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Series: Made #1
Publication date: June 20th, 2018
Spice Rating: 🔥
Synopsis:
She's a romantic at heart, living in the most unromantic of worlds...
Nicknamed Sweet Abelli for her docile nature, Elena smiles on cue and has a charming response for everything. She's the favored daughter, the perfect mafia principessa... or was.
Now, all she can see in the mirror's reflection is blood staining her hands like crimson paint.
They say first impressions are everything...
In the murky water of New York's underworld, Elena's sister is arranged to marry Nicolas Russo. A Made Man, a boss, a cheat--even measured against mafia standards. His reputation stretches far and wide and is darker than his black suits and ties. After his and Elena's first encounter ends with an accidental glare on her part, she realizes he's just as rude as he is handsome.
She doesn't like the man or anything he stands for, though that doesn't stop her heart from pattering like rain against glass when he's near, nor the shiver that ghosts down her spine at the sound of his voice.
And he's always near. Telling her what to do. Making her feel hotter than any future brother-in-law should. Elena may be the Sweet Abelli on the outside, but she's beginning to learn she has a taste for the darkness, for rough hands, cigarettes, and whiskey-colored eyes. Having already escaped one scandal, however, she can hardly afford to be swept up in another.
Besides, even if he were hers, everyone knows you don't fall in love with a Made Man... right?
This is a standalone forbidden romance.
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Review:
I had seen this book recommended over and over on TikTok. A lot of reviewers praised it as one of the best smutty books out there to read. That Nico was swoon worthy and Elena was a delight for a female protagonist. Naturally I reserved judgment until I was able to delve between the pages of their story and see how to unfolded personally. Would Nico be as bit a heartthrob as his loyal fans gushed over? Would Elena actually be a strong, female protagonist instead of a weepy victim? Could the sex really be of such note that it'd cover SmutTok?
Elena was the shameful daughter of her Don father. She had strayed from the path he had set forth for her and thus became an undesirable for marrying off. Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't in some parts the apple of her father's eye but as far as desirability where a suitor went, she was no longer up to snuff. She had defiled herself by having sex before marriage and with a man not selected by her family. She had ran away from home and tried to start a new life and all it had gotten her was brought home with her tail between her legs and an abundance of guilt that she wore a constant reminder of in the form of a cheap, plastic ring. She was willing to step down and let her sister be the one who was married off and extended their family's reach. Her sister's soon-to-be husband, Nico, was willing to take her on to join forces with Elena's father. However, Elena is struggling to swallow the desire she feels for her soon-to-be brother-in-law and it seems he may be having much the same issue. She has already shamed her family once, she can't possibly due it again. But Elena's sister has a secret that is bigger than Elena's faux pas years before and set Elena up once more to be the daughter to unite two families. Can Elena stomach the thought of marrying the man she both desires and despises or will she betray her family entirely?
The characters were a bit lackluster. I found Nico to be the typical alpha male that all girls, especially those into smut, drool over. However, there was an underlying immaturity to him that annoyed me to death. He was constantly riding Elena and making demands. He had a right to want to keep her safe but he was shaping up to be her captor providing a gilded cage. I didn't find him as attractive as it seems most women did. In fact, in a lot of senses, he rubbed me the wrong way. There is a difference between being a dominant personality and just being a demanding asshole and Nico waffled between the two. Elena didn't simper but she was fairly whiny. She whined about her past discretion. She whined about how unfair her life was. She whined about not getting to go and do what she wanted even if it was dangerous. She was a bit of a twit. It was unfortunate because both characters had such a great foundation but they just missed the mark with me.
The story as a whole felt a bit shaky and incomplete. There was no real antagonist to speak of. There were social norms within their mafia families they had to adhere to but no real steadfast obstacle in their way. Nothing that made me breathe a sigh of relief with things turned out okay. It had promise, but just didn't live up to its potential.
