Now that WSA22 has concluded, I’m posting the review I submitted as part of the award consideration:
Recommendation
This is the second book of The De Luca Mafia Series, and even though I have not read book one, I had no difficulty following the events in Gabriella's Hellfire. It can be read as a standalone novel. This may be a contemporary romance, but readers will experience a broad range of emotions as they follow the main characters through this slow burn enemies-to-lovers story. The characters were unique, full of interest, and they fit the atmosphere of the story. I had no idea what to expect from the plot and was constantly curious what the author had planned next. To be honest, I finished the required chapters for this review and went on to unlock more. I highly recommend that this novel be considered for an award.
Grammar and Language
The author's writing style is clear and reads very naturally. For a contemporary romance that starts with so little mutual affection between the main characters, what the beginning lacks in romance, it makes up with passion through other emotions. The tone and language do an excellent job conveying the characters strong emotions. Aside from the very rare typo, there were virtually no spelling or grammar errors. The vocabulary is always correctly applied and is appropriate for the story and characters. There were no inconsistencies in the storyline of the required reading.
Character Design
Both main characters have a distinct voice in this novel: Mariano the antihero; Gabriella the defiant victim. Both are members of Italian Mafia families. Mariano is cold and calculating but not uncaring. His primary goal is to rise in ranks and replace his father as Don both for revenge and so he can "reign in the dogs" and control the Morelli family dealings. He is a planner that bides his time, and for him, the end justifies the means. He finds Gabriella to be beautiful and adorably fierce. While he clearly has feelings for "his Riri" and means her no harm, he is willing to let her suffer so he can achieve his goals, one of which is undoubtedly to make her his own.
Gabriella De Luca is bold and snarky, and grew up privileged and sheltered but very aware of her family's business. Guilt and loss permeate her narrative. Although she feels trapped by Mariano, she resolves to one day find revenge for the life she has been forced to live. Before knowing his identity, Mariano represented comfort and safety during a time of fear and loneliness. Learning he is actually a Morelli felt like a betrayal; Mariano Morelli is and will always be her enemy. And yet, at times her narrative shows hope that maybe the man she once trusted still exists inside him.
Thus far, all the side characters are family members and mafia soldiers, but they feel distinct and have been given well-defined roles.
World Building
The story begins in modern day New York and quickly shifts to Chicago. Most readers will have a surface level understanding of Italian Mafia basics and should have no difficulty following the story. The hierarchy and specific politics are explained as the story progresses. Settings in this novel feel very poignant. The story opens with both characters imprisoned in a cold dungeon under poor conditions, yet this is where an intimate bond is formed. Subsequent locations are far more luxurious--chauffeured vehicles, a private plane, a four star hotel, a mansion--but are settings filled with suffering, denial, lies, and death. Very little description is given of these environments, but it's the feelings and impressions the characters experience in these locations that are the focal point in the text.
Story Development and Creativity
The novel is narrated entirely from either Mariano or Gabriella's point of view so readers experience the story along with these main characters by being privy to their thoughts, feelings, dilemmas and secrets--secrets which the author teases along. The frank honesty in these internal monologues feels natural, and it's easy for readers to unconsciously align their own thoughts with the characters and really immerse themselves into the novel. Because of the POV, the story feels dialogue-rich even when none of the characters are actually speaking.
The pacing and progression feels just right. The chapters alternate between the main characters but not too frequently; plenty of time is given to each character for that segment to feel complete and satisfying, not confusing. The opening chapter is a great hook to catch readers' interest. (One minor complaint would be the transition between the first and second chapters where it first switches from Mariano to Gabriella's point of view; it was unclear that time had elapsed between these two scenes; in fact, it felt like chapter two was a flashback, which slightly ruined the mid-chapter reveal. Again, this is only a slight issue, and the remaining chapters were very clear.) Paragraph lengths were similarly satisfying. Quite often the author successfully emphasized a point by letting it stand as a single sentence paragraph, making it feel dramatic. There is a constant sense of tension in the early chapters, and readers will feel compelled to chase the promised release as the story progresses.
