Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This forced marriage love story was fast paced and kept you hooked until the end. Interesting plot and characters were well painted and a definite read.

ARC received for review

Loved how their relationship progressed until it went down hill. And then there's his dad...what an arse. Then the ending. Cliffy form hell. AARRRGGHHH

Vicious Heir is the first book in the Castillo Cartel series by Bella Ash. This was a new-to-me author, and I was captivated from the beginning. Angel Castillo character was perfect as the ruthless heir to the mafia leader. He wasn’t happy about marrying Emma and I loved watching the changes their marriage made to him. This book does end on a cliffhanger and picks back up in Omar’s book. I cannot wait to read more from the Castillo family.

Vicious Heir was a fun, spicy, quick read! Would definitely like the pace to be a bit slower, but then again - it's refreshing to skip to the good stuff sometimes. The characters are interesting, the plot is exciting and the spice? Delicious.

This is my first book by Bella Ash, and I wasn't disappointed. Now, I just want to know who told Bella Ash she was allowed to break my heart like she did. I was hooked from page one, but it did lag in the middle, then picked up again. I can't wait to read the next book in this series, so I think I can wait a few months.


Thank you, Netgalley, for letting me give my honest review

This was really good! My first from this author and wont be my last! You've got angst, mafia, forced marriage, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, twists and turns but also a bloody annoying cliff-hanger!!! To me cliff-hangers are just the worst torture when you don't have the next one up and ready!!!!

This is the first time reading a book by this author and just letting you know that it won't be my last... It had a great story line... Some twists and turns throughout the book and this cliffhanger had me wanting to pull my hair out lol.... I want more of Emma and Angel!!

It took a great deal of effort to not thrown my middle across the room at the ending…. Bella Ash why would you do this to me? Amazing book but be prepared to be destroyed. Ugh. BRB calling my therapist….

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book.

I am a sucker for a good mafia romance and this one did not disappoint. I will 100% be getting my hands on the rest of the series ASAP.

This was so well written. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations. The character development was excellent. I would definitely recommend to others, a must read!

This book was absolutely perfect! I devoured it really quickly, in one sitting. I just couldn’t put my phone down!

Emma is a delivery girl, ordered to deliver an envelope to Angel a boss in the Castillo cartel, but when she delivered the envelope she saves his life when the barman tries to assassinate him. He now owns her a life debt, and in order to fulfill this life debt his father orders him to marry her. As they get to know each other and develop feelings, not everyone is happy with this new development that can put them both in a dangerous situation.

The characters are great Angel embodies being a mob boss, it is believable that he is a ruthless person when it comes to the cartel. Emma takes on her new role as best she could. The only thing I didn't appreciate is the cliffhanger and hope it will be discussed in Book 2.

I was completely engrossed in this story! The steady pace kept me turning the pages, and while it had some familiar plot points, the author skillfully kept me engaged until the end. Speaking of the ending, it left me with mixed emotions, but I can't deny that I'm excited to see what the next installment in the series holds. If you're looking for a captivating read that hooks you from the start and doesn't let go, this is a story you don't want to miss out on. Take a chance and dive into this fast-paced adventure!

YAY FORCED MARRIGE MAFIA! This book has so much going for it already with the tropes and it delivered on those tropes. It was an easy read and I read it in a day! It is perfect for kindle unlimited as it fits in at relm of mafia books. I do wish it was a HEA instead of a cliffhanger though.

It's a dark read, full of trigger warning, read the description first for better understanding.

It was a fast paced read with dark theme that deals with violence, death and much more.

This one's a fine read for me as it lack character development, i think it would have been better if the FMC was stronger then the one pen down in the book.

Read it on your own, if you can't deal with death and violence then it's a no go for you, and if you read such tropes than you should definitely give it a go, as your opinion may differ from mine.

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
MMC: Angel- the boss of the Castillo family… well once his dad dies. After owing a debt to Emma, he is forced to marry her and produce an heir. What could possibly go wrong?
FMC: Emma- a courier who delivered a package and ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. After witnessing a shoot out she is now in the clutches of the Castillo family and forced to marry the oldest son and become the matriarch of the family.
POV: 1st person, dual POV
HEA: no, cliffhanger
spice: a slow-burn with a few open-door spicy scenes
TWs: death of parents (recounted), death by cancer, estranged/uninterested parents, suicide, sexual assault, kidnapping, murder, abuse, domestic abuse, isolation, mental abuse,
standalone: Castillo Cartel book 1
final thoughts: I was so excited by the themes, tropes, title, and cover but the book did fall a bit flat for me. Emma was fine, but Angel gave me whiplash. One minute he’s great and the next he’s terrible. I didn’t see a lot of character growth and I hated the casual domestic abuse throughout the book. There were so many plot holes for me and I felt no love between the characters.

read this book if you love

🌀 plot twists
🤐 miscommunication
😬 angst
🏝️ forced proximity (same living arrangements/kidnapping)
👮 mafia
💍 forced marriage
🤜 rivals-to-lovers
🥰 nicknames

⚡️Mafia
👰🏻‍♀️ Marriage of convenience
🔺 Cliffhanger
👫 Dual POVs

TW. Cliffhanger, violence, murder; kidnapping….

Emma wasn’t where she was supposed to be. She saved a man’s life and now she has to marry him. Angel is a dangerous man, Emma learns that right away. He first threatens her life and then forces her to marry him. Now she’s married to a powerful and fearless man, heir to the Castillo Family. Emma has to learn how to survive in this new deadly world but she doesn’t know who to trust..

First of all, I didn’t read that many Mafia romances but I think this one is totally on topic. Although I think it’s the first one I read that has one of the main characters who doesn’t belong in the mafia world already. I like that storyline where Emma has to learn how to live as the ‘matriarch’ as they say.

Even though the Mafia’s world is something that most of us don’t know (I hope so for you guys at least), I never felt like it was unrealistic. Romanticize for the good of the book but there weren't some huge things happening that felt like it could never happen in real life. It’s my opinion though !

We have the typical mafia man : bossy, dangerous, sexy as hell and violent (with everyone except the female main character obviously). He had a complicated childhood and was obviously bred to one day lead the Family. Emma is a bit different and less stereotypical I think. She lost her mother and had to take care of her, so she’s very independent. Also she’s a total stranger to this world. It was nice seeing this bridge between them (and also seeing them cross that bridge and meet in the middle I guess). I think all the mafia romances I’ve read have been about two families reuniting (so both parties already knew the word).

Vicious Heir really reminded me of The Sweetest Oblivion. It has some similar tropes and details, and even though they have their differences, those two books could be on the “if you liked this book, read this one” recommendation tag.

I’d like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to have read this book !

I enjoyed this novel thoroughly and would highly encourage other Individuals to read this novel if this is the genre that you are interested in. Take a read and I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised.

It has my favourite trope along with the second language included makes it all the more interesting the amount of times I stoped to think about what I was reading is so funny.