From Top 20 bestselling author Parker S. Huntington comes a steamy, slow-burn love story with forbidden romance and enemies-to-lovers banter.…and so the cruel prince fell in love with the liar.I love my boss.I love a man some call a monster.I love a man more accustomed to cruelty than kindness.But we both have our duties.We both have our laws.We both have our worlds.Two worlds never meant to … laws.
We both have our worlds.
Two worlds never meant to touch.
Two destinies meant to fail.
Two people never meant to fall in love.
A mafia prince.
And the undercover agent sent to ruin him.
Bastiano Romano is a 110,000-word standalone novel in The Five Syndicates mafia romance series.
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The book starts with Dalia Ricca who is pregnant by Angelo DeLuca a mob boss of the DeLuca mafia syndicate. He is not a nice man. So she is trying to find out how to leave town and not be found when she sees a man with a flat tire on the side of the road. That was Vincent Romano who is a capo in the Romano mafia family. He help her and you find out later in the story. Then we meet Bastiano Romano who handles the legal side of the family business. His father Giovanni Romano handle the mafia side. This is a long drawn out story and so worth the read! When Araina De Luca becomes Bastian’s employee that’s when all the fun starts. She’s actually a spy for the FBI and that where her problems start and her and Bastian butt heads constantly. Plus you meet some cute kids Tessie and Elliot. lots of bad information and there is fighting, sexual encounters plus food. I really have enjoyed all these Syndicate books
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Ariana is an undercover FBI agent, dedicated to her job. Her new assignment is to gather information that will bring down the powerful Romano family. What she doesn’t expect is to fall in love with Bastiano Romano, a dangerous man with a bad reputation. Bastiano has been betrayed and doesn’t trust anyone. The last thing he wants is to fall for his new employee, a woman who is not afraid to confront him. But fate seems to have brought them together and no matter how much they resist, they are meant for each other! This amazing mafia romance has complex and alluring characters and an original plot! The story is action packed and steamy! Bastiano and Ariana must overcome many obstacles, but in the end they learn to trust and love again!
She has been asked to work with him to find things out about him. She needs to keep why she is there hidden no matter what. The first day he humiliated her, second day he touches her. Will she get to day three? Will he find out why she is there? Will she learn his secret first? See who will come out on top
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is my first book by Parker S. Huntington and I can assure you it won’t be my last. It’s not only well written but captivating. The formatting is fantastic. I loved the chapter images and page breaks – they probably look even better on a device with colour (darn you, Paperwhite, darn you!) – I checked, and they totally do. I don’t read a lot of mafia-related books, I dunno why, I guess it’s just not something that appeals to me and since the morals are loose, I guess I always worry about the possibility of consent issues – since that’s something I don’t like reading, I just avoided them. That was a mistake. This book ticked all my boxes of favourite things so I decided to take a chance and WOW, I need more of these books in my life. It just shows that stepping out of your comfort zone every once in a while can be worthwhile. Often times the enemies to lovers aspect of the story doesn’t go on for long and then it’s all hearts and flowers, that is not the case here. It’s a slow burn. In that you get the enemies feel for much longer, a good half, if not more, of the book and I loved it. It kept me turning the page wondering when they were going to break!
I have to admit I cried at a couple of points, 1. The dedication – just read it and you’ll know why. 2. When Ari and Vince have a sit-down. I had my suspicions about him that turned out to be right – I didn’t guess the depth of it all, but some of it. I love being able to do that, that the author keeps you on your toes and guessing. Parker writes beautifully. I enjoyed every second of it. She gives you enough info to make you intrigued and then feeds you little bits to keep you interested until the big finale. It works so well. I was captivated throughout. These characters are so interesting that you can’t help but want to binge read them. I now need to dive in and read the others in the series…I know, I totally broke my ‘read in order’ rule, but, they are standalones, and I don’t think I ruined anything by reading this one first. I’m just more invested in the others. Why nobody has been shouting at me to read this series is beyond me. I’m not a huge mafia lover and I was in complete love with it. I love the world that Parker has created and although there are different families it is easy to keep track of who is who and their connections.
The chemistry between these two characters is off the charts. It’s almost palpable. They are clearly attracted to each other but they spar almost continuously. And it is fabulous. I couldn’t wait to see what they were going to do next. The fact that Ariana had Bastian’s little sister on her side was such a cute and hilarious aspect. The fact that this big bad guy couldn’t control that. It was perfect. Two words: Unicorn Chair! HAHAHA. The sex, oh my word! Somebody pass me a fan, or a new Kindle because I think mine just melted. Or maybe that was me? With chemistry like this couple had it wasn’t a surprise that the sex was explosive. And for my anal loving fans, they wasted no time getting to that. Which worked so well for the way they were. There was no way Bastian wasn’t going to want ALL of Ariana once he had her, ya know? With that said, each sex scene had a point, it furthered their relationship and the story. It wasn’t sex for sex sake.
Bastian is the type of guy that you love to hate. He’s such an a-hole, but he has his reasons. I think the first chapter was necessary to give insight into why he is the way he is now, and it worked really well because even when you’re mad at him, in the back of your mind you still can’t help but think, yeah, but he has his reasons. Without it, I think I would have liked him a little less…who am I kidding, I loved his a-hole ways! He is broken and watching him heal and become the man he truly is is wonderful. The relationship with his sister is fantastic and it really shows him in another light. I loved Ariana, I loved that she was vulnerable, yet strong and she was not going to take what Bastian was handing out without a fight. I loved seeing her relationship with Tessie. It was the sweetest. I hated how her only friend was a child. I wanted to be her friend. I think we’d be fast buddies. They were the perfect couple. It took them a while to see that you were perfect for each other, but they were. They worked as a counter-balance to each other and made each other think about things in a different way that allowed them to grow.
I love when authors include in their writing things about a bond and love not having to be blood. That’s a subject that comes up in this story and I loved it. I was doing ALL the fist pumps. And I might have made my husband jump with my shout of ‘hell yeah’ – I regret nothing! It was worded so perfectly and you better believe my highlight function was used.
This book has such a good balance of content. It’s angsty, but also has lighthearted humourous moments too. It’s steamy as all get-out, but emotional too. It has characters you’ll love and characters you’ll love to hate or hate to love. It’ll also make you swoon all the swoons. And that makes for an unputdownable book. This is going on my list of favourite books from 2019 for sure.
Ok, the first thing that made me choke up when reading this book was the dedication. Oh my goodness! No one should ever have to experience a loss like that. It was so sweet. Next, the piracy princess. Funny! I have read all of the syndicate books so far and Bastian may have knocked Ranieri down as my all time favorite. The love/hate relationship he and Ari have is funny at times but then scorching hot at others. Their chemistry is off the charts. Tessie is hilarious and so sweet. It was fun to see the lighter side of Asher Black when he is with his family. I hated to see Uncle Vince go, he was the glue of this family. This is a definite must read
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Easy 5 stars (or more if it was possible). What an excellent story. Love and hate, truth and deception and an unlikely couple that just works. I’ve read several other books by this author and each one has been excellent. This one is as well. Great, well developed characters, true chemistry and a fabulous story.
This is not a fast or easy read. There is a strong story and tons of emotion. About the only problem is that the book ended. Highly recommended. (I voluntarily reviewed an ARC).
Holy another amazing book in this series! Loved Ariana, she is like the perfect counterpart for Bastiano, even if they have sort of a forbidden love. She’s an FBI agent and he is mafia , they defs should not be together but reading about how they fell in love and the troubles they went thru was amazing. They both fought it but fate stepped in and took over.
This was my first book by this author. I loved it. These characters are flawed, and I found myself pulled into their struggle. Bastiano is a bit of a jerk (I like jerks!) and Ariana doesn’t roll over for him. Their exchanges are electric.
What sets this book apart from similar mafia stories is that both these characters have depth. This story got real, fast–there’s a part that completely gutted me. Sometimes as a writer, painful events in your life bleed into your writing in ways you don’t expect. [That happened to me when I fell off a curb, tore the ligament in my driving foot and broke my ankle. I was laid up all summer, in pain and miserable. Writing got me through it, though.] What is the expression, from sadness comes art? Something like that. I felt this in Parker’s writing of this story. The result is a book that gives the reader so much more than a simple story. #Bestof2020
All_you_read_is_love Instagram xoxo
How I’ve only just heard about this author I’ll never know! She checks all my boxes for the best romance! Parker S Huntington has done it again! She has blown my socks off with Bastiano Romano! He was sex on a stick and I love him! His alpha Male ways and his selfless heart are a recipe to break any girls heart!
I adored Ariana she was so fierce and everything i love in a heroine! I loved her relationship with Tessie! It was adorable and I’ve got my fingers crossed Tessie gets her own book!
Everett was adorable and I so wish I could’ve read more of him!
The only problem with Huntington’s books is that I wish they went on forever! I could read about her characters all day!
I loved Asher and Lucy’s mention in the book as they will be my forever favourites . Another 5 read by Parker.
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The push and pull of Bastiano and Ariana built a sexual tension you could practically feel!! I loved how Ariana totally stood up to Bastiano and she slowly lowered his defenses. So many book, the love feels like it’s done over night. With Bastiano and Ariana it’s slowly built. I loved this book!!!
Ariana and Bastiano find themselves entangled in a web of love, hate, deceit, betrayal, and forgiveness in this stunning novel. Ariana is a secret De Luca – her own syndicate doesn’t even know she exists – and an undercover FBI agent while Bastiano is a Romano through and through. Their families aren’t exactly best friends, Ariana is on a mission to bring down the Romano family, and Bastiano is already prone to suspicion and has a fortress built around him. Between the mafia, Ariana’s secret identity as a hidden De Luca AND undercover agent for the FBI, and Bastiano’s own heartbreaking past, they have a lot that stands in their way.u2060
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The elements of fate – of their inevitability as Ariana draws Bastiano closer and closer while he simultaneously catches her eye and forces her to confront her prejudices against the mafia – are entwined with nail-biting tension.u2060
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Secrets don’t stay secrets forever and when they come pouring out, they cut so deep only the most unconditional love and capacity for forgiveness will redeem those who have cloaked themselves in deceit. u2060
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This book was a whirlwind of hate and love, trust and betrayal, grudges and forgiveness, fire and ice. Read if you want something with heat, tension, heartbreak, and the capacity for love to heal all wounds. u2060
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Story line is great and I loved the characters. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it! Unexpected twists and turns had me reading this book in one sitting. Great storyline and character development made this book a hot and enjoyable read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book is definitely my favorite so far by Parker S. Huntington. Bastian is an a$$hole throughout, and Ariana is running scared from everything around her.
The book explains all the behind the scenes bits we haven’t been able to see since Parker started with Asher Black so it’d be best to start there.
Stunningly sexy, a ton of action, and an ending that blew me away. I can’t wait for the next book!
AMAZING read !! This is the book you stay up into the early hours of the morning to keep reading. I highly recommend this book and author ! After reading a few others in the “series” this book pulled me in from the start. Great characters, tragedy, loss, growth and ……..Wow !
I really enjoyed reading this story and getting to know more of the Romano crime syndicate. I have to say I have not read each book in this series and was unaware that it was a series. I did read Ranieri Andretti’s story and never skipped a beat thinking there was more, silly me. This particular book is about Ariana and Bastiano. These two characters could not have been more different but we get to learn how perfect they are for each other. Think of this story as a Romeo and Juliette except for this being about the Romano versus the De Luca crime syndicates. Ariana has no idea what she wants out of life, she goes to school and has become an FBI agent where is works primarily undercover work to avoid being who she really is. Ariana gets her next assignment which is to not only use her real name but to work as a bartender for the Romano family. Bastiano is the Head of Enforcement for the family and he is well aware of his role and rules he is expected to carry out and live by. This was a great story to read with all the doubts, concerns and chemistry complications between these two characters.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
GREAT READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was my first time reading this author & she did not disappoint. I cant wait to read her other books. I absolutely loved this book. It was very enjoyable. I recommend this book.
Bastiano Romano was all set to propose to Elsa even though she’s not mafia. His father doesn’t want him to marry her but he figures he can get the deed done without his father knowing and then it would be too late. But life has other plans for Bastiano and marrying Elsa is not one of them. Especially when he finds out she was paid $5 million to not marry him. So begins Bastiano’s hardened heart. Ariana works for the FBI but no one knows she is a DeLuca except one person. Ariana goes undercover to get something on Bastiano. But her attraction to him gets in her way of doing her job. So what can she do? Both of these individuals have hardened their hearts. Can two lost souls fall in love or will they be doomed by their families and her job? Though Asher Black is my favorite of this genre, this book is a very close second. Great mystery with twists throughout this story. Definitely recommend but it is a dark story with two very hurt people.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
OMG what an excellent story! This was the first book by this author and certainly won’t be my last. The storyline holds your attention and keeps you on the edge of your seat and waiting to see what happens next. The main characters are well developed and they have amazing chemistry. This book is filled with danger, twists and turns, and is a book you definitely don’t want to pass up, I recommend you read it for yourself!
I am always looking for a great mafia read and this series is my newest organized crime addiction. This book is not just breathtaking on the outside, it is on the inside as well. All of my senses were collectively enticed from the very first page until the last. Impeccably written with super hot and intense characters, and drama that is DELISH!
What can I say about my man Bastian…..and ladies, step away, he’s MINE!! He is complex, domineering and tyrannical. A powerful force that unapologetically takes what he believes he is entitled to, even though he has stepped away from his duties in the family business. His pain of being betrayed have provoked his darkness and demons to overshadow his actions. His aloofness and irrational behaviour give the illusion that he is hard and emotionally numb.
Born a mafioso princess, Ariana has denied and rebuked her title from a young age. Now an agent of the law, she is in a position to bring those that she disapproves of to their knees. This is her job now. Her strength and tenacity is admirable and there is just something about her that everyone just gravitates to. Raised without a family, she was deprived of that sense of belonging, that sense of kinship. While undercover she sees and experiences what family and loyalty truly mean. She wants those things, but that means she will have to compromise her career and everything that she was led to believe.
Bastian and Ariana are literally made for each other. Yes it’s generally the author’s intent to create two characters who click. However, in this story, the two main characters show a strength and chemistry in the very beginning that’s usually revealed much later in other books. The dynamics between the two are smoldering and undeniable.
This book has drama, raw and gritty emotion, off the chart sex, and loyalty among family I can only envy! It is a slow burn, but when it burns, it SCORCHES! I absolutely loved everything about this story!
~There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.~
4.5* Jupiter and Ganymede Stars
Loved the book, the emotions you go through while reading this book, I was glad I had tissues next to me. I was so in love with Bastiano he gets me so excited. Bastiano was going to ask his girlfriend Elsa to marry him, when he got out of the elevator his father was heading towards him. Bastiano’s father gave Elsa $5 million dollars for her to disappear, Bastiano was disgusted and showed Elsa the $16 million dollar engagement ring then threw it out the window. Bastiano ended up putting walls around himself so his heart doesn’t get hurt again. Ariana had the same hard exterior as Bastiano, she had a very secretive life, a father doesn’t know she exist, she is a F.I.B agent trying to bring the Romano mob family down.
Thank you for this opportunity to review your book it was great.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.