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Mobsters and Miracles
Narcotics detectives Lucas Manning and Danny DeRossa have been investigating the Valdez brothers' lucrative cocaine business for a little over a year. The case is as good as closed. The Valdez brothers are being held in custody while awaiting trial and Tony Reyes – general dogsbody and hired gun is in protective custody until he can testify against them. Time for Lucas and Danny to sit back and put their feet up? Not if Ramon Torres has anything to do with it.
When Torres - a long-standing employee of the Valdez brothers kidnaps Lucas to discover the location of Tony Reyes, it’s up to Lucas’ partner Danny to rescue him. But during their escape, they witness a startling incident - a priest and a rabbi in a shoot-out with Ramon’s men. What possible connection could a band of drug dealers have with the church and the synagogue? Lucas and Danny have evidently stepped in the middle of something big, but can they stay alive long enough to find out what?
To complicate matters further, out and proud Lucas has fallen hard for his straight partner Danny. But is Detective DeRossa as straight as he led Lucas to believe or could he return his partner's affections?
When Torres - a long-standing employee of the Valdez brothers kidnaps Lucas to discover the location of Tony Reyes, it’s up to Lucas’ partner Danny to rescue him. But during their escape, they witness a startling incident - a priest and a rabbi in a shoot-out with Ramon’s men. What possible connection could a band of drug dealers have with the church and the synagogue? Lucas and Danny have evidently stepped in the middle of something big, but can they stay alive long enough to find out what?
To complicate matters further, out and proud Lucas has fallen hard for his straight partner Danny. But is Detective DeRossa as straight as he led Lucas to believe or could he return his partner's affections?
173 pages, ebook
First published July 21, 2012
27 people are currently reading
366 people want to read
About the author
Lavinia Lewis
142 books183 followersLavinia discovered reading at an early age and could always be found with her nose in a book. She loved getting lost in a fantasy world even then. When her parents bought her a typewriter for Christmas at aged eleven, her fate was sealed. She spent hours dreaming up characters and creating stories. Not a lot has changed.
Lavinia is a Welsh Valley girl who has lived all over the UK. Today she lives at home in the small village in which she grew up, just outside of Cardiff, Wales, but ask her again tomorrow and it could very well be somewhere different. She has travelled extensively to places as far and wide as Africa, Asia, Australia, North and Central America and most of Europe. Although some of her books are set in Texas she has never stepped foot in the state but plans to spend time there in the near future. She is a proud Brit, but feels quite at home when visiting the grand ol’ USofA.
Although Lavinia is a huge fan of the romance genre, particularly M/M she will admit to reading anything and everything. She loves horror, a good thriller and if a book has the capacity to make her cry, well, all the better. She loves a gritty, angst-ridden, gut-wrenching story, but is more than happy to settle in with a lighter, fluffier tale. She loves a happy ending and the characters in her books have thus far been lucky enough to find one. She can’t guarantee that will always be the case. She has two cats and wouldn’t part with them for the world, even though they make her sneeze.
Lavinia also writes M/F romance under the pseudonym Amy Armstrong.
Lavinia is a Welsh Valley girl who has lived all over the UK. Today she lives at home in the small village in which she grew up, just outside of Cardiff, Wales, but ask her again tomorrow and it could very well be somewhere different. She has travelled extensively to places as far and wide as Africa, Asia, Australia, North and Central America and most of Europe. Although some of her books are set in Texas she has never stepped foot in the state but plans to spend time there in the near future. She is a proud Brit, but feels quite at home when visiting the grand ol’ USofA.
Although Lavinia is a huge fan of the romance genre, particularly M/M she will admit to reading anything and everything. She loves horror, a good thriller and if a book has the capacity to make her cry, well, all the better. She loves a gritty, angst-ridden, gut-wrenching story, but is more than happy to settle in with a lighter, fluffier tale. She loves a happy ending and the characters in her books have thus far been lucky enough to find one. She can’t guarantee that will always be the case. She has two cats and wouldn’t part with them for the world, even though they make her sneeze.
Lavinia also writes M/F romance under the pseudonym Amy Armstrong.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
May 10, 2014
I won't even bother with a review.
Writers are supposed to tell stories, but this one was all tell and no show. And don't get me started with the idiotic mystery. Or the juvenile characters. Or the tropes. Or ... You get the picture.
Writers are supposed to tell stories, but this one was all tell and no show. And don't get me started with the idiotic mystery. Or the juvenile characters. Or the tropes. Or ... You get the picture.
June 8, 2014
★★★★ 4 Surprised-I-Liked-It Stars ★★★★
By all means, this should not have been a book that I enjoyed so much. The way the plot developed would've normally had me going:
Why?
1. I am an unabashed addict for smut. I like to have a lot of fun times *wink wink nudge nudge* in my M/M romance books. In Mobsters and Miracles, the smexy scenes were few and far in between.
2. Even though this book is classified as an M/M romance, the romance took a backseat. This novel was more of a crime/mystery thriller with a gay-romance-between-two-hot-detectives subplot. When I read hybrids of romance and crime/mystery, I usually am only a happy camper if there is at least an even 50-50 balance between the two aspects, because, hey, I'll admit I'm reading the book for the romance, not the thriller element. This book was more 35-40% romance and 60-65% crime-focused. The MCs did not even have their first kiss until 40% and the happy times, if you know what I mean, did not happen until around the 50% mark.
Normally having little on-page sex and the romance taking a backseat would've drove me batshit crazy and retaliating by *ahem* raging on GR to my friends, writing a less-than-flattering review, and then giving a low-star rating for good measure.
However, I ended the book like this:
Definitely one of the good things the book had going it for it was the fantastic narration. I loved Lucas as the narrator. He was witty, sarcastic, and funny but not overly so that you would get whiplash from the witticism. The way Lucas told the story was so entertaining and fast-paced that I did not miss the sexy times at all. Also, when the smut did happen, it was so damn hot and explosive that it definitely would tide you over until the next time.
I also liked how there was no big brouhaha over the MCs deciding to get together once they realized that both had feelings for the other. Sure, both MCs had some doubts about entering into a romantic relationship, such as Lucas wondering if Danny would change his mind about being with a guy or Danny wondering if Lucas is as serious about him as he is about Lucas. But they saw that this was something both wanted, and they went for it without wasting the reader's time with too much with will-they-or-won't-they. Already a lot of the book was taken over by the MCs' detective work; I did not need any more taken over by unnecessary melodrama. So, I thank you for that, Ms. Lewis.
I took off the star because the crime aspect of the novel wasn't something that we haven't seen before (busting a drug ring, nasty 100% evil villains, etc. etc. blah blah blah), and you could tell that this book was written by a Brit. All the characters were born Americans but they were released "out of hospital" and were "in hospital." This is definitely one of my pet peeves. Few things really yank me out of a story and the American MCs suddenly talking like Brits certainly does the trick. Overall, however, the writing was great and there were very few other grammar/typo mistakes I noticed.
If you want to read a best-friends-to-lovers story with few but extremely hot smutty scenes and don't mind the book being more focused on the crime element than romance, then I am certainly recommending this one.
By all means, this should not have been a book that I enjoyed so much. The way the plot developed would've normally had me going:
Why?
1. I am an unabashed addict for smut. I like to have a lot of fun times *wink wink nudge nudge* in my M/M romance books. In Mobsters and Miracles, the smexy scenes were few and far in between.
2. Even though this book is classified as an M/M romance, the romance took a backseat. This novel was more of a crime/mystery thriller with a gay-romance-between-two-hot-detectives subplot. When I read hybrids of romance and crime/mystery, I usually am only a happy camper if there is at least an even 50-50 balance between the two aspects, because, hey, I'll admit I'm reading the book for the romance, not the thriller element. This book was more 35-40% romance and 60-65% crime-focused. The MCs did not even have their first kiss until 40% and the happy times, if you know what I mean, did not happen until around the 50% mark.
Normally having little on-page sex and the romance taking a backseat would've drove me batshit crazy and retaliating by *ahem* raging on GR to my friends, writing a less-than-flattering review, and then giving a low-star rating for good measure.
However, I ended the book like this:
Definitely one of the good things the book had going it for it was the fantastic narration. I loved Lucas as the narrator. He was witty, sarcastic, and funny but not overly so that you would get whiplash from the witticism. The way Lucas told the story was so entertaining and fast-paced that I did not miss the sexy times at all. Also, when the smut did happen, it was so damn hot and explosive that it definitely would tide you over until the next time.
I also liked how there was no big brouhaha over the MCs deciding to get together once they realized that both had feelings for the other. Sure, both MCs had some doubts about entering into a romantic relationship, such as Lucas wondering if Danny would change his mind about being with a guy or Danny wondering if Lucas is as serious about him as he is about Lucas. But they saw that this was something both wanted, and they went for it without wasting the reader's time with too much with will-they-or-won't-they. Already a lot of the book was taken over by the MCs' detective work; I did not need any more taken over by unnecessary melodrama. So, I thank you for that, Ms. Lewis.
I took off the star because the crime aspect of the novel wasn't something that we haven't seen before (busting a drug ring, nasty 100% evil villains, etc. etc. blah blah blah), and you could tell that this book was written by a Brit. All the characters were born Americans but they were released "out of hospital" and were "in hospital." This is definitely one of my pet peeves. Few things really yank me out of a story and the American MCs suddenly talking like Brits certainly does the trick. Overall, however, the writing was great and there were very few other grammar/typo mistakes I noticed.
If you want to read a best-friends-to-lovers story with few but extremely hot smutty scenes and don't mind the book being more focused on the crime element than romance, then I am certainly recommending this one.
July 24, 2012
This was a great book it was a nice mix of the mystery and romance. Lots of running around and guns going off. I loved Danny and Lucas together they were perfect mix. I'm not sure this will be a series but I wouldn't mind seeing more of them:-)
September 3, 2012
4.5 stars
Lucas had loved his straight partner, Danny, for long. Both were narcotics detectives at NYPD. Little did he know, his supposedly straight friend had broken off with his girlfriend since he too had fallen for his partner. But that issue had to wait because duty called.
Overall, though, this is a solid reading.
Lucas had loved his straight partner, Danny, for long. Both were narcotics detectives at NYPD. Little did he know, his supposedly straight friend had broken off with his girlfriend since he too had fallen for his partner. But that issue had to wait because duty called.
Overall, though, this is a solid reading.
July 25, 2012
3.5 stars
A pretty good cop/crime mystery, nicely done and was a pleasant surprise. Danny and Lucas work solidly together as a team and the eventual romance was a good fit to the relationship. Pure escapism which was very enjoyable in parts and not a bad crime story on the whole, I liked it.
A pretty good cop/crime mystery, nicely done and was a pleasant surprise. Danny and Lucas work solidly together as a team and the eventual romance was a good fit to the relationship. Pure escapism which was very enjoyable in parts and not a bad crime story on the whole, I liked it.
Read
August 27, 2012First book I've read by this author and it was interesting.
Lucas, the first person narrator, and his partner Danny are narcotics detectives. Lucas is openly guy and he has developed a hopeless crush on Danny. At the beginning of the book, their undercover mission has been discovered and they were kidnapped by the bad guys. They're able to free themselves, but the involvement of a priest and a rabbi in the case they're working on opens new scenarios in the criminal organization they're investigating. Married priests with lovers, a leather daddy trying to bed Lucas, corrupted cops, tense moments with FBI agents, the plot is full of twists and turns, while the relationship between Lucas and Danny begins to change into something beyond friendship.
I must admit that at the beginning I found the developments in the relationship between Lucas and Danny a bit unbelievable, until I realized how self-absorbed Lucas was. He is not a narrator who makes you relax: he's confrontational, easy to come to conclusions, instinctive, but he was nicely paried with Danny more relaxed and rational attitude. I think it was a bit of a risk to choose someone like Lucas to tell the story, because he is not easy to like, but it worked in the end.
The beginning of the book is explosive, then the tension went down a bit, but the pacing picked up from the half of the book on and it ended with an enjoyable action part. A few hot scenes, but since I almost could predict when the guys were going to have some kind of sex, it became a little less interesting and surprising.
I can't say anything about the plausibility of some parts, especially the procedures, since I'm not American, but it was a page turner.
Lucas, the first person narrator, and his partner Danny are narcotics detectives. Lucas is openly guy and he has developed a hopeless crush on Danny. At the beginning of the book, their undercover mission has been discovered and they were kidnapped by the bad guys. They're able to free themselves, but the involvement of a priest and a rabbi in the case they're working on opens new scenarios in the criminal organization they're investigating. Married priests with lovers, a leather daddy trying to bed Lucas, corrupted cops, tense moments with FBI agents, the plot is full of twists and turns, while the relationship between Lucas and Danny begins to change into something beyond friendship.
I must admit that at the beginning I found the developments in the relationship between Lucas and Danny a bit unbelievable, until I realized how self-absorbed Lucas was. He is not a narrator who makes you relax: he's confrontational, easy to come to conclusions, instinctive, but he was nicely paried with Danny more relaxed and rational attitude. I think it was a bit of a risk to choose someone like Lucas to tell the story, because he is not easy to like, but it worked in the end.
The beginning of the book is explosive, then the tension went down a bit, but the pacing picked up from the half of the book on and it ended with an enjoyable action part. A few hot scenes, but since I almost could predict when the guys were going to have some kind of sex, it became a little less interesting and surprising.
I can't say anything about the plausibility of some parts, especially the procedures, since I'm not American, but it was a page turner.
March 31, 2013
Mobsters and Miracles is a really nice story about two cops who have been partners for a year. One is openly gay (Lucas) and the other is a closet bisexual man (Danny). Normally that would annoy me, but Danny's explanation made sense to me.
There was a nice crime to be solved in this and it was dangerous. Both MC's ended up injured at one point or another. From the first chapter I was brought in and the romance was perfect too. It was the right amount of sweet and sappy for me but not overly if some are not into the sappy romance.
I kind of would love a sequel, the ending was great. But, I loved these characters and I can be quite greedy. Lucas was a great Protagonist. I was glad it was told in the first person narrative. I would have liked Danny's POV too, but he obviously loved Lucas so I'm good.
This is a must read for me!
There was a nice crime to be solved in this and it was dangerous. Both MC's ended up injured at one point or another. From the first chapter I was brought in and the romance was perfect too. It was the right amount of sweet and sappy for me but not overly if some are not into the sappy romance.
I kind of would love a sequel, the ending was great. But, I loved these characters and I can be quite greedy. Lucas was a great Protagonist. I was glad it was told in the first person narrative. I would have liked Danny's POV too, but he obviously loved Lucas so I'm good.
This is a must read for me!
March 20, 2014
2, 2.5...I don't know. I seem to be in the minority here as everyone else seemed to 4 or 5 star it, so IDK.
I had a problem getting invested almost immediately because something about Lucas's inner dialogue was off. Not genuine or something...just off
I love cops, I love partners, I love friends to lovers, but this just didn't really...get me there. I missed the buildup of the relationship. It seemed like it was going...and then it skipped all the good stuff and skipped...well, skipped to good stuff but I had an issue with that, too. I don't want to spoil it so that's just the issues I had.
I also had hoped the whole crime aspect was going to play out in a differently as well. Such an interesting start, could have played out so many different ways, but it just boiled down to someone sitting there telling them the whole thing.
I don't know, tons of potential, it just didn't work for me. I would read from this author again.
I had a problem getting invested almost immediately because something about Lucas's inner dialogue was off. Not genuine or something...just off
I love cops, I love partners, I love friends to lovers, but this just didn't really...get me there. I missed the buildup of the relationship. It seemed like it was going...and then it skipped all the good stuff and skipped...well, skipped to good stuff but I had an issue with that, too. I don't want to spoil it so that's just the issues I had.
I also had hoped the whole crime aspect was going to play out in a differently as well. Such an interesting start, could have played out so many different ways, but it just boiled down to someone sitting there telling them the whole thing.
I don't know, tons of potential, it just didn't work for me. I would read from this author again.
January 6, 2022
Gawd I love cops vs. bad guys stories, and this one definitely fit the bill. It was exciting, funny, suspenseful, and I couldn't put it down. All the qualities of a 5 star read for me.
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July 28, 2012
A pretty readable m/m action-suspense-mystery-romance about two New York City narcotics detectives working on one case that suddenly gets far more involved when they both get kidnapped by the dealers they're investigating. While trying to escape, they witness a gun battle between their kidnappers and some clergymen, and they realize their case suddenly just got far more complicated. To add to that, Lucas (our first person POV) has very much fallen for his partner Danny, who is straight and very unattainable, but again, not everything is as it seemed.
What I liked;
- The mystery part was pretty good, or at least I couldn't figure out everything immediately, and the author threw in a couple curveballs to keep people guessing.
- The pacing was also pretty fast, which I liked a lot, and pretty much everything in that summary above is in the first 10% of the book, so a lot more story unspools.
- Lucas had it bad for Danny from the beginning, but the overall romance slowly developed over the book. I thought that was pretty good pacing because it seemed more realistic.
My issues were:
- I had an ok read-out on Lucas, but I had a harder time pinning down Danny besides that he was a pretty patient, nice guy who ate healthy. At times, I felt his character was "Not Lucas" as opposed to being his own person. I wouldn't have minded some richer development here.
- Lucas over-narrates a bit, which slowed down the pacing. (For instance, sometimes he would start to go into a detailed bio for a side character, and in the end, that side character didn't have a big role, so it made me think those parts could be trimmed down.)
- I would recommend one more round of careful editing, at least for the Kindle version. There were a few slips that jarred me out. (e.g. Danny's eyes are described as a "stunning blue" early on, but then brown for the rest of the novel; there's a few missing small words, like "of" and "the"'; a character's name of Tyson is changed to Tyler near the end, and I realized the author was from the UK by some British spellings like "tyres" which appeared later. This stuck out for a narrator that seemed like a lifetime New Yorker.
Overall, pretty readable, and I love action/mystery/romance stories, but this one was just an OK read for me, and probably not a re-read. Your mileage may vary though, and the things that stuck out to me may not bother you.
What I liked;
- The mystery part was pretty good, or at least I couldn't figure out everything immediately, and the author threw in a couple curveballs to keep people guessing.
- The pacing was also pretty fast, which I liked a lot, and pretty much everything in that summary above is in the first 10% of the book, so a lot more story unspools.
- Lucas had it bad for Danny from the beginning, but the overall romance slowly developed over the book. I thought that was pretty good pacing because it seemed more realistic.
My issues were:
- I had an ok read-out on Lucas, but I had a harder time pinning down Danny besides that he was a pretty patient, nice guy who ate healthy. At times, I felt his character was "Not Lucas" as opposed to being his own person. I wouldn't have minded some richer development here.
- Lucas over-narrates a bit, which slowed down the pacing. (For instance, sometimes he would start to go into a detailed bio for a side character, and in the end, that side character didn't have a big role, so it made me think those parts could be trimmed down.)
- I would recommend one more round of careful editing, at least for the Kindle version. There were a few slips that jarred me out. (e.g. Danny's eyes are described as a "stunning blue" early on, but then brown for the rest of the novel; there's a few missing small words, like "of" and "the"'; a character's name of Tyson is changed to Tyler near the end, and I realized the author was from the UK by some British spellings like "tyres" which appeared later. This stuck out for a narrator that seemed like a lifetime New Yorker.
Overall, pretty readable, and I love action/mystery/romance stories, but this one was just an OK read for me, and probably not a re-read. Your mileage may vary though, and the things that stuck out to me may not bother you.
July 22, 2012
Mobsters and Miracles by Lavinia Lewis
4 Stars
Reviewed for www.heartsonfirereviews.com
This was an enjoyable, fast paced book with a decent mystery and a lovely romance.
Lucas, out and proud, has been in love with his straight partner, Danny, for a very long time. Knowing that Danny was supposedly very happy with his wonderful girlfriend was bittersweet to him. What he didn’t know was that Danny has always been bisexual and has just broken up with his girlfriend because he is in love with Lucas. The romance is slow between the men and the build up is very nice. Danny lets his feelings be known to a very shocked Lucas but they don’t jump straight into bed, mostly because one or both of them are always injured. The extent of the injuries bothered me because there was very little recovery time for the broken bones, shootings, knife injuries, glass injuries and a perforated ear drum before the men were out and chasing after the bad guys. Overlooking that, there were several twists in the plot that I did not expect and I was pleasantly surprised. Don’t get me started on the priest and the rabbi because that was just funny and a quirky little twist. Danny and Lucas have great chemistry and when they get together it is hot. Their dialogue is witty and fun to read. Because the story is told from his POV, I feel like I know Lucas much better than I do Danny and I would have liked his character a little more fleshed out. My last little niggle is that I think this book should have had better editing. There were name inconsistencies, words left out of sentences and the spelling of words were not consistent with a United States setting.
I did read this book in one sitting and I did enjoy it very much. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys police procedurals, high octane action and friends to lovers stories.
4 Stars
Reviewed for www.heartsonfirereviews.com
This was an enjoyable, fast paced book with a decent mystery and a lovely romance.
Lucas, out and proud, has been in love with his straight partner, Danny, for a very long time. Knowing that Danny was supposedly very happy with his wonderful girlfriend was bittersweet to him. What he didn’t know was that Danny has always been bisexual and has just broken up with his girlfriend because he is in love with Lucas. The romance is slow between the men and the build up is very nice. Danny lets his feelings be known to a very shocked Lucas but they don’t jump straight into bed, mostly because one or both of them are always injured. The extent of the injuries bothered me because there was very little recovery time for the broken bones, shootings, knife injuries, glass injuries and a perforated ear drum before the men were out and chasing after the bad guys. Overlooking that, there were several twists in the plot that I did not expect and I was pleasantly surprised. Don’t get me started on the priest and the rabbi because that was just funny and a quirky little twist. Danny and Lucas have great chemistry and when they get together it is hot. Their dialogue is witty and fun to read. Because the story is told from his POV, I feel like I know Lucas much better than I do Danny and I would have liked his character a little more fleshed out. My last little niggle is that I think this book should have had better editing. There were name inconsistencies, words left out of sentences and the spelling of words were not consistent with a United States setting.
I did read this book in one sitting and I did enjoy it very much. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys police procedurals, high octane action and friends to lovers stories.
September 5, 2012
Loved-loved-LOVED this book! <3
Seriously, it was just perfect for me! The romance part was great, I loved how it was Danny, who made the first step and took initiative, because I'm sick and tired of GFY stories, where the openly gay MC pursues 'presumably straight' MC, constantly begging him to give their relationship a chance. Also Danny's sexuality and why he'd been hiding his bi-orientation from Lucas was explained very plausible. Both MCs are extremely lovely :)
The mystery was really interesting too, nicely interwined with the romantic development and all in all I couldn't put the book down till I finished. Great, enjoyable story, highly recommended!
Seriously, it was just perfect for me! The romance part was great, I loved how it was Danny, who made the first step and took initiative, because I'm sick and tired of GFY stories, where the openly gay MC pursues 'presumably straight' MC, constantly begging him to give their relationship a chance. Also Danny's sexuality and why he'd been hiding his bi-orientation from Lucas was explained very plausible. Both MCs are extremely lovely :)
The mystery was really interesting too, nicely interwined with the romantic development and all in all I couldn't put the book down till I finished. Great, enjoyable story, highly recommended!
July 26, 2012
3.5 stars
On the whole this is a great read. Worth a read, maybe even a reread so I don't feel like I've wasted my time. It's enjoyable and funny and hot.
I had minor problems with it which didn't make me stop reading or even wish I did. They just served to annoy me.
On the whole this is a great read. Worth a read, maybe even a reread so I don't feel like I've wasted my time. It's enjoyable and funny and hot.
I had minor problems with it which didn't make me stop reading or even wish I did. They just served to annoy me.
August 9, 2016
A Rabbi and a Priest walk into a drug cartel owned warehouse...
I SAID, a Rabbi and a Priest walk into a drug cartel owned warehouse. They meet two cops in there. One of the cops happens to be gay and in love with his partner.
?No, not them.
While the cops are busy staring into each other's eyes, the lackeys shoot down the Priest and the Rabbi. The gay cop and his partner break eye contact and must now make certain that the drug lords who control the cartel end up in jail.
To the book's credit, the crime plot is pretty decent. Not mind blowing, but decent.
As far as the romance goes, it sums up to this:
Zero angst was good but the characters? Whatshisname1 was acting like a lovestruck teenager throughout the book and Whatshisname2 was too boring for words. Unless you consider someone who monitors how much salt you're having with your rice a real hottie.
?Whatever.
August 1, 2012
The cardinal sin was committed in this book: referring to a character by a different name. Tyson or Tyler, make up your mind. While the story was mostly solid, it was also mind-numbingly boring in far too many spots. It would have been so much better with a bit of care from an editor. Unfortunately, this one appears to be self-published. Issues abounded in this book. There were non-American expressions and spellings that stood out sorely in an American setting. And for Pete's sake, my one plea is that the author never use the expression tout suite again.
Aside from that, I enjoyed Lucas and Danny's witty repartee. There was no doubt they enjoyed each other and knew one another well. It was also nice to see glimpses of an ex-girlfriend who was a nice person.
Overall: 2.5
Aside from that, I enjoyed Lucas and Danny's witty repartee. There was no doubt they enjoyed each other and knew one another well. It was also nice to see glimpses of an ex-girlfriend who was a nice person.
Overall: 2.5
June 20, 2016
I haven't read this author so color me surprised that I liked this book so much. And that's really saying something seeing as the romance was secondary and the mystery/thriller/action part was definitely in the forefront. I loved the lack of drama involved in them getting together but the amount these guys were getting hurt, I was wondering if they'd be able to stay that way. I'm guessing the author is British as we had a few instances of the different word usage but overall this was a super entertaining read.
dnf
November 11, 2015A Rabbi and a Priest walk into a drug cartel owned warehouse...
^^^Nope not making a joke.
25% - DNF. No rating.
^^^Nope not making a joke.
25% - DNF. No rating.
September 19, 2023
This was a good read and my first time reading this author. Narcotics detectives Lucas Manning and Danny DeRossa have been investigating the Valdez brothers' lucrative cocaine business for a little over a year. With the brothers in jail and the witness is in witness protection a member of there organization Ramon Torres kidnaps Lucas its up to Danny to get his partner back. Lucas has feelings for Danny but he thinks he is straight Danny also has feelings for Lucas. I wanted more backstory on both the main characters. The sex scenes were ok. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
September 17, 2019
Story line is great and I loved the characters. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it! Unexpected twists and turns had me reading this book in one sitting. Great storyline and character development made this book a hot and enjoyable read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 17, 2019
Story line is great and I loved the characters. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it! Unexpected twists and turns had me reading this book in one sitting. Great storyline and character development made this book a hot and enjoyable read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 17, 2019
Story line is great and I loved the characters. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it! Unexpected twists and turns had me reading this book in one sitting. Great storyline and character development made this book a hot and enjoyable read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 25, 2012
Wow, wow. Double wow. Triple wow. Wow. What a trip this book was!
It's hard to rave about a rave-worthy book without sounding like you're..well...raving. But I do have to rave about Mobsters and Miracles.
I'd never read any of Lavinia Lewis' work prior to this book and hadn't a clue what to expect. So what a surprise to be hit by an awfully powerful voice right out of the shoot. From the very first words, I was drawn to the voice of the main character, Lucas. Witty, snappy, gritty, cute, simple, sexy.
The dialogue---not only between the MC's, but with all characters involved---is smooth, quick, flawless, never skips a beat. Pow, pow, pow.
The plot. Well, hell's bells. Immaculately crafted, fresh. So well thought out, paced perfectly from the beginning to the end.
The relationship between the MC's. A wonderful, PERFECT scenario of friends-to-lovers. Believable, very much so. Timed so lovely. Lucas has been in love with his detective partner, Danny, forever. His doggedness, his having to keep quiet about it, his craving for every little minute available with him, is heart-tugging.
The characters---main as well as supporting---were so real I found myself casting them as if in a movie.
Again, I can't emphasize enough the wit and rhythm of this story. Just flawless.
Make sure, when you begin, that you have plenty of time. Because you'll find yourself reading on through to the end without wanting to stop.
It's hard to rave about a rave-worthy book without sounding like you're..well...raving. But I do have to rave about Mobsters and Miracles.
I'd never read any of Lavinia Lewis' work prior to this book and hadn't a clue what to expect. So what a surprise to be hit by an awfully powerful voice right out of the shoot. From the very first words, I was drawn to the voice of the main character, Lucas. Witty, snappy, gritty, cute, simple, sexy.
The dialogue---not only between the MC's, but with all characters involved---is smooth, quick, flawless, never skips a beat. Pow, pow, pow.
The plot. Well, hell's bells. Immaculately crafted, fresh. So well thought out, paced perfectly from the beginning to the end.
The relationship between the MC's. A wonderful, PERFECT scenario of friends-to-lovers. Believable, very much so. Timed so lovely. Lucas has been in love with his detective partner, Danny, forever. His doggedness, his having to keep quiet about it, his craving for every little minute available with him, is heart-tugging.
The characters---main as well as supporting---were so real I found myself casting them as if in a movie.
Again, I can't emphasize enough the wit and rhythm of this story. Just flawless.
Make sure, when you begin, that you have plenty of time. Because you'll find yourself reading on through to the end without wanting to stop.
December 19, 2012
i'm an jerk b/c i tend to lump lavinia lewis in with the "serial authors" and sort of write off her books as such... so far, i'm glad i set my bias aside i picked this up.
though i am curious as to why this is self published when her other books weren't, at least the ones that come to mind. then again, this is much better writing and editing than her shifter's haven series (published by total-e-bound, i think), so maybe that will work to her advantage: having had her name out there already and probably gathering a following eliminates the need for the self-marketing new self-published authors face.
though i am curious as to why this is self published when her other books weren't, at least the ones that come to mind. then again, this is much better writing and editing than her shifter's haven series (published by total-e-bound, i think), so maybe that will work to her advantage: having had her name out there already and probably gathering a following eliminates the need for the self-marketing new self-published authors face.
September 8, 2012
I like it a lot. It was very well written and I really do love banter between Danny and Lucas. I didn't believe in it at all. But romance side of this book? Yeah. It was very well potrayed and both characters are funny and sweet. Sometimes I did have a problem with Lucas. He was too much like a Ty Grady in Cut and Run series from Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux. But all and all I like it, so 4 stars.
September 10, 2012
I really liked this GFY cop story. The author got a lot of the police procedures right more so than other authors I've read. The only real niggle I had was this book really needed to have an American editor something fierce since the setting was New York. Americans do not say "fortnight" or other British terms, that threw me out of the plot more than once.
October 14, 2012
I'm normally NOT a fan of first person romances. It just sucks to only get one side of a fiction romance story.
But...
Must be the New Yorker in me that loved the dialogue both inner and with each other.
I found this book very entertaining. Both the romance and the crime solving mystery were enjoyable.
But...
Must be the New Yorker in me that loved the dialogue both inner and with each other.
I found this book very entertaining. Both the romance and the crime solving mystery were enjoyable.
July 26, 2012
4.5 stars
November 22, 2013
3,5 stars.
Nice mixture of mystery/investigation and romance :) Nothing innovative and everything was resolved too easy, but it didn't disturb me, too much.
Nice mixture of mystery/investigation and romance :) Nothing innovative and everything was resolved too easy, but it didn't disturb me, too much.
October 11, 2012
Really great read.
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