Dark Love (Stripped #3-3.5)

Clara was never allowed the freedom to go to school, she had educated at home by tutors. Always in her locked room or with her sister they could only associate with the family (mob) who surrounded her father. Giovanni\’s father was a foot solider and taught him the same mob way but they were not wealthy like Clara. Clara found an escape as a 15 year old she would crawl through her window and go to pool house to be outside, Giovanni did the same and they meet and because friends. Gio helped Clara and her sister escape when father arranged a marriage for his oldest daughter to a man who physically abused her. Giovanni helped them escaped but it cost him 3 months of being tortured 24/7. Clare believed he was killed because she saw an obituary online. Gio came back for his Bella but he was a very different man, full of scares and scary. Their love story continues through pain, heartbreak and captivity. But love overwhelms the Mafia king with his queen beside him. Loved the story and characters.

I had been waiting for Giovanni and Clara\’s story ever since reading \’Tough Love\’. With each new book in the series, I hoped that it would be their story. Talk about leaving me hanging! Finally, I got the story I\’ve craved since the very beginning! For those that had forgotten, or didn\’t read \’Tough Love\’, the prequel novella was provided at the beginning of the book. At first, I panicked, thinking that the original novella had just been retired and I wasn\’t getting the story I\’d waited for after all. Once I got ahold of myself and skipped forward, I found exactly what I\’ve been waiting for all this time. Clara is attending art college, dating a total douchebag and trying to maintain her cover. She is still haunted by Giovanni\’s memory, but believes him dead. Honestly, her life was pretty depressing. The only things keeping her going was her love for her sister and best friend and a stray dog that she was trying to warm up to. Like I said, depressing. Giovanni has spent years climbing his way to the top of the Mafia hierarchy. As unlikely as it may be, he has gone from being tortured in the basement to ruling the city. He is now the Las Vegas Capo and he still wants Clara. After being drugged, Clara wakes up in the back of a limo to find that Gio is still alive. Her relief is soon overshadowed by the realization that he is not the same boy that she loved years ago. This Gio is colder, harder and more reminiscent of her cruel father than the boy she remembered. The old Gio may be alive, but he\’s also dead. Tables have turned and the boy who helped her escape this life is now the one to drag her back to it. He plans to marry her, irregardless of whether or not she consents. He needs her name to cement his position as Mafia royalty. Once again, she finds herself a prisoner in her home. I loved seeing these two come together again. Despite being angry at Gio, I knew they would find each other again. I couldn\’t imagine that these two would ever be complete without each other. Yes, he was overbearing, manipulative and callous at times. Given what he\’d been through, it wasn\’t surprising though. Regardless, I still loved him! If you\’ve followed this series, or even if you haven\’t, this is a great love story. Two young lovers separated, only to be reunited years later and much changed. Great love story. Classic storyline. Gio and Clara are still my favorite couple from this series. My only gripe is that some of the events toward the end seemed a little rushed. After all the build-up and anticipation, it felt a little anti-climactic to have things just work out perfectly in such a brief period. Overall, I thought this was great addition to the series and a fantastic conclusion to Gio and Clara\’s story. I was so glad to finally get the closure that I\’ve craved for these two. Everything worked out perfectly in the end.

This is the type of 1st person point-of-view writing that I dont like. All the conflict is in the head of the heroine – not enough happening outside her head. Its internal angst, grief, worry, and mental ponderings. The Kindle book includes the prequel novella Tough Love and the regular book Hold You Against Me. Its all one story so Im talking about both of them together. CAUTION SPOILERS: TL was good – showing Clare age 15 and Gio age 17 seeing each other secretly at night and in love. Then Gio helps Clare escape. Clare goes on the run to hide from her mafia boss father. HYAM starts with Gio being tortured to find out where Clare went. Lots of pain and mental anguish being inside Gios head during his torture (1st person Gio). Then it skips to 8 years later. Clare thinks Gio is dead. She has been grieving all these years. She is still a virgin. She wants no man but Gio. Then Gio finds her, drugs her, kidnaps her and says she must marry him. He is now the mafia boss living in her fathers home. Clare loves Gio. But this new Gio SAYS Im different. You wont want me. But Im going to force you to have me. So Clares upset. He is not doing anything bad to her. She is finally with the man she loves. But she has all this angst thinking she must escape him. They have a passionate kissing/fondling scene. They want each other. Then he stops the kissing and tells her to go. (I have no idea why he said that.) She is mad and insulted and continues to think she needs to escape him. It was stupid. I couldnt read anymore. I stopped reading at 52%, skipped to the end, and read the last few chapters. Nothing caught my interest. Specific problems: Author does not show how Gio found Clare 8 years later. No details at all about what Gio did to become the mafia boss, or how he is different in relation to Clare. He keeps saying hes a different man, but I didnt see him do anything negative toward her other than drug her and kidnap her – which wasnt bad considering she had been grieving for him, pining for him, and wanting to be with him. It would have been better to show Clares life on the run and in hiding, but that was skipped. It just says Clare is a successful sculptor with a statue in front of a building. Her sister Honor is happily married. How did they get from being on the run to that point? Not enough story. Just internal angst. END SPOILERS. DATA: Narrative mode: 1st person Clare (with 1st person Gio during his torture scene). Swearing language: strong including religious swear words. Sexual content: none in what I read, but another reviewer said there was sex at 70%. Setting: current day mostly Nevada. Copyright: 2016. Genre: New Adult, contemporary romance.

Another gripping read , this story is about Clara and Giovanni. Clara last saw the love of her life Giovanni when he helped her and her sister Honor flee from their family home . Honor was engaged to Byron who was being groomed by their father to take over from him as the head of the mafia family but it wasn\’t a good relationship Byron abused Honor physically & sexually even in front of her father who never did anything to help his daughter whilst it happened . Honor found out that her younger sister Clara was to be engaged to another nasty character Javier Markham so she decided that they both needed to escape and get away . Giovanni was a son of a foot soldier who was in love with Carla helped them escape , he was beaten & tortured by Javier over a period of time but he never revealed anything about Carla & Honor . The abuse and torture that Giovanni endures changes him completely and after being saved he ends up as head of the mafia and goes in search of Carla . The reunion and what follows is not what you would call normal and there are a few twists along the way but the ending is beautiful .

This is Skye Warren at her very best! Although the rest of the \’Stripped\’ series is good, this good is exceptional infact it\’s brilliant (and so great to have a full sized novel). Hold You Against Me is an intensely emotional read. The journey of the two main characters Gio and Clara as they come to terms with their past and travel towards their future overflows with a raw intensity only Skye Warren can write. This book is full of incredible passion and a deep love the reader can actual feel.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member