Thank you Source Books/Bloom Books and Netgalley for the ARC!

Sophie Lark had been on my radar for a good while now because she’s all over bookstagram. I hadn’t gotten into mafia/gang/dark romances until recently so I was stoked to get this ARC to continue my deep dive into the dark side.

Lark surprised me with her writing in such a good way! I loved the tension, the sass and snark, the connection. She did such a great job writing characters you want to root for, even in this dark world. I am so excited for Stolen Heir now!

4.5

This book had me smiling, giggling, and cackling all throughout it. From the sass of the main character to the brooding of the love intrest these two constantly clashed in n more than that me way.

I also have to credit this story for the illustrations, they were beautiful and enhanced the reading experience to the max.

4.5 ⭐️
Sophie Lark’s books have been on my list for a while to read so seeing her Brutal Birthright series being traditionally published was fantastic and gave me the opportunity to start Brutal Prince.
Her books have a cult following on social media and deservedly so. The tension, romance and plot are executed fantastically.
Brutal Prince follows Aida Gallo, the youngest and only daughter in the infamous Gallo family that are ruthless in their business practices aka the Italian Mafia. She is wild, carefree and enjoys her freedom in any way she can and this is shown at the beginning of the book where she and her three brothers Dante, Nero and Sebastian decide to crash Nessa Griffin’s 19th birthday party. The Griffin’s are the Irish mafia family that also hold great power and the two families remain amicably separate to keep the peace. Well not tonight. After sneaking off to find a bathroom, Aida decides to explore the Griffin household and stumbles into a beautiful library where she’s almost caught by Callum Griffin, the eldest son who is just mean. As a way of escaping her hiding spot she decides to put the curtains in the fireplace almost burning down the home on her escape. Callum is not prepared to let this go and find Sebastian and Aida while they eat ice cream by the sea where a physical fight takes place between Callum, Jack (his henchman basically) and Sebastian with Aida trying to intervene and defend her brother who is badly hurt. After stealing a pocket watch from the library she uses this to cease the fighting but out of petty anger throws it into the water and running with her brother.
Things don’t exactly go to plan from here. As a way of keeping the peace and preventing all out violence Aida is told she will marry Callum. The two do not get on. At. All. I haven’t rated it 5 stars as Aida was slightly whiny at points which showed her age but her character development made up for it eventually.
Lark writes the most delicious enemies to lovers with intense romantic tension and a delectable plot that keeps you wanting more. I’m very excited to read Stolen Heir and I loved Brutal Prince!

★ ★ ★ ★ | 🌶🌶 check tw 18+

*A special thank you to Netgalley and Bloom Books for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

!! POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD PROCEED WITH CAUTION !!
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I absolutely ate this book up, man. I literally read most of it in one day. It was definitely an enjoyable first time reading Sophie Lark.

I liked the pacing of this book for the most part. It got to the point and still kept the action and drama. What I would critique, however, would be the progression of Callum and Aida’s relationship. I would’ve liked a little more tension between them before they got together. I felt like they progressed from enemies to lovers a little quick.

I loved the characters so much, though. Specifically: Nessa, Nero, and Sebastian. I literally cannot wait to read their stories. I learned to love Aida as the story progressed and as she went from mildly annoying and childish to headstrong and badass. It truly was a great character arc.

This book was full of spicy moments and my favorite trope: “grumpy husband says ‘my wife’ a million times”. I can’t wait to read the rest of them and get into Sophie Lark’s other works.

I wanted to like this book so much based off of the snippets I’d seen of it on social media, but I have to say that they are misleading. I know that this story is an enemies to lovers, but by 60% through I was not convinced that the main characters liked each other at all, but that they tolerated each other for sex. There is also a scene around the 50% mark that was written like it was supposed to be hot, but made my stomach turn in the context of their relationship. The intrigue of the mafia was honestly my favorite part and I wish this was a thriller with political intrigue rather than a dark romance. This book wasn’t my cup of tea, but I can see it being someone else’s.

I’ve read a lot of books, but with each year and new authors, I’m learning how many tropes I like and I’m learning I might like too many tropes cause I’m always reading tropes I love, but rarely come across.

I love when two characters who hate each other are forced into a marriage, the forced proximity, the battle of wills, and everything that falls in between gets me hooked every time. Callum and Aida despise each other from their first meeting , which is honestly warranted, and it just keeps growing in the beginning. Their tactics were original and had me hooked to keep finding out when they would break and fall for each other.

The suspense and the drama was great as well! Overall this book just worked for me!

3⭐️s/5

This was a super easy quick read however there was not much angst or romance. I felt like it was all quite surface level. I quite liked the quick remarks from Aida.

I have heard many good things about this series, and it did not disappoint!

Callum and Aida were incredible. Beginning as enemies and slowly falling for one another, Callum and Aida's relationship was excellent in my eyes. Their tension was radiating off the pages as well. I loved the slowish burn they had between, and when they finally fell in love, it felt complete. Very well thought out!

This book was my first time reading a mafia romance, and based on this story, it definitely will not be my last. There were moments when I felt like I could predict what was coming next, but that did not stop me from devouring it. I read it in basically an entire day! Very quick and easy to read.

I enjoyed Sophie Lark's writing and cannot wait to read the next in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for allowing me to read this book!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

Have wanted to read a Sophie Lark book for a while so was very excited to read this.

This is a mafia romance based on Callum and Aida who are from rival families.

I really enjoyed the book, this is a proper enemies to lovers - where they actually try and kill each other. I also loved the way Aida’s character was written.


Overall an entertaining read, and a good intro to Sophie Lark.

Brutal Prince was amazing, loved the family dynamic, loved the relationship between Adia and Callum. Really enjoyed the mafia ellements cannot wait to read everyone elses story

The story is mild and the plot is hurried. Every time the plot twisted, it resolved very quickly.

This wasn't as dark as I expected but that could be my problem as I have read a lot of dark mafia romance, I also didnt really feel the Enemies to Lovers, I felt like the lovers part came too fast for that.

Personally, this mafia romance felt very predictable and at times a bit cringe. I was not a big fan on the character art either, as I felt like the the characters I read about looked different in my mind then the art depicted. Maybe could be a fun read for someone who likes any and all mafia romance, but not particularly my cup of tea even though I really wanted it to be.

The Brutal Prince is a mafia romance that follows Aida and Callum, they're arranged to be married to end the feuding between their families after Aida causes some trouble.

This one hooked me from the start and I read through it in one day! This is the first book I read by Sophie Lark and she did not disappoint! This was also my first mafia romance book and I enjoyed it! Aida is a freaking bad ass! I loved her character! Her and Callum were literal enemies from the start! If you are looking for a spicy mafia romance then this is your book! I can’t wait to read the rest of the series! Also, the illustrations?! So beautiful!

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

Publication date: July 25, 2023

Brutal Prince is the first in a new Mafia romance series by Sophie Lark. I have never read this author before but I absolutely LOVED Aida and Callum’s story and cannot wait to read the rest of this series!

Aida Gallo is the youngest sibling and only daughter of the Gallo family. The Gallos have run Chicago’s Old Town for hundreds of years. Aida is a bit of a wild child and being the only female does not have any responsibilities in the family business.

Callum Griffin is the exact opposite of Aida. The eldest son of the Irish Griffin family, set to takeover the family business. The Griffins run the newer sections of Chicago and are constantly in conflict with the Gallos.

After a party crash gone wrong, the two families agree to new terms. Callum and Aida will marry, unite the families and work together against some of the newer families in town trying to get a cut of each of their businesses.

Callum and Aida cannot stand each other and have no idea how they will get through a minute together never mind a lifetime. Then something changes and a spark is ignited. What happens when you start to fall in love with spouse that you hate?

This is a fast paced Mafia, enemies to lovers trope with tons of spice. I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in less than 24 hours. This is a 4.5 star read for me.

#NetGalley #brutalprince #sophielark

3.5⭐️
Brutal Prince is a “mafia” enemies to lovers romance following Callum and Aida. Callum is from an Irish family, while Aida is from an Italian family…rival mafia families in Chicago. After Aida sneaks into Callum’s families house and sets fire to their library, the two heads of the family decide to force the pair to get married to bring “peace” between the Griffins and the Gallos. Both characters are rough around the edges- Callum in a cold/heartless way, and Aida because she is childish/impulsive. For example, when she finds out that he is deathly allergic to strawberries right before the wedding and decides to each some knowing he will kiss her at the end of the ceremony…he ends up in the hospital. I could have done without this scene. I had a hard time connecting to the main characters in the beginning.

However, somewhere along the way Callum and Aida begin to change and start to work together. That’s when I started enjoying the story more. Some of the one liners that Aida would dish out to pretty much anyone, but especially Callum, were quite funny. I will continue on to the next book in the series.

Loved this so much! The tension between the characters was delicious. I really loved the illustrations found throughout the book as well. Really helped the story along.

Enemies to Lovers

From the moment they met, sparks literally flew! Their families hated each other so they hated each other. Forced to marry, each had their very own agenda which was to get the better of each other!

I couldn’t put the book down and had to keep reading to the end. A fun steamy read which had me laughing at their antics and gasping at the action.

An engaging story with wonderful characters each with a personality that jumped out within the pages leaving you wanting more with a HEA which will make you smile!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a quick read, it was fun and easy to get through.

It focuses on Callum and Aida,two people who fall into two opposing crime families. After an event which signals the start of a family war it is agreed that the two will marry, much to their despair. Think Romeo and Juliet without the the insta love at first site. Instead they try and murder each other.

I quite liked Aida, she was fiery and didn’t take any rubbish from anyone. And her comments to people, and herself, had me liking her even more. She didn’t keep quite and usually just told it as it was.

There was some spice, not as much as I had expected, but the scenes were well written, hate s€x anyone??

I do feel that their feelings started changing very quickly, I mean they slept together as “enemies” twice I think and suddenly they were looking at each other differently.

The plot was expected, nothing really happened that made me say OMG!! But overall it was a fun read. Definitely something to get you out of a reading slump.

Book Name: Brutal Prince
Author: Sofie Lark

ARC
Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and NetGalley for an ARC of the recently released Brutal Prince by Sofie Lark

Stars: 4
Spice : 4

Book 1 of Anthology Series
Fast Paced
Plot Centric
Dual POV
Contemporary Mafia Romamce

- Topics
- Forgiveness
- Stereotypes and Prejudices
- Power
- Tropes
- Enemies to Lovers
- Mafia prince and princess
- Arranged Marriage
- Drive each other “crazy”
- Pregnancy epilogue
- Thoughts.
- Pop culture references (booo)
- limo scene
- Limo scene
- Cut the dress off 😳🥰
- Entertaining and Enjoyable

This was a quick fun read. We have enemies to lovers via an arranged marriage to keep 2 warring mafia families from starting up again and killing each other. The set up was quick and efficient for the story, but I didn't feel like they were "mortal enemies" and were more like frenemies with benefits at times until they started to trust and like each other. Aida felt very immature and impulsive, but she was the youngest and somewhat sheltered so it worked. Callum was also spoiled and very used to getting his way in all aspects from business to women, had a temper and jealous so could come off as hot-headed.

The 2 quickly learn how to compliment each other and work as a team, but also constantly doubting that they can actually make it work well. Callum running the political gambit slowly benefits from Aida's family and their connections. But the 2 also get some push back from the other mafia family in the city from their marriage and alliance.

I worked through this fairly quickly and I enjoyed it. It definitely benefited from the illustrations in the book and I'm glad they were left in this republished version.