Rocco: A Mafia Romance

***4.5 ‘Sinatra’ Stars*** It’s funny, I had just finished Luca when I saw that Rocco was the next book up in the series and I had a total “Huh?” moment because I couldn’t for the life of me remember meeting a Rocco in either Nico or Luca’s books...and then the lightbulb went off, I did a little search in Luca to see if my brain had indeed figured it out (which it did), gave myself a little mental slap and then got all kinds of excited because Rocco aka Frankie was one of my favs in Luca and the one I wanted to know more about and I wasn’t disappointed. This book gave me all the smexy, alpha AF moments mixed with a good dose of suspense, humor and heart that kept me turning the pages until the very end. Rocco, Frankie (I LOVE how he got his nickname), Rocco...I don’t care what you call him, the man was all kinds of alpha AF smexy, even if he was scary AF (though that actually made him more smexy IMHO) but beneath the cold exterior lives a man whose heart is warmer than most believe and when pieces of that heart start to appear he becomes even more lethal. Grace is sassy, strong and determined. There is a dash of naivete that still lives in her, despite what she’s lived through, and she desperately wants to live in a world where things are black and white, but she comes to realize that living in the grey isn’t as horrible as she once believed. We have a mix of taboo and second chance romance in a mafia world and it simply makes things that much more explosive when it came to Rocco and Grace’s journey. They have a connection between them that is soul deep and they are equally matched in more ways than one. The physical attraction between them is smexy as all get out, and takes the lead when it comes to their ‘reunion’, but slowly the heart and mind come around and they end up being a fun couple to be around and a definite force to be reckoned with. While Luca still is my favorite, thus far, of the series, I thoroughly enjoyed Rocco. The writing was engaging, the pacing was good and I enjoyed the multiple POV’s. The plot twists and turns were a mish mash of “Really?” and “Oh...I didn’t see that one coming” but all made sense in only a way it could in a Mafia world. The conflict between Tony and Nico is still unresolved, but I like how things are moving within Nico’s sect of the family. And as for the crazy cast of characters that populate this world, I loved catching up with Nico, Mia, Luca, Gabrielle and the rest of crew loyal to Nico, which comes as no surprise, but the weird thing is this time around I don’t have a clear favorite amongst them, but I do have a guess as to who the next book could be about...but we’ll see if I’m right or not when it’s announced, and even if I’m not, make no mistake that I’ll still be looking to get my hands on it ASAP! ~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

Yep. This series is still AMAZING. Rocco was HOT. I mean, talk about "protector to the nth degree." He was one guy you didn't want to mess with, and yet, Grace stood up to him like no one had, and he was powerless to ever be mean to her. LOVED that. I really felt for Grace; she had physical and mental scars that she had to deal with, but she sure didn't take any guff from anyone, and for that, I admired her. Sarah truly did an excellent job of describing emotions. I'm pretty sure I felt everything she intended, from the intense love between Grace and Rocco to his fear when she might have been hurt to her fierce need for him. Very. Well. Done. I enjoyed the dynamic of the Mafia, especially the characters I had met in previous books (this is a standalone, but you'll totally want to read the other books too!) Sarah takes a seemingly dark world and makes it into a "meh, these guys aren't so bad" kind of feel. I am SO excited to see what ends up happening with a certain villain and a certain victim, so I am on pins and needles waiting for the next book! (I received a copy of this book in consideration of an honest review)

Ms. Castille has a new fan. After finding out what her father does for a living, Grace's world is shattered. It's further broken apart when she realises what Rocco, the love of her young life, does and is capable of. Running away to Vegas, she is almost convinced she's fine, until Rocco reappears in her life again. What follows is a truly suspense-filled, action-packed plot that grabs you and doesn't let go until the end, much like the love Rocco & Gracie share. This is a true mafia romance that blends light with dark, mayhem with lust & humor, and depicts love prevailing in the end. I voluntarily read & reviewed an ARC of this book, which was provided by NetGalley, and recommend it.