Mafia Kingdom (Restless & Wicked 1) by Vi Carter-review

Mafia Kingdom (Restless & Wicked 1) by Vi Carter-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 24, 2025

Marco

Power is everything. And in my world, power is built on blood.

I rule this city with a ruthless grip, feared by my enemies and respected by those smart enough to stay in line. But when Sasha Gillespie walks back into my life, desperate and reckless, she shatters my control. She’s asking for my help—dragging me into a war I didn’t start, but it’s one I damn sure intend to finish. The men who dared threaten her family don’t realize they’ve just signed their death warrants.

She thinks she can make a deal with the devil and walk away unscathed.She’s wrong.
Because once I claim something, I don’t let it go. And Sasha? She was mine long before she even knew it.

Sasha

Marco Walsh is the last man I should run to for help.
Dangerous. Unrelenting. A king carved from blood and brutality. He’s everything I was warned to stay away from—everything I swore I’d never be a part of. But when my father’s debts come due, and my little sister’s life is on the line, I don’t have a choice.

Now, I’m trapped in his world, where mercy is a weakness and love is a liability. He says he’ll protect me, but the price is steep. A single favor, a night on his arm…a deal I can’t refuse. I should be terrified.

But the most dangerous part of all?
I’m not sure I want to escape.

•••••

REVIEW:MAFIA KINGDOM is the second instalment in Vi Carter’s contemporary adult RESTLESS & WICKED erotic, Irish Mafia romance series. This is Irish mafia heir Marco Walsh, and Sasha Gillespie’s story line. MAFIA KINGDOM can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

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

Told from dual first person perspectives (Marco and Sasha) MAFIA KINGDOM follows Sasha Gillespie’s return home to Ireland following months abroad at culinary school but upon her return Sasha discovers her father’s questionable actions have threatened the safety and security of her younger sister. Desperate for help, Sasha approaches Mafia heir Marco Walsh, a man who is determined to claim Sasha as his own but as Marco begins to dig deeper into Sasha’s claims, the reality goes much deeper, and our hero discovers his own family life is spiraling out of control. A fight for power in the city, and within the family, will see death and destruction on both sides.

The world building focuses on the dysfunctional family dynamics and the ultimate betrayal for Marco Walsh: brother pitted against brother; father against son; friend against friend. Marco struggles to trust the people in his life, as he slowly falls for the woman he will grow to love.

The relationship between Marco and Sasha begins as a rescue, of a sort as Sasha is desperate enough to seek help from our story line hero but Marco needs something in return, and finds himself guardian and protector of the woman with whom he is falling in love. The $ex scenes are passionate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters, many of who will not survive. We are introduced to Sasha’s father George, her sister Lily and Aunt Karen; Marco’s brothers Lucas, Danny, Damien, and their father Patrick; Marco’s second Tony; Patrick’s seconds Gerald and Michael. The requisite evil has many faces.

MAFIA KINGDOM is a story of dysfunctional family dynamics; betrayal and vengeance ; murder and madness, power and control, acceptance and love. The premise is dark, dramatic and edgy; the romance is impassioned; the characters are determined, charismatic and lively. MAFIA KINGDOM ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of the prequel MAFIA CROWN

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

VI CARTER: When Vi Carter isn’t writing contemporary & dark romance books, that feature the mafia, are filled with suspense, and take you on a fast paced ride, you can find her reading her favorite authors, baking, taking photos or watching Netflix.

Married with two children, Vi divides her time between motherhood and all the other hats she wears as an Author.

She has declared herself a coffee & chocolate addict! Do not judge

AUTHOR LINKS

Newsletter and FREE book / Website / Facebook/Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Goodreads

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Mafia Kingdom (Manhattan Mafia) by CD Reiss-review tour

Mafia Kingdom (Manhattan Mafia)  by CD Reiss-review tour

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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63330423-mafia-kingdom

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 22, 2023

A QUEEN IN WAITING

After fifty years of peace, Carmine Montefiore’s decree rains down on the families of this city.

Your daughters will line up, and he will choose his bride.

When families have failed to release their girls to the line, the Montefiores have left a bloodbath behind. It is my birthright to be sacrificed.

And so my only hope for a new life comes at the hands of Massimo Colonia, a man stained with sin…and absolutely forbidden.

A KING IN EXILE

All I want to do is return home and take back my kingdom, but the moment I see her in that dark alley, my world shifts.

She is mine.

And if the Families think I’m handing her over to keep their peace, they’ll find out how wrong they are.

They’ve forgotten who they are dealing with. I am the last capo of the Colonia, and for her, I will rain hell on all of them.

••••

REVIEW:C.D Reiss really is one of the best mafia romance writers out there. The worlds she builds are so intricate, the characters so well developed, they feel more like reading spicy bits of history than anything else. Mafia Kingdom is a spin off of the Take me series, there are characters from that series that are mentioned, but as a whole, the book can be read as a standalone. For new readers to this author, make sure you check the trigger warnings.

Massimo is the last of his breed and his father’s heir to a crown that is lost. This story is dark, one of pain and struggle, but also loyalty and love. Massimo is taken to Italy against his will by a rival, he is broken, torn down and treated in the worst possible ways. Just when he starts wishing for the end, he sees her. Delfina. The one woman he would burn the world for. The one woman who would force him to pick himself up, and try.

Delfina is intelligent and loyal to the family she loves, but she is also ready to shake off her fathers hands and spread her wings and fly. Too bad she just exchanged one gilded cage for another, and this new cage comes with a marriage she doesn’t want. Family is family, and while she may rock the boat, Delfina is not else if not loyal.

Massimo and Delfina give off the energy of Romeo and Juliet, but without the teenage stupidity. These two are meant for one another, but they are torn between the love for their families and the love between themselves. This book has it all, drama, angst, suspense, spice and best of all, an alpha who would burn the world down for his lady. Definitely recommend to any mafia romance reader!

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sarah

 

News Letter Signup: https://geni.us/CDRml2

CD Reiss is a New York Times bestselling author. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn’t pick up she’s at the well hauling buckets.

Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master’s degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels.

She’s frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn’t ever gotten her out of chopping a single cord of wood.

If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.

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