Reviewed by Jen
TITLE: Toxic Devotion
AUTHOR: Ana Night
PUBLISHER: Self published
LENGTH: 226 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 21, 2024
BLURB:
Marco Serrano was raised to become the head of a crime family, but while his father prepared him to lead the Serrano family, he never knew that his son was gay. Marco has only ever entrusted two people with that information because if it ever got out, he would lose everything, including his life. Enter a CIA officer who makes him feel alive and he might risk it all for a chance at love.
Neil knows that falling for a mafia boss is a terrible idea, but Marco makes him want things he can’t have. Things he’s never wanted before. Things like a real relationship and love. He’s never had a family or a home, but Marco quickly becomes both to him. Being together puts them both in grave danger, but there’s nothing he won’t do for Marco, except for one quitting the Agency.
Neil’s line of work clashes with Marco’s way of life and, when tragedy strikes, their relationship takes a hit they may never recover from…
REVIEW:
I love a good mafia/taboo relationship story so I jumped at the chance at this one. Marco and Neil hook up and their somewhat secret relationship grows from there. Marco’s sister and right hand man are the only ones who know about Neil and it all seems to be working great, until events happen that make Marco question everything. Miscommunication plays a part but Neil and Marco end up stepping away from each other.
Neil focuses on his work and continues with his goal of taking down a major criminal, as well as seek the answers as to who is after him, but he is never far from Marco and continues to keep a close eye on him. I will say there seemed to be a lot background details missing here and apparently those are all given out other series. Therefore, this one felt somewhat shallow in that we never really get too deep into the various things taking place, and the relationship with Marco seems really rushed.
There were things I liked, such as the chemistry between the two which you can tell is there. I wish this had been a bit more fleshed out in that regard, but perhaps I need to go read the other stories for a more complete picture. All in all, this was an enjoyable story that doesn’t really delve too deep into any one storyline. Neil spends much of his time off doing CIA Spook work but always reappears when Marco needs him, even if he won’t admit it. Again, the lack of communication played a big factor in their separation and it never really felt resolved when things got back on track. I think I’ll look into one of the previous books to see if the gaps are filled in for me, but this one on its own didn’t do that.
RATING: 
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