From USA Today bestselling author Parker S. Huntington comes a steamy, slow-burn love story full of enemies-to-lovers banter, set in high school.Damiano De Luca: a curse with no cure.Before he ruled the De Luca family,before he became the man everyone feared,before he scoured an empire in search of me,he chose me to ruin.I was innocent.An untainted princess.The heiress to the Vitali mafia throne.… innocent.
An untainted princess.
The heiress to the Vitali mafia throne.
And I was in the wrong place at the wrong time when I met the wrong boy.
My name is Renata Vitali…
And this is not a love story.
Warning: This story ends in a cliffhanger. Renata Vitali is a ~35,000-word prequel novella in The Five Syndicates mafia romance series. It can be read before Damiano De Luca but does not need to be.
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The Five Syndicates Series was in my Wishlist for a while, so I grabbed the opportunity to read Renata’s book.
Most of the time, my experience with novellas/prequels has been frustrating. My major issue with them is mostly about their length and wanting to write a consistent story in a few pages can be really challenging.
And Parker Huntington did a great work with this novella/prequel:
It made me want to know more about the Five syndicates universe.
It made me love Renata’s and Damiano’s love story.
And it made me wanted to know more about the whole series, especially Damiano’s book of course.
I can’t wait to see what’s in store for those two!
Update with my audiobook review:
This is a prequel to Damiano De Luca. I love the cover! Wow! Renata and Damiano’s story is amazing! They are both great and strong characters. This is a short story, but nothing is missing. The storyline is totally captivating, fast-paced, fun, intriguing, sexy and also heartbreaking. The story is beautifully written. I love the Foreword, the quotes before each chapter, the prologue, the epilogue, and everything between. I enjoyed reading each word of this story. The Duet narration is well done! Desireé Ketchum and Zachary Webber did an amazing job with the narration. They are both great as Renata and Damiano. I highly recommend this book, and this series. Now, I can’t wait to read the next book, Damiano De Luca. Parker S Huntington is on of my favorite authors. If you haven’t read her books yet, you have to began with Asher Black, the first book in The Five Syndicates Series.
Renata is a strong person to deal with all that she has been through. She, to me, was unlucky. She fell in love with the wrong person at the right time. Yet, she’s lucky because she found the love of her life. She had trust issues for a long time and he lost her trust. Hope they can get together in the future.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Renata Vitali is a prequel to Damiano De Luca and it’s the story of how Renata and Damiano fall in love before every hell broke loose! The characters built up slowly piece by piece. And Parker S.Huntington’s writing made the process absolutely fascinating!
Renata Vitali is many things. A mafia princess. An exiled prisoner in De Luca territory. A fierce and smart girl who tries hardest to hide her special qualities. And Damiano is the one who sees right through it. He is surviving each day dealing with his own world of pain but he is inching towards his goal of changing the future of De Luca syndicate. And they form this unlikely alliance. The story was deeply moving. You know some stories send you to praying and longing mode. And this was exactly like that. I wanted them to be together against every force while knowing this story will be a cliffhanger and so HEA won’t happen!
Parker S. Huntington’s writing is flawless and just genius. She kept the story line engaging with twists, secrets and power games! The angsty emotions were beautifully expressed. And it will make you run to begin the next story immediately!
Received ARC for Honest Review
This book will definitely consume you, make you keep turning page after page until you finish the book. The chemistry between the characters is so real and the story line is fantastic. This is a prequel to Damiano De Luca and lets us see how their romance started. Once you finish reading Renata Vitali, you’ll want to start Damiano De Luca immediately.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This prequel keeps you wanting more! Plenty of mystery and a love-hate relationship that keeps you in its grasp.
Cannot wait to get started on Damiano’s book! I can already tell it will be a great one…
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book in the prequel to The Five Syndicates series and it ends on a cliffhanger. However, it is still worth picking up and introducing yourself to Renata Vitali. Renata Vitali is a mafia princess. She gives the appearance of innocence and cold as ice but she is in fact so much more. This is not your sunshine and rainbows romance read, this made of much darker and deeper stuff. I was hooked after the first page and had a hard time putting the book down. We also get an introduction to Damiano De Luca. Are they enemies or lovers? Thank goodness that we do not have to wait long for Damiano’s book for more of the story. Enjoy!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was the beginning of Renata and Damiano’s first chance at love. Almost destined for failure with their messy family connections full of evil intent.
Raised brutally by an abusive, psychotic father with a less than savory bloodline, Damiano life with his father was truly hellish.
Renata’s family was also dysfunctional and full of secrets, betrayal, and power plays. Forced to obey a hateful father she feared, she was sent to live at the mercy of Damiano’s father, Angelo.
They find each other in desperation and loneliness.
Their newfound connection and love was full of tenuous hopeful optimism.
I like the way the author was able to fill the evil atmosphere and building drama with pockets of light that showed through whenever Day and Knight were together. Even the dreaded cliffy was done in a way that had me anxious for more!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What a great introduction to this authors work! Loved the chemistry between Renata and Damiano, even from seventeen their feelings were strong for each other. Loved the strength of Damiano as he bides his time to take over his fathers position.
Gah! But what an ending… whilst only a short story, it certainly leaves you hungry for more and I definitely need to know the secrets Renata has discovered!
This was my first dip into this five syndicate world. I didn’t read the story, I devoured it. It had everything I love about a spectacular mafia story. This book is the prequel to Damiano De Luca and tells how Ren and Damian first meet as teens. I’m so glad I read this before diving into their full-length story. It sets the stage for their relationship and gives the reader insight into their personalities and what drives them.
Renata is a mafia princess and daughter to the powerful Vitali family that governs the other syndicates. As punishment for seeing something she shouldn’t have, she is banished to live with the De Luca family—the least favored syndicate family of the group. There, she meets Damiano, the son Angelo De Luca has kept secret from the mafia.
I loved these characters. Ren is bold and it’s obvious she was raised in a world surrounded by deceit. She’s controlled, and constantly on guard, shielding her emotions from everyone. A necessary trait for survival in her life. Even at seventeen, you can see both her and Damian’s strength and how they will undoubtedly play key roles in the future. It’s tough to love and trust when life had offered nothing but lies and half-truths. And yet, they find a way to connect. There’s strength, determination, and most of all, love that grows over time into a powerful force. Their banter made me smile and the subtle gestures of affection made my heart melt. The love is undeniable and the lengths they go to protect each other kept me turning the page.
The writing flowed beautifully and the author builds a strong, emotional romance while effortlessly weaving a secondary tale of family drama and tension filled with mystery. The moment this prequel ended, I had to immediately jump into the full-length story to see how it would all end.
I received a copy of this book via Booksprout but loved it so much I purchased it for my library.
This is not my first rodeo with this very talented author having read and enjoyed very much her other mafia books. As much as I hate cliffhangers I just love this one and Damiano’s book is near. The chemistry between Renata and Damiano is electric. Their first meeting reminded me of two enemies circling each other trying to find each others weakness. What can I say about Angelo? the least said the better! Even though Renata is only 17, the same age as Damiano she is a strong mafia princess and worthy of the title. Damiano will come into his own. This is a very emotional story and very difficult to put down. Full od the usual mafia traits, lies, intrigue, trust issues and betrayal. Can’t wait for Damiano’s book I know it will be a corker!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Darkness and romance in perfect balance
Renata, the mafia princess, meets Damiano, a mafia syndicate prince, when she is shipped off to De Luca territory by her father, the head of the governing family. As the story progresses walls come down, facades stay in place, and dangerous moves threaten everything. Parker S. Huntington has packaged darkness and romance in perfect balance into this one. However, do not shy away from reading it even though it ends with a cliff hanger for it is well worth it. Like all previous books in The Five Syndicates series reader discretion advised due to dark subject matter and/or possible triggers.
I received a free copy of the book from the author via Booksprout. I had the opportunity to review or not.
What an epic start to Damien and Renata!!!! Every word jumped off the page, and I was hooked!!!!
Loved the book it was great the story was well written and the characters were interesting. Wow what a prequel Princess Renata and Prince Damiano were young when they first met when they were teenager’s. The chemistry between these two are off the charts hot and steamy, lust, strength and betrayal.
Thank you for allowing me to review this book it was great.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Renata Vitali is the prequel to Damiano De Luca. Renata and Damiano are two souls in a world where you don’t matter. You are a pawn to be moved and places where and when directed. They discover a true friendship and more has developed the more time they are together. When he slips and reveals a truth she knows nothing about can they work through it?
Don’t miss this highly emotional and powerful prequel.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a new author to me, I’m impressed. This book captured my attention and kept it throughout. I’m jumping right into the next book that’s for sure. I’m hooked! I can’t wait to find out what happens. I like the way it’s written, the storyline, the characters, the suspense and the chemistry between Renata and Damiano.
I will definitely read more from this author.
WOW!!!!!
What a great way to be introduced to Renata and Damiano.
It will have you on the edge of your seat. And leave you begging for more.
This was a good novella and intro into the next book. It was a little repetitive in a couple of spots but a good story!
I normally view Prequels as something I can take or miss. In the case of Renata Vitali I would say that this Prequel is definitely one that needs to be read prior to reading Damiano DeLuca as I think you will understand where the bond between these two characters began. Renata is a Vitali which means her family is in charge of the five syndicate families. Damiano is a DeLuca which means he is part of a family that is lowest on the scale of importance of all the Mafia families so there normally means there isn’t much contact between the two families. When Renata is sent to stay at Damiano’s family estate because of what she believes she witnessed they form a bond that both find unexpected. A great read!
I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest and totally voluntary review.
This is a prequel, but Renata’s story is one you should read. She is 17 years old when she meets Damian. But as a mafia princess she has to shield everything external but at the same time she knows how to observe and see things from other people. Things can’t be easy for them so even though there is love, their circumstances ripped them apart. I loved this part of the story, helps a lot to understand what comes in the book Damiano De Luca.