Forced Promises
A Dark Mafia Stalker Romance
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Pub Date 28 Jul 2026 | Archive Date 27 Jul 2026
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Description
From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Alexis Abbott comes a slow burn but spicy dark mafia romance standalone.
To escape an arranged marriage, I'll become the wife of a killer.
I had to flee the cult, or be forced to marry my own brother. I have no money, no ID, no family. Hated by my mother, disowned by my father.
My twisted salvation comes in the form of a beautiful monster with silver eyes.
His need for revenge has him infiltrate the Bratva; they demand a rite of initiation. When he tells me to be a good girl and submit, I obey. I'm touch-starved, desperate for love, and he publicly claims my innocence to become one of them.
The Bratva and the cult want to destroy us, but we're already broken, shattered by the dark secrets of our past. And when we pick up each other's pieces, our tortured obsession is made lethal.
Forced Promises contains themes of forced proximity, age gap, grumpy x sunshine, mutual hurt/comfort and mental illness rep between a touch averse, morally grey antihero and a touch-starved, innocent heroine. His love language includes stalking and touch her and die, and hers includes physical touch and forehead kisses.
Please check the content warning as there are very dark themes.
A Note From the Publisher
This book has a lot of triggers, including these major ones.
Dual dubcon between the two main characters
Violence including one non-graphic scene that includes child sexual abuse
Childhood trauma including sexual abuse (MMC) and neglect (FMC)
Detailed Triggers with hidden spoilers are available at the link below.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9160630080336 |
| PRICE | $4.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 478 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 52 members
Featured Reviews
Lora S, Reviewer
I was lucky enough to have access to an ARC copy of Forced Promises (thanks #NetGalley and Pathforgers Publishing). I do love a good mafia romance and this one didn’t disappoint.
The love interests are both as broken as can be - Evelyn having escaped forced marriage to her own half brother in a cult and Laszlo having survived horrific ritualistic child abuse that stole his sister. He can’t love and she doesn’t know how to love, but somehow their fates become intertwined. I enjoyed their awkward first encounters and the way that their relationship grew and changed as they got to know each other. Laszlo’s protectiveness and possessiveness is adorable, once he gets over his initial resistance. The broader Cult / Bratva plot line is engaging, and the final 20% or so had me up late to find out what happened.
I highly recommend this one, but as for all dark romances do check the trigger warnings.
Reviewer 1813672
I feel like all the mafia books recently have been very similar and predictable, but not Forced Promises! Evelyn ran away from a cult and Laszlo was on a journey to infiltrate the Bratva, and they met in an unlikely way. I really appreciated the mental health representation and the sad backstories, from both sides. I feel like it’s always the woman who has trauma, and it was nice to see it from the males side. It takes a little bit of time to get spicy, but once it does, it really does! I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy revenge plots, slow burn, and sex therapy (just go with it). Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Sara S, Reviewer
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Forced Promises pulled me in right from the beginning with its dark atmosphere, high stakes, and mystery. This book completely surprised me. I went in expecting a dark mafia romance, but I wasn’t expecting to get so invested in the characters.
Laszlo quickly became my favourite part of the story. He’s dangerous, intelligent, and completely in control, yet underneath all of that is a man carrying so much pain. Watching the walls he built around himself slowly crack whenever Evelyn was around made me fall for him even more.
And Evelyn was such a refreshing FMC. She’s gentle, kind, and sees the good in people even after everything she’s been through. I loved that she never lost who she was, and somehow her innocence balanced Laszlo’s darkness perfectly.
Their relationship was what really kept me turning the pages. It wasn’t just the chemistry, it was the little moments between them. The conversations, the trust that slowly built, and the way Laszlo quietly supported Evelyn’s dreams made me smile more than once. He was so gone for her, and I absolutely ate it up.
I also really enjoyed the suspense running alongside the romance. There were enough twists and secrets to keep me hooked, and I genuinely wanted to know how everything was going to unfold.
If you love dark mafia romance, a protective and obsessed MMC, emotional healing, suspense, and a romance that slowly gets under your skin, I’d definitely recommend giving this one a try.
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