3.25 stars — Rounded down, but still enjoyable in audio

This book is the perfect entry-level mafia romance for anyone who wants a lighter, less intense story—it’s akin to Lights Out, but with less spice. I thought it was cute and had its charm, but the ending and the big “truth” were incredibly predictable. I guessed it almost from the beginning, and that took away a lot of the suspense or emotional payoff for me.

If the plot had been a little less obvious, I might’ve rated it higher. As it stands, it lands at a 3.25 for me—not quite enough to round up to 4 stars.

That said, I enjoyed the audiobook. The voice actors did a great job, especially the male narrator. I honestly don’t think I would’ve enjoyed it as much if I’d read it in paperback or eBook format. I’m still open to reading more from this author, and I’m glad I gave it a shot in audio.

I’m actually really intrigued by this series! I saw this one trending on booktok for a while and then recently found out it’s a part of the same world as Lovefool and Shadowed Obsession, so I had to try it out! I think the characters are all really interesting and the family dynamic is everything! I think I’m really loving this whole dark rom-com era bc to me it gives the story more layers and dimension. I did also listen to the audiobook, which was pretty good, but whenever we were in Vanessa’s pov the audio sounded far away and not as clear as the audiobook from Nate’s pov. I will in fact be reading the next book bc Mary and Maxim seem like they have a lot of secrets and a chismosa like me needs to know them all👀

What can I say? this book was amazing. It was so refreshing to have the female as the mafia boss. After reading so many mafia books (which I love, don't get me wrong), it was just very nice to have a spin to that. Also, not only was the book great, but the narration and pace of the audio was great.

Mafia romance except she is the mafia boss and he’s a middle school math teacher. I love twist of having her be the mafia badass.

After she has to fill in at her nephews parent/teacher conference she meets Nate. He seems to be the only person willing to respectfully stand up to her. Something she isn’t used to given her role.

Nate gives such baby girl vibes but when what he holds most dear is under threat, he switches very quickly to touch her and 💀.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the ARC of the audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor audio for the ALC!

I had such high hopes for this book. It had so many things that I like - strong, in charge FMC, cute cinnamon roll clueless MMC, and alas, it just fell flat to me.

Audio notes - Big fan of Tim Paige; Kelsey Navarro Foster - they did terrific jobs!

This book is marketed as a Mafia RomCom but is the COM in the room with us? I don't think I laughed once....

The chemistry between the main characters is also totally lacking. I didn't feel a thing between them. Maxim and Mary had more chemistry and tension and the book wasn't even about them!

It was a missed opportunity for a female mafia leader to do something different. Go against the norms. Did we need all the hoopla about the freaking HEIR and BABIES over and over and over? No, we did not. I thought she was going to be dominate and scary and she's just... fine.

Nate, the MMC is a cute teacher that gets thrust into the world of the mafia and falls in love with Vanessa. Could he have pined more? Crawled at some point? Begged? Yes, yes he could have.

All in all it's not a bad book. But too many things started to irritate me to truly enjoy it. I know some people are going to absolutely love this.

I do plan to check out Mary's book because THAT'S the kind of bad ass I wanted to see.

🎧 Review
Rating: 5 ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Comedy: 😂😂😂😂😂
Narrators: 10/10 😍

Where do I begin?! This book was AMAZING! I’m a sucker for spice and comedy! And this book did not disappoint.
Vanessa is a badass mafia Queen and Nate is the perfect cinnamon roll hero!
Kath Richards is such an amazing writer, I was lucky enough to read this last year and now again for the Audio and this reread (listen) was just what I NEEDED during my book slump!
I love that Vanessa can handle her own, but still feel safe and protected with Nate 🖤

The narrators for Vanessa and Nate were phenomenal ‼️ I’m fully convinced they are the REAL Nate and Vanessa. I’m so picky when it comes to narrators so believe me when I say Tim Paige and Kelsey Navarro Foster did an incredible job with this audio.

*****Spoiler********

I definitely had my suspicions of Cillian, but the author definitely kept my interest and I needed to know how this book would end.
I loved the epilogue 😍 Vanessa and Nate having a little baby of their own is going to be EPIC.
I cannot wait to read the second book about Mary and Maxim! I just know that’s going to be another hit.
This was my first book from this author and I’m definitely a fan.

Please read AND listen to this book you won’t regret it

i was graced with an ALC so i paired it with the physical copy for some immersive reading. i loved the book so much the first time and the narrators truly brought the characters to life in the audiobook version! with dual narration, kelsey navarro foster and tim paige really captured the perfect personalities of vanessa and nate. i highly recommend doing an audio/text combo. either way, the book is phenomenal and i can’t recommend it enough. one of my fave reads ever.

“I am criminally, fatally in love with you, and you can try to marry someone else, but I’m not going to leave. I like your house too much and I like you too much to ever be away from you.”

“Why is she so pretty when she yells at me”

What to expect:
* Slow burn
* Mob boss FMC
* Math teacher MMC
* Husband interviews
* Mafia rom-com
* Forced proximity
* Touch him and 💀
* She teaches him (to shoot)
* Dual narration
* 1st person/ dual POV
* MMC - Tim Paige
* FMC - Kelsey Navarro Foster

Spicy chapters:
27
29
32

I love this book and Kath so MUCH!!! When I heard it was coming to audiobook I had to apply for the ALC immediately!!!
I had just listened to another book with Kelsey Navarro Foster as the narrator and she is phenomenal!!!! I think the tone of her voice and the cadence was perfect for Vanessa.
And Tim Paige as Nate was AMAZING!!!! Nate is so babygirl and Time did a great job or portraying that.
I’m so glad I got to visit these characters again and I cannot waaaaitttt for A Love Most Brutal!

3.75! I finished this audio almost within 24 hours. It’s not my usual book, aka mafia romance, but I had the best time!

Vanessa is a mob boss and while that’s a stride in itself in her world, the world of crime isn’t quite ready for a sole woman in power. She needs a husband and an heir.

Through some unexpected meetings with Nate, a middle school math teacher who now needs her protection, maybe she’s found an expected match.

To keep Nate safe he comes to life with her and her family. He’s tasked with interviewing candidates to be her husband, as one of his roles as to not raise suspicions. Through sparring and training, late night movie nights, and time with her family they start to find connections. However, Nate never wanted a life of crime and danger. Will he change his mind or will Vanessa be forced to marry a sexy Russian mob boss, an arguably more advantageous match.

My guy Nate is yearning, often in danger, and just sooo babygirl (iykyk). Vanessa is the bad ass you expect to her to be but has a soft side too.

The thing that knocked this down for me was the ending. I guessed who was causing the threats and sabotage so the ending felt drawn out and contrived.

The audio was great! Dual POV and dual narration with narrators that help the characters feel alive. Recommend listening speed is: 1.5x

Very excited for Mary’s book!

The narrators did a beautiful job with this audiobook! The story consumed you as you meet each characters, and it feels as though your watching a film unfold. The character development was natural and raw with emotion. There were thrills, action, tension and so much more! Definitely a book to recommend .

I think this was a really cool book! The plot & premises were entertaining and I fell in love with so many of the characters.

I think Nate and Vanessa are a great matching, seeing as to they balance each other. I loved how we got to see Vanessa be a badass as the head of her family's business.

I LOVE seeing badass women in positions of power. One of my favorite things was that Nate was well aware how powerful Vanessa is and respected her for it. Nate being a comfort for Vanessa was so heartwarming because it taught Vanessa that she was worthy of having something to herself without anyone dictating her choice.

This book definitely is not a "dark romance" but I also feel like "Rom Com" is such a bad label for it. Idk if the "meet cute" automatically makes it a "rom com" but that was probably the only piece of it that I could identify was "comedic"

I will be reading book 2 because HELLO??? MARY & MAXIM HELLO?! BI PANIC.

I am simply a bisexual woman 😃🩷💜💙

This was a lot of fun! I had a blast with the mafia setting in this and really enjoyed the setup. This was quick and entertaining and definitely had some great characters and character growth, I loved our FMC and her attitude towards running the mafia family and the responsibilities. There was (what felt like) some realistic mafia attitudes towards a female 'head of family' and the responsibilities she would have towards the future and some likely creative liberties in the rest of the mafia world.

I enjoyed the narrators. I don't think it was anything spectacular but they were nice to listen to! I ended up doing a mixture of ebook and audio just because of when/where I was reading. I did not love the male narrator doing the female voices in the sex scenes though, that kinda threw me out of it and I definitely ending up switching to the ebook for the future sex scenes just to play it safe on those areas.

I definitely look forward to the next book in this series though! I loved both the side characters in this book and I know their book will be spectacular as well!!

This was such a fun and action packed read! Loved the concept of a mafia family centred around women/a group of sisters as well as the gender role reversals when it came to the relationship between the FMC and MMC. The narrators did a great job of bringing the characters to life!

4.7⭐️

Y’all I can not stop thinking about this book. First off the cover is what caught my attention and I kept meaning to read it but for some odd reason I was waiting because mafia romances are such a hit or miss with me. I wanted to love this and I did. A LOT.

It was so good. Was this book written just for me??? I love the power dynamics in this. The fact that Vanessa is the mafia boss/CEO? I was eating it uppp. She was a hold her own straight up BAMF and Nate was Nate lol. I’m just kidding, I truly adored him too. He was appalled but turned on, witty, and downright dorky but in a hot way.

I did not want to stop listening to this audiobook. I was trying to savor it but I missed it as soon as I would pause for the day. This is very much a kicking your feet giddy kind of book, it was also funny and there were moments that had me bust out laughing and rewinding to listen to it again.

I highly recommend this book. It’s the start of an interconnected standalone series. The side characters were a treat and I can’t wait for book 2.

ALC Review for Net Galley:

I read this last year on Kindle Unlimited and giggled so much, I just loved it. I was so excited to get approved for the audio and it did not disappoint!

The narration was super well done on both parts and they really captured the essence of the characters. I will absolutely be recommending this on social.

The story and characters are so funny and I loved that is was Mafia-related but managed to maintain the rom-com elements. The MCs had incredible chemistry and I loved the Nathan was a softer MMC, it was so refreshing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio

A Love Most Fatal is a fun mafia romcom mafia. It started out as an enemies to lovers romance but quickly evolved to an friends to lovers trope. I liked how Nate just decided to help Vanessa find a suitable husband after he wanted nothing to do with her when he learned she was a mafia boss. Its obvious how the book was going to end, but the ride there was still entertaining. I had a good time reading the book and enjoyed their romance and shenanigans. The end got more thrilling and though I felt it was a little out of character I can't say I disliked it. I'm also excited about the second book in this series!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This audiobook was such a fun, wild ride. Tim Paige and Kelsey Navarro Foster did an amazing job bringing the story to life. Their narration pulled me in right away and kept me hooked through every twist and turn.

Vanessa Morelli meets Nate Gilbert at a parent-teacher conference while filling in for her sister. Nate is her nephew’s math teacher, and their connection is instant. After a chance meeting leads to a wedding date, things take a dangerous turn when they’re caught in a shooting. For Nate’s safety, Vanessa brings him into the protection of her mafia family.

As the head of the Italian mafia, Vanessa is under pressure to find a husband and have an heir. Nate offers to help screen suitors, but their growing attraction makes things complicated. With more attacks happening, the mystery builds, and the danger gets closer.

I absolutely loved this audio adaptation. It had the perfect mix of mafia intrigue, romance, humor, and family drama. I can’t wait for Mary’s story next!

This audiobook was the absolute best. I had been meaning to reread this one in preparation for the next book in the series so what better way than the audiobook. And let me tell you Tim and Kelsey did such a great job voicing Nate and Vanessa. The way they brought them to life was so amazing. If you are looking for a mafia romance with a girl boss this one is for you!
It follows Vanessa as she is the leader of the Morelli Crime Family. When she meets Nate at the teacher-parent conference of her godson they click. They go on a date together that ends in a shootout and now Nate's life in in danger. He needs to go and live with them to protect his life. When Nate learns about the crime family and he is not okay but the more time he spends with the family the more he starts to like them especially Vanessa. He is bored out of his mind so Vanessa decides he can help her find a husband. But that means more time spent together where their feelings can only grow.

This is my second time reading/listening and I absolutely devoured it yet again! I was up until 4-5am two nights in a row until I finished it the first time and then listened to it constantly this time!! 😌✌🏼 This romcom, female mob boss read was absolutely AMAZING! Such a great twist on the typical mafia books out there. Vanessa is such a powerful character, yet you see her worries and love for her family trying to balance everything life has dealt her and all the pressure the city mafias put on her. Her sisters and family have such great, yet realistic bonds. I was laughing and crying at different aspects of their relationships thinking of my own family and clearly seeing the love Kath has for hers that she puts into her writing!💗

The plot is so fascinating and the mystery had me stressed the entire time! You get little hints and clues along the way, but the suspense and gore of scenes is perfect! The diversity of characters and mobs and how they work was so fun and I absolutely loved Nate as well! He’s a MMC that normally you don’t see, but she really made him so enjoyable. He’s shy, scared, a little nerdy, but has the biggest heart and ugh I just absolutely fell for him! 🥹 plus the spice in this was sooooo hot, a man whimpering 🤭 Kath really took the genre and turned it around in the best way! She makes the normal macho mob men, annoying and rude and makes the nervous guy such a heart throb! I absolutely fell in love with this book and swore I’d have a heart attack the whole last 20%! Plus the narrators absolutely entrance you! They did so good 💗 Def give it a listen m if you need some amazing family, romance, suspense, DELICIOUS SPICE 🥵, and hilarious comedic relief!

Not my favourite narrators (some disconnect with accents) but I loved revisiting the characters and this story before ALMB releases. Nate is so baby girl and I love how he loves Vanessa even when he’s trying to deny it. Vanessa is an icon and I love the way she opens herself up to love while not allowing herself to compromise on what she wants and needs. Mary is an absolute babe and I can’t wait for Maxim on his knees for her.