Forever Lies

The Five Families

By: Jill Ramsower

Narrated by: Mackenzie Cartwright, Teddy Hamilton

Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Luca was heartache waiting to happen.

On the surface, he appears well-dressed and professional, but behind those impassive black irises, I can sense something dark and ruthless. He’s unlike any man I’ve come across in my life. With my wealthy upbringing, I’ve been around any number of affluent, powerful men, but Luca is different. Enigmatic. Overwhelming. He wears an air of secrecy like the latest fashion trend.

I’m not one of those girls who seeks out the bad boy - I have enough issues to deal with in my life without adding his brand of trouble. Problem is, a chance elevator malfunction put me straight in his crosshairs, and now, he won’t let me walk away. The most disturbing part - no matter how dangerous he may be, there’s a mutinous side of me that doesn’t want to run. As if I ever had a choice....

Warning: There is a scene involving attempted sexual assault that may not be suitable for listeners sensitive to such topics.

©2019 Jill Ramsower (P)2019 Jill Ramsower

I LOVED EVERY MAFIA MINUTE

This was a new-to-me author but I couldn’t resist the lure of a new Mafia series starting with this romance being co-performed by Teddy Hamilton (purrrr). And the backstories, build-up, revelations, chemistry, suspense, sex, thrills and chills, betrayal, twists and climactic passion was all I was hoping for.. but sadly there were only eight measly chapters narrated by one of my favorite male narrators.. so boo hoo please give us more next time. However.. and thankfully, Mackenzie’s 5 star narration was excellent and her possessive alpha male voice was believable allowing each character to be pictured in my head as the riveting action scenes played out.

Worth a credit? Yes absolutely. A great introduction to The Five Families with a good balance between family, the ‘family’ and the bitter-sweet conflicted romance in the epicenter that comes with a heavy dose of heart vs head decisions and deadly drama. Thankfully the story ends well for Luca and Alessia.. but the enemy has now been been revealed - and his mission is to create a war between the families. And I can’t wait to hear more.

Good Mafioso story!!!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I need to listen to Mackenzie Cartwright more. I've listened to her before and she was really good in this story. Teddy of course was fabulous but he didn't narrate as many chapters as I'm used to but he was there. He's one of my top book boyfriends which is why I went with this one.
My heart goes out to women or anyone who have endured any form of sexual harassment. I dont think this situation is the main story but it's a good part of it at times so the warning is legit so be careful to avoid triggers if you're sensitive. I thought it would be hard to listen to but the author handled it in a way that I could listen to it without tears. The story is a love story and about our families and our heroine finding out things about her family she didn't know and her having a hard time handling the harrassment and the decisions she had to make to get her HEA. Luca was her knight and shining savior. He was a hottie too!!!!!
Good story with some surprises and twists. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the audio. Well narrated and interesting. ❤❤❤❤

A sexy, suspenseful read!

I love a good mafia romance and this one did not disappoint. The narrator's did an amazing job bringing these characters to life. Luca is a bossy, protective alpha and I loved him from the very start. Alessia is strong and independent. Luca is relentless in his pursuit to win Alessia over despite how hard she may fight it. They have an instant chemistry and there's no stopping all the explosive sexual and emotional tension. There's lies, betrayal, and whopper of suspense that pulls you in like no other. I can't wait to see how all the issues play out in the upcoming book and hopefully, more books? Because you'll find out that its definitely not all resolved just yet...

Needed more

Liked some parts and struggled with others. I liked Luca, especially when he got all domineering with Alessia. Unfortunately he was too tame in that aspect. He acted like an alpha with his words but when it came down to it he was just not alpha enough. As for the mafia aspect I needed more of it. Too much time was spent on Alessia and her struggles with her boss. Also what happened with her friend that warned her? He just disappeared and in my opinion that was a missed opportunity. I really wanted to see how Luca would react to him. Overall 3 1/2 stars.

Narration was great! It is mostly narrated in the heroines POV.

I enjoyed it

Forever Lies by Jill Ramsowar is the first book in the Five Families series. This novel will have you engrossed from beginning to end with its mafia trope, its intriguing characters and its twists and turns.
There was suspense, mystery, drama, secrets, betrayal, intense chemistry, romance and so much more. Yes it was Luca and Alessia's story but there was also an underlying plot that greatly added to the story. I absolutely loved this novel and can't wait for more in this series. I would highly recommend it to all lovers of mafia romance.
I listened to the audiobook version of this novel which was narrated by Mackenzie Cartwright and Teddy Hamilton. These two were amazing and brought the story to life. I was hooked on every word, they had great pace and timing and I loved that they had varying voices for the different characters. It was a pleasure listening to them narrate this novel.

Office Romance with a side of Mafia

This was my first time reading from author Jill Ramsower. I would call this an office romance with a sprinkle of mafia. 😂

From the beginning, hero and heroine have this immediate attraction. However, the romance itself is a bit of a slow burn as each is holding back from the other for personal reasons. When the romance takes off its explosive and steamy. I found the character development of the hero a bit lacking. I know as a reader there are secrets that are kept held back as the story is developing but because of the hold back on details I think that I never truly warmed up to him and was able to trust that his actions were worthy of our heroine therefore I couldn’t fully get into the romance of these two characters.

Forever Sucked In!

I love a good mafia story! This did not disappoint. I can't wait to hear more of the rest of the Five Families! I hope there is even more to Luca and Alessia story. I was totally sucked in and need more!

If you want a story with lots of twists and turns, some a little predictable but a good time, all the same, this is for you!

Mackenzie Cartwright and Teddy Hamilton did an amazing job with the narration had me hanging on to every word!

#audiobookobsessionreviewer

Forever Lies

The story was great. I loved the strong but innocent female character. And who doesn’t love a strong mafia man! I loved teddy Hamilton but Mackenzie Cartwright just sounded to young for the female role in this book. I do like listening to her in other books so it wasn’t to much of a hardship to listen to her.

Forever Lies

A mafia book at it’s finest. Quite a few twists in this book that have you guess and yet it all blends in so perfectly with the rhythm of the story. Great book and great narration!

Forever Lies - Alessia and Luca

The book was really good but Alessia got on my last nerve. Being naïve is one thing but this woman was naïve to the max. She did such stupid things I wanted to b!tch slap her. Good thing for her that Luca would follow her or she would have really gotten hurt or much worse. She works for her father’s company but there are things about him that she is not aware of. Her boss is a real sleaze ball and sexually harasses her all the time. She is too stupid to go to HR because she kept forgetting. Then he traps her in the women’s room and tries to rape her. Again, luckily Luca came up to see her and found them. When she finds out Luca is in the mafia, she wants to break things off with him but he is not having it. Eventually he tells her about her father. I really enjoyed this book in spite of Alessia’s character. I loved Luca. He was great even though he was mafia (loan shark). Luca does have an ulterior motive for getting close to Alessia. I love mafia romance and Ms. Ramsower did a great job with this book. There is romance as well as betrayal by Alessia’s father’s second in command, Sal. Mackenzie Cartwright and Teddy Hamilton did a great job with the narration, although it felt like Mackenzie narrated most of the book. This is the first book I have listened to by Jill Ramsower and will definitely start Never Truth next.

Romano and Alessia face Hard Truth

This is not a love story. This is a mafia story containing a romance. It is gritty, violent and raw, well written, well crafted. Not for the faint of heart.

This author certainly knows her craft with language and plot.

LOVED IT.

Impressive

This is my first book by Jill Ramsower, and I absolutely loved her style. The storyline is incredibly engaging, it draws you in and captivates you. The plot is filled with conflict, deceits, betrayal, romance, and some angst. There were some unexpected twists and turns, secrets kept, and their revelations. I was thoroughly enthralled by how Luca and Alessia's relationship built and grew. Luca is the definition of an alpha male with powerful protective instincts. Alessia, although at times naive, has a strong inner core.

The dual narration by Mackenzie Cartwright and Teddy Hamilton is outstanding. Their performance embodies the characters' personalities and emotions, portraying their desire and want for each other, literally bringing the book to life. I can't wait for more books from this author.

wow Brilliant

First book I've listened to of Jill Ramsower. Absouluty loved the book Allessia and Luca characters both drew me in, he being the Alpa male she being a bit naive.
Hamilton and Cartwright both did a fantastic job never listened to a Mafia stories books before not my usual listening materiel I shall be downloading next in series highly recommend.

Ok

It was good but wasn’t what I had expected. When ya hear mafia ya think more danger, strong men. But hay was a easy listen

Audiobook Review

Forever Lies is a story about Alessia and Luca. They meet in her family’s company she works. Immediately there are sparks between them and Alessia knows Luca is not like other men she dated and she also can’t stop thinking about him.
Luca is a banker, but also a Mafia men. He knows he shouldn’t get close to Alessia, because his life can bring danger to her, but he also can’t stop thinking about her and seeing her.

I liked the audiobook, the minutes flew one by one and with each one I got more and more into the story.
It was a great listening, there was romance and action.

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Brillant new mafia romance discovery

What drew me to the book in the first place was the stunning cover. Love me some Adam Cowie. He’s delicious. Upon discovering that FOREVER LIES is a mafia romance, I was sold. I am a sucker for well-executed gritty, darker storylines, and Jill Ramsower, who is a new author to new, absolutely delivered. Her writing is vivid and intricate, painting a powerful picture.

Alessia Genovese and Luca Romano. A sexy and deliciously possessive alpha-hero and a strong-willed albeit at times naïve heroine, who still questions the hero and does not blindly just submit to him. Sizzling hot chemistry. Hidden secrets, danger, lies and betrayal. Some unpredictable twists. Delicious.

… and made even more delicious by the narration of Mackenzie Cartwright and Teddy Hamilton. That grumbly rumble gets me every time and Ms. Cartwright’s amazing ability to transport emotion are the icing on the cake.

I’m looking forward to book two!

3.5 Stars

3.5*

I've read this series all out of order but I've finally gotten to the first one. I'm a sucker for when Luca is obsessed with Alessia and that really bumped this up for me. Overall I really enjoyed the writing and the characters and I think I've said this for every book in this series, but I wouldn't mind reading more in this world. I received a complimentary copy of this on audio and I volunteered to leave an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

5 start read

I'm a sucker for a book that has a good love story and is about the mafia. This book was both and I couldn't get enough of it. Alessia and Luca had a dynamic chemistry with each other right from the instant they met. It was steamy and sizzling but at the same time sweet and caring. Naturally there was some violence as there always is in Mafia books but it was the right balance of violence and romance. I listened via audible and I thought the narrators were fantastic.

Mafia Perfection!!

I am a sucker for mafia romances and this one didn't disappoint!

Alessia is naïve yet so smart it doesn't take long for everything to click into place for her. When she meets Luca it's like he barges into her life and she doesn't have a choice but to accept it, her heart is too far gone from the start.

Luca is the perfect bad boy, he is hot as sin and so strong and demanding. It was exactly what I would expect from him. His job is unconventional to say the least but the connection to Alessia is too strong to ignore.

When the plot thickened I couldn't turn away, I couldn't even think about anything other than finding out what happened next! I couldn't believe the turn of events, the way things played out. I loved it!

Again, I'm a total sucker for mafia romances but this one is worth reading. It has everything I wanted from a mafia romance- angst, heat, fear, blood, and secrets.. so many secrets! The reveal is jaw dropping. It is amazing how secretive the mafia is and I revel in it!

Excellent

Now this book has everything you will want from a Mafia storyline. A demanding Alpha with a very sexy voice, a sweet innocent girl with blinkers on and enough action to keep you hooked throughout. Brilliant performance from both Mackenzie and Teddy.