Title: Ultimate Vengeance
Author: Nancy Haviland
Plot in a flash:
Heroine of the story, Sacha Urusski, has left her Russian mobster prince, Alekzander Tarasov, for almost a year after a terrible betrayal. Hurt and in fear of what he might do if he discovers her secret, she's ready to run with her secret when a chance meeting brings them together again. Alek is determined to bring the woman he's never forgotten back to his side. Will turmoil and a terrible plot to start a war between the various powerful triads in NY destroy their chance at happiness?
What worked:
Hot Russian mobsters, that don't look like something from Nightmare on Elm Street, are always a selling point. Add the blonde and pale blue eyes plus a tendency to dominate and you've got Alek!
Throw into the mix various other hot mobsters who are easy on the eyes (ok, in prose anyway) and it's bad boy central. Yums!
Love the little secret who manages to scare (yes, scare) male mobsters in a great scene which blends humour and obvious "Aww" baits!
What didn't work:
Have to agree with a Goodreads reviewer who pointed out that the conversation seems a little too trendy for serious mobsters. Ok, they don't all have to sound like the Sopranos or the Godfather, but the "sitch" references are a little disconcerting.
Ok, this is a mobster romance but the violence is quite constant and sometimes way detailed. Especially the violence directed at the family members of the villain, Sergei. It was almost a rework of "Seven" when Brad Pitt's character receives a parcel at a climactic moment in the movie. I leave readers to imagine or read the narrative. In a way, the novel switches up between humanising and dehumanising the villain.
The frenzied pace of the novel is also a little distracting. There may be tiny problems with the timeline but it's pretty ok overall. The really tight sequence could however turn the emotional moments into OTT emo though.
Overall:
A decent read and as plots go, it's pretty much mobster soap but I'm not above sudsy reads occasionally!
Amazon rating: 4 *
Blog rating: 3.3*
Here's the Amazon link for the book! https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Vengeance-Wanted-Men-Book-ebook/dp/B01D5HMHLY
Review posted by VReads
