Just found out there’s a second book coming, I’ll be needing that asap because this book was amazing!

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with this arc.

This book was surprisingly very good, who doesn't love a good 1940's mafia story. I loved how the author told this story in two timelines and tied them together perfectly. You can't pick the family you are born into, but you can rise above it and be better for it. The bond between Violetta and Barbara is perfect, sometimes when you pray for angel the angel is not at all who you imagined.

Violetta knows her family has Mafia ties she sees what her father does for them, she loves her family, but she imagines a different life for herself. This life she imagines includes the love of life handsome immigrant named Gaetano. But all that changes when her father forces her into arranged marriage to a crime boss to secure their family. She hastily agrees and then her life has a Mafia wife begins, can she play the game to survive, or will this be how it all comes crumbling down?
Love this book, I am looking forward to reading the second book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sweet Violette Publishing for copy of story for my honest review.

Thank you to Sweet Violette Publishing and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a review. This novel released on June 2, 2022.

Queen of Secrets is book one in the Mafia Matriarch Series written by E.J. Tanda.
And it is a phenomenal, compelling and intriguing story!
I've come to love Mafia stories they are truly one of my most favorites. I'm just so fascinated by them.

Violetta Giordano the Mafia Queen and Barbara her now caretaker are such amazing characters.
I immediately got sucked into their world and honestly I didn't want it to end.
These two women start to form a mother-daughter bond. And share an edgy and emotional, story of the life the have lived.
A ruthless and romantic read Queen of Secrets is told through the captivating lens of two courageous women.
It's dark, gritty, and absolutely wonderful!
Penned by Tanda who brings us an impressive storyline and well written characters to life.
I can't wait for book two!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Sweet Violette Publishing,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Amazing!!
Violetta Giordano, former mob wife - a Mafia Queen - now in her 80s and afflicted with Alzheimers, needs a part time nurse to look in on her.
Barbara Jackson, nurse and caretaker, is approached to fill the position.
As the cantankerous Ms. G gets to know and trust Barbara more, she opens up to her about her life.

This is a wonderfully wonderful awesome and tragic retelling of a Mafia wife's turbulent life from an innocent naive teen to a weathered strong woman. I loved this SO much!!
Definitely have some tissues at the ready when you read it because you won't want to put this book down to go look for some.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley)

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC.

The Queen of Secrets, has it all, mystery, adventure, hot and steamy sex, deception, love, hate, and the list goes on!

Violetta is in need of home care, according to her niece, not Violetta. Let me start by saying Violetta is a kick ass older lady who still has her wits, and hot, Italian temper! I mean, she has to be being married into the Mafia familia.

After much protest in having a nurse check in on her, Violetta starts to enjoy Barbara's company. The two bond over life experiences and through this, we learn Violetta's adventure from the young age of 17., when she meets Gaetano, the love of her life! Violetta makes plans for her future with Gaetano, when the carpet is pulled from under her. Quickly, she is thrust into a life of a loveless marriage, guns, drugs and loyalty to the Mafia family... or else! In order to protect Gaetano, she casts him aside, for his safety and that of her family.

Violetta has many secrets, and slowly they are being revealed, layer by layer, book by book!

A true masterpiece that had me laughing, crying and cheering for the Queen of Secrets!

Let the adventure and secrets continue in book 2!

Thank you netgalley for the eARC. This book was better than i thought it would be. The story jumped off the page and i couldn’t stop reading !!! I normally dont like the stories that flip from past to present but that made this book even better!! I could totally imagine this book as a movie!! I was even more excited to see there’s another book coming ! I need more Vi and Guy!!

Queen of secrets is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. This book always kept me on the edge of my seat. Ms.G is a bad ass lady that knows how to take care of people. Vi and Gaetano is a great love story waiting to happen. This book has a lot of ups and downs that made me want to cry. I’m ready for part 2 to come so I can continue reading. I give this book 5 stars.

Oh WOW just riveting!! Can I say it is just awesome!! I could not put the book down! With every word I read, it kept me wanting more and more. The way it was written, you feel like you are there and a part of the story. What a great story teller she is. A must read!!

A fun read! I have personally not read a mafia book like this one. I felt like the way this story was written is very similar to 7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo in the way it was being told in the future. Would recommend. 4/5 stars

Edgy and emotional, ruthless and romantic, Queen of Secrets is told through the captivating lens of two courageous women whose mother-daughter bond—not of blood but through blood—is their only escape.
Such a wonderful book. Utterly unique, exquisitely crafted and quietly powerful.

This was a really interesting take on Mafia life as a woman. Violetta was a captivating narrator, and I enjoyed how the book switched between her and Barbara's POVs, with Violetta telling her story of lost love and an arranged marriage into the Mafia, and Barbara reflecting on the similarities of her own life when compared to Violetta's. Although I enjoyed Barbara's narration most of the time, I wasn't as drawn into it as I was with Violetta's character (of course, this could be due to the nature of Violetta's story). Barbara's story really picks up at the end, which made for an exciting and suspenseful last few chapters.

I thought that the story and plot of the book were both well-thought out and executed, but I had a hard time getting into the story initially because of some of the writing at the beginning. It seemed a bit choppy and staccato at first, and I found myself wanting a bit more detail and backstory for Barbara, but this improved towards the middle of the book and continued to get better throughout the end. I thought the book ended on a great note of new beginnings and hope, and it left me wanting to know more. Overall a 3.5 star read for me.

A very well written and interesting book. Great details regarding the mafia and the life one leads. A good story that kept me interesting and captivated. Highly recommend!