my lily of the valley is my personal brand of poison, and there’s no antidote for it. not for me. she’s coursing through my veins, and nothing on this earth will ever purge her.

neva altaj can't write a bad mafia book. that's a fact. but she not only wrote a very well established original mafia series, with world building spanning different factions and organizations, and a continuous timeline, but she's now also writing and publishing a second generation series at the same time. and it still felt fresh and new, even though it was the same writing style, the same format and formula, but most importantly, the same world. and i truly love it when the kids' books mirror the love stories of their parents, in this case the kidnapping trope. roman petrov has nothing on rafael di santi, i said what i said, and i stand by it. this was, by far, one of the best renditions when it comes to beauty and the beast reimaginings. the fated love with that prologue setting the tone, up until when the characters finally realized they've been destined to save each other destroyed me and put me back together again. and the fact that the author kept the essence of the previous series with the imperfections and disabilities, it's what not only sets these stories apart from other mafia romances, but above all makes me connect to each and every one of them.

* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review