Keeping My Girl

Keeping What's Mine #2

by Angela Snyder

Nico Vitale

The girl I fell in love with was ripped from my arms, never to be heard from again.

She was sold to the cruelest man on the planet, Constantine Carbone — my family’s number one enemy.

Over the years, I haven’t stopped looking for Selina.

And then one fateful night, I finally find her.

In a move that will undoubtedly bring war upon my family, I save Selina, killing Constantine’s son in the process.

I soon come to realize that Selina is nothing like the girl I once fell in love with, but none of that matters.

She’s mine.

She’s always been mine.

And when her past comes back to haunt her, threatening to steal her away from me again, I vow to do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

This time I’m not letting her go.


Author's note: Keeping My Girl is Nico Vitale’s story, and although it is a standalone, it would be better enjoyed after reading Keeping My Bride.
**Warning: Due to the sensitive subject matter contained in this book, it may cause triggers. Reader discretion is strongly advised.

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Mafia Romance, Dark, Friends To Lovers, Second Chance, Smut

307 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 19, 2022

About the author

Angela Snyder is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Angela grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania with a passion for reading and writing stories since she was a child. Angela currently lives in an even smaller town in Pennsylvania with her husband and her very spoiled Golden Retriever.
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Find Angela's books on Amazon: http://Author.to/AngelaSnyder

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Reviews

[QuinnReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author's note: 'Keeping My Girl' is Nico Vitale’s story, and although it is a standalone, it would be better enjoyed after reading 'Keeping My Bride'.

Dark, Yet Lovely

This sucked me in with a seemingly sweet childhood crush, but the darkness lurked. For Selina "Lina" McCall, oh, how I wanted to wrangle her mother for the things she did. Deplorable, absolutely deplorable. And while the impact to him was negligible in the grand scheme of things, I love how Nicholas "Nico" Vitale spent a decade searching for her.

Selina has been living with my family for the past six months. I would like to say it took that long to fall in love with her, but I’d be lying. It only took the first day. Maybe even the first hour.
-- Nico Vitale

I love Nico's patience as Selina tries to recover from decades of abuse. He's attentive and gives her a level of kindness that she's never known. He's also occasionally overbearing. I can't blame him, but I like the dynamics it creates. I wholeheartedly enjoy their interactions, sweet and spicy.

Inside these pages, you will find some of the most despicable acts that can be forced upon a woman, including but not limited to human trafficking, NC, and physical and mental abuse. There is additional violence against others, too, some of which you may applaud.

You may have noticed the author's note about recommended reading. I didn't read the first book and was able to follow along with relative ease. There are a couple of parts where there are so many people and names thrown in that it didn't all click, but I figured out enough to enjoy the book.

When it comes to the next book, that story starts here and leaves a cliffhanger as part of that setup, but Nico and Selina are well onto getting their HEA.

I received an author's copy of the audio book. The narrators are Alan Stone and Stella Rose. They are good choices for these characters, and easy to listen to and understand. 💚🎧💚

Story: 4 stars
Narration: 4 stars
Listening Speed: 1.7x

H = 24; h = 23

[book_fairy13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god!
This book wrecked me!
Nico and Lina were always meant to be but life had other plans.
After years of separation, they have finally reunited but the trauma and abuse Lina has gone through has changed her.
Lina's story was not easy to read and it was filled with pain and misery.
Nico has finally found Lina and he will never let her go again. Nico was perfect he was her biggest supporter, strength and compassionate to her in every way.

[Traceys · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mafia romance with a dark storyline. I have to say I like the Vitale family!

Nico is part of the Vitale family, he is a sweet man but only fair to say he has a dark side!

Selina/Lina is a girl that caught Nico's heart years ago when his family was helping her.

The story could have triggers for some people, it deals with trafficking and abuse. I'm glad the author took the time to include therapy for Lina. It's a book so she does move forward quicker than a real abuse survivor would.

This book is more than the dark side, the romance, it's sweet, and Nico is caring and thoughtful. There's chemistry between them and you know it's only a matter of time until it gets hotter.

I enjoyed this mafia romance and look forward to more in this series.

4 stars

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nico has always been in love with Selina. He discovers her after she disappeared and makes it his mission to save her from her enemy, Constantine. Nico helps Selina heal from her abuse at the hands of Constantine. Their love helps both of them reconnect and support each other. Selina recognizes that Nico is a good man even though he’s mafia. I read this book on one day, it was so good

[Tammy Majors · Rating 2 out of 5]

not great

Just blah. Characters are all over the place as well as the story. Not to give anything away but really a party and everyone is so happy while one daughter is sold into slavery and missing? No. Skip it

[LeMiliere · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written dark, emotional slow-burn romance, I found myself immersed in Selina and Nico's story. It has many unexpected twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. Nico has always looked for Selina after she disappeared but he never expected anything like what had happened to her.

Now he has her back, but the Selina he knew is no more, she has been forever changed by the horrible things she's been subjected to. But no matter the price Nico is determined to be there offering his love and support as she attempts to heal the damage her past has caused.

The pacing of the story is well done, I liked how the author slowly revealed the pieces of Selina's past a little at a time keeping us guessing what was to come. This is not a story for the faint of heart, the story contains many triggers and the author includes a warning note at the start. That said I have to say I couldn't put it down.

[Gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent read and I need more of this.
Selina is a survivor from a monster after ten years as his “pet”.
Nico has been looking for Selina for ten years, until he does by chance.
I received a free copy of this book for an voluntary and honest review.

[Alex Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic instalment in the series. Deliciously dark and dangerous, not for the fainthearted of. Great characters, and a well written storyline. Would recommend. Cannot wait for the next book. A.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[anjilivreads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Predictable story, with the "twist" coming in at the 85% mark. And how can the leads carry on as per normal and celebrate a birthday and a proposal when the male lead's sister has been kidnapped by a trafficker and has been missing for weeks??

[Ana Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there is a thing that I should be aware of is that I can't start a new book from this author at 0 am.
I can't because I won't be able to put it down and get some shut-eye.
And I had done it anyway.
Angela Snyder has that effect on me. And to top her amazing writing, I missed her books.
It was a few months without a new book from her so it was impossible not to devour it.
Keeping My Girl is her latest release and it's the second book from the Keeping What's Mine series.
Guys, despite the fact that this book is standalone I advise you to read Keeping My Bride first.
You'll see why.
This book explores the lives of Selina and Nico.
Nico had found his true love, until one day, she was taken from him.
Years go by, and he's still looking for her until one day, he succeeds.
But is she still the same girl he fell in love with?
Selina's life has been hell since the moment she was taken into the trafficking ring.
She was lucky to be saved by an amazing family that took care of her, but then, she had to return to her family and sold to the most ruthless man.
She lost, not only her freedom but also the love of her life.
Time goes by, until the day they find each other but unfortunately, she's not the same sweet girl anymore…
OMG… What a book. What a series. What a ride…
This book was perfect from the beginning till the end and I freaking loved it.
Amazing plot, well written, super engaging, and intense.
I was so into the story that I lost track of time because once I started reading it, I couldn't stop.
When I looked at the clock it was 3 am… Not good for someone that needed to be up at 6 am. But hey, sleep is overrated…
The entire story was surrounded by a cloud of darkness and danger and I felt my heart racing.
Some scenes were so dark that made my soul hurt.
And then the hot stuff appeared and Dayum… So so hot.
Overall it was another amazing book that left me wanting more and mad…
Mad because I'll have to wait for the next book…
Please, Angela… Please don't take too long to give me Aria's book.

[Aaliyah.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

*𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘸𝘴*
{𝟺.𝟹/𝟻}
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
• ᴍᴀғɪᴀ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
• sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ
• ᴄʜɪʟᴅʜᴏᴏᴅ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀs
𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
• { ᴏᴠᴇʀᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs } omg, omg, and omg. I absolutely loved this book. The amount of emotions that took place in this book just made it 10 times better. I was absolutely hooked with the plot. Nico & Selina meet when they were younger but an unexpected twist happened when Selina’s mother took her back from Nicos family. Nico spent years looking for Selina and when he went to an event the universe had something planned for him. I could not put this book down I just had to know what happened next after every chapter. I swear I didn’t cry at all, my eyes were just sweaty!!!
• { ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs } In this book we are introduced to Nico & Selina. Nico being the son of Luca & Verona who were introduced in the first book “Keeping my bride”. Nico definitely loves hard, and he had always loved Selina. It actually makes me so emotional to know that I would have the love Nico has for Selina. I loved how caring and soft he was the second Selina was his again. He did everything in his power to make sure Selina felt safe and loved, and he just did an amazing job. He’s definitely my favorite Vitale so far haha. Now Selina, I absolutely love this woman!!! Even after everything she went through she was still this beautiful strong woman who just needed someone. I definitely recommend searching tws before reading because Selina’s story is definitely emotional, and I wish her the best in life. Nico & Selina are 100% soulmates and no one can change my mind, they were heartwarming, had endless love for each other, and overall I think that nothing could ever break them apart. They were always meant for each other.
• { sᴘɪᴄᴇ } Angela did an amazing job with the Spicy scenes!! You could almost feel the connection between Nico & Selina. I really enjoyed it, very nice haha.


𝑹𝑬𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑺𝑬𝑺 𝑱𝑼𝑳𝒀 19

[Stephanie Ditmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Selina and Nico’s story will rock you to the core. It’s emotional, gut wrenching, and beautiful. Nico has loved Lina since they were teens, she came to stay with them when they saved her from a human trafficking ring. They were best friends until her mother came and took her away and Lina’s life would never be the same. Nico never gave up hope that he'd find her, and when by chance he finds her their way back to each other it’s a long road of recovery for Lina. She has been through hell and trusting is hard and she doesn’t trust her feelings for Nico. Nico is patient, loving and protective of her and I loved that side of him. He’s all about revenge to find the man that held her captive for ten years and end his life and he will if it’s the last thing he does. Loved the twists, banter, the flirting with each other and Nico not pushing her. This book had me on the edge of my seat and that ending my god I can’t wait for the next book. I found this book on BookSprout.

[GirlOnline · Rating 1 out of 5]

So she went through....if you know you know and she was talking about it like she was saying " I saw a daisy on my way to my house " like WTF?? No emotion in this book , no passion and I am not talking about the character I am talking about the writing , so flat..no not even flat , it was just there , just words , all the characters were the same and she got all this trauma over in weeks?? Nope I am done

[Katie Barringer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok book but at the end his sister is kidnapped for weeks and they throw a suprise bday for his gf after finding out his sister was sold in Mexico by a trafficker. He even comments they are one big happy family. WHAT ABOUT YOUR SISTER.

[Mscat2u517 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I love the whole series!! This is the story of Nico and Salena. They fell for one another when they were young but Salena disappeared without a trace. Nico searched for her for years when all of a sudden he runs into and discovers she is being held against her will. He rescues her and takes care of her because in order for Salena to live and survive the last 10 years she became addicted to drugs. Nico did everything he had to do to care for Salena from doctors to therapist. Nico never got over Salena or the love he had for her and the way he loved her and cared for her shows in this mafia romance. There was suspense, spice and touch her and die. I read the books out of order but recommend reading in order.

[Charlene De · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written book by Angela Snyder. This book will keep you on the edge of you seat until the end.
This is the epic love story of Nico Vitale & Selina McCall. Selina is sold for the second time by her mother to a monster. Nico fell in love with her at the tender age of fourteen, but she disappears. After 10 long years, Nico finally finds her again.
She has been abused, and addicted to substances.
This is their amazing love story and how they help heal each other from all the trouble

Nico will do everything in his power to keep Lina safe and his forever.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute delight to read, was hooked from the first page and Selina and Nico story unravelled and I was silently screaming don’t let her go but to no avail the unspeakable happened.

One cant just help but fall in love with this mafia family as they truly make a difference to those that need it the most, I guess that good karma hints at what book 3 in the series is all about.

Need to read book one now as I feel I missed a whole and considering next one is not due until next year.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lenna Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

There will be triggers for people like forced drug addiction , torture, Juvenile rape, and many dark things.
I hardly read a story where the mafia boss actually had FBI contacts to help bring human trafficking mob boss down but also the Vitals take down and rescues women and children that are kidnapped in these rings and helps them. I loved every minute of it and I didn’t put it down for more then a few minutes, basically read it all in one night.

Nico and Selina were 13&14 when they first met but Nico already found his soulmate but Lina would be taken and he will spend a decade trying to find her and unexpectedly will find and rescue her, but will it be too late for Lina??

[Karsyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved this as a follow up to Keeping my Bride 👏🏻 I didn’t expect the sequel to be about Nico, so that was a pleasant surprise! But oof was this one much darker when it came to past and present trauma. Compared to the first, this one has some heavy topics. Check trigger warnings for sure.

[Nina Vansteenkiste · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved it. i loved that it is about the family so we also hear from Luca and verona. but i am sad that i don't know how it is with aria i hope she is okay 😞. but still very good book and on too the other books the last one yay and oww at the same time.🔥🔥

[Kelly Streeter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one hell if a book it gets you hooked right away Selina (Lina) as has a horrible up bringing and then to be sold to see her become her own person after 10 year captive the love she she find with Nico is amazing after over coming so much Nico as been in love with Lina for 10year after she was taken and Nico could not find her he as not really been living when he finds Lina he will do everything to protect her and keep save.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nico Vitale has been in love with Selina since she was just a teenager when she was rescued by his family. When her mother came to claim her and then sold her to Constantine Carbone, Nico never stopped looking for her. Nico stumbles upon Selina at a party and does what is necessary in order to bring her to safety. He and his family nurture her back to health and instill the confidence she needs to grow. I truly enjoyed this story. Watching the progression of Selina and Nico’s relationship was heartwarming. For such a bad boy, Nico is very loving and doting upon Selina. This book is full of witty banter, great chemistry, twists and turns, and great supporting characters. I was on the edge of my seat up until the ending, and absolutely cannot wait to read Aria’s story.

[alli☀️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75

[Jill Haworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Constantine Carbone had been trafficking people for years unitl the Vitale family managed to provide enough evidence. Unfortunately he had the money to be released on a technicality.
When he was 14 years old, two horrible things had happened to Nicholas, (Nico). The first was Carbone’s release. The second was losing Selina. She was a young girl his family had been looking after until her family had been located. But they had grown so close in that time and looking back later, he was mature enough to accept he’d fallen in love with her.
Selina’s last words to Nico had been, “My mother isn’t who you think she is.”
Alberto Berlusconi throws the most extravagant parties and he just happens to be great friends with Constantine, sharing mutual tastes.
As it’s a masquerade party Nico is able to slip in and move around undetected. But Constantine played safe by sending his son Gino instead. When Nico saw Gino abusing a woman he intervened. Imagine his surprise when he came face to face with a strung out Selina.
Constantine, his son and whoever else had been abusing her for the ten years, while they’d been searching for both her and Constantine.
Nico brought her home.
Once clean again, Selina and Nico get closer with movie nights and eventually their relationship moves to the next level after a few misunderstandings. It’s passionate and loving and theyre sharing the type of lifetime love. But Constantine is after his revenge….
This was a well written, riveting and thoroughly enjoyable read. It kept you on your toes throughout. One minute you’re at the edge of your seat and then the next minute you’re going through plenty of tissues. Absolutely superb.

[Kait · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

A cute, dark romance story of childhood loves ripped apart and reunited 10 years later.

[Aaryan Agrawal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book review:
A heartfelt story basically for teenagers.
The story is like a bollywood movie where at the end - everyone lives happily ever after.

There are not any twist or turns in the story. The story goes in a straight line and slowly builds the climax.
The climax ends easily and abruptly.

Nonsical Climax:
It is shown, when Aria and Lina sneak out to a club, Constantine is able to track down Lina, as he had implanted a tracker into Lina's back head.

So, I understand Constantine did not attack and capture Lina, whenever, the tracker showed Vitale's house location, because he would also have known that Vitale would have done everything in their power to secure their house with all the latest technology and a large team of security guards.

It is showed that many times Nico and Lina went of the house - once so that Lina can learn car driving and once when they went for surfing the entire day and also once when Aria and Lina went for shopping.

Now, a tracker can only show location and nothing else. So, whenever, the tracker showed Lina's location outside their house, the tracker certainly did not showed Constantine that Lina was with whom and also with how many bodyguards.

So why did not Constantine attack Lina the day, the tracker showed Lina's location outside their house.

Why he did not attack when Lina was learning to drive the car or when they were out surfing or when Lina and Aria had gone for shopping.

Why did he wait for Lina to go to a club?


Book Critique:
It is shown that Lina fully recovers from her severe drug addiction of more than10 years in just 1 week which is almost impossible.
In general, it can take anywhere from several weeks to several months or even years to fully recover from a drug addiction.

It is never shown that Lina is showing any signs of drug addiction relapse.
However, studies have shown that relapse rates can be as high as 85% within one year of treatment.

It is shown that Lina was raped on a regular basis by different men.
However, it is not mentioned even once that she got pregnant and how it was taken care.

It is shown that Aria along with Lina is able to sneak out of their house easily.
What happened to all the motion sensors and the security guards stationed at the gates.

It is shown that Lina in the club has champagne, but in reality, a drug recovery patient will never have any alcohol and will also not go at place where its easily available.

It is shown that Constantine, upon finding that Aria is very does not rape her and looks at the opportunity of making money.
This scene is very laughable as a man like him, simply lets her go and puts his cock inside his pants just to make little bit of more money, completely knowing that he will make the same amount money considering that facts that Aria is very young, beautiful, educated and belonging to a very rich family.

Also, in the above scene, even if we consider that Constantine is very money minded, does not rape Aria. So, the next scene should be that he rapes Lina because his cock is out and a man like him, will never let go off his power, control and status in front of his men.

Typo: (comma next to my parents)
pg 2. Selina had been rescued from a human trafficking ring that my parents, Luca and Verona Vitale, dismantled.

"Disclaimer: Please do not try this at home / in real life."
A bold Disclaimer should be posted before the scene where Lina has an orgasm while driving car.

In the book, it is shown that while Lina is driving car on a highway, Nico fingers Lina and she has an orgasm.

In reality, when a women reaches orgasm, their breath shortens and quickens so rapidly that they hyperventilate, disrupting their body’s balance and as a result, they may experience dizziness, lightheadedness.

Surely, Lina would have exprienced even fainting spells as she was having the second (back to back) orgasm.

[Nour · Rating 3 out of 5]

📚 Keeping My Girl : ⭐️⭐️⭐️
#Keeping What's Mine
Nico & Selina 🩶

-✨ Tropes : dark mafia romance / kidnapping / sex trafficking

Keeping My Girl est le deuxième livre de cette série, on suit Nico qui est le fils des deux MCs du premier livre. Les deux livres sont indépendants mais lire le premier permet d'être encore plus dans l'univers de l'histoire.

On découvre les personnages pendant leur enfance, puis saut dans le temps de 10ans. Pendant 10 années Selina est introuvable même avec tous les efforts fournis par Nico, qui n'a jamais oublié sa rencontre avec Selina pendent leur enfance. Il la retrouve par hasard pendant une soirée. Il ne va plus jamais la lâcher❤️‍🔥.

--Quelques Spoilers--↓ ↓
La période de captivité de Selina n'est pas racontée en détail, mais avec le peu que l'on a, on arrive très bien à imaginer l'enfer qu'elle a vécu. Une partie de l'histoire nous montre comment Selina réapprend à vivre, se soigne etc.... Une bonne partie du livre se concentre la dessus, mais on sait très bien que l'histoire avec son kidnappeur n'est pas finie ! On sait qu'il va réapparaitre.

Aria, la soeur de Nico m'a trop saoulé. Dans un chapitre, elle vient toquer à la porte de Selina pour l'emmener en boîte de nuit sans le dire à personne ???!!!!! 🤬🤬 Pendant tout le long du livre Selina sort au moins avec 10 gardes, elle quitte très peu la maison etc.... la meufff est recherchée par son ancien kidnappeur ET LA Aria elle la fait sortir comme ça. arggg 😡🤬 c'est fou d'être aussi stupide. Fin wtfff

L'histoire se termine avec une petite transition pour le troisième livre.

- Spicy : 🌶️🌶️,5

- Quotes :

"“Lina,” I gasp, my chest aching. A million different emotions flood through me just then all at once. Fuck, I can’t believe I finally found her."

"It’s still hard to believe that she’s really here. I’m terrified that at any given moment I’m going to wake up from this dream and she’ll be gone again."

"I will win her trust back no matter what it takes. I still love her. I never stopped loving her. And I’m not giving up on her."

"I want to be the one helping her through each and every one. I want to be by her side and watch her accomplish all of her goals. I want to be there for her through everything she has to deal with, the ups and downs and everything in between."

"Nico is my light. And I’m drawn to him just like a moth is drawn to a flame."

(Ps : Mes review sont destinés plutôt pour moi-même que pour les autres, c’est pour ça que c’est écrit de façon random mais si ça peut vous donner envie de lire le livre lets gooo 🫣 et ptit mix français-anglais parce que WHY NOT )

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Keeping What’s Mine series, and while you don’t have to read/listen to book one to follow this story, I highly recommend it for the full experience. The first book focuses on the parents of the MMC, and since Nico was just a child at the end of that book, there’s a big time jump between the two. Now, Nico is a grown man, fully immersed in his father’s underground mafia empire. Nico and Selena originally met as children, but Selena is tragically taken and ends up in the hands of Constantine Carbone, the family’s arch enemy and a character also introduced in book one. Carbone is a known human trafficker, and Nico’s team is tasked with dismantling those rings while helping survivors rebuild their lives. A chance encounter at a club brings Nico and Selena back together, and from there, their second-chance love story begins. The narrators were fantastic and brought the story to life beautifully.

Highlights I Loved:

1) The Slow Burn Romance – Snyder doesn’t rush her characters into bed. Instead, she gives them space to build a connection rooted in healing and trust.
2) Sensitive Handling of Trauma – Selena is a survivor of SA, and while the book avoids graphic detail, there are close calls and mentions of past trauma that may be triggering for some readers. Please check trigger warnings before diving in.
3) A Dark Romance with Heart – Though it falls into the dark romance genre due to the subject matter, this isn’t your typical “alphahole mafia hero” story. Nico is strong but respectful, and the narrative focuses on love, healing, and second chances.

If you’re looking for a mafia romance that leans heavily into violence, toxicity, or overly dark intimacy, this isn’t the one for you. But if you want a heartfelt love story grounded in resilience, respect, and a solid storyline, this book delivers.

[k · Rating 3 out of 5]

Püf yaaaaaaaaaniii aslında bu kitabı okurken daha çok Aria’nın kitabını merak ettim. Ve onun Renota’yla olacağını sanıyor idim ama meğersem başkasıyla olacakmış o kişi de müzayede satıldığı adam Matteo imiş. Evet onların kitabı daha heyecanlı görünüyor.

Benim zevkime göre kitabın draması oldukça yoğundu. Fazla dramalar bana iyi gelmiyor. En azından ilk kitaptaki Luca dallamasından sonra onun oğlu Nicholas daha iyiydi. Kısaca konusu Selina yıllar önce kadın kaçaksısına (ilk kitapta bu adam hapishaneye girmişti bu arada) annesinin uyuşturucu bağımlılığı yüzünden satılıyor. Türlü türlü tecavüze, tacize ve işkenceye maruz kalan Selina günün birinde garson olarak çalıştığı partide Nicholas’la karşılaşıyor. Kitap böyle devam ediyor ancak bazı noktalarda mantık hatasına rastladım. Mesela Selina ilk annesiyle ortadan kaybolduğu dönemle aynı zamana denk gelen kadın kaçakçının (ismini sürekli unutuyorum adamın) hapishaneden çıkması biraz tuhaf? Koskoca mafya ailesi Vitale’ler bundan hiç mi şüphelenmedi mi? Kızın kaçırılabileceğinden? Nicholas birde 10 yıl boyunca aramış Selina’yı? Neyse hadi bu böyleydi diyelim peki yıllarca bulunamayan kadın kaçakçısı, Selina ve Aria kaçırıldığı zaman tak diye bulunuverdi? Sonlara doğru biraz aksiyon için yazılmış bir sahneydi bu ama bence saçmaydı. Ayrıca Selina’da takip cihazı olmasına rağmen neden bunca zaman kadın kaçakçısı harekete geçmedi, birde Nicholas bunun oğlunu öldürdü?

Çok fazla uzatmak istemiyorum, kitabın dram üzerine kurulu olmasından dolayı çok sevemedim. Nicholas ve Selina’ın bebek adımları çok güzeldi ama. Nicolas’ın Selina’ya karşı anlayışlı olması, onun yanında olması, onu güzel hissettirmesi çok güzeldi. İkisinin çok tatlı bir ilişkisi vardı. Sanki romantik / dram filmi izliyormuşum gibi hissettim ikisini okurken.

[Andrea Valeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

For being a book that portrays abuse, kidnapping and other kinds of horrors, I think the representation of the victim was very respectful. I haven't read many books that include these types of themes, but I will say that I liked that the author gave Selina time to properly heal. Obviously, as a dark romance novel, erotica is expected, and I was proceeding with caution because I was afraid that the sex scenes were rushed just for the sake of fulfilling the sex scenes quota. So, I was relieved to see that the author didn't include the sex scenes until the plot was more advanced (around 70%) and Selina had healed, otherwise it wouldn't have felt right. Idk, if I had been a victim of the abuse and the heinous crimes that Selina had to endure, I wouldn't be able to even think about intimacy in the short term. Though a more realistic healing should've taken longer for obvious reasons, I understand that the author had to compromise for the sake of the extension of the book, and also, let's not forget that this is not a personal growth book.

All in all, I really enjoyed the book and loved to see Selina and Nico's growth. Idk why but I felt their relationship was more believable than Luca and Verona's, as it was a wee bit more slow paced. I'm curious about the next book, though I'm not too sure if I'll read it right away because the title Keeping My Captive isn't that appealing to me. I'm most probably in the wrong, since I haven't read it yet, but the title it's off-putting to me because it makes me feel like it suggests a Stockholm Syndrome relationship and that's something I'm not very comfortable with. Still, maybe I'll read it one day.