Title: Dangerous
Series: Made and Broken
Designation: Book One of Series, Full-Length Standalone, NO Cliffhanger
Author: Nora Ash
Platform: Audible Edition
My Rating: Five Sinfully Delicious Stars*****
Wow! I loved, loved, loved Dangerous! I’ve been a diehard Nora Ash fan for years and never tire of her raw, gritty, seductive, and deliciously dark tales. I’m the first to admit my tastes in reading are extremely eclectic and often quite adventurous for an old bird. However, one thing that never changes is my passion for romance, any kind of romance but sometimes, I prefer my love stories to be edgy and unordinary. And folks, the writing style of Nora Ash can be described as many things, but ordinary is never one of them. It’s actually quite extraordinary and so is Dangerous, the first release In Ash’s Made and Broken Series. I truly loved this story and look forward to listening to Monster, the next book in the series. The Kindle and paperback editions are already available. And yes, I’ve already read it and loved it too! Each of the book in the Made and Broken Series can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading them in order of their release to enrich your reading experience. But as usual, I digress so let’s talk about Dangerous.
Dangerous is a riveting, fast-paced, well-crafted, well-edited and deliciously dark stand-alone full-length romantic psychological crime thriller with a beautifully written his and her first-person narrative and filled to the brim danger, drama, heartbreak, angst, suspense, violence, treachery, betrayal, passion, romance, and sex. Now, folks, let me be perfectly clear. Dangerous is not erotica but it is erotic. In romance novels, there are wild, steamy sex scenes that are just about the sex, and then there are explicit, exquisitely written love scenes that are all about the romance and emotion. In Dangerous, you get the best of both worlds, the perfect combination of heated attraction, wild fiery passion, sweet romance, and dreamy sex… and though plentiful and prominent in the story, it’s secondary to the actual plot and only serves to enrich the story. The sex is not ‘the story’. I know that may be a little confusing to some, but I believe most of you know exactly what I’m trying to say. The dialogue is smart, snappy, raw, emotional, seductive, well executed and flows effortlessly. But without a doubt, my favorite component is the magnificent cast of well-developed characters. I found them to be captivating, fascinating, complex, intriguing, engaging and sexy as sin. I was immediately drawn into the story by the two protagonists, beautiful, intelligent, and sometimes quite fiery psychologist Mira Holler, and handsome, trash-talking, and very cocky but emotionally troubled mafia bad boy Blaine Steel. They were absolutely perfect together and played off each other brilliantly. Their banter was entertaining and, at times, hilarious. Their attraction to each other was undeniable and their sexual chemistry was so hot it sizzled! At times, it was like two six-year-olds squaring off against each other on the playground. But as I listened to Mira and Blaine come to life through the skilled and realistic narration of the story by the very talented Rachel Hine and Joel Froomkin, I could literally see the fireworks exploding every time these two lost souls came together, both in anger and passion. The interaction between Mira and Blaine was captivating. I laughed with them, empathized with them, shook my fists in anger at the injustice each suffered, and sobbed as my heart broke for their lost innocence. Rachel and Joel’s voice portrayals of Mira and Blaine were both exceptional, enhanced by their delightful and sometimes amusing London accents, skilled voice inflections, and effortless cadence. Their perfectly delivered performance was nothing short of magical and truly brought the entire story to life. It was fabulous!
Psychologist Mira Holler has worked diligently for years to become who and what she is today and it didn’t come easy. After running away from her abusive family at only eighteen, she’s changed a heck of a lot more than just her name; she’s changed her entire life. She had plans and they don’t include any sexy bad boys patients like the one who just invaded her office with all his good looks, arrogance, swagger and cocky attitude. She had no intention of ever becoming involved, professionally or personally, with any man that could hurt her again, and she certainly would never fall for one as crude as Blaine Steel. But we all know, you should never say never. But Doctor Mira Holler isn’t really Mira Holler and unfortunately for Mira, the ghosts from her past have resurfaced to claim her. Mira is really Aigneis Clery, the only daughter of the infamous Clery crime family of Belfast. Oh my! And they’ve finally found her! And if that isn’t bad enough, her family intends to use her as a pawn to broker a business deal by forcing her into a prearranged marriage with one of the sons of William Steel, the patriarch of the notorious Steel family, the most powerful crime family in London. Could her life get any worse? Yes, it could! Her groom could turn out to be the arrogant bad boy patient she recently threw out of her office. Oh no! What’s a girl to do? Well, she could fall in love with said bad boy and run away again, of course!
Cocky bad boy Blaine Steel didn’t like being forced into anything, especially not a marriage arranged by his father with the daughter of the most vicious and violent crime family of Belfast. He may the son of the most notorious crime boss in London but he and his brothers learned long ago, family always comes first. And because of his loyalty to his family, he knew he’d have to do as his father ordered. He may have to marry the pathetic bird but that doesn’t mean he has to love her. He doesn’t even know what she looks like so that couldn’t be good, right? He’d just marry her, dump her at a house somewhere, and then go about his business as usual with the many other beautiful women vying for his attention. But once he saw the woman hidden behind the veil, he can’t believe his eyes. It couldn’t be, but it is! It’s none other than his plucky therapist, Mira Holler – the one who threw him out of her office. Wait…What? Her name is Mira Holler, not Aigneis Clery. What the heck? It seems he’s not the only one keeping secrets. But Blaine never counted on the undeniable desire he feels for the fiery auburn-haired Mira as well as her voluptuous curvy body. And he certainly never counted on falling in love with the beautiful feisty psychologist. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. But will Blaine be able to protect her from his family, her family and even from herself? We’ll see!
Did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! Would I recommend it? You bet and I am but only for adult readers since it does contain explicit language and sex. Will I make another audio purchase from this author? Absolutely! And finally, was I entertained? Completely! One advantage of an audio book is being able to continue your routine as you listen to a book, but have you ever listened to a story so well done that you had to stop what you’re doing because you were affected so profoundly by the story and characters coming to life in your mind? And, you were so overcome by emotion that you simply had to sit down as you eagerly awaited each word? Well, that’s what happened as I listened to Dangerous. I was preparing dinner but had to stop because I became completely engrossed in the story. I was riveted to my seat with my heart fluttering wildly in my chest as I hung in suspense waiting for each new word. Once I started listening, I simply could not stop! And yes, it was that good! I loved every single minute! Fabulous entertainment!