The Santiago Trilogy

Santiago #1-3

by Catherine Wiltcher

★★★★★ “This is not your sweet, passionate love story. This is raw, deep down in your soul passion… Dirty and dark, and hot as Hades” – Up All Night With Books

He came into my life like a raging storm.
The man I despised.
The killer with no conscience.
I fell as hard as a woman like me can fall.
When he bleeds, I feel his pain. When we kiss, I taste his tragedy. When he kills, my heart is stained with all the colors of his vengeance.

Discover the #1 bestselling mafia romance series today. This collection features all three books, including bonus material:
Hearts of Darkness.
Hearts Divine.
Hearts on Fire.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Mafia Romance, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, BDSM

851 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 26, 2020

About the author

Sign up to her newsletter for giveaways and Santiago exclusives —> www.catherinewiltcher.com/newsletter

Catherine Wiltcher is a USA Today and Amazon Top 15 bestselling romance author. Her books include The Santiago Series and the Cristo Sinners World.

In 2017, Catherine wrote her first book while undergoing cancer treatment. These days, she writes flawed and dangerous characters who always fall hard for their women, whatever the cost.

She lives in the U.K. with her husband, their two young daughters, and their crazy spaniel, Bella.

Insta: @catherinewiltcher
TT: @catherinewiltcher
F/B Group: Dante's Devils

SANTIAGO READING ORDER

Santiago World:
The Santiago Trilogy Collection:
-Hearts of Darkness
-Hearts Divine
-Hearts on Fire
The Grayson Duet Collection:
-Shadow Man
-Reckless Woman
Devils & Dust
Lovers & Liars (coming soon)
Rush & Ruin, Parts 1 & 2

Cristo Sinners World:
Black Skies Riviera
A London Villain
The Viper (coming soon)
TBAT (coming soon)

The Castillo Empire:
(coming soon)

Corrupt Gods World/Next Generation:
Born Sinner
Bad Blood
Tainted Blood
City of Thieves
Rush & Ruin, Parts 1 & 2

Reviews

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

 

~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~
This book is pretty much the perfect example on why I LOVE to give new authors a chance. I've never read anything by this author before, in fact, I hadn't even heard of her before, but oh man was this book fan-f-cking-tastic. I am not even exaggerating. Every single minute of this book was pure perfection. The writing was excellent. The pace moved along at a good clip. Especially considering that this book was on the longer side. It was told in a dual POV. The plot was intricate and engaging. Last, it was all wrapped up in a cliffhanger which took me a bit by surprise because I thought this was a standalone. *shrug* My only TINY issue (and it really was a small niggle), was I got a little annoyed at how many times Dante would call Eve by her complete name (Eve Miller).


~HERO~
DANTE...I adored Dante. He was alpha. He was possessive. He was sexy as sin. He was complicated. He was all about Eve from the minute he saw her. He wasn't going to win any personality awards, but Eve softened his edges (just a bit). He was pretty much the perfect anti-hero you just can't help but fall for.


~HEROINE~
EVE...First of all, what a fantastic name. More heroines should be called Eve in my opinion (lol). Anyway, I loved Eve just as much as I loved Dante. Ya, she probably caved into his advances a little too quickly considering the circumstance, but she wasn't a weak heroine at all. She gave as good as she got. She was sweet. She was feisty. She was a great heroine.




~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
They were a good cast of secondary characters in this one. Some I hope we will be seeing more of. Perhaps in their own books? Some I loved. Some I hated. One I cried over. All of them added fantastic extra layers to the story.


~HEAT LEVEL~
High. There were a lot of smokin' hot sex scenes in this one. Rough sex. Maybe some borderline dub consent? Spanking. Nothing too over the top or kinky.


~ANGST LEVEL - SEXUAL HISTORIES~
Lowish...I didn't find this one particularly angsty. This couple has quite a few acrimonious exchanges due to circumstances and who they are, but the relationship was quite insta and pretty solid from the start. Then, of course, there is some angst caused by the overlying plot involving the drug cartels etc. Eve wasn't a virgin. Dante was most likely a manwhore, but there are only a few mentions here and there about his prior sex life. There wasn't any OW drama or OM drama either.


~IN THE END~
Did I enjoy it? HELL YES!
Would I recommend it! Again...HELL YES!
Would I read more from this author? Affirmative!
What type of reader would this appeal to? I think this would appeal to all types of readers, safe or otherwise. Especially those who love a jealous and possessive anti-hero.
Bring on book two please!

[Catherine Wiltcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

“No one has to die here tonight.” 


He takes my arm and pulls me closer to him, the icy tip of his gun grazing my temple and snapping me back to my harsh reality. I blink, and focus on dragging air into my reluctant lungs, willing my racing pulse to slow; praying that my survival instincts kick in soon. 
I can’t see his face, but there’s a dark familiarity to how he’s handling his weapon. There’s a knowledge there. Training. This man knows how to pull the trigger and he’s not afraid of the consequences...

© Catherine Wiltcher

𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬:
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3d2uaNu
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2ZvluLE
Amazon AUS: https://amzn.to/3emcGMl
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2TCfDQU

[Art of Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my absolute favorite ever mafia romance series!!! You guys are not ready for Dante Santiago because i sure wasn’t!

The writing of this series was phenomenal and I literally couldn’t get enough!

There were so many twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat for this wild ride!

Buckle up because Dante will take you on a journey filled with angst and adrenaline!

5 stars for this entire series and i HIGHLY recommend this!

[TheBookPlatypus · Rating 5 out of 5]

My reviews are on each book instead.

As the entire series, I am absolutely impressed and in love with this entire trilogy. It is very rare for me to be mind blown and speechless when it comes to a dark romance and mafia trope because so many are tiring to read and they all just feel like the exact same damn book.

The Santiago trilogy was a breath of fresh air. It was extremely dark in specific areas. (Example: child sex trafficking with really young minors.)

Catherine Wiltcher never strayed from her characters personalities and I genuinely appreciate that she kept Dante a brutal beast of a man to the very end.
Too many times do you see an antihero become a groveling submissive crying tool and I’m happy to say, Dante is all Villian and alpha.

This trilogy is one that will be in my head for a long ass time. I have already purchased the paperbacks because I need these on my shelf. It’s one of those trilogies that will definitely be a re-read for me and I will definitely be reading this authors back list of books. I am just blown away in a positive way.

[Kursed Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hearts of Darkness

So, Dante… Yeah, Imma be hitting up all the area liquor stores. If you see me, mind yo business.

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Hearts Divine

Picking up right where we left off, we have tons of storyline and growth happening with the perfect amount of smoking hot s.m.e.x mixed in.

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Hearts on Fire

I couldn’t have imagined a better conclusion for Dante and Eve. Dante remains true to his unrepentant nature, while being impossibly in love. Likewise, Eve is a bâdâss in her own right. This series was 🤌🏻! FYI: Still strolling the aisles at my local liquor stores for fun. Nothing yet, but I’ll remain vigilant.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series swallowed me whole. The writing was so phenomenal that I felt like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book. The author gave so much thought and depth to her characters and storyline. I have always loved this genre but I will say there are a lot of books out there were they're simply duds, but then you uncover the gems that give you everything you're looking for!! The Santiago Triology by Catherine Wiltcher is one of those gems! The series is complete and I was able to find all three books in one on kindle unlimited. The author was new to me but I am now following and getting ready to pick up more of her books. (I have to get over my Santiago Triology hangover first 😣 still so sad it's over)

Ok, so, Eve and Dante. I loved them!! Omg Dante was perfection. Dominant, rough and all man. Eve, was strong, independent and intelligent. Watching their growth, individually and as a couple, throughout the series was amazing. Honestly, I just wish I could start all over and read it like new again it was so good. To top everything off these books are not short stories no they are packed full with romance, edge of your seat action and intrigue.

If you love dark mafia romances, strong dominant men with a strong female lead, a romance series that pushes your boundaries but stops before it's goes well over the line then I highly recommend this book for you!!

[Chrissy Russo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome story this was. It had great smut, a loyal hero, dark yumminess and good action. The writing was really good and I liked the characters. This was one of those series that got better and better as it went on, which is rare in my opinion. Usually authors try to fill space with boring and repetitive nonsense just to make a trilogy but that wasn't the case here. I like how Dante stayed true to his bad self and Eve only became stronger without being annoying or becoming a female alpha. I also enjoyed that this was a three book series yet there was no annoying OW, no ex's coming back to cause trouble, no drama of any of that nature. Just a really enjoyable and dark story with great character development. This author has some serious talent. Five huge stars.

[Kim Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg!! This trilogy was out of this world!! Exciting, chaotic and full of angst!! What an incredible journey!! High levels of anxiety!! Fantastic story!!

[Lissete · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best Book I Have Ever Read. All The Stars

I need to start this review by saying that I’m Colombian and grew up on the midst of the terror of the mafia cartels in the late 80s and early 90s. The bombings, the shootouts, the kidnappings… all clear as day in my mind still. So it’s not easy for me to enjoy, let alone praise a book based on one of the darkest moments of my country. But this book, or trilogy I should say, is above and beyond every single expectation I could have had about the King of Colombia, Dante Santiago. A man so vicious, so evil, that even makes the real deal (Escobar) look like an amateur in comparison.
I’m very happy I got to experience this book way after it was released, I don’t think I could have been able to wait for the other installments of the trilogy after Hearts of Darkness. This trilogy consumed me and once I started reading I couldn’t put the book down and just had to finish.
Dante Santiago is larger than life and everything else pales in comparison to this evil god.
He’s not just a morally grey hero, he’s pitch black and his reasoning doesn’t align to anything that’s good and Holly. That doesn’t mean that you won’t fall captive of his dark ways and become a believer. This journey starts with a kidnapping, develops into a war so large, the world is not big enough to handle and ends with the most purest act of love.
Dante Santiago will always be King in my mind, my heart and my soul. Eve Miller became his light, his equal and gave him in return everything he always thought he could never have.
Since the first book was originally released in 2018, I cannot claim this trilogy as my favorite read of 2022 but I’ll sure say it’s my favorite book of all time. I cannot wait to continue getting lost in this dark world, next up is Joseph Greyson’s duet (Dante’s second in command) and I know I’ll just love him too.
Thank you, Catherine for giving us a story that’s larger than life.

[shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had a good story line but I was bored by the second book in the series and felt obligated to finish this series . I like dark books with the concept that bad men are always going to be bad or they can possibly be redeemed. Dante was raised bad so he became unfeeling and without a conscience .This was the only way he was going to survive his home life. Eve was his Redemption but she was naive and dressed to hide herself she didn't sound like a good partner for a serial killer who like to throw tantrums like a baby. I've read a hundred books like this I found this book choppy with to many sex scenes that where repetitive and a snooze .The fight scenes and missions where not believable to me .

[⏃ : ✦ villainous_vixen ⏃ : ✦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 This is the End . . . Stars

Catherine Wiltcher once again weaves a tale of love, lust, and betrayal that will plunge you to the depths of depravity with a sliver of hope. The Santiago Trilogy is a dark and twisted read that is one of my favorites. Dante Santiago is a man of very few words, he lays havoc in his wake. He is the devil…. When his name is whispered from the shadows. . . you know you’re fucked. A cold hearted criminal that craves bloodshed. A king with a mighty crown. He is a man who gets what he wants. . . and his sights are on Eve.

"They say the devil can mimic many forms but can he really mimic pure perfection such as this?"

Eve is a young woman who has been through many hardships. With her brother murdered by the illegal drug trade, she knows what lurks behind the shadows. But one night she so happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. The first time she meets tall dark and handsome, is with a gun to the back of her head.

My imperfectly perfect criminal.
My happy ending and my greatest tragedy.



As these two get closer, Dante’s cold black heart starts to beat again. He realizes he is falling in love with this girl. And the thought brings him to his knees. In this life, love is a weakness. A weakness he can’t have. Like a moth to flame, these two are drawn to one another. The passion, the chemistry blew my breath away.

“First, he held a gun to my head. The, he blew my world apart.”

Dante will do anything to keep his angel safe, even if it means sending her away. Nobody touches what is his. It’s time for the devils hands to get dirty. In the world they live in, its all about raw bloody power. The Santiago Trilogy by Catherine Wiltcher is an epic tale of betrayal, revenge, love and redemption. This series is filled with intrigue, suspense and excitement that captures your mind and heartstrings with each turn of a page.

My angel has fallen, and what a pretty sight it is to behold. She’s the queen of my fucking underworld now.

Buckle yourself in for the stunning conclusion to Dante & Eve's story. Packed with drama, tension, intense emotions, danger, hot passion and shocking revelations, this book delivers all the answers readers have been waiting for in jaw-dropping and nail-biting fashion. I still have yet to pick up a book written by Catherine Wiltcher that didn't get me completely wrapped in her writing. It's hard to explain, yet she writes such rich, multifaceted stories, blended with heartfelt emotion and clever wit..... Irresistible irresistible characters and off-the-charts sexiness. She ties all of those pieces together through a creative, inspired plot, resulting a win for me.

I love the bones of this man. I love the light that he fights so hard to repress. I love the dark that he unleashes to keep me safe.

In Hearts On Fire both Dante & Eve have been through hell and back. Forces from both sides tried to tear them apart only for them to come back stronger. In this book chaos has painted the streets red. It's always the ones you trust most who have no qualms in putting a bullet right between your eyes. With the FBI breathing down Dante's neck and the Russians, he is on edge. It's not just him anymore. He would do whatever it takes to protect his queen. No matter the cost.

[Sabrina Pawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I even begin?

I am OBSESSED, freaking OBSESSED with Catherine Wiltcher and it’s because of this Trilogy and her words....! You feel her words flowing through your veins. Her words just blew me away. I felt all of it and when you can feel a book deep down in your soul.... you know it’s going to be an amazing book....! I have to say this is by far one of the best Cartel/Mafia books I have read and I’ve been reading books since Twilight #TEAMEDWARD. (That’ll tell you something)

Dante, Dante, Dante... He is intense, an alpha, a man of his word-who delivers with his actions and is the darkness your soul will either love or hate or love. lol. There is no in between and he when he loves, it’s fierce and real..... and raw and everything your heart wants! And Eve (be still my beating heart) Dante found his match in the stubborn and very opinionated female that she is. While this trilogy started my obsession- my allegiance and heart is with and will always be with Joseph Grayson. #josephismyman

If you you haven’t read this trilogy yet.... Get it now! You won’t be disappointed and you’ll become obsessed like me!! 😂🤷🏽‍♀️

[Kim BookJunkie ~ Editor & Proofreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are not a lot of Mexican cartel romances out there, and of the few I’ve found, most aren’t spectacular. However, this trilogy is absolutely phenomenal!!! Catherine Wiltcher is indescribably talented, her eloquent words bringing the characters and their exciting, sexy story to life in my mind!

First of all, I loved that the mailman character, Dante, remained himself from start to finish. He doesn’t suddenly go soft just because he’s fallen in love, Instead, he remains a sociopath to the bitter end. I was also impressed that this didn’t feel like a Stockholm syndrome story. The chemistry between the main characters was instantaneous, the emotions palpable before Dante even takes her captive, making their relationship feel more realistic and believable. This trilogy was exciting, sexy, entertaining, suspenseful and beautifully written with rich detail. I absolutely loved all three books!

The only thing that would make these books even better is if they were professionally proofread. If you want the specific details of what I came across, continue reading. Otherwise, this is where my review ends!!!!

There were a lot of typos such as using AND when it should’ve been THEN, FURTHER instead of FARTHER, EVERYDAY for EVERY DAY, SLAKED instead of SNAKED, THAT when it should’ve been WHO, STAND-BY instead of STANDBY, FINGERS NAILS for FINGERNAILS, TICK instead of TIC, MIGHT instead of MAY, HONE IN instead of HOME IN, SACK although it should’ve been SAC, BI-FOCAL for BI-FOLDING, PRIZING instead of PRYING, and PRISE when it should’ve been PRY.

The majority of the mistakes I noticed were things that did not follow the Chicago Manual of Style and English language rules:
-Closing punctuation marks were placed outside of single quotation marks although they should have been inside (his ‘angel’. should’ve been his ‘angel.’).
-Semicolons were not always used to separate 2 complete sentences
-The FANBOYS comma rule was not consistently implemented.
-Rules for using commas with the words THOUGH, OH, AH, and OF COURSE were not consistently followed.
-Commas were not consistently placed before pronouns (for example, “Hey Grayson” should’ve been, “Hey, Grayson”)
-Apostrophes with plurals were not used correctly. For example, Tomas’ should’ve been Tomas’s.
-Apostrophes indicating missing letters were facing the wrong way, for example, ‘cos and ‘em (the tail is always supposed to curve to the left).
-Multiple adjectives in a list were not always separated with commas (for example, “wisecracking lion-hearted bear”).
-Commas were not consistently inserted between repetitive words (for example, “No no no” should’ve been, “No, no, no”).
-Commas were often inserted after coordinating conjunctions at the beginning of sentences even though they shouldn’t have been (for example, “So, he’s” should have been, “So he’s”. CMOS says authors should use ellipses, not commas, if they want to indicate a pause after a coordinating conjunction starting a sentence).
-Ellipses were not spaced according to CMOS guidelines.
-Em dashes were used to indicate characters trailing off when ellipses should have been used.
-Several introductory phrases (for example, “I swear”) were not followed by a comma when they should’ve.
-Commas were inserted when they were not needed (for example, “She makes her way back over to me, and sits down on the edge of the bed with a sigh.”).
-There were sentences with missing words (for example, “It would be a shame for that end tonight”, and “The far end of barn”).
-There were sentences with extra words (“far beyond the realms of anything like as lucid.”).
-On occasion, words were capitalized that shouldn’t have been (such as OF in “Helen Of Troy”).
-God was capitalized when it should’ve been lowercase (for example, “like a God”).
-Accent marks were missing with naïve
-Most of the time, nicknames and terms of endearment such as SIR were lowercased, yet occasionally they were not.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devil is in the details

This is a new author to me. This book sat in my queue for a long time. I finally decided to read it and now have mixed feelings.

This story is told in three points of view, the two main characters and one additional voice. There were parts I liked and others were simply ridiculous.

As a couple, Eve and Dante work. Their chemistry, the sexual tension, the fights and tenderness. Individually, not so much.

Dante’s timeline makes no sense. It’s never shared how old he is, just his age when certain events happened to change him. As a 19 old he flees to the USA and talks his way into a prestigious college, enlists in the military and is promoted to Captain in less than 3 years, all before the age of 23? Not likely.

Eve’s is a 25 yr old journalist, her sudden dreams and outbursts late in the book come out of nowhere. She and her best friend Anna have known each other from childhood, were college roommates, enjoying Miami’s nightlife before what happens to Eve’s brother changed her. Repressed memories aside, there would have been some physical evidence. It felt like a last minute add on to justify another plot point.

Complicated plots need to be mapped out, a good editor or ARC team might have helped catch the inconsistencies and spelling errors.

[Georga McNally · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was apprehensive when I first heard of this book, however, many reviews insisted that the female character was extremely empowered and strong-minded. Arguing back at someone over not wanting to change your outfit because they say so is not empowerment, that is just basic not letting someone push you around. The fact that he isolates her for two days, in one room, and with the bare minimum of food and liquids, in order to "have her" when he returns is not misunderstood or romantic, it's psychological abuse. The story actually started to pick up mid-way through the first book "Hearts of Darkness", but then the start of the second book "Hearts Divine" in which she is extremely annoyed at the FBI for interrogating her over an international cartel leader who has murdered numerous people was the last straw for me.

I love romance books, but this is not romantic, it's an unhealthy captor-victim fantasy.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Mafia Romances !

Holy smokes!!! What did I just read? . This was a crazy and smoking hot triology. This is one I definitely won't forget. I read all 3 books in 2 days. I will definitely be reading this again. Simply Amazing!!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this series 10 stars I would. The Santiago trilogy has to be one of the best mafia trilogy I've ever read. Each book was amazing. Normally there's always one book in a trilogy that doesn't hold my attention and the author has maybe stung it out too much, but not this series. I read all 3 books back to back and not one disappointed me.
I love everything to do with the cartnel world. I've never read a book where drugs and that world are so involved.
I could not recommend theses books enough.

Dante is a dark dark man, I don't think he could of been anymore darker and I loved him. He is the devil, he is a Cartel king. I love that his personality doesn't change throughout each book. He's cold, he unlikeable, he is abrupt but there's a heart somewhere under it all, I love that his priorities change throughout the books.. He is everything I love in mafia romance, I've never read anything like this before.
Eve fights for everything she believes in, Dante brings out a side in her she didn't know she had. She is honestly the woman who brought the king to his knees. He found his angel.
It wasn't just Eve and Dante that made this book, all the other characters, the settings of this book, everything was perfect.
Catherine is the most amazing writer, I'm currently on my 6th book of hers, her story have consumed me for the last week.
And now I need all the paperbacks.

[Susana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The whole Santiago trilogy is one of my favorites dark romance books ever. I really had an awesome time reading about Dante and Eve life-changing and crazy journey.

Dante is an anti-hero, a hot and wild alpha male that is determined to achieve his mission and get what he wants. He is jealous and possessive and only when he met the heroine his priorities start changing. He worships her and is willing to risk everything to make her his. Eve is a journalist and sure there's a conflict of interest between Dante and her work. But there's so much more she has to deal with. Family, friends, work, a dangerous cartel, DEA, good, evil,... the lines of everything start blurring and blending.

Eve and Dante have amazing chemistry. You don’t get tired of them. Every time they’re together there’re fireworks. Their scenes are intense and smoking hot. Their relationship is complicated but great, the plot is interesting, intriguing and with some unexpected twists that made my jaw dropped. And the secondary characters are awesome too. No question why Grayson has his own book now, 'The Shadow Man' is second in command and captivating.

There’s action, love, friendship, steamy scenes and hot sex, thrilling action,.. everything perfectly mixed and extremely well written. I really loved this trilogy.

[Cora Kenborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are not reading Catherine Wiltcher, I do not know what you are doing with your life. Holy crap on a cracker, this series kept me up all night. Sleep? Who needs sleep when you have Dante Santiago?

By the way, he's my new book boyfriend, ladies. I'm just putting that out there.

The story itself is unique, and I couldn't read fast enough. Wiltcher's attention to detail isn't limited to her main characters, and that's what keeps you glued to the pages. Her secondary characters leap off the pages as well, making the whole story feel like a movie playing in your head. Yeah, it's THAT good.

It's hot, witty, intelligent, well-researched, and I refused to do anything but dive straight into the next book. This is my first read by Ms. Wiltcher, but she has a secured fan in me.

5 brilliant and sexy stars.

[Linda Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hands down one of the best cartel series I’ve ever read. I only read it because The Shadow Man was recommended by a friend. I felt the urgency to read this series after reading it and it was one of my best moves. This played out like a well orchestrated chess game, it was a mindf*ck as you were left waiting to see the opponents next move. Guaranteed it wasn’t what you were expecting either. Twists and turns aplenty, smoke and mirrors, dark and light all intermingled which left you off kilter. If you are reading this because you are undecided STOP NOW and do yourself a favour grab a copy and get reading.

[Pebbles · Rating 5 out of 5]

BRILLIANT!

This whole series is a page turner and thankfully you don’t have to wait for the next book because they’re all there waiting for you to devour them! Prepare for no sleep until you finish them haha
Dante and Eve’s story is an intense and powerful love saga, Dante is THE Alpha and makes no apologies but Eve mere presence changes him and as bad as he is he becomes a better man. Eve’s wasn’t living until Dante kidnapped her but her destiny has a lot of ups and downs.
The author does a brilliant job with these characters and this story is brilliantly written. I throughly enjoyed every minute of The Santiago Trilogy!

[Julez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate Eve’s character. She’s like a puppet. She is beyond naive and Dante is just plain controlling. He is evil which is understandable since he’s mafia. He kidnaps Eve more than once and she falls for him even though he ordered her brother to be killed and wanted to kill her father before she found out her father was no good. He also has the heart to dump her. The audacity! He father sucks and she knows this but yet meets with him 😤and her so called best friend is an ungrateful person. Joseph and Manuel were the only good ones in this book.

[Romance Between The Sheets · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this trilogy engaged me from the first chapter to the very last. I was exhausted mentally and emotionally by the end. Eve’s roller coaster of life when Dante appears is just crazy. There is so much to this story with extreme tragedy for all characters and I found myself so on edge. This was such a dark dangerous and deceitful story with some incredible stand out characters that will warm your heart in the crazy world you will be taken into. Loved this so much!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!!

This is my first from this author and wow!! This trilogy is packed with action, lust, love and betrayal. It was so good! It was written well, the characters you fall for and I’m sad it’s ended honestly lol. I’m going to be reading the Grayson duet next!!

[Travelogged Blogs · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC....

[Amanda Marie ❤'s Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Hearts of Darkness:

Loved it!

I came across this series as a suggestion in a Facebook group comment of all places, and I'm sure glad I did!
I don't know how I haven't come across this author before, but this book was great! I am so excited for the second book, and so crushed that the third book's release date got pushed out until late June. Say it ain't so!
I am a fan of a good kidnapping book, and this one delivers. I like that he never hit her (outside of a few swats on the behind, but that hardly counts), and he didn't force her. Big points in my book. He intimidated her, sure. Threatened her. But at the end of the day, he relented and granted a degree of mercy on more than one occasion when she asked him to do so. More big points. He doesn't just push her around, expecting her to fall in line and develop feelings for him as sometimes happens in this kind of book. Thank goodness.
I can already imagine a whole host of other books to possibly come from this world the author has created. There are at least two I'd like to see go on the schedule as soon as the third book in this series is released.
I love a good five-star read, and I love it even MORE when it comes out of left field, unexpected.
Oh, man- if you like kidnapping-turned-love stories I suspect you'll love this book. I sure did.
Recommended!

Hearts on Fire/full trilogy:
Amazing.
Suspenseful.
Hot.
Action-packed.
I LOVED this book. I LOVED this trilogy. I am so bummed that Eve and Dante's story has come to an end, but so thrilled that we can look for another book from this world this fall! The author has announced that Rick Sanders is getting his own book, and I couldn't be more excited! Well, unless Joseph gets his own book. THAT might get me more excited. (Edit: Joseph got his own DUET!)
In any case, this book has it all. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what was going to happen next. Would they find Anna? Would she be alive? Can Petrov be trusted? How about Agent Peters? Would they solve the mystery of Isabella? I had so many questions, and thankfully got all of my answers.
I also loved the chemistry between Eve and Dante. He is so gruff- I just loved the bejesus out of it. And Eve, though well out of her comfort zone, really stands up to Dante. She has an impressive inner strength- she stood in the face of her fear, and stared it down. Nothing stopped her.
This the first series by this author, and I am so overly excited about it. I can't wait for more!
Recommended!

[Veronica Ticker · Rating 4 out of 5]

(audiobook) I feel icky for enjoying this trilogy, to be honest. Not that it wasn’t good–there were even pretty intense scenes and the pace was great, keeping me involved until the very end. But… heavy topics, dubious consent, a love that more resembles lust, and an alphahole hero, make it the kind of guilty pleasure that you aren’t eager to flaunt.

It all starts with a kidnapping and coercion. So of course, when Eve and Dante ended up in a relationship, I doubted it was more than attraction. To be fair, even though they talk about–or experience–love quite early, I couldn’t understand it until the characters had changed. Especially Dante, who isn’t a good man, and so he keeps repeating, until his past offers hindsights into his motivations. He’s a more complex character for sure. But unlike Eve, I couldn’t totally forgive his actions, not even the way he imposed himself on Eve. It reeked of Stockholm Syndrom.

But Eve becomes more complex than the poor victim along the way. Sure, she is a victim in more ways than one, but she also shows remarkable strength and resilience, and is quite determined. Which is a good balance for domineering Dante. There’s never strict equality in this couple, but sometimes Dante relinquishes control, which was meaningful for such a character.

Sometimes, the plot forces the characters to move around like headless chickens. The power games are fierce and treachery is rampant, so you never really know who works with whom. There’s more black than white in this world–some characters are even unexpectedly on the evil side. It is definitely a dark romance.

The narrators did a great job, especially the female narrator who always sounds amazing as a strong character. The male narrator succeeded at showing Dante’s softer side, but was also able to maintain his coldness and his violent side when necessary.

Quickie

- Series: Santiago series 1-3
- Hashtags: #dark romance #romantic suspense #mafia romance #multicultural romance
- Triggers: violence, death, dubious consent, attempted assault, mention of assault, human trafficking, drug trafficking, child abuse, domestic violence, mention of suicide, torture, war crimes, kidnapping
- Main couple: Eve Miller & Dante Santiago
- Hotness: 5/5
- Romance: 4/5 (it’s a process)
- + it’s such an emotional journey, though not for the faint of heart
- – I still don’t know what to think of the way Eve forgives Dante

[Mawgan Dipple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hearts of darkness book 1
5 stars

I truly loved this dark cartel romance. The dark and twisted nature of dante's soul can only be calmed by the lightness of she's presence in his life. They lives were matted together before they ever met and from the moment they did nothing would stand in Dante's to claim the beauty as his angel. A twisted bloody tale of brothers battling against each other and other cartels to bring them down dark secrets melted in the middle eve tried to remove her self from this world but her heart belongs to the devil. Can't wait for book 2.

Hearts Devine book 2
5 stars

This book couldn't come soon enough after I read the first one. I love the dynamic between Dante and eve. He bulldozers her in the accepting his will, but eve gives him hope for the light to penetrate his darkness.
Darkness defends further into their love affair which has lasting consequences.
Amazing dark romance which I can't get enough of.

Hearts of fire book 3
5 stars
This is the final book in this trilogy and I'm sad it's over. The story goes darker than before with eve and Dante thrown in the middle of it all. I loved the insight to Grayson and Dante's past. You were constantly thrown in a loop, not knowing who was friend or foe, but the love they shared couldn't be destroyed. Totally loved it.

[Vania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this...

Phenomenal. This book is simply phenomenal. I loved the way it was written, the author definitely knew how to write a crime book without fail. The plot, characters, and overall story line were amazingly well put together. Dante is 100% that crime lord sexy bad guy that you fantasize about haha. Eve is a very strong woman who fights her own battles but Dante's as well. I loved the back and forth bantering between them both, and the love they developed for one another is out of this world. It's that soul crushing type of love that some of us wish we had. The chemistry is off the charts, get ready to fan yourselves a few times over. The secondary characters were also well developed and like the story, they too grew and became spectacular parts of this trilogy.

I've read many crime/romance books but this one takes the cake. It's so well written that you feel like you're living the life of these characters. Many secrets are revealed which play a big role in why some characters are the way they are. My heart wept for Dante mostly but I won't go into detail about why.

If you enjoy crime based books with a good romance story twisted into it then you need to read this trilogy. It will not disappoint.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

In honour of Reckless Woman being released soon I decided to go back and re-read the whole series (gotta beat the Lockdown blues somehow, right?). What I didn't expect is to read the entire trilogy in 2 days.

If you want a totally gripping, heart pounding story that's steamy as hell, this is it. Dante and Eve's story should come with a warning: be prepared to lose sleep, once you start, you won't stop reading.

Catherine Wiltcher writes crime romance like no other and I'm officially counting down the days to Reckless Woman.