Review – Mafia King by C.D. Reiss

Mafia King; DiLustro Arrangement #2 
(#2 in a trilogy)

Publication Date: June 15, 2021

Genre/Tropes: Mafia/Arranged Marriage/Dark Romance

Author: C.D. Reiss

Review Rating: 4.5 Gold Stars

Review/Synopsis:

Review:

Mafia King is the middle story of this dark trilogy and it picks up right where Santino and Violetta left us on the edge of our seats.

Violetta is horribly upset after finding out she wasn’t Santino’s first choice, which is a turn from how she originally felt. Violetta is up and down and her emotions are all over the place as she continues to sort through what she learns about her place in Santino’s life.

We also learn more about Santino’s place in the mafia world and how he moved within that world throughout his life. Santino is definitely a complex man the more we get to know him, both his hard, beastly side, and his tender, caring side it’s easy to see why Violetta’s emotions shift as well.

I really loved getting a closer look into Santino’s life and I hope Violetta opens up and gets to know the man beneath the monster she makes him out to be.

If I had one complaint it would be that just when these two were getting along, Violetta would take a hard stance on what she felt was justice in a world she honestly wasn’t familiar with and throw their relationship completely out of whack. Yes, it would also create some serious heat between the sheets as they fought, but the extra plot around the smexy times was sometimes too much. It seemed to circle over and over again that the world they live in is based on tradition and you don’t break tradition and while Violetta was raised more American than traditional Italian, Santino tried to remind her that his business was something she shouldn’t mess with. While I understand both sides of their argument as it would come up, that argument just came up a lot. Personally, I enjoyed the moments that focused on Violetta and Santino learning about and focusing on each other, but that is of course my opinion.

As this is the second book in a trilogy, it does end on a shocking cliffhanger and will conclude in the third book. 4.5 stars overall.

Synopsis:

Santino is my king. My lover. My husband.

He’s the head of the Cavallo crime family and the moment he choked my vows from me, my life was bound to his.

I’m done fighting my fate, until I hear two rumors, and I’m shaken to the core.

One rumor about the past—that I wasn’t the first bride Santino took.

Another about the future—a new bride is about to be taken.

Changing the old ways is like dousing the flames of hell with tears.

But I married the devil himself, and when I vowed to obey, I lied.

Book two of three in the The Dilustro Arrangement.

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Review – Enemy Down by Cathryn Fox

Enemy Down; End Zone #2 
(A standalone within a series)

Publication Date: June 8, 2021

Genre/Tropes: New Adult/Close Proximity/Sports Romance

Author: Cathryn Fox

Review Rating: 5 Gold Stars

Review/Synopsis:

Review:

From the beginning I was mesmerized by this couple. Christian and Maize are both powerful, stubborn, young adults, but they blazed with a passion that kept me turning the pages long into the night.

Christian and Maize have a history dating back to high school and not a good history at that. Even though they’ve been attending the same college for the past four years they have been able to avoid one another until Christian’s football injures Maize.

The story weaves together so beautifully and also sinfully…cause whew…the  steamy times were A.Ma.Zing!! There is almost nothing better than hawt, and I’m talking hawt bedroom times, mixed in with a little giggling and sweet emotion. Christian and Maize brought it all and I was there for every moment.

These two both admit they are stubborn and work hard to get what they want. From the very beginning they both admit that neither want a relationship and continue to circle back to this point throughout the book, even when they might be feeling something more. Let me bring up that stubborn point again. I love how hard they try not to fall for each other, while doing that very thing.

Fall in love with this smexy couple and turn pages late into the night like I did. It’s totally worth it!

Synopsis:

A regimented life on the track is the reason I’m a Kingston College scholarship student.

But a wayward football—thrown by Christian Moore, the rich guy who ruined my reputation in high school—threatened to rob me of my future.

Desperation drove me to do something foolish.

Something that put my body in the hands of the guy I hate.

I didn’t want to like his touches. I didn’t want to crave him.

But everything in the way he devoured me turned me inside out and made me forget this was just a game.

Now I fear he’s going to ruin me again…in ways there will be no coming back from.

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