VIOLENT ASCENSION (Made Men 1) by Giorgia Blake-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 March 14, 2023
I’m a Rising Star. A boss. A Real One.
Yet I’m here. Taken and bound inside the home of Alessandro Parisi.
A dangerous man who holds my life and secrets close to his chest.
He has all the answers but refuses to answer any of my questions.
All he’s told me is that I’m his and the key to his family’s ascension.
He saved me from his sadistic cousin, but I traded one monster for another.
This monster orders me to cooperate, bend to his touch, and obey.
Too bad obedience isn’t in my nature; rebellion is my birthright.
I probably won’t make it out of this blood war alive.
The likelihood of my heart surviving Alessandro is even less…
•••••••
REVIEW: VIOLENT ASCENSION is the first instalment in Giorgia Blake’s contemporary, adult MADE MEN dark, erotic, Mafia romance series. This is thirty-seven year old, Romano Crime Family Consigliere Alessandro Parisi, and twenty-four year old, classical pianist Sienna Augustin’s story line.
NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Alessandro and Sienna) VIOLENT ASCENSION follows in the wake of the discovery of the existence of an heir to the Ricci Crime Family. Alessandro Parisi and Don Thomasso Romano know Thomasso’s son Leo is a sadistic sociopath, and has set his sights on claiming the heir to the Ricci Crime Family. Years earlier, the Ricci family destroyed Alessandro, and in the wake, our hero has vowed his revenge. With the emergence of an heir, Alessandro is first to lay claim, pulling Sienna Augustin in a world she knows nothing about but Alessandro’s ulterior motive is to protect our story line heroine, while his cousin takes aim at controlling them all. What ensues is the building but tempestuous relationship between Alessandro and Sienna, and the potential fall-out as secrets and lies of omission force Sienna to walk away, into a nightmare she was not prepared.
The relationship between Sienna and Alessandro begins as forced proximity, an arranged marriage of convenience in the wake of threats against the Romano Crime Family. Alessandro and Thomasso has suspected someone is conspiring to take control at the top but never suspected the betrayal would come from within. Protecting Sienna means inviting the ire of the Ricci Crime Family but Sienna wants nothing to do with a world where arguments and fights are settled with guns and knives. As Alessandro does battle with his reluctant wife, Sienna must come to terms with a lifestyle that is about to take control. The $ex scenes are provocative and intense.
The secondary and supporting characters are colorful and powerful, energetic and mad. We are introduced to Alessandro’s uncle Don Thomasso Romano, and his cousins Leo and Luna; Don Matteo Ricci; Capo Enzo Bianchi, Capo Mario Bianchi, and housekeeper Maria. The requisite evil has many faces.
VIOLENT ASCENSION is a familiar story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, madness and mayhem, acceptance and love. The fast paced and dramatic premise is comparable to many Mafia-style story lines I have read in the past yet is also entertaining and captivating. The characters are aggressive and animated; the romance is dynamic and spirited. VIOLENT ASCENSION ends on a HFN-Happy For Now-many of the conflict issues have yet to be resolved.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
I feel her presence the moment Isabella is nearby. That’s the way it’s become between us the past few weeks. In Jane Eyre There’s a moment where Mr. Rochester tells Jane that he feels the presence of an invisible string connecting the two beneath his left rib. He claims with fervor that if that tether ever snapped, he’d bleed inwardly while she would forget he ever existed. Rochester was old, hardened by the world, and prone to outbursts of anger; while Jane was young, innocent, and talented. The world before her, his criminal past behind him; if he didn’t protect the frailty of that string with his life, then he would lose her forever.
When I first read it, I thought it was sentimental dribble. I saw it as a passage of words to muddle through in order to get to the end of the book. At this moment, I have a different view of that passage. Charlotte Bronte herself must have felt that snap or she was an emotional savant. I feel the snap of the string that kept Isabella in my universe the moment I hear her soft steps turn the corner. She’s holding my mother’s pistol and it seems fitting. I’d want her to have it.
My silly, brave and disobedient girl.
The betrayal in her eyes lets me know that she heard what the bastard just said and she’s more than pissed. She’s hurt. I lied to her, now she’ll be more determined than ever to escape. aToo bad I’ll never let her go. I need her too much. My need has nothing to do with the Romano Ascension but everything to do with the warmth of her sun. I won’t live in the cold without it.
“Father?” Her eyes stay focused on me, and I realize she’s asking me if what she heard is true. Even now, she’s praying I’m not as monstrous as I appear to be. But I am.
I’m dismissed before I can even respond.. Her attention turns to Matteo as she closes in on the truth.,
“You’re Matteo Ricci?” Her voice is strong and sure. Her chin held high, she faces the man that created and abandoned her.
Matteo eyes her carefully. He assesses her with a detached interest. I wonder if she feels it. I pray to God her anger at me does not distort her discernment. That’s a skill I’ve admired her for since we met. She read me like a book within moments of meeting me.
“I am. Come closer child. I want to have a good look at you.”
“Stay right where you are.” I bark. “Don’t move.”
Matteo scowls. “Is this how you’ve been treating my daughter? Like some dog you can call. She’s a Ricci and she should be treated like a queen, something you promised you would do.”
His feigned care is starting to really get under my skin. He’s up to something, and I’m not letting Isabella anywhere near him until I know exactly what it is. Matteo is a dangerous and unpredictable man. It was one thing for him to want her back because she’s his. That’s the mafia way. I expect that from a man like him. It’s something else entirely if he attaches value to her. Assets can be traded or sacrificed like pawns on a chessboard.
I’m a contemporary romance author dedicated to the dangerously delicious world of Mafia Romance. Every story will dare you to believe in the power of love, even when there doesn’t seem to be one sane reason to do so!
My stories feature sexy alphas and smart heroines finding love in the most breath stealing of circumstances. If someone can’t die at any moment–it’s not a Giorgia Blake Romance!
Every plot is full of heat, suspense, and steamy passion that would make the Karma Sutra blush.
So come join me on this wild ride…you won’t regret it!
Follow: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | BookBub | Newsletter | Amazon
Great review, Sandy. Looks intense and exciting. Thanks.
Amazing review, thanks for the excerpt.
Looks great, thanks Sandy
Thanks for another wonderful review.
Looks good, thanks for the excerpt.
Fantastic review and excerpt Sandy, looks great !
Terrific review Sandy, thanks for the excerpt.
Very nice review and excerpt, thanks.
Terrific review, Sandy. The premise looks good.
Thanks for the great review and excerpt