Things I liked about the book: 
 - Nicholas and his corny jokes. At one point, I just started looking forward to a scene of whenever he'd pop up again. He brought much-needed humor to this book, and it's a pity, nearly all of them ended with Carmine punching his nose out. What happened to his character was a travesty. I uttered a small, "No!" and was the closest to being emotionally moved. However, closest doesn't mean I was actually moved. 
 -Authentic use of Italian. Way to sch-mooze a girl! We even got an Italian lesson. Very small one, about how words are altered to masculine and feminine, depending who you're talking to. Nice detail! Most authors would plonk lines straight out of google translate and declare themselves done. 
 - The first half to 3/4 of the book. Haven's trauma was beautifully handled. From going to a "slave" mindset to experiencing the world outside for the first time. The romance between Carmine and Haven was touching at parts, if not generic. I'll talk more about that later. 
 -The writing. 
 Things I was't so crazy over: 
 - List of memorable romances this ain't. If you were to ask me in a week's time, to recall the main two characters in this book - I might struggle. Just a little. It won't even enter my top ten of romances I've read the past month. Purely, because the romance is sub-standard (but still good) in a world so richly brought to life. The author did her research. She also knows her grammar. These two have served her well enormously. 
 It's basically traumatized girl meets boy. Boy falls quick and deep. He changes his whole man-whore ethos. Has anger issues which are never dealt with and perhaps he's too possessive to his own good. Every-time he was laying into poor Nick, I was firmly on Nick's side. 
 - This book went on for 100 pages longer than I would've liked. It went from quite a dynamic world, to suddenly being inserted into "The Godfather." All the posturing and staging a rescue for Haven after being kidnapped by the "Russians" by Nunzio - was that bit researched? Really? I felt like I was watching a B-movie (not that The Godfather was a B-movie.) Like all of it came straight out of watching films than any real experience. But then, who has experience of being stuck between two rival mobs? Not the average person, I'm sure. 
 Overall, I can understand why people are swooning over J.M. Darhower.