Gorgeous Monster by Charity Ferrell

Dramatic and steamy, this dark mafia romance is utterly unputdownable. This book doesn’t beat around the bush and starts off right away with a desperate Natalia going to her best friend’s mobster father. She’s in trouble with her ex and needs Cristian’s protection. He’s considered a monster for good reason, though, and Natalia gets more than she bargained for coming to the head of the Marchetti crime family. However, things happen eventually that alter their situation, and an altogether different sort of relationship begins between Cristian and Natalia.

I absolutely could not get enough of these two! Natalia is feisty and doesn’t hold back. She’s formidable in her own way, and I loved how she didn’t hesitate to tell Cristian what she thought. And him? Cristian is the perfectly written and seriously hot mafia boss/older man who turned out to be more than I expected. There’s a complexity to his character that I found delightfully surprising, and I adored him.

Together Cristian and Natalia have insane chemistry. Like their romance is beyond steamy, but it’s not just physical. Despite the age gap and the other many things that should make it difficult for these two to work, they simply do. The spice is there (oh my is it ever), but I enjoyed the glimpses of that something more, too. Those moments made their relationship just feel right.

Also, I love that this book feels so fast paced. There’s plenty of action and certain things transpire that I didn’t expect, which made this the sort of book I didn’t want to put down. The drama is pervasive, and it made for a truly compelling read.

I couldn’t get enough of Cristian and Natalia’s story, and I was instantly addicted to their combustible tug of war. I’ve got a new favorite antihero in Cristian, and I’m beyond excited for the next book in this series.