Member Reviews

"Raffa. Raffa. Raffa. I wanted to tattoo the word on the inside of my mouth because it tasted just as good as that wine and s**."

3.5โญ, 2.75๐ŸŒถ๏ธ, 3๐ŸŽง

As a passionate lover of Giana and her Fallen series, I hate to say that this book was just not the book for me. I just didnt connect with the romance or the mafia drama/ mystery in this book so it left me uninvested compared to some of G.D's other work.

The ending of the book left me so frustrated with Vera - I sat there and literally said "this is why men hate women." Saying on thing and hoping and praying for the man to act the other way. I just wanted to shake our FMC lol.

"I do not know the kind of men you have in America, but in Italy, a man is honest about his attraction. I find you...incantevole. Do you know what that means, Guinevere? It means beguiling. Enchanting. And for a man like me, that is dangerous. I cannot afford distractions, but here I am in this ugly apartment feeling...unsettles because you are suggesting I will not see you again when all I want is more of you."

โค๏ธItalian Mafioso
๐Ÿ”ชAmerican Good Girl
๐Ÿ–ค Morally Grey MMC - Touch her and die
๐Ÿ”ชAge Gap
โค๏ธBillionaire

The audiobook for this book is also available through Kindle Unlimited (once you borrow the book open your Audible and it will be available!) I unfortunately was NOT a fan of Dane Anderson's Italian voice for Raffa so all of his POV chapters weren't the vibe for me.

Im learning I love to read Giana's books with my eyes versus the audiobook, because I think I get more immersed in the story using my mind t image the voices and characters more and I fall in love with the story that way.

The second book to this duology is out in October 2025 - Who is Vera's dad and how is he connected (why doesnt he want her in Italy?) Is the sister connected somehow?!

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake/ Giana Darling for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unpaid review!

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I love a mafia romance!! This one delivered in every aspect that we need in a mafia book. An MMC thatโ€™s a little unhinged. A plot intriguing enough to hook you for the next book. And a soul deep romance!
Raffa is the shining star for me in this one, and Iโ€™m rooting for him and a happy ending in the second book!

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Iโ€™m wondering how I can find myself alone in Italy waiting for an Italian mafioso to take me in and make me fall whole head over heels in love. Because my bags are packed and Iโ€™m ready to go.

These two complimented each other perfectly. This manโ€™s mouth was pure delicious a man possessed and would literally un alive any man that got in the way. Watching Guinevere fully hand herself over to Raffa was everything. This book had tension and spice that makes you feel things. Did I also mention these a cliffhanger because I myself did not know this and now Iโ€™m willing to show my inner Raffa while I wait for the next part.

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4.5 โญ๏ธ

This was my first book by Giana Darling, and it definitely won't be my last. The cliffhanger in this book has me counting the days until book 2 comes out. I love a good mafia romance, I definitely recommend this one.

I loved Guinevere and Raffaele together. The way they met was crazy but I love how she brings out a softer side of him. Now he is hiding stuff including his true identity so I definitely see how that is going to cause issues but as the story kept going I could also see how they had connections to each other that are not aware of yet.

The ending broke my heart for both of them, and I can't wait to see how their story continues.

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No one writes mafia romance like Giana Darling. Iโ€™m so excited to be back in Italy with another one of her capos. Raffa was an incredible mmc. I fell in love with him immediately. He was different from Dante which I really liked but it felt like they shared some core characteristics which is probably why I love them both so much. The found family in this book was incredible as well. I NEED Martina and Renzo to get their own book please! Thereโ€™s so much more weโ€™ve yet to learn about these characters and so many unanswered questions, Iโ€™m counting down the days until book two comes out!

I related to Guinevereโ€™s love and passion for all things Italy. As someone who also had an Italian father, wanting to visit and see it in all its beauty really spoke to me. This book truly felt like a love letter to Italy and Giana did a wonderful job immersing us in the culture.

Thank you so much to Giana & Montlake for the ARC ๐Ÿค

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โ€œWhen a mysterious man rescues her from near death, a young woman finds herself in the throes of a dark and dangerous storybook romance, where pleasure reigns but happy endings are no guarantee.โ€

Read if you like:
โ–ช๏ธ A Billionaire Italiano Mafioso
โ–ช๏ธ Age Gap
โ–ช๏ธ Tuscany setting
โ–ช๏ธ Hidden Identity
โ–ช๏ธ Heroine in Finance
โ–ช๏ธ Chronic Illness Representation

"She was the kind of woman who had inspired artists in Italy throughout the centuries. A fleeting force of beauty in their lives, like a shooting star whose impression lingered in their souls forever, leaving an indeliable mark.โ€

Spice, romance, mystery and plot twists. The perfect balance of love and mafia, all set within the beautiful backdrop of Tuscany. The writing was so addictive, I truly couldnโ€™t stop reading. I was so enraptured by these characters, the mafia setting, and the intriguing mystery at play.

There is SO much to love about this read, but to name a few:
- Guinevere: Our sweet and intelligent heroine. We are given hints of darkness within this sweet soul, but thus far she hasnโ€™t fully realized the depths of these feelings. I am SO excited to see how her character evolves within the mafia setting in book two!
- Raffaele: I love an alpha male protective anti-hero. He was strong, powerful and strategic, yet saves the softer spots of himself for those he loves.
- The Italian language is SO beautiful. I was SWOONING for Raffaโ€™s poetic dialogue. That is a testament to Gianaโ€™s writing.

AND this cliffhanger. The many questions I have about Guinevereโ€™s family history. I am highly anticipating the next installment in this series!

This novel releases today! Special shoutout to Giana, Happy Pub Day! For those who love a dark or mafia inspired romance, this is a read you donโ€™t want to miss!

Thank you Giana Darling, Valentine PR and NetGalley for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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๐‘ฐ ๐’Œ๐’๐’๐’˜ ๐’š๐’๐’– ๐’ƒ๐’†๐’๐’Š๐’†๐’—๐’† ๐’š๐’๐’– ๐’‚๐’“๐’† ๐’–๐’๐’๐’–๐’„๐’Œ๐’š. ๐‘ฉ๐’๐’“๐’ ๐’–๐’๐’…๐’†๐’“ ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’˜๐’“๐’๐’๐’ˆ ๐’”๐’•๐’‚๐’“. ๐‘ฉ๐’–๐’• ๐’•๐’ ๐’Ž๐’†, ๐’š๐’๐’– ๐’‚๐’“๐’† ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’”๐’‰๐’๐’๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐’”๐’•๐’‚๐’“ ๐’•๐’‰๐’‚๐’• ๐’๐’Š๐’ˆ๐’‰๐’•๐’” ๐’–๐’‘ ๐’Ž๐’š ๐’๐’Š๐’‡๐’†.

Mafia is my all-time favorite, and Giana gave us the perfect blend of plot spice and so many swoon-worthy moments.

Raffa and Guinevere are everything you want in a couple and more. I love a protective man and just the way he shows her how much she means to him ๐Ÿฅฐ

๐‘ฐ ๐’๐’๐’—๐’† ๐’š๐’๐’–, ๐‘น๐’‚๐’‡๐’‡๐’‚. ๐‘ฐ๐’ ๐’‚๐’๐’š ๐’๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’–๐’‚๐’ˆ๐’†, ๐’‚๐’„๐’“๐’๐’”๐’” ๐’‚๐’๐’š ๐’…๐’Š๐’”๐’•๐’‚๐’๐’„๐’†. ๐‘จ๐’๐’… ๐‘ฐ ๐’‚๐’๐’˜๐’‚๐’š๐’” ๐’˜๐’Š๐’๐’.

Talk about a cliffhanger!! I have so many thoughts, and I can't wait to read the next book!!

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โ€œ๐˜๐˜ต ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฃ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ฌ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ, ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฃ๐˜ช๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ข. ๐˜›๐˜ฐ ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜บ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜จ.โ€

I am a huge fan of standalones when it comes to romances. Itโ€™s mostly because 1) I have a memory of a goldfish and 2) I dislike when the story drags out and we get a filler sequel. Iโ€™ve found that @gianadarlingauthor seems to be an exception to this โ€œruleโ€. Giana paces her books brilliantly, balancing both the plot and character development well. Her writing is addictive and if you love a mafia romance, thatโ€™s written like a love letter to Italy, this is the read for you.

๐˜š๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ฃ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ง๐˜ถ๐˜ญ ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ข ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ณ ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ด ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฌ ๐˜จ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜น๐˜บ.

Guinevere has been forbidden by her parents to go to Italy her whole life. But she decides to break the rules and spend a summer in the country that have always called out to her. Except, she runs (quite literally) into Raffaele. Everyone knows him as the capo dei capi of the Camorra, a notorious mafioso in Northern Italy, but Guinevere knows him as the man who is helping her get on her feet after a bad luck streak. She makes him remember who he used to be before I became this monster. As they fall in love over the summer, can she truly love him when she discovers the truth about who he is?

This book has everything I love in a mafia romance. Raffa adores Guinevere and the way he treats her had me giggling and kicking my feet over the tiniest of things. He is so swoon worthy and his humor worked perfectly for me. I loved that as we witnessed both Raffa and Guinevere fall in love, there were also crumbs that helped move the plot along, and I felt like a detective putting the pieces of the puzzle together. The side characters also stood out in their own ways and I absolutely love the bond that they formed with Guinevere.

This is a great book if you are new to dark romances, enjoy a tiny bit of mystery element. As this is a dark romances, do look up the trigger warnings before you proceed (e.g. sexual assault).

Tropes:
๐Ÿ–ค Mafia Romance
๐Ÿ–ค Age Gap (F: 23, M: 34)
๐Ÿ–ค Hidden Identity
๐Ÿ–ค Opposites Attract

Thank you Giana for the ARC! This book is out today!

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Book: My Dark Fairy Tale
Author: Giana Darling
Overall Rating:โญโญโญโญstars
"It was such a strange sensation, to be so in love and so heartbroken simultaneously. To experience the fiercest joy alongside the deepest pit of despair.โ€

OK, so, uh, to say that this book completely blew me away would be an understatement. I absolutely loved the relationship between Raffaele and Guinevere. What I liked most about them was the fact that, even though they didnโ€™t really know anything about each other at the beginning of the story, their connection felt so intense. The way the Giana built this story and made us fall in love with both characters was incredible. Their desires, needs, and wants were so strong that it was practically impossible for them to resist each other.
I also really liked the overall story, especially how Guinevereโ€™s health condition was not an impediment for her to seek adventure, find herself, and do what she wantedโ€”even when it was against her parents' wishes. She was so full of life and eager to experience the world. Even though she was portrayed as naive and innocent at first, by the end of the book, it was clear that she had grown stronger. She learned to stand up for herself, and even though she was hurting because of what happened, I still appreciated those qualities in her character.
As for Raffa? I loved the fact that, even when he didnโ€™t want to fall in love with Guinevere, he had no way to escape it. He was just immediately drawn to her, and as their relationship progressed, he realized he had no defenses against her. She reminded him of what he wanted to beโ€”what future he wanted, though we donโ€™t yet know exactly what that is. Through his point of view, we saw that she brought life back into his world and reminded him that he could be good, that there was goodness inside him. And he showed her that every single time.
Yes, the book does end on a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to read the second part of their story in October. But until then, Iโ€™m very pleased with how the story was written and how the characters were developed. The secondary characters were also great, and Iโ€™m very interested in getting to know them more in the second book of this duology. I loved the story itself, and even though I have to wait six more months, Iโ€™ll be counting down the days! I truly hope that when the book is released in a couple of weeks, many more readers will be able to enjoy it as much as I did.
As always, this is just my opinion of the book. Yours may differ, and thatโ€™s okay. Be kind.

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4.5 'Rex Infernus' Stars!
ARC provided via Valentine PR in exchange for an honest review.

Giana Darling is one of those authors from whom I will probably read anything she writes, even if it takes me out of my comfort zone. While it was not the case with this one in particular, I have to say I was so excited to start her upcoming series with Montlake: a mafia romance set in Northern Italy, of which the first installment is called My Dark Fairy Tale, and I confess it had me addicted from start to finish and left me curious to know more (especially after ending in such a cliffhanger).

If she saw my big teeth, would she run away scared or stare into my eyes and ask me to take a bite?

Now, without giving too much information, this first book is the introduction of Guinevere Stone to the place she has always felt called her name: Italy. While on a summer trip there alone though, her plans completely change when she meets Raffaele Romano, who happens to be the capo dei capi of the Camorra. But Guinevere has no freaking idea she is falling in love with a mafia boss. She only knows the unexpectedly sweet but possessive Raffa, the man who makes her feel like an adult woman for the first time and turns her life upside down. While they have a beautiful, fast and burning hot relationship, what is going to happen when our heroine finds out the truth?

โ€œI know you believe you are unlucky. Sei nata sotto una stella sfortunata. Born under the wrong star. But to me, sei la stella cadente che illumina la mia vita.โ€
But to me, you are the shooting star that lights up my life.

So, because I thoroughly enjoyed reading My Dark Fairy Tale, getting to know Guinevere and Raffa, their unexpected connection, the burning hawt chemistry, the secrets and dark mysteries around our hero (and all the amazing secondary characters helping him) and seeing how Guinevere finds her true self, I have to rate this one with 4.5 STARS. I devoured this book so fast, I loved this couple, I loved the setting, I love Gianaโ€™s writing, and I cannot wait to read the second installment because it sure left me wanting to know what happens next with this incredible duo, especially after that ending!

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Completely captivating and absolutely breathtaking, this book gets Guinevere and Raffaele's story off to a brilliant start. Darkness and drama are skillfully woven throughout an enticing web of emotions, secrets, twists and turns, steam, action and intensity that pulled me in quickly and left me desperate for book two.

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Nouvelle sรฉrie de Giana Darling et j'ai passรฉ un trรจs bon moment en compagnie de Guinevere et Raffaele!

Guinevere a dรฉcidรฉ de passer ses vacances en Italie et plus prรฉcisรฉment ร  Florence loin de sa famille mais elle va se faire agresser par un homme et se faire sauver par le mystรฉrieux Raffaele... Avec ce dernier, elle va apprendre ร  se dรฉcouvrir, dรฉcouvrir la dolce vita mais aussi cet homme si tรฉnรฉbreux qui l'a secouru...

J'ai passรฉ un bon moment avec ce livre qui nous plonge dans la merveilleuse ville de Florence! Cette romance est une dark romance tout de mรชme! J'ai beaucoup aimรฉ le contraste de nos personnages:lui est le cรดtรฉ sombre, mafia de ce livre tandis que Guinevere est le cรดtรฉ solaire et naรฏf. Et c'est ce cรดtรฉ naรฏf qui m'a donnรฉ un peu de mal avec elle car certaines choses sont quand mรชme beaucoup trop รฉvident mais bon ! Avec cette fin, j'ai hรขte d'avoir la suite !

En bref, un trรจs bon premier tome!

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Now this is what you call a mafia romance and if you know me, then you will know that mafia romances are one of my favourite genres to devour and to say I devoured this book would be an understatement.

Our main characters Guinevere and Raffa meet in the most unexpected of circumstances in which Guinevere is running from a bad situation and is not looking where she is going and is hit by Raffaโ€™s car. Of course after calling Guinevere an idiota heโ€™s curious as to why she ran out on the road in the first place in which she explained she ran from a man who first offered to fix her car which broke down but he didnโ€™t have pure intentions whatsoever. Of course Raffa offers his assistance to bring her back to her car where she finds all of her belongings to have been taken. This is where Raffa then suggests that she spends time at his estate until she is back on her feet.

Now the thing I loved about this was Guinevere was completely unaware here and for majority of the book that Raffa was a mafioso and only cared about protecting his family and friends so for him to look after a woman who he barely knew was astronomical and this is where the fascination began.

Guinevere opened up to Raffa to explain that she was in Italy to learn more about her heritage in which her father refused to disclose to her and of course Raffa was quite content on being her tour guide and showing her his beautiful country for the duration that she was planning on being there. I loved how we saw as the chapters went on the pair became more familiar with one another the fell for one another very hard and very fast.

I absolutely adored Guinevere, while Raffa called her his little fawn she was definitely a lot more than that. I respect a fellow woman in finance as that is also what I did for my degree, and Guinevere certainly did not hold back to help Raffa in certain instances where his associates failed to see the problems that occurred.

Raffa honestly I fell just as hard as our FMC, he had me constantly swooning. To see a man who believed he didnโ€™t have a hard no more moving heaven and earth for Guinevere I mean what is not to love???

Another thing I adored was the side characters, Martina, Ludo, Renato, Carmine and the bond they also had with our FMC it was absolutely beautiful๐Ÿ˜ญ

I always comment on the chemistry of a couple in each book I read but honestly in this case there was no denying fate when it came to Guinevere and Raffa. Also the winery moment??? Damn I will be thinking about that every single day from the moment I read it๐Ÿ˜ฎโ€๐Ÿ’จ also them both communicating in Italian, thereโ€™s just something about smut in another language that makes me absolutely feral๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

Now this book is a duet so we are left with a cliffhanger. I have so so many questions and I am certain that these will be answered in the next book so I am so eager to get my hands on it.

Thank you so much to the author and VPR who provided this e-arc for my honest thoughts.

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- ๐‘ด๐’š ๐’…๐’‚๐’“๐’Œ ๐’‡๐’‚๐’Š๐’“๐’š ๐’•๐’‚๐’๐’† ๐’ƒ๐’š ๐‘ฎ๐’Š๐’‚๐’๐’‚ ๐‘ซ๐’‚๐’“๐’๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ

๐˜›๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด:
โœฐ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ข ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ
โœฐ ๐˜๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ
โœฐ ๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜จ๐˜ข๐˜ฑ
โœฐ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ
โœฐ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜บ

Giana Darling is back with a mafia romance and I had to read it!
I will die on the hill that she is one of the best at writing this subgenre. She's so good at building the mafia "world" in her books but also writing strong, charming and easy to fall for female characters which makes her stand out as an author. At least for me.

This book is also set in Italy, hi italian girl here ๐Ÿฅฐ๐ŸคŒ, and that's always a bonus for me. It's comforting even in a mafia romance lol
As for the romance, I truly was obsessed with Raffaele and Guinevere. Their palpable chemistry and their connection throughout the book made me root for them as a couple. I loved their development a lot. It felt realistic and well done.

The plot was fascinating too and I am intrigued with the twists and am curious how it's gonna wrap up in the second installment. I also have theories ๐Ÿ‘€ so I can't wait to see if I am right.

Now that I am done I am counting down the days until My dark ever after.
If you want a good mafia romance to pick up, then this is definetely a good one!!

*arc kindly provided in exchange of an honest review

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4.5 STARS โญ

It has been a hot minute that I've read a mafia romance book and Giana Darling did it beautifully!

My Dark Fairy Tale is the first book in a duet. Mark your calendars for the second book is coming out later this year. I loved Guinevere's wild spirit. She set out to travel and explore the country that has haunted her since she was a little girl. Calling her name like a siren drawing in a ship lost at sea.

But once Guinevere arrives in Florence, Italy she never imagines she'd be chased by a monster only to run into another monster that will become her salvation through this trip.

Rafaelle Romano is the capo of the Toscana Camorra. This dangerous and imposing man is quickly drawn in by Guinevere's youthfulness and smart mouth. As time goes on she brings out the fun and caring side of Raffa, softening him.

My Dark Fairy Tale will take you to Italy and you won't want to return. Raffa and Guinevere's chemistry is explosive and I loved everything about these two. The first book explores the beginning stages of their relationship. The cliff hanger ending is just a taste of what's to come in book 2. I cannot wait!!

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This is the first part in a new duology, and this is Guinevere and Raffaeleโ€™s story.
Guinevere has led a sheltered life with her future planned out for her by her family, and when she spends a forbidden summer in Italy, she is in a dangerous situation, when a mysterious saviour comes to her rescue.
This is an easy to read, slow burn story, with family, dynamics, emotions, danger, suspense, intrigue, tension, an age gap, humor, witty banter, and undeniable chemistry, which leads to an entertaining, twisted, and unpredictable, dark mafia romance.
I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.

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I have never swooned so hard IN MY LIFE!

Guinevere has spent her whole life obsessed with her dream to visit Italy. Despite her Italian-born father making her promise she'd never go there. She can't help it, and goes anyway without her parents knowledge. It's just a beautiful as she imagined, but her fairy tale vacation is quickly turned into a nightmare after a series of dangerous events leads her to being saved and nursed to health by a gorgeous Italian stranger.

Raffaele is the capo dei capi of the Camorra, a infamous and dangerous mafioso. It's not the life he wished for himself but he's carried the weight of his station regardless. His hands are covered in blood and his lifestyle is dangerous, he's become numb to life in order to survive. Until a alluring American women runs out in front of his car and turns his life upside down. She sees him as a white knight, but he knows the truth, he's no ones hero. He's the villain.

If you only take away ONE THING from my review, take that this book is the most romantic and beautiful love story I've read in a LONG time. The Italian setting, the slow-burn, the complex feelings, the communication the hidden desires, the secrets, the threats, everything was handled in such a amazing way. I couldn't stop reading once I started.

Raffe has JUMPED to one of my top book boyfriends of all time. He is perfect and I will hear no criticisms about him lol. This man is the swooniest, sexiest, most seduction MMC like EVER. The things that came out of his mouth were so freaking beautiful sometimes I almost couldn't take it.
I will say that I was on cloud nine for 99% of this book but the cliffhanger ending HURT ME and I am still recovering haha.

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My dark fairytale is book 1 in My Dark mafia romance series and itโ€™s the perfect dark fairytale indeed!

This age gap romance is on a league of its own with beautiful Florence, Italy as the character holding all the secrets to this smoldering sensual story!

Could a stranger feel so immediately like a friend?

This question is put to the test when our hero Raffaele Romano literally bumps into our heroine Guinevere during a near tragic situation. This scene set the tone for the insta attraction, slow burn sexual tension that develops between these 2 characters.
Besides the combustible chemistry and smoldering sexual tension the humor and banter between them made their story truly unique.

Individually, Guinevere was hard for me to like. She was funny and smart but she made some decisions that made me roll my eyes to the back of my head. You see, sheโ€™s traveling alone to Italy to immerse herself in her family culture and hopefully discover her family roots and maybe even find out what drove her father away from Italy forbidding her to ever go there. So of course, sheโ€™s made this 6 week trip to Italy complete with a rented Fiat without her parentsโ€™ knowledge. Upon her arrival she takes a detour that sets in motion a series of unfortunate events that unconventionally introduces her to Raffa. However, it was that quirkiness which added to their story as she falls for this mysterious man who seems too good to be true.
Raffa was her savior and knight in shining armor and his goodness and generosity made this old lady sream at the kindle noooโ€ฆ.RED FLAG!

However, the heart wants what the heart wants and her love of Italy and blind trust of Rafa lent itself to an intriguing and sensuous story that was impossible to put down.

I instantly fell in love with Rafa and Guinevere as their story evolved and developed flawlessly and the imagery of Italy was so exquisitely described I felt I was right there with Rafa and Guinevere as they frolicked through the vineyards of Florence!

Wonโ€™t say more except read it, if for nothing else youโ€™ll want to runaway to Florence Italy!
The jaw dropping cliffhanger at the end was a a perfect โ€œbocconcinoโ€ to get me ready for book 2!
4.5 stars!

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Giana does it once again and as a self proclaimed mafia reading pro, Giana does some of the bestttt.

Guinevere in on a bit of a self discovery vacation- after losing her sister and being sheltered her whole life due to a few reasons, she goes to Italy - even after her father forbade her from ever going there.

Raffa - a notorious mafioso in northern Italy - is stopped in his tracks when he meets Guinevere. And she ๐Ÿ‘€ stops his carโ€ฆ. with her body ๐Ÿ‘€ LOL. But in all seriousness, she reminds him of who he was before he was forced into the life and this dynamic between them made this book feel so much more intricate than an average mafia romance.

A big ol Italian made man is my weakness (I love him your honour) - but sprinkle in โ€˜only soft for herโ€™ and โ€˜care takingโ€™ and Giana has created my very own brand of kryptonite lmao she also has me thinking about rethinking my distaste for red wine ๐Ÿท ๐Ÿ‘€

I ate up every single second of this book and THAT ENDINGGGG. MY CANADIAN QUEEN GIANA WHY - I am demurely and (not so) patiently waiting for book two.

This is why Giana is and always will be an auto buy/read author for me.

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5 โญ๏ธ
๐Ÿ“•: My Dark Fairy Tale by Giana Darling
Why youโ€™ll love this book!!
Heโ€™s a Billionaire Italian Mafioso
Sheโ€™s in Finance
Age Gap
Alpha Protective Hero
Touch Her & D*e
Tuscany Setting
Hidden Identity


I love Giana Darling writing she has never disappointed me ever in her writing !! This book had me laughing and loving Raffa and Guinevere !! Raffa was amazing he knew how to be romantic , a hero and a mafia leader !! I loved how Guinevere could take him to his knees she was the only one that could get him there too!!
Yes thereโ€™s red flags but who cares when itโ€™s book boyfriend ๐Ÿ˜‰!!

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