Combination of fun, action and drama

It wasn’t bad at all, but it was definitely more mafia than romcom. It’s okay, I loved the mafia politics. And Nico and Marco were great together.

For most of the book, we’re in the middle of a subtle mafia war. Or a chess game. Alliances, betrayals, putting the right piece in the right place at the right time, anticipating the enemy’s move. What I really enjoyed? That though Marco was the main player, it was Nico who knew the rules of the game. Marco was ‘just’ a lawyer. He had no clue about the power struggle inside the Cosa Nostra.

In fact, there was a clear comparison between the old traditional mob values and how the new generation wants to shape the organization. The older members are all about arranged marriage, executions, manipulation, etc. The Marchionni brothers are not. Especially Marco, since the woman he loves is supposed to marry his brother. He’s ready to take over if it means keeping Nico by his side.

There was also a bit of feminism here, with women who are seen as things and not human beings–made for possession, exchange, and nothing more–but either secretly have some control, or take it back from men’s hands.

Though the mafia part was preeminent, there was still a lot of humor here. It wasn’t very subtle–playing on Marco’s fear of reptiles and spiders wasn’t exactly the epitome of subtle. But it balanced well with the family drama that could be kind of heavy at times.

Nico and Marco as friends were adorable, as lovers they were everything. There was so much love and support here. It takes time for them to get there though, be prepared for a slow burn. I loved that they were equal, each with their own role to play in the couple.

Narration was good. I enjoyed the female narrator’s Italian accent–just enough to color her words, but perfectly understandable and not too caricatured. With both narrators, I had sometimes trouble identifying the various characters, but to be fair, there were a lot.

A pleasant combination of fun, action and drama all in all.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!