Book Review-Machiavellian

bella di corte

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review

First Impressions

Machiavellian is the first book in the “Gangsters of New York” but it is connected to the “Fausti Family” series and the timeline on this book happens around the time of the early books of the Fausti’s. Machiavellian is a story of a man born within power but had a unhinged father and had to compete with a half brother and was betrayed by a woman he was betrothed to. He survived the betrayal and has stayed hidden in the shadows and created a new identity and he doesn’t trust many people except those that he consider his family. But there is one woman he would die for ….his butterfly. The woman he sacrificed everything for And he will show her that her beauty is from within and that there is one man that will possess her but protect her at all costs.

Book Evaluation:

Plot: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
Hero: 5/5
Heroine: 4/5
Intimacy Level: 4/5
Relationship Building: 5/5
Heart & Feels: 5/5
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 5/5
Page Turner Level: 4/5
Narration: 4/5
Ending: 5/5
Overall View: 5/5

The Main Protagonists

The Hero: Capo/Mac

The Heroine: Mariposa

What I Loved

From the get go I was behind the hero on this one. The prologue that we see with him will pull you so quickly into the story and will make you see what he is fighting for himself. It shows the history behind his motivations. The story does start a bit slow at first, you have to be patient with it. This is how Bella Di Corte can write at times. She sets the scene and the characters before really capturing the essence of the story. What I truly adore about this author is how utterly captivating and rich her world buidling is. Its so rich and vibrant and not many authors will write such settings that feel so real when you read them. And she does it so flawlessly from beginning to end. The actual romance between Capo and Mariposa was deep and connecting. I was so entrenched within the story here. Seeing the way in which the heroine is trying to figure out what is happening with Capo, the marriage of convenience and how easily she embraces change. We get to see so many characters that you have fallen in love with within the fausti family which was incredible. The chemistry between these two is fire. And its not about sex. The way that the author truly writes their story really tugs at the heartstrings and you will want to cheer these two onto their happy ending. And it is a battle. They are both in danger and it will take the love that they build for each other that will save them in the end. Seeing how they rely on each other and support one another is what worked the best within the story. They have such commitment and loyalty because it started young for them. You also see the secondary connections that they make to each other and how important those are. There is such a gradual relationship that is built from beginning to end. They both learn to compromise and adjust to each other’s personalities and it is beyond powerful.

What I Struggled With

Not much lol The beginning was a bit slow and I had some issues with the narration so it didn’t quite make it to 6 stars for me but it was definitely a true KEEPER for this reader.

Narration

I took a part off of my rating due to the narration. Not that it was super horrible or anything, but I wasn’t a fan of the narrator for the heroine. Something about the tones of voices that she used turned me off a bit and kept me out of the story at times.

Overall Thoughts

Machiavellian is a rich and jewel of mafia romance…..it will bring true commitment, childhood connections and characters that will die for each other

Book Details

Title: Machiavellian

Author: Bella Di Corte

Series #: 1

Publication Date: May 8 2020

Publisher: Self Published

Genre: Dark Romance

Narrator: Kae Nenino, Armen Taylor

Length: 14 Hours and 50 Minutes

Tropes/Character Types: Mafia, Recluse Hero, Rags to Riches, Childhood Ties, Protector, Marriage of Convenience, Crime, Touch her and Die, Anti Hero, Revenge, Age Gap

Spice Level: Steamy-the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.

POV: Duo POV

Music Song That Is Themed After This Book: Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey.

I hungered to be seen.

There were three things I knew about Capo Macchiavello:

He was gorgeous.
He was reclusive.
He was considered one of New York’s most savage animals.

And he wanted me as his wife. A simple arrangement – you do for me, I do for you. Nothing owed, no expectations. Except for one: never leave.

Life was never that simple, though. By the age of twenty-one, I was parentless, jobless, and homeless, and I had come to learn the hard way that nothing was ever free. Even kindness comes with strings.

Capo might’ve been the only man to ever see me, but I had made a vow to myself: I would never owe anyone anything. Most of all, the man I called boss.

I killed to stay hidden.

Mariposa Flores thought she owed nothing to no one, but she owed everything…to me, the ghost the world had once called The Machiavellian Prince of New York.