This book is about a girl who is still learning who she is in the world and feels as though her family still treats her as a baby, even though she is in college. The only sibling who doesn't have a stake in the family business but wants to be treated as equal. As payback from book one, the Polish mafia decides to kidnap her and use her as leverage for money, and to break down the Irish and Italian's that in book 1 just united with their marriage pact via Aida and Callum. However, upon abducting Nessa, the Polish leader Miko realizes he enjoys having Nessa around, and Nessa realizes she may be falling for the beast. In a somewhat similar storyline to Beauty and the Beast they fall in love, but is there love enough to keep them together, or will Nessa's family tear them apart?

I gave this book 3 stars, it wasn't as good as the first book in my opinion, but it did have all the spicy scenes that you might need starting around the halfway point. The romance did seem rushed at times, with not enough relationship development to explain the way the two main characters were feelings. I hope to be able to read the next ones!

Thank you, Net Galley, for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This dark mafia Beauty & Beast book has everything we want. Great character development at the beginning lets us know how M became the tattooed beast of N’s dreams. Or mine…. But I digress. Book 2 in this series didn’t disappoint. Something really original about this author that I love, is she has pictures of her characters. That gives us context to what she saw in her mind that we can share. Physical descriptions were on point, but as someone that is very visual, this really helped. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity.

Stolen Heir is an enemies to lovers mafia romance. I feel like any mafia romance is on the darker side. While Stolen Heir is dark it’s not as dark as it could be which I’m fine with.

This is the second book in the series. Even though I think it helps to read in order because characters do carry over it is not necessary to read in order. Stolen Heir is Nessa and Miko's story. There’s a lot of comparisons to Beauty and the Beast and it’s pretty fitting.

Nessa was not my favorite character and Miko definitely has issues but I still really liked their story. I received a copy of Stolen Heir via NetGalley to read and review.

"I wanted to hate you because that was easier. But as I watched you, it was impossible to ignore your kindness, your intelligence, your creativity. You’re a good Nessa, truly and intrinsically good in a way that most people can never dream of being. But you’re so much more than that. You’re talented, and beautiful, and the sexiest fucking woman in the world.”

I loved this beauty and the beast retelling! It was really interesting, reading how Miko stalks and then kidnaps Nessa as revenge. I loved reading how slowly she forces him to admit that he wanted her. The chemistry between the two of them is amazing! I loved every single steamy moment. I really liked how while Miko was this violent and alpha man, he was very caring with Nessa and her innocence. I found Miko’s feelings for Nessa a little too fast and more of like lusting than love, but towards the end it was more believable. I loved all the side characters and cannot wait to read their books next!
While this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone!

Read if you like:
Dual POVs
Mafia romance
Dark romance
Alpha hero
Virgin heroine
Age gap romance
Open door romance

Thank you Netgalley and Bloom Books for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

If you had told me one month ago that I would have read a mafia romance and liked it, I would have laughed in your face. Instead, I have to say that it was a well written romance.

I liked the characters throughout the book and omg why am I down so bad for Callum and Mikolaij??
I love that the Griffins and the Gallos can be counted as one big family.

Unfortunately I cannot give it the maximum because all of the mafia part makes it impossible to me (I’m italian, I’m very sensitive about this kind of organisation).
I can “tolerate it” just because it is romanced and I know it doesn’t work this way.
Anyway, I knew what I was getting myself into, so I have to be objective and give it 4⭐️.

4⭐️ 2🌶️

Stolen Heir is my favorite book by Sophie Lark and that is saying something because I really loved Aida. But I Miko and Jessa even more!

I am a sucker for a Beauty and the Beast retelling and Sophie did a wonderful job giving this a modern dark romance twist. I loved that Nessa herself was aware of the similarities as well.

The cover and the illustrations in the book are stunning and really give it that something extra.

*3.5

I actually enjoyed this even though I didn't expect to. I believe that they fell in love that fast but I just wanted them to talk more fast. The few chapters after she went home and they spent time together were very enjoyable.

Stolen Heir by Sophie Lark is the second book in the Brutal Birthright series and it follows Nessa and Miko. Let's just say Sophie Lark knows how to hook you in with such a fun and interesting story! This book was fast-paced and kept me hooked the whole time. This is a mafia romance book but it is not very dark even considering Nessa is kidnapped by Miko in this story. There is a definite beauty and the beast vibe. Don't be worried about the kidnapping situation negatively impacting the romance because Nessa is not treated badly at all. Mikolaj is such an interesting hero and he was one of my favorite parts of the story. He has such a troubled past which makes him complex. I loved the growth I saw in Nessa throughout the story and the component of her being a dancer was crucial to the story. The one thing I wish I got more of was the emotional relationship between Miko and Nessa. While she was taken by Miko, there was a lot of obsession between them which was fun to read. But when the emotional part of their relationship happened there was more telling instead of showing. Overall, this was a fun and fast-paced read and I am excited to continue the series!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC in exchange for a review!

ell.

What I didn’t like was (minor spoilers):
Miko kills an innocent woman in the prologue because she was at wrong place in the wrong time. And why did he even give this much importance to Zajac when his gang members was the reason for Anna’s death. He admitted himself that he didn’t care about his father anymore after he meets Zajac. That was too much apathy. In a month he transformed from an innocent teenager to the ilk of these cruel men and stays like that till he meets Nessa.
And Nessa, god, she was a mess. I liked her but I believe she was too much in to him when she had no reason to be. She was kidnapped! instead of worrying about her family and friends and plotting to getaway or at least fight back what the hell was she doing? This what I hd problem in the first half.

Also the book wasn’t safe for me. There is a non detailed oral s** scene (before he meets Nessa) and a s** scene (after he meets Nessa). Yeah, I get that he was thinking about Nessa and it was very unemotional on his parts but it was still 🤢.

Loved the epilogue.

I LOVE SOPHIE LARK! Mafia Romance + Beauty and the Beast? Immediate swoon! I loved this even more than Brutal Prince. This was fast paced and I devoured it so quick! I cannot wait to continue this series!

I saw a reel on IG about a year ago with an out-of-context plot point for Brutal Prince (hint: it had to do with strawberries), and I immediately went to KU and binged the entire series. Stolen Heir is my favorite of the BB series for many reasons. I love the Beauty and the Beast vibes, the revenge plot, and just how hard Mikolaj falls for Nessa. Obviously, the banter and spice are the same level of incredible that we have come to love and expect from Sophie Lark. 

Thank you @Netgalley, for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The only thing better than Sophie Lark’s Kingmaker series is her Brutal Birthright series, and The Stolen Heir is my favorite of the Brutal Birthright novels.

I’m a sucker for a good Beauty and the Beast retelling, but pair that with a mafia romance and I. am. HERE. For it.

I love Nessa and Mikolaj’s story. Nessa has been sheltered from “the family business,” and Mikolaj is hell-bent on revenge, so he kidnaps her as a way to make her family suffer but falls in love with her instead.

This is book two in a series. I read book one for this series a while back and enjoyed it well enough. It's by no means the best romance or mafia romance I have ever read. Beauty and the Beast in a dark romance setting, and definitely some decent spice. I enjoyed this retelling and intend to read book 3 as well.

If you love a dramatic and dark mafia romance, this is the book for you. It also happens to be a loose, contemporary, Beauty and the Beast retelling. The fairytale aspect is subtle enough for you to know where the inspo comes from but not too heavy handed to be cliche.
After reading Book 1 of this series, Brutal Prince, I think I like Miko and Nessa's story better. They really are light and dark - complete opposites who bring out new aspects out of each other.
The first chapter was a bit of a surprise/shock and if you are someone who doesn't normally read darker books, you might want to check the trigger warnings first. The rest of the book was tense, dark, and romantic- all my favorite things! Lastly: as someone who has lived in Chicago for a few years, some of the city specific details aren't perfect but the rest of the plot makes up for it.

STOLEN HEIR, second in the Brutal Birthright series, is an enemies-to-lovers mafia read.

Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko for Fresh Fiction

Complete review: https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=83672

This was just mediocre to me. Kidnapping trope and falling in love doesn’t really do it for me. I thought Nessa just gave in to quick and didn’t put too much fight into her situation. While I appreciate that there was no insta love, it was still too quick the jump to love and then the ending was just rushed. Miko went from 0 emotions to loving her just because she was kind. There was no backbone to it in my opinion.
There is nothing that will make your twist your mind, everything is so expected. Don’t get me wrong it’s not all bad, but I think I just had different expectations and this didn’t really cut it.
A huge thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC! All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.

Wonderful read! I really adored the character development in this to see Nessa come out of her shell and find who she is as a person. I also really love Miko and wish we could have read more of his past.

I love every single thing Sophie Lark writes. And the fact that these have illustrations in them is so fun to me! I’ve now read three of the Brutal Birthright series, and can’t wait to finish the rest. I love the Beauty and the Beast vibes, and the smut is always 👌

I love Sophie Lark & her writing style! She cannot write a bad book. Stolen Heir is the 2nd book in the Brutal Birthright series & it was FABULOUS. Nessa is so sweet & innocent. I love how holy she is portrayed. Sophie does a fabulous job writing enemies to lover trope books!

This was a great re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, with a sprinkle of mafia romance. I found out after I started reading that this is the second book in the series, so I will have to go back and read book 1. The tropes include mafia romance and opposites attract. This is my first mafia romance and it is not the best, but good enough to keep me interested to read the other books in the series. The writing is ok, but not great. There is definitely better writing out there, but since it's my first mafia romance, I would give it four stars. I feel like once I read the first book in the series, it may change my experience with this book.

This was a Beauty and the Beast retelling Mafia style! Nessa and Mikolaj? OMG HAWT HAWT HAWT!! I loved this book so much! It will absolutely be a repeat read down the road for me. For sure! Sophie Lark puts magic in her books!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is honest, unbiased, and completely my own.