Jo McCall takes us back into her Shattered World with this spin-off. We met Ava's family in Shattered Remnants and this book is all about them. Ava's brothers, twins Kiernan and Seamus, get their own dark and dirty story. I was absolutely intrigued by these two but I had no idea I wanted their story as much as I did. Jo outdid herself with these two, they may be the bad guys but I'm here to be bad right along with them.
While getting a glimpse of these characters before, Jo did an amazing job really opening up these two and delving into who they are at their core. The way they are written brings them to life so easily and it was easy to picture it all.
These two are huge, towering, dangerous men, heirs to the Irish Mafia and raised to rule. Seamus is the more relaxed and playful of the two but no less alpha. Kiernan is much more stoic and quiet but is able to let those he cares up in all the way. They are complete mirrors of each other down to every finer detail. Sharing is not something new to them, and neither has ever felt anything for a girl before but Bailey enters their world and the whole thing tilts.
This was a great enemies-to-lovers, dark, mafia romance. You get suspense, forced proximity, and danger all rolled into this spicy little book of goodness. Plus as a nice added bonus there are some really great funny moments too, Bailey's inner voice made me laugh several times.
So happy I have found Jo McCall, I really look forward to what she brings out next as well as more of the Shattered World series.
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Bailey's life just took a turn, finding her cheating fiance with her supposed best friend well that just flipped her life upside day. Since she was 16 she's been with Drew, never really 100% sure about him but sure that it would work out in the end. One bottle of whiskey later, a broken-down car, and witnessing a murder, well that just rounds out her day.
While Kiernan and Seamus are taking care of some idiot who thought they could target their sister Ava, they didn't think to check the back of the bar they owned before finishing him off. Now they have a witness, not just any witness a beautiful one, one who happens to be an investigative reporter. They should just deal with her but they go the other route. Kidnapping her and keeping her captive, they'll own her until they decide how to deal with her.
Bailey can't believe the turn her life has taken. How did she end up here? Getting away from her father who never really cared about her and finally gaining some freedom was all she ever wanted. Now she has no freedom kept locked up under the watchful eyes of Kiernan and Seamus Kavanaugh, Irish Mafia. If she survives she'll never be the same. The only problem is she's not nearly as terrified of them as she should be. Something about them wakes her up and as much as she fights it she's drawn to them, she wants them, and damn it if she can convince herself that it's a bad idea.
'This is the man who's about to kill you, idiot. My vagina didn't seem to care. She was too busy throwing a pussy power party.'
Kiernan and Seamus prepare for their father's wrath but surprisingly he allows them to deal with the mess their way. What worries him though is what they find out about who Bailey really is. With ties to a well-connected motorcycle club, dirty politicians, and her fiance CEO of a private armed forces security company. All of that adds up to so much more trouble than they were prepared for. The decision as to how to move forward wouldn't be easy. They could use her for information, they could use her as leverage over her father, they could end her and remove the risk or they could keep her.
With a plan in place, the twins force their way past Bailey's walls, and despite the best-laid plans, they all find themselves crashing into one another at a pace that could only end in a mess.
When Ava and Mathias attend dinner, Bailey gets to see a different side of the boys and the family. She's not sure what she expected but this was not it. Bailey becomes a key role in a plan they have for working on taking down Ava's evil not-brother Christan, and whoever is pulling his strings. It may also help Bailey who has been searching for her missing friend for months. Despite the reluctance of the twins especially Keirnan, they set out to infiltrate an underground auction.
The players involved surprise them all and there are more secrets buried than they expected. The whole night ends badly for all involved. They may never recover from the events of that night but Keirnan and Seamus refuse to give up on Bailey, when they're done they will never let her out of their sight again and Bailey will find a truth she never even expected.
'The world was a dark and dangerous place. Deception and violence lurked in every corner. But that didn't mean it wasn't worth saving. It just meant that a little more light was needed in the darkness.'
Happy Reading.