My Rating: ★★★
Genre: New Adult, Romantic Suspense, Mafia Romance
Publication Date: July 12th 2018
Publisher: Self Published
Narrators: Scarlet Chase & Stephen Dexter
Synopsis:
When you grow up in the most feared mafia family, it’s easy to identify the kind of men that are bad news.
They’re the ones with experience.
The ones with secrets.
The ones that exude sex just by saying your name.
From the minute I laid eyes on Lorenzo, I knew he wasn’t just bad news.
He was the headline.
My opinion didn’t change on our second meeting.
Or our third.
But my head and my heart are at war.
He’s too mysterious, too gorgeous, too wild, and now, he wants me.
I should run far away.
So why am I racing toward him?
I’m totally going to get burned.
I know it.
A man like Lorenzo won’t leave me unscathed.
He’ll make ashes of me.
My Review:
Review also posted on Goodreads
Claire Contreras is one of the authors on my radar since I ventured in romance novels. This is my first book from her and my entry for mafia romance readathon.
Because You’re Mine is a good novel for those who are new to mafia romance. It’s not as dark as the other ones I’ve read. However, this is more of contemporary with mafia family in it. Hence, the reason I lowered my rating for its lack of foundation. So if you want something lighthearted, this is for you.
The characters have good chemistry. Catalina Alvarez is a ballerina at New York City Ballet. She’s associated in mafia because of her family but she stays away due to the trauma it brought to her life. Then she meets Lorenzo Costello and her life turned upside down. It took me a while to warm up to them because they’re platonic. Lorenzo is hot and sexy but I wasn’t entranced by him.
It may not be my favorite, this could have a potential if it isn’t a standalone. The saving point of this book is its plot twist.
Confessions of a Pinay Bookaholic 
If I’m picking up a mafia romance, I’m going to want it to be darker and angstier. This sounds more light contemporary for sure. I haven’t read this author either but I see her books everywhere!
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Precisely! Like give me all the angst and dark stuff. I might give Claire Contreras other books a try. This is her first mafia romance I think and I’m sure she’s still exploring the trope. 🙂 Thank you for dropping by, Nick! 😀
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I haven’t read this one from Contreras. It wasn’t really on my radar and I think I’m going to skip it based on your review. I have read a bunch of her other books, though. I think my favorite will always be the Kaleidoscope Hearts series. I would recommend that one, if you liked her writing enough to try another.
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I think mafia isn’t her forte but I’ll try her other books. Kaleidoscope Hearts series is recommended to me a lot and you’re one of them. I’ll push that one on my tbr. Thank you, Deanna! 😀
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Her books don’t really work for me. There is something that makes me disagree with her characters and I can’t really fall into it…
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