Something dark to keep you company

Hey book buddies! Are you enjoying some nice reading time? Let me tell you about the book I've read today. Are you ready for some dark intensity? Then HIS WITNESS, by Vanessa Waltz, is right up your alley ;o)

Hell-hot, violent and exhilarating. What a gripping read! I was taken by the guts with this one. I loved the good and I sweated through the dark parts. That was a pretty intense story from start to finish.

The characters felt gritty and real. On the one hand, Melanie is struggling to control a club that is half owned by the Mafia. She has dreams but she's forsaken them in order to help out her dad. Even though she's acutely aware of the dangerous men flooding the club, she doesn't cower. I liked her a lot because of her pride, her miserable circumstances and her reactions to her situation.

The creepy mobsters add a bloody edge to the atmosphere that the author manages quite well to infuse with tension and heart-pounding danger.

These are men who thrive in crime and pain. Particularly so, one of them, a half-Italian everyone fears. Tommy. Such a mild name for a charming monster. He acts nice and gentle when around Melanie but she knows better. The rumours are proven true when she witnesses his lethal skills in action. However, she cannot escape the suffocating noose around her throat. Nor can she fight the tightening closeness between them.

When you tend to like Tommy, it's a bit of a guilty pleasure. How can you justify his sick, bloody job? He's a killer. He doesn't feel remorse. He's like a walking knife.

Then, misery turns into a nightmare for Melanie. All pretense of respect is gone when she finds herself at the mercy of a man without compassion. This part of the novel got really dark. It was a process of humiliation, torture and defeat for Melanie. I have to admit that I hated Tommy for a long time. Mel puts up a glorious fight at the start but she still yields very easily when confronted with her lust for him. I just can't accept it like that after everything he puts her through. Nevertheless, it's all insanely hot and intense.

This is a tale of murderous mobsters, a lost woman who yearns for freedom and love, and a twisted man with a penchant for mind games. I felt really sorry for Melanie all the time and I wanted her to win at least her captor's heart. It was almost a miracle to achieve it. She's in an impossible situation between the Law and a killing contract over her head. 

Deep in the confusing maelstrom of a Stockholm syndrome, she's never sure if her captor will kill her at the end of their passionate, erotic, wicked games. Can she trust his word when eliminating her for good can bring his lifelong dreams to life? Oh, I suffered with her. And the scenes kept getting more unusual and riveting. And I cheered every time Tommy felt something that looked real or emotional towards Mel and he fought for her against his boss. Every small and crazily difficult victory felt wonderful. The last part is full of hard choices, tears, flying bullets, hard steamy love and surprises of all kinds. What can I say? I read it fast and panting!

Amazon - Goodreads - Author's website