Monday, 18 July 2016

New Release Review | Savatore (Benedetti Brothers #1) by Natasha Knight | #NEW #Review #Mafia #Romance @givemebooksblog @NatashaKnight13


Title: Salvatore
Series: Benedetti Brothers #1
Author: Natasha Knight
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Release Date: July 18, 2016


Blurb

Lucia
It all started with a contract signed by him, then by me, while our families watched. While my father sat silent, a man defeated, giving his daughter to the Benedetti monsters.

I obeyed. I played my part. I signed my name and gave away my life. I became their living, breathing trophy, a constant symbol of their power over us.

That was five years ago.

Then came the time for him to claim me. For Salvatore Benedetti to own me.

I had vowed vengeance. I had learned hate. And yet, nothing could have prepared me for the man who now ruled my life.

I expected a monster, one I would destroy. But nothing is ever black or white. No one is either good or evil. For all his darkness, I saw his light. For all his evil, I saw his good. As much as he made me hate him, a passion hotter than the fires of hell burned inside me.

I was his, and he was mine. 

My very own monster.

Salvatore

I owned the DeMarco Mafia Princess. She belonged to me now. We had won, and they had lost. And what better way to teach a lesson than to take from them that which is most precious? Most beloved?

I was the boy who would be king. Next in line to rule the Benedetti Family. Lucia DeMarco was the spoils of war. Mine to do with as I pleased.

It was my duty to break her. To make her life a living hell. My soul was dark, I was hell bound. And there was no way out, not for either of us. Because the Benedetti family never lost, and in our wake, we left destruction. It’s how it had always been. How I believed it would always be.

Until Lucia.

Author’s Note: Salvatore and Lucia’s story is a steamy standalone romance with a happily-ever-after. No cliffhanger and no cheating. It is intended for mature readers.


Review

This is a standalone mafia romance and my first read of this author’s books.

The DeMarco and Benedetti families have been at war for a number of years but when the Benedetti come out on top they force a signing of a contract to give control of Lucia DeMarco over to Salvatore Benedetti. Skip forward five years and Lucia has completed school and is now aged twenty-one but about to come face to face with that of her enemy who now owns her.

Salvatore is still struggling under the control of his domineering father and the pain of losing his beloved older brother. He yearns for a life without death and devastation but belonging to the family he does he can see no escape. When Lucia arrives in his home he recalls the connection he had with her at the contract signing and he starts to feel an unravelling in his soul. The story then progresses in the backwards and forwards of control and dominance between Salvatore and Lucia.

This was portrayed as a dark mafia romance and although, yes the background story is that of mafia families, I would not say this was a dark storyline. I was expecting Salvatore to be much harder, controlling and downright scary but I didn’t feel that at all. Thinking I would hate him from the offset I actually fell for him at the first page.  He was gorgeous! He wasn’t a pussycat by a long shot but he wasn’t a monster either. Lucia on the other hand annoyed me in parts and I found it hard to understand how she was with her sassy ways, having come from a mafia family and then spending five years in a convent school, I couldn’t see how she would be this way.

However the chemistry and build up between the two was intense and passionate. There were some conflicting emotions of the secondary characters especially Salvatore’s father who at the start was the epitome of a mafia king but by the end he was the complete opposite. The curveball was easily identified early on in the storyline so it came as not ‘gasp shock horror’ to me when it was revealed.  

Overall though an enjoyable read which I devoured in almost one sitting. I would say this is a lighter mafia read so if you don’t like all darkness, grit and murder and prefer a more sedate background to your romance then I would recommend this for sure. Four stars. 

*ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review




Purchase Links
AMAZON US / UK



Author Bio
USA Today Bestselling author Natasha Knight writes dark romance as well as spanking romance in a variety of genres including contemporary, paranormal, post-apocalyptic, science-fiction and fantasy. She is a #1 Amazon Bestseller in multiple categories forever searching in every story for that single most important element of love. All of her stories contain at least one kinky Alpha male, lots of dirty talk and a well deserved happily ever after.

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