ASIN: B017RQP25W
Print Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: August 30, 2016
Sold by: Hachette Book Group
Blurb
Greed. Ambition. Violence. Those are the “values” Olivia Rashidi learned from her Russian mob family-and the values she must leave behind for the sake of her daughter. When she meets Cillian O’Malley, she recognizes the red flag of his family name . . . yet she still can’t stop herself from seeing the smoldering, tortured man. To save her family, Olivia sets out to discover Cillian’s own secrets, but the real revelation is how fast-and how hard-she’s falling for him.
Plagued by a violent past, Cillian is more vulnerable than anyone realizes. Anyone except Olivia, whose beauty, compassion, and pride have him at “hello,” even if she’s more inclined to say good-bye to an O’Malley. While his proposal of sex with no strings seems simple, what he feels for her isn’t, especially after he learns that she belongs to a rival crime family. Cillian knows that there is no escape from the life, but Olivia may be worth trying-and dying-for . . .
I’d been worried about Cillian. So lost and so hurt. Olivia’s been carrying around her own pain. Who better to understand the trials and tribulation associated with being a member of a mob family than a bird strutting around with the same feathers?
Both are so troubled it’s a surprise that they could be of any use to anyone else, let alone each other. However, throw some hot sex in the mix; and the mystery is solved. They wanted each other in a primal way. Neither was in a position emotionally to handle anything more than sowing some wild oats. They were both on the same page,- or shall I say up against the same brick wall- so why the hell not?
Oh, because Cillian wants a little more than a just a dunk of his junk, so he is forced to stand his ground. Olivia bothered me a little at first. I understood her hesitancy; but she took it a little too far – just for a moment. Thankfully, she quickly returned to my good graces. I can’t enjoy a book when I dislike one of the main characters. I do like that she was strong and went after what she wanted. She was also a really great mother. I did feel bad for her being in the situation she was in, though. Just like I do with all the H/H in the series. Cillian’s behavior was a pleasant surprise. Of course readers get a taste of him in the previous books, but I had been on the fence about how I felt about him. I knew I’d grow to love him though, once I got to his story. And I was right. He’s a sweetie, which is probably a strange thing to say about someone in his occupation. But hey, that’s the way the series goes. You don’t love to hate them, you just love them.
There was more to deal with than just the usual family drama. Baby daddy just wasn’t right. Shame, shame, and more shame. Bad, bad, daddy.
And on a different note, Dmitri (the trouble-maker from The Wedding Pact) birthed a human chromosome or two. Talk about a jaw-dropper. The slight shift in his behavior makes me wonder if I’m about to like him. We shall soon find out, because I’m definitely going to continue with the series.
Rating system: Cups of Coffee (the less the better)
0: You won’t need any coffee to stay up for this one. It’s intriguing enough all on its own.
1: You’ll stay up late, but not all night. Brew one cup.
2: You’ll read as long as you’re not tired. If you are, two cups should do the trick.
3: I hope you got plenty of rest; you’ll need it, or at least 3 cups.
4: If the cable goes out, read the book. It’s better than nothing, I guess. Oh, don’t forget your brew!
5: Find anything else to do- it doesn’t matter what it is. Don’t waste your coffee. Too much caffeine is bad for you.
My rating: 1 cup of coffee