Nico by Sarah Castillo is one of the best books I have read from the author. It pulls you in from beginning till the last page. I Loved Reading every second of this book.

I would Highly Recommend all the Readers to read this book now. It's A Must Read for all the Readers.

Mafia romances are *in* and this is a great series to recommend. It has a bit of everything - revenge, an amazing hero, a heroine that can stand her ground... What I appreciate most about this is that it doesn't sugar coat everything. Mafia romances should be dark, and the heroes shouldn't be stand up guys. I say hero, but this book is definitely giving off anti-hero vibes, and that just adds to the authenticity. Definitely better for those that like things darker, and with action.

Reading this has been a long time coming...

After a little slow-going in picking it up, I was finally able to fully emerge myself into Castille's depiction of the mafia world.

This story was pretty easy to follow. Does not exactly require your full attention so it is doable to listen and clean, cook, or drive simultaneously. Was better for me to stay interested with a speedier reading notch due to the amount of information and multiple character perspectives.

All in all, great read, look forward to the next book in the series.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It started off strong and I was devouring it. Then as it went along I found myself skimming - mostly the sex scenes. I also tired of an info dump of sorts of Italian and mafioso phrases and traditions. By the end it was ok, but there was a lack of maturity and development of the characters in what they said and acted I couldn't get past.

Yet another great book in this series. The story continues to build and the depth of character development raises it above standard fare. I appreciate the time taken to craft a real story. Can't wait for the next book from this author.

Nico is the first in a new Mafia series from Sarah Castille. If you have a love for the darker side of life then I highly recommend Nico. The first novel in the Ruin and Revenge series deals with a heavy subject on abuse and the objectification of women because life in the Mafia is not all rainbows and unicorns.

Mia Cordano has done everything she can to get out of the Mafia lifestyle. She wants nothing to do with it and its demeaning ways. She did everything she could to piss off her father. She left home and now runs her own business as a hacker testing security systems. It is her job that reconnects her with Nico, reminding her of the tragic past that connects them and the rivalry between their Mafia families. But it is Mia’s father who makes sure that Mia will never get out of the Mafia life, when he forces her into an arranged marriage with an offer that she just can’t refuse.

Nico Toscani is a bastard in every sense of the word. As the child of one of his father’s mistresses, he shouldn’t be in line to rule the Toscani Crime Family but his father groomed him to rule. When his “uncle” takes over and makes sure that the family rule will pass to his own son, Nico is worried about the direction the family will take. Then things just get worse when he finds out his cousin Tony is going to marry Mia in a forced wedding then he knows he can’t just step back, he will fight for what should be his.

Mia is not a Mafia wife or child. She is the black sheep of the family. She hates pink and dresses and refuses to conform to how a woman in the Mafia world should act. Mia is crazy and lives her life how she chooses. She’s very punk and into woman empowerment. I liked Mia and I felt terribly for her because her choices were always made for her, whether it was to protect her sister or herself from death. She had no problem lashing out but often there were repercussions that she didn’t see.

Nico was raised with the Mafia mentality that woman are mere decorations and nothing more. They have no say because the men know what is best. He gets a lesson on how that is not the case with Mia and she won’t let him treat her like that or she will be out of his life forever. Nico is a tough but fair captain in the Toscani family. He is big on loyalty and knows that any sign of weakness will be his undoing. I did have a bit of a hard time liking him in the beginning because of his views but once Mia started setting him straight, I did find him a bit sexy.

There were three point of views throughout this story. Mia, Nico’s and an undercover police officer whose name I’ll leave out of this review. I liked how the third story plugged in some holes that wouldn’t have been filled otherwise but I hated knowing how that story would play out in the end, snitches get stitches and all that. The story was very dark. There is abuse towards women. The sex scenes weren’t very graphic at first but they get more heated as the story moves on.

Overall, Nico was a great start to a new series. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

A new series by Sarah Castille, yes please!!!!!

This new series focuses on the Mafia, the mob, the Cosa Nostra...o.k. I'm done now. This book, as many of Castille's, has just the right amount of darkness. Just enough to make the book a delicious read. But this is a book about the mob, so you know someone's getting whacked. Plus Castille hits on the subjugation of women in the mob culture. So there are definitely some cringe worthy moments in this novel. Just know you've been warned.

Nico is a mafia boss, who is struggling to establish his rightful rule. This only intensifies when he begins to fall for Mia, who happens to be his rivals daughter.

I really liked the angsty side of this read. Of course, the whole time I'm reading it I'm mentally shouting, "who cares, just do it!!"

I really liked this book and can't wait to see where Castille takes this new series!

Loved Nico! Mia was a strong herione and did things her way.. havent seen that in to many mafia romances. Nico was hard core mafia capo. I loved the family drama with Nico being a bastard and fighting for his right to be Don. and last but not least I loved the HOT and steamy sex scenes between Nico and Mia. I hope her sister Kat gets a story.

Received Arc from Net Galley.

I don't know what happened here. I should have loved this book. I love this author, I love the other books by her that I've read, I loved the blurb for this book....I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED HERE. To make matters even more confusing, when I started this book, I was like yes yes yes. Mia was smart and snappy and I loved her boldness. Then we meet Nico and I was like hot damn, I'll take one of those. Castille is great at descriptive writing and she conveys Nico loud and clear. Nico is enigmatic and magnetic at the same time. He is not "the boss" but he is still "a boss" and boy can you tell. From the first moment that Nico and Mia meet, there attraction is explosive and jumps off the pages at you. I really thought we were headed to the happy place.

Mia finds herself in a precarious situation. Her father is a mob boss who decides to marry her off to the son of another mob boss to solidify the family's ties. Of course Mia knew nothing about the planned union and has no intention of marrying a total stranger. The problem is if Mia doesn't marry strange mob boss son, her Father will force her little sister to do it. By a strange twist of fate, Nico winds up sort of rescuing Mia from the marriage and perhaps death. And it is is right around this point in the book that things went left for me.'

Like right around the 30% mark in this book, I just got...bored. I felt like Nico and Mia were spending too much time apart. I didn't understand how the whole kidnapping thing went so left. Mia's life didn't really make sense to me. I didn't understand how she went on running her company and teaching classes while all hell broke loose. There was a lot of action surrounding the story of Mia and Nico but I just wasn't all that into it. Nico is a really compelling character to me but as the book went on, I didn't love Mia as much. I honestly don't know how this happened. I sometimes read other reviews when I read a book by an author that I really like that doesn't move me. So I read some other reviews of this book and people loved it. And now I feel even more like I'm on asshole island all by myself. So this is what I will say, give the book a try. If you get to the 40% mark and it's rocking your world, you can assume LJ was just having an off day. But if you find that something goes missing in the plot around the 30% mark, you can't say I didn't try to warn you.

Mafia books are not my thing... I tried but this was not for me

These books work because they have a real story line. I love that the characters are well developed and you feel like they are real people. I look forward to the next one!

Everyone knows I love this author. This is a must read. A must read author too.
I encourage everyone to run and pick up this book. It had me positioned on my couch for over 12 hours while reading it.

Readers beware for the latest one by Sarah Castille is not your usual romance but one filled with Mob business, two families that can`t stand each other and oh yes the hottest coupling you will find. It might seem like a Romeo and Juliet story but this is much more between Nico and Mia. These two were taught to hate each other yet when it comes to their own hearts and mind the people around them better watch out. Sarah Castille have to say has a unique way of bringing hatred, betrayal and sex all into one making you crave more of them. Nico just stole my heart and the way he sees Mia as a woman and not just an object to his gain was priceless. The chemistry Mia has with Nico was surprising not just to her but everyone else. This is one Mafia story you don`t want to miss and hope there is more like this from Sarah worth reading it and keeping an eye.

I received this for honest review!!

I fell in instant love with this book.. its no secret that I love her words and writing

I just FLOVE it when she takes on a new series...

Nico and Mia are just amazing together I just loved it!!!

Sarah Castille does it again!!! Her books have yet to disappoint. So much love for this amazing author and the new series Ruin and Revenge.

Nico Toscani lost his father in an act of revenge which caused him to lose his title in the family. On what a normal night in his casino he meets a woman who can give it as good as she gets trying to break in to his casino. Mia Cordano the daughter of a rival crime family, a woman who shares a past tainted in blood with Nico. Ever since Mia was born she’s tried to get away from her crime family. She’s been beaten and broken repeatedly by her father and his men and is now making a living on her own as a computer hacker. She doesn’t want anything to do with the crime families and their drama and sexist ideas behind what a woman should be, but she can’t stay away from Nico. When her family is put in danger she makes a proposal that puts them all in danger.

LOOOOOVED THIS FREAKING BOOK! I honestly don’t think it could have been better. Sarah Castille has always done an excellent job balancing the sexy hotness with an actual story. Despite the hot sexy scenes, I never feel like I’m just reading porn. Nico is beyond amazing (the book and the man). The characters are always on point and even when you can’t specifically relate to the story, I always feel like a little piece of me is with the characters always. Sarah Castille definitely has a way with words and characters who break your heart and rebuild them good as new all over again.

Nico has been through a lot and is such a bada**. He doesn’t take or put up with any crap. I like how honest he is with Mia even though the life they live says he shouldn’t. Mia is such a tough protagonist and never breaks no matter what is thrown at her. I enjoyed reading about the both of them and how strong and resilient they were, but also how they grew throughout the book to be better versions of themselves.

If you haven’t checked out Nico or Sarah Castille yet, you seriously should. I really enjoyed this book so much and Sarah Castille won’t let you down.

So so so good!! I absolutely LOVE mafia romance books especially the super steamy ones. This book was a little hard for me to get into. There was a lot to take in, but the further I got into the book the more I couldn’t let go or put it down. It was an all around enjoyable read one that I recommend and can’t wait for more.

Nico was dangerous, dark, and irresistible, he’s not to be messed with he was fierce. Mia is super sassy, strong and independent she doesn’t back down for what she wants no mater what. They two of them together, is perfect. Their love, their story it was perfect and had my completely devoted attention till the end.

This is the first that I have read from this author and her writing was great easy to follow and chuck full of so so much extra. This isn’t just a love story, theirs so much to pull away from it with and I love the world and lives that Miss Castille has written and I absolutely can not wait for more.

4.5 stars

Sarah Castille has a unique way of bringing a story to life. I always enjoy reading and reviewing her novels and Nico, with a few exceptions, met all my expectations. It was crisp and fresh, portrayed the mafia world as we have come to believe it, and had two characters that were either going to kill each other or love until the end of time.
Mia was a strong, unstoppable woman who thought she really knew what she wanted. She was set in her ways and hellbent on making a life away from the “family”. Unfortunately, her father had other plans for her and set out to make sure she did what she was told … finally. Too bad for him that she had her own plans. She also had a secret that could tear her whole world apart.
Nico was exactly what we would picture a Mafia Boss to be. Cold, ruthless and cruel. But, only when he needs to be. There is a side to him to that no one ever sees. But, for some reason, he lets Mia see the part of him that he’s hidden for 10 years. Letting her in could either make him stronger or bring him to his demise. He can’t stop wanting his punk-rocker, computer hacking Mafia Princess. He also can’t stop wanting the vendetta he has against her father to be finished with. Until he finds out the secret. Then, he’s not sure what he really wants.
Tearing himself away from the family, starting his own faction with Mia by his side, the faida over … his life, as he knew it, is over and the rest of his life is laid out in front of him. He found the one thing that he thought would always allude him … love.
So, Mr. Mob Boss and Ms. Punk find a happily ever after in an unusual way. On the way to that HEA, Sarah Castille wrote a very compelling and interesting love story. One that brought out the best and the worst in her characters. She wrote two alpha characters, threw in some compassion, gave us minor characters what were just as interesting and then topped it all off with a Mafia Boss on his knees proposing to the woman of his dreams and the daughter of his enemy. I only had one drawback … the use of the word “misogynistic” … I was starting to feel that was the only word Mia could use to describe Nico and men like him. Other than that, I was totally enthralled with the man, the myth and the storyline. The only thing missing was a horse head in the bed.
Welcome back to the old Las Vegas … when the Italians ruled the strip, when Frank, Dean and Sammy sang their songs, when you knew the bad guys from the good and when a good Italian meal always ended with Cannoli.

Nico is an outstanding novel. I love anything having to do with mafia and suspense, and Sarah nailed it with Nico. I can't wait to read more in the Ruin and Revenge series.

Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.


Nico wants revenge for the death of his father at the hands of a rival Don, ten years previous. He never expected the beautiful hacker hired to test his casino systems to be that man's daughter. But Nico's reaction to Mia is powerful, almost as powerful as her reaction to him, and their joining is inevitable. When Mia's younger sister is subjected to the abuse she suffered at the hands of their father, Mia knows their only salvation is Nico, their father's arch enemy.


You know, sometimes, you are reading a book, its a good book, its engaging. It has some dark moments, some sexy ones, even one or two lighter ones. And it ends a little differently than you saw coming. Told third person/multi point of view. All in all, looking for a 5 star rating when you are done?? But you left with . . . . .four stars stuck at the end of your pen when writing the review??


This book, right here.


Don't get me wrong, its a bloody good book, a great book, even. I loved Castille's Sinner's Tribe series, and this is a much darker read, I thought. Nico and Mia are fully aware of the situation they are in, and the consequences of their actions. They know doing what they are doing could end up with both of them dead. And I loved them! I really did. They both have their say, too. And they have much to say about each other!


Another character has a say too. And it took a little while, or rather, it took ME a little while to slot that character in with Nico and Mia.


It carries a little more violence than I usually like, but its not the Mafia stuff that bothered me. Its the abuse Mia and her sister, and indeed, their mother, suffers at the hands of their father. I didn't much care for that BUT!!!! Thats not it. Its only because it steps a little too close to home.


I just can't figure out why my pen, and later when typing up, my mouse, won't let me click that 5 star button, and you know how much that pisses me off!! Not being able to word what I want to say is stressful!


BUT!!!


I want to read more. I want to know what happens when Nico and Mia merge their families. I want to know what happens to Mia's little sister and the above unnamed character. I want to know how its all gonna come out in the wash!


4 solid stars


**same worded review will appear elsewhere**