Reviews · Matcha · Recommendations
Reading with Matcha
A personal space where I share what I love, what moves me, and what I would recommend without hesitation.
Matteo
The DiMaggio Crime Family · Book 1
T. Priceton
★★★★☆Synopsis
In Matteo DiMaggio's world, marriage is a contract between families and nothing more. So when the head of the Mancini crime family offers him his daughter's hand in exchange for what he needs to destroy his enemy, he accepts without hesitation. What he does not expect is to find the name of a woman he has never heard of on the contract. Luxtyn Stockwell is living a completely normal life until her mother disappears during a work trip. The search takes her to New York and there her world turns upside down, she discovers that her father is a mobster, that there are rival families willing to use her and that the only way to find her mother is to marry Matteo. She arrives ready to fight for every inch and he intends to simply honor a deal, but the attraction between them is immediate and neither of them manages to dodge it.
The protagonists
Matteo DiMaggio
Head of the DiMaggio family
The young don of the DiMaggio family, used to solving everything with a contract and to no one questioning him. He has built his entire life around avenging his parents and protecting his siblings, until Lux shows up and completely wrecks the plan. He is possessive, jealous and morally grey, and watching him realize what he feels is one of the best parts of the book.
Luxtyn "Lux" Stockwell
Illegitimate daughter of the Mancini family
An ordinary girl who worked as a bartender and had a quiet life, until her mother's disappearance drags her to New York and into a world she never knew existed. She finds out her father is a mobster and that her only way out is a marriage she did not choose. She is resilient and sharp tongued, she fights for every inch, and she still never becomes unbearable.
My review
Books with the forced marriage trope, in fiction, make me want to live life, and Matteo confirmed it all over again. This is T. Priceton's debut and I am already in line waiting for the second one, because I want to know more about this universe. The premise hooks you right away. Matteo has to marry someone from the Mancini family for the good of the family business, but he does not expect his future wife to be a woman who knows nothing about his world. Lux was living a completely normal life until her mother disappeared, she traveled to New York to find her and that is when she learned that her father is a mobster and that the only way to find her mother was to marry Matteo. The chemistry between them is instant and even though they try to avoid it, they cannot fight the attraction. What I enjoyed most was watching that marriage go from being a mere contract to something real. I loved Matteo, I loved being inside his head and reading about his jealousy, he is one of those heroes who throws himself off balance the moment he understands what he is feeling. And Lux pulls off something difficult, being strong and resilient without being unpleasant, in fact I think she could be my friend, she has that mix of grit and humor that makes her very easy to love. I really do recommend this one. It is entertaining, it has very cute moments and some very on fire ones, and for a first novel it is put together really well. I am already waiting for whatever comes next in this universe.
Who is this for?
For anyone who lives for the forced marriage trope
For readers who want mafia romance with a possessive, jealous hero and a strong heroine who refuses to be pushed around
For anyone who wants an entertaining story with suspense, soft moments and plenty of heat
Where to buy it?
AmazonReading with Matcha · Made with love by Ari