Well, I’ve finally dipped back into my reading after my day job has taken all of my attention the last couple of months! I kicked off with my ARC read “Devious Touch” by Rhea Harp, I know I’m about a week behind the deadline but I wanted so badly to commit back to my reading and I did it! I’ve got to say, this read definitely made it easy!

Before I continue on, there may be some spoilers so continue at your own risk!

First off, some context. “Devious Touch” is a mafia romance, arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, light stalking and tasteful dominant/submissive spiciness. Our leading lady is Cecilia, the only daughter of the Cosa Nostra Don, who is treated more like a pet inside a gilded cage. She spends her life playing piano, being told she is no where near good enough to perform on stage, and trying to understand why her father’s love suddenly disappeared from her life as a child. She’s plagued by nightmares she can’t remember and her sanity is being tested when she swears she’s being stalked but no one believes her, that is until she sees her stalker in the audience of her recital and he is later captured by her guards at her home. Cecilia is relieved that she’s not crazy, but at the same time, she can’t understand what her stalker wants from her.

Queue her stalker, Mikhail, half-brother to the Pakhan of the Bratva and obsessed with making Cecilia his bride. He allows himself to get captured by her guards with the intention of forcing her father into a marriage alliance, despite her father promising her to never marry off in an alliance. Cecilia is terrified and yet thrilled by Mikhail’s dark behaviour, and reluctantly goes through with the marriage which she repeatedly tells herself she hates.

The growth of Cecilia’s character in the novel is fantastic, she’s originally groomed to be the perfect obedient daughter and eventually wife but that is not what Mikhail wants. He wants her develop a “backbone”, which she does well beyond his expectations. Cecelia has a strength that is not expected at the start of the story, I really expected her to be a damsel in distress kind of female character but she certainly surprised me by the end! Not to mention Mikhail’s growth as well, but his change isn’t as dramatic as Cecilia, they are both tortured souls learning to live with themselves and accept that they are allowed to be loved by other people. That being said, Cecilia doesn’t remember why she’s a tortured soul to begin with.

Which brings us to the storyline itself. While there is a fair bit of sexual tension in the beginning, there is no spiciness until about 50% of the way through the story, which I personally think was a fantastic move! This gave time for the story to develop and for Cecilia begin her character growth. You have a mystery surrounding Cecilia’s nightmares and the night of her mother’s death, as well as her father’s need to keep her locked up and arms length away from him. You get introduced to other characters, I liked Cesare, Cecilia’s body guard, who I had hoped would play a bit more of a part in the story later on in the novel. Ms Donatello, her piano teacher and stand in mother figure, who was extremely harsh from the get go and you could just feel had something else going on in the background. Mikhail’s half-brother, Wolfgang, and his wife Victoria were a lovely aspect to the story. I kinda wish I had read their story “Darkest Craving” first so I got a feel for their story and relationship, but you can really tell in this novel that they have a great relationship. You also have Rodion and Niko, Mikhail’s friends and muscle in the Bratva, I loved their relationship with both Mikhail and Cecilia, and I really hope that they get their own little story in the future! I have got to say, the half-brother twist was fantastic, but I was really hoping to get a little more blood and violence out of that part of the story, especially when Cecilia’s father realised who it was killing his men. I also really loved the seven years later chapter, it was heartwarming and adorable after such a heavy start to their marriage, Cecilia and Mikhail so deserved a happy ending, as did his brother and sister-in-law.

As for the spiciness, Rhea Harp really addressed Cecilia losing her virginity tastefully and accurately, I thought it was really well done. Not to mention that gradual build up in their dominant/submissive relationship in the bedroom, that too was also well done. I especially love that it started out like that, but gradually developed into a more equal stance in the bedroom which summed up their relationship as husband and wife so well.

I loved these characters and this story so much, I am so going to read “Darkest Craving” and I cannot wait for the next book in this mafia world! Fingers crossed for Rodian and Niko, or even Cecilia’s half-brother!

Happy Reading!