This second ‘Guns n’ Boys’ book is just as gritty and fascinatingly disturbing as the first. Possibly more, because the devastation that is Seth and Domenico was in full flow at the end of the first part and guess what? It got worse. Yep, I didn’t think it was possible, but it did. Much worse. Seth isn’t any more suited to becoming the next Don than he was before, and Domenico is even more determined to follow every order he’s being given. With enemies all around them, and not all of them from outside the family, these two men have to watch every step they take if they want to survive. And if you have read the first part (and you need to, otherwise none of this second part will make any sense), you know that Seth is less than capable of taking care of himself, so it all falls on Domenico’s admittedly broad shoulders.

Seth, despite everything that has happened, is still amazingly naïve. His father forces him into a marriage Seth doesn’t want, yet Seth is worried about doing his wife justice. He doesn’t know the woman, can’t stand her, but he still worries. Dom’s attempts to train him to be a badass mafioso have not had much effect at all, and Seth comes right out and admits, to himself and Dom only, that he is a failure and will most likely not survive. Seth also knows he has fallen for Dom’s charms, and gradually learns to accept his feelings, even though he knows they make him weaker and more vulnerable than ever before. It’s a good thing Seth and Dom are sent to New York for some sort of nebulous mission. I don’t think Seth would have been able to stand up to daily confrontations with his wife, his older brother Vincente, and his father. What a mess!

Domenico, the real badass in this relationship, is as aggressive, brutal, and fascinating as ever. Loyal to a fault, he is still determined to protect Seth against those who want to harm him, and I don’t think even he knows how he will react when push comes to shove—as it is bound to do. I was holding my breath for an entire three chapters at one point, because I could see the mess coming and had no clue what Domenico was going to do. Seth may have gotten under his skin, and Domenico is an intensely loyal man, but his loyalty is to the Villani family above all else. So, yeah, it gets breathtakingly intense toward the end.

I said this about the first part of the book, and it is even more true for the second half. This is a novel firmly rooted in the depths of the moral gray zone. Do not read this if you are squeamish in any way, and don’t expect “the good guys” to win. Actually, I am not even sure there are any “good guys” in this book, at least not in the traditional sense. But if you want to know how Seth and Domenico deal with the multiple obstacles that obstruct their road to happiness, if you don’t mind reading about a love most people in the Western world would define as taboo (and not because the men are gay), and if you think you can deal with yet more moral ambiguities, brutality, and the torture or worse of anyone who does not comply with Seth’s father’s wishes, then you will probably like this second part of the novel. It is not for the faint-hearted, but the multi-layered characters, as evil as they are, continue to fascinate me.


NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
( )