I HAVE TO SAY…

SYNOPSIS

With the death of their fathers, Zahra and Declan have stepped into their new roles of becoming the Boss of the Persian and Irish mafias respectively. Declan has plans of continuing the alliance of their two organizations and strengthening their bond, while Zahra is concerned Declan’s behind their father’s murders.

What could happen?

RECAP AND REVIEW

Thank you to Love Notes PR and the author for an arc.

Out now!

This is currently a standalone mafia romance book told in the first person of Zahra and Declan.

We, the readers, know Declan didn’t do what Zahra has accused him of and we learn whoever actually went after their fathers is now going after Zahra.

The book is broken down into three sections and how I think about in my brain is before Zahra realizes Declan is innocent, after she realizes he is innocent, and finding out the truth.

Declan is tough and cutthroat when he needs to be, but he also has a soft spot to him. He’s loyal and wants to take care of his people. He becomes infatuated with Zahra and it quickly turns deeper.

Zahra is a hacker, but she’s just as cutthroat. She’s understandably untrusting of others and wants to know the truth to avenge her father’s death. She knows there are people who will look down on her as a woman leading the mafia and does whatever’s needed so people know she is not to be played with.

The relationship between them develops quickly once it starts and I loved it. I believed in their love for each other and enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. It felt like they also became friends along with lovers, confiding their vulnerable thoughts to each other that any other mob boss would view as weak. Their relationship was both sweet and spicy.

I also enjoyed the action and mystery of it all. I did have a feeling about who was behind it, but not in the way it played out. The reveals all made sense to me and wrapped up nicely. Nothing in this book felt abrupt or out of left field to me.

This book has everything I love.

💍 Marriage of convenience

🥊 He falls first and harder

💍 Possessive MMC

🥊 Mysteries to solve

💍 Open door spice

🥊 Mafia Romance

OVERALL

Overall, I give this a 5 out of 5 stars. This book was made for me! It’s my favorite out of the books I’ve read this year and I can see it sticking with me until the end of the year.

Though I’m not sure it needs a sequel, I’d love to see one picking up where it ended and/or following Azula and Aiden.