ARC Review: Luca by Sarah Castille

Title: Luca
Author: Sarah Castille
Series: Ruin & Revenge #2
Publication: June 27th 2017 by St. Martin's Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Play | Kobo
Rating: 3/5

Luca Rizzoli was nearly destroyed by a brutal betrayal that cost him his family. Now a ruthless crime boss in the city of sin, he lets nothing touch his frozen heart--until a smoldering encounter with a beautiful stranger ignites his passion. One night isn't enough for a man who takes what he wants, but his mysterious temptress has slipped away.

For two years police detective Gabrielle Fawkes has lived for revenge. But a night of indulgence with a sexy stranger changes everything. Powerful, charming, and deliciously dangerous Luca, has his own private reasons for offering to help her pursue the drug lord who killed her husband. There's a lot Luca isn't telling her and the more she finds out the less she wants to know.

When Gabrielle becomes the target of the drug lord she has vowed to hunt down, she must do the unimaginable: place her life in a mobster's hands. To save her, Luca must break his Mafia ties--or risk losing Gabrielle forever.

It didn't take me very long to read this book but I still felt like I struggled a bit with it. Sadly enough I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the first book, Nico. It wasn't a bad book at all because the story was really solid but I wanted to like it a little more.

I actually did love Luca as a character. He's your typical dominant alpha male that I love reading about. Gabrielle on the other hand I liked a lot less. She was probably the biggest reason why I didn't like the story more. I just thought she was a tad annoying. I also didn't like how cavalier she was about her being a police detective. It just irked me for some reason.

I also wasn't a fan of the Paolo chapters because I didn't feel they added anything more to the story than was necessary. However, in the first book Nico I did like the additional POV that was in there so it's probably just because I wasn't a fan of Paolo, I think. 

I did love Gabrielle's friends a lot, though. So I'm hoping the next book might be about one of them. Maybe Nicole? I really want a happy ending for her.

Overall, Luca didn't quite pack the punch that the previous book did. All in all I liked the story well enough but some things bothered me too much too fully enjoy it. The writing, though, was really excellent and there are lots of steamy and sexy scenes. 

Read my review of Nico here.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Sarah Castille, writes contemporary erotic romance and romantic suspense featuring blazingly hot alpha males and the women who tame them. She is the author of the Redemption series, the Sinner’s Tribe MC series, and the Legal Heat series. A recovering lawyer and caffeine addict, she worked and travelled abroad before trading in her briefcase and stilettos for a handful of magic beans and a home on Vancouver Island.
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