Secrets make old lovers into enemies… Nico “Gio” Giovanni has always been the black sheep, especially since he abandoned the family business—a lucrative casino on the Las Vegas strip—to become a cop. Now his dad is sick and his sister begs him to end their estrangement before it’s too late. Chasing fugitives is what U.S. Marshal Madison Granger does best. She juggles single motherhood with her … motherhood with her job, which sends her back to Sin City due to an unwanted relocation. Even worse, her current case lands her smack dab in the middle of the opulent Giovanni Casino—and ups her chances of running into her old flame.
Gio has enough on his plate; he doesn’t need the woman that got away messing in his family’s affairs. His father has never been involved with organized crime, no matter the gossip.
Maddie is petrified he’ll discover her secret. Gio won’t let his dad go down for something he didn’t do. When they take the gamble, the cards are laid on the table and all bets are off.
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King of Hearts is a fast-paced romantic, thriller with Sin City as a backdrop. This is one sexy, suspenseful story that like the city kept me up past my bedtime. The characters made up an interesting cast filling the pages with family drama, and dilemmas. It’s a safe bet that the ending will surprise you!
Eight years ago, U.S. Marshal Madison Granger shared one amazing night with Nico “Gio” Giovanni. She has a seven-year old son by Gio, a son of which he is unaware. When she transfers from Chicago to Las Vegas, their meeting is inevitable. Maddie is assigned to investigate money laundering that they believe is taking place at The Giovanni, the casino owned by Gio’s father. Gio is a detective with the Las Vegas Police Department, wanting nothing to do with his father or the casino. When he signs on as part of the team, he has no idea that he will be working for Maddie or that they will be investigating his father’s business. As they work to uncover the source of the money laundering, their feelings for each other are once again intense. How will Gio react when he learns about their son? A very different and pleasant take on the “unknown son” by this author and I am hoping for a sequel. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
I fell in love with the Crossing Forces series by this talented author and knew I had to read the first book in this new series. I am so glad I did.
Las Vegas Detective Nico/Gio Giovanni (estranged from his family) and US Marshal Madison/Maddie Granger met eight years ago but ended their affair leaving both in a great deal of heartache with unexpected results.
Fate brings them together when his family’s casino is under investigation.
This ignites their feelings as well as jeopardizes their careers.
Add the possibility of a mafia connection, and you end up with a suspenseful romance that will keep you on the edge of your seats.
Family dynamics add tension to this already tension filled story.
Can’t wait to see what else this talented author has in store for us.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
Nicko’s Dad is sick and has know for a while but didn’t tell anyone. Nicko’s sister called and asked him to come back to the casino his family owns and runs. Maddie is Nicko’s ex and has been sent to sin city to investigate his father and sister in A MONEY laundering case. Can Go convenience her it’s not true. After meeting his sisters finance ska douche caboose or Marcus he knows something isn’t right about him. Then there’s his son he didn’t know about. Great read.
I love Madison and Gio’s story. Nothing goes they way either of them hope when they start working together. The biggest secret reveal does not happen delicately at all. I appreciated how Gio handled it. The love of a story is in the details for me and this book had them all.
I’ve been fortunate over the last couple years to have read a few series by this amazing author. This new series “The Giovanni ” didn’t disappoint. It was a second chance romance. It was an easy read that kept me at the edge of my seat right up until the very end. It had just the right amount of hotness between Maddie and Gio. There was plenty of guessing during the investigation. I loved how the Gian Fratanelli got what was coming to him. Gian was wrong about why the Giovanni’s moved to Vegas and where the money came from to build the families,casino. I loved the entire story. There wasn’t one thing I thought should be changed. When Big Tony and Gio make amends in the epilogue, I ended up with some tears and sniffles.
I love, love, loved this and can’t wait for the next book in the series to comes out. I hope that Elise, Gio’s sister get her own HEA in one of the next books.
I’m super-stoked about this new series from C.A. Szarek and King of Hearts is the perfect start to it. Can’t wait for the next one!
4 out of 5 stars
When Gio’s father becomes sick , his sister tries to get him to come back to the casino and make amend with the old man . But old wounds are hard to heal and with Gio being the black sheep of the family and also the only cop . It is hard to make amends . It gets even harder when his old flame Madison Granger shows back up . Now a U. S marshal she is there to do what she does and works on a case that takes right back into the casino and into Gio’s arms . When they have to work together things get heated and not just on the case but in their lives . There is a secret that Madison has been keeping as well . Will they be able to crack the case and also reignite the passion they had .
Who doesn’t like a good book with really good characters . The characters in this book are well written Gio is the black sheep of the casino family . He is tall dark and oh so sexy . He comes off as a big kid every now and then but trust me you will want to be arrested by this man . When push comes to shove he protects those who he loves . Madison is fiesty and knows how to do her job but when it comes to Gio she becomes like a high school girl . They are strong characters and play off each other very well . The other members of the family are such strong individuals in their own right and everyone is so well written .
I sat down and started reading this book in the evening and i read well into the night . The characters are well written and you will love them . Fate brings them together but will the secrets and lies tear them apart , you really want to figure it out . There is romance , intrigue and suspense that will keep you turning the pages . There was one thing that kept me from giving it a bigger star rating , I felt that it fell just a little flat and the main characters kind of acted like over sexed teenagers in some of the scenes . Over all i really did enjoy the story and the characters and would recommend this book to your winter reading list.
King Of Hearts is a spectacular romantic suspense by C.A. Szarek. Ms. Szarek has provided readers with a well-written book loaded with a phenomenal cast of characters. Pssst…the characters are my favorite part of the book, they’re that good. Maddie is a single mom, a big sister and a US Marshal. When she is assigned a case in Las Vegas, she decides to move there and someday in the future introduce her son to his father. Gio is a Las Vegas police detective and the son of a casino owner, he’s also Maddie’s ex and the father of her son. Top it off with the family casino being investigated and you have a book that is non-stop drama, humor, sizzle, action and suspense. I loved this book from cover to cover and look forward to reading more from C.A. Szarek soon. King Of Hearts is book 1 of The Giovanni Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Book one of The Giovanni series and I want to read the next book. This is cop Nico “Gio” Giovanni, U.S. Marshal Madison Granger, and their son Jake’s story. That was quite the surprise at the end as Big Tony tells them something they did not know. I enjoyed reading this book. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a good, adult story. With Gio and Madison being good main characters. The emotions of each come through really well since we get to see both of their P.O.V.’s. Something else that I really like.
Gio had quite a few funny nicknames in his mind when it comes to his sister’s fiancee. They did make me smile. Many of them best read by adults only though. *Smile*
It’s kind of good to kind of know who the enemy/”bad guy” is while reading the book. The enemy is pretty clever, and manages to keep quite a few steps ahead of everyone. A good “actor” who is able to come up with quick answers when faced with confrontations. Thinks on his feet very quickly. It does help keep the tension in the story high. The words, slippery like an eel come to mind.
One thing that I did notice was that in the beginning chapters, the word “puke” cropped up a few times. The emotions of one character or another were so churned up that they thought that they would..puke. I was glad that the author did pull back on that after that because it was beginning to feel a bit overused. I’m glad that changed because other than that I was really enjoying the way the author’s flow of writing was going.
Is there any sexual heat in this book you ask? That would be a “Yes”. There is also tenderness and some communication between Gio and Madison. They really needed to work more on that though. Both are smart, tough and fearless on their jobs but when it comes to their personal lives? They are kind of running scared. They do have a lot on the line though so that is kind of understandable. Gio especially, is playing his cards a bit too close to the vest. Even more so when it comes to trying prove that his father Big Tony and his sister, Elise are innocent of any crimes.
There is an Epilogue included which is something I always appreciate. Some more surprising information comes out about the Giovanni family that I didn’t see coming. I made for a great twist.
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. It was a great with the having characters that are well developed and engaging and have plenty of chemistry. The flow of the storyline was steady and smooth.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.