Rating: 🤩

Ok ok ok so let’s be honest here: I have maybe waited too long between finishing this book and writing this review. I say that because I finished His Tesoro by Emilia Rossi on July 22, and it is August 6. Anyone who reads a lot knows two weeks is a lot of time to forget literally everything about a book, even if you loved it.

And I loved this book (you know it’s true because I didn’t just italicize there, I added font weight). Fortunately, I also remember enough about it (and took some notes) to be able to write (at least somewhat of) a meaningful review.

Ok so let’s do a quick tl;dr here so y’all can follow along. This is an arranged marriage mafia romance. Tall, dark, and deadly Matteo is an Italian Mafia boss in New York. He’s the “good” mafia guy, and you know this because he doesn’t want human trafficking in his city. (In mafia romance, drugs and weapons are fine but human trafficking is what sets them apart, I’ve found.) Another group is trying to bring it in, and he needs help in his war, so he makes an alliance with the Bratva from Chicago, and marries one of the Pakhan’s daughters, Sofiya. Turns out: She’s disabled! She has EDS (look it up), and uses a wheelchair and rollator, and has of course been treated horribly by her father for being ill. Well, big tough guy Matteo is like, “I’ve been betrayed before and now will never get close to anyone again,” but that doesn’t last super long, and they fall in love and mafia-related chaos ensues.

‍

Before we get into what I loved so much about His Tesoro, I have to first talk about how much it means to see disabled characters shown so realistically in romance novels. Like I know there are readers out there who specifically are not fans of illness or disability in books because it’s “too real” and they only read “to escape reality.”

I know these readers exist because I’ve read their reviews on other books with disabled characters. And I know that I shouldn’t judge people for what they like to read—like at least they’re reading, you know—but I can’t help but get frustrated by those comments because chronic illness and disability is such a regular part of life for so many people, and we all deserve to see our identities represented in literature. And when people say they don’t want to read it in romance, what I hear is, “Chronically ill and disabled people don’t deserve romantic love and good sex.”

BUT I DIGRESS.

Who knew that a mafia romance novel would teach me more about when and how to use my mobility aids than any doctor?? I’m not even joking. I once had a doctor who told me, when I was 30 pounds underweight and had a feeding tube, that she didn’t think I should get a wheelchair to help combat my fatigue because I’d give up walking altogether. While I did end up seeing a different doctor who prescribed the wheelchair, I’ve still spent the last couple of years hesitating to use it and making my world unnecessarily smaller because of internalized ableism, reinforced by the ableism from the outside world.

And then I read this book and Sofiya is getting fitted for a custom wheelchair—on-page!!—and she asks how often she should use it. The physical therapist says, “You can always use your rollator when you need to, but I would encourage you to use your chair most of the time. Not only can it help when you’re in pain or experiencing dislocations, but it can also prevent them. You very well may be able to walk around if you push yourself, but you’ll pay for it afterward.”

My mouth literally dropped open when I read that. Like I was the physical embodiment of this emoji: 😦. I don’t have EDS and my issue isn’t dislocations and joint pain. But I do get fatigue, headaches, and energy crashes from exertion. And the idea that I can use my wheelchair (or other mobility aids) when I’m not feeling horrible to prevent feeling horrible was unfortunately a new but obvious-sounding concept. So, tbh, in some ways I feel like this book changed my life.

‍

There are, of course, other things I loved about His Tesoro. I loved how quickly Matteo folded for Sofiya, and how he made sure her needs were met. I loved that we got to see a really lovely friendship build between Sofiya and her bodyguard, Angelo. I loved that Sofiya constantly proved to everyone how much they underestimated her (that is truly one of my favorite tropes). I loved that a disabled character with chronic pain got to have great and fulfilling sex with a partner who learned what she needed to make it comfortable for her. And I loved that the book had humor and didn’t always take itself too seriously. AND I WANT MORE.

Which is to say, I can’t wait to see where Emilia Rossi takes this series in the future.