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Stripped #0.5
Tough Love
A prequel about the sacrifices we make for love...
I sneak out of my room every night. My father's guards don't see me.
No one sees me, except him.
He's the son of a foot soldier. My father is his boss. The boss. I shouldn't even know Giovanni. And I definitely shouldn't kiss him. Our relationship is doomed to fail, but that won't stop me from being with him.
Not every girl wants to be a princess. I just want to be free.
****************
TOUGH LOVE is a prequel to the Stripped Series. It ends on a cliffhanger...
½. Tough Love (prequel)
1. Love the Way You Lie
2. Better When It Hurts (June 2015)
You can start reading here or with book one, LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE.
Praise for Skye Warren:
"Skye's ability to make me feel like I am part of this dramatic, dark, and twisted story is so f-ing fantastic I can only sit here and beg for more." - Fictional Candy
"Author Skye Warren weaves a complex, deep, and haunting tale that has a raw and gritty mixture of violence and moving tenderness." - Jersey Girl Sizzling Book Reviews
"Great edge-of -your-seat writing, touching emotional introspection, and enlightening... even in it's darkness." - Maryse's Book Blog
I sneak out of my room every night. My father's guards don't see me.
No one sees me, except him.
He's the son of a foot soldier. My father is his boss. The boss. I shouldn't even know Giovanni. And I definitely shouldn't kiss him. Our relationship is doomed to fail, but that won't stop me from being with him.
Not every girl wants to be a princess. I just want to be free.
****************
TOUGH LOVE is a prequel to the Stripped Series. It ends on a cliffhanger...
½. Tough Love (prequel)
1. Love the Way You Lie
2. Better When It Hurts (June 2015)
You can start reading here or with book one, LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE.
Praise for Skye Warren:
"Skye's ability to make me feel like I am part of this dramatic, dark, and twisted story is so f-ing fantastic I can only sit here and beg for more." - Fictional Candy
"Author Skye Warren weaves a complex, deep, and haunting tale that has a raw and gritty mixture of violence and moving tenderness." - Jersey Girl Sizzling Book Reviews
"Great edge-of -your-seat writing, touching emotional introspection, and enlightening... even in it's darkness." - Maryse's Book Blog
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First published March 6, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 407 reviews
October 23, 2015
A Quick And Enticing Teaser
This is a super short prequel, that has definitely captured my interest. In just a few short chapters, I'm hooked on the story of Clara and Gio. Their love was sweet and innocent, against a dark and dangerous backdrop. I'm going to start the next book immediately to see where this story goes. I need more of this story, pronto!
This is a super short prequel, that has definitely captured my interest. In just a few short chapters, I'm hooked on the story of Clara and Gio. Their love was sweet and innocent, against a dark and dangerous backdrop. I'm going to start the next book immediately to see where this story goes. I need more of this story, pronto!
March 14, 2015
The story is about Clara, a 15 years old girl who one of the daughter of a mob boss. She doesn’t like her life. She feels trapped and she can only breathe at night when she escapes her ‘prison’ to meet Giovanni (17) at the pool house. Giovanni doesn’t enjoy his life either. He’s father is a foot soldier who works for Clara’s father, so he can’t escapes this life even if he wants to. All he wants is to protect Clara from her father and from anyone who wants to harm her. They like each other a lot, but they know their fathers will go crazy if they find out about their meetings and about their feelings for each other.
One night Giovanni saves Clara and helps her to escape with her sister, Honor. Clara doesn’t want to leave Giovanni. She doesn’t need a hero, she doesn’t need someone to sacrifice for herself. She only needs Giovanny. However, she accepts that’s the only way to escape from her father.
I really enjoyed this novella! Everything was intriguing and fast paced. I really liked both Clara and Giovanni. Both seemed mature for their age and their young love was really sweet.
Overall, a great read!
Want to read
January 12, 2016
FREE on Amazon US today (1/12/2016)
It’s a duet, book 0.5 & 1 and it’s Skye Warren! Thanks Jessica!
BLURB:
Contains TOUGH LOVE and LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE - the first two books in the bestselling Stripped series! Meet two sisters and the dangerous men they fall in love with…
TOUGH LOVE
He’s the son of a mafia foot soldier. My father is the boss. I shouldn’t even know Giovanni. And I definitely shouldn’t kiss him. Our relationship is doomed to fail, but that won’t stop me from trying.
Not every girl wants to be a princess. I just want to be free.
LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE
I'll do anything to stay hidden, even if that means working at the scariest club in town. Then he shows up, mysterious and yet strangely familiar. And so damn sexy.
He's the only man who wants to help, but he has secrets of his own. He has questions I can't answer.
I’m running from my past, but his might catch me first.
http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Love-...
FREEBIES are often good for MORE than one day, I have gathered all my FREEBIES on a special shelf: Kindle-freebies (currently over 500 books)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
March 11, 2015
Freebie on AMZ 3/11/15- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UCLNQ3K
I'm not going to go into huge detail here. This book is a quickie prequel to Love the Way You Lie. We meet Clara, the daughter of a famous mob lord. She's 15 and lives a life enclosed within her father's mansion. Heavily guarded, she stays confined to her room or quick trips to the mansion's library.
What Clara's father doesn't know is she also breaks out nightly to meet Giovanni at the pool house. He's 18 and the son of one of the mobsters. He's already "in the life," readily admitting to not being a good person. But he is a good person to Clara. Her forbidden friend... a person she could easily love.
One night, Gio saves her from an impending attack and it's his job to get her and her sister Honor out of the compound for good...for their safety.
The book sets us up for the life Clara and Honor have on the run from the mob. And hopefully these two will see each other again- and Gio didn't make the ultimate sacrifice for Clara's freedom.
This book probably isn't required to be read first but I'm happy I did. We get a good solid backstory for the next book- Love the Way You Lie.
Moving on!
November 27, 2019
4 'I want more Gio and Clara' stars
This was a short novella, only a few chapters actually. But an amazing introduction into the Stripped series. Count me intrigued. Both Gio and Clara seem like fantastic MCs. I absolutely fell in love with the sizzling attraction between them. And now imagine how hot they will be all grown up 🔥🔥🔥🔥
However, THAT. ENDING! I mean, come on. I want to know what happens with Clara and Gio like right now. And I'm not gonna know their story until book 4. Well, better to continue with the series asap.
He’s looking at me like a dying man would—as if he knows it’s his last sight. As if drinking his fill.
This was a short novella, only a few chapters actually. But an amazing introduction into the Stripped series. Count me intrigued. Both Gio and Clara seem like fantastic MCs. I absolutely fell in love with the sizzling attraction between them. And now imagine how hot they will be all grown up 🔥🔥🔥🔥
He’s not touching anywhere below my neck, but my whole body lights up with it, tense and languorous at the same time.
It’s a strange feeling, like being a beloved pet. An owned thing. Cared for. Cherished.
However, THAT. ENDING! I mean, come on. I want to know what happens with Clara and Gio like right now. And I'm not gonna know their story until book 4. Well, better to continue with the series asap.
It feels like dying to walk away. Feels like dying to look back and see him watching me go. Feels like dying as I cross the dark lawn.
March 9, 2015
Wow! What a prequel and what a cliffy!! Really gets me ready for Love The Way You Lie.
It's like a mashup of Thelma & Louise and The Godfather!
It's like a mashup of Thelma & Louise and The Godfather!
March 12, 2015
Type: Book 0.5 of Stripped series
POV: First Person - Female
Rating:
Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
Clara was a 15 years old daughter of a Mob boss. Her life was confined to her sprawling mansion. Her only escape was her nightly secret meet with 17 years old Giovanni, the son of her father’s foot soldier. A serious situation loomed over their budding relationship and threatened to end what only just begun.
I love this little novella! It was short but the introductions to the characters and their background were good that I felt like I already know them. I love both Clara and Giovanni and the ending was a open ended and made me dying to know more.
Tough Love is a prequel novella to Love The Way You Lie. It's not necessary to read this before the main book but it would give you an insight of who the characters are.
POV: First Person - Female
Rating:
Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
I can’t endure this, even when I know I have to. I can only fight.
Clara was a 15 years old daughter of a Mob boss. Her life was confined to her sprawling mansion. Her only escape was her nightly secret meet with 17 years old Giovanni, the son of her father’s foot soldier. A serious situation loomed over their budding relationship and threatened to end what only just begun.
I love this little novella! It was short but the introductions to the characters and their background were good that I felt like I already know them. I love both Clara and Giovanni and the ending was a open ended and made me dying to know more.
Tough Love is a prequel novella to Love The Way You Lie. It's not necessary to read this before the main book but it would give you an insight of who the characters are.
March 17, 2015
Wow! This one is just 49 pages, but Syke Warren got me hooked. I'm half in love with Gio now. I will definitely read about this couple if they have a full length book coming up.
July 6, 2025
Prch Amazon Oct. 19, 2015
Finished Reading October 20, 2015
Tough Love by Skye Warren
Genres: Crime, Romance
3.75 Stars
Definitely intriguing enough to make me want to read "Love the way you Lie".
This is really just the set up for the serial.
You get to know the sisters and the foundation of their family history.
Very short read.
📝🎵Purchased from Amazon October 19, 2015
Finished Reading October 20, 2015
Tough Love by Skye Warren
Genres: Crime, Romance
3.75 Stars
Definitely intriguing enough to make me want to read "Love the way you Lie".
This is really just the set up for the serial.
You get to know the sisters and the foundation of their family history.
Very short read.
📝🎵Purchased from Amazon October 19, 2015
October 30, 2015
Wow, this short prequel is an excellent start to Skye Warren's Stripped Series.
We are introduced to Clara and Honor who are the daughter's of an ailing Mafia boss. Honor's hand has been given to Byron in marriage and Clare is in love with Giovanni, who is the son of a mafia foot soldier.
On the eve of Honor and Byron's engagement party the sisters plan their escape from the brutality of mafia life. Giovanni is risking his life to help them.
"He is silent a moment. “It’s not wrong. But I care too much to let you stay.” His arms come around me, holding me in. They feel unbreakable. They are castle walls, his arms. They are a drawbridge rolled up and a moat. They keep everyone out. Only with him do I feel completely safe. Maybe I’d always known how much he’d do for me. He’d fight for me. He’d die for me."
The book ends with a cliff hanger however I enjoyed it so much I will definitely be following the rest of the series.
This prequel is a kindle freebie
We are introduced to Clara and Honor who are the daughter's of an ailing Mafia boss. Honor's hand has been given to Byron in marriage and Clare is in love with Giovanni, who is the son of a mafia foot soldier.
On the eve of Honor and Byron's engagement party the sisters plan their escape from the brutality of mafia life. Giovanni is risking his life to help them.
"He is silent a moment. “It’s not wrong. But I care too much to let you stay.” His arms come around me, holding me in. They feel unbreakable. They are castle walls, his arms. They are a drawbridge rolled up and a moat. They keep everyone out. Only with him do I feel completely safe. Maybe I’d always known how much he’d do for me. He’d fight for me. He’d die for me."
The book ends with a cliff hanger however I enjoyed it so much I will definitely be following the rest of the series.
This prequel is a kindle freebie
April 10, 2015
This is a short prequel and I've rated it as such so don't take the 3 stars as negative I loved this and I've already downloaded the next book 'Love The Way You Lie' so yes this prequel did its job.
Clara and her older sister Honor are little more than pawns in their fathers game, their father is a member of the mob but he's getting old and has no sons so he'll use his daughters to get what he needs.
They are prisons in their own home but Clara has a little wild streak in her and she sneaks out of her room every night to meet Giovanni who's father is a foot soldier and while they're both young and know nothing can come of it it gives Clara a small sense of freedom.
I won't say any more because this is only 49 pages long and I don't want to spoil it for you.
August 4, 2015
Clara grew up in a mob family, home schooled with tutors and was never allowed to go outside of the mansion. The rumors has it that she’s the bastard daughter of her father, who’s the member of the mob. Her sister Honor, is to be married to Byron, her fiancé - who’s a cop and works on the double side of the law. He, Byron - who was groomed by their father to replace his position by marrying off his elder daughter, abuses and hurts Honor.
Clara’s only rebellion, if it’s called even that since it her secret, is meeting Giovanni in the pool house at nights when the grounds are empty and the house is quiet. Her so-called wanting to try something bad is stealing her father’s cigar and drinking on Jack Daniels.
Giovanni is the son of a foot soldier in the mob. Who doesn’t want to be groomed to take Clara’s father’s position because he likes her. Who she isn’t supposed to know. Who strokes her hair while she sits between his knees and lays her head in his thigh. Who, the other person she loves aside from her sister.
She wants to leave everything behind, together with her sister and Gio, but she’s still a minor and thinks of it as though it was going to be an adventure.
On the night of her sister’s engagement party, all happened at once. Sacrifices being made, decisions forced to follow.
And then boom, my heart just skip a beat because I can’t get as fast enough as I could with the next book. Seriously, argh. Sometimes it would be really good if I manage to really read blurb and not feel that utter desperation and frustration because I don’t have the next book in my hands.
Tough Love is a prequel to Stripped Series.
March 10, 2015
ARC provided by author in exchange of honest review
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Tough Love by Skye Warren was FANTASTIC!!! This prequel has got me all excited for Love The Way You Lie. How can you not read this book...it deals with family, honor, obligations, expectations, love and of course the mafia.
Tough Love introduces us to Clara, a daughter of a mob boss and Gio, a son of a foot soldier. Their worlds are about to be rocked and be in danger, when Clara and her sister decides to run away from their prisoned life with the help from Gio. At what cost will Gio go to save and protect them?
I can't wait to read to Love The Way You Lie and what awaits Gio and Clara.
Skye Warren
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Tough Love by Skye Warren was FANTASTIC!!! This prequel has got me all excited for Love The Way You Lie. How can you not read this book...it deals with family, honor, obligations, expectations, love and of course the mafia.
Tough Love introduces us to Clara, a daughter of a mob boss and Gio, a son of a foot soldier. Their worlds are about to be rocked and be in danger, when Clara and her sister decides to run away from their prisoned life with the help from Gio. At what cost will Gio go to save and protect them?
I can't wait to read to Love The Way You Lie and what awaits Gio and Clara.
Skye Warren
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December 6, 2017💝 FREE on Amazon today (12/06/2017)! 💝
April 6, 2019
Good start to the series, I am looking forward to seeing what happens now with Clara and Gio, and I am really curious as to what will happen with her sister Honor.
***I have purchased a kindle copy from Amazon (freebie at the time) I also won a signed paperback copy from the author through a giveaway she was holding onFacebook***
***I have purchased a kindle copy from Amazon (freebie at the time) I also won a signed paperback copy from the author through a giveaway she was holding onFacebook***
August 3, 2015
A fantastic prequel! I loved everything about this! EVERYTHING!!!!!
Mob.
Sisters.
Young love.
How will the series go? You just have to read the other books to this promising series.
*Free on Amazon*
Mob.
Sisters.
Young love.
How will the series go? You just have to read the other books to this promising series.
*Free on Amazon*
May 6, 2016
3.5 stars :D
"Only with him do I feel completely safe. Maybe I’d always known how much he’d do for me. He’d fight for me. He’d die for me."
- Clara
"Only with him do I feel completely safe. Maybe I’d always known how much he’d do for me. He’d fight for me. He’d die for me."
- Clara
May 31, 2016
*Tough Love and Hold You Against Me*
“I’m someone else now, someone darker. Someone you don’t want to know.”
We do love our Mafia romance reads, there’s just something about a tortured hero with a ruthless side and a touch of vulnerability, a man who will sacrifice anything for the woman he loves, a dark tale with danger and suspense in plentiful supply. When that’s brought to life by an author whose words and stories continually captivate us, we know to buckle in for one fabulous ride.
‘Suddenly his lips are against mine, warm and soft. God, I’ve seen those lips smile and twist and curse a blue streak, but I never imagined they could be this soft. ‘
Our hearts were pounding through Tough Love, the prequel story to Hold You Against Me (included in this book) that introduced us to Giovanni Costas, the eighteen year old son of a Mafia foot soldier and fifteen year old Mafia Princess, Clara Morietti who share a friendship and a blossoming love that is so beautiful and innocent in a world steeped in tradition, violence and danger. The Mafia way of life; where power is king, where marriage is a business transaction that has no place for love, a fact Clara and her sister Honor are about to experience. After all, Mafia Princesses are raised to look pretty, marry well and keep their mouths shut. Yet, they didn’t count on the love and sacrifice Gio would make to ensure Honor and Clara wouldn’t have to suffer that fate.
The prologue for Hold You Against Me is told in Gio’s point of view and what a harrowing, painful and heartbreaking prologue it was. The lengths this young man was prepared to go, the pain he was forced to endure and the loss he experiences all for love left our hearts a shattered mess.
“Where is the boy who held me in his arms when I cried? What happened to the boy I loved?”
Eight years later Gio and Clara come face to face once again, however, gone is the gentle hearted boy and in his place is a menacing, dangerous and damaged man, yet we didn’t have to dig too deep to expose glimpses of the tender man behind the hardened exterior.
“I want to look at you like this.”
“Like what?”
“With that hope in your eyes, like you know me.”
Those dangerous, brooding Mafioso men who we know, beneath it all, love their woman with passion and devotion make our pulses race and our knees weak. We can’t resist them …when they utter the word, ‘bella’ with such feeling, such possessiveness…well, we’re gone for. And we were well and truly gone for Giovanni, a ruthless tough guy with a loving heart that beats for solely for Clara.
“Bella,” he says, a wealth of meaning encapsulated in a single word. The love he once felt for me, the conflicted desire he now feels.
As for Clara, we found ourselves unable to connect to her on a deeper level. That was until we went back and read Love The Way You Lie. As hers and Honor’s story interconnects with this one, we felt we needed this background to her character to fully understand her plight and why it’s important to read Honor’s book. Clara never forgot the boy who stole her heart with whispered reassurances.
‘It’s right that I spent years mourning his death, because the boy I knew is truly gone.’
Skye Warren delivered a gripping and vividly mesmerising dark story which gave us a glimpse into the treachery, deceit and perilous world of the Mafioso. There is a passion in her words that challenges the reader and a beauty in her prose grips us in its clutches. This is a story fans of Mafia romance will devour, but please read in the order we’ve mentioned below to gain the optimum reading experience of Gio and Clara’s story.
Our Review for Love The Way You Lie
Our Review for Tough Love and Hold You Against Me
Come visit and follow us at:
✲ TotallybookedBlog
✲ TB on Facebook
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March 23, 2018
Tough Love was Skye Warren’s prequel novella to her Mafia Romance series, Stripped. It was a quick read that ended in a cliff hanger - not a frustrating kindle throwing moment, but an I can’t wait to read the series moment. There were a couple main threads as the backdrop for the storyline.
Clara and Honor were daughters of a mafia Don, who was in the process of turning his reign over. Honor was the oldest and was engaged in an arranged marriage to join families. Her fiancé was abusive and not a good man. Honor and Clara were close and protected each other.
Giovanni was the eighteen year old son to a mafia foot soldier. He was Clara’s secret best friend, and it was obviously they secretly loved each other, even with the two year age difference.
Warren used the storyline to set the stage for the series. It promises to be exciting, action packed, dark and thrilling. Warren also threw in some humor with Clara’s snarkiness. I loved it.
All in all, it was well written, and well developed for a short novella. I loved the characters as well as the direction of the storyline. It was a quick read and I can’t wait to start the series and see where Warren takes us.
Clara and Honor were daughters of a mafia Don, who was in the process of turning his reign over. Honor was the oldest and was engaged in an arranged marriage to join families. Her fiancé was abusive and not a good man. Honor and Clara were close and protected each other.
Giovanni was the eighteen year old son to a mafia foot soldier. He was Clara’s secret best friend, and it was obviously they secretly loved each other, even with the two year age difference.
Warren used the storyline to set the stage for the series. It promises to be exciting, action packed, dark and thrilling. Warren also threw in some humor with Clara’s snarkiness. I loved it.
All in all, it was well written, and well developed for a short novella. I loved the characters as well as the direction of the storyline. It was a quick read and I can’t wait to start the series and see where Warren takes us.
July 19, 2021
This was a pretty great intro to the series, but left on such a cliffhanger when I didn’t have the next book downloaded I almost cried lmao. I’ve read this whole series out of order, but still they’ve all been great reads!
April 4, 2020
A great prequel! Managed to make me care about the characters in just a few chapters.
August 29, 2016
Solid introduction to a mafia family based story. If you can suspend reality and handle stories that are clearly waaay exaggerated versions of crime family life then this was actually pretty good for a short. I liked the main characters and would like to learn more about Clara's story.
March 17, 2019
I loved this short story! I'm picky when it comes to mafia and billionaire executive characters in contemporary romance. The market is just oversaturated with these types of characters. If they come across as OTT or inauthentic I'll abandon the book without hesitation. Skye Warren did a great job describing the mafia family from the daughter's POV. The writing came across as authentic and held my attention from start to finish.
This story is from Clara's POV, a 16 year old daughter of a mafia boss. We see her struggle with changing dynamics in her family. Her relationships with Giovanni and her sister Honor were interesting, tense, and suspenseful. There was a lot of depth for such a short story. I really want to read the next book, but I was disappointed to read reviews that pointed out the next book has Honor as the MC instead of Clara. Despite the MC change I'll eventually give it a try.
edit: Clara and Gio's story picks right back up in book 4, Hold You Against Me. It can be read straight after Tough Love and before the other books in this series, because it is a stand-alone. It has a very different vibe than book 1 & 2 in the Stripped series.
This story is from Clara's POV, a 16 year old daughter of a mafia boss. We see her struggle with changing dynamics in her family. Her relationships with Giovanni and her sister Honor were interesting, tense, and suspenseful. There was a lot of depth for such a short story. I really want to read the next book, but I was disappointed to read reviews that pointed out the next book has Honor as the MC instead of Clara. Despite the MC change I'll eventually give it a try.
edit: Clara and Gio's story picks right back up in book 4, Hold You Against Me. It can be read straight after Tough Love and before the other books in this series, because it is a stand-alone. It has a very different vibe than book 1 & 2 in the Stripped series.
May 30, 2016
*Tough Love and Hold You Against Me*
“I’m someone else now, someone darker. Someone you don’t want to know.”
We do love our Mafia romance reads, there’s just something about a tortured hero with a ruthless side and a touch of vulnerability, a man who will sacrifice anything for the woman he loves, a dark tale with danger and suspense in plentiful supply. When that’s brought to life by an author whose words and stories continually captivate us, we know to buckle in for one fabulous ride.
‘Suddenly his lips are against mine, warm and soft. God, I’ve seen those lips smile and twist and curse a blue streak, but I never imagined they could be this soft. ‘
Our hearts were pounding through Tough Love, the prequel story to Hold You Against Me (included in this book) that introduced us to Giovanni Costas, the eighteen year old son of a Mafia foot soldier and fifteen year old Mafia Princess, Clara Morietti who share a friendship and a blossoming love that is so beautiful and innocent in a world steeped in tradition, violence and danger. The Mafia way of life; where power is king, where marriage is a business transaction that has no place for love, a fact Clara and her sister Honor are about to experience. After all, Mafia Princesses are raised to look pretty, marry well and keep their mouths shut. Yet, they didn’t count on the love and sacrifice Gio would make to ensure Honor and Clara wouldn’t have to suffer that fate.
The prologue for Hold You Against Me is told in Gio’s point of view and what a harrowing, painful and heartbreaking prologue it was. The lengths this young man was prepared to go, the pain he was forced to endure and the loss he experiences all for love left our hearts a shattered mess.
“Where is the boy who held me in his arms when I cried? What happened to the boy I loved?”
Eight years later Gio and Clara come face to face once again, however, gone is the gentle hearted boy and in his place is a menacing, dangerous and damaged man, yet we didn’t have to dig too deep to expose glimpses of the tender man behind the hardened exterior.
“I want to look at you like this.”
“Like what?”
“With that hope in your eyes, like you know me.”
Those dangerous, brooding Mafioso men who we know, beneath it all, love their woman with passion and devotion make our pulses race and our knees weak. We can’t resist them …when they utter the word, ‘bella’ with such feeling, such possessiveness…well, we’re gone for. And we were well and truly gone for Giovanni, a ruthless tough guy with a loving heart that beats for solely for Clara.
“Bella,” he says, a wealth of meaning encapsulated in a single word. The love he once felt for me, the conflicted desire he now feels.
As for Clara, we found ourselves unable to connect to her on a deeper level. That was until we went back and read Love The Way You Lie. As hers and Honor’s story interconnects with this one, we felt we needed this background to her character to fully understand her plight and why it’s important to read Honor’s book. Clara never forgot the boy who stole her heart with whispered reassurances.
‘It’s right that I spent years mourning his death, because the boy I knew is truly gone.’
Skye Warren delivered a gripping and vividly mesmerising dark story which gave us a glimpse into the treachery, deceit and perilous world of the Mafioso. There is a passion in her words that challenges the reader and a beauty in her prose grips us in its clutches. This is a story fans of Mafia romance will devour, but please read in the order we’ve mentioned below to gain the optimum reading experience of Gio and Clara’s story.
✲✲✲✲ ✲✲✲✲
Come visit and follow us at:
✲ TotallybookedBlog
✲ TB on Facebook
✲ TB on Twitter
✲ TB on Pinterest
September 26, 2015
5 FREAKING-AWESOME stars!
The prequel is free on Amazon, so be sure to check it out - you can get it HERE
What the hell did I just read?! Seriously, this was so, so good! I didn't think a prequel could get me so hooked and excited but it totally did. It's a quick and easy read but definitely worth it.
This little prequel is out of Clara's POV, a fifteen year old girl and the daughter of a mob boss. Her life obviously sucks and is only bearable when she spends time with Giovanni, the son of a foot soldier who works for her father. He's there for her and wants to protect her from her father and the (probably) new boss Byron. But when the time to escape has finally come, she has to leave the one person she really cares about behind ...
It broke my heart. I instantly felt with Clara and hoped that she and Giovanni could escape together and live the life they both want. Well, if it would only be so easy. Everything was so fast-paced and full of action, I couldn't stop reading. Didn't even want to!
And the ending ... well, damn cliffhangers. I just hate but also love them. I had teary eyes and now I'm sitting here, wanting more! I definitely need to read the actual book soon, even though "Love The Way You Lie" is out of Honors POV, Clara's sister. I'm still really excited and would totally recommend this to others!
www.aworldbetweenfoldedpages.blogspot.com
March 24, 2015
Tough Love , by Skye Warren
3 …it had potential stars
So this going to be a weird review, I acknowledge this. So try and follow me here. LOL I didn’t know about this book till a couple of friends and I decided on a mini group read of Love the Way You Lie (book 1) when my friend found out there was a 0.5 book (this one) and KNOWING I am anal like that, I would just have to read it first. We all agreed that it was a good start and were interested to see what would happen to this young couple and where the story would go in the next book. Now with that being said I did find that a lot of the mafia storyline didn’t quite seem right and I will just leave it at that because at this point (in THIS book) I was willing to overlook it. It’s when it moved on to the next book that I could no longer do that. But that’s another review and I will keep it separate. I will end this on a warning, because my friends and I were bummed when we actually got to the next book and found that it was NOT about this young couple that we were interested in following but mainly about her sister. Well if I’m being REAL we were actually a bit annoyed. Now it’s very possible that it was stated that it would be her sister’s book and I just didn’t know (because I do not read blurbs and prefer to go into a book TOTALLY blind) but my friends do and either they just missed it or it just wasn’t there. With the way this book ends it was totally logical that the next book would go that route but I guess the author felt that she wanted to tell the sisters story, as is her right. Just thought you ladies would like to know that :)
3 …it had potential stars
So this going to be a weird review, I acknowledge this. So try and follow me here. LOL I didn’t know about this book till a couple of friends and I decided on a mini group read of Love the Way You Lie (book 1) when my friend found out there was a 0.5 book (this one) and KNOWING I am anal like that, I would just have to read it first. We all agreed that it was a good start and were interested to see what would happen to this young couple and where the story would go in the next book. Now with that being said I did find that a lot of the mafia storyline didn’t quite seem right and I will just leave it at that because at this point (in THIS book) I was willing to overlook it. It’s when it moved on to the next book that I could no longer do that. But that’s another review and I will keep it separate. I will end this on a warning, because my friends and I were bummed when we actually got to the next book and found that it was NOT about this young couple that we were interested in following but mainly about her sister. Well if I’m being REAL we were actually a bit annoyed. Now it’s very possible that it was stated that it would be her sister’s book and I just didn’t know (because I do not read blurbs and prefer to go into a book TOTALLY blind) but my friends do and either they just missed it or it just wasn’t there. With the way this book ends it was totally logical that the next book would go that route but I guess the author felt that she wanted to tell the sisters story, as is her right. Just thought you ladies would like to know that :)
April 3, 2015
A short but very engaging prequel... definitely going to head into the first book of the series now to see what happens next!
This is the story of two sisters, Hope and Clara, who were unfortunate enough to be born into a world of crime as the daughters of a mobster.
Hope and Clara are prisoners in this world with very little choice in their future. Hope has been engaged to a man that will soon be moving into her father's place as leader. Her future is very bleak as she is already enduring his daily abuse.
Clara is only 15 and she has been kept isolated for most of her life. Her only refuge from this life are the small moments she spends with a young man named Gio. She sneaks away at night to meet him and they develop a strong connection to each other. There are some very touching and emotional scenes between them at the end when they realize that their only option is to take a chance that will put all of their lives in danger. Will they survive is the question?
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This is the story of two sisters, Hope and Clara, who were unfortunate enough to be born into a world of crime as the daughters of a mobster.
Hope and Clara are prisoners in this world with very little choice in their future. Hope has been engaged to a man that will soon be moving into her father's place as leader. Her future is very bleak as she is already enduring his daily abuse.
Clara is only 15 and she has been kept isolated for most of her life. Her only refuge from this life are the small moments she spends with a young man named Gio. She sneaks away at night to meet him and they develop a strong connection to each other. There are some very touching and emotional scenes between them at the end when they realize that their only option is to take a chance that will put all of their lives in danger. Will they survive is the question?
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March 11, 2015
Now this is a prequel!!!!
Clara is born into the Mafia world. Her father's a powerful mob king and a very dangerous person. Her only comfort is her sister, Honour, and her friend Giovanni. Giovanni is working for her father and they meet every night in secret. Clara's innocent age doesn't allow her to have a life and Giovanni is the only one who makes her feel alive. There is an attraction between them but before they can act on their growing feelings, unexpected circumstances draw them apart. The only way to save Clara from her dangerous familia is for Giovanni to let her go.
A powerful prequel that made me very eager for Love the Way you Lie!!!
Skye Warren's writing is amazing like always and her characters compelling!!! Wow. Cannot wait for the first book.
5 Stars from me!!!!
Clara is born into the Mafia world. Her father's a powerful mob king and a very dangerous person. Her only comfort is her sister, Honour, and her friend Giovanni. Giovanni is working for her father and they meet every night in secret. Clara's innocent age doesn't allow her to have a life and Giovanni is the only one who makes her feel alive. There is an attraction between them but before they can act on their growing feelings, unexpected circumstances draw them apart. The only way to save Clara from her dangerous familia is for Giovanni to let her go.
A powerful prequel that made me very eager for Love the Way you Lie!!!
Skye Warren's writing is amazing like always and her characters compelling!!! Wow. Cannot wait for the first book.
5 Stars from me!!!!
July 15, 2015
Tough Love is the prequel to Love the Way You Lie (which is really good btw!). I don't think it matters much if you read this short prequel before or after the first book in the series. I think anyone will be intrigued no matter what.
So this short story features Clara, who we -if you've read Love the Way You Lie- already met. I really liked her in that already so I was pretty intrigued to read the story about her and Giovanni.
I have to admit that I wasn't as amazed by this prequel as I was with Love the Way You Lie but I still think it was a nice addition to the series, especially to get to know Clara more.
It's free on Amazon so be sure to grab it and start this series! <3
So this short story features Clara, who we -if you've read Love the Way You Lie- already met. I really liked her in that already so I was pretty intrigued to read the story about her and Giovanni.
I have to admit that I wasn't as amazed by this prequel as I was with Love the Way You Lie but I still think it was a nice addition to the series, especially to get to know Clara more.
It's free on Amazon so be sure to grab it and start this series! <3
November 23, 2018
This was really good. I wanted to read the next one but I can't figure out which one is next - the next one seems to be about different characters. Cba with series featuring prequels to prequels and lots of novellas especially when they're individually priced and not in ku, far too many opportunities to accidentally buy the wrong book. Ah well.
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