La Cosa Nostra, This Thing Of Ours (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
** JOSIE'S 4.5 STAR REVIEW ** I love a good Italian Mafia book, so one look at the blurb and I was sold! The story had me mesmerized from the prologue up until the very end. It was beautifully written and had a lot of expected and unexpected things that had me on the edge of my seat.We meet Harper Troy, a girl who was raised on a farm with her parents and two very protective brothers in Iowa. Harper is in college and is having a hard time making the rent and bills working in a diner. She hears girls at school talking about The Guardian and how they bring $500 a night in tips. The club is owned by the Tarseta family, a well-known Italian family in Chicago. She gets hired although she does not fit the mold of girls that work there. The owner is fascinated with her response as to why she wants to work there and that is only to pay her own bills. She is not looking for a sugar daddy. However, she was not prepared for the intense effect when she met a particular Tarseta Family.Liam Tarseta reputation as Chicago’s bachelor and playboy fits him to the tee. Liam is a hot blooded, sexy Italian who has a different woman every night. When Liam sees Harper at the Guardian is taken by her beauty. He decides he wants her in his bed and his arms for one night, but Harper is not like any other woman he has known. She is not interested. Liam is at a loss, Harper does not fall for his charms, and he understands that he is going to have to work hard to get Harper. “Did you ever think you want me so much because I don’t fall at your feet?”“Yes, I actually did. But you, I don’t want to just possess that beautiful body of yours, I want in your head too. I want to know what you think, where you’re from, your dreams, and your goals. I want to know everything about you. I want to take you out to dinner. No sex, I won’t even try. Just let me do this, and if after that you don’t want me, then I sweat I will leave you alone.”"I guess I owe you at least after that earlier.”“That was all my pleasure. I’ve never had the urge to make a woman come. It’s all I’ve been able to think about, what you taste like, what you smell like. Petal, you are sweetest think I’ve ever tasted.”Liam has never had to work so hard to get woman. Even though Harper knows Liam will destroy her and her heart in the process, she decides to give in. Liam has never had a relationship or wanted one so he makes a lot of rash decisions. There are so many valid reason why Liam and Harper should not work, but just reading about them had my panties wet. These two work hard to try to come together, slowly but that chemistry between them is too strong. When they got together these two were steaming up my kindle. Smoking Hot! “Make me come baby.”“My pleasure. You are so f**king wet.”“Yes Liam, please.”“Do I own you, Petal, is your body mine?”“Yes”“Yes what?”“You own all of me.”“Say me name when you come Petal. I want you to always say my name, your orgasms are mine, you are mine." Liam hides a lot of his past, and if Harper asks him question he avoids them or gets angry. His past will threaten the very future he has with Harper and he realizes the extent of damage and danger he’s been protected from. Liam and Harper face so many obstacles, misunderstandings, insecurities and of course the mafia. “Why did you sell it?”“It was a reminder of the worst decision I ever made.”“You know how long I’ve wanted her? This is like sweet revenge. I get her and there is nothing you can do about it.”“I will kill you when I find you. I will find you, mark my words, I will find you.”“I know you are protecting her, but I love her and she loves me. She needs to hear me out.” This books had so many twists towards the end I was sure we were going to have a CH and I was wrong. I loved everything about this book, the characters, the side characters and the Viper!!! I really found myself feeling everything Harper and Liam went through with their happiness, sorrow, pain and love. Trust me this is a book that you will love for all the right reasons. A definite must read!*received a complimentary copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review*
I am an Amie Nichols fan so I was excited to read this book seeing that it had a different spin than her other books I read and loved. I was immediately hooked , I love a bad boy , playboy that is relentless to gain the strong willed independent girls attention !! The 1st part of the book we get Harper's POV. She is in search of a new job trying to make money so she can finish Veterinary school in Chicago and not have to go back home to Iowa. She loves Iowa and life on the farm but the opportunity she is working towards is far too good to pass up. Finding a job at The Guardian , an upscale club owned by the Tarseta's , seems to good to pass up. While working she learns about the family and meets the youngest Liam , Chicago's playboy and of course he is hot and hard to resist. Harper tries her best to avoid him and resist his charm but in the end he claims to want more and she accepts. They both have issues with jumping to conclusions so it does not take long for them to be causing each other pain and ruining what they could have. This struggle in their growing relationship seems to take hold of the story for a bit and you can sense the story is going to go somewhere deeper but you are held off , kept waiting in suspense for exactly what that may be. I admit I hate when couples do immature things to piss the other off , I hate when one runs without letting the other explain , but all of this leads up to Liam finding out some major news of his life and this is where the story takes off and turns into more than just the struggle of Liam and Harper. In the midst of chaos in their relationship the story changes to Liam's POV , I admit I am a super fan of male POV's !! He is not at all what you would think. His feelings are so true and genuine that your heart almost breaks for him as he tries to get through to Harper and her family. Once he passes that test it is time for Liam and Harper to tackle his past. Right from the start of the book you can tell there is something about Liam's mothers story that will change lives. Liam is unsure about how much he wants to dig , Harper is insistent on finding out the whole truth and she convinces him to go to Italy. This quickly turns into a roller coaster of events and emotions that will shock and surprise you. Nothing is what it seems. I enjoyed this story , love Liam to pieces , love the sex and feelings. Harper may drive me crazy but I get her issues. I love her bond with family and her brothers are great. Liam's family is slightly disturbing but I can only imagine the reasoning behind their actions. You get bits and pieces of that when he talks of his past. This is a standalone with an HEA. I would love to read of Liam's mothers struggles , her story seems like it would be phenomenal !!
What do You think about La Cosa Nostra, This Thing Of Ours (2014)?
I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.Harper Troy needs to earn a decent amount of money so she doesn't have to take out more student loans, so she applies at The Guardian an upscale bar where the waitresses wear little more than a bandana. In walks Liam Tarseta, the son of the boss, and Harper immediately gets a case of the hots. Knowing that messing with anyone right now, especially the boss's son, is a bad, bad thing, she does her best to ignore Mr. Hot and Bothered.Liam Tarseta is intrigued. Harper stands out as a brunette in a club full of blonde waitresses. Not only that, she's told him "no". "No, I won't have a drink with you", "No, I won't go out with you". Just "no". What's a guy to do? Pull up his designer jeans and get his charm on.Lust, mistunderstandings, love and forgiveness all play a vital role in this book. This is the first book I've read of Ms. Nichols but I'm eager to read more.
—Mary
4 Stars!!!4 Flames for Hotness!!!I wanted to 5 star love this book in the worst way. I was just on the fence at too many points of the book for a 5 star review.What I loved about the book:The overall story is good – Rich Italian Playboy falls hard for a regular Midwest farm girl. Liam knows what he wants and goes after it. The sex scenes are hot. Liam is a swoon worthy kind of guy. Liam is vulnerable, he has mommy issues and the straight out fear of someone he loves leaving him. Harper is an independent gal who has goals. She doesn’t want to be distracted from her goals. Until she meets Liam. She falls hard and begins to rethink her life. I loved the secondary characters (Harper’s Brothers and Sarah) I would love to see more of them in other books. (maybe we could see more of Harper and Liam through these books as well). I liked the suspense part of the story.What I didn’t love about the book:I felt this book had so much potential to be better. I felt the ending was rushed. The suspense could have taken place sooner and maybe the Italy trip been a little more in-depth. It just felt rushed. I thought that Harper was always about her and never took Liam’s feelings into consideration. I know this is probably the point but it made her so wishy-washy I had a hard time with her character as an individual. The writing flowed smoothly but I felt it could have been a tad more descriptive. With that said, I would like to say that I loved Harper and Liam as a couple they tore up the pages of my kindle and steamed the screen. Liam was so sweet and yet he made many mistakes. Harper was forgiving but she created some drama that was unnecessary. (I know its part of the story).I would recommend the book. If future books are written about the secondary characters I would read them. I will also check out some of Amie’s other work.My Favorite Quotes:“Ever since I’ve met you I don’t know who I am, either. I want to take you, have you, and make you mine, but then I think that will drive you away so I hold back.” – Liam“You are so beautiful, you know. I watched you sleep for a while in my bed, and I can’t believe I am telling you this. It was like a dream, something I’ve wanted since I’ve met you.” – Liam“I not letting you go, because right now I don’t think I can keep breathing without you.” - Liam
—Monica
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book but OMG let me just say....I freaking LOVED it!!! I was hooked from that prologue and did not want to put it down till the end.Harper Troy is a farm girl who is living in Chicago to attend college. She doesn't have a lot of money so she is trying to support herself and pay for her own schooling. The small diner where she works just isn't paying off. She over heard some people talking about the money you could make in tips alone in one night at The Guardian so she decides to give it a shot. Once there, she knows she doesn't fit in. They warn her it won't be easy but Harper is not there to land a rich man. She just wants to focus on her job and pay her own bills. While working one night, in walks Liam Tarseta. He is drop dead gorgeous and Chicago's most eligible bachelor. Someone she knows she must stay away from. She tries to ignore him but there is just something about him. No matter how hard she fights those feelings there is always a pull to him.Liam Tarseta can't take his eyes off the new waitress. No one has ever turned him away before. No matter how hard he flirts and makes advances on Harper she turns him down so he is determined that no matter what it takes he will break down those walls. He will make her his. Will Harper ever give in to those feelings she feels for Liam? As they both start learning more and more information will they be able to fight the outside world and find their HEA?OMG, I absolutely LOVED this book!! I just could not get enough of Liam and Harper!! I loved that Harper was such a spitfire and didn't take crap off no one!! She was such a kick azz heroine. Liam....HOLLLYYYY SWOOON!! I don't know how Harper fought those feelings as long as she did but once these two finally give into each other their chemistry was HOTTTTT!!! I def recommend everyone to go ONE CLICK this one now!! You won't regret it!!
—Candi-
