Blurb:

This was my place. My business. Easter Lanes.

Then a guy comes in, trying to rob me, daring to take it away from me.

My home. My life.

Hell no. I won’t let my livelihood be threatened.

No one knows what I’ve done to build this life for myself.

Except he might.

Ashton Walden, a man I remember from when we were kids.

Even back then I could tell how dangerous he would be one day.

He’s now the head of the Walden mafia family, and my father is so in debt to them that they practically own him.

My dad and I are estranged and I want nothing to do with him or his debt, but the day after the attempted robbery, I don’t wake up in the hospital.

I wake up in Ashton Walden’s home. And he drops a bomb on me.

If I want my livelihood back, I need to earn it back.

And thus begins our cruel arrangement.

My 5* Review :

A Cruel Arrangement is the second Kings Of New York book by Tijan. You need to read A Dirty Business about Trace and Jess, to understand what has previously happened and to appreciate the dynamics between all the characters. This time we have Ashton Walden and Molly Easter.

Their love story happens slowly in this exciting dark mafia romance. Ashton is searching for answers and needs to work out which side everyone is on? Molly gets drawn into his world but finds her life being threaten. There is kidnapping, car chases and deadly attacks as confessions, betrayal and long held secrets revealed. Will they survive to find their HEA? 

“We’re not just running two Mafia empires. We’re the kings of New York.”

Ashton and Trace were running legal businesses and looking to break free of their families. Then three months ago another mafia family declared war by gunning down Ashton’s grandfather and uncles, leaving him in charge. Trace found himself in the same position as his family were also attacked. Now they have both stepped up into their respective roles as heads of their families and are determined to find out the reasons behind the attacks and who killed their family and friends.

Molly Easter loves owning and running Easter Lanes. She has survived on her own after an awful childhood and made the best of things. Her father Shorty is a gambler and her mother died when she was young. After a traumatic experience defending her business, she ends up being looked after by Ashton. They have known each other since they were kids because her father always owed his family money. To her he was the cutest boy she’d ever seen. Now he is angry and cold but she still gets the fuzzies every time she is near him. 

Ashton likes being cruel and has a reputation for being deadly and torturing his enemies. The war with Nicolai Worthing is bubbling away throughout the story. There is an arranged ceasefire but things continue to happen. Poor Ashton is feeling the weight of responsibility as he is left with solving the murders, handling the war and dealing with Molly. It all starts with him needing her help with getting some information but escalates quickly. He originally thought he could use Molly as bait to end the war but slowly realises he can’t let her go. He agrees with Trace that caring for somebody really changes things.

“We have a deal. It was a cruel arrangement in a way.”

Molly is a great character and her inner thoughts especially about her father were so amusing. She finds herself in so many life or death situations, which annoys Ashton intensely as she puts herself in danger and he never knows what she is going to do next. When she is backed into a corner she reacts in the most unusual ways which will have you cracking up. She knows she has a darkness inside that can match his. I loved her ‘switch’ and how she goes crazy, which makes her so perfect for him. 

He knows secrets that have been hidden from her and worries she will become a target. Would it be better and safer for her if he let her go as she’ll never live a normal life attached to him. Could she ignore who he is and what he does because he is a bad man. I loved how good she was at reading him and how they sometimes communicated in a way only lovers could. Although she gets to see another side of Ashton she actually likes the monster who lives inside him. Her way of describing the four of them was very insightful and I agreed she connected them all together. 

We see a lot of Jess and Trace especially as she is still having issues with Ashton. I really liked Avery and thought Pialto and Sophie were so funny and supportive to Molly. The relationship between Marco and Trace’s sister was interesting as Remmi is a handful. I wasn’t sure about Ashton but Molly was just what he needed. If you enjoyed the first book then you will love this one. Action packed right to the end, with good twists and turns and surprises all the way through.