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Sons of the Mafia #1
Vengeance in Blood
I married my enemy’s daughter.
If I can’t make him pay for his sins… she will.
Valachi, the name of a rival mafia family, was the last word on my mother’s dying lips.
After years of careful deceit and planning, my moment of revenge has finally arrived.
The head of the Valachi family has died, leaving his innocent daughter vulnerable.
She is forced to take my hand in an arranged marriage.
By the time she learns my true identity, it will be too late.
As her new husband, I will have complete control over her.
I am the enemy in her bed.
Her naive happily ever after will become a nightmare as I use her to seize power, and enact my final revenge.
If I can’t make him pay for his sins… she will.
Valachi, the name of a rival mafia family, was the last word on my mother’s dying lips.
After years of careful deceit and planning, my moment of revenge has finally arrived.
The head of the Valachi family has died, leaving his innocent daughter vulnerable.
She is forced to take my hand in an arranged marriage.
By the time she learns my true identity, it will be too late.
As her new husband, I will have complete control over her.
I am the enemy in her bed.
Her naive happily ever after will become a nightmare as I use her to seize power, and enact my final revenge.
437 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 22, 2023
784 people are currently reading
802 people want to read
About the author
Vi Carter
176 books1,314 followersWhen Vi Carter isn’t writing dark romance books that feature the mafia, are filled with suspense, and take you on a fast-paced ride, you can find her reading her favorite authors, baking, taking photos or enjoying long walks in the Irish countryside.
Vi’s biggest selling series, Young Irish Rebels, is available in Audio, English and Dutch.
Married with three children, Vi divides her time between motherhood and all the other hats she wears as an author.
She has declared herself a coffee & chocolate addict! Do not judge.
Subscribe to Vi’s newsletter for a free book to follow her down a dark path alongside the Mafia!
Keep up with Vi on all platforms:
Newsletter Sign up ➜ https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5f609c...
Facebook➜ https://l1nk.dev/AuthorViCarter
Twitter➜ http://hyperurl.co/qzbewu
Goodreads ➜ http://hyperurl.co/qcw7g0
Website ➜ https://authorvicarter.com
Instagram➜ https://l1nk.dev/authorvicarter
Vi’s biggest selling series, Young Irish Rebels, is available in Audio, English and Dutch.
Married with three children, Vi divides her time between motherhood and all the other hats she wears as an author.
She has declared herself a coffee & chocolate addict! Do not judge.
Subscribe to Vi’s newsletter for a free book to follow her down a dark path alongside the Mafia!
Keep up with Vi on all platforms:
Newsletter Sign up ➜ https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5f609c...
Facebook➜ https://l1nk.dev/AuthorViCarter
Twitter➜ http://hyperurl.co/qzbewu
Goodreads ➜ http://hyperurl.co/qcw7g0
Website ➜ https://authorvicarter.com
Instagram➜ https://l1nk.dev/authorvicarter
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
December 17, 2023
» You have spine, wife. Keep it up, and you just might make me fall in love with you.«
★ ★ ★ ★
❥ 𝑳𝒖𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒂
It‘s nice to read about an independent and intelligent woman in a mafia romance. Lulu is strong, kind and loyal - she stands her ground against Damon and holds some power to herself.
❥ 𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏
His behaviour towards Luciana was cruel sometimes but in his pov you learn fast that he totally fell for her. She got him wrapped around her little finger and he is too afraid to show it. Damon seeks revenge for his dead mother and sometimes is blinded by rage.
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
The story surprised me!
It was very good written, so that it was easy to read and you‘re practically glued to your book.
I enjoyed the plot and the characters.
There is a lot of plot and a lot of action, so the love story isn‘t the only focus - I liked that. The characters develop well and their feelings catch me. The plottwist was kinda predictable but well done.
The love story was friends to enemies to lovers and I ate it up! There was so much tension between Lulu and Damon and I liked the way each of them handles the situations differently. Like I said I loved Lulus character and the way she stood her ground against the men in her world.
One thing I have to criticise is the world building: There were SO many different mafia families (and countries) that I lost the overview. I didn‘t get how the New York mafia was compound like with the big five and the smaller families. It was confusing and sometimes irrelevant for the storyline.
The end was kinda rushed and not fully to my satisfaction - I just hoped for more.
All together this is a very enjoyable and well thought out mafia read. There are explicit descriptions of violence so please note the trigger warnings.
I will definitely read other books from this author!
plot: 4/5
spice: 2/5
humor: 3/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 2/5
happy end?: yes (for now)
keywords: mafia, possessive and protective hero, touch her and you‘ll die, friends to enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, strong female lead, betrayal & lies, virgin heroine
𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆
ages: 24 (Luciana) and 29 (Damon)
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: no
★ ★ ★ ★
❥ 𝑳𝒖𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒂
It‘s nice to read about an independent and intelligent woman in a mafia romance. Lulu is strong, kind and loyal - she stands her ground against Damon and holds some power to herself.
❥ 𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏
His behaviour towards Luciana was cruel sometimes but in his pov you learn fast that he totally fell for her. She got him wrapped around her little finger and he is too afraid to show it. Damon seeks revenge for his dead mother and sometimes is blinded by rage.
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
The story surprised me!
It was very good written, so that it was easy to read and you‘re practically glued to your book.
I enjoyed the plot and the characters.
There is a lot of plot and a lot of action, so the love story isn‘t the only focus - I liked that. The characters develop well and their feelings catch me. The plottwist was kinda predictable but well done.
The love story was friends to enemies to lovers and I ate it up! There was so much tension between Lulu and Damon and I liked the way each of them handles the situations differently. Like I said I loved Lulus character and the way she stood her ground against the men in her world.
One thing I have to criticise is the world building: There were SO many different mafia families (and countries) that I lost the overview. I didn‘t get how the New York mafia was compound like with the big five and the smaller families. It was confusing and sometimes irrelevant for the storyline.
The end was kinda rushed and not fully to my satisfaction - I just hoped for more.
All together this is a very enjoyable and well thought out mafia read. There are explicit descriptions of violence so please note the trigger warnings.
I will definitely read other books from this author!
plot: 4/5
spice: 2/5
humor: 3/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 2/5
happy end?: yes (for now)
keywords: mafia, possessive and protective hero, touch her and you‘ll die, friends to enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, strong female lead, betrayal & lies, virgin heroine
𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆
ages: 24 (Luciana) and 29 (Damon)
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: no
June 20, 2023
Vengeance In Blood is the first book in the Sons of The Mafia by E.R Whyte and Vi Carter, though if you want to understand the story to the fullest from the start, I recommend reading it's prequel as well.
Damon Pepperado wants revenge for his mother's death and that leads in an arranged marriage with Luciana Valachi.
Distrust, Betrayals, Vendettas, Arranged Marriage, Secret plans of revenge, this story has it all! The mystery, the tension, the chemistry and the suspense of the whole drama had me glued to this book for days and there wasn't a single moment where my attention wasn't on this book.
Damon is a really strong character, so powerful, possessive, protective and all in for his revenge plan... yet he forgot his feelings for Lulu, which are going to change a lot of things as you continue to read.
Lulu is also a strong character, since the beginning she was so caring and loving for her family but she also had her weak moments.
When Lulu starts to realize something is going on, and especially when she finds out about Damon's plan, emotions are all over the place.
The storyline and the plot twist kept me guessing the entire time and the suspense kept me captivated until the very end of the book.
It's such a well written book and absolutely worth your time.
This book has everything you expect from a Mafia romance.
I had a great time and I'm so grateful to have received this ARC since I literally loved it! The authors have done an astounding job!.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Damon Pepperado wants revenge for his mother's death and that leads in an arranged marriage with Luciana Valachi.
Distrust, Betrayals, Vendettas, Arranged Marriage, Secret plans of revenge, this story has it all! The mystery, the tension, the chemistry and the suspense of the whole drama had me glued to this book for days and there wasn't a single moment where my attention wasn't on this book.
Damon is a really strong character, so powerful, possessive, protective and all in for his revenge plan... yet he forgot his feelings for Lulu, which are going to change a lot of things as you continue to read.
Lulu is also a strong character, since the beginning she was so caring and loving for her family but she also had her weak moments.
When Lulu starts to realize something is going on, and especially when she finds out about Damon's plan, emotions are all over the place.
The storyline and the plot twist kept me guessing the entire time and the suspense kept me captivated until the very end of the book.
It's such a well written book and absolutely worth your time.
This book has everything you expect from a Mafia romance.
I had a great time and I'm so grateful to have received this ARC since I literally loved it! The authors have done an astounding job!.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 27, 2023
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A typical mafia style storyline. I found the start of the book somewhat laborious, but maybe that was just me. The story itself was well written, plenty of mystery and deception throughout.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A typical mafia style storyline. I found the start of the book somewhat laborious, but maybe that was just me. The story itself was well written, plenty of mystery and deception throughout.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 12, 2023
Cute typical dark mafia romance
Still a decent storyline considering and not solely focused on sex so four stars for that alone
Still a decent storyline considering and not solely focused on sex so four stars for that alone
June 24, 2023
Loved the suspense! This book has secrets, betrayal & suspense. Wow! What a book. Lulu is definitely a rising queen. She deals with so much because of her father. Damon is out for his own answers and will do what it takes. Be prepared for a wild ride.
October 2, 2024
As a mafia romance it did its job. Damon & Lulu are badass.
Tropes: Arranged marriage, betrayal, close proximity, mafia, dark, lots of spice
Hating her to loving her
But half of the book is abt betrayal and suddenly they express love I didn’t feel connected.
The ending left a bad taste.
Want to read next books in the series
Tropes: Arranged marriage, betrayal, close proximity, mafia, dark, lots of spice
Hating her to loving her
But half of the book is abt betrayal and suddenly they express love I didn’t feel connected.
The ending left a bad taste.
Want to read next books in the series
June 14, 2023
Damon Pepperado wants revenge for the death of his mother. On her last breathe she whispered the word Valachi, the family name of Lulu.
When Lulus father suddenly dies later, Damon sets in motion his plans and Lulu is forced into an arranged marriage with him.
The marriage happens and after a while Lulu realises all is not as it seems.
Damon was it for me, protective, possessive, handsome and all alpha.
I loved the tension and chemistry between the couple.
I also loved the mystery and the fact the storyline kept me guessing throughout.
Another great book from Vi and this time she duetted with E. R. Whyte.
When Lulus father suddenly dies later, Damon sets in motion his plans and Lulu is forced into an arranged marriage with him.
The marriage happens and after a while Lulu realises all is not as it seems.
Damon was it for me, protective, possessive, handsome and all alpha.
I loved the tension and chemistry between the couple.
I also loved the mystery and the fact the storyline kept me guessing throughout.
Another great book from Vi and this time she duetted with E. R. Whyte.
October 24, 2023
3.5 Stars
This book surprised me. At first I thought I'd end up putting it back down and choosing something else to read. And then I kept reading, but the more I kept reading the more it felt like something was off to me. Like, I was actually interested in the story and what was happening but I wasn't sure what it was exactly that made me feel as if I wanted to put it down and move on. And even after finishing the entire book I still feel unsure what that feeling or vibe was. Perhaps it was that the characters felt flat? Or that the story itself had me feeling really disconnected from it all and none of it particularly came to life? Who knows. Either way, I finished this in one night. And I actually liked it despite its faults.
I'm genuinely shocked to say I liked both MCs. Sorta? Yeah, hm.
Damon was hard to read at first but I saw the heart of him early on. He was the exact type of hero I usually love. He didn't want to care of have deeper attachments to people because of his past and because it was just plain dangerous in their way of life and ultimately a weakness. And that obviously proved very true throughout the entire story. But he had a certain strength to him, sorta forged through the flames by the hands of his horrible father that really made him the man we meet. He definitely had darkness in him and little morals but he had the right amount when and where it counted that made him a good man at the heart of him.
Luciana, aka Lulu was and is still a bit of an enigma to me. While she was this sort of naive cool aloof woman (of unknown age) lacking personality for much of the first half of the story it felt like we only saw the real woman in fits and starts but never got to see the full picture. And that's not just because of her adjusting and navigating her new marriage to Damon. No, it felt like we only scratched the surface with her and tbh aside from her loyalty and love for her siblings I didn't truly know anything about her other than her desire to not be apart of this violent lifestyle and to go to culinary college. That's about it. Not much to go on, eh? Though from what we did see of her which was almost always with Damon I did like her. She surprised me more than I expected with her stubbornness and standing up for herself.
Though I gotta say, I was not feeling a mafia woman let alone a mafia heir being called Lulu. I kept feeling as if I was expecting a cute little dog to answer to the call instead of the woman herself. It felt like a strange nickname for Luciana when there were better options. 🤷🏻♀️
Ultimately I did enjoy myself. While mildly entertaining as far as the light action, mystery and mafia plots were concerned the true saving grace for me was Damon and Lulu as a couple. I really enjoyed many of their scenes, especially in the last half of the story. I loved seeing Damon struggle with his feelings for Lulu and his need to protect her and her sister Vivi. Although why exactly they fell in love is a little murky despite their obvious attraction even before their marriage.
This book had loads of potential which is likely while I stuck with it despite my first instinct to bail. However, for all its decent writing and story it was all rather shallow. There really wasn't any depth to the Mafia itself or the drama surrounding it. Nor were the characters three dimensional and fleshed out well enough to truly know or understand them and their actions. I think that might've been disappointing of all. Because to your average observer this could have been a great read without noticing all the issues but to a seasoned reader it was very easy to spot all the little ways it simply lacked. It needed more depth and more closure with the plot. All the questions I had left from all the plot holes could fill atleast two pages.
Sadly the big bad was pretty predictable and I already figured it out very early on in the story. And as much drama that supposedly goes down in this book with the families and the commission I still felt like it was missing that edge of intrigue. There was no real thrill or excitement for me. Particularly I felt the family connections Damon had to two different mafia families fascinating and yet it's merely mentioned and vaguely explained but not truly.
But. Again, I did enjoy myself despite its faults. Was it a decent read? Yes, it was. And was it forgettable? Definitely.
Perhaps a longer epilogue would have also been appreciated because it still left me wishing for me. But alas, isn't that always the case?
But...I think I simply liked Damon best most of all.
This book surprised me. At first I thought I'd end up putting it back down and choosing something else to read. And then I kept reading, but the more I kept reading the more it felt like something was off to me. Like, I was actually interested in the story and what was happening but I wasn't sure what it was exactly that made me feel as if I wanted to put it down and move on. And even after finishing the entire book I still feel unsure what that feeling or vibe was. Perhaps it was that the characters felt flat? Or that the story itself had me feeling really disconnected from it all and none of it particularly came to life? Who knows. Either way, I finished this in one night. And I actually liked it despite its faults.
I'm genuinely shocked to say I liked both MCs. Sorta? Yeah, hm.
Damon was hard to read at first but I saw the heart of him early on. He was the exact type of hero I usually love. He didn't want to care of have deeper attachments to people because of his past and because it was just plain dangerous in their way of life and ultimately a weakness. And that obviously proved very true throughout the entire story. But he had a certain strength to him, sorta forged through the flames by the hands of his horrible father that really made him the man we meet. He definitely had darkness in him and little morals but he had the right amount when and where it counted that made him a good man at the heart of him.
Luciana, aka Lulu was and is still a bit of an enigma to me. While she was this sort of naive cool aloof woman (of unknown age) lacking personality for much of the first half of the story it felt like we only saw the real woman in fits and starts but never got to see the full picture. And that's not just because of her adjusting and navigating her new marriage to Damon. No, it felt like we only scratched the surface with her and tbh aside from her loyalty and love for her siblings I didn't truly know anything about her other than her desire to not be apart of this violent lifestyle and to go to culinary college. That's about it. Not much to go on, eh? Though from what we did see of her which was almost always with Damon I did like her. She surprised me more than I expected with her stubbornness and standing up for herself.
Though I gotta say, I was not feeling a mafia woman let alone a mafia heir being called Lulu. I kept feeling as if I was expecting a cute little dog to answer to the call instead of the woman herself. It felt like a strange nickname for Luciana when there were better options. 🤷🏻♀️
Ultimately I did enjoy myself. While mildly entertaining as far as the light action, mystery and mafia plots were concerned the true saving grace for me was Damon and Lulu as a couple. I really enjoyed many of their scenes, especially in the last half of the story. I loved seeing Damon struggle with his feelings for Lulu and his need to protect her and her sister Vivi. Although why exactly they fell in love is a little murky despite their obvious attraction even before their marriage.
This book had loads of potential which is likely while I stuck with it despite my first instinct to bail. However, for all its decent writing and story it was all rather shallow. There really wasn't any depth to the Mafia itself or the drama surrounding it. Nor were the characters three dimensional and fleshed out well enough to truly know or understand them and their actions. I think that might've been disappointing of all. Because to your average observer this could have been a great read without noticing all the issues but to a seasoned reader it was very easy to spot all the little ways it simply lacked. It needed more depth and more closure with the plot. All the questions I had left from all the plot holes could fill atleast two pages.
Sadly the big bad was pretty predictable and I already figured it out very early on in the story. And as much drama that supposedly goes down in this book with the families and the commission I still felt like it was missing that edge of intrigue. There was no real thrill or excitement for me. Particularly I felt the family connections Damon had to two different mafia families fascinating and yet it's merely mentioned and vaguely explained but not truly.
But. Again, I did enjoy myself despite its faults. Was it a decent read? Yes, it was. And was it forgettable? Definitely.
Perhaps a longer epilogue would have also been appreciated because it still left me wishing for me. But alas, isn't that always the case?
But...I think I simply liked Damon best most of all.
June 24, 2023
The start of the Sons of the Mafia series can’t wait for the second to come out to see where it is all headed but will say hang on and double check that you are buckled up, dangerous men, alpha’s personified, possessive, oh, gorgeous, brooding all the makings of a story consisting with three D’s (dark, delicious, and dirty) 😊. There will be suspense, betrayal, death, darkness, secrets reveled, violence, hope, forgiveness, and maybe even love (ALL THINGS TO EXPECT FROM THE MAFIA WORLD). By the time you’ve figured out who is who and what is what, you’re already hooked, and you may as well give up the fight and prepare yourself for an all-nighter! CAN’T SAY YOU WEREN’T WARNED!!!!! Just like most mafia stories there is revenge that leads to something more and Damon sexy as all get out isn’t an exceptions he accepts the arranged marriage to avenge his mother’s death to his rival no less or the family who he feels is responsible for his mother’s death, and that is how it all starts out but no one told him about feelings that would grow for the one he is supposed to hate. Luciana is such a sweetheart, loves her family will do anything to protect them and knowing she had to marry one day to a man she barely knew or loved was what is expected of her for the family. Learning the truth about her late father, the dealings he made with several mafia members using her as a bargaining chip …well truth be told he sold her to several different members as payment and with her refusal her younger sister is pay for the crimes of their father which is why she finds herself married to Damon in return for protection. Everything is aggressive with him their sex life included but the moment she learns the truth everything changes especially after learning the betrayal, the hurt, the faces of evil that present themselves but can he get her to trust him, will she ever trust him again, can she love a man who married her for revenge proved he was capable of hurting her in that way, will he be man enough to ask for forgiveness, will they learn the truth about their brother, will she trust him enough to protect her, and can they find happiness somewhere amongst it all?
June 25, 2023
Thank you author and give me book pr for providing me with an eARC copy of this book.
“I once told her I collect beautiful things, but she’s the one that I would die to keep.”
I liked this book. It was fun reading it and getting to know the characters. I liked the storyline and the writing style, the characters were something in between. There are moments when i loved them and moments when I wanted to smack them in the face.
Damon and Luciana were complex characters. I loved when i saw both of them struggle to understand each other and I’m glad and Luciana wasn’t just a doormat but one hell of a strong woman in her own way. I loved the banter that would sometimes happen between them it was cute. Damon though I didn’t like him all that much until maybe the last 30% of the book maybe more.
He’s confusing tbh one moment he want her and can’t live without her and the other is completely cold and doesn’t acknowledge her which I completely understand but i kinda want to see more emotions towards her besides vengeance. They were cute together in the end but I didn’t feel the chemistry between them, that small spark wasn’t there even when they got together.
I loved the concept of the story it was very interesting and entertaining. The side characters were amazing i loved them and I definitely wanna read their story.
“like a magnet, she draws me back to her. Her beauty. Her being.”
✨My Rating✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5\5
✨Type Of Book✨
📚Standalone📚
✨Tropes✨
- Enemies To Lovers🔥
- Marriage Of Convenience🔥
- Spice🔥
- Age Gap🔥
- Touch Her And Die🔥
- Possessive MMC🔥
- Obsessed With Her🔥
- Forced Proximity🔥
- Revenge Plot🔥
- Pregnancy (at the end)🔥
✨Trigger Warnings✨
- Violence⚠️
- Child Abuse⚠️
- Kidnapping⚠️
- Multiple Attempted Murder⚠️
- Betrayal⚠️
- Abuse⚠️
“I once told her I collect beautiful things, but she’s the one that I would die to keep.”
I liked this book. It was fun reading it and getting to know the characters. I liked the storyline and the writing style, the characters were something in between. There are moments when i loved them and moments when I wanted to smack them in the face.
Damon and Luciana were complex characters. I loved when i saw both of them struggle to understand each other and I’m glad and Luciana wasn’t just a doormat but one hell of a strong woman in her own way. I loved the banter that would sometimes happen between them it was cute. Damon though I didn’t like him all that much until maybe the last 30% of the book maybe more.
He’s confusing tbh one moment he want her and can’t live without her and the other is completely cold and doesn’t acknowledge her which I completely understand but i kinda want to see more emotions towards her besides vengeance. They were cute together in the end but I didn’t feel the chemistry between them, that small spark wasn’t there even when they got together.
I loved the concept of the story it was very interesting and entertaining. The side characters were amazing i loved them and I definitely wanna read their story.
“like a magnet, she draws me back to her. Her beauty. Her being.”
✨My Rating✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5\5
✨Type Of Book✨
📚Standalone📚
✨Tropes✨
- Enemies To Lovers🔥
- Marriage Of Convenience🔥
- Spice🔥
- Age Gap🔥
- Touch Her And Die🔥
- Possessive MMC🔥
- Obsessed With Her🔥
- Forced Proximity🔥
- Revenge Plot🔥
- Pregnancy (at the end)🔥
✨Trigger Warnings✨
- Violence⚠️
- Child Abuse⚠️
- Kidnapping⚠️
- Multiple Attempted Murder⚠️
- Betrayal⚠️
- Abuse⚠️
June 9, 2023
Talk about secrets, lies, and betrayal, you see it all throughout this story. It is a mafia story at its finest. It has so much action, drama, suspense, and a bit of mystery. Loved Damon and his personality. It is strong, and protective, even when he didn’t want to be. LuLu, I had a slightly harder time connecting with her. At times she seems so strong but then when it really matters she seems so weak. She has an amazing personality as really is sweet and caring. I love the chemistry between Damon and her. The story is well written and developed. It definitely kept me glued to it. It is absolutely a must read and doesn’t disappoint.
June 26, 2023
Excellent! A great mafia story.
My rating: 5
Tropes: Mafia - Crime - Arranged Marriage - Betrayal/Revenge
Heat: 7/10
Emotion 8/10
Story: 7/10
Characters: 7/10
Interest: 8/10
POV: Dual
No Cheating - No ow/om sex
No Cliffhanger
"Vengeance in Blood" is a well written, suspenseful, steamy and overall interesting story worth reading.
There is violence, action, suspense and darkness.
The only thing, the explanation of how things happened in the end, didn't seem much plausible.
I will read more from the authors.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
My rating: 5
Tropes: Mafia - Crime - Arranged Marriage - Betrayal/Revenge
Heat: 7/10
Emotion 8/10
Story: 7/10
Characters: 7/10
Interest: 8/10
POV: Dual
No Cheating - No ow/om sex
No Cliffhanger
"Vengeance in Blood" is a well written, suspenseful, steamy and overall interesting story worth reading.
There is violence, action, suspense and darkness.
The only thing, the explanation of how things happened in the end, didn't seem much plausible.
I will read more from the authors.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 28, 2023
3 1/2 stars. Well this one has everything. Secrets, lies and the ultimate betrayal. Even though I was sure I knew where the story was going, the twists and turns were well worth it. I loved Lulu, even though she wanted nothing to do with the family business she took it on the only way she knew how. Damon, poor Damon, your vengeance was your undoing. Those set on revenge should dig two graves and all that. I really did not like how it ended.
June 22, 2023
VENGEANCE IN BLOOD is the first full-length instalment in the contemporary, adult SONS OF THE MAFIA dark, erotic, Mafia romance series co-authored by Vi Carter and ER Whyte. This is the continuing story of twenty-nine year old, Damon Papparado, and twenty-five year old, Luciana ‘Lulu’ Valachi. Damon and Lulu’s story begins five years earlier, in the prequel novella SINS OF THE MAFIA .
NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.
Told from dual first person perspectives Damon and Lulu, VENGEANCE IN BLOOD follows in the aftermath of the death of Don Lorenzo Valachi, leaving a hole in the struggle for power. To Luciani ‘Lulu’ Valachi’s horror, our heroine will discover that her late father has ‘sold’ her as payment for a debt to several different arms of the Italian Mafia, and if she refuses, her younger sister is to pay the ultimate price. Enter Don Lorenzo Valachi’s right hand man, Damon Papparado, who offers his hand in marriage to secure the safety of the Valachi sisters but all is not as it appears to be, and Damon’s offer of marriage comes with a caveat meant to destroy the Valachi family for sins of the past. What ensues is the acrimonious relationship, and marriage of convenience between Damon and Lulu, and the potential fall-out when the truth reveals a staggering secret, a battle for control, and the fight for power.
Don Lorenzo Valachi died without a male heir, his son having disappeared six years earlier. Expecting but not wanting to inherit her father’s seat on the Commission, and control of the Valachi crime family, Lulu will quickly discover that her father’s debts will be paid with her life and the life of her younger sister. As the different branches of the Italian Mafia take aim at our story line couple, the reality of the situation proves to be much more dangerous and dark.
The relationship between Damon and Lulu is tempestuous at best. Damon offers his hand in marriage, seducing our heroine into believing she is loved but Lulu will quickly discover the hopelessness of her situation, and the control Damon not holds over her future and her life. Lulu has married a man determined to exact vengeance for sins of the past, vengeance that may be misdirected, evil and deadly. Lulu has lost everyone she has ever loved excerpt her sister Vivi, but Vivi’s life has been threatened, and Lulu is paying the ultimate price. The $ex scenes are aggressive and provocative.
There is a large ensemble cast of powerful and dangerous secondary and supporting characters. We are introduced to Lulu’s sister Vivi; Damon’s sister Evie and their brother Marcus, as well as several members of the Italian mob.The requisite evil has many faces.
VENGEANCE IN BLOOD is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, madness and murder, acceptance and love. The premise is dark, dramatic, and intense; the characters are powerful , desperate and determined; the romance is predicated upon obsession, vengeance and need. VENGEANCE IN BLOOD ends on a happily ever after-for now.
copy supplied for review
www.thereadingcafe.com
NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.
Told from dual first person perspectives Damon and Lulu, VENGEANCE IN BLOOD follows in the aftermath of the death of Don Lorenzo Valachi, leaving a hole in the struggle for power. To Luciani ‘Lulu’ Valachi’s horror, our heroine will discover that her late father has ‘sold’ her as payment for a debt to several different arms of the Italian Mafia, and if she refuses, her younger sister is to pay the ultimate price. Enter Don Lorenzo Valachi’s right hand man, Damon Papparado, who offers his hand in marriage to secure the safety of the Valachi sisters but all is not as it appears to be, and Damon’s offer of marriage comes with a caveat meant to destroy the Valachi family for sins of the past. What ensues is the acrimonious relationship, and marriage of convenience between Damon and Lulu, and the potential fall-out when the truth reveals a staggering secret, a battle for control, and the fight for power.
Don Lorenzo Valachi died without a male heir, his son having disappeared six years earlier. Expecting but not wanting to inherit her father’s seat on the Commission, and control of the Valachi crime family, Lulu will quickly discover that her father’s debts will be paid with her life and the life of her younger sister. As the different branches of the Italian Mafia take aim at our story line couple, the reality of the situation proves to be much more dangerous and dark.
The relationship between Damon and Lulu is tempestuous at best. Damon offers his hand in marriage, seducing our heroine into believing she is loved but Lulu will quickly discover the hopelessness of her situation, and the control Damon not holds over her future and her life. Lulu has married a man determined to exact vengeance for sins of the past, vengeance that may be misdirected, evil and deadly. Lulu has lost everyone she has ever loved excerpt her sister Vivi, but Vivi’s life has been threatened, and Lulu is paying the ultimate price. The $ex scenes are aggressive and provocative.
There is a large ensemble cast of powerful and dangerous secondary and supporting characters. We are introduced to Lulu’s sister Vivi; Damon’s sister Evie and their brother Marcus, as well as several members of the Italian mob.The requisite evil has many faces.
VENGEANCE IN BLOOD is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, madness and murder, acceptance and love. The premise is dark, dramatic, and intense; the characters are powerful , desperate and determined; the romance is predicated upon obsession, vengeance and need. VENGEANCE IN BLOOD ends on a happily ever after-for now.
copy supplied for review
www.thereadingcafe.com
June 24, 2023
𝔾𝕣𝕚𝕡𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕘, ℙ𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕣𝕝𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕒 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕕 𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕖 😍🔥🔥
💕🅵🅰🆅🅾🆄🆁🅸🆃🅴 🆀🆄🅾🆃🅴💕
“𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙄 𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩, 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙖.”
“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙄’𝙢 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚?” 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙄 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙩, 𝙄 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜… 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝘼 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝘽.
“𝙉𝙤,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙖𝙯𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣-𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮, 𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨.
“𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠.”
🆆🅷🅰🆃 🆃🅾 🅻🅾🅾🅺 🅵🅾🆁🆆🅰🆁🅳 🆃🅾: 😍
✔️ Mafia Romance
✔️ Arranged Marriage
✔️ Revenge theme
✔️ Friends to Enemies-to-lovers
✔️ Power Grab and War on the horizon
✔️ Virgin Heroine
🅼🆈 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆:
This one had me gripped right from page 1.
There's an empty place now created after the Valachi head dies, who's one of the most powerful mafia families.
Damon the right hand man of the Valachi head takes everything in his hand now that the fight for power had begun.
Lulu is half relieved and half unsure after the recent tragedy that's happened but just when she thought she was finally free, comes a twister out of nowhere, where she's indebted to marry into one of other mafia family to secure ties.
Lulu trusts Damon when he steps in to take matters in his hands as he's always been gentle with her and her sister.
But never in her Wildest dreams did she know that Damon has his own ulterior motives and his own want for power.
This one tested me in seeing Damon as the hero and also sort of as the Anti-hero at times too.
Right from the start there's so much going on and it was a delicious read throughout seeing Damon and Lulu fight their attraction then when Damon shows his sort of true self...... The Love Hate vibes and the Love Hate 𝖲𝖤𝖷𝖸 moments gave me shivers and going OH MY... so many times. 🔥🔥
I have to say the 𝖲𝖤𝖷𝖸 chemistry is sizzling and burning off the charts Hot that it will give you Goosebumps. The way Damon takes charge and just is so ravenous for Lulu is completely panty melting hot. 🌶️🌶️🥵🥵🔥🔥🔥
There's also so much action and chase and run and kidnappings and so much of drama that's going on. The fast paced action sequences are perfectly balanced with the secrets and thrilling turns along with the sometimes sweet and other times spicy delicious romance that I just didn't want Lulu and Damon's romance to end.
That twister at the ending though, really had me wide-eyed as I so didn't see the direction it took turn to. But the sweet and spicy chemistry of Damon and Lulu.. Sigh !!!
5+ 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 deliciousness and Wild ride was what this one was. Can't wait for the next book. Loved freaking loved loved this one.
❣️🅵🅰🆅🅾🆁🅸🆃🅴🔥🌶️ 🆂🅲🅴🅽🅴 ❣️
“𝙄’𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧.
𝙎𝙤, 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠.”
𝙃𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙧 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙖𝙧. “𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣… 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙… 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖.”
💕🅵🅰🆅🅾🆄🆁🅸🆃🅴 🆀🆄🅾🆃🅴💕
“𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙄 𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩, 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙖.”
“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙄’𝙢 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚?” 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙄 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙩, 𝙄 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜… 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝘼 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝘽.
“𝙉𝙤,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙖𝙯𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣-𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮, 𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨.
“𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠.”
🆆🅷🅰🆃 🆃🅾 🅻🅾🅾🅺 🅵🅾🆁🆆🅰🆁🅳 🆃🅾: 😍
✔️ Mafia Romance
✔️ Arranged Marriage
✔️ Revenge theme
✔️ Friends to Enemies-to-lovers
✔️ Power Grab and War on the horizon
✔️ Virgin Heroine
🅼🆈 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆:
This one had me gripped right from page 1.
There's an empty place now created after the Valachi head dies, who's one of the most powerful mafia families.
Damon the right hand man of the Valachi head takes everything in his hand now that the fight for power had begun.
Lulu is half relieved and half unsure after the recent tragedy that's happened but just when she thought she was finally free, comes a twister out of nowhere, where she's indebted to marry into one of other mafia family to secure ties.
Lulu trusts Damon when he steps in to take matters in his hands as he's always been gentle with her and her sister.
But never in her Wildest dreams did she know that Damon has his own ulterior motives and his own want for power.
This one tested me in seeing Damon as the hero and also sort of as the Anti-hero at times too.
Right from the start there's so much going on and it was a delicious read throughout seeing Damon and Lulu fight their attraction then when Damon shows his sort of true self...... The Love Hate vibes and the Love Hate 𝖲𝖤𝖷𝖸 moments gave me shivers and going OH MY... so many times. 🔥🔥
I have to say the 𝖲𝖤𝖷𝖸 chemistry is sizzling and burning off the charts Hot that it will give you Goosebumps. The way Damon takes charge and just is so ravenous for Lulu is completely panty melting hot. 🌶️🌶️🥵🥵🔥🔥🔥
There's also so much action and chase and run and kidnappings and so much of drama that's going on. The fast paced action sequences are perfectly balanced with the secrets and thrilling turns along with the sometimes sweet and other times spicy delicious romance that I just didn't want Lulu and Damon's romance to end.
That twister at the ending though, really had me wide-eyed as I so didn't see the direction it took turn to. But the sweet and spicy chemistry of Damon and Lulu.. Sigh !!!
5+ 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 deliciousness and Wild ride was what this one was. Can't wait for the next book. Loved freaking loved loved this one.
❣️🅵🅰🆅🅾🆁🅸🆃🅴🔥🌶️ 🆂🅲🅴🅽🅴 ❣️
“𝙄’𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧.
𝙎𝙤, 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠.”
𝙃𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙧 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙖𝙧. “𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣… 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙… 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖.”
June 15, 2023
4.5 stars! The beginning.....
Vengeance in Blood is the first installment in the Sons of the Mafia Series and starts five years after Damon Papparado (O'Hanlon also) getting acquainted with the Valachi family, specially the Don, becoming his right hand man and loyal trustee.
I would suggest reading the prequel, Sins of the Mafia, for a better understanding of the background story and architecture of events and liasons.
Damon has an agenda, carefully planned and the death of the Valachi patriarch sets the time for his vengeance BUT, there is something he wasn't counting on in the beginning and how it eveloped in the next five years, Lulu aka Luciana Valachi, the older daughter from whom Damon developed a veiled interest (the was mutual) and Vivi, the youngest with whom he saw as little sister, really simpathyzed and vowed to protect.
What ensues is a plan in motion and detours, unheard deals, adaptation and the utmost opportunity to kill several birds with une stone.
It started a bit slow, but as soon as the union happened, the narrative flowed more steady, fast and furious to the pace of its events, obstacles, deceit, realms and solutions.
The net is way more denser than Damon and Lulu ever expected, with threats, demands and rush in a blurred atmosphere where they don't really know who are the friends and the foes, where the blood might imply struggle rather than support.
Damon and Lulu don't have as much to work with as they thought, they have each other at least, with reasistance, accusations and distrust, but their lust (🔥🔥🔥) is too powerfull to resist, their feelings are progressivelly getting in the way and love is bound to happen. Damon's goal might have been raw revenge, but things don't add and his supposed spoils of war are becoming too ingrained, too near and too much part of himself.
I had my suspicions regarding the opponents in this tale, most of them are anyway, what I wasn't expecting was the legitimate adjuvant that, even without the perfect arrangement, was able the present the best fix (for now, perhaps) and making sure everyone that mattered was protected.
I don't know if Lulu and Damon's is a truly HEA or a HFN, so I am anxiously awaiting what's to come, be it about them or other characters, but my hunch would be Vivi and I'm theorizing already!
A great series starter!
June 17, 2023
Vengeance in Blood was such a captivating and exciting read. I love Vi Carter's writing style. Her books are always gritty, original, and hot. This is my first time reading a book by E.R. Whyte. I love her writing style; it was bold and beautifully written. I will be checking out her books to see what else she creates in her books. It's the first time I have read a collaborative book by Vi Carter and E.R. Whyte, and I loved every minute while reading this book. I felt their words when describing a feeling or experience. I loved the way they both brought this book to life. This book is a dark mafia romance with a friend to enemies to lovers' twist. I loved the action, mystery, angst, and the twists and turns throughout this book. It was a heartbreaking, nail-biting, and exciting story. I could feel my tears welling up throughout this book. I think a few trickled out. I really enjoy a book that will have me turning the pages to see what's coming.
Lulu was a loyal, acting and strong woman. I felt so many emotions for her throughout this book. I loved how she wouldn't give up protecting the people she loved. Damon was dark, brooding, and loyal to a fault. I thought he was possessive and a little obsessed with Lulu. Their chemistry was explosive. I loved their interactions together. They had a lot of push and pull with their actions and feelings. I laughed at a few things Lulu tried to do in this book. It was only fair.
I enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what Vi Carter and E.R. Whyte bring us next. The world they created with these intriguing characters has me wanting more. 5 amazing stars!- Brooke
June 18, 2023
First of all, I highly suggest you read the prologue, Sins of the Mafia, to get the whole picture of Damon and Lulu's background character.
There, you'll see the sweet Damon. The family protector Damon. Before his need for revenge. And how, different from other Mafia romance books, his revenge isn't fast, bloody or Swift. He is determined that it will be slow, meticulous, thorough, painfull and ruin all that left behind of his enemies.
And you'll see how Lulu is the Queen. She's the family glue. She's their pillar between drunk mom, non existent father who care more about being a Don than being a father, weak older brother and a child for little sister.
The prologue is a promise of a great Mafia saga.
But then Lulu break. In Vengeance of Blood starting, Lulu was tired. Rightfully so with all that happening. Her breaking actually frightening in Mafia world. For a woman in that world is nothing of value but as collateral and to see her giving up trust so easily, even to Damon, specially to Damon, is scary start for a story.
And with Lulu as mafia princess, it's like, and I quote - " like chattel on a block to be sold to the highest bidder."
What I love about this book was the human drama in the Mafia famiglia. Lust of power makes them forget about blood relation. Love bring the strongest man tremble with fear. Strength doesn't come in loud voice for women in the famiglia. And dreams to be free can only be achieved in death.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
There, you'll see the sweet Damon. The family protector Damon. Before his need for revenge. And how, different from other Mafia romance books, his revenge isn't fast, bloody or Swift. He is determined that it will be slow, meticulous, thorough, painfull and ruin all that left behind of his enemies.
And you'll see how Lulu is the Queen. She's the family glue. She's their pillar between drunk mom, non existent father who care more about being a Don than being a father, weak older brother and a child for little sister.
The prologue is a promise of a great Mafia saga.
But then Lulu break. In Vengeance of Blood starting, Lulu was tired. Rightfully so with all that happening. Her breaking actually frightening in Mafia world. For a woman in that world is nothing of value but as collateral and to see her giving up trust so easily, even to Damon, specially to Damon, is scary start for a story.
And with Lulu as mafia princess, it's like, and I quote - " like chattel on a block to be sold to the highest bidder."
What I love about this book was the human drama in the Mafia famiglia. Lust of power makes them forget about blood relation. Love bring the strongest man tremble with fear. Strength doesn't come in loud voice for women in the famiglia. And dreams to be free can only be achieved in death.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 19, 2023
I voluntarily reviewed "VENGEANCE IN BLOOD"
WOW!!! What a phenominal mindblowing intense emotional action packed wild rollercoaster ride so buckle up for an addicting page turner full of lies, secrets, angst, betrayal, humor, steam, danger, violence, so many twists you can't put down.
Damon Pappardo is one interesting, dominating, scarey, manipulative character you love to hate then see the softer sides to him where Lulu & Vivi are concerned he's looking for revenge with Valachi Mafia family for the murder of his mother, but not all is what it seems.
Lulu Valachi is overwhelmed when her father, Lorenzo Valachi dies everything falls on her shoulders Damon has protected her & Vivi for 6yrs he tells her he'll help get especially when she finds she's being forced into a marriage she doesn't want with Enzo Scarpetta & or Luca Marzano payment for a debt her father owed.
Damon being a made man tells Lulu's Uncle Franco he's going to marry her they've been in a relationship for awhile he gives them his blessing that's when all the chaos starts someone is trying to kill Lulu & Vivi but there other things she doesn't know about her new husband Damon which makes their life a dangerous rollercoaster.
I definitely recommend to get this riviting story your hooked on to the shocking end so many twists & mystery throughout this phenominal Mafia Romance you can't get enough of.
I'm so looking forward to "ENEMIES IN RUIN" next book in this series can't gone soon enough.
PHENOMINAL RIVITING MAFIA ROMANCE 🖤 🖤 🖤
WOW!!! What a phenominal mindblowing intense emotional action packed wild rollercoaster ride so buckle up for an addicting page turner full of lies, secrets, angst, betrayal, humor, steam, danger, violence, so many twists you can't put down.
Damon Pappardo is one interesting, dominating, scarey, manipulative character you love to hate then see the softer sides to him where Lulu & Vivi are concerned he's looking for revenge with Valachi Mafia family for the murder of his mother, but not all is what it seems.
Lulu Valachi is overwhelmed when her father, Lorenzo Valachi dies everything falls on her shoulders Damon has protected her & Vivi for 6yrs he tells her he'll help get especially when she finds she's being forced into a marriage she doesn't want with Enzo Scarpetta & or Luca Marzano payment for a debt her father owed.
Damon being a made man tells Lulu's Uncle Franco he's going to marry her they've been in a relationship for awhile he gives them his blessing that's when all the chaos starts someone is trying to kill Lulu & Vivi but there other things she doesn't know about her new husband Damon which makes their life a dangerous rollercoaster.
I definitely recommend to get this riviting story your hooked on to the shocking end so many twists & mystery throughout this phenominal Mafia Romance you can't get enough of.
I'm so looking forward to "ENEMIES IN RUIN" next book in this series can't gone soon enough.
PHENOMINAL RIVITING MAFIA ROMANCE 🖤 🖤 🖤
October 1, 2025
Damon Pepperado, a man driven by vengeance after his mother’s dying words point him toward the Valachi family. Determined to infiltrate them and make them pay, Damon finds himself in the perfect position when the head of the Valachi family dies, leaving control to his daughter, Lulu. With Lulu caught between marriage promises to two powerful families, Damon steps in and marries her. An ideal opportunity to exact his revenge. But what begins as a cold plan for vengeance soon twists into something Damon never expected, falling for the very woman he meant to destroy.
Damon is written as powerful, possessive, and fiercely protective, while Lulu proves to be anything but submissive. She fights back at every turn, refusing to be manipulated. Their fiery clashes form the heart of the story, eventually forcing Damon to confront whether revenge is worth the cost of what he’s found with her. For me, this book was a mixed experience. The beginning felt very slow, though the pacing did pick up as the story developed. While the plot itself was strong, I struggled with the chemistry between Damon and Lulu, it often felt off, making it hard to fully connect with their relationship. The two plot twists were easy to predict, which left me wondering how someone as calculating and intelligent as Damon failed to see it himself. Additionally, I found Damon’s sister’s role confusing; her purpose and influence weren’t clearly defined. Overall, Vengeance in Blood had an intriguing premise and some tense, dramatic moments, but for me, it was just an okay read.
Damon is written as powerful, possessive, and fiercely protective, while Lulu proves to be anything but submissive. She fights back at every turn, refusing to be manipulated. Their fiery clashes form the heart of the story, eventually forcing Damon to confront whether revenge is worth the cost of what he’s found with her. For me, this book was a mixed experience. The beginning felt very slow, though the pacing did pick up as the story developed. While the plot itself was strong, I struggled with the chemistry between Damon and Lulu, it often felt off, making it hard to fully connect with their relationship. The two plot twists were easy to predict, which left me wondering how someone as calculating and intelligent as Damon failed to see it himself. Additionally, I found Damon’s sister’s role confusing; her purpose and influence weren’t clearly defined. Overall, Vengeance in Blood had an intriguing premise and some tense, dramatic moments, but for me, it was just an okay read.
June 21, 2023
Damon Pepperado wants revenge for his mother's death which leads to an arranged marriage to Luciana Valachi. This book has all the feels.....arranged marriage, betrayal, distrust, mistrust, lust, chemistry.
Damon is after one thing and that's to avenge his mother's death, and the name on her dying lips was that of Valachi so Damon worms his way into the family to find out who killed his mother and of course to corrupt Lulu ( as he likes to call her ) she thinks he's a friend who's her father's right hand man....but of course Damon's intentions are to get revenge. Lulu is a strong female character who doesn't take any crap and does put Damon in his place sometimes but of course lust takes over and well......the sex in this is 🥵 when she finds out Damon's intentions as you can imagine her emotions are all over the place.
There are plenty of twists and turns in this story, I was left on the edge of my seat a fair few times. I love a good mafia book and this is definitely one of the top ones I've read in a long time, the writing is superb and I didn't realise there was a prequel to this book but it did kinda make sense when I was reading as it did feel like we should have known what had happened in the past with the way the characters were talking so I'm definitely going to read the prequel. All in all a fantastic story and can't wait to read more.
Damon is after one thing and that's to avenge his mother's death, and the name on her dying lips was that of Valachi so Damon worms his way into the family to find out who killed his mother and of course to corrupt Lulu ( as he likes to call her ) she thinks he's a friend who's her father's right hand man....but of course Damon's intentions are to get revenge. Lulu is a strong female character who doesn't take any crap and does put Damon in his place sometimes but of course lust takes over and well......the sex in this is 🥵 when she finds out Damon's intentions as you can imagine her emotions are all over the place.
There are plenty of twists and turns in this story, I was left on the edge of my seat a fair few times. I love a good mafia book and this is definitely one of the top ones I've read in a long time, the writing is superb and I didn't realise there was a prequel to this book but it did kinda make sense when I was reading as it did feel like we should have known what had happened in the past with the way the characters were talking so I'm definitely going to read the prequel. All in all a fantastic story and can't wait to read more.
June 22, 2023
Damon's mother was murdered, and the last word on her lips to him was the name Valachi, a rival mafia family. From that point on, he set out on a path of revenge, so he ended up working for Lulu's father & gaining the family's trust. Her father dies, and now Damon can put his plan in motion, which is forcing Lulu to marry him so he can make her life hell. Now, I wasn't down with that whatsoever as Damon was very cruel to Lulu which was unacceptable since she had nothing to do with his mother's death even if her family did indeed order the hit. I know, the mafia world is like this but it still enrages me like crazy LOL! Lulu came into her own in this story as Damon let her in on his secret identity on their wedding night, so she decided to go toe to toe with him (RESPECT) bringing down my rage level since she was going down fighting. There are so many secrets, lies, and betrayals to this story that it's unreal so the twists were coming in hot all the way to the end which kept me on my toes cover to cover. I couldn't put this story down for anything to be honest, however, I did take exception to the ending as I felt like many didn't receive their due for all the BS but that's just me. Anyway, I'm excited for more of this series & HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
August 13, 2023
MMC/FMC- Damon and Lulu
POV- 1st person dual
Genre- Mafia Romance
Sub Genre- Italian Mafia + Irish Mob
Heat level- this review is brought to you by the letter P, in honor of all the P words used to name the parts.
Series? Y
Safety: No Cheating/Sharing, No S. Violence, No OM/OW Drama
Cliffhanger? No, but not all issues are resolved
HEA/HFN? Y
Triggers- Graphic Violence, Language in Two Languages, Explicit Erotic Content, Dub Con, Kidnapping
Tropes- Mafia Princess, Do-Si-Do with the Mafioso, Vengeance is Mine, Dysfunctional Families FTW, Virgin Heroine, Marriage of Convenience, It Sounds Better In Italian, Bad Guy Whack-a-Mole
What I liked- this book was fast paced and action packed. I was never bored. I liked the main characters, despite their sometimes questionable actions (yes, I’m looking at you, Damon). They’re not perfect. And, believe it or not, I liked the ending because not every issue was solved. Yeah, the main characters got their HEA/HFN, but the other issues are still ongoing, which makes it a lot more realistic.
What I didn’t- Not gonna lie, I straight up don’t like Dub Con.
Verdict- If you love Mafia Romance, you’ve got to read this book.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
POV- 1st person dual
Genre- Mafia Romance
Sub Genre- Italian Mafia + Irish Mob
Heat level- this review is brought to you by the letter P, in honor of all the P words used to name the parts.
Series? Y
Safety: No Cheating/Sharing, No S. Violence, No OM/OW Drama
Cliffhanger? No, but not all issues are resolved
HEA/HFN? Y
Triggers- Graphic Violence, Language in Two Languages, Explicit Erotic Content, Dub Con, Kidnapping
Tropes- Mafia Princess, Do-Si-Do with the Mafioso, Vengeance is Mine, Dysfunctional Families FTW, Virgin Heroine, Marriage of Convenience, It Sounds Better In Italian, Bad Guy Whack-a-Mole
What I liked- this book was fast paced and action packed. I was never bored. I liked the main characters, despite their sometimes questionable actions (yes, I’m looking at you, Damon). They’re not perfect. And, believe it or not, I liked the ending because not every issue was solved. Yeah, the main characters got their HEA/HFN, but the other issues are still ongoing, which makes it a lot more realistic.
What I didn’t- Not gonna lie, I straight up don’t like Dub Con.
Verdict- If you love Mafia Romance, you’ve got to read this book.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 17, 2023
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is my own opinion and was not influenced by anyone.
Vengeance in Blood is Book 1 of Sons of the Mafia by Vi Carter and E.R. Whyte. Damon Pepperado wants revenge for his Mom's death. Her last word was "Valachi." Lulu Valachi becomes the way Damon envisions his revenge. She is the daughter of Valachi. Lulu is to wed Damon in an arranged marriage.
This story is full of mystery, loaded with tension but also lots of chemistry between Damon and Lulu. The twists had me guessing as the story progressed. Although this is book 1, I recommend reading the prequel, the prequel, Sins of the Mafia. I think it really rounds out the story.
Damon is the ultimate alpha and oh so protective. His feelings for Lulu betray him when all he wants is revenge. His deception is a crushing blow when Lulu finds out the truth. This story twists and turns with action, lies and suspense. I didn't want to put the book down. This story of revenge is ripe with emotions on both the characters and as a reader. Another well developed and written book by VI Carter.
Vengeance in Blood is Book 1 of Sons of the Mafia by Vi Carter and E.R. Whyte. Damon Pepperado wants revenge for his Mom's death. Her last word was "Valachi." Lulu Valachi becomes the way Damon envisions his revenge. She is the daughter of Valachi. Lulu is to wed Damon in an arranged marriage.
This story is full of mystery, loaded with tension but also lots of chemistry between Damon and Lulu. The twists had me guessing as the story progressed. Although this is book 1, I recommend reading the prequel, the prequel, Sins of the Mafia. I think it really rounds out the story.
Damon is the ultimate alpha and oh so protective. His feelings for Lulu betray him when all he wants is revenge. His deception is a crushing blow when Lulu finds out the truth. This story twists and turns with action, lies and suspense. I didn't want to put the book down. This story of revenge is ripe with emotions on both the characters and as a reader. Another well developed and written book by VI Carter.
June 23, 2023
This mafia romance is out of this world exciting, fulfilling, intense, emotion, & has amazing characters that you will fall hard for. This epic story between Damon Papparado & Luciana (Lulu) Valachi is full on mafia enjoyment! Lulu is the only Valachi left and she must marry no matter what. Her father prepared 2 families to marry her but she doesn’t want either and is overwhelmed by everything. Damon has been her father’s second for many years now and she trust him to keep her and her sister safe.
Damon has secrets and a hidden agenda for Lulu but he must convince her to marry him first before he can begin his plans of revenge. He knows she is pawn in this crazy world but he must do what is right to avenge his mother’s death! The one thing he never expected was real feelings to get in the way. He’s always been attracted to Lulu but now she’s beginning to consume his every thought.
There are also several other mafia families in the mix and the action is off the charts! This is a wild ride that you will thoroughly enjoy. This story will keep you enticed and entertained to the very last page. If you need an amazing mafia romance this is a TBR must! Happy Reading!!
Damon has secrets and a hidden agenda for Lulu but he must convince her to marry him first before he can begin his plans of revenge. He knows she is pawn in this crazy world but he must do what is right to avenge his mother’s death! The one thing he never expected was real feelings to get in the way. He’s always been attracted to Lulu but now she’s beginning to consume his every thought.
There are also several other mafia families in the mix and the action is off the charts! This is a wild ride that you will thoroughly enjoy. This story will keep you enticed and entertained to the very last page. If you need an amazing mafia romance this is a TBR must! Happy Reading!!
June 29, 2023
Lucianna Valachi (Lulu) has buried her father and is now facing the fact that her father has given her to 2 men to strengthen the Valachi family. Damon Papparado was the 2nd in command to Don Lorenzo Valachi. Of course, Damon has a huge secret that will change things for Lulu. Set out for revenge, Damon will stop at nothing to exact his revenge.
There was always a spark between Lulu and Damon, and when Damon suggested she marry him, it seemed the lesser of the 3 evils! With a power struggle about to occur and possible war if Lulu doesn’t marry one of the 2 men her father chose, buckle up for an exciting ride and you watch the change in relationship between Damon and Lulu, friends, to enemies, to lovers. Of course nothing is as it seems. Lots of twists, danger, passion, secrets, lies, deception, vilence, kidnappings, tragedy and an ending I did not see coming! Great story, great characters. Looking forward to reading more from these authors.
I received a free copy of this book via Hidden Gems ARC’s and am voluntarily leaving a review.
There was always a spark between Lulu and Damon, and when Damon suggested she marry him, it seemed the lesser of the 3 evils! With a power struggle about to occur and possible war if Lulu doesn’t marry one of the 2 men her father chose, buckle up for an exciting ride and you watch the change in relationship between Damon and Lulu, friends, to enemies, to lovers. Of course nothing is as it seems. Lots of twists, danger, passion, secrets, lies, deception, vilence, kidnappings, tragedy and an ending I did not see coming! Great story, great characters. Looking forward to reading more from these authors.
I received a free copy of this book via Hidden Gems ARC’s and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 18, 2023
This book was a great read. The story is dark with many triggers so be warned. There is graphic sex, non-consensual sex between a married couple, and violence including execution, mafia style.
Despite all the dark elements, the characters are well developed, and each has their own story to tell. You hear from the fmc and mmc in alternating chapters. The female is a strong, competent woman despite the male dominated culture of the mafia. Despite her strength, or perhaps because of it, she encounters misogyny and violence, particularly from her spouse. It's no wonder, considering his years long plan to marry her and overthrow the family.
This is an erotic dark romance. The writing and editing are fantastic, and I highly recommend it if you like dark stories, keeping in mind the triggers I've named above.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Despite all the dark elements, the characters are well developed, and each has their own story to tell. You hear from the fmc and mmc in alternating chapters. The female is a strong, competent woman despite the male dominated culture of the mafia. Despite her strength, or perhaps because of it, she encounters misogyny and violence, particularly from her spouse. It's no wonder, considering his years long plan to marry her and overthrow the family.
This is an erotic dark romance. The writing and editing are fantastic, and I highly recommend it if you like dark stories, keeping in mind the triggers I've named above.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 22, 2023
What a twisted ride I took while reading this book. Lulu is going through a rough time when Damon comes in like a knight in shining armor. He has worked side by side with her father for years and has earned the position of being his right hand. Since her father had passed everything has fallen on her shoulders. When the opportunity arises Damon steps up and puts his plan into play. Damon does not care who gets in his way he is going to get the vengeance he and his family deserve. This is where the story picks up with the secrets, the deceit, and roller coaster ride begins. There is someone out to kill Lulu and Vivi. Damon is not going to let that happen. He is determined to get to the bottom of not only who is out to get the girls, but who was involved in his mother's death as well.
The twist and turns will leave you guessing throughout the book. There is blood shed and betrayal many questions arise on who to trust and who is untrustworthy.
The twist and turns will leave you guessing throughout the book. There is blood shed and betrayal many questions arise on who to trust and who is untrustworthy.
June 23, 2023
I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie's Book Reports.
This is the first book in the Sons of the Mafia Series. There is a prequel to this book that is titled Sins of the Mafia.
Damon Pepperado is a man out for revenge for the death of his mother. The last word on her lips was the last name of Valachi. This leads him to an arranged marriage with the daughter of that family A rival mafia family. This is the only way he can get revenge in his mind. He will take it out of her. He is a powerful, possessive and super protective man. What he never planned on though was that he just might catch some feelings for Lulu along the way. She is a super caring person that loves with her entire being but she is a really strong female character and not exactly what Damon was expecting. I can't really talk about the story or I will give something away. This is one you need to experience on your own.
This is the first book in the Sons of the Mafia Series. There is a prequel to this book that is titled Sins of the Mafia.
Damon Pepperado is a man out for revenge for the death of his mother. The last word on her lips was the last name of Valachi. This leads him to an arranged marriage with the daughter of that family A rival mafia family. This is the only way he can get revenge in his mind. He will take it out of her. He is a powerful, possessive and super protective man. What he never planned on though was that he just might catch some feelings for Lulu along the way. She is a super caring person that loves with her entire being but she is a really strong female character and not exactly what Damon was expecting. I can't really talk about the story or I will give something away. This is one you need to experience on your own.
July 3, 2023
Sons of the Mafia is the first book in this new series. I believe there may be a prequel to guide the reader about the five families. Lulu’s father passed away without leaving a male heir to take over. His son had disappeared many years ago, some presume he is dead. Lulu’s father had debts that will be paid by her arranged marriage to two different mafia families although she doesn’t want to marry either man. Damon was her father’s second in command and he decides to marry Lulu with her Uncle Franco's blessing. Now Damon and his family have been planning revenge. Their mother was the leader of the O'Hanlon Mafia and they believe that Lulu’s father killed her. Lulu marries Damon a man who is out for vengeance. Lulu and Damon are very attracted to each other, Lulu has hope concerning her future, but she quickly learns Damon has deceived her. This is the beginning of a great mafia series.
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