"Have you heard of the saying 'sfortunato al gioco, fortunato in amore'?" She shook her head. "It means 'unlucky at cards, lucky in love. You cannot have good fortune in all things, and so you have to choose, or maybe fate chooses for you. Either way, perhaps you have spent your life until now saving up all your good fortune for a truly worthy love story." Ok but that freaking ending - I NEED MORE GIANA 😆 I knew I would feel this way but DANG IT.

Let’s talk the main characters: Raffa and Guinevere. Guinevere is the American tourist and Raffa the mafioso. The meet cute is quite an adventure and then things get realllllly interesting 🍿😜🔥 LOVE the morally black side of Raffa with of course the mushy side just for her. Also LOVE watching the FMC come into her own. Raffa is 11 years older because Giana is the age gap queen!

I refuse to give any other plot details because we don’t do spoilers here butttttt if you love mafia romance and spicy/angst….this read is for you! Alllll the stars for this one and I again, cannot wait for the second book!

“𝙎𝙚𝙜𝙪𝙞 𝙡𝙖 𝙩𝙪𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖.”

Giana Darling never disappoints, and I will stand by this until the day I die.

"My Dark Fairy Tale" was a rollercoaster of emotions and a free vacation to Florence at the same time. The scenarios in this book were immaculate, and I found myself wondering if I could spend a summer in Italy like my girl Guinevere.

I adore this book to pieces from the Italy vibes to the possessive male main character to the genuine and authentic Guinevere. Everything was so well done. So perfectly well written.

There's always something about mafia romance that makes me giggle every time, and it's undoubtedly how the mmc Hates (and hurts!) everyone but her and Raffa, let me tell you... NAILED IT in this trope.

Guinevere was one of those female main characters that I loved to meet and thst I was rooting since the beginning.

The plot was so immersive and addictive that I couldn't put this one down for even a second. I loved the chemistry between them, the moments and especially the side characters!

Giana let me on the edge of my seat... again. And now I don't know what to do with my life while I am waiting for book two because excuse me, how can I move on?

Please pick this one. It's such an addictive and bingeable book.

Guinevere is an American girl that goes to Italy looking to connect with her familial roots. She quite literally stumbles into Raffa Romanos life. Raffa is an Italian mafioso that decides to take her on an Italian adventure.

Her journey and self growth was amazing. The enthusiasm she had for the history of Italy was so fun and exciting. The way Raffa expressed his feelings especially in Italian was just perfection. I really enjoyed all the Italian throughout the book. The wine tasting was magnificent, chefs kiss! And the Dante mention, this book had everything and more!

Also the side characters are amazing, Giana writes such amazing friendships. Martina was probably my favorite side character.

The ending?! Ugh my heart

I am so excited that Giana Darling has decided to take on the mafia genre. The enchanting setting, the vivid descriptions, and the beautiful Italian language has absolutely pulled me in. This book is testament to how this author has grown with her writing over the years and I am definitely sticking around for more.

My Dark Fairy Tale by Giana Darling is an Italian dream. It's seduction. It's heartwarming. It goes from exhilarating to adventurous to swoony to finally heartbreaking. Guinevere came to Italy to fulfill her life long desire to know about the culture and enjoy the beauty but she didn't know the dangers. She definitely didn't know that she will be rescued by an enigmatic, possessive, ultra protective, dominating alpha hero. Raffa Romano, the capo of the Italian mafia, is feared by all and he finds it refreshing and brightening to find a woman so naive, so innocent and yet so powerful. It was unexpected and life changing. But we don't finish it with a sweet HEA. The Raffa Guinevere knows is a white knight Can she still love the Raffa who is ruthless and cold and dangerous?
🥀 mafia romance
🥀 vacation romance
🥀 good girl× antihero
🥀 grumpy sunshine


I loved Guinevere! She can be a little naive and a bit too innocent but she has this underlying courageous sassy side that makes her an incredible heroine. She is a sweetheart. Her enthusiasm for new things. Her love and trust.This attracted Raffa too. He never wanted to be a mafia king. He abandoned his family duty but he had to take over after his father's death. He has two contradictory sides. Guinevere saw his caring swoony side mostly. Saving a stranger and playing the role of white knight isn't something he does often. Read never. He has a lot of responsibilities. The enemies are always trying to overthrow him . He has to be ruthless and Merciless. But his darkness finds reprieve with Guinevere. She disarms him completely. It was such a dreamy romance and that surprised me. Raffa definitely has his antihero moments but for Guinevere he is completely enamored. He opened up Guinevere's sensual side and oh the chemistry is scorching hot. The story ends in a sad note with Raffa's mafia identity getting revealed and Guinevere being heartbroken.


I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

A strong start, packed with so much, I couldn't put the book down, the plot's strong, packed with many emotions, Giana Darling did a wonderful job on it. Guinevere and Raffaele are strong, fierce, their path had many ups and downs along the way, it's dark and steamy. Connections were intense, they're drawn together, good for each other. I enjoyed this story, it's great, I'm looking forward to reading more.
I'd recommend reading this, it's a great story.
Thank you, Giana Darling, Wonderful work :)
5 Stars!

"𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚞𝚙 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎."

Thank you Valentine PR and Giana for an early copy of this book. I recently started reading Gianas book and fell in love with her writing so immediately had to request an arc copy!

1. Raffa is top tier book boyfriend, I'm in love.
2. This book was so tender and poetic it was literally like a fairytale their romance.
3. I love playing detective and I'm out here with my list of suspects, I can't wait for the next book!

Honestly, it's been a while since I've read a mafia romance that I truly enjoyed and this one has delivered. AND ITS NOT EVEN OVER. I feel this longing to be back between these pages, I miss these characters already! I loved the build up, the small moments between them. The way they speak to each other and about each other. The type of man Raffa is and is trying to hold on to. I don't think I've read of a mafia man quite like him. I loved Guinevere, and what she was trying to do for herself. For exploring life and wanting to get to know herself better and stand up for herself as well. I'm very excited to see what comes next and see both Raffa and Guinevere evolve further.

I definitely recommend it if you couldn't tell.

"𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚖𝚎, 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎? 𝙰𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏?”

Giana knew what she was doing with this one honestly. Giana + Mafia Romance = perfection!

Guinevere set out to Italy to find herself and expand her horizons. She lived in the shadow of her sister who passed away unexpectedly and she had always been the 'safe child' because of health issues. But she can't take the 'safe' life anymore and wants to prove that she can do something for herself. But what she doesn't expect is, to quite literally, run into Raffa. He's a handsome, muscular, attractive Italian man who drives fancy cars, takes care of her, and hides a secret that could destroy her life.

I think that one of my favorite things about this book is that Giana's writing makes me feel like I'm right there in Italy. It's descriptive and beautiful. I felt like I was traveling the countryside of Italy, and stopping at winery's and staying in a beautiful palazzo with Guinevere and Raffa. I was so entranced in the story and seeing how Guinevere worked to find herself. She grows in so many ways and I love the fire she has. Raffa is honestly such a good morally grey man. He's so protective over those he loves even though he tries to hide his 'softer' side.

“You helped me.” "Exception, not rule. As you seem to be for all my rules.”

They build each other up and work to better themselves in both an individualistic sense, and as a couple. I can't wait to see what book 2 has in store because this story gripped me from the jump.

Tropes:
- Based in Italy
- Italian Mafioso x American tourist
- Age Gap ( 34 MMC x 22 FMC)
- Forced Proximity
- Hidden Identity
- Morally Grey MMC

Guinevere (Age 23) is on a quest to finding more about her Italian family. Her parents have made her promise to never step foot on Italy soil and ask no questions about it.

But Guinevere can’t stop dreaming of Italy and finding more about her family from here and decides to lie and take a Summer trip to Italy…

“Guinevere was just a foreigner trying to have an adventure on her own in a new place, and unwittingly, she'd run into the arms of the worst monster in Tuscany."

Raffa (Age 34). He hit her with his car. In his defense, she ran right in front of him.
He never been someone’s hero, with being the head of the mafia but he could pretend. For her. A little doe who looks at him like a savior.

"I never expected to run into my dream American girl.
Now that I have, I am not sure I will be able to let you go."

This is a spicy whirlwind Summer romance. He takes her around to sightsee and also, gives her spicy lessons.
She falls for his family.
He falls harder for her.

But Raffa is keeping it a secret on who he is. Guinevere is a bit naive but has no idea just how dangerous the man she’s sleeping with is…

He’s a complicated man.
He’s a dangerous man.
What is Guinevere willing to accept when she finds out the truth?
Leaves off on a cliffie and I cannot wait for book two!

“My little fawn. My woman. My shooting star.”

I love me a good mafia romance!

I didn’t LOVE it like I thought I would but I did really enjoy it and had a great time reading. I think it was probably the fact that the romance was very quick and that’s not always my fave. This is not to say that I didn’t really enjoy this couple, because I absolutely did—they had me giggling and kicking my feet on multiple occasions! And the spice!!🤭

Giana’s writing really transported me to Italy—the descriptions were just beautiful, I felt like I was there!

While this was a Mafia romance it wasn’t super heavy on the ‘mafia’ aspect, so it’s the perfect read for dipping your toes into this world.

The cliffhanger!?! … Giana why do you keep doing this to me?😫

Rating: 4.5⭐️
Spice:2🌶️
Would Recommend!

My Review:
Gianna’s writing has always been a favorite of mine, and this book is exactly why. The emotions, the depth, the love—it all just pours out of the pages, pulling me right in.
Guinevere & Raffe? 🔥 One of my absolute favorite couples in her universe now! 🔥 Their dynamic was everything! It honestly felt like I was reading two different genres in one book—a billionaire romance when it was Guinevere’s POV and a full-on mafia romance when it was Raffe’s. And I loved every second of it!
And that ending?! 💔 It shattered me in the best way, but the way it was written, especially with the callback, was just perfection. I just wish we didn’t have to wait too long for the second book because I need more of these two ASAP! 💕

Tropes:
Secret Identity
Mafia romance
V-h

A DELICIOUSLY IRRESISTIBLE READ!

Wow! All I can say is that this author created such a decadent and compelling read. Raffaele and Guinevere are explosive and are absolute stars. Guinevere wants to go to Italy, and she does, while there she meets Raffaele. He draws her into his world, and what a story these two have. Beautiful writing, complex, and intriguing story with captivating characters.

Giana never misses, her writing style is so beautiful and poetic. An age gap, billionaire mafia romance with touch her and die vibes and set in Tuscany is exactly what I needed and I loved everything about Raffa & Guinevere’s story!!

My Dark Fairy Tale is book one in the My Dark Mafia Romance series. It follows Guinevere Stone and Raffaele ‘Raffa’ Romano.

Giana does it again! This book completely stole my heart and made me feel deeply for both characters. It was honestly such a breath of fresh air.

Guinevere went to Italy to find more about herself, and boy did she do just that. Growing up, her family gave her the nickname jinx, meaning if something can go wrong, it will go wrong for her. Which is appropriate for the way she met Raffa on her first day. If only she knew running into Raffa would change the trajectory of her Italian getaway. She is feisty, stubborn, and kind. She sees the good in everyone even when they think they have nothing but darkness surrounding them. I honestly loved seeing her growth and self growth throughout the story.

Raffaele has to be one of my favorite MMC ever! He is a mafia capo who is a morally grey grump. He did not expect to literally run into an American girl on the side of the road with nothing on her person one day. He did not have time for distractions, and yet he saved her because he wanted to feel like a good man for once. He is literally both a very dark man and a man who will literally make you swoon.

Their connection from the start was incredibly deep. Their banter and flirting was easy, effortless, and oh so sexy. They both changed each other for the better. He helped her become bolder and more sure of herself. She helped him love himself fully. They will truly melt your heart!

There is a cliffhanger in this book, which should be illegal! How am I supposed to wait until October for book two!! I have so many questions, and I can’t wait to see if any of them are true!

You will enjoy this book if you like the following:
- Mafia
- Italian setting
- Bad boy x good girl
- Chronic illness rep
- Billionaire anti-hero
- Hidden identity
- Age gap (11 years)

Thank you so much, Giana Darling and Montlake, for the gifted copy!

✨𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀✨
📖 My Dark Fairytale by Giana Darling
⭐Star Rating: 5/5
🌶️: 4/5

This book gave me exactly what I needed—a chance to leave behind the excruciating stress of real life and escape into a world of action, romance, drama, and that little glimmer of hope we all secretly crave. A world that promises a fairytale ending—but only after dragging you through hell first.

Let’s talk about Guinevere—what a character! I adored her. She was kind, compassionate, and yet knew how to bring out her sass when the situation called for it. And Raffa? Raffa was everything. Caring, attentive, impossibly swoon-worthy... He treated Guinevere with a level of love and protectiveness that made my heart ache in the best way.

Men written by Gianna are truly in a league of their own. Once they take up space in your head, good luck getting them out. Raffa has officially claimed real estate in mine. Every single thought he had, every word he spoke—pure obsession material. The way he described Guinevere? Literal poetry. He’s dangerous, dominant, and devastatingly romantic. A deadly combination, and I was all in.

The plot was gripping, the pacing flawless, and the Italian countryside setting? Absolutely breathtaking. Gianna masterfully blended a mind-reeling storyline with just the right amount of angst and spice. The chemistry between the characters was electrifying, their banter top-tier, and the twists? Completely unexpected and so addictive. I felt every high and every low.
I was jealous of Genevieve the entire time. I want an Italian Mafioso who’s utterly obsessed with me, ready to raise hell just to see me smile. Is that too much to ask?

And then... THAT CLIFFHANGER.
Gianna, WHY?? How could you do that to me?? I swear I felt my soul leave my body. The emotional rollercoaster this book took me on was unreal—and that ENDING?? No. I’m not okay. I need the next book like yesterday. Someone hold me. That ending destroyed me. Like, I genuinely felt my heart being ripped out of my chest.
That ending wrecked me in a way I can’t even put into words. It was emotional whiplash. I'm begging for the next book—I need answers, I need closure, I need more Raffa and Guinevere.

Despite the emotional carnage, I can’t stop loving this story and its characters. Every action they took, every emotion they experienced felt real and justified. I’m completely and unapologetically hooked. And now I need everyone else to read this masterpiece too—just so they can suffer through this beautiful agony with me.

Eagerly counting down the days until the next part. I need to see their happily ever after.

Listen. When Giana Darling said she was giving us a dark fairy tale, she meant it. This book is like stepping into a gothic dream—where danger, lust, and longing swirl through every page—and I devoured every second.

With her signature blend of lyrical prose and raw emotion, Darling delivers a deliciously dark mafia romance that’s as seductive as it is soul-stirring. My Dark Fairy Tale unfolds like a twisted fantasy set in the shadows of Italy, where love blooms in the dark and nothing is quite what it seems.

Guinevere is bold, curious, and strong—the kind of heroine who walks straight into the unknown after surviving everything life could throw at her. She lies her way to Italy, chasing fairy tales and freedom. And Raffaele? A morally gray mafia heir wrapped in silk and sorrow. He’s the capo dei capi with a poet’s soul buried beneath blood and duty. Their collision is literal, an inadvertent crash that pulls her into his dangerous world. Their connection builds with a slow burn that simmers until it scalds

Every glance. Every brush of tension. Every withheld word. It’s intense, it’s aching, and it builds with deliberate, devastating grace. The spice sizzles, but never overshadows the emotional stakes—and when the payoff hits? It hits.

And don’t even get me started on that ending. Ughhh. It’s brutal. But knowing another Giana Darling book is coming? Totally worth the cliffhanger heartache. I’d follow this couple into the dark and back.

If you crave mafia romance with elegance, edge, and yearning, My Dark Fairy Tale is calling your name.

Story: 5 ⭐
Spice: 3🌶️

Genre:
🖤Mafia Romance

Tropes:
🖤A Billionaire Italian Mafioso
🖤She’s in Finance
🖤Age Gap
🖤Alpha Protective Hero
🖤Touch Her & ☠️
🖤Tuscany Setting
🖤Hidden Identity

This book absolutely blew me away. I have loved Giana's writing a lot and this one was no different. I really needed this dark romance after reading lots of fluffy romances lately.
Guinevere finally makes her trip to Italy that her father always forbade her to do even though he is from Italy. When she runs away from trouble on her first day there she runs into a car that belongs to Raffaele. He is normally not a friendly man but something he sees in Guinevere he can't seem to ignore. So he decides to take her home while she recovers. Raffa is capo dei capi of the Camorra, a notorious mafioso in Northern Italy but that is a detail he keeps hidden from Guinevere. They spend her holiday together and even though they have only known each other for a short time there is something between them.
I loved this book so much. Raffa is the perfect antihero, he is ruthless except when it comes to her then he is a different man. Seeing Guinevere discover Italy with him and seeing her open up to explore everything was adorable. She really deserves the best. Guinevere also sees some things about Raffa's job but she doesn't put it together just yet what he does. She is intrigued by the slight darkness in him that he allows her to see. After a while she also forms a bond with his inner circle and seeing them also get protective over her is amazing. They become her second family. The story just gets you hooked from the first page until the last and omg that ending. I need book two asap.
If you are looking for a dark, age gap, Italian mafia romance this book is for you!

Giana Darling writes the most swoon-worthy men so when I saw she was coming out with a mafia romance set in Tuscany, Italy I knew this book was gonna be everything I needed to kick off summer and I wasn’t wrong! I can not wait till October for book 2 ‘cause that ending is gonna keep me thinking about this book 24/7.

Guinevere and Raffa together was beautifully, steamy with a side swoon 😍

“For the first time in my life, I wanted to be someone’s knight in shining armor.”

Guinevere is this sweet, innocent women just looking to enjoy her 6 weeks in Italy, even though it’s going against it’s everything her parents told her. You only live once and Guinevere is visiting Italy even if it’s in secret.

“To be the man who deserves that look on your face.”

Raffa stumbles upon (and by stumbles I mean hit her with his car) Guinevere in a situation and offers his place for her to recover safely but what he didn’t expect was his world becoming alive just from setting his eyes on her and vowing to protect her over everything.

“I never expected to run into my dream American girl. Now that I have, I am not sure I will be able to let you go.”

I am completely obsessed with them and there is so many quotes that I want to share with your guys, that I know I have over 75 highlights that I will definitely be sharing over time.

These two were amazing alone but put them together and you can not even imagine how swoony and gone I was for them. Raffa is the ruthless man that everyone is afraid of, but when this man’s soft side came out I knew I was gonna fall faster for him than he could drive his Ferrari 😂

And now I knew what had been calling my name. Him.

Everytime I am given the opportunity to review a arc of Giana’s I am truly honored that I get to read her beautiful words but also amazed at how every time it feels like I’m stepping into a different world that by the end has be craving more. So thank you so much Giana for letting me read your art ❤️

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬-

🛵 𝐀𝐠𝐞-𝐆𝐚𝐩
🛵 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
🛵 𝐓𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
🛵 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲
🛵 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞
🛵 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲
𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐲/ 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥

My Dark Fairy Tale
(My Dark Mafia Romance #1)
By Giana Darling

It takes a very special writer to who can bring an Italian Mafia story that pulls you in and has you falling in love with her characters, the beauty of Florence and the Tuscan country side and allowing Guinevere Stone and Raffa (Raffaele Romano) to take residence in your mind and your heart. Having read other mafia stories by Author Giana Darling I knew that she would bring readers a beautiful story. From the first page to the last page you are totally invested!

Guinevere Stone is a twenty-three year old tourist who is following her heart and her dreams of spending six weeks in Italy. Her parents fought her on this trip, so much that she lied about where she was going…it was the only way she would ever see through her life long passion to see Italy. Yes she was innocent, yes she is head strong and yes she has a health issue. What she wasn’t prepared for was a potential attack, followed by a car hitting her. It was the driver of said car who rescued her.

Raffaele Romano (Raffa) was that driver. Thirty-four years old, handsome, knowledgeable and the Capo dei capi the boss of the Romano famiglia. For the past four years he has been centred on taking over the famiglia and changing how it will be run…but when he sees Guinevere, he wants to be a different man. His decision on how much he shares with the beautiful Guinevere may come back to haunt him. He is thinking with his heart and not his head.

With Raffa offering sexy lessons while Guinevere learns Italian brings these two characters are constantly brought together with a magnetic draw that pulls them closer and closer. It goes from light flirting to having to touch and taste each other, while the steamy relationship grows! But is this connection enough to keep them together when it comes time for Guinevere to fly back home.

Italian mafia stories should make readers feel they are with the characters on every page and this author does this from the beginning to the end. Throughout this whole book you watch their story unfold in front of you. I can't wait to catch up with Guinevere and Raffa in My Dark Ever After. This book made it on to my best 2025 list and I am sure book two will be joining it.

Guinevere, on her summer quest to dive into her Italian roots, is blissfully unaware that her new beau, Raffa, has a mafia connection thicker than spaghetti sauce! The juicy bit? Her adventure into Raffa’s softer side, all while he hands her the keys to her self-discovery as a woman—something she’s yearned for all summer long.
Martina, the scene-stealer and my latest sidekick obsession! She's got a knack for poking fun at Raffa, and her antics keep me in stitches.
Raffa? Utterly charming! He’s the dreamboat of romance novels: mysterious, lyrical, and madly in love. The full package, right there.

And just when you think the pasta’s done, bam—a cliffhanger! I’m left dangling with a million questions and can hardly wait to dive into the sequel. What a finale!