I received this ARC in exhange for an honest review.
Savage Temptation by Stephanie Amaral is my first dive into a Mafia Romance novel - her prequel Novella From Dust to Don was my introduction to Mafia Romance in general and I think I may have just found my new love. This is the first instalment of The Lords of The Commission Series and I can't wait to meet them all.
This book is amazing, I simply could not put it down unless I had to and even then I was thinking about it and couldn't wait to get back to resume the read - I am addicted. The characters of Liam Dornier and Jamie Harden bump into each other as they both scramble to get to the same building - Jamie to be interviewed, Liam doing the interview, however, a harsh exchange and spilled coffee and more taunting leaves the tension brewing between the two characters enough to make you want them to just give in within the first few pages.
Jamie comes from a small-town where she has been made to feel worthless and useless and has been raised by the poorest excuse for a father known to mankind and so she sets her sights on New York and her dream job in the company of an Architect she absolutely admires and is inspired by. Liam comes from a well-off family - his dad is Adrian Dornier, a world-renowned architect and designer and his mum Teresa Battaglia who's the daughter of Don Giancarlo Battaglia - the head of the New York Mafia. We also meet Liam's sister Alison and brother Matt both of whom we'll meet in more detail in future.
Liam has two sides - Liam Dornier, the boss of the Architects in AD and whom Jamie reports to directly when she is hired by his dad after laying Liam out on the table and handing him a few home truths & Liam Battaglia - the ruthless enforcer of the Battaglia family. Liam is haunted by an incident that resulted in the death of an innocent girl on his watch and is so drawn by Jamie's similarities to her when they bump into each other he believes someone is out to get him and thus results in him being standoffish and rude to her.
We see them give into their passions and their feelings as their relationship grows from strangers to friends to lovers and we find that there is a lot of miscommunication where you want to shake them both but they figure it out. The story features a few heavy scenes so I advise to check all trigger and content warnings before reading, however, it seems that the heavy scenes fit so well in the theme of the book. It literally is touch her and die. I am here for it.
Liam Dornier is sometimes a walking talking moron when it comes to his feelings and trying to push Jamie away but Liam Battaglia is a walking talking machine who will do anything to pull Jamie in and save her from anyone and everyone. The possessiveness and stalking nature of Liam isn't overpowering, it's more of a protection because with Jamie being with him, she's a target for any of their enemies.
We later delve into Jamie's background and find out more details about her family and it turns out the father who raised her was not her father at all and instead just some guy who was paid to look after her and keep her hidden - something he sometimes took a bit too literally.
We find out the true parentage of Jamie and when she goes to meet her real dad for the first time she finds herself being haunted by her past and fighting for survival in every form. Jamie is a strong willed and feisty woman and she is a strong female lead. She is very relatable and she is just a girl chasing her dreams, trying to prove to herself and her doubts that she IS good enough and she finds love, friendship, loyalty and family along the way.
I fell so hard for these characters and I cannot wait to see more of them in future instalments of the series and I cannot recommend reading the book enough!
Savage Temptation releases on January 18th and is available for pre-order at the link below: https://amzn.to/48yRWgi - Savage Temptation by Stephanie Amaral (Kindle Pre-Order link)
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