Underboss’s Retaliation by Via Mari
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dominic is on high alert from the attack at the casino and when Salvatore issues the order to go and seek revenge he is more than happy to attack De Rosa’s house and grab the only thing that is dear to De Rosa’s heart his daughter as a bargaining chip, but all hell breaks loose and he has his hands full.

Emelia has been taught well for this day, as a mafia princess she knows that she is always on alert and can easily be taken to use against the family, so when she was hiding in the tunnels trying to not to be found but when the dark eyes meet hers, she is in trouble.

Dominic has Emelia as a pawn in this game of power but she is not easy, a hellcat who is trying to escape at every turn but something shifts and Dom starts being drawn to Emelia knowing that the relationship is forbidden and could get them both killed. Can they keep what they have hidden long enough so Dom and Emelia explain.

I loved the first book in this series and this book does not disappoint, the story picks up just after the first book ends and the families are at war with each other. I love the character of Emelia as she is cast at first as the helpless Mafia Princess but as the story goes on you get to see the sheer determination of her character and the strong female role model you want in a book like this. She is equal to Dom and he treats her with the respect as an equal also which is wonderful to read.

The story is full of revelations of both families and how the next generation of the Larussio’s are planning to lead the family. The chemistry between the two jumps off the page and is a great dynamic to read through the adventures of both, with a twist at the end I could not stop reading this book and read it in one sitting.

I can’t wait for Lorenzo’s story as he is a quiet character in the other books, I have a feeling he is deadly under the covers.