TITLE:  The King’s Pawn

AUTHOR:  Ariana Nash

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH:  98 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 19, 2024

BLURB: 

Noah…

I hate him. Always have. The way he looks through me, then pretends I don’t exist…

There’s something wrong with him. More wrong than the rest of my father’s men… It’s a good thing Killian Donovan doesn’t think about me at all.

But when I’m on my knees, staring down the barrel of his gun, accused of a crime I did not commit, Killian is all that’s left between me and a shallow grave.

He must have a weakness… and I’ve got five seconds to find it.

Killian…

Kill Noah King.

Those are my orders.

It’s about time the boss’s brat was put in his place. Too loud, too stupid, too… tempting, and when he betrays the family, I get to shut that sassy mouth forever.

A damn shame, because when he’s on his knees with my gun between his lips, his pleading silence isn’t the only thing that stops me pulling the trigger.

I’ve got five seconds to choose…

Five seconds that change both our lives forever.

*

King’s Pawn is a dark mafia romance between two men who really shouldn’t fall for each other, but can’t seem to resist temptation. An enemies-to-lovers, grumpy-sunshine, age-gap, hate-f*ck, capture kink, touch-him-and-die (literally) novella.

This is a pretty hot little afternoon delight I read in one sitting. Turns out that these two have had their eyes on each other for quite some time, but neither was very much aware. When Killian is tasked with taking out Noah, things take a bit of a turn. Unable to follow through and needing some time to figure things out, Killian hides Noah away in a remote cabin. Things are not what they seem in more ways than one with this story which we quickly learn as things unfold. I really liked these two together. They had great chemistry, and I am always up for a bit of a sassy brat being tamed. Or was he the one doing the taming? LOL

My biggest issue with this story was that it was way too short. I really wanted it to be longer and more fleshed out, as I didn’t feel like we got nearly enough time with these two. I really hope to see more in this realm from Ms. Nash, because she really teased with this one. One of the things I enjoyed about this was the storyline that made it different from others, especially the ending and how things turned out. So, while I was quite satisfied with the small meal we were given, I wish there had been a few more courses to enjoy as well. Grab this if you’re looking for a taste of mafia afternoon delight.

RATING: