If anyone can get me back into mafia it’s Giana Darling. wow wow wow this story was so addictive and I loved it with my whole heart. Guinevere and Raffa completely stole my heat with their story. and what a way to meet each other.i loved this story of Guinevere finding herself and her family history, meanwhile you had Raffa who was a mafia capo. I loved how obsessed and protective he was of her— it had me obsessing over him obsessing over her. the chemistry between them was unmatched and the suspense in this story had me craving more. I am already dying to get my hands on the next part of this duet!

read if you like:
age gap
forced proximity
Italian summers
mafia romance
bad boy x good girl
billionaire

Is there anything Giana writes that doesn’t immediately make me fall in love?? My Dark Fairy Tale is everything you wanted for your Italian summer vacation to “find yourself”… but it never actually happened to you 😂 instead, Giana gives us Guinevere and Raffa’s whirlwind and unexpected romance in Tuscany. I love how strong Guinevere is despite her illness and setbacks in here life and how she decides to dive headfirst into these new experiences. Seeing Raffa’s heart open up because of his experiences with Guinevere after having to close off so much of himself as a mafia don is what makes him such a fantastic morally grey MMC. Plus, there’s a fantastic found family side trope going on as Guinevere grows closer to Raffa’s team. If you’re worried if there’s enough tension and heat, these two are decadent and delicious together and I was constantly waiting for the next spicy scene. Considering Guinevere didn’t know Raffa’s real business, I was waiting on how the shoe was going to drop and dang did Giana give us a cliffhanger 😮‍💨😮‍💨 I need book 2 and I am so in love with these characters. Don’t try to change my mind or I’ll hit you with a ““Frankly, caro mio, I don’t give a damn.”😉

Ooooo this story was HOT & HEART PUMPINGLY EXCITING!!!

Imagine going to Italy, where you have been dreaming to go for countless years, by yourself and then getting into a scary situation to then run into (literally) a hot Italian mafia stud who is ready to save you?! Girl sign me up 🫦🫦🫦 these two were very veryyyyy good together & im always a fan of when a virgin heroine catches the eye of someone supposedly unattainable until her!!

I had a great time listening to this audio BUT OMG THE ENDING. I need the next book already Giana 😭

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Tropes:
Virgin heroine
Mafia romance
Dark romance
Age gap
Billionaire
Bad boy x good girl

This was my first time reading anything by Giana & it absolutely will NOT be the last! Another author’s backlist to add to my never ending TBR, thank yewww 🙂‍↕️

This probably had one of the wildest meet-cutes I’ve read, I was like HELLO??!! 😆😆 the tropes for this book are some of my absolute favorites! You have: Italian mafia, hidden identity, age gap, forced proximity, touch her & 💀 and let me tell you it did NOT disappoint! Raffa & Guinevere had amazing chemistry & the vibes of this book were so good 👏🏼

I believe this is part of a duet & it does end on a cliffhanger but it was totally worth it & I can’t wait for the next one!

Thank you Giana & team for the early copy ❤️

Wow, just wow! I'm absolutely blown away with this book. I was not expecting this story to go the way it did. And i thoroughly enjoyed it. Raffe and Vera, ah these two, made me such a simp all over for those mafia romances which is everything to me. And this was a banger !
Can't wait for more.

I am so in love with this book!!! I didn’t want to leave this world. I am so happy to have another mafia romance from Giana. I love how she balances the mafia with the romance. I really enjoyed the way Giana described everything, it made me feel like I was in the story.
I loved Guinevere and Raffa. I loved watching Guinevere and Raffa fall in love. I’m a sucker for a tough man who is sweet for him women. The way Raffa would talk to her in Italian had me melting on the floor.
That cliffhanger hurt so bad. I need the next book right now. October can’t come quick enough.

This was a spicy good time with a great plot to go with it but I expect nothing less from Giana. The cliffhanger is too much I need book two immediately. (Also maybe a Mafia man to run me over and bring me to his mansion)

I feel bad, because I usually LOVE Giana Darling's work, but I tried a few times to get into this and couldn't. The FMC POV felt really young, and I am having a hard time getting into the naïve, young take on women in mafia romance. I might pick this up again down the road - and I won't post the DNF to major retailers/my socials. Thank you for the opportunity!

Once again I absolutely loved this book! Giana always delivers an incredibly wonderfully morally grey MMC that you can’t help but love.

I enjoyed the banter between our characters & how their relationship progressed.

I can’t wait to read more by her.

Giana Darling and mafia (Italian mafia at that...) are a match made in absolute heaven. I was enthralled in this book right from the beginning, including Guinevere and Raffa's disastrous meeting) and I couldn't put it down.

I just love Giana's writing so much; her prose is just simply beautiful and she has the ability to make the most simple things sound and look absolutely stunning. I was right there in Italy, honestly. The same can be said for her characters. I love watching Guinevere's journey of finding herself, the love for her life and her growth throughout her time in Italy. I adored how protective (and obsessive) Raffa was; I will defend him always and I will die on that hill. Their chemistry was instantaneous, helping build this passionate and explosive whirlwind romance between them.

The care and love that has gone into this book is so evident; Giana has done the most brilliant job at leaving the reader with unanswered questions!!!!, theories!!!! and wonderful side characters, too. I cannot wait for book 2 after that cliffhanger, Giana is really in her edging era.

Read if you like:
- Italian setting
- Italian mafioso MMC x American tourist
- Age gap (F22 x M34)
- Forced proximity

My Dark Fairy Tale had me hooked from the first chapter! I was lucky to be given this as an ARC for an honest review! Giana does it once again with this story. Her writing style had me snared from the first book I picked up by her, and now I'm obsessed! The way she writes is poetic, and catches your undivided attention right from the start. And let me tell you, she excells in the dark & broody alpha-male department! The FMC is Guinevere, and the MMC Raffa. Guinevere is soft, seemingly innocent, and the complete opposite of Raffa. Raffa is the dark and broody, dangerous mafioso. Which is why his darkness and Guinevere's light work perfectly together. The beginning of their story was captivating. The chemistry between the main characters was intense and had me swooning. 🥹 (Also!! Yes... I said beginning because their story ends on a cliff hanger, and I am impatiently waiting for book #2!)This was a slow burn read for me, but the tension and angst was insane. The Italian filth that comes out of Raffa's mouth is just 🥵🥵🥵🥵 He is every woman's dream mafia Prince. I would gladly let him hit me with his car. Definitely give My Dark Fairy Tale a read if mafia romance is up your alley! I hope you'll love it as much as I do! 🤍
Tropes:
🥀 Mafia Romance
🖤 Hidden Identity
🥀 Billionaire Italian Mafioso
🖤 Chronic Illness Rep
🥀 Bad Boy x Good Girl
🖤 Age Gap
🥀 Italian Dirty Talk

🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶

“I was never meant to be the prince in your fairy tale, dolcezza. But I’ll be the villain who would burn the world for you.”

"You taste as good as I imagined." "Like apricots?" I teased, surprised by the confidence I felt. "Like sin." He corrected. "It is addictive."

"She was as bright and hopeful as a shooting star across my dark galaxy, and I had to remember that. Fleeting, but lovely to behold."

""Like I could pull the stars from the sky for you if only you asked me to." "And would you?" His sigh sounded almost resigned as it feathered over my mouth "Troverei un modo."
I would find a way."

5 Stars

- age gap
- billionaire
- mafioso
- hidden identity
- Tuscany setting
- fmc is "pure"

GIANA DARLING DOES.NOT.MISS

The FMC meets the MMC when she is running away from a man (on a rural Tuscan roadway) trying to assault her, when she literally gets hit by the MMC's car.

This book was fun, suspenseful, spicy, and that CLIFF HANGER. I am foaming at the mouth for book two. I need it now. please.

Are you ready to take a trip to Italy?
...and fall in love with a mafioso 🖤
Because giana is taking us there in My Dark Fairy Tale. And I'm in love.

When I tell you this book played out in my mind like a movie... the details were so vivid I could picture myself in a place I've never been.

Raffaele Romano.. the man you are. He literally gives meaning to the touch her and ☠️ vibes. He also is so down bad for our girl Guinevere.. his internal monologue was everything and his actions- perfetto 🤌🏻 let's just say, I will never ever look at red wine or olive oil the same way again 🫦

Guinevere is such a strong and likable FMC. She made it so easy to relate to her and I admire her adventurous soul. I loved her banter with Raffa and I was swooning right alongside her as she fell in love with Tuscany and this man.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book... And my head is spinning with theories of what I think will happen from here! I am actively counting down the days until October 28th when My Dark Ever After is in my hands and I'm reunited with Guinevere & Raffa for the conclusion of this dark mafia duet.

But please don't wait to pick up this book. Trust me when I tell you, you want to experience this epic summer in Tuscany- now ☀️🖤

My Dark Fairy Tale by Giana Darling is the first book in her My Dark Mafia Romance. This is a dark but passionate age gap romance between Raffaele Romano and Guinevere Stone. It is a great blend of mafia drama and sweet romance, all set in historic Tuscany. An absolutely fantastic tale of what happens when a young innocence American woman meets a handsome Italian man.

Guinevere has always dreamt of visiting Italy and has been saving up to go there since she was seven. Now her dreams are coming true and she is spending the summer there. However, her Italian father has forbidden her to go there so she has hidden her plans from her parents. Things don’t go as planned and on her way to Florence she experiences a traumatic event. Her summer adventure becomes complicated when she unknowingly meets the most dangerous man in Tuscany when he saves her life. Raffa can’t believe he is offering to help her as it is so unlike him but after what she had been through, his protective side comes out in force. The best bit is she has no idea who he is.

“Tonight, I feel like playing the hero instead of the villain.”

Raffa is the reluctant but powerful leader of the Toscana Camorra. He didn’t want this life but four years ago he had to take over his father’s criminal organisation to save his family. He had to change and keep the man he used to be hidden away. He finds himself enamoured by Guinevere and is able to show her this side of him. She is very innocent in the ways of the world due to having a genetic disorder. She has also had to overcome a loss and the knowledge her parents have already decided her future. Her holiday was a chance to gain some freedom but she finds herself being looked after by the mysterious Raffa at his palazzo.

It is a life changing meeting as they both struggle with the circumstances that have made them who they are and not who they wanted to be. My heart went out to him when he battles his growing feelings for her while knowing he is hiding a big secret. They have such a connection that he can’t let her go even though being together is dangerous. He is intrigued by her teasing and I loved that she calls him beautiful. He finds it fun being the good guy for a change and she surprises him with her enthusiasm for everything. She sees him as an opportunity to explore her fantasies and he allows he to her life for herself for the first time. She becomes bolder and braver as she enjoys exploring Florence with him. He has swept her off her feet and shown her things she’d never experienced before. You will never be able to go to a wine tasting and not think of this couple !!

“There is no future if I tell her, and there is no future if I do not.”

Martina, Ludo, Renzo and Carmine were brillant as his closest soldiers and it was funny how they teased him over her. I’m not sure about his best friend Leo as got weird vibes off him. While his enemies circle around can they sort out their feelings before she has to leave. She’s changed his life forever but would she stay with him when all is revealed? Could she love a man like him? A heart wrenching cliffhanger that will leave you desperate for the next book. Raffa might be a monster but he’s a romantic at heart.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

My Dark Fairytale by Giana Darling

Favorite quote: “ I love you, Raffa. In any language, across any distance. And always will.”

This is my first book by Giana Darling and it did not disappoint. It sticks to its name with the whole fairytale vibe. Guinevere is a young tourist wanting to explore and step away from her sheltered life. Raffa is Italian mafioso trying to step away from his father shadow. Each have their own hold ups regarding their family which is a part of the reason they seem to understand each other. The slow burn and chemistry had me at the edge of my seat wanting it fast forward but also slow down more. Now that ending had me wanting to throw my phone 🤣 I can't wait for October. Overall a great read.

I don't read a lot of mafia romance but Raffaele and Guinevere's story is delicious. This is a perfect blend of spice and intriguing plot. The romance is a slight slow burn but they keep you on your toes.

What you can expect
❤️ dark mafia romance
❤️ set in Italy
❤️ Age Gap
❤️ Billionaire Italian mafioso
❤️ he falls fast and hard for the American girl

And after that cliffhanger I can't wait for book 2!

Guinevere has planned a trip of her lifetime by spending the summer in Italy to explore and find out more about her family because her father never talks about his homeland. After her car ends up in smoke which leaves her stranded and in the clutches of someone that wants to cause her harm she flees into the arms of Raffaele.

Raff head of the Camorra did not expect to see someone run in front of his car much less an American girl who has been hurt and possessions stolen. He saves her and takes her into his home to heal and slowly but surely his metal heart has turned into a heart that is capable of loving.

🖤 Tuscany setting
🥀 Hidden identity
🖤 Age gap
🥀 Billionaire mafioso
🖤 Bad boy x good girl

Thank you Giana for the arc

Would you like a whirlwind romance with a hot, Italian mafia man who stumbles across the woman of his dreams and falls madly in love? Yeah, me too. Well, that is what you get with Guinevere and Rafa’s romance - hot, steamy, and entirely soo good! Rafa is a bad man, yet becomes a simp for this lovely American woman whom he accidentally hits with his car. This book just got steamier and steamier as it went on, and Rafa and Guinevere just became more insatiable and hard to put down. Giana Darling takes all your touristy romance dreams and brings them to life. Looking forward to more in this series, because it does not end with how I thought it would!
⭐️Alpha hero
⭐️Bad boy x good girl
⭐️Vacation romance
⭐️Cinderella story
Thank you to Giana Darling and Valentine PR for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The tension!! This book is so well written for those who love and longing stare, a gentle caress, the bad boy who only loves and cares about 1 woman. I love this story so much. Raffa and Guinevere are what it looks like to be loved for who you are completely.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!!

i’m sure everyone knows just how much i love giana darling by now. i’ve loved her since her ‘evolution of sin’ days, and i have adored each and every subgenre she’s tackled since. her MC romances take the cake for me, but she really, truly blew me away with her foray into the mafia subgenre. i thought nothing could top elena & dante’s story (and honestly, perhaps nothing will), but this story left me hehe as star-struck as the antiheroes in love duet. finding out that we were getting yet another mafia romance from queen giana made me so happy, but i’ll admit, i was scared to get my hopes up. my worry was all for naught though because this story was just as perfect as i expected it to be!! 😍🖤

guinevere & raffa’s story starts off as innocuous as only a fairytale can be. an innocent girl traipses all the way to tuscany for freedom and adventure, but disaster strikes not even one day into her trip, and she needs rescuing by a veritable prince charming. only, raffaele romano is no storybook hero — he’s nearer a devil than a saint— and before guinevere knows it, she’s caught up in a sonnet-worth romance with no guarantee of a happily ever after.

no one does mafia like giana, and this story drove that point home. raffa was a delectable as every other giana darling hero. he was charismatic, dreamy, and (more than a little) dangerous. guinevere felt like a return to giana’s older works of art; she was a mixture of giselle and lou, and i couldn’t have loved her more. though her naïveté was ultimately her downfall, she was sweet and so endearing, it would’ve been hard not to like her.

there’s something so magical about giana’s love stories. she writes romances that are enduring and unforgettable, no matter how taboo or dark. they’re the kind of romances that make you celebrate love and believe that such a small her complex four-letter word really exists. even though we’re only half-way through, i already know vera & raffa’s story is no exception to that rule. there’s something so lovely about safely witnessing how far — and to what ends — a person will go to in order to prove their love, and raffa is a man obsessed (as he should be!).

maybe i loved this one because it was reminiscent of a few older works i’ve loved for so long. maybe i just loved it because there’s a toxic, messed-up part of me that adores a fictional (emphasis on fictional) man like raffa. maybe i loved it because i’ll always be biased and love giana’s works. either way, i really enjoyed this one. except the cliffhanger. that was rude.

also, i loved all the ann arbor/michigan references! that alone made this book 10x more special bc my hometown is one of my most favorite places on earth 🫶