Review: Defying Her Mafioso by Terri Anne Browning

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone - The Vitucci Mafiosos #1
Release: October 18, 2016
Length: 282 pages

Ciro Donati was many things:
My father’s most valued and trusted soldier.
My brother’s best friend and second in command.
And the only man I would give up everything for.

I fell hard for the Mafioso at the tender age of eleven. This beast of a man who I knew made people disappear—and probably enjoyed every second of it—was also the sixteen-year-old boy who had picked me up after I’d fallen flat on my face during my dance recital and told me I was the best ballerina he’d ever seen. He’s watched over me, protected me like I was the most precious thing in the world to him.

And then he sent me away.

Scarlett Vitucci was many things:
The daughter of the biggest Cosa Nostra boss from New York to Chicago.
The sister of the man I would gladly take a bullet for.
And the only woman I would ever love.

Sending her away was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I didn’t deserve her or her love. For three years I stayed away, ignoring the gnawing ache that her absence left in my chest. Now, she was back and fighting what I felt for her was impossible. Letting her go had been a huge mistake.

One I would never repeat.

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My Review

This was definitely an entertaining mafia romance. The characters were interesting and the plot was engaging. There were many side characters and a few side stories as well. A MC Club was introduced and although I haven't read this author's work before, it read like these characters existed in other stories. If someone could verify that for me, that would be super! I think I'd enjoy reading more about them. As for the additional side stories, this book had three romances going on. It's just that one got more focus than the others.

Scarlett has loved Ciro ever since she was 11 years old. He fell in love with her when she was 17. At 18, he persuaded her father to send her away, convinced that though he loved her, she was better off without him. They pined for each other during their time apart and their love didn't wane. Three years later, Scarlett's back and Ciro is determined to never let her go again.

My only real complaint about this story was that I kept looking for more. I wanted more out of the plot and more out of the characters. I continuously felt disconnected because nothing was really resolved. Yeah, the main characters got their HFN, but because there were so many extra elements to this story, I was hoping for some resolution on those points as well. I hope the more I was looking for is given as the series develops.

An ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review