Ruined Secrets by Neva Altaj – ARC review

I received this ARC from Neva Altaj. I applied for it because I wanted to branch out my interests and the synopsis sounded like the story would be interesting. I know, it’s the 4^th book of this series, but all of them are standalones (but you would have a better understanding of the world if you start from book 1).  

So jumping right in here is the synopsis from goodreads: 

**Be sure to check the trigger warnings for this book because there is very mature content that is not for beginners** 

Isabella 
 
Longing, 
I’ve wanted him most of my life, 
Since the day he saved me from drowning when I was a kid. 
But he’s never noticed me, 
Never given me a second thought. 
To him, I’m just a child. 
And now, he’s ordered to marry me. 
 
He doesn’t want me, 
Not in his heart or in his bed. 
 
But everything is allowed in war and love, 
And I am ready to do whatever it takes, 
Even lie to a man who doesn’t remember his past. 
 
 
Luca 
 
As beautiful 
As she is cunning, 
My young wife masterfully guides me, 
Through La Cosa Nostra waters, 
Making sure no one suspects, 
That I’ve had no memory since the accident. 
 
Now, I’m falling hard for a woman I don’t even remember, 
The woman who’s been lying to me, 
Since the moment I opened my eyes, 
And I intend to unravel her secrets. 
 
*Ruined Secrets is a full-length novel with several open-door steamy scenes, no cheating and a guaranteed HEA. 
 
This is the fourth book in Perfectly Imperfect mafia series. Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order. 

Jumping into my review. This story hit me right in the feels and I’ll explain why. My current significant person and I had a similar start to our relationship. I’ve been in love with him since I was 17, but he didn’t want anything to do with me before I became legal. We didn’t have the same obstacles to overcome like these two do in the mafia organization they are a part of, but it was similar enough to make me pause and remember our past. 

I love Neva Altaj’s writing style, her plot is character driven, and her prose pull you into the story and keep you hooked with the roller coaster of emotions and events. This contemporary new adult romance is something that I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy but I was pleasantly surprised. My favorite trope is touch her and die, and this book was chalk full of it, the spice has some BDSM present which made it that much more interesting to see them change from vanilla to a more out of the box sexual situation. Her dialogue is fantastic for the main characters, its witty and flirtatious. Some of the side characters seem a little stiff at times though. The FMC is persistent, stoic on the outside, and strong. While our MMC is stubborn, and not used to being told no. This book is well written and put together. I’m excited to get into the world a little bit more as I catch up to the series and read the rest of the books. 

I did take a star away because it felt like this book’s theme was don’t underestimate a woman, which fair enough. But, I feel like the market is already saturated with stories that are like this and there needs to be more to the theme than heck yeah women and sex. It could be that the true theme of this book went right over my head, nevertheless I did enjoy this book and will be moving on to other books in the series./9

If you enjoy contemporary romance with strong female leads and out of the box spice. Then this book is for you. This book has a 4 star review from me. I cannot wait to read the rest!