Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from the author in exchange for a fair review.
I'm really glad I decided to take a chance on this one—I tend not to go in for dark romance all that much, but this really caught my attention.
Emilio vowed as a child to exact revenge on the man he blames for the death of his parents. Years later, that man's daughter walks through the doors of his club, and suddenly Emilio has his perfect opportunity. He's going to take Gabriela away from her family, and then her father might feel a smidgen of the pain Emilio's been suffering for most of his life. But Gaby isn't what Emilio expects in the slightest, and she throws his entire world off-kilter.
I really enjoyed the push and pull dynamic between Gaby and Emilio, and the way they both fought against their feelings. The chemistry between them is off the charts, and every time that they give in to their attraction is hot as hell. I also loved how entangled their lives were; Gaby's older sister was Emilio's childhood best friend, and it was so sweet to see him and Sofia reunite. In a lot of ways, Gaby gave Emilio a life again, which I thought was beautiful. I really felt for him; it was easy to empathise with his pain, and I wanted nothing for than for him to be able to find some peace.
I also thoroughly enjoyed how Emilio grew from an arrogant, self-centred jerk drowning in grief to a man who respected Gaby, listened to her, and put her first. That said, I would have liked to see Gaby make him work harder for her forgiveness; I feel like she gave in a little too easily considering the guy kidnapped her and threatened to murder her father if she didn't comply with his wishes. I wanted to see her falling in love be a little more drawn out—but then, I'm a sucker for a slowburn!
On the whole, I did really enjoy reading this, and I'm glad I took a chance on it. I'll be sure to check out more of Diana's books in future!
Final verdict: A dark, twisted romance that ultimately comes good. 🍯🍯🍯🍯/5 honeypots!