i did enjoy this more than other mafia romances i’ve read, as i actually was into the plot. i would definitely read the full published version but this feels incomplete.

i found a few minor grammatical errors, like buy instead of but, missing ‘s to show someone’s ownership. the smut was also not really there? the sex scene felt awkward and was like half a page. there were a couple phrases the author repeated - “the whiskey had gone _, he drank it anyway” and the don’s head security guy says “it’ll take time “ and the don responds “then start now.”

*SPOILER* i don’t know if the ARC skips chapters but Romano also says “they have her. again” which to me implies that Valentina had been taken before, but i think it’s in reference to his previous wife. the author also writes about his wife’s scream from the garden wing and the blood then later says the wife died in a warehouse? she again writes, “her hair…still damp from the medical wing’s harsh light” which doesn’t make any sense. she also writes from Dante’s perspective that Valentina’s bruises on her wrist are yellowing then that she had her sleeves pulled down over her knuckles, which wood mean he can’t see her wrists. the final scene in the ARC Bradford also keeps mentioning the coffee. it’s gone cold but she’s holding it anyway, the cup is white, Dante leaves his coffee cup. it just felt really repetitive and unnecessary unless the coffee turns out to be drugged or something.