Review: The Don by Serena Akeroyd

THE DON
Series:
The Valentini Family Book 1
Genre: Mafia Romance
Author: Serena Akeroyd
Release Date: August 26, 2021

Blood stains my hands, my soul, my heart, yet I’ll shed more to keep her safe.

A chance meeting brings Jen MacNeill into my life—the woman born to reign at my side.

She just doesn’t know it yet.

How could my Lady be anything other than a silken promise taunting me with every breath she takes?

A new Don reigns over Manhattan.

But though I won the war, peace isn’t easily brokered.
Over a decade of avenging my father’s death, I made many enemies.
To each and every one, Jen’s a target.

But I’ll paint NYC red before I let them harm her.
I just never imagined I’d be in the line of fire first…

A heart broken by grief can feel no guilt or shame with the brutality in which vengeance is delivered.

This is the first part of ‘The Oath’ duet in The Valentini Family series.

AMAZON

She was a witch… A witch who’d enchanted me. Bedeviled me. Tormented me. I was more than okay with that, so long as I enslaved her in return.

So…real talk. When a book starts off with the butt stuff and still manages to deliver on the sexual tension, you know I’m all over it, right? Right.

But really, I’m a sucker for a good mafia romance. I got introduced to Serena’s writing with Storm and became an insta fan. The second I saw the promotion of this duet, I was itching to get my grabby little hands on it. I already knew the woman can deliver some grit and I needed my fix.

The Don is book one of The Valenti Family duet and interconnects with her Five Points series. Now I haven’t read that series yet, but had no problems understanding the nuances of the various relationships here. Jen is Aoife’s best friend from Filthy. This was a heroine I instantly connected with. And not just because she has the balls to barge into a Don’s office and demand butt stuff, but because the woman is simply kick ass. She’s a self professed gold digger and daughter of a whore, who has had to fight for everything she has. A chance meeting with Luciu inevitably changes the course of her life. She knows he’s mafia, she knows he’s dangerous but yet she can’t stay away from him.

Now I’m not usually a fan of insta anything. And there’s definitely some insta lust here that skates the edge of insta love, which isn’t usually my cuppa. And when I tell you that, I mean Luciu falls first which is my cuppa. So I’m invested here.

The majority of this book focuses on their budding relationship, which admittedly did feel a bit too lengthy for me. Don’t get me wrong, the sexy times were hot, but I wanted more meat to the bones of this story too, which only began to take place at the end. And then the cliffhanger hits you with all the subtlety of a ten by four and I’m dying for book 2. Did I enjoy this? Absolutely. Do I need book two? Desperately! Should you read it? Yes m’am. If you love a good mafia romance, check this out.

Review: Storm by Serena Akeroyd

STORM
Genre: Contemporary, MC Romance
Series: Dark and Dirty Sinners’ MC #8
Author: Serena Akeroyd
Release Date: July 29, 2021

STORM

You hate me.

I deserve it.

The day I betrayed the love of my life was the day I lived up to every messed-up thing my haters say about me.

But I’m tired of feeling like a POS.

I’m tired of being broken.

I’m tired of life not being worth living.

It’s time now to make amends, and to earn my woman’s love back.

To be the father my kid deserves,

the Old Man I should always have been.
Join me for the ride as I become worthy of my family.

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll surprise you.

This book deals with infidelity. If this is a trigger for you, but you loveA Dark & Dirty Sinners’ MC series, please be assured, that this is the ONLY book that can be skipped in the reading order.

AMAZON

I was trying to live like a fucking priest, but I was a sinner. There was no hiding from it. No evading it.”

I’m speechless right now.
Ruined.
Wrecked.
Completely overwhelmed with feels.

This book. THIS. BOOK. I don’t even have the words for all that I feel right now.

I have never read this author. I also haven’t read any of the other books in this series. But when I read the blurb to this book, I had zero chill. I had to read it and I took a chance to read it completely out of order without having read the rest of the series. And you know what?
I’m a sucker for a redemption story. I’m an even bigger sucker for a gritty MC. And I’m absolutely gone for a cheating redemption story. So long as it fits the story, of course. And this story? It was all of the things.

So you’re just being possessive?”
“No.”
“What is it then?”
“I want what’s best for her. I just wish that were me.”

This story was a kick straight to the feels. Storm was emotional, gritty, unapologetic, and completely unforgettable.

Now let’s address the elephant in the room. This series is not really read as standalones. But you can easily read this book and enjoy it without having read the others because there’s perfect amount of background given.

Let’s not address the other elephant in the room. Cheating. If that’s not your thing, don’t read this book. Seriously. But I happen to love the angst of a good cheating story. The book starts out with Storm and Keira already separated following the events of his f*ckups. The story is told in part present and flashbacks to the past. You’re taken deep into the heart and soul of an incredibly broken and damaged man. You get to wade throw his pain, his regrets, and ultimately his redemption.

Now you’re probably saying to yourself, cheating is never acceptable. Well, in the case of this book, I disagree. I love reading redemption stories and I love seeing the ugly side of love. And Storm’s story is not a light one but man was it good. He’s not a perfect man. He’s not even a good man. But he’s a man that would do anything for his family and would break himself apart for his estranged wife. Including tattooing “Property of Keira” and piercing his dick with a padlock that only Keira has a key to. Even though they’re not together and he has no hope they ever will be.

They met when Keira was just 19 and the growth they both go through is painful and uplifting all in one. Storm is a man with vices. He’s a recovering addict and so far from perfect, but man my heart just went out to him. Watching these two slowly find their way to each other again is one of the most painful and fulfilling experiences I’ve had from a book in a long while. I also loved the way the cheating is handled. Look I get that it’s not everybody’s cuppa, but if someone was going to write a cheating hero and redeem him, there is no better book than this one. And that extra epilogue? Wrecked me.

Keira and Storm’s love story is not a pretty one. It’s definitely not a smooth one. These are both incredibly broken and damaged characters. They’re not perfect and they’re not innocent. But watching the growth they both go through was incredible. And watching them find their way back to each other while facing all the odds against them was an experience unlike any I’ve had in a long while.

I could probably write an entire novel for my review with all the feels I have for this book, but I won’t. What I’ll tell you is this is a book that you simply need to take a chance on. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s a slow burn. A painful and beautiful second chance romance that owned me from beginning to finish. The last time I had this many feels with a book, I was reading Undeniable. Serena just got herself a new stalker….erm…fan. Because I just grabbed the rest of this series on KU and see a binge on the horizon.

Copyright © 2015 · Dirty Girl Romance

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