Adrians Vengeance (Mafia Heirs #1) by Isabella Starling


Adrians Vengeance (Mafia Heirs #1)
Title : Adrians Vengeance (Mafia Heirs #1)
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : -
Language : English
Format Type : Kindle Edition
Number of Pages : 366
Publication : First published February 12, 2021

I'll kidnap her before she says I do.

ADRIAN


She’s sweet, innocent, beautiful, and she’s going to be mine no matter what.

Mafia princess Marzia De Luca made me a promise when we were children.

She broke that promise. Now it's time to teach her a lesson.

Marzia thinks she's going to celebrate her arranged marriage at a masked ball.

But this party is the perfect opportunity for me to kidnap her.

It’s time for me to show her that my love... means pain.

MARZIA

Since I was a little girl, I've been in love with him - dark, twisted, menacingly handsome Adrian Bernardi.

But my father, the mafia don, decided I'd marry someone else.

Except I don’t want to marry the other man. I only want Adrian.

I pray for help, asking Adrian to save me.

But saving me means taking everything from me.

Adrian’s Vengeance is the first book of the Mafia Heirs series. Adrian and Marzia's story begins in Broken Promises. This is a dark mafia romance.


Adrians Vengeance (Mafia Heirs #1) Reviews


  • ren ♡

    Is this a sign I should give up on mafia romances? It's definitely been a while since I've read a good one. Adrian's Vengeance had a strong start but everything started going down after the 30% mark. There were just waaay too many things that didn't work out for me.

    The anti-hero was a huge irredeemable hypocrite and the heroine was about as spineless as they come. Neither of them were very likeable and a lot of their actions were very inconsistent throughout the book. There was no romance or depth in their relationship, they were just two horny idiots acting like star-crossed lovers. I was so embarrassed for them. I normally don't mind some OW drama but the drama only highlighted how douchey the hero was. Also, he came in an ashtray which made me want to die.

    The stars are for the tattoos the dude has on the cover and the writing style which actually wasn't too bad!

    Rating: 1.5/5

  • Alexandraa XX

    Fcking dammit!!!!! I HATE THIS BOOK!!!! IT START WITH A GOOD ROMANTIC HOT AWEEEE LOVE STORY since they were kids and then suddenly it turns out to be a sh*t show!!!!! FCKING SH*T SHOW F*CK FCK FCK FCK!!!!!! 🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴



    1. The hero wants her very bad and obsessed with the heroine but at the same time HE DIDN’T EVEN CHASE HER AND MAKE HER HIS FOR 11 FCKING YEARS. LIKE DO U CALLED THAT LOVE? NOPE. THATS A FCKING DISEASE!!!!!!

    2. THE HERO WANTS THE HEROINE TO BE HIS ONE AND ONLY AND TAKE HER VRGINITY BUT HE SAID HE HAVE HIS FAIR SHARE OF WOMAN. HE SAID THAT THE HEROINE HAVE TO BE HIS FIRST BECAUSE THEY MADE A PROMISE WHEN THEY WERE KIDS. BUT YOU CAN’T KEEP YOUR INNOCENCE FOR HER AS WELL? SELFISH MAN!!!!!

    3. THE HERO WANTS THE HEROINE AND THEN THE HERO DOESN’T BLOODY WANTS HER. LIKE BACK AND FORTH ON THE BOOK AND IT MADE ME SO MAD!!!! LIKE WTF SO STUPID AND IDIOT!!!!

    4. THE HERO ALWAYS.... CONSTANTLY SAYS THAT HE DOESNT WANT TO HURT HER FEELINGS, IT MADE HIM MAD TO HIMSELF WHEN HE HURT THE HEROINE BUT AGAIN HE ALWAYS HURT HER!!! MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY!!!!! NOT EVEN FCKING SAID SORRY EITHER!!!!!! he hurt her by saying nothing when the heroine ask about the other woman (like fcking defend yourself to her so she won’t have any negative fcking ideas about you and the woman because she clearly just saw both of you sitting next to each other) LIKE HE WANT HER TO BE SUSPICIOUS AND PUNISH HER BY NOT TELLING HER HE DOESNT WANT THE OTHER WOMAN BUT THE HEROINE ONLY. WTF!!!!!!!!

    5. THE STUPIDEST HERO SAID HE WANTS TO FIGHT FOR THE HEROINE AND GO AGAINST HIS OWN FATHER (because his old fcking adopted dad wants to kill the heroine for childish reason) AND THEN ALWAYS SAY YES TO THE FATHER!!!!! WHEN THE FATHER SAID THE OW HAVE TO STAY AT THE SAME HOUSE WITH THE HEROINE, WHAT THE HERO FCKING DO? HE FCKING SAID YES AND ALLOW IT TO SHOW IN FRONT OF THE HEROINE WITHOUT EVEN DEFENDING HER. LIKE WTF!!!!!! I NEVER WANT TO SLAP SOMEONE SO HARD!!!!!

    6. WHEN THE HEROINE ASK ABOUT THE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OW, HE DIDN’T DEFEND HIMSELF OR CLAIM THE HEROINE TO NOT BE WORRY. HE DIDN’T EVEN APOLOGIZE!!!!!!! WTF

    7. THE HERO HAVE THE FCKING NERVE TO SAY WHY YOU NOT CHASING ME GIRL? WHY YOU SAY YES TO YOUR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OM? THE HEROINE SAID BECAUSE YOU NEVER GO TO ME. BECAUSE YEAH!!! THE HERO NEVER CHASE HER ALL THIS TIME AND ONLY THAT TIME WHEN HE SAW THE OM WITH THE HEROINE!!!! LIKE WTF HAVE YOU EVEN BEEN ALL THIS TIME??!!!! How dare you question her when you never made your fcking move to her. (You can see how furious i am with this hero like what the actually fck)

    8. THE HERO EVEN HAVE THE NERVE AND THOUGHT THAT HE WILL AGREE TO MARRY THE OW AND WHEN THE WEDDING DAY IS OVER. HE WILL GET BACK TO THE HEROINE AND MADE HER HIS ONE AND ONLY MISTRESS. BECAUSE HE SAID HE WANTS HER BADLY AND ONLY LOVES HER. BUT STILL MARRIES ANOTHER WOMAN BUT WON’T LET OM MARRIES THE HEROINE. (At this point i even have the thought maybe the author is negative or something to write something like this and thinking its okay when its not like wtf r u thinking)

    9. ALSO THE DISGUSTING PART IS THAT THE HERO AFTER HE WENT OUT LIKE GO TO THE OW PLACE (although they never have s*x ever and he only do that to be far away from the heroine because he said his mind is crazy when his going to be with the heroine longer. so he goes to the ow place without fcking her, only just be there and get the proud look from the ow’s father) OR WHEN HE DO HIS MAFIA JOB THING OR ARRANGE HIS WEDDING DAY WITH THE OW, HE NEVER SAY ANYTHING TO THE HEROINE ABOUT IT. WHEN THE HEROINE ASKS, HE NEVER SAY IT. BUT HE DEMANDS TO KNOW WHAT THE HEROINE DID OR DO OR WHO SHE TALKS TO. WHEN THE HEROINE ASK ABOUT HIS DAY WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, HE NEVER ANSWER HER EVEEEERRRR......

    10. I NEVER SEE A HERO THAT PUNISH THE HEROINE THAT THEY CLAIM TO LOVE AND ADORE SO VERY MUCH, PUNISH THE HEROINE BY NOT GIVING HER FOOD FOR TWO DAYS. TWO FCKING DAYS HE LET HER STARVE!!!! FCKING SHIT!!!! JUST BECAUSE THE HEROINE SNAP BY SAYING NASTY WORDS TO HIM. WHAT A CRUEL HUMAN!



    SOOOOOO MANY ANNOYING FCKING THINGS IS HAPPENING ON THIS BOOK AND THE ROMANTIC SCENES IS ONLY VERY FCKING LITTLE. WHERE’S THE SPICE ON THIS BOOK? WHERES THE FCKING ROMANCE? THIS BOOK IS NOT ONLY DARK ROMANCE BUT DARK FCKING FAT ASS SH*T SHOW EVER!!!!!!!!!

    I want to strangled the hero so bad.


    The hero is possessive over the top, NO CHEATING (but very extremely toxic hero behavior in a very extremely bad way) always tells the heroine you are mine mine mine, BUT HE HAVE THIS TWO FCKING PERSONALITY THAT MADE ME WANT TO SLAP HIM SO BAD AND SEND HIM TO JOKER OR SOMETHING!!!!



    NOT GONNA CONTINUE THIS BOOK. TOO MUCH HEADACHE FOR MY “ESCAPE THE REAL WORLD TIME FOR BOOKS” KINDA TIME. NOT WORTH IT. IT ONLY MADE ME WANT TO PUNCH THE HERO AND PUNCH THE HEROINE FOR NOT FIGHTING BACK.


    I have other books that is dark romance and the hero is very possessive over the top many jealous scenes all that and very loyal. Who fight for their love and the heroine, despite their parents or even ANYTHING is getting in the way. That doesn’t stop them and they always chase the heroine. Even after all of it, the hero choose the heroine. (V.F MASON BOOKS and Rina Kent’s books is my top two favorite authors and their book is what i just said “other books” so check it out fyi)


    🌐🌐🌐➡️↘️⬇️➡️This is my own personal thoughts and opinion about the book so if thats not sit right with you or you feel I’m not being fair blablabla, please know that everybody in this world have their own different things that they like and don’t like. It may not be the same thing with you but thats okay because i am my own person and you cannot control me or tell me what to do. For example; i put ketchup (tomato sauce) on my fried chicken. You think that’s disgusting? For me its not and i’ve been eating it like that for many many years. You tell me to put another sauce and see if i like that better? I already did many many times in years but i still like the way i like it. It’s called differences between me and you and billions people in this world😊 be open minded😙 I respect people’s opinions about my opinions but in the end of the day if i say I don’t like it or i do like it, its up to me and its on me. And in the end of the day i always liked and show my respect to books and people’s opinions on books whenever that book is good or not good in my opinion 😊 Respect people’s opinions guys😙😙 I don’t want to write this down because its not really my thing to do it. To like address something like this when obviously i know the people who’s been reading my reviews many times and all the time, they are smart enough to understand and respect other people’s opinions no matter what their opinions on book or their point of view 😙😙 am i right? 💕 but if you still wants to be negative and be karens about my review on book, i will never acknowledge you 🙏 ⬅️↖️↕️⬅️↩️⤴️

  • Crystal (Crystalreads2)

    Adrian’s Vengeance is a standalone, full-length book. Dark Mafia romance.

    I am very picky when I read Italian mafia romance, and I was nervous going in, but kept an open mind. I freaking loved it. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

    Marzia (love the name) and Adrian have met when they were children and made a promise to each other. Fast-forward 11 years later and Marzia is arranged to marry Vinnie, a rival to Adrian. Adrian kidnaps Marzia, and it’s far from a happy reunion. She goes from living in a glided cage to Adrian’s captive prisoner. Adrian has hopes of keeping her and seek vengeance however, his father has other plans.

    There will be times you're going to hate Adrian. Trust me you will fall in love with him. Marzia is far from the meek girl she was raised to be, many people have underestimated her. With such great two authors, this book is well written and captures your attention. It's full of angst, push/pull, suspense and steam. There was one part of the book, that I needed a cigarette after because it was too steamy. On my dark scale, it's medium gray. I felt like it could have been a little darker. It's my only constructive criticism.

  • Jen

    I did enjoy this book.. my only complaint with it was that I felt like there were inconsistencies with the characters personalities. One minute Adrian would seem badass, then the next he was a pushover.
    The overall story kept my attention though, and I am definitely going to read the next book!!

  • ABookLover73

    FIVE VENGEANCE STARS for Marzia and Adrian ❤🖤❤🖤!!!

    🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

    What can I say other than that this book surprised me in a good way!

    Isabella is an author with whose work I'm very familiar with and whose books I often read so I believed that this book would be interesting.

    On the other hand, Raven is a new author to me and I can say that I'm looking forward to reading her books in the future.

    Although I don't read mafia romance too often, this book has kept my attention until the very end and I'll certainly reach for the next book from this series when it comes out.

    "Adrian's Vengeance" is a dark mafia romance with a second chance tope and it includes some triggers that may make some readers uncomfortable, but will intrigue others with suspense plot and characters that will evoke different emotions in them.

    If you're looking for a dark mafia romance and you also love both authors' writing styles, then this is the book you should read the next!!!

  • kat

    1.5 Stars

    I don't even know what to say. It started off great. I was enjoying the book. Everything was peachy, but then it suddenly went downhill and some particular scenes bothered and annoyed me.

    description

  • Ria  | Abstract ♥ Books




    ALL MY REVIEWS CAN BE FOUND ON MY BLOG:
    ABSTRACT BOOKS


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    Web-Photo-Editor It's between hate and love, the need to hurt her and the fierce desire to protect the girl at all costs. I don't understand it, but I don't hate it, either. It makes me feel something I've never felt before. Something that confuses me.”


    Star Rating : 4.5 / 5 Stars

    POV : Dual

    Cliffhanger : None

    Hero : Adrian

    Heroine : Marzia

    Pace of the story : Moderate

    Angst Rating : 5/10

    Heat Rating : 9/10

    Triggers Involved : Dub Con , Kidnapping , Dark

    Plot Summary :
    Adrian and Marzia have had their lives entwined forever. Since they met when they were children. However the war between their families kept them away from each other.

    Adrian has always wanted Marzia and now it was finally his chance. With her being forced to marry his enemy , he will kidnap her from right under their noses and no one will be able to stop him. Marzia has been waiting for Adrian to save her for years and when he finally arrives , she couldn't be more happier. However it doesn't take her long to discover that he is not the Savior she envisioned him to be. He is something much worse and now she is trapped.

    The only woman Adrian has ever wanted is now with him. No matter how much she screams he is not letting her go. Soon he would break her and mould her into the perfect person he wants and nothing will ever stop them from uniting again.

    Overall Opinion :
    I have always been a fan of Isabella Starling's dark Romances and this book is definitely my top read by her. Adrian has this darkness that called out to me and there is no way I was stopping with this book until I reached the very end! Dark and Psychopath Heroes are my favourites and that is what Adrian was!!

    Isa was his perfect companion and I loved the bond they had. He was so very dark that he gave me chills in every scene he made an appearance in. The book had a bit of triggers such as starvation and Humiliation scenes but I loved the storyline. The ending was perfect and that twist for the next book literally drove me crazy!! I want it now!!

    Highly recommended to all the dark Romance lovers out there! If second chance Captor captive Romance is your jam , then do not miss this book by any means!


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  • tanisha ♡

    DNF 64%.
    Literally one of the worst books I’ve read in a long time. Honestly, I couldn’t stand to finish it. I tried, like really tried but I hated both of the MC’s so much. Adrian is probably the worst MC I’ve read about recently. The first chapter with them as children was sweet, and raised my expectations a lot. So to say I was so disappointed with the rest of the book is a massive massive understatement.

    Adrian (H) is such a giant pig. Like honestly, first he goes and r*pes the h, and then treats her like a little b*tch. I could get past that sure, but when he starts stringing her along despite having a fiancé, just made me want to kill him. He literally put no effort into attempting to stop the marriage with Nicoletta, and still continued to f*ck Marzia. And one thing he CONSTANTLY did that annoyed me so much (one of the main reasons I stopped reading) was that he would always threaten her with the idea of cheating on her, and Marzia being the dumb b*tch she is, begged him and submitted to him to avoid his adultery.

    Okay, so moving onto Marzia (h). I was okay with her at first. She seemed sweet and nice, and I respected her for putting up a shield against the idea of her and Adrian, but there was so much wrong with this girl. First of all, how the hell do you get with a man who allowed and was aware of the killing of your parents, at the hands of his father. And allowed it to happen literally in front of you. It didn’t even take much resistance, like just because her parents were egotistical and exploiting, does not mean that they deserve no respect or sympathy. The worst thing they did to her was marry her off to Vito (H’s enemy - Adrian also admits to wanting Marzia for ‘vengeance’ against this guy as well). Like they made sure she far more comfortable than any of us could imagine being, and she was a healthy girl. Not perfect parents but they didn’t do a bad job. That’s not all that bothered me. I hated Adrian so much, but her reaction to him was so pathetic. She begged and cried to be with him, despite his blatant disregard for her and his fiancé. And all her anger at the situation of course, had to be aimed at the other girl. Of-f*cking course. It irritated me so much. She seemed like a relatively nice girl, but all Marzia did was call her names and try to lay claim on Adrian. Like move the hell on, your ‘man’ doesn’t care about you in the slightest. And when she actually began becoming friends with the girl, she lets her watch him f*ck her. Terrible friend, terrible girl, and terrible story. They deserve each other. So yes, that basically summaries it, there were a bunch of other points that annoyed me but I’ll leave those out since this is getting too long.


    Definitely would not recommend, unless you like a guy that treats you like sh*t, in and out of the bedroom.
    The spice was at a 1.5/5

  • Rose

    I loved this book!!!

    I've been really into angsty fast pased books and this is exactly that! It's also DARK but oh my god so good!!!

    This is about Marzia and Adrian. They met when they were kids (adorable scene) and for years, they disappear from each other's lives because their mafia families hate each other. But when Marzia is promised to Vitto (Adrian's enemy), he's had enough.

    Now Vitto loves his father and that's why I understood he wanted to do what he says. But his dad, Bernardo, refuses to let him marry Marzia and wants him to marry Nicolletta (who's book 2 is about her and Adrian's brother, Ryder).

    They take Marzia, and in the beginning she hates him for what they did to her family (who aren't great to begin with). But one thing I loved, he was INSANELY ALPHA and crazy at times, but he was ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED with her - to the extent that I adored him.

    Another thing I loved? She wasn't one of those crying weak heroines... nope... she also was possessive and crazy about it. They were both crazy for each other! And I LOVED it!

    In terms of safety, I'll put in spoilers

    The storyline was also great - suspenseful, hot (AS HELL) and kept me on my toes.

    I loved the ending. I loved that he was this alpha crazy person but so obsessed with her.

    Some quotes below:

    "I want you, Marzia. Haven't you realized that yet? I'm obsessed with you. I want to own you. To control you. To never let you go."

    "My life feels like its fucking over. I never wanted her to leave my side."

    "She gave my life purpose - now she's been ripped away. I feel like I'll never find that balance again."


    Why not 5 stars? Towards the end, he went to the wedding (PS: it's obvious he's so obsessed with Marzia, it wouldn't have been a real marriage) and he said 'There's no effing way I'm saying I do" but i was so confused... why didn't he just cancel the wedding though? I wish he also confirmed with Marzia that he was never going to go through with the wedding.

    But in the end, I loveeeeed this! Highly recommended for those who like mafia angsty stories!

    I also loved that it felt like a FULL story! By the time they got their HEA, I felt secure in their love and relationship

  • The Romantic Rush Blog

    I can always count on Isabella Starling to bring the dark and dirty, and I was excited to check out her toying with mafia writing with new-to-me author Raven Scott. This has all the things I love about mafia- feuds, arranged marriages, kidnapping, vengeance, star crossed enemies and lovers, and tons of steaminess. Our dark and, unfortunately at times unlikable, leading man Adrian kidnaps the innocent Marzia away from her forced marriage- enemies with a spark between them. The story is engaging, but both characters grated on me in places. But, they are super hot, and the authors nail the love-hate fire, and the ending was great. 3.5 stars

  • cait

    0.5 STARS

    dnf @ 15%

    I thought this was gonna be good but i've never been so wrong in my life.

    The heroine, Marzia, has been pining for him since she first saw him over a decade ago and well, the hero's definitely not better off. Adrian(the hero) is quite literally obsessed with her. They first meet as kids when Adrian is being beaten up by Vitto and his friends. I'm guessing that Vitto is also from a mafia family because they never clarified. Marzia sees this and she speaks out getting them to stop and so she and Adrian sit on the dock and she gives him her nonna's wedding ring(you literally just met???????) and tells him that since she saved his life, he has to save hers some day and return the ring to her when that day comes. Marzia gets up and goes inside the house and Adrian chases after her and kisses her(literally no words you're like 7) and then their parents come in. Apparently Adrian's father had tried to arrange a marriage between them but Marzia's parents said no and because of that their families are now rivals or something.

    Skip 11 years later and Marzia is now 18 and you know what this means? it's time to get married! She is dreading hearing who her betrothed is because she is still pining over Adrian. She finds out she's getting married to Vitto and as an act of rebellion she pulls out the pins in her hair(???? i have so many questions please). Adrian's family gets an invitation to the masquerade party where Vitto and Marzia's engagement will be announced and he gets mad and starts being rude to his father. His father is all like "patience" and "revenge is a dish best served cold" and he's all like no "no. i want her now". His dad tells him that attacking on the day of the masquerade is too soon but Adrian's honestly too impatient for that.

    At this point I don't think it's going to get worse but then day of the masquerade comes and he literally follows her and drops the ring at her feet and when they both bend to pick it up she notices it's him. So she goes "Adrian?" and he keeps quiet and walks away and you'll never guess what happens next, she follows him!

    He leads her into the cellar and he kisses her and then stars fingering her(???? this is the first time you're meeting after 11 years and this is what you do ?) then he devirginized(is that even a word ??) her with his fingers even after she said no multiple times. Thats not all! While Adrian's dad is massacring everyone, he tells Adrian that Vitto has escaped and instead of looking for Vitto he goes to chase after Marzia. Then she slapped him and he got mad and threatened to keep her in a cage if she continued to disobey him.(sir, if you killed my parents i would do worse than slap you).

    They start talking about her older brother who is on the mainland and Adrian reveals that he actually created a problem so her brother would have to go to the mainland and wouldn't be killed with her parents. While he tells her this, he is literally acting all shy and says it's because he's been alone before and doesn't want her to feel alone too.

    This is where I stopped reading because the short 15% I read gave me a hundred grey hairs and took away about half of my life.

  • c a r í

    Why I am more excited for Ryder and Nicolette's book than this...

  • Maria11

    What an F-ing terrible book! The h is a doormat and the H is a f-ing a-hole!

    You love this woman and yet you do the following to her: take her virginity with your fingers after she told you no more then once and with absolutely no prep, starve her for three days, screw her in front of your fiancée, pierce her nipples, drink your cum out of an ashtray and humiliate her as much as possible. Wow I would hate to see what he would do with someone he hates.

    The h does whatever the H says. She started off so strong and great character and the turned into a sniveling weak a$sed character, who let the H do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.

    Yuk just couldn’t take it any longer. You can have a strong possessive alpha male character but darn at least the guy has some nice and love in him....this guy there is nothing about him to like.

  • lily

    1st time (authors) the H is a big jerk and an ass !!! He treated the h terribly, his father told him to marry another woman he went ahead and did it(engagement) without thinking of the h's feelings!!! The h was a spineless human being 😤 she is a sex addict,the only thing she thinks about is having sex with him 😶
    They had their HEA they got married and had a son and the h is Pregnant again
    The epilogue was about the H's brother Ryder and the H's ex fiancee which I think I will read

  • Kelly_Reads_Books

    Maria and Adrian's story was intense and suspenseful. Their journey was sad from the time they were children on the docks until Adrian takes her captive. The relationship was wicked and sometimes cruel. I worried they would not survive it.
    Very interesting twist on a bad boy and good girl mafia arrangement.

  • Lady Bonny Reading

    UPDATE: I finally finished it. Unfortunately my rating didn't change. This book sorely needs proof reading and editing...incorrect or missing words; timeline inconsistencies; a story thread constantly hinted at that's never brought to fruition, never explained. In fact, as the end is wrapped up, it's as if those hints/threads never occurred and the father just simply changed his mind. What the f.......It's almost as if the author didn't know or forgot what story she was telling or what she'd previously written.

    Add to that the fact that the adult H's behavior doesn't improve. He remains a brutish a$$hat with only an occasional glimpse of the caring he's supposed to have for the h until almost the end. Even the sex scenes where horrible....beyond dominance or even bdsm...just cruel and in one instance just disgusting and humiliating...and he's supposed to love her???? Save your money....


    Couldn't Finish it. Stopped at Chapter 11.

    I had high hopes for this one after the 1st teaser chapter. I fell in love with the young Adrian and the little girl, Marzia, so I bought the book. It started to fall apart after Chapter 3, but I kept going hoping it would get better. By chapter 11, I was so sadly disappointed I could read no more. My time is too precious to waste on stories I'm not enjoying with characters I don't even like. If you want to know why it all went wrong, keep reading.

    Character personality changes ...not for the better. Adrian's father goes from a loving father who cares about his children's happiness when they are young, to a ruthless murderer who expects his sons' to obey his every command and doesn't care about their happiness or what they want. Adrian, went from a tough, but sweet young boy to a cocky, alpha bully as an adult. Marzia, was a feisty little girl who although constantly guarded, didn't hesitate to escape her guards for some freedom and she wasn't afraid to stand up to bullies; yet by the time she has turned 18, she is an obedient daughter, afraid to tell her parents what she really wants (or doesn't want). Instead, she just goes along with their every command like a sheep to slaughter, afraid to escape an unwanted future. The dichotomy of character between the youthful versions and the adult versions of both is just too great to be believable without some explanation/cause. It was so extreme that while I'll loved the youthful versions, I did not like the adult versions at all.

    To make matters worse the storyline takes a turn that seems to serve no real purpose except to add more unneeded angst and drama.

    Will I ever finish this book? Maybe....when I run out of better things to read or if I should ever find myself with every other book on my kindle read and no Wi-Fi to purchase new. (Not likely as I have over 500 not yet read and as many already read that I would gladly and willingly read again). But I won't delete this one yet...part of me hopes it will still improve...just not willing to find out right now.

  •  Thea™

    Adrian’s Vengeance is the first book of the Mafia Heirs series. Adrian and Marzia's story begins in Broken Promises.
    13-02-2021: I don't think
    Broken Promises is already released? I can't find it on Amazon??! Maybe in an anthology??


    Broken Promises by Isabella Starling
    Adrian's Vengeance A Dark Mafia Romance by Isabella Starling.

    🖤⭐️🖤⭐️🖤⭐️🖤⭐️🖤⭐️🖤⭐️🖤











  • Flo₂₂

    argh i don't know where to even start.. honestly.
    DNF 52% and i forced my self to even get till this point.
    My problem? pffft ... there were sooooo manyyyy...but mainly i had problems mostly with this heroine.

    They meet when they were little, only once, but since then they kept thinking about each others over the 11 years even without ever seeing each others again. At first i liked their approach, he wanted her, BUT he didn't actually take her till her engagement was announced with his enemy . Up till this it was still fine with me, it wasn't like they made promises to each others , also she was forced to be with the man her father choose, same with the H's father, he didn't want Adrian with Marzia.

    The first approach where he basically bring her in a room and take her V with his fingers..i was like..ok it was an act of pure possession , he was almost losing her to another man , but STILL as first approach was kind of harsh , but at least she wanted him too, not really like that, but still into it. Then his father killed in front of her eyes her family, and what did Marzia do? firstly she was angry at Adrian but then all of sudden she get past that really fast, also past the fact that she KNOWS his dad wants to kill her, so , she was scarred like only 1 sec and then out of no where POOF she isn't scarred no more, she even challenge's him....i'm like... WTF? she keep doings stuffs like that, thinking/saying a thing and then completely change her mind.

    What annoyed me the most? after he had sex with her, minding you she was a virgin, all of sudden she becomes kind of slutty purring and other stuffs, honestly, my skin crawl i swear, she all of sudden is a minx , seducing him, give it all to him, when he literally had a fiance (forced by his dad but still, under her eyes and later on under same roof ) .

    Argh there are so many things that don't make any senseeeee. He always wanted her but at the same time he is thinking to hurt her by not telling her his true intentions , he keeps doing random things. honestly there is a reviewer that EXPLAINED ALL the stuffs he did without reason.

    Basically i'm done with this because even if i understand mostly his reasons because at least in his pov's we kind of get an explanation i can't STAND HER, like...made your mind up, and jeeez don't be like that all of sudden.

    I don't even want to try to review this anymore, it's just so messed up it's not even funny, and when i can't stand the plot and the characters too, well i have to say BYE. Even if it's by this author.

  • Valentina

    Mafia prince claims his lady

    Adrian, alpha hero, re-claiming Marzia as his fated partner and true love as well as she to him, meet again at her engagement party to another man, childhood enemy Vitto after not seeing or speaking to one another for 11 years. From there, Adrian claims her as his and the adventure unfolds.

    I was excited to get into this book, and in fact, had all the elements to be great: childhood sweethearts vowing their future together with promise rings; alpha-possessive male sweet, spunky heroine; and Mafia families set in the backdrop of Palermo, Italy. Somewhere in its development, the dichotomy between intentions and actions created some confusing scenes wrapped in a simple writing style.

    Adrian was outwardly loving to Marzia, in word and deeds, loving words, passionate kisses and in the same scene changing to make statements at odds with actions, a sort of antihero / hero mesh at war with himself. "I will take care of you. I will make you love me; I will break you" in the same breath.

    Additionally the Italian words, phrases and expressions were sometimes correct, but other times very inaccurate causing distractions in the dialogue rather than affinity with the setting.

    Overall, though, the charm and appeal of the book lie in this mafia prince who was deliciously alpha, controlling, passionate, and totally enthralled with, to the point of entrapment, Marzia, who was demure but given to bouts of feisty. These themes added to the steam are what ultimately made this story an entertaining read.

  • Black Sheep

    What the fuck was this?

    Doormat heroine of the year award goes to Marzia!

    Spineless, pathetic heroine who COMPLETELY ACCEPTS BEING THE HERO’S SIDE PIECE KNOWING HE’S ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED SOON. Still, she rolls over like a bitch in heat whenever he needs his dick wet.

    Sadist dickwad hero who gets to have his cake and eat it too. Better yet, this dude gets the whole fucking bakery.
    Constantly admiring how beautiful his fiancé is and if doormat wasn’t in the picture? He’d be fucking the fiancé by now. But that’s okay because he reassures the reader that it won’t happen, I like my doormat too much.

    Check this out, guess what he imagined while having sex with doormat? He envisions sleeping in his room with his wife (OW) knowing that doormat (h) is a few doors down waiting to get fucked by him during the night. Fiery passion of infidelity love 💕

    How could anyone NOT want this piece of work?

    I really liked the start of this read, I got sassy h vibes and possessive H vibes.
    And then it just took a complete turn to hell, crashed and burned with these two horrible MC’s.

    DNF @ 47%

    Fuck this noise. I am out.

    - B.S.

  • Lover Of Books

    Huh?

    I couldn't finish this book. It was absolutely horrible. I think it was written by a teen...overly dramatic at best and I lost track of how !any times I rolled my eyes. A try waste of time.

  • Lua Bella Books  by Vanesca

    Review


    This book hooked me from the beginning and that is a very positive point, at no time did I find it boring or want to put it down, on the contrary I read non-stop.


    I have this with me unfortunately, I'm a picky reader so if I find it boring I put the book down.

    Plus this book is a roller coaster of emotions, which doesn't mean they're good, but it grips you.

    I like bad guys yes and Adrian and one of them he's really bad, despite his obsession with Mariza he still mistreats her a lot and that's horrible but anyway this is a mafia book so this is the context.

    Like I said, kids are really cute, and Adrian does everything he can to save Mariza and I like that.

    At the beginning Mariza fights a lot, tries to run away but out of nowhere she falls madly in love with him and does everything What he wants that I don't like it anymore anyway.

    I liked her personality from the beginning

    I don't like characters that submissive like that.


    The book is Adrian treating Mariza so badly that in the end he really realizes that he loves her.


    And I liked their ending that he quit the mob for her.

    And in the end he became a good Husband.





    Resenha

    Este livro me prendeu desde o início e isso é um ponto muito positivo, em nenhum momento eu achei chato ou quis largar, pelo contrário eu li sem parar.


    Eu tenho isso comigo infelizmente, sou uma leitora exigente então se acho chato eu largo o livro.

    Mais este livro e uma montanha russa de emoções, que não quer dizer que sejam boas, mais isso te prende.

    Eu gosto de bad guys sim e o Adrian e um deles ele é realmente mau, apesar de sua obsessão pela Mariza ele ainda a Maltrata muito e isso é horrível mas enfim este é um livro da máfia então este é o contexto.

    Como eu falei eles crianças são muito fofos, e Adrian faz de tudo para salvar Mariza e eu gosto disso.

    Mariza no início luta bastantes tenta fugir mais do nada ela fica loucamente apaixonada por ele e faz tudo Oqueele quer isso eu não gosto mais enfim.

    Eu gostava da personalidade dela do inicio

    Eu não gosto de Personagens tão submissas assim.


    O livro é Adrian tratando Mariza muito mau para no final ele realmente perceber que a ama.


    E gostei do final deles que ele largou a máfia por ela.

    E no final se tornou um bom Marido.

  • Renee

    I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review.

    Adrian
    She's sweet, innocent, beautiful, and she's going to be mine no matter what. Mafia princess Marzia De Luca made me a promise when we were children. She broke that promise. No it's time to teach her a lesson. Marzia thinks she's going to celebrate her arranged marriage at a masked ball. But this party is the perfect opportunity for me to kidnap her. It's time for me to show her that my love....means pain.
    Marzia
    Since I was a little girl, I've been in love with him-dark, twisted, menacingly handsome Adrian Bernardi. But my father, the mafia don, decided Id marry someone else. Except I don't want to marry the other man. I only want Adrian. I pray for help, asking Adrian to save me. But saving me means taking everything from me.

    Adrian's Vengeance is a dark mafia romance by Isabella Starling and Raven Scott. You better buckle up too because this one is intense and will keep you on your toes. When Adrian and Marzia meet as children they make a promise to marry only each other. However, that is not the way life is going to while Maria is in love with Adrian her father wants her to have nothing to do with him and has arranged for her to marry someone else. Now it is time for the engagement party and Adrian has the perfect opportunity and kidnaps Maria. You would think that since she is so in love with him he would see that and this would be the perfect reunion. It isn't and she goes from living in the gilded cage she was living in to being Adrian's prisoner. This is his plan to keep her and get his revenge. However don't count out Maria's father. He has far different plans. I loved this book. It was so good that I didn't want to put it down. It is dark and dirty and you guys are going to love every single second of it.

  •  Mary ❤️ DBO

    Adrian's Vengeance by Isabella Starling & Raven Scott

    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

    4 STARS

    Adrian's Vengeance by Isabella Starling and Raven Scott, it is a standalone dark mafia romance and it is written in dual POV.

    I have tbh here.... I don't usually enjoy mafia romance but this one was good.

    Marzia and Adrian met when they were kids and they fell in love instantly. They made a promise to each other that day.

    11 years had passed since they saw each other, but not a day had passed since they think about each other. Now, the day has become, and Marzia is set to marry Vinnie, Adrian's enemy, only Adrian will do everything in his power to stop that. And I do mean EVERYTHING.

    Being a dark mafia romance, you can expect the things that might happen. The story had everything you will expect, angst, drama, suspense, action, and definitely steam, because "hello, we're talking about Isa's writing here", and if you read her before, you know what I mean. I haven't read Raven Scott so far, but the two of them made a great book/story together.
    I hated Adrian most of the time, but I was happy to see the HEA for them.

    For my taste, it wasn't "that" Dark, but that is just my opinion.

  • Rhonda Hicks

    Isabella Starling & Raven Scott are part of my one-click author list. Combine them and what I got was a great storyline. It's intense, action-packed, suspenseful, and chemistry-filled. If you've read the blurb for 'Adrian's Vengeance' then you know Adrian and Marzia's story began in 'Broken Promises', the prequel in "Mafia Heirs". Their story began when they were children on the docks while waiting while their parents were in a meeting. There are so many twists and turns, a plethora of emotions, and chemistry that refuses to be denied. The storyline is intense, dark, twisted at times, and if you're prone, there could be triggers. I personally, thought this was a spectacular read.

  • Linda Lee

    3.5 stars

    "You're a monster." "I'm the monster you're going to fucking marry," I hiss at her. "And don't you ever fucking forget that."

    Adrian’s Vengeance has a good storyline, lots of action and is twisted. Marcia finds herself locked in a gilded cage after her family is brutally murdered. She is torn between the betrayal of the boy she has always loved and the family she loved. Falling further under his control although he is dismissive, until faced with the reality of his life. Making her want to escape, but Adrian has other ideas on how he can bind her to him forever. This book really needed to be proofread, there are so many spelling errors, incorrect and missing words.

  • TINA WILLIAMS

    This book is definitely a dark and steamy read. I felt so many emotions while reading this story. I wanted to choke Adrian so many times during this book. He treated Marzia so harshly at times and made so many bad decisions. Marzia was the only innocent in this story but she suffered the most. She was such a smart woman however. I loved her character so much. She and Adrian have an amazing chemistry and a connection from childhood but there are so many obstacles in their way. This is one wild read and the struggle for love and happily ever after is brutal.

  • Minnie

    If you love alpha-male, possessive hero, this book is just for you.

    Adrian and Marzia have met they were kids. Now 11 years later, when Adrian finds out that Marzia is to be married with his enemy, he knows he has to do something to get her back, even if it means going against his father wishes.
    Marzia doesn’t want this marriage too and hopes Adrian will come and rescue her, even after those 11 years.

    Their story was so hot and such a rollercoaster. Their chemistry was off charts.

  • Nessa

    Talk about an intense ride between Marzia and Adrian in this new dark mafia romance by Isabella Starling and Raven Scott. As young children these two have an instant connection, but it's the mafia, and the families are enemies. Years later, Adrian gets a chance to get what he wants, and even though he breaks her down, he also loves her in his own way. This book was an emotional ride for me with so many plot twists that I never saw coming, and I couldn't put this book down!