ARC Book Review - Forced Promises: A Dark Mafia Stalker Romance by Alexis Abbott

 





Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Alexis Abbott hasn't written books in awhile, and this is her first book coming back. 

Book Tropes: Age Gap (19/30), Dark Mafia Romance, Mafia Romance, Forced Proximity, Mental Health Representation, Secret society, Religious cult, He falls first, Sexual healing, Stalking, Calls her ‘my angel’, Slow Burn, Obsessed & Protective, MMC, Revenge   

Laszlo has ties to the Hungarian mafia. Now that he's working with a lower level Russian Mafia boss, who doesn't understand who Laszlo's father is. Laszlo is the money person as they call him. is trying to gain the trust of this mafia group without creating to many waves. Laszlo is trying to turn the cash they have in hand into crypto, but its a big scam. Until the bigger bosses in the organization find out the lower managers are making more money than they are! They bring up Laszlo through the ranks. Laszlo notices Evelyn / Belle at the club they usually go to. He sees she is more skiddish / frightened than most of the women are. He tries to hide her from others by staking a claim to her, until they actually make him take her. 

Evelyn / Belle - (Lyn), was raised in a controlling religious cult, every aspect of her life has been dictated by fear, manipulation, and abuse. When she finally escapes her second time, after she finds out she is to be married to her own half-brother, she's thrown into a world she doesn't understand. Evelyn gets a job as a hostess / waitress at a underground mafia hangout. She doesn't understand the 'normal' world, let alone the mafia world, what is dangerous and what is not.  Everything is unfamiliar, overwhelming, and dangerous, but returning to the life she escaped would be far worse. Watching her navigate a normal world with childlike innocence was both heartbreaking and incredibly moving.  She does have a naivety about her and a trusting of others that is  frustrating, but it also felt authentic. Considering the sheltered life she'd endured, her innocence wasn't a flaw—it was a realistic consequence of everything she'd survived. 

Laszlo claims Evelyn is his and brings her to his home, thinking he can keep her safe. Laszlo isn't sure what will happen when he is brought up into the higher ranks. Will Evelyn still be safe with him? Will marrying her be his 'claim' on her be enough to keep the others away? Laszlo's sister went missing when they were younger and he knows the mafia group he is in had something to do with her disappearance. But, why won't anyone talk with him about what is going on in the mansion that is only used for certain ceremonies. 

I did receive a free ARC book copy from Alexis Abbott! I can't wait for your next book!


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