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Distraction: A Dark Mafia Romance
Angelo is an enforcer. The top of the line when it comes to solving problems. He's cold, rugged and believes he has no soul after decades of ripping off heads, blowing out brains and burying trouble for the mob.
Mona is a waitress at a greasy diner. Street-smart and beautiful, she lives in fear of being killed for running away from the trafficking ring she was forced into years earlier.
When Angelo saves Mona from a customer with a knife and gets help from a back alley doctor, she discovers a protector in him that she's never had. And in her, the brutal enforcer finds love.
However, in his line of work, love is a weakness and both of their pasts threaten to catch up with deadly results.
Readers This is a standalone dark mafia romance novella, gritty and graphic with an emotional HFN ending.
Mona is a waitress at a greasy diner. Street-smart and beautiful, she lives in fear of being killed for running away from the trafficking ring she was forced into years earlier.
When Angelo saves Mona from a customer with a knife and gets help from a back alley doctor, she discovers a protector in him that she's never had. And in her, the brutal enforcer finds love.
However, in his line of work, love is a weakness and both of their pasts threaten to catch up with deadly results.
Readers This is a standalone dark mafia romance novella, gritty and graphic with an emotional HFN ending.
128 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 25, 2025
1 person is currently reading
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 18, 2025
What a debut both for the Author and for my first step into mafia dark romance
I didn’t know what to think when I started reading it was like the opening to one of your typical mafia films it had that 1940s feel with a noir cinema vibe which I have to say the author describes very well,
Then we meet Angelo and I can picture him perfectly this rough and ready hench enforcer who gets the job done then we meet Mona in a pulp fiction style diner scene
It’s a whirlwind romance from there filled with violence and a tumble of spice and I’ve got to say this is my first dark mafia romance and I want more Angelo and Mona
I didn’t know what to think when I started reading it was like the opening to one of your typical mafia films it had that 1940s feel with a noir cinema vibe which I have to say the author describes very well,
Then we meet Angelo and I can picture him perfectly this rough and ready hench enforcer who gets the job done then we meet Mona in a pulp fiction style diner scene
It’s a whirlwind romance from there filled with violence and a tumble of spice and I’ve got to say this is my first dark mafia romance and I want more Angelo and Mona
July 19, 2025
Oof! What a ride! This was my first Dark Mafia Romance and the debut of the author! Not only did this book deliver… it made me wanting more! This was a great starter and I felt like it could’ve had more and more character building.
This was a great first novel by the author and I was so happy to be chosen to read before its release! I can’t wait to see what else the author delivers! She has such a vivid imagination and really knows how to deliver it!
This was a great first novel by the author and I was so happy to be chosen to read before its release! I can’t wait to see what else the author delivers! She has such a vivid imagination and really knows how to deliver it!
July 25, 2025
Distraction: A Dark Mafia Romance OUT NOW
🎉 🥂 HAPPY RELEASE DAY 🥂 🎉
I was super excited to see a debut coming from Bambi & couldn’t wait to get into this ARC. Dark mafia romance isn’t a genre I’ve dabbled in before but I certainly will again after this!
Mona came to the city for her big break, she was lead to believe she’d finally have all her dreams come true & make it big. Things didn’t turn out that way for her, now she works in a shabby diner, running from the people who crushed all her dreams in the worse possible way.
Angelo works for the big guns, offing every name handed to him. He thrives off it & doesn’t crave anything more…until he meets Mona that is.
The connection is instant & they soon become each other’s world but what happens when those worlds collide & the men he works for are the ones that want his Mona dead….
Ah this was brilliant!! I have seen reviews saying it reads like a movie & it really does! It’s like an old school Mafia series that you can’t get enough of!! You can picture every scene as it’s playing out & can’t help but fall in love with Angelo 😍 Also…I need me an Angelo 👀
Congratulations on your debut Bambi! I can’t wait to see what’s next, I want more already! 👌🏻 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Released today & available on KU,
so go grab a copy 🤎
🎉 🥂 HAPPY RELEASE DAY 🥂 🎉
I was super excited to see a debut coming from Bambi & couldn’t wait to get into this ARC. Dark mafia romance isn’t a genre I’ve dabbled in before but I certainly will again after this!
Mona came to the city for her big break, she was lead to believe she’d finally have all her dreams come true & make it big. Things didn’t turn out that way for her, now she works in a shabby diner, running from the people who crushed all her dreams in the worse possible way.
Angelo works for the big guns, offing every name handed to him. He thrives off it & doesn’t crave anything more…until he meets Mona that is.
The connection is instant & they soon become each other’s world but what happens when those worlds collide & the men he works for are the ones that want his Mona dead….
Ah this was brilliant!! I have seen reviews saying it reads like a movie & it really does! It’s like an old school Mafia series that you can’t get enough of!! You can picture every scene as it’s playing out & can’t help but fall in love with Angelo 😍 Also…I need me an Angelo 👀
Congratulations on your debut Bambi! I can’t wait to see what’s next, I want more already! 👌🏻 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Released today & available on KU,
so go grab a copy 🤎
July 15, 2025
I was give the opportunity to read an early copy of this book and review it, so thank you to Bambi for this book. When I heard this was a mafia dark romance, I was like “sign me UP!” I thought this book was giving off film noir vibes based on how everyone was talking, how our MC dressed, and the fact that everyone was smoking lol. With this, I do wish we had gotten a better idea of the time period, just because having a waitress smoking, as well as having ashtrays on the table, isn’t a very modern thing. But hey, maybe it’s up for interpretation. I did like the relationship between Angelo and Mona. I could see them establishing their relationship and how much they meant to each other. There’s really only 1 spicy scene, but honestly I was okay with that because of how protective they are of each other. I would have loved to see a bit more characterization for the characters separately, then together. What I mean by this is that I just felt the relationship was a little bit rushed. Also, in the part where she’s telling him her past, it is horrible and traumatic, but I think leading up to this, it would have been good to be shown her hesitation to trust men rather than just be told it, if that makes sense. This is on the shorter side, so overall, definitely not a bad book. I’d love to read a part 2 to this story!
July 23, 2025
Angelo works for the mob. He gets rid of the scum with a smile on his face. He doesn't know anything but violence, murder, and the mob. Working for one of the big guys in the city, he enjoys his gig for the most part. One night he steps into a hole in the wall diner when it hits him that he's missing something in his life he never knew he wanted.
Mona works as a waitress in the city. She sees her share of interesting people come in and out of the diner. One night a tall, muscular man comes into the diner and she's intrigued by him. When an altercation happens between Mona and a customer, she ends up on the floor with a bloody face. When she wakes up, she sees Angelo and thus starts the beginning of something she wasn't expecting. But Mona has a dark past, and soon enough it catches up to both of them.
This was a strong debut from Ortiz. This normally isn't the genre I read but it kept my interest. A shout out to coffee and cigarettes! I love Angelo's field of work and the brain matter oozing out from a scumbag was one of my favourite scenes. Angelo is described very nicely, sexy for sure. I'm excited to see where this goes next! I'm hoping for a second book with more violence. Well done!
Mona works as a waitress in the city. She sees her share of interesting people come in and out of the diner. One night a tall, muscular man comes into the diner and she's intrigued by him. When an altercation happens between Mona and a customer, she ends up on the floor with a bloody face. When she wakes up, she sees Angelo and thus starts the beginning of something she wasn't expecting. But Mona has a dark past, and soon enough it catches up to both of them.
This was a strong debut from Ortiz. This normally isn't the genre I read but it kept my interest. A shout out to coffee and cigarettes! I love Angelo's field of work and the brain matter oozing out from a scumbag was one of my favourite scenes. Angelo is described very nicely, sexy for sure. I'm excited to see where this goes next! I'm hoping for a second book with more violence. Well done!
August 22, 2025
This book is short but man does it make you want more. Like, I need book #2 like yesterday if there is going to be one!
This book makes me want Angelo to be my new book boyfriend 🤣
So you have a woman that has had a hard past, Angelo that is going to save her and falls hard! I mean falls hard for you!
And did I meant that he is a delicious mafia man that is unhinged and soul black as black until he meets her. That I think is my favorite mafia story! Bringing the hard a$$ to there knees.
This book is fast paced and so delicious. You really feel the love Angelo has for this woman and protects her at all costs from her past.
But that ending! My gosh! Almost ripped my heart out, this is a great book to binge in one sitting!
4/5
~ Screams & Reviews 🕷️🖤💋📚
This book makes me want Angelo to be my new book boyfriend 🤣
So you have a woman that has had a hard past, Angelo that is going to save her and falls hard! I mean falls hard for you!
And did I meant that he is a delicious mafia man that is unhinged and soul black as black until he meets her. That I think is my favorite mafia story! Bringing the hard a$$ to there knees.
This book is fast paced and so delicious. You really feel the love Angelo has for this woman and protects her at all costs from her past.
But that ending! My gosh! Almost ripped my heart out, this is a great book to binge in one sitting!
4/5
~ Screams & Reviews 🕷️🖤💋📚
July 13, 2025
Firstly, I would like to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to ARC read.
I loved it! This was a short read, I thought it was quite romantic🖤 I haven’t read a mafia romance in such a long time and I really enjoyed this one so much. The whole story was well written and the characters.
Some of my favorite quotes.
“I don’t have a soul and until I met you, I didn’t think I had a heart.”
“If I lose her, I’ll lose the only connection to humanity that I have left in this world.”
“I never trusted another person until I met you, Angelo. I trust you. I trust you with my safety, my security, and my heart.” 🖤
I loved it! This was a short read, I thought it was quite romantic🖤 I haven’t read a mafia romance in such a long time and I really enjoyed this one so much. The whole story was well written and the characters.
Some of my favorite quotes.
“I don’t have a soul and until I met you, I didn’t think I had a heart.”
“If I lose her, I’ll lose the only connection to humanity that I have left in this world.”
“I never trusted another person until I met you, Angelo. I trust you. I trust you with my safety, my security, and my heart.” 🖤
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2025
I was given the chance to ARC read this and I absolutely loved it. The story is told in the view of the two main characters, Angelo and Mona. Angelo is a hard, rugged hired muscle for the mob. Mona is a waitress who escaped a troubled past. when they meet there is an immediate attraction. this story is full of gory and a bit spicy 🥵 for a debut, B R Ortiz did a phenomenal job.
July 29, 2025
This was the authors debut novel and is a dark magic romance. From what I can tell it set at least a couple of decades ago as although it doesn’t necessarily state that you can tell from touches like people smoking inside etc.
The book is what I would class a a novella as it’s pretty short but sometimes I think that’s good as it can break up my big reads.
It follows Angelo muscle for the mob and Mona a waitress who has escape a bad past. I love mafia romance books and this one has all the right elements.
I really enjoyed this book, short and not so sweet. I can’t wait to see what the author writes next
The book is what I would class a a novella as it’s pretty short but sometimes I think that’s good as it can break up my big reads.
It follows Angelo muscle for the mob and Mona a waitress who has escape a bad past. I love mafia romance books and this one has all the right elements.
I really enjoyed this book, short and not so sweet. I can’t wait to see what the author writes next
July 13, 2025
I don't usually read dark romance (or any romance), but I got this ARC and really liked it. It was pumped full of action and serious emotion, definitely a cool debut!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews