Drawing Dead

A Good Run of Bad Luck #1.5

by Giulia Lagomarsino

Drawing Dead is book 1.5 in the series A Good Run Of Bad Luck, and it is suggested they are read in order.


JACK ~ For the past few years, I was drawing dead. Every hand that was dealt to me couldn’t possibly give me a win. But with every step I took to move past my anger and hatred, I felt myself healing, and that was largely due to the Cortell brothers. Like it or not, they helped me when I needed it the most. Every time they let me drag them down to the station, every ticket they took from me, gave me the strength to keep going. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t return the favor?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Amazon

160 pages, ebook

Published September 6, 2021

About the author

Giulia Lagomarsino is the author of the action-packed series Owens Protective Services, along with four other series that feature hot men, strong women, and storylines that will leave you laughing, crying, and begging for more. To find her reading order, visit her website http://giulialagomarsinoauthor.com or join her reading group https://www.facebook.com/groups/Giuli....

Reviews

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whole bunch of crazy characters!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Humor: 😃😆😅😂🤣
Story/Plot: 📙📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 🤕🤬🤯😲🤗

If you have read any books by Giulia Lagomarsino, you know her characters are all zany and quite a bit crazy. That is one thing I love about her books. She has possessive men that always over-the-top when it comes to protecting their women. She also has women that go out of their way to make matters worse.

This is one of those books that brings all the characters together so we can get a peek into just how hilarious all these nutters can be when they have a situation that they have to deal with in their own crazy’s ways.

We have all the characters from the Cortell brothers series, some add in situations from the Reed Security mix as well as the main characters from Dead Man’s Hand and when they all get together it is a whole lot of fun and surprises.



One of the main themes in this book are the relationship between the sheriff, Jack and the Cortell brothers, especially his former best friend Josh Cortell. Jack blames Josh for the death of his wife. Josh and Carly had been running from the mob and after returning to town and asking Jack for help, somehow Jack’s wife got caught in the crossfire and died.

Since then, Jack has been taking out his anger and pain on all of the Cortell brothers by pulling them over and locking them up for every little infraction he can think of. Jack’s Deputy, Carter Roy (a.k.a. Corduroy) tells Jack it’s about time to forgive and forget since it wasn’t really Josh’s fault.

When Jack goes to talk to Josh, something happens to the pregnant Carly that puts the entire town in a twitter and the guys with all of their overprotective instincts all gang up to keep an eye on Carly. Hilarity ensues as Carly is fiercely independent and things get crazy for everyone involved.

“I really don’t know the status of the fireman,” I said into the microphone. “And that’s not really the point of tonight.”
“But it’s not a bad idea,” Mark, a banker in town said. “Maybe instead of poker night, we should have a singles night.”
“Ooh, we could do mixers,” another woman said excitedly.
“And we could have speed dating,” Jennie said, standing up like she was about to run off and get started on the project right away.
“In a town this small? How would that even work?” Mary Anne asked.

I haven’t yet read the Cortell Brothers series, so at times I got a bit confused about all the characters. However it didn’t detract from the story at all. I plan on reading each of those stories so I can find out how all these madcap couples ended up together.

I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

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[Giulia Lagomarsino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Universal Link:
viewbook.at/DrawingDead




“Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?”
She huffed out a laugh. “With Alessa?”
I rubbed my hand up and down her arm, concern pinching my face. “You really don’t look so good.”
“It’s just a headache,” she mumbled, rubbing her forehead.
“How about this? I’ll keep Alessa with me and I’ll call someone to come pick her up. Then you can go home and rest for a little bit.”
Relief flooded her face. She must be really hurting. “That sounds—”
Her whole body went rigid, her eyes began to almost shift back and forth at a dizzying speed, and then her whole body started convulsing.
“Carly!” I shouted, catching her just as she started to collapse. I lowered her to the floor, terrified as I watched my wife spasm out of control in front of me. Not knowing what else to do, I started shouting. “Help! Somebody help!”
Her hand flailed up, catching me on the jaw. I grabbed her and tried to pin her down, but every body part was moving. I didn’t know what the hell to do. A wet spot formed beneath her and I slowly looked up at her, swallowing hard. Had her water just broken?
I reached for my phone, realizing that I had left it over by the car earlier after taking a phone call. I glanced back, wondering if I had enough time to run and grab it, or if she would end up hurting herself if I left.
“Somebody help!” I shouted again, tears filling my eyes. I was shaking so bad, watching her convulse on the ground, and I was helpless to do anything for her.
I heard running footsteps and looked up just as Jack ran back through the bay doors, skidding to a stop when he saw Carly on the ground.
“Please help,” I whispered, not able to speak any louder.
He must have heard me, because he rushed over, kneeling down beside me. “Don’t hold her down.”
“But she’s—”
“She’s having a seizure. Just let it work itself out. I’ll call it in.”
I listened distantly as he called for an ambulance. Finally, after what felt like minutes, her body stopped jerking and her whole body relaxed. Jack pressed his fingers to her throat, feeling for a pulse. He nodded slightly, letting me know she was alive.
“We need to turn her on her side,” Jack ordered, starting to pull her body toward him.
“Why?” I asked almost absently. It felt like I was floating above, watching all this happen.
“After a seizure, your muscles relax. We need to make sure her tongue doesn’t slip down and block her airway.”
I helped him shift her to her side, then rested my hand on her belly, waiting to feel something. “I think her water broke.”
He looked at the floor, then bent down and shook his head. “I think she just lost her bladder control. It happens sometimes.”
“So, the baby’s fine?”
He didn’t say anything, his jaw hard as he stared down at Carly. “We’ll have to wait and see what the doctors say.”

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 2 out of 5]

This made no sense really

It was just silly with no real plot and seemed to just go nowhere. Yes parts were funny and I like the dynamics of the group but there was just too many storylines overlapping and too many characters here and confusing conversations. I will revisit this book because maybe I missed something but this just made no sense.

[Rhonda Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I'm sure you read in the blurb, 'Drawing Dead' is book 1.5 of Giuliana Lagomarsino's "A Good Run of Bad Luck Series". If you're like me, you've already read the "Cortell Brothers" series, particularly book one entitled 'Jack'. He's been one of my favorite characters throughout all Ms. Lagomarsino's books and he's been dealt a hand I'm glad I haven't had to play. Unfortunately, the Cortell Brothers have been paying the consequences of Jack's reactions to a situation he's having trouble dealing with. Now if you know anything about the Cortell Brothers, you know they deal with things a bit differently, usually with their off-the-wall big hearts and a wicked sense of humor … for the most part. Possessive men, mischievous women, a broken friendship, a wounded heart all make this one heck of a ride. I just love Ms. Lagomarsino's writing style and this time she's brought all these over-the-top characters into play to begin what looks like a spectacular new series that I can't wait to delve into further.

[Sophie Ruthven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may of been a short interlude to the next book, but I loved every second and isn't to be missed. Sure it isn't a typical romance novella but that's what makes it better in my opinion.
This small close knit town drops everything to band together, and the outcomes have a variety of results. Was nice getting to know some of them more.
Cannot wait to get more answers from that road trip too.
Leaving the review here as don't want to give anything away.

[Kristiej · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a strange reading experience. It was very short and rather than really tell a story, it was more of a catch up on couples from former books by this author. Since I hadn’t read any of the books except the first book in this series, Dead Man’s Hand and absolutely adored it, I’d never really met the cast of characters. Still I really enjoyed this book. It was cute and hilarious and now I’m about to go back and read all their stories. I love how this author writes.

[Ivy Blacke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this

Absolutely glad to have more Antonio and Ciarra. More Carter and him meeting a mystery woman. Nathan the dreamy doctor and of course Jack.

I was heartbroken about Natalie, but I'm glad to see him finally making peace.

Now Derek, I mean I'm holding my breath, can't wait to read more.

[Lynn Stifle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 1.5 in the A Good Run Of Bad Luck series and I loved every minute of it. It’s filled with laugh out loud moments, a bit of drama, and sadness. I just loved the Cortell wives and their mischievousness. A terrific read with all the feels and one I highly recommend.

[Toi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute Read

Cute read and gives you some insight into this crazy fa!Ily and town . . . . . . .

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, sexy mexy, plenty of action and yes at times tears.

This is by far the best series and the offspring series I have read this year.

The complex threads that Giulia weaves her stories, and her characters keeps you coming back for more. You will be riveted to the pages and find that hours have passed by the time you manage to pull yourself away.

You will laugh your arse off when you are not sweating through the action.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this. For fans of Giulia’s most recent series ‘The Cortell Brothers’ or for those who are reading this series first you are sure to find something you will love. Book 1.5 does a whole lot more than what Giulia intended which was to bridge the outcasts with the Cortell brothers, as this series is a spin off from that, by connecting the characters from book 1 in this series (Dead Man’s Hand) to book 2 (The Dirty).

This book gives you an insight into the lives of some of the characters we met in book 1 and the town where they live as well as continue Antonio and Ciara’s story. If you’ve read The Cortell Brothers series then you will love some of these chapters as we see the return of some characters who we’ve been wanting to get their own story and we see things from their point of view. My favourite thing about the book is how many perspectives we get. Not only do we get Antonio and Ciara from book 1, we get characters who we met in The Cortell Brothers series who have their own book coming, and we get to see things from some of the Cortell brothers and their wives themselves. It was an absolute joy to read all these different perspectives and see how intertwined the lives of these characters are. It allows Giulia to tie in her old characters with this new series so well and I get the idea that a few storylines and couples are being alluded to and I cannot wait to see how it all turns out.

I laughed a lot reading this one. Giulia tends to write some truly comedic scenes into her books and they are often are a result of the overprotective nature of her heroes. If you’ve read either of Giulia’s Reed Security or Cortell Brothers series you will know what I am talking about. Well here the Cortell brothers are at it again, driving their women mad with their behaviour and as always, the entire town ends up being involved. It’s not just these scenes though, Giulia manages to create a real sense of camaraderie between her characters and the easy going and teasing nature of their relationships are a delight to read and often funny. This book isn’t just funny either. We see more of the ‘domesticated’ version of Antonio and Ciara which continues the storyline of him struggling with his past and present, Giulia creates a sense of panic around one her characters that I think is going to keep me on the edge of my seat throughout the series, she tackles grief and coping with that, and of course the development and continuation of different relationships.

This book was amazing. It offered so much more than I thought we were going to get and for anyone who has read all of Giulia’s books, specifically ones from the For The Love Of A Good Woman series and the Reed Security Series you are in for a treat and it just goes to show how amazing Giulia is at creating these interconnected storylines. I cannot wait for the rest of this series and I’ll be counting down the days until book two’s release date is announced.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story involving the Cortell Brothers, add in a bit of Reed Security series and it’s a book that is hard to put down.

Jack is still hurting from the loss of his wife, and he is still blaming Josh Cortell, but his anger is being taken out on Josh’s brothers. It’s about time for Jack to start moving on or he is going to hurt his son with his hate, and Corduroy is not the first person to tell him this. When Josh and Carly run into some trouble, Jack is there for them and getting involved with the Cortell family again feels right. He won’t admit that to Corduroy though, he’s too stubborn for that.

When Josh and Carly hit a rough patch and need the family around them, the Cortell brothers are there, but they can’t get ahold of Derek and the brothers begin to worry. When no one can reach Antonio to tell them that Carly needs him, Jack decides to put his redemption skills to the test and offers to go find him.

I love this story and the characters are always fun to read. The things these characters get up to are so hilarious and these stories make me want to keep reading. I am now wanting more Reed security along with the Cortell brothers. These guys find themselves in the most interesting situations and work so hard to get out of them, but they only find themselves in deeper trouble and the shenanigans only get better. I love Ms. Lagomarsino’s characters, and I want more of her books. The men are over the top cautious and protective and the women are over the top crazy, defiant, and independent. When will these men ever learn that their women are smarter than them and will always find a way to fight back at the overprotective Alpha’s that they are? I give this story a 5-star review.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

They say it is time to move on, to well be happy again. The thing is Natalie was my whole life and being friends with the Mafia no matter how domestic they have become is not one I look forward to doing. The thing is Carly and Josh are good people and know Natalie will want me to be friends with them. Not only do we see Jack again but we see Antonio and the Cortell gang back again. So what do you get when you move away from the one place that you found some quiet and peace? You find yourself with two women, a band of women always fighting and men who want you to talk. I actually feel sorry for Antonio in this short story because well his life is not his no more. We see him trying to adjust to his new life with Ciara and now living in a small town. I loved that Guilia Lagomarsino shows us a side of Antonio that not even Ciara expected. I loved that Guilia was able to bring us a new series yet still be able to bring everybody together was just awesome. This is not just a short story but we see everybody living a life they never imagined and new beginnings for Carly. In a way this was more of a comedy so to speak instead of Lagomarsino's usual suspense and action just felt right seeing everybody. Cannot wait to see what she does next with the rest of the clan coming together.
 
"I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own."

[Kelchickbooklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drawing Dead is a novella that needs to be read after Dead Man's Hand, as you will get more of an understanding of the storyline and the relationship between all the characters.

This book has you laughing over the Cortell brothers and their protectiveness and ideas on how to keep their women safe, but also your stomach in knots over Carly. The guys are too sweet because of this but they can get carried away with it. When something happens to Carly Josh goes all out to protect her but goes a little over board. When he involves the whole family and then some Carly decides that she has had enough. Even Jack is involved because he forgave Josh for his wife's death, Natalie. When all the brothers are asked to get involved how can they say no. Poor Carly having not only Josh to deal with but now the whole town.

There are so many twists and turns in this book that it will have your head spinning. From the situation with Carly, the wives coming up with a revenge plan and Derek missing, you will be unable to put this book down. Giulia has you wanting to yell at the guys for their reactions and thinking they know best. She always delivers an outstanding book that has you sometimes wanting to be part of the crazy Cortell family but then the guys go just a little too outside the box and you give your head a shake.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it too early on to say I love this series? Well I do. If you read Dead Man’s Hand, you know this series is set in a small town. The main storyline is set around the Cortell brothers and their crazy better halves. Trust me these ladies give the whole town a run for their money. The author not only gave us these hilarious, strong minded women, she also gave us protective, strong willed men who go overboard to protect their women, their close friends and their family.

This book is Jack’s story. Jack is the town’s sheriff who blames the Cortell brothers for his wife’s death a few years back. He knows in his mind this isn’t true but his heart just won’t let it rest. He goes out of his way to be obnoxious to the guys to the point of writing them unfounded tickets and hauling into the station for ticky tack reasons. Can Jack find a way to get past this and become the friend to the brothers like he used to be? Add Jack’s crazy stunts to the Cortell brothers craziness and this book kept me smiling throughout. This reader can’t wait for the next book in the Run of Bad Luck series.

Highly Recommend grabbing up both book 1 (Dead Man’s Hand) and 1.5 Drawing Dead ASAP. You won’t regret it.

2 Thumbs Up and 5 Stars

[Renee Entress · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 star

The story has laughs, pain, secrets, and heartbreak.

If you have not read the below, I would recommend reading those books(s) first.
Maintenance Required (The Cortell Brothers #1)
Collateral Damage (The Cortell Brothers #2)
Wanted Dead Or In Love (The Cortell Brothers #3)
Textbook Approach (The Cortell Brothers #4)
Priceless Ink (The Cortell Brothers #5)
Tangled Web (The Cortell Brothers, #6)
Dead Man's Hand (A Good Run of Bad Luck #1)

This is Jack’s story. If you read the above series you met Jack and got some of his story if not I would suggest that you do read the series. Jack had everything he every wanted and lost it. He has struggled and blamed the Cortell brothers for that loss. He has in a sense been stalking them and giving them tickets and throwing them in jail at every opportunity. You get a cast of characters in this story from the security team to the brothers. With the crazy people of the small town thrown in for good measure. Can Jack finally start to heal?

I highly recommend this book.

[Dana Busenbark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where are Josh, Antonio, and Ciara at the beginning of the story? What do Jack and Carter get into a heated discussion about? What action do we see Jack take with regards to Josh and the rest of the Cortell brothers and inlaws? Why? What happens that freaks Josh out? What does that prompt ALL the men in her life, including Jack to do? What happens as Courduroy is leaving the bakery after Joe's failed mission? Who is Abigail? How do we meet her? I set my asthma off laughing at Jack's comments when Courduroy gets back to the office. Why does Charlie get upset with Josh? What happens when the Cortell brothers cannot get ahold of Derek or his wife? Oh my god!!!!! Why does Carly end up in jail? A het up Carly is not a good thing! She really gets a full blown mad on! You really have to read this story and enjoy the mischief and shenanigans that happen!

RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin' With M. Brennan.

[Claire Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cortell Brothers at their Reed Security Best

Drawing Dead was the Cortell Brothers up to their usual hijinks trying to 'protect' their women, who of course never needed protecting in the first place. It's starts with one of the ladies having an episode and needing help from an unlikely source.

Throughout the book we see hijinks of both the men and the woman of the Cortell Family trying to emulate the actions of how they think Derek and the Reed Security team would do things, as usual ended up with Hilarious consequences, even Corduroy (Carter Roy) gets in on the act.

In the end though one prejudice is almost put to rest, finally bringing some peace to a member of the town.

A hilarious and heart warming edition to the Good Run of Bad Luck series and another masterpiece by Giulia. I can't wait to read the next.

I received an ARC copy of Drawing Dead and am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone:

Strong women will not deal with strong men's control--those same men aren't smart enough to accept threats. What will this group of brothers and their women plus friends do to protect them, especially Carly?

This whole group is nuts. Funny nuts but nuts. They also love each other and their family unconditionally. Carly is pregnant. She's a super-strong woman and is going bananas by the protection--you'll have to read the details--her husband especially uses.

The town and the authorities get involved. Small-town gossip and involvement are only part of the story. Jack (sheriff) has a history with the Cortells. What is he going to add?

Danger. Family love. Men and women-paybacks will make you laugh out loud. Plenty to keep you turning pages. It may be a shorter book than they usually are but nothing missing a fun read as well as some intrigue makes it as good as we expect from the author.

[Kari Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack is the town Sheriff who has been trying to make life as difficult as he can for the Cortell brothers as he holds Josh and Carly responsible when his wife became collateral damage in their fight. He has realized he needs to do what is best for him and his son which is to move forward, and he soon realizes how much he has missed them and their antics.

One of the Cortell brother’s wives has an experience that scares him, so he and his brothers embark on a plan to keep her safe. You know isn’t going to end well when their women decide to take matters in their hands and show the men what they think of the plan with humorous results and let’s not overlook the crisis that Antonio and Ciara are facing as well.

This story gives us the opportunity to catch up with all the characters and reminds us why they are so appealing as they take us on a wild and wacky ride that is sure to bring a smile to your face.

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is #1.5 in this amazing series, and this is a brilliant gem of a story. Jack is a small-town sheriff, who lays the blame to his wife’s death firmly at the Cortell brother’s feet, even though his head says differently from his heart, and his crazy antics with harassing the brothers is entertaining, from the tickets, to being dragged into the station. This is a great insight into the live of characters we have met in previous stories. The Cortell brothers will go to extremes with their behaviour to protect their women, family, and friends, even though they are overprotective to their stubborn, strong-willed women, who are perfectly capable of protecting themselves, and drive their men crazy with their hilarious shenanigans. This is a well written flawless story which is humorous, entertaining, and with witty banter and love, which all leads to an addictive page turner. I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.

[Jennifer Pierson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this brilliant author so I've read everything, and throughout The Cortell Brothers series, Jack has played a secondary character whose story I've needed since his life went sideways leading him to arrest those brothers for anything he could think of, and finally, here we are. With all the signature craziness that I've come to expect, Jack is finally getting all healed up from the tragedy that rocked his world as he's letting his friends back in to try to keep those crazy women married to the brothers safe. I spent a lot of my time laughing as usual as the insanity took on new levels with new & old secondary characters alike in play, and I'm even excited hoping that a certain road trip will be addressed in a way that would make my world right again because I NEED it (no pressure Giulia LOL). Anyway, I'll always be waiting impatiently for more of anything this author wants to release, and HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO ALL!

[Gin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, easy read with the Cortell brothers, their significant others, and the small town folks. All the couples are in force when Carly has a medical issue and needs help. That causes a ripple in her relationship with Josh but this couple is strong. On another front, Josh and sheriff Jack make strides in repairing their friendship. We see another side of Jack and I hope he get a story and has another chance at love. He deserves it. His deputy Corduroy (you’ll have to read to find out about that nickname) has a run in with a crazy beauty that has him smitten. Just par for the course in this town. Antonio and Ciara have a major struggle that hurt my heart. Love that couple. Jo is still on the hunt for love with a new guy in her sights. I was hoping she would pair with Jack but who knows. Maybe Jake is her guy. It’s all about catching up with this big group with a few emotional blips and lots of laughs. Wackiness at its best! Can’t wait for the next installment in this series.

[Carina Hales · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 🌟this book was great in the fact that each chapter was from a different persons perspective so you get to hear from lots of Giulia’s leading characters which made for an enjoyable read.

Can I just say that I’m loving Antonio and his adorable animal collection! He is hilarious and I’m loving him and Ciara and also Jo. So pleased Jack found a way to deal with his anger, I’ve been waiting a long time for this and just want him to find another HEA. Fab to have the Cortell brothers in full force along with of course their Facebook updates! The Cortell brothers are OTT to the extreme!This book was a good catch up and was an entertaining read. It seemed to end quite abruptly and it left me wanting more, guess this was a bridging book till the next one in the series which I will look forward to reading.

[Melissa Machado · Rating 5 out of 5]

  ***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***


Drawing Dead is book 1.5 from the Good Run of Bad Luck Series. This is meant to bridge together the different characters and help lead into this new series. To have a better understanding of the characters I recommend reading the Cortell brother series then starting at book 1 of this series. You could also read the Reed Security Series to be 110% in the loop.

This book was packed with angst, regret, love, family, grief, humor, and so much more. The story was told in many different characters point of view so we get a lot more of the Cortell brothers and a glimpse of what's to come in this new spin off series. It looks really promising with some mystery, redemption, second chance at love, ETC. I am looking forward to reading this series.

[Teresa Juckett (Love Dark Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god loved loved this short quick read as always Giulia is a Goddess in her writing skills. I've read several of her book's and have yet to find one I didn't like or love they always leave you wanting more of stories. These Cortell brother's and their wives get into so much trouble it's freaking hilarious. Jack the sheriff of their small town who's not a Cortell, but he's best friends with one of them until something tragic had happened and he's grown resentful to the point he hates them, but it takes his deputy Carter Roy aka Corduroy who would've thought it'd be him to make Jack see reason and then shenanigans begin. I laughed so much while reading this and there's a lil surprise thrown in there that'll make you go 😱 what is Giulia cooking up here?😂
This is absolutely a must read and enjoy, because you will be laughing throughout the whole book.

[Jen Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Jack did a whole 180 with his attitude towards the Cortell brothers. He decided to help the ladies out this time. With Carly having a seizure, and unable to drive a car, she is lashing out. The book was funny as the ladies rallied together to help Carly, but at the same time getting into so much mischief it will keep you laughing. The men are just plain funny and controlling, so the ladies took things in their own hands, but it didn't turn out the way they wanted it to. Jack seems to have a soft spot when it comes to the Cortell brothers and their wives. Since his wife died, he hasn't been the same, but with Carter giving him hell, he's changed his tune a little. This book brings Jack back and gives you a little taste of more to come.

[Trish (Beautiful Chaos Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

♠️I can't even with Giulia Lagomarsino. Here she throws this novella into the midst of the new series, and it's packed so full of so much Lagomarsino goodness I was left speechless and just hankering for the next book in the series. We have not seen the last of Reed Security---a new mystery!! One word---SQUEE! We will get stories for all of those characters from the Cortell brothers' series, and it's going to all be chock full of hilarity, heat, and heartwarming love stories. (I love me some alliteration).

Never have I ever been disappointed or let down by a Giulia Lagomarsino story---however, I wonder what goes on in her head to write such exciting, funny, romantic, steamy books. Whatever it is, keep doing it.♠️

[Vera Blaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

We met Jack Harding in the Cortell Brothers Series where he suffered a great loss when his wife Natalie died. He became a single father to Brody overnight. He blamed the Cortells and the people associated with them for her death. Since then he's made life a living hell for them by arresting them willy nilly over the years. This book was the turning point for Jack and his relationship with the Cortells and their associates. While the pain and loss is still there for Jack, the hatred has lessened. Many comical, very humorous moments are contained within the pages of this book. It was good to see Jack in a different element with the Cortells. This series is turning out to be a great one!

I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

[Zelda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book I have been waiting for! And while this is book 1.5, you really need to read The Cortell Brothers first to get the full understanding. The story is told from the points of view of several characters, and it’s great to have a catch up with them & their families. I love the quirkiness of the characters and the vibe of the whole town, and how they embrace the newcomers. When Carly has a medical issue, the town is mobilised into action—not sure how helpful it is, but there are some hilarious moments! There’s some emotional times too—some friends make peace with the past in order to move forward. The author’s done a great job of tying the events in with her Reed Security series, fantastic world.

I received a copy of this book. My honest opinion is voluntarily provided.