Review: The Butcher and the Violinist Duet by Kenya Wright | #mafiaromance

Rhapsody: Interracial French Mafia Romance (The Butcher and the Violinist Book 1)

In Paris, they called him Le Boucher.
The Butcher of the Corsican.
Jean-Pierre’s greatest gift was a lack of feelings. His past had ripped them away. But then he saw Eden. On stage, she played her violin, spinning his head with songs that he’d tried to forget.

Unable to stop himself, he makes Eden his obsession. And unlike any normal man, he takes what he wants.

But there’s someone in the shadows, blocking his path. His plans for Eden won’t be so simple. This mystery person sends Russians his way, igniting a war with the Bratva.

Too bad, there’s no limit to his obsession for her. No force that can stop him. No bullet to get in his way. Jean-Pierre would kill anyone and destroy anything to taste Eden’s love, even go to war.


Sonata: Interracial French Mafia Romance (The Butcher and the Violinist Book 2)

The Butcher of the Corsican. 

Jean-Pierre’s relentless pursuit of Eden has paid off.
But can he keep her safe?
Russians lurk within the shadows.
Dead bodies pile.
There are new enemies on the board, and it all goes down in Paris.

MY REVIEW

Rhapsody

There are stories one must read within context. This is one of them for me. It's a mafia romance, which would make it a little odd if the leader of the mob never got his hands dirty. This is the mindset with which I picked this book, because mafia romance isn't my usual genre. So, why did you read it, you ask? Well, I've had Kenya Wright on my list of authors I want to read, and I already had Rhapsody on my kindle. So when I found it in Audible Escape, I thought why not. Plus did you see that cover! 

We meet Eden first. She's a violinist who's lost her job because the symphony was shut down by the powers that be. Her aunt who runs a brothel offers her a job there (to play the violin) because the older woman doesn't believe in handing out free money. The hero, Jean Pierre, happens to be there with his crew and seems to have an interest in the violin, first, and then in her.

In an Indecent Proposal -like turn of events, he offers a large sum of money to have her play for him privately and to sleep with him. At that moment, I was shaking my head. I suppose it's not the strangest of requests when one meets a woman in a brothel whatever the circumstance. The story takes an informative turn when the hero's POV is introduced and we discover there's a lot more going on behind the scenes. Despite some disturbing things he did, I ended up liking Jean Pierre quite a bit. I'm on the fence regarding Eden. I found her too willing. I feel like Jean Pierre could have asked her to cut off her toe for him, and she'd have done it, which made her character less interesting to me.

The second half of the book expanded the focus of the story beyond Jean Pierre and Eden. This extended the story, which I felt was not necessary. The romance ends with an HFN but leaves loose ends in some sub-plots. 

I enjoyed the story more than I'd expected. I loved Kenya Wright's writing and especially her description of the music and how she wove that into other things. I particularly liked how she described a certain torture scene in musical terms. Though it is a contemporary story, it has a historical feel that really worked. If you like bad boys and hot sex scenes, then this will do the trick.

Sonata

This picks up right from where Rhapsody ends and shows the development  of the relationship between Eden and Jean Pierre as she integrates herself into his world. Most of the conflict is external as they navigate the consequences of actions taken in Rhapsody which brings the Russian and Japanese mafia to their doorstep. Loose ends from book 1 are also tied. You must read Rhapsody before this.