3/5. Re-releases 9/26/2023.

Vibes: (light) mafia, hard-nosed single mom, enemies to lovers with actual stakes, and immediate action (in every sense).

Olivia has been burned, multiple times, by her mafia family. She's determined to keep her daughter as safe as possible. So despite her eagerness to indulge in a no-strings relationship with Cillian O'Malley, she knows she shouldn't. She shouldn't! She really shouldn't. But Cillian is deeper than he seems, and she can't quite resist their immediate connection...

I think Katee Robert is a talented writer, but she is a bit hit or miss for me. I'm starting to figure out what works for me with regards to work and what doesn't--this wasn't quite a hit. But I see why this series is popular, and if you're looking for something on the gentler side of mafia romances (I wouldn't personally call this dark romance based on the hero) this could really work for you.

Quick Takes:

--I do appreciate that Katee's books often jump right into the action, both in terms of the sex and in terms of the story. Cillian and Olivia don't waste any time dancing around each other. They're immediately about it, and they hook up quickly. It's a real "bang first, get feelings later" book, which is a device I'm vocal about loving.

As someone who isn't a huge fan of the single parent romance (and I can't say this book changed that, but Katee was very restrained on the kid factor, so good job there) I did like that Olivia didn't magically become a flawless person because she was a mom. She's young. She makes impulsive decisions. She has desires beyond her child. That child does come first, but being a mom isn't Olivia's only identity. She was a likable heroine, and I got her.

--Cillian is... sweet. Yes, he's connected, yes, he's dangerous I suppose, but emotionally he's sweet and concerned about things like consent and making Olivia feel safe and checking in and so on and so on and so on. I'm realizing... that isn't really what I'm looking for in mafia romances (to be clear, I'm pretty sure that the mafia families throughout this series are Irish and Russian, which--different vibes from mafia mafia, but very much organized crime). That's not on Katee. It's personal preference. I just like my mafia heroes to be kinda the worst. They soften for their heroines, but they aren't immediately as civilized as Cillian.

To be fair, Cillian is dealing with some pretty clear PTSD and survivor's guilt and general fallout from a traumatic event. I just think that by setting this story after that event happens, you're removed a bit from a lot of potential tension. This is a guy who perhaps was worse in the past, and now he's trying to be better, and that's lovely, but... it just didn't really work for me. If you want someone who is theoretically bad but doesn't actually feel bad, this is a hero for you. I just would've preferred him to be rougher around the edges.

--For me, I think Katee works best in a heightened world where she goes for it a bit more (like her Bargain with a Demon series, or perhaps the Wicked Villains series). This felt restrained, which is not what I want in a mafia book. Now, if you don't read or like mafia books generally, this may not feel restrained at all. But when I compare it to my favorite mafia romances, it kind of does.

The Sex Stuff:

There are a solid amount of sex scenes in this book, and they're good and varied and satisfying. It's Katee Robert--she can write a sex scene. Because I wasn't really connecting with Cillian as a hero, I think they didn't super hit in my case. But they were good!

This is another case of "not quite dark enough" mafia romance for me. However, as I've been stressing... this could totally work for SO many people, and this is a re-release of a popular novel. So it has! Try it out if you'd like to try this genre, with a less insane, less mean hero.

Thanks to Forever and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.