Anastasia

by A. Marie

"Strip for me, Anastasia. Strip physically, emotionally, mentally.
Strip until you get it into your head that you are mine."

Anastasia had the weight of the world on her shoulders. To make matters worse, she had to find a way to keep everything afloat for her family. Thankfully, her friend told her about a job that would ease her financial burden.

Working at the club would more than cover her family's medical expenses. It was her only solution, so she accepted.

The last thing Anastasia expected was to meet Valentino Romano, club owner and mobster who had one intention--make her his.

Unfortunately, as she got closer to Valentino, the uglier things got. Worlds collided, everything crumbled around her, and life as she knew it ceased to exist.

Genres: Mafia Romance, Dark Romance, Romance, Smut, Contemporary, Forced Proximity, Dark

373 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2021

About the author

A. Marie's work can only be described as immaculate. Known for her mafia romance, and her ability to capture the heart of her readers, she has finally decided to bring you a taste of her tantalizing writing which you will not be able to resist!

Connect with A. Marie through her website ➺ https://amarieauthor.org

Reviews

[PeaceOfGod · Rating 1 out of 5]

WHAT.THE.FUCK.🤬🤬



H-Valentino-In his late 20s-



h-Anastasia-21-


This book is MESSED up. Like............i HATED IT SO MUCH , SO MUCH, SO DAMN MUCH.

🤬Me to the hero of this book-



You wanna KNOW what's wrong? I'll tell you!

PLOT-

The H's parents(preggo mom and step-dad) were murdered by Dimitri in FRONT of him , he SAW them die with his own eyes.
All that was left was Enzo , his step-brother.
Now MANY years later, he is the DON of Mafia and runs many strip clubs across the city.
Enzo is his, right hand man.
Enter our h, Anastasia, who is in DESPERATE need of money because her mother is a drug addict and her 17 y/o sister is dying of cancer. Ana needs money for Alexandria's Chemo and to pay the bills, so she starts to strip at the club.
Now, some things happen-

H sees h.

Goes all MINE MINE MINE!!!!



Now, you might say,"O.M.G. He is SO OTT!!!".

Fucking shut up ok? Just..........I am sorry Alexandra W. You said he's OTT and possesive protective blah blah blah, but, uggghhhhh!!!!! See for yourself.

Since the H is the type of man who never takes no for an answer, he just, grabs her, makes her come several times, and they continue dancing around each other till 6 or 7 chapters.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE SEX UNTIL PAGE 100 OF THE BOOK, HE ONLY MAKES HER COME AND SHE ONLY MAKES HIM COME, WITHOUT ACTUAL SEX

This increased the sexual tension in the book.

BUT, HE FUCKING LETS HER STRIP EVERYDAY AFTER MAKING HER COME. HE LETS HER PRANCE AROUND NAKED IN FRONT OF OM, ALL THE DAMN TIME.

THAT IS NOT OTT BEHAVIOUR.



Also, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THE MCs.

Have you read book where a mafia H is a REAL jerk in the starting of the book? He is cold and mean to her, and she is sweet, BUT puts up a tough exterior to protect her heart. He gradually falls in love and MAKES effort to try to know her, he gets turned on SEVERAL times , BUT, he controls his urge because more that physically, he wants to know the h, EMOTIONALLY.

THAT IS NOT what happened in this book.

All he seems to be doing is having SEX with her.
Even after(HER SISTER DIES), and Ana comes to the H, he has SEX with her instead of soothing her and listening to her.

The h is also likeable ONLY tillher sister is alive, after Alexandria diesi started hating the h.

She is VERY doormat, i USUALLY love doormat h, ONLY if the H is caring enough to realise his mistakes. BUT the h in this book , was, she was, weird.
She gave her 100% to the relationship, BUT ALL THE damn time the H is always grabbing her boob and unbuttoning her shorts.
ALL he seems to want from her was sex!!!!!

H has barely spoken 100 sentences in this book.

I thot in the starting that he wud warm up after sometime , but NO, he is like an ASSHOLE till the END.

He is VERY mean and rude to her THROUGHOUT the book, EXCEPT for in the epilogue.

This book is REALLY messed up.
There is NO SCENE of weet lovemaking,and sweet whispering of nothings while having sex.

All this book has is-Rough sex and a jer hero who is OTT ina way that he lets her strip.

😨😨😨😨What shocked me even more was that EVEN after exchanging "I Love You's" with the h, He STILL lets her strip in the club.



I am NOT recc you to read this.

there is NO chemistry.
He DOES take her to a date to a BEAUTIFUL restraunt, BUT , never attempts to steer the conversation about her personal life, what are her tastes in music, what about her family and things like that.
NO, NOTHING.

He DOES take her to meet her mother at the rehab, BUT, when they return home, he starts groping her!!!!




🛑🛑🛑Spoilers 🛑🛑🛑

V-h.

H-Not really a manho, but he slept with prostitutes before he slept with h. He NEVER dated anybody. NEVER loved anybody. NEVER brought home anybody.He has been celibate since meeting anastasia

OW drama- A waitress at the restaraunt and a waitress at the club flirts with him, but he dosen't pay attention.

OM drama-The doctor who treated h's sister was attracted towards Ana and tried to kiss her, but she had no feelings for him.
He was beaten to pulp by the H,2.5 seconds later after kissing the h.

Cheating? No, there aren't ANY sex scenes with OP.

Triggers-Death of a sibling, VERY ON-PAGE because of cancer, it was h's sister Alexandria.
Drug abuse by h's mother.
It was heartbreaking to see how her mother did not give a FUCK about Ana and Alexa in the beginning, but later on, tried rehab.
HEA.

Epilogue-Married and have Kids.

Whom wud i recc this book?
NO ONE.
I ALWAYS recc a book with v-h and no-cheating to everyone, but because this H is an asshole i wo t recc u this book.

[Alexandraa XX · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book from this author. I actually been waiting from this author for quite a while and I’m glad it didn’t disappoint me 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼🤩🤩🤩

‼️‼️‼️THE HERO IS OTT POSSESSIVE PROTECTIVE ALPHA MALE.

‼️‼️‼️Clearly the hero really is obsessed with the heroine but not in a hot way which sucks but it’s obsessed alright lol

‼️‼️‼️MANY JEALOUS SCENES FROM THE HERO AND LITTLE FROM THE HEROINE.

“Every time you strip, I just want those little boys to know that you belong to me, no?”

‼️‼️‼️DRAMA WITH OM but not too annoying. NOOOOO DRAMA WITH OW…

‼️‼️‼️NO CHEATING

‼️‼️‼️THE HEROINE IS A VIRGIN

‼️‼️‼️The hero is kinda like a mob boss lol

‼️‼️‼️VERY EXTREMELY HOT SMUT SCENES🥵

‼️‼️‼️LOVE IN FIRST SIGHT and so hot lol

“Anastasia was all i could think about. From the dau I saw her glowing blonde hair on the pole and her plump lips, I couldn’t get rid of the thought of her. She had a way of burning herself into my mind and being too damn stubborn to get out.”

‼️‼️‼️a bit much of pushing away from the hero and the heroine did push him away when he did it first to her so i think its fair 😬😬

“My body wanted him near me at all times, but my logic was fully aware that he had been avoiding me. It hurt knowing that he wasn’t there when I needed him most.”

I give it 4 stars actually because of this reason too (there’s a second reason) the hero told his bodyguard to follow the heroine at times so when the time she needed him the most (trust me that is very much the time he has to be there for her) he didn’t come and he just continued being busy. Sucks.

And also there’s time when he really avoided her…. Just because of his stupid childish reason😒😒😒


‼️‼️‼️THE HERO LOVES AND HAPPY WHEN HE FOUND OUT THE HEROINE IS A VIRGIN🥺🥺

“Her words were like music to my ears. I loved the thought of bring her first of anything.”

‼️‼️‼️I forgot how old they are but i think the hero is in his 30’s and the heroine is old enough like 20’s

‼️‼️‼️HAPPY ENDING. Married and pregnant.

‼️‼️‼️TRIGGERS: death, sickness (from the heroine’s sister), Drug addiction and abuse.

I love this book but because the connection from both are for me just one sided like only the heroine, she’s the only one i feel like who’s trying so hard for their love and the hero is just simple love. Not big as hers if you know what i mean lol. But overall this book is great and i love it! NOW I’M CURIOUS ABOUT THE HERO’S BROTHER LOVE STORY NOW🥵🥵🥵


🌐🌐🌐➡️↘️⬇️➡️This is my own personal thoughts and opinion about the book so if thats not sit right with you or you feel I’m not being fair blablabla, please know that everybody in this world have their own different things that they like and don’t like. It may not be the same thing with you but thats okay because i am my own person and you cannot control me or tell me what to do. For example; i put ketchup (tomato sauce) on my fried chicken. You think that’s disgusting? For me its not and i’ve been eating it like that for many many years. You tell me to put another sauce and see if i like that better? I already did many many times in years but i still like the way i like it. It’s called differences between me and you and billions people in this world😊 be open minded😙 I respect people’s opinions about my opinions but in the end of the day if i say I don’t like it or i do like it, its up to me and its on me. And in the end of the day i always liked and show my respect to books and people’s opinions on books whenever that book is good or not good in my opinion 😊 Respect people’s opinions guys😙😙 I don’t want to write this down because its not really my thing to do it. To like address something like this when obviously i know the people who’s been reading my reviews many times and all the time, they are smart enough to understand and respect other people’s opinions no matter what their opinions on book or their point of view 😙😙 am i right? 💕 also there are people even though i already write “this book is different because i have my own taste of book” those people still comment my taste is this and that when HELLO… everybody have their own thoughts on books and what they want to read… why i read it then? I read it and give it a review because i have to read a book to give it a review… why not read the description book to understand before I’m going to read it? Hello just in case you haven’t notice, description books can be tricky because they write this amazing things about a book but turns out the story is so toxic. Maybe for me its toxic but not for you? YES HELLO THATS WHY US HUMAN BEING HAVE OUR DIFFERENCES, WHAT I LIKE IT DOESN’T MEAN YOU WILL LIKE IT AND EITHER WAY TOO. why i still write the review then if i just don’t like a book? Because I CAN and i want to, you cannot tell me what to do and not what to do🤪 if you still wants to be negative and be karens about my review on book after all of what i just write, i will never acknowledge you and simply ignore you because its not that hard🙏 ⬅️↖️↕️⬅️↩️⤴️

[steff ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars !! I finally had my hands on the newly improved version of Anastasia and it does not disappoint. A mafia story where Valentino is a possessive alpha male, a mafia boss and Anastasia works as a stripper to help her family.

I loved both of them sm. You can see throughout the book how well and good they are together especially what they are both going through. They have each other every step of the way. This book is full of emotions. Overall, it was amazing.

I remembered reading this when it was still on Wattpad and it was amazing. I’m so proud of A. Marie that this book was getting published and how far she had become. She deserved it.

[nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope. Just nope. I'm sorry but this book just wasn't it for me.

[Nagma (Take A Look At My Bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anastasia by A. Marie is a dark mafia romance with an alpha anti-hero and a fierce heroine. Anastasia hasn’t had an easy life. From a young age, she’s had to assume parental responsibilities for her younger sisters. With an addicted mother and no way to take care of her family financially, Anastasia gets hired as a stripper. There she meets Valentino. Valentino is a dominant and controlling, revenge-driven, tortured soul with a tragic past. Valentino didn’t expect to be enraptured with Anastasia the moment he laid eyes on her.

There’s an instant attraction between Anastasia and Valentino from the moment they meet and their relationship is one of mutual healing, growth, development, love, and passion. Both Anastasia and Valentino have struggled and are broken to some degree, but when they get together, they have peace and tranquility. I loved how these two were together and how they both found the happiness they deserved with each other. This was a captivating and emotional rollercoaster of a story.

While Anastasia is dual POV, we get more of Anastasia’s POV than Valentino’s and I really would have liked to see more from his POV in order to understand and connect with his character. Overall, this was a great read I really enjoyed.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Marie certainly has a way with words that makes them hauntingly memorable. I adored Anastasia'a resilience, and her strength especially after all life's thrown at her. I liked Valentino's character though I kept waiting to see more of him, and not the distant version he was. While the chemistry was there especially in the 🔥🔥 scenes, I found it quite dragging in terms of plot. I'd call this was a good idea but a seemingly bad execution in terms of writing, however, I enjoyed reading this nonetheless.

𝐀𝐫𝐜 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

[Heather Chaotic Creatives · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author. I will say I did enjoy it. I loved watching these two characters fall in love. It was almost love at first sight. lol. Anastasia is a strong young lady who has always carried the weight of the world around her on her shoulders. She always does what is expected of her and always places everyone above her. When tragedy strikes she knows she needs to do something to help. This is where she meets our H. Valentino suffered a tragic loss when he was younger and has made a vow to get his revenge. The question is will he be able to follow through with what he feels is necessary? He is hardened and has vowed to never give his heart away, because love is a weakness. These two do an amazing job skating around what you will see right away. They are made for each other and deserve to find their happiness.

[˚•—S—•˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a brilliant read. Usually mafia roamnce isn’t my thing, but I love a stripper romance so I gave this a try and wow, I loved it.

Anastasia is such a good character and I felt for her from the begning. She had so much responsibility and her world crashed around her. Taking care of her sister, trying to be the parent to her mother and working several jobs, never having time for her self, she drew me in.

The relationship between the two were strained at first, neither wanting it and both wanting it. Lots of complicated feelings and histories to overcome for them to maybe get their HEA.

Definetly give this a read, it made me both cry and laugh.


Oh, and if you like this one you should give «Four Seconds To Lose» by K.A Tucker a chance.


•••I recieved a copy of this book for my honest review. All opinions are my own•••

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd been looking forward to read this book since the original version and it did not disappoint! Anastasia was loyal and strong, I admired her strength and fortitude throughout the book and every struggle and obstacle life threw at her. I loved the instant connection between her and Valentino and watching two tortured souls grow together. The only thing I wish there was more of is growth of Valentino as a person. Obviously, this doesn't mean i wanted him to change because I loved him for him but a little more development would have been great. Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this mafia romance and will continue to read the rest of the author's works.

[Rachel Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I found it super easy to read and I could have easily read it in one go if I had the time to sit down. I loved seeing how Anastasia and Valentino’s characters grow and develop both individually and together and I found the storyline to be simple but well told. I wish we could have learnt more about some of the side characters stories as they are briefly touched upon however this book definitely had the right balance between the main characters’ story and hinting on the characters around them.

[Ashley Cestra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time reviewing this story, there were parts that I loved and others that stuck out like a sore thumb from the plot. It just wasn’t always believable. Personalities were doing 180s at a moments notice contracting eachother at times. I wanted to see more of how his feelings developed and was disappointed they they just appeared there.
On the flip side, I LOVED the plot as a whole. And was super interested to see how it would progress. This was my first time reading this author and I would look into her work in the future!

[shai · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author's done it again. This read was slightly out of my comfort zone because of the dark themes but honestly A. Marie has such a way with words it's impossible to not like any of her works. I enjoyed seeing their characters develop and i love a strong heroine; Anastasia is exactly that. The dynamic between her and Valentino is just amazing.

[hannahreadsbooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

so i wanted to read this on wattpad a while ago but it got turned into a paid story so i wasn’t able to read it but recently i realized it’s available on z library so here we are
now….

it was… okay.

the general story was mediocre but a lot of details were really unrealistic and i wasn’t able to emotionally connect to any of the characters.

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5-4.75 ⭐️ Damn this book was rly something! It was so good I’m just gonna round it up🥹 on top of the main character having such a beautiful name (honestly nothing can top it), it was really good! Ugh I am in love with both Anastasia and Valentino❤️I’m really loving A. Marie’s books so far! So happy that I found her😭🫶

[Nathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE SMUT AND THE SPICY MOMENTS IN THIS BOOKS ARE SO FUCKING GOOD.

[bellissimadesire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A. Marie has my heart!

Anastasia is tantalizing, astounding, as well as entertaining. I couldn't stop reading the book it led me to read the whole thing in one night.

[Kristen Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHERE'S MY VALENTINO

I am left both breathless and speechless once again by A. Marie. Anastasia has to be one of my favorite reads in 2021, and I've been looking forward for it to be published!! The strength and depth of not just Anastasia and Valentino, but with her mother, Alex, Enzo, and the others. There were moments where I screamed and cried eyes out, cringed (in the best way possible;) and awwed. The journey in getting to unwrap Valentino's character was worth the tears though, seeing his soft side, his vulnerability, his learning to trust -- to love again, his ever-present dominant side *swoon* and his huge heart he wants to hide. I'm well-invested in these two and I'm happy for them, hoping to experience a fraction of their love one day. Thank you A. Marie for this opportunity to read and experience these rollercoaster of emotions once again. I can't wait for more!

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

My oh my, how can I explain this novel.
I have stayed with A. Marie and her books for a while, but my ALL time favourite novel is Anastasia, and I believe it will always be. The way I feel the words and the fire between Anastasia and Valentino throughout the plot has me straight on my knees. I'm so proud of my girls and I am so excited that I can finally support and love this book for the masterpiece it is. I'm here for the ups of this beautiful story, and the downs that have me crying for the characters.
I cannot explain the extent to which I love this novel, but I shall forever read it over and over again, and you can too <3

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/5⭐️

I won’t be mean here but I have things to say:
-do more research cuz some of this stuff didn’t make sense
-get an editor or a better one
-I want to root for the main love interest not the side character that’s out there for the jealousy trope…I want him to be at least a little likable
-there’s a difference between “bad boy” and “manipulative, abusive boy”
-I DNFed at 78%. Do what you will with that information.
-the beginning had potential but what happened bro😭
I think the author did good in their other book ‘Care’ but this one…😬

[clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can’t really explain it but there’s just a charm behind this book. Sort of like a guilty pleasure.

[Sanne Schulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an amazing book. Not only the plotline , but the way its written to. This book made me want to read all of her books!!

[Stephanie Castles · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s a lot to unpack here and I’m not doing it

[Malak☽︎ · Rating 1 out of 5]

“What tore my Bambolina apart?”
🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
•You know you hate the book when you can't wait to finish it even though it started so damn good.
I was really eating the "Stripper/poor woman and the mafia don/italian bad man", but sadly the author instead of eating and leaving no crumbs she literally delivered ONLY CRUMBS.
OH MY GOD and the way this book had so much potential is mind-blowing literally!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I loved Valentino Romano and I hated it.”

•Me: When, babes? WHEENNN?? WHEN THE F*CK DID YOU LOVE VALENTINO, ANA???
••Everything was so medicore and I didn't connect with any of the characters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Based on the way her eyes trained on Valentino, I knew she was about to flirt. Allowing her to do what she had to do, I picked up my menu and looked through it once more.”

••Guys, this scene was literally after she said that she love Valentino. I know what the author wanted to do. She literally wanted to make Anastasia appear like a confident woman who doesn't care about any girl who flirts and touches Valentino, but guys that's not how it works in real life istg. Anastasia literally doesn't let the woman only flirt with Valentino, no she actually accepts that the woman insults her!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“This is so perfect,” I whispered.
“You think that’s perfect? Imagine our children,”

••Valentino before this scene kept telling her not to love him then he proceeds to get her pregnant and she has no reaction to this at all! Like her body isn't hers or that she doesn't have a say in this pregnancy matter.
I even don't know when did love him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You’re so annoying.” I smiled.
“I’m annoying because I want my girlfriend to have my children?” he asked, chuckling against my skin.

•My boy, WHHHAAATTT CHILDREN!!!!!!??????
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You are not the devil, you’re just a hurt man. If you look too closely, you can’t see that the devil and a hurt man are so similar that they can appear to be the same,” I told him.

••Anastasia told Valentino this..I feel like she wants to say something, but she doesn't know how..💀🕳️
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Orabella and her big baby bump.”
“She was going to name her baby boy Andrea.”

••Why would sb ever same their baby BOY ANDREA? It's like naming your baby girl "Kevin" or "Andrew"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Enough talking, Mr. Romano, let’s get to fucking Woo!” I exclaimed. He pulled away with a cringe on his face before shaking his head.
“Don’t do that,” he whispered.

••Me: Yes please, Anastasia don't do that again.••
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m happy for you, my little block of cheese,”
“You need to let me go. I have always loved you, my banana, but now you love yourself enough for the both of us.”
“Goodbye, Alex. I love you,” I whispered softly.

••Okay now don't let me get started on Alex (Anastasia's little sister) Girl literally had potential too, but the author disagreed. Anyway, girl literally every time i feel a little bit emotional she makes me cringe with her stupid asf nicknames that I hated with passion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OVERALL VIEW: 🙇🏽
••Mafia world my ass where the f*ck is the mafia plot???? This felt more like contemporary poor written toxic (no Chemistry between characters) romance book.
Moreover, this was so damn boring omg!
••I remember reading Vincenzo's (Valentino's little brother) book on wattpad when I was 15 maybe? and I remember really not caring about Orabella or Vincenzo and all i cared about was Barbie (Anastasia) and Valentino, but when I read this at my current age. I am so disappointed. This book is horrendous.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some Cute ahhhhh Quotes 🤙🏽🥀

Valentino walked up to me and wrapped his arm around my waist. “Come on, Mrs. Romano, I believe you owe me a dance.”
“A private dance, Mr. Romano?” I asked, thinking about the time we first
met.
“I believe it’s going to cost you ten grand.”
“As long as you open your legs,” he whispered.
🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
“Anastasia would forever and always stay.”
🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
“Stay,” he whispered before pecking my lips.
“Stay for me.”
🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
“I’ve been waiting for you to realize your worth to the world for as long as I’ve known you. I’m proud of you, Anastasia.”
“I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you most.”
🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

[Tracy Musgrove · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book so bad. I have been looking for a new mafia romance to get in to and the blurb had all of the good things I really wanted to hear.
The plot had so much potential but I feel like there was just too much story and not enough book.
There was some steam. Those parts were great. They carry the book enough for me to have finished it.
There were so many little plot points that really needed more wrapping up, or expansion and it just was not there.
The plot is all over the place. You know immediately there is a revenge plot. That is quickly established but aside from that, what has gone on? Why was the family attacked to start with? What has gone on in the years since the initial slaying of the family? Are there never any police anywhere when these people are being taken out?
The H is emotionally distant and the h falls for him so fast, without any real relationship development at all. He does nothing to win her over except for good bedroom action, and there is no character development for Valentino for the first 3/4 of the book. He is not a good guy, he does nothing to redeem himself, and he is not even an anti-hero.
Poor Anastasia though. She just keeps getting put through the ringer, which I guess is what makes her so vulnerable to a louse like Valentino. Also, no one learns to work a pole that fast!! No matter how desperate, a first audition like that would be so awkward and intimidating. That takes so much physical and mental strength and given her childhood with a literal crackwhore of a mother, you think she would not want to stoop that low.
And her poor sister!! That sweet child did not deserve to go out like that. WTF, Man? I wanted to flip a table. I wanted to see her sister recover slowly, and struggle maybe, but perhaps this would give a continued need to keep involved with Valentino enough to give him development. And there was a missed potential between the two sisters once she discovered exactly what lengths Anastasia went to in order to save her.
I know this is fiction, and it is mafia fiction but the things that occur in quick succession with no dramatic repercussions at all are so unbelievable.
And what about the poor doctor? That man gets the short end of the stick for literally no reason at all!! And nothing ever happens because of it, and eventually he does not get mentioned again.
Again, I had such high hopes, and maybe, had it been split into a couple of books and given time to develop, it could have been an amazing story. I would far rather hear about Vincenzo and his lady, although that poor girl went through it, too, but at least Enzo had a heart and wanted to love and protect her. But a chest shot that did not affect the pregnancy any?
And can we talk about the stealthing and pregnancy?
:flips table:
I am giving this two stars, only because it has so much potential. Please take it back to the drawing board, rework it, and make it what it has the ability to be! Give us a reason to love Valentino.

[j2yde · Rating 2 out of 5]

My friend loved this book, so I had very high hopes. Needless to say, I was very disappointed. (This review contains BIG(ish) spoilers! Beware!)

The book wasn't bad entirely. I loved (some) of the characters, I loved their backstories, and I loved how their backstory actually had an impact on them in the book. Their actions (at first) were understandable. Key word: at first.

The m/c, Anastasia, is a very strong woman who had to look after her family. Her to-be-lover is a mafia boss, or whatever. I don't have a problem with this ship but I do have a problem with toxic relationships. At first, I didn't mind the slight toxicity: Valentino "playing" with her feelings, using her mainly for sex and sexual pleasure, etc. However, after they got into a relationship, it was honestly unbearable. I expected character development, I thought Valentino would become better and begin to communicate - but that did not happen.

He got her pregnant without her consent. They were doing the dirty, and he put it inside. Her thoughts were "I'll just get plan B pills tomorrow." Then, when tomorrow came, she asked Valentino to get the pills and he said "No." They were at the beginning stages of their relationships and he got her pregnant without thinking about what SHE wanted and what SHE was comfortable with.

He tries to control her life, then "gaslights" her to justify his actions. He once caught her when Jacob - a man who is interested in her - kissed her without her consent. At this time, he had been avoiding Anastasia because he was scared. But when he saw Jacob, he beat the man up (NOT BECAUSE HE KISSED HER WITHOUT HER CONSENT) and tried to control Anastasia implying that she couldn't have anyone other than him. Anastasia, having had enough of his bullshit (as she should), snapped. And Valentino's reaction? "Why do you always think I'm using you? I've just never loved before." Anastasia forgave him in an instant.

I understand having mature themes in books however it felt as though this bad things were being glorified and deemed as normal. Your bf/husband/partner should NOT be getting you pregnant without your consent, and they should not be trying to control YOUR life.

NOTICE: I did not quote the book word-for-word. I would, but I currently don't have the copy with me (I returned it to my friend). If you would like page numbers/quotes from the story that prove my point(s), let me know and I'll try to get ahold of the book asap:)

Thank you for reading.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of "ANASTASIA". My first read by this author
Ashley Marie I was very impressed with her writing she pulled you in it felt like you there with chapters at times it was so realistic it's full of secrets, suspense, intrigue, mystery, heartache, loss, Erotic steamy scenes, angst, humor, danger, tension it grabs you from beginning to end.
Anastasia's life has been so hard she has so much responsibliliy for someone so you a drug addict for a mother her sister Alex has Cancer she has no money for bills, rent, food, now a hospital bills she has to resort to stripping to make ends meet.
Liliana is co-worker of Anastasias she tells her that Janice works at this strip club & now owns a Mansion she makes so much money there she goes to the club meets Valerio the manager he hires her on the spot all the girls like him.
Anastasia meets Valentino Romano first night she works he wants a lap dance in the VIP room from her this the beginning of their rollercoaster ride of a relationship she's had so much bad in her life but still is a light to his darkness his tortured past he's all about revenge love is a weakness he has no time for.
Anastasia & Valentino's journey together is one bumpy ride she never know his mood changes so quickly but she is changing him he can't get enough of her he's claimed her as his can these two get a HEA he is a Mob Boss will she be OK with that you must get this amazing book so well worth the read it won't disappoint.
I hope there's going to be a book 2 because I think a few other characters need their own story like Vincenzo & Orabella, Valerio & it would be great to hear about Anastasia & Valentino into their future to see how their doing maybe in one the stories book 2 maybe have them in it as well just a thought.
I definitely recommend to get this very well written hot steamy Dark Mafia Romance I thoroughly enjoyed this story I cried, laughed so many feels you wanted to slap Valentino so nany times through out the book but you loved him Cocky attitude, dominating ways & all must read for sure.

[kittielovesbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anastasia Smith has had to become the parent figure way before she should have. Her mother brought her to the US from Australia in the hopes of a better life, but that was not to be. Her mother has multiple addictions that she has used to escape the harshness of her world but in the process has left her daughters to the same. So, Anastasia has worked to try and keep their home together and to try and give her younger sister, Alex, a better life. When Alex becomes very sick, Anastasia realizes that she has to do something to earn more money. She is offered the chance to earn more money, but it comes with a cost. One that she does not fully understand.

Valentino Romano is entranced by Anastasia from the moment that he sees her picture. He is not a good man, though. He is bound and determined to seek revenge for the deaths of his mother, unborn sister, and step-father and he will do whatever is necessary to do so. However, the more he is around Anastasia, the more he craves her.

I wanted to love this story. It has so much promise with a great anti-hero, mafia boss and a down-on-her-luck heroine. However, it falls short of being a 5-star for me. This is because there is a major disconnect between the characters. They are drawn to each other but I was not convinced of their attraction. I think I wanted more emotion to be expressed. A. Marie obviously has that promise (there are some great moments in the story) but the connection fails to really convince me. I just did not actually feel the emotions between the two, if that makes sense.

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this new version of Anastasia by A. Marie, and I have to say I really enjoyed it a lot.

This book had a captivating story. I have to admit that some parts took me on an emotional rollercoaster; there was love, passion, angst, and heartbreak.

Anastasia has never had it easy; she's had all the responsibility on her shoulders since she was young, but it only takes a couple of days for her to lose more than she's ever lost before. Her desperation to get money to pay her sister medical bill and everything else takes her to a high-end strip club. It's only a stripper job; what can go wrong? What she didn't count on was meeting Valentino Romano.

Valentino has a tragic past; he is dominant and controlling, set on getting revenge for what they did to his family years ago. That's what his life revolves around, revenge; that's until he meets Anastasia, who caught his eye from the moment he saw her picture; being around Anastasia makes him crave her more each day.

Anastasia & Valentino have an instant attraction from the moment they met; they are both broken, each in their own way, but they find solace in each other; throughout the book, Anastasia & Valentino have a constant back and forth, but we see them grow and develop more depth to their relationship. Together they found the happiness they both deserve.

I recommend this book if you are in the mood for a dark yet emotional mafia romance.

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anastasia is the first-ever book that I've read by A. Marie, so I didn't know what to expect. Surprisingly, I enjoyed this book more than I have anticipated. It seriously got me hooked from the beginning till the end.

In this book, it tells the story of Anatasia who became a stripper to gain some money for her sister's medical therapy. During the first day of her job, she caught the attention of the Don that owned the club a.k.a Valentino. He decided to make her his and this is where their relationship started to escalate to another level.

Now, talking about the characters. I seriously adore Anastasia because of her mature personality. She's a very strong and responsible woman who works hard for the sake of her family. Also, I seriously liked how she takes zero bullshit from Valentino. Whereas for Valentino, he's a mystery that I couldn't fully discover cause I can't completely connect myself to him. Yes, there are parts of him that I truly liked. He's ruthless that strives for revenge & yet, he's also very caring and compassionate when it comes to the ones he loved.

However, there's only one flaw that I found in this book. I felt as if there's something missing cause I think that it was kinda rushed? I was hoping for a deeper development between the story & the characters but it wasn't given to me. Even so, the lack of it didn't really spoil my enjoyment of this book so I can't really complain much.

Overall, this book is pretty enjoyable and I think that A. Marie has done a good job in writing it. If you're looking for a steamy mafia romance, then I highly recommend this one.

~ARC provided in exchange for honest review ~

[Alex (Taylor’s version) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am sorry. I know that it’s shitty to rate an indie author 1 star, I know it, but this was so... bad.

There was potential - storywise and characterwise. But after like 20%, all this book about is sex. Plot goes conpletely missing, it feels more like one-shots. And did I mention that our male main character is the worst human being I have ever met??? All he ever wanted from Anastasia was her body. Her sister died? Great, let’s have sex. We just visited your drug addicted mother in rehab? Great, let’s have sex. We have our first date and I could actually get to know you? Or I could sooth you after everything you had to go through? No, not with our man, he just likes to have sex with her, you can’t change my mind.

While I am at it, the characters have zero chemistry. I read @LittleBirdie ´s review and it sums it all up. I expect for a mafia book with a jerk as love interest to actually have some development as the story goes on, a moment where it reaches behind the physical and they get on an emotional level.
Yeah, that’s not what is happening in this book.

There is a lot more to unpack, like the plot holes, e.g. the doctor (what happened to him after he got beat up??) or the non existence of the plot (except you call boning each other every chapter a plot), but I am not the one doing that.