Devyn, a ruthless mob boss with a reputation for quick justice, finds himself in a dangerous game when another don, Saban, defaults on a loan. Hungry for revenge and tired of being disrespected, Devyn decides that time is not on his side; he takes matters into his own hands.
In a turn of events, Devyn takes Saban’s most prized possession, hoping to use her as leverage to secure his payment. With alliances hanging by a thread and threats lurking in the shadows, both men must confront their demons in this high-stakes battle, where love and vengeance clash with menacing consequences.
Saban got on my nerves from the very beginning and continued to raise my blood pressure with his foolishness. Who told this fool that he was God, and ruled the damn world? 😤🤬 Tori you seemed way too smart to allow this clown to manipulate and control you this way. Why wouldn't you let Shane help you get out of that mess? Ughhhh….
Devyn was a man with a plan. Taking Tori was about much more than the money he was owed. I wish I felt more of a connection between Tori and Devyn. Sure, the attraction was there, but I didn’t feel much more, other than the forced proximity for Tori. But that back and forth between Tori and Ada is what made the story. The way those two tickled me…. 🤣
The storyline with Saban just seemed to drag on for so long, that I wanted him gone already! There was such a build up for him to be taken down, but we didn't get to experience it on page. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it, okay read.
Whew! I read the synopsis but wasn't sure how this book would go! This low-key read is a bit dark romance to meet with Tori (FMC) falling for her captor Devyn (MMC). Devyn being crossed by Saban was the ultimate move for Devyn to come in and steal his most prized possession, Tori! Now there is the mafia element, kidnapping, blackmail, violence, a good roasting session LOL s/o Tori and Ada, and ultimately, love. Devyn wanting Tori in every way was just swoon! Tori being kidnapped was the best thing to happen to her outside of her passion for playing the piano. Good things don't always last for Tori, but Devyn promised to make this last, and boy, did he! That ending was chef's kiss, but the journey had me on edge! I also loved how Charae built the back story for the brothers because I need to know what's the deal and if this dark romance element will stay throughout the series. I can't wait to read and find out!
What do you do when another Don in your organization owes you a debt and arrogantly refuses to pay? You hit him where it hurts by taking the very thing he loves the most, and if that happens to be his fiancée, then so be it. This is where our story begins: Devyn, a Don in the Noir mob, is fed up with the disrespect from a fellow boss and decides a little humbling is in order. He kidnaps Saban's girl, Satori, intending to hold her for ransom to recoup the money he's owed, but Devyn has a secret and an ulterior motive no one knows about.
I love a Mr. Steal Yo Girl, and Devyn did just that. He snatched Tori from the mall, and once she was in his care, he proceeded to give her everything she needed and a couple of things she didn't know she wanted. I loved how Devyn was so direct with her; he let his intentions be known from the jump and proceeded to show them with his actions. Tori, for her part, was hesitant, and I could totally understand that with everything she went through with Saban. I loved that she asked for time to heal and get her mind right. Charae Lewis definitely keeps you on your toes with this book because I was on the edge of my seat, especially towards the end. This was interesting from start to finish, not to mention funny as hell. I will definitely be reading the brother's books.
“Forever His Favorite” was a captivating story. Typically, with a storyline like this, I would devour the book in record time. This time, I took my time and captured the essence of this unorthodox love story, and it did not disappoint. I went through so many motions - one minute I was flabbergasted, the next I was laughing hysterically, and then squealing from my belly. The mentioned cycle continued throughout the book, and I think readers will feel the same.
Our characters are Devyn and Satori. Devyn is the head of the Crown Family and is a part of the Noir Mob. Satori is a talented, award-winning pianist, who is engaged to Saban. Saban is also a member of the Mob, and Satori’s biggest hater. There are side characters that play a pivotal role in the story as well, including Devyn’s twin brothers Lo and Meco.
The beginning of the story took me aback, and quickly had my mind going around in circles trying to predict how the story would end. My biggest question was, how could this pianist fall for such an awful man, in Saban. I quickly learned of the Master class on manipulation and charm he put on – what an actor. Sadly, my perception of Saban further progressed to an unsafe level of hatred by the end of the book. LOL!
The best thing that happened to Satori was Saban’s inability to pay his debt to Devyn. Listen, I enjoy a good kidnapper romance, and Charae nailed that trope. I too would have given in to Devyn, as quickly as Satori did. Mkay! The romance between Devyn and Satori was literal, chef’s kiss!! Whew! Satori needed the reassurance and protection, and BDE Devyn put in her life!
I won’t go into many details regarding the lengths Devyn went to protect Satori, or the levels of desperation Saban went to control this losing battle. But just know, this is just the beginning of the Crown family. I will be seated and present for the remainder of the series because this was a literal movie played out on page. Amazing job on this one, Charae!
I don’t know what it is about her books but, they’re either really good like End of Time and, We Could Never be to name a few. Or, like this story - Underwhelming it just didn’t hit the same for me. Huge props for how well written it was but, some of the talking points became repetitive.
Ada was a bonus! Other than that I couldn’t have cared less about what was going on with the FMC and MMC 🤷🏾♀️
This story has signature writing elements of Charae Lewis's style, but in some areas, it fell a smidgen short. As always, the writing was strong, and it does hold together. The romance felt both undercooked but sped up simultaneously. Some thoughts were repeated amongst characters, i.e., "I wonder if that affected his ego." Then to another character "yeah that affected his ego." Pages later with another character "yeah his ego was affected. " With some repetition in dialogue, it came across as surface, yet again, Charae Lewis does a great job with writing trauma. The first 8% of reading Tori's abuse was heartbreaking. And she struggled throughout the book with the aftereffects. Also, we discussed heavy topics like alzheimer's and psychological abuse. The mob violence was glossed over.
All in all, it wasn't a bad read. It went quick. It's easily consumable. The mains were interesting characters, and getting older than 30 mains get their HEA in a Mafia focused romance with Black people is worth the price of Admissions
3.5/5 — I enjoyed Devyn and Satori love story. My guy waited 20 long years for his shot, lol. Saban annoyed me the whole time, just kept waiting for him to be silenced. — The banter between Tori and Ada was so funny and I loved it. — ready to read about the twins next.
I stayed up to finish this book it was so good. I cracked up at the banter between Ada & Tori. Devyn made Saban look like the weak insecure man he was!
I have really been into mafia stories lately, so when I seen this involved the Mob I was intrigued. Also I love a good kidnapping story. This had all the elements for a good story and one thing Charae knows how to do is create some intriguing storylines.
My favorite part of the story was the banter between Ada and Tori. Those scenes were gold and I need more of them when the brother’s story comes.
The only reason why I couldn’t rate higher is because I felt the love connection between Dev and Tori was lacking. That’s a big piece of the story and I didn’t feel it was strong enough to carry the story. Also Dev wasn’t interesting and a strong enough MMC in my opinion. What kept me interested was seeing Saban’s downfall and the hilarious banter between Mama and Tori. I’m definitely interested in reading about the brother that is estranged from the family, so I will definitely be reading the next installments.
This is one of those book you putt on the back burner because you dirty want too read it too fast. I was not disappointed. Charae Lewis never disappoints me. This book was all of that and more. Just read the damn book.
I almost skipped this book because there were several reviews talking about how it wasn't good, how inauthentic Tori and Devyn were and how Saban's chapters basically held the book down and blah blah blah. FAKE NEWS! And probably some other authors friends trying to take away from this authors craft. So here is the real, to me it was not a 5 star book because admittedly some of the interactions between Tori and Devyn did feel a little Stockholm syndrome'ish and made me feel like she fell into something so quickly with him because she had it so bad before. Not because she genuinely liked him. And while I do believe that Devyn showed her love the way he knew how, I do also feel like he didn't always handle her like the victim he knew she was. It was also like she had to prove herself to him or risk upsetting him. Essentially the same thing she just got "rescued" from. I would have really appreciated his character more is he would have really taken the time to understand all that she had been through and not bully his way into her life just because he had loved her from afar for so long. So yeah, that didn't sit well with me and did make me root for them a little less. But overall, this story pulled me in early on with a little of everything- drama, sexiness, laugh out loud moments, etc, and I liked that even though Tori was terriblely mistreated by Saban, she still found her backbone when it mattered most and fought back as much as she could. I also can appreciate that she opened herself up to new love and a promising future despite being so mistreated before. I really loved that she essentially saved herself in the end too. The author appears to be setting us up for a series with the way this one ended and I am looking forward to seeing what's next.
Mannnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!! This book had me locked in from the beginning!! Saban really agitated my soul. I was here for Devyn but his obsession with Tori was a little creepy lol. Like dude how you this in love with someone you haven’t connected with in years. Their relationship seemed kinda rushed but it made sense for the plot of the story. Aaliyah was such a snakeeee 😒. I was hoping that Tori found out about her sooner.
The commissioner had a vendetta and there was obviously some history there that I wanted to know more about. Book 2 maybe?
I did not like the redundancy throughout the chapters. We understood why Tori was cautious with Devyn, I didn’t feel like it needed to be repeated as often as it was.
Overall, GREAT READ!!!! I’m already on book 2. Can’t wait to dive into who the mystery lady is in the cliffhanger.
As always, Charae Lewis crafted a great story layered with drama, humor, suspense and romance. I just love how her stories are never straightforward, there is always something being revealed or details that slowly unfold. While I did feel like the relationship between Devyn and Tori moved kind of fast considering all Tori had been through, it was still beautiful to witness. And aside from the storyline with main characters, the author did a great job building up the world of the Noir Mob - setting up the future books nicely. The only thing that bothered me was the constant use of ‘expresso’ to describe eye color when it should have been espresso. So minor edit. But overall great read.
This book had my attention from beginning to end. Very well written, great character development and storyline. The author has a way of telling her stories that reel you right in. This book centered around the mob, it's history and those who felt they were more deserving than others. Devyn didn't play when it came to his money and the woman he's wanted to be with since high school. Satori was definitely better off with Devyn than Saban. He was upfront with his intentions and kept to his word. I definitely loved the comical banter between Satori and Ada. Those two were something else. I'm curious to know the back story behind Lo's distance from his parents. Looking forward to reading part 2.
I can’t believe I’m typing this, but this fell flat to me. The story began interestingly, but quickly I noticed it didn’t read like a typical Charae book. She’s queen of twists and turns, having little Easter eggs. But this was meh… I didn’t like Deyvn. In some ways he was similar to Saban- he was dismissive of Tori’s feelings.
For example, when she felt triggered- he stopped talking to her for a few days. How is that not similar to what Saban would do to punish her?
She did explain love bombing to him- but still. I just couldn’t with them. Also- I couldn’t connect with Tori.
I hope book 2 is better. But this was not it for me.
This author delivered again in providing us gritty and raw urban fiction in infamous St Parklynn with the twists and turns that make you want to close your eyes before the train wreck occurs. While Devyn was all Alpha male BDE, my favorite part of the book is the banter between Ada and Tori. I was laughing so hard at the shade they threw to each other. I felt like Tori always won but Ada was not going down without a fight. Absolutely loved it. Can't wait to see what's next. I definitely want Lo's story. 4.5 🌟
Contrary to many reviews, I liked the banter between Saban and Devyn because Saban was always 10 steps behind Devyn. Even when he thought he was ahead, he still missed some steps. Ada & Tori roasting each other throughout the book provided great humor! I feel like the story missed a few marks like more on the history with the parents. I loved that Devyn was somewhat patient with Tori & her triggers. He definitely was her saving grace in the mist of what she thought was a bad situation. I enjoyed the story overall.
Through the sincere laughter, tears, and a plethora of other emotions? Charae’s done it, yet, again. Devyn’s the type of boss that women dream of, while Satori’s the type of woman men yearn for. I can’t wait for Kymeco’s story, along with Kylo’s. Charae never disappoints with the cliffhangers.
Thank you, my love. You’re one of the artists I can count on to truly get my mind off the real world and into someone else’s for a change - for the better.
Took me two days to read. This story took me on a roller coaster ride. I laughed and it one point thought I was in an action movie. Tori had gone through so much and was happy that she found just what she deserved. It took a real one to show her that is she valued and not dim her light. I couldn’t stand Saban, a true gaslighter. What I did love was the roasting between Ada and Tori 😂💀. Overall, I loved this read and look forward to the next book.
Charae (amongst other favorite authors of mine) really knows how to create characters that annoy the hell outta me 😆 Yeah I'm speaking on Commissioner Samuels and Aliyah. They had my nerves so bad! I've never seen a daughter and mother in-law go at it in any book like Ada and Satori have--gotta love 'em! I'm longing for Lo's story but still excited for Meco's. Good work, Ms. Lewis ❤️
Listen.... Devyn knew what he wanted and went after it with his whole heart! That dang on Ada needs some help! Tori had had enough! She was ready for her at all times! This was a love story in a romantic and internal way. Tori grew to love Devyn while she reclaimed her identity, and Devyn just jumped full on overboars with making her his! I can't wait to read Lo's story. He just pulls on my heartstrings!!!
This was a really great read from start to finish. Devyn is such a great guy. Tori went through a lot. I loved the banter between Tori and Ada. You can tell they really care for each other. I can’t wait to read about Kylo. Dax and Ada need to tell their story too!
Oh and Ray gone make someone pinch the bridge of their nose. Every. Single. Time. lol love you Boomie 💥
I absolutely love this and it was so much fun and full of entertainment from start to finish. The banter was everything even the characters I loved ever single one except for saban , Aliyah and his crazy ol mama “can’t wait for book 2 omg Devyn was an absolutely favorite but I really can’t wait for Lo’s story
I enjoyed this book I haven’t been disappointed by a Charae book yet. I felt bad for Tori in the beginning. But as the story progressed I became happy for her. Saban I wanted to unalive him myself B.A.N and his raggedy mama too. I liked Devyn on the beginning but then my feelings went up and down about him then he became bae. I can’t wait to the next brother.