Never Hollowed By The Stare

The Morelli Family: Enticed by the Enemy – Leighton Greene

He’s an FBI profiler who’s half my age. Contact between us is forbidden. But I can’t stay away from him.

As the Morelli Underboss, I’m the Family problem-solver. So when a task force blames the Morellis for a series of murders in Central Park, it’s up to me to restore our reputation.

But Fate puts me on a collision-course with an agent on the very task force dedicated to bringing down my Family…

And we end up on the run together.

My heart has been ice-cold for decades, but something about him sets my blood on fire.

It would be crazy of me to trust a Fed. But he claims he wants to prove my innocence. That the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

We each want to solve this case for different reasons, but we’ll both end up dead if he can’t follow my lead.

So to make him behave, I’ll use every weapon I have—including my body.

But why do I feel like I’m the one losing control?

Enticed by the Enemy is a M/M mafia romance set in the world of the Morelli Crime Family. It can be read as a standalone, but it’s even more fun to read the series in order. Characters and events from previous books are referenced.

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Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love

Soundtrack: Enemy Mind
Artist: Priest
Album: Samurai

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The Morelli Family: Seduced by a Sinner – Leighton Greene

He’s innocent. He’s chaste. He’s promised to God.
And he’s more temptation than I can handle.

I’m supposed to guard the Boss’s husband, but I just can’t keep my eyes off his best friend, Aidan O’Leary.

Watching him.

Wanting him.

Knowing I can never have him.

Aidan is pure in body and soul. He’s about to be ordained as a priest. Me? I’m going to burn for the things I’ve done. And I can’t stop thinking about all the sinful things I want to do to him.

But when there’s an attack on Aidan’s life, I’m reassigned to protect him, and we grow closer than ever.

Someone wants Aidan dead. It’s my job to deliver him safely to the Church to take his vows, although I’d rather have him as my own.

I’ve sworn to protect him until I can give him away to God. But it’s getting harder and harder to let him go without a fight.

And if I can’t focus on the job, how can I keep Aidan safe when our enemies are closing in?

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Seduced by a Sinner is best enjoyed as part of the Morelli Family mafia romance series. Characters and events from previous books are referenced.

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Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

Soundtrack: Sin So Sweet
Artist: Walter Zeiders
Album:

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The Morelli Family: Kissed by a Killer – Leighton Greene

It’s my job to protect the Morelli men when the law is after them. But now their most dangerous Capo has killed to protect me.

My law firm has two unbreakable rules.

1. Never get personally involved with a client.

Nick Fontana was only ever supposed to be a booty call, but he’s had me cross-examining my heart since we started hooking up.

2. Never let the Morellis do you a favor.

I can’t stop thinking about his talented hands on my body…but those hands just took the wrong life to save mine.

I helped Nick cover up what he did, because if anyone finds out, it would start a Mob War that could destroy us all.

But someone knows our deadly secret.

I’ve kept my mouth shut. So can I really trust the killer I’ve been kissing?

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Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love

Soundtrack: Kiss/Kill
Artist: Michelle
Album:

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The Morelli Family Books 3 to 5 feature Luca Di’Amato’s inner circle and the men who came into their lives, causing chaos, mayhem, and heat.

Enticed by the Enemy stars Angelo Messina, the second in command. Angelo is a well-known and well-liked personality in New York, so close-lipped and slippery that he even had lunch with the detective who claimed Angelo was his white whale. Yet the detective still got nothing on him.

Special Agent Baxter Flynn is a forensic psychologist who is just that bit obsessed with Angelo, having even done his master’s thesis on the man. The SA is so spectacularly green that he dropped his gun while trying to stalk Angelo Messina when somebody started shooting, and he and Angelo had to run away.

Turns out a cop was shot, and the bullets are from Baxter’s Bureau-issued gun. The detective Angelo had lunch with was also found dead. Bold if rash, Baxter barged into Angelo’s apartment and clumsily proposed they work together to find the shooter who was after Angelo and/or Baxter. And clear their names.

Angelo has always been a solid guy, the rock the Morelli dons have relied on. He’s a capable, level-headed mobster who loved the late Tino Morelli and now has nothing but respect and support for the new don Luca. He’s also gorgeous. Even the detective spoke with envy, saying Angelo’s got it easy with a face like that. In short, Angelo’s the complete package and made the book worth reading.

Baxter, on the other hand, had me wondering how he passed Quantico. Not because he’s a rookie, I mean, we’re all beginners at some point. But the man was so ridiculously TSTL and inept, I wasn’t at all surprised he got framed for murder. His investigative skills were laughable, his decisions were hopelessly naive, and this case of opposites attract didn’t work in his character’s favor.

The book ended in an HFN and will be picked up in Vow of the Vigilante, where, hopefully, Baxter redeems himself.

Seduced by a Sinner stars Matteo Vitale, Finch’s bodyguard, who’s been quietly eyeing Finch’s best friend, the novice, Aidan O’Leary, in the background.

One day, a man threatened Aidan with a knife, and Teo stepped in to save the novice. Then he took Aidan to the Morelli home to keep him safe. However, Aidan’s upcoming ordination is fast approaching, and they have to get to Boston with Finch and Luca in tow.

Things became even more chaotic when an Irish terrorist group started threatening Finch’s sister, Tara Donovan, now head of the Donovan family, and whose house the Morellis are staying in Boston.

Teo’s another capable Morelli and the best bodyguard the don trusts with his husband’s life. Teo is aware he’s got blood on his hands, not the man for somebody as innocent as Aidan. He’s got nothing but awe and affection for Ai.

Aidan is an openly gay man about to become a priest. When he became romantically involved with Teo, he did angst, but not overly so. He was generally content and happy; the angstying came later, but unlike most religious figures in MM romance, he was not a miserable character to read about.

I loved how Teo let Aidan experience his firsts with consent, gentle reassurances, and positive views on sexuality and Aidan’s religious beliefs. This books doesn’t condemn religion but reconciles it with all forms of love.

With some guidance from his mom and a mentor, he was able to make peace with himself and his relationship with God and Teo. I loved reading their story because their romance has a wholesome and pure quality to it, in contrast with the Irish business that bulldozed its way into their lives.

The book ended with an HEA for the couple and good things for Teo, Morelli-wise, when he stepped up against the Irish terrorists.

Kissed by a Killer stars Nick Fontana, a capo, and rumored to be the future caporegime of the Morellis. He’s occasional fuck buddies with Carlo Bianchi, the Morelli lawyer, a forbidden affair because Carlo’s father, doesn’t want his lawyers fraternizing with the mobsters.

The story opens with a wedding where all five Families are attending. On the night of the wedding, the groom snuck into Carlo’s room and assaulted him. Nick, who had just come from Carlo’s room, saw him and snapped his neck. They had to quickly make the body disappear.

The groom is a scion of the Guiliano Family, and soon everyone was looking for the missing groom. Nick and Carlo were conflicted whether to tell Luca, and alliances would break if they don’t do something about it soon. With the threat of the Irish terrorists hanging over New York, they can’t afford to lose allies.

Nick is Luca’s closest friend, the two rising in ranks together. He’s one of the most trusted men in Luca’s circle, so his not coming clean right away and later dragging his feet for some reason or other really added to the tension and anticipation, a.k.a. dread of when Luca will eventually find out.

Carlo is the heir to the Bianchi firm, which has an exclusive contract with the Morellis. He’s known to be extremely good at keeping the men out of jail. Objectively, I could see that Carlo can be unlikable. He tends to run his mouth and push buttons. Even Nick was annoyed with him several times, as much as he’s fond of the difficult man.

I don’t actively dislike Carlo; he’s just not somebody I would cast as a love interest. Fortunately, he meshes well with Nick, their antagonistic dynamics adding spice to their story. And he totally redeemed himself when he did his big lawyer speech to save Nick’s life. I was actually impressed! So now I see why Luca keeps him on a retainer.

Plot-wise, it was all over the place. There were many overarching threads that were continued here, plus the forbidden romance and the secrets. And for men of their caliber, Nick and Carlo weren’t making the smartest decisions. The ending was bittersweet and an HFN, but I loved that it gave us hope for Luca and Nick’s friendship.

Overall, Morelli men are making their marks and winning hearts.

The Morelli Family continues with Devoted to the Don. The books must be read in order.

Married To The Mobster introduces us to delightfully bratty Finch Donovan and besotted but won’t admit it, Luca Di’Amato.
Beloved By The Boss is Luca and Finch making their marriage work and taking over New York

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