I love a good mafia dark romance. This book, however, failed to hold my attention. It was a bit long. Also, Lucia and Roman kept so much from each other for too long. It became tiresome to read. Despite this, I did like the storyline and the overall story.

This was a decent mafia romance. I liked the suspense of the heroine hiding her own Bratva family background from the hero, as well as the Spanish setting.

Lethal Legacy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.25/5)

I received Lethal Legacy as an ARC through NetGalley, and let me tell you: I’m a sucker for a good Russian mafia story—and this one mostly delivered.

The character development, especially Roman’s, was really engaging. You can feel the layers peeling back as the story unfolds. The secondary characters aren’t just background noise either—they actually matter, which I always appreciate.

That said, a few plot points stretched credibility a little (I raised my eyebrows more than once), and the spicy scenes started to feel a bit like a déjà vu marathon. Still, overall, I had a great time with this book. A solid, gripping read with just enough grit and heart to keep you hooked.

Lethal Legacy throws you headfirst into a world of simmering tension, dangerous secrets, and undeniable attraction. Paula Walshe crafts a compelling narrative that blends the thrill of Russian Bratva intrigue with a passionate, forbidden romance. Lucia, a woman running from her past, is immediately captivating. Her internal conflict is palpable: she desires the power and protection Roman represents, even though he embodies everything she's desperately trying to escape. Walshe does a great job portraying Lucia's vulnerability alongside her strength, making her a character you root for.
Roman, the alpha billionaire with a hidden darkness, is equally intriguing. He's possessive and powerful, yet shows a surprising vulnerability in his desire to protect Lucia. The dual POV allows us to understand his motivations and see the layers beneath his hardened exterior. The shift from detached observer to fiercely protective lover is well-executed
The plot moves at a good pace, weaving together Lucia's fight for survival with the growing connection between her and Roman. While the story is billed as a love story first and foremost, the glimpses into the dangerous world of the Russian mafia create a palpable sense of tension and uncertainty. The high-stakes backdrop adds an extra layer of excitement to their already electric chemistry.
Overall, this story is a must read for readers who enjoy steamy Russian mafia romances with strong characters and a compelling plot.

3 ✨

I feel like with mafia romances you can go easily wrong and this did not dissapoint!
It delivered the things you seek when reading this genre, the tension, the action and the suspense in the story but for me it felt too long and at one point I was a bit tired with the length of the book!

𝐀 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.

The start of the introductions for the FMC and MMC is absolutely fantastic as I can’t help but to encouraged to continue the journey of this world. The flow of your story is very satisfying, it felt as though everything flowed together and wasn’t interrupted or broken up into pieces. The ground work of both the MC is very important and the author managed to build it up perfectly and present it with ease. The spicy in here is hot 🥵. This man is exactly what I need in this type of book I just couldn’t get enough of him! This would be one of the books I wish I could Reread for the first time again. I definitely recommended this book to a few book girlies and authors!

I really struggled with the first half of this book – I didn’t like the instalove and there just wasn’t all that much going on. I really disliked the way they called him CEO Man and didn’t like the Russian words thrown in. I liked Lucia and Roman as characters and also all the sub characters were great! There wasn’t really anyone I didn’t like. The biggest pain point was the miscommunication, they made so many assumptions that a simple conversation would solve and when they did have a conversation they didn’t speak up, it was frustrating!

The second half of the book was very good - I was engaged and really interested in the story. It was also the half that was more strongly the mafia part of the book and less the smut/romance. The book was very long though, and credit to the author for the second half as I had no intention of reading the second book, but downloaded it as soon as I finished because I have to know what happens! That ending…. WOW!!!

Okay, well, now I need every nanny mafia romance. This was so fun and exciting. I loved the connection between the two main characters. Their familial responsibilities and dynamic were intriguing. I loved reading about how the characters got to where they were—for better or worse. This was so different from the typical cut-and-paste mafia romance. I would definitely recommend this one. Need the next book right now.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this eARC!

This boook! I loved that they both came from the same background and the dynamic between the characters was amazing! I didn’t want the book to end and the cliffhanger….. I need to read the next one immediately!

This was one of the best mafia reads I've read. I often find that mafia centered stories leave a lot to desire when it comes to filling out a story. That is not the case here. The author took a lot of time investing in the world building and the plot. I really appreciated this aspect of the book. There were aspects of the writing, I was not a fan of. In particular, a lot of the metaphors and physical descriptions were repetitive and, sometimes, unnecessary. However, the story was gripping and the both main characters had well thought out back stories. I can't wait to continue on with this story.

I loved the book so much. It had everything from emotions to family bonding to lots of giggly emotions and then crying at end.

I am directly hopping to the next part.

This book takes you straight to the action!! Two parallel lives that get intwined in the most unexpected of ways. With ties from their pasts that threaten both MC and FC’s life as they know it, they story unfolded in a way that gives you snippets from their past and how it all connects to where they ended up. Keeps you wanting more, Lucia and a strong independent character who isn’t afraid to go after who or what she wants. She is not your usual meek girl who is in awe of the MMC just because of how powerful her is, she is as equally powerful and determined as he is. Both are protecting what’s dearest to them which might cost them each other!! Best Mafia romance I read in years!!!

Thank you so much for this eARC copy.

Firsts things first:

DUAL POV
A nanny romance?!
Tension
Incredible immaculate smut
Intense stress
Longing
Suspense and ALL THE EMOTIONS

and that was only the first book. I need to get my hands on book 2 straight away.

Immediately went and got second book!
Read on Netgalley, and Oh boy what a ride! If you are into brooding possessive MMC, and feisty spitfire FMC, hidden identities, back and forth trust issues, deep family history, and forgotten treasure, pick this one up! Ends on a bit of a cliffhanger but book 2 is available so dive in.

This was my first read by this author and she KILLED it, I was absolutely in love with every page of this book. I loved that it was dual POV. The chemistry between Lucia and Roman was perfect. I will definitely be adding the physical copy of this book to my library. I can't wait to read more books by Paula Walshe.

**Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. I literally just finished this book and I am so hooked! I am already logging on to Amazon to buy book 2! I am so glad this story had so many characters and such wonderful storylines. I spent most of this book on the edge of my seat! A must read for any mafia romance lover! Sorry this isnt longer i need to go start book 2 now!

One of my favorite tropes is "mafia" romances, so I was eager to start this book by this new-to-me author. I liked that the heroine wasn't a doormat & that she was biracial (half Russian, half Latino), both of which are extremely rare with this particular trope. I also loved the "found family" bits. With that being said, while the romance was steamy, there was just too much of it & too much dialogue & not enough suspense or action, which made this 600+ page book drag due to the repetitiveness of it. I'd definitely read another book by Walshe in the future though, if only because I do think she is a good writer, just maybe needs better editing to cut out all the fluff.

Definitely enjoyed reading! Quick read and the characters were very well written! Would definitely pick up book 2!

I loved the book concept. I'm usually not a big mafia romance person, but I loved the tension between the two main characters. I love how integrated the Russian mafia element was in the dynamics of the characters and how they interacted with the world around them. The main character was stubborn, but in a way that didn't impact too much of my perception of her. The switches to backstory did have me re-reading paragraphs a few times, but it was an enjoyable book overall.

3.5

I really thoroughly enjoyed the first 65% of this book, it was engaging, steamy and mysterious. The relationship between Roman and Lucia was on point, her building relationship with the children she was the "nanny" of was wonderful to see, and Lucia and Roman were both interesting and intriguing characters in their own rights. Lucia was so unbelievably strong and just wanted to be able to finally share her load with someone. Roman was adorably in denial about his feelings while being protective and romantic. My issue came when it was late at night and I put the book down to go to sleep. When I woke up I did not want to pick it back up, and I did not pick it up for days afterwards because it was so long. And while yes sometimes more time with the characters is all we want in this case a lot of the pages felt like prolonged miscommunication on both sides. I wanted to scream at them to talk to each other a few times, and my growing frustration with the characters and the length of the book (especially since there is then a book 2) reduced my enjoyment of the book somewhat. Miscommunication is not my favorite plot device and while a lot of it was understandable and based on secrets, every conflict started to feel the same and if they had just learned from the last one 10 pages ago they would be fine.

I love the idea of this story, I love stories of women raised in the criminal world, and I love protective strong MMCs and FMCs, just a little less miscommunication and filler for my tastes.


Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this novel, all thoughts are my own.