The mafia men of New York Times bestselling author Sarah Castille’s Ruin & Revenge series are hard, hot, and ruthless. They show no weakness and take no prisoners. But the right woman can soften their stone cold hearts and make them come alive with dark desire. Luca Rizzoli was nearly destroyed by a brutal betrayal that cost him his family. Now a ruthless crime boss in Las Vegas, he lets … Vegas, he lets nothing touch his frozen heart…until a smoldering encounter with a beautiful stranger ignites his passion. One night isn’t enough for a man who takes what he wants–and Luca will do whatever he can to possess his mysterious temptress…
Police detective Gabrielle Fawkes lives for revenge. She lost everything at the hands of an unforgiving ruler of the Vegas underworld. Now she wants to see him six feet under. But when a near-fatal attack leads her into Luca’s arms, what was meant to be one night of unbridled passion becomes something forbiddingly more. Luca has his own agenda, but when strong, determined, kick-ass detective Gaby sets her sights on her target, Luca feels compelled to stand by her side and protect her at all costs. However, pursuing danger comes at a high price–and both Gaby and Luca must work together in order to eliminate the dark enterprise that threatens them, in Luca by Sarah Castille.
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This may be the second book in the series but it’s first in my heart! Luca is the perfect Italian mafia charmer and Gabrielle is a cop who doesn’t give up. Love these two together!
Nico’s story was fantastic but Luca’s was even better. I was in the edge of my seat the entire time. This is definitely a page turner. The sizzling, sensual, and seductively beautiful chemistry between Luca and Gabrielle was perfection. This story had the perfect amount of intrigue, tension, suspense, and of course romance. I absolutely loved this book.
This mafia series is a wonderful surprise. First Nico and now Luca. This time it’s the survivor and strong police detective Gabrielle who can’t resist the dominant and sexy mafia capo Luca. What I enjoy about this series is the mature characters and what they struggle with. Gabrielle has lost her husband and now seeks revenge. Her husband’s murderer is the same Luca and his crew are after.
Luca can be ruthless when his work needs it. Killing people. The other side of him is where his heart is. Fatherhood. He’s father to a six year old boy. With Gabrielle he sees and finds someone he didn’t think was possible. A soulmate. They both find comfort in one another. Gabrielle discovers a different side of herself thanks to Luca. A more sexual and brazen side. These two are amazing together. Awesome chemistry. It was great to be back with the Toscani crew and after finishing Luca I’m very excited to read Frankie’s book. The killer without a soul.
4 Mio Angelo Stars
Luca and Gabrielle were my favorites! I listened to this book and the narrator, Aiden Snow Omgoodness, was perfect.
Luca is a crime boss, Nico is the head of it all. He meets Gabrielle and their one night stand leaves them both wanting more! I loved this book, and the author is amazing!!! This book has a great story line, characters, action, secrets, and a beautiful happily ever after!
***5 ‘Mio Angelo’ Stars***
I loved Nico (the book, though the man was pretty d#mn smexy). The vibe and writing and all the various, and crazy, characters that I got introduced to but the one that stood out the most was Luca. I wanted to know more about him and dear lord did I get what I asked for in the most deliciously dirty, panty melting and heart melting way ~ yeah…I know…just roll with it ~ This book had it all and kept me turning the pages just to see what would happen next with Luca and Gabrielle and kept me tapping the screen even when there were no more pages because I needed more.
I adored Luca. The man is all kinds of large and in charge alpha male. He’s also ruthless and doles out his brand of justice without thinking twice doesn’t miss a beat and doesn’t let anyone and that saying about how Italians are born to seduce? Yeah, the man breaths and you’re more than willing to drop your panties. He opens his mouth and you don’t even have to worry about them, they’ll have melted off. I only had one issue with the man, and considering everything it’s funny that it was only one, because I couldn’t believe he just accepted it (yup, vague but it’s part of the storyline so *zips lip*) but it does get worked out in the end.
Having dealt with heart shattering losses, Gabrielle hit rock bottom but with the help of her friends, and the need for revenge, she’s picked herself up and found a purpose to continue living. I adored Gabrielle. Knowing what she went through had me admiring her strength and conviction, even if it was a little tunnel vision, but I couldn’t blame her at all. This woman had moxie and a protective streak a mile wide. There were somethings that she was a little blind to, but once the blinders came off, she got down to business.
Luca and Gabrielle together were all kinds of fun and smexy. From their first meeting there were fireworks, whether it be their dominant personalities butting heads or the heat the gave off during those panty melting smexy times, and the show never ended. I had to laugh at how honest they were with each other, while not being absolutely honest ~ sounds odd, but when you read the book you’ll totally get it. I loved watching as they knocked down each other’s walls and ended up helping the other become stronger in the end. There were quite a few bumps in the road for them, but I liked how there wasn’t a lot of angsty-ness when it came to them together and loved where they were at the end of the book.
I had a lot of fun reading this book. The suspense storyline was very well done and I will say I figured that something wasn’t right with one of the characters early on and got a small portion of what was really going on correct, which in my book is a total win-win situation. Luca and Gaby were great characters and the supporting cast were all very well written. We do get to spend a little time with Nico and the other family members, but Matteo and Frankie were my favorites and I cannot wait to get my hands on Rocco’s book!
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
I enjoyed this book just as much as Nico. Luca piqued my interest when you learn a little about him in Nico. This book was exciting and suspenseful. I love Luca and his story pulled at my heart. But him and Gabrielle together was so hot and sexy. The face that their relationship is so forbidden was so addictive and I craved every moment reading this book.
I liked that Gabrielle was a strong character that could take care of herself. As a cop she knows how to handle a gun and doesn’t need a man to protect her even though she loved that Luca wants to. She is pain and consumed my revenge when Luca helps her learn to love again. Something Luca thought he’d never have after he became cold is distant after the death of his wife. When Gabrielle’s life as a cop clashes with Luca’s life in the mob they band together despite the risks. It was hard not to swoon when Luca couldn’t let Gabrielle go despite the fact that it could get him killed and Gabrielle willing to risk her job to protect and be with Luca. It was all just amazing and I loved it all.
What a great love story! This is the second book in the Ruin & Revenge series. This book focuses on Luca, who is Nico’s right-hand man from book 1, and Gabrielle, a police detective who is trying to avenge the murder of her beloved husband David, who was brutally murdered by a drug kingpin. They unrealistically meet in the hospital where Beth are recovering from gunshot wounds: I say unrealistic because they wind up in the same room and last time I looked, hospital rooms aren’t co-ed.
There are other implausible elements to the plot: Gabrielle and Luca have a hit, torrid affair, even though he’s a made man and she is a police officer but their love is so combustible that you really won’t care how unrealistic this part of the plot is. I LOVED the way Luca was so protective of Gabrielle while he still admired her gutsiness and her fiery personality. She definitely could take care of herself. There is a scene where she has to “rescue” Luca from the mob (actually his colleagues) that is both touching and hilarious.
I’m a big fan of the author’s work and this book was a great read. I can’t wait for the next book that focuses on Frankie.