I absolutely love Sophie Lark she is always a vibe. Every one of these mafia books I eat up. She does it to me every time


This one is no different *I did read this one when it was a different title* but a reread is always a plus with Sophie.
Kingmakers the school not for the bad kids but kids of the bad people. & it has the coolest feel. If only my parents weren’t such squares, right :P
Anna & Leo are end game goals and I love the bff to lovers trope. While part of me wanted to root for Dean I knew where we were going. But that’s okay because I can not wait to get to his story later in the years.

I had a great time reading this. It's the book 1 in the series and the characters were well drafted and penned to introduce to the readers. The plotline was well paced and written well. I finished it in two sittings, thus I can easily say I enjoyed reading it and excited to read the next part now.

Drama, drama, drama!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 (rounded up for Goodreads and Netgalley).

At a glance:
▪️Next gen! (I do recommend reading the Brutal Birthright series first).
▪️Mafia families
▪️Love triangle (three POV’s)
▪️Childhood friends to lovers
▪️Elite college setting
▪️Slow burn romance
▪️Explicit 🌶️

My thoughts:
📍I love a good next gen series and this did not disappoint! The little nods to and cameos from the Brutal Birthright characters were epic. By this book, the world has real depth.

📍Though this is a next gen series, the setting is totally different and I appreciated that. The isolated, elite college for the children of the world’s most powerful mafia families was original. I did find the concept a little bit outside of the realm of believability but it’s fiction, I can forgive that.

📍I loved the three main characters. I felt they were each fleshed out well. I clearly understood their motivations and individual natures.

📍I enjoyed the fast pacing of this book. Something dramatic, violent or sexual was always happening making for book worth binging!

📍I liked the romance. It was clear from the beginning that the childhood best friends, Anna and Leo, would be our end game pairing but the added obsessive interest Dean had for Anna definitely upped the stakes. While I did like having Dean’s POV I thought it took up a bit too much page time and detracted from Anna and Leo’s romance. I think I would have felt more invested in their relationship and titillated by their chemistry had Dean been less in the forefront of the story. That being said, it did make me keen on Dean’s future book.

📍As with all Sophie Lark books, I love love loved the music suggestions and character art incorporated in the story!

📍Will I carry on with series? Absolutely. Would I recommend Sophie Lark to new readers? Absolutely.

Other: Thank you to Sophie Lark, Sourcebooks Bloom
Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I absolutely loved this book by Sophie Lark. She is a favorite author of mine. This is the first book of the series. The bar was set high for the second generation/children of the previous mafia romance series!! It has not disappointed! I was completely invested and immersed in the storyline. I was holding my breath, and ready to throw my Kindle several times! My heart was pounding, my anxiety high. This was a slow burn, friends to lovers, triangle genre and had me tied up in knots. I typically hate triangles, but this one just grabbed at me! I cannot wait for the next book!

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the ARC of this book. This is my voluntary and honest review.

One of the best friends to lovers I have read! A boarding school for the exclusive family members of the mafia and super elite, you definitely get quite a bit variety of characters. I am such a simp for school setting in romance books and this one was so much fun to read. Located on an island, you get to meet to Leo. Our main guy who is everyone’s golden boy. And his best friend Anna, the quiet dancer. Having grown up together they both struggle with their feelings and risking their friendship. That is until the “bad boy” gets Anna’s attention. Leo has to decide who he wants more… Anna or his family.

3.8 stars, rounded up to 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a great Mafia romance! Mafia romances often follow the same plot and vibe but I felt this was really unique. Kingmarkers is isolated away and only families from different mafia families attend. There are strict rules in place about contact with the outside and how the people in the uni interact with each other. I'm a sucker for a school/college setting so I absolutely loved the fact the uni was isolated away. I thought the plot along side the romance was fab! I would highly recommend!

Sophie Lark you can make me feel all the feels because when I say I absolutely hate Dean I hated him (I won't tell you why you'll need to read to find out) Very good writing though to make him so dislikable and make me so angry!.

I absolutely loved my baby boy Leo, I was absolutely obsessed with him from the start and I loved his relationship with Anna and the way they interacted with each other. I was so annoyed when Dean sabotaged them at the party and was screaming at them both to communicate.

The romance in this book was written really well and I really liked the friends to lovers of Anna and Leo..

I'm excited to read the rest of the series!

First of all, we know I love mafia so this book(series)is right up my alleyway and around the corner because I’m addicted. The childhood - friends - to - lovers trope was so a vibe with book. I love how Leo was so protective over Anna(even though he rubbed me wrong sometimes), this book was just the start to my obsession with this series.

oh sophie lark you cheeky rascal. i do believe i have finally found the book that will give me a run for my money! i thoroughly enjoyed this and read it in one solid sitting, the writing is that addicting i fear and the story was very captivating compared to her other series, highly recommend!

2.5 rounded up to 3.

Leo Gallo (the son of Sebastian & Yelena from Sophie's Brutal Birthright series) is all grown up and off to college. Only the college isn't really a college, it's Kingmakers Academy where children from mafia families the world over come to hone their skills. And Leo isn't alone. He's attending with Anna (daughter of Mikolaj & Nessa) and Dean (his estranged cousin).

Read if you like:
-Childhood Friends to Lovers
-Love Triangles
-Forbidden Romance
-High Stakes
-Revenge

CW/TW:
-Dubious Consent/NonCon

This wasn't a bad book, but it was overly ambitious. It had to set up the series and provide a romance arc. Unfortunately, it only delivered on the former. The love triangle didn't really have a chance to develop any tension and it felt rushed. I plan to continue on with the series, but wasn't overly impresses with book one.

This was extremely cringe to me. Everything was dramatic to the point of annoyance and I didn't like the main characters. I don't want to get too negative so I'm not going to add anything else.

I was really excited about this book because of its intriguing concept and the "Hogwarts" vibes but for mafia children.

That part was so fun and incredibly enjoyable. However, the romance fell flat for me, which was surprising since I usually love friends-to-lovers stories. I just didn't feel any chemistry between the main characters, and the romance happened too late in the book in my opinion.

We spent so much time on Dean, and I didn't see the point of his POV when we’re getting his book later in the series. It felt like a missed opportunity to develop the main romance more.

Overall, I'm sad this book was kind of a letdown. I think my expectations were just too high. Still, I'm super excited for the rest of the series and can't wait to see what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dark academia, mafia, friends to lovers filled with angst. Brand new prologue scene with the whole family. Updated stunning art with almost each chapter and added family trees (which are super helpful). The new cover is beautiful and fits the vibe of the book better. Sophie’s stories win every time and break my reading slumps

Thank you to NetGalley and Sophie Lark for the e-arc. All reviews are my own, and are being left voluntarily.

This is a dark, mafia romance set in an academia setting. Loved the artwork included in this, and enjoyed rereading this!

I loved the setting of this book!

At Kingmakers, the kids of the world's scariest families learn how to rule the underworld.

Leo, who’s always had Anna’s back, as a family friend, follows her into this wild place.

Dean, a heir with an ice-cold vendetta, is out to destroy Leo and steal everything he loves.

I absolutely adored the characters and their tight-knit relationships—they really felt like a family.

The ending was so satisfying! She definitely ended up with who she needed to, I was here for it!

The illustrations were such a fun surprise—they were so pretty!

Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who loves a good mix of drama, romance, and a danger.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dark academia: I don’t read many in this genre so I can’t speak to it as a whole, but well written and connected story on all the children of the mafia going away to college, and rather than taking your normal classes, they take classes focused on their strengths or if they’re an heir. Some good dark Harry Potter vibes.

Lark gives us a potential love triangle from the start. Will we get best friends to lovers or a bit of an enemies to lovers/forbidden romance?

We meet heirs and offspring of the mafia families from Lark’s series Brutal Birthright. The two heirs this book focuses on from these Chicago families are Leo and Anna. Joined at the hip, cousins by association and not by blood.
When they ship off to the mafia run college of Kingmakers, Leo and Anna continue to dance around their feelings. Leo feels like he owns Anna and there’s nothing he could do to lose her - except her finding him in a compromising position with another female student.
This primes family rival and fellow Heir Dean to finally have a shot with Anna.
The story of Anna/Dean/Leo weaves well into the plot of competition amongst the freshman/sophomores/juniors/seniors.

Lark delivers on the spice, and there is a surprising amount of character growth and friendships. Really enjoyed this one - and I’m not normally a fan of dark romance/mafia romance!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Great mafia dark romance that I would describe as new adult. I wasn't a fan of the illustrations of this version, but I have liked the ones in some of her other books. This is a rerelease of The Heir and is highly praised. Quick read!

I love the Brutal Birthright series and this is now starting to be another favorite series by Lark! It was like Mafia meets Hogwarts!!!! I am already hooked and completely obsessed. I need the upcoming books asap!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the arc of this book.

I usually don't like love triangles, but this book had a really compelling one - I was rooting for both pairs at the beginning (with a slight preference for Leo and Anna ofc), but it became so clear over the course of the book that Leo and Anna are the perfect pair and Dean and Anna don't work together, especially given all the dubious consent between them and the way Dean was ultra aggressive. I'm not really sure how Dean is going to be redeemed for his book (he has one right? Or is he a villain?) or if I would even forgive him for the shit he pulled in this book.

Leo and Anna are everything I ever wanted in a slow-burn, childhood bffs to lovers book 😭 the part of the book where they get together was >>>>>

Also also, the scuba diving scenes? Friendship + love at its finest 😭

The book has many triggering scenes though, and I was able to get through them only because Sophie Lark provided the TWs at the start - I'm super grateful for that.

TWs - violence, other man/woman drama, nonconsensual drug use, dubious consent, attempted murder

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I am absolutely in love with this book! The story is very unique and I could not put it down. The writing was very well done!

3.5 Fainting Goat Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️.5/5

This is the type of book I would recommend to somebody who is slowly putting their toes into the stormy ocean of what "dark romance" is. It will give you slight elements of dark, with the whole "organised crime and powerful men" thing, but you're still dealing with basically very new adults and so they're not taking it as far as it could go. I think only 1 person gets murdered... in like the first chapter

Basically with very little finagling, this could lean either way to not being dark at all or completely dark. SOOOOO if you are looking for something that is going to give you darkish vibes and be a litmus test to see if you would like to read more dark romance... this would be perfect.

IF.... you are somebody who is a hardcore dark romance reader and you fall for that EXTREME villain that is darker the better, this is going to be disappointing. It's not going to hit that mark or scratch that itch. So for me (cause I love them dark), I felt that it was lacking, but then I also don't think this was meant to scratch my DARK ROMANCE itch...

This is a triple POV following Anna, Leo and Dean. All three are about to start at a prestigious university called Kingmakers as Heirs. Kingmakers is Hogwarts without the magic and a neutral ground where all the criminal families - Mafia/Brava/**Insert ANY OTHER ORG here** send their kids to learn how to be criminal masterminds. Anna and Leo are practically family (even though they are not technically related in their weird family tree) - they have been raised as "cousins". But something between them has changed and the two start to develop feelings for each other. Dean, who is Leo's ACTUAL cousin wants to kill him because Leo's dad messed with his dad and maimed him... So he tries to do the only thing that will truly hurt Leo... making Anna his.

Anna, Leo and Dean are very disconnected and disjointed and almost fall into stereotypes of what you would think their characters should be. The benefit of this was that you could very quickly tell apart the different POVs based on the style, tone and internal monologue (which is a plus because books annoy me when this is a problem).

Anna just felt like a prissy princess who acted and spoke almost like a 16-year-old child. She's pretty much had everything handed to her on a silver platter and so comes across as spoiled, even though she is trying so hard not to be preserved as spoilt. Her tone just read very naive and innocent with no true idea of what being the Heir to a Criminal Organisation is going to be. She jumps to conclusions very much to the point that it's annoying and irritating and her "Not like the other girls" mentality is frustrating. I know she's a goth princess who likes to wear grunge clothing and be all badass but it felt fake and I don't see what the guys found so amazing in her all the time. Kudos to her as she DOES grow and learn a lot about her personality and mature so I didn't hate her too much - it just only happened very late towards the end, so for a long while we had to deal with her being....

Leo read like an arrogant arsehole, from the very first chapter of him I was rolling my eyes at how arrogant his mind was and how much he thought of himself. His ego was GINORMOUS and very much the typical "Jock" where his whole personality is he's cocky, big, and good at sport. It made him almost pathetic and since I don't like Jock's didn't vibe with him AT ALL. Though again - Kudos to this man too cause he too realised what an ass and arrogant dickwad he was and changed - being far more humble and able to play nice with others at the end.

The BEST character was DEAN - and he is meant to be the worst! (Blame my dark romance little heart) - He was broody, he was alpha, and he was very very skilled with his fists and his knife. He wasn't afraid of blood and staring danger in the eye. I loved his cockiness and arrogance because his arrogance didn't feel like it stemmed from a childish reason, but rather that he's lived through something dark and if he wasn't arrogant and a dick - he would not have survived.

The vibes of Kingmakers was EPIC. Giving perfect dark academia vibes (which was not something that I was expecting going into this book). I know I would kill to have gone to a university like this, living in a tower and taking fighting lessons, learning how to murder and poison someone and excel at tax evasion. It sounds like a dream college and while it was a little bit far-fetched obviously and bordering on fantasy it painted a compelling world. It was super evident that Sophie Lark conducted a lot of research into the different types of Mafia families and their hierarchy and history. It made this world seem plausible and believable.

Some more aspects that niggled me...
1. As much as the vibes of the College were there, I actually wanted to see a little more of the content that they were studying - this was kept vague and almost diluted - implying they had learnt it, but besides showing a few practical classes wasn't touched on much.

2. The miscommunication and assumptions were a little annoying, making the relationship between Anna and Leo draw out, becoming unnecessarily angsty and drama-laden. - This ISNT too bad cause there is a reason people love drama shows on the CW...

3. I wanted her to choose Dean - Friends to lovers is not one of my favourite tropes and I just like a bad boy - which Dean gave me ALLL the tingles...

The Tropes:
▶ College/University Romance
▶ Love Triangle
▶ Childhood Best Friends to Lovers
▶ Mafia/Organised Crime Romance
▶ Alphamale

BUT OVERALL I stayed for the other drama - I stayed to see what Dean would do next and I stayed for the vibes. It was an enjoyable time that I didn't mind - and if I separate the wanting more dark from it- it was kinda cute how Leo and Anna were together and their little romance... AND I WILL CONTINUE... Just because I wanna see who Dean ends up with eventually!

Thank you to Sophie Lark, Source Bloom Books and Netgalley for my gifted copy!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.