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Toxic Hearts
Poison Heart
Her marriage was a lie.
Anita Orazio had never been interested in any man before she met her handsome new husband. He’d courted her with a relentless energy, and she’d fallen hard and fast, like a fool. Until she overheard him saying he only married her to get an introduction to The Gardener.
Everybody in Greenich Bay whispered the name of the reclusive assassin. The anonymous poisoner who could provide wares for anyone who could afford him, or find him.
Romeo needed help from The Gardener and he’d made a deal to marry Anita to get it. He was heir to the Orazio empire, but if he didn’t act soon, there would be no legacy to inherit. A dark poison was running through the veins of his father’s organization. The only way to combat it was a stronger poison. Romeo hadn’t wanted to marry, and Anita was too sweet, too innocent for the world he lived in. He had to keep his distance, even if it broke him.
But Anita had a secret, one her husband would kill for. He wanted an introduction to the famed poisoner, The Gardener?
Too bad he didn’t realize he’d married her.
Anita Orazio had never been interested in any man before she met her handsome new husband. He’d courted her with a relentless energy, and she’d fallen hard and fast, like a fool. Until she overheard him saying he only married her to get an introduction to The Gardener.
Everybody in Greenich Bay whispered the name of the reclusive assassin. The anonymous poisoner who could provide wares for anyone who could afford him, or find him.
Romeo needed help from The Gardener and he’d made a deal to marry Anita to get it. He was heir to the Orazio empire, but if he didn’t act soon, there would be no legacy to inherit. A dark poison was running through the veins of his father’s organization. The only way to combat it was a stronger poison. Romeo hadn’t wanted to marry, and Anita was too sweet, too innocent for the world he lived in. He had to keep his distance, even if it broke him.
But Anita had a secret, one her husband would kill for. He wanted an introduction to the famed poisoner, The Gardener?
Too bad he didn’t realize he’d married her.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 11, 2024
639 people are currently reading
1115 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
April 12, 2024
It was a tiktok recommendation, had potential, but the execution wasn't ok.
August 10, 2024
3.5 stars. I liked this book – the only reason I gave it 3.5 stars and not a full 4 is that it didn’t have a certain je ne sais quoi that makes me LOVE a book. But, it was still very solid.
Anita and Romeo are both in the Mafia – he’s high level, she’s a seemingly meek nobody whose dad was lower level. She thinks they married for love, until she overhears Romeo say that he only married her because he heard she has a connection to The Gardener, this mysterious poisoner / assassin. Romeo wants to be introduced to The Gardener and use his services. Well, Romeo doesn’t know that the Gardener is actually a woman, and it’s Anita.
This is a unique premise! Especially when a lot of spicy books can start feeling like they have samey plots, I appreciated how this feels fresh. Also adding to the unique feel of this book is that it’s sort of a period piece – it’s set in the ‘60s. But, there aren’t many references to pop culture or specific ‘60s things, so you’re really only know it’s the ‘60s from the lack of computers or cell phones.
So, this is an angsty “marriage in trouble,” betrayal / grovel kind of read, although Romeo’s grovel isn’t really typical. It’s more about him just proving that he really does love Anita. The way he proves it is one of the types of grovel actions that I like – when a heroine punishes the hero, and instead of getting angry or disgusted, he embraces it (in this case, ).
I did feel like it could have had a little bit more character depth, I wouldn't say it's surface-level, Anita and Romeo were both likable and developed. But it felt like this book wasn't sure whether to make Anita a sociopath or not, and it was trying to straddle the line between making her too dark and murder-happy, or an "ordinary" hurt lonely girl feeling angst about her husband not loving her. It tried to make her both of those things, which did mostly work. But, at times, it felt like the story was spreading itself thin over both of those concepts and not committing enough to either one. Also, Anita is a virgin, I’m not a huge fan of “virgin heroines” – but, it did make for an interesting contrast for her to be sexually innocent, but experienced with death and killing.
All in all, this was a good read. Not my favorite book ever, some parts could have been better, but it was enjoyable.
Anita and Romeo are both in the Mafia – he’s high level, she’s a seemingly meek nobody whose dad was lower level. She thinks they married for love, until she overhears Romeo say that he only married her because he heard she has a connection to The Gardener, this mysterious poisoner / assassin. Romeo wants to be introduced to The Gardener and use his services. Well, Romeo doesn’t know that the Gardener is actually a woman, and it’s Anita.
This is a unique premise! Especially when a lot of spicy books can start feeling like they have samey plots, I appreciated how this feels fresh. Also adding to the unique feel of this book is that it’s sort of a period piece – it’s set in the ‘60s. But, there aren’t many references to pop culture or specific ‘60s things, so you’re really only know it’s the ‘60s from the lack of computers or cell phones.
So, this is an angsty “marriage in trouble,” betrayal / grovel kind of read, although Romeo’s grovel isn’t really typical. It’s more about him just proving that he really does love Anita. The way he proves it is one of the types of grovel actions that I like – when a heroine punishes the hero, and instead of getting angry or disgusted, he embraces it (in this case, ).
I did feel like it could have had a little bit more character depth, I wouldn't say it's surface-level, Anita and Romeo were both likable and developed. But it felt like this book wasn't sure whether to make Anita a sociopath or not, and it was trying to straddle the line between making her too dark and murder-happy, or an "ordinary" hurt lonely girl feeling angst about her husband not loving her. It tried to make her both of those things, which did mostly work. But, at times, it felt like the story was spreading itself thin over both of those concepts and not committing enough to either one. Also, Anita is a virgin, I’m not a huge fan of “virgin heroines” – but, it did make for an interesting contrast for her to be sexually innocent, but experienced with death and killing.
All in all, this was a good read. Not my favorite book ever, some parts could have been better, but it was enjoyable.
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November 8, 2024DNF @ 50%
I picked this up because I thought it would have angst (based on the blurb) , but it didn’t because she’s instantly FURIOUS once she overhears the conversation and it really requires some pain and vulnerability to generate angst.
With that said, there wasn’t anything wrong with this, I just didn’t connect with the characters, especially the h, Anita. I find that authors really struggle to write strong female leads. IMO women are typically strong by nature, so this always puzzles me, but I feel like they tend to over sell their characters making them unrelatable.
Bottom Line- This reminded me a lot of Her Kingdom to Build. Different scenario, but a blurb that teased betrayal and angst, but the execution killed any feels because the female lead was instantly angry and vengeful. Which is fine, but rather than showing us how strong she is by having her do something, we’re just told constantly over and over and over again how badass she is, and that felt forced and VERY melodramatic. I’m so dangerous and dark muahahaha.
I picked this up because I thought it would have angst (based on the blurb) , but it didn’t because she’s instantly FURIOUS once she overhears the conversation and it really requires some pain and vulnerability to generate angst.
With that said, there wasn’t anything wrong with this, I just didn’t connect with the characters, especially the h, Anita. I find that authors really struggle to write strong female leads. IMO women are typically strong by nature, so this always puzzles me, but I feel like they tend to over sell their characters making them unrelatable.
Bottom Line- This reminded me a lot of Her Kingdom to Build. Different scenario, but a blurb that teased betrayal and angst, but the execution killed any feels because the female lead was instantly angry and vengeful. Which is fine, but rather than showing us how strong she is by having her do something, we’re just told constantly over and over and over again how badass she is, and that felt forced and VERY melodramatic. I’m so dangerous and dark muahahaha.
August 14, 2024
Anita is a bad cold bitch and I don’t say that lightly.
I thought she’s going to be those fake independent “strong” FMC who will fold immediately for a man but I am glad I am so wrong.
You see, she’s an assassin called The Gardener, once she found out that her husband only married her because Anita’s cousin made a deal to introduce him to The Gardener in exchange of marrying Anita, well this girlie would not have it.
I love that the author didn’t rely on physical and sexual acts to sway the FMC like all the mafia books are doing. They didn’t have sex I think it was already past 60%.
My only complain is the repetitive internal monologue that could be cut down. Specially the earlier chapters, I would be just skimming some monologues because the point was already made 6 paragraphs ago.
I thought she’s going to be those fake independent “strong” FMC who will fold immediately for a man but I am glad I am so wrong.
You see, she’s an assassin called The Gardener, once she found out that her husband only married her because Anita’s cousin made a deal to introduce him to The Gardener in exchange of marrying Anita, well this girlie would not have it.
I love that the author didn’t rely on physical and sexual acts to sway the FMC like all the mafia books are doing. They didn’t have sex I think it was already past 60%.
My only complain is the repetitive internal monologue that could be cut down. Specially the earlier chapters, I would be just skimming some monologues because the point was already made 6 paragraphs ago.
November 13, 2024
Too close to be a satisfying book! too close to make me wanna die!
This book is set in the sixties. The author didn't give a reason but I could think of two: 1/There are murders and it's easier to skirt around modern times effective DNA and Forensic element. (fair enough)
2/The author dealt with misogyny, stereotypical Godfather Mafia worldbuilding (Not quite pleasing to me as a reader)
FMC is the daughter of a dead enforcer/guard of a prominent Italian Mafia family. She's mousy, shy, innocent, never had any relationship or sexual experience and she's not too beautiful. But she has deep deadly a secret: She's The Gardener. A dealer of death that can poison anyone without being traced by the police, mafia or anyone.
MMC is the heir to the Mafia Family. He desperately needs the help of the Gardener to get rid of his father second hand (that man being an absolute pervert). He couldn't trace the gardener but knew one man that can unveil the mysterious identity.
Some guard named Paolo (FMC's cousin) told MMC to marry his cousin (FMC) that way the Gardener would be revealed to him. (Cryptic matchmaking, am I right?)
Anyway, MMC was socked at how much his wife is innocent and didn't want to ruin her even though he loves her. So he did not consummate the marriage, pushed her away, and yelled one day at her cousin "I would never love her, I just married her to know the gardener"
FMC hears the discussion and vows revenge.
The execution that followed is what bothered me. Nothing was adding up and I didn't like it at all.
This book is set in the sixties. The author didn't give a reason but I could think of two: 1/There are murders and it's easier to skirt around modern times effective DNA and Forensic element. (fair enough)
2/The author dealt with misogyny, stereotypical Godfather Mafia worldbuilding (Not quite pleasing to me as a reader)
FMC is the daughter of a dead enforcer/guard of a prominent Italian Mafia family. She's mousy, shy, innocent, never had any relationship or sexual experience and she's not too beautiful. But she has deep deadly a secret: She's The Gardener. A dealer of death that can poison anyone without being traced by the police, mafia or anyone.
MMC is the heir to the Mafia Family. He desperately needs the help of the Gardener to get rid of his father second hand (that man being an absolute pervert). He couldn't trace the gardener but knew one man that can unveil the mysterious identity.
Some guard named Paolo (FMC's cousin) told MMC to marry his cousin (FMC) that way the Gardener would be revealed to him. (Cryptic matchmaking, am I right?)
Anyway, MMC was socked at how much his wife is innocent and didn't want to ruin her even though he loves her. So he did not consummate the marriage, pushed her away, and yelled one day at her cousin "I would never love her, I just married her to know the gardener"
FMC hears the discussion and vows revenge.
The execution that followed is what bothered me. Nothing was adding up and I didn't like it at all.
April 13, 2024
Wow this book is gonna give me a book hangover but I’m determined not to let that happen 😂
This was a great arranged marriage book. As someone who works with herbs daily and loves gardening, I was immediately fascinated with Anita. She wasn’t the meek, mousy girl Romeo thought she was. I loved her personality, her temper and how much of a bad ass she was. In the very beginning Romeo broke her heart and boy she was no pushover. She truly made him work his ass off to redeem himself and to prove to her he truly does love and care for her especially when he found out her true identity, he definitely fell harder for her. The 2018 part at the end nearly had me sobbing. When the author writes that far ahead and gave the characters a long happy life I can’t help but get emotional.
Now, I started this series backwards on purpose. I’ll jump into book 1 soon because now that I know about their past and when and how the rivalry with the other family started, I’m excited to read about their granddaughter, Adelaide and what drama she has going on in her life and to read about how her relationship is with her grandparents. 😄
This was a great arranged marriage book. As someone who works with herbs daily and loves gardening, I was immediately fascinated with Anita. She wasn’t the meek, mousy girl Romeo thought she was. I loved her personality, her temper and how much of a bad ass she was. In the very beginning Romeo broke her heart and boy she was no pushover. She truly made him work his ass off to redeem himself and to prove to her he truly does love and care for her especially when he found out her true identity, he definitely fell harder for her. The 2018 part at the end nearly had me sobbing. When the author writes that far ahead and gave the characters a long happy life I can’t help but get emotional.
Now, I started this series backwards on purpose. I’ll jump into book 1 soon because now that I know about their past and when and how the rivalry with the other family started, I’m excited to read about their granddaughter, Adelaide and what drama she has going on in her life and to read about how her relationship is with her grandparents. 😄
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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May 21, 2024DNF 50%
November 24, 2024
Tags: boring-yaawn, hero-hurts-heroine, hero-married-to-heroine, hurtful-words-overheard, in-laws-from-hell, mafia-cartel-romance, marriage-arranged, ow-drama, read, strong-fmc-heroine, virgin-heroine, weak-hero, troubled-marriage
May 18, 2024
this was a damn good book. the fmc was so strong!
September 13, 2024
My reviews always contain spoilers, I write them so I can remember the story.
What do you do when you need a master assassin? You contact their handler, right? What happens when the handler, Paolo says in order to get in contact with the assassin you must marry his cousin, Anita. You court and marry the cousin, right? That’s what Romeo does. He’s the heir to a mafia empire currently run by his cruel and evil father, Matteo and his unhinged second in command, Lanton. Romeo hates both of them and has vowed to take them down. Marrying Anita a young innocent girl is not in his plans but he agrees to get in contact with the infamous assassin known as The Gardner.
Anita is a young girl who is a master gardener, she learned all about plants from her father and has worked tirelessly on making the perfect poisons from her beloved plants. After her father is killed she uses her skill to take out certain bad people. No one knows who The Gardener is except Paolo who keeps Anita’s secret even when he’s threatened with torture.
Things are not going well in Romeo’s marriage, after Anita overhears him telling Paolo he will never love his mousey wife she is heartbroken. Her heartbreak turns to anger and hate for Romeo. He’s not sure what has changed is sweet innocent wife into an angry sharp tongued woman. Then Paolo tells him he has angered The Gardner by hurting his young innocent wife. So The Gardener refuses to meet with him until he learns to treat his wife better. This causes jealousy in Romeo, he really does like his wife, he’s just trying desperately to protect her. He regrets lying to her cousin but he needs to stay focused to taking down Matteo and Lanton. His hatred of Lanton had lead him to seduce his young wife, Merissa a move that backfires on him when she shows up at his house followed by Lanton and Anita has to clean up Romeo’s mess.
Seeing Anita handle Merissa and Lanton he realizes that his wife is very smart and not as sweet as he thought. He corners her after the disastrous dinner saying he wants a real wedding night. She gets real angry with him, he ruined their wedding night by coming to the wedding suite hours late and so drunk he passes out on her.
Her revenge for a do over wedding night is brilliant. He catches her giving Paolo “herbs” and when questioned she says it’s a fertility tea, for the husband to drink. Thinking it will be perfect for their do over wedding night he drinks the brewed tea. Things get hot and heavy but poor Romeo can’t get an erection. After trying desperately to become hard he has to watch his wife get herself off. He does figure out after she leaves him that it was the tea that caused his limp issue, but thinks The Gardener gave her the tea.
More drama with Merissa and Lanton, Anita finds out Lanton has again abused her so she offers Merissa help in getting out of her marriage by way of poison. But something goes wrong and Lanton is very sick but not dead. Anita goes over and helps finish him off with more poison. She makes Merissa drink some too so she not suspected of killing him. Anita also confesses that she’s The Gardener to a dying Lanton. But he confesses a bigger surprise, he hints that he could have killed Romeo’s mom.
Back in Romeo’s world, he finally figures out who The Gardner is! He was going to torture Paolo but figures it out from clues Paolo gives. The clues were always there, but as Anita says Romeo is dumber than a bag of rock. And I agree with her. He’s a very beta mafia heir. He taunts his wife until it comes out that he knows she’s The Gardener. He still wants her fiercely and she keeps denying him, showing him her hatred of him. On her birthday she actually poisons him with microdoses of poisons in cookies and cakes she has made him. When he figures it out, he’s not mad at her.
They finally have their first time together after she softens towards him when he defies his father to protect her. His father thinks Paolo is The Gardener and wants Romeo to kill him. But his father figures out Paolo is alive and sends him to be killed. Matteo comes to their house and finds Paolo and threatens Anita, she kills him with her deadly poison tipped needle.
The two enjoy more sexy times and Anita tells him she loves him. Epilogues with her pregnant, and a weird twist, his mother alive, she was deep undercover when married to Matteo for a group called the Unseen that police the mafia. Anita tells her now she and Romeo run their town and she is to leave them alone. They have a son and many years later a granddaughter.
Loved Romeo chasing his own tail trying to get The Gardener to work with him. I really liked Anita’s character, she was a great mix of smart and sweet. She had a hard time showing her soft underbelly but once you had her loyalty it was for life. Romeo was pretty beta for a mafia guy, he was to in his own head, not enough action. There were a dozen ways a mafioso can take out a bad guy, he should have taken care of Lanton a long time ago.
What do you do when you need a master assassin? You contact their handler, right? What happens when the handler, Paolo says in order to get in contact with the assassin you must marry his cousin, Anita. You court and marry the cousin, right? That’s what Romeo does. He’s the heir to a mafia empire currently run by his cruel and evil father, Matteo and his unhinged second in command, Lanton. Romeo hates both of them and has vowed to take them down. Marrying Anita a young innocent girl is not in his plans but he agrees to get in contact with the infamous assassin known as The Gardner.
Anita is a young girl who is a master gardener, she learned all about plants from her father and has worked tirelessly on making the perfect poisons from her beloved plants. After her father is killed she uses her skill to take out certain bad people. No one knows who The Gardener is except Paolo who keeps Anita’s secret even when he’s threatened with torture.
Things are not going well in Romeo’s marriage, after Anita overhears him telling Paolo he will never love his mousey wife she is heartbroken. Her heartbreak turns to anger and hate for Romeo. He’s not sure what has changed is sweet innocent wife into an angry sharp tongued woman. Then Paolo tells him he has angered The Gardner by hurting his young innocent wife. So The Gardener refuses to meet with him until he learns to treat his wife better. This causes jealousy in Romeo, he really does like his wife, he’s just trying desperately to protect her. He regrets lying to her cousin but he needs to stay focused to taking down Matteo and Lanton. His hatred of Lanton had lead him to seduce his young wife, Merissa a move that backfires on him when she shows up at his house followed by Lanton and Anita has to clean up Romeo’s mess.
Seeing Anita handle Merissa and Lanton he realizes that his wife is very smart and not as sweet as he thought. He corners her after the disastrous dinner saying he wants a real wedding night. She gets real angry with him, he ruined their wedding night by coming to the wedding suite hours late and so drunk he passes out on her.
Her revenge for a do over wedding night is brilliant. He catches her giving Paolo “herbs” and when questioned she says it’s a fertility tea, for the husband to drink. Thinking it will be perfect for their do over wedding night he drinks the brewed tea. Things get hot and heavy but poor Romeo can’t get an erection. After trying desperately to become hard he has to watch his wife get herself off. He does figure out after she leaves him that it was the tea that caused his limp issue, but thinks The Gardener gave her the tea.
More drama with Merissa and Lanton, Anita finds out Lanton has again abused her so she offers Merissa help in getting out of her marriage by way of poison. But something goes wrong and Lanton is very sick but not dead. Anita goes over and helps finish him off with more poison. She makes Merissa drink some too so she not suspected of killing him. Anita also confesses that she’s The Gardener to a dying Lanton. But he confesses a bigger surprise, he hints that he could have killed Romeo’s mom.
Back in Romeo’s world, he finally figures out who The Gardner is! He was going to torture Paolo but figures it out from clues Paolo gives. The clues were always there, but as Anita says Romeo is dumber than a bag of rock. And I agree with her. He’s a very beta mafia heir. He taunts his wife until it comes out that he knows she’s The Gardener. He still wants her fiercely and she keeps denying him, showing him her hatred of him. On her birthday she actually poisons him with microdoses of poisons in cookies and cakes she has made him. When he figures it out, he’s not mad at her.
They finally have their first time together after she softens towards him when he defies his father to protect her. His father thinks Paolo is The Gardener and wants Romeo to kill him. But his father figures out Paolo is alive and sends him to be killed. Matteo comes to their house and finds Paolo and threatens Anita, she kills him with her deadly poison tipped needle.
The two enjoy more sexy times and Anita tells him she loves him. Epilogues with her pregnant, and a weird twist, his mother alive, she was deep undercover when married to Matteo for a group called the Unseen that police the mafia. Anita tells her now she and Romeo run their town and she is to leave them alone. They have a son and many years later a granddaughter.
Loved Romeo chasing his own tail trying to get The Gardener to work with him. I really liked Anita’s character, she was a great mix of smart and sweet. She had a hard time showing her soft underbelly but once you had her loyalty it was for life. Romeo was pretty beta for a mafia guy, he was to in his own head, not enough action. There were a dozen ways a mafioso can take out a bad guy, he should have taken care of Lanton a long time ago.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2024
This book grabbed my attention and then half way through, I was just reading just to read it....
I thought it started off great. Its based in the 1960s which was a little strange to me but this seems like a book series parents book (now that i finished it) so maybe that's why. She overhears the H saying that he only married her because he needs to meet with a person called the Gardener who deals in poisons to kill an enemy of his. He has no idea that he is indeed MARRIED to the Gardener herself, thinking shes a very demure very mindful and innocent lady of the mafia when shes anything but. He wants to keep her away from the violent world of the mafia that hes in, not knowing that shes very psychopathic herself. I don't think the author did a very good job developing this character because shes described as a killer type but she just does it through poisoning toxins from plants......kind of a yawn to me *shrug*
i guess my gripe with this book is that I just don't feel the romance between these two. She doesn't give me the feeling that shes in love with him since shes a bit cold blooded and methodical. H was into her but.....I don't know how to explain it.....it didn't really seem reciprocated.
anyway, after he finds out who she is, it was a bit of a meh book. it ends in the 1980's where theyre both old and feeble and they have kids and grandkids together.
I thought it started off great. Its based in the 1960s which was a little strange to me but this seems like a book series parents book (now that i finished it) so maybe that's why. She overhears the H saying that he only married her because he needs to meet with a person called the Gardener who deals in poisons to kill an enemy of his. He has no idea that he is indeed MARRIED to the Gardener herself, thinking shes a very demure very mindful and innocent lady of the mafia when shes anything but. He wants to keep her away from the violent world of the mafia that hes in, not knowing that shes very psychopathic herself. I don't think the author did a very good job developing this character because shes described as a killer type but she just does it through poisoning toxins from plants......kind of a yawn to me *shrug*
i guess my gripe with this book is that I just don't feel the romance between these two. She doesn't give me the feeling that shes in love with him since shes a bit cold blooded and methodical. H was into her but.....I don't know how to explain it.....it didn't really seem reciprocated.
anyway, after he finds out who she is, it was a bit of a meh book. it ends in the 1980's where theyre both old and feeble and they have kids and grandkids together.
September 6, 2024
4/5 ⭐️
May 27, 2024
I discovered Mae Pierce on Wattpad a few months back and devoured her stories on there. As anyone who uses Wattpad knows, it can be tricky to find a well written story amongst a lot of bad, so I was so pleased to have found these gems.
I then found out that she is a published author on Amazon and I eagerly awaited the release of this book. Her other published books seem to all be Reverse Haram or Why Choose which is not my cup of tea but this book is single M/F and the blurb intrigued me.
I was sucked into this story immediately. I’ve been in a bit of a book slump lately where everything just seems to be the same old same old. I loved the fact that Anita was not your typical Mafia arranged marriage heroine. She was vulnerable but strong and had a darkness to her. She was no doormat and there was no BBS to be seen which will automatically gain you points with me. I also enjoyed our hero Romeo as he almost immediately fell in love with Anita and once he learned her secret, he did everything in his power to embrace and encourage her to be her true self.
Their story had a nice trajectory of an overheard betrayal/heartbreak and then a sufficient and satisfying grovel. I am very picky about my grovels and for the situation that happened in this story, I felt like Romeo fully redeemed himself. There is no cheating and just a tad bit of OW drama but don’t worry, Anita dealt with it like the badass she is even though Romeo was all about her and only her. Everything wrapped up in an HEA and we even got a nice, lengthy epilogue that left me with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.
Overall, I think Mae Pierce is a talented author who will continue to get better with every book she writes and I’m excited to follow her in her career.
I love to spoil and discuss books so feel free to ask me anything you want to know in the comments. :)
I then found out that she is a published author on Amazon and I eagerly awaited the release of this book. Her other published books seem to all be Reverse Haram or Why Choose which is not my cup of tea but this book is single M/F and the blurb intrigued me.
I was sucked into this story immediately. I’ve been in a bit of a book slump lately where everything just seems to be the same old same old. I loved the fact that Anita was not your typical Mafia arranged marriage heroine. She was vulnerable but strong and had a darkness to her. She was no doormat and there was no BBS to be seen which will automatically gain you points with me. I also enjoyed our hero Romeo as he almost immediately fell in love with Anita and once he learned her secret, he did everything in his power to embrace and encourage her to be her true self.
Their story had a nice trajectory of an overheard betrayal/heartbreak and then a sufficient and satisfying grovel. I am very picky about my grovels and for the situation that happened in this story, I felt like Romeo fully redeemed himself. There is no cheating and just a tad bit of OW drama but don’t worry, Anita dealt with it like the badass she is even though Romeo was all about her and only her. Everything wrapped up in an HEA and we even got a nice, lengthy epilogue that left me with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.
Overall, I think Mae Pierce is a talented author who will continue to get better with every book she writes and I’m excited to follow her in her career.
I love to spoil and discuss books so feel free to ask me anything you want to know in the comments. :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2024
4.5 stars
"He tasted of red wine, blood, and audacity."
romeo 🤝 me
being whipped for anita
this was an almost perfect read for me, but it had two tropes i despise with a passion. they were in the last chapter and epilogue (the epilogue is objectively good, just not my cup of tea), so i'll probably skip those if i ever reread the book:
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July 9, 2024(DNF @ ~75%) Love the plot, but I'm surprisingly bored even though I just got to a critical point. Also, I don't like these two MCs together enough to stick around for their romance.
April 2, 2024
“We were pillars, cracked and scarred on our own. But together, we were solid. Strong. That scared and soothed me at the same time. “
💚 One sided enemies to lovers
🖤 Angsty
💚 Marriage by deception
🖤 Grovelling
💚 Slow burn
🖤 FMC with secret identity
💚 Feminine rage
I cannot begin to describe the trance this book had me in. The plot was so intriguing and also the relationship between Romeo and Anita, seeing their chemistry and relationship grow into something special.
I loved the grovelling Romeo do to get back into Anita’s good books, the things he did for her really proved his devotion.
I’m always crazy for a strong, fierce FMC, and we got that plenty with Anita, I was so invested in her and her back story with the addition of the flashbacks into her childhood!
That epilogue was everything, seeing their story come full circle and creating a beautiful life and family together 🥹
Although I’ve read out of order, I have bumped The Burnt Heart way up my TBR! I cannot wait to read more!
Thank you for this ARC copy
💚 One sided enemies to lovers
🖤 Angsty
💚 Marriage by deception
🖤 Grovelling
💚 Slow burn
🖤 FMC with secret identity
💚 Feminine rage
I cannot begin to describe the trance this book had me in. The plot was so intriguing and also the relationship between Romeo and Anita, seeing their chemistry and relationship grow into something special.
I loved the grovelling Romeo do to get back into Anita’s good books, the things he did for her really proved his devotion.
I’m always crazy for a strong, fierce FMC, and we got that plenty with Anita, I was so invested in her and her back story with the addition of the flashbacks into her childhood!
That epilogue was everything, seeing their story come full circle and creating a beautiful life and family together 🥹
Although I’ve read out of order, I have bumped The Burnt Heart way up my TBR! I cannot wait to read more!
Thank you for this ARC copy
April 1, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️
“I don’t love her. I’ll never love her.”
“You think you can kiss me into submission? That I’ll melt if you toss me a charming smile?”
“My perfect, deadly wife. My poison, my addiction.”
Anita was a great, fierce, and intelligent main character who didn’t need anyone to save her. I liked how she was fully capable of doing the dirty work and making hard decisions.
I loved how the flashback scenes brought more depth to Anita as a character and told about her background and her relationship with her father.
Her relationship with Romeo was interesting. At first, I didn’t feel that there was chemistry between them, but I think their relationship evolved nicely throughout the book.
The plot itself was really interesting. I enjoyed Anita being the mysterious Gardener.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.
“I don’t love her. I’ll never love her.”
“You think you can kiss me into submission? That I’ll melt if you toss me a charming smile?”
“My perfect, deadly wife. My poison, my addiction.”
Anita was a great, fierce, and intelligent main character who didn’t need anyone to save her. I liked how she was fully capable of doing the dirty work and making hard decisions.
I loved how the flashback scenes brought more depth to Anita as a character and told about her background and her relationship with her father.
Her relationship with Romeo was interesting. At first, I didn’t feel that there was chemistry between them, but I think their relationship evolved nicely throughout the book.
The plot itself was really interesting. I enjoyed Anita being the mysterious Gardener.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.
June 25, 2024
This author is a top fave of mine for grovel and redemption. I read this chapter by chapter a while back as she was writing it and shared in her reader group, looking forward to each post.
Now on the re-read, we got an extended epilogue, and I teared up at saying goodbye to these characters. The fire inside Anita was riveting to read about, and Romeo's blundering in the beginning was comical. But once that man realized his wife wasn't "sweet" and went all in with his pursuit, it made for a fantastic tale of finding love in the dark places of one's self.
Now on the re-read, we got an extended epilogue, and I teared up at saying goodbye to these characters. The fire inside Anita was riveting to read about, and Romeo's blundering in the beginning was comical. But once that man realized his wife wasn't "sweet" and went all in with his pursuit, it made for a fantastic tale of finding love in the dark places of one's self.
January 19, 2025
2/2.5⭐️
Romeo bless his heart is an absolute idiot
Every time he went on a rant about how alike he and Anita are and that they share the same darkness because they're both killers. I resist the urge to just laugh 😂😂And I love how Anita rolls her eyes every time because she knows that man is not on her level.
My favorite quote:
"My husband was handsome, and he was also dumber than a bag of rocks."
But he's a total simp who was okay with drinking poison If it meant it would lessen her anger so I guess we accept him
Romeo bless his heart is an absolute idiot
Every time he went on a rant about how alike he and Anita are and that they share the same darkness because they're both killers. I resist the urge to just laugh 😂😂And I love how Anita rolls her eyes every time because she knows that man is not on her level.
My favorite quote:
"My husband was handsome, and he was also dumber than a bag of rocks."
But he's a total simp who was okay with drinking poison If it meant it would lessen her anger so I guess we accept him
March 31, 2024
Found family, SFMC, Mafia, death, suspense, rival families, secret Gardener (kiss of death). What more can you ask for.
The Gardener was definitely not who I expected and for that secret to be kept as long as it was they didn’t really well. The other secrets were kept really quiet as well.
Mae has done well with this book as it allows more secrets and lies to be found over the next 40+ years.
The Gardener was definitely not who I expected and for that secret to be kept as long as it was they didn’t really well. The other secrets were kept really quiet as well.
Mae has done well with this book as it allows more secrets and lies to be found over the next 40+ years.
April 4, 2024
4⭐️
I really enjoyed this dark and twisty novella!
Expect the unexpected with this book.
I feel like a lot of readers will be able to relate to Anita. She is a lost soul but found her purpose long ago.
There was a section of the book that was repeated. A whole chapter. But otherwise, I looked forward to getting back to my kindle when I was pulled away from reading!
I really enjoyed this dark and twisty novella!
Expect the unexpected with this book.
I feel like a lot of readers will be able to relate to Anita. She is a lost soul but found her purpose long ago.
There was a section of the book that was repeated. A whole chapter. But otherwise, I looked forward to getting back to my kindle when I was pulled away from reading!
April 7, 2024
I knew reading the description of this book it was going to be up my ally, and it did not disappoint!!! Anita is badass!! I loved the chemistry between her and Romeo. The grovelling Romeo does to win Anita back is just 🤌🤌🤌 thanks for the opportunity to read this arc 😊
October 4, 2024
I liked the plot. I liked the story. I did NOT like the characters so immature, the relationship without spark, the connection that didn't exist. I tried, I really tried but I didn't like it. Oh I'm dark, you are dark, we are dark, hooray! Also the betrayal didn't really feel like a betrayal.
March 18, 2025
the plot is good. the characters are hot and sexy and good as well 😄 love how they are honest and communicate with each other cause they cant keep secret from each other and the grovelling? so nice. the whole book yeahh 😄☝🏻☝🏻
February 4, 2025
3.5-ish? I LOVED the premise but the execution left me wanting. Some really fun moments throughout, but I wanted more meat to the story.
February 15, 2025
This popped up in one of my FB groups, the concept sounded interesting.
A mafia story set in 1962, I found it rather entertaining. The reader knows the story twist really early.
A mafia story set in 1962, I found it rather entertaining. The reader knows the story twist really early.
June 26, 2025
these characters are so stupid i can’t wrap my head around how they’re supposed to be so strong and intelligent?
April 13, 2024
I loved this book and I loved Anita, I was fully invested in her story.
It’s so great to read a strong female character, who stands up for herself. I really enjoyed her tea parties and the fact that Romeo took part knowing the situation.
It was great to read the extended epilogue and read about children and grandchildren, you really got a proper ending to their story.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
It’s so great to read a strong female character, who stands up for herself. I really enjoyed her tea parties and the fact that Romeo took part knowing the situation.
It was great to read the extended epilogue and read about children and grandchildren, you really got a proper ending to their story.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 8, 2024
Content Warning: Poison Heart has dark themes and may not be suitable for all readers. This story is set in the 1960's and as such reflects misogynistic ideas and other practices that were prevalent at the time. Please read below to decide whether it is safe for you to read.
Non-consensual kissing, Death, Gore, Blood, Torture, Poisoning, Drugging, Death of a parent, Grief/depression, Brief discussion of suicide, Parental neglect/abuse, Rough sex, Biting, Gun violence, Misogyny, Smoking, Sexually explicit scenes, Domestic abuse (not main characters), Postpartum anxiety, Pregnancy in epilogue, and Eluding to terminal illness/death in epilogue.
Side Note: While this book was the second in the series, it actually took place before The Burnt Heart. This story was about Adelaide's grandparents. It would probably be best to read this one FIRST since there are several spoilers focused on The Burnt Heart.
Poison Heart, Book 2 of the Toxic Hearts series, was about 20-year-old Anita (Bianco) Orazio. (She was 19 when she was introduced to Romeo, and they were married 6 months later. So I'm assuming she turned 20 on her birthday that they celebrated in the book), and her new husband Romeo Orazio. (His age was never given.)
When Anita learned three weeks into their marriage that her husband Romeo had made a deal with her cousin, Paolo, to marry her in order to get an introduction to the assassin known as "The Gardner", it nearly broke her. However, given who she was, she pulled herself together, confronted her cousin, and set out to teach them both not to mess with her...because SHE was "The Gardner". What she didn't know was that everything Romeo had said to her cousin was a lie he had spouted with the thought of keeping her at arms' length.
But Romeo did not realize she had overheard his conversation with her cousin, so when she threw a dinner party a few days later, he was shocked by the change in his once-adoring wife. She was cold, calculating, and no longer looked at him with the longing he had often seen in her eyes during their courtship. To make matters worse, one of his former mistresses showed up to cause trouble. When she told Romeo she was pregnant with his baby, she gave a triumphant look over his shoulder, alerting him to the fact his wife had heard her words.
The story took off from that point, with the angst and drama both being OTT, but in a good way. This book was better than The Burnt Heart because it had less fluff-n-stuff and more needed information. It didn't dwell on the past, mainly because it WAS in the past from Book 1. It filled in many of the unanswered questions from The Burnt Heart.
The emotional rollercoaster ride had its usual twists and turns, with a few surprises thrown in to make the loop-de-loops more palatable. There was more than a little push/pull between the two main characters, and the conflict was enjoyable to see play out. The spice level was muted since it was a slow-burn story, but when those scenes took place, they were enjoyable.
Both the MMC and the FMC were well-developed and mature, and both of them did a lot of learning and growing as needed. The FMC was strong and not the usual doormat most authors prefer to create. She was more alpha than beta, and she was an awesome character. The MMC wasn't too shoddy either, and they both melded together in such a way that kept the reader glued to the pages.
Since this book actually took place before Book 1, you'll have to read the other story to see if there was a potential for a third book, because this one pretty much introduced the characters for The Burnt Heart.
While there were some grammatical and punctuation errors in this story, they didn't detract from the flow of the book, so I felt that it earned a full five-star rating. I also included it in my Keeper for the Shelves collection.
Non-consensual kissing, Death, Gore, Blood, Torture, Poisoning, Drugging, Death of a parent, Grief/depression, Brief discussion of suicide, Parental neglect/abuse, Rough sex, Biting, Gun violence, Misogyny, Smoking, Sexually explicit scenes, Domestic abuse (not main characters), Postpartum anxiety, Pregnancy in epilogue, and Eluding to terminal illness/death in epilogue.
Side Note: While this book was the second in the series, it actually took place before The Burnt Heart. This story was about Adelaide's grandparents. It would probably be best to read this one FIRST since there are several spoilers focused on The Burnt Heart.
Poison Heart, Book 2 of the Toxic Hearts series, was about 20-year-old Anita (Bianco) Orazio. (She was 19 when she was introduced to Romeo, and they were married 6 months later. So I'm assuming she turned 20 on her birthday that they celebrated in the book), and her new husband Romeo Orazio. (His age was never given.)
When Anita learned three weeks into their marriage that her husband Romeo had made a deal with her cousin, Paolo, to marry her in order to get an introduction to the assassin known as "The Gardner", it nearly broke her. However, given who she was, she pulled herself together, confronted her cousin, and set out to teach them both not to mess with her...because SHE was "The Gardner". What she didn't know was that everything Romeo had said to her cousin was a lie he had spouted with the thought of keeping her at arms' length.
But Romeo did not realize she had overheard his conversation with her cousin, so when she threw a dinner party a few days later, he was shocked by the change in his once-adoring wife. She was cold, calculating, and no longer looked at him with the longing he had often seen in her eyes during their courtship. To make matters worse, one of his former mistresses showed up to cause trouble. When she told Romeo she was pregnant with his baby, she gave a triumphant look over his shoulder, alerting him to the fact his wife had heard her words.
The story took off from that point, with the angst and drama both being OTT, but in a good way. This book was better than The Burnt Heart because it had less fluff-n-stuff and more needed information. It didn't dwell on the past, mainly because it WAS in the past from Book 1. It filled in many of the unanswered questions from The Burnt Heart.
The emotional rollercoaster ride had its usual twists and turns, with a few surprises thrown in to make the loop-de-loops more palatable. There was more than a little push/pull between the two main characters, and the conflict was enjoyable to see play out. The spice level was muted since it was a slow-burn story, but when those scenes took place, they were enjoyable.
Both the MMC and the FMC were well-developed and mature, and both of them did a lot of learning and growing as needed. The FMC was strong and not the usual doormat most authors prefer to create. She was more alpha than beta, and she was an awesome character. The MMC wasn't too shoddy either, and they both melded together in such a way that kept the reader glued to the pages.
Since this book actually took place before Book 1, you'll have to read the other story to see if there was a potential for a third book, because this one pretty much introduced the characters for The Burnt Heart.
While there were some grammatical and punctuation errors in this story, they didn't detract from the flow of the book, so I felt that it earned a full five-star rating. I also included it in my Keeper for the Shelves collection.
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