I love a good mafia romance. This has it all, except Jake Worthing is not quite mafia, he’s more of a reluctant mafia boss, he’s also an ex police officer, and luckily, he has a lot of contacts. I say luckily because there’s a price on his head and he has to pull all the strings to find out who’s put it there. Then we have Sawyer, the innocent tourist who’s been dragged into Jake’s drama, and she handles it extraordinarily well. She came to the City for an adventure, and she most certainly got one, to name but a few of her escapades, we have kidnapping, murder, shootouts, and so much more. We also get a peek at some of my favourite mafia bosses in and amongst. Sawyer’s family are a fun addition to the story and can most certainly give most mafia soldiers a run for their money. A fun, entertaining and sexy mafia romance.

Going into this I didn't realize this was a series. There were a few things that I'm pretty sure if I read the first two books I would understand but luckily it wasn't hard to follow along. This book is told in dual POV between Sawyer and Jake.

Sawyer just got dumped by her fiance for her best friend and she went to get away. She took a trip to NYC to meet her cousin, Graham and to fix a rift in the family. While there she meets Jake and it is insta lust. They don't act on it at first. Sawyer is going through a mental breakdown and while she is trying to meet her cousin she ends up in a situation where she gets arrested. Jake is going through his own family drama and just so happens to have to pick up his cousin from the same station. The cousin uses Sawyer as a buffer and she comes along for the ride. When Jake is in the process of bringing her home she becomes involved in a shooting and Jake basically kidnaps her to keep her safe. Things start spiraling after that.

I thought this book was hilarious. I was laughing so much especially during Sawyer's POV. I loved both the characters. But I have to say, Sawyer was my favorite. She was smart and naive at the same time. She was unintentionally funny and she was strong. Jake was most definitely your typical alpha hole. Their lust was palpable and pretty hot and heavy. I almost had to fan myself down to get through some scenes. Jake definitely has a short fuse but it works for his character. Just adds to the whole sexy but brooding image.

The aunts had me dying. They were too much! And I loved the budding relationship between Sawyer and Graham. I had so many questions about Blake and Creighton but I'm sure if there's another book which I'm sure there is it'll be about those two. The end was so cute. I'm definitely going to have to read the first two books and whatever book comes after in this series.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This is a fast-paced, action-packed romance full of wit, spice and danger and xharacter growrh. Definitely worth a read.

Not a bad book by any means, I really enjoyed the first half. It was fast paced and kept me hooked. Then the book kind of slowed down for me. I found myself not picking it up when I wanted to read, leading me to take a long time to finish it. Because of that I will be rating at ⅗ starts. It was not a bad book, it had a good plotline, I just struggled to get through it.

This book had a lot of promise, but it was a bit difficult for me to get through. While I found Sawyer’s family dynamic entertaining, the chaotic plot at the beginning really threw me off. It felt a bit all over the place, and it took me a while to settle into the story.

I did enjoy the nickname Jake gave Sawyer, “Little Lunatic.” It was a fun and endearing touch that added some lightheartedness to the tension between them. Sawyer’s family was also hilarious, with the van scene being one of the funniest moments of the book. Her Aunts were one of the best parts of this book.

However, I wasn’t a fan of the insta-love, and at times, Sawyer’s actions felt much younger than her 36 years, which felt inconsistent with her character. Though it could have been intentional due to her small-town background in Montana, it still made it harder to connect with her at times.

Overall, there were some entertaining moments, but the chaotic pacing and rushed romance didn’t quite work for me. I’m giving it 3 stars—while it had its enjoyable parts, it wasn’t the most seamless read.

I wanted to love this one but it just wasn't for me. I know Tijan is a huge love for so many and I was really hopeful to enjoy this one but it just didn't hit for me like I was hoping it would. However, I do know so many others will love and enjoy.

I'm sorry Tijan, I previously loved Canary, but this book was just bad.
The conversations felt stunted, the writing was bad, Sawyer sounded and made stupid decisions like a 16 year old instead of a 36 year old, this was just plain insta-lust that did not even make sense.. I had to DNF at 45%, I just couldn't do it.

The storyline sounded great but the execution just wasn't it.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc!

I usually like the books from this author but this one was my least favourite. The whole thing was all over the place and Sawyer was the most annoying character on earth. I'm sorry, I really tried to like it but it took me more than a month to actually read this finish..

Tijan is back with another “Kings of New York” novel, A Captive Situation, and this time, she throws together a quirky, small-town girl with a cynical city boy who has experienced too much to still believe in good. Sawyer Matsen needed to escape her home in Montana, where her fiancée just dumped her for her best friend (and the best friend is pregnant). So, she decides to visit the Big Apple. Jake Worthing has just turned in his NYPD badge and now he must decide whether to take over as the lead of the family business, which just happens to be the mafia. When Sawyer finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, Jack steps in as her knight in shining armor, though Sawyer is more likely to say that Jack is kidnapping her.

Tijan’s books are always fun to read. The banter between the characters is entertaining, and the sexual chemistry is off the charts. I’m glad Tijan made time to visit the characters from the previous “Kings of New York” books; it made things feel full circle. The novel did leave on a little cliffhanger, and I’m excited to see how things get resolved in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for sharing this advanced review copy with me in exchange for my honest feedback!

A Captive Situation is full of heart-stopping action and is a roller coaster of emotions. It is a thrilling read!!

This is the 3rd book in the Kings of New York Series, but can be read as a complete standalone.

Sawyer is in New York having a bit of a break down, but she gets pulled into Jake Worthing's world and never leaves. It's intense and topsey-turvey, but considering she's having her own mental health crisis it takes a bit to realize just how dangerous Jake's world really is. Regardless of the reason, Jake Worthing is a morally grey character to fall head over heels for.

While the entire book is wild, it's also wild. Like - crazy in the best kind of fictional way. Yes, please, kidnap me, you delicious man, but seriously, no thank you in reality. 😂 I loved how off the rails the story sometimes got. For instance, when Sawyer is talking about where she was just a week ago and about how everything in her life has turned completely upside down, it's brought up that most people going through a midlife crisis buy a flashy car instead of falling in with the Mafia. 😂 It's hilarious and moments like these kept popping up throughout the entire book. So while it has a dark plot, it's sprinkled with lots of great humor. Jake and Sawyer also have great chemistry that kept the plot bubbling and brewing and moved this book more in the light gray zone vs in the dark one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for advance review copy and all opinions are my own.

I said it in book two and the same goes for A Captive Situation. This book started out a bit odd, but then things started to build and kept building until I was completely invested.

At first, I didn't like the typical cliche heroine who put everything into a man who betrayed her with her best friend. She gave so much of her life to someone who wasn't worth it. It was due to this that she ended up in the path of Jake and then it all went wonky from there. That also when things got very interesting.

Jake was awesome. Sawyer turned out had more fire in her than you first expect. Sawyer's family was highly entertaining. I loved seeing Ashton and Trace again. And I'm sure interested in Blake's story. I am a bit confused on if there will be more in the King of New York series. I will be happy if there is at least one more book if that brings us Blake's story.

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Tijan & have loved all the books I have read from her.

The instant lust felt unreal. The MFC has some funny internal dialog. It’s a dual POV which I do love. If you are looking for a fast pace romance read, this if for you

This was a great read! Loved Sawyer and Jack and the entire story. All the characters were great actually and I loved Sawyers extended family for that comic relief as well. Would easily recommend to others!

I just felt like it was cheesy and read juvenile. The first person thing didn’t work for me here I didn’t like the main characters inner monologue and it just was so out of pocket

Dark romance mafia sign me up I absolutely loved this book I could hardly put down. Tijan is quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors. This book has me going thru all the emotions, the story line was good the characters were great. Can’t wait to read more by this author!

Captive Situation is a fast-paced mafia romance with plenty of suspense, steamy moments, and a dash of humor, but it took me a while to fully invest in the story. The beginning felt slow, and I struggled to connect with Sawyer, the protagonist. The kidnapping and stalking scenes were intense and well-executed, adding a thrilling edge to the story. Jack, the ex-cop turned mafia head, was a compelling character, and his protective instincts toward Sawyer were swoon-worthy. Their chemistry was undeniable, and the banter between them brought a much-needed lightness to the darker themes. Sawyer’s quirky personality and her chaotic, lovable family added charm to the narrative, though I wish we’d seen more of the characters from the previous books. The ending was satisfying, but I’m left curious about Blake and the broader mafia world Tijan has built.

Wrong place, wrong time? I felt for Sawyer finding herself in the middle of what seems to be a mafia war and thrown together at his home. As they begin to know each other this reader could see that events were proving this just may have been in fact, wrong place right time. Jake definitely has his hands full with fighting for this mafia family but also keeping Sawyer safe and his somewhat dysfunctional family. This was a great story with plenty of suspense and romance.

I liked the overall premise of this book, but I just felt as if there were quite a few gaps in following along with the story. The flow of the writing could be improved as well. I did like the supporting characters as well as some of the character development that the author put forth in her writing.

Thank you for the advance copy to enjoy!

A Captive Situation was an okay but one-time read story for me. It was hard to connect with the characters in this story especially Sawyer, who is thirty-six but acted very immaturely at times. I liked Jake's character, but dealing with Sawyer seemed exhausting for someone trying to keep her alive. Sawyer, Aunt's, Mom and Cousin also play a big part in the story, especially with the mystery behind the family drama which was finally revealed near the end of the story. I thought it would be more than what it was but after it was finally revealed I was just happy to find out what it was. I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't something more than what it was. However, I will say that there was never a dull moment in this story but there was just something that stopped me from loving it the way I had hoped. It's a mafia romance story filled with family drama among other problems, kidnapping, threats, deaths, allies, enemies, anger, sex, passion, surprises, laugh out loud moments and more. There were definitely a few surprises when it came to Jake's past, and the story has a happy ending for Jake and Sawyer. However, when it came to what Sawyer did to Jake while they were in the bed together just seem dumb to me. I know what she said but after everything they were through, it was unnecessary.

It took me until about 30% to really get into this one, which was surprising to me since Tijan is one of my favorite authors.

I struggled with the beginning because I found it incredibly difficult to relate to the h—to her situation, to her dissociating, to the way she handled things. I think had she been about ten years younger her situation with her ex and the cheating would have been more believable and more relatable. It’s really hard to understand how she ended up spending nearly twenty years with a dude who seemed like such a prick and a user. They live in a small town. How did NO ONE know he was cheating for years?? My brain just can’t really make sense of it. I can’t relate to a h who would waste so much time on a loser. Maybe if we had a prologue of seeing them together I could understand how this dude could trick this girl so effectively?!? But honestly he seemed like a tool in the scenes of the h thinking about him. I know they say love makes you blind but just yikes lol. So anyways, yeah, not a h I could relate to in anyway. So it made it really hard to enjoy the beginning of this book. But but but….

Once the plot got going then I was hooked. The suspense was super fun! I love how she worked the kidnapping and “stalking” scenes in. The closet scene at Grahams house is so much freaking fun. That trope in dark romance is usually so OTT and nonsensical but Tijan did it so well here. His descent into more criminal activity, his struggle with it, his whole complicated past with it was written so well here. And omg swoon!! How he did just not give a shit about anything but his just overwhelming need to keep her safe was so good!

By 50% I was totally into it. I liked the characters. I love the way Tijan writes characters and the way they love each other. The humor between the two of them was so sweet and funny and just unique and them. So much intimacy and connection!!

The hs age with the circumstances and the way she responded to those circumstances in the scenes really did work for the story in the end. But I’m not completely sold that it wouldn’t have still worked the same way had she been 10 years younger and not wasted so much time with the ex! Gah!

Ashton!! Gah!!! That whole plot line has been on the edge of my seat! As soon as I finished this one I wanted to do a whole series reread because of how much my mind was blown in this one in regard to how Ashton handled certain things.

I cannot wait for book four!! I want to see what is up with Blake so badly! And the whole NY mafia world. With things shaking out like this are we going to see Carter Reed and Cole showing up?!? The possibilities are endless right now and I am so excited!!