My rating: 3.5/5 stars
Sophie Lark is a first-time author for me, and initially, I thought her series was a Fantasy one, considering the strawberries and the flowers. It totally vibes fae, so I was misled. But the story turned out to be a Maria Romance, which surprised me because I haven’t picked up that genre in a while. The series is long and will feature all the brothers and sisters of the original couple, Aida and Callum, so brace yourselves for quite an adventure.
Aida is used to being independent, and that independence will be the end of her. :)) She is the only woman in the Gallos family with a well-known mafia reputation. Her father and brothers are a little overprotective, keeping her out of the dirty work, but she knows what her family is all about. Aida will have to suffer the consequences of her actions when she walks on enemy territory and sets on fire Callum Griffin’s library. From there on, her family will force a marriage upon both of them, putting an end to this feud that has lasted years. Callum is arrogant, cold, and calculated, with ambitions of becoming a politician. He has no time for marriage, for love, or any nonsense, and this forced marriage is like a pain in his ass.
Aida and Callum hate each other, but their chemistry is driven both by hate and by attraction. It was very hard to explain exactly the type of relationship they have because one second they want murder and another they want sex. I liked the way Sophie Lark crafted their dynamics because she made them very different, with totally opposite traits, but made them work perfectly. So the phrase “perfectly imperfect” actually makes sense here.
Aida is very smart, quick-tempered but very loyal and fierce. Callum is cold and quite arrogant, but together they manage to bring out all the qualities they have, but they didn’t suspect they posses. They begin to trust each other, to dive into that physical connection and explore it until falling in love. Callum will begin to enter Aida’s world of danger and crime, but he will do anything for her, to protect and follow his wife.
My rating is mainly driven by the plot, not by the couple. I found the action to be a little chaotic, all over the place. One thing began, another one continued, and I was a little confused of the purpose we have here. I only related to Aida and Callum and followed their development and relationship, but without any interest in the secondary action. I took bonded over Sebastian and Nessa – they are cute, and I look forward to reading about them, even if they will be in different couples.
Ramonisme 