VEILED IN HATE
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Author: A Zavarelli
Release Date: July 16, 2023
Veiled in Hate
Veiled In Hate is a standalone Dark Mafia Romance based on Luca from SHAW: STORM ENTERPRISES Book 1.
Luca
I’m filled with darkness, thriving on the only thing I feel, hate.
The blood I’ve shed to avenge my sister’s death has done nothing to appease me.
When my don creates an alliance between our enemies to create peace, I’ve no choice but to comply.
That doesn’t mean I’ll make it easy for her—the Ricci Princess.
She will be the perfect target for my hate.
Hate has never felt so good.
In blood we’re bound. In trust we live.
Camille
He hates every fiber of my being.
Luca Varros tried to end my bloodline in a quest for vengeance. He refuses to listen to reason.
When we’re forced together as part of an alliance, he turns his hate toward me.
But I see beyond his darkness, I see a glimmer of a man I will him to become.
And when my own veil of hate is about to slip, I’m reminded of the truth.
Luca Varros feels nothing. His quest for vengeance will always come first.
In blood we’re bound. In truth we live.
The book features dark elements and triggers so please check the authors website for details.
In blood we’re bound. In trust we live
I genuinely can’t remember the last time I gave a book one star. But when I finished this in a plume of rage, morbid curiosity, and the last shred of sanity I had, I simply couldn’t rate it anything higher. Because oh my god the way I hated this book. And speaking of the word “hate”, that was used 140 times. Yes, you read that right. 140 times. And that quote above? 14 times.
As a predominantly dark romance reader that loves mafia romance and red flags of MMCs who happen to be super mean, this blurb read like absolute trope candy to me. But the actual story? Well that read like a mix of low budget porn and pure shock value. I also love a mean MMCs and the whole revenge plot, but this was straight abuse porn. Nothing hot, sexy or entertaining about it. I feel like I have PTSD after finishing it.
The characters had absolutely no depth or character development. The MMCs has two moods running on rotation; homicidal rage and horny. That’s it. Nothing more. When he’s not raging, he’s horny, and when he’s not horny, he’s raging. Although sometimes he was both.
How a book could feel like it goes on forever and too quick at the same time is beyond me. But this did. Because we spend 90% of this book with the MMC essentially abusing the FMC for daring to share the same blood as her now deceased twin brother who allegedly raped and killed Luca’s sister. And the FMC being both a virginal ingenue and master d*ck sucker at the same time. Every time I thought she grew a backbone and would sass him, she would then turn around and let him basically crap all over it. She forgave him the most atrocious things and I just couldn’t deal.
We go back and forth in this cloud of hate sex and Luca repeating ad nauseam just how much he hates Camille. And Camille just taking it while at the same time kinda sorta enjoying it but not really. Then Luca does something so atrocious at the end that short of crawling on his knees in broken glass to beg Camille’s forgiveness, nothing less would do. Sadly, all that happens is that she runs away, he find her, admits his love, and she forgives him. At that point, I think I would have preferred him getting hit by a bus rather than a HEA and I feel sick just saying it out loud. But never has a character deserved a HEA less than Luca.
There was nothing truly dark about this book. It was pure shock value with way too many sex scenes as filler and some of the cringiest dirty talk I have ever read.
And as a reader who has the memory of a gold fish, I wish I could forget this book. But alas, it’s now etched in my memory banks for the foreseeable future. Which I suppose deserves at least one star for that.
Le sigh.
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