Diamond in the Dark by Poppy Jacobson

3 Stars

I sold myself to three ruthless Irish gangsters, giving up my hard-won freedom to save my mafia family.

Rian is a cold mastermind who thrives on my tears, degrading me and praising me in equal measure.

Cormac is a sadist who revels in pushing me past my limits, until I can’t tell the difference between pain and pleasure.

Liam, the psychopath, craves my blood along with our bliss. His worship terrifies me as much as it reassures me.

Our dark bargain binds us together, but in my years away from the mafia, I’ve learned to be more than a fragile pawn. I’ve fought harder battles than these men could ever imagine, and I’ll continue to fight, even as they threaten everything I’ve built.

Giving into their violent devotion means giving up my freedom—and I was meant to be free.

I don’t usually read mafia books but Poppy Jacobson has converted me to reading them. I loved this book so much. I loved Ginevra and how no nonsense she was. Even though Rian, Cormac, and Liam were strong willed characters and they were gone over for Ginevra. Ginevra gives up her life to be with them and they work so well together. Definitely reading the rest of the books.

Book 1 Savage Jewels

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Lights Out by Navessa Allen

4 Stars

I want someone with a soul as black as night. Someone who would burn the world down for me and not lose a single minute of sleep over it.

Trauma nurse Alyssa Cappellucci doesn’t need any more kinks. She likes the one she’s landed on just fine. To her, nothing could top the masked men she follows online. Unless one of those men was shirtless, heavily tattooed, and waiting for her in her bedroom. She dreams about being hunted by one in particular, of him chasing her down and doing deliciously dark things to her willing body. She never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become her new reality.

I want things most people don’t, craving darkness and depravity instead of light and love.

Joshua Hammond has an infamous father—the kind of man that true-crime podcasts love talking about. He’s spent his life avoiding the limelight, but his online persona is another story. At night, he posts masked thirst traps for his millions of fans to drool over, but one follower has caught his eye: Aly. After reading a comment begging him to break into her house wearing a mask, he decides to take her up on her offer.

Together, Aly and Josh live out their darkest fantasies, unaware that Aly has captured the attention of someone else. Someone with far more sinister intentions than a little light stalking. As Josh turns from predator to protector and the stakes heighten, he must ask himself how far he’s willing to go for the woman he’s obsessed with.

I caved to all the Instagram reviews and I am happy about it. I loved this book so much. It is a dark romance that is more like a grey romance. The Joshua is such a teddy bear character that you just love him even though he is stalking Alyssa. He only stalks cause he doesn’t know any other way to get close to her. I enjoyed Josh’s interactions with Alyssa before and after the reveal of his identity. The way he interacts with her cat is so sweet and amusing. I just really enjoyed this book.

Book 1 Into Darkness

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Queen of Hearts by Sara Blue

 

4 Stars

With her father, the head of the Amante family dead, Elena knows it’s only a matter of time before her brother tries to trade her off to the first mob family looking for an alliance.

Yet, all she wants is a choice in her future pack, and she refuses to be a bargaining chip at the hands of powerful men. She won't settle for anything less than true love.

Running away and taking a job at the exclusive, high-end, Omega club, the High Roller, seems like the only way she can find some freedom.

But when a striking man steals her attention on her first night working at the club, everything flips upside down. What starts off as an exclusivity contract turns into so much more. The pack she was running from might just be the one she falls for, or winds up destroying.

Sometimes freedom is an illusion… and sometimes a cage turns out to be the escape you were always looking for.

Loved this book. It mixes mafia with omegaverse. Super spicy with so much drama. Never read a Sara Blue book but this one makes me want to pick up more. I liked the characters and the give and take between the characters. Elena’s brother gets what’s coming to him. Would love to see more with these characters.

Part of the High Roller Omegaverse Series

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Burnt Heart by Mae Pierce

2 Stars

It wasn't a proposal, like I expected. But a break-up.

In the shadowy underworld of Greenich Bay, even my status as the Orazio heir couldn’t shield me from heartbreak. Jesse, Logan, and Briar, the ones I trusted most, shattered me after five years of love. No proposal, just betrayal. Vengeance drove me into the arms of my ex-fiancé, a rival crime family scion.

Let them see how quickly I can move on. They don’t need to know that our arrangement is fake.

But with my life in danger, I am forced to rely on them again. They use the opportunity to beg for my forgiveness. But the pain from their betrayal still smolders. How can one mend a scorched heart?

We broke our girl's heart.

A desperate, last ditch decision severed us from our soulmate. Dark secrets drove us to wound the woman we cherished. Now, we must confront our past to secure our future. When Adelaide becomes a target of a ruthless enemy, determined to end her life, we won’t stop until we earn her back.

Healing a burnt heart is never easy, but our unwavering devotion burns hotter than ever.

I liked the idea of this book but the actual implementation didn’t work for me. The guys majorly screwed up and were forgiven way too fast for what they did. They were stupid and then expected an apology would fix all they broke. That’s all they do is apologize and nothing else. I am going to pass on 2.

Book 1 Toxic Hearts

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Murder of Crows by Evelyn Flood

5 Stars

Mafia University is where all the heirs are educated on all things dark and violent. Alliances and enemies are made in blood. As the sole female heir, Caterina, has to keep everyone at an arm’s length and can only rely on her enforcer and best friend. When things go down with her father who can she rely on and trust and who is out to take her down?

I am not a fan of mafia books at all. The reality of mafia life doesn’t usually translate into a romance book for me. This book worked for me. I loved the darkness and the violence in it. It didn’t shy away from the things about mafia life I don’t like but took those head on. I loved seeing the struggle Caterina had with who to trust. I have several guesses as to things that were alluded to and can’t wait to see how it all plays out. Why I have to wait until April is probably the only thing that is ticking me off right now.

Book 1 Mafia University

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