Carnage (Kings of Eire 1) by Vi Carter-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 1, 2026

I was raised to be valuable. Educated. Polished. Strategic.

But when war threatens my family, I learn what that really means. Valuable things get traded. So I’m handed to the Murphy family in a marriage contract signed in ink and sealed in blood.

The lucky groom? William Murphy.

The volatile one. The addict. The heir to a throne built on violence and grief.

He doesn’t want a wife. He wants control. Power. A united front against the war coming for us all. I am just another move on his board.

But the thing about pawns?

When they reach the other side… They become queens.

•••••

REVIEW:CARNAGE is the first instalment in Vi Carter’s is a contemporary, adult, KINGS OF EIRE Irish Mafia romance series, set in the author’s MURPHY’S MAFIA MADE MEN series. This is the new Irish Mafia head William Murphy, and Aoife O’Rourke’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (William and Aoife) CARNAGE follows in the aftermath of the murder of the Murphy patriarch, leaving William in charge when his brother refuses to take control, but William has been spiralling for years, an addict with demons of his own, the black sheep made to feel less than worthy. An arranged marriage between William and Aoife O’Rourke is meant to solidify their mutual powers but someone else is taking aim, targeting both families in the process. Determined to protect the woman with whom he is falling in love, William is about to take control, destroying anyone who gets in his way.

The world building follows several pathways including addiction and recovery; a potential link to the Russian Bratva; a possible mole, several attempted assassinations, and a woman who is about to lose more than she could have ever imagined. As the Russians close into the Irish territories, the Murphy’s and O’Rourke’s are forced to merge in an effort to protect their power and control.

The relationship between Aoife and William begins as an arranged marriage between two powerful Irish families but Aoife is a strong willed woman raised to be her own, only to discover she has been sold by her father for a shot at control. William continues to struggle with his own demons, spiralling into the depths of addiction and pain but with the help of our story line hero, William will rise, assuming control, taking down everyone who attempted to destroy them all. The $ex scenes are provocative and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, questionable, determined and twisted characters. We are introduced to Aoife’s brother Reilan, and their father Dillon O’Rourke; William’s brother Matty, Aidan and his wife Raven (Sinner’s Vow / Murphy’s Mafia Made Men) , and Jason; Frank O’Rourke, and Viktor Tarasov . The requisite evil has many faces.

CARNAGE is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, organized crime, secrets and lies, family and relationships, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is dramatic, detailed and dark; the romance is seductive; the characters are determined, diverse and dynamic. CARNAGE end on a happily ever after-for now. There is more story to tell.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy