BENI
by Bethany-Kris
Guzzi Legacy, #4
Publication Date: October 7, 2019
Genres: Adult, STANDALONE, 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:
Chicago has never been more fun, or dangerous …
Sent away with his identical twin to get their wild ways under control, Beni Guzzi expects nothing to change. Same crap, new city, right? But if the boss of the Chicago mob can’t set the principes straight, then nothing will.
And then she rolls into town.
Stuck in a job that seems intent to keep her working behind a desk, August Rivera hopes a trip to the windy city for an assignment will make the magazine finally give her a spread. But getting to see her best friend, well, that’s just a bonus.
And then she sees him from across a club.
With a gang causing trouble for the Outfit, and a Capo’s crew in shambles, Beni has a million other things to focus on except the beautiful New Yorker who keeps finding her way into his bed. The thing is, when he’s with August, everything is better—easier.
Falling in love while handling family drama and mafia affairs is anything but simple … and in this business? It only takes a single mistake to lose it all.
That lesson can’t be taught, and it always comes too late.
*
NOTE: Beni is a standalone novel within The Guzzi Legacy series. It can be read as such.
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My Thoughts:
Benito “Beni” Guzzi is just trying to find his place in the world. He’ll show us that at times it can be quite frustrating. August Rivera is ready for her life to change. I liked that the author built their stories separately first before putting them in each other’s space. And once they are the pages will light up from the heat that’s created.
August has a great friend named Camilla - Cam. She’s the one that asks the questions so that August will give us the answers. Beni is a little more complicated. That’s not surprising when you look to see who his family is and what their business is about. His family can be a little complicated but our author makes it so that it will hold our attention but not take it away from the couple we are getting to know.
I enjoyed the pace of the story. The author took her time in building our couple’s relationship as well as the world around them. For me that’s a good thing because I have no choice but to slow down, actually take the time to relax, and just concentrate on the words that I see so that I can picture their world in my mind. The author makes it all seem so easy.
We know that it must take a lot of time and energy to develop a story that others will like. What’s written for our enjoyment is a great way to see how creative the person is. I’m envious because it’s something I could never do. Sometimes it’s like the book is the pole, the pages are the bait, and the main characters are the hook which I guess means we’re the fish. With this author I don’t mind either – she can bait me any time.
What I wouldn’t recommend is to start this series here. In order to get to know the Guzzi family it would be best to start at the beginning – you only have three books in order to catch up. And the nice thing is that our author isn’t done with this family yet. Bene is there to build my anticipation.
Teasers:
EXCERPT:
Spinning around while taking a sip of the hot coffee, August came face to face with a smirking Beni. Damn, he looked good today. Gone were the dark wash jeans, leather jacket, and the Converse shoes. Oh, sure, she liked him in that, too, but today he had settled on something a bit more … classic, and fancy.
Black slacks, and a white button down that was rolled up to the elbows. A blazer hung over his arm, forgotten, likely because of the current summer heat sweeping through Chicago. No tie, she noticed, but that was okay because he’d left the top two buttons of his shirt undone, giving her a peek at the golden skin of his throat, a couple days’ worth of facial hair covering his jawline, and the way his Adam’s apple bobbed when he looked her over, and swallowed.
So good looking.
Did he know how he looked?
Because Jesus …
At least, August didn’t feel underdressed standing in front of him, considering she had thrown on a black dress with elbow-length sleeves, a scoop neck, and a pencil skirt that fell to her knees. Black pumps matched the dress, and she went for a simple, rose gold necklace and matching earrings to draw attention to her little makeup, and the braids she had piled high on her head in a spiraling bun.
She did have a meeting today—one that involved talks about a possible job. She had to look professional, didn’t she?
“No work today?” she asked.
Beni flashed her another one of his sinful smiles. “Nah, I had better things to do.”
Was she one of those things?
He was here.
So … yep.
August liked that.
Too much.
There was something about a man that made a woman his priority that did it for her. Beyond sex, a man that cared enough to put in effort … it was all about the fucking effort with a woman like her.
She appreciated it.
“And you didn’t answer me,” he said. “Is this the second date?”
She gave him a look. “We didn’t really have a first.”
“Well—”
“That was not a first date.”
Beni chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked her over from head to toe. There was something about his slow perusal that had her heating up from the inside out, butterflies beating hard in her stomach all the while.
What was he doing to her?
“So, we consider this a first date, then?”
August nodded. “And depending on how it goes, well, we’ll see about another one.”
His dark, husky laughter coated her in something sinful and wicked as he stepped alongside her to wrap a strong arm around her waist. He pulled her into his side for a one-armed hug, his mouth coming down to press a quick kiss to her soft line of baby hair along her forehead.
“Never stop doing that,” he told her.
August tipped her head back so that she could stare up at him. “Do what?”
“That—keeping me on my toes. Nobody ever does that anymore, and I like it.”
Noted.
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
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