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The Family #1

Stepbrother's Debt

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After Paige’s father disappeared without a trace she never expected her mother to find another family, but she does. Paige’s world is turned upside down when she discovers Donnie Martinez is her brand new stepbrother. He’s dangerous, vicious—and Paige realizes the rumors about Donnie and his family are true. Her new stepfamily is part of the mafia. Paige doesn’t intend to stick around to get mixed up in those problems. The moment she can, she’ll be gone.

Ordered by The Family, Donnie has to get close to Paige in order to find out what she knows about her father’s disappearance. But he finds Paige herself to be worth more than her information. He doesn’t want her to end up dead, but on the day of her eighteenth birthday, there is only one way to save her.

Indebted to Donnie, Paige has no choice but to do as he says. She must marry him in order to stay alive. But how can she be with a man who has taken lives for The Family? Is there any way out for all of them? Is it possible for Paige to love a monster? Can Donnie overcome a lifetime of training to discover love?

134 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 17, 2015

71 people are currently reading
801 people want to read

About the author

Sam Crescent

547 books5,495 followers
Sam Crescent is passionate about fiction. She loves a good erotic romance and so it only made sense for her to spread her wings and start writing. She began writing in 2009 and finally got that first acceptance in 2011 by Total-E-Bound.
She loved creating new characters and delving into the worlds that she creates. When she’s not panicking about a story or arguing with a character, she can be found in her kitchen creating all kinds of havoc. Like her stories the creations in the kitchen can be just as dubious but sometimes things turn out great.

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5 stars
302 (31%)
4 stars
317 (33%)
3 stars
222 (23%)
2 stars
86 (9%)
1 star
28 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
Profile Image for Chantal ❤️.
1,361 reviews912 followers
November 9, 2016
Ok I took a chance on this one based on my enjoyment of the second book, and read this book. I am very happy that I did. I did not have to hear him having sex with other women as some reviewer have indicated. He only makes mention of his previous sex life and how he like to have sex often. He meets the heroine and she is underage 16 and he is not going to touch that. His father (the total bastard) wanted him to f@&$ her and get all the information he could out of her. What does he do instead? He makes out like he is not into her and keeps up the other bitches waiting until she is 18 and he can claim her and therefore protecting her from his father and the family's evil agenda.
Donnie was an amazing hero who saved his stepsister, his half sister, and his friends sister. He is just a bad guy who is good and loves with his whole heart.
Paige is a kickass sassy girl who is nobody's fool. She knows that they are mafia and she wants nothing to do with his family. She gives as good as she gets and does not follow orders blindly. She is loyal to those she loves and defenses the innocent and weak.
They enjoy an intensely hot relationship with him making the majority of the decisions. Understandable here as he is a crime boss's son.
I love stories that have the characters staying true to their own personalities.
-He is a bossy protective alpha and stays like this.
-She is a strong stubbornly loyal lady to start and stays that way.
They worked together and I loved the fact that she does not sleep with him right away.

I enjoyed it and these two are keeper for me. Wow two hits in a row for me with this author.
This one was much lighter reading then the second. Thank the lord.
Profile Image for Jen.
1,655 reviews1,164 followers
June 23, 2015
I was looking forward to reading another mafia romance, and throw in the Stepbrother aspect as well and I was super excited! Unfortunately, this one missed it's mark with me. One of the biggest reasons was that I found the storyline to be rushed and lacking in depth. Also, a big part of the story came across as corny to me. The dialogue between Donnie and Paige just was too sickly sweet for my tastes. I like a tad more realism when it comes to my romance. It could have come across this way because of the rushed feeling of the story; but I'm not sure. In the past, I have grown to really enjoy Sam Crescent's MC series, so naturally I was eager to give this one a go. I wish that I wasn't so disappointed. I am trying to give the benefit of the doubt though, and hope that maybe it is just because it is book one. Often with new series, I find that as the series continues, it gets so much better. My fingers are crossed in this case that it will happen.

Just a quick note on what this book is about. We have an innocent 16 year old Paige who has recently discovered that her father has gone missing. Her mother, being the gold digger that she is; has latched on to a very rich man who later they find out is a member of the mafia. When Paige is introduced to her "stepbrother" Donnie Martinez, she recognizes him as a popular guy from school. Paige wants to steer clear of him in all ways. She doesn't like any kind of attention put on her and she fears that if he is around her the spotlight will shine on them both.

Donnie has been given orders to find out what Paige knows about her father's where abouts or secrets. He has three very close buddies that are included in this mission, and they all need to do whatever it takes to get closer to this secretive young lady. The more Donnie learns about Paige, the deeper his attraction to her grows. In the beginning it is one sided; but as time goes on they become very close friends. When circumstances become dire, and Paige's life becomes in danger...Donnie does the one thing that can save her...He marries her!! There are big changes developing in the Family...when the final war surfaces...who will be left standing?? Donnie...or his father?

As you can see, this does have promise. I think if the story was longer and more in depth, it would have been a lot better. I will possibly read the next book that will be about one of Donnie's friend within the Family. My fingers are crossed that as the books continue, the story will get better and better!
Profile Image for Deserie williams.
606 reviews6 followers
just-not-for-me-stay-away-hell-no
June 17, 2016
self note: Hero is a manwhore while having feelings for h. had lots of sex(different positions may I add) while h had no one. H is her first everything. They are not technically together yet but this is not for me!
Just to clarify Im not saying h has to hear or see him having sex with others just that it's talked about ! the fact thathero had lots of sex and she had no one is why I don't want to read it!!!!
Profile Image for Emily.
5,866 reviews546 followers
November 30, 2015
Paige knows how to keep her head down and mouth shut. After her father disappeared with a cryptic message only for her ears, Paige continues to bide time before she can leave for college. She loves her mother but doesn't always agree with her choices. When she finds out her mother is about to marry into the Martinez family, Paige knows exactly who they are. They are part of "The Family", dangerous and she wants no part of it.

Donnie Martinez has been ordered to get close to his new stepsister Paige and find out what she knows. Her father worked for the family, even if she did not realize it. Donnie is having a hard time breaking through though as Paige is not like any other woman he has met. As he continues to try to be her friend, Donnie finds himself liking Paige quite a bit and the feeling is mutual. In order to save her though he will have to marry her.

Excellent read. This was gritty, suspenseful, and powerful. I was completely engaged from beginning to end. I felt for Paige, she has no out her mothers actions are putting her in danger. Donnie goes from being arrogant to protective where Paige is concerned. Loved this.
Profile Image for *CJ*.
5,097 reviews624 followers
November 9, 2016
Surprisingly a good read!
Paige's father disappears sharing with her a secret.
Her mother is a floozy who shacks up with Anthony, the mob boss- and Paige realizes Donnie, the hot senior/mafia boy from school is her stepbrother.
As the story moves forward, Anthony tries to sell Paige and Donnie decides to claim her as his wife.
Loads of ups and downs and few dark themes made this a captivating read.
The love scenes between the leads were sexy, even though I love more mature characters.
I loved the secondary characters/ friends. Maria and Tonio were a couple to look forward to, but the next book's dark blurb with Tonio and Zara still intrigues me.
Safe with exceptions
4/5
Profile Image for Jenny.
3,160 reviews558 followers
February 10, 2017
Heroine was a bitch. She was hateful and I couldn't understand why our hero loved her. Clearly he was a brainless doormat.
Profile Image for Vashti.
1,233 reviews29 followers
January 14, 2017
I liked this one,felt sorry for the hero ,his back story was tragic :(
Profile Image for Dr. Bronwyn Ph.D of Smutology.
423 reviews
June 20, 2015
Finally a book by Sam Crescent I can say I whole heartedly enjoyed. Most of her books I enjoy but with reservations. Not this one. Well developed characters and believable supporting character. I got to dislike the people I was meant to not the hero which was a nice change to her other books.
Profile Image for Ash Exclusive.
11 reviews11 followers
June 20, 2015
Decent story-line.

I wish it was more descriptive. The entire story was quite rushed and not that captivating.
Profile Image for Tori.
2,844 reviews474 followers
July 8, 2016
An overly melodramatic and under developed mafia romance with the usual author tells-anal sex, violence, alpha posturing, and outrageous situations.
Profile Image for Julez.
524 reviews5 followers
April 27, 2021
It felt like something was missing in this book. It wasn’t complete to me. It had a storyline that could have developed a bit more.
Profile Image for Crystal Smith.
97 reviews21 followers
February 12, 2016
Loved the book. It was different than I thought it would be. However, the chemistry between the characters Donnie and Paige was sexy. He was defiantly a dangerous bad boy which I love. My favorite part was when he told Paige was indebted to him. He didn't mean it. He loved her he just wanted her to listen to him at that moment. His father forced him to make a choice to protect her. Great book cant wait for book 2 I think there is already a new romance between other characters at play yet it seems there might be history there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for The TBR Pile *Book review site*.
1,840 reviews58 followers
July 26, 2015
Paige is a chunky, shy, poor girl who is totally loveable. I just wanted to scoop her up and hug tight. She is thrust into this dangerous situation and fights as best as she can. Donnie is harder to like. He does some horrible things that made me weary of liking him. He is redeemed as the story progresses.

FULL REVIEW: http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/reviews/...
Profile Image for 100sweet.
1,602 reviews
July 24, 2015
DNF @ 50%.

I was so upset reading the same horrible themes we have seen in this author's past books. The h has an issue with her weight and people call her fat. She has little to no self esteem and the H wants her regardless. The h acts like a total b*%&$^. Some of the story resembled Nero but that book was far better and a million times more enjoyable.
Profile Image for Morilyn.
1,056 reviews30 followers
June 21, 2017
Sam Crescent doesn't ever fail to deliver and this was an intense love story, set within the mafia. Paige and Donnie were both strong characters and I am looking forward to reading the three remaining books in "The Family" series.
175 reviews24 followers
January 21, 2021
This was alright. It's a mafia-stepbrother romance-a rare combination-so I was interested to see what that would look like. The story itself was kind of cool, although the motivations for the characters actions weren't made very clear. Really, the main problem was that the whole book seemed rough, almost to the point where it felt half-assed. It was like they were operating on the hope that the reader would be skimming everything but the sex scenes. In fairness, the sex scenes were pretty good, and I could totally see people doing just that.

There was a glaring lack of editing, for starters. The dialogue was awkward and fake, and a lot of the time their conversations were structured in a way that didn't make a whole lot of sense. Often they would just say a lot of unrelated sentences together. There were inconsistencies great and small, all across the board. And a lot of repetitive information. How many times do I need to be told that the heroine isn't materialistic?

The other thing was that in the beginning, you see the characters get introduced to each other. She's wary of him and he's trying to insinuate himself into her life. And then the story just skips over their entire year+ period of getting to know each other! The development and maturation of their friendship happened off page. We're told that they had become friends, that they hung out all the time, and that she'd become a part of his friend group. I can understand not wanting to show everything, but it would go a long way for my investment in the characters and their relationship if I were shown some of that.

Anyway, if you are just going for the sex scenes, they start in full at ~60%, but from then on they seem to be making up for lost time. So there's that.
2,420 reviews3 followers
August 16, 2017
Paige's father up and left when she was 11 years old. He left her with a secret and told her to tell no one, not even her mother. As the years pass she keeps waiting for her father to come home. Now she is 16 and her mom has moved them into the mob bosses house.
Donnie has been told to get close to Paige and find out what secrets she knows. He is expecting someone who will cling to his popularity. What he isn't expecting is a step sister that he is falling for.
Donnie is ready to make some changes to take charge of "The Family".
Really enjoyed this story. A fast easy read with great story line, steamy romance, drama and a lot of danger. This books keeps you entertained from the first page and keeps you interested to the very end.
Can't wait to read more about Tonio, Luiz and Jake. Plus what Donnie and Paige having going on in the future.
Profile Image for Sara.
1,520 reviews130 followers
February 8, 2020
3.5 stars.
So, mafia themed books aren't usually my thing, but this was actually really good. Donnie was a cold-hearted SOB who turned out to be sort of a good guy. Still a bloody assassin, but he want to a actually change The Family for the best. And really wanted to protect Paige. When the story starts he's only 19 I think, but his soul was so much older. Like he'd already lived 50 years. It was sweet watching as this cold-blooded monster's heart melted for Paige as time passed. Their love was beautiful. And crazy as hell too. I also liked the guys. Especially Jake. I'm not ashamed to say, a couple of times I thought "come on guys, let's have a reverse harem romance!" But then, these men would never share their woman with anyone else. And that's good. Paige and Donnie were perfect together. They had killer chemistry.
Profile Image for Darlene I read WAY to many books.
3,675 reviews2,430 followers
January 9, 2019
Yeah i hated this book.. donnie was a manwhore.. even when he was lusting after Pagie... yeah big no.. what was worse he was imagining them as her.. big fst NOPPPPEEE!!!!

But if you don't care about that.. then its an okay book.. Donnie ordered by his father to be close to Paige to learn anything about her father.. keeping it a secret she didn't say nothing a year goes by and she finds out she has to be married off..or she's dead since her stepfather knows she knows something.. so Donnie protects her by marrying her.. Donnie and his boys have a plan to take out the rest of the family..

Low angst,  no cheating, no om.. mentions but doesn't show ow he's with, drama, secondary charas.


Masturbation
Anal play/sex
Hea
Epilogue
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for **Elle**Bee**Double U**.
2,207 reviews24 followers
February 9, 2018
While I really do love Sam Crescent's books, I get a bit annoyed when I'm constantly reading the same inner thoughts of each heroine. They are all the same and seem to just cut themselves down because they have no confidence and have issues with their weight.

Now onto the story, Stepbrother's Debt was an okay story.
The way Donnie had grown up in the family and his backstory broke my heart.
Paige was a bit of a stuck-up. Although she wanted to act as if she was invisible because that's all she's ever been, her attitude towards everyone just annoyed me.

Overall, this is an okay book, but not my favorite of the series.
Profile Image for Jan.
2,082 reviews13 followers
November 24, 2022
Donnie Martinez is the next in line for the throne. His father is grooming him. When Paige’s father disappears mysteriously, she doesn’t know what to think. Then her mom Sharon decides to move on and live with Anthony she feels conflicted. But Anthony wants his boy to keep tabs on Paige. Find out what she knows. I love that Donnie had a plan about The Family prior to Paige. She just lit a fire in him. He no longer wanted to make changes but she made him change as well. Paige is a fighter. I love that she stood up for herself and even voiced the pain to her mother. Sharon was a piece of work. Wow! To put yourself ahead of your child. The tides have turned for the better.
Profile Image for Sayletta.
470 reviews1 follower
August 19, 2019
ibooks. this was the beginning of a great series of 4 books. i really liked each one. i always look for the title somewhere in the book it was there. i like when you make a prediction and the author fools you till the end and makes that plot twist. these are that
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews

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