She consumed his every thought and made him hunger for more. His life changed and no longer held the meaning it once had without her by his side. With her everything else fades into the background and his future seems brighter.

This is getting tagged as a favorite for me. I loved both characters and their chemistry. The story line was intense and the perfect amount of angst. The ending was... wow. Given how it all went down, I really want Lucca and Autumn's story. I read where the author said she has no plans to write them right now and that crushes and confuses me. Only one downside - although I'm right there with Aedry's insecurity over the chance of another woman due to Sal's world, I could've done with one or two fewer scenes. Overall, I highly recommend this book!

After living a life in the mob to support his brothers, Salvatore has known nothing else but violence. He’s done everything without fear or remorse. What he didn’t expect is to fall for his brother’s school counselor. She is the opposite of everything he stands for and now, he’ll do anything just to get a chance to love her.

I enjoyed this mobster-gets-salvation trope. The story has a bit of danger, drama, and good romance. Robson brought on the heat in Salvatore. Not that her previous books were not hot but this book’s level of spice is through the roof. Salvatore is sexy, broody, dangerous, and all kinds of yummy. To be the girl to tame this bad boy is a dream come true. Audrey is that girl. She is the pure and innocent heroine but tough enough to be Sal’s salvation. Robson did well with this matchup. I enjoyed seeing Sal squirm and do anything for her. Nothing like seeing a tough guy bend over backward for the love of his life.

This book is a little darker than Robson’s usual but I enjoyed it just the same. It’s a mafia story, so expect mafia related scenes like prostitution, fights, and murders, etc but nothing over the top. Overall, a great start to a hopefully a new series. At this time, Salvatore looks like a stand alone novel, but Robson left a few things open and hopefully we get HEA for the other characters.

I couldn't put this book down. Salvatore had that anti hero thing going on with just enough good guy peeking through that I simply was hooked right from the start. Giving up everything to save his brothers and getting trapped into a job that was as dangerous as lucrative at the same time was more than hard. From the first moment Sal laid eyes on Adrianna he knew she was different. She was his game changer. The playboy who never felt anything for any other woman felt everything and needed her like air. So many times I was afraid he'd break my heart with hers yet he didn't. Yes it was so irritating having the Donnie situation yet Sal never felt anything except brother type feelings for her. This author kept Sal totally faithful even when he was easily in situations that could have caused issues. He fell so hard for Aedry and he showed it with his loyalty.
I loved Aedry and how she poured her heart into her counseling kids. Sal's brothers thrived with her showering them with compassion and understanding. This book had highs, lows and definitely some suspense. Blood , violence and so many lies. Yet the way this played out showed everything Sal did, he did for the love of his brothers and most of all for Adriana.
Loved this so much.

I love Cecy. She is one of my favorite authors and I have read EVERYTHING she has written. Which is possibly the problem.
I’ve read her MMA themed books, her urban fantasy, and her romance. Eventually they would have to mesh together in a Mafia themed book. I usually like feeling like something is “home” but at some point things get too familiar and kind of take away from your read. That’s what this one gave me and I wasn’t pulled too much into this like I hoped I would have been.

Cecy Robson is a new author to me but this story captured my interest right away. Sal is the head muscle for Vin whose is trying to be the head of a crime family and failing at it. When Sal meets Aedry she is there to help with his younger brothers who are having issues in school but one look at her and Sal is hooked. None of this story is easy, Aedry is a believer in everything good and Sal has to represent everything bad even if he doesn’t want too. Aedry, Sal and even Donnie break your heart but you keep reading because the author gets you so invested. I will be looking for more from this author.

Wow, I should have read this one sooner. I've loved Ms. Robson's Once series and the O'Brien's. This was a good story. I enjoyed getting both perspectives.

I'm really hoping Lucca gets a book!!!

I've been a fan of Cecy Robson's books since she first started writing her Weird Girls urban fantasy series and I've followed as she moved into writing contemporary romances too. I already knew she writes excellent conflicted heroes but this time she's taken things a step darker as Salvatore is an enforcer for the mob. Don't go into this expecting it to be too dark though, Salvatore has done a lot of things he isn't proud of but he's never killed anyone and we don't see a huge amount of his gang life on page. There are a few scenes with his boss Vincent where lines are crossed and murder is involved but Salvatore is never the one pulling the trigger.

Salvatore never wanted to join the mob, he was actually training as an MMA fighter and close to hitting the big time but when his father brutally murdered his mother before killing himself Salvatore's life was turned upside-down overnight. Salvatore would to anything to protect his younger brothers Apollo and Gianno but he desperately needed money to fight for custody of them and stop them being swallowed up in a system he didn't trust to keep them safe. He turned to his childhood friend Vincent for help but that left him indebted to the son and heir of one of New Jersey's top crime bosses. Salvator's life is a dangerous one and he knows it's only a matter of time before he's forced to cross a line he can never come back from.

Aedry is the total opposite of Salvatore, she's shy, sweet and innocent with a heart of gold and a desperate need to help people. She is a guidance counsellor at the school Apollo and Gianno attend and she reaches out to Salvatore when his brothers get in trouble for fighting and skipping classes. The attraction between Aedry and Salvatore is instant but Salvatore is unwilling to pull her into his dangerous world and Aedry knows she'd never be able to hold the attention of someone so magnetic. Instead she focuses on helping his brothers and by doing that she starts to turn the whole family's lives around.

I have to admit I got a little frustrated that Salvatore kept pushing Aedry away but not giving her the full information on why he didn't feel good enough for her. He was trying to be noble but he was keeping so many secrets that she wasn't able to make an informed decision about whether she wanted to be in his life or not. I did think their romance was incredibly sweet though, I loved the interactions between the whole family and the way she became a motherly figure for Salvatore's brothers. She brought a lot of stability to all of their lives and I liked how protective they became of her when they thought Salvatore wasn't treating her right. Aedry put up with a lot from Salvatore, there were times when I wanted her to push back at him harder but in the end she did stand her ground and make the best choice for her own peace of mind.

The ending seemed a little too easy considering the situation Salvatore was in at the beginning but I really liked how things turned out for them as a family so I'm willing to overlook that. I did really enjoy the story and I'm looking forward to the next book in this series which I hope will be about Lucca and Autumn.

I haven’t read many novels about mafia, but I must admit that when I saw that Cecy Robson, an author I love, was getting into it, I didn’t resist for very long! I must say that I had recently read novels in this context by another author and I loved them, so I was curious to discover the author’s ideas.

I admit that it was nice, but it wasn’t what I expected. Salvatore is a man who after his parents’ death had to take care of his two brothers and for that, he had to ally himself with organized crime. Even if it doesn’t define him, even if he doesn’t like it, he knows that he can’t escape it. So when he meets Aedry, who is trying to help her brothers as much as she can and who also awakens something in him that he has never felt before, he knows that things will not be easy.

I had a good time with the novel, but my feelings are a little mixed. I really enjoyed following the two characters and seeing them evolve. I also really appreciated Salvatore’s brothers who are really very touching. On the other hand, I had trouble with the very accentuated side about the fact that Aedry is a virgin. It’s something with which I have more and more difficulty in novels, especially when it’s a very important part of the story. I also asked myself questions about some reversals of situations, but overall I found it quite nice and I’m curious to read on!

When Sal lost his mother to a murder suicide at 21, he made a pact with the devil to get the legal help he needed to claim his two younger brothers and become their guardian. Fast forward 6 years and Sal is walking the edge. Tittering on the ledge and everyday coming closer and closer to the no turning back point.

His brothers and his own determination are the only things holding him back from becoming fully immersed in the mafia lifestyle. When he meets Aedry it becomes crystal clear that life is worth more than the darkness he’s been fighting every day.

Although not as dark as I was expecting, I still got sucked into Sal and Aedry’s angsty journey. I loved Sal’s brothers, I loved Sal. He was such a romantic (gruff and broody) but with a heart full of love for his brothers and his woman. I also really loved Aedry, she was sweet but also so strong. She had to weather a lot but she never doubted her feelings for Sal or her belief that he was a good man. Even when he didn’t believe it himself, Aedry was always there to defend him.

The really dark gritty parts were mostly about Sal’s friend, Donnie. The mafia boss’s mistress. The intimate glimpses into her life were heartbreaking. Then there’s the most disgusting excuse for a human being that is Vin, the mob boss. This guy was just beyond skeevy and I was not sad to see the last of him.

I hope we get Luccas’ story next. After that explosive ending, I am dying to know what his story is. Not to mention his instant connection with Aedry’s nerdy BFF Autumn! I already ship those two so hard :)

Would I recommend? Yes, I enjoyed it and although the ending was a bit rushed, it was sweet and left me all the gooey warm feels. I loved both Sal and Aedry. Secondary characters were a bonus!

Oh Cecy Robson, you write books that suck me in and make me want to live in their world, no matter how dangerous it may be. And make no mistakes, Salvatore Romero's world is dangerous. But he has such a loving and protective heart. I just wanted to squeeze him. I really liked Aedry as well. She was innocent to the world Sal lived in but she had a strong backbone and didn't mind doing what needed to be done for herself, or the children she worked with at the school.

I'm curious to see if Lucca will get a book. Or Autumn. Or maybe their book will be one and the same ;) And what happens to Apollo and Gianna when they grow up.

There are stories, which will break your heart piece by piece and then slowly mend each broken piece until its whole again. Salvatore by Cecy Robson was one such book for me.
Salvatore works for the mob, but his heart is not in it. He does it to repay a favour. He had a challenging childhood. Left home at 16 to become an MMA fighter so he could help his mom and brothers. However, tragic circumstances forced him to give up his dream, and he had to raise his brothers. However, his need to take care of his brothers was not without its challenges, and to overcome the obstacles he found himself indebted to a mob boss. Hence, his current occupation, bodyguard to said mob boss mistress. All this occurred when he was barely 21. The battle for his soul would be his biggest challenge yet as his boss is determined to drag him deeper into the belly of the underworld. Then he meets Adrianna, who encompasses sweetness and innocence. He knew he should avoid her, but the pull was too strong.
Adrianna is a guidance counsellor for an inner-city high school. Her desire is to help students who had potential to succeed, so when the Romero brothers caught her attention she had to stage an intervention. However, nothing could prepare for, Salvatore their big brother and guardian.
Adrianna grew up in a Christian home. Conservative from head to toe not the kind of person who belongs in Sal’s world, but they cannot stay away from each other.
She is light in his dark world. He knows he is not the right man for her, but the heart want what it wants. Walking away would prove to a hard task.
Sal made many mistakes along the way. The secrets and the lies would be too much for any well thinking person to tolerate. I knew the reason he lied. It was out of fear of losing her, but I still did not agree with his actions. He tried separating both his worlds, but eventually they would collide.
It took a while for Adrianna to recognize he was hiding things from her, but when she did, she had no qualms of letting him know how much she detested his actions. Despite her love for him, there were certain things she could not accept.
I loved his protective nature towards his brothers and Adriana. I enjoyed the interaction between Sal and his brothers. They were not afraid to stand up to him and call him out on his mistakes.

I must admit I took a while to get on board with an HEA Sal and Adrianna. Their worlds were so far apart. An innocent woman with a Christian upbringing and a man hardened by his past and works for the mob. I kept wondering how the author would work out this precarious situation.

The story was not as dark as I had expected. In fact, when compared to other dark stories I have read this one was rather tame. However, this was darker than the stories the author is known for.

The twist near to the end of the story came so unexpected it took a while for me to come terms with it. Never once throughout the story did I get a hint that this would transpire. Talk about a mind-blowing moment.

I felt the events leading up to the HEA could have done with more development. This aspect of the story felt rushed and left me disappointed. Despite this, I enjoyed the story.

Conclusion/Recommendation
This moving story captured the complexities of loving someone whose life is shadowed by pain and darkness. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Cecy Robson delivered an emotional read and one I recommend to fans of mafia romance.

Sal just wanted to protect his family and ends up working for the mob. He believes Adrianna is his opposite, but sparks fly. He knows he should stay away but just can’t. Great read with plenty of drama and suspense. Steamy chemistry and an entertaining story. I liked it.

When I received an email with an review request for ‘Salvatore’ by Cecy Robson and read the book description, I signed up as fast as I could. This book just sounded like a great read and I really wanted to get my hands on an ARC. So I was super excited when I got the email with the ARC, and started reading as fast as I could.

‘Salvatore’ is the third book by Cecy Robson I read and I must say it’s my absolute favorite so far. I loved ‘Salvatore’ from the moment I started reading until the very last page. I just loved everything about this read.

The two main characters Salvatore and Aedry couldn’t have been more different. Salvatore has been living a hard life for a long time. In order to save his brothers and to make sure they get the best possible life he has to do a job he hates and is more than dangerous. Working for a crime boss definitely isn’t easy and puts him at risk almost every day. Aedry is a hardworking ‘good’ girl, who tries to save kids that are going on the wrong path. Salvatore and Aedry shouldn’t work. But from the moment they met, there live changed forever.

I loved getting to know both Salvatore and Aedry. Their chemistry is definitely intense and flying of the pages. They are so different but instantly feel this attraction for each other. There romance was just amazing to read about, and I couldn’t stop reading. I found myself trying to read every single spare moment, just to find out what would happen to them. I loved how Salvatore was all hard and tough, only not when he was with Aedry.

Although this book is a romance, I also found there to be pretty thrilling suspense moments, especially near the end of the book. There was so much happening, and I just couldn’t imagine how everything was going to work out. I was rooting for these two characters from the very start and I just couldn’t get enough of them.

There is also a hint of a possible other story in this series with Aedry’s best friend, and I can’t wait to find out more about the books in this series. I definitely would like to get my hands on those too.

‘Salvatore’ was a great read, I definitely loved. If your looking for some hot romance this book is definitely for you. A great beginning to a new series if you ask me.

Salvatore by Cecy Robson is the story of Salvatore Romero and Adrianna Daniels.
Sal had to take over raising his brothers after his father and mother died at his father's hands. So he ended up going to the family mob Vincent Maggiano to be able to keep his family together. Which he pretty much sold his sole to keep his brothers. Now Sal is knees deep in and he meets Adrianna who is his brother school counselor. Adrianna is the button up, awkward bookish type so different from what women Sal goes with. But Adrianna is nothing but loving and caring which slowly makes Sal want to be the man that Adrianna deserves.
Enjoyed their story.

He did what he had to do to save his family and now he's paying with his own soul until a woman comes along to shine light into his darkness. The author excels at alpha bad boys with generous hearts of gold and it is never so visible as in Salvatore, the first in a hot and darker new series.

Salvatore is a love conquers all wrong side of the tracks urban romance between a mafia don's bodyguard and a high school guidance counselor. Salvatore gave up his own life to the mob to save his brothers from being lost in the system. Now, his boss wants to drag him in deeper so that there is no way out. Aedry is a sweet southern gal come north to give her heart to helping inter-city Jersey kids get a chance at success. The Romero brothers are smart and have great potential so she charges in to make their older brother who is their guardian aware that they are on the brink of bad mistakes. Aedry has never encountered a man like Sal who shocks all her sensibilities with a challenge in his dark eyes and a sizzling suggestion on his tongue. Sal has the same stunner when his brother's counselor turns out to be too good and pure to believe. Does this impossible pair stand a chance?

Well, that was something else. The author's usual powerful and emotion-producing writing was definitely out in full force. She is in a setting she writes well. Lower class, inter-city neighborhoods and people with the exception of the southern transplanted heroine. Dialogue fully of gritty wit and sizzling romance with characters up against a tough situation. I was totally down for that.

However, this success in dipping her toe into mafia is a qualified one for me. I've read my fair share of dark romance and specifically dark mafia or gang romances so I was prepared for all that can entail. In truth, I found this one on the milder to moderate end of the spectrum. Though, that said, if others are coming to this after experiencing the author's earlier releases, the warning that its darker is spot on. The mafia world, the violence, and the dirty talking in your face vice and lusty romance was good and on par with what I wanted and expected in such a story.

What had me on the fence somewhat was Aedry. Is there a thing of too opposite in an opposites attract romance? For me, that is where I was at when all was said and done. I loved Sal in all his flawed, cocky glory as he learned how to treat a worthy woman and heal from his own painful past. I adored Aedry as this beautiful soul trying to save the world one underprivileged kid at a time. She grew up sheltered in a religious farming family and brought some of that fresh faced value into the city. She's basically an untouched virgin who has little inkling of what the life of the kids in her case load are dealing with, but she cares and that can go far with a teen. To her getting wild is dressing up in pants and a blouse to go clubbing with a girl posse not watching a mob conduct business like Sal does on a daily basis. They were both wonderful people and I could see where there might be some attraction in stepping out of their norm and trying the different and the new. I could also see how the pair of them would bond over loving and wanting the best for his younger brothers which was what initially brought them into each other's orbit.
But, it was after that, when the relationship started to form, that I have to admit that I wasn't buying the promise of long-term. This is just me. Others might and will see them as perfect for each other. And, I don't mean that this ruined this story at all. Not by a long shot. There is a reason why I am a fan and the author is auto-buy. Even when I was on the fence about the heroine as the romance interest, I was still all in with loving on this story.

All in all, this was a fabulous gritty and intense beginning to love and life in a mafia world. I look forward to what is coming next in this series and can heartily recommend this one to those who enjoy mild to moderate spicy mafia romance.

Since the beginning of time when confronted with protecting ones family, a person will do almost anything to keep them safe. But at what cost? I felt for Adrianna who being young and naïve, understood Salatore’s need to take care of his brothers, but not to the extent he did his job. Torn between right and wrong, both must make a choice. I found myself asking myself what I would do in Aedry’s case.
Cecy Robson has written a story with a dramatic ending that I absolutely loved and can’t wait for the book.

Salvatore is in charge of his teenage brothers after the brutal death of their parents. In order to protect and provide for them, he makes a deal with Vincent the local mob boss. It is not ideal but Sal grew up in the streets. He can handle himself. He just want to make sure he maintains guardianship on the boys.

Aedry is this shy church going girl from the south. She is the guidance counselor at the school the boys goes to. She notices that they are not doing good in school and she reaches out to Sal to get his help to ensure they get back on the right path.

I enjoyed the story but there was something off. I liked Sal. He is all the way Alpha male. He shows that he cares about his brothers. He gave up his dreams to protect them. He falls for Aedry but he goes to great lengths to hide who he is from her. I think all of the lies started to weigh me down. The two main characters seem to be so conflicted with their paths in life.

Since I tend to read more traditional mafia romances, the author spent a little too much time focusing on the family unit of the story. I liked the boys but I didn't care to know much about them. I just wanted them to come to a resolution which they eventually did.

The end was a shocker. Lucca caught me off guard. I want to know more about him.

ARC provided to me for an honest review.

“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!