Overall, I thought the story was decent, it was quick, and I did enjoy it, but it isn't a book that is going to stick with me. Second chance romances can be hit or miss for me, but this one did keep my attention. I really enjoyed the overall chemistry between Dante and Simone and with the initial forbidden trope, it added to that level of intrigue. There was some dialogue that felt a little forced/ cringey, however I enjoyed the spice; it was well written.

The transition between past to present was a little clunky for me and the latter half of the book did fall a little flat. I get Simone did what she had to, but I would have enjoyed a little more plot development there. I would like to have seen her come into her own faster. for someone who didn't need her parents, 9 years of living a lie seems like a long time.

The ending also felt abrupt... Would have liked for there to be more development on the relationship front between Harry and Dante.

Ultimately, it was an enjoyable read, but not my favorite of the series.

I don't know what Sophie puts in these books but whatever it is I DEVOURED IT! I love me a second chance romance, so I had high hopes! Our main characters connection did feel a bit insta lovey, and certain parts were rushed. But I still enjoyed it and couldn't stop reading!
I also loved that we got to see the characters from previous books! Now bring on Riona's book! I can already tell I'm going to fall in love with the love interest 👀

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Bloody Heart is another fabulous read by Sophie Lark. I got some Romeo and Juliet vibes off this one - the insta love, angst and the forbidden vibes.

The rating (3.5) for this is all for Dante. I loved his broody nature, he can kidnap me any day. Simone, on the other hand, was a bit frustrating in the first half of the book. Like it was understandable, but I still was a bit miffed. But I was more annoyed at the families...

The chemistry between the two was amazing, I swear Sophie Lark makes it spicier every book! And as always, her writing style is captivating enough to keep me hooked from start to finish.

Tropes include: second chance, dual POV and pregnancy trope. I don't mind the pregnancy trope, but I know it can be a dealbreaker for some. Second chance romances are a hit and miss for me, this was definitely a hit . I loved it!

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

“𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥—𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥.”

The mafia romance Bloody Heart by Sophie Lark centers on the relationship between Simone Solomon, a single mother, and real estate developer Dante Gallo.

I read this immediately after finishing Savage Lover because I was obsessed with that book, but I was let down. The fact that it had the secret baby trope gave me even more optimism for this novel, yet it still fell short.

This book moved quickly in comparison to Savage Lover, which I enjoy occasionally, but in this case, it prevented their feelings for one another from feeling genuine.

Though, I hated every decision Simone made about Dante, including her move to London and her signing of her baby's birthright to her sister.

Also, there is a time jump immediately after Simone leaves Dante, and basically everything important happened in that span of time. I was mostly overwhelmed because I was just trying to keep up with everything.

Overall, I had incredibly high expectations for this, but in the end, I wasn't into it, even though the premise and tropes were entertaining!

*Thank you to NetGalley, Bloom Books, and to the author, Sophie Lark, for providing me with this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.*

I LOVED Dante and Simone. We finally get the backstory on Dante's one girlfriend that he never talked about in the previous books. It's a heart wrenching story of first love.

The love and passion that Dante and Simone felt for one another as young adults spanned over the years that they were apart. Neither could have ever loved another and both hurt even as time passed. Their reunion was unexpected and brutal for the both of them, but how could they have stayed away once their eyes found each other?

There are updates on other family members, both Gallo and Griffin, that both caused a bit of sadness and a burst of joy.

Bloody Heart by Sophie Lark is such a wonderful read. This is my second book from Sophie Lark and I know the story will be extraordinary.

This book have a high sexual tension, explicit hot spicy scenes, action packed, family conflict, suspense, angst, heart breaking moments and tears. This book have a storyline which is different from the other mafia book. It's got me hooked from chapter one. Don't forget, this book got graphics and Spotify playlist which will enhanced your imagination while reading.

I'll definitely be waiting for more books from Sophie Lark and I'm looking forward to read the next story.

Simone, leading a life of privilege and obedience, unexpectedly finds herself kidnapped by Dante, a car thief, while in route to a gala. Their connection deepens quickly, leaving them both puzzled by the magnetic pull between them. Aware that their different worlds won’t let them be together, their relationship is forcibly severed, and they each move on with their lives.

Fast forward nine years, and Dante is still haunted by thoughts of Simone. A chance encounter sparks the revival of their connection, but the weight of long-held secrets threatens to tear them apart once more.

“Bloody Heart” by Sophie Lark is a good Romeo and Juliet sort of story. The book is angsty packed with mafia, pregnancy, second chance romance, and insta-love tropes. I love the cover so much and was what attracted me to read it in the first place. I have not read any of her other works and I really didn’t need to for this book. 4 out of 5 stars. The only thing that held me back from giving it 5 stars is that I dislike pregnancy tropes.

LOOOOOOOOVED THIS ONE OH MY GOD you think you know where the plot is going but then it twists up on you OH MY GOD this was so good

If you like insta-love, a romeo/juliet type of love (minus the tragic ending, oops spoiler no tragic ending here), mafia romance, and pregnancy trope, this is the read for you.

Sophie writes really well. So while the first half of the book had me enthralled even though I didn't feel like Dante and Simone had a love built up on anything more than physical attraction, I was enjoying myself a lot. (My complaint during this part of the book is solely any relationship building was actually just mentioned but not detailed at all.)

It's the second half that lost me. I hated Simone having had a whole secret kid for 9 years. It's ok to her son or Dante...and any of the Gallo family. Regardless of their ties. Especially when this is a 2nd chance romance...or maybe third because the 2nd chance happened and then she spoiled it with the whole surprise I actually left because I was pregnant.

I also still didn't get how these two were only in love with each other for 9 years after they had what, 9 days together? They were like teenagers not adults falling and thinking like that. But that's just me. Maybe had I read their build up and not their horn dog thoughts 😂

Still I liked it enough that I do want to read the other books in the series.

3.75!

Honestly, I really enjoyed this one. Yes. It was frustrating but it was so goddamn enjoyable and ofcourse a love a book with good art and some of the art scenes did get a little 🌶️

Plot wise I think this book is pretty decent and excels. Hence, the rating. As a romance book this one had a good plot and a good execution...well there was one thing that I didn't like which influenced the book alot but I think it's surrounding the characters.

Before I dive into the characters I'd say the first half was so damn good and the Romance was so spicy like the spice was spicing. I ate it up.. even the second half was good I just felt some scenes a little underdeveloped especially how fast they got together after meeting 9 years later and her saying put a baby in me 😃 yeah no...

Dante. He was good. He is the reason this book was enjoyable. I liked his character, his broodiness but also him not letting his broodiness affect the vibe when he was with simone was good.

Simone. God! I liked her in the first half hated her in the second. Look I get it getting pregnant at a young age is very scary and she didn't know what to do and left at the heat of the moment and looking at Dante's state, following with the pressure her parents put understandably so. BUT SHE HAD NO RIGHT TO NOT TELL DANTE ABOUT HIS KID FOR 9 YEARS. NOT ONLY DID DANTE MISS HIS KIDS 9 YEARS BUT TJE KID LIVED FOR 9 YEARS WITHOUT KNOWING WHO HIS FATHER WAS...it could've been done right but that's the problem it wasn't and it felt unrealistic. I wanted simmone to grovel but she didn't grovel that much. Uggggh that literally ruined such a well written story.

I will definitely be giving other works of this author a try because I enjoyed this one ALOT!

Absolutely loved being able to read about Dante and Simone ! Love how captivating Sophie Lark’s books always are!!

I was so excited to read this because I love her other series. This one was just not for me. I didn’t love the characters and felt like something was missing.

This is a good second chance romance and this one was angsty. I haven't read anything else in this series and I did feel like I was missing out by not having that additional background. This one also had some serious insta-love, but if that's your cup of tea, I think you'll enjoy it. The writing was well done, I just felt like I was missing pieces that I needed to fully enjoy the book.

I don’t think I’ll be able to properly review because I could not finish. This book wasn’t meant for me and that’s okay. It was well written but I just didn’t click with it.

Meet Simone, the FMC who is absolutely gorgeous and the MMC Dante , who I’ll just describe him as a hot tamale . I loved The mafia vibes and the obsession between the two characters. Overall I enjoyed The book. I think 2nd chance romances are hard for authors to pull off right and this one was written beautifully. I’d definitely recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Sophie Lark for the arc copy.

Bloody Heart took me on a roller coaster of emotions. I loved the chemistry between Dante and Simone. Surprisingly, this was a book that I didn’t mind the whole insta love trope. It was very believable that these two spent a summer falling madly in love at such a young age. It starts out as a forbidden romance. The second half of the book is 9 years after the first half. This is where the second chance romance trope comes into play. I wish we could’ve seen a bit more of them getting to know each other again in the second half. I didn’t love certain aspects of the ending. I was left with some unanswered questions. Regardless of those things I was invested in the story and couldn’t put it down.

Thank you NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley & Sourcebooks Bloom for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, this was my first book I’ve read in the series, and I was just blown away. I simply could not put this book down. I kept telling myself one more chapter, but I was so enraptured with the story I couldn’t stop reading. My only regret about reading it so fast, is that now it’s over. To fuel my book hangover I got the minute I finished this, I’m looking forward to diving into the other books in the series. (Other characters from the series were in this book, but I think this could be read as a SA, as I did).

Dante & Simone have a love story for the ages! It starts off a bit like Romeo & Juliet, after they spend the summer falling in love. But when Simone introduces Dante to her family, just as she suspected they don’t approve of him and his family’s Mafia business. They lock Simone away, and prevent her from continuing to see Dante. The worst experience of her life turns even more upsetting when she finds out she is pregnant, and her family sends her away.

Then the book picks back up nine years later, where a chance of fate brings Dante and Simone back together in Chicago where they fell in love that summer. But it’s been nine years, and Simone has a son by Dante that he never knew about. And there’s still the issue of her family disliking Dante. It seems like the odds are stacked against them again, and when Simone finally decides to come clean with Dante another tragedy strikes. The two will have to claw their way out of another mess if they want a chance to be together again, this time as a family.

The storyline, the characters, the spice, the action. Everything about this story was just chefs kiss! If you’re looking for a new Mob romance with a dreamy man who will move heaven and earth for the girl he loves, this is the one. PICK IT UP AND START READING!

I made the mistake of not reading the rest of the series before this book.... but i am excited to say that I will be picking it up after my seasonal reads -and I will update my goodreads when it is more understanding for me
rating as of right now - 3 out of 5

I so badly wanted to like this one... but I didn't. There was just so much going on and not in a good way. The best part was seeing Aida again!!! My girl!

Too many tropes, too many elements to the plot, and far too little connection between Dante and Simone. I expected so much more to their reunion after 9 years apart.

Spoiler alert...

I absolutely hate pregnancy tropes. Can't stand them. But I persevered.... and I regret it. Because then what do we have? ANOTHER PREGNANCY. Begging Simone to get a hobby besides being hot and getting knocked up

"I’m sure it’s true . . . I’m fertile right now. Ovulating. Biologically driven to mate with this man who is the biggest, strongest, and most ferocious that I’ve ever seen."

“You want my baby?” he grunts in my ear. “You want to carry my child?” “Yes,” I moan.

Almost dnf'd at 95% over these two quotes specifically and I truly should have. This one was not it!!!!

I really enjoyed this book. For some reason, every book in this series I can’t put it down and I just fly through them. I loved the chemistry between Simone and Dante. I loved how Dante was Simone’s first everything. I found all those steamy moments to be so hot! I liked the story line and how they reconnected after years apart. I think you would need to read the previous books in this series to understand more of Dante since the pacing is pretty fast and you don’t get much from the 9 years time jump. I found it really sweet how Dante interacts with his son, Henry. I felt like the surprised baby trope was written well in this book. I even liked how the suspense at the end was written since I wasn’t the biggest fan with the last book. My only annoyance was with Simone’s parents. I was so pissed at how they didn’t care about her feelings or her needs. To the point where they walk all over her and send her into depression.

Read if you like:
Dual POVs
Second chance romance
War Vet hero
Protective hero
Virgin heroine
Surprise baby
A bit of suspense