Cordae Vitale was raised by an abusive father until the day he killed him at age twelve. His Uncle then raised him to become the next mafia boss of the Vitale family. He's a dark man, who kills without remorse, nicknamed the Demon in the fighting ring, he gives no quarter in business and has sealed off all emotions. He's been taught to use women only to see to his needs and discard them, that is until Ava.

Ava Sinclair protected daughter of the governor, the light to Cord's darkness. She's kept under her father's thumb until she finally breaks away to become a nursing assistant.

Their first meeting he saves her from an ex-boyfriends unwanted advances and walks away not wanting to ruin her, but when he comes across her again a year later he can't resist her. He wants her on his own terms but when she and an unknown sister start to get under his skin he pushes her away.

There's a lot of dynamics in this story and it wasn't an easy read. I was all over the place, cringing, shocked, sad, horrified, and hopeful that love could save a tortured soul. Trejo doesn't give you a sugar coated mafia boss, you get the ugly, as well as the heat. It's the women that bring light back into his world if he'll let it.

This quote from the book really stuck with me through this story...

'Heaven is bright and full of hope whereas hell is dark and full of fire. I crave them both. I'm on the precipice of tumbling to one or the other. Never knowing which way I'll fall, I live life the way I've always lived it.'

The nigglies - There is a choppiness to some of the scenes that leave a reader feeling like they lost their place at times. As merciless as Cord was I found it really odd it took him five years to exact justice, when every other time in the book his justice had been swift. It felt very out of character and there was a LOT of repetitive dark inner monologue. While some was necessary, it seemed excessive toward the end.

I received an ARC copy and am voluntarily leaving a review. If you like my reviews I hope you will follow my blog. https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/

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