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Luciano Vitale.
Cruel. Heartless. Ruthless.
A criminal. A monster. A murderer.

Belles and Mobsters were never meant to be together. And I still fell in love with him, only to be torn apart. Lesson learned.

I escaped with nothing but the clothes on my back and my best friend at my side. We hid in plain sight, and started a new life.

Just as life became normal again, we were found. Dragged back into the underworld.

This time the stakes are much higher. Failing is not an option.

If only he wasn't my demise.

318 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2021

2,908 people are currently reading
13.8k people want to read

About the author

Eva Winners

51 books3,489 followers
Eva released her first novel Second Chance At Love in 2020 and has been writing feverishly ever since. She writes about everlasting romance for every century focusing on characters emotional development and always guarantees an HEA.

She loves yoga, wine and her kiddos. In her spare time, she seeks adventures either hiking through trails or exploring the beaches.

Writing books has always been her passion and she brings real life to the forefront in everything she writes about.

Deeply passionate characters and stories will draw you in and you'll never want to leave.

Follow her on social media to stay up to date with all her new releases!

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,752 reviews
Profile Image for ❤️Court - Villains Do It Better❤️.
1,045 reviews752 followers
February 4, 2022
1 Dnf Star

I just couldn't with this book anymore. I felt like I was dropped right into the middle of the story and I have no clue what's going on, especially with all the name dropping. Hero plays "Russian roulette" on his wife in the beginning, because he thinks she betrayed him even though he's in love with her and she hates her family. The reason for this is because only he, his men, and the heroine knew about his shipment location which was stolen, so he, without even doubting, almost kills her. Fast forward 3 years, heroine had hero's son that he didnt know about. In the meantime, she is doing jobs for this so called "ruthless king" which is of course the hero and is cringe AF and unbelievable that hero would work with some unofficial random nobody for the money laundering part of his business.

He eventually finds her, and takes her back home. He is jealous because he thinks she had a kid with someone else even though the kid is only 2 and looks exactly like the hero 🙄 (over halfway into the book and he still doesnt even wonder if it's his kid🤦). Heroine tries to act all tough but is really an immature brat to everyone. Hero and his group of friends are all idiots too and I'm supposed to believe theyre leaders of the mafia? Huh? They literally do nothing here except gossip and make OTHER people do their work for them. Then they get a shipment stolen, this time the heroine doesn't know, and he basically laughs it off, not even wondering if he has a leak or spy or anything or that the wife might have never betrayed him. He just goes on like nothing happened, and yet, last time this happened, he freaked out and tried killing the heroine. Meanwhile, I dont know what tf the heroine is even doing half the time.

Overall, legit such a cringe book with the most immature characters ever, and major emotional detachment from the characters. There were a good amount of flashbacks but they were all completely pointless. They were pretty much always fighting or having sex. Thats it. Lastly, the grammar is atrocious.


Safety:

3 year separation- hero says he "tried" sleeping with any woman that didn't look like heroine for like 6 months after heroine left or something like that, not sure if he succeeded. He later mentions he can't stand having any other woman sucking him off but her, so I'm confused. Heroine was celibate.

Cheating⬆ if hero did sleep with someone, or do anything since he "tried" i would consider it cheating since this is after they were married and together and loved each other. Don't care to read on to find out if they talk about it again.

No ow/om drama

No sharing
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Dora Koutsoukou .
2,171 reviews664 followers
December 18, 2021
3,5 ❤️❤️❤️🌟s❣️

A suspenseful mafia romance read!

I missed the Before part. How Grace and Luciano got together and ended married to each other. There were scenes/hints from their past times, but I needed the whole picture.
Anyway, Grace was on the run for three years and I liked how much she changed. She became stronger, feisty, bold and courageous.
I was intrigued by the fast pace and all the action that took place.
I didn’t expect Grace to forgive Luciano so easily after his actions. I wanted some grovelling from his side.
Also, there were many secondary characters that disturbed my reading and focus.
Profile Image for Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾.
2,238 reviews13.5k followers
July 1, 2022
2.5 STARS
Three years ago, I told my husband I loved him. He sent me away. Today he gave me those same words. And I would run away.


As a self professed mafia romance addict, I'm constantly on the hunt for books in this genre. The blurb sounded like pure trope crack for me. And this cover? Hubba hubba. Sadly, the story itself was a total let down.

As always, take my review with a grain of salt, knowing I'm a picky asshole. So what didn't work for me, may work for you and yadda yadda. You know the drill. I wish I loved it, I really did. But alas, you can't help what works and doesn't work for you. Opinions, man. We all has them. But I digress.

What drew me in is the lovers to enemies to lovers bit. A forced marriage of protection and convenience brings them together, but it doesn't Grace long to fall for her ruthless mafia husband. Until said husband thinks she betrayed him and puts a gun to her head, causing her to run and hide in plain sight for three years. Well, at least until he finds her and drags her back to him kicking and screaming. Only the woman who ran isn't the woman he finds because the new Grace has sass for days and gives as good as she gets. Sounds delicious, right? I thought so, too.

Alas, right around the 15% mark it went downhill for me for several reasons.

1. The plotting
It was all over the place. You feel like you're thrown into the middle of the book immediately with some fundamental pieces of info that only get revealed towards the end. And while it could have worked had there been enough things to bring it together, it felt disjointed in parts, and like a data dump in others.

2. The characters
Couldn't connect to them for the life of me. I love a sassy heroine, but Grace just acted like a spoiled toddler with her tantrums. She'd rage at him one minute, and then give into his sexual wiles the next. She was just all over the place. Luciano had such potential, but was a let down too. He and his men spent more time gossiping and he spent the rest being totally daft and blind to everything, his wife mostly. Maybe if this is your intro to mafia romance, this wouldn't Bother you. But for me, my expectations are high and the mafia element here was weak at best.

3. The details
Between the data dump and the random flash backs, it was disjointed. Some things had too much details and some, not enough. There were internal parts of the story that lacked development, as well as characters. My favorite part of the book was Luciano's father. Everything else I could take it or leave it. Unfortunately by the 40% mark I found myself heavily skimming to see how it ends, only to be seriously disappointed with the way it wrapped up.

It's a bummer, because it had such potential for me, but ultimately just fizzled out. Maybe I walked in with too high expectations. So I'd like to try more in the series to see how they are because the author can clearly write. This was a case of this particular book just not working for me for several reasons. The main one being the characters and a particular trope I simply don't care for. But as always, read it and judge for yourself.

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Profile Image for **Tessa** (semi hiatus).
388 reviews17 followers
September 29, 2024
Reread 9/28/2024

Not sure why I ever would have rated this 4 stars. But I did the first time. Changing to 2.5 stars rounded to 3

He says repeatedly that he tried to hook up with other women but could never go “all the way” with one during separation bc he couldn’t get hard for them. So what does that mean? Was he all but penetrating them? Because they didn’t feel or smell right. How far did it go then? How hard did OW try to get him hard? How far did it go?!?!?! Going down on them? Just making out? How far did it go? He tries to screw others repeatedly during 1st 3 months of separation (we are told repeatedly but now shown thank God)

Also he out a gun to her head. So the big moment we are supposed to forgive him is when he says there were no bullets in that gun. But he held the gun to her head BEFORE he took them out. He just didn’t pull the trigger til it was empty. What if it had gone off while he was shoving it in to her temple? And holy shit he supposedly loves her but he turned on her like in 2 seconds flat with no thought. Wowza.

The kid was cute. But I’m sorry h says the kid looks EXACTLY like dad (the H) but he spends all this time around the kid, for days (or weeks the timeline is hard to follow) and he doesn’t realize this kid is his? His supposed clone?

I’ll give Luciano half a star for not putting his dick inside OW during separation.

Al’s the writing was inconsistent and hard to follow at times. Like one chapter the men run the east coast and the next the are thinking of taking over the east coast. Normally it doesn’t bother me much but there were SO MANY inconsistencies like that it really did take away from enjoying reading this. There were also many repetitive sentences that were just reworded. I’m not going to go back and find them so I’ll just make up an example. So one paragraph the heroine would say something like “I’m not sure we can ever get past this”. And literally the next paragraph would be “getting last this may be impossible”. Then the next paragraph would be “could we ever get past this”. This kind of thing was done throughout the entire book and again took away from reading enjoyment

So I rated it 4 stars the first reading and I’ll never know why because I rated it but didn’t review it. But I’m claiming temporary insanity for rating it so high the first round. Because it is sure as shit NOT a four star read. 3 stars in generous

Oh 2022 me, what the hell did you read the first time bc there is no way we gave this 4 stars in our right mind 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

🤣😂

Also how terrible is it that I actually give this guy points for not sticking his dick in OW during their separation (or at all since he met her)? What does that say about our current romances and heroes? They are so awful and have such dirty dicks that this POS hero actually doesn’t seem so bad. What a terrible time we live in for romance stories. It’s a sad day when “romance” books are so full of cheating and lying and manwhores. Why are there so few safe romances? 😞😞
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Debbie DiFiore.
2,476 reviews296 followers
January 22, 2022
Very immature writing at first but it got better

Husband plays Russian roulette with his wife and sends her away. And then he can't find her for three years. Luciano thought she had betrayed him and put a gun to her head and played Russian Roulette but the chamber was blank when he pulled the trigger. She ended up running away and having a baby. He finds her three years later and doesn't think the kid is his but he still wants her. He has been mostly celibate for those years. I guess he tried many times after he sent her away but he never could 'seal the deal' so to speak. So he stopped trying. He keeps calling her mine once he found her but he was the one that sent her away so She was able to run. This is all Mafia business and murder, and human trafficking and drugs but they are trying to stop the human trafficking part because some mobsters have morals. Lol. It amused me. Kill people but don't traffic them or you are immoral! Got it? There was some crazy stuff in this and at first I thought it was just too corny and seemed like kids playing Gangsta and the conversations were juvenile, but it did get better. Not Sure I will read anymore but it was free on KU.
Profile Image for Leigh.
1,345 reviews306 followers
Shelved as 'dnf'
December 21, 2021
DNF@57% This one started pretty good but I quickly lost interest. I don't mind secret babies, but I do mind when the father is purposely being lied too. She has no problem jumping back into bed with the H but won't tell him he's the father.
Profile Image for Giorgia Reads.
1,331 reviews2,112 followers
July 25, 2022
3.5 stars

I liked and disliked this one. It’s a weird combination, I know.

Basically I thought the story was OTT in so many ways. There were so many plot holes and moments were everyone acted so extra.

The majority of the drama could have been avoided if people were smarter and actually talked to each other.

Also, excuse me while I laugh for awhile but it’s just so freaking weird when the heroine who had no skills to speak of 4 years prior turns into this online Ghost personna who launders money for people in the underworld. Say what again? Ok sure.

I liked the kid tho. And the couple had chemistry in my opinion. They were both a little crazy. I liked that.
Profile Image for Caitlin.
383 reviews2,979 followers
November 12, 2021

"This woman was my beginning, my middle, and my end. She was my whole life."

Profile Image for Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth).
2,105 reviews1,425 followers
December 1, 2021
Loved it!

Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: second chance/secret baby
Angst: 😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥
Triggers: attempted rape

What a fabulous read! When Luciano forced Grace to marry him three years ago as part of a revenge plot, he never counted on them falling in love - especially so quickly. That's why it hurt so much when someone betrays him and he thinks she's behind it. When he drops her off at her uncle's, he'd never guess that she'd fall off the map for the next three years, but he never stopped searching for the woman he couldn't forget.

Sooooo many things to love about this story! Great storyline, super fast paced, well written, and cameos from some of our past Eva favorites❤. And then there's the characters! Luciano is super dreamy - covered in tatts and very jealous/possessive of the wife he could never forget. Grace is awesome! She's had to learn how to take care of herself quickly and she's made herself into the person she needed to be for her and her son. Her relationship with her ride or die, Gabriella, is #friendsgoals and I love how they support each other. I also like that Grace didn't forgive Luciano for what he did ride away, despite acknowledging to herself that she still had feelings for him. Loved this book and cannot wait for the next one!!
Profile Image for Bookgasms Book Blog.
2,862 reviews1,529 followers
November 19, 2021
I am a new fan of Eva Winners and read (and loved) a couple of her stories prior to this one. For that reason when I saw that she was launching a new series, I couldn't jump aboard fast enough! Luciano and Grace were sexy, compelling and honestly I couldn't stop reading! Luciano was filled to the brim with drama, possessive alpha men and secrets galore. I loved this story.

In all honesty, when I started this book I was kind of lost. From the Prologue, I felt like Winners just threw me in the middle of a story and I kind of had to flounder and get my bearings to figure out what was happening. With that being said, once the Prologue ended and the story began I was hooked! I thought this story was sexy, fast-paced and so addicting. I loved how strong Grace was and how she showed the world that she wasn't meek or a woman to be messed with. This was a great story and I look forward to more from this author in the future! 4 stars! ~Ratula
Profile Image for Mairi Swan.
349 reviews27 followers
May 14, 2024
It was an interesting story with action but for some reason I couldn't connect with the book and I feel disappointed. The author did a good job with the writing and the characters. Though I would prefer a little bit more grovelling from the mmc.
Profile Image for AnaOpinaDeTodo.
139 reviews206 followers
January 26, 2023
Debo decir que la historia me sorprendió…

Me esperaba la típica historia de mafiosos donde la mujer tiende a ser una sumisa que baja la cabeza ante todos, pero me llevé una grata sorpresa. Esta historia tiene una dosis de drama oscuro clásico que podemos leer en historias que involucren a mafias, debo decir que este libro nos ayuda a sumergirnos en el mundo criminal que luego seguiremos leyendo en el resto de la saga, puede ser un poco pesado en algunas partes ya qué hay mucha explicaciones sobre cómo funcionan los clanes y las diversas familias que conforman este mundo. La relación de los protagonistas no es para nada rosa pero a diferencia de otros libros, lo encontré bastante aceptable. Me gustó que la autora no se haya cegado colocando escenas de sexo por todo el libro, digamos qué hay las suficientes.

Un libro fácil de leer, entretenido y con mucho drama del bueno. Léanlo
Profile Image for Vintage.
2,674 reviews630 followers
April 13, 2024
The H is a straight up Harlequin HP kind of hero. In other words, despite being the extra special smart Mafioso man with the respect of all his goombahs and trembling enemies, he's an idiot. Faced with his errant and missing wife and her child that's approximately few months younger than how long his wife has been missing, he wonders who got her pregnant. She named him after your father, she hid in Sicily where your family came from, and your father dotes on the boy, who could it be? SMH, this kind of determined idiocy is kind of sweet.

The h left Mafioso Brain Trust because he thought she betrayed him and he pretended to play Russian Roulette with her head. She wasn't crazy about almost being murdered so she and her best friend left to become international cyber ninjas after reading Cyber Crime for Dummies. I wish I had their smarts. I signed up for Word Press six months ago and still don't know how to use it.

A fun read. Hero doesn't grovel enough, but how do you grovel for putting a gun against her head. Pulled my trigger, now she's (not) dead.
Mama, life had just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away....

Well, damn it, a Bohemian Rhapsody earwig. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rU...
Profile Image for Jo Bennesch.
280 reviews24 followers
April 12, 2024
3.75/5⭐️

Es un libro de mafia romance, con la formula que la autora repite muy a menudo: instant love, pelea/traición separación y reencuentro.

El libro nos introduce a la serie de Bellas & Mafiosos, no sólo por el título sino por una organización que en cada libro van a buscar desbaratar.

Me gustó que el libro arranca en el presente y el pasado se va contando a través de flashbacks, algunos me parecieron muy acertados y otros, (escenas spicy del pasado), creo que no suman nada. Pero en general disfruté de la estructura narrativa.

Los personajes están bien, sobre todo Grace, que de.uestra cambioy evolución. Luciano es un poco más plano, una muestra del prota típico de dark romance guiado por impulso y deseo, un milagro que con una personalidad tan básica logren ser reyes del hampa, pero bueno.

El libro es entretenido, engancha y tiene mucha dinámica. Los secundarios generan intriga para futuros libros.

Punto flojo: Luciano, no me cerró como héroe y me falto un mea culpa mayor.

Lo recomiendo.
Profile Image for Sarah.
541 reviews310 followers
February 19, 2025
*audiobook

Decent chemistry
Decent smut.
Good plot.

I just wished the story had started from the beginning.

There is a big chunk missing that I would have loved to read...
Profile Image for Sarah.
611 reviews272 followers
March 19, 2022
DNF- honestly idk how I got to 60% probably bc I skipped through just looking for the conversation bits. This book was a whole lot of internal dialogue and constant background replays. Only reason I kept reading is bc Luciano was JP. He was possesive and I loved that but he did something sooooo stupid in the very beginning thinking his wife betrayed him without any questions and I kinda just never really cared much after. 🤷🏻‍♀️. Everyone raved this book so I maybe just the minority in that it was not for me. AT ALL. I may try Nico bc I heard it’s a good JP read, and that’s what I really love in books. We shall see

-secret baby
-mafia vibes
-JP H
-h is sweet then badass
-side characters who get there own book
-DNF
Profile Image for Zey.
225 reviews17 followers
March 16, 2022
The Sweetest Oblivion tarzında romantik bir mafya kitabıydı. Biraz saçmalıklar olsada güzeldi. Beğendim.
Konusu, yakın zamanda evlenen çiftimiz, bi olay sonrası mafya adamımız Luciano, karısının kendisine ihanet ettiğini düşünüyor. Sonra aradan üç yıl geçiyor ve Luciano üç yıldır kayıp olan karısını unutmuş değil. Onu bulmaya kararlı.
18 reviews
February 18, 2023
I don’t know what demon possessed me to read this book. Pray for me or get me an exorcism.
Profile Image for NiCoLeTa E. {Addicted To Books}.
1,501 reviews82 followers
December 9, 2021
***4,25 "Listen to your heart!!!" stars***

NOW AVAILABLE!!!



"Revenge blinds you..."

Even though the beginning was kind of confusing with all the informations that the author bombared us, this story turned out to be so much more than I was expecting...
It's not a secret that mafia romances are my weakness and Eva Winners delivered a fast paced plot full of secrets and mystery, a strongwilled Belle that was making me proud and an possessive Mobster who was trying to hide his weakness.... Also, it was full of amazing secondary characters and even though their names haven't fully imprinted in my brain, I'm craving the next stories of this bunch. Especially Cassio's!!! For a reason his allure was more persistent to me than the rest of them, without that meaning that I'm not here for all the next rides!!!

"Once I got her, I'd make her pay."

Grace is hiding away from her husband and her family... But her false sense of security is about to shatter. Luciano had finally found her after three and a half years. He had wronged his young bride back then and Grace is not the same girl that she used to be. She have claws and she won't hesitate to use them, even on her husband whom once meant the world to her.
She has something to live for and she won't let anyone to put her down again...
Luciano is for a wild and unexpected ride if he thinks that he could control his wife like that!!!!

"I fell in love with a true villain and learned my lesson. In the hardest way possible."

Honestly, I don't now what more to say about this story...
It was a very good mafia romance with so many things happening on the background...
Luciano and Grace had unsolved issues between them, but these weren't their only problems... The issues between them were the least of their worries if I want to be honest with you...
But even though all these ugly things, there was fire between this estranged couple... A fire that Grace was fighting it with tooth and nail...
Luciano wanted her and he was determined to have her in order to exorcise her from inside of him...
There was a misunderstanding between them on many aspects and they were refusing to acknowledge what their hearts really wanted...

"That man would ruin me, utterly destroy me because despite everything that happened, he was still my weak spot."

Luciano was a very possessive man and he was living by a code...
He was a modern mafioso and he was proud of his legacy...
His wife was a thorn on his side and he was determined to pull this thorn out no matter what, but he didn't think that he might bleed more if it leaves his side...
Grace was an amazing creature. She used to be naive but life made her tougher and she had so much fire and determination inside of her... I was really admiring the way she was determined to protect the ones she loved. She was a true fighter!!!
These two were a beautiful pair, but I might needed a little bit more of communication between them!!!

"She had the power to tear me to pieces."

"I couldn't let him destroy me."


If you think that these Belles will let their Mobsters to rule their lives just like that, you need to rethink it!!!
These Belles are determined to take their fate on their own hands and to choose who they will have on their side...
Luciano and Grace did an amazing beginning, and honestly, I can not wait to witness all the rest of the stories!!!
Eva Winners made me notice her with this book and from now on, I can not wait to take many more rides aling her side!!!

"We refused to be sitting belles waiting for our ruin....
We wanted to bring those fucking ruthless men to their knees and make them pay, but we didn't count on our hearts playing too."


**I received an ARc for the exchange of an honest review.**
Profile Image for Neelakshi.
508 reviews371 followers
February 22, 2022
3.5⭐

“Nobody touches you but me.” I grabbed her around the throat, pressing gently just so she understood how serious I was. “You touch another man… and you sign his death sentence. I’ll kill any man that you touch.”

I will be such a good wife to this man.
Let me tell you why


The instant I saw her strolling into my nightclub with her friend and my men confirmed who she was, I kidnapped her and we were married within two days.
• I love me a man that can make his decisions fast.
He said "heheh youre comin home with me"


it was clear she loved that piano. I would get that piano for her, if it was the last thing I did in this life.
• Ruthless Mafia king out in the wild and a fucking SIMP for his wife.


I sat on the floor watching Luciano give our son a bath. He was making a mess of it, but I had to give it to him. He was dedicated to it.
• Is good with kids. Can feed em veggies and give them
baths.


His teeth nipped my jaw, then his lips ran up my neck before pressing to my ear. “You are mine. Say it.”
“Yes,” I breathed.
“Say it, wife.”
“I’m yours.”

• A great fuck in bed.


Those first few months after she left me, I was on a rampage. I tried to take many women to bed, desperate to get Grace out of my system. I was so fucked I couldn’t ever take it all the way. It was all wrong, with every single one of them. I couldn’t even get hard for them - they smelled wrong, felt wrong, looked wrong. They were all wrong!
• He "TRIES" to fuck other women but later found out that none of them came close to his wife and let me tell you how moved i was of his love for her😌.
A man of morals only 'trying' to fuck other women just so he could get his wife out of his system.
The only love that should exist is this.


“No one touches what’s mine. No one looks at what’s mine. And Grace is mine, you motherfucker.”
• Touch my woman and i will kill you multiplied by 14585.


Let her hate me, I thought to myself. I don’t care.
• Smirks and thinks shit like that. TELL ME THAT ISN'T ROMANTIC.


She’d probably slice my throat in the middle of the night. The hate filled glares she threw my way were evidence how much she despised my guts.
I’d fuck the hate right out of her, I grinned to myself. It wasn’t a brilliant plan, but it was all I had.

• Top tier romance. This is the content i signed up for.


“You are mine, Grace,” he growled into my ear. “You’ve been mine from the moment you took your first breath. And you’ll be mine when you take your last breath.”
• Possessive AS FUCK ✨✨


The ONLY thing that bothered me was the repeated fucking use of "my wife" , "my son" , "my husband"
Like....i understand it was to put more power to the fact that they were husband and wife and i personally love when big mafia men call their wives "my wife"
It's so hot but just for...a couple of times
After a while it just gets repetitive and frustrates you.
Profile Image for Miranda.
270 reviews3,260 followers
February 27, 2024
I read this under 24 hours that's how good it was! I love a true villain, so don't go into this book expecting a sweet hero lol. I want to read some of the other mafia men who showed up in this story, and I hope they're all equally as dark and down bad for their woman as Luciano was 😂
Profile Image for Rachael*Caribbean*girl*bibliophile.
2,204 reviews487 followers
February 9, 2025
Spoilers ahead 2.5*




1) We didn't see the initial meet as we met them already married, later on we get flashbacks to their first times together 😑

2)There were 20 billion ppl in this book and I had no idea who most of them were. This says book 1 in the series but it seems to be a spin off of another series? Idk but there was a hell of a lot of folks involved here.

3) The H plays Russian roulette with his wife thinking she'd betrayed him. Later on we know the gun wasn't loaded. Thing is am I to believe that a mafioso was walking around with an unloaded gun?

The back door of the restaurant flew open, and Maurizio’s son Mauro stormed out frantically. His disheveled hair was the first thing I noticed. Roberto’s and Massimo’s furious expressions were the next. They were right behind him.
“We were hit.”
The words slashed the cold January air, but it didn’t compare to the way my blood froze as I watched Luciano spin around and push me up against the car. Before I could even process what happened, Roberto and Massimo had their guns aimed at my head.
“You betrayed me,” Luciano spat at me, the affection dissipating from his hazel eyes, and now all I saw in them was hate.

☝🏿 That's the scene, he didn't find out, unload the gun and call her into his office, nope he found out and reacted immediately......so why was he walking around with an unloaded gun? I think not.

Mind you not once until the very end did this fool consider it could be one of his men..... he's consistently referred to as intelligent bitch where 😂


4) So after that situation, the h escapes her family and she and her best friend go on the run to escape being sold by their families. I kid you not, 2 young ladies with no backgrounds or previous experience were able to become money launderers and her friend a hacker in the three years they've been on the run. It's like there was a for dummies manual laying around and they were lucky enough to find it. But of course her friend dated a launderer/hacker so they picked up tips and tricks.....also learned to shoot and fight too 🤭.

5)The H eventually tracks them down, she has an almost 3 year old little Italian son. I kid you not it takes this idiot till 74% of the book to even THINK it could be his son 🙄🤦🏿‍♀️. Listen the kid even had his father's name and still he didn't even ask if the kid could be his 😂

6) nothing I hate more than a mafia badass that's ineffectual, if you're telling me everyone fears these guys, they run shit yadda yadda yadda then they can't be caught on their back foot constantly 🙄. These men just sat around talking shit and giving each other the bird..... yet I'm to believe they're grown ass badassses

7)As unbelievable as the h's new skills were I liked her for the most part, bitch had some stupid ideas but she stood up the that asshole and was determined to protect her son. I could've done without the dreaded BBS but hey 🤷🏿‍♀️

8) I've got other points that were OTT unrealistic including the toddler that spoke Italian and the fact that it takes toll almost the bitter end for the badass, intelligent H and all his badass super smart friends to figure out they had a traitor on board but sometimes you just have to roll with the crazy and accept things as they are 😂

********
No cheating
No real details of the before
They're separated for 3 years, he says this .......
Those first few months after she left me, I was on a rampage. I tried to take many women to bed, desperate to get Grace out of my system. I was so fucked I couldn’t ever take it all the way. It was all wrong, with every single one of them. I couldn’t even get hard for them - they smelled wrong, felt wrong, looked wrong. They were all wrong! After three months, I realized I was doomed. 🤦🏿‍♀️🤷🏿‍♀️
No others for her during that time
Human trafficking is discussed
h is almost raped
NO GROVEL 😒





Thoughts while reading
Lmao gahhhh this dude is stupid AF 😂😂😂😂

This book has been rec'd to me many times but the stupidity is killing me


Luciano was a perceptive, smart man, and I feared he’d see it any moment.
Lmao this is the biggest lie ever told in a romance book because he's actually the opposite 🤣
At 74% he's now realising the child could be his😂😂😂😂and his friend had to mention the resemblance.


Currently reading
Profile Image for Izzie d.
4,233 reviews349 followers
April 22, 2023
This book starts with them married, he believes she betrayed him so plays Russian roulette against her head. She doesn't know the gun is empty.
She loves him, hasn't betrayal him.
They married as an act of revenge by the husband on her family.
The history is all told after the event.

No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
It's a bit confusing.
They both say there hasn't been any one else in the 3 years apart.
But 'The gun was empty when I pulled the trigger, and I haven’t had another woman in my bed. I tried; I won’t lie. But all I could see and smell was you. It made me sick to be with any woman so I gave up and searched the world for you'
How far did he go with these wrong women? It's unsaid but I think if you want him to be celibate, it matters, if he had been able to he would have moved on then?
He does sort of think she's dead, she's in hiding and their relationship is ended.

It is stated several times that he is blind concerning his wife, but she has a child and he misses the fact that it's his son, the time line, he looks like him.
He assumes she found someone else.
He's supposed to be this super villain, with super villan plans but misses this obvious fact.
Hmm.

Some violence. Some sexual threat.
HEA.
Epilogue.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Vashti.
1,217 reviews29 followers
March 12, 2025
4.5 stars
One of my favorite mafia series.
I am doing a reread of this one in preparation for Matteo's book, which is due out soon.
Profile Image for Joy  Avery.
1,300 reviews151 followers
December 11, 2021
☆☆☆☆☆
Luciano was an amazing thrill ride filled with heat along with twists around every corner. Eva Winners has quickly made it to my favorite authors list.
Belles and Mobsters were never meant to be together but that didn’t stop Luciano and Grace from falling in love and getting married. Then events occur, leaving her feeling betrayed so she grabs her best friend and runs. Just when life seems to feel normal, they are found and dragged back to hell. Luciano felt incredibly betrayed when his wife ran so he relentlessly hunts her down if for no other reason than exorcize her from his soul. If he thought she was going to be the same woman he knew before, he was sadly mistaken. This Grace is a force to be reckoned with.
I loved this couple so much. Luciano is so passionate whether it’s in violence or stemming from the immense love he feels for his wife, that he desperately tries to forget. The plot was expertly crafted. I was about to fall off the edge of my seat from start to finish. I can’t wait to read more from this world. I highly recommend this read. This is my honest opinion, freely given.
Profile Image for Kristi Tiegs.
3 reviews
March 30, 2024
Why?

He puts a gun to her head and pulls the trigger, but she jumps right back into bed with him after two days? Are you kidding me?! He didn't even say he was sorry.
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