Maggie Blackbird

Today, I’m hosting author Liza Malloy’s latest release Mafiosa Princess, a contemporary mafia romance.  Be sure to read my review.  And don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.

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Title: Mafiosa Princess
Series: Mafiosa Princess, book one
Author: Liza Malloy
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, Mafia
Publication Date: December 1, 2021
Publisher: Teal Street Publishing

Two men love her. But only one truly knows her.

Blurb:  College Junior Giada Conti wants nothing more than to pursue a normal life fueled by her own choices. Unfortunately, she doesn’t realize her father’s business isn’t completely lawful, or how tha

Pre-law student Adrian Patras is certain Giada is the perfect woman for him, until he meets her family and grasps the extent of his girlfriend’s naivete.

As Adrian finds himself unwillingly pulled into the family business, Giada grows frustrated with his insinuations about her father. Meanwhile, Giada’s ex, the notorious Luca Marino, pops back into her life with his own criminal agenda that includes winning her back.

Mafiosa Princess is the captivating first book in the steamy mafia romance series that you won’t want to put down.

Goodreads | Amazon

Luca stopped walking and swiveled to face me, placing his hands on my waist. “Oh Giada, it’s killing me to see you sad.” He used his thumbs to wipe the tears from under my eyes and then he left his hands on my cheeks.

He was staring into my eyes as though searching for something. Suddenly his lips were on mine.

With his hands holding me in place, I couldn’t have easily moved if I wanted to, but regardless, I’m not sure I would have. Kissing Luca left nothing to be desired. It was perfect in every way, even when unexpected and completely inappropriate. His lips were soft and moist, his tongue exerted just the right amount of pressure, and he tasted like a refreshing mint.

When he ended the kiss, I was breathless and disoriented. I needed to say something, but he beat me to it.

“That’s better,” he said.

“What is?”

“Everything. But especially that you stopped crying.”

“You kissed me so I’d stop crying?”

Luca smiled. “I kissed you because I’ve wanted to kiss you for weeks now, but an added perk is that it distracted you from your sorrows.”

I had no idea what to say to that. Luca sounded sincere, but then again, he was a sweet talker. I never doubted his ability to say what people needed to hear to bend to his will.

Luca reached for my hand and continued walking along the beach as though we were two familiar lovers just out for a casual stroll.

“I was crying about Adrian,” I said, hoping to remind Luca that he wasn’t the one I was pining for.

“I know. And I have to say I agree with Gabriella. The best way for you to get over one man is to get under another.”

I stopped in my tracks, mortified. “Oh my God. You heard that?”

He nodded.

“We were not talking about you.”

“You most certainly were.”

I swiveled around to head back to our chairs. Not that I had any hope of personal space there, either, but it beat this odd walk.

“You kissed me back,” he said, jogging to catch up.

I considered denying that, but I was pretty sure I’d actually moaned at one point. “So? You’re a good kisser. That’s beside the point. You don’t think it’s a little strange that you’re trying to seduce me when I’m still hung up on someone else?”

Now Luca laughed. “If I were trying to seduce you, you’d know.”

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I love a good mafia romance, so when this book came up for review, I was in.  And I must say the author didn’t disappoint.

As stated in the blurb, Giada “Gia” Conti is daughter to a father of a not quite lawful business.  To her family she is la principessa from the day she is born.  Her parents had high hopes she’d marry Luca Marino, the son of a powerful man in Italy, to seal the two families together.

Straightlaced and honest Adrian Patras wants to become a lawyer.  But he’s drawn into a shady world that tests his morals when he falls in love with Gia.

Then there is the mysterious Luca Marino who dated Gia in high school, but broke it off with her and broke her heart in the process, when at eighteen, he returned to Italy.

This makes for not only a great love triangle, but also a great deal of suspense and plenty of action.

The book does get off to a bit of a slow start, but then goes full steam ahead, so much steam that it kept me wanting to turn each page.

Gia, as expected, is as pampered and spoiled as a young woman of such a powerful family can be.  But she’s a kind and caring person, who is very naïve about her family’s dark side, since her entire life she’s been extremely protected.  I thought she was wonderfully portrayed.  A very likable character who is slowly growing into her own person, but the clincher is her family hindering her, whom she loves above anything else in the world.

Adrian is the consummate hero.  A man of honesty, strength, and hard-working.  He’s his own man and doesn’t want to be pampered or bought off by anyone.  This of course creates tension not only with Gia’s father, but also with Gia herself, who is confused by Adrian’s stance, since Adrian knows exactly what her father is.

I also enjoyed the introduction of the shady Luca.  He’s powerful yet controlled by a domineering father.  I do wish Luca would have had a POV, because he was as interesting as the two main characters, and since this is a love triangle, that would have only been fair.

The book is more tell than show (there is show, naturally), and I found this worked well for the novel.  The writing is great.  The plot is tight.  The action is suspenseful.  And the romance on both fronts burns hot.

I especially loved the introduction of Gia’s driver, Lorenzo, thrown into the mix.  I am hoping we see more of him as the series progresses, because much to my shock, the book ended on a cliff-hanger.  Argh.  LOL.  I do wish there would have been a warning about the cliff-hanger and that this is a new series.  I went into this believing it was only one book and ended with what every romance ends with:  a HEA.

Still, it’s an exciting first book for this new series, and when the next one is available, for sure I will be reading and reviewing.  By far, this is my fave mafia romance to date.  I highly recommend you get yourself a copy.

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Liza Malloy writes contemporary romance, women’s fiction, new adult romance, and fantasy. She’s a sucker for alpha males, bad boys, dimples, and muscles, and she can’t resist a man in uniform. Liza loves creating worlds where her heroine discovers her own strength and finds her Happily Ever After. When Liza isn’t reading or writing torrid love stories, she’s a practicing attorney. Her other passions include gummy bears, jelly beans, and the occasional marathon. She lives in the Midwest with her four daughters and her own Prince Charming. Her books are available in both paperback and ebook, and can be found on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and more!

Visit her website at www.LizaMalloy.com

Join her email list for access to exclusive bonus content at http://bit.ly/34FrD71

Find Liza:  Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon

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