Review // The Tempted Series by Janine Infante Bosco

Set on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, the Tempted Series is a compilation of six steamy standalone novels that will leave you breathless and wishing for more. In between navigating the danger that darkens the beloved streets they call their own, each man finds a strong woman to love and carry him through the darkness.

You'll laugh.
You'll fall in love.
You'll cry.
You'll scream.
You'll probably curse too.
But more importantly, you will become part of this unconventional family.
You will become Property of Parrish.

──────　♔　──────

Illicit Temptations

My Rating - ★★★★
Standalone - Tempted #1
Release - July 25, 2015
Genre/Trope - Contemporary Romance / mafia
POV - Dual 1st person (Michael Valente + Nikki Pastore)
Heat - 4 out of 5
Length - 367 pages

Broken, lost, and alone.
That's all I was before New York's most notorious gangster recruited me.
Now here I am, following in my father's footsteps and breaking my mother's heart.
And I'm torn between the only life I've ever known and the possibility of something else.
Because the only beacon of light in this dark world is the one woman I can't have.
The Boss's daughter.
The nightclub king's girl.
Her irresistible spirit struggling to be respected for who she is, and not just who she belongs to.
I see her. All of her.
She's the sweetest temptation I've ever known.
And the most illicit.

Nikki and Michael were very easy to like. She had a crush on him since they were kids and he quickly realized that the little girl he had left behind had grown up into a beautiful woman.

Nikki and Michael had oodles of chemistry. Too bad she had a boyfriend. And while she had a connection to her boyfriend, especially because he didn't seem to be intimidated by her father, the mafia don of New York, what she felt for Michael was beyond compare.

I lived for every illicit look.
Every illicit thought.
And all of their illicit touches!

Michael was hilarious and it really shone through on their trip to Florida to escape a threat against Nikki's father. I laughed so much picturing him trying to escape elderly advances.

I knew loving these characters would be easy because I went into this already knowing who they were. I guess that's the consequence of reading the Nomad series before diving into the original stories. However, I have no regrets because it only made me enjoy these people more. I adored getting this in-depth look at the way love bloomed between Nikki and her Mikey, and also the glimpses shown of Victor Pastore, Anthony Bianci, Adrianna, etc.

---

Forbidden Temptations

My Rating - ★★★★
Standalone - Tempted #2
Release - November 10, 2015
Genre/Trope - Contemporary Romance / mafia / second chance
POV - Dual 1st person (Anthony Bianci + Adrianna Pastore)
Heat - 4 out of 5
Length - 305 pages

Respect. Power. Control.
From the time I was a boy that was all I wanted.
Being an enforcer for the mob gave me all of that and more.
But she gave me things I didn’t even know I could have.
Passion. Love. Hope.
I was never supposed to fall for her.
I was only good to take the fall for a crime I didn’t commit.
What use is power when you’re locked inside a cage?
I pushed her away and spared her the pain of this poisonous life.
Now, I’m free and she’s still the forbidden temptation.
The one I crave more than air.
More than respect.
More than power.
More than anything.

Anthony was such an intriguing character. He put on this disguise of being lethal and cold, but dude was swimming in so much heart. Everything he was or ever could be centered around Adrianna, and this lady knew her man. When he pushed, she pushed back. And when he pulled her in, she went willingly. There was so much back and forth in their relationship, that if you're not careful, you'll get whiplash. Outside forces were the primary reasons for why this couple had such a hard time, but Anthony didn't try to make things any easier. While all she wanted was him, he was constantly worried about the danger being with him would cause.

However, when he finally decided to fight for what was rightfully his, when he finally claimed his woman... everybody needed to get out of this man's way. I loved everything he did to finally give Adrianna the happily ever after she deserved.

The only drawback to this story was the way that Victor Pastore was portrayed. He went from beloved father to a monster and it threw me. At least some peace was made in the end. I'm here for the ride and it only seems to be getting bumpier. Don't even get me started on the whole Jimmy Gold situation. I can't wait for all of the fallout!!

---

Uncontrollable Temptations

My Rating - ★★★★½
Standalone - Tempted #3
Release - January 1, 2016
Genre/Trope - Contemporary Romance / MC Romance
POV - Dual 1st person (Jack 'Bullog' Parrish + Reina)
Heat - 4 out of 5
Length - 202 pages

Crazy. Deranged. Uncontrollable.
Doctor it up all you want, no formal diagnosis erases the stigma associated with mental illness.
It’s a scar I’ve carried most of my life.
A hell I can’t escape.
I’m the president of the Satan’s Knights Motorcycle Club with enemies near and far.
But the real villain in this story is my mind.
Drowning in darkness, demons and shadows are all I know.
Until one day the sun begins to shine.
She’s broken, just a shell of a woman, but she’s a beautiful, bright light beckoning me home.
Saving me from the torment.
Showing me her own scars.
Healing me.
Loving me.
Shining her light.
An uncontrollable temptation I can’t resist.

Jack and Reina were two people who knew what it was to exist without living. Both were drowning in pain and breathed life into each other. I was already quite familiar with Jack's pain because I've been Property of Parrish for years, but seeing it mirrored a bit in Reina was a new experience. And although I walked, ran and swam in their deep love for one another some time ago, it was so sweet to see where it all started.

Jack was as crazy as ever. I really cannot get enough of this man! The Satan's Knights were looking for justice and sometimes that looks very ugly. Lives were at stake and no one was safe. I was just excited to see a certain someone get his.

This story was full of feels and angst and further cemented my love for all of these characters.

---

Reckless Temptations

My Rating - ★★★★½
Standalone - Tempted #4
Release - March 5, 2016
Genre - Contempoary Romance / MC Romance
POV - Dual 1st person (Robert 'Riggs' Montgomery + Lauren Bianci)
Heat - 4 out of 5
Length - 405 pages

Heart.
It keeps you alive, but it can make you a fool too.
I tied mine to the club and nothing else.
I didn’t need more.
The Satan’s Knights gave me a reason to ride and secured my place in the world.
I also had a rotation of women at my beck and call—life was good.
Until one night.
One doe-eyed girl.
Little miss innocent wanted to ride in the fast lane and I was the badass with the bike.
A temptation I couldn’t resist.
If there was ever a reason to be reckless and risk my heart, she was it.

No one can deny Riggs his heart. Well, maybe he could. However, no matter how many times he tried to talk himself out of love, it kept hitting him in the face.

Riggs knew that Lauren was off limits. He may lust after her non-stop, but no way did he want to tangle with the Biancis. And then one night changes everything. One taste and he can't help but come back for more. Separation anxiety, dangers lurking around every corner, and a surprise pregnancy lead Riggs to find his heart once and for all.

Each Satan's Knight has something different to offer. Riggs' contribution: ridiculousness. Dude could find humor at a funeral. He made me laugh with all of his hilarious inner monologues. I loved seeing events from past books from his perspective. His view of how things went down gave certain scenes a different edge, whether it was to make me laugh, cringe or cry.

The hospital scenes absolutely GUTTED me!!

All this to say that this is book 4 of the series and I'm still very much entrenched with the Knights and I'm greedy for more.

---

Lethal Temptations

My Rating - ★★★★
Standalone - Tempted #5
Release - May 24, 2016
Genre - Contemporary Romance / MC romance / forbidden / age gap
POV - Dual 1st person (Dominic 'Blackie' Petra + Lacey Parrish)
Heat - 4 out of 5
Length - 530 pages

Drugs. Alcohol. Mayhem.
That's how I ride as the VP of the Satan's Knights MC.
I trade one addiction for another and make no apologies.
I'm no Knight in shining armor. I'm Satan's soldier, a villain dressed in leather.
She's a beautiful, broken angel, wrapped in lace battling her own demons.
And when she looks at me, I'm not a man chained to his cravings and crimes.
I'm her hero and she's my sweetest obsession.
A lethal temptation I can't resist.
The one I won't survive.

I knew all about Blackie and Lacey from reading the Blackout duet, but seeing where it all began was a nice detour (thinking of you, Riggs). I got to see how the whole Leather and Lace deal got started and their story was darker than all the rest. It was full of inner angst and outer dangers. With Lacey struggling with her mental illness and trying to be seen, to be heard... this young woman broke my heart. And Blackie was struggling with his many addictions. However, they were each other's rocks. They were the one person they could be real with, the person who could really see them.

I still find this relationship a bit icky. Remember, Blackie is Jack's bestie and Lacey is Jack's daughter. Blackie has been a part of her life since she was a little girl. Whenever the hero watches the heroine grow up and then falls for her, I'm always a bit thrown. But the author pulls it off. I wasn't grossed out (completely) and I found it easy to get on board with idea of this couple's happily ever after. They fought hard for it and they earned it. Painful and beautiful, their story was a treat to read.

---

Eternal Temptations

My Rating - ★★★★½
Standalone - Tempted #6
Release - August 1, 2016
Genre - Contemporary Romance / extended epilogue
POV - Multiple 1st person
Heat- 4 out of 5
Length - 294 pages

You've seen them through their most illicit temptations.
Guided them through their forbidden temptations.
Stuck with them through their uncontrollable temptations.
Owned their reckless temptations.
And survived their lethal temptations.
Five couples.
One threat.
Who will overcome the eternal temptation?

Join The Pastore Crime Family and the Satan's Knights MC in this mashup standalone romantic thriller. One final hit. One last ride. And these anti-heroes won't go down without a fight.
So ask yourself: are you tempted?

This was so much fun to read! It was like getting extended epilogues for my favorite characters and I'm still looking for more!

Eternal Temptations was full of pain, death (OMG the deaths were crazy in this book), remembrances, honorable mentions, beauty, family, and so much love. The love these characters have for one another, especially when it started (for some) from a place of misgivings... it's the stuff that makes these characters legendary. There's a reason why their stories crossover into other books and into other series. They are just that amazing!

When you fall in love with Michael + Nikki, Anthony + Adrianna, Jack + Reina, Riggs + Lauren, Blackie + Lacie, and even Grace + Victor, you'll want to make sure you read this book. It delivers in so many ways, and if that wasn't enough, it sets up the next series for the nomads. So freaking good!