Ice Queen

by Maggie Kay

"I don't believe in fairytales. Love is not in my destiny."
Ice Queen is a Dark Mafia Romance and Book #2 in The Echoes of the Underworld Series but can be read as a standalone.


I am Eden Kastrati. The only female family member left in the Kastrati outfit.

I had a choice. Betray my brother, or save my cousin, who is also my best friend. I made that decision with my heart, and now it haunts me every single day.

Even though I don’t regret my choice, it has left me feeling like an outcast and empty inside.
Some say what I did was brave. Others say I am a rat. They call me the Ice Queen, cold and detached, but it is better that way. I will never have to feel anything for anyone ever again. 

Alessio Valsetti, known as the playboy of the Valsetti family, thinks he can change all that with his witty charm and devilishly good looks. He is so arrogant and foolish to believe he can make me feel again. Does he forget that his family killed mine?

I can't believe I am even contemplating his offer? But what other choice do I have? Staying would mean signing my own death certificate, or marrying the highest bidder.

So, do I agree to marry the devil I know? Or, gamble everything on the devil I don’t?

Genres: Romance

280 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2022

About the author

Maggie Kay grew up in between the picturesque wine region of the Hunter Valley and the magnificent coastlines of Newcastle in Australia. It is the perfect place to raise her three children.

In her spare time, you will find her reading and spending time with her children and fur babies. She simply cannot survive without her daily dose of coffee, but at night prefers a glass or two of wine to keep her company when she writes.

Maggie's heroes are dark & possessive Alpha Males, Her heroines strong, sassy, and full of bite. Together they create a world of passion, pleasure, and pain.

Dark Romance is her favorite genre to write.

Maggie's debut novel Truth in Lies Book 1 in the Truth & Lies Duet Released in 2019. Black Heart and Ice Queen Released 2020.

Reviews

[➦Paulette & Her Sexy Alphas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: ➳ Ice Queen
Series: ➳ Echoes from the Underworld 2#
Author: ➳ Maggie Kay
Published December 19, 2020
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

LIVE

ღ Eden & Alessio Story- love/hate/ enemies to lover’s story. Look forward to reading more in this series. Hopefully up next will be Luca story

We learn that blood doesn't wash out so easily. It leaves a stain, and lingers, it manifests and begrudges.

Eden Kastrati - Sole heir to the Kastrati fortune, but of course there are conditions
Everybody judges her for the decision that she had made to save her cousin (Sofia) over her brother, now she has been labeled a rat for betraying her family…. She paid the price in pain & guilt so that others could celebrate their survival. absolute loyalty to your family is an unspoken code in the underworld. She broke a very sacred law. Unfortunately, no matter which way you look at it, she would have had to betray a family member regardless.

The ice queen, now she lives amongst her family’s enemies. She has nowhere else to go. All of her family’s money was left to her Uncle Antonio, to hold onto until she is married, such cruel world she lives in
In walks, Alessio Valsetti – the enemy

Alessio is the only son to Vincent Valsetti Italian Syndicate; he has three sisters. That leaves him the sole beneficiary of his family’s empire. Two of his sisters are already married, and so, if he doesn’t show his father that he can settle down from his ‘party boy’ ways & find a wife, he will give the business over to his brother-in-law (Roberto)

Overall
I truly enjoyed the aspect of the romance part immensely, Lil hesitant on the Mobster side ..but it was a great read; it was romantic, sad, funny, suspenseful, exciting, sexy, & entertaining. I will totally read the following books in this series with great pleasure

📚 Hope you enjoy this read & also always keep in mind this is just my opinion 💕 💕 Also I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading it.

➦*I received an ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review of it. 💕
💕 . .**This has not influenced my review.* **

Happy Reading ------Enjoy - Paulette Review ❤💕

[Love2ReadRomance · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!!! I absolutely loved Ice Queen. I was waiting for Eden's story from Book 1, and Maggie Kay definitely did not disappoint. It kept me on the the edge of my seat, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what was going to happen. I can't wait to read more from this author.

[Corinne [hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 dark mafia stars

Ice Queen is book 2 in the Echoes of the underworld series but I guess it could be read as a standalone. There are enough elements in the beginning of the book to understand the context.
This has some of my favorite tropes of 2020: dark mafia, enemies to lovers, fake dating and arranged marriage.
Alessio and Eden are the cousins of the main characters from "Black Heart", the first instalment in this series. Alessio is pressured by his father to get married as a condition to take over the family business. Eden is a traitor in the eyes of the Valsettis and Kastratis as she chose to save her cousin instead of her brother. Eden agrees to pose as Alessio's fiancée in front of his family in exchange for money and freedom.
Their relationship is angsty, hateful and spiteful in the beginning. I really enjoyed their banter. Eden is very closed off and feels very guilty about betraying her brother. Alessio struggles with proving his worth to his father and being the one who handles all the bloody business affairs of him family.
I liked this book more than Black Heart. There is an action scene at the end of the book that reads like a movie. It is really well done.
However, I was confused about Alessio's reactions that were not very much in line with his thoughts but I guess this happens in real life as well cause actions are driven more often than not by emotions that we don't always recognize. And I think I would have liked some more scenes of how they come to fall in love because it was not very obvious to me.
Overall, it was a nice read, a bit darker than what I usually read but fun nevertheless.

***ARC received from author in exchange for an honest review***

[Peta Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an Advanced Copy and devoured it so damn fast, and once finished I just wanted more!

I have followed Maggie Kay since her first book, and I have to say this is my favorite to date! It has been truly wonderful to watch this author grow and develop. Every book just gets better and better.

There were so many twists in Ice Queen that I didn't see coming, and so much more suspense than I'd anticipated. I actually yelled out loud at the book several times making myself look like a complete looney.

I love the way Maggie was able to make two unlikable characters from the first installment of the series, Alessio and Eden. Into two amazing and lovable characters in their own story.

So much is happening all the time. You will feel sad, laugh, swoon, smile, AND fall in love with Alessio and Eden.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series - Luca and Scarlet.

[Allyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. I so wanted to see what Maggie was going to do with Eden and she didn't disappoint. I felt really bad for her because she was domed if she did or if she didn't. She still head her head high and I loved that about her. She might have been so sad on the inside but she wasn't going to back down. I loved watching her and Alessio fall for each other. There were twist and turns that I loved reading. It was a great addition to the series. I can't wait to see what where we go with Luca !!

[Jasmine Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ice Queen would have to be my new favourite book written by Maggie Kay. Her writing just gets better and better with each book. I loved reading Eden and Alessio’s story so much that I found it hard to put the book down.
Eden is definitely an ice queen but as the story develops it becomes clear why Eden is the way she is and she becomes quite a likeable character as does Alessio even with his playboy, partying ways. The pair have chemistry that will see you smiling, laughing and at times fanning yourself to cool down.
I give this book 5 stars and highly recommend this book.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I hoped for. After loving the first book in the series I had high expectations and this exceeded them! Highly recommend!!

[Shae · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Rat & The Playboy....good reading

Ice Queen draws you in from the first line! This is book 2 in the Echoes from the Underworld series and it is a great read just like book 1.

Eden, also known as the Ice Queen or the Rat decides to enter into an arrangement with Alessio that allows her to leave the US and the judging and prying eyes of the people who know her.

Alessio is an underground king and a known playboy. He wants to take over the entire business but his father insists that he must be married in order to have the reigns handed over.

He notices something in Eden that draws him, she thinks he does not know how to be serious. Can these two play together and appear as a loving engaged couple? Will this acting cause them to develop feelings for each other?

In order to fully understand the story behind Eden and Alessio's meeting, it is recommended to read Black Heart.

This is my second book by Maggie Kay and I must say that I enjoy her stories.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:

Easy-to-read, Happily Ever After, Page-turner, Twisted, Unpredictable, Wonderful characters

[Michelle Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best book for a rainy weekend on your favorite couch or in bed with some chocolates and wine!
A definite must read.
I look forward to more of Maggie Kay's books!

[Tasha Talks Books Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing Story

This story was able to draw me and make me fall in love with the characters. Alessio was everything and so much more. Being able to read about pain and love. Having to make difficult decisions that you will carry with you for a lifetime.

This is totally a must read!

[Idalia Helaena · Rating 5 out of 5]

They call her the Ice Queen...

Eden Kastrati’s life irrevocably changed the moment she decided to betray her brother in order to save her cousin’s life. Considered a traitor to her own family, Eden is shunned and mistrusted by everyone in the Underworld except for her cousin, Sofia, and Sofia’s new husband, who just happens to be the brother of the man who killed her father and brother. With her uncle in control of her fortune, Eden is trapped, unable to go anywhere or do anything she dreams of. Cue Alessio Valsetti. Alessio is a Valsetti, part of the family who destroyed Eden’s. Although the Valsettis and the Kastratis are now at peace, Eden is still incredibly distrustful of them, and playboy Alessio always finds a way to get under her skin. Alessio, meanwhile, is facing problems of his own. His father has been trying to find a suitable bride for him, and Alessio doesn’t want to get married. But when his father threatens to pass down the family business to his brother-in-law Roberto instead, he realizes it’s time to act. So he forms a plan, and Eden is the main part of it. Now the challenge is getting her to agree.

“Ice Queen” is the second installment in Maggie Kay’s Echoes from the Underworld series. This is a heated mafia romance with both dark and light elements. I completely recommend this book and this series! As the author states at the beginning of the book, “this book contains violence, graphic language, sensitive subject manner and sexual content which is intended for mature audiences 18 and over.”

*i received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG OMG OMG! I loved this installment. It's brilliant.
The story was not original (Enemies turned to lovers trope. Hero asked heroine to pretend to be his fiance but both ended up falling for each other) but the execution was ... flawless.
I absolutely adored the storyline, the climax as well as the twists and turns. Let's not forget the couple!
Seriously, I couldn't stop putting this book down. It's amazing.

Eden

She's drop, dead gorgeous. Blond with beautiful blue eyes. A total ice queen - as everybody referred to her as. She was one! She had to, that's the only she could protect herself. If she were vulnerable, she would be open targets for her enemies.

Alessio

He's hot, sexy and had this laid back, aloof vibe around him. One would think he's got no responsibilities and his hobbies were going to clubs - flirting with women and getting into their pants. However, what he portrayed was not his true identity. Once in Italy, he resumed his familial duty in taking care of the business. He's ruthless, too.

Their story stemmed back from Sofia and Nicolai's book. Read my review here.
You'd have to read the first installment in order to fully comprehend the way everybody treated Eden and why she put up this wall against the world.

[Kathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the first few chapters there was a phrase repeated so much or variations of the phrase that I was ready to put it down. ( it will be memorable) I am glad I did not, even though that phrase was repeated more, the story itself took a turn in a good way. This is an easy read with some steamy scenes. The characters had a good back story and it was well written. Would recommend if you are looking for a story to pass a few hours.

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written

4.5 stars. Eden certainly presents herself as an ice cold mafia queen. Thrown into an arrangement not of her choosing with Alessio, to save herself from the repercussions of saving Sophia in Black Heart. We’re lead along their enemies to lovers winding story. Mafia undertones. Enjoyable read.

Looking forward to reading Luca’s story next.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (9/5/2021)! 🎁

[Ada Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story ,

Somthing a bit different .well put together, it was good to already know eden from the previous book, it gave insight to her life

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book- would definitely reccomend !!!