Thursday, May 11, 2017

Review: Surviving Mateo by Sam Mariano








Mateo Morelli.

The mere mention of his name is enough to strike fear into the hearts of grown men. The most ruthless crime lord in Chicago isn’t a man you dare cross. But when the second most feared crime lord shows up on my doorstep the night of my husband’s wake, he doesn’t give me much of a choice. 

My late husband owed Antonio Castellanos a lot of money, but the magnanimous boss is gonna do me a solid—I get to pay my debt, and keep my daughter alive. All I have to do is one little favor.

That favor?

Seduce and kill Mateo Morelli.


**BOOK TWO OF FOUR IN THE MORELLI FAMILY SAGA. These aren't standalones. If you don't read Accidental Witness first, this won't make a whole lot of sense. ***





5 stars
Review by Jen Skewes

The Morelli Family series is the first series that I have read from this author.  I am loving every minute of it and have become a huge fan of Sam Mariano’s writing. After reading Accidental Witness I swear I questioned my morals as well as my insanity because while Mateo Morelli was a very bad man, one who did horrible things, I could not stop myself from falling for him.  When I was done with the first book all I wanted was more of Mateo and that is exactly what I got in this book.  Truth is I really had no idea what to expect.  How far would this man go and would I still love him at the end or would I hate him?  Ms. Mariano completely nailed this book.  Not only did I not hate Mateo but God help me, I fell in love with him even more.

We are introduced to a new female character named Meg.  When her husband dies she receives a visit from one of the mob bosses that he owed money too.  Her husband was not a good man at all and one that she really didn’t love.  But her daughter is her everything and the most important person in her life.  She will do what it takes to protect her from the bad decisions that her husband made.  Even if that means seducing and then killing Mateo Morelli.  Yes you read that correctly.  To wipe away the debt her husband owes and protect her daughter, she is to kill Mob Boss Mateo Morelli.  She has no choice but to go through with it, until she meets him and actually likes the man.  But Mateo is not a dumb man, he trusts no one and he knows that Meg is up to something.  When the truth comes out she has no choice but to do as he says. She soon finds herself moving into his home, working for him and doing whatever he tells her to do, no matter what it is.  Meg is not sure if she should be afraid for her life, or happy that she will be living with someone as sexy as Mateo.  Yeah at times I thought this woman had lost her mind, until I remembered that I loved him too.  So I completely understood.   There is one rule if she wants to stay alive and that is to never betray or lie to Mateo.  But she is still holding onto one secret, one that could get her killed.  When the truth comes out will that be the end of Meg?

After reading the first book there was a big part of me that questioned Mateo’s relationship with Mia.  In some way wondering if they should be together, if she really loves Vince and how Mateo really feels about her.   I guess in a way I wanted to see them together, but I went into this book with an open mind.  And all I can say is that at the end I completely understood Ms. Mariano’s reasons for it all.  Meg was the perfect match for Mateo Morelli.  She was feisty, funny and sassy with a take no crap attitude, not taking it from anyone including Mr. Mob Boss himself.  Yes she did as she was told but now without a bit of sass to go along with it.  She opened this man up in ways that I don’t think I thought would be possible.  We saw this side of him that just made me love him even more.  Mateo Morelli can be a monster but when it comes to Meg you see a deeper side of him.  We see both sides of him and regardless of the things he does or the way he acts at times, you knew that it all had to do with the fact that he cared and beneath the tough exterior was a man with feelings.  He just didn’t let them out for everyone to see.


Sam Mariano did an amazing job with this book.  The connection that Meg and Mateo had was palpable.  You felt it from the moment that they met.  You knew from the start that this woman would give him a run for his money but you also knew that he would fall for her.  I loved that the rest of the Morelli family is very much a part of this book.  We even get to see a few moments with Mia and Meg that sort of make you go hmmmmm…….lol  It made me question some things and wonder just how this will all play out in the next two books.  That’s the thing that I loved, the unexpected.  We got it in the first book and saw it once again in this one.  Moments where you are not sure how these characters will act, or who you can even trust.  Ms. Mariano will once again play with your mind and leave you wanting so much more in the end.  Loved it!!!  Cannot wait for the next one. 




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