If there is one thing that Sophie Lark can do, it is write a mafia series that has me eagerly awaiting each and every page while needing to push past my bedtime to see what will happen next.

And Heavy Crown was no exception to the rule. With twists that keep you guessing at every turn and an over the top steam that will have you gasping for breath, Heavy Crown is how you end a crowd-favorite series on a bang.

I am feeling such bittersweet things about this book. This feels like saying goodbye to something favorite but also..I know this isn't the ending as the next generation is coming! Heavy Crown definitely surprised me as Sebastian has to take charge of the mafia kingdom he never wanted and my heart aches for him. There is so much grief, loss, heartbreak and dramatic changes for him. And I am so happy that he found Yelena as his happily ever after. She is a beautiful contradiction of sweet and fierce, light and dark, vulnerable but strong..And Sebastian was her savior in so many ways. Though at the end, I couldn't tell who saved who ..or if love saved them both.

Yelena Yenina is the pretty Pawn to be used by his father, the head of the Bratva. He wants to take revenge and take down the Gallos. And Yelena has to act like his puppet..to infiltrate Sebastian's life and seduce him. But she doesn't want to do that, especially when her father's scheme forces her to spend time with Sebastian and she falls for the amazing guy he is. Sebastian has been warned about the danger of Bratva but on the day of their marriage, he realises how evil the Bratva is. He doesn't trust Yelena and his only mission is vengeance.


Sebastian's dream to be a pro basketball player shattered along with hid knee cap during a mission for family. He never wanted to be a part of this dangerous violent world but all his siblings have slowly distanced themselves as they found love. He started taking care of the kingdom. He holds no resentment, just a sense of loneliness. Yelena entered like a meteor in his atmosphere..blazing all the things in sight but also the darkness after the light. The betrayal and loss broke him. Somewhere inside he knew that Yelena wasn't at fault. She isn't the one who destroyed a big part of his family. But he was blinded by anger and grief. It exposed a ruthless and explosive side of him. He emerged as the true king as he made Strategies, collected Alliance and eliminated his enemies mercilessly. Yelena may have be used by her evil father but she fought at every step to show Sebastian that she is nothing like her father. Her loyalty and devotion lies with Sebastian. She was a beautiful asset before but she is Sebastian's love now. He showed her that life isn't all about sadness and submission. Sebastian truly cherished her. The last few chapters were breathtaking. Twists and turns. Angst and passion. And finally that epic epilogue!

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

this book is the most beautiful ending of this unbelievably amazing series. i loved that we got to see everyone again for one last time; united, stronger than ever, and ready to let everything go down.

i was constantly at the edge of my seat, trying to calm down while i couldn't do anything besides reading more and more, waiting for the end. i was so scared, and i have to admit, one particular thing broke my heart. but the end? perfect. so many sad and deep scenes, so many hilariously funny scenes, a lot of spice, romance - everything you're asking for.

the only person i had a problem with was yelena. she made me so aggressive in the first half, only to make me happy and proud in the last. WHY COULDN'T SHE BE THAT SMART IN THE BEGINNING? IT'S ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH, BRO.

this series has my heart and i'm not exaggerating. it was definitely a ride and so worth it.

There will never be a Sophie Lark book that I don’t like!!!! She does it yet again. It was such an amazing end to a series. So many emotions and twist. Sad to see the series come to an end but the book made the ending worth it

I am also so excited to read a Sophie Lark novel and this wasn't any different, definitely didn't disappoint! Set against the backdrop of the Bratva underworld in Chicago, the story introduces us to Sebastian Gallo. A man who is in a generations-long feud with Bratva. Sebastian happens upon Yelena Yenina (the daughter of Bratva) being abducted; Sebastian being the gentleman that he is decides to intervene. This of course sets off a whole chain of events that test the boundaries of loyalty, love, and familial ties. I loved Yelena's character, she is fierce and independent. Her chemistry with Sebastian is electric and they have an INTENSE connection. This story offers romance, suspense, action and of course the touch of mafia romance trope.

Thanks to NetGalley and the BloomBooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I mean, I did finish this within 24 hours so the writing itself is good. There's a nice flow and the dialogue is well-shaped. I just had a problem with the variety of plot holes and the waving red flags coming from Sebastian and Yelena. I wanted to like them but it felt too surface level and quick. The basement scene felt ick because Yelena didn't provide complete consent for it. The lack of police, DNA evidence consideration, witnesses, etc. just made this novel feel unreal in a way; pretending hush money can solve everything. Also in Chapter 34, the comment "And don't let anyone trick you into giving birth naturally - it's fucking awful! Take all the drugs!" was tactless, coming from someone who did in fact give birth naturally. Not everyone needs to "take all the drugs" and this was supposed to (I'm assuming) lightening the mood but it did just the opposite for me. I really wish there had been more character growth and change throughout the novel, because it feels like both the main characters didn't grow any and they still have the same issues from beginning to end; the stagnation just didn't fit well for me.

I really enjoyed this series and was extremely excited for the conclusion but it didn’t live up to the previous ones. I found Yelena to be very annoying/frustrating and the romance just didn’t do anything for me. It’s pretty insta-love which is fine but Sebastian seemed really naive and trusted Yelena too quickly.

The plot was too slow to start which made the ending feel super rushed. I think that there should have been more time for resolution after the main conflict concluded instead of all being basically totally forgiven right away. It made the romance seem inauthentic.

Overall, I loved this series and it’s totally worth the time to read it i just wish this one was a little less rushed :)

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

Sebastian is my beautiful angel, I don’t care if he killed people, you can’t change my mind.
This was not my favorite book of the series but it entartained pretty well and I devoured it nonetheless. I think there were some unnecessary developments that made me want to crash my phone to the wall, and maybe those were what disturbed me.
But seeing my beloved Sebastian finally have his love story after all the other books where I’ve been waiting patiently? It was a reward.
And my oh my, isn’t my angel also a naughty guy. The transformation looked good on him.
My beautiful girl Yelena unnerved me at the start, but I came to love her throughout the book, and the finale made me find peace. 4⭐️

I liked the voice and the pacing, and I can see why the series is popular. I stopped reading after chapter 2 (11%) but solid three to four stars for the target and five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC.

My first Sophie Lark book & I can NOT wait to pick up the others. Perfect little spicy snack for a lazy Sunday read. Chefs kiss on the spice scenes. These are my kid of guilty pleasure reads I love the mafia tropes & the level they love each other.
I really enjoyed that this was a standalone but I can still pick up the others to get more from this universe.
Thank you for this eARC now going on the hunt for more of her books

I really enjoyed this book! The twists and turns it took were fast paced enough that I never felt bored.
I do kind of feel like this wasn't the best ending to the series, but beggars can't be chooses.
The banter was good, the spice was on point and everything I'd expect from a Sophie Lark book.

I would be interested in a second generation story is they ever wrote one.

what a way to end the brutal birthright series!!! this book quite literally had me on the edge of my seat and i wouldn’t have it any other way! sets up her next gen series perfectly too!

📖 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙎𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙚 𝙇𝙖𝙧𝙠

“𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘪𝘳.“

Sebastian Gallo had a bright future ahead of him. He dreamed of going to the NBA, and he had the talent to get there. Unfortunately, his future was shattered when his knee is shattered during a fight with the Irish mafia. That was years ago, now there is peace between the two families but he is still lost. He becomes more involved in his families dark dealings because his siblings have all found their own happiness.

When he saves a woman from being kidnapped, he can’t help but feel drawn to her. Turns out she’s the only daughter of the Russian bratva, Yelena, and any relationship between them won’t come easy.

As the last book in the Brutal Birthright series I have anxiously awaited Sebastian’s story. We got glimpses of his fall into darkness throughout the series and it finally comes full circle.

This was a really good book, I just expected more appearances from all of the other characters we have come to love from previous books. When it came down to the climax of the story, I felt like Sebastian basically stood alone. That being said, I enjoyed the series as a whole. This story sets up the next related series called Kingmakers, a second generation spinoff.

🥵 There was an unhinged spicy scene in this book! Beware the triggers.

Tropes:
👑 Mafia Princess x Mafia Prince
🩶 Dark Mafia Romance
🥵 Spicy Romance

💞 The new cover redesign are great! Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for my free copy of this last book so I could share my honest review!

Heavy Crown is the final book in the Brutal Birthright series about Sebastian Gallo. Unfortunately the love story between Sebastian and Yelena felt kind of insta-lovey. While I didn't quite like Sebastian, I loved Yelena: She is such a strong and powerful character! It was a good story and a nice conclusion to the series but not my favorite book in the series. The epilogue gave a nice introduction to the spin-off series - Kingmakers. I am excited to start reading that as well.

NetGalley provided this arc and these are my own thoughts and opinions. I really enjoyed this book. However it was the last book in a series I haven’t read yet. I always love Sophia Larks writing. This book had a little mermaid ( but dad I love him!) and Romeo and Juliet ( feuding family) vibes. If you like Mafia romance then you will like this book.

Thank you, Netgalley, and the publishers for the advanced copy.

Ok, so I was totally the wrong person to read this. I haven't read any of the other novels, but I thought this was a stand alone so, why not 🤷‍♀️

I'll say, it is stand-alone enough that you can pick up what's happening, but I'm mad because I now have to go read 5 other books because I'm hooked.

I loved this. The characters had enough growth in just this book alone to make it interesting, and the storyline was wild. The ending did feel a bit rushed but was still satisfying.

If you're a fan of Katee Robert's "O'Malleys" series, you'll love this too!

What an ending to this series! Sebestian and Yelena's story started off feeling a little like Romeo and Juliet. I had a few predictions for where this book might go, but Ms. Lark completely blew me away with where she took everything. The tension had my heart in my throat. I was on the edge of my seat. I can't believe that she was able to keep the intensity at that level for so long.

The characters from the pervious books all had their moments without detracting from the Sebestian and Yelena, which I appreciated. Sebestian's journey was explosive (literally). And the little connection between Yelena and Adia was just perfect.

This book is good for fans of mafia romance with a little bit of spice. It is well written and has both romance and plot. Although I enjoyed this book, I felt that it was pretty average in comparison to other books in the genre; While it wasn't a bad book by any means, there also wasn't anything that made this book really stand out for me. Yelena and Sebastian communicated so poorly, but worked so well.

4.75 stars

Wow, this was somehow both hilarious and thrilling!

Sebastian is walking home at night and intervenes in an attempted abduction. He and Yelena (the girl he saved) hit it off, but it turns out her father hates Sebastian’s family because of an old grudge.

There’s a date auction, explosions, a wedding, and a showdown on a roof. Yelena is such a badass, strong leading character. I love how this series wrapped up.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for granting me a digital copy!

I’m not sure what to think of this book, truthfully. Sebastian had been the brother with the best characterization in everyone else’s books, but then he kind of went down in his own book.

The start was pretty enjoyable. I liked Yelena, too, I think there was way too much going on, it got a bit overwhelming. I think the whole scene with Sebastian locking Yelena up in a dungeon was way too much, and it’s the one I have most conflicting thoughts over. I like a good kidnapping trope—but I just don’t know about this one.

I do think it was good, but it wasn’t great.