Nicknamed Sweet Abelli for her docile nature, Elena smiles on cue and has a charming response for everything. She’s the favored daughter, the perfect mafia principessa . . . or was.
Now, all she can see in the mirror’s reflection is blood staining her hands like crimson paint.
They say first impressions are everything . . .
In the murky waters of New York’s underworld, Elena’s sister is arranged to marry Nicolas Russo. A Made Man, a boss, a cheat—even measured against mafia standards. His reputation stretches far and wide and is darker than his black suits and ties. After his and Elena’s first encounter ends with an accidental glare on her part, she realizes he’s just as rude as he is handsome.
She doesn’t like the man or anything he stands for, though that doesn’t stop her heart from pattering like rain against glass when he’s near, nor the shiver that ghosts down her spine at the sound of his voice.
And he’s always near. Telling her what to do. Making her feel hotter than any future brother-in-law should. Elena may be the Sweet Abelli on the outside, but she’s beginning to learn she has a taste for the darkness, for rough hands, cigarettes, and whiskey-colored eyes. Having already escaped one scandal, however, she can hardly afford to be swept up in another.
Besides, even if he were hers, everyone knows you don’t fall in love with a Made Man . . . right?
This is a standalone forbidden romance.
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My Review
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Nicolas Russo had recently become Don of the Russo family after the brutal slaying of his father. Although he’d rather keep living life as he knew it, he knew that he had to find himself a wife and settle down. Or at least present the image of settling down. He’s told his first choice, the pink princess, is ‘unsuitable’ and he ties himself to the younger sister. But once he lays eyes on Elena, he quickly realizes that he’s marrying the wrong person and nothing and no one, not even Elena herself, was going to stop him from making her his.
I loved SO much about this story. I loved the push-and-pull between the characters and how hard they tried to fight the inevitable. They were both in denial of what they were feeling and poor communication made this situation last longer than necessary. However, the tension and the intensity of each encounter made the story so much hotter than I could have imagined. The way the author described the looks Elena and Nico exchanged gave a rise to my temperature. Their looks were almost tangible and you would think it would be obvious to either of them that the other was obsessed with them. Shoot, you know what I mean.
Even the secondary characters gave me tons of entertainment. From the grandmother and her snide remarks about her daughter-in-law, to the cousins, Benito and Dominic, who had women falling at their feet, to Tony’s immaturity, to Nico’s cousins and their own brand of intensity, to even Elena’s sister… they all had me cracking up. But really, I just couldn’t get enough of Elena and Nico together. I was grateful to get pieces of Nico’s perspective. It gave such depth to his character and made me feel like I was getting a genuine peek into his feelings and motives in regards to the heroine.
It was pretty clear from the onset that these characters were destined for each other. I loved how sincere both characters were and that despite the deepening of their feelings and how intimate they had become, they stayed as true to themselves as possible. After finishing this story I realized that this was the first book of a series. I can’t wait to see whose story is next and I’m hoping to get more of Nico. LOVED HIM!!
Release: 06.20.2018 | Genre: Contemporary Mafia Romance | Dual POV 1st person | Heat: 3.5 | Standalone - Made #1
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