Review: The Don by Serena Akeroyd

Blood stains my hands, my soul, my heart, yet I’ll shed more to keep her safe.

A chance meeting brings Jen MacNeill into my life—the woman born to reign at my side.
She just doesn’t know it yet.
How could my Lady be anything other than a silken promise taunting me with every breath she takes?
A new Don reigns over Manhattan.
But though I won the war, peace isn’t easily brokered.
Over a decade of avenging my father’s death, I made many enemies.
To each and every one, Jen’s a target.
But I’ll paint NYC red before I let them harm her.
I just never imagined I’d be in the line of fire first…

A heart broken by grief can feel no guilt or shame with the brutality in which vengeance is delivered.

This is the first part of ‘The Oath’ duet in The Valentini Family series.

I loved every minute of this story and am waiting impatiently for the conclusion, The Lady, to be released. This is the story of Jen and Luciu. She’s a self-professed gold-digger. She’s guarded with men but honest with herself about who she is and what she wants out of life. Relationships are a means to an end for her until she meets Luciu, the head of the Sicilian mafia in New York City. He’s plotted and planned for years to exact vengeance for the wrongs done to his famigghia and has never wanted a relationship until he meets Jen.

The dangerous world he lives in scares her as much as it turns her on but she can’t stay away. They’re drawn together in ways they can’t explain but he has no hesitation. Luciu knew Jen was his queen from the start, even if she thinks this is too good to be true and he’ll tire of her. Jen doesn’t think she’s worthy of real love but Luci is determined to make her every dream come true.

A mob war has erupted so various factions are aligning to fight others and the city is in turmoil. Luciu has to maintain control and protect his enterprise without deviating from his plans to avenge his father and recapture the fortune in jewels stolen from his family by the Italian mob. Their story is completely interwoven with his business so there’s a lot happening and it’s worth every minute. I love Luciu and Jen from the beginning. They’re both raw and flawed but inherently good. This story pulled me in from the first page and kept me reading straight through. It’s steamy and violent and romantic and sexy. I love everything about it, even if it breaks my cardinal rule since it ended on a cliffhanger. I can’t wait for the conclusion.