This was a bit slow at the start, but started to pick up! I love a possessive and protect mafia man. This romance was swoon worthy and sensual. The cliffhanger had me gagged!! Can’t wait to start book 2.

4.5! Oh I absolutely love and adore Raffa and Guinevere. Guinevere truly stole my heart. She was so genuine, kind, and made me laugh. This book was so much fun and a joy to read. The found family had my heart melting.

EXCELLENT!! Oh Giana you just keep writing these mind blowing books that completely and totally consume me,and creating characters that I fall in love with(even if they have a darkside) and I have fallen in love with Raffa and Guinevere,they are magnificent. I love how in the beginning Guinevere has no idea about Raffa's involvement with the mafia life,so she excepts Raffa as the man she sees and doesn't know about his dark world. Guinevere is in Italy against her Father's wishes to explore her heritage. Then she unexpectedly meets Raffa and he is more than happy to show her around Italy and what follows is a real page turning adventure...Also for Guinevere it is a journey of self discovery she opens herself up to Raffa and I think she feels a sense of freedom when she is with him. There is an air of innocence about Guinevere and it is only a matter of time before Raffa corrupts that innocence. I also love the way Raffa is when he is with Guinevere he lets himself relax and is unguarded with her. Oh Raffaele oh how I love Raffa he is a Capo and is everything !! Confident,commanding and he can be brutal when neccessary and he is respected by his people...I love the way he loves is family and he is completely obsessed and protective of Guinevere. The Audiobook is magical to listen to and enhances the story so so much,with the added voices of the narrators this story just comes to life so much better. The Narration by Dane Anderson and C.J Bloom is simply amazing,it is no secret that I adore C.J.Bloom she is one of my favourite voice actors EVER...and her performance as Guinevere is perfection..Dane Anderson is quite new to me and I love the timber of his voice as he portrayed Raffa. They both nailed it,getting all of the emotions and drama right in the ideal way I felt everything the characters felt because of their acting. I absolutely loved listening to this Audiobook and got lost for hours I could not stop myself from listening,even though it was way past my bed time. A Phenomenal Audio. This story is perfection and exactly how Mafia romance stories should be written. I absolutely loved every word and I completely adore Giana Darlings writing she is so descriptive and passionate..The way she describes Italy had me going there in my mind and enjoying seeing it throught the characters eyes. My Dark Fairytale is dark and delicious and a beautifully addictive Romance. The cliffhanger is ruthless !!..How am I supposed to survive until the next book I cannot wait for it. Exquisite !! 5 Superb stars.

This book was just not interesting to me. It felt like a lot was going on and it wasn’t being properly explained (I understand there is a second book) but I didn’t feel like even basic details were flushed out. Their romance was okay, it didn’t make me amazed and I think it was because it just wasn’t fully flushed out. I don’t think we got to see them actually fall in love, more falling in lust than anything.

It’s always been Guinevere’s dream to visit Italy to learn more about her heritage, but she never expected to crash into mafia boss, Raffaele Romano, once she gets there. Literally. He literally hits her with his car😅

The two fall into a whirlwind romance but there are secrets that are lurking in the background that keep you on your toes.

I did love a lot of aspects of this book. Mostly the setting. This book was truly a love letter to Italy and I could vividly picture every scene. All I could think while I was reading this book is that IT NEEDS TO BECOME A MOVIE! This book would adapt SO well to the big screen.

While written in beautiful Giana Darling fashion, I’m afraid I just haven’t really connected with these last two releases of hers. The insta-love just isn’t doing it for me. I get how these two might have been enamored with each other since they come from such different worlds, but I really didn’t see much of a connection between them besides their lust and attraction. Guinevere came off a little too sheltered and ignorant for my liking, and Rafa felt a bit pretentious and overbearing.

I also feel like sometimes Giana focuses a little too much on the details of the setting, rather than the actual plot. And not a lot actually happened in this book until the end, but that’s partially a product of it being a duet.

The cliffhanger definitely came as a pleasant surprise though, so I’m excited to see how things play out in the next book!

👁️👄👁️ I am obsessed with Raffa.
He’s giving Zeus a run for his money as my fave Giana Darling mmc of all time.

𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘐𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘧𝘪𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶?

This man. His words. His actions. I loooove him.
This was one of my most anticipated reads and it delivereddddd. I was hooked from the start!
I loved the immediate connection they had, and seeing it grow and develop so naturally. The spice was delicious.

𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴: 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘪𝘭 𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦. 🤪🌶️

I neeeeed the next book asappp! I need to know where their story goes!! This is a duet so be warned it ends on a cliffhanger, but trust me you want to read it neooowww.

5 ⭐️

Absolutely NOT !
Why am i missing at least 3 chapters at the end of the book ? It’s considered a war crime in the bookish world to end a book like that ! My poor heart.. zero consideration.

Let me tell you that you will want to live this life .. I was this close to booking a trip to Italy , running around alone on the road , letting myself get hit by a car and hoping for the best ..
this was so good ! I loved everything about this book ..
She does know how to write delicious book Boyfriends.. this one was top tier.. perfecto ! I was drooling on my kindle while visiting Italy .. it’s like I was there when I was on my couch , dressed as a homeless woman eating chocolate..

I’m so SO excited for the 2nd book ..

If someone was going to pull me out of a book slump, I knew Giana could do it.

Not only do we have a tall, dark, handsome stranger, who is richer than sin, the most perfect antihero, and head of his syndicate, but we get to experience a part of Italy while we read. The landscape was the perfect place to escape to. Running through vineyards, wine tasting with a twist, driving those roads with the most amazing of views, sailing, exploring the coast, and then curling up next to the man who has helped you find some independence and encouraged your need to explore. What more could you want from a book?!

I fell so deep into this book and loved every second.

We start off with Guinevere beginning her vacation in Italy, and it's safe to say it's not the start she was hoping for. After an encounter with a man who cannot be trusted, she literally runs into Raffa whilst he's driving his Ferrari. Could her luck get any worse?! First, the man with grabby hands and then being run over by a tall, dark, handsome stranger. However, Raffa is not all that he seems. He goes out of his way to care for Guinevere and helps to show her the best of his town.

This story will have you staying up late and turning pages to find out what's going to happen next. Will Guinevere discover everything? Will Rafa ask her to stay? Will she be his Queen? You're going to need to read this to find out!

This had me hooked from the first chapter, just like any other Giana Darling book. Her writing always blows me away and with this particular story, it is definitely one of her best. It had the perfect mix of dark and light. The light obviously being Guinevere. Before Italy, the place she always dreamed of going, she was this innocent girl who just wanted to see the world. Then the dark came. Raffa. He showed her what love was but was hiding a huge secret. They were honestly perfect for each other, both Guinevere and Raffa grew as people while being together, learning different things from one another. I adored reading their love story and cannot wait for the next book. That ending!!!

Thank you Valentine PR for the arc!

WOOOOOO MAFIA IS SO BACK!

Grumpy MMC mafia who accidentally runs over the FMC? I was immediately sold.
I loved Raffa and Guenaviere's dynamic throughout the story seeing them bickering to their blossoming romance.
A favorite trope is the found family trope and it was executed so well!

This was stunning!

Giana made us all fall in love with Italy from the beginning of this book. Guinevere’s passion and love truly shone through the pages. Then as she discovered, the dark world around her tried to creep in but, unknowingly, Raffa was keeping her safe.

Guinevere’s naivety while sweet and delightful to watch as her experiences unfolded, still left her with a massive disadvantage in regards to the real world. Her parents have kept so many secrets from her that she cannot see danger when it is right in front of her.

Raffa was a treat. This man just found his soul and had it ripped right out again. I loved getting to know his close group. I hope to see more of his family in the next book.

I loved the chemistry, the story building, the side characters, there was so much to enjoy. I started reading this in KU then discovered the audio. The male narrator was an absolute delight. His accent and gruff voice was the perfect Italian mafioso.

My first but not last from Giana! This was such a wild ride. I’m a mafia girl through and through. When we started with action? I knew i needed to buckle up for the ride. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this author’s other series, and wasn’t surprised to find myself enjoying this book!

5/5✨ 3/5🔥⁣
⁣
“𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝? 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐞? 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞.”⁣
⁣
Raffa and Guinevere have my heart yall. This book was everything I wanted and more from the next Giana Darling mafia book. It had me cackling from their banter, to absolutely swooning from the things Raffa said to her, to blushing like nobody’s business. ⁣
⁣
This book is set in Tuscany, and Guinevere is an American traveling there for the first time in her life after graduating college. Her first day there and she runs into (literally.. he hits her with his car while shes running 😅) Raffa who ends up saving her and letting her stay with him while she gets better. ⁣
⁣
The two of them obviously fall into this amazing romance over the summer while she is there and it couldn’t be more beautiful. I loved how opposite they were in every way and yet so perfect for each other. ⁣
⁣
“𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈’𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧.“⁣
⁣
Like literally every single one of her books, this was such an amazing read and I absolutely cannot wait to be back in this world. October cannot come fast enough! ⁣
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If you like:⁣
- Mafia Romance⁣
- Bad Boy/Good Girl⁣
- When He Talks Her Through It⁣
- Age Gap⁣
- Hidden Identity⁣
- Found Family⁣
- Billionaire ⁣
- Virgin FMC⁣
- Touch Her & 💀⁣
- Spanking (not just 🍑)⁣
- Possessive Hero⁣
and lots more.. I highly recommend checking this one out yall!

The end . . . for now.

These four words almost killed me.

Guinevere aka Jinx has to be supremely unlucky until she is saved by Raffa. Even though he hit her with his car, he still saved her and took her in when she needed help.

Raffia isn't known for being friendly and saving people. There was just something about Guinevere that drew him to her.

Soon, they are involved in a sexy passionate fling while she spends her summer in Italy. A place her father forbid her from going.

Intensely drawn together, it's impossible to stay apart. With under six weeks of her holiday, Guinevere is inexplicably drawn to Raffa, but she doesn't know the truth about who Raffa really is.

“Oh c’mon. You’re you. I’m sure you could have any girl in Tuscany with one snap of your fingers.”Slowly, he raised his hand between us and snapped his fingers. “Oh look. It is the only girl I want in Tuscany.”

Absolutely fantastic read. I almost felt I was learning the language right along side of Guinevere. Raffa was dreamy. Perfect, actually. All the side characters really added to the story as well. I found myself on the edge of my seat by that ending. Literally gasping and heartbroken, I need to know more. Please, please let this not be the end🙏

I definitely recommend 👌 😍

This the 1st book in the , My Dark Mafia Romance, duet and we get to meet Guinevere, aka Vera, and Raffael, aka Raffa…

Tropes:

🥀Mafia Romance
🥀Age Gap
🥀Billionaire Mafioso MMC
🥀American Virgin FMC
🥀Set in Italy
🥀Painful Meet Cute
🥀Family Secrets
🥀No HEA
🥀Touch Her and 💀
🥀Dual POV
🥀Duet
🥀Slow Burn
🥀High Chemistry
🥀Forced Proximity
🥀Hidden Identity
🥀Bad Boy x Good Girl

What can I say Giana Darling never Disappoints her books are so good but this one might be one of the top books of hers!

I do not like spoilers!! This book and the story holy crap!
Raffa might be the best book husband! Guinevere is an American tourist wanting to explore and to find out more about her dad’s family. In the process she goes through a lot and she meets her dark Prince Charming comes to the rescue and helps her through out the process and helps her find her self and how she really is!

Yes😪, it Ends in a cliffhanger and I cannot wait for the next book!

MY HEART HURTS AND IT SHATTERED TO PIECES. That ending. Will my sanity and heart survive? That’s the question. Top read for 2025! And I can't wait for the second book!

I really liked Raffa. He is a mysterious man because of what he does for work. He also has a very caring side. He is loyal to those he cares about and will do what he can to make his family and the ones he loves happy. He provides and does what he has to. I love the care he puts into Guinevere when she is just a stranger.

Guinevere is a nice character. She is finally doing something for herself and exploring the world. She worked her for her vacation and deserves to be there. She is kind, helpful, and explorative. I enjoy her more in the second half of the story when she starts to find herself and really speak up. She is a character that everyone around her loves.

I wish we did get a bit more of Raffa’s mafia side. I wanted a bit more of the dark from the dark fairy tale.

I did not see the story ending how it did. I thought there was going to be a secret revealed about Guinevere’s father or I thought we would find that Gemma’s death wasn’t an accident.

Raffa and Guinevere need to be together even though someone is clearly trying not to let that happen. Excited for book 2.

4.5 Stars

(Mafia romance, virgin FMC, age gap, he's obsessed, he takes care of her when she is sick, cliffhanger)

WOW. This mafia romance took my breath away!

The female main character (FMC) is young, innocent yet adventurous. The male main character is a handsome Italian mafia leader. SOLD. When the FMC lives out her dream of visiting Italy, she doesn’t expect her car to breakdown in the country side, get approached by a questionable stranger and have to run for her life. THEN get hit by a car. A car driven by the mafia leader.

There is a undeniable connection between them and he ends up taking her back to his place to care for her. Besides being injured from running and being hit by a car, she comes down with a sickness for about a week and he TAKES CARE OF HER. SWOOOOOOOON. I love this moment so much.

The connection between the characters, the tension, steam and then spice was absolutely delicious. I also really enjoyed the mafia details and plot.

AND THE CLIFFHANGER. I can't wait for more.

Don’t you just love when you’re reading a book and you can actually see it play out like a movie in your mind? That was MDFT for me 😍 every second reading it felt like I was in Tuscany right alongside Guinevere and Raffaele. The way they met was so iconic and it hooked me right into this story!

The MMC, Raffa, was so swoony 🫠😮‍💨 He literally kills anyone who dares to touch her but he also has braids her when she’s sick *sobs* If that isn’t devotion I’m not sure what is 🥹 I liked Guinevere’s character but it was really hard to believe she was so freaking naive when it came to who he truly was, so because of that, her actions towards the end of the book felt a little annoying to me.

Overall, I really think this is the perfect summer read to pick up if you’re looking to step your toes into mafia or dark romance, as it’s pretty light on the mafia lore, but be warned… there is a cliffhanger at the end. And if you’re anything like me, you’re going to need the next book like right freaking now!

What to expect:
• mafia romance
• bad boy X good girl
• age gap
• hidden identity
• chronic illness rep
• only soft for her
• Italian billionaire MMC
• virgin FMC
• touch her & die

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Read if you like:
- Mafia Romance
- Summers in Italty
- Age gap romance
- Found family

Review:
Guinevere's Italy trip does not begin how she imagined it to be. For the first time, she's in Italy (against her parents wishes) living out one of her dreams. But after running away from a terrifying situation, our main boy Raffa HITS HER WITH HIS CAR. (ok she rly runs into it herself). Raffa is very much a "I hate everyone but her" but doesn't want to be a hero, but can't help himself when it comes to her.

This is definitely a whirlwind of a summer romance packed with action and secrets that Raffa may be keeping from Guinevere about the truth of his line of work?👀 Raffa has no problem treating Guinevere like the queen she is and you can really tell that he worships the ground she walks on. I love the nods to the classics and that the characters both bond over Dante's Inferno. The romance is well balanced with the mafia element and it left me very invested as to what happens next.

My Dark Fairy Tale is available now (and also on KU!!). Thank you Giana Darling for the e-arc <3

If you are obsessed with mafia romance, all the angst, swoon worthy romance, and yummy spice then make sure you pick up this one ... this story had me feeling so many things, and wondering if I had been drinking wine the wrong way this whole time (iykyk)

𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳
➵ mafia
➵ age gap
➵ forced proximity
➵ virgin FMC
➵ hand necklaces
➵ incorrect (maybe) use of wine
➵ look at her and ☠️
➵ biting / marking
➵ “mine”
➵ face fv¢king

𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 4/5⭐️ | 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 3/5🌶️ | 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 4/5🔥