This has all of the tropes I love. Arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, mafia romance, and the best vibes a woman can ask for…touch her and die!

A fun and entertaining read. Very spicy and action packed as well.

Ate this book up and left no crumbs. Definitely recommend!!!

What if the Montagues and the Capulets wanted Romeo to marry Juliet?

Aida Gallo just wanted a little fun. She didn’t mean to set the fire in the Griffin house—it was just supposed to be a little distraction. But the tiny mistake winds up costing her everything. Now she has to marry Callum, the prince of the Irish mafia in order to right the wrongs she’s caused. And he’s just as reluctant to the marriage as she is. She’s boisterous, unpredictable—an uncultured savage. His polar opposite. How can they make a union between them work when they want to kill each other every chance they get?
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I’m so thankful I got to read this edition of such a smash hit. The illustrations & bonus chapters were amazing, and I absolutely loved the premise. Aida & Cal are just perfect in their own ways. Getting to see their love develop through both their POVs was a great way to get a feel for the drama. I loved their violent beginning and hate-filled tension, the spice, the Romeo & Juliet vibes, and Lark’s fantastic use of the Irish/Italian mafia lore. Lark’s writing is exquisite, full of raw emotion and packs an intense punch in every chapter, really drives the story home. I so loved this and can’t wait to finish the series. Easily one of my fav reads this year!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the advance reader copy.

I had heard a lot about this book from TikTok and online so had high expectations for the read. I maybe should have gone in with no expectations and just read it.

I didn’t enjoy the main characters and their very hastily flung together ‘romance’. I don’t usually go for large age gap books and found that this book reinforced that for me as I found Aida immature and sometimes quite annoying and Callum was a lot.

I think a good thing was that it was a quick read (maybe too quick) and am apprehensive about reading the other books in the series.

I'm a huge fan of Sophie Lark and read Brutal Prince when it was originally published and got sucked into the mafia world she created.
This second read with the new edition was even better. A book that can captivate and hold my interest more than once is a 5 star for me. The cover is beautiful and the illustrations were a fun surprise.
Can't wait to dive back into the rest of the series.

Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC of Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark in exchange for an honest review.

A TRUE gritty delicious enemies to lovers romance. Most romances aren’t great but keep me entertained, this one had plot and was well written which is a unicorn in the smut world!
I immediately went onto Amazon and bought book 2

-Arrange Marriage
-Enemies to lover
- Mafia Romance
-Touch her and die
-possessive
Aida and Callum
Brutal Prince is the first book in the Brutal Birthright series.
This was such a fun and entertaining to read. Feuding families, arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, sexy/spicy scenes, and action/adventure... what more could you want in a smut-tacular novel?
Aida and Callum's relationship starts off rocky with hatred.
Callum is running to be an Alderman of Chicago knowing that there is more power when you are part of running the city. He isn't the most likeable for most, but he is charming and puts on a good show. He is handsome, dangerous, possessive and dare say jealous. He thinks he knows what everyone wants out of his campaign but a wild spit fire sure shows him he doesn't have everyone pegged. He doesn't want anything to do with this marriage but what is he without his family, the power, and the respect so he will play the game and get things done. He doesn't expect Aida to surprise him as much as she does, and he can't deny that he likes it.
Aida doesn't take crap from no one, she is sassy as hell, strong and she a prefect match for Callum talk about keeping him on his toes. she is angry, stubborn and pretty damn awesome. She's fearless, will do anything for her family even if it mean sacrificing herself - after all she believes it's all her fault. She knows more than they think, she's stronger than he knows and she is ready for a fight. She's beautiful, confident, and oh so feisty! I really enjoyed this book, I love a good maria romance.

It's rare to find a really well written TRUE enemies to lovers story these days. And if you need that itch scratched and like your men possessive, your familial side characters a little..morally loose and your women strong and feisty as heck, then I implore you to give Callum and Aida's story a read. The family is so close and actually get along which you don't really find in many mafia stories and Aida not only isn't meek but she kinda likes getting her hands dirty. I loved this a lot

Pub date: 07/25/23
CW: bondage, non con, forced marriage, murder, death

Thaaaaank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the approval. As always, it’s much appreciated.

I never really thought I’d love this book as much as I did. I read like 2/3 of it while at work today and I plan on finishing it later today/tonight.

This was a GOOD ONE. the enemies to lovers pipeline is always a favorite of mine and it pulls me in every time. EVERY SINGLE TIME. I LOVE IT.

I absolutely loved this book! I flew through it and can’t wait for the rest of the series! The enemies to lovers was perfect! I loved both characters and the mafia aspect so much!

I had mixed feelings about this book.

It wasn't the greatest story I've ever read but it had something that kept me hooked. I'm not the biggest fan of young heroines but I was able to overlook that for this book.

It reminded me very much of a fan fiction, with the art work and playlist recommendations, but not in a bad way!

I works read this author again.

A mafia relationship of convenience trope romance book. Although it was not much of a love story. The two MCs trying to unalive each other was something. This was my first Sophie Lark book and I’m still not entirely sure if I really liked it or not.

Review Posted on February 6th, 2023 to Goodreads and Storygraph

4⭐️

I am totally obsessed with this book. Callum and Aida are so perfect for each other! The statement opposites attract really hold true.I love how they don’t leave each other behind no matter what and they always find their way back to each other! I am totally obsessed with both Callum and Aida because they are both so badass! This book was super good and I am definitely going to read Stolen Heir because I already love Nessa! I definitely recommend this book!

Favorite Quote:
“You’re mine, Aida,” Callum growls in my ear. “I’ll kill anyone who tries to touch you.”

as my first official mafia romance... this was interesting.
the writing was alright, the arranged marriage plot was decent, but something was just... missing?
SOOOO much backstory was explained and this book was filled to the BRIM of showing instead of telling. I don't want to hear about all this dramatic backstory from the past, I want to SEE it happen on the pages.

the romance also felt quite rushed. enemies-to-lovers needs to have a bit more of a slow burn for me to enjoy it.
I liked that Aida was a badass female MC who could hold her own in most situations and wasn't afraid to do so, but some of Aida's reactions to situations were so confusing I found myself annoyed with her at times.
also, Callum should have fired his bodyguard for talking to Aida the way that he did.

also, arranged marriage will never be a trope i enjoy. but if its your thing, then you might really enjoy this!
i liked that the book was very fast paced and felt very easy to get through. i'll definitely check out more of Sophie Lark's books in the future, but I'm not sure if this series is for me.

This book is quite literally everything you can want as an introduction to mafia romance. It was funny, sexy, and easy to follow along with- as far as the background info and mafia family connections/relationships. Not at all overwhelming which could easily turn off a reader. This first book also introduced the rest of the characters so well in that I'm definitely interested and invested enough to want to read more about them.

Why I loved it: spice level 🌶🌶, Dual POV- I adored Aida's POV. Marriage of convenience, literal enemies to lovers.

Wasn't a huge fan of this one. The characters felt flat and like they didn't have any real reason to like each other. I thought it sounded interesting but I was was ultimately let down. Not the worst romance book I've ever read but I won't be recommending this to others.

This book is what created my love for Sophie Lark and now I am on a mission to the read the rest of the books in the Brutal Birthright series. I absolutely adored the characters and the slow build of their relationship. Even the side characters had such depth in this book. Definitely would recommend!

5/5 stars
4/5 spice

Thank you to Netgalley & Bloom books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I requested this purely so I could have the chance to give it a Netgalley review. I read the Indy pub version and it’s a phenomenally good time.

Sophie Lark does not disappoint. She writes strong fierce women characters. Her male protags are always entertaining.

The smut is fire. If Sophie Lark writes it I will read it. Love her.

A nice cover but I couldn’t get into this story. I don’t know if it’s me, the writing style or the characters, but Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark didn’t work for me.
Thank you NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to review this book.

Bonita portada, pero no la historia no me cautivó. No sé si es el estilo, los personajes o tal vez sea yo, pero Brutal Prince por Sophie Lark no funcionó para mí.
Gracias a NetGalley y a la autora por la oportunidad de dejar una reseña para éste libro.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

My first Sophie Lark read. A quick and easy steamy read, managed to read it within a few hours. I loved the characters and their relationships, both with each other and with their siblings. I also enjoyed the illustrations. I normally prefer to imagine what the characters look like, but they were lovely added surprises throughout the story.

However, the plot just seemed underdeveloped in some places. When both Aida and Cal got themselves into trouble, they were quickly saved before the chapter ended so there was no time for a suspenseful build-up. The whole enemies part also lasted no time at all and neither did the families' biggest enemy (in fact, that part was finished off-screen so you don't even get the sense of completion with it).

Overall, the story was cute and great for a quick, easy read but I just wished that the storyline was less rushed so that the reader could really develop more of a connection to the character and the situation. I also hoped that there would be a hook to the next book within the first, rather than everything being tied up in a big, neat bow. I would recommend this book but I wouldn't read it again. I also don't know if I would continue on with the series.

Full review on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5559313078

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving my a ARC in exchange for a honest review! This book was the definition of enemies to lovers!! I couldn’t put it down! The story immediately grabs your attention from the very beginning. Aida is so sassy and confident. She doesn’t take sh*t from anyone! Callum is her complete opposite, but they work in the best of ways. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. So so good!!