Community Reviews
This is the story of Massimo D'Agostino and Emilia Balesteri.
Riccardo Balesteri sells his daughter (a marriage contract) to Massimo D'Agostino when Massimo and his father, Giacomo, find out that Riccardo has double-crossed The Syndicate (a group of powerful, rich men who pool their resources together) in the name of greed and power. Knowing that The Syndicate would have him killed, he agrees to hand over the majority of his wealth, power, and his daughter to the Balesteri family. The Balesteri family have been patiently waiting for years to get their revenge on Riccardo ever since he, himself, stole everything from them, leaving them homeless, in poverty, and with a dead wife and mother. Now that they have built up their wealth and their power - even being welcomed back into the Syndicate - they can take the vengeance that they have been dreaming about. What Massimo doesn't factor in was actually starting to feel something for the beautiful Emilia, things that he has never allowed himself to feel since before his mother took her own life. There are a lot of twists and turns in this story and nothing is as it seems!
I would say this book is about average as far as Mafia Romances go. It's written well and tells a very clear story whereas other authors might have made it very, very convoluted! So I appreciate it for staying clear and concise! However, I think the spice could have been spicier and, honestly, I kind of wanted more of the mafia aspect and found myself less interested in the romance part of it. That's not to say it's not a good romance, but I think it would have made a better straight fiction, romance in the background read with focus on the ins and outs of Mafia life.
However, it's compelling enough to prompt me to continue with the series. I look forward to seeing more of the D'Agostino family!
Riccardo Balesteri sells his daughter (a marriage contract) to Massimo D'Agostino when Massimo and his father, Giacomo, find out that Riccardo has double-crossed The Syndicate (a group of powerful, rich men who pool their resources together) in the name of greed and power. Knowing that The Syndicate would have him killed, he agrees to hand over the majority of his wealth, power, and his daughter to the Balesteri family. The Balesteri family have been patiently waiting for years to get their revenge on Riccardo ever since he, himself, stole everything from them, leaving them homeless, in poverty, and with a dead wife and mother. Now that they have built up their wealth and their power - even being welcomed back into the Syndicate - they can take the vengeance that they have been dreaming about. What Massimo doesn't factor in was actually starting to feel something for the beautiful Emilia, things that he has never allowed himself to feel since before his mother took her own life. There are a lot of twists and turns in this story and nothing is as it seems!
I would say this book is about average as far as Mafia Romances go. It's written well and tells a very clear story whereas other authors might have made it very, very convoluted! So I appreciate it for staying clear and concise! However, I think the spice could have been spicier and, honestly, I kind of wanted more of the mafia aspect and found myself less interested in the romance part of it. That's not to say it's not a good romance, but I think it would have made a better straight fiction, romance in the background read with focus on the ins and outs of Mafia life.
However, it's compelling enough to prompt me to continue with the series. I look forward to seeing more of the D'Agostino family!
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