Thorns of War

A Dark Mafia Romance (Thorns of Omertà, Book 8)

By: Eva Winners

Narrated by: TROY DURAN, KINGSLEY ROSE

I spent my life mending fractured minds. Yet he was undoing mine, slowly, thorn by deliberate thorn.

I knew Greece was a mistake. But how do you resist the ghosts that have whispered your name for years, patient and unrelenting?

I never intended to step onto a battlefield of broken hearts and broken minds, yet there I stood, entangled in a silent triangle where every truth was a weapon and every silence a wound.

Each choice I made drew blood.

I was caught in the thorns of war, bound by invisible threads that kept those I loved forever just beyond my reach. The more I resisted, the deeper they cut. The harder I pulled, the more fate tightened its grip.

I began this story believing restraint was virtue, that love was mercy. I was wrong. Morality, I learned, is a luxury afforded only to those untouched by desire.

And Violet Freud was no Jane Eyre.

My conscience answered only to those I loved. And when this war ended, I would not emerge unscathed, but I would emerge victorious.

©2026 Eva Winners (P)2026 Eva Winners

Great narration, a little fluffy?

3.75⭐️
Is it just me, or are Eva’s books getting a little… fluffier?

This was a solid 4-star read for me until the end, and then it just didn’t hit quite like I wanted it to. Maybe I’m just too much of a suspense junkie? 🤷‍♀️

Violet has been a side character for a while as the psychologist for the mobsters, so I was really interested to finally hear her story. She has a complete bâstard of a father who blamed 16 year old Violet for her sister’s mûrder/disappearance, so obviously there’s some serious trauma there..

She meets Lykos at a bar, and they connect over carrying some pretty deep, hidden pain. It turns into a sweet instalust one night stand… until Violet wakes up the next morning and finds out Lykos is actually married. 👀 It’s not what you think, but she doesn’t know that, gets pissed, and leaves.

Then we jump ahead 10 years.

And honestly, I loved that even though they were both angry they had both stayed celibate all those years. Although I’m pretty sure Violet’s wasn’t exactly intentional. 🤪 Lykos was basically a stalker and apparently made sure every other man stayed far away from her. 😂

This was sweet, had some emotional past trauma—which I LOVE (give me all the feels!!) and overall, it was a solid read. But I think I just wanted more from the ending.

There could have been a lot more drama and suspense to really make the final part hit harder and give the overall plot a little more punch.

So if you’re looking for something a little lighter, sweeter, or basically a palate cleanser between your darker reads, this would probably work really well for you!

For me, though? I think I just needed a little more chaos. 🤷‍♀️

MMC: Lykos Costello
FMC: Violet Freud
🎧Narration: duet 🔥
❤️Tropes: Greek mafia x psychologist, second chance romance, single daddy, age gap (10 years), one night stand
📍Setting: Boston, MA / Athens, Greece
💁POV: dual, first person
🖤Darkness level: 2/5
🔥Spice starts at 8%
🌶️Spice: 2.5/5
📚Plot: 4/5
🌎World building: 4/5
⚠️Triggers: child abduction, abusive parent, pregnancy, mental health issues

I hate leaving poor reviews but….

I have listened to and read many of Eva Winners books. I have always enjoyed her writing however, sad to say this one fell flat for me. It started out great then after a few chapters it seemed repetitive. It seemed like a weak build up to the plot which didn’t come in until the last 3 hours left of the 8+hr listen and even that fell flat.

🚨 possible spoilers🚨




There are holes in this storyline. For example, I don’t recall a mention of the bodies of the guards that guarded the wife’s door being found in the rubble after the house exploded, why the father of the MFC gave her the necklace that she then gave to her sister before she disappeared and or died. I can only assume it was a sign for the perpetrators to identify which sister to take and or kill. Also the fact that she continued to wear it after learning what society the insignia represented. It seemed the MFC was back and forth on kidnaped or killed pertaining to her sister. Maybe the pot holes will come to light if there is a continuation of this story?

The epilogue gave it an HEA then the bonus epilogue led this book to a cliffhanger.
If there is a continuation of this story I’m not going to waste the credit. I’ve listened to the other books in this series that were far better.
I am a fan of Eva Winners. This book just didn’t seem like her writing style to be honest.