REVIEW: Not Mine to Keep by Brittney Sahin

In Not Mine to Keep by Brittney Sahin, Calliope’s world changed in the blink of an eye about a year ago when she learned she was the last living heir of a mob boss. And not just any mob boss, nope, the family she is descended from is the longest running crime syndicate in Sicily. Having bodyguards surrounding her as Calliope attempts to remain her normal self, teaching at the local high school and going to music gigs on the side is just plain weird. Then she runs into a gorgeous, obviously wealthy man named Alessandro at a charity event. And Calliope’s world further shifts. He’s in a position to keep her safe from her mob boss father but she’ll have to decide between two equally discouraging options: go on the run to a safe house or marry Alessandro–temporarily–until he and his family can take down her ailing father.

‘The movie description of my life would be something along the lines of, A mafia princess who wants nothing to do with the evil crown longs for the freedom she once had before learning the truth of her origins.’

Alessandro knows it’s a lot for Calliope to take in when he explains what needs to happen in order for her to remain as safe as possible. And while her sassy comebacks rather amuse him, he also knows it points toward her having a steel backbone–something that she’ll need with either choice she makes. But Alessandro didn’t realize his assignment to keep watch over Calliope would be so difficult because of how crazy attracted he is to her. It’s something that could prove to be a distraction. No matter how much he tries to stay away from her, when possible, she’s always on his mind. And Alessandro doesn’t know if he’ll be able to fully let go of Calliope once her father is dead and he doesn’t have to watch out for her anymore.

“I’ll protect your life with my own. Always. …But don’t trust me when it comes to your heart, okay?”

A novel where the couple fought their attraction almost as fiercely as they fought the bad guys, NOT MINE TO KEEP was a sensual mafia romance with morally gray characters you can’t help but like.

‘There could be light without dark, and our love was proof of that.’

Talk about your twists, turns, and double crossings! Author Brittney Sahin continued the Costa Family series with a marriage of convenience and a couple whose lives were taken from zero to sixty. Between the constant danger, their forced relationship, and the undeniable chemistry Alessandro and Calliope couldn’t shake, NOT MINE TO KEEP was one fast-paced book. But Sahin didn’t skimp in the least with the intense emotions her writing conveyed or how detailed she was in showing the camaraderie and closeness of the Costa family.

Told from dual POV, I think Calliope and Alessandro will be main characters that readers will immediately like. They were opposites attract–Calliope was a modest high school history teacher and musician, while Alessandro was a billionaire businessman and former military. But they were actually similar in all the ways that counted. I loved that they both put others before themselves. Particularly family–and later on, each other. Alessandro and Calliope had insane attraction from the start and honestly it was almost comical to see how hard they fought it. Besides their bickering as they tried to stay away from one another, my favorite parts were where they were sweet and just spent time together, listening when one of them needed to talk something out or being a shoulder to lean on. It was real, touching, and oh so sigh-worthy.

The mile-a-minute plot is the other part that I think readers will enjoy. All of the deceit and pivots that happened were expertly woven in, making this an unputdownable story that I kept thinking I had figured out only to be surprised several times. And from what I understand, perusing Sahin’s other books, it appears that there are several Easter eggs in Calliope and Alessandro’s travels that fans will pick up on quickly.

QOTD: Have you ready anything by Brittney Sahin? If so, any favorites I should check out?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: September 24th, 2024 | Montlake | The Costa Family #2

A playboy billionaire and a mafioso’s daughter ignite dangerous passions, vengeance, and betrayal in a sizzling novel of suspense by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brittney Sahin.

The name DiMaggio means mafia royalty, but Calliope, the dynasty’s last living heir, is no princess. A teacher and singer in Nashville, she’s moved as far away from the generations-old criminal legacy as she can. But she still can’t escape her dying father’s wicked reach, or his plans for her arranged marriage to carry on the family name.

Playboy Alessandro Costa has a different plan: marry her himself—temporarily. It’ll give him a chance to take down the DiMaggio patriarch and his empire, settle an old debt, and save Calliope from a catastrophic fate. But when the attraction between them sizzles, business becomes pleasure and a marriage game becomes the real thing.

It only raises the stakes—and the danger. Because now they are living in the shadow of violent men who’ll do whatever it takes to destroy them. With their love and their lives on the line, Calliope and Alessandro are ready to fight fire with fire.