Book Title: Il Padrone (Vendetta Book 1)
Author: Leigh Kenzie
Cover Artist: Temptation Creations
Release Date: August 18, 2020
Genre/s: Dark MM
Trope/s: Dark MM Mafia, Stockholm Syndrome, Age gap
Themes: Mafia, Dub-con, Captive/Captor, Forced Submission
Length: Approx. 44 500 words/ 190 pages
Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited
Universal Link | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Now that I own him, there’s no escape
Blurb
Allesandro
I’m Il Padrone, the Master of this Family, and Emilio will learn his place. I’ll bathe in his tears and watch as he humiliates himself. It’s all for my pleasure. I own it all and he’s just another addition to my collection.
Emilio
Il Padrone calls me his toy. His property. He says I can earn the right to be higher in his organization if only I submit. If only I change who I am. I may be younger, but he hasn’t seen the likes of me before.
Just how twisted can a tale of vengeance become?
Trigger Warnings: This is a dark MM Mafia with graphic violence and extreme sexual situations.
Book 1 of the Vendetta Series ends on a cliffhanger. Book 2 releases September 2020!
First, let me thank you Love Bytes for inviting me to do a guest post. I’ve been a fan of your blog for quite a while. I love how you feature so many authors, including your use of guest posts. It’s an honor to be on this side though I certainly didn’t expect to reach this point.
I’ve always enjoyed writing and often gave gifts to my family with it. Yes, I’m that weird. My dad loved getting poetry and little short stories as gifts throughout the years. It certainly wasn’t dark M/M romance though. This is a passion of mine that without so many people behind me would never see the light of day. I have no formal training in writing despite how much I’ve enjoyed it. My background is actually mathematics and science.
I find dark romance and the dark genre in general fascinating. To me, dark is a continuum. What I find dark, another person may not and vice versa. While I think that makes it harder at times as an author since there is that inconsistency, I love the fact it exists as well. Knowing books have that variety means I always have something new to read and a different perspective from an author. I respect the way each author looks at it and I have favorite books that run the gambit of dark, from what I would consider grey to black.
My books also include a great deal of kink in them. At times that can be a bit of a risk because not everyone likes kink and definitely the same type of kink. Not all the kinks I include are ones that I personally would enjoy in real life, but that’s part of the reason I love books with kink in them. Sometimes I even find kinks I didn’t know I’d enjoy and yet an author shows me I love reading it. I will always respect other people’s preferences on kinks. It would be boring if we all liked the same things.
Writing is insane to me. It fluctuates between exciting, calming, terrifying, and everything in between. I have a high-stress life, including being a caretaker for an elderly family member. I’ve found writing helps with my sanity as it gives me an outlet for my fears, my frustrations, and a way to take a break for myself. At the same time, the fact I’m putting out my words for other people, that is terrifying. My main hope is that I can do for readers what books do for me. When I read I look for books that can give me a way to escape from any issues going on in life or just, in general, a way to step away from reality. If I can do that for someone, that matters the most to me.
My main struggle is how new I am to writing. I knew going in I would struggle with certain aspects and I’ve tried to mitigate that as much as possible. Grammar rules and other technical parts of writing have been difficult for me. My initial pass proofreader, Ally, deserves a thank you for helping me learn more about the process. I also have an amazing editor, Dez at Pretty in Ink Creations, and detail-oriented proofreader, Elli at Clock Tower Editing. They have helped me grow as a writer and you’ll see that throughout the series.
The Vendetta series started with a small idea. I’ve found the best parts of life start that way. As I talked to a friend about dark M/M mafia she suggested I write one. I had no clue what I was doing so I asked another friend what she thought of my very basic idea. She’s one of my alphas and upon her encouragement I did a little writing and sent it to my other alpha that joined the ‘insist I write campaign’. Truly without my alphas and betas, this series wouldn’t exist because I wouldn’t find the courage to publish.
Speaking of the series, it’s quite different than even I imagined it would be! I’m a complete panster. These characters and naughty plot monkeys in my head drive it. I’m simply along for the ride hoping I can do the story justice. It can be non-traditional at times and while this is a dark romance, the romance aspect grows throughout the series. Book 1 won’t have much romance in it. The characters and plot insisted that is the way it should be and I’ve learned not to fight them!
Il Padrone (Allesandro) and Emilio have been intriguing to write. At this point, I feel like I know them better than myself. Both of them go through a journey as individuals and together through this series. Yes, it can be dark at times, but to me that darkness is needed for them. It’s what makes their story and the characters themselves. You’ll also be introduced to several side characters that play a major role in the story. All of them were much more unexpected than I thought they would. The majority always seemed to pop up thanks to those naughty plot monkeys. I roll with it for the most part, even when I whimper at plot changes. I hope you fall in love with some of these characters, or hate them if the situation calls for it. I certainly have some of those monsters lurking around.
Thank you for giving me a chance as a debut author. I cherish the fact you’re letting me do a guest post. I wish you continued success as a blog—I know I’ll remain a faithful follower!
Excerpt (Allesandro POV):
I watch my servants scurry around to complete my orders as I get ready for my guest. I laugh mentally because he’s definitely not going to feel like a guest. I’d care if I had a heart, but as most accuse me of, I don’t. I’m greedy, and I know it.
The bedroom is two doors down from mine. It’s a basic bedroom, freshly painted white. There’s a bed in the middle and a closet with built-in hangers. A small bathroom is joined to the room, but there’s no door. The toilet, sink, and cramped shower is barely enough to stave off claustrophobia. I’m sure he’ll complain about the door—or the lack thereof—but really, I’m being nice considering the size. Most of the comforts my previous boy enjoyed have been removed. It takes time to earn those luxuries. I like to leave some rewards in the room like blankets, pillows, and even a limited amount of clothing. It’s not out of kindness, really. It serves my purpose to give him things I can take away when he rebels as he learns his new role in life—and he will rebel.
I’m pleased with how everything is coming together. The room between us has already been fixed to my specifications—it’s a place for me to play with my new acquisition. It’s the one room that I wouldn’t let the servants touch. It didn’t need much anyway, but the cell is ready for any significant disobedience. I can’t stop my evil grin because no matter how well I explain someone’s new life to them, they always end up there. Thankfully, I have cameras in all three of the rooms, so I’ll get to enjoy the show as he breaks, and as I mold him into my perfect boy.
As the servants leave, Luca walks in holding a file.
“I have all the information you requested,” he notifies me with a disapproving look, barely able to meet my eyes.
“Give me the highlights.”
“Name is Emilio, but he goes by Lio typically. Mother is deceased, father unknown. Interestingly, Cliff isn’t his full brother, although I’m not sure if they’re aware of that. It came from the blood work when the mother was in the hospital, and of course, I accessed Emilio’s medical file. We already have Cliff’s. Different fathers,” he states tiredly. I’m sure he didn’t sleep much as he worked to find out everything there possibly was to know about Emilio for me.
He pauses for a moment. I’m not sure why he’s scowling now, but it could be due to my gleeful expression. Knowledge is power, and that’s a good find I can use against Emilio. I try out Lio mentally, but I’m not sure how I feel about the nickname. It’s not like he’ll retain his name anyway, so I dismiss it.
“What else have you found?” I question, gesturing for him to finish.
“He’s…different. Much different than your normal choices. He’s a junior in college. Very young. He’s only nineteen. Extremely intelligent. Everyone in the mathematics department I was able to speak to had glowing recommendations. He’ll be the type to be missed. Aside from his high IQ, which testing shows is among the top percentile, he’s rather oblivious about life. He’s never dated, and nobody can figure out if he’s gay, straight, or other. He’s had both sexes flirt with him, but he didn’t respond. The professors can’t decide if he’s legitimately clueless about being flirted with or simply uninterested in sex,” Luca stops briefly and shifts uncomfortably. “He’s so young, with his whole life ahead of him and his disappearance won’t go unnoticed. After the last boy…”
Luca abruptly halts when he sees the fury on my face. He knows this is not his decision to make. I’m in charge, and it seems like my friend needs a reminder who is Il Padrone here.
“Everything you said increases my interest. I’ll enjoy making him my best boy ever. At least you’d better hope for that outcome. Because once he’s here, you’re going to be the one to cover his disappearance. Oh, and instead of giving him a life to go back to, I want you to completely ruin him. There will be nothing but ashes left when you’re done, correct? Because I know you’re worried about what I want and don’t really care about my new toy, right?” I end the last question with a deadly quiet voice that reinforces my position. I see his face go grey, and I’m satisfied I’ve made my point.
It’s too bad I had to do that, but it’s necessary. At least this means Lio is going nowhere, and when I’m bored, I’ll simply find a solution to take care of the problem. With a quick wave, I dismiss Luca and decide to recheck all three rooms. After all, I need it all perfect for the new property I’ve acquired. This time, I can’t stop the laugh from escaping. Really, I don’t even try. This is going to be perfect.
Leigh is a dark M/M romance author from Texas with two needy terrors of terriers and a chaotic family. She considers coffee a major food group and her family fears broken coffeemakers. She writes in her spare time, forced to the keyboard by characters entirely too vocal in her opinion and often falls victim to plot monkeys. In between creating mayhem with her characters and friends, her hope is to transport readers to fictional places and provide darkness with a twist.
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Thank you for sharing and allowing me the opportunity to do a guest post!