This was an entertaining read. I did read the first book in the series. I think that if you haven’t read it this book could be confusing. Mollys bowling alley has been threatened and she’s worked to hard for it to let it go. Ashton has just become head of his family. Molly has grown up with a deadbeat father who’s entangled in the mafia. So that life isn’t new to her. And she’s not going to let Ashton take anything away from her. But despite being opposite, they can’t deny the attraction to each other.

4 1/2 stars

Molly and Ashton's connection was unusual. They had a slow build given they had essentially had an attraction since they were young. Even though they'd both denied it, there had always been "something" there. Molly was unaware of much of the history surrounding their families and it was a burden that Ashton carried daily. It's one of the reasons she was always on the periphery of his life in some way.

Ashton is the newly appointed head of his mafia family. It all came to pass when his grandfather and uncles were brutally murdered by a rival family. Molly is the daughter of one of their lower level informants who Ashton has no respect for. Yet, he cares about what happens to Molly. When Molly is threatened in a robbery gone bad and it puts her in the sights of the police, Ashton comes to her rescue.

Molly finds herself drawn to Ashton even though she knows it's dangerous. He's mafia after all and not just any mafia. He's the scary one - - the one who does bad things. He's not the good guy. That's his friend Trace - - head of another mafia family. Ashton is the one who "protects" everyone no matter the cost. He can be cold-blooded and cruel but he's the one you want by your side when the enemy is after you.

This book had a little different feel to it that the first one in the series - - but it was every bit as good. I really enjoyed the development of Molly and Ashton's relationship. Molly's determination to always put herself at risk made me a bit crazy at times. I felt for Ashton when he was trying to keep her safe and she kept making his life that much harder. But that was just who she was and he fell in love with her after all.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This author has a way of writing that really does it for me. A Cruel Arrangement picks up right where A Dirty Business left off, but follows along on another couples journey. Molly and Ashton had intrigued me in A Dirty Business when it was clear there was something there, and I couldn't wait to read their story and it definitely didn't disappoint. Ashton is the cold, hard mafia leader who does exactly what he needs to take care of things, and Molly, despite her tragic background, and negligent and corrupt con of a dad, is a very upbeat almost sunshine personality. As opposite as they are, they also have things that connect and pull them together, in addition to crazy chemistry. Molly has a knack for finding herself in serious trouble from almost the very first line of the book to the last, which made for such an entertaining read. This book was non-stop action and I didn't want to put it down because I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. I kind of hope maybe we'll get more from this world from this author!

3.5 stars
This mafia romantic suspense centers around Ashton and Molly. And while I haven't read the first book, there is enough revealed throughout the story to get a grasp on the complicated situation between Ashton and Jess. There was plenty of action as Ashton searched for the answers as to who killed a couple of characters from the first book. While Ashton has a much darker side to his character, he is also protective of Molly and grows even more protective of her as the story unfolds. For me, I had a hard time connecting with Molly's character. Yes, she is independent, feels deeply for those she loves, and doesn't dwell on horrible things. But there was just something about her that I can't quite put my finger on. Overall, the storyline did keep me guessing as to what was going to happen next with some surprising twists.

I really liked Molly and her attitude towards life. She had her moments of doing dumb stuff but then she'd get over it quickly, and forgive quickly. I hate heroines that throw themselves into stupid danger but Molly has a good balance of listening to reason and acting when she felt she needed to. I'm not sure how, but I found myself liking Jess and Trace less and less in this story while liking Ashton more and more. I love the family that Molly has built for herself with her friends. This book had a good build up for the mystery of the puppet master, although I don't know that I liked the way things shook out with Justin and Kelly's ending. Jake needs his happy ending, too!

Another 5 star read from Tijan! I can never get enough of her writing. In this story, we have Molly and Ashton. Molly's inner dialogue had me laughing and Ashton is so cool, that he's hot!

After Molly Easter takes over the bowling alley that she managed to finagle from her father, she puts all of her heart and soul into the business. And when someone tries to take that away from her, she does everything she can to grip onto her lifeline!
Ashton Walden has no issue using that to his advantage to get what he wants.

When Tijan writes, she has the ability to bring so much life to her characters. And the burn up to the spice is so, so, so hot. I can literally feel it sweeping through me as if I was Molly. It gave me all the tingles.

This is the sequel to A Dirty Business, so make sure to read prior to A Cruel Arrangement.

I'm sorry, but I didn't enjoy this book. The story told in this book is far too long for it to be. I adore Mafia romances. Unfortunately, I was let down by this.

The story didn't hold my interest, and the characters lacked substance. I couldn't figure out what was happening half the time. Perhaps it's because I wasn't really hooked. A few characters seemed to be introduced, discarded, and then returned as vital to the story.

Thank you to Valentine PR and Tijan for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley

Just as with A Dirty Business once I started this book I could not stop. This book continues the story of A Dirty Business and the story continues to get better. I loved the twists and turns in this book as we finally find out who was behind the events at the end of the first book.

This book was a redemption story for Ashton after what happened to Jess in the first book and that particular storyline had me crying a few times. Ashton and Molly are a great love story and somehow they are both dark, but fit a grumpy sunshine label so well. This book is mostly about the suspense plot line with the romance between Ashton and Molly taking a backseat most of the time, but it’s always there is small moments between them that has you hooked the entire time!

Tijan knows how to write a complex, twisted and chaotic mafia story! Ashton and Molly seemed to have more tension surrounding each of them than the couple from the previous book in the duet. A Cruel Arrangement was a very fast paced read and was easy to get through in a short period of time. The tension was so high for the majority of the book, that you just couldn't put it down! Tragedy and pain was around every corner. Molly was put in life threatening situations so many times, I wondered if she'd make it out alive by the end of the book! That poor woman! Ashton certainly seemed like a hardened bad guy on the surface, but as his story unraveled and his facade started to crack, I really started to enjoy his emotional and protective side. He knew he was a bad dude. He acknowledged that he did horribly things for a living. But he also knew that he had a heart to give the right person and he'd always protect them, no matter the cost.

The mafia aspect of the story got very convoluted at times and seemed like a twisted mess a lot of the time. Things became more clear near the end of the story and the author did a good job of explaning all the players and their roles. It's sometimes hard to keep families straight in these tropes because there are so many moving parts and characters to keep track of!

I didn't love the ending. I thought the "who done it" aspect didn't flow well with the rest of the story. It's hard to address this without giving anything away but I'll just say it didn't make sense why some characters did what they did. In the end, justice was served and that's all I truly cared about.

Brace yourselves for an emotional roller-coaster in A Cruel Arrangement. Tijan’s second novel in the King of New York Series is the epitome of suspense, beautifully dark, exhilarating and daunting, and I couldn’t have turned the pages quicker even if I’d tried. Trust me when I say it’s a must-read for mafia romance lovers! And by now, you’ll know that it’s my favoured trope, but what I like about the author’s storytelling is her punchy writing in short sentences. She doesn’t mess around, making you wait for the action, and neither has she adhered to global collective mob syndicates as such. Two families with similar interests and ties; another the root of the problem they’re up against.

Of course, a heroine in the ‘line of fire’ adds more spice to the read—no pun intended here because you’ll soon learn who’ll be calling the shots. This time, Tijan has brought Molly Easter, a courageous but at-risk woman, together with Ashton Walton, who’d been running his family affairs for a while. As I’d expected, theirs is not a love match; however, not only do circumstances force them to look at each other in a new light, sparks fly in all directions.

Tijan has intertwined characters and prior events from A Dirty Business exceedingly well. I met Trace West, Ashton’s best mate and business colleague, and although their brotherly friendship is being tested, finding out who the true culprit is behind a savage happening will give them a run for their money. Sadly Molly’s on the receiving end of a fallout caused by whom you may ask! I got beyond exasperated to see that this person could easily have had the heart to tell her the truth. All I can say is he’d been a thorn in her side since she could remember; no surprise here after reading what she’d been through. Without wallowing in the past, she’s adamant about making her bowling alley a success.

So when Ashton drops Molly the bombshell, it’s a game-changer. I wasn’t that keen on her having to make a cruel arrangement with him in the first place. It seemed to me to be a means to his end to please third parties. Read the first book, and you’ll catch my drift. Not forgetting what’s at stake, the author barely lets her readers come up for air. It’s vengeance at its purest. Molly and Ashton’s descriptive steaminess compensated for blood-curdling scenes in a nonstop battle that had me on tenterhooks, rooting especially for her. Ashton? He’s on the ball, worming out the enemy, and despite him being an annoyingly drop-dead gorgeous anti-hero with his own backstory, he’s a good leader and protective of those he cares for.

I recommend reading A Dirty Business if you haven’t already since the author has addressed unanswered questions. Hoping there’ll be more where this came from. Bravo, Tijan!

Many thanks to Montlake Romance Publishers via NetGalley for an early copy in favour of an unbiased review.

This is the second book in the Kings of New York series. I would recommend reading the first book before jumping into this one. A lot happens in the first book and it leaves off on a cliffhanger. The first book followed Jess and Trace and helps explain this mafia world. To be honest I had some issues with the first book because I just didn't really connect to the heroine, but I loved the heroine in this book. I would still recommend it since it helps set up the mafia families and dynamics. Luckily, this book follows Trace's best friend Ashton and Molly. I found Ashton way more interesting than Trace. He is a much darker and ruthless man and I love my morally grey men.

I enjoyed this book and couple so much more than the first one. I loved the characters and fell for their romance. This book picks up right where the last one left off, which ended in a cliffhanger. I don't want to spoil this cliffhanger for you, but this book is mostly about trying to figure out who was responsible for it and giving us answers to questions.

Molly owns the bowling alley Jess and her best friend went to every week, at least she thought she did. She bought it off her gambling, conman, loser of a father. He basically gambled and for the mafia and owed them a lot of money. The book opens up with an attempted robbery at the bowling alley, which brings Molly back into Ashton's life. He is trying to find out who was responsible for the crime at the end of the first book and needs Molly's help. He notifies her that the bowling alley is actually owned by his mafia family and he will put it in her name if she helps him.

Molly was such a sunshine, sweet, and loyal character. I loved how strong she was even though her life was hard growing up with her dad and in the system. She has a close group of friends and is very independent. I loved how she was not afraid to speak her mind, even with Ashton. There is a little history between Ashton and Molly. He thought he hated her because of what happened with her mother, but he really didn't. Molly is magnet for danger and near death experiences. Her life is in danger, so Ashton steps in to protect her. They have a forced proximity situation and they cannot keep away from each other.

What made this book for me was Ashton. He did a really bad thing in the first book because of his loyalty to Trace and the mafia. However, he trying to make it right in this book. He was so cold and ruthless, except with Molly. They had amazing sexual chemistry and I really believed they were meant for each other. He would say she brought sunshine into his darkness. He was so alpha and sexy as hell. He was such a simp for Molly though, and I loved it. This couple is everything. I absolutely loved their dynamic.

Ashton also has touch her and you die vibes...

"You've become the reason. You're no longer the woman I'm going to use to end this war. You're the reason for this war because if anyone hurts you, touches you, I'll kill them all. Are you hearing me? All of them."

This book had a lot going on with a mafia war, action, and great romance. There were big reveals at the end and they got their HEA. I am curious to see if Tijan will continue with the series. I would be interested in reading the Worthing cop's romance.

Thank you to Valentine PR and NetGalley for providing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This is book two in the Kings of New York series, a mafia romance. This is not a standalone romance. I don't think that those reading just this book will understand Ashton and his dark personality and they won't understand the dynamic between him and Jess, Trace's girlfriend. (the couple from the first book.)

So...we left with a major cliffhanger at the end of the first book (A Dirty Business.) I couldn't wait to read the second book and find out what happened. I loved book one--a five star read. I was hoping for the same with this book.

It started out flat for me. I kinda felt that the cliffhanger reveal wasn't really exciting in this book. I am familiar with all the main characters in this book when I started reading it, but I just didn't warm up to the story and the main male character, Ashton. He did some pretty awful things in the first book, so I didn't know how he was going to be redeemed.

I did enjoy seeing Ashton and Molly's feelings grow. He became very protective of her and wasn't planning on it. Molly was an interesting character. She certainly grew into the mafia role nicely, though she did some risky things that put herself in danger too much.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴: Contemporary, Mafia

Tijan can write no wrong. I knew when I read the first book in her Kings of New York Series we were getting something new. Usually her heroines are quirky and a bit odd, but both the FMCs and MMCs so far in this series are, dare I say, fairly normal? And it WORKS! Molly and Ashton were so amazing. What seems to be an enemies to lovers vibe with an undercurrent of obsession. Because I could tell Ashton was whipped from the beginning and Molly fought her feelings too. The BEST tension, y’all.

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

The plot was soooo good! After that heartbreaking cliffhanger in book one we finally find out who’s behind it. This story starts slow and builds. The plot builds and the romance builds. Once it gets rolling it was almost impossible to put down.

And when Ashton and Molly finally gave in? Talk about human combustion because these two had chemistry that was amazing. I honestly think I ended up like them more that Trace and Jess. (It was so good seeing them again though).

“𝐘𝐨𝐮. 𝐌𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐜𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞, 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

I love pretty much everything Tijan writes and this was no different. Her mafia romances are so special and different from others. They’re heavy but so romantic. Ashton and Molly were the perfect couple.

POV: 1st, Dual
SPICE: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
🅁🄰🅃🄸🄽🄶: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚. 𝙈𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙞𝙨 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮.

Mafia wars Tijan style!

Why do I always think that when I start a book by Tijan that is will be the usual type of romance? I really should know better by now since the author takes the reader on a wild ride with many twists and turns. I always have a hard time trying to describe any book by Tijan because there is so much to the story because there is so much action within the story.

Molly Easter just wants to run Easter Lanes that she had pried away from her low-life of a father and to stay out of the mafia war that was going on. But then she became part of the ongoing war when Ashton Walden took her to his place while he was trying to cement his place as the new head of the Walden Mafia after the bowling alley was robbed.

You need to read A Cruel Arrangement if you want a book that make you say “just one more chapter before turning out the light and it’s three hours later”.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh gosh, what can I say about this? Short answer: I loved it and I ended up loving Ashton which I didn't think I would do after reading A Dirty Business.

I've not read a lot of mafia books as I prefer sports or small town romance but I love Tijan's writing so gave ADB a try and was hooked. And now A Cruel Arrangement was another 5 star read for me. I was hooked back in to the world immediately and desperate to know what would happen. Molly was kind of all over the place and such a chaos magnet with her Switch, but she was indeed the glue and Ashton didn't stand a chance. There are a lot of people to keep straight in this with the key players and minor characters, plus all the shady dealings and goings on. But it was so well woven together it was gripping. I read well into the night to finish it as I just couldn't stop.

I've heard this is a 2 book series so this is it for the Kings of New York. But I need to know more about Jake for starters... Will there be a spin off series in Maine? I really hope so!

Having devoured the first book in this series, A Dirty Business I couldn't wait for this one.
I hadn't made up my mind about Ashton, but I found him intriguing, he was cruel, dangerous and Dark and he would have to really impress me to outdo Trace and I have to admit I think he just topped him!!
In this book the heat really ramps up, both Trace and Ashton were now leading their respective mafia families and still both determined to to have this ran their way, despite other families wanting now o destroy them.
I loved the first book but i have to say that this book completely owned me, everything about it was on a new level!!
Ashton definitely lived up to his reputation, his cruelty had no bounds!! A man who made his decisions and stuck by them, NO PRISONERS!!!
Molly just blew me away, this girl was badass!!! She struggled all her life yet she coped, and took things and dealt as they came at her. She definitely owned Ashton.
The twists in this book were dark and deep, expect the unexpected, I felt the tension, I felt the danger and the violence and my own emotions were at war right along with them.
Exciting and thrilling with every chapter combined with a growing love that filled my heart!! GAHHHH these men !!!! I NEED ME AN ASHTON!!!
A definite must read!!

4 Stars for this Mafia romance

I loved how Molly was so fearless when looking out for the ones she loved. And even though Ashton was a bad guy, he was a good guy and fiercely protective of the ones he loved. The twists and turns had my head spinning ... I really had to pay attention. Then there are the steamy scenes ... they were fogging up my iPad!

Molly doesn't remember most of her childhood and when she left foster care, she tracked down her low-life of a dad. She bought Easter Lanes from him and has made it a profitable business. But when her dad gets her involved with his Mafia ties, her life is threatened ... more than once. Molly knows she's in trouble when Ashton Walden, head of the Walden Family shows up at her door. Ashton has been drawn to Molly since their childhood, even thought she doesn't remember him. He wants to protect her from his world, but the chemistry is too strong between them.

I received an early copy courtesy of Montlake through NetGalley.

A Cruel Arrangement is the 2nd book in the Kings of New York Series by this author and to get the greatest enjoyment out of it, I would suggest reading the first book before diving into this one because the story line and plot overlap. That being said, I'll be honest and say that I didn't know if I was going to like Ashton based on my feelings toward him in A Dirty Business, the first book, but this author certainly knows how to write an unpleasant character in one book and have him redeemed in the next. Now Molly on the other hand -- I enjoyed everything about her character -- she's spunky, smart, brave and a ray of sunshine which is quite surprising considering her upbringing -- I looked forward to the chapters that were written in her POV the most, but it was her and Ashton's connection and chemistry that really got me. This one had me on the edge of my seat several times! This may be considered a "mafia" book but I think it's much more than that. I really enjoyed these reads and hope to read more from this author in the future. I'm grateful to have been given the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

Ashton has never been known as a loving or kind man. Ruthless to the bone and all Mafia he makes no apologies. When the need arises for information to be gathered about Justin and Kelly's deaths he does not hesitate to use Molly Easter to get it. Or tell her a few truths. But he should have known Molly was not going to just be a tool he could use and put down. She is unique in every way and determined to not do as she's told. War is not just on the horizon, its here, and no one is safe. So falling in love would definitely not be advised. Its dark and dangerous and so good!

Kings of New York!

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚🖤💙❤️💖
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: ☹️🙃😍😘

The heroine: Molly Easter - her father has always let her down. He works for the Walden mafia and owes them more money than he can ever repay. Though the one thing Molly learned from him was how to con. She grew up in foster care, but still has some sort of relationship with her father and when he called her to bail him out of jail, she conned him into selling her his struggling bowling alley, which she has since turned into a thriving business. So when it is threatened by an armed gunman, she defends the place with everything she has.

The Hero: Ashton Walden - since his uncles and grandfather were murdered several months ago, he has taken over the family business and is now fully in charge of the Walden mafia. Though he was in a legitimate business before that, he is fully capable of running it well. He is as brutal as he needs to be and has a stellar education and all the business acumen to be a great leader.

The Story: when Molly ends up in unconscious in the hospital, Ashton thinks it is time to let her in on some information she hadn’t known about her father. She is now beholden to him and promises to do some things for him. I liked this one better than A Dirty Business from the start, since I wasn’t too fond of Jess’s chosen profession as a parole officer.

I love just about everything that Tijan writes and I love the fact that this series is about a different couple in each book. Though it is still better to read them in order, I love the fact that we aren’t getting stuck with a huge cliffhanger that leaves the book feeling unfinished. Though there was a bit of a cliffhanger in the last book, it wasn’t one that the romance depended on to be complete.

I also kind of love the fact that she does mafia so well even though she doesn’t pigeonhole it into a cookie cutter, Italian mafia, Irish mafia or Russian Bratva type of stereotype. In this book she has the Walden mafia, the West mafia, the Worthing mafia, in other books she has done the Bennett mafia. With these names, they could be any race, color or nationality. I think that is great.

I really liked Molly from the start. She was from a bad background but picked herself up through hard work and effort and she is an independent woman, but is also vulnerable and has her own distinctive issues and problems. I love the fact that Ashton is a strong, dominant figure from the start, even though with the recent death of his family, he is also dealing with quite a lot.

“I say ‘like’ because in my family, what we do, if you ‘love,’ then you’re considered weak. My family wasn’t weak. I might admit that I ‘cared’ about them, but love . . . I’ll never say that word. Once you ‘love’ someone, you will lose them.”

Like I have said before in my reviews, Tijan is a master at writing great characters and it is never just the main characters in her books that have distinctive personalities. She writes terrific friends, foes and everything in between, but especially the friends. Trace and Jess from A Dirty Business featured prominently in this book and I really loved the friendship/brotherhood between Ashton and Trace.

I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.