Vow to the King

by Shanna Handel

The king of the mafia swore off love. Then he met… her.

Emilia

It starts as an interview.
The mafia king needs brides for his brothers.
An arranged marriage to bind our families.

He sees the bruises I wear.
He wants to protect me.
He demands to be obeyed.

He steals me from my home.
I fight back.
But when he puts his hands on me…

I find my resistance is useless.
Each time I push him away, it’s with weaker hands.
He took my innocence, but I can’t let him take...

My heart.


Liam

She’s a tiny thing, so young and naïve.
Beautiful and brave but loyal to a fault.
She needs the firm hand of a strong man.

Just… not my own.
She was meant to marry one of my brothers.
I never wanted a ring on my own finger.

But now I want to put my hands on her.
Tear her innocence away from her.
Be the first and the only man to touch her.

I can’t get her out of my mind.
I’ve gone from wanting to punish her…
To wanting to make her mine.

Genres: Romance, BDSM, Dark, Mafia Romance, Dark Romance, Contemporary, Marriage Of Convenience

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 2, 2022

About the author

Shanna Handel is an Internationally Bestselling author of high-heat romantic suspense. If you like plot-heavy page turners with lots of heat and an HEA with found family, this author is for you.

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https://www.shannahandelromance.com/

Reviews

[Bonny Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It's an entertaining story that's wicked, sexy and hot, but also sweet and romantic.

I loved all the characters, from the H and h to his brothers and Charlie and all the other "Bachman Brides". I even loved the h's father and brothers who were perfectly mean and cruel! All the characters were well written and had some depth!

The h is a mafia princess who is innocent, but not ignorant. She doesn't want to be "owned" by anyone, but knows she will eventually be married off to the highest bidder for her family's benefit. Her one solice is reading her deceased mother's books, those in the library as well as the stash of wicked romance novels she found hidden in the attic and now hidden under her bed. She's titilated by the stories in her mother's naughty romance books and though she's loyal to her family, she sometimes dreams of a wicked hero of her own to come save her.

The H worked his way up in the Bachman Mafia family enterprise in the U.S. He has been sent to Italy to lead their expansion there. He has some history behind him that makes him a man who avoids emotional entanglements. He is known for being cold and emotionless. Though marriage is not for him, he has decided that it is time for his brothers to do so. He thinks the h is a perfect candidate, but has to decide which of his 6 brothers she would best suit.

The only problem is, he's finding it difficult to chose one of his brothers because the more time he spends with her, disciplines her, the more he wants her. Though he still refuses to choose her for himself, he soon realizes how difficult it would be seeing her with one of his brothers everyday. That leads him to do something he quickly regrets when he finds out what resulted after, which leads to another rash decision that could start a war among the families.

I loved their interactions ... sometimes funny, sometimes anxious, sometimes angry. I loved the slow burn to finally admitting love as they navigate their families and try to evade a war. I loved that he eventually made her feel strong, confident and loved, while she taught him how to feel again and not fear loving someone.

This was a well written, fast paced and easy read. This story ends at page 244. The remaining pages include an epilogue which is a teaser to the next book in this series (another brother's story), as well as previews (1st chapters) to that story and other books this author has written. Based on what I've read so far, I will definitely be reading more Shanna Handel books! 5 stars for this one.

[Aleja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este libro es una locura. No sé aún si es una locura hermosa creada por esta autora o si es una locura totalmente desquiciante.

Mucho de este libro no tiene ni sentido ni modo de ser😂. Es todo tan ????????? la mayoría del libro.

Diría spoiler pero la verdad es que no me apetece.
Si quieres leerlo, adelante, sus escenas de sexo son picantes pero hasta ahí. Mi escena favorita se encuentra entre los primeros capítulos.

La verdad es que no puedo pensar en esta historia sin reírme de tan loco y sin sentido que fue todo😂🤭. Like... I can't😂😂😂

Léanlo si tienen ganas de pasar el rato, yo por mi parte iré a leer la historia de Connan que es dueño de un club🔥 y me interesa más😉.

[Toni L · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the latest standalone entry in the Bachman world and comes with it's own HEA. Since I generally commence a new book with a feeling of goodwill and I'm generally a fan of the works from this author I was surprised at the level of dislike that this book left me with. I'm there to enjoy the result of what the author has worked over and I don't understand the readers who only ever seem to complain about what they read. This book, however, left me very little to like. While I sympathised with Emilia, I never really liked her. Likewise, Liam left me feeling actively antagonistic towards him. Overall, I found Emilia to be a pawn in the games of the men, with no personal sovereignty, swapping a manipulative, abusive family for a controlling, manipulative man interested in owning her for his own pleasure. This book also walked it's own line when it came to things like plausibility and timelines. For instance, the beginning of the story is set mostly in Emilia's hometown in Italy, but there is nothing in this book that really places it there and all the characters throughout seem very American. Also, without giving spoilers, there's interaction with Emilia's family bringing a change, but it's all very simplistic with no real depth to what's happened on a personal level.
I've read a number of books from this author and looking back through the list I've always rated towards the higher end, so hopefully this book is just a blip and I'll go back to enjoying her work again with the next book.

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

honestly liam just gave me the ick, dnf at 24%

[Kathy Heare Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE BEAUTY WITH HER BEAST

The story is a great addition to the Bachman sagas. This story takes place in Italy, where Liam Bachman has decided to find suitable wives for his brothers and cousins—but he has no plans to marry himself. He needs to find alliances to strengthen the family—he has the men, but he needs mafia princesses. Near his home is the Accardi clan with one unmarried female, Emilia.

“Next time, keep your runs at the gym, little girl. There are wolves in these woods.”

Liam: Has your family made you aware of our offer?
Emilia: I’ve been raised knowing that I would be married off for my family’s benefit. I just didn’t realize it would be to this family. A family where it’s okay to just accost a girl on the road.

The story will have two people who have no intention of marriage, finding them being forced into a marriage arrangement. The attraction and chemistry between them are noticeable to those around them. Emilia believes if she ruins her chance for marriage, she can move on with her life, but that isn’t the mafia way. Liam has only one choice, to make it right with her family and the man who she was promised—before this becomes a war.

“They could not marry. And start a war. Putting every single one of us in danger.” –Sasha

“But I can’t start a war, especially not now that I see the faces of those who would be fighting for me. What have I done?”

Once Rockland and Tess arrive at the Parish, the decision is made, Liam and Emilia will marry, retribution will be issued, and in the Bachman way of life, marriage is forever. Liam and Emilia’s fate has been sealed.

The story has plenty of angst and passion. The chemistry between pours off the pages. It is always fun to see how the Bachmans handle whatever comes their way. It was fun seeing the private Bachman ceremony. While the story is part of an ongoing saga, it will read well as a stand-alone. There is power exchange with discipline, explicit scenes, and unseen but revealed violence (not to our main characters.)

[Serialbookstarter:Marla · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a DNF for me . It seemed juvenile as far as the mafia trope and the kink/bdsm. The way the H gets her naked and punishes her right of the bat when he’s supposedly gonna marry her off to his brother. The whole ow thing was wasted because he calls the ow the widow. I’m surprised The Widow didn’t call the H Spider-Man. Just too corny. Then the whole thing about he can’t get with the h Emilia because her name is too close to his dead daughter Emily. Why was this even a thing because the way it was presented was too clinical to derive any angst. It was so mundane like another day at the office. That idea should have been axed. Bad idea!
Then the whole thing with her brother wanting to go all Circe with the h . Again just out of the blue… with no feeling or angst… so the H cuts his hand off but again no feels pulled from it. Then the horse, the monkey , the cat and the B- hive. This book was Fantasy Island meets Dr Doolittle::: you just gotta laugh at the incongruity. It’s like this book is a big ole pot of goulash. She cleaned out the fridge and threw every ingredient she had into the pot then forgot to add any seasonings. Yeah this book was like mind throw up. 🤮

[Katie&Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

actual rating 3.5

Starting off I really did not like Emilia. She just kind of seemed very young and bratty. As the book progressed, so did my feelings towards her! I love that she always stood up to Liam and wasn't afraid to be assertive for what she wanted. Also, her love of pets just made me love her. Liam was such a Bachman and I would expect nothing less than what he gave! He loves to punish Emilia when she acts like a brat and that is exactly what she needs!

[Patricia Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredible read. I couldn't put it down.
I received an ARC for a voluntary and honest review.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love dark books and mafia books, put them together and bam insta love for me. The story and characters played scenes in my head till the very end. The author wrote a great story.

[Megan Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a great story and very spicy 🔥🔥🔥

I loved this story from start to finish and would definitely recommend it to anyone! One of my favorite books I’ve read this year.

[Charlene Gaskins · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a huge disappointment. I have read some excellent novels from different authors that are about the Mafia, Bratva, Syndicate etc., genre. I DNF this book became it became too predictable. I like to give authors I'm not familiar with a chance by reading their books, but found that this book was just another "read and repeat" of an arranged marriage with a twist. The premise had promise but wasn't well executed. The writing wasn't bad but the storyline and characters weren't great or unique. You have a young inexperienced heroine, Emilia and and over the top Tarzan/terminator MMC in Liam. Emilia's brothers and father aren't even noteworthy because they are just pond scum from the onset of this book and her character starts out as feisty and strong and quickly succumbs to just another "defeated female heroine" that is controlled by sex and lust that ends up falling in love with her capture.

The whole "punishment" of Emilia like she is a trained dog through sex was again....read and repeat. Some authors are able to combine BDSM or kink in a story line and it is erotic while others just go from 1-100 which is what Liam did. Give me a break...she's a virgin and he goes all Tarzan on her. I was waiting for him to pound his chest. There are too many good authors who know how to craft a good read in this genre to waste my time on a book that is predictable from page one.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (12/27/2022)! 🎁

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another simply wonderful riveting, full on action read with the Bachman’s at it again
This was a quite different read to one of the Bachman Brothers and their relationships and I will impress on you the fact that this story is full of twists and turns and lots of past hurts that have left both individuals with a number of hurts they have carried deep inside for a long time.
Liam Bachman is the head of his small brotherhood and has just started to look for women for his brothers to bring into their fold which is a process that is very carefully undertaken and which he is extremely determined to get right.
Imagine his surprise when one of the first names on the list is from the broken rundown estate across the water, her family is known to him and he is not particularly happy about the cruelty the brothers and father are renowned for. However, when he sees Emilia as she answers the questions he puts before her about marriage to one of his brothers she speaks openly about the fact she knows she is simply being sold off to fund her brothers and father who are broke.
When he notices the bruises on her arms that have obviously been given to her by one of her brother’s he decides that he is going to keep her at their estate, safe until her father turned up to see if he was willing to pay the dowery amount requested. She had other ideas and sneaked back home unfortunately angering her father that showed his wrath in the usual manner, leaving her with a bruised cheek where he hit her.
Liam’s obvious concern for her had been a surprise and even though she had met all of his brothers she was not able to get him out of her mind, she knew he visited the woman across the lake to have his needs met and this had hurt her.
When her father suddenly decided that he was now going to suddenly marry her off to John Romano a man that was old enough to be her grandfather she knew she had to get out and one of her brothers “Mattia” had left her door open so she could escape, fortunately Liam had helped her taking her to the Parish, which was a small private island in Greece.
As Liam and Emilia spend more time together it is obvious that there is a chemistry there but she has decided that she is not going to be married off and become someone’s responsibility, she has lived like a captive in her father house and since the day her mother died. It had been nothing more than a prison, there was no love, no laughter and her brothers especially the eldest were nasty and frightening barely controlling their tempers around her.
Liam had known that him removing her from her brother and fathers’ clutches would cause problems, however he had also upset the Romano family as well and he knew that this was going to cause financial hardship and this was also something he had been discussing with the head of the Bachman’s Rockland and his wife Tess who were visiting the island.
I guarantee that you will find yourself riveted with this book, there is so much happening and you cannot help but hope that Liam and Emilia find a solution to their problems.
I do not want to spoil the plot so will say no more about the three of them, I assure you that you will enjoy every single moment of this book.
I assure you that you will love every moment of this book it is simply a fantastic read.
I voluntarily received and review an Advanced Reader Copy
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading any future publications; keep up all the great writing.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

“Vow to the King” is a dark mafia romance by Shanna Handel, and it’s a great addition to the Bachman universe of stories. In this book, Liam Bachman has been granted the responsibility of establishing the Bachman family presence in a part of Italy that is entirely new to them. As part of that effort, he intends to marry off his four single blood brothers (and several single Bachman brothers) in keeping with the mafia tradition of making strategically advantageous marriages. These Bachmann Brothers based at the Villa in Italy will be the focus of future books.

Emelia Accardi has grown up as the only daughter in the mafia family ruled by her hard-nosed father. She’s learned to stay out of the way of his violent reach and that of her equally vicious brothers. Although she’s always known that they would marry her off someday in the interests of gaining money and connections for the Accardi family, when they decide the time has come, she can’t manage to be meek about it and simply accept whatever her fate is going to be. Liam interviews her as a potential bride for one of his Bachman brothers, but then complications and more complications arise.

I don’t want to share too much about the plot because it’s a good one, filled with twists and turns and powerful, unexpected emotion. Liam’s backstory is heartbreaking; you’ll just have to read the book if you want to find out why, because I’m not spoiling it for you! There is an age gap between Liam and Emelia, and some domestic discipline because that’s the way of the Bachman family. Their connection is a steamy one, but the feelings quickly move beyond that. If you’ve read other books in the Bachman World, you’ll find characters you recognize playing secondary roles in this story. There are dark moments in the story, as befitting a dark mafia romance, but there are also lighthearted moments to balance it out. I thought this story was well-crafted. It pulled me in and kept me turning pages until I finished it in one sitting, just like with other engaging stories by this author.

[Stats23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure, I am a huge fan of Shanna Handel and I grab and consume everything she writes. Why? Because she never disappoints! Her books are always well written, have great characters and great plots, and deliver the goods when it comes to action, discipline, sex and romance. What more could you ask for? This newest book takes us back a bit into the original roots of the Bachman dynasty. After all, they are a mafia (even though a benevolent one) and are violent when the situation calls for it. It’s a good reminder of their heritage, starting with the Bronson era. To the Bachman’s family is everything and marriages are arranged to both expand and protect the Family. Emilia, a neighbor of Liam’s family, is to be married to one of his brothers to do just that. Emilia lost her mom at a young age and lives a repressed life with her overbearing father and not so nice brothers. She has a strong personality with great inner strength and little tolerance for men’s dominance and stupidity. Liam has his own sad history that taints him against marriage, but he’s quite willing to arrange brides for his brothers. He takes his responsibilities very seriously and has little tolerance for disobedience. When these two’s paths cross there are going to be clashes. Sparks are sure to fly, and they do, but the fires that they light are very romantically and sexually charged. This is another great Bachman spanking romance with lots of wonderful, and sometimes funny, interactions between Liam and Emilia. In the end, the allure of Family and the strength and support of the Beauties tilts the scales of acceptance. We also get a glimpse into one of the Bachman’s most secret rituals and find out just how far the Beauties will go to welcome a new Family member. Breathtakingly beautiful! 5 Stars
I received and advance copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving my review.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vow to the King is a new dark Bachman Mafia romance that looks like it sets off a new spin off series! Emilia has grown up as a princess in her mafia family, but has always dreamed of a different life. When Liam finds her, he thinks she’d be the perfect candidate as a wife for his brothers, but he can’t get her off of his mind. They quickly learn that actions have consequences in their world, and what feels like an escape could lead to a trap. Can they find trust and love from their situation?

Wow, okay, this book was just great! I felt like I was taken into this whirlwind of emotion, from passion to rejection, from fear to acceptance, and from heartache to love. This book was perhaps a little darker than some of the previous Bachman books, but I loved seeing some of the same elements that you would find in Ms. Handel’s other books. I really loved Emilia and Liam, loved their struggles and the ways they found peace and comfort in the other. Emilia was an interesting character for me. I really liked her and felt like I could relate to a lot of her emotions. But I loved that she grew and needed to accept her life as it had been dealt to her, within the mafia life, as a wife, and all of the responsibilities that comes with her life. She grew, and had the stern hand of her man to help her. Liam was dominant, in charge, and despised rudeness. I liked how he responded to some of Emilia’s sassy side, and I loved how he couldn’t get her out of his head. I liked them together! I loved their ups and downs and struggles to finding their happily ever after. And I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the Bachman world!

[Amanda Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Liam and Emilia. Liam Bachman is organizing the Bachman business interests in Italy. He has no time for a woman in his life. He wants to enlist the aid of her family, the Accardi brothers to be henchmen for the Bachman family. He encounters Emilia while she’s on a late night run on the a deserted road. He lets her know it’s not acceptable and sends her home. He’s looking for wives for his brothers. Emilia’s family has sent her for the interview because they want an alliance with the Bachman family. They need the money that will bring them. She wants her freedom and has no desire to be married off. He’s almost ready to write her off and send her back to her brothers and father. However, he sees evidence of abuse and he’ll not tolerate that.
He decides he’ll keep her safe there until he decides on a husband suited for her. Or will he? Liam has a pull toward her that he can’t explain and certainly doesn’t want. This is a hot and steamy story of two people trying their best to convince themselves they don’t need each other. It has a strong female and a Bachman man. We know they’re all about discipline. This is a great story that mentions a lot of the other families from other Shanna Handel novels. As with all the Shanna stories, you feel as if your in the book and can feel the landscape around you. You can practically see the mountains and vineyards all around! I highly recommend this book and all Shanna Handel romances. This is an honest advanced reader copy review.

[Michelle Sticht · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was so good. I am addicted to the Bachman stories!

Emilia was raised in a mafia family, she always knew that she wouldn't marry for love. She run into dark, mysterious man while she is out running. Though she didn't know she would meet him again. The next day she interviewed with him to be set up to maybe be married. But during that time he saw something on her arm so he end up making her stay. She feels a connection to this man, enjoys spending time with him. She wants to be away from her family and she never wants to get married and be controled by a man. Will she be willing to do everything it takes to be happy? Why does she feel such a pull to this man? Can he protect her from her family? Will she ever marry?

Liam is a man that has so much pain in his past that he never wants to get married. He thinks it's time to make arranged marriages for his brothers to help make alliances. He meets this girl that changes everything for him. He knows he needs to make arranges but he can't think of any of his brothers with her without getting jealous. But his decisions can cause so much trouble for him and his family. Will he do everything he needs to not to cause a war? Can he find happiness? Will he ever marry? Can he move on from his painful past? Can he always protect her like he wants?

This man knows how to make her body sing! He is dominant and super sexy! She loves pushing his boundaries and earning some punishments! Some steamy smut!

This book does have punishments in it like spankings.

[Patricia C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good with a beautiful story line and I enjoy reading Shanna Handel’s style of writing.

The Bachman Brotherhood was expanding in Italy and Liam Bachman was the leader destined to organize the expansion. The Brotherhood consists of his four blood brothers and three Russo brothers. Liam had a tragedy in his life when he was younger and decided he would never marry. He was looking to find wives for his seven brothers when he ran upon a young lady running at night on a dark road in the woods. He stopped and asked why she out running and he told her little girls should be home and turned her around to go home and told he better not catch her out running by herself in the woods. Liam had a friends with benefits with the widow Russo. The next day he had an interview to vet women for his brothers when Emilia came through the door. Emilia was the only daughter and the youngest with four brothers who basically abused her as well as her father. Her father wanted to marry her off to the highest bidder. Liam felt he needed to protect Emilia but he thought he wasn’t looking for a wife. This book is so good you have to read it and I highly recommend reading this book. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series “Mafia Fire”. Hats off to the author.

[Liz Garcia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope... not for me!

I love mafia romances. I love strong, possessive alpha males. I did not like this one at all. First of all, Emilia was just... I can't even explain... I didn't like her. Liam humiliated her from the get-go. He punished her in a way that was just too much. The spanking wasn't an issue. It was how he made her take her clothes off. I felt anger and humiliation for her. The other thing I hated was that she was a virgin, but she liked it rough from the gate. NOPE. Also, the whole obey thing. Are you kidding? I have a really hard time dealing with that. Just because you treat someone well does not mean they can't have an opinion or their feelings shouldn't be taken into account all for the sake of obedience. Nope... will not read another novel.

[Sammie Bow]

DNF at 56%. I just couldn’t get into it. It was…odd. Liam and Emilia weren’t romantic in any way, they first met and he chased and groped her to ‘teach her a lesson’ when she was running outside her house. He was sleeping with his hookup even after the main characters met and he says repeatedly about how much he wants her. And there was other stuff I found odd too so I gave up.

[Sammi Chev · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a mess. Halfway through we left the mafia genre and entered a real housewives episode it was so weird. I’m not even sure the MCs actually fell in love. I’ve read and enjoyed other books from this author but this was a miss for me.

[Kathyjacks · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

Ewww he goes between his f*ck buddy and the heroine when he’s getting turned on . Then he runs back to the buddy again. Gross.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a Book sometime back, could have been 3 books... that I actually read but it was also about the Bachman family and How they formed a brotherhood in Ny and an Island ...

The Bachman Brotherhood was expanding into Italy and Liam Bachman was the leader destined to organize the expansion.
The Brotherhood consists of his four blood brothers and three Russo brothers.
Liam had a tragedy in his life when he was younger and decided he would never marry...
He was looking to find wives for his seven brothers when he ran upon a young lady running at night on a dark road in the woods. ... Even tho he knew who she was he stopped and asked why she was out running at night and so late at that .....he told her little girls should be home and turned her around to go home and told he better not catch her out running by herself in the woods....
Liam had benefits with the widow Russo ... (if you catch that meaning ).
The next day he had an interview to vet women for his brothers when Emilia came through the door. Emilia was the only daughter and the youngest with four brothers who basically abused her as well as her father. Her father wanted to marry her off to the highest bidder.

Liam felt he needed to protect Emilia but he wasn’t looking for a wife... A lot goes on and the names of the people from the previous books I read are mentioned.... so Now I have to find those books to re read and get caught up as to why it took so long to have more books ....

This book is good I did Like it .... Looking forward to reading the next book in the series “Mafia Fire”..... But definitely not before i re read the books that started this Bachman family mafia type story ....

[J M L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh!

A cat, a monkey, a puppy and a horse walk into a mafia book. No thats not the start of a joke, that is this supposed dark mafia romance story.
I love a good mafia romance, and this one started out strong, but about half way in it fizzled and at the three quarter mark it just died.
This story lacked a solid flow. It bounced all over the place, giving me emotional whiplash. Some parts were so ludicrous I couldn't help but laugh even though they weren't supposed to be funny. Because of that the relationship between the two main characters lacked the much needed chemistry and never really developed.
I liked that the author was trying to give the mafia women some power, but the whole B-Hive thing just came across as shallow and silly. It completely voided any chance of this book actually being a dark mafia romance. The heroine spent far too much time in said B-Hive which then had me skimming chapters.
Then there was the incident at the alter, along with all of the other animal altercations. If the B-Hive wasn't enough for this book to lose its dark romance cred, the animals sealed its fate. It was like Dr. Doolittle meets the mafia.
Its rare that I dont finish a book, but at the 80% mark when the heroine, who unfortunately comes across as a complete flake, is mounting a horse I just couldnt do it anymore.
If you're in search of a dark mafia romance this is not it.

[Donna Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just keeps on giving. And I enjoyed the build-up and plot twist
throughout. The push and pull between Liam and Emilia, combined with
the searing connection, made for some mind-blowing scenes. The candid
portrayal of this couple as they struggled with their feelings for each
other was well thought out. I feel that once Liam and Emilia stopped fighting
their feelings, they helped heal each other from past hurts but how Emilia
enjoyed pushing Liam’s buttons.

Emilia was no shrinking violet and had no intentions of being used to forge
a relationship between two Mafia families, but running off with Liam was
bound to start a war.

Liam had no intentions of getting married and was only interested in Emilia
as a potential wife for one of his brothers, but fate was a funny creature.
He did everything in his power to fight his attraction to Emilia but to no
avail. Their fate was sealed.

This book had a different feel and had a darker edge with moments of
brutality. The secondary characters from previous books appeared and
added depth to the storyline. If this is a taste of what
to expect from the Italian side of the Bachman family, then we are in for
a treat.

[Hanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these characters, Liam and his brothers and Emilia.
Emilia is caught and bond to a life she absolutely detests and wants no part in.
When her mother died all the love and happiness also died in Emilia’s house.
Being the Mafia Princess of the Accardi family she is expected to be docile, seen and not heard and an asset to her father and brothers.
Liam is the head of the Bachman Mafia in Italy.
In order to strengthen his holding and his presence he needs to make alliances with other families through marriage.
So he sets up meetings with prospective brides for his brothers.
But one little feisty girl has caught his attention.
I adored the interactions between Liam and Emilia. They were entertaining and sexy.
I liked that Emilia was sassy and flirty with Liam, she didn’t let her family’s cruelty towards her break her.
Sometimes her actions were childish and annoying.
But fortunately there was development and growth in her character.
Hopefully in future books we get glimpses of them because I’d really like to see all of Liam’s dreams fulfilled, you’ll understand once you read the book.
**3.7 stars**

[Sunniva Berg · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have to say I absolutely loved the book. I’m gonna admit that i was skeptical since im really picky on my Mafia Romance books. But this one was amazing and addictive. I also decided pretty fast that this would be a book I would really enjoy, thanks to one of the best quotes i have ever read in my life

“There’s a special place in hell for people who disrespect books like you do”

This story follows Emilia and Liam for both their perspective and the intense love story between them was incredible. You have Emilia who comes from a mafia family where violence and abuse is high up on the list as she is getting forced to marry of to the highest bidder. She has heard all these things about how Liam´s family punishes women who don’t obey them, but the punishment is not what she thought it would be. And who knows maybe she ends up liking and maybe even enjoy the punishment Liam gives her if she don’t behave

I would have loved read more about Emilia and Liam, to see how their story will evolve from now. So if you are looking for a good Mafia read with a good amount of spice then I absolutely recommend you to read this book

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,75
Me gustó, pero quería ACCIÓN, SANGRE Y VENGANZA.
El protagonista es el hermano mayor de una familia de mafiosos, y está buscando esposa para uno de sus demás hermanos; y la protagonista es hija de una familia de mafiosos pero les falta dinero, por lo que deciden casar a su hija al mejor postor y obtener dinero a cambio...
Para ser un libro de mafia y dark romance, la verdad es muy suave, es decir que no hay mucha acción en el ámbito criminal/mafia, no hay muertes, lo único fuerte aparte de las escenas explícitas BDSM, es que el protagonista le cortó la mano derecha al hermano de la protagonista, pero no hay descripción de cómo lo hizo, también hay agresiones físicas (violencia doméstica) del padre de la protagonista hacía ella, solo al principio.
En el ámbito romántico estuvo bueno, el protagonista desde el momento uno siempre tuvo la intención de proteger a la protagonista y poco a poco el amor entre ellos fue progresando y siendo sincero.
Leer el pov de él enamorado me motivaban a seguir leyendo el libro.
Cuando uno lee mafia romance, siempre espera que al 80% del libro pase algo BOOM, pero no pasó acá, hubo un problemilla pero nada que sea de mucho drama.

[Terra · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! I loved this book. Another Bachman story but back to the bit darker Mafia parts of the Bachman and oh my god, this book was so hot and steamy. I was a bit shocked but I loved it. Liam Bachman is looking for women to marry his family, he doesn't want to get married and isn't looking but when he sees Emilia, he is drawn to her but decides that he will see who of his brothers she fits with best. He can't make that decision and when she runs, he punishes her and he realizes that he is developing feelings so like in all great love stories he pushes her away and poor girl her father decides to make her marry a man that is old enough to be her grandfather. When Liam finds out he goes to her and mistakes are made and they need to leave and go to the Bachman island to figure it all out. It is just a great story. Can't wait to see who each of the other men in Liam's family find for to be their beauties.

I received an advance reader copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.