Grieved Loss (Bellandi Crime Syndicate Book 3)

Oh, I am in looooove! Ms. Forrest hit this one out of the ballpark AND hit every one of my buttons!! And Ryker, oh Ryker, he is one of the MOST dreamy anti-H’s I’ve ever read.
Ryker is lethal, cunning, intelligent, a borderline serial killer, is the Executioner for the Bellandi Crime family. He glories in both his work & his results as well as the process itself; he’s physically huge, naturally terrifying & emotionally frigid. Or is he? For this deadly man has been stalking Calla/h for years . . . .
And Calla, a widow, is raising 2 young children by herself. Torn & agonized about the conflicted feelings she has for her deceased husband & their marriage, rabid about doing the best for her children no matter what, I found her to be a heroine I actually liked (almost unheard of for me) A LOT. Focused on moving forward as well as caring for & protecting her children, her small family finds themselves at the very center of Ryker’s sudden & overwhelmingly intense & warp speed attentions & actions, & much like a Black Hole he is impossible to avoid or escape.
This is a moving & beautifully written story of two vastly different people from completely different worlds who are suddenly thrust into a chaotic & wild existence together.
Ms. Forrest has deftly created a heroine with layers & layers of emotional angst to overcome &/or move forward from. The reader easily empathizes with Calla, wishes her peace, healing & most of all, love. And Ryker, this reader ACHED for him & his past, for his emotional loneliness & his intensely craving need for the light & love Calla could possibly give him. While the s*xual tension between Ryker & Calla is increasingly intense & keeps the reader on delicious sensual tenterhooks.
And there are scenes in this where I DEFY ANY reader to NOT TEAR UP or get a LUMP in their throat. Because I sure as h*ll did without shame or embarrassment.
And Ryker has chiseled in stone that they WILL be HIS. End of discussion. But Ryker has a dark past & even darker present & Calla is terrified of & yet drawn to this deadly man who has barreled into their life. She finds herself desperately wrestling with her conscience & morals when it comes to the Bellandi’s Executioner.
If you want to FEEL, want to CARE about, HOPE for the H/h to find their peace, healing & LOVE; you want secondary/supporting characters that you enjoy reading about & ADD to the story without bogging it down in any way, you want a beautifully written novel that allows you to sink enthusiastically into the journey the characters are taking: Read this one. I did. I loved it. Everything about it. A truly wonderful Mafia romance touched with the perfect amount of dark overtones.

Let me first start by saying that if you’re not a fan of a dominant, obsessive, criminal stalker guy, who doesn’t know the word ‘no’ or just ignore it, then this story isn’t for you. But if you love a dominant, obsessive, dangerous mafia guy, who knows with just one look that he has found his soulmate and will do ANYTHING he can to have her and to protect her and will love her two children like they are his own then you will love this book.

‘Grieved loss’ is the third book in the ‘Bellandi Crime Syndicate’ series and I would recommend that you start this series with the first book. That will give you more insight into the mafia world created here and the relationships between the guys and the couples.

We met the main male character Ryker in the previous two books as a secondary character. Because of his ‘specific, bloodthirsty work’ for the Bellandi family and his cold demeanor I was very curious how Ryker would behave in a relationship and as a father figure. And after reading this story I can tell you that Ryker went ALL in. After stalking and looking after Calla and her children for many years, he knew her inside out and he used every trick and knowledge to manipulate her into being together with him. Ryker was just like a steamroller. In real life, I would stay far away from him but here in this story, I liked his focus, his attention and his thoughtfulness. Although there were also moments that I thought he should give Calla some breathing room but I also think that just wasn’t in his obsessive and dominant character.

I liked Calla very much. She was kind but also strong. She protested Ryker’s domination in her own way but she didn’t do anything foolish to provoke him. The threat of a mafia war created more suspense in the story. Calla’s children were so cute and so loveable. It was so wonderful to see the bound and love between them and Ryker. He spoiled them but he was also there for them if they needed them. The Bellandi guys may be very dangerous mafia criminals but when they are spending time with their children and wives, they have a gentle side and are very patient. It’s fascinating to experience it.

The story was told from both POV’s. ‘Grieved loss’ was a great story. I’m looking forward to the next story in this wonderful mafia series.

My favorite Bellandi

Story:
Trope: stalker
Angst:
Smexy:
Triggers: dubcon

Ugh!!! This story!! Ryker seriously ticks very single one of my boxes. Never wavered in his affection, made her kids his own, and obsessed with his Calla at psycho stalker level: expert

My favorite so far.

I just discovered this author and series and it is now one of my favorites of 2020. This story definitely is the best of the bunch so far. Things have been building in regards to Ryker and Calla since the very first book. The steps Ryker was making to ensure that there was light in his dark world was set in motion in small increments but enough that my interest was piqued from the beginning. Finally getting to see just how far above and beyond he went with it had me counting the days until this book was released.

I was right to be excited. As mentioned, this was my favorite. Even though Ryker is SO over-the-top and borderline psychotic, he wasn’t dangerous in regards to Calla and the kids. If anything by the end of the book, I was on the same page, even though he was a criminal, for every bad thing he did he did three deeds as well. I never doubted for even a second that he truly one hundred percent loved Calla. Calla, took me a little bit. I loved her devotion to her kids. However, there were times I wanted to strangle her and other times I admired her for hating that she had no control, even if she really did, she just didn’t know how to play those cards. her decision toward the end that was pivotal in the story, that showed her faltering in her trust made me sad and a little angry because Ryker had more than shown her what was in his heart where she and the kids were concerned. The kids were cute, there were a few times that the way that Axel talked felt too mature but then I remembered how advanced he was. Ines was cute though.

The ending felt a little rushed with everything happening all at once while still needing to be wrapped up. The sneak peek into Sadie’s story has me beyond excited because that girl truly is a fireball and was one of my favorite secondary characters throughout this series. I hope that eventually, Yavin and Scar get a story too. I highly recommend this series. Trigger warning for the violence. To me, it enhanced the story but others might object. However, this is Dark mafia, so that should be inferred.

Ryker in this story is a character that stay with you, he is a man that knows his own mind, and don’t hesitate about what he want out of life. He not a man to pause or be unsure in this story. And the person he wants in his life single mom, Calla. Calla had two sweet adorable children. She a mother that protective, and loving, also loyal to her marriage. Ryker, he’s giving Calla one year to grieve, over the loss of her husband, then Ryker coming to claim her & children as well ,they will becomes Ryker. This story is so fantastic, it’s a page-turner. Calla is a strong woman who can deal with Ryker strong over powering personality in her life. Calla learns how to deal with Ryker like no one else business, or has. This is a great story to see how two character come alive, dealing with their new relationship. From the first page to the last.

Very intense! Superbly written with lots of action, sizzling heat and a male that won’t give up what is his.

When reading this story of Ryker and Calla I wasn’t surprised to find him to be the way he was or her reaction to him be what it was either! Ryker is not a guy who doesn’t plan things out and Calla gets inside her head! Together it makes for some heated moments inside and outside the bedroom!

Dominant is definitely a word that fits Ryker to a T! However, he does have such a strong capacity for love that even when Calla fights she hesitates.

I truly enjoyed this story and falling even more for the men of the Bellandi Syndicate!

I loved this book. Ryker was just the type of hero I was looking for and he did not disappoint. He was all growly and possessive and I loved it. The plot kept me hooked from the start. I really loved that although it was inevitable, Calla made him work for it. I plan to go back and read the others in this series and can’t wait for the next one. Hopefully they are all like this one with hot alpha man and the women who take them. 4 stars #2OCCJD

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book!! Ms Forrest has truly outdone herself!! Ryker and Calla’s story will stay with me for a long time. I admit that I’m a sucker for obsessed stalkers, and Ryker’s obsession with Calla was felt throughout the entire story!

The book begins a few years in the past when Calla is married to another man. Ryker is tasked with investigating her since her husband is on the Bellandi Crime Syndicate payroll. While not love at first sight, it wasn’t far off. This is where his obsession begins. Years pass and her husband is killed. Ryker gives her a year to grieve and when that year is up, he makes his move. Calla fights him every step of the way, even though you can tell that she wants him and that her kids adore him. His tactics, while admittedly underhanded, made me love him even more because it was exactly what Calla needed. The push and pull between them was highly entertaining and as the reader, you felt like you were falling in love right along with them. There was drama, humor, suspense and, of course, cameos from our favorite previous Bellandi CS family members. READ THIS BOOK!! You will not regret it!!

I received an ARC for an honest review of this book

If you are looking for a super protective, obsessed, borderline psychotic alpha, look no further – Ryker is in the building. The steps that he goes to in order to claim Calla are over the top insane. I love all of that and the HEA that follows.

I’m knocking off a star because of the overly precocious children – they were, at times, cringeworthy and my eyes rolled out of my head so many times that it took away from the story. Other than that, it’s a fun and entertaining story with a psychotic alpha lead.

I received an arc for an honest review.

If you love a take charge, obsessive, brutally protective alpha hero, you are going to love Ryker. He has been stalkin……errr….looking over the heroine and her kids for years, re-arranges and builds his home around them, showers them with love, but never loses his killer edge. He is dominant in the extreme and extremely high handed in his approach to integrating himself into Calla and her children’s lives.

Poor Calla is doing her best to raise her kids after the loss of her husband a year ago when Ryker decides to make her presence known and claims her….and when I say claim, it is a full on CLAIM. On the day that Ryker reveals himself to her, Calla and the kids are moved into the house. He goes with Calla to pick up her son from school (and demanding to be put on the list of approved people), and daughter (Ines) from Calla’s Dad’s garage (making the initial moves to win her Dad over). For goodness sakes, he had a custom built UNICORN car seat made for Ines. The man is thorough.

Watching Calla come to terns with their whirlwind relationship was a wonderful experience, even if there were times that I wanted to grab her and just yell at her to TRUST HIM (especially near the end). In her position, with her experiences, I can’t say that I wouldn’t have reacted the same way, but at the climax of the story, I would have loved for her to have made a different choice or made her choice earlier. It would have been the most satisfying arc for her (for me, at least). I did love how she fully came to accept Ryker as he is, monster and all.

That is a minor quibble in my all encompassing enjoyment of this book. Ryker was the epitome of my ideal hero – a stone cold ruthless male who is soft for family and gooey only for HIS family. Dang straight I would want that as my man and as the father of my kids. I can’t wait for the next installment in the series.