Review: Mafia Casanova by M. Robinson and Rachel Van Dyken
SYNOPSIS:
Trust.
Loyalty.
Family.
The tangled web of mafia life.
We grew up together. Me, Eden, my brother Tristian.
He was always the safe bet, the sure thing, the good guy.
And me? Well, I was the Casanova, the killer who flirted with anyone and anything, breaking Eden’s heart again and again.
We both loved her.
Mind.
Body.
Soul.
Until I gifted her to my brother as if she meant nothing, when she meant everything to me.
Tristian was safer.
Better.
Could give her the life I never would be able to.
But things changed.
We changed.
My only goal was to protect her, making her hate me in return. Except once my brother wasn’t standing between us anymore, I decided…
It was my turn to claim what had always been MINE to begin with.
REVIEW:
*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*
This story was raunchy, scandalous, and I am still unsure if I mean that in a good way or bad way. The story starts off crude and to be honest, it was really off putting but I powered past the prologue, hoping that wasn’t the tone for the entire novel. I am usually not one for love triangles and this one was a lot to take in. From the sibling dynamic, the endless history, and the toxic characters; it was intense to watch everything play out.
I struggled to connect with these characters, they just don’t have that many redeeming qualities. Tristian and Romeo’s relationship is a mess of animosity and jealousy. My heart just ached for all three of them because it is clear for the start that this isn’t going to end well for anyone. It is blatantly obvious that Eden is pining for Romeo and vice versa; which is why I was okay with the love triangle. Eden and Romeo are made for each other and while at moments Tristian’s behavior was justified, I definitely found myself reaching a breaking point with him and what I was willing to let slide.
The collaboration between the two authors was seamless, I couldn’t tell who was writing what and I’ve been reading Rachel’s books for years. But I will say, this is totally something different from Rachel’s normal voice and narrative. The story is more vulgar and the characters are harsher; not in the typical mafia way but in the jaded by life way. This book was definitely on a whole new level of heat, I wasn’t anticipating the depravity or brutal honesty of Romeo, which the pace is easily set for him in the racy prologue.
It has all the drama, angst, and tension you’ve come to associate with mafia romance. Along with all the blood and gore. But I found myself struggling to immerse myself into the world completely. While the ending had some crazy plot twists, it wrapped up how I anticipated. There is a little cliff-hanger that sets the stage for the next novel but that focuses on different characters, so you aren’t left gasping for air in the abyss.
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
