4 Stars for this Mafia romance

I loved how Molly was so fearless when looking out for the ones she loved. And even though Ashton was a bad guy, he was a good guy and fiercely protective of the ones he loved. The twists and turns had my head spinning ... I really had to pay attention. Then there are the steamy scenes ... they were fogging up my iPad!

Molly doesn't remember most of her childhood and when she left foster care, she tracked down her low-life of a dad. She bought Easter Lanes from him and has made it a profitable business. But when her dad gets her involved with his Mafia ties, her life is threatened ... more than once. Molly knows she's in trouble when Ashton Walden, head of the Walden Family shows up at her door. Ashton has been drawn to Molly since their childhood, even thought she doesn't remember him. He wants to protect her from his world, but the chemistry is too strong between them.

I received an early copy courtesy of Montlake through NetGalley.

A Cruel Arrangement is the 2nd book in the Kings of New York Series by this author and to get the greatest enjoyment out of it, I would suggest reading the first book before diving into this one because the story line and plot overlap. That being said, I'll be honest and say that I didn't know if I was going to like Ashton based on my feelings toward him in A Dirty Business, the first book, but this author certainly knows how to write an unpleasant character in one book and have him redeemed in the next. Now Molly on the other hand -- I enjoyed everything about her character -- she's spunky, smart, brave and a ray of sunshine which is quite surprising considering her upbringing -- I looked forward to the chapters that were written in her POV the most, but it was her and Ashton's connection and chemistry that really got me. This one had me on the edge of my seat several times! This may be considered a "mafia" book but I think it's much more than that. I really enjoyed these reads and hope to read more from this author in the future. I'm grateful to have been given the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

Ashton has never been known as a loving or kind man. Ruthless to the bone and all Mafia he makes no apologies. When the need arises for information to be gathered about Justin and Kelly's deaths he does not hesitate to use Molly Easter to get it. Or tell her a few truths. But he should have known Molly was not going to just be a tool he could use and put down. She is unique in every way and determined to not do as she's told. War is not just on the horizon, its here, and no one is safe. So falling in love would definitely not be advised. Its dark and dangerous and so good!

Kings of New York!

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚🖤💙❤️💖
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: ☹️🙃😍😘

The heroine: Molly Easter - her father has always let her down. He works for the Walden mafia and owes them more money than he can ever repay. Though the one thing Molly learned from him was how to con. She grew up in foster care, but still has some sort of relationship with her father and when he called her to bail him out of jail, she conned him into selling her his struggling bowling alley, which she has since turned into a thriving business. So when it is threatened by an armed gunman, she defends the place with everything she has.

The Hero: Ashton Walden - since his uncles and grandfather were murdered several months ago, he has taken over the family business and is now fully in charge of the Walden mafia. Though he was in a legitimate business before that, he is fully capable of running it well. He is as brutal as he needs to be and has a stellar education and all the business acumen to be a great leader.

The Story: when Molly ends up in unconscious in the hospital, Ashton thinks it is time to let her in on some information she hadn’t known about her father. She is now beholden to him and promises to do some things for him. I liked this one better than A Dirty Business from the start, since I wasn’t too fond of Jess’s chosen profession as a parole officer.

I love just about everything that Tijan writes and I love the fact that this series is about a different couple in each book. Though it is still better to read them in order, I love the fact that we aren’t getting stuck with a huge cliffhanger that leaves the book feeling unfinished. Though there was a bit of a cliffhanger in the last book, it wasn’t one that the romance depended on to be complete.

I also kind of love the fact that she does mafia so well even though she doesn’t pigeonhole it into a cookie cutter, Italian mafia, Irish mafia or Russian Bratva type of stereotype. In this book she has the Walden mafia, the West mafia, the Worthing mafia, in other books she has done the Bennett mafia. With these names, they could be any race, color or nationality. I think that is great.

I really liked Molly from the start. She was from a bad background but picked herself up through hard work and effort and she is an independent woman, but is also vulnerable and has her own distinctive issues and problems. I love the fact that Ashton is a strong, dominant figure from the start, even though with the recent death of his family, he is also dealing with quite a lot.

“I say ‘like’ because in my family, what we do, if you ‘love,’ then you’re considered weak. My family wasn’t weak. I might admit that I ‘cared’ about them, but love . . . I’ll never say that word. Once you ‘love’ someone, you will lose them.”

Like I have said before in my reviews, Tijan is a master at writing great characters and it is never just the main characters in her books that have distinctive personalities. She writes terrific friends, foes and everything in between, but especially the friends. Trace and Jess from A Dirty Business featured prominently in this book and I really loved the friendship/brotherhood between Ashton and Trace.

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

Wow, I mean all I can say is WOW! This was another thrill filled, passion packed, book. The anger and guilt that Ashton, held onto for Molly’s mother and his own, driving him through out the story. Molly’s built up fantasy of Ashton as the Mafia hero in her personal dreams. This book turns some dirty dealing, betrayal and into a lesson on loyalty, love and family.
Molly and Ashton two very different people that hold power over one another in very different ways. Ashton is feared by all yet Molly pushes him to open up making him learn what true fear is, a fear that would make him burn the world down if he lost her. Molly has dealt with loss her whole life. To her everyone she loves leaves her, her mother died and her father has only ever used her. Her connection to Ashton is now driving her to hope for more even with the promise of being left behind, from the one person she hope to keep tethered to her.
So, as I said before wow another thrilling read by Tijan.

Ashton and Molly, wow it was worth the wait. I loved every second of their story. All the twists and turns and drama that comes along with a Kings of New York Mafia Story. But even better still you get the quirky, spunk of Molly who just seems to get herself into these situations as of late that are just not the best. She might just need a little help, let’s just say that she not necessary a fan of the form that the help comes in….. aka Ashton Walden. Who knew that rough tough guy Ashton had true feelings for other people besides Trace. The chemistry that they have together is next level. They have the best banter and they are both ungodly stubborn. She has no problem going toe to toe with him, which he is NOT used to dealing with at all. Which is good for him and keeps him honest. They have known of each other since they were kids but now that they are wall grown up and her life has suddenly gotten so interesting, they are around each other more and more. The sassy banter and sexual tension is finally come to a head and they have to deal with their feelings amongst all the other dramas going on. I absolutely loved watching them fall in love and admit that they do truly have feelings for each other it is fabulous. They have quite the mountain of issues to overcome but they figure it out an become stronger for it. I’m glad they got their happily ever after.

This is the second book in the kings of New York series. This is a mafia series that also has romantic suspense. When we met Ashton in the first series, we found that some of his actions towards chess could be considered unforgivable. So in this book, not only do we look at, how Ashton and Molly progressed to relationship we also see how Ashton has to repair his relationship with his best friend trace.

Molly had to deal with Ashton, because of decisions made by her father. She is a really strong character and initially while they do but heads, you can see that there is much chemistry between both of them. as we can progress for the book, we see that Ashton hast to find his enemies who are the same as those traits has, and they must all work together in order to survive.

All in all it was an entertaining book with gray characters, but that’s what made them more fun to read, and that nothing was black or white in this world .

Swoony anti-hero anyone? I’ve read some anti-heroes who just weren’t redeemed enough to make me love them, but this crafty storyteller knows how to write a first-rate, swoony anti-hero! In no time at all I was immersed into this dark New York underworld, spellbound, captive, and desperate to find out what would happen next.

Molly Easter loves her bowling alley and her tiny circle of friends. She’s worked hard at renovating and making the business a success, and it's something she’s done on her own. And she should be proud of the person she has become, especially with her ignoble origins as the daughter of her grifter father. But then Molly learns that her sweet little bowling alley isn’t exactly hers, but instead is in the clutches of the biggest crime lord in the city, Ashton Walden. In order for her to keep her bowling alley, he wants her help in the biggest crime war the family has ever faced.

Oh my heart, this story! I loved a man I knew my heart should hate and I cheered for the darkness in his perfect match. These two are absolutely made for each other, and I was there for every glorious second of drama and danger and running towards it along with the characters. Full transparency here, I don’t even like Mafia romance, but this gifted wordsmith has left me wanting more! The thing she does exquisitely well is the beautiful redemption that makes all the unsavory parts so, so worth it. Ashton and Molly's story is easily one of my top five reads for the year, and Tijan goes to the head of the list for swoony anti-heroes and Mafia romance. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, give this one a chance and I swear you won’t regret it!

I couldn't connect with any of the characters in this book. To begin with, it seems necessary to read the first book in the series, because it was very difficult to keep the crime families straight with regards to "who was who."

Additionally, the writing style was very confusing in such a way that I often found myself having to go back a couple of pages just so I could read the dialogue *again* while tracking the back-and-forth so I that I could figure out which character was speaking at a specific point. It was very "stream of consciousness" and as such, it was often hard to follow.

Unfortunately, I finally gave up 62% of the way through the book and did not finish the book. At this point, I am not planning to read any other books by this author.

This was such an amazing book. I didn’t read the first book but I don’t feel like I missed anything. Although it probably would’ve made this one even better. This is the first book I’ve read by Tijan and I’m definitely a fan! I honestly can’t wait for the next book. The suspense, flipping the switch, the drama, romance and more. It’s one of those books where you’re on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens and not being let down. Sooo good!!

I received this as an ARC and this is my honest and voluntary review.

i'm wavering between a 3 and 4 for this book because I really like the world but I found this story a bit slow (which is odd, given that Ashton is a real bad boy. But the relationship between Ashton and Molly felt forced and I didn't feel the chemistry. That said, it was well rounded, continued to build on the arc of Ashton and his friends building their empires and had plenty of action. Some triggers (I mean, it is a mafia story!) but overall, an easy read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for this ARC.

I really enjoyed the next instalment from the Kings of New York series. I adored Molly and her bubbly personality, and I thought Ashton was the perfect alpha-hole. I thought they both bought different dynamics to their relationship and balanced each other out. A Cruel Arrangement was action-packed, steamy, and well written.

"You run and I’ll burn the world down for you.”
I normally don't start off my reviews with a book quote, but this one had to be shared. Just as A Cruel Arrangement needs to be shared. I've always loved Tijan's writing style, and this read is right up there at the top.
The second book in The Kings of NY duet, it features tons of action, emotion, and delicious steam and I'm here all for all of it. Ashton and Molly are such an interesting couple, and I think Molly is one of my very favorite heroines ever. If you crave a good Mafia book, with a bit of darkness, yummy anti-heroes, smart, complex heroines, fullfilling sexy times, and lots of highlight-able words, you will thoroughly love A Cruel Arrangement! 5 Stars!

My name is Brandy and I am a Tijan addict…and it’s all her fault! She keeps writing these worlds that I get lost in. With these men that are all consuming and their women who I can’t stop rooting for! Each time she has a new release I one click because you know…addicted.

Cruel Arrangement was Tijan perfection! I am absolutely loving the Kings of New York…good guys who do bad things but for mostly good reasons😉 We have a few twists to get to Justin & Kelly’s murderer(s)🤫and it’s quite a wild ride.

Hoping to get a couple more stories out of this one??? 🙏🏻

💕fave quotes📖

“You okay?” Jess asked once I got to her. I nodded. “Yeah, just a weird feeling. That’s all. Also, I want to talk to you about something.” She nodded beyond us to where two SUVs were waiting. “Okay, but heads-up. They’re not happy.”——oh man I can just picture both Ashton & Trace’s faces while they are walking towards them 😅😳😬


My brother and best friend was all grown up now. I reached up, cupping the back of his neck, and moved in. Forehead to forehead. “Love you man. Be happy.” He reached up and clapped my shoulder. “You too.” I loved him. He loved me. Nicolai hadn’t broken us: just the opposite.—-🖤🖤🖤


“…We’re the kings of New York.” Trace’s mouth twitched. I could tell he liked hearing that. “We’re the goddamn kings of New York.”—-HELL YEAH 🖤👑

‘Because of who you are. Because of who I am. I’m the girl who gets left behind. I’m the girl who survives everyone walking away.’ Molly

That line right there solidified my love for Molly. She is one of the most epic Tijan characters. She’s a little awkward, but she is fierce. Way more fierce than she gives herself credit for. And Ashton. He’s hard and can be cruel, but that man was born to be a mafia head. He exudes confidence and refuses to back down. He embraces the darker side of himself, but when he’s with Molly, she brings out a more vulnerable side to him.

This book was packed with action. Life in the mafia is anything but simple, and I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire last half of this book. Tijan is one of my all-time favorite authors and this book jumped to the top of my list. Ashton and Molly reminded me so much of Carter and Emma from the ‘Carter Reed’ books, and I loved every bit of it!

I truly don't know where to start. From the beginning to the ending I kept reading the same chapter twice and didn't get bored. There was a different type of emotion I possessed with this book. The plotline was also captivating.

Molly - She's a Fighter and I adored her from the beginning. She truly gives tough to everyman and Mr. Ashton was not an exception. Her past and her hating her mom for no reason made me feel with her. The way she overcomes all her agony has been wonderfully explained and made me keep her as an inspiration.

Ashton - Well… Haan. He's a Dominant man in the Mafia. I would clap hands for the way he was dealing with the sudden death of his family. I didn't spot his grievance until he got caught by his girl. I spotted a major difference between Ashton and the other Mafia Leaders I have read. That is Ashton is not as bad as he claims. He has a heart but took a little time to realize it was already lost to Molly.

I don't have a single word handy with me to explain their chemistry. So I'll attach a scene 😜 one of my favorite moment between Molly and Ashton in the whole book.

💕“Never run from me again. Do you hear me?”

I heard him . I so heard him. “Never.”

He lifted his head, his eyes searing into mine. “You run and I’ll burn the world down for you.” 💕

Arghhhh… It was on DOT!!!

I would suggest everyone to read this book and devour it in a way I did.

Thank you so much for this ARC @netgalley and @tijansbooks I was into this steamy hot book for three days and no regrets.

Whew!

We were left with a pretty big cliffhanger in book 1 so definitely go back and read it.

So this book deals with a pretty big mystery that was left in book 1. Like it's predecessor it's action packed and with some romance.

Poor Molly. She's lived alongside the mafia life. Her father is a scumbag. I mean, really takes the cake. And I do like her. But when she gets mad...

She's trying to just live her life, run her bowling alley when the life pulls her closer.

Ashton is dark and uncompromising. He's best friends with the "hero" from book one. He's had some recent loss himself. But what I thought was weird was it seemed to he glossed over some. It was talked about but it wasn't central to the story.

These are two very different people put in a situation together. And let's just say it's not doe eyes and hearts pattering in the beginning.

It was romance/mafia/mystery/action all rolled into one.

What a wild ride this book was.
ACA by Tijan is the second book in the Kings of New York Series.
I absolutely loved Jess and Trace's story in book one and had high expectations for this second book. And the author delivered.
Ashton is the perfect anti-hero. He's head of the Walden family mob and knows what he does.
Molly is the only innocent in this whole story, my heart was bleeding for this good woman.
An unputdonable, captivating read that had me in suspense from start til the last page.

Thankyou to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this ARC.
This is my first title from this author, i really enjoyed and will be reading more from them in the future.
This was a well written book.
Thankyou
3/5 stars

A Cruel Arrangement is the second book in the Kings of New York series, and it was even more enthralling than the previous book. One word, and I knew my day wouldn’t be spent doing what I was supposed to; I needed answers, and the only way to get those was to immerse myself inside this addictively dark and twisted world.

Make sure you read A Dirty Business before diving into this story. Book one not only introduces the world and the characters, but there’s a continuing sub-plot that takes place that must be read in order to fully appreciate this dark, twisty, and utterly mesmerizing world.

If you don’t like it when the bad guy gets the girl, Ashton isn’t the book boyfriend for you. He’s the "touch her and I’ll 🔪 you" type of guy, and I am ALL THE WAY HERE FOR IT.

Ashton and Molly were chaotic, dark perfection. The tension between them was palpable in the previous book, but that barely scratched the surface of what they shared. They started with a bang, and not the steamy kind. They seemed to be drawn to one another, and the more I read, the more I understood. They saw parts of one another that nobody else did. They didn’t shy away from the darkness they saw there; as a matter of fact, they embraced it wholeheartedly.

The first chapter was all it took for me to be completely yanked inside the Kings of New York series and consume every thought and emotion. I read this in one sitting, and to be honest, that wasn’t my intention, but it was like I had no choice in the matter. There wasn’t a good place to call it a day; there was too much happening. I needed answers that I could only get by staying engulfed in this world. Every page brought answers and questions; long-kept secrets were revealed; and some startling realizations were had by all.

Molly was strong and resilient in the way that those who have little expectations from anyone who enters their lives are. She was resilient because that was the only choice she had. Her strength came from proving to the world and, I think, more so to herself, that she was better than the man who raised her. I don’t even think it was a conscious thought. I think she and Ashton had been on the path to forever from the first moment their eyes met. They filled the cracks inside one another that had been inflicted by those who should have protected them.

The pace of the story added more to the intensity. Their enemies were lurking, waiting for the moment they could try to get the upper hand in the war that they started. Between the heart-pounding suspense and the "omg," "WHATTT" moments, there was also a whole lot of heart. Not just Molly and Ashton, but the group as a whole. Molly wasn’t only what Ashton needed; she was needed by all of them. Her heart and resilience were what saved what could have been forever broken.

A Cruel Arrangement is teeming with explosive chemistry, a "touch her and I’ll 🔪 you" anti-hero, a strong heroine, hear- pounding twists and min- blowing turns, emotions that will bring out both sad and happy tears, and re- hot steam. I really hope we get more Kings of New York, especially if it’s about a certain someone…..