Parker S. Huntington

I was planning to read book 2 in this series first and changed my mind after reading a note from the author to start at the beginning in order to get the full effect of the series. Holy cow! I'm so glad I did.

The story is told entirely from Lucy's perspective which is my favorite POV. Why? Because there is nothing more thrilling than peeling back the layers of an extremely dangerous and fabulously sexy mob fixer.

Lucy is a courageous foster kid who has never truly been loved and is terrified show more of being beholden to anyone let alone agreeing to be a fake fiancee to a killer. So she makes the best of her situation and little by little she hears his tragic story and discovers a whole new side to Asher's killer alter ego including his subtle sense of humor, his chivalry, and his attentiveness. He's a complex and provocative package that Lucy can't resist, but will her association with him get her killed?

Lucy and Asher's story is a slow burn that begins with their fake engagement to save Asher's seat as CEO to his company. When they start to spend more time together, the attraction builds and Asher reveals that he wants to get out of the mafia business altogether. There are so many ways Asher shows Lucy he cares by giving her gifts proving that he listens, respects her by asking her opinion, and protecting her with his life. In turn, Lucy returns the favor by vowing to make him smile every day, defending him in a kickass verbal dispute, and revealing her tragic past in a very public way. The supporting characters of Xavier, Lucy's hunky personal bodyguard, and Aimee, Lucy's hilarious best friend, and roommate, are essential to Lucy's protection and friendship and worthy of a story in their own right. Let's hope.

Overall, I was delighted to read Ms. Huntington's debut mafia romance with engaging characters and an interesting plotline filled with cool technological gadgets only an intelligent and savvy ex-mafia fixer would have for his protection. And naturally, this great read motivates me to continue with the series.

This is not my first Huntington book, but after reading Devious Lies which is an engrossing enemies-to-lovers page-turner, I couldn't wait to read another. show less

This series... Holy Cow

With every book I read by this author I fall deeper down the rabbit hole. I devour her words as if they were essential to me breathing.

This book started slower at first but it is by far my favorite. There are so many things at play that it is staggering how the author ties it all together. There are sacrifices that are made (boy howdy are there ever) in order for fate to play its hand.

The characters were sublime. Watching them discover the themselves and no longer show more being alone. Priceless. The anticipation was insane and the true steam didn't appear until later than normal for romance books but sweet lawd it was hot. Yet, it was their connection that truly was fate that did me in.

I cannot wait for the next in this series. Definitely one of my favorite books of 2019. show less

This book was almost sheer perfection.

I live for reading. All books are magic, some more magical than others, but this book? Yeah, this book, is one of those special books that is what draws me to the wonderment of living in a fictional world. I have loved everything that this author has written. In fact, Devious Lies is one of my all-time favorite books of the thousands of books that I have read. Yet, this book? this book ranked even higher.

I thought I had a good idea of what this book was show more going to be about just based on the blurb. In a way, the blurb was spot on. However, it doesn't even begin to cover what this book was about. I won't lie, I hurt reading about the connection that Kellan and Charlotte had, moreover, the reasons why they had it. It is not something that is easily comprehended. more often than naught, I struggle with it in fiction because it is deeply personal to me. Trying to navigate it into something that needs to be talked about without making it shameful is hard. Nor, should it ever be glorified or romanticized. And somehow, the author was able to depict that in this book. Like it or not, it is a part of our society, whether we agree with it or not. The fact that this author was able to humanize this in a way that I felt in a plethora of ways says something. I felt the emotions. I came to understand what was going on in their minds. When Charlie and Tate started talking about Kellan, my heart hurt all over again. At times, I was almost crippled with a deep pain in my chest at watching these two characters navigate so many emotions. At one time or another, I watched the anger, the betrayal, the sadness, the agonizing grief, the acceptance, and even the happiness or acceptance of something that was out of their control. I am not going to lie, I felt those same emotions at Kellan and he was fictional.

The author broke this book up into stages. I needed those stages as a way to get my emotions sorted out. Not only, in regards to the main story and connection between Tate and Charlie, but also to make sense of Kellan, Terry (Kellan and Tate's father), and also Charlie's relationship with her sister. This is a big book. According to Goodreads, this book says it is only 470 pages but Amazon says it is over 700 pages. I am going with Amazon on this one because there was A LOT of story to unpack here and it needed all of those pages. Even being long, the book never felt like it was dragging on in. In fact, it could have gone on for more, and I would have been happy. I liked what was discovered at the end of the book (it sure made me question if it wasn't a significant factor in what impacted Kellan) but I do wish that it had given more insight into what the fallout of that particular bombshell had after it came out. Yet, even with wondering the impact, I still have to say that watching Tate and Charlie navigate this maelstrom was beautiful.

I loved how the author incorporated Darling Venom into this love story and the significance of the title as a book but also in regards to the characters themselves. I loved reading the snippets of the story as it unveiled insight into all the characters. It made it more personable for me. This book is one of the best of 2021. I needed a reminder that beauty comes from ugliness. I think we all do. show less

Why had I never heard of this series before?!?

To say that I liked this story would be a lie. No, I didn't like it. I loved it. From the first chapter I was hooked. The author has an amazing writing style. Her characters, settings, storyline, dialogue, and chemistry were on point. I found myself smiling at times while being empathetic to them at the same time. There is mystery, and suspense but also a foundation being established that left me invested in knowing more.

I'm on to read the next show more in this series and if it is as good as this one then I have a new author to follow. I'm still gobsmacked that this was a debut book according to her forward. show less