What do you think?
Rate this book
Ruthless People #1
Ruthless People
To the outside world, they look like American Royalty, giving to charities, feeding the homeless, rebuilding the city. But behind closed doors is a constant battle for dominance between two Bosses, cultures, and hearts.
Ruthless People is a romantic crime fiction set in modern day Chicago, following the life and marriage of Melody Nicci Giovanni and Liam Callahan—rivals by blood and leaders through fear. Their marriage was arranged by their fathers in hopes to end years of bloodshed between the Irish and the Italians.
Liam, next in line to lead the Irish, believes he’s getting a simple-minded wife, one he can control, one who bends to his every need . . . the complete opposite of Melody. Bred to be a Boss, a world-class marksman, master of disguise, with no mercy and no fear. Twenty-four years later, she has achieved more than any man could even dream of, killing anyone who steps in her way. She knows exactly what type of man Liam is, and she would rather die than give up the power she has spent her whole life building. But with no other family left, she must not only learn to work with Liam, but the whole Callahan clan.
The Mafia of the past is evolving, and with rival bosses gunning for them, Melody and Liam will have to figure out how to work as one to take down those who stand in their way, all while keeping up appearances.
Power, Family, and Respect are everything.
Warning: This book contains adult language and subject matter including graphic violence and explict sex that may be disturbing for some readers. This book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
Ruthless People is a romantic crime fiction set in modern day Chicago, following the life and marriage of Melody Nicci Giovanni and Liam Callahan—rivals by blood and leaders through fear. Their marriage was arranged by their fathers in hopes to end years of bloodshed between the Irish and the Italians.
Liam, next in line to lead the Irish, believes he’s getting a simple-minded wife, one he can control, one who bends to his every need . . . the complete opposite of Melody. Bred to be a Boss, a world-class marksman, master of disguise, with no mercy and no fear. Twenty-four years later, she has achieved more than any man could even dream of, killing anyone who steps in her way. She knows exactly what type of man Liam is, and she would rather die than give up the power she has spent her whole life building. But with no other family left, she must not only learn to work with Liam, but the whole Callahan clan.
The Mafia of the past is evolving, and with rival bosses gunning for them, Melody and Liam will have to figure out how to work as one to take down those who stand in their way, all while keeping up appearances.
Power, Family, and Respect are everything.
Warning: This book contains adult language and subject matter including graphic violence and explict sex that may be disturbing for some readers. This book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
511 pages, Paperback
First published July 14, 2014
About the author
J.J. McAvoy
35 books5,613 followersI’m a twenty-year-old something born in Montreal, Canada but currently living in Virginia for school. I would tell you want my major is however after two years I still have no idea what I’m doing.
So I’m a writer (duh that’s how you found me), movie enthusiast, and self-proclaimed chef. I love music even though I can’t sing or dance to save my life. (That doesn’t necessarily stop me but you’ve been warned.)
I started Ruthless People the summer of 2013 in hopes of giving myself a new type of love and crime drama. I never knew so many people thought like me! I feel truly blessed to have fans like you all! Writing is my true love and having you all enjoy my words is a dream come true.
I'm on
Facebook
Tumblr
Instagram
and
Youtube
So I’m a writer (duh that’s how you found me), movie enthusiast, and self-proclaimed chef. I love music even though I can’t sing or dance to save my life. (That doesn’t necessarily stop me but you’ve been warned.)
I started Ruthless People the summer of 2013 in hopes of giving myself a new type of love and crime drama. I never knew so many people thought like me! I feel truly blessed to have fans like you all! Writing is my true love and having you all enjoy my words is a dream come true.
I'm on
Tumblr
and
Youtube
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,391 reviews
March 20, 2018
★★★★★! Ruthless People, book 1 of 4. A whirlwind, blood-filled merger of two mafia houses and the power struggle / fuck-fest that ensues between a prodigal son & a mafia heiress!
“She fucking shot me. I had been so shocked and horny that my mind couldn’t even comprehend what had happened.”
Books in series should be read in order:
Book 0.5: Declan + Coraline
Book 1: Ruthless People
Book 2: Untouchables
Book 3: American Savages
Book 4: A Bloody Kingdom
The Ruthless People trilogy follows two mafia families, The Callahan’s (Irish) and The Giovanni’s (Italian) in their merge, through marriage, with the intent of maintaining power, wealth and world domination through mainly drug trafficking and corruption by a.n.y. m.e.a.n.s. n.e.c.e.s.s.a.r.y.!
Ruthless People (book 1) opens up to prodigal son Liam Alec Callahan, in bed with his mistress reflecting over the marriage contract that had been signed twelve years prior between two of the most powerful mafia houses in the world - his family and The Giovanni’s.
Liam has worked tirelessly alongside his father and the time has finally come for his father to pass the reigns and title of Ceann na Conairte to him. Heiress Melody Nicci Giovanni is the final piece in the puzzle. Through their marriage he will not only take over his father’s, but also her father’s mafia empire AND gain a meek wife to represent them to the world…
Nothing, I repeat nothing could have prepared Liam for Melody! For the past six years, in complete secrecy and hidden from the world, Melody aka The Boss has been running her family empire and she is not happy about her upcoming marriage. Needless to say their first meeting did not go well, mainly for Liam. LOL!
Story follows Liam and Melody, America’s new favorite couple, in the power struggle that ensues while Melody is integrated into her new family. What works in their favor is their intense and undeniable sexual attraction. They soon discover that they are extremely compatible in bed and based on that they can come to an understanding on how to run their empire.
Challenged for world domination by The Valero’s (Russians) as well as the new Chicago Police Commissioner is quickly complicated by set-backs and more importantly when feelings enter the picture. Strap on your seatbelt for a ride like no other filled with suspense, intrigue, murder, corruption, violence, manipulation and… mind-blowing sex!
“She looks like a sweet little lamb from afar, but when you get close, you find out she skinned and ate the damn thing just to use it as a coat. She’s a beast.”
Melody Nicci Giovanni aka The Boss aka Bloody Melody might go down in my book history! She had the perfect blend of strong, bad-ass heroine, vulnerable, broken girl and men-at-your-feet temptress with a temper!
Nine words to describe Melody: V.o.l.a.t.i.l.e., motivated, competitive, fierce, smart, calculated, emotional, hot-headed and ruthless.
“She is. . . she is Bloody Melody and perfect. God created her and then shattered the mold afterward, for the world could not handle two of her.”
I don’t know who I love more Liam Alec Callahan aka Ceann na Conairte or his Melody. Much of my early enjoyment was derived from Liam’s fall into whopped, but he quickly landed on his feet and found a balance between whopped, in charge and diplomacy. As the layers are peeled, add to that the story about his childhood, and it’ll be hard not to love this ruthless killer.
Nine words to describe Liam: Focused, cocky, calculated, reflective, jaded, hot-headed, vulnerable, diplomatic and ruthless.
“I loved being dominated in such a beastly sexual way. How his hands, lips and tongue all grabbed on to me.”
It takes skill to write a story where the bad guys become the heroes & the good guys are made into villains! Just be warned, though I saw HUGE personal growth on both MCs and side characters, these people are savages with no remorse or compassion and their singular focus is selfish and superficial – within the confines of the family!
I devoured this story; every page, every sentence, every word! The best way to describe the ending is the most loose-ends were tied up and we were given a promising teaser to the next chapter of their lives! I cannot wait for book 2, The Untouchables .
Outstanding character development! Fascinating heroine. To-die-for hero! Brilliant plot! Mesmerizing storytelling! Hot-as-fuck sex! This story reeks of 6-stars! My hat off to J.J. McAvoy for an a.m.a.z.i.n.g. debut!
“That ticks me off!” She snapped. “Since when could you bribe me with treats like a fucking child.”
I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. “So no smoothie then?”
“Mango, banana, orange and extra kiwi,” she replied before hanging up.”
***
Hero rating: 5+ stars
Heroine rating: 5+ stars
Sexual tension rating: 5+ stars
Sex scenes rating: 5+ stars
Sex scenes frequency: 4.5 stars
Plot rating: 5 stars
Dialogue rating: 5+ stars
Storytelling rating: 5+ stars
Story ending rating: N/A
*********************************************
Overall rating: 5+ stars
Would I recommend this series: Yes, absolutely.
Would I re-read this series: Yes, absolutely.
Would I read future books by this author: Yes.
Thanks to all my fellow buddy-readers on Shh…: https://goo.gl/En0XOU
ARC provided to me by author, J.J. McAvoy in exchange for an honest review.
February 16, 2016
DNF @ 35%
The Takeaway: Wikipedia is not a reliable source for research into organized crime. Neither is Google Translate for languages you clearly don't speak.
The Takeaway #2: Mafias are not 007 James Bond spies. Stop acting like they are.
Well that was a huge swing and a miss.
I only got to about 35% before I honestly couldn't continue. And yet, I have more thoughts on this book than I do sometimes about books I actually completed. All I can really say about this book is: if you're going to do a book about the mafia do your fucking research. I think some authors of this genre forget that while illegal, organized crime is a very real thing and inaccurately representing this lifestyle and culture to satisfy your own story's needs is a slap in the face.
Synopsis: The Irish and the Italians decided awhile ago to marry off their kids to cement an alliance. Liam, from the Irish, is being prepped to take over his father's business and Melody is the only child of Orlando Giovanni - the Don of the Italians. (That's another thing, the term for the Italian head is Don not fucking Boss.) Little does anyone know that Orlando has been dying of cancer so Melody has been running her the ITALIAN FUCKING MAFIA SINCE SHE WAS 18. And trust me, I have more to say about that, I am just warming up.
Ok, fuck, I have no idea where to start because I have so much boiling in me right now I need to center myself.
Let's just get the characters over with. Melody. Jesus Christ. Quite honestly the worst female character I have ever read, and how the hell did she upset me having only read 35% of the book. People will argue that she's a strong, independent, temperamental, ruthless boss. NO. She is an immature, over-the-top, dramatic caricature. She is not even real. She's a psychopath. And trust me I LOVE psychopaths (enter Fredrik from the In The Company of Killers series by JA Redmerski) but what Melody lacked was her depth and humanity making her a very boring character, flat, and not even one-dimensional... whatever is less than that - that is what she was.
Now excuse me because I just have to drag her right now. SHE IS TWENTY FOUR YEARS OLD. And she is Don of the Giovanni family. In what universe does the author think this is acceptable. I'm sick of seeing all these characters being so fucking young and running their crime groups. Honestly, you guys. There is a better chance that I, also at 24 years old, would become President of the United States. You see how impossible and insulting this is to the Mafia? I cannot. While it's not unheard of for women to have a place in the Mafia, it's not common. LEAST OF ALL TO BE THE DON. Give me a goddamn break. I liked the idea that she was behind-the-scenes for her dying father - that could have worked very well for the story. But head of the whole thing? Don't insult me. Not to mention there was no Consigliere in this book. The Italian mob can't run without one. The lack of knowledge of the Italian Mafia's hierarchy had my blood boiling. Any Wikipedia page I'm sure this author used as her sole research would have had a basic structure. Also, I wasn't a fan of how the Irish were portrayed either. The Irish Mob isn't as organized as it is in this book being portrayed like they are the Kardashians or some shit. No. They're not nearly as infamous as the Italians are. Not to mention their sole income is drugs? -sighs- Ok. Mafias always have their toes in multiple illegal activities.
Now quick side note for females in organized crime: If you want to see a phenomenal portrayal of this, read Savages by Don Winslow and then do yourself a favor to see how Salma Hayek portrays it in the film because she alone makes that movie. She's also not 24 years old.
Two more things Melody did that bothered THE FUCK out of me:
1. She intentionally kills a pregnant woman in the beginning. Ok. This would never happen coming from someone of the Italian Mob. They value woman and children and God so much this would never happen. The Cartel and the Triad is a different story.
2. She shoots up the Callahan's secret door because she's missing out on a meeting. A bullet hits the Irish crime boss in the chest - but thank fucking god he was wearing a bullet proof vest. This happens within the first 20% of the story and honestly, the story would have ended here because doing this WOULD HAVE GOTTEN HER KILLED because it was essentially seen as a hit on the boss. The Irish wouldn't have thought twice on shooting her. SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD. I AM SO ANGRY SHE WAS NOT SHOT FOR WHAT SHE DID.
I'm still angry. I really have nothing to say about Liam except there was nothing remarkable about him, you could probably pick him up and drop him in some other mafia book - nothing about him stood out.
Now let's talk about their relationship. Instalove. And laughable at that. I am all for the hate sex in books but literally the first time they have hate sex they decide they're gonna work together and rule the world and then at their wedding they're professing their undying devotion to each other. I can't. I honestly can't decide what is worse - the crime or the romance.
I also saw really awkwardly worded sentences, incorrect grammar usage, and spelling mistakes. Also. I really want to talk about the language used in this. I am all for a well placed "fuck" in a sentence. But when I AM noticing how much cursing is in this book, I think you're overdoing it. Honestly. The curse words were a little excessive and didn't even drive the point home - they were kind of unnecessary. Again, if I'm saying that...
I think that's all I have to say about the first 35% of the book. I feel marginally better ridding myself of this and getting my feelings off my chest.
The Takeaway: Wikipedia is not a reliable source for research into organized crime. Neither is Google Translate for languages you clearly don't speak.
The Takeaway #2: Mafias are not 007 James Bond spies. Stop acting like they are.
Well that was a huge swing and a miss.
I only got to about 35% before I honestly couldn't continue. And yet, I have more thoughts on this book than I do sometimes about books I actually completed. All I can really say about this book is: if you're going to do a book about the mafia do your fucking research. I think some authors of this genre forget that while illegal, organized crime is a very real thing and inaccurately representing this lifestyle and culture to satisfy your own story's needs is a slap in the face.
Synopsis: The Irish and the Italians decided awhile ago to marry off their kids to cement an alliance. Liam, from the Irish, is being prepped to take over his father's business and Melody is the only child of Orlando Giovanni - the Don of the Italians. (That's another thing, the term for the Italian head is Don not fucking Boss.) Little does anyone know that Orlando has been dying of cancer so Melody has been running her the ITALIAN FUCKING MAFIA SINCE SHE WAS 18. And trust me, I have more to say about that, I am just warming up.
Ok, fuck, I have no idea where to start because I have so much boiling in me right now I need to center myself.
Let's just get the characters over with. Melody. Jesus Christ. Quite honestly the worst female character I have ever read, and how the hell did she upset me having only read 35% of the book. People will argue that she's a strong, independent, temperamental, ruthless boss. NO. She is an immature, over-the-top, dramatic caricature. She is not even real. She's a psychopath. And trust me I LOVE psychopaths (enter Fredrik from the In The Company of Killers series by JA Redmerski) but what Melody lacked was her depth and humanity making her a very boring character, flat, and not even one-dimensional... whatever is less than that - that is what she was.
Now excuse me because I just have to drag her right now. SHE IS TWENTY FOUR YEARS OLD. And she is Don of the Giovanni family. In what universe does the author think this is acceptable. I'm sick of seeing all these characters being so fucking young and running their crime groups. Honestly, you guys. There is a better chance that I, also at 24 years old, would become President of the United States. You see how impossible and insulting this is to the Mafia? I cannot. While it's not unheard of for women to have a place in the Mafia, it's not common. LEAST OF ALL TO BE THE DON. Give me a goddamn break. I liked the idea that she was behind-the-scenes for her dying father - that could have worked very well for the story. But head of the whole thing? Don't insult me. Not to mention there was no Consigliere in this book. The Italian mob can't run without one. The lack of knowledge of the Italian Mafia's hierarchy had my blood boiling. Any Wikipedia page I'm sure this author used as her sole research would have had a basic structure. Also, I wasn't a fan of how the Irish were portrayed either. The Irish Mob isn't as organized as it is in this book being portrayed like they are the Kardashians or some shit. No. They're not nearly as infamous as the Italians are. Not to mention their sole income is drugs? -sighs- Ok. Mafias always have their toes in multiple illegal activities.
Now quick side note for females in organized crime: If you want to see a phenomenal portrayal of this, read Savages by Don Winslow and then do yourself a favor to see how Salma Hayek portrays it in the film because she alone makes that movie. She's also not 24 years old.
Two more things Melody did that bothered THE FUCK out of me:
1. She intentionally kills a pregnant woman in the beginning. Ok. This would never happen coming from someone of the Italian Mob. They value woman and children and God so much this would never happen. The Cartel and the Triad is a different story.
2. She shoots up the Callahan's secret door because she's missing out on a meeting. A bullet hits the Irish crime boss in the chest - but thank fucking god he was wearing a bullet proof vest. This happens within the first 20% of the story and honestly, the story would have ended here because doing this WOULD HAVE GOTTEN HER KILLED because it was essentially seen as a hit on the boss. The Irish wouldn't have thought twice on shooting her. SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD. I AM SO ANGRY SHE WAS NOT SHOT FOR WHAT SHE DID.
I'm still angry. I really have nothing to say about Liam except there was nothing remarkable about him, you could probably pick him up and drop him in some other mafia book - nothing about him stood out.
Now let's talk about their relationship. Instalove. And laughable at that. I am all for the hate sex in books but literally the first time they have hate sex they decide they're gonna work together and rule the world and then at their wedding they're professing their undying devotion to each other. I can't. I honestly can't decide what is worse - the crime or the romance.
I also saw really awkwardly worded sentences, incorrect grammar usage, and spelling mistakes. Also. I really want to talk about the language used in this. I am all for a well placed "fuck" in a sentence. But when I AM noticing how much cursing is in this book, I think you're overdoing it. Honestly. The curse words were a little excessive and didn't even drive the point home - they were kind of unnecessary. Again, if I'm saying that...
I think that's all I have to say about the first 35% of the book. I feel marginally better ridding myself of this and getting my feelings off my chest.
November 20, 2023
5 ruthlessly sexy stars
Two powerful families, two cultures, merged together to create one force, one rule. To the outside world they are royalty; elegant, classy, charitable and family oriented but to everyone else they are the Boss and the Ceann na Conairte. Apart they are your worst nightmare, but together they own you, mind, body and soul.
The rivalry between the Italians and the Irish has gone on long enough, coming to an end with the marriage of Liam and Melody. Honoring their father’s and family’s wishes, it is time for them to step up, take the reins and merge their forces to rule the world. It doesn’t matter that they have never met, what matters is how it benefits their family.
Liam was under the impression he was going to get a mouse for a wife, someone who the world would fall in love with to cover their true line of business, but instead he got a cold hearted boss who is even more dangerous than he is because she looks like a mouse but has a heart of a lion.
A battle for dominance sets off and it’s up to them to come to a truce and compromise their demands for the good of the family...
They come up with their own rules, ones that will ensure their future, their success and take the world by storm...
Melody considers this another business transaction, willing to commit herself to the family and her husband, but nothing more. The only thing between her and Liam is sex, no-holds-bar-downright-ruthless-sex. Liam wants more than just her body and her mind, he wants her heart and soul and if he has to play dirty to get it, then so be it...
While trying to bring the families together, they have to also deal with the city coming down on them and other families wanting to take their new force down. Staying strong and relying on each other is the only way to come out alive, fuck the consequences.
I absolutely freakin LOVED Ruthless People, it was highly entertaining with two strong willed dominant personalities battling it out to be the one on top. It was raw, gritty, and ruthless... I loved the balance between class and punishment, just because you sold drugs for a living of killed a person or two doesn’t mean you can dress well, exude class, give to the needy and respect family morals and culture. Melody was a complete bad ass, sexy and charming and eerily frightening. Liam was ever the alpha man, but he respected his wife’s abilities and as much as he wanted to lock her away and protect her, he let her be free and be the person she was meant to be.
It was completely different than anything I ever read, and I totally appreciated the fact that the drama didn't revolve around stupidity, lying or cheating. I honestly hope and pray that there is more to come because this is one story that I will never forget and will definitely re-read. Some may find it over the top, after all it is fiction, but if you can accept the story for what it is, then you will enjoy just as much. So if you are in a mood for a fast-action-packed read that is full of steam and power play this is the book for you.
ARC kindly provided by The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
***Quotes above are taken from the ARC version of the book and may differ upon publication.
I. Am. All. You. Have. Just as you are all I have – My family and loyalty start with you and you alone.
Two powerful families, two cultures, merged together to create one force, one rule. To the outside world they are royalty; elegant, classy, charitable and family oriented but to everyone else they are the Boss and the Ceann na Conairte. Apart they are your worst nightmare, but together they own you, mind, body and soul.
He was known as the “Boogeyman of the East,” and I was the unknown “Wicked Witch of the West.”
The rivalry between the Italians and the Irish has gone on long enough, coming to an end with the marriage of Liam and Melody. Honoring their father’s and family’s wishes, it is time for them to step up, take the reins and merge their forces to rule the world. It doesn’t matter that they have never met, what matters is how it benefits their family.
Rule One: You kill for family. You die for family. Because you can’t trust anyone else.
Rule Two: Take no prisoners and have no regrets about it.
Rule Three: Just because you sell drugs for a living isn’t an excuse not to dress well.
Rule Four: No bloody divorce.
Liam was under the impression he was going to get a mouse for a wife, someone who the world would fall in love with to cover their true line of business, but instead he got a cold hearted boss who is even more dangerous than he is because she looks like a mouse but has a heart of a lion.
A battle for dominance sets off and it’s up to them to come to a truce and compromise their demands for the good of the family...
“Everything we don’t agree on, we fuck out.”
They come up with their own rules, ones that will ensure their future, their success and take the world by storm...
Rule One: After, or during, our meeting and chats we make sure to fuck each other’s brains out.
Rule Two: We never use a condom
Rule Three: We trust no one but each other.
Melody considers this another business transaction, willing to commit herself to the family and her husband, but nothing more. The only thing between her and Liam is sex, no-holds-bar-downright-ruthless-sex. Liam wants more than just her body and her mind, he wants her heart and soul and if he has to play dirty to get it, then so be it...
Step one, smother her with love.
Step two, take that love away.
Step three, drag the raw emotions out of her kicking and screaming.
While trying to bring the families together, they have to also deal with the city coming down on them and other families wanting to take their new force down. Staying strong and relying on each other is the only way to come out alive, fuck the consequences.
I absolutely freakin LOVED Ruthless People, it was highly entertaining with two strong willed dominant personalities battling it out to be the one on top. It was raw, gritty, and ruthless... I loved the balance between class and punishment, just because you sold drugs for a living of killed a person or two doesn’t mean you can dress well, exude class, give to the needy and respect family morals and culture. Melody was a complete bad ass, sexy and charming and eerily frightening. Liam was ever the alpha man, but he respected his wife’s abilities and as much as he wanted to lock her away and protect her, he let her be free and be the person she was meant to be.
It was completely different than anything I ever read, and I totally appreciated the fact that the drama didn't revolve around stupidity, lying or cheating. I honestly hope and pray that there is more to come because this is one story that I will never forget and will definitely re-read. Some may find it over the top, after all it is fiction, but if you can accept the story for what it is, then you will enjoy just as much. So if you are in a mood for a fast-action-packed read that is full of steam and power play this is the book for you.
ARC kindly provided by The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
***Quotes above are taken from the ARC version of the book and may differ upon publication.
May 17, 2022
DNF @55% - 1 ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME STAR!
Ughh... As much as this kills me because I was really looking forward to reading this series this weekend...just NO!
It's not every day that I have to pull this one out, but sometimes, it's just appropriate!
I will say, as I have said before on here, the mafia genre, especially Italian mafia, is one of my very favorites, in both film and books. So I am really picky when it comes to it, and I am expecting a lot when I read a book where the blurb claims that it is like The Sopranos...one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE mafia shows! Right away you've set yourself up to meet some very high expectations!
In short, I found this book to be completely insulting to Irish and Italians everywhere. Do your research if you're going to try to write about modern day Italian and Irish mob life. Mel and Liam act like immature, uneducated assholes. They make mobsters look like they belong on Jerry Springer. They are basically running around and screaming, insulting each other, and/or shooting each other the whole time.
The story is completely OTT. This was BY FAR my largest problem with it. This combined with crappy show-vs-tell lacking writing, bad grammar, unbelievable dialogue, and don't even get me started on theenemies to lovers insta-love! Many of the plot lines were poorly developed as well. For example, that was so overwhelming that it caused Coraline to confront Mel about it. She must've known about it too because she was quick to respond about it like it was common knowledge. Where the fuck did this come from? These characters had had multiple scenes together by this point where, this was in no way alluded to. Just very ametuer for me. :(
I HATED Mel with a vengeance. There is "ruthless" and then there is an unhinged fucking psychopath. I'll let you take a gander as to which one I found Mel to be. There was nothing good or redeeming about her. If I could murder her myself, I would. Infact...Mel?
As for Liam, well I liked him in the beginning. He seemed sexy, enigmatic, and intriguing. But unfortunately, soon he started acting like an immature, spoiled little pussy-whipped bitch I was half expecting for Mel to actually be the one with the dick when these two dropped trou but, I digress...
And speaking of dick, one word about the supposed hot and steamy sex scenes here....RECYCLED!!
This is like a BAD wannabe rendition of 50 Shades and the Crossfire series, wrapped up under a mafia pretense. Nope, sorry...I actually wanted to read a REAL mafia book!
The majority of the Italian translations included throughout the book were incorrect. (Authors - STOP USING GOOGLE TRANSLATE!!!! It's inaccurate!) If you don't respect the language that you are trying to include in your book enough to make an effort for authenticity then I have no desire to support your work! Ughh! This is a pet peeve of mine.
A few specific examples of the OTT stuff that bothered me: *WARNING* Spoilers from here to the end of the review
1) I already had to suspend some reality in order to believe that Mel (a woman) would be regarded as a mob boss. But, she had pretty much been doing it behind the scenes in place of her ailing father so, that I can believe, and I liked. However, to believe that an Irish and Italian mob boss would arrange a marriage of this sort for power unification is a BIG suspend belief request. These two cultures have loathed each other for decades. Again, I knew this going in so I am not faulting the book for this because it is part of the premise, and completely revealed in the blurb. But for her father to later admit that the driving force was actually so that she wouldn't be alone in life because he knows how lonely the life of a mob boss is? Yeah, I'm sorry no. Totally unrealistic.
2) The scene where Mel shoots and kills a pregnant woman for the sake of trying to get information out of someone. Ok, I am not in the mob myself so I am not going to claim to be some expert BUT, based on every single film, book, and documentary that I have ever seen, they preserve women, children, and the innocent at all costs. For a woman herself to do this? This didn't make me think that Mel was a bad ass. This made me despise her and made me want to shoot her in the face myself for being such a horrible, despicable, piece of shit individual. I am all for blood, gore, and darkness. This was not that. This was OTT shock factor bullshit.
3) The way that Liam speaks to the police Superintendent was completely OTT and unrealistic. In fact, that whole visit seemed unbelievable and cheesy to me. Basically he came over to say, hi, I'm the new guy and I am watching you, and you are going down, bitch! To which Liam's response was to once again scream, yell, threaten and throw a tantrum like a three-year-old.
4) The scene where Liam orders the take down of a commercial jet filled with smuggled drugs, once again, loaded with innocent women and children. Oh hey, btw...since when does the mafia and drug cartels smuggle cocaine and heroin via commercial jet liners?? I guess this amount of drugs just popped on right through security too, right? Because, absolutely nothing was explained there except for that the Valero had half a million dollars worth of coke and heroin stashed under their seats.
5) And the biggest bunch of bullshit of all - The scene where Mel shoots through a wall at a party filled with people to get to the men that were having a meeting without her, where she then SHOOTS a fucking mob boss???!!!???!!!????? I had to read this a few times to make sure that I didn't hallucinate it. ANYONE that ever takes a shot at a mob boss would be taken down, DEAD, in half a second, no questions asked. Sorry, that's where I completely checked out on hoping for any type of events that even remotely resembled realistic mob life. And yes, I know this is fiction and like I said before, I was willing to suspend a certain amount of reality to "go there" with the author but, The Sopranos was fiction. The Godfather was fiction. If you are going to put out a public work on a way of life, on a culture, I believe that you have a certain moral obligation towards research and on creating somewhat of an accurate portrayal. This was not that. This was like mafia gone white trash, trailer park, CRAZY!!!
I did love the concept behind this story and it is a shame that it wasn't executed properly. Again, I had super high hopes and am really upset as I know I am in the minority and many loved this series. I never ever DNF a book. I think this will be my third one, like ever. That's how much this one irked me. I feel used, insulted, and ripped off. Maybe it gets better but at his point, I am too pissed off and insulted to continue.
Ughh... As much as this kills me because I was really looking forward to reading this series this weekend...just NO!
It's not every day that I have to pull this one out, but sometimes, it's just appropriate!
I will say, as I have said before on here, the mafia genre, especially Italian mafia, is one of my very favorites, in both film and books. So I am really picky when it comes to it, and I am expecting a lot when I read a book where the blurb claims that it is like The Sopranos...one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE mafia shows! Right away you've set yourself up to meet some very high expectations!
In short, I found this book to be completely insulting to Irish and Italians everywhere. Do your research if you're going to try to write about modern day Italian and Irish mob life. Mel and Liam act like immature, uneducated assholes. They make mobsters look like they belong on Jerry Springer. They are basically running around and screaming, insulting each other, and/or shooting each other the whole time.
The story is completely OTT. This was BY FAR my largest problem with it. This combined with crappy show-vs-tell lacking writing, bad grammar, unbelievable dialogue, and don't even get me started on the
I HATED Mel with a vengeance. There is "ruthless" and then there is an unhinged fucking psychopath. I'll let you take a gander as to which one I found Mel to be. There was nothing good or redeeming about her. If I could murder her myself, I would. Infact...Mel?
As for Liam, well I liked him in the beginning. He seemed sexy, enigmatic, and intriguing. But unfortunately, soon he started acting like an immature, spoiled little pussy-whipped bitch I was half expecting for Mel to actually be the one with the dick when these two dropped trou but, I digress...
And speaking of dick, one word about the supposed hot and steamy sex scenes here....RECYCLED!!
This is like a BAD wannabe rendition of 50 Shades and the Crossfire series, wrapped up under a mafia pretense. Nope, sorry...I actually wanted to read a REAL mafia book!
The majority of the Italian translations included throughout the book were incorrect. (Authors - STOP USING GOOGLE TRANSLATE!!!! It's inaccurate!) If you don't respect the language that you are trying to include in your book enough to make an effort for authenticity then I have no desire to support your work! Ughh! This is a pet peeve of mine.
A few specific examples of the OTT stuff that bothered me: *WARNING* Spoilers from here to the end of the review
1) I already had to suspend some reality in order to believe that Mel (a woman) would be regarded as a mob boss. But, she had pretty much been doing it behind the scenes in place of her ailing father so, that I can believe, and I liked. However, to believe that an Irish and Italian mob boss would arrange a marriage of this sort for power unification is a BIG suspend belief request. These two cultures have loathed each other for decades. Again, I knew this going in so I am not faulting the book for this because it is part of the premise, and completely revealed in the blurb. But for her father to later admit that the driving force was actually so that she wouldn't be alone in life because he knows how lonely the life of a mob boss is? Yeah, I'm sorry no. Totally unrealistic.
2) The scene where Mel shoots and kills a pregnant woman for the sake of trying to get information out of someone. Ok, I am not in the mob myself so I am not going to claim to be some expert BUT, based on every single film, book, and documentary that I have ever seen, they preserve women, children, and the innocent at all costs. For a woman herself to do this? This didn't make me think that Mel was a bad ass. This made me despise her and made me want to shoot her in the face myself for being such a horrible, despicable, piece of shit individual. I am all for blood, gore, and darkness. This was not that. This was OTT shock factor bullshit.
3) The way that Liam speaks to the police Superintendent was completely OTT and unrealistic. In fact, that whole visit seemed unbelievable and cheesy to me. Basically he came over to say, hi, I'm the new guy and I am watching you, and you are going down, bitch! To which Liam's response was to once again scream, yell, threaten and throw a tantrum like a three-year-old.
4) The scene where Liam orders the take down of a commercial jet filled with smuggled drugs, once again, loaded with innocent women and children. Oh hey, btw...since when does the mafia and drug cartels smuggle cocaine and heroin via commercial jet liners?? I guess this amount of drugs just popped on right through security too, right? Because, absolutely nothing was explained there except for that the Valero had half a million dollars worth of coke and heroin stashed under their seats.
5) And the biggest bunch of bullshit of all - The scene where Mel shoots through a wall at a party filled with people to get to the men that were having a meeting without her, where she then SHOOTS a fucking mob boss???!!!???!!!????? I had to read this a few times to make sure that I didn't hallucinate it. ANYONE that ever takes a shot at a mob boss would be taken down, DEAD, in half a second, no questions asked. Sorry, that's where I completely checked out on hoping for any type of events that even remotely resembled realistic mob life. And yes, I know this is fiction and like I said before, I was willing to suspend a certain amount of reality to "go there" with the author but, The Sopranos was fiction. The Godfather was fiction. If you are going to put out a public work on a way of life, on a culture, I believe that you have a certain moral obligation towards research and on creating somewhat of an accurate portrayal. This was not that. This was like mafia gone white trash, trailer park, CRAZY!!!
I did love the concept behind this story and it is a shame that it wasn't executed properly. Again, I had super high hopes and am really upset as I know I am in the minority and many loved this series. I never ever DNF a book. I think this will be my third one, like ever. That's how much this one irked me. I feel used, insulted, and ripped off. Maybe it gets better but at his point, I am too pissed off and insulted to continue.
April 14, 2014
Title: Ruthless People
Series: Ruthless People #1
Author: JJ McAvoy
Release Date: July 17, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Cliffhanger:. No
HEA:
They say that everything is black or white, good or bad, that there is no in between. Evil is just evil. And in ‘normal’, real life I would agree, but in places where the fiction rules, where we can tip toe around the edge and even dive into the world of VIOLENCE without the conscience, I am not seeing something as bad or good, I’m only seeing it in fun category. And Ruthless People not only delivered no stopping entertainment, it totally knocked me on my ass.
You have to know, I’m the good type of girl – polite (usually), respectful, hard-working, the usual ‘normal’ law abiding citizen. I’ve never stolen anything or hurt anyone, I have never even got a speeding ticket, and while I feel disgusted by those who break law on normal basis, I definitely can make exception for fictional mafia family, J.J McAvoy created. The Callahan’s were the bomb!
You kill for family. You die for family. Because you can’t trust anyone else.
The gore, the blood, the suspense, the animalistic bloodlust…
Ruthless People have it all. This novel is definitely not dark read, it is so much more. The characters are not good people, their hearts are not made of gold, nor will that change. It’s not a story of people who don’t have a choice, it’s a tale of complete surrender to your dark demons. It’s a book about feeling good while doing bad.
From the very first page reader is thrown into the world without scruples. There is no time to slowly sink into a poodle of it and then go deeper to gently let go of morals. In a matter of seconds we learn the gruesome rules of Mafia, that won’t change. They are not pleasant, nor fair. They are simply horrible. But the Callahan’s and Giovanni’s breathe them in. They live by them. And Liam Callahan and Melody Giovanni crave them. They need them to function.
As the future heads of the Irish and Italian mafia, Liam and Mel know they have to show the other who’s the boss; They feel the need to rule the world and make those against them bleed. The two completely stubborn, merciless and blood craving villains are counting days till they meet each other in the altar to connect family’s businesses and finally become the boss. But the thing is the leader can be only one, but nor Mel nor Liam are ready to give it up.
In a strange mix of lust, blood and constant fight for the position, both of them are getting closer to become the true wife and husband or to stabbing the other one in sleep.
Who will win? The merciless, arrogant and deadly Liam or the dangerous, lethal and complete bitch Melody?
I still feel pretty exhausted. Ruthless People is definitely demanding read. It not only challenges reader by the fast pace and extreme plot, it sucks her right into the deep hole. You know it’s bad to feel so high and good while reading about such things, but you just can’t help yourself. Every blood covered page is a new dare.
You have to be warned that there is no GOOD there. There is only crime, misconduct and corruption and lots of lots of sex. The characters are Villains with big V. And that won’t change. Mel was and will be a bitch. She will kill the innocents just because she feels like it. She will shoot right between the eyes and won’t even feel a pang of guilt. Liam will kill only to feel the pleasure… Together they are crazy.
This is not a book for everyone, so keep that in mind but, If you are a fan of Dexter, Sons of Anarchy, Sopranos or other villains you will definitely enjoy Ruthless People. It will knock your socks off.
“I want you to be willing to kill for me. I want you to be the same killer I am and not flinch away from the blood. I want you to revel in the blood alongside me. I want you to help me take down every fucker who stands in the way of a Callahan.”
JJ McAvoy focused very much on mafia and what it means to be bad, but the romance between the Mel and Liam was still incredibly hot and heavy. The banter (if I can call it that) between them was extremely over the top in the best meaning of this word. It was so intense to watch them fight and beat each other senseless only to see them end up having the hottest sex ever.
Why not the five stars then?
There were two things that irritated me. Firstly, I wished love/hate between Liam and Mel lasted a little longer. Few days was definitely not enough time for them to get along well, and I missed them fighting. Secondly, the story had few alternating point of views. I was tired of being interrupted by other characters and what they were saying. The story’s progress wouldn’t change at all without it.
But despite that, Ruthless people is kick ass start to absolutely powerful series, I will definitely be following.
FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON:
August 9, 2016
4.5 Ruthlessly Delicious Stars
When the first line in the book blurb is this:
A bitch can get wary. I mean, it can't possibly be THAT delicious of a combination, right? No way will it live up to my expectations of gritty, erotic, amazing banter, with mafia savages that you can't help but love to hate...and just simply love. Right? RIGHT?! WRONG. Because it really was that perfect combination and so much more.
If you're looking for a book with a heroine that's almost more ruthless and bloodthirsty than the Irish mob hero, and an all around bad bitch, look no further. Meet Melody Giovanni
The daughter of the biggest Italian mafia boss in Chicago, and soon to be wife of Liam Callahan. Their marriage, arranged by their fathers in hopes to end years of bloodshed between the Irish and the Italians, is also bound to combine two of the biggest mafia families. Too bad Mel is not exactly the docile little mafia princess that Liam has been expecting
The banter between these two was one of my favorite parts of this book. Mel is one cold and ruthless bitch. This is definitely not a book for everybody. But I gobbled it up like a starving junky.
This is no ordinary power couple. The things that both of them do is certainly not for the faint of heart. But hey, you're reading about the 2 heads of powerful mafia families. You didn't expect kittens and rainbows, did you?
I was sucked into the story from the first chapter. The action, the banter, the characters. Everything about this book worked for me. Did I also mention the banter?
A couple that tortures together, stays together. And the fact that they're both gorgeous and burn up the sheets with some of the best angry sex you'll ever read? Icing on the murder cake.
But with a ruthless powerhouse couple like these two, why would you even think that?
Quick paced, action packed, erotic, gritty, and addicting as fuck. There is a cliffhanger, but it wasn't as bad as most you'll find in books now. It ended in a satisfying enough way that even my cliffhanger avoiding ass didn't end up in a tizzy.
Writing Style First person POV (Dual, with a few instances of other POV's thrown in). I actually really enjoyed the additional POVs. Typically I'd find something like that confusing, but I really felt it added to the story in this case.
ARC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
For more reviews visit
She would never convert to what I needed her to be. She was a ruthless savage, and if you cannot break a ruthless savage, you need to figure out how to tame them.
When the first line in the book blurb is this:
"Mr. & Mrs. Smith meets the Sopranos..."
A bitch can get wary. I mean, it can't possibly be THAT delicious of a combination, right? No way will it live up to my expectations of gritty, erotic, amazing banter, with mafia savages that you can't help but love to hate...and just simply love. Right? RIGHT?! WRONG. Because it really was that perfect combination and so much more.
Rule One: You kill for family. You die for family. Because you can't trust anyone else
If you're looking for a book with a heroine that's almost more ruthless and bloodthirsty than the Irish mob hero, and an all around bad bitch, look no further. Meet Melody Giovanni
The daughter of the biggest Italian mafia boss in Chicago, and soon to be wife of Liam Callahan. Their marriage, arranged by their fathers in hopes to end years of bloodshed between the Irish and the Italians, is also bound to combine two of the biggest mafia families. Too bad Mel is not exactly the docile little mafia princess that Liam has been expecting
"My mother told me never to hit a woman, but you are pushing my limits."
"Funny, my father told me the same thing. Would you like me to apologize?"
"Third, if you ever interrupt me again, Liam Alec Callahan, may God have mercy on your soul when I send you to meet him."
The banter between these two was one of my favorite parts of this book. Mel is one cold and ruthless bitch. This is definitely not a book for everybody. But I gobbled it up like a starving junky.
He was trying to break me, the fucker.
"Fuck you and the Audi you drove up in."
This is no ordinary power couple. The things that both of them do is certainly not for the faint of heart. But hey, you're reading about the 2 heads of powerful mafia families. You didn't expect kittens and rainbows, did you?
Rule Two: Take no prisoners and have no regrets about it.
I was sucked into the story from the first chapter. The action, the banter, the characters. Everything about this book worked for me. Did I also mention the banter?
"We both do," I muttered.
Rule Three: Just because you sell drugs for a living isn't an excuse not to dress well.
A couple that tortures together, stays together. And the fact that they're both gorgeous and burn up the sheets with some of the best angry sex you'll ever read? Icing on the murder cake.
Rule Four: No bloody divorce.
But with a ruthless powerhouse couple like these two, why would you even think that?
"Not even he can save you from this now."
Quick paced, action packed, erotic, gritty, and addicting as fuck. There is a cliffhanger, but it wasn't as bad as most you'll find in books now. It ended in a satisfying enough way that even my cliffhanger avoiding ass didn't end up in a tizzy.
Writing Style First person POV (Dual, with a few instances of other POV's thrown in). I actually really enjoyed the additional POVs. Typically I'd find something like that confusing, but I really felt it added to the story in this case.
ARC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
For more reviews visit
March 5, 2021
4th Re-read - March 2021
(Please note that this review contains curse words. If you don't like the F word then please don't read on).
I WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH THIS BOOK.
I WANT TO HAVE A MASSIVE FUCK DOWN WITH THESE CHARACTERS,
Fuck it I would fuck them both!
FUCK FUCK FUCKING FUCK!!
I haven't been able to put this fucker down since I first started reading it.
I'M COMPLETELY OBSESSED with EVERYTHING about this fucking story!
When these two get down and dirty I seriously contemplate humping the fucking wall.
Fuck a cold shower I need a fucking cold bath!
It's all about POWER, DRUGS, MURDER, FAMILY, LOVE and hot fucking SEX!
I never want this series to end! I want to read it till the day I die.
They are such a pair of fucking ARSEHOLES who get turned on by BLOOD and I FUCKING LOVE them for it!
LIAM I want to roll you up and shove you up my vagina. You can just live there, FOREVER.
MELODY, I would love to go on a killing spree with you! Maybe I will get Adriana to teach me everything she knows! I WANT TO BE YOU!
I FUCKING LOVE THIS BOOK!
The end.
(Please note that this review contains curse words. If you don't like the F word then please don't read on).
I WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH THIS BOOK.
I WANT TO HAVE A MASSIVE FUCK DOWN WITH THESE CHARACTERS,
Fuck it I would fuck them both!
FUCK FUCK FUCKING FUCK!!
I haven't been able to put this fucker down since I first started reading it.
I'M COMPLETELY OBSESSED with EVERYTHING about this fucking story!
When these two get down and dirty I seriously contemplate humping the fucking wall.
Fuck a cold shower I need a fucking cold bath!
It's all about POWER, DRUGS, MURDER, FAMILY, LOVE and hot fucking SEX!
I never want this series to end! I want to read it till the day I die.
They are such a pair of fucking ARSEHOLES who get turned on by BLOOD and I FUCKING LOVE them for it!
LIAM I want to roll you up and shove you up my vagina. You can just live there, FOREVER.
MELODY, I would love to go on a killing spree with you! Maybe I will get Adriana to teach me everything she knows! I WANT TO BE YOU!
I FUCKING LOVE THIS BOOK!
The end.
July 17, 2014
Live now on Amazon!!!! http://www.amazon.com/Ruthless-People...
I must begin this review by thanking J.J. McAvoy. You have written an amazing book, and I feel like it was written just for me! Sorry, everyone else, but this baby is mine…
Ruthless People is sexy, witty, and suspenseful. Every time I put it down I had mixed feelings. You know when you love a book so much on one hand you think I have to finish this, but self preservation kicks in and you think if I take my time I can enjoy it longer.
Okay, well I stayed up until 3:30 am last night, because I have no self control. So what if I am little less productive/awake at work today.
Enough about me lets talk about these Ruthless People.
Liam Alec Callahan is cocky, arrogant, controlling, manipulative, hothead and attractive. In other words, Liam is my freaking favorite type of alpha male.
Melody Nicci Giovanni is beautiful, deadly, stunning, and the Boss.
With their marriage they are going to join the East and the West, the Italians and Irish. However, both are used to being in charge and calling the shots. Together these two have to learn how to rule an army together, oh and live together as husband and wife.
These two are as ruthless as it comes. There is no limit to how far they will go to be successful. While some would say reading about murder and death would make this a dark read, there was enough humor to lighten it up. The combination of sexiness, humor, and darkness is a perfect balance.
I have thought about this book all day, and I stand by my earlier statement my favorite book so far this year.
Should you read this book...
ARC provided to me by author, J.J. McAvoy in exchange for an honest review.
I must begin this review by thanking J.J. McAvoy. You have written an amazing book, and I feel like it was written just for me! Sorry, everyone else, but this baby is mine…
Ruthless People is sexy, witty, and suspenseful. Every time I put it down I had mixed feelings. You know when you love a book so much on one hand you think I have to finish this, but self preservation kicks in and you think if I take my time I can enjoy it longer.
Okay, well I stayed up until 3:30 am last night, because I have no self control. So what if I am little less productive/awake at work today.
Enough about me lets talk about these Ruthless People.
Liam Alec Callahan is cocky, arrogant, controlling, manipulative, hothead and attractive. In other words, Liam is my freaking favorite type of alpha male.
Melody Nicci Giovanni is beautiful, deadly, stunning, and the Boss.
With their marriage they are going to join the East and the West, the Italians and Irish. However, both are used to being in charge and calling the shots. Together these two have to learn how to rule an army together, oh and live together as husband and wife.
These two are as ruthless as it comes. There is no limit to how far they will go to be successful. While some would say reading about murder and death would make this a dark read, there was enough humor to lighten it up. The combination of sexiness, humor, and darkness is a perfect balance.
I have thought about this book all day, and I stand by my earlier statement my favorite book so far this year.
Should you read this book...
ARC provided to me by author, J.J. McAvoy in exchange for an honest review.
February 10, 2017
My Liam and Melody:
3.5 STARS
What a ride! I love when I come across something original and refreshing. And this book is exactly that.
Liam, 27-years old "soon-to-be head of the irish Mob" is about to marry Melody, 24-years old heir of Italian Mafia in arranged marriage. Liam thinks that his wife will be putty in his hands as soon as he puts his charms into the use. But he is in for a rude awakening because Melody is like nothing Liam expected. And so starts not so lovely love story between Liam Callahan and Melody Giovanni...
RUTHLESS. As title itself indicates; storyline, events and characters in this novel are ruthless. But I wasn't expecting anything else. Afterall, this is a novel about two most powerful mafia families. So don't go into this book expecting fairytale or other terribly romantic story, you aren't going to find it here. But what you are going to get, is one explosive, intense and sexy thriller!
LETHAL. That's exactly the best word to describe main protagonists. Both Liam and Melody have no remorse about the kind of work they do. They were born with killing and violence in their veins and that's how they have always lived. Would they be a perfect match or a deadly coctail for each other?
COLD-BLOODED. Melody is like none female heroine I have ever read about. As a first female Boss of mafia, she has to be extra bloody and power-hungry. I really liked that Melody stays true to her character through out the whole story and author never tried to unrealistically change her. Plus I liked the crazy dynamics between all main protagonists. It was such a fun to read about!
Do not hesitate to pick this book up so you can meet possessive and hot-headed Irish mob king; his ruthless and rough Italian queen; as well as their families.
*ARC provided by publisher as an exchange for honest review*
MORE REVIEWS ON MY BLOG Reading Is My Breathing
3.5 STARS
What a ride! I love when I come across something original and refreshing. And this book is exactly that.
Liam, 27-years old "soon-to-be head of the irish Mob" is about to marry Melody, 24-years old heir of Italian Mafia in arranged marriage. Liam thinks that his wife will be putty in his hands as soon as he puts his charms into the use. But he is in for a rude awakening because Melody is like nothing Liam expected. And so starts not so lovely love story between Liam Callahan and Melody Giovanni...
RUTHLESS. As title itself indicates; storyline, events and characters in this novel are ruthless. But I wasn't expecting anything else. Afterall, this is a novel about two most powerful mafia families. So don't go into this book expecting fairytale or other terribly romantic story, you aren't going to find it here. But what you are going to get, is one explosive, intense and sexy thriller!
LETHAL. That's exactly the best word to describe main protagonists. Both Liam and Melody have no remorse about the kind of work they do. They were born with killing and violence in their veins and that's how they have always lived. Would they be a perfect match or a deadly coctail for each other?
COLD-BLOODED. Melody is like none female heroine I have ever read about. As a first female Boss of mafia, she has to be extra bloody and power-hungry. I really liked that Melody stays true to her character through out the whole story and author never tried to unrealistically change her. Plus I liked the crazy dynamics between all main protagonists. It was such a fun to read about!
Do not hesitate to pick this book up so you can meet possessive and hot-headed Irish mob king; his ruthless and rough Italian queen; as well as their families.
*ARC provided by publisher as an exchange for honest review*
MORE REVIEWS ON MY BLOG Reading Is My Breathing
July 28, 2014
4 Batshit Crazy Stars
This is going to be a short and quick review not worthy of this book, but I'm just not in a review mood at the moment.
This was crazy awesome in that the characters were (as I said in my review title, just to be redundant) bat shit crazy.
Seriously.
Melody and Liam were fucking nuts.
They say that psychopathy is a creation of nature (you are born that way) and sociopathy is a result ofjacked the fuck up nurturing or environment. Now, obviously I am not an expert and I'm oversimplifying something way serious...however, Liam and Melody have...issues.
They are awful people who do awful things. They commit every heinous crime under the sun and they have no qualms or remorse about any of it.
But I loved them for it.
Because this was a book about the damned Mafia, folks, and the Mafia doesn't fuck around.
So many times authors write books about gangs or motorcycle clubs, but they sugarcoat what they do or make them into reformed criminals who were either regretful of their crimes or doing it under the guise of making something right (I'm looking at you my beloved Kristen Ashley).
But nay nay, not J.J.McAvoy. She totally went balls to the wall on this and made her Mafia the damned Mafia people.
LOVE it.
My ONLY complaint with this story was the time frame. I felt that certain things moved waaaaaay too fast.
For example,
But maybe that's just me.
Otherwise, this book was great and I can't wait for #2 and more from McAvoy in general.
This is going to be a short and quick review not worthy of this book, but I'm just not in a review mood at the moment.
This was crazy awesome in that the characters were (as I said in my review title, just to be redundant) bat shit crazy.
Seriously.
Melody and Liam were fucking nuts.
They say that psychopathy is a creation of nature (you are born that way) and sociopathy is a result of
They are awful people who do awful things. They commit every heinous crime under the sun and they have no qualms or remorse about any of it.
But I loved them for it.
Because this was a book about the damned Mafia, folks, and the Mafia doesn't fuck around.
So many times authors write books about gangs or motorcycle clubs, but they sugarcoat what they do or make them into reformed criminals who were either regretful of their crimes or doing it under the guise of making something right (I'm looking at you my beloved Kristen Ashley).
But nay nay, not J.J.McAvoy. She totally went balls to the wall on this and made her Mafia the damned Mafia people.
LOVE it.
My ONLY complaint with this story was the time frame. I felt that certain things moved waaaaaay too fast.
For example,
But maybe that's just me.
Otherwise, this book was great and I can't wait for #2 and more from McAvoy in general.
March 26, 2017
Ruthless Is Putting It Mildly.
Liam and Melody are anything but a conventional couple. Pushed together in an arranged marriage in order to merge two large mafia families, it is a battle of wills right from the start. Halfway through this book I still wasn't sure if they were going to end up killing each other!
Liam is the sexy, hot-headed and greatly feared next-in-line head of the Irish mob in Chicago. He is known for his icy demeanor and take-no-prisoners attitude. He is a force to be reckoned with and this wedding will secure his position of dominance in the criminal hierarchy.
Melody is a virtual unknown. However, the extent of her mafia dealings is soon revealed. She is no wallflower. She is more cutthroat than the toughest of the men she's commanded as the behind the scenes Boss for the past several years. She has proven herself time and time again, rising to the top of the mafia hierarchy and earning the respect of her men.
Liam expects a wife that will decorate his arm at charity galas and otherwise, remain conveniently unaware of his criminal dealings. Melody has no intention of giving up an ounce of the power that she fought tooth and nail to attain. As these two try to come to terms with what married life means for them, blood will be shed and nobody will walk away unscathed.
This is not a sweet and heart-warming type of love story. If you're looking for grand romantic gestures, roses and candlelit dinners, you won't find it here. The love is gradual and grows from passionate and antagonistic roots. This couple offers no apologies and begs for no ones forgiveness.
I really liked this story and will be continuing the series. It was quite different than other mafia-themed romances and I loved the fact that Melody was such a badass.
I went back and forth over whether to give this one 3 or 4 stars, only because there were so many grammatical errors. Ultimately, I decided that the story was compelling enough that it warranted 4 stars. Hopefully, additional editing will be done for any future editions.
Liam and Melody are anything but a conventional couple. Pushed together in an arranged marriage in order to merge two large mafia families, it is a battle of wills right from the start. Halfway through this book I still wasn't sure if they were going to end up killing each other!
Liam is the sexy, hot-headed and greatly feared next-in-line head of the Irish mob in Chicago. He is known for his icy demeanor and take-no-prisoners attitude. He is a force to be reckoned with and this wedding will secure his position of dominance in the criminal hierarchy.
Melody is a virtual unknown. However, the extent of her mafia dealings is soon revealed. She is no wallflower. She is more cutthroat than the toughest of the men she's commanded as the behind the scenes Boss for the past several years. She has proven herself time and time again, rising to the top of the mafia hierarchy and earning the respect of her men.
Liam expects a wife that will decorate his arm at charity galas and otherwise, remain conveniently unaware of his criminal dealings. Melody has no intention of giving up an ounce of the power that she fought tooth and nail to attain. As these two try to come to terms with what married life means for them, blood will be shed and nobody will walk away unscathed.
This is not a sweet and heart-warming type of love story. If you're looking for grand romantic gestures, roses and candlelit dinners, you won't find it here. The love is gradual and grows from passionate and antagonistic roots. This couple offers no apologies and begs for no ones forgiveness.
I really liked this story and will be continuing the series. It was quite different than other mafia-themed romances and I loved the fact that Melody was such a badass.
I went back and forth over whether to give this one 3 or 4 stars, only because there were so many grammatical errors. Ultimately, I decided that the story was compelling enough that it warranted 4 stars. Hopefully, additional editing will be done for any future editions.
September 14, 2023
Reread:15/06/21
25/08/23
5/5 stars
ONE OF THE BEST MAFIA ROMANCES EVERR!!!
I'm always coming back to this book. It truly is the most entertaining mafia book to read. Ruthless People really intrigues me because it's so rare that mafia books contain dominant female bosses. Melody Nicci Giovanni is a real badass. From the moment you are introduced to her, she is so confident and exudes an aura that screams ruthless.
The passion between her and Liam Callahan is off the charts. They really do complement each other. Both their crazy personalities do not turn each other off; instead, they push each other to their highest potential.
When they first meet, I found their witty banter hilarious. It was great to see their relationship blossom and grow the way it did. Even when less savoury methods were used to admit each other's feelings.
This book was a great introduction to the series and it will always have a special place with me. J.J. McAvoy certainly knows her way with writing these suspenseful mafia books. These will forever be my comfort reread books.
25/08/23
5/5 stars
ONE OF THE BEST MAFIA ROMANCES EVERR!!!
I'm always coming back to this book. It truly is the most entertaining mafia book to read. Ruthless People really intrigues me because it's so rare that mafia books contain dominant female bosses. Melody Nicci Giovanni is a real badass. From the moment you are introduced to her, she is so confident and exudes an aura that screams ruthless.
The passion between her and Liam Callahan is off the charts. They really do complement each other. Both their crazy personalities do not turn each other off; instead, they push each other to their highest potential.
When they first meet, I found their witty banter hilarious. It was great to see their relationship blossom and grow the way it did. Even when less savoury methods were used to admit each other's feelings.
This book was a great introduction to the series and it will always have a special place with me. J.J. McAvoy certainly knows her way with writing these suspenseful mafia books. These will forever be my comfort reread books.
August 11, 2017
4***Bloody Mel Stars
This story takes place in the city of Chicago. Were three families stronger than all the rest in the mafia world are fighting to take control of their city. The Callahan, the Giovanni, and the Valero.
Leam Alex Callahan was a cocky, gorgeous twenty seven year old man. His family had arranged his marriage when he was young with the Giovanni’s only daughter. The Callahan’s ruled Chicago and when they combined two of the most powerful families they were going to be unstoppable. Liam had green eyes, dark brown sex hair and a charming smile that melt every girl panties. His family was Irish and they could drink every day from dusk until dawn and still walk a straight line . Many feared Leam because he made himself well known. He was ruthless and cold blooded killer and wanted to earn the title his father was giving him. He was going to take over his father’s position once he marries. He was known as the “boogeyman of the east” because he was heart less and didn’t care what he had to do to get what he wanted. He had never met his “to be bride” before and he was not worried about it, just maybe a little bit but he just assumed she will be the shopping kind of girl that will stay at home.
“Rule One: You kill for family. You die for family. Because you can’t trust anyone.”
“Rule Two: Take no prisoners and have no regrets about it.”
“Rule Three: Just because you sell drugs for a living isn’t an excuse not to dress well.”
“Rule Four: No bloody divorce.”
Melody Nicci Giovanni was the only daughter of the Giovanni’s family. They were the most powerful family in Italy in the mafia world. She was the unknown “wicked witch of the west” but her man nicked named her “Bloody Melody” they all feared her. The world didn’t know she had stepped up and taken over her father���s empire. Her father was Ill with cancer and was going to die soon. He wanted to make sure she was married before that happened so they rushed the wedding. She was ruthless and savage and had been training since early age. She knew how to play the game and no one even thought what she was until they were put in front of her. She was twenty four years old with wavy black hair, flawless olive skin, deep brown eyes, and a bad as body to kill for. All the man drooled and lusted over her.
Leam and Melody met each other just few days before their wedding. It was super hot because they fought like savage animals. At first he thought she was an ugly duck and when he saw her he knew he wanted her. He thought he could rule and controlled her but he was so damn wrong. She fought him as he stopped her killing and they had a ruthless kissing scene but he ended up with a shot on his leg, and both ended up with bruises, it was awesome really haha. They had to go to battle before the wedding and they ended up hooking up, like Damn! it was freaking hot. They got married and their sex was even hotter every single time. At first it was lust that they found on each other however the more time spent together the more they realized they are both lonely and they have been searching for someone like them the entire time. It was like they were both just meant to be because they both has no remorse of what they did for living and were ruthless that did not hesitate to kill whoever gets on their way. They both have found their perfect match. It was Leam who had to teach Mel how to love because she honestly had never felt love before so she was struggling, he handled her amazingly. Prompts to him to put up with her bossiness but again they were just both made perfectly for each other, I absolutely loved these two.
There was so much action and suspense going on through this story. A lot of deaths, fights, and the entire city were in chaos. People were dying front and right because the police was trying to catch The Callahan’s family and lock them down on top of that the Valero’s family was after them too. So the war was real. This book kept me on the edge constantly not knowing what was coming up next. There were so many surprises and secrets and I was speechless by the time I was done. The author was able to get you to love the entire Callahan family.
The story was told in Leam and Melody’s POVs however, we got multiple POVs from the family members, not much but I really enjoyed knowing a little bit more about them. After reading Declan (Leam’s cousin) and his wife Cora’s thoughts, I felt more understandable to what they were going thru. Also his brother Neal and wife Olivia, now they really touched me and I really wish they had their own book because I couldn't help hurting for them. Leam’s parents were awesome; I enjoyed learning about them a little more thru the father’s POV. We also get to know Mel’s private pro-filer Adriana; her story was crazy she was a total bad ass. I really liked her a lot and after reading what she went through and how Mel helped her out I had so much more respect for them both. I felt so attached to all these characters at the end of the book that I just can’t get enough. I will most defiantly be continuing this series.
BR In Honor of our FriendSasha Elle Shh
Book series order:
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
“She was mine. She was all fucking mine….I was the king of the jungle, and the woman beside me was my queen.” Leam
This story takes place in the city of Chicago. Were three families stronger than all the rest in the mafia world are fighting to take control of their city. The Callahan, the Giovanni, and the Valero.
Leam Alex Callahan was a cocky, gorgeous twenty seven year old man. His family had arranged his marriage when he was young with the Giovanni’s only daughter. The Callahan’s ruled Chicago and when they combined two of the most powerful families they were going to be unstoppable. Liam had green eyes, dark brown sex hair and a charming smile that melt every girl panties. His family was Irish and they could drink every day from dusk until dawn and still walk a straight line . Many feared Leam because he made himself well known. He was ruthless and cold blooded killer and wanted to earn the title his father was giving him. He was going to take over his father’s position once he marries. He was known as the “boogeyman of the east” because he was heart less and didn’t care what he had to do to get what he wanted. He had never met his “to be bride” before and he was not worried about it, just maybe a little bit but he just assumed she will be the shopping kind of girl that will stay at home.
“Rule One: You kill for family. You die for family. Because you can’t trust anyone.”
“Rule Two: Take no prisoners and have no regrets about it.”
“Rule Three: Just because you sell drugs for a living isn’t an excuse not to dress well.”
“Rule Four: No bloody divorce.”
Melody Nicci Giovanni was the only daughter of the Giovanni’s family. They were the most powerful family in Italy in the mafia world. She was the unknown “wicked witch of the west” but her man nicked named her “Bloody Melody” they all feared her. The world didn’t know she had stepped up and taken over her father���s empire. Her father was Ill with cancer and was going to die soon. He wanted to make sure she was married before that happened so they rushed the wedding. She was ruthless and savage and had been training since early age. She knew how to play the game and no one even thought what she was until they were put in front of her. She was twenty four years old with wavy black hair, flawless olive skin, deep brown eyes, and a bad as body to kill for. All the man drooled and lusted over her.
“You, ma’am, are ruthless, and not a soul on this planet would dare cross you. You would put a bullet in our heads if we were ever disloyal to you or the family. You are the Boss,” Reply one of her man
Leam and Melody met each other just few days before their wedding. It was super hot because they fought like savage animals. At first he thought she was an ugly duck and when he saw her he knew he wanted her. He thought he could rule and controlled her but he was so damn wrong. She fought him as he stopped her killing and they had a ruthless kissing scene but he ended up with a shot on his leg, and both ended up with bruises, it was awesome really haha. They had to go to battle before the wedding and they ended up hooking up, like Damn! it was freaking hot. They got married and their sex was even hotter every single time. At first it was lust that they found on each other however the more time spent together the more they realized they are both lonely and they have been searching for someone like them the entire time. It was like they were both just meant to be because they both has no remorse of what they did for living and were ruthless that did not hesitate to kill whoever gets on their way. They both have found their perfect match. It was Leam who had to teach Mel how to love because she honestly had never felt love before so she was struggling, he handled her amazingly. Prompts to him to put up with her bossiness but again they were just both made perfectly for each other, I absolutely loved these two.
“You stand at my side. I stand at yours, and together we rule the East and the West, so much so that they’ll rename cities after us.” Leam
“May we be ruthless and have no regrets…May we take what we want, when we want it, with the world at out feet.” Mel
There was so much action and suspense going on through this story. A lot of deaths, fights, and the entire city were in chaos. People were dying front and right because the police was trying to catch The Callahan’s family and lock them down on top of that the Valero’s family was after them too. So the war was real. This book kept me on the edge constantly not knowing what was coming up next. There were so many surprises and secrets and I was speechless by the time I was done. The author was able to get you to love the entire Callahan family.
The story was told in Leam and Melody’s POVs however, we got multiple POVs from the family members, not much but I really enjoyed knowing a little bit more about them. After reading Declan (Leam’s cousin) and his wife Cora’s thoughts, I felt more understandable to what they were going thru. Also his brother Neal and wife Olivia, now they really touched me and I really wish they had their own book because I couldn't help hurting for them. Leam’s parents were awesome; I enjoyed learning about them a little more thru the father’s POV. We also get to know Mel’s private pro-filer Adriana; her story was crazy she was a total bad ass. I really liked her a lot and after reading what she went through and how Mel helped her out I had so much more respect for them both. I felt so attached to all these characters at the end of the book that I just can’t get enough. I will most defiantly be continuing this series.
“The Family that mourns together survives forever.” J.J. McAvoy
BR In Honor of our FriendSasha Elle Shh
Book series order:
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
July 5, 2014
4 Exciting, Sizzling, Funny, Badass Stars!!!
Well colour me suprised!
After seeing all my GR friends loving this book, I kind of got a bit of reverse performance anxiety. Because trust me, with my track record the chances of me enjoying a book everyone loved are very low. So I put reading this book off... but I finally stopped procrastinating and started reading it last night. Now I've always loved everything mob/mafia for as long as I've found the idea of a hot guy holding a gun hot. And I've also read my fair share of mafia romances, and at some point the organised crime bit gets overshadowed by the romance and the characters. Imagine my surprise and elation when I realised that Ruthless People is about two crime families and their inner workings. Don't get me wrong, this book has all the right ingredients, it's gritty. Mcavoy tells us Liam and Melody's rather dark story but makes it palatable by using subtle humour. Making for an extremely satisfying read!
He pulls a knife,
you pull a gun,
he sends one of yours to the hospital,
you send one of his to the morgue...
~Al Capone
This doesn't happen often but I freaking loved Melody's character! She's strong, bloody abrasive and doesn't take shit from anyone, normally I run at the first sign of her mouthing off, but dammit reading about her and Liam butting heads was amazing!
This book is filled with multifaceted characters. It's told in the first person with POV's from Liam and Melody but some of the other characters did get the odd POV, which gave the book more depth in my opinion.
Rule One: You kill for family. You die for family. Because you can't trust anyone else.
Liam is next in line to take over the family business, all he has to do is marry the woman his father chose for him. No great feat, since Liam, would do just about anything to ensure the his place as the Ceann na Conairte. He doesn't care if his intended is ugly, the promise of power and respect are enough. They've never met, and Liam has no idea of what he should expect from Melody.
Rule Four: No bloody divorce.
Let's just say, their first meeting is definitely one they will never forget! As much of a badass as Liam is, I think Melody dominated this story as the stronger character. Because ultimately Liam would do anything for her, and compromise he did! But... unlike other stories I've read where the hero becomes a pussy whipped weakling this did not happen in Liam's case, and thank God for that!
The story is fast paced, and reads quite easily. And then's there's swearing, it's an art form people! I've read books where it's been done so badly I've cringed, but Liam and Melody swore so well, lol!
This was a very enjoyable debut from the author and I can't wait for more!
ARC kindly provided by publisher on behalf of author via netgalley
Well colour me suprised!
After seeing all my GR friends loving this book, I kind of got a bit of reverse performance anxiety. Because trust me, with my track record the chances of me enjoying a book everyone loved are very low. So I put reading this book off... but I finally stopped procrastinating and started reading it last night. Now I've always loved everything mob/mafia for as long as I've found the idea of a hot guy holding a gun hot. And I've also read my fair share of mafia romances, and at some point the organised crime bit gets overshadowed by the romance and the characters. Imagine my surprise and elation when I realised that Ruthless People is about two crime families and their inner workings. Don't get me wrong, this book has all the right ingredients, it's gritty. Mcavoy tells us Liam and Melody's rather dark story but makes it palatable by using subtle humour. Making for an extremely satisfying read!
He pulls a knife,
you pull a gun,
he sends one of yours to the hospital,
you send one of his to the morgue...
~Al Capone
This doesn't happen often but I freaking loved Melody's character! She's strong, bloody abrasive and doesn't take shit from anyone, normally I run at the first sign of her mouthing off, but dammit reading about her and Liam butting heads was amazing!
This book is filled with multifaceted characters. It's told in the first person with POV's from Liam and Melody but some of the other characters did get the odd POV, which gave the book more depth in my opinion.
Rule One: You kill for family. You die for family. Because you can't trust anyone else.
Liam is next in line to take over the family business, all he has to do is marry the woman his father chose for him. No great feat, since Liam, would do just about anything to ensure the his place as the Ceann na Conairte. He doesn't care if his intended is ugly, the promise of power and respect are enough. They've never met, and Liam has no idea of what he should expect from Melody.
Rule Four: No bloody divorce.
Let's just say, their first meeting is definitely one they will never forget! As much of a badass as Liam is, I think Melody dominated this story as the stronger character. Because ultimately Liam would do anything for her, and compromise he did! But... unlike other stories I've read where the hero becomes a pussy whipped weakling this did not happen in Liam's case, and thank God for that!
The story is fast paced, and reads quite easily. And then's there's swearing, it's an art form people! I've read books where it's been done so badly I've cringed, but Liam and Melody swore so well, lol!
This was a very enjoyable debut from the author and I can't wait for more!
ARC kindly provided by publisher on behalf of author via netgalley
Read
July 23, 2014DNF @ 61%
An arranged marriage to combine an Italian mob family and an Irish mob family brings two mob leaders to share the position of ‘boss'.
Melody Nicci Giovanni …
Liam Callahan…
Together the Callahans...
So far in the story they kill people, threaten violence on one another, have tons of sex all the while striving for world domination.
Is there more to this? I’m not sure sadly I stopped could be just the wrong time for me to read this one.
P.S.:
[image error]
An arranged marriage to combine an Italian mob family and an Irish mob family brings two mob leaders to share the position of ‘boss'.
Melody Nicci Giovanni …
Liam Callahan…
Together the Callahans...
So far in the story they kill people, threaten violence on one another, have tons of sex all the while striving for world domination.
Is there more to this? I’m not sure sadly I stopped could be just the wrong time for me to read this one.
P.S.:
[image error]
July 23, 2014
4.5 **Motherfucking** Stars..lol. Sorry for the language.. thats my inner Mel talking!!!
"Mr. & Mrs. Smith meets the Sopranos..."
Now..when I read that statement...my honest reaction was...
I mean come on...Sopranos...Mr & Mrs Smith..that's a tall order right there!!..But Im here to tell you...after reading this...I dont have a single suspicion...Ms .McAvoy absolutely...
Trust me people..
Ruthless People tells the story of Liam Callahan and Melody Giovanni..two powerful and ambitious individuals..that were brought together through an arranged marriage set up by their fathers when they were young..as a means to bring the two most fearless mafia families together..Without a question Liam and Melody are two of the most Ruthless People you will ever come across...It's not all sunny skies and rainbows with these two..their union resembles a tornado that tears up everything thing in its path....and I definitely had a...
I loved the banter between them...they're both so head strong..it's comical how much these two are obviously meant for each other!!
Liam Callahan-Boss of the Irish Mob..known as "The Boogeyman of the East"..but I like to refer to him as..**MR. MOD**
He's cocky..feared..controlling..hot-tempered..and one sexy ass Alpha Male!!..There were scenes in this book where I wanted to throttle him..but the moment he went all Alpha with that dirty mouth..it was game over for me..yeap I was putty in his hands...
Melody Giovanni- Boss of the Italian mob..known as "The Wicked Witch of the West/Bloody Melody"...Yeap this chick got those names honestly and I loved her!!!
Shes crazy..lol..theres no other way to describe her...she's one of those shoot now and dont ask questions later...definitely a Alpha female..cold..beautiful..an all around badass bitch..who has no problem putting any man in his place...
This was Ruthless People in one gritty...down and dirty story..that I would happily recommend to my friends...so by all means pick this one up..you wont regret it!!
Ms.McAvoy...Bravo!!!..Strut your stuff woman..this one is pure gold!!
***ARC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***
"Mr. & Mrs. Smith meets the Sopranos..."
Now..when I read that statement...my honest reaction was...
I mean come on...Sopranos...Mr & Mrs Smith..that's a tall order right there!!..But Im here to tell you...after reading this...I dont have a single suspicion...Ms .McAvoy absolutely...
Trust me people..
Ruthless People tells the story of Liam Callahan and Melody Giovanni..two powerful and ambitious individuals..that were brought together through an arranged marriage set up by their fathers when they were young..as a means to bring the two most fearless mafia families together..Without a question Liam and Melody are two of the most Ruthless People you will ever come across...It's not all sunny skies and rainbows with these two..their union resembles a tornado that tears up everything thing in its path....and I definitely had a...
I loved the banter between them...they're both so head strong..it's comical how much these two are obviously meant for each other!!
Liam Callahan-Boss of the Irish Mob..known as "The Boogeyman of the East"..but I like to refer to him as..**MR. MOD**
He's cocky..feared..controlling..hot-tempered..and one sexy ass Alpha Male!!..There were scenes in this book where I wanted to throttle him..but the moment he went all Alpha with that dirty mouth..it was game over for me..yeap I was putty in his hands...
Melody Giovanni- Boss of the Italian mob..known as "The Wicked Witch of the West/Bloody Melody"...Yeap this chick got those names honestly and I loved her!!!
Shes crazy..lol..theres no other way to describe her...she's one of those shoot now and dont ask questions later...definitely a Alpha female..cold..beautiful..an all around badass bitch..who has no problem putting any man in his place...
This was Ruthless People in one gritty...down and dirty story..that I would happily recommend to my friends...so by all means pick this one up..you wont regret it!!
Ms.McAvoy...Bravo!!!..Strut your stuff woman..this one is pure gold!!
***ARC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***
August 31, 2014
(BR with my Bestie)
This book literally put me to sleep the past three nights.
I even fell asleep two more times tonight on it. And I was on the last 25% of the story.
I love a good mafia story.
I've seen all the classic movies. I heard that this one was brutal. That it was not a hearts & flowers love story. I was prepared for that.
The cursing didn't phase me. I curse like a filthy truck driver, every
day!! The violence didn't bother me as well.
This story is just preposterous!!
Maybe I am going to sound old fashioned here, but there is no way in HELL, a woman would be running the Italian mob!! SORRY...not gonna happen.
My main issue with this book was Melody.
I hated her character with a passion. There was not one redeeming quality she possessed. I thought I had a bad temper...this bitch seemed to be suffering from the worst case of PMS I've ever encountered.
If I could dive into the book and shoot her in the head...I would!!
She shot and stabbed her own family members for pissing her off.
No one can walk around killing people at the drop of the hat, the way she and Liam did. Even the real mafia.
I thought Liam was sexy in the beginning but as soon as he started acting pussy whipped, I was turned off. He acted like the woman in that
relationship. It was hard to take him seriously as the "Ceann na Conairte", which is the Irish Mafia's equivalent to the Godfather of the Italian Mafia.
I'll give the author points for originality, since I have never read a story like this before. I just didn't enjoy reading this one. I battled with wanting to DNF the book, but after wasting three days on it, I was determined to finish it.
This book literally put me to sleep the past three nights.
I even fell asleep two more times tonight on it. And I was on the last 25% of the story.
I love a good mafia story.
I've seen all the classic movies. I heard that this one was brutal. That it was not a hearts & flowers love story. I was prepared for that.
The cursing didn't phase me. I curse like a filthy truck driver, every
day!! The violence didn't bother me as well.
This story is just preposterous!!
Maybe I am going to sound old fashioned here, but there is no way in HELL, a woman would be running the Italian mob!! SORRY...not gonna happen.
My main issue with this book was Melody.
I hated her character with a passion. There was not one redeeming quality she possessed. I thought I had a bad temper...this bitch seemed to be suffering from the worst case of PMS I've ever encountered.
If I could dive into the book and shoot her in the head...I would!!
She shot and stabbed her own family members for pissing her off.
No one can walk around killing people at the drop of the hat, the way she and Liam did. Even the real mafia.
I thought Liam was sexy in the beginning but as soon as he started acting pussy whipped, I was turned off. He acted like the woman in that
relationship. It was hard to take him seriously as the "Ceann na Conairte", which is the Irish Mafia's equivalent to the Godfather of the Italian Mafia.
I'll give the author points for originality, since I have never read a story like this before. I just didn't enjoy reading this one. I battled with wanting to DNF the book, but after wasting three days on it, I was determined to finish it.
July 4, 2020
5+ I Wanna be Mrs. Liam Callahan Stars!!
I loved the easy banter between these two. When they weren't fighting, their fucking was sizzling hot. Fighting for Liam & Mel was some new form of foreplay. The fights these two would have had me envisioning Mr & Mrs Smith while LMFAO at the same time.
[image error]
J.J. McAvoy has created Mr & Mrs Smith meets Goodfellas in this brilliantly done novel. Ruthless People is one of my favorite reads of 2014!!! I'm a tiny bit ashamed of myself in saying this but, I totally rooted for the MC's and their ruthless, crazy, insane murderous ways!!
What's this book about:
Liam Alec Callahan, is about to be the Ceann na Conairte, head of the Callahan Irish Mafia. Liam has it going on ladies: smart, charismatic, handsome, dominating, and a voice that will melt your panties off. Of course, he's a man that will kill anyone who dares to get in his way or hurt his family! There's only a tiny stipulation, which he's known about since he was fifteen, Liam is arranged to be married to the daughter of the Italian mafia, Melody Nicci Giovanni. Liam is about to meet his match in every way.
Melody Nicci Giovanni, daughter of the head of the Italian mafia, has a wee bit of a secret. She's not a meek, quiet, stepford wife and will NOT let some man tell her what she can or can not do. Melody has been the Boss for quite some time now while her father, Orlando Giovanni, fights to stay alive long enough to see his daughter get married and his mafia family merge with the Irish Callahan mafia. What could go wrong, right?
Buckle your seatbelts because you're in store for quite a ride!! From the moment Liam & Mel meet, things are not boring!! Liam attempts to put his wife-to-be in her place but of course Melody will have none of that.
He brushed his thumbs over my lips. "The moment the ink touched that fucking paper, you were mine. Mine to fuck. Mine to fucking command, and mine to put in your fucking place."
"First", I said, pressing into his neck, "get used to this position, because you're my bitch, not the other way around."
I loved the easy banter between these two. When they weren't fighting, their fucking was sizzling hot. Fighting for Liam & Mel was some new form of foreplay. The fights these two would have had me envisioning Mr & Mrs Smith while LMFAO at the same time.
They say the first year of marriage is the hardest. For Liam & Mel, it is filled with challenges from a competing mafia family, a new police commissioner who is hell bent on cleaning up his city, betrayals, and of course, murder. The action in this book is fast paced and you will not want to join real life until you've read the very last page.
Yes....there is a bit of a surprise at the end but I didn't think it was earth shattering. I'm anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!!
Thanks C.D. Canaries for another crazy fun Buddy Read!! MWAH!!
[image error]
August 4, 2015
5 LIVIN*LOVEN*BLOODY*SEXY STARS!
"The Giovannis are one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful family in Italy and most of the west coast. My father wants an end to the rivalry between the Irish and the Italians."-Liam
Two households brought together to tear down the world! This is one mafia romance you will never forget!
Liam Callahan is the reigning prince of the Irish Mafia. In order to strengthen their power, Liam's father has arranged a marriage with Melody Giovanni the reigning Italian Mafia Princess. It should be so easy. He will take on a sweet wife to attend tea parties and keep his bed warm.
"With her family’s power added to my own, I would own it all before I was thirty."-Liam
Alas, Melody is NOT a princess. Melody is the queen. She has been running the family business for many years. She has no intention of baking and birthing babies. Melody wants to take over the world. She has no concern for others. She has no friends. She only has her kingdom and she RULES! She doesn't answer to anyone.
“Boogeyman of the East,” and I was the unknown “Wicked Witch of the West.”
Mel and Liam's first meeting is quite explosive. They begin a brutal push and pull. There is a battle of advance/retreat. The volatile spirits of these main characters can only be compared to a Sams club box of matches and a super sized gallon of gasoline! Although they both hold the keys to the kingdom, who will reign?
"Do not kill. Do not kill. Melody, stay calm and do not kill him."
"But I would not let him win. I would not bow down to him. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever."
-Melody
"With that one shot, she had proven that breaking her was not possible. She would never convert to what I needed her to be. She was a ruthless savage, and if you cannot break a ruthless savage, you need to figure out how to tame them."-Liam
Liam comes up with a plan...
"Step one, accept she was a damn boss. Step two, hide all the knives, guns, and maybe the pillows, too."-Liam
He is able to woo her with his charm. After all, he is a sexy Irish God! He holds the ability to show her love. He just has to win her over first.
“You are mine, as I am yours. But for this to work, you need to stop seeing me as a goddamned enemy and more like your husband.”-Liam
Liam and Mel come up with their own vows. With one goal in mind (dominate the human race) and the only probability to consider is to win or die trying. Kill or be killed.
“May we forever be rulers, may our enemies tremble at our feet, may we never forget our great love that is the family. Which we will rule with an iron fist. May we be ruthless and have no regrets. May we take what we want, when we want it, with the world at our feet.”-Mel
In addition to their truce, they find that they enjoy each other's bodies VERY MUCH! These two have passion. When they kill, when they go to bed, when they go to church, when they go for dinner, they do it with passion! They are both killers and lovers.
"No matter how many times I had her, it only made me want her even more."-Liam
Mel and Liam are violent and will stop at nothing to take down their enemies. Once these two have come together, hell hath no fury. They are focused on world domination and yet find time for tenderness with each other.
"God created her and then shattered the mold afterward, for the world could not handle two of her.”-Liam
Ruthless People is not a book for the weak hearted. It is over the top and the furnace is set on high burn for the entire read. Told in multiple POV, you dive deep into the souls of these characters. The witty banter and colorful text make this read beyond enjoyable. Once I started, I could not put it down. I love a read that evokes "the rainbow" of emotions! Mel was such a strong heroine. Even with her psychopath tendencies, I admired her. Was she crazy? Absolutely! I couldn't wait to see what she was going to do next.
Liam Callahan is her perfect match. He is just as motivated to take on the world. But with Mel, his primary motivation becomes teaching her to love. He is the ultimate protector. He is able to heal her.
The secondary characters made this story complete. The diversity in each family member weaved tenderness, tension, happiness, joy, and peace within the chaos. How can I not fall in love with these people?
There is a moment in this book where my heart broke. I had to put it down to catch my breath. I was amazed at how quickly J.J. McAvoy was able to reengage my drive to continue the story. The heartbreak was painful but the healing was beautiful. The fury that followed still has my mind spinning.
I cannot rave enough about this book. I know many readers that did not enjoy living in this world. As for me, my bags are packed and I'm ready to move in. I will be on to the second book very soon.
BR IN HONOR OF OUR STRONG MAFIA QUEEN Sasha Elle with the ladies of Shh… [Smut, Heroes & HEAs…].....Thanks for inviting me to the party!
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
May 5, 2015
Everyone is ruthless. They just don't know it. You do. I do. And that is why we are on top and will remain so."
Oh, to hell with it, I will just go with the 5 stars. Freedom of rating and all that. I don't care that the main character should have rot in hell for the things they did, I grew to root for the Callahan's clan. I can't believe this is actually a debut novel, it was faced-paced, action packed, entertaining, sexy and exhilarating.
We have two main characters that very much resembles Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Yes, I kid you not, just minus the mundane house chore and add more blood and gore into it. Melody was seriously a scary bitch and Liam was immature and hotheaded. He might just blew you up for the heck of it. I also love that the author emphasize a lot on the mafia business front and the mayhem they plot together. This husband and wife was a force to be reckoned with. Don't messed with them.
The title really suits and painted the right picture for the couple, they are the Ruthless People. Yes, no one has any heart of gold, just so you know. So don't expect romantic notion, swoony moments, flowery stuff or any honorable characters.
At first, I really disliked both Liam and Mel. They were each a bastard and a bitch. You might be thinking what a match made in heaven. Well, if they didn't rip off each other throat first. The way Liam treated his booty call was super douche at best. He was like a child in a man's body, cocky, immature, hotheaded and impatient to step up to be the boss man. Even though he had no idea how his future wife looks like, as long as he is going to be the next in line for the title, he is going to marry an ogre if that's what it takes.
Melody Giovanni is also scary bitch. She's the kind of woman who make grown man weep. She is not looking forward to be Liam's arm candy or a dutiful wife either.
"I would rather shoot you, but since I can't, I will sexually frustrate you instead. Do not rip my clothing."
"Bitch is going to kill me."
Honestly, if both of them got ambushed and murdered by the Valero, I don't think I would have shed a tear.
Initially, I was hoping that their hatred for each other to last a little longer considering this is going to be a trilogy. When they reached an unanimous agreement to work out their marriage and RULE the world together, I thought it was a nice change because there was only so much fight I can't take between these two alpha beings. Each wanted to top the other and they finally agree to a pact. Everything works out great by the way.
"What do you say, my Mel? We end our war and join brains and bodies and destroy any against us. We become one ruthless person instead of two."
Either I was feeling acclimatize to their way of life or they were getting more likable because they were seriously growing on me, I was kinda rooting for them to be the mafia king and queen and killed off the Valero.
I didn't read a lot of mafia story, but this one really did encompassed a lot of mafia business, the drama, the family, the cruelty and ruthlessness in it. They were a bunch of unapologetic scum and I don't even to look for their redeeming qualities.
Their relationship did resemble Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Both wanted to be the alpha, but we know who is the brain and who is the brawn in this relationship. This dynamic duo was fantastic, Mel was all straight to the point, efficient and discipline, Liam was all impromptu, manipulative and cunning. There were times that Liam felt emasculated by his wife. Poor him. But he did have his time to shine at the rare opportunity. Liam provided too much laugh out loud moment for me even though he was torturing and killing off people. Some of it is a tad comical, but it was freaking hilarious.
Although this is the first of a trilogy, I don't feel like I have an incomplete story. In the end, it was a very satisfying story that left me begging for more next. Definitely worth to read it without waiting for the next one.
P/s: In order to enjoy this one, you definitely should be able to handle reading about your H/h killing enemies and innocent alike without any remorse whatsoever.
"This was how it should have been from the start. She and I setting the world on fire together."
Oh, to hell with it, I will just go with the 5 stars. Freedom of rating and all that. I don't care that the main character should have rot in hell for the things they did, I grew to root for the Callahan's clan. I can't believe this is actually a debut novel, it was faced-paced, action packed, entertaining, sexy and exhilarating.
We have two main characters that very much resembles Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Yes, I kid you not, just minus the mundane house chore and add more blood and gore into it. Melody was seriously a scary bitch and Liam was immature and hotheaded. He might just blew you up for the heck of it. I also love that the author emphasize a lot on the mafia business front and the mayhem they plot together. This husband and wife was a force to be reckoned with. Don't messed with them.
The title really suits and painted the right picture for the couple, they are the Ruthless People. Yes, no one has any heart of gold, just so you know. So don't expect romantic notion, swoony moments, flowery stuff or any honorable characters.
At first, I really disliked both Liam and Mel. They were each a bastard and a bitch. You might be thinking what a match made in heaven. Well, if they didn't rip off each other throat first. The way Liam treated his booty call was super douche at best. He was like a child in a man's body, cocky, immature, hotheaded and impatient to step up to be the boss man. Even though he had no idea how his future wife looks like, as long as he is going to be the next in line for the title, he is going to marry an ogre if that's what it takes.
Melody Giovanni is also scary bitch. She's the kind of woman who make grown man weep. She is not looking forward to be Liam's arm candy or a dutiful wife either.
"I would rather shoot you, but since I can't, I will sexually frustrate you instead. Do not rip my clothing."
"Bitch is going to kill me."
Honestly, if both of them got ambushed and murdered by the Valero, I don't think I would have shed a tear.
Initially, I was hoping that their hatred for each other to last a little longer considering this is going to be a trilogy. When they reached an unanimous agreement to work out their marriage and RULE the world together, I thought it was a nice change because there was only so much fight I can't take between these two alpha beings. Each wanted to top the other and they finally agree to a pact. Everything works out great by the way.
"What do you say, my Mel? We end our war and join brains and bodies and destroy any against us. We become one ruthless person instead of two."
Either I was feeling acclimatize to their way of life or they were getting more likable because they were seriously growing on me, I was kinda rooting for them to be the mafia king and queen and killed off the Valero.
I didn't read a lot of mafia story, but this one really did encompassed a lot of mafia business, the drama, the family, the cruelty and ruthlessness in it. They were a bunch of unapologetic scum and I don't even to look for their redeeming qualities.
Their relationship did resemble Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Both wanted to be the alpha, but we know who is the brain and who is the brawn in this relationship. This dynamic duo was fantastic, Mel was all straight to the point, efficient and discipline, Liam was all impromptu, manipulative and cunning. There were times that Liam felt emasculated by his wife. Poor him. But he did have his time to shine at the rare opportunity. Liam provided too much laugh out loud moment for me even though he was torturing and killing off people. Some of it is a tad comical, but it was freaking hilarious.
Although this is the first of a trilogy, I don't feel like I have an incomplete story. In the end, it was a very satisfying story that left me begging for more next. Definitely worth to read it without waiting for the next one.
P/s: In order to enjoy this one, you definitely should be able to handle reading about your H/h killing enemies and innocent alike without any remorse whatsoever.
"This was how it should have been from the start. She and I setting the world on fire together."
June 19, 2014
4.5--Ruthless--Stars!!!
The merging of two powerhouse families.
The uniting of the Irish and the Italian.
The marriage of the Boss and the Ceann na Conairte.
The joining of the Wicked Witch of the West and the Boogeyman of the East.
Liam Alec Callahan and Melody Nicci Giovanni
Together Liam and Melody will rule the world. They will take down the Valero. They will elimate anyone that stands in their way. They will kill. They will bleed. They will fight to protect their family.
That is if Liam and Melody can survive each other. Liam thought he was getting a nice compliant wife. One that would bow to his wishes. That would stand by and support his decisions. A wife he could control. Instead he got Melody.
Melody is used to ruling her empire. She doesn't take shit from anyone. Not even her new husband. She's never had a partner. Someone to share her role with, her life with. She's never loved anyone.
Marrying Liam changes everything for Melody.
This was gritty. It was violent. It was bloody. It was dangerous. It was the crime world at it's best.
I loved the banter between Liam and Melody. How they fought over who wore the pants in the relationship. Who was stronger. Who was more ruthless. Who would come out on top. How they realized that they were stronger together. More powerful. Beyond ruthless. Unstoppable.
Talk about action packed as Liam and Melody fight to bring down the Valero.
Betrayal.
Revenge.
Vengeance.
Retaliation.
Liam and Melody will have to work together. To trust each other. Their newly formed marriage will be tested. Lives will be lost.
I was enthralled. I couldn't stop reading. I loved the characters. The banter was great. There was action. There was steam.
WARNING: This is book one of a trilogy. Honestly, aside from the epilogue this one could be read as a standalone. The epilogue opened things up. I'm not raging for the next book, but I will definitely be stalking NetGalley for it.
ARC kindly provided by The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
"You kill for family. You die for family. Because you can't trust anyone else."
The merging of two powerhouse families.
The uniting of the Irish and the Italian.
The marriage of the Boss and the Ceann na Conairte.
The joining of the Wicked Witch of the West and the Boogeyman of the East.
Liam Alec Callahan and Melody Nicci Giovanni
Together Liam and Melody will rule the world. They will take down the Valero. They will elimate anyone that stands in their way. They will kill. They will bleed. They will fight to protect their family.
"May we forever be rulers. May our enemies tremble at our feet, may we never forget our great love that is the family. Which we will rule with an iron fist."
That is if Liam and Melody can survive each other. Liam thought he was getting a nice compliant wife. One that would bow to his wishes. That would stand by and support his decisions. A wife he could control. Instead he got Melody.
Melody is used to ruling her empire. She doesn't take shit from anyone. Not even her new husband. She's never had a partner. Someone to share her role with, her life with. She's never loved anyone.
Marrying Liam changes everything for Melody.
"I want you to love me. But if not, then I want it to be the closest thing to you loving me. I want your loyalty. I want your honesty. I want you by my side and no one else's. I want your body. I want your mind. I want to know your hopes and dreams so I could one day make them reality."
This was gritty. It was violent. It was bloody. It was dangerous. It was the crime world at it's best.
I loved the banter between Liam and Melody. How they fought over who wore the pants in the relationship. Who was stronger. Who was more ruthless. Who would come out on top. How they realized that they were stronger together. More powerful. Beyond ruthless. Unstoppable.
Talk about action packed as Liam and Melody fight to bring down the Valero.
Betrayal.
Revenge.
Vengeance.
Retaliation.
Liam and Melody will have to work together. To trust each other. Their newly formed marriage will be tested. Lives will be lost.
"I was the king of the jungle, and the woman beside me was my queen."
I was enthralled. I couldn't stop reading. I loved the characters. The banter was great. There was action. There was steam.
WARNING: This is book one of a trilogy. Honestly, aside from the epilogue this one could be read as a standalone. The epilogue opened things up. I'm not raging for the next book, but I will definitely be stalking NetGalley for it.
ARC kindly provided by The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
January 3, 2018
Dikkat! Bu kitabin yayin haklari bir Turk yayinevi tarafindan satin alindi. JJ bu bilgiyi kendi FB grubunda paylasti ve size tek soyleyebilecegim bu kitabi TBR listenize ekleyin ve de Turkce cevirisi ciktigi zaman da hemen alip okuyun. Zira Liam Callahan ve Melody Giovanni ile mutlaka ama mutlaka tanismalisiniz! 😉😉😉
This book is going to translate in Turkish! I'm so happy for my friends who can read it when the book is out... 😊
-------------------
OH MY GOD! This book is fucking amazing people! You should read this, you have to read this, you must read this book ASAP! :)
As you can see I’m so thrilled about this story. God, I loved this book so much. I just freaking loved Liam & Melody. And I love to read this kind of books such as love/hate relationship. All their fight & sex was so hot! :D I loved Callahan family too but especially Liam –fucking so sexy all the time- were amazing. And of course I have to mention you about Melody –Bloody Melody-. She’s such a strong woman. I loved her too… :D
My God, this book was so sexy!!! Holy shit, I need a cool drink or maybe a cold shower might be good!!! :D
[image error]
-----------------
"She looks like a sweet little lamb from afar, but when you get close, you find out she skinned and ate the damn thing just to use it as a coat. She’s a beast."
"I want you to love me.” I said softly. “But if not, then I want to be the closest thing to you loving me. I want your loyalty. I want your honesty. I want you by my side and no one else’s. I want your body. I want your mind. I want to know your hopes and dreams so I could one day make them reality.”
"She is. . . she is Bloody Melody and perfect. God created her and then shattered the mold afterward, for the world could not handle two of her.”
"She fucking shot me. I had been so shocked and horny that my mind couldn’t even comprehend what had happened.”
“I am trying! You are closer to me that anyone else Liam.”
“That would be enough, if everyone else wasn’t dead”
This book is going to translate in Turkish! I'm so happy for my friends who can read it when the book is out... 😊
-------------------
OH MY GOD! This book is fucking amazing people! You should read this, you have to read this, you must read this book ASAP! :)
As you can see I’m so thrilled about this story. God, I loved this book so much. I just freaking loved Liam & Melody. And I love to read this kind of books such as love/hate relationship. All their fight & sex was so hot! :D I loved Callahan family too but especially Liam –fucking so sexy all the time- were amazing. And of course I have to mention you about Melody –Bloody Melody-. She’s such a strong woman. I loved her too… :D
My God, this book was so sexy!!! Holy shit, I need a cool drink or maybe a cold shower might be good!!! :D
[image error]
-----------------
"She looks like a sweet little lamb from afar, but when you get close, you find out she skinned and ate the damn thing just to use it as a coat. She’s a beast."
"I want you to love me.” I said softly. “But if not, then I want to be the closest thing to you loving me. I want your loyalty. I want your honesty. I want you by my side and no one else’s. I want your body. I want your mind. I want to know your hopes and dreams so I could one day make them reality.”
"She is. . . she is Bloody Melody and perfect. God created her and then shattered the mold afterward, for the world could not handle two of her.”
"She fucking shot me. I had been so shocked and horny that my mind couldn’t even comprehend what had happened.”
“I am trying! You are closer to me that anyone else Liam.”
“That would be enough, if everyone else wasn’t dead”
March 28, 2016
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
In the immortal words of one smushy faced former A-List Hollywood actress: "You had me athello" errrrrr, I mean . . . . .
"Mr. & Mrs. Smith meets the Sopranos."
I mean for realz yo. When I read that I was seriously like . . .
Or momma. Whatevs.
Meet Melody Giovanni and Liam Callahan. She’s the daughter of the Italian mob boss. He’s the son of the Irish version. The two have been made an offer they can’t refuse – an arranged marriage which will bring the two families together so they can really run Chicago. Liam expects a new missus who will spend her days shopping, attending charity events and the like. Melody expects her days to be spent doing things that are juuuuuuuuust a bit different from her hubbie’s plans . . .
What neither ever imagined was . . .
I mean these two seriously knew how to go 'head girl go 'head get down and I was all: Praise Jeebus! Me pantaloons – they doth disintegrate.
If you like your porno with a real poopton of torture and your MCs to be bad to the bone, this is most definitely the selection for you. If you area flippin’ nutter one of the abundance of 1-Star reviewers for Ruthless People who expect their pornography to be "a realistic depiction of the mafia," you should probably just fuck off because seriously?
Don’t harsh my buzz. Porn is not real. I don't have a super drippy honeypot and none of my friends admits to having one either. Also? If someone tried to stick it up my butt without even a warning? Hell to the nah - he'd be going to the emergency room to get his ding-dong sewn back on. Reality has ZERO place in these stories. Just ask my hubs 'cause when I read a "real" story I get all "BUT THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN AND OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO STRAP DYNAMITE TO THIS STUPID SONOFABITCH AND BLOW IT UP WHEN I'M DONE READING IT!" but when I read porn I'm all . . . .
And he likey. (Mitchell? Notsamuch.)
(3.5 Stars if I could because if you're going to charge people $5.00 for something, there really shouldn't be so many typos and also because really with the instalove? You're damn lucky my underwears exploded from the smexy parts and made me fuggetaboutit.)
In the immortal words of one smushy faced former A-List Hollywood actress: "You had me at
"Mr. & Mrs. Smith meets the Sopranos."
I mean for realz yo. When I read that I was seriously like . . .
Or momma. Whatevs.
Meet Melody Giovanni and Liam Callahan. She’s the daughter of the Italian mob boss. He’s the son of the Irish version. The two have been made an offer they can’t refuse – an arranged marriage which will bring the two families together so they can really run Chicago. Liam expects a new missus who will spend her days shopping, attending charity events and the like. Melody expects her days to be spent doing things that are juuuuuuuuust a bit different from her hubbie’s plans . . .
What neither ever imagined was . . .
I mean these two seriously knew how to go 'head girl go 'head get down and I was all: Praise Jeebus! Me pantaloons – they doth disintegrate.
If you like your porno with a real poopton of torture and your MCs to be bad to the bone, this is most definitely the selection for you. If you are
Don’t harsh my buzz. Porn is not real. I don't have a super drippy honeypot and none of my friends admits to having one either. Also? If someone tried to stick it up my butt without even a warning? Hell to the nah - he'd be going to the emergency room to get his ding-dong sewn back on. Reality has ZERO place in these stories. Just ask my hubs 'cause when I read a "real" story I get all "BUT THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN AND OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO STRAP DYNAMITE TO THIS STUPID SONOFABITCH AND BLOW IT UP WHEN I'M DONE READING IT!" but when I read porn I'm all . . . .
And he likey. (Mitchell? Notsamuch.)
(3.5 Stars if I could because if you're going to charge people $5.00 for something, there really shouldn't be so many typos and also because really with the instalove? You're damn lucky my underwears exploded from the smexy parts and made me fuggetaboutit.)
December 17, 2018
EDIT (17/12/2018): I officially need to stop learning new languages! A couple of months ago I started with Italian, and it managed to destroy a book for me, already! Okay, the thing is, Melody is Italian, and several times she or another character speak Italian. The author several times said that she had it multiple times checked to make sure those sentences are correct. But I can say that she did not! I can see those mistakes.
And I love this book or even the whole series. But honestly, I'm just angry with another series because the author butchered Russian there. And it is not fair to give this book a free pass just because I like it. I can recognise that the other author managed to butcher the language in a couple of words. McAvoy is failing on longer sentences. However, I'm telling you, it is better to have no Italian (or any language you do not know) than butcher the language.
Also, because I read this book several times, I know it, and with every re-read, I see more and more typos, nonsense sentences and switches in the scenes. Like Mel wearing a dress, suddenly it's a t-shirt, and on the next page, it's a dress once again.
I love McAvoy and her books because the characters are just so ruthless. However, she needs a better editor! And a native Italian.
In regards to me a little revelation, I need to lower the rating. But I can honestly say that if it was my first read, I saw the bad Italian I would be angrier. However, since I already have a little connection to the story, I'm going to be a bit nicer. (4/5 ⭐)
EDIT: I had to change the rating because this one is my favourite in the series. (5/5 ⭐)
ORIGINAL: This just randomly appeared in my Goodreads Updates Feed, and I knew I had to read it. So, I put it in my To Read shelf and move one. But some little devil was sitting on my shoulder and screaming to read it right away. And I did. (4/5 ⭐)
Love this because they are really bad guys and openly evil. And they own it. There is no good vs evil. This is about who's the biggest evil of them all!
Finally! I waited so long for a book where the characters would just own that they are not good or pretend there is some higher good they do evil things for.
I don't say this very often. But I loved the main heroine. Melody was everything. Rude. Smart. Wicked. Evil. Cold. And much more. But mainly - She was a boss from start to finish. I love how at their first meeting she came on top. Knowing more then the Callahans did.
Liam was an idiot. But amazing idiot! I loved that his little "man-only" word was turned around.
What I really liked about this was the dynamics. Usually in books like this book you got an evil man and weeping flower. Or if she is some sort of leader, she, thanks to her love for the man, realises that she doesn't want to be like that and hands him all the power. No, they were a match set in hell.
Also, Fedel is sooo damn cute! I want to see more of him.
And I have to have some negatives.
-
- The Liam's little play to make sure was a bit theatrical. But okay.
- Was this a Twilight fan fiction? Because I got a bit of that vibe. Especially with the characters in the family.
Even the Melody/Olivia hate was sort of Bella/Rosalie...
But maybe I am seeing things that do not exist. :D
- Olivia needs a good death. And quickly. She's getting on my nerves.
- Some typos - not a grammar nazi. I know that I have a lot of typos and grammar mistakes, and usually I just do not realise it. But when even I see them in a book? That's not good.
And I love this book or even the whole series. But honestly, I'm just angry with another series because the author butchered Russian there. And it is not fair to give this book a free pass just because I like it. I can recognise that the other author managed to butcher the language in a couple of words. McAvoy is failing on longer sentences. However, I'm telling you, it is better to have no Italian (or any language you do not know) than butcher the language.
Also, because I read this book several times, I know it, and with every re-read, I see more and more typos, nonsense sentences and switches in the scenes. Like Mel wearing a dress, suddenly it's a t-shirt, and on the next page, it's a dress once again.
I love McAvoy and her books because the characters are just so ruthless. However, she needs a better editor! And a native Italian.
In regards to me a little revelation, I need to lower the rating. But I can honestly say that if it was my first read, I saw the bad Italian I would be angrier. However, since I already have a little connection to the story, I'm going to be a bit nicer. (4/5 ⭐)
EDIT: I had to change the rating because this one is my favourite in the series. (5/5 ⭐)
ORIGINAL: This just randomly appeared in my Goodreads Updates Feed, and I knew I had to read it. So, I put it in my To Read shelf and move one. But some little devil was sitting on my shoulder and screaming to read it right away. And I did. (4/5 ⭐)
Love this because they are really bad guys and openly evil. And they own it. There is no good vs evil. This is about who's the biggest evil of them all!
Finally! I waited so long for a book where the characters would just own that they are not good or pretend there is some higher good they do evil things for.
I don't say this very often. But I loved the main heroine. Melody was everything. Rude. Smart. Wicked. Evil. Cold. And much more. But mainly - She was a boss from start to finish. I love how at their first meeting she came on top. Knowing more then the Callahans did.
Liam was an idiot. But amazing idiot! I loved that his little "man-only" word was turned around.
What I really liked about this was the dynamics. Usually in books like this book you got an evil man and weeping flower. Or if she is some sort of leader, she, thanks to her love for the man, realises that she doesn't want to be like that and hands him all the power. No, they were a match set in hell.
Also, Fedel is sooo damn cute! I want to see more of him.
And I have to have some negatives.
-
- The Liam's little play to make sure was a bit theatrical. But okay.
- Was this a Twilight fan fiction? Because I got a bit of that vibe. Especially with the characters in the family.
Even the Melody/Olivia hate was sort of Bella/Rosalie...
But maybe I am seeing things that do not exist. :D
- Olivia needs a good death. And quickly. She's getting on my nerves.
- Some typos - not a grammar nazi. I know that I have a lot of typos and grammar mistakes, and usually I just do not realise it. But when even I see them in a book? That's not good.
July 25, 2014
WHEN I READ THIS BLURB:
Ruthless People is a romantic crime fiction set in modern day Chicago, and follows the life and marriage of Melody Giovanni and Liam Callahan—rivals by blood and leaders through fear.
I knew I wanted to read this book. Thank you, SueBee, for sharing Liam with me. *muah* ♥
RULES:
✦ONE You kill for family. You die for family. Because you can't trust anyone else.
✦TWO Take no prisoners and have no regrets about it.
✦THREE Just because you sell drugs for a living isn't an excuse not to dress well.
✦FOUR No bloody divorce.
(...)
✦SIXTEEN Never displease your mother. *I personally like this rule.*
A small portion of Ruthless People took place in Cascadia, Oregon. Location wise that is about an hour northeast of me. I was pleasantly surprised to see this beautiful forested area was mentioned.
SERIES:
To find out when the next book will be available click here.
LIVE-> amzn.to/1l9dMIx
110th book of 2014
Ruthless People is a romantic crime fiction set in modern day Chicago, and follows the life and marriage of Melody Giovanni and Liam Callahan—rivals by blood and leaders through fear.
I knew I wanted to read this book. Thank you, SueBee, for sharing Liam with me. *muah* ♥
RULES:
✦ONE You kill for family. You die for family. Because you can't trust anyone else.
✦TWO Take no prisoners and have no regrets about it.
✦THREE Just because you sell drugs for a living isn't an excuse not to dress well.
✦FOUR No bloody divorce.
(...)
✦SIXTEEN Never displease your mother. *I personally like this rule.*
A small portion of Ruthless People took place in Cascadia, Oregon. Location wise that is about an hour northeast of me. I was pleasantly surprised to see this beautiful forested area was mentioned.
"May we forever be rulers, may our enemies tremble at our feet, may we never forget our great love that is the family. Which we will rule with an iron fist. May we be ruthless and have no regrets. May we take what we want, when we want it, with the world at our feet."
SERIES:
To find out when the next book will be available click here.
LIVE-> amzn.to/1l9dMIx
110th book of 2014
July 17, 2014
It's LIVE!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ruthless-Peop...
http://www.amazon.com/Ruthless-People...
Ruthless People has Power struggles, conflict, Mafia bosses, an arranged marriage, sex, romance, rivals, love.... It's a Ruthless Story about Ruthless people, and never has a title been more apt.
“Everyone is ruthless. They just don’t know it.”
Three families are stronger than all the rest; their names feared by many...
Callaghan
Giovannis
Valero
Who will reign supreme?
Two families join together in marriage to form an unbeatable alliance. A force greater than any before or after..... A powerhouse mafia. That's the intention but what would be the reality?
They had to make it work.
The bride...
Melody Nicci Giovanni, 24
She lost her mother during childhood in tragic circumstances. Mel's father, Orlando, single-handedly raised her in a protective bubble and made her into the ruthless cold hearted, harsh, standoffish bitch that she needs to be.... The Boss “…the most beautiful woman I had ever seen….. I could tell she was perfection.” Mel is the definition of badassery... She's ruthless through and through. There's nothing she will not do to show her power.... Nothing
...and groom.
Liam Alec Callaghan, 27
He has an expectation of how he thinks his wife should behave....
He’s immature, impatient, aggressive, cocky, arrogant, chauvinistic and possessive. How will his bride feel about all of this? Will Liam be able to tame her to bend to his will and be the wife he imagines worthy of the most powerful Mafia leader? “There was one boss, only one Ceann na Conairte, and it was not her.”
And herein lies a major conflict with the Ruthless People, who will reign supreme within the alliance..… Can they come to an agreement, in order to dominate?
They're aggressive, they fight, have power struggles, even when they're having explosive HOT sex. The author is completely consistent with their personalities and behaviour. There’s an undeniable intense attraction between them and that's what I love most about this story, the relationship between Mel and Liam. What a character team! I wanted to experience their every thought, and every word, whilst they were together, because together they're dynamite.
Can she trust him?
There are a ton of additional characters in the story, lots of family and links within the families, it was hard for me to keep track of at times, and maybe affected the story pacing for me, just a little, but, equally, I think this story requires the layers all the additional characters provide.
No one was safe from their goal to reign supreme.
They feel no remorse, no guilt about their murderous, violent activities. They. Are. Ruthless. Even in their innermost thoughts, especially Mel, she's a force to be reckoned with. She does not allow her heart to feel.
Ruthless People felt completely different to books I usually read and that was refreshing but I would've liked to see more of their vulnerable side, I caught glimpses but I needed a little more light and shade, and not just with each other. If I'm completely honest, I don’t think I truly connected to the characters until near the end of the story but I don’t wish to take away the brilliance of this dynasty. I've a feeling that the next book will probably fulfill this desire in me!
The story that evolves and the characters who unravel before us are gripping. I wasn't always sure that I liked the them, sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't.... But I enjoyed the Mafia reading experience, so 4 stars from me! And the ending, well, I wasn't expecting that to happen! If you like the sound of what this story has to offer go grab your copy and enjoy the crazy mafia ride with Mel and Liam!
I can't wait for more!
ARC kindly provided by The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ruthless-Peop...
http://www.amazon.com/Ruthless-People...
Ruthless People has Power struggles, conflict, Mafia bosses, an arranged marriage, sex, romance, rivals, love.... It's a Ruthless Story about Ruthless people, and never has a title been more apt.
“Everyone is ruthless. They just don’t know it.”
Three families are stronger than all the rest; their names feared by many...
Callaghan
Giovannis
Valero
Who will reign supreme?
Two families join together in marriage to form an unbeatable alliance. A force greater than any before or after..... A powerhouse mafia. That's the intention but what would be the reality?
They had to make it work.
The bride...
Melody Nicci Giovanni, 24
She lost her mother during childhood in tragic circumstances. Mel's father, Orlando, single-handedly raised her in a protective bubble and made her into the ruthless cold hearted, harsh, standoffish bitch that she needs to be.... The Boss “…the most beautiful woman I had ever seen….. I could tell she was perfection.” Mel is the definition of badassery... She's ruthless through and through. There's nothing she will not do to show her power.... Nothing
...and groom.
Liam Alec Callaghan, 27
He has an expectation of how he thinks his wife should behave....
He’s immature, impatient, aggressive, cocky, arrogant, chauvinistic and possessive. How will his bride feel about all of this? Will Liam be able to tame her to bend to his will and be the wife he imagines worthy of the most powerful Mafia leader? “There was one boss, only one Ceann na Conairte, and it was not her.”
And herein lies a major conflict with the Ruthless People, who will reign supreme within the alliance..… Can they come to an agreement, in order to dominate?
They're aggressive, they fight, have power struggles, even when they're having explosive HOT sex. The author is completely consistent with their personalities and behaviour. There’s an undeniable intense attraction between them and that's what I love most about this story, the relationship between Mel and Liam. What a character team! I wanted to experience their every thought, and every word, whilst they were together, because together they're dynamite.
Can she trust him?
There are a ton of additional characters in the story, lots of family and links within the families, it was hard for me to keep track of at times, and maybe affected the story pacing for me, just a little, but, equally, I think this story requires the layers all the additional characters provide.
No one was safe from their goal to reign supreme.
They feel no remorse, no guilt about their murderous, violent activities. They. Are. Ruthless. Even in their innermost thoughts, especially Mel, she's a force to be reckoned with. She does not allow her heart to feel.
Ruthless People felt completely different to books I usually read and that was refreshing but I would've liked to see more of their vulnerable side, I caught glimpses but I needed a little more light and shade, and not just with each other. If I'm completely honest, I don’t think I truly connected to the characters until near the end of the story but I don’t wish to take away the brilliance of this dynasty. I've a feeling that the next book will probably fulfill this desire in me!
The story that evolves and the characters who unravel before us are gripping. I wasn't always sure that I liked the them, sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't.... But I enjoyed the Mafia reading experience, so 4 stars from me! And the ending, well, I wasn't expecting that to happen! If you like the sound of what this story has to offer go grab your copy and enjoy the crazy mafia ride with Mel and Liam!
I can't wait for more!
ARC kindly provided by The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review
January 29, 2015
ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR LIST... IT's HELLA GOOD
5 Kickin’ Booty Stars
I love coming across a new author and I love it when I love the book! Ruthless People is very much like Mr. & Mrs. Smith with a touch of mafia
There are a few things you should know…
- The Hero and Heroine are Ruthless People.
- The Hero is Irish
- The Heroine is Italian
- Both are to be wed and both are fine with it
- Both want to be the boss and therefore, there’s lots of juicy and yummy drama!
Summary
Very early on, Liam and Melody are expected to wed. Liam is the son of the Irish mafia boss and Melody is the daughter of the Italian boss. Both fathers made this deal in order to join the two sides and create a bigger entity. The only problem, both Liam and Melody want to be “the” boss.
Melody
It’s difficult for me to like a strong Heroine because sometimes they can come off as kind of mean and not likeable. I, however, do like Melody. She reminds me a lot like Sarai in Killing Sarai. Melody was born into this mafia life and without anyone to rely on, but herself she does what she needs to do. She can fight, she isn’t scared of anyone and doesn’t blink an eye if she needs to kill…. even if it’s innocent people.
Liam
Liam may be marrying a strong woman, but that doesn’t mean Liam is weak. Liam has to prove his worth and just like Melody he isn’t afraid to show people that he is the man and he will do anything it takes to protect his family and business. He will kill, torture and backstab anyone who gets in his way.
Melody and Liam Dynamics
The thing I love most about this couple is that they both were okay getting married. That wasn’t the “issue” of the book. I also love how strong both characters are. Melody at times did frustrate me because she was pretty suborn and was very determine to be set in her ways. Liam is the sexy Hero I love to read. He’s powerful, cocky and at the same time very endearing. Liam shows more affection in the book and it just makes your heart swoon.
The ups and downs and all around
Ruthless People isn’t a difficult book to read, but it’s not a simple book. Not like most tame mafia books, Melody and Liam do go into business by selling drugs, weapons and at times innocent people are killed. I know, sometimes you wish mafia people are “nice” and only do nice business transaction, but I think the author was trying to make the characters as raw as possible and it didn’t bother me.
Also, the language of the book can be a bit distracting for some people. I don’t really mind all the F and cuss words, but that is just me. I did feel like there was a bit too much threating to kill. Many times Melody would say she would rather kill so and so than do this and Liam would do the same. The first few times were okay, but it started to become sprinkled throughout the book and I just kind of wanted them to stop saying it and just focus on the task at hand.
Overall, I really enjoyed Ruthless People. It had everything I looked for in a mafia type of book, there was plenty of action, sexual tension and ruthless killing.
A MUST READ!
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review
AMAZON
5 Kickin’ Booty Stars
I love coming across a new author and I love it when I love the book! Ruthless People is very much like Mr. & Mrs. Smith with a touch of mafia
There are a few things you should know…
- The Hero and Heroine are Ruthless People.
- The Hero is Irish
- The Heroine is Italian
- Both are to be wed and both are fine with it
- Both want to be the boss and therefore, there’s lots of juicy and yummy drama!
Summary
Very early on, Liam and Melody are expected to wed. Liam is the son of the Irish mafia boss and Melody is the daughter of the Italian boss. Both fathers made this deal in order to join the two sides and create a bigger entity. The only problem, both Liam and Melody want to be “the” boss.
Melody
It’s difficult for me to like a strong Heroine because sometimes they can come off as kind of mean and not likeable. I, however, do like Melody. She reminds me a lot like Sarai in Killing Sarai. Melody was born into this mafia life and without anyone to rely on, but herself she does what she needs to do. She can fight, she isn’t scared of anyone and doesn’t blink an eye if she needs to kill…. even if it’s innocent people.
Liam
Liam may be marrying a strong woman, but that doesn’t mean Liam is weak. Liam has to prove his worth and just like Melody he isn’t afraid to show people that he is the man and he will do anything it takes to protect his family and business. He will kill, torture and backstab anyone who gets in his way.
Melody and Liam Dynamics
The thing I love most about this couple is that they both were okay getting married. That wasn’t the “issue” of the book. I also love how strong both characters are. Melody at times did frustrate me because she was pretty suborn and was very determine to be set in her ways. Liam is the sexy Hero I love to read. He’s powerful, cocky and at the same time very endearing. Liam shows more affection in the book and it just makes your heart swoon.
The ups and downs and all around
Ruthless People isn’t a difficult book to read, but it’s not a simple book. Not like most tame mafia books, Melody and Liam do go into business by selling drugs, weapons and at times innocent people are killed. I know, sometimes you wish mafia people are “nice” and only do nice business transaction, but I think the author was trying to make the characters as raw as possible and it didn’t bother me.
Also, the language of the book can be a bit distracting for some people. I don’t really mind all the F and cuss words, but that is just me. I did feel like there was a bit too much threating to kill. Many times Melody would say she would rather kill so and so than do this and Liam would do the same. The first few times were okay, but it started to become sprinkled throughout the book and I just kind of wanted them to stop saying it and just focus on the task at hand.
Overall, I really enjoyed Ruthless People. It had everything I looked for in a mafia type of book, there was plenty of action, sexual tension and ruthless killing.
A MUST READ!
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review
AMAZON
March 21, 2017
1. Sweet jesus, hire a new editor.
2. As an Italian, this book actually offended me.
3. If you are EVER going to write a book that includes a foreign language, consult with a PERSON WHO ACTUALLY SPEAKS THAT LANGUAGE. Then ask ANOTHER person to confirm what you wrote is correct. And then ask another, just to be safe.
4. Please do some research when trying to write anything on the Italian mob. Just, please. RESEARCH.
This had so much promise, but was an epic fail.
Find Me On:
Instagram ❤ FB Page ❤ FB Blog ❤ Blog ❤ Twitter
June 16, 2014
4.5 "Ruthless" Stars
The Irish and the Italian....The Ceann na Conairte and The Boss....the "Boogeyman of the East" and the unknown "Wicked Witch of the West." Liam Alec Callahan from Chicago and Melody "Mel" Nicci Giovanni from California have been preordained to be married by their fathers. It would join the Irish and the Italian mafia, the biggest merger the mafia world would ever see. The only catch, which runs the show? This book is about the mafia, they kill, sell drugs, and manipulate at all cost to rule. (I for one LOVED the Sopranos so this book got me all tingly)
Family is everything.
Rule One: You kill for family. You die for family. Because you can't trust anyone else.
Rule Two: Take no prisoners and have no regrets about it.
Rule Three: Just because you sell drugs for a living isn't an excuse not to dress well.
Liam and Mel are both feisty, headstrong, fierce, brave, cut-throat leaders. They kill, steal, and do whatever it takes to get the job done. They never back down and what they do best is lead. In a perfect mafia marriage, the wife stays quiet, looks beautiful and stands behind her man. But what happens when your wife is The Boss of her group and is use to doing things her way and has NO desire to play second fiddle to her husband? Well you get fireworks, explosions, very heated "discussions", and an occasional gunshot.
"The strongest survive, however, and the key to survival is to evolve with your environment. We have evolved, the mafia has evolved, and now it's your turn. Melody Giovanni is your evolution, embrace it and make peace."
Mel is kick ass and I loved her from the beginning. She is harsh and brash but she has many walls built around her, it's her only way of survival. Liam in all his arrogance and cockiness sees how perfect they are for one another. He has to tear down her wall and it's not an easy thing to do.
The back and forth between Liam and Mel was spot on. Their love/hate feelings for one another were funny at times, touching at times and downright combustible at times. Their sexual chemistry was lustful, animalistic, and passionate.
I love how they grow as a couple. Both breaking down barriers and realizing that they are so similar in nature that they both truly understand each other down to their core. Learning to give and take-learning to love and trust one another. Plotting together and forging one family united.
When their world is turned upside down and tragedy strikes, how they deal with it and what was done to help them cope was sweet and endearing. The family rallies around them because that's what family does.
I loved all the secondary characters. They added lots of flavor to the story. I liked the twist and turns the story took us on and the end just had me licking my chops for the next book. The story does not have a cliffy but you are anxious for the wild ride that Liam and Mel have ahead of them. I for one can't wait for the next book!!
JJ-
for so graciously gifting me an ARC for an honest review. I honestly loved your book!!
BR with Jxxx, TeriLyn, Mo and Irene and with the occasional stalking from SueBee and Bev. ♥♥
The Irish and the Italian....The Ceann na Conairte and The Boss....the "Boogeyman of the East" and the unknown "Wicked Witch of the West." Liam Alec Callahan from Chicago and Melody "Mel" Nicci Giovanni from California have been preordained to be married by their fathers. It would join the Irish and the Italian mafia, the biggest merger the mafia world would ever see. The only catch, which runs the show? This book is about the mafia, they kill, sell drugs, and manipulate at all cost to rule. (I for one LOVED the Sopranos so this book got me all tingly)
Family is everything.
Rule One: You kill for family. You die for family. Because you can't trust anyone else.
Rule Two: Take no prisoners and have no regrets about it.
Rule Three: Just because you sell drugs for a living isn't an excuse not to dress well.
Liam and Mel are both feisty, headstrong, fierce, brave, cut-throat leaders. They kill, steal, and do whatever it takes to get the job done. They never back down and what they do best is lead. In a perfect mafia marriage, the wife stays quiet, looks beautiful and stands behind her man. But what happens when your wife is The Boss of her group and is use to doing things her way and has NO desire to play second fiddle to her husband? Well you get fireworks, explosions, very heated "discussions", and an occasional gunshot.
"The strongest survive, however, and the key to survival is to evolve with your environment. We have evolved, the mafia has evolved, and now it's your turn. Melody Giovanni is your evolution, embrace it and make peace."
Mel is kick ass and I loved her from the beginning. She is harsh and brash but she has many walls built around her, it's her only way of survival. Liam in all his arrogance and cockiness sees how perfect they are for one another. He has to tear down her wall and it's not an easy thing to do.
The back and forth between Liam and Mel was spot on. Their love/hate feelings for one another were funny at times, touching at times and downright combustible at times. Their sexual chemistry was lustful, animalistic, and passionate.
I love how they grow as a couple. Both breaking down barriers and realizing that they are so similar in nature that they both truly understand each other down to their core. Learning to give and take-learning to love and trust one another. Plotting together and forging one family united.
When their world is turned upside down and tragedy strikes, how they deal with it and what was done to help them cope was sweet and endearing. The family rallies around them because that's what family does.
I loved all the secondary characters. They added lots of flavor to the story. I liked the twist and turns the story took us on and the end just had me licking my chops for the next book. The story does not have a cliffy but you are anxious for the wild ride that Liam and Mel have ahead of them. I for one can't wait for the next book!!
JJ-
for so graciously gifting me an ARC for an honest review. I honestly loved your book!!
BR with Jxxx, TeriLyn, Mo and Irene and with the occasional stalking from SueBee and Bev. ♥♥
June 24, 2014
So...
If you're looking to read about good people doing good things
Because you're definitely reading the wrong book.
Ruthless People is definitely not a feel-good book filled with redeemable characters. This book is rife with violence and full of bad people.
Think of it as an alternative universe where a person who is essentially considered a monster falls in love and goes out of his way to protect those he considers as his. Ruthless People is about that person.
Liam and Melody are colorful characters, to say the least and I enjoyed their banter and their chemistry.
Overall, a very enjoyable read. As long as you leave your morals out the door and jump into this without expecting these characters to get redeemed, you're definitely okay.
Thank you Lana and J for buddy reading this with me. I ♥ you guys.
This ARC is provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,391 reviews