When forced to be with your worst enemy…

Synopsis

The head of the Irish mafia killed my family. Then made me his wife.

Patrick Mahoney erased my bloodline in one brutal night. His answer to my father’s betrayal?

Total annihilation.

But he missed one.

Me.

Instead of finishing the job, he’s claimed me—bound me to him with a ring instead of a
bullet.

Now I’m trapped in a marriage forged in blood and vengeance with my family’s executioner.

For him, it’s strategy, a twisted merger of violence and power. For me, it’s survival.

But grief hasn’t made me meek—it’s made me dangerous. I fight him at every turn—his
cruelty with defiance, his dominance with rebellion.

Yet the more time we spend together, the more our mutual hatred warps into something far
more terrifying.

Because what started with murder and revenge…

Might just end in love.

My review

Sorcha grew up as part of a mafia family. Even if she has seen and heard it all, as being the youngest and a girl, she never has been involved in the McCarthy business. Being a member of an (in)famous Irish mafia family, isn’t easy. But nothing prepared her for how her life is going to change at the hand of her enemy, Patrick Mahoney. Because as a retaliation, he killed her whole family, assuming that Sorcha has been killed too. Upon realizing that Sorcha survived the brutal attack, Patrick decides to use her for his own benefits, to strengthen his power as Irish mob boss. But Sorcha may be forced to wed Patrick, she won’t bend to his will… She is ready to fight him in every possible way. But then something starts to shift…

Being an Italian, I often joke that people shouldn’t mess with me with, because you know, I am Italian. But as I am just joking about it, I know that the mafia, whether Italian, Irish or another nationality, is a serious, criminal and terrifying matter… So the further I stay away from anything linked to mafia, the better, just like any rational person would do.

Of course, reading books where mafia is involved, and a spicy story, is a whole different matter. And when it is an amazing collaboration of awesome authors…

Obviously, in a mafia romance spicy book, there will be things that I condone. Already at the start, where a joyous event should be taking place, ends in a horrific way. And that is the catalyst of more blood spilling.

And yes, it angered me a little bit how Patrick retaliated, and how he wants to use Sorcha for his own benefit. But on a more ‘criminal’ mindset, I could understand where he is coming from.

Where Patrick’s behaviour angered me, my heart broke for Sorcha. Even if the relationship with her family was a complicated one (well, duh), she just lost everything and everyone at once, at the hand of just one angry and vengeful person…

I liked Sorcha fierceness in this story, as she is willing to literally fight for her freedom, as she for sure will never bow or kneel for Patrick. But at the same time, we also see her loving character, as she deeply wants to protect the most innocent character in this whole book.

A character that Patrick isn’t afraid to use as leverage, but we also see that beside his ruthless character, there is something else to him.

Something that Sorcha slowly also starts to see, something that allows her to poke the bear a little bit, as she is allowed to say things in a way that no one else ever was allowed to say. This shows that beside the mutual hatred, there is something simmering between them.

I have to say, there is some “action” taking place between Sorcha and Patrick, and while I can understand the need of the both of them, and even Sorcha’s desire to “do a good job”, but Patrick’s behaviour in the after – moments for sure shocked me…

And yet, we see some severe melting taking place, beside some hot, scorching bits. We see how these two sworn enemies, with Sorcha being forced marrying Patrick, are forming an alliance against other enemies. And we see how that frail alliance is shifting, how it makes both Patrick and Sorcha develop feelings that they never expected to feel, especially for each other.

So while perhaps the setting and the environment are a toxic one, the growing strength and feelings we see between Sorcha and Patrick is what I loved about this book. We see how even the most gruesome events can be the start of finding someone that you may despise at first, but how forced proximity can give you a better understanding of your enemy and that perhaps that enemy isn’t only an enemy, but also an ally and something more.

Now, this is obviously only applicable in fiction and not in real life 😊

This collaboration is for sure one that absolutely works, and I cannot wait what the wicked minds these wonderful queens have, can come up with next!