The rivalry between the Griffins and the Gallows is legendary, they’ve been battling for control of Chicago’s underworld for generations. The rivalry is put to the test when Aida, the wildest Gallo is set up with Callum Griffin the heir to the Irish mafia over a misunderstanding.

Callum is all about taming his wild and headstrong bride, but Aida is going to put up a fight. In their struggle for dominance who will win?

My friend @j.j.smeck lives and breathes Sophia Lark and is always raving about her books. So, when I saw that she and some of my other friends devoured Brutal Prince not long ago I told myself that if I could get my hands on it, I would read it. Lucky for me it is being rereleased under the Sourcebooks Bloom publishing house and I was able to grab a copy on @netgalley.

Oh boy I was not prepared for how much I would love this book. I had an idea, but my socks were still blown off. It was so hot! Hot with a capital H. I devoured this book in one setting. I am not always a fan of enemies to lovers, it must be done right for me, oh and this one was. It was perfect. The tension was so real and vibrant and just jumped off the page. The sparks between Callum and Aida could set a forest on fire, and when they came together, oh boy watch out. I loved this entire book until the epilogue. There is a bonus epilogue with this release, though I would have preferred the original ending.

I can’t wait to read more by Sophie Lark and will continue to look to @j.j.smeck for spicy recs.

Thank you so much to the publisher Sourcebooks Bloom Books, @read_bloom and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Great book to kick off a series, devoured it in one sitting! Enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine (kinda), badass heroine! Plus to top it off the spice phenomenal. Can't wait to continue with the rest of the series and hopefully catch back up with Callum and Aida. Also lovely to read a mafia book where the main characters actually have good relationship with their family members, and the fathers aren't total abusive pieces of shit.

I absolutely love Sophie lark and her books and writing style . It never fails every time I read something of hers . This is definitely one of my top books of 2023 !!

3.5⭐️ 3🌶️
- MF
- Enemies to Lovers
- Arranged Marriage
- Mafia
- Hate Sex

When I think of baddies in mafia romance I think of Aida Gallo. Strawberries always make me think of her and I can’t help but smile.

Aida and Callum grew up in rival families with years of bad blood between them. After crashing a party ends up with a minor house fire and confrontation , the patriarchs of the family have had enough and arrange for Aida and Callum to be married. To say that water and oil get along better would not be an exaggeration. Although their animosity does lead to some pretty scorching spice. But when faced with a common enemy they find they can work well together and might actually care for each other.

I loved the chemistry between the two of them and the banter back and forth. Neither of them wanted to back down and I loved it.

What I didn’t love was that in the beginning of the book there was a lot of bigotry. I feel like maybe Sophie was trying to emphasize conflict that has been going on for generations, but it still made me a bit uncomfortable.

Aida Gallo is the only girl in a family of boys. Her mother passed away years ago so it’s just been her dad, brothers and herself. They are part of a prominent Italian mafia. Aida, a college student is smart, passionate, protective of the ones she loves, and is very vocal.
Callum Griffin is the heir to the Irish Mafia in Chicago and an up and coming politician. Callum is arrogant, violent, and very dominating.
Aida and her brothers crash a party by the Griffins stealing a pocket watch and starting a small fire to the library. This almost starts a war between the families. Callum and his body guard attacks her brother Sebastian stomping on his knee and put him into the hospital ruining his chance at a scholarship.
There is a Polish Mob trying to take whatever they can, because of this their fathers force Aida and Callum into an arranged marriage as punishment and to bring the families together. The sparks fly immediately, I mean that scene where he punishes her after she feeds him strawberries not knowing how deathly allergic he is to them is crazy. I love how we get to watch their relationship slowly grow from hate to lust to love.
Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. I cannot wait to read many more books by her.

Both the hero and the heroine are from mafia families. Residing in the same city, both mafia families are pitted against each other for the control of the city's underworld. In the current generation, the rivalry arises to great heights when the heroine accidentally set fire to the library of the hero's family to escape after crashing a party with her siblings. There was retaliation and the war between the families would escalate if dire actions weren't taken. To stave off the situation, the hero and the heroine entered a marriage-of-convenience. Thus begins the romance between the hero and the heroine amidst the mafia world.

This is the first book in the BRUTAL BIRTHRIGHT series by Sophie Lark. It features the enemies-to-lovers romance between an older hero and a younger heroine in the dark world of the mafia underworld. This book is a good beginning to the series, though in my eyes it needed a bit more details to the story. I enjoyed the beautiful extras of the book, including the cover that has significance to the main characters. The book also has a good variety of interesting secondary characters, some of which will have future books in the series. Overall, an enjoyable beginning to this Sophie Lark series and I look forward to reading more books in the future from the author.

** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. **

This was a steamy enemies to lovers, arranged marriage Mafia romance between two rival families in Chicago. My first ever Mafia romance and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. The steam and tension between the two main characters was excellent plus the added layer of suspense kept things interesting right to the end.

Recommended for fans of authors like Ana Huang and good on audio. Many thanks to Bloom Books for sending me a complimentary finished copy of the new reprint edition in exchange for my honest review! I'm definitely keen to see where the series goes next.

Okay I get it now. I get what all the hype is about when it comes to Sophie Lark’s books! Finished Brutal Prince last night &.. I am so freaking IN LOVE. Aida was the brave and badass woman I’d love to be & Callum was the broodiest of alpha-holes that I’ve had the pleasure of reading about in ages.

You guys have no idea how much I’m containing myself from going to Amazon and one-clicking the rest of this series right this very second. Mafia romances are one of my favorite storylines and Sophie Lark delivered and then some!

I already know this series is going to be one of my favorites! Thanks so much to Bloom for sending me an e-galley of this book!

Sophie Lark left something to be desired. My first issue was when she just used “Black” to describe a POC. There are a variety of words that could paint a beautiful picture, or additional words that describe the facial features or hair. All the description gave was “Black” and the women was in her seventies with cropped grey hair and a description of her clothes. Just saying someone is Black feels too one demential and just like you’re ticking a box off for including POC.

Another thing that irked me was in the beginning Callum mentions multiple times that he’s going to slap (or devolved some kind of physical harm) to Aida as punishment. Seeing as we’re supposed to sympathize with Callum having to be forced to marry Aida we should want to like him. Him talking about wanting to abuse Aida left an awful taste in my mouth. He also says he wants to make her pregnant as a form of punishment. That’s disgusting. That poor child.

Aida is privy to the information that Callum is allergic to strawberries. Having read that fact and knowing that strawberries are on the cover I quickly came to the conclusion that Aida was going to try and cause him an allergic reaction and I was not surprised when it happened. But allergies are not something to play with. People can die. Quite easily. All of the time. That’s first degree murder. Though Aida had a conversation with Imogen after about it Aida doesn’t seem to have much issue with the fact that she nearly murdered someone. I hope no one reads this book thinks it’s OK to do this to someone.

The character development was lacking and the spice fell flat. At what point did we discover they had actual feelings for each other and weren’t such scratching an itch? I couldn’t tell you. Aida’s brothers went from hating Callum one minute to being partners in crime without an reason. Callum busted up Sebastian pretty good and ruined his scholarship yet they were so quick to forgive him. Nothing felt developed and events happened to progress the story but not the characters.

The only thing that kept me intrigued was the pictures. Whoever decided after middle school books weren’t to have pictures made a grave mistake. I would have loved to see more and I was always pleasantly surprised when I came across them.

Overall I can’t in good faith recommend this book. I’ve read other mafia/crime romances and none have felt this forced. Some attention to character development and continuity is needed to strengthen this book.

When I saw the blurb I thought this would be perfect for me. Enemies to Lovers trope with Mafia count me in! I was however left a little disappointed.

The writing style was more like a teenage book (think 14-17) but then you have spicy scenes that really didn’t fit with how the rest of the book was written.

Then you have the main characters. I just could not warm up to Aida. She’s impulsive and childish to the point she could have got several people unalived just because she was acting like a child.

Callum also acts like a brat even though he’s supposed to be 30.

I did love the actual plot though I just feel the execution could have been a bit better.

The pictures were a nice touch!

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC.

When Aida Gallo and her brothers crashed the party of a rich socialite, she never expected what happened next to alter the course of her life. Callum Griffin, heir to Chicago's Irish mafia and up-and-coming politician, first meets Aida when she sets fire to his family home and throws a priceless family heirloom into Lake Michigan. All he wants is revenge, but the next thing he knows he's being forced into an arranged marriage with the unpredictable menace. They're like oil and water, yet explosive in the bedroom. Can this marriage truly last or will the til death do us part come true?
I loved reading all the ways these two tortured each other at the beginning. It was hilarious not knowing what they'd do next. And the spice...whew, it about set my Kindle on fire, lol! It was great seeing how Aida's fiery temper set off cold and unemotional Callum. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a beautiful story. This is my first book from this author and it was amazing. Loved the elements of the mafia with a love story.

This was my first Sophie Lark book, and I am most definitely a fan! I’ve already continued reading the series and I can’t wait to read more! I read this so fast, I couldn’t put it down! I really enjoy Sophie Lark’s writing style and the drawings are 🥵 It’s spice heavy, but with a really good plot. I absolutely loved Aida’s character. She’s so feisty and stubborn. She actually had me laughing out loud multiple times. And watching Callum’s icy heart thaw for Aida 🫠 This book was ✨true✨ enemies to lovers. They absolutely hated each other. I’m talking legit tried to unalive each other. 🔥

🍓𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤:
Mafia Romance
Arranged Marriage
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Age Gap (small)

I think this book definitely has space to grow and be better. It's for sure a mafia romance, and was definitely spicy, but some of the deeper details and character building were definitely lacking in some areas. Because of this at moments the story line felt slightly rushed, but if given the opportunity I would read more of this series. The characters were spunky, and likeable enough that I would enjoy reading the stories of the other siblings! I also liked that there were pictures here and there throughout the book which isn't something that you often get in adult books.

This one just didn't do it for me...

This was my first attempt at Sophie Lark and I could not get into this book. I was so intrigued by the premise and Callums story, but it just felt flat for me.

I did appreciate that they were TRUE enemies, and not secretly pining for each other throughout the process.

This book was fire! Callum and Aida are forced to be wed after their parents strike up a deal.

Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, arranged marriage, opposites attract, mafia. Some of my fav tropes!

Callum and Aida’s chemistry was off the charts. This was a true enemies to lovers as well since they very much despised one another. Aida was a great main character. I love my FMCs to be a lil rebellious because it is my FAVORITE thing when the MMC is very much “everything needs to be in order” and the FMC just throws all of that out the window. I loved how broody and overprotective Callum was. This book had a lot of twists and turns.

I can’t wait to read more of this series! This is book one in the Brutal Birthright series. Also, can I just say: I love this cover. Iykyk.

This author and this series have been on my TBR for as long as I can remember. I do not really read mafia romance as much as I should, but after reading Brutal Prince I need to clear out a week of my life to binge the rest of the series. This is the perfect mafia book, with two warring families and a deliciously hot arranged marriage.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
Characters: I love the spitfire that is Aida Gallo! She is mischievous, passionate, and loyal. I love the way she pushed all the men in her life from all her brothers to her new husband. He is Callum and he is an interesting character. He has many of the traits classically associated with a mafia hero: arrogant, dominant, and violent – but he’s also bookish. The beauty of a mafia romance about two warring families is that we had so many great side characters. Aida’s brothers are doubt horrible human beings but I cannot wait to get in their heads in subsequent books.
Setting: I love the Chicago setting and the dynamics of different mafia groups all vying for dominance. Italians, Irish, Polish, and Russian gangs all in one book! I love the dynamics of these huge families making deals especially some marriage pacts like in this story.
Pacing: I read the first half in a blink of an eye. Sophie did such a good job in setting up not just Aida and Callum in the early chapters but all of her main leads for the story. I was intrigued right away by the naive Nessa and was delighted to see that the next book is hers.
Romance: Damn Aida and Callum are hot, literal sparks fly from the first time they were in a scene together. Their first sex scene may be one of the hottest shower sex scenes I have ever read. I found myself getting emotionally invested very quickly and couldn’t help but root for them as they became more emotionally invested in one another.

Brutal Prince is about two people that have grown up in different parts of the Chicago underworld. Callum is part of the Irish mafia, but his family straddles the line of being respectable. He is running for Alderman because he has political ambitions. He is not interested in settling down right now. Aida is a wild child who lives by the seat of her pants. As the only daughter of an Italian mafia family, she has been brought up a little rough and tumble but that's just made her strong and smart. When their worlds collide, they hate each other. When they are forced to marry each other, they have no choice but to look beyond their hatred and find a way to live together. Could that hate become love?

The author does a really good job of creating the characters and their backstories. Callum starts out as a man with ice in his veins. He's so rigid and purpose driven. Watching as he slowly opens up and realizes that he has fallen in love with Aida was well done. I thought that Callum's tough guy elements were believable. Aida is a complex character with many layers. I enjoyed her relationship with her family and I am looking forward to finding out how they find their own love stories. I think the love story aspect was well done (yes, they fall in love fast but it worked in this story). There are all sorts of bad guys in this story. They were all good and fit the story well.

This is a contemporary mafia romance with a forced marriage. This story is set in Chicago. I will read more from this author in the future.

This book was AMAZING! This is my first Sophie Lark book and I am definitely a fan now. This is a mafia romance, which is also new for me. 5/5 for spice and 4/5 for storyline, so overall 5/5 for me.

trope: age gap, mafia romance, marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers

I love adding the little bolded blurb that's the smallest to the top of my mini-reviews and this is perfect. I just devoured this book! I didn’t know what to expect but a tomboy Italian mob daughter and the oldest son of the Irish elitist family going into politics are like oil and water. But the push and pull, and banter was everything, I didn’t know I needed today. He was definitely giving off “I don’t want her but talk about her and I will throw you off a balcony” vibes.
Ugh her ex is such a whiny b so hard to listen to that mess. She was kind of forced into an arranged marriage which turned out to work for them but this guy acted like he had a chance and would not stop getting in the way. Hate desperation. So many guys that could've been the bad guy at the end too. She makes enemies easily he needs to stay on his toes.
Um and their steamy scenes were so hot. Like fighting for dominance and such.

Thank you bloombooks for the e-ARC for the honest and voluntary review.