Title: Tarnished Souls – Frankie & Gent
Author: Brita Addams
Genre: Historical
Length: Novella (92 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (November 19th, 2013)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts
Reviewer: Cat
Blurb: Hollywood’s Golden Age is not all glitz and glamour. Mob boss Frankie Monetti controls the unions and the studios, which makes him and the syndicate very rich. But after five years, Frankie runs afoul of the law and those who put him in power.
Primo hit man, and Frankie’s lifelong friend, Arvin “Gent” Vitali, goes west with orders to clean up the mess and then bring Frankie back to New York to answer for his double cross. But as the noose closes tighter around Frankie’s neck, Gent questions where his loyalty truly lies. Is business just business or is freedom worth the risk?
Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4296
Review: Gent has come to pay Frankie a visit after five years, though this isn’t a social visit. He is sent by the boss to bring Frankie in. Frankie and Gent take some time to catch up and get re-acquainted, in more ways than one. Gent’s plans to bring Frankie in keep getting more and more messed up.
This is a very good gangster story. I liked the period feel. It was like watching an old gangster movie. The characters were interesting and each had his own cross to bear. I liked Frankie. He seemed pretty good for a mob boss. He was liked and respected by everyone around him except for Macgregor the cop that was after him to make a name for himself. Gent I loved. He is the ultimate bad boy and had his personal reasons to get hold of Frankie. Yet his feelings for Frankie was a two-edged sword. I never got a feel for Macgregor or what his vendetta was though, but I have a feeling that is coming in the next story.
The story was intriguing with lots of twists and turns. I liked that it was hard to figure out and the end really caught me off guard. I also liked that what sex there was, was rough and tumble, not sweet and gentle. I felt it fit the context of the story and added a sexy vibe to help soften the violence.
If you like mobs, gangsters, twists and turns, assassins, forbidden love, and a shocking end, this is for you.