Marcello & Harper’s Story Comes To A Thrilling Conclusion In This Exciting Mafia Romance! Their Chemistry Is Undeniable, But Issues Of Trust Threaten To Keep Them Apart As A Mafia War Commences. Don’t Forget To Download The Free Bonus Epilogue Via The Link At The Back Of The Book!
This is book two of A Dark Mafia Romance duet.
FROM BOOK ONE, SOLD:
Marcello Dellucci, probably in his thirties, is the cold and calculating Don of the Italian mafia. He is working on an arms deal to ensure the safety of his next big shipment. He wants power, and he is close to achieving it. He nearly dominated the underworld fifteen years when he was young and eager to prove himself to his parents. Things went downhill unexpectedly, though. Since then, he made a vow to himself to never be vulnerable again. He tries to push the pain down with liquor and focused attention. He has a good team and a trusted consigliere – Claudio, his second in command. A meeting with the Duffy brothers of the Irish mafia should leave him with enough arms for protection. So when the waitress at Bottoms Up catches his attention, he isn’t prepared for his reaction to her. Something about her distracts him from the business he went there to take care of.
Harper Fitzgerald, probably in her twenties, is determined to find those responsible for the death of her parents ten years ago. She trains relentlessly because she learned the hard way how important it is to be able to defend yourself. She works at HIIT Hard Tactical, where she trains people in self-defense along with a few other crafty skills that a victim might need to know. She has hired a string of private investigators to dig up information about who set fire to her house when she was a child, killing her parents. It haunts her to this day that she was unable to save them herself. The only thing she had to go on was the tattoo on the back of the man that carried her to safety. She has accumulated a few shreds of information here and there over the years, but the investigators seem to shy away from the case once they begin looking, suggesting instead that she leave things alone. Her adoptive mother, Andrea, tells her to let it go, too, but Harper is as determined as ever to seek justice.
When the latest PI gives Harper the name of a club associated with some suspects, she decides to do a stakeout. But Bottoms Up is a rough establishment, and to avoid trouble she claims to be there about a job. She takes advantage of her new position as a waitress to do a little investigating, but one man, in particular, grabs her attention – and he is one of the men suspected of being involved the night of the fire. She hates herself for how attracted she feels to him, but there is no denying their connection.
When things go south and Marcello’s deal with the Irish falls through, he still cannot get his mind off of that waitress. So when business takes him into the lair of the Russian bratva to strike a deal with Igor, their leader, it must be fate when she shows up again. This time, however, she is for sale. Marcello is determined to make Harper his and save her from a horrible situation, but in doing so he takes his eye off the ball. Harper will either be his undoing, or she will be the one to bring happiness back into his life. He faces big challenges, but sometimes he wishes he could escape it all – and Harper is the ultimate distraction. The couple faces issues of trust while Marcello tries to stay alive in a new mafia war that leaves him on the defensive. The story ends in a cliffhanger, to be continued in book two, Owned.
IN THIS BOOK:
As book one came to a close, Harper’s escape lands her in the center of a mafia bloodbath. But what shocks her more than the death that surrounds her is what she overhears. The father she thought was dead is actually alive. Frank Fitzgerald is not the man she remembered her father to be. He is a vile and angry man, and he heads the Irish mafia. He had survived the fire, and yet he never came to find her in all those years. That hurts, but hearing that he stole her as a child from Igor, head of the Russian Bratva, leaves her entirely ungrounded. Marcello rescues Harper yet again, and Frank is presumed drowned. Marcello has no doubt that he needs Harper in his life, though he still has difficulty voicing his feelings. But when Harper learns that Marcello knew her parents and never said anything to her when he connected the dots, she feels betrayed. Her whole life she has been chasing a lie, and she lumps him in with the liars. As soon as she finds the opportunity, she makes a second escape for freedom.
As this book opens, Harper learns that freedom isn’t always a good thing. Meanwhile, Marcello tries to regroup after the devastating loss he suffered on the docks. He lost men, his ammo shipment, and his money. He is in a vulnerable position, and learning that Frank is alive with a vendetta against him lends a sense of urgency to the situation. Frank seems to have lost his marbles, and he blames the attack at the restaurant fifteen years ago on Marcello. Marcello’s mother never recovered from that night, and he himself had spent time in the hospital unconscious. Frank lost his daughter, Alannah, but Marcello lost his fiancée that night, too. He had closed himself off to feelings since that tragic evening. It wasn’t until he met Harper years later that his heart began to thaw.
Frank is unhinged and has apparently spent the last fifteen years quietly plotting revenge. But we soon learn that Molly, too, survived that night. Harper becomes a tool in the war between the Irish and the Italians, and things get dangerous. There are moments of truth, and the threat of attack is ever-present. There is trust and betrayal. Marcello had said that Harper would distract him or help save him, and it looks like distraction is winning out at a pivotal time for the Italian mafia. More shootouts follow as the war continues. There are twists and unexpected turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The couple eventually finds a happy ending.
Don’t forget to download the free bonus epilogue via the link at the back of the book!
Marcello and Harper’s mafia romance is an enemies-to-lovers story with plenty of steamy chemistry amidst a tense backdrop of murder and mafia wars. Marcello is cold, yet there seems to be another side of him, perhaps a more natural side that he hides from almost everyone. The relationship he has with Mario, his caretaker, is peculiar. New and touching truths are revealed here. As the story goes deeper, the evidence of Marcello’s ties to Harper surface, unraveling the mystery that keeps you turning the pages. Harper’s fake parents, Molly and Frank Fitzgerald, are another mystery to be solved, and more is learned about them here.
A few issues merit mention. Harper continues to waffle in regards to her feelings for Marcello here. It is sometimes dizzying and a little frustrating. She is fierce and proud, but her pride is a bit of a problem at times. But Marcello, too, has seen what pride can do. His character gets more depth here as he connects to his feelings and questions himself. He also deals with his past and considers the future.
Marcello and Harper’s story comes to a thrilling conclusion in this exciting mafia romance. Their chemistry is undeniable, but issues of trust threaten to keep them apart as a mafia war commences. The story is plot-driven with plenty of exciting twists and turns. It is written in first person. The POV alternates between Marcello and Harper. I rate this book four stars.
I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.