Review of Nico by Sarah Castille

Review of Nico by Sarah Castille

Review of Nico by Sarah CastilleNico four-half-stars
by Sarah Castille
ISBN: 9781250104045
Series: Ruin & Revenge,
Published by St. Martin's Press on December 6th 2016
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Suspense
Pages: 350
Buy on Amazon//Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

A dangerous proposal

In Nico, the first book in the Ruin & Revenge series by New York Times bestselling author Sarah Castille, Las Vegas Mafia boss, Nico Toscani, is used to getting what he wants, whether it is having the City of Sin under his rule or a beautiful woman in his bed. But when he meets his match in the gorgeous, headstrong Mia Cordano, the daughter of a rival crime lord, all bets are off. . .

Sexy computer hacker, Mia, struggles to break free of her ruthless father’s Mafia ties...but she can’t resist the powerful and seductive Nico, who will stop at nothing to possess her. With their families locked in a brutal war for control of the city, Mia and Nico enter into a forbidden game. Will they surrender to the passion that burns between them—and risk tearing apart their families? Or will Nico be forced to betray the only woman who sets his blood on fire?

Review of Nico by Sarah Castille

Review by: April Hughes

 

This novel is ADDICTING!

Nico is the first novel in the Ruin and Revenge series by New York Times bestselling author Sarah Castille. The story follows Mia Cordano, the daughter of a violent and immoral mafia boss in Las Vegas. Unlike most of her family, Mia doe not condone the actions of her father and seeks to build a life away from that of crime. So, she becomes a hacker and starts up a business testing security systems for various legitimate and legal organizations. It is during one of these security testings that Mia meets Nico Toscani, a mafia boss for the Toscani family. Unfortunately, despite the sparks that fly between them, Mia and Nico’s families are warring due to the murder of Nico’s father.

This story may have a Romeo and Juliet feel to it, but this novel is far from that. Both main characters are strong and competent, and rather than become overwhelmed by all the obstacles stacked against them, they overcome them with clinical and strategic planning and foresight. Nico and Mia have astounding chemistry that you can practically feel leaping off the pages. Their ability to reach into the heart (metaphorically speaking, of course) of one another and see past all the hardships placed on them by their families, makes them extraordinarily compatible.

It was a thrilling journey to be sucked into the insidious underworld of the infamously glamorous Las Vegas. I have always been a fan of mafia-based stories, and was blow away by how detailed and knowledgeable the author was on the subject. The mafia families in this series are gritty, dark, sensual, dangerous, and operating from the murky gray area of right and wrong. The characters were “real” and struggled with numerous moral dilemmas.

I finished this story in less than a day. I mentally devoured it. Any spare moment that I had was filled with me snatching this book up and sticking my nose in it.

And why did there have to be an excerpt of the next novel Luca at the end?? Ugh! Now I’m going to obsess until I get my hands on him…I mean it…the book *cough*. **UPDATE** See my Review of Luca here

See Next

Review of “Full Contact” by Sarah Castille

Review of “Against the Ropes” by Sarah Castille

Nico on Amazon

Pick up a copy of Nico on Amazon

View on Amazon

 

<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US&adInstanceId=30e6c102-cff2-4cbd-aac9-ff5544919ace"></script>
four-half-stars
Review of Tormentor Mine by Anna Zaires

Review of Tormentor Mine by Anna Zaires

Review of Tormentor Mine by Anna ZairesTormentor Mine (Tormentor Mine #1) four-half-stars
by Anna ZairesDima Zales
Published by Mozaika LLC on March 28th 2017
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Suspense, Action & Adventure, New Adult, General
Pages: 560
Buy on Amazon//Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

 A new dark romance from New York Times bestseller Anna Zaires

He came to me in the night, a cruel, darkly handsome stranger from the most dangerous corners of Russia. He tormented me and destroyed me, ripping apart my world in his quest for vengeance.

Now he's back, but he’s no longer after my secrets.

The man who stars in my nightmares wants me.

Tormentor Mine by Anna Zaires

Tormentor Mine by Anna Zaires

Tormentor Mine is the first book in a series by New York Times bestselling author Anna Zaires. I will warn you that there are some situations in the book that might be somewhat disturbing to some. For example, you will often ask yourself as you read through whether the heroine, Sara, truly cares for the love interest Peter because of the way he “takes care of her” or because she might be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. To be honest, by the end of the novel I wasn’t quite sure myself.

The story starts off with Peter’s quest for vengeance. Sara happened to be an innocent bystander who had the misfortune of being married to a man Peter is determined to kill. Peter attacks Sara in her home and basically tortures the information of her husband’s whereabouts from her. The methods he used to extract this information is reflective of his experiences working in Russia’s special forces. I found myself outraged and horrified for her. I don’t blame her for unwittingly disclosing the information (he did waterboard her, tie her to a chair, and then drug her after all) which resulted in the death of her husband. We do later learn of Sara’s now deceased husband’s actions which led to Peter’s vengeance.


     

    This is the first romance novel I have read where the heroine suffers from PTSD, anxiety, and panic attacks due to the harrowing actions of the love interest. After attacking Sara, Peter finds himself thinking of her. He then decides it would be a great idea to set cameras up all over her house and have people follow her every move. His interest slowly grows into obsession, until finally he decides to play house with Sara. Peter forces Sara to endure his presence, despite her knowing he had tortured her and killed her husband (which she suffers a tremendous amount of guilt for).

    This story is seriously unconventional and if you’re not into the whole stalking, obsessing, torture, or psychological, and seriously twisted form of “love” found in this novel, then it might not be for you. However, if you’re wanting to read something completely different from the mainstream love story, then this one will be perfect for you. I will admit to being intrigued by the concept, shocked by the situations presented in the story, and intrigued by both the main characters. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in Sara’s situation. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be loved by someone as intense, dominant, and somewhat scary like Peter.

    Finally, Tormentor Mine was well written and the characters provided enough depth that you enjoyed getting into their heads a little. Anna Zaires certainly knows how to leave the reader gasping at the cliffhanger! Ah! Now I’m going to have to pre-order the next one so I can see where the hell Sara is being taken now. The second novel in the Tormentor Mine series, Obsession Mine, is scheduled to be released on November 14th, 2017.

    Like this review of Tormentor Mine by Anna Zaires? Checkout my other reviews here!

    You can get this book instantly for the Kindle on Amazon for $4.99.

    <script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US&adInstanceId=30e6c102-cff2-4cbd-aac9-ff5544919ace"></script>
    four-half-stars

    Would you like to…?

    Use the Divi Builder…

    to design your pop-up!

    Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Curabitur non nulla sit amet nisl tempus convallis quis ac lectus. Cras ultricies ligula sed magna dictum porta. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Proin eget tortor risus.

    Pin It on Pinterest