Cover Image: Machiavellian

Machiavellian

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Member Reviews

I’ve been digging the smut lately and I really liked this one. Not my favorite but I flew through it so I would obviously have to recommend lol

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This is the first one I have read/listened to by this author but definitely not the last. I was intrigued by it being a "mafia" romance and it gripped me from the beginning and held my interest. There were some slow parts but when they moved on to Italy I was totally engrossed. The characters and the scenes were totally believable! I am really looking forward to the next in this series and highly recommend this one!

**Received this ARC for review in audio form from the publisher via NetGalley**

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Machiavellian by Bella Di Corte is the first book in the Gangsters of New York Series and I was a huge fan of this Mafia story based on the arranged marriage of Capo and Mariposa. He is assumed dead to the gangs in the city and she was an orphan who is down on her luck when the two meet. There is a secret that the ties the two together that you will have to read to find out what it is. This might have been the first time I read this genre but it definitely won’t be the last. *Thank you NetGalley and Spectrum Audio for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This is my first book by the author and I really enjoyed it.
There’s always something interesting about dark romance and every now and then, I find myself immersed into a story that captures my interest in full.
It’s a story full of interesting characters and great banter, twists that I haven’t seen coming my way and also a romance that sparked throughout the story.
Really enjoyed the narration as well.

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I ended up deciding not to finish this audiobook for a few reasons. I wasn't a fan of the narrator to start. The prologue was a pretty interesting scene, but there were no cues in the first few chapters to indicate when that happened. I assumed the character betrayed in the prologue was the male love interest, but it was far too unclear. I think that it was just taking too long for the romance to take off; since it's a romance subgenre work, there was a lot of exposition. I just feel like it could have been worked in better with more relationship development earlier on.

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Wow! Wow! Wow!

What an amazing story, I haven’t found a mafia book that has captivated me in such a long time.
This narrators where new to me and I must say I enjoyed them very much. Capo really took it to another level for me.
If mafia stories are you jam, this one is definitely a must listen too!

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A fun and sexy read. Armen Taylor's voice was especially nice to listen to I must admit. Highly recommend for someone who like darker romance

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3.5

before reading this book I heard amazing things and while it did live up to the hype I don't think it will for everyone. the cover is gorgeous and the story line was great but I did get over whelmed with the amount of characters that were mentioned, maybe its because I listened to the audio and I'm not use to audio but it felt like it was to many people apart from this I did enjoy the book and will carry on with the series maybe just not in audio form.

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Can I say amen. Amen. This was so good. I very much enjoyed reading the book. I fell deeper in love with Mac listening to the audio. This was a perfect combination of the two narrators. This was so good. I loved the depth of the layers that went into the past and the present. Mac was complicated. He was not complicated without reason. He was complicated with various issues plaguing him. He was a man with a moral compass in a world that a moral compass could and would get you killed.

I have to know one thing. Did he every really believe that he would see Mari again? Did he think that he would love her to the extent that he did?

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I usually like a good age-gup, mafia book but I didn't connect with this book.
I did like the family aspect in the book, I think it was done well, but the romance between Mariposa and Capo just didn't work for me.
Mariposa was too childish, and a lot of her decisions didn't make sense considering the life experience she had. In addition, I didn't feel any emotional connection between Mariposa, and Capo, except for some chemistry and gratitude.
Overall, I didn't connect with the characters or felt the connection between the Mariposa and Capo.

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As much as I heard fabout the author, I could not help but find some sort of disappointment after trying so hard to read it untill the end. I enjoyed the major part of the book but it never blow me away. The hype about was so big that it was impossible to be true. Never the less, the cover art was very appealing.

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This was such an interesting read. I haven't read a mafia romance in a while, so I wasn't sure how I would like this, but I was pleasantly surprised by this. Bella Di Corte did an excellent job of meshing a steamy romance with a gritty story set in New York. I absolutely fell in love with this story!

Capo is an intriguing man with a dark and unfriendly past. Betrayed by those he loved, he vowed to get vengeance on all. He was all hard, but he had such a softness to him that I just fell for. He was never a one-sided character to me. He had his dominant side which was amazing, but seeing him get jealous or begin to understand his feelings made me so mushy inside. His hands were stained in blood from a young age so to see him embrace innocence and love was beautiful.

Mariposa was given a horrible hand at life. Learning her present condition and how it tied into her past broke my heart. However, she was a fighter. She wanted to live and she fought for that right. I love that she wasn't a naive little princess, but rather was a warrior queen. She had spunk, attitude and knew how to negotiate. Mari gave me life!!

The romance was everything!!! This wasn't steeped in sex which was refreshing, but of course when the sex scenes happened they were steamy!!! I enjoyed seeing them really grow in their love and friendship with one another.

The drama was so interesting for me. Between the family issues, the found family trope and then the mafia politics, I just couldn't put the book down. I had to read it straight through because of how I wanted to know more.

I definitely plan to read the sequel, Marauder, because I want to know more about Cash and Keely after what happened in this book!!

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I have to admit, I don't have plenty of experience with mafia romances, I just read a few, so I wanted to dig deeper into this genre. I loved the first part of the book, Mariposa's struggles. I wish it would have been more explored. Once the arrangement was set up, I lost interest quickly.
Nevertheless, I think it's a well-written book and the narrator was great.
I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending me the audiobook to review.

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Beautiful story! I was not a fan on the female narrator as her words were over pronounced and to forced. There were a few moments when her narrations we're amazing but for the majority, I found it frustrating.

The story itself was great and beautiful written.i couldn't get enough of the characters and the world that the author had devised. Lovely book, meh narration.

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I'm not much of a fan for gangster/mafia books, but this one is really, really good.

This is my second try with audiobooks, and i have to say, it totally saved it for me. My first try was pretty darn bad, but this one, was definitely worth it.

The story in itself is very good, from the get go. Both main characters are such strong and interesting individuals. Seeing them run into each other the first couple of times and having the story build up to where everything just makes so much sense is just incredible!

I don't know how the experience would have been should i have read it instead of listening to it, but the details that were put into everything, into every conversation were absolutely beautifully and masterfully told.

The voices were just perfect. Mariposas little pixie voice and Machiavellians deeper sexy as all hell voice were just perfect. I did find myself smilling a lot what with all these italian men having these deep set voices; a little reminder of The Godfather or even Batmans voice when played by Christian Bale. But it still fit in perfectly.

Very good book! 4 1/2 stars!

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Capo had planned his life around the revenge that coursed through his veins. He was ready to take the power away from those who dared to plot against him. The time has been well thought out. A plan put in place until he meets Mariposa. She challenges him in her I’ll fitting tennis shoes and the determined glint in her eyes to overcome the need to survive. This book keep be hanging to every word desperate for what would happen next. Mari’s strength would help her overcome her past and find a life that allows her to breathe easier for the first time in years. Absolutely loved this story and can’t read more from this author!

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Ah ...Capo and Mariposa!! This was the couple I didn't know I was missing....

Capo and Mariposa both have histories and they aren't pretty. They've both led difficult lives. They've both been hurt and mistreated. They both doubt the good in humanity. Then they cross paths and there's a familiarity and an attraction. And...that's just the beginning. This was a fun and different mafia story. There is a lot of detail and backstory, but I think it's necessary to fully understand this book and the characters. I really enjoyed it. I thought it had a different take on a trope that has been "done" a great deal. There were many unique facets to it.

In addition, I reviewed the audio version and thought both narrators did a nice job. In my opinion, their voices were perfect for these characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy of this audiobook. I voluntarily chose to write a review and the opinions contained within are my own.

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The narrators of this audio book are excellent. They have beautiful voices and do a wonderful job of acting out their respective parts of Capo and Mari. I was gifted the audio version by NetGalley to rate the audio specifically. Their Italian accents are lovely (when Italian is spoken) and I really got the feel of their characters. Dark and delicious for Capo and young and headstrong for Mari. So I would listen to the audio if possible and give top ratings for that.

As to the story and the author (without giving away spoilers). The writing is good, but I'm afraid it's only an average read for me. There's lots of inner dialogue and many other characters that play a part and frankly by 1/3 of the way in, my mind was wandering. So, I'm sorry about that.. I love mafia romances usually, so maybe I've just read way too many that are better than this one. The heroine was written as a feisty and strong person and the hero dangerous and attractive, so I'm sure they'll appeal to many readers. I see there are lots of 4 & 5 star ratings already on goodreads, so please make up your own mind on this one. The H/h are 23 and 40 respectively. There were many scenes I thought rambled on and the writing could have been tightened up to move the story forward faster.

My thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me the audio version of this book to review. Please note that I also own a copy of the e-book that I purchased myself.. Performance 5 stars, story 2 stars.

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Review was also posted on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and will be posted to my Instagram account

“How kind and good the world seemed when the devil stumbled and fell over your heels instead of being on them.”

Mariposa Flores has learned that nothing in life comes with out price, often one that is much higher than it was worth. She is homeless, jobless, and on the verge of hopeless, when she meets Capo. He offers her an arrangement. She would become his wife, and he and everything he owned would be hers as long as she stayed. He seemed too good to be true, but something about him makes her feel safe.

Capo recognized Mariposa right away. She has no idea who he is, but this wouldn’t be the first time he has been her savior. She is the reason he became a ghost of the streets when he was once considered to be a prince.

Machiavellian by Bella Di Corte, got in my head fast and it stayed there. The story is at times haunting and dark, and then with the turn of the page its so beautiful you could cry, and I did cry. It is such a lovely and unexpected story about the power of love and of hate. About how you can know and connect with a person without really knowing them. It was a romance with a lot of depth and one I can’t seem to let go of. I was given a copy of the audio book in exchange for an honest review, and the narrator for this book was simply wonderful and added even more to the story for me. I truly loved this book. I give it a zillion hearts

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This book felt kind of repetitive and the story was clear after like 30 minutes into the book. Slightly disappointed.

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