When I receive an ARC of a book, I want to like it. If not, I wouldn't request it in the first place. Unfortunately, I found this book boring. The characters of Matteo and Marie were flat and I never felt connected to either of them. I had to force myself to finish reading because I found myself impatient for something, anything, to happen. It was slow-moving and lackluster.
As an author, Summer Cooper is capable of making her readers feel emotions. She creates memorable characters who are relatable and, usually, likable. Although they may engage in behaviors we don’t like, we eventually understand their motivations. I never did understand why Marie chose to stay and take care of her abusive mother when she was all set to leave for college. And I also didn’t understand why Marie felt Matteo tricked her into marrying him and thought that meant he didn’t care about her. He didn’t create the circumstance and he suggested marriage as a way to rescue her, but it was because he cared about her. For her to be angry and feel he tricked her into marriage was unreasonable.
The plot is slow-paced and predictable and ends with a cliffhanger. Sadly, I didn’t feel anything for Marie or Matteo so I don’t care enough to find out what happens to them next. I’m hopeful that Summer Cooper’s next series will be of the same caliber as some of her previous books (Billionaire Matchmaker series, Housekeeping series, Next Door series).
Prior to reading this, I was provided with a free look at the prequel, Mafia’s Obsession. I don't know if it is #1 in the series because that seems to have "Dirty Secret" added to the name (although the cover is virtually the same). Therefore, I will not add my review to Mafia's Dirty Secret, but will include it here instead:
Mafia's Obsession (#1)
2 stars
This is brief, and little more than an introduction to the characters in the sequel: Mafia’s Fake Bride. Ruby is a two dimensional monster with no redeeming qualities. Marie is an abused child who, when provided with an escape, instead chose to stay and care for her abusive mother. Matteo is a former abused child being groomed to take over mafia operations. The only character who garnered my sympathy was Matteo. I could not relate to Marie at all, could not understand her choices, and although I felt some sympathy for her, my strongest feeling was disbelief. I know it’s hard for people to leave abusive relationships, but the biggest impediment is usually fear. Marie had an escape plan in place and chose to stay when her mother no longer held any power over her. Supposedly, she felt guilty for any “bad” thoughts about her mother, but that held religious connotations and it was explained that she was not religious. On top of that, Ruby continued to be an absolute ghoul. It just wasn’t believable. I couldn't get past the fact that Marie had an escape plan in place, then decided to give up her dreams to care for a mother who insulted her and told her to leave. I hope the next book adds something to the characters because, at this point, they seem more like stereotypes than real, complex people.