Cruel Paradise (Beautifully Cruel #2 ) by JT Geissinger-Review & Excerpt tour
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 1, 2020
Anti-hero (noun):
1) A powerful and charismatic man lacking moral character
2) A magnificent bastard
3) Killian Black
You don’t know me.
You think you do, but you don’t.
The only thing you know is my name, and even that’s a lie.
I’m king of Boston, lord of criminals, ruler of an underworld empire. Or am I?
Only one thing’s for sure: I operate alone.
Until I cross paths with a brazen little thief who sets my whole kingdom on fire.
Just as two wrongs don’t make a right, two villains don’t belong together. Especially since she’s the daughter of my most deadly enemy.
Taking her would start a war.
Keeping her would be suicide.
Making her mine would break every code of honor and defy all common sense.
Then again, where’s the fun in following the rules?
•••••••
REVIEW:CRUEL PARADISE is the second instalment in JT Geissinger’s contemporary, adult BEAUTIFULLY CRUEL erotic, romance series. This is forty-year old, head of the Boston Irish mafia Killian Black and thief / PA Juliet Moretti Jameson’s story line. CRUEL PARADISE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Juliet and Killian) CRUEL PARADISE picks up several months after book one BEAUTIFULLY CRUEL wherein Liam Black hands over the reigns of the Boston Irish mafia to his twin brother Killian. A ‘strange’ theft at one of Killian’s warehouses finds our hero hunting the person(s) responsible only to discover that said thief is a woman who stirs something deep within our story line hero. Enter Juliet Jameson. With access to information no one should have Killian sets out to uncover the real identity of his ‘little thief’, an identity that threatens all good sense in Killian Black. Juliet Jameson ‘robs from the rich, and gives to the poor’ but Juliet is hiding in plain sight having, years before ran from her father, a man whose ties to the criminal underworld are dangerous and deadly but Juliet is about to discover that Killian Black is not the only man wanting something from our story line heroine. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Juliet and Killian, and the potential fall-out as Juliet is targeted for the sins of her father; and Killian reveals the who, how and why of his Mafia past.
The relationship between Juliet and Killian is one of immediate attraction but Juliet refuses to get involved with a Mafia king. Killian, for a powerful and self-assured man, struggles with his attraction to Juliet, desperately trying to seduce a woman who doesn’t want to be seduced. The more determined Killian is, the more headstrong Juliet refuses to go along. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic, passionate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
The colorful secondary and supporting characters include Juliet’s partners in crimes and best friends Max aka Maxima and Finley aka Fin; Killian’s associates Declan and Diego, as well as Killian’s brother Liam Black and his wife Truvy ‘Tru’ Sullivan. I am hoping the author has plans for both Declan and Diego.
CRUEL PARADISE is a story of family, friendships, power and control; of secrets and lies; of relationships and love. The character driven, fast paced premise is spirited and captivating; the romance is seductive and spicy; the characters are animated, energetic, and fun-the back and forth between Juliet, Fin and Max is sassy, entertaining and a pure joy.
Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one BEAUTIFULLY CRUEL
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
I climb into the car. The driver shuts the door behind me. In a moment, we pull away.
All heat and coiled tension, Liam simmers in the seat beside me.
After we’ve gone three blocks, he says, “How long are you going to make me wait until you look at me?”
“I’m working on regulating my breathing so I don’t pass out. Maybe ten minutes?”
His chuckle is low and sensual, raising my blood pressure by at least two hundred points.
“You’re tougher than that. I’ll give you ten seconds.”
When the seconds have ticked by, I turn my head and glance at him warily from the corner of my eye.
He stares at me with such blistering intensity that for a moment, I can’t breathe.
His voice husky, he says, “Hullo again.”
Holy mother of god, he’s handsome. How can someone so evil be so hot?
My exhalation comes out in a burst. It’s accompanied by a shudder. Then I clear my throat and pretend I’m a mentally functioning adult. “Hi.”
He lets his gaze drift over me, head to toe, taking in every aspect of my clothing, posture, and expression.
“You still don’t trust me.”
I make a sound that’s supposed to be a laugh, but it sounds more like a small animal being strangled. “Trust? I’m sorry, did you just say trust?”
“I did.”
He’s serious. I stare at him in astonishment. “Of course I don’t trust you! You’re…you!”
The driver pipes in from the front seat. “That’s hardly fair, lass. You’ve only just met.”
Through gritted teeth, Liam says, “Declan.”
“Right. Sorry.” Falling silent, he turns his attention back to the road.
Liam smiles reassuringly at me. “It’s so hard to find good help these days.”
I look back and forth between them, gobsmacked by the whole situation. I could be hallucinating. Maybe that hipster bartender put something into my drink.
I’m still pondering that when Liam leans over and settles his huge, hot hand around my throat.
I grip his thick wrist in both hands, gasping and shrinking back into the seat.
Looking into my eyes, he murmurs, “I’m not going to hurt you.”
My voice comes out high and panicked. “This is a shitty way of proving that.”
“I’m not trying to choke you, lass.”
It’s true, the pressure of his hand on my throat is gentle, but still. “Then what the hell are you doing?”
He slides his thumb back and forth over the throbbing vein in my neck. “Feeling your pulse.”
Heart hammering, I stare at him. “Why?”
“Because I want to see how fast it gets when I kiss you.”
I freeze. “Don’t you dare.”
He quirks one dark brow. “Why not?”
“I don’t want you to.”
He leans closer, his eyes burning into mine, his body heat and the warm scent of his skin surrounding me. He growls, “If you were telling the truth, little thief, I’d honor that request.”
I blurt, “I’m not ready for that!”
Instantly, he stills. His dark gaze searches my face. Then, slowly, his full lips lift into a smile. “Then I suppose I’ll have to wait until you are.”
He stares hungrily at my mouth for a moment before releasing me.
I remain where he left me, frozen and wide-eyed, slumped against the door, staring at him and trying to convince myself of several important facts.
One, that I should be afraid. Because, two, that there’s at least a fifty-fifty chance he’s going to snap my neck. And three, that I really didn’t want him to kiss me.
Especially that I didn’t want him to kiss me. Because what would it say about my sanity if I did?
Adjusting his tie and looking straight forward, he says, “Don’t overthink it. But thank you for being honest. If this is going to work, we have to be honest with each other.”
My laugh is weak and disbelieving. “This? There is no ‘this!’”
He turns his head and sears me with his gaze. “Aye, lass,” he says, his voice thick. “There is.”
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A former headhunter, J.T. Geissinger is the author of more than a dozen novels in contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.
She is the recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and is a two-time finalist for the RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America®. Her work has also finaled in the Booksellers’ Best, National Readers’ Choice, and Daphne du Maurier Awards.
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