The Reluctant Mafia King
The book follows 3 brothers, giving us a point of view from each brother throughout the chapters. One, heir to the Mafia empire, has plans to turn the business legit. One is struggling with their past, as well as a manipulative girlfriend, and the other is searching for their place in the world, whilst trying to be his own person in a family that demands all of his spare time.
I enjoyed the different point of views, as I always like to get insight into how different characters perceive situations. It's something I wish more books would do. Im unsure if I would label this as a romance, as there's no relationship that takes place, but that may be because the others are romance.
The book is incredibly fast paced, and I do feel as though it jumps a lot in the timeline. One example would be the brothers discussing culinary school. The next chapter the brother in question is taking his end of year culinary exams. I know this was a short story to set up the rest of the series, but I do feel as though this could have been fleshed out a bit more, or at least explained that there was a jump in time, as more than once I was left confused as to what had happened. I also would have liked to see much more drama. Apart from the last scene, the fights happen "off screen" so to speak, and we're only told about what happened, rather than being shown.
Other than that, I did enjoy the book. It moved along quick, it was a fast read, and the brothers were nice, if not a little immature. I would have liked more world building, more character development, and more time to build a relationship with these brothers.

The Reluctant Mafia King by Melony Ann is a novella that gives insight into the lives of Ryan, Jason, and Nick as college students as well as the events that led them to pursue the things they chose too. Ryan, Jason, and Nick had some idea of their eventual paths in life prior to the events of this book. Ryan knew he would eventually have to take over and lead the Crane Mafia, while Jason had accepted that the mafia lifestyle would always be part of his life. Nick, on the other hand, having been adopted by the Cranes as a young boy wasn’t too sure how his life would pan out, but he was ever grateful to call Ryan and Jason his brothers.

The Reluctant Mafia King is a great addition to the Crane Family Series giving the reader insight into events that shaped Ryan, Jason, Nick, and Alex along with many of their future decisions. You will fall in love with Ryan, Jason, and Nick all over again if you have read any of the other books and if this is your first time reading one of the books in the Crane Family Series, then you will be anxious for more! This series and characters will hold a place in your heart and I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a quick, action-packed, dramatic, and fun read.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review after receiving an advanced copy.*

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a different book than what I was expecting. It was fast paced, full of intrigue and kept me turning the pages craving for more. I definitely enjoyed the multiple POVs and the different voices. Ryan, Jason and Nick are strong characters and I truly loved their brotherhood and protectiveness towards one another. I love how different they were and see them so passionate about their plans, hopes and dreams. I love the tone is sets for the rest of the series and I will definitely be reading more if this author. I don’t know if I would consider this book a romance, but it is absolutely entertaining, the suspense was built up on point and the sneak peek at the end will make you want to pick the next book ASAP.

ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

This book is AMAZING. Through the book you get to see Ryan, Jason, and as well Nick and how it was like before Ryan took over the Crane mafia. You see how Jason wanted to finished college and have his oown business and life outside of the mafia. You get to see how Nick was like with women and Ryan trying to be protected towards his brother. You get to fall in love with if not 1 of them all three of this guys. You get to get a sneak peek of the Dream Series which is an amazing well written stories as well. Great book with drama and romance that will keep you on the edge of your sit waiting for more of the story. Not only that, but you get to see the life of the 3 guys in the books. such an amazing read. Read this book in 1 sitting.

I need more!

Book one of the Crane Family is a prequel novella where we learn a about the three brothers of the Crane family mafia  Ryan, Nick & Jason. There are a number of little things in this novella that I really hope we see come in later books in this series. This story definitely has me wanting more and is a great setup for future books. I will absolutely need to check out the next book in the series!

The Reluctant Mafia King is a prequel to The Crane Family Series.
It shows Ryan’s journey at becoming the king of his fathers Mafia while being a student and trying to live a normal life. We can see 3 points of view, Ryan’s, and his two brothers; Nicks and Jason’s.
It is a great introduction to the whole serie. I really enjoyed how the whole book shows how Mafia works and how hard it is to be responsible for so many things and also people.
There was a few spice scenes and I did like it. It was not bad, nor so great. But it is enjoyable.
It is a quick read so there’s no way you’ll not get bored with this one!
MY THOUGHTS:
Ryan is such a cutie in some way. I love HOW HE TREATS MIA. BUT UGHHH

A great introduction to the world of the Crane family. The chapters of this book are split between the points of view of the three brothers, each taking turns at getting a chapter of their own, this introduces you to each brother in a way that allows you to get to know them all as distinct individuals, each with different personalities and goals, which is so different to most other books I have read. The family dynamic in this book is amazing as is the storyline, I cannot wait to start on the next book.