Mafia And Gold Digger

Marchiano & Petrov Mafia

by Isa Oliver

RANKED #47 IN THE WHOLE AMAZON STORE

#1 Bestseller in Mafia Romance (May and June 2025)

A girl in a stolen gold dress…
But is she really a gold digger?

Saint
The first time I meet her, she’s stunningly beautiful in a stolen dress.
The second time I meet her, she slips my wallet right out from under me.
And the third time I meet her…
I think she might just steal the smallest sliver of my ice-cold heart.
And when I find out she’s bringing up her three young siblings by herself,
I just can’t keep away from this girl who comes crashing into my life.
Even though she’s determined to wreck my entire world.

Emerald
He's a powerful man with a traumatic past.
And I'm just a girl who can’t help hiding her heart under her stolen Dior dress...
My life is a hot mess.
While his world is all about being cold and aloof.
And I’m a terrible liar, while he’s a beautiful liar.
He’s all about late nights, sultry smoke, and come to bed eyes.
But I’ve absolutely no intention of ever letting him into my heart.

A MAFIA-LITE ROMANCE.

Standalone. Books in Isa Oliver's interconnected mafia series can be read in any order.

Tropes and age gap romance; touch her and die; fake relationship so he can protect her; single mom vibes (she's responsible for her three younger siblings); curvy girl romance; lots of banter; Italian mafia romance book. No cheating by main characters. No cliffhanger. HEA.

Genres: Dark Romance, Mafia Romance, Romance, Dark, Fake Dating, Crime, Enemies To Lovers

432 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 18, 2025

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really disappointed

I was so happy to read this after reading the first book and just felt the disappointment from the second chapter. This is why most age gaps don't work in real life let alone in most books. Emerald was a child who made irrational unrealistic choices which made absolutely no sense in the story or to her and her siblings self preservation. 2.5 million dollars to a homeless shelter while living in a crappy 1 bedroom with 3 siblings is diabolical and just ruined the story for me. I have never wanted to stop reading a book in all my almost 50 years. The ridiculous games swapping out the engagement rings etc.. just no especially with it being a "fake engagement " This was just not a good one.

[Joud · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring and so repetitive.. definitely not worth even a single star.

[The Book Haven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mafia-lite romance. Tropes;
Standalone,
HEA,
No cheating,
Age gap romance,
Touch her and die,
Italian mafia romance,
And forced proximity.

OMG this was so amazing.
The banter AMAZING it had me laughing histericaly.
The spice i have no words 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Absolutely love the ending so good and so deserved.
Loved that Saint was not like those othet mafia men that boss thier wives around or do not care about them at all.
Love a mafia man with a soft spot for dogs.

Things i will never see the same again:
Chess
Lucky Charms
Serial, Killer - awwww

The only issue with this book for me is that it has raised my standards for men to a whole new level.

This was an amzing book i had the privilege of being able to read.
✨️ I received an ARC copy, and I'm giving my honest opinion in this review. ✨️

[sheena · Rating 1 out of 5]

My Kindle lied to me. I only finished this book because it kept telling me I had 80% left and I refused to be a book behind on my reading challenge.

If I could do it again, I’d DNF before opening.

Y’all. This was so bad. First of all. 18 year old FMC? She’s a child. A 👏🏻child👏🏻

That really made the whole thing just… Ick to me.

[Bri · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay but more on the not-very-good side of okay. I liked the premise but the way the story unfolded didn't have me loving either character and honestly I never truly felt a connection between them.

[Alina · Rating 3 out of 5]

i decided to reread this and give it another chance and honestly it didn't get any better BUT it was entertaining this time.
idk if it's because it was fast burn and very low drama, especially after reading a VERY angsty and draining book, but it helped me cleanse my palette.



safety:
- safe
- no cheating
- no virgins or manhoes
- owd : none really, apart from women flirting with him
- omd : her ex cheated on her and got engaged to ow but wanted her to be his mistress and continued to send her gifts and flowers which made saint super jealous

Emerald was Volatile AS FUCKKKK but i loved her😂😂 she kinda reminded me of Gianna from the maddest obsession .

the plot still sucked, and there were WAYYYYYY too many useless side characters but oh well

[𐙚 moon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this read thanks to tiktok and it was not that bad but not that good either.
For a moment, I thought It was going to be so great—only to be disappointed.
Their relationship had some potential, but I got tired of their push and pull, which, to me, didn't really make much sense at some point.

Emerald was sometimes just childish.
Saint with the kids was kinda cute.

Overall the reading was enjoyable.

I just hated that she was 18 and him 29.

[Jaedin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5✨ So, we have Emerald (18) who basically takes care of her younger siblings and will do anything for them. My heart broke for them and ugh I wanted to cry for her and punch those people in their faces for the way they treated her. In the blurb Saint (29) is said to be emotionless, but to be honest it felt more like he just didn’t know how to express said emotions. The scenes with Giulietta and Jasper with Saint are literally the cutest and the cereal scene had me cracking up. I just wish we would’ve seen more between him and Milena. Anyways, their relationship started out physical, but I also loved the slow burn feel it had to it when they both realized they had actually feelings for one another.

[C.M. Chafin · Rating 2 out of 5]

TW: SA (including of minors)

First off - the consensual sex scenes were on point and I thought the writer’s talent really showed through in them. The initial subtle comparisons between Ronnie and Saint were also nice. However, the overall book heavily needed an editor and made suspending disbelief a little too difficult.

[Heather S · Rating 1 out of 5]

what

I’ve attempted to read two books on this series and both of them are terrible. Badly written, story line obvious and not in a charming way.

[Laura]

DNF 24%

[Katelin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was chill. Could be better, could be worse. Just needed something to read🤷‍♀️

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too long with repetitive descriptions and narration. Could've done without the last 5 chapters altogether.

[Jess 🎀 · Rating 2 out of 5]

i got so bored and the author just kept repeating things over and over again and it felt like reading the same chapters over and over again

[zmyslek · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny, good banter, but too much smut

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

1

dnf @ 62%

[Brittney Griffith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why brittney?

[Courtney Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smut

[Karja26 · Rating 1 out of 5]

too much for me

Saw this on TikTokand was intrigued but this was not for me. 51 chapters and epilogue too long for me. To me the characters themselves a bit flimsy/ shallow. The whole thing was too much and was as if every trope / sub trope was included.
Not my cup of tea unfortunately

[LV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isa Oliver's books can be quite different in tone from each other and this one is no different, if I had to compare this one is slightly more like Mafia and Maid with a good touch of comedy and clash between hardman and scenes domesticity thrown in. Plus two wonderful dogs.

The MMC is a Veneti cousin, who is emotionally unavailable but obsessed with Emerald. Emerald comes from a family that are just above scum in their world. I think most readers will adore her as she's a real fighter. Her fiestiness and desire to grow are incredible endearing. However fear of commitment and trust issues means they are a couple who struggle to get on, outside the bedroom. There is a lot of chemistry, as well as angst. Both characters have a lot of depth and trauma and the way they end up working through it is quite moving

I wish we d seen more reappearance of former characters in the series, especially the crazy Veneti's. Although I loved Christian and Jacquetta.

I did find that at times it could drag just a bit, especially when it came to the final resolution. Overall it's a great read perfect for those that love possessive mmc, feisty funny mfc, arranged marriage and mmc who help the mfc through trauma tropes.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Denise Drennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mafia and Gold Digger by Isa Oliver was a good book. She's doing her best to raise 3 kids and carrying all the troubles. But what he sees in her makes it all worth it. I really liked this book.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rebecca McClain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly?

Started out well. But I could not get the characters' motivations for their actions. She hates being seen as a gold digger... so she starts insane rumors about being one to prove Saint's love for her? For what tho? The writing was stilted. Like certain scenes would be built up (Saint forgetting her birthday and panicking) it would lead up to her seeing what he planned woth her siblings, and then zero payoff. The story would just start days aftwards with no real follow up.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the children scenes and seeing Saint become a softie. I loved that he takes such good care of his new family. The kids are what took this from to 3 stars. Saint and Emerald relationship was quite boring. She should just give up on her Mom if her mom does not care enough to protect her kids she does not deserve to be in her kids lives. The humor in this book was off you could tell where things were supposed to be funny like the bunny comment but they were not funny. Her giving so much to the charity is ridiculous that is too much money she should actually give it to specific things not donate to a charity and hope they do right by the money. She never stands up for herself when people call her a gold digger or a slut. Stand up for yourself! Have a personality

[Rana · Rating 1 out of 5]

i don’t know why i even bothered.

the writing is bad, 0 personality for all characters, both were insane, and not even the right way.

i feel like we really sucked dry the topic of this mafia romance thing

[Evie Ha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Parts I highlighted among with notes:

„My mom always said I was too pretty to play a dull game like chess. But the truth is I find the game utterly intoxicating. It’s like a drug I can't get enough of.“ ➡️ Was the author's inspiration for Emerald the Netflix show The Queen's Gambit?

„I finally manage to stop my laughter. “We’re into drug running, money laundering, and murder, and you’re worried about some girl stealing a few pink bows to put in her hair?” I shake my head as I start chuckling again.
“Saint, I’m being fucking serious. She’s a serial shoplifter.”
I can’t help a snort. “Just how serial is serial in this instance?” The question leaves my mouth before my brain can stop it.
“She’s been caught a few times, but no charges were pressed.“ ➡️ okay, this was actually funny

„It's him, sis, I'm telling you,” the squirrel squeaks. Christ, the annoying little shit is her brother?
They both turn around slowly and meet my eyes. “Kid, you've got me mixed up with somebody else,” I say uneasily.He juts his chin out. “No, I haven't.” He jabs a finger downward. “You've got my Lucky Charms in your basket.” “Why the hell are you looking at what's in my basket? My groceries are confidential.” Emerald narrows her eyes at me. “Since when have the contents of a grocery basket been confidential?” ➡️ what the helly? I cringed to bad 😭

„I go to Luigi’s grocery store for the first time in ages. A lot of the Imperiosi use this place because the owner is connected to the organization.“ ➡️ Seriously ? I have no words...💀

„He shrugs. “I thought you'd be more likely to accept it if it was a done deal. And we can still carry on seeing each other after I’m married. Lots of made men keep a mistress.”
I close my eyes briefly. “So, you’re saying I'm good enough to bang, but I’m not good enough to marry?” And when Ronnie doesn't reply, I have my answer. “Great, as well as being called a slut and a gold digger, now I can add ‘idiot’ to the glowing opinion most of the gossips have of me,” I mutter. “Em, I need to marry someone whose family is important in the organization...” ➡️ Men...I thought Em really grew a backbone and some self respect but then...
„I’m glad you and me can still be friends, Em,” he says in a genuine voice. “Yeah, me too, Ronnie. Whatever happened, it was fate’s way of telling me that we weren’t meant to be. That we were always better off as just friends.” Because although he was truly the worst boyfriend in the whole freaking world, we were best friends before we dated, and it’s good to be friends with him again.“ ➡️ …is she dumb or naive...


“So,” I say slowly, “I was thinking, maybe I could take you out for a drink sometime?” A few seconds pass as she exhales slowly. “I don’t think so.” I’m about to smirk when I freeze. “Wait! What did you just say?” “I said no.” “But „nobody ever says no to me,” I bluster.“ ➡️ god, this was so fcking cringe especially coming from a made man's mouth

„Christian spears me with his gaze. “So, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to marry one of my men.” I shake my head. “Uh, that’s very kind of you to offer, but no, thank you. I’ll be okay. I’m fine as I am.” “This is the only way I can protect you. And I will protect you. I’m responsible for what happened to you at an Imperiosi funeral and at the hands of one of my underbosses, and I won’t run the risk of anything else happening to you.“ ➡️ It’s like reading a Wattpad story…

I could go on and on, but I'd rather not. Some parts were funny and sweet, but the writing style was just too off for me. It is more suitable for Wattpad rather than a published book. I was lowkey hyped, interested thanks to an ad on featuring Emerald's cards game with the guards...ig my hopes were too high.

[sloom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok I reaaaaallllyyyy liked the first like 70%. But I HATED the stupid breakup/seperation. I felt like it ruined the book for me lowkey and I started skimming after that. Single mom vibes with an older sister guardian. Mafia romance. I really loved the kids but the dialogue felt unnatural for kids that small. Still, liked the beginning of the book. Would have preferred for her to have been like kidnapped by Carmine or something instead of the breakup.

Summary:
Emerald is an 18 year old who is the primary guardian of her 3 younger siblings. She has lived her whole life in the mafia. Her father was killed as a traitor tho and her mom is an addict escort. One day, on her way to go to work at the casino, a guy asks her to come with him and all but kidnaps her. She thinks he’s a cop but he ends up taking her to a cafe and buys her cannolis. Afterwords he drops her back off at the casino. Turns out, Emeralds boyfriend Ronnie asked Saint a hitman for a favor because there was gonna be a raid at the casino and he didn’t want her to get caught up in it. Ronnie ends up cheating on Emerald though and becomes engaged to her bully. At a mafia event, a man comes on to Emerald and she fights back and shoots him in the knee. Saint hears and comes to her help and ends up killing the man. The man’s brother, Carmine, puts a bounty on Emeralds head because he blames him. The boss of the family asks Emerald to marry one of him Capos who’s 20 years older than her to protect her. She ends up running away and living in a small town in Illinois for a while. The boss asks Saint to find her. He agrees on one condition: that he be allowed to marry Emerald when he finds her. When Saint finds her he moves her and her siblings in with him and they start to fall in love. Come their wedding day, emerald leaves Saint at the altar. She says she can’t go through with it because he never told her he loves her???? Even tho he showed her in EVERYWAY that he loves her but whatever. So she ends up getting arrested because she’s a klepto and Saint goes crazy trying to find her. He does finally and he buys the store she stole from so the charges could be dropped. When she comes home she sees the kids doing homework and her sister with her hair braided badly so she’s now convinced that Saint loves her? Oh yeah I forgot to mention that she’s pregnant and Saint found out after she ran away on their wedding day. So she moves back in and they live happily ever after I guess. Epilogue is them with a 2 year old daughter.

I wish the conflict in the end was NOT them breaking up bro it would’ve been a 4 star.

[Kim Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotionally unavailable Saint Veneti is a mafia hitman who lives a very simple life. The cold and hardened killer has no qualms about being alone, until he meets Emerald, a young but hardworking woman who has the world on her shoulders. Left to survive and take care of her three siblings, she struggles to give them some normalcy in this cruel world. So when our two MCs cross paths and are brought together into an arranged marriage, they find themselves giving into their attraction for one another and find out that it isn’t just physical attraction that has them coming back for more.

What I loved the most about Mafia and Gold Digger was its light tone. It was a fun read, filled with witty banter and jokes that really felt organic. It was a delight watching Emerald and Saint verbally spar back and forth and to see this sparring turn into physical and emotional love.

“I get the feeling that we’re just two souls both searching for exactly the same thing.”

Emerald and Saint were just so loveable. Emerald, being the smart and ruthless baddie that she is doesn’t let people step all over her and I loved her for it. Sure, she has insecurities, but she doesn’t let them get in the way of doing what needs to be done and she’s not afraid to stand up for herself, we stan a self-respecting queen. And so of course Saint, the grumpy yet dirty mouthed man that he is, fell for her. And somewhere along the way, his ability to love and care, even protect those around him made him truly endearing.

And how can I forget the way that they, along with Emerald’s siblings, became a true family. From Saint bonding with the kids to the huskies getting their new names (and personalities!), it was these moments that really put a smile on my face and made me love the book even more.


“You’re the only woman I want a love story with, Emerald.”

Isa is such a dynamic writer. She can write emotional, she can do dark and gritty, and she can do unhinged funny. Every book in the Marchiano series has been different in tone so going in, I didn’t know what to expect but I came out loving it. It’s very mafia lite and you can just sit back and enjoy this relationship unfold without too much other drama. But it still holds all the emotions and depth that you can expect from Isa’s books so I ended up absolutely binging the entire thing. So excited for more books upcoming, Isa can do no wrong at this point!

[Simply Adventures · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnfd at 36%

Fmc is 18 MMC is 29. he is the Hitman for the mafia group. she is dating a different guy the first 10% of the book named Ronnie who is the mmc 4th?? cousin.

so the FMC is giving tstl but I'm through basically the whole book. she has a stealing problem and she's heals really nice booty flashy dresses. she steals them through the back door of the shop so she normally keeps the tags on them but she wears them when she goes to work. when she steals them she steals too so that she can you don't need the proceeds to one of them to the women shelter but she can barely survive on her own or take care of her siblings. her mom is a POS. there's this random background storyline where she still has the security tags on all of the dresses but then she wants to sell them on like eBay to get extra cash and then I'm like why didn't you just steal one of the tag remover kits to take them off instead of wearing them that way I don't know. it was just a weird part of the storyline. anyways her boyfriend Ronnie ends up getting engaged to another girl named Rai. FMC finds out because she is actually at Ronnie's mom's birthday party working at the casino in the bar when the announcement happens. he talks about taking your other mistress and she says no. apparently there's some background story about her dad being a thief and he is now dead and her mom is an escort addict. just got three siblings of sister that is 16 and a brother and a sister that are five and six. there's a point where she runs away to Illinois from New York trying to like save her family or whatever and the MMC finds her and says that they need a fake fiance situation it's like a whole thing but honestly it's a mess. than I DNFd.

[TrishAM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emerald Veneti knew that it was time to escape, she was living with her drug addicted mother and her various boyfriends, the latest of which was violent and abusive and had his sights set on her sixteen year old sister.
Emerald didn't have much money, she was working in a bar owned by her best friend's husband, she always had Ronnie, her boyfriend who was a made man...........or did she ?
Eighteen year old Emerald was in a one bedroom flat doing her best to raise her three siblings, sixteen year old Melina and her two younger siblings, Jasper and Giulietta.
Emerald's issued were deep seated, she had a capacity to love but by association with her mother, she was verbally abused, accused of being fat and labelled as having no morals, Emerald's need to have control over her life resulted in her shop lifting, she stole beautiful, expensive, glittery dresses, she couldn't stop herself, they were her security.
Saint Veneti, cousin to Emerald's employer was older than Emerald, he also had his own demons to fight but there was something about beautiful, sassy, kind and brave Emerald that attracted her to him and when her life was in danger it was Saint who vowed to keep her safe, even it it meant a fake engagement.
I loved how the hard hitman, very gradually began to show his gentler side, I loved his interaction with Jasper and Giulietta, the cutest kids ever, this book has passion, emotion and wit, it made me laugh out loud and it also had me leaky eyed.
Fake engagement stories and age difference stories are not a new concept but Isa Oliver has put her own stamp on it.
I received a free copy of this book and my review is voluntary.

[Mihaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book we enter the Veneti family one more time. We didn't saw them since Anni and Lorenzo's book. Saint is Anni's cousin.

Emerald had a hard life, not only she grew up poor (which is a stark contrast to the other heroines who all grew up in rich (mafia) families) but she also has to take care of her young siblings. She agrees to a risky job, because it would give her the money to help her family.

Saint is a hitman, he grew up as part of the Veneti clan, as he is Christian's cousin. He seems cold and unemotional at first, but once you get to know him you see how much fun he is and that he loves dogs (as opposed to other heroes *cough Marco *cough). But it took him a long type to open up to Emerald and show her what she means to him. His unwillingness to open up almost caused him to lose the most important people in his life.

"Of all the people to make me feel like this—unstable, uncertain, and out of control—it had to be Emerald Fiorelli. She’s the only goddamn person who’s managed to get this far under my skin, and she’s like a beautiful thorn I can’t get out."

Emerald is strong, but also naive, which it's understandable since she is 18 yo and has a lot on her plate. Not only growing up in the shadow of her parents's mistakes, but also dealing with ronnie's mom, raising her siblings and dealing with her shoplifting issue.

It takes a long time for Saint and Em to reach a place where they can be honest about their feelings. This is also the only book with surprise-baby as a trope.