When I was seven, I stole her candy.When I was fifteen, I stole her first kiss.At eighteen, I stole her innocence.Now at twenty-five, she’s trying to steal my life.My fate was sealed being born the bastard child of my father. I played my role in the De Luca family until reality caused my path in life to skid to a halt.My fate is damned. And the one person that could save me is the one I’ve stolen … could save me is the one I’ve stolen so much from in the past.
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This story starts out intense and stays that way all the way through. Gio is made to live a life no child should have. Lets face it this is total child abuse. Yet because of money and power his dad is able to treat him like that and not be turned in for torturing his son. It seems his dad rules more than just Gio. Included in his dictatorship is Asia and her father. Since the people included in their circle know to disobey is certain death or worse, Asia grows up in a world not unlike Gio’s just her’s is mental instead of physical. Gio and Asia form a attachment that carries through their life and makes for a lot of twists and turns that make it seem impossible for them to be together or to be somewhat normal. The emotions throughout the story run high. Mostly horror and sadness. This author is able to take a story that hopefully doesn’t happen every day and make it seem so real. The way Gio is forced to deal with his cousins and the way he grows to not feel really made me sad. Asia’s story is not less sad when I found out what really happens to her. Even though this is a strange sort of romance, the sex is more than a little hot. I love this author’s stories. She never fails to keep me hooked. She is one of the few I keep on a watch list and can’t wait to see what she will write next.
Born To Kill is a book that I really didn’t think that I would enjoy reading. I have never been a big fan of Mafia type books. But this book really surprised me. Born To Kill drew me in from page one and I had a real hard time putting it down. Gio and Asia are well developed characters that pull on your heartstrings. You can tell they are in love but you know that there will be major problems for them along their journey and you’re not sure that it will even work out for them. If you love stories about the Mafia, I would suggest you pick up a copy of Born To Kill and read it. You have love, killing, typical problems and some sex involved. This is a fantastic book.
Gahhh I was blown away after reading Born To Kill!!!
Erin Trejo you blew me away woman!!
Let me tell y’all..I was sitting on the edge of my seat..turning those pages like a mad woman to get to the end. Trejo takes you on that fast moving train and you better buckle up cuz your mind is going to be blown!!
It’s taken me bit before I could write my review cuz I was like…Tricia, how can you write a review without giving spoilers?? Eeppp
Ladies go one click today, you think Trejo is bad ass at writing MC…well she knocks Mafia right out of the effing park!! And by the way she is one of my very fav MC authors… so see what I’m getting at? It’s fan-damn-tastic!!
Holy Hell!!! Born to Kill by Erin Trejo will leave you shattered as you read this dark romance about the Mafia. This story was filled with murder, violence, betrayal and an undying love between two young people caught up into this dangerous world of the mafia that is surrounded by murder and mayhem. Gio who is referred to as a bastard by his father who has no love for his son only hatred, is abused and tortured as a young boy. Gio is being trained to be a killer for his father who is head of the family which he rules by threats and murder. The only person Gio has as a friend and confidant is Asia the young woman he grew up with and who nurses his wounds each time he is beaten, now these two form a strong bond that turns into a forbidden love. Unknown to both of them, forces are at work to keep them apart as a plot is being planned. The torment and heartache these two have to live through will have you on pins and needles as Gio has no choice but to let Asia go, but Asia has her own torment and secrets she is keeping from him. Gio has a decision to make as plans are being made to take his father out of the family. The only thing Gio wants is to get away from this business and have a new start at life once this last job is completed. Gio and Asia find that they are on a collison course, who will survive in the end? Can a hired killer be redeemed and can the woman he has always loved stay alive long enough for them to be together? Gio is a killer who you find yourself loving and Asia, this strong determined woman became his soulmate. This book will have your emotions all over the place from start to finish. Erin Trejo did an outstanding job telling this story of the dark and scary world of the Mafia and the tyrant who is the mastermind behind all of this drama. I voluntairly received an advanced copy of this book.
Erin Trejo writing style always blows me away. When I see a book with her name on I automatically grab it up. I know no matter what the genre, I am going to get an intense, mind blowing storyline that will not only keep me engrossed to the end but will also sink its teeth into my emotions. And boy oh boy does Born to Kill do all of that and then some. I tip my hat to Ms. Trejo for giving me another amazing book with a storyline and characters I won’t soon forget.
Gio is the illegitimate son of the DeLuca family’s kingpin. But rather than be enveloped into the family and stand by his father’s side, he is beaten and abused from the time he can walk. He is trained to become a cold hearted killer to be used as his father demands. The only speck of light in his life is Asia. Raised together, she would tend his wounds and still his heart as he does hers. But his nightmare of a father is always one step ahead, and at Asia’s 18th birthday she is promised to marry his cousin, killing any hope of their ever being together. Little does his father know this one small degree just might be the worst thing he could ever done for the entire DeLuca family.
This story tore my heart apart as these star crossed lovers attempt to live a life apart in a hell they both hate. It kept my emotions soaring with the chess match for power going on within and around the DeLuca family. I simply loved it. 2 Thumbs up and 5+ stars for an absolutely outstanding mafia read.
I would expect nothing but the opposite storyline to let me know how twisted and brilliant Ms Trejo is. I needed this after the last one.
Erin does it again with this amazing mafia story!
Gio was raised to be a killer and he is very good at it too. Asia was his reason for living, but when she is forced to marry someone else Gio doesn’t take it well. A lot of things go wrong over the years, but through it all Gio and Asia find their way back to each other.
I loved this story!!
Wow! This book was crazy! It is full of violence and angst yet you can feel the love between the characters. Family is supposed to be supportive, but for Gio and Aria, that statement couldn’t further from the truth. What they go through is horrific and as a reader you wonder how it’s going to end. If you love suspenseful Mafia reads, this story is for you!
Giovanni DeLuca has a horrid childhood in fact it is basically child abuse as the illegitimate son of a don he is trained almost from birth to be a killer by his fathers men The only saving grace in his life is Asia first he tormented her then he kissed her and finally he took her innocence the bond between them is absolute When she is promised to his cousin Matteo he is almost broken Matteo doesn’t want to come between them but he is another that has no choice in the matter. Will this be the final straw that makes Gio revolt will he fight to keep Asia You will have to read to see
This another great book from the very talented Erin Trejo but be aware her books are a little on the darker in fact some are very dark so take that into consideration before one clicking
I really liked the way this story was written. It has you feeling sad for the lost childhood and at the same time wanting to hate the man the child had become. I also enjoyed the side of romance. I will definitely read more of this type book from this author! Loved this story Erin Trejo!
From a very young age Giovanni DeLuca was beaten and groomed by his father’s henchman to be a killer, there was no love lost between him and his father, as he grew the hate between them grew. When his father gave the love of his life Asia to his cousin to marry, she wanted Gio, he wanted her and Matteo didn’t want to come between them but there was nothing any of them could do and so he threw himself into his work to stay away knowing he was just a pawn in his father’s machinations. However things are not what they seem, truths come to light and the end may finally come.
This is a thrilling and emotional fast paced story that I devoured in one sitting, the pages flowed and I couldn’t get enough, I felt for the characters, the love, the hate, the despair and even hope. This is one heck of a good book.
I received a copy and I am voluntarily leaving my own honest opinio
A read that will captivate you, catapult into the darkness that is Gio, and bring you face to face with not only an animal, but the devil that created him. Welcome to Giovanni DeLuca’s world. A world where once you are in, you can never walk out. His raising was brutal, from the time he was a toddler, he was beaten, made to break but determined to survive. Taught young to kill, to be hard, to be heartless, to care for no one but to be loyal to the family, even if the head of that family despised him because of his mother. He was raised to be a part of his father’s business, he was made into a killer. His heart is black, but within the center of that black heart, beats a small part that comes to live whenever the girl he loves, the only person he loves, comes into his presence. Asia. Her innocence and soft heart eases his tortured soul. Her kindness touches him, but he must not let anyone see. She is the one person that brings him a semblance of peace. Until his father announces that she is to marry his cousin upon her eighteenth birthday. Now, he understands. Now he knows that there will be no chance of any kind of family life for himself. He knows that Matteo is better for her than he is, but she is his heart. She was his light, until she is forced to become his darkness. Her betrayal is gutting him, but he knows what he has to do. Plans have been made, now, things have to be sped up and action must be taken sooner than is expected. He may not survive this job.
Erin Trejo’s MC books are always a masterpiece of iron horses burning up the roads and the men who ride them and the women that tame them are absolute works of written art. But when she goes darker, when she moves into the underworld of the mafia, things take on a different light, a different color and hue. There is no denying that the heat she writes into her stories resonates throughout any genre she writes, but the beat of the story is quite different. The excitement is palpable, the intrigue is nerve wracking, and the end justifying the means remains the same, but the intensity is quite different between genre’s.
This is an amazing read. The storyline will wreck your heart, will have your emotions fluctuating rapidly and repeatedly and will quite possibly destroy your nails. I loved ever single second that I spent reading this book and thoroughly fell for the characters. I cannot recommend this book highly enough…ten star worthy!
Gio has known nothing but pain all his life. From the beating guised as training to turn him into a ruthless killer for his father’s nefarious use, to being force to endure constant reminders that he is his father’s bastard son. Asia is Gio’s only shining light in a life of darkness. She is the only thing keeping Gio from turning into the monster his father wants him to be. But unbeknownst to both, Gio’s father has Asia’s future already planned and they don’t include Gio. Will Gio be able to get past his own self-deprecation to save not only Asia from an unhappy future but also save himself?
Trejo is known for her MC romance novels. This is her first full length mafia romance and I can say she has no issue crossing over. Her deliciously, dark, depraved mind translates well in mafia romance. As with all her writing, Trejo’s characters are well developed and show her vivid ruminations.
If this is your first reading of Trejo’s books, I would highly recommend you check out her MC romance series. I absolutely love how she continues to incorporate previous characters into her books so you feel like her stories never end. I look forward to more of Trejo’s exploration into this genre, and look forward as she develops Born to Kill into a series.
*I received an ARC but this review is my honest opinion.
Title: Born To Kill
Author: Erin Trejo
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
**RECEIVED ARC FOR HONEST REVIEW**
Trejo made a name for herself writing MC Romance but branched out to write other genres; Mafia romance being one of them, and the darker the better. Not saying she can’t write happy but she does excel at leading readers down a dark and twisted rabbit hole where pain is pleasure and the antihero is the norm. No prince charming here.
Giovanni was born into a family of pain with a father who used everyone around him and cared only for himself. Asia was part of the “family”. Love born from pain and hate. Romeo and Juliet with a better ending. Man was it touch and go. Wow. The internal torture and struggle these two go through is so real. The back and forth of love and hate; The need to be together but the inability to be together. The physical tortures of their lives. Erin Trejo is able to bring you into the pain of her characters. It truly is a gift.
I do have one criticism that nagged me throughout the book: sense of time. Until the book was almost finished we rarely know the timeline. At one point I thought Giovanni was still 16 or 17 going into an adult entertainment establishment and making deals with other Mafia and then having sex with a stripper. One minute we are at point A the next we are at point B with no sense of transition or time. Later it changes because Giovanni says things like, “…for a year I watched her….”.
Still I enjoyed this book it was a good read. I wonder if a man could still remain “alpha” if the roles were reversed. If she were Born To Kill and he was more of a supporting figure. Hmm….anyway this is a nice character study. I recommend reading.
I love dark and twisted mafia romances and this book didn’t disappoint. The hate fuelling gio and the other members of his family became beyond dark and at some point throughout the story I wasn’t sure how it would end. Asia was a pawn in so many games which no one knew about apart from the master player. If you love dark romance you can’t go wrong with this book.
This is a very dark book to me. The things u have to do to survive in a mafia family. If u like killings no matter the age, brutality, strange love and a HEA this book is for u.
Loved this book!!! Loved the love hate relationship between Asia and Gio! It has it all drama, steam, passion, love, hate, etc! Definitely keeps your attention!
Gio was abused and trained to be a henchman by his father at a very young age. Then his father gives the love of his life, Asia, to his cousin to marry and there’s nothing he can do. This book is so so good and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to read what would happen next. It’s exciting, thrilling, dark, and gritty and absolutely incredible. A definite must read.
This is a very dark book to me. The things u have to do to survive in a mafia family. If u like killings no matter the age, brutality, strange love and a HEA this book is for u.
Oh my gosh, I was on the edge of my seat the whole book. I couldn’t out it down. This is one twisted and broken family. Geo goes through hell and is trained to be a killer from a young age. My heart went out to both Geo and Asia.