They’re not star-crossed—they’re impossible. Emma Donati wasn’t given a choice in the end, and the one she was forced to make saved more lives than just hers. If only knowing that was enough to get her through the hell she’s currently living. Instead, she’s paying the price for the lies they’ve told, and the cost is unbearably high. Some days, it feels like she imagined it all. Like everything … imagined it all. Like everything with Calisto was a dream.
But they were real once.
Even if now, he doesn’t remember any of it.
And if protecting the only thing she has left of him means lying to the one man who might be able to save her—so be it.
Except the truth still has consequences, and when Calisto finds out what she’s done … not even God will stop him.
Note: TW for miscarriage, child loss, and DV.
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Picks up where book two ended with Calisto not having his memories and Affonso threating Emma is she helped him remember.
With Calisto not remembering, things take an interesting turn. You see just how hard Emma has to fight to survive in the world she’s been thrown into. All Emma knows is that she can’t tell Calisto anything as much as it’s tearing her apart, but wonders what happens after she’s had the baby and no longer of use to Affonso when he has his boy, even though it’s not his, to everyone else it will be.
One thing Calisto works out very quickly is that Affonso doesn’t care if he recovers his memories, he almost tries to stop him from finding out saying it doesn’t matter.
What happens when Calisto regains his memories and finds out exactly what Affonso has done.
Will the star crossed lovers finally not be impossible.
Awesome conclusion.
This third book is the conclusion and has so much action! You must read the previous books to see how the stories are developed and to see the reasons behind Calisto’s actions. Calisto has proven to be a loyal man to Cosa Nostra, and he always tries to do what is right. In this book, Calisto is able to take his rage and revenge on all the people that have harmed him and his family.
I love that this book shows both Emma and Calisto fighting for their own little family when so many memories and so much time have been taken from them. Calisto proves to be a strategic man: he thinks of the consequences, of Emma’s feelings, of little Cross’ future. Calisto has always been a leader, but I really love how he stepped up to the challenge here to protect his family.
This review is done as a whole for all three books as each part ends and the other leaves off revolving around Emma and Calisto and their forbidden love affair.
In book one there are Emma and Calisto and Affonso loving two out of three ain’t bad Alfonso was nothing but a monster. Emma is forced into marriage with Affonso a marriage she never wanted and a man twice her age but, before she is tied down she is going to do things on her own time and with someone of her choosing. There were many nights of passion between Calisto and Emma that happened between them before she ended up married but, “oh”, know Emma couldn’t just fall in love with just anyone it had to be the man’s nephew she was bound to marry. The greed, cruelty, abuse was what Emma suffered in silence under the hands of Affonso in their entire marriage and Calisto the only bright light in her very dark world.
Talk about being in between a rock and a hard place loving one man and hating the other. What we loved most about the story is that you felt Emma and Calisto’s despair, their pain, their love, and the hopelessness of it all. The emotions the story brought out in the reader were heart- wrenching as well as gut-wrenching. The chemistry Calisto and Emma had been off the charts. We loved them as a couple and if that was not tragic enough because they cannot undo the circumstances they find them in what comes to pass maybe be a blessing to them both or just more heartache and pain. The story was filled with a ton of danger, suspense, heartache, pain, and tons and tons of secrets and a story that kept you on edge the entire time and was pretty much about a couple who played Russian roulette with their lives on more than one occasion!
Book 2 is more of the same as book one more heartache and pain but, for Emma, it’s two-fold she has lost the man she loves to the darkness, and her light snuffed but, secretly she knows she will always have a piece of the man who was once her whole world her soulmate her love. My heart broke time and time again for this couple the hopelessness of it all for all of them. Affonso was a man you despised and secretly hoped someone he crossed would off the man for the pain he caused to all those who got in the way of what he wanted leaving a wake of dead bodies behind and a string of broken hearts and even more despair but, all those dirty little secrets are about to be revealed and hopefully, justice would be served.
My heart went out to Emma time and time again for the constant pain she continued to be in from the abuse of her husband along with his disinterest in her other than her womb and providing him a son. We were surprised this woman survived it all but, some might think of her as weak but, that woman was stronger and smarter than anyone ever gave her credit for she was doing everything and anything she could do to keep all the ones she loved safe and protected and alive.
Things heated up, even more, this time and things were about to explode! More and More suspense and someone was about to pay the Piper! Calisto was a character who you instantly fell in love with, and you would learn soon enough of what that man was truly capable of and how one man’s loyalty to them all was about to change their lives forever.
Talk about a fantastic ending to an amazing series book three had it all just more of book one and two. Throughout the entire series, the love that Calisto and Emma had been always evident to those who really looked and clearly saw it knew the constant danger that it put that man in along with those he loved so in order to protect them all Calisto needs to do is to make very strategic moves to move right into the top slot of being the boss.
Still, the pain and heartache continue she may have her freedom but, that does not get her the ones she loves. Calisto and Emma living with an unbelievable secret that can get them all killed but, from all that darkness something beautiful emerged. There were tons and tons of drama constantly going on and the constant danger that lurks at every corner but, there is also that kind of love that has stood the test of time for this tragic couple.
Overall just an amazing series the characters were awesome they felt real we felt their pain and sadness and hopelessness and their love. This author has a way of always making you fall in love with her characters they feel very real the men swoon-worthy, dangerous, possessive, protective, they should wear a sign around their necks that says danger beware, yet we cannot help but fall in love with them time and time again. This series ranks up high on my list of favorite mafia crime series neck and neck with Guzzi Family Crime family but, because Gian is one of my top favorite book boyfriends they come in second place. Furthermore, this author is an amazing storyteller and honestly, I don’t know how so many others have not discovered her before now because to us, she is our top favorite author when it comes to mafia romance and having some of the best characters ever. Series like this one and many others she writes are constant rereads for us throughout the year not only that it is almost like we need a fix of my favorite characters on a constant basis. Lol This series like all the others once you start reading them, you can’t put them down from the first few chapters you are hooked, and you’re turning to pages until you have crossed the finish line. One of the things we loved most about this re-released series is because when you finish book one you wanted to dive directly into book two. Calisto and Emma and Cross are characters not easily forgotten and having read Catherine’s and Cross’s story already that statement will hold true. Five-star reads across the board for us…
This is raw, intense, so so real and I found myself panting, blushing, crying, and smiling. This captured the essence of Calisto and Emma and the heartbreaking journey they went on. I cannot wait for what else this author has in store.