Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark – enjoyable and dark mafia romance

Brutal Prince is quick, enjoyable, dark and spicy enemies-to-lovers mafia romance with arranged marriage trope.

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Synopsis

He’s No Prince Charming…

Callum Griffin is the heir to the Irish Mafia. He’s ruthless, arrogant, and he wants to kill me.

We got off on the wrong foot when I set a (very small) fire in his house.

Our families believe a marriage pact is the only thing that will prevent all-out warfare.

I think I might need to murder him while he sleeps.

This would all be a lot easier if Callum wasn’t so damned good-looking.

But I’ve got a lockbox around my heart. Because even if I’m forced to marry him…

I could never love a brutal prince.

“Brutal Prince” is the explosive first act in the epic “Brutal Birthright” series. It’s a stand-alone Dark Mafia Romance, complete with HEA and no cliffhangers. It contains blazing hot bedroom scenes for mature readers only!!!

Review of Brutal Prince

Brutal Prince is an entertaining and enjoyable dark mafia romance, the first in Brutal Birthright series, that follows the story of Callum Griffin and Aida Gallo.

Gallos and Griffins are rival mafia families. When Aida sneaks into Griffin’s party and lit their library on fire, it makes Callum attack Aida and one of her brothers. Both families decide that the best way Aida and Callum can amend for their mistakes is by building an alliance between the two families by marriage between Aida and Callum. Everyone is thrilled with the idea but not Aida and Callum. They would rather kill each other than sleep with each other their whole life. It was interesting to see who would attempt to kill first and who would fall in love first.

This is true enemies-to-lovers romance as they literally try to kill each other in this book as they truly are children of hard-core mafia kings. It was a match of hell. I wouldn’t recommend this to romance lovers who prefer their romances light, cute, and lovely. There is nothing cute here. It’s dark, sexy, and bloody. I don’t think I read a mafia romance before and I have to say I like it.

Writing is engaging and fast-paced dual narrative from Aida and Callum’s perspective. The story is set in Chicago. The plot is a little predictable but it’s the characters and family dynamic that make the story most interesting.

Aida Gallo is a lively, free-spirited, rebellious, fearless, and kick-ass heroine. Some of her actions in the beginning were immature and reckless which led her to punishment for a lifetime but she can hold her own in any situation whether it’s marriage or facing other enemies.

She really hates Callum and she isn’t wrong in that after what he did to her brother and also with other petty revenge Callum took but she also has a conscience. She felt guilty for the stunt she pulled on their wedding day.

I understand how she felt. It’s not easy for a rebellious person to bend under another’s will or control.
I expected her to lash out more and I think she gave in too easily but I liked how loyal she is and it was amazing how she had her own control over Callum. I love her bond with her family even more.

I enjoyed the family introduction in the beginning and the family dynamic is just amazing. Here is the list of Gallo and Griffin families-

Enzo Gallo – Patriarch
Dante Gallo – Eldest son (heir and brooding who keeps his siblings out of harm)
Neo Gallo – Second son (handsom but violent and deadly)
Sebastian Gallo – youngest son (gentle and law-abiding football player)
Aida Gallo – Youngest daughter and daddy’s favorite

Fergus Griffin – Patriarch
Imogen Griffin – Matriarch
Callum Griffin – Oldest son and heir
Riona – Middle child and lawyer who always tries to prove she is as good as Callum
Nessa Griffin – Baby of the family (genuinely nice and never involved in the family business)

Callum is cold, uptight, control freak, perfectionist alphamale. I didn’t like him for breaking Sebastian’s leg and almost ruining his career and even less for almost drowning Aida after their wedding day. What Aida did wasn’t totally intentional but his act was intentional and he wasn’t even sorry for it. I also wasn’t okay with how he was bossing her, trying to control what she wore and how she looked, bending her to his will. It’s one reason I was fine with Aida’s stunt on their wedding day. He deserved it.

I also didn’t like how jealous he was. He didn’t even love her in the beginning so his jealousy didn’t make sense. I’m a feminist I don’t like men putting a claim on women and considering them their property which was the case in the first half but his act out of jealousy in the second half was out of love. (I wasn’t okay with that either as he didn’t show love in any other way except during sex) he definitely isn’t my favorite hero but I liked how he slowly changed under Aida’s influence. He was more free, loved adventure with Aida, and didn’t want to change her by the end.

Romance is hot and sexy. I liked how they turned from enemies to people who cared for each other. I also liked love as the essence of trust here for the most part and how it later turned real and genuine.

It’s filled with thrill not just because of sex but because of politics, action, and violence. The initial pranks they pulled on each other were hilarious and I enjoyed Aida’s voice and her witty perspective.

I loved the second half more. Climax is interesting. I expected kidnapping but from a different guy. It was tense and scary. I liked how Aida and Callum saved themselves. End is amazing. I can’t wait to read next book in series.

Why 3.5 stars –

I didn’t like Callum until the second half. He is too arrogant and controlling for my liking. I wish there was more romantic moments between Aida and Cal than just clothes-ripping sex or trying to get control over each other. Most of the plot is predictable. It’s enjoyable but I couldn’t help but feel there was something missing.

Overall, Brutal Prince is quick, enjoyable, spicy, and dark enemies-to-lovers mafia romance with arranged marriage trope.

You will enjoy this if you like-

Mafia Romance
Dark adult romance
arranged marriage/marriage of convenience
enemies to lovers romance
opposite attracts
Age gap
jealous alpha male
politics and drama
action-packed plot
dual narration

Book Links

Goodreads | Amazon.in | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
(free on UK Audible)

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#BrutalPrince is quick, enjoyable, dark and spicy #enemiestolovers #mafiaromance with #arrangedmarriagetrope
⭐⭐⭐.5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Check out full review on my book blog by following the link ⬇️https://t.co/8MuBMy0SVE

— Books Teacup and Reviews (@BooksTnReview) October 25, 2023

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