bksprout Aug 7-20,26/ Mafia Don's Inked Bride: An Age Gap Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance by Piper Raven

  Bksprout

My father always told me that ink never lies.

The day he finishes the championship tattoo on Miami's most celebrated MMA fighter, he places his battered sketchbook in my hands and tells me never to let it out of my sight.

By sunrise the next day, I'm a wife.

By sunset, my father is dead.

Now I'm married to Mickey Barbetti—the ruthless mafia don I've spent years trying to avoid. He's ten years older. Dangerously possessive. Relentlessly protective.

And bound by a promise he made my father long before I had any say in my own future.

I should hate him.

Instead, I'm trapped beneath the same roof, sleeping beside the same man, while trying to unravel the only thing my father left behind.

His sketchbook.

At first, the pages hold nothing but tattoo designs. Until I realize the ink is hiding something far darker.

A message. A warning. A death sentence.

My father uncovered a deadly conspiracy buried beneath Miami's championship fighting world—and someone will do anything to keep it hidden.

Now they're coming for the sketchbook. They're coming for me.

And the only man standing between me and the grave is the husband I never wanted.

But somewhere between Mickey's possessive protection, stolen kisses, and the dangerous secrets pulling us deeper into a world of blood and betrayal...

I stop pretending this marriage is temporary. Because Mickey Barbetti may have married me because of a promise. But now I'm carrying his heir.

And he'll burn Miami to the ground before he lets anyone take his pregnant wife from him.

And I'm beginning to realize... I might do the same for him.

Explicit

460 pages

English

Crime Fiction Contemporary Romance Dark Romance arranged marriage age gap surprise pregnancy forced proximity alpha male bad boy with a good heart protector kidnapping enemies to lovers touch her and die

Hosted by Piper Raven

Note from the Author

Sizzling Mafia Romance that will make your heart skip a beat. Plot driven and intense with twists and turns that will make you become a professional page turner. Reader discreation is advised! Note: You may receive a copy that contains unedited sections.

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MY 5 STAR REVIEW TITLED: Hot & Unexpectedly Tender often at the same time

Olivia Rossi's father Antonio has left her quite the legacy. In memories of a life time and the precious tattoo sketchbook. It holds untold mysteries. As of yet ! Miami is the setting and Mickey Barbetti is the one that enters the picture when Antonio wants Olivia protected.  Mickey has high regard to Antonio and doesn't know what's coming but promises to marry Olivia.  The best protection that he can offer. He meets a FURIOUS bride at the altar but they get married anyway.  I loved the dual P.O.V.'s and his family and staff were the best. His mother Isabella I fell in love with really quickly and his brother Rico the fighter was hilarious, loud and faithful to his family and his craft.  Olivia's best friend Chloe was a hoot and I enjoyed her part in the story as well. Toni is on his protection detail and Sophie is someone who works in the house. All great additions!

I loved the humor in the family especially between Olivia and Mickey; they develop into quite a team. And Mickey and Olivia quickly have hot times of marital scenes as well.

Victor is a very dangerous, clever, rich man who is moving Rico like a chess piece.  I was afraid Rico was going to be killed.

 The action is intense, the tattoos holding so much when it came to working out the hidden clues.  Great pacing, mysteries with an outrageously good ending and an even better Epilogue !

 P.S. I loved the whole idea of a story that surrounded so much around tattoos and the unique way the story ran. 

 I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

-------- 

Not in the review- His mother lets it slip on purpose that Mickey is actually named Michelangelo.

 

Jun 02 2026 Netgalley Read Now/Marion by Leah Rowan

  Netgalley Link

 Pub Date Jun 02 2026 | Archive Date Jun 16 2026

 St. Martin's Press

 General Fiction (Adult) | Horror | Mystery & Thrillers

 

A twist on Hitchcock’s iconic classic Psycho—where the leading lady doesn't die, but instead turns the knife on Norm, kicking off a crime spree that turns the silver screen victim into a heroine for our times.

NORMAN WAS HER FIRST.

Marion is in deep. She's stolen money from the Manhattan ad agency where she works in a desperate bid to help her sister escape an abusive marriage, but the bus breaks down before she can make it to Saratoga Springs. It's late at night, and the only place with vacancies is an old set of cabins on the outskirts of town. She pays for a room in cash, and ends up chatting with Norm, the young innkeeper who's handsome, charming and a touch hung-up on his elderly mother. Back in her room, she steps into the shower, scrubbing off the late-summer heat, when the curtain is pulled back...

Norm Billings is there with a knife. He raises his arm to strike, but before he does, Marion knees him in the balls, grabs the knife, and stabs the life out of him. Now, she's covered in blood, and she's a woman on the run—not just a thief, but a killer, too. Where will she go? How will she save both herself and her sister? And what mysteries will she uncover as she does?

In Psycho, Hitchcock shocked audiences when he killed off his protagonist. But what if the leading lady had fought back? Marion offers an alternate history of the most famous dead blonde to ever grace the silver screen. Only this time, the knife is in her hands—and she's no victim.

---

Available Editions

EDITION	Other Format
ISBN	9781250416469
PRICE	$29.00 (USD)
PAGES	336

My 4 Star Review TITLED: Odd, Tense Story

 I liked the eBook cover, it caught my attention. 

The story starts o July 28, 2023  and starts out pretty normally. Marion has a big sister Lauren who is 5 years older who adores Marion even before she was born. And Marion adores her too and acts almost more like the older sister than Lauren. The phrase that repeats in Marion's brain and thoughts is to protect Lauren because she is the stronger sister.   And will she will ANYTHING that it takes to do just that especially when she finds out Rob is abusing Lauren.  Marion had always felt that Rob was like an older brother because things started out so well for years. Then suddenly Marion began to  see things about her sister's marriage that scared her.  Lauren could end up dead. Not on her watch !

But before things escalate, she does something stupid because her boss talks her into it. Now she's on the run with a lot of money !  Now people are after her for that money. Of all the worse times to meet Norm ! He's handsome, charming and helpful. But for me he gave me a creepy feeling like a Norman Bates feeling !!

Suddenly a woman named Hannah shows up in the story and I was wondering how does she figure in?   Turns out she's looking for a missing woman named Emily Stockton and this could be her big break if she finds her.  

This was a twisted, tense story with Marion's mother's thoughts in her head.  Turns out Marion is no beauty queen with no skills. She is clever and she plans on getting out clean.   The surprises just keep coming. I was a bit confused towards the end because things were a bit unclear on the timing until I realized the story was switching between time lines. That part I didn't like so much.

I read this book through Netgalley and it was a wild ride.  

 

ARC Bksprt Aug 1,2026 Ruthless Mafia Oath by Helen Blume

  Booksprout  

 

I witnessed a murder.
Now I'm under the protection of the only man I should fear.

Ava

One late-night shift at my neighborhood coffee shop changes everything. One terrified glance through the window leaves me face-to-face with Gianni Moretti.

The Family's consigliere.

I should hate him for destroying my life.

Instead, he slowly puts it back together.

Every stolen glance across the coffee shop. Every lingering touch that steals my breath. Every quiet moment when he lets me see the man beneath the consigliere everyone fears...

...makes it impossible to remember why I was ever afraid of him.

He stops being the man I should fear.

He becomes the only place I've ever felt safe.

Gianni

She was supposed to be a witness.

I've spent my life planning for every outcome.

I never planned for her.

Ava

Now the greatest threat isn't outside the Family.

It's already inside.

If Gianni chooses his oath to the Family over me...

The next murder I witness could be my own.

Explicit

289 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Romantic Suspense Dark Romance mafia romance forced proximity alpha romance books betrayal romance possessive alpha male romance touch her and die romance protector romance mafia romance book spicy mafia obsession mafia protector romance

Hosted by Helen Blume VIP Readers 

Review on at least 1:

Amazon

File(s) available:

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PDF (Send via email & download)

My 4 Star Review TITLED: The pursuit is slow but dangerous

 

Ava has worked as a barista for Marco Vitelli for about 4 years.  He became really ill and she has been the managing person for several years now. She's holding it all together beautifully.  She definitely doesn't expect the turn of events that happen.   It's pretty interesting how Ava and Gianni meet and interact. Turns out that they both have something in common. They observe carefully and take mental notes of things early that others often miss. Ava learned it through years of not belonging anywhere for long and Gianni learned it at 24 years old when he was captured and tortured. They both just want to be wanted for themselves. A permanent place. 

Gianni is a quiet, careful man who works for Don Enzo DeLuca. The Don's oldest son Benedetto is the heir but I could see early that he was going to be a BIG problem ! I loved that Gianni is a man who wears glasses and it isn't something you always see in these kind of stories.  

 Dante is the man that Gianni assigns to safeguard Ava and he's a man of few words but interesting all the same.  Sal is another man that adds to the story who benefits Gianni a lot.  Things move slowly, with plenty of emotions and purpose. 

 I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

 

___not included in review was the fact that Gianni lost two fingers during his capture and now has 2 ceramic fingers.  

aug 1, 2026 Bksprt/ The Bride The Don Chose The Bride The Don Chose by Sloane Blackwell

  Booksprout

 

I was never meant to be the bride.

I was only supposed to stand beside her.

Until Chicago's most feared Don looked past my cousin at the altar—and chose me instead.

"Her."

One word.

Everything changed.

Damiano Vitale doesn't negotiate. He commands.

Cold. Ruthless. Dangerously patient.

He ends wars with a single order and always gets what he wants.

Now he wants me.

I've spent my whole life proving every man who underestimated me wrong.

I never imagined the only one who would truly see me would be the man I was taught to fear.

But behind Damiano's ruthless reputation is a code—and once he decides I'm his, nothing will make him let me go.

When his enemies come for me, they discover exactly why Chicago fears the Don who chose me.

The Bride the Don Chose is an enemies-to-lovers arranged marriage mafia romance featuring a fiercely intelligent heroine, an obsessive Don who falls first, explosive chemistry, and a guaranteed HEA.

Explicit

2000 pages

English

Crime Fiction Contemporary Romance Dark Romance Morally Gray Hero Obsessive Hero Arranged Marriage Forced Proximity Enemies to Lovers Touch Her and Die Rival Families Dark Mafia Virgin Herione Strong Herione

Hosted by Sloane Blackwell

Review on at least 1:

Amazon

File(s) available:

EPUB (Send via email & download) 

My 5 Star review review TITLED:  It kept me hooked all the way through 

 

What a great opening scene !! And the surprise on Lottie's face is priceless! She may be quieter, but she's a watcher and she's no pushover ! And she knows how to survive in a Mafia household, having grown up in a ruthless one !  Just one more time of others not asking her what she wanted and treating her like furniture ! The emotions in this book were off the chart and I loved it.   I already want to read it again.  

 Damiano had seen a grainy picture of her before the first altar and had been intrigued with her fierceness captured in that picture.  She was beautiful yes, but there was fire there and when he had her investigated? She came up clean. She was different from the rest of the family.  And he knew she wasn't going to like what was coming! Bingo! He was right on the money on that !

Damiano had 4 different faces as Lottie will say later in the story. And she was right. He was so much more and better than she had been told. Oh yes, there was violence in him when needed but he never used it on her.  She wasn't afraid of him, didn't trust him and didn't budge an inch.  He let her get away with a lot and Lottie was continually surprised by him.  The first big surprise after the wedding was when she said they wouldn't be sleeping together that night?  She got the bed and he slept in the room on the chaise.  For many nights.  His only demand was that she always be honest with him. And he would do the same.  He actually was also courting her if you look at it from a different angle. I loved how the two of them were together and the way they talked to each other.  The different, getting to know you  kind of seduction  finally works. When they do get together it is of course, hot !

Lottie's cousin Bianca was a different kettle of fish. Beautiful, clever and not to be trusted and Damiano doesn't and keeps digging into to her and Lottie's uncle Enzo.  Lottie does kind of trust Bianca for a while but also suspects that there is something cold shifting under all that sophistication.  Good call because Bianca and Enzo have some deep plans that aren't good for their family, Damiano's family and the Caruso family!  

The evil goes even deeper than I suspected and I loved how the truth gets unraveled.  It was also great to see the people who weren't on Bianca and Enzo's side. Lottie and Damiano have plans too and it's for the good of all the families and I loved how they start building a New Family. A New Empire. Great ending and great Epilogue ! Great eBook cover by the way. 

 I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

bkfunnel/ Duchess of Disaster by Izzy Roberts

  For any other questions, please contact:
Izzy Roberts <hello@izzyroberts.com>

 Daisy Hartley is a Boston greeting card heiress who can nail the perfect sentiment for any occasion. Her own life is a different story.

When her mother's outrageous "dying" wish lands Daisy in a solicitor's office signing a contract marriage with Crispin Wycliffe—Duke of Marchwood, master of the devastating one-liner, and a man who could lower the temperature of a room just by standing in it—she tells herself it's temporary. Just long enough to satisfy Margaux's dreams of aristocratic grandeur.

But Marchwood Hall has other ideas. The heating keeps failing at suspicious moments. The peacock hates her. And Crispin keeps leaving notes written in her own card-writing style, which is either very irritating or very romantic. She hasn't decided yet.

A witty, warm, slightly spicy romcom about a disaster-prone American, a very controlled Duke, and one magnificent estate that refuses to let them stay strangers.

My 5 Star Review-TITLED:So good that I just have to read it again !!!

Hilarious !!! I loved this book and absolutely adorable, unconventional, red haired American Daisy/Izzy ! And what a family she married into ! Crispin is like a stiff board; no sense of humor and never smiles or laughs. Oh dear.  But he does grow on me. And his Dowager Aunt ? Double oh dear ! Even stiffer.  When Crispin's sister showed up, she seemed to be a "real person". I liked her and Izzy's mom who is even wilder than just about anyone else. She was kind, funny and puts up with no guff from anyone, English royalty or not. The Dowager Aunt does try her luck though !!! The butler Halliday has to be another favorite of mine. Always there, quiet, efficient and rooting for Izzy in his own quiet way !

One of my favorite scenes  has to be the hilarious, Fox Hunt. It had me screaming with laughter. And the sarcastic notebook of potential greeting cards !!!Another winner. 

I loved how it all ended with such a good HEA. Also the author's writing style !

 

 

Review by Jul 23, 2026-bksprout/ Guarding the Billionaire Mogul by Nora Daniels

 

 Booksprout 

 My chief of staff hired me a bodyguard. Now she’s in my penthouse, in my bed, and under my skin. 

Sloane Bishop is ex-military, impossible to impress, and the only woman in Manhattan paid to order me around.

When someone from my rockstar past starts hunting me, Sloane moves into my penthouse.
She checks every exit, sleeps with one eye open, and looks criminally good in a fitted black suit.

She makes me laugh over cold takeout.
Sees the man beneath the mogul.

Then a hotel mix-up leaves us with one bed.
I pin her beneath me, feel her nails rake down my back, and forget I’m supposed to be the man in control.

She stands between me and danger like losing me would break her.
That’s when I realize I’ve fallen for her.

But what we’ve done could cost her career, and my past is closing in fast.
The more I love her, the more leverage I hand my enemy.

Because now he’s found the one thing I can’t afford to lose.  Her.

Explicit

345 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Romantic Suspense Female bodyguard Billionaire romance Forced proximity Only one bed Reverse grumpy sunshine He falls first Workplace romance Curvy heroine Romantic suspense Protective alpha hero

Hosted by Nora Daniels

Note from the Author

Thank you for joining my ARC team! I hope you enjoy Knox and Sloane’s story. When you’ve finished reading, I’d greatly appreciate an honest review on Amazon during release week. Your support means more than you know. ❤️ Release Day: July 23, 2026

Must review on:

Amazon

File(s) available:

EPUB (Send via email & download)

 

My 4 Star Reviewed TITLED: Lovely in its own way

 I really liked that the bodyguard was a woman and a red headed one at that ! She's tough, thorough and excellent at her job. She knows what shes doing.  Knox doesn't like that he has a bodyguard but when she moves him where he needs to go? He resists but he goes..finally. He's upset with Marlowe for going behind his back but soon sees Sloane's worth.  Toby is another great asset for the Knox team.  I liked both Marlowe and Toby !

A man named Cole takes awhile but shows up as a definite problem that won't be easily solved. He's steps ahead of Knox and has been lining up his position for months !

I liked both Sloane and Knox; also known as Elias before his fame.  They are such an interesting combination !  There's a tenseness to the story because I never knew what was going to happen next. It kept me rooting for Sloane and Knox until the very end. 

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Jul 14 2026 -Netgalley/ Killer Vibes The First Peter Key Mystery by Jack Friday

  Netgalley link

 KINDLE 

Part of Peter Key Mystery Series

Pub Date Jul 14 2026 | Archive Date Jul 28 2026

St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books

You Like Them

General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers

 A wild and wickedly funny series debut, introducing readers to the irresistible and irrepressible private investigator, Peter Key.

"Everything you want in a great mystery."—Steven Rowley

"Peter Key is my new favorite amateur sleuth."—Elle Cosimano

Meet Peter Key: self-proclaimed “laziest private investigator in Texas” (it’s harder than it looks), unapologetic bisexual, dedicated stoner, and the surprised recipient of a windfall inheritance from an uncle he barely knew. Peter’s life was a mess before, but now— as the owner of a dilapidated house in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Austin—he has a mountain of debt to deal with and pressure to sell from every side.

But Peter doesn’t like to be pushed around. And when he discovers a bag full of cash, he starts to suspect his uncle’s death wasn’t an accident. He soon finds himself pulled into a lethal game where not everybody plays by the rules.

Fortunately, Peter’s never been good at following rules.

Sexy, suspenseful, and packed with Austin’s quirks, Killer Vibes is a wild and wickedly funny romp that introduces us to the irresistible and irrepressible PI, Peter Key.

 My review Notes 3.5 Stars TITLED: I had mixed feelings on this one

What a dismal life Peter (Petey) has been living.  He can't even decide whether he likes women or men better when it comes to spicy actions personally. That I didn't like so much.  But then it seems like his life is starting to turn around.  

I had a hard time getting into this story and wasn't sure I was going to make it all the way through to be honest.  

 I was given a copy of this book through Netgalley and this is my honest feelings about it.