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Barretti Security #1
Loving Vin
She was the daughter of a serial killer and she was living in his house…
After years of searching war torn Afghanistan for his MIA brother, Vincenzo Barretti has finally come home and now he’s ready to settle back into life as co-founder of Barretti Security Group. But his home is no longer cold and empty the way he likes it.
Mia Hamilton needs a quiet place to hide from the press to try to rebuild her life. Being the daughter of a notorious serial killer is bad enough, but being the one who killed him has made her a target for every news agency in the world. She wants nothing more than to be left alone, but the reporters are relentless and will stop at nothing to get their story. With no place to go, she accepts an offer from Dominic Barretti to stay at his older brother’s home until she can figure out what to do next. But she didn’t expect the homeowner to return so soon or to feel something she’s never felt when he’s around.
Vin doesn’t need or want a woman in his life and certainly not one that comes with so much baggage. So what if Mia evokes feelings in him he thought were long dead? She’s a liability and he wants her gone. But forcing the quiet, strong-willed young woman from his life turns out to be a lot harder than he thought…
This book is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. No cliffhangers.
Barretti Security Series
Book 1 - Loving Vin (M/F)
Book 2 - Redeeming Rafe (M/M)
The Barretti Security series is a spin-off of The Escort Series and many of the characters from that series appear in this one so if you want to read the books in order, start with this series:
The Escort Series
Book 1 - Gabriel's Rule (M/F) Gabe & Riley
Book 2 - Shane's Fall (M/F) Shane & Savannah
Book 3 - Logan's Need (M/M) Logan & Dom
After years of searching war torn Afghanistan for his MIA brother, Vincenzo Barretti has finally come home and now he’s ready to settle back into life as co-founder of Barretti Security Group. But his home is no longer cold and empty the way he likes it.
Mia Hamilton needs a quiet place to hide from the press to try to rebuild her life. Being the daughter of a notorious serial killer is bad enough, but being the one who killed him has made her a target for every news agency in the world. She wants nothing more than to be left alone, but the reporters are relentless and will stop at nothing to get their story. With no place to go, she accepts an offer from Dominic Barretti to stay at his older brother’s home until she can figure out what to do next. But she didn’t expect the homeowner to return so soon or to feel something she’s never felt when he’s around.
Vin doesn’t need or want a woman in his life and certainly not one that comes with so much baggage. So what if Mia evokes feelings in him he thought were long dead? She’s a liability and he wants her gone. But forcing the quiet, strong-willed young woman from his life turns out to be a lot harder than he thought…
This book is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. No cliffhangers.
Barretti Security Series
Book 1 - Loving Vin (M/F)
Book 2 - Redeeming Rafe (M/M)
The Barretti Security series is a spin-off of The Escort Series and many of the characters from that series appear in this one so if you want to read the books in order, start with this series:
The Escort Series
Book 1 - Gabriel's Rule (M/F) Gabe & Riley
Book 2 - Shane's Fall (M/F) Shane & Savannah
Book 3 - Logan's Need (M/M) Logan & Dom
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 7, 2015
326 people are currently reading
906 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
April 29, 2021
⭐ 2.5 “Let me sum up this one in emojis: 👁👉👌💦💦👁” stars ⭐
Now, about the actual relationship development for the main couple...
And angst. LOTS of angst(ty backstories). But this is a Sloane Kennedy book, so if that weren’t the case I’d be feeling catfished.
Beyond the smut and the surface level angst(ty backstories), however? Not a lot else, in my humble opinion. But hey, this one is also free and barely 200 pages, so I'll try to cut it some slack.
Now, as for the MCs in this outing, on one side you have the H, Vin Barretti(older brother of Dom, one of the MCs in Logan's Need, aka the only m/m entry in the Escorts series, and head of security for the company both him and his brother manage). He was a bit of a frustrating male lead at times, if only because I swear his tortured soul was the most tortured soul to ever be tortured.
To give you all an idea of just what kind of protagonist Vin was, let’s say this dude had issues. The soul-crushing, self-esteem-wrecking, commitment-phobia-provoking kind. He was so damaged, you see, because he apparently had a gold digger ex once (which he blames himself for), and then a kidnapped brother in the middle east (which he also blames himself for), and then a family tragedy that lay heavy on his conscience (you already know the gist), and then had to worry for the accomplice of a serial killer still on the loose (blame himself yadda yadda)… AND THEN had to stress over falling in love with the daughter of said serial killer (and I wonder if he also blames himself for this… Gee, whaddya think?).
At one point, I was honestly marveling at his very specific superpower of uncovering a new traumatizing event every 5 pages or so (or what felt like it). And if that was his superpower, healthy communication was his kryptonite.
But don’t worry everyone, because the daughter of the serial killer I mentioned happened to be the other equally damaged MC, aka the h named Mia. And weren’t these two just made for each other. Because Mia had issues. The soul-crushing, self-esteem-wrecking, commitment-phobia-provoking kind. She was so damaged, you see...
Well, I think you get the point, actually. Between the myriad of angst(ty backstories) and the lack of page time for actual romance, the relationship between these two ended up being something I didn’t exactly connect with or much cared for. Indeed, to ease my task and also help consume this while I finished assignments, I even ended up resorting to a text-to-speech app at some point near the halfway mark.
Regarding that, though…
If not much else, at least I got to experience a lot of sex scenes narrated by the one and only Siri. And don’t let ANYONE tell you that didn’t improve the experience.
******
Final thoughts?
All in all, save the robot voice from the text-to-speech app repeating the dirty talk being the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long while, this one was kind of forgettable. Not exactly bad, and entertaining enough at times in Sloane Kennedy’s particular brand of extra, but not necessarily an entry in the series I’ll find myself revisiting in the future either.
In fact, after this, I will probably be taking a bit of a break with the 33 books long SKLU (Sloane Kennedy Literary Universe, in case anyone wondered lol), because I don’t want to get burnout when I still have *checks notes* 27 books left to finish.
Oh, Lordy.
Hoping the following titles catch my attention a little bit more though.
******
Barretti Security Series by Sloane Kennedy
(With connections to Escorts and Finding, which are other series in the same universe)
Loving Vin — 2.5 ⭐
Redeeming Rafe — TBR.
Saving Ren — TBR.
Freeing Zane — TBR.
Now, about the actual relationship development for the main couple...
And angst. LOTS of angst(ty backstories). But this is a Sloane Kennedy book, so if that weren’t the case I’d be feeling catfished.
Beyond the smut and the surface level angst(ty backstories), however? Not a lot else, in my humble opinion. But hey, this one is also free and barely 200 pages, so I'll try to cut it some slack.
Now, as for the MCs in this outing, on one side you have the H, Vin Barretti(older brother of Dom, one of the MCs in Logan's Need, aka the only m/m entry in the Escorts series, and head of security for the company both him and his brother manage). He was a bit of a frustrating male lead at times, if only because I swear his tortured soul was the most tortured soul to ever be tortured.
To give you all an idea of just what kind of protagonist Vin was, let’s say this dude had issues. The soul-crushing, self-esteem-wrecking, commitment-phobia-provoking kind. He was so damaged, you see, because he apparently had a gold digger ex once (which he blames himself for), and then a kidnapped brother in the middle east (which he also blames himself for), and then a family tragedy that lay heavy on his conscience (you already know the gist), and then had to worry for the accomplice of a serial killer still on the loose (blame himself yadda yadda)… AND THEN had to stress over falling in love with the daughter of said serial killer (and I wonder if he also blames himself for this… Gee, whaddya think?).
At one point, I was honestly marveling at his very specific superpower of uncovering a new traumatizing event every 5 pages or so (or what felt like it). And if that was his superpower, healthy communication was his kryptonite.
But don’t worry everyone, because the daughter of the serial killer I mentioned happened to be the other equally damaged MC, aka the h named Mia. And weren’t these two just made for each other. Because Mia had issues. The soul-crushing, self-esteem-wrecking, commitment-phobia-provoking kind. She was so damaged, you see...
Well, I think you get the point, actually. Between the myriad of angst(ty backstories) and the lack of page time for actual romance, the relationship between these two ended up being something I didn’t exactly connect with or much cared for. Indeed, to ease my task and also help consume this while I finished assignments, I even ended up resorting to a text-to-speech app at some point near the halfway mark.
Regarding that, though…
If not much else, at least I got to experience a lot of sex scenes narrated by the one and only Siri. And don’t let ANYONE tell you that didn’t improve the experience.
******
Final thoughts?
All in all, save the robot voice from the text-to-speech app repeating the dirty talk being the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long while, this one was kind of forgettable. Not exactly bad, and entertaining enough at times in Sloane Kennedy’s particular brand of extra, but not necessarily an entry in the series I’ll find myself revisiting in the future either.
In fact, after this, I will probably be taking a bit of a break with the 33 books long SKLU (Sloane Kennedy Literary Universe, in case anyone wondered lol), because I don’t want to get burnout when I still have *checks notes* 27 books left to finish.
Oh, Lordy.
Hoping the following titles catch my attention a little bit more though.
******
Barretti Security Series by Sloane Kennedy
(With connections to Escorts and Finding, which are other series in the same universe)
Loving Vin — 2.5 ⭐
Redeeming Rafe — TBR.
Saving Ren — TBR.
Freeing Zane — TBR.
May 13, 2016
Sloane Kennedy is a new author for me but I'm really glad I gave her book a try. I think I'm sometimes too critical of a book when it's from a new author, though, and that's what happened with this one, making it a 3 star read instead of 4. But I did enjoy the story and getting to meet these characters.
Vin and Mia had this intense chemistry that was evident from their first meeting and it kept me intrigued throughout the whole book. Their connection was really hot and you could practically feel the heat from them smoking off the pages. I liked that they had a kind of connection that brought them together even through a mess of drama and hardships.
The pace of the story was pretty fast and the characters get together rather quickly, but it worked with the tone of the book. Despite the dark-ish subject material concerning what Mia went through, her relationship with Vin was light and fun, and I really liked seeing that. It caused the book to be a fun read, rather than an over emotional one.
Bottom line, Loving Vin was a great read and I'm glad I finally picked this book up and gave it a chance. The secondary characters are definitely making me want to read the other books, and I'm already dying for Ren's book.
Vin and Mia had this intense chemistry that was evident from their first meeting and it kept me intrigued throughout the whole book. Their connection was really hot and you could practically feel the heat from them smoking off the pages. I liked that they had a kind of connection that brought them together even through a mess of drama and hardships.
The pace of the story was pretty fast and the characters get together rather quickly, but it worked with the tone of the book. Despite the dark-ish subject material concerning what Mia went through, her relationship with Vin was light and fun, and I really liked seeing that. It caused the book to be a fun read, rather than an over emotional one.
Bottom line, Loving Vin was a great read and I'm glad I finally picked this book up and gave it a chance. The secondary characters are definitely making me want to read the other books, and I'm already dying for Ren's book.
November 30, 2018
❤❤❤❤½
This story was full of feel. I love these tropes where damaged souls who find redemption through love.
Mia was terrorized by her own father whereas Vin had been emotionally damaged by his parents. First they learned to trust, then they worked on forgiving themselves and that led to love.
This book was written so well that I felt their anguish as well as their struggle for independence. Sloane Kennedy is quickly becoming a go-author. This book was another winner.
This story was full of feel. I love these tropes where damaged souls who find redemption through love.
Mia was terrorized by her own father whereas Vin had been emotionally damaged by his parents. First they learned to trust, then they worked on forgiving themselves and that led to love.
This book was written so well that I felt their anguish as well as their struggle for independence. Sloane Kennedy is quickly becoming a go-author. This book was another winner.
May 23, 2018
After reading Logan's Need and being introduced to Dom Barretti and falling for him, I was curious about his three brothers Vin, Ren and Rafe, so my Sloane Kennedy binge continues this was my fifth book in a row.
Loving Vin is the first book in the Barretti Security series this was an m/f Vin and Mia, I did not want to skip this one in case I missed anything about Ren and Rafe who in this book are still missing.
Mia survived Hell and she killed her psycho father Sam the serial killer. Dom puts her in Vin's house while he is away lookig for Ren to keep her away from the press.
Vin comes home to find Mia and a menagerie of animals in his house he is not impressed with Dom but he agrees she can stay until she gets back on her feet.
The relationship between these two takes time, Mia begins to come out of her shell slowly, Vin tries to keep his distance because of the age gap and Mia's innocence, there is attraction there they have both tried to ignore, when Vin tries to scare Mia away but Mia calls his bluff and the sexy times begin now all they need to work on is their trust.
There was some suspense in this nothing to big but I am desperate to read the next two books.
Loving Vin is the first book in the Barretti Security series this was an m/f Vin and Mia, I did not want to skip this one in case I missed anything about Ren and Rafe who in this book are still missing.
Mia survived Hell and she killed her psycho father Sam the serial killer. Dom puts her in Vin's house while he is away lookig for Ren to keep her away from the press.
Vin comes home to find Mia and a menagerie of animals in his house he is not impressed with Dom but he agrees she can stay until she gets back on her feet.
The relationship between these two takes time, Mia begins to come out of her shell slowly, Vin tries to keep his distance because of the age gap and Mia's innocence, there is attraction there they have both tried to ignore, when Vin tries to scare Mia away but Mia calls his bluff and the sexy times begin now all they need to work on is their trust.
There was some suspense in this nothing to big but I am desperate to read the next two books.
January 7, 2018
Back to another of Sloane Kennedy's stories. I'm attracted to these like a moth to flame and my OCD is making me read them in order even though I rarely read MF anymore.
This one was remarkably good. Vin, the oldest Barretti Brother, rescued Mia in a previous story and now it's their turn to find romance. Between the emotional damage inflicted by her father and her kidnapping and his emotional baggage from a past relationship that failed spectacularly, neither of these two know how to proceed normally. But even with outside forces interrupting their poor attempt at developing a relationship, they manage to find their way to their HEA.
As an aside, brother Ren is finally located. Can't wait to read his story too. Gonna be MMM. Yep, can't wait.
This one was remarkably good. Vin, the oldest Barretti Brother, rescued Mia in a previous story and now it's their turn to find romance. Between the emotional damage inflicted by her father and her kidnapping and his emotional baggage from a past relationship that failed spectacularly, neither of these two know how to proceed normally. But even with outside forces interrupting their poor attempt at developing a relationship, they manage to find their way to their HEA.
As an aside, brother Ren is finally located. Can't wait to read his story too. Gonna be MMM. Yep, can't wait.
September 12, 2019
4.5 Stars
So this book picks up right where the last one left off even though it's really the start of a new series. One that finds Vin coming home to find his house taken over by a menagerie and one damaged girl. A girl he's never managed to get out of his head after helping save her weeks before from the house where her father had her hidden away and restrained. Really only helping to save, because ultimately she saved herself, murdering her father in order to help those her father had kidnapped. She snapped the chains that bound her to giver them all a chance.
Mia has such an inner strength. One that's allowed her to bend not break under the terror inflicted upon her by her father's abuse. Now she's hiding from the press and the world that clammers to know her story at the one safe space in the storm. Her one release is taking care of the abandoned animals, Riley's provided to her from the shelter. But now Vin's home and stirs up all kinds of feelings she doesn't know how to process.
Vin's never been able to forget the damaged girl he helped liberate before running off on the last clue to his brothers whereabouts. But seeing her his home isn't helping him keep his hands off her. She deserves so much better in his mind that the older man that he is.
This series always reads so fast, but the darkness in each book is helps balance out the simple love stories quite well. I'm always sucked in and enjoy myself with the read. This was no exception. I was happy for Vin and Mia to help each other heal. They're each others port in the storm and well her menagerie and the dogs made me smile. I look forward to the next book in the series.
So this book picks up right where the last one left off even though it's really the start of a new series. One that finds Vin coming home to find his house taken over by a menagerie and one damaged girl. A girl he's never managed to get out of his head after helping save her weeks before from the house where her father had her hidden away and restrained. Really only helping to save, because ultimately she saved herself, murdering her father in order to help those her father had kidnapped. She snapped the chains that bound her to giver them all a chance.
Mia has such an inner strength. One that's allowed her to bend not break under the terror inflicted upon her by her father's abuse. Now she's hiding from the press and the world that clammers to know her story at the one safe space in the storm. Her one release is taking care of the abandoned animals, Riley's provided to her from the shelter. But now Vin's home and stirs up all kinds of feelings she doesn't know how to process.
Vin's never been able to forget the damaged girl he helped liberate before running off on the last clue to his brothers whereabouts. But seeing her his home isn't helping him keep his hands off her. She deserves so much better in his mind that the older man that he is.
This series always reads so fast, but the darkness in each book is helps balance out the simple love stories quite well. I'm always sucked in and enjoy myself with the read. This was no exception. I was happy for Vin and Mia to help each other heal. They're each others port in the storm and well her menagerie and the dogs made me smile. I look forward to the next book in the series.
July 10, 2022
Carino, ma non mi ha convinta tanto.
Ho preferito di più i libri su Gabe e Shane.
Ho preferito di più i libri su Gabe e Shane.
December 24, 2024
This was book 1 in the
"Barretti Security"
series. Vincenzo "Vin" Barretti has been responsible for taking care of his brothers since he was 18 years old when his father killed his mother and then himself. After years of searching war torn Afghanistan for his MIA brother, Vin has finally come home and now he's ready to settle back into life as co-founder of Barretti Security Group. When the man who shot Logan kidnapped Reily and Eli they rescue them they him being beat to death by a girl who turns to be his daughter. Mia Hamilton has been held captive by her father for two years she had no idea that he was raping and killing women. When she needs a quiet place to heal Dom takes her to Vin's house. Vin has had some issues with women first his mother cheated on his father and he saw her than a woman who he believed he was in love with betrayed him I wanted to slap him at times Mia just wanted to figure out her life she has no money and no place to go. She has been helping foster animals she has a bird a pot belly pig and three kittens along with Vin's two dogs. Mia also gets a job in Vin's office. These two begin having sex Mia who is a virgin begins to find herself she also begins to fall in love with him. This was a good read Vin finds Ren brings him home he is not the brother that left he is hurting and Mia understands this even when he almost hurt her he is looking out for his brother he thought she was a gold digger using Vin. When Mia is lead out the house by the man who was helping her father Ren saves her. This was a good read this book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling.
February 16, 2016
Well Mia's a shock. A strange mixture of innocence and worldly wise - there were times she didn't "gel" but her overall persona and attitude was refreshing in an era of TSTL or overly dramatic melodrama. Normally I'd be complaining loudly about mixing males and females in my romance series since I read mostly MM but here it works and I think it does demonstrate that love *does* come in all colors, sizes, and genders. While not the strongest in the bunch this one picks up where Logan's Need leaves off - so do yourself a favor and read that series first. You can read this one alone but all the characters carry on here - and you'll be missing out.
September 28, 2015
3.75 RATING- I actually really ended up liking this one! It reminded me a bit of a Marysol James books with similar lengths, quality of writing, and story line (damaged heroine, security specialist hero). I thought the suspense portion of the story was a bit anti-climatic. The author should have definitely spent more time letting the reader get to know the bad guy. Everything was just over so quickly, that part felt really rushed. Besides that and a bit of cheese at the end, I'm very happy to have picked up this quick read. There were blurbs for several of her other books at the end of the story and some looked pretty good!
December 21, 2022
Sloane Kennedy is known for her MM books, but in the early years she wrote MF too and I’ve enjoyed these stories just as much. While this is book 1 - the Barretti Security series is a spin-off of The Escort series and this book continues characters and events from Logan’s Need. Kennedy has written it in a way that you could start here, but it’s probably best enjoyed if you have that foundation. As such, this review may contain spoilers to previous books.
Mia is the daughter of a serial killer who imprisoned her. She was saved during the rescue of friends to the Barretti family. It was such a high profile case that Dom hides her out at Vin’s house to escape the hounding press. Vin’s been out of the country on various missions and returns to find Mia living in his home. Along with a menagerie of animals.
I enjoyed how Kennedy brought these two broken souls together. Vin, as the oldest, carrying the weight of his family’s struggles and losses plus a past where he was burned by love. Mia is young, innocent, and determined to finally forge a life but without knowing how. Vin initially fights his attraction because she’s 18 years younger and been through so much.
I like Vin trying to figure out Mia’s quirkiness and his interaction with the animals. While things heat up between them, I also liked that they start to get to know one another better - even if some of it comes from arguing. Mia seems timid, but she does stand up to and for Vin. It’s an interesting dynamic.
There’s a few suspense moments sprinkled in and eventually Vin and Mia get their HEA. There are some things left unresolved to tease the next two books, Redeeming Rafe and Saving Ren.
Mia is the daughter of a serial killer who imprisoned her. She was saved during the rescue of friends to the Barretti family. It was such a high profile case that Dom hides her out at Vin’s house to escape the hounding press. Vin’s been out of the country on various missions and returns to find Mia living in his home. Along with a menagerie of animals.
I enjoyed how Kennedy brought these two broken souls together. Vin, as the oldest, carrying the weight of his family’s struggles and losses plus a past where he was burned by love. Mia is young, innocent, and determined to finally forge a life but without knowing how. Vin initially fights his attraction because she’s 18 years younger and been through so much.
I like Vin trying to figure out Mia’s quirkiness and his interaction with the animals. While things heat up between them, I also liked that they start to get to know one another better - even if some of it comes from arguing. Mia seems timid, but she does stand up to and for Vin. It’s an interesting dynamic.
There’s a few suspense moments sprinkled in and eventually Vin and Mia get their HEA. There are some things left unresolved to tease the next two books, Redeeming Rafe and Saving Ren.
December 24, 2024
Short story, wishing it was a bit longer and the Epilogue could’ve been about the couple but it’s a teaser for the next book? 😑
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2017
So I've been in a crazy-long book slump lately. I've tried switching up genres, trying new-to-me writers, re-reading old favorites, you name it. Finally, beyond frustrated, I opened up Loving Vin, a recent Kindle freebie, and book one in Sloane Kennedy's latest series, Barretti Securities. I already had book two, Redeeming Rafe,unread, in my Kindle Unlimited library so I figured, what the hell. And I discovered that I really liked Sloane Kennedy's writing. So much so, that in 24 hours I have flown through three of her books.
That, though, might be why I had not tried her stuff before. See, I don't typically like the shorter books/longer novellas. At around 200 pages, Loving Vin was okay, but knowing Redeeming Rafe was only around 150, (as were so many of her other books I browsed) I wasn't sure I wanted to bother starting a series that consisted of such short reads. But I think shorter reads was just what my book slump needed and I lucked out big time when I discovered how much goodness Sloane Kennedy can pack in such a small package.
Because let me tell you, I do not remember the last time I encountered two characters who had such explosive chemistry. I got tingles in oh, so many nice places every time Vin's POV rolled around. I love a good age-difference story and I'm a sucker for a super-protective Alpha protecting a traumatized h (especially if the h can come off as being fragile but strong at the same time, no doormats, please). I also love those heroes who melt for babies, or, in this case, abused animals. The description of the first time Vin saw a pig playing in his backyard made me giggle. And the cockatoo who kept calling him "Asshole?" Priceless.
There is a tiny bit of intrigue, about as much as you can get in such a short book, but what made it work was the fact that the writer was not trying to get a full John Grisham novel's worth of action into her book. The story is about the characters, not so much the conflict going on in the background.
All in all, giving me a free book had the seller's desired outcome. After I finished Loving Vin I went on to read Redeeming Rafe, and I just finished Finding Trust. Next up for me is Letting Go. And happily for me, it looks like most, if not all, of Kennedy's books are available on Kindle Unlimited.
That, though, might be why I had not tried her stuff before. See, I don't typically like the shorter books/longer novellas. At around 200 pages, Loving Vin was okay, but knowing Redeeming Rafe was only around 150, (as were so many of her other books I browsed) I wasn't sure I wanted to bother starting a series that consisted of such short reads. But I think shorter reads was just what my book slump needed and I lucked out big time when I discovered how much goodness Sloane Kennedy can pack in such a small package.
Because let me tell you, I do not remember the last time I encountered two characters who had such explosive chemistry. I got tingles in oh, so many nice places every time Vin's POV rolled around. I love a good age-difference story and I'm a sucker for a super-protective Alpha protecting a traumatized h (especially if the h can come off as being fragile but strong at the same time, no doormats, please). I also love those heroes who melt for babies, or, in this case, abused animals. The description of the first time Vin saw a pig playing in his backyard made me giggle. And the cockatoo who kept calling him "Asshole?" Priceless.
There is a tiny bit of intrigue, about as much as you can get in such a short book, but what made it work was the fact that the writer was not trying to get a full John Grisham novel's worth of action into her book. The story is about the characters, not so much the conflict going on in the background.
All in all, giving me a free book had the seller's desired outcome. After I finished Loving Vin I went on to read Redeeming Rafe, and I just finished Finding Trust. Next up for me is Letting Go. And happily for me, it looks like most, if not all, of Kennedy's books are available on Kindle Unlimited.
September 7, 2020
3.25 stars
Reread 2020
Reread 2020
October 8, 2021
3.5 ⭐️ (potential 4 ⭐️ for other peeps who do like the main couple right away)
This book was goood! I just didn’t feel the couple until the last half of the book! That made me struggle through quite a bit of it! (I especially had a hard time bonding with Mia - I found her annoying the first bit of the book lol but I changed my mind later on 😌) BUT it had some amazing developments and I just love how Sloane Kennedy introduces new characters and still keeps the characters you already fell in love with around!
This book was goood! I just didn’t feel the couple until the last half of the book! That made me struggle through quite a bit of it! (I especially had a hard time bonding with Mia - I found her annoying the first bit of the book lol but I changed my mind later on 😌) BUT it had some amazing developments and I just love how Sloane Kennedy introduces new characters and still keeps the characters you already fell in love with around!
July 10, 2022
3+ ⭐
Nel libro ritroviamo personaggi delle serie precedenti di Sloane Kennedy che io non ho letto, quindi all'inizio ho fatto un po' di fatica a capire le vicende, ma colpa mia.
Data la sua brevità succede tutto abbastanza velocemente e il passato e presente dei protagonisti nasconde dei lati molto oscuri e di sofferenza. Belle e coinvolgenti le scene erotiche. Alcuni comportamenti dei protagonisti non mi hanno molto convinta.
Nel libro ritroviamo personaggi delle serie precedenti di Sloane Kennedy che io non ho letto, quindi all'inizio ho fatto un po' di fatica a capire le vicende, ma colpa mia.
Data la sua brevità succede tutto abbastanza velocemente e il passato e presente dei protagonisti nasconde dei lati molto oscuri e di sofferenza. Belle e coinvolgenti le scene erotiche. Alcuni comportamenti dei protagonisti non mi hanno molto convinta.
October 30, 2023
Vin
Why do I always cry with Sloane books ? They are so good and so catching .. to the next I go
Why do I always cry with Sloane books ? They are so good and so catching .. to the next I go
November 21, 2018
Not my favorite of the series so far, but still good...when Vin isn't being an asshole.
September 15, 2019
L'histoire va bcp trop vite. Décidément les histoires de moins de 200 pages ne sont plus ma tasse de thé.
October 30, 2021
"Saving Ren", eines meiner Lieblingsbücher schließt eigentlich an diese Story an. Hin und wieder muss ich die "Vorgeschichte" von Ren auch noch mal lesen ...
Der Feind im eigenen Haus?
Vin sucht seit fast einem Jahr erfolglos nach seinem verschwundenen Bruder. Als er wieder einmal völlig erschöpft von einer seiner Missionen nach Hause kommt, glaubt er seinen Augen nicht zu trauen. In seinem Haus lebt nicht nur eine halber Zoo, sondern auch die junge Frau, die er in einer dramatischen Nacht ganz kurz in den Armen gehalten hat. Mia berührt ihn auf vielen Ebenen, aber Vin kann sich nicht vorstellen, dass er zu ihr passt.
Mia ist fertig mit der Welt und innerlich beinahe zerbrochen. In den leeren Haus am Meer, in dem sie Dom Barretti untergebracht hat, kann sie vielleicht, nur vielleicht wiederfinden, was in ihrem Inneren brutal zerstört wurde. Als Vin nach Hause kommt, zerbricht die stille Blase, in der sie eine Weile leben durfte. Mia will nie wieder von einem Mann abhängig sein, doch kann sie es wirklich alleine schaffen?
Wenn man die Serie „The Escorts“ von Sloane gelesen hat, ist man natürlich neugierig, was es mit Dom Barrettis Brüdern auf sich hat. „Loving Vin“ setzt genau da ein, wo „Logan’s Need“ aufhört. Natürlich hat die Autorin Recht, wenn sie behauptet, die Bücher könnten als Stand Alone gelesen werden, allerdings tauchen die Charaktere aus den vorangegangenen Bänden immer wieder auf. Wer also kleine Spoiler hasst, sollte die Serien in der richtigen Reihenfolge lesen. Kleine Warnung: Auch wenn sich mehr und mehr ein Schema zeigt, die Storys bergen absolutes Suchtpotential.
Sloane Kennedy schafft es nämlich sehr geschickt, ihren Helden und Heldinnen genug Eigenarten, Ecken und Kanten zu verpassen, um sie als eigenständige Charaktere dastehen zu lassen. Klar sind die Kerle alle groß und gutaussehend, die Mädels hübsch und langhaarig, aber Mia ist nicht nur äußerlich sondern auch vom Charakter her ein ganz anderer Typ als z.B. Riley und Savannah. Klasse finde ich auch hier wieder, dass Mia sich zwar von den Barretti-Brüdern helfen lässt, als sie ganz unten ist, aber sie ist fest entschlossen, ihre innere Stärke wiederzuerlangen und steht schließlich zu sich selbst.
Vin ist nicht eben ein umgänglicher Typ. Er steht sich manchmal selber ein wenig im Weg, weil er zuerst oft nur da Negative an einer Situation sieht. Seinem grumbeligen Image entsprechend, braucht er etwas länger, um auch sanfte Seiten zu zeigen. Richtig grinsen muss man allerdings immer dann, wenn er mit Mias Menagerie konfrontiert wird. Ein Mann der kleine Kätzchen sooo sanft behandelt, den muss man einfach gern haben, oder? Und was er heimlich mit Georgie macht … verrate ich natürlich nicht. (Mia schon, die erwischt ihn nämlich dabei, und erzählt es dem Leser ungeniert weiter.)
Die Charaktere in dem Buch müssen eine Menge verarbeiten, was auch für die Leser harter Stoff ist. Entschädigt wird man dafür mit einigen sehr humorvollen Szenen und einem richtig tollen HE. Im Kern ist und bleibt die Story allerdings eine erotische Romanze mit expliziten Szenen.
Mit hat’s richtig gut gefallen und ich fand den Einstieg in die Serie absolut klasse. Natürlich will ich jetzt unbedingt wissen, wie es mit Rafe und vor allen Dingen mit Ren weitergeht. Zuerst einmal gibt es verdiente 5 Punkte und eine Leseempfehlung.
Der Feind im eigenen Haus?
Vin sucht seit fast einem Jahr erfolglos nach seinem verschwundenen Bruder. Als er wieder einmal völlig erschöpft von einer seiner Missionen nach Hause kommt, glaubt er seinen Augen nicht zu trauen. In seinem Haus lebt nicht nur eine halber Zoo, sondern auch die junge Frau, die er in einer dramatischen Nacht ganz kurz in den Armen gehalten hat. Mia berührt ihn auf vielen Ebenen, aber Vin kann sich nicht vorstellen, dass er zu ihr passt.
Mia ist fertig mit der Welt und innerlich beinahe zerbrochen. In den leeren Haus am Meer, in dem sie Dom Barretti untergebracht hat, kann sie vielleicht, nur vielleicht wiederfinden, was in ihrem Inneren brutal zerstört wurde. Als Vin nach Hause kommt, zerbricht die stille Blase, in der sie eine Weile leben durfte. Mia will nie wieder von einem Mann abhängig sein, doch kann sie es wirklich alleine schaffen?
Wenn man die Serie „The Escorts“ von Sloane gelesen hat, ist man natürlich neugierig, was es mit Dom Barrettis Brüdern auf sich hat. „Loving Vin“ setzt genau da ein, wo „Logan’s Need“ aufhört. Natürlich hat die Autorin Recht, wenn sie behauptet, die Bücher könnten als Stand Alone gelesen werden, allerdings tauchen die Charaktere aus den vorangegangenen Bänden immer wieder auf. Wer also kleine Spoiler hasst, sollte die Serien in der richtigen Reihenfolge lesen. Kleine Warnung: Auch wenn sich mehr und mehr ein Schema zeigt, die Storys bergen absolutes Suchtpotential.
Sloane Kennedy schafft es nämlich sehr geschickt, ihren Helden und Heldinnen genug Eigenarten, Ecken und Kanten zu verpassen, um sie als eigenständige Charaktere dastehen zu lassen. Klar sind die Kerle alle groß und gutaussehend, die Mädels hübsch und langhaarig, aber Mia ist nicht nur äußerlich sondern auch vom Charakter her ein ganz anderer Typ als z.B. Riley und Savannah. Klasse finde ich auch hier wieder, dass Mia sich zwar von den Barretti-Brüdern helfen lässt, als sie ganz unten ist, aber sie ist fest entschlossen, ihre innere Stärke wiederzuerlangen und steht schließlich zu sich selbst.
Vin ist nicht eben ein umgänglicher Typ. Er steht sich manchmal selber ein wenig im Weg, weil er zuerst oft nur da Negative an einer Situation sieht. Seinem grumbeligen Image entsprechend, braucht er etwas länger, um auch sanfte Seiten zu zeigen. Richtig grinsen muss man allerdings immer dann, wenn er mit Mias Menagerie konfrontiert wird. Ein Mann der kleine Kätzchen sooo sanft behandelt, den muss man einfach gern haben, oder? Und was er heimlich mit Georgie macht … verrate ich natürlich nicht. (Mia schon, die erwischt ihn nämlich dabei, und erzählt es dem Leser ungeniert weiter.)
Die Charaktere in dem Buch müssen eine Menge verarbeiten, was auch für die Leser harter Stoff ist. Entschädigt wird man dafür mit einigen sehr humorvollen Szenen und einem richtig tollen HE. Im Kern ist und bleibt die Story allerdings eine erotische Romanze mit expliziten Szenen.
Mit hat’s richtig gut gefallen und ich fand den Einstieg in die Serie absolut klasse. Natürlich will ich jetzt unbedingt wissen, wie es mit Rafe und vor allen Dingen mit Ren weitergeht. Zuerst einmal gibt es verdiente 5 Punkte und eine Leseempfehlung.
September 25, 2015
Story continues on from the Escort Series.
If you read the three books in the Escort Series you know these books kinda continue on from those. You meet the Baretti family in those books. Dom Baretti is Logan's love interest. Vin is Dom's older brother and he comes home from overseas where he has been looking for there younger brother. Mia who you also met in the Escort Series is being hid out in Vin's house. She is the daughter of Sam the guy who raped Savannah and shot Logan. The media is ready to pounce on her due to her father being a serial killer and her killing him to save Riley and Eli. She is young and Vin is older but very attracted to her. He agrees to let her stay at his house a while longer but he needs her out because he doesn't want any type of relationship. He has been hurt and used for his money and decides it's just not worth it. They realize that Sam had to have had an accomplish to do all the things he did. They are trying hard to let Mia do some things but to keep her out of the media. The attraction between her and Vin just keeps getting stronger. Vin is even tolerating all her animals that she is taking care while they are waiting to get adopted. Worth the read for sure.
If you read the three books in the Escort Series you know these books kinda continue on from those. You meet the Baretti family in those books. Dom Baretti is Logan's love interest. Vin is Dom's older brother and he comes home from overseas where he has been looking for there younger brother. Mia who you also met in the Escort Series is being hid out in Vin's house. She is the daughter of Sam the guy who raped Savannah and shot Logan. The media is ready to pounce on her due to her father being a serial killer and her killing him to save Riley and Eli. She is young and Vin is older but very attracted to her. He agrees to let her stay at his house a while longer but he needs her out because he doesn't want any type of relationship. He has been hurt and used for his money and decides it's just not worth it. They realize that Sam had to have had an accomplish to do all the things he did. They are trying hard to let Mia do some things but to keep her out of the media. The attraction between her and Vin just keeps getting stronger. Vin is even tolerating all her animals that she is taking care while they are waiting to get adopted. Worth the read for sure.
December 15, 2017
This was much better than the two books of the “Finding” series by Sloane I read just prior to this book.
I enjoyed reading about Vin and Mia and also enjoyed the progression of the their relationship. I’m glad Vin didn’t let pride and uncertainty ruin his relationship with Mia and I’m also glad Mia found the strength to move on past some truly horrible things inflicted to her .
I liked the whole Ren angle and I can’t wait to see how he’ll heal and come back to the family.
In the interim, I know Rafe’s book is next and I’m intrigued that he thinks that his brothers who have been trying to find him abandoned him... It should definitely make for an interesting read if all goes well!
I enjoyed reading about Vin and Mia and also enjoyed the progression of the their relationship. I’m glad Vin didn’t let pride and uncertainty ruin his relationship with Mia and I’m also glad Mia found the strength to move on past some truly horrible things inflicted to her .
I liked the whole Ren angle and I can’t wait to see how he’ll heal and come back to the family.
In the interim, I know Rafe’s book is next and I’m intrigued that he thinks that his brothers who have been trying to find him abandoned him... It should definitely make for an interesting read if all goes well!
November 20, 2019
I really enjoyed this one.. not much drama but cute couple.
I was interested in reading about the other brothers, however, seems like 2 of them are m/m romances and the other is m//m/m. I usually tend to read f/m romances and have maybe read a handful of m/m romances. May read them in the future not sure right now.
I also noticed that this author writes majority m/m romances.
I was interested in reading about the other brothers, however, seems like 2 of them are m/m romances and the other is m//m/m. I usually tend to read f/m romances and have maybe read a handful of m/m romances. May read them in the future not sure right now.
I also noticed that this author writes majority m/m romances.
April 5, 2022
A really good story!!!
October 7, 2021
Yes, she saved the life of your brother's friend's wife. Yes, she saved the life of your brother's newly adopted teenage son... but did they really have to stick her in your house because she had no place else to go... and not tell you... really?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2017
This is Sloane's best MF book so far!
The huge responsibility Vin take on his shoulders is heartbreaking and Mia's background is not much better. Although there is so much an age difference between them, they just fit.
Reading Order
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25. Shattered (m/m) (The Protectors, Book 11) Coming December
26. Unbroken (m/m) (The Protectors, Book 12) Coming Early 2018
December 29, 2020
2.5 stars
So, I won't lie, a lot of disbelief had to be suspended with this one for me (such as the entirety of the plotline and especially the out-of-nowhereness of the final chapter). I definitely did not dislike this book, but parts of it were a bit difficult to swallow. I enjoy Sloane Kennedy's work even at the same time I don't think I'll ever be able to love it, based mostly on the problematic nature of her novels, such as inappropriate arousal (i.e. erections popping up randomly during serious or emotional moments, such as Mia discussing her history of abuse and Vin responding by focusing on his physical attraction to her), an alpha male's inability to control his own lust (i.e. making it the other person's fault for just being too damn sexy all the time), that same alpha male responding to sexual and emotional attraction with anger and irritation towards that person, and an alpha male's inability to respect any personal/physical boundaries the other person sets (i.e. Vin constantly grabbing/following Mia every time she tried to get away from a conversation or get some personal space from a situation).
Vin seemed to be actively annoyed with everything Mia did—he was annoyed when she wanted him, he was annoyed when she didn't want him, he wanted her to leave and got angry when she tried, just like he got angry when she stayed. He got angry when he thought she was using him for his money and angry when she wouldn't let him buy her things. I could not keep up with the constant whiplash of nonsensical emotions that was Vincenzo Barretti. He was a walking contradiction in and of himself.
"That was exactly what he wanted too. So why did her saying it actually irritate him?" (Yes, Vin, why? Please explain it to the audience.)
I get that he was wronged by a woman in his past and that he has trust issues as a result, but does that really mean that he now sees every single woman as a money-grabbing whore who exists solely to take advantage of his kind, loving nature?
And speaking of Elise...
So while yes, I do understand that he was wronged, I still don't think that his backstory in any way was enough to justify or excuse his behavior toward Mia. (She was also mistreated in a much more extreme way by a man and yet for some reason never saw all men the same way Vin looked at all women.) The way he treated her went so far out of line at times, and he had the bad habit of taking things far too personally, in ways they were clearly never intended to be taken.
"Something dark passed across his features. 'Starting to like the high life, are you?' The venom in his tone and the rude remark stung. Did he actually think she was talking about his money? His house?
'I wasn’t-'
'Don’t worry about it,' he cut in. 'Just don’t start to get any ideas in that pretty little head of yours.'” (Speaking of patronizing assholes...)
"God, she really was a pretty little thing and he felt his dick stirring in agreement." (Wow, he managed to be both patronizing and creepy at the same time. High fucking five, Vin.)
"It had taken everything in him not to grab her and pull her down for a kiss...or more. And that’s why he needed her gone. Mia may have accepted that they couldn’t have a physical relationship but his brain hadn’t gotten the message." (Yet another contradiction. His emotions seemed to change at least twice every three minutes.)
"She stiffened when he grazed his hand over her breast. 'And it’s going to take a hell of a lot more than a couple of ridiculously inexperienced kisses.'
Fear skittered through her and she tried to shove his hand away. But he grabbed both her wrists and pinned them next to her head." (Um...is this sexy? Are we supposed to be cheering Vin on at this part? Good thing we all know Mia secretly wants it, right?)
(And, one incredibly uncomfortable sex scene later that ended in her shoving him away and yelling at him not to touch her...) "By the time he reached her room, he heard the shower going in her bathroom. He guessed what her plan was and the fact that she was so quick to want to wash away his touch irritated him....She hadn’t put the doors back on any of their hinges yet so it took only moments to get to her bathroom." (Once again, not an ounce of fucking respect for her personal boundaries or desires) "...he was an asshole. No woman deserved the shit he’d just pulled on Mia." (Thank god he figured that out AFTER making her cry.)
"It wasn’t an excuse for his harsh treatment of her but part of her fury had been built on the humiliation that had coursed through as she realized how quickly and easily she’d come apart at his touch." (The non-consensual sex was obviously her fault, not his. She wasn't angry at him for his treatment of her, she was simply angry at herself for how much she wanted him. Mia is clearly the real problem here, not Vin's blatant assholishness.)
"Her inexperience alone should have had her running, not to mention his cruel attitude and crude words." (Yet another alpha male pushing away the one he wants just to save that person from himself. Mia really should have listened.)
And finally, the one quote that I felt truly summed up their entire relationship: " Besides the few words of praise he murmured against her ear as he pleasured her, they hadn’t spoken at all."
The relationship in this book seemed built entirely on physical attraction. I did not pick up on any sort of emotional connection between the two MCs at all, nor did it ever explore her trauma or the state of her mentality from the abuse she suffered, which again, was another suspension of belief for me.
And—my final sticking point—why the hell did Mia think that volunteering for interviews would in any way make the press back off? Ummm...does she really not understand how the media works? Who told her that scheduling press interviews and going on television to talk about her serial killing father would in any way make the press forget about her? I'm sorry, Mia, but you're a moron if you really believe that.
So while I did not necessarily dislike this book, and while I really do genuinely enjoy so many aspects of Sloane Kennedy's writing and stories, the problems within so many of her novels just cannot and should not be overlooked.
November 30, 2018
Ceci est une lecture commune avec ma partner in crime : Audrey du blog « New kids on the geek ».
« Vin » est le premier tome de la série « Barretti Sécurité » écrite par Sloane KENNEDY.
Dans cet opus, nous allons faire la connaissance de Vincenzo, alias Vin, qui va avoir une drôle de surprise en rentrant chez lui. Après avoir passé un long moment en Afghanistan à la recherche de son frère disparu, quelle n’est pas sa stupeur lorsqu’il se rend compte que sa demeure n’est pas inhabitée.
En effet, Mia y a élu domicile depuis quelques temps, grâce au frère de Vin. La jeune femme essaie d’échapper aux journalistes qui la harcèlent depuis que la vérité sur son père a éclaté : il est un tueur en série qui a commis des crimes irréparables.
Alors lorsque Vin revoit Mia, cette femme qu’il a sauvée, son coeur rate un bond.
Pour être honnête, j’ai passé un bon moment de lecture sans pour autant avoir été à cent pour cent convaincue.
Mia est une jeune femme avec du caractère qui vit dans sa bulle, dans son refuge chez Vin après avoir vécu des horreurs. Elle se reconstruit petit-à-petit, mais donner sa confiance à quelqu’un d’autre n’est pas encore à l’ordre du jour.
Vin est un homme fort, mais qui cache de nombreuses blessures. Revoir cette jeune femme va changer sa façon de voir les choses et lui offrir une sorte de rédemption. Il va puiser en elle la force de demander pardon, alors qu’elle va trouver en lui la force de se relever.
Les deux personnages forment un beau duo, complémentaire, alors que beaucoup d’éléments auraient dû les séparer. Seulement, lorsque l’on rencontre son âme soeur, on ne voit plus tous ces obstacles et même la raison a du mal à se faire entendre.
Leur relation évolue très vite et ne laisse peu de place au doute.
Ce phénomène est accentué par le fait que l’histoire n’est pas très longue ( un peu moins de trois cents pages ), mais aussi aux trop nombreuses ellipses temporelles qui accélèrent le rythme du récit.
Pour ma part, j’ai eu du mal à vraiment y croire, à être complètement charmée par ce couple car il manquait de la tension. J’aurais préféré que l’auteur développe le côté « relationnel » plutôt que « sexuel », car au bout d’un moment, les scènes érotiques prennent un peu trop de place, au détriment de l’intrigue principale.
A côté de cela, il se passe quand même beaucoup de choses dans ce livre.
Mia est confrontée à une menace extérieure alors que Vin recherche ardemment son frère. Ces deux points ne sont pas vraiment mis de côté, mais auraient nécessité là aussi un peu plus de développement.
La fin arrive un peu rapidement, à l’image du rythme du récit dans son intégralité.
Il ne laisse pas de question en suspens sur le couple Vin/Mia, mais ouvre la voie aux prochains tomes.
En conclusion, « Barretti Sécurité, tome 1 : Vin » m’a fait passer un petit moment de lecture sympathique. Sloane KENNEDY nous plonge dans son univers sombre où crimes et châtiments sont les maîtres-mots. Pour être complètement séduite, il aurait fallu que l’aspect relationnel et les différentes intrigues soient plus développées, plutôt que de se focaliser sur une bonne partie du livre sur le côté charnel du couple.
( https://lectrice-lambda.blogspot.com/... )
« Vin » est le premier tome de la série « Barretti Sécurité » écrite par Sloane KENNEDY.
Dans cet opus, nous allons faire la connaissance de Vincenzo, alias Vin, qui va avoir une drôle de surprise en rentrant chez lui. Après avoir passé un long moment en Afghanistan à la recherche de son frère disparu, quelle n’est pas sa stupeur lorsqu’il se rend compte que sa demeure n’est pas inhabitée.
En effet, Mia y a élu domicile depuis quelques temps, grâce au frère de Vin. La jeune femme essaie d’échapper aux journalistes qui la harcèlent depuis que la vérité sur son père a éclaté : il est un tueur en série qui a commis des crimes irréparables.
Alors lorsque Vin revoit Mia, cette femme qu’il a sauvée, son coeur rate un bond.
Pour être honnête, j’ai passé un bon moment de lecture sans pour autant avoir été à cent pour cent convaincue.
Mia est une jeune femme avec du caractère qui vit dans sa bulle, dans son refuge chez Vin après avoir vécu des horreurs. Elle se reconstruit petit-à-petit, mais donner sa confiance à quelqu’un d’autre n’est pas encore à l’ordre du jour.
Vin est un homme fort, mais qui cache de nombreuses blessures. Revoir cette jeune femme va changer sa façon de voir les choses et lui offrir une sorte de rédemption. Il va puiser en elle la force de demander pardon, alors qu’elle va trouver en lui la force de se relever.
Les deux personnages forment un beau duo, complémentaire, alors que beaucoup d’éléments auraient dû les séparer. Seulement, lorsque l’on rencontre son âme soeur, on ne voit plus tous ces obstacles et même la raison a du mal à se faire entendre.
Leur relation évolue très vite et ne laisse peu de place au doute.
Ce phénomène est accentué par le fait que l’histoire n’est pas très longue ( un peu moins de trois cents pages ), mais aussi aux trop nombreuses ellipses temporelles qui accélèrent le rythme du récit.
Pour ma part, j’ai eu du mal à vraiment y croire, à être complètement charmée par ce couple car il manquait de la tension. J’aurais préféré que l’auteur développe le côté « relationnel » plutôt que « sexuel », car au bout d’un moment, les scènes érotiques prennent un peu trop de place, au détriment de l’intrigue principale.
A côté de cela, il se passe quand même beaucoup de choses dans ce livre.
Mia est confrontée à une menace extérieure alors que Vin recherche ardemment son frère. Ces deux points ne sont pas vraiment mis de côté, mais auraient nécessité là aussi un peu plus de développement.
La fin arrive un peu rapidement, à l’image du rythme du récit dans son intégralité.
Il ne laisse pas de question en suspens sur le couple Vin/Mia, mais ouvre la voie aux prochains tomes.
En conclusion, « Barretti Sécurité, tome 1 : Vin » m’a fait passer un petit moment de lecture sympathique. Sloane KENNEDY nous plonge dans son univers sombre où crimes et châtiments sont les maîtres-mots. Pour être complètement séduite, il aurait fallu que l’aspect relationnel et les différentes intrigues soient plus développées, plutôt que de se focaliser sur une bonne partie du livre sur le côté charnel du couple.
( https://lectrice-lambda.blogspot.com/... )
December 8, 2016
3.5-4 stars
This was a pretty good story. I liked both Mia and Vin and their story was enjoyable.
Mia is a young woman that has been through a lot. She grew up with an abusive father that made her and her mother's life pretty bad. When Mia's mother died a couple years ago, her father made her a captive in his house and made her life a living hell. She ended up killing her father to escape him as well as to save 2 others that he was holding captive.
Vin is ex-military and now is co-owner (with his brother, Dom) of a security company. Vin has been doing jobs out of the country so he hasn't been around recently. He was part the rescue team that found Mia after she killed her father but he hasn't seen her since. Vin has been burned by money-grubbing women before and tends to avoid women because of his past encounters.
Things didn't go well for Mia after she killed her father. She was hounded by the press and had trouble adjusting to her new life. Dom didn't know what else to do to help her so he set her up at Vin's house because it's secure and no one would think to look for her there. Since Vin was out of town, Dom didn't bother to tell him that Mia was staying at his house and when Vin shows up at home, he ends up holding a gun on her (thinking her an intruder) before he recognizes her.
Mia recovered some while staying at Vin's house but when he arrives home, she's still somewhat shellshocked over her life and everything that happened. Mia thinks she'll have to leave Vin's house (although I really don't know where she thinks she'd go) but Vin isn't willing to chance her ending up homeless so he convinces her to stay until she can get a job and a place to move to. There's an attraction between Vina and Mia but with her abusive background, Vin feels bad over being attracted to her, convinced that if it went anywhere that he'd be taking advantage of her. Mia has other ideas though and they do end up in a relationship, even if it's a somewhat strained one because Vin has trouble accepting his feelings. Mia is patient but because of her background, her ability to put up with Vin's problems are limited. Vin & Mia do work things out though and (after dealing with a bit more drama and danger) they end the story starting on a HEA together.
This was a pretty enjoyable story. I liked Mia as the heroine. She was understandably scared but wasn't willing to let her past rule her future and I respected that. I liked Vin too but I wasn't too thrilled with his past issues being undeservedly placed on Mia's shoulders. Thankfully he got past that without too much prompting and didn't lose Mia over it. This was a pretty good story and I had no major complaints so I guess I'd recommend it. :)
* note - There were 2 couples in the story that had already gotten together and some background that led me to believe that this was continued from a different series and they were part of the "Escort" series (books # 1 & 3). It wasn't anything major (I'd still call this a standalone) but I did feel like I'd missed things a few times when they referred to events that took place in the past (which I can only assume are in the previous books).
This was a pretty good story. I liked both Mia and Vin and their story was enjoyable.
Mia is a young woman that has been through a lot. She grew up with an abusive father that made her and her mother's life pretty bad. When Mia's mother died a couple years ago, her father made her a captive in his house and made her life a living hell. She ended up killing her father to escape him as well as to save 2 others that he was holding captive.
Vin is ex-military and now is co-owner (with his brother, Dom) of a security company. Vin has been doing jobs out of the country so he hasn't been around recently. He was part the rescue team that found Mia after she killed her father but he hasn't seen her since. Vin has been burned by money-grubbing women before and tends to avoid women because of his past encounters.
Things didn't go well for Mia after she killed her father. She was hounded by the press and had trouble adjusting to her new life. Dom didn't know what else to do to help her so he set her up at Vin's house because it's secure and no one would think to look for her there. Since Vin was out of town, Dom didn't bother to tell him that Mia was staying at his house and when Vin shows up at home, he ends up holding a gun on her (thinking her an intruder) before he recognizes her.
Mia recovered some while staying at Vin's house but when he arrives home, she's still somewhat shellshocked over her life and everything that happened. Mia thinks she'll have to leave Vin's house (although I really don't know where she thinks she'd go) but Vin isn't willing to chance her ending up homeless so he convinces her to stay until she can get a job and a place to move to. There's an attraction between Vina and Mia but with her abusive background, Vin feels bad over being attracted to her, convinced that if it went anywhere that he'd be taking advantage of her. Mia has other ideas though and they do end up in a relationship, even if it's a somewhat strained one because Vin has trouble accepting his feelings. Mia is patient but because of her background, her ability to put up with Vin's problems are limited. Vin & Mia do work things out though and (after dealing with a bit more drama and danger) they end the story starting on a HEA together.
This was a pretty enjoyable story. I liked Mia as the heroine. She was understandably scared but wasn't willing to let her past rule her future and I respected that. I liked Vin too but I wasn't too thrilled with his past issues being undeservedly placed on Mia's shoulders. Thankfully he got past that without too much prompting and didn't lose Mia over it. This was a pretty good story and I had no major complaints so I guess I'd recommend it. :)
* note - There were 2 couples in the story that had already gotten together and some background that led me to believe that this was continued from a different series and they were part of the "Escort" series (books # 1 & 3). It wasn't anything major (I'd still call this a standalone) but I did feel like I'd missed things a few times when they referred to events that took place in the past (which I can only assume are in the previous books).
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