Breath of Deceit
by Selena Laurence
Series: Dublin Devils, #1
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: May 15, 2018
Cian MacFarlane is the oldest son of Chicago's reigning crime family. Now the defacto boss of the organization after his father's retirement, Cian is feared by his enemies and revered by his brothers. But what if Cian isn't all he seems to be? What if his end game isn't to maintain his father's empire but to topple it? As the MacFarlanes broker a deal with the owner of the world's largest dark web site, Cian brokers a deal with the FBI. But when he meets Lila Rodriguez, a genius hacker working with the dark web, his feelings for her only make life more complex.
Determined to save his brothers, even if it means sacrificing himself, Cian lives moment to moment in a deadly underworld of cybercrime, drug deals, federal agents, and a vengeful parent who won't hesitate to remind his oldest son what it means to be a MacFarlane. Through it all, Cian fights for his brothers to make it out of Chicagoland crime. But will the pieces fall into place before his breath of deceit is discovered?
*Breath of Deceit is the first volume of The Dublin Devils Series and contains an HEA for certain characters, but readers are forewarned that the MacFarlane family story will continue in three additional novels.
Breath of Deceit is a great start to a new series, pulling me right in to the Chicago Irish Mob scene and now has me hooked to find out all there is about the MacFarlane family to see just how each of these brothers is going to get their HEA.
At the center of the MacFarlane family is Cian, who has inherited rule of the Dublin Devils from his father, who, let’s just say, is not a nice man, especially as he continues to try and influence the Dublin Devil organization, often at Cian’s expense. You know a character is well written when even though you see the bad things they do that go against everything you know to be right, you can’t help but fall for them, and Cian is one of these characters. His main goal is to try and save his brothers, even if it means sacrificing himself. He may be a criminal, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care deeply about his family and will do whatever he needs to save them. He’s accepted the fact that his happiness is not something that will ever factor into any equation when it comes to saving his brothers...but when he meets Lila for the first time he has a reason to want more for himself.
Lila is the perfect match for Cian. She also operates on the wrong side of the law, hacking her way around cyberspace and running illegal operations and storefronts on the dark web. She may be infatuated with Cian MacFarlane, but she knows exactly what he is and the danger he brings to her life, but she also sees the man behind the mob boss.
Although this book doesn’t take us through the finish of Cian and Lila’s story, it does set the stage for the MacFarlane family and builds the world of the Dublin Devils. I loved the brothers, each of them are so different, and I can’t wait to find out what is in store for each of them - especially when it comes to seeing who ends up changing their world. There were a lot of characters and moving parts in this one, but by the end everything comes together to set the stage for the rest of the series. There’s not a lot of romance or sexy times either, but there was plenty of other action to keep the story moving along.Lila wasn’t sure what it was she felt about Cian MacFarlane, but she knew there was no way she was going to let Xavier succeed. In the last few weeks, she’d learned about the mob. They weren’t all created equal, and Cian MacFarlane was the cream of the crop. He was a drug lord, a criminal, and a man who killed other men. But he was also a conscientious, decent leader, who could instill fear and respect in equal measure, a man who was capable of mercy and love. You only had to hear him atlk about his brothers to know it.
And a single kiss from him could send a girl’s mind reeling for days.
I’m a big fan of Ms. Laurence and have enjoyed everything I have read from her, and Breath of Deceit is no exception. This book is a bit grittier and darker than the others I have read, but she does a great job immersing you in the dark underworld of the Dublin Devils while still giving her characters depth and emotion. This one does have a HEA, but not quite what you are expecting, so be warned that there is a good chance you will be sucked into the world that the author has created and totally invested in this series!
Now to wait patiently for the next book…
No comments:
Post a Comment