WOOOOOO MAFIA IS SO BACK!

Grumpy MMC mafia who accidentally runs over the FMC? I was immediately sold.
I loved Raffa and Guenaviere's dynamic throughout the story seeing them bickering to their blossoming romance.
A favorite trope is the found family trope and it was executed so well!

This was stunning!

Giana made us all fall in love with Italy from the beginning of this book. Guinevere’s passion and love truly shone through the pages. Then as she discovered, the dark world around her tried to creep in but, unknowingly, Raffa was keeping her safe.

Guinevere’s naivety while sweet and delightful to watch as her experiences unfolded, still left her with a massive disadvantage in regards to the real world. Her parents have kept so many secrets from her that she cannot see danger when it is right in front of her.

Raffa was a treat. This man just found his soul and had it ripped right out again. I loved getting to know his close group. I hope to see more of his family in the next book.

I loved the chemistry, the story building, the side characters, there was so much to enjoy. I started reading this in KU then discovered the audio. The male narrator was an absolute delight. His accent and gruff voice was the perfect Italian mafioso.

My first but not last from Giana! This was such a wild ride. I’m a mafia girl through and through. When we started with action? I knew i needed to buckle up for the ride. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this author’s other series, and wasn’t surprised to find myself enjoying this book!

5/5✨ 3/5🔥⁣
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“𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝? 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐞? 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞.”⁣
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Raffa and Guinevere have my heart yall. This book was everything I wanted and more from the next Giana Darling mafia book. It had me cackling from their banter, to absolutely swooning from the things Raffa said to her, to blushing like nobody’s business. ⁣
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This book is set in Tuscany, and Guinevere is an American traveling there for the first time in her life after graduating college. Her first day there and she runs into (literally.. he hits her with his car while shes running 😅) Raffa who ends up saving her and letting her stay with him while she gets better. ⁣
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The two of them obviously fall into this amazing romance over the summer while she is there and it couldn’t be more beautiful. I loved how opposite they were in every way and yet so perfect for each other. ⁣
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“𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈’𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧.“⁣
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Like literally every single one of her books, this was such an amazing read and I absolutely cannot wait to be back in this world. October cannot come fast enough! ⁣
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If you like:⁣
- Mafia Romance⁣
- Bad Boy/Good Girl⁣
- When He Talks Her Through It⁣
- Age Gap⁣
- Hidden Identity⁣
- Found Family⁣
- Billionaire ⁣
- Virgin FMC⁣
- Touch Her & 💀⁣
- Spanking (not just 🍑)⁣
- Possessive Hero⁣
and lots more.. I highly recommend checking this one out yall!

The end . . . for now.

These four words almost killed me.

Guinevere aka Jinx has to be supremely unlucky until she is saved by Raffa. Even though he hit her with his car, he still saved her and took her in when she needed help.

Raffia isn't known for being friendly and saving people. There was just something about Guinevere that drew him to her.

Soon, they are involved in a sexy passionate fling while she spends her summer in Italy. A place her father forbid her from going.

Intensely drawn together, it's impossible to stay apart. With under six weeks of her holiday, Guinevere is inexplicably drawn to Raffa, but she doesn't know the truth about who Raffa really is.

“Oh c’mon. You’re you. I’m sure you could have any girl in Tuscany with one snap of your fingers.”Slowly, he raised his hand between us and snapped his fingers. “Oh look. It is the only girl I want in Tuscany.”

Absolutely fantastic read. I almost felt I was learning the language right along side of Guinevere. Raffa was dreamy. Perfect, actually. All the side characters really added to the story as well. I found myself on the edge of my seat by that ending. Literally gasping and heartbroken, I need to know more. Please, please let this not be the end🙏

I definitely recommend 👌 😍

This the 1st book in the , My Dark Mafia Romance, duet and we get to meet Guinevere, aka Vera, and Raffael, aka Raffa…

Tropes:

🥀Mafia Romance
🥀Age Gap
🥀Billionaire Mafioso MMC
🥀American Virgin FMC
🥀Set in Italy
🥀Painful Meet Cute
🥀Family Secrets
🥀No HEA
🥀Touch Her and 💀
🥀Dual POV
🥀Duet
🥀Slow Burn
🥀High Chemistry
🥀Forced Proximity
🥀Hidden Identity
🥀Bad Boy x Good Girl

What can I say Giana Darling never Disappoints her books are so good but this one might be one of the top books of hers!

I do not like spoilers!! This book and the story holy crap!
Raffa might be the best book husband! Guinevere is an American tourist wanting to explore and to find out more about her dad’s family. In the process she goes through a lot and she meets her dark Prince Charming comes to the rescue and helps her through out the process and helps her find her self and how she really is!

Yes😪, it Ends in a cliffhanger and I cannot wait for the next book!

MY HEART HURTS AND IT SHATTERED TO PIECES. That ending. Will my sanity and heart survive? That’s the question. Top read for 2025! And I can't wait for the second book!

I really liked Raffa. He is a mysterious man because of what he does for work. He also has a very caring side. He is loyal to those he cares about and will do what he can to make his family and the ones he loves happy. He provides and does what he has to. I love the care he puts into Guinevere when she is just a stranger.

Guinevere is a nice character. She is finally doing something for herself and exploring the world. She worked her for her vacation and deserves to be there. She is kind, helpful, and explorative. I enjoy her more in the second half of the story when she starts to find herself and really speak up. She is a character that everyone around her loves.

I wish we did get a bit more of Raffa’s mafia side. I wanted a bit more of the dark from the dark fairy tale.

I did not see the story ending how it did. I thought there was going to be a secret revealed about Guinevere’s father or I thought we would find that Gemma’s death wasn’t an accident.

Raffa and Guinevere need to be together even though someone is clearly trying not to let that happen. Excited for book 2.

4.5 Stars

(Mafia romance, virgin FMC, age gap, he's obsessed, he takes care of her when she is sick, cliffhanger)

WOW. This mafia romance took my breath away!

The female main character (FMC) is young, innocent yet adventurous. The male main character is a handsome Italian mafia leader. SOLD. When the FMC lives out her dream of visiting Italy, she doesn’t expect her car to breakdown in the country side, get approached by a questionable stranger and have to run for her life. THEN get hit by a car. A car driven by the mafia leader.

There is a undeniable connection between them and he ends up taking her back to his place to care for her. Besides being injured from running and being hit by a car, she comes down with a sickness for about a week and he TAKES CARE OF HER. SWOOOOOOOON. I love this moment so much.

The connection between the characters, the tension, steam and then spice was absolutely delicious. I also really enjoyed the mafia details and plot.

AND THE CLIFFHANGER. I can't wait for more.

Don’t you just love when you’re reading a book and you can actually see it play out like a movie in your mind? That was MDFT for me 😍 every second reading it felt like I was in Tuscany right alongside Guinevere and Raffaele. The way they met was so iconic and it hooked me right into this story!

The MMC, Raffa, was so swoony 🫠😮‍💨 He literally kills anyone who dares to touch her but he also has braids her when she’s sick *sobs* If that isn’t devotion I’m not sure what is 🥹 I liked Guinevere’s character but it was really hard to believe she was so freaking naive when it came to who he truly was, so because of that, her actions towards the end of the book felt a little annoying to me.

Overall, I really think this is the perfect summer read to pick up if you’re looking to step your toes into mafia or dark romance, as it’s pretty light on the mafia lore, but be warned… there is a cliffhanger at the end. And if you’re anything like me, you’re going to need the next book like right freaking now!

What to expect:
• mafia romance
• bad boy X good girl
• age gap
• hidden identity
• chronic illness rep
• only soft for her
• Italian billionaire MMC
• virgin FMC
• touch her & die

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Read if you like:
- Mafia Romance
- Summers in Italty
- Age gap romance
- Found family

Review:
Guinevere's Italy trip does not begin how she imagined it to be. For the first time, she's in Italy (against her parents wishes) living out one of her dreams. But after running away from a terrifying situation, our main boy Raffa HITS HER WITH HIS CAR. (ok she rly runs into it herself). Raffa is very much a "I hate everyone but her" but doesn't want to be a hero, but can't help himself when it comes to her.

This is definitely a whirlwind of a summer romance packed with action and secrets that Raffa may be keeping from Guinevere about the truth of his line of work?👀 Raffa has no problem treating Guinevere like the queen she is and you can really tell that he worships the ground she walks on. I love the nods to the classics and that the characters both bond over Dante's Inferno. The romance is well balanced with the mafia element and it left me very invested as to what happens next.

My Dark Fairy Tale is available now (and also on KU!!). Thank you Giana Darling for the e-arc <3

If you are obsessed with mafia romance, all the angst, swoon worthy romance, and yummy spice then make sure you pick up this one ... this story had me feeling so many things, and wondering if I had been drinking wine the wrong way this whole time (iykyk)

𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳
➵ mafia
➵ age gap
➵ forced proximity
➵ virgin FMC
➵ hand necklaces
➵ incorrect (maybe) use of wine
➵ look at her and ☠️
➵ biting / marking
➵ “mine”
➵ face fv¢king

𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 4/5⭐️ | 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 3/5🌶️ | 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 4/5🔥

This book! Had me hooked from the beginning.. We have Guinevere & Raffa... Guinevere decides to travel to Italy so she can get to know more of her background since her dad left Italy and basically never allowed his kids to travel near it. Honestly would like to know that story! So Guinevere arriving ends up being saved by Raffa who at the moment is her knight in shining armor.. but not everything is how it seems... Once you start this story, you won't be able to put it down.. Let me tell you that I am not a fan of cliffhangers!! Lol now I need to count the days for book 2... *Patiently waiting*

Giana never disappoints me and this one was no different. From the very first page, this book transports you straight to Italy with its rich, immersive details—I could practically feel the Tuscan sun on my skin. The setting isn’t just a backdrop; it’s woven into the story in a way that makes you feel like you're right there, caught up in the romance and danger.

And speaking of romance, Rafa and Vera’s chemistry is off the charts. The way he wants to be her white knight while being an undeniable villain? Perfection. 🖤 Their inside jokes, whispered Italian sweet nothings, and deep, intimate moments create the kind of love story that feels both wildly passionate and deeply personal.

Yes yes yes! This man can hit me with his car any day and I will ask for it again. This was such a fun read, you have the secret mafia, Italy, I felt like I was there with them with how Giana described every scene.. I love thang the FMC was able to find herself through this book as well.

4.5 ⭐️ 3🌶️

Tropes:
Mafia romance
Age gap
Alpha MMC/Innocent FMC
Italian setting
Praise 😏
Dark romance

Now this is my type of mafia romance! This was my first time reading anything by Giana Darling and it definitely left me addicted and wanting more! Right from the start to the very last page this book was an epic wild ride! 🖤

Raffa the Italian alpha MMC mafia boss is completely ruthless, keeps his circle small, and of course is dangerous! He lets his guard down for a certain lady who he desires and we will see a bit of his tender side 🖤

Guinevere is the sweetest and has a bit of adventurous side. She took off to Italy in secret even though it was against her parent's wishes! Shes just trying to enjoy her time in Italy. But then she has a run in with a mafia boss 😏🥰

The chemistry between these two is 🔥 and the overall story I am so obsessed with! I ate up all the dirty humour and banter, I desperately need more as the cliffhanger ending was something else!!!

Now I need to go and find all of Giana's previous work! If you like mafia romances - I definitely suggest this one 🥰🖤🫶

Gian Darling is a new to me author and let me tell you I’m obsessed. I went into this completely blind and loved every second of it, & ended up reading it in one sitting.

I LOVED this book!!
Raffaele & Guinevere was everything, their meet cute was amazing
The spice 🫠
if you've read my of giana's books before
then you know her spice is always so hot
The ending yesterday
(e) I am so ready for book 2 l need it like

I have read a lot of Mafia romances, but this one hit so much differently. The characters, the atmosphere, the plot in itself, the cliffhanger... They all created a perfect blend.

Guinevere and Raffa literally took me on a journey to Italy, a place that I love so much myself and which I wish would become more present as a setting in books. And here it is: "My Dark Fairy Tale", a love letter to Italy's beauty and cultural richness. It had everything I hoped for: a vividly described setting, wine (the winery scene will leave rent free in my mind), the Italian language (I loved how much this was actually part of the story), and a swoon-worthy Italian hero. Raffa was such a phenomenal hero, especially because we got to see his mental struggle between his position and Guinevere. Plus, I am not usually a fan of the secret identity trope, but this one was one of the best executions I have ever read. It was extremely believable, and it led to a phenomenal cliffhanger (which I don't know how I am going to survive until October, but it was very good nonetheless).

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, and I would highly recommend it if you are in the mood for a trip to Italy, falling in love with a capo and a spark of danger.

🖤Mafia Romance
🖤Virginia Heroine
🖤Age Gap
🖤Hidden Identity
🖤Set in Italy
🖤 “Teach me”
🖤Only soft for her
🖤Illness Rep

This book was SO GOOD!

Guinevere just wants to go to Florence and experience the culture and see the amazing sights of her heritage. She didn’t ask to be hit with a sports car driven by this sexy Italian man. Kinda worked out for her though?

This book was so romantic, mafia hits and all. I loved the raw story of Raff finding a love for his country again and for this American girl he didn’t see coming. They explored together, kissed under the stars and danced. It was like I was in Italy experiencing this new love and I ate it up. Raff was such a mafia boss on the outside and a cinnamon roll in the inside in the best ways.

There are so many things left that I can’t wait to discover about in the next book! It kept me reeled in and I devoured this book. The spice was fabulous, the story telling kept me locked in and unable to put it down.

Thank you so much to Giana for this amazing ARC! Love being part of your team!

The chemistry, the swoon, the heat?! This was such a good mafia story. Rafa and Guinevere are the perfect match and I loved watching their sweet and dark relationship grow. It ends on a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to read the next one!