Laura’s Review of Amore by Bella Jewel

Synopsis

“It is not love that defines us, Julietta. It is love that destroys us.”

I’m just a normal girl.
Or so you would think.
I’ve never thought of myself as anything different.
Until I met him.
He doesn’t think I’m normal.
He thinks I’m special.
Special enough to be in his life.
Special enough to enter his world.
Special enough for his bed.
Rafael Lencioni. Dangerous. Beautiful. Terrifying.
My story is the one that’s never told.
I’m not the daughter. 

I'm not the wife.

I’m not the forbidden lover.
I’m not a sister or a mother.
I’m not who you think I am.
So for me to fit into their world, I have to do something I never wanted in my life.
Something I would have frowned upon until I met him.
I have to change who I am.
I have to shut down my heart.
I have to accept my place.
My body belongs to him.
My heart isn’t permitted to.
Those are his rules.
But rules were made to be broken…right?

What I Loved

      I absolutely loved the chemistry between Rafael and Julietta, the story begins with the two main characters running into each other at a club and pretty much immediately clothes are being ripped off.  I’m a big fan of stories that jump right into the plot and this one did exactly that.  Julietta couldn’t get enough of Rafael’s body and the feeling was definitely mutual!

          There’s definitely a lot of twists and turns as the story moves along and what really sucked me into the book the most was the fact that this wasn’t just about Julietta and Rafael’s relationship.  There is a ton of suspense and lots of secrets swirling around Rafael and Julietta and I loved every single minute of it.  I literally couldn’t put my kindle down and just read straight through to the end.

Not So Much

          I’ve said it a million times; DETAILS!! This book is lacking majorly in lot of details which annoyed me at times.  This entire story is supposed to take place in Chicago and when I finished reading and knew nothing more about Chicago.  It felt like the city was an inconsequential detail rather than a major setting.  The same can be said for many other background details; I don’t really know what Julietta’s apartment is decorated like or what Rafael’s house looks like at all.  At certain point, Rafael’s was described as wearing a “slick suit”, that’s not a description.  Tell me what color it is, what color the tie is or the shirt for that matter.  All these little details add up to creating bigger plot holes and don’t give the plot enough opportunity to established the depth needed to make this story out of this world amazing. 

          Another thing that really gets on my nerves is the wrong colloquialisms for American culture.  American’s don’t go on holiday ever; we take a vacation.  Also when describing someone that might leave when you tell them something they don’t like, we don’t call that a runner.  They bolt, they stomp out, or they simply walk away.  If I’m supposed to believe that these characters are American or at least grew up here, then please start using the right sayings!!

To Sum It All Up!

      Overall I really enjoyed this book, it had all the elements I can’t get enough of in a romance.  First, there was plenty of physical attraction and sex.  Rafael exudes this aura of power and danger and it was hot! I loved how the two of them couldn’t get enough of each other at all times.  Second there were lies and deceit, I loved that probably the most because you know eventually shit will hit the fan and if I’m really sucked in it’s going to devastate me.  Third, tons of suspense and action; there was definitely a lot of bad shit going on in Rafael’s life and you just know that doesn’t mean good things for Julietta. 

          Also, I really loved that this story was about the mistress rather than the wife because it’s a new twist on a typical romance.  I did feel like there were a lot of mafia stereotypes being used which kind of rubbed me the wrong way at times.  Being from a state that is infamous for mafia involvement it’s not as out in the open and talked about so freely like it was in this book.  I do wish there were more details involved because it would’ve given the plot way more depth. 

          I’m going to warn you that there is a cliff hanger at the end so be prepared! If you’re not a fan of endings like that but really want to read this book, please wait until the next one comes out!  Personally I can’t wait to get my hands on it.