⊹ ࣪ ˖⊹ ࣪ ˖ ARC Review ⊹ ࣪ ˖⊹ ࣪ ˖

📖: A Hateful Negotiation

Some of TIJAN’s books are among my all-time favourites, so when I saw this one, I had to get my hands on it. She knows exactly how to write a mafia romance, with intense, unhinged heroes you can't help but be obsessed with.

Blake has had a rough start in life, bouncing from one foster home to another. But at eight years old, she's placed in a new home where she meets Creighton, an older boy who instantly captivates her. There’s something about him that pulls her in, and from that moment, a unique bond is formed.

Creighton has been obsessed with Blake since the day they met. He’s emotionally detached from the world, but Blake is the exception. When she later moves to New York, he follows her, not to interfere, but to protect her from a distance. Yet, he’s always there, watching, waiting.

I knew going in that Creighton would be an unhinged hero, and I loved the push and pull between him and Blake. What really stood out to me was how consistent Creighton’s character remained throughout. He didn’t suddenly shift from cold and unreadable to overly affectionate, which is something I’ve seen too often in other books. His evolution felt true to who he is.
This book was a solid dark mafia romance, and I loved the found family dynamic between Blake, Creighton, and the other foster kids. Some of the flashback chapters had me tearing up.

Overall, this was a solid read. If you're into mafia romance, this one should definitely be your next pick!


🩷 FMC: 4/5
💙 MMC: 4/5
📖 Story: 4/5
⌛ Pace: 4/5
❤️‍🔥 Heat: 3.5/5
💞 Romance: 3.5/5
🤩 Overall Rating: 4/5 stars


POV: Dual
Favorite Character: Creighton!

Tropes:
❤️‍🔥Mafia Romance
❤️‍🔥Found Family
❤️‍🔥Age Gap (hero is older)
❤️‍🔥Obsessed Hero
❤️‍🔥Dark Romance

Series or Standalone: Standalone.

Returning to the world of Tijan’s Kings of New York, in A Hateful Negotiation we are following the notorious and ruthless Creighton Lane after his cousin handed him the keys to the city and he wages war on the established mafia heads, Ashton Walden and Tristian West. Creighton is an unfeeling psychopath but he has one weakness, Blake Green, who he will burn the world to protect.

I love this world so much and this was a particularly fun instalment as we saw the conflict between Blake who cares about the world around her and just wants to have a normal life whereas Creighton just does not care about anyone but Blake and is very much a kill first, questions later kind of person. There is something so delightful about characters like Creighton because he is so charismatic simply by being himself. I really felt for Blake as it felt like she was truly trying to live her life and make friends but Creighton would not leave her alone.

This book opens with Creighton and Blake first meeting when she was 8 years old, being brought to a new foster home. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about their dynamic as they are foster siblings and I don’t generally enjoy romances where the characters have been brought up together, related or not. By the end of this book, I am not completely sure what their situation actually was… I think perhaps they were foster siblings but only for a couple of years. I was also a bit unsure about the age gap but you get the impression that their relationship began as a purely protective one and developed slowly over time. I am not really sure, to be quite honest. Their relationship is a little bit taboo but I feel like Tijan straddles the line perfectly where you are much more concerned about the fact that Creighton is killing folks for looking at Blake funny. We do get a couple of flashbacks into their past and it does a good job to establish that Creighton has always been very protective of Blake as well as establishing a pattern to show how oppressive that protection had felt.

Compared to the other books in this series, this book is on the lower end of spicy and the burn is significantly slower. This makes sense in the context of this couple as Blake has to work through some complicated feelings about Creighton. Creighton also needs to figure out how he feels as he doesn’t really experience much in the way of emotions except when it comes to Blake.

It was really fun seeing West and Walden as antagonists in this story. At times, I felt conflicted because you don’t want anything to happen to them or their families but you are also cheering for Blake and Creighton. It makes for a strange sense of stakes because is anyone ever going to truly be in peril? I really enjoyed the finale of A Dirty Business so I kinda yearn for that level of shocking twist but at the same time, can Tijan pull something like that off without angering fans of the series? There were points in this book where I felt like we were going to get that level of drama but then punches were pulled. If the series continues (which I could see happening but I also feel as though we have reached a good stopping point so who knows?), I would like to see some melodrama return to the series. Ultimately, these books are romances but I really enjoy the ridiculousness of the mafia wars going on in the background so I would love to see more stakes and maybe a gut punch.

I really appreciated the way that the world has been expanded with this book with a whole host of loveable side characters being added into the mix. I particularly enjoyed Levi.

These books are a really fun time and I look forward to reading more from Tijan in the future.

I loved returning to Tijan's world of the Kings of New York, this time to follow Creighton and Blake, two characters that we had met briefly in the previous book but was still pretty mysterious. I really enjoyed the pacing of this book and getting to see a little bit of Blake's childhood was a fun additional element. I am cautiously optimistic that this won't be the last time we visit this series, especially as it seems other mafia families might be brought into this story? I generally had a really good time with this book however I will caution spice lovers that this is a much lower heat level than the other books in this series; the level makes sense narratively but may be a bit of a surprise nonetheless.

🔥🖤 A Hateful Negotiation by Tijan 🖤🔥
Pub date: Jan 13, 2026 | Add it to your TBR NOW.
Montlake Publishing

Slow-burn? Check.
Mafia? Check.
A dangerously obsessive psychopath crime boss who would burn the world for her? DOUBLE CHECK.

Creighton is everything your mother warned you about, he's ruthless, manipulative, untouchable… and completely consumed by Blake. She wants normal. He wants her. Always has. Always will.

When Blake heads to New York for her senior year, she thinks she’s finally free. But Creighton doesn’t let go, not when danger lurks in the shadows. Not when his obsession runs this deep. And as lines blur, their hate-filled push-and-pull turns into something scorching, something impossible to walk away from.

What to expect:
🖤 Mafia romance
🔥 Slow burn obsession
🖤 Psychopath crime boss MMC
🔥 Protectiveness that borders on possession
🖤 Love/hate tension so thick you could cut it with a knife
🔥 “Survive me to love me” vibes

Tijan is serving us angst, danger, chemistry that BURNS, and a love story that feels inevitable no matter how dark it gets. If you love your antiheroes lethal, unhinged, and loyal only to her… you’ll be devouring this one.

#AHatefulNegotiation #Tijan #MafiaRomance #DarkRomance #PsychopathHero #ProtectiveHero #ObsessedMMC #SlowBurnRomance #RomanceReaders #Bookstagram #Montlake #Blake #Creighton

Talk about a love story with a dark background.... I loved this book, it was a great insight to a totally unhinged dark hero that loves something fierce.
The book was a great read and it will keep you on your toes. Absolutely love a story were the hero is completely obsessed.

I love the way Tijan writes and, as always her books are not boring at all.

Totally recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake and Tijan for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest opinion and thoughts.
I really loved the characters and the plot. Tijan’s writing is amazing. I couldn’t put it down! It’s an elegant slow-burn, mafia love story with just the right amount of chaos.
I highly recommend this book. I promise you, this is a book you won’t soon forget.

Thank you net galley for this arc i really enjoyed the story. i love push and pull between characters in this story.you could fell the tension and slow burn. i enjoyed creighton in the mafia romance. tijan does angst so well to me

I have several books by Tijan on my TBR but this was the first one I actually read. Why did I wait so long? The writing is incredible, I had so much fun reading this story. I was sucked in so fast, I loved the cast of characters and especially the possessive obsessive character of Creighton. It’s a beautiful mafia slow burn romance with tons of tension. If you’re into these kinds of vibes, you should definitely pick this up!
Thanks to Netgalley and Montlake for giving me the opportunity to read this e-arc early.

A Hateful Negotiation is a dark, slow-burning mafia romance that’s intense, emotional, and utterly addictive. As part of the Kings of New York series, I’ve been waiting to read about Creighton and Blake since they were introduced in A Captive Situation.

Creighton is a ruthless mafia boss and diagnosed psychopath, yet his obsession with protecting Blake feels deeply human. Blake wants a normal life, but danger forces her back into his world, where their explosive chemistry and tangled history come to a head.

Tijan blends classic tropes, found family, touch her and die, and more- without ever feeling cliché. The tension simmers, the emotion hits hard, and everything builds toward an explosive payoff. Creighton’s neurodivergence is portrayed with care; he isn’t romanticized or softened, but shown as complex, raw, and real.

Why read it? Because it’s more than a romance, it’s a raw, emotional ride you won’t forget.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! I absolutely loved this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read the A Hateful Negotiation by Tijan.

The main characters are Blake and Creighton. Creighton is obsessed with Blake he is also a crime boss and a psychopath and follows her to New York.
The drama and all The conflicts is amazing.

It’s a 5 out of 5 for me.