Release Day Review ~ Menace (Scarlet Scars #1) by JM Darhower

MENACE

(Scarlet Scars Book One)

Dark Romance

J.M. Darhower

Release Date: January 16th

Scarlet Scars is a two-book series.

GRIEVOUS (Scarlet Scars Book Two) will release February 6th.

***Scarlet Scars contains dark elements that some readers may find disturbing***

Book Description:

Once upon a time, there was a guy who got so fed up with life that he resorted to murder and mayhem just to feel alive.

Lorenzo Gambini is bored. So fucking bored. Most people either annoy him or avoid him, afraid to face him. Figuratively. Literally. With his face partially disfigured, scarred, he looks every bit the monster the stories make him out to be: the notorious menace they call Scar. They say he's a sociopath. Maybe he's a psychopath. Whatever path he's on, people tend to stay far away from it.

Until one day, a young woman bumps right into him—a woman just as fed up with life, but for much different reasons. With a Scarlet Letter inked on her wrist and secrets buried deep in her soul, Morgan Myers is running from something... or maybe somebody. Lorenzo isn't quite sure.

You can bet your ass he's going to figure it out, though.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2jPEuMK
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2it5KEA

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 stars
***ARC received for an honest review***

“Once upon a time, there was a woman – a woman with a gorgeous little body and a mouth made of sin.”

JM Darhower never fails to deliver with her Mafia antiheroes and Lorenzo Gambini is no different. Lorenzo first made his appearance in Target on our Backs, our orange eating, gun toting, crazy mofo who has no scruples unless they concerned his brother. Lorenzo was a character you didn’t want to like, but he was friends with Naz Vitale so he couldn’t have been that bad…or could he?

Lorenzo was a man to be feared, he was incredibly formidable, highly revered in his field, was completely insane when it came to his own life, an alpha badass, but extremely protective none the less, his relationship with his brother was literally heart melting. Lorenzo commanded respect, he oozed confidence and despite his aloofness at times, he oozed sex appeal. Lorenzo though was totally crazy, he gets bored and when he gets bored he does was Lorenzo does best, he fuels his penchant for trouble, he incites it, he thrives on it. He knows his days are numbered, considering the field he is in, yet that only ups his tenacity and bravado and his seemingly “I am invincible,” carpe diem mentality. This man has no fear and god help anyone that goes up against him, they do not stand a chance.

“Reason number thirteen… I may just be your only hope.”

Despite Lorenzo’s mean and menacing exterior I loved that JM Darhower showed us a different side, this man has a really dry sense of humour and at times I found myself laughing at the most inopportune moments, but it is this that intensifies that character connection that I desperately crave, he may have been an enigma, but JM Darhower humanized him, she gave him a voice and a heart and they were huge.

“Looking at you is like looking in a mirror, Scarlet.”

Morgan/Scarlet is a woman with a past and a past that is slowly eked out throughout Menace. She has that air of mystery surrounding her as you try to piece together the little snippets that are dished out throughout. Scarlet was as fearless as Lorenzo, she has her goal and will do anything to reach it, she does what she does to survive even if that means lap dancing and pick pocketing, when you are running there are not many cash jobs available and needs must. But what happens when you pick pocket Lorenzo Gambini? You die of course…or not.

“Sometimes beasts are just fucking beasts, no matter how much you love them, Belle. It’s a fact. I’ve seen love bring a monster back to life before, but most of the time, the monster just loves you to death.”

Lorenzo and Morgan together were like a double act, I loved their banter, the dialogue between them being hilarious at times even though it shouldn’t have been. I loved that Morgan was not afraid to go head to head with Lorenzo, she disobeyed him all the time, not giving two flying figs about the repercussions. This was a friendship first and foremost, a challenge of minds and personalities. The chemistry between them is palpable, each page as the story progresses igniting with sparks between them. You feel that their connection is not born from sexual urges but more from kindred spirits, two survivors, with their scars.

“This woman, she tempted fate so much it was a goddamn miracle she wasn’t dead, but she was lucky, I think, because fate brought her a man, one who would kill for a sip of the thirst inside of her, who would start a war over that sweet, sweet pussy.”

Scarlet is on a mission, a mission fraught with danger and the Russian mob. Scarlet though now has Lorenzo, she has befriended the one man who could possibly make it happen, the one man who would fight to the death for her, but will it come to that…well we don’t have long to wait…the concluding part to this duet, Grievous, is due to release on Feb 6^th. I cannot wait and I seriously need it NOW!! JM Darhower gave me Corrado (sigh), she gave me Naz (sigh) and now I have another to add to the list…Lorenzo…. oranges will never be the same again.

“Go tell that Russian bastard I’ll think about accepting his call when he grows some balls and unblocks his number, because pussies don’t get talked to, they only get fucked.”

About the Author:

J.M. Darhower is the USA Today Bestselling Author of paranormal/erotic/romantic suspense novels about the baddest bad boys and the ladies who love them. Fangirl at heart, J.M. is obsessed with books, music, and all things Marvel, especially the glorious Sebastian Stan. She spends her days in a tiny town in North Carolina, churning out words and chasing down Pokémon.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmdarhower

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JMDarhower

Website: http://www.jmdarhower.com/