A Cruel Arrangement

Brace yourselves for an emotional roller-coaster in A Cruel Arrangement. Tijan’s second novel in the Kings of New York Series is the epitome of suspense, beautifully dark, exhilarating and daunting, and I couldn’t have turned the pages quicker even if I’d tried. Trust me when I say it’s a must-read for mafia romance lovers! And by now, you’ll know that it’s my favoured trope, but what I like about the author’s storytelling is her punchy writing in short sentences. She doesn’t mess around, making you wait for the action, and neither has she adhered to global collective mob syndicates as such. Two families with similar interests and ties; another the root of the problem they’re up against. 

Of course, a heroine in the ‘line of fire’ adds more spice to the read—no pun intended here because you’ll soon learn who’ll be calling the shots. This time, Tijan has brought Molly Easter, a courageous but at-risk woman, together with Ashton Walton, who’d been running his family affairs for a while. As I’d expected, theirs is not a love match; however, not only do circumstances force them to look at each other in a new light, sparks fly in all directions.  

Tijan has intertwined characters and prior events from A Dirty Business exceedingly well. I met Trace West, Ashton’s best mate and business colleague, and although their brotherly friendship is being tested, finding out who the true culprit is behind a savage happening will give them a run for their money. Sadly Molly’s on the receiving end of a fallout caused by whom you may ask! I got beyond exasperated to see that this person could easily have had the heart to tell her the truth. All I can say is he’d been a thorn in her side since she could remember; no surprise here after reading what she’d been through. Without wallowing in the past, she’s adamant about making her bowling alley a success. 

So when Ashton drops Molly the bombshell, it’s a game-changer. I wasn’t that keen on her having to make a cruel arrangement with him in the first place. It seemed to me to be a means to his end to please third parties. Read the first book, and you’ll catch my drift. Not forgetting what’s at stake, the author barely lets her readers come up for air. It’s vengeance at its purest. Molly and Ashton’s descriptive steaminess compensated for blood-curdling scenes in a nonstop battle that had me on tenterhooks, rooting especially for her. Ashton? He’s on the ball, worming out the enemy, and despite him being an annoyingly drop-dead gorgeous anti-hero with his own backstory, he’s a good leader and protective of those he cares for.

I recommend reading A Dirty Business if you haven’t already since the author has addressed unanswered questions. Hoping there'll be more where this came from. Bravo, Tijan!

Many thanks to Montlake Romance Publishers via NetGalley for an early copy in favour of an unbiased review.