Elio was compelling & I loved how unapologetic he was about how he is. I loved Deirdre had realistic reservations and was no wilting flower. The way they push away & come back felt very realistic & compelling. I am HERE for the sexual tension. The spicy scenes were a great balance of tension & payoff. All the characters felt real and were fun to read. I finished this book in less than 48 hours and I am desperate for the next book!!

FMC: Deidre MMC(s): Elio Tropes: Mafia romance, Dark romance, J/P, He Falls First, Gloved MMC, Age Gap, Enemies-to-lovers > Reviewer add: Irish FMC, Italian MMC, Emotional Support Monster Perspective: First, dual Plot or character driven: both, with character as primary Spicy scenes breakdown: > Present? Yes > Detailed? Yes > With only one character? Yes > Multiple, with both/multiple characters? Yes. > Personal favorite? In the closet. > State of the joystick? Human. Burn speed: Building, begins early. Can this be read as a stand-alone: Yes, this is the first in a duet. Re-Readability: High. I devoured this. Content/Trigger Warnings/Enticements: Extensive, please see beginning of book. I received an advanced reader copy of this book, and this is my voluntary, honest review. “His touch on me, skin to skin, was incandescent and ruinous.” Deidre is the daughter of a dude that is not very good at being fiscally responsible. He makes a bet with Elio and Deidre is the collateral. Deidre’s dad falls through, Elio comes to collect, and he’s awfully... protective. This was the perfect level of dark for me, so much so that I told one of my best friends who has different tastes in books than I that I was going to get it for her too cause she would love it. I regret nothing. I loved this. Elio was the right blend of jealous and possessive and unyielding without degrading Deidre. And their scenes were scorching. This hit just right; and by just right, I mean, I would lick the pages. Maybe the cover. I said what I said.

4.5 stars SPOILERS ‼️‼️‼️ WOW! i received an arc copy of this book and i loved it!! i read this book so quick(like one day quick) too, which never happens. (for reference i’m a working college student lol). Elio is such a classic mobster and i love how he gradually warms up to deirdre and dare i say… starts being sweet. deirdre was not the classic annoying mc that normally comes with these mafia books (thankfully) and i loved it. she is funny and will stand up for herself. she doesn’t just immediately swoon at his feet. i loved the writing in this book as well. it was very easy to follow and i never really got confused about anything that happened. the little bits of humor are great too. the only reason why i gave it -.5 stars was because in the middle i felt like there wasn’t really a plot? it was kinda boring for a little bit but once she started going to school it picked back up. other than that i really appreciated the fast pacing of this book. i was immediately withdrawn into the story and actually wanted to keep reading. i hate slow books and this was refreshing to read. my favorite was at the end when they started warming up to each other more. it was so sweet 🥲. i wasn’t expecting this book to end on a cliff hanger though but im super excited to read the next book and find out what happens and where the story goes!

I just love when two broken people come together to fix one another! Great read, great story, fast paced with all the feels. Can’t wait for the next book!

Do you love a good Mafia story with: ✅Obessive, morally grey mafia hero ✅V1rg1n violinist heroine ✅Captivity/Kidnapping ✅Age Gap ✅Dub/Con ✅Hand necklaces and breath play Then you need to go run to read this book! I had the pleasure of being an Arc Reader for @veroheath! Thank you so much for the opportunity! Also happy release day 🥰 I absolutely adored this book and characters! I could not put it down and the book hangover I had afterwards 😮‍💨. I didn’t want it to end!! The plot is great and the 🌶️ is amazing as well! Songbird and My Monster will be in my heart forever! Now to impatiently wait for book two…😏