REVIEW: Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark

Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark: As the heir to the Irish mafia Callum Griffin is not about to let Aida Gallos the daughter of the rival Italian mafia get away with trying to burn down his home, regardless of it being a mistake. However to avoid all out bloodshed the two families decide the best solution is an arranged marriage, this will be the best way to end the family feud, strengthen their hold on Chicago and create one giant mafia powerhouse… the only problem being Callum and Aida can not stand each other. With a grumpy alpha groom and a hostile fiery bride, it would seem the real war that is brewing is their feelings for each other… what happens when the line between love and hate is a lot thinner than either of them expected…

LOVED! Brutal Prince was mafia, forced proximity, arranged marriage perfection! If you are a fan of an alpha hero that has no chill and a heroine that will not back down then this book is exactly what you need. I loved every single moment of Callum and Aida’s story, these two had so much passion and emotion laced through their story it was impossible not to get sucked into their wild journey.

Aida was crazy! I just loved this chick to bits, she had absolutely no chill and I loved that for a change we got a fighter, girl boss heroine in a mafia romance. I really liked that she was so fearless and always ready to go toe to toe with any man. The thing I really liked about her was the fact that she was no wallflower, she knew how to defend herself and she was a lot more observant than anyone gave her credit for, she knew that she could work the unsuspecting girl angle to gather information. I think it would be safe to say that I love an alpha hero and this was our guy Callum to a tee, he worked the refined classy businessman image and used this to hide his darker side. I loved that he was so fiercely protective and that he was not afraid to get his hands dirty.

The connection and chemistry between Aida and Callum was electric. These two started of on a bad foot which only added fuel to their already existent dislike for each other, but living together brought about a new much stronger attraction between them and I for one was all for this steamy intense connection. I loved their banter and the constant spark between them. I just loved getting to see them go for strangers to lovers and getting to see their love grow as the book progressed. I think one of my favourite parts of this book was the strawberry scene, this was both hilarious and really set the ball moving in their relationship. I really liked that once they lowered their walls they began to open up and share with each other, but most of all I liked that they listened to each other, this is largely how Callum ultimately saved Aida.

The side characters in this book were fantastic! I loved both families, the Gallos and Griffins were so full of life and zing that it made reading this book all the more enjoyable. Aida’s brothers were amazing! I loved each one of them and I just can not wait to get my hands on their books! As for Callum’s younger sister, well as innocent as she came across I think Nessa is going to be an interesting one to follow next.

I loved that this was not just a romance novel but that it had a side plot laced into the overall story, which also helped set up the next book in the Brutal Birth Right series. Now without getting into to much detail I liked that we got a glimpse of the other mafias that are in town also vying for power and control, but it was Aida’s psycho ex that really had me going WTF is going on, this guy was plain crazy!

Brutal Prince is a total MUST read, this book is the perfect mix of angsty drama, fiery characters, steamy banter and hate to love perfection! I can not wait to read the rest of the books in this series!

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Arranged marriage
Forced proximity
Mafia romance
Hate to love

Book Info:

Publication: August 1, 2023 | Bloom Books | Brutal Birthright #1

He’s No Prince Charming…

Callum Griffin is the heir to the Irish Mafia. He’s ruthless, arrogant, and he wants to kill me.

We got off on the wrong foot when I set a (very small) fire in his house.

Our families believe a marriage pact is the only thing that will prevent all-out warfare.

I think I might need to murder him while he sleeps.

This would all be a lot easier if Callum wasn’t so damned good-looking.

But I’ve got a lockbox around my heart. Because even if I’m forced to marry him…

I could never love a brutal prince.