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Review: Sinful King by Natalie Kane
Sinful King
Natalie Kane
Kings of Vegas Series, Book 1
396 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication January 8, 2026
From NATALIE KANE, comes an all-new world with Sinful King, an age-gap, obsessed-hero, Mafia romance!
Eloise
I ran away from one organized crime household and found myself tripping right into another one. My father, the head of the Italian Mafia, is a bad man. He wants to marry me off to some creep I don’t know, but rather than succumb to that nightmare, I fled to Vegas, hoping to find a job and blend in. In the first week, I’ve been stolen from and beat up, and I have no money to my name, but I find a job as a bartender at RAPTURE, an upscale—okay, super bougie—adult club just off the Strip. I can’t believe my luck. I love this job, and I’m intrigued by the mysterious tattooed man with ice-blue eyes who always seems to be pinned to me. Things are looking up.
Until my father’s men find me.
Rome
I’m a ruthless, hard, dangerous man who takes care of his men and employees, and I run the city of Vegas with my brothers. That’s all I need. Until a gorgeous, raven-haired beauty comes walking into my club and sets my soul on fire.
I’m obsessed with her. Consumed by her. I need her in a way that I’ve never needed anyone or anything before, aside from the power and control that I’ve worked so hard for. She doesn’t know it, but I own the club that employs her, and I follow her back to the seedy motel she’s living in after her shift to make sure she’s safe. She’s mine.
Suddenly, someone is out to hurt my Firefly, and that means that they’ll meet a painful, bloody end. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. To keep her with me.
Forever.
5 Stars
Rome is a king. Well, one of the four kings that run Las Vegas. He is the true definition of a crime boss. He’s ruthless, dark and sinister. He is not the man you want to cross, betray or even slightly lie to. His moral compass goes every which way, but north. Even the strongest of men fear him. He’s also the owner of an adult club. When an unknown woman randomly walks into his club, looking for a job, his life changes before his eyes. Laying eyes on her via a computer monitor, Rome knew she was his. He will have her, and make her his
Eloise is no stranger to the dark happenings within the mob world. Being the daughter of a Don, she has seen more violence than some of them, men of her world. Being the daughter of a high up crime, lord, you would think she would be spoiled. Eloise has not lived the princess life, but yet endured terrible harm both mentally and physically from the one man in the world that should have loved her. She’s been hurt many times, but she’s much tougher than most people give her credit for.
Her world changes when her father summons her to inform her that he is marrying her off and she doesn’t have a choice. She knows her father will give her away without batting his eye, and her only chance of survival is if she leaves right now.
Rome and Eloise are phenomenal. Rome is obsessed with Eloise from the moment he first see. He didn’t even have to be in the same room with her to feel his connection to her. Is as rough and scary as they come. He is definitely one of those touch her and you’re done kind of guys. Eloise was never a pampered princess, but a woman who had to watch out for herself from a very young age enduring mental and physical abuse. She definitely has some PTSD going on and the way Rome protects her and cares for her is so swoony, my heart go pitter patter. Think above and beyond, next level type of caring. I was very fortunate to get an advanced listening, copy and let me tell you I listened from beginning to end, not pausing for anything.
Narrators Teddy Hamilton and Avery Caris truly bring the story to life. It was more than a narration of a story. It was a spectacular performance from beginning to end.
Mafia romance is one of my guilty pleasures. There is something about the dark and twisted worlds that I just gravitate to and fall for all the time. Sinful King gave me all I needed and more. Natalie Kane, the after dark, alter ego of Kristin Proby- out of the gate, the first book of the series is a five star read. Period. I was truly excited for this book and after listening was even more than what I expected it to be. I truly cannot wait to see what we will be getting with future installments of the Kings of Vegas series.
Review: The Mastermind by Zara Cox
The Mastermind
Zara Cox
Mafia Rivals Series, Book 2
344 pages, Kindle Edition
July 8, 2025, by Boldwood Books
Dark secrets, fast cars, filthy lust…your new mafia romance obsession 🖤🏎️ Ruthless Underboss. Clever Mastermind. Sworn Rival.
Just a handful of reasons why I should hate Cesare Salvatore, heir to the Salvatore Sicilian mafia throne. Other reasons? His insanely gorgeous face. How hot he looks in his Formula One race suit. The feral look in his eyes when he’s pounding his enemy into the ground… But as a Mancinelli, I abide by one family Stay away from the Salvatores.
Betrayal. Forbidden Attraction. Vendetta Ignited.
Cesare believes there’s a traitor in his crew…put there by me. He’ll uncover the truth by any means, including blackmailing me into his bed. What he doesn’t know is I’ve crushed on him since high school; have craved his blood-stained hands on me since one mistake sparked a lust-hate relationship. Discovering he’s equally hot for me risks re-igniting a family vendetta and unearthing brutal decades old secrets many have been killed for. Can we stop before sparks turn to inferno? Because if it does? Forget Romeo & Juliet. Our forbidden attraction will destroy empires.
An enemies-to-lovers dark mafia story full of dark secrets, fast cars, filthy lust and deceit. Perfect for fans of Kylie Kent, Sadie Kincaid and Penelope Sky.
4 Stars
I am a sucker for a good mafia romance. Always have been and always will be. Zara Cox definitely caught my attention with The Mastermind.
We may start off a little bit on the slow side, but let me tell you, we definitely pick it up for a fast pace edge of your seat story. Mafia meets Formula One racing. Not only are they rivals by their family names, they’re arrivals on the track as well. Cesare Salvatore is a race car driver and the heir to his family legacy. Maddelena Mancinelli is the daughter Mancinelli family head and over sees the running of their racing team. The two arrivals by birth, but yet have this crazy irresistible attraction to one another. Their relationship borders on hate and lust. When they find out, they have a mole on their team, Cesare goes to every length to get to the bottom of what is going on. Even if that means taking the one person that he feels, he can get the answer answers from. Maddelena is one tough cookie, she will see toe to toe with the best of them. yet she has two weaknesses, one feeling things for a man that she should never want to and something completely beyond her control, which could totally destroy her family.
I really enjoyed The Mastermind. Zara Cox puts a nice twist on the typical mafia romance. The addition of F1 racing almost made this book move at break next speed once we got going. It’s a darker modern day inspired by Romeo and Juliet type of story that caught me off guard in the best possible way.
Review: HIs Dark Vendetta by Katelyn Brehm
His Dark Vendetta
Katelyn Brehm
Bonded in Blood Series, Book 2
395 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2025
SIOBHÁN
Once upon a time, I thought he’d be my happily ever after. Now, I’m not sure I’ll survive his dark vendetta.
I’ll never be safe. My found family is as dangerous as the one I escaped. I need to run, but Luca Moretti has other plans. My family murdered his father, and he wants me to pay the price.
Kidnapped and trapped by the man I wanted as a lover but is now my enemy, I wait for him to break me like he broke my heart.
We’re a modern-day Romeo and Juliet. Except in our version, Romeo tries to kill Juliet.
LUCA
Desire. Obsession. Revenge. The end of my blood feud is within reach. And it starts with her.
The New England dons granted their blessing—if I play by the rules, vengeance is mine. One life for my father’s.
But blood demons need Sources, and as a capo, I need to earn. Even with the feds breathing down my neck.
Each day I dodge bullets and the law, she chips away at my walls until there’s nothing left but the truth. An unwanted truth that shatters my resolve to break Siobhán Connelly and instead make her mine.
HIS DARK VENDETTA is the second book in the Bonded in Blood series. Each book is an interconnected standalone Paranormal Mafia Romance with a guaranteed HEA.
4 Stars
A vampire mafia book. Hello yes this one is totally up my alley. His Dark Vendetta by Katelyn Brehm was an unexpected read that checked off all my boxes.
I will be honest this is a hard review to write without putting a lot of spoilers in it. I very much enjoyed this dark romance tale. Siobhan and Luca have an incredible story of how they were able to get to their happily ever after. This is a dramatic tale from beginning to end. It’s complex and just sucks you in. Two broken people. One out for revenge and the other that just wants to wash your hands of everything that her family is involved in. It is rare that an author writes a character That I don’t particularly care for and it’s very hard for me to find red redemption. I can say that Luca definitely did that. This is an incredible story in so many ways. I’m definitely going back to the first book in the series.
Coffee Books Life 