I struggled with this book. I couldn't get into the audiobook from the start - I think the one voice for different characters was just something I couldn't get my head around. I also couldn't stay focused on the storyline. I was either zoning out or confused. Hopefully my next book by this author will be better.

Book review: 3/5 ⭐️
Genre: mob romance
Themes: fated, vendetta, feuding gangs, processing loss

A Romeo and Juliet style story, but with adults set in a gangster world of old French family feuds. Our Romeo is head of wealthy family and former French syndicate Dante Arundel. His fated love is fine arts mover Marrja Daire. She too has a dark history of violence for her mother caused the very explosion that killed Dante’s father and impaired his mother. Hiding from her true identity, intimacy and most forms of love, her life is set on a collision course when she attempts to save the Arundel matriarch and in doing so earns the respect and admiration of the son and heir, whether or not she wants it. The bonds between them ignite instantaneously and when an opportunity presents itself to end a lifelong feud, Dante will stop at nothing to protect and love Marrja. With assassins lying in wait, bombs and disguises with secrets buried deep, this was an exciting read.

I will admit I thought this was a thriller when I read the synopsis. It has enough action and plot to keep me intrigued throughout, but it also had a lot more spice than I was anticipating. Not a bad thing, but I think it’s good to know what you are in for. At its heart, it is a romance with a somewhat domineering male and a fair amount of violence in the air. The relationships are a combination of sweet and toxic with Benoit Arundel being a fine specimen of the worst scum found on earth and Dante being a thoughtful yet determined opposite. The mother-child relationships were well developed to make these people feel tragically real, not like they were just dropped in this ridiculous circumstance.

All in all, I very much enjoyed my first dark crime romance. I am not sure the domination or the incestual rape is something I will want to read on a regular basis, and as you know I am not a huge romance reader, but it was a nice change in my reading list. I thought it managed to blend a few genres together well enough and there were some good plot twists. It was intriguing that everyone was a suspect and that the author integrated in some Romani customs into the storyline. It was a little slower than expected, especially in audiobook format, but I was able to get into it by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for a chance to read and review this audiobook.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for this advance audiobook copy of Girl Anonymous by Christina Dodd.

Where do I begin? This is a spicy, mob based thriller that bounces around a bit, but towards the end has one focus and is easy to follow along with. I almost wanted to stop this one in the first half, but I kept going...albeit at a slower pace, but I'm satisfied I stuck with it.

We have Maarja who lost her mother at a young age and inadvertently helped kill a mob boss, which because of this was in hiding. As an art mover, she ends up back at the Arundel house (the same one where she was involved with the now deceased mob boss), where an explosion takes place and takes out the mother. Maarja manages to make it to safety, but now is dealing with Dante, the Arundel son.

Dante decides he must protect her and essentially he forces himself on her. At this point in the book, I was rolling my eyes and just not enjoying Dante as a person. Maarja was a virgin and was essentially forced into something in order to save her life, and I just didn't like the aspect and how Maarja justified what was happening. It felt abusive and I never really liked Maarja and Dante after this.

The story goes on and we find out someone is after the Arundel family. More spicy scenes happen and more cringing on my part happens. They put together a plan to try and catch who is doing this to the family and I will say the last 25% of the book I was hooked in. It was all business and I absolutely enjoyed the ending. I think if there wasn't so much bouncing around or spice (don't get me wrong, I love spice, but this was just cringey and felt very forced), this would have been a 5 star book, but it took a lot to get through to enjoy this one.

If this falls into your lap, read it, but take caution. I wouldn't seek this one out!

🌶️🌶️

If you love mafia romance, you need to check this one out. It has a twist of mystical elements in it, which kept it fresh. Not mafia exactly, but the MMC is from a FAMILY. I would call this a romantic thriller, not suspense, because honestly, people were dropping like flies 😅 I never truly knew who the bad guy was, because everyone was under suspicion. But the sparks and romance were there too.

❤️ Tropes ❤️
💋 enemies to lovers
💋 forbidden romance
💋 forced proximity
💋 fated mates

Dante knows someone is trying to kill his mom and will do everything in his power to save her. As the next head of the family, he has resources to move her to safety. But an explosion rocks their home as the fine antiques were being sent out the door. The worker who charged into save his mom looks familiar and unfortunately put crosshairs on her back by attempting to save his mom. Which means she now is under his protection and not given the option to leave his home and all of his safety precautions. While they race around dodging assassins, it is revealed that she is the last surviving member of the rival family’s line. Everyone will expect him to finish eradicating the line, but the feelings he is developing for her are anything but hate.

I listened to Girl Anonymous by Christina Dodd and thought the narration and performances were strong—the audiobook cast did a great job bringing the characters to life.

That said, I struggled with the book itself. It felt like it was trying to be too many things at once: part thriller, part romance, part historical fiction, and even a little bit of family drama. For me, it ended up feeling a bit all over the place.

The story follows Maarja, who’s been hiding in plain sight ever since a deadly explosion tore her life apart as a child. Working as a fine art mover, she ends up at the mansion where it all began and comes face-to-face with Dante Arundel—a scarred, brooding figure who may or may not recognize her. Their connection is intense, complicated by old family vendettas and dangerous secrets.

I’ve read other books by Christina Dodd and enjoyed them, but this one wasn’t my favorite. Still, I think readers who love a mix of romance and historical fiction will find a lot to enjoy here. It just wasn’t the right fit for me.

This book just was not what I was expecting. I could not get into it and understand the meaning behind anything. The connection between the two characters really confused me in the beginning and the way it was worded felt like a child was describing scenes. I made the tough decision to DNF this book.

I also wanted to add that I was listening to this as an Audiobook and I had a hard time with the narrator so that could also be part of the problem. I would be willing to try to read this as a physical book at some point to give it another chance.

At about 10-15% in I was about to abandon this one…as I felt it was way too far fetched! BUT, I continued, and I’m so glad I did!
IYKYK, but, the beginnings of this were a bit crazy for me. (If you read it, I think you’ll understand…)
Maarja is ‘working’ in a mansion, moving fine arts to a safe haven, when an explosion occurs. What happens next will absolutely CHANGE her life! But, it also intertwines her life with a person (Dante) she wanted nothing to do with when she entered the mansion…
From here she enters into a world she does not know, and really never wanted to.
Will she really change and go along with all this?
Or, will she return to her quiet, sedate life?

You will see how friends and family come into play to both help and hinder circumstances…

Interesting read, and left my mouth hanging open on several occasions!,

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

#GirlAnonymous by #ChristinaDodd and narrated nicely by #VanessaJohansson.

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #HarlequinAudio for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.
*** Release date was earlier this week, so look 👀 for it on shelves now!! ***

You can find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Insta @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

I got this as an arc from NetGalley! This was my first mystery/mobster/smut type read. I had a good time reading it and I’d recommend it as a palette cleaners type read.

It pains me to do a one star review. This is something I’ve barely done in my time of being a book reviewer. But I think when you read a blurb, you should have enough comfort in what you are about to read. There are two factors that are in this book that are not relayed in the blurb and it could put off other readers as I was put off. And then, considering that I have enjoyed many of Christina Dodd’s books over the past several years, this is not something that I really wanted to do. I will only mention one thing that factored into this “review”. Here are my initial thoughts:

I hate to DNF a book, but sometimes it is necessary. Not into explicit novels. Not at all. Also, I am not a skimmer, reading each book from cover to cover has always been very important to me. However, a few chapters into the story, I had to fast forward a chapter to get past a steamy sex scene. Then, past the midway mark in the book, another sex scene. And I thought, okay, I could fast forward one chapter. No, I had to fast-forward the following chapter. They were still hot and heavy for yet the next chapter. I had to close the book. So, definitely a DNF.

3/5⭐️
I was intrigued by the concept of Girl Anonymous—a woman on the run, a mysterious past, and a psychological thriller premise that promised twists and suspense. Christina Dodd delivers an interesting storyline with plenty of secrets to unravel, but overall, it wasn’t my favorite read. The execution didn’t fully grip me, and while the plot had potential, it lacked the depth and tension I was hoping for. Additionally, I didn’t really enjoy the narrator, which made it harder to stay engaged. While not a bad book, it didn’t leave a lasting impression.

For fans of convoluted stories where this is the story where you don’t know how the book will end this is the book for you.

I wanted to like this book, but I did not. I felt the FMC was really naive. I feel the story was repetitive and very disjointed. It was slow and drawn out. I did enjoy the narrator.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the opportunity to listen to this. I do not know what made me pick this but it did not disappoint. It starts off with a bang and I mean literally. I was shocked but immediately started making predictions. Dante and Maarja get together rather quickly but it is understandable just living though something so traumatic. This has a whimsical kind of feel to it and gave me fated mate vibes. It is Narrated by Vanessa Johansson and I thought she did a really great job bringing the characters to life.

Dante had me cracking up so often. He would have these little lines in there that were so impactful. I read this rather quickly because I was so invested in the mystery aspect and needed to know what happened. I did guess one of the twists; however, it did not take away from the enjoyment of the story. There was more to the twist than I guessed and I was here for it. The interaction with Dante's cousin had me howling.

꧁𝓠𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼꧂

🐶 Life is a bitch and the bitch just had puppies

🥴 Is she crazy? Conner demanded of his cousin. Bad impulse control, I guess. Dante said.

😈Follow them to helllllll!

First the narrator in this book was top notch. I enjoyed how she distinguished between the characters and I felt their emotions. This was billed as a romantic thriller, which I am not accustomed to reading. This could be why I felt the romance missed the mark for me. An ancient feud brings them together and keeps them together. I did not totally buy that story line. The thriller aspect is what kept me reading. There were complex twists and turns that I did not see coming. If you are looking for a thriller, with heat, fated romance, and magical realism this is the read for you.

I wanted to love this book but it fell short for me. This is a beloved author for many but I just couldn’t get into this book. I felt I was forcing myself to continue the read. For some reason I just couldn’t connect with the characters.
2 ⭐️

Publish March 11, 2025

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this audio ARC copy for an honest review.

I started this audio without knowing anything about the book. I was a bit confused in the beginning, but once I realized there were alternating timelines, I was able to follow along. Then I read the synopsis.

This isn’t the book for me. I was immediately put off during one of the explicit scenes which lasted 2 chapters. The FMC had a very naive. The MMC is very odd. I knew how this book was going to end once the story got going.

Although the book isn’t for me. The audio was well done. The narration is what kept me going and engaged. Otherwise, I wild have DNF’d.

2 stars

The Godfather meets West Side Story in this smexy, dark tale of an ancient family vendetta.
The story hooked me right away. I was intrigued by Maarja’s fate, and the intense scene that set everything into motion had me on edge. But after that, my interest started to wane. The romance felt rushed, and despite the high stakes and dangerous moments, once the action settled I found myself bored. I’m not sure exactly why. It had all the right pieces, but something just didn’t click for me. The narrator Vanessa Johansson did a great job portraying Maarja and many of the other characters. The tones and inflections used were great.

I got to listen to this audio book as an ARC listener. The narration was ok wish the narrator had a better voice for Dante. I imagined his voice deeper and sexier but cant expect that from a woman. Maybe a male and female narration would work better to captivate how dreamy and boss like Dante is. But beside that this book was different. A bit of smut with thriller to it makes a perfect combo. I never would've guessed who the murderer was but it was all nicely tied together. Overall was an ok book. The ending fell a bit short unfortunately.

This was my intro to Dodd's work. I found the story intriguing, but too many convoluted ins and outs tended to distract me from the plot.

There was humor and suspense in the story but not enough. I'd definitely try reading the author's work again, but this one didn't work for me.

A dark and twisty thriller romance with a little magic sprinkled in, so many genres in one book can get muddled but Christina Dodd pulled it off! This was West Side Story meets the Godfather meets Romeo and Juliet (without the suicide) in today’s world and so exciting to read. Dante at first made me a little nervous that we were seeing a kidnapping vibe but I ended up loving his character and his protector side. The dueling families and forbidden love bringing everything together with a little violence and a lot of spice were such a great combo! Such a good book, trust me you’re going to love it!

Once again, thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for my ARC copy! This was another hit IMO! 🤩🏆