HOLY HEARTBREAKER! WHAT AN EXPERIENCE IT WAS READING THIS BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN EMOTIONALLY CHARGED 5-STAR DARK ROMANCE! What can I say about Exploitation With The Diavolo by new to me author Aleisha Maree? A WHOLE HELLUVA OF A LOT THAT'S WHAT! HOLY HEARTBREAKER!!!! What an experience it was reading this this BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN emotionally charged 5-STAR dark romance! Domenico Rossi, mafia boss and all around swoonylicious smooth as silk talker and resident hero and Aviva D'Angelo, aka Angel of Darkness/Angel of Death and daughter to a rival mafia Don. Separately, they are fiercely loyal, deadly and lethal. Put them together and what do you get? A couple that is by far the most dangerous and bada** couple I've EVER had the honor to read about. Domenico's love for Aviva, his "il mio amore" (my love) is most certainly something to be celebrated. He loves, cherishes and covets his Il mio amore. He never faltered. Not even once. It was written in the stars. It was meant to be. It was fate and destiny. It was love. If only he could break through the steel and concrete walls Aviva built around her over-battered heart. Convince her that she was worth it. That she was worth loving. That she was worth the title of Queen. That she was worth everything. He needed to prove to her that they are so much more powerful together than they ever were apart. Domenico is taking over for his father, a cold hearted deplorable man with terrible skeletons in his demented closet, as mafia Don and he wants Aviva by his side in every way as his queen, his equal, involved in every aspect of his life. Together, there was nothing they couldn't do. Aviva is no wallflower. She doesn't mince words. She says what's on her mind, to anyone, and always means what she says. Especially to those who cross her. She delivered so many awesome one liners as well as threats that could skin a cat. They always flowed so nicely off her tongue. I was envious of that. I belted out loud laughing at more than a few of them. They were classic. As I said, she is one tough bada** chic that no one should mess with. Someone you wish you can be like. She is also quick with her weapon of choice and the enemy never sees it coming. She's cunning, courageous yet soft and vulnerable. She thinks she's weak. I say she is strongest when she is feeling her weakest, her most vulnerable and she doesn't even know it. If only she could see her own strength and self worth. That strength and bravery alone got her through a life of debauchery, betrayal and abuse. Domenico is a force. A force to be reckoned with. His strength can move mountains. He never ever shies away from anything. He's a mafia Dom through and through. He has a no nonsense approach to all aspects of his life including being mafia dom. His rules are simple. Follow them or pay serious consequences. Those consequences can come at a hefty price. There is a code. A code of loyalty, honor and respect for the familia. That code also applies to Aviva, his woman, the woman he is determined to make his queen. Disrespect her in any way and he will end you. Plain and simple. There are no second chances. It's do or die in his world and he enjoys watching the blood spill from those who betray the familia as well as his intended queen. For such a powerful man, he's absolute putty in Aviva's hands. He's fiercely protective of her and has made a promise to her. Those who hurt and abused her will pay, will hurt, will suffer, and when the time is right, will be removed from the face of the earth. Publicly they would rule the mafia with a powerful iron fist. Demanding respect, loyalty, trust, honor and devotion to the family empire, and especially to his queen Aviva. Privately, they could bask in the glory of it all unabashedly. Live the life they were born to live... together. Proudly stand by each other and love hard, love passionately and love unconditionally. This should be simple right. Wrong!!! Not if you're Aviva. Not when you believe you're filthy, disgusting and unlovable because your sorry excuse of a father said she was. Not when you feel guilt for every bad thing that happens, including the death of her brother Roman. Not when those who are suppose to love you the most and fail you at every turn by delivering unimaginable cruelty right to your doorstep. Not when he's spewing vile hate at every turn. Not when you feel your life is not worth living. The vengeance that took place in this book by both the hero and heroine left my mind completely stunned, my broken and healing heart racing into overdrive and my avenging soul begging for more. Gah! I lost count of the number of times I dreamed about and wished upon a star that Domenico was in my life avenging me. Honoring me. Loving me. I can't say I felt the same for the villains in this story. Nope. No can do! The shear number of villains, and who these villains were and what they did left my jaw aching from clenching my teeth in anger at the horror. My eyes were left burning and tearing up at how those horrors came to be. And my overbeating palpitating heart must have broken a million times over at all the darkness, depravity and evil that rained down upon and almost drowned an innocent young girl all the way into adulthood in her own blood and in the blood of others. A now hardened yet vulnerable woman who wanted nothing more than to be loved, accepted and heard. It was indescribable, all the emotions this book evoked in me as I read it. Well, fear not. Let the showdown begin! Karma is alive and kicking a**. As the saying goes, karma is a real bitch and if you're not careful it will do more than just bite you in the a**. It'll be an apocalypse of a vengeful kind. The kind of vengeance best served cold, Aviva and Domenico style. Their brand of justice will have you hanging on the edge of reason. I would be remiss if I forgot or didn't tell you that not only is this couple badass, their sexytime is badass as well. Off the charts sizzling B.A.D. A.*.*. H.O.T.!!! Roman's visits, and the scene in the bathroom (sorry no spoilers) were in my opinion breathtaking, brilliantly written, moving, and led this reader into two of her biggest full on ugly cries on record. So bad were these ugly cries that I had to put down my e-reader and take a walk to calm myself, find my breath and stop the tears from flowing. I almost felt like I could drown in my own tears. That "bathroom scene" as well as other events in this story resonated with me on a very personal level, whether directly or indirectly. It hit very close to home. So much so that I could literally feel the pain Aviva as well as Domenico were going through in those scenes. Knowing there was a light at the end of a very long and dark and chaotic tunnel, I refused to let that pain break my spirit. I literally felt that I had to fight for Aviva. Fight her demons. Fight for her ability to see that she's worth loving and worth fighting for. Fight for Domenico as he fought his own heartbreaking and personal demons at the same time he fought to show Aviva what loving someone was really all about. And when I thought I could, that I was ready once more, it was then that I picked up my e-reader and rejoined Aviva and Domenico on their harrowing and soul crushing journey and did not stop (in fact, I pulled an all nighter) until I read the last two final words written in this story....The End. I cried so hard while reading this book because of the pain filled life suffered by Aviva. And then I cried after the shock wore off during a masquerade party. I cried for the man who lost his mother so brutally and was forced to relive it all over again. And by the end of this story, after a very climatic ending, I was crying tears of joy. I rejoiced when the demons were all taken down. Exploitation with the Diavolo is not an easy read. It's violent, gritty and raw for sure. But if you allow yourself to see past that and see it through to the end, you'll be glad you did. The depths of love in this book most certainly overrides the hate, the hurt and the pain and ends with healing and happiness. Just like an emotionally driven romance should. I'll end my review by saying Exploitation with the Diavolo pulverized my heart and stomped all over my ability to keep my emotions in check. It tested me as well as my hard limits. This story hit very close to home for different reasons and is one romance I will not soon forget. It impacted me in such a way I just can't explain. This story is about so much more than the abuse that happened to Aviva. It's about loving someone so hard that there are no limits on what you would do for the one you love. To right the wrongs and open yourself up to the idea of love, even when you feel bone deep that you are unworthy and unlovable. Once you jump over that painful hurdle, you find acceptance, healing, freedom to feel again and peace. But above all else, you find love. The kind of love you only ever dare to dream about. Somehow that love turns into renewed purpose, new life and a future born from love. All of that is written in the pages of this 5-STAR, incredibly heartfelt and emotionally driven book that shook me to my very core. Sometimes a romance is worth all the ugly cries you can muster. Exploitation With The Diavolo by author Aleisha Maree is one of those books. I highly recommend that you grab this book, arm yourself with a large box of tissues and get ready for one helluva of an amazing romance. ❤️❤️❤️