Creed

Santoro Mafia, Book 1

By: Lora Nox

Narrated by: Janine Granda, Ryan Stone

One night.

That’s all I allowed myself with the gorgeous stranger.

I didn’t expect he’d be the only one who could save me…

Sophie

Family is everything. I’m the sweet and innocent good girl. I have a goal, a plan. And refuse to be distracted.

That is… until I meet him. The gorgeous man who’s covered in tattoos and an expensive suit. Immediately ensnared by his piercing icy-blue eyes, I decide to do something just for me. One night. Then, it’s back to my plan to do right by my family.

But I never expected to fall hard and fast. Nor did I expect the truth—about his family or the horrifying dangers coming for me—to shatter everything.

Creed

My family rules the crime world, and I rule the legitimate arm of our empire. I forged my own path while honoring my loyalty to them.

The moment my eyes fall on Sophie—my angel—I know I’ve found her. The one for me.

But it all crashes down once she finds out who my family is. I have no choice but to let her go.

Until an enemy comes for her, then nothing will stop me from protecting her at all costs. I’ll even wade into the darkest parts of the criminal underworld that I vowed never to go.

Because Sophie is mine. My angel. My good girl. My everything.

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Dive into Creed, the gripping first book in the mafia romance Santoro Mafia series. It features an MMC with possessive, “touch her and I’ll unalive you” vibes. There’s no cheating, no cliffhanger, and a HEA is guaranteed. This is a standalone book and features Creed and Sophie’s story.

©2025 Lora Nox (P)2025 Blue Nose Publishing, Lora Nox

❤️‍🔥My very first ALC review ❤️‍🔥

I never was a ALC supporter because for me, who reads so fast, wasn’t my thing. I’m a visual reader. But when Lora Nox, whose I’m a very big supporter of her books, asked me if I was interested to listen to it, I said why not. I had already read all her books, so why not revisiting them in audiobooks!
And I was pleasantly surprised!!
For once, I don’t need to imagine what the voices will sound like.
Ryan Stone voice’s is to die for 😍
Janine Granda voice’s is amazing 🤩
And I think I was just hooked!!
The way they interacted and interpreted each characters was perfectly done and trust me, they had all lot of characters to perform!
Now I’m waiting for Vito’s ALC and I’m so glad I said yes!
Thank you Blue Nose Audio for the ALC

All the Mafia Vibes

Creed is a spice-filled mafia romance with the perfect balance of heat and storyline, making it an absolutely amazing audiobook listen. Janine Granda and Ryan Stone were the perfect choice to bring the two main characters to life, adding so much emotion and intensity to the story. I loved how these characters fell instantly and hard. Their chemistry was undeniable. The added layer of family dynamics brought even more intrigue and depth, rounding out a truly captivating and memorable audiobook experience.

So good!!

Love the banter and the plot! Sooo good and intriguing!! Starting the second now! Love the family story line as well, and saga theme! My favorite

Characters

Author has a way to melt all the characters def would listen
Love the narrators as well

Creed the Caretaker!

Ryan Stone- that's the review. He's now one of my favorite Narrators. The emoting he does is off the charts and that growly possessive tone- yup worth every listening minute!

I know I said this in my Massimo and Tomasso reviews but it bears repeating- Lora Nox gets romance. She crafts these morally-gray MMCs who worship their women. WORSHIP. It's a breath of fresh air to be listening to a story and hear the obsession in the narration. These Santoro men are swoon-level fun. They get that low growly possessive tone that can give me tiny little shivers. When their females are threatened and all heck breaks out, those guys do anything and everything for their loves.
Now- Creed.
I wanted to give this story 5 stars. And, for the narration alone it's a 6* listen. Where it got a little wobbly for me was the last hour of the book and a few chapters before that.

First, the meet-cute was so much fun. Sophie just deciding she wanted what Creed could give her and she wasn't going to turn it down, while keeping her plans and her future at the forefront of her mind- was so realistic. She decides she needs to do something for herself. She's selfless in so many ways: to her friends, to her family, to her career goals and mostly to her Abuela. She knows what danger is and how it can come for her too, so she's not stupid when she choose to go with Creed.

I really loved how Creed just met her in what she wanted and needed, giving her exactly what she asked for and bringing her such unmatched pleasure. When she chooses her career and family over her own self, he doesn't push and doesn't cross lines. He's honorable with her even if it hurts him.

Creed is an MMC that I'd want pursuing me. He is such a caretaker. Maybe not to the extent that Massimo is but he totally wants to spoil Sophie rotten.

Where the story got a little off for me was the switch to the roommates POV. and the whole back and forth of a ton of characters who were unfamiliar (Severyn et al) When the danger finally hits and Sophie is in high-stakes peril, I wanted it to be Creed who was handling everything. Instead, it was the other cast of characters that were from an unrelated series.

Other than that, the book is so fun. The narration is off the charts perfect. Janine Granda brought Sophe to life with inflection, accents, and emotion that was excellent to listen to. She spoke Spanish wonderfully, too. She was able to make the various characters be distinct and that worked in the scenes with a huge cast of characters. Her chemistry with Ryan Stone also made the intimate moments feel believable.

Ryan Stone. What can I say? He's just fantastic. His accent work rocked. His growly needy possessive filthy seduction had me pausing whatever I was doing to just give my undivided attention to his scenes. When Sophie needs him, he drops everything for her. When she's trying to get to him, his anxiety for her safety is palpable. He's also extremely talented in changing his voice so other characters stand out and don't sound like Creed. He brought Creed to life.

( I really just want an entire book of Creed and Massimo (Joe Arden) talking about anything party prep, hacking, Mafia stuff, all of the things. )

Now on to Vito's book.

I really hope Lora is writing more Sanntoro Mafia books because this series is truly a favorite of mine now!