HE KIDNAPPED ME. HELD ME PRISONER. I knew Junior Tacone was dangerous. I worked for him once taking care of his mother.I thought when the job was over I’d be safe.Out of his awareness. Out of his reach.But his brother took a bullet and Junior chose me to be his nurse.So I’m his prisoner, trapped in his beautiful house, subject to his rule.And it seems he’s developed a thing for me.Which means he … developed a thing for me.
Which means he may never let me go…
Note: This steamy stand-alone romance is the fifth in USA Today bestselling author Renee Rose’s Vegas Underground series. No cheating, no cliffhangers.
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I absolutely loved it! Desiree & Junior will melt your pages. The chemistry is off the charts & I love how she stands up to him. I loved the way it all ended. Jasper really surprised me with his acceptance with everything.
I haven’t read the first 4 books but I will be going back looking them up.
An Utterly AMAZING and STEAMY Mafia Romance by Renee Rose
Author Renee Rose has the gift of writing a good heart into the hardest and most evil men. She does so in a way that seems so natural, even though we all know that bad men have no heart – they can’t by nature of the business they must do. With that knowledge, the ability to show a bad man transition into one with a heart is what author Renee Rose does so remarkably. Through her amazing prose and use of dual narration, Rose develops the riches characters, flawed but so realistic and easy to love that rooting for their future happiness is a forgone conclusion! “JOKER’S WILD” is the fifth book in Rose’s Vegas Underground Series and may just be my favorite as Junior Tacone meets his match – in a young sassy nurse, Desiree who used to take care of his mother when she needed round the clock care after surgery. While “JOKER’S WILD” is a standalone novel and can be read without reading the other books in the series, those books help define to Junior is in his Familia, and just how stubborn, rigid and demanding he has been while running the family business. Seeing who he has been, makes the change described in “JOKER’S WILD” so much more remarkable! If you are looking for a GREAT read, which is full of suspense, emotion, and STEAM, then “JOKER’S WILD” should be your next purchase as it is all of that and so much more. I volunteered to read a copy of “JOKER’S WILD” and this is my honest, voluntary 5+ STAR review. “JOKER’S WILD” is an amazing Mafia romance, so get your copy today! Happy pages!
The chemistry between Junior and Desiree is very hot. This book was steamy and had a good plot.
I liked this book because it helped to people that weren’t looking for love or a home in the heart find one.
I recommend this book and it can be read as a stand alone. – By Kristina
I have loved every story in this series, but this one blew me away. Junior is amazing! He’s sexy, mysterious, domineering, and so much more. Basically, he’s everything I think a Mob Boss character should be. Desiree is the perfect counter-balance to him. She is strong, smart, independent, and pushes back with a vengeance. I love them together! There are a lot of eye-opening moments in this one, and without giving any spoilers I can’t say much more than that. So instead I’m going to tell you that if you love mafia romances then you will love this book. The characters are complex, the story is perfect, the glimpses into the world Junior lives in add the perfect amount of tension between the characters, and there is a beautiful HEA. PERFECT!!
After having one of the worst things happen in her life, her son was kidnapped by his father, she had worked doing private duty nursing jobs until getting a position at the local hospital. One of those jobs was helping Mrs Tacone after hip surgery.
‘Junior” Tacone is the eldest in the Chicago Tacone family and has taken over the family “business” after his father was sent to prison. When his brother is shot during a “meet” that went wrong, he orders his men to get the only person he feels he can trust to help Gio, Desiree Lopez, the nurse who took care of his mother.
Follow how Desiree handles being kidnapped herself and held prisoner by the very charismatic, Junior, and how she survives her ordeal and teaches a few lessons along the way.
This is a wonderful romance you won’t want to miss.
The Taccones are back, but we aren’t in Vegas this time around. We’re in Chicago with Junior and the family. Nico and Sergio are still in Vegas and they make a tiny appearance here, but mostly, we’re seeing the Chicago family.
Junior, along with his brothers Gio and Paolo, have to go meet the Russians. The problem is that it’s a trap. The whole thing ends up with Gio getting shot. They can’t go to the hospital, so Junior takes Gio home and does the only thing he can think of. He tells his men to get Desiree, the home health nurse who took care of his mom, and who is a trauma nurse. So, off they go, and kidnap her and bring her to the house to take care of Gio.
Meanwhile, Desiree has always lusted after Junior, but she didn’t want it to quite happen this way. She also has a secret that she’s keeping that engulfs her entire life.
We’ve seen Junior in the other books, and he always struck me as a major jerkwad, but I should really know better than to judge one of Renee Rose’s characters that way. He has a lot inside and he has to hold a lot inside. He really is a victim, in some ways. It takes Desiree to actually see him, and they are so wonderful together. I got lots of feels from this one, it was so good.
I don’t know how she did it but Renee Rose actually made me fall in love with Junior Tacone! In the previous books of this awesome series, Junior is painted as the tough, unforgiving, old school, scary mafia boss. This book shows there is so much more to him. Feisty nurse Desiree is the catalyst for change as Junior finds his heart. I really loved this book!
I am voluntarily reviewing an advance reader copy of this book.
I liked this book so much! After how Junior was on the other books I actually hoped he would get a story of his own! I’m so happy he finally did! It was so good and shows you the actual person behind who he shows to the world. Even to his own family. I have to admit now I want to read the rest of the family getting there happily ever after now too! So worth the wait! Hope Gio is next!
Junior and Desiree have a bit of a history involving another family member when a dangerous outcome forces them together again.
The chemistry they had flirted with bursts into a conflagration of heat and desire that neither can refuse.
Desiree is dragged into his darker more violent world but at the same time she shows him another way to become alive and open to possibilities again. Both have loss and heartache in their lives, but can they forge a way forward to find a life in the light?
I just loved these two and their story, changes didn’t happen just for them but for a whole family
The chemistry, heat, caring and love just smacks you right in the heart!
Book 5 of the Vegas Underground series by Renee Rose doesn’t disappoint. Throughout books 1-4 we’ve seen Junior Tacone as a bastard. The eldest brother who runs the family business in Chicago, and the ruler of the roost. He’s had it tough, had to be strong and dominant, no one spoke back to Junior. No one that is until Desiree Lopez. Desiree used to care for Juniors mother and had many a fantasy of the eldest Tacone taking her in his dominant ways.
So when Junior kidnaps Desiree and forces her to care for his injured brother Gio, what starts off as fear for her life suddenly turns into all her fantasy’s coming true, the only thing she didn’t count on was falling for the monster she thinks he is.
To read his story and see this angry, mean, miserable man open up and fall in love is just the cutest HEA in the series.
This is book 5 in the “Vegas Underground” series. It is the story of Junior and Desiree. These two were perfect for each other. While I have read and loved all the books in the series, this may be my favorite.
*I received an Advance Readers Copy of this book which I am voluntarily reviewing*
This here is Junior’s story, bad a** mafioso head who had me falling all over myself for him. He has his boys grab Desiree, a sassy spitfire nurse who worked for him and his mom once upon a time, to come take care of his brother. What starts out as a test of wills turns into oh so much more! They crumble each other’s walls little by little, and let me tell you, it’s all sorts of hotness along that ride! Jump on, you’re gonna love it!!
In the previous books Junior is presented as the tough mob boss who is rough even on his own brothers. He demands respect and loyalty from everyone. In this book Junior is still in charge but when Desiree is brought in to save his brother Gio, after he is shot, she turns his world upside down. She knows who he is and what he is capable but she can’t keep from falling for him. The book is fast pace, full of action and sexually charged. I loved to see that Junior has a soft side that Desiree seems to have uncovered. The book is a great read, an excellent addition to this series and I would highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed.
“Brava Ragazza”
If you have not yet read the “Vegas Underground Series” do yourself a huge favor and do it now, each novel is a standalone story within the same sphere. “Joker’s Wild”, the fifth entry within the series, is incredibly well written, demonstrating Ms. Rose’s unique talent for writing women’s erotica. “Joker’s Wild” immerses fans as well as new readers into a world where la famiglia, the code of omerta and dominance reigns supreme. The story-line is complex and includes in-depth characterizations which are additionally supported through previous novels within the series. Fast paced as well as thoroughly engaging “Joker’s Wild” is an intense thrill ride of emotion with one hot Mafioso hero and an independent, totally competent heroine. “Joker’s Wild” is guaranteed to start a five-alarm fire you won’t want to put out! Alessia & Vlad’s story is next to be released and the intermingling of two opposing factions, the American (Sicilian) Mafia and the Bratva, should prove interesting as well as intriguing.
Disclaimer: No Kindles were seriously harmed while reading this novel. Children 18+ only due to sensitive subject matter, explicit sexual content within an unequal power exchange relationship.
Disclaimer for the Disclaimer… The term “seriously harmed” is not intended to include: overheating, scorch marks, minor melting or inconsequential fire that can be put out with an extinguisher. Fire retardant gloves highly recommended while reading. Reviewer is not responsible for run-on sentences, questionable grammar, misplaced commas or illegal use of overly descriptive language.
RATING DETAILS (Based on 1 to 5 Gold Stars):
Steam Factor: 5 Dominant Stars
Writing Style: 5 Professional Stars
Plot: 5 Captivating Stars
Engaging Characters: 5 Hot Blooded Stars
Satisfying Conclusions: 5 Gratifying Stars
Jokers Wild is the fifth book in the Vegas Underground Series. This is Junior and Desiree’s story and I loved the book. It Is Well developed and written. I loved meeting more of the brothers and the head of the of the family. This is an action, edge of your seat, hot, steamy, sexy read. I look forward to the next book.
After having read the previous books in this series, I was totally prepared to come away liking the story but not Junior. But I got to see the real Junior, not the surface based on other’s perception. And Desiree is the perfect match for Junior with her sassiness and take charge attitude. While this story didn’t revolve so much around mafia business, there is plenty regarding relationships – Junior and Desiree, Desiress and her child, and the Tacone family.
This series keeps me coming back, even though I didn’t like Junior in the previous books. Heck, it took a while for me to get to like him in this one, his own book! Desiree was easy. She was strong but also almost broken from the abduction of her son, but she sacrificed to search for him. By the time Desiree and Junior were a thing, I was totally into the story. I love this series and I’ve already borrowed Vlad’s story to read next!
This story is about Junior Tacone, the oldest of the Tacone brothers. Junior Tacone and two of his brothers were set up by the Russian mafia where Gio was shot! Immediately Junior recalls his mother’s former nurse, Desiree and he has his soldiers to bring her to his home — yes, KIDNAP! When she’s brought to the Mafia’s boss’s house she instantly remembers Junior along with the bloodied Gio and begins to take care of him.
Desiree Lopez has been working as a nurse, and loves what she does. She had been working in the home care – where she was working / living in people’s home taking care of them. Which is where she met Mrs. Tacone – Junior’s Mother. Desiree liked working and taking care of Mrs. Tacone after her hip surgery. But, know that Junior has kidnapped her and forcing her to work on his bullet shot brother, she’s not sure how she feels about the Tacone family.
Desiree knows she needs the money to help her find her son – who was kidnapped by her estranged ex-husband. Desiree knows that being in the same room with Junior is going to be hard. She has all these mixed feelings towards him, and isn’t sure if that’s good or bad.
Although Junior has gotten her involved in this crime, they both are really attracted to one another. As they get closer, they discover each others flaws and demons but will they be able to keep the relationship on the ‘friends with benefits’ level? Or will they both allow their hearts to open?
Before I even started reading this book, I was intrigued with the premise. I mean, Junior has been a thoroughly dislikable character for the whole series so far and I couldn’t imagine how the author was going to redeem him. I loved how she did it. I wasn’t completely a fan of the way she showed my previous favorite heroes as callous jerks to do it, but I really appreciated Junior’s sense of honor for his family and their history. Desiree was a little hit and miss with me. There were moments I loved her and moments I could have done without her, but overall, I thought she was a perfect fit to challenge Junior and bring out his protective side.
I read a borrowed copy of this book.
Well, dang! This series is hitting all the right dirty talking fantasies I have! Renee Rose brings a touch of danger, a bit of action, and a TON of steamy sex!!!
I absolutely loved the dark and dangerous side of Junior Tacone! I think that Renee does an amazing job of balancing his protective, dark exterior with the softer, caring inside. Desiree is a perfect mix of sassy, strong, loyal, and loving.
I loved when Junior took things into his own hands to help Desiree. You are not left wanting when it comes to sexy times in this book! You may just have to turn your A/C on while reading it!