Callum

McLaughlin Brothers #1

by Taylor Dawn

For Callum McLaughlin, crime wasn’t just a job, it was his passion.

Slinging guns behinds the scenes, was a risky business. Deal with the wrong people and you could end up the next chalk outline on the sidewalk. As an arms dealer, Callum and his two older brothers took their businesses very seriously. Callum’s jobs were simple, help keep their tattoo studio in Edinburgh, Scotland up and running, and be the cleanup man if things went sideways in their other side business. When his oldest brother gave him the task of kidnapping the U.S. Ambassador’s daughter, he had a new problem to clean up. The feisty American woman challenged him in every way and somehow weaseled her way into his locked-up heart. Now Callum must choose between his loyalty for his family or saving Winter from the horrors of her past.

Winter Manning loathed being the daughter of a politician. As a nursing student at Georgetown University, she fought every day to carve her own path in the world. She never thought her last trip to visit her Father in Scotland would end in a harrowing choice between life and death. After being kidnapped by a trio of nefarious arms dealers, Winter must fight the raging war between the demons of her past and escape her kidnappers before the one with malt whiskey-colored eyes steals anymore of her broken heart. Winter’s demons run deep, but the feelings she developed for her Scottish captor run even deeper.

133 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 19, 2021

About the author

International Bestselling Author Taylor Dawn (formerly writing as C.D. Taylor) began writing as an item to check off her bucket list. She resides in the southernmost part of Illinois, right on the mighty Mississippi river. She enjoys the quiet country life with her husband, son and the many farm animals that make up the rest of the family. Deciding that farm life was just a little too mundane, Taylor began writing erotica and fantasy to liven things up, so far so good. Before starting her writing career, Taylor entered the field of cosmetology. When she isn't writing, she can usually be found sitting around a table making people laugh. She has always wanted to be a standup comic. She loves pulling practical jokes, dresses up in a costume every Halloween and believes that dancing is the key to a happy life (even if you aren't a good dancer). She believes that life shouldn't be taken too seriously, we will never get out alive anyway. More than anything, she is a kid at heart, she doesn't believe in bedtimes, eating everything on her plate, or having ice cream only for dessert. Her favorite quote is by Dr. Seuss..."Why fit in, when you were born to stand out."

Reviews

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Callum McLaughlin is the family screw up. For some reason, he just can’t get his crap straight. Need to order some guns from an associate? Don’t ask Callum, you’ll be getting toy guns instead of real ones. When tasked with kidnapping the daughter of an American diplomat, he thinks he’s finally got an easy task, but even then he screws it up.
Winter Manning’s in Scotland for a month. She’s going to spend some time with her diplomat father before getting back into her studies at Georgetown. She and her father’s not close at all, he’s used and abused her, but she can’t do anything about it. Her father is seen as a hero to other politicians and it seems they think he’s like a god. When she’s kidnapped by a trio of arms dealers trying to force her father to deal with them, all her old fears and memories come up to the surface. She’s not the same weak person she had been before her mother passed. Something everyone is about to find out.
But Winter can’t help the feelings she feels when Callum touches her. Callum, the man that drugged and kidnapped her, the one currently holding her hostage. With one touch Winter wants to open up to him. How is this possible?
Will Winter become a pawn in the feud between the McLaughlin brothers and her father, or will she finally stand up for herself and show them just how strong of a woman she is?
I enjoyed this story. There’s great writing, a gritty storyline, and characters you both love and hate. Even though this is the first in a series, this book doesn’t leave you hanging with a cliff ending. You’ve got the entire story of Callum and Winter, but you’re left wanting to know about the other two brothers. You want to know what’s coming next for the McLaughlin’s.

**I read an ARC of this story and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[Sunny Lovestories · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, you thought your family was..IS... nuts. At the start of this intense trilogy, wait till it ends, we meet the black sheep, mom dropped him on his head,member of the McLauglin Family, Callum. But you know what guys like Callum do? They try too hard and end up screwing up even worse.
Then throw in a politician's princess who doesn't know how good she has it till a sociopath nabs her.
Sorry, I won't rehash the entire book's synopsis in my reviews, the author and good reads have already done that.
I am here to tell you. A.) everyone's family is a mess B.) mafia/crime families do more than take out snitches. C.) every pot has a lid. D.) Both Callum and Winter need therapy.
Welcome to the Gritty, New York-sidewalk-dirty, International crime world known as, the Social Rejects Syndicate.

[L.C. Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buckle up for this one... This book comes out the gate sucking you in. Callum is a brooding man who is searching for his place in the family. Winter harbors a dark past that has left her broken. When these two collide -- Whew! Sparks fly. The emotion in this book will have you angry with the characters and falling in love at the same time. Not only that, it will leave you begging for the brothers Angus and Tavish's stories. Thank god this is a trilogy... because I want more!

[jenny andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gun running family screw up, kidnapped daughter of the American diplomat, what could go wrong? Or right?... This is a brilliant book, set in Edinburgh following Callum and Winter's journey through some unexpected twists, unhinged family members, plenty of action, hot steam, laughter and sarcasm, and some fabulous writing. Sets up for book 2 wonderfully. Cannot wait to see what happens next.

[Debbie Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is more to Callum than what is on the outside. More than how his family sees him. First book in new series. Must read.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I could not put it down. The oldest brothers were creepy, but I really liked Callum. He just didn’t seem like the other brothers. It was a wonderfully weird twist on a love story.