I was having one of those days and just wanted to escape into the world of contemporary fiction where the smut is mixed with the tensions of outside sources. Enter the perfect book: Brutal Prince. When the Irish mafia and Italian mafia of Chicago call a truce and choose to symbolize it by having their respective son and daughter marry, the couple unhappily wed, an ex-boyfriend refuses to move on, and the Polish mafia causes trouble in retaliation. In other words, pure escapism. And I loved it.

So I have tried reading Sophie Lark in the past and decided to give this book a shot- and I surprisingly was much more enamoured reading this than I was other works. Many Thanks to Netgalley and Bloom books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

So plot wise- this is not my first delving into the mafia romance world, but its something I haven't read a lot of to be honest as it's hit and miss. The actual plot of this book is really well done, delivered and the pacing was fantastic. If you love Enemies to Lovers, and I mean proper "I hate your guts and everything about you, lets try to end your life early and make it look like an accident" due to family fueds this will be right up your alley. Our MFC is a fiery, take no prisoners gremlin of chaosIi aspire to be, and the MMC is brooding and possessive and definitely someone many in the book world will probably obsess over.

I read this in a few days, it was a great romance, the world was built really well and honestly i'm really excited to read the siblings stories following this.

Miss Sophie Lark really knows how to write a great mafia romance 😍 The writing in this was book is amazing as always and I truly loved all of the characters, but the true star is Aida. She was such an amazing fiery and passionate character I wanna be her when I grow up.

First off, I loved that they were ACTUAL enemies and they both had every right to feel the ways that they did. I didn’t like Cal in the beginning and his whole wanting to “tame” Aida shtick but he grew on me by the end & he knows that Aida really is that bitch. I also adored Aida’s brothers and can’t wait for their books!!

Thank you to Net Galley and Bloom Books for sending me a copy for review!

This was a nice fun easy read! I really enjoyed Aida and Cal's banter. In the beginning, my god did they ever hate each other with such a passion, and I absolutely ate it up. I was a bit nervous about the consent aspect considering how strong their hatred was, but it was handled well, and the consent was very well established. The spice was pretty decent, but nothing that really wowed me. With the tone at the start of the book, I expected it to be a bit darker overall, but I think it worked out well to have the tone shift throughout the story. The illustrations were a really nice surprise as well! That along with the songs to be played at certain scenes really helped with the immersion.

I think the biggest thing that diminished my enjoyment was the lack of emotional connection moments. At the start, Aida and Cal hate each other like it's their life's work, which was fantastic, but they don't really have any epiphany moments of "hey maybe I don't have this person as much as I thought". Mostly their sex being good was the driver of the diminishing in hate, and the only moment like the one described above was near the end of the book, and by that point, the hate was already significantly diminished. Perhaps for other folks the spice being the driver of their connection would work, but I need some emotional connection to really get invested in a couple, and this book just felt a little lacking in that.

There were also moments where the tone and language felt a little juvenile for me, and considering that I'm around the same age as Aida, and younger than Cal, it also contributed to taking me out of the story. Overall though I had a good time reading this, but I don't think I'll be continuing with the series

Aida is perfectly snarky. I love her so dang much. She gives no f**ks and doesn’t put up with s**t. She’s someone you want on your side and to be bffs with.

Callum is all business. He’s seeking out to be an alderman in Chicago. He’s got a possessiveness to him that’s super sexy.

These two are arranged together by their families to form a familial bond and help each other out down the line. They don’t know each other but have this phenomenal connection.

I devoured this book. Sophie give me more mafia deliciousness! Thank goodness she has plenty more in this series and I am just now beginning it.

Honestly this one took me a little while to get into, I really wasn't overly keen on the main characters at first but as their relationship developed I started to enjoy it a lot more. The spice was great and I absolutely adored the artwork.

I’m in my Sophie Lark eraaaaaa!

This was another one of those books that I am kicking myself in the shin for waiting so long to start. I bought the illustrated versions of these books and I think they 100% enhance the experience for the reader. I was expecting there to be way more pictures though, so if you’re like me and expecting that just know they aren’t all over the book but there’s enough.

This was my first mafia romance and i’m a changed woman after these books. I love the family aspect of these books so far (yes, i’ve already read the first 3, don’t judge me please). I know alot of the cultures brought up in these books value family heavily so it’s not a surprise how tight these families run. This book specifically was a brillant introduction to the mafia world.

I think it’s important that I touch on style of writing in this book because this was a huge part of why i enjoyed it. I read this as a buddy read with my friend Addy (@addysbookishaddiction on tiktok) and I ran to her DMs to tell her how in love I was with the way the writing was so conversational. I love feeling like i’m listening to someone recount a story for me and Sophie Larks style of writing in these books does just that. It was part of the reason I absolutely RAN through the first 3 in the series and am itching to buy the next 3 right away.

Hilarious, filthy and so much fun. Real enemies to lovers. You gotta love that. They literally try to kill each other. And the romance is so well done. Such a fun read!!

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Brutal Prince re-releases July 25, 2023

<b>contains spoilers</b>

Some would say this review of Brutal Prince is… well, brutal. Pun intended.

Brutal Prince is the first installment in the Brutal Birthright series, and is told in dual pov from Aida and Callum.
The Gallo’s and Griffin’s are rival families with strong ties to the mafia and Chicago politics, with Callum in the running to be the alderman of the 43rd ward.

On the night of Nessa Griffin’s 19th birthday, the Gallo siblings take it upon themselves to crash her party that’s being held at her family’s estate.
Chaos ensues when Aida happens to light their personal library room on fire, while running away pocketing one of their family heirlooms.
Tensions escalate, and the two families come to the decision that Aida and Callum must enter an arranged marriage, and wed within two weeks.

I had a lot of issues reading this book. The first being the pacing and how this suffered from being all tell and no show. The second really had to do with the lack of consent and generally how this relationship was being portrayed.

If Callum being 30 years old and still living under his parents roof, and then having his <I>wife</I> also move into his parents residence is not a walking red flag, then I don’t know what is.
The reasoning given in the book is that Callum needs to live in the district in which he’s running for alderman, yet at the end of the book, Callum and Aida are able to put down a deposit on an apartment on the very first day that they attempt to go house hunting. You’re telling me there was no possible way to fit this in weeks ago?

The way multiple characters, including the parents, were so adamant on Callum and Aida connsumating their arranged marriage by having sex <I>immediately</I> for it to be "real" honestly gave me the ick. Is being married on paper not enough for the general public? Why would they need to know what should be going on behind closed doors in their bedroom as long as they’re appearing like a married couple at all events?
Everything to do with them rushing to have sex felt <I>so</I> forced, and I hate to even say it, but it really leans towards the territory of r*pe culture, especially given the fact that there is <I>no</I> build up, natural progression, or any internal dialogue from Aida to give the impression that she has any sexual desires at this point. Have they even interacted before that night it was announced that they were to be married to each other? Hell, I wouldn’t know, but probably not.
They went from trying to kill each other (quite literally - strawberries/pool) to fucking. I get having an enemies to lovers trope, but this excluded all of that pent up attraction that is shown to make it good.
Additionally, tying into the all tell and no show, Aida and Callum kept describing the qualities of the other person in their chapters — things like “clever, resourceful, astute” etc. — but how do they even know such specific things when we’ve never even seen them interacting or getting to know each other? Is it all pillow talk or just assumptions?

When Aida was having her “spa treatment” before their wedding, and the aesthetician gave her a brazillian wax <b>while she was asleep</b> without any verbal consent, that was 100% crossing a boundary and made me so uncomfortable, especially with the follow up scenes where all Callum could talk about was her bare/bald pussy. His words: <I>”I love the idea of her being primped and cleaned and waxed to my specifications. Like a little doll, built just the way I like it.”</I>

For being a mafia romance, I wanted more in terms of the mafia element. What was utilized felt so far fetched to me. Again, coming back to the all tell and no show — when Aida faked being drugged in order to plot, scheme, make Molotov's, shoot people, and then rescue Callum — none of that was shown and we were just supposed to believe she was capable of doing all of that when later on in the book she couldn’t even fucking run on sand to get away from Oliver?!
Her words: <I>”I used my fingernail to turn the screw [of the air vent].”</I> YEAH, SURE. OKAY. In an abandoned type warehouse. It was probably rusted shut.

I also really don’t understand how the night of Nessa’s party was such a last straw for them to come to the decision of an arranged marriage mere hours later. The fire in the house wasn’t even a big enough commotion to rattle the guests or stop it entirely, so something is just not adding up for me.

Circling back to Aida and Callum’s intimacy… I just really couldn’t get past every action that was being handed to us. For instance, when they were in the back of the limo and his hand was trailing up her thigh, she slapped it away and followed that by shoving him away as well. His reaction to this was to climb on top of her, and again, this time she slapped him on the face hard enough to split a lip. His reaction to this was to forcefully kiss her and shove his tongue down her throat.
To me, her multiple attempts at pushing him away did not come across as playful and they did not feel like they were on the same page in that exact moment.
At the end of the day, whether she does like things rough or not, I do think this could have benefitted from having any type of verbal consent within the book.
A similar scene happens again when a bullet grazes Callum and his response is to restrain Aida, gag her, and violently spank her. There was <b>zero</b> prior discussion or consent if she was okay with this or if it crossed her boundaries.
Just because you’re entering darker themes compared to a contemporary romance, does not mean you should then omit things like consent for the reader.

Other awful quotes:
> “I’d get Aida pregnant right this second, purely because of how furious it would make her. That would be one way to tame the beast.” Okay misogyny. Ew.
> “He grabs a handful of my hair, biting the side of my neck like the vampire I imagine him to be.” Stop. This isn’t Twilight.
> “Our relationship has proceeded in such a funny, backward way. Marriage first. Then sex.” It’s really not unheard of to wait until after marriage to have sex! I don’t know why you’d want to inadvertently shame people that choose to live a lifestyle different than yours.
<b>drum roll please, I saved the worst for last…</b>
> “Some girls are so boring to fuck that you might as well tie them up because they’re just going to lie there either way.” HELLO? CONSENT WHERE? You can’t just cross peoples boundaries in their most vulnerable state and experiment with restriction or bdsm without discussing things first. Again, to me, this is borderline feeling like r*pe mentality and this goes way beyond just being your average controlling mmc.

cw: drugging, torture, kidnapping, OM (other man) drama

I went into this book pretty blind. The cover is absolutely stunning and I’ve heard of the author, but this is the first book that I’ve read by them. And let me tell you… it did not disappoint! This book had me hooked right from the start and kept me reading it through in one sitting! I won’t lie, there are some scenes that may be triggering to some, but for the most part I think that many readers will love this book. The playlist at the beginning is a great indication and mood setter for the book and I am obsessed with it! Enemies to lovers is a hard trope sometimes, but Sophie Lark made it believable AND enjoyable- which I can’t say often. Callum and Aida are matched in temper as well as hate for one another. A hate that runs deep between both of their families and has for generations. Aida and Callum think that they will never be more to each other than enemies until the night that Aida takes her antics a step too far and the only way to repair the damage is by agreeing to marry Callum. What starts as a hate fueled marriage slowly leads to a strong and true love between them that wouldn’t possibly make any sense with anyone else. This is the first in a series and I CANNOT wait to get my hands on the other books. #NetGalley #ARC #NetGalleyARC #MafiaRomance #Romance #SophieLark

As I see it, this book is a good introduction to a mafia world (in books!).
If you're new to this field and want to test the waters, Brutal Prince is your guy!
We've got romance, we've got a little mafia, but nothing too crazy or aggressive.

I particularly liked the enemies to lovers vibe, but I thought it lacked a little more of the dark side of the mafia. Anyway, I love the author's writing and will continue reading the next books!

Well this was fun from the very beginning as when crashing a party Aida starts a fire which has huge consequences for her . You have to understand that her Italian family and Callum’s Irish family pretty much hate each other and to prevent all out war with fatalities on both sides their parents agree to a marriage which from the very start sends Callum to hospital ! Oh yes this is not a happy union but it sure is combustible.
I don’t read a lot of contemporary romance so was greatly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Yes it’s a mafia type story with different factions trying to profit and there are gritty, violent moments but honestly it’s the romance that dominates. Callum is stiff, starchy and controlling and really needs someone like Aida around. Why ? Well Aida has always been free to be herself and does her own thing quite happily but she’s not a brat just confident and maybe just a little bit wild . This has numerous moments that are as shocking as they are funny and this couple sure do heat up the pages ! My favourite character was without a doubt Seb and I dearly hope the author gives him his own book but trust me the siblings are such fun to read about and as I finished this book I realised I would happily read more by this talented author.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I absolutely ate this book up! I’ve never read a mafia romance before, and this might have ruined me for any others in the future.

I adored Callum and Aida, and their relationship dynamic was so compelling. The tension within the relationship and its outside forces kept me on the edge of my seat. While this is probably classified as a dark romance, I felt it was closer to romantic suspense.

I can’t wait to continue the series! Thank you Bloom Books, Netgalley, and Sophie Lark for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

"'Do you want me, Cal?'
'I don’t want you. I need you.'"

Now this is how contemporary enemies to lovers should be done. They are actually enemies before lovers! They try to kill each other multiple times! I was living for some of the more... creative attempts. Let's just say, strawberries on the cover is a perfect choice.

"Opposites have a kind of symmetry. Fire and ice. Stern and playful. Impulsive and restrained. In a way, they belong together."

Aida is opinionated, fiery, and a kick-butt main character. Callum is calculating, reserved, and powerful. You can really see how they would get along great, right? After Aida accidently lights Callum's family mansion on fire, their rivaling mafia fathers come to the agreement of an arranged marriage to act as a bridge between the two families and end the generational feud between the families. I'm sure you can imagine how opposed are soon to be couple are to this idea. So opposed they try to KILL each other on multiple occasions. Don't mind me swooning in the background. The angst and tension between these two was just *chef's kiss*.

"I want to hear what’s making her laugh so hard."

Most of the time romance book plots are either left to die or so minor you need a microscope to see it. Brutal Prince actually has a good plot that acted as the driving force for our character's arcs and the progression of the story, which I really appreciated.

"You’re mine, Aida. I'll kill anyone who tries to touch you."

This is a great, fast paced, mafia romance with all the tropes you know and love! I'll definitely be picking up another Sophie Lark book.

Unfortunately I'm dnfing at 33%. I'm struggling really hard with the style of writing in this book. I'm giving it 3 stars however because the story is good and I really think it'll find an audience. I really loved the artwork that Lark included in this book it was such a nice touch. I thought the play list in the beginning of the book really clever too.

I'm still very interested in checking out Anastasia from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom books for this advance reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sophie Lark for an ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4/5 Stars

This was my first Sophie Lark book and I enjoyed it so much! I had so much fun reading this and honestly ate it up.

Brutal Prince

The Gallos and the Griffins are bitter rivals with a long history of hatred. Their battle reignites when Aida Gallo steals something precious from Callan Griffin.

All decisions have their consequences - how will Callan and Aida deal with theirs?

This book is fast paced, gritty and sexy. Aida is feisty and the perfect balance to Callan’s rigidity. I loved their dynamic and omg their chemistry is hot.

This book has all the best tropes - marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers and mafia romance.

100% recommend

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an arc copy of the illustrated edition of this book.

Oh where to start with this book.... I'm new with this genre of romance, but I may need to explore some more Mafia romances because oh my did I enjoy this. The bickering between Callum and Aida was priceless, and seemed very real. You could feel the hatred between them emanating off the pages. Speaking of hatred, this was the kind of enemies to lovers I love - actual want-to-kill-you enemies, knife to the throat, or I guess face in the pool kind of enemies to lovers. I will say that I would have loved more pining, more angst. Once they did... it... things started to happen very quickly. I wanted more "I shouldn't feel this way" and inner turmoil. The romance, once it hit, hit fast. Give me angst! Pining! Longing! I want to feel every feeling imaginable.

That being said, Sophie Lark really fed us with the "touch her and you die" vibes. Callum said all the right things (did he also say some really messed up things to her? Yes. But that's besides the point). Just look at some of these yummy moments.
" 'You're mine, Aida,' Callum growls in my ear. "I'll kill anyone who tries to touch you.'"
"'If you ever talk to my wife like that again, I'll empty that clip in your chest'".

Listen, I am aware that I need therapy. But to be fair, if a man said this to me in real life I would throw holy water at him and run away. But in a book.... that is a different story.

What happens when two sibling from two enemy mafia families are forced into an arranged marriage? A bit of destruction, humiliation, and a whole lot of passion!

This was a fun read, and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series!

🖤🍓 Brutal Prince Review 🍓🖤

Thank you so much to Sophie Lark, Bloom Books and netGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Brutal Prince is a contemporary mafia romance and the first book in the Brutal Birthright series. When Aida and her older brothers decide to crash the party of their local rivals, she doesn’t expect to have to hide in the library when she’s almost caught snooping by Callum Griffin, the eldest son of the rival family. Desperate to escape without being caught, Aida does the only thing she can think of…she sets the curtains on fire and runs…

This was my first Sophie Lark book but it definitely won’t be the last! I really enjoyed it!!The illustrations in this book were absolutely beautiful and absolutely added to my enjoyment of this book!! I loved how Aida and Callum’s relationship evolved from a rivals to lovers - both characters are strong, intelligent and passionate, which makes their dynamic so much fun to read!

Overall this was a four star read for me! This book has some of my favorite tropes & I loved the characters, world building and dual PoV. I will absolutely pick up the rest of the series in the future!! This was a little Insta-love for me personally, but that’s a “me” issue and not a book issue. There’s some awesome spice scenes in this book and they occur pretty frequently, so four flames for spice

If you’re a fan of mafia romances with rivals to lovers, arranged marriage, & age gaps, then definitely check this one out!! Brutal Prince is available now and these beautiful new covers from Bloom Books comes out on July 25th!!

Do you enjoy mafia romance??

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