Once upon a time, there was a guy who got so fed up with life that he resorted to murder and mayhem just to feel alive.Lorenzo Gambini is bored. Most people either annoy him or avoid him, afraid to face him. Figuratively. Literally. With his face partially disfigured, scarred, he looks every bit the monster the stories make him out to be: the notorious Scar. They say he’s a sociopath. Maybe he’s … Scar. They say he’s a sociopath. Maybe he’s a psychopath. Whatever path he’s on, people tend to stay far away from it.
Until one day, a young woman bumps right into him–a woman just as fed up with life, but for much different reasons. With a Scarlet Letter inked on her wrist and secrets buried deep in her soul, Morgan Myers is running from something… or maybe somebody. Lorenzo isn’t quite sure.
You can bet he’s going to figure it out, though.
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This duet is dark but funny, sexy and brilliantly written. The antihero Lorenzo “Scar” Gambini is a mafia Capo who first appeared in the last book of her Monster in His Eyes trilogy Target On Our Backs. He overshadowed Naz in that book and had to have his own. Lorenzo is horribly scarred over one eye, sarcastic AF and has a very itchy and very inaccurate trigger finger. And he is bored, so freaking bored, sitting in his throne as King of New York until ‘she’ comes along – Morgan “Scarlett” Meyers and rocks his entire court! Morgan is one tough chick that has been through hell and back and will cut a bitch or bastard with a knife or her rapier tongue in an instant. She is being pursued by a very dangerous, obsessed and powerful man who will go to any lengths to have her back in his clutches. Lorenzo is no white knight but protecting Scarlett suddenly seems like a cure from boredom and bonus they get to each other which is sexy and funny AF. These two fu$$ and fight throughout the book and have some of the best chemistry and dialogue I have ever read. They are explosive together and so wonderfully matched. Trust me when I say you have never read a romance like this one. Even better listen to it on audio and experience the brilliant narration of #iggytoma. If I could rate it 6 I would in second!
Menace
Whoa!! Lorenzo Gambini…what can I say?? I fell for him in the Monster series…but I really hadn’t had the whole Lorenzo experience…..until MENACE…There is, absolutely, no character comparable to Lorenzo…He’s scary, ruthless, sexy, bats-it crazy and hysterically funny…even when he doesn’t intend to be….
Morgan Myers is a mystery…She has a truck load of baggage when she picks Lorenzo’s pocket outside a bar…..she soon realizes she picked the wrong pocket to pick….Morgan just thinks her world is screwed before…..she has no clue who or what Lorenzo is…or how her life is going to change….Lorenzo and Morgan (Scarlet to Lorenzo) have such good chemistry…..No matter how much they fight their attraction, they just seem to click….
J. M. Darhower has shown so much humor in Lorenzo’s character….This book really has some of the funniest lines, and a lot of not so funny twists and turns…It’s a good book…I can’t wait to read book 2…
Finally, finally, a mob figure who is so wonderfully bad-ass that we have to love him. This book is not for unicorn and sparkle lovers. Menace deals with the dark, dirty underbelly of human nature without a sugar coating to make it go down easier. Some of the situations are tough to swallow but this just drags the reader further in, refusing to let go. So be prepared to immediately purchase book #2 in the series because #1 just leaves you between a rock and a hard place. As a writer of dark stories edged with a bit of twisted humor, I thoroughly appreciated Menace.
Wow! This book was a total mind fuck!
I know everyone has said dibs on this sexy bastard and SO DO I!
Lorenzo doesn’t give a fuck, live by his own moral code and that’s what makes him dangerous!… You don’t want to cross him because he’s ruthless and he will not give you a chance to explain yourself.. He cracked me up!
I love that we get a woman who has a backbone and she doesn’t take shit from Lorenzo. Morgan is in some deep shit and will do everything in order for her to fix it.
Just as much as I love them separately, together they were fucking perfect!
So good!
Another home run from J.M. Darhower! I fell in love with Monster in his Eyes and its sequels. I didn’t immediately realize this was the story of Lorenzo from those books.
This book, as do all of her books, really keeps the story moving. There were no lulls. And I love Lorenzo- he is funny and witty even though he seems a bit unbalanced and frightening. He plays off of Scarlet/Morgan so well. Their respective damaged hearts just fit. I love the development of their relationship. I love how much crazy Lorenzo loves his brother. And how he waffles between caring for, and wanting to murder, Scarlet/Morgan. His character is unpredictable in the greatest way. He comes across as charming, but also someone who might slit your throat on a whim. He reminds me a bit of Preppy from T.M. Frazier’s King series.
All in all, a great read! I am falling all over myself to get started on book #2!
Dangerous. Dark. Twisted. I loved everything about Menace. J.M. Darhower is unrepentant and aggressive in her writing of this original, scheming plot. Who knew Lorenzo Gambini would be such an excellent lead character after reading the Monster series…
These main characters are as fearless as the story telling of Darhower. I’m jumping into the second book immediately and cannot wait for it.
“Looking at you is like looking in a mirror, Scarlet.”
This is not a romance or fairytale. However, it is the beginning of a love story. It is not by anyone’s stretch of the imagination a Rom-Com but the clever and punchy dialogue at times had me laughing at loud while reading.
The world of Lorenzo Oliver Gambini (Scar) is not one filled with sunshine, hearts and flowers. It is a dark world filled with a broken childhood, a scarred face, murder and mayhem. Lorenzo would sooner shoot you than look at you, if you proved to be intolerable. Yet, the light that burns deep in the heart of this man is made from the gold of his willingness to raise an infant brother to manhood never allowing his darkness or dark world to touch his “innocent” brother.
When we first meet Lorenzo, he is in a cold weather funk and life itself has become intolerably boring. When he collides with Morgan Olivia Myers (Scarlet), she is both fascinating and frustrating for Lorenzo. She breaks his rules time and time again without getting herself killed by Lorenzo to the surprise of his crew. She is alluring in all the ways she needs to be for Lorenzo, yet she is a puzzle he cannot seem to solve…beginning with the tattoo of the letter “S” on her wrist. Lorenzo is surprised that he doesn’t mind her staying around when he normally can only stand a hook-up and nothing else. He realizes one essential aspect of Scarlet’s current existence. She is being hunted by a Russian mobster and he is curious to know why?
The storyline of Menace is driven by Lorenzo’s need to keep interacting with Scarlet and learning all her secrets. He commits to being in her corner as her “friend” not her “fairy tale”. He also tells her he does this because he is “bored”, and she brings color into his life. It is at this point that the reader begins to call into question whether he is a reliable narrator or if he is so emotionally damaged and has lived in the dark for so long that he cannot recognize his own emerging feelings…new feelings that begin to work their way into his guarded but golden heart.
Scarlet was blessed with this name by Lorenzo. (You would think Scarlet was chosen as Morgan’s nickname from the shade of red that he saw when he first met her but I like to interpret it more as a female diminutive of Scar… much like dude/dudet – scar/scarlet. She carries her own physical and emotional scars from a childhood broken by violence and her narrative hints at what she may have suffered at the hands of the Russian. She has also never really known the genuine and honest love of a man. She sees Lorenzo as “dangerous and cold-hearted” while also being a man with a “deep soul, and “generous and warm”.
“He can’t fix what’s wrong with me. Nobody can. They can’t even understand. But being around him, it makes me feel things, things I’ve missed just as much as the music and the laughter, things that make me feel alive again. He’s excitement. He’s adrenaline. He makes my heart do stupid shit. Shit my heart shouldn’t be doing. Because everything that turns me on about him could also snuff me out. He’s violent. He’s temperamental. He’s dangerous. So dangerous. Twenty-four hours ago, I watched him murder someone. He didn’t even flinch as he pulled the trigger. But then again, neither did I. I watched him do it without reacting. Maybe we’re not that different.”
The story is told in three alternating first person POVs. Lorenzo, Morgan and a young child who we are not sure of their identity until later in the book. The author writes all three voices with engrossing “fluence”. There is a pervasive sexiness alive between Lorenzo and Scarlet. Their intimate moments are delightfully detailed, plausible and well… hotly and wonderfully fantastic!!! Lorenzo steals hearts from the first with his willingness to please…
“I’ve been passed around, like a piece of meat… but men that go down for the fun of it are unicorns.”
I continue to enjoy this author and her superb characters and character development. It’s amazing to me how she can take an unsentimental, gruff talking, semi-psychotic, bad boy surviving as a boss in the shadowy world of organized crime and make him unquestionably swoon-worthy, seriously swoon-worthy…pledging himself to the cause of a hurt and almost broken woman who has known so very little peace and comfort in her young life. Lorenzo is a sexy skilled lover. He has great wit and intelligence, as well as, the charisma of a leader. He is also ruthless, territorial and prone to angry outbursts just in case you forget he is the boss of a criminal empire.
Scarlet is appropriately cautious, but she does push her limits with Lorenzo. She is far from being completely broken by the intolerable experiences of her young life. She has managed to lock away a good portion of her heart for those special few that may come to deserve it. The gruff things Lorenzo tells her do not really bother her and I think this has Lorenzo somewhat flummoxed? Scarlet has seen her fair share of selfish evil-doers and Lorenzo doesn’t fit the profile.
The story ends on a hopeful note, but I needed the next book in this duet ASAP!!! There is more to this unconventional love story and I’m eager to learn the whole story.
If you enjoy your hero off-center with a locked away golden heart and who is devastatingly irritable because he is damaged and playing counterpart like the prince, he denies being, to a feisty heroine just made to order for said hero then this book and I guessing the next in the duet are not not to be missed…
“If you give the monster a name, it takes away its power, because we’re really just afraid of what we don’t know. If you name it, if you know what it is, you can be stronger than it.”
“I’ve seen love bring a monster back to life before, but most of the time, the monster just loves you to death.”
I am blown away by this story. JM Darhower is one of my favorite authors, and she has a way of creating such intense and grabbing stories that takes a hold of you from beginning until the end. I was very excited the moment I heard about Menace, and I couldn’t wait to get a hold of this book. The author just doesn’t disappoint. The story played like a movie in my mind, and everything was so clear and intriguing. I was sucked into the story and wasn’t let go until I read the last sentence. Actually I am still under the spell of this story. One of my favorite books of the year!
I can’t even explain how much I loved this book. The characters and plot were amazing. Lorenzo was somewhat of a mystery. There were two sides to him: there were moments he was a very dangerous, cold-hearted criminal and other times he was a man with a deep soul, generous and warm. I was intrigued and attracted to both sides. Like every character written by JM Darhower, Lorenzo was very unique and you can’t find any other man like him. He is a very complex and intense character who is also very unpredictable. He is one of my favorite anti-heroes.
As for Morgan, in the beginning I had mixed feelings about her. I didn’t know what to think of her. But she won me over further into the story. She is a very strong woman that would do anything for her loved ones. The chemistry between Morgan and Lorenzo was phenomenal. I loved how they met and how their relationship developed, it was very interesting. Everyone was afraid of Lorenzo, however Morgan did and got away with things while other people died doing less.
There was a mystery aspect, where the author had my guessing. Towards the end I had it figured out but it was incorporated really well into the story. It made me love the book even more and has me very excited for the sequel Grievous (which is releasing next month!!). This book was perfect in my opinion. I wouldn’t change anything about it. This story had it all, it was full of action, humor, romance, suspense and emotional scenes. The secondary characters brought the story up a level. I can’t wait to see what will happen in the next book, I am just glad we don’t have to wait long.
If epic could be even more epic, then that is what this book would be……x10.
“The world, it’s all in black and white, but you? You’re so many shades of red, woman, and color me curious, but I find myself not so bored with your bullshit around.”
You remember Lorenzo Gambini from “Target On Our Backs”, yeah that guy. OMG he caught my eye then and I knew there was more than there what we were shown. Yeah he was a dick, he kinda caused a lot problems, but those are my favorite guys. So many shades of fucked up that I can’t help but love them.
“Yeah, well, life sucks, Scarlet,” I say. “You know that as well as anyone. Sometimes beasts are just fucking beasts, no matter how much you love them, Belle. It’s a fact. I’ve seen love bring a monster back to life before, but most of the time, the monster just loves you to death.”
These two are messed up, hurting from one thing or another, kinda have a lot of issues, but together they are kinda perfect. I loved their chemistry and their banter. I couldn’t get enough of his smart ass comments or how she stood toe to toe with him. She just kept pushing him and testing her limits. That was some of my favorite scenes in this book. I seriously can not wait for part two of this duet. I NEED the rest and I NEED it soon!! I’m so glad there is more because this story needed two books. I don’t really say that a lot because I like a longer book with a developed story in one shot. It’s rare that I think a story needs two parts but this does and part one exceeded my expectations.
I really don’t think I could ever not get sucked into one of her books. She is just so good at building a story that never lacks for anything. The characters are well-developed, the story flow is on point, it just always checks every one of my boxes. The main one and the one that is the most important for me is the ability to TELL me what is going on or the characters are feeling as well as SHOWING me. She rocks at that. BRAVO! She may have never intended to write this book but now that she has I can’t imagine not having it. I love Lorenzo, he isn’t Naz and he isn’t Corrando but he will be one of my favorite guys that she has written.
“That’s usually how it goes, you know…dying has nothing on the horrors of surviving.”
Oh, and bonus points for the Avenged Sevenfold shout out! LOL
This was great and I couldn’t put it down I loved both Lorenzo and Morgan/Scarlet and they had such amazing chemistry together.
Lorenzo was so fouled mouthed and completely psycho and unpredictable what a character, he has absolutely no filter whatsoever and the stuff that comes out of his mouth was bloody hilarious.
I adored his bluntness and crude mouth and his ability to call a spade a spade.
He does what he wants and is totally fearless in fact he lives for the danger it helps break the monotony and the boredom and he has no issues sticking two fingers up at his own mortality taking chances and just rolling with the punches, but mess with him or break his rules and you die no second chances.
His only softness is his younger brother pretty boy who he raised, But he does have a sort of messed up moral code it’s very minuscule but it is there.
When Morgan makes the mistake of pickpocketing him her cards are marked but instead of the usual death sentence he gives her a reprieve and he actually finds himself intrigued by the mysterious street smart Woman not that you would ever know that what with his constant death threats and ass-hat behaviours but he definitely develops a soft spot for her.
Lorenzo sees himself in her it’s like looking in a mirror and he gives her chances no one else would ever get with him.
He also goes to batt for her standing in her corner despite not knowing just what exactly is in her murky past only knowing that the Russians want her back and will stop at nothing to achieve there aim.
Morgan is damaged we don’t know exactly what is in her murky past as this is revealed in breadcrumbs but we do know it’s not exactly a bed of roses and that she is terrified.
She is a dynamo of attitude street smart and resilience and is totally prepared to make the hard choices to survive.
She doesn’t trust easily and is not shocked by the violence and bloodshed which really says a lot about her background.
Working as a lap-dancer and having to do some morally questionable things to achieve her goals she’s a master at giving people exactly what they want from her.
We also get a series of flashbacks and got to say I called that one totally wrong and the truth finally came out of left field for me.
This was a fabulous mix of darkness humour sexiness violence and has some fantastic one-liners that are usually sprouting forth from Lorenzo’s mouth.
I can’t wait to read the conclusion of this and I’m so invested in the outcome, Totally recommend this it was such a page-turner.
But yeh Lorenzo totally stole the show for me here he was such a bloody character.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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okurum okurum da doyamam Lorenzo’ya.