Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book.

I went into this fourth book in the series completely blind, knowing only that it was a mafia romance. While part of a series, Craving My Rival works as a standalone—characters and events from previous books make appearances, but the plot itself is self-contained.

The storyline was engaging but followed a familiar formula seen in many mafia romance novels. The classic enemies-to-lovers dynamic unfolds as the main characters are forced into an arranged marriage to unite two warring mafia organizations. Despite the predictable setup, the banter between the leads was enjoyable, and the spice level was just right for a new adult romance.

Overall, this book is a solid choice for fans of mafia romances who enjoy tension-filled relationships, steamy moments, and a touch of danger.

Well this was unexpected. Craving My Rival is book four in The Mafia Academy Series by P.Rayne, but the first book I have read by her. I really enjoyed it and will be going back and reading the other books in the series!

Polina Aminoff is a Russian ice princess who has been told she has to marry the soon to be head of the Italian Mafia. The two of them are nothing alike and are both unhappy with the arrangement. After being resistant to it for a while, they decide to be cordial with one another since they will be spending the rest of their lives together. After a few weeks of hanging out, they realize the other isn’t all that bad. But there are still secrets that are being kept.

I was not expecting to enjoy this so much, but I do have a thing for a good mafia romance. This was a quick “touch her and die” read that I read in less than 24 hours… #noregrets

Mafia and Bratva, arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, banter, snark, sizzle, and plenty of drama and violence. Loved the characters, the angst felt real, and a complex storyline really keeps things moving. A winner for mafia romance fans!

I've read other books in this series, and I'm enjoying the different mafia format of all the different factions going to a specialized mafia school.

And I loved this enemies-to-lovers book with Dante and Polina. (I got an ARC from Net Galley)

Dante is not your typical mafia guy. He has an empathetic side of him that comes out with Polina, but can also 'go mafia' when his possessive side comes out.
Polina is what I would consider the spoiled, stuck-up mafia princess. The author does an awesome job of explaining why Polina has become the person she is, and makes her character believable. And I loved how Polina softened toward the end of the book.

There are some surprises that I didn't see coming, so that added to the excitement of the story.

Went into this book completely blind aside from knowing it was a mafia romance. I have seen the books for the series but never read them. With that being said, this can definitely be read as a standalone but I do think reading the other three would paint a more mafia-esque story.

Regardless, it was good! It was a quick read if you’re looking for a light but morally grey duo. The development of the relationship was written well and I love a bit of a slower burn.

I don’t feel that this book was anything ground-breaking or life altering but I think if you’re going to read the series, then you might as well finish it off with these two! 3.5~ stars.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this early!

The plot of the last book on this mafia series was amazing! Dante...oh he's my love! There was the perfect amount of spice and I ate it up.

Craving My Rival, book four of the Mafia Academy series
-tropes-
-Mafia
-Enemies to Lovers
-Arranged Marriage
-Forced Proximity

It's the 4th and last book in the series and the first one I've also read which is good that they can be read as standalone. The plot revolves around Dante and Polina. Dante is the next-in-line head of the Accardi Family to wed Polina, the sister of the head of the Bratva. Everyone knows the Italians and the Russians have a feud and do not get along. His father and her brother both think this will show solidarity and call an end to all the feuding between the families. It was a quick and fast ready, super enjoyable and will be planning on reading the previous books in the series.

𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘

Can I just say how overall surprised I am at Dante…the playboy. From our previous glances at him through the rest of the series, I wasn’t expecting him to be very committed to the arranged marriage. Nor did I really expect much from Polina, the mean girl.

With the Italians and the Russians quite literally at each other’s throats at the Sicuro Academy, something must be done. What better way to bring people together than an engagement! But one between an Italian future boss & a Russian mafia princess…that’s gutsy. And when Dante & Polina first accept their fate, it’s a bit rocky. But watching them slowly let down their walls & slowly learn to trust each other was absolutely perfect. I loved the way that Dante took zero hesitation in promising and making good on protecting Polina at all costs.

The dynamics surrounding both sides and the families involved was intense, and a side character on its own. The duty to family was engrained so deeply in both Dante & Polina, acceptance was a given. But the see them both commit to make the best of a bad situation, to witness their banter, & then to see their passion was more than I hoped for.

This final installment of the Sicuro Academy exceeded my expectations, but makes me sad to leave this world. And we won’t even talk about the mystery& intrigue that has me obsessed with Mr. Smith!! (But for real…let’s talk!) Can’t wait for the next of what’s to come from this writing duo. I don’t care what they write, I’m reading it!

I am so sad to finish the last semester at Sicuro Academy. I have loved watching the future heads of each Italian family reluctantly fall for their match.

This final book had a twist, no longer a head of an Italian family falling for another Italian but this time there was an arranged marriage between Dante, Italian, and Polina, Russian. Their families are convinced a marriage between the two will help stop the violence currently happening between the Italians and Russians.

Neither Dante nor Polina were thrilled for this match but knew it was their family duty. I loved watching Dante break through Polina’s walls and Polina give Dante an outlet for his true feelings. A true enemies to lovers where they were constantly surrounded by people they couldn’t trust but were able to trust each other. Absolutely loved them! I’ll miss Sicuro Academy but I am so ready for what P. Rayne has in store for us next!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥: “Can you be a good girl and do that?”

This is the 4th in the Mafia Academy series and would say it's the weakest in the bunch as there is not much "academy" and it's very mafia light. It's an arranged marriage between Damian and Polina bringing together the Russians and the Italians. I really enjoyed the relationships they each had with their family. While, they are both not thrilled with their impending marriage, they spend time together and fall in love. I think the premise started off strong, because who doesn't love an arranged marriage trope but it lacked some excitement and there was some missed opportunities to keep the momentum of the story going. Overall, an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars

Mafia is so in. Morally-gray is back. And this one is perfect for fans of dark romance! I’m new to Piper Rayne but very intrigued after this trad debut! Looking forward to explore of this world more!

I loved this series so so much! It was a quick read and such a great story. I loved Dante and by far he was my favorite part of this book. However, I did not love Polina. I didn't dislike her but I didn't connect with her much and I felt like their connection didn't hit the same as the other main characters in the previous books. I wish the time they spent together at the end was a little longer because it felt a bit more rushed than I would have liked. The character development of both characters was a lot of fun to see though. I thought how they slowly started falling for each other was the cutest, I just wish we got more moments of them like the ones we got when they went to California together! But still a great series and 10000% one of my new favorites! I can't wait to purchase a physical copy of the last 3 stories when they get published!