Rated 3.5 - rounded up to 4 for the star rating system.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't a hit for me. I enjoyed a few moments throughout, such as the found family, but for the rest of the book the execution just didn't land for me.

This book is amazing! It was my first time reading a book by this author. I really liked the main characters backstory and their chemistry.
If you love an psychopath MMC that's is obsessed with his woman, this is the book for you.
The FMC was not a damsel in distress and that made me like this book even more.
Thank you NetGalley, the publishing house and Tijan for sending this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I gotta come clean, I am a die hard fan of tijan's books.

I was stoked that I got the ARC in exchange for my review, so thank you Netgalley, Tijan and publishing house.

About this book:
I really really liked the delicate way that the foster environment was described, and the found family aspect of it as well. I also really liked the psychological aspect although it was a very small part of the book ( it reminded me a bit of the not-outcast)

if you like Mafia book and an obsessed mmc, look no further, uh and also a badass fmc, of course.

I really want a psychotic wolverine now, so thanks for that Tijan!

Ps: also left my review and rating on Goodreads! I go by just Taylor in there!

3,75 ⭐

a great addition to this series, even though I have to say I didn't particularly like the main couple. I feel like they will split in the future

Reading Tijan books is always such a fun and compelling experience for me because her characters are always so well developed so I was surprised that I didn’t instantly love these two. I think too much happens between them before the book starts that I found it hard to really feel their connection. They aren’t the most likable characters at first either. They’re flawed, damaged, raw and gritty and the beginning of the book has a lot of scenes that are emotionally hard to read. It’s the darkest story so far in this series. It did take me a while to really appreciate the characters in this one. It was hard to see the Hs from book one and two so vulnerable. The H was at fault, so the blame was on him which made it hard to see him as anyone but a villain. He isn’t an antihero though so it was just all messy and confusing and uncomfortable in the beginning. She did a good job of making this reader extremely conflicted! Of course, as the book goes on and we get to know him, his motivations (gah so sweet) and understood his character more then everything made sense and I could really enjoy this read and how different it is. His character development and redemption arc were so satisfying!! I honestly did not think I was ever going to like him! This is such a “trust the process” book with this H. My fav aspect of this read.

The h is a little more likable at first but she is really struggling with the H being back in her life. In a romance I want the h to want to be around the H so, similarly to the situation with the H, it took a hot minute to really connect with her especially with so much happening in the 14 years they’ve known each other being off page. The start of this one reads similarly to a second chance trope even though it’s not. By about midway the book really takes off, things come together, there starts to be some levity and the connection between the two of them really dragged me in. My only real issue in the end was that I wish that the h would have seen all that the H did earlier instead of just focusing on his violence and her rules for him. Every time she learned of something good he did she was like shocked and that bummed me out.

For a good portion of the book, I wasn’t sure how their happy ending or the plot resolution was going to be reached. I honestly thought she was just blowing up this whole series! Nerve wracking!! I was pleasantly surprised by all the outcomes and their HEA. This one gave me Bren and Cross, my fav Tijan couple, vibes so that alone made it so much fun and a bit nostalgic to read. I think this is a read that would be even better on a reread though. And, oh that epilogue!! Gah! So good!!

Overall: 4.5

A Hateful Negotiation by Tijan is an intense romance that blends the dark world of the mafia with a relationship charged with tension, desire, and power. The story follows Blake, who only wants a normal life, but finds herself constantly shadowed by Creighton, a cold and psychopathic crime boss determined to protect her, even against her will. What begins as a battle full of hatred and resistance slowly evolves into something far more complex and emotional.

Tijan’s writing is visceral, direct, and full of sharp dialogue, which keeps the pace consistently engaging. The chemistry between the protagonists is the book’s strongest element: the dynamic between Blake and Creighton is explosive, filled with forbidden attraction, denial, and an intensity that makes the story hard to put down. The slow-burn development of their relationship is well executed, with every small step forward carrying emotional weight.

That said, some aspects may be less satisfying. Secondary characters feel underdeveloped, serving more as background than as integral parts of the plot, and certain twists may be predictable for readers familiar with the genre. Additionally, Creighton’s disturbing and obsessive nature may divide opinions—some will find him fascinating, while others might see him as crossing a line.

On a personal note, I loved how the book kept me in constant anticipation. With each chapter, I was eager to see how far this relationship of hatred, obsession, and desire could go. The story made me reflect on the thin line between protection, possession, and love, and even though I recognized some clichés, I was fully immersed in the charged atmosphere Tijan created.

In the end, A Hateful Negotiation is not a light romance, but rather an immersive read for those who enjoy intensity, psychological drama, and protagonists who challenge expectations. It delivers exactly what it promises: conflict, emotion, and a relationship that burns until the very last page.

The truth is, I really liked it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, the twists and turns, the tense moments... the moments of romance. Everything.

I'd love to read the author's other mafia-related stories because I feel she has the perfect balance between mafia history, connections, and romance, and that's something I like to read.

I liked the characters; they present an unusual character and portray him quite well. I feel the development was perfect and that nothing was rushed or stretched to fill the gaps. I admit I would have read a couple more pages if they existed.

I'll keep the author in mind and look for other books by her.

Thank you so much, Montlake, for the ARC I read on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warning for review : sexualization of a minor

There are two parts that can be interrupted as harmful and need a sensitivity or edit look over.

“Miss Marcie is a good woman. I’m sure she already creamed her pants at seeing you. No doubt— “the heroine was 8 here and Miss Marcie is the foster mother who took her in this is from the hero’s pov

“(Stuffed animals) put all of them in my bed and crawled in with me.” His mouth strained. “I was on top of the covers, and the door was open.” — this was when she was ten making the hero 16

These could use an immediate edit, I will hold my review on public platforms to see if edits are done to final manuscript.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for giving me this epic opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be available 1/13/26!!!

There is one thing that Tjan can do and can do well and that is write a romance that gives emotional depth to characters who are always viewed as one dimensional. Creighton should have been just another mafia psychopath(which he is) but he does it all for Blake, the pin that either makes him an assault weapon or a hunk of twisted metal. So I got approved for this today and I read it today. And I fell into this story face first. Their pasts are not sunshine but of foster kids with a hard life. Creighton does everything to protect Blake. It is all for her. He is the shark in the water and she may seem like a simple fish but she is sneaky. She’s a barracuda to his shark. She’s not soft or weak.


Honestly Tijan is an auto buy for me and this standalone slow burn mafia romance has already been preordered. I vibe with her worlds and her stories.


I highly highly recommend this story

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

WOW oh wow!! Slow burn, age gap, far background, unhinged dark hero! Yes please!!!

Another great book by Tijan! Her writing style is always so great!

Thia book was a great read. It will keep you on your toes for sure! Great love story!

I didn't like Creighton's book as much as I loved the others. He was dark as dark could be. I was really surprised that Tijan could go this dark. I adored Blake and how she fought tooth and nail to get out from under Creighton. When she stopped fighting her feelings was when the book got better for me. The book will keep you on your toes though and have you frustrated at times with all the players in the book. It was a lot of back-and-forth tit for tat. At least there was cease fire between the mafia's.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley!

Tijan is my all-time favorite author and the only one I constantly re-read. If she writes it, I read it. Hateful Negotiations is hands down my favorite of the series—Creighton and Blake had me hooked before and now I’m obsessed.

“She’d pulled a knife on me. She was my soulmate.”

The angst, the humor, the stalker/obsessed/he-fell-first MMC—basically my dream trope combo. I stayed up all night finishing this one and I already want to re-read it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5/5)

I really enjoyed A Hateful Negotiation! Tijan has such an engaging writing style—smooth, intense, and addictive. It flows so easily that I found myself flying through the pages.

The dynamic between Creighton and Blake kept me hooked from start to finish. Their push-and-pull relationship was full of tension, drama, and sizzling chemistry. I liked how their story developed slowly, giving space for both characters to grow while still keeping that dark, dangerous mafia-romance edge.

This was definitely one of those books that keeps you up late at night saying “just one more chapter.” A perfect blend of suspense, emotion, and romance.

If you enjoy mafia romance with depth, angst, and a captivating hero/heroine dynamic, this one is a must-read.

This is hands down my favorite book in this series. I loved Blake and Creighton. The dynamic they had going on was a lot of fun. Creighton's dedication to Blake went to extremes and those weren't great extremes, but he showed Blake how he felt about her in unconventional ways. Blake learned a lot about herself and others throughout the book and it was fun to see where it took her. I also enjoyed the side characters, new and old. It was jarring to see Waldon and Weston in a different light. This book surpassed my expectations and was just as addictive as Tijan's sports romance reads.

A Hateful Negotiation was a delightful and dark read that kept my attention the entire way through. A dark mafia romance, this is perfect for fans of found family and age gap romances. I couldn't stop reading and was always desperate to find out more about Blake and Creighton. Creighton is the perfectly obsessed mmc who will do anything for the fmc. This is definitely one of my favourite books by Tijan!!

Another winner by this outstanding author is A H. Negotiation by Tijan. A stand alone published by Montlake.
Blake Green is a fosterkid and even atv 8 years old she's drawn the short stick, always. That's about to change when she comes living with a loving chosen family. A family that includes Creighton.
Creigh that'll become head of a crime mob, a man who'll do everything for Blake, but Blake only who as only one has a place in his cold heart.
A wonderful goosebumps giving slow burn mafia romance. A typical Tijan, run - not walk to buy the book, 5 stars.

⊹ ࣪ ˖⊹ ࣪ ˖ 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