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

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**

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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?

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.

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

3.5 Stars

Now that was a good story to listen to, by audiobook. The narrators do a great job of making you feel the emotions or lack of emotions from the characters. Looking for a good mafia story with many twists and turns, many hidden connections, secrets secrets and more secrets. It was not a book to lightly listen to though, you need to follow the story closely to understand. I was hooked to see where the story was going.

Mari starts out living on the streets doing everything she can to make a life for herself without letting life pull her down. A few close friends she considered family who want to help her but aren't really in the place either not that she would take the help. Strong and confident. When an opportunity falls in her lap, she takes it. This is life after all. Will she be able to live with the choices she has made?

Mac is doing what he can to rebuild himself and take the revenge that he seeks from his family that almost to kill him. He is very calculating and emotionless when dealing with things, until he see here again. The one thing that could bring him to his knees. In his signature way, he manages to contract her to him, not willing to let her get away again.

Could Mari be the one thing to bring love back to his life? Will Mari keep her spunk or will the mafia ways drain her of the life she fought so hard for? Will there be a HEA for Mari and Mac?

first of all i am a sucker for mafia and bad boy romance and getting them in audiobook is quiet a delight.

This was a very layered story of forgiveness, revenge, redemption, romance and love. at many points it did seem like any other stories i have read so far but the name hit hard.
honestly even for me, i havent read many books with the female lead called mariposa.

Mariposa is though homeless and on the edge of giving up like any other victim of a female protagonist in many books, when a mysterious opportunity presents itself in the form of Capo Macchiavello. He offers her a deal that could change the rest of her life there comes the marriage. cause even though she is homeless she is still most desirable to a billionaire, i tell you the way of books.

They brought out the best in each other and in the process discovered the power and beauty of love. The pacing was good.

Both narrators delivered great performances. They were new narrators to me and did a great job with the accents, especially the Italian words, infusing the right emotions, pacing and character distinctions.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel via NetGalley.

• Character development- 4☆
• Story Plot- 3☆
• Side characters- 2.5☆
• Flow of the story- 4☆
• Overall - 3.5☆

I received a copy of this audiobook from Netgalley to review.

I hungered to be seen. There were three things I knew about Capo Macchiavello: He was gorgeous. He was reclusive. He was considered one of New York's most savage animals. And he wanted me as his wife. A simple arrangement-you do for me, I do for you. Nothing owed, no exceptions. Except for one: never leave. Life was never that simple though. By the age of twenty-one, I was parentless, jobless, and homeless, and I had to come to learn the hard way that nothing was ever free. Even kindness coming with strings. Capo might've been the only man to ever see me, but I had made a vow to myself: I would never ow anyone anything. Most of all the man I called boss.
I killed to stay hidden.
Mariposa Flores thought she owed nothing to no one, but she owed everything...to me, the ghost the world had once call the Machiavellian Prince of New York.

I listened to this book. The narrators did an amazing job on this one. This is a mob boss book but it deals more with the people involved than it does with the origination itself. I loved these characters too. Machiavellian is a man that is living his life as a ghost. This is a man who is determined to save Mari's innocence from the ugly world that we live in. This may start out as a marriage of convivence with terms that they both agree too because Mac is trying to take back what was stolen from him in the form of revenge. Can these two find their way to love and happiness and a forever? You have to read to find out. I loved listening to this one so much.