ENEMIES IN RUIN / REDEMPTION IN CRUELTY (Sons of the Mafia 2 & 3) by Vi Carter & ER Whyte-reviews

Enemies in Ruin
Sons of the Mafia 3
by Vi Carter & ER Whyte
Genre: adult, contemporary, dark, erotic, Mafia, romance

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 15, 2023

The ink isn’t dry on the contract for my arranged marriage when my first and only love comes back to town.

The Pits demand five souls, turning men into monsters. I know this, as it took away my humanity when I was forced to kill my best friend.
It wasn’t just his life that ended that day but mine, too. I lost not only him, but his sister and my lover—who can never discover the truth of her brother’s death.
I swore before I snapped his neck that I would find out who runs the Pits and bring them to their knees.

I become an Untouchable, working in the shadows with law enforcement. The punishment for such betrayal is death.

I have nothing to lose, though. Nothing, that is, until Carina comes back to town.
She left as a girl and returned as a woman, rising beautiful and strong and a mafia queen in her own right.
Even as I crave her touch, my secrets are choking me along with the marriage contract I just signed to another woman.
But no matter how hard I try to stay away; Carina will always be the inescapable lure. The closer we get, the more danger we are in, until a hit on Carina forces my hand.

I have two choices.

Stay loyal to my family and let Carina die.
Or f*ck my family’s legacy and save the woman I love.

•••••

REVIEW: ENEMIES IN RUIN is the second instalment in the contemporary, adult SONS OF THE MAFIA dark, erotic, romance series. This is the west coast General-Queen Carina Scarpetta, and heir to the Marzano famiglia Luca Marzano’s story line. ENEMIES IN RUIN can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Luca and Carina), using two timelines, and Carina’s journal entries, ENEMIES IN RUIN follows the return to New York of Carina Scarpetta, the ‘disgraced’ daughter of Agostina Scarpetta. Following the death of her beloved twin Francis, and the humiliation at the hands of the man that she loved, Carina left to become someone more powerful than anyone could have imagined but her return came with the realization that the man she once loved has been promised to someone else, and Carina is determined to get her revenge for sins of the past. All is not well within the Five Famiglias of New York, and a war is about to encroach on everyone concerned. From the fighting pits to the contract on our heroine’s head, secrets reveal a heart breaking betrayal near the top of the chain. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship between Carina and Luca, and the potential fall-out as our couple are targeted, standing in the direct line of fire.

The world building continues to focus on the fight for control; the battle for power, for cities, for money and influence. With Carina’s return comes a contract for her life, a life Luca is determined to protect with his own.

The relationship between Carina and Luca is one of second chances but a relationship that destroyed our heroine’s heart. Pushed aside, and left on her own, Carina would become one of the most powerful women on the West coast, a woman who is going to prove she is willing to risk it all for vengeance against those who destroyed her life. The $ex scenes are intimate and provocative but I am not a fan of the use of a certain four-letter word.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, questionable and powerful secondary and supporting characters. We are introduced to the new head of the Irish mob Evie O’Hanlon, Commission Valachi Don Angelus, as well as several members of the Irish and Italian mob families and soldiers; and Carina’s father Agostina Scarpetta Not everyone can be trusted, most are trying to secure their own paths to the top.

ENEMIES IN RUIN is another tragic and dramatic story of power and control, danger and death, betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, murder and mayhem, forgiveness and love. The fast paced premise is intriguing, intense and edgy; the romance is a chance at forgiveness and forever; the characters are desperate, determined, dynamic and animated.

Copy supplied by Booksprout

Reviewed by Sandy

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REDEMPTION IN CRUELTY
Sons of the Mafia 3
by Vi Carter & ER Whyte
Genre: adult, contemporary, dark, erotic, Mafia, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

ABOUT THE BOOK : Release Date November 14, 2023

They say she is a mafia princess. But when Evie O’Hanlon’s precious feet land on Irish soil, I realize everyone is wrong. She’s not a princess but a Queen.

A Queen I want to capture, play with, and then kill.

You can’t have competition, no matter how pretty the package is. And the package is very f*ucking pretty—so much so that my plan to kill her weakens the closer I get.
But my Queen isn’t exactly innocent. She weaves her own dark and dangerous web for me, one she freely admits to.
Together, we are gasoline and flame—explosive.
When we decide that we’d rather work together than against each other, our allies turn on us, and soon every move we make is marked by danger and death.
But every time they hurt us, they push us closer together.
So close that we ignite and burn the world around us to the ground.
Revenge is sweet. Loving Evie is sweeter.

•••••••

REVIEW: REDEMPTION IN CRUELTY is the third instalment in the contemporary, adult SONS OF THE MAFIA dark, erotic, romance series co-authored by Vi Carter and ER Whyte. This is Irish Mob Queen / Italian Mafia heir Evie O’Hanlon, and the head of the O’Rourke Mob Cassidy O’Rourke’s story line. REDEMPTION IN CRUELTY can be read as a stand alone but for back story and cohesion I recommend reading the series in order.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Evie and Cassidy) REDEMPTION IN CRUELTY follows in the wake of Evie inheriting control of both the O’Hanlon and Papparado crime families. The death of her parents and her brothers has left Evie in charge wherein a trip to Ireland to regain control finds Evie confronted by Irish mobster Cassidy O’Rourke. Cassidy has plans for our story line heroine but betrayal from both sides push Cassidy and Evie to work together, in an effort to stay alive in the face of treason, murder and a fight for control. What ensues is building of both a sexual and professional relationship between Cassidy and Evie, and the potential fall-out as our couple are caught in a war in which very few will survive.

The world building is detailed and complex as several different and warring factions of the Irish mob want to rip control from the other side. The O’Hanlon’s blame the O’Rourke’s, and vice versa, and in this there is quite a bit of truth to the deceit and duplicity of everyone involved.

The relationship between Evie and Cassidy is one predicated upon a need for vengeance but with every opportunity for retribution Cassidy finds himself falling for a woman whose family he blames for everything that went wrong. Time spent together brings the couple closer but their closeness is the fodder that will make them a target of those who believe they have been betrayed. The $ex scenes are intimate and erotic.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic and determined secondary and supporting characters. We are introduced to Cassidy’s siblings Mark, Derek and Rowan, as well as Evie’s housekeepers John, Meredith and their son Tadgh. The requisite evil has many faces-not everyone will survive.

REDEMPTION IN CRUELTY is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, murder and mayhem, determination, acceptance and love. The premise is dark, gritty, heart breaking and captivating; the romance is seductive; the characters are desperate, broken, and dynamic.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Sins of the Mafia
Vengeance in Blood

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Haven’t started the series? The prequel novella-SINS OF THE MAFIA is FREE at these retailers: –>  Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /