idk how i didnt read this sooner. i didnt realise romance was a genre i enjoyed so much. or maybe its just sophie lark converting me???

I'm truly fangirling (yes, it's an actual word) over Aida Gallo. She's a confident woman who takes no crap from anyone (well maybe her mob boss father, but that's all). I truly admired her self confidence but it does put her in some crazy predicaments. For example, the moment she meets Callum Griffin is because of a wild and reckless stunt that only crazy-at-heart Aida could pull. That one regrettable moment puts her in the most dreaded spot she's ever been placed, as Callum's future wife. Yikes.

The chemistry between these two is hot and cold, but it's understandable since Callum and Aida are virtual strangers to each other. This situation creates a delicious tension between these two that I loved to read.


4.5 stars

So I was definitely trying to stop myself from entering a book slump after reading a 8 book long fantasy series and all my brain could take at that point was a romance book. Enter Brutal Prince a popular book I’ve seen everywhere on social media and was definitely intrigued about. My expectations of this book weren’t high. It futures the forced proximity trope and marriage of convenience between two rival mafia families which was exactly something I needed after the series I had just finished reading.

However, I couldn’t really see why this book was so popular. Maybe it was the stark difference in writing styles between the last book I read and this one but I was definitely not impressed; it reminded me of fan-fiction. To be honest I could have gotten over that pretty quickly but the two main characters, Aida and Callum were just so dramatic. Their personalities were over-the-top and readers really got to see this first hand as we had POVs from both of them. I did find it cringe-worthy which is really saying something as I can’t remember the last time I cringed reading a book. Also the whole enemies-to-lovers trope occurred so abruptly that it just didn’t feel believable. All that being said, I didn’t actively dislike the book, I found it okay and it did its job as a palate cleanser between books. I just don’t believe that Brutal Prince deserves the hype that it has received and there are many other books with these tropes, which are better written. I don’t see myself reading the rest of the series but I’m happy I’ve read this so I can judge for myself that this hyped book is like.

Oh Sophie... how I frickin LOVE YOU. Sophie Lark has become a new favorite author recently and I just can't get over it. The characters and their dynamic, the world she created, the plot, the spice... All of it??? Perfection. Sophie has truly been such an incredible author to dive into because she has such a unique writing voice. I adore her unique twist to things and it sucks me right in to everything she does. I've said it before, but mafia is not typically a trope I intentionally reach out for when I'm choosing a book to read. However, when it's done in a way that captures my attention, I am ALL for it. And that's exactly what happened with this book. She without a doubt knows what she's doing. I can't get over how attached I got to this story, characters, and world. Callum and Aida were truly such unique characters and their dynamic was *chef's kiss.* This is definitely a series I am going to binge because I have already fallen in love with everything about this book, including Sophie's trademark dash of humor. The enemies to lovers is completely amazing and Sophie truly knows how to write these. Overall, another new fav series for the books (bad pun sorry) and I can't wait to continue reading this series! *Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest reivew.*

this was my first mafia romance and boy it was FUN. I ate this up. the spice was 🔥🔥🔥🔥 aspects of this relationship were definitely hella toxic and a lot of this was generally silly, but this was overall a really enjoyable romance and I will definitely be finishing the series.

Oh Sophie... how I frickin LOVE YOU. Sophie Lark has become a new favorite author recently and I just can't get over it. The characters and their dynamic, the world she created, the plot, the spice... All of it??? Perfection. Sophie has truly been such an incredible author to dive into because she has such a unique writing voice. I adore her unique twist to things and it sucks me right in to everything she does.

I've said it before, but mafia is not typically a trope I intentionally reach out for when I'm choosing a book to read. However, when it's done in a way that captures my attention, I am ALL for it. And that's exactly what happened with this book. She without a doubt knows what she's doing. I can't get over how attached I got to this story, characters, and world.

Callum and Aida were truly such unique characters and their dynamic was *chef's kiss.* This is definitely a series I am going to binge because I have already fallen in love with everything about this book, including Sophie's trademark dash of humor. The enemies to lovers is completely amazing and Sophie truly knows how to write these.

Overall, another new fav series for the books (bad pun sorry) and I can't wait to continue reading this series!

*Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest reivew.*

I absolutely loved this! A true enemies to lovers. I loved how strong and independent Aida was but was will to own up to her mistakes. I loved how Callum and Aida pushed each others buttons but eventually started to fall for each other. I also loved the mini art prints added to some of the chapters. It really added to the story! I am excited to read more in the series.

It’s a decently written mafia romance that I enjoyed thoroughly. Will definitely check out the others in the series.

Sophie Lark is an author that cannot write a bad book. I loved this book and will continue to read more

This book took me completely by surprise and I could not put it down!
The banter between Callum and Aida was to die for and Aida may be my favourite FMC ever. I loved how strong willed she was and how willing to protect everything she cared for she was, no matter the cost.
I know that the next book is about Nessa, but I cannot wait to see what the rest of the Gallo family get up to. Nero has my interest, but I'm sure that there is a great story for Sebastian.
I will recommend this book to anyone. Totally obsessed with mafia/arranged marriage/bullying from this point on!

⌚ Mafia romance
👟 Arranged marriage
⌚ Age Gap
👟 Enemies to lovers
⌚ Feuds
👟 Strong/sassy FMC
⌚ Kidnapping
👟 Spicyyyy

💕 Callum Griffin + Aida Gallo

👏👏👏 Round of applause for a REAL enemies to lovers. No frenemies here. This book had the perfect amount of spice to plot AND a perfect amount of mafia. I can't stand when a book is marketed as a mafia romance but we get none of the mafia story/plot.

Aida is a bad ass, take no shit, smart and strong fmc. Callum 🥵🥵. Protective AF.

Loved this and can't wait to continue the series. Thank you netgalley and Sophie Lark for this advance copy all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was really excited for this book because of all the great reviews I’ve seen… but it fell short for me. Firstly, as a reader, we never actually saw the development of the relationship. We saw the hatred and the attempted murder when then suddenly they save each other and now they’re in love?? There was hardly any wholesome moments between the couple so it’s a bit jarring when suddenly they love each other. Both characters made me mad and I feel that they were lacking depth. Also any time Cal mentioned that he kíłłed people, I was just confused. They live in Chicago, he’s rich and running for alderman and then suddenly he’s a “gangster” too? It felt more like a Wattpad book than I would have liked. All in all, I was a bit disappointed.

I don’t like mafia tropes
I find this trope offending and shallow my opinion
Said so tho was a nice captivating read with smut and nice banter
Enjoyed this
Thanks net galley for the Arsc
Ps this is an arranged marriage I could not resist

I'll be honest, I'm new to the world of dark romance, but I still feel like this is pretty light in comparison to what's out there. Callum and Aida are the true definition of enemies to lovers, seeing as they're actively trying to kill each other throughout the first half of the book. Sadly, I didn't find the progression to lovers to be very convincing. With how much they hated each other I think the book needed to spend more time in that transition phase. I spent much of the book just feeling "meh" about the characters and the storyline because it just seemed like something was missing.

Aida's fiery, rebellious attitude compared to Callum's icy, structured one was so fun, and one of the biggest redeeming factors about the book. The spice is frequent and detailed, but just like the rest of the book, sometimes it just felt like something was missing. There are also illustrated photos throughout the book, which at first was fun and exciting, but eventually it felt like it took away from my enjoyment of the story. The characters didn't match what I pictured in my head even a little bit and it really threw me off.

I think this was a fun read, and the plot and characters have a lot of potential. Unfortunately I think it suffers from mostly "telling" rather than "showing" and the character development falls short because of it. Not sure if I'll carry on with the series.

Brutal Prince was originally self-published, and was recently picked up by @read_bloom and republished on 7/25/23. Thank you to the publisher for my advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Super quick read. Had just enough spice. Definitely think I’ll pick up the sequels.

I did think it felt a little rushed especially Callum and Aida’s relationship and I wish it was drawn out just a little bit more.

This was my first Sophie Lark book, but I do have her other books downloaded and ready to be read. I felt like I was in the world of Brutal Birthright and I was ready to fight for both families. I loved the banter between Callum and Aida, and I loved that it didn't end when they fell in love. I love when writers keep the banter even when the MCs fall in love and Lark did it perfectly. Plus I loved how they both challenged each other and grew together. I will be picking up the next book ASAP.

thank you, NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 3.5/5

Honestly, this book is pure chaos in the best way. Is this my new favorite series? Probably not but the pure ride of this read kept me so entertained.

Aida is a firecracker, my god the strawberries! I enjoyed the ride of those two finding their way. I’m a big fan of an arranged marriage/marriage of convenience and I love the add of enemies to lovers. I would say this is dark romance light.

This one was ok. It's the first book I've read by Sophie Lark but I would be interested in trying something she has done. This one a little on the slow side and felt very indie. Even though it's from bloom books. Which wasn't bad per se. I think that the story and characters needed a little more work as there were parts where their relationships felt forced and not fluid. And the story felt kind of slow and the writing didn't feel like other books I've read that this type. Overall I did enjoy it for the most part and would recommend this to others if I think they would enjoy it.

Thank-you to Net Galley, Bloom Books, and author Sophie Lark for an ARC of this book. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish the ARC before it released. However, I purchased a copy and read the book!
I loved this book! First, make sure you check any triggers before you read this book.
What did I love the most about this book: was the way Sophie Lark wrote their characters. The characters were bigger than life but yet down to earth and I felt they were truly equals. The chemistry was hot between the two.
The story opens with Aida and Callum. Aida sets Cal's family's library on fire and Cal gets revenge. From there, a wedding is arranged and both are tested at the beginning of the marriage.
Towards the middle and end of the book-you can see that they balance each other out.
I highly recommend this book!

I really enjoyed my first Sophie Lark book! I do wish that we could’ve gotten more on page development in terms of Aida and Callum falling for each other, because to me it felt like they fell in love a bit abruptly. Overall though, this was a really fun enemies to lovers arranged marriage, especially during the first half. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

**thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**