He’s a successful billionaire with a secret.She’s a skilled artist and will stop at nothing to save her father from dying in prison.Caught between the mob and his conscience, he vows to break the grip they have on his family. He is desperate to find a painter to perfectly reproduce a priceless piece. But nothing is picture-perfect. The mob is watching their every move. Can he trust her? Can she … every move. Can he trust her? Can she trust him?
To convince the mafia their relationship is real, they sign the paperwork and get married. For days, she paints, and he watches her create the perfect fake.
Until…
Something changes between them. Now, he’s driven to protect her from the mob’s deadly grip.
Can they pull off conning the mafia? Is everything about their arrangement just fake, or is there something more?
Read now.
*The Perfect Fake is a romantic suspense with a guaranteed HEA. It is meant for mature audiences only. Trigger warning: This full-length novel has scenes that depict violence and death. Each book in the series can be read standalone, but for the best reading experience they should be read in order.*
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I liked the story of Annaliese and Harlan, it has a little mystery, a thouch of mafia involved, but in the end is a lovely love story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A nice middle of the road mafia themed romance
Annaliese, an art professor living under a shadow, meets Harlan, a gallery owner living under a different shadow, when he comes to her with an unusual proposal. As the story progresses an agreement is struck, shadows come to light, and if they are not careful the shadow could overtake them. Arabella Steedly’s The Perfect Fake is a nice middle of the road mafia themed and fake turned real romance read.
I received a free copy of the book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.
What is real and what is fake? Can you tell the difference?
The Perfect Fake is the first book in the Escaping The Camorra Mafia series. It is the story of Harlan and Annaliese. This is a Mafia story that is set within the art world with mystery and thrills all over the place.
This is the first book I have read by Arabella Steedly so I was not sure if I would like the author’s writing or not. I found the book to be well written with an exciting story-line and nicely developed and complex characters. I enjoyed this story even though I don’t usually read this genre of romance, so it made a nice change for me.
I received a copy of this book and am leaving my honest review. My opinions are all my own.
The Perfect Fake really sums up this story well. Harmen wants out of the mafia family to do his own thing. But the only way out would be diving deeper into the mafia ways. He makes a deal with Annelise, who will do anything to get her father out of jail. But when they get married for show, they work closely together, creating more than just a business deal. This book has it all, steam, suspense, twists and thrills. I loved every word. I could not put it down because I needed to know more. Just when I thought it would be a good point, another twist occurred and I needed more answers. This is one mafia book not to miss.
JaCee Voice was amazing at the narration. This is my introduction to JaCee and I hope to hear more! JaCee has an easy to listen to voice. He keeps the characters easily distinguishable. I loved the sound effects and the voice altering for innner thoughts. It made the book easier to follow.
An amazing light mafia fake marriage romance. This engaging storyline had me intrigued with suspense, some grit, crossing of enemies, romance, protection, insecurities and more. It’s a clean very romantic perfect read that is vividly detailed and narrated beautifully. The characters are realistic and interesting. An incredible job with both author and narrator.
A phenomenally thrilling and captivating new story from Arabella Steedly. Annaliese is an artist and Harlan is a gallery owner, both are living in the shadows of their family for different reasons. Yet they both have to set that aside in order to pull a fast one on the mafia and still escape unscathed. The Perfect Fake is a well written story with wonderful characters readers will fall in love with. This is a fantastic book that will keep readers captivated from start to finish. I absolutely loved reading this new book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Perfect Fake
Escaping the Camorra Mafia, Book 1
By: Arabella Steedly
Narrated by: JaCee Voice
Arabella Steedly takes us into the world of illegal art and weaves a tale of danger, deception and love. Harlan De Vries is an art dealer caught up in the mafia due to his family history. He wants to remove himself from the Camorra Mafia by giving them forgeries and commissions Annaliese, the daughter of a forger with promises only he can deliver. To make it all believable to the mafia and the FBI, these two get married, but is that enough to convince everyone this is a marriage in love? This is a great love story, full of suspense and danger. The chemistry is hot, the passion is high and I love the dynamic between Harlan and Annaliese. I found the story more romantic suspense than dark, but the story is amazing, and I am intrigued to see where it leads to next.
This is my first listen by JaCee Voice, and his voice is very good. He has a good pace and his voices are distinguishable between characters. I did think the inner voice changes were effective, letting us know when it was their thoughts. The editing of the narration was not clean, and evident when lines were inserted as corrections which I found very distracting. Overall it was a good performance.
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Nice clean story. The reason for only 3 stars is because I listened to this book. The narrator was bad!!! The audio was not good either ! Goes loud and then normal. I personal think if you are going to record a romantic book not use this guy.. the guy is trying to do a woman voice it’s bad.
Audible (ebook is also available via KU). This is my first audiobook by this author and this narrator.
Let’s start with narration. JaCee Voice was impeccable. He has an amazing range and did a wonderful job of giving each character their own unique sound. The decision to make phone calls as a separate and purposefully “tinny” recording added a depth usually only found in multi-cast productions. At first, I was thrown by the decision to use this technique for the characters’ “inner monologues” as well ~ but I think it really helped differentiate the narrative for the listener. I initially felt that Voice sounded a little “old” but realized that was based on an assumption on the characters’ ages. (the story never actually specifies) Once into the story ~ his gravely voice really worked for me. Even his register for Annaliese was pleasant to listen to.
Harlan De Vries is an art dealer trying to untangle his father’s history of selling Nazi plundered works to the mob. In an effort to keep the Camorra Mafia from acquiring any more stolen pieces, Harlan hires Annaliese Hart to forge famous paintings. Harlan’s family is being watched by the Camorras and Annaliese is being trailed by the FBI due to her father’s conviction as a forger. Harlan suggests they marry temporarily to keep any suspicion off their activities. Steedly skillfully packs quite a bit of story into what turns out to be a short book (just over 5 hours). Yet, at no point did I feel like I was being shortchanged. I was actually amazed at how well I felt I knew Harlan and Annaliese even by the halfway point. It also didn’t suffer from “insta love” which plagues many books this length. In addition to a solid relationship between the MCs ~ there was a nice addition of action & suspense as well.
My two main issues were:
1. I know that “Dark Romance” is an incredibly broad and poorly defined genre. However, I think it’s a stretch to categorize this book as such. Yes, we’re dealing with the mob ~ but the main characters are only committing a crime to defraud criminals. The sex is quite tame almost bordering on “fade to black”. (no complaints, there’s just nothing about that part to classify this as “dark”) I’m good with anything from clean to erotica ~ but it’s likely the author will miss readers who don’t like “dark” and will disappoint those that do.
*** SPOILER-ISH ***
2. The whole point of this book is the fake marriage. For the mob & the FBI who are constantly monitoring them to believe that they are married. Then WHY does Annaliese continue to live in her own home for DAYS after they wed. It doesn’t make any sense and was a big interruption to the believabilty of the plot.
*** END SPOILER-ISH ***
Overall, this was a solid 4 star listen that I happily finished on the same day I started it. The book has an HEA for the couple, but definitely leaves the De Vries family still entangled with the Camorra Mafia. Harlan has two younger brothers who were lightly introduced in the book and I’m looking forward to what I assume will be their stories as the series continues.
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A romance with intrigue.
Annaliese is a talented artist who can do something that Harlan desperately needs her to do for him if his plan is to work. He’s even willing to get her father out of prison and into treatment for his cancer if she can paint the items he needs her to. There are plot twists galore in this one as well as passion and heat.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What a great find, this story is close to perfect it has the Mafia, a Billionaire, a damsel in distress and a dog. Plus romance, suspense and intrigue.
Annaliese and Harlan both have a love for the arts. One can create it, the other can sell it. Harlan wanting to get his family out of a mess that was created many generations before asked Anneliese for her assistance.
This story was well written and you will fall in love with all the characters.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Loved the book it was great the story was well written and the characters were great. You feel emotional, adrenalin is high, fear and sweat, to end up happy at the end.
Thank you for allowing me to review your book and make it was great.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. Power is the controlling factor in this book. There were so many crooked people in this story. Always someone trying to get over. Harlan was trying to keep his family life from affecting his life. Granddad and father crooked. Granddad came across art work from back in his time. He was selling off the pieces little by little. Having copies made and passing them along. An accident of Harlan father brought the bad guys to Harlan door. After decades of selling the art work off little by little there was just a few pieces left. Harlan wanted out and the only way to get out was to be able to create a fake that could pass for the real thing, This is where Annaliese comes in . A nobody. He will help her if she helps him. This book turn out to be a page tuner because I wanted to find out would the fake pass as the real thing. Would Harlan get revenge for his father murder and his brother accident. I was hooked after reading the first few pages.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Annaliese and Harlan came together to complete a mutually beneficial deal. Through their closeness and with time, they fell for each other. I enjoyed this book, although I do not feel it was the best work this author has put forth. If you like mafia books, I would recommend this, although their presence is not felt too strongly, which is probably its saving grace. I have read other books by this author that I have enjoyed more, and will most likely read more in the future.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It’s never easy trying to go straight but Harlan decides its time to move past the dealings his farther and grand farther did but he needs help with his idea and that’s where Annaliese comes in. There are secrets, suspense, danger, attraction, passion some good laughs within this book and when I got to the end I was not happy as I want to keep reading this series, I wasn’t reading to put it down!! lol So lets hope we don’t have to wait long for the next book as I can’t wait to get to know the De Vries family more as well as hopefully the mysterious Kyre Petrovic.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The perfect fake leads to a genuine relationship and more! At times Anna acts snarky and above it all. but she was just as “dirty” as Harlan. She chose to do illegal things for a price- no one forced her so she’s not any better! Harlan was trying to do the right thing and I appreciated that aspect. The procrastination seems to be working until things take a deadly dangerous turn. See who survives and what’s next.
This starts out with Harlan De Fries conning Annaliese, the daughter of an imprisoned Art Forger into creating the “Perfect Fake” of one of the original paintings that were stolen when the Nazi’s overtook Paris during World War II. It seems his Father and Grandfather (who originally found the stolen collection)had no issue with keeping the stolen art and spiraling it into the mass fortune the De Fries family has lived with comfortably over the years. Harlan wants to return the art to the original owners except their is a catch, the Camorra Mafia found out about the Art treasures and have been forcing them to sell the paintings to them. Annaliese only wants to get her imprisioned father out of prison and it seems that the best way is for them to wed. There are so many roller coaster ups and downs in this book that will keep you guessing until the very end. Can their “fake” marriage become something real and will Annaliese’s forgery pass the inspection of Camorra? Read and find out.
I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest and totally voluntary review.
The Perfect Beginning for a New Series 5 Stars
If the rest of the series Escaping the Camorra Mafia is anything like the first novel, I’m in for the run! The novel has all the elements for a great read—a strong plot premise, engaging characters and romance.
When his father is killed and younger brother badly injured in a bizarre rockfall while driving along the Pacific Coast Highway, elder son Harlan De Vries is suspicious of the “freak accident” declared by the first responders. Harlan becomes the CEO of the family’s international fine art galleries, inheriting not only the public business, but also the family’s obligations to the Camorra Mafia, an international crime organization that Harlan’s father had turned to help sell the family’s ill-gotten collection of old masters art. But Harlan is ready for his family to part ways with the Camorra, recognizing in his father’s “accidental” death as the cost of even casually trying to separate from the crime organization. Harlan’s wish is to end the illicit mafia connection and to try and right the wrong begun by his grandfather’s discovery and use of the Nazi stash of stolen art to establish the family fortune. When once more confronted by Kyre Petrovic, the local contact for the Camorra, Harlan conceives of the idea of switching a masterpiece with a forgery, but to do so, he must find an artist who can create the “perfect fake”. With the support of his Uncle Daniel, Harlan seeks out a forger who is off the FBI’s radar. He discovers the forger Sammy Hart who is currently serving a life sentence at a California federal prison after being caught practicing his art of forgery. But his daughter, Annaliese, a talented painter in her on right, might be motivated to help Harlan, especially if his money and political influence can be used to gain the early release and medical treatment for her father whose life sentence might be even shorter with his diagnosis of liver cancer. Annaliese will do anything to secure help for father, so agrees to create the “perfect fake” to appease the demands of the Camorra and to pass the inspection of an independent appraiser. She will even agree to “fake marry” Harlan to give cover for their activities of deception.
With this strong first installment in the series, the question for the reader is will the series be carried through the younger brothers: middle brother, FBI agent Peter who was seriously injured in his dad’s fatal car accident, and youngest brother Luke, a soldier currently stationed in Afghanistan. Or, will Ms. Steedly introduce others whose storylines will reflect individuals trapped in the web of the Camorra? Either pathway promises hours of delightful reading!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Loved this story. A new take on passing off a fake. Harlan and Annaliese work together to sever ties Harlan’s family made to the mob. In exchange her father gets out of jail to get treatments he needs. I love Harlan’s bigger reason for passing off the fake besides severing ties. Harlan and Annaliese have chemistry right from the start and it only gets better!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Wonderfully fantastic… The book was amazing… It had a lot of details and juicy scenes to it… The characters and their personalities match them perfectly… The plot and the storyline was very descriptive and amazing…
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.