Intriguing, sweet, full of emotions and situations that will have you in a rollercoaster of emotions. The book will take you on a journey that will make you fall even more in love with them. You'll see their resilience and how everything evolves. Definitely a must read series. The end had me with so much emotions but everything happens for a reason.

👑❤️‍🔥The Princess and The Devil by Naya V. 👑❤️‍🔥

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5:

“Cara Mia, there’s not a single force on this earth that can ever take me from you.”

This book had everything in it! It had arranged marriage, the mafia world, the lovers to enemies trope. It was amazing. We follow Asteria and Azriel, our main characters, who fall in love off screen but we see their moments of love before they are forced to end their secret relationship. There are time jumps in the beginning of the book and we see how affected Asteria is by their separation.

The tension between Asteria and Azriel after reuniting was soooo good. We got to see Asteria’s anger towards Azriel as well as Azriel’s change in character. I really liked how the author was able to convey all of these emotions and allow us to see the changes that Azriel ’s character goes through. This book does end in a cliffhanger! And the cliffhanger is…. Well you have to read it to find out.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book!

“I will love you until the day I die.”

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I decided to pick this up and read it after all these years getting back into reading. I recalled having given an ARC for this and at the time not being able to read it but hey, im back in my dark romance era and felt duty bound to send this review regardless so please excuse the lateness.

Do i love a forced marriage, second chance, mafia romance? Guilty as charged.

Okay, buckle up because The Princess and The Devil by Naya V is like if fairy tale tropes and dark romance had a baby, and that baby was kind of a drama queen with a penchant for red lipstick and fiery passion.

First off, we’ve got the misunderstood princess trope. You know, the kind who’s not just locked away in a tower but might as well be starring in a reality show about how to avoid royal duties. She’s got the attitude, the sass, and a secret longing for adventure. This isn’t your average “princess waiting for a knight in shining armor” situation—oh no, she’d rather be wielding a sword and slaying metaphorical dragons (and maybe a few actual ones if things go her way).

Then, enter the devilishly handsome bad boy—literally. If the Devil wore a leather jacket and had a penchant for making the Princess’ heart skip a beat every time he showed up (which he does, a lot), we’re talking about a love interest that could make the darkest corner of hell look like a spa retreat. You know the type: brooding, morally grey, and 100% incapable of being "good" (but damn, you’d let him try to redeem himself in your bed).

And the enemies-to-lovers vibe? It’s strong, my friends. Picture two people who hate each other as much as they love each other. Every interaction is a sarcastic comment waiting to happen. But don’t worry, the chemistry between them is so spicy it could start a wildfire. Honestly, the amount of tension is enough to make you think they’re just one misunderstanding away from some very intense reconciliation... and we all know what happens next in a romance like this. Oh yes, the trope of a slow burn that will make you scream in frustration... and love it.

But, wait, there’s more. The dark and tortured hero trope is alive and well. Our devilish leading man is wrapped up in so much angst, it’s practically spilling out of him like glitter at a goth convention. Every time he opens his mouth, he’s just so tortured. It’s the type of pain that makes you want to give him a hug—while simultaneously wondering if it’s safe to get that close.

Lastly, don’t forget the forbidden love element. Their love is about as forbidden as an apple in Eden, but it’s so sweet and forbidden that you’re practically rooting for them to burn the kingdom down together (emotionally, of course... maybe literally too).

In short, The Princess and The Devil is a smorgasbord of classic tropes with a side of hellfire and sarcastic banter. If you love a good enemies-to-lovers, slow burn romance with a dash of royalty and a sprinkle of darkness, you’ll be hooked faster than you can say, "You’re the devil, but I still want you to kiss me." 10/10, would recommend unless you're allergic to fire.

While the premise is intriguing, the book didn’t fully deliver on its promise. The pacing was a bit uneven, and while some of the moments felt emotionally charged, the characters didn’t feel fully fleshed out. It was an enjoyable enough read, but it lacked the depth or complexity that would have elevated it. It's a perfectly fine book for a light read, but not a standout.

Decently written though most of the plot was kind of boring and slow. Then there were parts of the story where it felt a little rushed and skimmed over. You didn't really get a chance to know much about the family/gang and what they are up against.

I’m a sucker for the arranged/forced marriage aspect of Hades X Persephone retellings!

I loved Azreil, our hot and cruel mafia boss and our princess of the underworld. Asteria is very immature and naïve. Though it didn’t bother me until near the end.

This book is the sweet break for me after reading too many fantasy! The start of this book was gripping and I was engrossed in Azriel & Asteria's story. I'm disappointed in myself for not reading it earlier. I cannot wait to read To Love a Devil!

The Princess and The Devil was the dark romance I was looking for. It has they mystery aspect that had, and still has me wondering what is going on! I literally can't wait to pick up book two.

We have a sheltered mob bosses daughter. She gets little information from those around her and is constantly kept in the dark. Her life is lonely and heartbreaking. The forbidden, star crossed lovers aspect of the book was also fun. The cliff hanger has me reeling and I think Naya V. is fantastic at giving us just enough so we are kept wondering and unable to put the book down. If I'm not mistaken this is a debut novel, and it's wonderful!

I will say that some of the vocabulary used was really repetitive. The amount of time "percolate" was used in this book was a bit off putting, but nothing that I couldn't handle. I also felt like the internal dialogue of the characters could be repetitive at times as well.

The title and cover intrigued me the most and while i like the tropes within this book. I was not vibing with the pacing of the story and it overall was not a favorite. But I understood what the author was trying to accomplish

I will preface this by saying this is not the type of book I normally choose to read and at times I did struggle with the pace and some of the content. But overall it was alright and if you love this type of book I can see you enjoying it.

Mafia romance excellence arranged marriage, slow burn brings me the best joy ever. Azriel is was bad in the best way. Dark romance and a morally grey man makes me jump for joy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not a good fit for me. I couldn’t get behind the premise of the story (even though it’s a trope I generally enjoy), and the pacing just didn’t seem to work out. I wanted to like it, but felt it was a slog to get through.

This book was so good .. between character development, angst, passion and drama, it had it all!!! Great new author for me and definitely need to read the continuation.

I would like to thank the Netgalley for an opportunity to read this book before it was released. First. I'd like to say that this usually isn't what I would prefer to read. I tend to vacillate between high fantasy and light hearted romance. So, I didn't love the book. Forced marriage is hard for me to get in to, but I really wanted to like this book, as it is a retelling. I enjoyed the troupe about the childhood lovers being ripped apart and then reunited. I think it was interesting. There was a lot of sexual tension and buildup. However, it the whole thing fell a little flat for me. I don't think the dual point of view added to the story as much as I wanted it to. I know this is part of a series. I'm willing to give the next book a shot because I think the author could do something interesting with the world we are in. I would recommend this if you are into mafia romance and the forced marriage troupe.

5 OFF THE CHART STARS for THe Princess and The Devil

Absolutely loved this book ! My kind of read ! If mafia dark romance is a favorite genre of yours as a readers I highly recommend !

I loved :

The cover and book blurb
Great characters in Asteria and Azriel
Enemies to lovers / second chance romance
Arranged marriage
Mafia genre
Great storyline and plot
Chemistry

I can’t wait to check out more by this authors work.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and this is my honest review.

❛ Who knew you were such a hero? ❜ A scoff works its way up my throat. I slide a possessive hand around the nape of her neck, surprising us both. ❛ A hero? No. See, the difference between me and a hero, a hero would sacrifice you to save the world. But a villain, a devil like me, would sacrifice everyone just to keep you safe. I’d burn this entire world to the ground for you. You’re mine, Asteria. You’ve always been mine. ❜

3 STARS ✨

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of The Princess and the Devil from NetGalley a couple of months ago in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, I had to persevere through a large percentage of this book, and I was close to DNFing it. When reading the blurb, I wrongly insinuated that the novel would be about Azriel doing whatever it took to get Asteria back six years later, and that straight away, there may have been some form of angst, but the connection would still be there. Alas, for a large proportion of the novel, Azriel is unnecessary cruel to Asteria. The angst and tension is fantastic for those who are fans of bully romances, and we do hear the reasonings from Azriel’s perspective, but for me personally, it’s not what I enjoy reading.

The storyline of the book is intriguing, but I do feel as if there is room for improvement. There are points, especially at the beginning in the prologue, where Naya V writes with a lyrical beauty that sets up really strong foundations for the novel, yet ends up falling flat with some of the pacing and characteristics of the protagonist. Although it is understanding that Asteria is naïve due to a lifetime of concealment from reality, she is so naïve and immature that it is exhausting to read at points — I am in no way, shape or form condoning the way that she has been treated, or how any of the women are treated in this novel (because it is absolutely awful) but there are moments where she demands to be treated as an adult and be educated on the dangerous lifestyle that those around her lead, yet she goes about it the same way that a young child would. It doesn’t help that she tends to faint numerous times in the books, either — personally, as someone who used to see it as a literal trope in fanfiction when I was younger, the distressed woman fainting at any inconvenience, it just didn’t really fit for me and only added to the argument that Asteria was unable to handle reality.

❛ God, you truly are the devil. Pure evil—a menace in the flesh. Should I call you Hades? ❜ His eyes glitter dangerously. ❛ And who would that make you, Persephone? ❜ I huff out a disgruntled breath. Bastard.

Although the Hades and Persephone elements do feel slightly over reiterated in this one, I would recommend it to fellow Hades and Persephone retelling lovers. You just have to keep hanging in there.

Pacing aside, the book did improve, and I was enjoying it by the end and wanting more. I have seen a lot of reviews about the second book being a much easier to read, so I will be delving into it to see what happens next for these two after that cliffhanger and the questions that remain unanswered.

I thought I was gonna hate it....but it was soo good!
At first I thought it was gonna be a typical mafia arrange marriage story. But Naya wrote this generic trope in such a way that sucked me in and prompted me to keep turning the page. I love the addition of the teenage lovers to strangers to enemies to lovers, and what a (sorta) Hades-Persephone retelling this was. Aside from the plot, Naya's writing is REALLY good. She has this poetic prose that are beautiful to read and paints such a vivid picture in your mind!

I received this arc copy a while ago and finally got to read it, and I have to say I'm disappointed in myself for not reading it earlier. It was a pretty good mafia romance, lovers to enemies to lovers storyline with a sheltered and slightly immature main character. The small details that Azriel would throw out there were enough to make you smile and wish you had someone who thought that deeply and remembered that much about you. A good, quick mafia romance read that I would recommend! Can't wait to read book 2!

Mafia romances are really not my thing. However I enjoyed this story and characters great writing and pacing.

This was a very middle-of-the-road book for me. But I do know people I can recommend this book to that will love and enjoy it.