An honest review thanks to NetGalley. This was a very quick read, I was emersed into the plot quickly and found that I really liked the characters. I didn't feel the chemistry between them as much as I expected but was surprised with a cameo from the Cain Casey Series. If you like mob related romances you will enjoy this fast read.

Carsen Taite has the lesfic legal world tied up quite neatly and this book is another offering to get readers intrigued. I would have to say for most of the book I was intrigued. The pace seemed quite reasonable and the plot was interesting. I was invested but the ending lost me. It seemed way too fast an exit from an otherwise well-developed plot.

Royal's character was engaging as was Siobhan's. The two of them together seemed to work quite well but I would have preferred a lot more depth. I felt like I was only allowed to lick the top of the ice cream cone and not really have the full offering.

One of the books that pulls you in from the beginning. It is wonderful read, full of action. From the first page I was totally connected to the characters and honestly I did not want the book to end. One of the best one's I've read in a while. Of course the end makes it all better.

FBI agent Royal Scott has just come out from another assignment, and has been promised both some time off and end to long undercover assignments in the future. Alas,this is not to be, as her boss wants her to go undercover and infiltrate the Mancuso crime family, which he assures her won't last too long. She reluctantly accepts.,

When Royal leaves the FBI building, she saves a woman from being run over by an SUV. Intentional? Hard to tell. It turns out the woman, Siobhan Collins, is the consigliere (lawyer/advisor) to the head of the Mancuso family. Lucky break that Royal gets to start on the newest assignment right away.

Royal scores an assignment and introduction to a couple of low level associates working for Mancuso, and winds up at the Don's house, unloading untaxed liquor, which seems to be their specialty. Royal and Siobhan run into one another again and share a few bantering lines.

Siobhan, speaking to the Don and his natural daughter (Siobhan was basically adopted by Mancuso, and raised in the family, much like Don Vito allowed Tom Hagen into the Corleone family in The Godfather). She's a lawyer. She's careful, as she should be, protecting the Mancusos. This is why I found it mind-boggling that she tapped Royal - someone she doesn't know and hasn't yet vetted - to come work for them as more than a driver of boosted liquor. Even the Don thinks it's a good idea, just because She pulled Siobhan out of the way of the SUV. Why? Everything she is supposed to do is supposed to protect the family. This is one of the off notes in the story for me. I get it, The two of them need to be put in a situation where they will spend more time with one another, but this was ahead scratcher. At least Siobhan's driver/bodyguard is suspicious of Royal.

Siobhan has a suspicion that the Don's waspish, nasty daughter is up to some kind of no good, but decides she can't act unless there's hard evidence of it. Royal has her own family entanglement to deal with when her brother shows up at her door.

The romance part was okay. The mystery/mob part of it, even with the issue I noted above, was better, with Siobhan looking for anyone who might want to hurt the family, and Royal looking out for anyone who wants to kill Siobhan. They get more time together and in fact do wind up sleeping with one another (not: there are a couple of minorly explicit scenes.

The ending feels a little rushed, and not without a bit of a cliffhanger about what happens to someone other than the main characters. The end made me do a bit of a head scratch - it wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility, but seemed a little too...public, I suppose if the word I'm looking for.

Overall, something that can be read in one sitting without a ton of plot holes, or at least none that couldn't be ignored for the sake of the two mains. Three out of five stars.

Thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the reading copy.

This is an excellent and well worked FBI v mob romance with an unexpected twist in the tail. Amusing crossover with Ali Vali’s Cain Casey series which it could easily be part of.

The MC’s are both at a crossroads they aren’t even really aware of, living life they don’t really fit into. They are well rounded characters with hidden depths. As always with Ms Taite’s books the plot is extremely well put together layering the romance with the “whodunnit” with effortless mastery.

Great reading and another winner from this author.

CT did it again. I was engaged from page one. The deceptive nature of the characters and their bond was so fun to watch unfold. I was chomping at the bit to finish this book, now all I want is to go back to the beginning.

3 Stars

For the most part I’ve liked the books I’ve read from Carsen Taite. They’re generally well written, she knows her stuff and they’re easy to read. This is an intrigue/suspense romance but unfortunate was a bit short on both for me.

Attorney Siobhan Collins is the consigliere (counselor/advisor) to Don Carlo Mancuso. He took her in after her mother was killed when she was a child and she feels beholden to them. Royal Scott is an undercover agent with the FBI. She’s tasked with infiltrating the Mancuso empire and taking them down.

“Her Consigliere” kind of feels like Taite wrote two incomplete books and just put them together. First the intrigue/suspense mafia storyline. I enjoyed it at first. I was able to guess fairly quickly what was going to happen but I didn’t mind. I was enjoying the process of getting there and learning who everyone was. My issue was the it all felt rushed. A couple of things happened and the ending seemed rushed and anticlimactic. There’s also a mystery and we never really see much of the “bad guy” or hear their motivations.

The romance also felt very rushed. Royal and Siobhan only share a few scenes together until just about halfway through. Frankly, I just didn’t buy into their romance. We’re told about their feelings for one another but I never saw much chemistry or emotional connection. It was also hard for me to believe that Siobhan, who is supposedly smart and the right hand to the Don, would make all the choices she makes once she meets Royal. I did see potential with them together but it seemed like the book ended before it was able to blossom to anything more for me.

All in all, while in the end this didn’t click for me, I feel like it’ll work better for others. I especially think fans of Ali Vali’s Cain Casey series will appreciate this. I do feel like if this becomes a series and we get more depth to both the mafia world and their romance, I would probably rate this one higher. Because like I said, it’s a good starting off point.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great mafia suspense story that I liked so much I couldn't put it down. The characters were very interesting, some with the good vs bad issues creating more depth. The romance was typical and sometimes took a back seat to the mafia drama. This is definitely different from this author's typical courtroom dramas but definitely worth your time! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

𝗠𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Carsen Taite is a hit or miss for me. I absolutely loved《It Should Be A Crime》but I couldn't quite get into some of her other books. Taite writes decent legal / courtroom storylines, but as a romance-first reader, I felt the chemistry between characters lacking in some of those.

《Her Consigliere》 has a good romance and thriller storyline that kept me reading from start to finish. It's a breath of fresh air from her courtroom romances. It's exciting and feels like it could be made into a movie. Royal is an FBI agent assigned to infiltrate the mob to bring down the Mancuso family's illegal empire, even if it means giving all she's got to get close to the family's consigliere. Ice queen attorney and Mancuso family consigliere, Siobhan, never mixes business with pleasure until Royal. The mutual attraction between Royal and Siobhan is present from the first encounter even before Royal got the assignment and the chemistry's great.

But this story is short for an exciting storyline like this, and the ending felt rushed. I wish I had more of Royal and Siobhan. I wanted more depth and for Royal and Siobhan to develop deeper feelings before falling head over heels with each other. And in this case, perhaps a bit more angst would have been befitting of such a promising story.

The crime storyline was so gripping I finished this book in one day. The mafia setting had been depicted really well, and I was constantly on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen to Royal, the lead character on an undercover assignment. Both lead characters were complex and well written - the author had done a great job of portraying them in a way that was sympathetic despite the fact that they had done some things that were morally questionable in their respective lines of work. However, the romantic storyline suffered a bit as there was so much action going on it was difficult to get a sense of how the two leads developed feelings for one another. The last chapters felt rushed with some major life decisions being made without any build-up, and there were some gaps in the story (we never learned why the FBI wanted to pull Royal back from the assignment so abruptly or why she felt they'd used her for example, and why they 'burned' her so quickly).

3.5 stars. Attorney Siobhan Collins owes her life to the Mancuso family, as they took her in after her mother died. Dominque, the daughter of the head of the Mancuso family, works with Siobhan to make sure the family stays at the top and is not caught by the FBI. FBI agent Royal Scott has been working undercover for a long time. She is assigned to work to bring down the Mancuso family. Royal doesn't take account how beautiful she finds Siobhan and she cannot stay away. She is unsure if she should use her attraction to take down the crime family or if she should try to get closer to Siobhan. Siobhan knows she should not trust Royal so quickly. but there is something about Royal that she can't keep away from.

I enjoyed this novel. I enjoyed the chemistry between Royal and Siobhan. The only thing I did not like about this book is the ending seemed a little too neat for the book, as it tied everything up in a nice bow. I liked the storyline as a whole and I enjoyed watching Royal and Siobhan get closer and closer as the book went on and seeing how I thought some parts of the book may not have made sense as it was a little hard to follow, but overall, a solid book that I would recommend.

3.75 stars. I have not read a lot of Carsen Taite’s books yet, but I know she’s most well known for her court room inspired books, so it was surprising to see a mobster book. I don’t know what it is, but a morally grey character always intrigues me and I liked this a lot. It’s also good to see there was some inspiration and collaboration with BSB author Ali Vali and there were even some cameos from the Cain Casey series.

The story seems pretty clear-cut. Royal is an undercover FBI agent tasked to take down Siobhan, the consigliere (advisor) of don Carlo, a mobster boss in Dallas. So basically, it’s good versus bad, but of course things are never that simple, genuine feelings between Royal and Siobhan get in the way of the investigation and there is a mystery/thriller element to the story as well, to keep things even more interesting.

The characters were well written. Soon you realize that Siobhan is not all that bad, even if she works for the mob. She has her reasons for being loyal to don Carlo, but there are many underlying factors that influence her role and place in the mobster family. Royal on the other hand has a perfect history working for the FBI, but she has doubts about her future at the bureau. A romance based on lies and deceit is always tricky. It starts simple with attraction, but soon I felt this tension where I wanted Royal to come clean, but at the same time not, because you know this type of deceit will be the end of their relationship and I wanted them to be together. So, I felt Royals dilemma, but I actually also somehow felt sorry for Siobhan, for the way she was being used by Royal, ughhh…..well done for messing with my mind.

I’m not going to say a lot about the thriller/mystery storyline, it was fun, there were a couple of surprises and also a couple that were quite predictable, but I didn’t mind it. The only drawback that I had with the book was that the ending felt rushed. For the romance I had the feeling that some steps were skipped and I realize that this may have been deliberate in order not to fall in the 80% lesfic death trap, but now it just felt a little too simple some crucial points were not discussed. Also, the thriller part ended very rapidly and I this could have been more elaborate. This was a pretty short book and a couple of extra chapters would have been nice in my opinion. That said there were no obvious plot holes and it is well written, so there is plenty to enjoy if you’re looking for an entertaining mafia themed romantic thriller.

This is a read about an attorney and an FBI agent. Siobhan Collins, skilled attorney for the Mancuso family. Siobhan is dedicated to the family and works hard to protect their interests. Royal Scott, FBI agent takes on one more assignment planning to take a long and well deserved vacation after. The plot was engaging with some interesting secondary characters such as Royal's boss Wharton and Mancuso's daughter Dominique. Also, Royal's brother Ryan.

The read had me hooked from the start. There is just something about mafia and their strong hold on family that really pulls me in. The care and commitment is so deep yet how they make a living can be so violent. I believe it is the contradiction that holds me there. Anyway, my only issue with the read was the disjointed ending. I felt cheated with the lack of bringing loose ends together. Is there a follow-up in the works?

I really enjoyed reading this book a lot and Carsen Taite definitely makes to my list of writers to look for in bookstores.
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The characters are so well constructed that they flow through the plot hooking the reader.
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And the plot is excellent, the classic mafia member and undercover officer, the betrayal after gaining the trust of a strong character is so well executed that it left me wanting to continue reading. I also love when the characters step outside of what they should do because of their gender in a story with a patriarchal society and when both characters, in this case female, have the power to be equal in will and neither is inferior to the other.
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Two strong characters who find what they weren't looking for in each other with a plot of betrayal, guns and a fight over power of a strong family
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Thanks to Carson Taite and Bold Strokes Books for give me a advanced copy of this great book in exchange for my honest review

Her Consigliere was a decent read but overall it did not click for me.

I don't really want to go into a synopsis of this romance. I think the blurb written does a really good job at describing the book. So I have found that I do enjoy reading romances that involves a person of law working undercover to get the bad guys. I guess where I didn't feel the connect is that the mains didn't seem to go together. The chemistry was lacking and they really didn't get to know each other. They did spend some time together, but that time together wasn't enough so I could feel that they knew something about each other and fall in love. Royal is an FBI agent undercover, so what has she really shared wasn't real. Siobhan is a lawyer that keeps her "family" out of jail. I use family lightly as she just grew up in the house. So the romance part just did nothing for me. Now the other portion of the story was actually good. This is where the Mancuso family are criminals, but they are sort of good criminals. I have to laugh at myself for saying that. I mean they donate money, they don't get involved in drugs and prostitution etc. So they are 1/2 way good. I could get behind them in a weird sort of way. LOL

3.5 stars.

This arc was provided by netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.

Her Consigliere is an exciting Mob story which kept me reading all night. I could not put the book down until I knew what happened to undercover FBI agent Royal Scott and Mob family lawyer Siobhan Collins.
Taite knows how to construct strong characters in trouble. Add in a Mob family under fire and an undercover FBI agent tired of playing someone else and you have a thrilling story. This is storytelling at its best!
Royal is a likeable character which you easily feel sympathetic towards. Most people can identify with having a job you want to leave. Siobhan
is a different story. She is a take no prisoners lawyer and an Ice Queen. As her back story is revealed you cannot help but admire and see Siobhan’s appeal.
This was a fun novel to read especially with the appearance of Ali Vali characters. It is a small world in the land of imaginary characters. Who knew?
A bit of an aside here, the name Siobhan has both Irish and Scottish roots. To the Irish Siobhan means Joan. Joan Collins. Well it made me chuckle.
Her Consigliere is an enjoyable read ending with a possible opportunity for a sequel in the future. I would love to see Royal and Siobhan’s story continue.

FBI agent Royal Scott was working her last undercover assignment, she hoped. This last mission was turning into a more dangerous task than she was comfortable with. When she finally got home she had high hopes of taking a vacation to some beach, just to relax. Unknown to her was the fact that her younger brother was staying in her apartment having resigned his position with the Rangers. But, there is always a but, her superior has other ideas. They are this close to finally having the info required to put the Mancuso crime family away but they wanted her to go undercover again.
Siobhan Collins has been with the Mancuso family as long as she can remember. Her mother worked for the Don and when she was killed he decided Siobhan would stay with the family. So she was treated like another daughter as the Don’s two daughters. She was encouraged to become a lawyer and when she passed the bar exam she was given the responsibility of looking after all the legal details the family was involved in.
Ms Taite can and does give us another wonderful read. Great characters along with a fast paced story. I have to say this one stands out for me as one of her better books. Don’t get me wrong, all of Taites books are entertaining but this one, great.
ARC via NetGalley/Bold Stroke Books

Carsen Taite creates masterpieces when it comes to thrillers with law and justice as a main topic. This book is no exception. If you're a fan of this genre, you will never go wrong with picking up Carsen Taite's books.

Loved the FBI and Crime Family Lawyer angle. I thought that Siobhan and Riley were good together this story had some drama, but not to much the romance was sweet and not to spicy. And the criminal aspect was mostly implied but not shown. There was very little romance maybe two or three intimate moments if that. I would have loved more of a description of both main characters and more background that would have made this story much more interesting. All and all this was a well written book if you're looking for something with low angst and not alot of drama than this is the book for you. I would definitely read more books by this author and can't wait to see what she writes next. I hope its a follow-up to this story, because it felt like there were some loose ends to clear up.

Such a thrill!

Royal Scott, an FBI agent who was looking forward to a well-earned break finds herself thrown into another undercover case to infiltrate the powerful Mancuso family. Swayed by the beautiful Siobhan who is dedicated and associated to the family in her role working with the head of the family, Royal wonders if she can keep up appearances when it comes to Siobhan who is having her loyalty tested not only by Royal’s arrival but other factors at play she never expected.

Such a great story! I was literally living for every moment in this. Both Royal and Siobhan were strong, powerful, authoritative women who I was absolutely captivated by. Their worlds and jobs were both edgy and exciting, providing that thrill of a little bit of danger along the way, especially when their emotions and affections for one another started to show. I adored them both and genuinely couldn’t get enough of them. They were amazing!

The whole story was exciting though, not just the amazing connection between Royal and Siobhan but their characters growing and changing as the situation developed and changed. There were scenes where I was amazed by Royal’s skills, and others where I was in complete awe of Siobhan and how cool, calm, and collected she was. There was this emotional connection you couldn’t help put get swept up in, firstly between Royal and Siobhan, and the other on how loyal Siobhan was to the family who were her world.

I loved that this was mafia based, with that law enforcement connection. It was ultimate conflict and it just feeds desires in me as a reader. This is truly a theme I adore reading and when done right, it’s fantastically brilliant. Carsen Taite has more than delivered with this story and I couldn’t get enough of it. I haven’t read to many books by Carsen but this has to be my favourite and definitely a story I could read again and again.

A truly brilliant story that had me unable to put it down as I just needed to know what moves Royal and Siobhan were going to make. I highly recommend the story and enjoyed it so much I hope there will be more from Royal and Siobhan in future.