Corrupted Pleasure by Eva Winners

And this is how you start a new series! Corrupted Pleasure is an age gap/best-friend’s father/mafia romance, and it follows Liam, the head of the Irish mafia in New York, and Davina, his daughter’s best friend. From the start, their attraction is crazy hot, and when Davina and her three girlfriends steal from Liam to pay off someone blackmailing them things get heated quickly. In exchange for Liam not going to the authorities, Davina promises herself to him, but so much more happens than that. Not only do the four friends decide to embark on their own less-than-ethical endeavors, but there’s a much larger plotline at play that sets up for the next book, too.

Something I’ve come to enjoy about Winners’ books is that she creates these little book universes where the characters and their stories are completely connected but independent at the same time. In this book, Davina is tied to Winners’ Belles and Mobster’s series in that she is Alexei’s wife’s half-sister, and also Liam associates with the men in that series. I loved that we got glimpses of the characters in that series in this book, since I feel like their addition strengthened this book’s backstory without overtly needing to discuss the surrounding events.   

Also, while there’s a ton of drama and darkness to the story, Davina and her friends offer this entertaining and fun side to it all. They’re goofy at times, and the moments of silly lightness they provide balance all the other things happening. These women are supposed to be 21 and graduating college, so yes they have immature moments, but I feel like that’s in line with their ages and I couldn’t help but smile at their antics.  This book has an element of fun because of the group of friends, and I love how we get these parts where even when what they’re doing might be very serious there’s a playfulness to the storytelling.

So, if you appreciate age gap/mafia romances, I highly recommend this book. It’s got all the drama and darkness you might want but with a lightheartedness to it at times that makes this book feel refreshing amidst all the seriousness. This book is off-the-charts hot, and the storytelling has both left me feeling satisfied and yet desperately wanting to read the next book.