Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable reading experience.

This one didn’t really stand out to me. I have read Anastasia by the same author so I thought I knew what to expect in terms of storytelling and writing style. I couldn’t really get into the story and I didn’t care for the main characters. I thought they lacked depth and couldn’t really cheer them on in the story. Overall, I don’t think I would recommend this to store guests and I don’t think I’ll be recommending it online either.

The republication of the Brutal Birthright series as *The Kingmakers*, was an interesting choice. I liked it the first time I read it. Same this time around,

I appreciate the opportunity to review this digital arc. I no longer support this author based on the controversy in her latest release.

Sophie Lark created something genuinely magical here—a criminal academy where mafia heirs navigate deadly games and forbidden romance. Leo Gallo completely won me over with his cocky exterior hiding deep vulnerability. Watching him mature through Kingmakers' trials felt deeply personal.
The three-POV structure shouldn't work, but it absolutely does. Anna's self-discovery journey resonated on levels I wasn't expecting, and even Dean's questionable choices fascinated me—his desperate need for love felt uncomfortably real.
The academy's brutal hierarchy creates an atmosphere thick with tension. This isn't just dark academia—it's entirely its own thing.
Vibes We Are Tracking:
🏰 Dark academia with deadly consequences
💕 Friends-to-lovers perfection
⚔️ Enemies who might not stay enemies
🎭 Family legacy pressure cooker
🖤 Morally gray characters you can't help loving

This is the first Sophie Lark book I’ve read and it will not be my last (I’ve already started my next, use not in this series). I’m just starting to dip my toes into the dark romance genre and was told mafia romance was the way to go. I’m glad I’d listened and also that the story takes place in a college settings. Ever since Harry Potter I’ve enjoyed the school setting.

I was rooting for Leo and Anna’s relationship from the beginning even if they didn’t want to admit it to themselves. When Dean popped in the picture I kind of started to like him and felt he was misunderstood, this changed quickly. Leo and Dean’s rivalry was something for the books, literally. I felt bad for the way Anna’s feelings weren’t taken care of throughout it all.

Overall I was a huge fan of this authors writing style. It was easy to follow and the story kept me on my toes. I will definitely be continuing with this series.

This book was okay, It was a little hard to get into but super easy to read once I got into it and the characters were dynamic.

Oh, this was a heavy love triangle. I was looking forward to this, but I don't think I realised the extent of the messiness. I normally like friends to lovers, so this was a shame. There reached a point where I just wanted Anna (the FMC) to end up alone. Writing and illustrations were solid and nice as usual, hence the three star rating.
Unfortunately, I will not review anything from this author after this.

I will not be reviewing this title, this because of what I have since learned about the author of this book.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I really liked the world and the universe that Sophie Lark has created in Kingmakers: Year One (formally known as The Heir). I just didn’t like the characters themselves, and that’s why I can’t make myself give it a higher rating. Their backstories and family dynamics ae cool… but just the way the main 3 characters in particular conducted themselves? Yuck.
Dean was a douchebag – although at least he was honest about it and didn’t try to pretend otherwise with himself or anyone else.
Leo, on the other hand, was a douchebag too, but had pulled the wool over both Anna’s and his own eyes about it.
Anna was your run-of-the-mill ‘not like other girls’ female MC - liking Halloween over Christmas and liking black, edgy clothing. But what made her insufferable was that she was so blinded by her love for Leo that his red flags were beige? (at one point he literally got so visibly angry with her that she thought he'd strangle her? How romantic).

One of the things I liked about this book, besides the world building etc., was the writing. I felt it wasn’t overly descriptive, but still built up a good atmosphere. I wasn’t sat there wondering what people or places looked like, and I felt like the secondary characters were well flushed out. I also didn’t have any major issues with the pacing either – the book takes place over an entire school year, so I did expect time jumps, but there wasn’t anything jarring about them, and most of the questions I had about what might’ve happened off-page were answered within the first few pages post-jump, so I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything.
I also really enjoyed the plot – it kept me engaged throughout the book, and I think there was just enough going on that wasn’t centred around the romance that I didn’t put the book down and give up on it. I genuinely think I kept reading this for the world building and the interactions with the secondary characters.

There were a couple of small things that I found irritating though – and maybe I only picked up on this because I’m Australian. I was super excited to see an Australian character show up…until I found out his name: Ozzy. Really? Ozzy from Australia? The author couldn’t come up with a better name for her only Australian character? I think I would’ve preferred Joey. Or even Bazza. That wasn’t even the only thing with this character that annoyed me – it’s like she didn’t even try at all. We have Marvellous Creations chocolate in Australia - there is literally a Cadbury Dairy factory in Tasmania where the character who is ‘wildly curious’ about it is from. Yeah, okay, it’s a super minor detail, but if the author went to the effort of finding out it was available in the UK, she could’ve at least googled to see where else it exists (like Australia).

Now onto the romance. ‘Romance’? I’m not sure what to call that, because I did not think Anna had chemistry with either of the male MCs. And there was no romance involved anywhere in this book. To prove my point, here is a quote from Leo, 'I just assumed that I owned her and I always would. I thought I possessed her without actually earning it first.' Honestly, by the end of the book, I was rooting for Anna and Leo, but not because I wanted them to be happy – because I was sick of reading about the mutual pining and other people didn’t deserve to have to deal with them if they’d ended up in other relationships.
Also, I am aware how family trees work, truly. However, the situation between Anna and Leo is a little bit too close to a grey area for me, and I don’t know how I feel about that. The fact that the author feels the need to not only remind us that they are family, but that they’re not technically family, is sketchy, especially when it’s brought up more than once. And I’m just meant to accept the fact that they’re going to eventually sleep together…?

Overall, the only reason I would continue with this series is because none of the other books are about Leo & Anna, and I’m mildly intrigued about Zoe & Miles. And I’ve read some reviews about the spy plotline being executed rather well.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was not able to read this book and review it before its publishing date but now that I read it I have given it 4 stars.

It is a shame that I waited so long to read this series because it is totally engrossing and well done. I find, as an older reader, that I often don't do well with college-age characters, but there is an exception to every rule, and this is one of them. Great prose, wonderful pacing, and the art included in this version is stunning. 💖
**No longer reading anything from this author**

I honestly don't know why I keep trying with mafia romance but if anyone could make it work for me, it'd be Sophie Lark. Kingmakers presents an interesting premise of a school that trains mafia heirs. Year one introduces a cast of characters and a story that will hook readers.

Anna and Leo are clearly meant to be. The connection between them was apparent immediately but being childhood friends from close families made them question their feelings and worry about ruining their friendship. Going to Kingmakers together brought them closer but also introduced new obstacles.

I admit, this is a large cast of characters to introduce at one time and it did have me confused at times. I couldn't always keep up with everyone but I hope things get less confusing in future books. Some of the secondary characters definitely stole the show here and I look forward to reading their books.

The pacing of the plot was a little slow for me. The first half of the book felt like nothing but character development and then everything happened rather quickly at the end. I also felt that this was longer than necessary. A lot of description and character info that didn't seem to add anything to the story.

Overall, Kingmakers: Year One is a solid start to the series and a good introduction for those wanting to check out the mafia romance genre.

After recent events, I will no longer be supporting Sophie Lark by reading and reviewing any of her books.

Hmmm. Alright well, this wasn't quite as good as I was expecting. I loved the concept of this mafia world, with a college dedicated to mafia kids/heirs. The actual school was fun and exciting! I just didn't vibe with the romance at all, and I LOVE friends to lovers. There was no chemistry between Anna and Leo. To be honest, I wanted Anna to be with Dean (our 3rd POV) until his whole date rape drug thing. The romance barely happens until about 80% into the book and by then I was over it.

Unfortunately this book did not work for me. The romance between Anna and Leo did not make sense. Personally, for me the character lacked chemistry. Story and plot wise it was fine.

The friends to lovers isn’t exactly my cup of tea , but here i loved it! I’ve adored the concept of a school for the mafia’s elite next generation and the chemistry with Leo and Anna’s chemistry is realm everything!

"I’m going to dig a hole in you with my c*ck. I’m going to sculpt that perfect tight p*ssy to fit me alone, and I’m going to tear a path to make it fit.”

This was a very entertaining read! I really liked the idea of having an elite school where the children of mafia families go to. Leo and Anna’s chemistry was off the charge. I love the relationship and how they’ve been best friends since they were young. I know that you’re not supposed to like Dean in this book and I’m really excited to see how he gets redeemed later on in the series. I really did not like the love triangle in this book and it’s very much a love triangle in this romance. For a good 80% of the book, Ana and Leo are not together and are quite distant from one another and I wasn’t really a fan of that. I’ll say my favorite part of the book was definitely all of the mystery behind Kingmakers and wanting to see how the challenges ended.
I can’t wait to read the next books in the series unravel more of the mystery!

Read if you like:
Triple POVs
Elite Mafia school setting
Friends to lovers
Love triangle
Best friend’s enemy
School challenges
Virgin heroine

I was really excited about this book when I received it. However, there were parts of it that fell flat for me and I’m not really sure why unfortunately. Overall, the book was very good.

I’ll definitely continue on with the series. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite go-to favorite trope because i find it’s usually set up with at least one person liking the other forever and just never speaking up. But I really liked how in this book… their friendship was normal and platonic for so long, until one day things clicked for them and they couldn’t look back. Felt more of a true friends turning into lovers than other books I’ve read in the past with this trope. The books are supposed to be kind of like Hogwarts but mafia and romance. I definitely think it did life up to that but I was so excited for the romance because it’s forbidden but it was just so dense the only parts I really liked were Dean’s POV. When everyone finds out that they’re secretly dating they’re also chill with it even though they were raised as cousins their parents and their siblings and cousins didn’t even bat an eye at it.