Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Swoon🫦🫦🫦
LMAO 🤣🤣
Tears 🥹🥹🥹
Banter 😉😉

Mafia Romance / Age Gap / Suspense / Opposites Attract / HEA

Sin Syndicate Series: Book 1 - Lyla Oakley has left Tennessee in pursuit of a career on Broadway. While attending auditions, she is also working two jobs. One is at a coffee shop, and the other is as a pole dancer at a private night club. One morning at the coffee shop, she takes an order from a broody customer who is rude to her, so she sasses him back. Big mistake … we first met Nikolai Volkov in Book Two of the Broken Heroes trilogy. He is Anastasia’s twin brother. He does not like this girl’s sass, but he is also intrigued. Being the king of hackers, he learns all about her and begins stalking her. He doesn’t like that she walks alone at night with no concern for her surroundings. When he learns that the club she dances at is a front for human trafficking and she’s next on the auction block, he steps in to save her. Now the Delgado family is out for revenge. Evie James knows how to spin a good story and interweaves current-day events to help make it believable. If only we had a real Nikolai and team to step in for us.

I loved this book, I was hooked from the first chapter to the very end! This is the first book I’ve read by Evie James, and it certainly won’t be the last! It does seem to link to previous books and an overarching storyline in the background. I think this can be read as a standalone without the need for reading the previous books without it impacting your grasp of the backstory, enough details are given by the author to follow the plot but not spoil the previous books either.

I loved Nikolai, he was moody, broody, gruff, protective, obsessive, clever and despite claiming the opposite a good guy beneath his tough exterior. Lyla has had a tough few years and comes to the city with stars in her eyes and dreams of being on broadway when she unknowingly takes a job in a gang club and becomes a pawn in their world. She’s sassy, determined and strong willed, and gains Nikolais attention after sassing him at her day job. Nikolai is intrigued and attracted to her and becomes obsessed with unravelling her secrets when he finds out she is at risk his protective instincts go into overdrive, despite him being in denial about his feelings he will do everything in his power to protect her.

The story was very well written and the plot was well planned out and executed. Unlike most stories in the genre, all the drama was not saved and rushed in at the end of the story. The story was a slow build until around halfway through when the drama, action, and spice kicked off and took me on a rollercoaster for the rest of the book! I cannot explain how good this book was! Everyone who likes mafia romance, stalker vibes, possessive, obsessive controlling mmc, touch her and d*e vibes, my king/my queen vibes…. This is a MUST read for you!

I was utterly enthralled with this story and couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to read more from this series and this author!

It takes you straight into a world of danger, obsession, and raw chemistry. The hero is dark, calculating, and way too powerful to ignore but what makes him addictive is how his obsession blurs the line between protector and predator. He’s the kind of man who terrifies everyone else, yet when it comes to her, he can’t stay away. That intensity, paired with the constant sense of threat lurking in the background, keeps the tension wound tight the entire way through.

The heroine, on the other hand, isn’t just some passive figure in his orbit she’s fierce, passionate, and determined to chase her dreams, even when it puts her in risky territory. The clash between her fire and his darkness sparks something magnetic, and it makes every moment between them feel charged. It’s dangerous, it’s addictive, and it delivers exactly the kind of dark romance thrill ride that keeps you glued to the pages.

Evie James has an expertise for capturing the high-stakes tension of forced proximity, and Eyes on You is no exception. At its core, the novel explores the "forced proximity" and "slow burn" tropes with a refreshing level of maturity. Unlike many contemporary romances that rely on miscommunication to drive the plot, James leans into the psychological weight of being seen…both the comfort and the vulnerability that comes with it.

Evie James has carved out a specific hollow in the contemporary romance world. One defined by high-voltage tension and characters who feel like people you’ve actually met. With Eyes on You, she moves beyond the standard beats of the genre to explore the concept of visibility.

The storyline tension is built on the silent communication between the leads. Evie James utilizes the "male gaze" in a way that feels empowering rather than objectifying. When the hero looks at the heroine, he isn't just cataloging her beauty; he is observing her habits, her hesitations, and her unspoken needs. This creates a psychological intimacy that makes the eventual physical payoff feel like an explosion of relief.

The setting acts almost as a third character. Whether it’s the claustrophobia of a shared workspace or the sprawling loneliness of the city, Evie James uses the environment to mirror the characters' internal states.

Ultimately, the book asks a difficult question: Are you brave enough to be seen? This read explores the fear that comes with being truly understood by another person. The title, Eyes on You, serves as a double-edged sword, it is both the ultimate romantic fantasy and the ultimate vulnerability.

My Final Thoughts:
Imagine a slow burn so intense you’re practically holding your breath with every page turn. This isn't just a romance; it’s a masterclass in the "staring" trope. You know that feeling when someone looks at you and it feels like they’re reading your soul? Yeah, Evie James bottled that feeling and put it in a book.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Beautiful Love Story in the Middle of the Underworld

Eyes of the Unholy is a mafia romance wrapped in danger and corruption — but at its heart, it is a profoundly emotional love story about healing, protection, and choosing each other in the darkest places.

Yes, there’s the intensity you expect: enemies to lovers tension, forced proximity that crackles with fire, and a vigilante justice plot that exposes a trafficking network woven through political and religious institutions. The stakes are high. The underworld feels real. The danger never fully disappears.

But what stayed with me wasn’t the violence.

It was the tenderness.

Scarlett’s journey from silence and survival to confidence and agency is handled with care. Her trauma is not sensationalized. It’s acknowledged, confronted, and slowly rewritten through trust. Watching her move from guarded and defensive to strong and self-assured felt earned and beautiful.

Lucian is a dark hero in every sense — controlled, lethal, morally gray — yet the way he loves is reverent. He doesn’t try to erase Scarlett’s past. He stands beside it. He protects her fiercely, but he also gives her space to choose, to speak, to heal. That balance is what elevates this from a typical mafia romance to something deeper.

The emotional honesty surprised me. Conversations about therapy, faith, loyalty, and family are woven naturally into the story. Even inside a world built on power and shadows, their relationship feels grounded and authentic.

In the middle of corruption and underworld politics, this story creates something unexpectedly beautiful: a love that feels safe without being soft, intense without being hollow, and protective without being controlling.

If you want a mafia romance that delivers both heat and heart — with real character growth, real consequences, and a love story that shines against the darkness — Eyes of the Unholy is absolutely worth your time.

What To Expect:
- Stalker
- Alpha male
- Opposites Attract
- He falls first
- Possessive/Obsessive
- Protective Rage
- Touch Her and 💀
- Age Gap
- Romantic Suspense

4.5⭐️ so i rounded up

oh. my. god. evie you did it again!! literal chef's kiss

lyla is like literal sunshine but she is also very feisty and i loved her so much. even though this book is a little more intense and dark romance, part of me couldn't help but giggle every time she sould fight nik on anything. it was just so amusing to me 😅

and nik, hot damn, i dont even know where to begin with him. i mean yeah you've got the broody, stalker, hacker and alpha vibes from him but there is also a lot more to him. i never thought i would say this but nik is the kind of stalker you might actually want. am i crazy for saying that, probably 😂🤷🏻‍♀️. but man was he protective and a little obsessive over lyla and he would do anything for her.

if you have read the broken heroes trilogy then you would have met nik and i have been craving his story. and it really surpassed every expectation i had set in my mind for his possible story while reading the broken heroes series.

5⭐️ 3🌶️
🩷Stalker
🩷Alpha male
🩷She's a Virgin
🩷Opposites Attract a He falls first
🩷Possessive/Obsessive
🩷Protective Rage
🩷Touch Her and Die
🩷Age Gap
🩷Romantic Suspense

He calls her “little lamb”

Eyes on you has a whole new meaning after finishing this book 🥵
Absolute best mafia book I’ve ever read. It had my heart pounding and my mind reeling the entire time. Lyla is a fierce FMC that overcomes everything that’s thrown her way and comes out stronger. Nikolai and his obsession with Lyla was everything. I cannot wait for more Sin Syndicate books!

I just finished this book and am still trying to comprehend everything that happened. I loved all of the world building and the detail in this book! The descriptions let me feel like I was there and gave me a full understanding of every situation that occurred. The pacing almost made me quit at one point, I didn't think that I could take anymore tension, but I am so glad that i held on for it, because the payoff was worth the wait. I loved Nik! He was what kept me reading when i was completely over Lacey's bratty attitude. I'm not going to lie, i really hated the FMC for a good portion of this book, but by the ending, that feeling completely switched. This book set up the scenes so thoroughly, I know that i will be reading the other books in the series.