Flawed: Mafia Wars New York, Book 5 (Unabridged‪)‬

Mafia Romance Masterfully Done! Exceptional Story & Listen🎧

Maggie Cole blows me away with another amazing dark Mafia romance novel, the fifth and book in her “Mafia Wars New York” series. I would say that she saved the best for last but that would not do justice for the first four book books in the series because they were all just as amazing. The world building and character development as been phenomenal even with characters crossing over from her first “Mafia Wars”. I hope this is not the last we see of these characters and/or this Mafia world she created. This book is Luca Marino and Chanel Moulin’s story and wow, what a story it is, it drew me in right from the start, grabbing my attention and captivating it the entire time. Chanel’s dad works for the Marino family, that got her the in with Massimo and the job as his fight attendant for when he travelled. Sleeping with the enemy, Luca, who works for the Abruzzos was bad enough, but having his baby makes it even worse. She will never reveal who the father is and despite her feelings for Luca, a relationship will never happen. Luca had it bad for Chanel and he could not stay away, but working for the Abruzzos is a dangerous job, it makes him do things he hates to do but his position is serving a purpose and he is on a mission to complete it to the end. It was heartbreaking to watch these two live lives without each other, if Chanel only knew who he really was and if Luca could only tell her life would have been different for them both and their daughter, too. Their story is over the years, so we get a glimpse of events that occurred in earlier books but from a different perspective, we also see characters from those books as well, including Massimo and Chanel’s best friend, Pina. I loved how everything played out in this book, it is a brilliantly plotted story with plenty of drama, angst, heartfelt emotions, some thrilling and suspenseful moments, and a steamy romance. Maggie Cole, thank you for another exceptional story, series and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the fantastic narration, Stephanie Németh-Parker and Zachary Johnson were the perfect cast to bring these characters and story to life. They had a complete understanding of the characters they portrayed, gave each a voice that suited that character’s persona and were believable in every role they played. Németh-Parker played Chanel with perfection, her accent was fabulous and she grasped every side of her personality. Johnson nailed it as Luca and was great with the accents, too. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and projected them into their performance, making you feel every single one. These mega talented narrators are entertaining storytellers and versatile voice artists, their performance enhances an already brilliant story to another level. Thank you for another exceptional listen.