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$30 #Giveaway The Devil I Don’t Know by L.K. Shaw @XpressoTours Ends 6.3

May 24, 2021 By Mary 29 Comments



The Devil I Don’t Know
L.K. Shaw
(Brooklyn Kings #1)
Publication date: May 25th 2021
Genres: Adult, Mafia, Romance

Jacob
Loyalty

My father is dying, and I’ve been called back to Brooklyn to take my place as the head of the Italian syndicate. After a seven year absence, my first test of loyalty is to marry the granddaughter of the Irish mob’s leader. I may not want a wife, but I’ll kill anyone who tries to harm her.

I only hope she doesn’t expect love in our marriage. I can’t–won’t–love her. Not ever. I don’t have it in me.

Brenna
Duty

That’s all my life has been. Then, my grandfather signs a marriage contract, and I become a pawn in an alliance between the Irish and the Italians. Once again I’m bound by duty.

I’ve always been invisible–the person who fades into the background–except soon my new husband begins to see me.

He’s a Brooklyn king, but will our enemies destroy my chance to become his queen?

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—

EXCERPT:

“By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

I steel myself for the assault. Instead, his dry lips barely ghost over mine and then he’s turning us to face the small crowd comprised of only my family and the two men I assume are his. I can hear the priest speaking behind me, but I’ve blocked out the words again. My mother is crying while my father sits stoically by her side. I can’t look at my brothers and sister. My gaze, instead, locks on Granda. His expression is one of satisfaction. Why wouldn’t it be? He got what he wanted.

He rises from his seat. “Come to my office.” He turns on his heel expecting us all to follow.

My—I swallow hard—husband places his hand on my lower back, and I flinch at his touch. I hear a heavy sigh at my side. Like a sheep being led to slaughter, I leave the music room and enter my grandfather’s lair. I stand near the desk, out of the way. I’m surprised to discover the only people who arrive behind me are my new husband and the huge, terrifying man.

My grandfather scowls at his appearance. “You may leave.”

The man merely ignores the command and positions himself against the wall, arms crossed, with a bored expression on his face. My jaw nearly drops at the blatant disregard.

“I’m afraid Pierce doesn’t take orders from anyone but me,” my husband says, drily, his voice deep and low.

A vein throbs near my grandfather’s temple and his face turns the color of a ripe tomato. No one disobeys him. At least not without suffering the consequences. With a deceptive calmness he moves to his desk and picks up a pen lying on top of a piece of paper. My eyes land on it. Certificate of Marriage.

“Sign.” He holds the pen up in front of me.

I stand frozen, unable to move. With my signature, everything is final. There’s no undoing any of this.

I can’t do it.

There’s a flash of movement and then blinding pain. Tears spring from the impact of Granda’s hand across my face again. On its heels is a roar of rage. I turn my head in time to see my grandfather pinned against the wall, clawing at my husband’s hand wrapped around his throat.

“I don’t give a fuck how powerful you think you are. If you ever touch my wife again, I’ll slit your throat and bury your body where no one will ever find it. Do you understand?” he growls.

Granda’s face is turning deep purple. He manages a short nod…and my husband releases him. He coughs and chokes and desperately tries to suck in air. Utterly disregarding the man gasping for breath, my husband turns and in a blink he’s standing before me. He towers over my slight frame, and I have to crane my neck to look up at him. A shadow of brutality lingers in his eyes. He reaches out and despite myself, I flinch…again. He merely picks up the pen my grandfather dropped and holds it out to me.

“Our marriage is a business arrangement, so I understand your being opposed to it. Neither of us wants this, but one thing I can promise is that I will never lay hands on you in anger.”

I shiver at his gruff tone. Wait. If he doesn’t want to be married to me either, then why did he do it? My eyes travel over his shoulder to latch onto my grandfather, who’s still rubbing his neck and glaring at me. Next they move to the massive man who remains lurking in the corner. He’s staring at Granda. His continued silence and steely glare unnerve me. There’s an alert readiness in his body as though he’s waiting to dive into action and defend his boss. At last, I turn my gaze back to my husband still holding the pen in his hand.

I fully take him in again. His dark hair is swept back off his forehead, his eyebrows a sharp slash over eyes that bore into me. A chill dashes across me at their intensity, and I could almost lose myself staring into them. They’re the color of my father’s favorite cognac. Despite the ferocity he displayed only moments ago, they seem almost gentle now.

In a move that surprises me, I reach out and take the pen. Our hands brush. Before I change my mind, I scribble my signature on the line above my printed name. I can feel my husband’s eyes on me. He takes the pen from my fingers, his skin gliding along mine. Goosebumps travel up my arm. Confused over my reaction, I hastily take a step back while my husband—Emilio—signs his name next to mine.

He rolls up the certificate and tucks it into the inner pocket of his suit. It’s final. I’ve signed my life over to a stranger. A man who, only moments ago, showed me how brutal he is. Despite his promise, I don’t know if I can trust him.

Dear God, what have I done?

 

Author Bio:

LK Shaw is the bestselling author of the sexy, sinful suspense. She resides in South Carolina with her high maintenance beagle mix dog, Miss P. An avid reader since childhood, she became hooked on historical romance novels in high school. She now reads, and loves, all romance sub-genres, with dark romance and romantic suspense being her favorite. LK enjoys traveling and chocolate. Her books feature hot alpha heroes and the strong women they love.

Want a FREE short story? Be sure to sign up for her newsletter and download your copy of A Birthday Spanking, a short story set in the Doms of Club Eden world! http://bit.ly/LKShawNewsletter

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Comments

  1. barrie says

    May 24, 2021 at 10:08 pm

    Great excerpt! Do you have or plan to write more books about the mafia romance?

    Reply
  2. Angelica Dimeo says

    May 24, 2021 at 10:25 pm

    I like the cover

    Reply
  3. Patricia Lieberman says

    May 25, 2021 at 4:41 am

    Sounds like an intense and HOT story.

    Reply
  4. Marcy Meyer says

    May 25, 2021 at 5:12 am

    Love the cover! Sounds great!

    Reply
  5. Molli Taylor says

    May 25, 2021 at 6:13 am

    did you always know how this book would end or did it change as your wrote?

    Reply
  6. Barbara Montag says

    May 25, 2021 at 7:31 am

    Adult, Mafia, Romance – this sure sounds interesting.
    Thank you for sharing the review.

    Reply
  7. Linda Romer says

    May 25, 2021 at 8:11 am

    I love Mafia Romance! Thank you

    Reply
  8. Susan Smith says

    May 25, 2021 at 8:21 am

    Sounds like a great book. I like the cover and the excerpt.

    Reply
  9. shannon zeidan says

    May 25, 2021 at 8:46 am

    I enjoyed reading the description. It sounds like a good book.

    Reply
  10. Victoria alexander says

    May 25, 2021 at 9:50 am

    Can’t wait to check this one out!

    Reply
  11. wendy hutton says

    May 25, 2021 at 1:15 pm

    love the cover, congrats on the release

    Reply
  12. linda harrison says

    May 25, 2021 at 1:19 pm

    Would love to win a copy. Sounds like a great book.

    Reply
  13. Glenda M says

    May 25, 2021 at 2:37 pm

    Thanks for the excerpt!

    Reply
  14. Joy Avery says

    May 25, 2021 at 4:47 pm

    Love mafia romance!

    Reply
  15. Latifa Morrisette says

    May 25, 2021 at 5:31 pm

    Such an amazing read

    Reply
  16. Bonnie says

    May 25, 2021 at 6:25 pm

    What an exciting book! Great excerpt. I’d love to read more.

    Reply
  17. bn100 says

    May 25, 2021 at 6:49 pm

    interesting

    Reply
  18. Deb Pelletierl says

    May 25, 2021 at 9:03 pm

    nice book cover and the book sounds interesting.

    Reply
  19. Bea LaRocca says

    May 26, 2021 at 7:47 am

    Love the cover, synopsis and excerpt, this sounds like a must read for me. Thank you for sharing the book and author details

    Reply
  20. JessicA c says

    May 26, 2021 at 8:36 am

    Happy Wednesday! Thank you so much for the chance to be entered in this giveaway!! I would like to know what has inspired the author in writing this book? Thank you for sharing another amazing read! Have a great week!

    Reply
  21. Ellen Stafford says

    May 26, 2021 at 11:40 am

    Wow looks like a great read!

    Reply
  22. Deborah D says

    May 29, 2021 at 10:12 am

    How long was the writing process?

    Reply
  23. Karen H says

    May 29, 2021 at 11:12 am

    Sounds like a good story. Love the cover too.

    Reply
  24. clynsg says

    May 30, 2021 at 12:19 pm

    I am always interested in learning about new books that I might want to read.

    Reply
  25. Terri Shaw says

    May 30, 2021 at 11:52 pm

    This sounds like a great read.

    Reply
  26. Sandra Dufoe says

    May 31, 2021 at 5:38 am

    Love the cover and love the excerpt sounds like a book I would enjoy reading.

    Reply
  27. Daniel M says

    June 1, 2021 at 5:10 pm

    looks like a fun one

    Reply
  28. Amy Green says

    June 2, 2021 at 2:04 pm

    The drama in this story is so gripping. Great for fans of mafia stories, like ‘The Godfather’ trilogy and ‘Casino’.

    Reply
  29. Danielle McDonald says

    June 2, 2021 at 7:23 pm

    love the cover !!!

    Reply

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