Review: Rocco by Sarah Castille

January 8, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

ROCCO
Series: Ruin & Revenge #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense
Author: Sarah Castille
Release Date: January 2, 2017

Mafia enforcer, Rocco De Lucchi is the best in the business.

Cold, hard and utterly ruthless, Rocco is the most dangerous of men.

Feelings are a luxury he cannot afford—until a chance encounter brings him face to face with the only woman who found her way into his heart and touched his soul.

Grace Mantini has spent her whole life running from the mob. Daughter of the boss’s right hand man, she is both a prize and a target.

When Rocco walks back into her life, she wants nothing to do with the man who betrayed her and broke her heart.

But only Rocco can protect her from the dangerous forces that seek to destroy her family.

Can they escape the hands of fate closing around them?

Or will love be the kiss of death for them both?

AMAZON | iBOOKS

Rocco (Ruin & Revenge, #3)Rocco by Sarah Castille
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 STARS


Once upon a time those eyes had looked into her soul, and those lips had touched every part of her body. Once upon a time all that beauty had belonged to her, and then the mob had stolen it away.


I love me a gritty and sexy mafia romance, and man if this book didn’t hit the spot. An enforcer, a mafia princess, and an underground power struggle war between rivaling families, all weaving together into a story brimming with sexual tension, action and suspense. Rocco was a page turner from beginning to finish.

I was an instant fan of Sarah Castille when I first read Nico, but this was definitely my favorite book in the series so far. There was just something so tortured about Rocco that I couldn’t get enough off. This is a man that never had a choice in the life he leads. A baptism by fire is an understatement for how he was introduced to it. His training and childhood guaranteed to shape him into a ruthless, coldblooded killer and enforcer for the mafia. He’s a man that makes others tremble in fear at the mere mention of his name, but struggles to feel any emotion beyond rage and hatred himself.

But one time, years ago, he was different. At one time, he had a dream of a different life with a woman that was ripped from him in much the same way he was introduced into the mafia life; violently and without mercy. She’s a woman that he never forgot and never got over. And now a mob war brings her into the epicenter of his storm, and nothing will stop him from having her again.


His kiss was everything, her world, her life, the beat of her heart, the rise and fall of her lungs, nectar for her soul. His tongue pushed through the barrier of her lips and she took him in, devoured him, hands fisting his shirt, pulling him close. Out. Of. Control.

As the daughter of the underboss, Grace Mantini isn’t a stranger to mafia. But even though she loves her brother and father who are engrained in the life, she wants nothing to do with it. Not years ago when she learned the hard truth of who her family is, and certainly not now, knowing the full depth of it. But when her life is in danger and her family looks to be the target of a hit, she has no choice but turn to the man that she once couldn’t run faster away from.

This was a roller coaster of a book; full of action and sizzling romance. While the younger version of Grace from years ago was naive and sweet, the Grace of today is different. She knows exactly who Rocco is and her reaction to what he does for a living is different. She understands the life they live is one that they can’t always run from. I loved the chemistry between the two of them. It was a pulse pounding and suspenseful ride from beginning to finish. There was also a little side story that weaved into the plot of this one with Mike. And while I wasn’t too interested in his story previously, I was downright salivating for his HEA by the end of this one.

Sarah Castille has an interesting writing style that took me a while to get used to. She has a tendency to repeat and overly describe certain mafia details that can get redundant at times. However, if you’ve never read a mafia romance before, those details wouldn’t go under appreciated.

THE SERIES

NICO | LUCA | ROCCO

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#DGRFave & Review: Reaper by A. Zavarelli

September 10, 2017 by ·

REAPER
Series: Boston Underground #2
Genre: Dark Romance, Mafia
Author: A. Zavarelli
Release Date: May 19, 2016

Sasha.

He’s dark and mysterious. Quiet and lethal.
An Irish mobster.
Pure sin wrapped up in a beautiful package.
But there’s also something off about him.
He doesn’t feel anything. He shows no emotions.
Sometimes I question his humanity.
He hasn’t spoken to me in two years. Not a single word.
But we share a secret, he and I.
And if it ever comes out, I have no doubt in my mind…
He won’t have a problem killing me too.

Ronan.
I’ve slain for her. I’ll do it again.
When it comes to Sasha, there isn’t a line I won’t cross.
I watch her. She doesn’t know it.
She thinks I hate her. Sometimes, I think I might too.
But I’m always there, lurking in the shadows.
Craving her. Trying to keep the beast within at bay.
I’ll keep her safe. I’ll slaughter anyone who tries to hurt her.
The only thing I can’t do… is protect her from myself.

****This is a full-length standalone novel full of hot Irish guys with accents. Dark mafia themes throughout. HEA included.****

AMAZON

I’ve never believed in fairytales. There is no white knight in my story. Only me. And I’m not the girl who gets the prince. I’m the girl he bangs because he can.

Holy.
Hell.

I do believe I just read one of the most tortured anti-heroes ever. And let me tell you, I’ve read A LOT of dark romance. I’ve read the violent, broody, alphahole bad boys, but all of them pale in comparison to Ronan Fitzpatrick

I’ve been called a sociopath. A monster. But I don’t fancy myself one. I’m simply a man doing a job that needs to be done. If it wasn’t me doing it, someone else would be. The men that I kill, they’ve all had it coming. They knew what they were getting themselves into. They’ve either done Niall wrong or threatened the syndicate in some way. And threats have to be eliminated, just like vermin. One of the few moral codes I still abide by. I will protect my brethren at all costs.

Cross the MacKenna syndicate, and you’ll find yourself in front of The Reaper. He’s the man that handles all of the delicate and painful jobs. When someone needs eliminating, they find themselves in Ronan’s basement, their screams forever becoming a part of the cement walls. A brutal upbringing that knew only pain, Ronan doesn’t function like any other man. He’s numb. Unfeeling. He only feels rage and breathes punishment. There’s only one person that ever stirred a different reaction in him, but she’s forever off limits to a man like him.

Damaged souls have their own beauty. A dark, terrifying beauty. The same type of beauty I recognize in Ronan. 

Sasha hasn’t had an easy life herself. Taking care of her ailing mother and protecting her younger sister put her in the crosshairs of a man that changed her life irreparably. Forced into a life she never wanted and doing whatever she can to survive, she’s tired. All she wants is to leave, move to a different place where no one knows her or her past. There’s just one problem with that; Ronan is not about to let her go.

He nudges my legs apart and pushes his palm between my legs like he owns that part of me. Who am I to argue? He does fucking own me. He’s polluted my mind so that I can only ever think of him. Only ever want him.

Their relationship is a turbulent one. Both of these characters are so completely messed up, it’s a wonder how they go through the motions at times. But yet together, they made a messed up sort of sense. They offered each other a calmness that they never found on their own. They were like violent waves on a rocky coast.

I’ve seen him kill. I’ve tasted his rage too. Tasted it so fiercely that some of it spilled over onto me, tainting me with the mark of the animal that lives inside of him. I crave that animal. I crave everything about this man with his perfect suits and his complete lack of human emotions. Maybe, just maybe, I envy him too. What it must be like not to feel anything. Anything at all.

This was such a dark, captivating story. I was glued to the pages, completely enraptured. My heart hurt for everything that Sasha went through and I wanted her to feel just a little of happiness. It made a dark sort of sense that she would find it in the arms of a ruthless killer that’s a borderline psychopath.

Ronan was just…GAH. This man. His training ensured that he feels almost nothing. No empathy. No sympathy. Most human emotions are far beyond his realm of understanding. But you see more and more of his humanity peak out with each minute he spends with Sasha.

Nobody else gets to see you like that,” he declares. “Ye’re claimed.” His words douse me in gasoline. His eyes light the match. And when he grinds himself against me, all that’s left to do is burn for him. 

I loved this gritty and sexy dark mafia romance. The story was completely unputdownable and the characters vivid and unforgettable.

THE SERIES

CROW | REAPER | GHOST | SAINT

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Dark, DGR Favorites · Tagged With: , , , ,

#DGRFave & Review: Crow by A. Zavarelli

September 6, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

CROW
Series: Boston Underground #1
Genre: Dark Romance, Mafia
Author: A. Zavarelli
Release Date: February 8, 2016

An Irish mobster. A missing friend. Two loyalties, ripping me apart.

I had a plan.

Get in, get my information, and get out. Easy, right?

Turns out, infiltrating the Irish mafia isn’t exactly what I thought it would be. I just wanted a soldier. Someone I could flirt with to get me in the door.

That’s when Lachlan Crow noticed me. Problem was, he wasn’t a soldier. No, he was next in line for the throne of the Irish underworld. And he was determined to hate me from the outset. My sob story about needing a job? Yeah, he wasn’t buying that either.

Too bad for him, I won’t let anyone get in the way of my mission.

Who cares if we have some kind of crazy chemistry? He’s the worst kind of wrong- and I would never in a million years be with a guy like him.

Because they took her from me, and I’m going to make them pay.

AMAZON

You live for the syndicate, you die for the syndicate.

FREAKING. LOVED. Where has this series been all my life?! Or rather, where have I been living that I’m only discovering it now?!

This book was EVERYTHING I love. Gritty, dark mafia romance with a seriously kick ass heroine and an anti-hero that’s just as delicious as he is dangerous.

But let’s start with the heroine, shall we?

I’m the daughter of Jack Wilder. A third generation Irish-American with champion’s blood running through my veins. I was raised on the streets of Southie, and I’m not afraid of anyone. I’ll take on every single one of those motherfuckers and I’ll do it with a smile on my face.

Mackenzie “Mack” grew up hard. After losing her underground boxer father to a brutal murder by the Russian mafia, she was left with nothing but her best friend Talia. The girls became everything to each other, sisters in everything but blood. So when Talia goes missing, Mack is determined to find her. She doesn’t buy the story that she simply left with her boyfriend. And when the cops and FBI won’t listed to her, she’s determined to do it herself…by going undercover at the strip club owned by one of the most ruthless mobs in Southie. This is what lands her in the crosshairs of Lachlan Crow.

Jaysus, woman,” he sighs. “Ye clean up your fecking mouth before I do it for you. You want to work for me ye better start acting like a lady.”
“I am a goddamn lady.” I grin.

The chemistry between these two is immediate. And what begins is a delicious game of cat and mouse, though at times you’ll wonder who the true cat is. While Crow is a force to be reckoned with and is as lethal as he is sexy, Mack is a force of her own. This is one tough chick and I loved her sass and balls to the walls attitude.

But it’s not long before lines begin to get blurred and Mack’s game is no longer a game. What happens when the man you believe holds your life is in hands is also a man you begin to crave beyond reason?

The sound of his pleasure and depravity jump starts my heart and explodes into my bloodstream. I’ve never felt anything like it before. Whatever it is, it’s ricocheting through my body, possessing me like a demon. My hands draw him closer, and the next thing I know, I’m kissing him back. Hard.

The story is downright addicting. It’s full of twists and turns and with a depraved sort of grit that kept me glued to the pages. It was violent, unapologetic, and spared no detail. And this girl? SALIVATING.

I’m not sure how this series has flown under my radar for so long, but I’m rectifying that mistake as we speak by binging on the rest of these amazing stories!

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Dark, Erotic Rom · Tagged With: , , ,

Blog Tour & Jen’s Review: Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken

August 2, 2017 by ·
  • ENRAGE
    Series: Eagle Elite #8
    Genre: Contemporary Romance
    Author: Rachel Van Dyken
    Release Date: July 31st, 2017

Part of a world I loathe.

Part of a family who hates me more than I hate myself.

Living with a girl who reminds me of my darkness.

I’m. In. Hell.

Also known as the Cosa Nostra.

My life was over the minute I stepped off that plane.

Son to a murdered mob boss.

Heir to a throne of murder and lies.

My name is Dante Nicolasi.

And there will be blood.

 

AMAZON | iBOOKS


PLEASE READ THIS SERIES!!!!! PLEEEEEASE!!!!!

I loved this book because ALL THE REASONS!!! I loved it so much, I went back to the beginning and read Books 1-7 in 1 week because I could not put them down! I know. I know. I should have read this in order. I usually don’t care about reading in order, but I truly regret it this time. It doesn’t matter because I still enjoyed every…single…moment of this series. And I just want more because I can’t get enough! Obsessed is just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to my love for this series.

à la Mode St. » fashion
He was a danger my heart didn’t recognize – because sometimes the heart doesn’t give a damn if the person who holds it kills people – it just recognizes its soul mate and beats anyway.

à la Mode St. » fashionDante. 
Men like Dante Nicolasi existed in two places. Books. And in my arms.
 Dante is the heir to a very powerful mafia line. He is violent and volatile and trained by the best of the best mafia bosses, all of them. Assigned to protect a girl in the Eagle Elite, he uses his skills to show how freaking awesome he is! Seriously, this guy. Ugh! He is all power and control but so swoony and charming. Dante is definitely one of my top favorites, especially in this series.

El.
She was the only soldier in a one-woman army
 El was a prisoner, a slave, for a long time until she was freed by the mafia bosses. She yearns for freedom but still feels trapped. I loved loved loved that Dante doesn’t coddle her or pity her or treat her too gently because of what she went through. They are both tough with each other, challenging each other through the whole book. El is strong. All of the heroines in this series are badass!

I wish I could include ALL THE QUOTES because this whole book is awesome-sauce and beautiful-sauce.

à la Mode St. » fashion
Dante turned his head toward mine and kissed me softly on the mouth, I wasn’t expecting it.
I clung to his shirt while his lips moved nimbly over mine, softly caressing my cheek and then meeting my ear. “Speak to no one.” He kissed my neck again then whispered in my other ear. “I’m serious, El. Keep your eyes forward.” Another kiss. “Head up.” His mouth fused against mine, I gasped as his tongue slid past my bottom lip, licking me up like I was better than pie, better than vanilla. “Don’t worry. I don’t lose.”
à la Mode St. » fashion
I should have read all of these books in order.

I should have known this series would kill me.

Any regrets? Not one.

I sacrificed food and hygiene for this series, for these characters, for this phenomenal story that goes down in my reading history forever. I cried. I laughed. I died. This book killed me in all the best ways. It is everything. One my of favorite MAFIA series evah!

ARC courtesy of publisher in exchange for an honest review

Dante slammed his hand into the tree, his jaw popped as he gritted his teeth together and then calm washed over him as he whispered near my ear, “Want me to kill him?”

A few people walked by and stared at us, it looked like he was kissing my neck, like we were normal college students sharing a moment.

Nope. Wrong story, kiddos.

He just offered to kill someone for offending me, run along, nothing to see here.

“After,” I said. “Kill him after he stops being useful to you, to the bosses.” I couldn’t believe what was coming out of my mouth, what I was agreeing to. “Yes.”

Dante pulled back, his face broke out into a smile. “How messed up is it that I’m actually looking forward to that moment?”

I gulped. “It’s in your blood.”

“I wish it wasn’t,” he said gruffly. “I wish I didn’t crave it — dream about it — almost as much as I wish I didn’t feel guilt every day because of it.”

I sighed and put my hands on his chest, then ran them up around his neck, he didn’t move, or flinch, so maybe we were having a moment as our mouths almost touched. “The only shame in life, is not being who you were truly born to be. If that means you kill the bad guys — kill the bad, guys Dante. Just don’t lose your soul in the process.”

“And if it’s already gone?” He croaked his eyes darkening as he slowly leaned in until his forehead touched mine.

Days ago I would have been terrified that his body was this close.

Days ago, I would have shoved him away and run.

Days ago, I would have shuddered that his bloodstained hands were running up and down my skin.

But today.

Today was different.

Today I closed my eyes and drank in the wicked scent of Dante Nicolasi, the cologne mixed with soap. I inhaled.

And opened my eyes again.

Yesterday I was angry. I was afraid.

Today. Against the tree.

Pinned by Dante’s arms.

I was safe.

“I’ll help you find it,” I whispered.

“Just don’t damn yourself in the process, El.” He cupped my face with his right hand, his eyes fell to my mouth, his half-lidded seductive look could stop a girl dead in her tracks.

The wives always talked about how attractive his father was, even at an older age.

Almost like he’d aged backward.

Dante was no different.

If it was possible for a human to get more attractive by the day — he’d be the one to prove you right.

“Are you going to kiss me again?” I asked hopefully.

“No.” He pulled away.

My heart sank into my stomach.

“Because I don’t want to start something I have no intention of stopping.”

My head jerked, our eyes locked, and I saw it. The honesty.

“Told you I’d never lie to you, El.” His voice had a warning edge to it, like I shouldn’t push him, push whatever invisible boundaries he’d mentally set up between us. His eyes never left mine.

And I knew, this was what he looked like when he was telling the truth.

His eyes pierced through my defenses in an unapologetic search for my heart, my soul.

And I let them.

“We should get to class.” I finally found my voice and started walking, he fell into step beside me.

And I spent the rest of the day thinking about the non-kiss.

And the promise that came with it.

 Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

 Website | Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter | Newsletter | Amazon | Goodreads

 

· Filed Under: A-Z, All Reviews, Blog Tours · Tagged With: ,

Review: Luca by Sarah Castille

June 28, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

LUCA
Series: Ruin & Revenge #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Sarah Castille
Release Date: June 27, 2017

Luca Rizzoli was nearly destroyed by a brutal betrayal that cost him his family. Now a ruthless crime boss in the city of sin, he lets nothing touch his frozen heart–until a smoldering encounter with a beautiful stranger ignites his passion. One night isn’t enough for a man who takes what he wants, but his mysterious temptress has slipped away.

For two years police detective Gabrielle Fawkes has lived for revenge. But a night of indulgence with a sexy stranger changes everything. Powerful, charming, and deliciously dangerous Luca, has his own private reasons for offering to help her pursue the drug lord who killed her husband. There’s a lot Luca isn’t telling her and the more she finds out the less she wants to know.

When Gabrielle becomes the target of the drug lord she has vowed to hunt down, she must do the unimaginable: place her life in a mobster’s hands. To save her, Luca must break his Mafia ties–or risk losing Gabrielle forever.

 

AMAZON | iBOOKS

There was something wild beneath the surface that his suit couldn’t hide. He had the cocky arrogance of a man who broke the rules with impunity. A man who feared nothing. A very, very dangerous man.

I was instantly sucked into the world of Ruin & Revenge when I read Nico. I was hooked, line and sinker, on these mafia bad boys. The author spares no details with he grittiness of her stories. These are not your fluffy mafia guys that you know are bad but never see their bad sides. Oh no. You see it, feel it, and downright taste it in these books. As the senior capo for the Toscani crime family, Luca may take his fashion seriously with his three piece suits, but he’s certainly not afraid to get his hands dirty. When he takes a bullet for his boss, Nico, a visit to the hospital changes everything for the man that never thought he’d find himself in love.

Revenge was all that sustained her now, and she didn’t know what would happen when revenge was gone.

Ever since her husband’s brutal murder at the hands of a vicious cartel boss, revenge is all Gabrielle knows. For two years, she’s done everything to land on the force that’s hunting down the man until it all goes terribly wrong and she ends up on the wrong side of a bullet. A chance meeting with a smooth talking stranger in a hospital is all it should have been, but Gaby finds herself drawn to him and when she seeks him out sparks fly.

Luca doesn’t know much about the blonde beauty aside from his fierce desire for her that seems to grow with each new encounter. They’re on opposite sides of the law. Their relationship is forbidden and may cost both of them everything and in the end, it just might.

You sure this is what you want, mio angelo? ’Cause I like it dirty. So dirty you’ll never get back to heaven.”

This was an entreating read, though I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book. Luca was sexy as sin, but at times the way that he was with Gabrielle was a bit…erm…fluffy for my tastes.

What does that mean?” He leaned down and kissed her, his lips warm and soft. “Roughly translated, it means you are my angel. Heaven is in your eyes. I am dazzled by you.”

I suppose their connection just felt so quick to me that I struggled to really connect to them throughout the entire book. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy these two together, because they certainly burn up the pages together. I just had a hard time connecting the brutal mafia capo to the sweet talking lover during super dirty sexy times.

I did enjoy Garbrielle and her take charge attitude. She was a great fit for Luca and I loved the way she fought for him even when the odds were stacked against them.

My other minor quibble is I saw the twist at the end coming pretty early on. Granted, it wasn’t exactly how I thought it would play out. But it was pretty darn close to fizzle some of the enjoyment of the ultimate revelation at the end there.

All in all, I did enjoy this story and I love the way we continue getting bits and pieces of future characters, because man oh man am I craving me some Frankie now. The man is ice cold and I can’t wait to meet the woman that will thaw his heart.

If you’re looking for a sexy and gritty mafia romance, definitely look no further. While it wasn’t a 5 star read for me, it was a damn enjoyable 3.5 and I’d definitely recommend it for readers that like anti-heroes with a whole lot of grit to them

THE SERIES

NICO
MY REVIEW | AMAZON

LUCA
AMAZON

ROCCO (Releasing January 2, 2018)
AMAZON

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Release Blitz & Review: Torrid by Nikki Sloane

June 15, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

TORRID
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: Nikki Sloane
Release Date: June 13, 2017

Vasilije Markovic is the prince of the Serbian mafia and one of the most powerful men in Chicago. His smile may be razor sharp, but he’s crueler than the devil.

I’m playing a dangerous game and betting my life I’m going to win. I pretend to be his pawn. I do as he says and move where he tells me, letting him think he’s in control as I position myself for revenge.

Every turn brings us closer. His grin doesn’t seem as evil when we’re alone. Behind closed doors, I welcome his unrelenting and vicious personality. He’s confessed all his secrets, but I’m holding one back and it’s a game changer.

If I survive the board, this pawn turns into a queen. I become the most powerful player and send all the other pieces running.

To get what I want, I must make sacrifices, but am I willing to draw the line at him?

 

Torrid by Nikki Sloane is NOW AVAILABLE!

The release week special edition features a BONUS BOOK of Sordid (previously banned on Amazon!)

AMAZON | iBOOKS | NOOK | KOBO

He looked like a guy who wanted to fuck me and throw me away, just like my father had done to my mother. The difference was I knew who I was dealing with. I might not outsmart the devil, but I was willing to deal with him.

If it’s dark, depraved, and with a splash of kinky…this girl is ALL over it. What? Why are you looking at me like that? It just so happens that I have a serious reader hard-on for the fucked up ones. And prince of the Serbian mafia, Vasilije Markovic? Oh he’s every single kind of fucked up. *pervy shudder*

His tongue tangled with mine as we battled for control over my mouth. I lost, of course. He was the devil and tasted like sin. Dark, delicious evil.

Pretending to be the pawn in the game of a devil is a dangerous game, but it’s exactly where circumstances find Oksana. Hiding a secret that can cost her her life and on a mission that just as may save it, she’s playing with a man that shouldn’t be toyed with. Vasilije is cold, ruthless, and for some depraved reason in the very dark part of her mind, draws her in. There’s nothing between them but power play and kinky sex, until something more begins to develop. But can either of them survive when all the secrets finally get revealed?

Her kiss was a fist wrapped in velvet. I kept my defenses down and let her deliver one blow after another. Kiss after soft, gentle kiss, lulling me in. I wouldn’t feel the damage until it was too late.

Torrid was a deliciously depraved read from beginning to end. It was just the right amount of dark with a splash of intrigue and a whole lot of sexy.

There’s nothing I hate more in my dark reads than a simpering weak heroine, so I’m thrilled at the way that Oksana was portrayed. This is no weak little butterfly. She’s a serpent in her own right and the more you find out about her the more her connection to Vasilije makes sense. This is a woman that’s not afraid to give as good as she takes, and man but does Vasilije make her take. *fans self*

As for Vasilije? The man is all kinds of messed up and I love him for it. Deep beneath the fancy suits and heart of a killer, there’s also something else. Something that beats only for Oksana. And I loved seeing that connection form throughout the story. This is no insta love story and I appreciate how believable the author made it seem. I didn’t have a chance to read the first book since it was banned from Amazon, but now I’m super intrigued with Luka after getting a peek into the Markovic brothers in this one. I’ve been a fan of this author since Three Simple Rules and I’m even more hooked on her words now. The woman can write dark just as well as she writes smutty and I can’t wait for more!

Torrid was dark, deliciously dirty, slightly depraved, and a lot addicting. If you’re a fan of gritty mafia romance with a whole lot of steam, you can’t go wrong with this book!

Nikki Sloane landed in graphic design after her careers as a waitress, a screenwriter, and a ballroom dance instructor fell through. For eight years she worked for a design firm in that extremely tall, black, and tiered building in Chicago that went through an unfortunate name change during her time there. Now she lives in Kentucky and manages a team of graphic artists. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, is married with two sons, writes dirty books, and couldn’t be any happier.

Stalk Nikki:

Website: http://www.nikkisloane.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikkisloaneauthor/?fref=ts

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AuthorNSloane

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2fsTzpI

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NikkiSloane

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Review: Black Sheep (Dark Desires book 2) by @ZCoxBooks

March 17, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

BLACK SHEEP
Series: Dark Desires #2
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Author: Zara Cox
Release Date: March 14, 2017

In a family of cold-hearted black sheep, 
I, Axel Rutherford, am the blackest.

My father has hated me since the day I was born. The feeling was mutual. In the shady underworld that was my legacy, Cleo McCarthy became my light. She was beautiful, passionate, and my whole world. So naturally my father had to destroy us. First he sent me away. Next he claimed Cleo as his own. But now I’ve returned, and nothing will stop me from taking back everything that is rightfully mine.

He was the love of my life – when my life was still my own.

We were young enough to believe we would last forever, Axel and I. But neither of us realized how cruel life – and our families – could be. Now I’m trapped in a gilded cage: desired by Axel, who must never know the full truth, and controlled by his father, who would sooner see me dead than free. And I wouldn’t even care, except that it’s no longer only my life at stake

AMAZON | iBOOKS

In a family of cold-hearted black sheep, I, Axel Rutherford, am the blackest. Abundantly despised by my three brothers, actively hated by my father. She was the golden princess. Put on earth to test every single one of my hardened edges. And I happily burned away every last one for her.

If I said that I was an insta-fan of this author after I finished I, Porn Star, this book solidified it. Damn. Just damn. Zara Cox knows how to weave one complex and erotic tale that’s equally spine tingling and toe curling. It’s addicting and twisty and downright intense.

Her eyes tell me she hates me. Her body beckons me with the promise of transcendental lust.

If you like a good second chance romance with a healthy dose of hate lust mixed in to blur the edges, all wrapped in a story with dark undertones and enough twists and suspense to keep you glued to the pages from start to finish, you’ve found your next read.

Whatever twisted roles fate may have chosen to star us in, the savage power of our mutual feelings for each other will never diminish.

Being born to a cruel and abusive father intent on hardening his sons enough to help run his mafia empire has hardened Axel. He’s the black sheep of the family, the son that wants nothing of his father; not his name and not his infamy in the dark underbelly of organized crime. He dreams of escaping the life with the only person that makes his heart beat and gives him hope. But that hope gets ripped away from him with a jarring betrayal that now years later still continues to haunt him. Losing everything and the one person he always thought he could trust is enough to change a man and change the course of his life forever. Now Axel lives and breathes vengeance. His father will pay, and if the woman that’s now back in his life after costing him everything is the pawn that he’ll have to use in this brutal game, so be it.

Once upon a time, when my addled state didn’t know better, I stupidly believed the phenomenon of our gazes connecting had the power to stop the world from spinning. That view has altered significantly.

As a young girl, Cleo loved Axel with everything she was worth. He was her everything…until he wasn’t. Forced back into his orbit by an arrangement in which she’s nothing but a puppet on a string of a cruel master that dangles the one thing she wants in exchange for her cooperation isn’t what she wants, but she’ll do it. Even if it forces her to own up that while she hates the man he is now and doesn’t see a remainder of the boy she once loved in him, the carnal effect his mere presence has on her hasn’t changed even a little.

You may have condemned my decayed soul and closed your heart to me, but in some respects, nothing has changed. Your body will always sing the perfect tune for me.”

Black Sheep delivers on another twisty story full of betrayal and revenge. Zara Cox is truly a master of her craft and I’m absolutely captivated by her writing style and the characters she creates. I couldn’t put this book down for even a second. I walked the edge between hating and loving Axel. But between all the secrets and twists that kept unearthing, my mind was too busy spinning to focus on any singular emotion.

She never needed a gentle knight in shining armor. So I become her marauder.

Axel was perfection. He was a dirty talking, angsty, domineering and deliciously sexy perfection. My heart broke for him and what he’d been through. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for all the secrets to finally get revealed so the puzzle pieces can click together. And let me just tell you, when they did? Mind. Blowing. Yet another addicting installment in what’s now become a favorite series of mine. I absolutely can’t wait for more!

I want to roar with rage. I want to fuck until I explode into a million pieces. This is what she does to me. What she’s always done.

Each book in the Dark Desires series is a standalone in an interconnecting world. So if you’ve read the first book, you’ll appreciate Quinn’s cameo in this one 🙂

DON’T MISS THE FIST BOOK IN THIS SIZZLING SERIES!

BEAUTIFUL LIAR (Previously published as I, Porn Star)

I may be Quinn Blackwood, occasional user of prescribed meds to keep the demons in check, who moonlights as Q, porn star to an exclusive few who pay millions for my work. And I may be an unhinged asshole with serious daddy issues. But no one said I wasn’t a giver.

PURCHASE | READ MY REVIEW

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New Release & Review: Menace by @JMDarhower

January 16, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

MENACE
Genre: Dark Romance, Mafia
Series: Scarlet Scars #1
Author: JM Darhower
Release Date: January 16, 2017

Once upon a time, there was a guy who got so fed up with life that he resorted to murder and mayhem just to feel alive.

Lorenzo Gambini is bored. So fucking bored. Most people either annoy him or avoid him, afraid to face him. Figuratively. Literally. With his face partially disfigured, scarred, he looks every bit the monster the stories make him out to be: the notorious menace they call Scar. They say he’s a sociopath. Maybe he’s a psychopath. Whatever path he’s on, people tend to stay far away from it.

Until one day, a young woman bumps right into him–a woman just as fed up with life, but for much different reasons. With a Scarlet Letter inked on her wrist and secrets buried deep in her soul, Morgan Myers is running from something… or maybe somebody. Lorenzo isn’t quite sure.

You can bet your ass he’s going to figure it out, though.

AMAZON

He’s excitement. He’s adrenaline.
He makes my heart do stupid shit.
Shit my heart shouldn’t be doing.
Because everything that turns me on about him could also snuff me out.

Want to know a recipe for a whole lot of awesome?

Take one part heroine that’s snarky, sarcastic, as strong as she is broken, can stand her own with anyone, has enough sass and backbone to make her awesome from start to finish.

Take one part anti-hero that’s as hot as he is totally f*cked up. Make him have an internal monologue that will have your cringing one minute and cracking up the next. As a matter of fact take one part Deadpool sort of snarky humor…

I’m starting to understand what everyone says about you.”
“And what, pray tell, do they say? Don’t leave me in suspense here.”
“That there’s something seriously wrong with you.”
“Oh, well, I could’ve told you that. There’s a lot wrong with me.”

and mix that with some mafia bad*ss!

Mix in a part of mystery.

Add a splash of plot twist.

Sprinkle in some super f*cked up secondary characters.

Get the beyond amazing JM Darhower to blend it all together with her signature mix of grit and sex.

And now, my friend, you got yourself one addicting little cocktail. Uhem.

If you’ve read Target on Our Backs, you’re already familiar with Lorenzo and his particular brand of crazy. And make no mistake, the man is definitely NUTS.

I seem to forever exist in a gray area of life, caught in a web somewhere between homicidal and suicidal

He’s violent, screwed up, borderline sociopath. His past demons don’t haunt his present because they’re probably scared shitless of a man that doesn’t fear death. Does he have a backstory? Absolutely. And it’s as devastating as it is f*cked up. Will you be panting for him throughout the entire book even knowing all that? Abso-freaking-lutely!

He stares at me, not a flicker of emotion showing on his face. There’s almost something inhuman about it.

Morgan aka “Scarlet” was easily my favorite heroine that this author has written to date. This is a woman that’s running but with a purpose and using any means possible to get what she wants. She’ll pick pockets, lie, and use her body if she has to. She’s full of nails and vinegar. She’s sassy, sarcastic, snarky and everything I love. She’s broken but not defeated. If anything her weakness just make her that much stronger. She was a fascinating combination vulnerable and deadly.

This is not a story of insta lust or insta anything. These two have a rocky start and an explosive continuation. And by explosive, I mean that in all sense of the word.

Holy fuck. This man and those hands… he doesn’t play fair. At all. He presses buttons he’s got no business pressing.

I loved her internal monologue almost as much as I loved Lorenzo’s

He curves his fingers, hitting that sweet spot deep inside. The unicorn found the fucking Holy Grail.
Didn’t even need a map.
He navigated right there.

Yeah. See what I mean?
This was told in dual POV and I gobbled it up! It was violent and gritty, taking you right into the underbelly of the worst sort of criminal organizations. It’s sexy with just the right amount of humor mixed it. I loved it is what I’m trying to tell you here. I’m already itching for the conclusion. ITCHING I tells ya!!!

I just think about how fucked up it is to realize that heroes are make-believe but monsters are real. That’s the world we live in. There’s no knight in shining out there. It’s just me, trapped in a world filled with fire-breathing dragons.

GRIEVOUS, book 2 in the Scarlet Scars and the conclusion, releases in February

Add it to your Goodreads now!

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Review: Torture To Her Soul by J.M. Darhower

January 5, 2017 by ·

TORTURE TO HER SOUL
Series: Monster in His Eyes #2
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: J.M. Darhower
Release Date: September 29, 2014

Don’t say it unless you mean it…

It’s a simple concept, one I’ve said time and again, but something people don’t seem to comprehend. You should choose every syllable carefully, because you never know when somebody will hold you to your word.

Somebody like me.

I’m not a good man. I’m not. I know. I have enough darkness inside of me to rid the world of every stitch of light. But there’s one I could never harm, one light I couldn’t bring myself to snuff out.

Karissa.

She thinks I’m a monster, and maybe I am. I taunt her with my touch, get a thrill out of torturing her soul. But I’m not the only one. The world is full of monsters, and I’m not the most dangerous one out there.

Not even close…

God help me, I love her.

I do.

And God help anyone who tries to take her from me.

AMAZON 

We’re a tragedy in the making. The game of tug-of-war we’re playing will end up destroying us, because she doesn’t have it in her to surrender, and I can’t let go. It’s something else I love about her. There’s a fight in her. But it’s a fight that’ll be our downfall. Because I have that same fight in me. 


Can I just say how much I LOVED getting the conclusion entirely in Naz’s POV? Because NAZ!!! FREAKING NAZ!

Tell me how you want it to be. Tell me what you need from me.” I’ll give her anything. I’ll tear my fucking chest open with my bare hands, rip out my heart and hand it to her, if that’s what she needs. All she has to do is tell me. All she has to do is ask.

Sometimes the line between good and bad isn’t so black and white. Sometimes it’s somewhere in the very depths of gray. And that’s exactly what you get with Naz. This is a man that’s done plenty of bad things and makes no apologies for it. He fully accepts who he is and what he’s become. He’s a man driven by pain and revenge. A man that’s sold his soul to the devil for a chance at vengeance. But Karissa has changed him irrevocably. He’ll still go to war and cover the streets in blood, but now it’s all for her.

She’s trying to be unbreakable but I’m unshakeable. She’s going crazy, and I’m already goddamn insane. I clipped my jailbird’s wings so she couldn’t fly away from me, and then I wonder why the fuck I can’t make her soar.

Being inside his head was an experience of dark and darker. And while you know it’s wrong, you just can’t find it in you to care even a little bit.

Torture To Her Soul was exactly what I hoped and so much more. J.M. Darhower knows how to weave one hell of a story and she’s a master of words. She’s given me some of my favorite mafia anti-heroes and I hope she never stops.

Second chances don’t come easily. Most people don’t get them. Most people don’t know what it’s like to come back from the brink of death. It changes people. It certainly changed me.

DON’T MISS THE FIRST BOOK IN THIS SERIESAMAZON | MY REVIEW

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Dark, Erotic Rom · Tagged With: , , ,

Review: Nico by Sarah Castille

December 8, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

nico-reviewNICO
Series: Ruin & Revenge #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Mafia
Author: Sarah Castille
Release Date: December 6, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

nico

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

 

Buy LinksAMAZON | iBOOKSReview-DGR4 starsnico-dgr-teaser

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.

Dio mio, you test a man to the limits.”

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.

Tonight I’m going to fuck you like the bad girl you are. You’re gonna learn who you belong to. Your voice is going to be hoarse from screaming your pleasure. And when we’re done, you’re gonna beg me for more.”

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.

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