Matteo has been a part of Maria's life since the day she was born, the little guy touched her hair, she swiped at him then held his finger. It was love at first sight for this man and the MAFIA BEAUTY. But she was his best friend's sister, so forbidden to him. But love finds a way even in their crazy world.

Maria always had a thing for Matteo, and they slept together once, but she was forced to move on with her dreams to be a doctor. Her heart has always been his. When Maria and her friend Veronica are kidnapped by traffickers, Matteo and her family go into battle mode to get her back.

That was it for Matteo - he was not going to lose her forever. If things didn't work out, if she didn't feel the same way, then he could live with that. Never trying to be together was something he was not going to live without.

MAFIA BEAUTY is Sabine Barclay at her dark romance best. The Mancinelli family are high-ranking members of the Italian mafia and they are just as down and dirty as the Russians Ms. Barclay has previously offered us. There is a lot of action, danger, intrigue, a bit of looking into the past, and a lot of family interaction. Ms. Barclay does an excellent job explaining who everyone is, which might have been confusing in another author's hands. 

The men in the family all know their roles and are tough and sometimes unforgiving to those that mess with them. Matteo is like that but he also has known Maria all his life and is determined that they will be together. He is surprised, however, when the people in their lives have "it's about time" reactions as he and Maria start a real relationship. 

Maria is level-headed, and knows the ins and outs of her world, though she has a secret that she never planned for her family, especially her brothers, to learn about. She had a membership at a BDSM club and a regular partner. That all comes out to her embarrassment because her partner tries to force her hand in a situation that brings everything to light. Well, the Mancinelli family is there to support her and without giving too much away, things do not go the way her former partner planned... 

Just get your hands on MAFIA BEAUTY and see for yourself that it is a really smart thing not to mess with the mafia, and even smarter not to get messed up by their women.