To Have & To Hold (Brutal Vows 5) by Aleatha Romig-review tour

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Sandy

❤️🧡To Have & To Hold (Brutal Vows 5) by Aleatha Romig-review tour❤️🧡

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 24, 2025

The Roríguez cartel is spinning out of control, tragedy putting the alliance and our future in question.

I’m Emiliano Ruiz and throughout the last few years, I’ve witnessed my sisters being doled out to members of the Luciano Mafia. The cartel has also taken famiglia women. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Luciano famiglia’s turn to take a bride.
My mind is set—it’s my turn.

I never imagined marrying a young bride until I caught sight of Isabella Luciano. She’s only eighteen, and with her long yellow hair and big brown eyes, she’s a vision to behold. She sees me, however, through the tinted lens of her father’s hatred.

Carmine Luciano’s disdain of the cartel and the alliance isn’t a secret. His opinion won’t stop me. I’ll prove to Isabella that even bad men can be good husbands.

No matter what her father says or what happens in our war, Isabella will be mine.

•••••

REVIEW:TO HAVE AND TO HOLD is the fifth and final? Instalment in Aleatha Romig’s contemporary , adult BRUTAL VOWS erotic, Mafia romance series. This is twenty-nine year old, Roriguez Cartel lieutenant Emiliano ‘Em’ Ruiz, and eighteen year old, Luciano Mafia princess Isabella Luciano’s story line. TO HAVE AND TO HOLD can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and cohesion.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Em and Isabella) TO HAVE AND TO HOLD follows in the wake of Isabella Luciano’s arrival in San Diego, California where she is tasked with helping her cousin Dario’s sister Mia, in the wake of the birth of her child but Isabella believes she is being tested, in the hopes of crawling home with her proverbial tail tucked between her legs . As a princess in the Luciano Mafia, Isabella has been ordered to keep her distance from the Mexican Cartel but two of Isabella’s cousins have married into the Roriguez Cartel, and our heroine is about to lose her heart to their newest Lieutenant. Emiliano ‘Em’ Ruiz is a high ranking member of the Roriguez Cartel, and our hero has fallen for a woman who has been raised to fear, wholly unaware of the workings of the Mafia and Cartel. As Em begins a slow seduction of our story line heroine, the Cartel is pulled into war the Russian Bratva.

The world building follows several paths including the dysfunctional dynamics of the Luciano family. Isabella is nothing more than a naïve pawn for her father’s rise to power but our heroine refuses to stand down when her father demands her return and more. As the Cartel battles for control, Isabella quickly learns about the dangers threatening the man that she loves.

The relationship between Isabella and Em is an age-gap, forbidden love, Romeo and Juliet-esque story of insta-love. Emiliano knows immediately that Isabella is the woman he is hoping to claim as his own but Isabella struggles with the pre-conceived notion that all Cartel members are dangerous killers. Naive and young, raised in a proverbial gilded cage, Isabella quickly settles into life with the Roriguez Cartel, falling for a man who will lay claim to her heart. The $ex scenes are passionate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

Once again, there is a large ensemble of colorful, powerful and energetic secondary and supporting characters, most of whom we met in the previous story lines including Isabella’s new friend Liliana. We are introduced to Isabella’s father Carmine Luciano, and her siblings Noemi and Tony, and her guards Horace and Silas.

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD is a story of power and control, family and restriction, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is engaging and compelling; the romance is seductive; the characters are determined and charismatic.The Brutal Vows series is not as dark or dramatic as some of the other Mafia romance story lines-the quick conflict resolution is subdued but there is plenty of sl&t shaming, which is addressed and condemned..

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Now and Forever
Til Death Do Us Part
Bound By A Promise
Queens and Monsters

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Aleatha Romig is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana, USA. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis. Aleatha has raised three children with her high school sweetheart and husband of over thirty years. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she’s not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend her time a with her family and friends. Her other pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams and bring your imagination to life!

Aleatha released her first novel, CONSEQUENCES, in August of 2011. CONSEQUENCES became a bestselling series with five novels and two companions released from 2011 through 2015. The compelling and epic story of Anthony and Claire Rawlings has graced more than half a million e-readers. Aleatha released the first of her series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE, INSIDIOUS, in the fall of 2014. These stand alone thrillers continue Aleatha’s twisted style with an increase in heat.

In the fall of 2015, Aleatha moved head first into the world of dark romantic suspense with the release of BETRAYAL, the first of her five novel INFIDELITY series that has taken the reading world by storm. She also began her traditional publishing career with Thomas and Mercer. Her books INTO THE LIGHT and AWAY FROM THE DARK were published through this mystery/thriller publisher in 2016.

In the spring of 2017, Aleatha released her first stand-alone, fun, and sexy romantic comedy with PLUS ONE, followed by the sweet stand-alone, ONE NIGHT.

Aleatha is a “Published Author’s Network” member of the Romance Writers of America and PEN America. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

And if you’re new to ALEATHA, check out her FREE books.

I Thee Take by Natasha Knight-Review tour

Posted on February 24, 2021 by Sandy

I Thee Take (To Have and To Hold Duet 2) by Natasha Knight-Review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 23, 2021

Scarlett

Cristiano is my enemy. He’s also the only man with whom I’ve ever felt safe. Protected.

But I have to remember that he married me with one purpose in mind. Revenge. I would be the bridge to his real enemies.

I can’t let myself forget that he isn’t the hero of this story. His hands are covered in blood. I saw that with my own eyes.

Cristiano

I thought I knew Scarlett’s past, but I didn’t know anything.

I thought I knew the worst of monsters, but I hadn’t seen anything yet.

Sometimes you have to lie to yourself to survive.

Sometimes it’s those closest to you who will bury their knives in your back.

Too many times it’s the innocents who pay for your mistakes. For your refusal to see.

I can’t let Scarlett pay for mine.

But I may be too late to stop it.

••••••

REVIEW:I THEE TAKE is the second instalment in Natasha Knight’s contemporary, adult TO HAVE TO TO HOLD dark, erotic Mafia romance series focusing on on twenty-two year old, Scarlett De La Cruz, and twenty-seven year old,Cristiano Grigori, one of the few surviving members of the Grigori crime family. I THEE TAKE should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of book one WITH THIS RING.

SOME BACKGROUND: Scarlett De La Cruz is payment for a debt, and her life is forfeited to Cristiano Grigori. Becoming Cristiano’s bride meant our heroine was now under the control of the Grigori family but all is not well in the Grigori family dynamic.

WARNING: I THEE TAKE contains graphic scenes of violence, abuse, rape, human trafficking and numerous triggers that may not be suitable for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Cristiano and Scarlett) I THEE TAKE picks up immediately after the events of book one WITH THIS RING in which Cristiano Grigori has been betrayed by someone from within the family, and the woman with whom he will fall in love is the ultimate target of pain and revenge. Cristiano lost most of his family years before but he begins to question the loyalty of the remaining few, and in this the safety of Scarlett is his primary goal leaving our ‘anti-hero’ exposed and fighting for his life. As Scarlett comes to terms with the inevitability of her own life, our heroine discovers that she is the ultimate prize in a game of revenge and payback against the man she now loves.

Most of the previous story line characters return including Cristiano’s brother Dante, and their uncle David; Italian Mafia head Marcus Rinaldi; attorney Charlie Lombardi; Mafia soldier Alec; house manager Lenore; and Scarlett’s younger brother Noah.

Like the first instalment, I THEE TAKE is a dark, intense, gritty and dramatic story of betrayal and revenge, power and control, love, loss, revelations and love. Natasha Knight pulls the reader into a nightmare of danger, deceit and deception; force, dominance, and ascendancy; of redemption, retribution, honor and love. I THEE TAKE ends on a happily ever after-for now but the author leaves many open ended plot lines that are most likely to be addressed in future story lines.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one WITH THIS RING.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance, Natasha Knight specializes in dark, tortured heroes. Happily-Ever-Afters are guaranteed, but she likes to put her characters through hell to get them there. She’s evil like that.

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Website: https://natasha-knight.com/
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To Have and To Hold by Lauren Layne – Review, Tour & Giveaway

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Barb

To Have and To Hold by Lauren Layne – Review, Tour & Giveaway

To Have and To HOld Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
Discovering her fiance is an international con man just moments before they exchange vows devastates celebrity wedding planner Brooke Baldwin’s business—and breaks her heart. Now a pariah in Los Angeles, she seeks a fresh start in New York City and thinks she’s found it with her first bridal client, a sweet—if slightly spoiled—hotel heiress. Then she meets the uptight businessman who’s holding the purse strings.

Seth Tyler wishes he could write a blank check and be done with his sister Maya’s fancy-pants wedding. Unfortunately, micromanaging the event is his only chance at proving Maya’s fiance is a liar. Standing directly in his way is the stunning blonde wedding planner whose practiced smiles and sassy comebacks both irritate and arouse him. He needs Brooke’s help. But can he persuade a wedding planner on a comeback mission to unplan a wedding? And more importantly, how will he convince her that the wedding she should be planning… is theirs?

Review:

To Have and to Hold by Lauren Layne is the 1^st book in her new Wedding Belles series. When I had read the prequel novella leading to this series, I knew I had to read this book. I am happy to say I wasn’t wrong, as I loved To Have and To Hold.

We meet Brooke Baldwin, our heroine, as she arrives in New York to begin her new job as a wedding planner for The Wedding Belles. Brooke is also running away from the her Los Angeles life, where her fiancée was arrested at the altar of her own wedding. It seems he wasn’t the man she thought he was, as he was a con man involved in a ponzi scheme. Though she is will happily help women plan their weddings, Brooke will not allow herself to trust or fall for any man.

Enter Seth Tyler, a wealthy hotel magnate, who decides to join his sister and her fiancée when they meet with Brooke to begin to plan the wedding. Seth does not trust Maya’s (his sister) fiancée, and plans to be there every step of the way, as he feels she is his responsibility after the loss of their father months ago. Seth was early for the meeting, and Brooke at first thinks he is the groom, and is somewhat mortified that she has an immediate attraction to him. Of course, by the time the meeting is over, both Seth and Brooke do not like each other, as they constantly trade barbs.

What follows is a romance between two people who ignore their chemistry, and have no intentions of every getting into any serious relationships. Brooke is independent, strong, and vulnerable; Seth is used to being totally in control and doing things his way. They clashed early on, but neither one of them can stop thinking about each other. Seth will get Brooke to help him keep an eye on things with his sister and report back to him, and in doing so, will try to win her over. They were really great together, lots of fun with their bantering, and in time, their sexual chemistry was hot. There was also the concern if Seth be able to discover if Maya’s fiancée was true blue, and if Brooke can come to terms with the man who left her at the altar.

I loved meeting the ladies of The Wedding Belles, and how quickly Brooke fit in. They were also very supportive to her, making her life easier in her move to New York. It is always fun to watch the prospective brides make decisions of gown, hall, etc. I also loved the other secondary characters of this story, especially Maya and Grant.

Lauren Layne has written a fabulous story, with a wonderful couple, great secondary characters and a romance that had us rooting hard for. I loved the premise of Wedding Belles, and look forward to the other ladies finding the man of their dreams. Lauren Layne is now being added to my list of authors that are automatic reads. I suggest you read To Have and to Hold. You won’t be sorry, as I enjoyed it so much, I read it in one day, since I could not put it down.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

about the author

Lauren Layne is the USA Today bestselling author of the Sex, Love, and Stiletto contemporary romances and the all-new Pocket Books series The Wedding Belles. She lives in New York with her husband and spoiled Pomeranian. Visit laurenlayne.com, meet the author on Facebook at LaurenLayneAuthor, or follow her on Twitter @_LaurenLayne.

giveaway

We are excited to do a Wedding Belles Bouquet Giveaway to celebrate the publication of the first in the series, TO HAVE AND TO HOLD. The Wedding Belles Bouquet will include To Have and to Hold (7/26), For Better or Worse (8/30), and To Love and to Cherish (10/18). You can visit all sites on the blog tour to enter to win the Wedding Belles Bouquets – but keep in mind you can only win once! U.S. only. Each winner will receive one copy of each book during the week of its publication date.

1. If you have not previously registered, please register using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging in, please refresh the page at the top of your computer.

2. If you are using a social log-in such as Twitter or Facebook, please post your email address with your comment.

3. LIKE Lauren Layne on Facebook

4. Giveaway open US only

5. Giveaway runs from July 26 to July 30, 2016

Blog Tour Schedule