REVIEW: Hunter by Blaire Drake

Release Date: March 28th, 2016

Type: Contemporary Romance, Mafia/Mob, Dark and Dirty

About the Book: Born into blood, I was a mafia princess. Raised in hiding, I was a Californian sweetheart. The day my father sold my thirteen year old body to pay off a five year old debt was the day my mother stole me in the dead of night. She protected me as she was supposed to. My father may have been the king, but my mother was the queen. The mafia blood was hers.

That was ten years ago. Now… the devil was on the loose. Carlo ‘Hunter’ Rosso was my father’s right hand man and the boy I’d loved since I could tie my own shoelaces. He was always the most ruthless and the most deadly of all the children. He’d thought I was dead until the day his assignment was given: Kill Adriana and Alexandria Romano. Kill the princess, and definitely kill the queen. What he didn’t know was that the queen was dead, and the princess had taken her throne. Blood didn’t lie. It smeared, distorted, stained. But it didn’t lie. My father was going to learn the hard way that the empire he’d stolen belonged to me. And so did Carlo ‘Hunter’ Rosso. [Description provided by the author.]

My Review: So it seems the next big trend in romance is the mafia/mob - and I'm definitely down with that! It makes for a nice change. Sure, I still love my rock stars, cowboys, and billionaires, but who doesn't get a little excited when they think about the dark, gritty underworld of mobsters? If you want to give it a try - "Hunter" by Blaire Drake is an excellent way to dip your toe into the water. The book is well written, and the characters well done. There is depth when it comes to emotional turmoil, and be warned, this book doesn't skimp on the death aspect.

Not to say this book doesn't have its little annoyances. The switching from English to Italian often felt out of place, mostly since it was almost exclusively used for cursing. You'd think if someone knew enough Italian to easily switch between that and English, they would say more than just curse words in one language. But hey, I learned some fascinating new curse words, so trust me, it's not all bad.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm so grateful that I was part of Blaire Drake's promotional tour for "Hunter," and that I got the chance to read and review it. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future!

Cover Lovin': Simple, but well done. Thumbs up!

Recommendation: For any romance reader needing her assassin or mafia fix.

Final Rating: FOUR out of FIVE stars (4/5) - a great read that hit all the things I look for in a good mafia romance.

Make sure to get your copy of Hunter by Blaire Drake today!

Hunter

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Disclaimer: I received a free copy in exchange for a review as part of Blaire Drake's blog tour.

Release Day Launch!: Hunter by Blaire Drake!

RELEASE DAY – MARCH 28

Born into blood, I was a mafia princess. Raised in hiding, I was a Californian sweetheart.

The day my father sold my thirteen year old body to pay off a five year old debt was the day my mother stole me in the dead of night. She protected me as she was supposed to.

My father may have been the king, but my mother was the queen.

The mafia blood was hers.

That was ten years ago. Now… the devil was on the loose.

Carlo ‘Hunter’ Rosso was my father’s right hand man and the boy I’d loved since I could tie my own shoelaces. He was always the most ruthless and the most deadly of all the children.

He’d thought I was dead until the day his assignment was given: Kill Adriana and Alexandria Romano. Kill the princess, and definitely kill the queen.

What he didn’t know was that the queen was dead, and the princess had taken her throne.

Blood didn’t lie. It smeared, distorted, stained. But it didn’t lie.

My father was going to learn the hard way that the empire he’d stolen belonged to me.

And so did Carlo ‘Hunter’ Rosso.

GOODREADS: Hunter

AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/1n6P9o4

AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/1OsqIrO

BIO:

Blaire Drake is a pseudonym for a New York Times bestselling author who wanted to think outside her box and write the kind of things that would shock even them. She loves taboo romance and pushing boundaries in her work. She also enjoys long walks on the beach at sunset, as long as it’ll be follo

wed by a good, old-fashioned spanking right after.

DEAR PROFESSOR is her debut standalone novel, and her next book, PRETTY PORNSTAR, is also a standalone novel that promises to be equally as taboo and sexy.

You can connect with Blaire online at:

www.facebook.com/blairedrakewrites

www.twitter.com/blairedrake

www.instagram.com/blairedrake

www.pinterest.com/blairedrake

You’re also invited to join her reader group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1660452467533550/

EXCERPT:

“Staying, are you? Figure it's easier to kill me in my sleep?”

Once again, he rubbed his hand across his face. He said nothing.

“Trying to work out whose life is worth more, right? Mine is probably worth a lifetime of comfort for you. Kill me and everyone's happy, right? My pathetic excuse for a father gets to keep his empire and you're taken care of for life.”

He looked at me, and his expression was a little tortured. I was being harsh. I knew that. But I needed to be. It was easier to provoke him and be angry with him than give in to the horrible ache that had settled in my heart.

“Adriana...” Weak. The word was weak.

I wanted to ignore the indecision on his face, but I couldn't.

He was considering it.

He really was.

I scoffed quietly at him and grabbed the gun from the coffee table. His mask and gloves fell to the floor, but he made no move to pick them up. The safety was on the gun, and I held it out to him. “Here. Take it. I don't care, Hunter. I don't have much of a life here in hiding anyway.”

He didn't even look at the gun. His silvery gaze never left mine. I wished he would look away, because in that gaze, I saw the Hunter I knew. The boy who once ripped his favorite shirt to stem the bleeding when I fell and cut my leg, then proceeded to carry me home. The boy who offered to pee on my foot when I got stung by a jellyfish in Mexico on vacation when I was seven.

The boy I loved before I knew what love even was.

“You're weak, Hunter,” I whispered. Slowly, I turned the gun back to me and touched the barrel to my temple the way he did earlier. His jaw clenched when my thumb edged toward the safety, and when my finger moved to hook around the trigger, he moved.

He was like a lightning bolt. He came at me like a flash, snatched the gun from my hand, and dropped it on the sofa. It bounced but stayed on the seat, and then he turned on me with blazing eyes. “Don't,” he ground out, his arms tensing and looking even bigger. “Don't ever fucking put that to your head again.”

“Why? I was saving you the job.”

The words had barely left my lips when he pounced on me. It was deadly, the way his hands clasped my face and his mouth descended on mine. I staggered back into the wall, gasping at the ferocity of his movement. Shock paralyzed me as he kissed me harshly. His tongue ran along the seam of my mouth, and as I fisted the sides of his shirt, I bit his lower lip.

A low growl left his throat, but he didn't relent. He just kissed me harder. He kissed me until I was fucking spinning and could barely string two thoughts together. Until my whole body was alight with his touch and responding to his every movement.

He tasted like whiskey. The strong, rich taste that lingered on his lips was heady and only added to the intoxicating way he touched me.

And then... It hit me. He was touching me. Kissing me.

Twenty minutes ago, he could have killed me.

Happy Reading!1

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~