The Veil (The Veil Trilogy, 1)

Rating: 3 out of 5

Isabelle just lost her job and is desperate to make ends meet. Valentino is a wealthy man who trusts no one and one night with him will change both of their lives. Isabelle's friend invites her to a masquerade ball but fails to tell her about the dark secret surrounding the ball. Juggling two identities, contracts, secrets, lies, and passion will drive anyone crazy.

I read Tryst by this author and loved the book and the story. However, for me this one fell a little short. I'm not sure exactly the disconnect but I really struggled with this one. I just felt like a lot of different things were put into this one and then attempted to be wrapped up so quickly by the end of the novel. I love mafia romances and I have to say that I wasn't really a fan of either of the main characters in this story. I didn't care for the backstory behind why the FMC was a virgin. I enjoy a good twist but this one had way too many for me; they just felt forced in some aspects.

I've seen people who absolutely loved this book and I really wanted to love it as well. I hate that I didn't enjoy it as much as others because I think it had marvelous potential and an interesting underlying story. I just think it might have worked better if some of the "big" reveals had been separate books/stories. It also didn't feel very mafia romance to me which makes me sad. It did have some very steamy moments though.