Reviews with content warning for Gore - Nero

This was my sixth book by S.J. Tilly, prior to this I read her Darling Lake Series (small-town contemporary romance) and her Sleet Series (hockey rom-com). I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of a mafia romance from her. After reading this book I think it is safe to say she is a writing genius. Her ability to go from creating the cinnamon roll/golden retriever men to writing dark and broody alphaholes is amazing. I was in love with Nero from the beginning (though that probably says more about my brain than her writing lol).

I absolutely LOVED this story. I loved Nero and Payton's relationship, I loved the pacing, I loved Payton's ability to be an independent badass but to also recognize that she doesn't always need to be that way. My heart ached for her during multiple scenes in this book. I am not a crier, but some scenes almost brought me to tears due to the overwhelm of emotions. Payton was extremely relatable and S.J. did an amazing job conveying the emotions Payton and Nero felt throughout the book.

For those wondering about the spice: it's there, it's detailed, it's pretty frequent. There's also fluff to go along with it!

I wish I could give this book a higher rating, I loved it so much. If you're a mafia romance person I definitely recommend checking this book out.

PS, we get glimpses of King in this book, and I am so freaking excited to read his book and the rest of this series.

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andeng's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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rickireadss's review against another edition

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4.0

WOW!! i picked this up because book 3 just released and i am in LOVE with this series!! s.j. writes in such a way that A) i'm immediately hooked in and B) i don't want to put the book down. i ate this one up so fast. it has some scenes that are lowkey a little icky for me

mainly the whole virgin blood scene..... nero wtf?!?!

but overall i had a GREAT time. i'm honestly kind of a sucker for the whole "stalking" and "he broke into my house but not to hurt me" vibes of this and can't wait to read the next one!

⚠️: murder, violence, torture, stalking, domestic abuse, sexual assault (threat), child abuse, blood, trafficking, gun violence, car accident, emotional abuse, abandonment, gore, body horror, kidnapping, injury/injury detail, fatphobia, death

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noellelovesbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

Content Warnings: Sexual content, gun violence, violence, murder, blood/gore, kidnapping, stalking, domestic abuse, fatphobia, and dubcon.
Mention of: rape, child abuse, mental and physical abuse, and trafficking.

I saw this book rec'd for people just getting into dark romance so I figured I'd give it a try. If you like a man with red flags you'll happily ignore...Nero is the man for you. haha So many moments of...this shouldn't be hot this is very bad behavior...and yet 🔥

The overall story of Nero and Payton was a lot of fun to read though I do wish we got a little more detail. Too many times it felt like something was mentioned, that is important and we should know more about, and then it wouldn't be mentioned again. Hoping that the next book that features King gives us a little more context and info.

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hariboreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Loved the start of this as much as I loved the ending. Was certainly an unusual introduction and I loved it. Seriously possessive mmc and his perfect fmc. Great mix of plot and romance

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