Hook by Bianca Cole

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

He has stolen me from my fiancé and claims I belong to him now.Piero Panarello was going to be my husband.Handsome. Charming. Rich.I’d started to fall for him until out of nowhere I’m stolen by his enemy.

Cillian Hook.Equally handsome, but not so charming.He vows to take everything from Piero, starting with me.

Cillian is ruthless and cold.He forces me down the aisle and takes me as his wife against my will.All I can do is hope Piero comes to save me.

And yet, the longer I spend in this villain’s clutches, the more my grip on reality shifts.Slowly, his darkness penetrates my soul and I finally realize that all is not as it first seemed.There are two villains in this story.The question is which one will capture my heart?

Hook is the second book in the Once Upon a Villain Series by Bianca Cole. This story is a dark forced marriage romance story with dark themes and certain subjects that may upset the reader. It has no cliffhanger, a happily ever after ending, and can be read as a standalone.

The Hook, the Princess, and the Fire Between Them

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🩷💚❤️💙
Spice/Steam: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋🙂😁😛
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Duet Narration

Character backgrounds and Plot Summary

Cillian is in the middle of torturing a man for information when the ticking of a wall clock pulls him into a memory from twenty years earlier. In that memory, he sees a machete slicing through his wrist, hears a scream, and then the same steady tick of a clock. The sound jolts him back to the present, and he immediately orders his men to remove the clock before he continues extracting the information he needs. The man has been withholding details about Piero Panarello, Cillian’s greatest enemy.

Cillian sometimes wears a hook and sometimes a prosthetic hand. His reputation as “Hook” comes from the fact that he uses the hook during interrogations. Piero was once his friend, but that friendship ended the moment Piero betrayed him while Cillian was out of town. The betrayal forced Cillian out of Los Angeles, and he rebuilt his life by creating a new criminal organization called The Rogues in San Diego. He now operates out of a sex club he calls Neverland. His plan is simple and ruthless. He intends to steal Piero’s fiancé and use her as leverage to reclaim everything Piero took from him. The fiancé is Gwendolyn Tesoro, the sheltered princess of the Tesoro mob family.

Gwen is innocent by mafia standards. She is not being forced to marry Piero, but her father strongly encourages the match to strengthen the alliance between two powerful California families. Piero tries to seduce her before the wedding, and although she is attracted to him, she stops his advances. She is inexperienced and uneasy around him. His age, his history with models, and his careless attitude toward consent all make her question whether he could ever be faithful or gentle with someone like her. She tries to redirect him by talking about her passion for wildlife photography, but he brushes it off and suggests she should take naked photos of him instead.

Cillian arrives at Piero’s engagement party using an invitation provided by a contact. He knows that if Piero discovers him there, he will not survive, but he is determined to get what he came for. He finds Gwen alone as she tries to escape the crowd, forces her into a dance, and steals a kiss. That kiss shakes Gwen’s certainty about her engagement. She realizes her feelings for Piero may have been nothing more than a crush. Within days, Cillian executes his plan and kidnaps her before the wedding can take place.

Highlights

Dark, addictive premise
• The forced marriage/kidnapping setup immediately creates high tension and stakes, pulling readers into a dramatic, emotionally charged storyline.
• The revenge-driven plot between rival mafia men adds intrigue and momentum.

Strong enemies-to-lovers dynamic
• The relationship between Cillian and Gwen evolves from hostility to intense attraction, delivering the angst and emotional conflict fans of dark romance crave.
• The push-and-pull dynamic keeps the romance engaging and unpredictable.

Morally gray characters
• Both male leads are portrayed as “villains,” creating complexity and making the reader question who the true antagonist is.
• This ambiguity adds depth and keeps the story from feeling one-dimensional.

High steam and intensity
• The book leans heavily into explicit, passionate scenes and power dynamics, which appeals to readers looking for a darker, edgier romance experience.

Twists and emotional turns
• The story incorporates betrayal, shifting loyalties, and revelations that keep the plot moving and prevent it from feeling static.

Standalone with satisfying ending
• Despite being part of a series, it can be read independently and delivers a complete arc with a happily-ever-after.
• I love series where each book is about a different couple, and can be read as a stand-alone, especially when the next book isn’t set up and basically starting in the previous book. So far in this series the first two books aren’t connected at all but are both deliciously dark and fit the series perfectly.

Limitations

Heavy and potentially triggering content
• Themes like kidnapping, forced marriage, violence, and domination may be uncomfortable or upsetting for some readers.
• This is firmly in the “dark romance” category and not for those wanting lighter love stories.

Consent and power imbalance issues
• The central relationship begins with coercion, which can make the romance difficult to fully buy into depending on reader preferences.

Familiar tropes
• Elements like mafia rivalry, revenge, and forced proximity are well-worn in the genre, so it may feel predictable to seasoned dark romance readers.

Character relatability
• The extreme personalities and morally gray actions can make it harder to emotionally connect with or root for the characters.

Suspension of disbelief
• The rapid emotional shift from captivity to romance may feel unrealistic or rushed for some readers.

Intensity over depth (for some readers)
• The focus on spice, drama, and tension can sometimes overshadow deeper character development or nuanced storytelling.

Narration

The duet narration by Troy Duran and Allie Martina is a major strength. Duet narration works especially well in dark romance because it keeps the tone grounded. Hearing a male narrator perform the male parts and a female narrator perform the female parts adds authenticity and makes the emotional beats more immersive.

Troy Duran is consistently excellent, and he fits Cillian perfectly. His voice brings the right mix of danger, charisma, and control. The decision to use different narrators for each book in the series is smart, since each story focuses on a new couple.

Allie Martina, however, was not a good match for my listening preferences. Her voice grated on my nerves, and if the book had not been narrated in duet, I might have stopped listening. Troy’s performance balanced things enough to keep the experience enjoyable.

Final Opinion

This audiobook delivers exactly what dark romance fans look for. It is intense, dramatic, morally twisted, and packed with high stakes. Cillian and Gwen’s dynamic is volatile and addictive, and the plot moves quickly with plenty of tension and emotional upheaval. While the story leans heavily on familiar tropes and requires some suspension of disbelief, it succeeds in creating a gripping, high heat enemies to lovers’ journey. The narration elevates the experience, especially Troy Duran’s performance, which brings the darker elements to life with skill and presence. Overall, this is a bold, fast paced, and satisfying dark romance that will appeal to listeners who enjoy dangerous men, forbidden attraction, and stories that push boundaries rather than play it safe.

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