Look, look, LOOK: I've loved Nate and Vanessa since I first read the ARC of ALMF, okay? No, bit loved. I've been derrangely obsessed with them. So when the ALC request period opened, you can bet good money I RAN.

And if I thought I couldn't love them any harder, boy was I wrong.
Because listening to all my favourite quotes? To Maxim calling Mary by her full name? To Nate having all the game and 0 finesse? Yes. 100%. Absolute banger. 10/10. No notes.

Cannot recommend this enough and I am more excited than ever for the next book. Mary and Maxim's story is going to be 🔥🔥🔥🔥.

A big fat thank you to Kath and the publisher for allowing me to get this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Audio Narration: 4/5 - Solid performance but not my favorite. pacing &. pausing were both fine. I thought the female gave a better performance than the male narrator. Inflection, especially during the male narrators performance felt a bit off. It really emphasized areas where a contraction would have been more natural - something I didn’t notice when switching to print form.

Really freaking cute, really freaking funny, and the tension was off the charts!

This is the first time I’ve read a mafia romance, and I think the reason this work for me is because it read very much like an adventure romcom! I loved that there were laugh out loud funny moments, tender moments, and plenty of action!

What’s to love…
- mafia romcom
- she’s the badass boss babe and he’s a nerdy math teacher
- he’s down so freaking bad for her
- TENSION FOR DAYS
- Family-forward, but also found family
- a touch of mystery

What’s not to love…
- This is something I’m not sure I would have notice had it not been via audio but it felt like there were an exorbitant amount of times where a contraction would have felt more natural. This made the writing feel a bit stilted and awkward at times.
- I would have preferred to see a bit more of the relationship develop on page. It felt like we went from luke warm to boiling and skipped the shimmer portion. The shimmer portion is my favorite! Don’t skip that!

🌶️- Explicit but mild Ch 27, 29

A Love Most Fatal by Kath Richards was such a beautifully written and emotionally layered story. From the opening scenes, I was pulled into the dual timeline structure, where the past and present slowly unravel the mystery behind a love story that was never quite what it seemed. The atmosphere, especially during the WWII-era chapters, felt vivid and haunting.

One of the things I appreciated most was the emotional honesty in the characters, particularly Eleanor, who is torn between duty, survival, and her own heart. Her relationship with Marcus was complex, and as their secrets began to surface, I felt my heart break right alongside hers. Without giving too much away, I’ll just say the reveal about his true role during the war added a layer of betrayal and heartbreak that stayed with me.

The narration was lovely and fit the tone of the story well, gentle, thoughtful, and emotional, without being overdone. My only reason for giving this four instead of five stars is that some of the pacing in the middle dragged slightly, and I found myself wanting a bit more closure with one of the side characters.

Still, this is a moving, romantic, and quietly powerful story about love, trust, and the things we carry with us through time. I’d definitely recommend it to fans of historical fiction with a touch of mystery and heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't normally read romcoms, but I took a chance on this one because I love books about the mob. I am so happy that I decided to give A Love Most Fatal a whirl. It was such a delicious palate cleanser! I had just finished a very long, boring book, so this page-turner was refreshing and fun. Can an awkward school teacher find love with a mob boss? You'll have to read it to find out. I loved the entire cast of characters and enjoyed the wild ride through the pages. I'm hoping for a sequel. The narration was top-notch.

5 stars! This book is one we have had in our store for sometime now, and WE LOVE IT! Tim Paige and Kelsey Navarro Foster brought Nate and Vanessa to life! We loved them, the chemistry and emotion they brought to life! We are forever fans of Kath Richard and we are so excited to share this audiobook release with our customers who shop us via Libro! Thank you for giving us a fun way to read this story!

Thank You NetGalley and RBmedia for this gem to review. Finally a Badass FMC, she's a Mafia Boss and the MMC was a Middle School Math Teacher. When her father died Vanessa is forced in to the Role of Leader of the Italian Mafia in Boston. Running late for a parent/teacher conference for Vanessa nephew the teacher Nate rear ended her big flashy SUV. After a close call at his cousins wedding where Vanessa joined him as his date, Vanessa takes Nate technically as a hostage and trains him in mafia ways. Vanessa being a single mob boss is being forced into Marriage to hold the proper view of what happens in the Mafia. Nate is in charge of the interviews and during this time he is falling hard and fast for Vanessa. The Narrator did a great job with each character giving them a purpose and being able to feel the emotion in the scene. Nate is a groveller and when Vanessa finally cracks her shell and allows just tonight.....Flames erupt. The book ends with a happy ever after for Vanessa and Nate. Ready for book Two.

I love the ebook and now I can definitively say I love the audiobook. The way these characters are brought to life is exceptional. I love their story so much and the banter and humor throughout this book is so good on audio. The narrators are incredible and do really well with the humor and intrigue throughout. Kath is such a great writer, it is fantastic all around.

This is such a wild ride!

I absolutely loved the set up, when Vanessa turns up at Nate's school and they have a car whoopsie as a meet cute is where the drama begins! I loved the way Vanessa waltzed into Nate's office and offered to pay him off for her nephew's school work had me laughing out loud.

I loved the way their relationship developed and now Vanessa was an absolute girl boss and Nate was just not LOL - his naiveté was adorable, he is so sheltered and believes in the good until Vanessa's world collides with his and he's having to take shelter at her estate, and train to be able to defend himself.

I couldn't believe when Vanessa agreed to marry someone else, after Nate had just immersed himself into her world - WHAT?! But thankfully, after some more drama they find their way back to each other.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story and it was so freaking good. Vanessa and Nate were not only adorable together but they were hilarious. This book had me laughing out loud and completely intrigued by the story line, so much so that I listened to the whole thing in one sitting, during a 12 hour car ride. Not only did I love how the main characters met but how their relationship grew and developed, and how Nate gave himself the opportunity to grow within the family, to become what Vanessa would eventually need. The secondary characters were also amazing. Their personality shone through and gave that extra bit of flavor to the story. The narration by Tim Paige and Kelsey Navarro Foster was fantastic. They did an amazing job in bringing these characters to life and keeping the story fun and hot. I loved this one!

I listened to the audiobook for A Love Most Fatal and I was super into it in the beginning but overall this was just ok. I loved the switch up to your typical romance trope with Vanessa being the powerful mafia boss babe and Nate being a school teacher who has no experience handling the mafia world.

The way these two meet was so cute and I really thought I was gonna love this book. Unfortunately, Nate’s over the top reaction started to irk me. Dude had the weakest stomach of any MC. While I was invested in finding out the mystery of who was trying to take down Vanessa, I started to become less invested as the story progressed. The romance was just ok and the spice didn’t do it for me.

I do like the side characters and I was way more interested in what’s going on with Mary and Maxim. I liked the way this book ends with the set up for their book. I’ll prob wait to see reviews for their review before committing.

This is a dual narrated audiobook with Kelsey Navarro Foster and Tim Paige. Kelsey does a wonderful job but I really really did not like Tim Paige for this 🙈. The overly dramatic narration style for Nate made me cringe at times, especially during the spicy parts. Also, his wasn’t the cleanest recording with his mic picking up mouth sounds that were driving me nuts by the end. I’ve listened to other stuff he’s done so I think this is specific to his portrayal of Nate.

Loved this audiobook and the narration. Two of my favorite narrators. I really enjoyed the story. This is my first book by this author but it won’t be the last. Definitely will be recommending this one.

On paper, this book was right up my alley. I also loved how unique this book felt with the role reversal of the FMC being the Mafia Boss and the MMC being the golden retriever school teacher.

Unfortunately, this book felt flat and the execution just wasn’t there for me.

Individually, I loved the characters. But I just didn’t connect to the story, or feel the chemistry between them. It almost felt like their romance was being told rather than shown. There was also a miscommunication third act breakup which did not fit the story since a chapter before they had openly communicated expectations, etc.

The main villain of this story was also painfully obvious since the first few chapters and actually became more frustrating when it was so obvious but the characters weren’t seeing it.

I really wanted to love this book, but it fell short for me and I kept forcing myself to pick it up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars for this audio!! 👏 easily one of my favourite audiobooks of the year. The narrators were incredible!

What do you get when you mix a female mafia boss in need of an heir, a nerdy math teacher who needs her protection and a hilarious meddling family? You get Vanessa and Nate 🙂‍↕️

This book is so clever, there’s so much going on - there’s Leo and Mary’s stories, Sean and Willa’s story (I NEED a prequel!!), Vanessa’s mafia story, Vanessa looking for a husband, Nate & Vanessa’s relationship, the mystery/suspense of it all!!! Could no get enough. And I am DESPERATE for Maxim and Mary’s book thank you for asking.

🎧ALC REVIEW🎧
📚A Love Most Fatal by Kath Richards
🎤Dual narration by Tim Paige & Kelsey Navarro Foster
💘Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for this ALC

5⭐️- Such a unique premise, both fun AND suspenseful, an incredible read in the ever-growing “dark rom-com” category!!

*scroll down for my 🎧 audiobook review

—

📚general review📚

This was such a breath of fresh air!! I absolutely loved how these two genres came together in this story. Sometimes mafia stories are just too much for me, as I don’t always love darker themes. And then on the contrary, rom-coms can easily be too cheesy and too perfect for me. So then bring them together here and you’ve got magic.

Essentially Nate is Vanessa’s nephew/godson’s teacher. Vanessa is the mafia boss. It’s a great reversal for a mafia romance but you still get the goofiness in Nate you’d expect in a rom-com. When out on a date, Vanessa’s adversaries nearly kill them both, Nate is forced to spend the summer with Vanessa for protection. Vanessa needs to marry for tradition and have an heir. While there, Nate is “hired” to help her find a husband by interviewing eligible bachelors - which is essentially to kill time until he can escape the craziness of mafia life. Of course, that’s not exactly how their summer goes…

The interviews were so fun, the combo of comedic questions and these mafia men talking about murder limits etc. The interviews in a way reminded me of Princess Diaries 2 (with Chris pine, iykyk). Was obsessed.

Nate is such a golden retriever/cinnamon roll, and he is also down sooo bad for Vanessa. Vanessa is powerful, intelligent, and fiercely protective of her family. While she’s doing her bad b*tch ceo/mafia boss thing, he’s gardening at home, training to be able to fight alongside her, and washing her hair for her after the work day.

I could go on all day about this, what A TIME!! I am extremely ready for the next book in this series and more from this author!!

🎧audiobook review🎧
-Dual narration by Tim Paige & Kelsey Navarro Foster
-Dual pov, single timeline
-Already familiar with these two incredible narrators so I was READY going in.
-Tim Paige with his accents were sooooo phenomenal, and Kelsey just fit Vanessa like she was written for her!
-Highly recommend picking this one up on audio

4.5⭐2🌶️

This book was hilarious and soooo much fun. I had the best of time listening all about Vanessa and Nate. They both found someone who actually understands each others . Their relationship is adorable and swoon-worthy, heart-warming and passionate.

I've read so many mafia books where either he's the one in the mafia or both of them are, but never about HER only being part of that world. And it's so interesting to see the reverse, because now we have a guy who is scared, frighten, and doesn't know what to think. Nate was thrusted into a world where there is blood, fighting, danger everywhere and he's just a math teacher who dresses awkwardly and loves his dog. It's so exciting to see him get to know the Morelli family and how nice they all are and how easy it is for him to become part of them. I loved loved this book so much.i can't wait to read mary's book.

The audiobook was perfection. Kelsy Navarro and tim paige as Vanessa and Nate nailed it😘😘.

"Big thanks to netgallery and Rb media for audiobooks alc."

This book was hilarious and sucked me right in!
Who doesn’t love a female mob boss - because I sure do! I feel like that is underwritten in romance, and Kath Richards knocked it out of the park. She flipped the script and had me yearning for more! Vanessa is a strong, badass FMC with a beautiful heart and love to give, albeit sometimes in her own way. Nate is the goofball math teacher of my dreams - he is a character I love to love. And them together? It was just too much for my heart - it was a great build-up to what we all knew was going to happen!
The narrators on this audiobook brought these characters and their personalities to life. It was a great listening experience.
I’m already on the lookout for the next books in the series because the stories of the other characters in the book NEED to be told!

A Love Most Fatal by Kath Richards
Narrators, Tim Paige, Kelsey Navarro Foster
Morelli Family Series
Not gonna lie, I came for the narrators because I really like them both. Mafia romances are not really my favorite. This was a reverse mafia head/school teacher story since she was the mafia family head and he was the middle school teacher. Kinda cute idea but I lost count of the dead bodies. Best to just skim over that part and concentrate on the family relationships which are great and the romance which is a little hard to believe.
The traitor stuck out by a mile and the lead up to the ending was kind of ridiculous but I have to admit that I’m going to give the next book a try and hope the narrators are the same. As I said I really like them both from many previous audiobooks. Tim Paige especially. My only gripe is that someone needs to explain to narrators the difference between the words demur and demure. They aren’t the same and the pronunciation is different. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and I don’t think I’ve ever heard it pronounced correctly. Griping done.
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley.

A Love Most Fatal was so much fun to read! I loved the play on traditional mafia romances where the FMC was the mafia boss and the MMC was the unassuming love interest.

The banter between Vanessa & Nate was entertaining from the beginning! Him hitting her Range Rover with his Prius, her trying to bribe him into giving her godson a better grade- hilarious! And then quite literally on their first date, Nate is exposed to the woman she is and now needs her protection.

With added pressure from the mafia community calling into question Vanessa's ability to be the head of a crime family, she knows she must do the right thing and find a husband and produce an heir. Because this is nothing more to her than a business transaction, she allows Nate to vet the candidates. All of this happens while they continue to grow closer and try to fight whatever chemistry they have between each other until it all comes to a head.

The antagonist felt a bit easy to call, but the plot didn't suffer as a result. I don't know that I would ever put Mafia and Rom-Com in the same description, but this book captured it all. I was entertained!

I'm super impressed with the narration that was done by Tim Paige & Kelsey Navarro Foster. They gave character and color to Nate & Vanessa, which of course, the author does beautifully, but they truly brought them to life! It felt like I was in the room with them at times.

Thank you for the ARC!

Five stars. Just putting that out there right away. I'm convinced Kath Richards sprinkled something extra special into the pages because I am completely, utterly, and shamelessly obsessed. Seriously, where has this book been all my life?

From the beginning, I was hooked. Vanessa Morelli is a force of nature. She's strong, smart, and takes no nonsense…a total boss. She reminded me so much of Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow, which automatically made me love her. She's got that same kind of fierce protectiveness and underlying vulnerability that makes her so compelling. She’s running a construction empire, and the family business (if you catch my drift!).

Then enters Nate. In a world of alpha male heroes, he's a breath of fresh air. He's the kind of guy who teaches math, owns a dog, and is definitely not expecting to get caught up in the mafia world. He reminded me so much of Barry Allen – goofy, kindhearted, and completely out of his depth.

What really blew my mind was the way the author flipped the role on the "damsel in distress" trope. Nate, the seemingly ordinary math teacher, genuinely needs Vanessa's protection. It's rare to see the male lead in that kind of vulnerable position, and Kath handled it perfectly. It added such a unique and refreshing dynamic to their relationship. I ate it up! I need more books like this in my life.

I actually reread the book while I listened to the audiobook, and that just deepened my obsession even more. The narration by Tim Paige and Kelsey Navarro Foster was absolutely phenomenal. They brought so much heart, personality, and emotional nuance to the story. Tim nailed Nate's earnest charm and low key panic in the most endearing way, while Kelsey perfectly captured Vanessa’s strength, wit, and layers of emotion. Their performances made me fall in love with the characters all over again.

The plot itself is exciting, with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing.
The romance? Don't even get me started. The chemistry between Vanessa and Nate is electric, and I was rooting for them from the moment they met.

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Mafia romance, mafia boss fmc/math teacher mmc, forced proximity, opposites attract.

I'm not usually a mafia romance reader, but this book was a joy! I loved how Nate, a middle-school math teacher, gets involved with the head of the mafia head Vanessa 😅 There are believable situations and sufficient time for them to fall in love. I was rooting for them the whole time!

The side characters added to the world and some of them were absolutely adorable (kids and dog included)! If you are looking for a great romance with the mafia vibes, pick this up! 5/5 would absolutely recommend!