Angel Mabbot is the perfect daughter.
Perfection has always been an expectation set forth by her adoring father and her overbearing, neglectful mother. Knowing she can never live up to their standards, Angel falls into a life of partying, drinking and pills in an effort to dull the pain of her insecurities and perceived failures.
Kevin Hawken, a former business partner of Angel’s father, has always loved Angel, although she has no idea who he is. Angel's substance induced state of mind forces her to question what is real.
And Kevin is too good to be real.
Caught in the clutches of Roman Conti, a notorious and dangerous Mob boss from Italy, Angel slips under Roman’s control. A control she can't escape.
And the only man who can rescue her...
Is a man she believes existed only in her dreams.
Releasing May 5, 2014
Roman leads me away from the helicopter and down the walkway to his estate. The moment of silence feels surreal as I await my fate. This is a horrible nightmare and I will wake up safely in Kevin’s arms.
But this is not a dream.
This is real.
The man who refuses to let me go removes his hand from my lower back and roughly turns me to face him.
“I will give you the life you crave my sweet angel, but you need to stop fighting me. Let go of him…he doesn’t have the means to give you your happily ever after like I do,” Roman murmurs as he steps closer to me. His hand grips the hem of my sweater, tugging me toward him.
I stand frigid, waiting for his next commanding move, but nothing happens. Tears spill down my cheeks, and my body tremors as I find the courage to speak. “I will never love you,” I whisper, turning away.
“Ah, you see, I don’t need love. I own you, Angel,” he growls as my name slips off his lips. He roughly cups my chin, forcing me to face him. “Love kills you. You live to find love, only to be cheated and left to die alone.” He kisses the tears on my cheeks away. “We will make this work.”
His dark gaze locks with mine, sending a shiver down my back, then he gently lifts my left hand, his thumb rubbing slowly up and down my ring finger. “You need something here…a reminder, perhaps,” he says evenly.
“A reminder?”
“Yes, baby, so you don’t forget who you belong to.” His lips tug into a sad smile.
“Who I belong to…” I repeat, my voice breaking.
“Yes…” he whispers. He glances slowly toward his house and frowns, then his jaw clenches tightly, and his lips press into a hard line before he turns back to me. “Our family is waiting for us. I need you to wipe away everything that happened today.”
I shake my head and let out a cold, hard laugh. “I will never forget what you did to Kevin.” Or what you are doing to that poor girl, locked away at your secret compound.
“That was nothing compared to what I can do…what I will do if you try to leave me again,” he warns, dangerously. His eyes shimmer thickly with sadness and dangerous rage.
I flinch and take a step back. “You have me. You own me. I’m yours to do whatever you want. Just leave Kevin alone.”
I just made a deal with the devil.
Review
***WARNING*** This is NOT a standalone novel, in order to fully understand this story you will need to read Not At First prior to reading Always At First
Always At First picks up where Not At First left off. Angel is now under the watchful eye of Roman. Roman will do anything to keep his woman, even if that means eliminating the competition Kevin. Kevin will do anything for Angel, he's loved her for a long time. He's loved her from afar and just when he has her in his arms, everything goes to hell and back and she ends up in the clutches of the enemy.
Roman is a domineering man who wants everything done his way and he'll do anything to get it. Make matters worse, Angel finds out she's pregnant with Roman's baby. Now Angel knows she must give up her love for Kevin in order for him to remain safe. Issue is, no matter how much she tries, she cannot let Kevin go, she loves him too much. She knows she should give him up and let him go, but the heart wants what the heart wants, and her heart wants Kevin.
It was easier for a while being out of the country, but the second they return, Angel is right back in the path of Kevin and he will do anything to get her back and keep her safe even if it puts himself in harms way. Told in dual points of view and the reader given a view into the past, this story is heartfelt and will pull at the strings of your heart and will make you fall even more in love with these characters than before.
I was always a fan of Kevin and Angel's love story. Phalla gives us a whole new view into the characters that we have grown to love and adore and even gives a better understanding into Roman. Roman is a man that confuses me he spent so much of this book going hot and cold and then back and forth over and over again bringing me to the verge of a headache. I didn't expect to end up with the story that I read, but it made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me fall in love with Angel and Kevin all over again.
I highly recommend this book of anyone that fell in love with Not At First. If you haven't read it, what are you waiting for??? Pick it up and read this book. I give it 5 amazing stars and cannot wait to see if there will be more of Angel and Kevin in the future.
***Complimentary copy give by author in exchange for a honest review***
Phalla S. Rios lives in California with her husband, a daughter and two goofy pit bulls. She loves to read and write while drinking her favorite tea, Joy, from Starbucks. During her spare time, she is usually at the movies or looking for the next best place to eat. She often refers to herself as a foodie. Her debut novel is Not at First. She is currently writing the sequel, Always at First.
Hosted by:
No comments:
Post a Comment