They didn’t come from the same world … high society from the upscale suburbs.
He’s a drug dealer from New York’s slums.
They just weren’t meant to be … until they were.
What would it take to change a life—an entire perspective? All the things you thought you knew and wanted?
For them, it took thirty-six days.
And the privilege of meeting each other.
They shouldn’t be.
They don’t fit.
Love doesn’t care.
Note: Privilege is book one in a three-book trilogy following the same couple.
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This book was completely amazing.It left me devastated,scared like nothing else and at the end I just wanted to read more of it.From the first page I was hooked and eager to meet Ren and Lucia.
Lucia is real Marcello princes.She is the youngest of her siblings and the one child that was spoiled by everyone.But she is one amazing person.Compassionate,smart and so full of life.I loved how she was there to offer her help and support but not to judge anyone,just to be there for them if they need her.And at the same time she is eighteen years old and that means that she is a little bit like every other teenager on this planet.Defiant,selfish and sure that she is ready for life.And that’s where the problem is,her parents,of course don’t agree with her.I feel like Lucia only now started to learn who she really is and what are the things that are really important in life.She is great person and I loved her.
And Renzo.I completely fell in love with him.He is poor kid that had nothing in his life,not even a loving parents.But he is determinate to do everything in his power so his siblings can have a better future.He literary sacrificed his life for his brother and sister.And that alone is enough for me to love him.He is so brave and smart and just trying to survive.Lucia is the first person(beside his siblings)that loves him the way he is,without any expectations.With her he can just be him.If you pick up this book I can guarantee that you will absolutely fell in love with Ren.
The romance between these to was mind blowing.I feel like they were cursed from the beginning but that didn’t stop them from being together.They are first love and they don’t care about difference between their worlds,they just care about each other.And reading about them was amazing.
This book is pure Heaven! Amazingly well written. As always with BK’s books, I was reading, turning every page and needing more. Sooo many emotions, so much drama.
You find yourself laughing, sobbing and loving it at the same time and this is just book 1.
For two people who grow in two different world, with one having everything in a silver platter and other having nothing, Lucia and Renzo have such a strong chemistry!
The things BK makes you feel while reading is crazy. One page you will be laughing and loving it and one page you will be sobbing. All I can say is she has done it again. And this is just book 1!
It shouldn’t work…the mafia princess and the street rat and yet- it does. Privilege is very real and very obvious in their lives. Hers and his lack of.
What Renzo doesn’t have he makes up for in his very real feelings. Lucia would rather do without…
She doesn’t need $5000 shoes. She doesn’t need a new car. She doesn’t WANT for anything…until she meets Renzo.
Life just got more complicated for them both but one thing they can’t do without- each other.
In book one—Privilege, we explore two people who meet each other, and can’t stay away from themselves. This is despite that everything about their lives suggests they should.
After all, despite that they are cut from the same cloth, their two world are poles apart. It’s a forbidden romance between a principessa and her slum boy. And guess what? Daddy didn’t like it.
Renzo’s Character was brazen, loyal and a stand up guy. The kind of guy every father should wish for their father, but it’s the same reason why the father wants him away from his daughter. But, he’s resilient because once he’s decided that Lucia is his, who’s going to stop him?
I wish I had Lucia’s bravery, to step out of line, and live and breathe at the age she was. There are consequences of course, but her decision to live and breathe is exactly what led her to Renzo.
Against adversary from those who claim to love them, Book 1 ends with them on the run, determined to be with themselves and the little family of theirs…the journey begins.
When opposites attract…
Rich, poor, smart, struggling. Love doesn’t look at the exterior but what’s in the heart and Lucia and Renzo clicked from the start! Both young, both with complicated family, their connection is physical, then emotional and then… Well, that’s the problem, isn’t it? This is the Mafia and there is hierarchy and formality to most everything. You are born into a role and you dare not cross it or deal with the consequences. But what if the reward outweighs the risk? This is the first in a new trilogy by an author who does mafia oh so well. Ren’s family and his situation makes my heart cry and ache – wanting to reach out and rescue them myself! Ren just soldiers on though, doing what he has to to keep his family healthy and together. Lucia is the spoiled youngest child but she is not short on empathy even if she’s never felt what Ren has. Together, they are an incredible force. If they are able to…
Controversy and lots of angst means this series is going to be a nail-biter and I don’t know if my nails can take it! Or if I can wait for the next instalment…
*Reviewed for Nerdy Dirty & Flirty
The princess and the pauper. Most would describe Renzo and Lucia in just that way. Well not to their face but still….
I’ve been waiting for Lucia’s story and Bethany-Kris did not disappoint. Renzo is not mafia royalty but he is perfect for Lucia! Their young love is edgy, intense, and one of anguish. The depth of their relationship, Bethany-Kris’ specialty, is written beautifully. The characters’ chemistry, loyalty to the family, and intense scenes make it worth a second, third, and fourth read.
4 stars!
Let’s start off by saying I am really loving this series and the more books I read from this author the more I fall in love with her works.
Wow ! We love romance reads like this one.The forbidden romance theme where everyone connected to you tries to keep you apart we have a mafia princess and a boy from the hood who is a dealer who works the streets pedaling drugs just to keep food on the table.How more apart could there worlds be?
For both Lucia and Renzo is was instant attraction from their onset of meeting one another.Common sense played havoc with Renzo’s emotions to stay far and wide away from Lucia but, his heart says something different entirely.For this couple it is all about what the heart wants what it wants is Lucia and vice versa but,there are going to be tons of obstacles going forward and a major one of those is who her family is.
In this story I saw from the onset of the story exactly why Lucia was drawn to Renzo and she saw beneath his circumstances and got to know the man within and in her mind he was no different than the men of her family other than geography and wealth .
I will say as much as I loved this story Lucia did piss me off a little bit as I thought she should have been a little more understanding when it came to her families concern for her considering her life did a total 180 after taking up with Renzo.
I got a little bit sick and tired of her constantly throwing out that she was 18 now and an adult she could do what she wants but, acted at first anything but.
For me I think that throughout this entire story Lucia forgot who exactly who she really was (meaning a mafia princess) and what that truly meant and that she would never be a commoner not matter how she might want have wished it. Her entire family members were a extremely dangerous bunch a crime family to boot but,and that enemies come with that kind of prestige in the underworld that her family ruled.Lucia never once considered those tiny little details going forward or about her own safety.Never once did her father or brother forget and there laid one of the biggest obstacles and problems going forward with Lucia’s new found freedom. She had a family who loved her and gave her every advantage yet time and time again acted selfishly yet , she was also giving and kind and truly felt the pain and sadness for the plight of others that were less fortunate then herself.
Renzo we found to be sexy,caring,loving,determined, some really big brass balls, bad*ss in his own right,creative,intelligent, a planner,down right dangerous if crossed,sneaky and sly,possessive,protective of all those he loved but, what we loved about him most of all of the self sacrifices he made on a daily basis for his family while all the time doing a job he hated but, did it to provide for his family.
I have to say that this was a story that kept you glued to the pages the entire time because Renzo kept surprising us at every turn at how far and the lengths he was willing to go to keep Lucia in his life and his family safe .
“Cheeky little devil!”
We loved the drama and the plot as well as getting to know a new cast of amazing character’s for us to love as well as fall in love with.Lucian was another favorite of mine…..
Renzo was my favorite character hands down .”I loved him from the onset of the story!” and I have to say that I was a little bit in love with him myself.We loved everything about him the good and the bad and the ugly.
We loved Renzo’s relationship with his brother and sister as also Lucia and how protective he was of them possessive of them and loved them well.Because of all of these things this is just some of a few reasons that made Lucia fall in love with him and fall hard.
We can’t wait for the next installment to come out and we highly recommend checking out this author mafia books because everything I have read so far we have absolutely loved and they have been awesome reads.
We are loving these mafia romance books more and more.
You know I am a true advocate for Bethany-Kris. Her books are like a smooth and elegant wine to me. Rich and full of that sinful and delightful flavour that consumes me from beginning to end. I am addicted to it. I revere in it. I bath in the velvety and explosive pages that absolutely capture me deeply. Every book she writes is absolutely stellar. You just caught in her web of magnificently written stories that hold all kinds of delicious and epic moments. Every book is dripping with perfect and high charged drama and action. Reading a Bethany-Kris, you are always in the treat for an amazing ride with thrills and sexiness.
Privilege is the tantalizing first book in the Renzo + Lucia trilogy. With Bethany-Kris’s striking and beautiful storytelling, Privilege tells a gorgeous story full of emotions and angst that touch a piece of your heart. A contemporary romance set in the world of Marcellos with a passion induced and intense edge. My oh my, I fell in love with Privilege. The book grabbed every single part of my soul. The story cut me open and honestly, crushed me. Stunning. Amazing. Crazy. Eye Catching. Privilege is a brilliant story of young love with anguish, intense love and steam to give you a ride of your life. Buckle up, it is going to get really bumpy. Bethany-Kris simply awes me. Her writing truly takes you on a mafia journey you want to sink your toes in. She blows up my world and I am left a mess, holding my heart in my hands.
They say, opposites attract. Well, Lucia, born with wealth and all the privilege of mafia principessa and Renzo, a man with a poor background are opposites who truly set my world on fire. Their intense chemistry. Their fierce love that held so much power. I am truly a fan of Renzo and Lucia. Lucia is someone who had been sheltered all her life and she wanted to be ake her own decisions. She is strong yet with a kind and open personality I admired. My heart hurt for Renzo. I am used to reading about rich mafia made men but Renzo truly moved me. His upbringing. His tenacity. His love for his siblings. He is the alpha male I truly loved.
Gosh, I need book 2. Bethany-Kris wrote an amazing introduction to a magnificent trilogy I can’t wait to read more. Bring it on!!!!!!
This is a well written book about Lucia, a mafia princess, and Renzo a kid who grew up poor and sells drugs to provide for his younger siblings. The characters are extremely well developed and written. I absolutely loved how Lucia took the time to get to know who Renzo really was. She knew that despite what life had dealt him he did what he had to do to give his brother and sister the best possible life. She was willing to stand up to her family for him.
Love knows no wealth, no social standing, no privilege. Love is just love. Lucia and Renzo are born in completely different worlds, only a couple of years apart. They are from the same city and where Lucia seeks freedom, Renzo seeks peace. Lucia is a Mafia Royalty, she wants for nothing. Renzo comes from the worst parents and is the only one his younger and sister can depend on in their world. The difference in the life Renzo lives and the one Lucia’s family comes from is the way the world sees them.
Privilege is book one in Bethany Kris’ latest trilogy. It’s heartbreaking and real. It will tug at your heart and make you want to scream. She brings life to characters that you can’t help but fall in love with. As always, she leaves you craving more.
Swoon! Renzo + Lucia 4ever! This might be my favorite Marcello story so far. Bethany-Kris, this story rocks! Lucian’s youngest is all grown up and when the calendar hits her eighteenth birthday the shit hits the fan. Lucia just like her father…stubborn. You would think she would be a delicate spoiled Mafia princess but no. She’s tough and fierce and fights for what she thinks is right in her world of privilege. Lucia is a small, beautiful package with lots of love and emotion. Her love is directed at Renzo and I’m right there with her. I love, love, love him! He’s such a protector and a sexy badass and definitely on my list of book boyfriends. There was not a second in this story that I did not love him and care about his life. The author did a terrific job of building a heart-throbbing connection between these lovers. I didn’t even mind the sort of cliffhanger ending because I get more of these two fabulous characters and their love story. I haven’t even touch on the Mafia aspect of the story with all the usual brutality surrounding the Marcellos. Just fantastic! A mainstay for this series are the terrific characters, both good and bad, and you get them in full force in this story. I can’t wait for the continuation. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC.
***ARC Review***
This is my first book by Bethany-Kris and I’m so thrilled.
This is such a great young love romance. Lucia seems to have it all.. Wealth, Beauty, Education and Family but there’s something missing. Which she doesn’t realize until she meets Renzo the handsome guy who is working for her brother. Everyone thinks they know Renzo… They have all these assumptions about him and none are good.
Until Lucia realizes who he truly is and the burden and sacrifices he lives with on a daily basis it’s when she notices all along what she’s missing in her life despite having what she thought was everything..
Can Lucia & Renzo beat the odds…
This is a Trilogy and this 1st Book is absolutely amazing.
First True Love, You Forget Everything and Everyone!
Lucia Marcello just wants a chance to spread her wings. Renzo Zulla hasn’t had the best beginnings but he wants to change that. His existence is sad. But would he do it again? Probably. What was a surprise is that this is the first of a trilogy. Even though the beginning tugged at my heart, it did get me invested in where this is going.
This story doesn’t have a beginning that’s all unicorns and rainbows. It’s more of a stark reality. Lucia seems so far apart from Renzo. Her family gives her everything but Renzo has to fight for just the bare minimum. You have to think out of the box with this one but it had me thinking of Maria and Tony from West Side Story – it reads like a tragedy. The hardest part was trying to think of the music I would listen to and I still didn’t have it figured out by the time I was done. Also hard was the ending – gives me hope. It could actually be an ending but knowing this is a trilogy it has me curious about book two. The author does give us a teaser but I held off on reading because I wanted to leave it as a surprise.
I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie’s Book Reports.
Lucia Marcello and Renzo Zulla came from two different worlds. Lucia was born rich into a family with mafia royatly and was already destined to succeed. She wanted for absolutley nothing, until she met Renzo. He was born poor to parents who never cared and was destined to fail. He has struggled for absolutely everything, but she’ll prove to be his biggest fight yet. She’s high society from the uspcale suburbs. He is a drug dealer from New York’s slums. They just were not meant to be…until they were. Wht would it take to change a life-an entire perspective? All the thing you thought you knew you wanted? For them, it took thrity-six days. And the privilege of meeting each other. They shouldn’t be. They don’t fit. Love does not care.
Privilege is the first book in a three book triliogy about Lucia and Renzo. If you are looking for a book filled to the brim with angst, then you do not want to miss Privilege. There is also a lot of drama. This is the story of two people who never ever should be together and made me think of Romeo and Juliet. Drug dealer from the slums meets a Mafia Princess. It has not meant to be on it from the get go. However that doesn’t stop them and when they first meet their is no denying they have some major chemistry between them. This is such a different book that we are use to getting from Bethany-Kris. Renzo is not from the same type of rich powerful family as most of her characters are. He is someone who has had to fight for every single thing he has in this world. This poor guy wasn’t even really loved as a child. His parents could have cared less if he was there or not. He is a survivor because Lord knows he has been through the ringer and I just absolutley fell for him. I love rooting for he underdog and Renzo is a perfect one to fall for. Lucia is such a sweet girl who has had a very privilaged life and to watch these two together was really great. Bethany-Kris has written another great start to a series that I am looking forward to next book and reading it.
“That was the privilege of Lucia Marcello.
Simply because she had been born.”
“That was the misfortune of Renzo Zulla.
Simply because he had been born.”
So when this mafia principessa meets Renzo, one of the family’s gofers, the instant connection they forged should never have been allowed to flourish. And yet it did. And another epic mafia love was born because Lucia Marcello was the youngest progeny of the Marcello family. THE Marcello family. “…her family might as well be royalty in the world of organized crime. Her father and uncles held three of the highest seats in the family. Even her brother was mixed up in it all.”
Of course her family was against them, but, her father underestimated Lucia’s will, her determination to live her life the way she wanted, WITH whom she wanted. Thank God she had her mother, Jordyn, because Jordyn insisted Lucian let her go be with Renzo, to “…make her own choices, and if those mean mistakes, then that’s what it means. They are hers to make, not yours or ours.”
So Lucia goes. Goes with Renzo, determined that they’ll live their life as they see fit. But there’s a huge complication in the form of one of his family members. Will the two get past it? If so, can they forge a new life together?
“‘You go, I go… That’s how it’s going to be.’ Until the day one of them died.”
“Him and her. Until the end … Ride or fuckin’ die.”
Of course this is only the beginning of their trilogy, so now I’m stuck waiting impatiently for the next part, Harbor, and I’m dying here! Lucia and Renzo may be young, but they’re just as interesting and intense as her cousin Andino and his Haven (from Duty and Vow). Seriously, Bethany-Kris, I hope you’re writing like a fiend, because I can hardly wait!
Great read! Lucia and Renzo come from complete opposite upbringings. She’s the rich, well loved mafia princess while he’s a poor, neglected foot soldier.
Lucia is so compassionate, she has a huge heart and truly sees people for who they are not what they have. Renzo is doing the best he can to give his siblings a better life. The love and loyalty between them is intense.
I like the cliffhanger ending, I’m left anxious to see what happens to them.
Lucia comes from a mafia family with wealth. She is looking forward to her freedom, college and exploring all the possibilities. Renzo is from a poor family and does what he needs to get by such as drug dealing. The two shouldn’t be together but a chance meeting changes everything for them. These two were so wonderful together. I really enjoyed this story and can’t wait to read the next book.
I received a copy of this book and am leaving a review.
Lucia Marcello was born into privilege and there is nothing that she has to want for. Yet her life has also been controlled with a family that is involved in the drug trade and she is guarded carefully.
Renzo Zulla was born to a drug addict and he is on the street selling drugs and distributing to try and provide a better life for his sister Rose and his little brother Diego, whom he raises.
Lucia first meets Renzo while doing deliveries with her older brother John and there is something about him that draws her in but it isn’t until she begins volunteering at a shelter where she officially meets both Diego and Renzo.
Lucia’s family wants her to have nothing to do with Renzo but how far will Lucia go for love?
This is such a great beginning and I loved it from start to finish!
I thought Lucia was a great character as she was born into privilege, but she wanted more out of her own life and wanted to give back as much as she could. She had personality and although at times her “princess” attitude came out I liked that she wanted to follow her own path and needed to make her own mistakes.
I loved Renzo and how hard he worked to keep Rose and Diego away from the life he was dealt. I hated his mom, Carmen, and she didn’t deserve any of her kids. I did hate that Renzo was forced to do what he did but he had such good intentions that I really wanted him to succeed.
I loved the chemistry between Renzo and Lucia and although there were obvious differences between how they grew up they both had such good intentions towards the other and true love.
I was so mad at Lucian Marcello, Lucia’s dad, when he began to interfere with Renzo to prove how powerful he was. I was hoping he would have went about things a different way and I was definitely worried about how far he was willing to go. I was a little mad at Lucia’s mom, Jordyn, for never saying anything but she did when it counted at the end.
The end of the book was super interesting and I can’t wait for the next book to see where things go and see if they can make it! – By Rebecca
Privilege was an absolute treat to read! I had high expectations for this book because I’ve seen snippets of these characters over the past few years in some of Bethany-Kris’ other works. But I must say that it exceeded my expectations far beyond what I actually thought it could be.
Delving into this book to kick off this year’s romance binge is a great way to start 2019! I really enjoyed the vivid depiction of the contrast between Renzo’s life and Lucia’s privileged upbringing.
I loved how Bethany-Kris portrayed Lucia’s suffocating struggle as the baby of the Marcello clan and Renzo’s struggles to support his family. Two characters who seemed like polar opposites are brought together by fate and love. These two are slowly becoming one of my favorite canon couples in the Marcello universe, right next to Cross + Catherine of course.
I absolutely can’t wait to read what’s the next chapter of their story!
Renzo knows that he had no business thinking about Lucia, but he wanted to find out who she was, and why she did the things she did, not like a spoiled princess he first thought her as, she was making his head a mess and he has to find out why.
Renzo knew he could feel their electricity, but one kiss and he was done, he wanted more. Surprised that Lucia knows what he does and still by her side, surprised when she sees that if you take away the money, their all the same, people surviving.
The more time she spends with Renzo the more she realises how much he cares for his brother and sister and they are the reason why he does what he does, that she could never understand what his family goes through she was given the privilege of a good life, and everything she heard made her see how amazing he was. The only thing that Lucia didn’t like was her father telling her she couldn’t see Renzo and the threat not to make him force his hand about it.
Despite all the warnings, Lucia can’t stay away from Renzo, when he explains he did what he did, because no one will get close to her while he’s there, she should have run, but she didn’t, when he says she’s his, she’s right where she wants to be.
They both had been warned to stay away from each other, neither of them listened, but the soon realised that Lucia’s father was going to do what ever it took to keep them apart, but Lucia is a Marcello and stubborn as they come but can she win the war against her father making decisions for her.