💛 COURTING DANGER (Ruthless Empire 1) by Eve Riley-review 💛

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 18, 2024

Amidst deadly enemies and tense power struggles, the boundaries of love are put to the ultimate test.

Garrison Reyes is an ex-soldier struggling to make ends meet after retiring from the military due to a traumatic incident during his last deployment. When he is hired as a bodyguard, he sees it as an opportunity to put his combat skills to use. As Garrison becomes more entrenched in Alex’s world, he realizes that his new boss is not just a wealthy businessman, but the son of the head of the Italian mafia. He sees firsthand the violence and corruption that permeates their world, and begins to question whether he can continue to work for someone involved in such a dark and dangerous organization.

Targeted by rival crime families who want to take down his father’s empire, Alex Mariano is forced to take his father’s position as head of the Italian mafia when his father is incarcerated. Alex is struggling with his own internal conflicts. He wants to make changes that will help the family thrive and grow stronger, but he knows that his ambitions may put him in even more danger. As tensions within the mafia empire rise, Alex finds himself in the middle of a power struggle with the last person he ever expected.

Despite their vastly different backgrounds and a significant age gap, Garrison and Alex develop a powerful attraction to each other, but their relationship is complicated by the fact that they come from opposing worlds. Garrison struggles to reconcile his feelings for Alex with his loyalty to his own moral code. Meanwhile, Alex is torn between his love for Garrison and his duty to his family and the mafia.

Can love conquer all in a world where family honor and loyalty come first? Or will they be torn apart by the very forces that brought them together?

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REVIEW: COURTING DANGER is the first instalment in Eve Riley’s contemporary adult RUTHLESS EMPIRE erotic, MM, Mafia romance series. This is twenty-five year old heir to the Mariano Crime family Alex Mariano, and forty-two year old, former US Army Ranger Garrison Reyes’ story line.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise including graphic violence and same $ex situations, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Alex and Garrison) COURTING DANGER follows in the aftermath of an attempt against Alex Mariano’s life. Garrison Reyes is weeks away from losing his home, and with the advise of his best friend Caden, Garrison is hoping for a job at a local nightclub but everything begins to spiral out of control when an assassination attempt against Garrison’s would -be boss forces Garrison into action, immediate on the job training to save the man with whom he would fall in love. Garrison has no idea as to Alex’s Mafia connection, and in this, Garrison struggles with the who and what of his new employer. What ensues is the building relationship between Garrison and Alex, and the potential fall-out as the Mariano family is targeted including the man at the top.

The world building follows several paths including the building relationship between our story line couple. Not everyone is happy with the possibility of a gay man at the helm of the Italian Mafia, and Alex will be targeted along with the other members of the Mariano family. Meanwhile, the Mariano family is trying to stop a potential war between the Mariano, the Bianchi and Vidales crime families but someone else is setting up Alex to fail.

The relationship between Alex and Garrison begins when Garrison saves Alex’s life but Garrison struggles working for the Bianchi Mafia family, and is considering walking away without looking back but when Alex goes missing Garrison is front and centre in the hopes of rescuing the man with whom he will fall in love. The $ex scenes are intimate and erotic.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and interesting secondary and supporting characters. We are introduced to Garrison’s friend Caden; Alex’s mother, his cousin Ghita, Uncle Lorenz; Alex’s father’s right hand man Valente Guerra, and D’Angelo Bianchi. The requisite evil was easily deduced.

COURTING DANGER is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, homophobia and obsession, secrets and lies, family and acceptance. The fast paced, character driven premise is intriguing and captivating; the romance is intimate and provocative; the characters are powerful, energetic and determined.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy