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Kings of Mafia #3
Hunted by a Shadow
From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Michelle Heard comes a new STANDALONE, full-length MAFIA ROMANCE novel.
When I finally get a life-saving kidney transplant, I think the worst is behind me.
Boy, am I wrong.
I start feeling eyes on me wherever I go.
I’m being watched. Stalked. Hunted.
It’s downright scary.
Then the hunter steps out of the shadows, and my life implodes.
I’m taken by Renzo Torrisi, a dangerous and unforgiving man.
Turns out the kidney I received belonged to one of his men and I have to repay the debt. Only the terms are unclear, and the rules change on a whim.
Held prisoner in his penthouse, I have to serve the ruthless mafia boss like the god he is.
Whether I’ll survive being Renzo’s captive is up for debate, though.
A Mafia Romance full-length novel.
18+ only. Please read responsibly.
THIS NOVEL CONTAINS TRIGGERING CONTENT.
When I finally get a life-saving kidney transplant, I think the worst is behind me.
Boy, am I wrong.
I start feeling eyes on me wherever I go.
I’m being watched. Stalked. Hunted.
It’s downright scary.
Then the hunter steps out of the shadows, and my life implodes.
I’m taken by Renzo Torrisi, a dangerous and unforgiving man.
Turns out the kidney I received belonged to one of his men and I have to repay the debt. Only the terms are unclear, and the rules change on a whim.
Held prisoner in his penthouse, I have to serve the ruthless mafia boss like the god he is.
Whether I’ll survive being Renzo’s captive is up for debate, though.
A Mafia Romance full-length novel.
18+ only. Please read responsibly.
THIS NOVEL CONTAINS TRIGGERING CONTENT.
398 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 5, 2024
About the author
Michelle Heard
61 books9,432 followersMichelle Heard is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon #3 Bestselling romance author.
She writes emotional heart-shattering stories with a whole lot of Mafia & Romance that will leave you smiling with satisfaction. Every book has an unexpected twist that will show the strength of the characters.
Before becoming an author, Michelle had a career in banking. She lives in South Africa with her son, Sheldon, who's also her right-hand man when it comes to all things publishing, and her daughter-in-law, Tayla, who's her best friend.
Reading Order on AMAZON
STANDALONE NOVELS:
***Mafia & Bratva Romance (in order)***
THE SAINTS SERIES:
Merciless Saints - Damien Vetrov
Cruel Saints - Lucian Cotroni
Ruthless Saints - Carson Koslov
Tears of Betrayal - Demitri Vetrov
Tears of Salvation - Alexei Koslov
THE SINNERS SERIES:
Taken By A Sinner - Nikolas Stathoulis
Owned By A Sinner - Liam Byrne
Stolen By A Sinner - Gabriel Demir
Chosen By A Sinner - Luca Cotroni
Captured By A Sinner - Viktor Vetrov
THE CORRUPTED ROYALS SERIES:
Destroy Me - Misha Petrov
Control Me - Nikolai Vetrov
Brutalize Me - Armani De Santis
Restrain Me - Maxim Levin
Possess Me - Alek Aslanhov
SERIES (In Order):
ENEMIES TO LOVERS SERIES:
***College & New Adult Romance***
Heartless - Carter & Della
Reckless - Logan & Mia
Careless - Jaxson & Leigh
Ruthless - Marcus & Willow
Shameless - Rhett & Evie
TRINITY ACADEMY SERIES:
***College Romance***
Falcon - Falcon & Layla
Mason - Mason & Kingsley
Lake - Lake & Lee
Julian - Julian & Jamie
The Epilogue
THE HEIRS:
***College & New Adult Romance***
Coldhearted Heir - Hunter & Jade
Arrogant Heir - Jase & Mila
Defiant Heir - Kao & Fallon
Loyal Heir - Forest & Aria
Callous Heir - Noah & Carla
Sinful Heir - Tristan & Hana
Tempted Heir - Christopher & Dash
Forbidden Heir - Ryker & Danny
SOUTHERN HEROES SERIES:
***Suspense Romance***
The Ocean Between Us – Aiden & Emma
The Girl In The Closet – Cole & Birdie
The Lies We Tell Ourselves – Alec & Reece
All The Wasted Time – Wyatt & Scarlett
We Were Lost – Zac & Chloe
OTHER STANDALONE NOVELS:
Not My Hero - Dark YA Romance
She writes emotional heart-shattering stories with a whole lot of Mafia & Romance that will leave you smiling with satisfaction. Every book has an unexpected twist that will show the strength of the characters.
Before becoming an author, Michelle had a career in banking. She lives in South Africa with her son, Sheldon, who's also her right-hand man when it comes to all things publishing, and her daughter-in-law, Tayla, who's her best friend.
Reading Order on AMAZON
STANDALONE NOVELS:
***Mafia & Bratva Romance (in order)***
THE SAINTS SERIES:
Merciless Saints - Damien Vetrov
Cruel Saints - Lucian Cotroni
Ruthless Saints - Carson Koslov
Tears of Betrayal - Demitri Vetrov
Tears of Salvation - Alexei Koslov
THE SINNERS SERIES:
Taken By A Sinner - Nikolas Stathoulis
Owned By A Sinner - Liam Byrne
Stolen By A Sinner - Gabriel Demir
Chosen By A Sinner - Luca Cotroni
Captured By A Sinner - Viktor Vetrov
THE CORRUPTED ROYALS SERIES:
Destroy Me - Misha Petrov
Control Me - Nikolai Vetrov
Brutalize Me - Armani De Santis
Restrain Me - Maxim Levin
Possess Me - Alek Aslanhov
SERIES (In Order):
ENEMIES TO LOVERS SERIES:
***College & New Adult Romance***
Heartless - Carter & Della
Reckless - Logan & Mia
Careless - Jaxson & Leigh
Ruthless - Marcus & Willow
Shameless - Rhett & Evie
TRINITY ACADEMY SERIES:
***College Romance***
Falcon - Falcon & Layla
Mason - Mason & Kingsley
Lake - Lake & Lee
Julian - Julian & Jamie
The Epilogue
THE HEIRS:
***College & New Adult Romance***
Coldhearted Heir - Hunter & Jade
Arrogant Heir - Jase & Mila
Defiant Heir - Kao & Fallon
Loyal Heir - Forest & Aria
Callous Heir - Noah & Carla
Sinful Heir - Tristan & Hana
Tempted Heir - Christopher & Dash
Forbidden Heir - Ryker & Danny
SOUTHERN HEROES SERIES:
***Suspense Romance***
The Ocean Between Us – Aiden & Emma
The Girl In The Closet – Cole & Birdie
The Lies We Tell Ourselves – Alec & Reece
All The Wasted Time – Wyatt & Scarlett
We Were Lost – Zac & Chloe
OTHER STANDALONE NOVELS:
Not My Hero - Dark YA Romance
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 968 reviews
February 5, 2024
I don't even remember when or how they fell in love 💀
February 5, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (ARC)
''How the tables have turned between us''
Safety warnings:
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Violence/torture/d*ath
- Stalking
- Kidnapping
- Organ trafficking/transplant
- Loss of loved ones
- HEA
Renzo, you unhinged psycho, but I cannot blame for how he is in this book.
After something horrific happens to someone extremely close to him, Renzo basically loses his mind and wants revenge while not caring who is connected or how little they are connected. He seeks to harm and end their existence in any means necessary.
Skylar has had the worst few years of her life. Things just never were the same after her accident but when hope blooms for a brighter future she's mixed into Renzo's life.
I knew one outcome had to happen and despite being prepared for it I was still sad. I kind of hoped it didn't have to come to that but in the grand scheme of things there was no other way.
So, what happens when her stalker/kidnapper becomes the one person who she needed and brings her peace in the middle of chaos? A lot of mixed and confusing emotions.
And what happens when the stalker/kidnapper starts to fall for the woman he seeks to hurt?
A road filled with doubt.
These two seemed to have been inevitable. This was a somewhat slow burn romance but it was the only way it could make sense with everything that has happened.
''How the tables have turned between us''
Safety warnings:
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Violence/torture/d*ath
- Stalking
- Kidnapping
- Organ trafficking/transplant
- Loss of loved ones
- HEA
Renzo, you unhinged psycho, but I cannot blame for how he is in this book.
After something horrific happens to someone extremely close to him, Renzo basically loses his mind and wants revenge while not caring who is connected or how little they are connected. He seeks to harm and end their existence in any means necessary.
Skylar has had the worst few years of her life. Things just never were the same after her accident but when hope blooms for a brighter future she's mixed into Renzo's life.
I knew one outcome had to happen and despite being prepared for it I was still sad. I kind of hoped it didn't have to come to that but in the grand scheme of things there was no other way.
So, what happens when her stalker/kidnapper becomes the one person who she needed and brings her peace in the middle of chaos? A lot of mixed and confusing emotions.
And what happens when the stalker/kidnapper starts to fall for the woman he seeks to hurt?
A road filled with doubt.
These two seemed to have been inevitable. This was a somewhat slow burn romance but it was the only way it could make sense with everything that has happened.
February 6, 2024
3.5 ⭐
Skylar (30) suffered from kidney failure after she and her mom got into a car accident three years ago. Her dad has been finding ways to help sustain her until they find a new kidney for her. Eventually, after three hard-fought years, she was successfully given a new kidney and a chance at life. Little did Skylar know that this organ was taken from someone who was murdered and was the younger brother of a mafia boss, Renzo (35).
Renzo vowed to punish everyone who had a hand in his brother's murder. But originally, his plan was to let Skylar be the finale. He stalked her at first and learned everything about her until he had enough and finally took her as his captive. His friends were not onboard with his plan because they knew Skylar was innocent and had nothing to do with her transplant. But the grief, anger, and pain were eating away at him, clouding his judgment. However, as with any captive romance, the forced proximity made Renzo see Skylar in a different light. Things progressed between them, and the lines between captor and captive were blurred.
I enjoyed this one because the MCs didn't really like each other—no insta-love or insta-lust at all. Up until the 60%-ish mark, Skylar was still wary and not interested in Renzo, but she found him attractive. But that's not the case for Renzo; he has been slowly falling for her, and he wants Skylar to be on the same page on her own volition.
This was a slowburn, and it wasn't until the 80% mark before they did the actual deed. Also, Renzo was the first one to drop the love bomb, but it took a while for Skylar to say it back. She's just wrapping her head around the fact that she fell in love with her kidnapper, so I understand the pushback.
Anyway, there were tear-jerking moments here that I wasn't prepared for at all. It was too much to invoke such emotion, and I have to say I had a good cry. As for the revenge, it was anticlimactic; I feel like the villains got away so easily. 🤷♀️ As for the torture, these scenes were very detailed, so if readers can stomach that, they should go and read this. But if not, they should probably skim or just skip it altogether.
There's no V-card holder in this story, thank God. I was annoyed at first to find out that Skylar has been celibate for the last 5 years. I got the last three years because she was sick, but the first two made me scratch my head. But when I got Renzo's POV, I think it was way longer for him than for Skylar. He doesn't do ONS and had only three girlfriends pushed to him by his father. But when his pop died, he stopped with this girlfriend stuff and focused his life on the mafia and family businesses. That's why I eventually get past Skylar's five-year celibacy. I loved that this boss isn't a hoe. 😂
Overall, I enjoyed it but didn't really get fully invested in it. I liked the relationships presented here, be they familial, platonic, or romantic. I loved the epilogue too; it was honestly cute. But for me, Franco and Samantha's story is still by far the best in this series. 😂
Book info:
- No cheating, opd, breakup
- Loss of loved one
- Violence, torture, gore, and death.
- Organ transplant
- Organ trafficking
- Kidnapping
- Stalking
- HEA
Skylar (30) suffered from kidney failure after she and her mom got into a car accident three years ago. Her dad has been finding ways to help sustain her until they find a new kidney for her. Eventually, after three hard-fought years, she was successfully given a new kidney and a chance at life. Little did Skylar know that this organ was taken from someone who was murdered and was the younger brother of a mafia boss, Renzo (35).
Renzo vowed to punish everyone who had a hand in his brother's murder. But originally, his plan was to let Skylar be the finale. He stalked her at first and learned everything about her until he had enough and finally took her as his captive. His friends were not onboard with his plan because they knew Skylar was innocent and had nothing to do with her transplant. But the grief, anger, and pain were eating away at him, clouding his judgment. However, as with any captive romance, the forced proximity made Renzo see Skylar in a different light. Things progressed between them, and the lines between captor and captive were blurred.
I enjoyed this one because the MCs didn't really like each other—no insta-love or insta-lust at all. Up until the 60%-ish mark, Skylar was still wary and not interested in Renzo, but she found him attractive. But that's not the case for Renzo; he has been slowly falling for her, and he wants Skylar to be on the same page on her own volition.
This was a slowburn, and it wasn't until the 80% mark before they did the actual deed. Also, Renzo was the first one to drop the love bomb, but it took a while for Skylar to say it back. She's just wrapping her head around the fact that she fell in love with her kidnapper, so I understand the pushback.
Anyway, there were tear-jerking moments here that I wasn't prepared for at all. It was too much to invoke such emotion, and I have to say I had a good cry. As for the revenge, it was anticlimactic; I feel like the villains got away so easily. 🤷♀️ As for the torture, these scenes were very detailed, so if readers can stomach that, they should go and read this. But if not, they should probably skim or just skip it altogether.
There's no V-card holder in this story, thank God. I was annoyed at first to find out that Skylar has been celibate for the last 5 years. I got the last three years because she was sick, but the first two made me scratch my head. But when I got Renzo's POV, I think it was way longer for him than for Skylar. He doesn't do ONS and had only three girlfriends pushed to him by his father. But when his pop died, he stopped with this girlfriend stuff and focused his life on the mafia and family businesses. That's why I eventually get past Skylar's five-year celibacy. I loved that this boss isn't a hoe. 😂
Overall, I enjoyed it but didn't really get fully invested in it. I liked the relationships presented here, be they familial, platonic, or romantic. I loved the epilogue too; it was honestly cute. But for me, Franco and Samantha's story is still by far the best in this series. 😂
Book info:
- No cheating, opd, breakup
- Loss of loved one
- Violence, torture, gore, and death.
- Organ transplant
- Organ trafficking
- Kidnapping
- Stalking
- HEA
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2024
» Don't get Stockholm syndrome.«
» What?«
» It's when you show affection or attachment to your kidnapper.«
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
❥ 𝑺𝒌𝒚𝒍𝒂𝒓
She was a little naive but absolutely likeable as a character. She deeply cares for the ones she loves and I liked her interactions with Renzo.
❥ 𝑹𝒆𝒏𝒛𝒐
He seeks revenge for one of his men and is ruthless and coldhearted doing it. I understood his heartbreak and loss and I liked Renzo really much. He was a relatable character.
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
Another great mafia book by Michelle Heard. She is one of my favourite authors and her books are an instant read for me.
This book was so emotional and heartbreaking I nearly cried (and I normally never cry over books).
The story of Skylar and Renzo is full of pain and loss. They found peace in each other and this was wonderful to read. Renzo quickly became obsessed with Skylar despite the fact he wants to hate her. He is an possessive and protective asshole most of the time but won my heart - I‘m a sucker for morally dark mafia man. I liked the tension between the characters and their little word battles.
The plot was heavy and nothing for weak nerves. So don‘t read if you can‘t stand dark subjects and mentioning of death and violence.
I read the book in one sitting because it was so thrilling and interesting I just couldn‘t stop.
I‘m so curious about the next books in this series (above all about Damiano) and I hope the author never stops writing dark mafia romances.
𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓
plot: 5/5
spice: 1/5
humor: 3/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 5/5
happy end?: yes
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
mafia, darkromance, kidnapping, trauma bonding, loss of beloved ones, enemies to lovers, possessive and protective hero, touch her and you‘ll die, stalking, slow burn
𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: 30 (Skylar) and 35 (Renzo)
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: no
𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬
When She Unravels - Gabrielle Sands
Taken by a Sinner - Michelle Heard
Nero - S.J. Tilly
𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 Tempted by the Devil ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Craving Danger ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#3 Hunted by a Shadow ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#4 Drawn to Darkness ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#5 God of Vengeance ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
» What?«
» It's when you show affection or attachment to your kidnapper.«
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
❥ 𝑺𝒌𝒚𝒍𝒂𝒓
She was a little naive but absolutely likeable as a character. She deeply cares for the ones she loves and I liked her interactions with Renzo.
❥ 𝑹𝒆𝒏𝒛𝒐
He seeks revenge for one of his men and is ruthless and coldhearted doing it. I understood his heartbreak and loss and I liked Renzo really much. He was a relatable character.
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
Another great mafia book by Michelle Heard. She is one of my favourite authors and her books are an instant read for me.
This book was so emotional and heartbreaking I nearly cried (and I normally never cry over books).
The story of Skylar and Renzo is full of pain and loss. They found peace in each other and this was wonderful to read. Renzo quickly became obsessed with Skylar despite the fact he wants to hate her. He is an possessive and protective asshole most of the time but won my heart - I‘m a sucker for morally dark mafia man. I liked the tension between the characters and their little word battles.
The plot was heavy and nothing for weak nerves. So don‘t read if you can‘t stand dark subjects and mentioning of death and violence.
I read the book in one sitting because it was so thrilling and interesting I just couldn‘t stop.
I‘m so curious about the next books in this series (above all about Damiano) and I hope the author never stops writing dark mafia romances.
𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓
plot: 5/5
spice: 1/5
humor: 3/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 5/5
happy end?: yes
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
mafia, darkromance, kidnapping, trauma bonding, loss of beloved ones, enemies to lovers, possessive and protective hero, touch her and you‘ll die, stalking, slow burn
𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: 30 (Skylar) and 35 (Renzo)
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: no
𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬
When She Unravels - Gabrielle Sands
Taken by a Sinner - Michelle Heard
Nero - S.J. Tilly
𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 Tempted by the Devil ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Craving Danger ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#3 Hunted by a Shadow ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#4 Drawn to Darkness ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#5 God of Vengeance ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
February 19, 2024
"I'll make you deal. Just for today, I won't be an asshole, and you'll drop the act."
"What act?"
"The one where you think flirting with me will make me care enough to let you go." My eyes flick to hers. "I'm not that kind of man. If you make me love you, there's no fucking way I'll let you go. You're fighting a losing battle.
"Are you saying there's a chance you might fall in love with me?"
Finally, I’m reading a good book after so many horrible ones 🥳💓
"What act?"
"The one where you think flirting with me will make me care enough to let you go." My eyes flick to hers. "I'm not that kind of man. If you make me love you, there's no fucking way I'll let you go. You're fighting a losing battle.
"Are you saying there's a chance you might fall in love with me?"
Finally, I’m reading a good book after so many horrible ones 🥳💓
![Profile Image for Tea [semi-hiatus].](https://cdn.statically.io/img/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1725969682i/163357438._UY200_CR19,0,200,200_.jpg)
February 13, 2024
Are Michelle’s books necessarily good? No. Will I keep reading them? Yes. They’re quick and light reads(even though it’s still dark romance). My brain does not need to do any braining while reading her books. I can’t explain it, I just enjoy them even though the quality is highly questionable.
This one was a miss though and the writing is not that great.. it’s cringey, repetitive and just bad.
✨Rage:✨
Destructive rage fills every inch of my being
The grim sorrow mixes with uncontrollable rage,
My sorrow blends with rage
My rage multiplies until it’s a violent storm,
With every ounce of rage I feel,
The grief that’s taken a backseat to my rage returns with a soul-crushing blow
The rage in my chest turns deadly and merciless, ….., pedestrians scatter out of my way, fearful expressions on their faces as they shoot glances at me.
My voice is soft but filled with a world of rage as I say,
My voice is hoarse and filled with sorrow and rage as I whisper,
The rage swirls like a tornado in my chest,
I shout, unable to control my rage,
When my eyes lock on my reflection in the mirror, all I see is the rage
There’s so much rage in his gaze
The only expression in his eyes is rage.
The flash of rage on his face
As he stares at me, the intense rage returns
My grief spirals until the deadly rage that was soothed by **** returns with a vengeance.
But with Skylar in my personal space, I’m finding it hard to control my rage.
The rage.
The uncontrollable rage I felt toward Skylar
rage detonates in my chest.
Rage flays me to the bone and strips me of all my self-control.
His hands are bloody, and the rage on his face is so dark
Renzo addresses the man behind the desk with rage simmering in his tone.
You’re seeing the pain, the rage, the fucking relentless thirst for vengeance.”
I don’t need you to over and over tell me what the characters feel. And rage is just one example of how bad the writing really is. Michelle does not know how to make you feel or belive in a characters feelings, she just tells you what they’re feeling. It feels forced, fake and ridiculous. And the romance part isn’t any better to be honest.
From Renzo’s side it’s insta love and you can not convince me Skylar fell in love with Renzo at any point. I feel like he was her only life line and she mixed up security and gratefulness with love. It felt inauthentic and rushed. You can’t make life alternating decisions right after you’ve been through something traumatising.
Every aspect of this was quite bad to be honest. I liked Skylar’s dad and Renzo’s friends, that’s it.
“You okay?”
“I’m just thinking about everything I have to do. Dad took control of my life after the car accident, and then you happened.”
“What do you mean by everything?”
“I need to sort out the bank accounts. I don’t have a cellphone. I want to start working again.”“I have to pack up everything.”
“I can do all of that for you.”
“You won’t mind?”
Does she want a boyfriend or a new daddy?
I realize she’s beautiful even though she’s thin as fuck.
With the weight she’s gained, she’s gone from pretty to strikingly beautiful.
Let’s not insinuante someone is more or less beautiful depending on their weight.
I also don’t like the man-woman deviation. ”The men will do this and we can do that” I get that the men are friends but if you don’t want your significant others company, why would you bring them at all?
2 stars
This one was a miss though and the writing is not that great.. it’s cringey, repetitive and just bad.
✨Rage:✨
Destructive rage fills every inch of my being
The grim sorrow mixes with uncontrollable rage,
My sorrow blends with rage
My rage multiplies until it’s a violent storm,
With every ounce of rage I feel,
The grief that’s taken a backseat to my rage returns with a soul-crushing blow
The rage in my chest turns deadly and merciless, ….., pedestrians scatter out of my way, fearful expressions on their faces as they shoot glances at me.
My voice is soft but filled with a world of rage as I say,
My voice is hoarse and filled with sorrow and rage as I whisper,
The rage swirls like a tornado in my chest,
I shout, unable to control my rage,
When my eyes lock on my reflection in the mirror, all I see is the rage
There’s so much rage in his gaze
The only expression in his eyes is rage.
The flash of rage on his face
As he stares at me, the intense rage returns
My grief spirals until the deadly rage that was soothed by **** returns with a vengeance.
But with Skylar in my personal space, I’m finding it hard to control my rage.
The rage.
The uncontrollable rage I felt toward Skylar
rage detonates in my chest.
Rage flays me to the bone and strips me of all my self-control.
His hands are bloody, and the rage on his face is so dark
Renzo addresses the man behind the desk with rage simmering in his tone.
You’re seeing the pain, the rage, the fucking relentless thirst for vengeance.”
I don’t need you to over and over tell me what the characters feel. And rage is just one example of how bad the writing really is. Michelle does not know how to make you feel or belive in a characters feelings, she just tells you what they’re feeling. It feels forced, fake and ridiculous. And the romance part isn’t any better to be honest.
From Renzo’s side it’s insta love and you can not convince me Skylar fell in love with Renzo at any point. I feel like he was her only life line and she mixed up security and gratefulness with love. It felt inauthentic and rushed. You can’t make life alternating decisions right after you’ve been through something traumatising.
Every aspect of this was quite bad to be honest. I liked Skylar’s dad and Renzo’s friends, that’s it.
“You okay?”
“I’m just thinking about everything I have to do. Dad took control of my life after the car accident, and then you happened.”
“What do you mean by everything?”
“I need to sort out the bank accounts. I don’t have a cellphone. I want to start working again.”“I have to pack up everything.”
“I can do all of that for you.”
“You won’t mind?”
Does she want a boyfriend or a new daddy?
I realize she’s beautiful even though she’s thin as fuck.
With the weight she’s gained, she’s gone from pretty to strikingly beautiful.
Let’s not insinuante someone is more or less beautiful depending on their weight.
I also don’t like the man-woman deviation. ”The men will do this and we can do that” I get that the men are friends but if you don’t want your significant others company, why would you bring them at all?
2 stars
February 16, 2024
I was literally counting days and refreshing my mail for this book. And it was so good!
Give me an alpha who isn’t afraid to show his emotions and vulnerability and I’M IN!
I didn’t know it was possible for my heart to break before we even reached chapter 4. God, it was really hard especially seeing Renzo’s deep pain which was written really well and Skylar’s hopelessness.
What I enjoyed the most was this was a true Enemies to Lovers. At one point I even thought Renzo was a demon.
Initially both weren’t attracted to each other and were very much enemies. Renzo was undecided if he should kill her ( yeah, we knew how that will go for him) and Skylar wasn’t enamoured with him at all. There was also no betraying body syndrome from her end -which I LOVED.
I also loved that after Franco’s wild idea Renzo just couldn’t concentrate and see Sky as his enemy alone, which was hilarious. In fact there were many moments that made me laugh and moments of Renzo’s jealousy that made me swoon.
I read it in a stretch to 60% ( yeah, slept at 3am) and finished it in a day so you can guess how much immersed I was in the story.
Can’t wait to read Dario’s book which I think is next.
-True enemies to lovers.
-Found family, forced proximity,
-He really wanted to kill her, He falls first, touch her and die.
-He is both her pain and salvation.
-TW, KU and absolutely recommended.
I received an advance review copy and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.
Give me an alpha who isn’t afraid to show his emotions and vulnerability and I’M IN!
I didn’t know it was possible for my heart to break before we even reached chapter 4. God, it was really hard especially seeing Renzo’s deep pain which was written really well and Skylar’s hopelessness.
What I enjoyed the most was this was a true Enemies to Lovers. At one point I even thought Renzo was a demon.
Initially both weren’t attracted to each other and were very much enemies. Renzo was undecided if he should kill her ( yeah, we knew how that will go for him) and Skylar wasn’t enamoured with him at all. There was also no betraying body syndrome from her end -which I LOVED.
I also loved that after Franco’s wild idea Renzo just couldn’t concentrate and see Sky as his enemy alone, which was hilarious. In fact there were many moments that made me laugh and moments of Renzo’s jealousy that made me swoon.
I read it in a stretch to 60% ( yeah, slept at 3am) and finished it in a day so you can guess how much immersed I was in the story.
Can’t wait to read Dario’s book which I think is next.
-True enemies to lovers.
-Found family, forced proximity,
-He really wanted to kill her, He falls first, touch her and die.
-He is both her pain and salvation.
-TW, KU and absolutely recommended.
I received an advance review copy and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.
February 13, 2024
… wait… what?
February 4, 2024
***4,5 "Topolina!!!" stars***
"You have something that belongs to me."
I love so much the "Kings of Mafia" series!!! I thought I could never love other mafia characters as much as I loved the ones from Michelle's previous work, but boy, I was so wrong...
Slowly and steadily the Kings are slipping inside my heart and I adore every single story in their universe...
In here, Michelle changed her stragetic and she made me very emotional, very early in the book!!! Many tears had slipped from my eyes and my heart was bleeding for both Renzo and Skylar...
"Sometimes even to live is an act of courage." -Lucius Annaeus Seneca
When Skylar accepted that she was in the doorstep of death, her life changed for the best, because of a transplant... She was so lucky that she had a second chance to live and do all the things that she ever wanted to do.
But then, she started to feel eyes on her and she thought she was crazy, until her shadow became a real man who was out for blood.
His hateful eyes were scary, even though much attractive... And Skylar's life was about to change for once again...
"The worst is finally behind me, and I can breathe again. I can hope and dream. I can live."
"I'm a prisoner of a deranged man. God help me."
Renzo Torrisi is a mafia boss who everyone fears...
A handful of people meant much for him and he could do anything for them...
But then, he found his little 'brother' butchered and he sworn to avenge this unjustice that was made to him...
Skylar was the woman who had something from his brother inside of her and he wanted her to pay for this fact...
He was out for blood and Skylar would take the burn of this ugly situation...
She would become his captive and her life wouldn't be her own from now on...
"I'm going to hunt every last person responsible for Guilio's death. No one will escape my wrath."
I liked both Renzo and Skylar very much...
My heart was breaking for this girl... She was so nice, so sweet, but her fate was unfair...
I was hurting alongside her when she was only an innocent in all this mess...
Renzo's grief was chocking me and I could totally understand his thirst for revenge... But honestly, he was unfair toward Skylar...
Still... with everything that they both went through, they managed from the darkness to find a ray of sunshine to each other and I liked the way that the author brought them together...
"My little captive might just turn out to be my downfall if I'm not careful."
Yes, I loved this new addition to the series...
And yes, I am impatiently waiting for the next story...
Damiano or Dario... both of them are intiguing me and I can not wait to see them fall...
Also, I can not wait to see the way they will fall, cause this series has so many different aspects for how someone is falling in love. LOL
"If you make me love you, there's no fucking way I'll let you go. You're fighting a losing battle."
**I received an ARC for the exchange of an honest review**
"You have something that belongs to me."
I love so much the "Kings of Mafia" series!!! I thought I could never love other mafia characters as much as I loved the ones from Michelle's previous work, but boy, I was so wrong...
Slowly and steadily the Kings are slipping inside my heart and I adore every single story in their universe...
In here, Michelle changed her stragetic and she made me very emotional, very early in the book!!! Many tears had slipped from my eyes and my heart was bleeding for both Renzo and Skylar...
"Sometimes even to live is an act of courage." -Lucius Annaeus Seneca
When Skylar accepted that she was in the doorstep of death, her life changed for the best, because of a transplant... She was so lucky that she had a second chance to live and do all the things that she ever wanted to do.
But then, she started to feel eyes on her and she thought she was crazy, until her shadow became a real man who was out for blood.
His hateful eyes were scary, even though much attractive... And Skylar's life was about to change for once again...
"The worst is finally behind me, and I can breathe again. I can hope and dream. I can live."
"I'm a prisoner of a deranged man. God help me."
Renzo Torrisi is a mafia boss who everyone fears...
A handful of people meant much for him and he could do anything for them...
But then, he found his little 'brother' butchered and he sworn to avenge this unjustice that was made to him...
Skylar was the woman who had something from his brother inside of her and he wanted her to pay for this fact...
He was out for blood and Skylar would take the burn of this ugly situation...
She would become his captive and her life wouldn't be her own from now on...
"I'm going to hunt every last person responsible for Guilio's death. No one will escape my wrath."
I liked both Renzo and Skylar very much...
My heart was breaking for this girl... She was so nice, so sweet, but her fate was unfair...
I was hurting alongside her when she was only an innocent in all this mess...
Renzo's grief was chocking me and I could totally understand his thirst for revenge... But honestly, he was unfair toward Skylar...
Still... with everything that they both went through, they managed from the darkness to find a ray of sunshine to each other and I liked the way that the author brought them together...
"My little captive might just turn out to be my downfall if I'm not careful."
Yes, I loved this new addition to the series...
And yes, I am impatiently waiting for the next story...
Damiano or Dario... both of them are intiguing me and I can not wait to see them fall...
Also, I can not wait to see the way they will fall, cause this series has so many different aspects for how someone is falling in love. LOL
"If you make me love you, there's no fucking way I'll let you go. You're fighting a losing battle."
**I received an ARC for the exchange of an honest review**
September 17, 2024
This one is my fav out of all five.
The plot is well written plot cus during the first half i was thinking how is she gonna fall in love with him if he is being so mean to her (which was understandable but still she better not 😤) And then things changed which i enjoyed.
I loved their back and forth. She's a badass chef who uses her brain for once thankgod ( it is bare minimum...the bar is in hell for strong fmcs in this genre ngl) and she didnt just fall for him in a second.
I also liked that he was inflicting pure torture on her in the beginning lol and not just thinking with his dick...which most of these mmcs (mafia romance ones) do. Their connection seemed more genuine this way...not just rushed insta-love, and the way their tragedies unfolded...it allowed both of them to feel the same pain somehow.
I cannot get over the yummy plot twist honestly...i prefer when they meet somewhere in the middle (like they're equal in one way or another in the relationship...emotionally,financially or tragedy wise or something) and this book gave me that. ☺️💖
The plot is well written plot cus during the first half i was thinking how is she gonna fall in love with him if he is being so mean to her (which was understandable but still she better not 😤) And then things changed which i enjoyed.
I loved their back and forth. She's a badass chef who uses her brain for once thankgod ( it is bare minimum...the bar is in hell for strong fmcs in this genre ngl) and she didnt just fall for him in a second.
I also liked that he was inflicting pure torture on her in the beginning lol and not just thinking with his dick...which most of these mmcs (mafia romance ones) do. Their connection seemed more genuine this way...not just rushed insta-love, and the way their tragedies unfolded...it allowed both of them to feel the same pain somehow.
I cannot get over the yummy plot twist honestly...i prefer when they meet somewhere in the middle (like they're equal in one way or another in the relationship...emotionally,financially or tragedy wise or something) and this book gave me that. ☺️💖
February 9, 2024
Los primeros libros estuvieron pasables, pero este en definitiva no me gusto casi nada. Desde el hecho que la iba a mantener encerrada hasta el momento en el que según se enamoró y para acabarla todo fue muy rápido.
Me gustan los libros de esta autora, pero este simplemente me decepcionó de una manera que no imaginaba.
La mayoría de las cosas no tenían sentido y fue lo que más enojó
Me gustan los libros de esta autora, pero este simplemente me decepcionó de una manera que no imaginaba.
La mayoría de las cosas no tenían sentido y fue lo que más enojó
February 6, 2024
3.5 ⭐
That whole part 'when' they fall in love with each other is so unconvincing to me. The first 'I love you' felt so rushed... I was like., 'already??'
That whole part 'when' they fall in love with each other is so unconvincing to me. The first 'I love you' felt so rushed... I was like., 'already??'
February 8, 2024
4/5 ⭐️
🤍 Mafia
🤍 Kidnapping
🤍 Revenge
🤍 Organ trafficking
🤍Celibate hero x heroine
🚩no cheating or sharing, no OW/OM
𝙎𝙠𝙮𝙡𝙖𝙧 - 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙚 🩷
Really liked her ! Her situation broke my heart and even though she wasn't the one to be blamed she felt so sad 😢
In this novel I liked that she didn't love him right away but really saw him as a villain 😍🫶
Alsoo I loved that her dream came true & Renzo help her so much
𝙍𝙚𝙣𝙯𝙤 - 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤 🩵
His feelings in the beginning were extreme but I think it's underdtandable 😶
I lovveddd how hard he fell for Skylar and didn't even want to hurt her 🦋✨️
Liked this Mafia romance ( not as much as the other two but it was still pretty good ) 🫂
Sooooo excited to read about Dario ( Renzos friend) who was stalking a ballerina in this book 🫠👀🙌
🤍 Mafia
🤍 Kidnapping
🤍 Revenge
🤍 Organ trafficking
🤍Celibate hero x heroine
🚩no cheating or sharing, no OW/OM
𝙎𝙠𝙮𝙡𝙖𝙧 - 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙚 🩷
Really liked her ! Her situation broke my heart and even though she wasn't the one to be blamed she felt so sad 😢
In this novel I liked that she didn't love him right away but really saw him as a villain 😍🫶
Alsoo I loved that her dream came true & Renzo help her so much
𝙍𝙚𝙣𝙯𝙤 - 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤 🩵
His feelings in the beginning were extreme but I think it's underdtandable 😶
I lovveddd how hard he fell for Skylar and didn't even want to hurt her 🦋✨️
Liked this Mafia romance ( not as much as the other two but it was still pretty good ) 🫂
Sooooo excited to read about Dario ( Renzos friend) who was stalking a ballerina in this book 🫠👀🙌
February 6, 2024
This book broke my heart the first 10%, and boy, I didn't know how Renzo and Skylar would get together, but I trusted the process. Renzo... My heart broke for him early on, and I couldn't hate on him for the revenge he wanted and the blood on his hands. His "brother" was brutally murder for his organs, and that's a good revenge plot.
The problem is one organ. He was already taken a kidney by Skylar to save her life. He vows he's going to destroy her and her family. Poor Skylar is at her ends she also accepts that she's going to die 😢 😭 but her father isn't he's going to do anything to make sure she lives, and he does. The thing is, she doesn't know how fare her father went she doesn't know the kidney she owns was stolen. She sees and feels someone watching her every move notes and chill run down her spine until it's too late she's taken with her father and doctor and finds out the ugly truth. She is semi tortured, aka mind games by Renzo he never hurt her because of the kidney, but he took her prisoner and tried to fight the tension between them.
But the feeling change when the original ppls who did the Transplant kill someone close to Sky and that sets of Renzo his feelings change and now he does see what his family was saying and he'll protect and love Sky with all his heart and make everyone pay.
And it's delicious.. the spice is low because of the build around them, which I'm okay with. I do wish we had maybe a bit more spice. But it's okay
No ow/om drama, no cheating, slight secondary character, drama, sexy times, no virgins
Recommend-yes
Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🤣
Heat level-🌶🌶
Sadness level-💧💧💧
Slowinsta
Pinning
30h/35H
Brutal and Graphic Violence
Kidnapping
Organ Transplant
Loss of a family
Torture/violence
Murder
No condom
Hea
Epilogue
The problem is one organ. He was already taken a kidney by Skylar to save her life. He vows he's going to destroy her and her family. Poor Skylar is at her ends she also accepts that she's going to die 😢 😭 but her father isn't he's going to do anything to make sure she lives, and he does. The thing is, she doesn't know how fare her father went she doesn't know the kidney she owns was stolen. She sees and feels someone watching her every move notes and chill run down her spine until it's too late she's taken with her father and doctor and finds out the ugly truth. She is semi tortured, aka mind games by Renzo he never hurt her because of the kidney, but he took her prisoner and tried to fight the tension between them.
But the feeling change when the original ppls who did the Transplant kill someone close to Sky and that sets of Renzo his feelings change and now he does see what his family was saying and he'll protect and love Sky with all his heart and make everyone pay.
And it's delicious.. the spice is low because of the build around them, which I'm okay with. I do wish we had maybe a bit more spice. But it's okay
No ow/om drama, no cheating, slight secondary character, drama, sexy times, no virgins
Recommend-yes
Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🤣
Heat level-🌶🌶
Sadness level-💧💧💧
Slowinsta
Pinning
30h/35H
Brutal and Graphic Violence
Kidnapping
Organ Transplant
Loss of a family
Torture/violence
Murder
No condom
Hea
Epilogue
February 25, 2024
My Review:
Hunted By A Shadow is the third book in the Kings of Mafia. This is basically a blend of a stalker romance with a slight beauty and beasty retelling. I really adore it when this author writes some retellings, they are so fun to be honest. In this one we have a really emotional read....LIKE I WAS SOBBING TEARS haha So just be ready for this book to tear you apart emotionally. We also have a mix of mafia, very dark content and stalking and some manipulation. I would recommend if you get triggered in ANY way that you check the trigger warnings for it. I did really enjoy this one and I flew through this book so quickly. And I was so sad when it was over. I really fell hard for this couple, but this author never really writes long books so when I really love it, its tough to let go of it. This also deals with certain crimes of organ transplants which are forced. I found the premise of it very dark in some ways, more so than I normally see from this author so it definitely kept me on the edge from beginning to end. I really was fascinated by this story though and even though there were parts that tore me up, I can see why the author wrote it the way that she did, it really brings this couple together in the seige of such intense emotion and hardship. We see how well they connect with each other when it matters most. I really adored the male friendship bonds in this one though, some great bromance elements here.
Overall I had such a blast with this one and I can't wait to read Franco's book (I skipped it because I wasn't in the mood for the premise, but after seeing them in their HEA I just need their story haha)
Hunted By A Shadow is the third book in the Kings of Mafia. This is basically a blend of a stalker romance with a slight beauty and beasty retelling. I really adore it when this author writes some retellings, they are so fun to be honest. In this one we have a really emotional read....LIKE I WAS SOBBING TEARS haha So just be ready for this book to tear you apart emotionally. We also have a mix of mafia, very dark content and stalking and some manipulation. I would recommend if you get triggered in ANY way that you check the trigger warnings for it. I did really enjoy this one and I flew through this book so quickly. And I was so sad when it was over. I really fell hard for this couple, but this author never really writes long books so when I really love it, its tough to let go of it. This also deals with certain crimes of organ transplants which are forced. I found the premise of it very dark in some ways, more so than I normally see from this author so it definitely kept me on the edge from beginning to end. I really was fascinated by this story though and even though there were parts that tore me up, I can see why the author wrote it the way that she did, it really brings this couple together in the seige of such intense emotion and hardship. We see how well they connect with each other when it matters most. I really adored the male friendship bonds in this one though, some great bromance elements here.
Overall I had such a blast with this one and I can't wait to read Franco's book (I skipped it because I wasn't in the mood for the premise, but after seeing them in their HEA I just need their story haha)
February 10, 2024
The first two in this series were TAME compared to this. This was so heavy, gritty, and hit-you-in-the-feels from the very beginning. It brought me to 😭 for both Renzo and Skylar. As Ms. Heard mentioned in the acknowledgement, their story hit differently and she was spot on.
I thoroughly enjoyed this as far as the story, but honestly on the fence a little about Renzo. I get it, but the forgiveness aspect is what bugs me. I'm happy enough with the ending but would have been fine if Skylar decided differently.
I can't wait to read Dario's story which I'm going to guess is next.
I thoroughly enjoyed this as far as the story, but honestly on the fence a little about Renzo. I get it, but the forgiveness aspect is what bugs me. I'm happy enough with the ending but would have been fine if Skylar decided differently.
I can't wait to read Dario's story which I'm going to guess is next.
February 6, 2024
2 stars because I can’t bring myself to leave 1 since this is my opinion.
I never write reviews, that’s just because I think that my opinion is too subjective and in the past i’ve loved books with truly bad reviews.
The first book in the series is definitely my favorite so far and i can see myself rereading it. The second book was ok.
This one made me finally find my limit concerning mafia/romance books. It’s finally happened, this was too much for me.
Scare me? Torture me? Relish in my pain? Then suddenly fall in love with me?? And i love you back somehow??? No.
Thank you for helping me find my limit, this book will be used as reference.
Will read next ones though, there’s still a chance I’ll like them.
I never write reviews, that’s just because I think that my opinion is too subjective and in the past i’ve loved books with truly bad reviews.
The first book in the series is definitely my favorite so far and i can see myself rereading it. The second book was ok.
This one made me finally find my limit concerning mafia/romance books. It’s finally happened, this was too much for me.
Scare me? Torture me? Relish in my pain? Then suddenly fall in love with me?? And i love you back somehow??? No.
Thank you for helping me find my limit, this book will be used as reference.
Will read next ones though, there’s still a chance I’ll like them.
June 7, 2024
2.5/5
Так, викрадення з стокгольмським синдромом не для мене
Красуня і чудовисько відміняється для 2ї книги
Ту більше підходить
Взяв в полон,а потім влюбився,бо йому за це вуха прожужали
Во дураааак
І це мафіозний чувак.який в оце вот всьо вірить
Кароче серія мені тут не зайшла в такому ключі)
Так, викрадення з стокгольмським синдромом не для мене
Красуня і чудовисько відміняється для 2ї книги
Ту більше підходить
Взяв в полон,а потім влюбився,бо йому за це вуха прожужали
Во дураааак
І це мафіозний чувак.який в оце вот всьо вірить
Кароче серія мені тут не зайшла в такому ключі)
September 1, 2024
Renzo and Skylar
This book had its good moments…. But I skimmed a lot in other parts. The overlying theme is melancholy. The first part is Renzo wanting to torture Skylar and kill her. The girl has been on dialysis for the last 3 years and was on her deathbed when she got a kidney transplant. Unfortunately unbeknownst to her it was a black market kidney belonging to Renzo’s adopted brother. Renzo goes crazy over the murder of his 20 yo brother and he goes on a killing spree to take down the organ stealers. He constantly tells Skylar he is going to cut her kidney out and mentally tortured her. This part was angsty af… but then suddenly he’s in love with her and the story fizzles to the hea. At times I thought this would be a 5 star read for me but the momentum and angst were lost and it got boring.
This book had its good moments…. But I skimmed a lot in other parts. The overlying theme is melancholy. The first part is Renzo wanting to torture Skylar and kill her. The girl has been on dialysis for the last 3 years and was on her deathbed when she got a kidney transplant. Unfortunately unbeknownst to her it was a black market kidney belonging to Renzo’s adopted brother. Renzo goes crazy over the murder of his 20 yo brother and he goes on a killing spree to take down the organ stealers. He constantly tells Skylar he is going to cut her kidney out and mentally tortured her. This part was angsty af… but then suddenly he’s in love with her and the story fizzles to the hea. At times I thought this would be a 5 star read for me but the momentum and angst were lost and it got boring.
February 6, 2024
So I cried right at the beginning. I guess it's the pms but wow that was somehow heartbreaking from chapter one.
I loved that skylar the fmc was already 30, I think it's something we don't see that often in dark romance.
The reason I somehow aren't feeling the 5 stars is the fact that it feels a little stockholm-y. I was missing the letting-her-go aspect we know from Captured by a Sinner. So it would probably be more like a 4.5 but I yet don't feel the rounding up sadly.
Also the organ trafficking was a refreshing idea I haven't come across in Mafia romances yet. When it's trafficking of flesh - also disgusting way of saying it - it's usually for sexual reasons. Maybe that's why the whole friend dying for his organs (not a spoiler, it's in the description 😅) caught me off-guard and caused me to cry. Or maybe it's just reading about Mafia men letting their guard down and crying when they are always portrayed as strong and without weakness (not saying that crying is a weakness, but yk what I mean).
I loved that skylar the fmc was already 30, I think it's something we don't see that often in dark romance.
The reason I somehow aren't feeling the 5 stars is the fact that it feels a little stockholm-y. I was missing the letting-her-go aspect we know from Captured by a Sinner. So it would probably be more like a 4.5 but I yet don't feel the rounding up sadly.
Also the organ trafficking was a refreshing idea I haven't come across in Mafia romances yet. When it's trafficking of flesh - also disgusting way of saying it - it's usually for sexual reasons. Maybe that's why the whole friend dying for his organs (not a spoiler, it's in the description 😅) caught me off-guard and caused me to cry. Or maybe it's just reading about Mafia men letting their guard down and crying when they are always portrayed as strong and without weakness (not saying that crying is a weakness, but yk what I mean).
February 6, 2024
The premise of this promises sadness and angst. And I did get that, especially in the beginning, but then it sort of fizzled for me a bit.
Renzo kidnaps Skylar because her dad arranged a black market kidney for her, and the harvesters kill Renzo’s good friend/“brother” for it. So it’s sad to see how he reacts to that death. He’s hell bent on revenge and takes Skylar to punish both her and her father.
He realizes fairly soon that Skylar didn’t know about it but still keeps her there. He’s never overly cruel per se but I did feel like when he says he loves her it felt way too soon and I wanted more of that total reversal of thought and more of them getting to know each other.
I was glad that he said it first and it took her a while to come to terms with loving him after watching him kill people and threaten her and her dad.
I just wasn’t feeling their connection as much as I hoped? It felt like parts were super angsty and dark and then it became very sweet.
I did like that she got to live her life and find her passion after everything.
So in all, not my favorite, but a decent middle of the road read.
Safety:
Triggers: murder, organ harvesting, torture, death of loved ones, probably more I’m forgetting
Romance: No om/ow drama - she’s been celibate for 5 years and no details given of her past, he said he doesn’t have one night stands and only had 3 girlfriends his family tried to set him up with (no manho vibes in a mafia story - refreshing!)
Renzo kidnaps Skylar because her dad arranged a black market kidney for her, and the harvesters kill Renzo’s good friend/“brother” for it. So it’s sad to see how he reacts to that death. He’s hell bent on revenge and takes Skylar to punish both her and her father.
He realizes fairly soon that Skylar didn’t know about it but still keeps her there. He’s never overly cruel per se but I did feel like when he says he loves her it felt way too soon and I wanted more of that total reversal of thought and more of them getting to know each other.
I was glad that he said it first and it took her a while to come to terms with loving him after watching him kill people and threaten her and her dad.
I just wasn’t feeling their connection as much as I hoped? It felt like parts were super angsty and dark and then it became very sweet.
I did like that she got to live her life and find her passion after everything.
So in all, not my favorite, but a decent middle of the road read.
Safety:
Triggers: murder, organ harvesting, torture, death of loved ones, probably more I’m forgetting
Romance: No om/ow drama - she’s been celibate for 5 years and no details given of her past, he said he doesn’t have one night stands and only had 3 girlfriends his family tried to set him up with (no manho vibes in a mafia story - refreshing!)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2024
What the hell is this. Definitely not for me. DNF
Giulio you deserved better RIP 😭
Trash ass fucking brother. They literally slaughtered him gutted him like he was a cow and you’re gonna fall in love with the bitch that gets to live with his organs!? RANDOMLY MIGHT I ADD. LIKE WTF
I hate this book sm. I’m sorry I don’t give a fuck if the prettiest woman in the world got my fucking brother’s kidney I’d murder her on the spot. ON THE SPOT! NO QUESTIONS ASKED. I don’t care if she’s innocent MY BROTHER WAS PURPOSELY MURDERED FOR HER AND SHE DOESN’T GET TO LIVE. It’s completely unrealistic idc if it’s fictional anyone would want revenge especially bc YOU DONT KNOW THIS GIRL 👏🏼👏🏼
She is nothing to me and everyone would die idgaf.
Never routed for this stupid couple.
Giulio you deserved better RIP 😭
Trash ass fucking brother. They literally slaughtered him gutted him like he was a cow and you’re gonna fall in love with the bitch that gets to live with his organs!? RANDOMLY MIGHT I ADD. LIKE WTF
I hate this book sm. I’m sorry I don’t give a fuck if the prettiest woman in the world got my fucking brother’s kidney I’d murder her on the spot. ON THE SPOT! NO QUESTIONS ASKED. I don’t care if she’s innocent MY BROTHER WAS PURPOSELY MURDERED FOR HER AND SHE DOESN’T GET TO LIVE. It’s completely unrealistic idc if it’s fictional anyone would want revenge especially bc YOU DONT KNOW THIS GIRL 👏🏼👏🏼
She is nothing to me and everyone would die idgaf.
Never routed for this stupid couple.
February 10, 2024
I think I supported the violence more than the romance as I can’t actually be too sure when they ‘fell’ for each other, it was all a little rushed in my opinion. The overall plot was good tho!
February 2, 2024
“even though i kidnapped you, you were the one who took me captive. you’ve seen me at my worst and still chose to love me.”
every time i think michelle heard has done it all in her mafia books, throughout all 4 series, she publishes a new one and manages to surprise me. this was unexpectedly dark, and probably not in the way people would assume it to be considering some of her previous work. and yet, it might be one of my favorite stories by her. alexei will always be my number one, and while reading this i caught some similarities between both men and their respective books. it was a gamble for the author to set a new mafia series completely detached from her previous well established universe, and even though i'm still familiarizing myself with the new characters, this book finally cemented in me the value and worth of this series as its own seperate thing. i'm attached now, truly invested, and to think there's only two books left with no prospect of spin offs feels like finishing the sinners all over again before the corrupted royals was announced.
* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review
every time i think michelle heard has done it all in her mafia books, throughout all 4 series, she publishes a new one and manages to surprise me. this was unexpectedly dark, and probably not in the way people would assume it to be considering some of her previous work. and yet, it might be one of my favorite stories by her. alexei will always be my number one, and while reading this i caught some similarities between both men and their respective books. it was a gamble for the author to set a new mafia series completely detached from her previous well established universe, and even though i'm still familiarizing myself with the new characters, this book finally cemented in me the value and worth of this series as its own seperate thing. i'm attached now, truly invested, and to think there's only two books left with no prospect of spin offs feels like finishing the sinners all over again before the corrupted royals was announced.
* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review
February 6, 2024
I’m so sad to have to rate this poorly. The mix of Stockholm syndrome and instalove made this so unbelievable for me. I kept waiting for the MMC to redeem himself and gave up. This was such a disappointment.
February 7, 2024
2+ 0.75 for my tears. I didn’t hate this by any means. But I also didn’t love it. I will admit I cried several times. I won’t remember Renzo and Skylar’s relationship, but I will remember the set up and overall story.
The kids and them being a family .. ADORABLE.
The kids and them being a family .. ADORABLE.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2024
Moved far too quickly, would have been better if the book was longer with more character development
February 5, 2024
ʜᴜɴᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴀ ꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡ
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
ꜱᴘɪᴄᴇ: 🌶️🌶️
💓ᴘᴇᴛɴᴀᴍᴇ: ᴛᴏᴘᴏʟɪɴᴀ (ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴍᴏᴜꜱᴇ)
💀𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝙼𝚊𝚏𝚒𝚊 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚛 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
💀𝙴𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜
💀𝙲𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚘𝚛/𝙲𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎
💀𝙷𝚎 𝙵𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝
𝘚𝘬𝘺𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵. 𝘜𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘧𝘪𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘷𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘱𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩…
My first book from Michelle Heard, and thank God this saved me from my slump! I read this in one sitting because I simply cannot put it down. The slow burn is real, all the way to 70%, but I was on edge all the time and kept waiting for more. And once they get it going, it turns steamy very quickly. The chemistry between Renzo and Skylar is fiery, I ate up this kind of “TRUE” enemies to lovers like there’s no tomorrow. It’s so satisfying to see how Renzo hated her so much at the beginning, to slowly falling for her. Even more, so, to see how Skylar was utterly terrified of him (seeing him murder people in cold blood with her own eyes), to care and eventually fall for him too.
This book contains a very heavy & triggering topic, I have been warned by my friend so I know what I’m getting into. I don’t have any issues with the trigger, but it does make me very emotional, I cry a few times during my reading. In saying that, there are many swoon-worthy moments that made my heart flutter too, seeing them slowly giving up on their feeling despite their hate and fear. The only thing that took away a tiny bit of my enjoyment is the length of this book, I don’t usually complain about a book being too short. But this feels like lacking just a little bit because they didn’t even get to meet until about 20% of the book, and then the slow burn is all the way up to 70%, and this book was only about 275 pages. If I was given just a bit more progress in their shifting feeling, it would be great, and I will give this 5 stars. But overall, I still enjoy this book so much and I am so ready to check out all of her other work.
⚠️Note that this book contained very triggering topics, including organ trafficking and graphic violence & gore, please take care while you’re reading⚠️
- Organ Trafficking
- Kidnapping
- Captivity
- Violence/Gore/Murder
- Loss of Loved Ones
- Grief
𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙲𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚎 𝙿𝚁 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠!
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
ꜱᴘɪᴄᴇ: 🌶️🌶️
💓ᴘᴇᴛɴᴀᴍᴇ: ᴛᴏᴘᴏʟɪɴᴀ (ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴍᴏᴜꜱᴇ)
💀𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝙼𝚊𝚏𝚒𝚊 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚛 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
💀𝙴𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜
💀𝙲𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚘𝚛/𝙲𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎
💀𝙷𝚎 𝙵𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝
𝘚𝘬𝘺𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵. 𝘜𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘧𝘪𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘷𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘱𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩…
My first book from Michelle Heard, and thank God this saved me from my slump! I read this in one sitting because I simply cannot put it down. The slow burn is real, all the way to 70%, but I was on edge all the time and kept waiting for more. And once they get it going, it turns steamy very quickly. The chemistry between Renzo and Skylar is fiery, I ate up this kind of “TRUE” enemies to lovers like there’s no tomorrow. It’s so satisfying to see how Renzo hated her so much at the beginning, to slowly falling for her. Even more, so, to see how Skylar was utterly terrified of him (seeing him murder people in cold blood with her own eyes), to care and eventually fall for him too.
This book contains a very heavy & triggering topic, I have been warned by my friend so I know what I’m getting into. I don’t have any issues with the trigger, but it does make me very emotional, I cry a few times during my reading. In saying that, there are many swoon-worthy moments that made my heart flutter too, seeing them slowly giving up on their feeling despite their hate and fear. The only thing that took away a tiny bit of my enjoyment is the length of this book, I don’t usually complain about a book being too short. But this feels like lacking just a little bit because they didn’t even get to meet until about 20% of the book, and then the slow burn is all the way up to 70%, and this book was only about 275 pages. If I was given just a bit more progress in their shifting feeling, it would be great, and I will give this 5 stars. But overall, I still enjoy this book so much and I am so ready to check out all of her other work.
⚠️Note that this book contained very triggering topics, including organ trafficking and graphic violence & gore, please take care while you’re reading⚠️
- Organ Trafficking
- Kidnapping
- Captivity
- Violence/Gore/Murder
- Loss of Loved Ones
- Grief
𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙲𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚎 𝙿𝚁 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠!
February 4, 2024
ARC REVIEW:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️
Another great book by Michelle Heard! 😩🙌🏼
This was definitely the most emotional book in the series so far, I may have cried a few times 😅
The love Skylar and her dad had for eachother was so beautiful and the love and dedication Renzo had to avenge his brother was 👌🏼
I feel like this book is trueeee enemies to lovers! Most enemies to lovers aren’t quite enemies, but I don’t think you can get as enemies to lovers as the mmc wanting to kill the fmc and her family.
Also those epilogues?? BRB while I go cry from cuteness
Also I love love Dario and Renzos friendship! Can’t wait to read Dario’s book!
Also also how can I get an FMC named after me??
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️
Another great book by Michelle Heard! 😩🙌🏼
This was definitely the most emotional book in the series so far, I may have cried a few times 😅
The love Skylar and her dad had for eachother was so beautiful and the love and dedication Renzo had to avenge his brother was 👌🏼
I feel like this book is trueeee enemies to lovers! Most enemies to lovers aren’t quite enemies, but I don’t think you can get as enemies to lovers as the mmc wanting to kill the fmc and her family.
Also those epilogues?? BRB while I go cry from cuteness
Also I love love Dario and Renzos friendship! Can’t wait to read Dario’s book!
Also also how can I get an FMC named after me??
February 7, 2024
3 estrellas 🥲
Le tenia muchísimas expectativas y siento que no las cumplió. La relación entre los protas se me hizo muy rápida, en un momento estaba capturándola y al otro ya estaba súper enamorado de ella… mmm me gustó? Si, está entretenido pero hasta ahí
SABEN QUE LIBROS QUIERO QUE LLEGUE?!?!? El de Damiano y Darío 😍
Le tenia muchísimas expectativas y siento que no las cumplió. La relación entre los protas se me hizo muy rápida, en un momento estaba capturándola y al otro ya estaba súper enamorado de ella… mmm me gustó? Si, está entretenido pero hasta ahí
SABEN QUE LIBROS QUIERO QUE LLEGUE?!?!? El de Damiano y Darío 😍
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