“Everyone knows a man’s worth is based on whether or not he keeps
his word. The same applies to women. You have mine—until the day I die.”
Johnny leaned in, flooding my personal space with expensive aftershave, a dark glint in his eye. “What if you die tonight?”
Pause. “Then I lived up to my word, didn’t I?”
Juice
Campbell doesn’t believe in marriage. The product of an extramarital
affair gone wrong, the twenty-five-year-old has her mind made up when it
comes to being tied down by anything other than her career. On her last
night dancing at one of Atlanta’s premier strip clubs, Juice’s
opportunity to start over is derailed when she is witness to several
murders, including one of her closest friends. Overnight, she goes from
stripper to wife of mafia hitman Johnny “Johnny Two-Times Gabbana.” As
formidable as he is handsome, Johnny turns Juice’s mundane life upside
down and in turn, changes her views on matrimony as their feelings
intensify. The only thing standing between the two living happily ever
after is Johnny’s family, more specifically his father, who will stop at
nothing to make sure death does them part.
Johnny Gabbana is
revered within the mafia underworld for several reasons, the main one
being his special “gift,” the rare ability to take out any given target
in two shots or less. The youngest son of the infamous mafia boss
Antonio Gabbana, Johnny has spent the past decade protecting not only
his father, but the generational wealth amassed by the patriarch. Such a
task requires discipline, and compared to the hedonistic nature of his
brothers, Johnny’s a coldhearted saint, seeking more than a warm body
between his sheets. When he sees Juice at the club it’s love at first
sight, and their second encounter, though morbid, solidifies his belief
that the mouthy stripper might be “the one.” Johnny goes against his
entire family to save Juice, a decision that places both of their lives
in danger from the moment they say, “I do.”
Married to the Mafia
is a tale of love and loyalty, proving that neither are mutually
exclusive. Johnny’s loyalty ends where his marriage begins, and he vows
to protect Juice, even if it means sacrificing himself. As for love?
Between himself and his family, there’s none lost
4.5 Stars
I loved spunky and smart Juice Campbell, although we did get to see more of her spunk. That was fine with me though. And Johnny raised from childhood to be a trained killer for his father had plenty of hidden depths to him. I enjoyed the interactions between the two of them.
Johnny's father, Antonio was one vicious, messed up, ego and power driven mess. He had zero feelings for anything else not his wife and he could care less about his kids unless he could use them for his benefit. Now Johnny has to watch his back because he chose Juice instead of his family. That also means Juice isn't safe either. He knows that his father will stew and plan and could do so for years until he strikes. Like Juice said though, "we are in this together."
Surprise twist after twist comes towards the end of the book and Johnny and Juice have a H.E.A....for now.
The door is left open for another book, because not all is solved, there are dangers and suspicions that still have to be addressed.
