volatilisanguis's Reviews > A Mating of Convenience

I'm not really a big Mafia romance fan because it's difficult to bring humor, fun, and cozy vibes. But Dakota does! This reminded me a lot of the later Yakuza games in that it is a redemption arc for morally grey characters with a side of wtf (it's not using a giant magic wand as a weapon but Kevin and his knife-wielding clowder should qualify?).

The FMC, Emily, is really fun. Her inner dialogue is great. I appreciated her running commentary about pregnancy and the utter mess she landed in. Easton, on the other hand is a wolf with golden retriever vibes (??). I do wish his character was more fully developed because his only motivation seems to be instalove. It would've been nice to hear more about how he was veering from his father's iron fistedness into a sort of community leader who offered protection in dubious ways, but the story mostly glossed over the less savory bits of his underworld profession.

Tl;dr: not as funny as her cozy Wild Hare Ranch or Mine series but still a worthwhile read if you enjoy instalove mates and morally grey characters and uncanny and silly animals.