Belvedere is a new Contemporary Romance series from Indianapolis author Aubrey Mayes. After working his way up from an orphaned, teenaged debt collector in the Libera Organization to a thirty-two year old Underboss, Simone Belvedere becomes captivated by Estelle Presswood— an accepting and unafraid librarian that shares his unrequited love for literature. As Simone’s first romance turns into many … many more firsts, he’s faced with a new, unknown threat to the organization, jeopardizing the lives and livelihoods of all involved.
Sequel coming July, 2018!
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This was a first time read for me by this author and I will definitely be reading more.
This is a good book if you like mafia ties. The love between two “book nerds” is an interesting read. I like how Estelle is not afraid of Belvdere his occupation. I enjoy how Estelle takes matters into her own hands when she has too.
The storyline was well written with characters that were so well created that I was totally engaged as each and every page was turned until the very end! I look forward to reading more from this author!
This is my first book by Aubrey, and it was interesting. The characters were very well described. Simone Belvedere and Estelle meet in a local bar and start having feelings for each other. The more time they spend together the more they feel for each other. There are a lot of twists and turns and ups and downs in this story, but the entire thing was very interesting and a must read.
I enjoyed this book from.start to finish. Not your typical mafia read but throughly enjoyed. I loved the characters and felt brought into the book through Aubrey Mayes writing. Well written and recommended
My first read by the author and it did not disappoint. This had an interesting storyline about Simone character’s and his life in the mafia, It was slow in the beginning and the story is longer than I typically read but I plowed through and I’m glad because it had a lot of danger and twist. Simone character was complex yet he fit well with Estelle and their chemistry with steamy. An unexpectedly good read and I’m looking forward to her next book.
this was a difficult one for me as it was a very long read and i found it hard at times to keep engaged in the story. a soft approach the mafia lifestyle, where the second to the don is more into books than murder and racketeering. the look for books brings the budding couple together and they start a long friendship which brings them closer together. i felt the book was over wordy, every detail wrote out on the page was too much at times. i prefer my mafia books to be darker, so i guess this wasn’t a book for me. but others seem to enjoy it.
Belvedere was pretty soft for a mafia romance. I expected more gritty violence and a little more darkness in the characters. Not necessarily like the darker mafia books of today, but Simone was not at all the commanding Underboss I thought he should’ve been. He had a sharp temper, but he lacked that alpha element that makes up a strong main male character. I liked Estelle – she was a good h for the story. The writing was clean, but the story/plot ran a little long. I hope to see more from this author.
This book caught my attention and got me out of a big book hangover. I even stayed up all night to finish it. Simone works as a negotiator for a mob boss, Don Libera. He has been working for the Don for the last 18 year. Estelle is a librarian who likes to go to the Don’s restaurant after work and sit at the bar reading her classics while sipping espressos. She meets Simone there and starts a friendship that turns into a relationship. There is mob violence, nasty bosses, bffs, a great father and 2 lousy mothers, love and family.
This is a new author to me, and the first in a series. Simone and Estelle are from totally different worlds, yet they are drawn to each other by their passion for reading. This is a well written story which has a descriptive plat, and I was intrigued throughout. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
Time and time again I come back to this story. It has this draw for me, it’s like a really comfotable blanket, makes me happy and feel safe. Weird way to review a book, I know. I have this in ebook for, paperback and audiable. The story itself it amazing and Simone and Estelle are the couple you will drool over and lust after. They are some of the most realistic characters I’ve read to date.
When reading this story I was so involved I locked my doors so I wouldn’t be disturbed, lol! The details and the prose drove the story as did the characters. I liked the intelligence level of tge characters, their common interest and the slow methodical way they came together. I was gasping, yelling, laughing and I might have swooned a time or two all while devouring this book.
The audio verson of this story only enhances the enjoyment I have repeatedly gotten from this book. The barrators voice is soothing yet strong and bold. He fit my ideas of what Simone really sounds like. I highly recommended this story in any form! Enjoy.