LUCA (RUIN & REVENGE #2)

Luca Rizzoli was nearly destroyed by a brutal betrayal that cost him his family. Now a ruthless crime boss in the city of sin, he lets nothing touch his frozen heart--until a smoldering encounter with a beautiful stranger ignites his passion. One night isn't enough for a man who takes what he wants, but his mysterious temptress has slipped away.

For two years police detective Gabrielle Fawkes has lived for revenge. But a night of indulgence with a sexy stranger changes everything. Powerful, charming, and deliciously dangerous Luca, has his own private reasons for offering to help her pursue the drug lord who killed her husband. There's a lot Luca isn't telling her and the more she finds out the less she wants to know.

When Gabrielle becomes the target of the drug lord she has vowed to hunt down, she must do the unimaginable: place her life in a mobster's hands. To save her, Luca must break his Mafia ties--or risk losing Gabrielle forever.

Release Date: June 27, 2017

St. Martin’s Press

Ruin & Revenge #2

Romantic Suspense

Review copy provided by publisher

Nikki’s Review:

I struggled with this one at first. I love a flawed hero. I love a hero who has qualities that are less than stellar. A hero who isn't perfect is realistic. But when the hero is a mob boss? Well, that takes flawed to a whole other level. I wanted to hate Luca. I mean, he's a criminal, part of a large  crime family. Think, concrete encased feet and left at the bottom of a lake, criminal. I really wanted to hate him, but I couldn't. There was something about him that I found captivating. So, I kept reading...

Gabrielle is out for a revenge. She's a tough as nails Las Vegas cop who is hunting her husbands killer. Revenge is what gets her out of bed in the morning. It makes life worth living...at least that's what motivates her to keep going. Imagine her surprise when she's swept off of her feet by a sweet talking Italian man who is seduction personified. There's something dangerous about him. There's a dark side to Luca that thrills her. 

Man, these two together was all kinds of crazy sexy hot! Neither want to want each other, but there's an undeniable magnetic pull that can't be ignored. Reading this book made me flush six ways to Sunday! Wickedly delicious is an understatement!

As I said, I really struggled with liking Luca. He was the exact opposite of the heroes that I usually fall for. He was solidly on the other side of the law. You know what? Maybe he wasn't the exact opposite! He was loyal to his family, loyal to his crew, ferociously protective of his woman, and his sex appeal was off the charts! Huh...not so different, right?!

I kinda felt like I was reading a sexy version of Goodfellas! There was tons of action with the mafia stuff, and tons of romance and sweaty bed yoga to satisfy me. 

I mean, I'm certainly no expert in the Italian Mafia, but I think the author nailed the details in this book. The hierarchy of the family and how things ran seemed spot on. 

This book pushed me right out of my comfort zone! I sat on this ARC for a while before I picked it up to read. I didn't think I could connect with a love story that is in the middle of mob...I was wrong. I don't think I could read this type of book all the time, but it was actually refreshing to change things up a bit. I think one of things that made this book work, was the whole "opposites attract" thing. The hero and heroine had so many reasons to not be together, but love...and lust won!

Luca is the second book in this series, but it can absolutely be read as a stand alone. I didn't feel like I was missing anything. If you want to read a book where the bad boy is really a bad boy...with heart, read this book!

Rating: 3.5 Stars (B+)