by Bethany-Kris
Publication Date: July 9, 2018
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime, Erotic Romance, Standalone
A shadow meets the light …
When someone needs to disappear, the Chicago mob calls on Joe Rossi. A man who can move without a sound, and kill without a word, they don’t call him the Shadow for nothing.
This time, it’s a New York crime family in need of his skills, but it takes one glimpse of her to make him agree to the job.
Liliana Marcello is every inch a principessa della mafia. Her life has taught her to be wary of strangers, yet her ballet career contradicts everything by putting her on display.
It’s a man with a dark smile and a constantly changing demeanor that makes her feel safe again, but it’s the unknown that holds her back.
It takes one look … One dance … One word … One smile to captivate a man.
And one second to kill a woman because of it, too.
Not all monsters hide in the shadows. How are you supposed to see them coming?
When someone needs to disappear, the Chicago mob calls on Joe Rossi. A man who can move without a sound, and kill without a word, they don’t call him the Shadow for nothing.
This time, it’s a New York crime family in need of his skills, but it takes one glimpse of her to make him agree to the job.
Liliana Marcello is every inch a principessa della mafia. Her life has taught her to be wary of strangers, yet her ballet career contradicts everything by putting her on display.
It’s a man with a dark smile and a constantly changing demeanor that makes her feel safe again, but it’s the unknown that holds her back.
It takes one look … One dance … One word … One smile to captivate a man.
And one second to kill a woman because of it, too.
Not all monsters hide in the shadows. How are you supposed to see them coming?
Review
4.5 Stars
If Bethany-Kris writes it, I read it. I'm always up for mafia blood shed, the dialogue she writes so well, and the sexy moments the characters share when the world isn't all guns and action. Captivated has been a long-awaited book for me, I've been dying to know about the ballerina Bethany-Kris has been writing about since she first started hinting about her. Liliana Marcello, daughter of Lucian Marcello, is graceful, delicate, and fairly naive when it comes to her family's name and profession. Aware of her role as principesa, she doesn't ask questions, she doesn't snoop, and up until the arrival of Joe she's never been curious. Joe Rossi, son of Damien and Lily Rossi of the Chicago Outfit, is as handsome as he is strong. He reveals to Liliana a side of himself that he keeps closed off when amongst made men, showing that he is soft and sweet.
"He was the worst kind of sinner. It never seemed to matter."
In New York on business for the Marcellos, Joe knows better than to reveal his interest in Lucian's daughter, but something about her calls to him. Whether it is her graceful way of walking, her captivating way of dancing, or the strength she reveals when avoiding the advances of a former flame, he cannot stop thinking about her. Distraction is dangerous though, especially when you're the Shadow, a hitman no one can detect with two marks to be had in New York. When they are pushed together by circumstance the two give in to the chemistry, though the past and secrets have a way of pushing them apart. Joe wants Liliana for himself, but more than anything, he wants to protect her from the darkness that is trying to haunt her once again.
"Liliana saw Joe. She has deen him. That was enough for her."
I LOVED Joe and I loved Liliana. They are young characters, one very aware of his role in the Chicago Outfit and one principesa who has embraced her family none-the-wiser of their roles in the New York mafia. Joe is immature in many ways, but also so mature in ways he seems to young to be. He has seen things, yet he holds onto his faith and his hope. Liliana has been dealt a bad had in recent past, thriving most when she's on stage dancing and left cowering and withering when the name connected to her recent past is brought up. The two share instant chemistry, the kind of chemistry that should be ignored due to the nature of Joe's visit, and yet it works for them. It's a hot push and pull, filled with blush-worthy smut. While it is a complicated connection, built on lust and secrets, it is still a relationship you root for.
"Liliana saw Joe. She has deen him. That was enough for her."
Captivated is classic crime family romance, but with a youthful touch that I really enjoyed. Joe's view of his role as the Shadow for the Outfit is unique and Liliana's distance from her own family was very different from previous Bethany-Kris principesa characters. There was just the right amount of suspense, crime, and romance to make this mafia fiction lover happy.
ARC provided.
CAPTIVATED MUSIC PLAYLIST
Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.
To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bf9lzD
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