Merciless Prince: A Dark Mafia Romance (Brutal Reign Book 1)
by Sasha Leone
Blurb
He was never going to be my Prince Charming…
Arrogant. Ruthless. Breathtaking.
Aiden Kilpatrick is heir to the Irish mafia, and that’s bad news for me.
I’m the D’Ignoti princess, after all. Daughter of the Italian Don who once betrayed his family.
I’ve lived my life in a gilded cage.
Untouched…
Until he kicks down my door.
Forced to sign a marriage contract, I’m given to him. A debt repayment. A plea for mercy.
But he is merciless.
Suddenly, I’m his to possess.
His to corrupt.
His to rule.
Then, his to save.
Because when the demons of my past come to reclaim my soul, I find myself craving his protection.
Those stormy emerald eyes. That wild hair. The dimples. The desire.
They call to me.
And I realize that the only thing more dangerous than falling for the devil,
Is going through hell without him by my side.
My Review
First, the cover of the book. What in the world is he putting on his face? More importantly, why? I don't need to see his daily face routine on the cover. He's in the mafia. If there's anything on his face, it should be blood! Simple editing fix and the lotion or sunscreen can be erased! Then you'll have a 5 star cover.
When it comes to the mafia romance genre, there have been some incredible standouts for me. This is one of my top genres I love to read so you better bring your A game. Unfortunately, this was not like all the 5 stars claimed it to be. I should have known it when I read the dreaded "I received this arc in exchange for my honest opinion". I believe mafia romance novels should be gritty, ugly, corrupt and violent. Why? Because that's exactly what being in the mafia is. The romance comes when they meet the woman they fall madly in love with. I did not feel this book had any of those qualities. This was not a dark mafia romance but more of a "mafia lite". The main leading male, Aiden, was taking over the reigns from his father and wanted to make all aspects of their businesses legitimate. By doing this, it takes away a lot of the darkness of the mafia world.
When it comes to the story, it lacks creativity, uniqueness and excitement. It was also 100% predictable. Like I said, this genre is one I love to read. You need to get creative with the story line to compete with the uprising trend in mafia novels right now. The fact that it dragged on, and on, and on, without any character development made it that much harder to finish.
Lastly, I wouldn't be a true and honest romance blogger if I didn't review the steaminess of a book. At 60%, we finally get our first sex scene, and I laughed. It was like reading a novice writing a sex scene for the first time while using all the synonyms she could think of for body parts and ways to describe sex. I couldn't believe it. My first bad steamy read.
So, if you're looking for a dark mafia romance with a creative, unique and original story line, likeable characters, and steam that makes your kindle light on fire...keep looking.