Thank you Netgally and Bloom for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This didn't quite meet my expectations. I was really drawn to the concept of a mafia world with a college for mafia kids and heirs, which sounded like a lot of fun, and the setting itself was definitely exciting. However, the romance fell flat for me, even though I usually love a good friends-to-lovers story. Anna and Leo just didn’t have any chemistry. Honestly, I was more interested in seeing Anna end up with Dean, our third POV character, until his involvement with the date rape drug came to light. The romance didn't really take off until around 80% into the book, and by then, I was already checked out.

Kingmakers: Year One
By: Sophie Lark

The first thing that I have to say about this book is that it is compulsively readable. It was hard to put it down and I finished it in two sittings. The premise is fairly simple, but SO interesting. Kingmakers is a college for mafioso children from all over the world. The work that these young people put in will not yield a degree, but it will prepare then to inherit the family business… whatever that might be. Although there is a mandatory truce while on campus, that doesn’t prevent the students from waging silent wars against one another. The allegiances and blood feuds that you would expect, make for an interesting backdrop to what is most definitely a romance. To be fair, the romance was my least favorite thing about this book. It wasn’t bad; I just was not invested in it…at all. I enjoyed the characters; even the ones that I didn’t particularly like. I am a sucker for found family and friend groups; which were both prominently featured in this story. I also enjoyed watching some characters find redemption, while others grappled to come to grips with their true nature. If you enjoy a bit of a darker romance, this may be a good one to check out. A solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Kingmakers is what you’d expect a school for the children of mafias to be. It is a foray into the competitiveness of the most brilliant minds in the criminal world. There’s underhandedness, age-old hatred, rivalry, revenge, and sex - the kind you’d imagine only these non-normal kids to have.

Then, there’s the love side of it all. The wrong type of love that obsesses and wants to possess. The sweetest kind of love that wants to protect and give as much as it takes. The love stories within the pages of this book will let you get a glimpse of the lives of the men and women who many may see as criminals, but who are human afterall.

So, if you are looking for a read that has love, action, competition, sinister plans, and sex all rolled into one, then Kingmakers is definitely it.

This review was made voluntarily and in appreciation of NetGalley and the brilliant mind of the author.

This was a fast and solid read that skirts the line a little between having YA Romance pacing with some NA content--it didn't completely work for me, but that's probably a me problem.

I was super interested in the idea of a dark academiaeque setting where young adults go to what's essentially mafia college. I mean, who WOULDN'T be invested in that? But unfortunately, that was more of the secondary story to one of my least favorite plot devices--"The entire conflict would be resolved if people would talk to each other instead of playing silly games."

This is a multi-POV book, and I do enjoy getting multiple perspectives. The unfortunate side effect is that it just caused me to internally scream at multiple characters to just TALK TO EACH OTHER instead of wallowing in their feelings. Two of the characters are supposed to be besties and closer than anything in the world, yet somehow the second they stepped foot in this castle they REFUSE to talk to each other.

It was interesting enough for me to read the entire book despite not being a huge fan of the plot organization, and I LOVED the family tree at the beginning, and all of the character art interspersed within the chapters. It definitely adds to the story, and honestly made me want to keep reading because I wanted to keep seeing more of it. Definitely a 10/10 feature for me!

If you liked Emily Henry's Happy Place but want it with a mafia twist, you'll LOVE this! If you screamed the entire time you read Happy Place, then....maybe skip it.

Thank you Netgally and Bloom for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Year One” is a dark contemporary romance set in a unique college for mafia families, told from the perspectives of Anna, Leo, and Dean. This choice of multiple viewpoints enriches the narrative, providing a comprehensive understanding of the story’s dynamics. Although love triangles aren’t typically my favorite, this one captivated me with its complexity, despite some imperfections in the male leads. Anna’s character is particularly compelling, balancing her dual roles as a dancer and a mafia heir. The side characters, including Leo and Anna’s other friends, add a welcome balance to the intense main plot. The Kingmakers school, with its specialized roles and competitive tournaments, brings an intriguing element to the story. While some aspects are predictable, the challenges and the setting kept me engaged. I’m looking forward to seeing how the next book unfolds.

This book has a really fun premise. Mafia families send their college age kids to Kingmakers- an old-world style university that teaches them how to be mafia members. The MCs are shipped off the the university via planes, boats, and horse & buggy. Hogwarts for mafia is a very apt description.

The book has 3 POVs. The FMC, Anna, and two MMCs, Leo and Dean. All darlings and spoiled "heirs" of their respective families. We follow them through their first year of school, most of the story centers around the rivalry and competitions. Think "house cup".

The 3rd POV felt unnecessary. Its very obvious from the beginning who the main love interest is going to be and who FMC is going to end up with. The 2nd guy would have been a fun addition if he was anything other than an absolute a-hole. I didn't quite understand why he had a place in the book.

:::Trope spoilers::::

Slow burn, virgin friends to lovers, with a little enemies to dating. The spice is appropriate for the age of the MCs.

Worth reading for the unique story. It was easy world building and character development. Again, appropriate for the age of the characters and the setting. The characters are a bit too immature and juvenile to hold my interest through a whole series, but that's personal preference only. Overall, I think its a good book!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the free ecopy to review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the eARC!

I love Sophie Larks writing, so it’s a no brainer for me to rate this 5 stars! The way she writes makes you captured by the first chapter. The forbidden love trope really makes this a top read for me as well. And even though that this series is it’s own, it’s interconnected with her other mafia series which I love.

J'avais lu ce roman il y a 3 ans et j'étais curieuse de me replonger dedans, je n'ai pas été déçue !

En bref, ce premier tome nous entrainde à Kingmakers à la suite de Leo, Anna et Dean. C'est la guerre entre les mafias, j'ai adoré la façon dont l'autrice nous fait vivre leurs relations, les hauts et les bas et les caractères entiers de nos héros. Leo et Anna se connaissent depuis toujours donc leur relation est très forte et quand les choses finissent par exploser, c'est forcément de manière violente. Dean vient se placer au milieu de tout ça, il a un caractère vraiment spécial et je ne sais toujours pas si je le déteste ou si je lui laisse le bénéfice du doute... On ne s'ennuie pas une seule seconde, les événements s'enchainent rapidement et le final est pour le moins intense. Je suis curieuse de lire le second tome (sur des personnages différents).

How have I never read a Sophie Lark book before now? This was soooo incredible!!

I was so hooked and captivated from start to finish! I loved the story and the dynamic between Leo, Dean and Anna!!

I loved learning about the school and how it all works!!

I can’t wait for the next book! I wish I had it now because I believe Sophie describes this book series as more of a Tv Show and she’s so right! And with that I love to binge a good tv show so GIVE ME GIVE ME GIVE ME PLEASE!!

love sophie lark's writing so much. i love this new series and all the characters are just so likeable. a quick spicy read i couldnt put down!

4.5 stars.
I devoured this book. I really enjoyed the storyline, the characters and just how different the story was to other books.

Kingmakers is an Academy for Mafia kids to go and learn the tricks of the trade to then take over for their parents in the near future. The story is based around Leo and Anna and their relationship (technically cousins, but also not?!?), its about their growth as young adults and finally being able to tell each other what they really mean to each other.

I thought the character development was great. First reading about Leo I felt he was cocky (no pun intended!) and arrogant, but the way he grew throughout the book was - chefs kiss.

This was my first read from this author - although I do have a few of her books in my TBR pile, and I will definitely be devouring them too.

Oh my goodness! This was so much fun to read. I live the dark undertones, the spice and the characters. The writing is almost cinematic which gives the book a nice reading flow. Sign me up for book number two!

2.5 stars. I just didn't understand the need for a 3rd POV, when it's not part of the couple. I understand wanting to introduce the character for future stories, but I feel like it was unnecessary. Overall, enjoyed it, I was happy to have glimpses of the OG characters and see how parenthood treated them.

I am a big Sophie Lark fan. She’s one of my go-to slump buster authors. I have been excited for this next generation series and how it mashes up her Brutal Birthright and Underworld series.

It started out a little too NA for me. It definitely was a smidge too long. But by the second half, I was in it for the tension and the triangle and the what’s next. Even with a slower start, it has me itching for book two!

I always finish any Sophie lark book in less than 24 hours!! As soon as I pick them up I get sucked into the world!

Wow I love this universe SO MUCH! The fact that Kingmakers Academy is Hogwarts for mafia kids, is everything I want and more!

This was such a great start to the Kingmakers series! With every chapter I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for more. I really like Anna and her character—how incredibly strong and powerful she is. Leo was so charming and sweet, and I loved his development over the course of the story.

Without spoiling anything…I really got myself invested in one of the MMCs being the right guy for our FMC and then was totally shocked to find out that noooooo he was not haha. It was an absolute emotional and relationship rollercoaster for me. I thought I knew who the right guy to choose was and boy was I wrong. It was a fun story, I liked the academia setting on an isolated island but I felt like the actual school part and different factions could have been expanded a lot. The story was completely revolved around the love triangle and I feel like the academy could have been much more flushed out, but overall it was good. Lark is a good author and I enjoy her writing. I only read “Ivan” before starting this series and thus far haven’t come across anything that makes me think I’ve missed anything by not finishing that series first. I think they could be read independently if wanted. This book at least doesn’t need any books before it to understand.

Sophie Lark's writing makes me feel like Goldilocks. That author's writing is a little too this, that author's writing is a little too that, Sophie Lark's writing is juuuuuust right.

I hesitated to read the Kingmakers series because I didn't believe all the "Hogwarts but make it mafia" claims. Surely, those two worlds just don't make any sense. How can all these rival family members be in the same school and NOT destroy each other? Don't they all now know each other's secrets, their tells, their weaknesses? Well, I was wrong. Somehow, Sophie makes it believable. And not just believable, but addictive. I can't wait to get into the next book immediately. T

The trials found in this story were fantastic. I loved that there was a balance of conflict within the relationship but also outside of it. Sometimes yes, I do want to read a book that purely focuses on the relationship. But sometimes I want to read a book with competitions, alliances and rivals, secrets and lies, debauchery and shenanigans.

If you were dragging your feet on starting this series after the Brutal Birthright series, quit that. Learn from my mistakes.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for a digital advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Love the artwork 👌 An interesting book with children of the mafia attending college to learn how to rule. I haven't read the other books by the author, but there's several hints of many backstories of Anna, Leo, and Dean's parents. Anna and Leo are sweethearts. Their chemistry and each other’s understanding is great. Dean's story must be for another book. I enjoyed this friends to lovers theme. Recommended for the romance fans. One star for the art. Beautifully drawn. Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

This was the longest nothing happening romance book I have ever read. I am a bit upset because it gives harry potter but adults vibes.. that dark academia world.. which maybe actually isnt my vibe since I also didnt care for Zodiac Academy. This world is about the kids of mafia leaders finding their way into their own kingdoms. It was just slow and unneccarily long.

Year One is a dark contemporary romance that takes place in a college of sorts specifically for those in mafia families. It is told through three different POVs - Anna, Leo, and Dean. This was a smart, strategic choice on Lark’s part as all three POVs were necessary to understand all the aspects of the story. If Dean’s POV had been left out, there would’ve been too many missing plot holes for readers. I don’t particularly enjoy love triangles but this was fascinating to watch play out since there were aspects of both MMCs that I didn’t love. I really enjoyed Anna’s character and thought she was really well developed as well as an interesting juxtaposition between the dancer side and mafia heir side. Additionally, I liked the side characters Leo and Anna surrounded themselves with. They added a much needed balance to the intensity between Anna, Leo, and Dean. I also found the entire set up of the Kingmakers school to be interesting. It’s broken down into mafia roles and the classes are targeted based on their future role: Heirs, Accountants, Spies, and Enforcers. The other element I really enjoyed was the tournament held between the different classes. While the outcome was predictable, I found the challenges themselves to be interesting. Overall, I found the story interesting, and I’m excited to see how the next book plays out.