"Stolen Heir" by Sophie Lark was great! We were first introduced to Nessa in "Brutal Prince" but she was introduced to us as a somewhat flighty mafia princess who don't have much to do with the daily dealings of her family's "business". In this book, Mikolaj is out for blood. His father figure was taken from him by the Griffins and the Gallos and he will see his revenge. He decides to take the youngest Griffin as his prisoner, fully intending to use her and then dispose of her, knowing she could act as a lynchpin to destroy her family. The more he gets to know her, however, the more he realizes that he forgot to protect himself from her charm and beauty. She is fragile, yes, but also smart and kind. Nessa is drawn to him right away and they fall toward an inevitable crash into love with one another.

The stakes were high, the sexual tension was higher. I enjoyed this as much as the first book, if not more. I can't wait to read the next one!

This absolutely such a good read! The characters are just so uwu <3

The pace of the book was very fast which has made me feel intrigued and excited to know more on what happens in the story. Initially I thought I would not like the main characters by reading the prompt of the book but I was very wrong! I have grown attached to them and in a good way. Literal heart eyes for both Miko and Nessa because they are just cute together <3 <3

Miko, fueled by vengeance after his father's murder, kidnaps Nessa, an innocent ballerina. Despite his plans for revenge, his growing hunger for Nessa complicates matters, as they develop a connection that shouldn’t have happened.

.Enemies to lovers
.Virgin FMC
.Beauty and the Beast retelling
.Mafia romance
.Age gap
.Touch her and die
.Forced proximity
.Captive

This book delivers on its promise, it's a quick, spicy mafia romance starring an innocent female lead, Nessa, and a tough mafia boss, Miko, who melts only for her. Unlike typical mafia romances, Nessa's innocence doesn't translate to naivety; she's clever and self-preserving. Miko defies stereotypes; he's reserved but cutthroat when necessary, but can be soft at times, adding depth to his character.

The story heavily borrows from "Beauty and the Beast," with a touch of Cinderella for side characters. Surprisingly, the relationship feels healthy for a mafia romance. I’m not a fan of the virgin trope, but I did appreciate the avoidance of fetishization, treating it like an ordinary thing.

While the book was good, it didn't stand out. It delivered what it promised without venturing into extraordinary territory.

(This review will be posted on instagram @beco_books)

I read book one for this series a while back and enjoyed it well enough. It's by no means the best romance or mafia romance I have ever read, but it's definitely doing a solid job of fulfilling my need for mafia romance in general.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This book, which tells the story of Beauty and the Beast in a dark, gothic way with a mafia twist, captured my attention. In the book, Miko, the boss of a competing Polish gang, kidnaps Nessa, the daughter of an Irish mob boss. Miko has Nessa under his control in his eerie home, where he intends to use her as a pawn in a deal to exact revenge on her family. He soon develops an obsession with her grace and innocence, though, and discovers that he is attracted to her in unexpected ways.

The author does a great job of creating a captivating and immersive story, with a unique and original magic system. The world-building is rich and detailed, with different realms, races, and cultures. The plot is full of action, suspense, mystery, and twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. The romance is intense and steamy, with a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers dynamic that is both frustrating and satisfying.

However, I also felt that the book was a bit too dark and violent at times (though that me just be for me). I also thought that the book ended on a cliffhanger that left me wanting more, but also annoyed and anxious (given this book is part pf a series). I wished that the author had given more closure or resolution to some of the conflicts or questions especially when it comes to these two main characters.

Overall, this was a thrilling and addictive read, with a strong heroine, a brooding hero, and a dark fantasy adventure. I would recommend it to fans of dark romance who are looking for a gritty and edgy story.

What a quick, wild, mob ride! I went in without knowing anything about the plot, other than that it was book 2 in a series. The drama begins immediately and basically continues throughout. At first, I wasn't sure how I was going to grow to like Miko, but we got there. The Beaty and the Beast vibes were a bit strong at times, but that's fine. As always, the artwork adds so much!

Posted review to goodreads on 10/5.

I wish this book held the same emotional energy as the first one in the series. I was completely sucked in and in love with Adia and Callum and I throughly enjoyed their romance. Unfortunately Nessas relationship couldn’t really compare.

I wanted to really be invested in this series because I’ve heard so much about it. However, I couldn’t buy the relationship between our two main characters. I wanted to see more of them actually starting to care for one another, this felt like there was sexual tension then huge professions of love but I missed all the small character moments that make the big ones so worth the effort.

I’m still going to keep reading this series because I am curious who the next books will be about and how the rest of this story will unwind. There’s a lot that could be done with these characters and I would like to follow through with it even though this wasn’t my favorite installment for the series so far.

Stolen Heir is the story about a man who falls in love hard with a sweet, young and innocent thing. While the chemistry between the two was great, that was about the only perk to the whole book. It was heavily predictable also taking around half of the book to actually draw you in, then the end was kind of skimmable. I love the idea of Beauty and the Beast themes, but the references to it did overtake a lot of the enjoyment. I'd recommend this one for anyone who is ready to take the leap into mafia romance and kidnapping stories.

Beauty and the beast retelling but make it fast paced mafia and written by sophie lark.
you cannot go wrong at all!

I love Miko and Nessa’s story!

stolen heir was one of those books that’s hard to put down. this mafia romance was fast paced and full of surprises. i loved the beauty and the beast retelling in the mafia world with the grumpy sunshine, opposites attract tropes. nessa finds herself kidnapped by miko, the polish mafia boss, as part of his revenge on the griffin’s for their transgressions.

the first chapter give us a backstory into miko’s childhood and it broke my heart. miko wasn’t a character i found likable right away, but the more i got to know him, i grew to love the soft side he shows nessa. nessa radiates kindness and goodness. she is the light to miko’s darkness, slowly breaking down his walls, making him feel things he hasn’t for a long time after losing the person that meant the world to him. by showing miko the beauty of life and love, it woke something deep inside of him and brought him back to life.

the slow burn and tension were delicious. seeing their love go from a twisted enemies to lovers relationship and something so passionate was beautiful. i also loved getting to know more about the other mafia family members and their family dynamics!

I loved this book, and this series, and I’m so glad it was picked up by Bloom!
This is Nessa and Miko’s story. Nessa is kidnapped by Miko because he wants revenge on her family. He threatens her but never ends up touching her or her family. The way he falls for her was super sweet, and I loved watching Nessa’s growth in this. I also really enjoyed the action, and the fact that there was no third act breakup. Can’t wait to continue the series!

WHAT A BEGINNING TO A BOOK!

I started this book ready for the spice and the inspiration from Beauty & the Beast (mafia style), but DAMN, I was not prepared to CRY MY EYES OUT in 1 chapter for a character that we just met!
I have heard nothing but incredible things about Sophie Lark online & those I follow, and I have to be honest, that chapter proved once again how much the praise is well deserved!

I ate this book up and was amazed by how I loved the characters and their story. Listen, I wouldn't want this in real life, but Miko had me FLUTTERED the whole book (red coloured glasses, baby). The gentleness that Nessa offered him and allowed him to feel & live beyond the mafia while also helping him move past his tragic beginnings was touching. All the while, Miko helped Nessa grow and stand on her own slowly (as that was realistic) is what made their development worth rooting for.

LOVING THE TWO FAMILIES REALLY COMING TOGETHER IN THE BACKGROUND!

I was not expecting just how much I would love this book.. the storyline which was essentially Beauty and the Beast, the characters, the gothic-ness of it.. I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved and plainly adored this book.

I so cannot wait to continue with the rest of this series!

The characters were a bit hard to connect to emotionally. I like the overall story and everything, just the character attachment wasn't too good.

Yes, this is another mafia romance amongst a sea of many. No, you should not skip out on this read! This book maintains it's freshness by giving one of it's main characters a different background then we tend to see within this trope. Nessa and Miko might not seem made for each other in the beginning but it is easy to see the balance they create within each other.

Stolen Heir was a fascinating combination of sweetness and angst. Beauty and the Beast meets mafia.

Some naive characters annoy me if they aren't written well. Nessa certainly wasn't one of them; I loved her kindness and her passion about dancing. Although sometimes I wish she fought a little more, her personality makes sense given her upbringing.

And I enjoyed Miko's dark and moody vibes. I love dual POV so much! This book had a slower romance so finally seeing their mutual feelings for each other made it so satisfying.

The characters, their development and the action-driven plot (in the second half) made this so enjoyable. It was certainly calmer than the first book because of the main leads' dynamic, but I definitely prefer this one. I adored this book and would highly recommend it!

Thank you Sophie Lark, Netgalley and Bloom for providing an ARC.

“I see her, and she sees me. I was death, and she was life. I thought I’d had stolen her, brought her down to the underworld. All the while she was waking me up. Stirring the blood in my veins. Breathing air into my lungs.”

This second installment in the the Brutal Birthright veers in to even darker territory than the previous installment. Part Beauty & the Beast retelling, part captor/captive romance, this book delivers on angst, pining, tenion, and heart-pounding suspense.

Nessa is the innocent ballerina youngest daughter of the Irish mafia family, whereas Mikolaj is the new head of the Polish mob. He kidnaps her for revenge. However, he soon begins to soften towards Nessa. I loved the progression of their dark and twisted romance, and how Nessa was the only person that was able to thaw Miko's icy exterior.

“I stole you, Nessa. And you stole my heart.”

Like my mother always told me growing up "you will eat your words one day". So when I found out this was a kidnapping trope set in a romance book in a mafia world, I wasn't really intrigued into the story because the kidnapping has been done countless times before. But here I am eating my words, because I have no words, this book was amazing and I loved spending every single second in Nessa's abd Miko's world. The only downside to the story was that the book wasn't longer because I wanted to read more. I personally felt like the book went too quick and those huge conflicts in the book were not as big as they should've felt. I also would've liked for a little more character development for Miko as his feeling change too abruptly for me. He goes from hating her, to liking her, to she is his sun, moon, and stars, all within 430 pages. I wish the book was a bit longer to see the fuller character development into Miko and slip into his love and emotions like taking a step into a pool, not jumping into the freezing cold ocean. But I will say once he is in love, it's the all consuming love we can't help but want more of.

“I’m watching her with awe. The way a hunter would watch a doe that walks into a clearing. Nessa is the doe. She is lovely. Innocent. Perfectly at place in her natural environment.
I’ll send my arrow straight into her heart.
That’s my right, as the hunter.”

I felt extremely kindred to Nessa because of her sweet and innocent soul. She truly was perfect for Miko. What was even better was watching a naive and innocent girl grow beautifully into her own skin and speak up for herself. Can we talk about girl power?!?! I live for that energy so this was really refreshing to read.

I do feel like this book was slower due to the "hostage" situation, but personally I don't mind a slow-burn. It was exhilarating, especially when Miko united with the Italian and Irish, I felt adrenaline running through my veins!! And don't even get me started on Miko's "I will kill ANYONE who even looks at my woman wrong". I live for men who will burn down the world just for her.

This is one of my favorite reads this year and I cannot wait for more!!

My favorite quote by far is “Love is the one thing you can’t steal. You can’t create it, either. It either exists or it doesn’t. And if it exists, you can’t take it by force.” Swooning.

Five out of five stars!!

Thank you to Sophie Lark, Netgalley, and Sourcebooks for giving me an ARC in exchange for my opinions and honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions are my own and do not reflect those of an employer, employee, or any third party.

“I brought Nessa back to your house. All I’m asking is for your permission to continue seeing her. I want to marry her.” 🩰❄️💍🔒

this book was good however i think it was a pretty basic read like nothing wrong with a good old basic age gap stockholm syndrome read

i liked the character hess’s was adorable but also hot she isn’t clingy or anything like that i can’t really say i relate to her but i like the idea of her character as for miko his past literally killed me like omg but he’s hot the fact that he waited for her parents approve because he knew they meant a lot to her and even bringing her back to her parents all of it <3

definitely recommend all of Sophie larks books are so enjoyable and quick easy reads but there also meaning behind them and the art omfggg the art chefs kiss

thank you netgalley

“What if you stayed here?” His ice-blue eyes cut into mine. “With me.”