I will tell you what’s cruel…. Cliffhangers. So we met Ashton in book one when he tortured Jess. He was so hard to redeem! I needed some time to make him more human…. Any one else?

What did I like? I’ve read books by this author but these mafia ones are wrecking havoc on my emotions. I had to go through it because I needed justice for Justin and Kelly. What a horrible reminder that we don’t all get our HEAs. Molly was a great character though. I didn’t fully get her emotions with Ashton but I could certainly see why he would be paired with her.

Would I recommend or buy? I’d recommend starting with book one and reading both books. It’s not all sunshine and roses but if your an avid reader of Tijan you know that. She specializes in drawing out the hard life with angsty repercussions. I enjoyed book two but loved Jess and Trace!

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley to read and offer an opinion. Fours stars!

I have loved this author’s work in the past but this one unfortunately wasn’t for me.
I didn’t feel the connection beetwen the main characters, their relationship just felt off.
The story progresses at a good pace and you are not bored so maybe I wasn’t in the mood.
If you like mafia romance you’ll probably enjoy this more than I did.

I'll preface this by saying that I have not read the first book whish could have contributed to the disjointed feeling I had throughout reading.
I liked the characters but I didn't quite love them. We just didn't quite click.
The storyline is fast paced and engaging.

This is a fierce and feisty four-star read. It is number two in the Kings of New York series, and the story flows from the first, I loved the first and I don’t know if my hatred of Ashton blew over from that first story was why I loved this one most of the time, but not all of the time. Molly was just such a great character, there was something about her that just won me over and made me smile so bright. There was just something about Easter Lanes and the environment she creates there, I would love me some Sunday night bowling, it feels like a special place to be.

Thank you NetGalley!

I love this author so much and this book did not disappoint one bit!
Such a hot and enjoyable read. The characters were perfect for one another and I couldn’t have asked for more honestly.
I loved it so much.

This is a quick read that takes you through a rollercoaster of events involving murder, a mafia war, and romance. Enjoyed the overall theme of a Mafia romance and their journey towards uncovering the truth. Unfortunately, it felt as if some characters were introduced, forgotten about and then reintroduced as “crucial” to the plot. The predictable romance was a bit of a bore. There were some interesting twists but overall the read left you wanting more in order to truly feel invested in the storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC.

‘A Cruel Arrangement’ is the second book in Tijan’s Kings of New York series. It picks up the threads of the story that began in ‘A Dirty Business,’ but focuses on the characters of Ashton and Molly instead of Trace and Jess.

All Molly Easter wants is to run her bowling alley in peace. But her life is upended when Ashton Walden bursts into her life and her business. As the new head of the Walden mafia family, Ashton is set on using Molly as a tool to help him find a killer. With ghosts from their pasts constantly at their heels, and a mystery antagonist set on destroying them all, Ashton and Molly will find themselves constantly thrown together, their growing attraction something neither of them can continue to ignore.

I enjoyed the push-pull dynamic between Molly and Ashton, and how both grow as characters throughout the narrative arc. There’s a heavy dose of enemies-to-lovers vibes, which I very much enjoyed. It makes for some delightfully steamy scenes, if you know what I’m saying. (I think you know what I’m saying.)

Because ‘A Dirty Business’ ends on kind of a doozy of a cliffhanger, I was expecting ‘A Cruel Arrangement’ to continue to follow Jess and Trace’s story. I was pleasantly surprised when Tijan went an alternate route and focused on Molly and Ashton instead, while still addressing the cliffhanger from the previous book. This cliffhanger is the driver behind the conflict in the novel, and it totally worked for me. And Jess and Trace pop up plenty in this story, though they are definitely secondary characters.

If you enjoyed the first book in this series, you will not be disappointed. And if you haven’t, I would definitely recommend reading it before diving into this one. I always appreciate how Tijan constantly pushes the envelope in style and narrative expectations, and have enjoyed her foray back into more mafia-style books.

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is an intensely passionate story of a man trying to make amends and the woman who makes him want to keep his promises. Absolutely amazing read! Such a captivating read! Amazing cover art that was super eye catching would definitely recommend to all!

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
A Cruel Arrangement releases April 25, 2023

*second in the Kings of New York series*
*review contains a spoiler for the ending of the first book*

First of all, that dedication? Absolutely ruthless.

A Cruel Arrangement picks up 3 months after the ending of A Dirty Business, and tries to focus on the investigation of who killed Justin and Kelly. I say try, because there really wasn’t much direct active investigating in my opinion.

Told in dual pov from Ashton and Molly, who we got to know in book one — Ashton, head of Mafia, and Molly, owner of Easter Lanes, a bowling alley.
Similarly to Jess and Trace’s story in book one, Ashton and Molly seemed to have a past where their family history intermingled.

I really struggled with reading this. I found that the writing just wasn’t up to par, the maturity wasn’t there, and the characters barely had any personality.
We didn’t get any depth or development — the “why’s” and “want’s” that are supposed to bring together two people in a relationship. The initial forced proximity was not enough, especially given the fact that Ashton struggled to keep Molly safe when he was the one to put her in the line of danger in the first place. The whole situation just wasn’t thought out well and Molly’s reasoning of “fuzzies” was not enough for me to believe in their supposed sexual tension.

There were a few brief mentions of Molly having some sort of “switch”, but it’s never explained further. A switch to what? Dissociative identity disorder? To me it felt like “switch” (whatever that is) was used as an excuse to justify doing “stupid things”.
I also wasn’t really a fan of all of the casual use of claiming insanity.
Additionally, did Jess have to be referred to as “Trace’s woman” or “the love of his life” every single time? We get it, they’re together. Just use her name, Jess. It’s that simple.

I was eager for Ashton’s pov coming from the first book in this series but the lack of strong characters and depth paired with the casual and lackluster writing, had this feeling really detached.

CW: gun violence, trauma, death, grief, torture, mafia, bombs

This was so good!

It's been awhile since I've read a mafia book, and this book definitely had me wondering why I hadn't picked one up sooner.

Molly was fabulous! I loved that she had her own mind and was so willing to put herself out there for those she cared about. Seeing her and Ashton get their HEA was an enjoyable experience. Nerve-wracking at times, but enjoyable.

I'd read this again!

The second in the ‘Kings of New York’ series, this book follows on from ‘A Dirty Business’ from the point of view of Ashton and Molly.

I knew I’d like Molly from book 1 and she did not disappoint. Ashton I struggled to warm up to but you know, it is the mafia so…. Let’s just say I imagined myself punching him in the face if I was Molly. I will say he showed his heart as the story progressed but sorry… punch!

In true Tijan fashion there were many twists and turns that left me guessing until the end. It was also nice to see some more of Jess and Trace. The book provided some much needed answers after the first instalment but I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more from this series. Maybe even a novella?

Overall I’d give this book 3.5. I enjoyed ‘A Dirty Business’ more but as a follow up ‘A Cruel Arrangement’ provided entertainment and some much needed answers.

I was so excited to see that book 2 (A Cruel Arrangement) of the Kings of New York series was available on NetGalley and just had to read it.

This is a great follow up to book 1 of the series. The main characters Molly and Ashton were introduced in the first book so it was interesting to see their love story progress in this one. We also got to see more of Jess and Trace (the couple from previous book) which was an added bonus! This book also answered a number of questions left unanswered in book 1. This was an action-packed, engaging story with lots of twists and turns. I definitely did not see the end coming.

Molly was a quirky character that made a number of questionable decisions that I wanted to pull my hair out at times. Ashton was almost her exact opposite; he was cool, calm and collected most of the time but could not seem to keep his cool around Molly for long. They were an interesting couple to say the least.

I would have liked to see more of them as a couple to show how their relationship developed. There was a lot going on in the background with the different plot lines so a number of their interactions were centred around these events/situations. Both Ashton and Molly were loveable characters in their own way and I liked that they grew and become more self-aware as the story progressed.

Kudos to Tijan for delivering another page turner. I look forwarded to seeing who the couple will be in book 3 if there is one. Thank you to the author, the publisher Montlake and NetGalley for this ARC; I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

In this mafia romance, Molly Easter’s life is upended when Ashton Walden waltzes back into it. They first met as kids. Now oh-so-hot but oh-so-cold Ashton is the head of the Walden mafia family, and he wants Molly to do something for him.

Despite her father’s involvement with the mafia, Molly has lived her life on the straight-and-narrow as much as possible, constantly fighting against the darkness inside her, but Ashton’s arrangement places her right in the crosshairs in the middle of a mafia war.

Ashton’s the one who typically gets his hands dirty, but can he keep her physically safe? He doesn’t do love, but is there something different about this arrangement with Molly?

This has the twists and turns and push-pull dynamic of a delicious mafia romance. It’s got that crazy dichotomy of the hierarchy and bonds of the mafia family with some more tender found / chosen family aspects. We see palpable chemistry and sweet moments between Ashton and Molly, scorching on-page encounters and pinkie promises, and cold-blooded killing juxtaposed with caretaking. All of this is mixed in with a mystery that they are trying to solve. All combined it makes this book a highly bingeable read.

I received an advance copy of the book from Montlake and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

A Cruel Arrangement is the second book in the Kings of New York series.
This one focuses on Molly and Ashton but we get more of Jess and Trace from the first book, they are pretty active in this one with a lot of action packed scenes.

I devoured this in a day, it was that good, I couldn't put it down.
I have a weakness for Mafia romance and this one did not disappoint, the writing and storytelling was excellent, I didn't want it to end.

The build up and dynamic between Molly and Ashton was believable and the twists and turns kept me engaged. Their relationship developed so passionately, they have great communication and trust for one another. Even though Ashton is a sexy Alpha boss he still treated Molly like his equal, and I enjoyed seeing Ashton's development progress from being hard to having a soft spot for his girl.

I highly recommend this series! I hope we get a book on Jake Worthing!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tijan and Montlake for the ARC!

A Cruel Arrangement is book 2 in the Kings of New York series by Tijan and it was an unputdownable read.

I should have known ACA was going to be a stellar read.
I loved Outsiders so I should have known.
Tijan didn't disappoint. Hands down one of my favorite mafia series ever.
Her writing and storytelling was superb a usual. This book is extremely well written. It truly captivated me.
The story had so many twists and turns and I didn’t want it to end so soon.
I just love his authors work and I hope there is more coming in this outstanding series!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4☆

First of all, I'd like to say that I didn't read the synopsis and I went in thinking it was Trace & Jess POV because of ADB cliffhanger only to find out its about Molly and Ashton...

Anyways, doesn't matter because I was hooked, from the action to the swoony moments, I loved it, somewhat, most of it.

This is the continuation of ADB, with more mafia politics, darker in some ways, with romance too.

I'll be honest, at first I was hesitant about reading Ashtons POV, disliking him for ADB but in the end, knowing what he is willing to do for those he loves, I forgave him, for most part.

Molly is sweet, she's selfless, she has her moment and for most part, I liked her but there were time when I didn't. For all that is happening, I think she'd think a little harder but she doesn't and that's why not a whole five stars.

The writing was easy to ready, the chapters short, filled with drama, mystery and romance thought as it's not my first Tijan books, I've come to notice that she likes to use a certain scene as turning points and its just... eh.

Ps. I loved the Trace and Jezz crumbs

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! It’s so funny because when i first received this book I didn’t realize it was part of a series so I was a bit confused regarding the background on jess, ashton, and grace. I say this next part though with utmost respect to Tijan, I felt like I didn’t need to read the first one to understand and catch up in this one. And I know how that can sound and I will say I am planning on reading the first one and highly recommend other people do first, but I think Tijan’s writing style really explains things so well that I didn’t feel completely lost.

Now for my actual review, loved it! I’m not usually a mafia girly but this one just pulled me in. The relationship between molly and ashton was just so sweet and you could tell there was a lot of trust between them. The fact that ashton felt such deep guilt surrounding his mothers actions and was doing what he could do to make up for it says enough. I usually don’t read mafia books specifically because I hate how the MMC always acts like the FMC is useless and she doesn’t need all the facts, is using her or just plain out lies/has an ulterior motive, which really aggravates me. I loved how ashton was so straight up with her and what was happening, it showed how much he saw her as his equal even when she was putting herself in dangerous situations.

I’d recommend this to anyone and everyone, just make sure to check trigger warnings as there’s obviously violence and death.

Really looking forward to going back and reading this first book!


love and kisses <3

4/5 stars! I've had several books by Tijan on my TBR forever and was so excited to finally get to sit down and read something by them. Ashton was a sexy mafia boss with a secret hidden soft heart aflame with passion for Molly. Molly made some kind of bad decisions in the story, but it was necessary for plot development. And Molly and Ashton together were steamy perfection. Definitely going to pick up another book by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

This is the 2nd book of The King of New York series, it can be read as stand alone. My first in this series and this book is goood. I love author writing style from Two more days anthologhy and followimg her since.

Molly was curious innocent nosey!! I love her mind! Unicorn talk? Shower head position? Red blink button? Okayy. Ashton really cold and yeah cruel but when with Molly he different. Cave man mode active, possesive, controlling, demanding. The storyline was good little bit complicated, many partial include. Jess and Trace from previous book appear here and active in this book. Some problem in previous book become major issue here. I hope there are book about Jake Worthing!

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#ACruelArrangement #KingsofNewYork #Tijan #Montlake #NetGalley #ARC

Oh my god. I’m obsessed. Ashton and Molly are one of my favorites now!!! This book was amazing! I loved the plot and their relationship so much. This series is fantastic. I love this Mafia world! I don’t know what it was but I just loved Molly’s character. She was one of the best I’ve read by Tijan! And Ashton just stole my heart. I just loved him as a mafia boss sm
Honestly can’t say enough good things about this story. One of her best series in my opinion!

I’m so pumped for the hopefully next book