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The Black Hand #2

Thick Skinned

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The Black Hand. The criminal organization that owns everyone in Cypress, a group of people who rule the city in blood and blackmail.

My plan is to take them down. Whether it’s one by one or all together, I will watch the Black Hand burn for what they did to my family five years ago. For my parents, for my brother… this vengeance is for them.

I have both Jameson sons wrapped around my fingers. Sometimes it’s easy to forget why I’m here, what the endgame is. I’ve never felt more alive than I do when I’m with them. Or even with the other Black Hand heirs.

Hate. Love. What’s the difference?

I won’t let any feelings get in the way of my vengeance. I won’t let anything stop me from doing what I set out to do. The Black Hand will fall, and those responsible will die. But then an heir goes missing… and the weird thing is, it’s not by my hand.

Someone knows my secret, and they’re playing with me.

And I don’t like being toyed with.

281 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2021

246 people are currently reading
408 people want to read

About the author

C.M. Wondrak

19 books389 followers

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5 stars
458 (46%)
4 stars
319 (32%)
3 stars
162 (16%)
2 stars
31 (3%)
1 star
13 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
Profile Image for Lauren.
717 reviews
May 5, 2021
👏🏼DADDY👏🏼ATTI👏🏼🤤

I NEED A SCENE WITH ATTICUS STAT!! 🥵🤤🔥This 2nd installment of Shay/Celene’s story was amazing. There were revelations, more potential theories, plenty of hot steamy scenes, delicious sexual tension, and more information given about the workings of the Black Hand. The different POV chapters help shed some light for the reader about what the different characters’ involvement could have been in Shay’s murdered family, which further snowballed the ever growing list of theories in my head.

I really like how the author has made this series more ambiguous on who will ultimately be involved with Shay by the end of the series. It makes for a dramatic read, seeing all the potential men but knowing nothing is set in stone or labeled as exclusive. This is definitely a series where lust comes first, you won’t find any “love at first sight” scenes here or sweet romances. 😅 it’s hot, gritty, wild, and passionate.

The twins, I love them. I love how the author has made them to have such contrasting personalities even if they are identical in looks. What one lacks for Shay, the other can easily make up the difference. Slade is an interesting character that I am on the fence about, along with Nix. The tension is there between them but they haven’t gotten a lot of page time for me to really formulate an opinion on them being involved with Shay. Slade is quiet and a rather angry character but we still don’t know much about him, plus his disappearance is puzzling. I am not sure if he disappeared on his own accord, whether it was for nefarious or innocuous reasons, or if he was taken. It will all be connected to the secrets Daddy Atti alluded to at the end of the book and the murder of Shay’s family, I’m sure of it. SPEAKING OF DADDY ATTI.... oh man, those scenes with him and Shay are my favorites. He has contrasting behaviors where one moment he is threatening and commanding and then others where he is sweet and comforting. Not to mention, the sexual tension is killing me. I am all for an age gap so I am team Daddy Atti.

I did feel as if there was a period during the story where Shay’s motive and goal was kind of forgotten by her or pushed to the side without any mention, but during that time is when I felt as if the author did a great job of building the relationships between her and all the men. It definitely made me much more endeared to all of them and I know now that if something happened to any of them, I would be affected as a reader.

By far, this is my new favorite series from this author and I am eager to read the next book.
Profile Image for Barbara Vargas.
113 reviews10 followers
July 30, 2021
Thick Skinned is the second book in The Black Hand series. I know, shame on me that i didn't write a review for book #1 yet, but after finally reading the second installment I just had to jump right into its review. It's no secret I'm a fan of dark romance, and this series might have turned into one of my favorites.

Celene is a badass and surprisingly likable. A girl with a dark past, lost and trying to find her place in the world. She pushes herself into a path of vengeance, but soon becomes enthralled by the dangerous man in The Black Hand, a criminal organization powerful enough to put fear into any sane person's mind. In the first book we get to meet the guys, but she only really gets involved with the twins Dex and Jett. Dex is probably the only sort of good-ish love interest in the book, the saving grace in Celene's eyes. Though sweet, his insta-puppy-love towards Celene wasn't my favorite, and in my (albeit fucked up) opinion, he happens to be the least interesting of all the possible guys. If he wasn't Jett's twin (and we all love the possibility of a twin sandwich, don't lie) I could do without him in the book. Jett on the other hand, is a little more interesting and his newly found obssession towards our FMC drives him crazy, it's pretty funny to watch.

Slade is one of my favorites, he hates but want Celene in equal proportions, and their scenes are pretty explosive in all the right ways. Then there is Daddy Atticus, and my god he exhales hotness. It's no wonder Celene wants to jump his bones. I really liked the possibility of the dad being involved too, twins and their dad? yes please! Lastly, Nixon... where do I start with this one. He probably had like the least amout of scenes of everyone and yet he is the one I'm drawn to the most. That already tells me this guy is fucked up beyond repair, if my usual taste in psychopaths is any indication. I'd love to see more of him.

On the secondary characters side, we have brother and sister friends Misha and Piper. I quite like Piper and feel like she's a good friend to Celene. Misha doesn't do much, but there is some flirting between him and the FMC. Perhaps he could turn into a love interest, but I think not. Finally, the misterious Cobra, the guy who took Celene's family place in the Black Hand. I had my serious suspicions on who he was, and as full disclosure, having already read book#3 right after this one, I'll already tell you I was one hundred percent right.

Storywise the second book doesn't go forward much, but the setup for the third one is pretty good. Looking forward to the rest of the ride.

5/5 stars
Profile Image for Tyeshia.
31 reviews
February 8, 2022
What A Cliffhanger!

Wow...where do I begin? First and foremost, I definitely recommend this book! You need to read book one first, in order to understand this one, though. Man, this book was full of mystery and suspense, and steam...everything you could want in a good read, this book delivered on. The only complaints I have, is that we keep hearing about how big and bad the Black Hand's are, but we never actually get to see them in action. The author just talks about how scary and filled with darkness they're supposed to be, but there is zero violence! Also, my same complaint from book one remains with book two: too repetitive; it wasn't as bad as it was in book one, but there was still a lot of repetitive information in this book. All in all, another great read, definitely recommend!
Profile Image for Shawna Jimenez more.books.forever.
1,858 reviews87 followers
September 6, 2021
This series just gets better and better! I am loving Celene/Shay and I am loving how all the guys are just entranced by her. I am so glad Jett made his stand and it was fantastic… but the real winner is Papa Atticus that man is fire!!! I am so ready to be diving into book 3 now that the secret is out I need to know where this is going to lead us and I can’t wait to see how the relationships grow!!!
Profile Image for J E N N A.
393 reviews58 followers
September 16, 2021
This is the second book in the series and so far, I wouldn't consider this a RH per se. It's more like the h keeps having sex with the different men because she feels like she is damaged and needs to feel something other than loneliness because her family is dead. The men just kind of suck it up and let her do it because they are all head over heels for her.

The characters:
Shay/Celene: the last member for the Arrowwood family out for the Blackhand to kill whoever murdered her family
Jett: twin to Dex, over confident asshole, butthurt that Celene keeps having sex with someone other than him
Dex: twin to Jett, the main heir to the family, her current love interest and already in love with Celene
Atticus: head of the Blackhand, father to Jett and Dex
Nixon: psycho (may have killed his family), introspective
Piper: part of the Lipman family, swings both ways, becomes friends with Celene
Profile Image for Nicole .
510 reviews7 followers
April 30, 2021
Spoilers
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All Celene wants is vengeance. She wants the truth, who killed her family and who is it she needs to kill in turn?

Vengeance keeps her going, needing to know what happened keeps her going. She will do anything to get what she wants. But along the way she can't help to have feelings for the guys in her life. She's lied to them but someone knows who she is. Its only a matter of time before shiz hits the fan and she'll be ready for it, no matter who gets in the way.

This second installment had me in my feels!!! Dex is perfect, I love that Celene is making Jett squirm and Slade is the perfect brooding a$$.

BUT hot damn, give me Daddy Atti. I am HERE for him. I need more of their interactions and that ending. It can't be what it seems. I am truly rooting for the best!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Emily (emilysdarkcorner).
397 reviews81 followers
July 6, 2021
Besties it's time for another book review!
Cold Blooded by CM Wondrak

Let me say that once I finished the first book I knew that I needed to start the second book right away because I needed to know what happened.
Celene is still trying to figure out who killed her family.

She is slowly starting to realize she has feelings for the twins and real feelings. That wasn't apart of her plan. She was supposed to come back for revenge and kill everyone in the black hand for what happened to her family.

Celene doesn't realize she has lots of people falling for her without her even knowing it is happening.

What happens when the one person you didn't expect to know your secret starts giving clues that they know?

#darkromance #darkromancebooks #reverseharem #reverseharembooks #bookstagram #book #bookreview
177 reviews1 follower
May 10, 2021
Waiting to see what happens next

This is a pretty interesting book. There's obviously a lot of secrets, and I'm assuming a lot of things aren't as they seem. A few things I guessed correctly so far.
This is a reverse harem series, but so far, not much is known about most of the male counterparts other than Jett and Dex. I did think Jett's turnaround felt a little sudden. The other heirs include Mischa, Nixon and Slade, but I feel like we haven't truly met them yet. And is there another ...?
And of course there's a cliffhanger, however, I'm pretty sure that final statement meant different to how it seemed considering the lead up to it, but I'll have to wait for the next book to find out.
319 reviews3 followers
May 1, 2021
Well what can I say but wow the story picks up right from were the first one finished and Celene is still trying to find out what happen to her family and infiltrate the Black Hand. But things are starting to get complicated for Celene as she starting to have feeling for more than one off the guys and also Atticus very interesting her emotions are making second guess what she has been waiting to get for the last five years vengeance.

The story is full off twists and turns and when I thought I had guessed who new who she was I got wrong. There are still secrets being kept and will Celene every find out what happen to her family and what will happen once everyone knows how she is this is a must read series and I so need the last book so I can find out what happens next for Celene
Profile Image for Katharine Lancaster.
580 reviews3 followers
September 10, 2021
Without Vengeance, I Was Nothing

I felt a hell of a lot older than I was. Living this life, it kind of lent itself to feeling like you’ve seen the world and all it had to offer at a young age.

And, hint: it was nothing but death and misery. This world was not a nice place. It hurt, it cut you up into a thousand pieces and laughed as it watched while you tried to put yourself back together. It was anything but kind, and regardless of what anyone said, I could not give it up. Without vengeance, I had nothing, and I refused to be nothing.
Profile Image for Christina Adkins.
274 reviews
May 4, 2021
this one was a little drab but I finished it and I liked that the father found out who she was but I can't wait to find out what he's going to do with the information or if she is going to have to take care of him I almost think she has a thing for him more then she does the twins will find out in the next book some one is playing a dangerous game by taking the other guy right after they were together that almost makes her look guilty.
Profile Image for Danyelle Williams.
966 reviews8 followers
May 13, 2021
Closer to the truth

I enjoyed diving back into the world of the black hand and all the craziness that comes along with it.

Things for Celene gets even more complicated with the brothers and others around them. I like how we learn more and more with Celene. Some very unexpected things happened and not all bad either. That ending though....I mean we all knew it was coming eventually but I love the way the author wrote it.
Profile Image for Tammy Hamilton Green.
737 reviews16 followers
July 24, 2021
Vengeance Undone

Dang! You left me hanging! I was reading so fast, loving all the danger, threats, switchblades, that I forgot to look up and realize you were about to leave me hanging on your very words! I think I may have an idea what happens next, but sometimes I prefer to be wrong. "Thick Skinned" had a lot of surprising twists. Will those brothers ever work together or will one off the other vying for our girls body, mind and soul?
91 reviews1 follower
October 19, 2025
Puppet master

Oh Shay. She is still on her quest for vengeance. But while she looks for answers, she gets closer to the other heirs. Several of them want her attention to be theirs. The dynamics between all the characters are always developing. Getting to know the twins better is entertaining. I can’t wait to learn more about Nix… I feel like he knows more than most… but I don’t know what it is. Now to see what she did.
Profile Image for Triin.
60 reviews1 follower
May 3, 2021
Oh so good.

The stakes get higher, tempers run hotter. The tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Which Shay is very handy with.
I absolutely loved this book. The little hints here and there about her past and what's really going on. I like the tension and drama. This book has a little bit of everything and I'm so here for it.
Profile Image for Kristy Heathcott.
42 reviews1 follower
May 27, 2021
Best series I’ve read in awhile!

I am in love with this series! The FMC is awesome, could not have been written any better. The male leads are all different and fall into the plot at totally different times. Cannot wait for the next two books!!!

Spoiler.....








Please let Atticus be part of the harem. Please, please,please.
Profile Image for Kayla.
727 reviews7 followers
September 3, 2021
Great book!

Thick Skinned is book two in The Black Hand Series by CM Wondrak. And holy potatoes that cliffhanger! Definitely going to read book three right now. We knew that someone knew she was Shay. But I definitely didn't think it was him! And now oh gosh. I'm so nervous to see what happens next!
Profile Image for DDM.
125 reviews1 follower
September 14, 2021
OMG! She's killing me!

I am totally binging this series. I started this afternoon and I see zero sleep for me tonight! I mean the twists! The turns! The shocks! The total hotness! I mean steaming, molten lava hot! It's got everything! And it's got me hanging off a cliff right now so I have to start book three RIGHT NOW!!!
Profile Image for Lauren .
146 reviews
January 23, 2023
what is happening?!

This book brought more questions than it did answers. The ending was… ugh I hated cliffhangers. I love watching Shay struggle with her thoughts and what she believes she needs to do. I really enjoyed seeing her relationship grow with the families of the Black Hand. I need to get the third book now!
Profile Image for Kelly Bugler.
1,865 reviews7 followers
April 30, 2021
Brilliant book. Could not put this down.
Celene is still out in the open hiding her secrets, her goal vengeance. But her choices are starting to nag at her and Jet and Dex seem to be sinking their claws into her a little deeper each time.
This was a brilliant read and i cannot wait for the next
Profile Image for Rachael.
130 reviews
May 9, 2021
The Plot Thickens

More twists and turns to this already contorted plot. I did sometimes wish for as much pace or thrill as the first installment but I'm still keen for the third part!
36 reviews
June 1, 2021
I’m in love with bad boy Jett and that scene was the best. A part of me also wants a HEA for daddy Atticus. I’ll be impatiently waiting for the next book in the series to find out what happened. Major cliffhanger.
Profile Image for Michaella Dieter.
Author 13 books236 followers
August 11, 2021
Book 2

The story continues where book 1 left off, and this one is all about character development and the harem starting to form.

Things start to pick up towards the end, and it has just enough of a cliffhanger to leave you looking forward to book 3.
Profile Image for Siri.
1,219 reviews69 followers
October 6, 2021
3,5 stars actually
Okay i am hooked on this story, i feel like these books are way too short. I like that the heroin Celene aka Shay did not hold unnecessary stuff hidden and that she is straight forward
268 reviews1 follower
April 25, 2022
Wow

Holy smoke Batman!!! This story keeps getting better and better! The relationship Celine has with the men in the story is unique and she questions her actions. Slade is missing and a Summit of the Black Hand is called
1,587 reviews18 followers
April 7, 2023
Celena truth or vengeance

This is getting better and better, I wonder who killer her family and why. What did she do in the cliffhanger. I have to know. I enjoyed Slade, jett, and Dex. Is there father attracted to her too.
Profile Image for Carmen.
917 reviews2 followers
November 18, 2023
Wow

Omg so many twists and turns so mAny people with so mAny secrets and though she thought she disguised herself well the king ping New all along who she was what will happen now can't wait to read the next book
Profile Image for dais.
851 reviews95 followers
August 30, 2024
Am I losing sleep over one of Candace’s series again?
Yes.
Yes I fucking am.
These cliffhangers fuck with my brain to the point where I won’t sleep so if you don’t mind, I’m going straight into book 3.
256 reviews33 followers
May 2, 2021
Good shit. Even though it's slightly unbelievable I still love it. Go Shay!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews

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