PRIVILEGE
by Bethany-Kris
Renzo + Lucia , #1
Publication Date: January 7, 2019
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime,
Erotic Romance
Rating: 4 Stars
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this
book for review from IndieSage PR and the author. I was not
compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The
opinions I have expressed are my own. I am posting this in
accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part
255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and
Testimonials in Advertising".
SYNOPSIS:
They didn’t come from the same world …
Born rich to a family of mafia royalty, Lucia Marcello was already destined to succeed. She wanted for absolutely nothing, until she met him.
Born poor to parents who never cared, Renzo Zulla was already destined to fail. He has struggled for absolutely everything, but she’ll prove to be his biggest fight yet.
She’s high society from the upscale suburbs.
He’s a drug dealer from New York’s slums.
He’s a drug dealer from New York’s slums.
They just weren’t meant to be … until they were.
What would it take to change a life—an entire perspective? All the things you thought you knew and wanted?
For them, it took thirty-six days.
And the privilege of meeting each other.
And the privilege of meeting each other.
They shouldn’t be.
They don’t fit.
Love doesn’t care.
They don’t fit.
Love doesn’t care.
Note: Privilege is book one in a three-book trilogy following the same couple.
AVAILABLE NOW!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2CMHQwa
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2AthoX7
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2R6aJfK
My Thoughts:
Lucia
Marcello just wants a chance to spread her wings. Renzo Zulla hasn’t had the best beginnings
but he wants to change that. His
existence is sad. But would he do it
again? Probably. What was a surprise is that this is the first
of a trilogy. Even though the beginning
tugged at my heart, it did get me invested in where this is going.
This story
doesn’t have a beginning that’s all unicorns and rainbows. It’s more of a stark reality. Lucia seems so far apart from Renzo. Her family gives her everything but Renzo has
to fight for just the bare minimum. You
have to think out of the box with this one but it had me thinking of Maria and
Tony from West Side Story – it reads
like a tragedy. The hardest part was
trying to think of the music I would listen to and I still didn’t have it
figured out by the time I was done. Also
hard was the ending – gives me hope. It
could actually be an ending but knowing this is a trilogy it has me curious
about book two. The author does give us
a teaser but I held off on reading because I wanted to leave it as a surprise.
Excerpt:
“This is the fifth time this month that someone has been late picking him up. I even held the spot last week in the daycare for him because I knew you were dropping him off as you’d called ahead to let me know.”
“Listen—”
“No, you listen, Ren,” Laurie countered just as fast. “I know he needs a safe place to go in the day time, so you can … do whatever it is you do. It is only because you were able to provide a statement from your mother showing you take care of the majority of the child’s needs that I even allowed him a spot here without confirming other things that everyone else who gets a spot has to prove, Renzo. But I can’t keep stretching rules for you when you can’t even follow the basic policies of the daycare.”
Everything about Renzo’s posture screamed defensiveness. Lucia wouldn’t even have needed to hear him speak to know that just by looking at him.
“He’ll be picked up on time,” Renzo muttered through a still stiff jaw.
Laurie sighed. “You have one more chance. And no more calling in for me to save the spot, either. He either gets here on time, or you don’t get it.”
Renzo sucked air through his teeth, and his gaze swung down to his little brother who had come to stand by his side. It seemed that just by seeing the look of worry on little Diego’s face, Renzo quickly fixed his scowl and offered a smile to the boy. He tousled his hand through Diego’s hair, and winked.
“Is that understood?” Laurie asked, breaking the two brothers’ moment.
Renzo let out a grunt, but didn’t take his attention away from his brother. “Yeah, I fucking got it.”
Laurie only sighed again. Renzo gave the woman one last burning look before he bent down to scoop Diego up to carry him out of the entrance. He’d never even seen Lucia, or so she thought, but she had seen him. That was more than enough for her. She couldn’t begin to explain the strange desire in her chest that made her want to follow him just so she could speak with him, but it was there.
It grew with every passing second.
Every breath.
Lucia wasn’t even sure why. She didn’t know anything about Renzo except the fact he worked for her brother, and that didn’t mean good things. She’d literally watched her brother give the man money, and Lucia wasn’t so young or stupid that she didn’t know what her brother did for a living. Like every other man in her family.
And John basically said it, too.
Renzo was bad news.
The streets made him.
Yet, all Lucia could think was that the only difference between what Renzo did to get by and what her family did to make their money was the fact they dressed better than he did. So, she really didn’t see the difference.
And besides, right then, all Renzo had looked like was a young man struggling and at the end of his rope. That made her chest ache for reasons she couldn’t explain.
“I think that’s all, Lucia, thank you,” the woman behind the receptionist’s desk said. “We’ll have your identification card and everything ready for you here at the front tomorrow. Okay?”
Lucia blinked back into reality fast. “Okay, thanks.”
By the time she turned back around, Laurie was already gone from the entrance. Probably back to her office, but who knew for sure. It was only the phone buzzing in her pocket that took Lucia’s attention away from the doors for a second. She answered the phone as soon as she saw her father’s name flashing on the screen.
A lie was already on the tip of her tongue, too.
“Hey, Daddy,” she said, “something came up at the shelter, so I might be a little late. That’s okay, right?”
Lucian chuckled on the other end. “All right. I was just calling to see if you were going to drive yourself home, or if you wanted someone to come get you because I figured you might be tired.”
“I’ll drive.”
Right after she spoke with the man who just left.
Yeah, right after that.
MUSIC PLAYLIST
ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS:
Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.
To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bf9lzD
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
Hosted By:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave your comments below.