You Could Do Damage was a great read and that left me ready for the next book with that cliffhanger ending. I'm excited to know who Nari's father is and how he and Kincaid know each other because I still haven't figured that out yet. However, I absolutely enjoyed Nari and Kincaid characters. Nari may have questioned his love for her because of her past, but when it came to his actions there was no doubt. He said what he meant, and he meant what he said but with her lacking trust in him I could understand why she easily fell for Aila and Val tricks. Not a problem though because I'm sure Kincaid will put those worries to rest. I'm also looking forward to more of Darius and Alisha characters because I'm enjoying them a lot as side characters. This story is a great read for anyone looking for a steamy romance story where betrayal, disloyalty and loyalty can come from those closest to you, power plays must be made, love and loving is the biggest reward and risk, and real family is everything.

Thank you to NetGalley, K.C. Mills, and the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This is my first book by K.C. Mills, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I wasn’t sure about the arranged marriage trope, but Mills made it work. The chemistry between Kincaid and Nari felt genuine, and I loved watching their relationship develop at a believable pace.

While I would’ve liked more background on Kincaid’s past and Nari’s upbringing, I still found the story engaging. K.C. Mills’ writing style is enjoyable, and the dynamic between the characters was a highlight.

The cliffhanger wasn’t frustrating, just intriguing enough to leave me wanting more. I’ll definitely be reading the sequel and checking out more of Mills’ work.

I absolutely loved this read thanks again to NetGalley and Black Odyssey for the Arc. Kincaid has replaced Ezekiel as my favorite MMC. I like Nari she has some growing up to do but she’s still young and finding her footing in his world. I’m curious to who her father is and if he’s somehow connected to the families? Hopefully we get to see more about Darius and his wife I like them a lot. Val needs to be handled asap!

🌹 ARC Review 🌹 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(3.5 rounded to 4)
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 
*My Review is for the current edition that will be published 02/25/2025

First Thank you NetGalley & Black Odyssey for the Advance Copy
This is my third book by this author and I have truly fallen in love with the spaces and people that she creates. Especially when the space includes an Arranged Marriage and a Crime Family. I feel K.C. writes them in such a familial way, you feel like you are reading about your cousin on your daddy side 🤓 
Here we are introduced to Nari Collette and Kincaid Akel. When we meet Nari she has recently discovered her cousin has caused them to be evicted and ran off with every penny she owns. On top of her family betraying her trust and residential stability, she is working at the Gentleman's Club, Salacious, dealing with rich men who have the mindset "If you could pay you can play". This is where she lays eyes on Kincaid. The "Recluse" as she calls him is dealing with family business as well only instead of familial betrayal, he has to figure out how to deal with his familial obligations while still protecting those close to him.

All it Took was One Night ..
Unbeknownst to them, that immediate magnetic pull they both feel that night will change their lives in a way neither one of them could even dream of if they tried. Blood will be shed, love will be made, and if they are not careful.. their hearts will suffer irreparable damage.

🌹 I really enjoyed🌹 
-This was a slow burn
-Arranged Marriage
-Found Family
-Possessive MMC
-Crime Family
-Touch her and Die on 💯 ! Do not even look at that mans wife or you might die 🌹 
-No errors

🥀 And some things I did not 🥀 
-Pacing (It was a slow burn that moved fast without context if that makes sense).
-A lot of the dialogue was implied between the main characters. It was mentioned often that they could communicate without words. I needed some of the words to understand the flow of the story with the different plot twist.
-Unfinished Storylines (For example there is a story line for both main characters father's that we do not wrap up in this book, or provided with any context clues)
-Character Development - We definitely know more about Kincaid than we do Nari (That could be done on purpose to set us up for book 2)
-Left with way more questions than answers.

Overall, this was a good crime family read. I do recommend. Be mindful this story is a slow burn that ends abruptly with a cliff hanger.

Alpha Male on Deck
Nari: A young lady without any family, and with trust/ abandonment issues. The only family member she dealt with did her dirty. A chance meeting with a true Alpha- Kincaid (Caid) changed the trajectory of her life as she knew it.
Kincaid: A gorgeous, strong, and loving man wanted more from Nari than he presented. This leader, boss, and capo knew what he wanted and got it. Although he is ruthless in business, he was also ruthless in affairs of the heart.
The author did a great job in the development of the story as well as the characters. I absolutely loved the way Caid honored and protected his wife Nari, in spite of their contractual beginning.

Way to go with the cliffhanger of the introduction of Val and Nari's long lost father.

KC Mills ha quickly become one of my favorite authors. I loved this story and the authors writing. She really knows how to tell a great story.

Nari Collette is a 24 year old on the verge of being homeless. She has no friends or family anymore. She's working at this high end establishment to make ends meet. She runs into Kincaid Akel, a 31 year old rich boss. One day at work, he comes to her rescue and sparks start flying. Who is this man?!

Kincaid is engaged and is due to marry someone to help his family business. Well after finding some questionable news, the plans change. He offers Nari a proposition, but will she take it?!

There's some unfinished business. The book ends with a cliffhanger.

My thoughts:
I throughly enjoyed this book. I love how Kincaid didn't play when it came to Nari. He wanted everything with her to be real. I kinda wish there was more context on what happened to Kincaid's dad and the other two men. P.S. Nari's cousin ain't sh*t!!! And Harpo who that man at the end?! Who's Nari's father?!

This book was it for me. This was my first time reading this author and it definitely will not be my last. This book took me on an emotional journey. I was happy, sad, and angry while reading. Nari and Kincaid are in an arranged marriage and they actually start having feelings for each other. This book explores them figuring out if they should lean into those feelings or keep it strictly business. You will not be disappointed with this book here. It was such a great read.

This was a good book. I loved the development of Nari and Kincaids union! He stood on business when it came to his wife! The only downside about this books is how much the story developed about their relationship and lives but you’re left on the edge because it now has to be continued. I personally wouldn’t read this book until the second book was published so I have the ability to read the next part because now I’m anxious. But over all I LOVED this story and can’t wait until the second part becomes available.

Favorite quotes

“Dreams are for people who aren’t blessed enough to live”

“When you love, you have the ability to destroy. Those lines often blur, and we hurt those we vowed to protect.”

This is definitely a slow burn and not too slow. I love the arranged marriage trope but this one was kind of different. Nari worked my nerves for most of the book. In the beginning she was so naive and she just acted off emotions about everything. Overall it wasn’t a bad read.

I actually enjoyed this book. I didn't know what to expect at all. So this was a arranged marriage/ mafia romance trope and I didnt know if I liked either of those tropes in the past. I like Kincaid's mysterious, brooding, no nonsense character. I like how honest he is and how intentional he is. Nari's character takes me to a different place. I do understand that she is young and naive and it shows. I wish she was a bit more sure of things and would speak up more often. I hate a miscommunication trope, just talk to the man.

Story wise, I liked the flow of the book even though I feel like it left some holes. I would've liked to know what came of her cousin. Also Kincaid's father and the other 2 guys were killed and I feel like it was hardly ever mentioned again. Are we not concerned about who killed them? Also the instant obsession with a woman you don't know is a bit odd when I think about it. Also now a baby coming into the mix was expected since they were having unprotected sex but with tensions so high it definitely complicates things. I'm anxious to find out more about Nari's dad and who he is to The Family and his beef with Kincaid. Overall, I'm invested and intrigued. The cliffhanger had me punching the air.

You Could Do Damage from KC Mills has everything you love in an arranged marriage book. There's an incredibly sexy, brooding, powerful, controlling and violent Alpha male of an MMC, who is faced with a future altering, problem. His solution: an arranged marriage. In steps the beautiful, tough, no-support system having, damsel in distress of an FMC. There's a dark and dangerous underworld of which the MMC becomes the new leader. The FMC agrees to an arranged marriage, taking her immediately from rags to riches. But that's not the only adjustment or even the biggest for the new couple. Their biggest adjustment is falling in love with each other, making this fake marriage very real. Couple that with spicy love scenes, an unexpected death, and people from the past not wanting to remain in the past; you have the typical drama-filled love story that you expect from an arranged marriage novel. It's predictable, but it's good.

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3.5 (Rounded to 4 Stars) / 5.0
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥: 3.0 / 5.0

I have to start by saying that I have read several books by K.C. Mills and I have loved them all. I was really excited to read this one and overall, I did enjoy it but there were a few things missing for me.

Let's start with the pacing. The pacing was a little off for me. I would describe this story as a slow burn although things do happen very fast at the beginning. So, in 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑫𝒐 𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆, we meet Kincaid Akel (MMC) who is part of a mafia-type organization called 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲. He is slated to marry a young lady named Aila, but there is absolutely no love between them. When Kincaid discovers that Aila's father is keeping secrets from him and may be trying to double-cross 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, he must find someone else to marry to fulfill the marriage contract he has with the organization. This is where our FMC Nari Collete comes in. Nari is a young woman with a dreadful pass who is barely making it in life. She works at a luxury club where the rich and powerful come to make their fantasies a reality. After observing Nari at the club, Kincaid makes her an offer that she cannot refuse. He offers her one million dollars if she agrees to be his "pretend wife." Down on her luck, with no better options, Nari quickly signs on the dotted line. But, will what starts off as a sham marriage lead to more?

I have to say, I was excited for this story. I absolutely love "fake/pretend/arranged marriage" stories and I love the author so I could not wait to get into Kincaid and Nari's story. I found Nari and Kincaid's relationship to be okay, but the overall pacing of the book was a little off. Though the lead up to the "fake marriage" happened quickly and we are told that the couple "fell" for each other pretty fast, everything else was either happening too fast or too slow. There were a few times where I had to push myself to keep reading because the pacing was just off in terms of the plot. One minute we are focusing on Nari and Kincaid and I'm in it and then new characters are being introduced that are part of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 organization and I am like "who, what?" There were a few moments where I just felt like I was missing out on something that happened.

In addition to the pacing, the characters kind of fell a little flat for me. I left the story not really knowing or understanding Nari. I know she grew up without a family and has suffered from abandonment but I feel like there was more to her that the reader was not privy to. I wanted to know more about her and how she got to where she was when we met her. I just wish she were a little more developed. Kincaid felt a little hollow as well. I felt indifferent to him as a character. There were a few things he did in the story that gave me pause. At times, he was a little short with Nari and just too possessive. I just felt like there was something missing with these characters. Although I wanted to believe in Kincaid and Nari's love story, I just could not see it. Don't get me wrong, the physical chemistry was there and this story is spicy but besides that, there was no real chemistry between these two, in my opinion. I just felt like something must have happened off the pages, that I missed because I kept asking myself, when did the lust and pretend marriage turn into love?

What saved the story for me was the last few chapters. In those chapters, things started happening and I was really getting into the story and absolutely loving it and then it all just stopped. I was a little disappointed but, I am still really excited to read the next installment in this series because we are definitely left with a cliff hanger and a lot of unanswered questions. I hope to see more growth from our main characters and to get some answers to some of the questions we are left with in 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑫𝒐 𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆.

I would still recommend this book but just know going in that this is more of an intro and you will be left with more questions than answers. Overall, I did enjoy it and I will continue to read any and everything from K.C. Mills!

🆆🅷🅰🆃 🆃🅾 🅴🆇🅿🅴🅲🆃
🌹 Arranged Marriage
🌹 Fake Relationship
🌹 Black Love
🌹 Mafia-Type / Organized Crime
🌹 Rescue Romance
🌹 Billionaire Romance (Rich/Poor Dynamic)
🌹 Alpha Male MMC
🌹 Touch her and 💀
🌹 Childhood Trauma

⬇️ POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW⬇️

🅼🆈 🅵🅰🆅🅾🆁🅸🆃🅴 🆀🆄🅾🆃🅴🆂
❤️ "Amongst all the weighted thoughts in my mind, she managed to shut them down, taking priority over everything else that consumed me."
❤️ "I had a feeling my smile wouldn't be enough to gain the advantage required to make it go smoothly; however, I was certainly going to use all the arsenal I had at my disposal to get what I wanted."
❤️ "One soft kiss was passed on my lips....Currents flowed through me in such a soothing rhythm that I felt like I was floating."
❤️ "That woman in there is going to be your greatest weakness. i just pray she's also your greatest strength."
❤️ "You're my wife, not my secret, and I don't want to be yours."
❤️ "I couldn't have crafted a dream that compares to my current reality."
❤️ "The one thing I would never offer or allow was an out. Our souls were tied the first time I touched her. She was the one thing I never knew I wanted, but I was now desperate to hold on to."
❤️ "Love gives strength the same as it takes it away. When you love, you have the ability to destroy. Those lines often blur, and we hurt those we vowed to protect."
❤️ "You're the only person who's ever chosen me. I know you don't understand what that means. All I have is me, and I'm giving you me with nothing binding us but my choice to be here. No money, no terms--just me."
❤️ "We all have the potential to exceed our wildest dreams when we are open to the possibility. "

Thank you Black Odyssey Media for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Nari and Kincaid have this whirlwind love affair that’s essentially love at first sight. However their personalities and different lifestyles present obstacles that seem insurmountable. Nari is a an orphan with trust issues. While Kincaid is an underground boss destined to be elevated to the next level . He can’t be transparent with Nari mainly to protect her. They embark on a journey to discover themselves and their love. I must say that I was not pleased with the book ending on a cliffhanger. It seems to end very abruptly. Hopefully the next installment will follow shortly.

WOW WOW WOW! You Could Do Damage by KC Mills completely blew me away.

I am obsessed with this book and NEED the second one in my hands ASAP! Kincaid is such a spicy, sexy character—honestly, he’s the perfect blend of confident, mysterious, and magnetic. The chemistry between him and Nari is off-the-charts! Their connection is intense and palpable, and I found myself rooting for them from the very first interaction.
The plot had me hooked too. Throughout the story, I kept wondering if one of Nari’s parents would end up being someone who secretly had beef with Kincaid's family—there was so much tension surrounding family dynamics that it felt like a huge reveal was building up. It added a whole layer of suspense to the story that I couldn't get enough of. Once it came to light that Nari's dad wad the connection I'm left wondering if he's maybe the one who had Kincaid's dad killed... DO YOU SEE WHY I NEED THE SECOND ONE so many questions left unanswered.

KC Mills you masterfully weaved together so much romance, mystery, and drama, and I loved every second of it. You Could Do Damage is an absolute must-read. I’m totally hooked!

I rarely classify a book as outright bad, but unfortunately, this one left me no choice. The reading experience was unpleasant, to say the least. The writing was riddled with odd grammatical errors, and despite being written in dual first-person POV, it frequently used italicized words or “thoughts” as if offering insight into the characters’ minds—when the entire chapter was already their inner monologue. This made the stylistic choices feel inconsistent and unnecessary.

Additionally, the overuse of ellipses (for dramatic effect?) and an excessive number of exclamation marks at the end of sentences that didn’t warrant such emphasis made the prose feel amateurish. The whole book came across like something written by a high schooler with a large vocabulary but little experience in crafting mature or nuanced storytelling.

The characters were shallow, with no real depth or growth. The FMC and MC seemed to fall instantly into “lust,” masquerading as “love,” without any meaningful connection or development. The MC embodied the stereotypical toxic, alpha “caveman,” whose sole reason for loving the FMC boiled down to sexual attraction. Meanwhile, the FMC was disappointingly one-dimensional and never evolved as a character.

The pacing was another issue, as the story felt like it was constantly on fast-forward, rushing through key moments without giving the reader a chance to connect with the characters or the plot. What little intrigue I felt was squandered by an ending that came across as nothing more than clickbait.

Ultimately, this book felt like a wasted afternoon. While I was curious enough to finish it, I was left disappointed and frustrated by its lack of substance, depth, and cohesion.

Overall: 4
Spice: 3

This books ends on a cliffhanger and I'm upset we have to wait for part two. OMG, the twist and turns will have you screaming at your book/kindle/earbuds. I was laughing and cussing. Cannot wait until the next book. If you like drama, you'll love this book.

I really enjoyed this book. The perfect Contemporary Romance with a little bit of spice (🌶️).
This was a stranger arranged marriage love story between a struggling young woman and a rising boss.
Nari was left by her mother as a baby then left broke by her cousin that not only didn’t pay the rent stole her money.

Kincaid an international boss (legal & illegal) was arranged to marry someone else. But when he found out the father was playing his family he found a loop hole that would allow him to marry someone else and that someone was Nari who he only saw in the club that she worked.

Once Kincaid made his mind up that was it and Nari would not know what she was getting into until she said I do.

This boo was soooooo good. I can’t wait to get my hands on the physical copy to put on my trophy book shelf.

10/10
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Absolutely loved this none the character’s. Going into this book I wasn’t expecting it to be so spicy but I loved it.

Let me start off by saying I love me some KC Mills. I am an avid reader of her books. This storyline had me hooked from the beginning. There were times I had to give Kincaid the side eye. He isn’t the usual KC Mills male character or I guess I should say he’s not what I’m used to. I can’t believe she left me hanging with that cliffhanger but I know that part 2 is going to be piping hot.