Mafia Bound: Deadly Little Sparrow – K.M. Neuhold

Is there such thing as love at first bar fight?

I may be small and pretty, but what I lack in intimidation factor, I make up for in violence.I made a vow five years ago that the motorcycle club responsible for my brother’s death would pay the price, and I’m finally ready to collect. May God have mercy on the men who hurt my brother, because I don’t plan to.

Accidentally breaking the nose of the deadliest man in the city wasn’t my best move. Xaviaro Saviano, trigger man for the Moretti Crime Family… and now my own personal stalker. But if I have to go through him to deliver well-deserved justice, so be it.

As strange as it sounds, Xaviaro seems to want to help me more than he wants to hurt me. I can’t shake the man no matter what I do. Threatening him feels like foreplay, tying him up only turns him on… I could play nice, but that’s never been my strong suit.

I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t starting to grow on me, especially when he calls me his Deadly Little Sparrow from his knees. I’ve never met a man who could handle me, let alone one who can’t stop begging me for more.

Can love and revenge live in the same heart? I guess there’s only one way to find out…

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Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love

Soundtrack: Submit
Artist: Brek Milo
Album: Submit

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Mafia Bound: Beautifully Savage Butterfly by K.M. Neuhold

Being savage in the ring is one thing. The way Elio Moretti craves my violence outside the ring is another.

I feel like I’ve been fighting my whole life, and tapping out has never been an option.

I can live with owing money to the Morettis. I can even live with the constant guilt that my brother is the one paralyzed in a hospital bed while I live his dream. What I can’t live with is Elio Moretti, second in command to the infamous crime family, showing up to all my fights, sitting in the front row, watching me like he can’t look away, and barging into the locker room to patch up my wounds and invade my space.

The Morettis are monsters. Vicious, brutal sociopaths. So, why is Elio so eager to get on his knees for me?

He’s as desperate to give up control as I am to take it, but is giving in to these primal urges enough of a reason to sell my soul?

He claims there are worse people in this city than his family, and the deeper I get dragged into his world, the more true that’s starting to seem. Can I really fall in love with a Mafia underboss? Is it even possible to walk away?

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Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

Soundtrack: Blow
Artist: Ghinsu
Album: Blow

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Mafia Bound by K.M. Neuhold is a dark, gritty mafia romance series that dares to put mafiosos on their knees.

Deadly Little Sparrow opens the series with a revenge story and an unlikely romance between the avenger and the hitman stalking him. Sparrow, real name unknown, is out to exact vengeance against members of the motorcycle club who abused and murdered his brother.

Xaviaro Saviano, the most notorious hitman of the Moretti Family, spotted him at a bar and, after getting off the wrong foot, began stalking the smaller man. Partly as part of Moretti business crossing with the targeted MC, partly due to his strange but undeniably strong attraction to the deadly little Sparrow.

The plot didn’t delve deeply into the characters’ backstories. There is just enough barebones information to give credence to how Sparrow went from a former billionaire’s son to a highly skilled killer able to take down dangerous men twice his size.

Xaviaro was already established as not only the top hitman but also Enzo Moretti’s best friend and one of the Moretti boss’s inner circle. The thing to know about Xaviaro, he’s feared on the streets, submissive in the sheets. And he was quick to recognize the dominance of the smaller man. Sparrow took unholy glee in topping from the bottom.

The story did its best to be consistently intense. There’s a lot of focus on the kink and while the dynamics were enjoyable, there were moments that I tuned out because they were too blah.

Beautifully Savage Butterfly is Elio Moretti, underboss to the Family, obsessing over undefeated MMA fighter, Orion Barros. Orion couldn’t understand why one of the top Morettis kept coming to his locker room after his fights until Elio showed how willing he was to get down on his knees for him.

The MMA fighter is working overtime to pay Moretti debts and earn money to keep his paraplegic brother, Jack, in a good nursing home. When things took a turn for the worse, Orion had no choice but to make a deal with Elio, something he promised his brother he would never do.

I feel this was better executed than the first story. The backstories were more complete and the various threads were concluded more convincingly, even Jack was given his little HFN. The boss/brat dynamics wasn’t my favorite but Elio and Orion’s chemistry was sizzling!

This was also pretty intense and atmospheric throughout. You could almost smell the blood and sweat, and images of dimly lit alleys and shaky camera shots come to mind.

Another compelling part was the Morettis and Orion working together to stop a child trafficking ring. This was resolved in a suspenseful rescue mission while leaving an opening for future installments.

Mafia Bound is a mixed bag for now, but it’s mostly good. The Morettis as MCs are something I’m really excited about. They are a head-turning bunch, and here are the rest to watch out for:

Salvatore – I bet he’s next. He was tasked to look after the sassy night club dancer/hacker Dante and they played a significant part in the child trafficking investigation

Alessio – guy’s flirty with Dante but it’s mostly harmless. Not much is known about him yet other than he’s part of the inner circle and is a cousin

Enzo – ooh, this one I’m looking forward to the most. The big boss occasionally shows his softer side. There’s a mention of a rival Irish gang leader so hmm….

P.S.

Mafia Bound is best read in order. You can read Deadly Little Sparrow and Beautifully Savage Butterfly as standalones but the Morettis are worth knowing from the beginning.

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DEADLY LITTLE SPARROW: Kindle I Audiobook
BEAUTIFULLY SAVAGE BUTTERFLY: Kindle I Audiobook

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