MAFIA CROWN (Restless and Wicked .5) by Vi Carter -review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 11, 2025

Kieran

They call me “Kill” for a reason.

Loyalty, blood, and fear are my currency, and I’ve spent years perfecting my craft.

The Walsh family trusts me to clean up their messes, no questions asked. But when I see her picture—with those big defiant eyes—I hesitate. Hazel isn’t supposed to matter. She’s just a loose end, a witness I’m ordered to silence.

But something about her reminds me of what I’ve buried deep—a part of me that wants something more than this cold, violent life. I can’t afford distractions. Yet here she is, turning my world upside down with every fiery word and every moment of misplaced courage.

She’s a problem I should eliminate. Instead, I’m keeping her alive.

Hazel

I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. One moment, I’m walking my dog along a quiet street. The next, I’m running for my life after witnessing a murder I’ll never forget.

Now Kieran Brady, the most feared enforcer in the Irish Mafia, has me trapped.

He’s cold, calculating, and utterly terrifying—but there’s something beneath his rough exterior that confuses me. A flicker of humanity. A man who seems to hate what he’s become even as he clings to it.

I should hate him. I should fear him. But as days blur into nights and danger closes in, I can’t stop seeing the cracks in his armor. He’s broken, brutal… and I might be falling for him anyway.

As his loyalty is brought into question, one wrong move could destroy us both. But the real question is, when the dust settles, will Kieran kill me—or will he risk everything to save me?

••••••••

REVIEW: MAFIA CROWN is the introductory instalment in Vi Carter’s contemporary, adult RESTLESS AND WICKED dark, crime world romance series. This is assassin Kieran Brady, and Hazel’s story line.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Kieran and Hazel) MAFIA CROWN follows in the wake of a murder. While walking her dog, Hazel is witness to a murder, and finds herself the target of Kieran Brady, an assassin for the Walsh Crime family but all is not as is appears to be when Hazel and Kieran go on the run, and our hero becomes guardian and protector of the woman with whom he is falling in love.

The world building focuses on keeping Hazel safe, and out of the hands of the Walsh family assassins, and an unknown foe but at every safe house and roadside motel, our couple face down danger and death, as Kieran struggles to stay one step ahead of those gunning for their lives.

The relationship between Kieran and Hazel begins as an assignment; an abduction that will quickly turn into something more. Kieran is determined to protect our heroine with his life while Hazel presumes her life will be forfeited if they ever return home. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Hazel’s parents, her brother John, and best friend Mary: IT specialist Lee, crime lord Patrick Walsh, his son Marcus, as well as several gang members and hired killers.

MAFIA CROWN is a story of betrayal and vengeance, power and control, secret and lies, forgiveness and love. The premise is intriguing and captivating; the characters are desperate and energetic; the romance is fated. MAFIA CROWN ends on a happily ever after-for now.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy