Once upon a time the daughter of a mafia king fell in love with a foot soldier.
This fairy tale didn’t have a happy ending.
My sister and I barely managed to escape alive, and we’ve lived in relative hiding ever since. I’m safe now, but I can never forget the boy who gave his life to save mine.
Except there’s a chance that he’s still alive. And he’s fighting a war.
Even knowing the risks, I … war.
Even knowing the risks, I have to find him. I have to find some way to protect him, the way he protected me. But he isn’t the boy I left behind. He’s a violent man. A criminal. And he’s been waiting for me—the final pawn in a dark game of survival and love.
“It’s so beautifully written with lyrical prose that has an edge to remind you that this is so much more than a love story. This book is everything I wanted and more for Clara and Giovanni. It broke my heart and put it back together again…” – Kimberly, The Book Sirens
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I don’t “do” Mafia novels … well that’s neither a new statement nor is it an interesting on. Except maybe when you consider that I just read “Hold You Against Me” (Stripped #4) by Skye Warren and I am trying now to gather my thoughts and feelings about it.
My feelings concerning mafia stories were born in my childhood when they were all over the television, they were violent, cold and dirty. There was never an ounce of real love in them and I could never even begin to understand why someone would like to see them.
I changed my reading preferences already several times during my live and I probably will change them some more but not even some of my favorite authors could bring me to read a mafia novel.
And then there was Skye Warren – I am not sure anymore how I came to read “Deep” – but I know I was pondering whether that intriguing blurb was worth or not to make an exception to my rules and it was.
So when read the blurb for this book I did not even hesitate for a second given the chance to read itand well – I am not going to say that it changes my mind on mafia stories in general – but I will read a mafia book from Skye Warren at any time.
Yes the story is dark and its dirty. It is violent and wrong in so many ways I cannot even comprehend where to start. But there are a few things that are totally different.
I refuse to go into details but let me say in general that the way the story develops is one thing that is different.
But the biggest difference is there is love. Love that may travel a wrong way but it is still Love.
Interesting was that Sky Warren even managed to sneak in one of my biggest triggers – and I read through it because she “sold” in a way that worked for me – again because there was LOVE. Definitively misguided especially at that time, because …lets say vaguely there are such inventions that are called a doorbell.
But this love pure in its essence and that is what made me swallow and read on through my trigger.
(which by the way is my only complain about this story…) The blurb describes a certain situation different – I am talking about the part containing “I have to find him. I have to find some way to protect him, the way he protected me” – reading this misguided me a little, because what actually happens is one of my triggers and I think I might not have chosen the book if I had known.
But I am happy I did and I was rewarded with a beautiful Love Story thank you Skye.
I love mob stories. You will want to hate the guy, you eventually love him. He keeps the book very good and interesting.
Finally Clara and Gio’s story
I’m getting to the end of this series and I enjoyed every minute. Even when my heart was pounding out of my chest. I hoped and assumed there would be one book devoted to Clara and Gio. I wasn’t disappointed. Gio and Clara have a piece of my heart.
Clara has spent years believing Gio is dead. Unbeknownst to her, Gio is very much alive and has been climbing in ranks in the mafia family that was run by her father. Clara notices some strange things happening around her and thinks that maybe Gio has returned but brushes the thoughts off as being ridiculous. Clara’s instincts were correct and Gio is most definitely alive and has come for her. Clara loved Gio as a boy but is having a hard time coming to grips with the man Gio is now. Gio tries to tell Clara he is not a good man and he does treat her like a prisoner most of the time. Clara does not want to be involved in the mafia any more and is keeping a secret about what her father did to her from everyone. When the truth comes out and a danger presents itself, Gio is left feeling devastated. Clara has to find the strength to get him to see that he is the boy she loved underneath, along with the man she loves now. It was well done and flowed well. I liked how Skye Warren built up the suspense so you never quite knew what Gio was thinking or planning.
Definitely one of the books I rank high up there.
3.5-4 stars. I was beyond thrilled to see that book 4 in this series tells Giovanni and Clara’s story! This is the book everyone wanted to read after the first book, Tough Love. If I had known this book was about Gio and Clara I would have read this straight after Tough Love.
I think readers who like caring, protective Alphas who are 100% redeemed will LOVE this book. I sometimes like true assholes, and I felt like this book did not get as dark as I would have liked. Skye Warren tried her best to create an asshole hero and it didn’t completely work for me. I just knew everything would work out fine from the beginning. The plot was too predictable. The beginning was a solid four stars though, it just petered into 3 star territory towards the end. I am glad I read this book and got resolution from the cliffhanger in Tough Love.
I definitely recommend this book to those who enjoyed Tough Love and are dying to know what happened to Gio and Clara. I’m finicky when it comes to Alphaholes and kidnapping/captive plots. I’ve read so many that I can tell when an author is trying hard to make the Hero redeemable. I think contemporary romance lovers and those who like their romance with an edge will love this story.
Clara and Giovanni are young loves who are ripped apart by circumstances and Clara’s need to escape her mafia family.
Clara dreams if Giovanni and finally they meet again (no spoilers here)
I love Skye Warren’s books. They always have the perfect amount of drama and sexy scenes.
loved it
It’s a good story, moves at a good pace. It does put a romantic spin on the mafia, therefore justifying criminal activity.
This book is hard to read due to the graphic violence. I’m not sure I believe that anyone could live through this kind of torture for so long; not very realistic. This was a difficult read. If you are into dark romance and mafia romance, this is for you. It has it all.
When I want to read a great book, I go to Skye Warren. She always delivers. This book is no different. I fell for the characters, anticipated each page and can’t wait to read more In this series.
This is my first book by Skye Warren and I have no idea what I’ve been waiting for. I have a few of her books on my TBR list but just haven’t made the plunge yet. So when we were given to opportunity to review Hold You Against Me, I was all over it. It can be read as a stand alone.
We first meet Clara and Giovanni when they are teenagers. She is fifteen and a mafia princess. He is seventeen and the son of a foot solider who is being trained to follow his father’s path. You can tell early on that there is an undeniable connection between the two. Clara is openly smitten while Giovanni (Gio) is a little harder to read. Both of their lives are full of the dangerous world of the mafia and have to live very calculated lives. When circumstances forces Clara to run, Gio is her only chance of escaping. He paid the ultimate sacrifice for her survival. His life.
“Giovanni is my secret, a shard of glass buried so deep in my soul it would kill me to remove it.”
Eight years later, Clara has attempted to move on with her life. She’s not longer threatened by the mafia and is living a semi normal life. However, she just can’t get Gio out of her mind. He’s always been the boy she loved and she can’t seem to get past her feelings. What she doesn’t know is that Gio is actually alive and she is about to face her past and her future. Both mixed with sadness and happiness.
This was a different twist to a second chance story that I enjoyed. Gio is no longer the sweet boy that Clara remembers. He’s cold, calculated and oozes indifference towards Clara. Every time I saw a glimmer of hope between them, Gio would do or say something maddening that would ultimate feel like they back to square one.
“I don’t need your pity, bella. Don’t waste it on me. I show you this so you’ll understand. So you don’t look to me for mercy. I have none.”
Now that Clara is back in the mafia world, she’s struggling between her heart and her need to survive. Even though she never wanted to be back in it, she stands up for herself and knows how to play the game. She tries to remain distant from Gio but that love never died and she can see that even the cold, calculated man that he is now is still digging his way further into her heart.
I was told by the author that this is probably her most romantic book to date. And I have to admit that the romance was great. Even with his cold indifference, we do see a side of Gio that is absolutely swoon worthy. He’s that guy that you love to hate in the beginning but slowly creeps your way into your heart. With that being said, I think I really want to go back and read some of her other books. If this is the most romantic then I want to see the darker side. I would have preferred some more of the darker, violent side of the mafia.
Overall, I really enjoyed my first book from Skye and I look forward to going back to read the rest of the books in this series and some of her other work. If you are looking for a light mafia book with some steamy scenes and some swoon worthy moments, then this book is for you!
I have truly become a Sky Warren fan!!! Each book in this series has been my favorite read – at least until the next book is published. Great characters, compelling storyline, and no grammatical/typo errors which detract. A must-read!!