Part beauty and the beast, Part hunchback of Notre Dame. . Part Romeo and Juliet. With two feuding mafia families romance can be dangerous. Hunch kidnaps Esmara. for her safety. What could go wrong?

Good book i enjoyed reading it i just felt like it lacked something. The story line was good characters were perfect i was just left wanting more almost feels like a novella that was dragged out instead of an actual full book.

Wow. Dark, twisted, complicated and hunchback of notre dame retelling mafia romance. It’s a lot, isn’t it? But it’s exactly what I thought it would be. Entertaining, spicy as heck, dark as heck and fast. So I can’t say anything bad about it. Of course, check your trigger warnings before getting into this book. It’s definitely a lot darker than some dark romances so I would recommend you, if you’re new to the genre to start from something else. If you’re not new to the genre and you’re curious, then definitely dive right into it. You have to know that this is more on the side of a stálkêr romance with kïdnäpping involved. But if this is the kind of dark romance that you like, then it’s perfect. Also Hunch … is not that bad in the end. Very in the end. A big bad monster who would burn down the city for her and only her … but also with extreme possessive tendencies !!! Have fun !!!

This is a crossover retelling mafia book. It's split into three parts. The first is the hunchback of notre dame, the second is beauty and the beast, and the third is Romeo an juliet. Its told in dual POV between Hunch and Esmara. Hunch has been hidden away ever since a rival gang targeted his family and his mother was killed and he was badly injured in a bombing. Esmara is the mafia princess of the rival gang but is intentionally oblivious to the things happening around her. While Hunch leaves the safety of his cathedral he sees Esmara and is immediately smitten unknowing of who she is and who her family is. When he does find out he tries to save her from his family by kidnapping her.

Hunch is the sweetest. His self esteem and self worth are so low he can't see how amazing he is. He tries to do his best for everyone and his protectiveness is intense. I had no doubt throughout the whole story that he would do absolutely ANYTHING to protect Esmara. I basically wanted to just give Hunch a big hug the entire book because he is so precious.

Esmara may have gotten on my nerves a tad. But it was so minute. In the end I loved her will. She stood up to anyone to make sure she was heard. She was a pretty strong character. The end plan to flush Hunch out seemed so weak. I didn't understand how that plan resulted in the eye opening epiphany it did for Hunch but I'm glad it did.

Esmara and Hunch's dads were so aggravating. Their pride led to so much misfortune for their kids. I wanted to punch some sense into each of them. They did come around somewhat towards the end but Esmara's dad and his need to be on Hunch's good side so badly also didn't match up with how the story went.

The story was cute and I did enjoy it. It was towards the end where things didn't fully make sense with the tone but it was still entertaining to read. The epilogue had my heart. I loved those two and where they ended up after everything.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Hellfire Mafia by Audrey Halliwell is a thrilling ride from start to finish. I was hooked by the complex characters and the tension that built throughout the story. The mafia setting is gritty and intense, and Halliwell does an excellent job of blending action with emotional depth. The chemistry between the leads was electric, and I found myself really invested in their journey.

While I loved the fast-paced plot and twists, there were moments where the story felt a bit predictable, but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment. If you're into mafia romances with strong characters and lots of drama, this one’s definitely worth checking out!

Hellfire Mafia by Audrey Halliwell
Pub date: March 26, 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
This book is a loose retelling of Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and the Beast, and Romeo and Juliet. It is a dark mafia romance, make sure to check TW before reading.

I found the concept to be super cool! The setting was also interesting and I could picture it well in my head from the descriptions the author made. I felt like it had a lot of potential, but I found a lot of it to be a little repetitive. I also felt like most of the book was dragged out and it struggled to keep my attention.
I read some reviews other ARC readers have posted just to see their input as well, and there seems to be a general consensus that there needed to be a bit more editing. I did enjoy reading it, and again the concept was neat, so I decided to give it three stars. Thank you for the opportunity to be an ARC reader for this book!

I have posted my review to Goodreads. When the book is available on Fable, I will post my review there as well. I posted another review to my BookTok account and Bookstagram and put it in the links below. Fable review linked below.

The writing style was good. The story overall was put together for a smut book. The storyline just wasn’t for me but can see why others would like it.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op And NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved the premise of this book and the beginning had me intrigued. If you enjoy dark retellings, fast paced plot, and spice, this book could be for you.

I love retellings they are one of my favourite things to read so when I saw this was a loose retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame - one of my favourite stories, I knew I had to read it, especially as this was a dark mafia romance take on it and I was absolutely hooked from the start.
It was deliciously dark and it was 🔥🔥🔥🔥.
I loved it

A mafia prince who has been severely scarred is moved into a cathedral by his father to keep him safe. A mafia princess is looking for love, but her father is trying to marry her off to help with mafia relations.

Hunch has been stalking and admiring Esmara for a while. But when he finds out that his father wants to kidnap her, he decides to sneak out and kidnap her first to save her. Esmara is held captive and Hunch will not let her go until she is with child.

This a a dark erotic romance that has similar story lines of Hunchback of Norte Dame, Beauty and the Beast, and Romeo and Juliet. It is well written and it is a quick read due to the engaging story line. Great read for those who enjoy these dark mafia romances.

I loved it!!

It’s a tad rough around the edges and the story could do with a small tidy up but I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline… I fell in love with ’Quince’ and loved that Esmara fought for the man she loved!!!

Thank-You Netgalley for the opportunity to read as an ARC!

XOXO, Princes is book 2 XOXO series, if you haven’t read XOXO, Daddy I recommend you start there to get Willow and Adam beginning

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. The hunchback of note dame meets beauty and the beast meets Romeo and Juliet. I’ll admit the curiosity of how these three things come together was overwhelming. The execution…. Not so much.

Starting with the writing style, I really wasn’t impressed. I think it was very rushed and lacking in detail when it pertains to the story building. (But best believe the smutty scenes were detailed. More on that later.) Personally, it was giving YA quality with adult context.

I personally could have overlooked the writing style if the characters didn’t match the same energy. Both were so incredibly immature and naive. At first, it was too terrible until the ending and Esmara started acting like a straight up spoiled child. Paired with the writing, it definitely rubbed me the wrong way.

The storyline, though promising, was mediocre. I honestly did not get the conflict at all. I understand why “Hunch’s” father felt the need to retaliate, but I definitely didn’t understand why Hunch’s family was wronged in the first place. Think petty high school drama between mafia bosses lol. And then Hunch feeling like he needed to kidnap Esmara to protect her…. Yeah, don’t get that. I just didn’t understand his obsession with her. There wasn’t enough story building to get me on board with that at all.

And then Hunch’s plan to breed her to save her…. WTH lol.

I will say the smut was certainly on point. Of all the negative opinions I have about this book, I can’t deny that the author can seriously write some spice! Some of those scenes had me legitimately flushed lol. If the same amount of effort was put in the retest of the book as the spicy parts, I would be totally singing a different tune right about now.

Despite my opinions, I would recommend this book to a very specific audience. If you are looking for a quick read and specifically want more spice than storyline, this is right up your alley. Especially if you are into forced proximity with a breeding kink.

If you are someone who loves a great story with a sprinkle of spice, this is not the book for you.

As for me, I definitely didn’t hate it but I would have enjoyed it a lot more if the storyline and characters were better developed.

I did enjoy this a lot I loved the characters and their connection. Watching their love grow was so beautiful but I often found the flow of the plot a little choppy and hard to follow at times.

Having it be a retelling of Hunchback Of Notre Dame with Beauty And The Beast and Romeo and Juliet vibes and dark mafia was really interesting I enjoyed that alot. I think it maybe just needed to go through another editing stage it could’ve easily been rated higher.

soft dnf i think some people could really enjoy this but unfortunately it wasn’t for me i found the characters quite contradicting and immature and just couldn’t pick it up again. I do however really enjoy the huntchback of Notre Dame inspiration and felt it come across a lot in the writing.

This was a tough book to get through.

Hellfire Mafia had the potential to be an intriguing read, but unfortunately, it missed the mark for me.

While the writing itself isn’t terrible, the story feels like an outright imitation of the works it claims to be “inspired” by rather than a fresh take. The resemblance is so strong that it often felt like a direct mimicry rather than a creative retelling.

I found myself cringing more times than I could count, and some scenes were so uncomfortable that I struggled to get through them.

It’s disappointing because I was initially drawn in by the premise—I usually enjoy retellings of classic stories like Hades and Persephone or Peter Pan and Wendy—but this one just didn’t deliver. Instead of being compelling or unique, it felt strange and underwhelming.

I had high hopes, but in the end, Hellfire Mafia fell flat.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I love dark romance and love story book retellings but I could only get 25% through it. The writing of the main characters just felt too immature to me. The fact that it immediately started with him kidnapping her and immediately wanting to breed her was also not something I was enjoying. I was really hoping to like it but knew if I didn't like it within 25% it probably would not get better. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to opportunity to read this arc.

Overall, this was an engaging read that skillfully combines a dark theme with a retelling of classic fairy tales. The story features strong male and female leads who successfully navigate narratives inspired by "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Beauty and the Beast," and ultimately culminate in "Romeo and Juliet," all while incorporating a dark mafia element. The chemistry between Esmara and Quince had just the right amount of spice for me. I found that the story maintained its momentum until the end, and I was hoping for their happily ever after. I would love to see more development of their story and family backgrounds, as well as more detailed character descriptions to enhance the overall narrative. This book is perfect for those who enjoy breeding tropes and spicy romance.

Thanks netgalley and publisher for the e-arc.

Overall rating 2.5, and my lowest ever is two so rounding up to three is generous for this. Firstly, the concept was amazing and that was what pulled me in, a retelling?! Sign me up, mafia and dark romance wow. But meh, it all failed in those categories. They felt too teenager to me, they way they both act and converse, even the mafia part of the family and the said war was too comical to be taken seriously. Her early body betrayal too, she was as her realization too was too worldy in a way of materialistic and pampered, and the way i expected him to be just naive since he was a teenager when he was first hidden, but bammm he was wordly in terms that yes he'd spent prior years already being in used in the business then having that decision being his first mafia one, doesn't add up to me. Everything unfolded so fast in the begining, it was not good. The only mafia thing here, was his family getting killed and him killing, but other than that, when he was tortured and all i couldn't get past the whiny tone of conversation. Also, it felt like the author for reaching for a lot on this, they lost focus om character building for the main characters. I was disappointed with the spice but more so on the storytelling.

Unfortunately, I did dnf this book as I wasn’t gripped into the story as much as I hoped I would. I found it a little too dark romance for me (but this a personal preference).

Thank you to the author & NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this arc, I really appreciate it.