NICO
Series: Ruin & Revenge #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Mafia
Author: Sarah Castille
Release Date: December 6, 2016
A dangerous proposal
Las Vegas Mafia boss, Nico Toscani, is used to getting what he wants, whether it is having the City of Sin under his rule or a beautiful woman in his bed. But when he meets his match in the gorgeous, headstrong Mia Cordano, the daughter of a rival crime lord, all bets are off. . .
Sexy computer hacker, Mia, struggles to break free of her ruthless father’s Mafia ties…but she can’t resist the powerful and seductive Nico, who will stop at nothing to possess her. With their families locked in a brutal war for control of the city, Mia and Nico enter into a forbidden game. Will they surrender to the passion that burns between them—and risk tearing apart their families? Or will Nico be forced to betray the only woman who sets his blood on fire
I’m not afraid of girls with guns, bella. They either don’t know how to shoot or they don’t have what it takes to pull the trigger.”
“Then you’ve never met a woman like me.” Her hoarse, throaty voice betrayed her desire.
He leaned forward, whispered in her ear, his voice dangerously seductive. “No, but I’m looking forward to our acquaintance.”
So I have a confession…mafia romance happens to be my catnip. Well, I guess it’s not much of a confession when it’s not exactly a secret, huh? If you follow my reviews, you also then happen to know that I’m picky when it comes to them. Like super picky. Good mafia romance are hard to find. Either they lack the research, the development, the engaging characters or the believable romance at the center of it all. But this book? This happened to have all of it. In delicious spades.
Running his considerable empire in Sin City Nico is the Toscani family’s highest ranking capo. A fair but lethal man, he knows how to get things done with a combination of lethal and cunning focus. For the past ten years all he’s been working for are his vendetta for the brutal hit of his father and finally getting his seat at the top of the Toscani family that’s been denied to him so far. He’s as close as he has ever been, but all his plans take a screeching halt when a beautiful hacker turns out to me more than a sexy distraction.
As a mafia princess, Mia never wanted the life. Daughter to a cold and ruthless mafia don, she never wanted the life. She’s done everything to get as far away from the mob and build her life. But then a job gone wrong lands her at the feet of a man that shouldn’t tempt her…but does. A man that’s a deadly rival of her family and one she should steer clear of…but just may be the answer to her unknown prayers.
Admittedly, it took me a bit to wrap my head around all the players. Each character gets a description right away with their own respective backstories, and it’s a lot to keep track of at first. But then the story begins to flow and all of sudden everything begins to click. It didn’t take long before I was fully invested in not only the main characters but all the secondary characters that were introduced. The author manages to add a few additional POVs without taking away from the story and hook the reader even further.
Mia was such a great heroine; a fantastic combination of vulnerability and strength. The woman has survived hell at the hands of her father, but she continues to persevere. I loved her inner core of strength and the way she stands up for herself not only to her father but to Nico or anyone else that underestimates her. Nico was sex on a stick. He’s everything I love about a good anti-hero; dark but with a lighter shade of redeemable. There was no insta love to be found here and I appreciated that immensely. Mia and Nico’s romance was well paced and balanced. It was the perfect slow burn with delicious sexual tension.
Castille delivers a sizzling tale of revenge and romance. A story rooted in the dark and violent underbelly of the Vegas mob with well developed and multilayered characters that you can’t help but root for. It’s a well paced and highly addicting start to a series that I already know I need more of.
SOMEONE LIKE YOU
If you’re anything like me, then you’ve been both eagerly anticipating and dreading Lincoln’s book. Anticipating it because you love those irreverent playboys, and dreading because you’re afraid that you’ve been building up your expectations in anticipation. Lincoln’s story was the one I’ve been waiting for since 
Daisy is Emma’s (from 
What you see is not at all what you get with him and soon the pieces begin to click together towards the heartrending secret that he keeps. My heart went through a ringer with him. It’s impossible not to fall for him, not to feel his pain, not to want to soothe and heal him. In between the easy friendship that Lincoln and Daisy instantly develop, there was such a deep emotion interspersed with a hidden craving. God. GOD but I loved these two together.
Someone Like You was an incredibly powerful, poignant and emotional romance. It was a story of second chances and healing. It was a stunning story of finding your strength again and moving on. It’s a story of courage and love. It was absolute perfection and reminded me all over again why I first fell in love with Lauren Layne’s writing. The woman can make you feel, laugh, and love all in 228 wonderful pages. If you’ve enjoyed the rest of the Stiletto and Oxford series and you’ve been anticipating Lincoln’s story as much as I have, this is a must read. But have a box of tissues ready, because you won’t come out of it unscathed. Be ready to shed some tears and swoon over the perfect imperfection that is Lincoln Mathis.
THE PAWN
This was easily my favorite by this author to date. Gripping. Captivating. Magnetic. Dark. Erotic. It was EVERYTHING I love about a dark romance. It’s not gratuitous violence and scenes thrown in for pure shock value. It’s a mind fuck. An incredibly written, twisty, and delicious mind fuck that I couldn’t put down from beginning to finish; with a heroine you’ll want to root for, and an anti-hero that you’ll want to hate only slightly more than you love him.
Growing up in privilege and money, Avery had an enchanted life. She idolized her father, she looked forward to her future and starting college, she had a doting boyfriend that she suspected only wanted her for his status, she had little worries aside from questioning her relationship…until it all crashed down on her…
If you’re a fan of this author, and you love a well written dark romance, this is one book that you do NOT want to miss. I may go crazy in my wait for the conclusion, but I don’t regret a moment of it because I have the best book high after finishing this. All of the stars!
WOUND TIGHT
Ever since I realized that Mr. Tightpants and big and bad boss Renner Bastion was gay in 
Perfectly Paired
Lexi Blake brings the feels with this one. Big time. So sexy and swoony. I adore everything this woman writes. She has a knack for writing a romance that not only scorches but packs an even more solid punch of emotion. It’s perfectly balanced. It’s perfectly written. It’s has a couple that’s perfectly paired.
NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog int eh world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.
DOWNED
Well spank my butt and call me Larry, I did NOT expect to like this as much as I did. Now, now, don’t go getting all hissy on me, let me ‘splain. See, the thing is, for as much as I loved Ace in 
So confession time; I don’t usually like the sugary sweet heroines. But something about Bryant just grabbed me. Perhaps it was because there was always that little crack to the shiny foundation that everyone sees on the outside that humanized her. She was almost too perfect at times, but it also worked for her. She was the perfect balm that Ace’s ragged edges needed.
Did Ace redeem himself in this book? More than. THIS is the man that I was hoping was under all that false ego and bluster. You really got to see the heart of him here, and suddenly all of his past actions begin to make sense.
Title: To the Ends of the Earth (A Stripped Series Novella)
We first met Luca & Beth in Pretty When You Cry, where Luca is a bodyguard/enforcer and saves Beth from the cult. This book picks up at their beginning. I loved getting to know Beth’s story from her point of view. Beth comes from…..hell on earth. I cannot even imagine growing up in a cult. I can’t. If I even begin to think about it, I get this crazy rage inside me because it just makes me so angry. Which is why I really liked this story because Beth breaks free from that life of horror. Even though Luca saves her, she is the one who saves herself. After finding out that she is pregnant, she fights for herself and her daughter. I loved that Skye gave her a while to be on her own without Luca. I think her character truly needed that, even though it was hard. But once Luca finds her……DAYUM! Beth is still running from the cult, so Luca has to fight to protect her. He doesn’t let go. He doesn’t her leave or fight on her own any more. And he literally fights for her.
SPLIT
If there’s one thing I can tell you is that Split is one of the most unconventional and unique romances I’ve read in a long while. It’s not going to a be a book or story I’ll soon forget, and that certainly deserves some praise. The writing is engaging, the characters multi layered, and there’s enough twists and turns to keep you glued to the book from cover to cover.
Ultimately what brought my rating down was the ending. I had a really tough time swallowing all of that. I couldn’t wrap my mind around some of the choices the characters made and especially the way they dealt with them. It just wasn’t believable. And yes, I get that I’m reading a psychological thriller and fiction, but at the same time, I want some believability in the story and it just wasn’t there.
HARD COMPROMISE
Bad girl from the wrong side of the tracks.
I do believe that this may have been my favorite book that I’ve read from this author to date. I loved everything about it.
TRIPLE TROUBLE
Do you see those pathetic looking things in the corner over there? That, my friends, is my poor overworked ovaries waving the white flag of defeat. This book went and did them in. They put up a good fight but at the end the combustible chemistry between Juliet, Randy, and Tristan was just too much for them. May they rest in peace, the poor f*ckers. But damn, what a way to go.
Cari Quinn and Taryn Elliott are the magicians of dirty. Magicians, I tells ya. These two wrote a book so dirty, it put dirty to shame. It’s like triple dirty. Ha! See what I did there? But I digress. Where was I? *pause for dirty visual of one particular book scene*
Sweet mother of all that’s holy, this book was freaking hot. HOT. If you’re looking for a healthy balance of story and hot sex, look no further. You’ll get that in spades. But fair warning, I’d advise you have plenty of ice, batteries, or your significant other on hand as you’re reading. Otherwise some side effects might ensue…
