Honestly, I found most of this romance kinda boring, and the characters' choices just had me shaking my head. I mean, Yelena, being the daughter of a Bratva boss, should've known all about Sebastian's family, who are their rivals. It's hard to buy that Sebastian wouldn't even question her not knowing about him or his fam. And don't even get me started on the whole love-at-first-sight thing—it felt rushed, and the plot moved at a snail's pace. I couldn't really get into their romance because I could see the big conflict coming from a mile away: Sebastian finding out the truth about Yelena's family. The whole story felt kinda cliché and predictable, and I just couldn't connect with the characters. It felt like the background plot was just a setup for the Kingmaker series, which honestly has me more excited to dive back into that world than satisfied with how this one ended.

The last book of this series (and the one which sets up the next series, the one that follows the next gen), this book is pretty intense wrt the overall mafia plot? I'd say this book has the least romance / most plot out of the six.

The book was written so well, it really brought together all the characters and their dynamics over the series ++ had some rare humor thrown in too, coz we know the characters so well🥲

TWs - heavy violence, murder, mass gun violence

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

This was my second novel by Sophie Lark, and she does not disappoint! This book was fantastic, and I had a hard time putting it down. I didn't realize that this was book 6 in a series. Although it was a standalone so there was no problem following along. I honestly love a good mafia romance, and this one delivered! The story was engaging, angsty and had many twists, some of which I didn't see coming at all. I am also as a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers romance! Sebastian and Yelena's characters were written well and they had great chemistry! I routed for them and a HEA. Overall, I really liked this book, and now I need to go back and read all the other books in the Brutal Birthright series.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC!

I don't normally rate so high. BUT The Brutal Birthright series is the series that hooked me unto mafia romances. Finally seeing the the ending to Seb's story with all the struggles and hardships he's overcome-this was such a perfect ending to the series. The FMC Yelena? Wooh! Another great one for my bingo card.

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: attempted murder, attempted kidnapping, stalking, mentions of death, murder, kidnapping, drugging, mentions of abuse, parent with terminal illness, death of a parent, SA
standalone: book 6 in the Brutal Birthright series
final thoughts: once again, I continue to love the illustrations and wish there were MORE because they add such great value to the books and I love being sucked into the scenes! This book was wild with lots of twists and I swear my mouth dropped open several times while reading this! I loved and hated the FMC but really enjoyed their journey and the way she was written. This was a great conclusion to the Brutal Birthright series with high drama, high action, and a dirty talking MMC. The dark parts in this book felt a lot darker than the rest of the series so if that’s your cup of tea- this is definitely the story for you! Brought me back to book 1 with the enemies to lovers.

read this book if you love

🌀 plot twists
😬 angst
😳 forbidden lovers (rival mafia families)
☠️ “touch her and die”
🔫 mafia
🖤 dark romance
🏝️ forced proximity
🤐 miscommunication
❓ mystery
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 found family
🤜 enemies-to-lovers

I love Sebastian. I always loved him. Since I read Brutal prince, I fell in love with him. I was so excited to read his book.

Somewhere, in his book, he’s kinda disappointed me. I didn’t feel anymore that family bond, what a pity. I still love them. Still love him.

I enjoyed so far this storyline. It was so intense that keep me so focused on the story. Sebastian and Yelena were such a good pairing. I liked their chemistry. They were so intense and I love that feeling.

As always, Sophie Lark never disappoints me and always gives me good stories to enjoy

This book has vastly improved since I first read it in 2021. For one, Sebastian is not nearly as heartless and, for lack of a better word, dumb. I liked the additional chapters during Yelena's captivity to 1. develop Sebastian's thought process and emotions, and 2. make it more realistic that Yelena could ever have a happy ending with Sebastian by having sympathetic friends/family interactions. I could never understand the hot and cold of Sebastian, but also could not understand how if truly everyone treated her terribly, why she would want to go back to him. The book flowed better with its pace, but it was still missing the magic of the other couples. I wasn't necessarily rooting for Yelena and Sebastian.

Forbidden romance between rival mafia families? Heavy Crown was a great ending to a great series. I'm so happy this was my first reading experience with mafia romance. I loved so many of the characters over the course of the Brutal Birthright series. The author did a great job wrapping everything up with this final book while also setting us up for the spinoff. Heavy Crown had found family, action, romance, and a damaged hero.

Sebastian is a son of a mafioso in Chicago. One night on his walk home, he comes across a woman being kidnapped. He saves her, and gets her name (Yelena Yemin) and phone number. A few nights later he’s dragged by his family, to a date auction for a local charity. He finds himself with the highest bid of the evening, on Yelena.

They’re smitten with each other but Yelena has a secret - her Russian father, new to the mob scene in Chicago, set up her “kidnapping” to get Sebastian’s attention. Throughout their courting she finds herself unable to tell Sebastian her secret. Soon, Sebastian and Yelena’s fathers have stricken a blood oath to allow their children to marry.

This book was a quick read with some great spice and a good story.

I have been provided with a review copy of Heavy Crown from NetGalley for an impartial review. This was just a great read. I just had so much fun reading this story.

Heavy Crown by Sophie Lark​ is book 9 in the Brutal Birthright Series. This is the story of Sebastian Gallo and Yelena Yenina. Sebastian is the youngest of his family and had dreams outside the mafia but a knee injury stopped them. Yelena is a mafia princess who is getting kidnapped when Sebastien sees her. Although their family are enemies he can't help but save her. This puts them on a road to discovery in their feelings. I loved this book. It kept me turning the pages and I will be looking for more books by this author.

I went into this novel without reading any of the other books in the series. It was written so that it was understandable without needing to read the other books but I’m sure it would have helped to know the family dynamics before this.

The book was good. It was a slow burn up until half way and enjoyable to read. I love Maria romance so now I want to check out the entire series

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book! I have been a fan of Sophie Lark for a while now and she did not disappoint!

Heavy Crown
4 stars
3 spice

Rival family
Betrayal & revenge
Lovers to enemies to lovers

Wow, I jumped into this book after I read Brutal Prince and loved it. This book was not what I expected at all. We met Sebastion in Brutal Prince where his knees were shattered by Callum’s goon (his sister now husband), thus shattering his dream to become a professional basketball player too. I have to say I was surprised to see how changed he was, and what he was feeling towards his family, now that all of them found the love of their life and settled down with their own family. Sebastian now feels he’s all alone and lost, with no dream career and no significant other.

Until a chance encounter where he met Yelena, the Bratva princess, only their meeting was not a coincidence at all. With bad blood between the Italians and the Russians, they know they cannot be together. But as Sebastian falls more and more in love with Yelena, he naively thinks that their love can bring their family together. And Yelena, despite knowing that she is being used by his father, foolishly believes she can actually be happy with Sebastian once they are married.

I saw that twist from a mile away, I was dreading it, and once it happened, I didn’t expect it to hit me so hard. My heart is breaking for Sebastian, I mean give the guy a break, how much more can he lose in this inter-family feud with the Irish and Russians, my boy deserves better. But I understand that both Sebastian and Yelena are still quite young, and their love and naivety made them think they can conquer all. After all that went through, I have a hard time accepting that they can move on with that much bad blood between them. I think I might need to read all of the previous books in this series so I can appreciate this book more.

CW/TW/Kinks:
Non-con (FMC private part was touched without consent)
Violence against women
Voyeurism
Anal sex
Captivity
Murder violence gore
Loss of family members
Parental abuse

Navigating through this book proved challenging as it adopted a somewhat caricature-esque tone, rendering the personas within it less authentic. It had such a strange pacing. While possessing the elements for a compelling story, the plot development lacked super logical connections between points and character choices. This inconsistency, notably distinct from other books in the series, created a jarring experience, frequently pulling me out of the narrative. I’m giving it a rating of 2.5 stars, the book grapples with issues of coherence and character authenticity, hindering its potential for a better reading experience.

I liked this book, but not as much as some of the others in this series. Definitely think there could have been more depth in certain areas and the ending seemed a bit rushed. With that being said, I really enjoy Sophie Lark’s writing style and love how she’s able to immerse you in a story. Be sure to check your CW before reading this one.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars, but rounded up to 4! Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the opportunity to read this as an ARC 🖤🖤🖤.

Completely hooked. I absolutely love the characters and the story had me completely glued to my kindle. I’m addicted to this series. Can’t wait to read the next.

Sebastian Gallo is the younger Gallo brother, whose dreams of making a name for himself outside of the Italian mafia crumbled before him when he was forced to quit basketball due to a knee injury. Sebastian has always been in the background of the other books, the broody brother who thought himself good, but who has killed and toughened up to protect his family.

Finally getting Sebastian’s POV was so exciting for me, as I’ve loved his character since his introduction in Brutal Prince. He did not disappoint one bit. The Sebastian we meet here is more somber than meets the eye. He isn’t this happy-go-lucky person, and the mistakes of his siblings have shaped him into this character that really struggles internally to find his place within the mafia. Throughout the book, we see the journey to his acceptance of the lifestyle, and Sebastian begins to really embody and embrace some of those values, but also become a happier and fulfilled character.

Dealing with the loss of his sports career and seeing as his siblings made their lives took its emotional toll on him, and I appreciated the discussion of his different feelings throughout it all. Enter: Yelena.

Yelena Yenina is a Bratva princess, the only daughter of the new Pakhan of Chicago. Theirs is not a meet cute, per se. Sebastian meets Yelena as she is kicking and flailing, trying to resist a kidnapping attempt. Sebastian, who really is as noble as that scenes suggests, saves Yelena from her would-be captor and they spend the evening together at a party. There is, of course, a twist to this seemingly chance encounter, but the sparks between the two are undeniable.

Throughout a summer of power plays and mafia rivalries, Yelena and Sebastian fall in love. This story is one that is certainly unexpected, with so many twists and turns that will have you at the edge of your seat. Sophie Lark has a very engaging and entertaining way of writing. Whether you’re a newbie to mafia romance or a more seasoned reader, her stories have a way of captivating any audience. This was the shortest long book I read because of how easily the story flowed and how immersed I became in the story once I started reading. It’s definitely hard to put down. Though at times I felt disconnected from Yelena’s character, in particular, the romance as a whole was very sweet and the steam between those two definitely had me slack jawed more than once.

This one was very plot heavy, with the mafia politics being central to even the romantic development. For those that prefer romance with a sprinkle of plot, this could be a problem, but I urge you to give this book a chance, because the action really made the book and helped tie up the series and lay the perfect foundation for a second generation. Though easily read as a standalone, this book brought back in prior protagonists in an organic way and gave us a glimpse at all our favorites.

I can’t wait to see what Sophie does with the spin-off series of the kids of these wonderful characters we all became so endeared with.

A fiery end to a very enjoyable series! 🔥

You can expect:
▪️Mafia rivalry
▪️Enemies to lovers
▪️Forbidden love
▪️Insta love
▪️Revenge plot
▪️Dual POV
▪️Spiceeee

Some of my thoughts:
📍 Sophie’s writing is incredibly engaging and her books always easy to read. This final instalment was no exception though that being said, this was my least favourite book in the series.

📍I had hard time marrying the two versions of Seb in my mind. The reserved, friendly guy from the early books to the hard, ferociously passionate guy in this book. The character progression didn’t quite gel for me.

📍I also had a hard time with the romance. I don’t typically enjoy insta-love and the naive way they went about their early courtship was frustrating. Nothing about their relationship gave my butterflies or titillated me and when reading a romance I do seek those feelings.

📍I did enjoy the action and violence of the final stand and the epilogue does a wonderful job of tempting readers to jump straight into the next series, Kingmakers!!

Sophie Lark does it again with a ravishing new addition to her "Brutal Birthright" series!
"Heavy Crown" is filled to the brim with sweltering chemistry and sizzling tension, leaving readers at the edge of their seats throughout the entirety of this dark mafia tale. Once I reached the halfway point of this novel, I came to the realization that "Heavy Crown" just might very well be my favorite novel of Lark's yet. I would recommend this title to readers new to dark romance- for it'll undoubtedly leave them hungry for more.