Stephanie Kazowz’s Sasha and The Butcher explores the softer side of a Mafia Romance. Just hear me out before you judge that statement, okay? I promise it’ll make sense. I love Sasha and Luca. I like them individually. I love them together. I can’t wait to see where else they’ll go together.
Sasha is a fierce, confident, independent woman who knows what she wants and knows how to get it. She’s started her own company, she dances, and she has no trouble finding people to sleep with. But her last relationship wound still haunts her, as memories of her girlfriend’s attempts to change who she was cloud every judgement she makes.
Enter Luca Moretti and his fierce, demanding love. Where she didn’t want strings, he wants them all. He doesn’t just want repeated, mind-blowing adventures in the sheets (and he does want that), he also wants Sasha to do things like go out to dinner! How dare he?!?
Sasha eventually agrees to go to dinner with him, hoping she’ll get some action. And their relationship from that point on is somewhat of a tease as they get to know each other, developing naturally as time goes on to bring the two closer together. I love how much he cared for her and wanted to make sure he wasn’t changing who she was.
But then there was the small matter of his… employment. I loved how his opinion of his family and the danger changed as the book went on and he learned more about what his role as the head of the family would mean. And I loved how authentically he and Sasha danced around that topic. I thought it was excellently written and engaging.
That said, for a mafia book, this book didn’t have a lot of mafia. By that I mean, there wasn’t even really hints that something nefarious was going on, besides one mention of his job being dangerous, until we were about halfway through the book. I would have loved to see a few more instances or hints that his cinnamon roll self might not be all there is to him. I did love that he had that softer side, though, as it brought an intriguing dimension to his character.
Overall, I loved the book, and I know this is only the first in a planned series, so I reserve the right to come change my review once I finish the series! Overall, it was so close to being a five star read that I struggled to decide, but I really think if there was more foreshadowing or an earlier revelation of the mafia element, this would definitely be a five star read. It is well-written, and Sasha is funny, confident, and sassy in equal measure.
I look forward to watching her grapple with her situation in the next books.
Your Romance Reviewer
Eliza.
Release Date: February, 2022
Sometimes you fall in love with a killer.
Sasha Mitchell had life figured out. A vivacious thirty-year-old, she owned her own business, shook her more than generous curves with a burlesque troupe, and kept her bed warm with a series of casual partners, not too worried about finding forever.
That is until her one night with Luca Moretti.
That one night was all it took for Luca to know Sasha was someone special. He falls fast and hard and would do anything to keep her—including lie about who he really is and how much danger she faces being by his side.
When Sasha finally sees Luca for who he really is, will she be strong enough to survive the Moretti Family? Sasha and the Butcher is the first full-length novel in a trilogy in The Moretti Family Series and features a plus-size bisexual heroine and a cinnamon roll mob boss that has no problem ending any threats to the woman he loves. This book contains mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all audiences. Please check the author’s website for CW and TW.
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