REVIEW: Shifting Ties by Abrianna Denae & Leigh Kenzie (Crimson Bonds #2)

SHIFTING TIES

Crimson Bonds - Book Two

by Abrianna Denae & Leigh Kenzie

Release Date: April 17, 2025

Review

I’m not gonna lie, this series is STRESSING me out - as events unfold, allegiances and relationships shift, which result in pain and hurt feelings, along with all the usual chaos of mafia, violence, and kidnapping. The struggle of the patriarchs being gone has left everyone struggling. Including me. Seriously, I’m glad the books have a break between releases so that my anxiety can settle. LOL

It’s a multi-person story which fits perfectly with the scenario of the two families being intertwined in a battle for their lives. Not to mention their shared partners and how that affects relationships and roles.

The writing is great, and the characters are super fascinating and well-developed.

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Synopsis

Captives.

Kidnapped Mafia Bosses Allesandro Martelli and Cristian Amato are listless. Days spent in chains, while taunted about the discord in their territories, leaves the Bosses with an ever growing sense of doom regarding their Families.

Lovers.

What should have been a fun way to relieve stress turns into real feelings, leaving unexpected pairings reeling from the depth of their connections. The shifting dynamics force the Amatos and Martellis involved to reevaluate where they belong, as the newly formed relationships cause strife and uncertainty in a dangerous time.

Adversaries.

As their enemy gets bolder, both Families must set their hurt feelings and bruised hearts aside, or run the risk of becoming a casualty to the war waged against them... If only matters of the heart were as easy to wade through as the bodies they leave in their wake.

Shifting Ties is book 2 in the Crimson Bonds series and contains a continuous storyline. All books in this series must be read in order. This is a dark MM and MMM+ story with various pairings and relationships. Please see inside for the full list of TWs.

This is an Amato Family (All's Fair Series by Abrianna Denae) and Martelli Family (Vendetta series by Leigh Kenzie) crossover. This is not a standalone story. At least one of the series, Vendetta or All’s Fair, needs to be read first to truly understand the dynamics of this story.

About Abrianna Denae

Abrianna Denae is a queer author living in Northern California. An English major, they have always had a passion for writing.

Deciding to sit down and write one of the many stories that had plagued their mind for years was the easy part—finding the time to do it was a different story.

Caffeine is their best friend, and sleep is their worst enemy.

A lover of books that make the reader feel something, Abrianna tries to incorporate as much of their real-world views and feelings into their stories as they can.

Where to find them:

About Leigh Kenzie

Leigh is a dark M/M romance author from Texas who writes villains of varying degrees. She considers coffee a major food group and her family fears broken coffeemakers. She writes in her spare time, forced to the keyboard by characters entirely too vocal in her opinion and often falls victim to plot monkeys. In between creating mayhem with her characters and friends, her hope is to transport readers to fictional places and provide darkness with a twist.

Where to find them: