Well goodness what a way to get the heart rate up right off the bat! Taking me back to the very adrenaline pumping scenes from book 1, which I wasn't expecting but there I was, holding my breath once again during the prologue! Gianna has put her past behind her, her very traumatic past, or so she thinks. She has her 3 heros, her men, and a second chance at happiness. But the past is tricky, it keeps rearing it's ugly head....all she ever wanted was to be free, to live a normal life but her definition of normal is a tad more on the violent side, her thoughts filled with vengeance. And who can blame her? Certainly not I... I loved the toughness she displayed, the shrinking wallflower a thing of the past, as she takes control in both hands.
Gosh do I LOVE the guys! They ooze sexualiy, sensuality and then some! I was excited to see Spade.....in spades, and equal attention given to Kellen and Merrick was really cool. The multiple POVs pinpoint their conflicting thoughts, to protect Gianna and keep her safe, out of Tommaso's crutches and on the other hand acknowledge her need for revenge, retribution for all that was done to her. Violence is their comfort zone, shaped by past but they're big teddy bears, warm, caring, loving, protective. Ms Callahan pulled no punches, she laid it all out, the good, the bad, the terrifying and the gore. Mafia gang warfare vivid, emotions vivid, characters vivid, trauma vivid. Hells bells, it was all so vivid I felt each "blow" as if it were on my person.
Although not a read for the squeamish, this action driven read is all about second chances, of personal growth and the realisation that there is a way out, one only has to reach deep within to find the strength to fight for justice, for life itself. And good grief what an ending!!! I need the next book NOW!