Temptation is too sweet when the don’s daughter offers her full submission, but when her father finds out, he’ll probably wind up swimming with the fishes. Giving control of her body to Carlo Romano, underboss to her father, was dangerous. More dangerous than her hair-brained idea to take off her clothes at a strip club as a form of sex therapy. But the temptation outweighed the risk. Carlo made … made her feel sexy, alive and appealing, feelings she’d scarcely known after two years with her cheating and demoralizing ex-boyfriend. Carlo couldn’t believe Summer – the don’s daughter – was dancing half-naked on the stage of a strip club. Nor could he believe she suggested he’d be the one to take a belt to her ass and set her straight. But he’d had a thing for Summer since the day he moved in with her family, fresh off a plane from Sicily. He couldn’t walk away from the opportunity to get up-close and intimate, and show her his dominant side. Still, Summer may not be ready for a new relationship, and even if she is, there was the not-so-small matter of what her parents would say – her father would probably want to kill Carlo if he found out he’d seen her naked…
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Carlo has been wanting Summer for eight years, but couldn’t have her. Al Don’s daughter was off limits. Until that day he saw her stripping he had to pull his dominance out and get her to realize it’s no acceptable. Yet can he keep his feelings at bay. Can she curve hers. Things began to happen and then he heard the brother who tried to kill him eight years ago in Sicily was coming to America. Will there be blood shed on his most important day.
I’m going to give this a good 4.25 stars.
I love everything I’ve ever read of Renee Rose’s. She gets into her characters’ heads really well and really lets you figure out what makes them tick. I love that.
Summer is the daughter of the local mafia don. She’s just gone through a crappy breakup and her self-esteem is in the toilet. Her ex cheated on her, ran her down, and made her feel like she’s about 2 inches tall. So now she’s trying to get some of her power back. And the way she does that? She goes and strips at a local club. She loves to dance and she loves the power that all those guys thinking she’s sexy gives her. It’s all going along swimmingly until she sees Carlo, the underboss walk in.
Carlo sees Summer taking off her clothes and shaking what her mama gave her on the stage, and he hits the roof. After he came to Chicago from Sicily because his brother arranged to have him killed, he stayed with her family, and started falling in love with her from the very first time he saw her. Now, 8 years later, he’s going to make sure that she gets her life back together, no matter how many times he has to take a belt to her bottom.
I loved how much power exchange goes on in this book. It’s a pretty heavy D/s relationship between the two of them, which works out really well for both of them. Summer is very much a submissive type, and when Carlo takes her in hand, she starts to be able to get herself back to herself.
Overall, I really liked the story, but I felt like some of the bits with Carlo’s brother had kind of been tacked on and the book would’ve been just as good without that bit in there.
After a bad relationship leaves her feeling less than, Summer begins stripping to fill the hole that’s left from, not only her feelings of inadequacy, but to fulfill her need to dance. When her father’s right hand man finds her on stage, she’s left with few options. Being the Don’s daughter she must live by certain standards and her current occupation does not fit in with those expectations.
Carlo is shocked when he finds Summer scantily dressed and dancing before a room full of men. He’s always watched her, always been drawn to her but since her breakup with the douche he’s noticed that she’s lost a part of herself. Having no choice but to inform her father, he escorts her from the club. However, before he realizes what he’s doing, he’s agreed to forgo sharing his knowledge with the Don and instead exerting his own form of punishment in order to teach her a lesson.
Renee Rose is known for her spanking books and this is definitely that. It’s hot and sultry and what I expect a true look into such a relationship of dom/sub would be. But it’s also got a bit of family drama, some suspense, and a tad of angst.
I loved the way Carlo saw only Summer. His sole purpose was to take care of her, to ensure she was healthy both physically and emotionally. And if that overlapped with his dominant nature, then it was a good thing she enjoyed that part of him. He’s totally controlling, completely alpha, and extremely sexy. This is the type of book that’s going to set your kindle on fire!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and Riverdale Avenue Books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.