4.5 stars

Mafia is my favorite sub-genre. It is for that reason that I am VERY picky. It has to be done right and feel authentic. This book definitely did that for me. It had all the qualities that I look for; a plausible story, great characters, authentic portrayal, steam, and an alpha strong man that knows how to show his softer side.

I was worried when this book started how the author would manage to make Luca, the Hero, redeemable. Especially, with HOW this relationship came to be. I am not sure that I could have forgiven him if I had been Emilia. Somehow, the author not only made it happen but she did it epically. I LOVED Luca. I also loved that this story was set during the late '70s and early '80s. So much of it still felt like it was written in a current time period, but the special remembers of life before cellphones or computers were nicely done. It made me appreciate it even more because it is not something that is seen very often and made me enjoy reliving my 70's and 80's with these characters (granted I was a decade younger than the characters in this book it still made me melancholy.)

I did struggle with how the story was resolved with Emilia and her mother as that was the only thing that didn't feel authentic in regards to the Mafia. I did, however, appreciate how the author tied in Luca to this as another way to show a softer side to him. ( )

I really liked this book.

The author has a note just before the start of the book, it reads 'Luca Rossini is very hatable, but I ask you to give him time before you decide that he’s unredeemable. He just might surprise you.'

Did I hate Luca? No. I was annoyed with him at times, his attitude and choices, I wanted to smack him but I thought it was really good.

I think due to the reader knowing the premise going in, she's torn away from the man she loves, when you have the first scene where she is with the other man and you know it's not going to last, I wasn't very invested in it.

So although it's horrible what Luca does, it's off page, no description, you know the previous man isn't for her so I just accepted it, I suppose.

You have to accept that this is a man's world and the heroine has very limited power and I was impressed at the way she stood up to Luca and used what she had to make her point.

It's set in the 1970s so I wasn't sure if it is dealing with a couple that is already together in other books written by the author.

It does have some drug abuse, snorting cocaine.
There is violence, Luca is known as a ruthless man but there is very little detail and there are no real on page scenes.

There is other man drama in the sense of the memory of her now dead ex and a small scene at the start of the book of their promises to each other before Luca arrives to make his claim.

There is some other woman drama in the form of a sort of ex, who loves him, he doesn't encourage it but she makes a few offers and kisses him, the heroine sees that. And he snorts coke off her breasts at a party.

The heroine is no push over and stands her ground several times although she has very little power.

I did wish she would stand her ground a bit more, esp when it came to sex but due to the situation she is in she needs to get pregnant so that was a difficult one.

There are plenty of secondary characters introduced that could have their own stories.

HEA.
Epilogue.
( )