Bad Little Bride – Meagan Brandy

 

(5/5 stars. The MMC is called Enzo. Exactly)

You know, I’ve read about a couple of men called Enzo throughout my time, but none has hit the spot just like Enzo Fikile. Oh. My. God. Meagan didn’t enter 2025 to joke around. She came to serve, and serve she did.

This is book number 2 in the Girls of Greyson series. The one prior is Tempting Little Thief, starring Bastian Bishop and Rocklin Revenaw, aka Boston Revenaw’s twin sister, AKA Enzo’s wife! Did we forget about Enzo? We can never do such a crime.

Now, we don’t lie on this page, and I’m not going to start today. Unless my poor eyesight read something wrong – highly likely – I was under the misconception that this was a fantasy book. I don’t read stories set in fantasy worlds where wings, fangs, and, most importantly, weird bodily fluids other than blood and something else are explored. I opened this book with one eye, and that eye stayed closed until chapter 2. Then I was all in on Enzo and Boston’s glory.

The story starts off with Boston in a space, relaxing and thinking that the deal was all null and void between her and Enzo. She sought him out on an island with a proposition, and even though her father had gone behind her back and traded the better daughter, Enzo didn’t let that slide. No, no, no. He wanted Boston and Boston only. My messed-up little book heart was kicking her feet when he kidnapped her. Yes, that’s right, I blushed at the kidnapping because the gesture behind it said, “Anyone else touches her and they die,” which is exactly the trope I am about.

Enzo is the biggest leader in the crime world with a legitimized security business as the front. As soon as I saw the word "security," guess who came to mind? If you guessed Christian Harper, then you are correct. Is he the only one who owns such a company? No. However, is he the one who put all other security companies out of sight? Yes. Yes, he is, and he’s coming to NETFLIX! That’s a whole new post we need to talk about, so I have to contain my excitement.

We see a variety of characters like the lady dubbed Grandma by Boston herself, Mino, and Katana. Oh, let me introduce you to Enzo’s first wife, whom he didn’t kiss, touch, or share as his wife with the world, for that matter. The whole way through, I was waiting to see what that was all about. In the end, when Enzo told Boston the whole story, a part of me felt bad for Katana. Not only the story of how she came to be, but also the fact that she would be thrown into the Greyson Elite like a stray dog. Color me surprised when none other than Boston was training her to be perfect. The ice had readily melted.

Bad Little Bride by Meagan Brandy, of course, and God of War by Rina Kent are both fantastic reads that have no similarities. HOWEVER, it was oddly giving the same vibes. Kind of like Nico Russo and Angelo Vicsonti. Same men in different font kind of analogy. It’s one of those reads of mine that I don’t want to read too quickly because then it will end. Kind of like King of Wrath by Ana Huang. That did a number on me for months.

This mafia romance was on the lesser side of the mafia, which sometimes I prefer. It was giving Sinners Anonymous vibes, which is about the Costa Nostra, but in the best-balanced way possible. Refreshing is the word I use to explain this.

It could be the blonde hair or the gothic bride look; however, I was getting Mia Sokolov vibes from Boston. Which brings me to my 3 most cherished parts of the book:

1. Has to be the tension that cracked on the balcony. Oh my god. It’s been a minute since I’ve read a slow burn because Rina Kent, as we know, is fast and furious. Meagan Brandy teased me with Promise Me Not so hard, so I expected nothing less in Bad Little Bride. I will never look at a balcony and balcony railings the same ever again. I so looked forward to those scenes. Oh, my gawd, I’m blushing.
2. The second moment had to be a draw between finding out Enzo made Boston’s fresh caramel every day and when he told Boston he loved her. It wasn’t one of those over-the-top dramatic exaggerations of love. No, it was so lovely because it was so not something I ever imagined Enzo would say first. Boston, my QUEEN.
3. The third and final thing had to be at the start of the book, actually, when he tricked Boston into a marriage with the declaration, and he took out the word "obey" from his vows. GENIUS. I don’t know why the deception is a micro-trope for me; it shouldn’t be!

Now, at times, it did get a bit confusing. I did recognize characters from book 1 of the Greyson Girls. What I find is that when I don’t get into a book properly, then the characters just go over my head. It took a bit of remembering, and I got there in the end. So color me surprised when Torin was killed by his daughter. I hate people who spoil the endings – this one was good!

For me, this is the best release from Meagan Brandy. Tempting Little Thief was a fantastic foundation, and I am grateful for it. This is where the 5 stars are at. I’m re-reading it as we speak. Was Enzo Italian? I’m still in this Italian-Russian debate. A part of me fell in love with the Italians thanks to the likes of Ana Huang, Somme Sketcher, and Danielle Lori, but then that same Danielle Lori wrote Christian Allister and Ronan. Then later on, I discovered Rina Kent, who devours Russians for dinner. Adrian Volkov & Kirill Morozov – need I say more? Needless to say, Vivian’s head has a list of pros and cons for both, and she’s still struggling to decide which she prefers.

It has so thoroughly ruined my mind that I can’t read soft books anymore. I struggle with them unless Elsie Silver (who still won’t allow me to tag her in any posts anymore) and Ana Huang write them.

I need to go fiction men shopping.

My 2025 couldn’t have started with better paper pages. The first release, which mattered according to me, and the best. Now, I already know King of Envy & The Defender, both by Ana Huang, will be joint firsts. However, we still have other potential runners-up, like Somme Sketcher’s Sinners Atone, if she ever releases it this year (shade no shade), Rina Kent’s Beautiful Venom, and H.D. Carlton’s Phantom, to name a few. I’m not as excited for certain releases this year as I was in December, which is a shame. Great books can get you out of a reading slump and get you into one. Bad Little Bride did both.

Still job hunting. Going as horribly as ever – we shall stay hopeful come 2025.

Pick up these digital paper pages since the paperbacks – my personal preference – aren’t in store until January 23rd in the UK. Waterstones, I’m waiting for the pre-order text to chime in on my phone.

As always, show me, my blog, and Instagram bookish some love. To leaving toxic people where they belong – in the past forever.

Until next time.

Mwah.
Vivian.