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anshika06's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
librarydancer's review against another edition
3.0
This stand-alone romance works by using the 'he said, she said' format. That allows us to gain insight & empathy for even the hardest of thugs in this book.
The ending comes to a bit of a rushed conclusion. Even with 10 pages left, I wasn't sure if there would be a cliffhanger. I'm still not sure if I 'buy into' the ending.
People who enjoy 'Southie' Boston' will be pleased to know the area's culture is s a part of the book.
The ending comes to a bit of a rushed conclusion. Even with 10 pages left, I wasn't sure if there would be a cliffhanger. I'm still not sure if I 'buy into' the ending.
People who enjoy 'Southie' Boston' will be pleased to know the area's culture is s a part of the book.
saraxjess's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t expect to like this book when I started it but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. It was an easy read and the story was sweet even if unrealistic at times, but I guess we don’t pick these types of books for their realism.
The heroine Mack was a very promising character in the beginning, she was tough, badass, take-shit-from-nobody kind of girl until she runs until our hero Lachlan. I could understand the instant chemistry and the feeling of finally having someone you can be vulnerable around but I just didn’t understand how she went from being an underground fighter to the constantly-sobbing mess she turned into towards the end. The one thing I did love about her though was that she was unapologetically loyal, she was willing to do anything if it meant she got to protect those she loved, even if put her at risk.
The only thing I really had a problem with in this book was the action scenes and how the mafia world they were in worked. At times it felt like the author didn’t know how it worked either and was just pushing action scene after action scene to smooth it all out. There were too many underdeveloped side characters for me to understand what was going on half of the time but I was there for the romance, and I got plenty of that, so no regrets.
The heroine Mack was a very promising character in the beginning, she was tough, badass, take-shit-from-nobody kind of girl until she runs until our hero Lachlan. I could understand the instant chemistry and the feeling of finally having someone you can be vulnerable around but I just didn’t understand how she went from being an underground fighter to the constantly-sobbing mess she turned into towards the end. The one thing I did love about her though was that she was unapologetically loyal, she was willing to do anything if it meant she got to protect those she loved, even if put her at risk.
The only thing I really had a problem with in this book was the action scenes and how the mafia world they were in worked. At times it felt like the author didn’t know how it worked either and was just pushing action scene after action scene to smooth it all out. There were too many underdeveloped side characters for me to understand what was going on half of the time but I was there for the romance, and I got plenty of that, so no regrets.
dorina00's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
cheyrand's review
2.0
It's short and scratches the mafia romance trope itch, but that's all it is. The plot doesn't make sense, the characters motivations are weak, and even the spicy scenes aren't clear enough - I kept wondering why and how throughout this book.
That being said, I might read the second book in the series since that focuses on the side character's relationship. They seem more interesting than the main.
That being said, I might read the second book in the series since that focuses on the side character's relationship. They seem more interesting than the main.
dontgrumble's review against another edition
5.0
I do love a good mafia story with a strong feisty female lead!
I went in blind, knowing only that it was a mafia read. I have read many about the Italian mafia, a few about the Russians, but this was my first Irish mafia story and i really enjoyed it. There are multiple stories all intertwined within the tale of Lachlan and Mackenzie which all come together to make a really good read. I believe this is a series of standalones, each book following different characters, but i have been left with a few questions, a few loose ends i don't remember being covered so i am hoping that these are covered later in the series.
Overall i really enjoyed this fast paced, action packed Mafia romance and will definitely be looking to continue with the series and more of A Zavarelli's writing.
I went in blind, knowing only that it was a mafia read. I have read many about the Italian mafia, a few about the Russians, but this was my first Irish mafia story and i really enjoyed it. There are multiple stories all intertwined within the tale of Lachlan and Mackenzie which all come together to make a really good read. I believe this is a series of standalones, each book following different characters, but i have been left with a few questions, a few loose ends i don't remember being covered so i am hoping that these are covered later in the series.
Overall i really enjoyed this fast paced, action packed Mafia romance and will definitely be looking to continue with the series and more of A Zavarelli's writing.
xarara88's review against another edition
5.0
Captivating
Lived this book. Wasn't sure at first but sucked right in by end of chapter 2. Completely enthralling. Can't wait for the next in the series :)
Lived this book. Wasn't sure at first but sucked right in by end of chapter 2. Completely enthralling. Can't wait for the next in the series :)
sevenworlds's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
stephlunatic's review against another edition
3.0
Ok, this was my first experience with Mafia drama/romance novels. In pretty much any medium, actually (I only watched the first Godfather once, never watched The Sopranos and I don't even know what else is out there).
The story was pretty good, although I don't quite buy that what Mack did was such a betrayal as she didn't really do much snooping into Syndicate secrets. Maybe I don't get how it works. They did have a sort of Sons Of Anarchy vibe of brotherhood, so that must have something to do with it all.
Mack was a pretty likeable character despite the "I'm tough on the outside but really all I want is someone to take care of me" trope. She wasn't too hard or too fragile, which I appreciated. I doubt her believability as both an MMA fighter and an exotic dancer. And Mack was pretty ineffectual from the get-go and instead was immediately distracted by Lachlan and her attraction to him. Now that I completely get. I've got an unhealthy attraction to bad boys myself so I would have found Lachlan pretty irresistible too. And he was a bad boy for sure. I liked how the author didn't shy away from the violence inherent in that lifestyle. It was hot and he was hot and I don't shy away from fictional violence.
The only major complaint I have is an unusual one for me. I feel like the author sacrificed realistic human emotion/reactions and character integrity for the sake of adding more sex scenes in. What, me complain about there being too much sex in a book? Shocker, I know. I don't think that some of the scenes were true to how humans react to the situations they were in and the emotions they were experiencing at the time (vague for no major spoilers).
Finally, how dare the author just skip over the details of Irish wedding traditions?! If ever there was an unforgivable oversight, that is it.
All in all, though, I enjoyed my foray into Mafia romance and would probably read more in this series.
The story was pretty good, although I don't quite buy that what Mack did was such a betrayal as she didn't really do much snooping into Syndicate secrets. Maybe I don't get how it works. They did have a sort of Sons Of Anarchy vibe of brotherhood, so that must have something to do with it all.
Mack was a pretty likeable character despite the "I'm tough on the outside but really all I want is someone to take care of me" trope. She wasn't too hard or too fragile, which I appreciated. I doubt her believability as both an MMA fighter and an exotic dancer. And Mack was pretty ineffectual from the get-go and instead was immediately distracted by Lachlan and her attraction to him. Now that I completely get. I've got an unhealthy attraction to bad boys myself so I would have found Lachlan pretty irresistible too. And he was a bad boy for sure. I liked how the author didn't shy away from the violence inherent in that lifestyle. It was hot and he was hot and I don't shy away from fictional violence.
The only major complaint I have is an unusual one for me. I feel like the author sacrificed realistic human emotion/reactions and character integrity for the sake of adding more sex scenes in. What, me complain about there being too much sex in a book? Shocker, I know. I don't think that some of the scenes were true to how humans react to the situations they were in and the emotions they were experiencing at the time (vague for no major spoilers).
Finally, how dare the author just skip over the details of Irish wedding traditions?! If ever there was an unforgivable oversight, that is it.
All in all, though, I enjoyed my foray into Mafia romance and would probably read more in this series.
amandathereader62's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a fun read and was unable to put it down once I picked it up. I loved Lachlan's character ad how the relationship between him and Mack progressed. Every now and then the overprotective alpha male character works for me and it totally did here.