Amore Part 2 By Bella Jewel

Title: Amore: Part 2

Series: Amore #2

Author: Bella Jewel

Genre: Mafia Romance 

 Release Date: October 24, 2016

Blurb

Run.

He told me to run. So I ran.

It turns out just because you run from something, doesn’t mean it can’t find you.

He’s coming for me.

He wants what I hold closest.

He wants to lie, manipulate and use me.

He wants me to betray him.

Rafael.

Leader of the Italian Mafia.

Love of my life.

Father of my child.

He’s going to make me do the unthinkable.

There is no way out.

I’m trapped and about to make the biggest mistake of my life.

I’m running full throttle towards an oncoming train, and there isn’t a single thing I can do to stop it.

I’m going to become what I was most afraid of.

A monster.

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Author Bio

Bella Jewel is a self published, USA Today bestselling author. She’s been publishing since 2013. Her first release was a contemporary romance, Hell’s Knights which topped the charts upon release. Since that time, she has published over five novels, gaining a bestseller status on numerous platforms. She lives in North Queensland and is currently studying editing and proofreading to further expand her career. Bella has been writing since she was just shy of fifteen years old. In Summer 2013 she was offered an ebook deal through Montlake Romance for her bestselling modern day pirate series, Enslaved By The Ocean. She plans to expand her writing career, planning many new releases for the future.

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It all started with a night of fun and then an obsession. He won’t let her go but the secrets she holds could not only destroy him but her world as she knows it.  Julie has nowhere to go she literally carries Rafe’s air, the next generation of mafia don’s.  She has a mission destroy his empire and her family will be safe. In order for her to get close to Rafe again Julie must pretend to be the girl he once knew. Life has changed her and her sass is over the top now that she stands to lose everything.

I will say that this book was a bit frustrating at times and I expected a little more. Now don’t get me wrong I did love the fact that the club members from the author’s previous series make appearances in this book.  But certain things didn’t add up and left me as reader very annoyed. For instance Marcus notices Julie at the club and smells baby lotion on her and figures out that she has a child and is being blackmailed. I am curious as to why Rafe didn’t pick up on these “clues” that Marcus found out from sitting in a night club? This story portrayed Rafe as very naïve at times.

Julie was always showing up to Rafe’s house in tears and then wanting her distance after he comforted her. It was like groundhogs day whenever these two would interact (or the few times when they did interact). This book focused less on them as a couple and coming to terms with the situation between them and more on Julie being blackmailed by Ricardo. Yes, Ricardo was a psycho and I didn’t understand why he would divulge all of his plans to ruin Rafe to Julie. Julie’s mother was a mess she has a weakness for Ricardo, loves her husband and would do anything for family, and yet still fails to protect her daughter? And what of her father he was stated to be a part of the gang once upon a time and now he is a mere statue in the background? How come with all these people around no one picks up on Julie and the mothers secrets? It’s not like they hid it well. And for Julie to want to spend more with the kid ( I won’t say his name because in the book it’s a little bit of a joke) she had no issues dropping him off whenever she could. Again I did love the motorcycle gang making an appearance but Julie hanging out with them was superposed to get her to trust them but she never does so I didn’t understand that part.  

This book for me just left so many loose ends. What happened to Rafe’s mother she was never mentioned.  Where is the connection between Rafe and Julie? They have a kid between them and I just felt like there was no development on the drastic change in their relationship. This book seemed disjointed. Whatever happened to the situation between her and Cecila? It was never stated in the story or even addressed. I think at the last bit of the book when Julie gained a backbone turned this story around for me. But the ending was lackluster and didn’t feel like a true ending to me. All in all this book wasn’t my favorite from this author but just because I didn’t like doesn’t mean others won’t. Please judge this book for yourselves and not based on this one review.

Amore By Author Bella Jewel

Title: Amore Part 1

Author: Bella Jewel

Genre: Mafia Romance 

 Release Date: September 19, 2016

Blurb

“It is not love that defines us, Julietta. It is love that destroys us.”

I’m just a normal girl.

Or so you would think.

I’ve never thought of myself as anything different.

Until I met him.

He doesn’t think I’m normal.

He thinks I’m special.

Special enough to be in his life.

Special enough to enter his world.

Special enough for his bed.

Rafael Lencioni. Dangerous. Beautiful. Terrifying.

My story is the one that’s never told.

I’m not the daughter.

I’m not the wife.

I’m not a sister or a mother.

I'm not his enemy and I'm not his friend.

I’m not who you think I am.

So for me to fit into their world, I have to do something I never wanted in my life.

Something I would have frowned upon until I met him.

I have to change who I am.

I have to shut down my heart.

I have to accept my place.

My body belongs to him.

My heart isn’t permitted to.

Those are his rules.

But rules were made to be broken…right?

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Author Bio

Bella Jewel is a self published, USA Today bestselling author. She’s been publishing since 2013. Her first release was a contemporary romance, Hell’s Knights which topped the charts upon release. Since that time, she has published over five novels, gaining a bestseller status on numerous platforms. She lives in North Queensland and is currently studying editing and proofreading to further expand her career. Bella has been writing since she was just shy of fifteen years old. In Summer 2013 she was offered an ebook deal through Montlake Romance for her bestselling modern day pirate series, Enslaved By The Ocean. She plans to expand her writing career, planning many new releases for the future.

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I love when an author steps outside their comfort zone and tackles a new genre or writes a story that hasn’t been told. Bella Jewel (whom I love) new release Amore tackles a very touchy subject matter it’s the story of the side chick well in the mob world a “goomar” (mob mistress). Now, now before you get all upset and write the story off it’s a very complex story and goes a lot deeper than just cheating. Rafael is the Don and as a representation of status a lot of made men have goomar’s. It’s the “norm” where they are from. But what of these kept women? Many don’t hear about their stories or how they came into the life until now.

Rafael has a wife Maria who is the ideal traditional Italian woman. She knows the life and what is expected of her. She knows her role and plays it well. Because she is silent and dutiful many disregard her but you know what they say it’s always the quiet ones you have to worry about.

Rafael is an alpha male. He lives life by his own rules and every decision is calculated. Julie (the goomar) has her own life. She is a nurse and a fire cracker. I struggled with her character because she was so back and forth with Rafael. One moment she was giving him the business (telling him off) and the next she was weak for him. On one hand I hated her weakness for him and loved that she would blow up any moment and embarrass him.

 He has two rules: Never fall in love with him, and no one can know who he is, or what he does. Simple right? Let’s just say this story isn’t the average he falls for the side chick story and they live happily ever after. It’s so complex with plenty of twists and turns that you won’t see coming. Every character has a purpose and fits into this puzzle somehow. I know, I know it ends on a cliffhanger but the author promises it won’t be long before the next one is released. And honestly with that explosive cliff hanger I am waiting impatiently for the follow-up.

Now you know it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t discuss some of the issues I had with the story. Rafael claims he is only married to Maria out of obligation so that she will bear him children. But, when he is with Julie he sleeps with her unprotected. And follows up with the, “I’m clean and are you on birth control”? Umm…how can you be trying for kids with your wife and sleeping with Julie unprotected? I did love the contrast of his relationship to Julie and that of his wife. The author doesn’t make his wife out to be a villain. It’s a great mix of blurring the lines of wrong and right. You might be surprised whose side you end up on while reading this book.

Although Julie annoyed me it was hard to understand the pull he had over her. I know he likes her challenging ways but we got rare glimpses of them being together as a couple only the intimate parts. I didn’t understands Julie’s thought process why would she confront her father? Hasn’t she been lying as well? And if you are leaving why go somewhere they can find you so easily? One thing I will say is that Julie is a runner she will state her case and leave. This story had some funny moments with Julie and her friend Cecilia. But with that being said it was a lot of WTF moments as well that left me scratching my head. This story had some crazy plot twists and turns. Readers please judge this book for yourselves and not based on this one review.

Dark Mafia Prince By Annika Martin

Title: Dark Mafia Prince

Author: Annika Martin

Genre: Dark Mafia Romance

 Release Date: June 28, 2016

Blurb

THE DARK MAFIA PRINCE IS BACK TO RECLAIM ALL THAT HER FAMILY STOLE.

Aleksio

Don’t look at me like that. So trusting.

Like you think I’m not a monster.

Like I won’t wrap your hair in my fist and bend you to my will.

Like I won’t sacrifice you, piece by piece, to save my brother.
I’m the most dangerous enemy you’ll ever have because every time you look at me, you see somebody good. That friend who died.
And when you look at me like that, I die again.

Mira
I spent years making myself invisible.
A good girl, apart from the noise.
Then you came back, beautiful and deadly in your Armani suit.

Don’t look at me like you still know me, you say.

But I remember your smile and those sunny days.
Before they lowered your small casket into the ground.

Before they told us the prince was dead.

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AUTHOR BIO

Annika Martin is a NYT bestselling author who enjoys writing dirty stories about dangerous criminals! She loves helping animals and kicking snow clumps off the bottom of cars around the streets of Minneapolis, and in her spare time she writes as the RITA award-winning author Carolyn Crane.

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Beautifully Brutal By Nicole Edwards

Excerpt #1

Twenty months ago.

Courtney tried to pull away from Max, her heart pounding against her chest. Max was going to kill Weston, He was going to kill him and it was all her fault...

           At that point, she’d been with Max for several months, getting deeper and deeper into a relationship with him, but never had she actually gotten any information to take back to her father. Nothing that would take Max down, nothing concrete enough to do any damage to the Southern Boy Mafia and she felt as though she was running out of time.

          So, she befriended Weston, pretended to like him until she convinced him that she wanted him. And then, she’d gotten his phone number, called him and invited him to meet with her.

          He had.

          But the young man hadn’t given up any information that would have hurt Max.

“What’d she offer you?” Max asked Weston.

          Weston’s head shifted, his right eye opened ever so slightly, his gaze meeting hers. She could hardly make out the color of his iris because the lid was so swollen and purple from the bruises that marred his once handsome face.

          “Did she offer her pussy?” Max asked, his tone lethal. “Is that what she offered you?”

          “God, no!” Courtney screamed.

          She hadn’t offered him anything. She’d merely tried to talk to him. Sure, the flirting might’ve eluded to more, but she’d never intended to do anything with him. She wasn’t a whore.

“He didn’t…” she uttered, her throat closing around her words. “He didn’t betray you.”

“No? He met with you in the park, sat with you for two fucking hours and talked. What’d you talk about? The goddamn weather? If he didn’t betray me, what did he do, Courtney? Confess his undying love? Ask you to run away with him? What?”

“I betrayed you.” Weston said through swollen lips. “I shouldn’t have talked to her.”

“He didn’t!” Courtney yelled. “He didn’t tell me anything.”

“But you tried, didn’t you?” Max yelled at her directly. “You tried to get him to talk.”

Courtney’s gaze dropped to the floor as she nodded. She’d tried, but Weston had revealed very little. Not even enough to take back to her father.

“Anything you have to say to me, Weston?” Max asked.

Lifting her gaze to the broken and battered man in front of her, she wanted to plead for Max to let him go, but she knew better. He was going to die. This was what happened in Max’s world. This soulless man was the leader of the Southern Boy Mafia, the ruler of the dark and dirty underworld that she found herself living in.

          He was the man she’d fallen for. And she hated that, hated that she’d betrayed herself. Even now, even knowing what was going to happen, she couldn’t deny her feelings for Max. He was doing what had to be done. He weeded out the weak links in his organization in order to move forward. It made sense even if she hated it.

Sometimes love isn’t beautiful...

Meet Max & Courtney is this southern mafia romance!

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Blurb

Sometimes love isn’t beautiful...

Sometimes the only way to describe it is beautifully brutal.

If you think you know him… You’re wrong.

If you think you know his family… Wrong again.

If you think you know his story… You don’t.

If you did, you’d likely wonder how the hell a man like Maximillian Adorite managed to make it to this point in his life. At twenty-nine, he’s experienced more than most people could only ever imagine, all thanksto his family. Organized crime they call it. Mafia.

No matter how they spin it, it comes down to one thing. Max gets what he wants. Except for the one thing he wants most.

Her name is Courtney Kogan.

And now that he’s had a taste of her, Max knows he’ll never be able to let her go.

The Southern Boy Mafia series is a spinoff from the Sniper 1 Security series. It has been set up to be read without reading Sniper 1 Security, however, the characters will frequently cross over.

 Meet The Author:

 

New York Times bestselling author Nicole Edwards launched her professional writing career in July of 2012. Having been an avid reader all of her life and a huge fan of creative writing, it seemed the likely path for her to take. Since then, she has released fifteen books and has no plans to stop. As her full-time career/hobby, Nicole writes steamy contemporary and erotic romances. Nicole is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who was born and raised in Texas. Married with three kids and four dogs, she has plenty of interaction to keep her imagination brewing. Her books have been featured in USA Today’s Happy Ever After segment as well as Indie Reader’s best seller list. She has forged her way as an independent author. Although she has a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, she prefers to be hiding out in her writing cave, talking to the fictional characters that have built up in her head over the years. When she isn’t writing or plotting her next book (sometimes translated to “playing on Facebook”), Nicole loves to read and spend time with her family and her dogs.

 

Stalk Nicole Here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |

 Instagram |  Amazon | Blog

 

 

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Married To The Bad Boy (Mafia Romance) By: Vanessa Waltz

 

 

Summary

 

No one in their right mind marries a bad boy...

I’m a player. A man-whore. Whatever the hell you want to call it, I get around. During the day, I crack heads and extort businesses. At night, I find girls to f*ck. I live to hear them moan for me, but one night is all they get. No one ever made me want more. Until her.

Elena.

The moment her lips wrapped around me, I was done. All day, I think about running my tongue all over those curves.

Too bad those curves are off limits. She's running from a man who will kill me for touching her.
Well, she's tired of running and needs my help.
She thinks I'm doing it for money.
I'm doing it to make her mine.

 

 

 

 

 



Tony is a bad boy who is used to getting what he wants especially from women. He lives for two things women and money and in that order. He thinks with his sex and the rest is just a game. Tony has a rule when it comes to women: “never sleep with them twice.” But what happens when you meet that one that makes you rethink all the rules?

Elena the ultimate mafia princess knows how the game works. You don’t choose the life it chooses you and a rat or anyone associated with a rat is the lowest thing. She’s involved with a connected man Rafael. He is obsessed with Elena and very abusive. Like most women in abused relationships Elena wants help but doesn’t see her way out. In this life everyone turns a blind eye. Tired of being put off and fearing for her life Elena plays the game and the men in it to her advantage.

 Desperate to forget and needing help Elena gives Tony a chance to prove all the wonderful nasty things he can do to her. Sometimes playing can turn into reality.

On the run from her abusive ex Elena uses sex as a weapon to employ Tony’s help but he’s no idiot. Like I said in this life there are rules but everyone knows there are exceptions to every rule. Her only means of protection is to get married to a made guy. Not realizing their game and lies will snowball into something serious Tony and Elena fight with everything they have to protect their growing romance.

This story in my opinion was majority sex scenes and not a great balance between that and character interaction and development. For instance whenever something happened in the story the next scene was a sex scene to follow. I found some of the characters behavior and actions to be questionable and contradictory. i.e. Elena goes from a very abusive relationship to Tony who manhandled her. Does she not have any fear? She says, “He's a bad boy but I know he will never raise a hand to me. Well you know what I mean." Huh?

Also if you are running away from your abusive ex why keep your phone on and not get a prepaid one? It doesn’t make sense to go through all that trouble to hide from him and to make all these silly mistakes. She’s afraid of Rafael but meets with him several times unprotected and even goes back to her apartment by herself. The same apartment she was afraid to go back to so she asked Tony to stay the night. I just found this story to have a few inconsistencies.

The scenes where Tony and Elena get to know each other I enjoyed because they were few and far between. Elena was a bit annoying because she kept making silly decisions. I understand giving the situation your wits aren’t about you. But when Rafael threatens her with jail time and he’s a part of Vince’s crew did she not think it was a bluff? I mean really you don’t think the cops are watching a made man?

For me this wasn’t one of my favorite books from this author. I loved her Vittario crime series but this book fell a little flat for me. It just randomly ended. I wanted a little more of a follow-up. I just felt this was a rushed job. But what I don’t particularly care for others may love. Please judge this book for yourselves and not based on this one review.



Dangerous Beauty Series By: Michelle Hardin

 



WELCOME TO MARCH MADNESS!!!

In collaboration with Musings IRJ ( https://swirlromance.wordpress.com/), we present to you a series of spotlights on some of our favorite authors for the entire month of March! Each week, we’ll feature one or more authors along with snippets and teasers from their new work along with a few fan favorites.

We appreciate our IR authors because they don’t always get the love and recognition that they deserve, so this is our way of saying Thank You! We thank you for writing the stories that represent us, and we honor you for leaving us with works of art that will stay with us forever!

Without further ado, our first spotlight is on author Michelle Hardin. Book 3 of the Dangerous Beauty series is available now.

 

 

Title: Dangerous Beauty Series

Author: Michelle Hardin

Genre: Young Adult, Romantic Suspense

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Dangerous Beauty Part One: Destiny

One day in a beautiful garden a young half Italian, half Russian boy met the daughter of his father’s African American business associate for the first time. Nineteen years later destiny brought them together for a second time. 

After the tragic death of his mother, Nathan Salerno decided to live a life devoid of love. His only goal in life was to live up to the expectations of his highly feared Mafia Boss father and make him proud to have him as an heir. As the anniversary of his mother’s passing drew near Nathan prepared to do what he did every year— disappear. When his childhood friends convinced him to join them on a vacation instead, Nathan’s life was changed forever. 

Carter Steele couldn’t remember her mother and thought she would never heal from witnessing her father’s murder. After that tragic night she moved to Hope Beach under a new identity. Her new life was far different from her previous one and hiding her true identity was harder and lonelier than she’d ever expected. That was until she spotted the handsome blond in the BMW. 

Will Nathan and Carter’s love survive the obstacles they face?

Chapter 4: Beautiful Stranger

The plane ride to Hope Beach was the most fun Nathan had experienced in a long time. He’d forgotten how much fun it was to hang out with Mickey, and even though he didn’t say it out loud, he was kind of looking forward to the trip with his brothers.

When they got off the plane Nathan was greeted by the warm winds and sunny sky. He was glad they made it to Hope Beach before dark so he could look around the “little piece of heaven,” as Kyle called it. And he was right. Hope Beach was beautiful. The sunny sky, warm breeze, the beautiful luxury homes, manicured lawns, and the gorgeous Hope Garden, all took Nathan’s breath away. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the beautiful assorted flowers that gave the garden a rainbow effect. It made him remember his mother. She loved gardens and she’d spent most of her time tending to her own. Gardening was a skill she had taught Nathan when he was very young. His father would always tell her that it wasn’t a skill that a man needed to possess, but his mother continued to teach him anyway. Nathan didn’t mind it at all, as a matter of fact, it brought him peace. Together-with the help of professionals- he and his mother built a beautiful garden that Nathan hadn’t visited since her death.

Nathan was still admiring the beauty as he waited for the stop light to change. When he looked up he saw the light was still red, so he turned his attention back to the garden. He noticed a large rose garden full of beautiful roses of various colors and his eyes settled on the yellow patch, those were his mother’s favorite. He remembered how she used them as decoration in their home and on his favorite big white gazebo, and the memory brought a smile to his face. It was memories like these that made him miss her even more.

He was enjoying the good memories of his mother when he noticed a pair of gorgeous brown legs appear in front of the yellow roses directly in his line of sight. His eyes began to journey upward to see the owner of those beautiful legs only to find a woman with her back toward him. She bent forward and picked up a rose that wasn’t rooted in the ground, giving Nathan a mouthwatering view of her incredible ass in the pair of khaki shorts she wore. Damn, he thought biting down on his bottom lip. She had the perfect ass, round, plump, and it looked soft as hell. Nathan was sure it would fit so perfectly in his hand.

When she stood up, she flipped her beautiful long hair over her shoulder. Nathan didn’t know if he had ever seen hair that beautiful before; it was like a thick black cloud that made its way down, ending in the middle of her back. It looked so soft; Nathan yearned to feel it against his skin. His eyes traveled to her beautiful legs again and he admired her gorgeous skin tone. God, her skin looked as smooth as silk, and so sweet like a rich Hershey’s chocolate bar. He really wished she would turn around so he could see her face.

And he got his wish.

When she turned around, for the second time in minutes, something in Hope Beach had taken Nathan’s breath away.

He was stuck, gazing at the stunning woman standing in the rose garden. She looked to be far away in thought as a small smile appeared on her beautiful face. She brought the rose up to the most beautiful full lips Nathan had ever seen, and placed a soft kiss on it. Nathan’s breath caught as a rush of memories flashed through his mind of him and his mother in their garden. His mother would pick up one of her roses and kiss it then recite something she made up that Nathan just couldn’t remember at the moment.

Shaking his head of the memory, his attention went back to the beauty in the garden. Her hair blew in the wind, and the sun kissed her smooth milk chocolate skin perfectly. She looked like an angel. Nathan was fighting to stay in the car, but it was like an invisible force was pushing him to jump out of the car, take her in his arms, and kiss her senseless. He wanted to know her name. No, he needed to know her name. He needed to know the memory that put that beautiful smile on her face. He needed to know w-

“Nathan! Hello, earth to Nathan!”

Nathan blinked rapidly and shook his head. What the fuck was wrong with him? Was he actually considering jumping from his car to run across the street and confess his love to a complete stranger? Holy shit…

He looked at Mickey, who was giving him a striking What-the-Fuck look. Nathan frowned. “What?”

Mickey pointed to the traffic light. “It’s green. It’s been green. Where the hell were you man?”

He could hear the horns blare from the drivers behind him but he wanted to steal one more peek at the beautiful stranger. When he looked her way once more, his breath caught in his chest. She was looking at him! She had a confused expression on her face, most likely wondering why the idiot in the black BMW was holding up traffic. Their eyes met, and damn it, Nathan was stuck again!

Her eyes were the most beautiful hazel with a hint of green and they held him captive, he was powerless against them. A slow smile appeared on her beautiful face and Nathan couldn’t help but mirror her smile. She raised her hand and waved at him which made him smile wider. She let out a shy giggle and shook her head, and Nathan could have sworn he swooned like a little bitch.

Nathan was completely captivated by her. Her smile was warm and her eyes were expressive, it was like they were having a conversation without even speaking to one another. He was going to run to her, he needed to run to her. God, why the hell did he want to run to her? What the fuck was wrong with him?

Dangerous Beauty Part Two: A Mafia Princess 

Carterina Anastacia Stone wakes up from the most terrifying experience of her life to find that her life has been totally flipped upside down. Nathan Salerno is her gorgeous fiancé she can't remember even meeting, and the mother she thought abandoned her, is demanding to be a part of her life. 

Lies. Secrets. The truth. Each of them has a deadly consequence that seem to guarantee that Nathan and Carter will have to spend their entire lives looking over their shoulders. Carter feels like a walking target and Nathan's determined to make her feel safe again. While revelations threaten to pull them apart, Carter and Nathan fight hard to keep their love strong. 

This and more in Part two of the edge of your seat trilogy Dangerous Beauty Part Two - A Mafia Princess.

Chapter 1: I Love you…

Nineteen years later . . .

No one ever warns you about what happens when you fall in love. But why would they? There’s no point. When it happens, there’s nothing you can do to prevent it.

When you fall in love, you don’t just give your heart, you give your entire self. You put your heart in the hands of another, and that person becomes a lifeline. Your heart beats for them. They are the air you breathe. They are your smile, your laugh, your joy, and your sadness. That single person has the power to build you up until you feel a hundred feet tall—or shatter you, leaving you broken and scrambling to pick up the pieces of who you once were. Of who you were with them.

Love does this—

What happens if that person dies? What happens when the person who holds your beating heart in their hands no longer lives? Do you die with them? Well, that would certainly be easier than trying to continue life without your heart, your smile, your laughter, your joy—and even your sadness.

How can you continue living in a world without the one person that made your life so much more than it was before?

One day at a time?

Bullshit.

How can you make it to the next day if there is no tomorrow? If there is no year from now?

If you lose the person that makes you more than you were before you met, life becomes one long drawn-out day. The misery never ends, and there is no moving on.

“The One”. You hear people say it all the time. How they want to find “The One”. Well, what if you found “The One” and they were taken from you. How do you continue to live, sanely, in a world without “The One” person that fit you perfectly?

How?

Quick Answer. You Don’t . . .

That was the conclusion Nathan came to when he slipped into hysterics, Carter lying unconscious in his arms.

“Carter! Carter, wake up, baby!” He gently touched her face. “Wake up, Carter. Please! Let me see your eyes, honey.” Her eyes remained closed. “Carter, I’m begging you! Baby, open your eyes. Carter, please! Carter! Honey, open your eyes! Carter, wake up!”

When Carter’s eyes remained shut, Nathan held her close and did something he hadn’t done since he was a child. He cried. He held her tightly in his arms, begging and praying to God and anyone else who was listening to bring her back to him. He would give everything he possessed just to hear her voice, to see her smile at him, to hear her musical laugh, to have her grow old with him. He begged and pleaded while burying his face in Carter’s neck.

“Nathan?”

Nathan lifted his head quickly at the sound of Carter’s voice. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she looked up at him through glassy eyes.

Nathan sighed with relief, “Carter, baby, thank God. Look at me, honey, and try to stay awake for me.”

“Nathan, it hurts,” she cried softly.

The doors of the elevator opened, and Nathan rushed in, carrying Carter, while Anastasia quickly pressed the button for the first floor.

“I know, honey. I know. I’ll get you to the hospital as quickly as I can,” Nathan said frantically. He held her close as the elevator began its descent.

Nathan couldn’t think straight while she was in his arms, barely conscious. He would never be able to forgive himself for not keeping her safe from this. He didn’t understand how Mitchell had managed to pull this off, but he’d find out. He knew that Mitchell, Kent, and Patrick couldn’t have pulled this off without allies on the inside helping them get past security and gain control of the elevators. Nathan silently vowed at that moment that he would find every man involved and make him pay—severely.

He focused on Carter. He could see she was struggling to stay awake. When her eyes began to close again, Nathan gave her a light shake. “Carterina, baby, keep your eyes open.” She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears. She slowly brought her hand to his face and wiped away his own. “I need you, Carter,” he confessed as more tears fell. “I need you, I can’t live without you, baby. I need you to fight for me. Please,” he pleaded with her desperately.

A sob escaped Carter’s lips, “I’m so sorry, Nathan.” She winced when pain shot through her head, but she didn’t stop talking, “I made a mistake. I’m so sorry,” she cried.

Nathan pressed his face against hers, “No, no, baby. Don’t apologize. This isn’t your fault, its mine. But I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

“No, Nathan. It is my fault. You don’t understand. I made a mistake.” She took a deep shaky breath as the sobs continued to fall from her lips. “I made a mistake. He warned me not to mess up, but I did,” she cried.

“Carter, I don’t understand. Who warned you?”

“My father,” she sobbed. “I turned away from them. I could have killed them, but I turned away. I’m so sorry.” She cried and cried as Nathan held her close, trying his best to calm her.

“Shh . . . Don’t cry. Please . . . I can’t take it,” he said as he placed soft kisses atop her tears.

“I don’t . . . I don’t know how much longer I can stay awake, Nathan . . . I can’t—”

“Yes, you can, Carter!”

“No, I can’t,” she cried. “I pr-promise I’ll come back to you, Nathan, but I . . . I . . .”

Carter felt herself drifting again. She could faintly hear Nathan yelling her name as her eyes rolled to the back of her head and darkness once again overtook her.

Dangerous Beauty Part Three: This is War

To what lengths would a man go to get back the love of his life? Well if you’re Nathan Salerno, you’ll shake up the entire criminal underworld…

The love of his life has been taken, and imprisoned by none other than the man that killed his beloved mother, and after days of searching for his wife with no results, Nathan Salerno has finally reached his breaking point. Strategy, and patience have been abandoned and Nathan has chosen to embraced insanity. No one is safe from the hell that he has bestowed upon the underworld, and he has no plans of stopping until Carterina is returned to him safely.

Chapter 2: Finding Carter: Seven days after Carter was taken…

Present day…

It wasn’t his fault. He’d come to that conclusion days ago. He didn’t want to be this person, and he knew his mother was surely looking down on him from heaven with disappointment. But Nathan couldn’t control himself. He was acting out and he knew it, he didn’t need to be told. But there was no way he would stop. The Steele Family brought this upon there selves. If Anastacia and his father hadn’t have kept him out of the loop on the whole Silas Steele bullshit in the first place, they would have gotten further in their search a long time ago. Both Angelo and Anastacia had bigger armies than Nathan, much more experience and knowledge about the past, and Nathan knew that. When it came to all of that, he wasn’t ashamed to admit that he needed their help. But what he had, that they didn’t have, was what made this search for his wife move a lot quicker.

Connections . . .

Nathan had some very powerful friends that had even more powerful friends. Nathan’s friendships and connections were what made him excel so quickly in the criminal world. Had he gone around wearing his last name like a badge of honor, he would have had the same enemies his dad had. But that was not what he did. Nathan slipped smoothly into the advantage that was given to him by the criminal underworld.

The Russian.

Yes, he knew it may have sounded stupid to do so, but being a Mafia Don’s son had both advantages and disadvantages. Nathan had never wanted any disadvantages, so he wore the title “The Russian” like a badge of honor. Nathan Salerno had responsibilities to others. He had businesses to run, a father to please, and he was being groomed to be the Don of a powerful mafia family.

The Russian had none of that.

The Russian was already a boss. He was a leader, a man both feared and respected. He’d already proven himself. Both men and women alike in the criminal underworld knew not to fuck with him or his men. He’d earned the power and influence he had in the most brutal and unimaginable ways, and he was proud of the accomplishment. He and his men started one of the biggest Mafia wars in the history of the criminal world and won. He had no one to please, and his responsibilities were only to himself and the ones he loved.

Many wondered why a man as young as Nathan was already so powerful, so fearless. The answer was simple. Every step Nathan had taken thus far was well thought out, well calculated, and based off of a lesson he’d learned in the past. While most children tuned their mothers and fathers out when they’d try to teach them something, Nathan had listen. He remembered every detail of his father’s rise to power, the steps he’d took, the mistakes he’d made, and people he’d had to eliminate in order to gain power and respect. Nathan mapped out his own rise to power even after his mother had died. He took the good advice from all that would give it, and weeded out the bad. He learned from the mistakes of others instead of making his own. There was no room for mistakes if he wanted to be someone everyone remembered.

That was a lesson his mother taught him.

Nathan didn’t even think his father knew of the knowledge his mother had when she was alive. How she got that knowledge, Nathan hadn’t know, nor had he wanted to know. His mother lectured him just as much as his father did, and Nathan listened to every word. She had always told him that she didn’t want him to be just like his father; she wanted him to be better. She’d always say that Angelo was too closed off, too mean, and he lacked the charm of a great businessman. “Every good leader needs powerful allies, and you can’t have allies if every person of power is an enemy. There is more to being a leader than being feared and respected. It is important to be loved too, even liked as a person. You have to prove yourself to be someone worth protecting. Money isn’t enough to convince a man to protect you, to be loyal to you. They need to love you. Don’t just be their boss, be their friend, their brother. Make sure they know when you are being a boss and when you are being a friend. Don’t just take from them, give something in return. It needs to be fifty, fifty. You show just as much mercy as you show brutality. This way you will not be too predictable. Then you will be better than your father, yes.”

“Yes, mama” Nathan said aloud in Russian as he rolled up his sleeves. “No room for mistakes.”

Nathan walked forward slowly toward the wounded man sitting in the chair in front of him. His name was Vladek Steele. Yes, he was very much a Steele. Nathan had finally done it, and it had only taken him days. They had found one of the Steele family homes. The place was like a little city, in Germany of all places, but it was packed with Silas’s misfit family.

He never returned to the States after he’d found out his wife was taken, he went straight to the person he knew could help him. Boris Arseny Fredrick Bashmakov. But in the criminal underworld, he was known as the one and only Freddy Russia.

“These Steele men and women have quite the tight lip, Russian” Freddy said, walking up from behind Nathan and standing next to him. “I wonder if he’d sing as beautifully as his Aziz did, when I made him my personal campfire.”

Nathan chuckled, but didn’t respond to Freddy. He looked Vladek Steele in the eyes and was impressed by the man’s lack of fear. Nathan was sure that Vladek knew he was at a disadvantage. He was also sure the man knew that the Steeles were losing the war that they’d started, but he showed no weakness. Nathan respected him for that, but he also resented him for it.

As long as Vladek kept his mouth shut, he was of no use to Nathan. Nathan knew Vladek had the information he needed. He just didn’t know how he was going to get that information out of him. The man was…well, he was steel.

“Vladek?” Nathan said his name and the man turned his cold, blank green gaze to him. “I’m going to try and reason with you…”

“Reason with me?” he asked a German accent thickening his words.

Nathan nodded and sat down in a seat positioned in front of Vladek.

“Vladek, I want you to put yourself in my position.”

“I am in your position!” Vladek snapped. “You killed men I love, my brothers!”

“And you did some killing as well if I’m remembering correctly. You think I do not love my men, my friends, my family?”

It had been a full-on war between two armies when they’d first arrived to the Steele’s estate. There was no mercy shown and many men and woman- from both sides- lost their lives. Vladek and one other were the only Steele’s taken from the massacre before the police arrived on the scene.

“You came to our home” Vladek growled. “You expected us to let you come into our territory and make demands. You expect us to obey you, and not put up a fight?”

Nathan sat back in his seat and frowned. “Of course not” he said truthfully. “Just as I am sure you do not expect me not to fight for my family. Silas sent people into my territory. Not only did they attack my family, they took my wife.”

“The only person Silas sent to retrieve his daughter was Adrien Stone. Silas did not order that attack on your family. Silas was going to kill you and then take his daughter and bring her home. After Adrien didn’t return he found out you were her lover. He had no knowledge that you were her husband. He didn’t even take the time to learn that you were Angelo’s son.”

Nathan took a deep calming breath. Vladek was now giving him information, but it wasn’t the information he needed, nor did he want it. Normally Nathan was stickler for educating himself on a situation before proceeding, but this particular issue was different. Nathan had no patients, nor did he have any more time to waste. It had been seven days since Carter was taken from New York and with every passing second he didn’t have her with him, Nathan was slowly losing his mind, as well as losing himself.

Nathan shut his eyes tight and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He tried to calm himself before it happened again. It was something that had been happening every day since Carter was taken by the same man that took away his mother. It always started with the light tap of his foot on the floor, and then the tense feeling would move to his hands. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides and the veins in his neck pulsed angrily as every muscle in his body felt as if it would burst free from his skin.

He pulled himself together as much as he could. “Do you know where my wife is?” His voice was tight as he tried his absolute best not to snap. If he killed this man, than there was a chance that he’d never find his wife.

Vladek looked at him, appearing disgusted by him. “Look at you” he shook his head as if he were disappointed. “The great Russian, pining over some woman. You’re pathetic!” he spat. “Weak! Look at yourself!” he shouted. “You reek of desperation. Consider the silence I will give you before you kill me a gift. This woman makes you weak. If you are to be a leader, you need nothing holding you back. You do not start a war over a woman, boy.”

By the time the last word left Vladek’s mouth, Nathan was hollow. So much was said to him while he sat silently in his seat for a full ten minutes staring at an also silent Vladek Steele. After ten minutes had passed Nathan quietly stood to his feet and left the room. He barely heard Kyle and Freddy behind him, asking him what he was doing. He kept his mind blank and didn’t answer their questions. It didn’t matter anyway. They’d find out what he was doing soon enough.

 
 

 

Michelle Hardin is a dreamer from a town called Warrensburg in the Heart of the United States, Missouri. She is a graduate of Columbia College with a Bachelors in Psychology that she hugs close to her heart every night before bed. Michelle Hardin is a thinker. She’s a super cool person, with a super cool personality, that writes super cool books, for super cool people to read. Her love and addiction to the romance genre began when she read 50 Shades of Grey on a dare. After she read that sexy little masterpiece, she immersed herself in everything Romance and became an avid reader.

For the longest month Michelle wondered if she could write a novel, if she could tell a captivating story. And one day-after her sister told her to just do it already-she decided to try it out. The story started off as “the son of a Mafia boss meets girl”, then it became the son of a Mafia boss meets the Daughter of a hit-man.

And thus her passion for writing began.

Michelle spends her days writing novels and planning for the future. She enjoys creating stories that entertain, shock, and pull heart strings. The Dangerous Beauty Series was the first chance she took at writing and she hopes with all her little heart that people enjoy reading her books as much as she enjoys writing them.

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