Dubious

The Loan Shark Duet, Book 1

By: Charmaine Pauls

Narrated by: Lee Turner Smith, Adara Stevens

A dark mafia romance

I'm a loan shark. Breaking people is in my blood. The Haynes were supposed to be a straightforward job. Go in and pull the trigger twice. One bullet for Charlie, one for his sister. But when I saw Valentina, I wanted her. Only, in our world, those who owe us don't get second chances. No way in hell will my mother let her live. So I devised a plan to keep her.

It's depraved.
It's immoral.
It's dubious.

It's perfect.
Just like her.

Contains mature themes.

©2017 Charmaine Pauls (P)2019 Charmaine Pauls

Critic reviews

"Perversely hot, gritty, and richly textured, Valentina and Gabriel's story is one of the best dark romances I've read." (Anna Zaires, New York Times best-selling author of Twist Me)

I want more Valentina and Gabriel!!!!

This is my third time reading/listening to this book, I fall in love with them each time, and I never wanted their story to end. I absolutely loved both narrators' voices, they were the perfect Gabriel and Valentina for me.

Great story - a little lacking in narration

Dubious is a great mafia romance jaunt. It’s interesting and the storyline is compelling. If you enjoy books in this genre, read this one.

Two things that impact my rating:
1. The male narrator is quite flat, with little change in his tone or emotionality, regardless of the urgency or craziness of the situation (and there are a LOT of these throughout the book).
2. I would prefer a lot more mob action. The book covers the goings on in the mansion like episodes of Downton Abbey, but we don’t get to travel with the male MC to understand much of what it’s like to be an enforcer for a loan sharking operation. We also don’t get a look inside the other “businesses” the family runs. The lack of action is a miss for me, because it’s really an essential element in a mafia drama.

Last, this does not detract from the book at all; it’s just an observation that some other reviewers have also noted. If the book’s description is accurate, Johannesburg, South Africa sounds like a hellish place to live!

I’m sure glad I live in the USA!

First, let me start by admitting that, if this an accurate description of South Africa, I admit I have been ignorant. South Africa sounds like Hell on earth. I’m not ashamed to admit that I am blissfully happy to be a blissfully ignorant American.

Part one of this book is very good. Yes, it is very Dark but, you can see the goodness, beneath the surface, of the Hero. The poor Heroine can’t catch a break. This book is suspenseful and touching. I admit I shed tears more than once. Unfortunately, book two was a let down, after experiencing book one. Book two just didn’t touch me like book one and it let me down. With that being said, you have to buy book two to learn the answers to the questions that arise in book one. Book one is included in the Escape Package but, book two is not. Therefore, one credit for a story this long, isn’t a bad buy!
-V from Kansas

WORTH THE CREDIT

I am only upset it's a cliff hanger... which means I will forget how good it was by the time the second half comes around. So toss the hands in the air and forget about it and make you your own happy ever after.

ORIGINALLY CAPTIVE-ATING!!!!

Holy. Forking. Shirt!!!!

This is such a captivating Mafia story!
I'm so entraweld in their individual dilemmas and drama!
Everything about this story is original.
LOVING IT!!!