I really wanted to like this, but in the end I ended up not. It started to get really reputative with the mention of Paris' past and her wanting revenge for what happened and I just felt like characters were created just to die and they weren't really necessary for the story in my opinion. This just ended up not being the story for me which makes me sad.

I enjoyed the first 50% or so of this book and felt like it had some good tension. But oh boy then the melodrama started going off the charts and everything devolved into chapter after chapter of pointing knives at each other's throats. That could very well be standard for the mafia genre, but my experience with it is pretty limited to what Katee Robert gets up to. I'll be super honest this somehow felt weaker than Katee Robert books as far as character development goes. I find that Robert's characters generally have simplistic motivations that result in logical decisions, where as the characters here had alright motivations but I felt like I wasn't following their choices. I just needed more development character wise to make all of the carnage at the end feel impactful. I also will say I was quite disappointed at how unhorny this book was. This is labeled as a dark romance on goodreads and that has certain genre expectations that weren't met by the single sex scene like 80% into the book.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dark Mafia Romance meshes with Greek Retelling in this modern reimagining of Helen of Troy. Where Helen is the daughter of a crime lord and Paris is the woman who wants to destroy her, that’s if they don’t fall for each other first. As they grow closer, the fragile balance of power in their world of crime begins to disintegrate - if Helen abandons the marriage (or more so alliance) her father has arranged then it could mean war. Will Helen and Paris let chaos reign around them?

Mafia meets mythology in this fast paced dark romance. Sapphic, with plenty of spice and lots of tension. Overall an enjoyable read, but check the trigger warnings!

ARC copy provided by Montlake & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Tender, heartfelt, and beautifully written. We Are the Match is a moving story about love, second chances, and the courage it takes to open your heart again. Mary E. Roach crafts characters you can’t help but root for—an emotional, feel-good read.

This is one of my favourite retellings of Helen of Troy (and it is sapphic).

The characters are likeable and the tension of the plot makes it very addictive.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We Are the Match
Author: Mary E. Roach

Paris has one ultimate goal as a fixer in the Grecian Islands mafia crime world where she lives, and that is to destroy the crime lord who took everything from her. And when an opportunity presents itself in the form of the crime lord’s daughter, Helen, Paris takes it.
Meanwhile, Helen sees Paris as her chance to escape the crime world and an arranged marriage that she wants no part of.

Through danger, pain, loss, heartbreak, and deceit Paris and Helen have to battle not only their circumstances but their beliefs about the world they live in, their loyalties, and their feelings for each other.

-LGBTQ romance
-mafia crime world
-Greek vibes
-secrets and deceit
-heartbreak and loss
-revenge
-battle of wills
-mystery
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I found the writing style in the book to be one I am not a fan of and I did not feel connected to any of the characters, but overall it was a decent book. The plot was pretty good and it was executed well. I just simply didn't connect with it. I feel like it is a style preference for this book on whether people love it or just like it.

eARC Review: I honestly liked this book more than I thought I would. I was very intrigued by the premise - a sapphic mafia retelling of Helen of Troy - although it's not what I typically read (fantasy romance). I read most of the book in 2 separate sittings over 2 days, it was a very quick and exciting read. I liked Paris as a character but I really wasn't a huge fan of Helen. I thought their romance was written really well. My biggest issue with the book is that I wish there was more. The ending seemed a little abrupt and rushed. I feel like it could have been drawn out more or even extended into another book. I saw some reviews critiquing the mafia elements of the book but I haven't read any other mafia books so I had nothing to compare it to. If you're a fan of queer fiction in general I think you would like this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for a copy of the book!

This was beautifully written. I’ve never been one to study Helen of Troy but in this retelling I feel not only in love with her but also in love with Paris. An imaginative enemies to lovers that had my heart swooning and rooting. The violence and revenge that comes from deep within, would you give it all up for love?

*I received a free ARC from NetGalley*

ARC Review
3.75/5 ⭐️

I am always a fan of Greek Mythology retellings and I enjoyed this one. This book being set in the modern world added a bit of a contemporary setting which made it an interesting read. This book had a great forbidden love element and the plot overall was interesting.

The pace of this book was a bit off some parts moved so fast and others fell flat. There was not a lot of backstory and you had to piece some of it together through the book.

This sapphic modern-day reimagining of Helen of Troy was such a wild, glittery ride through the dark, dangerous world of Greek crime lords. Helen is the mob princess, Paris is out for revenge and sparks definitely fly. The tension, the power plays, the forbidden romance… it all builds into a slow-burn, high-stakes drama that had me hooked.

Uma leitura interessante com um tema instigante, embora eu tenha sentido que algumas partes poderiam ter sido mais desenvolvidas. A escrita da autora é envolvente, mas em certos momentos me desconectei da narrativa. Ainda assim, vale a pena para quem busca algo fora do comum.

Mary E. Roach has written quite the spin on the Helen of Troy myth. A crime family twist does not render this tale any less appealing than the original myths. If anything her interpretation makes the pain more relatable. I quite enjoyed this read.

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

The concept: Perfect, absolutely drew me in.

The execution: Not living up to the hype.

What a premise! This was an action packed read that hooked me quickly. We have dual POV switching between chapters of our mains: Helen and Paris. Paris very obviously exudes danger and this draws Helen in like a moth to flame. But our dear Helen is dangerous in her own right just beneath the surface. Hers is the subtle danger of political power and when that fails? Bombs, baby. These two + Helen's bodyguard, Tommy were the highlight of this story. I enjoyed their interactions and wanted things to work out for all three of them. The hope for this is what kept me reading through to the end.

We Are the Match is written in this understated way that I found appealing, but did lead to some confusion later. A example is at one point a character is eavesdropping on a meeting and from the vague description I couldn't tell if they were watching from a vent in the ceiling or from beneath the floorboards. Ultimately, it doesn't matter which, but there were a lot of scenes like this that could have been avoided with a little more description. I get what the author was going for and maybe others did not have this issue.

I was very interested in this world the author built her story around. We get little details here and there as the plot requires, but I never felt I got a good sense of just what was going on. How did these "gods" or "queens" come into power? Is Helen's dad the only guy in power? Why? What do the queens actually have power over? The characters aside from our main two (+Tommy) were painted in vague strokes and moved through a cloudy, unrealized world. I mixed up the "queens" constantly and even the two brothers Marcus and Milo tripped me up sometimes, for all that one was a violent hothead, we didn't really see that. The M names and them not being on screen together most of the time would make me second guess who was who. I think adding a little paragraph about the world this story takes place is as a sort of prologue could help towards this and provide some crunchy details for those of us that love worldbuilding.

Things really picked up in the last quarter of the book. The stakes were high and even though I didn't understand the world stakes, I was very invested in the personal ones of our leads. This story didn't shy away from the violence that formed these characters and that they inflict in turn. We know they're not good people, but we're rooting for them anyway.

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Mary E. Roach paints a thrilling tale of love, war, and revenge. Both Paris and Helen are beautifully written, well-rounded characters and the changing POV lends to an even more gripping romance. This book will sweep you off of your feet!

We Are the Match is a bold and modern-day retelling of the myth of Helen of Troy, full of passion, tension, and fierce devotion. While you don’t need to know the story of Helen and Paris before diving in, having a general understanding of the myth definitely adds some helpful context, especially as the story hits the ground running.

The pacing at the start felt a bit uneven: it’s fast in terms of action, but slow in terms of connection. You’re dropped straight into the story with little background on the characters, which can make it tricky to find your footing early on. I have a hard time fully investing myself into a story without first understanding who the characters are, why they are important, and what their context is to the story as well as what their relationship is to other characters, but once you settle in and get your bearings, the payoff is worth it.

The heart of the story is undoubtedly the relationship between Helen and Paris - and for Paris, this fine line between lust/love and pure hatred and need for revenge. Their chemistry is electric. Even though there are only a couple of intimate scenes, the love and longing between them radiates from the pages. The author strikes a beautiful balance between their individual journeys and their shared story, weaving them together in a way that feels both natural and emotionally gripping.

What makes We Are the Match so engaging is the emotional intensity—not just in the romance, but in the dynamics between all the characters. You grow to fiercely love the ones worth rooting for, and just as fiercely despise those working against them. There's also no shortage of political maneuvering, action, and layered plotlines that keep things moving with plenty of depth. There is not a point in this book that it feels slow or gratuitous.

Overall, this was an immersive and compelling read. Whether you’re a mythology fan or just love a good story full of love, betrayal, and passion, We Are the Match is a book I’d definitely recommend.

Sexy captivating different than any of my other read I loved it this really kicked ass for me such a great read love how the story came together

Love. Vengeance. Power. And the fire that consumes when all three collide.

Paris has spent her life waiting for the right moment to strike. A fixer in the sun-drenched shadows of the Grecian islands, she knows how to navigate mob families, how to stay invisible—until Zarek, the man who destroyed her childhood, pulls her into his orbit. The job is simple: investigate a bombing. The truth? She’s here to burn everything he built.

And that starts with Helen—Zarek’s daughter. A woman trapped inside a life of opulence and expectation, promised to a man she doesn’t love, tied to a name she never chose. Helen sees Paris as her escape route. Paris sees Helen as her weapon.

But in a world where loyalty is bought, bloodlines are binding, and love is as dangerous as any bullet, nothing stays clean for long. What begins as manipulation spirals into something volatile and real. A connection too intense to ignore. A fire that neither woman expected to feel.

When murder forces them into hiding, the question is no longer if they’ll survive—but how far they’re willing to go for each other. If war is what Zarek wants, Paris and Helen are ready to set the world alight.

A sapphic reimagining of Helen of Troy, set in a brutal, glittering underworld where love is a risk—and revenge is a promise.

I was hoping for just a little bit more world development on this one! The pacing felt a little strange as well. It took me a little too long to get invested with the first part of the book and really understand what was happening and the last part felt rushed or incomplete. The middle portion read the best and is where I cared the most.

This is a sapphic retelling of the Trojan War, focused on the story of Helen and Paris. Rather than a fantastical, olden days Greece, it's set in a modern world with a mafia-like monarchy. Paris is a badass woman whose home on Troy has been destroyed by Helen's father, Zarek. She starts off set on revenge, until she actually meets Helen and they feel a spark.

The story is dual POV, pretty evenly split between Paris and Helen. This works well, because Helen and Paris are from very different worlds with very different stories and perspectives, and it's nice to see both sides. They both have backstories that make them understandable, their actions easier to empathise with. And they are incredibly active—rather than a war kicking off because of them, they are the key instigators, planting their own bombs. Likewise, they are willing and equal participants in the relationship that develops between them. Despite Helen's perceived higher standing and the lies and secrets they both keep, they both continuously seek each other out and their attraction is mutual from the beginning.

The relationship does feel heavily focused on this attraction, and a sense of possession, rather than much real emotional connection, which was the primary let down for me. Another slight issue I had was working out or believing the setting. It's explicitly modern, with the characters wearing jeans and using mobile phones, wielding guns and prepping passports to flee from an airport. But there's also the mythic feeling, with gowns and mansions and servants, kings and queens and fleets of ships, and the language and narration which feels like it's working hard to be poetic or legendary. It could work, but it feels a little disconnected, and I just wish it had been more committed and focused one way or another.

I'd recommend for anyone who enjoys a good action-based retelling or sexy sapphic vibes. If nothing else, this story has a lot of badass women, and a satisfying enough ending.