Lilac and Honey

The Italian Mafia #1

by Ada Taylor

** Please read warnings and triggers below! **

Eliana Mariani had two secrets she planned on taking to her grave. Eliana's first secret was driven by fear, and completely justifiable. When Eliana was nine she pulled the fire alarm at her school's Christmas concert because the thought of having to sing her Silent Night solo gave her hives. Her second secret was driven by desire, and inexcusable. No matter how hard she tried to deny it, Eliana knew Apollo Costa was the hottest man she'd ever met.

Eliana has spent her entire life trying to distance herself from her family's criminal enterprise. An arranged engagement to Apollo Costa threw her right back into the life she thought she'd finally escaped. When Eliana's father cashes in a favor, Eliana has no choice but to accept a proposal from Apollo. Aside from being his family's enforcer, Apollo was especially good at one ruining Eliana's life. Every day it got harder for Eliana to balance her dream of becoming an attorney and marrying an underboss.

Eliana knew just how evil the world she'd grown up in could be. Desperate to right the wrongs Eliana's family had committed, she dedicated her life to doing good. Eliana dreamed of one day leaving this world of crime and death behind, but deep down she knew there was no escape. Apollo on the other hand, felt no remorse for the sins he'd committed. He'd made a deal with the devil years ago, and never looked back. He had plans to take over for his father, and continue his family's legacy. He would have never agreed to marry Eliana if he thought there was another way to protect his family.

Although he tried to deny it, Eliana was becoming quite the distraction. Eliana thought she was hiding her attraction for him, but Apollo saw right through her little act. The walls to her bedroom were quite thin, and Apollo had developed a terrible habit of walking by her room late at night. He was addicted to the way his name rolled off of her tongue when she thought no one was listening.

Includes mature themes, murder/crime, and topics such as sexual assault and abortion.

Genres: Romance, Mafia Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Marriage Of Convenience, Dark Romance

507 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 15, 2022

Reviews

[Hanna K. Brojan · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF!!!
This was so bad 😭 the start was good but 12% into the book and ive lost it! The plot is fine, a little cliche but THE WRITING, oh the writing is so bad that I couldn’t continue reading, im sorry but what in the wattpad world was this?🥲

[Tequila Sunrise · Rating 1 out of 5]

You do not want to know how confused I was after not reading the description, just the title and purchasing. Flabbergasted to say the least. I also fully did not realize that it was a mafia book until SH!T GOES DOWN.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were glimpses of a good book throughout the whole story, but a large majority of it fell flat. It was clear the author was going for like a powerful woman takes no shit lawyer that has a soft side, which she accomplished but I think the balancing of the two needed work. I also think that because the author focused a lot on trying to get those two sides of the fmc, there wasn’t a lot of explanation for a lot of her actions which just left me like ??? The mmc was fine, nothing particularly special tho I kinda wish there was more from him, both background wise and action wise. Like he did a lot of threatening but like he killed people very rarely so it just felt like he liked bluffing

[Jay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Non-Spoiler Section

DNF 35%

"As the dress fell, I caught it as it dropped off my shoulders."

Lilac and Honey (as much as I read) is full of sentences just like this. There's a lot of repetition and poor grammar. The above quote is directly copied from the KindleUnlimited version of the book.

Characters appear and disappear for no good reason. We jump from scene to scene very abruptly at times. And the conversations between characters feel stilted and unnatural.

BookTok failed me on this one because as much as I tried to force myself to finish I just COULDN'T. I would not recommend this book.

SPOILERS BELOW

Some of the scenes that really bothered me:

Eliana just up and SHOOTS a man (who's tied to a chair being tortured by Apollo) in the head because... it's their engagement party and Apollo is supposed to be with Eliana even though they hate each other... I guess? Even though she is an ATTORNEY who supposedly HATES her family's mafia ties.

Apollo's sister shows up to stay at his place, gets convinced not to skip school by Eliana, and then.... just doesn't come up again. We don't even get told if she left or is still staying at the house.

Eliana 'deals' with a risk to the mafia's dealings but we don't actually SEE it happen because we're in Apollo's POV. All we know is she leaves and comes back with cut up hands and says she 'talked' to a girl her brother Frankie was maybe sleeping with/being blackmailed by. A girl who was dating/ getting information from an associate of her other brother Raff (It's all very vague and confusing). But SOMEHOW it magically fixes the relationship with the associate! Again: she's supposed to be an attorney and hates being part of her family but it's insinuated she got violent with someone for her family's sake?

[Aimet · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 49%

Not sure what happened but I lost the sudden urge finish and lost interest in the characters.

The FMC Eliana was supposed to be a badass FMC but she just felt short. Didn’t care to find out the rest of their story or how it ended. It feels like mafia romances aren’t for me lmao

[Rosie’s Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️🌶️
I really like this book!!🫶 I love reading the mafia books with all action and added romance🤺🥰

I could not put this book down🪝 there was always something that just kept me reading📖 I could not put it down.

The main man character in this was just 😘🤌 he was so sweet but also hard when he wanted to be😉 the love he had for the people around him even if he didn’t show it was so cute 🥰 he always put her before everyone else even though she could take care of herself. He went through a lot in this book past and present but made sure the people who did wrong got what they deserved☠️

The main girl character in this book you could tell never wanted to be apart of that kinda of family even though she was born in to it. She had a dark side to her though that kinda shocked me when it came out😬 she could be just as bad as him🫣 she was the odd one out in her family and was always treated bad by them but she would never let them win and she always fought for everything she wanted including him💪 when she met him she truly realised how bad she had been treated because he would make sure she was treated with “RESPECT” like any girl should👸

There was so many ups and downs in this, I was sat on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next🤔 and then those chapters about leaving omg I was nearly shouting at the book just so they could both try and start seeing clearly again😬
It was such a good book, I felt like I was on a rollercoaster with all the things the author was dropping in this🎢💣

Overall you should definitely read this if your looking for a good mafia book that won’t leave you bored, definitely worth a go🫶

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. I read it because I was wanting a book like this Instagram post I saw where it was like marriage of convenience 🤝 my wife. And I was like yesss I want to read about a guy be like don’t mess with my wife. So the need was met. It’s not one of my top favorite tropes, actually I tend to avoid them but it was an okay read. The couple did constantly fight and run away and not communicate but when they did communicate it went thru one ear and out the other so they were constantly crying about the same stuff. But hey, it’s a kindle unlimited book, what can you do?

[Kellyann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Mimi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had really high hopes for the book when I saw something about it on Tiktok and I also loved the name of the book. Unfortunately, it didn't even come close to fulfilling my expectations.


It's always a great achievement when you write a book and you should always be proud of it.


For me, the book could have been half the page. Some chapters were written from Eliana's point of view, others from Apollo's. Unfortunately, the chapters from Apollo's point of view were mostly just a repeat of what you'd read before, with minimal deeper insight, if any.


On the whole, the book gave me more of a Wattpad vibe than anything since it started with mafia romance and unfortunately not in the good way.

[sloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooooo cute! Apollo and Eliana were both so cute and understanding. There was a third act separation and breakup but it made sense. No OWD or OMD. Quite a bit of push and pull from both MCs. Arranged Marriage trope.

Summary:

Apollo is the son of a Don and an enforcer for the Italian Mafia. El is the daughter of another Don and a family lawyer. They are forced to marry. They’ve known each other since they were young but nothing happened until they were forced to get engaged. They take a trip as an engaged couple to Italy to meet an important Don that lives there that helped Apollo when he was in an accident. In Italy is when they first kiss and that’s when they start falling in love. They get attacked twice in Italy and El shuts herself down and stops eating and sleeping. Apollo feels intense guilt and so he leaves El and his family to go track down the people who want to kill him (his uncle and cousin). Apollo leaves for a month despite El begging him not to leave. She gets really angry at him for leaving but still loves him. Apollo finally gets caught by Leo who’s the head of the entire Italian Mafia. El finds out and goes to rescue Apollo. She trades her shares in her dad’s for Apollo as collateral. Leo gets to keep the shares of Apollo visits Leo on Friday. Apollo and El go to Leo on Friday fully expecting him to die. Instead, Leo forgives Apollo and believes him that his uncle tried to kill him. Leo reveals that he killed his uncle for him. El and Apollo go home and Apollo starts groveling. They get married and live happily ever after!!!!

[Vickie Brickie · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 15%

I wanted to enjoy this book so badly. But I was just left confused. I'm kind of into the whole arranged marriage mafia type of books lately, but it didn't save this book for me.
First off, the writing was pretty bad, ngl. There's so much going on but not much between the main couple? I'm guessing this is supposed to be a slow burn? At 15%, there are SO many new characters that kept getting introduced and no explaining who they are at all. You can kind of figure out who is who as you read, but still, it's getting too much.
I didn't like how the POVs of the main couple were placed. I hate when, in one chapter, they keep shifting the POV from her to him and back to her. I hated the part when he broke into her home to wait for her to get his car back, we got her POV, that's fine, and then we got his POV and it was just him repeating the whole thing again? It would be different if it showed us what he was feeling about her at this moment, but it didn't. It was just a repeat of what happened. Whenever it was his POV, we didn't really see what he's feeling about her, he's just saying what was happening, that's all.
So, in general, it's just too much is being thrown at us so early onto the book, and before we grasp it, something else happens.

[Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I'm pleasantly impressed by the writing which not at one point felt rushed, repetitive nor dragged out -- it was just the right way to write the story as it enfolded, so kudos to the author. Second, regardless in what realm an arranged marriage happens, I love it only when it's a believable one, and by that I mean that it's sort of a slow burn (hate using tropes, but for lack of better phrasing here) no matter what. If you come from a culture where arranged marriages were the only thing possible for the longest time and still prevalent to a lesser amount today, you are very much present in its reality and truth. Not trying to makes this a cultural appropriation moment bcs it's not that; however I expect these sensitive realities of many women to be treated with respect, and not as flippantly as some authors do with no regards to how many responsibilities weigh these couples down daily, how many women's potentials are held back bcs of it, etc etc. Great book, I'd definitely reread one day again, and I can't wait to read more of the author's work.

[Diana Torr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the romance a lot. I loved the slow burn, the small touches, the banter, the tension, the trip (most of all). I enjoyed how the book takes you on their journey, whether its a party, a trip, moments at home, moments at work, I just loved being there through it all and watching them fall for each other! Now, I just had an issue with the writing. Many times it fell flat. A lot of the chapters were just quotes, no explanation of a person's thoughts, just a lot of talking. Even though it is a dual pov, you are still left unsure of the character's thoughts. A lot of things are left unsaid or information not included. Every chapter felt like I was left hanging in some way and something always felt missing/confusing. I almost want to give this book 3 stars, but I enjoyed it a lot that it becomes a 4 for me. And Apollo really left an impact on me. I wanted him on his knees and he did just that ;)
Also the cover and title are so cute!

[Evie Ha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, although it had a somewhat boring flow. I expected more dynamics and action. It was kinda impossible to connect with the character because something was missing. Eliana was described as a "rebel," the child who fought against her father. But to be honest, she felt more like a pushover... as a flavor she'd be... tasteless. I'm not saying her entire character was bad, but the writer could have described her better.

Apollo was... well, difficult. He was a coward and lacked emotions. It felt like he was a legitimate robot. He wasn't really bad or good, more like bland. He loved Eliana, but the way he showed it made me angry.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The beginning, engagement and rehearsal party parts were great. It wasn't plain, it was more "colorful".

Overall, the book was good, yet it drove me crazy. I wouldn't rate it more than 3,5 stars.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably one of my favorite mafia romance series. It's a such a good slow burn. For an arranged marriage, the relationship wasn't instant. There was bickering and banter and arguing. I loved the fact that Eliana didn't immediately cow under Apollo's attitude.

This isn't perfect writing. There needed to be some editing for sure. With that being said, the pacing is good. The world building is solid. All of the characters, mains, sides, and villains, were all pretty well written. I loved the relationship between Eliana and Apollo. They were both so similar to each other (despite Eliana's objections) and they worked so well together. Eliana was an absolute badass.

I just really like this series overall. The covers being soft and nondescript add to it in my opinion. You'd never guess the mafia smut hiding between the covers.

[readinfox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect amazing beautiful magnificent. I think Apollo is my favorite book boyfriend ever. I’ve been looking for a book like this for so long. Both MC‘s were so healthy and communicated so beautifully. They were so mature. Often times in mafia romances women are just obedient submissive toys for the MMC. But that wasn’t the case here Elena was strong fierce & independent. Also Apollo wasn’t your typical toxic alpha hole that you find in mafia romances. Ahhh I could go on. So glad I found this book 100/10!!! Hopefully this author writes another one soon!

[Samithy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would be 4 pages if Apollo ever talked or listened to Elaina. So many secrets Jesus Christ you peopleeeeee. The miscommunication trope was done surprisingly well though, and I hate groveling in books but fuck that shit was good. This is the first time I ever enjoyed miscommunication or groveling in a book and that’s saying something. I am a hater to my core and once I decide to hate something I rarely change my mind. Elaina should have taken the emeralds and ran but they were cute together so I forgive her. Well written, fairly spicy, and even funny at times.

[aryanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

i put this on pause in hopes that i would come back to it but i don't actually remember much of what was happening/have a desire to finish the book so time to dnf

i'm all for a strong fmc in a mafia book and i didn't dislike eliana i just don't think it was done all that well in terms of her dynamic w the mmc and as for apollo i literally don't care for him one bit but maybe this just wasn't my cup of tea lol

[Shannon Dykes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like the whole story has potential but it’s one dimensional and confusing. It jumps from place to place and I was tempted a few times to not finish. It has good bones but definitely needed refinement and focus. It takes forever to get to the spice and I was frustrated waiting for it because it could have happened sooner. After reading dark/ mafia romance for a while this wasn’t what I hoped it would be.

[book lover 99 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even though this book had all my favourite tropes, there was just something about it that made it extremely difficult to get through. At no point in the book were the characters working together to overcome problems. Even in the midst of bigger problems, they were still fighting each other. The author tried to portray the FMC as a strong independent attorney that wants nothing to do with her mafia family but she just ends up seeming bratty and ignorant because of it.

[hayden taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good mafia book even though they’re always predictable. I loved the MMC&FMC—however, there was so much more room for improvement on their background story, more of a plot twist, maybe even some type of hit, or something at the end that gave you a little bit of excitement. I think this book is more so for people just figuring out what they like to read. I wouldn’t say young adult SOLEY because the few spicy scenes they had were very detailed.

6/10

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️🌶️

I initially only wanted to read this book so book two would make sense,
But — I was pleasantly surprised. I’m not usually a fan of long chapters, but Ada did a really good job of not making them seem long. The spice that was in the book was great but didn’t take away from the plot which I always love. The tension between these two the entire book is fiery. I loved this book and hopefully I’ll love the second one just as much!

[Maggie Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 - Semi-sorta spoilers

I was so excited to read this one but BookTok kinda let me down. It was too long of a book, at the same time some parts seemed rushed and then others I just wanted to skip. I did love how much the author transitioned between the two POVs and the supporting characters (catch me reading the rest of the series for Dane & Alex). Lastly, the “Yes, Sir” kink was too much, never read a book with that kink before and it’s better off that way.

[Melanie Esquibel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book!! I loved that Eliana was also morally grey, usually in these types of books the woman is innocent and pure. I loved that she was a badass and actually had a life of her own. The characters were great and the writing was great as well. I would definitely recommend this book!

[sasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

a lot of deus ex-machina moments. repetitive back and forth behavior, where characters do stuff for the sake of elongating page count. could’ve been shorter and more substantial. the turning point in the relationship wasn’t captured well, one chapter they hate each other, the next the tryst and live? when did that happen? also their behavior seemed very childish

[Eleni · Rating 2 out of 5]

ope

I'm sorry, but this book single handedly caused me to go into a readers slump for two months. It was hard to keep up with the story line. It wasn't even a grumpy mmc, he was just back and forth with things. Worst of all was the fmc. She acted like she was this independent woman who didn't need a man, but she was extremely immature and annoying.

[Simone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another tiktok-lead impulse read, and I once again regret it.
The premise sounds interesting enough, if a bit overdone. The writing is very much a 'say, not show' type that killed any interest and pacing for me. The characters were flat. I really wish I could get past the writing to continue the series, but I'm stopping here.

[Seeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such a good book ahhh!! literally fit the tropes I liked and everything! Apollo is an ANGEL!! ugh he's setting such high standards and examples for what I want in a man but such a good book!! Just wish it wasn't kind of fast-paced in the end.

[Khari Montague · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25
I think this was a really cute book and I loved both of our main characters. The fmc was my fav tho because she was hilarious during some parts. The plot lowkey all over the place and chaotic but so are mafia books lol which made me love it more.

[Paula Korina · Rating 4 out of 5]

so so good!

Eliana & Apollo are now one of my new favorite mafia couples. This book was so well written and the details were by for some fo the best to really bring you into their story. Ada you did one heck of a job with this book, I can’t wait to read more!