3.5⭐️ After spending 18 years with her boyfriend Beck, two of those years finally engaged, Beck admits to her that he’s been cheating on her with her best friend. Sawyer then flees to New York where she meets Jake on the subway who has Mafia ties. Her second meeting with him leads her to being kidnapped by him after witnessing an attempted hit on him. Now stuck in this captive situation, Sawyer doesn’t expect to fall in love with him.

I’m a big fan of Tijan, but this one was a bit of a miss for me. It was hard to get into this story. Once it got got going I did enjoy it and the dynamic between Sawyer and Jake, but it took awhile for me to get there. I also didn’t really understand Sawyer. You’re telling me you’ve been with the same dude since college and it took him SIXTEEN years to propose? That’s a bit wild lol. Overall a fun read that I read as a standalone, but it is book 3 in a series.

A captive Situation is a mafia dark romance with forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and lots of suspense.
After Sawyer ends things with her fiance' for cheating on her with her best friend and getting her pregnant, she takes a trip to meet a distant cousin. She bumps into a guy in the subway but her thoughts are on her ex and the situation, she doesn't really pay much attention. But when she's hauled off to the police station later on in the day, that same guy shows up. His name is Jake and he's a former police officer. She ends up accompanying him and his cousin, but ends up getting stuck with him when he's attacked in the street. They find out a hit has been put on them and they need to find out why. At first Sawyer doesn't believe any of it, but she soon realizes how wrong she was. She also realizes, she's feeling things for Jake she never felt with her ex.
I loved the tension and the banter between them. They have such great chemistry together and when they decide to give in to what their hearts and telling them, they are explosive. It's spicy!! Sawyer becomes a completely different person with Jake. And Jake knows in his heart, Sawyer is his and will never be anyone else's. He will burn the world down before he lets someone harm her.
I didnt read any of the other books in the series and this can be read as a standalone. I didn't feel like I was missing anything, but now, I can't wait to see what's next or whose story will take shape next.

Dang Tijan You did it again. It seems every book that I read of yours you end up ripping my heart out at some point during it. But then you put it back together and bring me great joy. Masterful. Loved how action packed this story is. And as usual, your write damaged characters like a genius. Thank you for another wonderful book and an excellent addition to this series.

The long awaited third instalment in the Kings of New York series and A Captive Situation features the morally grey undercover detective Jake Worthing who throughout the earlier two books has been a bit of an ambiguous character leaving readers never been quite sure just how dirty a cop he was, well he’s about to show everyone just what he was capable of after what I suppose could be termed a “New York meet cute” when after a run in with Sawyer on the subway leads to several random run ins with her before he ends up kidnapping her…..for her own safety of course which ultimately leads them on an adventure across the city with a mysterious Kingpin hot on their heels and a contract on their heads.

As with the previous books the hero is torn between two worlds with detective Jake forced to choose between law enforcement and his mafia family and while I liked his character and his story I don’t think this will be my favourite book in the series. For some reason it felt like two different authors were writing it and their flow was off. The opening chapters felt a bit angsty centred around Sawyer and her drama. It seemed to drag, and I’ll admit I was shocked when I discovered her age as she came across as being a lot younger and immature at times. She seemed quite needy with stalkerish tendencies. It also didn’t read true how Jake went from looking at her as an inconvenience to a severe case of instalove especially when he’d already planned his future which sounded like he didn’t care what happened to him, heading on a suicide mission and that was before hitmen started trying to kill him. Things did pick up as the story progressed and the action gained in momentum and, just saying I’m looking forward to Creighton Lane’s story and his obsession which sounds like it will be epic. I did love Sawyer’s family even though they let waste half her life on her cheating fiancé and there was needed levity brought to the story by Sawyer’s nunchuck wielding aunts and the visual Tijan inspired of these senior ladies leaping from the back of a minivan in a crouching ninja style will stay with me for a long time and even now I’m smiling about that particular scene.

This book definitely had a lot of potential but it just didn't hit for me. It felt a little disconnected. It was part of a series but it can read as a stand alone (even though you will be missing some context). Overall ok.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 stars)

Tijan strikes again with A Captive Situation, a gritty, fast-paced romantic suspense that hooks you with heartbreak and drags you into a chaotic whirlwind of danger, sizzling chemistry, and emotional reckoning.

We meet our heroine in the emotional wreckage of what should have been her wedding day—only it’s not her walking down the aisle. Instead, she’s dodging feelings and subway crowds in a brand-new city when she collides—literally and emotionally—with Jake Worthing. He’s grumpy, infuriatingly attractive, and has the subtlety of a freight train. Their first encounter is sharp and awkwardly funny, setting the tone for a dynamic that’s all heat, tension, and reluctant attraction.

But just when you think you’re getting a snarky enemies-to-lovers rom-com, Tijan flips the script—hard. A shooting. A kidnapping. A deeper, more tangled backstory. And suddenly, our heroine is pulled into Jake’s shadowy world, where every move could be life or death, and trust becomes a currency she’s not sure she can afford.

Tijan’s writing crackles with emotional intensity. The heroine’s voice is raw and vulnerable but never weak—she’s layered, scarred, and surprisingly resilient. Jake, for all his stone-faced attitude, hides depths that unravel slowly and satisfyingly. Their relationship is messy, passionate, and often infuriating—but it works. There's also the signature Tijan blend of dark intrigue and slow-burning romance that fans will recognize and devour.

If there’s a critique, it’s that the plot occasionally leans into melodrama, and some turns feel a bit over the top—but in true Tijan fashion, you’ll be flipping pages too fast to care.

Bottom line: A Captive Situation is a chaotic thrill ride of emotion, suspense, and heartache-turned-desire. It’s for readers who love their romance with danger, grumpy-hot protectors, and a heroine who finds her strength in the most unexpected of situations.

Mafia romance
Morally gray MMC
Enemies to lovers
Close proximity
Grumpy/sunshine
Jealous/possessive
Suspense
On the run
Touch her and die


Main characters
Jake
Sawyer

This is a wild ride with plenty of action and amazing characters. After a bad ending to a relationship that spanned close to two decades, Sawyer heads to NY for a change of scenery. She is trying to meet her estranged family and mend fences. She gets so much more. She finds herself on the run and in the middle of a mafia war. We get to see her character grow strong and confident as she goes through her NY adventures.

The story was fast paced and so much fun. The danger and excitement was blended with laughter. Jake was the serious, broody, morally grey ex police officer with mafia ties. His story is tragic. He does what he had to go to survive and keep Sawyer alive. Some of the things he did were not exactly the best but they kept her alive. He is loyal and will burn down the world for her.

Sawyer and the aunt brigade added a lighter side filled with laughter and love. This family could be more dangerous than the actual bad guys.

The epilogue gives us a glimpse of their HEA.

So this book was interesting it started a little slow for me and the ending I dint know if Sawyer was just a little bit crazy or what it seemed a bit extreme but whatever Jake seemed to like her brand of crazy. So we're did these mutual exclusive crazy people first meet well it all began on the subway in New York but let's just say Sawyer was already at a loss before she got dragged into Jake's world of murder and mayham and Sawyer really need a change maybe not the one she expected who new when your ex betrayed you after 18 years and your supposed wedding that she would get the shaft and her ex bestfriend would get the ring so Sawyer decided she needed to meet her cousin and that's how these to crazy lovebirds met one train ride and arrest and some equally crazy family and you get kidnapped and caught in the middle of a mafia war and some love. This book is crazy its allot and some of the twists it took I'm just wondering if it's really over for Sawyer and Jake would I read more about them yes because as over the top as this book was it was fun to read. I was allowed to read and advance copy of this book and this is my honest review

This one had me hooked from the start. Sawyer and Jake’s story was action packed and intense. They had such good banter and instant chemistry. This mafia/forced proximity/hate to love romance was so good. I enjoyed these characters so much. Four stars

I love it when I start the month with a good book! And after this brilliant story, all the other stories in June will have very big shoes to fill 🤭

Jake and Sawyer’s story will take you through a rollercoaster of emotions, doubled by the suspense and action filled tempo, everything makes this book absolutely addictive!

If you read this book you will meet Jake, an ex cop turned Mafia boss, who is equally dangerous, possessive, alpha, burn-the-world-to-protect-his-lunatic, tender and swoon worthy. Then you will have the light of his eyes, Sawyer, that is a feisty and sweet and so strong, a little lunatic that is perfect for the third king of New York.

I loved to discover the crazy warm family of Sawyer, that rallied at her side with a fierceness and determination only true family can do. And getting to see the other characters from the series was an extra bonus. It got me missing them and their stories.

I highly recommend this book and series. If you have to choose one book to read this month, get this one! It is a fantastic read!

FMC Sawyer moves to NYC after discovering that her long time boyfriend has been cheating on her with her best friend. She meets a policeman named Jake with Mafia ties and gets caught up in some trouble when she witnesses someone trying to kill Jake. An opposites attract, Mafia romance with an HEA.

I don’t know if I took too much time between this series or I just wasn’t into this story as much as i was for the other two.

I felt lost for a lot of it in my own mind. Going back and forth on how I felt about the characters vs how the whole story line was flowing. Maybe at a different point I would have liked this more :(

This wasn’t my fav of the group but still a good story overall.

Gritty, Intense, Spicy and Sensational!!

Oh wow!
This was pure entertainment.

Sawyer has gone to NY to connect with a cousin she does not know due to a mysterious family rift. But it could also be that she is distancing herself from her ex-fiance, and ex-boss who has impregnated the woman he is cheating with (Sawyers ex-best friend) Yes, that’s a lot!

Jake is from a mafia family, but a NYC cop - or was. He is picking up his cousin from the station, who needs to go to rehab, when he sees Sawyer who was pulled in for lurking around her cousin's office. THey end up traveling together and a target on Jake is suddenly also on Sawyer. He takes her, for her own protection.

Both these characters have a complex and interesting back story and are incendiary together. Many levels to this story making the reader's journey compelling, exhilarating, and hilarious. Fully satisfying.

*Mafia
*Bad Boy/Good Girl
*Enemies to Lovers
*Anti-hero
*Bodyguard
*Opposites Attract
*Touch Her and Die

Tijan’s “Kings of New York” series is my first time diving into mafia romance, and I’m all in for it. “A Captive Situation” is the third book, but it works really well as a standalone—Tijan does a great job summarizing what you missed from the previous books.

Jake is a former cop now stepping into what seems to be his rightful place as the head of his family’s “business”.

But that decision turns his life upside down when he unexpectedly brings Sawyer into the mix by “having to” kidnap her more than once. Sawyer’s a gal from out of town with a bucket list of New York City adventures—she’s looking to shake things up and start fresh after her long-term boyfriend cheats on her with her best friend.

It’s a fast-paced story packed with action, new side characters—some of whom are quite hilarious—and plenty of hot, close moments between Sawyer and Jake. They’re opposites who really attract, and their differences only make you root for them more. Their proximity sparks the sexual tension you crave, even amid the serious mafia drama.

If you know me, you know I also love the bromance among these mafia guys—how they hate each other, depend on each other, and then go right back to hating each other again. I loved seeing Tracy and Ashton again; they’re a hoot!

Good read. I enjoyed this book, it is part of the Kings of New York series. This is Jake and Sawyer's story. While this book is considered a standalone, I think a reader would benefit from reading the previous books. I recommend the book even as a standalone. It has an HEA. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

A Captive Situation is a standalone in a series, that being said I haven't read the others and felt like Ai was missing out on some character backstories but I was able to follow along just fine.
It was a little slow to start, but once it did, it was absolute fire.
Loved the insta-lust, and Swayers inner monolog brilliant! Jake is absolutely delicious. A fun read!

Thank you to the Author and the PR company that gave us readers and whomever the opportunity to read this 3rd book of this series.

Jake Worthing a dirty cop and in the mafia mmets Sawyer in the train station and lets just say the attraction sparks of course. But holy moly do the situation for the two turn up. Sawyer is caught in the middle and now they are both collateral damages. They are now being hunted by the Mafia. Can they fair the streets of New York? This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed reading this bad boy and highly recommend reading this book and this sereis.

This was an entertaining read!

Little angst, little action and suspense, a lot of steam... it was a great combination that made for a fun read.

I enjoyed the storyline and writing and would definitely recommend this read to others.

A spec-freakin-tacular must read! This is smart, sexy, there are bullets flying, intrigue, a really hot dirty cop/mafia king, a surprising number of kidnappings, a woman who came to New York looking for a cousin and a little time to regroup and leaves with confidence, sass, and a piece of her heart left back in a crummy warehouse, and a family that is all about fierce protectiveness, that’s loud, brash and throws a romcom vibe straight into a truly fantastic mafia read and god damn does it work. It just feels fresh and fun as it’s making your thighs clench, your morally grey loving heart pound with satisfaction, and your insides straight up liquify at how far Jake is willing to go for Sawyer, and it absolutely should not be missed!
I can’t even describe how much I loved this read. It has it all, it’s all incredibly well done, and it just hits in every category; charm, humor, spice, danger, great characters, found family, blood family, mine, it’s all right here in a book with a plot that sucks you in, tugs a few heart strings, throws a few did not see that coming twits your way, and some really great character growth. Sawyer and Jake will both surprise you as you make your way through the story, just being way more than what you first expect, finding pieces of themselves and new facets that take them from the girl Jake needs to protect to the one who he’ll always protect because he loves her but has a few tricks up her sleeve, and gives Jake a clarity in his life that he needed more than he knew, I love them together. But the seesaw between brutal mafia read and invasion of the overbearing aunts, pure brilliance, it sounds like it shouldn’t work but it more than works, and it gives this book a unique feeling when you’re reading that makes you love it even more. Can’t recommend this one enough

This book was pretty ok. A mafia, forced proximity, chaos and danger throughout this book.Sawyer is fresh out of a break up with her cheating fiancé who got her best friend pregnant. She meets jack while on her way to meet her cousin and things take off from there. It’s a fast paced book I love their chemistry together.