Blackmailed Marriage

by Sam Crescent

Dante Gallo is pissed off.

When he gets married, he doesn’t intend to be blackmailed into it. However, Phillip Lewis has some damaging evidence. To keep his secrets, Dante must marry the man's plain youngest daughter, Aria.

Being married to Dante is a nightmare. One that Aria intends to get away from. Even though she is terrified of this man, who is considered to be the most brutal in the Pesci family mafia, she finds the courage to confront him.

Once learning the truth, Aria is horrified. She doesn’t want anyone to be forced to marry her. All she has to do is figure out a way to get the evidence to set Dante free.

When Dante overhears a conversation about how Aria feels about him, about sex, about being married, he doesn’t like it. He is going to give them something to talk about. He will hold onto his wife, he will be proud to be married to her.

But Aria has to set Dante free. She doesn’t want him to be forced into a marriage he didn’t want. The only problem, she has fallen in love with him. Letting him go is proving to be the hardest thing she has ever done.

What will Dante do when he is given the means to be set free? Will he leave or has he fallen in love with his plain bride?

Genres: Mafia Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Romance, Novella, Forced Proximity, Dark Romance, Contemporary Romance

107 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 19, 2024

About the author

Sam Crescent is passionate about fiction. She loves a good erotic romance and so it only made sense for her to spread her wings and start writing. She began writing in 2009 and finally got that first acceptance in 2011 by Total-E-Bound.
She loved creating new characters and delving into the worlds that she creates. When she’s not panicking about a story or arguing with a character, she can be found in her kitchen creating all kinds of havoc. Like her stories the creations in the kitchen can be just as dubious but sometimes things turn out great.

Reviews

[Samantha (bookgramsaga reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Safety warnings:
- H 35 / h 25
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Arranged marriage
- Bullying
- Parental neglect
- HEA

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

I enjoyed this but wished it was a full-length book. It seemed like the perfect setup for a full story about Dante and Aria.

The two were forced to marry each other after Dante was found in compromising positions and blackmailed. Aria's father took advantages of the knowledge he had and forced their marriage to happen despite the fact neither of them wanted it, especially Dante who called her plain like everyone else ever called her.

Aria has lived a sad life; her parents do not care for her and everyone always whispers about her looks and how unimportant she is.

Dante, (who I will not excuse for his actions when they first met and 8 months into their marriage) treated her like shit. You could say it was because he was being forced into something he never wanted and hated her for being related to the one who was blackmailing him. He placed her into a home far away and only visited her once a month to have sex and try to get her pregnant.

SO YEAH, he was not a good guy and I did not like him BUT he turns around slowly and finds himself falling madly in love with his wife and starts to treat her like an actual equal and WIFE. He treats her better and protects her from the world around them.

I needed more of them during the 8 months period even though they barely saw each other but I just think it would have helped if we had a longer story to really dive into things on a deeper level.

[Serial Romance Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s something about Crescent’s books that don’t feel quite polished. Weird subject-verb agreements, abrupt emotional 180’s, flat and emotionless reactions, paragon overly-accommodating and understanding h’s. Just too many cliches. Love the premise of cold hero withholding affection, but few aspects of this book did it for me.

[Tmstprc · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t low angst, low drama.

2 readable stars.

[Aou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have The Unwanted Wife vibes but not emotional or angsty as it.

[cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intentionally withholding forplay because you don’t want to put the effort for your enemy’s virgin sheltered daughter is as good as physical abuse. Everytime you are entering her body she feels pain….
So this whole premise of the initial plot was 👎🏻
All dark/ dubcon / enemy to lovers books work because there is atleast sexual gratification or else I am just stuck in a loop of abuse.
The plot had a lot of potential if this could have been fixed. Ofc once he gets his head out of his ass it’s better.

[Kellyythoralabatalla · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 45%

No entiendo porque últimamente Sam Crescent está escribiendo historia así de horribles.

El man es una porquería, la trata como el culo. Básicamente la violó en la noche de bobas aunque no lo narran pero él varias veces dice que al ser virgen sabía que iba a ser doloroso para ella y que decidió no importarle y que solo lo hacia para cumplir con su deber. Siempre tenían sexo solo para dejarla embarazada y que tenía que usar lubricante. Le hizo tener asco y miedo al sexo.

Dejaba que todo el mundo pasara por encima de ella para que la humillaran y mágicamente le empezó a gustar. Ah, y como se sintió ofendido porque ella le dijo a su hermana que no le gustaba el sexo con él, decidió "mostrarle" como es el buen sexo.

Tenía una pequeñísima esperanza que se pareciera a King of Wrath donde el padre de ella lo chantajea a él para que se casen y él se da cuenta que ella no sabe y se enamoran. Aunque ese MMC fue brusco, no fue un HIJUEPUTA como este de aquí.

Definitivamente que asco de libro.

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I seem to do this a lot get sucked in by a Sam’s blurb spend the money then finish up disappointed.
I’m glad it was on special and I didn’t pay full price because again I finished disappointed. I don’t think I’ll ever learn

[dee☁️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be angsty but it wasn’t😩

[kymagirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dante (h35), a high-ranking member of a Mafia family, is blackmailed by Aria's (h25) father into marrying her to keep evidence of Dante's criminal activity hidden. Feeling trapped and unloved in her unfulfilling marriage, Aria proposes a deal with Dante to find the evidence and in return he'll divorce her. After overhearing a conversation, Dante's harsh treatment of Aria begins to change, as his cold and indifferent attitude fades as he recognizes Aria's resilience and strength. As they get to know one another, Aria begins to fall for Dante, leading her to question what she wants for her future. Their connection deepens as they confront their pasts and the manipulations of Aria's father. But when the evidence is found, Dante too will have to decide what's important to him. Hot and steamy age gap, curvy girl, enemies to lovers, mafia romance, exploring unexpected love, transformation, resilience, family, and commitment.

[Flo₂₂]

DNF 15%
-they get married OFF PAGE
-everyone thinks she is ugly , he think she isn't ugly but just plain.
-their 8 months of marriage OFF PAGE, he is visiting her only in that time of the month to breed her, doggy style, as a duty. OFF PAGE
-Everyone treats her bad in the household OFF PAGE.

yEAH, this is not for me, i don't like this kind of story's.
i don't care how things will turn out.
the beginning is just a turn off for me, especially the OFF PAGE cf the most important things.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your usual romance story…

Dante and Aria are set up in an arranged marriage. Aria is trying to be a good daughter to please her father and new husband. Dante was blackmailed into the marriage and holds resentment towards Aria even though she is innocent.

When Aria finds out the truth, she wants to help free Dante from this marriage. Now seeing Aria in a new light not clouded by his anger, he just might not let her go after all.

This was a good, intense storyline. There’s some emotional content that makes this story really intriguing and you have to find out how it all comes together at the end!

I received a free copy of this book via Evernight and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Arranged Marriage

One thing that happens within the mafia and that is that there are many arranged marriages but, in this story, blackmail is what brought Dante and Aria together. Aria was always the mousy, ugly sister in her family so when she wed Dante who was in line as the next capo within his family, Dante wanted to make Aria pay for what he was going through.

All it took was Dante overhearing Aria on the phone for everything to change. Their relationship went from one of hatred to one that could possibly mean something to them both. Aria’s father would be paying for his hand in all of this. I loved the connection they eventually had and the way Dante opened his heart up and began treating Aria as she has never been treated before. I loved how they overcame hurdles in their lives to get their HEA.

[Roza · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐ The potential was there but the way they acted was off and they had such a insta love and everything happen so fast 😭 I feel like based on my rating it might seem like it was horrible but it wasn't honestly just not what I expected and not really for me! But if you into mafia and want short and quick read to up your reading goal, go for it~

[Soph · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★. I wish this was a little longer. I like how he realized she wasn’t like her father when she tried to help him. This wasn’t angsty, but it did remind me of the unwanted wife!

[Lizzie! · Rating 2 out of 5]

siento que perdí mi tiempo ngl jajajaja

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehh, it was ok for a novella. I was expecting a lot more angst and drama.

2.5 stars rounded up because I'm feeling nice

[Joanne Farley · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting twist on an arranged marriage. This one is arranged because of blackmail. I love Sam Crescent. They are shoty stories but they always pack a punch.

[Irum · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hated how he didn’t reassure her that she was beautiful all of sudden he wants to be nice to her without having to bear any consequences of what he did before

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notes for me

See Sam’s review.

Safety: opens with a party 8 months after marriage. Everyone is whispering about her. Woman walks up to Dante and puts her hands on him.

It’s sad because he truly doesn’t like her and wants a divorce after an heir is born.

Dante only has sex with Aria once a month for pregnancy.

She asks what her dad has on him. If she can find it she wants a divorce. D agrees thinking no way could she find it.

Liked Doormat more

[Ꭿຖᥲ·♡ ྀི · Rating 2 out of 5]

2✯

-dual POV
-virgin heroine
-experienced hero
-hero with others after meeting the h / faithful after marrying her
-no ow/om drama
-slow burn 😒
-no cheating or scenes with OP
-the hero was such an asshole to the heroine at the beginning I hated him, he treated her like shit for the first 8 months of their marriage, at some point he realized that she wasn't like her father and stopped seeing her as the enemy, he started spending more time with her and obviously ended up falling in love with her
-age gap (he's 10 years older than her)
-I didn't like that their marriage and their first time were off page, I also didn't like that he didn't grovel for the way he treated her at the beginning
-low steam
-epilogue: 10 years later -married with 5 kids and another on the way
+++++++++++++

He forced her to tell him her menstrual cycle, and he only appeared to do what was necessary to gain himself an heir. Once a month, he’d come back to his country home, have sex with her, and before the night was over, he’d leave. Aria hated it. She despised married life.

****************************

He knew he had terrified her. A good man, a gentleman, might have considered the pain he caused her, and taken his sweet time. Dante had wanted their wedding night over, and he’d fucked her hard, tearing through her virginity like it meant nothing. “If there’s nothing you have to say, then fuck off and get ready. It’s that time of the month.” He saw her chest rising and falling and he knew he scared her. Her face had gone pale.

****************************

Until Aria arrived at his office the other night, he had absolutely no interest in her. She was nothing more than a problem to him, one he needed to deal with.

****************************

Dante knew he had gone out of his way to make Aria’s first experience miserable. Her virginity had gotten in the way. It was going to be painful that first time. Since then, he’d not once tried to do anything to please her. Other than coming to perform his duty, he didn’t do anything. His instructions were always the same. To be bent over the bed, no underwear, and nothing to get in his way.

****************************

“Have you noticed, Aria, being married to me, there is a lot about life you don’t enjoy?” he asked. She had no idea what to say. “Have you ever considered that I made it that way on purpose?” Dante asked. “What do you mean?” “Sex can be amazing. I imagine even a woman’s first time, though painful, can also be one of the best nights of her life. I didn’t prepare you. I hated you and everything you stood for. I blamed you when the truth was, I should have blamed your father and the circumstances. Like me, you didn’t have any say in this. I made your life miserable. I can change all of that.”

****************************

“Aria, we’ve been married eight months and have attended many different gatherings.” “Yeah, but tonight you’ve told me not to leave your side. On other occasions, you’ve advised I stay out of your way.” He’d been horrible to her. Dante had made it clear from the very beginning that he didn’t want to be married to her. She had followed his directions completely, giving him the space he required, but now he wanted to be close.

****************************

For the first time since they had been together, he made his wife laugh. At first, Dante could only look. Her laughter lit up her whole face, and she was positively beautiful. He had never considered Aria to be beautiful. Not a classic beauty, but he was starting to see there was more to beauty than mere looks. He’d been with many different beautiful women, but all had a cruel and jealous streak about them. Aria wasn’t malicious.

****************************

Dante glanced down at his hands. On his wedding finger was the band Aria had slipped over his finger. When she did it on their wedding day, he’d felt such contempt toward her. True hatred. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before in his life. Only now, staring at the ring, he knew he would never let Aria go. She was the love of his life.

****************************

“No, I don’t want a divorce. In fact, it’s the very last thing I want. You see, in the beginning, I hated you. It was easier to hate you because you were Phillip’s daughter. Only, you’re not like Phillip, and I don’t know what you did, Aria, but you’ve done something to me, you see, I’ve never felt like this, and I know I’m never going to feel this way about anyone ever again.” Aria was confused and then Dante reached across the table and took hold of her hand. “I am in love with you.” Her mouth dropped open. “Don’t ask me how it happened. It just did, and now that I am in love with you, there is no one else I want more than you. You’re the woman I love, Aria. I don’t give a shit what your dad did before. It doesn’t change the way I feel about you. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to grow old with you. I don’t expect you to love me—” Aria pushed her chair back, and then went to him, cupping his face. “I do love you.”

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how Dante made a concerted effort to change after hearing some unflattering words by Aria in a private conversation. He realized that she was more than just one who had been foisted on him in unfavourable circumstances and that he had to make a decision that would put them first.

[Vfc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dante Gallo had played right into Phillip’s hands, the price for Phillip’s silence was being forced to marry plain Aria Gallo.

At thirty-five, Dante wasn’t the only son, just the oldest one. In their circles, he was high in the ranking, and seeing as his father was a capo, any union would have to be lucrative. Aria’s father, Phillip Lewis wasn’t a capo, he didn’t even have his father’s name because he was the bastard son of The Boss, but he also didn’t bear the Pesci name either.
“My daughter, although not much in the looks department, is in fact a virgin. I have the documentation from the doctor. She will make a wonderful wife.”
Dante had seen Aria Lewis quite often over the past five years. She was plain, and he knew many of the men often looked at her and considered her unattractive. Brown hair, brown eyes, and for some, a little too much on the chubby side.

A Year Later
The whispers had started early tonight. From the moment Aria walked into the home of the capo, she sensed the whispers, hiding behind their hands. The laughter also followed her, which is why it was so much easier to stand in one place.
“Why do you think he married her?”
“Well, I thought she trapped him with a fake pregnancy, but I wonder if she got an abortion.”
“There is absolutely no way she is right for Dante Gallo. The whole marriage is a farce.”
“I bet he is cheating on her.”
“He must have to put a bag over her head to fuck her. No wonder she’s not pregnant.”
The brutal remarks went on and on. Aria didn’t even know if they intended for her to hear them or not. Things were even worse when her family came to these parties. They rarely made time for her. It was like they didn’t want anything to do with her.

They’d been married for eight months now. After the sudden announcement of their marriage, which she had to find out about in the paper, it was the fastest arrangement within their circles. No wonder the rumors were rife.
Her father told her she’d get married like a princess, he told her she’d never look like one. Being told on her wedding day about all the other special brides and how she didn’t add up, hadn’t exactly been great for her morale. To add to that, her husband could barely look at her, let alone talk to her.
The wedding night … after they’d been married and consummated, she’d then been dumped in his country estate and left.

He forced her to tell him her menstrual cycle, and only appeared what was necessary to gain himself an heir. Once a month, he’d come back to his country home, have sex with her, and before the night was over, he’d leave.
Aria hated married life.
In the early days, his staff had hated her, and it made living at his country home one of the hardest experiences of her life. At first, the staff completely ignored her. On top of that, it was like she was never there, which again was fine, but they also refused to cook any food for her. She had no choice but to sneak into the kitchen to make herself something. For a couple of weeks she would wait all day to get any food. Then, after awhile, she didn’t exactly know why, but suddenly they changed toward her. Food was presented to her, as was kindness, and life at the country home didn’t feel so horrible.

It wasn’t news to her that she was plain and boring. All her life, her brothers had told her this, as had her mother and father. She’d been put on numerous diets, and there had even been an interesting trip to a potential plastic surgeon.
The only person who had never treated her coldly or seemed to care about her looks, was her older sister, Isabella, who was married with two children of her own. Aria knew this was another problem for her father. After eight months, she still hadn’t gotten pregnant. It would seem in their world, a woman’s only task was to look stunning on her husband’s arm, and procreate, both of which she’d failed.

There were a lot of rumours surrounding her husband and his reputation for being the cruelest man within the Pesci family. A man like Dante Gallo was not supposed to marry a woman like her.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great

So Dante was blackmailed into marry Aria by her father . he hated her from the get go because of this . Aria whole family but her sister hated her and he hated them . Aria was just scared and don't know what to think.
So for he took her hard and don't care on their wedding night then dumped her at his country home and only came once a month to do his "duty" where she was scared and would be waiting for him like he told her too looking away .bla bla ..
Aria told him she would get the information that her dad was blackmailing him with and then they could get a divorce and in the meantime if she got pregnant they could share custody . Dante agreed even though he would never let her see any children once they were divorced .
Meanwhile she got the information that was used and gave it to him to set him free. She thought he wanted to marry someone else .
However they fell in love and he didnt want a divorce and they got their HEA. I don't want to give plot away cause I did enjoy the book.
I gave it a 3 star because , in the mafia the women are raised to become pawns in the fathers lives , so even knowing this Dante was cruel to her on purpose for no reason, he knows what was expected of her in her life . where was he when he wasn't living with Jer , or paying any attention to her , was there cheating ? He over heard a phone call with Arse and her sister and Aria said she hated s*x that it was bad , and for some reason he cared and that changed his outlook on her ????
The book , although kept my attention seemed rushed and the whole once a month thing facing away from each other was just done in a book not to long ago in a recent release.
So while good , it had the potential to be fantastic and fell short

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hang on and you might want to make sure to double check that you are buckled up, dangerous men, alpha’s personified, possessive, oh, gorgeous, brooding all the makings of a story consisting with three D’s (dark, delicious, and dirty) 😊. There will be suspense, betrayal, death, darkness, secrets reveled, violence, hope, forgiveness, and maybe even love along the way! Aria is so sweet makes you want to give her a huge hug, she has been mistreated by her family all her life for being the plain, a little curvy, a little to shy, and she has always know her father wasn’t a good man but when he made her marry one of the most dangerous man producing a heir with him keeping the baby before she is free. Dante sexy as all get out hard exterior, hard interior for the most part next in line to take over after his father blackmailed to marry the daughter of the man blackmailing him, he hates her just as much as he hates her father, but he will do his duty, and along the way make her pay for the sins of her father. Their marriage starts off horrible but he doesn’t abuse her, pretty much leaves her alone which she is happy for until he comes up with an idea to pretend to enjoy their marriage giving the naysayers stuff to talk about making her father even angrier but the goal all along was to find the evidence he was blackmailing him with to give him his freedom but after getting to know his wife he doesn’t want to walk away, will she stay married to him after they have the evidence, will he be honest with her about his feelings, and can they find some form of happiness after a horrible start?

[Curvy Girl Book Nerd (Jen S) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blackmailed Marriage is a short and steamy, enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract, age-gap, arranged marriage, forced-proximity, curvy BBW virgin gets her mafia man romance. Aria is a 25 year old smart and sweet, plain Jane, curvy daughter of an evil mafia man, Philip. Her family has pretty much treated her horribly her entire life, stating she's too fat and too plain. Dante is a 35 year old hunky, grumpy, mafia man set to be the next Capo. When Phillip approaches Dante's father, he has evidence to blackmail them and demands that Dante marry Aria. He reluctantly agrees but plans to make Aria's life hell. He will try for an heir but nothing more. Aria doesn't want to be married either and offers to try and get the blackmail proof so she can be then set free. Dante agrees. But when he overhears a conversation between her and her sister, something changes. He is intrigued by Aria and wants to get to know her better. I was not sure about this book at first. My heart just broke for Aria and her loveless marriage and even how cruel her own family was to her. Dante was so distant and cruel at first. But seeing them embrace their relationship and watching them accept each other and fall in love was everything. When Dante started to romance her and spend time with her, it was beautiful. They had great chemistry, and we got such a happy ending after the drama was resolved. I loved it so much!.

I received a free copy of this book via Evernight and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[laura.lovesreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dante was blackmailed into marrying Aria. He hates her father and projects this hatred on Aria and does everything he can to make her life miserable. She came as a virgin in the marriage and you get to know through flashbacks that he didn’t give her a nice experience for her first time and for six months after, all he does is doing his duty in trying to become her pregnant, he transmits his anger and hatred for her father to her and treats her cruelly.
But his thoughts and prejudices slowly change and he isn’t so sure anymore if he really wants a way out of this marriage.
He needed redemption for sure, but they grow as pair and I liked how Aria got portrayed. She is selfless and honest, but not in a cliché way. She was treated cruel by her family all her life for being to curvy and plain, but she didn’t harden her heart, she is open, warm and soft.
The book isn’t very steamy, you get your open door scenes, but it wasn’t the focus.
The story is written in dual third person POV.

The main focus lays on them as a married pair and not on him being part mafia or his role in it.

The tropes are blackmailed, arranged marriage, slow burn, redemption arc, pregnancy, virgin heroine.

I received a free copy of this book via Evernight and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dante Gallo made one mistake and now he is being blackmailed to marry Phillip Lewis’ daughter. Being saddled with Aria, who is plain, isn’t a marriage made of love. Since he despises the Lewis, he will make sure Aria is miserable. Aria did what she is told but she isn’t about to be stuck in a loveless marriage. She will find what it is that her father is blackmailing Dante with and set him free. What started out as a business deal changes. It takes a while for Dante to really notice Aria. She isn’t as plain as every one thinks. She has a strength and beauty that stirs his interest. She ends up changing Dante for the better. Yes, he is still a killer but he shows Aria that there is pleasure in sex as well as their marriage. I have to say that I was glad that it was Dante who decided to change things. It shows he does have a heart. Aria was afraid but learned a great deal about the man Dante truly was.

[Lisa Bing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful mafia romance that started off in a dark place. Aria's father blackmailed Dante into marrying her. She was treated cruelly by her family and Dante continues with this as he projects his anger at her father onto her... I love how Aria was a warm and giving gal, despite the hardships in her life. I respected her plan to help Dante so that they could divorce and she could finally be free. He has no faith in her skills at finding the blackmail proof but he soon enough realizes that she's a legit beautiful person. And that he doesn't want a divorce ;) What follows is a great slow burn romance that builds and strengthens their marriage into something special and lasting. I love how the author always has my back, taking something dark and making it into something beautiful :D

[EM · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title suggests, mafia man Dante was blackmailed into marrying Aria by her father, Dante is not happy about it and makes Aria miserable as payback. However 8 months into the marriage his attitude changes and he begins to realises Aria is just as much a victim, if not more than himself and begins to see her for the sweet and innocent woman that she is, who has been treated badly not just by himself, but her parents too. Despite the way Aria has been treated her whole life, she still has a strength of character, resilience and determination to do the right thing for herself and others.

There are secrets, an arranged / blackmailed marriage, enemies to lovers, age-gap, steam, it was an enjoyable, quick mafia read.

I received a free copy of this book via Evernight and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dante Gallo is being blackmailed into marrying Phillip Lewis' youngest daughter. He is mad at his new bride, thinking she is the same as her father. He installs her at his country house and only shows up once a month to do his duty to get an heir. Eight months later when she finds out her father did to get him to marry her, she vows to get all the evidence, to set him free.

Aria cannot believe what her father did, she is horrified the lengths he went thru, no wonder he husband hates her. Things change between the two them after he overhears her talking to her sister, he does not like what he is hearing. He should have done better with his new bride, it is time to make a change.

I received a free copy of this book via Evernight and am voluntarily leaving a review.