Review: Dallas: MM Mafia Romance (Light & Shadow Book 2) by N. N. Britt

Rating: 3.75🌈

Is it so incredibly contradictory to say i enjoyed this despite myself? There were so many aspects to this storyline that vexed me because they and the characters actions felt illogical or clueless. And that doesn’t address the plot holes left dangling at the end of the story never to have resolution if this is a duology.

But I did end up getting snared in the messy, enemies to lovers relationship between the mob boss son trying to hold his territory and the undercover agent sent in to neutralize him and his criminal element. Britt’s intention isn’t to write a realistic law enforcement thriller that mirrors current real life scenarios or even alphabet agency procedures, but in her words “to tell a love story “. Which she does.

This second book contains the most detailed aspects about the characters, the horrific abuses in Isaac’s background and family history, including vague references to his prison life.

It’s also where we see a more rounded version of Agent Dallas Bradley, aka Hawk, now a man so conflicted about his duty and where his loyalty is based that he’s hesitant about his own personal feelings and future. This is where a two person POV really excels in getting a reader into the mindset of the main characters, especially in situations where they are so diametrically opposed.

The relationship between Dallas/Hawk and Isaac has a vivid raw realistic connection. Britt has done a great job in making this a passionate, love hate romance that’s so overwhelming that some of the plot’s underwhelming elements get overlooked.

This includes the resolutions to the storylines left dangling at the end of the book. These plot holes relate only to this couple and these two books, at least from what I understand, ties up their relationship and storylines. Not totally satisfying but they do get a HFN.

The third book has a completely different story and couple. And, I expect, follows the same unconventional narrative concerning law enforcement code and policing.

I enjoyed this duo, found it entertaining and the pair dramatic and interesting. Is it in the top of my mafia romance list? No. But if this is a trope that you enjoy, pick it up and see what you think. Read them in the order they are written.

Great cover.

Cover Design by Sarah Kil

Light & Shadow series:

Isaac #1

Dallas #2

Forbidden #3 – different set of characters

Buy link

Dallas: MM Mafia Romance (Light & Shadow Book 2)

Blurb

Prepare for Betrayal and Redemption in Sin City.

As the leader of the Hellhounds and a valued member of the notorious Thoreau crime syndicate, Isaac has it all: power, money, fear. Falling for someone has never been on his radar. But for the first time in his life, Isaac thinks he’s found someone he can truly trust—the mysterious security guard who shattered through his icy defenses and became the one person Isaac could be himself with.

Until everything goes up in flames.

Dallas Bradley has been treading an unstable line of deceit between righteousness and criminality. Isaac Thoreau’s world is slowly turning him into Hawk, the man who doesn’t exist, the man who’s ready to do bad things to survive and remain close to Isaac. But when a dangerous deal goes south, in order to save Isaac’s life, Dallas is forced to reveal the devastating truth—he’s a Special Agent sent to infiltrate the Hellhounds and bring down Isaac.

Heartbroken and enraged, Isaac can’t stand the man who betrayed him so deeply. However, when it’s clear Isaac’s fate is prison, Dallas strikes a bargain with his boss: help save Isaac from life behind bars and keep Dallas undercover to clean up the mess.

Isaac hates Dallas more than ever, but to escape the crosshairs they must work together once more. As tempers and stakes flare in the streets of Sin City, Dallas will risk everything to redeem himself in Isaac’s eyes. But can their undeniable connection survive when trust has turned to ash?

***

Dallas is the second installment of Light & Shadow Duet. It should be read after Isaac. This is a dark MM mafia romance that explores various sensitive subjects like violence, abuse, PTSD, etc. Length: 65,000 words. Alternating POV.

Review: Isaac: MM Mafia Romance (Light & Shadow Book 1) by N. N. Britt

Rating: 3.75🌈

Im a fan of the dark mafia romance trope, including a sub group where one of the main characters is an undercover agent and the other is the mafia boss or something similar. So when I ran across an author I hadn’t read before and this series with a great cover, I had to check it out.

I normally have an issue with stories where the law enforcement officers or their agencies don’t come across as being particularly realistic. Especially when the agent is undercover and there’s intelligence and support staff involved. Having a writer take this element and treat it carelessly usually takes me out of the narrative.

But N. N. Britt chooses to go a different route from the beginning and state upfront that her goal isn’t a “gritty authenticity” but instead a love story about “passion, betrayal, and redemption.” She’s not incorporating real basic law enforcement protocols here, let that be understood. The author is letting the reader know that upfront. So don’t go looking for any. She also places her trigger warnings in the description, which I like.

So a reader is well informed before they read the book. No looking for something that the author never said you should expect to find. And don’t.

What I did find was a good story. Dramatic, half a tale actually, about a two men starting towards a relationship in a highly dangerous situation and unstable world.

Britt sets it up as the undercover agent gets his assignment with a minimum of intelligence and time frame to get in and get the job done.

Special Agent Dallas Bradley has his doubts but accepts the job and his target. And becomes Hawk.

His target is the recently released from prison, Isaac Thoreau, the son of a notorious crime boss. His crime? That involves the fact his father is no longer the crime boss but he is.

Isaac had a brutal, abusive relationship with his father that’s revealed in past memories throughout the story. A new mafia boss in an unsettled state, Isaac is someone whose layers are constantly being peeled off. The two person perspective narrative helps create the complex connection/relationship that’s building between them.

The hellhounds, the bodyguards surrounding Isaac, are memorable in their own right, especially Jeremy. He helps cut into some of the more overly descriptive passages and wordy thought processes of Hawk/Dallas with his concise statements and ill-concealed dislike for the agent in disguise.

To read the book you have to “go with the flow “ narratively speaking and not look at the mafia, law enforcement, or legal systems for any realistic scenarios. Like Britt said, it’s not there. There’s plenty of emotional moments, action sequences, and doubts of self awareness to make the storylines work.

Britt does get overly descriptive and sometimes makes the passages a bit repetitive in the wordings chosen but she’s telling a passionate love story, one that will have its end in the second book, Dallas.

I enjoyed this, it’s entertaining but not so dark that it feels realistic or that dramatic as much happens “off the page “. I’m definitely heading to the next book to see how the characters and plot plays out.

Great cover.

Cover Design by Sarah Kil

Light & Shadow series:

Isaac #1

Dallas #2

Forbidden #3 – different set of characters

Buy link

Isaac: MM Mafia Romance (Light & Shadow Book 1)

Blurb

In the heart of Sin City, two men on opposite sides of the law collide in a dangerous game of power, passion, and betrayal.

Isaac Thoreau, the son of a notorious crime boss, has spent nine years behind bars for his father’s murder. Driven, cunning, and unfeeling, he’s now back to claim what’s rightfully his. But when an enigmatic security guard named Hawk is hired to work at his nightclub, Isaac finds himself distracted… and inexplicably drawn to Hawk, despite his best efforts to resist.

Special Agent Dallas Bradley’s mission is clear: infiltrate the Hellhounds and bring their leader, Isaac Thoreau, to justice. Posing as Hawk, Dallas is determined to uncover the secrets of the Thoreau criminal empire. But as he delves deeper into Isaac’s world, the lines between right and wrong blur, and soon an undeniable attraction grows between the two men, forcing Dallas to question everything.

Walking away before he’s compromised would be the smart choice, but Dallas can’t resist Isaac’s magnetic pull, even if it means risking his life.

As love and duty clash, only one question remains: will Isaac and Dallas survive the fallout?

***

Isaac is the first installment of the Light & Shadow Duet. It can not be read as standalone. This is a dark MM mafia romance that explores various sensitive subjects like violence, abuse, PTSD, etc.

Review: Inheriting The Mafia (Mafia Mayhem – The Italian Connection Book 2) by Aja Foxx

Rating: 4.5🌈

Aja Foxx just got me even more pumped about this series after reading the new book, Inheriting The Mafia.

I’m such a sucker for a super competent character, even more for one that’s surprisingly so, both to the reader and the other characters in the storyline. That’s one of the elements of the plot that makes this so easy to become involved in the characters lives and developing narrative. The twists and revelations that Foxx has in store with regard to Anthony “Tony” D’Angelo, a character that will still leave the reader wondering about him and his adolescence after the book is done.

Much like the first series, Foxx is working through the major crime families, with each one represented by one of the main characters getting their own romance while connecting with the other families and couples.

It’s a terrific format and helps establish a universe of relationships and foundation of histories that each story can use as part of their own story. It enriches the narrative and makes the environment more interesting and immersive.

Vito as the one to usher Tony into his new role and life as the head of the D’Angelo mafia family is wonderful. A made man, brought up within the family, he’s flexible enough to give Tony the opportunity to reveal surprises of his own when the opportunity presents itself.

Tony is that author’s gift that immediately connects with the reader and then continues to show chameleon qualities that make him even stronger and intriguing. Just know that I love him.

Foxx came up with so many great elements here that the story length wasn’t long enough to fully appreciate or explore some of the best of them. That includes the uncle’s past, a few of the more engaging bodyguards, etc.

Perhaps, those will be revisited in future books. I can hope.

Inheriting The Mafia (Mafia Mayhem – The Italian Connection Book 2) by Aja Foxx is an absolute favorite. I wonder what the next book will bring.

Until then, I’m happy to recommend this series and definitely this story.

Mafia Mayhem (4 book series)

The Capo’s Boy #1 (Nicky & Vinni)

The Boss’s Boy #2 (Dimitri & Eiji)

The King’s Boy #3 (King & Spencer)

The Jefe’s Boy #4 (Alejandro & Delancy)

Mafia Mayhem – The Italian Connection :

Bound To His Oath #1 (Nico & Luca)

Inheriting The Mafia #2 (Tony & Vito)

Buy link

Inherting The Mafia (Mafia Mayhem – The Italian Connection Book 2)

Blurb

~ Anthony ~

They were dead, all dead, an entire mafia family…except me. The bastard son of mafia boss Anthony D’Angelo, and that made me the new head of the family. But inheriting the mafia is not all it’s cracked up to be. People want me dead. I don’t know if it’s the same people that killed my family or someone new, and I wasn’t sure it mattered. I had no plans to die anytime soon. I just wasn’t sure how to prevent it.

~ Vito ~

I was the underboss of a mafia family and when they were all taken out in a bombing, I wanted revenge. Before I could do that, I needed to track down the illegitimate son of my boss, a man I never knew about until now. I wasn’t sure what to think of Tony when I found him, but I did know I had to keep him alive. He was the head of the family now and I was duty bound to serve him. I just wished I wasn’t so attracted to him.

Warning: Gay erotic romance. The material in this book contains explicit sexual content that is intended for mature audiences only. All characters involved are adults capable of consent, are over the age of eighteen, and are willing participants.

Publication date: September 29, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 202 pages

Review: Beautifully Savage Butterfly (Mafia Bound #2) by K. M. Neuhold

Rating: 4.5🌈

I had no idea that K. M. Neuhold’s dark crime romance series, Mafia Bound, would climb to the top of my list of favorites from this author. But it certainly has just based on the two fantastic books Neuhold has released in this addictive series.

Violent, dangerously sexual, full of men ready for kinky sex and dark unmistakable attraction amidst Mafia family drama and power struggles within the criminal territories of their city. Yes, please!

Mafia Bound has its center in the powerful crime family, the Morettis, run by big brother, Lorenzo Moretti. The first story, which I loved, featured his enforcer, the Ice Man, Xaviaro Saviano, and his romance with Sparrow, an assassin with an agenda. They are seen again here in all their loving psychotic glory. Perfection.

The hints of this relationship we saw in that novel come out swinging here, literally as Elio’s obsession with MMA/ underground boxing champion Orion is on full display during a courtside match. It’s a match where anything goes, and the fury, the sheer intensity and physicality just powers off the page.

Neuhold sets the tone and themes here for the characters, the settings, and their dynamic, all right there at the beginning. It’s violent, bloody, powerful, intense, gripping, and magnetic. Each character is so well executed and beautifully defined that we understand them even though they have more layers to be revealed as the story progresses.

Each man is set both within their own family and history, and then within their developing world where their universe will eventually overlap. It’s fascinating to watch/read about because we feel a part of this couple’s journey. That Orion makes a credible reversal in his view of the Moretti family is due to how Neuhold handled this aspect of his journey in the storyline. Well done.

This is how the reader makes such an intimate connection with them , the understanding we reach with each of them, one that’s potentially very dark as well given the violent nature of the situations.

This is a BDSM D/s relationship, with someone who craves certain elements within their sexual play. Read the notes. This will go for the series as well, per the characters.

The plot lines, the characters and their interactions were so great. I loved the elements with Jack. That’s Orion’s brother whose disability plays a huge part of the story. And as the two novels have hinted at, Dante,the intriguing dancer, has a relationship of his own with Sal coming.

I can’t wait for this one.

So, more please. I’m so hooked. The Moretti family has me in their clutches. I’m highly recommending Beautifully Savage Butterfly but start with Deadly Little Sparrow, then head here.

Great covers.

Mafia Bound:

Deadly Little Sparrow #1
Beautifully Savage Butterfly #2

Buy link

Beautifully Savage Butterfly (Mafia Bound Book 2)

Blurb

Being savage in the ring is one thing. The way Elio Moretti craves my violence outside the ring is another.

I feel like I’ve been fighting my whole life, and tapping out has never been an option.

I can live with owing money to the Morettis. I can even live with the constant guilt that my brother is the one paralyzed in a hospital bed while I live his dream. What I can’t live with is Elio Moretti, second in command to the infamous crime family, showing up to all my fights, sitting in the front row, watching me like he can’t look away, and barging into the locker room to patch up my wounds and invade my space.

The Morettis are monsters. Vicious, brutal sociopaths. So, why is Elio so eager to get on his knees for me?

He’s as desperate to give up control as I am to take it, but is giving in to these primal urges enough of a reason to sell my soul?

He claims there are worse people in this city than his family, and the deeper I get dragged into his world, the more true that’s starting to seem. Can I really fall in love with a Mafia underboss? Is it even possible to walk away?

Publication date: September 6, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 280 pages

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