This book had significantly more plot than the first book and a little less smut which is exactly what I was hoping for. We get a lot more background on Bastien and more of the illegal world he’s in which was a nice break from The Butchers nonstop whining about Fleur’s ex. Even though there’s still too much ex talk in this one as well at least we got some plot which was an improvement. By the way it ended it seems like the next book will also dive deeper into the criminal world so woohoo!

Book 2 picks right up. The issue is its still a lot of the same issues were dealing with. Her ex still wont give her the divorce. Bastien has to get involved and hes trying to make her his and she keeps going back in forth because its to soon. We finally get past and were still learning about his work and all the different mob bosses and such. It wasn't until the end I got invested and that might be the point to have me finish the series.

I do feel like book 1 and 2 could of just been one book and shes breaking them up in parts

Will read book 3 or part 3

Thank you NetGalley for this audio arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Another one of those “what the heck did I just read & why am I picking up the next?”

We get a lot more of Bastien’s backstory here which speaks to more of his motives and “codes”.

What I don’t see if this deep love. Infatuation? Possessiveness? Yes. But not a deep, emotional partnership.

Will I listen to the second one? Of course.

dnf 25%

This was heavy on the spice and low plot.
So I can see how this could be good to some readers, but I personally need more plot and action.

I listened at 2 - 2.5x speed. The narrator was alright. I didn't find myself listening to it out of enjoyment.

Dark, intense, and addictive. The Carver pulls you into a world of danger, obsession, and unexpected love. The chemistry is off the charts, and the slow unraveling of the hero’s cold heart is everything. If you love possessive antiheroes and emotional tension, this one’s for you.

I am most definitely invested in this series. I know she’s gonna flip on him but I’m praying she doesn’t leave him. He did what he had to do to save her and get revenge for her. He deserves her and she deserves him. They are perfect together. The spice is definitely there in this one too. I definitely need to know what happens, I need to know if she stays or leaves. I need to know that he gets a happy ending. And god I pray his brother gets what is coming to him. And I honestly don’t trust Luca at all, not one little bit.

The emotions I remember feeling for book one are not the same in book two. I was really turned off in the beginning of the book and it stuck with me. I think I’m more into the bad boys that actually like the women in their relationship. Words aren’t enough for me. So as much as I liked the first book. I don’t think this one was for me and that’s okay. To each their own. 💕

🖤𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

✨𝒯𝒽ℴ𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈✨
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐫 is the continuation of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫. This second book delves deeper into Bastien's backstory, and we get to experience even more emotional layers to their romance. Despite Fleur's doubts about their relationship, Bastien is determined to be with her. He's essentially offering his world to her on a silver platter. It’s that badass energy that makes Bastien's character irresistible, and I’m here for it!

🎧The icing on the cake was the dual narration by 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 and 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐅𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐮𝐨𝐥𝐨. Both narrators easily brought the characters and their emotions to life. Fans of mafia romance and morally grey male leads will most definitely love this series!

A big thank you to 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐒𝐤𝐲, 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚, and 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 for providing this audio copy. All opinions shared here are my own.

I was able to listen to this as an audio. This is the second book in the series of a dark mafia romance. Fleur and Bastian. This is very spicy and darker. It’s not super dark. There is some mention of cheating with and her husband previously I’m assuming that takes place in the first book. There is of course the violence and murder. Also drug use and production and distribution. It does end slightly on a cliffhanger.

Bastien would literally burn the world down for Fleur—and honestly, I loved every second of it. Their connection was intense, emotional, and full of that signature Penelope Sky edge. The story kept me hooked from start to finish, with just the right mix of dark romance, passion, and loyalty. This series continues to deliver in all the best ways, and The Carver is another addicting, unforgettable installment. So good.

🎧 ALC Review 🎧
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Narrated by Ramona Master & Michael Ferraiuolo
Dreamscape Media

The Carver, the second book in the Fifth Republic series. Fleur is going through a divorce with her cheating husband, but he doesn't want to let her go. She finds herself entangled with Bastien, a ruthless leader of the Fifth Republic, the criminal underworld of Paris. His love is all-consuming and obsessive.

<b> Tropes: </b>
🖤 Mafia Dark Romance
🔪 Dominant Alpha Male
🖤 Possessive Love
🔪 Morally Gray
🖤 Power Imbalance
🔪Family Betrayal

<b> “—I would never let anything happen to you. I would die for you. I would let my body be pumped with a hundred bullets before you got a single scratch. I would slice my own fucking throat to spare you any discomfort.” His eyes shifted back and forth between mine. “You understand me?” </b>

I liked the book, I love the chemistry between these two. I love Bastien's love and drive for Fleur, the obsession is next level. It was a little slow for me, the action was at the very end of the book, but I would still recommend it. This one does leave you on a cliffhanger so I hope the next book is action packed!

I did enjoy the back story of Bastien and learning how he come to be the person he is! My heart broke for the 15 year old little boy.

Her ex husband tho, ABSOLUTE WORST.

5 stars for both narrators- absolutely loved them both.

It really is unhealthy how much I love Bastien. He is burn the world for her in the most literal sense. He's morally grey with all the red flags but never for her.

I love a man who falls first and is just so confident in it even when the FMC isn't. Is there anything sexier?

I absolutely loved getting to see more of Bastien's backstory, which was heartbreaking, but told us so much about his character and why he is the way he is.

The cliffhanger though!!! Thank God we don't have to wait long for the next book

For me The Carver was better than book 1, The Butcher.
Honestly, I think it was because book 2 focuses more on Bastien, his backstory, and his 'job'. It was way more interesting than Fleur's whiney story to me.
There was more plot, and less spice, but in a good way. The spice that is there is decent.
Not a lot happens to progress the story until the end where there is the first sign of action so far.
I liked it, but didn't love it. I will want to continue as the end intrigued just enough to want to see what happens next.

Such a spicy continuation to a beautiful story already. Of course, it leaves you hanging and waiting on the next in the series, but isn't that the best? I love how Fleur is learning to trust and Bastian is finding his own limits. It's a great story and super hot!

I enjoyed this audiobook more than The Butcher (book 1).

I will say that there didn’t seem to be a lot of a storyline in this audiobook, but I enjoyed hearing about Bastien and Fleur and what they have been up to. It ended on a bit of a cliffhanger so I am excited to listen/read the next book! This book kept me entertained throughout.

Spice: 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Narrators: 5/5 - I listened at 1.75x 🎧
Trope: mafia type who only wants on girl and will do anything for her 👩‍❤️‍👨

A good entertaining listen

Bastien is the morally grey billionaire mogul, who has dark mob ties and baggage, who falls for Fleur, a woman that's in the midst of divorcing her partner that refuses to let her go.
I very much enjoyed this romance story. It was a short enjoyable read, it was dark, but not too dark, and I found it very charming. It all played out really well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with an advanced listener copy of this book.

Book 2 picks up right where The Butcher left off, and I went into it with high hopes after really enjoying the first installment. I was especially excited to listen to the audio version, and while the narration by Ramona Master and Michael Ferraiuolo was solid, the story itself didn't quite live up to my expectations.

The book started off strong, but as it progressed, the plot began to fall into a repetitive cycle between the characters. After a while, I found myself zoning out and even had to go back a few times to stay on track. While I didn’t dislike the book, it didn’t hold my attention the way the first one did.

Fleur and Bastien’s story still brings the heat. I appreciate Fleur’s strength as a character, but I found myself growing weary of her constant complaints about her unfaithful husband—especially since she was fighting the divorce this time—and her indecision about wanting to be with Bastien. It felt like she was stuck in a loop emotionally, which added to the sense of stagnation.

Overall, The Carver delivers the steam and suspense you’d expect from a mafia romance, but it didn’t quite capture the same energy as book one. I will continue with the series, but I’m in no rush to do so.

ARC Review

Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Spicy: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I kind of feel like the first book was better. The second book just kept going back and forth circling the same thing. Which got repetitive to me and i just wanted them to move on to the next thing.
It didn’t get good until the last few chapters.
I was really close to DNFing.

At this point I’m just committed to know how it ends 🤷🏻‍♀️

I was approved for book 2, but not book 1, but decided I would just jump in anyways. I think you can read this without reading the first book, but obviously you miss a lot and things will make more sense off the bat if you read the first one prior to reading this. I thought the book would be a bit spicier than it was based on what I have been told about other books by Penelope Sky. However, I really enjoyed the connection and budding relationship between the two main characters. I'm excited for book 3, but I will probably go back and read book 1.