Review by Ronny

Series Name: Alliance, # 3 

Dom is going to have your heart racing in the most delicious and forbidden way.

Favourite Quote: 

“I got you.” The same masculine voice from before speaks into my ear, only this time it’s quiet. A whisper. A growl. A something.  

Book Synopsis: 

VAL
When I was nine, I went to my first funeral. Along with accepting my father’s death, I had to accept new and awful truths I wasn’t prepared for.
When I was nineteen, I went to my mother’s funeral. We weren’t close, but with her gone, I became more alone than ever before.
Sure, I have a half-brother who runs The Alliance. And yeah, he’s given me his protection — in the form of a bodyguard and chauffeur. But I don’t have anyone that really knows me. No one to really love me.
Until I meet him. The man in the airport.
And when one chance meeting turns into something hotter, something more serious, I let myself believe that maybe he’s the one. Maybe this man is the one who will finally save me from my loneliness. The one to give me the family I’ve always craved.
DOM
The Mafia is in my blood. It’s what I do.
So when that blood is spilled and one funeral turns into three, drastic measures need to be taken.
And when this battle turns into a war, I’m going to need more men. More power.
I’m going to need The Alliance.
And I’ll become a member. By any means necessary. 

Review: 

This is the third book in the Alliance series and can be read as a stand-alone. Be warned, this is a dark mafia romance, which means that things like lack of consent and red unhealthy relationship flags are present in this book. The hero does drug the heroine a few times and does a few things that are definitely unhealthy, but don’t worry, he suffers and has to repent for his bad behaviour. I really enjoyed everything about this book; not too sure if I should be concerned about that fact, but what can I say? I am a sucker for a tall, dark, handsome man who is covered in tattoos. We have met both MCs in the previous book. Val is King’s half-sister, and Dom is the head of the Chicago mafia family. These two have, shall I say, meet-cute in an airport when Dom “accidentally” bumps into Val, and that lusty and sweet chemistry just leaps from the pages. I actually think that Val and Dom’s chemistry is my favourite in the whole series. Yes, it’s very lusty and hot, but this sweetness to their chemistry and interactions isn’t necessarily present in the other books. That sweetness is what really made me melt and incredibly invested in their relationship. 

Like all the other books in this series, the plot in this book is a bit….. ok…. extremely bonkers or, shall we say, unhinged, which is right up my alley. Dom is the head of the Chicago mafia, and his organization is under threat by an unknown enemy. He needs outside support, and he knows that The Alliance is the perfect solution to his problems. He tricks Val into marrying him in order to secure his place in The Alliance. Val thinks she has met the man of her dreams, and when she finds herself married to him, she thinks she will finally have the family she always wanted. That is until she learns that Dom has used her to get to King and The Alliance. To say that she is pissed and hurt by Dom’s actions would be a bit of an understatement. All the stuff I mentioned above happens in the book’s first quarter. The rest of the book is focused on Dom proving to Val that he would have married her with or without The Alliance because the moment that he first saw her, he knew she would be his, and he would kill anyone who got in his way. 

Their growing relationship’s sweet and tender vibe focuses on Dom showing Val that she matters and belongs with him and his family. Val has a bit of a tragic past and has spent all of her life feeling alone and that no one truly cares for her. King may be her half-brother, but they never had a real close relationship. Val’s loneliness and her wish for her own family to love and be loved just leap from the pages. My heart was sometimes breaking for her, and I just wanted to reach in and hug her. Dom may be a dominating and possessive man, but he showered Val with love and ensured she knew she was now part of his family and would never be forgotten again. 

I would have to say that this may be the tamest book in the series in terms of spice. That’s not to say it isn’t spicy, but there aren’t any taboo lusty moments that other books in the series have. Yes, these two bang and bang a lot, but it’s nothing over the top. As I mentioned above, I adored the chemistry between these two. There is just something about their banter and interactions that just hit all those right buttons with me. Dom is that “touch her and die” alpha male who is rather possessive of Val. This type of hero is pretty typical for S.J. and, to be frank, all mafia romances. Dom does try and exert his control over Val, but she doesn’t let him walk all over her. To be fair, part of the reason Dom is so controlling is that this unknown enemy is hell-bent on destroying his mafia organization. On one final note, I really like the last big climatic moment, it was quite different from her other books, and I liked that it was Val who saved Dom. 

Dom is a quick and dirty mafia romance that I will be reading again and again.