I haven't read the other books in the series, so this works as a standalone. Tijan is always the queen of drama in her stories - there's plenty of quickly paced plot in this story to keep readers intrigued, though the lead characters veer on unlikable at times (it's CRAZY to me that Sawyer is meant to be 34 as she seems very immature at times!). The plot does get a bit too crazy at the end, but that said, the chemistry was great, and Tijan's prose is perfectly Tijan as usual

Obsessed as usual. Jake’s descent from cop to mafia was fun to watch, and the family dynamics are always complicated whether it’s mafia or a regular family. Didn’t know I needed this book in my life until I read it

“You’re not a woman a guy leaves. I know that much.”

This book was so entertaining. I cannot even begin to describe how many times I laughed at the utter ridiculousness of Sawyer and her family and Jake took it in stride.

Sawyer literally just got out of an 18 year relationship when she finds out her fiancé was with her best friend and got her pregnant. The first time we meet her, she’s on the subway in New York trying to meet her cousin for the first time. On said subway, she sees Jake for the first time. Jake is an ex-cop with family times to the mafia, in which he does not want to be in either worlds anymore. He finds out that there’s a hit on him, and the rest just snowballs from there.

When I tell you Sawyer was a hoot, I mean. This woman just made me want to keep reading. That crazy family of hers too. That real love what they have. I love how she tried to tell Jake what to do, that was highly entertaining. The chemistry these two had, though, chefs kiss. Sawyer also does not know how to get a story straight to tell to save her life, literally.

Jake, though, was everything a trained cop/mafia man should be: crazy, possessive, very good at unaliving people and taking care of what’s his. He deems pretty early on that Sawyer is his lol. Loved his nicknames for her and the fact that she loved my little lunatic the most should tell you the dynamic in this relationship.

I loved this book, simple put. It’s a dark romcom with suspense and a great plot.

Well that was a bit more bonkers than what goes for “usual” in this series hmm?

I was so hyped for another installment in the Kings of New York series, it has become a favorite of mine. But this one was bit too crazy even for me.

Jake was awesome, I thought he fit perfectly alongside Trace and Ashton. Jake is a bit more “normal” but definitely has the dark side as well. He also has that always choose his woman thing no matter what. Loved that. Sawyer, oof she was just all over the place for me. It was hard for me to believe she was a woman who threw away 18 years of her life in some ho hum hollow relationship but she’s also a crazy lunatic who doesn’t bat an eye at people being killed in front of her and having screaming matches with known murderers. Just didn’t make sense to me so it was really hard to grasp her as a character and actually like her. Now her family was entertaining as hell but that whole side plot could’ve been edited down a bit too.

Overall I was really pleased to see Trace and Ashton again even though things are sideways now but I’d have to say this wasn’t my favorite book in the series. I’m hopeful Tijan will bless us with more, we can’t have the series end just like that! Thank you so much to Montlake for gifting me this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars on this one

This is the third book in the Kings of New York interconnected world. but it can easily be a standalone. If you've enjoyed the other two books then I definitely think that you'll enjoy this one. This one started out a bit slower for me, but then the pace picked up quickly. Jake and Sawyer were great. Sawyer is a curious and interesting character. This is a fun series for sure. If you're a fan of Tijan then you'll enjoy this one.

A big thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This had quite a different feel to the previous books in the series and was more of a caper at times than the gritty mafia feel we had before. I enjoyed it and loved returning to the Kings of New York, especially as some of the previous characters appeared. However, I now have concerns as to where the series will be heading next! I need to know what happens in Trace and Ashton's world after the chaos of this!!!

You could probably read this as a standalone but I think knowing the background from meeting Jake in the other books, and having an understanding of the world he's part of, makes this easier to fall into and get absorbed in it fully. Sawyer's family were absolutely bonkers though and definitely made me laugh at times. But there was a lot of suspension of disbelief required. Overall this is probably a 3.5 to 4 star read. Enjoyable but not my favourite in the series.

4 Stars for this mafia romance

I really liked Jake and Sawyer. Even though Sawyer was an odd duck, I couldn't help but like her ... although she did seem a little immature for her age. Then there's Jake ... he was having a hard time straddling the line between good and bad. And bad was winning except when it came to
Sawyer. There was an attraction to her that he just didn't understand. Jake and Sawyer were hot between the sheets, against the door ... you get my drift. I just found Sawyer's family ridiculous and I thought they took away from the story ... I found myself skimming the parts they were in. I sure hope there is going to be a story about Lane and Blake.

Jake is an ex-cop who was dirty. He is the only one in his family not in the mafia, but his uncles want him to become the new head of the family. When he sees a woman on the subway who looks like she's on the verge of a breakdown, he asks her if she needs help but she refuses. Days later when he's in the police station bailing out his cousin, he sees her again and the crazy woman ends up leaving with Jake and his cousin.

Sawyer is from Montana and her long-time fiancé just broke up with her because he got her best friend pregnant. She decides she needs to leave her small town and go to New York City and live a little. Sawyer has always wanted to live in a musical and she would like the hunky guy on the subway to break out into song, but she's shocked when he asks her if she's okay. She might be going through a little breakdown. But when she ends up going with him and his cousin, the last thing she expected was to be shot at and then kidnapped by Jake.

I received an ARC courtesy of Montlake through NetGalley.

2.75/5 stars! This is the 3rd book in the Kings of New York series by author Tijan. This was a miss for me. I have enjoyed other books by this author, but the plot didn't really shake out and the instalove wasn't even slightly believable. Their chemistry didn't work because they never stayed on one topic long enough for it to feel like a real conversation where they could get to know each other. Disappointing but hopefully just a one off by this author.

A solid mafia romance! This is the third book in the Kings of New York series by Tijan and it did not disappoint! Highly recommend for dark romance fans. I look forward to reading the future installments!

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC of A Captive Situation, the third book in Tijan’s Kings of New York series.

Family and Mafia and Drama, Oh My! When I requested this book it was honestly on the author alone. I have read a few books by Tijan and have always liked her books. When I realized it was the third book in the series, I was disappointed I didn’t have time to read the first two before I read this one (too many ARCs to read, not enough time!). I didn’t feel like it took too much away from this story, although I now definitely want to go back and read the first two books.

I found this book to be missing in some areas but overall, I really enjoyed it. I couldn’t wait to pick it back up and see what would happen next. I loved the ridiculous relationship between Jake and Sawyer. The book started strangely and I was unsure of if I would get into the book but did pretty quickly. The love/hate relationship between Jake and Sawyer kept me entertained. Sawyer’s family was also insane but, as they say, everyone has at least one crazy person in their family. The drama that followed them everywhere was certainly entertaining and held my attention. I also loved how both characters grew for themselves and the other.

#Tijan #ACaptiveSituation #KingsOfNewYorkSeries #Fiction #ContemporaryFiction #Romance #Mafia #Family #CloseFamily #FamilyDynamic #DysfunctionalFamily #StrangersToLovers #InstantLovers #April #2025

Sawyer travels to New York escaping from her broken heart. Her plan is to be the best tourist and solve old family problems, but when she meets Jake, she gets caught up in a web of danger and crime between the police and the mafia. It seems that being kidnapped is the only way to stay safe.

I liked this book more than I expected. I usually love Tijan's stories, and this one was no exception. It started off a bit slow, but it quickly picked up and became a captivating read. So many things happened, and it was full of tension and adrenaline, with some action-packed scenes.

We follow the protagonists along a fine line between good and evil, right and wrong, between the world of the mafia and the world of the law. Sawyer drove me crazy a few times because she had very strange and naive reactions. On the other hand, Jake was quite possessive and had no problem shooting anyone who posed a danger.

I didn't like that it was an insta-love, but the romance was also so intense with a lot of spicy. It was a mafia romance with lots of kidnapping, true to the book's title. And I won't deny it, some scenes were a bit shady and questionable, but it was a tremendous soap opera. It was full of drama and risky situations, moments full of danger that had me desperate to know what was going to happen.

It also had some absurd scenes that were so funny, I had a lot of fun reading this. There were several hilarious parts; I thought the aunts were very funny. There were some weird things happening in this book that gave it an original touch. It was a different kind of read, and it ended up captivating me.

It had some great and unexpected twists and turns, very dark secrets that were slowly revealed. And the ending was a big WHAT!?? So many things happened, and it left me eager to know more about other characters in this story.

I have always enjoyed reading this author's books and this one wasn't bad but I just felt so annoyed with how Sawyer behaved and most of her decisions were so stupid. I could not understand how Jake & Sawyer fell in love because all I felt and saw between them was lust. Their conversations felt repetitive and everything felt so dull in the story. The ending also felt abrupt and incomplete. I was really excited to read this book but unfortunately, it just fell flat for me tbh.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

3.5 Stars
Let me start off by saying I loved the previous two books in this series. In fact, I rated them both at 5 stars. This one was hard to finish. Sawyer, to me, was a bit immature from the very beginning. I never warmed up to her. Jake, I liked.
I don’t know; maybe you’ll like this story.
It simply wasn’t for me.

Big thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of #acaptivesituation.

I was so excited for this one, but it just wasn’t for me. I love Tijan. I’ve read just about everything she’s written. Some on a near annual schedule. But this one just didn’t live up.

I don’t enjoy the insta-love/lust trope, and the fact that a 36 year old woman got in the car with strangers multiple in NYC was a level of suspension of belief I just couldn’t handle. There were also too many instances of what I’m going to call forced quirkiness for shock value? It took me out of the story completely.

It was very repetitive, and the little plot that existed was so chaotic it was hard to keep up. I didn’t feel anything towards any of the characters, and I somehow even managed to be annoyed by the amount of spice. The conversations were choppy and all over the place making it hard to follow along and get inside anyone’s head. There would be the beginning of a deep and needed conversation only for us to suddenly be feeding the dogs. There was just no flow, and it killed the story for me unfortunately.

I originally started reading Tijan’s work years ago, back in my Wattpad days. And I always find myself coming back even if years apart. There’s something about her books that always gets you hooked.

The second book in this series is where we first met Jake Worthing, and I’ve been so excited waiting for his book. He was such a misunderstood character, which made me all the more excited to see his side of everything.

Going into this book, we meet Sawyer, who has just come to New York to complete a bucket list. After leaving home to get away from her ex-fiancé, who is now with her best friend.
Everything is going to plan until she meets an ex-cop on the tube. From there on, everything changes.
You get sucked into a right journey with these characters.

At first, I was a bit skeptical with how they met. This girl just goes and agrees to follow these two strangers around the city like it’s normal. But that seems to all catch up to her in the end.

I loved the characters in this and watching their growth throughout the book. It was an absolute rollercoaster, especially the last 50%. I couldn’t catch a break.

The last 20%, I was stressed to the max. The twists had me shocked. I did not expect any of them.
The ending gave us more on a lot of the other characters, and now I really want a book on Creighton. I need to know what is going to happen with Ashton now.

Side note, I loved Sawyer’s family. They had me laughing the whole way through.

“The cast of the Goonies spilled out.”

Can’t wait to read Tijan’s next book that we were given a hint of at the end and to see how Jake’s choices are going to affect everyone else.

Titan never fails to write I book I don’t enjoy and this is no different. I loved every second of reading this book and there is something so comforting reading Tijan’s books as I have been reading them for years. Like all Tijan books, A Captive Situation deals with dark topics and themes but Tijan writes them in a way that is digestible while also being respectful to the trauma

I really tried to get into this because I love a good mafia read, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters and storyline. I think there was so much more potential to build these characters up, and for that reason I’m leaving a 1 star rating for the publisher.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this incredible opportunity!

This was a totally crazy as f**k book. The characters were wild, the plotline was crazy and the side characters a bit much. but it was fast paced, sexy and the ending was "huh can't wait to see what happens next"

#netgalley #ACaptiveSituation

My mafia loving heart loves every book in this series. Each book is grittier and a bit more messed up 🥴 but that’s what makes them so captivating. Sawyer and Jakie 🫣 definitely did not disappoint. She’s a hot mess express and like his tattoo Jake is good & a little dirty but most importantly he is loyal to those he cares about.

He may not be the best kidnapper though😜 IYKYK

I didn’t read the preview for One Last Call because I want to go in without a peek. I am hoping it will involve a certain cousin and his obsession though 😬🖤

To be real, I did not really like this one as much as the previous ones in the series. Overall love the writing, it has been a while since the first 2 books, and I did not go back to read so was unfamiliar with who the mmc, Jake, was in the previous stories. Sawyer is super batty in the beginning, and a very strange meet cute, which was not cute. As always love the originality, there is no predictability which I highly enjoy. The end was a real information dump, did not like it that much. The end was just too much and it seemed like it was trying to wrap up way too fast, which does not make sense for a book that seems to lead to a sequel. I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.