It Kills Me is my first mafia romance book. I feel like it’s a good gateway read for those looking to get into the mafia romance genre since it’s more heavily focused on the romance with the mafia being in the background. However, I will say, I wanted the mafia element to be a bigger focus in the book. Given this is part of a series, I’m hoping it will become more prominent in the next installment. Scarlett and Axel had sizzling chemistry with great banter. The spice was incredibly well done. Although the primary focus of the plot was the relationship between Scarlett and Axel, I’m hoping to get further into Scarlett’s backstory and her involvement with the family business. Despite what Scarlett’s father told her of how things went down with her mother, I believe there’s a lot more to the story that we aren’t being told. I’m also team Axel in his take on Scarlett’s role in her father’s business and his succession plans. Something is suspect, and I want to know more. I think that’s my general feel with this book - I want more - more information, more mafia, more intensity. That’s not to say it wasn’t an enjoyable read. In fact I quite enjoyed it and found it to be an easy story to listen and follow. I also enjoyed the narrators and how they brought Scarlett and Axel’s chemistry to life. The one critique I had for the narration is that I felt more emotion could’ve been injected in their performance at times. Overall, though, I don’t believe it took away from my enjoyment of the book.

3.5 stars

What’s it about?

Mobster boss, Dante, has a sexy 20 year old daughter, Scarlet (who is also is sole heir) and doesn’t think anyone is good enough for her, especially not Axel, his new business partner.

But the two have wild chemistry and are soon meeting up behind Dante’s back for steamy nights together.

My thoughts:

Excellent chemistry and steam between Axel and Scarlet. I love how she loves him for who he is, all the good and the ugly. I love how Axel takes care of her. His back story is sad, but interesting.

There were a lot of parts to this story that were unclear for me. For instance, I never understood why Dante needed Axel as a business partner, nor what either man actually did for “work” besides have clandestine meetings about money.

And the cliffhanger ending was rough.

Over all, a quick, fun, steamy read. It just needed a little more depth.

Immersed in the audiobook experience, the characters came to life through the narration, their emotions and struggles vividly portrayed. The forbidden romance and its intense emotions captivated me throughout the story, keeping me eagerly listening.

The pacing of the narration was spot-on, maintaining my engagement and leaving me eager to uncover the next twist. Each plot development added to the suspense, heightening the excitement of the narrative.

As the audiobook drew to a close, the cliffhanger ending left me hanging, craving resolution and eagerly anticipating the sequel.

The audiobook was a thrilling journey, seamlessly blending skilled narration with a gripping storyline. It kept me hooked from start to finish, and I can't wait to continue the adventure with the sequel.

Wow. Just wow.

So, first thing, I didn't realize this was part of a series. So, go in prepared. I desperately need to go read the rest of this series.

This has several layers to it. At first, it seemed like a typical bad boy falls hard for the girl, but then there are several more layers to it. I can't wait to see what happens with her father.

I really did like Axel in the second half of the book. As stated above, in the first half, he was crude and obnoxious but became more of a well-rounded character by the end. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series. I recommend this!

4 stars!

"It Kills Me" by Penelope Sky is one of the first mafia forbidden/dark romances I have read, and I really enjoyed it! I think audiobook narrators Ramona Master and Michael Ferraiuolo truly bring the characters of Scarlet and Axel to life in a big way. I *love* Ramona Master, and she is one of my favorite working narrators. She can truly do no wrong. I found myself immersed in the story of these characters and the drama that follows them in their seedy underworld of crime. Scarlet works for her father, who is a mafia boss. She believes she is going to take over the family business at some point, so she's learning the tricks of the trade, starting with the books. Her father recently hired Axel, who is instantly drawn to Scarlet even though her father forbids them from seeing each other. Their chemistry is undeniable and teeming, and their connection is sizzling. Their passion for one another is clearly more than just s3xual in nature. There are real feelings there between the two of them, not that they can ever be public or out of the shadows. There is A LOT of spice in this book, so much so that it becomes wholly consuming of any other plot points. Still, there are a few genuine, tender moments between Axel and Scarlet here, enough to keep readers interested past their more intimate moments. The tension while they sneak around feels palpable, like the stakes are high for both of them. I have a hunch everything is going to be doubled in the rest of the series: more tension, more stakes, more spice, more drama, more crime. "It Kills Me" ends on a cliffhanger, so be aware of that before reading!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penelope Sky, and Dreamscape Media for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Five stars are not enough and Axel will become an instant favorite male character of all time!! This forbidden romance involves not only the daughter of a drug lord but the man who has been told to never touch her. But Scarlet and Axel cannot stay away from each other. Just wait until you see what her father does when he finds out they are together. And that ending will leave you wanting more. Outstanding!!

I love the whole mafia boss's daughter enters secret relationship vibe, but this was not it. I was really intrigued at first, but there were so many spicy filler scenes that it was annoying. To add to this annoyance, right when the plot thickens, the book abruptly ends. It isn't really even qualified as a cliffhanger. It literally ends in the middle of the story, which to me feels like a cash grab for the next book or set of books. Don't waste your time on this one.

First off, thanks so much to NetGalley, author Penelope Sky, and publisher Dreamscape Media for free access to this audiobook.

Wow. This book was hot, but also complicated, frustrating, tense, cute, and so much more. I literally gasped out loud when the female main character made a bold move on the male main character. I laughed at some of the sweeter moments. And I groaned when it ended on a big question mark that left me needing to know what will happen next. The cover may look like this book is all smut without substance, but don’t let it fool you. There is definitely plot, and complex relationships between many of the characters. It has tension. The dual POV writing leaves you, the reader, knowing things that snakes you want to shout out at the FMC to open her eyes. It was a captivating read that I really enjoyed. I will definitely be reading the next in the series, as I simply must know what comes next.

The audiobook narration was well done. It used different voice actors for each of the two POVs, which made it easy to keep track of whose eyes the story was being told through. Both voices fit the characters and the story well.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. The narration on this audiobook was not my favorite so it kind of set the tune. Man this one was hard to listen to. The main male character came on way too strong and crass for my liking that it felt super cringe. Could not finish it unfortunately

Narrated by Ramona Master; Michael Ferraiuolo
forbidden dark romance
crime boss’s daughter
young business partner
Cliffhanger
This story is a fastpaced, forbidden romance that is captivating, and intriguing from start to finish throughout this addictive page-turner. It’s written about Axel (Alexander Moreau) and Scarlett’s love story.

Scarlett is an only child. She is being primed to take over the family business. Scarlett loves her father, and her father has taught her one rule, “Keep your personal life separate from your professional life”.

Axel is an expert distributor, and he is a business partner with Dante. Axel is an enigma of a man who is very handsome, sexy, arrogant, dominant, possessive, obsessive, and he gets the job done.

Axel set his sights on the daughter of the crime boss
Scarlett. Axel saw the opportunity to capture her attention and Sparks fly and ignite when Axel and Scarlett’s attraction to each other is so intense, but the chemistry like the one they have can’t be denied her father won’t be happy when he discovers that she is mixing business with pleasure. Everything about them seemed too good to be true, but none of that mattered until a situation turns Axel’s life upside down. Then the cliffhanger was too good, your heart just breaks right along with Scarlett's even though you read about the truth.

Im definitely reading book 2!

Scarlett it's daughter to a kingpin and is being groomed to one day take over his empire. He doesn't show her the scary side to the business, but he has her do all the numbers. One rule her father had: Don't ever mix business with pleasure. This was never a problem. Especially since she was in a relationship with Ryan. But her father's new business partner Axel swags in 6ft 4, built like a brick house and ridiculously handsome and maybe... what if she could? Even for one night?

I did this through audio and I absolutely loved it. The dual pov by two actors really set the scene. It was done so well and written so well that I was completely in the story from the start.

It's hardly a secret I love a mafia romance and this was a good one! I only wanted to see more of the business side but I have a feeling that will be a main focus in the next book in the series and I'm so here for it.

🩶

"What do you think his next move will be?"
"I think I know exactly what it's going to be. And he's going to regret the day he crossed me."

"Look at you, you think a one night stand would be enough? I knew the first time would be a hit and then I'd need another and another. Now I'm a full blown addict."

The tension between duty and desire drives the narrative forward as the protagonist grapples with the consequences of their forbidden romance. With the threat of career ruin and even danger looming overhead, every stolen moment becomes a risk they're willing to take for love.

It Kills Me
By Penelope Sky
4 ⭐️
Narrated by Ramona Master; Michael Ferraiuolo

This is my first mafia romance read. I am however very familiar with mafia documentaries (my partner’s deep love of learning about gangs and organized crime to thank). My assumption is this is mafia-light for the genre as it has far more emphasis on the romance and smut. This was a fast and amusing read. MCs chemistry is easily felt, and I loved their banter.

The narration was good as a whole. I did think the female lead’s persona provided by the narration was a bit off; the way she was voiced made her seem more flippant than her character truly was. Not a huge deal; however, I did think it several times throughout the listen.

This is the first book of the Betrayal series; I’m on the look out for book 2’s audiobook. The ebook/print books are already available for books 1-3 as of 4-22-24.

Audiobook ARC: thank you NetGalley, Penelope Sky, and Dreamscape media

It ends on a cliffhanger! will be reading book two because I need to know how the story ends. It's labeled as a dark romance but I feel like it was a little tame, not too much dark topics going on.

Scarlett & Axel get 3.5 stars

This book came out swinging. We are introduced to Axel almost immediately and wastes no time to se the tone. That tone being that he wants Scarlett and is willing to do whatever it takes to get her.

This book gives major insta lust/love vibes. Axel is a playboy and the second Scarlett stops resisting him and changes her tune, he drops all his other girls and is entirely focused and committed to her.

I appreciate how smart Scarlett is. She has a good head on her shoulders and although she is definitely naive to who her father truly is due to his manipulations, I like that she isn't as naive as they think she is.

Because this is such a quick read/listen their relationship develops quickly. It's fast paced and leads with their mutual sexual attraction, but quickly develops into more. There is something enticing about the secrecy of it all, except they don't really do much different to dissuade her father from believing they are together.

I loved how deep we got to get with Axel so quickly. It was heartbreaking to see his reaction to Scarlett believing his side of the story in relation to his past - also the way he was so torn up about his father's reaction to him near the end. His character arc was fantastic.

Given this ended on a bit of a cliffhanger that was a "third act break up" my heart hurts for Scarlett, but I hope she is able to keep her head and use her logic through what is to come for her. I can't wait to see how her character arc develops.

The narration by Ramona Master and Michael Ferraiuolo was well executed. Michael in particular really brough Axel's character to life in my mind.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

Tropes:
- mafia boss x different mafia boss' daughter
- workplace romance
- forbidden romance
- insta lust
- possessive MCs
- good guy with a bad guy reputation

This was my first book by Penelope Sky and I will definitely be reading the next one immediately. I loved Axel's character and how he knew exactly what he wanted (specifically Scarlett).

I did feel that Scarlett was a little naïve for growing up with a drug dealing kingpin as her father. She seemed to know that her dad was a bad guy but also didn't think he was capable of doing bad things. I also did not understand why she told the guys that she was dating (even the hinge date she went out with once) that he dad was a drug dealer.... that's usually something you are going to keep quiet so that no one gets arrested. For these reasons, I took one star away. I am hoping that Scarlett gets more of a backbone against her father in the next book, as it seemed she was staring to at the end of this book.

Audio - I listed to the audiobook of this from Netgalley. I think that both narrators did a good job but would've liked Axel's narration to be a bit rougher sounding.