Beautiful Beast: An Age Gap Forced Proximity Mafia Romance (Mafia Legacy - Perfectly Imperfect Book 1)

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars | 15,149 ratings

Price: 3.99

Last update: 02-01-2025


About this item

Rafael

Nobody touches what's mine without deadly consequences,
But when the most beautiful woman is brought to face my fury,
My dead heart suddenly begins to beat again.

There are no fairy tales in this life.
Beauty will never fall for the beast.
But this monster doesn't intend to let her go.

Everybody has a price.
It's just a question of currency.
My sweet little hacker can't be swayed by money,
But she will do whatever it takes to save her family.


Vasilisa

Kidnapped, trapped and forced into penance,
Stay and work for him,
Or my loved ones will face his wrath.

His name alone evokes dread and terror.
But my tremors have nothing to do with fear.
His scars make people turn away in horror.
But my eyes don't want to look anywhere else.

My captor,
My savior,
My beautiful beast.

*Beautiful Beast is the first book in the Perfectly Imperfect spinoff series - Mafia Legacy, but it can be read as a complete standalone. This is a full-length novel with no cheating and a guaranteed HEA.

Top reviews from the United States

  • A. N. Ross
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ahh the laughs!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2025
    For such a serious bunch of mobsters I sure laughed myself silly throughout this book. The dialogue was impeccable! Neva Altaj delivered that unique humor and just the right amount of angst. She has the uncanny ability of having the timing of situations in her stories perfected. The audio through Audible is also a magical pairing! Allyson Voller and Gregory Salinas delivered a home run once again. While both have very distinctive voices, they have equally mastered the versatility of narrating male and female voices respectively. Allyson delivers the perfect Amount of dramatic effect with a side dish of sass! Gregory has one of those rhythmic voices that fits these characters so nicely. I do wish his character voice was accented the way he often accents others. If I had to pick one flaw, that would be it. Otherwise completely amazing!
  • Aisha Mohamed
    5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING - love love love it!!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2024
    5 STARS!!! ⭐️

    Tropes:
    - He falls first
    - Forced proximity
    - Age gap (16 years)
    - Beauty and the Beast
    - Scarred hero
    - Mafia-captive romance
    - Possessive "touch her and you die" MMC
    - Destined-to-be-together storyline

    “You are so beautiful, that every time I’m with you, I have the urge to pinch myself to prove you’re real.” He pulls my face closer to his. “And you’re pretty on the outside, too.”

    ”My lily of the valley is my personal brand of poison, and there’s no antidote for it. Not for me. She’s coursing through my veins, and nothing on this earth will ever purge her.”

    Can we all agree this man needs an award? Everything he’s been saying is absolute chef’s kiss—I’m dying over here! Seriously, Rafael de Santi has me completely floored with every word.

    Guys you NEED NEED NEED to read this book and everything this author has written because you will not regret it! Especially for the girlies who love everything mafia and bratva! Neva Altaj has easily become one of my all-time favourite authors and I literally love everything she writes!!

    This is the second-gen series following the Perfectly Imperfect series. It starts with Vasilisa, the daughter of Roman and Nina from Imperfectly Perfect (Book 1), and her captor, Rafael. While you don't need to read the previous series to enjoy this one, I highly recommend it for a deeper context and background on the characters.

    This book was exactly what I wanted and more—I finished it in just 24 hours! The twist of Vasilisa being kidnapped for hacking for fun, rather than her family connections, was a surprise I didn’t see coming. ???? I absolutely adore Vasilisa—she’s one of my favorite FMC ever. Vasilisa’s IT skills stood out; her feisty and smart personality made her the perfect match for Rafael. She’s definitely her mother’s daughter, and I loved that. If you’re into heroes who are obsessively protective and have a soft spot just for the FMC, Rafael de Santi is your guy. He’s a scarred Sicilian with a seriously intense vibe. Their love was pure, beautiful, intense, and passionate, making me feel all the feels. And can we talk about the bickering between Rafe and Roman at the end? It was hilarious and added a whole new layer of humor

    This is easily one of the best Beauty and the Beast retellings I’ve come across. The journey of fated love, from the prologue to the moment they realize they’re meant to save each other, was both emotional and heartwarming. I also love how the author keeps the previous series’ focus on imperfections and disabilities, making this mafia romance really stand out.

    And did I just catch a hint about the next couple? A Mafia x bodyguard romance? I’m already hooked— I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
  • Jenna D
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2025
    Wonderful premise and love story! I wish they had discussed their issues and feelings more than it just instantly turning spicy to ignore the feelings. It felt like more spice than actual conflict resolution. I love this series and this family and I can’t wait to see where it goes!
  • W. Guzman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Heart Gripping Read
    Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2024
    This story with Rafael and Vasilisa was definitely a heart gripping and racing read. The moment we meet Rafael as a teenager with such a tender heart beyond the work he has been tasked to carry out, one knows this story will be a tear jerker. Altaj's characters are always so incredibly and engagingly written that it is difficult to put her books down.
    These two came together in such a beautiful way, complementing each others insecurities to create one of the most riveting stories in the series for me. Definitely a must read, especially for anyone who has been following the series, as all the characters from latter books are sprinkled throughout as though visiting with old friends. Vasilisa is Roman Petrov's daughter after all, and his love story was a heart gripper. It would only make sense that his daughter's story would be just as memorable. Thank you Neva for another incredible story. Blessings????
  • Layla
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant story
    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2025
    Captivating story. Main characters are with long and not a very simple background.
    Storyline captures your attention and doesn’t leave you until the very end.
    I like that the author and his heroes have a sense of humor which makes you laugh one moment and worry about what happens the next one.
    Thank you
  • Gee Gee
    5.0 out of 5 stars absolutely a must read
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2025
    I could not put this book down. Great story telling. Nicely paced. Action, comedy and romance all perfectly balanced. I would definitely recommend
  • Christen Glenn
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2024
    Love all of Nevas books. Anytime a new one comes out, I already know it's going to be good, and this one was no different! Has all the best tropes, enough mixture of plot, and spice, and the humor is the best! Loved that they're all unperfect/ perfect characters. You feel connected to them, and you can never go wrong with a "you touch her and you die" vibe.
  • KellyB0213
    4.0 out of 5 stars Loved This New To Me
    Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2024
    This was my first read by this author. It was recommended in a reader group and I’m so glad I gave it a shot. I really enjoy mafia romance but it’s really hard to find ones I like so I don’t read them often. This was steamy with a really great storyline of the connection between the hero and heroine. You get the rough aggressive vibe that is great about a good mafia read but there was still a lot of heart, warmth, and vulnerability. The added bonus was the strong heroine who is fierce. I can’t wait to start my next book from this author.

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