Okay, let me preface this by apologizing. I bought the first 3 books of this series bc I saw they were illustrated but couldn't afford the whole series. So when I saw the arc for the 4th book I got very excited and requested the book before reading the first three. Now that I have read the first three and this one, I have realized mafia romances are strictly not for me. I say that so you can take this review with a grain of salt. I think there are a lot of things in this book that really bothered me that I normally would have been fine with, but since I had just put myself thorough hundreds of pages of books not written for me bc I can't bring myself to DNF. The writing needed a few more passes through editing, which normally doesn't make me upset, especially when the author is self publishing but i was grumpy so I kept yelling about sentence structure and other BS. This one was especially not for me bc pregnancy tropes are not my thing at all. So I'm going to refrain from specific feedback bc many of my friends loved this book so I can recognize I am not target audience and leave it alone. Thank you for the arc. I am rooting for your success . . . from a distance.

This is the 4th book in the Brutal Birthright Series and gives more details into the eldest Gallo and the broken hulk of a man that is Dante.  This can be read as a standalone.

Dante and Simone are from completely different worlds.  Simone is from a world of ball gowns and Dante is from a world of crime and mafia wars.  They meet and have an instant and intense forbidden romance until her father finds out.  They reconnect nine years later and find themselves faced with a secret that needs to be addressed and a mysterious assassin.

I have a lot to say about this book, but don’t want to give anything away.  Dante and Simone’s story is full of surprises. 

I love a second chance romance where I get to really understand the connection and evolution of the relationship from the beginning.  I was completely absorbed into Dante and Simone’s relationship from the very beginning.  I loved the forbidden romance aspect and the complete heartbreak that separated them.  Dante is possessive, protective, and a bit dangerous.  My gosh, the way he loved Simone was emotional.  I felt heartbroken!!!

There were a few details that could have been expanded for but for the chokehold and emotions this book had on me I was completely captivated from the beginning until the end and couldn't put it down.

Another amazing Sophie Lark book! I loved this story and Simone and Dante even more. I can't wait for the next one in the series!

I’ve given ‘Bloody Heart’ 3 stars.

I requested this book because I wanted to try something a little bit different from what I normally read. I’ve read only one other book from Sophie Lark which was ‘Brutal Prince’ (the first book in the same series) and all I remember about that was I didn’t find it very interesting. However, I do recall liking Dante in that so after seeing this was his book I decided it a go.

Overall, I liked this book. I don’t have any strong feelings towards it but that’s not a bad thing - it just fell under my definition of an easy read. As far as books with Mafia themes go this was simple but interesting. Reading Simone’s POV was interesting - she’s a perfect, rich girl with a secret and harbouring feelings for an old flame and a big secret. Dante was dark, sexy grump reduced to a big old softie around his girl.

Thank you SOURCEBOOK Bloom Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: terminal illness, kidnapping, murder, death, dubious consent, mentions of sex trafficking, mentions of child endangerment, mental manipulation, emotional abuse, risky pregnancy, forced adoption, attempted murder, mentions of war
standalone: book 4 in the Brutal Birthright series
final thoughts: once again love the illustrations in these series even though they don’t ALWAYS match the description of what’s happening- they’re good enough that I don’t mind some variations in the artwork.
This book was full of secrets, betrayal, miscommunication, violence, manipulation, and steamy “it’ll always be you” scenes. The chemistry between the MCs was wonderful and I enjoyed their relationship. I wish this story didn’t need to be so heartbreaking because wow I was SOBBINGGGGGGGG through several parts of this. I wanted to take off an entire star for the FMC’s family… wtf?

read this book if you love

🤫 hidden secrets
🌀 plot twists
🧠 “it’s always been you”
😬 angst
😳 forbidden lovers (rival families)
🤐 miscommunication
☠️ “touch her and die”
2️⃣ 2nd chance romance
💞 childhood crush
🔫 mafia
🖤 dark romance

This was definitely an interesting ride. I’m not a huge fan of instalove stories but I think Sophie did a good job recovering.

This is full of politics that keeps two young people apart and they have to find themselves in “another life”.

However… 99% of the time I wanted to punch Simone in the face and it got a 1 star deduction because of the last “spice” scene. The words “put a baby in me…” should be illegal.

Bloody Heart is a second chance mafia romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Simone and Dante are two star-crossed lovers who have been separated by fate and secrets. When they meet again, sparks fly and passion ignites, but their pasts are not so easy to forget. Simone has a dark secret that could ruin everything, while Dante has a ruthless enemy who wants him dead. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles and find their happily ever after?

I enjoyed this book for its intense and emotional story, its strong and complex characters, and its steamy scenes. The author did a great job of creating a realistic and gritty world of the mafia, with plenty of action, suspense, drama, and humor. The chemistry between Simone and Dante was off the charts, and I loved how they slowly healed each other’s wounds. The ending was satisfying and hopeful, but also left some room for future books in the series.

Some things that I didn’t like about this book were the excessive use of profanity, the unrealistic dialogue at times, and the lack of character development for some secondary characters. I also felt that some parts were rushed or dragged out too much. Overall, I think this is a good book for fans of dark romance who like their heroes alpha and their heroines feisty.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes second chance romances with a twist of danger, drama, and spice. It’s not a perfect book, but it’s definitely worth reading if you’re looking for a thrilling and emotional ride.

This wasn’t for me, I feel like the plot wasn’t developed enough & I had lots of issues with the characters who fell flat. It also felt too insta-love for me.

This was the first book that I read in this series, but luckily I did not really feel like I was missing anything from the story by not reading the other books first. I enjoyed the first half of the book when it looked back at how they met. While it was a little too insta-love for me, I still enjoyed it and liked seeing their relationship grow.

The second half disappointed me though. There is a 9 year jump and everything is obviously different now but a lot of it doesn't make sense to me. First, she brought up how amazing, kind, and caring her sister is but then her sister goes along with their parents in doing one of the most selfish and cruel things to Simone by helping take her child from her. And while Simone sort of stands up to her parents when it happens, she just lets it all go and lets them back into her life because her sister dies and they are family?!! None of that had to happen if she was just going to continue having a relationship with her parents in the present scenes. It would've made much more sense for her sister to just help Simone raise her son while she was traveling and her parents continue to try making amends over those 9 years. It all just got swept under the rug and that was extremely frustrating.

It was a very interesting book. I have got to say that.

I enjoyed the plot, the characters. I kind of maybe wanted things to go down differently but overall I liked it and I do recommend.

Bloody Heart by Sophie Lark is book 4 in the Brutal Birthright Series. This is the story of Dante and Simone. This is a interconnecting series so it does had to your enjoyment if you have read the previous books. This is the story of two people drawn to each other but are from different parts of society. Enjoyed this book and series.

Sophie Lark can do no wrong!! She knows exactly what she was doing when she wrote this series. She writes distinct characters, engaging plots, and very hot romance! Such a big fan of her writing and a big fan of the world Sophie is creating here!

I did not know too much going into this book, and I am so glad I gave it a shot! Sophie Lark is an incredible writer. This mafia romance has a perfect balance of action and spice. I could not get enough of Simone/Dante. I would highly recommend this book, and I am looking forward to the other books in this series.

Bloody Heart is the fourth book in the Brutal Birthright series by Sophie Lark. This time we follow eldest Gallo child, Dante and his whirlwind romance with Simone, a sheltered and obedient daughter desperate for a speck of freedom.
The two meet after Dante makes a getaway in a car that Simone is still in and instead of being afraid, the two immediately have a connection. Simone is obviously young here. Her temperament and behaviour suggests she’s a little naive and she jumps head first into her relationship with Dante who is the same but more mature and experienced.
The initial ‘before’ period of the book where the two are young lasts quite a while until a situation arises and the two part ways. We then see a drastic time jump where the two are a lot older with more experience and troubles in their lives. The animosity is clear but the pining is still there.
The over arching plot here is the belief that Simone’s father is being targeted by a sniper and the two try to figure out who’s behind it. This wasn’t my favourite Sophie Lark book. I’m remaining spoiler free and normally the trope is one I enjoy but it felt icky. Their initial separation was quite drastic with the control Simone’s parents had over her was extreme. I feel like their reunion was clouded by the sniper plot so one second they steered clear of one another and the next they were madly in love again with no consideration for anything else.
I hope Broken Vow reignites my initial love for these books.
Thank you for the eARC!

I didn’t realize that this was a re-release under a trad publisher. I’ve read and enjoyed several Sophie Lark books in the past, this one was kinda mediocre to me. I feel like the relationship was rushed, and we didn’t really get to know the characters. I also felt like there was too many plot points competing. The hidden pregnancy, the sniper, the father destroying evidence, the military sharpshooter plotline. It was mishmashed and didn’t feel very cohesive.
As always for Sophie Lark books, the spice was really good. There’s always a fine line where a book is either plot with porn or porn without plot. I tend to enjoy the first. Too much spice becomes repetitive, this book had a good balance and it was nice and saucy.

Bloody Heart started out so strong and I was completely enraptured as I’ve been looking forward to reading Dante’s story. The second chance romance aspect already had me very excited. I felt somewhat unfulfilled by the ending, however because the plot line felt very rushed and nothing came together the way that I was hoping it would. I also felt that Simone wasn’t particularly relatable and I didn’t enjoy reading about her nearly as much as I thought I would. This wasn’t my favorite in the series, but I’m still along for the ride!

Finally I'm back in the BB world. With Dante and Simone. Now there are a couple of characters in this that don't behave exactly as they should. One of those is Simone for sure. I mean I can see it a wee bit, but still, not even a wee bit of a grovel?? That said Dante and Simone have that soulmate level love that I can barely even comprehend and I love that for them. I enjoyed seeing past and present Griffin's and Gallo's even someone (or two Someone's) from books to come. A solid read.

Simone grew up privileged. As the daughter of a successful businessman turned diplomat, she has lived all over the world but now she is living in Chicago. Dante needs to make a quick getaway from a hotel and steals a car only to discover Simone in the backseat. The two of them start an ill-fated love affair that will make them suffer before finding happiness.

I went into this expecting it to be the story or young, dumb love and to some degree it was, but the author chose to go a slightly different route and I really enjoyed it. Both Simone and Dante had a lot of growing up to do before they could reasonably commit to other. I am not going to give any spoilers here, but I will say the author made some interesting choices and they worked well in the end. Both characters had good reasons for their actions throughout the story. I felt like the author made some really smart choices letting the characters make some good decisions and some bad decisions. There were some real emotional moments that made me feel so bad for the characters. There are excellent side characters that add to the story.

My one complaint was Simone's father and to some extent her mother. In an effort to avoid spoilers I won't say too much more except that a lot of Simone's pain came directly from their actions which led directly to Dante's suffering. Maybe I'm cruel but I want some suffering to be meted out.

This is a contemporary love story set mostly in Chicago. This story is all about family dynamics. I would strongly recommend reading the prior stories before reading this one because this story overlaps the prior stories. I will definitely read more from this author in the future. I would recommend this series to anyone looking for a series to read and who enjoys mob stories about family.

I have been really enjoying this series, but this one fell a little flat for me. It didn't really pique my interest until about 75% marker.
The writing style is great, the overall story was not my cup of tea. Also, I had some questions left unanswered. I wanted to know how her parents reacted at the end of the book.
Overall, not mad at it. But not my favorite of the series so far.
Thank you NetGalley for this ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bloody Heart is the fourth book in Sophie Lark's Brutal Brightright series. The book centers around Dante Gallo, a character that has fascinated me since I first encountered him in Brutal Prince. I was determined to read this book, and I am so glad I did because I loved it.

I enjoyed this one more than the previous two in the series because it brought back the mafia world, which was one of the reasons I liked the series in the first place. The book was filled with action and had a beautiful romance that gave me hope for the series again.

One thing I love about this series is that we get to see glimpses of previous characters as the books go on, which makes me feel connected to them. I especially love Aida's character.

Dante and Simone's relationship was fantastic. Their character development was well-done, and their romance was beautiful. While I was upset with Celeste for keeping a secret, I understood her decision.

Although I found the ending cute and well-deserved, I was a bit disappointed by how rushed it felt.

This book is one of my favorites from the series. If you enjoy second-chance romances, I highly recommend it.