Review: Surviving Mateo by Sam Mariano

November 17, 2017





Title: Surviving Mateo (Morelli Family, #2)
Author: Sam Mariano
Genre: Mafia romance
Series: Morelli Family Series (NOT a standalone)
Mateo Morelli.




The mere mention of his name is enough to strike fear into the hearts of grown men. The most ruthless crime lord in Chicago isn’t a man you dare cross. But when the second most feared crime lord shows up on my doorstep the night of my husband’s wake, he doesn’t give me much of a choice.

My late husband owed Antonio Castellanos a lot of money, but the magnanimous boss is gonna do me a solid—I get to pay my debt, and keep my daughter alive. All I have to do is one little favor.

That favor?

Seduce and kill Mateo Morelli.


**PLEASE NOTE: These are not standalones. Mateo’s story starts in Accidental Witness. If you don’t read that first, you won’t have the background you need on his character and you won’t follow his story very easily. ***



Surviving Mateo, Book 2 in the Morelli Family series by Sam Mariano, focuses on the characters of Mateo and Meg. Mateo is the head of a notorious crime family, and Meg is the widow of a man that owes money to one of Mateo’s rivals, Antonio Castellanos. Though Meg’s husband is deceased, Antonio still expects to be repaid but not in the form of money. He wants Meg to seduce and poison Mateo for him, and in exchange, her debt will be considered paid in full. Even if Meg wanted to refuse him, she couldn’t, because he threatened her daughter’s life.

Despite Antonio’s threat, once Meg meets Mateo, she is taken aback by how much she likes him and decides she can’t go through with it. Besides, Mateo Morelli is a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them. He realizes what Meg is up to right away and calls her out on it. She avoids telling him about Castellanos by making up a story about the whole situation, and instead of killing her, he winds up making her his employee and basically, his prisoner, too.

Sparks fly every time Meg and Mateo interact, so it’s not long before they are sharing a bed. Everything seems to be going amazingly well, but Meg lives in constant fear of being found out. In Mateo’s world, loyalty is everything, and secrets don’t stay buried forever. It’s just a matter of time before he discovers the truth about Meg. Will her deception land her six feet under?

Surviving Mateo is everything I hoped it would be and more! Sexy, witty, and well written, my attention never wavered. The dialogue is perfection, and I loved getting to see all the characters from the previous installment. That being said, my favorite thing about this book hands down has to be the two main characters. Meg and Mateo make a fantastic pair!

Mateo Morelli isn’t a good man. He is conniving, selfish, vicious, and arrogant throughout the entire first book, but there is no denying he was the main reason I was dying to read this one. Mateo infuriated and at times completely disgusted me, but I was drawn to him at the same time. The Mateo we see in this book is almost like a totally different man, but we still know how despicable he can be. I love seeing all his different and contradictory sides. He’s as ruthless as he is charming and as scary as he is sweet. Truth be told, I wish every book focused on Mateo, because he is such an interesting character that I could go reading about him forever. I never had trouble understanding why the heroine in either book felt such a magnetic pull towards him, because I felt it, too! That is good writing, folks!

Meg is Mateo’s perfect match. I would say the main reason for that is because she is a crazy bitch. lol Only someone half out of their mind would enter into a relationship with him, especially the way that she did it. The woman constantly put herself at risk, and the way she thought about things made me believe she should be put on medication. I loved her crazy ass though! She is hilarious, caring, and stupidly brave. I enjoyed reading every word that came out of her mouth. The way she never let herself feel threatened by Mia and befriended her instead made me love her even more. It wasn’t an act either. Meg is as genuine as they come.

I would recommend this series to anyone that loves mafia romance or romance in general. This isn’t a super dark and gritty read. It has its moments, but it’s also sweet and funny. I never wanted it to end, because I was enjoying myself too much. Now, I’m like a Mateo addict eagerly awaiting my next fix! Thankfully, I already have book 3 waiting for me on my kindle. Sam Mariano, give me the good stuff!
Mia Mitchell only wanted a little privacy to make a phone call—but she ended up witnessing a mob hit. Worse, she was spotted. Now entangled with a notorious crime family, will her life ever be hers again?


Find out and meet the Morelli family in:  Accidental Witness (Morelli Family, #1)
Sam Mariano loves to write edgy, twisty romantic reads with complicated characters you’re left thinking about long after you turn the last page. Her favorite thing about indie publishing is the ability to play by your own rules! If she isn’t reading one of the thousands of books on her to-read list, writing her next book, or playing with her adorable preschooler… actually, that’s about all she has time for these days.
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