A Trinity Novel (Book One) by J.L. Lora, Adams Media, March 2017.
*An e-galley was provided by Adams Media and Edelweiss for an honest review.
Boss by J.L. Lora
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was prepared for a kick-ass book when I read the first few chapters of BOSS, by J.L. Lora. Who couldn't pull for innocent women getting caught in the crosshairs of competing factions? I rallied behind Carissa and her friends Mel and Gia, hoping they were safe and far away from the warring families. The scenes were action packed, and I couldn't read fast enough. Then it's two years later, and turns out, the women aren't quite so innocent after all.
You see, Carissa (the lead female in this first book of a trilogy) is a "boss" who has thugs working for her. She's been "hiding out" and opening an exclusive nightclub in New York City with her two friends. But wait. The men she's been trying to hide from have taken two years to find her? They're principals in mob families who know and hate each other, and she and her friends are under the protection of principals in another known mob family and by a NYC gang. Unless I missed something, I don't understand how they wouldn't know where she was from almost the first moment she tried to go into hiding, and especially once she became so well known to the glitterati of NYC society.
Despite my confusion with who knew what and when, I thought this debut book was a good start for the author.
PROS: 1. The story rarely bogs down and is well written. I may not relate to the situations in the book, but I can't fault the author's writing style. It's fresh and non-repetitive. 2. The motivations of the characters are pretty apparent and their backgrounds strong. 3. The life-threatening scenes are full of tension and kept me riveted to those parts of the book. 4. The cover is awesome!!
CONS: 1. As the story began, I rooted for the three women who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But when I found out just who they cozied up to, my support for them was short lived. 2. The romance between Carissa and Alec seemed a little far-fetched, especially towards the end of the book. 3. Frequently when I'm reading romances, I imagine what it would be like to be the heroine in the story. I wonder how I would react to other characters and the various situations that occur around them. In this book, I couldn't relate to any of the characters or what happened to them, though I wanted to find out who the ultimate villain was.
OVERALL: I believe the author has a good writing style, and I'll definitely read her future books. The story is fast-paced and full of engrossing action. And though I didn't care for the characters and what they got themselves into, they were fairly well drawn with strong motivations and good background stories. So if you like good mob romances, you should enjoy BOSS.
If You Like This, You Might Like: EAGLE ELITE SERIES by Rachel Van Dyken, CARTER REED SERIES and COLE by Tijan, MADE MEN SERIES by Sarah Brianne, DANGEROUS ROYALS SERIES by Annika Martin
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