Genre: Romantic Suspense/Erotica
The Analysis:
Cover, loved it! Blurb, loved it! I was so excited to buy this book and to begin reading and it didn’t disappoint when on page 1 it throws the reader right into the action. So I was certainly intrigued. Love Sprung From Hate: A Mafia Romance by Sienna Blake, lets get into it.
Heres the Blurb:
Cold. Ruthless. Killer. That’s my birthright. The only thing meant for me. Until her. Because when she gazed up at me, her honeyed hair spread across the pillow, her soft body naked and open, she made me feel like I could be different. She gave me a reason to be different. So imagine my shock when I’m dragged into an interrogation room, their prime suspect, and she walks in…
Detective Julianna Capulet. I am so fucked. Because I still want her. I want her like an addict craves his drug. I need her like a sinner needs his absolution.
And I will have her.
[/one_half]The couple with the city-scape background can sometimes be overdone in this genre. But the designer should be commended for presenting this one in a unique fashion. I saw it and was envious. The colors are so pretty and the overall vibe screams romance novel and intrigue. Comment below what you think?
You can pretty much tell this is going to be a sexy book by the way Roman notices Julianna for the first time in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 had a girl just as flustered and curious about Roman as Julianna. By Chapter 3, I wanted to see the movie.
Something that was peculiar, but not necessarily a big deal. Julianna had a nickname by everyone. I thought that it was a little unrealistic. I could see maybe having one by your family and then your guy. But it was like everyone she met was calling her something different. Just an oddity, nothing serious.
There was also this sexy moment at the club that was also unintentionally funny. And just the sort of thing that I would come to expect from this hot couple. Followed by the most aggressive sex scene that I’ve read to date. Roman definitely showed himself as an alpha male.
Julianna’s granny friend was spunky and fun which I loved. But in parts, I didn’t think she sounded her age. Even the most up to date granny doesn’t know all the modern lingo.
Spoiler Alert: Loved all the turmoil Roman was experiencing when he killed a man.
The big reveal was also written extremely well. I can’t say that there was anything that I didn’t like about this story.
At least in the beginning.
There is some instalove, but I’m not at a point yet where I hate those. So it was fine. I thought they shared enough with each other and the intensity of the sex was enough to form a strong connection. So it wasn’t like so far fetched for me. Not that sex automatically equates to love.
Side note, she’s a detective, her father’s a police chief and she hadn’t had a real case in 6 months. I thought that would be enough to make her the laughing stock of any police department. But I get that’s not the point of this story. So it wasn’t touched on.
I kind of rolled my eyes at some of her thoughts in the jealousy scene. Matter of fact I hated the jealousy over all. Like yeah, your relationship is hot, dangerous, and intense. But it ain’t jealousy worthy lol.
And then around the end, (the third act if you’re an author), I became disillusioned with the whole thing. If the original Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was meant to be a satire on the silliness of teenage love. This book managed to accomplish the same thing, but with the silliness of some women in love. Spoiler Alert: Roman commits a crime, the reader knows he did it, and then being a detective, Julianna, wants to prove him innocent. She was looking mighty foolish in my eyes.
And then this story ends on a cliffhanger in the worse possible way. I kinda want to drop it, but I’m already in the deep end of the pool so I’m going to keep reading.
Story At A Glance:
Overall Story:
It was everything that I would expect from a Romantic Suspense/Erotica, and off that alone its worth recommending. But there are things on the outer edges of this story that makes me not exactly want to sign my name on the dotted line just yet.
Pacing:
Perfect, until the end and you realize its the worse kind of cliffhanger. And the stories not paced correctly at all. Honestly, the author in me would have made the reveal of there identities a much larger story and revealed it at the end. And then once they know part 2 could be everything that happens after. But as it stands it ends abruptly and nothing is resolved in this story.
Characterization:
He does come off as the typical mobster’s son as does the supporting characters around him. I’m not sure if I buy her as a detective. However, if I take into account her inexperience then sure. They both were believable in their roles, as well rounded characters.
World/Building Setting:
Fine, I was able to get a good picture of Verona where this story primarily takes place.
Language:
I loved the conversations between Roman and anyone on his side of the family. I thought the author did a good job betraying that they were Italian.
Feeling:
Loved the story in the beginning. Absolutely loved, but by the end, I was like meh.
Recommendation: If you had asked me this when I was in Act 1 & 2 I would have said yes. But Julianna’s slow dissent into unlikability has me hesitating. So I’m going to say NO, but if you like Romeo and Juliet retellings then this shouldn’t be missed. I personally am not a fan of Romeo and Juliet. I bought this because I like mob stories.
The Ratings:
My Thumbs Up For:
- Act 1 & 2
- Sex Scene
My Thumbs Down For:
- Pacing
- Unlikeable Heroine
THE TRS BOOKS SYSTEM:
Book Cover Appeal:
🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓
Story & Narration:
🍓🍓🍓
Romance:
🍓🍓🍓
Sex Scenes:
🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓
OVERALL READING EXPERIENCE:
Love Sprung From Hate: A Mafia Romane gets three strawberries from me. Its ranked at 4 1/2 on Amazon.
Book Info:
Pages: 263
Author: Sienna Blake
Available: On Amazon
