They met under summer showers …Vera Markovic only wanted a vacation away from New York where everyone knows her as a Russian Mafiya printsessa of the Markovic Bratva. She didn’t expect to find something worth remembering. And definitely not a man like Alfie Shelby. They fell in love when the leaves changed colors …As New York City’s notorious fixer, Alfie Shelby always gets what he wants—and … always gets what he wants—and when he sets his eyes on Vera, he’ll do anything to keep her … even if she’s not sure she wants to be kept.
And they nearly lost it all when the snow started to fall …
She wants nothing to do with a gangster.
A life of crime is all he knows.
But neither can deny what they have, even when forces beyond their control try to keep them apart.
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Acquainted by London Miller is the story of Vera Markovic and Alfie Shelby.
Vera is what some would call a Mafia Princess but she doesn’t want to be a part of her father’s world and swears never to be in a relationship like that. When Vera goes on vacation she meets Alfie who she is instantly attracted too. Alfie usually gets everything he wants and he wants Vera from the first moment she enter his world. But soon Vera starts to learn her vow of standing her ground on the mafia might be broken by Alfie.
I loved their story from the first and it was a book that was very hard to put down.
I hope to read more books by Ms. Miller in the future!
What do an underworld fixer and a mafia princess have in common? Utter chaos. Alfie Shelby grew up in the school of hard knocks in London and fought his way up to the top. He’s the go-to man for any of your needs. Need an exclusive weapon? He’s your man. Want to find your lunatic father to put him down? He’s got your back. He’s everything that Vera never knew she wanted. Vera figured out the hard way that the mafia lifestyle wasn’t for her. It only gave her pain and grief. So, she struck out on her own and created a brand for herself completely independent of her family. But she couldn’t get far. And as hard as she tried to live her life separate from the perilous one she grew up in, her heart led her right back to where she always belonged. Alfie may not be part of any one family, but he was far from a ‘good guy’. However, he ended up being the best guy for her.
How could I not fall in love with Alfie? He was so smooth. London Miller did a great job of bringing this character to life. From his cockneyed accent, his cut of suit, his swagger, his calm, his control, and his cane. That cane just made him even more perfect in my eyes. My love for Alfie gave me the ability to see everyone else in this book with rose-colored glasses. At times, Vera could be frustrating, but again, my love for Alfie made it impossible to be mad at her. I especially enjoyed the chemistry between these two. From their intensely hot first course to the push-and-pull they acted out to get to their forever, they were magnifique! With all of the side characters that were introduced to me in this book, I look forward to tons of stories to better understand these people. And hopefully I’ll get to see the charmingly deceptive Alfie again. I’m sure if Lachlan gets his tale, my hope will be a reality. Speaking of Lachlan… HOLY MOLEY!! I couldn’t get enough of him. This psychotic hot mess was scary AF and I hungrily ate up every moment he was given to me. I predict that as much as I loved Alfie, I might adore Lachlan more. That would be INSANE in the best possible way.
I feel like I gave enough of this story away. If you like your stories to be hot and dangerous, with incredibly tempting anti-heroes with the hearts of the fiercest of heroes, you won’t want to miss this one!
Good story..much like the Kingmaker series. Biggest complaint is that it seems all her books end in a cliffhanger! Not afan
This was so different to your typical ‘mafia’ romance and definitely in a good way
I absolutely adore London Miller’s Wild Bunch and Den of Mercenaries books, so that alone was enough to stir my interest in this book. I didn’t realised it was about some of the side characters from her Volkov Bratva books, and do wonder if reading them first would have enhanced my enjoyment of this. There were a few times in this story where I felt as though I had missed some information, though I did read an arc so it may simply have been that the editing had not been completed yet.
Vera is a mafia printsessa who wants nothing to do with the life, even though her father doesn’t respect this. On a last minute get-away break she meets Alfie, a sexy businessman, or so she believes. Whilst she knows nothing about him, her surname tells Alfie everything he needs to know about her……and the fact that she should really be off limits to him. Back in New York, Vera never expects to hear from Alfie again, not once suspecting that not only does he live in the same city, but he moves in the same circles as her family.
I really liked Vera and Alfie, they both felt very natural, real and very believable characters. I totally bought into their relationship and the chemistry between them is undeniable. One of the unusual aspects of this book that I really liked were the scenes that had been included solely for the purpose of demonstrating to us, and convincing us of, their growing connection to each other. There were some ups and downs and plenty of spanners in the works along the way, though overall this was a fairly angst free, as well as quite a light read.
I read an arc, so I can’t say if the published version is the same, but I did really struggle with the time line throughout. On quite a number of occasions I had to flick back to try and work out how long a time had elapsed between different scenes or different parts of the story. The information seemed to be conflicting at times.
The story has some really good, and unexpected, twists and turns. It had more of a contemporary romance feel to it than mafia or romantic suspense, though that should not be taken as a criticism. This is still a well written, overall easy to read and enjoyable story. It does have some violent scenes, though fairly mild given the mafia setting of the story. There are also a couple of fairly steamy scenes between Vera and Alfie, though these were both tasteful and felt a very organic part of the story.
Vera Markovic wants nothing to do with the family business. She’s not at all fond of what her father does, or his methods. While on vacation she meets Alfie, who embodies all “family” businesses as he’s a fixer, working for the mobs without any specific affiliation to any one family. Of course they are attracted to each other without knowing all the details of who and what they are.
I was drawn into this story in the opening pages and I like that when reading a relatively “new to me” author. Alfie is persuasive and sexy and Vera is open to what Alfie has to offer. When they meet up later in New York, they haven’t forgotten the chemistry they have in the bedroom.
Of course, there’s some good action as I would expect from a mob romance and the usual lies and omissions that serve as the conflict between the main characters. Told in dual POV, Acquainted is more focused on the romantic relations than the family business.
There’s a nice cast of supporting characters that I found myself drawn to. I might be tempted to read the associated series by That’s a good thing.
I see there is a related series called Seasons of Betrayal that I might like to check out for more background on the characters.
This forbidden romance ends with a happy for now and while it’s a standalone, it looks like there may be more story coming in this world, which intrigues me, because I liked this enough to be left wanting just a little more.
Acquainted includes the Russian Mafia world via Mafiya Printsessa Vera and crime world fixer, Alfie. The main characters were well developed and their chemistry was evident from day one. The secondary storylines were also well developed and brought substance to the love story between Vera and Alfie. The secondary characters fit into the story without being overwhelming. The timeline seemed a little off at times but I was easily able to overlook it; I think I actually misunderstood the time jump early in the book. Otherwise, the plot and storylines were good.
A chance meeting?? Why does he know so much but reveal so little. Is it because he knows she wont want him or are there other reasons. The walls have ears in her world and her worlds not a pretty one. But there’s something about him that might be worth it all. This author gives us a steamy read with tons of heat and not all of it good. The action is intense and so is the story. Great read from this author who I haven’t read much of but each read has been memorable.
Love this author and her style which keeps the book moving and doesn’t give you a chance to be bored or skim. Love/hate her characters which is a good thing. Can’t wait to read more.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Vera Markovic has me questioning whether I would be brave enough to go on vacation by myself. But after seeing her outcome it may be worth it. She doesn’t come right out and tell us but I got a sense of weariness. Alfie Shelby doesn’t mind getting physical when doing his job. Once he meets Vera he likes to take a poke at the walls that Vera has put up. She seems a little conflicted – I think she just needs the right person.
Alfie grabbed Vera’s attention and he grabbed mine as well. He’s a cocky bad boy who wants to tempt a certain woman. We have a woman who wants to do the right thing but temptation keeps getting put in her way. They certainly create a lot of steamy chemistry. Our secondary characters are family members. Her family belongs to a Bratva but that part of her life doesn’t overtake their story. So if you love the Mafia romances than I would certainly give this book a look or two.
It’s a story of wills and it will be interesting to see who’s going to win the war. Who’s the cat and who’s the mouse? As I’m preparing this review I found out something very interesting. This story came from the Seasons of Betrayal series. Now that I know this, I feel like I’ve missed something. I want to get to know more about the Markovic family so I know what I need to do at some point. Than I can come back and read this book again.
I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.