Ruin Me is the second entry in Ariana Nash's Forgive Me series. Where a forbidden romance between a priest and a mafia assassin continues regardless of danger and threats surrounding them. Maybe Francis and Vitari will never be able to be together, but they can't deny themselves trying.
From the blurb:
After events in Venezuela, Father Francis Scott’s soul is beyond saving.
Overwhelmed, hunted, and afraid for his life, there’s only one place he can go, only one man he can turn to. The man of many sins, the man Francis killed for, the man who showed him what it means to be free. Vitari (Angel) Angelini.
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Vitari cannot afford to put a single step wrong. He just needs to keep his head down, and do what he’s good at—be L’ Angelo della Morte for his father.
He’s doing just fine until rumors of a contract reach him. The target? A priest. It can’t be Father Francis Scott. Francis is far away in England, safe from the mafia and protected by forces high above Vitari’s pay grade.
But too much from his time with Francis remains unanswered, and when it becomes clear the contract is for Francis’s life, Vitari must act.
He wasn’t supposed to see Francis again. What happened in Venezuela couldn’t follow them home, but now Francis is in Rome, exactly where he shouldn’t be, and the moment Vitari sees him again, he knows he’ll give up everything for Francis. Lose what’s left of his soul for him.
Die for him.
He'll save Father Francis Scott, even if it ruins him.
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Please note: the Forgive Me series is set mostly in Europe but has been written and edited in American English. Some English and European phrases and spelling remain as part of the character of the work.
What to expect: Forgive Me is a contemporary MM with forbidden love, opposites attract, enemies to lovers romance, that takes place over several books. There is high heat, and the romance develops over the series.
Ruin Me contains scenes that some readers may find distressing. For content warnings, please see the author's website.
SNik's Review:
Francis and Vitari have returned to their separate lives, Francis serving the church and still wanting to investigate the Stanmore home while Vitari follows his father’s orders to benefit the Battaglia and hiding his attraction to men.
The intrigue continues with the truth still hidden. Francis and Vitari can’t determine who the real backers of the Stanmore home were, and danger is still hovering over them from known and unknown directions.
My favorite parts are always when Francis and Vitari are together, but their forbidden and impossible relationship is heart wrenching as there is no obvious way for them to have a future together. I’m still invested in them as a couple and if it’s possible for them to take down all the bad guys while getting an HEA, I am here for it.
The book ends with a soft cliffhanger leading to the finale.
What a way to kick off the New Year, with the second outing for Francis and Vitari. This is not a standalone, you need to have read the first book as this is a direct continuation.
As with the first book, I read this in one sitting as I couldn't put it down and I needed to know what was going to happen with Francis and Vitari. I wasn't disappointed at all. The story moves along at the fast pace I remember from the first book. If I'm honest, I'm kind of struggling for the words because I have so many thoughts about this story. We know the mafia are the bad guys - and they really are - but for me it was the church that is the ultimate bad posing as good. I know that's not true of all churches or religions or religious people, but here it is. It seems like everything good has been ripped away from Francis and he's at the mercy of an abuser again - one who got away far too easily; he needed to pay for his crimes in public. What happened to him, while more than well deserved, was an easy get out.
I won't say too much more because spoilers, suffice to say I loved this, I loved Francis and Vitari even more and can't wait to see how this all plays out.
Sheena's Review:
As with the first book, I read this in one sitting as I couldn't put it down and I needed to know what was going to happen with Francis and Vitari. I wasn't disappointed at all. The story moves along at the fast pace I remember from the first book. If I'm honest, I'm kind of struggling for the words because I have so many thoughts about this story. We know the mafia are the bad guys - and they really are - but for me it was the church that is the ultimate bad posing as good. I know that's not true of all churches or religions or religious people, but here it is. It seems like everything good has been ripped away from Francis and he's at the mercy of an abuser again - one who got away far too easily; he needed to pay for his crimes in public. What happened to him, while more than well deserved, was an easy get out.
I won't say too much more because spoilers, suffice to say I loved this, I loved Francis and Vitari even more and can't wait to see how this all plays out.
Jacquie's Review:
I'm really hoping for book 3 to be hot on the heels of this one because, wow. As with Nash books normally, there are some twists. Just when you think you have it figured out, something else comes up.
Francis and Vitari both need a lot of therapy after all they've been through. I love them both. Vitari is so sweet for a mafia man and it's awful what he's been through.
Plenty of action, some steam and a HFN with the couple. Pay attention to those warnings, though. There are difficult things inside.
Ruin Me is available to buy as an ebook, paperback, or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.
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