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Zanetti Famiglia #2
Becoming His Mistress
As an Underboss for the Zanetti famiglia, Arlo Zanetti has agreed to marry for duty rather than love. In fact, he abhors the woman he’s forced to walk down the aisle with.
However, duty and the famiglia mean everything to him. He’s not a man that skirts his responsibilities, even to his own detriment.
That is, until he sets his sights on Elenora Lewis. She’s everything he’s attracted to and everything he thought he could never have.
Elenora should run from him. She can feel the danger oozing out of Arlo’s very core. However, she has a problem, she’s fallen for him, head-over-heels. His blue eyes hold her completely captive.
Secrets, lies, betrayal, and infidelity plague them both. Guilt fills them, their morals are completely obliterated. Unsure if they’ll make it out alive, this is the second book in the Zanetti empire.
INCLUDES SHORT STORY: BECOMING HER HERO
However, duty and the famiglia mean everything to him. He’s not a man that skirts his responsibilities, even to his own detriment.
That is, until he sets his sights on Elenora Lewis. She’s everything he’s attracted to and everything he thought he could never have.
Elenora should run from him. She can feel the danger oozing out of Arlo’s very core. However, she has a problem, she’s fallen for him, head-over-heels. His blue eyes hold her completely captive.
Secrets, lies, betrayal, and infidelity plague them both. Guilt fills them, their morals are completely obliterated. Unsure if they’ll make it out alive, this is the second book in the Zanetti empire.
INCLUDES SHORT STORY: BECOMING HER HERO
330 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 28, 2019
267 people are currently reading
549 people want to read
About the author
Hayley Faiman
117 books1,801 followersHayley Faiman was born and raised in the Central Valley of California. She and her husband met when they were still in High School. They were married a few years later. They lived in Oregon while her husband was in the US Coast Guard. After living in Hill Country, Texas, for eight years and three years in East Texas, they now call North Carolina home and spend their time with their two teenage sons at all their events, screaming from the stands as they swim their hearts out!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
October 31, 2019
Update: Evoking petty emotions such as anger, anguish and disappointment in any corner conversation in a neighborhood it's something possible and easy to do. Now a GOOD WRITER is intriguing and creative. Write about sexist, paternalistic and misogynist patterns? Nop, this has been written for centuries. This is just lazy and stingy. Nothing new here.
I'm sorry, but any woman who finds this ridiculous shit acceptable or thinks this is love ?! Deserves to have an equal. If it was a fake wedding? Yes. But no, he marries another, has sex with her, even before married with her (ohhhhh but he hates his wife, too bad his dick doesn't remember that!). And then he has sex with the heroine too. And that happens
again and again and again and again! THE GUY IS A PIG, DISGUSTING CHEATER.
"The reality is that she is now my wife. It’s not cheating on Lenora to fuck her. It’s now cheating on Wynter to fuck Lenora."
Oh! Wait! AND NO CONDOM AT ALL!!!
This is simply ridiculous. Some authors would do a great favor change her careers but some think that writing this kind of garbage is doing a good job. Go figure? Good thing I didn't find my money in the trash so I didn't spend a penny on this crap, but if you don't value your money then this is a great way to throw it away.
I'm sorry, but any woman who finds this ridiculous shit acceptable or thinks this is love ?! Deserves to have an equal. If it was a fake wedding? Yes. But no, he marries another, has sex with her, even before married with her (ohhhhh but he hates his wife, too bad his dick doesn't remember that!). And then he has sex with the heroine too. And that happens
again and again and again and again! THE GUY IS A PIG, DISGUSTING CHEATER.
"The reality is that she is now my wife. It’s not cheating on Lenora to fuck her. It’s now cheating on Wynter to fuck Lenora."
Oh! Wait! AND NO CONDOM AT ALL!!!
This is simply ridiculous. Some authors would do a great favor change her careers but some think that writing this kind of garbage is doing a good job. Go figure? Good thing I didn't find my money in the trash so I didn't spend a penny on this crap, but if you don't value your money then this is a great way to throw it away.
August 1, 2024
The hero is a handsome Italian and the heroine is a blow up doll: no personality..no spine.
There is cheating, both ways actually: hero has sex with both wife and heroine aka the unknowing mistress. Poor guy, what do you do when the wife you hate climbs you like a tree in the limo? Say no?!? That isn't what bothered me. I usually love the trope where the heroine finds out she's been forced into the role of mistress against her knowledge and will. Maybe it's just in HPland that the heroines express outrage and outwit the 6 ft, 11" Greek/Italian/Spanish and occasional Australian Billionaire. That is not the case here. In honor of the Olympics, she's a Gold Medal Doormat.
Lie #1 The hero makes the h his mistress because he has to marry the Senator's daughter. NOPE! His Mob Boss, his parents, everyone but the evil OW tells him he doesn't have to marry her, but he does it anyway because it's tradition.
His own parents defied tradition for a love match.
Lie #2 He doesn't tell the heroine about his marriage. She yaks on and on about being a mistress but it doesn't stop her from having sex with him right after she found out.
Lie #3 He/they don't indulge in sex trafficking. Oh wait, there was that one time, maybe twice, where they brought in girls including a couple of virgins to be kept as slaves, but they were abused anyway. This was a much better scene for them as no kink...just some orgies. The orgy gifs were too scary to post.
Lie #4 I will protect you babe. No, he doesn't. The evil OW wrecks the h's merchandise then has the store burned after the heroine gets roughed up a little. The hero is SO sympathetic and concerned. If a little gun butt to the head sends her this far into herself, maybe she isn’t the woman I need. I second guess my affection for her. I second guess everything. I wish he had.
Later when the heroine pops up pregnant (what a shocker), he asks who she slept with. She stands up for herself for about three seconds. The hero is overwhelmed with regret. I should apologize, fuck, I should say so much to her. I don’t. Call it pride, call it macho bullshit, whatever it is, I can’t say the words aloud. I’m sorry, it’s just not there. And then they have sex again because...he's cute? I think this book is a fantasy read from the perspective of 15 year old teen boy about what HE thinks a romance should be.
I think this statement from one of the secondary characters sums the women the best.
“I’m nobody’s whore,” I announce after I’ve finished one cupcake and I’m reaching for a chocolate chip cookie.
Mia reaches across the counter, her fingers wrap around my wrist and she squeezes. “We’re all whores. Since the beginning of time, Lenora. Why not whore for a man you love?”
There is cheating, both ways actually: hero has sex with both wife and heroine aka the unknowing mistress. Poor guy, what do you do when the wife you hate climbs you like a tree in the limo? Say no?!? That isn't what bothered me. I usually love the trope where the heroine finds out she's been forced into the role of mistress against her knowledge and will. Maybe it's just in HPland that the heroines express outrage and outwit the 6 ft, 11" Greek/Italian/Spanish and occasional Australian Billionaire. That is not the case here. In honor of the Olympics, she's a Gold Medal Doormat.
Lie #1 The hero makes the h his mistress because he has to marry the Senator's daughter. NOPE! His Mob Boss, his parents, everyone but the evil OW tells him he doesn't have to marry her, but he does it anyway because it's tradition.
His own parents defied tradition for a love match.
Lie #2 He doesn't tell the heroine about his marriage. She yaks on and on about being a mistress but it doesn't stop her from having sex with him right after she found out.
Lie #3 He/they don't indulge in sex trafficking. Oh wait, there was that one time, maybe twice, where they brought in girls including a couple of virgins to be kept as slaves, but they were abused anyway. This was a much better scene for them as no kink...just some orgies. The orgy gifs were too scary to post.
Lie #4 I will protect you babe. No, he doesn't. The evil OW wrecks the h's merchandise then has the store burned after the heroine gets roughed up a little. The hero is SO sympathetic and concerned. If a little gun butt to the head sends her this far into herself, maybe she isn’t the woman I need. I second guess my affection for her. I second guess everything. I wish he had.
Later when the heroine pops up pregnant (what a shocker), he asks who she slept with. She stands up for herself for about three seconds. The hero is overwhelmed with regret. I should apologize, fuck, I should say so much to her. I don’t. Call it pride, call it macho bullshit, whatever it is, I can’t say the words aloud. I’m sorry, it’s just not there. And then they have sex again because...he's cute? I think this book is a fantasy read from the perspective of 15 year old teen boy about what HE thinks a romance should be.
I think this statement from one of the secondary characters sums the women the best.
“I’m nobody’s whore,” I announce after I’ve finished one cupcake and I’m reaching for a chocolate chip cookie.
Mia reaches across the counter, her fingers wrap around my wrist and she squeezes. “We’re all whores. Since the beginning of time, Lenora. Why not whore for a man you love?”
October 14, 2020
Weak heroine
Cheater hero
I am not fan of either of these tropes. However, I totally enjoyed it, don't even know why.
Cheater hero
I am not fan of either of these tropes. However, I totally enjoyed it, don't even know why.
May 25, 2021
First off, THAT COVER!!! Holy Hell!!
Now that I have that out of the way, this is a pretty decent mafia story. I enjoyed the story, the characters, the mystery, and the HEA. I'm kind of bummed because I found this one on a "Readers Who Love Cheating Stories" page, and when I checked it out on Goodreads, way too many of the trigger chicks hated this story just for the cheating in it, so I felt confident this was going to be an angsty AF read. Turns out, it wasn't very angsty. YES there is cheating, but it didn't elicit that kick to the gut feeling I was hoping for though. That being said, the story was enjoyable enough to keep reading until the ending. If you are looking for the angsty heartbreak a cheating story will churn out this isn't that kind of story, but if you are looking for a good mafia story, look no further.
July 16, 2021
*We know from the blurb this is going to have cheating (she says betrayal and infidelity) so if that is a hard limit. I’d pass.* Becoming His Mistress is the second book in the Zanetti Famiglia series. (I didn’t read the first book, and never felt lost.) The blurb sets this up pretty thoroughly, Arlo has agreed to an arranged marriage to someone he hates, then he meets Eleonore. The couple has an insta-love thing going, and the rest is dealing with his marriage, and mob stuff.
Pretend-Land cheating is not a hard limit for me. When done well, it can provide angst-whores like me buckets of feels. “Feels” come in different flavors, so personal preference will probably determine how much you get in your tank from this. I am not a very emotional person IRL, I cruise along in the middle lane. You won’t find me squealing in delight, but it also takes a lot to piss me off. Pretend-Land Jac is even more laid back, so my angst radar isn’t super sensitive. I typically need to be smacked up the side of my face with in. What is my point?
This book provides the type of angst that I refer to as shock angst. The “feels” are generated from the actions/events of the characters. For example, You get the sinking gut feeling when the “event” happens, and again when the h figures it out. But, if you prefer fallout angst where the “feels” are delivered from the aftermath of the “event” through meltdowns, arguments, and discussions… this isn’t it. For example, this is all you’re going to get…SPOILER-
Personally, I prefer fallout angst, but can switch gears. What I struggled with here, is that I couldn’t understand why he cheated. For example, I just read THIS, where I also struggled to understand why the cheating occurred. He basically cheated to immediately do what he was trying to avoid by cheating.
Here we have Arlo who SPOILER But why? There was no reason why he couldn’t have proceeded exactly how he did when the week was over. It was nutso…and I got so hung up on the why, that it took away part of the what, which killed a lot of my feels.
Bottom Line- Good mafia story, but not great in the angst dept. It’s free to try with KU. There’s a very short story at the end that follows her BFF Chloe. Now if she had been the h, this would have generated some serious angst, because she didn't take any shit.
Pretend-Land cheating is not a hard limit for me. When done well, it can provide angst-whores like me buckets of feels. “Feels” come in different flavors, so personal preference will probably determine how much you get in your tank from this. I am not a very emotional person IRL, I cruise along in the middle lane. You won’t find me squealing in delight, but it also takes a lot to piss me off. Pretend-Land Jac is even more laid back, so my angst radar isn’t super sensitive. I typically need to be smacked up the side of my face with in. What is my point?
This book provides the type of angst that I refer to as shock angst. The “feels” are generated from the actions/events of the characters. For example, You get the sinking gut feeling when the “event” happens, and again when the h figures it out. But, if you prefer fallout angst where the “feels” are delivered from the aftermath of the “event” through meltdowns, arguments, and discussions… this isn’t it. For example, this is all you’re going to get…SPOILER-
Personally, I prefer fallout angst, but can switch gears. What I struggled with here, is that I couldn’t understand why he cheated. For example, I just read THIS, where I also struggled to understand why the cheating occurred. He basically cheated to immediately do what he was trying to avoid by cheating.
Here we have Arlo who SPOILER But why? There was no reason why he couldn’t have proceeded exactly how he did when the week was over. It was nutso…and I got so hung up on the why, that it took away part of the what, which killed a lot of my feels.
Bottom Line- Good mafia story, but not great in the angst dept. It’s free to try with KU. There’s a very short story at the end that follows her BFF Chloe. Now if she had been the h, this would have generated some serious angst, because she didn't take any shit.
July 3, 2022
3 Stars
Arlo & Elenora's Story
I was in the mood for an angsty mafia romance. The writing was meh, more surface-level than anything. I only read it for the themes/tropes and it delivered in that respect. There's an insta-love between the hero and the heroine. Unfortunately, he was engaged to someone else. It was his duty to marry for the famiglia. He continued to have a love-affair with the heroine while she was completely in the dark about who he was or that he was engaged. Elenora was willfully ignorant. Arlo thought he could keep her as his mistress but quickly realized that was not going to work. He despised the other woman (she was evil), loved and adored Elenora, and knew she deserved better. His marriage didn't last two weeks. Despite the fact that I wasn't crazy about the writing, the angst was enough to keep me turning the pages nonstop, until the 80%, after that it got boring. Things between the main characters pretty much resolved and the mafia shenanigans took over. I wasn't interested, sorry.
On another note: I was disappointed with Elenora's reaction when she found out Arlo was married. At this point Elenora was already living with him. She under-reacted, in my opinion, and this downscaled the angst. Ugh, yet another heroine that goes easy on the lying, cheating hero. Why?! 😭
HEA: Yes. I believe Arlo proved himself.
Arlo & Elenora's Story
I was in the mood for an angsty mafia romance. The writing was meh, more surface-level than anything. I only read it for the themes/tropes and it delivered in that respect. There's an insta-love between the hero and the heroine. Unfortunately, he was engaged to someone else. It was his duty to marry for the famiglia. He continued to have a love-affair with the heroine while she was completely in the dark about who he was or that he was engaged. Elenora was willfully ignorant. Arlo thought he could keep her as his mistress but quickly realized that was not going to work. He despised the other woman (she was evil), loved and adored Elenora, and knew she deserved better. His marriage didn't last two weeks. Despite the fact that I wasn't crazy about the writing, the angst was enough to keep me turning the pages nonstop, until the 80%, after that it got boring. Things between the main characters pretty much resolved and the mafia shenanigans took over. I wasn't interested, sorry.
On another note: I was disappointed with Elenora's reaction when she found out Arlo was married. At this point Elenora was already living with him. She under-reacted, in my opinion, and this downscaled the angst. Ugh, yet another heroine that goes easy on the lying, cheating hero. Why?! 😭
HEA: Yes. I believe Arlo proved himself.
August 23, 2020
Okay so I was really really excited for this story as the idea of loving someone but couldn't have them really touches something deep in my heart.
Arlo is dumb enough to marry Wynter knowing very well that she's an A class bitch. See what happens after his dumb-ity.
Elenora is independent, strong girl. But I really found her irrational at more than one point. She loves Arlo enough to let go his 'being married' thing!! I think she should have fought more actually she should have FOUGHT in the first place coz I didn't see that happening.
The suspense part was good. It was unexpected as I didn't experience any such thing in book 1.
Writing of the author is always good too.
Arlo is dumb enough to marry Wynter knowing very well that she's an A class bitch. See what happens after his dumb-ity.
Elenora is independent, strong girl. But I really found her irrational at more than one point. She loves Arlo enough to let go his 'being married' thing!! I think she should have fought more actually she should have FOUGHT in the first place coz I didn't see that happening.
The suspense part was good. It was unexpected as I didn't experience any such thing in book 1.
Writing of the author is always good too.
March 28, 2021
2 ⭐⭐ - Meh!
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I’m marrying Wynter, but I hate her. I’m planning to cheat on her and often.
I smile to myself, a secret smile, a smile of hope for the future. This man, if he comes back, God, I could see myself falling for his charm all too easily. I honestly think that it could be worth it too.
I may not be able to stand the bitch, but I don’t want to blatantly hurt her. But, I’m still going to go through with them, I can’t not.
“The feeling is goddamn mutual. You wanted a powerful husband and to live a life of luxury. Your father wanted you and your bills off of his back. We need him for his contacts and that is how this world works. You’re a woman. You receive company when asked, throw parties when asked and spread your legs, guess when?” “Asked,” she grits out. “Good girl,” I murmur, sliding my thumb along the center of her throat.
“I don’t know what kind of women you usually date, but Arlo, me being right here. Me being this vulnerable to you, it means that I’m committing myself to this, to us.”
Sleeping soundly, unaware that I’m a piece of shit who is lying to her.
I’m used to fucking whores, they don’t care where they spread, it’s their job. Lenora isn’t them, she’s good and clean, she’s soft and gentle.
“Arlo, not very often you stop at my desk. Usually, you’re already balls deep inside one of my girls,” she purrs.
He nods his head. “Protect her. When your wife finds out about her, she will be more ruthless than any enemy could ever be.”
I feel guilty as fuck. I’ve just left dinner with my parents and my fiancée only to go on a date with the woman I’m falling for.
Reaching one hand down, I twist my fingers in her hair at the nape of her neck and I force her to take all of me. Wrenching her back up my length, I flick my eyes down and grin at the sight of her narrowed gaze. “You’re gonna suck my dick, Wynter, you’re gonna do it the way I want. Just because my dick’s in your mouth doesn’t mean that you have the upper hand, puttana,” I inform.
She opens her mouth, but before she can speak, I force her head down again. She takes me. Closing my eyes, I imagine the mediocre blowjob is from Lenora. When I picture her green eyes looking up at me through her lashes, only then do I finally come.
The simple move, it reminds me of Lenora. Fuck. I fucking fucked up. “Put your dress down, I’m taking you home,” I announce as I right my own pants.
The reality is that she is now my wife. It’s not cheating on Lenora to fuck her. It’s now cheating on Wynter to fuck Lenora. Christ, I’ve made a mess of my life.
She leans forward, her lips touching just next to my ear. “I’m going to fuck you now, Arlo. Remember that it’s your wife you’re inside of now.”
She reaches forward, wrapping her hand around my cock. I’m half-mast, unable to keep my body from reacting to the sight of her naked one, to the feel of her hand stroking me. She is not who I want, never was, never will be, but fuck, my body cannot control its reaction to friction. “I’m your wife now, Arlo,” she announces. She doesn’t need to.
“I can’t stand her. She keeps reminding me that we’re married and all she wanted to do was fuck. Honestly, she’s driving me insane.”
Maybe she’s not as strong as I thought she was. If a little gun butt to the head sends her this far into herself, maybe she isn’t the woman I need.
I second guess my affection for her. I second guess everything.
“It’s yours, you asshole, and you know it. I’m not the one fucking other people, that’s all on you,” I grind out. He lifts his hand as if he’s going to strike me, but as quickly as he lifts it, he drops it to his side.
November 8, 2019
wth have I been reading lately...
“Maybe she’s not as strong as I thought she was. If a little gun butt to the head sends her this far into herself, maybe she isn’t the woman I need. I second guess my affection for her.”
November 3, 2019
The blurb had me at "marry for duty rather than love" and I knew I knew I had to read it. She was forbidden in every way because his loyalty is to The Famiglia -yet he couldn't help himself still took what was forbidden. There many times that I wanted to smack Arlo because he was living a double life that was going to cost him dearly. Lenora knew he was dangerous, forbidden and that she should be scared-BUT she was anything but scared. She felt safe, wanted and loved with Arlo but she could feel something off and that's what frightened her more.
The passion and chemistry Arlo & Lenora had oozed out of the pages and it gave me the feels!! Arlo's possessiveness (even though he had no right) for Lorena had no limit and he did anything in his power to show her and the world. Yes there was drama and plenty of mystery trying to catch the main culprit yet the romance-in my opinion- is what stood out to me! This is the first book I've read from Ms. Hayley Faiman and I'm asking myself- where the heck have I been that I'm just reading something from her?!?!?! This will not be the last and I can't wait for what else she will grace us with! Kara~5 Alpha Stars
The passion and chemistry Arlo & Lenora had oozed out of the pages and it gave me the feels!! Arlo's possessiveness (even though he had no right) for Lorena had no limit and he did anything in his power to show her and the world. Yes there was drama and plenty of mystery trying to catch the main culprit yet the romance-in my opinion- is what stood out to me! This is the first book I've read from Ms. Hayley Faiman and I'm asking myself- where the heck have I been that I'm just reading something from her?!?!?! This will not be the last and I can't wait for what else she will grace us with! Kara~5 Alpha Stars
June 26, 2020
So 1 stars and gonna keep this short.
But this is about Carlo and Leonora, they meet when he’s about to marry this other woman (we h8 her). Anyways, crazy enough this could’ve been a 4/5 star read for me if it wasn’t for a part and the fact the h was pathetic and couldn’t resist the H even after finding out he cheated. In fact, the first time she sees him after she found out he cheated, they have sex in the bathroom.
So he gets married to this woman he HATES HATES HATES but still had sex with her “over and over again for days” whilst Leonora is living in the appartment he brought them.
This makes no sense. At all. I wish we actually got to read these interactions because reading the BJ scene actually made me see how different he is with Leonora. But the thing is, his feelings for his wife were so horrible that I wouldn’t even believe that he had sex with her over and over ... it was more used as a plot to cause drama. And I hate when that’s used. I don’t mind when cheating happened if I understand the situation that it happened it and when the H redeems himself.
I didn’t understand the situation. He tells Leonora he’s gonna be gone for a week, gets married, sex with his wife who he hates, the time the week is done and he’s gonna see Leona again, he stops having sex with his wife then.
And from them on he pushes wife away. And after that, he doesn’t see the wife cause he hates her so much. So my questions are:
1. Why didn’t he marry her and just leave her alone then? He did that eventually. Why did he have to spend the week having sex with her ?
2. We never find out WHY he does have sex with her if he hates her so much
In fact, I highlight the part (find in my highlights) where she goes into the shower and he tells her to go away. But what changed in that scene? What made him say enough? Why not before ? ... see why I’m confused !!!
In fact, anyone who read this book, even the author, please comment and help me understand because Leonora never even asks why. Did he feel obliged as a husband? Or was he just unable to resist? And how do we know he won’t do it again?
So in this cause, the cheating was used as a ploy and made no sense. And then the heroine was too weak.
He didn’t even have to work for it. It was as if it’s not a big deal. Everyone was talking about how in their world marriages happen this way ... even his mom and they’re all telling her “he never even liked her” which is true but it’s as if the big issue here was to convince her that the marriage wasn’t a real one and that he loved only Leonora.
But he had SEX with her. That’s the issue. I wouldn’t have cared if he married her but didn’t have sex with her out of respect to Leonora.
Damn, I’ve read books where the h takes the WHOLE BOOK to forgive the H for what he did in this book.
She should’ve slapped him in the bathroom - I also hate it when authors use sex as a ploy to make it steamier when the h should in fact be slapping the H’s face.
So in the end, I don’t like this h and reading the reviews of book 1, it may be this authors amp to write weak heroines which isn’t for me... so onto the next one! (Not from this author obvi...)
But this is about Carlo and Leonora, they meet when he’s about to marry this other woman (we h8 her). Anyways, crazy enough this could’ve been a 4/5 star read for me if it wasn’t for a part and the fact the h was pathetic and couldn’t resist the H even after finding out he cheated. In fact, the first time she sees him after she found out he cheated, they have sex in the bathroom.
So he gets married to this woman he HATES HATES HATES but still had sex with her “over and over again for days” whilst Leonora is living in the appartment he brought them.
This makes no sense. At all. I wish we actually got to read these interactions because reading the BJ scene actually made me see how different he is with Leonora. But the thing is, his feelings for his wife were so horrible that I wouldn’t even believe that he had sex with her over and over ... it was more used as a plot to cause drama. And I hate when that’s used. I don’t mind when cheating happened if I understand the situation that it happened it and when the H redeems himself.
I didn’t understand the situation. He tells Leonora he’s gonna be gone for a week, gets married, sex with his wife who he hates, the time the week is done and he’s gonna see Leona again, he stops having sex with his wife then.
And from them on he pushes wife away. And after that, he doesn’t see the wife cause he hates her so much. So my questions are:
1. Why didn’t he marry her and just leave her alone then? He did that eventually. Why did he have to spend the week having sex with her ?
2. We never find out WHY he does have sex with her if he hates her so much
In fact, I highlight the part (find in my highlights) where she goes into the shower and he tells her to go away. But what changed in that scene? What made him say enough? Why not before ? ... see why I’m confused !!!
In fact, anyone who read this book, even the author, please comment and help me understand because Leonora never even asks why. Did he feel obliged as a husband? Or was he just unable to resist? And how do we know he won’t do it again?
So in this cause, the cheating was used as a ploy and made no sense. And then the heroine was too weak.
He didn’t even have to work for it. It was as if it’s not a big deal. Everyone was talking about how in their world marriages happen this way ... even his mom and they’re all telling her “he never even liked her” which is true but it’s as if the big issue here was to convince her that the marriage wasn’t a real one and that he loved only Leonora.
But he had SEX with her. That’s the issue. I wouldn’t have cared if he married her but didn’t have sex with her out of respect to Leonora.
Damn, I’ve read books where the h takes the WHOLE BOOK to forgive the H for what he did in this book.
She should’ve slapped him in the bathroom - I also hate it when authors use sex as a ploy to make it steamier when the h should in fact be slapping the H’s face.
So in the end, I don’t like this h and reading the reviews of book 1, it may be this authors amp to write weak heroines which isn’t for me... so onto the next one! (Not from this author obvi...)
August 11, 2025
What both the h & the H felt in this story is 'Lust' with a capital 'L'.
They got into it pretty very soon; just because the H was super hot and irresistible. The h doesn't question much about what the H does and readily accepts to start living together and accepts his money to buy furniture for their new house. And the worst of all, she has sex with the H even after knowing he is married (puke)!
I don't even have words to say anything about the so-called H. He cheats on both his wife and h by sleeping with both of them (Eeewww)! The H doesn't trust that the baby is his when the h tells him about her pregnancy.
The final nail to the coffin would be that the h (the other woman) accepts the loser H. Once a cheater, always a cheater. So, it's HEA "for now".
I would've loved this book if the h dumped the cheating Zero's ass and got together with Massimo. This is just 'my' opinion.
They got into it pretty very soon; just because the H was super hot and irresistible. The h doesn't question much about what the H does and readily accepts to start living together and accepts his money to buy furniture for their new house. And the worst of all, she has sex with the H even after knowing he is married (puke)!
I don't even have words to say anything about the so-called H. He cheats on both his wife and h by sleeping with both of them (Eeewww)! The H doesn't trust that the baby is his when the h tells him about her pregnancy.
The final nail to the coffin would be that the h (the other woman) accepts the loser H. Once a cheater, always a cheater. So, it's HEA "for now".
I would've loved this book if the h dumped the cheating Zero's ass and got together with Massimo. This is just 'my' opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2022
I will not write a full review. I was really interested in reading this book, book 2, so when I was skimming book 2, I realized there was a lot of reference to human trafficking. I decided to skim the other books to see how all the H in this series deal with the subject. I know this series is considered dark romance, but I draw the line at human trafficking.
This book doesn't really deal with the human trafficking as much as book 5. In this book, book 2, the Hs in the series say they don't do human trafficking, but that's a lie because they do when it involves a deal they really want. They provide their clients with women like they are property. They say these women are willing, but they were "bought" from a bad guy that they have an inkling is not telling the truth about where the women comes from. All the H from the series "traded" women for their brothels. They traded women to the bad guy who said he was going to teach those women how to be high class call girls while the Hs got willing sex workers. The bad guy lied. The thing is, the H in all the books have a feeling that the girls are not there willingly, but they barely care because money. They realize these women are broken, but don't care. The hs in this series eventually realize too and they don't care. I cannot root for anyone.
The H in book 5 realized that the women the old mafia brought and that all the Hs have used were daughters sold to them (by force) by poor families in the neighborhoods they control. In the new mafia, the women are brought in by doing the trade with the bad guy. They tell themselves these women are willing, but in their mind, they know that's not the truth.
They chose to be ignorant for money.
There is a disgusting scene in this book, book 2, where the H calls up his friend who becomes the H for book 4. Book 2 H asked if book 4 H is "sampling" at the house. Book 4 H laughs and said he enjoys the taste of Ireland. This is in reference to the women that came from Ireland ages 18 - 23 of which 2 are virgins, which they will be putting up for auctions, but they say it's not human trafficking because they were told they are there willingly, even though they have a feeling the women are not there willingly.
Having the Hs in this series deal with human trafficking is disturbing to me, even for a dark romance. It is possible to do mafia/biker books/ dark romance without human trafficking. I will not continue on with this series.
Aside from the human trafficking, all the H in the series cheated with their h with ow(s) and in some cases don't use protection.
This book doesn't really deal with the human trafficking as much as book 5. In this book, book 2, the Hs in the series say they don't do human trafficking, but that's a lie because they do when it involves a deal they really want. They provide their clients with women like they are property. They say these women are willing, but they were "bought" from a bad guy that they have an inkling is not telling the truth about where the women comes from. All the H from the series "traded" women for their brothels. They traded women to the bad guy who said he was going to teach those women how to be high class call girls while the Hs got willing sex workers. The bad guy lied. The thing is, the H in all the books have a feeling that the girls are not there willingly, but they barely care because money. They realize these women are broken, but don't care. The hs in this series eventually realize too and they don't care. I cannot root for anyone.
The H in book 5 realized that the women the old mafia brought and that all the Hs have used were daughters sold to them (by force) by poor families in the neighborhoods they control. In the new mafia, the women are brought in by doing the trade with the bad guy. They tell themselves these women are willing, but in their mind, they know that's not the truth.
They chose to be ignorant for money.
There is a disgusting scene in this book, book 2, where the H calls up his friend who becomes the H for book 4. Book 2 H asked if book 4 H is "sampling" at the house. Book 4 H laughs and said he enjoys the taste of Ireland. This is in reference to the women that came from Ireland ages 18 - 23 of which 2 are virgins, which they will be putting up for auctions, but they say it's not human trafficking because they were told they are there willingly, even though they have a feeling the women are not there willingly.
Having the Hs in this series deal with human trafficking is disturbing to me, even for a dark romance. It is possible to do mafia/biker books/ dark romance without human trafficking. I will not continue on with this series.
Aside from the human trafficking, all the H in the series cheated with their h with ow(s) and in some cases don't use protection.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2020
Would of made him suffer some
Elenora more falls in love with Arlo who is the undergoes in the Zanetti family. Only problem is that he is getting married.
He married Wynter, he says he is doing is for the famiglia. How's we he drags Elenora along and he sleeps with both of them.
I just really wish that Elenora had a backbone. I mean his wife trashed her shop has it burnt down. He disappears all the time and when she finds out about wife she stayed away for a whole week. WEAK!
Elenora more falls in love with Arlo who is the undergoes in the Zanetti family. Only problem is that he is getting married.
He married Wynter, he says he is doing is for the famiglia. How's we he drags Elenora along and he sleeps with both of them.
I just really wish that Elenora had a backbone. I mean his wife trashed her shop has it burnt down. He disappears all the time and when she finds out about wife she stayed away for a whole week. WEAK!
October 10, 2025
Sorry, this was just boring af. We have a set up
For angst but it was wasted. When the h finds out the H is married you’re expecting that gut wrenching feeling but no it was just another day at the office. It’s like she mixed up All the ingredients for a cake and forgot to
Put it in the oven!! where’s my cake???
For angst but it was wasted. When the h finds out the H is married you’re expecting that gut wrenching feeling but no it was just another day at the office. It’s like she mixed up All the ingredients for a cake and forgot to
Put it in the oven!! where’s my cake???
April 7, 2021
DNF at 63%. I hate this book. There is no redeeming the main male character. He was a douche bag who fucked his wife and mistress without wearing condoms. There are more examples but this was the point that stuck in my brain. Such an asshole!
October 31, 2019
This is not my type of read usually, with cheating ,but since i already read the first book in this series i wanted to see what this book will be about, i already knew a lot of thing will bother me but at the same time i hoped that the author could make it good for me , considering the circumstances.
This review will be full of spoilers..
I start with all the things that bother the shit out of me.
He was forced to marry Wynter as duty for his famiglia , he hates her he calls her bitch all the times.
When he decided to do it, he didn't knew he will find Leondra...they start dating and was all..insta everything,at the same time tho, he still wanted to go trough his engagement and soon into marriage even tho GAVINO TOLD HIM NUMEROUS TIMES THAT HE CAN FIND AN OUT FOR HIM but HE DIDN'T WANT TO!!!!!
So he basically keep Leondra in the dark about having a future wife,and he also is all alpha on her, possessive and jealous with her even tho he is the one who is lying and having another woman.
Dude buys an apartment after a few weeks meting her and asked her to move in LMAO ! :))
He wanted her available every time he wanted her,this thing happened the day before he married the fiance :)) oh... at this point i thought and i wished that at least he didn't do nothing with her till it's like forced the day of marriage cuz well in the mafia it kind of is
(but usually they were virgins and they needed the sheets but not in this case, the girls both weren't virgins. kind of strange in mafia,but anyway, better like this in this case)
NO he didn't push her away when she goed down on him, also for 3 days after the weeding he did fuck her and let me tell you he didn't reject her,but everytime after the intercourse he did treat her like a whore and insult her...but what it's the point????
I WAS HOPING THAT AT LEAST HE WILL DO ALL HE COULD TO AVOID IT!!!!
HIS D**K DIDN'T HATE HER! LOL
HE DIDN'T USE CONDOMS WITH NONE OF THEM BTW.
Thx God he was intimate with the wife only 3 days but at the same time F++k him, cuz he did go with Leonora after the 3 days.
He knew he will find a way out of the marriage and that it wouldn't last so what was the point in doing stuffs with her?? what it's the point regretting getting married when he did have a choice as Gavino continually told him.
Anyway thx God all this happened in the first 34% of the book and was with her intimate only that days with the wedding... i wanted to DNF this book so bad but at the same time i kind of not hate him that much because the relationship with Leonora was to new, to fast , to insta and he did a few times wonder if he fell for real or not, and he didn't also told her he is only hers or that he loved her etc, so i was thorn about them.
If he would tell her all from the start, and he didn't do all he did when he already was been intimate i could give this book 5 stars because the reading was fast, enjoyable etc, but he made to many things that bothered me.
She found out about the wife at 50% and not by him, which was another point in less for him.
I will not tell about the wife, and what happened with her , and other stuffs.
I already wrote about the things that bothered me the most.
1 star for the first 35%
3 star for 50% of the book for the middle and the end
1 star again when he had the audacity to ask her whose baby is it around 90% of the book after all he did LMAO.
5 stars for the bonus of Becoming my Hero novella! i loved Luca and Chloe.
I hated and loved this story at the same time, i loved him with Leonora, and i liked her very much, i wished she would make him sweat and going crazy but she accepted him back way easier !
i finally gave 3 stars, just because i liked the bonus of Luca and Chloe :D
This review will be full of spoilers..
I start with all the things that bother the shit out of me.
He was forced to marry Wynter as duty for his famiglia , he hates her he calls her bitch all the times.
When he decided to do it, he didn't knew he will find Leondra...they start dating and was all..insta everything,at the same time tho, he still wanted to go trough his engagement and soon into marriage even tho GAVINO TOLD HIM NUMEROUS TIMES THAT HE CAN FIND AN OUT FOR HIM but HE DIDN'T WANT TO!!!!!
So he basically keep Leondra in the dark about having a future wife,and he also is all alpha on her, possessive and jealous with her even tho he is the one who is lying and having another woman.
Dude buys an apartment after a few weeks meting her and asked her to move in LMAO ! :))
He wanted her available every time he wanted her,this thing happened the day before he married the fiance :)) oh... at this point i thought and i wished that at least he didn't do nothing with her till it's like forced the day of marriage cuz well in the mafia it kind of is
(but usually they were virgins and they needed the sheets but not in this case, the girls both weren't virgins. kind of strange in mafia,but anyway, better like this in this case)
NO he didn't push her away when she goed down on him, also for 3 days after the weeding he did fuck her and let me tell you he didn't reject her,but everytime after the intercourse he did treat her like a whore and insult her...but what it's the point????
I WAS HOPING THAT AT LEAST HE WILL DO ALL HE COULD TO AVOID IT!!!!
HIS D**K DIDN'T HATE HER! LOL
HE DIDN'T USE CONDOMS WITH NONE OF THEM BTW.
Thx God he was intimate with the wife only 3 days but at the same time F++k him, cuz he did go with Leonora after the 3 days.
He knew he will find a way out of the marriage and that it wouldn't last so what was the point in doing stuffs with her?? what it's the point regretting getting married when he did have a choice as Gavino continually told him.
Anyway thx God all this happened in the first 34% of the book and was with her intimate only that days with the wedding... i wanted to DNF this book so bad but at the same time i kind of not hate him that much because the relationship with Leonora was to new, to fast , to insta and he did a few times wonder if he fell for real or not, and he didn't also told her he is only hers or that he loved her etc, so i was thorn about them.
If he would tell her all from the start, and he didn't do all he did when he already was been intimate i could give this book 5 stars because the reading was fast, enjoyable etc, but he made to many things that bothered me.
She found out about the wife at 50% and not by him, which was another point in less for him.
I will not tell about the wife, and what happened with her , and other stuffs.
I already wrote about the things that bothered me the most.
1 star for the first 35%
3 star for 50% of the book for the middle and the end
1 star again when he had the audacity to ask her whose baby is it around 90% of the book after all he did LMAO.
5 stars for the bonus of Becoming my Hero novella! i loved Luca and Chloe.
I hated and loved this story at the same time, i loved him with Leonora, and i liked her very much, i wished she would make him sweat and going crazy but she accepted him back way easier !
i finally gave 3 stars, just because i liked the bonus of Luca and Chloe :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2020
Becoming His Mistress is my first Hayley Faiman book so I wasn't sure what to expect at all. It started out really good and very different and surprising from other mafia books. Here's why:
Most Mafia men in romance books are nothing like "real" Mafia men or the versions we see in the movies. They are usually watered down, "good at heart", romantic heroes who just happen to be career criminals. What I loved about this book was that Faimen wrote Arlo like a true asshole mafioso. He is NOT a good guy and he DOESN'T CARE. He is selfish, he is violent, he is involved with all kinds of disgusting, nefarious things like human trafficking, he is uncaring and unrepentant. He even says multiple times he feels NO REMORSE for any of his actions. This made him seem like he was actually in the mafia. Even though it made me dislike him strongly at times, I still appreciated that he was realistic in that way and it made me respect the author for her choices in writing him. Most mafia men DO have mistresses, so I appreciate that Faiman wrote a book about it.
My main problem came from our heroine Lenora. She is truly one of the weakest, dumbest, lamest female characters I've ever read. She is a true embarrassment to womankind. She is beyond ignorant and naive, she doesn't even ask her new live-in lover (who she has only known for 3 weeks) what he does for a living, how old he is, where he goes all night every night, etc. Even though she wonders these things, as soon as she sees him she rolls over and spreads her legs and then cries when he leaves. Literally. She is so WEAK and STUPID that it's impossible to relate to her, root for her or support any of her non-decisions. Because she never even makes one choice for herself in the whole book. After finding out her boyfriend is MARRIED, she stays with her friend for a few days, and Arlo stays away from her, but the next time he sees her she lets him screw her in a public restroom. WHAT. I seriously wanted to beat this fool woman over the head with my kindle more times than I could count.
Finally, the big relationship drama climaxes by 70% and then the rest of the book is boring mafia drama which I couldn't care less about. Arlo is just as concerned with that as he is with Lenora. Again, that is consistent with his character. So this book is hard to rate. It started out as 4 stars simply because it's refreshing to read a mafia character behave like a mafia character, even though that doesn't mean I LIKED his behavior. (If he hated Wynter so much, and wasn't immediately trying to have a kid with her, then why was he fucking her??) Because he's a scumbag, that's why. So this book has some good points, but my dislike of the heroine and the overall pace and feel of the book brought it down to a 2 star read for me.
Most Mafia men in romance books are nothing like "real" Mafia men or the versions we see in the movies. They are usually watered down, "good at heart", romantic heroes who just happen to be career criminals. What I loved about this book was that Faimen wrote Arlo like a true asshole mafioso. He is NOT a good guy and he DOESN'T CARE. He is selfish, he is violent, he is involved with all kinds of disgusting, nefarious things like human trafficking, he is uncaring and unrepentant. He even says multiple times he feels NO REMORSE for any of his actions. This made him seem like he was actually in the mafia. Even though it made me dislike him strongly at times, I still appreciated that he was realistic in that way and it made me respect the author for her choices in writing him. Most mafia men DO have mistresses, so I appreciate that Faiman wrote a book about it.
My main problem came from our heroine Lenora. She is truly one of the weakest, dumbest, lamest female characters I've ever read. She is a true embarrassment to womankind. She is beyond ignorant and naive, she doesn't even ask her new live-in lover (who she has only known for 3 weeks) what he does for a living, how old he is, where he goes all night every night, etc. Even though she wonders these things, as soon as she sees him she rolls over and spreads her legs and then cries when he leaves. Literally. She is so WEAK and STUPID that it's impossible to relate to her, root for her or support any of her non-decisions. Because she never even makes one choice for herself in the whole book. After finding out her boyfriend is MARRIED, she stays with her friend for a few days, and Arlo stays away from her, but the next time he sees her she lets him screw her in a public restroom. WHAT. I seriously wanted to beat this fool woman over the head with my kindle more times than I could count.
Finally, the big relationship drama climaxes by 70% and then the rest of the book is boring mafia drama which I couldn't care less about. Arlo is just as concerned with that as he is with Lenora. Again, that is consistent with his character. So this book is hard to rate. It started out as 4 stars simply because it's refreshing to read a mafia character behave like a mafia character, even though that doesn't mean I LIKED his behavior. (If he hated Wynter so much, and wasn't immediately trying to have a kid with her, then why was he fucking her??) Because he's a scumbag, that's why. So this book has some good points, but my dislike of the heroine and the overall pace and feel of the book brought it down to a 2 star read for me.
October 30, 2019
DNF.
HAYLEY FAIMAN'S MAFIA STORIES ALL PALE IN COMPARISON TO SOME OF MY FAVOURITE AUTHORS...but i still keep coming back because I'd like for ONCE to really enjoy a 4 stars (AT LEAST) story from her. WHILE I ADMIT I WAS REELED IN BY THE CHEATING IN THIS BOOK, AND I WANTED TO BE OPEN MINDED ABOUT IT, I FELT LIKE THE HERO DID NOT GROVEL ENOUGH AND THE HEROINE SHOULD HAVE STOOD FIRMLY ABOUT PUSHING HIM AWAY. I was excited as a pup when she was firm not to be a mistress, but it was all hot air when she turned back to him so quickly. I'm not saying don't forgive him but TIME is needed to heal hurts and betrayals...and the fact that Arlo did it with his eyes wide open? Not cool.
I'm a total sucker for cheating, and the hero did the IN YOUR FACE CHEATING with the woman he hated but still married WHILE HE WAS SEEING LENORA. And it wasn't even ONE FUCK. It was multiple times. Bleh. He couldn't even draw the line. And he had the guts to feel guilty about it and then psycho-babble himself that it's okay...he'll make it up to the women BLA BLA BLA. FUCK being married on PAPER. That shit doesn't count and it certainly doesn't last. Look at society's marriage today and the number of divorces that top the number in any American billionaire's bank account.
Arlo may claim to love Lenora, but if he truly did...he would have respected the boundaries and at the cost of losing Lenora, told her the truth and most importantly NOT CROSS the SEXUAL line. It's called RESPECTING the woman you love. I mean, if she's meant to be with him, she's bound to find out that he's living life in the outfit right? So why not ease her into it?
I love angst that comes with cheating, but here it was a no-no. Believe it or not, it wasn't the cheating I had an issue with....but the POST-CHEATING situations and the moment where the heroine found out about it. I expected her to THROW A FUCKING FIT & THEN BE EMO & THEN PICK UP THE PIECES AND FIND HER BACKBONE & MAKE THE HERO PAY FOR IT. Yes, I'm a vengeful bitch. Anyways... the wife died halfway through the book, and the Hero did not grovel enough even for like a few chapters when the other half of the story began. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO GOOD!
After the two sort of reconcile without much drama....I called it quits.
HAYLEY FAIMAN'S MAFIA STORIES ALL PALE IN COMPARISON TO SOME OF MY FAVOURITE AUTHORS...but i still keep coming back because I'd like for ONCE to really enjoy a 4 stars (AT LEAST) story from her. WHILE I ADMIT I WAS REELED IN BY THE CHEATING IN THIS BOOK, AND I WANTED TO BE OPEN MINDED ABOUT IT, I FELT LIKE THE HERO DID NOT GROVEL ENOUGH AND THE HEROINE SHOULD HAVE STOOD FIRMLY ABOUT PUSHING HIM AWAY. I was excited as a pup when she was firm not to be a mistress, but it was all hot air when she turned back to him so quickly. I'm not saying don't forgive him but TIME is needed to heal hurts and betrayals...and the fact that Arlo did it with his eyes wide open? Not cool.
I'm a total sucker for cheating, and the hero did the IN YOUR FACE CHEATING with the woman he hated but still married WHILE HE WAS SEEING LENORA. And it wasn't even ONE FUCK. It was multiple times. Bleh. He couldn't even draw the line. And he had the guts to feel guilty about it and then psycho-babble himself that it's okay...he'll make it up to the women BLA BLA BLA. FUCK being married on PAPER. That shit doesn't count and it certainly doesn't last. Look at society's marriage today and the number of divorces that top the number in any American billionaire's bank account.
Arlo may claim to love Lenora, but if he truly did...he would have respected the boundaries and at the cost of losing Lenora, told her the truth and most importantly NOT CROSS the SEXUAL line. It's called RESPECTING the woman you love. I mean, if she's meant to be with him, she's bound to find out that he's living life in the outfit right? So why not ease her into it?
I love angst that comes with cheating, but here it was a no-no. Believe it or not, it wasn't the cheating I had an issue with....but the POST-CHEATING situations and the moment where the heroine found out about it. I expected her to THROW A FUCKING FIT & THEN BE EMO & THEN PICK UP THE PIECES AND FIND HER BACKBONE & MAKE THE HERO PAY FOR IT. Yes, I'm a vengeful bitch. Anyways... the wife died halfway through the book, and the Hero did not grovel enough even for like a few chapters when the other half of the story began. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO GOOD!
After the two sort of reconcile without much drama....I called it quits.
October 31, 2019
Nikki~
You know how you know you are in the presence of a great storyteller? When you have to remind yourself while reading that this book is fiction not reality. You get so engrossed in the story that you feel like you are in the actual book while events are unfolding. Hayley Faiman is a master storyteller.
Becoming His Mistress is the latest book in the Zanetti Famiglia series by Hayley Faiman. Arlo Zanaetti is marrying for duty rather than love. His duty and responsibilities are everything to him till he meets Elenora Lewis.
Where to start! Arlo Zanaetti is a made man, one of the Underbosses of the Italian mafia so why he felt like it was his sole duty to take on this responsibility of marrying Wynter is beyond me especially since he met Lenora right before the wedding. Usually a man make stupid decisions because of the package between his legs but Arlo is using his head while making stupid decisions. He knew this would not turn out okay for all parties involved but he wanted what he wanted. It was a selfish decision and he made no apologies for it. This to me is what made him weak. When he took action to find a way to get Wynter out of his life because the way he felt about Leonora finally thinking with his heart, that made him a redeeming character. He was so wildly, madly and completely in love with Lenora, that made him redeemable.
I loved Lenora. In a cruel violent world that made up Arlo, she was his redeeming grace. She brought a softness to his character. What had me frustrated with her was all the red flags concerning Arlo. She saw them, heck her best friend Chloe saw them but refused to take the blinders off. She didn't go with her gut instinct because deep down she knew she would have to make a choice. A choice that would take away the man she loved. I love imperfect characters, and both of these characters were definitely imperfect but put together were perfect for each other.
This book was another phenomenal read by Hayley Faiman! I love the secondary characters and can't wait for the next book in this amazing series.
You know how you know you are in the presence of a great storyteller? When you have to remind yourself while reading that this book is fiction not reality. You get so engrossed in the story that you feel like you are in the actual book while events are unfolding. Hayley Faiman is a master storyteller.
Becoming His Mistress is the latest book in the Zanetti Famiglia series by Hayley Faiman. Arlo Zanaetti is marrying for duty rather than love. His duty and responsibilities are everything to him till he meets Elenora Lewis.
Where to start! Arlo Zanaetti is a made man, one of the Underbosses of the Italian mafia so why he felt like it was his sole duty to take on this responsibility of marrying Wynter is beyond me especially since he met Lenora right before the wedding. Usually a man make stupid decisions because of the package between his legs but Arlo is using his head while making stupid decisions. He knew this would not turn out okay for all parties involved but he wanted what he wanted. It was a selfish decision and he made no apologies for it. This to me is what made him weak. When he took action to find a way to get Wynter out of his life because the way he felt about Leonora finally thinking with his heart, that made him a redeeming character. He was so wildly, madly and completely in love with Lenora, that made him redeemable.
I loved Lenora. In a cruel violent world that made up Arlo, she was his redeeming grace. She brought a softness to his character. What had me frustrated with her was all the red flags concerning Arlo. She saw them, heck her best friend Chloe saw them but refused to take the blinders off. She didn't go with her gut instinct because deep down she knew she would have to make a choice. A choice that would take away the man she loved. I love imperfect characters, and both of these characters were definitely imperfect but put together were perfect for each other.
This book was another phenomenal read by Hayley Faiman! I love the secondary characters and can't wait for the next book in this amazing series.
November 6, 2019
4 Stars!
Hayley Faiman is my only rule breaker when it comes to my love for romance. Honestly she mostly writes what I veer away from (I'm not a fan of OTT angst and cheating but to each their own...) but there is just something about her words, those alphahole heroes, the women that steal their hearts whether they want them to or not, and the emotions she evokes in every book I've read by her that drives me in almost every. single. time.
Becoming His Mistress is the second standalone book in the Zannetti Famiglia series and you aren't ready for Arlo and Lenora... that's a guarantee. 😳
I really liked book one and plus I'm a huge sucker for a mafia romance but this book... whew! Boy did I struggle sooooo many times in so many moments but I pushed and pushed myself and while everything wasn't perfect or easy or nice and way to complicated, dirty, twisted most of the time... I didn't and couldn't stop this book for a second. The emotional roller coaster I was on didn't stop until looooong after the pages quit turning and even then.. ugh.
Sexy. Intense. Angsty. Steamy. Twisted. Suspenseful. Gritty. Edge of your seat from cover to cover. Yeah this book and these characters are going to have you feeling absolutely everything (some good and a whole lot of bad!!) the whole journey in a raw, hard, undeniable way.
I recommend reading this book at your own risk because if you have limits then this is NOT the book for you and you probably should stay clear. 😉
Reviewed for Renee Entress's Blog.
Hayley Faiman is my only rule breaker when it comes to my love for romance. Honestly she mostly writes what I veer away from (I'm not a fan of OTT angst and cheating but to each their own...) but there is just something about her words, those alphahole heroes, the women that steal their hearts whether they want them to or not, and the emotions she evokes in every book I've read by her that drives me in almost every. single. time.
Becoming His Mistress is the second standalone book in the Zannetti Famiglia series and you aren't ready for Arlo and Lenora... that's a guarantee. 😳
I really liked book one and plus I'm a huge sucker for a mafia romance but this book... whew! Boy did I struggle sooooo many times in so many moments but I pushed and pushed myself and while everything wasn't perfect or easy or nice and way to complicated, dirty, twisted most of the time... I didn't and couldn't stop this book for a second. The emotional roller coaster I was on didn't stop until looooong after the pages quit turning and even then.. ugh.
Sexy. Intense. Angsty. Steamy. Twisted. Suspenseful. Gritty. Edge of your seat from cover to cover. Yeah this book and these characters are going to have you feeling absolutely everything (some good and a whole lot of bad!!) the whole journey in a raw, hard, undeniable way.
I recommend reading this book at your own risk because if you have limits then this is NOT the book for you and you probably should stay clear. 😉
Reviewed for Renee Entress's Blog.
October 28, 2019
Maybe I'm slightly twisted but I love a good cheating book so as soon as I saw the title I knew I had to read this book.
Arlo is a man bound by duty to his family and because of that he's getting married to a woman he despises. Lenora is like a breath of fresh air in his dark world and he can't resist her pull. I loved every angst drama filled second of the story. This is a mafia book and Hayley doesn't spare the reader any of the grittier aspects of that life. Arlo makes some questionable decisions but he is a married man after all. I couldn't stop reading, turning the pages quickly so I could see what was going to happen next. I knew that car crash moment was going to come it was inevitable. With more twists and revelations than I expected this was an amazing story.
Go buy it now you won't be disappointed.
Arlo is a man bound by duty to his family and because of that he's getting married to a woman he despises. Lenora is like a breath of fresh air in his dark world and he can't resist her pull. I loved every angst drama filled second of the story. This is a mafia book and Hayley doesn't spare the reader any of the grittier aspects of that life. Arlo makes some questionable decisions but he is a married man after all. I couldn't stop reading, turning the pages quickly so I could see what was going to happen next. I knew that car crash moment was going to come it was inevitable. With more twists and revelations than I expected this was an amazing story.
Go buy it now you won't be disappointed.
April 30, 2020
The heroine being a mistress is totally out of the box for me and got me so excited. Till 50% of the book I was convinced this would be a 4 star reading. HOW WRONG I WAS!!!!
Arlo is a total jerk and full of himself since day one and in the beginning I forgave a lot of terrible things he said/did because I was cheering for sweet Lenora to be happy. BUT WTF!!! Soon enough I realised that if I were to cheer for Lenora, she should be miles easy from that jerk. And he keeps getting worst and worst. At the end I was just hoping that all that bullshit ended up soon because I couldn’t stand the guy. Poor Lenora. I get the feeling that he could easily get another mistress to replace her.
Arlo is a total jerk and full of himself since day one and in the beginning I forgave a lot of terrible things he said/did because I was cheering for sweet Lenora to be happy. BUT WTF!!! Soon enough I realised that if I were to cheer for Lenora, she should be miles easy from that jerk. And he keeps getting worst and worst. At the end I was just hoping that all that bullshit ended up soon because I couldn’t stand the guy. Poor Lenora. I get the feeling that he could easily get another mistress to replace her.
November 9, 2019
Wow another amazing story by a truly talented author Becoming his mistress in book two in the Zanetti famiglia series but can be read as a standalone I do recommend that read the first book though so you can meet the couple. I'm such a huge fan of this author and becoming his mistress is one of my favorites and I can't wait to read more by her and to see more of these characters in the future .
June 26, 2020
It was great to come back to this world. I loved Arlo in the first book and I was excited to get his story. Arlo was determined to do his duty for the famiglia and marry a woman he despised. He didn't expect to fall for a beautiful woman weeks before his betrothal. I immediately liked Lenora she was so sweet and naive. There was so much going on in this book. I loved both characters and rooted for them to figure things out. This was a great addition to the series.
November 8, 2019
Hayley Faiman is one of my top favorite authors, as I'm addicted to her writing like I am with coffee in the morning, so I went back & forth how to write this review as I was very conflicted. However, even with all the things that set me the hell off, I STILL couldn't put it down, and that's why I gave it 5 stars. See, Arlo Zanetti is an Underboss in the Zanetti Famiglia, and it's not off the wall for these men to have arranged marriages, as they marry for duty most of the time, and not love. So, I totally got that, but he really did some very selfish things that found me very unforgiving of him, and that didn't change by the end. He meets the sweetest, successful, and independent woman named Elenora Lewis not long before his wedding, and he decides he must have her though he knows it's a bad decision. They have serious chemistry, so the sexy times were off the charts lethal, but he was hiding that whole wedding thing from her, which I didn't agree with, but wasn't quite ready to tar & feather him. They start on a relationship journey, even as far as him purchasing an apartment for her to live in with him, but she starts getting suspicious about his disappearing act. At that point, I would have put on my detective hat, and uncovered all the things that had the red flags raised, but she just stayed in suspicious hell. Anyway, he does get married to a woman he hates, does some even worse things that had me deciding someone needed to end him, which I never backpedaled from. I just couldn't understand his craptastic actions except he was a total tool that didn't deserve Lenora. Oh, did I mention she had no clue he got married, until her best friend, Chloe, brought it to her attention?! And while she put her foot down, she didn't put it down for nearly enough time in my opinion, as realistically, no woman is going to be okay with the crap that he pulled that quickly. So, I'll stop the rant now, because I don't want to end this review without talking about those f-bomb worthy twists that made me so happy, as they were BIG! Like action packed HUGE, and they covered some of the rage I was feeling. Now, I don't expect everyone to feel the same way I did, because you know, different strokes for different folks and all, so I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you one click to decide for yourselves!
November 25, 2019
Another great story in this one going series.The story was filled with romance
intrigue and betrayals and it had a great cast of characters that we absolutely loved and we have to say we loved the twists that we never saw coming.
Arlo's story was a train wreck waiting to happen right from the very beginning and the whole time you waited on pins and needles just waiting for the ball to drop all the while waiting to see how he was going to get out of the mess he created.I have to say we wanted to smack him a time or time for his stubbornness other than that we loved his character.We loved the sinful sexy man and we loved that Elenora was having him want to be a better man for her.
Elenora we loved from the onset of the story.We loved the sweet and innocent and love-able woman who loved her independence but, thought for a savvy business women she was so naive that she bordered on stupidity. "I kept shouting in my head go with your gut women!"
We loved Gavino this time around he was almost human. lol
Overall we loved the story from beginning to end and were rooting for Elenora and Arlo to have a happy ending.We loved their bumpy road wrought with the twists and turns that we never saw coming and we love when that happens.The characters were amazing and we loved Massimo and Luca even a little bit more than the others has they were team Elenora all the way even if it was only in emotional support only."I thought this was so sweet my heart melted!"
Another great edition to this on going series that we are so loving.Looking forward to the next read in this on going series.There was more that beats the eye going on in this series and we can't wait to see what happens next.We love when harder-end men fall and they fall hard especially when they live in such a dangerous world its all so bittersweet to see that they can just be themselves even for a little bit in the company of the women who were brave enough to love their dark and dangerous and secretive men with all that they have to give.
"We loved it!"
intrigue and betrayals and it had a great cast of characters that we absolutely loved and we have to say we loved the twists that we never saw coming.
Arlo's story was a train wreck waiting to happen right from the very beginning and the whole time you waited on pins and needles just waiting for the ball to drop all the while waiting to see how he was going to get out of the mess he created.I have to say we wanted to smack him a time or time for his stubbornness other than that we loved his character.We loved the sinful sexy man and we loved that Elenora was having him want to be a better man for her.
Elenora we loved from the onset of the story.We loved the sweet and innocent and love-able woman who loved her independence but, thought for a savvy business women she was so naive that she bordered on stupidity. "I kept shouting in my head go with your gut women!"
We loved Gavino this time around he was almost human. lol
Overall we loved the story from beginning to end and were rooting for Elenora and Arlo to have a happy ending.We loved their bumpy road wrought with the twists and turns that we never saw coming and we love when that happens.The characters were amazing and we loved Massimo and Luca even a little bit more than the others has they were team Elenora all the way even if it was only in emotional support only."I thought this was so sweet my heart melted!"
Another great edition to this on going series that we are so loving.Looking forward to the next read in this on going series.There was more that beats the eye going on in this series and we can't wait to see what happens next.We love when harder-end men fall and they fall hard especially when they live in such a dangerous world its all so bittersweet to see that they can just be themselves even for a little bit in the company of the women who were brave enough to love their dark and dangerous and secretive men with all that they have to give.
"We loved it!"
March 9, 2022
My rating: 3 stars
What I liked: I liked how the wife and her father got what they deserved. I loved the extra story of Luca and Chloe.
What I didn’t like: First, if I had to take a shot every time I had to read the line “something feels off” or along the line “something isn’t right” by Elenora(h) I would of had alcohol poisoning, I mean if something doesn’t seem right ITS NOT. Second, if you had a guy come to your store that gave you a bad feeling why would you not tell the man you love (oh that’s right because every time you see him all you think about is how handsome he is WTF). Third, if Carlo actually had any feelings for Elenora he would of at least wore condom since he was having sex with his wife (again no talks about STD’s). Lastly, no real groveling (just a promise to make it up to her …oh and he loves her) because he gets kidnapped and she could have lost him :/
How hot was it: 3 out 5
Triggers/Details: Cheating. H is in the mafia and has an arrange marriage with a senator daughter coming up when he meets the h. He gets in a relationship with the h plus goes through with the marriage (which the h doesn’t know about). He has sex with both women. His wife finds out about h and pays a guy to destroys her shop. That same guy is also a guy the wife is having an affair with. h finds out about the wife and breaks up with him for about a week(but does have sex with him during the break). Later her shop is torched and the wife and her dad are killed. Later, h finds out she pregnant, H gets kidnapped and everything is forgiven.
Final thoughts: Yeah, I don’t even know what to write….in the beginning I was loving it and afterwards it went downhill. I needed more of a discussion about him having sex with both women with the h. I just felt like the whole cheating thing was forgiven way to easily, making the h a “weak doormat”.
What I liked: I liked how the wife and her father got what they deserved. I loved the extra story of Luca and Chloe.
What I didn’t like: First, if I had to take a shot every time I had to read the line “something feels off” or along the line “something isn’t right” by Elenora(h) I would of had alcohol poisoning, I mean if something doesn’t seem right ITS NOT. Second, if you had a guy come to your store that gave you a bad feeling why would you not tell the man you love (oh that’s right because every time you see him all you think about is how handsome he is WTF). Third, if Carlo actually had any feelings for Elenora he would of at least wore condom since he was having sex with his wife (again no talks about STD’s). Lastly, no real groveling (just a promise to make it up to her …oh and he loves her) because he gets kidnapped and she could have lost him :/
How hot was it: 3 out 5
Triggers/Details: Cheating. H is in the mafia and has an arrange marriage with a senator daughter coming up when he meets the h. He gets in a relationship with the h plus goes through with the marriage (which the h doesn’t know about). He has sex with both women. His wife finds out about h and pays a guy to destroys her shop. That same guy is also a guy the wife is having an affair with. h finds out about the wife and breaks up with him for about a week(but does have sex with him during the break). Later her shop is torched and the wife and her dad are killed. Later, h finds out she pregnant, H gets kidnapped and everything is forgiven.
Final thoughts: Yeah, I don’t even know what to write….in the beginning I was loving it and afterwards it went downhill. I needed more of a discussion about him having sex with both women with the h. I just felt like the whole cheating thing was forgiven way to easily, making the h a “weak doormat”.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2019
Becoming His Mistress by Hayley Faiman had me at the blurb and I knew I wanted to read it. Imagine agreeing to a marriage to fulfill a duty only to meet the love of your life afterwards? Arlo Zanetti knows honor and duty to the famiglia is first and foremost. So, when he is asked to enter a marriage of convenience for the benefit of the family, he agrees. Even if he hates the woman he is now committed too.
Then he meets the woman that will take his breathe away and will own his heart. He knows he wants her and must have her. Though he also knows she will hate him when she learns the truth. Arlo was a loyal and determined man. That is why it was hard for him to walk away from the commitment he made, but he could not let Lenora go either. Lenora was drawn to Arlo immediately and she knew their connection was not one-sided. But she did not know the truth behind Arlo. All she knows is she lost her heart to him.
Becoming His Mistress by Hayey Faiman was an emotional, full of angst and suspenseful read. I loved Arlo and Lenora, but will they be able to have their happily ever after? This was my first read by this author, but definitely not my last!
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading1
Then he meets the woman that will take his breathe away and will own his heart. He knows he wants her and must have her. Though he also knows she will hate him when she learns the truth. Arlo was a loyal and determined man. That is why it was hard for him to walk away from the commitment he made, but he could not let Lenora go either. Lenora was drawn to Arlo immediately and she knew their connection was not one-sided. But she did not know the truth behind Arlo. All she knows is she lost her heart to him.
Becoming His Mistress by Hayey Faiman was an emotional, full of angst and suspenseful read. I loved Arlo and Lenora, but will they be able to have their happily ever after? This was my first read by this author, but definitely not my last!
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading1
June 30, 2020
* KU Read/Review
So the first thing I will say is I hate cheating. Cheating and drugs are like my two biggest triggers in a book and life. Becoming His Mistress is on a very thin line when it comes to the cheating aspect of that. So at some points in reading this book, it was hard to read. That is why I went down one star since there was no trigger warning.
I loved Arlo in the first book and was excited to read his story. Of course, we knew in the first book that he had to get married and assumed that he would marry one of those women. Little did I see was him finding the woman he would fall so hopefully in love with. The thing that pi**es me off the most. Arlo had plenty of time to stop the marriage to that horrible woman and marry Lenora.
I love Lenora. She is strong, independent, honest, and so in love with Arlo that she doesn't find faults in him until it is too late. I enjoy how much these stories are so real life, and that you fall into the story and can't get out until the very end. A very enjoyable story and characters!
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