Wintering with George , the second book in the With George series by Mary Calmes, is hard to be defined as a standalone series as its main characters are supported by and has its foundation knowledge based in two of this author’s most popular series (see list below).
However, Wintering with George is set two years after the events of the first novel and Calmes is able to give George and Kurt’s relationship a depth only time makes realistic. There’s still plenty of struggles and doubts, especially when George is still being unexpectedly called to duty for missions he can’t talk about.
That strain feels raw and the fear real. This is when the one person POV becomes intuitive because Calmes narrative has to include Kurt’s complex feelings, but from George’s perspective. That’s a difficult thing as Kurt has a tendency to want to psychoanalyze events and knows the boundaries where they should stop. It’s a great dynamic that we need to see more of.
It’s time to meet Kurt’s small family. Another great background story here and that turns into the main narrative going forward.
There’s plenty of action. Dogs and George’s cat, Bub. Kids to break up the adult action and add to the heartwarming atmosphere. Calmes has the best elements down pat here.
Except one.
We really need one more book to complete the trilogy and series. I hope we get it. This is too good to leave at two stories.
George Hunt is certain that spending time with his boyfriend’s family over the holidays will be a disaster. How can it not? For starters, he knows nothing about families, never having had one, as for the rest…talk about pressure. What if he messes up, says the wrong thing, and ends up losing the most important person in his life? Dr. Kurt Butler is his miracle; George can’t afford any missteps. But if he’s careful and does everything right, perhaps they’ll see his good qualities instead of the lethal ones.
Sometimes, though, fate lets you put your best foot forward, and George gets to show off how handy he is to have around when bullets start flying. If he can keep everyone alive long enough to do some wintering, maybe he’ll discover that a family is something worth having after all.
It’s hard to put a rating to this book and mini-series about a beloved character that’s an important part of two popular series from Calmes.
If you’re a reader unfamiliar with this author and her series, this story won’t have the same appeal as it does for most of the readers who are bringing a wealth of background information , series history, and built in affection with George Hunt, military sniper, blk ops, and now security bodyguard.
For us, we’ve been there as he’s been assigned to Hannah, daughter of US Marshal Sam Kage and Jory Harcourt, niece of billionaire Aaron Sutter , George’s boss, and witnessed all their personal travails and relationship growth in true friendship. George is a strong personality and, even narratively, when his physical absence is noted, it’s made use of by the author in the various plot lines.
Scary competence is attractive. So it’s not surprising that everyone was clamoring for George’s story.
Parts of the beginning of the story have been mentioned or a part of other stories, but from other main characters perspectives. Now it’s flipped over to George’s point of view.
We get to see the moment George, through Hannah, really connects with
Kurt, Hannah’s therapist from a recent attempt on her life. It’s a little rocky at the beginning but as Calmes’ story reveals more of George’s past experiences and adolescence, how he relates to people becomes realistic.
Kurt, feeling one dimensional, adds depth and detail to his character as the events and story progresses. I go from not immediately connecting with Kurt, to liking him more and more by the end.
As always, Just George comes to a finish way too soon. All it’s proven is that George and now his relationship with Kurt need much more than one book to satisfy our need to know what happens next.
George Hunt can think of nothing he’d like more than to skip the high-society fundraiser where he has to guard a precocious seventeen-year-old girl and her judgmental therapist, but there’s no way out of it. If anything bad were to happen and he wasn’t there to stop it, he’d never forgive himself. So even though she’s grilling him about his dating life and the good doctor is psychoanalyzing him, he’s going to soldier on, because protecting his charges is what a knight does.
What he doesn’t count on is having to use both his training and his gun to make it through the night, or finding the last thing he ever expected… someone who actually sees him, not for the man he is, but for the man he could be with just a little bit of love.
It’s hard to put a rating to this book and mini-series about a beloved character that’s an important part of two popular series from Calmes.
If you’re a reader unfamiliar with this author and her series, this story won’t have the same appeal as it does for most of the readers who are bringing a wealth of background information , series history, and built in affection with George Hunt, military sniper, blk ops, and now security bodyguard.
For us, we’ve been there as he’s been assigned to Hannah, daughter of US Marshal Sam Kage and Jory Harcourt, niece of billionaire Aaron Sutter , George’s boss, and witnessed all their personal travails and relationship growth in true friendship. George is a strong personality and, even narratively, when his physical absence is noted, it’s made use of by the author in the various plot lines.
Scary competence is attractive. So it’s not surprising that everyone was clamoring for George’s story.
Parts of the beginning of the story have been mentioned or a part of other stories, but from other main characters perspectives. Now it’s flipped over to George’s point of view.
We get to see the moment George, through Hannah, really connects with
Kurt, Hannah’s therapist from a recent attempt on her life. It’s a little rocky at the beginning but as Calmes’ story reveals more of George’s past experiences and adolescence, how he relates to people becomes realistic.
Kurt, feeling one dimensional, adds depth and detail to his character as the events and story progresses. I go from not immediately connecting with Kurt, to liking him more and more by the end.
As always, Just George comes to a finish way too soon. All it’s proven is that George and now his relationship with Kurt need much more than one book to satisfy our need to know what happens next.
George Hunt can think of nothing he’d like more than to skip the high-society fundraiser where he has to guard a precocious seventeen-year-old girl and her judgmental therapist, but there’s no way out of it. If anything bad were to happen and he wasn’t there to stop it, he’d never forgive himself. So even though she’s grilling him about his dating life and the good doctor is psychoanalyzing him, he’s going to soldier on, because protecting his charges is what a knight does.
What he doesn’t count on is having to use both his training and his gun to make it through the night, or finding the last thing he ever expected… someone who actually sees him, not for the man he is, but for the man he could be with just a little bit of love.
I have been invested in Nicki James’ characters and their evolving relationship since I read Temporary Partner, the first book in the series. That was our introduction to the highly complicated men , their emotional histories, and the meeting that launched their relationship.
Each novel has charted the tumultuous path they’ve had to navigate in order to move forward in their relationship. In each new book, through various issues and stages of in their lives, whether it’s Aslan’s alcoholism and family issues, Quaid’s perilously fragile ego with regard to men and his poor history of relationships, his recurring insecurities, and Quaid’s struggles to connect with others. With all of this folded in, their own relationship has been realistically defined but also made them relatable.
As they worked together to solve the different cases that came up, some horrific and beyond disturbing, there’s been some real growth demonstrated in their personal lives and relationships, at home and at the workplace.
If you sense a “but” coming, you’re correct.
After the devastating events of the last book, I was wondering what the author had in store for the couple next.
It wasn’t an agonizing half of a book that felt like both men had reversed any growth in communication and maturity in their lives and were back to their own respective ways. Aslan saying he “knew” his lover/partner and then proceeding to prove to everyone he didn’t, putting Quaid and himself, but mostly Quaid through immense emotional distress. Unnecessary, intentional, and preventable pain and suffering. For 56 percent of this book.
Over a proposal. That’s actually causes a breakdown.
Disrupted Engagement (Valor and Doyle Mysteries, #6) by Nicki James is a novel that I put down multiple times as a DNF because of the dysfunctional nature of the relationship between Aslan and Quaid in the first half of the story. The murder mystery, which is fascinating, isn’t fully complex enough, nor is the author’s “happy “ resolution for the couple a satisfying explanation for the narrative mess made of the dynamic between Aslan and Quaid throughout the storyline, primarily the first half.
This is the penultimate story, I believe. Matrimonial Merriment is listed as the next and last. It’s definitely mine as it feels like the series has run its course or lost its charm. At least for me.
Read it for the series, if you’re a fan of the author , and love this couple.
The ring has been bought, and all Aslan has to do is create the perfect setup for a proposal. No problem. Nothing to it. Quaid deserves the best, and he plans to deliver.
After choreographing a romantic evening to officially pop the question, Aslan is ready.
But things don’t go as planned, and the evening is ruined. Quaid’s insecurities rear their ugly head, making him suspicious. He knows Aslan is hiding something, but pessimism insists it isn’t a good thing.
When Aslan gets called out of town to hunt down a long-acting serial killer, there is no time to soothe his overanxious boyfriend’s worries or make a new attempt to propose.
Torn between a complicated case and figuring out the perfect way to ask Quaid to marry him, Aslan is left scrambling. Every idea falls flat. Every attempt fails. The more pressure he puts on himself, the more unsuccessful his efforts, and Quaid’s fears grow.
Aslan needs to solve this serial killer case and get home to straighten the mess he’s made.
**Disrupted Engagement is the sixth book in the Valor and Doyle mystery series. It is a same-couple series and should be read in order. Although each book has a self-contained mystery with no cliff-hangers, the romance is overarching.
With Chef Under Cover, I’ve returned to Montpelier, Vermont, home of the Hearth & Oak restaurant, Chefs Baldwin Powell and company, and easy contemporary romances. M.J. O’Shea’s Sizzle in the Kitchen series now total five books with a finale story to come.
It’s been a while since I’ve read this series, my favorite one still stands as the first one of the series, Chef in the Wild. For me, the stories that followed undermined the strengths of that original story and couple. So I never really quite reconnected again as I once had.
Chef Under Cover is much like reading a standalone novel in a series that’s more now about a location, the Hearth & Oak and a passion for food. And that’s fine.
This is a sweet story about a young man who knows he’s heading in the wrong direction career wise because of a physical talent and the support he finds to make the changes to be happy. And he comes out.
There’s a slight age gap , an implied parental homophobia, and a small amount of drama for the romance between the college football star/would be pastry chef and the physical therapist who’s treating him for shoulder pain.
Except for a rough patch in the beginning when Will and Sean meet, and assumptions ran up against sparks, this is a sweet, somewhat low angst romance. Any issues that Will is having with his parents, primarily his mother (it’s implied she’s homophobic), it occurs off page.
That’s probably my least favorite element here. Any issues, any real problems, and consequently, any resolutions (all of which have had real impact on Will, his college life and career choices) are “handled” off page. The reader is told Will had discussions with his parents, coach whoever. That includes coming out to them. A huge moment in someone’s life.
All those scenes are “as told to” in small succinct sentences. It’s emotionally unsatisfying to read if you’re trying to connect to the characters. And writing like this, choices about the narrative and characters make it harder for the reader to invest in their story. Keeping it superficial and sweet means the reader’s emotions stay on that level too.
As mine was. Sweet story. Cute couple .
If you want a sweet contemporary romance with low-ish angst, a quick low demand read, Chef Under Cover (Sizzle in the Kitchen Book 5) by M.J. O’Shea is a story for you. It’s not necessary to read any of the other books in the series to understand this one. It works as a standalone.
He played like a champion but dreamed of the sweet life…
Sean had never treated a famous person before. Not until the golden boy Will Harrington, star college quarterback and soon to be NFL legend, came in with an injured shoulder and hundreds of people’s hopes and dreams on his back.
Will never wanted to be a star quarterback. As unlikely as it sounds, it just kind of… happened. Now he’s stuck in the middle of a whole world he doesn’t fit into, surrounded by people who don’t actually know him.
Will would have never guessed that meeting one gorgeous physical therapist with a sarcastic mouth and a quirky group of small-town friends would help him become who he’s always wanted to be…a chef.
It’s Valentine’s Day and Heart2Heart is at it helping lonely hearts get their perfect match. Here, Cupid has agreed to partner with them to ensure a magical experience for the Heart2Heart database is had by all on their journey to a HEA, whatever that means.
A Devilish cover for the paranormal volume of stories, with a fabulous group of authors for Volume 7-part 2 (volume 1 is all contemporary romance and different authors).
The stories are listed in the order found within the Anthology.My favorites and must reads of this anthology are Alice Winters story which begins the anthology. It’s pure Winters in style and characters. Love it. Love Me Love My Dogs by Macy Blake is my next, such a heartwarming tale. And my other absolute best is The Hidden God of Open Doors by Tavia Lark, which, imo, should have been the story to end this collaboration as its theme and storytelling is amazing. And it’s my thought that all anthologies should begin and end with strong storytelling.
Stories:
💘Thank You , You Can’t Spell Necromancer Without Romance by Alice Winters
💘Hot Date by Eliot Grayson
💘Sweet Treats by Grae Bryan
💘Looking 4 Furever by Kiki Clark
💘Locked in Love by Lark Taylor 💘💘Love Me Love My Dogs by Macy Blake
💘Not So Cupid by Mika Nix
💘Starry Night by Pandora Pine
💘The Hidden God of Open Doors by Tavia Lark
💘Love Under the Sea by Taylor Rylan
A Letter From the H2H Team
1. Thank You , You Can’t Spell Necromancer Without Romance by Alice Winters 💘💘💘💘💘
Axton , witch with miniature horse, Hades as a familiar , Sylvan, the cute white-haired necromancer with an undead found family find love and happiness on a murderous mystery.
2. Hot Date by Eliot Grayson
David’s migraines are cured by demonic sex and lotsa love by summoning Ren. Cute, sexy story.
3. Sweet Treats by Grae Bryan such a lovely story about a half pixie Perri and an introverted wonderful gentleman, Tobias, who’s been secretly watching each other but finally connects thru H2H. Adorable 💕
4. Looking 4 Furever by Kiki Clark
Rance, coffee shop Magic Bean,
Dean, Lynx shifter, English prof. Age gap, 23/40, mate bonding, cute, but not a lot of character or relationship depth.
5. Locked in Love by Lark Taylor
Ash, vampire, looking for love after a bad ex, Lochlan, a Scottish water mage, an escape room afternoon adventure , and a tale with a surprising twist. Really enjoyed it.
6. Love Me Love My Dogs by Macy Blake 💘💘💘💘💘
Wolf shifter George Duko, with his French Bulldog, Gaston, runs Duko’s Den animal sanctuary. Braxton, nonbinary, dragon, and George’s match on H2H . A gentle, warm-hearted, laugh filled love story that I absolutely adore.💘💘💘💘💘
7. Not So Cupid by Mika Nix
Ruairi, Cupid’s little brother and
Weston, human, on a Cupid arranged Valentine’s Day date find out they’re perfect for each other. The authors do a terrific job of developing the romance.
8. Starry Night by Pandora Pine
Immortal demigod Orion Starborn, 5031 yrs old , cursed, and looking for love, is matched with Kaden Devereaux, head librarian in the folklore division of the Boston public library, also a werewolf. With an allergy problem. Not as easy as Cupid might think. I wish it had been longer because it’s got so many fascinating elements. Terrific story.
9. The Hidden God of Open Doors by Tavia Lark💘💘💘💘💘
Rune, an imprisoned demon
Raider, ritual contractor, owner of Artifacts, Alchemy etc
I’ll say nothing except it’s perfectly amazing, quietly heartbreaking if you think about the layers, and beautifully crafted.
10. Love Under the Sea by Taylor Rylan
Silver, gorilla shifter and Charlie, koala shifter , find their mates at a zoo Valentine lunch. Cute story.
Overall, a great anthology with wonderful stories by some of my favorite authors. There’s three 5-star tales that could easily be extended into larger books, but stand as fabulous paranormal short stories here. The rest have so much to recommend that this is a must read.
Once upon a time, a bunch of authors wondered… what would happen if Heart2Heart, the mystical matchmaking app adored across the supernatural world, brought in an absolute legend to help them find true love?
This Valentine’s Day, the sunshiny necromancer, the lonely vampire, and the nonbinary dragon will put their trust in H2H and a certain cheeky cherub of romance. Will Cupid’s arrows strike true?
As always, all proceeds from this anthology will benefit LGBTQ+ charities to ensure that love in all its incarnations will be celebrated and protected every single day of the year!
Stories included in this collection are:
You Can’t Spell Necromancer Without Romance, by Alice Winters Hot Date, by Eliot Grayson Sweet Treats, by Grae Bryan Looking 4 Furever, by Kiki Clark Locked in Love, by Lark Taylor Love Me Love My Dogs, by Macy Blake Not So Cupid, by Mika Nix Starry Night, by Pandora Pine The Hidden God of Open Doors, by Tavia Lark Love Under the Sea, by Taylor Rylan
With Zachary, the wonderful Demons-In-Law trilogy comes to a heartwarming conclusion and for me, it’s way too early for this series to end.
I feel like we are just getting to know the extraordinary mountain enclosed village of Hortplatz, the most demon inhabitants, and run by an imperious demon grandmother who’s a remarkable figure. Plus we barely explored the mysterious dragon hoard , hidden behind a 12,000 ish year old puzzle door, that had been built into the mountain above the village by a long ago dragon, and it now the scientific find of the world. Oh, Hortplatz, we hardly knew you!
Masters finishes with the heartbreak couple. Ronan Draco, Steffen’s twin brother, who is burdened by their horrific past, and his self inflicted “prison” of guilt, doubts, and inability to connect with others. Ronan is selected by Brandt to catalog the items and help identify them as them come out of the vault. It’s terrifying to him.
On the other side, there’s Zachary, grandson to the formidable grandmother ,Damaris Bailey , who rules the family, town Council and everyone else with a steely voice and gaze to match. Zachary is the town’s forester, well, go to demon, depending on the job, despite having his own hopes and dreams. He’s continually sacrificed for the sake of the family and the community, letting family obligations and responsibilities become an invisible prison for himself. Until the bitterness is threatening to swallow him.
This is the setup that Masters introduces the reader to the situation and these haunted beings to each other. It is not a meet cute.
But the journey to redemption and love for both is a fabulous and heartwarming story to read. Ronan’s as he realizes his need to connect with the Hortplatz community and learn how to make friends. That’s a truly remarkable, funny, and joyful stumbling path he had to take, one that included pastries, group text sessions, and a box from the World of Wangs makes an important appearance. Ronan finds he can become part of a community, have a home, with a loving partner, leaving the past behind.
And Zachary? In Ronan, he finds someone to stand with him, support his passions, explore new experiences, even if it means staying in Hortplatz. For now.
Masters doesn’t forget Damaris, the stern, unyielding grandmother, whose actions and character become fully revealed in a wonderful, memorable scene.
So many great characters are brought in to help Ronan and Zachary achieve their dreams and HEA, from Steffen to all the many demon cousins and their families.
As I said, three books is barely breaking the surface of this village’s stories and what the future now holds for them.
It’s my wish that Masters might come up with another series that will find its way back into this world and town , so we can get an update on everyone there and the new couples to arrive.
In the meantime, I’m highly recommending this series and book. It’s fantastic and a grand bit of fantasy!
A dragon with endless secrets meets a demon with nothing to hide…
I’m the easygoing one. The fun one. The rare member of my family who gets along with anyone. Except there’s a chance I may have got off on the wrong foot with our new dragon liaison, Ronan. In my defense, he rubs everyone the wrong way. The only thing he’s got going for him is his looks… if the miserable frown weren’t there to mar them. But he seems to be trying harder to connect, and I guess I should do the same. Even if his arrival here was the beginning of all my problems.
When I cross the line and guilt compels me to apologize, I get my first glimpse of a different Ronan. Someone who enjoys baking, thinks glitter is amazing, and wants people to like him. Someone I could be friends with. And when that frown disappears? I want more than just friendship.
But there’s something going on with him, something he’s been carrying for a long time. He’s been hurt before, and the secrets he’s keeping are the kind that eat you inside. How can we take things to the next step if he can’t be open with me?
It’s only when he steps up to make all my dreams come true that I realize some secrets need to stay that way… and that loving Ronan means accepting him for who he really is.
In the sequel to War of the Wicked, I both found a lively entertainment experience but also a much less realistic story, one that’s has quite a few issues . The first novel, with its more complex violent crime plot, didn’t contain these elements .
The first issue starts with the main character of Ren Ikeda, the Japanese crime boss. Where the Italian mob family of Dante Scavo felt grounded in their culture and deep rooted belief systems, including language, the Ikeda’s Japanese culture and community here is barely existent or explored. The language appears in a couple of phrases that get dropped in a couple of times, instead of as a language that the characters use them freely and without thought. Japan’s culture or the yakuza (if that’s what King is aiming for) criminal tradition, any observance of honor is fleeting and not put into context. We are “told” Ren Ikeda’s family and business is that of an insulated Japanese society, right down to his houses. But there’s never any reason to believe this is true. Other than koi pond and some decoration.
This entire element is poorly written, which is a shame as Ren is an interesting character.
Ren can, at times , come across as a crime boss, but he doesn’t have the same strength as Dante Scavo. That’s on purpose, of course. His is supposed to be a subtle sort of “scary power” but it’s not as translatable here.
That’s left to ex military security guy, Mykel Finlay, and his scary guard dog, the cane corso, Zeus. Those two are the most dangerous creatures in this narrative. Not the mob boss. Which is part of the problem here,and causes some of the best and most unrealistic elements within the book.
Best of Mykel. His developing relationship with Ren. King gives them really great chemistry and a compelling dynamic as Mykel has to wrestle with his honor system as his loyalties start to transfer to a mobster, with all that entails. I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow. Best of this book.
Most problematic. Other than the Japanese culture aspect is how erratic King’s implementation of Mykel’s security/military company support system is. It’s so irregular as to come across as slapdash.
Mykel is part of a security company made up of ex military personnel, with access to extraordinary weapons (even helicopters) and their personal are equipped with special equipment. Mykel’s cane corso, Zeus, a special guardian breed dog used for military/ security measures , is a huge character here. He factors into many action scenes. However , he never wears special identification, not the halter nor vests which in battle/fights id him as part of a team, nor is there any mention of a special permit for him or anyone needing extra paperwork for any activities Zeus has done. That seems unlikely.
Again with Mykel , there’s a hugely significant scenario with a planned raid. What’s missing? Bulletproof vests. From both a organized crime and black ops standpoint, that’s unacceptable.
King’s story has her characters portrayed as significantly competent, highly skilled ex military or assassins yet over and over in the narrative, odd or arbitrary storytelling choices are made that counteract that.
Then there’s things like a brother who is the cause of Mykel’s involvement initially and who appears to be a perpetual screwup. He disappeared except for a brief mention towards the end of the book.
So Rise of the Ruthless (Lucifer’s Landing #2) by Davidson King has a terrific romance that’s surrounded by a problematic plot.
Read it to complete the series and for fans of the author.
Ren Ikeda’s world is falling apart. War has broken out in the streets of Lucifer’s Landing, and his entire empire is being dismantled one explosion at a time. Unsure of his men’s allegiance, but desperately needing protection, he snatches up an opportunity when it lands in his lap. Hiring Mykel Finlay, his complete opposite in every way, has the markings of being disastrous. Realizing Mykel may be the only person he can trust, he clings to the man despite the danger to his heart.
Mykel Finlay doesn’t like bad guys. As ex-police and military, he prides himself on walking the line of good, not evil. When his brother gets in a bind with Ren Ikeda, the Japanese mob boss, he must put aside his moral compass and dive into the murky waters of the mafia. The only thing Mykel isn’t prepared for is falling in love and willingly drowning for Ren, a man he should hate.
With the help of some very unlikely allies, Ren and Mykel try staying alive long enough to take down their enemies and grab a happily ever after neither man thought they wanted. Will their salvation end up leading them down a path of destruction, or will they actually prevail?
This is book two in my Lucifer’s Landing series and is not a standalone. It is highly recommended you read book one: War of the Wicked first.
“This book contains on-page violence, torture, attempted rape, and abuse.”
That out of the way, and yes, I think most readers appreciate that the warnings are put at the beginning of the book so any reader can make a quick judgement as to whether they should read the story or not, rather then search it out at a website or wait until the end of the book for them when it’s too late, War of the Wicked is an exciting, violent mob romance.
King has created a city in New York, Lucifer’s Landing, that’s completely owned, and operated, however illegally, by various mob families. There’s the Italians, the Japanese, the Irish, the Haitians, and the Greeks, all fighting against each other to ensure their territories and weaken their opponents.
These are the main characters, primarily, so the violence and warnings make sense.
It starts with the Italians. Dante Scavo, who’s just buried his father, the now former head of their mafia family. It’s Dante, in this time of mourning for his father, who must gather the family together, keep their businesses and territories intact against the other families, and find out if his father’s death was murder.
King builds a strong sense of who Dante is in this moment of crisis and grief, as well as the people closest to him. That includes his family and the men who worked under his father, like his consigliere, Edward.
That these people are violent predators, criminals who are also capable of being loving family members is inherently important to the plot and their characters. King’s creations get that across beautifully.
If there is an “innocent” person here, it’s the high end prostitute/escort, Rainn Blessings, who works at one of the Scavo businesses, The Magic Mirror. The sex workers here aren’t forced to work here. They’re paid highly and treated extremely well and with respect. It’s a matter of perspective or level.
And while their initial meeting and discussion of future plans is that of a business plan, which I found interesting and pretty relevant to the situation, King still builds on a chemistry happening between them.
This is a book I gobbled up. The action and events just start speeding up as the Scavo family comes under attack, Dante has to fight back against forces inside and out, while his relationship with Rainn builds.
The warnings at the beginning are there for a reason. It gets intense when the families go to war and start slaughtering each other. If this is a trigger, this might not be the book for you.
I’m recommending it for lovers of this trope and fans of this author. I absolutely enjoyed it. And moved onto the sequel.
Lucifer’s Landing is full of unscrupulous people: five families desperate to own every inch. For years, under the watchful and most powerful eye, there has been peace. With the murder of the most powerful man, it’s as if the gates of Hell have opened.
Dante Scavo is trying to fill his father’s shoes, find the person responsible for killing him, and stop Lucifer’s Landing from becoming a war zone. He has to focus, find out who the traitor among his ranks is, and end them. The last thing he needs is a distraction, but when he meets Rainn, one look, one touch, takes his breath away.
Rainn Blessings is no stranger to strong and powerful men. His life is about survival and getting to a place where he finds his peace, though sometimes that means being the fantasy of others. Working as a high-class escort he’s seen a lot…done a lot…and not much surprises him. Then Dante walks into The Magic Mirror and turns his world upside down.
With an unlikely ally, Rainn and Dante try to survive the storm, but no one is bulletproof or untouchable in the game of violent delights. Getting out unscathed is impossible; the question is: will they get out alive?
***Please see start of book for trigger warning
(This was previously released through Maple House Publishing. War of the Wicked has been reedited and minor changes have been made from the original content)
Victoria Sue’s mafia boss romance was a good read. It was exciting, had many fast paced moments, thrilling scenes, and good characters.
And had the book been longer or tweaked so that the time frame let the main characters have more time to develop their relationship, this would have been a much better story.
Everything that surrounds the romantic aspect of the story is interesting and could easily be even more fully explored in additional stories. The multiple storylines that Sue has created are really intriguing, as are the five Mafia factions that go along with them. They are factor into the main narrative as well as the subplots that make the book so compelling.
But the romantic story itself between mob boss Dario and reluctant husband, Alessandro, feels as contrived as the marriage. Too instant love for me. Especially given the short timeline here. It doesn’t work. Dario is all killing Alessandro one minute and loving him the next. For Alessandro, it’s all I love him but won’t communicate with him.
I understand that last. For me, the relationship needs more time to grow before these feelings feel realistic.
So while the story is still very exciting, a terrific mob takeover tale of revenge and retribution, the romantic aspect leaves something that could have been better developed.
I enjoyed it and if this is your jam, you might too.
Dangerous secrets will get you killed. Sometimes it might even be me that’s pulling the trigger.
Dario
I’m hours away from finally inheriting my father’s legacy. All I need to do is dodge the Russians and the Irish, and put a wedding band on my fiancée. Until the moment I find out my father’s best-friend and fiancée’s papa ordered the hit that had taken out my parents eighteen years ago.
And my fiancée will step over my dead body as she walks back down the aisle and marry into the Irish Mob. The ones that have promised my future father-in-law he will have everything that is rightfully mine.
Not happening.
Even if I have to light the night sky with the fires of revenge and retribution.
I just need to get married first.
Then miracle of miracles, I find out my traitorous fiancée has a half-brother. An illegitimate one, but one that still fulfills the terms of my father’s will, so the territory rightfull becomes mine.
I just have to convince the brother of that.
A twenty-year-old innocent that has been a near slave all his life? Piece of cake.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 