A harmless kiss led to a fairy tale. Or so I thought. But unlike the happily-ever-afters you read about, my tale didn’t end with a wedding gown and roses.
My fairy tale turned into a heartbreak. Inked in pain and sealed in tears.
It almost cost me my life. And my family.
He moved on as if nothing ever happened, while I was left to pick up the pieces.
Now, he’s back and he wants me.
To him, I’m a pawn to be used. Leverage. But I’m no longer his. I’m his brother’s betrothed.
Stuck between two brothers, the push and pull unbearable. One wants me, the other needs me. But the Leone brothers will learn that this queen won’t be a pawn.
To me, they are both men deserving of pain and poison.
My family thinks I’ll accept my fate.
Well, I plan to fight it.
This book is part of a trilogy and can’t be read on its own.
Going in, I knew exactly what was going to happen after the cliffhanger in Bitter Prince. Or so I thought. This one is even more of an emotional rollercoaster than the first but it’s so worth it. Reina showed her immense strength here and proved to be quite the badass. She impressed me throughout and I have no doubt she’ll continue to do so throughout the series, especially because I expect what’s coming to be the hardest thing she’s ever faced.
For those familiar with the Thorns of Omerta series, this is where the friends finally spill all the tea about the body and it’s so much fun. I was expecting it to be more emotional when it all came out, but it’s surprisingly blasé. It has to be, since they’re burned out from the intensity and have had their emotions wrung dry in every way. Amon showed his strength and his weakness here, so that little but of vulnerability we see was a bit of a surprise. It’s also kind of adorable coming from the mafia prince who’s killed in cold blood.
This book was unputdownable for so many reasons, like the fact that all the emotional turmoil is somewhat balanced by Reina’s DGAF new attitude. I loved seeing her stand up for herself and refuse to let anyone else decide her fate. I also have a whole new appreciation for Dante since I’m pretty sure he suggested the marriage arrangement, purely to spur Amon into action. I wasn’t a big fan until it finally hit me that he’s the catalyst and he’s doing this to force Amon’s hand. Sure, he wants to kill his brother right now, but he’ll be thanking Dante later. I’d like to thank the author and Candi Kane PR for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
