SERIES PLACEMENT: #1
AUTHOR: Kat Shehata
AGE GROUP: New Adult
GENRE: Romance, Suspense
RELEASE DATE: January 12, 2016
PUBLISHER: Limitless Publishing
PAGES: Approx. 300
TOUR COORDINATED BY:
Xpresso Book Tours
BOOK BLURB:
Falling in love isn’t a crime—but falling in love with a Russian mob boss could be deadly.
Competitive tennis player Carter Cook wants a taste of freedom. Her overprotective father monitors every aspect of her life, so when he becomes employed by Vladimir Ivanov –a sexy Russian with an array of tattoos and an accent that weakens her knees—a taste of danger is within Carter’s grasp. Behind her father’s back, she enjoys spending time with Vladimir at his lavish estate. But is he really the upstanding businessman she believes him to be?
Vladimir Ivanov—godfather of a Russian mafia crime ring.
Vladimir spent five years of his life in a Siberian prison camp and has earned every tattoo inked into his skin. He is a powerful man who gets what he wants, and after stalking the gorgeous tennis player for years—he wants Carter. A little charm melts her heart, and behind the scenes, he orders his henchman to track her every move.
He’s a tattooed stick of dynamite ready to blow at the slightest spark.
As their romance reaches deadly levels, Carter senses something’s not right. When she’s lured into a compromising position at the hands of a shady European drug dealer, she calls in Boris, Vladimir’s right hand man, to rescue her—without telling Vladimir. With his authority questioned, he sets out to teach Carter a lesson about loyalty she’ll never forget.
When Carter realizes she’s in too deep, she must fight for her freedom before the attraction turns fatal. But the Russian mafia plays for keeps, and Vladimir’s fierce lust to possess her spirals their romance out of control.
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REVIEWER'S NOTE: Russian Tattoos - Obsession is book one in the series and is a Romance, Suspense written by Kat Shehata. I was gifted a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review through Xpresso Book Tours.
3.5 What the Hell Did I Just Read Stars!
The Review:
Not all is what it seems! That should be the theme of this book.
Russian Tattoos left me with mixed emotions. I liked it. I really did. I loved the writing which was very well done. But about half way through it I began to wonder what the hell I’d gotten myself into. This book evoked all kinds of emotions. Laughter at Carter’s outrageous antics and circumstances, fear and dread over the consequences of her crazy actions, confusion at trying to figure out what exactly was going on and what role everyone was supposed to be playing, and suspicion over questionable actions by key players. There was definitely something going on behind the scenes we the readers weren’t getting the whole story to. Boris and Vladimir were both such a contradiction and you couldn’t get a clear picture as to who they really were. And then it all blows up and you're left reeling from everything.
This book was different and it had me frantically turning the pages to see what happened next. I liked the story and for the most part, I liked the characters, but solely for the parts they played within the story. And as I said before, this book left me really confused. Carter’s bravery, snark and inventive personality were fun to read but I also couldn’t get over how incredibly stupid and naïve she was. All the signs of her impending peril were there but she ignores them all. And for what? I couldn’t see where all the illusion of Vladimir being a good man can from. She definitely had blinders on. There was so much tension as the relationship between Carter and Vladimir was building and Carter found herself falling deeper into the Russian's world, it left me wondering how she couldn’t see all the troublesome signs and why she never spoke out.
This wasn’t really a love story and there was very little romance involved between her and Vladimir. I don’t think there was supposed to be either. Vladimir is beyond creepy. He’s got an aire of mystery about him and you are constantly questioning his personality and his sanity. You question if he is a good guy who is just as out of the loop as he was portrayed to be or was he a bad guy and really the puppet master behind the curtain. It’s obvious his instability and demons are boiling just below the surface even as he portrays himself as a posh businessman. And when he turns on you ... he REALLY turns on you.
I could never understand Carter’s actions or resolve though. And that’s why I didn’t give this one more stars. To fear someone’s actions to the point of watching every word and move you make, there can be no true trust or love involved. She was very brave but also completely out of her depth. I think she had a false sense of security because of her sister. Or maybe she was just in so deep, by the time she realized she was screwed, there was no way to get out unscathed.
And Boris? Wow. He was a real Jekyll and Hyde! One minute he was sinister and mean, the next he was comforting and supportive. But he was definitely filled with evil and a sense of wrong from the beginning.
And that’s where all the confusion comes in at. You just never know who is going to turn on you in an instant. There is no safe place. There is no good. There is no clear path. And I loved that I couldn’t figure it all out instantly!
The Wrap Up:
I enjoyed this book. I really did. I love dark reads and I love books that twist you up while you read them but I also like smart characters and a clear cut plot. I thought some of the character actions were over the top and very naïve and some of the plot points were questionable.
Regardless of the confusion, I’m definitely hooked and after that intense and disturbing cliffy, I can’t wait to read book two to see what happens next! Like I said, mixed feelings but I’m game for more!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR...
She is a competitive tennis player and spends her free time smashing tennis balls, cheering on her teammates, and playing matches in a recreational league. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, three kids, and an enthusiastic poodle. She holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Wilmington College, a professional writing certificate from the University of Cincinnati, and a master’s degree in creative writing from Spalding University.
Connect with the Author...
The author is giving away
* A signed copy of Russian Tattoos
....
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This sounds unique and dark and awesome! I Love dark reads, too, so it sounds right up my alley!
ReplyDeleteYou'll definitely find dark and unique in this read. It was both thrilling and disturbing. Thanks for having me on the tour and thanks for the awesome read. ;)
Deletesounds dark. not sure if it's quite what I like to read, but I'm always willing to give books like this a shot.
ReplyDelete