Mine to Tease

Blood and Bourbon #2

by Emily A. Myers

Book 2 in the Blood and Bourbon series, Mine to Tease is a steamy, standalone mafia romance featuring the enemies-to-lovers trope. It takes place during the one-year time gap we see at the end of Mine to Protect.

Damon Dupont is the best protector in the Amato crime family’s ranks. But as power in the New Orleans underworld shifts and new alliances are made, he now finds himself forced to protect the one woman he couldn’t care less about—the princess of the Irish mob.

Anastasia Cross has spent her life like a prisoner in a gilded cage, sheltered and surrounded by bodyguards. The last thing she wants is another one, which is why her brother secretly hires Damon to watch after her upon her move to New Orleans.

As Damon keeps his cover by working in the tattoo shop beneath the unit Ana is renovating for her new boutique, he sets out on a personal mission to make her life miserable. But, his plan to drive her away backfires when he falls head over heels for the woman just as fiery and stubborn as him.

The Vibe: steamy, kinky, playful, protective, "you're mine," "touch her and die," "he falls first."

***All books in the Blood and Bourbon series are standalone mafia romances; however, they are best read in consecutive order due to the interconnected mafia conflict. All books in this series feature HAPPILY EVER AFTERS!

Genres: Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Dark Romance, Dark, Mafia Romance, Erotica

332 pages, Paperback

Published June 4, 2024

About the author

Hi everyone and welcome to my Goodreads page! I am an award-winning romantic suspense author and am most known for my mafia romance series, Blood and Bourbon.

Find me on Instagram and other platforms @emilymyersauthor

Find my books on Amazon.

Reviews

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story!

Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: bodyguard, secret identity
Angst: 😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥

Great story in the continuing family saga ❤. Paced pretty well, but the switch happened really fast to me from I hate you to I love you. Lots of action and suspense to keep you hooked to the end!

[Nadine Bookaholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read because it involved two different Crime Syndicates: the Italians and the Russians. Anastasia Cross is the Russian Mafia Princess who is moving across the country to New Orleans, so her brother hires protection for her. Damon Dupont is the best protector in the Amato Crime Family, and while he knows he's the best person to protect Anastasia, he isn't happy about doing it.

Ana is young, sheltered, and slightly naive, but those features make her endearing. I liked Ana more and more as time went on. Damon is youngish, hard around the edges, it's his way or the highway attitude, covered in tats and owns a tattoo parlor. I didn't like Damon at first. He was tasked with a job, and he thought his best option would be to annoy Ana so she would return home to Boston so he wouldn't have to guard her. The things he did to annoy her were childish, seriously loud music to annoy her...that's something my kids would do if they wanted my attention.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ➡ https://bit.ly/NBReviewMtT



**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books
**𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲
You can find me here: Nadine Bookaholic's Links

[Amber C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first Emily Myers fiction novel and I have to say I have fallen in love with her writing again. Starting of with the book dedication I knew when I read it that I would see pieces of her poetry era reflected in these characters and I was right. I cannot tell you how much soul and life she brought out in Damon and Anastasia. If you have read Mafia romances before you know to expect much drama, V!0lence, and SA/abduction scenarios so proceed with caution because this one is no exception but the thing that makes this one stand out is how much depth Damon has to him (more so than Anastasia).

Damon and Anastasia were both born into this mafia/irish mob worlds. Damon raised to be a protector and Anastasia to eventually become arm candy for some top rank irish mob leader. However, in order to keep peace within an unwanted alliance Damon is forced to protect Anastasia (sister of the enemy). The problem is, they fall in love!

These two really go through things that pulled at my heartsrings. There was times where I wanted to reach in and hug and comfort them in anyway I possibly could.

It has drama, action, spice, and best of all romance. Yes pure, sweet, raw romance. Knowing how hard Damon fell for Anastasia only made the spicy scenes feel more real, hot, and romantic. Gosh I just loved everthing about Damon, his background, his story, his character, his temper. He's is the epitome of a perfect mafia book boyfriend in every way.

If you love mafia romances pick this up! I could probably go on as to why but I am afraid I will spoil it for you (and I don't want to 😉). I promise it will have you glued to its pages until the very last one. I 1000% recommend this to all my mafia, enemies to lovers, smutty romance lovers.

P.S. I so need a protector like Damon in my life ❤️‍🔥☺️

[Ruchita · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

Oh, how I love good banter. It was fun and cute. He calls her his baby bird (yes I'm a goner for cute nicknames). He is obsessed with her. The way he tries and actually irritates her just so she can leave him and the city alone is priceless. And her dog obviously is the main character here. Everything which starts from him being her protector and landlord to being her reason for her happiness and everything. She's a mafia princess who wants to spread her wings and escape the cage of her family. He is her protector and the thing she wants to escape so badly.

If you like these tropes:

mafia romance
forced proximity
enemies to lovers
dual POV
protective MMC
spice
mafia princess × soldier
secret bodyguard

This book is for you 🩷.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book by Emily 💜 It delivers the heat and the angst in all the right doses, making it a total page-turner!

Damon and Anastasia steal the show with their sizzling chemistry and banter that's hotter than a summer day. From enemies to secret bodyguard situations, their dynamic is pure gold. Their bickering? Oh, it's the chef's kiss perfection! 👌😂

And can we talk about that spice? Whew, it's spicy with a capital S! 🔥 I was totally here for every steamy moment!

Props to Emily for their captivating writing style. Consider me hooked—I'm definitely diving into more of their books ASAP! 📚💕

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

She is the fire and I’m the match that wants to feel her warmth.
Mine to Tease by Emily A. Myers is now LIVE! Available in KU, Paperback, and Hardcover.

Thank you to @elentiya_pr for this ARC
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🔥
My thoughts: The chemistry was electric between them! I almost didn’t like them at first, Damon complained a lot in the first chapters and Anastasia annoyed me at first but I liked the character development. No 3rd act break ups make the books even better too. I definitely recommend if you enjoy enemies to lovers with undeniable attraction, age gap, mafia romance, and forced proximity.

[Chardonae Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anastasia & Damon are simply perfect for each other. I love how this starts out with some much angst & banter between these two! But, he teaches her so much without realizing it. He humbled her in several ways. I felt this was more of a body guard romance than enemies to lovers. But I can see why it’s an enemies to lovers. It is just more of bodyguard to me. Regardless, it’s steamy, fun, and enrapturing!

I look forward to reading about Gio & Darcy!

[Tione Blume · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC I had never read any thing from Emily Myers!

I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t as dark as I prefer but I enjoyed Damon and Anastasia! I hated that there were so many forces trying to rip them apart but that was what kept me reading it!
This book was good I highly suggest reading “Mine to Protect” before you dive in. I didn’t do that so I was a little lost at the beginning. Overall it was a good book!

[Linda McCutcheon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Kissing is the Angel's dance...but I'm about to introduce her to the Devil's."

This steamy, with a bit of kink, dark mafia suspenseful romance should come with a warning label: "May induce heart palpitations!" From the enemies to lovers heated chemistry to the unspeakable acts of violence, Mine To Tease, by exceptional author, Emily A. Meyers, left me barely able to catch my breath.

Damon's having a hard time dealing with his mafia family disbanding their criminal hold on New Orleans. It's a love story you can read about in Mine To Protect, book 1 of this Blood and Bourbon Mafia romance series. Now in book 2, Damon finds himself forced to protect Anastasia, the sister of his once enemy, Adrian, head of the Irish mob that's taking over his territory. With his life on the line, "Should anything happen to my sister while under your care, your contract will be terminated and so will you," he has to pretend to be the landlord of her boutique so she doesn't know her brother is watching over her. His plan is to make her hate it here so she will leave.

Ana knows she's a bratty mob princess but she wants more, mainly her independence. She thinks she's won it until she meets her overbearing, tattooed, muscled, sexy landlord. Does she need protection from him or from the thoughts she has of him?!

This writer has again created a world that grabs you as you ride the tides of sexual awakening, alpha possessive love and the dangers of a life born in crime. But it's the moments of love that stand out. Brooding Damon caring for Ana's spoiled dog Brinkley, washing Ana's hair and Ana's honesty about her fears.

Each book is a standalone but enjoyed more as an interconnected series. Next is Gio's story, Mine to Love. The tease of his protectiveness for single Mom Darcy was drool worthy.

I received a free copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Kashish · Rating 5 out of 5]

love Anastasia and Damon😍🥺🫶✨

[Rina | booksofthemuggleborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating: 3.75 stars!

** ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review. **

Ooh this world has plenty of potential. The premise was what initially had me curious to read this book, and now that I have, all I can say is it has kept me intrigued throughout.

Although this was marketed as Mafia Romance, I don’t think the mafia elements were as dominant as it could’ve been. Whilst there is some introduction to the world-building, it’s character-driven with the romance aspect very much on the foreground.

The writing style did however hook me in from the very first chapter, along with the characters themselves. Anastasia is a bubbly heroine and her personality leapt off the pages instantaneously. Damon may be part of the underworld, but he doesn’t necessarily ooze it. He’s somewhat of a closed-off character and the secrecy surrounding his backstory for most of the story made for an interesting hero in him.

If you enjoy reading romances with BDSM elements, then you might take an interest in this one. The level is mild but there are some kinky elements included. It is however heavy on the intimacy as a good portion of the book consists of sexual content. It’s definitely intended for readers 18+ only.

I would’ve loved if the story was more in-depth with substantial developments. I felt the relationship between Anastasia and Damon progressed too abruptly especially considering the storytelling is steady-paced. I wasn’t completely convinced that their feelings for one another had evolved into anything deeper as the relationship was lust-fueled.

Myers is a new-to-me author and I was introduced to her work through this book. It’s a standalone romance, as is the other books in the series, but after having read this one, I do have to echo the author’s recommendation in starting the series from the beginning. The world-building is still in its early developments and has potential to expand and become multi-layered. But the details leading up to the cast of characters’ current situation within the underworld is vague. Reading the first book would explain their circumstances.

As an avid fan of mafia romance books, I do think it is mafia-lite, but it does still contained some action and suspense. If you like the enemies-to-lovers romance trope, this does however have a cute, secret romance between these two of opposing mob families.

I thought it was an decent read finding some parts more enjoyable than others. It’s told from dual POVs and I liked seeing their contrasting characters through their perspectives. The dynamic between the MCs was an entertaining highlight. Their banter was absolutely smile-inducing. There were also certain secondary characters that caught my eye and will keep a lookout to see if they do end up with books of their own.

But all in all, Blood and Bourbon is a promising series. It’s one to watch out for as more characters are introduced and the world develops further.

🚨 Full review on my blog: https://booksofthemuggleborn.wordpres...

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW!

Purely based on my personal opinion:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 ⚠️Check TW⚠️
Thank you Emily for the opportunity to read this book before its release.

𝐈 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬.

I'd like to start by saying that 'Mine to Tease' is part of a series of interconnected standalone, however | would recommend you read them in order of release as there are mentions of things from the pervious book 'Mine to Protect' that may confuse you. Again it's not needed but I definitely recommend it.

Damon Dupont (MMC), was a somewhat closed off character to start with, he's quite a broody guy who happens to be tied in with the Mafia as the head bodyguard. However he quickly showed his interest in Anastasia and I found his character development to be well done. Anastasia Cross (FMC), I found to be a bubbly character with a personality that leapt off the page, in the start I was honestly unsure if I was going to like her however as the story progressed I enjoyed her characteristics more. The dynamic between the MCs was entertaining and their banter had me smiling, I did really enjoy this book. Also there were secondary characters that caught my eye so I can't wait to see if they'll have a story and how their storyline will go.

If you're new to the mafia element in books this might be a good book to try as the mafia aspect of things isn't as in the foreground as other similar books, while there was introduction into the world building I found this book to be very character driven with the main focus being the romance aspect of the story which was great in my opinion.


READ IF YOU LIKE:
✨Mafia romance
✨Enemies to lovers
✨He's her secret protector
✨Jealous, possessive & protective hero
✨Touch her and d!e
✨Humour and playfulness
✨Steamy, kinky, games, rules & toys

[Abigail King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tropes: Bodyguard, mafia, forced proximity, enemies to lovers,

Triggers: ON PAGE RAPE, physical abuse, torture, and kidnapping… there are likely others but these are the most noticeable ones to me

I was generously granted an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This was my first book by this author, despite this book being the second in a series, and I honestly really enjoyed both the plot line and the writing style!

I will admit, that it did take me a little bit to get into this book as I did not immediately click with either the MMC or the FMC, which was a little concerning for me. But I was very happy I stuck it out! This story is of a mafia princess looking for some escape from the mafia world, but her brother hires her a bodyguard in secret, what becomes of the forced proximity of this? Due to Ana trying to remove herself from the mafia world, the first half to three-quarters of this book only had a light sprinkling of mafia, and was not nearly as full on as I expected- which worked out well for this storyline!

In all, I really enjoyed this story and will be looking into other books written by these authors! I suggest you check this one out if looking for a book with some mafia vibes, and the tropes above.

**Please check triggers! I personally accidentally went in blind and was a little caught off guard, but just beware, some of the triggers are fully there, not just mentioned**

[Kristina Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well damn. Emily really outdid herself with these two!! I completely devoured Ana and Damon! 🖤 ARC reader.

This is the second book in the Blood and Bourbon series! I will say you don’t need to read Mine to Protect in order to enjoy this story but it will give you more information about the mafia families and set the stage for this installment.

Damon is apart of the Amato mafia family and is currently dealing with the fall out of the Italian family disbanding. The Amato family has decided to give the crime family over to the Irish. With the Irish taking over Aiden has been instructed to get the families under one rule. With Aiden comes his sister Anastasia. Damon has been assigned to become Ana’s bodyguard without her knowledge..this is where it gets juicy!

Damon becomes the landlord to Ana’s shop that she just opened, but Damon wants to give her hell hoping that she will leave and take her brother with her. But of course these two have the strongest sexual tension ever!! These two define enemies to lovers! But will their relationship be able to mend the two families and make them whole??

🌶️ 2/5
⭐️ 5/5

🖤 mafia romance
🖤 Italian crime family vs Irish crime family
🖤 bodyguard vs mafia princess
🖤 forced proximity
🖤 enemies to lovers
🖤 spice

[val · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC review. 1.5, rounded up to a 2.

Getting through this book was… painful. It’s one of those I would have DNFd on the first chapter if it had not been an ARC.

Based on the summary, this “enemies to lovers” Mafia bodyguard story should have had forbidden romance, pining, or, I don’t know, something! The “enemies” part of this book is non-existent. There’s some over-convoluted mafia explanation that is both dull and does nothing to stop these two bozos from falling in love for no particularly good reason.

Anastasia is that girl whose personality trait is being “petite” and having an untrained emotional support dog. She is also extremely and infuriatingly naive. Damon is a grifter getting paid 100k to do absolute fuck all. He’s a terrible bodyguard, low key a gaslighter, and overall an annoying alpha male with nothing to show for.

In terms of the writing, it was okay. There were some crazy run on sentences, long and boring internal monologues, and unfortunate word choices for the spicy scenes (ex: slurping her essence). I did not think this book remotely managed to deliver on the premise it sold.

[SherrecePQ Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This my first book from Emily, and an ARC I received to review, and even though is a standalone within this series, for me, it may have been beneficial to read the first book. This would be my suggestion just to make sense of the families involved and the connections.

Damon, a member of the Amato Family, is tasked with protection duties of a rival criminal syndicate's "princess", Anastasia (Ana). Ana has defiantly been that, sheltered by her brother, Adrian, who leads this rival family. Ana wants more freedoms, and independence from the family where she can just be, but of course Adrian will only let that happen if she is, protected, hence Damon. Ana annoys Damon straight off with her pink, perky, spoilt brat ways, and a poor excuse of a dog, called Brinkley.

Ana is annoyed by Damon, who she is led to believe is her landlord, of the place she leases for her business. He is surly, makes fun of her and Brinkley, and what was with his goddam annoying music. Initially the coming together felt alittle disjointed and quick, but the book, for me, just got better as it went on. Damon has a tortured past, that he keeps hidden, especially allowing himself to be close with Ana, in every single way. Ana sees thru Damon, and when he sees that he could be losing her, he allows himself to feel, even if it hurts.

There is very painful key moment in this book, that meant I could not put it down, and it had my heart in my throat as to how Ana and Damon would survive what the actions of another sort to undo. I am very keen to read the next book in this series, and have enjoyed a very different mafia/dark romance I have been, previously, used too.

[Dharshini · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3 star read for me...
This is the second book in the  Blood and Bourbon Series.
I thought this was the Mafia Romance book. Yes, it delivers the politics of the Mafia. Damon and Anastasia are mafia-related persons. Ana is the princess, and Damon is the bodyguard. Ana wants to be a free bird and wants a loveable life, On the other side Damon is afraid of relationships. At the start of the book they fight with each other and I am annoyed by their behavior.
I enjoy writing about the politics behind the mafia people. The storyline reaches its high point but it takes a diversion when the smut takes its place. Most of the chapters have only smut, so I thought that would be unnecessary. I want to know how Ana deals with the trauma after she is abused...But that is not detaily explained.
This book is not suited for beginners who love to try the mafia romance because it focuses most on the smut side.
If you love kinky romance, rules, and toys, slightly BDSM, you can read and enjoy them.
Thank You Elantiya PR for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for the honest review.

[laura 🧸 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este es mi primer libro de Emily y quiero agradecerle a la autora por brindarme ARC a cambio de una reseña honesta.

Damon y Anastasia eran perfectos el uno con el otro, el enemigos a amantes fue muy bien hecho y luego las discusiones que tuvieron le dieron el toque perfecto.

El personaje de Damon es profundo, oscuro, protector, posesivo y fuerte, en contraste con la dulce personalidad de Ana. Lo cual, vuelvo a reiterar me encantó, ya que eso le da un balance a la historia.

A pesar de ser independiente, es mejor leer en orden para que uno no se pierda con las apariciones de otras familias y las conexiones que se tienen, ya que te puedes confundir un poco como me pasó a mi.

Este libro cumple totalmente lo que promete: un romance radicalmente divertido y súper apasionante entre dos personalidades completamente diferentes.

[Vicki (chaptersofvicki) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Blood and Bourbon series, it can be read as a standalone but having read the previous book myself it gives you a much better understanding having read the previous one first.

Damon has been given a task of protecting Anastasia who is the sister of a rival criminal syndicate. They don’t hit it off to begin with, Damon seems intent on annoying Ana in every way he can.

I wasn’t overly keen of both Damon or Ana to begin with but as we learn more about them both and see different sides to them I loved them. It’s hard to say too much as I don’t want to give anything away. Once things got going between the chemistry was so good. 😍

Some parts make for difficult reading and are very graphic so please check triggers before reading.

Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC copy.

[Brittni W · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you love “he falls first”, doting golden retriever MMCs, you will like this book. If you were looking for enemies to lovers, mafia romance, I think you will be disappointed.

Enemies to lovers is a huge stretch, its opposites attract, annoyances to lovers at best. Our FMC is an entitled, sheltered princess of the Irish mob and the MMC is a “protector” of the Italian mafia. But tbh, he’s not very good at his job. Even the mob/mafia don��t play much of a role until the last third of the book.

In terms of writing, I think it’s pretty well done outside of massive run on sentences early on and some cringey word choice for spicy scenes. Some of the pacing is funky too but didn’t bother me much.

[Yuri]

𝒜𝓃𝒶𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓈𝒾𝒶 𝒞𝓇𝑜𝓈𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒟𝒶𝓂𝑜𝓃 𝒟𝓊𝒫𝑜𝓃𝓉: 𝑀𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒯𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒 𝒷𝓎 @𝑒𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎𝓂𝓎𝑒𝓇𝓈𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇

𝔸𝕣𝕔 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 4/5

• (secret ) Bodyguard
• Mafia
• Spoiled Princess x Soldier
• Forced Proximity
• Banter
• pink + black
• Enemies to Lovers
• Kinks ;) : 4/5
• Angst: 3/5

He calls her little bird, they hate eachother to start with , she breaks his stereo, he plays metal music too loud to annoy her, they are forbidden but can’t resist, he’s lost and damaged but heals for her, she learns to love, laugh and trust because of him and in total Emily wrote one hell of a novel. The characters are compex and we see growth as the as story moves along, the plot is solid and has certain twists to keep you on yours toes, we also see get to see cameos of Ariana (from book 1) and gio whose book is next and I can’t wait for it.

[Soniya Hanbar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a captivating read! This was my first book by Emily, and it definitely won't be my last. While the beginning was a bit slow for me, the characters' development quickly drew me in. Their personalities were so rich and complex, and the banter between them? Chefs kiss. The chemistry between them crackled off the page, and their relationship grew in a way that felt both exciting and believable.

I especially loved Damon's character. His possessiveness,his caring nature,touch her you die vibe ,I absolutely adored him.By the end, I was completely invested in their story and couldn't put the book down.

Highly recommend! This is a perfect read for anyone who enjoys enemies to lovers romance with spicy scenes.

[Father Lib · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damon and Anastasia are such good enemies to lovers with the perfect forbidden twist of a secret bodyguard romance ! Damon is quit the broody guy who also happens to be mixed up with the Italian Mafia after they had his capo’s power stripped away by the Irish Mob . Anastasia is a pawn who ended up in Damon’s mess but realized once it was too late . The chemistry between thea step is OFF THE FREAKING CHARTS !!! They have some of the best bickering and banter I have read in a while .

This is my very first book by Emily and it was pretty good ! The heat is incredible and is turned all the way up with this book which is always a win in my book . There is also a good amount of angst mixed in which makes for the perfect balance . I was looking for more than just the surface level of feelings with these two .. I feel like there wasn’t enough insight of their deeper connection when it was so obvious it was there .

This is book 2 in the Blood and Bourbon series . It can be read as a complete stand alone but it’s recommended to read this series in complete order .

This book was given to me for honest review by Elentiya PR .

[catb.x0x0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author, and though I did not read the first book in the series prior to beginning this one, I think it can truly be enjoyed as a stand alone. I really liked the characters' personalities and how their relationship developed over the timeline of the book. As I prefer more of a slow burn, I think the author nailed that trope in this story. I almost forgot that this book is mafia themed until I got to the end. It was amazing! I absolutely loved how everything tied together in the conclusion of Damon and Anastasia’s story and can’t wait to read more from this Blood and Bourbon world by Emily A. Myers.

[Vanessa Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following the events of first book, there is currently a shift in the criminal underworld of New Orleans. Damon Dupont, the protector among the Amato crime family, is still struggling to come to terms with the current situation and now finds himself forced to protect the last person he ever expected - the princess of the Irish mob. Anastasia Cross has lived a sheltered life under strict bodyguard protection due to her pedigree. She hopes her low profile move to New Orleans will allow her to live a normal life with the freedom she's been craving. Unbeknownst to her, her brother has secretly hired Damon to keep an eye on her. Damon initially sets out to make her life a living hell in order to drive her out of town. However, his plans completely backfire and he ends up falling for the spitfire he is supposed to despise.

Damon is such a bad ass and I adored the contrast to Anastasia's sweet but spunky persona. His nickname for her (baby bird) was so freaking cute in contrast to his personality. These characters just clicked and I was invested from their first meeting. I haven't read many mafia romances but I did enjoy the story line - which obviously had some dark themes but a good introduction into the genre.

[Shama (thor.oughlyfantasy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐
The moment you get into the setting of this book, it's over. I finished it in one sitting.

Damon's character is this deep, dark, protective, possessive, strong contrasted to Ana's sweet personality.
There occassionally banters were so fun to read.

If you like
🩶 Protective MMC
🩶 Mafia romance
🩶 Forced proximity
🩶 He takes care of her (he literally washed her hair - which is one of my fav microtrope)
🩶 Touch her and die
🩶 Steamy books
You are bound to enjoy this book

This is my first book by Emily and I'm so grateful for the arc.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

MINE TO TEASE: It gave me vibes reminiscent of a "care bear mafia," which surprisingly isn't a bad thing. I found myself enjoying the characters, particularly Anastasia, who exudes a spitfire Barbie-like charm, and Damon, the brooding alpha bear. Their dynamic is engaging. However, I didn't quite perceive it as a traditional mafia-enemies-to-lovers narrative; rather, it felt more like a forced proximity scenario. MINE TO TEASE could serve as a gentle introduction to mafia romance, ideal for those new to the genre looking to dip their toes in.

[Caroline Arnoux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read mine to protect and it was amazing so I was super excited to read book 2 and what an fantastic book and adventure!!! 🫶🏼 I was really impressed by the way this book turned out and I loved Anastasia and Damon, they were just as amazing as Alister & Ariana. These 4 characters were just so good, intense, and beautiful in their own ways and flaws.

Emily's univers was really interesting, intriguing and we'll written!!! I'm so happy how this book ended and how my babies got their happy ending they needed. 🫶🏼🥺 Thank you so much for this book and this series. I love them all!!

[Melissa M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book and I couldn’t put it down! I love a good mafia romance and the whole bodyguard/charge, secret protector, forced proximity, touch her and die, friends to lovers, secret romance combo really did it for me in this one. Damon is HOT and Anastasia is FIREY and their chemistry is *chefs kiss*. From exploring new passions, to unlocking new emotions, dominance, trauma, and more war between these two and tensions war between the Irish mob and Italian mafia. Definitely read this one for a steamy, sultry, passion and banter filled mafia romance!

[Krishika ( Dramatic Booknerd ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was spicy, this was angsty and I had such a great time reading this. A mafia book through and through!

Damon and Anastasia were perfect with each other, for each other and everyone around them. They started as someonewhat enemies with him being her secret bodyguard. Their bickering was so fun and I loved it. The spice was spicying and I was here for it.

I loved the authors writing and I absolutely will read more from her.