The Capo / The Angel (The Salvation Duet 1) by Serena Akeroyd-reviews
The Capo
The Salvation Duet 1 / The Valentini Family 5
By Serena Akeroyd
Genre: adult, contemporary, Mafia, romance
Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 27, 2026
Kitty Frasier has no idea I’ll be sitting next to her on the plane when she comes onto me in the first-class lounge…
…our engagement ring burning a hole in my pocket.
In her opinion, spring break with her sisters in Mexico sounds like a good time.
But because I was too late to kidnap them from the airport, we’re flying into the epicenter of an underworld war.
No matter what she thinks, her ties to the Irish Mob put her in danger.
With only my alliances to keep us safe, Kitty’s about to learn what it means to be with the Capo of the Sicilian mafia.
And by the end of spring break, my ring will be on her finger.
••••••
REVIEW: THE CAPO is the fifth instalment in Serena Akeroyd’s contemporary, adult THE VALENTINI FAMILY erotic, Mafia romance series, and part one of The Salvation Duet focusing on Capo Custanzu ‘Stan’ Valentini, and physician’s assistant / O’Donnelly Irish Mob adjacent Catriona ‘Kitty’ Frazier’. THE CAPO can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion. There is mention and cameo’s of characters from the author’s FIVE POINTS MOB series, CONOR AND STAR series, and the DARK AND DIRTY SINNERS MC series.
NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Stan and Kitty) THE CAPO follows in the aftermath of a near fatal drug reaction for our story line hero. Stan thought he saw an Angel, and upon his release would go in search of the woman he would one day call his own but Kitty’s connections to the Irish mob would make things a little more difficult, and when Kitty organized some well deserved time-off with her younger sisters, she had no idea she would come face to face with our story line hero. Mexico was not Stan’s first choice for a vacation but Stan needed to keep tabs on the woman that called to his heart but Mexico is a hot-bed of cartel activity, and an encroaching war with the Albanian mob will catch Kitty and Stan in the crossfire, placing a target on their backs.
The world building is detailed and complex as events from the past play heavily into the current timeline, therefore a working knowledge of the series may be necessary. Both Stan and Kitty’s journey into Cancun Mexico has been kept on the down low but frenemies, the Cartel and MC are well aware of Stan and Kitty’s arrival in their cities, and the fall-out is about affect them all.
The relationship between Stan and Kitty is one of immediate attraction, one in which Stan is determined to claim Kitty as his own. Having manipulated the situation at his own expense, Stan becomes guardian and protector of our story line heroine but someone else is always waiting to take them down. The $ex scenes are provocative and intense.
There is a large ensemble cast of familiar, determined, and powerful secondary and supporting characters many of whom we met in the previous instalments and interconnected series. We are introduced to the head of the cartel Miguel Martinez and his deadly wife Eva, as well as Kitty’s sisters Neev and Roisin. The requisite evil has many faces.
THE CAPO is a story of power and control, secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, family and relationships, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is dark, dramatic and edgy; the romance is seductive; the characters are desperate, decisive and determined. THE CAPO ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
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THE ANGEL
The Salvation Duet 2 / The Valentini Family 6
by Serena Akeroyd
Genre: adult, contemporary, Mafia, romance
Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date: April 10, 2026
Within hours of meeting him, I learned what it meant to be with the Sicilian Capo.
I’m a nurse. A nobody. And yet, because of him, I woke up in hell.
Somehow, I commanded Custanzu Valentini’s attention and that put me in a set of crosshairs I wasn’t meant to survive.
He called me “his kitten.” Promised me rubies and a life of ease.
But the inferno his enemies threw me in forged a lioness.
The prince of the Sicilian mafia has met his match.
Long live the House of Valentini.
••••••
REVIEW:THE ANGEL is the sixth instalment in Serena Akeroyd’s contemporary, adult THE VALENTINI FAMILY erotic, Mafia romance series, and part two of The Salvation Duet focusing on Capo Custanzu ‘Stan’ Valentini, and physician’s assistant / O’Donnelly Irish Mob adjacent Catriona ‘Kitty’ Frazier’. THE ANGEL can not be read as a stand alone as it picks up after the events and cliff hanger of THE CAPO. There is mention and cameo’s of characters from the author’s FIVE POINTS MOB series, THE FORGOTTEN BOYS series, CONOR AND STAR duet, and the DARK AND DIRTY SINNERS MC series, therefore I recommend having a working knowledge of the author’s series.
NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers. If you have not read THE CAPO, there may be spoilers in my review.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Stan and Kitty) THE ANGEL picks up after the events of THE CAPO in which our couple had been betrayed. But after Kitty’s rescue and recovery, the war with the Albanian mob has become personal, and betrayal comes from within. With the Cartel and the Bratva targeted as well, the Sicilians and the Irish mobs join forces to end the war no one wanted, a war that goes to the top political office.
The world building once again is detailed and multi-layered as the author brings together many of the characters from her interconnected series. Some once long thought dead are alive, while others are not whom they claim to be. Secrets are revealed, lies a meant to destroy, as our couple must come to terms with what is happening and why.
The relationship between Kitty and Stan continues to be provocative and intense but Stan is hoping for something more, and in doing so, places a target on our heroine’s back. The $ex scenes continues to provocative and intense.
Once again, there is a large ensemble cast of colorful, familiar and energetic secondary and supporting characters, many of whom we met in the previous series and instalments. We are reintroduced to Stan’s mother Lauren; his sister Rory aka Aurora; older brother and Don Luciu Valentini and his wife Jen; Stan’s great uncle Currau; Kitty’s mother Patricia Frasier, and siblngs- Lucas Cade, Neev and Roisin; Stan’s drivers Dante, and Chad, and assassin Taube, as well as a large number of the original main characters from the author’s Valentini family, Five Points Mob Collection, The Forgotten Boys, Conor and Star series aka Irish Mob, Sicilian and Italian Mafia, Bratva, and Albanian mob.
THE ANGEL is a story of secrets and lies, power and control, betrayal and vengeance, greed and obsession, politics and influence, family and relationships, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is edgy,dramatic and captivating; the romance is fated and enchanting; the characters are charismatic, determined and dangerous.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by SAndy
