Hell Will Rise

Bloodthirst Mafia #1

by Skyla Murphy

This was never what I wanted, but fame in the mafia was what I got. When you see numbers like I can, death becomes a constant threat. It lingers, waiting for you to make one wrong move. One falter. One fatal step out of line.

The endless presence will drain you, layering you with guilt and regret. Until one day, you’re covered in blood. And in that moment, you realize… you’ve become the grim reaper yourself.

Nothing could stop me from saving my little sister. Nothing could weaken me… until my boss threw a blonde slave at my feet. Once I found out who she was, I should have wanted her dead.

But I had a bad habit of breaking the rules.

And I loved that she hated me.

Like a stupid man named Romeo, I fell for the daughter of the feuding family. Like an idiot named Juliet… she didn’t try to run.

265 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2017

About the author

Skyla Murphy is a highland junkie from West Coast, Canada. When she’s not searching the Rocky Mountains for Sasquatch, she can be found researching every other conspiracy theory known to mankind. Her Yorkshire Terrier is usually clung to her side, but he doesn’t buy into her philosophies much.

Books:
Hell Will Rise
http://goodreads.com/book/show/332342...

www.skylamurphy.com
www.twitter.com/skyla_murphy
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Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

I'm not even sure how to review this, it's a mix of gritty real life and fantasy but stick with me and I'll try my best.

Firstly I have to say the cover is spot on, one look and you know this isn't the usual run of the mill Mafia romance. Not that there's anything wrong with that I'm a huge fan of Mafia romances in all their forms.

As the cover suggests this is a dark read and I wondered on several occasions if it was just too dark for me. The only thing that kept me reading a couple of times was simply because this was in the romance section.

So a few pages in and it's really obvious this isn't a light Mafia romance. Hunter Garciez has sold his soul to the devil or rather himself to the Mafia, he needed a favour and they helped him out and now they own him.
He has to do some unthinkable jobs.

"Skin and disjoin their bodies. Separate their bones from flesh. Grind their teeth into powder. There better not be a drop of DNA left after you two are done cleaning this herd up. I won’t be happy if I gotta send in somebody else to fix up your failures. Do you little monkeys understand me?”

“Sounds like I left you a few squealers,” Grimsaw laughed, evil shading the brown in his eyes. “I enjoy the act of punishing, but I don’t care to see if their pulses are still kicking when I’m done with them. That’s what I got you maggots for. Don’t let me down, Garciez."

Three years later aged only twenty-one Garciez is addicted to painkillers it's the only thing getting him through the hell that is his life. He's done things no one should ever have to do and he's sick of it all.

Hunter is special, he has a rare gift the same gift his father had and it makes him invaluable and this is the fantasy part of the book.

Then we meet Shayla Stone she's been kidnapped, drugged, tattooed and sold by Grimsaw. At first we assume she was the right girl in the wrong place but it turns out she's more than that, much more.

Shayla has attitude and mouth and I liked her verbal sparring with Hunter (well everyone really) and she made an interesting character.

I felt the 'you're too good for me, I'm evil' part was just done to death and it got to the point towards the end where I started skimming while rolling my eyes.

There's a lot here to like and while it's darker than I like and the romance certainly isn't as prevalent as I prefer it kept me reading.
Before I started I skimmed the reviews and with one exception they were all 4 and 5* the exception was a 3* review consisting of two words 'disappointing ending' and while I don't consider two words a review they had a point.
Maybe I should have known better, the cover, the darker read none of it screamed HEA but I held on and while I wasn't happy with the ending I can appreciate (grudgingly) that it fits the book but that doesn't mean I like it.


Hunter has a gift.

Me, I was born a different case. I didn’t need to touch anything. My abilities didn’t rest in my hands. To see someone’s personal information, all I had to do was stare into their pupils. One deep glimpse was all it took for me to rob an identity.


I had a couple of issues.

Firstly they return to San Francisco and put themselves in danger because Shayla needs a passport but then they end up flying without one.

And while I accepted Hunters gift along with the cure for all cancers existing I draw the line at bringing back the dead especially someone who's been shot right in the centre of their forehead.
And...
Every mafia member our family has been sad to see die will live to fight for us again.

Seriously!
We're going with resurrecting the dead

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours.

[Annika · Rating 4 out of 5]

In our tweaked-out love story, she was my princess. Shayla came with horror stories and no verbal filter. I was her suicidal knight, dressed in scars instead of armor.

I'm incredibly torn about this one. There were lots of things I loved, but ones that really grated on my nerves, too.

Let's start with the positives, though:
• The cover: the most obvious first... Just look at it, it's gorgeous and sexy and mysterious! Certainly part of the reason why I requested this book in the first place, since I'm usually not too big on Mafia romance stuff. I'm such a manipulable cover whore. Excuse my French.
• The writing: exceptionally beautiful and atmospheric, I was sucked in by it right from the first chapter.
• The suspense part: I absolutely loved the action and confrontation scenes. Skyla Murphy sure knows how to keep a reader on his toes and turning page after page after page. While there have been several stretches where the action actually died down a little, I never felt the slightest bit bored.
• The hero: while he wasn't perfect, all in all Hunter was an amazing, intriguing character. The struggles he fought felt real, the different personas he would wear around different people seemed so at odds with each other, yet still so genuine. The cold-hearted mafioso, the protective big brother, the struggling lover/boyfriend. He keeps trying to do the right thing, but his demons keep getting in his way.
• The villain: Grimsaw is one hell of an antagonist and I was sad to see him die so early on. I love my villains to be sadistic, heartless bastards and Grimsaw fits the bill perfectly.
• The sick, gory parts.

Now on to the negatives:
• Unfortunately, the heroine: while I really appreciated her big, snarky mouth in the beginning, it became tedious the longer I had to endure it. The way she keeps mouthing off in the most unfortunate of situations and stays silent in moments I so need her to talk back made me nuts.
• The push-and-pull romance: while all in all, I liked the romance part of this book, there were times I just couldn't help but roll my eyes at Hunter's constant back and forth. Yeah, I know he's damaged goods, he doesn't want to drag Shayla into his dark world, but he was just so inconsistent and inconsequent about it. One minute he's all "Nothing will ever come of us", and the next he mulls over how he can convince her, his soulmate, to stay with him.
Also, the banter between Hunter and Shayla often felt immature and obnoxious instead of witty.
• The paranormal aspects: for the most part, Hunter's strange ability seemed to be there just for convenience's sake and didn't actually add anything substantial to the story (like, Hey, need the code to a safe in order to cut the scene short? Just ask Hunter, he can pull it out of the guy's mind!).
And then, there was this abrupt introduction of even more supernatural elements that just came out of nowhere, probably solely to set up the next installment, and didn't even make any sense...
Eh. I seriously could've done without all of that, and I would've been totally happy with a contemporary romantic suspense novel.

This is a dark, twisted and suspenseful Mafia romance that contains a few possible triggers (such as descriptive violence/gore and implied rape and sex trafficking).

Like an android with only three functions, he seemed to be programed with nothing more than confusion, rage and sadness.

While not perfect, the flaws are totally forgivable, especially considering that this is the author's debut. Great job!
I'm eager to read the sequel.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Melanie (mells_view) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When a man harms Juliet, he coincidingly crosses Romeo too.”


Enjoyed this star-crossed lovers mafia romance. Hunter is mixed up with the Mexican mafia. He's indebted to them for certain reasons, and so he's been doing awful things for the past three years.

Shayla is just a pretty girl in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or so she thinks at first. Once her captors let her in on some secrets that could get her killed and then throw her into the mix with Hunter as her delivery boy to her new owner, things get a little tense.

The banter in this gives off a Kill Bill vibe. Maybe a Crank vibe since there was a TINY bit of a supernatural side to everything! I think that this read will be an acquired taste and solely because the characters have a dry sense of humor with each other. I actually enjoyed it though. They are crass and stubborn. They are attracted to each other when they really shouldn't be.

There are a few things that could be considered triggers, but the author keeps things vague in ways. This is not a romance heavy book, but there is tension for sure. I would say this is more of a mafia low action suspense story. If you're into those, I'd check it out!

Hell Will Rise is like Romeo and Juliet on some new club drug, and if you get the right hit you'll be addicted!

*ARC provided by NetGalley!*

[Angel Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly Recommended! 5 *****

Murphy delivered everything one would expect to see in a mafia story plus so much more! I was immediately drawn into Hunter's character and boy oh boy! did he have a serious ax to grind! Shayla's character was equally enthralling, and both were very well developed.The story grabbed my attention from the very first page and held it's momentum to the very end. If you like story's that are so well written that the action seems to pop off the pages, then this story is definitely the one for you!

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.alittlebitofrnr.com/2017/0...
I received this book to give an honest review.
So I really did enjoy the story and the way that Hunter could read numbers and crack codes was really awesome, never read a mafia story with that in.
We learn that Hunter has lost it all and joined the Mafia but it has not been easy the things he has seen and endured are enough to bring any man or woman to their knees. Yet Hunter isn't just a normal person he has learned to take the heartache and pain like a champ.
When Shayla enters his life it is not all rainbows Hunter is given a choice and he is to follow through or bad things will happen.
It seems that Shayla and Hunter are connected in some way and when the truth is reveled the question will be asked. Can Hunter not kill her?
We see how a relationship could happen between Hunter and Shayla and we see the chemistry there it just takes a long time to take hold. Now as far as characters go I do enjoy them yet Shayla drove me crazy with her smart mouth.
At times I can understand why she would get mouthy but in other situations it was like okay you gotta know when to be quiet. Hunter as a character I liked him. Especially the way he handled his life and knew that he made a mistake joining the Mafia but yet he knew why he had to. His back and forth with Shayla was ridiculous. Like he knew she couldn't be in his life yet needed her to be. He would rub his hands all over and get all hot and bothered but yet didn't want to have sex with her under the circumstances.
Other than that it was a good book to read with plenty of action. The way the ending came about I am ready to read the next book. I need to know what choice will Hunter make?

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

disappointing ending.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say ‘Hell Will Rise’ is one of the best books I’ve read this year to date. I don’t say this casually. I’m not a big fan of this genre, in fact, I don’t particularly like Mafia and gangster romance tales at all, (mind you it wasn’t a sappy romance either, which is always a plus.) but after reading this book I may have to reevaluate my choice in genres. Having said this, I believe it also boils down to the author’s writing skill, which I’m happy to say, Skyla Murphy has in abundance. Her writing is unique and brilliantly crafted and almost poetic with vivid metaphors that evoke superb imagery. Her plots and subplots are well thought out to the point you can’t help but anticipate what’s coming next. Sadly, it’s impossible to know what’s coming next, the story is by no means predictive. There is action galore, and can be gruesome and quite in your face at times, so it’s not for the faint of heart. The narrative’s fast pace is wonderful and keeps the story momentum spiraling until the very end, but doesn’t leave your head spinning. What I loved the most about this book was the subtle supernatural elements, I am a big fan of the supernatural genre and I have to say it added to the story greatly.

The characters are raw, gritty, devious, dark, cruel, emotional, gutsy, loyal, loving and believable to the point you almost wish you could meet them in person. Some you want to dispense of yourself and you can’t help, but cheer in jubilation when they get their comeuppance. Quite frankly, the character’s are so realistic you find yourself hating and loving them all in the space of a single breath.

I loved Hunter and Shayla’s chemistry, there are some laugh out loud moments and some great dialogue between them. I don’t want to say too much about them because I think everyone should experience their story and form their own opinions. But the tragedy that brings them together and binds them is transcendent.

The narrative draws you in, twists you about, and dumps you upside down. It won’t let you go until you’re turning the very last page and breathing out and sighing in relief, yet pulling your hair out in frustration because you need more, you want more, you have to get more. You are left hanging, and craving the next book in the series like an addict craves their vice. I can’t wait to read the next installment in the Bloodthirst Mafia Series. Congratulations Skyla you have a bright future ahead of you and wow, just wow, I absolutely loved this book, it’s seriously the bomb AAAAAA+++++++.

[Epiphany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Skyla Murphy and it won't by the last. I really loved this book. I am a fan of Mafia storylines and this one did not disappoint. I was delighted that this story has some twists and turns away from total blood and gore that some of the books have. I really enjoyed the relationship between Hunter and Tessa an then with Hunter and Shayla. I will have to admit there seems to be a cliffhanger and I for one HATE cliffhangers, but I will be watching for the next book. I recommend this book for those who love Mafia Romance.

[Marie George · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! I loved the story line. The author has a way of making the gory scenes less brutal than most. Hunter is one amazing character. I can't wait to read the next book!!!

[Shonola Box · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read that had a Mafia theme and quite honestly I was intrigued to see how much my innocence to this theme would filter down into the book and impact my reading experience. It is safe to say I was pleasantly surprised with the story that unravelled, giving me a bit of everything (romance, violence and revenge) to keep me on my toes and turning each page with held breath!

Before you even begin the book you are told by the main protagonist ‘Hunter Garciez’ that you are reading his story, his tale of misery and warning you that Hell Will Rise! If that doesn’t give you enough persuasion to keep reading then I don’t know what will… This book splits the story between two perspectives, one of the male protagonist (Hunter) and one of the female protagonist (Shayla), this gives you a way into how each see the same situation but dealing with them in complete opposite ways, but also insight into their separate lives.

One of the plot twists unfolds early in the story (no spoilers here!) and allows the reader to almost anticipate what each character will do with that information, slowly having the characters realise the connection between them makes you really question the actions that may follow. The suspense built with this book really kept me going, always wanting to know what will happen next whilst really connecting with the characters and their own struggles and actions that lead them to be where they are now.

Now, the characters are just something else! I was a bit sceptical of Shayla as I’m not usually the kind of person who likes the whole ‘damsel in distress’ story line, but she is most definitely not that kind of girl! Shayla proves to be a headstrong, sassy and durable character, who has been dealt a rough hand yet keeps on fighting! Hunter being in the mafia is shown to have a sensitive side even after the years of gore, violence and malicious behaviour he’s endured and dealt out. Protecting his little sister after his parents died, his love for her shows no boundaries even after he is tested again and again!

This actually is the first book of ‘The Bloodthirst Mafia Series’ and from what Skyla Murphy has provided in ‘Hell Will Rise’ I most definitely cannot wait to read the rest of this series! Considering this is Skyla Murphy’s first book I must admit I’m impressed with the level of detail to the storyline, character creation and development and overall keeping me hooked onto every word she provided.

[Elyse]

DNF.
The whole mafia setting is really not my cup of tea, too rough around the edges for me. I also did not really care for the main two characters.