I am feeling all the emotions right now. What a man...what a book. Raffaele and Guinevere rocked my world in the best way. She's away on a staycation in Italy. She's always been drawn to the country and plans to soak up as much of it as she can. On one of her first days in the country, her car breaks down and she's almost assaulted. By chance, she runs into Raffaele as she's escaping, and gets swept up into his world.

The way this man's fierce protective mode kicks into gear is beautiful. He's a big bad Mafia man who has never had to answer to anyone, and yet he finds himself hooked on Guinevere. The delicious dance these two do with one another as they learn about each other is intoxicating.

I'm a sucker for bad men falling in love. I love seeing them knocked down to their knees and giving in. I loved how Guinevere made him laugh, when he called her "my girl", and how giving they both were with one another. Raffaele was equal parts tender and rough, helping Guinevere experience so many sexy, exhilarating firsts with him. Likewise, she helped him experience his own kind of firsts.

As easy as their connection and chemistry was, these two come from two very different worlds. As Guinevere discovers more and more about the type of man Raffaele is, she finds herself doubting her feelings for the man she's grown attached to. This book is book 1 of a duet, so expect an amazing cliffhanger to amp you up for book 2.

How do I describe this book? For me this book is your ultimate Italian dream love story. This book and bodies all of those romcom woman on a foreign vacation feels but make it more realistic and not just like a movie. In this story, we follow Guinevere as she decides to finally follow her life‘s dream of taking a trip to Italy. Is there that she meets Raffa who is an Italian mafia Capo that accidentally hits Guinevere with his car.😂 I loved how Guinevere was able to open her horizons and was just genuinely kind and light hearted. Then you have Raffa who is so tormented by his lifestyle and the choices he has had to make. I’n definitely excited for the next installment in their story.

Giana is my mafia queen! What a correctly titled book because this was a true mafia fairytale. I loved the Italian setting and this was the perfect mix of spicy and fun with Giana's gorgeous writing. The cliffhanger was wild but I loved the ending. Bring on book 2! Amazing audiobook as well, super well done.

My first time reading anything by Giana Darling & I totally fell in love!

I really enjoyed how My Dark Fairy Tale really felt like a modern, mafia inspired Hades & Persephone fairytale. The setting was perfect (Italy!), a billionaire mafioso and an innocent maiden spun quite the tale. The chemistry between Raffa and Guinevere was instant. I knew I was going to love these two. I liked that Raffa helped here in the beginning even though that was super out of character for him. I liked that this was also an opposites attract love story. The steamy scenes were so good too, especially the wine tasting one! I mean holy moly!

So much happens plot-wise. I was never bored.

Narrators CJ Bloom and Dane Anderson really knocked this one out of the park. I loved their voices together. Captured the characters and vibes of the story perfectly.

The only thing I'm sad about is that this is a duet and I have to wait for the other half (I did not know this originally going into this book). That cliffhanger is going to drive me nuts haha!

Highly recommend especially if you love mafia romances and fairytale retellings.

🎧 Audio Review
⭐️ 4.5
🌶️ 2.5

This was actually my first book from this author and I’m definitely going to be reading more from them!
Right off the bat, this book will end in a cliff hanger!
Guinevere is an American girl, with Italian roots. Her mother and father came to America before she was even born. For some reason Guinevere’s father wanted to erase all ties with Italy and never speak of it. Naturally Guinevere wanted to know everything about where her father came from. She saved enough money and when she was done with college, she left for a summer in Italy.
The narrators were amazing! This book has so many twists and turns. I have so many questions and theories! Hopefully in book 2 everything will come together lol

My mafia romance loving heart ate this up! The story is set in Tuscany and the way I wanted to jump into this book!!! Guinevere is on a solo trip to Italy where she has a run in (or run over 🤣) with Raffa. Raffa is dreamy & poetic & everything else you love about a mafia book boyfriend. I truly admired despite everything that happened to Guinevere before her trip she is brave and a spitfire. I loved her growth in this book. I knew going into this that it was going to end on a cliffhanger but DANG I was not ready! I cannot wait to see what happens next. Is it October yet!?!  😍

Giana has done it yet again her writing just sucks you in leaving you completely spellbound this book had me in it clutches leaving me completely breathless the setting the story the plot was captivating it kept me intrigued leaving me aching for more and more.

Giana just has a way with words she has a way of showing you the beauty in everything but that ending was brutal just wow wow my heart went from pounding furiously to flatlining.

This book will consume your body and soul keeping you entranced with every turn of the page it was filled with raw-tension and passion and emotion.

“4.5 stars!”
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS ENDED ON A CLIFFHANGER!!

I don't know how I've been so out of it but damn I was not ready for it to end like that. I'm going to need the next one ASAP.

I absolutely loved this mafia romance. Guinevere is an American who has always felt drawn to Italy despite her father's dislike of his homeland. While on a vacation there, she meets Raffa. The romance in this one was a slow burn, and I really liked the pacing. The waiting was agonizing in the best way. I loved the balance between the darker mafia side and the sweet woman on vacation learning about herself and exploring a place she loves. I love Italy and could feel Giana's love for it through her writing. This book really did feel like a fairytale with a dark side.

The audiobook was amazing! Raffa's Italian accent 🥵 Highly recommend.

4.5/5 stars

Oh my goodness this book was swoony as all heck!!!

I am utterly obsessed with Raffa!! Truly a “touch her and you die” mmc and I am HERE for it 🗣️🗣️ He was instantly entranced with Guinevere & wanted to protect her at all costs.

Guinevere definitely has a lot of fire to her that she is just starting to explore due to her sheltered upbringing. I also feel loved the mystery element Giana added by having us not know Guinevere’s family background in Italy 👀 I think that’s going to come into play as we get deeper into the mafia lore which I’m super excited for!!

It really felt like I was transported to Italy through the writing as well as the narration by Dane Anderson & CJ Bloom; I mean those accents were to die for!!!

As always with Giana’s books I’m left in complete shock (complimentary) & longing for the next book in the series 😭 I will be early waiting for Raffa and his little cerbiatta to return 🤭

This is for you if you love
❤️ Mafia Romance
💫 Alpha mmc
🔪 Age-Gap
🍷 He has an accent
🦌 Romantic suspense
🇮🇹 ‘teach me’ moments

Thank you to Giana for my alc as a member of her content team 🫶🏻

My dark fairytale set in Florence and it is everything I could want in a mafia romance!

This book gave my Italy loving heart everything—the setting was so vivid, I swear I could smell the espresso, taste the wine, and hear the cobblestone streets under my feet. Between the vineyards, historic monuments, and all the rich art and culture woven into the story, I felt fully transported. Add in a broody, protective mafia boss and I was DONE FOR! The balance of mafia danger, sexy romance and found family was per perfection!

The audio was fantastic and I loved being able to hear all of the Italian!

Giana’s writing is so poetic & beautiful! It had me annoting more than I have in a while.

If you like dark & spicy mafia romance and Italian culture this is definitely the book for you! Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️.75

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.

Book: My Dark Fairy Tale
Author: Giana Darling
Overall Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐stars
Narrators Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars

"It was such a strange sensation, to be so in love and so heartbroken simultaneously. To experience the fiercest joy alongside the deepest pit of despair.”

OK, so, uh, to say that this book completely blew me away would be an understatement. I absolutely loved the relationship between Raffaele and Guinevere. What I liked most about them was the fact that, even though they didn’t really know anything about each other at the beginning of the story, their connection felt so intense.
The way the Giana built this story and made us fall in love with both characters was incredible. Their desires, needs, and wants were so strong that it was practically impossible for them to resist each other. I also really liked the overall story, especially how Guinevere’s health condition was not an impediment for her to seek adventure, find herself, and do what she wanted—even when it was against her parents' wishes. She was so full of life and eager to experience the world. Even though she was portrayed as naive and innocent at first, by the end of the book, it was clear that she had grown stronger. She learned to stand up for herself, and even though she was hurting because of what happened, I still appreciated those qualities in her character.
As for Raffa? I loved the fact that, even when he didn’t want to fall in love with Guinevere, he had no way to escape it. He was just immediately drawn to her, and as their relationship progressed, he realized he had no defenses against her. She reminded him of what he wanted to be—what future he wanted, though we don’t yet know exactly what that is. Through his point of view, we saw that she brought life back into his world and reminded him that he could be good, that there was goodness inside him. And he showed her that every single time.
Yes, the book does end on a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to read the second part of their story in October. But until then, I’m very pleased with how the story was written and how the characters were developed. The secondary characters were also great, and I’m very interested in getting to know them more in the second book of this duology. I loved the story itself, and even though I have to wait six more months, I’ll be counting down the days! I truly hope that when the book is released in a couple of weeks, many more readers will be able to enjoy it as much as I did.
As always, this is just my opinion of the book. Yours may differ, and that’s okay. Be kind.

Giana!!! I had the opportunity to listen to this audio book and it did not disappoint. Giana is a go to author for me every since I read The Fallen Men Series!

Vera is American and has always had dreams of visiting Italy (her dad never wants her to go there) and saves for years to be able to go! When she gets to Italy she has a run of bad luck!

Raffa is the mafia boss who everyone is afraid of. This was not the life he envisioned for himself but his first priority is to keep his family safe.

Raffa literally runs into Vera😊 and takes her to his home to care for her. Vera and Raffa had such good chemistry and both characters grew so much individuality and together. Raffa is keeping secrets though! Will the secret he is keeping tear them apart? you will have to read to find out!

What was that ending!!!! It definitely ends on a cliffhanger and I can't wait for the next book to cone out!

Thank you to Giana Darling and Valentine PR for providing me an early copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Hi. Hello there. Just coming back after being completely absorbed by this book, and I was completely unprepared for it to end in a cliffhanger! 😩

Guinevere’s dream trip to Italy starts off in the worst way, until she is rescued by a hot, super rich, mysterious Italian man, Raffa, and suddenly all her plans are thrown out the window.

Raffa! I loved him. A dangerous man, living a violent life. In walks Guinevere and lights up his world. 🥰 The way he cares for Guinevere was absolutely beautiful. He had me swooning throughout.

I loved Guinevere’s journey of exploration, as she gets to know Italy, Raffa, and herself. I also really loved the setting of Tuscany/Florence; Giana had me feeling like I was really there.

The chemistry between these two was absolutely scorching…and the spice…hoo 🥵.

I cannot wait to continue on with this series, as I can’t get enough of these two! 🔥

Audiobook notes: First of all CJ Bloom has quickly climbed the ranks as one of my favorite female narrators. Her voice is so soothing to me, while also being able to portray so much emotion. Now, I am by no means an expert in Italian, but Dane Anderson’s Italian/Italian accent sounded fabulous to me. His voice definitely added to Raffa’s swooniness.

What this book is giving:
✅ Mafia Romance
✅ Dual POV
✅ Age Gap (He’s 34, She’s 23)
✅ Mafia Boss
✅ Sick Bed
✅ Italian Lessons (😘)
✅ …Other lessons
✅ Bit of a cliffy

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️½ / 5

The combination of Giana Darling's beautiful storytelling and the perfection of the narrators brought this book to LIFE! I was completely consumed from beginning to end, and it was oh so easy to escape to the beautiful world of Florence, Italy, and let myself be entranced by Raffa just as Guinevere was.

I always find myself grinning, gasping, and swooning over Giana's writing, and this book was no different. The contrast between Raffa's dark side and Guinevere's light and naivety, not to mention their age-gap, made this story addictive and delicious. I couldn't get enough. Raffa's protective and possessive side, and Guinevere's desire to experience everything she could made their chemistry and connection both swoon-worthy and HOT.

I'll be anxiously awaiting book two of this duet as this one does end with a cliffhanger and suspense. If you like age-gap, dark mafia romance, than this one is for you! Well done once again G Darling!

Oh what a cliffhanger. I was literally driving down the road yelling at my phone for not finishing the story. I don’t think we can say this is a slow burn but there is a steady build up of 🔥 instead up jumping straight into the horizontal tango. I really liked how the MMC is morally gray but that’s not all he is. He wanted to be her hero, her knight in shin I armor, but at the same time he is self aware enough to see he likes his darkness as well. As for the heroine I am really excited to see how she handles her family drama and all she learned before that horrible cliffhanger. 😉. Highly recommend.

My Dark Fairy Tale - Giana Darling
⭐⭐⭐½ | 🔥🔥🔥½ Mafia romance with a side of CLIFFHANGER TRAUMA


My heart wasn't quite prepared for "My Dark Fairy Tale." Darling whisks us to Italy where Guinevere's summer of self-discovery collides with Raffaele's dangerous world. Their chemistry is undeniable—the slow-burn romance unfolds beautifully against the backdrop of sun-drenched Tuscan landscapes.

I found myself torn between swooning over Raffaele's protective nature and holding my breath with each revelation about his mafia ties. Guinevere's journey from naivety to strength resonated deeply with me—her struggle between family obligation and personal desire felt achingly real.

The vibes we're tracking:
🇮🇹 Italian dreamscape realness
🔪 Mafia daddy energy (sorry not sorry)
🌹 Fairytale romance with thorns
📚 Self-discovery but make it SPICY

The audiobook experience gave me mixed feelings; while the narration was generally strong, the MMC's Italian accent didn't quite capture the authenticity I craved. That ending, though! I'm still reeling, my fingers already itching to grab book two.

A captivating, spicy escape that left me both satisfied and desperately wanting more.

Dark mafia romance set in Italy. Guinevere is an American on a summer vacation in Italy. She is hit by Raffa's car, and he takes her home to recover from her injuries. They spend time together and eventually give in to the attraction. She is his light, and he is her Italian dream man.

This is a slow burn that ends in a cliffhanger 😭

Narrated by the amazing CJ Bloom and new-to-me Dane Anderson. They did great, especially with the lines in Italian.

4 ⭐ 3 🌶️ 4 🎧

My Dark Fairy Tale was the perfect Italian escape, especially if you love mafia romance. This story was full of your typical mafia themes like virgin FMC, FMC has no clue how dark he is and an over the top MMC with some absolutely filthy spice.

Guinevere was an interesting mix of smart and naive. I definitely wanted to slap my forehead a few times when she just let Rafa's dirty dealings go right over her head... But overall I really enjoyed her and I loved her for Rafa.

The little cliffy has me itching for the next book to see how this series continues.

The audio was great. CJ Bloom is a favorite of mine and Dane Anderson was absolutely fantastic as Rafa. This was a really great listen.

Giana Darling writing more Mafia romance?!? And set in Italy?? Sold. This had the classic beautiful writing we love from Giana, and Raffa and Guinevere were seriously so hot together. I had a great time with this one!!

The way these two met!! Actually hilarious and one of the best meet cutes I have read lol. I loved how immediately protective Raffa was of her but also how she was sassy right back to him. And the protectiveness never stopped, but he also tried to give her some space and autonomy, (for a while at least lol) and I thought that was nice to see! And the little things he did related to her chronic illness! So sweet.

This was a bit more slow burn, but I thought the pacing was good given that this is a duet and the buildup was hot on it's own. Like that winery scene?!? So good. These two had amazing chemistry and I really loved them together. All the Italian had me swooning and listening to Raffa's Italian accent on audio?! Perfection.

I will say that I expected a bit more mafia, but I think with the buildup and where Guinevere was at in her knowledge of everything, it did make sense and I think we will get more in book 2. I honestly think I will enjoy book 2 even more given my past history with Giana's books! Also the ending cliffhanger wasn't my favorite and seemed a bit out of character for one of them, but I am still so excited to see where the duet goes. I have some theories for sure.

Can't wait for more in October!! All my Giana Darling fans are going to love this.

Thank you so so much Giana and team for the advanced copies! <3