We were both pawns. Her unknowing. Me unwilling. Both of us bound by our family's legacies.

5 Bambolina and Prince of Hearts stars!!
Trigger warning:

Spoiler

on-page attempted rape and rape of the female MC, NOT by the hero

I've been on a forbidden-romance kick lately and this one was another home run for me. On the surface this story is one almost everyone is familiar with; a story of two star-crossed lovers who come from opposite sides of the river and whose families are at war with each other. However even though the basis of the story is familiar, L.A. Cotton still manages to weave her own touch into this fantastic story to make it her own and provide enough twists to keep readers completely hooked.

Like most of the people in my life, I knew them. I knew all about their lives and their families, but they didn't really know me. They weren't allowed to know me. I was the girl looking in, always on the periphery but never in the spotlight.

Our Juliet in this story is Arianne, who is the daughter of Roberto Capizola and heir to the Capizola fortune. She has been sheltered and protected her entire life and has been treated as a possession whose sole purpose is to further her father's financial success. When she is finally granted some freedom to attend college under an alias, she jumps at the chance of freedom and to experience life outside her estate for the first time.

My body trembled with need. To take what she was offering. To do the right thing. To be the better man. But I wasn't a good man. I was Niccolò Marchetti, son of the devil, prince of hell. She was everything I wasn't. Everything I could never be.

Enter our brooding and tortured Romeo, Nicco Marchetti, who is the son of Antonio Marchetti and heir to Dominion. As the Mafia boss's son, he has done questionable things in the past and puts the needs of his family above all else. However, his unwavering loyalty and unshakable focus are challenged when he meets Arianne and he finds himself willing to jeopardize the Marchetti success in order to protect Ari, his Bambolina, from anyone who threatens her.

Nicco and I were bound. It defied all logic, disregarded all rational thought, and made me sound like a lovesick puppy. But I knew. Deep in my soul, I knew Nicco was mine. As much as I was his.

The beginning 40% of this novel was the familiar tale of forbidden yet inescapable love between Nicco and Ari, filled with clandestine meetings and unavoidable yearning. And with each step that they take closer to each other, the more the strings of fate seem to pull them apart. There were some really tough scenes in this book, but there were also some really sweet moments as well--Nicco is a big softie! Overall, I loved this rendition of a classic tale, and I cannot wait for the next book where I hope we get more sweet moments between Nicco and Ari (and a resolution for that cliffy!) and maybe some pining from Enzo over Nora (they would be so good together!)

Who the fuck was I kidding? Happy endings didn't exist in my world. But she deserved one. Arianne deserved the sun, the moon, and all the stars. And I was determined to try to figure out a way to give them to her. Even if it killed me.

My Nicco Marchetti, the ruthless Prince of Hearts who's not as cold-blooded as he appears...


*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*