Tag Archives: crime family

DANCE OF DECEPTION (The Darkest Dance 1) by Jagger Cole-review

Posted on by
12

DANCE OF DECEPTION (The Darkest Dance 1) by Jagger Cole-review tour

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

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3WxPovn

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 13, 2025

He knows what I saw. Now he owns me.
Carmine Barone is a monster no one sees but me.
A beautiful villain with a cold, black heart and a body honed for violence.
But when I stumble into a world I was never meant to see, the ruthless mafia heir becomes something else, too:
My husband.
Now, I’m trapped in a forced marriage to a man who hunts in darkness.
A man who plays games with lies and deception.
A secret predator who wants to feast on my darkest, most immoral desires.
And the only thing worse than being chased by a psychopath?
Wanting him to.

••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: DANCE OF DECEPTION is the first instalment in Jagger Cole’s contemporary, adult THE DARKEST DANCE dark,erotic, organized crime series. This is the new Don Carmine Barone, and ballet dancer Lyra Ostrova’s story line. There is a slight cross-over with the characters from Corrupted Hearts series, and Dark Hearts Series.

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

Told from dual first person perspectives (Carmine and Lyra) DANCE OF DECEPTION follows the forced marriage between Don Carmine Barone and ballet dancer Lyra Ostrova. Lyra Ostrova lives with her alcoholic mother Vera, and since the death of her father, Lyra and her mother have struggled to make ends meet. When a member of an organized crime family confronts our heroine with a threat of payment due, Lyra finds herself dancing blind for a group of men she knows nothing about but Lyra will witness a crime, and her life will no longer be her own, as she must choose between flight or fight. Married to the new Don, Carmine Barone, or face death while on the run, Lyra must come to terms with the man who will control her life.. As Lyra struggles with her new direction, the past will return, and our heroine, is once again, facing down a man who already destroyed her life and the lives of so many others.

The world building focuses on murder and betrayal as Lyra struggles to overcome the demons from her past, demons that refuse to let go. Don Carmine Barone is determined to protect the woman with whom he will fall in love but Carmine will have to take down the world in which Lyra once lived.

The relationship between Lyra and Carmine is a forced marriage, predicated on witnessing a crime. Lyra is a university student, working towards a degree in psychiatry but Lyra will quickly discover the man to whom she is married is a monster, a psychopath, and the head of the Barone Crime family. Carmine Barone doesn’t do relationships, and never planned to get married, but his father’s ill health pushed Carmine to the top of the line, and in doing so, a wife is needed to complete the look. As Carmine quickly takes control of his wife, Lyra faces down more than one monster in an effort to survive. The $ex scenes are provocative and intense, and not without some issues of questionable consent.

We are introduced to the members of a group known as The Black Court, a group of self-proclaimed vigilantes who decide the rules- who lives and who dies: The Hound, The Raven, The Wolf, The Bull, The Stag: Lyra’s fellow ballet dancers including Carmine’s sister Bianca Barone Drakos (
Venomous Gods #4) , Dove Marchetti, Brooklyn, Vaughn, Milena and Madame Kuzmina, as well as Lyra’s mother Vera, and several members of Bratva and Italian crime families including Bratva Kingpin Kir Nikolayev. The requisite evil has many faces.

DANCE OF DECEPTION is a story of betrayal and vengeance, murder and madness, secrets and lies, power and control, acceptance and love. The premise is dark, gritty, dramatic and raw; the romance is limited; the characters are determined, complex and broken.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

A reader first and foremost, Jagger Cole cut his romance writing teeth penning various fan-fiction stories years ago. After deciding to hang up his writing boots, Jagger worked in advertising pretending to be Don Draper. It worked enough to convince a woman way out of his league to marry him, though, which is a total win.

Now, Dad to two little princesses and King to a Queen, Jagger is thrilled to be back at the keyboard.

When not writing or reading romance books, he can be found woodworking, enjoying good whiskey, and grilling outside–rain or shine.

You can find all of his books at www.jaggercolewrites.com

Grab a FREE book for joining my fans-only newsletter – https://dl.bookfunnel.com/8rld1ik3sd

FOLLOW: WEBSITE / Facebook / Bookfunnel Newsletter / Goodreads / Amazon Author / Instagram /

Share

The Desires That Burn by Kristen Luciani-Review & Excerpt tour

Posted on by
15

The Desires That Burn (Obsidian Knights Secret Society 2) by Kristen Luciani-review & excerpt tour

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

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 18, 2024

I have a weakness for bad boys…and my latest obsession? My father’s best friend.Gorgeous and powerful. Ruthless and deadly. Orion is the threat of death wrapped in a 6’5 tattooed package of filthy intent. He’s my new bodyguard. And my father’s trusted friend and hired gun. Lines quickly blur when he shows up to rescue me from a depraved group called the Collectors. My Internet fame got me caught in their dark and twisted crosshairs. Orion is the only one who can save me. But his method of protection quickly turns into something much more carnal when I call him Daddy.

He demands everything from me. My obedience. My submission. My body. He calls me young and spoiled, swearing he wants nothing to do with me beyond this job. Yet I’m the only one who can make him lose the control he hangs onto so tightly. Each minute we’re together makes him forget why my father sent him. Obligation turns into scorching hot passion that flares out of control. He makes my blood burn hot and passions run wild. Even though we have no future beyond this mission, we can’t stay away from each other. I want him to make me his, to claim me, to own me in every way. But when the Collectors close in to expose my biggest weakness, I have no choice but to go to them. To save my Daddy Orion. The question is, will he be able to save me?

••••

REVIEW:THE DESIRES THAT BURN is the second instalment in Kristen Luciani’s contemporary adult OBSIDIAN KNIGHTS SECRET SOCIETY dark, erotic, romance series focusing on a secret society of billionaires and assassins. This is former US Special Forces/ assassin for hire Jaxson ‘Orion’ Carter, and twenty year old social media influencer Dakota Hunt’s story line. THE DESIRES THAT BURN 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 including Daddy-kink, Dom / sub and graphic violence, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers. The author includes a list of TW in the book.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Orion and Dakota) THE DESIRES THAT BURN follows in the wake of the abduction of our story line heroine. Dakota Hunt is a social media influencer but her naivety is about to place her in the direct line of fire. Believing she has been invited to an exclusive party, our heroine’s ongoing naivety is a bitter pill to swallow. Assigned to rescue our story line heroine from a sex trafficking ring, Obsidian Knight Jaxson ‘Orion’ Carter finds himself on the defensive when he discovers Dakota’s connections to the Obsidian Knights, and his unwanted attraction to a much younger woman who is everything our hero needs and more. What ensues is the building but unconventional daddy/baby girl , Dom/sub relationship between Dakota and Orion, and the potential fall-out as Orion believes himself unworthy of love, and their time together comes to a close.

The world building is detailed and complex as the Obsidian Knights including Mercer and Smith push the proverbial buttons of our story line hero .Orion is a bit of a lone wolf, a rogue with a dark past, but a man who is struggling with his place in the Society. Obedience is rare, and his need to protect Dakota is in opposition to the orders from the people at the top.

The relationship between Dakota and Orion begins as a rescue but a rescue that becomes more dangerous with every move. A pretend Dom/sub relationship in an effort to escape becomes the catalyst that catches the eye of the people in charge.The $ex scenes are erotic, provocative and controversial including Daddy kink, Dom/sub, questionable consent

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including fellow Knights Mercer and Smith, Dakota’s friend Harley, as well as a number of deviant billionaires and businessmen. The requisite evil has many faces.

THE DESIRES THAT BURN is a dark, dramatic and intense story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, violence and aggression, acceptance and love. The premise is gritty and raw; the alternative romance is contentious ; the characters are desperate and charismatic.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one THE SECRETS THAT KILL

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Keep reading for a look inside The Desires That Burn!

I rise slowly, and then I look up.
It’s him. The man who caught my attention on the deck. Up close, he’s older than I thought… or maybe it’s his eyes that are old, like they’ve lived through different lifetimes and personally visited hell. They’re eyes that have stories most don’t want to know, but for some odd reason, I do.
For the first time I wish my talents lay in paint and brush rather than the ability to turn found objects into art.
“I thought I was alone,” I say, the words tumbling from my lips. “I’m Dakota.”
He doesn’t answer. His intense, hard gaze moves over me like he’s grazing my skin. He’s so tall, and I’m not exactly short at five foot seven, but somehow, I feel like I’m barely a foot off the ground. I swallow hard as he moves closer, reaching over the polished wood of the bar for a bottle of rum.
And though he doesn’t touch me, the whisper of air on my bare arm tingles like he licked my skin.
He opens the bottle and silently, I hand him a glass. The clear liquid fills the glass. Then he nods to the one in my hand.
“Jesus,” he mutters. The voice low, rough like gravel, the kind of voice I didn’t know I liked, the kind of voice that finds its way down deep into my soul. “Are you even old enough to fucking drink?”
“Most men here try to ply with me booze, not talk me out of it.” Another mess of words. I shrug. “Age is just a number.”
He raises a brow. I edge out from behind the bar, aware I’m wearing a skimpy bikini Amelia insisted on giving to me. It came in a cute little lacquered bag with the tags still on it, tags she ripped off before I could see the cost. I’m wearing a white gauze lounge top over the suit, and I suddenly feel completely underdressed, like I’ve just stepped into a boudoir.
The man doesn’t comment on it; he doesn’t have to. The dark light in his eyes pulls me to him, makes me want to ask what I should wear because the expression is one of both desire and disapproval. I’m a little shocked by my reaction to him, by my wanting to please him. That’s new.
I start to down my drink when he grabs my wrist.
It’s like the singe of a wild flame, that touch. His hand is huge, tattooed with something that covers the top completely and disappears up his wrist and into his shirt. From the quick glimpse, I think it’s a snarling, fang-baring snake or dragon or beast.
There are thick silver rings on his fingers. The one on his middle finger has a square black stone in the center, and the one on his thumb is inscribed. It doesn’t look like it should belong, but it does, the way he doesn’t seem to fit the vibe on the yacht, yet somehow… he makes it all his own.
“Do you like that? Men ogling, plying you with drinks?”
I swallow. He’s twisting the meaning of the words into something dirty, and a low throb of want that connects to an innate need to suddenly please undulates through me. Because I want to say I’m not the kind of girl he implies that I am.
“I just meant I can drink if I want.” I glare, my words laced with annoyance.
The slightly sullen note hangs in the air, and the look on his face is stern, almost savage, like a predator who needs to eat.
I’m not sure I like him.
But he’s beyond hot.
“You don’t need a drink,” he says.
“Neither do you.”
That earns a very slight smile. “But, little girl, I’m of age.”
Because I’ve had a couple of drinks on an empty stomach, and the courage of booze races through my veins, heating them, I slide a hand up over his chest and oh my God, it is a wall of solid, ripped muscle. I edge closer and press against him.
“I’m not a little girl, I’m not sixteen. In fact…” I don’t have to like him to flirt or to give in to the need to touch that pulsates through me. Test the boundaries. After all, there’s no one here to judge. Except for him. “I’m old enough.”
“I see.” His eyes glitter and then he moves. Fast.
My drink is pulled from my hand and set down, and then I’m flush against him, sandwiched between him and the wall.
He leans in, his tongue tracing the skin of my throat, and then he lifts his head. I’m boneless, a vortex of need that sucks all attention right to the spot where his tongue grazed.
A throbbing sensation hums between my thighs.
And I can barely breathe.
“Be very careful who you say that to,” he says. “Because a lot of the people on this overgrown boat won’t fucking stop there.”
“And you?” I whisper. “Where will you stop?”
“Playing with fire will get you the fuck burned.” He slides a large roughened palm against my cheek.
The heat of his touch burns deliciously deep.
The man licks me again, stopping at my pulse point. He sucks, making a moan slip from my lips.
He narrows his eyes at me, his lips twisting.
“Go. Now. Before…” He releases me and steps back, fire raging in his heavy gaze. “Something happens.”
I suck in a breath, my shoulders trembling. Then I cross the room, twist the door handle, and run like hell just as he commanded me to.

FOLLOW: Website / GOODREADS / Facebook/ Twitter / Instagram/ YouTube / Bookbub/
Facebook Reader Group/

Kristen Luciani is a USA Today bestselling author of steamy and suspense-filled romance. She’s addicted to kickboxing, Starburst jelly beans, and swooning over dark, broken anti-heroes. Kristen is happily married to her own real-life hero of over 20 years. In addition to penning spicy stories, she also has a part-time job as her three kids’ personal Uber driver, which she manages to successfully juggle along with her other tasks: laundry, cleaning, laundry, cooking, laundry, and caring for her adorable Boston Terrier puppy.

Mafia romance is her passion…and her poison.

Share