I suffered a severe case of fomo when this book was all over my fyp, so, naturally, I gave in and read it. Warning: my opinion differs from the consensus, so to speak. That being said, everyone is free to have their own thoughts about books, and it is a very subjective hobby. So here’s my book review on Bad Bishop by LJ Shen.
In a nutshell, as someone who loves most the books I read (I hand out 4-5 stars like candy), this was a disappointment. Let me tell you why…
Bad Bishop Book Overview
- Title: Bad Bishop
- Author: LJ Shen
- Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
- Series: Society of Villains #1
- Published: 04 November 2025
- Writing Style: First person (dual POV)
- Tropes: Mafia Romance, Arranged Marriage, Age Gap, Rival Families, Deaf FMC, Unhinged MMC
- Spice Rating: 3.5 – 4
- Personal Rating: 2.5 stars
- Goodreads Rating: 4.25 stars
Synopsis – He’s Deathless. She’s trying to find a reason to live.
This story follows Tiernan and Lila. Tiernan is the feared Irish mafia boss who finds himself in an arranged marriage with Lila, the daughter of the biggest mafia Don in New York.
The deal is simple. Marry his insentient daughter and form an alliance to take out the Russians. Oh, and while he’s at it — find Lila’s rapist.
Lila was raped on the night of her brother’s wedding and got pregnant. It is a scandal that the Cammorra family must bury.
But nobody expected Tiernan to quickly realize two things:
- His new wife isn’t what anyone thinks.
- He might be the only one who really sees her.
My Spoiler-Free Vibes Check
This is my first-ever book by LJ Shen, and it is the first installment in the Society of Villains series. It is a dark mafia romance, so be sure to check your triggers. Personally, I love mafia-related romances, but I am still in the process of finding one I can devour. Now, don’t come for me, but…
Bad Bishop was less than an average read for me.
I know, I know! People love it, and all the power to them.
As for my rating scale, I rate purely based on vibes and overall feel, so if you want a technical review, this probably isn’t for you ♥.
I ended up giving it 2.5 stars.
The Good
Let’s start with the things I liked. Bad Bishop by LJ Shen was not all bad.
- PLOT. The overall plot seemed decent – I honestly did not expect the big reveal at the end.
- RIVALRY. I enjoyed the rivalry between the mafia houses.
- ENZO. He may be a side character, but he is my favorite, and that is saying something since I’m usually drawn to the darker male characters.
- UNHINGED. Tiernan is the most unhinged character I’ve ever read, and LJ Shen did a good job portraying him as a little psycho.
There were also a couple of quotes that I loved:
- “Protecting you is a compulsion at this point. I’d stop the night from falling if darkness scares you, Lila.”
- “Even at your worst, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
The Bad
I had a few major hiccups with this book:
TEENAGER REFERENCES – This story includes an age gap romance, and I have no problem with it at all (it is actually one of my favorite tropes). I grew up with loving parents with the same age gap — 10 years, and my mom got married at 18. HOWEVER, he refers to her as a teenager (which is technically true), but I am not a fan of the way he says it…
- “I didn’t love her. But there was no denying we changed each other in ways that benefited both of us. I needed some of her tenderness. And she, in return, received a blank check to be who she truly was—a little fucked up, a tad violent, entirely a sexual woman who deserved to be satisfied often, and hard. With me, she could be a teenager. Messy. Emotional. Confused. She could make small mistakes without worrying about.” ~ Chapter 37.
CHEATING – The MMC full-on cheats with her at the start. I don’t care if he was under the impression that she wasn’t sentient; it was disgusting. I mean, the woman wore Lila’s dress…
THE SENSITIVE TOPIC – At the beginning of the book, Lila get’s r*ped. Of course, this is traumatic, and she decided to keep the baby. I have no problem with writing stories that include heavy topics, but there is one sentence Tiernan used towards her brothers that makes me want to gag.
- “Consider yourself lucky I haven’t r*ped her.” ~ Chapter 08.
PLOT (again) – as I said, I did not expect the big reveal at the end, and that was refreshing BUT… The whole Russian revenge plot fell a little flat for me. It doesn’t feel like there were any stakes at all, and to be honest, it felt like filler. I am hoping this plot point was only to set up something bigger in future books in this series.
My Thoughts Summary
OVERALL VIBE – It just wasn’t for me. I finished it, but it won’t make my favorites list.
So, in short:
- Bad Bishop is a good read if you are looking for dark and unhinged mafia vibes, whilst you are okay with the above-mentioned ‘bad’ parts.
- It is a 2.5-star read at most.
- It is a very open-door romance, and I was personally not a fan of the spice. Once again, that is a subjective take.
- Do I still think about it? It won’t cross my mind again after this post.
- Will I reread it? Nope.
- Do I recommend it? A very cautious maybe if that’s your cup of tea.
Other book-ish posts you might like:
Conclusion
That’s a wrap on my honest book review of Bad Bishop by LJ Shen. Remember, book reviews are subjective, and just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean other people are in the wrong for liking it.
Check your triggers before picking this one up, and let me know what you thought about it in the comments below!
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Have a great day wherever you are in the world!
Love, Steph ♥
