BLOG TOUR: Il Padrone by Leigh Kenzie (Excerpt & Giveaway + Q & A With Author)

BLOG TOUR

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

Heat Rating: 5 flames

Length: Approx. 44 500 words/ 190 pages

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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!

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.

Q&A With Leigh Kenzie

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your writing?
Hi! I’m a pretty boring person who lives a pretty hectic life. I have a family that creates mayhem and two terrors of terriers. They’re very high energy (and crazy) Jack Russell Terriers. I absolutely love them but they get into trouble regularly! Outside of writing and caring for my family, I work as an assistant. With this position, I report to several bosses so I’m always juggling. I wouldn’t have it any other way though because I thrive in that environment.

As for writing, I’m a dark romance author. My characters tend to push the envelope (and me) on a regular basis. My stories tend to be rather twisted and at times not traditional. The Vendetta series is a continuous series that must be read in order and has cliffhangers in it.

Can you tell us about your new release? What inspired you to write it?
Il Padrone is a dark M/M mafia story and the beginning of the Vendetta series. It is a dark read with plenty of kink. As for inspiration, I was talking to a friend about wanting dark M/M mafia. She suggested I write one. I went to one of my alphas and ran a very rough idea by her. At her encouragement, I then wrote a small snippet and gave it to my other alpha. Both of them insisted I continue so that’s what I did. Between their encouragement (sometimes very strong ‘nudges’) and the characters who aren’t quiet, the story came together and gave me no choice but to write it.

Are you a panster or a plotter?
Complete panster! I can’t plot at all. I would love to be able to say I could but the plot monkeys in my head and various characters drive the story. They often surprise me so I’ve learned to go with them and not try to force them to act with what I think is right. My writing comes off stiff if I do that. For now, I’m happy with being a panster.

What are your writing and personal goals for 2020 and beyond?
For 2020 I have the Vendetta series which should release every 4 weeks. I’m also very honored to be included in the charity anthology Heard it in a Love Song. This anthology donates all proceeds to the National Black Trans Advocacy Coalition. It is such an important charity and I hope you’ll check it out. After 2020 I have a few WIPs and hopefully I can spend time on those.

As for personal, I would love if I could become more social. I tend to be very shy and an introvert. My time is spent caring for my family, including an elderly family member, my dogs, and my job. It doesn’t leave me much time or energy to socialize. I would like to be able to challenge myself to make more connections, though online not in person right now. My personal goal for work is always to give my best. I’m passionate about my field and even when it’s stressful I can see I make a difference. That to me is what matters. I believe in making a difference, no matter how small or large it can be in life.

When is your next book coming out, and what’s it about?
Book 2 of the Vendetta series is next and it will be out in September. It is a continuation since Il Padrone ends in a cliffhanger.

What are you working on at present? Would you like to share a snippet?
I’m currently writing book 4 of the Vendetta series. Unfortunately, that means I can’t share a snippet so there are no spoilers.

Do you get emails asking why characters didn’t get together and whether you’re going to write more about them?
My very first published piece was in the Tainted Tales anthology, a charity anthology for Save the Children. It is no longer available at this time. I did have people reach out and ask if I would write more. There are more words there but it’s finding time to write them and whether the characters are as loud as others. It was a dark M/M PNR story titled Deadlock Time Clock and it was my twisted take on Father Time.

Are you a cat person or a dog person? Can you tell us about your pets?
Both as I love all animals. However, I have two Jack Russell Terriers right now. They own us—we just pay the bills. Both of them are insanely spoiled by us and their ‘grandmas’ to the point our dining room table is filled with presents for them at Christmas. They are super chewers so toys don’t last long, even ones marked durable. They love playing and occasionally cuddling. ‘No’ is a frequent word in the house but it typically doesn’t work. The boys have destroyed eyeglasses, shoes, and even furniture. The last trainer we had said to expect the trouble with them so we try to anticipate it. Both are extremely smart, which is partially why they find so much trouble. Despite their crazy ways I wouldn’t know what to do without them. They are such a joy to us and I’m thankful for what they bring to our lives.

If you were able to quit your day job and write full time, would you, and why/why not?
While I would love more time to write, I doubt I would quit my job. I love it too much. It fulfills me knowing I’m helping others.

About the Author

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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