Book Review | Up To No Good – Abbi Glines (Mississippi Smoke Series, Book Ten)

Up To No Good
By: Abbi Glines

Series: Mississippi Smoke Series
Book # in Series: 10 of 10
Genre: mafia romance
Publisher: Abbi Glines Publishing
Publication Date: February 25th, 2026
My Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
My Reading Format: I received an advanced copy to review honestly

Synopsis:

Elsie

My eyes may have opened that morning, but the nightmare had only just begun. Not only had I lost my parents, but I didn’t even get the chance to grieve their deaths. I had to run, go into hiding, or I’d face their same fate. All I had left in this world was my best friend, and although I trusted him completely, I wasn’t sure about the place he had taken me. He swore I’d be safe with his cousins. But being told that these strangers who were going to protect me were also members of the southern mafia didn’t make me feel very safe.

Forge

We didn’t have time for this. My mom’s nephew hadn’t been around in years, yet he was dropping off some girl for us to protect while we were facing my mother’s battle with cancer. While the others in my family thought we should help the girl, I didn’t see how this was our problem. Her dad had been DEA and he should have protected his family better. No one asked my opinion, though, and here she was with those silver eyes shadowed with a heaviness that I understood. Grief. Pain. Loss. The fear that had gripped me from the moment of my mother’s diagnosis.

I’d save her, alright, but the one I was going to have to save her from was me.

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Abbi Glines continues to amaze me! I’m not typically a fan of Mafia romance novels. But Abbi Glines is quickly changing my opinion on the trope and Up To No Good had a helping hand in doing so! Up To No Good is the tenth book in the Mississippi Smoke Series by Abbi Glines. If you are new to this series, you can technically read Up To No Good as a standalone. However, I’m reading the books in this series out of order, and I can see why most recommend to read these novels in order. I wasn’t confused, but I wanted more info on a few couples that came in the books before.

I decided to skip the about the book portion of my review due to not wanting to spoil anyone. I’ve written this portion a few too many times and no matter what I add or discard, I find small spoilers. So let’s dive into my thoughts about this novel.

Having only read one book in this series, Tore Up, I wasn’t too sure what I was signing up for by picking this book up. All I know is I loved the first book and really wanted to read more in the series. No time like the present to pick up the tenth book. Where has the time gone, I had no clue I was this far behind. I was so happy this book was easily read as a standalone. There was absolutely no confusion. I do have to admit I felt an overwhelming surge of FOMO (fear of missing out). I will definitely be going back and reading the rest of the books in this series soon!

Up To No Good is Forge’s story and I absolutely loved this man and his wild and wicked ways. If you love you’re book heroes or anti-heroes to have a possessive streak and an alpha male personality, I think you’ll love this one! Forge had my heart in all sorts of twists and turns throughout this novel. All that he was going through along with, unbeknownst to him, falling in love had me really wanting to hug this man during his emotional rollercoaster of a journey. The more I got to know this character, the more I loved him! I especially loved his intense protective and slight possessive streak when it came to Elsie! Whew, this man fell hard and fast! I loved it!!

And then we have Elsie. I adored Elsie’s soft heart throughout this novel especially given the hand she was dealt. Abbi Glines amped up the emotion with Elsie’s point of views. My heart hurt for all that she went through. I loved the fact that Elsie and Forge happened upon each other when they were both on their own emotional journey. Elsie helped Forge through his and vice versa. But, I have to say, I loved the emotional aspect. However, I think I loved the feisty moments even more. The more Elsie got to know Forge, the more she let her true personality shine through. I couldn’t get enough of these one on one scenes. And that’s all I’m going to say in order to avoid spoilers.

I gave Up To No Good by Abbi Glines a five star rating because I loved everything about this novel! I loved the emotional moments and I loved the spicy moments. I loved the fact that I couldn’t put this one down and literally spent my night marathoning this novel! I haven’t done an up all night read in ages! Abbi Glines brought every single emotion to the pages of this book. My heart and my brain were invested! When I read through the rest of the series, I can imagine it’s going to be hard to top Forge and Elsie’s book in my opinion! We shall see!!

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