5 ⭐♾️

Omgg, this was like a mafia Hogwarts, and I loved it!

I loved The Brutal Birthright series and ever since Bloom announced that they would be re- second gen series, I have been holding off on reading until its release, but now, thank you eternally to Sourcebooks Bloom Books for gifting me with an early copy of Year One, because I devoured this!

I'm still so giddy from seeing everyone as parents and settled in their lives; Year One follows Ana Wilk and Leo Gallo; the children of Nessa and Miko Wilk and Sebastian and Yelena Gallo. It also follows Dean Yenin, who Yelena's nephew. This was such a solid start for a new series, and a second generation; from the plot, which is heavily tied to a 20-year feud, but it also doesn't overshadow with the Kingmakers, a place that serves the children of mafia families from around the globe.

Throughout this, I was so torn because on the one hand, I absolutely loved Anna and Leo; childhood friends, to lovers, which I loved. The on page raw emotion from them pulled on my heart strings, but then Dean and Anna were equally intriguing together. I'm such a sucker for the villain getting the girl, even if Dean didn't really care for Anna; in an alternate reality, they would definitely be a great match, although, I'm sure Miko wouldn't be happy about it.

Saying that, I loved Dean, they could never make me hate him, minus of his actions towards the end; he's the most interesting and complex of characters; angry at the world, alone and wants for someone to blame and that someone is Leo. Not that I was rooting for him, but I could understand why he felt so angry, and the last 10% was really something; I cannot wait for Dean's arc redemption in his book to come!

Daddy Miko was everything and more; I could literally read about Miko and Nessa all day; past, present and future, and I fear, it still would never be enough. I just really love when the villain gets the girl.

I'm so excited for Miles and Zoe's book next!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the e-arc, I'm so eternally grateful!

Tropes

Childhood friends to lovers
Dark academia vibes
Mafia romance
College romance
"it's always been you"
Mutual pining

I am so thankful to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I was excited to give Sophie another shot as I’ve only been exposed to her through Anastasia. The fact that this was a Mafia Academy caught my attention and I was excited to dive into this world.

It was curious that the author warns us at the beginning in a forward regarding one of the characters. I wonder if this forward affected my thoughts about the character before I had a chance to meet him. I did like him at the start, but I fell into her warning and halfway through the book hated him with a passion. Granted, he ended up being a truly awful character, but I wish I could have come to that conclusion without outside implications. I think Dean is just a seriously layered character and while I do hate him, I hope he gets past his trauma in later books and becomes a decent man.

I wish that we had more school scenes in the book than we did. It was somewhat lacking in the academy feel but when the tournament started, I was intrigued at each of the challenges. The tournament was predictable and I kinda wish it had a different outcome, as it did come across fan-servicey. Otherwise, each of the challenges were some of my favorite parts.

The relationship between Leo and Anna was a childhood friends to lovers with a bit of “strangers” in the middle. This relationship is the perfect example of “you don’t know what you have till it’s gone” as both of them floundered at losing the other in varying ways. They were truly better together, but they needed to lose each other to realize they needed each other.

This book had some decent character development and the side characters set up future books in the series. Some of the side characters stole the show every time they were on the page and I had a few moments of laughing out loud.

A decent read for a future heirs of Mafia having to work together despite the fact that later in life they will be enemies. Watching them have to put their differences aside was well written and I do hope to see how the school affects them later in life, though we probably won’t.

As Sophie promised at the beginning of the book, I really enjoyed reading this book. There were so many different tropes.. we got enemies to lovers, best friends to lovers, we got found family.
It’s really interesting how I first almost liked Dean and then gradually disliked him more and more.
I loved the illustrations after every chapter it brought the story so much more to life.
I really need to get and read the other books!
I loved Miles from the moment we met him in the story and I can’t wait to get to know him and Zoe in the next one
Also, what is going to happen next with Dean?

okay I LOVED the premise of this one. I really enjoyed the Brutal Birthright series so I was so excited to read the kids stories, and I love the added aspect of the private boarding school while still touching on mafia themes. This had everything you can expect from Sophie like a gripping plot, suspense, spice, and fmcs who bring men to their knees. So excited to read the rest of the books?

“𝐈’𝐦 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐞𝐨. 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧. 𝐖𝐞’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.”

Kingmakers Year One is a friends to lovers mafia college romance following Anna Wilk and Leo Gallo. I absolutely loved the Brutal Birthright Series and I’ve had high hopes for the Kingmakers series as well. I ended up devouring this one and finished it in one sitting. Year One does a perfect job of setting up the rest of the series and introducing new characters that I can’t wait to read more about. I’m especially excited for Mile’s and Dean’s stories. I do wish there was a bit more romance between Anna and Leo but otherwise really enjoyed their dynamic. As always with a Sophie Lark book, the playlist and illustrations are absolutely to die for! 4⭐️

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥:
💙Childhood friends to lovers
💙Triple POV
💙Mafia college romance
💙Love triangle

“𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞.”

“𝐇𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚,” 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐲. “𝐇𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

“𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞’𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬.”
“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨.”

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
Was hoping the dark academia vibes would help me get into the mafia vibe but I was sadly wrong, mafia books just aren’t for me.

I read the Brutal Birthright series before I read Kingmakers: Year One. I actually preferred this book to all of the Brutal Birthright books. I think it was the setting and the friends to lovers trope. I really loved the chemistry between Leo and Anna. I immediately started the second book as soon as I finished this one.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinion expressed are my own.

Thank you Bloom Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was super excited about this book because it was giving Harry potter vibes but for some reason it really didn't excite me. I really gave this book an honest try but I don't think it was for me. The characters are very unhinged and the love triangle plot was honestly not for me. I also think them being 18 years made me not enjoy it as much, I just prefer older povs. Also this book is way too long I am a believer romance books should be less than 400 pages.

This is 100% mafia Harry Potter and i’m here for it. I really enjoyed the plot as well as the characters. I’m a sucker for best friends to loved so I of course loved Leo and Anna immediately. I had high hopes for Dean but he ended up being the worst, little Russian Draco Malfoy. The whole concept of the different mafia families and how they intertwined was cool and I’m definitely pumped to read the next book in the series. This was my first Sophie Lark book and it definitely won’t be my last.

This book was good. It had a great plot that kept me entry to the whole time enough to continue it had good characters with good character development the relationship had good development and it also had a plot that can intertwine between books even with different characters so the series will continue. With all of that said it's not my favorite Sophie Lark book I really enjoyed it it was good but it wasn't my favorite. I'm hoping the next book I enjoy a lot better it might have just been those two characters for me especially being torn between Leo and Dean the whole book but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

4⭐
1🌶️
Tropes: mafia, friends to lovers, dark academia, love triangle, possessive MMC, cinnamon roll MMC, slow burn, forbidden love


Kingmakers: Year One is a dark academia set approximately 20-25 years after the Brutal Birthright series. Its like a darker, more grown up Harry Potter with the love triangle of Twilight and the ruthlessness of Zodiac Academy. It is a triple POV book, focusing on Anna, Leo and Dean.


Anna is quiet and studious, who gives off Goth vibes. She has her mother’s talent for ballet with her father’s ruthless determination and leadership qualities. She is in love with Leo, her lifelong best friend and cousin by marriage.


Leo is cocky and assertive, outgoing and driven. He is determined to win the Quartum Bellum- a set of three tournaments during the school year


Dean is jealous, possessive and brutal, who is also determined with the Quartum Bellum. He is carrying a lifelong hatred for Leo because of the fighting between their two families. Dean also believes this is the cause of his mother’s abandonment and why his father treats him badly. After meeting Anna at Kingmakers, he becomes possessive and obsessed with her, convinced she belongs to him.


Kingmakers is a specialized, isolated college for mafia families which trains their children in 4 different positions within their family. All of the MCs are Heirs, who are the ones expected to become the head of the family. They receive training in all areas of study, as well as leadership. Accountants learn the in and out of finance so they can handle the books. Spies are trained in the art of espionage and Enforcers learn the tricks of the torture trade.


It took me a minute to get into this book. Since it’s the first in a new series, there’s a lot of necessary character and world building that bogged me down but once I got into it I really enjoyed it. The pacing was good, but there were a few times that it jumped forward without me realizing it.


It appears to be an interconnected standalone and you will need to read the stories in order. I feel like I will need to read all 5 books before I can really give an opinion on even the first book but this is a solid start to the series and I can’t wait to read the rest of them!


Thank you to netgalley and Bloom Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.




;

Mafia Hogwarts. This is the best way to describe the start of this series. This is a sequel series following Sophie Lark's Brutal Birthright series characters children. Some of the events of that series, actually seep into this series. All the children of Mafia, Bratva, Yakuza, etc.. get to attend this school to learn the ins and outs of leading the Mafia, or working within one. There is four "factions" you are able to go into. The leadership one being exclusive to those set out to take over their parents. Once at the school, they are to relinquish any connection to the outside world, and dedicate themselves to the learning of the school, and their fellow classmates that year.

This book is also a triple POV. I will not share the 3 characters to eliminate any spoilers. But it was exciting to see there parents be parents, and how amazing that was to see. I can't wait to continue this series, with Year Two when it comes out.

I had to dnf BUT…. Not because it was poorly written. I am just realizing I am very much not a fan of dark romance! But that’s nothing the author did wrong and I think it’s well written anyone who enjoys these kinds of stories would really love it!

I LOVED this book and I cant wait to read the rest of the series ASAP. it really draws you in straight from the start and doesn't let you go

4,5 ⭐️

Am I someone who didn't realize that this series follows the families from Brutal Birthright until I was recognizing names halfway through the prologue? Yep that was me!

Regardless, this is now the second series I am reading by Sophie Lark, who let me say, is quite frankly the ruler of mafia romances. I fell for her stories in BB, and now I'm a sucker for Kingmakers!

If I had to describe this book in a way to make anyone read it, I would says it was a Harry Potter-like Zodiac Academy for children of the mafia. It was absolutely captivating.

Lets start with the characters, I loved that this book was multi-POV (our 3 main characters, Anna, Leo, and Dean), as one viewpoint would not have been enough to capture all the aspects of this story. I know it was supposed to be a "love triangle" of sorts, but I was seriously going back and forth on who I thought Anna would end up with at the end (though I know the series isn't over with this book.....). I was hooked from the very beginning of this book as the writing and story-telling were so well done. I seriously cannot wait to read the rest of this series!!

I cant recommend this book enough when it is re-released August 20th!!

Read this book if you enjoy:
🖤 Dark academia
🖤 Mafia college romance
🖤 Harry Potter/Zodiac Academy vibes
🖤 Friends to lovers
🖤 Love triangle
🖤 First in Series
🖤 Spin off on original series (Brutal Birthright)

Thank you to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOK Bloom Books, and Sophie Lark for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Sophie Lark is absolytely an auto-read / auto-buy author for me. Her breadth of writing across settings, themes, character types, etc is unmatched. Whether getting witchy & halloween-vibes from Grimstone or showing her chops in big business with Minx or the world of art with There Are No Saints duology, or historical fantasy in Anastasia, she really can do it all. My favorites are her spicy fantasy stories and this one lived up to all my hopes & expectations and I highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC gifted in exchange for my honest review.

"Whether it's wrong or right, I'm always going to want you with me."

"Power is not only in what we do but in what we don't do,"

Loved it !! The great thing about this author is that she is able to write dark romance books of different kind (this one’s a mafia romance in a college setting) without me feeling like it’s too much or it’s pushing my boundaries. She writes so beautifully that she makes it look easy and getting through every page is never a bother. Meeting Leo and Anna was wonderful. Their story was of friends to lovers with a dark and a bit twisted love triangle in the middle. Don’t get me wrong, I might have stand for Dean for a while because the friends to lovers trope is not at all my favourite. But I could not not love this young man. Leo is just … good. Simply the perfect puzzle piece for her. Right what she needed and exaclty what she wanted. And at the end of the journey is not about being proud. It is all about being loved. This book was the perfect combination of spice and romance and dark and action. And it felt great! I absolutely read it in one sitting because I genuinely could not put it down. And there might be some surprises in this new republished version of this book that I feel readers will be in love with !!! Something that’s very similar to what we found in Minx!!!

“If Leo is the sun, then I'm the whole expanse of the night sky. And that's where Anna belongs— wrapped up in my arms like the moon goddess she is.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Sophie Lark for the ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Wow, I had so much fun with this book! I alwayyyyys eat up a school setting so mix that with mafia and I am ALL. IN! I always enjoy Sophie’s books but this was especially fun and different.

Let's go to Howarts, but for mafia heirs!

I adored the Brutal Birthright series, so I was very excited to dive into the next generation of mafia leaders in this interconnected mafia world.

Although this book was not a fantasy book, nor was it full of magic, the setting Sophie created felt almost magical. The vibes of the school, the unique classes specific to mafia heirs - all of it. Sophie has written many mafia novels at this point, and I felt like she took this opportunity to really stretch her creativity muscles with this series while still staying true to the mafia romance nature of her books.

I absolutely adored Leo and Anna. Friends-to-lovers is not a typical trope for mafia romance, but Sophie absolutely made it work. I wasn't sure how I was going to like having Dean come in and play Mr. Steal Your Girl, but honestly? I kind of loved him. His character was so interesting to me and I really wanted him to get his happy ending.

I like that as a New Adult book, Sophie leaned more into the angst surrounding these characters.

I found the way this school was structured to be so fun; breaking up students into future heirs, accountants, enforcers, and spies. The challenges were also a fun component of life at this unique school.

Overall, I really enjoyed this next generation of mafia families.

Thank you to NetGalley and Source Books/Bloom Books for the ARC.

ARC Review of Yeary One (Kingmakers #1) by Sophie Lark
* * * * *
A fantastic friends-to-lovers/love-triangle read deep in the ties of the mafia underworld, where revenge boils in the blood and obsession becomes dangerous.

Anna has been in love with Leo for most of her life.
They are friends. They are family.
He's handsome. Joyful. Loyal. Her best friend.
Going to Kingmakers together was something of a dream, even when she knew that would put a target on his back by his owner family, and be in the grasp of his cousin Dean - a young man wanting to end the traitor.
Dean eventually has his sights on Anna, the beautiful blonde dark ballerina. He knows of her feelings for Leo, and he will use that for his own benefit in gaining her affection to lower her guard.
If he cannot kill Leo, he can hurt him by taking Anna.
Leo has loved Anna just as long as she has loved him, but he is now afraid that he may be too late when he's on the edge of losing her.
Deceipt. Bad choices. A deadly sport for gold. Everything will unravel...but will it be too late?

An absolutely great read that has had me race out and buy the first series with the parents' stories!
You are unsure of how it will end, and who Anna will chose: if Leo our exotic lion gains some courage and if Dean the tin man actually find a heart - sadly there is no Wizard at Kingmaker, they the will have to deal with it themselves.
Dean's hatred is one thing, as well as his vendetta involving Anna, but it is interesting to see his feelings morph. Leo is constantly charming and always happy to show off, but becoming a leader is another thing entirely, and something he has needed to adapt to.
The family tree and the artwork was amazing. I loved that it was added!