Vicious Minds: Part 1

Children of Vice Series, Book 4

By: J.J. McAvoy

Narrated by: Joel Froomkin

Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

In the end...we all lose.

How well do you think you know the Callahans?

Yes, I'm asking you. Because I know you've been watching. The chaos, the violence, the love, and the madness - who could look away? Not me, for sure.

My grandmother always told me...where you look is where you go.

So I ask again, how well do you think you know the Callahans? Do you really think you understand Melody, Liam, or even Ethan? I have to wonder - will your mind be able to handle it?

We haven't met yet, but ready or not, here I come. The true queen of Chicago. For now, you may call me Calliope.

Contains mature themes.

©2019 J. J. McAvoy (P)2019 Tantor

A GLORIOUS GASP-RIDDEN GAME-CHANGER

HOLY WOW doesn’t even begin to cover my feelings on this twisted suspenseful Mafia romance.. with its bitter-sweet angst, deliciously dark drama, twisty twists and OMFG jaw dropping revelations in its riveting action-packed scenes. JJ’s well-crafted plot weaves its sticky web of truths and lies, injects humor and lures you in from chapter 1.

LOVEABLE PSYCHOPATHS perhaps sums up JJ’s multi-layered, bad-ass, ruthless characters whose devious manipulative actions steal your breath.. as well as your heart.

CONSUMED is how I felt as I started to hear how two not so innocent children first meet and unwittingly forged a bond that will resurface and ignite sizzling chemistry when they meet many years later.. when the boy has become the ruthless feared Mafia Dom.. and the mouse has become a cunning lioness.

AWE STRUCK are the only words to describe how Joel Froomkin’s dual PoV narration made me feel as I listened to his perfect pitch and portrayal of characters young and old, male and female and with a variety of accents too.

HUNGRY FOR MORE is how I feel now that the tbc gripping romance has ended.. because the plot, sub plots and players are all in place for the thrilling final mindf’k to finally end.

OH BOY YES is the answer to my Worth a credit? question. There’s edge-of-your-seat action and drama, fascinating cold-bloodied likeable killer characters, a mind-blowing plot with a twisted touching romance, sex and tension-filled thrills which are all awesomely brought to life by a fantastic narrator in a full-length multi-packed story.

Exceptionally amazing in every way

I love this style of story telling. It jumps from character to character giving you a more than well rounded story and OMG does it hold your interest. I can't wait to see what comes up next!

loved it

It's review time 🎧
Vicious Minds by J.J. McAvoy
Narrator : Joel Leslie Froomkin

Narrator score🎧 ; I have said a lot of great and amazing things about Joel, every time I wrote a review..... and every freaking time he is able to surprise the hack out of me in the best of ways.... he spoke full sentences in Italian (and I know and understand the language) he just did it's perfectly (his Spanish was amazing as well) and the way it kept the characters through so much books .....every character had a defined voice that was kept to each character.... it was very importance to this story the work he did on this series is just amazing.

Level of steam🔥: I think this book is the hottest book of them all (in the series) even hotter then Liam and Melody in the first book....

Level of anxiety and sadness0😱😢: this book isn't a sad ....this book is wicked and mind blowing, but it's not a sad story.

The book itself📖: I wrote a general review about the series a time ago.... thinking we will finish with Wyatt as the last character and we will conclude story of this family.....but this author just threw us back few steps in the end of Wyatt story....and I don't know how this author thought about such a story.... but I am amazed......and as someone that reads too much.... I'm a little bit jaded with Mafia stories..... but this series (the whole series as a unit) was so surreal, that it just worked. Liam is an incredible character and I love him I adore him..... and usually I love the male characters more then the female ones ......because somehow they are a more complex the female characters are ....I don't know how to explain the why of it..... but it's a fact...(with a lot of books, bit all of them) but in this story Melody and Calliope just maybe it more! the female characters are definitely the main characters of the story in the spin-off and in the main story ....I will not speak about what is happening in this book, because if you didn't read the previous books , don't even think to go to the story ....you will not understand anything...
you need to fall in love with each character.... from the bigger to the smaller.... book by book..... and believe me it's worth your while ...I just adored this story and yet again I'm not easily surprised but this series just blow my mind....waiting patently to the last book of the spin-off.

Twisty, Turny Crazy Good!

Well, JJ McAvoy has written another winner.

Vicious Minds is book 4 in the Children of Vice series, which is a follow-up to the Ruthless People series. **Read the Ruthless People series FIRST**

As an FYI, Ruthless People covers the first generation of the Callahan mafia family born in the US, while the Children of Vice series follows the next generation.

Vicious Minds, Part 1, represents a 360-degree change from book 3 in the series, which is emotional and requires a tissue box. Instead, book 4 is raw, full of cold, calculating action at every turn. It tells the story of Ethan (gorgeous Callahan family mob boss) and three women (Clarissa, Ivy, and Calliope), who all want to marry him. Each woman is dreadfully used for some part of the grand plan, with the reader left to figure out Ethan’s motives, if his words match his feelings, and if there is any line he won’t cross to achieve his objectives. And what is the end game?

However, the most compelling element of Vicious Minds, Part 1 is the first-person flashback recollections of Ethan, his brother Wyatt, and Calliope, which reveal the *real* story of pivotal events that we had previously seen only from a more objective viewpoint. The use of this tool is genius, but boy does it change everything in the storyline. It turned everything I thought I knew on its head, and totally reframed my perception/opinion of one particular MC (and not for the better).

I am intrigued, fascinated and a little obsessed with the characters and the many storylines in the Children of Vice series. I frequently find myself thinking about what is going on in the series, and what the real *truth* is.

I highly recommend Vicious Minds. Part 1, especially for readers who enjoy the mafia/ mafia romance genre. There should be thousands of 5-star reviews!! I guess we need to get the word out to others!

Love JJ McAvoy

Exactly what I expected, and that's a good thing, plots and twists at every turn, i honestly skip through most of the "risque" parts of her books, but her writing and plots are phenomenal, i love this series and this book really brought together all the previous ones of this series so far. I'm always suprised by these books and great the writing is.

OMG. My jaw is on the floor!!!

This story is basically master class in plotting, in storytelling, in an author sticking to her guns and writing what she wants to write and having whatever happens to these characters, happen. If you are not familiar with this story you must start at the beginning to get the right feel for the family and their dynamic. With this being said, if you dive in thinking that you know what will happen, let me tell you WRONG!!!!!! No one is ready! I was a slave to this audio. Completely unputdownable and with the genius of Joel Leslie Froomkin at the booth performing what would otherwise be a full cast of characters, this audio is a ride that will take you from 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye. Joel Leslie deserves a damn medal!!! I can't even imagine the work he put into this narration. He lived these characters and made me feel like there were 10 people in the booth. It's an action packed, slap in the face story that will feed the inner thirst of anyone wanting to have an audio experience that will leave you speechless and aching for more. LOVED IT!!!

Plot Twisssst!

I’m so in love with this series. This back back story of Ethan was great. I love that as someone who has read the whole series, a few times, JJ continues to surprise and delight. And then the ending just sets it all a blaze. What I wouldn’t give to cast this series for TV.

What the actual F@$k

Having read the series from the start, I honestly don't get this book. When I read Vicious Minds, I fell in love with Ivy, not because just because of her love for Ethan but because of his love for her. Not from a 3rd party perspective, from his. How he slowly started to LOVE her. Now I'm supposed to believe that his "Original" thoughts, words, feelings EVERYTHING I READ IN THAT BOOK WAS A LIE???? Come on J.J the last book was epic, the best yet but you follow up with this shit show? How like really how? And what have you turn Ethan, into a sap, a God damn sap. I hated his arch in this book. Its such a disappointment. Melody never liked the family at first, but she didn't intentionally try to hurt them. How is Ethan such a love puppy after she hurts his Grandmother, how? So disappointed. Calliope sucks.

This book crossed a line, for me!

I had really enjoyed this series, before listening to this book. I admit that there were a couple of events that I didn’t like, before this book, but none that turned my opinion like some of the events in this book.
( SPOILER ALERT, Stop here if you don’t want to know)

At the end of the last book, I thought it was messed up that the author decided to kill off Ivy, Ethan’s wife, however, I wasn’t disgusted by it until the alternate reality was revealed, in this book. Prior to Ivy, all the killings were committed to individuals who had wronged the family, in some way. Yes, in real life it is never moral to kill someone in the name of revenge. However, in the literary mafia world, revenge in the name of your family is expected. However, Ivy had not betrayed the family, she had been f***** over her entire life. She truly loved Ethan and was a caring person. She did not come across as weak, to me, and the way Ethan and his co-monster talked about her and took advantage of her situation, turned my stomach. I guess I need a little bit of goodness in the lead character to enjoy the book. I also was disgusted by the way Ethan felt no shame in killing innocent children. This detracted from the story, not added to it.
I really have no interest in continuing with this series, although I’m kinda hoping that Karma bites Ethan and his new wife, in the ass and I hope the rest of the family turns their back them. ( yes, I know it’s a fictional book. However, it’s supposed to be romance not a true crime novel)
-V from Kansas