Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway of Black Collar Empire by A N Latro


This series is so interesting.  I read two novellas and a novel all within 24 hours.  I couldn't put them down and I've got some hunches about the story I want to confirm, so I'm really eager for book 2.  I'm also thinking the grand prize of the annotated copy might help confirm or deny my guesses too.  
Before we get to the main show, I was lucky enough to read two novellas set around the same time that gave me a little background on what was going on in Black Collar Empire.


BLACK COLLAR BEGINNINGS: CUBA BLURB
Alone in Cuba, Seth Morgan isn’t mafia royalty—he’s a thug with a gun, and everything to prove. When the shadowy kingpin behind the Cuban syndicate finally takes notice, nothing in Seth’s world will ever be the same.
Before the Empire, there was exile. A novella, set just before Black Collar Empire. 


BLACK COLLAR BEGINNINGS: CUBA GOODREADS LINK:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22608717-black-collar-beginnings

BUY LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks


REVIEW:
★★★★ stars

This novella is intense.  The reason why Seth has been exiled isn't revealed.  Instead he's there keeping his head down doing whatever he's been told to do and wishing and wanting to be on the streets of New York with his brother Caleb, lover Nicolette, and cousin Emma.  

I couldn't help but being shaken once I finished.  The novella left me with so many more more questions that I started off with.  A novella is short by definition, but this novella is action packed and full of surprises.  I look forward to finding out more about Seth and what's going on.

* A copy was provided by the author in exchange for a honest review.  All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*


BLACK COLLAR BEGINNINGS: NEW YORK BLURB: 
Caleb Morgan is the black sheep of the family. Two years of his brother’s absence has left him cold and alone—except for Emma, the youngest Morgan. Because with Seth gone, there is no one else to teach—or protect—their innocent cousin.
But teaching isn’t always pretty—not in family who peddles in crime. 


BLACK COLLAR BEGINNINGS: NEW YORK GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22608712-black-collar-beginnings

BUY LINKS:



REVIEW:
★★★★

This novella focuses on Caleb and Emma Morgan.  They're part of the syndicate that runs NYC and important members of the family.  Caleb is an enigma.  He's yearning for his brother and doesn'r understand why he can't be found or why he was sent away for so long.  That part comes across clearly and I wanted the family to be reunited.  He's turning cold to everything but Emma, his innocent cousin.  Emma is a teenager and has been kept far away from the family business and everything else but she wants in and Caleb knows something isn't right, so he decides to start teaching her.

I can't say I agreed with Caleb's teaching methods.  Caleb was as brutal as Emma seemed innocent.  Of course, whatever Caleb did, he did in the name of family and love, which are usually very good motivators.  I think I got a slightly larger feel for Caleb than Emma in this novella and I'm looking forward to seeing if Black Collar Empire answers the even more questions I have after finishing it.

* A copy was provided by the author in exchange for a honest review.  All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*


After two years away, Seth Morgan has returned to New York, desperate to honor his father's dying wish for a unified family. But the heir’s welcome is sadly lacking: his family’s criminal empire is divided, the woman he loves hates him, and his brother Caleb has become a cold stranger.

When a brotherly spat becomes a vicious misunderstanding that ends with Caleb dead, Seth is left reeling, and unsure who to trust.

Emma Morgan grew up while her closest cousin was away. She’s been sheltered her entire life from the realities of their family—something Seth has every intention of changing upon his return.

But not everyone in the syndicate is happy to have Seth home, and there are secrets surrounding Caleb’s murder. The deeper Seth and Emma dig, the clearer it becomes that not everyone shares their dream for the Morgan Syndicate, and not everyone wants the heir to ascend.


BUY LINKS: Amazon      |      Barnes & Noble

REVIEW:
★★★★

I was certain reading this novel was going to answer all the questions I garnered while reading the prequel novellas.  While some were answered, most were not and many more instead were added to the list.  The novel is gritty but written in a way that will leave you on the edge of your seats.

I was unable to put this book down.  I read it in a matter of hours.  There's the prerequisite violence and gore that comes with this type of suspenseful dark story.  I wasn't prepared for a death that came, especially since I couldn't figure out with what I'd read how and why it'd happened.  I also couldn't figure out Emma's relationship with her mother.  Something didn't feel right there and I have a feeling we'll find out more in the next book.

There were surprises galore.  Just when I thought I knew what was going on or what had happened, I was left scrambling to assimilate new information.  It was easy to see Emma coming into her own and Seth trying to figure out what was really going on.  The bonds of family are really stressed in this book, as Emma and Seth come to realize family is all you can count on and sometimes it's that family you need to be watching out for in case they stab you in the back.  New people were introduced and they added more drama and aspects to the story, which haven't played out fully yet.

The book will keep you guessing about the motivations of characters.  You will cry and cringe and take in the drama that you experience on these pages.  I can not wait for AN Latro to release the second book.  The action is just getting started and I'm eager to see what happens.

* A copy was provided by the author in exchange for a honest review.  All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*

Author Bio:
AN Latro loves good wine and the ocean, and prefers to write with both. She has a passion for bad boys in books, and stories that make you feel. She can most often be found along the Florida coast.

AUTHOR LINKS:


Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway



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