Luca Cassano is off-limits, hard-to-reach, and hotter than hell.
After the turf war that almost got Luca killed, a job in Miami working as a bodyguard sounds like just what the doctor ordered; sun, sand, and a completely straightforward job.
But as soon as he lays eyes on Isabel, he knows that being the hired muscle will be more a lot more complicated than he imagined.
Isabel Fuentes knows people think she’s spoiled and callous. Being the daughter of a notorious drug lord will do that to a girl, and things have only gotten worse since her father’s death. Now his drug empire is run by her brother, Diego, and while their father might have been a man without a conscious, Diego is a more dangerous animal entirely.
At first, Isabel thinks Luca is just another hired gun. Someone to keep her from pulling the wild stunts that remind her she’s still alive — that there’s still hope for something else. But it doesn’t take long to realize there’s more than meets the eye under Luca’s very hot facade.
And that is a complication she doesn’t need.
But when Diego reveals a nefarious reason for keeping Isabel close, she’s forced to rely on Luca instead of keeping her distance. Now he may be the only one who can save her — and the one man who can bring her alive with his touch.
***Formerly published as a three part serial, The Muscle: The Complete Story includes all three parts as a standalone of approximately 420 pages.***
"Romantic and intriguing. A gripping read!" - NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author Lauren Blakely
"Dark, seductive, compelling, and hot as HELL." - USA Today Bestselling Author Lili Valente
Hot sensuality and gripping suspense. Brace yourself for a perfect romantic journey!" - NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author Angel Payne
Michelle St. James is a Southern California expat now living in New York's Hudson Valley.
She is the critically acclaimed author of over fifty published novels and seven novellas. Her first series (under her not-so-secret real name) received starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist and was one of Booklist's Top Ten Debut novels. Her work has also been an Indie Next selection and has appeared on prestigious lists such as the Lonestar List, New York Public Library's Stuff for the Teen Age, and Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best. Her books have been published in over thirty countries and translated into over twenty languages.
Michelle lives in a converted barn with a leaking roof, a 70-pound puppy, and three perpetually annoyed cats. She spends her free time doing yoga, watching Love Island UK, and anxiously awaiting the next season of Ozark and the Great British Baking Show.
This book brings the Miami Heat, as Luca and Isabel certainly heat up the pages. My initial reaction of Isabel wasn't positive, as I pegged her for the rich and spoiled daughter of a drug lord. My opinion quickly changed, and I was 100% on Team Luca and Isabel. I found it so refreshing that once Luca started his position in the Fuentes household, there were no games between Isabel and Luca. Some of the sweetest scene were between Isabel and her little sister, Sofia. Isabel's brother, Diego, is the worse book villain I have ever encountered. He is pure evil, as he has no conscious. It was downright appalling and disturbing how he treated his sisters. I wished Luca took him out the night of the porn party. The author immediately captured my attention and kept me intrigued through-out, which is why I rated this book with 4.5 Stars. Though, it just seems wrong for me to rate this book so high, when the plot has such a dark side with the actions of Diego. In between the hateful words, and acts of violence, there is a touching story between sisters, and Luca and Isabel's love is pure and respectful and the story also has displays of loyal friendships.
Isabel was the daughter of a drug king. When her father dies he leaves the money to her and the business to her brother. She is raising her little sister but they are a prisoner in their own home. Her brother is mean and ruthless and in order to control Isabel, he is holding something over her head. Luca is hired to be Isabel’s bodyguard but one look at her and he knows he’ll do anything for her. They are making plans to run but her brother kidnaps Isabel’s sister Sofia. She’s only eight and Isabel doesn’t know what he’ll do with her. They hunt for months to find her and they have to join another drug lord to locate her. Luca loves Isabel and he’ll do whatever it takes to get Sofia back. Great story. Will keep you on the edge of your seat. Bad guys and bad guys that are good. Sex. Drugs. Action packed.
You can tell Muscle was originally a serial and then combined to make a novel. When the three parts were combined, the book should have went through some editing to make sure the story flowed well. Obviously the book wasn't going to be set in reality, but some of the plot was too farfetched. And too often, sex was used as a filler, maybe an attempt to make this more a novel length read. Both things slowed the pacing and distracted from the story. With some editing this could be a pretty good mafia/cartel read.
Well, this was a story and a half. Packed full of intrigue and suspense, not to mention a lot of emotion, especially for the 2 female characters. I truly enjoyed this read, so much so, that I have just downloaded - London Mob - which kicks off with Farrell Blacks story line. He shows up in this read Muscle... I think the front cover of this book relates more to the look and size of Farrell, just my opinion though. I loved this authors writing skill, and how she brings drama to the page. I think she is going to be one of my favorite authors. Well worth a read and 5*'s
I only made it through a few pages. I will NOT read a book when the "f" word is tossed around like normal language. I usually just delete these books but I appreciate being warned...so here is your warning. If it were possible to give 0 stars I would have!
Luca is wayy underrated here on Amazon. I loved his and Isabel’s story it, their connection just felt authentic. I can’t wait to see more of them through the other seres’
Luca is a strong character but the book lacks some depth as it is more about the sex between him and Isabel and less about the Drug scene and Diego.The ending is a bit abrupt
I was happy to get the story about Luca. He is hired by Diego Fuentes, a crime lord, to be a bodyguard to his headstrong sister Isabel. Thus begins the journey.....i quite enjoyed this story!
We already knew how loyal Luca was but now we see how big his heart is. It's bigger than he thinks it is and Isabel steals it completely.
When Luca took a job as a personal bodyguard he figured he'd be watching after a young rich kid so they wouldn't get kidnapped. Quite the opposite. He's hired by a drug lord to 'watch over' his sister who is very much an adult and make sure she doesn't leave. He's meant to be more of a prison guard than a bodyguard. Once he learns the seriousness of the situation he wants to do everything he can to help Isabel and her younger sister escape their horrible brother keeping them captive in their own home.
This is an exciting story! (& for all you Mob Boss series fans...Luca enlists the help of a familiar face!)
The Muscle was originally a three part serial series and now it's combined into one full length novel with three parts, and that is how I read it. I met the main character Luca in Ruthless: Mob Boss 1 a few months back so I was happy to know that he got his own story! Now...here it is.
Luca was ready for a change and that is why he was in Miami. Away from New York and the life he was living except he still needed money and that is why he took this job. As a babysitter to a drug-lords daughters. He was the muscle that was needed to protect them from outsiders but once he met his boss and the sisters he was going to be taking care of, he knew it wasn't the outsiders he had to watch out for. It was Diego. His new boss. The brother that kept the girls prisoners in their own home. And what else made it more complicated was that he wanted the older sister that he was protecting. She was beautiful, strong, dangerous, and sexy. And the way she cared for her eight year old sister made her even more lovely. He knew he was in trouble from the moment he laid eyes on her. And that was before he knew who she was...
Isabel needed to escape but not without her sister. She hated that Diego had a hold on her. She lost hope of any kind of life outside of the house until she met him. Luca. Her new bodyguard. She shouldn't trust him but deep down she knew he could help her get away. But, Diego wouldn't just let her walk out the door. She would never be free if he used what he had against her. She was stuck but when things start to heat up between herself and Luca, hope of escape is also getting higher. Could she actually be free from Diego and his minions? Could Isabel, Luca, and Sofia leave everything behind and be together or will Diego be more ruthless than they thought?
I liked this story. It was suspenseful, sexy, and dangerous. Isabel and Luca definitely have some hot chemistry. They are both strong characters but together they are stronger. I liked that they didn't just backdown from Diego even when they knew it was dangerous. I do wish I felt more of a connection to the characters but I did feel some. I wanted them to find freedom and a life outside of the walls they are surrounded in.
Overall...it's a suspenseful, sexy, and badass story.
Quotes:
“And how does that feel?” she asked bitterly. “Knowing you’re keeping me prisoner.” “Like shit,” he said.
“Pain is part of life, and I want to live it. I’ll take my chances with everyone else —hurt, love, risk. Then I’ll really be free.”
This is the first book from Michelle St. James I have read. Although I have had the individual parts of The Muscle on my Goodreads TBR list for quite some time, I just couldn’t seem to get to it. But when I discovered Ms. St. James was releasing the entirety of this novel in one book, I knew it was time to put everything else aside and read it, and I’m certainly glad I did. She has delivered a great story.
Luca and Isabel are fantastic characters and their story is magnetic. From the beginning of part one, we move very quickly into their romance as their connection is virtually immediate. Having lived her life since the death of her father in fear from her brother’s antics, Isabel finds a solace in Luca’s constant protection of her. Although he was originally hired by her brother to watch Isabel and ensure she didn’t escape, Luca quickly becomes aware of the virtual prison she is forced to live in and seeks to do anything he can to protect her and save Isabel and her little sister from their brother. But when the situation unexpectedly takes a turn for the worse, will Luca be able to save them both, or will the powerful battle with their brother end in more hurt and bloodshed?
The Muscle left my need for a transfixing love story which is also replete with drama and suspense well satiated. The chemistry between Luca and Isabel is fantastic and the suspense and oh no moments left me at times reading with my fingers crossed hoping for their happily ever after ending. I fell in love with Luca very quickly as his soul simply emanates his deep-seated chivalry and unfaltering honor which paints the perfect picture of who he is right down to the bone. And the sweetness and caring nature Isabel exudes makes them an absolutely perfect match. All of the support characters are also fantastic which left me anticipating and hoping for their stories as well. Ms. St. James’ writing style definitely kept me riveted from cover to cover, and I look forward to reading more from her. As a matter of fact, as soon I complete drafting this review, I’ll be heading over to Amazon to choose my next one.
A Review of The Muscle: The Complete Story by Michelle St. James
Hot and explosive!!! - 5++ stars
We first met Luca in Michelle's other series and he was hot there, but he is sooo much hotter in this series. Of course, it is his story, so it is as it should be. With the Syndicate in tatters, everyone that Luca knew has spread out. Now, he is in Miami, taking a job as a bodyguard. Piece of cake, right? Wrong! When he finally meets his assignment, he finds the girl from the night before standing in front of him and he knows that this job just became a whole lot more complicated than what he wanted.
Isabel is basically being held prisoner by her own brother. When their father died, he left the drug business to Diego, but left all the money to the girls. With his heavy use of cocain, he is becoming more and more dangerous to both Isabel and their little sister. She just wants to get Sofia away from Diego and let her life a normal life, but Diego needs Isabel to sign over money to him on a regular basis, which is why he is keeping her locked up and guarded.
I do like the fact that this is the full collection of the series and that there are no cliffhangers. Michelle brings her characters to life, with all their diversities and quirks. We see some of the other characters from her earlier series as well, so hang on to your seats, it's going get a little bumpy. Lots of twists and turns.
**Complimentary Copy provided by Author for an honest review.**
Tension, violence and love are a heady combination and this story lived up to every hope I had for it! Luca Cassano is trying to stay low but he survived one almost career (and life) ending situation only to find himself in a whole new kind of trouble. Isabel Fuentes is in a very difficult situation as she tries to balance the life she is leading under the watchful eye of her volatile brother. Together, these two are going to create sparks that will be anything but calm…
Reading this author’s books is like walking a tightrope without safety gear. You just never know what is going to happen from one step to the next! Drug lords and crime families are drama just waiting to happen. When you include those as kin, well, the ride is going to be very, very bumpy!
This story was a balancing act all the way through. Luca and Isabel were drawn together physically and emotionally despite both of them realizing the risks. Luca – the cool, competent and utterly irresistible protector – met his match in the beautiful, smart and loving Isabel. It was risky, they both knew it, but the forbidden tastes that much sweeter… It certainly did in this case!
Sexy, emotional and packing a punch, another story to add to my “pick me up” re-read stack. I can’t wait for more!
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Luca was never one to fall in love or even think about putting himself in that position. He had watched Nico and the way he fell for Angel. Watched how much trouble love could be and didn't want that for himself, until he saw Isabel jump off that hotel roof.
All Isabel wants is freedom for her and her sister, from the monster who is her family. She didn't anticipate the connection or the instant lust she felt for Luca. But the Sparks surly fly with them and now they are in a race for their lives.
This book was wonderful. I was so happy to see Luca get the happy ending and new beginning that he deserved. I had hoped he would make contact with Nico but was glad to see a few other familiar characters in the story.
This is a standalone from The Mob Boss series & can be read as a story without reading the previous, but I suggest reading them all. Makes it more interesting. I knew Luca would get his HEA. Isa is strong & a survivor.