Jill Ramsower > Quotes

“If defeat was a certainty, I should at least enjoy the fall”
― Jill Ramsower, Silent Vows

“Liar, liar,” he whispered, his warm breath on my skin heating my entire body. “Shall I prove it?” Then his lips were on mine, sucking, tasting, devouring.”
― Jill Ramsower, Silent Vows

“I got the sense that time and space meant nothing to Conner Reid. He made the rules in his world, and the rest of us were meant to adjust accordingly.”
― Jill Ramsower, Silent Vows

“She was so goddamn strong. But even the sturdiest trees needed solid foundation for their roots. I wanted to give that to her—to see her thrive—and I’d cut out the heart of any man who posed a threat to her, even if that man was family.”
― Jill Ramsower, Corrupted Union

“Lucky for you, I’m Irish, and we’re used to our women being entirely too batshit crazy to control.”
― Jill Ramsower, Secret Sin

“I wanted no part of the mafia world. I didn’t have my own money or an obvious way out, but I wouldn’t give up. An opportunity would present itself, and I’d be ready when it did.”
― Jill Ramsower, Silent Vows

“Dante ordered himself a drink. “Long day, huh. Care to tell me about it? I’m an excellent listener.” “Not really. I’m here to drown my troubles, not wallow in them.”
― Jill Ramsower, Absolute Silence

“I suppose I’ll just have to be patient because I suspect it won’t sound right until you’re calling yourself my wife.”
― Jill Ramsower, Vicious Seduction

“The man was a deadly rival. A beautiful monster slated to be my new husband.”
― Jill Ramsower, Silent Vows

“Hypocrisy is a tricky thing. It parades itself around like rationale and reason, deceiving you into believing your thoughts are sound and just when they are anything but. I had demanded honesty from Alessia but was attempting to pull the wool over my own eyes. I could tell myself all day long one taste of her would be enough, but I knew deep down inside, I had no intention of letting her go. Consequences be damned—she was mine.”
― Jill Ramsower, Forever Lies

“The molten desire swirling in those turquoise depths made me feel priceless. The Mona Lisa come to life.”
― Jill Ramsower, Corrupted Union

“I love you so much it hurts.”
― Jill Ramsower, Where Loyalties Lie

“Crawling around on the table was a tiny man gathering crumbs. He was about six inches tall, if he were to stand up. He had greenish skin with brown hair and appeared similar to a doll-sized human wearing little scraps of clothing. Sensing he had an audience, the little man also froze. His already large eyes opened even farther as we held each other's stare and time seemed to stand still. The moment ended in an instant when the man vanished, like a bubble that burst, he was just gone.”
― Jill Ramsower, Shadow Play

“I crossed the distance between us and I reared back and slapped him as hard as I could. Hands trembling with rage, I stood my ground and said what would hurt him the most.

“Lochlan was right about you, piece of shit,” I said on a shaky voice and his eyes flashed with fury.

He grabbed my arm painfully, whipping me around to face him as if he was going to spew more ugly words at me, but nothing came out. Instead, his brows creased as if in confusion and his eyes danced from my chest to my face and back. I yanked the lapel of my coat over my chest, which had been exposed from the low neckline of my blouse, and wrestled myself from his grip. Taking a step back, our eyes met and my skin crawled at the devious intent written in his glare. His chin lifted and a shit-eating grin spread across his face, eyes gleaming with an unspoken threat.”
― Jill Ramsower, Shadow Play

“I will never hurt you, Alessia. I know you’re scared, and you have every right to be, but I don’t want you to run from me. If you have a problem, you come to me, and we’ll work through it together.”
― Jill Ramsower, Forever Lies

“It’s time to think about what you want, Rowan,” I rasped through my lusty haze. “Not what’s expected of you or what you think you should want. Figure out what makes you feel good, and seize it. Life’s too fucking short for anything less.”
― Jill Ramsower, Corrupted Union

“You can’t know how to lead if you never learned how to follow.”
― Jill Ramsower, Forever Lies

“You are the only one who dictates the parameters of your world. If you say you can’t do something, then you can’t, but if you believe you can, you’ll find a way.”
― Jill Ramsower, Forever Lies

“I needed a focus. A purpose in life. I’d assumed I’d go to college because I was a high achiever, but none of it truly interested me. How could I decide on a life path when nothing fit? The only time I felt perfectly at ease was sitting at my piano. When my fingers danced across the keys, the world around me melted away until all that was left was the comforting embrace of a haunting melody. Some people wrote in a journal or talked to a therapist. My coping mechanism was the piano. Every emotion under the sun was there to be drawn forth with the right combination of ebony and ivory. A lively Chopin mazurka for bright sunny Saturdays. Beethoven or Rachmaninoff when my emotions were dragging me under. Music was everything to me. But if I didn’t want to play for others, how could I ever take my music further? Being a music teacher was one thing, but being at a university would require performances. Just the thought terrified me.”
― Jill Ramsower, Perfect Enemies

“She seemed to possess the unusual combination of backbone with a natural inclination to submit.”
― Jill Ramsower, Forever Lies

“I’m telling you that you belong with me. I’m your home, and all the other bullshit doesn’t matter. Now, can we get out of the cold, or do I have to throw you over my goddamn shoulder?”
― Jill Ramsower, Vicious Seduction

“He made me feel desired and precious. He made me feel … everything.”
― Jill Ramsower, Forever Lies

“You’ll learn quickly, Alessia, that I only care about myself … and what’s mine.”
― Jill Ramsower, Forever Lies

“Lina was flawlessly impassive. A living, breathing Barbie doll with no greater purpose than to be played with and admired. It was a shame, in a way. Like opening a meticulously wrapped Christmas present to find nothing inside, and her packaging was nothing short of perfection. She reminded me of a 1950s pinup model—Marilyn Monroe with the most vibrant blue eyes I’d ever seen. And that voice. Jesus Christ, that voice. The natural huskiness made every word sound like something whispered naked in the dark. All together, it was enough to make a man forget his own name.”
― Jill Ramsower, Vicious Seduction

“There was something about knowing the person you loved was near, but just out of your reach, that felt far more disturbing than had they been totally unreachable.”
― Jill Ramsower, Where Loyalties Lie

“My face crumpled with grief as I prayed for the bullet to take me quickly. Please don’t think this was your fault, Val. You did everything you could. My thoughts wouldn’t reach her, but it was all I had. Valentina was the one person who had tried to help me, and I didn’t want her to carry the guilt of my death. I was just sorry I would never see her again.”
― Jill Ramsower, Perfect Enemies

“This life I’m living, it’s not my own.” She finally lifted her head, bringing bloodshot eyes to mine. “I’m living for her and for my parents because I’m all they have left. They suffered so much, and I’ve only ever wanted to bring them joy. To give them the things out of life that they wanted for me and for Ivy. You should have seen Dad when I told him Stetson asked me out.” The tiniest hint of a smile teased the corners of her lips. “He was so damn excited. I’ve done everything—everything—for them. And now it all feels like it was for nothing. If my involvement with your family tarnishes my father’s career, I’ll have been yet another source of loss and disappointment. My feelings for you and the reasons behind it all are irrelevant.” She shook her head helplessly.”
― Jill Ramsower, Corrupted Union

“my uncle Jimmy came to stand at my side. While the three Byrne brothers and my father had jointly brought our organization back from obscurity, Jimmy was the unspoken leader. He was also my godfather and the man I aspired to be. I respected and loved my dad, but Jimmy had an untouchable quality to him. The world quieted in his presence. As a kid, I studied everything about him. Now that I was grown, I spent every day striving to earn his respect.”
― Jill Ramsower, Silent Vows

“his presence radiated a savage calm, as though the world was meant to lay at his feet because if it didn’t, he’d burn the whole damn thing to ash.”
― Jill Ramsower, Corrupted Union

“admitting I didn’t want to want her felt shitty.”
― Jill Ramsower, Absolute Silence