Cruel Princess Review — Is It Worth Reading?

Updated on October 5, 2026

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Verdict: A short, gleefully over-the-top sapphic mafia romance with an unhinged, devoted heroine and a married couple under fire, held back by heavy dependence on earlier books and an arc that this volume does not finish.

Best for: Readers already invested in Jenna Kent’s BlackBurns world who want an obsessive, violent protector heroine and explicit heat, and who are happy to forgive thin plotting and an open-ended middle-book ending.

Heat level: ★★★★☆ (4/5 — explicit, with graphic on-page sex)

Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.6/5 — a 4.27 Goodreads average from only 64 ratings, with readers who skipped the earlier books consistently lost)

Tropes: Obsessive love, possessive protector, established married couple, mafia war, assassin heroine, dual POV, morally grey heroine, found family, protective violence.

Cruel Princess is Jenna Kent’s self-published 2024 novel, listed on Amazon as book 7 of The BlackBurns and written as the middle part of Lucia and Mia’s three-part story, a dark romance set inside Detroit’s crime families in which a trained assassin who finally has the wife she schemed for discovers that the only thing she is better at than loving Mia is killing everyone who threatens her.

On Goodreads it holds a 4.27 average across 64 ratings and just 8 written reviews, published on July 30, 2024 and running 171 pages in its Kindle edition. That is a small evidence base, and it is worth being plain about it: the high average comes mostly from readers who already follow the series, while the handful of lower ratings come from readers who arrived without it. Both groups are worth hearing before you start.

What Is Cruel Princess About?

This is contemporary lesbian romance at the far dark end of the shelf: a present-day mafia story where the romance has already happened and the plot is about whether the marriage survives the violence around it. The courtship lived in the prequel, Wicked Games (BlackBurns book 5), in which Mia’s father hires Lucia Amato to protect his daughter. Here the wedding is behind them, and the genre machinery is family loyalty, hits, retaliation and the question of who in Mia’s world can be trusted.

Mia is the one with something to lose. She married Lucia knowing what she was, but not what marriage would unlock in her. Lucia is the one who assumes nothing can touch them as long as she is willing to do whatever it takes, and that assumption is exactly what the book tests. The story alternates between their points of view, which lets the reader sit inside Lucia’s devotion and Mia’s alarm at the same time, and that split is the most interesting thing the format buys the book.

What Makes This Dark Sapphic Mafia Romance Work

• Lucia herself: The word readers keep reaching for, across both this book and the prequel, is “unhinged,” and they mean it as praise. She is the draw, and the possessive, obsessive heroine archetype is played without apology.
• A married couple under siege: Starting after the wedding is unusual, and it turns the familiar mafia beats into established-couple stakes rather than a chase.
• Pace: At 171 pages there is no slack. One five-star reader singles out how much happens in roughly 170 pages.
• Mia’s growth: The three-star review that is otherwise the most measured on Goodreads still credits Mia’s development as the book’s real arc.
• The wider family: Readers who have followed the BlackBurns name the found-family dynamics as a reason they keep coming back to this world.

Book Synopsis

Lucia Amato has what she wanted. Years after Mia’s father first hired her to keep his daughter alive, she has married Mia, and she intends to spend the rest of her life making sure nobody ever takes her away. She was trained by the Blackburns, the most dangerous family in this corner of Detroit, and she does not separate love from protection or protection from killing.

The peace lasts about as long as the honeymoon. Someone has put a price on Mia’s head, and the threat is not coming from a stranger. As Lucia starts answering every danger with a body, she makes enemies among the families who run the city, and the conflict draws closer to Mia’s own blood. Each attempt on her wife pushes Lucia further, and each retaliation makes the next attack more likely.

Mia, telling half of the story, loves her wife and is frightened by what she has married. She watches the woman who once guarded her turn into something that answers every slight with violence, and she has to decide how much of that she can accept, how much she can control, and whether her own family is worth saving. The question the book leaves hanging is whether Mia can keep Lucia’s darkness from consuming them both before the war at their door finishes the job.

My Review

The thing Cruel Princess does well is commit. Jenna Kent describes her own books as over-the-top and absurd but always heading for a happy ending, and this one is exactly that: a heroine who solves problems by killing them, a wife who is scared and in love in equal measure, and a story that never pretends to be subtle. Readers who came for that are delighted, and the Goodreads distribution shows it, with 38 of the 64 ratings at five stars.

The second strength is the dual POV. Lucia’s chapters sell the devotion and Mia’s chapters sell the cost, and putting them side by side is what makes this feel like a romance rather than a body count. When it works, the tension is not whether Lucia will win her fights but whether Mia can live with how she wins them. That is a genuinely good question for an established-couple dark romance to ask.

Where it struggles is accessibility, and this is the dominant complaint rather than mine. Of the eight written Goodreads reviews, three come from readers who say they felt lost or disconnected: one found it confusing without the author’s free bonus scenes, one says it reads like joining the story halfway through, and a two-star reader concludes that you need to read the series in order. The book is sold as book 7 of a series, but the Amazon number hides how much depends on the prequel specifically, and on eight bonus scenes the author distributes free through BookFunnel.

The second structural problem is the ending. This is the middle of a three-part arc, and readers were already pointing at the concluding volume, Vicious Queen, in their reviews. The author’s site announced it for October 2024, but as of October 2026 Amazon still lists Cruel Princess as the latest of the seven BlackBurns books, and I could not find a published edition. Mia and Lucia’s marriage is not in doubt by the end, but the larger conflict is not settled here, and a reader who wants this couple’s story closed should know that before buying.

The expectation to reset is the word “dark.” The cover and subtitle promise a dark mafia romance and the content warning is real, with plenty of blood and murder. But at least one listener says it felt more amusing than dark, and the author’s own framing is “absurdly ridiculous.” If dark is what drew you, expect gleeful excess rather than psychological horror. If dark is what worried you, the tone is closer to camp than to dread, though the violence is still on the page.

My honest note: A fun, committed piece of mafia excess that only fully works for readers who already know this couple. Read Wicked Games and the bonus scenes first, or expect to feel like you walked into the second act.

Element	In Cruel Princess
Central relationship	Lucia Amato & Mia: assassin turned wife and the mafia daughter she was hired to protect, newly married
Core tropes	Obsessive love, possessive protector, established couple, mafia war, dual POV, morally grey heroine
Setting	Present-day Detroit, among the city’s crime families and the BlackBurns orbit
Heat level	4/5, explicit and graphic
Series	The BlackBurns book 7; part two of Lucia and Mia’s arc after Wicked Games; concluding Vicious Queen announced but not found in print
Content notes	Author-issued dark-content warning, graphic violence and murder, obsessive and controlling partner behaviour, family conflict

How Dark and Spicy Is Cruel Princess?

romance.io lists the book, but with only two ratings it shows no steam band yet, so the heat band here comes from two other places. I Heart SapphFic files it in its “Hot & Steamy” tier, which it defines as full, graphic description of sex, and the readers who mention heat treat it as a selling point rather than an interruption. One Audible listener singles out how much spice there is, and readers of the prequel gave it three chili peppers. That puts it at a 4/5: explicit and frequent, but not the main event in a story that spends most of its pages on the war.

The element worth flagging in advance is the violence, not the sex. Lucia kills people over threats to her wife, the author places a dark-content warning at the front of the book, and readers describe a lot of blood and murder. No reviewer I found flags specific kink content or on-page sexual violence beyond that. For similar heat with a different flavour of mafia darkness, My Mafia Princess sits at the same 4/5 with more restrained violence, and Blood Debt pushes the obsessive assassin dynamic harder.

Who Should Read This Book?

You’ll likely love it if: you have read Wicked Games and want more of Lucia, an unhinged heroine who kills for love is your favourite kind of romantic lead, you like explicit heat inside a fast plot, and you enjoy over-the-top mafia stories that don’t take themselves too seriously.

You may want to skip it if: you are starting the BlackBurns here, possessive or violent partners are a hard limit, you need explicit heat to sit inside a slow-burn courtship, or you refuse to start an arc whose final book you can’t buy yet.

In short: A treat for series readers and a confusing entry point for everyone else.

What Readers Are Actually Saying (October 2026)

This is a quiet book, and the quiet is the finding. There is no Reddit footprint that I could find, no organic BookTok trend, no trade or blog reviews, and no StoryGraph data I could reach. What exists is a small, loyal readership: 64 Goodreads ratings, 8 written reviews, and an audiobook narrated by Lois Ridge that Audible lists at 4.8 stars from 10 ratings. Readers are finding it through the series itself, mostly through Kindle Unlimited, where it is included as of October 2026. That is also why the average is so high: almost everyone rating it already likes this author.

Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Lucia, first and by a distance. “Unhinged” is the recurring word, and readers use it with affection. The second theme is intensity, with readers using phrases like rollercoaster emotions and noting the mix of steam, trauma and family. Third is the found-family warmth that sits under the violence, which one otherwise critical three-star reviewer singles out along with Mia’s growth. One five-star reader who had not read the earlier books still praised the characters and the writing, which is notable because it is the only review that contradicts the accessibility complaint.

What readers argue about and complain about: Series dependence, above everything. Three of the eight written reviews say some version of the same thing: without the prequel and the bonus material, the book feels like it starts in the middle. One reader specifically says material seemed to be missing until they found the bonus scenes, and a two-star reviewer felt disconnected enough to call reading in order necessary. The second theme is the open arc, with readers ending their reviews by asking about the next book rather than reflecting on this one. Third, and a genuine split rather than a complaint: tone. The author’s warning and the cover promise darkness, while at least one listener found it more funny than dark. Neither side is wrong; the book is violent and it is also played for excess.

The series question everyone should ask first: Cruel Princess is the second of three books about Lucia and Mia. The prequel, Wicked Games, holds a 4.23 Goodreads average across 97 ratings and ends on a cliffhanger that readers complained about. This book continues directly from it. The finale, Vicious Queen, was announced by the author for October 2024 as the last chapter of their love story, and I could not find a published edition as of this update. If unresolved arcs bother you, wait until Vicious Queen is actually listed before starting. If you start anyway, begin with Wicked Games and the free bonus scenes, not here. For a sense of the broader BlackBurns world, our review of The Blackburns — Emma covers the Zara Blackburn side of the family.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to read Wicked Games before Cruel Princess?

Yes. Wicked Games is the prequel that sets up Lucia and Mia’s relationship, and three of the eight written Goodreads reviews of Cruel Princess say readers felt lost without it or without the author’s free bonus scenes.

Does Cruel Princess end on a cliffhanger?

It ends without finishing the larger story. Lucia and Mia are married throughout, but this is the middle of a three-part arc and the concluding book, Vicious Queen, was announced for October 2024 and could not be found in print as of October 2026.

How spicy is Cruel Princess?

A 4/5. I Heart SapphFic classes it as “Hot & Steamy,” with full, graphic sex scenes, and readers mention the spice as a draw, though the plot spends more time on the mafia war.

How dark is Cruel Princess?

Violent rather than bleak. The author places a dark-content warning at the front, and Lucia kills people over threats to her wife, but at least one listener found the tone more amusing than dark, and the author calls her books over-the-top.

Is there a Cruel Princess audiobook?

Yes. The audiobook is narrated by Lois Ridge, and Audible lists it at 4.8 stars from 10 ratings, with listeners praising the narration.

Is Cruel Princess on Kindle Unlimited?

Yes. Amazon shows it as included with Kindle Unlimited as of October 2026. Check the Amazon page before borrowing, as Kindle Unlimited enrollment can change.

If You Loved Cruel Princess, Read These Next

For the same married-mafia engine at a similar heat, Her Mafia Bride by Persephone Black puts its couple into an arranged crime-family marriage and has a much bigger reader base behind it. For the obsessive-protector dynamic with more emotion and less body count, Mafia Mommy’s Sweet Obsession is the softer version. For more of Jenna Kent’s world, The Blackburns — Emma is the family Lucia was trained by. The full shelf is in our best lesbian mafia romance books list, the genre background is in our guide to mafia romance, and every review lives under Book Reviews.

The Bottom Line

Cruel Princess sets out to show what happens after the obsessive heroine gets the girl, and it does that with a fearless lead, a fast 171 pages and explicit heat that readers enjoy. It is let down by how much it leans on a prequel and bonus scenes, by a middle-book ending whose finale I could not find in print, and by an evidence base of only eight written reviews. It’s worth it for readers already invested in Lucia and Mia, and for anyone who will read Wicked Games first. Check Cruel Princess on Amazon →

The Eikna Overall Ranking

On the Eikna scale, Cruel Princess ranks as a series-dependent indie sapphic mafia romance: committed, explicit and fun in its excess, held back by an unfinished arc and a tiny reader base, and best approached as a continuation of Wicked Games rather than a standalone dark romance.

The Evidence Scorecard

Overall ★★★★☆ 3.6/5

• ✓ 4.27 average across 64 Goodreads ratings
• ✓ 38 of 64 ratings at five stars
• ✓ Lucia praised across nearly every review
• ✓ Only 8 written reviews, three feeling lost

Romance ★★★★☆ 3.8/5

• ✓ Established married couple under real pressure
• ✓ Devotion and fear shown side by side
• ✓ Readers invested in this specific pairing
• ✓ Courtship happened in the prequel, not here

Characters ★★★★☆ 3.6/5

• ✓ “Unhinged” Lucia is the recurring highlight
• ✓ Mia’s growth credited even by a critic
• ✓ Found-family cast valued by series readers
• ✓ Supporting cast opaque without earlier books

Writing ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5

• ✓ Fast, no-filler pace across 171 pages
• ✓ Dual POV used for contrast, not repetition
• ✓ One newcomer praised the writing outright
• ✓ Context gaps leave new readers confused

Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 3.6/5

• ✓ Readers describe rollercoaster emotions
• ✓ Mia’s fear of Lucia gives real stakes
• ✓ Family conflict raises the personal cost
• ✓ Camp tone softens the darkness for some

Heat Level ★★★★☆ 4/5

• ✓ “Hot & Steamy” tier on I Heart SapphFic
• ✓ Graphic, on-page sex scenes
• ✓ Listeners name the spice as a draw
• ✓ romance.io has too few ratings for a steam band

Ending ★★★☆☆ 3/5

• ✓ Marriage intact throughout the book
• ✓ Author promises happy endings across her catalogue
• ✓ Readers close reviews asking for book three
• ✓ Finale announced for 2024, not found in print

Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 3.5/5

• ✓ Short enough to reread in one sitting
• ✓ Audiobook with praised Lois Ridge narration
• ✓ Eight free bonus scenes extend the world
• ✓ Unfinished arc limits the payoff of a return

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