“I love you, Salvatore.”
Her words lodge Brutally in my chest.
“I only wish you would let me.”

Salvatore is a gritty contemporary standalone romance by award winning author, Cecy Robson.

Salvatore Romero is a dangerous man.

After his father killed his mother in a jealous rage, Sal was left to raise his two younger brothers, becoming a parent long before he was ever ready.

Desperate for money to support his family, Salvatore says goodbye to his dream for becoming a professional MMA fighter and seeks help from his old friend Vincent Maggiano. Vincent happens to be the son of New Jersey’s top crime boss and being groomed to take over his ailing fathers empire.

Sal ever planned on joining the mob, he also never planned to fall for his brothers sweet but conservative counsellor, Adrianna Daniels.

Aedry isn’t the type of girl Sal is usually drawn to but it soon becomes clear that he can no longer deny the attraction he feels.

“I wish I could do that, go through life like I’m actually living, instead of just trying to survive.”

I’ve been a huge fan of Cecy Robson’s work from the moment I first picked Once Perfect back in 2014 and was so excited to receive an ARC of Salvatore. When I read Salvatore, I was actually in the middle of quite a long reading slump and couldn’t find anything to keep my interest more than a few pages. I did not have to problem with Salvatore and was hooked from the first page.

I really liked the dynamic between Salvatore and his brothers, Gianno and Apollo, and even more so the rapport between the brothers and Aedry.

I also loved the way Robson balances the romance, the darker grittier aspects of the plot, and the family relationships throughout the novel.

Salvatore is a sweet yet steamy romance novel with a captivating plot and compelling characters.

***4 Stars***

I’ve read a few of the authors contemporary romances and really enjoyed them, so when I saw that she was dipping a toe into the mafia side of things, I decided I needed to give this one a go and I really enjoyed it. It’s got a dark edge to it, but there is also a good dose of sweet and smexy and a couple of things that I didn’t see coming.

I loved Sal and Aedry. Sal is all kinds of alpha AF male. He does what needs to be done, even if some of those things aren’t always the best choices and puts him in a position he isn’t entirely happy with. Aedry is interesting. She is has this...wallflower feel to her where she doesn’t need, or want, to be in the spotlight, but she’ll step up to the plate when she feels strongly about something and won’t mince words.

Sal and Aedry’s journey was sweet, smexy and frustrating all at the same time. Between Sal’s constant push/pull thing going on (and OMG there were a few times I want to take a 2x4 to his head) and Aedry’s blindness (which, yes, I understood why, but still) to the world Sal had gotten himself stuck in (for noble reasons that went sideways on him) they seriously drove me batshitcray, but...yeah, there is a BUT, they were really good together. That spark, that connection between them was strong and they both brought out the best in each other. Of course, their already rocky road had to deal with a huge sinkhole, which wasn’t a surprise, but in the end, while I would have liked a tinsy bit more groveling, I can’t deny it for them both perfectly and I love how things ended up for them.

This was a fun read, a little darker than what I’ve read of the authors so far, but still a good read. It was easy to get drawn in to the story and want to see it through til the end. There are some things that may be triggers for some, so beware. As for the supporting cast of characters, I loved Apollo and Gianni and what they brought to the story and Vin and Donnie definitely added the drama, but I’m hoping to get more of Lucca and Autumn in because they both intrigued me and simply need to know more!

Read it in about two sittings. Kept me interested for sure. Sal is lucky that Aedry is a very forgiving person, because he really screwed up a ton of times. Sal is on the fringes of the mob so it is not an emergence of it per say. There is some violent scenes where people are shot. There is the harsh reality of being trapped in a situation you see no exit from. Sal is definitely a brooding hero and Aedry calls him on it. The boys are interesting and I wish the author had put some more background on them. I hope we see Lucca’s story soon! Good read

3.5 A Conflicted Man Stars
* * * 1/2 Spoiler Free
I have been following Cecy Robson for years now. I discovered her in 2014 with her Shattered Past series. She captured my interest from the start, each book fully formed with characters I loved. I then followed up with her next series, The O'Brien Family was even more addictive. I couldn't wait to get my hands on each entry. When I saw this new book, I cleared the way to read it right away.

We meet Salvatore and his brothers. We have an understanding of who they are, not choir boys. Sal has been raising them ever since the brutal murder of his mother by his father. Sal was determined to keep his brothers out of the foster system any way he could. The government, though, was not recognizing him as a viable choice. In order to retain an attorney who had the skill level needed to fight for him, Sal literary made a deal with the devil. Vincent Maggiano, the son of New Jersey’s top crime boss, had been a childhood friend of Sal's for years. With his back to the wall, he has to go to him making Sal "Owe Him".

The brothers and Sal are able to be together and now instead of pursuing the MMA career or working towards owning his own gym, Sal is the bodyguard for the mob's heir apparent girlfriend. Sal has never wanted to be "made" and this job keeps him close to Vincent and under his control. He grew up with this girl and knows she should not be the side piece of this man. He tries in his own way to look out for her as best he can. He had done other heavy lifts for Vincent but tries very hard to walk that line, not crossing it because then he would never be able to walk away.

Adrianna Daniels is concerned. She is a new student counselor and she comes from a very different location from New Jersey. She is a more small-town conservative from North Carolina. She loves looking out for her students and sincerely wants the best for them. She was made aware of Apollo Romero has been skipping school and is about to be expelled. She decides to visit the home and try to connect with his guardian and get this child back in school. She drives to the home, not even knowing anything about the neighborhood, who Salvatore is or how dangerous going alone could be...No she just goes and knocks on the door.

Sal answers, tired from a long night looking out and protecting Vincent's girl from herself. With the girl group drinking and carrying on...Sal had his hands full. When he sees this proper little woman standing in front of him, he is curious as to what would bring her to his door. Aedry introduces herself and explains why she is there... looking for Apollo and how he has not been in school.

Sal allows her in the house and is stunned this woman had the balls or is so clueless to not have come with another person to a stranger's house. Aedry pushes back and says she knows how to handle herself and sal smirks. They do get down to business and in the middle of their talking, Apollo comes into the house and then Sal starts to explode at Apollo but Aedry puts her hand on Sal's chest to hold him back...She was like the lion tamer controlling the wild beast.

This is the start of the story where we have been given a lot of character insight... Sal and his brothers are troubled by what happened with the father and mother...the horror of that event has impacted more then they acknowledged. Aedry offers to counsel the brothers after school on her own time. Sal is amazed someone would be willing to do it and sees this is the type of woman she is. Sweet, Good and Nothing like anyone he has ever met.

Sal is drawn to her, knows he should say far away because of his life and connections with the mob. Aedry is taken by Sal... he is nothing she is used to and knows he could hurt her but in the end, cannot resist. Sal benefits from her and Aedry grows as a woman owning who she is. She has a strong code of conduct and she will not bend to Sal's desires for her. This causes a new chapter for both of them, Sal learning to actually date a woman and have a relationship.

For those who love a gritty dark mob read, there is some of this. There is also the continuing push/pull of Sal's guilt of what he does, hiding it from her, and how to make it right for Aedry. Aedry was blind and accepted what Sal told her about his job. Sal carried the guilt of not sharing the truth of how deep he was with the mob. These were issues which caused me some frustration.

Overall, Sal and Aedry have a love which overcomes all and there is much to enjoy in this story. Cecy Robson takes people who are not perfect and gives them a life which seems real. She also has given us some secondary characters who look likely to have their own tale. I am a solid fan and will be there for the next installment.

A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

As an avid fan of alpha protective mafioso heroes, who deep down are good at heart (have an air of respect/honor about them and do not compromise their principles regardless of the questionable circumstances they might find themselves), I'm struggling with how to rate Salvatore’s (Sal) character. Yes, he definitely had the vast majority of those qualities. Some may feel he even possessed all of them. I’ll be honest here and admit something happened at the very beginning that got him off on the wrong foot with me. It was the last trait I mentioned that he didn’t always measure up, folks, which leaves me conflicted on how to sum up my feelings about him.

Sal definitely had mostly good guy tendencies (guardian of two teen siblings, befriended/felt sorry for his mob boss’s beautiful but skanky, druggy ho mistress, who was clearly her own worst enemy, became protective of Aedry), but somehow I still felt he could have been a tad better. Maybe it was because I took exception when he just went with the flow of things most of the time. Stepping up and in when his boss, Vin, was failing miserably to be the Don he needed to be at least saved face for Salvatore in my eyes. Salvatore came across as a paid but “not made” mob man, who had a natural head and leadership for this type of business, though he wanted nothing more than to wash his hands of it entirely.

Aedry, by her own admission, first described herself as awkward, embarrassed easily, dresses like a church lady, has no social life, virgin heroine, until miraculously somehow she isn’t, thanks to an unlikely ally. Her best friend, Autumn, was portrayed pretty much the same, if not worse. Despite being a medical professional, she came across as a geeky, middle schooler. I’m sure in the next book she’ll blossom into model gorgeous, as well. In fact, I'm counting on it and think I know who she will eventually wind up. I found it sad how little these two thought of themselves being worthy of a hot guy. They were living up to the label they pinned on themselves. Thankfully, Aedry comes to her senses and shakes the inaccurate ugly duckling mindset.

At 66% into it, I realized I was finding the promise of this main couple’s relationship sweet but rather exhausting and contradictory at the same time. A repetitive “I want you but I’m not good enough for you” and ”I won’t live with you/have sex with you because I want marriage first (aka want a ring on my finger)...but I’ll let you do any and every dirty, smexy thing you can think of to me” theme put this relationship on rocky ground. Speaking of which, the lengthy, graphic smexy scenes started taking over at the drop of a hat. I realized nothing significant was happening for quite some time. By the conclusion, all things considered, everything worked out for them, but it was rather inevitable, despite the explosive twist it took. It just sort of happened and “bang...bang” was over. However, the short epilogue was especially romantic and endearing. I love to see a groveling hero who is willing to do anything to get his girl back.

So, yeah, I liked that Sal didn’t want to be a bad guy, but was forced into this life for a greater good. Plus, once he fell for Aedry, he couldn’t stop thinking about her and wanted to be with her constantly. He was also quick to want to protect her and became alpha cave man jealous of other guys. There were simply some parts that were what they were, folks, and I'm going to leave it at that.

Title: Salvatore, Series: An In Too Far novel, Author: Cecy Robson, Pages: 356, stand-alone, works for the mob hero, sweet but insecure of herself virgin heroine, graphic mob violence, guardian of two teen siblings, several graphic smexy scenes, drug use by subcharacter. Rating: 3 - 3.5 stars

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review, nor is there any affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)

What an interesting read, these characters are so complex and it just makes for an excellent story. Sal is so complicated and he is the alpha in the book and he really shows off all his strong alpha behaviors when it comes to Aedry. I am not a fan of her nickname I have no idea how it’s pronounced and it looks odd on the pages of this story. I love her morals and how much of a positive influence she is on the brothers and the others she works with at the school. I also love that she stands her ground throughout the book and really shows Sal what loving someone looks like, feels like and how much it can change the person when they find the right person to love. The changes we see with the brothers throughout this story is great, from their overall attitude in the beginning tohow much they feel for the loss of Aedry. I really wanted the epilogue to be a little longer, I just wanted to know a little bit more and wanted to know about the life these two create for themselves and the brothers. Overall, this was a great book and it was hard to put it down once I got a few chapters in. There is something so relatable to Aedry character that you just wanted to see how much she would put up with or deal with before she either broke or something happen to her.

I don't read a lot of genre's other than PNR most of the time but there are some authors that I just love their writing style and this happens to be one of those authors, so I knew I was going to request this book as soon as I saw it on NetGalley.

Sal's story broke my heart. When he and his younger brothers were kids, their father killed their mother. And I thought, Oh hell, this story is gonna make me cry. I felt so bad for the kids, especially Sal since he was the oldest and he wanted to take care of his brothers. The entire child welfare system is messed up and would rather break up a family than help them stay together. So when Sal's friend, Vincent helps him keep his family together, he's now indebted to him. It wouldn't be so bad if Vincent wasn't the son of a major mob boss and was slotted to take over the family business at some point.

Sal ends up working for the mob and it's a bad world, a bad time and a bad life but he's keeping his brother's safe so that's all that matters to him. Sal has done a lot of things but he's never killed anyone...yet. But if Vincent gets his way and Sal takes the new position as his bodyguard, he will probably have to kill someone since the other mob bosses are coming after Vincent when he takes over the family business. Things seem to be going on as normal as ever but Sal and his brothers have gotten really close to the boys guidance counselor, Adrianna Daniels. Watching Sal and Aedry get to know one another was almost sad at first. He's really not used to someone normal like her and he messes up a bit before they finally start getting along.

Sal has been so careful not to get involved with anyone who could be hurt by what he does but Vincent finds out about her and uses her to try and get Sal to do what he wants. As soon as Adrianna meets Vincent, she knows that there's more to the man than just a regular boss and Sal knows that she might be in danger if he steps out of line with Vincent.

I was a little mad at Sal for ever getting involved with her in the first place knowing who he associates himself with and what he does. He put her in danger. I was wondering how this was going to end. How they were going to get their HEA or if they were. Then in the span of a few pages everything changes. That twist happened so fast, it left my jaw on the floor for a few seconds. I actually had to go back and re-read what just happened. I never saw that ending coming but it was great!

Disclosure: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book, Cecy Robson has outdone herself again. Sal & Aedry were just what each other needed, Sal especially needed Aedry. Gianno and Apollo, Sal's younger brothers, really needed Aedry's influence in their lives as well. They made a great family although they had their up's & downs. It was an emotional read at times but I love that in the end Aedry did give Sal the courage to escape the bad life his was in before it became too late for him. I get the feeling that maybe Aedry's friend Autumn and Sal's former colleague Lucca may get a book next, at least I hope so!

3.5 stars

Salvatore is doing everything he can to keep his family afloat. He is doing everything he can not to be a Made man. He has lived a hard life and doesn't expect anything else but what he knows.

Enter one beautiful guidance counselor on a crusade and he's done for. He just doesn't know it yet. She is everything he never let himself want. And now she is everything he can never let himself have.

I cried. There is no shame in admitting it. If Apollo can cry, so can I. The feels are there. The love is evident. But love isn't always everything...

Learning that could be everything you ever wanted unless you let it mean nothing.

ARC received for review

Salvatore is all kinds of yummy and grumpy. He's a great big brother who gave up a lot to keep them together as a family. Then he meets Aedry who is his brothers' school counselor, and a virgin which is an extreme bad word for him. Of course, she wins him over and they fall in love. Then drama ensues and she leaves. True love wins in the end.

I don't consider that a real epilogue. It should be Chapter 28 and then an epilogue.

Man, I wanna know more about Lucca, and I want him to hook up with her friend Autumn.

I wanted to both love and hate this book and I think, at times, I really did both love and hate it.

I hated all the lies and even how Sal acted for a good chunk on the story and I will admit, I was even not rooting for him for part of it. And yet, my weird self couldn't help but like that this gruff dangerous, over aggressive, over alpha male did have a soft spot for Aedry and most of the time, even treated her right.

But did all of that make up for the bad? I honestly, still don't know. I have so many mixed feelings about this book. When Robson said it was dark, she wasn't lying. Nothing about this book except maybe Aedry's relationship with Sal's brothers, is light. Nothing about it is even really good except for the one little thing called love and all the redeeming power said love can have and how very much someone, even a gruff alpha male, will do for it.

So did I love the lies, the deceit, and all the secrets? No, I actually didn't.

But yet, I did love the tender rare moments and the great change that overall, happened to them all along the way and the way that in the end, it did work out and it was a happily ever after.

Did I trust that Cecy would be able to change my mind about what I didn't like into something I did by the time the last page was turned? Why yes, yes, I did.

So while this wasn't a favorite of mine, it was still classic Cecy under all that darkness and deceit and I couldn't help but like the characters in the end and yes, was even rooting for them and that crazy alpha male.

Telling of how a mafia boss Vincent Maggiano comes to the aid of a friend just to manipulate him thereafter. Salvatore is a troubled man who is trapped by his boss because years back he needed help holding on to his brothers after their parents died. The shining light and warmth comes into these brothers' life through a school counselor Aedry. This was a well plotted story with amazing characters. Lots of action and heart that does not let you put this book down. "A copy of this book was provided by author through netgalley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion." ALL CECY STORIES ARE WORTH THE READ!!

Salvatore often times puts his foot in his mouth, “you didn’t mean any disrespect?” she repeats. If I didn’t think she could stiffen anymore, I was wrong. “And there’s nothing wrong with how I am? ” she asks, spinning her chair slowly to face me. Salvatore tends to have a different definition on some things, “you called it a negligee,” I remind her. “I call it something small enough to snap off with my teeth.” I liked this book, I liked Salvatore.

2.5 Stars

This author's note in the beginning promised a dark read and with the mafia playing a role I believed we would see some dark and dangerous things. However, that was a bit misleading. Yes, Salvatore works for the mafia as a bodyguard. But these scenes are mainly him baby-sitting a mistress and commenting on her poor life. There are a few violent scenes but I wouldn't call them graphic.

As for the romance itself, it was ok. I didn't really feel their chemistry and wish the relationship would have developed slightly more. I liked Salvatore's brother; they added something to both Sal's and Aedry's story and were a great way to bring the two together. I did not like Aedry though. She seemed weak and lost. I also didn't like how quickly both started spouting that the other was "their entire world." No one should be that to you and definitely not that quickly.

Even though I wasn't thrilled with this story, I really did enjoy Robson's writing. She's talented and I would happily read another novel of hers.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Wow! This is Salvatore and Adrianna book, after Sal father kills his mother he has to try to get custody of his little brothers the judge and basically everyone else just laughs at him he's just a young punk?! So he turns to his childhood friend that's in the mob! He owes him everything because he was there and h helped him get custody of his brothers! So he does a lot of his dirty work and he also knows there's no way out! Once your in you only get out in a body bag! His brothers are having a little trouble in school and in walks their guidance counselor, Adrianna! Her and Sal have some hot chemistry! To me I think she took way to long to realize what Sal does for a living lol but omg this book was really good! I'm the beginning i was like eh I guess it's ok but once the action starts it's non stop!! So good!! I can't wait for more from this series and i hope that it is a series?!! I sooooooo want Lucca book!!! Lol thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me! It's definitely a great one!

Being a part of the Jersey City mob, Salvatore is a dangerous man that will do everything in his power to protect his two brothers Gianno and Apollo but his world is turn upside when Adrianna, his kid brothers school counselor, comes into the picture. Though sparks don’t immediately fly, there is an instant attraction and Sal can’t fight the magnetic pull he feels for the conservative brunette.

If you don’t know me by now, you’ll know I am a sucker for mob stories and straight away I picked this up for grabs. From page first, it was hard to put this down and I overall enjoyed the direction of this was going then half way it fell apart. The one good way to kill a good romance story is making the love shared between the leads instant. I’ve never been a fan on how some books end up going that route and it almost ruined the story for me. They haven’t known each other long nor did they spend enough time in each other presence to catch any sort of feelings. Despite that is was a nice read. Salvatore is a enigmatic, unapologetically ruthless bodyguard and when Adrianna comes into his world, he wants more out of life and quickly envisions living the remainder of his days with her by his side. It doesn’t hurt how his brothers also falls for the counselors charm and the attachment they feel for her grows when Adrianna becomes a mother figure in their lives. Cecy Robson “Salvatore” was a enjoyable read despite some flaws and you’ll end up loving how Sal and Aedry blend well together, the two mischievous brothers who finds themselves moving in the right path after Adrianna intervening and Sal struggles to breakaway from the mob to live a normal, happy life.