VERONA BLOOD
Series: California Blood #1
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: Lili St. Germain
Release Date: May 29, 2018
An arranged marriage. A brutal abduction.
And a love so forbidden, it might destroy them both.
San Francisco is going to burn if the coveted princess of California’s criminal underworld isn’t returned to her family in one piece …
Avery Capulet is missing.
Taken by a madman. Kept in the dark.
She might not survive.
He’ll use her body. Destroy her mind. All before he ever lays a hand on her.
Rome Montague is a drug dealer. A criminal. A thief.
And he needs the secrets Avery and her family are keeping – even if it means cutting them out of her pretty Capulet flesh.
Rome Montague is missing – but nobody will miss him.
Not that it matters; After the things he’s done to this girl, he doesn’t deserve to be found.
Prepare to step into the dark and bloody underworld of California, as Lili St. Germain brings you a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, in the same vein as her bestselling Gypsy brothers series.
Verona Blood, set in the criminal underbelly of San Francisco, follows two warring families who are ruled by blood, power and twisted desire.
She was second-in-line for a throne that her older sister had already been molded to fit. I was the ruins of a family legacy that had soared too high, and crashed spectacularly, the sole survivor of a broken dynasty.
Well…hell. That was certainly…something.
If you’ve read St. Germain’s Gypsy Brothers series, then you already know that her mind can take you to some dark places. The woman’s brain is downright devious, and she writes dark and depraved like no one else. Verona Blood may be a modern twist on Romeo and Juliet, and while it certainly focuses on two star-crossed lovers, there’s not much love that shines through in this story just yet.
The first in the series throws you deep into the underbelly of organized crime and the sacrifices made for family in blood. It’s gritty as hell. It’s violent and spares no detail. If you’ve read ANY book this author has written before, you’ll know that she’s not afraid to go there. And boy does she in this book.
Verona Blood introduces Avery Capulet, as she faces the ultimate reality of being forced to marry a man that she doesn’t love for the good of her family and the order of her father. Avery is headstrong and willful, but she’s not about to say no to her father. But a sick twist of fate lands her in the sights of a psychopath, and then her nightmare truly begins.
I’ll admit, there were parts of this book that were extremely difficult to read. And I’ve read some dark books. But what I truly appreciate about Germain’s writing, is she doesn’t do it for shock value. The depravity and violence truly serves to drive the plot forward, and as dark as it may be, it fits. This book is no walk in the park. It’s damn disturbing. But color me officially hooked.
In the style of her Gypsy Brothers, this is more of a novella length. I read it in 2.5 hrs and was left with my jaw on the floor by the end. It was long enough to hook you, yet short enough to leave you craving more. I’m equally curious and terrified to see what the next book in this series will reveal.
Thank you so much! I LOVE everything you said and can’t wait for you to read Burn in Your Blood <3