e-Arc:
Rating: 3/5
Spice: 2/5

Summary:
Leo and Anna are childhood friends, raised with very close families who also happen to be mafia bosses. They're about to head off to Kingmakers, which is essentially college where you major in mafia 101. There are four categories you can be divided into: the spies, the accountants, the enforcers, and the heirs. The last group is where Leo and Anna are placed, along with other heirs to mafias around the world. One of these heirs is none other than Dean, who belongs to the Russian bratva.
Leo and Dean are technically cousins as their parents are siblings, but there has been a large feud when Leo's mom (Dean's aunt) left Russia to marry Leo's dad. Some very bad things happened, so there's no love lost between the two of them.

With the family feud, growing romances, school stress, and the year long competition between grades, the Quartum Bellum (which the freshmen have never won) tensions run high and dangerous things are coming their way...

Review:
Overall, this was a decent book. I wasn't the biggest fan of the writing style, which is part of why the I ranked it the way I did. Parts of the plot seemed messy and unnecessary. It was very slow to start, and I struggled getting myself to read it (had to start several times) but then seemed rushed at the end. It could have been spaced out better. I did enjoy the writing about the competition, I think she definitely could have leaned into that aspect way more. I also would have loved to see more of Miles and Zoe (the next book is about them) as I have no attachment drawing me in to read any further. I don't think I will be continuing this series, but it was still an OK read.

3.5 rounded up. I enjoyed this but I also wasn't fully taken with it. It gave mafia Harry Potter vibes, which I didn't at all hate. It was easy reading but something just didn't quite click for me. I'd like to keep going with the series though and would to see how the next one goes. Thank you so much for this ARC opportunity, gave me a few entertaining evenings!

3 -⭐⭐⭐


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

Year One: Kingmakers is the first novel in the new adult dark contemporary mafia romance series, Kingmakers, which is a spin off series to the Brutal Birthright series as it follows the children of these characters. In this we follow Leo (son of Sebastian and Yelena) and Anna (daughter of Ness and Mikolaj). Leo and Anna have been fast friends all their lives and together they take on the next big adventure, Kingmakers, a college solely from children of mafia families to build the skills they need to rule the underbelly. While tension rises between Leo and Anna over the idea of more, Leo is confronted by his cousin Deon, who is out for blood. Deon sees Anna and realizes he wants her and he will do anything to have her...

I have mixed feelings about this book.

On one hand I love the relationship of Leo and Anna. They have such banter, connection, and love. Leo is a stubborn and fierce character but he does have a quick trigger. He acts before he thinks but when he loves he loves fiercely. Anna is fierce as well but I felt she was a slow burn. When she finally gets angry she is fuming. I felt she struggled with voicing herself at times.

The world and characters also interested me from the cameos of the Brutal Birthright characters to the mafia underworld we got to investigate and connect with as we met more lineage.

On the other hand, the story gave off a very Vampire Diaries dramatic feel and it was not my thing. The immediate aggression between Leon and Deon over their family feud, Deon's need to take Anna's virginity to ensure she loves him, and more just had me struggling. I felt Deon was done dirty in this scenario because I understood where he was coming from with his background and I feel he will get a redemption arc but in this book he's made into a bit of a creepy character.

This book does contain spice - I would say 2.5 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. The spice for a good chunk of the novel is more rounding of bases than the full home run BUT it does contain elements of dubious consent so it doesn't feel good reading. The amazing spice was around the 80% mark where the love and passion between the two main characters was evident and I enjoyed that. There are at least twice full spicy moments between them and one that contains dominance and toys. The spice is explicit and very detailed.

Overall, I felt the ways in which the rivalry took place and used the character's relationships to toy with them meant I got less time enjoying the parts I did. I felt if the characters were more open to communicate a lot of the issues between ALL characters would have been resolved.

I will continue to read this series as I enjoy Sophie Lark's writing.

Thank you to Bloom for this arc!

I was a little nervous about this book being new adult as I'm quite a bit older, but I read and loved her adult mafia Brutal Birthright series so I wanted to try this. This is the next generation of the characters I loved, all going to a college for mafia heirs. There are challenges, games, different houses, kinda like another series we know and love 😉. This book centers on Leo Gallo as a friends to lovers trope with his friend Anna. The book was a lot of setup for the rest of the series, a love triangle where I was actually hoping for something to happen with Dean until... well, no spoilers! I'm just hoping he gets better by his own book. I wish the romance had happened before the last 20% of the book but overall i really enjoyed this book.
Thanks to Bloom Books through Netgalley for the advance copy of this book. The opinions in this review are my own and given voluntarily.

Sophie Lark is my favorite mafia writer and no one can change my mind!

I loved getting to see the second generation of the Gallos, Yennins, Griffins, and everyone else. The prologue being a whole family scene honestly made me tear up. I was so happy to come back into their world.

The DRAMA was SO GOOD! I'm not normally a love triangle girl, but Sophie stood out with this one! I truly was not bored for a second during this book and binged the whole thing! All the side characters coming in and out really helped move the plot and romance along in the best way.

The friendships that came out of the first year at Kingmakers made me really excited for the rest of the series. I can't wait to see what's next! Thankful for the ARC on netgalley from Bloom!

Was eerily similar to Harry Potter the one where they have the games, I’ve only read book 3 of HP, but with mafia kids. It was difficult to make the separation between HP and this book. Only until the last 30% did I start to get interested in the story, as there was the most action happening. The first 70% was a long world building. Has 3 POVs, but the issue for me was the POVs were all very similar in tone, I had to go to the beginning of the chapter to see whose POV I was reading.

Wading into the second generation of the Brutal Birthright series, I was excited for a new setting, new characters, and new stories. What I wasn't ready for was the 3 POVs this book switched through. I didn't like the extra POV from Dean in this book. It made the story feel clunky. We follow Leo and Anna through their first year at Kingmakers Academy. I like the expansion into other mafia families throughout the world. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book to see how Zoe breaks her engagement to Rocco. As with Sophie's last series, I found the series very easy to get through and enjoyed my read, minus the clunkiness. The year-long competition was a fun plot point that added some fun every so often. Leo was cocky but got his reality check and grew as a person. Anna was dark and solitary but I really enjoyed her making friends with Chay and Zoe. I'm giving it a 3.5 overall.

Basically a mafia Harry Potter, and I'm not mad about it. A very easy read (which I like), with decent twists and turns. The start felt very boring and it took me a while to get into the story/get attached to the characters, but once I was hooked, I flew through this book. Since reading the Sinners duet, I've really missed Sophie Lark's writing.

I HATED Dean which is a sign of great writing. I sympathise with him during his POV chapters, but I can't wait to see what direction the rest of the series will take him.

I can't wait to start book 2 and read Miles and Zoe's story! Sophie did a great job in building anticipation for the next one. I really enjoyed all the snippets we've had of Zoe so far.

Holy smokes. I read this in one single freaking day! I was instantly hooked! I need the others ASAP!

I read this when it first came out and I love the makeover it’s truly chefs kiss !! So excited for other people to read it

Like Hogwarts but dark and with mafia families. Unfortunately, I had a difficult time keeping up with all the characters and the familial lines at the beginning. It did get better when the characters started to attend the Kingmaker Academy. The story has three POV's Leo, Anna and Dean. The book has a love triangle which is my least favorite trope. I did enjoy the forbidden love, rivalry, and the artwork. Overall, I was quite disappointed with this book, and I typically love Sophie Lark's work.

This is the second time I have read this book. I don’t read many mafia books but this one is one of the best ones I have read so far.


I do highly recommend .

Booktok has had me wanting to read a Sophie Lark book for a while, so I greatly appreciate having the opportunity to start this series. To be honest I expected it to be much darker, but I am certainly pleased it wasn’t. It’s a solid new adult college mafia romance. Multi POV, academia vibes, just dark enough to not be traumatizing, believable world building, perfect love them or hate them character building. As this is a 5 book series it makes sense that not much happens plotwise until nearly halfway, then it became more engaging & exciting with the events/trials of the Quartum Bellum & finally a good dose of spice. A lot of care was taken with this book, from the playlist of songs to play during certain parts of the book & the character art. I’m keen to see what kind of character development happens with the cast over the next 4 novels.

Dark Academia meets mafia college!! This was such a fun book and if you enjoy dark academia romance filled with students from mafia families, this is for you. The story follows Leo and Anna, two childhood friends who navigate a love triangle with Dean, the Bratva heir with a vendetta. It's a fun book but definitely has a new adult feel to it and is a good intro for anyone who enjoys dark romance and mafia romances. This is the first book in the series and I can't wait to read the rest of the books!

Release Date: August 20,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books | Bloom Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the ARC

Sophie Lark can't do mafia wrong. It was unusual with school setting for a mafia romance, but I really enjoyed it! The characters were unlikable, but I still liked them? Dark and delicious. Really recommend if you're looking for a new mafia romance!

Only Sophie Lark could make me hate one the principal characters and take four stars out of me. And don’t make me talk about my last obsession Dean Yenin, im sighing in this moment just thinking about how much I loved his chapters have me sighing. He is the kind of character I fall for, so morally grey they bleed dark and I’m dying to read his book and how he will find a path and love.
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If you have ever imagined going to a school like Hogwarts but magic is not something that calls to you and instead you prefer classes on espionage, torture, martial arts, history of mafia families in the world and how to lead an illegal organization and then add the sons and daughters of the most powerful families in the world, we have a book that is impossible to put down.
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After they finish high school and receive their acceptance letter, each family says goodbye to their sons at the airport in their city and from there they are alone until they reach school on a difficult-to-access island in the Mediterranean.
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Everyone has a different goal, Anna Wilk wants to prepare to take command of the empire that her father built in Chicago, for Dean Yenin Kingsmaker it is just one step more to make a name for himself and rise to the top of the organization his father works for in Moscow, while that Leo Gallo wants to show everyone that he is the best without separating himself from his best friend Anna.
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Of course there are rules to avoid revenge and unexpected deaths, but with old family vendettas and the desire to prove oneself, school is a battlefield and no new flames of love or even life long friendship is fireproof
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There are steamy scenes, there are very controversial things and the trigger warnings can give you an idea about it but again, I wasn’t determined to read it because of Dean's actions and opinions in some reviews but I ended up loving him, also Anna a little but that’s because Sophie Lark really knows how to write good characters and the setting around them is cheff kiss, I can imagine this series as a television show or a cult movie everyone want to re watch.
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Thanks to Sophie Lark and SourceBooks Bloom for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange of my honest and voluntary opinion

Oh gosh, I just know this whole series will be soooooo good!

Read if you like:
Mafia/dark romance
Love triangle
Friends to lovers
3 POVs
Suspense

I really enjoyed Brutal Birthright (proof is I actually finished that series, yay me!), so to say I was looking forward to seeing these kids stories is an understatement! I've been told great things about Kingmakers but it still surprised me! It is so different from the first series but still so freaking amazing.

I love that the story is happening in a school with all these people we are already starting to like/hate. You get lots of meddling and stressful things happening, tension, steamy scenes and all. The love story was definitely not the only focus in that book, a lot was happening and I was always captivated by each chapter.

The relationship between Leo and Anna was really cute and nice to see evolve, loved it from the start. They had their ups and downs, and it was hard to see them so sad at times, but it kept things interesting for sure. I have to admit that the fact I kinda like Dean already probably helped, haha, I was always happy to get to his point of view. (This was such a surprise to get 3 POVs, I was definitely a fan of that, and I'm really excited for Dean's book that is for sure.)

Getting to see the previous characters (now parents) in this series is of course such a delight (Miko was killing me, I love him). So yeah, I feel like it will be an easy series to enjoy for me and I'm excited for the next book already!

Thanks to Bloom Books and Netgalley for my eARC. All opinions are my own.

3 POV's, Spicy, Dark Romance, Friends to Lovers, It Was Always You, Mutual Pining, She Falls First

The angst and yearning in this book are so deeply moving but I could not get past the way Leo and Anna just refuse to be open and talk to each other. One moment completely fractures their friendship and both remain stubborn and unwilling to speak to the other for a good portion of the book. Dean is manipulative and conniving and I cannot wait to get to his book.

I have very mix feelings about this book. I struggled a little with this book. I think part of it is that it felt redundant in the beginning, as it rehashing a lot of the family background we already know if we have read the first series. And that made it harder for me to get into the story because of that. It wasn't hooking me.
Now I have to say the 3 POVs also made it a little harder for me really into the story. I'm never the biggest fan of multiple POVs, and usually prefer one or two, and I could have gone without Dean's POV. I get why for the series' sake it was there, but I didn't feel like I needed it as much for Leo and Anna's story.
Now, for the romance part, I was hoping to see them more fall in love, to see that friendship bloom into romance, instead of having them both pretty much already there, just not yet in a place to tell the other. Then instead it became a love triangle, with Anna going for that hates Leo AND HER FAMILY (and whose dad tried to kill her aunts and uncle?) I guess it was just my expectation that were not where they should have been with this book.
I'm still curious to see what the next book will bring, because I feel like a lot of the things I didn't enjoy about this book were really specific to this one (and I've enjoyed her other series). And I still think it is an interesting concept with the mafia school and all. So Hopefully, Year Two will be more up my taste.

4.5 stars! I definitely did not read the description of this because it was not what I expected (romantasy) but wow did I still love it!! I loved the multi POV, and I loved the creativity of this universe! I cannot wait for future books.

My biggest dislike - the fan art. not exactly how i pictured the characters and kinda gave me the ick.