4.5 ⭐️
I read this book in two days. It kept me up until 3 am and I couldn't put it down
I loved Cal from the very first page and I knew he would be my new favourite character. He was kind and caring, but also possessive. He believed in her and gave her a choice.
Loren was a string FMC. She didn't need protection, but support. I loved how independent she was and how protective over the people she loved.
I loved the side characters so much.
Cohen was so funny and the banter between him and Loren was the best.
I loved Jude and Jenna and how kind and supportive they were.
This book was a good start to the series and I can't wait to read Alice's story.
Thank you Netgalley and the author for giving me a chance to read this beautiful story.

This was so good!! It’s a second-chance, marriage-of-convenience, mafia romance with just the right amount of drama, angst, and spice! Loren and Callahan used to be in love as teens but were torn apart by their feuding families. Now, years later, Loren’s brother goes missing and she turns to the one person she hoped she’d never need again. Callahan Keane, the leader of the rival mafia family! He agrees to help her, but only if she becomes his wife!
Loren is such a bold and determined character, I loved her from the start! She doesn’t wait around to be saved and knows how to fight for what (and who) she loves! Cal is totally unhinged in the best way! This man has been pining for over a decade and I was living for it! He remembers everything about her, from her favorite drink to the side of the bed she used to sleep on. He’s not just protective, he’s completely obsessed in the most romantic, head-over-heels way possible!
Their chemistry is off the charts, whether they’re arguing, sneaking glances, or pretending not to care, you can feel the tension building! This book is a wild ride from start to finish! If you love angsty romances, an obsessed MMC, and fierce FMC, you need to read this one!

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐫𝐞:
💍 Second chance romance
💍 Forced proximity
💍 Old betrayals
💍 Groveling
💍 Reformed playboy
💍 Romeo & Juliet vibes

Think Romeo and Juliet, but set it in a world of rival mafia families, and give them a second chance as adults, plus a dash of suspense.

Loren (Ren) and Callahan (Cal) had a secret relationship as teens, but things didn't work out. Now, Loren is desperate to find her brother Mason, and that has her turning back to Cal for help, despite loathing him. Faced with her teenage love in a marriage of convenience and the backdrop of both the attempts to find Mason and some nefarious actions happening against the Keane mafia empire Cal leads, all serve as tension-building background for the reuniting of Loren and Cal.

I personally always love when we have a badass FMC like Loren, and honestly, it was a bonus that she was a little morally grey too! She was a perfect complement to Cal and didn't let his stubborn, overbearingness tamp her down. And Cal: the badass man who is incredibly down bad for Loren. Witnessing them coming back together and finidng their happiness was so enjoyable and the suspenseful elements kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Even if mafia isn’t typically your thing but you’re a romantic suspense fan, I highly recommend picking this book up!

I LOVE marriage of convenience so much, I did walk to read this book but ran. Loren and Callahan were something for sure. Loved the ”my wife” moments and the whole forced proximity. The dark romance setting was something clear and realistic to understand. I just fell in love with Callahan broody's behaviour. Loren's love for her brother is unconditional and so authentic. This book is just a must, and you should read it if you're into ”my wife”, marriage of convenience, and forced proximity.

Through Any Fire by Katherine Carter is a breathtaking, five-star read that beautifully blends emotional depth with relentless suspense. Carter’s writing is lyrical yet raw, pulling readers into a powerful story of love, resilience, and redemption.

Denial is a river in Egypt!! You’re still in love with your ex 🤭

Favorite quote: “I’ll spend the rest of my life on my knees if it means you’ll spend even a second loving me back.”

Tropes: enemies to lovers, second chance, rival families, arranged marriage, touch her and d!e

(Light spoiler)summary:

WOW WOW WOW

I was not expecting to love Loren as a FMC so much but she’s strong, capable, and has a little weak spot for Callahan

Towards the end of the book we learn how the two leads met, which makes this a YEARS long slow burn. So it is all the more satisfying to see their chemistry and care for each other grow throughout the story.

Loren is to marry Callahan in exchange for him helping her find her brother who has been missing. Although she knew she would not have the most peaceful life, fires being started, cars exploding, and having her friend abducted was not what she expected in the least.

Will they figure out who is hunting the Keane family down? Or will they d!e trying??

Find out on July 28th 👀🩷
4.25 ⭐️ Spice🌶️: open door, detailed descriptions

I'm not one to pick up mafia romance, but my goodness! I enjoyed this book!!
I loved the writing, it was fast paced and very easy to read.
The plot was entertaining, from the angsty banter, the secrets, the yearning, and those plot twists!? Highly enjoyable!

Thank you to the author & net galley for the arc!

The first half of the book was extremely interesting and had great plot potential. However the second half seemed incredibly rushed and also brushed off major trauma. There was nothing about that relationship by the end of the story that had me excited for them getting back together.

Read content and trigger warnings.

Thanks to NetGalley & author for the arc!

**1.5 stars** I came across fanart of the two main characters on Instagram and LOVED it so much that I looked on my kindle app to see if this book was available. When I saw the arc on NetGalley, I never clicked apply so fast. Sadly, the fanart did not live up to my expectations which led me to dnf at 30%.

When Loren’s brother goes missing, she turns to none other than Callahan Keane–the supposed love of her life when they were teenagers. After Callahan’s betrayal, the two don’t speak for the next 11 years until Loren walks into the Keane family establishment to beg for help. Only Callahan has been waiting for their reunion and proposes a mutually beneficially arrangement: marriage. Conflicted, Loren accepts his marriage proposal and then spurs the ongoing search for her brother.

As a lover of mafia romances, this one didn’t work for me. The writing wasn’t terrible and it definitely fits the genre but everything else needed some flourishing. While arranged marriages are a common trope in mafia romance, I haven’t read a second-chance arranged marriage before, so I was intrigued. The opening chapters pulled me in, and I initially thought Loren was a strong female lead. But as the story progressed, her supposed strength gave way to constant begging. It began to feel like I was reading the inner monologue of a 17-year-old girl on summer break—stubborn and convinced she knows everything.

Despite this book being 400 pages long, the foundation of the story was not solid enough for the story to be built off of. We’re told they had a relationship as teens, then didn’t speak for 11 years—but we’re never told their actual ages, which made it hard to place them. The constant repetition of “the past 11 years” and “as teenagers” became grating, especially since so many questions about their history remained unanswered. I kept hoping the details would come later, but I couldn’t push through.

I understand this is the first book in a new standalone series, which likely explains the overwhelming character dump at the beginning. It became confusing quickly, though I assume each Keane sibling will get their own book.

If you're an avid mafia romance reader, this one might be worth skipping—there are stronger books in the genre, especially on Kindle Unlimited. But if you're new to mafia romance and looking for a low-stakes introduction, this might be a decent starting point.

“𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒐𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏…𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔.”

I picked up Through Any Fire by Katherine Carter because the pretty cover and the character art caught my eye, and the tropes definitely got me curious. Marriage of convenience, rival families, and second-chance romance? How could I pass that up? I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump, so this felt like the perfect book to shake things up. I don’t usually go for darker themes, but this one turned out to be such a refreshing change.

The story follows Loren and Callahan, whose past is tangled with betrayal and family rivalry. I really liked how the single POV mainly from Loren kept certain things hidden, especially what really happened in the past between them. Callahan does get a few POV chapters too, but they’re spaced out just enough to give insight without that overwhelming back-and-forth you read in other books. I had a feeling there was more to his past actions than Loren believed, and as the story unfolded, those suspicions proved true. The way it was revealed felt realistic and built up well, keeping me curious to the end.

As I said earlier, the book has a good mix of romance, action, betrayals, and a few 'explosive' moments that kept things moving quickly. Loren’s choices had me frustrated at times, but they felt believable with everything she was dealing with. I also liked that not everything was wrapped up nicely at the end, it leaves room for the next book, and I’m curious to see where her friend’s story will go. And Cohen? I like him.

Thanks to the author @katherinecarterauthor & @netgalley for the early copy.

*I received an advance reader copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.*

4.5/5⭐️
Loren is such a bada$$. I loved how she was able to defend herself and rescue others when she herself was in danger. Strong female characters who can stand up for themselves are just so sexy.

As for Cal, who can resist a man who loves his wife wholeheartedly, putting her safety first before his own. While he resorts to various tactics to win over Loren, deep down at the core of his motive is true love.

I wished we had more scenes of them from their younger days. In the present, while their relationship is full of animosity initially…the sparks soon turn into blazing hot chemistry and an eventual explosion of deep love between them. The suspense also kept the pace interesting and I can’t wait for Alice’s book next.

4.5 stars......"I’d follow you anywhere, Ren. Anywhere you lead, I'll be your shadow. Every step I take is toward you. Through any fire, through any agony, I'm yours."

Through Any Fire by Katherine Carter delivers everything I want in a mafia romance — tension, angst, action, and a marriage of convenience that had me hooked from page one.

When Loren’s baby brother goes missing, she turns to the last person she ever expected: Callahan Keane — her childhood ex and the leader of a rival mafia family. Cal agrees to help… in exchange for one thing: a wife. The deal is struck, the wedding is fast-tracked, and suddenly we’re neck-deep in a forced proximity, high-stakes marriage brimming with unresolved feelings and undeniable chemistry.

There’s no shortage of action here — from tracking Loren’s brother to navigating explosive mafia turf wars — but what really had me feral was the slow burn tension between Loren and Cal. I devoured this book in under 24 hours. Marriage of convenience is one of my all-time favorite tropes, and this one hit every mark.

I cannot wait to continue this series. If you love second chance romance, forced proximity, and intense emotional stakes — grab this immediately!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Katherine Carter for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Through Any Fire is a Mafia Romance about a marriage of convenience between two people on opposite sides of warring drug families….who happened to be childhood sweethearts gone wrong. When Loren’s brother goes missing and Callahan is the only one left who she can ask for help all the feelings that had been buried come crashing back in. The action is fast paced and non-stop, the secrets just keep unraveling themselves, and there is just enough spice to keep you coming back for more! As always check the trigger warnings and happy reading! Thanks to Katherine Carter and NetGalley for giving me this opportunity!

Unfortunately DNF’d at 24% nothing had happened at this stage it was all very boring and predictable. If you’re not used to reading mafia romance maybe you’d like this more than I did! I didn’t like the MMc either

The Godfather meets Romeo & Juliet in this marriage by convenience/second chance romance novel. That's a lot of tropes in this fast-paced, but still makes you swoon story, Through Any Fire, by the talented Katherine Carter.
Loren & Cal are affiliated with opposing mafia families, but love brought them together when they were young. Mistakes were made & family obligations ripped them apart. Fast forward a few years & a missing brother brings them back together. A marriage by convenience, lots of mafia-related action scenes, & plenty of passion make this a fun to read story that's hard to put down.
Thank you, #NetGalley! I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book with all thoughts and opinions being my own. If you enjoy some family drama, action scenes that leave you on the edge of your seat, & a bit of spice, then you'll enjoy Through Any Fire by Katherine Carter.

I received an ARC and I am voluntarily leaving a review, all thoughts are my own

Tropes: second chance, marriage of convenience
Microtropes: touch her and die, my wife, he washes her hair
Spice: 3/5

I signed up for this ARC because I absolutely love a good second chance/marriage of convenience story. They're forced to spend time together and slowly develop feelings? SIGN ME UP. As I was reading I discovered the microtropes and they worked so well for the story! My wife, touch her and die and he washes her hair are some of the favorite microtropes I see mentioned often on social media. Loren and Callahan definitely had an underlying pull towards each other throughout the story and I'm glad they were able to get their happy ending.

There were several things that drew me out of the story however. First of all, the cover implies a historical/period piece but the setting of the story was contemporary. Also, the marketing of book implies contemporary romance but I felt the content leaned more towards dark romance as both the FMC and MMC are involved in the darker aspects of the story. Second of all, the story is advertised as single POV and while the majority of the story is from the FMC's POV, there were at least 4 chapters from the MMC's POV and the epilogue is entirely in third person. Thirdly, I struggled with Loren's constantly changing motivation. She initially agreed to the marriage to save her brother, then halfway through the story, she was like oh well Mason knew what he was getting into - I gotta stay in this to rescue my friend, and by the end she's back to her brother as motivation and her friend falls by the wayside. I also disliked how Loren was not there at all for her friend Alice after she was rescued. Loren literally thinks that she should go check on her friend but allows herself to be distracted by sex. I was disappointed in how Alice's trauma was framed as Loren also has thoughts of "with any luck she'll be back to herself in no time" after Alice had gone through a terrible kidnapping and implied multiple sexual assaults. Finally, there were some things that just did not make sense. There's no such thing as a surgically implanted IUD and when cars are constantly being blown up and fires are constantly being set, an oxygen tank in a car is the absolute worst idea as it is combustible and greatly enhances the burning of other objects.

This book would be a good fit for fans of darker contemporary romance who enjoy warring crime family drama, second chance romance and marriage of convenience. It would also be great for fans of the microtropes touch her and die, my wife, and he washes her hair.

While I love my mafia romance reads this one didn’t hit the mark. I do believe that it was more so my instant dislike for the MMC. Reformed player can be 50/50 for me and unfortunately I just couldn’t help but feel that Cal fell under the category of not being likeable and rather gave me the ick. Although Loren is describe as a strong female I felt that at times she would easily cave in. I do wish the author would have kept that strong headed female role like Loren started out in the book. I will admit that the plot was a bit too long IMO. Overall I would give this read a 2.75 ⭐️ Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

First and foremost, I’m a sucker for a second chance romance so this one got me. I really enjoyed Loren and Cal’s story (and all the twists and turns throughout).

The book is written mostly from Loren’s POV but we get a few snippets of Cal’s POV as well, which I loved!

There were a lot of side characters in this one which makes me hope there will be more than 2 books in this interconnected standalone series. I know Alice’s story is next and I’m excited to find out who her MMC is (I have a guess of who it might be!).

Thank you, Katherine Carter & NetGalley, for the ARC!

“Has he not kept tabs on me like I have on him? Something about that stings, and I fight the urge to reach for the old ache in my chest.”

This was my first mafia related romance read and I absolutely loved it! Thank you to Kathrine and NetGalley! Cal(MMC) and Loren(FMC) reconnect after years of being apart due to Cal’s betrayal. Loren’s brother has gone missing and she’s seeking helping locating him. As luck would have it, Cal is looking for a favor to fulfill as well. He is looking for a wife. They strike a deal to find Loren’s brother in exchange for her hand in marriage. This sets off our journey with both characters. Secrets are revealed along the way, enemies appear causing damage in all sorts of ways, and will Loren and Cal’s marriage go beyond convenience? I totally recommend you find out! I loved how much of a badass Loren was being able to fight and stand her ground. While Cal’s “touch her & die” vibes over Loren were what kept me reading to the end. Cannot wait for the next book!

HELLO??!!! I finished this, no joke, in two nights. When I'm telling you I. ATE. THIS. UP.
This book has a bit of everything, mafia romance, second chance, childhood lovers of rival families to enemies to lovers that would burn the world for one another. The tension between them, the feelings of things that they never got the chance to say because of what would other people say or do. I felt like I could relate to bits and pieces of Callahan not only because I was the oldest, but also having the weight of the world in your shoulders having to carry the legacy of your family, the pressure of having to be someone your family wants you to be. As well as Loren, doing anything in her power to save her brother no matter the price it takes.

The whole structure and how the story unfolds gives us the perfect balance of backstory, tension, action, and twists that will keep you hooked wanting more and more! I'll be posting a review on my Instagram account @nellaas.books soon!