I was initially really interested by the premise of this book.

A hunchback retelling, mixed in with some Romeo& Juliet, along with a sprinkle of Beauty and the Beast? Sign me the f up.

Unfortunately, the execution didn’t live up to the idea.

The beginning section was such a confusing experience. It lacked sentence variation, with every sentence being very short and blunt. This made it seem very mechanical with little emotion, and it fell into the trap of doing more telling than showing.

Then, just before part 2 started, the writing style abruptly changed up completely. From then on, it seemed like chunks of text had been shoved together, with the tone and style changing between different conversations, place descriptions, and sex scenes.

Speaking of the sex… It was handled really strangely. It was like both of them had a personality transplant as soon as the clothes came off. Hunch became mega dominant, and Esmara became super seductive and sultry.

(And what was with the mega pee pee stamina Hunch had?? He would finish and then just keep going?? What a stallion.)

Finally, there were a bunch of continuity issues throughout, for example; they would be in one place and then suddenly be in a different place in the room, or he would lift her up when he’s already lifted her up.

The one good thing I will say is that Esmara had so much personality… but only at first. Her initial conversation with Hunch was so bizarre but it was also unique and gave her so much colour. This quickly faded to grey in the middle of the book though and she lost her spunk, becoming really bland.

If the author reads this… I think you had an amazing idea! But I would seriously recommend doing a couple of more editing passes to make the whole thing more cohesive.

Would I read again? No
Would I recommend it? Not in its current form
My star rating: ★★

Disclaimer: Writing a book is an incredible feat and I admire anyone who has managed it. This is just my personal opinion - take it or toss it as you see fit.

This book was decent. I liked the plot, but the formatting in my kindle edition was odd and kind of hard to read.

*Hellfire Mafia* by Audrey Halliwell is an intense, fast-paced romance that blends the allure of the mafia with the irresistible pull of forbidden love. The novel is set in a gritty world of power, crime, and loyalty, where family ties are both a blessing and a curse.

Halliwell’s writing is sharp and captivating, making it easy for readers to get sucked into the dangerous, yet enticing, world of the Hellfire Mafia. The plot is packed with suspense, twists, and emotionally charged moments that keep you on the edge of your seat. The relationship between the two main characters, though deeply rooted in the tension of their surroundings, is also passionate and fraught with obstacles. Their chemistry is undeniable, and you can’t help but root for their love to survive in such a perilous environment.

The characters themselves are well-crafted, particularly the protagonist, who is strong-willed yet vulnerable, making for a dynamic and complex journey. The love interest, as the mafia figure, adds a layer of intrigue and danger, but it’s the emotional depth of the characters that truly shines through.

What sets *Hellfire Mafia* apart from other mafia romances is its focus on the psychological and emotional toll of living in such a world. Halliwell doesn’t just scratch the surface with high-octane action and romance; she digs deeper into the internal struggles of her characters, making the stakes feel all the more real.

Overall, *Hellfire Mafia* is a thrilling, emotionally rich read for fans of mafia romance with plenty of heat and heart. It delivers the perfect mix of suspense, passion, and drama that keeps you hooked until the very last page. If you enjoy gritty love stories with high stakes and even higher emotions, this book is definitely worth picking up!

I want to say thank you to the author, the publisher and netgalley for this book

Hellfire Mafia is a loose retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Act 2 also has Beauty and the Beast vibes, while Act 3 evokes Romeo and Juliet—but with a HEA

This book overall is a 3 stars, the mafia romance was written well and the dynamics between the families were on point

I think the main reason I marked this down was purely becuase it seemed very quick to get into what was going on and no lead up to it, like I felt that I needed an extra book before hand (there are sprinkling of backstory though, just needed more ??)

The characters were in their late 20s but it was obvious especially for the mmc that they were very immature and hadn't experienced alot

This is worth a read if you want a dark romance but check trigger warnings and tropes

When I started reading the first chapters, I thought I could love it. It had everything to be 5 read stars but sadly it didn’t happened. The author knows how to write beautifully, but she didn’t develop well the storyline. The MMC was so adorable. I pity him so much. There were some scenes where I couldn’t stand the FMC. About MMC father, I didn’t like him at all. It wasn’t bad book but either a good one. It was decent. It had some goods scenes.

Rating 3.5 stars but of course Goodreads doesn’t allow 1/2 stars.

This book was so interesting! I loved how it incorporated The Hunchback, B&B, and R&J. Audrey intertwined the characters stories with these stories perfectly!

Hellfire Mafia wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. It was a good fast read. I wanted to hug the MMC so many times, his internal conflicts were very relatable and heartbreaking. The FMC was so compassionate and admirable.

This book did feel kind of cobbled together and lacked depth. I wanted more of the characters and their backstory.
It also focuses more on the FMC and MMC than the mafia aspect.

A dark mafia romance where love thrives in the shadows.

📓Brief Description (Spoiler-Free):
- Quince “Hunch” Romano locked Esmara in his gothic cathedral.
- He claims love is his weakness, but there is a man beneath the monster.
- Can Esmara break through the darkness, or will it consume them both?
- Hellfire Mafia blends dark romance with hints of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and the Beast, and Romeo and Juliet, with a guaranteed HEA.

❤️ What I Loved:
- The classic “touch her and die” energy from the MMC.
- The characters of Hunch and Esmara were fun to follow - loved the dual POV.

🤔 What I Would Change:
- I found some plot points were rushed, whereas others felt dragged out.

📚 Recommended For:
- Fans of Katee Robert, H. D. Carlton, and Sophie Lark
- Readers who enjoy gothic romance, dark mafia, and/or retellings

💭Final Thoughts & Rating:
- I’m so appreciative of NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me with the opportunity to review an advanced copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 Stars

as the cover says, this is a mashup of the hunchback of notre dame, beauty and the beast, and romeo and juliet. except this time around, it's a dark romance rendition. this has breeding kinks (woot woot) and a lot of spice, so be ready. the characters had immature moments for their age, but they are likeable. overall, it's a good read and a fun, dark take on retelling fairytales so many love.

The consept sounds great but is written in a way where it lacks emotion and has repetitive language. There are points that should be very emotional for the character to remember and instead presented in an informative way. This also impacts general dialog where the conversations don't flow naturally and again feel more informative.

This book was a fast paced spicy read.
Now for me I prefer when the spice feels like an addition to the book rather than the book an addition to spice and mostly this but was the latter, their was a few times I felt as though it WAS a bit overshadowed by the smut but it wasn’t too bad.
Overall I really enjoyed this hunch back of notre dame/romeo and Juliet mash up type book it was a really interesting read.

Hellfire Mafia by Audrey Halliwell was something else! I rated this story 5 stars because I couldn't give it more stars for it. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.

Perfect if you enjoy a breeding kink and spicy scenes in a quick read. While I enjoyed the story, the characters did seem very juvenile for being mid, late twenties. I wish I felt more emotions between the characters, deeper than surface level.

I usually gravitate towards mafia romances for a pallet cleanser when in-between books or when I don't know what to read next.
I would have enjoyed a little more world building but overall, this was a good story. I loved how protective "Hunch" was over Esmara and how we got to see him grow and finally get the love he deserves. Esmara evolved from a shallow mafia princess to a strong woman. I loved the Epilogue!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book.

Overall this was a fast paced spicy read that combines a dark theme with fairytale. The story has strong male and female leads that successfully transition through the story from Hunchback of Notre Dame to Beauty and the Beast and finally ending with Romeo and Juliet while combining a dark mafia aspect too. For parts of the story the spice overpowers the story line, but I think that’s only because the story between Quince and Esmara is such a quick read. I’d love it if there was more about their story, family histories and have more detailed characters included to expand the whole picture.

Thank you to the publisher for the chance to review this ARC with my honest opinion.

I was ecstatic to see a Hunchback retelling with some really good tropes. I was prepared to give this 2 stars, because the first Act One was really badly written and honestly needs developmental edits and cleaning up. It wasn’t until almost 50% in that it improved greatly. I highly suggest that the first act be gone over and reworked. There’s many issues from her knowing his name before he tells her, to just really badly written that it’s cringe. It also has information constant repeating that doesn’t need to be. There’s more telling than showing, which makes it boring to read. I honestly thought that this was badly written wattpad fiction until the last half where it was really nicely cleaned up.

But I was so invested in the characters and the potential that this story has. Once I got past 50%, it improved and got really good. But the first part is just so bad I can’t give it any higher than 3 stars. The characters are solid and have their flaws and aren’t 2d or flat, which I was thankful for because I did care about them and got invested.

Please consider giving it a once over with edits before continuing to publish. I most likely will not be posting my review onto the other platforms because it still needs work on it and I don’t want to post negative reviews when it can be fixed before publishing.

"Hellfire Mafia" was a quick read based loosely on The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and the Beast, with a bit of Romeo and Juliet tied in. At times the complete unrealistic story line had me laughing with the absurdity but weaved in was a bit of romance. I enjoyed watching the romance between Quince "Huck" and Esmara unfold (though again, totally unrealistic) and how they fought for each other, against their feuding crime families. I also appreciate that Esmara could see beyond Quince's scars and love him for who he was, not what he looked like.

Be aware of trigger warnings before you venture into this story.

Thank you to Audrey Halliwell and Net Galley for the ARC for an honest review.

This story is loosely based on beauty and the beast, The hunchback of notre dame and some elements of Romeo and Juliette. It follows Quince “Hunch” Romano and Esmara Barbu in a mafia romance with two sides against one another.

This was good plot and it was enjoyable, I liked how protective Quince was of Esmara when she needed him he was there to help her. Esmara was a good female lead that knew what she wanted and went for it (Quince). I do feel that the explicit scenes overpowered the plot a little but did appreciate the growth of the relationship. The love that grew between the both of them was lovely to see bloom no matter what their families said. For Esmara to love Quince scars and all was so beautiful and to finally see Quince receive the love that he deserved was heartwarming after what he has been through.

I recommend this book but check trigger warnings before you go into reading !

This was a quick and spicy read! Hunchback of Notre Dame is an all-time favourite so was very excited at the promise of reading a story taking inspiration but combined with a bit of dark romance!
The spice is very heavy on the breeding kink, and checking the content warnings might be a recommendation - but it was a good enough of a plot! The story felt quite fast-paced, I would have appreciated some more character and world-building, maybe some more into characters' thought processes etc before flying through the story at the speed at which it did. But overall it had some really good moments! Loved the art and the epilogue!

This was a nice read. I felt badly for Quince being isolated for so many years. I was glad that he finally found his love in Esmara. I admire her for seeing past his scars, and realizing his true self. There was plenty of spicy scenes, and a nice epilogue. I will read more by this author.