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Verdict: A quick, suspenseful sapphic mafia romance: young widow Courtney Flynn flees her late husband’s family to protect her son — and falls for Sienna Caruso, an ice-queen hotelier whose cousin is accused of the murder. Fans call it thrilling and hot; a couple of readers found the clipped sentence style hard to get past.
Best for: Readers who want forbidden, family-feud romance with a protective single mom.
Heat level: 🌶️🌶️
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.8/5 — a 4.39 Goodreads average across 214 ratings, 3.29 on StoryGraph from 12 reviews, and 4.5 stars across 286 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Enemies/rival families, widowed mom, ice queen, age gap, forbidden romance, mafia suspense.
Drawn to the Enemy is Barbara Winkes’s 2024 contemporary sapphic mafia romance, book two of the Connected series. Sienna has been loyal to her family her whole life — which means distrusting anyone named Flynn.
It holds a 4.39 average across 214 Goodreads ratings, with 87% of them four or five stars, 3.29 on StoryGraph from 12 reviews, and 4.5 stars across 286 Amazon ratings.
What Is Drawn to the Enemy About?
That includes Courtney, the beautiful young widow of a Flynn, trying to protect her son — even from his grandparents. Sienna wants to test her, to work with her to end old feuds, and most of all, to have her.
Courtney wanted a fresh start, not to fall for the woman whose cousin is accused of killing her husband. With everyone keeping secrets, she doesn’t know who to trust.
What Works in This Book
- Suspense: Readers praise the plot twists and page-turning pace.
- Heat: Fans describe a love story that’s both hot and sweet.
- Family loyalty: The rival-families tension gives the romance stakes.
- Series appeal: Several readers liked it as much as, or more than, book one.
Book Synopsis
A widow and her son try to escape a crime family. The woman who helps her belongs to their enemies.
Who can she trust?
My Review
It’s a short, propulsive read that blends romance and crime drama, with Courtney’s fierce protectiveness of Oliver giving the single-mom angle real weight.
Critics point to the writing: a couple found the short, cut-off sentences odd, one didn’t finish, and one noticed typos. Another reader flagged the dialogue on a second read. The small StoryGraph sample rates it lower than Goodreads and Amazon.
My honest note: Sample the style first; if it clicks, it’s a fun Kindle Unlimited binge.
| Element | In Drawn to the Enemy |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Courtney Flynn (young widow, mom) & Sienna Caruso (hotel CEO) |
| Core tropes | Rival families, widowed mom, ice queen |
| Setting | A city hotel and two crime families |
| Heat level | 🌶️🌶️ |
| Length | 211 pages (Kindle edition) |
| Series | Connected #2 — readable as a standalone |
| Content notes | Murder, gun violence, kidnapping |
How Spicy Is Drawn to the Enemy?
Moderate — hot but not the book’s only focus.
StoryGraph readers flag gun violence, kidnapping and murder.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want mafia suspense with a widowed mom. It is on our single mom lesbian romance list.
You may want to skip it if: choppy prose bothers you.
In short: Fast, forbidden, fun.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 57% five stars, 30% four, 8% three, 3% two and 1% one.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Suspense first. Second, heat. Third, the rival families. Fourth, series momentum.
What readers argue about and complain about: Sentence style, above everything. Second, typos. Third, dialogue.
The comparison worth making first: Eve Falls First, a lighter single-mom age-gap romance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I read Drawn to the Enemy as a standalone?
Readers say yes, although it is book two of the Connected series and links to book one.
Does it have a happy ending?
Yes — one reader confirms a happily-ever-after ending.
Is it a mafia romance?
Yes. Courtney and Sienna come from rival crime families, and one reader likens it to a touch of Romeo and Juliet with added drama and suspense.
How spicy is it?
Moderately — readers call the love story both hot and sweet.
Is Drawn to the Enemy on Kindle Unlimited?
Yes, when we checked — or $4.99 to buy on Kindle.
If You Loved Drawn to the Enemy, Read These Next
Continue the Connected series, or try Carnations & Commitment. Browse our single mom list or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Drawn to the Enemy sets out to be a suspenseful, forbidden family-feud romance, and fans find it gripping. What holds it back is prose some readers find choppy. Good Kindle Unlimited fun. Check Drawn to the Enemy on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Drawn to the Enemy ranks as a good single-mom pick — tense, quick.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ 4.39 average across 214 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 87% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.29 on StoryGraph from 12 reviews
- ✓ 4.5 stars across 286 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ Forbidden
- ✓ Hot and sweet
- ✓ Age gap
- ✓ HEA
Characters ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Protective Courtney
- ✓ Ice queen Sienna
- ✓ Son Oliver
- ✓ Family villains
Writing ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ Page-turning
- ✓ Choppy sentences
- ✓ Typos
- ✓ Short
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Grief
- ✓ Trust
- ✓ Past trauma
- ✓ Angst
Heat Level ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ Hot
- ✓ Moderate
- ✓ On-page
- ✓ Adult
Ending ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ HEA
- ✓ Series continues
- ✓ Twists
- ✓ Satisfying
Re-read Value ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ On Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ $4.99 Kindle price
- ✓ 211 pages
- ✓ Series binge
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