ARC Review – The Diávolos: Part One by Nouha Jullienne

ARC Review – The Diávolos: Part One by Nouha Jullienne

Disclosure – All reviews and opinions, are my own. If you make a purchase through my referral links, I may earn a small commissions from Amazon, and/or other retailers at no extra cost to you.

The Diávolos: Part One (The Godfathers of the Night Series) by Nouha Jullienne

***I received an advance review copy of The Diávolos from the author, but am leaving this review voluntarily***

Disclaimer – This is an adult mafia & stalker romance. Please make sure to be mindful of your triggers.

Triggers (directly from the book) – Graphic violence, gun violence, torture, assault, kidnapping, hostage situation, stalking, decapitation, death, mention of parental and sibling death, mention of child abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, traumatic events, mental health issues (panic attacks, anxiety, PTSD), self-harm, drug manipulation, sexually explicit scenes (nudity, masturbation, dub con, consensual non-consent, knife play, blood play, gun play, sadism/masochism, mild breath play, primal/prey, degradation, impact play, crying kink, orgasm control).


Summary

Welcome to the world of the Godfathers of the Night.

Angelica

After four years, I’m forced back to the metropolis of Cebrene and away from the haven I created in Antium City. My safety is now in danger, so I need to bide my time before I can leave this place again.

My baba is the Godfather of the Night of the Kouvalakis family and I am his only child. I know he is keeping many secrets from me, and a past I hardly remember keeps plaguing me.

When two strangers barge into my life, I can’t get them out of my head. But neither would be good enough for a mob princess, a title I would pay good money to get rid of.

One is a mysterious man I met by chance, in a not-so meet-cute. He’s straight up irresistible and everything I shouldn’t want. I know nothing about him but I keep wanting more and more.

The other is an intruder, the embodiment of darkness, a constant shadow. I am drawn to him and he has become my safety net. But why did he choose me?

Evander

Three weeks ago, my uncle was brutally murdered by our family’s rival. In the name of revenge, I will target his precious daughter, destroy his operation from the inside out, uncover all his dirty secrets, and rule the entire East side of Cebrene. They don’t call me the Diávolos for nothing.

However, I plotted my vengeance unaware that the pawn, the main piece I need to complete my plan, would be someone like her.

I shouldn’t let my feelings get in the way. Men like me don’t have time to fall in love.

If only I can stay focused long enough to complete my plan…

Unknown

Ever since I laid eyes on her, I can’t stop myself from thinking about her, watching her, following her. She is my obsession, my Achilles heel, my biggest flaw. And I want her all to myself. She will be mine.

My Review

Please check your triggers before diving into this one, because things get dark and twisted. It’s a greek mafia romance with a whole lot of suspense, stalking, and spice. Oh gosh the spice 🥵

Let’s start off by saying that I absolutely loved this book, and ended up barely notating anything because I was so caught up in the drama, the danger, and the spice. (again with the spice? I’m telling you it’s steamy and had me questioning my sanity on more than one occasion)

Angelica is a mafia princess who ran away from home 4 years ago to escape the Greek Mafia life, her father, her forgotten past, and to have a chance at a somewhat normal life in the city. While out for a night of fun with her friends, things take a turn for the worse, and she finds herself stuck back in her hometown, with a stalker, and a mysterious, dangerous, man that she can’t help but feel drawn too.

Angelica, our FMC, is strong, confident, and doesn’t take shit from anyone. She has a smart mouth, can shoot a gun, and handle her own, but also has been through some extreme trauma in her life. The author hit the mental health topics head on, and I loved the character’s inner dialogue. Especially Evan’s 🖤

Evan… what can even be said about this deliciously dangerous, morally gray man? He does not hesitate to do what needs to be done to get what he wants. He is the definition of dangerous, I’m talking about red flags everywhere. And yet he has managed to claim Daddy status. He has a way with words, plays with knives, and has more secrets and trauma than he knows what to do with. And we love him anyways.

The stalker… I have never felt more insane about the feelings I had towards a character and their storyline. Angelica has a stalker, and for some reason, he makes her feel safe, cared for, and desired. Is he obsessed with her? Yes. Does he break into her supposed top of the line, mafia proof security system at her home? Also yes. But he also leaves her favorite flowers, love notes, and cheesecake, and for some reason Angelica is ok with that. Sure, she acknowledges that she’s playing with fire and the way she feels about her stalker makes no sense, but she leans into it anyways.

This story had plot twists that I never saw coming. The people I suspected as her stalker were wrong. Every time I thought I had something figured out, another curve ball was thrown.

And the spice… top notch chef’s kiss (4.5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️)

Fave Quotes

“To know your inner demon is to know yourself”

“It’s the smallest things that take up the most room in your heart.”

“You are a queen—my queen—and I will bow down to you until my last breath.”

“She is not only the sun but the moon, and she came into my life to shine on me even in my darkest hours.”

If you’re looking for something intense and spicy to pull you out of a reading slump, then The Diávolos may be for you.

✔️Revenge Plot
✔️Mafia Romance
✔️Stalker Romance
✔️Forbidden Love
✔️Touch Her and You Die
✔️He Falls First
✔️Hand Necklaces
✔️Amazing Spice

☆☆☆☆☆/5

Be sure the check out The Diávolos and connect with Nouha on Instagram @novelswithnouha or sign up for her newsletter to stay up to date on what’s coming next!

Let’s chat!

Are you a mafia or stalker romance fan? Let me know in the comments below, and we’ll chat soon!

Review – Skulls & Stitches by N.J. Weeks – A Perfect Spooky Season Read

Review – Skulls & Stitches by N.J. Weeks – A Perfect Spooky Season Read

Disclosure – All reviews and opinions, are my own. If you make a purchase through my referral links, I may earn a small commissions from Amazon, and/or other retailers at no extra cost to you.

Skulls & Stitches by N.J. Weeks

Disclaimer -This is a Dark Suspense Romance novel. Please make sure to be mindful of your triggers.

Triggers – Explicit language, explicit sexual descriptions and scenes, violence, gore, blood, religious trauma, grief, death, and mentions of abuse.


Summary

Sienna

Death, heartbreak and destruction follow me, much like the enemies my bloodline has given me. Halloween is around the corner, it’s only a matter of time before tragedy strikes again. When Carmine Moretti, a tattooed devil in disguise summons me on Halloween back to the city where my parents were murdered, I should know better. I should run the other way. Except I can’t. He is hiding something. Since I have nothing to lose I will die trying to find out if he holds the answers I need or the fate, I fear. This Halloween I might as well dance with the devil, maybe he will be the one to stitch my broken pieces.

Carmine

I am dead inside. Haunted by visions of pain and carnage that have turned me into a shell of the man I once was. I have been many things, liar, thief, murderer, but never hers. How could I be hers when I only exist in the distant shadows of her nightmares. I need to make my presence known, I have to bring her into my reality. The daughter of the enemy, the one I crave with every fiber of my wicked being. Revenge is near, war is on the horizon. This Halloween I will bring my rag doll home where she belongs, with me. Together we will rule amongst the dead and it will be such a fright.


Skulls & Stitches, the debut novel by N.J. Weeks, was actually my first mafiaesque romance and I will absolutely be back for more. The fact that it had  spooky vibes + some suspense and mystery without being terrifying was everything I needed. 

Our FMC, Sienna has overcome so much in her life and is strong, knows what she wants, and isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. She is sassy with a smart mouth and I appreciate her always speaking up for herself and never taking anyones shit.

I do hate that she let her grief and losses consume her for several years after the heartbreak she went through when she was younger. But that’s also life sometimes. Eventually she had the strength to stop simply existing and finally move past the pain and start living her life again. Unfortunately, her deciding to take control of her life, was also the same time as Carmine entering her life and in a sense preventing her from fully escaping the life of a drug lords daughter. But I equally love and despise Carmine at times, and his audacity in the beginning of the book left me speechless in moments and I think Sienna was seriously looking for trouble with the way she was drawn to him. But the heart (and body in Sienna and Carmine’s case) wants what it wants, and eventually Sienna stopped trying to fight the pull she had to Carmine. And even if others saw it as reckless and dangerous, following her heart eventually led her to the answers to the questions she had been asking herself, and ultimately helped Sienna stitch herself back together.

Skulls & Stitches is a Nightmare Before Christmas retelling with mafiaesque vibes, suspense, and spice. S&S was beautifully written, the spice was🔥, and the plot twists kept me on the edge of my seat. Certain things I did see coming, but definitely not in the way I was expecting.

Fave Quotes (There were so many amazing quotes throughout this book, I struggled to pick my top four, so you get six instead)

“I can still grieve my losses without losing anymore of myself in the process. Today, I am finally giving myself permission to move on.”

“To me, however, a lady is to be whatever the fck she wants to be. She can fck whoever she wants to f*ck and shouldn’t care about the opinions of others.”

“But I would rather push through that pain and fix myself than let it break or ruin me.”

“But if monsters look like him, the only thing I should be afraid of is how much my demons want to come out and play with his.”

“If there is a dream in your heart, if there is something you feel you are destined to do or be, love yourself enough to follow that path.”

“It may not be the popular path and chances are it won’t be easy but it will be worth it. Life is too short to be anything but your true self. Believe in yourself, believe that you deserve to write your own happy ending and fight like hell to make it happen.”

If you’re looking for
✔️ A mouthy FMC, that doesn’t take shit from anyone
✔️A sexy, tattoo covered, NYC drug lord (that also happens to be the FMC’s new boss)
✔️Slow-burn romance
✔️A serious revenge plot

Be sure to check out Skulls & Stitches on Amazon and head to N.J.’s website to learn more about her, and keep up with what she has coming out next!

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ /5

Read 12/21/22 – 12/26/22

Let’s chat!

Are you Mafia Romance reader? I’m already itching to start my next one. Let me know your favorite trope in the comments below, and we’ll chat soon!