Deadly Vengeance (The Vaccaro Empire Collection Book 2) by Anise Storm – Review by Ayla Phipps
Deadly Vengeance by Anise Storm
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Perfect title, perfectly intriguing book. This is the first book I have read by the incredible Anise Storm, yes this is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. That said, I will certainly be going back to learn more about Viviana and Nazario. Deadly Vengeance is dual perspectives of Luca and Valenzia.
Luca has grown up in New Orleans, but after the recent passing of his mother all her secrets come unraveled in the form of her journals. He had grown up thinking he had no father, no family outside of his mother as his maternal great grandparents died shortly before and after his birth. Valenzia has grown up sheltered to the extreme. Her parents have shielded her and her siblings from the harsh realities of not only their lives but the world, and those in it. While she had heard rumors of what her parents had done, she never believed them until she accidentally took her mother’s diaries from home. Instantly she learned that her mother was nothing but omissions and lies, her entire life built on them. Suddenly, she needs to know more, after confronting her mother she goes to Palermo in sure of her mother’s enemies. Luca is out for vengeance on the woman that caused his mother to flee all those years ago from her home. Keeping him from knowing his father, his family and learning his truth heritage. His vengeance for Viviana leads him to Valenzia who is the spitting image of her mother, his plan is set, but when she shows up in his town asking about his father, he takes the chance to take her early. The only thing he didn’t expect was the chemistry, the electricity that ignites not only himself but Valenzia.
Who will succeed in their vengeance? Can Valenzia’s father rescue her, or will she be forced to carry out what her mother failed to do? The author’s ability to bring not just the beautiful scenery to life but the characters. You feel their fear in the most visceral moments, and your heart breaks when their hopes crumple. Will the sins of their parents finally have justice or will history repeat? I couldn’t help but devour each page faster than the one before it as a raced through the pages to see what would happen next. Can they truly get a happy ending born of vengeance and pain? I cannot wait to read the next installment and see what will happen next in this Italian Empire.
