I had a hard time getting into the story. There was almost no character development, and the romance was tepid at best and moved way too fast. While this book has dark elements, I wouldn't call it a dark romance. And there wasn't much world building - I mean the Italian mafia feel came from last names and one Italian word, so it's not like there's much meaningful background to the world be given.

This book may appeal to those readers just dipping their toes into darker romances or mafia stories, but I think readers more experienced in those genres will be disappointed.

The Leader is the first book in the Bad Romance series by author Shanna Bell. It is a mafia/mob, enemies to lovers, forced marriage story and I loved it. Jazzy and Gio don't seem like they're gonna work out at first, considering Jazzy flees the country right after meeting Gio for the first time and Gio views her as nothing more than a prize for his revenge plan. This was a really great story and this author is now one of my favorites.

I want to thanks to NetGalley for giving me this in exchange for an honest review.

This is hard book to made review when there was a lot of good points but then there was some things which made me sad that I even read this book. So difficult thing to do when many parts were good or ok and some were just like above disappointment. The genre is one of my favorite and the theme with mafia is one of my favorites, but I need more mafia, if it's part of plot and there was some parts what I cannot understand. It seems like easy way to made main male character looks like an asshole, for examples. Book was too short to me, also and sometimes feels like longer than the pages were. Maybe because sometimes I had feelings that the there were parts which were only made that it will show that the book will be part of dark romance if we speaks for genres. There was many parts which are quite graphic, and usual I like those parts, there was some which made me think that it was easy way to made book more hardcore than normal romance. And also if there is some who thinks that cheating in the books is something special, you are so wrong. It made me only to think that I hate that character more than any other, even thought there was many good parts of the character. So usual it makes me want to kill people who are cheaters because I know how hard it is, when you love someone and you find that he or she is the cheater. So there was many good points in this book, but then there was many things which were not so good. Hard to say, but I will give quite low stars this time, even thought genre and theme (dark romance and mafia) usual made better and are usual books in my favorites or my top star styles.

Very good beginning to a new series ! This is Giovanni and Jazzy book, Giovanni is he!! bent on revenge for his parents murder! Jocelyn Jazzy, is the wild child of the Rossi family. She has absolutely no interest in being a stay at home mom and wife! When jazzy catches Gio attention the only thing she can think to do is run! Jazzy character was a sassy little spitfire! Gio was an sexy alpha hottie! This book was very well written, it was steamy, action packed, angst, drama, some heartache and even a few funny moments! Definitely don't miss out on this one! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

First of the Bad Romance books to come. I love Gio and Jazzy and the rest of the characters I hope we get to see how their lives unfold. And Tommie...he had me laughing out loud so much through this book. Great new series!!

I have never read this author before, but I definitely will again. I loved this novel. Gio and Jazzy were a great match. This novel grabbed me from the first page to the very last. I loved the chemistry between Gio and Jazzy. This novel kept me on the edge of my seat until the last page. I loved the dialogue and the banter. So good! I love a novel that can make you laugh, cry and ultimately leave you with a smile. I can't wait to see what happens next in the next novel Enforcer.

This book has been on my radar for a while because it kept popping up in my recommendations. I put it in my wish list, but never bought it, so when Net Galley offered an ARC, I jumped at the chance to try it. I'm so glad I did, and I will be purchasing the rest of this series immediately because I really loved it. An intelligent capable curvy woman paired with a super protective alpha who wants her because of her personality and fire even if they both enjoy her submission in the bedroom. ( Don't let the word submission freak you out if you're not into BDSM. This is not that.) I thought the characters were great. Gio's brothers, Hector, and Mary are my favorites. Though this was a Mafia related romance, don't skip it if Mafia isn't your thing. It's not really focused on that part of the equation at all. It is a fantastic story of how love develops with unique relationships and plenty of drama and suspense to keep it interesting and moving quickly. I'm very excited to get book two and read Mary's story.

It's Giovanni's and Jocelyn's story and it's steamy, funny at times and has an action packed scenario from the
beginning. You like Jocelyn's "Jazzy" right from the beginning and enjoy her sassiness and her unwillingness to backdown. And she only backs down when she has to. Giovanni on the other hand, would never back down and goes after what he wants but there is a sensitive side to the man you don't see coming, but Jazzy eventually gets to see. It had a little bit of everything and you liked the quirky characters that show up to. So, if you get a chance to check it out do so. You'll enjoy it.
goodreads link

3 1/2 stars out of 5
I can't help but say that Mafai books are a little hard for me to read because we are talking about people who are selling drugs, people and guns and somewhere we are suppose to find a hero or antihero to cheer for.
The story stops and starts as soon as Gio and Jazzy start having sex. The main story takes a back seat and what drove reads now seems to comes second place.
The writing is typical for this type of series and I can't say it is a stand out novel.

Thank you to netgalley for the review of SHanna Bell The Leader.

It's always a surprise to read a debut book by an indie author and have it be really good. Gio agreed to marry one of three granddaughters for a business deal. There was definitely insta-lust going on with him and Jazzy, but it took a while for them to trust each other. Although they had issues it never truly felt like they were at odds. Gio was demanding and controlling but not to the degree that he was unbearable. He definitely wasn't a nice guy though. His strong protective instincts made him easy to like. Jazzy didn't let him control her life. She remained independent throughout their relationship. I really liked the two of them together. I wish the mafia/crime life aspect had played a larger role. This focused way more on the romance. The side characters didn't have big roles, but I'm definitely interested in reading their stories in the rest of the series.

First I want to say that I'm not the biggest fan of mafia romance novels. They have way too much violence for my taste and the idea of a hero killing for the purpose of protecting an illegal and drug business does not sit well with me. But this was surprisingly pretty clean. Gio is loosely associated with sketchy mob characters but he's out to get revenge on the man who gave the order to have his parent's killed.
I liked Jazzys character from the beginning. Tough, smart and resourceful. She runs away when she meets the man her grandfather wants her to marry. She wants to build a future for herself and those who are less fortunate. I loved the intense banter between Gio and Jazzy. Her fierce personality and submissive sexual style draws him. Although Gio is too possessive and controlling, he goes above and beyond to make sure she's happy and safe.
The only thing that would have made this a 5 star for me is that I felt once Jazzy is married to Gio she's not as fiercely protective of her independence. She barely stands up to him when locks her up in the house when she refuses to give up who hurt her in the past. I wanted to see more fire between them. She surrenders too easily.
Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.