Demon

The DiFiore Mafia Family #3

by Joel Abernathy

Falling in love with an obsessive serial killer was the last thing on my to-do list.

I was born into a world of villains, so it came as no great surprise when my brothers fell for the most twisted monsters of all. A sociopathic fixer. A psycho sadistic cop whose name belongs in the dictionary next to corruption.

Maybe I’m the one who’s crazy, thinking I could have any semblance of a normal life. The worst part is, I can’t even blame them for my not-so-perfect marriage crashing and burning, or my struggles as a single father. When my young son goes missing and a ransom note turns up demanding a trade for the serial killer my brothers-in-law keep locked in a basement, though?

Yeah, I’m blaming them for that. And I’ll tear the world apart to get my kid back--even if it means keeping Demon leashed at my side.

James is something far more dangerous than Silas and Malcolm. He's an unhinged, self-righteous killer who’s on a mission to punish the sinners who broke him in the first place.

He’s also my only hope of ever seeing my son again. When you embark on a journey through hell, you want a demon on your team.

It’s when he ends up in my bed that it’s a whole different problem.

-

Author's Demon is an intense, high-heat, high-angst MM Mafia Romance brimming with violence and mayhem. This book is significantly darker than the previous two. Please check the author's website for a full list of story elements that may be unsettling for some readers. While each book in the series features a different couple and is technically a standalone, it is recommended to read them in order.

Genres: M M Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Dark, Romance, Dark Romance, Contemporary, Crime

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 15, 2023

About the author

Joel Abernathy, also writing as L.C. Davis, is a trans author of MM romance. He enjoys writing dark and emotional romance about men loving men in all genres.

Reviews

[Lilly [Hiatus due to School] · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I'm not going to let anyone touch you, James, that should be obvious by now, but in case it isn't, let me make it abundantly clear. You’re mine, and you're not going anywhere. No one is taking you from me again. Not even you yourself."

Demon is the third and final book in The DiFiore Mafia Family series!

We have Luca, the middle brother, who appears to be a level-headed good Catholic boy. He has had one foot out of the family "business" while appearing to be in a picture-perfect family. However, we soon learn that not all is good, as he is now divorced, exhausted and caring for his son Timothy. However, because of Demon's past, Timothy becomes a target, and now the DiFiore brothers need to work with Demon (James) to rescue Timothy.

I am not going to lie, Demon is not who I thought he was in Devil. He is very different, and honestly, I thought this book was going to be the darkest of the three, with the Demon being even more unhinged and crazy than Malcolm, but oddly he was not. So that threw me off. He was more of a damaged soul rather than (despite his actions) a psychopathic killer.

He is crazy and clearly not okay, but he has different motivations and is ruled by emotion. He has a strong sense of twisted justice and one line he will not cross. This is due to his traumatic past. While seeing Demon's growth throughout the story was interesting, he almost appeared much tamer. He reacts out of hurt and abandonment rather than pure cold malice, which Silas and Malcolm would.

Luca's sexual awakening was interesting as well. He is definitely not gay or bi, so this is very much a gay-for-you situation.

"Did it even count as being attracted to men if it was a phenomenon entirely specific to one person? I really hoped the answer was no, because I’d had enough self-revelations through the last year for a lifetime"

I enjoyed how their relationship started out with very rough hate fucking to sweet, sweet love making. They slowly learn to trust one another, and as James learns that Luca actually cares for him, there is a shift in him. I think Luca is more aligned with Silas and Malcolm, and Demon is closer to Enzo and Valentine in their relationship dynamic.

It was a very sweet story compared to the other two. Devil was not a sweet story, but Ghost came close. The plot itself was exciting, and I was curious to see how things unravelled. I was engaged right till the end.

This series was my first non-omegaverse read from Joel and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for future works.

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my review of the second book, I pointed out the absolutely enormous plot hole Abernathy left in this series, and that definitely colored any enjoyment I could have gleaned from this installment. On top of that, after the two previous books of the same "psycho-but-not-psycho" assholes, I'd just become bored. Abernathy hyped this series as being dark and disturbing and it just...is not. This is maybe dark and disturbing for people who think the Hallmark channel is spicy.

Seriously, which came first, Demon's murder or Owen's? The world may never know.

Abernathy should maybe acquaint himself with a little thing called a storyboard.

[Sheena · Rating 4 out of 5]

reread August 2023

4.5/5 stars

There’s something about this that hit in the right spot. Surprisingly I loved James. A lot more than I initially thought I would. Something about him was just perfect to me. I love a good redemption arc, even though I would not it call it that. James and Lucas were just perfect. Everything about this was just what I needed.

[Julia (bookish.jka) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"All I could do for a few moments was lay there in shock, my eyes wide and unblinking as he crushed his lips against mine. And rather than push him off, or push the button, or any of the other things that would have made infinitely more sense, I returned the kiss."

Demon by Joel Abernathy is book three in his DiFiore Mafia Family trilogy and I have loved every one of them. Whilst they do focus on a different couple in each, there is a continuing story running through them all, so you do need to read them in order, namely Ghost, Devil and finally Demon.

This is Luca and James' story. Luca is the middle DiFiore brother, who has tried to maintain a 'normal' family life outside of the 'family business'. Married to his high school sweetheart and with a little boy Timothy, life seemed good. Except it wasn't. Separation and single parenthood proves tough for Luca.

And then he meets James, the Demon. And Timothy goes missing. And then everything Luca thought he knew about himself and his life changes.

I totally loved the undercurrent of forbidden and darkness in this installment.

Highly recommended if you love:

🖤MM dark romance
🖤first times
🖤bi-awakening
🖤forbidden
🖤mafia
🖤high steam

4 steamy stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

[I received a digital arc for an honest review]

Demon is the third in The Difiore Mafia Family series by Joel Abernathy. I have been anticipating middle Brother Luca's book would and it didn't disappoint.

Luca is going through a divorce and his main priority is his young son. He wants little to do with the family business. But when his son is kidnapped in order to get a Madman held by his brother-in-law he has to trust a demon. The demon who tried to kill his brother and has an unhealthy obsession with his brother-in-law. With forced proximity to the man he realizes is more than he seems, Luca ends up putting more than his trust in him. In the end, he has to find a way to save his son and the demon he wants in his future.

Fucking, I could handle. Love? That was something else entirely. I wasn't even sure I knew what it was like to be loved, let alone by someone like Luca. Someone good. It was a strange thought.

Luca is a newly divorced single parent and balancing his son with his work is running him ragged. Yet, there is no doubt that he loves his son. I was really excited to see Joel Abernathy turn a character who seemed so evil and manipulative into someone I would care for. He definitely accomplished that with James, aka the demon. With James' upbringing and the molding by Silas, it turned him into the calculating killer he is. He wears a mask to hide the fact that he feels things too much. He kills men who deserve it and never kills the innocent. I loved seeing Luca peel away his mask. I thought his obsession with Silas was a bit eye rolling though, and I anticipated that moment when he realized he wasn't actually in love with Silas.

Maybe it was a reminder that the man beneath me was human, despite all the tangled barbed wire he'd wrapped around himself to hide.

James and Luca together were highly entertaining right from their first face to face in the book. I was here for every moment of verbal sparing and banter. The intimacy between them is hot as f*ck with quality hate sex. Lucas repeating that he's not gay made me sigh, and I was ready for when he fully gave into his confusing feelings for James. He goes all in and is ready to fight for him. James takes a bit longer to believe his feelings and Luca's but gets there in the end.

I growled, pushing deeper inside him. "We really don't need to talk for this."
"But banter is my turn on," he taunted."And you're cute when you're angry."

Demon by Joel Abernathy is a dark MM romance between a single father trying to save his son and the madman he has to trust to help him. Filled with suspense , danger, action , shoot-outs, violence, banter, hate sex, and a satisfying conclusion . I'd love a novella or short story of each of the series' couples set in the future someday.


"You're surprisingly cuddly for a serial killer."

[🦉Maggie Whitworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋💋

As soon as I finished I wanted more.
MM Romance, dark, violent and wonderful characters and writing.
Recommend read, in order x

[⭐Toonasa⭐ •Romance Book Lovers' Haven• · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 "my crazy likes your crazy" stars ⭐

I wasn't looking into reading a series I knew nothing about, but once I started Demon, I was hooked & couldn't stop till I completed it today! Read throughout whole day till night lol.

I liked the personalities of all characters, Luca - our mafiaso & James -a serial killer, were a hot & fun pair! Little Timothy didn't get much page time, but that's ok, he's a sweet boy.

This story was suspenseful, action packed, dark, a bit emotional, surprisingly sweet at times, I loved it!

I think this series still has more story to tell, maybe I'll read the books of the other brothers soon too.

[Krys (spicy.spine.breaker) · Rating 4 out of 5]

”That makes it all the more fun,” he answered. “What’s the point of sex without a little hate? It’s like a cocktail without alcohol.”

OKAY. If that is not *peak* enemies-to-lovers energy, IDK what is.


Demon was easily my fav out the DiFiore trilogy… Probably my favorite Joel Abernathy book to date.

James, AKA Chris, AKA the Demon himself, had seemed in pretty irredeemable in the previous two books… I mean torturing Malcolm’s late husband… high key obsession with Silas… the whole unhinged murder yet genius level mastermind persona…

Jokes on me! Happy to report my assessment was officially proven incorrect, in the best, most angsty-ist way possible.

Also, Val is even cuter when a secondary character - especially through James’ POV 🥰



FRTC

[Akame · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,75
Ta seria naiwnością pobiła wszystkie książki o mafii, jakie do tej pory czytałam. Myślę, że panowie powinni założyć szkółkę niedzielną a nie gang.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this one is what kept me invested in this series. Luca, the remaining DiFiore brother, teams up with (and falls for) the serial killer who’s been tormenting his family during the first two books. And while technically, that is what happens in this book, I just didn’t find the romance portion to be as satisfying or believable as I’d hoped. It had some sweet moments, but it never felt full developed. The book is written well and the plot is intriguing, but I’m unsure if I’d read more. I will say that I’ve had very little time to read lately, so it took me much longer to read this than it ordinarily would. Maybe if I’d been able to read it straight through I’d have connected more.

[wayland · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Alejarlo habría sido lo más inteligente. Lo amable. Pero yo nunca he sido amable tampoco»

4.5 porque es demasiado cuestionable para darle cinco estrellas. pero no puedo creer lo bueno que es este libro.

seguimos la historia de Luca, quien es parte de una familia de mafiosos y necesita ayuda para recuperar a su hijo que fue secuestrado, así que le pide ayuda a James: uno de los asesinos seriales que su familia había capturado.

es tóxico, spicy y cuestionable, pero es tan adictivo que ignoré las red flags. si quieren leerlo, se los recomiendo muucho, pero sepan que no es lo mejor de la literatura juvenil.

en fin
romance, acción, drama. este libro tiene de todo, así que voy a seguir con los otros libros de la saga (de los que ya me hice spoilers)

[Amy Voce · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I feel so conflicted about this book! I had really high hopes for Demon because I loved the two previous books so much! Although I had overall fun reading this installment it unfortunately fell short for me. I was expecting it to be really dark considering how Demon came across in Devil. There was something about this coupling that felt off and unfortunately I found myself struggling with Luca. It was still a good read and I still recommend it as it was actually quite a sweet story in the end.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was better than the last book, even though I didn't understand Luca's sudden love for James. But I take that rather than cat roleplay any day a week.

Overall, I will say this trilogy was good and funny, but had its flaws. My favorite couple from all this ultimately were Silas and Enzo, they were cute in this volume.

[Larissa Cremonin Mateo · Rating 5 out of 5]

So...it was different from the first two books in the series. Tamer, maybe. But the ending…it was heart-warming. Perhaps it wasn’t what I was expecting from this book, but it might just have been what I needed.

[JustJen "Miss Conduct" · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story picks up where the previous one left off. Quiet middle brother, Luca, who has, until this point, tried to stay out of the family business. Having recently gone through a bad divorce, and with everything going on with the family, he and his young son have been staying at the family home.

Meanwhile, James (Demon) is still locked up in the basement jail, which felt more like Hannibal Lector’s cell than anything. Silas and Malcolm have basically been taking turns torturing him for information. At some point, they need Luca to take a turn on watching James, which is where their interactions really begin.

When Luca’s son is kidnapped, Luca is somewhat forced to ask James for help. There is a lot going on with the trio of psychopaths (Silas/Malcolm/James), who to trust, who knows best, etc. One thing is for sure, Malcolm is one nasty Mofo. I’d take Silas or James any day over him. Suffice to say, Luca and James grow closer through their ordeals, which opens Luca up to his bisexuality.

All in all, this was a great ending to the series. This is a crazy, often violent, mafia family with romance thrown in to soften things up somewhat. This installment was interesting and exciting with a satisfactory happy for now ending. If you like things on the darker side, be sure to give this series a try.

Review written for Love Bytes Reviews.

[Brangela · Rating 2 out of 5]

2* Bk 3/ Series 4*

First please do not let my rating dissuade you from reading this trilogy. The first two books were a fascinating journey into a world of family, falsehoods, murder, mayhem, depravity, desire, humanity and yes humor. The author enticed me into this very dark world and like brothers Enzo and Val (MCs from bk. 1,2) I went along for the ride enthusiastically. Book 3 is about the third brother Luca. It picks up off after the previous books and I suggest you read them in order. The problem I had with this story was that it was just too unbelievable. Of course I had suspended some reality reading the other books. I mean Mafia meets Murderers and instead of bombs lust explodes? Yeah definitely my kind of book. Although each book gets darker and more depraved that is not what bothered me. In fact I loved that! However Demon had been previously portrayed as the worst of the worst. No spoilers but he had an ugly brutal history with the prior two protagonists that should have precluded any and all of the events that unfolded here. In addition the total transformation of both Luca and Demon strained credulity. Further Lucas' actions while his young son was in mortal danger belies his depiction as a loving, caring father. I mean where did he find the emotional and mental wherewithal to engage in anything other than the single minded pursuit of his son's safety? Then there's the instant total transformation of Luca's sexual preferences. Not just as to gender but also to his innate desires, needs even his style of sex play. Wait there's more! The Demon himself must have had a secret exorcism because he too became totally unrecognizable. This book diminished the effectiveness of the portrayal of the previous characters. Finally the plot was problematic and stretched paper thin. I don't mind suspending reality but not to the point of insulting my intelligence. The author gives a "tell" 90% into the book when he has Luca admit to himself that he and Demon were acting totally irrationally and out of character. The author knew his audience wouldn't buy the preposterous changes inflicted on all the characters due to this inane and unrecognizable portrayal of them. That said read the trilogy its worth it in the end, even if for the thoughts of what might have been.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶🌶

🖤 Morally grey mc's
🖤 Stalker vibes
🖤 Possessiveness
🖤 Dark & Twisted

⚠️ Possible Spoilers Ahead...

"The bastard wore a smug smirk on his lips, knowing damn well he had just rocked my world."

Wow! What a great ending to this series. I have to admit that I was skeptical going into it. Only because I couldn't wrap my mind around Demon redeeming himself in my eyes. Boy, was I wrong!

In the third & final book in the series, we continue the DiFiore family's crazy saga. This was Luca & Demon, aka James' story.

The fact remains that this twisted, manipulative serial killer that I deemed irredeemable, totally redeemed himself and found love with Luca in the process.

I love how each book got just a little darker. Each character a little more morally grey. It was exactly what I look for. The possessiveness, the hate to love, the cold heart cracking & finding love. I could have handled even darker to be honest but overall good series!

[K-Me · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is a page turner. I was so anxious to see how on earth Demon was going to be tamed! The story is full of action and suspense since Luca is a single father and his son is kidnapped. This is a dark world with a lot of bad people, so it keeps your nerves on edge! Luca and Demon start off angry and not fond of their situation together with made for steamy encounters that just somehow lead to genuine feelings. It was interesting to get to know Demon and his crazy obsessive ways. His soft spot for Luca develops realistically, it was not a love at first sight romance but there was actually some humor interlaced in here I was not expecting.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luca's son is kidnapped and he has to depend on a serial killer, James, to free him. As Luca sinks to James's level, attraction follows. This book has plenty of excitement and violence with hate sex that turns to more thrown in. Its hard to see why Luca could fall for James but he blends in with the rest of the family. This is the third book in this Mafia family series with their lethal partners more dangerous than the Mafia guys. All three have been entertaining but I liked the action in this one the most. I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest opinion.

[Natalie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feb 2025
Kindle edition

Read for a group challenge week 4. Another one that wasn't on the original list. I was enjoying this one up until Malcolm. This one made me dislike Malcolm and my opinion of Silas went down. Enzo felt background and Val was Mal's time out. Luca and James were my fave couple. Best bit was the initial meeting and then when James saved Luca. Again with the hypocrisy from both Mal and Silas this time. Not sure about them all under one roof. The snippet of James playing step dad to the kid was sweet.

[Janet Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demon is the third book in The DiFiore Family. James and Luca are fantastic together, enemies to lovers, hate s3x, what more do you want? This may have been my favorite book in the whole series! Overall, a fantastic addition to the series!

[Mateo Dk · Rating 3 out of 5]

my fave of the trilogy, with the most believable relationship imo and the most healthy. Maybe. The power dynamic is odd but. It's a bad book still tho

[Aribel Mejia · Rating 4 out of 5]

no quiero que acabe

Esta fue la serie que mi hizo enamorarme de los MM con temática de mafiosos y no quiero que acabe nunca , ame a James y a Luca juntos y por separado y disfrute mucho de su historia.

No se como explicarlo pero desde que se anuncio esta pareja yo quede en Shock y es que no sabia como estos dos iban a funcionar y cual seria su dinamica y la verdad me encanto , hubo cosas del plot que no me gustaron pero amo a la familia DiFiore con todo mi corazon y James y Luca tienen todo el sentido del mundo juntos , les crei su amor , ame las inseguridades de ambos y como se complementaban el uno con el otro , Recomendado sin duda alguna.
__________________________________________
This was the series that made me fall in love with gangster-themed MMs and I never want it to end, I love James and Luca together and separately and I really enjoyed their story.

I don't know how to explain it but since this couple was announced I was shocked and I didn't know how these two would work and what their dynamic would be and I really loved it, there were things about the plot that I didn't like but I love the family DiFiore with all my heart and James and Luca make all the sense in the world together, I believed their love, I loved their insecurities and how they complemented each other, Recommended without a doubt.

[María Jesús · Rating 3 out of 5]

dumb plot, but it was fast paced and very easy to read :)

[KD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 3 is the best of the series

The DiFiore Mafia Family series
1. Ghost - Enzo and Echo/Silas/Ghost
2. Devil - Valentino & Malcolm/Devil
3. Demon - Luca & James/Demon

--minor spoilers--

The first book - Ghost - was a decent read. The characters were fine and the relationship between them was good.
The second book - Devil - was terrible. I can't stand Malcolm. And there were too many scenes of him abusing Valentino for my comfort. And I don't care if Valentino had a safe word he did not use. F*cking someone who is almost an innocent child and making them bleed and tear is messed up even if the child is too damaged to say no. I hated the book and only managed to get through it because I wanted to read about Luca who fascinated me from book 1. And it was worth it.

Book 3 - Demon - was by far my favourite. The books skims over a lot of Demon's culpability in bystanders getting hurt or dying in various prior attacks and the feelings do seem to spring up extremely fast (even faster than in the first two books and that's saying a lot) but overall I really like both characters and the book had a feel good vibe to it that made me end it feeling content that good would overcome bad etc..

[lo ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

"I found myself wanting to keep touching him, just to remind myself he was real. To remind myself he was really here. We both here."

this was surprisingly really cute and i just loved james, the demon. i love characters who are seen as terrifying and monsters but in reality they just want to be loved. (the way he thought luca was way too good for someone like him)

it took me awhile to warm up to james and luca's romance, since in the beginning they are just having sex without feelings and demon was still obsessed with silas, luca's brother-in-law. which was a very weird situation.

when luca said i love you to james it was a bit surprising but then when everything went down it was obvious they both had strong feelings to each other. i kinda loved them as a couple.

this book was mildly dark (it is about a serial killer and a member of the italian mafia after all) and it had some heavy sub-plots but i think they were handled in a way that wasn't terrifying to read. i was afraid to read a book where the main character's child gets kidnapped, but nothing really bad happens.

[MunWolfieSNM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually, the worst monsters were beautiful.

4.5 ⭐

My family was fucked up. Of that, there was no question, but as tempting as it had been to isolate myself after the divorce, it was good to be around them. And seeing my son so happy and surrounded by people who loved him was all I could really ask for. Even if half of them were psychopaths.

Estaba muy muy feliz de reencontrarme con estos lunáticos. En los libros anteriores me han conquistado y en este no ha sido menos. Me lo he pasado genial con los tres.

"I expect to hear that you’ve behaved yourself tonight—otherwise, your situation is going to be getting much worse."
"You promise?" James asked bitterly.

Los momentos en los que mencionan todo lo que Silas hace por Enzo y el amor que se tienen me hacían chillar mucho. Los adoro.

“So I have a killing type. Don’t we all?”

Silas es buenísimo. Desde el primer libro cada vez que hablaba me meaba de risa. Sus comentarios ridículamente serios son maravillosos.

“Are you crazy or something?”
“That wasn’t abundantly obvious?” he challenged, pushing my hands off and peeling his shirt off over his head. “You really haven’t been paying attention.”

No tenía yo muy claro cómo me iban a vender a James para que yo lo comprara después de lo que hace en el segundo libro. Pero es verdad que en su primera conversación con Luca ya me conquistó.

“I’m straight. And in case you haven’t noticed, I fucking hate you.”
“That makes it all the more fun,” he answered. “What’s the point of sex without a little hate? It’s like a cocktail without alcohol.”
“Juice,” I said flatly. “They just call that juice.”

Me ha gustado (y hecho sufrir) que James tarde tanto en darse cuenta de que lo que sentía por Silas no era amor, sino una especie de obsesión venida porque era la única persona que le había hecho caso alguna vez. Luca le enseña lo que es el amor, el cariño, la protección y la preocupación por el bienestar de la persona a la que quieres.

And I was sure this was just another game he had perfectly calculated and lured me into from the beginning, but knowing that didn’t change the fact that I wanted to play.

Me encanta cuando James se da cuenta de la diferencia: le daba igual lo que fuera de Silas con tal de que estuviera con él, pero haría todo lo posible para que Luca lo abandonara, por su bien. Muestra que el amor es querer el bienestar y la felicidad de esa persona, aunque no sea contigo. Es el amor más puro que existe.

I started stroking him harder and bit down on the flesh my teeth had only grazed, and he came with a startled gasp. "Fuck," he cursed, arching his back and pushing back against me. "Fuck, Luca. You're killing me."

Y Silas está claro que no ha aprendido nada del libro anterior, anda que mandarme a Luca a vigilar a James, sabiendo cómo es James... ¿De verdad no había otra persona?

Crazy definitely ran in the family.

Me parece súper bonito cómo Luca le enseña a hacer el amor, todo tierno y con cariño, pero qué buenas son las escenas de cuando follan a lo bruto y cómo las he echado de menos cuando empiezan con las otras. Me gustaba un montón como James añora y disfruta el dolor, pero me da pena porque luego se olvidan de eso para ir a lo tierno. Bonito, pero es queeee me gustaba demasiado cómo describían eso de la frontera entre dolor y placer, como en los anteriores.

It didn’t just feel good to fuck him, it felt good to pleasure him.

Me encanta el lado oscuro de Luca, como es valiente, fuerte y temerario si tiene que serlo, y como cuida lo que es suyo. Cuando se enfada y cómo nunca se amedrenta. Me encanta que los roles se hayan invertido (que Demon sea el pasivo) y cómo se comporta con él una vez que lo considera suyo.

“Why do you fucking care?” he cried. “Why does it matter to you if I’m like them or not?”
“Because I don’t want to believe I’m falling in love with a monster!” I snapped.

Los diálogos de esta trilogía son buenísimos. Tienen unas conversaciones que o me hacen morirme de risa, o de pena o de amor, o pensar, o sonreír. También me gusta mucho cómo está escrito, tiene párrafos preciosos y frases muy potentes.

"You're the first man I've ever been with," he continued, gazing down at me. "And I'm going to be the first person who makes love to you."

El único motivo por el que voy a perdonar a Malcolm por cómo se porta con Luca es el hecho de que le entiendo perfectamente. Al final, por mucho que Owen no fuera la persona perfecta que aparentaba, James lo mató y dejó viudo a Mal. Es normal que no le acoja en la familia a la primera de cambio.

"When this is all over, if I'm still around and you still want me, then we can try. You can say your pretty words, and I'll say them in return, but until then, it's all just poetry. It's fantasy. And I'm sure you've read enough bedtime fairy tales to Timothy to know that things never end happily between Prince Charming and the monster."

Me estaba gustando mucho cómo se desarrolla su relación, lentamente, primero algo físico que luego evoluciona. Pero en ningún momento se ve claramente por qué Luca se enamora. Me ha faltado que él narrara qué le estaba pasando. Además, lo acepta muy bien y muy rápido, sin cuestionarse nada. La evolución de los sentimientos de James me gusta más, porque si que se ve como poco a poco va aceptando cada vez más cariño y eso le descoloca hasta tal punto que su cerebro asume que esto sí es amor.

"I do love you, Luca," he said quietly, and it meant that much more. "But that's always been more of a curse than anything."

Creo que mi pareja favorita es Silas y Enzo, mi libro favorito el de Malcolm y Val, y mi personaje favorito está entre Luca y Silas.

[Olgz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was better than the 2nd book. What I liked the most as opposed to the 2nd book was although the dynamics were not great if not even worse than Valentine and Malcolm once there was a thing between Luco and James there was a steadily growing mutual respect as well. No one treated the other like a child or a pet. I think the story became more palatable once James was humanized and portrayed as a serial killer albeit one who mostly killed child molesters. Now that I have said that who shot the innocent people in the hospital and in the police station and how come Malcolm met Chris and did not recognize him?
Umm this is F'd up. I almost gave 5 Stars 🌟 but then just remembered so many inconsistencies and unanswered questions WTF!!🤷🏾‍♀️😓

[Crystal Stafford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the last book (or is it?) in the Difiore Mafia Family Series. I enjoyed it. I was dying for this ending and to get into the mind of James our serial killer and the last but not least middle brother in the Difiore family, Luca. At a glance this had everything I could want, suspense, deception, angst, morally gray MC's, single father MC, opposites attract, with a budding love story in the middle. And although most things were delivered well, I was slightly let down in a few areas that really mattered to the story.

If you have read the first two books and thought that James' story would be far darker with a wickedly depraved storyline, I would say that it was all there but not on the level I was hoping for. I wanted full out, jaw dropping Demon and the way his mind works and what drives him.James a.k.a. Chris a.k.a Demon is front and center in this fast-paced addition to the series and when we met him in the 2nd book, we were shown a deeply twisted and unremorsefully serial killer who was obsessed with the idea of Silas being his and took anyone's life he saw fit. At a glance yes that is true but much deeper is a trouble, hurt, and even sad man whom maybe, just maybe uses his killer tendencies for some good. For me this was not necessary to accept James as he is and it kind of killed the vibes I was feeling from hm in the first two books. Joel already created this sociopath that as readers of this series had probably already accepted and I wonder if this is who James was to him from the beginning or if his plan for this character changed...just did not seem to fit completely. With only one other DiFiore brother left of course Luca would be his and I was so ready for it despite the dark nature of James mind and life choices.

And Luca, I ended up liking a lot and felt for him from the very beginning. Going through a divorce and finding out your marriage was destined to fail from the beginning is a gut punch and to know you have must shield your son from the ugly in this world is a big order considering the family Luca is from and the fact that your ex-wife chooses everything over her own child. Luca is struggling and he was questioning whether he was enough for Timothy (Timmy) and then he gets taken away and Luca's world is turned upside down. And the reason his son is gone is due to the serial killer that is locked away by his brothers and their husbands. Luca is determined to get his son back no matter what needs to do, or who he needs to use. Soon he is working with James who seems to be able predict what the kidnapper will do and when. The kidnapper wants James and James will be delivered ig it means Timmy gets homes alive. Can Luca trust James? What will he enable if he lets this man out into the world again? Will he lose his family and his heat at the same time?

This was an intense story for sure. I loved James and Luca's dynamic from start to finish. The only thing is I think we needed to see them interact more prior to the kidnapping. I was kind of let down by how little we saw them together before the big thing. And I was sadly even more let down by their relationship build up. The first time they ever kissed felt so rushed and even though I liked them together as a team I had a hard time buying into their attraction. James is and has been obsessed and hung up on Silas since forever and still is in this book. James' thoughts and actions only prove that James truly believes they belong together, and that Enzo is just temporary. I get what Joel was doing but it really took away from the attraction that James should have had for Luca. And Luca was just so okay with another man kissing him and then very quickly he was on board with having sex with another man. This was my main issue in the first book, how the writing is great, and the storyline is interesting, but the build was too quick and easy. And although I know we are dealing with corrupt ex-cops, and mafia men and serial killers, and a little boy's life hanging in t balance, I felt very at ease while reading when I really wanted to feel excited. The events that led up to the ending where definitely good and kept me interested and I did really liked the ending. And I thought it was great how in the end James risked it all to save a life that was not his. I did want a bit more of Luca and James being happy and trying to navigate their new lives together with Timmy but maybe we will get a bonus scene someday!

I did enjoy this series and as this was my introduction to Joel, I will say that his writing draws me in, and I was very invested in seeing this series through. It almost...maybe...seems like he was setting us up for a final final book with the way he ended Demon, but that could just be wishful thinking. I am glad I picked up this series and I did really enjoy meeting the Defiore's and their more than a little morally gray lovers.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book provided by Gay Romance Reviews.

[Colleen (colleenreads40) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demon is the fourth and final book in Joel Abernathy's The DiFiore Mafia Family series. This book is a MM dark mafia romance, and shouldn't be read as a standalone. Note that my review may contain spoilers for the first two books in the series (Ghost and Devil) so please proceed with caution! Note that this book is intense, high-heat, medium-angst, and contains plenty of violence and mayhem. It's darker than the first two books, and a full list of warnings and story elements can be found on Joel's website. As always, please take care of yourself while reading!

The rage burning in his eyes answered my own question. He might well have been that, too, and I wouldn’t have been surprised. But more than anything, he was completely and totally out of control. He didn’t simply possess emotions, he was possessed by them.

This book (and this family) are so unhinged, but the vibes in this book were fantastic hence the five stars. I thought I enjoyed the first two the most, but this book was by far my favourite in the series! I didn't think it was possible to love the serial killer that tormented Valentine and Malcolm in Devil but here we are. James and Luca were so unexpected but quite different from the first two books, and I think that's what I enjoyed.

The mafia world that Joel has created is so unique. It's a great place to suspend reality for a bit if you like dark romance with some idiots to lovers vibes. This series is so underrated. If you like your books to be a little bit over the top and unhinged, if you want to watch the killer-proclaimed "Waltons of the mafia world" try to navigate the criminal underworld with serial killers with varying degrees of antisocial personality disorders at their sides then consider hanging out with The DiFiores. It's unconventional but a much-needed break from reality. Although Demon is decidedly darker than the first two, I still had a lot of fun reading it. Happy reading!

Getting James the fuck out of here took priority, though, no matter what he had to say about it. And I was never letting him out of my fucking sight again. He had started out as Silas’s prisoner, but now he was mine.