4.25*
I KNEW I was gonna love Dantes story! I really
Enjoy a second chance romance so this was right up my alley.
I did enjoy the first half more, but overall I loved this story and I love getting small updates about past characters as well.

dante and simone are literal soul mates and i love them SO MUCH. they have such tangible chemistry it’s INSANE. dante was a man down so bad i loved it.

3.5/5 Stars!
This story follows Simone and Dante. They meet unexpectedly when Dante steals a car for a getaway without realizing Simone is in the back seat.
They are instantly attracted to each other and their love is a whirlwind romance. However Simone's strict father would never approve of someone like Dante. He's a part of the Italian Mafia in Chicago and his reputation isn't a great one.
The two end up parting ways but reconnect years later.
.
While I did enjoy this book, I wouldn't say it was one of my favorite reads this year. The storyline was good, the spice was good. It just didn't stand out to me as much as other books I have read.
I was able to read the new illustrated version of this thanks to Netgalley and I did enjoy that there was visual for some of the scenes and the artwork was very good!
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Tropes in this book
-Mafia Romance
-Second Chance Romance
-Accidentlal/Secret Pregnancy
-Instant Lust

This was one of my favorite books in the series. Im a sucker for a good forbidden royalty romance novel and sophie lark knows how to deliver. This book was an absolute joy to read and the fact that she includes hand drawn pictures of some scenes in the book makes the experience 10x better.

Intense read!! Definitely recommend if you like your romances dramatic, intense, filled with loads of plot and/or second chance!

One of my favorite parts of this book is Sophie Lark's use of repetition. There are a few moments that call back to earlier moments, and Simone and Dante have similar thoughts without them knowing that I just adored. This book felt well thought out and everything came together in a satisfying way.

Also, the tension building is, of course, incredible. The stakes with Dante and Simone's relationship were really high and I could understand both of their sides, which doesn't happen all the time in my romance reads.

Dante is intense and pretty hardcore - I was missing just a LITTLE tenderness. But overall he was great. And Simone was also great too. I understood all the choices she made. While I really liked both of them (I think I liked Dante more than her), I wasn't like Christian Allister obsessed if you know what I mean.

As I mentioned up top, there is way more plot in this than your average romance, which was so fun and exciting. My only tiny complaint with this is I wish that we slowed down a bit here and there to fully soak in the characters' emotions, as sometimes it felt like they kinda found resolution pretty quickly.

That ending though...SO DRAMATIC.

I feel like Riona and Raylan are gonna rock my world.

I loved Simone and Dante’s story, and per the usual, Lark delivers a delicious spicy story that’ll keep you glued.

Dante’s background is tragic, and while it takes years for the two to get their HEA, when it happens it is absolutely heartwarming and well deserved. We’re talking a separation of a whopping 9 years and a lot happened while time passed.

Simone — trapped in the lap of wealth, luxury and obedience ended up in Dante’s arms as he kidnapped her. Though, I wouldn’t complain about how he treats her, and the lengths he’d go through for her.

Dante is dark, broody and this absolutely grumpy man with a sweet center. Lark did a marvelous job of making this book decadent and addictive. I love this series as well as her writing.


Thank you to Netgalley and Bloom Books for the arc!

Thanks to netgalley and sourcebooks bloom books for providing me with this arc in exchange of an honest review. To be very honest, i picked up this book only because I wanted to know what all the Sophie Lark hype is all about but all I found was 75% to 80% smut and only a tiny bit of something called a plot line. I read like 10 chapters and than gave up, maybe it's my own fault, as I didn't looked much into what her previous books are like and stuff. But at least now I know that Sophie Lark books are not what I look for in a book aka not my cup of tea!!

I love this series! Each book is good on it's own. Of all the ones I have read so far this one is my least favorite. I just don't think the character development was there. It has so much potential but fell a tad short for me. Overall I liked it but just not the best one.

Ahh please, this series gets better with each book 😭 the book was peak swoon okay, and I think Dante might be my fav MMC so far in this series! And the third act makeup was <333

Also, the glimpses at Aida and Callum, ahhhh

TWs - death, violence, kidnapping, gun violence, unplanned pregnancy, chronic illness (secondary character), a young woman forced to waive the rights to her newly born child

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Simone is a rich girl who is kept under lock and key by her family. Dante is the son of the current Chicago mafia don. It only takes one look for them to fall, but years for them to finally see a HEA.

This is the fourth book in the Brutal Birthright series by Lark. This once was just as good as the rest. I was so happy to read Dante's story after meeting him in the other books. He has such a tragic story that I knew he has something going on. This book delves right into that. He's so sweet with Simone too which was a nice different side to him. Simone, while she annoyed me a lot, I did actually like her by the end.

As with the other re-releases, this book contains drawings to go along with the story.

Excited to continue this series.

-part of series
-mafia
-action packed
-insta love


Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

dante can do anything he wants to me and i wouldn't complain for a second

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Really disappointed - Lark's writing is so good but this felt lackluster. The plot had little to no development, it felt tedious and redundant. The character development wasn't there at all. The story had a lot of large plot holes that weren't explained well.

Diving into "Bloody Heart" by Sophie Lark was like being swept into a tumultuous sea of passion and conflict. The story of Simone Solomon, trapped in the confines of wealth and obedience, took an unpredictable turn the night she was abducted by Dante Gallo, a mafioso with the presence of a beast but a heart that beats fiercely for his accidental captive.

Their love story, forbidden and fraught with class divides, captivated me. It was a narrative where love dares to cross the lines drawn by society, and the lengths Dante is willing to go for Simone are the stuff of dreams. His honor amidst the world of the mafia, and his unwavering stand for Simone, painted a portrait of a hero who is as endearing as he is strong. The flashbacks, neatly laid out before the current timeline, set the stage for a love that could weather nine years of separation and the trials of life.

However, Simone's secret—a child borne from their love, hidden from Dante—cast a shadow over their reunion. The burden of her choices, the years Dante missed with his child, stirred a turmoil within me. Despite the tenderness of their romance, the weight of Simone's decisions lingered, prompting questions of what true love requires of us.

This narrative is a testament to the complexities of heart and the unpredictable ways of love, compelling and rich in its exploration of sacrifice, honor, and the courage to stand for one's heart's desire

Dante only meant to steal a car. He didn’t know he was stealing Simone with it. Or that she would have the most beautiful face. Or that she would kiss him... Nine years later, he thought he moved on. Until he saw her again.
This dark, mafia, second chance romance is book 4 in Brutal Birthright series. I loved that Dante fell first and hard. I liked the "before" part more than the "9 years later" part. There was lots of angst and action. I absolutely adored Dante; Simone? Not so much. I thought she was weak and painted as a victim most of the time. And I thought Dante forgave her to easily without her having to so any groveling. I definitely felt the chemistry between the characters, but other then that, the connection came out of thin air and the relationship didn't seem to be anything more than physical to me. All that being said, the spice was great.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

IM OBSESSED with this series and this book made me so emotional!!! I absolutely love this author and know this book is a must read for her!

Wow. I had no idea what to expect going into this book. I absolutely loved this. The characters, the action, the spice! This book had it all! Fast paced and just pulls you in and doesn't let go until the end.

Thank you to Net Galley, Bloom Books and Sophie Lark for the opportunity to read an ARC for Bloody Heart. This is my honest and unpaid review of the book.
I didn't realize when I requested to the book that it was part of a series but that didn't really seem to matter in the end. A few times I could tell by the way the author talked about some of the other characters that there was more of a story to them but it didn't take away from the main characters' stories in the least.
When I started the book I wasn't sure I thought about Dante & Simone but I really did like them by the end! It was nice to see their characters mature as they aged in the book while they faced new challenges and gained new perspective. The author really cuts a clear picture of Dante's character and physical command that does not disappoint in the romantic parts of the book. I will search out the rest of the author's books!

Sophie Lark always delivers a solid romance, no matter what trope she decides to write in. Bloody Heart doesn't disappoint in its angst filled, second chance emotional story

Dante, the eldest Gallo son is dark, broody and passionate. He longs for the one that got away, Simone. This is where Ms. Lark shines in her storytelling, I felt the pain the characters were feeling.

There is a 9 year separation between the main characters. Their journey to am HEA is painful, heartbreaking, yet satisfying.

This book was unputdownable. It made for difficult adulting the following day, but completely worth it.

This series continues to get better and better. Loved this book so much & the characters! They have me in an absolute chokehold & Sophie does an incredible job at writing characters that have such an intricate story but she does a fantastic job at weaving the plot through all of it and hooking the reader on every chapter she gives us.

Loved this book so much!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have been looking forward to this book! We’ve known Dante to be this brooding grumpy older brother in the Gallo family. Finally we’re getting a good look into his past which has made him every ounce of who he is now. We also get to see more of who he has become in the now. Dante loves hard, fast and fierce. Above all else he’s insanely protective over those he loves.

Simone, when we first meet her is so young and sheltered. Dante literally comes crashing into her life at the perfect moment and changes everything for her. I think he helps change who she is as a person too. Her family constantly is holding her back though and forces her into make rash decisions that she loves to regret for years.

Their love story was epic! They were soulmates even before they met, brought together like magnets. Them apart is heartbreaking. They bring out the absolute best in each other and love each other so fierce.

I swear Sophie’s books just get better and better. There’s steam near from the get with this one. But not just that there’s real love written into the pages that you can feel.