A story about the sacrifices we make for love…I sneak out of my room every night. My father’s guards don’t see me. My sister doesn’t see me. No one sees me, except him.He’s the son of a mafia foot soldier. My father is the boss. I shouldn’t even know Giovanni. And I definitely shouldn’t kiss him. Our relationship is doomed to fail, but that won’t stop me from trying.Not every girl wants to be a … trying.
Not every girl wants to be a princess. I just want to be free.
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Tough Love is the prequel novella to the sexy Stripped series. Fair warning: Contains a dark hero who will do anything to keep his girl safe and an ending that will make you gasp!
Books in the Stripped series
½. Tough Love (prequel)
1. Love the Way You Lie
2. Better When It Hurts
3. Even Better
4. Pretty When You Cry
5. Caught for Christmas
6. Hold You Against Me
7. To the Ends of the Earth
Praise for Skye Warren and the Stripped series:
“I’ve always been a fan of Skye Warren ever since I read Wanderlust. Her writing is flawless and tales captivating. Love The Way You Lie is no exception. 5 Stars.” – Pepper Winters, New York Times bestselling author of Tears of Tess
“It’s gritty, edgy, and sexy, served to you in the well-written, absorbing style that Skye is so talented at delivering. I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the Stripped series.” – Shameless Book Club
“It’s dark, mysterious, sexy, and I loved every page of it! There were twists and turns that I never saw coming! I love when an author is able to keep me guessing until the very end of the book.” – Book Fancy Book Blog
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bookshelves: romance, 1-owned-all, prch-amazon, 0-n-order-by-athr, shared-2-facebook, 2shr2bkbub, 2shr2google, shared-2-amazon, crime
Tough Love by Skye Warren
Genres: Crime, Romance
3.75 Stars
Definitely intriguing enough to make me want to read “Love the way you Lie”.
This is really just the set up for the serial.
You get to know the sisters and the foundation of their family history.
Very short read.
What an absolutely killer prequel. We get the some of the backstory about Clara and Honor who are the daughters of an aging Mob boss. Their father has already arranged a marriage between Honor and a dirty cop named Byron who is so cruel he’s already leaving bruises. Clara is only fifteen and has a friendship with Giovanni who is the son of her father’s second in command. Since this is a novella, I don’t want to give anything away. Just know if this is any indication on how the series progresses, we’re in for more adventure, turmoil, drama and nail biting suspense than we found here. My heart is literally racing at the end of this.
Good start to the series, I am looking forward to seeing what happens now with Clara and Gio, and I am really curious as to what will happen with her sister Honor.
This had me on the verge of tears. Maybe I’m just easily affected by stories. This is the prequel to Love the Way You Lie. I actually listened to this after Love the Way You Lie. I decided I was diving into the whole series and have to have all the info I can. This tells the story of Honor and Clara’s escape but it also tells the story of young love. Of Clara and Gio. I hope when I get to Gio and Clara’s full story it doesn’t break me. I’m 2 stories in and I highly recommend this series thus far.
Really enjoyed reading all about Giovanni and Clara. Looking forward to Honor and Clara’s time on the ru
4 STARS
I was so intrigued by this story. Clara And Giovanni have a secret friendship where they can be themselves away from prying eyes. The audiobook had great narration and was quick to listen to. I definitely will be picking up the rest of this series.
This novella will draw you in and is a definite MUST read. Tough Love by Skye Warren will join the ranks of the BIBLIO-ELITE!!!
I know it’s a prequel but I’m left wanting, so much more. I have so many questions that require answers. Looks like I need to read the series now.
Clara is fifteen year old the illegitimate daughter of the mafia head. Giovanni is seventeen and the son of one of Clara’s father’s foot soldier. She may live in a beautiful mansion and be surrounded by antiques and wealth, but it’s no more than a prison with benefits. Things are changing with an imminent takeover, she needs to escape now more than ever before. However everything comes at a cost, will she lose herself or the one thing dearest to her? Maybe both!
Kudos to the author for writing a prequel that leaves the reader wanting more. The prequel has 5 chapters but did leave me wanting more. If the books were enrolled in Kindle and were free to download, I would have moved forward. TOUGH LOVE is just a short baby to rob your bank account.
I cry until his shirt is dark and wet. These are silent tears. They fall without my consent, while my face is solemn. I can be stoic for him. I won’t beg now. I won’t plead.
I need you to do this for me, Clara. I need you to stay safe.”
The book was very good but the way it ended was strange. I would love to know what happened to the two sisters.
Honor and Clara are daughters of one of the heads of the Mafia. While Honor, the favorite and perfect daughter, is already engaged, Clara has secrets that haunt her. Her appearance so different from her father and sister, beyond her father’s indifference, leds she to believe that rumors of the illegitimacy of her birth are real.
At age fifteen, as she dreams of leaving the walls of the mansion where she lives and abandoning the routine with tutors to experience High School and College, her only moments of normality are the nights she escapes to the pool house and finds herself with his longtime friend, Giovanni, the son of one of his father’s soldiers.
Abandoned by her mother and without prospects of a happy life, Clara discovers that her feelings for Giovanni go beyond friendship, while seeing the spots hidden under the sleeves of her sister’s blouse. An idea begins to take shape in her head: running away from the mafia is the only solution to having a happy or dignified life. And she wants the two people she cares more about in the world to accompany her in this escape: her sister Honor and Giovanni.
The prequel satisfactorily introduces the series, with parties showered with false smiles and dangers hidden under lying courtesies. With a moving and entacing ending it is impossible not to want to read the other books in the series.
I loved this short story! I’m picky when it comes to mafia and billionaire executive characters in contemporary romance. The market is just oversaturated with these types of characters. If they come across as OTT or inauthentic I’ll abandon the book without hesitation. Skye Warren did a great job describing the mafia family from the daughter’s POV. The writing came across as authentic and held my attention from start to finish.
This story is from Clara’s POV, a 16 year old daughter of a mafia boss. We see her struggle with changing dynamics in her family. Her relationships with Giovanni and her sister Honor were interesting, tense, and suspenseful. There was a lot of depth for such a short story. I really want to read the next book, but I was disappointed to read reviews that pointed out the next book has Honor as the MC instead of Clara. Despite the MC change I’ll eventually give it a try.
edit: Clara and Gio’s story picks right back up in book 4, Hold You Against Me. It can be read straight after Tough Love and before the other books in this series, because it is a stand-alone. It has a very different vibe than book 1 & 2 in the Stripped series. I definitely recommend Tough Love and Hold You Against Me to Skye Warren fans.
It may be short but it packs a huge punch and leaves the reader wanting more. Clara and Gio have a connection that needs to be kept secret, but when Clara’s sister is in trouble Gio puts the girls first and sends them away. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series to see what happens next.
The desperation that clings to Clara, Gio and Honor is upsetting. There is no happiness in this series starter but, it definitely makes you want to find out what happens to these three young people.
Good mafia novella. Actually a prequel that should be read before Hold You Against Me. The star crossed couple make you root for them though the prequel is short.
Breathtakingly beautiful!