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SERIES REVIEW: Extradiction & Protection (Mobsters + Billionaires Books 1 & 2) by Kelly Fox
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 bitSoundtrack: 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 bitSoundtrack: 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.
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MOBSTERS + BILLIONAIRES: Kindle | Audiobook
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RELEASE BLITZ: Savage by Brooke Blaine & Ella Frank (Giveaway)
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12 TOUR DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: Tentacle on 34th Street by Kelex
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12 TOUR DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: Deck The Hulls by Kat Cassidy
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COVER REVEAL: Protecting the Witness by Kimberly Knight & Rachel Lyn Adams
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RELEASE BLITZ: Neutral Zone Trap by Crea Reitan
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AUDIO TOUR: Nightcrawler by Patricia Logan (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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PREORDER BLAST: Neutral Zone Trap by Crea Reitan
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REVIEW: Silk & Sand by Katherine Diane
Seth & Raider: Silk & Sand – Katherine Diane
The only thing worse than trekking across a dangerous desert on a nearly impossible mission? When your guide is intolerable—and irresistible.
Seth spends his days hunting down mystical artifacts. As a Curator for the Arcanum College, that’s his job. But when an arcanist murders a fellow scholar, Seth finds himself assigned instead to a dusty, thirsty, frustrating manhunt. But why him? Because, he’s been told by his superiors, he’s the only Curator sufficiently tenacious and brutal for the job. (Seth resents that.)
When the murderer vanishes at the edge of a deadly desert, Seth finds himself in need of a guide. Unfortunately, the “only one crazy enough” for the job is Raider—a man with an easy grin who is clearly a thief, liar, and rogue. (He also has illegal quicksilver in his veins, and that arcane enhancement positively screams “I’ve done bad things.”) The only thing worse than having to rely on such a reprobate? Finding him irresistibly attractive.
Raider might think the manhunt a foolish endeavor, but he’s delighted by the prospect of breaking past the barriers of the gorgeous, rigidly self-controlled Curator. That kind of intensity needs the right outlet (and Raider has such ideas). But Raider just might be asking for more trouble than he realizes—because he has barriers of his own, and some very dark secrets lurking behind them.
But that’s not the only trouble looming. Because if Seth and Raider can survive their desert journey? Seth’s manhunt will lead them into even greater dangers and mysteries.
Silk & Sand is a high-heat fantasy adventure that will take you to the most exotic locations and into the most twisted secrets. It will lure you in with action, humor, and sizzling tension—and will hook your heart with its emotional intensity and beautiful love. So be prepared to laugh, cry, and stay up all night with these two gorgeous, complicated, irresistible men.
Silk & Sand is Katherine Diane’s first book of the Seth & Raider duology. It is a Middle Eastern-flavored fantasy adventure in which the only thing hotter than the blistering desert sun is the nuclear-intense chemistry between Seth and Raider.
Fantasy books are hit-and-miss, because of info dumps that slow the pace. After two tries in the opening chapter, I was glad the story quickly hit its stride and maintained a steady, brisk pace until the end.
The story is set in the desert, where Seth, a Curator from the Academy, hopes to cross in search of another Curator wanted for murder. He crossed paths with Raider and spectacularly got off on the wrong foot with the man. But after a couple of antagonistic interactions, Seth swallowed his pride and hired the infuriating man as his guide because he was the only one who knew how to navigate the deadly sands.
Curators are scholars + archeologists + artifact dealers who typically work for the Academy but might also work for a rich patron. There is magic here, but low-key present. Info dumps were kept to a minimum yet deftly executed. The fantasy elements, such as Seth’s weapons and Raider’s quicksilver, blended seamlessly with the Middle Eastern culture.
The plot is a fabulous blend of action-adventure and romance, with a heavy (almost too much) focus on the romantic development. However, there were also plenty of heart-thumping fight scenes against bandits and giant monsters, court intrigue, dark secrets, betrayals, and forbidden magic.
Seth is scowly, intimidating, and almost soldierly in his discipline and fighting skills. It makes sense since curators venture into dangerous territories for their artifacts. Seth carries a variety of weapons and other survival gear. He’s dressed in all black with protective coverings.
Seth is also hella toppy, dominant, and surprisingly caring and considerate of Raider’s needs, as Raider soon discovers.
Raider is well-liked, shamelessly flirty, carefree, and generous with his smiles. He’s dressed in colorful silks and carries a scimitar. His secret weapon is the quicksilver running in his veins. Silver is his gift, his curse, and his safe word.
Raider isn’t too proud to beg. Our boy is casually sexual but is scared by intimacy. He may be sunshine, but inside is pain and darkness.
The only thing more delicious than the chemistry is the heart-warming care Seth is showering Raider. Our sunshine boy badly needed some TLC, and now that he has some, he doesn’t know what to do with it. And Seth keeps giving those delicious massages…
Our boys protect each other from bandits and monsters, but they also harbor some distrust. Despite this, they still share a tent at the end of the day.
One of my favorite parts was when the two MCs were caught by the bad guys, forcing Raider to reveal his dark secrets to Seth. Seth, disappointed and heartbroken upon learning the truth, stalked off. Later, Raider was sitting in a cell, marinating in his misery, when he heard Seth coming. Seth, expecting Raider already freed himself so they could disappear into the night, said, “Why are you still there?”
I loved this scene because, despite their doubts, they always find their way back to each other.
I was so absorbed by the story that I didn’t see the cliffhanger coming until I walked right into it.
Silk & Sand is one of those books that would make a great movie. The breathtaking desert landscapes, the rich colors of the court, the death-defying stunts, the chase scenes, and the fan-favorite gay romance are made for a Hollywood blockbuster!
Overall, the thrilling adventure, and the dynamic chemistry between them make me eager to follow Seth and Raider across the dunes again!
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Desert Night
Artist: Rufus Du Sol
Album: Atlas
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SILK & SAND: Kindle | Audiobook
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RELEASE BLITZ: Deck The Hulls by Kat Cassidy (Excerpt & Giveaway)