Author: Jessica Gadziala

Review: Wolf by Jessica Gadziala

Posted March 2, 2022 by Casee in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Wolf by Jessica GadzialaWolf by Jessica Gadziala
Narrator: Jillian Macie, Alexandre Steele
Series: The Henchmen MC #3
Also in this series: Cash
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: April 6, 2016
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 301
Length: 8 hours and 52 minutes
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

* The Henchmen return to finally give us Wolf & Janie’s story. *
He was just supposed to be saving her from herself… and the half dozen criminal enterprises that would want her blood when they realized what she had done.
What he hadn’t planned on was her invading every aspect of his life with her fiery temper and inability to take no for an answer. And when he finally got beneath her walls and found out why she had gotten herself into trouble in the first place, he knew what he needed to do.
He sure as hell didn’t think he would end up being the one who would need saving…
* This can be read as a stand-alone and has a HEA, but features characters from The Henchmen and Savages series.
** This is a DARK read. Anyone with triggers may want to avoid this title. For a list of possible triggers, follow this link: http://www.jessicagadziala.com/trigge...

Wolf is a man of few words. Very few words. He tends to keep to himself. Unless someone hurts a woman. Then all hell breaks loose. Wolf goes absolutely bananas. When he runs across Janie from Hailstorm, he can’t do anything else but help her.

Janie is one smart cookie. She’s Hailstorm’s resident geek. As a hacker, she can find things that most people can’t. She also can build bombs. She’s a very diverse character. She was tiny, yet fierce. I loved Janie. She is one of the best heroines of the Henchmen MC series. I just adored her.

Janie has been on a mission for years to bring down Lex Keith for the death of her mother. Her mother committed suicide and Janie holds Lex responsible. Janie has a plan. One that is going swimmingly until Wolf comes across her. His protective instincts immediately come out. It was sexy af.

Wolf said very few words in this book. Janie talked enough for the both of them. I loved that about them. They just complimented each other perfectly. I really enjoyed this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Henchmen MC

four-stars

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Review: Cash by Jessica Gadziala

Posted February 28, 2022 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Cash by Jessica GadzialaReviewer: Casee
Cash by Jessica Gadziala
Narrator: Jillian Macie, Alexandre Steele
Series: The Henchmen MC #2
Also in this series: Wolf
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: February 2, 2016
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: Alternating First
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 237
Length: 7 hours and 51 minutes
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

The Henchmen return, this time with CASH as our leading man.
CASH
My life has been about three things- brotherhood, good times, and women. Easy. Nothing complicated. That was until Willow Swift came barging back into my life, face bloodied, banging at the gates of The Henchmen compound calling in a favor owed. Now a marker is a marker and I had to make good, but if there was one woman in the world I didn't need in my life, it was the hard-as-stone, hot-as-sin Willow Swift and whatever mysterious ghosts from her past that were haunting her present.
WILLOW
My life has been nothing but two things: hard and complicated. The last person I wanted in my business was the notorious love-em and leave-em Cash, but I needed help and he was the only one I could lean on without worrying about him finding out about my past. But I was starting to wonder if maybe he was his own kind of dangerous bent on tearing down some things I had long since learned were not possible for me- like falling for a guy I could not, ever, let see the real me.
While this can be read as a stand-alone, you will get more out of this book if you read "Reign" and "Monster" first.

As VP of the Henchmen MC, Cash lives for the good times. He is always having fun & he doesn’t apologize for it. When Lo herself comes to ask the Henchmen for help, they can’t turn her away. They owe her and Hailstorm a favor. Lo is at the compound for help. She doesn’t care who helps her, as long as it’s not Cash. Ha. Cash is instantly attracted to Lo, but he is determined not to get involved with her. The last thing he needs is the leader of Hailstorm in his bed. Again…ha.

Lo is a badass. She runs Hailstorm like it’s the military. Because of that, her people are some of the most feared in Navesink Bank. When Lo’s past comes to haunt her, she has nowhere left to go. Lo was a combination of so many things. Sweet, fierce, witty, and beautiful. She loves romance novels because she’s a romantic at heart. That doesn’t take away from the fact that she’s one of the most dangerous people in Navesink Bank.

I really ended up liking this book. I thought the whole manwhore thing would turn me off Cash, but it didn’t. He’s so self-deprecating that it was hard not to like him. In the end, he would do anything to protect Lo from her past. Anything to protect the woman he loves.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Henchmen MC

four-stars

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Review: Eli by Jessica Gadziala

Posted October 13, 2021 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Eli by Jessica GadzialaReviewer: Casee
Eli by Jessica Gadziala
Series: Mallick Brothers #4
Also in this series: Shane, Ryan
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: August 31, 2017
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: Alternating First
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 232
Add It: Goodreads
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five-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Six years on the inside gave a man a lot of time to think. And a lot of time to plan. When I got out, I was determined for things to go a different way. I never wanted to lose control and rage out again.
The only way to accomplish that, though, was to shut it all down. Complete disconnect.
That meant no family, no friends, no links to anything attached to the man I was before.
Of course the problem was, I never factored HER into my plans. And try as I might, I couldn’t find a way to shut it down, to disconnect from her.
I had a sneaking suspicion she was going to take all my carefully constructed plans and toss them out the window, was going to force me to face up the demons inside and confront the ghosts from my past.
Those ghosts? They wore the faces of my family.
And a confrontation with them, yeah, I had a feeling it was going to show me that I had spent six years taking action on beliefs about the demons inside. Demons that had never actually existed in the first place…

This book was my absolute favorite in the Mallick Brothers series. Which says a lot because the first four books were really well written & I was completely hooked when I was reading them. Eli continues Eli Mallick’s story. At the end of Mark, Eli was arrested for assault in front of Autumn. When he was taken away, Autumn couldn’t leave his ugly dog at the pound. She was sure that no one would want him. He was so sad when his owner was taken away that Autumn decided to take him.

Fast forward…Autumn found out who the man with the dog was. Once she tracked him down, she wrote him a letter to let him know that she had Coop & enclosed a picture. Eli didn’t respond. A few years later Autumn sent a picture of Coop in his Halloween costume. After that they communicated sporadically. Although it wasn’t very often, Autumn found herself really drawn to Eli & she wasn’t sure why. She didn’t know him. She didn’t know his family. She didn’t know his circumstances. All she knew was that he assaulted a man that almost killed his wife then got railroaded because said man had a powerful father that pulled strings to get Eli convicted.

For the six years that he was behind bars, Eli made a decision to shut out his emotions. He was determined to get his rage fits under control. Which meant cutting off his family. When he felt real emotions, he couldn’t stay away. Eli doesn’t want back into the family business. He wants to continue his art & get to know Autumn. He doesn’t know why he’s so drawn to her, but he can’t turn his emotions off when it comes to her.

Eli’s situation was just heartbreaking. He was never meant to be an enforcer for the family’s loanshark business, but that’s what happened. When all else failed, Eli was sent to collect the debt that was owed to his family. He would rage out though he always had one of his brothers there to pull him back. What was so sad was that he was such a gentle soul. The fact that he would rage out, he had no outlet to control it except for the physical.

Autumn was such a great heroine. You could tell that she loved Eli from the moment he got out of prison though she hadn’t admitted it to herself. There was something about her that draws him & makes Eli feel that he needs her in his life. With Autumn he has an outlet from the rage that comes over him, in the form of sex. The first time Eli raged out after getting out of prison was after he saw one of his brothers. Just heartbreaking.

Eventually the family reunited and holy shit, but I was an emotional mess. His poor mother. Still, I thought they brought it on themselves by forcing Eli to be something he was never meant to be. Violent. The epilogue of this book just gutted me. If I was something that cried while reading, this one would have made me cry. I am so happy with the Mallick Brothers series & I can’t wait to read Gadziala’s other books.

Rating: 4.75 out of 5.

Mallick Brothers

five-stars

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Review: Ryan by Jessica Gadziala

Posted September 15, 2021 by Casee in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Ryan by Jessica GadzialaReviewer: Casee
Ryan by Jessica Gadziala
Series: Mallick Brothers #2
Also in this series: Shane, Eli
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: February 2, 2017
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: First Person
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 241
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

RYAN

She was perfect: Sweet, smart, awkwardly adorable, and beautiful as hell. The only problem was: she was terrified to leave her apartment. And, apparently, she had somehow gotten herself wrapped up with some pretty bad guys to boot.

DUSTY

He was perfect: He was a living, breathing, walking, talking statue come to life. But when would a man like that ever want to be with a woman who was too anxious to even walk into the hallway? Let alone go on a date with him. Or meet the family he was so close with. That being said, he seemed interested for some reason. So obviously, he was just as crazy as I was. On top of that whole confusion situation, something was going on with my business partners. And things were about to go straight to hell…

* For possible triggers, please visit: http://www.jessicagadziala.com/trigge...

When it comes to the family’s loanshark business, Ryan is the numbers guy. If someone doesn’t pay their loan, Ryan is the first enforcer. After that it goes to Mark, then Shane, and finally Eli. Ryan keeps the books for their legal & illegal businesses. He’s a bit of a workaholic.

Dusty is housebound. Not because she wants to be, but because she has severe agoraphobia and anxiety. It was heart wrenching to read. Dusty wasn’t always afraid to go outside; it was something that happened gradually over time. When she meets her new neighbor while standing in the doorway to her apartment, she wishes she could be different. But men & relationships are not in the cards for Dusty.

Ryan is enchanted with his beautiful neighbor. She’s lived in his building for quite some time & he had never gotten a glimpse of her. After meeting her, he wants more. He doesn’t understand Dusty’s issues at first, though they are front & center when Ryan has to get Dusty out of the building due to a fire.

Ryan & Dusty got to know each other over time. After he saves her and bodily carries her down the stairs, she is wrecked. It was the first time she had gone outside in years. Instead of trying to fix it, Ryan tries to understand. He gives Dusty the space she needs without giving her space at all.

As someone with anxiety, I am very picky when it comes to reading about someone with anxiety. Usually there is something that makes me say “That’s wrong” or “That doesn’t happen”. Not so with Gadziala. She wrote Dusty’s problems so well. There is no quick fix for anxiety or agoraphobia.

The best part of this book was seeing Dusty’s growth. She knows that her life is never going to go back to the way it was. Ryan handles Dusty’s issues with such patience and care. Ryan doesn’t try to change Dusty. He accepts her fully for who she is. I loved that about him. He was very patient and kind. Ryan knew that they would never have what is deemed a “normal” relationship, but he wants to try.

This book was very well written & an amazing addition to the Mallick Brothers series. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series though I’m sure I’ll be sad when it ends.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Mallick Brothers

four-stars

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Review: Shane by Jessica Gadziala

Posted September 13, 2021 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Shane by Jessica GadzialaReviewer: Casee
Shane by Jessica Gadziala
Series: Mallick Brothers #1
Also in this series: Ryan, Eli
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: September 10, 2016
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Point-of-View: Alternating First Person
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 235
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Casee's 2021 Goodreads Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

I was just supposed to be laying low, keeping my head down, staying out of trouble.

And "trouble" was exactly what Shane freaking Mallick was. Knee-cap breaker, loan shark enforcer, panty-dropper. Trouble with a capital T.

And the absolute last thing I needed in my life...

Lea is on the run from her past. She’s living in a dump just trying to stay under the radar. When she lands in Navesink Bank, she doesn’t know what she’s going to do with herself. She does know that she needs a job. When she finds a job posting for a phone sex operator, she decides that it’s exactly the job for her. Her boss, Fiona Mallick, is delighted with Lea. She knows her stuff when it comes to sex & she has a sexy as all get out voice. Then she has a run in with Shane Mallick, Fee’s brother-in-law. And her life changes in ways she doesn’t expect it.

Shane knows Lea is running from something and he’s determined to find out what it is. Everything about Lea turns out to be everything he wants in a woman, but both their pasts may come back to haunt them. Shane is a loanshark enforcer for his family. When someone doesn’t pay up, there is an order in which they try to collect what is owed to them. Shane’s brother Ryan, who is a peacekeeper goes first & tries to reason with them. If that doesn’t work, Mark goes to shake them down. If that doesn’t work, Shane goes in and beats some ass. Shane is definitely an anti-hero. I think all the Mallick brothers are.

When Leah’s past ends up in Navesink Bank, Shane will do anything to protect her. Knowing about her past and what she is endured has make Shane resolute in keeping her in his life. He will do anything for Lea including and up to committing murder. Anti-hero though he was, he was a great character. I loved how he treated Lea. He knew what she had gone through but he didn’t treat her like a fragile flower. I loved that. He also had some great advice for Lea.

“If you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, the fucker will jump right back out. It knows it’s wrong, it hurts, it will kill him. But if you put him in a pot and slowly raise it up to boiling, he’ll stay. That’s what abuse is like. You might not even notice it’s happening at first. You’d brush it off as him having a bad day, you pissing him off. But then it starts getting worse in small ways until you’re in so deep and you’re so hot and your skin is peeling and you don’t know if you even remember you can jump anymore. That doesn’t make you weak. You got out of that shit, baby. That makes you stronger, a lot stronger, I think, than you even realize.”

I loved Shane since I first read about him in Reign. I think this story was well written & very engaging.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Mallick Brothers

four-stars

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