Being savage in the ring is one thing. The way Elio Moretti craves my violence outside the ring is another.

I feel like I’ve been fighting my whole life, and tapping out has never been an option.

I can live with owing money to the Morettis. I can even live with the constant guilt that my brother is the one paralyzed in a hospital bed while I live his dream. What I can’t live with is Elio Moretti, second in command to the infamous crime family, showing up to all my fights, sitting in the front row, watching me like he can’t look away, and barging into the locker room to patch up my wounds and invade my space.

The Morettis are monsters. Vicious, brutal sociopaths. So, why is Elio so eager to get on his knees for me?

He’s as desperate to give up control as I am to take it, but is giving in to these primal urges enough of a reason to sell my soul?

He claims there are worse people in this city than his family, and the deeper I get dragged into his world, the more true that’s starting to seem. Can I really fall in love with a Mafia underboss? Is it even possible to walk away?

Can love and revenge live in the same heart? I guess there’s only one way to find out…

This story starts with a tiny bit of an overlap from the previous book. Here, we learn about Elio’s obsession with Orion and more about Orion’s life and what’s behind his savage MMA career. He had taken out a loan with the Morettis to help pay for his brother’s medical care. We don’t really get the whole story behind Jack’s condition, but it plays a major role in Orion’s life as he works to pay off the loan and continue paying the piling medical bills.

Elio is Enzo’s brother and successor to the Moretti “throne.” He’s not very happy about having to be in this position, but it is what it is. In the past, he has self-medicated with alcohol when the pressure gets to be too much. But now he has found Orion, someone who he believes can be exactly what Elio needs. Orion, on the other hand, doesn’t want anything to do with Elio or the Morettis, aside from paying off his debt. But, Elio is a bit relentless and eventually wears Orion down.

Again, with this story, we get a taste of D/S in a way you wouldn’t expect. Not sure if they are all having these issues, but most involved in this family seem to have similar problems with keeping up a strong front to survive and needing to let that go with someone they can trust. Bigger problem is finding that someone in a world where every day could be your last. I love how Elio gets what he needs from Orion, and often pushes him to give it, yet is thankful for it and doesn’t become a pushover for it. It’s a wonderful balance that has so far been present in both stories. Just as with Xaviero and Sparrow, Elio and Orion are seemingly perfect for each other.

This story flew by for me as well. I am really enjoying getting to know the players here, although I admit I was a little disappointed there didn’t seem to be any hints as to where the story was going next. Will Enzo finally find someone to handle him? Will it end up being Dante? Or, will Dante and Allesio find a way? Regardless, I definitely recommend this new series and hope we don’t have to wait long to get more. It’s a bit violent and bloody, but not unbearably so and has just the right amount of D/S in a way that isn’t too fluffy or hokey. Nice job, K.M.

RATING: 

Amazon