Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Hell's Kitchen by Callie Hart and Lili Saint Germain - REVIEW & EXCERPT





Hell’s Kitchen (Hell’s Kitchen #1)
*From International Bestselling authors Callie Hart and Lili St. Germain comes a tale of two families co-existing in a melting pot of violence, murder and drugs in the seedy underbelly of New York City*


Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1B4MMnN


Theo and Sal Barbieri are brothers, tasked by their Mafioso father Roberto with a very clear purpose: kidnap Kaitlin McLaughlin. The beautiful daughter of Roberto’s Irish enemy. It’s high time Kaitlin was punished for her father’s sins—not to mention, her own.
And Operation: Kidnap Kaitlin is a roaring success… until it isn’t. When Kaitlin escapes into the busy streets of New York City, it’s a race against the clock to find her before Sal and Theo become the hunted.
Zeth Mayfair has traded his life as a hitman for a quieter existence, but it isn’t long before the past catches up with him in the form of Roberto Barbieri. Will he succumb to the lure of power that Roberto is offering? Or will he retaliate by killing every last Barbieri in New York to get them off his back?
Jason Ross is running. Woken in the night by a tip that the Gypsy Brothers are coming for him, he packs a bag and gets his girlfriend the hell out of dodge. Arriving in New York City in the midst of a heatwave is one thing, but being tailed by an entire drug cartel is another.
Worlds collide in Hell’s Kitchen as secrets come to light and sins are punished. Because we might be different in the light of day, but in the darkness, we’re all connected somehow.


Hell’s Kitchen is a serial comprising three volumes: Hell’s Kitchen, Tribeca and Bleecker Street. Volume One releases on March 3rd with a limited-time sale price of 99 cents



Excerpt


“When he lunges for me, I’m ready. I deflect the hand he was going to grab me with, slapping it downward, and then I grab onto his wrist, pulling him off balance. He seesaws forward but then rips his wrist out of my hand. I don’t expect him to turn his slight fumble to his own advantage, but he does. Dropping to the floor, he rolls and kicks out, landing a solid strike to my leg. I have less than a second to brace myself before I’m hitting the concrete.
Then he’s on top of me. “Oh, this is fun, sweetheart. But I don’t really have time to be playing games with you right now.”
He’s reaching for my arms, about to pin me to the ground, but I jab, landing a solid hit with my extended fingertips right in the base of his throat, in his windpipe. He chokes, his body falling sideways, and then I’m on top of him. Through watering eyes and a clearly sore throat, the guy grins up at me, shaking his head. “Well, if you wanna fuck me, I guess I could make some time.” Thrusting upward, he tries to unseat me, but I know this is what’s coming and I’m ready again. I compensate, leaning forward, pressing my gun into the guy’s neck.
“Who are you?”
His body goes still, his hands lifting so they’re palm up in front of him. “You know who I am, sweetheart. I’m the enemy.”
“My boss has quite a few enemy camps. Which one do you belong to?”
“The biggest one,” the guy says, smiling. “The Italian one.”
“So you work for Barbieri?”
“I am a Barbieri.” Lightning fast, he snaps his hand out and clamps it around my throat. The move catches me off guard, has me panicking for the first time. My gun is gone, then, knocked to the ground, skittering away across the blacktop. The guy’s hand tightens around the column of my neck, threatening to squeeze even harder. “What’s wrong?” he asks. “Feeling a little lightheaded?”







Review

 

** 5 Chirps **

 

I'm a stubborn bitch and I won't let these two bastards get the better of me.  -  Gracie O'Connor

Hart and Saint Germain are clearly a force to be reckoned with.  The pair did a PHENOMENAL job of creating the world of their characters, and really drawing the reader into said world.  Only a few chapters into the book and I was spinning my own web of Mafiosa activities in my sleep.  I felt like I was standing in the same room as the characters, or at least nearby witnessing all of the activities taking place.

I do love when a woman begs me for things.  And please...feel free to call me honey again.  - Theo Barbeiri

This book provides a multitude of character POVs, something that is very different from what I've experienced with past reads.  The ladies did it with ease, though, and it was so exceptionally done that I really felt like there was no stone left unturned during pivotal scenes.  This tactic gave us direct connection to the turmoil, desire, volatility, fear, and humor that each character lended to the story.

I might be a person nobody knows, a girl with my face turned down to the pavement so nobody sees me, but I see them.  I see all of them.  I hear them.  And it hurts.   - Scarlett Winchester

Admittedly, I had high hopes for this story (and initially chose to read it) because of my adoration for Callie Hart after my love affair with the Blood and Roses series.  I was so far beyond pleased with the reality of this book that I am resting on the edge of my seat, waiting for the next installment.  Theo and Sal Barbeiri are most definitely contenders for my favorite book boyfriends of the year, and the female leads are definitely B.A. enough to keep me rooting for them.

Who the fuck is this woman?  My dick wants to find out.  The rest of me?  I'm not so sure.  - Sal Barbeiri

Hell's Kitchen establishes the ground work for the story of mob rivalry, and is temporarily on sale for $.99.  It's my recommendation that you drop everything and read it NOW!  You won't be disappointed. 


About the Authors

Callie Hart
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Callie has experienced many changes throughout her life, and gone through many ups and downs that have all worked towards shaping and molding her into the person she is today: fun loving, active, social, and hard working. The only thing that has remained a constant throughout her life is writing. Creating characters who will tear your conscience in two is a favorite pastime of Callie’s. There are few real saints and sinners in her books; more often, the denizens of her stories are all very human. Broken, flawed, and always with the potential for redemption.
Despite the subject matter being markedly hot and heavy in comparison to the stories she wrote in elementary school, there will always be an element of fairytale to her work.




Lili Saint Germain
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Lili writes dark romance, suspense and paranormal stories. Her serial novel, Seven Sons, was released in early 2014, with the following books in the series to be released in quick succession. Lili quit corporate life to focus on writing and so far is loving every minute of it. Her other loves in life include her gorgeous husband and beautiful daughter, good coffee, Tarantino movies and spending hours on Pinterest.

She loves to read almost as much as she loves to write.



 

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