A damsel in distress and her knight and shining armor is an Italian stallion mafia king, yes please!
I had the pleasure of receiving an Advanced Listener Copy of the audiobook for My Dark Fairy Tale by Giana Darling. It's performed in dual narration by CJ Bloom and Dane Anderson.
The story follows Guinevere, an American traveling alone in Italy and Raffaele, an Italian Mafioso. He accidentally hits her with his car and saves her from a man who was trying to attack her. He takes her to his home and helps nurse her back to health and they end up falling for each other! I absolutely ate this up!
The audio performance was very good, which always adds to the experience for me.
Slow burn mafia romance with an age gap.

Mafia Romance
Age Gap
Virgin FMC

Dual Narration - Dane Anderson & CJ Bloom
Spot on Italian accents! Very well narrated.

Guinevere is a recent graduate from college and has always wanted to visit Italy despite her dad warning her to stay away. She decides to take a chance. Right away things go awry.

Raffa is a mafia capo who is grumpy and morally grey. He stumbles upon this beautiful girl Guinevere a damsel in distress. Against his better judgement and completely out of his normal element he helps her.

These two spend time together and begin to develop feelings. Things twist and turn a bit. This kept me interested and I want to know what happens next in their story.

Overall this was a good book. I enjoyed the narration and the storyline.

In "My Dark Fairy Tale," we follow Guinevere as she heads to Italy to explore her roots and meets the intriguing Raffa. Initially innocent and naive, Guinevere undergoes significant personal growth, largely due to the confidence Raffa exudes. He helps her embrace her true self, which she struggles to do within her family's constraints. Raffa, on the other hand, grapples with his identity as both a feared mafioso and a man seeking to be good and worthy of Guinevere’s love.

The chemistry between Guinevere and Raffa is palpable, building slowly yet intensely, with heartfelt moments sprinkled throughout. The book also highlights the beautiful friendships and sense of family that develop, leaving readers craving more stories about side characters like Martina, Renzo, and the intriguing Carmine. By the end, the emotional rollercoaster leaves us with questions and a strong desire for resolution. That Cliffhanger!!!!! I need the next book now please!!

Coming out on April 8th, the book features elements like an age gap, an Italian backdrop, a billionaire/mafia twist, hidden identities, and themes of found family.

Huge thank you to to Giana Darling, ValentinePR & NetGalley for sending me the ALC of this book! The narrators were perfect and those Italian accents were too good! I could not stop listening and finished it in 24 hours.

My Dark Fairy Tale takes a woman visiting Italy for the first time and has her unknowingly crossing paths with a mafia leader for a world wind romance that ends when the truth comes out. And I ate it up! I had the opportunity to read the audiobook and the narration was fantastic and really immerses you into the story. Rafa spends the majority of the book concealing his true identity and how involved in the mafia he was and Guinevere is non the wiser and spends the book soaking in her summer trip to Italy. I loved how detailed Giana Darling was in her descriptions of Italy and the Tuscan countryside. She really makes you feel like you are right there with them and at times I wished I was! And as someone who has Italian family, the Italian in this book was perfect and the narrators nailed the accents and pronunciation every time! And with an ending like that, I am foaming at the mouth for book two!

When I say I want a mafia romance, THIS is what I mean!!! My Dark Fairy Tale is the definition of mafia perfection!!!

Y’all, Giana had me DEVOURING this book—left no crumbs. Book your flight to Italy, because it’s time to find our very own capo, Rafa!!! 🇮🇹✨

And the audiobook?!? LISTEN TO IT. The narrators were so good, I’m ready to learn Italian just to whisper sweet nothings (or threats) like Rafa. GAH!!

This man. UGH. THIS MAN. He’s the dream—age gap, forced proximity, and enough tension to make you spill your red wine (and maybe your sanity). 🍷🔥

I fell HARD for these two, and quite frankly, my dear… I NEED MORE.

(Audio)

I really liked the idea of this book and those first 20% were sooooo good. That opening scene. Absolutely loved it. But I felt like the plot fell flat in the middle of the book. Then it was back to being good at the end. I also wish the book wasn’t such a slow burn. Can’t wait to read book 2 so I can get more plot and smut

3.5⭐️
2🌶️
4.5🎧