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A review by readingtilthebreakofdawn
Deviant Hearts by Jagger Cole
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Deviant Hearts is my first book by Jagger Cole and I can already tell you, it definitely won't be my last. Enemies to lovers with an arranged marriage in the mafia world between rivals? I will eat that sh.....up!
Neve Kildare and Ares Drakos are neighbors and apparently admire each other from afar, but that is as far as it will ever go because they are from rival gangs. But there is something brewing that Neve isn't aware of, until a family meeting where she is informed of her pending nuptials to the "God of War", Ares Drakos. This Irish Mafia family and Greek Mafia family will join forces to become that much more powerful and for protection in their worlds.
Right from the start, I knew these two were going to be fire once they let their guards down. Neve is a strong a$$ mafia princess and I loved the way her "queenness" dictated all she did. She wasn't afraid to stand up to seemingly powerful mafia men, but she also wanted to help her family. Therefore, she went through with the marriage. And Ares? Well, after Neve admired his body from afar, I had to wonder what else he had in store for us. And let's say, he did not disappoint with his touch her d*e vibes for his wife. He's protective from day one, but also a little controlling that sets Neve on edge. They may have been an arranged marriage, but you could cut their sexual tension with a knife. And when they gave in to said tension, it was perfection. These two strong characters were made for each other.
I love a good rival mafia family storyline with all the characters from both families. You are set up for so much more than just the "main story". And the way Cole navigated the relationship of the two MCs while also giving us the expected mafia danger and letting the characters personalities shine through was done well. Feisty Neve and Protective Ares came to play with all their tension filled banter. It was explosive and added a very entertaining element to the whole story. Sure, some parts were predictable and the chemistry was explosive like I expected, but I was always entertained and kept turning those pages to see what was going to happen next and the whole cast of characters definitely helped with that.
Finally, I have to give major props to Ryan West and Sophie Daniels as the narrators of the Deviant Hearts audio book. They not only brought the story to life, but also the characters and their personalities were elevated with their performances. They became Ares and Neve. While this is book one of the Dark Hearts series, it is a complete standalone with no cliffhanger. I look forward to what this world is going to bring next with the Drakos and Kildare families in power.
Neve Kildare and Ares Drakos are neighbors and apparently admire each other from afar, but that is as far as it will ever go because they are from rival gangs. But there is something brewing that Neve isn't aware of, until a family meeting where she is informed of her pending nuptials to the "God of War", Ares Drakos. This Irish Mafia family and Greek Mafia family will join forces to become that much more powerful and for protection in their worlds.
Right from the start, I knew these two were going to be fire once they let their guards down. Neve is a strong a$$ mafia princess and I loved the way her "queenness" dictated all she did. She wasn't afraid to stand up to seemingly powerful mafia men, but she also wanted to help her family. Therefore, she went through with the marriage. And Ares? Well, after Neve admired his body from afar, I had to wonder what else he had in store for us. And let's say, he did not disappoint with his touch her d*e vibes for his wife. He's protective from day one, but also a little controlling that sets Neve on edge. They may have been an arranged marriage, but you could cut their sexual tension with a knife. And when they gave in to said tension, it was perfection. These two strong characters were made for each other.
I love a good rival mafia family storyline with all the characters from both families. You are set up for so much more than just the "main story". And the way Cole navigated the relationship of the two MCs while also giving us the expected mafia danger and letting the characters personalities shine through was done well. Feisty Neve and Protective Ares came to play with all their tension filled banter. It was explosive and added a very entertaining element to the whole story. Sure, some parts were predictable and the chemistry was explosive like I expected, but I was always entertained and kept turning those pages to see what was going to happen next and the whole cast of characters definitely helped with that.
Finally, I have to give major props to Ryan West and Sophie Daniels as the narrators of the Deviant Hearts audio book. They not only brought the story to life, but also the characters and their personalities were elevated with their performances. They became Ares and Neve. While this is book one of the Dark Hearts series, it is a complete standalone with no cliffhanger. I look forward to what this world is going to bring next with the Drakos and Kildare families in power.