Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I was a fast paced thriller but also a romance? This is a story of blood feuds, vendettas, and ancient family secrets. I enjoyed but also didn't love it.

This is a weird one. I won't pretend I did not love it, because I absolutely did, but it is a little bit silly. It has magic, a crime family, and a girl who happens to be a virgin in her late 20s.
She is smart and naive. And Dante is obsessed with her and having an baby for some reason.
Also the stuff with the oil in the shower in a bad idea because it will make it slippery and you will fall in your shower and paramedics will need to rescue your naked injured self. The sex scene should be sexy but I was like "oh no! Someone is gonna die!"
I love the narration.

This is a Mafia Mystery/ Psychological Suspense. I read this book by listening to the audiobook, and I did enjoy the narrator. There were parts of this book I really enjoyed, but there were parts I did not like. Also, I thought parts were boring and just not needed. I did like how the book end/wrapped up. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

That book was a weird one. I felt like I was several paces behind the whole time... The narration was ok I think I would rather have read this one... and I still might.

It was an interesting story but It felt a bit messy

3 stars

3 .5 Rounded to 4 ⭐️
Queue music from “A Kind of Peace”
By Jesse Harlin (Mafia III – Expanded Game Score)

They say you cannot judge a book by its cover, and true to the statement, what happens under the cover (pun intended) of Christina Dodd’s latest novel, Girl Anonymous is a lot more than what I anticipated! Having previous read and loved Dodd’s A Daughter of Fair Verona, I was intrigued by Girl Anonymous’ ‘book blurb’ touting it is a “darkly romantic thriller” – “The Godfather meets West Side Story.” The truly explosive beginning pulled me right in, and I loved the fact that the reader learns early on that there is not only history between the FMC and the MMC, but the FMC may just have a hint of Synesthesia, if not even psychometry. But interlaced with great action scenes and endearing emotional family scenes are some rather cringy moments (“Make a le pipi”) that distracted me and detracted from my overall enjoyment.

Much like you cannot put a label to the genres of books I enjoy reading, Girl Anonymous can’t be labeled in any one particular genre. Part mob romance, part whodunit, part action-adventure, with some magic/mysticism and a hefty dose of erotica. I would not tell everyone in my circle to go read it, but, yes, it was entertaining, especially if you are willing to give in to the suspension of disbelief.

As a child, Maarja Daire saw her mother ignite an explosion that killed vengeful mob boss Benoit Arundel—and herself—to save Maarja’s life. Maarja’s been on the run ever since…fleeing from intimacy, from love, from consequences.

Now an adult, Maarja hides in plain sight as a fine arts mover, transporting priceless belongings. Work for a new client brings her to the mansion where the fateful blast from her childhood occurred. There she meets Dante, the ruthless, scarred and brooding Arundel family boss. He watches her with dark intent…but does he remember her? Will he use her to take revenge for his father’s death? A chance turn of events earns her his trust, when she courageously leaps into flames to rescue his mother. And what happens between them in the darkness sets their worlds on fire, as Maarja recklessly abandons her lifelong caution and self-imposed isolation.

Dante calls the urgency between them Fate. Maarja denies him, struggles against his domination and fights the slow erosion of her resistance. When he vows to end the ancient feud, his hidden enemies seize the opportunity to destroy him and the woman he will do anything to protect. Bound together by destruction, passion and destiny, Dante and Maarja must navigate uncharted depths of betrayal and loss, to create a new beginning…before the flames of the vendetta consume them.

My Take:
I was treated to the advanced listener copy after the book was published, so I assume that I received the final copy of the book and will focus on how the story was performed. Narrator Vanessa Johannsson does a good job performing all the voices and drawing the reader into the story. One would not err by selecting this mode to engage with the story.

This book drops you right into the action and doesn’t slow down. The sparks starts between Dante and Maarja in the first 30 pages and continues until the end. Each character is interesting, fully developed and comes alive right from the beginning. The story is a romantic suspense novel. While it revisits the fictional city of Gothic, CA it is a stand-alone book. The author adds in a host of friends and family from both sides to create the captivating story lines to keep you reading and cheering on the heroine. Everyone is a suspect and the twists and turns throughout the book keep you guessing

Thank you @netgalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC.

Christina Dodd is one of my favorite authors thanks to her Cape Charade series which I read the first book of and gave it an easy 5 stars. I have been trying to read more of her other books now and when I saw Girl Anonymous it was a no brainer for me to read it. I believe this is my first mafia romance book (or maybe second?) and it is fully unique and steamy AF. I loved Maarja and Dante and the tension between the two was off the charts. I will say I was more invested at the beginning of the book and things did get a little weird, but this was such a fun read that I can’t be mad at it.

The audiobook was decent, and I did enjoy Vanessa Johansson as the narrator, but I think this is a book where having duet narration would have made it amazing. I couldn’t really get behind Johanssons’ voice for Dante, and hearing a male voice for him would have been 👌🏼. Girl Anonymous definitely came across as a dark romantic thriller for me and the body count continues to rise as we get through the book. I did find myself getting sidetracked while listening to it as well as being a little confused which is essentially what brought my rating down a bit. However, if you want a steamy thriller with a mafia family vibe this is a great pick!

My Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Audiobook Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫

Anonymous is a romantic thriller with crime family vibes. It’s dark and mysterious, with spice. If you’re looking for an easy read that blends the romance and thriller/crime fiction genres, this is a good pick.

I enjoyed how the female MC’s views on life clashed with the Male MC’s old world perspective, and how the female MC pushed back against his ideals while also finding the allure of his dominant protective nature.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story which was performed by a single narrator, Vanessa Johansson. This story is dual POV, but is primarily in the female MC’s perspective. I do like when each POV has a separate narrator, but this narrator did a great job delivering the story and the POVs with distinction. I listened at 1.75x speed (this is my normal audiobook listening speed).

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this advanced listening copy.

I was very excited to get the chance to read and review the latest book by Christina Dodd. I love books that are "fast-paced psychological suspense of betrayal and vigilante justice". Unfortunately, this book did not hit that mark.
This book was about ancient feuds in a modern world involving a mob boss who believes in star-crossed destiny and a 27 year old virgin. The author attempted to combine a thriller with crime fiction with romance, and then sprinkled some paranormal stuff in as well. I like cross-genre books, but this was just so disjointed that it left me feeling very discombobulated. Is it a thriller? Romance? Fantasy? Who knows?!
I thought there would be more thrilling parts, but it was actually a fair bit spicier than I was expecting, with an adult Romeo and Juliet vibe throughout. The suspense wasn't all that suspenseful and even the twists were ho-hum.
I'm sure there are a lot of people who really enjoy this book. I am just not one of them.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Christina Dodd for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

ARC copy, audiobook
Book: 2 stars
Narration: 4 stars

I enjoyed the narrator and the storyline. I was ready to start figuring out what the main character's past was all about until the graphic sexual content
derailed my reading. I didn't like the crass language the author used to describe the sexual encounter. Just not for me so I stopped reading the book.

This story is a mix of romance, dark mafia, and suspense with a touch of paranormal activity. I'm not quite sure how to feel about this one, but it didn't land for me. It was just okay.

This was my first book by this author, and while it kept me somewhat entertained, it felt disjointed. There was an attempt to weave paranormal with normal, and it didn't work well in my opinion. It was labeled as "The Godfather" meets "Westside Story". I get what the author tried to do, but the execution fell flat. Maybe it was the wrong time for me to read this one. I'll try again at another time. This was my first book by this author, but I would definitely like to read some of her other work.

Vanessa Johansson nailed the narration. She handled all the characters flawlessly!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed listening to the second half of this audiobook. I loved the fast pace and that the characters finally were likable to me. I felt the first half of the story was a bit slow. I loved the psychological suspense throughout the story. I began to like both Maarja and Dante as the story went along. I enjoyed the sense of family in the story. I received a copy of the book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Wow! This book has all the Wow’s – it drops you straight into the action and never slows down. Everyone is a suspect and the twists and turns throughout the book keep you guessing. I loved the link to the town of Gothic although many of the characters from previous books did not make an appearance in this one. This is primarily an action-packed thriller but the romance between the two main characters is a central part of the plot and the book goes back and forth between present and events in their childhood as their relationship develops. Overall, a great, quick read. Bb The views expressed here are my own.

Quite honestly, this book confused on many aspects in the beginning because I couldn’t figure out the genre. Is it fiction? Fantasy? Magical realism?

It took a long time to figure it out.

What I loved:
- its action packed and kept me guessing until the end.
- the narration was good and kept me entertained
- the family feud. I love a good rivalry

What didn’t work for me:
- the romance. Which, was a large part of the story. It felt like something was missing…
- everything else.

Still, it kept me entertained and the audio was fun to listen to so give it a whirl.

This one was a bit of a miss for me. I didn’t connect with the characters, and for that reason I found myself not really caring. The narrator did a good job though.

This was a vibes book - nothing over the top or wild, but an engaging, fun, quick read. There are some things left open ended (or maybe I didn't catch it) with the paranormal pieces. I liked the magic / gypsy vibes. Then there was the mafia / mob connections that had me intrigued.

This was definitely a thriller that kept me engaged and guessing. The writing came together nicely and had a sprinkle of romance.

The narrator was amazing !!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review

I don’t know what I expected, but this wasn’t it. I’ve enjoyed books by this author in the past, but unfortunately this audiobook was not for me. I considered DNF multiple times, but ultimately stuck it out.

My biggest issue was that it was unclear what this book was supposed to be. Romance? Thriller? Magical realism? Mob/Action? Paranormal? There’s elements of all of them – a mixed genre story for sure that made the actions and motivations of the characters feel a little hot and cold and hard to follow.

I didn’t find the characters relatable. And some of the language used was all over the place (like telling her to go put some ice on her boo boo from the same man that was just talking about her c**t???).

There were occasional scenes that were entertaining, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough for me to recommend this audiobook.

Narration worked to make it engaging, with various voices and accents, but given the other things that weren’t working for me, I just couldn’t get into it.

Girl Anonymous by Christina Dodd is a gripping and suspenseful novel.
I’m a big fan of this authors work and this was another wonderful read.
The compelling narrative and well-drawn characters had me up so late.
The way she creates her characters is seriously the best. They are intriguing and entertaining.
Christina Dodd's ability to build and maintain suspense makes this novel a captivating read for fans of psychological thrillers.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio and Netgalley for this audio. I really enjoyed the mystery and thriller aspect of the story along with a bit of romance. The characters were a mess, but I'd definitely recommend it on audio.