3.75 stars--LUCA is the second installment in Sarah Castille’s contemporary, adult RUIN AND REVENGE erotic, mafia romance series. This is restaurateur and Toscani family Capo Luca Rizzoli, and police detective Gabrielle Fawkes’ story line. LUCA can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. Luca was first introduced in book one-NICO.

NOTE: LUCA contains scenes of graphic violence, murder and torture, and may not be suitable for all readers.

Told from several third person points of view including Luca and Gabrielle, LUCA is a forbidden romance between police detective Gabrielle Fawkes, and mafia Capo Luca Rizzoli. Two years earlier Gabrielle’s husband was brutally murdered in a mafia-style hit and our heroine believes the local drug cartel is responsible for his death. In the ensuing time Gabrielle has put all of her efforts into taking down the drug lord she believes is responsible but an on-duty shooting finds our heroine roommates with a dark and sexy man who offers Gabrielle everything and more. Enter Luca Rizzoli, a man who is willing to risk his ties to the mob to save the woman with whom he is falling in love. Several threats against Gabrielle’s life place Luca on the receiving end of more than one attempt at his own.

Loyalty to the family is first and foremost in the world of the Italian mob but Luca’s relationship with Detective Gabrielle Fawkes places our hero in a precarious position as it pertains to his loyalties and support of the man in charge. But Luca is willing to risk his life and his position for the woman that calls to his heart. His over protective, alpha attitude makes for some contentious moments between Gabrielle and himself. Luca’s backstory is emotional.

Gabrielle is desperate for revenge against the man she believes destroyed her life. Her narrow focus, disregarding everything else, finds our heroine facing down a hierarchy at work that is no longer willing to give Gabrielle a chance at revenge. Gabrielle’s inability to let go lands her in trouble on more than one occasion.

The relationship between Gabrielle and Luca is one of immediate attraction. The sexual chemistry is palpable; the $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense. Luca likes to take control and talk dirty in the bedroom.

LUCA is an intricate and detailed novel with several subplots weaving throughout the story-some connected while others focus on secondary characters and their struggle in both their personal and professional lives. There is a twist to the story line that was easily deduced and predictable.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including many members of the Toscani mob family both by blood and by mob association. We are introduced to Gabrielle’s husband’s former best friend police detective Jeff Santos, as well as Gabrielle’s besties Nicole and Cissy. I am hoping for Nicole’s HEA .

Although a well-written and exciting story line I did have an issue with Gabrielle’s inability to see, or lack of awareness as it came to Luca’s connections to the mob. For a detective she is completely oblivious to the who, what and why of the Toscani family, the mob and their dangerous lifestyle. Sadly this aspect leant to some unbelievable moments and shaking of my head.

LUCA is a dark, gritty, emotional and dramatic tale; a mafia romance of forbidden love between two people whose lives will collide in more ways than one. The premise is engaging and energetic; the characters are colorful, tragic and passionate; the romance is intoxicating and provocative.

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Luca

Ruin and Revenge series book #2
Release Date: June 27, 2017
Review Copy Provided By the Publisher

I struggled with this one at first. I love a flawed hero. I love a hero who has qualities that are less than stellar. A hero who isn't perfect is realistic. But when the hero is a mob boss? Well, that takes flawed to a whole other level. I wanted to hate Luca. I mean, he's a criminal, part of a large crime family. Think, concrete encased feet and left at the bottom of a lake, criminal. I really wanted to hate him, but I couldn't. There was something about him that I found captivating. So, I kept reading...

Gabrielle is out for a revenge. She's a tough as nails Las Vegas cop who is hunting her husbands killer. Revenge is what gets her out of bed in the morning. It makes life worth living...at least that's what motivates her to keep going. Imagine her surprise when she's swept off of her feet by a sweet talking Italian man who is seduction personified. There's something dangerous about him. There's a dark side to Luca that thrills her.

Man, these two together was all kinds of crazy sexy hot! Neither want to want each other, but there's an undeniable magnetic pull that can't be ignored. Reading this book made me flush six ways to Sunday! Wickedly delicious is an understatement!

As I said, I really struggled with liking Luca. He was the exact opposite of the heroes that I usually fall for. He was solidly on the other side of the law. You know what? Maybe he wasn't the exact opposite! He was loyal to his family, loyal to his crew, ferociously protective of his woman, and his sex appeal was off the charts! Huh...not so different, right?!

I kinda felt like I was reading a sexy version of Goodfellas! There was tons of action with the mafia stuff, and tons of romance and sweaty bed yoga to satisfy me.

I mean, I'm certainly no expert in the Italian Mafia, but I think the author nailed the details in this book. The hierarchy of the family and how things ran seemed spot on.

This books pushed me right out of my comfort zone! I sat on this ARC for a while before I picked it up to read. I didn't think I could connect with a love story that is in the middle of mob...I was wrong. I don't think I could read this type of book all the time, but it was actually refreshing to change things up a bit. I think one of things that made this book work, was the whole "opposites attract" thing. The hero and heroine had so many reasons to not be together, but love...and lust won!

Luca, is the second book in this series, but it can absolutely be read as a stand alone. I didn't feel like I was missing anything. If you want to read a book where the bad boy is really a bad boy...with heart, read this book!

As with the first book, I read a few pages and thought to myself that I would likely bail but I would give it another chapter or two. Then I finish the entire book in one sitting. Was there a lot of groaning an eye-rolling? Yes. Mobsters are jerks and the plot was pretty predictable. But it was a lot of fun too. I had to see how a cop and a mobster could make it work. Will I be reading book three? Yep.

@sarah_castille


QueenZany 4.5 Star Review
Luca
Sarah Castille

Luca is a hell raising hit of pure sin!! That will brand you and leave it’s devilish mark on you!! Willing to steal you away from your reality! Mesmerizing you with it’s raw appeal and its seductive charm!! Yet, still capturing you by the thrill, the depth and the over overload of hotness!! I’m still salivating over Luca!

I've read quite a few books by Sarah Castille and I've always enjoyed them - well paced, just enough drama, great alpha males, etc. Unfortunately, this one wasn't one of my favorites. Perhaps it's because I haven't read any others in this series? Perhaps it's because I expected it to be more like the Redemption or Sinner's series as far as pace, characters, plot line, etc. go? I'm not sure, but this one seemed a little to slow paced, a little too obvious as to who the bad guy was and I honestly had a hard time warming up to Luca - which, in the end, made it hard for me to fully connect with the story.

However, in deference to Sarah Castille's writing talents and the fact that I DO enjoy so many of her books, I rated this 4 stars - I think this is just an instance where this particular genre isn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

"Luca" is the first book I have read by Ms Castille and I am so glad ; I loved this book and Ms Castiles writing.
Luca starts out as a classic bad boy, cold hearted mafia capo and given his past experience with love and marriage it is not unexpected . Luca's life is about to get more complicated Not as if it was not already, years of trying to return his families honor in the Family after his father tried to turn states evidence against the family and Luca has always followed the Families commandments , but a chance meeting with the beautiful Gabreille would change that all.
Gabreille, a narcotics officer with Las Vegas Pd , has revenge on her mind,,revenge for the death of her husband at the hands of a drug lord, the only way she has survived the past two years has been seeking that revenge and working the case, but a bullet takes her out of action and then off the narcotics team. If not for that bullet though she would never have met the sexy, sweet seductive Luca; Luca that awakens her after two years of lonely mourning.
One small problem, Luca is a mob capo and being involved with a cop never mind associating with one if discovered could use not only find him dishonor ing his family name again, but it could find him dead.
The one thing that may protect them is both the mob and the cops want Garcia the drug lord gone.
Besides a wonderfully gritty story line the author has these two setting the pages on fire in so many delicious ways , all while keeping the hunt for Garcia alive with multiple twist and turns.
This story will suck you in and hold you till the end and leave you wanting more.

Arc copy provided in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley

A very captivating and interesting storyline, complex characters, lies, betrayal, danger, and twists.

Luca is protective, loyal, sexy and ruthless. Gaby seemed naïve and young but then she turns around and is fierce, you just didn’t know what to expect. It was hard for me to understand the outdated opinions regarding the mafia’s wife and mistress but it was definitely great to read it as part of this story.

I really liked this book. It was suspenseful and had a lot of twists that kept it interesting.

I usually don't like anything mafia related but I loved Luca. He was the perfect balance between a bada$$ crime boss and unbelievably sweet boyfriend. The two sides of Luca could really contradict themselves but they actually worked perfect together. Gabrielle was the perfect heroine. I loved her balls to the wall attitude. She was the perfect woman to balance Luca out. Great story with lots of steam and suspense. Loved the twist at the end.

If you read my review of Nico (Ruin & Revenge #1) you know that I LOVED it and I thought Sarah Castille did a great job with pulling me into the story and making me feel as if I was part of the famiglia, and Luca's story was no different.

Luca and Gabrielle meet under unusual circumstances which has Luca thinking he's died and gone to heaven because of the beautiful angel next to him....Love that! This is not your typical mafia romance, nope, because you know that a made man CANNOT be with a cop let alone a detective and that is exactly what Gabrielle is, a Las Vegas Police Detective.

I need to say that it's not an easy road for Luca and Gabrielle, and it's not only because of their "family" differences. This story has a lot of sexy times but more than that there is a ton of mystery/suspense coming from all directions. I am enjoying this series and I cannot wait for Rocco's story which is due out January 2018......only 6 months to go :)

What happens when a feisty cop with a vendetta meets a ruthless crime boss? Sparks fly! Luca and Gabrielle are like water and gasoline. They don't mix but are explosive when the flames of lust are added. Readers will enjoy watching the show. Definitely recommend.

I voluntarily read an advanced reviewers copy of this book

While this book was predictable is was also very good! I must say that yes I did have a very strong idea of who was doing what where...I still fell in love with both Luca and Gabrielle's romance.

This story to me was funny, heartbreaking, sexy and I found myself unable to put it down. Overall a great story!

Luca and Gabrielle are awesome together. The story was fast paced and flowed well. I t was a very emotional story and I was glad to see they managed to get through everything and come out the other side together.

This is the second book in the Ruin & Revenge series. They are standalones, so you don’t have to read them in order.

This is a tough review for me to write. I really liked Nico, but Luca was just an okay read for me.

This was slow to get me hooked. Once I got to around the 75% mark, I really liked it. The big downfall for me was that I figured out who the “bad” guy was right away. As soon as he was introduced, I knew he was the bad guy. There wasn’t much mystery to it for me.

I felt or what Gabriele went through. Having your husband murdered like David was, who wouldn’t want revenge? I know I would.

Hmm, now my thoughts on Luca. I’m honestly on the fence with him. He says that he was told Mateo wasn’t his. Wouldn’t he have had a DNA test done? I kept thinking, especially when Gabriele was pointing out on the similarities between Luca and Mateo, that he should have had one done. Why would he believe a liar that cheated and was a druggie? He was a shit father. No excuse for it at all.

I did like how Gabriele didn’t leave her safety to Luca and she took matters into her own hands.

The Paolo chapters felt a little like filler to me.

Overall, I would say to give it a chance. It just didn’t hit the mark for me.

4.5 Stars

I really liked this book! I’m not a huge fan of mafia romances as they tend to be an awkward read for me (I’m Italian, grew up Italian, lots of Italian clichés in mafia books resulting in lots of eye rolling from me…). But, I took a chance with Luca because I’ve read other books from Sarah Castille and really enjoyed them. Thankfully, she didn’t disappoint!

Up front, I will say that there are some Italian mafia clichés or, maybe if I’m truthful, Italian men clichés in Luca. Instead of making my eyes roll they made me smile and I fell in love with Luca Rizzoli. Castille handles him perfectly, keeping his machismo intact while allowing him to grow as a man and father. Gabrielle is just as delightful as she emerges from her shell, leaving behind the heartbroken, revengeful woman she started the book as. She became the strong, fun, sexy woman she was always meant to be.

At the heart of Luca is the story of two people who see the world through blacks and whites, but then learn to live in the grey areas. With Gabrielle a police officer and Luca a member of Casa Nostra, they seem to be doomed before they even start, but when their worlds collide in a hospital room all bets are off. The story plays out perfectly as they each learn new things about themselves that allows them to open up to love again.

I picked up Luca for the romance, but it was the suspense and surprise reveals that got my blood pumping and the pages turning (not to dismiss the amount of HOTNESS Sarah Castille brings to her books. Holy Cow!). The best part of this book was how well Castille wove together a great suspense story, allowing it to be told not just from Gabrielle’s and Luca’s point of view, but also from the POV of a troubled young man who plays a big role not only in bringing the story to its heart racing conclusion, but also gives the reader a newcomer’s perspective into how the mafia works.

There are great secondary characters. Luca’s typical Italian family, including his adorable son Matteo, brought levity to the story when it was needed. Gabrielle’s friends are not only a great support system for her, but Castille uses them wisely in helping Gaby see that not everything is black and white.

Luca can easily be read as a standalone, but you'll want to grab Nico and read it if you already haven't (I haven't, so guess what I'm doing?). Book 3, Rocco, is about the cold as ice Frankie and I hate that it'll be January before we can watch him melt!

4.5 stars for Luca. Heat level: 4

I received a copy of Luca from the publisher and InkSlingerPR in exchange for honest feedback.

3.5 Stars in my Sky

I read Luca quickly then delayed reviewing it. It took me a little while to write my review of Luca because even after sitting thinking about it for a while, I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about the story. This is largely because I loved Nico's book and although I liked Luca, I wasn't bowled over in the same way. I think this is mainly down to my uncertainty towards Gabrielle.

Luca is the ultimate alpha male. He's hot, sexy, determined, dominant and totally bad ass. If this is your thing then be prepared to swoon over Luca's dirty Mafioso badassness.

Gabrielle was a harder sell for me. I hate to say it but I didn't love her. I respected her mission and reasoning but didn't really like how quickly she changed her mind nor her unusual policing approach. This being said, I've never been faced my a hot Mafia Capo like Luca.

The naughty scenes are frequent, dirty and not for the faint hearted. Luca definitely lives up to his alpha status in these scenes.

It was great to catch up with some old favs and am looking forward to seeing which character is up next in the series.

I received a review copy

I could not finish this book. There wasn't a good hook to keep me going and the pace was a bit too slow--in my opinion.

Star crossed lovers for sure! Luca is a mafioso and Gaby is a cop. Their differences are obvious-Gaby is a law abiding citizen, Luca prefers to bend the law to his will. Gaby is a woman who takes care of herself while Luca feels that women should be protected. One thing they have in common (besides scorching hot chemistry) is their desire to get rid of the drug cartels in Las Vegas. While their methods might be different, the goal is the same. So, do the ends justify the means for Luca and Gaby?

Gaby's husband was a cop like her and he was killed in the line of duty by a drug kingpin. Gaby is determined to seek revenge but is removed from the case. She meets Luca by chance while they are in the hospital recovering from gunshot wounds and he is entranced by her. He uses his connections to track her down but when he finds out she is a cop it could be a deal breaker. There are few rules that are as strictly followed by the mafia as the 'thou shall not fraternize with cops'.

Gaby has always been an independent woman. She grew up without a mother and became a cop simply to try and make her father proud. Her marriage to David was important to her because he provided the stability she had missed in life. But, their life together was vanilla and after she meets Luca, she realizes that maybe she wants more from life. He is a bit 'old fashioned' when it comes to women (old fashioned as in cave man behavior) and frankly I found it a bit offensive. It wasn't really sexy. I am all for alpha men, but his behavior came off as casting women down to their 'proper place'. Not attractive.

Even with my irritation with Luca's abhorrent behavior, I was sucked into the story. Who is after Gaby? Will she kill the man responsible for her husband's death? Will Luca change his sexist beliefs and stop being a douche canoe (ok, the answer to that one is yes)? I really did want to know! So, even though I was not really rooting for Luca, I still cared what happened to Gaby! If you like star crossed/opposites attract type stories, this is an interesting pick for a weekend read! Nico, book 1, was better in my opinion though, so if you haven't check out that one, you should! Its also a pretty steamy read! Luca is quite the dirty dominate in the bedroom (and kitchen, and VIP room, and closet...)

Luca is the second instalment of the Ruin & Revenge series by Sarah Castille. A Mafia capo and a police detective lives intersect and the connection and the chemistry is instantaneous and too powerful to deny even though their professions are polar opposites and the danger of being together should be enough to keep apart. Gabrielle lost everything that matters to her and revenge is her only goal. Luca, a mafioso, is after the same target but for different reasons. An alliance is formed and a forbidden love blooms. This book will not disappoint!

I loved this book! It was so much more than I expected. I loved that it had some real meat and took awhile to get going which gave me time to become invested in the characters and see their relationship develop, not just wam-bam-thank-you-mam. This story has some grit, a few twists, and of course, a few smouldering love scenes. Everything this gal loves in a great romance novel. I didn't read the first novel in this series and therefore feel that this book could be read as a standalone. I rate this novel 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review. https://moesbookblog.wordpress.com/

Reviewed: July 3, 2017. Novel Publish Date: June 27, 2017.

This is book two in Ruin and Revenge series, but you don't need to have read book one, Nico, before this. While this book follows that one, and reading this before that would be spoilers, it doesn't really matter. I gave book one 4 stars.

I enjoyed this one a little more. It's still quite dark, with the Mafia being Luca's family and I think it's a little more violent, because Luca does like to get his hands dirty, but it gripped me a little more, I think. It kinda grabbed by the throat and didn't wanna let go, not til all had been revealed!

And let me tell ya, I did not see that one coming!! Nope, not even after that bombshell exploded, did I put the pieces together fast enough and I was like, say WHAT!!! I was somewhat shocked there.

I loved that Luca battles with himself over Gabrielle. Knowing she is a Detective and him not being able to walk away could cost him his life, but still, he cannot hold back the dam of protectiveness she unleashed in him.

Loved that Gabrielle didn't put her clues together fast enough about Luca. Loved that even though Luca is who he is, and who he belongs to, she can't walk away from the man she loves. Can't watch him lose his life! Oh I LOVED that, when Gabrielle does what she does!!

Glad that the bad guy gets his comeuppance, but not saying who or how.

There is, as in book one, a third person who has a say. I was worried for this person for a while, but loved how Castille worked him into the plot, and how, small and insignificant he is for most of the book, it's he who gives Luca and Gabrielle the in they need to get the job done.

Like I said, a darker, bloodier, read, mainly because Luca does like to lead by example but also because of what Luca suffers at the hands of the previously mentioned bad guy. Not nice reading that.

But!! Because it grabbed and didn't let go . . . .

5 full stars.

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Not reviewed, I unfortunately couldn't get into this book