Sarah Castille has certainly gained a fan in me with her Mafia centered romance series Ruin & Revenge. I feel like I'm peeking behind the curtain in the lives of the Toscani family and their business dealings, being careful not to move so they don't see me. With Luca, she ups the ante on the "forbidden love" aspect as everyone knows that the mafia and law enforcement do not co-mingle. But restaurateur and capo Luca Rizzoli and widowed and revenge driven police officer Gabrielle Fawkes don't know what they don't know and soon find themselves unable to get enough of each other.

As much as the old school ways of the "family" make me a little crazy (goomahs and all), I love the cultural references. Castille does an amazing job setting up Luca's situation. We met him in Nico, so we knew a bit about him. But as the star of his own story he is a bit more formidable. And sexy. Very, very sexy. He's got a great backstory and his front as a restaurant owner sets the reader up for some very fun food scenes. His family interactions are traditional, giving the reader some interesting secondary characters to ponder over.

Gaby is a different breed of female detectives and she's bent on avenging her murdered husband. Luca is the first man to get under her skin and together the two are combustible! Gaby is pretty naïve to the nature of Luca's work and is also pursued by fellow police officer and friend Jeff. But Jeff, well he's just not Luca and we have to wonder if she really knows him. He certainly gave me pause.

Gaby does have a side to her that Jeff can't see and it's something that only Luca draws out. She's brave and also feels very protective of Luca - something he's not used to. He awakens more than her sensuality and the whole she finds Luca wholly distracting.

There's many challenges, many people motivated by greed, pride and lust which makes make this a fast paced and thrilling read. There's a secondary storyline with Paolo, a young man a part of Luca's crew that plays well in to the clever twist that I didn't see coming. This is one of those rare romance stories where find myself chewing my husbands ear off. He's made me love mafia films so he's going to hear about it when I'm reading it. It's a fun fast paced story and one I recommend to any readers of mafia romance (and my husband).

I wasn't ready to like Luca. I did lust for him but I just couldn't see how he could be love material. Boy was I wrong. The author does an outstanding job of keeping his character as an under the radar edgy mafia and then she throws in a heart to really mess with the reader's head in a very exciting way. So yes I did come to love his character in spite of him being mafia.

Yikes, Gabrielle is a larger than life woman that stands out throughout the book. The only thing that I kept getting stuck on was that she was a renegade and was going to get someone hurt. But once again the author develops her character in a manner that makes this whole story work and in doing so created a beautiful love story between two very unlikely people.

Because of the author's ability to merge these two people into a believable story I give this 3.75 stars.

I could not get into this book. I had a difficult time connecting with the characters and story because it didn't flow well for me. It felt too descriptive and not enough "story" to get into. I did really enjoy the first book in this series though.

I'm glad I was given the chance to read this book. It was entertaining and kept my interest. I liked Luca in the first book and was glad he got a strong woman of his own. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Sarah Castille does it again!!! I simply love this new series of hers. Ruin and Revenge is a series following a family of mobsters....er um I mean businessmen. I recommend reading the first book in the series, Nico. You can still follow this book, but you definitely lose something if you haven't read the first one. Plus its Sarah Castille, you can't go wrong.
Gabrielle is bent on revenging her husband's death. Her every action and thought revolves around her husband's memory and finding those responsible for her husband's death. During her quest for vengeance, she gets shot which winds her up in the hospital sharing a room with sexy Luca.

Luca has been burned by a woman before. So when he lays eyes on Gabrielle, in a hospital bed no less, he is reluctantly smitten. His pursuit of her is only slightly dampened by the fact she is a police officer and they are on opposite sides of the law.

I really like this book not only because it is written by one of my top fav authors, but also because it has great characters. Luca is deliciously alpha male. He knows exactly what he wants and doesn't stop until he gets it. Gabrielle is no wilting flower. I can't stand the whole damsel in distress routine. Women can kick ass just like men and Gabrielle demonstrates that fact. Just like the old adage says, "don't bring a knife to a gun fight". Well she does, but she also brings a .22 caliber pistol, a .44, and a taser. She doesn't allow Luca to pull the ole caveman routine and forces him to see her as his equal.

I love Sarah Castille's books, so I might be a bit biased when I say this book is great and I recommend the read.

Luca was a great 5 star read.
This is the second book in the Ruin & Revenge series and is Gabrielle and Luca’s story.

Luca meets Gabrielle in the last place he would be looking for a woman, the hospital. Due to space issues he was forced to share his room with Gabrielle who had the same type of injury as him. A gunshot to the chest, why would anyone want to shoot someone so beautiful?

They part ways but Gabrielle can’t get the hot italian out of her head. He is the first person in two years to actually make her feel something. She had a tragic incident occur that was super heartbreaking and she has been trying to get revenge and serve justice to the man who destroyed her life.
She was broken inside. Damaged. She had nothing to offer anyone but her pain.

When these two meet again the sparks continue to fly. Luca is possessive and wants to see more of her. These two have quite the hot and steamy moments that will leave you hot and bothered. Gabrielle at first has no idea how dark and dangerous Luca really is and what he is capable of. When Luca discovers what Gabrielle does for a job he is thrown for a twist, they can never be together, the family will not allow it. But will he accept that?

I have to say I loved Gabrielle’s strength and I loved how she would stand up to others. She is a very strong character. Luca is a hot alpha male who is involved in the dark life of the Mafia. These two were great together. The secondary characters were also great. There are some secrets and a huge huge twist that really threw me for a loop and had me in tears. I did not see it coming. If you're looking for a great read, 1-click and get started on this great series now.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. Reviewed by MAustin from Alpha Book Club

Luca is HOT! He's a sexy talking alpha-male who knows what he wants. Garbriella is sassy and smart, a strong heroine who has suffered a loss and is looking to get revenge. I loved this book - the suspense, drama, sexy times -- everything about it was perfect! I can't wait to read more by this author!

I freaking love LUCA!!! He is such the quintessential alpha male, ahh the Italian combined with the filthy mouth. Gabrielle is a police detective who is trying to avenge the death of her husband. A chance meeting in a hospital leads to a forbidden relationship. Great crime plot that had me guess until the end.

Castille is writing a fabulous Vegas mafia series and I can't wait to see what she writes next in the Ruin and Revenge.

Sarah is one of my fave MC writers! I absolutely adored Luca. Cant wait to read more from Sarah

Luca Rizzoli's loyalty is to his family. He does his duty as a crime boss but he also is a man who has learned the art of seduction. Luca never expected to meet Gabrielle Fawkes or the fact that the attraction he feels for her awakens something he has never felt before and he wants to protect her.

Gabrielle is out for revenge against the gang that killed her husband. She has moved in in a sense but after a tip goes wrong, she ends up off the investigation into his death. Gabrielle feels something for Luca but she doesn't want to jeopardize her heart again. Problems arise though when Gabrielle's job as a cop comes into play and can she accept Luca for who he truly is?

Delicious fun. Luca and Gabrielle ignite every page they are on. The story starts off with a bang and it does not let up until the very end. You want more from this couple even as you turn the final page. Definitely reread worthy.

I am going to be 100% honest. The first half (30-45%) of this book really did not sit well with me. I am an avid Mafia reader and was just very put off by what I call the "MOB checklist." Now, this may be my very own undoing, as a mafia book fan. I felt like the beginning of this story had all the boxes checked,...
~ Use of EVERY Mob term, every one. You are writing mafia, we know what they are no need for an explanation for every term.
~ Over detail of his fancy suit, got it, he dresses well.
~ Too many cliches'
I am not saying this story is bad, because it is far from bad. It is very exciting, once I got past the checklist.
I loved the fact that Gabrielle and Luca were on opposite sides of the law, that was very intriguing.
The fact that Gabby had survived the horrific death of her husband and child, her need for revenge is all consuming. She makes no excuses about her need for revenge. I loved that she was such a force. I loved that Luca loved that about her! She made for an awesome leading lady.

I absolutely was enamored with Luca. He had this coolness about him. He has this tenderness that made you just love this good man who did bad things. He was living with guilt on two fronts. His fathers betrayal and his wife's death. He took on the weight and was out to prove himself. I really enjoyed the writing when it came to Luca. He has my heart.
The combination of Luca and Gabrielle was explosive. Those steamy scenes are some of the sexiest I've read in a very long time. The kitchen scene alone, if it was the ONLY sex scene in this entire book, it is worth it!!!!!!!!

This would be a 5 * review if I could have gotten past the beginning. I will most definitely read more books in this series, bc I have to know what's up with Frankie!

This is the second book in this series by this author. This story is full of angst, action, drama and hot steamy scenes. fantastic characters, you will fall in love with as you read. I was hooked from the first page. This is a gritty romance read you will be reading long into the night. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.
Highly recommended
I voluntarily reviewed and advance reader copy of this book

I really don’t know how to rate this one. There is just so much going on in this story. I have to break this down into parts. Luca and Gaby’s relationship is the best part of the book. They have an immediate and intense connection to one another. I think the intimacy is rushed a bit but I loved it anyway. There is no denying the steamy scenes are a bonus.

The complication with this story is my love for mafia romances. I like the action, the bad-guy persona and the representation of the life. This book had every bad cliché from an old mafia movie or book. The guys are constantly roughing someone up for payments, there are mistresses, and a guy in a track suit with a gold chain. No real modern take on the mafia romance here.

How as readers are we suppose to be okay with all the mafia clichés when Luca is just okay with Gaby being a cop. There is no hidden secrecy about it. He learns pretty early on and everything is okay. Hmmm not in any mafia world that I read about! Granted, it is a fictional world but we got to make it a bit believable. I expected more conflict from that issue alone. Gaby is just okay with working with Luca to help her find Garcia. How is that even possible?

There is tons of action and Luca finds himself in a new situation once Gaby’s life is endangered. I liked how alpha and bad-ass Luca is. He is willing to go the distance for Gaby which is surprising after what happened with his deceased wife. I am slightly torn with Gaby because she is slightly annoying but I liked her strong independence.

The author spends a little too much time on Paolo without any added benefits. There are parts of the story that dragged and I wished were cut but overall it is still an entertaining story.

I’m curious to see where the author goes next.

~ Samantha

This is my first read by Sarah Castille and I liked it. This story features Luca and Gabrielle and is the 2nd book in the Ruin & Revenge series. I can honestly say that I have read quite a bit of mafia/mob types stories in the past and this one happens to be the best that I have read that spares no evidence of what the mafia truly does. The grittiness and get your hands dirty are all included. I really liked that part the most, I think in this story. In other books you are left speculating that those things actually occurred. Luca takes a bullet, meant for his boss, Nico and ends up in the hospital . This is where he meets Gabrielle who also happened to have been shot. Little did Luca know that she is a police detective, which is a big no no in the mafia world. Luca and Gabrielle are unable to fight the attraction that they have towards each other. Gabrielle is set on revenge towards the man that was responsible for deceased husband's death and Luca is trying to keep his involvement with her away from the mafia. Luca liked her take charge attitude. Gabrielle was no simpering woman and could hold her on against Luca's alpha tendencies. Plenty of action, characters from the first book, Nico (which I have not read) and maybe a book soon about Frankie? He was soooooooo bad, Lol. All in all a pretty good read. 3..5 stars!

Luca by Sarah Castille
Ruin & Revenge #2

What a delight this book proved to be – of course I was EXPECTING it to be having loved Nico’s story told in book one of this series but STILL…what a treat this book was!

Luca Rizzoli, a capo for Nico Toscani, is first introduced in the hospital and shortly thereafter into his room arrives the woman he will eventually end up with. Gabrielle Fawkes is absolutely the best and worst person for Nico to fall for because they are forbidden to one another. Yes, he is forbidden by the “commandments” of the mafia to date someone on the police force and she is definitely not supposed to date someone in the mafia.

Okay…so that is a bit of background BUT add in sizzling hot interactions between the two, similar background experiences - in more ways than one, mutual bad guys they want to put away, and a cast of characters that I want to hear more about and you have a story that keeps the pages turning lickety-split. On the last page I felt happy for all and ready to read the next book – a book I hoped would be about Frankie BUT I found out it will be about Rocco and now need to find out where Rocco was mentioned in this book to try and find out what meager crumbs might have been left to suss out what his story might be about. I am sure that no matter WHAT his story is it will be a humdinger and a page-turner since both the other books in this series have been. I still want Frankie’s story, though ;) I do hope his will be told eventually!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

This series continues to get better and better and it already started out great. Keep them coming!

A ruthless crime boss, the city of sin, a police detective, and one of my favorite authors? Sure! I’ll give Luca from Sarah Castille a try. Luca is the second novel in the Ruin & Revenge series. I don’t know how it happened, but I missed the first book. Egad! But not to worry. There were a few references to the first novel, but this book was indeed a standalone. And I don’t think reading the previous book would have changed my views on this one (because not all standalones are alike).

(Slight spoiler in this paragraph) The premise was pretty familiar – a cop and a mafia guy falling love. Sure, it’s a bit unbelievable but it is a tried and true romantic method. My problem was that Gabrielle stayed clueless a bit too long about what was really going on. Her friends seemed to figure out who and what Luca was off the bat, but she was living in denial.

While the writing itself from Ms. Castille is always good, I found Luca a slow starter. I had to try three times before I could get into it. I’d say at about 10% I was hooked and kept reading. It was also a bit long-winded at times. The change of perspective back and forth from Gabrielle to Luca was not always obvious and sometimes jarring.

Once I got into the story, I did enjoy it. Luca was a bit closed off but he was a man who could make up his mind. Yes! I liked Gabrielle as well, although she was clueless about the men in her life. The bad guy of the story is a bit easy to figure out, but I don’t mind that. As humans we are sometimes blind to our friends’ flaws so it didn’t bother me that Gabrielle took a long time to figure out who the baddie was.

Overall, I enjoyed this read. It was somewhat longer than what I prefer for this genre so make sure to set aside a rainy Sunday afternoon to read it.

These characters have grit and attitude and I just love it! So much drama within the family and in the mafia family. Good plot twist and turns that will keep you reading till the very last page.

This is the first time that I have read this kind of book, and I must say, It was a really awesome story. I mean. all i can say is wow,

Its intense but you can see how much he cares for Gabrielle, given that she is a police detective, but man! I was unable to put my phone down because the story kept me on my seat.

I so love Luca. Especially the way he cares for his son. This line just breaks my heat thought:

"And you were angry. I’m sorry I don’t look like you.”

It breaks my heart to read this. A six year old asking for forgiveness because he do not look like his father. Just because of a woman words. It was the tipping point for me. Even after a month of reading this book, these words slay me.

As the ending of the closes, i was happy that he found closure. That all of my questions as I read the book were answered. It was a good clean ending for this book. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

I was instantly sucked into the world of Ruin & Revenge when I read Nico. I was hooked, line and sinker, on these mafia bad boys. The author spares no details with he grittiness of her stories. These are not your fluffy mafia guys that you know are bad but never see their bad sides. Oh no. You see it, feel it, and downright taste it in these books. As the senior capo for the Toscani crime family, Luca may take his fashion seriously with his three piece suits, but he’s certainly not afraid to get his hands dirty. When he takes a bullet for his boss, Nico, a visit to the hospital changes everything for the man that never thought he’d find himself in love.
Revenge was all that sustained her now, and she didn’t know what would happen when revenge was gone.
Ever since her husband’s brutal murder at the hands of a vicious cartel boss, revenge is all Gabrielle knows. For two years, she’s done everything to land on the force that’s hunting down the man until it all goes terribly wrong and she ends up on the wrong side of a bullet. A chance meeting with a smooth talking stranger in a hospital is all it should have been, but Gaby finds herself drawn to him and when she seeks him out sparks fly.
Luca doesn’t know much about the blonde beauty aside from his fierce desire for her that seems to grow with each new encounter. They’re on opposite sides of the law. Their relationship is forbidden and may cost both of them everything and in the end, it just might.
You sure this is what you want, mio angelo? ’Cause I like it dirty. So dirty you’ll never get back to heaven.”
This was an entreating read, though I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book. Luca was sexy as sin, but at times the way that he was with Gabrielle was a bit…erm…fluffy for my tastes.
What does that mean?” He leaned down and kissed her, his lips warm and soft. “Roughly translated, it means you are my angel. Heaven is in your eyes. I am dazzled by you.”
I suppose their connection just felt so quick to me that I struggled to really connect to them throughout the entire book. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy these two together, because they certainly burn up the pages together. I just had a hard time connecting the brutal mafia capo to the sweet talking lover during super dirty sexy times.
I did enjoy Garbrielle and her take charge attitude. She was a great fit for Luca and I loved the way she fought for him even when the odds were stacked against them.
My other minor quibble is I saw the twist at the end coming pretty early on. Granted, it wasn’t exactly how I thought it would play out. But it was pretty darn close to fizzle some of the enjoyment of the ultimate revelation at the end there.
All in all, I did enjoy this story and I love the way we continue getting bits and pieces of future characters, because man oh man am I craving me some Frankie now. The man is ice cold and I can’t wait to meet the woman that will thaw his heart.
If you’re looking for a sexy and gritty mafia romance, definitely look no further. While it wasn’t a 5 star read for me, it was a damn enjoyable 3.5 and I’d definitely recommend it for readers that like anti-heroes with a whole lot of grit to them