What a book. Everything Sophie writes is a guarantee of success and this book is no exception. I loved the pictures and the family trees of all the families. It is a very nice edition.

Loved all the characters, I imagined the castle perfect with a touch of Hogwarts but mafia.

Leo Gallo is the best friend every girl would want to have and I loved the relationship with Anna, and it left me totally hooked on Dean. I can't wait to read the next ones.

Dark Academia meets Mafia Romance? Sign me up. I loved this setting and plot. I am a sucker for a competition trope! I can't wait to read the rest of this series.

I read this awhile ago and loved it so excited for Sophie to get trad published and re reading this awesome series!

I’ve read it a while ago and i liked it but unfortunately it couldn’t keep up with her other books. I liked the characters but the story itself just wasn’t it. But i like her writing.

4.5 stars

“I told myself if I ever got you back, I would never let you go.”

“I’m yours… I’ve always been yours.”

Sophie Lark’s Kingmakers: Year One is an enthralling entrance to her Kingmakers series. It’s a friends-to-lovers feast with just a hint of a love triangle that isn’t ever really a love triangle. (Much to my utter delight.)

When Leo Gallo gives up his full-ride basketball scholarship to attend the exclusive mafioso Kingmakers college with his best friend, Anna Wilk, he’s convinced that the experience will only bring them closer together. After all, they are both mafia heirs, eventually intended to fill their fathers’ shoes and lead their families. Dean Yenin is also an heir, and Leo’s estranged cousin. Raised to hate the Gallo family and all they represent, Dean will push Leo to his limits, threatening Leo’s very life. And though Anna is no shrinking violet, she’ll become central to Dean’s plan of destruction.

As with her previous works, Lark takes the reader on a deliciously decadent journey through compelling characters and a wholly captivating narrative arc. The world building in this book is fantastic and sets up the remainder of the series quite nicely. Though this is really Leo and Anna’s story, and selfishly I would have loved for them to have more moments together, Dean’s presence and POV are vital to establish his character in preparation for his book, Kingmakers: Year Three. And even though the characters are young, their actions feel authentic in the context, and holy wow is there a healthy dose of steam. Lark is the queen of all the steam, and I’m not mad about any of it.

If you’re looking for a mafia series that is fresh and inventive, Kingmakers: Year One is for you. And if you’re new to the genre, this is an excellent place to start.