The Leader

First I want to say that I'm not the biggest fan of mafia romance novels. They have way too much violence for my taste and the idea of a hero killing for the purpose of protecting an illegal and drug business does not sit well with me. But this was surprisingly pretty clean. Gio is loosely associated with sketchy mob characters but he's out to get revenge on the man who gave the order to have his parent's killed.
I liked Jazzys character from the beginning. Tough, smart and resourceful. She runs away when she meets the man her grandfather wants her to marry. She wants to build a future for herself and those who are less fortunate. I loved the intense banter between Gio and Jazzy. Her fierce personality and submissive sexual style draws him. Although Gio is too possessive and controlling, he goes above and beyond to make sure she's happy and safe.
The only thing that would have made this a 5 star for me is that I felt once Jazzy is married to Gio she's not as fiercely protective of her independence. She barely stands up to him when locks her up in the house when she refuses to give up who hurt her in the past. I wanted to see more fire between them. She surrenders too easily.
Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's always a surprise to read a debut book by an indie author and have it be really good. Gio agreed to marry one of three granddaughters for a business deal. There was definitely insta-lust going on with him and Jazzy, but it took a while for them to trust each other. Although they had issues it never truly felt like they were at odds. Gio was demanding and controlling but not to the degree that he was unbearable. He definitely wasn't a nice guy though. His strong protective instincts made him easy to like. Jazzy didn't let him control her life. She remained independent throughout their relationship. I really liked the two of them together. I wish the mafia/crime life aspect had played a larger role. This focused way more on the romance. The side characters didn't have big roles, but I'm definitely interested in reading their stories in the rest of the series.

It's Giovanni's and Jocelyn's story and it's steamy, funny at times and has an action packed scenario from the
beginning. You like Jocelyn's "Jazzy" right from the beginning and enjoy her sassiness and her unwillingness to backdown. And she only backs down when she has to. Giovanni on the other hand, would never back down and goes after what he wants but there is a sensitive side to the man you don't see coming, but Jazzy eventually gets to see. It had a little bit of everything and you liked the quirky characters that show up to. So, if you get a chance to check it out do so. You'll enjoy it.
goodreads link