This was an entertaining mafia romance, but I struggled with the writing. There was a lot of chaos and like I get it, I think that was the point. Just a little too choppy for me.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this ARC.

Ties That Bind Us is an arranged marriage, mafia romance. It was just an okay read for me. I think it lacked real character development, and the author could have added a bit more to the storyline.

Overall rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️

I wasn’t a mafia romance fan, but now I 100% am!

Ties That Bind Us was one of those perfect reads that I wasn’t expecting to capture my attention and hold it for the entirety of the book. I would have finished it sooner but work/time/responsibilities got in my way (sometimes I hate having to be an adult 😂). My favorite part? Honestly, it was the family dynamics. Seeing the fundamental differences between how Ava and Nick were raised - and how that is a central theme throughout the book - really added to my overall understanding of the book itself. Ava is that wild child, but she always felt the need to follow a “father knows best mentality.” Nick was at least brought up with unconditional love! That is shown throughout the book, and how Nick and Ava’s relationship changes when he finally starts loving her in a way she didn’t know was possible.

I also loved the minor plot twist in the beginning- I was like “oh no, this is going to drag on and become a major issue, right??” but luckily, Nicole Knight gave us EXACTLY what we wanted 😉

Book review
Ties That Bind Us by Nicole Night

DNF at 40ish percent. I enjoyed the premise of the book however I could not get over the way the family addressed her drug use. Especially how her sister pushed her.

First off, thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this eArc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Secondly, due to some mental health issues, this took me a very long time to read and I'm sorry for that.
I'm also sorry to announce that I dnfd at 83%

Ava, a Mafia princess trying to become a lawyer to win her father's approval, but reckless and decides on a one night stand that will change her life forever.

Nick, a Mafia prince harboring a dark secret. An arranged marriage. An alliance, Vengeance and death.

I thought this book was too rushed in parts and slow in others, because of the continuous time skips that happen, I didn't develope any connections to the characters and the story itself felt a bit disjointed. The plot was kinda predictable.
Nicks POV doesn't much make sense in the way he sees Ava. He sees her as this strong fiery woman, yet also fragile enough not to tell her the whole story, but also in Avas POV she doesn't seem strong to me at all. She's weak minded and doesn't see how toxic her family is.

What made me Dnf the book though, wasn't the fact that there's a surprise pregnancy in it but how she dealt with it. Her attitude and behavior towards Nick changes drastically and for what seems like no reason. I have been pregnant and my personality didn't do a 180.. is that common? If it is, poor men.

All in all, it was a pretty predictable story that I neither enjoyed or disliked. It just exists.

✨ Publication date: April 15, 2025✨

Ties That Bind Us is a stand alone steamy mafia romance by debut author Nicole Knight.

Ava Moretti is the daughter of one of New Yorks Italian mob bosses. Left out of family business but expected to represent the family name. Ava meets a handsome stranger and decides to give him one night to remember.

Nick Caponelli knows he will need to marry for the benefit of his family when the time is right. When a beautiful stranger gives him the opportunity to have one night, no strings attached, it’s exactly what he needs.

Nick and Ava can’t stop thinking about each other, even though they agreed to one night. When Nick finds out he’s contracted by his father to marry one of the Moretti daughters he can’t believe his luck, he’ll get to spend the rest of his life with Ava.

They have always had amazing chemistry but now they need to get to know each other and learn to trust each other. As they learn to navigate their new situation they discover Ava’s father has been making other deals that will put Ava in harms way.

I liked Ava and Nick’s relationship. Loved their chemistry and steamy encounters. There is a bit of a suspense twist that helped move the story along as well. This is a 4 star read for me.

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

#NetGalley #nicoleknight #tiesthatbindus

Blew my mind! Seriously I didn't expect anything that happened. I am obsessed with this author! I need more desperately

MAFIA ROMANCE!!!!! Okay, so I've only read the Dark Verse (RunYx) series in this sub-genre so that's what I'm comparing it to. This was like a worse version of that ... but still had the same addictiveness somehow? Make sure you search trigger warnings before and go in with low expectations.

Ava & Nic are a great match. The face that Nic lets her have autonomy; and involve her in things and is always honest is refreshing for a book & Ava alike. Ava is a good headstrong match, it was nice seeing her growth as a person. Author did well handling the miscarriage and adoption pieces which is always nice. 😊

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The struggles Ava and Nick both went thru and how they came out on the other side was captivating. Nick is literally the best book boyfriend, he's possesive and supportive. And the way he loves with his whole self is everything. I'm excited to read more from Nicole Knight!

This was my first mafia romance, and I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was so fun and exciting!

Ava is literally the definition of “the bolter,” and I LOVE FMCs like that because it gives them more of a backbone and makes the MMC more and more obsessed (which we LOVE to see of course). Nick was obsessed with Ava in the hottest ways EVER. He was arrogant and cocky, which I normally hate, but it was impossible for me not to love him in the end. Together, their relationship was so passionate, and the tension had me in a chokehold! They had an instant connection that was undeniable, and I FEIGNED for it. Also, THE BANTER??? Ate it up.

I always love a good “rival families” trope; it makes things so interesting, especially since, in this case, they both worked in the mafia, which gave it a sense of suspense for me.

All in all, this was a good read, and I’m now obsessed with mafia romances—more to come for sure!

3.7 ★ (may change later, I’m indecisive)

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾!

Thank you NetGalley and Wattpad Webtoon Book Group for this ARC of Ties That Bind Us. It has rival families, one night stand, lots of plot twists. I was intrigued in the beginning but as I kept reading, I was losing focus bc there were a lot of gaps and not so much action + dark mafia scenes. I’ve read a lot of dark mafia romances and this was light so I do recommend if you’re wanting to dip your toes into mafia romance, read Ties That Bind Us.

In this steamy mafia romance, Ava Moretti has a passionate night with a handsome stranger, only to discover he’s Nick Caponelli, the heir to a rival mafia family. When her father forces her to marry Nick for the sake of the family business, Ava must choose between loyalty to her family and the undeniable connection she shares with her sworn enemy. As Ava navigates the dangerous world of crime and family, she faces a life-altering decision—love or duty.

Hooked from the first page, if you enjoy books by Ana Huang, Rhenna Morgan, and L.J. Shen then this is right up your alley! fast paced and will have you wondering what's going to happen next.

This book has a great flow, it’s packed with action and the spice is perfect!! There wasn’t a moment in this story where I felt bored or was waiting for something to happen. Nick fell as soon as he saw Ava but it didn’t feel like an insta-love. Nick showed Ava what love and care is supposed to look like after realizing how her dad actually treated her and I’m so happy for Ava to know what it feels like and how she stood up to her dad.

This book has a great flow, it’s packed with action and the spice is perfect!! There wasn’t a moment in this story where I felt bored or was waiting for something to happen. Nick fell as soon as he saw Ava but it didn’t feel like an insta-love. Nick showed Ava what love and care is supposed to look like after realizing how her dad actually treated her and I’m so happy for Ava to know what it feels like and how she stood up to her dad.

As much as this book had a great story, I do wish that the couple were able to communicate in a little bit more of a healthy way!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

I love a good mafia romance story and Ties that Bind Us by Nicole Knight was the perfect steamy read.

I originally read this book in 2022.
I gotta say I love the new reprint.

TIES THAT BIND US by Nicole Knight was exciting, fast-paced and satisfying!
This book has the best of both worlds. Romance and crime. I loved the mafia aspect of this story. It proved to be that much more intriguing.

This was such a great read!
I was instantly hooked and once I started I couldn't stop!
The characters are hot, sweet hard I instantly fell in love.
I could picture them perfectly.
The writing was good.
Fast paced, intriguing, exhilarating, compelling.
I can't wait to read book two.

I read a fair amount of Mafia Romances, and what I liked about Ties that Bind Us is the pacing. I’m a stickler, as a reader, when it comes to being pulled in from the beginning of a story. Author Nicole Knight drew me in with Ava and Nick’s characters. I was incredibly wrapped up in all the drama involved in everyone’s lives. Between Ava’s emotional struggles with her twin brother and challenges to stay clean, her father’s controlling behavior, and her ex-boyfriend’s manipulation, the story is packed. Nick, the mafia boss, handles things so well. He’s the best at handling everything. Nick was simply the best. I loved the ending, too

This was such a good read!! I loved it. I would highly recommend reading this. Was quick and easy and would recommend to audience

This had the potential to be a stand-out book, with some key pieces of a mafia romance in place: Nick & Ava had clear chemistry, rival families brought together by a marriage contract, and enough brothers and sisters to make a great supporting cast.

Unfortunately, the writing didn’t allow for any of these components to click. Transitions were so sudden between places, moods, and conversations that I was often asking “Wait, how did we get here?”. Also, character personalities didn’t really line up with actions or dialogue.

If someone is looking for a surface-level mafia romance, this checks the boxes; however, this could be an easy DNF for others.

The highlight of this book is that the main male character is so well developed. Secure with himself and emotional intelligent.... and we love that!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Wattpad for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

For the sake of full transparency, I did end up DNFing this book. I thought the plot/story idea was really fun and something I would normally enjoy. I love the idea of anonymous lovers having an epic night only to find out they're sworn enemies. We're talking enemies to lovers and arranged marriage and morally gray characters. However, there were too many things about the book that made it too hard for me to enjoy. I understand this is an ARC copy and may not have completed the editing processes, but the amount of errors in spelling, formatting, missing words, etc there were led me to believe it hadn't ever been edited at all. In addition, the writing itself felt very chaotic and juvenile. It made following along in the story sometimes difficult. It also lacked chemistry between the main characters, as their interactions took on a clinical quality that left out passion. The time jumping back and forth in the first couple chapters was also very confusing and did not help to keep my attention.

Ultimately, after a lot of editing, I do think this story could be something a lot of people would love to read. It just isn't for me as is.