Veil of Vengeance

Veil of Power #1

by Serafina Marron

STANDALONE in a dark mafia romance series.


He is determined to break me and humiliate my family.
I’m determined to make him regret ever taking me.
Valentina Moretti

Being born into one of the most powerful Italian Mafia families comes with expectations.
For a woman? It means marrying someone who would benefit the Outfit. I am expected
to fall in line and follow the rules. What if that’s not what I want?
Maybe I’m not meant to yearn for my own freedom because the punishment comes in
the form of the ruthless Capo of the Camorra. Emiliano Folonari. He’s the devil
incarnate and yet there is something about him I don’t want to resist…
Emiliano Folonari

They went too far. They killed my father and tore my family apart. I will make them pay
for their sins.
As Capo of the Camorra, I made a vow to protect my family and my soldiers. When The
Outfit attacks my territory, I decide to take revenge. What better way to do it than to
kidnap the precious eldest daughter, Valentina Moretti?


Will the twisted attraction that blooms between them be enough? Enough for
Emiliano to give up on his revenge? Enough for Valentina to stay true to herself?

Or will it break them both?

Genres: Dark Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Mafia Romance, Romance, Dark

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 15, 2024

About the author

Sera Marron is a Dark romance enthusiast. She enjoys coming up with dark, twisted and delicious villains for her heroins. When she isn’t doing that, Sera is usually consuming too much caffeine in the form of energy drinks.

Taking a gap year before studying Computer Science in England, her love for writing had flourished once again.

When she’s not writing, you can find her avoiding human interactions as much as possible, listening to explicit songs at full volume, feeding stray cats, and staying up late obsessing over fictional characters.

Reviews

[Buffy ❤️‍🔥💀 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring, rushed through, amateur writing and the MMC was super immature

[Mariha Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐
Thank you so much to the author for sending me an arc of 'A twist of fate'

I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn't put the book down. The tension between the two mmc's??!!! Wow. The pacing was well executed too and I really loved reading the side characters because it made the book a perfect balance of sweet and funny, but also a bit dark of course.
Would definitely be reading more upcoming books from Sera Marron💗

[Monica Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A twist of fate

Enjoyed this book overall. A solid mafia kidnapping romance. There was some formatting stuff that was weird but once you get over that a solid story. Liked the strong fmc.

[Jens_Book_Cubby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Twist Of Fate is a standalone story in A Twist Of Mafia Series. It is a M/F, Forbidden, Dark, Mafia Romance.

Valentina is kidnapped by Emiliano in retribution for a death that was no fault of hers. Valentina has her own revenge that needs to be served! Can they both set all the hostilities aside and follow their mutual attraction? I sure hope so, because there is serious tension and sparks between these two characters and it’s absolutely delicious.

This story hooked me from the very start and kept me going and going to the very end. The writing, pace, and flow are great, as is the storyline, storytelling, characters, character development, relationship development, and world building. I’m definitely excited for more from this awesome author.

[amarnie_x · Rating 4 out of 5]

(ARC) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 , 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

before i go into anything , thank you sooo much to the author for giving me an opportunity to read this arc !

this book was like a breath of fresh air and i absolutely loved every second of it. i loved the relationship between the two mcs and how the mmc took “touch her and you die” SO LITERALLY !

i also loved how the pace of the book was. im also very thankful for chapt 20 in the mmcs pov, since i thought it was much better and basically wrapped up everything perfectly.

i can’t wait for the next book in the series !!!

tropes : mafia princess x mafia capo , grumpy x sunshine (kinda) , enemies to lovers, forced proximity, age gap , “touch her and you die”

[Joanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It pains me to not leave a glowing review for an ARC. I am grateful to the author for the opportunity, but I have to be completely honest with my thoughts...

I was ready to DNF at 25% because I was not invested in the characters or plot at all by that point. I forced myself to finish because it was an arc and I wanted to give the full book a chance.

Unfortunately, things didn't get much better for me. Typos and grammatical errors aside (but still very hard to ignore), the whole story felt very disjointed and jarring.

Spoilers below

The first 50% is more mafia-focused with what felt like a million random side character names thrown in. Other than the main characters and a select few side characters, I couldn't keep any of the names straight. Dom, Lucio, Roma, Mara, Benny, Silvio, Colombo, Costa...I don't know who any of them are or what their purpose is.

Then Valentina gets this random deathly cold, and after that, we shift into straight smut for like 25%. That was a super abrupt transition and didn't make a lot of sense. The smut was decent. However, very quickly became repetitive. Doing the same thing, saying the same thing. I was over it pretty quickly.

And then the last 25% was a lot of time jumps, and we end up with Eli the hopeless romantic making declarations of love, which, again, didn't flow nicely for me.

Unfortunately, this was not for me.

[Snow Feather · Rating 3 out of 5]

it is a solid 3.5 for me. The book is nothing new, but it was fun to read nonetheless.
I found the FMC at points annoying because of her not really being involved in the mafia business. And don't get me wrong, I get that this was an important part of the book that in her family girls just don't get involved. And she was by no point useless, nor stupid.

The MMC was a fun character to read about. He was brutal to almost everyone except the people he cares about. And it was nice to read how she slowly became part of this group. The scenes in which he murdered or tortured the people that crossed him made for a fun kind of reminder that yes, this almost golden retriever is actually pretty dangerous.
It is a fun read for people who enjoy mafia romance books a bit more on the lighter side.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good mafia read and this book is a good addition to the genre. It did take me a little while to get into but once I did I was invested in Valentina & Eli’s story, the push and pull and sexual tension between them was really well written you can feel it ooze off the page. The only thing I struggled a bit with was the ending as it feels unfinished with some things unanswered and I can only hope this is because there is another book coming. Take a chance on this book and you won’t be disappointed.

[Library.of.linds · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Twist of Fate

Oooh this book!!! I absolutely loved it!! I’m a sucker for a mafia tale but this one was a bit different and it was amazing!!!

Valentina is abducted to use against her father. That is until her captor falls for her.

This book is spicy, fast paced, and oh so good! This is the first book I’ve read from Sera but it will not be the last!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
TW: 🖤🖤🖤

[rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

book is good, slow burn, gets better the last quarter of the book. These two had a hate relationship until it wasn't. I can't wait to see what the next book brings.

[Kristina Marquardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need more! This was a story of forbidden love and war between criminal families. The life of a Mafia princess where her choices were not her own. The tension builds, and the plot for revenge keeps these two loves apart. I did not set this down. Read in one sitting. I highly recommend this mafia romance. It will keep you engaged throughout while evoking a rage of emotions within.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Valentina and Emiliano was well written lots of hot spice great storyline about 2 warning mafia families hope there’s going to be more books about the other characters in the book would recommend it

[Kirsty · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt like it was written by a Wattpad author. It was very rushed at the end with huge time jumps. 9 months went by before the MMC decided that he wanted the MFC and couldn’t live without her. He comes to get her on her wedding day, 9 months after he gave her up and traded her for revenge. She forgave him right away.

I enjoyed the storyline at the start but then it just felt rushed and unrealistic. He left her in the basement but then his mum demanded she be left in a guest room because she is innocent. I really don’t even understand how they caught feelings for each other cause they spent hardly any time together. It felt like any time Emiliano caught feelings for Valentina and showed his possessiveness and want for her the next chapter he would be back to telling her to remember her place and that she’s not a guest she’s his prisoner.

I loved the scene where he caught her in the greenhouse and he told her to pick something for them to plant and he helped her and showed her how to do it. Who knew the big bad capo was a gardener.

In one chapter Mara (Emiliano’s sister) came up with a plan to help her escape later. She told Valentina she would help her run away later on that night. Then a few hours later as they were sat down for dinner she asks her if she wants to go shopping with her tomorrow if her brother allows it and then asked for her clothes size if he said no so at least she would have her own clothes.. but she was going to escape that night so what was the point in that??? Mara takes her to the secret tunnels under the house and Valentina makes it to the docks however out of no where Emiliano appears and drags her back to the house. He was literally in New York and then he was there waiting at the docks for her. How did he even know she was there??? The next day Mara has a full wardrobe of clothes for Valentina 😂🙄

The book wasn’t all bad but I skimmed the last few chapters after he came to get her back, the end seemed to just stop so I guess it’s going to continue on in the next book however I won’t be reading it 😅

[Rose Helg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book, in the " A Twist of Mafia" series. I Couldn't put it down. It was Great. I'm definitely, reading the next book. Never read, this author before, but now, I will. 💓 Valentina and Emiliano.
This book had enemies to lovers, mafia, kidnapping, Romance, revenge, war
( between 2 families), entertaining, unpredictable, hot chemistry ( between them), pawn( to her father), choose between revenge or Love?, New series, Forbidden Love, wonderful characters, spicy, witty, action and so much more.
Definitely, reading the next book, in this series. YES, on my reread list😂😂

[honeylu ୨₊˚🌱 · Rating 3 out of 5]

★ ★ ★ potential empty plot points or questions unanswered but still enjoyed most ۶ৎ

╭┄┄┄┄┄-·-·-·-｡ﾟ･｡ﾟ･
Okay so this was definitely a quick read for mafia refill. It wasn't bad necessarily but it just didn't have that wow factor. I'm not going to write a huge review but if you want a quick read with enemies to lover, forbidden love, taken for debt, murder while not thinking too hard about every detail, this is for you. This book was okay. Very insta-love but still tension.

Both their mafias have a truce until Valentina's cousin decides to break that by initiating an attack on Emiliano club resulting in the death of his father. Now he's become the capo and decides to kidnap his oldest daughter at her arranged engagement announcement, until he receives the man who did the attack.
From there we experience tension and hatred between the characters turning into attraction and ultimately the downfall of their relationship due to the dad agreeing to the exchange.
Will Eli get her back? Will Val ever forgive him?

My favorite noticeable writing changes was Emiliano slowly calling Valentina her nickname Val, it was super cute OR the flour scene omg.
A few pet peeves is I had a lot of questions unanswered, also the ending felt really rushed and not enjoyable. The smut wasn't really separated, it kind of just kept going which was a little frustrating.
This book does not end on a cliffhanger but it leaves you with tons of questions which I find annoying, specially as a standalone girly. I don't want to read the full series to answer the questions of the first book. Considering this is THEIR book and we have no idea what happened to her family or why she was sick for that long.

╰┄┄┄┄┄┄┄꒰꒱₊˚・｡ﾟ･

╭୨୧┄┄┄┄┄𓂃˚⊹
Please read triggers for this book; Violence, Kidnapping, Child Abuse, Mention of eating disorder, Abusive Parent, Death of Family member. Graphic Torture scene.
╰୨୧┄┄┄┄┄˚˳⊹

╭・꒦₊˚ɞ・Highlights-꒱꒱

"Don't mention her. Her name being said is enough to make my fucking blood boil" / "See, you've got that look again."

Ragazza mocciosa

I think I'm becoming quite fond of something I unfortunately cannot keep or replace."

“Fuck me thirty ways till Sunday. If you beg like that, I'll burn the world for you."

Jesus, why does this man look this exquisite on his knees?

╭・꒦₊˚ɞ・Playlist-꒱꒱

・Valentina - Daniel Caesar
・Vixen - Miguel
・ Pink Matter - Frank Ocean
・The Art of Chasing You - Magnolia Celebration
・My Body is a Cage - Arcade Fire
୨୧・・・・・୨୧・・・・・୨୧・・・・・

Thank you for reading my review!! <3

[raesreadingrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had the amazing opportunity to BETA read this!
Definitely give this a shot if you're in for a forbidden mafia romance with an MMC you're bound to fall for.

Currently waiting for the book to come out so I reread and review 🥰

[lola · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a solid and enjoyable mafia romance, even though it didn’t completely blow me away. it took me a little while to really get into the story, but once i did, i found myself invested in emiliano and valentina’s relationship. the premise hooked me right away: a mafia heir forced into power, a kidnapped enemy’s daughter, and of course, a simmering chemistry between them despite their situation.

i did find valentina a bit frustrating from time to time. i understand this was part of her character, and she wasn’t useless, foolish, or naive, but her distance from the mafia world felt like it held her back from being fully involved in the plot. i think this aspect slightly unbalanced the dynamic between the characters, especially when, on the other side, emiliano was definitely the standout for me and a great character to follow. he was brutal and ruthless when needed, yes, but i really enjoyed seeing him soften around valentina once she became part of his inner circle.

i especially liked how valentina slowly found her place within his world, and how his family treated her with warmth and respect despite the situation. the tension and chemistry between them were definitely the highlights of veil of vengeance. their push and pull kept me interested, but if i’m being completely honest, the pacing felt a little uneven. the story started with a strong mafia vibe, but the shift toward smut and heavy romance scenes felt abrupt. the transitions between major plot points weren’t always smooth, and the final part of the book felt a little too rushed.

that being said, i don’t hold it too harshly against the book, especially since it’s the first in the series. despite these issues, veil of vengeance was a fun and easy read, enjoyable enough if you love light mafia romance, a dangerous yet protective mmc, and enemies-to-lovers tension.

[Katie Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ARC Review✨

3.75⭐️

Tropes:
- Mafia Romance ✔️
- Enemies to Lovers ✔️
- Captive Romance✔️
- Forced Proximity ✔️
- “Touch her and die”

This is the first book I have read of this author and I will most certainly be continuing with this series👏🏼

This book follows Emiliano (Eli), whose father who has just been recently unalived by the Chicago Outfit and thus he is now thrown into his father’s position making him Capo of the Camorra. Eli is out to get revenge for his father and as a result of this he kidnap Valentina who is his enemy’s daughter.

Eli and Valentina can barely stand one another which you know makes sense since they’re enemies but you cannot deny there is a slight attraction there. Eli spends a lot of his time in this book denying his feelings for Valentina, and I think a main reason for this was because she was his enemy’s daughter.

An aspect of this book in particular that I loved was how Valentina was held at Eli’s mansion in which his family are staying, and his mother/sister/aunt basically his whole family treated her with nothing with love and warmth as they viewed her as an innocent in the current conflict.

One minor thing would be, we do get Eli’s POV of chapter 20, which is their separation period.. I would of just preferred to have this included in the actual chapter 20 alongside Valentina’s POV👏🏼

Thank you for the author for providing this e-arc for my honest thoughts✨

[Mel Lyanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I told you to go home where
would you go? "
"To her. She's my home."

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 4,5/5
🥵🥵🥵🥵 3,5/5


First of all, I'd like to thank Fate for putting Sera Marron in my path and obviously her for giving me the opportunity to read her book.
As an avowed Mafia Romance fan myself, I can say that ATOF is a nice, pleasant surprise.
The story follows Eli, whose father was recently killed by the Chicago Outfit and so he is now taking over his father's position as Capo. As you can imagine, Eli and his men want revenge and the way they've found to do that is by striking directly where it hurts the most, by kidnapping his
daughter, Valentina.

Eli and Valentina have an instant and undeniable chemistry and I loved that they can't stand each other and can't be in the same environment, but their sexual tension is overwhelming. 🥵🔥

This book has just the right amount of tension, funny moments and a lot of chemistry between the characters, their dynamic works very well and doesn't seem forced at all.

One of the biggest successes in the story is undoubtedly the construction of the secondary characters, they really manage to steal the show and take all the attention for themselves when they're in the scene.

I don't want to get too far into the spoiler zone, so I can only say that Eli and Val's story is well worth reading, it will grip you from start to finish, and a special thank you to the author for chapter 20, it really was much needed.
Just read it.

[Jordan Fiest · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Twist of Fate is book one in the A Twist of Mafia Series. This is also the debut novel of Sera Marron. This was a very good enemies to lovers, mafia romance.

Emiliano just want his revenge against the Moretti family. He plans to use Valentina to make the Moretti family pay for everything they have done to his family. But he doesn't account for how he is going to feel about Valentina. He has to make some self-sacrificing decisions in order to live by the promise he made to his family.

Valentina is just a casualty within a war between two families. She is used as a pawn by her father and now Emiliano is going to use her as well. She just wants to be her own person, making her own decisions. She finally embraces making her own decision about something in her life, just for her to be thrust back into being used. After all that she attempts to accept her fate as something she will never be able to change. If only there was someone who was willing to fight for her freedom.

There was some really good chemistry between Emiliano and Valentina. You could tell they wanted to be together but they had to put their families first, even if they didn't truly want to do that. I loved watching each of them grow into a person who put their wants before that of their families.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

🖤ARC REVIEW🖤

I’m so in love with Eli & Val. Their shit talking in the first half of the book was fun to read and watching Emiliano fall for Valentina was ahhhhmazing. I will not lie to y’all the first half of this book was all plot. It was focused on the families, the issues going on, and it was building the world around our MCs. Of course we had banter and build up scenes, but there was like no spice. At first I was like oh no, BUT I swear to god once the spice starts it doesn’t stop and Eli’s mouth??? FILTHY, FILTHY, FILTHY AND POSSESSIVE 🥵 Very much a “say you’re mine” and y’all know how feral I go for that. Valentina is your stubborn and bratty fmc, but man when she finally opened up to him I was like YESSSSSS LFG. The angst towards the end of book, for reasons I can’t say, had my heart aching. I can’t wait for book 2 and I definitely recommend this book. Bonus thought: I’m obsessed with the greenhouse and the greenhouse scene(s) in this book 🥹

The only thing I’d say that I think could be an issue is the writing style at some points, but that never has a factor in how much I love a book!

[Eden Huntsman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me. I expected one thing and got something better if that makes sense. This book was a 3.5/4 star read out of 5 stars. The two MC’s we an interesting combo but I loved when things finally happened for them. I liked how the MMC wasn’t as crazy bad as you would assume someone in his position would be. He make talk the talk but with her it is different. I don’t care for the your a whore talk that he says to her while they are intimate. That and the fact that it took him so long to gather his thoughts. I expected there to be a little more to that trade off and what happened afterwards. I would have loved his POV during that time as well. I think that would have made it more connected to the storyline. I also loved his family. I loved how they were so different than hers and yet still in the same world.

I didn’t feel super drawn in from the book but it wasn’t a boring read at all. There were just parts here and there that just didn’t do it for me but others that made me smile and laugh so it’s a good balance.

[Esther Philippe · Rating 5 out of 5]

😍😍😍

Even after everything she went through—being kidnapped and pushed to her limits—she never backed down, never let fear define her, and that strength made her impossible not to root for. The chemistry between them was absolutely electric, crackling on every page, and the slow burn was *insane* in the best way. Every stolen glance, every loaded moment, every bit of restraint had me on edge, so when they finally gave in, it was explosive and completely worth the wait. It felt earned, powerful, and so satisfying. I’m genuinely obsessed and already counting down the moments until I dive into the rest of the series. And the contrast between the hero and her father? Night and day. The hero showed care, respect, and protection in ways her so-called dad never did—because her father was truly awful, and it only made the hero shine that much brighter. This book was a full-on emotional ride, and I loved every second of it.

[Irish_I_was_reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always. Read the trigger warnings… this is a dark mafia romance and does have some triggers that may not be what you like. With that said, no one under 18 should read this book!

This book is pleasantly detailed and started out perfect for a mafia romance. The tropes are as follows: mafia romance, touch her and bye, enemies to lovers, slow burn, forbidden love, abduction romance.

This book has two point of views: Valentina and Emiliano. Valentina is the daughter of the Don of The Outfit, while Emiliano is Capo of Camorra. The Outfit and Camorra are at war due to something major that happened, and revenge being wanted from Camorra. Valentina’s family is caring, well except for her father who is abusive and her Nonna who stands next to her father… while Emiliano’s family is caring, at least the ones that breath.

[Pat Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating -⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spicy - 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

Tropes:
🖤Enemies to lovers
🖤Forbidden love
🖤Mafia Romance
🖤Touch her and you die hero
🖤Slow burn
🖤Revenge
🖤Abduction Romance
🖤Mafia boss x Mafia princess
A Twist of Fate: Is revenge worth it all? is the first book of the Twist of Mafia Series by Sera Marron. This is my first time reading one of her books. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

Valentina (MFC) was kidnapped by Emiliano (MMC) by no fault of hers. Emiliano kidnaps her for revenge of Valentina’s father killing Emiliano’s father. Eli and Valentina do not like each other at all. They are enemies from the start of this relationship. As Eli spends time with Valentina he becomes attracted to her. Eli keeps her at the family mansion and his family (i.e. mother, sister, and aunt) treat her like family plus really likes her a whole lot. They are falling in love with her. They are not the only one falling for her. Eli and Valentina sparks and chemistry is HOT. 🔥🔥🔥 There are many twists and turns plus angst in this story. I really enjoyed this story.

[Zay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so thankful to receive an ARC for this novel from Serra Marron. This book is amazing.

I absolutely fell in love with Emiliano and Valentina. The tension and chemistry between Emiliano and Valentina was so hot.

The unexpected plot twists had me so invested. I generally thought it was the end off their relationship. But the author really tied it all together so well. And I honestly could not put the book down !!! I also really loved the banter between Emiliano and Romiro.

I really recommend this book, but make sure to check the trigger warnings. And I cannot wait to read the next book in the series

[Gemma Osment · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is valentina and emiliano(eli) story and a brilliant start to a new series.
Please be mindful that there are triggers so if you have any i would suggest reading the tw.
It is book 1 but can be read as a standalone.
eli's dad has just been k!lled so as revenge he kidnaps valentina.
These two have instant chemistry but at the same time cant stand each other,but then they are enemies.
I loved watching these two try and fight their feelings but watching eli fall more and more for valentina was just *chefs kiss*
I cant wait to read the next book in the series and maybe we will see a glimpse of these 2 in future books

[Jenn M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action Packed Dark Mafia Read

This was a fast moving darkish mafia read. There are some triggers in it so they should be checked out if this is a worry for you. The connection between Valentina and Emiliano is hard core and could be felt off the page. You could feel him fighting it even just after she was first abducted. I loved the storyline that unfolded throughout this read and am hoping that there are more books from this world because I even fell for many of the secondary character.  Was that an Easter egg you left at the end, dear author? I really hope so! I look forward to reading many more reads from this author and in this crime world. 

[N Johns✨✨]

✨✨ ARC

I am so thankful to have received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I ended up not finishing this book. From the beginning I knew this book was simply not flowing for me. I wasn’t able to be swept away in the story, and I didn’t think it’d be fair to rate it. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from giving it a read if it sounds like your vibe. I think the series as a whole has potential. 

Tropes!! 
* Mafia romance 
* Touch her and 
* Morally grey mmc 
* Standalone (1st in the series)
* Enemies to lovers 
✨✨

[Princess Irene Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emiliano THAT IS ALL!

But also whew! What an incredible read! The angst, the plot? INCREDIBLE! A fast paced read that got me hooked from chapter 1 filled with banter & sexiness! It's swoon worthy with amazing and unique well written characters! I have always had a love/hate relationship with slow burn and it was tested when I read this book! I so so want them to kiss so much but also enjoys how much they choose to banter for so long before they gave in 🙈😍

I cant wait for the next book! This is actually fun read even though its the author's debut novel!