Bksprout/ ROOK by Hannah Rio

   Bksprout

 Book 5 of Shattered Pieces Mafia Romance Series 

 

The Knight made his move. Romeo Rivas married in secret, defied a dead king's blood pact, and set the dynasty ablaze. But the war he ignited didn't strike the Knight—it struck the youngest son. Dante Rivas. Taken. Chained. Held by a ghost the family doesn't know exists. A dead king's system still executing from the grave, and a Mole rotting inside the empire's walls.

The weapon sent to break Dante is the woman who will either deliver him home—or destroy everything the Rivas name was built to protect.

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Usually, the mafia prince takes the captive. Not this time. I hold the chains.

ISADORA
I was hired to execute the youngest Rivas heir. Instead, I chained him to a chair.

Twenty years ago, his father punished me with annihilation. Giovanni Rivas erased my identity, relocated me, and rebuilt me into a lethal, unfeeling weapon. I have spent two decades surviving among mafia men who used the weapon and never cared if the woman beneath it existed.

My instructions were simple: end Giovanni’s bloodline. Revenge was supposed to be clean.

But Dante Rivas isn't a terrified boy. He is a nineteen-year-old lethal instrument who wears the same brutal training I do. He doesn't flinch. He watches me. He reads the twenty years of trauma hiding beneath my armor.

When I examine his bruised ribs, the tension in the room snaps. His green eyes burn through my defenses, and he hardens against my touch. When he pulls me in, he doesn't feel like a captive. He feels like a master. His mouth devours me, his hands finding places I’ve kept numb for two decades. I shatter against the concrete, making sounds I haven’t made in years.

I was the weapon. Dante made me the woman again.

But the man stripping me bare is the son of the king who destroyed my life. If I let him live, I betray my employers. If I let him touch me again, I betray myself.

Every king falls. Every bishop bleeds. Every knight wages war. Now the Rook moves—and the board will never be the same.

(ROOK is a dark, gritty, high-heat mafia romance featuring forced proximity, an older female captor, a lethal younger male captive, and a devastating enemies-to-lovers forbidden romance. It is the next installment in the Shattered Pieces series.)

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**SERIES DESCRIPTION

Across this six-book saga, the Rivas family is torn apart by power, secrets, and betrayal—but also remade through the dangerous bonds of love. Here, dominance and rebellion collide, surrender burns into obsession, and the heat is scorching, raw, and unforgettable. And yes—through every shadow and every betrayal, an undeniable happily-ever-after waits.

 **WHO’S IT FOR

For readers craving a dark, high‑stakes romance that blends forbidden desire with a moody, thriller‑infused atmosphere, where obsession and betrayal pulse through every sinful confession.

Explicit

310 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Romantic Suspense Dark Romance dark mafia romance spicy forced proximity age gap enemies to lovers forbidden love crime fiction organized crime revenge romance action thriller 

Hosted by Hannah Rio Romance

Must review on:

Amazon 

My Review 5 Star Notes TITLED:  He's the Brilliant Brain 

Interesting Prologue !  Isadora hates Giovanni Rivas with an icy passion.  All she did was say, No, to him using her and then he did what he said he would. He erased her ! Not dead but now she was a ghost who killed for others; not him ! Dante was the Trained Brain cruelly  trained from young to notice things and he does.  He hardly never really notices that though.  Isadora was trained to notice things also because she HAD to in order to survive ! No one has every rattled to her before Dante. And she's got  job to do and she's studied her prey for quite a while.  A man, outside her assignment has been watching her and helping her at time. He said to watch the young man. He was an interesting addition to the story, Anyway, when Isadora and Dante first meet, he's bolted in a chair with injuries. He's only 19 years old and she's 40 years old but when he looks at her? He sees her. No man as ever seen her as a person; just a weapon or being the one who killed them. He sees another person like him; another brain, someone like him. Never happened before ! He begins to see just how cruel his father was to him and his other 3 brothers. 

He was also more dangerous when hurt. I liked that thought.  Look out  Isadora ! I loved the reverse age difference in this dark romance with her being the older one. 

In the beginning I did have one problem having never read any other other books. It took me a while to find the rhythm to know who was speaking.  However, I fell in love with Isadora and Dante. In fact, the whole family was awesome ! Romeo, Nora and her 13 year old sister, Marisol and 10 year old Tomas were especially interesting in their interactions and their expressions of love ! Now, I wish I had read her story; sounds interesting as well. The rest of the brothers, have their own skills and their own stories. 

There are many levels of dangers and a very BIG Mole.  It gets really intense !

I love the fact that it is said by several from time to time that although the men are dangerous? The women in this family are more so. And that is proved time and again in the story.  Isadora is no different. She's really different but also very dangerous too ! 

 There are many levels of betrayal and most get destroyed. But there are several circles of hell that haven't been destroyed.  Yet ! That battle continues in the next story of another brother, called The Pawn and I know that's going to be VERY interesting as well. 

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.