Lorenzo by Sadie Kincaid
POV: Dual 1st Person
Tropes: Widower; Second Chance at Love; Heroine in Hiding; Anti-Hero; Mafia
PoP: 24%
Series: Chicago Ruthless Book 3
Type of Series: Series of Standalones
Rate: 2 Stars
Release Date: 9/28/2023
Is there a 3rd act break up: Yes
Lorenzo leaves me disappointed in a way that I wasn’t expecting.
When we met Lorenzo in the first 2 books of this series, he was a man that could be rough but was gentle in the right moments. With his character arc this story, it’s as though the character was written without reference to previous showings. The book opens up with Lorenzo buying his wife, who has passed away after a battle with cancer. He vows to never give his heart away ever again.
Mia is a woman on the run from an abusive husband. She is the cousin to Lorenzo’s sister-in-law Kat. And honestly, she wasn’t anything to write home about. She was strong in her choices after she left her husband, and realized that she is worth more than what she got. But she was a doormat in many ways when it came to Lorenzo and his treatment of her. Lorenzo is still in love with his wife, which is realistic and makes sense. However, the way in which Kincaid uses Anya as almost a still alive character rather than one that is not longer alive is bothersome.
While I did like the way in which Mia never shies away from Lorenzo and Anya’s relationship, it is always a part of it. Almost too much so. There was just so much in this book that was left on the floor. Lorenzo’s character was an asshole, and while you understand that he was in mourning but grief doesn’t inherently change a person’s personality. And the way he is written, you do not think he is the same person as in the previous books.
These characters fall flat for me, and I don’t fully believe in their HEA. The book itself was written well, but there was just something missing for me. There were so many different ways in which this story could have went, but the disappointment in the character development is high.
