Kidnapped by the mafia king… for his heir!

Ever-responsible Mia wants one night of unadulterated pleasure, and sinfully attractive Vittorio Rocco readily delivers. Yet, in the Italian’s world, desire is quickly overshadowed by danger…

As gunfire rains down on Vittorio’s estate, he orders Mia’s departure. But dancing with the devil has consequences—she’s pregnant!

Mafia boss Vittorio’s lethal empire was built on control. Upon discovering Mia carries his child, he kidnaps her without hesitation. It will ensure her safety—and submission.

Except hiding her away doesn’t diminish her defiance. Instead, it only reignites the reckless inferno of attraction between them…

Titles in the Captive Mafia Seductions series include: ~ Italian Devil’s Baby ~ Kidnapped by the Devil ~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

Title: Italian Devil’s Baby
Series:  Captive Mafia Seductions #1
Author:  Heidi Rice
Published:  June 30, 2026
Publisher:  Harlequin Presents
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Italian Devil’s Baby begins the Captive Mafia Seductions series/duo with a captivating, scorching romance between Mia and Vito.  I’ll freely admit I’m not a big fan of the Dark Mafia trope; that particular lifestyle isn’t charming to me. However, I am a huge Heidi Rice fan, and that fact balanced this romance out evenly for me.  Mia is a strong, independent woman when we first meet her; she’s always looked out for her younger sister, Evie, and when a friend lands an invite to a posh party on a wealthy man’s yacht… well, Mia wasn’t about to deny either of them that experience.  She certainly didn’t expect that night to end up the way it did, or that one night would impact the rest of her life.

Vito is a controlling man with darkness within him.  He is a powerful man with just as powerful enemies… some of them within his own family.  He’s intrigued by Mia, dancing joyfully on his yacht, and makes an impulsive decision.  One that will have unforeseen consequences affecting parts of his life he normally kept firmly under wraps.

I enjoyed Italian Devil’s Baby far more than I expected to, given my usual lack of interest in this particular trope.  Part of that enjoyment was in the characters themselves and the rest was Ms. Rice’s storytelling talents.  Vito never hides what he is from Mia or from the reader.  With a dual point of view, we see both Mia’s and Vito’s reactions to their red-hot physical relationship, and the emotional bond that slowly strengthens despite the circumstances.  He himself is dangerous; his lifestyle is full of danger, both seen and hidden… yet his love for Mia, while complicated, is deep.  It just might take him a minute to realize just how deeply she’s curled up into his heart.  There were times, though, where I could see Mia evolving into the perfect little Mafia wife, one who turns a blind eye and accepts the limits placed upon her… whether that was intentional or simply my interpretation, I don’t know.  It didn’t take away from the story, only serving to deepen the emotional aspect as both Mia and Vito are making changes to themselves to fit into this new identity of a couple.

Overall, Mia and Vito’s romance was well-written, emotional, and scorching hot.  We got a few indications of the next story to come, Kidnapped by the Devil, which now has that Fall release on my radar.  If you enjoy a good, intense Dark Mafia romance with, I believe, realistic characters, then you’d enjoy Italian Devil’s Baby.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This title is available at Amazon