Leí el preview de este libro en la antología Anti-Valentine, en la cual se incluían como siete u ocho capítulos nada más. Y esos pocos capítulos fueron suficientes para saber que esta historia era para mí y para que me quedase con unas ganas locas de que saliese, al fin, el libro completo.

I did what I had been dying to do since he walked into our first-period class, and kissed him. What I would give to be able to do this all the time and not have to hide. To show the world that he was mine. If it weren’t for his father, and my family, I wouldn’t let anything stop us from showing the world exactly who we lo—fuck.

Normalmente, en romance no soy muy fan de los libros con varias líneas temporales, no me preguntéis muy bien por qué. Creo que es porque estar saltando para atrás y para adelante me suele sacar de la trama. En cambio, en esta ocasión, los cambios no son constantes y se dan únicamente en ciertos puntos de la historia para mantener ciertas partes en incógnito y revelarlas más adelante. Esto hace que te puedas meter de lleno en la historia de Sal y Theo tanto en la línea del presente como en la del pasado, en la cual descubrimos cómo se conocen y por qué acaban separados.

I felt so full and loved in this moment. We hadn’t said those words—hell, we never defined our relationship, but there were some things in life you dove into headfirst and just lived them.

Para ser una historia de mafias, el romance es bastante tierno. Tiene sus cositas, porque al final las traiciones y las venganzas tienen un peso muy importante en la historia, pero por lo general Sal y Theo son tiernos y dulces juntos. Se conocen en el instituto y, aunque deberían ser enemigos debido a que el padre de Theo fue el encargado de meter al padre de Sal en prisión (donde posteriormente fue asesinado), no tardan en caer en una dinámica atípica.

Sal siente una atracción irresistible hacia Theo, hay algo en él que le llama y le irrita, y no puede mantenerse alejado por mucho tiempo. Theo es más escéptico con aceptar la compañía de los Zannetti, su único propósito es sobrevivir hasta la graduación y entonces marcharse a otra ciudad sin mirar atrás.

We were both panting, our chests rising and falling, perspiration coating my skin—the beating of our hearts in a syncopated frenzy. Salvadore Zinnetti looked down at me and gave me a rare smile. What beautiful chaos we made.

Su relación cambia de forma natural, y me encantó cómo surge todo entre ellos y cómo van aceptando lo que se les viene, aunque sin decir claramente que se están enamorando. Son dos chicos que viven un amor imposible, y aunque ninguno está dispuesto de hablar de amor, tampoco se engañan a sí mismos.

Pero las cosas se van al traste, y la vida los lleva por caminos distintos. Así pues, la línea presente se centra en esa segunda oportunidad, en el reencuentro, en ahondar en lo que ha sido de sus vidas y cómo les afectará volver a vivir en la misma ciudad y tener la posibilidad de estar juntos de nuevo.

Las conspiraciones están a la orden del día en este libro, y es que como os digo hay mucha traición y muchos juegos de poder que giran alrededor de las tramas mafiosas.

Nothing worth having comes easy—but there were some things we were never meant to have, and Salvadore Zinnetti wasn’t meant to be mine.

En general, este primer libro de los Zannetti me ha encantado por intenso, emotivo y muy hot. Me ha gustado no solo la relación de nuestros protagonistas, sino también esa camaradería que se da entre Lea, Theo, Caro, Sal y Armando.

Como parte que no me ha gustado, creo que la resolución del conflicto ha sido un poco anticlimática por estar fuera de página. Esto le da un aspecto precipitado, y aunque no está mal resuelto, teniendo en cuenta cómo la tensión va en aumento según el libro avanza, me esperaba algo un poco más vistoso.

Letting go of someone was almost like a breakup, but instead of mourning the relationship coming to an end, you mourned the idea of it never coming to fruition.

Igualmente, el final está bastante bien, deja buen sabor de boca y, por supuesto, yo me quedé con ganas de leer la historia de Armando y Lea. Lo cual es raro, porque cuando leo libros M/M me suele sacar un poco de la historia que luego venga un libro M/F. En este caso, en cambio, según iba leyendo la historia de Sal y Theo e iba viendo a Armando y Lea interactuar, mis ganas de conocer su historia crecían exponencialmente.

Desconozco cuántos libros tendrá esta saga, aunque por desgracia algo me dice que este será el único libro M/M (la esperanza no se pierde, pero todo parece indicar que no sucederá). El tiempo dirá, supongo.

I read the preview of this book in the Anti-Valentine anthology, which included only about seven or eight chapters. And those few chapters were enough for me to know that this story was perfecto for me and to leave me eager for the whole book to come out!

I did what I had been dying to do since he walked into our first-period class, and kissed him. What I would give to be able to do this all the time and not have to hide. To show the world that he was mine. If it weren’t for his father, and my family, I wouldn’t let anything stop us from showing the world exactly who we lo—fuck.

Normally, I'm not a big fan of romance books with multiple timelines; don't ask me why. I think it's because jumping back and forth usually takes me out of the plot. However, in this case, the jumps aren't that many and only occur at certain points in the story to keep some parts unknown for the time being. This allows you to fully immerse yourself in Sal and Theo's story both in the present timeline and in the past, where we discover how they met and why they ended up separated.

I felt so full and loved in this moment. We hadn’t said those words—hell, we never defined our relationship, but there were some things in life you dove into headfirst and just lived them.

For a mafia story, the romance is quite tender. It has its moments because ultimately, betrayals and revenge play a significant role in the story, but generally, Sal and Theo are tender and sweet together. They meet in high school, and although they should be enemies because Theo's father was responsible for putting Sal's father in prison (where he was later killed), they quickly fall into an atypical dynamic.

Sal feels an irresistible attraction to Theo; there's something about him that calls to him and irritates him, and he can't stay away for long. Theo is more skeptical about accepting the company of the Zanettis; his only purpose is to survive until graduation and then leave for another city without looking back.

We were both panting, our chests rising and falling, perspiration coating my skin—the beating of our hearts in a syncopated frenzy. Salvadore Zinnetti looked down at me and gave me a rare smile. What beautiful chaos we made.

Their relationship changes naturally, and I loved how things unfolds between them and how they gradually accept what is happening between them, even without clearly admitting that they are falling in love. They are two boys living an impossible love, and although neither is willing to talk about love, they also don't deceive themselves. And the way they protect each other? OMG, I was a gonner!

But things fall apart, and life takes them down different paths. Thus, the present timeline focuses on their second chance, their reunion, delving into what has become of their lives and how being back in the same city and having the possibility of being together again will affect them.

Conspiracies abound in this book, as I mentioned; there's a lot of betrayal and power plays revolving around the mafia plots.

Nothing worth having comes easy—but there were some things we were never meant to have, and Salvadore Zinnetti wasn’t meant to be mine.

Overall, I loved this first book about the Zanettis for being intense, emotional, and very hot. I enjoyed not only the relationship between our MCs but also the camaraderie between Lea, Theo, Caro, Sal, and Armando.

As for what I didn't like, I think the resolution of the conflict was a bit anticlimactic because it happened off-page. This makes it seem rushed, and although it's not poorly resolved, considering how tension builds as the book progresses, I expected something a bit more elaborate.

Letting go of someone was almost like a breakup, but instead of mourning the relationship coming to an end, you mourned the idea of it never coming to fruition.

Nevertheless, the ending is quite satisfying and, of course, it left me wanting to read Armando and Lea's story. Which is rare because when I read M/M books, I'm usually taken out of the story a bit when an M/F book follows. In this case, however, as I read Sal and Theo's story and saw Armando and Lea interact, my desire to know their story grew exponentially.

I don't know how many books this series will have, although unfortunately, something tells me this will be the only M/M book (hope dies last, but everything seems to indicate otherwise). Time will tell, I guess.