Maddie has been searching for her own happily ever after with her very own prince charming. She hopes that once she finds him, her mother will no longer think she is a disappointment. Grayson on the other hand, doesn't want a relationship since he dealt with a tragic betrayal. This all changed with one kiss.

Detonate is a standalone; however, I would recommend reading book one, Distance. I really enjoyed this book. I didn't want to stop reading it. The bantering and the tug and pull between Maddie and Grayson were perfection. This is my second book by Luna Mason, and I am noticing a pattern in events. This made parts of the story predictable.

Check your trigger/content warning before diving in.

Luna Mason did it again. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Detonate and highly recommend this book. The bickering vet the two main characters kept me entertained.

I’ll start by saying that I don’t think Luna Mason’s books are for me. I have friends who love them so this is a matter of preference. For me personally, I didn’t like the writing style and a few things felt a bit overdramatic. But it was very fast paced and entertaining when it comes to🌶️

Read if you like:
☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine
👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏼 Good Girl x Bad Boy
🩶 Morally gray characters
🖤 Dark romance
🔪 Mafia romance
🌶️ Steamy romance

Loved a good Mafia Romance. My first by this author definitely not the last . Will continue with the series , the characters were great. It had everything I was looking for in a dark romance a possessive MMC and a sunshine FMC yes please

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I’ve seen this series on booktok several times & thought it was finally my turn to read it…I screwed up & started with book two in the series…it is an interconnected standalone….I would recommend reading them in order….I know how the first book ends since I started with the second but I need to know how it got there

Grayson & Maddie both had their walls up when it came to love….Grayson had been burned in the past….Maddie has an overbearing mother that loves to point out her flaws in the love department….from what I can tell their story really started in book one but those walls were really hard to crack
They came from two different worlds….Grayson is ex military turned working for the mafia….while Maddie is a makeup artist whose bff just happens to be married to the mafia man’s brother….it was never a doubt their worlds would eventually collide but it still might take a wrecking ball to tear their walls down

This book was action packed….some thing’s you see coming but I wasn’t really sure how….& the spice was on point…I’m definitely going to go back & read the first book before I read the third

☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine
👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏼 Good Girl x Bad Boy
🩶 Morally gray characters
🖤 Dark romance
🥊 Sports romance
🔪 Mafia romance
🛡️ Military romance

I loved everything about this. The vibes were there and the story was just so well written I couldn’t help but to keep reading! The characters were dynamic and the tropes were off the chart!

Well, what a whirlwind of a read this was. I didn't realise this was book 2 of a series, but you can absolutely read it as a standalone, as you get the idea of what happened in book 1 through this ( although I will be going back to read it)

Grayson is just what you expect a Grumpy Mafia Man, who does have good reason to be the way he is with his past, but the one chink in his armour is Maddie. The chemistry between them both leapt off the page, and the spice was done well. What a book BF Greyson is, a touch her and ☠️ but also fighting his feelings for her.Maddie although with a sunshine personality, the Sass, and backchat she gives Greyson just adds to there tumultuous relationship they have, and they just love to wind each other up!

I do wish there was a little more in the plot, but when you have a relationship like theirs, and with the mafia background, you know that stuff is going to go down!!

This is my first by Luna Mason, but it won't be my last! Now to go find where I can get book 1 to read about Russo!

Thank you to @netgalley and @authorlunamason for the ARC copy!

I was not prepared for how much this book would wreck me in the best way. 😮‍💨

Grayson is every kind of emotionally unavailable, morally gray, broken antihero I can’t help but fall for and Maddie? She’s the sunshine I didn’t know he needed. Their dynamic was addictive: soft meets savage, light meets absolute chaos. And somehow…it worked.

There were moments that had me clutching my chest, others that made me want to scream, and a few that were just so raw I had to stop and breathe. The tension? Off the charts. The emotion? Heavy in the best way.

If you’re into messy love, found peace in the dark, and heroes who'd destroy the world for their girl…Detonate will hit every one of those cravings.

This is a romance, not your typical mafia Romance. The characters are complicated and their stories are fraught with danger. It’s really a great couple, but they have so many outside problems to deal with as well as falling for each other.

I really loved this, which probably says something deeply disturbing about me. I enjoyed the spicy scenes and there were some character interactions that made me laugh out loud. I will be looking forward to the next installment and can't wait to read it!
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this early!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for providing me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly don’t know how I feel about this book. It felt like a huge waste of time with absolutely no depth. There was buildup in the beginning to make this a complex and emotional experience but I feel like it fell short with not having much plot to keep me interested.

The spice was good in the beginning but by the end it felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again.

Overall, I feel like this exact story has been told time and time again and there was nothing added to make me truly care about it in anyway.

That being said, it definitely just wasn’t for me and hope that someone else enjoys it more.

Tropes:
╰⪼ Forced proximity
╰⪼ Forbidden romance
╰⪼ Mafia romance

Detonate is a spicy, tension-filled ride that delivers on heat but leaves a bit to be desired in terms of plot. While the romance is front and center, the mafia elements felt underdeveloped and lacked the intensity expected from the genre. I enjoyed the chemistry between the characters, but it could’ve hit harder with more angst and longing to truly earn those steamy moments. It’s an entertaining, quick read for spice lovers who aren’t too fussed about intricate worldbuilding.

On the scale of darkness, I would definitely consider it on the lighter side but it was a super enjoyable read.

There was certainly passion between Maddie and Grayson, even from the start when they were at each other's throats. I liked getting to see Grayson's background and what has factored into the closed off person he'd become. I loved Maddie and Grayson together and how they both had things to work through and overcome to be together.

This is was a quick, page turning read and I'd definitely recommend you check it out.

I really did enjoy this book and the characters in it. I liked the plot and the spice was spicy. The only reason for 3 stars and not 4 was because I did have a little trouble connecting to it but I did not know going in it was the second book in the series. I know they are interconnected stand.alomes.biy I felt like I was missing something having not read.the first book. I will go back and read book 1 as I really do want to get more into this world that Luna Mason has created.

I’m absolutely in love with this book—and honestly, this entire world Luna Mason has created! This installment focuses on Maddie and Grayson, and I was hooked from the first page. We finally get to dive into Grayson’s past, and understanding what shaped him adds so much depth. His story is emotional, raw, and powerful—and like all the best antiheroes, he’d burn the world down for the woman he loves.

“True, nothing like a good kidnapping to bring a couple together.”

Their dynamic kicks off with that classic “I hate you” tension, but it’s clear from the start that it’s anything but real hate. As the walls come down and they finally give in to their feelings, it’s magnetic. There’s still emotional baggage, of course—but that only makes their story more compelling. I couldn’t stop turning the pages!

“You aren’t my villain. You are my everything. I love your darkness. But I also love your light. I love every single part of you.”

There’s so much I could say, but I don’t want to spoil anything. Just know that if you’re into dark romance, emotionally complex characters, and a brooding hero who only softens for his woman, this book is definitely for you. It’s intense, addictive, and impossible to put down.

This is a standalone dark mafia romance, but I would suggest reading the books in order.

🖤 Mafia Romance
🥀 Grumpy x Sunshine
🖤 Touch Her And ☠️
🥀 Dark Romance
🖤 Good Girl X Bad Boy
🥀 Morally Grey Characters

Detonate follows Grayson and Maddie, who were both first introduced in book one. Man do these two love to bicker, to the point you can just cut the tension between them. Grayson helps Maddie to find her confidence especially when it comes to her mother. While Maddie helps to soften Grayson and bring down his walls.

I am very intrigued for Luca's story next.

These two are obsessed with each other. CRAZY about each other. I lovvvved the tension. They really loved to rile each other up. It was so fun and good! 🥰

This is the second book, but can be read as a standalone. I was about 20% in when I downloaded the first book because I need everything she writes asap! I love her writing!

He calls her sunshine 🫠

Such an amazing read. I loved seeing the characters from book one and what they are currently doing. Maddie is definitely fiesty but no match for Grayson

I love anything by Luna Mason. I love the stories. And the characters are amazing, so much intensity in this book. Can't wait for the next one

This is the second book in the ‘Beneath the Mask’ series and my first Luna Mason book. Thank you to NetGalley and Hambright PR for the ARC!

Where do I start with this book? There were some pros, there were some cons, and overall I’m left feeling very divided about this one. To begin with, I have not read the first book yet, and I think that worked against me.

The pros:
- I loved the MMC. He was possessive, swoony, had a dirty mouth, and was overall perfection
- I LOVED the middle third of this book. While it took me a little bit to get into it, once I did, I devoured the book until about the 65-70% mark
- Mafia is one of my favorite sub-genres. This is a darker (but I wouldn’t really call it dark) romance that would totally scratch the itch for a morally grey MMC

The in-between:
- I found this to be a really fast-paced book. While normally I don’t mind it, I found that because it was so fast, a lot of finer pieces of development were lacking and I had to go back and re-read a lot.

The cons:
- There’s some pretty serious errors in this. An entire chapter is duplicated
- I really didn’t love the FMC. She came across as whiny and nothing special. She had some conflicts with her parents that were brought up and then cast aside, but we, the reader, were supposed to care about.
- I’m not really sure what the plot (besides the two MC’s getting together) was. The MMC works in a boxing gym, but that’s barely mentioned?

Overall, I think this book has promise, but needs to go through the editorial process again to catch some typos and mistakes. I would also love to see more character and plot development so it didn’t feel quite so rushed.

Tropes:
- Mafia
- Morally Grey MMC
- Enemies to lovers
- She falls first, he falls harder

Overall Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall Spice:
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️