Thanks for the ARC. I am an avid reader and a big fan of K. C. Mills.

As such, I knew from page 1 that I had read this book before. I’ve read both books one and two and really enjoyed both.

The book progresses slowly which the author alludes to but I found it frustrating because there are all these conversations & feelings discussed in the characters heads which made it even slower. Like don’t tell me show me. I’m a fan of KC Mills I always read her releases. This one is not a win for me though & the errors were ridiculous like you’d think at this point in her career she’d do a better job with the editing like come on.

This is a spoiler-free review! This is an ARC review - You Could Do Damage will be available on February 25, 2025.

I would first like to thank NetGalley and Black Odyssey Media for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. The premise of this book reminds me so much of those vertical romance ads you see on TikTok, especially being an arranged marriage. This appeared to be a more dangerous version of Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher, and since I ate that book up, I was intrigued to see how crime would come into play.

With dual perspective chapters, readers are able to go into Nari and Kincaid's minds, and of course with knowing how both parties feel, we as readers form our own opinions on how things were handled by the characters. I would have loved to see more of Nari's background - it felt as though we only had a glimpse of what she has been through, and I think it would have made some of the chapters more impactful if we had known more.

Kincaid is always truthful with Nari, and I found a great appreciation for that - often in mafia romances or crime romances, you see the male lead keep secrets from the female lead in an attempt to protect them, and yet Kincaid never lies to Nari. He is upfront about the arranged marriage from the beginning, and is always ready to answer any questions or negotiate terms with Nari when prompted. He is very protective of Nari, and there are some consequences to that in the sense that Nari learns more about what Kincaid truly deals with and how dangerous he can be when in particular situations.

Nari is too trusting to some and not trusting enough to others - this creates a more complex character study for her, but her overall sense as a character was that she is a little awkward and unsure of herself. Her past is muddled and there are a number of things that have impacted her sense of self, but she seems to trust Kincaid very quickly once they cross paths.

The ending felt very rushed and the betrayal seemed to come out of nowhere... I was not a fan of how the final two chapters were handled. I think the author was setting up some conflict between Nari and Kincaid, but it fell short in being well-developed. If this first installment was longer, then I could see the conflict carrying out in a more detailed fashion, but since it has been set up as a cliffhanger, readers are left with these two new revelations and no resolution until the sequel is available.

K.C. Mills delivers a gripping, slow-burn romance packed with emotional depth and magnetic tension in You Could Do Damage. The story introduces us to Nari Collette, a woman struggling to rebuild her life after familial betrayal leaves her evicted and financially drained. Working at a gentleman’s club, Nari crosses paths with Kincaid Akel, a mysterious yet powerful man entangled in his own web of family obligations and secrets. Their instant, undeniable connection promises passion, but also danger, as both characters navigate betrayal, loyalty, and love.

This novel masterfully explores themes of arranged marriage, found family, and the possessive, protective tendencies of Kincaid, who embodies the “touch her and die” trope to perfection. The rich depiction of a crime family backdrop adds layers of suspense and intrigue to the story. K.C. Mills crafts a slow-burn romance that builds up anticipation with every chapter, and the moments of vulnerability and tension between Nari and Kincaid are captivating.

Highlights of the story:
• A magnetic, slow-burn romance
• Strong found-family dynamics
• The intensity of a possessive male main character
• Crime family drama and high stakes
• A cliffhanger ending that leaves you eager for more

Be warned—this story ends abruptly, leaving readers on the edge of their seats. However, the emotional payoff and the intensity of the romance make it worth the journey. K.C. Mills delivers a book that will linger in your mind, and I highly recommend this to fans of romantic suspense and slow-burn crime family romances.

You Could Do Damage is a must-read for 2025, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for these characters.

It wasn’t my favorite k.c mills book but I did enjoy the story and the characters wish they developed more but it does leave off on the cliffhanger and I wasn’t expecting that

I actually ate this book up. It’s really rare I rate a romance higher than 3 stars, but here I am. Is it cringe? A little. Is it insta lovey? Perhaps. But I love a billionaire romance. In a lot of ways I relate to Nari so heavily and I think that played a big part in my rating. I wish everything had been resolved but the cliffhanger!! What???



This next part will contain spoilers



He told her the last night he was with a woman was the night they got engaged, so why is she acting like it was this huge betrayal?? Did I miss something when I was reading?

ARC REVIEW
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌹Marriage of Convenience
❤️Fake Relationship
🌹Mafia
❤️Billionaire MMC
🌹Touch her and ☠️
❤️Dual POV

MY THOUGHTS

Thank you NetGalley for providing me a chance to read this ARC! I had so much fun!

Even though this book was only 234 pages, it honestly felt so much longer, which I kind of loved. I thought since it wasn’t super long, the story would feel rushed, but it didn’t feel like that at all! The pacing was perfect🫶🏼

Kincaid had an instant connection with Nari, he wanted to know more about her, he wanted to always be around her. Even though originally they got married out of convenience and had to fake their relationship, he was never faking anything🤭🥺 he always told her how he felt about her, and you could see it through his actions💕

The spice in this was tame IMO, but it flowed well with the story! It focuses more on their connection rather than the actions 🤭

Fair warning…it ends on a cliffhanger. WHICH HAD ME ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT! LIKE WHY DO THAT TO ME😭 the fact i have to wait for the second book is killing me because it was building up so nicely just to end like that😭

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. "