Completely loved it from start to finish! It had me entertained through out the book.... I didn't want to to put it down...

Contemporary romance is always a hit or miss with me. It’s hard finding one that I really like and that keeps me reading. Sadly this wasn’t one of them.

**3.5 Stars**

Dangerous Innocence is the first book in the Five-Leaf Clover series and is an arranged marriage mafia romance of sorts. After Aislinn's sister leaves Ireland and moves to New York to follow her dreams of becoming a model and Aislinn doesn't hear from her again, she finds herself following after her in an attempt to figure out what happened to her. When she finds herself in her trouble and needing information about her sister, she ends up in an arranged marriage to Lorcan, the head of the Irish mob in New York.

Lorcan is an interesting character because for all of his tough exterior and for the tough role he plays as a mob boss, he held very traditional beliefs when it came to relationships and marriage and he genuinely wanted his marriage to work, and he had a soft spot for Aislinn which was clear very early on. He was also a really good role model for Finn and I enjoyed their interactions. I think Lorcan's character was a highlight of the story for me. Aislinn, on the other hand. I loved how much she valued family, but in some regards it was to her detriment, particularly with regard to her sister. Over time, her unwavering devotion and naivety with regard to her sister became redundant and just too much.

The story was interesting and I was invested in what was going to happen, but I wish more of the focus was solely on Lorcan and Aislinn and the evolution of their relationship and less on Aislinn's sister's whereabouts, though I do know this was setting up the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was an intriguing read and I actually really enjoyed it! From the start I knew it was going to be interesting and it was. It’s a good start to the series and you really get to know these characters and what they’re like. Aislinn is such a great character to me and reading her povs were intriguing. I like her personality and how she always wants to protect the ones she loves and are closest to her. A character like her being with a character like Lorcan makes everything so interesting to read because they’re both completely different and yet they fit right. They make reading their moments exciting and the chemistry they have is insane. I honestly cannot wait for what’s to come!

It was a nice surprise, usually Cora is not my kind of read, but she is got me from the first chapter to the end. It was a great and i recommend it for those who like mafia romance centered books.

Dangerous Innocence was an ok read for me. It had the potential to be good but the inconsistencies, the heroine's decisions among other things hindered that and took away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

This was such a strong mafia romance. This is the first book in the new Five-Leaf Clover series and introduces us to a new world. Aislinn has gone to the US to look for her missing sister. What she finds is an unexpected love and found family that she never anticipated.

Lorcan is a great anti-hero. He's definitely a bad guy - - he's a mafiosa who kills people with no second thought but where Aislinn is concerned, he has no way to avoid caring about her. It just is what it is. Where Aislinn is concerned, he is anything but a bad guy. He'd burn the world down to be sure he's happy.

The story has some minor Romeo and Juliette vibes as their families have some bad blood due to something that Aislinn's mother did years before. So, that initially complicates their relationship some because it's difficult to find trust initially. Eventually their feelings take over and override everything else.

I really enjoyed this one and look forward to the future books centered in this world and series. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

*Arc in exchange of an honest review*

POV:Dual
Aislinn & Lorcan

Tropes
Arranged marriage
Age-gap

This book is the first in Cora Reillys new Irish Mafia series, the Five Leaf Clover. It revolves around the life of Aislinn who lives with her mother and elder sister Imogen and her nephew Finn in Dublin Ireland. Once her sister goes missing after her trip to New York Aislinn takes it upon herself to leave Ireland in search for her sister and begins a new journey in New York.

Although despite her mothers constant warnings she finds shelter with her uncle, a priest in the biggest Irish-catholic parish in the city-and confessor for the Irish mob.

Her quest for her missing sister not inly leads her straight into the arms of the cold ruthless and morally grey Lorcan Davaney, the head of the Irish Mob in Mew York. When secrets from her family's past are revealed, she finds herself agreeing to an arranged marriage to the man who might be responsible for her sister's disappearance.

Will she find her sister and escape the unwanted marriage, or will she be the second Killeen to disappear?

I will have to say this again no one quite writes a mafia novel like Cora Reilly. Her mafia world and characters always have a sense of mystery and intrigue to them that one just cannot simply get enough of. With her new mafia series she has entered a new universe of the Irish. With this book we are introduced to several new characters and the mechanics of this new mafia world there are references and hints of the irish culture and the book takes place in both ireland and new york although it being based more in the latter.

As someone who is quite familiar with Cora Reillys writing style and her characters this book felt different it was a fresh take on characters and writing. Aislinn was different from other fmcs in the past despite being a teenager she was mature and a responsible individual who was a mother hen of sorts which made the age gap in the book unnoticeable. While Lorcan Davaney was complex and intriguing and despite everything was a man true to his word and his relationship with Finn was a joy to read. I would love to learn more about his brothers and the Davaney Clan in general as even though they made brief appearances the books was more focused on the search for Imogen and the Killeens. This book was filled with romance and tension between the two mcs and the push and pull relationship between the two.

I would rate this a solid 4.5 stars as although i really enjoyed it and it was a terrific beginning to the new Irish Mafia series the ending seemed a but rushed and it was inconclusive. However, I look forward to and I am excited to read the next book in the series and after knowing whose book will be next I am positive my questions will be answered and we will see more of Aislinn and Lorcan

*Arc in exchange of an honest review*

Aptly named - young, naive, and rather clueless Irish lass ventures into New York City to find her sister, who willingly left to do whatever she had to do to be a model. Our heroine doesn't listen and has more heart than brains - makes some huge errors of judgement and ends up in one serious situation after another, and married to the head of the Irish mob in NY. I wanted to slap her silly - but was an entertaining read, maybe because of that. Some fun heat in the romance.

This 5 star mafia was an entertaining and highly addicting story.

Aislinn leaves Dublin to go find her missing sister in New York. When she gets there she finds herself in a bit of trouble. Lorcan, an Irish Mob can’t help himself, helps her. But he expects something from her.

This was a great story that had me hooked from the blurb to the very last page. An highly entertaining and captivating story about family loyalty. The plot was perfectly executed. Bottomline this is a must read.

Standalone for now. Told in a dual POV with an HEA. I strongly recommend this story.

These two had me feeling for them right from the start! That is why when they did things they shouldn’t, I cringed. When they rocked the chemistry between them, I squirmed. When they fell apart, I cried. I also rooted for them from the start because you just felt that there was so much below the surface, they needed each other and what the other brought to their life, they just didn’t know it yet. They didn’t make things easy, or safe, or according to any plans, but they made it work for what they needed in their lives, and I loved that for them <3

Dangerous Innocence by Cora Reilly is the First book in the Five-Leaf Clover Series. This is the story of Aislinn Killeen and Lorcan Devaney. Aislinn lives in Dublin but when she finds out that her sister has disappeared in New York she leaves to find her. Aislinn goes to her uncle who is a Priest in the city but also a confessor for the Irish mob. When she starts looking into what happened to her sister it leads her to Lorcan who is the head of the Irish mob. Lorcan is usually a hard man and is very protective of his family but there is something bout Aislinn that draws him to her. Enjoyed this book and I hope to read more from Ms. Reilly.

This is a great kick off to a new series and I'm excited to see where it goes from here! Lorcan and Aislinn have amazing chemistry and are strong characters throughout the story. We are introduced to this new Irish mafia world and while it ends on a soft cliffhanger (HFN) I'm hopeful that we get to see more into their future throughout the series.

5/5 ⭐
4/5 🌶️

This was my first experience reading Cora Reilly and it certainly won't be my last. The beginning felt a little staccato to me... but not long in the main characters met and Cora really seemed to find her groove and it began to flow really well. I laughed out loud, I cringed, I gasped, I did all the things I expect from a dark mafia romance, I absolutely loved this story.

This wasn't your traditional "arranged" marriage story, it was more like a forced marriage and Aislinn takes Lorcan's blackmail deal in order to help find her sister. Lorcan is instantly obsessed with her and I flipping loved his vibe. He's one of those guys that's never let anyone in and tries not to fall for the FMC but he falls and he falls hard. Aislinn is really tough and I loved her attitude, she didn't always make the best decisions, but I could always see why she made them. She was always putting her family first at the expense of herself.

The spice was really good. Lorcan is a Dom through and through and Aislinn loves the praise he dotes on her. She has a bit of a pain thing, and while it's not truly explored, I loved those moments we got. There's a particular scene with some, let's say, non traditional bondage going on and it's flip freaking delicious. I really enjoyed their chemistry and antics this whole book.

I loved Finn and how Lorcan went about their relationship. It was so cute and sweet and *teary eyed happy face*

I am really excited for the next story and sad we have to wait until 2024 for it. While this book wrapped up Lorcan and Aislinn's story, we have some things that were definitely cliffhanger-esque and I can't wait to find out how those storylines play out.

I have only read two standalones from Cora Reilly, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this book. I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Dangerous Innocence. It was fast paced and kept my attention. The romance was sexy and just what I needed.

Great new start to a series! I cannot wait for this series to unfold. Lorcan and Aislinn have some serious chemistry throughout this book. I love the back and forth between these characters fighting their feelings. Such a great read!!