The book follows Maddelena, who is the eldest daughter of the Mancinellis crime family. She is a boss ass bitch and I always love a powerful FMC in the typical "mens field." Cesare Salvatore, the eldest son of a different mafia family. The two grew up together at the same school, and their families have always been rivals. Cesare is balancing between being a leader of his family's crime organization and being an F1 driver. The chemistry between these two is HOT and HEAVY. The way they are both attracted to each other but also HATE each other made the tension so good. I was very surprised by the integration of F1 in a mafia romance, but it actually is such a great idea because how else would the mafia in today's world be able to account for all their money without it being suspicious? I found this to be a very quick, fun, spicy read, and it was a nice palate cleanser for me.

Read if you like:
-Dual POV
-Enemies to Lovers
-Mafia family rivals
-Forbidden Love (mafia Romeo and Juliet)
-F1 Racing

Thank you, Boldwood Books, for reaching out and sending me this ARC.

Mafia ✨and✨ F1?! I wasn’t sure how she was going to do it, but the way the two were intertwined actually made sense. One pushed the other forward right when I began to wonder when it would come back around. Super impressive because I was definitely skeptical 👏

Enemies to lovers, forbidden love, and a family rivalry to boot. Maddelena and Cesare’s chemistry is hot, hot, hot 🔥 from the moment they tangle as teens. Unfortunately, their families have a decades long feud separating them, which situates them as enemies even before birth. Forbidden is an understatement.

As adults, the two are put in each other’s paths on a regular basis, being part of the F1 world. Worse yet, some shady things have been happening on the track and now the legitimate side of the business and the underworld are colliding, bringing the two even closer. It’s no surprise when they end up in bed together, but their feelings certainly are.

The writing was so well done. It felt professional and flowed nicely. The spice was abundant and the dirty talk was filthy 🥵 Overall, very reminiscent of some of my favorite authors.

A few things I loved:
* The Sicilian pet names 🤍
* Obsessive, Protective MMC
* “I found forever here” 😭
* Big Italian families
* Sleeping walking confessions 💤

Like most mafia families, both sides have siblings galore, so I can’t wait to see who’s next. Rafa, Fist, and Sofiya have me very intrigued 👀

The Basics:
Mafia Don/F1 Driver 🏎️//Consigliere 💵
1st Person Dual POV
Book #1 in the “Mafia Wars” series, but can be read as a standalone
HEA 🖤
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5


Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 🤍

This has everything you need in a mafia romance. It was'nt perfect but definitely entertaining with Romeo and Juliette vibes - And the spice was delicious!

I really wanted to like this book. I'm a huge fan of mafia romance but this one just didn't hit for me. I tried starting this book several times and couldn't get past the 100 page mark anytime. I think that o struggled with the writing the most. It just felt over the top and at the same time it felt like I couldn't keep track of the information. It seemed like this wasn't the first book in a series even though it was listed that way.

ARC Review

-Dual POV
-Enemies to Lovers
-Mafia
-Forbidden Love
-F1 Racing


Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spicy: 🌶️ 🌶️

Casera Salvatore protectiveness towards Maddelena Mancinelli was chefs kiss!

All 3 stars for the panty melting next scenes. Otherwise the romance was lack8ng and it was a typical mafia book, kill, revenge, hot headed folks.

#TheMastermind #NetGalley

Eldest granddaughter of the Mancinelli crime family, Maddelena Mancinelli knows one of the top rules is to stay away from all the Salvatore men. But Casare Salvatore is too delicious and too dangerous to make smart decisions around.
In this world of the Sicilian-American mafia, Casare knows that family comes above all else. And yet he can’t stop thinking about Maddie. Will he risk it all to have her?

***Mafia romance
***Forbidden love
***Dual POV
***F 1 Racing
***🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Casare, the tattooed, muscled, dirty talking, hunk of meat that you are - delicious! I ate this right up. Can’t wait to read the next in the series!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

What I wouldn't give to be this fictional man's wife. Good lord this book was scorching hot and I couldn't get enough. I love a badass, dirty talking, mafia man with an obsession for his woman. The fact that she is off limits only makes this one hotter! Need I say more? If you love mafia romance with a side of F1 racing, this book needs to be on your must read list!

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.