hope Ms. Mariano, despite her growing popularity, continues to stoke the passion she has for storytelling, to not bend or change because of industry pressures and knows that no matter what inspires her and what it produces, her readers will be absolutely loyal because of her enormous talent.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was Mateo's younger brother, Dante's, book. He and Colette were together until she got scared away by his family's violent actions. Now she's about to get married to someone else 5 years later. However, even though Dante let Colette leave before, she was his and only his...and he wasn't about to let her forget it!! 😉

This story takes place around the time of Surviving Mateo and continues on. Dante is unapologetically rude and uncaring with practically everyone except Colette. Unlike Mateo, he doesn't play mind games or act charming to get what he wants. He doesn't suffer fools, which he thinks pretty much everyone else is. It was interesting to see that he was an alphahole to everyone except Colette, and he really never changed by the end of the book except to include his children in his heart and temper his belligerence with dry sarcasm.

When first meeting Colette in Surviving Mateo, she seemed kind of snarky, but in this book, she was much more fleshed out and you could understand why she was so angry at the dinner. She was a kind and intelligent woman in this book and I found myself liking her.

Dante's story continues through the time period up to just about the end of book 4, Family Ties with an epilogue 6 years later.

What I loved the most: Dante actually did have a heart when he was around Colette and he was loving. But he was still his usual self around family and others. You also got dual POV throughout the book. And, what I really loved was more story scenes with Mateo!! 🥰 There was also new interactions between Mateo and Mia as well as Mia and Dante. I had wondered why everyone seemed to love Mia except Dante and you find out why that is in this book.

The only things I wished were different: That Dante's story had continued through his scenes in Coming Home (when he was dancing with Mia) and Last Words. Also, I was so hoping he would finally be nice to Mia and stop acting like a horrible jerk to her.

Otherwise, everything else was amazing!! Can't wait for more Morelli stories with Alec and Cherie. As well as the next generation!! 🤩 And of course, I always want more scenes with Mateo!!

Definitely recommend this book and the WHOLE Morelli series!!!! It's AMAZING!!!!!! ❤🧡💛💚💙💜

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I personally didn't like Dante or Collette even a little bit. I found them both to be gross people, and they didn't make each other better, either. Dante doesn't really give any consideration to Collette in regards to his illicit activities, and he would have kept being lower than the shit stain on the bottom of someone's shoe if he wasn't forced away from the nastiest parts of his criminal empire by his brother, kicking and screaming the whole time.

I am also starting to feel like Luca isn't really dead because nobody has ever seen it. Don't even get me started on Collette's issues, she's a drug addict waiting to happen because of how unbending Dante is and his refusal to give her any sort of pressure release mechanism to cope with her life.

I feel like Dante is going to be responsible for Collette and their children being murdered one day. Or I could even picture him doing something so heinous that Collette fakes her and her children's deaths to escape him (it sounds extreme, but Mariano doesn't shy away from batshit crazy).

This book ends without clearing up the weird interaction between Mia and Dante at her wedding. What was that all about? OH MY GOD, he stood with Ben and Vince at the funeral 😱 did he have something to do with Mia and Vegas?!?!

I can easily see Dante turning on Mateo given the right circumstances. He is clearly very, very patient based on his treatment of Collette. What would it look like if he made an enemy of Mateo? A hot, hot mess. Maybe another Mia and Mateo trilogy??? They need another. I need them to have another! I want more of them in my life ASAP!