Take a walk on the wild side with Blood and Secrets. Lovers of Meghan March’s Mount series, Amo Jones’ Devils Own Series and The Elite Kings Club, and Tillie Cole’s Scared Souls series will lose themselves in this story of all-consuming passion, vengence, and dark dealings.Don’t miss the first installment in a deliciously, seductive new series from author Rose Harper.I’m dangerous. Calculated. … series from author Rose Harper.
I’m dangerous. Calculated. Bloodthirsty.
The perfect motherfucking trifecta of crazy.
The name’s Mateo Calvetti, and Brooklyn belongs to me.
My reach knows no bounds, and I always get what I want.
Including the little gem currently twisting my insides.
She’s been promised to me since birth.
Nothing anyone says will change that.
She will be mine, whether she wants it or not.
I’m going to own her. Consume her. Fuck, I may even keep her.
Yet, something comes to light I never expected in my wildest dreams.
Blood, secrets, and lies all fall around my feet.
Carina Ricci isn’t what she claims to be.
It appears she’s just as fucked up as me.
Come on, baby, let’s make them scream.
Let’s show them what happens when you anger a King and his Queen.
This is volume 1 in Blood and Secrets, and is not suitable for anyone under 18. Some portions of this will be hard to read, so be warned before continuing onward. If you do decide to read, Blood and Secrets #1, just remember: The author is not responsible for any kindle’s being set ablaze from the raw passion and heated moments between a king and his queen.
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Absolutely astounding series.
This book gives you background on Carina and what she endured in her training from the time she was barely ten years old. Forced to do something she will never forget and tormented beyond belief. Then something tragic happens and the man she was promised to since birth must step in and fix what is broken. Loved this book, it does end on a cliffhanger because this is a series. Looking forward to reading the next book.
4 Stars
Mateo Calvetti “owns” Brooklyn since his father retired and left him in charge. Yet he must still go through with an arranged marriage to make his family even more powerful.
Carina Ricci has been promised to Mateo and has been “trained” for the purpose of being his wife. She has had a difficult upbringing and was a “prisoner” within her own house.
When Mateo and Carina meet there is no love at all between them but that doesn’t mean she approves of his girlfriend, Camille. But there is more to Carina than Mateo could possibly imagine and what will he do when he learns the truth?
I wasn’t too sure where this book was heading as I began to read it but as it went on I became more and more hooked and did not want to put it down.
I really liked Carina and it was obvious how much she had been through growing up and as the book goes on you begin to learn so much more about her. I lobed her spunk and how she said what she wanted, and she was not pleased at all that she had to marry Mateo, especially with him flaunting Camille around.
At first, I thought I was going to like Mateo but then I really started not liking him with what was going on with Camille and how he was rubbing her in Carina’s face. He was not one to be messed with and his family legacy was very important to him as was the power he carried.
The end of the book shocked me for sure and I can’t wait to see what the next book brings! – By Rebecca
3 Stars
This was a very fast and confusing read for me. I couldn’t really tell where one characters train of thought ended and the other one started. I felt as if the author could have elaborated more on who these characters were and what they meant to each other. I felt like the ending of the book was too soon. It could have gone on for a few more chapters. Leaving you with that cliffhanger I believe the author just with more character development. That being said the author did get her hooks in me and I am now invested in this series. I hope to continue it to see what happens with Carina and Mateo. – By Vanessa
Dark and twisted, this book is the ultimate dark romance!
At first I was confused and I had to read for a while before I fully understand what was going on. After that I couldn’t wait to find out what happens next. Mateo is your typical mafia boss with his own dark ways, when Carina is her own brand of crazy. They are so made for each other! The cliffhanger at the end just ruined me and left me wanting more. Seriously Rose Harper is cruel for doing this to us!
I loved the book and I’m so glad that the next book is already out!
So I struggled a fair bit with Blood and Secrets (The Calvetti Family) hence my lower star rating.
On reflection, I’m not really convinced the blurb here reflected the overall content contained in this book.
And while on paper this actually looked like a good fit for me, in reality, this was so not the case.
there were some major red flags with this book that had I known beforehand I would have avoided like the plague.
In particular the mistress Camille and also Mateo’s blatant disregard and disrespect for his future wife’s feelings or even her reputation for that matter.
To allow his mistress to basically look down her nose at his future wife the way she did, well it absolutely boiled my blood.
I was ready to rip them both a new one I was that livid and annoyed with there contemptuous antics.
I also really disliked Mateo like detested him a lot.
He was such an arrogant dick who really needed taking down a peg or two.
I detested his holier than thou attitude.
It was like he thought he was the only one that mattered and talk about a god complex with an over-inflated ego what a douchebag.
And the way he treated Carina and referred to her as a slit, in my opinion, was just abysmal.
So, This really got to me and I had to force myself to keep reading because I was just so darn uncomfortable with the whole storyline.
Despite the above, I have still given this two stars as occasionally there were instances that had me intrigued against my better judgment.
I just thought ultimately this could have been executed a whole lot better than It was.
This wasn’t badly written just not my bag at all.
I won’t be reading the next instalment basically for the above reason that this was just a bad fit that blind-sided me as It was totally unprepared for the direction it took.
Thank You to the Author for providing me with an ARC of “Blood And Secrets (The Calvetti Family)” of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
I broke my rule again. I fell in love with a book I know I shouldn’t– this book comes with major trigger warnings in case you (like me) didn’t really read the blurb. We all know by know I suck at reading warnings… One of the things I hate in books is abuse of any sort… Yet I want- nay need to see Carina put Mateo, and the freaking world, in it’s place.
Carina is being severely abused by her parents- they why isn’t revealed until the very end and HOLY PLOT TWIST. She has been promised to Mateo, the new boss for the Calvetti family. Even he isn’t sure why the mouse has been promised to him. He was promised a strong woman, a queen, but what he got was a broken woman. Since he has to marry her, he keeps his mistress.
Jerk.
Carina is from another mafia family, that was supposed to have been “trained” to be Mateo’s wife. Mateo takes her from her family when he hears from his informants she’s been in hell instead of training. This hell has broken her- temporarily- and he is furious. Although she’s supposed to listen to whatever Mateo says, she lashes out. This results in abuse (ugh). Not much, but still enough to make me want to shoot Mateo myself.
So why did I keep reading? Because Rose Harper drew me in from the beginning. I love a good mafia/dark romance, and I was so entranced by the characters, the dynamics between Carina, Mateo, and the guards, that I wanted to see what happened. And now I have to WAIT for the next book because apparently authors like to torture me with cliffhangers… KIDDING (maybe).
I know nothing about the mafia, or crime at all except what I watch on Gangland (yes- I’m a dork in case this hasn’t been established by my previous reviews), but this book seemed so real. Although I hated the way Mateo treated Carina, hence my 4.5 star review despite this book being so awesome, Rose Harper kept me entranced and captivated. I cannot WAIT for the next book. And you need to read this book so I can talk about it with someone. Because it is that good.
Just WOW! Blood & Secrets is a wonderfully written first installment to Mateo and Carina’s story. The author has done a wonderful job of writing a storyline that will keep you on edge and guessing from start to finish.
Carina has no clue that she is being groomed to become Mateo’s wife and rule an empire at his side. Mateo has no clue why his father is forcing him to marry a girl he’s never met. He only knows that marrying Carina will bring an alliance for their family with “Reap”. We know little about “Reap” at this point other that he’s powerful and feared by all.
Carina has been all but tortured by her parents as they have attempted to “train” her to be the perfect wife for Mateo. But when they go to far and she mentally breaks Mateo steps in and moves her to his home to “train” her himself (I must say I am not fond of his methods either). But things don’t go quite like he plans. Especially when Carina starts to get her memories back; memories of who and what she is. What does that mean for her future and those around her?
This is a very interesting and intriguing storyline and I am anxiously waiting the next installment. I can’t wait to see exactly what Carina has in store for those that have wronged her, including Mateo! 2 Thumbs Up for a great read, one I highly recommend.
I am still not sure how I feel about this one. It is a captivating story for sure! I don’t think I like the Hero in this story but the heroine was likable and I want to see more from her. I am intrigued and will be reading the next one!!
Mateo Calvetti is the eldest son and next in line to be the head of the Calvetti crime family. His father has planned an arranged marriage for Mateo to Carina Ricci since her birth. The reasons his father have given him for this marriage are vague and Mateo does not understand why this connection to the Ricci family is so important. Since his father desires it however, he must follow through.
Mateo wants his wife trained. He demands and expects Carina to prepared to stand by him as his Queen. She must be untouchable and cold. He will not abide a wife who embarrasses him and his family. He will also not accept weakness from his wife. With this, his family has been giving money to the Ricci family in hopes that they will train Carina and ensure she is prepared to rule by his side. Mateo has no idea what he has gotten himself into.
Carina Ricci is living a very difficult life with her parents. She is punished for her mother’s iniquities and mistakes. She is also being brutally trained as well emotionally abused. As a result of this training and abuse, she has a psychotic break and forgets who she is as a person. She remembers everything else but her self-knowledge and feelings are skewed. Carina has no idea yet what fate has in store for her.
This book took me by surprise. So not what I thought it would be. It is captivating and intriguing and the world the author created pulled me in. It is a different take on the mafia world that I enjoyed.
It is told in dual POV, flowed well and ended too quickly.
Mateo is brutal, harsh, arrogant and blood thirsty. He believes that Carina is weak and that she knows nothing. I love how she proves him wrong over and over again with her backbone and snark. Not to mention their sparring and arguments. I couldn’t believe how much she sassed back. Put them together and they definitely will be a force to be reckoned with!
I also very much liked Dom who has been Mateo’s friend since childhood. He is down to earth. He helps and befriends Carina as much as he can in this new life she is living. Dom is friendly, kind and understanding even though this is an oxymoron compared to who and what he truly is. Surprising that.
As for Carina, there is so much more to her than meets the eye. She’d hiding behind a lot of anger, a match just waiting to be lit. I cannot wait to see her explode!
This book ended on a bloody cliffhanger! I cannot wait to see how it all ends. I’m on tenterhooks to learn more of Carina. That is going to be interesting. I’m SO excited and I want more!
This is a series with only the basics covered in this first book. It is just heating up. It has so much intrigue that there’s no question about it, I am reading the next books. I am enthralled and need the next installment STAT.
I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Carina Ricci doesn’t seem to like standing out. She prefers staying in the background. As you read why you’ll come to understand her some and it’s very sad. She says a litany that will make you angry. You need to be careful because anger can be a good thing but it can also be a bad thing as seen here. Mateo Calvetti is a man that commands respect and expects certain things to be done.
This is one of those books where you will need an open mind. Our couple has a need that only the other can satisfy. It ‘s a story that will showcase this author’s talent. Either she has a great imagination or it’s based partially on fact – but I’m not asking. It certainly would take some amount of creativity. If you can get past the beginning you’re going to find yourself hooked. There is no hero or heroine here. This is a dark tale and may have triggers for some. I was glad, yes glad, that this book had no ending. It left me on the edge of my seat looking forward to book two.
I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Blood & Secrets: 1 by Rose Harper. This is book one in The Calvetti Family saga.
This is the story of Carina and Mateo. Carina has been promised to Mateo since they were young. Now that Mateo has taken over the crime family he needs a strong wife but finds that Carina isn’t that. Carina was to be trained to be his wife but instead she was abused by her family. Carina does stand up to Mateo but he doesn’t see her as the strong women he needs and keeps his mistress too.
This book is really dark and has triggers in it along with the hero not being true to the heroine…but this just starts their story. This does end with a cliffhanger to get us ready for the next book and installment into this story.
On a personal note I struggled with the rating because I don’t like the hero’s treatment nor that he kept his mistress but again that is my personal preference for a hero not to do. So I stuck to the overall writing and story telling to come to my review.