She’s a romantic at heart, living in the most unromantic of worlds . . .Nicknamed Sweet Abelli for her docile nature, Elena smiles on cue and has a charming response for everything. She’s the favored daughter, the perfect mafia principessa . . . or was.Now, all she can see in the mirror’s reflection is blood staining her hands like crimson paint.They say first impressions are everything . . .In … impressions are everything . . .
In the murky waters of New York’s underworld, Elena’s sister is arranged to marry Nicolas Russo. A Made Man, a boss, a cheat—even measured against mafia standards. His reputation stretches far and wide and is darker than his black suits and ties. After his and Elena’s first encounter ends with an accidental glare on her part, she realizes he’s just as rude as he is handsome.
She doesn’t like the man or anything he stands for, though that doesn’t stop her heart from pattering like rain against glass when he’s near, nor the shiver that ghosts down her spine at the sound of his voice.
And he’s always near. Telling her what to do. Making her feel hotter than any future brother-in-law should. Elena may be the Sweet Abelli on the outside, but she’s beginning to learn she has a taste for the darkness, for rough hands, cigarettes, and whiskey-colored eyes. Having already escaped one scandal, however, she can hardly afford to be swept up in another.
Besides, even if he were hers, everyone knows you don’t fall in love with a Made Man . . . right?
This is a standalone forbidden romance.
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“He braced his palms on the counter on either side of me, stepping closer until his presence touched me everywhere.”
Possessive alpha hero and sweet, soft heroine??? yeah that’s GOD tier.
“He nipped my bottom lip. “You make me fucking crazy.”
“Don’t blame me for your psychosis.”
“You are my psychosis.”
“Rude,” I breathed against his lips.”
Perfection, is the one word I would use to describe this book. Danielle did a beautiful job developing these characters that there is not one thing I am disappointed by. It was agonizingly slow burn which is always delicious because when nico and elena got together??? FIREWORKS. It was everything i need and more. When they finally kissed?? My god, it was the hottest scene in my whole reading experience, the sexual tension is truly unmatched and it gave all the fucking feels. Sharing cigarrettes, nico wrapping elena’s ponytail around his wrist, when nico called elena ‘baby’ the first time? i am SOFT.
“She smoothed my tie, running her fingers down my chest and stomach. I could sit here and let this woman touch me all day and I’d never grow bored.”
After reading this book, all i did was immerse myself in all things Danielle lori. I immediately started her alyria series WHICH IS FUCKING INCREDIBLE BTW and so fucking underrated that it hurts me. Danielle lori brings us into the mafia world of nico and elena and the most entertaining side characters i have ever come across. This was the first book I read by this author and i have never looked back. She has such a distinct literary voice and has created my FAVOURITE characters of all time in every single one of her books!
“I wanted to fuck her and ruin her for anyone else. I wanted to crush her wings and then put them back together again so she’d become dependent on me. I wanted her to need me. That dark, possessive, and dangerous feeling crawled through me every time she crossed my path. Elena Abelli was my vice, and fuck if I’d let it kill me.”
This book hooked me right in and didn’t let me do anything else until I had finished reading it. I absolutely loved these characters. I loved their love story. Perfect pacing. Just a wonderful 5 star read.
I stayed up all night reading this book. It’s such a page turner!
This was the first book of Danielle that I’ve read, and I can honestly say, that I became a fan instantly. And I really mean instantly, because it was love at first page.
From the very beginning I was obsessed, the writing, the characters, the story. Everything so well written, good and addictive.
I finished all three book from the “Made” series in a day and a half, pulling an all nighter, and having zero regrets, because IT WAS SO WORTH IT!
I always had a soft spot for these bad boys, heart colded alphas with a chip on their shoulders, that could only melt în the right hands, but it was Danielle Lori who made me fall in love with mobsters and mafia books.
Nicolas “Ace” Russo, the cold hearted don, calculated and always on top of every situation, golden boy of “Cosa Nostra”, and every woman wet dream. He strode in my life, with that smirk and that attitude, and stole my heart in minutes.
He is the perfect mold made by “Cosa Nostra” with a cold heart, ruthless and not a single care in the world when it comes to pulling the trigger, but he is also a man of integrity and brutal truth, he will say it, even if it cuts a person to the core.
While reading, you find more about his past, his relationship with his parents, and you can easily understand him and why is he acting like that. In his world, there is no room for mistakes, so he protects himself how he sees fit: by trusting in almost nobody and pretending his heart is too cold for him to have feelings.
What I admired at him, was that despite the walls that surrounded him, he is actually a good person and still capable of love. He wasn’t afraid to admit his feelings, even though he tried to deny himself the right to be happy, and was ready to do anything for the woman he loved.
Elena Abelli, a ray of sunshine and hope in the middle of the New York’s underworld. Strong, but also has a huge heart. Loyal, do-gooder, innocent, not a rebellious bone in her body, was exactly what the don needed in his life.
The “Sweet Abelli” how she was nicknamed, was the favored daughter, the perfect mafia, principessa, until she made a mistake and now has to support and pay the consequences. All her life she was the perfect puppet, singed and danced how her papa wanted, but all changed when she acted like any other girl of her age, and for a weekend all she wanted was to be normal.
She was so strong, beautiful and kind, almost too good for the world she grew up in. She put everything she had on display, and she gave Nicolas her most treasured possession: her heart.
He though she was gonna be easy to tame, that she was gonna be the silent wife. Oh boy, how wrong was he. She came, fought and conquered.
They are a perfect match, they complete each other in every possible way.
The “Made” series is definitely the best 2020 series.
The Sweetest Oblivion is book #1 in the Made series, and honestly as soon as I read this one, I never wanted it to end.
Danielle Lori’s writing is exceptional! She really brings the characters to life and makes me love all of them. And I love how the characters are connected throughout all the books
Nicolas Russo is arranged to be married to Elena’s sister. Nico is a made man, he is a boss. They despise eachother. But after him and Elena cross paths one too many times, things start to change.
Nico and Elena… jesus what can I say about them. Their connection is something else! So much tension, so much passion I was squirming is my seat! I was really rooting for them the whole entire time. I absolutely fell for Nico, FELL! Can we just take a moment to be upset about the fact he IS NOT REAL! How could you do this to me Nico is intense, hes alpha and hes protective as hell. The pool incident – let me tell you I was biting my lip and laughing out loud! Elena and her backstory was such a great read! I really enjoyed her character, shes strong, shes loyal and shes not your usual quiet heroine.
LOVE IT, LOVED THIS BOOK AND WILL 100% READ AGAIN! This book is available on Amazon and is currently free to Kindle Unlimtered subscribers!
There is so much to love about The Sweetest Oblivion. It was the first book I read by Danielle Lori and it was the first book that made me fall in love with her writing. I appreciate authors who can literally write in a way that sucks you into the story. It’s that easy, flowy, completely captivating way of storytelling that makes you feel like you’re right there next to the characters, Danielle Lori excels at this sooo much.
When I picked up this book I thought I was getting another mundane mafia story riddled with all the stereotypes in the world and what I got instead was a story filled with rich characters who felt real and relatable, and a plot that felt completely authentic and had so much depth that I couldn’t put the book down.
I loved Elena Abelli! Being in her head was fun. She’s light hearted and sweet, but not enough to be considered a doormat. This is girl who knows when and how to pick her battles. Elena was someone who always played the part of the perfect daughter; smiling on cue, following the rules, doing as she’s told and yet, all of her mannerisms fly right out of the window the second she’s around Nico.
Nico is everything I love in my heroes: jealous, possessive, dark, dangerous, drool-worthy. The man ticked off every box on my list. He’s a man who is always used to getting what he wants no matter if he has to cheat, lie or steal to get it. And when he sets his sights on Elena, it’s game on because nothing—not even being engaged to her sister—was going to stop him from having her.
This book gave me all the feels and all I could think as I read it was ‘why in the world didn’t I discover this sooner?’
There is so much to love about this book. I love how Danielle took this trope that feels like it’s been done a million times before and completely owns it and tells the story in a way that feels fresh and real on every page. The Sweetest Oblivion has definitely made me a big fan of her work and I can’t wait to continue devouring whatever she puts out next.
I found this book randomly on amazon, and everytime I have nothing to read, I find myself reading it again.
It has everything that I love in a book : a sweet heroine and a jealous-possesive hero, sexual tension (a lot of it)!
It’s a mafia romance and it’s the best I ever read in my life (seriously)
Elena is a beautiful sweet lovable heroine while Nico is a possessive, irritating man who cannot fight his feelings for Elena. He would do anything to have her and protect her even if he doesn’t want to feel this way.
The sexual tension between the two of them was amazing and I couldn’t wait for them to be together.
“I didn’t know how I’d managed not to grab her nape, pull her closer, slide my tongue against hers and taste the inside of her mouth. It hadn’t felt like a want at the time—it felt like a need.”
The side characters are really interesting too and bring something to the story.
I’d definitely recommend this book!
5 Oblivion stars
This is the book that got me into mafia romance. Danielle Lori is an amazing writer and with each release she keeps getting better and better. This book is the first installment in the made series and it blew me away. Danielle’s writing is excellent. You found yourself inside this dark, sexy and twisted world and you don’t want to leave. The characters are well written, fleshed out and they are really complex and have a great development.
Elena Abelli is one of my fave heroines ever. She is strong, sweet and addictive. Nicolas Russo is a man who wants to conquer her and together they are explosive. The chemistry is off the rails and I found myself swooning with every interaction they had. The plot in this book is fast paced and I loved each chapter. Danielle has a talent creating addictive books. There is something refreshing and unique about her books and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us in the future. I’ll always recommend the made series and Danielle because it’s pure magic and it reminds me all the time why I love books, reading and romance
PERFECT, in every possible and imaginable way, this book is PERFECT
5+
This book was really intense, alot went on, turns and twist, but nothing too dramatic.
I loved Nicolas, he was dark, broody and hot! His character is really interesting and appealing. His background was so beautiful to read, furthermore Elena was amazing! like her character development from “sweet” to confident was great. What made it better is that the book has a good storyline with amazing side characters. The was my first Danielle Lori book and she absolutely killed it! lovely writing by her!
Nicolas and Elena are probably one of the sexiest na couples I have ever read. If I had to use one word to describe them it would be passionate.
Nicolas got me after his first POV , he’s the typical na hero but much more intense and with a very unique humor. He knows what he wants and he always get it, some would say he’s incredibly selfish but I think that’s one of the things I like the most about his character. He is determined to get his way and I just love it.
-“She’d glared at me at church today, and I’d wondered what the Sweet Abelli could have against me”-
Now Elena , the Sweet Abelli, the woman everyone in New York would go crazy for ( including Nicolas) is definitely something else. Loved her rebellious part as much as I loved her shy part. Elena was nothing like I expected. You would think since she’s daugther of one of the most important man in the mafia world she would be quiet and traditional girl but Elena is like a box full of surprises. She was sexy , flirty , very caring of her people and fun to read. She went against her worlds rules, defying everyone and also challenging her own self, all of for a taste of freedom.
-“I’d done this dance a hundred times, just a different day, a different man. However, this time my breath was cut short, as though I was about to be pushed off a plank and into shark-infested water if I looked up at him. He’s just a man”-
Nicoelena are one of the best slow burns I’ve had the pleasure to read, the sexual tension , the flirting are out of this world. Started as “enemies” who just had so much attraction to each other that they couldn’t control themselves. It makes you want to read nonstop until you get to the end and then they eventually get together it’s gets even better because they face new challenges in their relationship. Nico and Elena’s insecurities and fears made this read even better, the misunderstandings because they don’t know how to talk to each other makes you want to scream sometimes but also you love every part of it because it makes their story more intense.
To finish this review I want to also mention how interesting all the side characters in this book were , the family scenes we get from Elenas side were hilarious I adored her Nonna and cousins !
Cant wait to see more of them in the next made books !
He was comfort, security, and need, all in one. It had a name. Home.
The Sweetest Oblivion has to go down as one of my all time favourite reads because this book was absolutely captivating from start to finish. The sexual tension and angst Nico and Elena portrayed was so enticing and gripped me throughout. Danielle Lori is one of the few authors who can do slow burn perfectly, she made their relationship so realistic which is a tough thing to do especially in the mafia world.
Nicolas Russo is one of the most possessive alpha males I have ever read about. He was so infatuated with Elena from the get go and treated her like a queen. He was psychotic for her but she matched his energy and the chemistry they delivered left me breathless. I loved Elena from the beginning until the end she was the sweetest but most interesting heroine who was still able to stand up for herself and did whatever she felt was right. The Sweet Abelli was a little firecracker who had me rooting for her throughout this novel.
Nico and Elena are still to this day the hottest couple I’ve read and The Sweetest Oblivion is the book with the best sexual tension. They had a connection that was so strong and intense which made me love every second of Nico & Elena’s story and I can’t wait to see them again in the rest of the Made series. This was the first book I have read by Lori and it most definitely won’t be the last. Nico and Elena Russo have captured my heart and I don’t think I will ever find a couple who have got me like them.
Danielle Lori has a way of making all her secondary characters so compelling. I am so excited to see Sebastian’s book in the future and I hope we get to see what Adriana is up to because she was quite a funny character.
This is one of my favorite mafia books to date. Brilliantly written, it’s a story that will grip you from beginning to end. I can’t rave enough about this book.
This story is Dark and sweet!
It’s been a long time since I have read a Dark romance and boy was it worth it?
YESS!
“I hadn’t known it was possible to want something so much and to fear it in equal measure.”
I have avoided this book for a long because it was so hyped and I was scared I wouldn’t love it. I am so glad I finally picked it up because I enjoyed every second of this angsty, slow burn mafia romance.
I cannot wait to read book 2!! I cant imagine any hero being better than Nico though..
“I needed him. In a mindless, archaic, bordering madness kind of way.”
4.5 stars Now I’ve read my (and probably someone else’s) fair share of mafia stories and some of them aren’t worth the hype they get. But this one more than deserves the hype and more. I don’t know if it’s the tension between Nico and Elena, the slightly forbidden aspect or the fact that Elena isn’t a withering flower like a couple of mafia princesses I’ve read or all three, but this works so much for me.
First off I LOVE mafia romance!!!!! This one really appealed to me! I loved that it was more of a slow burn, especially where a majority of the book Nico was arranged to marry Elena’s sister.
Nico was so sweet and sensitive in his own way!! I wish they had voiced their concerns with eachother and asked for what they needed to avoid conflict but it made sense because that is the way of the mafia so I didn’t find it to be unnecessary.
I loved Mama and Nonna!!! Their dynamic is hilarious and brought a refreshing element to the typical women of the mafia.
Loved loved loved! A million stars!
“Whiskey and flame. Sleepless nights. Tattooed skin, white t-shirts, and rough hands. Love and lust and happiness. He was everything.”
A sultry sweet romance that will drag you deep into oblivion until you never want to leave! As slow as the seasons pass, this love story blooms; Nico and Elena’s romance is a true slow-burn with simmering angst that comes from the sexual tension that Danielle builds inch by inch. Then suddenly Danielle satiates every eager need with a combustion of passion, possessiveness, and pure love. As gradual as the romance may be, the pacing compels you to continue like an ever-going carousel ride. I read this in one sitting and didn’t even realize until there were no more pages to flip; the story could’ve kept going honestly.
Forbidden but inevitable, Nico and Elena are a perfect match. Elena is sinful like poison- tastes so sweet but kills you ever so slowly. She seeps into Nico’s heart and suddenly he wants to rough up all her pretty pink dresses. He’s dominant and controlling- great qualities for a Don as young as him and the exact qualities Elena didn’t even realize she wanted.
My first book by Danielle Lori captivated me from the first page and kept me in its clutches with a masterfully written story. Individually and together the characters were perfectly developed, the prose flows off the page smoothly, and the storyline is a perfect balance of an intense mafia plot, engaging dialogue, and sinfully hot romance. I adored the secondary characters including their crazy families and now I’m eagerly anticipating the story of my two faves- Christian and Gianna!
Pent up tension turns into combustible passion; clashing personalities create harmonious hearts; forbidden love becomes a forever love in this deeply gratifying story!
I really enjoyed this book. It had everything I was look for. It was sexy, swooning, and keep me wanting more.
This book was absolutely incredible! Lori’s writing style perfectly captivated the audience, showing amazing tension between the two characters. While I normally do not reach out for mafia-style books, I will be enjoying more of Danielle’s as this world she created is absolutely perfect in every way! I will be rereading constantly. Nico and Elena have instant tension. First things first Nico was engaged to Elena’s sister!! But after things go South, we have Nico and Elena together. Would 100% recommend this book!