Give it a Day - Book Review

November 21, 2025

Give it a Day - Book Review

✨️ Book Title: Give it a Day (Book 1 of the Song-Smith Standalone Series)

✨️ Author: Cate Roi

✨️ Genre: Dark romance

✨️ Tropes: Mafia romance, forced marriage, dom x brat vibes

⭐️ Star Rating: 4 / 5 stars

🌶 Spice Level: 4.5 / 5 peppers (hot + heavy - significant amount of open-door scenes)

⚠️ Trigger Warnings: Explicit language, explicit sexual content (including BDSM, malpractice, nonconsensual acts, dubious consent), mentions of alcohol abuse, blood, violence, arranged and forced marriage

📅 Release Date: August 26, 2025

“I know you’re scared because you know that if you run, I’ll always catch you. I’m your soft landing - the person you can call home - and that scares you for some reason, most likely because you’ve never had anyone you could rely on before.”

Mafia princess Kayla is used to getting what she wants and who she wants… until she receives a text message from her parents. Ambushed into an arranged marriage with Damon, Kayla is desperate to find a way out… while Damon is more than up for the challenge.

From the rebellion and attitude to the dark and unhinged tension and banter, Cate Roi does a beautiful job rolling all of this into a novella that I easily flew through in one sitting. Despite Damon and Kayla’s instant attraction to each other, Kayla is true to the boldly confident and sassy character we initially met, resisting the arrangement before her. Damon’s determination to claim Kayla was intentional, with his own slightly unhinged confidence to rival Kayla’s. I especially loved the patient resolve Damon held onto when acknowledging Kayla’s reservations. He met her where she was at without guilt, ultimately solidifying Kayla’s commitment to their relationship. It has to be said that the spice that followed was nothing short of just right in a slightly unhinged way - just like their relationship.

Filled with dark tension, intense chemistry, and quick banter, the novella Give it a Day packs a fiery punch, making it the perfect start to the Sing-Song Standalone series. Setting the scene perfectly for the second book in the Song-Smith series, Give it a Day is the perfect book for fans of dark romance with dom x brat vibes and the mafia, making it the perfect addition to your TBR.