The emotional rollercoaster this book took me on, i was laughing, smiling, blushing and bawling my eyes out.

While it may not be the best written book out there, i still give this 5 stars for the sheer fact i could not put this down, and for the fact it made me feel so many different emotions, and for me if a book can make me feel multiple emotions aswell as be something i dont want to stop reading then it deserves a 5 star from me.

The anger i felt near then end aswell as the gut punch to the heart the author gave me making me bawl my eyes out at almost 9 in the morning left me grieving for fictional people.

I really did enjoy every minute of this book

In Love with a Carolina Rose" is the first book of 'A Mafia's Achilles Heel' book series, and of you are a fan of tragic romance novel with an adult content you should definitely give this book a chance.

I was not a fan of this book.

I was drawn in by the beautiful cover and the intriguing description, and it did not deliver.

The writing is clunky and it's pretty apparent that English is not the author's first language. I feel very bad for saying that, but that's what editors are supposed to be for. And this author needs to find an editor who can form what she's written into something more cohesive while keeping the spirit of what she's trying to say.

I did not find this to be a believable romance. Within a mere 24 hours, most of which she spent unconscious after he rescued her from some would-be assailants, they're making out and he's claiming her as his?

I also don't understand why the author chose to end this book the way she did, or how this can continue as a series following that conclusion.

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc copy of this book.

Wow.
I don't know where to start. Talk about drama. This fiction story, felt like something out of Gossip girl show or something.
Tragedy. Drama. Secrets.

In love with a Carolina Rose: A Mafia Achilles Heel Series
Josepha H.K.
3 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher BooksGoSocial for this opportunity to read In love with a Carolina Rose: A Mafia Achilles Heel Series by Josepha H.K.
I have not received any compensation for this review and therefore all views and opinions are of my own, the reviewer.

In summary: Trigger Warning: in depth sexual scenes, violence and profanity.
A fast paced romance that has Mills and Boon markers ( this is not a bad thing), mafia syndicate vs mafia syndicate storyline.

Caveat: When I read the bio of the author, it made sense to me why the book is written the way it is, the author voice and understanding that English is a second language for Josepha H.K. I think it is important to recognise that English as a second language presents issues with language and grammar. Sometimes it can detract from the story. It’s important to recognise and understand this caveat. Further, Josepha H.K. Overcame many things to produce her first book and my message to the author is keep writing and keep telling stories you can only go up from here and congratulations on your first book.

Moving forward, I gave the book 3 stars partly for the graphic sex scenes which I wasn’t sure was necessary.
I found issues with the main characters Pryce and heroine Jane. I felt both characters needed stronger parts. Pryce did not read as this handsome indestructible head of a crime syndicate but rather a teddy bear or a kitten with not much strength in his character. I wanted to see Pryce be ruthless, heavy handed. Jane kind of floundered in the story going from femme fatale to an innocent kitten when it suited her. She talks about her mission, being duplicitous but it’s not obvious other than rescuing her mother is the goal.
One thing that I found hard to get my head around was the secondary characters involved in the story. I felt too much time was spent on them when it wasn’t necessary. Scenes with the gay guy dyeing Jane’s hair and doing her make up I felt did not add to the story but detracted it. I had issue believing an openly gay person would be flaunting his sexuality or be accepted as a member of the mafia (this not a reflection on LBGTQI+, but more of a plot device flaw). I would think that Pryce would have other people do that for him outside of the compound.I felt in the story that the characters were too polite to each other. This might be a language barrier on part of the author, however I felt the interactions were cordial and polite, especially those in the Pryce compound.
I did have issues with the graphic sexual content of the book purely because I have not encountered that level of heat in the course of my reading experiences. I did feel that this okay to put in the story, however the interaction between Jane and Pryce was also too polite despite the graphic intimate details.
The bare bones of this story have a lot of merit. Interesting ideas did come through for this story. The ending did open up for the next in the series, so to me it was a satisfying ending.

"In Love with a Carolina Rose" by Josepha H. K. promises a story filled with suspense, passion, and dangerous secrets. The book's description hints at a narrative where the characters' desires and ambitions may lead to their undoing.

The protagonist, Jane, appears to be a complex character with a desperate goal and a reckless plan, setting the stage for a compelling and intense storyline. Her chance encounter with Pryce Braxton, a Mafia leader, adds an intriguing layer to the plot, suggesting a blend of romance, danger, and suspense.

The relationship between Jane and Pryce is central to the story, and it seems to evolve from a rescue to something much deeper and more complicated. Their connection is described as potentially putting them both in danger, creating a sense of urgency and tension that will likely captivate readers.

It's important to note that the book includes adult content and themes such as graphic sex, violence, death, and mentions of sexual assault. Readers who are comfortable with these elements and enjoy stories of passionate, high-stakes romance set against a backdrop of secrets and danger may find "In Love with a Carolina Rose" to be an engaging and thrilling read.

In summary, this novel appears to be a passionate and suspenseful romance that delves into the complexities of love, desire, and the consequences of pursuing one's goals at any cost. It promises to keep readers on the edge of their seats as they navigate the treacherous path of forbidden love and hidden truths.

what the fuck was this ending??? my heart has been ripped out, jumped on, thrown around and ran over by several trucks.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Jane has always spent her life on the run and has dangerous secrets that she must keep. One day she has a chance encounter with Pryce, the leader of a mafia syndicate. She soon finds herself struggling to keep her secrets as she gets to know Pryce more and develop feelings for him.

I really enjoyed this book. I like how Jane and Pryces relationship develops and we discover more about Jane as she starts to trust Pryce more. There are some spicy scenes in the book although they do become a little repetitive. Despite that, I devoured this book and kept picking it up every spare minute I had so I finished it within 2 days and I’m usually a slow reader. This book was had me rooting for their relationship, smiling at cute moments and had me in tears at one point too!

I would definitely read other books by this author :)

Thank you to the author, Joseph H. K., and her publisher for providing me with an ARC of In Love with a Carolina Rose via NetGalley in return for honest feedback.

Jane is alone and covered in mud when she literally stumbles into Pryce, a gorgeous mafia leader. She unintentionally follows him into a nearby bar, where he saves her from being taken by a group of ill-intentioned men. Despite Pryce's heroic efforts to keep Jane safe, she hits her head on a nearby table and goes down. Hard. When she wakes up in beautiful a room facing a flower garden, she can't help but feel at home. As she recovers from her injuries, and gets to know the broody mafia leader, she begins to feel a renewed sense of impending danger–but to whom?

This story has a lot of promise. The recurring theme of flowers and their hidden language was a really nice touch. There's also a detailed world map provided at the beginning of the book (although most of the story takes place in the same setting).

While I enjoyed certain aspects of the story itself, I was often distracted by grammar issues, and I generalIy felt that the dialogue was better suited for a YA audience. I also struggled with how the main characters' are described to the reader versus how they act throughout the book. For instance, Jane acts and speaks like a naive young woman, but once her full backstory is revealed at 85%, the reader is supposed to view her as a cold, trained assassin. While I understand this is a plot device to hide her true identity, it was a little too difficult for me to reconcile as a reader. I wish more of Jane's hidden identity and her skills had been present throughout the book. For instance, there could have been a scene where she was able to subtly show off her combat abilities, encouraging other characters to be suspicious of her. Lastly, the tragedy in this story felt abrupt, despite the ample foreshadowing. There are a few minor time jumps leading up to it, and I was still becoming invested in the MCs relationship. I found myself hoping that it was a trick and there would be a HEA. However, I can appreciate the author's vision for this book's ending and how it could set-up the rest of the series. For me, this book was a 2.5-stars read.

In Love with a Carolina Rose lives up to its description as a tragic mafia romance, and will appeal to readers who enjoy the following tropes: insta love, "touch her and die," hidden identity, pregnancy, and found family.

Thank you again to Joseph H. K. and her publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book was not as ‘dark’ as I expect but then when I comes to dark romances I like them DARK.

Having said that I would pay attention to the trigger warnings (graphic sex, violence and sexual assault and death) particularly the death. I can’t say to much without giving away spoilers but I didn’t expect it and it gets you in your feelers.

The story has 2 main character Jane and Pryce. It is a love story but with out all the smoochy romance (there is sex scenes though for us smut lovers). Jane’s life has always been a hectic one on the go and on the, then she bumps into Pryce. They shouldn’t work on paper but they do. Jane is the more grounded responsible one, Pryce is more fierce and rebellious.. yet both have their secrets. A good read.

What an a good book! The story was really well written and had me intrigued the from the beginning. I really enjoyed the characters and the romance was also really good!

Jane amd Pryce have something in common, they are both bound to a dangerous world anda have their own secrets to protect. And the closer they get, the worst the outcome will be.

I'm not an avid dark romance reader, but I quite enjoy the genre, so when I saw this ARC on Netgalley I had to read it, and I'm so happy I did. The story from the start it's very particular and unique, the author's writing stile definitely adds to the mysterious vibes of the book which I personally loved.

While I think the characters are very well developed, I didn't quite like Pryce untile halfway through the book, the story proceeds very smoothly, and this helped me a quite a lot as I finished it in a couple of days. I also want to express my love towards the cover which is stunning, definitely one of the prettiest covers I've ever seen.

"In Love with a Carolina Rose" is the first book of 'A Mafia's Achilles Heel' book series, and of you are a fan of tragic romance novel with an adult content you should definitely give this book a chance.