"I don't believe in love. I'm not denying it exists — I've seen it happen for other people. I just don't believe it will ever happen for me."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Ladies and gentleman we finally got a 5-star read out of the Brutal Birthright series!! (And honestly is anyone shocked that it comes from the cowboy romance?? I'm not.)

Since starting this series Riona has been my favorite side character out of all of them, and the best Griffin sibling (in my humble opinion). She's not afraid to go for what she wants — she's powerful, honest, hardworking and she doesn't try and change any of those things to make people like her. Riona is everything I every dreamed I could be or tried to be before life and other things got in the way. She is her own person, and no one can change that.

The *second* Raylan was introduced I knew I needed their story. For every uptight, rigid person who is stuck in their ways, there's someone who can teach them how to live a little, and let themselves enjoy things, even if it's not what they think they need. Raylan is just that for Riona, but even while pushing her to step outside of her firmly erected boundaries, he never ever tries to change who she is. He just loves her for it (and so now I love him. Figures, right?)

I'm obsessed with their story (and once again a little bitter my parents didn't stay in Wyoming so I could grow up on a ranch?? Might have to figure out time travel to change that one up), and I could read another 800 books about them.

The fact that this also very much was a mafia/bodyguard story, but felt completely natural??? Not that I know anything about the mafia, but some of these other stories just felt a little too forced. I'm sure they're normal scenarios when the mafia is in play, but this just felt completely different. Higher than high stakes, and enough suspense to keep me on the edge of my seat. (And their romance was not only hot, but so so tender.)

Anywho. It's a shame this came so late in the series, but I'm pretty sure that only made me love it more. I better see these two at least *mentioned* in the last book or I'm 100% going to riot.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

"I think I might want him more than all of the things I wanted before. More than my fears and, yes, even more than my ambitions."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Broken Vow was originally published in December of 2020, and has since been republished with a brand new cover! Thank you to BloomBooks, NetGalley and the author for the digital advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this book so much but I just couldn't 😭 It was probably because of my high expectations and love for Riona's character, I just wanted so much for her!

And at the beginning it was really shaping up to be my favorite - I liked Rylan (our main guy), the mystery subplot was actually interesting, and the chemistry between our main characters was amazing (even tho it had some cringe moments)!
But that ending left me with mixed feelings and disappointment. I don't want to get much into it because of spoilers, but omg I feel like it wasn't true to Riona's character at all! I get that people change and want other things in life but this felt completely out of character imo.

Despite this, I'm still excited to read the final book of the series!

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

📖 𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 📖

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

sophie lark can do no wrong. truly.

before reading bloody heart, i thought riona and dante would end up together but i’m glad i was wrong. riona and raylan really deserved each other and it made me so happy to see 🥹

also, anyone know where i can get a dirty talking cowboy like raylan? asking for a friend 👀

thank you so much to sophie and netgalley for this arc 🫶🏻

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Thank you to Sophie Lark, Bloom Books, and NetGalley for an eARC of Broken Vow!

Sophie Lark is an author I can count on for a quick, spicy read. I love this series and how all of the stories interconnect. Seeing characters from her other books is always a fun recall.

Broken Vow follows Riona and Raylan. Riona is part of the Griffin family (Irish Mafia) and Raylan is an old friend of the Gallo family (Italian Mafia). Raylan and Riona's story was different from the other books in the series for me. I thought their love story was a bit more intimate. It felt like a big deal for Riona to fall for someone and also admit that she needed a little bit of protection. I think a lot of girls can relate to being stubborn and wanting to be independent. Giving up that independence can be hard. It was nice to see someone patiently and lovingly breaking down those barriers and not pushing her to be something she isn't.

This book was a mix of thriller and cowboy romance. I love that we left the city and fell in love with Raylan's family in Tennessee too. Who else needs a Bo and Duke story??? Because I know I do!

I do wish some scenes were elaborated on more a bit. I thought the dance scene in particular was way too short! I wanted to hear more about the fight and the dances and maybe past dances the family had gone to!

Overall I think I enjoyed this story the most - it is giving Nero and Camile's story a run for it's money! I am interested to see what the next book has in store for us as I feel Sebastian is the least talked about Gallo brother but also the most broody! I wish this series could just keep going!

4/5 Stars
4/5 Spice

Yer, yep, yes!
Ma'am, respectfully, all your books are spicy and I am always so thankful.
I forgot about this book.
The first time I read it, I wasn't too keen on it.
Well, how things change! How taste changes hahaha

Broken Vow by Sophie Lark is book 5 in the Brutal Birthright Series. This is the story of Raylan and Riona. Riona end up getting attacked and her family ends up hiring Raylan to guard her and keep her safe. But the two have sparks fly along with other things. Enjoyed this book.

Very hot, but surprising also cute, dark romance. I absolutely enjoyed reading this, as it had an amazing balance between spice, fluff, action, plot and character development. Absolutely recommend.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

I really liked this book of the series, even though I couldn't quite connect with the characters, especially Riona. At times, I felt as if her thoughts were contradicting some of her actions, and vice versa.

Also, I was a little disappointed by the ending. I was expecting something else coming from such a strong-minded character as Riona, and what we saw from Raylan.

This is the 5th book in this amazing series and absolutely loved it. The chemistry between Raylan and Riona was simply beautiful. I love the bodyguard trope so I knew immediately that I was going to be into this book. Like the ones previous to this book, it didn't disappoint. I was truly engaged in the story and the characters. It is definitely a book that pulls you into different directions. Loved it! 5 stars!

I loved this book! Rylan gets hired to protect Riona after someone tries to kill her. I loved the forced proximity in this romance. Riona does not like Rylan and constantly bickers with him. I liked that Rylan was enamored by Riona and wants her to give them a chance. I swooned at how Riona find herself safe with Rylan. I would describe this book as a modern twist on a cowboy romance. For the first half of this book, you read about Riona working in the city. For the rest of the book, you read about the two of them staying on Rylan’s farm. I am obsessed with these two spicy scenes in this book! Both featuring the cowboy touched them! One of the steamy scenes even features a riding crop! So freaking hot!!! The suspense was interesting to this romance, and I like to everything played out in the end!

Read if you like:
Dual POVs
Forced proximity
Enemies to lovers
Banter
Open door romance
Hero falls first
Cowboy romance
Marine hero
A splash of BDSM
A bit of suspense

Broken Vow is about Riona, a lawyer who is a part of a Mafia family and endures an attack that was intended to kill her. Her family hire a bodyguard, Raylan, to protect her. As her the threat to her life grows, Raylan and Riona head to his family's farm, where he grew up, and they each see a new side to each other as their connection grows.

I was really hesitant to read this because I wasn't sure about the Mafia storyline-I've never read any Mafia romances before and I wasn't too sure that I would enjoy the crime and "bad deed" stories, especially in a romantic way. I was pleasantly surprised because I really enjoyed this! I think this didn't have a huge Mafia aspect to it, except for Riona's family being in the Mafia, Raylan had no part of that and he was a light, funny and sweet character, very protective. This was a bit insta-love, I would've loved a bit more of a built up between them, especially before they went to the ranch. One point that I couldn't get past-I can't stand when authors don't address protection in spicy scenes, so the characters are having unprotected spicy time, with no consequences, no pregnancy, nothing. I don't know if I would read the other books in the series because I don't like the sound of the crimes and "bad" things that are mentioned in the synopsis, but I enjoyed the story, the characters and the romance in this.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review!

Riona was the character that I most looked forward to reading about. Since her mention in the first book and the few interactions with her, I knew her story was going to no frills. That is exactly what we got from her. While Raylan was the polar opposite to her, that southern gentleman knew that he would be able to sway this big-show lawyer. They were the most unexpected pair, especially after reading Nero and Camille's story in book 3, but they are by far one of my favorites.

Also, getting to see the wedding of Dante and Simone, ughh, they were so wonderful as well!

The grumpy sunshine trope is one of my favorites and this did not disappoint. I’ve been reading more and more Sophie Lark because my friend told me not to give up on her books after I did not enjoy a couple of them. The bodyguard/forced proximity trope are also top tier here!

This book took me by surprise as it switched from the usual flow of this series being primarily based on mafia. We instead get a high powered lawyer and a hot cowboy bodyguard. I also was able to connect most with this book because of Riona.

Riona is a stubborn, hardworking and often misunderstood woman. What we did learn from her in the previous books was that she seemed a bit stuck-up, but we come to learn in this book that it is simply a shield and that she is in fact more sensitive then we originally thought. Riona is an attorney, which is highly relatable as I am currently in law school with plans of becoming a lawyer (thought not for the mafia). Everything she does she does for her family. Her greatest fear is to be put into a box just because of her gender, which is why she works and acts so hard to prove herself. When she is put in danger, in swoops our sexy bodyguard.

Raylan is the perfect guy for Riona as he provides a good balance. He pushed her but was also caring. Plus, it doesn't hurt that he knows how to use a whip ;)

Overall, great book that I was able to relate to.

Thank you Bloom Books and Sophie Lark for the eArc of this book in return for an honest review.

“𝐑𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫.”

Broken Vow is book 5 of the Brutal Birthright Series and is a bodyguard mafia romance following Riona Griffin and Raylan Boone. I’ve been looking forward to Riona’s story and this one definitely delivered for me. There was so much more to Riona than meets the eye and her character growth in this was fantastic. Raylan was absolute 𝓅ℯ𝓇𝒻ℯ𝒸𝓉𝒾ℴ𝓃 from start to finish and is neck and neck with Nero as my favorite H in this series! 4.5⭐️

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥:
🤠Bodyguard mafia romance
🤠Reverse grumpy/sunshine
🤠Forced proximity
🤠HEA

“𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐧, 𝐝𝐨 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐞. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞.”

“𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐬. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥, 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥.“

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC of Broken Vow.
Ohhh this book... It was really amazing. I loved the "I hate you but somehow I can't keep my eyes from you" mixed with "falling for my bodyguard" vibes of this book. It was a pure delight.

I love this series even more with each book.  This time we get fierce, determined, and sometimes b!tchy Riona’s story.  Riona is a big-city lawyer determined to make partner and has no desire to fall in love.  Raylan is a country boy who tries to distance himself after a family secret shattered his world at eighteen.  

After Riona is attacked the one person she does not want to spend time with arrives as her bodyguard.  Raylan is the sunshine to Riona’s grumpy and I loved it.  When they find out that a hitman is after Riona, Raylan takes her to his family ranch in Tennessee. The attraction and chemistry between the two can not be denied and create a simmering slow burn.  Their story couldn’t have been written more beautifully. 

There is a bit of suspense and action, but this one doesn’t focus much on the mafia side of things.  Instead, we get to know Raylan and Riona, meet Raylan’s family (who I adore), and see the two grow close and open up to each other.  This is a character-driven story and the character development was so well done.  Once I was pulled into the story I could not put it down.

🐎 bodyguard
🐎 mafia romance
🐎 forced proximity
🐎 opposites attract
🐎 grumpy-sunshine
🐎 he falls first
🐎 open-door spice with a dose of BDSM
🐎 family
🐎 ranch-life, there are horses!!!
🐎 suspense

Written in first-person, dual narration it can be read as a standalone with a HEA, but best read as a series.  Riona is a recurring character throughout the series with Raylan appearing in the previous book.

After a threat on her life Riona requires a bodyguard until she and her family can figure out who has put a target on her. Raylan is instantly captured by Riona and is willing to do anything to protect her even when she doesn't agree with his methods. When a threat forces Raylan to take Riona home to the family ranch she see's an entirely different side of Raylan.

Dual POV, Spicy, Bodyguard Romance, City Girl x Cowboy, Protective MMC

Good pacing, easy to read, easy to follow, and good tension. I stopped after chapter 2 (8%), but easy three to four stars for the target and five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

Broken Vow is an action-packed, highly enthralling romantic suspense. This is the type of story that once you start, you get immediately captivated & that will stay until the very end.

This is book #5 in the Brutal Birthright Series, but it could be read as a standalone. This is only the second book I’ve read & I throughly enjoyed it & could easily understand things. I also now can’t wait to finish this entire series.

Something super cool this author does is provide a playlist to enhance the reading experience if so inclined. The most unique thing is that these books are peppered with incredible art pieces, especially of characters in certain moments, generally important ones. They are gorgeous & showcase both the important, the sweet & the spicy.

Broken Vow is perfect for fans of…
🖤Romantic Suspense
🖤Forced Proximity
🖤Badass Lawyer
🖤Cowboy Bodyguard Romance

I believe combining the terrifying mystery/suspense with the intriguing mixture of a fantastic romance to create the one of the most interesting sub genres that’s not talked about enough that is romantic suspense. This is one of those novels that takes a walk on the dark side with the nefarious mafia aspect of the romance & the morally grey hero, where you could probably call this dark romance.

Broken Vow made me a fan of Sophie Lark & I am so curious to read more.

If you are a looking for a darker romantic suspense, Broken Vow or this entire series could be a great place to start.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Bloom Publishing for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.


I will post to my social media & add links once I do!