King of Morgan Park by Karen Bradley/ King of South Shore by MarZe Scott-reviews

KING OF MORGAN PARK
(Kings of the Castle #5)
by Karen D. Bradley
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic, suspense

ebook ONLY 99¢ Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 10, 2019

Two things threaten to destroy several areas of Daron Kincaid’s life—the tracking device he developed to locate victims of sex trafficking and an inherited membership in a mysterious outfit called The Castle. The new developments set the stage to dismantle the relationship with Cameron, the woman he loves, as well as the new life he’s building outside of an Interpol and FBI sting that brought down his former enemies. Coming out of the shadows could have dangerous consequences that affect everyone around him.

Marquise Sinclair, a crime boss over an international theft ring, is determined to take Daron’s position in the Castle by leveraging Cameron’s life against a project worth billions. Unfortunately, he is unaware that his lovely target was fiercely trained to make men weak or put them on the wrong side of the grave. The secrets Daron keeps from Cameron and his inner circle only complicates an already tumultuous situation that wasn’t of his own making.

Can Daron take on Marquise, manage his secrets and loyalty to the Castle without permanently losing the woman he loves??

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REVIEW: KING OF MORGAN PARK by Karen D Bradley is the fifth instalment in the multi-authored/ multi-cultural KINGS OF THE CASTLE romantic suspense series focusing on nine ‘brothers’ from the streets of Chicago (Vikkas, Reno, Shaz, Jai, Daron, Kaleb, Grant, Dro and Dwayne) mentored and taught by the mysterious Khalil Germaine at the exclusive Macro International Magnet School in Chicago. This is King of Morgan Park tech whiz Daron Kincaid, and Cameron Stone’s story line. KING OF MORGAN PARK can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the author’s TRANSITION OF POWER for backstory and cohesion, where Daron and Cameron’s story line begins.

NOTE: KING OF MORGAN PARK runs parallel to crosses over with several of the previous instalments in The Kings of the Castle series.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Cameron and Daron) KING OF MORGAN PARK follows Daron Kincaid as he struggles with his membership in The Castle, a position he ‘inherited’ from a former crime lord, a position coveted by Marquise Sinclair. Threats against his life, and that of the woman he loves finds Daron trying to protect Cameron Stone, a woman who is able to protect herself. The fall-out of Daron’s life and connections to crime push Cameron to the periphery where she refuses to become collateral damage.

KING OF MORGAN PARK is a fast paced, entertaining, well written and intriguing story line but in all honesty, I was confused throughout most of the story line as the author continues to build upon previous story lines bringing together several characters from her other stories and series including Mia and Calvin from The Confection Assignment. Many of the characters were unfamiliar -you have to have read the author’s Transition of Power in order to follow or understand several of the references to previous events. As well, The Kings of the Castle story line takes a back seat to the author’s previous stories and characters thusly feeling disconnected from the overall premise.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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KING OF SOUTH SHORE
(Kings of the Castle #6 )
by MarZe Scott
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic, suspense

ebook ONLY 99¢ Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 6, 2019.

Award-winning real estate developer, Kaleb Valentine, is known for turning failing communities into thriving havens in the Metro Detroit area. Kaleb’s business investments always brought excellent returns and put him on track for multi-million-dollar status. That is, until five bodies are found in a house fire in one of the properties he purchased on the South Side of Chicago. This puts Kaleb deep in the middle of an intense criminal investigation led by a detective who has a personal vendetta. Not to mention, Kaleb is forced to revisit a life he barely escaped as a teen which threatens a new love interest before the relationship lands on solid ground.

Skyler Pierson has no time for romance, let alone love. So, it’s unexpected that when Kaleb shows up to volunteer at her place of employment, the walls around her heart begin to crumble. Working as the transition coordinator for The Second Chance at Life Women’s Shelter, Skyler secures sanctuary for women and children who have been abandoned by their families or are survivors of domestic violence. When Kaleb asks Skyler for what seems to be a simple favor, she soon discovers that asking one too many questions puts her in the kind of danger she thought she’d managed to distance herself from years before.

The circumstances surrounding Kaleb’s background brings up his past and threatens his success, his life, and his new love. How far will Kaleb’s enemies go to take him down?

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REVIEW: KING OF SOUTH SHORE by MarZe Scott is the sixth instalment in the multi-authored / multi- cultural KINGS OF THE CASTLE romantic suspense series focusing on nine ‘brothers’ from the streets of Chicago (Vikkas, Reno, Shaz, Jai, Daron, Kaleb, Grant, Dro and Dwayne) mentored and taught by the mysterious Khalil Germaine at the exclusive Macro International Magnet School in Chicago. This is King of South Shore real estate developer Kaleb Valentine, and women’s shelter worker Skyler Pierson. KING OF SOUTH SHORE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading KINGS OF THE CASTLE (Book one) for backstory. Skyler Pierson was first introduced to the reader in the King of Chatham, book two.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Kaleb and Skyler) KING OF SOUTH SHORE follows Kaleb Valentine, a former gang banger who turned evidence years before, as he endeavours to reinvigorate and revitalize the South Side of Chicago but all does not according to plan when the former gang known as the Sovereign Kings, attempts to recruit the one time member, in an effort to take over the territory Kaleb is trying to uplift. When a fire at one of Kaleb’s properties results in the death of five young women, Kaleb becomes the number one suspect in the eyes of the law. Kaleb’s reputation as a former gang banger precedes his return to Chicago and his re-introduction to the Kings of the Castle, a reputation that pits Kaleb against the ‘brothers’ who are struggling to trust our story line hero. Meanwhile Kaleb has fallen for Skyler Pierson, the woman who works side by side with Reno DeLuca, but a woman who will be come collateral damage when Kaleb asks Skyler to help with a young runaway who is refusing to talk. What ensues is the building relationship between Skyler and Kaleb, and the potential fall-out as the Sovereign Kings are determined to take control of Chicago’s South Side.

Kaleb Valentine fell in love with Skyler Pierson from their first introduction but Kaleb found himself pulled back into the world of the South Side gangs, a world of which he was hoping to take down. Skyler Pierson is fiercely protective of the clients at the local women’s shelter and thusly struggles with the unscheduled appearances of Kaleb Valentine. As Kaleb begins a slow seduction of the woman with whom he will fall in love, Skyler will be targeted when threats against Kaleb become personal and dark. The $ex scenes are intimate and limited, but I had to roll my eyes at the cringe-worthy ‘sexy talk’.

Most of the Kings of the Castle play secondary and supporting roles. We are introduced to Skyler’s extended family, including her daughter’s and feisty mother; Sovereign Kings leader Jeremiah ‘Killa’, and Zephyr and Aisha from the author’s previous release Gemini Rising.

KING OF SOUTH SHORE is an intriguing and entertaining story with a colorful and energetic cast of characters.

Previous reviews and reading order
KINGS OF THE CASTLE
King of Chatham
King of Evanston
King of Devon
King of Morgan Park
King of South Shore
King of Lincoln Park
King of Hyde Park
King of Lawndale

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy