On top of that, I also thought it was a bit on the long side with the ending feeling rushed. Again this is where I believe that it would have been helpful to have been given Cole's POV. But Cole has many secrets that could affect Addison... She is about to pull into his world and she is clueless.... But maybe... That pull started long before Cole??? Addison Bowman after the death of her husband and unable to move on; she finally decides to start fresh. Moving out of her husband's house and into an exclusive apartment building was the first step to her new life. Addison is soon to find new hope in her life and a lover she truly was not expecting.

I'm a major fan on mafia romances and this book was from those that i'm really enjoying reading!!! I liked the mystery and the suspense... I liked the turns that surprised me!!!

Damaged

Addison, our main character, has lived through losing the love of her life. Now, normally, this storyline would have had me running for the hills. I was determined to keep going and not be so narrow-minded. Who am I to say that Addy had to stay miserable for the rest of her life? I know that things change, people change and life happens. You can try and avoid making connections but sometimes a fleeting moment can change your whole life. I needed to give Addison a chance to find happiness again. Martina Cole’s debut is a great place to begin reading her books. It documents the exploits of a seventeen-year-old girl, Maura Ryan, taking on the men of the criminal underworld alongside her brother Michael, leaving a trail of notoriety behind them. Cole returned to the characters from her first novel a decade later with another installment following the brutal and ruthless character of Maura Ryan. And along the same lines, when she finds out that he's mafia, she basically shrugs it off and everyone moves on. Um, I wanted her to throw a fit! Hahaha. She basically said okay, and a few days later she was holding a gun, shooting someone. And it was all fine because she loved him. Cool story, bro. This cover is just OK. It's a little boring in my opinion. Nothing about it says "READ ME" and it doesn't give a good representation of the story within. It is just kind of "MEH" overall.

It is a standalone. And I will say that it was only written in her perspective because only two chapters or whatever were written in his perspective, so that can't count. I have always preferred dual perspectives and Addison couldn't carry this story alone. There should have been way more from Cole's perspective. He was a way better character and I feel like every complaint I have written could have been fixed if he shared half the story. Cole is a mystery... He is popping up all the time in front of Addison and inevitably, in some point, those two are coming closer... He stared into me, and for a moment, I felt like I got a glimpse of the real Cole. He was dangerous, mysterious, and mesmerizing, but he was more. Kind. Considerate. I saw a glimmer of someone who cared.

There are things about my life I can’t share. I’d like to, but I’m in a position where I can’t. Not until I trust you. What starts off as a spark of attraction is soon a full-fledged fire, but Cole is keeping secrets. Secrets that could tear him and Addi apart. Secrets that along with Addi's past place her directly in the line of fire... I love mafia romances, it is one of my favorite subgenres. I was excited to get started on this book, and I really enjoyed the first half of the book. Addison was a very likable character, she had been through a very rough patch and was trying to find her way in life again. Thankfully she had her bestie Sia, who dragged her out of the house to socialize on many occasions. This book felt very mysterious, and the main male character Cole was very secretive. He was like a ghost in the first quarter of the book. But from the first moment Addison laid her eyes on him, she can't get him out of her mind. Cole was protective, sexy, attractive but not an over the top alpha male in my opinion. Violence --- It's a mob story, so yep. But nothing very descriptive (though the discussion about Cole's family's demise is rough bc it involves kids). Cole this man is complete mystery & I believe that I should leave it like that for you, for you to truly enjoy this read you need to slowly unravel this man’s story to properly enjoy him

Of late, I’ve been going into my reads blind. Well, kind of blind. I haven’t been re-reading the blurb on books I’ve previously bought. If an ARC hits my kindle, I might look at the cover, but most times, I just start reading. A few people have asked me how I read so many books one straight after the other. Well, this is my way. Each start is a new adventure, a new love story and a new happy ever after (hopefully). Every day I get the opportunity to be adventurous, sexy, mysterious and alluring. Well, today I lived through grief, looked beyond the square walls of my existence and took a hit for love. Lost in her web of grief for over a year it's only through her best friend, Sia that she painstakingly shakes herself off and slowly moves on with life again and with that comes some big changes, first is moving out of the house her husband and her lovingly brought together and when an opportunity arises to move into The Mauricio an exclusive high rise building by invitation only she jumps at the chance. Riveting, gripping and passionate! I love Tijan's writing and this book had me hooked from the start. An excellent blend of mafia, romance and suspense! In 2011, Cole also surpassed the 50 million pounds mark in sales of her books. She was the first British female novelist writing for an adult audience to hit this milestone since the records began.The other thing that didn't work for me was the steamy goodness level -- it was more anecdotal than anything - very little detail, so for this to be labeled "erotica" (as it is in many places) is erroneous, in my opinion. I could definitely have gone for more in that respect of their relationship. But otherwise, an enjoyable read that hooked me from the start! I'm going to be nice and leave my rating at 4-stars, but to be honest, I didn't really like the narration of Cole. I do not understand having a dual narration if the male narrator is only narrating for five minutes. Why even bother? The female narrator does an OK job but I found her voice a little too high pitched and she doesn't change it up much for each of the characters she portrays. I found the feelings maybe a tad more believable from the heroes perspective, but even so, I can't get over the fact that I didn't see these two actually develop feelings and then fall for each other. I was just told it was happening in a sentence or two. This book was told in dual points of view via dual narration, though the majority was told via Addison’s point of view. It was narrated by Stephen Dexter and Laura Darrell. Laura has a clear voice and sounds like a young woman, so matched Addison nicely. I have listened to Stephen Dexter many times before and I really like his narration.

I was EXCITED and ON EDGE as Cole pushed me to the edge, pummeling my heart and searing my soul, as it transported me to a dark mafia world where I was held in suspense, swimming in a stupor. This story seduced me, word by word, weaving me into its spell. Cole bled into me, as I was bound to Cole and didn’t want to break free. Cole was already my adrenaline...my angst...my ache...MY ALL!!! Celebrating her new apartment at a local restaurant her eyes are drawn to a group of men that have walked through the door whom seem to dominate the whole room, her eyes are drawn to one man in particular, their eyes connect briefly and she can't help but notice how devastatingly handsome he is. I just devoured Cole by Tijan Meyer in one sitting!!! Cole was INSTA-LOVE!!! I could not stop reading. My heart is still beating out of my chest. My pulse is still pounding. This story is still spinning around in my head. What an ADRENALINE RUSH!!! Cole is a roller coaster of a mafia romance, a hypnotizing and heart-racing ride of BREATHLESS BLISS!!! A year ago Addison lost her husband Liam to a drunk driver. Haunted by his memory and encouraged by her best friend Sia, Addi decides it is time to make some changes and moves into The Mauricio. A very exclusive, very expensive building that no one is quite sure who owns. There she runs into the attractive and mysterious owner himself COLE.When Addison meets the enigmatic Cole, she has no idea who he is and what he does. All she knows is that he is imposing, handsome and elusive. When their chance meeting starts becoming more, she will find out that Cole is hiding things, dangerous things. Getting involved with him is not the safest thing for her, especially when he tells her that there are things he cannot tell her. Still, the pull towards him is undeniable. Can they survive his secrets? It's been a year since Addison lost her husband, Liam, to a drunk driver. She's been barely living. My life I can't talk about, but this -you coming to me- is like a breath of oxygen. I can breathe again... Something pure among so much tainted."