From the first moment I read KristiferAnn‘s mobster series, I knew I was hooked. The third book in the saga, Marchetti lived up to my expectations and I’m excited to see where the characters go next!
(You can access the mini vlog here; the full length vlog can be accessed from there.)
**Mild Spoiler**
There’s a love triangle!!
So, we all know that Lucan Marchetti is obsessed with Jack Hale, and we also all know that he’s barely spent any time with her, largely due to the cover-up that occurred after his shooting.
At the beginning of book three, Lucan has been sent away by Jack because she needs space to process everything that’s happened between them. But when she starts being bombarded by paparrazzi, Lucan sweeps in to save the day and whisk her away from it all. Little does he know–because his obsession is completely blinding, much to the frustration of his team, especially his cousin Emiliano–a plot is in place to topple Lucan and seize power. So, while he’s romancing Jack, trying to win her back, plans are in the work that add up to sabotage.
Emiliano, to his credit, tries to protect them both by… separating them again. The pragmatic side of me is like “yes, makes sense, two people means bigger target. Also, Lucan is nuts and doesn’t think at all when he’s with Jack.” My hopeless romantic side is like “awwww noooo, not again!” Then, KristiferAnn yanks on your heart strings by sending Jack away with Angelo; at first, your reaction might be “ah, makes sense. He’s head of security, he knows what’s up.” But… wait for it… it’s love triangle time!
Yes, I know the triangle is cliche and let’s face it, the first guy (or girl depending on the story) is usually the OTP. But, and here me out…
**Hot Take Time**
I’m team Angelo. #SorryNotSorry
Now before you jump all over me, let me start by saying that I LOVED Lucan in book one and he was pretty good in book two, a little emotional, but still a solid character. BUT, what did it for me was the [paraphrased] line of ‘he [Lucan] wanted to possess her, but Angelo wanted to love her.’ Lucan just got a little too dramatic, needy, and borderline unhealthy for me. Now, I’m not saying that Angelo is completely guilt free, I think he should have been more honest sooner with both Lucan and Jack, but I think that he was just overall the more stable partner for Jack–especially since she has her own emotional/mental baggage of losing pretty much everybody in her life and was having those panic attacks pretty often.
Alright, now that we’ve got the story and my hot take out of the way, let’s get on to the bit you all came for. I would 100% recommend the series to you, especially if you like romance and/or crime stories! This isn’t a stand-alone series though, so, if you’re like me and you have a tendency to pick up books that belong to the middle of a series [cough cough, like next week apparently?], stop what you’re doing and start with book one.
I love the pacing–I read, like, all but five chapters in one day–it’s so engaging because you want to know who Jack will choose, if Lucan will get his crap together, etc. The characters are also solid, a real deal breaker for me is if I don’t like characters/if they annoy me, and I do NOT have that problem with this cast at all. They’re all snarky, smart, and great. Sure, some of them might have annoying moments (like when someone has a breakdown and goes partying like a crazy person), but even those moments are understandable if not realistic. I, personally, don’t have a whole lot, if any, complaints.
Now, things you may not love–there’s a lot of swearing and a decent amount of both sex/sensual scenes and murders. These more… mature scenes aren’t graphic, but if those are red flags or deal breakers for you, this might not be the book, let alone series for you. There are also a couple of times where the language tags aren’t present so it’s not immediately obvious who’s talking to whom, but I don’t think it ruins the story at all. Overall, if you want a fast-paced, engaging, crime/romance read, this might just be the book for you.
That’s all I’ve got for now! Next week, keep an eye peeled for my posts on Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s novel The Angel’s Game.
Happy Reading!
A Little Bit of Happiness 