Monday, July 7, 2014

The Degas Girl by AJ Adams


I want to take a moment to welcome Adams back to this blog! Last time I hosted an author interview and reviewed her book The Maid in the Cupboard, which she wrote under a different pseudonym (but the cat's out of the bag, so I can share that with you guys!) 

Genre:
Mafia

Synopsis:
Serenity Bishop is a work of art. Her skin a canvas, decorated with the scars of her evil captor’s twisted abuse. But her tormentor, Angelo, is about to lose control.

Zachary Schiavelli is an art thief and forger. His handsome face is merely the mask that hides a cold, calculating man whose own childhood of abuse has honed him into a remorseless killing machine.

Zachary is about to take an intense disliking to Angelo.

Sometimes you need to fight fire with fire.

In a violent tale of mob rule where violence begets violence, an unlikely alliance between two forces of nature is about to change the face of organized crime. When Serenity and Zachary collide, it’s an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, and everyone around them is about to get caught in the crossfire.

A complete novel with no cliffhangers.

A violent tale of mob rule and dark romance. Warning contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex. Adults only.

Excerpt:
He wore jeans and a turquoise T-shirt. The colour made his eyes look blue instead of green. I wasn’t fooled by his looks and his gentle ways. This man had a will of iron, and by the way he looked at me, I could see he was just as determined to control me as Angelo. He just used his tongue instead of his fists.

I’d go along with it, because anything that kept me out of the hole meant I had a chance to escape. I’d pretend to be docile, and as soon as he fell asleep or took his eye off me, I’d make a run for it.

He looked me over, frowning slightly. Suddenly I wondered if he was changing his mind. Maybe he wasn’t going to let me eat. Maybe it was a game. Maybe he’d show me the food, and then tie me up and leave me to starve while he stuffed his face. I was trembling at the thought.

Giveaway:
Adams has been so kind as to offer to sponsor a giveaway!! Happy Entering!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Review:
First and foremost, The Degas Girl is a mafia novel reminiscent of The Godfather. Actually, I shouldn't say that because I haven't read The Godfather, but I have seen the movie. After watching one mafia film and then reading this mafia book, I am now convinced that the best way to tell a story about the mafia is through a book. What was greatly lacking in The Godfather film was readily facilitated in The Degas Girl: the ability to get inside of the characters' heads to understand their motivations.

The Degas Girl is a fascinating story that I literally couldn't put down! I was awake until 4:30 am reading it and only went to bed when I realized I was falling asleep while reading. While this book does have its share of erotic scenes, it has an intense violent drama going on as well. An intriguing dynamic of this story is that Adams switches back and forth between telling the story from Serenity's and Zachary's point of view. These two characters are constantly trying to "get ahead" of the other, and so it's fascinating to have more information than either of them. Adams smoothly transitions between telling this story from both the male and female perspective in order to create a fascinating drama.

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