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Never Hollowed By The Stare
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  • Uncategorized

    BOOK BLITZ: How To Date A Prince by Hayden Stone (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    July 15, 2025 / No Comments
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  • book,  Uncategorized

    SERIES REVIEW: Extradiction & Protection (Mobsters + Billionaires Books 1 & 2) by Kelly Fox

    January 25, 2025 / 2 Comments

    Mobsters + Billionaires: Extradiction by Kelly Fox

    Fun fact: You can take the man out of the Mafia and put him in a fancy Manhattan high-rise, but that man’s always gonna have a little bit of mobster in him. Which probably explains why I told off my arrogant billionaire CEO, Rand Wolfe, in front of the entire company.

    After our little exchange goes viral, I’m left with the choice of letting my father’s men toss Wolfe’s disrespectful ass into the Hudson or helping him escape. Long story short, I’m hiding out in the billionaire’s penthouse with my father’s extradition order hanging over my head.

    Only…Wolfe’s nothing like I thought he’d be. This wealthy, powerful man is actually interested in what I have to say, and his alpha-hole façade falls apart completely when we’re alone.

    God, he comes alive under my hands.

    With other families getting involved and my father’s threats looming in the background, am I mob enough to save the man I’m falling for?

    Extradition is a Manhattan romance that features an ex-mobster with a heart of gold, a billionaire with a tiny humiliation kink, and a snarky cast of criminals, reprobates, and other corporate types.

    This is the first book in the Mobsters + Billionaires series. #dangerswoon


    Rating:
    4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bit

    Soundtrack: The Wolf
    Artist: Mumford and Sons
    Album: Wilder Mind


    Mobsters + Billionaires: Protection – Kelly Fox

    I wait for the signal at crosswalks. I pay my taxes on time. And, despite my association with a certain Mafia family, I run a clean business providing security for Manhattan’s wealthy elite.

    I don’t break the law.

    Dr. Madhuban Laghari—Mads—is my newest protectee and my biggest problem. He fights his security protocols at every turn and makes me question all of my carefully crafted rules. Especially the one about not falling for the world’s most adorable billionaire.

    Every time we go back and forth, I fall a little harder.

    More dangerous than our sexy banter is the fact that the threats against him are starting to escalate.

    He doesn’t want to face the reality that he’s got a stalker tracking his every move, not to mention the Russian government trying to steal his technology. The closer we get, the more I know I’ll do anything to protect him.

    If his enemies dare to put a hand on my billionaire, they’ll discover how Mafia I can get.

    ***
    Protection is a cameo-filled, globetrotting romance that features a reluctant mobster, a billionaire with questionable taste in fashion, and a found family made entirely of morally gray do-gooders.

    The books in this series are stand-alones, and the HEA is always guaranteed.


    Rating:
    4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bit

    Soundtrack: Worth Fighting For
    Artist: The Movement
    Album: Always With Me


    The combination of mobsters and billionaires had never crossed my mind, but when author Kelly Fox put them together, I realized it was an obvious and unexpectedly intriguing pairing!

    Also, who doesn’t swoon for dangerous, deadly men and their ‘touch him and die’ vibe when it comes to their adored boyfriends?!

    Series opener Extradiction kicked off with a mic drop walk-out scene where Joe Portelli puts the posturing billionaire Rand Wolfe in his place. I’ll keep the details to a minimum because this is one of the best parts and started a series of exciting events that led to Joe living with Rand.

    Rand quickly realized Joe was an asset, and working with him would improve the company’s image and more. The two started working closely to convince Wolfe Sr and other old school board members to improve work conditions for their employees. They met a brick wall but Joe and Rand were determined to make positive changes.

    Rand also realized he could let himself be vulnerable around Joe, and Joe would instinctively give Rand what he needed. They don’t have much in common, but both men have complicated relationships with their fathers, and this impacts much of the story.

    While BDSM isn’t my cup of tea, and Joe’s magic dick was a bit much, the evolution of their relationship and the undeniable soul-deep connection that formed was a joy to witness! This is such a fun and delicious read, the kind I found myself so entertained that I could ignore the inconsistencies.

    For example, we can totally ignore the elephant in the room, a.k.a. Joe “there’s no such thing as an ethical billionaire” Portelli is also Joe mooching off and being okay with said billionaire spoiling him with designer suits and thousand-dollar VR games.

    Forced proximity did its magic, creating a spectacularly sizzling chemistry between Joe and Rand! Add to that the swoony alpha protectiveness of Joe, tapping deep into his mafia soul to save his beloved billionaire from the bad guys! Also, lots of cuddles and pasta dinners!

    Coming full circle is the squee-tastic closing scene where I squee-ed so hard!!! It was the perfect happy ending for this power couple!

    The series also introduces us to lots of unforgettable characters, pairings for the succeeding books, and secondary characters who made their mark. The couples from each book come together to play poker every week.

    Aside from Joe, the mobsters are could-be-could-be-not-actual brothers starting with security specialist Edgerton, mob boss Luca, and unhinged psycho Hopper. The billionaire contingent and Rand’s friends are money geek Ford and tech genius Mads.

    There’s also a mysterious RICO agent stalking Hopper. Adding their snark and good sense to the mix are Greyson, the butler, and Sherry, Rand’s PA.

    Protection is about security specialist Anthony Edgerton assigning himself to protect tech billionaire Dr. Madhuban Leghari from a stalker. Mads is fighting hard to keep his invention away from people with malicious intent. It has gotten so bad, that there were even kidnapping attempts.

    This is narrated by Declan Winters, and unfortunately, his voices for Mads and Anthony were so similar that it took me a while to realize the POV changes.

    The story opens with a rather manic internal dialogue by Mads, and the rest of the chapter is chaotic because Mads’s energy is on hyperdrive. At first, he came off as a horny teenager, then just a horny adult, but he was amusing, and he was a ray of sunshine.

    Mads made it well-known from the get-go he was crushing on Anthony. Tried as he might to resist, the immovable, taciturn Anthony stood no chance against the unstoppable force that is Mads.

    This has the size difference and opposites attract tropes in play. Anthony is Captain America, while Mads is a scrawny 5’7, tall in Asia, chibi in the US. Anthony is also a rule-follower, a code he has because of his complicated family history. And protecting his loved ones, especially the sunshine-y Mads, is making him break his rule.

    While I liked the first book more, I couldn’t help but be charmed by Mads and his loyal bodyguard, Anthony. Sure, the love declarations were cheesetastic, and there were plenty, but they were heart melting too!

    The cameos certainly piqued my interest. Couples from the author’s Wrecked: Guardians series contributed their skills and crazy in the action-packed rescue scene. It was quite a treat, even though I haven’t read their series yet.

    I’m also hoping the author would write a story about Olga, the spy secretly helping Mads, and Ryder, Mad’s goth tech expert. Loved how Olga kicked ass as Ukrainian spec ops while Ryder kicked ass with her keyboard.

    The books are in dual first-person POVs. Expect action and some violence, plenty of humor and steam,

    Extraction is narrated by Blake Lockheart who did a fabulous job! The rest of the books are narrated by Declan Winters. He’s one of my top narrators so other than the point mentioned above, his narration was very engaging.

    Mobsters+Billionaires should be read in order. Ethical mobsters and billionaires might be a myth but they sure fall in love for real.


    If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Mobsters + Billionaires. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.

    MOBSTERS + BILLIONAIRES: Kindle | Audiobook

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