Stolen Heir by Sophie Lark

Stolen Heir by Sophie Lark -- 430 pages

They murdered my father, so I stole their daughter…She’s my captive, my little ballerina who dances only for me. Nessa is sweet and innocent. She doesn’t deserve any of this. But that’s how our world works - the wolves eat the lambs, no matter how gentle they may be. I’ll use her to get my revenge. Unless I give in to my hunger first...

Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark

Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark -- 376 pages

He’s no Prince Charming…Callum Griffin is the heir to the Irish Mafia. He’s ruthless, arrogant, and he wants to kill me. We got off on the wrong foot when I set a (very small) fire in his house. Our families believe a marriage pact is the only thing that will prevent all-out warfare. I think I might need to murder him while he sleeps. This would all be a lot easier if Callum wasn’t so damned good-looking. But I’ve got a lockbox around my heart. Because even if I’m forced to marry him…I could never love a brutal prince.

Fireball by Abbi Glines

Fireball by Abbi Glines -- 246 pages

The truth behind the lie isn’t always a relief. Loving a man known for his wealth, arrogance, and power had been a mistake. My head had known he was dangerous but my heart hadn’t cared. When the lies began to unravel and the truth slapped me in the face, running was the only thing I knew to do. I didn’t belong in this world. His world. But you don’t run from The Family. Not when they claim you as their own. Trusting anyone is a mistake. Friendship is only as deep as the Boss allows it to be. You are never hidden. They will always find you. Every move I made, he controlled. The people helping me were all under his command. The only weapon I had was his obsession with me. Learning to use it against him could destroy me but I had no other choice.

Smokeshow by Abbi Glines

Smokeshow by Abbi Glines -- 258 pages

Set in a world where southern wealth and power comes from one source. The Family is ruled by one boss and it's time for the newer generation to step into place.

It’s a fragile thing - the whispers of truth that you hope are lies. Hughes Farm was the largest racing horse establishment in the south. The family that owned it were known to be wealthy, powerful, arrogant, and terrifying. My first encounter with them didn’t prepare me for all that was to come. I don’t think anything truly could have.

Growing up with only my father and brother hadn’t been easy but we’d had each other. Losing them was the hardest thing I’d ever faced. It had made the times we went without food, electricity, or even shelter seem insignificant in comparison. It is when a woman, claiming to have been my mother’s best friend, arrives to take me home with her that questions begin to surface. My father had rarely spoken of my mother. She’d died when I was a toddler. Having no other option, I trust this stranger and am thrown into a world of mansions, racing horses, extravagance, and him. It’s true that there is a thin line between love and hate. But there is an even thinner line between truth and lies.

Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline

 

Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline-408 pages

Franco dreams of owning his own plantation instead of toiling for someone else and getting nowhere.  He would do anything for the Baron he works for.  One day the baron asks him to kidnap a little boy named Dante; unknowingly setting into motion the making of the world's first Mafia family.  A book that takes you to the early history of Sicily and the rigid class system that ruled at the time.  It gives us a glimpse into a horrible madhouse where Dante is held for many years.  Gratefully there are also good people that come to his aid...but they find him too late for his family. 

Lots of characters and family dynamics.  Violence, corruption and heartbreak.  A good read, I give it 4 out of  5 stars.

Violeta: A Novel by Isabel Allende

 

Violeta: A Novel by Isabel Allende-322 pages

Violeta is telling her life story in the form of a letter to someone she loves.  She is born in 1920, the youngest of 6, the previous 5 being boys.  Her mother is sickly and spends most of her time in bed throughout Violetas life..eventually succumbing to consumption.  Her father dies when she is fairly young.  The Great Depression has a lot to do with his death and between the two events the family is forced to live in the country with some distant relatives.  They ride a train into the countryside with as much as they could pack from their previous lives.  Violeta goes from a life of privilege to one of hard work.  But she realizes that this is the best time of her life and will reflect years later on how she came of age and how it taught her valuable lessons that will see her through the hard times. 

She lives through a Great War and the fight for women's rights.  She survives not one but two pandemics.  She is married, and yet has many passionate affairs.  She experiences love and tragedy through her two children.  Through it all she is strong and a survivor.

I enjoyed it very much.  Though I must confess I got lost with all the different names because I was not familiar with any of them.  I like to think about all of the changes that people who lived during these years went through.  They truly were the toughest generation.

  

Kept by Maya Banks

Kept by Maya Banks- 310 pages

From the author of Mastered and Dominated comes the third Enforcers novel—the searing story of a woman who finds sanctuary in surrender...

He can’t change who he is...

A horrific childhood has made Silas the man he is today: dangerous, distrustful, and demanding. He’s lived in self-imposed solitude, convinced that no woman could ever accept his need for absolute control—in business and pleasure. That is, until a young violinist walks into one of his buildings and into his life.

She can’t change what she wants...

Haley has been struggling to fulfill her father’s dying wish: to attend a prestigious music school in New York City. But even working two jobs, she can’t afford the tiniest of apartments. Seeing her hopeless and near tears, Silas vows to help and protect her, no matter the cost to himself. But when Haley meets his every demand with unwavering acceptance and love, he is overwhelmed by her goodness and gentle spirit. He knows that the dark stain on his soul can never be erased—and rather than risk destroying the most beautiful thing he's ever experienced, he knows he'll have to do the hardest thing he's ever had to face. Let her go. But he's totally unprepared for the lengths Haley will go to fight for his love and a future brighter than the sun...

Mastered by Maya Banks

Mastered by Maya Banks- 368 pages

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Breathless Trilogy comes the first novel in the Enforcers series—a bold new direction in erotic romance that explores the games men and women play, and the price they’re willing to pay for pleasure.

What he wants, he takes with no remorse or guilt.

She stood out in his club like a gem, unspoiled and untouched. A lamb among wolves, she clearly didn’t belong. Drawn to her innocence he watched as she was surrounded by men who saw what he did—but no one but him could touch her. He summoned her to his private quarters. He sensed her fear. He also recognized the desire in her eyes. And he knew she wouldn’t leave before he possessed her. She had no need to know his secrets. Not until he had her under his complete and utter control.

What he wants, she isn’t sure she can give him.

The moment he told her want he wanted, she couldn’t resist. Instinct told her to run, but her heart said stay and walk the fine line between pleasure and pain. Though she wasn’t sure she could ever completely surrender, the primal part of her wanted to try, even knowing this man could break her in ways she never imagined. Because once he possessed her, he owned her and it would be too late to turn back. She can only pray that he doesn’t destroy her in the end.

Dominated by Maya Banks

Dominated by Maya Banks- 352 pages

To save her, he had to betray her...

In Drake’s shadowy world, his enemies would exploit any weakness he had in order to bring him to his knees, and so he’s never allowed himself to care about anyone...never exhibited any vulnerability, and it made him a force to be reckoned with. Until Evangeline—his angel. A woman who slipped past his defenses like no one had ever managed. She was his to protect and ultimately, to do that, he had to do the unthinkable and drive the only good thing in his world away.

But he will stop at nothing to get her back...

Devastated and destroyed, Evangeline doesn’t know what made Drake turn on her in such a shocking manner. She only knows she’ll never be the same. He once freed her from all her inhibitions, only now she is a prisoner to never-ending pain. But when Drake finds her again, she realizes there is more to his world than she ever imagined, and she must decide if she can once more trust—and submit—to the man who holds her wounded heart in his hands. And he must convince her of just how far he’ll go to regain her love and forgiveness.

The Player by Kresley Cole

The Player by Kresley Cole- 334 pages

In this searing stand-alone installment of the erotic Game Maker Series, #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole brings readers a tale of a man wracked with dark desires and the beautiful young woman who could sate him at last.

A madman with a shadowed past . . .
In the City of Sin, Dmitri Sevastyan finds her, Victoria Valentine--sexy, vulnerable, and in need of a protector. Obsession takes root deep inside him. Despite a history tainted with violation and betrayal, he will stop at nothing to possess her.

A grifter with nothing to lose . . .
Descended from a long line of con artists, twenty-three-year-old Victoria, a.k.a Vice, needs the score of a lifetime to keep her loved ones safe. She sets her sights on gorgeous and rich Dmitri Sevastyan. Even as the irresistible Russian toys with her body and mind, he tempts her heart.

Love is the ultimate wildcard.
When Vice and her associates maneuver Dmitri into a hasty Vegas wedding, he refuses to protect himself with a prenup, trusting her with all that he has. But can she trust him? As secrets unfold, the newlyweds share days of doubts and nights of the wickedest pleasures. Yet once Vice discovers her husband's past, will she stay to fight for her marriage or cut her losses and run?

The Master by Kresley Cole

The Master by Kresley Cole-448 pages

A need colder than Siberian winter meets an attitude hotter than the Florida sun in #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole’s sultry new Game Maker novel.

Everyone fears the Master...

Rich, irresistible politician/Mafya boss Maksimilian Sevastyan prefers tall, obedient blondes to fulfill his... complicated desires. That is, until the icy Russian encounters a disobedient brunette whose exquisite little body threatens his legendary restraint.

Except her.

Catarina Marín was a well-off young wife until her world fell apart. Now she’s hiding out, forced to start working as an escort in Miami. Her very first client is beyond gorgeous, but when he tells her what he plans to do to her, Cat almost walks out of the door.

If pleasure is a game, play to win.

The Professional by Kresley Cole

The Professional by Kresley Cole- 400 pages

He makes the rules...

Mafiya enforcer Aleksei “The Siberian” Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss knows no bounds, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, feisty redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Aleksei will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.

Rules are made to be broken…

Grad student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the dark and breathtaking Sevastyan before the professional enforcer whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. Every day under his protection leads her deeper under his masterful spell.

Are you ready to play?

Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true..

The Drop by Dennis Lehane

The Drop by Dennis Lehane - 224 pages

Lehane returns to the neighborhood featured in Mystic River to tell the story of a lonely barman who rescues a puppy from a trashcan at Christmas and then finds a life no longer spent alone is filled with entanglements both romantic and criminal.  Lehane is awesome at atmosphere and populates a world with vividly flawed characters that seem very real.

I was intrigued to see that this book was made into a movie with James Gandolfini and Tom Hardy.  The still photos show that they used a ridiculously cute puppy and of course Tom Hardy is pretty easy on the eyes as well.