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She wasn’t going to fall for a sinner. Because you can’t catch feelings for a bad guy…can you?

Anni

He’s a damaged soul who’s struggling to bring up two small children.
But he’s also the devil dressed in Brioni and black…whose darkness dims the bright lights of the city he rules.
I’ve been raised in the shadowy underbelly of New York’s criminal world.
Yet nothing could have prepared me for Lorenzo Marchiano.
Although he’s ten years older, I’m made to get engaged to him as punishment after an incident…
He says that I’ve got homicidal tendencies and that I’m a murderess wannabe.
But I say that’s the least of his worries as I come into his life, grinding his grumpy rules into beautiful ashes beneath my feet.
It’s clear that Lorenzo thinks he can tame me.
That he expects to use me as his unpaid nanny and someone to warm his bed…
He may be insanely handsome, but this arrogant man needs to realize I’ll bow to no one.
And I’ve certainly no intention of ever letting him into my heart.

Tropes include single dad, enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, age gap, and arranged marriage. The book features a jealous and possessive hero, a sassy heroine, steam, banter, chemistry, passion, and angst.
A full length, standalone novel within the interconnecting Marchiano Mafia Series, with a HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.

389 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 18, 2023

2202 people are currently reading
4255 people want to read

About the author

Isa Oliver

10 books269 followers

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5 stars
1,080 (22%)
4 stars
1,220 (25%)
3 stars
1,439 (30%)
2 stars
653 (13%)
1 star
310 (6%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews
Profile Image for Melly Gem.
323 reviews8 followers
June 20, 2023
This is the first book i have read where the MMC is just awful he wasnt likable at all. And it was like the author realised that, so the (never ending) epilogue she tried to make us like him, but it came off just cringe, and i couldn't eye roll more.
Sorry, it's a little too late there.
He was awful to the FMC and a bad father who was happy to ignore his kids' regression and depression since their mums death. (I really thought there was more to the dress Clara insisted on wearing also.. like it was the last thing her mum gave her or it was her mums favourite.. but nope, we gave up on that whole story line half way through)
Also, did this author forget their own story line. Anni moved to the guest room after she looked into the mums therapy, and Lorenzo ofcourse yelled at her and said terrible things. But then a few chapters later, the author said she moved their when they argued after the cat con.. huh???? After the cat con, he finally told her about his wife, who passed.
I wanted to like this as i like mafia romances, but the way the men kept talking about controlling and making the wife submissive and virgin sacrifices 😒 was terrible and uncomfortable.
And the over use of "loins", "seed" and "spanking" was just ewww. I ended up skimming the smut scenes as they were awful.
There was also NO drama.. I was expecting the FMC to be taken, tortured a little the usual to a good mafia story where he finally realises he likes her. I thought she would be taken protecting the kids, and Clara was going to yell at her dad "Dadda" but nope, they found the snitch. Spoke to him and shot him done and dusted. And the mother apparently didn't care about her son dying and attending his funeral... ok?!
Could have cut some smut and added some drama and depth and an extremely shorter epilogue with an actual purpose it was just filler that felt like each part was a re write.. Gees, it was giving lord of the Rings a run for its money.
Don't think I'll read any more from this author.
Profile Image for mia.
761 reviews281 followers
March 4, 2023
(Thank you Peachy Keen and the author Isa Oliver for the eARC in exchange for a spoiler free review)

(Please check trigger warnings and author’s note before reading.)

I’ve not read this author’s work before so this is the first. The author’s note about the next book got me excited though.

Arranged marriages in mafia seem to be a hit or a miss for me. This book was an in-between with some repeated themes and new plotlines but I wasn’t entirely happy with the plot development. It seemed to go in circles without anything being solid.

I also didn’t relate to the chemistry between Anni and Lorenzo. Lorenzo seemed to be full of himself whereas Anni did not have the maturity to her.

Maybe the next book would be better.

Marchiano Mafia reviews
Mafia and Captive
Mafia and Angel - 2 ⭐
Profile Image for Jenn (The Book Refuge).
2,667 reviews4,489 followers
May 4, 2023
Well this was something. I enjoyed some parts but some words and the writing style were just extremely cringe. But I finished it, so it wasn't unreadable. Haha!

3 stars
3 on the spice scale
Profile Image for Maddi.
46 reviews1 follower
October 29, 2023
This author can't write. The fact that they didn't even notice such basic mistakes is really embarrassing. Just the grammar issues alone are ridiculous, and the fact that the author doesn't know that's she's making such basic mistakes... I think a lot of time people who want to be writers get ahead of themselves and don't put the effort in to actually become solid writers. This needed a lot of work and attention before it should've been published.
23 reviews
August 14, 2023
he’s a piece of shit. she’s annoying.
Profile Image for 🐝 Shaz 🐝 .
829 reviews24 followers
November 15, 2025
3.5 Stars 🌟
I have enjoyed this story. But I would not read it if you are looking for a Mafia read.
It’s more about a family recovering from the loss of a wife and mother.
Lorenzo is a Mafia underboss, who marries the younger daughter of a boss, from another family.
He has two young children, she has a cat.
She is the person that he thought he didn’t need. But realising she was good for him and his children.
This story has humour but also deals in family problems.
46 reviews
October 16, 2023
I love you Ma Veneti, that’s the only thing I liked from the book.
Profile Image for bogipmpr.
30 reviews
October 19, 2023
Literally the same book as Cora Reilly's Sweet temptation, but the writing is worse. I DNFed around 20%.
Profile Image for Alina Kravets.
198 reviews11 followers
November 9, 2024
Ставлю 3,5. Видно ріст письменниці.
Це історія нагадала Джулію і Кассіо.
Скажу що тут більш були прописані персонажі, вони дійсно повесилили мене.
Божевільна сімейка Анні - це щось.
Profile Image for Reading Jeanette.
260 reviews78 followers
December 19, 2023
Saw this on TikTok and gave it a shot! Parts of this book were great! There were some funny, some heart warming and some spicy scenes that knocked it by out of the park. However I felt this book was a bit long winded and sometimes …oftentimes cringy. Loved the cat and the cat con costumes! 🐱 and that the FFC straight shoots the MMC for being a dick to her cat! 🤣🥹😂 Then she’s forced to marry him so her mom brings her the cat!
517 reviews5 followers
May 7, 2023
Lorenzo is a widower, struggling to raise his two young children and needs a new wife, he is arranged to marry Anni for an alliance between families. The plot sounded good and I was excited to read this book, unfortunately it didn't work for me.

Lorenzo was possessive and expected Anni to be nothing more than a nanny that warm his bed and not to have ideas or a say in anything. Anni was very childish and immature, she is a twenty year old Mafia princess but she didn't seemed to realize that she had married a dangerous man with many enemies and had no regards for her safety. Lorenzo was very mean to her, I did not like how he treated her for almost the whole book, he only change in the end. I don't think that these two characters were a good match, I couldn't see a connection between them and their love felt unbelievable.
Profile Image for Yrn.
5 reviews1 follower
January 2, 2024
40% of the time i was just cringing.
He got some kind of kitten fetish even though he hates cats. She is a part time furry without knowing it.
Her side of the family is literally playing lovely-dovley-mafia.
Bro is trying so hard to be the alpha 😞 but everything is a weakness for him.
I don’t know how they fell in love with all of the mistrust he has in her.
He literally sees her as a child.
Profile Image for Ally Boyd.
101 reviews4 followers
October 12, 2023
hmmm?

Felt wildly too close to Sweet Temptation by Cora Reily that I was constantly flipping and comparing both books with one another there is WAY too many comparisons that make it feel plagiarized. Between the kids, the previous wife’s suicide with just a little bit of a difference, and the relationship between the couple.
Profile Image for Joud.
224 reviews19 followers
August 6, 2025
A beautifully written mafia family drama—light on plot, but the characters were so enjoyable that it didn’t matter.
Profile Image for Dulce.
25 reviews
January 20, 2024
Ok so first this book was good it was I liked it it’s why i gave it 3 stars it’s mafia arranged marriage I love that trope so I obviously liked this.second I didn’t like it 5 stars for a couple reason them being that this book was the exact same thing to another book which was sweet temptation by Cora Reilly that book is one of my top favorites love that book but this is ridiculous bc it was the exact same thing that’s coping third I HATE that he accused her of being the one to leak information and she easily forgot that like he didn’t grovel at all and I LIVE for the groveling so I was definitely disappointed but other then that it was an alright read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
4 reviews
November 9, 2023
This book was so bad. I don't even know where to begin. Firstly the MC has no redeeming qualities. AT ALL. I've never disliked a male character as I did right now. After reading this atrocity I need to go bleach my brain.

Fyi the the main female character is weak asf, and keeps giving into the MC, I had such I hopes for her from chapter one. Personally I was even rooted for her and the MC's brother to get together. He seems like the better choice. Even though he did what he did. Knowing that I still think the brother is a better choice than the MC. I don't what male figures this author looked up to write about Lorenzo, but they as Anni said, need therapy
Profile Image for Alyssashelf .
397 reviews23 followers
January 19, 2023
Mafia Angel

Thank you for this arc !

This book was arranged marriage, mafia single dad, enemies to lovers book. I loved the plot and story line. Some parts were funny 😆 I enjoyed this book
Profile Image for Sara Oliveira.
Author 1 book
June 15, 2024
I have no words for this. Maybe I do but they wouldn’t be legal.
Profile Image for Katy.
1,197 reviews109 followers
January 20, 2023
(I received an ARC for this book)

Trigger Warnings include:
Mafia violence, suicide, depression, postnatal depression, murder, death

You’re greeted by a family tree with mafia rankings, and it made it feel daunting before I even started reading. But at least I knew I was walking into chaos! Because oh MAN did I! First, Anni nearly kills someone, and then we’re quickly tossed into an arranged marriage. Anni wants nothing more than to use her smarts, but now she’s playing wife, and mom. Lorenzo had no intentions of remarrying, but it’s his duty. And nothing comes between Lorenzo and his place in line. At times, Anni was a little too immature and childish for me. I found that I was reminding myself that she was a mafia princess, and a consenting adult. She was the most overprotected mafia princess I had ever read. She was so disconnected and unaware. She also had no discipline whatsoever, and it irked the heck outta me! Her family, specifically her mother, drove me crazy too. Anni was meant to make Lorenzo’s life easier, and she did everything but! This was a terrible situation for both of them. And neither of them stopped for a second to consider what the other needed. When Lorenzo started to have feelings to her, it felt odd because nothing else had changed between them. 90% of the issues between them would have easily been solved if they had actually communicated. I laughed at parts that weren’t meant to be funny, but it was just so ridiculous. I will say, though, I enjoyed this approach to a mafia romance. Lorenzo wasn’t at the top of the food chain. And Anni was so disconnected from the life, while also being neck deep involved with her own family’s involvement. I’m torn between three and four stars. While there was a whole lot that I did enjoy, there was just as much that I didn’t.

kitten: 15
good girl: 11


My Favorite Quotes:
• “When you’re naked, whether in the shower or under me in bed, I’ll still expect you to be wearing that ring.”
• “Keep your eyes open. I’ll stop if you close them.”
• “This is what you taste like. And it’s a taste I’m going to want every single day now.”


8/10 Dirty Birdy
7/10 Age Gap
8/10 Arranged Marriage
5/10 Dark Romance
5/10 Enemies to Lovers
7/10 Forced Proximity
9/10 Mafia Romance
Profile Image for MooDolphin.
332 reviews4 followers
July 3, 2023
Don’t let the happy ending fool you, Thai book was ok. The way he was to her at the beginning really pissed me off cause like it wasn’t even enemies to lovers vibes it was more Colleen hoover abusive vibes. But I guess it did get better. The book was really good however in the way I think it’s takes on a much more realistic view of what a nadie wife would be in reality. But is that why u read mafia romance?? NO. But over all it wasn’t to bad
Profile Image for Brielle.
41 reviews3 followers
January 19, 2023
The blurb has potential but the story didn't. H felt like a narcissist. It was all about him all the time and h felt like she doesn't even exist. Zero chemistry between the leads. It's a decent plotline but needs more work on character development.
Profile Image for Yass.
12 reviews
September 20, 2023
I am too emotionally drained and exhausted to state everything that is wrong with this book, but I can sum it up in Nothing is right .

I've never regretted reading a book more.
Profile Image for Hilal Kahraman.
339 reviews78 followers
January 24, 2024
so it's basically Cora Reilly's Sweet Temptation but in different font...
Profile Image for Tamarra Lynch.
864 reviews36 followers
January 15, 2023
I received an ARC for an honest review

This book comes with sensitive content and trigger warnings, please head the note from the author

When Anni first meets Lorenzo during a meeting with her father, they don’t exactly get off on the right foot, and when a proposal of marriage is put forward to solidify there respective businesses, there contract binding, Anni finds ways to avoid following through but to no avail.

Anni’s childish ways set Lorenzo’s teeth on edge, he is second guessing himself and his desire to re-marry, but he knows what he must do to show unity but also provide a stable and loving home for his two children.

After they are wed, Anni moves to Chicago, and she is in for a big culture shock. Consumed with work, Lorenzo leaves Anni to her own devices. Thrust into a role that she is not prepared for, she finds it challenging to acclimate to Lorenzo’s stringent ways.

Anni is her own person, she does not like being held back, from being told what she can and can’t do, she pushes limits and boundaries much to Lorenzo’s frustrations. Anni is doing her best to balance her studies, life and be an instant mom to Clara and Clemente, as she is making inroads she hits a lot of brick walls on all fronts.

But there is one thing that Lorenzo wants from Anni and it is her submission to him, and when she gives herself to him freely, she gives herself wholeheartedly, her submission is his undoing, claiming her innocence in a night of unbridled passion.

But something is amiss, there is a traitor in there midst, and Lorenzo believes it to be Anni, not giving her a chance to explain, he shuts her out. Anni’s mind is reeling, having put herself in situations that have had someone help her to get out of, that it begins to click, and when she shares her concerns with Lorenzo, that niggling feeling intensifies when he learns of his brother’s betrayal.

That poignant moment when Anni and Lorenzo declare there love for one another, that they come together on even ground, as husband and wife and parents to Clara and Clemente. Anni and Lorenzo’s relationship wasn’t all sunshine and daisies, but it makes it all the more worth it when Lorenzo acknowledges what she has done for both Clara and Clemente, but also for him, to help them deal with their grief and heal from the pain that they have endured with the loss of his first wife and there mother.

This book has it all d/s themes, praise kinks, grumpy yet possessive dominant alpha male, a strong sassy female who gives as good as she gets, complex family and friend dynamics, murder, madness, mayhem, revenge, vengeance, violence, deception, adrenaline seeking suspense, jealousy, twists, turns, truths and betrayal.

This story is told from dual POV, it will take you on a wild ride, having you turn page after page, this book had me from the beginning to the end. Reading this story, it enables the  readers to really connect with the characters, and as the story continues to unfold the readers see the development and growth from the characters singularly and together.  The author definitely knows how to write and I’ll be coming back for more.

And those s*x scenes, including those BDSM elements were steamy, yet sensual, dirty, hot, intense, physical, provocative, it had all the angry angst, hate, jealousy, pleasure and passion one would expect when Lorenzo shows his wife who he really is, taking him for all that he is, darkness and all. For he takes what he wants without consequence, giving Anni the pain and pleasure she deserve, his possessive and obsessive need for control and dominance, it was off the charts and had all of the feels.

Cannot believe that this is the end of there story, but all good stories must come to and end, they got there happily ever after, it also proves that Lorenzo is no short of being possessive, wicked and depraved, showing Anni who’s clearly in charge and who owns her heart, mind and body, it was bittersweet and oh so perfect, and one very well deserved for them all.

Highly recommend this book and author!
Profile Image for vivianireads.
426 reviews16 followers
November 29, 2023
I caved afer so many tiktkoks about this and read it in a day.
Look it's not the best thing out there but the things that I'll highlight are the things that I enjoyed:
- character development (the mmc really improved not only as a husband but as a father too after realizing he's an imbecile)
- real bonding between the MCs and their children
- there was a real apology after MMC messed up (some MMC just sweep it under the rug, specially mafia MMCs)
Overall, not great but not bad.. I think
Profile Image for Sydney.
592 reviews2 followers
Read
September 4, 2023
BookTok wins again!

I love this book! It was absolutely amazing and it was so easy to read. I loved reading this and seeing the growth from both Sides of the couple. The one complaint I have is that she was way to forgivable with Lorenzo. He basically said everything was her fault and then calmed down and used his magical Dominant powers to have her forgive him. It was good- but it was also a bit frustrating too!
Profile Image for Maddy :) Hollever.
1 review
October 10, 2025
Would NOT recommend, I have to force myself to finish it and it was like a 13 year old righting their first fanfic. Full of misogynistic and “alpha male” terminology, I was exited after seeing it on social media platform buys immediately squashed on page 12
1 review
November 13, 2023
This is a plagiarised version of Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly and let's list the similarities:



*Spoilers below* :



- first half of the book, we get to know that first wife had a mysterious death

- The MMC meets FMC where she is dressed childish and doesn't look 'mature' (sunflowers and bangs vs cat costume and blond bob which is 'unusual' for someone of age)

- FMC has a very lovable family and we can see that compared to other mafia heiress, the FMC had a lenient upbringing (with a very loving dad who spoils them dearly but the marriage to the MMC is important)

- Arranged marriage where she doesn't have experience in childcare but needs to learn as MMC has a lot of work, sleep deprieved, etc

- BLOODY SHEETS (like seriously? Isa has to plagiarise this too?)

- TWO KIDS (one younger who doesn't understand what happened to their actual mother and the elder one has difficulty speaking due to the stress/sadness of losing a parent and needs speech therapy)

- FMC is a rebellious wife and dresses casually and childlike

- FMC takes kids shopping whereby kids enjoy themselves get tired, hungry and weary and they rush home (but they finally get some new clothes)

- We get to second half of the book and the MMC still has trust issues and blames himself that the reason the children are sad is because he 'killed' his first wife but still won't tell the FMC the real reason

- MMC realises that his wife is much smarter that he gave credit for

- MMC accuses his new wife of some sort of betrayal

- MMC in a situation where Capo is involved (don't get me started of this - Marco is a Walmart version of Remo Falcone and his book even involves kidnapping the 'virgin bride'

anyway Capo finds the out the truth (the one involving death of first wife) and forgives the MMC as the latter is loyal


- Ending scene where elder child can finally say 'Dad' and children decide to call FMC 'Mom'


___________________


These are just A FEW highlights and Mafia and Angel had plagiarised throughout the whole book

Maybe we could assume that these are just small similarities but Marco/Remo with the elder brother who had to look after siblings (lots of brothers) , who is brutal AF and who kidnaps an Italian Bride who is heiress of a rival Italian family in another state - is too much...

FYI : this is my first book review ever and I hope reaches the proper audience who do not support plagiarism
Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews

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