I got just about exactly what I was hoping for/expecting in this book. The classic dark and brooding mafia man with a soft spot for the soft, innocent "girly" woman is a classic and while this book doesn't revolutionize the trope, the characters and plotline were interesting and different enough to keep it from being overly cliche and predictable. There's a good mix of violent action and romantic tension, and the steamy scenes are well-placed within the plot. I liked that even though she's characterized as the "princess", the main character has fleshed-out interests that are respected and admired by the male lead.

I love a good mafia romance and the moment I started reading The Princess and the Devil I was hooked.

Azriel and Asteria were childhood best friends and star crossed lovers. When Azriel leaves and Asteria never hears from him again, she is heartbroken. Years later they are reunited but where there was once only love and affection for each other, now there is only hatred and distrust. Their arranged marriage and ultimately being placed in yet another gilded cage only heightens Asteria's resentment towards Azriel. But underneath it all they still have an unbreakable connection and it's only a matter of time before they both succumb to their feelings once again.

✔Arranged marriage
✔Friends to enemies to lovers
✔Dual POV's
✔Grumpy/sunshine
✔Secrets, danger and intrigue

I would recommend this story to other mafia romance lovers and I am excited to see how Azriel and Asteria's story continues in book two.

Persephone and Hades retelling with a modern mafia twist
Big cliffhanger at the end!

I enjoyed Azriel and Asterias story but I found it pretty predictable. I knew just about everything that was gonna happen before it did. There also just wasn't enough spice for my preference, it's a mafia romance and generally they are super spicy. But there was only a couple scenes.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely love Mafia romances and knew I just had to read this one when I saw it. I enjoyed the writing style and the two main characters. I love the second chance romance trope. I enjoyed this one so much that I went straight onto the next one.

This is the first book by this author that I have read and I have to say it has good bones and storyline. The concept behind the arranged marriage and mafia is something I am a sucker for. I loved the twists which added to the depth of the story. There is passion and sizzle within these pages as long as the darkness that the mafia world brings. Will be reading more from this author!

great mafia romance! i loved the story—which had so many good twists! the second chance storyline was well written and dual pov gave insight to both sides of the couple. four out of five stars for me, the only ick for me was a couple instances of cheesiness. but other than that loved it! i already downloaded the second book ;)

If I am being honest, I really like this book. I like the characters and the plot.
My only issue with it was the pacing. The first quarter of the book was so fast pace and I couldn´t grasp what was going on but in the middle is when it really gets really good. In that moment you really start to like Azriel a lot and also Asteria.
There is something about those two that lives you grasping for more. I can't wait to read book two.

With that been said I think that my final score is a 3.5 stars

Thanks Naya V. and NetGalley for the digital issue.

The Princess and the Devil was a light, passing read and didn't present much depth or development in many ways. A bit cliché and also with some red flags that I didn't like very much.

It is an entertaining read, ideal for when one wants to read something and disconnect, since it does not present developing topics that can make one reflect or stay thinking. And that's good because we always need a book to disconnect and just flow with reading.

I did not get to connect with the characters, with their stories and with what was happening in it. I feel that everything was very fast and that many things changed drastically from one moment to the next to give the story some emotion and action.

I don't understand romance, I don't like it, I'm not sorry "romance", it has many things that are quite... toxic. Red flags everywhere.

The fina was interesting and leaves you wanting more. Although I would have liked certain themes that were very mysterious to have had more development because they would have given a different touch to the story.

Azriel and Asteria are fire! This is very much a star-crossed lovers/first love with all the Sweetness and then BAM mafia stuff! I love reading about their past and my heart hurts for Asteria in the present trying to reconcile the boy she loved with the man before her. I received a copy of this book through netgalley and when I finished it (cliffhanger!) I ran to the kindle store to download book 2!

I wasn’t a fan of this book.

The women in this book, including Francesca, Asteria’s cousin, have absolutely no agency and are forced to do whatever the men in their lives tell them to do.

The men literally lock them up in their houses and treat their wives as captives. The women are held hostage. The men consider them to be their property. They terrorize them and dominate them into submission. They oppressively dim their light. You can actually see the light leave their eyes—there’s a reason why all the married women in this book have dead eyes.

It’s because, so sadly, in mafia books, for women, marriage is slavery. And personally, I think love is never about enslavement.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Naya V. for this ARC.

I was drawn to this book initially by its stunning cover, but then I read the book description and was completely SOLD! Personally I don't read a lot of Mafia romance but this book pulled me in. Couldn't put it down.

“The Princess and the Devil” is Naya V.’s debut novel.
It gives you:
- friends to enemies to lovers
- mafia romance
- arranged marriage
- second chance
- forced proximity
- grumpy/ sunshine
- hades and persephone undertones

This book was honestly a nice surprise. I didn’t go in with much expectations but it definitely consumed me from beginning to end. Loved the many twists and turns. It has a lot of reference to Hades and Persephone, and the storyline has similarities.

The chemistry between Asteria and Azriel was flammable.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and despite it ending on a cliffhanger, (yes, I know), I can not wait for book two.

“...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.”

Synopsis: Once upon time, there was a boy I fell in love with. This boy held my heart in his hands and promised to love and protect me. Until one day he left without looking back. When I turned eighteenth, I was promised to marry a man I did not know. Before we could marry, he ends up murdered and all chaos breaks lose. Now the boy I once loved is back to reclaim me, but he is no longer the boy I once loved. He’s the Devil and determined to be the ruin of me and my family.

Thoughts: The beautiful cover first drew me in, then when I read the summary I knew I had to read it! It had all the tropes I love: Lovers to Enemies to Lovers, mafia romance, Hades and Persephone retelling vibes, spice, dual POV, and so much more! I liked that the story had both Asteria’s and Azriel’s POVs, even though it was mostly in Asteria’s POV. While I wanted to know right away what Azriel’s motives were, in the end I am glad I didn’t know right away because the book kept me from putting it down. I am running to go read the second because it ends on a cliffhanger!! I am excited to read the next book and more from this author!

This book includes:
-enemies to lovers
-Arranged Marriage
-Mafia Romance
-Dual POV
-Cliffhanger

4.5/5 stars
2/5 spice

Thank you Naya V. and NetGalley for providing an arc for an honest review.

I loved this story . Tropes mafia , Second chance, enemies to lovers. This book broke my heart and left me hungry for more. Be warned this is book one in a set so the story continues in the next book!

Two teen lovers separated by family are then thrown back together after experiencing traumatic events. This book had so much promise! A Hades and Persephone tale that openly admits it is based on myth. Even the characters know it. I love the personal details that point to the mythological tale such as the pomegranate seeds. I don’t know what it is but some part of this novel just doesn’t sit well with me. Maybe it’s the fact that the female lead just doesn’t resonate with me. Asteria needed more interaction with the other characters to flesh out her character. We see that she has befriended the staff but we are not shown how. I would have liked her to be stronger or more curious. I liked the other characters and didn’t mind the male lead Azriel who is less violent than some mafia romance heroes. It also ends on a cliff hanger so I wait to see how the story ends. If you like mafia romances that are a little less brutal this might be the one for you.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading this book, it had all the tropes I love from enemies to lovers, to arranged marriage and Mafia. The tension and passion between Azriel and Asteria kept me on my toes. The ending left me with wide eyes and disbelief, how could you end it like this, I can't wait for the next one.

If you love Hades and Persephone retelling (somehow), then you will love this book! I couldn’t stop reading it. IT WAS THAT GOOD. WHAT A FUCKING CLIFFHANGER, HOLY SHIT but the good news is that the next book will be published on Oct 25.

“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.”

I LIVE FOR THIS QUOTE!!! This is the reason why I prefer villains so much more than heroes!

Asteria is the daughter of a capo who grew up with Azriel. Azriel is the son of Asteria's father's right-hand man. They grew up more than just friends but one night his father caught them kissing. His father was so mad and said that she is to be married to Fabiano to strengthen the famiglia. After that, his father casts Azriel and his father. Asteria was so broken, and they met one night to say goodbye, but she didn’t realize it was for good.

Overall, I enjoyed this book so much! The ending, I knew it! 🥲

I want to thank the author and publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"ᴀ ʜᴇʀᴏ? ɴᴏ. ꜱᴇᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪꜰꜰᴇʀᴇɴᴄᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴍᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ʜᴇʀᴏ, ᴀ ʜᴇʀᴏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ꜱᴀᴄʀɪꜰɪᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴀ ᴠɪʟʟᴀɪɴ, ᴀ ᴅᴇᴠɪʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ, ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ꜱᴀᴄʀɪꜰɪᴄᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴀꜰᴇ. ɪ'ᴅ ʙᴜʀɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ. ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴍɪɴᴇ, ᴀꜱᴛᴇʀɪᴀ. ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴍɪɴᴇ."

The Princess and The Devil is the mafia storyline readers return to again and again.

Asteria Moretti is the only daughter of Chicago's Capo which makes her a prime target for the underbelly that thrives beneath its busy streets. She's been sheltered and protected for her whole life; ageing in naïve bliss whilst her father trades bodies, drugs, money and everything in between to remain on top of the mafia food chain. The one constant in her life has been Azriel Costa , the son of Luca, one of her fathers men. From childhood best friends to teen lovers there is nothing more than Asteria wants than to leave the famiglia, to be free to live out her days with Azriel away from the cruelty so deeply embedded in their lives.

A cold splash on Asteria's reality occurs on her 16th birthday when she is promised to marry Fabiano, a son of her fathers business friend from New York as soon as she turns 18. The arrangement immediately fractures the Moretti-Costa relationship and Azriel is gone in a blink of an eye.

It's clear that the union between Fabiano and Asteria will not foster kindness or love. It's a business arrangement that aids the power everyone is so desperately seeking and all seems to go to plan until Fabiano is shot on their wedding day.

Naya Villareal's writing jumps very quickly in time throughout the first third of the book. It seems that this was done intentionally as to not drag out the plot of the storyline and skip to a point in the book where the reader understands why Azriel's character was so feverishly emphasised in the first pages and then removed. The action really starts to take shape when Asteria is once again forced into a marriage, only this time it's with a reemerged Azriel who is now the Capo of California.

The dynamic of their new marriage, threats against them both and whether their childhood love still burns under the surface is where the spotlight has been cast. If you're looking for a brutally detailed Hades and Peresphone retelling then this is not for you. Although there is similarities between the two stories: kidnapping, the 'devil', forced proximity and narcissus flowers, it felt misplaced at times.

The Princess and The Devil has the classic genre tropes readers love:
★ Dual POV
★ Arranged marriage.
★ Friends to Lovers to Enemies to Lover.
★ Morally gray male MC.
★ Forced proximity.
★ Powerplay
★ Spicy.

The story of Asteria as the Princess and Azriel as the Devil really should have been a knockout, but sorely missed its mark.

I can look past a lack of originality when it comes to specific genre reads such as mafia romance. Ultimately the whole point of why readers gravitate to them in the first place is for the same characteristics. The dangerous mafia leader with a reputation that makes grown men quiver in their boots (or in this case, expensive Italian loafers) who murders, avoids the law and is not ounce of apologetic about it, only to have his heart weakened by a seemingly helpless, innocent female protagonist. It's a refined taste palate.

The tone and pace was this story's demise. Far too rushed, far too convenient. As a result I was able to predict everything before it happened. There was no surprise about the direction of Asteria and Azriel's relationship, no doubt about loyalties amongst men, no fear-for-your-life moments. A mafia story needs a certain level of detail when describing the blood and gore, the fear of men being tortured for information. This hit the mark on just showing, not just telling how evil Azriel could really be, largely because the characters lack depth, personality, emotion. A failure to slow it story down created a disconnect between reader and the read. Without going beneath the surface of each characters thought pattern or rationale the emotive elements of Naya Villareal's writing was removed.

Additionally, this story ends unnecessarily on a cliffhanger and doesn't entice the reader to continue on. I hope Naya V embraces more of the direction the writing style possessed in the last third in book two.

The Princess and the Devil is a mafia romance of sorts. Asteria and Azriel grew up together and fell in love at a young age, hoping that they would always be together. That illusion was shattered when Asteria learns she is to marry someone else make the family stronger and for the benefit of the Outfit. Hearts are shattered and allegiances are broken, but life goes on, until tragedy strikes and through a weird turn of events Asteria finds herself bethrothed and then married to Azriel, which should be a dream, but he is not the same boy from the past. He is straight up the things nightmares are made of.

This book hooked me from the very beginning. It was an interesting twist on mafia romance and was full of action and drama. Azriel was a roller coaster ride in and of himself trying to figure out what was going on with him and which version he would present on any given day. I struggled a little with Asteria at times because she clearly was making some poor choices that had some major consequences and I felt like she should know better but she also didn't always have all the information. I wasn't aware this book was part of a duet so it does end on a cliffhanger, but that is ok, I am excited to find out what happens in book two and where the author takes these characters and this story line.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

“𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐰?”
“𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

4 stars ★★★★

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

What do we have:
Asteria, one might say, was unlucky - she happened to be born the daughter of the head of the Chicago mafia, which meant the role of a bargaining chip in the hands of influential men. Her childhood friend Azriel remained the only consolation for her, but he also left her. A few years pass and due to some circumstances, her father forcibly gives her into an arranged marriage to a mysterious and influential young chief from the west coast, (oh, really) the same Azriel. Unfortunately, Asteria's happiness was short-lived, as it seems that her sweet and kind boyfriend, whom she once loved, no longer exists.

Plot:
Let's visualize the scheme in our heads: childhood friends - lovers - enemies - lovers. Not difficult at all. In general, the story will be based on the transition from one state of their relationship to another, as we will observe their misunderstandings and sometimes even mental torments (mostly the latter will concern Azriel, because Asteria is quite a straightforward girl, she will not stand still for a long time and will ask "why the hell are you fucking me seven days a week, but can't fucking do the "I love you" shit"). Ah, the charms of communicative sadism, how we love it.

Characters:
I am ready to put up a monument to Asteria's mental health, because she is the very embodiment of the phrase "a bird in a gilded cage", and I would have went fucking nuts if I were her a loooong time ago. Seriously, her father kept her on the estate for practically her entire conscious life, which meant almost absolute zero social interaction. It follows that I am not at all surprised why she fell in love with Azriel, because he was almost one hundred percent the first person her age to communicate with her, and 1) did not give orders and 2) did not wait for orders, and was not related to her by blood.

In general, I would say that Asteria is quite a nice girl and the fact that she has at least some personality will be not the last coin in her piggy bank. Bonus: she also likes to dress up exceptionally, unlike all those perpetually gloomy mobsters in suits with light splatters of fresh blood. Personally, I always imagined her in pin-up style outfits, I think it would suit her. And she also has passion, is not stupid, realizes her position in this whole clan mafia hierarchy and although, at the beginning, she decided not to fight it too much and go with the flow, in the end she pulls herself together and carves her way. Well done, you tell'em, you're the badass here!

Azriel did not wow me. Either I missed that moment, or it was described not that detailed that my brain just forgot about it, but for the hell of it, I don't understand how the son of the consigliere of the head of the Chicago mafia, who was forced to flee in disgrace literally for nothing, made his way up in just six years. Well, one can only envy his career growth, but it looks too abruptly for me.

”What was the point of marrying me if you’re going to avoid me?” Revenge. I opt to go with a different answer instead. "Power."

Another minus: I never understood the essence of his revenge on Asteria's father. Ok, you've become more influential. Ok, you take his daughter as your wife and make it look like you don't give a shit about her. Ok, you're treating her like she's a piece of furniture and inside you're howling at being forced to act like that, when in fact your destiny is now in your own hands and you're finally together, so you can drop all the masks and scream "Asteria, my love, how long I've been waiting for this," and instead you play cat and mouse with elements of sexual tension and get on everyone's nerves (including me). Don't do that to me.

Azriel's pluses include the following: firstly, he has skilled hands, because he gave Asteria a very cool gift. Secondly, he has a barn with pigs that eat the corpses of his ill-wishers. In everything else, he is a fairly mediocre mobster, neither fish nor meat.

"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.”

Oddly enough, what I liked most was not Asteria and Azriel's interaction, although the monologue above about heroes and villains would make fans of the "she stays with the villain" trope shake in convulsions, but Asteria and her husband's fellow mobster friends, Romeo and Giovanni. This trio is like an episode of "Friends" and if only for the scenes with them, you should open this book. Although, to be honest, I would prefer that there were more of the latter.

What did I pay attention to:
I frankly missed flashbacks from childhood (although I won’t hide, that scene with butterflies was very cute), because somehow we immediately jumped into the phase of active puberty and left behind the scenes of their growing up together (If, of course, they had it. And it had to be, they are fucking childhood friends).

And the scene of Asteria and her cousin letting out the pigs to run away to a club is forever stuck in my memory. 100/10 girlboss

Spicy scenes:
"...passion feeds you while lust leaves you starved."

In general, nothing extraordinary, but that scene opposite the window was hot.

Conclusion:
It may seem strange why, despite such an unenviable list of minuses of the book, I gave it 4/5 stars. It's simple: it was better than the rest of the books I've read in this genre, and the use of the "childhood friends who are like enemies, but really love each other but can't say it" trope is quite nice and sweetly done in this book. And also, because the novel ends on a cliffhanger, albeit a predictable one, my desire to read the second part grew insanely high.

🐚 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 🐚

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: mafia, enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, second chance, marriage of convenience, forced proximity, dark, forbidden, friends to enemies to lovers

𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀: cliffhanger

This book took me by surprise and at the same time it got me out of a small reading slump. If I could, I would give it more than 5 stars, it really is amazing.

The chemistry between Asteria and Azriel is passionate, intense and leaves you breathless. I liked that it showed us little scenes from their past and how everything gets complicated as they grow up.

I really enjoyed watching Asteria develop from a naive and childish woman into a strong one who knows what she wants. All her life she was kept in a "cage" by her father, and after marrying Azriel she feels like nothing has changed, but that's not really the case. Azriel knows what Asteria likes and wants and grants almost all of her wishes, but at the same time keeping her safe.

Azriel has changed a lot since they were little, but from his perspective we learn the reasons. Sometimes he behaves bad with Asteria, but his actions say otherwise. I loved when he started to soften during the book and let himself show Asteria these little "changes".

The book ends with a great cliffhanger and I can't wait to read the next book.

Naya V. won me over with this book and I'm curious to see what else she has in store for us.

Thank you NetGalley and Naya V. for the opportunity to read this amazing book in exchange for an honest review.