Book review: Privilege by Tina Donahue

WOW! What a book! Here’s info about Privilege and the first book in the series, Target. See my review at the end.

 
 

Privilege

The Valesky Crime Family Book 2

by Tina Donahue

Genre: Dark Mafia Romance 

 

She’ll destroy the mobsters who murdered her brother… unless they kill her first.

District cop Lia Blosky warned her twin brother not to get involved with the Valesky Crime Family. He didn’t listen. Now, he’s dead, tortured horribly before mobsters murdered him. Out for blood, she’ll do anything to see these monsters dead.

FBI Special Agent Adrian Kalin is connected to the Valesky Family in a way he loathes and doesn’t want. His stepfather rules the syndicate and is tired of Lia threatening to kill him and others responsible for her brother’s death. To shut her up for good, he orders Adrian to murder her. Who better than an FBI agent who has no connection to her and knows how to hide evidence?

Adrian resists, but if it comes down to saving Lia or his brothers and mother from Dimitri’s rage, he’ll have to choose family.

In a deadly game between each other and the mob, Lia and Adrian fight to survive… while also surrendering to their undeniable attraction to each other.

This is book two in the Valesky Crime Family series, can be enjoyed independently and has an HEA.

Publisher’s Note: This contemporary dark mafia romance contains elements of mystery, suspense, action, adventure, adult themes, and possible triggers for some readers.

 

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Target

The Valesky Crime Family Book 1

 

A Russian kingpin wants her dead… the only one who can stop it is the man sent to murder her.

Toni Flores loved her dream job working for a respected US senator until he raped her. She’s determined to bring him to justice, no matter the cost.

For years, Dimitri Valesky, head of a Russian crime family in America, has bought off those in government. Just like the senator responsible for Toni’s assault. When she won’t keep quiet about it and risks Dimitri’s business, he orders his stepson Michael to kill her.

Michael’s a lobbyist not a mafia enforcer. He refuses the insane demand, but Dimitri insists. The power he holds over Michael and his brothers is absolute… or so he believes.

Rather than murder Toni, Michael intends to romance her. Once he convinces her to keep quiet about the Senator, she won’t be a target any longer and Dimitri will back off on the hit. The plan falls apart and now they are dodging mafia enforcers, bullets, and Dimitri’s outrage.

Michael and Toni fight to stay alive and save those dearest to them as they also fall hopelessly in love.

This is book one in the Valesky Crime Family series and has an HEA.

Publisher’s Note: This contemporary dark mafia romance contains elements of mystery, suspense, action, adventure, adult themes, and possible triggers for some readers.

 

Add to Goodreads

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Tina’s an Amazon and international bestselling novelist who writes passionate romance for every taste – ‘heat with heart’ – for traditional publishers and indie. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work. She’s won Readers’ Choice Awards, was named a finalist in the EPIC competition, received a Book of the Year award, The Golden Nib Award, awards of merit in the RWA Holt Medallion competitions, and second place in the NEC RWA contests. She’s featured in the Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market. Before penning romances, she worked at a major Hollywood production company in Story Direction.

On a less serious note: she’s an admitted and unrepentant chocoholic, brakes for Mexican restaurants, and has been known to moan like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally while wolfing down tostadas. She’s flown a single-engine airplane (freaking scary), rewired an old house using an ‘electricity for dummies’ book, and is horribly shy despite the hot romances she writes.

 

Website * MeWe * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

 

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Review

Law or crime? That’s the dilemma faced by anyone near to the Valeskys

Lia Blosky is a police officer—a good, honest, smart cop. But she’ll never get ahead for those very reasons. She thinks she knows what’s going on in the precinct but proving it is a different matter. What she does know is that her little brother ignored her advice of staying away from the Valesky crime family. He didn’t. Now Lia is making no secret that she is out to get everyone who had anything to do with his death. That’s a dangerous claim to make if the very people you count on to back you up in the field have allegiances elsewhere.

Adrian Kalin is a special agent with the FBI but he’s also Dimitri Valesky’s stepson. Thank God no one knows! He hates being involved in any way with Valesky, but the man is devious as well as dangerous and he has found a way to weave his mafia web around each of his stepsons to make them do things they despise. The web? Keep them close to do Valesky’s bidding—inside information, tracking people, making deals—all to benefit the organization. The bait Valesky uses to keep everyone in line? Their mother, and the threat that Valesky will hurt one of the other brothers.

When Adrian is ordered to find and murder a pesky cop making noise about killing Dimitri, Valesky has finally crossed the line with Adrian…unless she’s so willful he has no choice but to kill her. She’s beautiful and talented and a real handful. But if it comes down to her or his mother or one of his brothers, she’s a goner.

I hadn’t read Target, so I wondered if I’d get lost in details about the family and characters in Privilege. Tina’s excellent writing made sure that didn’t happen. The books are truly stand alone. I found Privilege to be exciting without lots of shoot-‘em-up scenes or bodies littered everywhere. These characters used their brains first and brawn second, which made the book more thrilling. Of course, Lia and Adrian light up the night with their attraction and the book is steamy—something I like. The suspense is tangible, the characters compelling. I’m going back to read Target, and an author can’t get a better endorsement that that. I recommend Privilege!

New romance! Delicious Heat by Sadira Stone

Bangers Tavern chef Diego meets a woman who makes his heart sing. Trouble is, she’s pregnant with another man’s child. To win her, he’ll have to convince her and both their interfering families that he’s in it for keeps.

Delicious Heat by Sadira Stone

Blurb:

Cupid has lousy timing.

After kicking her cheating husband to the curb, nurse Anna Khoury discovers she’s pregnant. When Bangers Tavern’s hunky chef makes heart eyes at her, she dismisses that delicious thrill as the last thing she needs. Single motherhood will take all her strength and focus. Anna’s battered heart can’t take another blow.

Chef Diego Vargas is aiming higher than burgers and tater tots. His dream—his own food truck, the Empanada Angel, but he’ll need his family’s support to pull it off. Meeting Anna leaves him thunderstruck, even though his attraction to her threatens all his plans. Call it fate, call him crazy, but he’s determined to prove he’s in it for keeps.

With a belligerent ex-husband and two overprotective families set on breaking them up, Anna and Diego will need more than red-hot passion to pull them through. His career and her baby’s future are on the line.

Come back to Bangers Tavern for a spicy tale of forbidden love that will warm your heart…and other parts…and make you hungry for empanadas!

Delicious Heat by Sadira Stone

Buy links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HRJW5CN?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940162472384

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/delicious-heat

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1592832791

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59644171-delicious-heat

Delicious Heat by Sadira Stone

Excerpt:

Diego spread his arms wider. “You just gonna leave me hanging?”

Damn it, she could no more resist his embrace than she could defy gravity. His arms closed around her, warm and comforting. For a long, sweet moment, they rested there, nestled together, quiet and safe.

Maybe all those guardian angels were trying to tell her something.

Rocking her slowly, Diego murmured into her hair, “Anna, I want you. But I realize this is a weird situation, and I’ll wait until you feel comfortable trusting me. Or until you tell me to get lost.” Pulling back, he cupped her cheek in his broad, warm hand. “I hope it’s the first one.”

His bottomless dark eyes held her pinned. With exquisite slowness, they came together, lips brushing feather light. And then the sexiest moan in the history of moans rumbled from his chest, as his embrace tightened. 

“Mmmf!” Breathless, she slid her fingers into his soft, thick hair.

He teased her lips with gentle nips until she opened to him. His tongue stroked hers in languid slides, unhurried, gentle…but her body responded with a rush of heat and a growing pressure between her thighs. She needed more. Now.

Gripping the front of his down jacket, she tugged until the snaps opened with firecracker pops, then yanked her own coat open and pressed her body against his. Another rough moan vibrated through his chest, teasing her nipples to stiff peaks. When he clutched her hips, the pressure of his erection against her belly unleashed an avalanche of lust that short-circuited her brain and lit up her nerves like the Northern lights.

I should stop. He’s kissing away my sanity. But her body demanded just a moment more, and another, and another…

Sadira Stone
Author Sadira Stone

Award-winning contemporary romance author Sadira Stone spins steamy, smoochy tales set in small businesses—a quirky bookstore, a neighborhood bar, a vintage boutique… Her stories highlight found family, friendship, and the sizzling chemistry that pulls unlikely partners together. When she emerges from her writing cave in Las Vegas, Nevada (which she seldom does), she can be found in belly dance class, or strumming her ukulele, perhaps exploring the West with her charming husband, or cooking up a storm, and always gobbling all the romance books. For a guaranteed HEA (and no cliffhangers!) visit Sadira at www.sadirastone.com.

I’d love to hear from you! Please visit me on all the socials.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sadirastone/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SadiraStone

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18568049.Sadira_Stone

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sadira-stone

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Sadira-Stone/e/B07KWK5FBX

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sadira0641/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadirastone/

Author newsletter: https://eepurl.com/dKLMP2





New! Pre-order Delicious Heat by Sadira Stone

Delicious Heat by Sadira StoneHurry!! Pre-order until Jan 4!

Blurb:
Cupid has lousy timing.

After kicking her cheating husband to the curb, nurse Anna Khoury discovers she’s pregnant. When Bangers Tavern’s hunky chef makes heart eyes at her, she dismisses that delicious thrill as the last thing she needs. Single motherhood will take all her strength and focus. Anna’s battered heart can’t take another blow.

Chef Diego Vargas is aiming higher than burgers and tater tots. His dream—his own food truck, the Empanada Angel, but he’ll need his family’s support to pull it off. Meeting Anna leaves him thunderstruck, even though his attraction to her threatens all his plans. Call it fate, call him crazy, but he’s determined to prove he’s in it for keeps.

With a belligerent ex-husband and two overprotective families set on breaking them up, Anna and Diego will need more than red-hot passion to pull them through. His career and her baby’s future are on the line.

Come back to Bangers Tavern for a spicy tale of forbidden love that will warm your heart…and other parts…and make you hungry for empanadas!

Buy links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HRJW5CN?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940162472384
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/delicious-heat
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1592832791
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59644171-delicious-heat

Excerpt:
When the tots were crispy and golden, Diego layered on the toppings: shredded extra-sharp Tillamook cheddar, crumbled pepper bacon, paper-thin slices of green onion, sauteed garlic mushrooms, pickled sweet-hot pepper slices, sour cream, and a drizzle of his house-made spicy ketchup. Heart attack on a plate. He hoped Charlie’s sister was hungry. Was she as pretty as Charlie?

He smoothed his apron and blotted his sweaty forehead. “I’m just gonna deliver these.”

At the bar, he found bartenders Kiara and River, along with all three servers, huddled around a brunette knockout in a curve-skimming red dress.

She glanced up. Their gazes met and held. Everything else slowed down.

Those last few steps to the bar felt like being towed through honey. Her espresso-dark eyes widened, sparkling under the Christmas lights. Her plump lips parted. Her chest rose and fell.

She’s a goddess.

He set the container of tots before her, removed his cap, and scrubbed a hand through his squashed hair. She echoed the gesture, winding a chestnut curl around her slender fingers.

Abuelita had told him the story of when she and Abuelo first met. “It was like a golden rope wrapped around my heart and pulled me to him. It holds us together still.”

At the time, he’d laughed off her hyperbole. But now, in this electric moment, Diego understood exactly what she meant.

“Hi.” The angel murmured, her voice low and musical, like a cello. “Did you make these?”

Dumbstruck by her beauty, he could only nod.

She lifted a tot to her lips, inhaled the steam rolling off it, and sighed.

He thanked the kitchen gods for the apron hiding his erection.

She took a bite, then her head lolled back on a groan. “Soooo good.”

Charlie narrowed her eyes and moved closer to her sister, bristling with protective vibes. He’d do the same if someone was eyeing his little sister like a tasty snack.

Say something, idiot! He cleared his throat. “They go really well with the Port Angeles Amber.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder toward the beer taps.

Delicious Heat by Sadira StoneHer gaze dropped, and the corner of her mouth hitched up in a shy half-smile. “Wish I could try it, but I’m pregnant.”

No ring on her left hand, but a pale indentation where one had recently been. Divorced? Please let her be single. Please, please, please.

“Oh. Well then, enjoy, Miss…”

“Anna.” Though it didn’t seem possible, her wide smile made her even more beautiful.

Flushed and breathless, he backed toward the kitchen and bonked into something soft.

“Watch where you’re going, Romeo.” With a chuckle, Dawn grasped his shoulders, spun him around, and sent him on his way with a gentle shove.

What are you doing? his common sense shrieked. She’s pregnant! But he allowed himself a final glance over his shoulder. She popped another tot into her lush mouth and winked. He waggled his fingers and pushed through the swinging doors, then collapsed against the wall, clutching his heart.

“Whatsa matter with you?” Shelby asked with a snort.

He closed his eyes and heaved a happy sigh. “I just met the woman I’m going to marry.”

Delicious Heat by Sadira StoneOrder your copy of Delicious Heat today!

Sadira Stone:
Sadira StoneAward-winning contemporary romance author Sadira Stone spins steamy, smoochy tales set in small businesses—a quirky bookstore, a neighborhood bar, a vintage boutique… Her stories highlight found family, friendship, and the sizzling chemistry that pulls unlikely partners together. When she emerges from her writing cave in Las Vegas, Nevada (which she seldom does), she can be found in belly dance class, or strumming her ukulele, perhaps exploring the West with her charming husband, or cooking up a storm, and always gobbling all the romance books. For a guaranteed HEA (and no cliffhangers!) visit Sadira at www.sadirastone.com.

I’d love to hear from you! Please visit me on all the socials.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sadirastone/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SadiraStone
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18568049.Sadira_Stone
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sadira-stone
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Sadira-Stone/e/B07KWK5FBX
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sadira0641/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadirastone/
Author newsletter: https://eepurl.com/dKLMP2

New romance! Delicious Heat by Sadira Stone

Delicious Heat by Sadira StoneBangers Tavern chef Diego meets a woman who makes his heart sing. Trouble is, she’s pregnant with another man’s child. To win her, he’ll have to convince her and both their interfering families that he’s in it for keeps.

Blurb:
Cupid has lousy timing.

After kicking her cheating husband to the curb, nurse Anna Khoury discovers she’s pregnant. When Bangers Tavern’s hunky chef makes heart eyes at her, she dismisses that delicious thrill as the last thing she needs. Single motherhood will take all her strength and focus. Anna’s battered heart can’t take another blow.

Chef Diego Vargas is aiming higher than burgers and tater tots. His dream—his own food truck, the Empanada Angel, but he’ll need his family’s support to pull it off. Meeting Anna leaves him thunderstruck, even though his attraction to her threatens all his plans. Call it fate, call him crazy, but he’s determined to prove he’s in it for keeps.

With a belligerent ex-husband and two overprotective families set on breaking them up, Anna and Diego will need more than red-hot passion to pull them through. His career and her baby’s future are on the line.

Come back to Bangers Tavern for a spicy tale of forbidden love that will warm your heart…and other parts…and make you hungry for empanadas!

Delicious Heat by Sadira StoneBuy links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HRJW5CN?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940162472384
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/delicious-heat
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1592832791
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59644171-delicious-heat

Delicious Heat by Sadira StoneExcerpt:
Diego spread his arms wider. “You just gonna leave me hanging?”

Damn it, she could no more resist his embrace than she could defy gravity. His arms closed around her, warm and comforting. For a long, sweet moment, they rested there, nestled together, quiet and safe.

Maybe all those guardian angels were trying to tell her something.

Rocking her slowly, Diego murmured into her hair, “Anna, I want you. But I realize this is a weird situation, and I’ll wait until you feel comfortable trusting me. Or until you tell me to get lost.” Pulling back, he cupped her cheek in his broad, warm hand. “I hope it’s the first one.”

His bottomless dark eyes held her pinned. With exquisite slowness, they came together, lips brushing feather light. And then the sexiest moan in the history of moans rumbled from his chest, as his embrace tightened.

“Mmmf!” Breathless, she slid her fingers into his soft, thick hair.

He teased her lips with gentle nips until she opened to him. His tongue stroked hers in languid slides, unhurried, gentle…but her body responded with a rush of heat and a growing pressure between her thighs. She needed more. Now.

Gripping the front of his down jacket, she tugged until the snaps opened with firecracker pops, then yanked her own coat open and pressed her body against his. Another rough moan vibrated through his chest, teasing her nipples to stiff peaks. When he clutched her hips, the pressure of his erection against her belly unleashed an avalanche of lust that short-circuited her brain and lit up her nerves like the Northern lights.

I should stop. He’s kissing away my sanity. But her body demanded just a moment more, and another, and another…

Sadira Stone:
Sadira StoneAward-winning contemporary romance author Sadira Stone spins steamy, smoochy tales set in small businesses—a quirky bookstore, a neighborhood bar, a vintage boutique… Her stories highlight found family, friendship, and the sizzling chemistry that pulls unlikely partners together. When she emerges from her writing cave in Las Vegas, Nevada (which she seldom does), she can be found in belly dance class, or strumming her ukulele, perhaps exploring the West with her charming husband, or cooking up a storm, and always gobbling all the romance books. For a guaranteed HEA (and no cliffhangers!) visit Sadira at www.sadirastone.com.

I’d love to hear from you! Please visit me on all the socials.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sadirastone/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SadiraStone
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18568049.Sadira_Stone
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sadira-stone
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Sadira-Stone/e/B07KWK5FBX
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sadira0641/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadirastone/
Author newsletter: https://eepurl.com/dKLMP2