Marry Me Not by Gabriella Sands - Mafia Romance that will have you wanting for more (Netgalley ARC)💙⛓️💍
Rating : 5/5⭐
🤍Thank You
First and foremost i would like to thank Author Gabrielle Sands and Velvet Pages LLC for granting me the ARC copy of the book in return for an honest review im truly grateful
✨ A Soft Glimpse
An arranged marriage mafia romance with a man who falls in love with his own wife while desperately trying to convince himself it's all just a contract?
Yeah.
I was absolutely going to eat this up.
🌸 My Heart Says...
It’s been a hot minute since I read mafia romance, and getting back into mafia romance with a BANGER was just EVERYTHING.
Gabriella Sands just knows how to write the kind of mafia romance that will absolutely have you obsessed, and obviously, I was here for it.
I previously read her Be With Me last year, which was actually the first book I ever read from her, and I absolutely loved it. But I have to say...
Marry Me Not might have topped the list for me.
But first of all, I NEED to yap about this book cover because...
I mean???
It just screamed GORGEOUS to me.
The art.
The colours.
The details.
I SAID YES TO THE ART!!!
Like, even gorgeous feels like an understatement.
And I read this book in the span of TWO DAYS.
Talk about DEVOURING THE BOOK!!!
I was so excited to start this book, and I was equally excited to finally get Cosimo's story.
This story revolves around Cosimo and Fabiana, who are set to be married because of an arrangement made by their families. Neither of them was exactly thrilled about it, but hey...
That doesn't mean love can't happen, right!?
Cosimo obviously had his own reservations for valid reasons, while Fabiana was being thrown into a marriage with someone she barely knew—and Cosimo was basically in the same boat.
At the beginning, things were definitely rocky, and during that time, I simply wanted to get inside the book and smack Cosimo upside the head.
BUT...
Then he made up for it throughout the rest of the book.
And BOY did he make up for it.
💞 What Made Me Swoon
This man right here was literally having a CRUSH ON HIS OWN WIFE while pretending it was all just contract stuff.
SIR???
The way this man was acting, you'd think he completely forgot his marriage apparently had an expiry date.
Talk about blindly in love.
As he SHOULD.
It was like Fabiana had some kind of gravitational pull over his entire being because his bloodstream, his breathing, his thoughts...
EVERYTHING consisted of Fabiana.
Like, his job be damned.
At this point, my man was in love before he even knew he was in love.
I laughed because on the outside, Cosimo was basically like:
"This is just a contract. Nothing else. It won't last."
Meanwhile, on the inside, all this man could think about was Fabiana.
He was very good at hiding himself and his emotions, but he was never good at hiding his feelings for her.
The way he couldn't stand seeing her in pain.
The way he would do anything to make sure she never needed anything.
The way he cared for her without even realizing just how much he was doing.
The way he kept pretending he wasn't husband material when the truth is...
HE IS THE HUSBAND MATERIAL.
This man was getting ruined for everyone the moment he laid his eyes on her.
And then we get THIS:
"I'd told her I'd ruin other men for her, but in that moment, I knew I was the one being ruined. A sense of certainty coalesced inside my chest. There'd be no one else after her. No one.
She was it for me."
THIS MAN WAS GETTING RUINED FOR EVERYONE.
The moment he laid eyes on her, it was OVER.
No one else stood a chance.
And honestly?
I was screaming.
Also...
VITA BETTER RUN WHEN I SEE HER.
Because I'm READY TO FIGHT THIS WOMAN.
I'M SO READY.
And can we talk about the nickname he gives Fabiana!?
So cute.
But the meaning behind it was actually kinda badass, and I loved it even more because of that.
Honestly, I liked it more than Romolo's pet name for Mia.
There's nothing wrong with Berry, but the fact that he started calling her that because she uses berry-flavoured lip gloss???
I was like...
I see you.
And let's NOT forget the mouth on this man.
The spice he delivers???
THE HOTNESS???
Especially the sauna scene...
HELL YEAH!!!
🌹 Fabiana, My Girl
Fabiana...
MY GIRL.
Reading about her genuinely felt like looking into a mirror because this woman is the PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE PLEASER but deep down?
A TOTAL BADASS.
And I absolutely loved watching that side of her come out.
In the beginning, Fabiana was definitely naive and very trusting, but throughout the book, you could slowly see her badass side emerging.
And honestly?
FABIANA, YOU'RE MY KINDA WOMAN!!!
She is kind.
She is smart.
She is caring.
And she is a TOTAL BADDIE.
The funniest part was that this woman was casually making Cosimo lose his entire mind and had absolutely NO IDEA she was doing it.
Meanwhile, she's over there thinking:
"Cosimo doesn't like me."
GIRL.
PLEASE.
OPEN YOUR EYES.
THE MAN IS GONE.
I loved the way she stood up for him.
The way she could see right through him.
The way she looked past all his walls and saw the man he truly was.
She didn't just see the cold exterior he showed everyone else.
She saw HIM.
And I loved that so much.
Watching her become more confident and finally embrace the stronger side of herself was such a beautiful part of her character development.
And honestly, she deserved every bit of love she received.
💔 What Stayed With Me
The plot twist!!!
I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING.
But did I love it!?
ABSOLUTELY YES!!!
It added something I wasn't expecting and had me completely invested in seeing how everything would unfold.
The characters, the plot, the emotions, the chemistry...
Everything was INSANE.
I also really loved seeing Cosimo's softer side slowly come through, especially because of everything he had been through with his parents.
This man deserved a hug for everything he had gone through, and honestly, understanding his past made me realize even more why he became the person he was.
🌙 A Final Thought
With that being said, I would've loved a little more insight into Cosimo's past.
I think a few flashbacks or even just some snippets of his childhood and what he went through would've helped me understand him even more.
But other than that?
This book was EVERYTHING I needed.
It reminded me exactly why I love mafia romance and why Gabriella Sands is an author I will happily pick up again.
The characters?
LOVED.
The plot?
ATE.
The emotions?
FELT.
The chemistry?
INSANE.
The spice?
PIPPING HOT.
And Cosimo pretending this was just a contract while simultaneously falling hopelessly in love with his own wife?
Yeah...
I ATE THAT UP.
I would 100% recommend this book.
🩷Mafia Romance
🩷Arranged Marriage
🩷Morally grey hero
🩷Forced Proximity
🩷Virgin Heroine
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