This was the perfect gothic second-gen book!!
I loved the college setting and , it’s like the modern mafia Hogwarts with all the different games, houses and the hierarchy!
And friends to lovers is my favourite trope so this was truly perfect, especially since Leo is sooo cute

Friends to lovers. Mafia. College.
Leo and Anna were so good together, I did not liked Dean to be honest.
And 3 POV's were a bit much for me, but I still enjoyed the college vibe, the plot etc.

3.5 Stars

Did I love it? No. But did I hate it? Not even close. Like apparently Dean is going to get his own story and I'm like let me at that m-effer. But also, give me the next book right meow.

While I enjoyed the previous serious (the parents of these main characters), I really struggled with this book. It’s incredibly long and the three POVs seemed too much while the love triangle was unnecessary. Unfortunately the escapism I found in the first series wasn’t found here.

3 stars

Ive read her brutal birthright series and enjoyed it but this one wasn't doing it for me. There are fun Easter eggs in this series that connect with the previous books shes written which was fun but overall this one felt more juvenile in terms of the dialogue. I also don't like the virgin trope and think that was a big reason for me not enjoying this book as much.
There were some fun twists and turns and if you wabted a quick and easy read with some spice then this is a great book.

I love me some Sophie lark!! I read her entire brutal birthright series so , the fact that there are Easter eggs and just overall details that interconnect with all the other series is killing me , I knocked this book out quickly , the writing style and just the teen hormonal energy, violent angst and the mystery that leaves you at the edge of your seat in sending me . The twists and turns of the book and the dark secrets that leave you more perplexed as you continue ..I can’t wait for the rest of the books to drop !

UPDATING REVIEW AFTER REREAD:

STORY LOVES
♥️♥️♥️♥️
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SPICE
🌶️ mild
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RECOMMEND
💳 yes
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Kingmaker Year 1 (The Heir) is a great book & series to introduce readers to the mafia world, but from the next generation perspective.

The rerelease of Kingmaker Year 1 includes the greatest character & scene art. I read on my iPad, so I got to see the art in color.

If you enjoy mafia lite, friends-to-lovers, next generation, college romance, then I think you’ll enjoy this book as well

The Kingmakers is the next generation of the Brutal Birthright series.

Leo Gallo is the son of Sebastian & Yelena. Anna is the daughter of Mikolaj and Nessa's.

Kingsmakers is the college mafia families send their children to learn to excel and survive the mafia world.

Read the Brutal Birthright series first to fully grasp the backstory.

Sophie Lark does a great job with her mafia stories. Give it a read and enjoy.

If Sophie Lark writes it, I am reading it! This book kicks off the Kingmakers series and which takes place at a school for mafia families - so immediately we know this isn’t your average school! The school is preparing the next generation of mafia leaders.

I am really excited to see where this series goes - so far it is angsty slow burn with a little friends to lovers added in - but with all of the different characters and divisions, there are still more stories to tell!

I’ve read Sophie Lark before and expected this to be spicier than it was. It was also longer than it needed to be, too juvenile, and I was getting bored at points. I think the love triangle and virgin tropes just aren’t for me. I’d probably only recommend to fans of dark romance who are in their early twenties.

✨ Publication date: May 8, 2024✨

Kingmakers is the spin-off series to Sophie Lark’s Brutal Birthright series (one of my all time faves). Kingmakers focuses on Leo the son of Sebastian & Jelena and Anna the daughter of Nessa & Miko.

Kingmakers is an exclusive school only for the heirs of the greatest mafia families around the world. This isn’t just regular school though, the curriculum is centred around all things mafia: spies, accountants, torture measures. Everything an heir would need to successfully take over the empire one day.

Leo is excited for Kingmakers. Heading there with his best friend Anna and getting ready to learn all he needs to take over from his father one day.

Anna can’t wait for Kingmakers either. Her and Leo have grown up together but something has changed in the last little while. Anna is excited to explore these feelings outside of her parents prying eyes and she’s also out to prove she has what it takes to be a female heir.

Leo’s cousin Dean who he’s never met on his mom’s side is also at Kingmakers. The hatred runs deep between the two families and things get even worse when Leo inadvertently pushes Anna away and into Deans arms.

As Dean and Leo continues to battle for head of the class, Anna can’t fight her feelings for Leo even though she’s promised to govern Dean a chance. Will Anna and Leo become the ultimate Mafia couple or will Dean finally one up the Gallos.

This was a good book! It was much angstier than the Brutal Birthright series which makes sense as this is the children from the original. There is still lots of steam but you have to deal with more miscommunication etc. This is a 4 star read for me.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #sophielark #kingmakers

I don’t read many friends to lovers but I enjoyed Anna and Leo’s story and being introduced to the Kingmakers school. I will for sure be continuing the series.

DNFing at 42%

I'm so disappointed in this story. The idea of a mafia college was such a cool premise with all my fave characters kids but the execution was not for me. At 42%, there was basically no romance to be had. I couldn't even call it a slow burn because NOTHING was burning. I was really interested in Anna and Dean but Leo was kinda meh. I honestly didn't care about him or his POV. Maybe I'll try to go back one day? But that's a lot of pages for very little plot and romance happening.

Thank you to the Bloom Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Year One kicks off the Kingmakers series, set in mafia college academia. The children of prominent mafia families from around the globe attend this school. Some characters are the children of characters from the author's Brutal Birthright series. I found the concept of this book intriguing and the story engaging. My one gripe is Dean's perspective and his personality. I'm guessing there's a reason for his POV in future books, but he wasn't very likable, especially with his pushy and disrespectful behavior towards Anna. He just didn't sit well with me. Also, there are a lot of characters in this book, making it tough to keep track of them all. However, I did enjoy Anna and Leo, and I think it's a solid start to the series.

✨ARC Review✨

Sooo, when I requested this, I didn’t know it was a next gen series of a previous series I hadn’t read. It took me a hot minute to get through the prologue because it was chock full of characters from that previous series. Once that was done though, I sailed through basically in one sitting.

The characters are engaging, the story compelling, the location epic.

We have the new adult children of mafia families attending a college of sorts to learn how to be great mafia members. This first book concentrates on three “heirs”: Anna, Leo, and Dean/Dmitry.

Anna and Leo are besties and cousins (?). Listen, Sophie tries to explain how they aren’t blood-related cousins, but I can’t wrap my head around it. I even had my coworker read the explanation and we’re both still of the mind that these two are actually cousins. If you can explain it to me like I’m a toddler, feel free. Obviously, we’re in Romancelandia and it didn’t bother me even if they are related.

Kingmakers, the school for mafia elite, is amazing. I’d love to take some of these classes. Poison detecting? There are four divisions within the school: Heirs, Enforcers, Accountants, and Spies. Y’all, I love spy stuff so much, I cannot wait to get to the spy character’s book.

Ok, back to the romance part: This is a slow burn, but these cousins(!) do eventually ignite. But only after a dastardly villain tries to keep them apart by nefarious means. And I’m also crazy excited to read his story too.

I enjoyed the hell out of this book. And definitely plan to read the rest of this series and probably the one about their parents.

I received this eARC via #netgalley and @read_bloom. All thoughts are mine alone.

#romancebooks #romance #newadultromance #contemporaryromance #kingmakers #sophielark

For fans of:
- Cora Reilley
- Sophie Lark

We revisit the world of Sophie Lark's "Brutal Birthright" Series as we follow the children of the series' protagonists through their own macabre adventures. "Kingmakers: Year One" focuses on Leo and Anna, close family friends and longtime best friends, as they embark on their first year at Kingmakers - an elite university where the world's most cutthroat gangs send their children to train. Under the pressure of their environment and with new adversaries, Anna and Leo discover what it means to grow up and how easy it is to lose yourself (or the ones you love) along the way,

This book includes:
- training at an elite university
- complex family dynamics
- generational traumas
- childhood friends to lovers/best friends to lovers
- love triangle
- intense rivalries that span decades
- 3 POVS

The concept of a university dedicated to classes on how to run a gang is silly. Yet, the silliness does nothing to take away from the enjoyment of this mafia romance. You can picture it as adult Harry Potter with guns and angst. This book is a fun, casual read that can be finished in a few days. I really enjoyed Anna's character, She was capable and determined without falling into "strong FMC" tropes that are often overdone. All fans of NA mafia romance will enjoy this one,

I received this eBook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Bloom Books, and Sophie Lark for the opportunity to review this book. This review is also available on my Goodreads; check it out https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863-gigi

Love the updated covers! Mafia college setting was so much fun, my favorite part about this story. It's definitely dark. Love the juicy drama. I love seeing a continuation with the children of previous characters I loved so much. As always, her writing is just so bingeable. Super excited for the rest of the series.

This was a fantastic story. It's my official first mafia romance and I Loved it. Sophie Lark can write! I can't wait until Year Two comes out. This book follows the children of mafia families. They go to a special college. There they learn how to run mafia empires. It took a little bit to get into the story, but once I did, it took off. I couldn't put it down. Definitely recommend this one.

After reading the Brutal Birthright series, was very excited to get the next gen's stories, especially as the mafia families have blended. There are still old feuds that are unresolved and obviously with paving the way for the new generation new feuds and turmoil are bound to arise. With the babies (well some of them) being all grown up it's time for them to go off to college and not just any college, but one strictly for the world's mafia families. This out to be interesting, to say the least. Classes are history of the mafia, math is how to launder money, science is bomb making, PE is marksmanship, combat, and more...you know real-world skills for the criminal elite. Not only is learning about the school Kingmakers wild and interesting, but our fist story we follow Anna, Leo, and Dean with not only unsettled familial grudge between Leo and Dean, but a blossoming love triangle. Will the childhood friends and forced proximity cousins (not actually related) Leo and Anna finally cross the line and become more than friends or will Anna fall for the mysterious and equally dark Dean? Choices must be made year one at Kingmakers and those choices and alliance will probably set things into motion for the rest of their time there.

Can't wait to see how the rest of this series unfolds, there are other characters I am dying to know more about and definitely some things plot wise happening in the background and I am suspicious of.

Kingmakers: Year One is another captivating read from Sophie Lark, set in the same universe as her Brutal Birthright series. This mafia romance follows the next generation, offering a perfect blend of drama, intrigue, and romance. I especially enjoyed seeing familiar faces from the past books while diving into Leo and Anna’s story.

Leo's determination and immediate devotion to Anna were a standout for me—I love when the male lead falls first and fast. Anna was smart and had a distinctive style, though her goal at the mafia school didn’t quite align with her leadership qualities. Even so, I loved their slow-burn romance, and despite friends-to-lovers not being my usual favorite trope, it worked really well here.

The concept of the mafia school felt a bit difficult to fully embrace at first, but the strong character development and relationship dynamics made it worthwhile. I'm excited to continue the series, hoping the setting will grow on me.

I received an ebook through NetGalley, and this review reflects my honest opinion.

Sophie Lark is one of my favorite authors. The tension in this book didn't hit quite as hard as some of her other books, but it was still a great read and I still recommend for any Sophie Lark fans!