I understood the trajectory of the plot but I had difficulty connecting to the characters in within this story . #ruthlessprince #netgalley

Sometimes the women in mafia novels are too sheltered, and she was barely a person in this one. The ending conflict was pretty interesting but it wasn't enough to make up for the back and forth.

*Thank you to the publisher, Faith Summers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Full disclaimer: I rarely read mafia romance because I find it unrealistic, but this book was fabulous. It has romance, a bit of mystery, lots of angst and even some action. Brilliant! I can't wait to read the next in the series.

It was my first book from this author and she definitely piqued my interest! I love mafia romances, so Ruthless Prince sounded right up my alley. The storyline was captivating, the chemistry between characters palpable and sizzling. The only issue I had was OTT drama. Sure, the mafia genre fundamentally requires a lot of angst, but in this story sometimes it seemed forced and redundant. Huge plus for the steam! That kind of passion is definitely something I crave in my romance novels!

“She’s my enemy’s daughter.
Loving her is wrong. But she feels like my something good.
The only good thing in my life.”

Ruthless Prince is the first book in the Dark Syndicate series by Faith Summers. It tells the story of Massimo D’Agostino a mafia prince who wants to get revenge against his enemy by marrying his daughter. He doesn’t count on the feelings he developed for her though. And she doesn’t count on his possession of her feeling so right.

I have been on a mafia romance kick lately and this one definitely fit the bill. It is spicy so be warned. The characters were both very likable and just the right amount of complicated. I give this book 4 stars.

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This is one of the best Mafia books I have read. A great storyline. The H and h had good character development. Highly recommend this book, it will keep you reading until it’s finished.

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.
Well I have not read a Mafia romance in a long time and decided to give this one a try. I've got to say the leading lady, Emilia, is just dumb and oh so naive. Massimo started out a controlling prick and then softens and becomes instantly in love with Emilia who he pretty much has taken as his bride hostage. Hmm. I have conflicted feelings on this one.

Complementary copy given for honest review and opinion. Copy provided by NetGalley.

Another dark and twisted mafia romance to feed those romance lovers. Great read. Lots of turmoil and love.

Ruthless Prince is my first book by Faith Summers, but I really enjoyed her writing style!

This was a wonderfully dark romance story, with some very hot sexy scenes. This story had everything you want, a great love, great hate, a betrayal, and death. Plus some nice action and a sweet happy ending.

I can't wait to read book 2!

I wasn't completely sure of what I was getting with this book when I requested it, but what I got was wildly entertaining, and one spicy meatball of a story (pun sort of intended). This is a quick, easy, and sexy read for anyone who loves those Dynasty-esque stories and doesn't mind a little mafia-style murder.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bliss for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Originally 3 stars but the major plot twist at the end caught me off guard, so bumping up to 3.5 stars.

The attraction between Massimo and Emelia is palpable and very well described. I just find it hard to believe that a woman would feel attracted to her jailor/ “owner.” I get it that Massimo is the hottest guy ever.. but no, I just can’t see that, though Massimo does redeem himself, so there is that. If you can believe that Emelia would be sexually attracted to Massimo, then the pacing for the attraction/ romance development was good. The villain(s) description made me feel like I was being targeted right along with Emelia. The ending made me want to read the next book :)

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This was my first mafia romance so I didn’t know what to expect and wow it was a ride. It was very steamy, 😳😂 and the plot twists some of them I could guess but others caught me off guard. This is the type of book to read if you love that alpha male type. It’s definitely not the romance story I usually go for but it did keep me hooked to the end.

This has the typical Mafia dark romance plot, at least in my mind, but it didn't feel like this version added anything. The writing felt clunky and the story needs to be edited down. The dialogue felt cliche and the characters felt really flat. I didn't enjoy this and wouldn't recommend it.

Since Jill Ramsower got me hooked on mafia stories, I decided to give the Dark Syndicate Series a try. Well, the stories are definitely a bit more dark and brutal than Jill's mafia bosses, but I highly enjoyed this story about Massimo and Emilia. The story starts when Emilia is sold by her father to Massimo as a way to clear his debts.

Of course, growing up as a mafia 'princess' Emilia knows that her father is into shady business. But her doting father has always kept his 'business' away from her.

So now she is stunned by his actions and furious at Massimo for taking away her dream: studying art in Italy and her contact with her best friend. Being held captive in the huge castle Emilia tries to find ways to escape. But although massimo seems to hate Emilia's father, she is surprised by his thoughtfulness toward her and his staff.

What has happened to have caused this feud between the D' Agostino and the Balesteri families?

As Faith slowly uncovers more about the history between the two families, you come to realize that every story has two sides. And not everything is black and white. There are also a lot of shades of grey, maybe even up to fifty....

A dark story, with definitely some dark scenes. But in all a wonderful tale. Five out five stars from me and a special thank you to Net galley for providing the arc.

And now I'll start on Dark captor, about Massimo's brother Tristan. can't wait!

Ruthless Prince by Faith Summers was a solid dark, mafia romance for the first book in the Dark Syndicate series. Emelia and Massimo meet under terrible circumstances where Emelia is forced into a marriage with Massimo to pay off her father’s debts and for revenge. Massimo and his family have bad blood with Emelia’s father and to get back at him, Massimo forces his daughter to stay with him in his house and forces them to marry. Emelia struggles with understanding why her father would agree to this arrangement and her growing feelings for Massimo, the man holding her against her will. This mafia romance is full of love, death and betrayal that will make you want to read this in one sitting.

I really enjoyed how Emelia and Massimo’s relationship developed and I am a sucker for a relationship beginning with an arranged marriage. I could not put the book down during the last 30% of it with all the reveals and shocking twists. Emelia and Massimo went through a lot of struggles with fighting their feelings for each other, which made you want to hope for their happy ending. This book had a lot more action than I am used to, from the mafia romance books that I have read. I did not enjoy so much of the heavy mafia information because I was so invested in wanting to know about their relationship.

The only reasons I gave this 3 stars was that there were a lot of editing issues and I felt like a lot of the plot and inner dialogue could get cut down. Sometimes those moments took away from the story and my investment into the characters. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this one! I am not sure when I will continue in the series but I will definitely look out for this author and her other works!

Rating Scale
Overall: 3/5
Shock: 3/5
Angst: 3/5
Spice: 3/5

Massimo D’Agostino is an up and coming mob boss eager to secure his place in the criminal underworld of Los Angeles. When the opportunity arises to finally get revenge against the man that destroyed his family, Massimo demands his rival’s business and his beautiful daughter. Emilia Balesteri grew up ignorant of her father’s “family business” and has plans to attend art school in Europe. Her life is abruptly turned upside down by the appearance of a tall, handsome, and muscular man who demands her hand in marriage for her father’s sins. He insists on taking possession of his prize immediately and holds her captive in his seaside mansion. Sexy, thrilling drama ensues.

I had some mixed feelings about this dark mafia romance. The heroine is a little one dimensional, and it stood out to me that the heroine, the heroine’s mom, and the hero’s mom were all by coincidence talented painters. The scenes involving the syndicate’s administrative inner workings and voting rights rules were tedious. The writing is average, but first person present tense is never my favorite. But there were definite bright spots here too. For one thing, this book is hot. Wow. Forced and/or arranged marriage are among my favorite tropes for the darker end of romance and this one hits those beats well. There’s some good action and intrigue plot elements that kept the story moving. Overall, this book was a great antidote to the string of lighter historical and romcom type contemporary romances I’ve been on lately. If you’re looking to turn your brain off and fall into a dark romance this one is a perfectly good option. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great mafia story, plenty of action and adventure as well as a great romance. Massimo was a bit cold and hard to like at the beginning of the story but as the story progressed his character improved. Loved the twist at the end

ARC received for review

Well, that was an adventure in many ways. There sure are a lot of bad guys running around killing and trying to kill and kidnap people. Her dad is a piece of work. I did not care for Massimo to begin with but he grew on me, and eventually on Emelia too. It's not very often that I dislike secondary characters and don't want them to get a HEA, but there is one person and I'd much prefer they die. I don't get the title, because it's only used once in the whole book and it a very off handed way. Beautiful epilogue, but what's up with that letter... there's still another bad guy

If your into mafia books then you will definitely love this book. The plan never involved falling in love with the enemy but sometimes it just happens. But there is so much darkness in this world that someone always has it out for their enemy enough to do something to the ones they love the most. So finding love in this dangerous world was never supposed to happen.

Age gap...yes. Forced marriage... yes. Mafia romance... yep... first of a series and yes I’d read on.

What did I like? To be fair if you like your men mercurial then look no further. Massimo has no qualms being forceful and arrogant. Emilia has plans for her life that don’t have the rigid constraints her father gives her and a talent for painting. She has no wits against a man bent on her seduction. So read on if those words offer you comfort. Three and a half stars!

Would I buy or recommend? It read like a mafia movie. It’s been done before routine but I was looking for some originality. I’d read more from this author. I’m going to give the next book a try. If you like mafia stories you may like this one.

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review.