Wild Card

Caitlin’s life hasn’t been easy. Her “little bit of crazy” is a defense mechanism she employs to keep herself safe so when Paolo comes to collect what is owed she reacts unexpectedly and he is completely caught off guard. It doesn’t take him long to see through it and his heart softens. She may have stolen thousands of dollars from his family but Paolo would give up his life to protect her because he, like the rest of the Tacone men, can be brutally hard when necessary but where their women are concerned, they are the most protective, most caring of men.

Paolo and Caitlin are great characters with a whole lot of chemistry. I loved this story. The sex is hot and the romance is heart-warming and emotionally satisfying. I loved everything about this awesome love story which is the final book of the wonderful Vegas Underground series.

I am voluntarily reviewing and advance reader copy of this book.

Paolo, the “fixer” of the Tacone family.
His latest “fix” goes sideways rather quickly. Instead of being shaken to the bone with fear, the little hacker he’s supposed to “shake down” shakes for a whole different reason!! And instead of being cowed by the big bad enforcer the thief teaches him some things about himself.
This is a story of preconceived beliefs, surprising discoveries, and tons of satisfyingly smoldering “coition”!!
I’m sad to let the Tacones go!
Maybe there might be a couple stories still lurking around somewhere, in the future?!

So well done! I loved the way the author exposed Paulo as being strong and good despite his ruthless mafia background. His ability to focus on the task at hand cold heartedly was one of his main strengths.
His task was Caitlin. Retrieving the money she stole by using her exceptional hacking skills was just another job to him.
Caitlin’s backstory was tragic. Believing her father was murdered by Paolo’s mafia family, she purposefully targeted their business to extort money for college. Living by her wits and willing to do anything to survive and provide for her younger brother, her methods of dealing with past abuse was manic and scary. Her crazy touched something deep inside Paolo, and their twisted, graphic, and intense relationship grew in a way that confused him. Fast paced with a great edgy undertone as this couple fell for each other without knowing how to deal with it all.
I really loved the way Paolo secretly tried to find all the ways to help Caitlin, never once blaming her for the mess of a life she was forced into because of her selfish and immoral father.
Everything that’s good in a dark Mafia Drama. Lots of steamy steamy angst filled erotic scenes as Caitlin has definite issues that triggered Paolo’s need to dominate and control. It was Caitlin who pushed the envelope in those scenes though, and Paolo had to figure out what she needed.
A definite keeper!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Ever see the 1980s movie Something Wild? The protagonists of Wild Card reminded me of the Ray Liotta and Melanie Griffith characters—if they had been the intended lovers of that story instead of antagonists.

After they killed her father years ago, Caitlin finally had her revenge against the Tacone family by using her amazing hacker skills to steal their money and in so doing fund her and her brother’s college education. But as we know by this point in the Vegas Underground series, very little gets past the Tacones, and they will make Caitlin face Tacone justice—sent in the form of Paolo Tacone.

What makes this book stand out is the unique characters of Paolo and Caitlin. He’s always been quirky, silent, and driven, but it isn’t until he encounters Caitlin’s particular form of crazy that he meets his match. Caitlin has a disassociation disorder (no spoiler here as this is revealed right at the start of the book), and she uses movement and extreme sensation to keep herself from falling into a dissociative state. So when the irresistible force that is Caitlin meets the immovable object that is Paolo, sparks fly in all sorts of ways.

I love the way Caitlin knows she isn’t like everyone else, and her unique perspective on life and what she needs from it turns out to be the perfect match for Paolo. Wild Card intensely focuses on them, with only a couple of other characters playing a major part in its plot. There are some moments where the all-powerful nature of the Tacones strains credulity, in terms of what Paolo can do to protect Caitlin after he’s forced her into a situation where she’s exposed to the Feds and at her school. But those are relatively minor quibbles in a story where you’re suspending a bit of belief anyway, and there were a number of other plot twists that truly surprised me.

I loved the way that these two characters are full of imperfections but perfect for one another. It’s a fitting end to the Vegas Underground series.

I love the Tacone family! I wasn’t sure if I’d like Paolo. But I should have faith that this author knows how to make you fall in love with her characters!

Caitlin was so super fun to read. She has issues that she has learned to deal with in her own way. But after she meets Paolo he actually doesn’t mind her quirks and even helps her with them. And even tho they both start off thinking everything is temporary the way they compliment each other changes how they feel about one another. I REALLY love this series!

In Renee Rose’s “Wildcard”, we get the final Tacone brother’s story with Paolo and Caitlin. Across this series, I’ve been entertained by the brothers—so alike, yet so very different. The locales—both Vegas and Chicago—were great backdrops to these stories. Likes: Paolo is such a ‘go with the flow’ kind of guy, which caught me by surprise as he seemed like the hardest/coldest of the brothers. And Caitlin…I love it when authors give their characters disabilities and Caitlin’s is no exception. There’s a fine line to balance on when mixing kink with certain diagnoses and Ms. Rose did a good job bringing us into Caitlin’s head when she finds herself ‘checking out.’ Of all the couples in this series, Paolo and Caitlin have a wylde (did you see what I did there?) chemistry that is so very wrong and yet, so very right. They are clearly a match made in a dungeon, er, well, you know what I mean. I have to admit that I’m sad to see this series come to its end, but like all good things, it’s time. Well, that and she ran out of family members to write about.

An OUTSTANDING story with a rough-around-the-edges Alpha readers will love
WILD CARD by Renee Rose is another fantastic Mafia romance! It’s well-written, and I fell completely in love with both Paolo and Dee! However, it was the vulnerability which each of the characters revealed to themselves and then bit by bit to each other that reeled me into the story so completely. Despite the grit and violence typical of the Mafia/Bratva trope, this romance was so sweet and endearing in its telling, I could not put WILD CARD down. Author Renee Rose offers a GREAT story in this STEAMY and explicit romance which I volunteered to read. As expected, author Rose delivered a story that knocked my socks off and left me happily in the world of her creativity! This is my voluntary and HONEST 5+STAR review. WILD CARD is a winner in every regard and really ought to be your next romance read!! Happy pages!

Caitlin is a hacker and a hot mess. She stole from the Tacone family to pay for her and her brother’s college tuition. She was sure she’d never get caught until Paolo showed up in her house. Caitlin is also kinky and uses sex to help control her disorder. Paolo is the enforcer for his family but now that they have gone legit he’s on tamer missions. The sex is hot, kinky and totally off the charts with this couple. When Caitlin ends up in trouble with the cops, Paolo gets her free and wants to keep her for himself. A bang up ending for this series. I have adored all the heroes and heroines in this series.

I am so glad I discovered this series! I came late to the party (Dead Man’s Hand) so I have the previous books to indulge in. Paolo is the enforcer for his family, the heavy who leans on people to get what he wants. Even though they are mostly legit now, he has to address the hacker chic who has stole money from the family. Caitlin went into the money siphoning to get revenge for her dad’s murder at the hands of the Tacones. When Paolo shows up, she isn’t sure if she is going to die. Luckily for her, she doesn’t respond to fear the way other do. Surprised by Caitlin’s behavior, Paolo goes about things and wishes he could take them back later. This is a very intense ride emotionally and so incredibly well written. I just couldn’t bring myself to put it down! Caitlin’s needs matching Paolo’s takes him by surprise. Her deeper feelings, her need for Paolo emotionally does the same to Caitlin. I loved the two of them together, how he takes care of her. While this is the end of the Vegas Underground series, I can’t wait to see what Ms Rose has in store for us with the Bratva!

What a wonderful book.
Renee Rose has a way of writing great characters
And a bomb story plot that will leave u satisfied
This book was well written and I was engaged with the MC and how there story was told Another best read.
This book meet my expectations.
I recommend this book to anyone that loves a great story with no cliffhanger.
I voluntarily read an advance reader’s copy and my opinion are my own.