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SERIES REVIEW: Enticed by the Enemy, Seduced by a Sinner, & Kissed by a Killer (The Morelli Family Books 3-5) by Leighton Greene

The Morelli Family: Enticed by the Enemy – Leighton Greene
He’s an FBI profiler who’s half my age. Contact between us is forbidden. But I can’t stay away from him.
As the Morelli Underboss, I’m the Family problem-solver. So when a task force blames the Morellis for a series of murders in Central Park, it’s up to me to restore our reputation.
But Fate puts me on a collision-course with an agent on the very task force dedicated to bringing down my Family…
And we end up on the run together.
My heart has been ice-cold for decades, but something about him sets my blood on fire.
It would be crazy of me to trust a Fed. But he claims he wants to prove my innocence. That the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
We each want to solve this case for different reasons, but we’ll both end up dead if he can’t follow my lead.
So to make him behave, I’ll use every weapon I have—including my body.
But why do I feel like I’m the one losing control?
Enticed by the Enemy is a M/M mafia romance set in the world of the Morelli Crime Family. It can be read as a standalone, but it’s even more fun to read the series in order. Characters and events from previous books are referenced.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Enemy Mind
Artist: Priest
Album: Samurai

The Morelli Family: Seduced by a Sinner – Leighton Greene
He’s innocent. He’s chaste. He’s promised to God.
And he’s more temptation than I can handle.I’m supposed to guard the Boss’s husband, but I just can’t keep my eyes off his best friend, Aidan O’Leary.
Watching him.
Wanting him.
Knowing I can never have him.
Aidan is pure in body and soul. He’s about to be ordained as a priest. Me? I’m going to burn for the things I’ve done. And I can’t stop thinking about all the sinful things I want to do to him.
But when there’s an attack on Aidan’s life, I’m reassigned to protect him, and we grow closer than ever.
Someone wants Aidan dead. It’s my job to deliver him safely to the Church to take his vows, although I’d rather have him as my own.
I’ve sworn to protect him until I can give him away to God. But it’s getting harder and harder to let him go without a fight.
And if I can’t focus on the job, how can I keep Aidan safe when our enemies are closing in?
***
Seduced by a Sinner is best enjoyed as part of the Morelli Family mafia romance series. Characters and events from previous books are referenced.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Sin So Sweet
Artist: Walter Zeiders
Album:

The Morelli Family: Kissed by a Killer – Leighton Greene
It’s my job to protect the Morelli men when the law is after them. But now their most dangerous Capo has killed to protect me.
My law firm has two unbreakable rules.
1. Never get personally involved with a client.
Nick Fontana was only ever supposed to be a booty call, but he’s had me cross-examining my heart since we started hooking up.
2. Never let the Morellis do you a favor.
I can’t stop thinking about his talented hands on my body…but those hands just took the wrong life to save mine.
I helped Nick cover up what he did, because if anyone finds out, it would start a Mob War that could destroy us all.
But someone knows our deadly secret.
I’ve kept my mouth shut. So can I really trust the killer I’ve been kissing?
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Kiss/Kill
Artist: Michelle
Album:
The Morelli Family Books 3 to 5 feature Luca Di’Amato’s inner circle and the men who came into their lives, causing chaos, mayhem, and heat.
Enticed by the Enemy stars Angelo Messina, the second in command. Angelo is a well-known and well-liked personality in New York, so close-lipped and slippery that he even had lunch with the detective who claimed Angelo was his white whale. Yet the detective still got nothing on him.
Special Agent Baxter Flynn is a forensic psychologist who is just that bit obsessed with Angelo, having even done his master’s thesis on the man. The SA is so spectacularly green that he dropped his gun while trying to stalk Angelo Messina when somebody started shooting, and he and Angelo had to run away.
Turns out a cop was shot, and the bullets are from Baxter’s Bureau-issued gun. The detective Angelo had lunch with was also found dead. Bold if rash, Baxter barged into Angelo’s apartment and clumsily proposed they work together to find the shooter who was after Angelo and/or Baxter. And clear their names.
Angelo has always been a solid guy, the rock the Morelli dons have relied on. He’s a capable, level-headed mobster who loved the late Tino Morelli and now has nothing but respect and support for the new don Luca. He’s also gorgeous. Even the detective spoke with envy, saying Angelo’s got it easy with a face like that. In short, Angelo’s the complete package and made the book worth reading.
Baxter, on the other hand, had me wondering how he passed Quantico. Not because he’s a rookie, I mean, we’re all beginners at some point. But the man was so ridiculously TSTL and inept, I wasn’t at all surprised he got framed for murder. His investigative skills were laughable, his decisions were hopelessly naive, and this case of opposites attract didn’t work in his character’s favor.
The book ended in an HFN and will be picked up in Vow of the Vigilante, where, hopefully, Baxter redeems himself.
Seduced by a Sinner stars Matteo Vitale, Finch’s bodyguard, who’s been quietly eyeing Finch’s best friend, the novice, Aidan O’Leary, in the background.
One day, a man threatened Aidan with a knife, and Teo stepped in to save the novice. Then he took Aidan to the Morelli home to keep him safe. However, Aidan’s upcoming ordination is fast approaching, and they have to get to Boston with Finch and Luca in tow.
Things became even more chaotic when an Irish terrorist group started threatening Finch’s sister, Tara Donovan, now head of the Donovan family, and whose house the Morellis are staying in Boston.
Teo’s another capable Morelli and the best bodyguard the don trusts with his husband’s life. Teo is aware he’s got blood on his hands, not the man for somebody as innocent as Aidan. He’s got nothing but awe and affection for Ai.
Aidan is an openly gay man about to become a priest. When he became romantically involved with Teo, he did angst, but not overly so. He was generally content and happy; the angstying came later, but unlike most religious figures in MM romance, he was not a miserable character to read about.
I loved how Teo let Aidan experience his firsts with consent, gentle reassurances, and positive views on sexuality and Aidan’s religious beliefs. This books doesn’t condemn religion but reconciles it with all forms of love.
With some guidance from his mom and a mentor, he was able to make peace with himself and his relationship with God and Teo. I loved reading their story because their romance has a wholesome and pure quality to it, in contrast with the Irish business that bulldozed its way into their lives.
The book ended with an HEA for the couple and good things for Teo, Morelli-wise, when he stepped up against the Irish terrorists.
Kissed by a Killer stars Nick Fontana, a capo, and rumored to be the future caporegime of the Morellis. He’s occasional fuck buddies with Carlo Bianchi, the Morelli lawyer, a forbidden affair because Carlo’s father, doesn’t want his lawyers fraternizing with the mobsters.
The story opens with a wedding where all five Families are attending. On the night of the wedding, the groom snuck into Carlo’s room and assaulted him. Nick, who had just come from Carlo’s room, saw him and snapped his neck. They had to quickly make the body disappear.
The groom is a scion of the Guiliano Family, and soon everyone was looking for the missing groom. Nick and Carlo were conflicted whether to tell Luca, and alliances would break if they don’t do something about it soon. With the threat of the Irish terrorists hanging over New York, they can’t afford to lose allies.
Nick is Luca’s closest friend, the two rising in ranks together. He’s one of the most trusted men in Luca’s circle, so his not coming clean right away and later dragging his feet for some reason or other really added to the tension and anticipation, a.k.a. dread of when Luca will eventually find out.
Carlo is the heir to the Bianchi firm, which has an exclusive contract with the Morellis. He’s known to be extremely good at keeping the men out of jail. Objectively, I could see that Carlo can be unlikable. He tends to run his mouth and push buttons. Even Nick was annoyed with him several times, as much as he’s fond of the difficult man.
I don’t actively dislike Carlo; he’s just not somebody I would cast as a love interest. Fortunately, he meshes well with Nick, their antagonistic dynamics adding spice to their story. And he totally redeemed himself when he did his big lawyer speech to save Nick’s life. I was actually impressed! So now I see why Luca keeps him on a retainer.
Plot-wise, it was all over the place. There were many overarching threads that were continued here, plus the forbidden romance and the secrets. And for men of their caliber, Nick and Carlo weren’t making the smartest decisions. The ending was bittersweet and an HFN, but I loved that it gave us hope for Luca and Nick’s friendship.
Overall, Morelli men are making their marks and winning hearts.
The Morelli Family continues with Devoted to the Don. The books must be read in order.
Married To The Mobster introduces us to delightfully bratty Finch Donovan and besotted but won’t admit it, Luca Di’Amato.
Beloved By The Boss is Luca and Finch making their marriage work and taking over New York
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THE MORELLI FAMILY: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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MY TOP 10 READS OF 2024
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REVIEW: Beloved By The Boss by Leighton Greene

Morelli Family: Beloved By The Boss – Leighton Greene
M/M Mafia Romance
It’s good to be the Boss. That’s what I thought my whole life.
Now I am the Boss. I’ll shoulder that responsibility with my beloved husband beside me. As long as I have Finch, I can handle whatever life throws at me.
But what they say is true: Be careful what you wish for.
My Family has been decimated. My allies are few. I’m holding onto power by a thread.
And the truth is, my husband is more vulnerable than ever. He’s always been a lost soul, and now he’s suffered yet another crushing loss.
I can’t protect him from Fate’s cruel blows. But I’m determined to protect him from our enemies, no matter what it takes—as soon as I get my own house in order.
Because I’m starting to wonder if there’s a traitor in the Morelli Family…
If I can’t even trust my own men, how can I keep my beloved safe?
Beloved by the Boss is the sequel to Married to the Mobster, and is the second book in the Morelli Family Mafia Romance series.
My mafia romance streak continues with Leighton Greene‘s Morelli Family. This series has one of my all-time favorite couples, Luca and Finch.
Married To The Mobster, Book 1 of the series, was released in 2020, and since then, I’ve been waiting for the audiobooks. It wasn’t until last year that the author announced none other than the great Michael Ferraiuolo would be narrating, and I was ecstatic because his style suits the characters to a T!
And it was a spot-on performance for Beloved by the Boss!
In the first book, Luca was forced to marry Finch to save the young man’s life. Unknown to the mobster who forced the marriage, the two had a meet disaster that ended in a magical night and a separation of 5 years. Majority of the book, we see Luca putting Finch at arms length despite obviously worshipping the ground he walks on.
Beloved by the Boss takes a 180-degree turn. Luca, now smarter and with his priorities straight, is the new Don Morelli struggling to gain the respect of his capos and other families. Finch is the center of his universe, and the two have Friday date nights and open communication. Luca is committed to putting Finch first, consequences be damned! And boy, were there consequences!
The Commission, an organization overseeing all the Families, is calling Luca to explain Don Augustino Morelli’s death, along with the death of a made man from the rival Fuscone Family. The Morellis also had to find out who is snitching on them to the Fuscones. As if there’s not enough on their plate, the Donovans’, the Irish mob headed by Finch’s sister Maggie, appears to be working with their rival family.
What I remembered most about Finch is that he is a fun character. He’s a sassy twink and a spoiled rich kid who “wilted like a lettuce left out the fridge” when he was forced to slum it (at that time, Luca was just a regular mafioso and wasn’t rich yet). Now, he’s still sassy and spoiled, and uses his considerable smarts as the unofficial consigliere.
And because the humor was what I remembered most, I forgot how gritty this series could be. The story is told in dual POV. Luca’s POV showed his struggles as the new Morelli boss dealing with one major loss after another. Finch’s POV is all fun and games until the twists and turns slammed in! It was betrayal and death at every turn!
It’s heart-breaking because most of the deaths and betrayals are connected to him directly and they hit him hard! Finch wasn’t just there to make saucy comments. He was also a grieving son, a reformed drug addict, a vulnerable target, and a mob boss’s husband trying to roll with the punches life and mobsters threw at him.
Luca and Finch don’t know who to trust, not even those related by blood. I loved how the two went from strength to strength, working as a team because
“When you want something done right–”
“Do it with your husband,” I finished for him.Their romance is still as sizzling as ever, the chemistry even better now that Luca reveals an unexpectedly poetic side with his swoony lines. And it tickles me pink every time I hear him call Finch “baby bird” or “angel.”
And it’s not just the chemistry. I also loved how they grew as a couple and as individuals. The scene where Luca surprised Finch at the wake spoke volumes about how well they knew each other and how far Luca will go just to be there when Finch needed him.
I love reading about mafia politics and it was fascinating to see the Commission in action or the divide between the west and east coast families. The writing struck a good balance between humorous and dark, and between the action, romance, and suspense.
The supporting cast stood out as well. Frankie and Celia have always been there, so I hope to see them in future books despite what happened (It was tragic and bittersweet). I’m excited for Angelo’s book and Aiden’s, too. One casualty gutted me because he was such great character, and I’m sorry we won’t be seeing him again.
Beloved by the Boss is a compelling story of two men deeply entangled in marriage and the mafia. It is an almost perfect sequel to an entertaining mafia romance. I took away half star because it went on a bit too long. Overall, emotional, thrilling, and hella swoony!
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Fire On Up
Artist: Paper Kings
Album: Look At Me NowP.S.
Morelli Family should be read in order. Witness the meet-disaster and Luca’s pining for his “baby bird” in Married To The Mobster.
Also, the book models are perfect as blue-eyed devil Luca and golden-haired Finch!
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BELOVED BY THE BOSS: Kindle | Audiobook
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PRIDE FLAG BOOK TAG + PLAYLIST
Happy Pride Month, everyone!
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LAST YEAR I WAS READING…(December 16, 2020)
This meme was created by Reading Marie. It’s a great meme because it’s nice and easy to do.
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REVIEW: Married To The Mobster by Leighton Greene

Morelli Family: Married To The Mobster – Leighton Greene
The Mob sent him to kill me, but he owed me a debt…
Years ago I saved his life, and we spent one hot night together before he disappeared. Now this bad boy’s all grown up, and living a dangerous life. But when his Family decides to send a message to my father, it’s my life on the line.
Only he can’t bring himself to do it when he realizes who I am.
He bargains for my life.
He argues to keep me as a hostage instead of killing me.
He even agrees to marry me, but not for love.
Marrying me is the only way he can repay the debt he owes me.
He tells me he’ll keep me alive only as long as his Boss allows it.
What he doesn’t know is that I’ve loved him since the first moment I laid eyes on him. I’ll take him any way I can get him. Sleeping with the enemy never felt so good…
But is there someone else who wants me dead?
New-to-me author Leighton Greene delivers a highly enjoyable mafia-themed story about a sassy Irish mobster’s son who knew his shit and a flawed but ambitious Italian mobster who tried his hardest not to feel.
Married to the Mobster opens with a meet cute that soon turned bloody. Finch spots Luca at the dance floor. The attraction was instant and mutual. Luca was later attacked outside the club. Finch found him, patched him up, spent the night with him then (reluctantly) went their separate ways.
Fast forward 5 years later and their second meet cute also involved violence. Finch has a hit on him. He was abducted by the Morelli and Luca pleads for his life. Mob boss Tino grants pardon on the condition Luca marries Finch.
These first parts is where the story really shines. The meetings played out wonderfully and I loved how the connection between Finch and Luca took root and grew into something inevitable.
I love Finch! He’s a fascinating combination of a spoiled billionare’s son and a streetsmart survivor. He has quite a mouth on him but he’s got a good heart and sees a person’s true worth .
Luca might be more difficult to like. In some ways, he’s your typical confident alpha male / tough bastard. As the story progressed, it becomes apparent that he lacks knowledge when it comes to the finer things in life because he grew up poor. He also lacks a certain kind of sophistication needed to move in higher circles. But all he ever wants is to keep Finch safe and give him everything he needs. So clearly, he knows his priorities.
Married to the Mobster is, first and foremost, a romance so the mafia politics side of the story wasn’t as strongly delivered as I would have liked. Most of it was the looming threat on Finch’s life. It did provide some unexpected twists later on.
My favorite part was Finch’s unwavering efforts to bring out the best in Luca. He truly believed in his man. Also, even if he is selfless, he knew when to put his foot down when he had enough of his husband’s hot and cold treatment.
There was also a potentially intriguing part at the beginning when Finch had a death wish. It would have been nice if this was explored but it just fizzled out when he got involved with Luca.
Sadly, the second part of the story lost some of its luster. Luca was being bullheaded in keeping his distance. All to stay in business and keep his husband alive. Finch was doing all he could to convince Luca that working together is going to do them both a world of good. The back and forth did dragged bit but it was something they had to go through while Luca struggled with his feelings and responsibilities.
Well, Luca tried his damnedest to deny there are real feelings between them but Finch knew his man well. Knew that the husband who keeps him at arms length is a snuggle slut. Knew that the man who wears cheap polyester suits he claims are Armanis deserves the real thing. Knew the mobster who doesn’t know the proper silverware to use is going to rule New York City one day. Finch even told him so their first night together. And he is going to make it happened.
P.S.
I can’t wait when he does!
The story ends in HFN and continues in Beloved by the Boss.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Toi Et Moi
Artist: Paradis
Album: Recto Verso
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