King of Hyde Park/King of Lawndale(Kings of the Castle 8 & 9) by Lisa Watson & Janice Allen-reviews

KING OF HYDE PARK
(Kings of the Castle #8)
by Lisa Watson
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic, suspense

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters/Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 20, 2019

Alejandro “Dro” Reyes has been a “fixer” for as long as he could remember, which makes owning a crisis management company focused on repairing professional reputations the perfect fit. The same could be said of Lola Samuels, who is only vaguely aware of his true talents and seems totally oblivious to the growing attraction between them. His company, Vantage Point, is in high demand and business in the Windy City is booming. Until a mysterious call following an attempt on his mentor’s life forces him to drop everything and accept a fated position with The Castle which blindsides him with an enemy he never saw coming.

Public relations maven, Lola Samuels, has just been given an impossible task to fix the tarnished image of longtime bad boy, Shawn Mayhew. She reaches out to Dro for assistance, unaware of the underlying tension between the Mayhews and Reyes families. What starts out as a cut and dry working arrangement becomes complicated by danger, ulterior motives, and a fierce heat that won’t be denied.

When Alejandro discovers the lengths that the Mayhews will go to unseat him and ruin his family who has a decades long affiliation to The Castle, he calls in a few reinforcements of his own from his brother Kings. But there’s a hidden agenda that Alejandro doesn’t see coming who threatens his life, his woman, and his throne.

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REVIEW:KING OF HYDE PARK by Lisa Watson is the eighth 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 fixer Alejandro ‘Dro’ Reyes, and PR agent Lola Samuels’ story line. KING OF HYDE PARK can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading KINGS OF THE CASTLE (Book one) for backstory and history.

Told from several third person perspectives including Dro and Lola KING OF HYDE PARK continues to focus on the threats against the Kings of the Castle. Alejandro ‘Dro’ Reyes is a fixer, and is desperate to uncover the people behind the attack on his mentor Khalil Germaine, an attack that recalled Dro and his ‘brothers’ back home. Hoping to get closer to Lewis Wingate and Alistair Mayhew, current and former members of the Castle, Dro begins a slow seduction of Alistair’s PA Lola Samuels, only to find himself quickly falling for the woman herself. What ensues is the building relationship and romance between Dro and Lola, and the potential fall-out as Lola becomes collateral damage in the war between The Castle, and its’ former members.

The relationship between Lola and Dro is a rapid building affair of insta-lust to love. Dro knows immediately that Lola is the woman that calls to his heart but Lola struggles in the face of potential betrayal knowing Dro was using her to get close to the Mayhew clan. 

KING OF HYDE PARK is a story of family, friendship, betrayal and control. Once again, several of the Kings of the Castle play secondary and supporting roles including Daron, Jai, Grant and Shaz; Khalil and Vikkas Germaine; Grayson and Travers. We are introduced to Dro’s blood family including brother Esteban and Raul, as well as their parents Victor and Valentina Reyes, and uncle Santiago; Lola’s mother Maggie; Alistair Mayhew and his son Shawn; and security specialist Alexa King.

KING OF HYDE PARK is another fast pace and entertaining instalment in the Kings of the Castle series. The premise is engaging and captivating; the romance is passionate; the characters are numerous and dynamic.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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KING OF LAWNDALE
Kings of the Castle #9
by Janice M. Allen
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic suspense

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters/Indigo /

Release Date: December 23, 2019

Dwayne Harper’s passion is giving disadvantaged boys the tools to transform themselves into successful men. Unfortunately, the minute he steps up to take his place among the men he considers brothers, two things stand in his way: a political office that does not want the competition Dwayne’s new education system will bring, and a well-connected former member of The Castle who will use everything in his power—even those who Dwayne mentors—to shut him down.

Tiffany Mason is harboring a dark secret that can shatter Dwayne’s dream, not to mention his heart. While he is everything she could want in a handsome, intelligent, and driven man, her past makes her second guess the acceptance of his recent proposal. But while she’s searching for a way to disengage from the best relationship she’s ever had, a mutual female friend goes full throttle in an undercover mission to help Dwayne fight those who oppose him. Things become complicated for everyone involved when Tiffany’s past becomes part of a blackmail scheme with the ultimate goal of another woman wanting Dwayne all to herself. Now Tiffany wishes she had been honest with Dwayne from day one so she wouldn’t become a weapon that could be used against him on more than one level.

One of these women holds the key to Dwayne’s success. The other can cause his downfall. Dwayne must choose the right queen, fend off his powerful enemies, and forge toward the success that’s due him as a King of the Castle.

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REVIEW: KING OF LAWNDALE by Janice M. Allen is the ninth and final 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 Dwayne Harper, and Tiffany Mason’s story line. KING OF LAWNDALE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading KINGS OF THE CASTLE (Book one) for backstory and history. There is a slight cross-over with the author’s THERE IS NO RIGHT WAY TO DO A WRONG THING where the reader is first introduced to Uncle Bubba and Dwayne. You do not have to have read the aforementioned story in order to understand or follow the current time line.

Told from several third person perspectives including Tiffany and Dwayne KING OF LAWNDALE follows several converging paths including the building relationship between Tiffany and Dwayne, as well as the ongoing struggle with the attempts to destroy and discredit Dwayne Harper, and his Excel Charter School on Chicago’s Westside. Dwayne Harper has always been about the education of the under privileged, and starting his own charter schools gave Dwayne a chance to pay back to the community but Alderman Eduardo Sanchez sees competition and trouble from Dwayne Harper, and does everything in his power to take down Dwayne Harper including going after the woman with whom Dwayne is in love. Enter Tiffany Mason, whose own three year battle with her soon to be ex, is draining the life out of our story line heroine. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Tiffany and Dwayne, as Dwayne and the Kings of the Castle forge closer to the people h*ll bent on taking it all.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including all of the previous story line couples, Khalil Germaine and his large extended family; Alderman Eduardo Sanchez, and several of his goons; as well as a number of boys who attend Dwayne’s Excel Charter School.

KING OF LAWNDALE is the culmination of nine story lines, each focusing on one of the ‘Kings’ of Chicago, Kings who work tirelessly to bring positivity, and abundance to the out of control, gang infested neighborhoods of Chicago’s crime riddled streets and homes. As each King wages battle in his own district, the men are pulled together in an effort to ferret out the people responsible for trying to kill their mentor and friend Khalil Germaine. The premise is engaging, entertaining and exciting; the romance is clean and sweet; the characters are numerous, energetic and colorful.

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