Tortured teddy bear ( )

I love the world that Renee Rose has created. The men of the Tacone family are honorable, by their own code, and good men, again, by their own code. That makes them really interesting to read about.

Gio was shot some time ago, and wwhile he is physically better, he feels like he's just going through the motions. He has bad dreams every night. Dreams where the beautiful Marissa is featured, and sometimes she's the one who gets shot. Meanwhile, Marissa is working herself to the bones because she's so determined to help her family.

The two of them are both broken, but the interesting thing is that sometimes it's possible to be broken and still be perfect. I think that Gio and Marissa meet a really deep need in each other, on a level they didn't even think about before.

I really liked the story, and I'm looking forward to more from this world. ( )

4.7 stars

One of, if not my favorite of this series. There is just something about the brothers in this series that has me enamoured. They all have their demons or baggage being a part of this nefarious family. However, I think Gio struggles with it the most which is why I felt an infinity with him. It is also why I think that I related to Marissa as well. These two were both struggling with being a part of the shooting that almost took Gio's life.

I enjoyed how the author incorporated an almost Fate like intervention into the reasons behind why they were connected via their dreams/nightmares. Was it a premonition of things to come? was it a reminder of what they had been through? or was it perhaps a message that they were, in fact, lucky because they were destined for greatness? The story will answer that but for me, I definitely saw it as a second chance to win at love. There was definitely something to these two. They both knew what it was like to be forced into a lifestyle out of duty and loyalty rather than having the chance to follow their dreams. Together though, these two realized that they could do both. Gio with his piano and Marissa with her love of cooking.

There was an additional depth to this story that sometimes in other books by this author that are missing or forced. That was not the case here. Even though this relationship happens fast, the connection never feels rushed or forced. if ever there was a true love it was with these two. I have loved all the stories in this series, some more than others, but I am looking forward to the next story.

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