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The Villain #1
Devious
*A Dark Mafia Romance*
It's time to pay my father's debt.
Nobody is stupid enough to steal from him, Cayden Vitali.
They call him Devious for a reason. He doesn't let his debts go unpaid. He collects what he's owed.
Lex Bartoli works for Devious. Lex should know better than to steal his money. But mistakes were made, and now it's time to pay.
Unfortunately for me, Devious knows exactly what he wants as payment for Lex's stupid mistake.
Me.
Lex's daughter.
If I won't agree to marry Devious, he has another way of making my family pay.
The choice is mine.
Marry the enemy... or watch him kill my father as payback.
Devious is a mafia book with an arranged marriage, enemies to lovers and an age gap romance.
This book is getting rewritten and updated
It's time to pay my father's debt.
Nobody is stupid enough to steal from him, Cayden Vitali.
They call him Devious for a reason. He doesn't let his debts go unpaid. He collects what he's owed.
Lex Bartoli works for Devious. Lex should know better than to steal his money. But mistakes were made, and now it's time to pay.
Unfortunately for me, Devious knows exactly what he wants as payment for Lex's stupid mistake.
Me.
Lex's daughter.
If I won't agree to marry Devious, he has another way of making my family pay.
The choice is mine.
Marry the enemy... or watch him kill my father as payback.
Devious is a mafia book with an arranged marriage, enemies to lovers and an age gap romance.
This book is getting rewritten and updated
Kindle Edition
First published July 19, 2020
98 people are currently reading
500 people want to read
About the author
J.M. Stoneback
19 books198 followersI am an indie author. I write contemporary romance and dark mafia l romance. Love to read and write, enjoy playing video games and watch anime.
My book Heartless Boss is free if you sign up for my newsletter.
Gunner is one of my favorite alphas heroes I ever written.
If your into 🧁Broken Alphahole 🧁Office Romance
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My book Heartless Boss is free if you sign up for my newsletter.
Gunner is one of my favorite alphas heroes I ever written.
If your into 🧁Broken Alphahole 🧁Office Romance
🧁A quiry heroine 🧁Angsty
Then this book for you.
#jmstoneback #contemporaryromance #freebies
https://www.subscribepage.com/jmstone...
Want to connect with me? Follow me on:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/J.M.Stoneback
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/jeanie0328
FB group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/13077...
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jean0328
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
July 9, 2020
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫3.5 stars
The concept for this book was great, the execution, however, was flawed. The writing was a bit Wattpad-y with a lot of errors that I hope will be edited for the release. Greece was referred to as a city which brought back nightmares of “England is my City” and Jake Paul. Additionally, the phrase “laundry money” was used instead of “laundered money” quite often. The end was also... odd? I think it could have been made into a duet, but then it wasn’t or something. It was peculiar.
Roselyn/Nymph (19) was not my favorite heroine of all time, but I liked her a whole lot more than the hero. Her whole plot line with Atrocious (what an atrocious name) was a little unnecessary to me. The plot could have been reshaped in that way. She was an artist, which I liked because it gave her character, but other than that she had a wish-washy personality that changed back and forth throughout the book. She also switched between calling the hero Cayden and Devious without obvious explanation.
Cayden/Devious (31) was not a good portrayal of a mob boss. I have never met one, but he is not what I imagine one would be. It was just weird, a little hard to explain. He was super intense and scary sometimes, yet a little too normal in others. In the authors defense, the only really good mob bosses I have seen written are by Cora Reilly and that is about it, maybe Sarah Brianne too. He had the personality of a door knob and I don’t think he truly had sociopathic traits as the author indicated.
Overall, if you really like mafia romance, why not give this a try? There aren’t too many out there and this is definitely a relatively good one!
*Thanks to the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*
The concept for this book was great, the execution, however, was flawed. The writing was a bit Wattpad-y with a lot of errors that I hope will be edited for the release. Greece was referred to as a city which brought back nightmares of “England is my City” and Jake Paul. Additionally, the phrase “laundry money” was used instead of “laundered money” quite often. The end was also... odd? I think it could have been made into a duet, but then it wasn’t or something. It was peculiar.
Roselyn/Nymph (19) was not my favorite heroine of all time, but I liked her a whole lot more than the hero. Her whole plot line with Atrocious (what an atrocious name) was a little unnecessary to me. The plot could have been reshaped in that way. She was an artist, which I liked because it gave her character, but other than that she had a wish-washy personality that changed back and forth throughout the book. She also switched between calling the hero Cayden and Devious without obvious explanation.
Cayden/Devious (31) was not a good portrayal of a mob boss. I have never met one, but he is not what I imagine one would be. It was just weird, a little hard to explain. He was super intense and scary sometimes, yet a little too normal in others. In the authors defense, the only really good mob bosses I have seen written are by Cora Reilly and that is about it, maybe Sarah Brianne too. He had the personality of a door knob and I don’t think he truly had sociopathic traits as the author indicated.
Overall, if you really like mafia romance, why not give this a try? There aren’t too many out there and this is definitely a relatively good one!
*Thanks to the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*
October 31, 2020
I have to be honest and say that this was quite disappointing for me. From the blurb I was expecting a total alpha but what I got was an emotionally weak male character. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think men who cry are weak but Devious cried quite a few times and over two characters that didn’t deserve it! His love for his ex fiancé I found weak and did nothing for his alpha image. The heroine I think was a lot better and she actually seemed stronger with her emotions than he was. Probably the first time in a long time I can say the male lead was just too weak for my tastes and disappointing in my expectation of an anti hero. Book also needs to be edited a bit as the grammar was not all that great. Not the worst read but could have been a lot better.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2021
strong dnf. and strong strong TW.
usually, and I mean usually your girl loves her dark romance, I do. I thrive with it. But I cannot handle when a character is r*ped repeatedly and then the love story is between her and her rapist. this was this book. Granted I didn’t read the TW but I think this was marketed as dub-con when in fact there was no gray area— this was straight r*pe. What a start to my Sunday. Gonna go wash the bad taste out of my mouth.
usually, and I mean usually your girl loves her dark romance, I do. I thrive with it. But I cannot handle when a character is r*ped repeatedly and then the love story is between her and her rapist. this was this book. Granted I didn’t read the TW but I think this was marketed as dub-con when in fact there was no gray area— this was straight r*pe. What a start to my Sunday. Gonna go wash the bad taste out of my mouth.
October 11, 2021
1⭐️
i skimmed through the last 30% because honestly, this isn't even a romance. not into "heroes" raping the heroine because "they are your wife and you can do anything to them". um bye. the only reason i finished it, is because its short af.
“I’ll kill anyone who tries to harm you. I’ll burn down this city if it means keeping you safe.”
i skimmed through the last 30% because honestly, this isn't even a romance. not into "heroes" raping the heroine because "they are your wife and you can do anything to them". um bye. the only reason i finished it, is because its short af.
October 31, 2020
THE REVIEW FOR THE BOOK: DEVIOUS.
I really love all Mafia Romance. I have read almost every book out there so I can say that this book was a good read. But it lacks originality for the plot.
It started with a father owing to a debt to a Mafia King, a daughter stepping in to save him from death and a forced marriage comes next in the picture.
I loved the main characters... They were totally opposite of each other but they fit perfectly.
Devious was a Cruel guy but he had a sweet side which only Roselyn could see. They have some passionate moments that I adored.
It was a quick pace good read to indulge in if you are into Mafia Romance.
I really love all Mafia Romance. I have read almost every book out there so I can say that this book was a good read. But it lacks originality for the plot.
It started with a father owing to a debt to a Mafia King, a daughter stepping in to save him from death and a forced marriage comes next in the picture.
I loved the main characters... They were totally opposite of each other but they fit perfectly.
Devious was a Cruel guy but he had a sweet side which only Roselyn could see. They have some passionate moments that I adored.
It was a quick pace good read to indulge in if you are into Mafia Romance.
January 2, 2023
Conflicted
While this is not a bad book there were just some things I couldn’t get past.
Lex sells Rosalyn (his daughter) to Devious so settle a debt but leaves her 20 million and 3 houses in a will? Then Devious gives her 5 grand a week so she’s not broke? None of this makes much sense.
I also didn’t like the that Devious was a human trafficker and into the black market organ trade 😖.
Devious never becomes a likeable character because he never feels remorse except for what he has done to Rosalyn and she isn’t really likeable either. Both of them come off as not too bright either..
Anyways … I’m going right on into the next book to see what happens to Aiden and Maya because that part of the story is still not finished.
While this is not a bad book there were just some things I couldn’t get past.
Lex sells Rosalyn (his daughter) to Devious so settle a debt but leaves her 20 million and 3 houses in a will? Then Devious gives her 5 grand a week so she’s not broke? None of this makes much sense.
I also didn’t like the that Devious was a human trafficker and into the black market organ trade 😖.
Devious never becomes a likeable character because he never feels remorse except for what he has done to Rosalyn and she isn’t really likeable either. Both of them come off as not too bright either..
Anyways … I’m going right on into the next book to see what happens to Aiden and Maya because that part of the story is still not finished.
Read
July 9, 2020🌺CURRENT READ🌺
Blurb:
*A Dark Mafia Romance*
It's time to pay my father's debt.
Nobody is stupid enough to steal from him, Cayden Vitali.
They call him Devious for a reason. He doesn't let his debts go unpaid. He collects what he's owed.
Lex Bartoli works for Devious. Lex should know better than to steal his money. But mistakes were made, and now it's time to pay.
Unfortunately for me, Devious knows exactly what he wants as payment for Lex's stupid mistake.
Me.
Lex's daughter.
If I won't agree to marry Devious, he has another way of making my family pay.
The choice is mine.
Marry the enemy... or watch him kill my father as payback.
Devious is a mafia book with an arranged marriage, enemies to lovers and an age gap romance.
Blurb:
*A Dark Mafia Romance*
It's time to pay my father's debt.
Nobody is stupid enough to steal from him, Cayden Vitali.
They call him Devious for a reason. He doesn't let his debts go unpaid. He collects what he's owed.
Lex Bartoli works for Devious. Lex should know better than to steal his money. But mistakes were made, and now it's time to pay.
Unfortunately for me, Devious knows exactly what he wants as payment for Lex's stupid mistake.
Me.
Lex's daughter.
If I won't agree to marry Devious, he has another way of making my family pay.
The choice is mine.
Marry the enemy... or watch him kill my father as payback.
Devious is a mafia book with an arranged marriage, enemies to lovers and an age gap romance.
July 9, 2020
The blurb made it seem like this was going to be soooooo good but once again I am met with another novel that didn’t live up to the hype, leaving me with a less than thrilling reading experience.
After taking on ‘Devious’, I come to realize it pretty much followed the cliche format of most mafia romances. Daddy does something wrong, a pure and beautiful daughter steps in to pay the debts of her parents mistake, marries the mob boss and then an epic romance ensues. Not the most original storyline but I have read worse.
For the most part, I didn’t get much out of this read with its predictable plot, off putting writing style/flow and weak ass heroine who had made me grind my teeth more than I could count. It was just a meh and forgettable read.
February 8, 2022
This book bordered on abusive a lot, which I didn't find necessary. I didn't find a connection between the two main characters at all. The hero - almost seemed bipolar at times, being sharing and nice, abusive, and rapey next. Not my cup of tea.
June 30, 2021
"Most days, he’s being cruel like the devil, and other days he’s acting like a dutiful husband. He’s giving me whiplash. No matter how sweet Devious is to me, I can’t fall for him."
Incessantly dark and Devious lives up to his name, it's a tumultuous road, never thought they had a chance considering the basis of their relationship. Heart-pounding and jaw dropping, I couldn't put it down.
"I crave his possessiveness. I love the way he craves me the way I crave him. What we have is…toxic. But I don’t care. When it feels right, it feels right."
Incessantly dark and Devious lives up to his name, it's a tumultuous road, never thought they had a chance considering the basis of their relationship. Heart-pounding and jaw dropping, I couldn't put it down.
"I crave his possessiveness. I love the way he craves me the way I crave him. What we have is…toxic. But I don’t care. When it feels right, it feels right."
July 22, 2020
Mafia and fake marriage. Till the things get real. I'll be honest. At the beginning of the story i felt a little trapped in that Classic plot when it comes to this kind of trope, then slowly, the story grown on me. The bad guy, Devious has for sure a story to tell. She's more complex. She alternate moments when she's sure about her feelings with others where she's completely controlled by doubts or other dynamic of the story. He's the strong character of this book. She's not a weak heroine, but sometimes I felt her eclipsed by him. She's most of the time a challenge for Devious. Till he start falling for her. And even then he still dawn on her sass.
Now their love story has its own lights and shadows.
But overall, this is a good and angsty Mafia story coated in romance.
*ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
Now their love story has its own lights and shadows.
But overall, this is a good and angsty Mafia story coated in romance.
*ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
November 1, 2020
This story had all the bones of a story I love- I LOVE arranged marriage, I love mafa, love the heroine offered to pay a debt to a dangerou man storyline- give it to me all day. Mafia is my JAM. And, while there were parts of this story I enjoyed, it fell a bit flat for me. The blurb had me all excited for a dark story with the alpahhole man and that addictive push-pull chemistry, and it just didn’t quite seem to deliver on that story, at least for me.
I’m sure others will find a lot to like here, but I didn’t really connect or get invested in either Roselyn or Devious. Roselyn fell more in the annoying, brash, overly mouthy trope father than the kick a, strong heroine category, at least for me. Her recklessness and poor decisions just didn’t work for me, and outside of that I felt like her character didn’t evolve much. And Devious- hmm...well he just didn’t fit my mafia man mold. That’s not necessarily a bad thing- I love when authors challenge genre tropes, but from the blurb I expected a darker, more alpha man, a man benefitting his name and title. But he really wasn’t. He started out as a jerk- at times a bit icky,
The story also didn’t really flow for me- general plot placing but also character progression and chemistry, parts were super rushed and under developed- and that combined with characters I didn’t love, it just didn’t scratch my mafia itch.
Read
May 16, 2021This book is finished and going to the person who formats my book. I'm so excited for people to read the new version of it. 91k words, the book will be kinda thick.
October 30, 2020
I am a sucker when it comes to a good mafia book and Devious was that for me. I took a chance on a new author to me and I wasn’t disappointed. The characters are well developed and the storyline is intriguing and suspenseful and let’s not forget my new favorite trope- enemies to lovers. Devious is a major alphahole and the Don of the mafia families. Roselyn knows what her father does for his family and the money is good working as an underboss but he has a slight gambling addiction. Her father has crossed Devious one too many times and the choice is either been killed in front of her or marrying Devious. What started out as an arranged/forced marriage grows into something deeper. What will they do when they are at war with the Irish Mafia? Will Devious live up to his name sake and be the Don that is expected of him?
November 7, 2020
Mafia stories are high on my jam list because they tend to get me all kinds of crazy with my emotions. That being said, Devious just didn't quite hit that mark for me because I wasn't a fan of the MCs. Devious isn't that dark anti-hero that I come to love or hate, as he just seemed weak to me. And Roselyn was too wishy washy in her inner monologue as the best arranged marriage tropes have a fierce heroine who won't back down in my opinion. She did have flashes of sass, just not enough for me when it comes to this world. I guess I just need more grit to these types of stories. I know I'm in a funk lately about many books, so please don't go by what I said because of said funk since I'm sure it's just me. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that y'all hit those one click buttons to decide for yourselves because everyone isn't dark & twisty like I am!
October 30, 2020
I loved the characters in Devious, I just wish there was a bit more to it! I absolutely love dark mafia romances and would have liked to seen a little bit more of the darkness to story while reading this. There is definitely a good plot, though expected, here and I can see where JM Stoneback was going with it!
All in all, this was an entertaining read just go into it with a fresh mind and no preconceived notions and you will enjoy it! I give it a 4 outta 5!
PS: Thank you to the author and Give Me Books PR for allowing me an advanced copy of the book to read and review honestly.
All in all, this was an entertaining read just go into it with a fresh mind and no preconceived notions and you will enjoy it! I give it a 4 outta 5!
PS: Thank you to the author and Give Me Books PR for allowing me an advanced copy of the book to read and review honestly.
May 28, 2021
Devious is the head of the mafia family and ruthless. Lex is an underboss and he has a gambling problem. Lex made the mistake of stealing and now Devious demands his daughter Roselyn or his death as payment. Roselyn knows she has to marry Devious in order to save her father's life. The two end up being a good match despite their differences. A decent read.
I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am leaving a review.
I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am leaving a review.
June 5, 2021
Story line is great, and I loved the characters. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it! Unexpected twists and turns had me reading this book in one sitting. Great storyline and character development made this book a hot and enjoyable read!
November 2, 2020
3.5 stars
I had high hopes for this story. However, I struggled with this book. The premise of the story was great and had the potential to be so much more than it turned out to be. However, I struggled because the story fell short which frustrated me because it really did have great potential.
Even though this was not my favorite I still appreciate the author and her hard work.
I had high hopes for this story. However, I struggled with this book. The premise of the story was great and had the potential to be so much more than it turned out to be. However, I struggled because the story fell short which frustrated me because it really did have great potential.
Even though this was not my favorite I still appreciate the author and her hard work.
April 7, 2021
Needs an editor
Good story, but has many grammatical errors. It could really use an editor. It's off putting, but I did finish it.
Good story, but has many grammatical errors. It could really use an editor. It's off putting, but I did finish it.
May 17, 2021
A decent mafia, revenge,arranged marriage read. Enjoyable plot and characters. A good read but not quite as epic as I had hoped for but worth the afternoon I spend with it.
April 3, 2021
Devious is a Don in the mafia and he needs a wife to give him heirs but he learned a long time ago not to trust women . He also learned not to fall in love.
Roselyn’s father owes a debt and in the mob you don’t marry for love. You have an arranged marriage to better the familia. She is to do as Devious tells her , give him children, and keep her mouth shut .
When both start to feel more than they planned they don’t know how to move forward without being toxic. I grew to love them both but Devious wasn’t the flowers and candy kind of guy. He’s the bend you over and fuck you hard kind of guy who probably came home drenched in the blood of his enemies that day .
I loved his ott jealous and possessiveness. I am
now obsessed with this author’s work and I can’t wait for Aiden’s story !
Roselyn’s father owes a debt and in the mob you don’t marry for love. You have an arranged marriage to better the familia. She is to do as Devious tells her , give him children, and keep her mouth shut .
When both start to feel more than they planned they don’t know how to move forward without being toxic. I grew to love them both but Devious wasn’t the flowers and candy kind of guy. He’s the bend you over and fuck you hard kind of guy who probably came home drenched in the blood of his enemies that day .
I loved his ott jealous and possessiveness. I am
now obsessed with this author’s work and I can’t wait for Aiden’s story !
May 16, 2021
I read this as an ARC member as I was curious about this author and this book. I have to say the story of Roselyn and Devious really is as dark as it is described to be. I struggled a bit with parts of this story because it is so very dark and because Devious punishes Roselyn not only for her own mistake but for people in Devious past. He takes their betrayal out on her and that is not right when he is supposed to be someone who values loyalty and trust above all else and then never gives that to her because of someone else. Roselyn is forced to marry Devious because her father stole from him and from the first second he treats her so badly and then punish her byond reason when she tries to defend herself. The story gets a little easier towards the end, but I still dislike that she suffers so much for a past and people who had nothing to do with her.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 5, 2020
I'm Torn....
In Devious, J.M. Stoneback introduces her readers to Devious himself, a mob boss who takes an unwilling bride to pay off her father's debt. While I was a fan of the storyline, I was not a fan of our leading man. He was a complete jackass, all the while a big whiny baby about love and being loved. He is one mob boss with a LOT of emotional baggage.
This is a typical story of forced love if you will. Devious's bride Roselyn, wasn't as annoying as him, however I wasn't really connecting to her either. I felt they were both written clunky and over the top. As if J.M. Stoneback wanted to write a dark mafia book, yet still try and stay in tuned with a younger audience. For example, the mob boss having a social media presence. That didn't make too much sense to me.
The book has a storyline that kept me interested, but also over-descripted with a lot of grammatical errors that will hopefully be corrected before publication. I'm not sure if this is a novella series, as there isn't an indication and the story seems to wrap up at warp speed and the end.
Reviewed for Renee Entress's Blog.
In Devious, J.M. Stoneback introduces her readers to Devious himself, a mob boss who takes an unwilling bride to pay off her father's debt. While I was a fan of the storyline, I was not a fan of our leading man. He was a complete jackass, all the while a big whiny baby about love and being loved. He is one mob boss with a LOT of emotional baggage.
This is a typical story of forced love if you will. Devious's bride Roselyn, wasn't as annoying as him, however I wasn't really connecting to her either. I felt they were both written clunky and over the top. As if J.M. Stoneback wanted to write a dark mafia book, yet still try and stay in tuned with a younger audience. For example, the mob boss having a social media presence. That didn't make too much sense to me.
The book has a storyline that kept me interested, but also over-descripted with a lot of grammatical errors that will hopefully be corrected before publication. I'm not sure if this is a novella series, as there isn't an indication and the story seems to wrap up at warp speed and the end.
Reviewed for Renee Entress's Blog.
October 30, 2020
I feel awful for saying this, but I had a really hard time connecting with the characters in this book. Roselyn had a lot of potential at being a kick ass fmc, but I found her to be super annoying. She ended up coming across as very bratty, indecisive, and rash instead of the sassy strong willed woman the blurb painted her to be. She also made a lot of dumb choices for someone who supposedly grew up in the mob and was groomed to be a boss’s lady. The only redeeming thing about Roselyn was that she was an artist and had all these plans for herself, but her arc just kind of fell flat.
Same for Cayden/Devious, he had a lot of potential but isn’t what I picture when I think of a mob boss. His character was honestly super boring, no personality whatsoever, and not at all as psychotic as I expected him to be. The blurb made it seem like he was bloodthirsty and well a deviant (as his name implies), but nope. He just wasn’t what I expected.
Please note this is just my opinion and you may think this book is amazing. I just didn’t 🤷🏻♀️
Same for Cayden/Devious, he had a lot of potential but isn’t what I picture when I think of a mob boss. His character was honestly super boring, no personality whatsoever, and not at all as psychotic as I expected him to be. The blurb made it seem like he was bloodthirsty and well a deviant (as his name implies), but nope. He just wasn’t what I expected.
Please note this is just my opinion and you may think this book is amazing. I just didn’t 🤷🏻♀️
June 22, 2021
Wow…Devious is filled with so much twists, turns, things going sideways, secrets, revelations, emotions, and lots of heat 🔥🌡. Devious and Roselyn are very intense together. They both come from similar backgrounds and even without the best examples of what a loving and healthy relationship looks like they make their relationship work. I will stop there so I don’t give anything away. Devious has some scenes that could be a trigger so be very careful to read the warning ⛔️ from the author. This is the first book I have read from J.M. Stoneback and it won’t be the last. I really enjoyed the style of writing that J.M. has and love his characters (even if some resembles anti heroes instead of heroes. Next up in the Villain Collection is Villainous (Devious’s twin brother). I can’t wait for it to be released. I plan on checking out some of the other books written by J.M. Love Defies Us looks and sounds like it will be an entertaining read! As you already guessed by now I highly recommend Devious and hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Have fun and get lost reading all about Devious.
June 9, 2021
Devious by J.M. Stoneback is a dark mafia romance. This is the first book in A Villain Collection series.
The book comes with a caution/warning "Devious is a mafia book with an arranged marriage, enemies to lovers and an age gap romance. This book contains graphic violence, dubious content, and may contains triggers."
This is the first book of J.M.'s that I have read and it definitely won't be my last. I really enjoyed the relationship between Cayden "Devious" and Roselyn. Their relationship is messed up but you couldn't help but root for them to figure it out. I really enjoyed getting Roselyn, Devious, and Cashel's points of view.
I can't wait for the next book in the series Villainous to be released on August 31, 2021 so I can get Aiden and Maya's story.
I would recommend this book if you like mafia romances, arranged marriages, enemies to lovers, or age gap romances.
The book comes with a caution/warning "Devious is a mafia book with an arranged marriage, enemies to lovers and an age gap romance. This book contains graphic violence, dubious content, and may contains triggers."
This is the first book of J.M.'s that I have read and it definitely won't be my last. I really enjoyed the relationship between Cayden "Devious" and Roselyn. Their relationship is messed up but you couldn't help but root for them to figure it out. I really enjoyed getting Roselyn, Devious, and Cashel's points of view.
I can't wait for the next book in the series Villainous to be released on August 31, 2021 so I can get Aiden and Maya's story.
I would recommend this book if you like mafia romances, arranged marriages, enemies to lovers, or age gap romances.
May 24, 2021
The main characters hate each other, one forced into marriage with the other to pay off her father's debt. But we all know how the story will end. Or do we? Until the last few chapters, I was never really sure I could figure out the ending. I love it when a book keeps me guessing like that. This book has all the feels, the heightened emotion, the little twists and the hot hot naughty stuff.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Shelved as 'dnf'
July 28, 2021DNF - dead fiancé trope 😕😩
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2021
I really don’t know how I feel about this. It was kind of a roller coaster of feelings. Let’s break it down, shall we?
1. I hated the first few chapters. They felt so… distasteful. Like Devious was suchhh a fucking cliche. Everything was a fucking cliche. It was just so bad; I wanted to bleach my eyes. He was like every cliche put into one incredibly ??? dude. Like he was so icky, so typical, so… blatantly gross. Let’s just say the first few chapters… not a fan.
2. The story really picked up after those first chapters. And when it got rolling? I was so into it. I was like entirely immersed into the story. At this point, I still hate Devious, but I realized my love for Roselyn. Honestly, it feels rare, but around the 20 % mark, I loved Roselyn, and man, I just wanted the best for her. I wanted to strangle Devious. Like girl, she deserved so much more.
3. THEY CALLED IT AS IT WAS. YES. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT HAS HAPPENED. Devious and Roselyn both acknowledged this is what happened. And I love it. Not like it, but like the acknowledgment was so refreshing. Not passing it off as “ah, maybe?” but like definitely. Refreshing.
4. I’m not sure at what point I started to like Devious, but I did. And that was cool. Cool like, character development cool. Also redemption arc cool. I don’t know, but something happened. I literally went from “fuckkk this dude. Can I choke him out please? I want to bury his body in my backyard and piss on it daily” to “goddamn Devious yessss omfg you’re everything *crying emojis*”. Am I embarrassed by this fact? Maybe. But hell, I admit, he grew on me.
5. Cliche ending. Period. The whole is getting so old. Actually, it got old like eight hundred romance books ago.
6. TIME SKIPS MUST DIE. TOO MANY. TOO MANY. It breaks up too much of the story for my liking. Like you think it goes somewhere, then “ten years later” *in SpongeBob voiceover*.
7.
8. Actually, now I just realized, I hated the first few chapters, but at the time, the only redeeming part I thought was Devious’ early backstory. I was like “damn, okay, I like this. This plot can go somewhere good.”
Honestly, by the end, I’m very confused whether I liked this or not. This is by far not perfect. The beginning was surely a turn off, usually enough to get me to DNF a book, but I thought… “ah hell, I love mafia books. It’s been a long time since I read one.” So I toughed it out.
TL;DR 3.25 stars for making me hate myself.
1. I hated the first few chapters. They felt so… distasteful. Like Devious was suchhh a fucking cliche. Everything was a fucking cliche. It was just so bad; I wanted to bleach my eyes. He was like every cliche put into one incredibly ??? dude. Like he was so icky, so typical, so… blatantly gross. Let’s just say the first few chapters… not a fan.
2. The story really picked up after those first chapters. And when it got rolling? I was so into it. I was like entirely immersed into the story. At this point, I still hate Devious, but I realized my love for Roselyn. Honestly, it feels rare, but around the 20 % mark, I loved Roselyn, and man, I just wanted the best for her. I wanted to strangle Devious. Like girl, she deserved so much more.
3. THEY CALLED IT AS IT WAS. YES. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT HAS HAPPENED. Devious and Roselyn both acknowledged this is what happened. And I love it. Not like it, but like the acknowledgment was so refreshing. Not passing it off as “ah, maybe?” but like definitely. Refreshing.
4. I’m not sure at what point I started to like Devious, but I did. And that was cool. Cool like, character development cool. Also redemption arc cool. I don’t know, but something happened. I literally went from “fuckkk this dude. Can I choke him out please? I want to bury his body in my backyard and piss on it daily” to “goddamn Devious yessss omfg you’re everything *crying emojis*”. Am I embarrassed by this fact? Maybe. But hell, I admit, he grew on me.
5. Cliche ending. Period. The whole is getting so old. Actually, it got old like eight hundred romance books ago.
6. TIME SKIPS MUST DIE. TOO MANY. TOO MANY. It breaks up too much of the story for my liking. Like you think it goes somewhere, then “ten years later” *in SpongeBob voiceover*.
7.
8. Actually, now I just realized, I hated the first few chapters, but at the time, the only redeeming part I thought was Devious’ early backstory. I was like “damn, okay, I like this. This plot can go somewhere good.”
Honestly, by the end, I’m very confused whether I liked this or not. This is by far not perfect. The beginning was surely a turn off, usually enough to get me to DNF a book, but I thought… “ah hell, I love mafia books. It’s been a long time since I read one.” So I toughed it out.
TL;DR 3.25 stars for making me hate myself.
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