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A review by kfriend
El Diablo II by M. Robinson
4.0
The queen of angst is back again- returning to the lethal, passionate, and suspenseful El Diablo world she created in her mafia smash hit- here with the story of Crucifixio (Cruz) Martinex- son of El Diablo himself. While this is named as a standalone, I’d highly recommend starting with El Diablo- that book sets the tone for this story and is hugely important to who Cruz is- it establishes his legacy, his blood. Like El Diablo, M Robinson doesn’t hold back in El Diablo II- this story is dark, violent, and gritty. This story has such an intense energy underscoring the action- no one captures the mafia tone like M Robinson.
The former El Diablo, our patriarch, has done his best to keep Cruz and his sister away from the dark world that created El Diablo- and he’s particularly protective over his daughter, even though she’s a full adult and chafing under his strict sheltering. With good reason- because her kidnapping unleashes the long buried El Diablo and the diablo within Cruz. And he will do anything to get her back and take down her kidnappers. He’ll also do anything to capture Sienna, the Italian mafia princess who crosses his path that he can’t live without- his angel that wants nothing to do with him or his life.
Cruz is every bit as captivating, lethal, and ruthless as his father once he puts on the El Diablo crown. He’s intense- merciless and violent- focused and meticulous in his revenge. LIke his father’s story, M Robinson gives us a fantastic character juxtaposition- we see one side of Cruz as the devil and then a more humanized, charming and swoon worthy side when it comes to his pursuit of his mafia princess. He’s a smug alpha, protective and persistent- but we also see his heart. Sienna keeps him from complete darkness- she’s his light, his safety, his purpose. That dark/light contrast made him such an interesting and compelling character- and both sides to him are so dreamy and seductive. I couldn’t help but love him- flaws and all.
Sienna was challenging for me, though- I was both intrigued by her but struggled to connect with her. M Robinson makes her interesting- she’s full of contrasts, somehow naive but aware, sweet but sassy. She doesn’t want this life- she loathes the violence and chaos of the mafia life, so being thrust into Cruz’s world is her worst nightmare. That should have made her relatable- but somehow I found that strength more obstinate than strong. Perhaps unfair of me- but she just resisted a bit too much for me. I felt like I needed her to be more open with Cruz, more passionate, but they spend most of the story fighting each other. I love some good angst, but I also need to feel the connection, and here the angst kind of got in the way from me feeling it until much later in the story. There is certainly intensity and fire, but the romantic connection was slower burn, and along the way her decisions frustrated me.
Overall, I enjoyed going back into the creative mind of M Robinson and seeing this next chapter of the El Diablo legacy. The angst is through the roof, the action and suspense had me turning the page, and the mafia intensity had my heart pounding. While this next generation couple didn’t win my heart as much as our original El Diablo pair, I still enjoyed this mafia romance, and I loved being back in the mafia world that M Robinson has so lovingly and thoughtfully created.
The former El Diablo, our patriarch, has done his best to keep Cruz and his sister away from the dark world that created El Diablo- and he’s particularly protective over his daughter, even though she’s a full adult and chafing under his strict sheltering. With good reason- because her kidnapping unleashes the long buried El Diablo and the diablo within Cruz. And he will do anything to get her back and take down her kidnappers. He’ll also do anything to capture Sienna, the Italian mafia princess who crosses his path that he can’t live without- his angel that wants nothing to do with him or his life.
Cruz is every bit as captivating, lethal, and ruthless as his father once he puts on the El Diablo crown. He’s intense- merciless and violent- focused and meticulous in his revenge. LIke his father’s story, M Robinson gives us a fantastic character juxtaposition- we see one side of Cruz as the devil and then a more humanized, charming and swoon worthy side when it comes to his pursuit of his mafia princess. He’s a smug alpha, protective and persistent- but we also see his heart. Sienna keeps him from complete darkness- she’s his light, his safety, his purpose. That dark/light contrast made him such an interesting and compelling character- and both sides to him are so dreamy and seductive. I couldn’t help but love him- flaws and all.
Sienna was challenging for me, though- I was both intrigued by her but struggled to connect with her. M Robinson makes her interesting- she’s full of contrasts, somehow naive but aware, sweet but sassy. She doesn’t want this life- she loathes the violence and chaos of the mafia life, so being thrust into Cruz’s world is her worst nightmare. That should have made her relatable- but somehow I found that strength more obstinate than strong. Perhaps unfair of me- but she just resisted a bit too much for me. I felt like I needed her to be more open with Cruz, more passionate, but they spend most of the story fighting each other. I love some good angst, but I also need to feel the connection, and here the angst kind of got in the way from me feeling it until much later in the story. There is certainly intensity and fire, but the romantic connection was slower burn, and along the way her decisions frustrated me.
Overall, I enjoyed going back into the creative mind of M Robinson and seeing this next chapter of the El Diablo legacy. The angst is through the roof, the action and suspense had me turning the page, and the mafia intensity had my heart pounding. While this next generation couple didn’t win my heart as much as our original El Diablo pair, I still enjoyed this mafia romance, and I loved being back in the mafia world that M Robinson has so lovingly and thoughtfully created.