Simply Graceless

Friday, May 22, 2026

Niall (Vigilance #2)

Here's Silvia Violet's "Niall." It's the second novel in the Vigilance series, which is a part of the Marchesi Family universe (in which I'm apparently reading in whatever order I want).

["There’s a fine line between hate and desire.

I used to be FBI. Now I’m on the opposite side of the law, part of an underground organization with lots more freedom to give the bad guys what they deserve.

When I meet Marcus, it’s hate at first sight. Only my intense sense of duty keeps me from revolting when my assignment to stop a depraved crime ring leads to me pretending to be Marcus’s lover.

It’s not easy to stay angry with him day after day when he’s the only person I can trust. Too much time spent in close proximity has me giving into desire for him, then wondering if Marcus might be the man who can thaw my icy heart."]

Oh Marcus…I’m actually really glad you’re getting HEA, after everything in the Marchesi Family series. And after meeting Niall in the previous book, of course his love story was going to be chaotic as fuck. And of course Marcus is a cat person.

God, that line between love and hate really in that thin. They were hate fucking in the first few chapters. Falling in love not too long after that.

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, sex trafficking, human/child trafficking, ptsd, abuse, and more.

#misdeeds #giogrgio #niall #leo #xavier #vigilance #vigilanceseries #themarchesufamilyuniverse #silviaviolet #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Giorgio (Vigilance #1)

Here's Silvia Violet's "Giorgio." It's the first novel in the Vigilance series, which is a part of the Marchesi Family universe (in which I'm apparently reading in whatever order I want).

["I’m a sniper. A trained operator. A bodyguard. A member of the elite private security force known as Vigilance.

When my boss’s son acquires a stalker, of course I’m the one he calls to keep the guy safe. Mr. X’s one rule? Keep my hands to myself.

Not a problem.

At least, not until I meet Lane Porter.

He’s gorgeous. Flamboyant. Fascinating. He makes me want things I can’t have. He stretches my self-control to the limit… and then breaks it.

As the threat to Lane intensifies, we’re forced to hide out in a remote, one-bedroom cabin with danger stalking us from all sides, but suddenly keeping the boss’s son safe isn’t enough.

My new mission is to make Lane mine."]

Hot fucking damn. These two were hooot. They ignited that undeniable chemistry in the most spicy and protective meet-cutes ever.

It was all very fast, but it was beautiful. They push each others buttons all the time, but it was also exactly what the other needed.

I looove all of the new people we’ve met, and I canNOT wait for everyone to get their HEAs.

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, stalking, mentions of human trafficking,

#misdeeds #giogrgio #niall #leo #xavier #vigilance #vigilanceseries #themarchesufamilyuniverse #silviaviolet #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Mob Boss (Marchesi Family)

Here's Silvia Violet's "Mob Boss." It's a companion novel in the Marchesi Family series, which is the start of the Marchesi Family universe (in which I'm apparently reading in whatever order I want). This short story is available through #ProlificWorks via Silvia's website.

["I let Vinnie seduce me. I was an easy mark. I would have granted him anything, but I didn't know who he was. I didn't know I was setting a man up for death. But even now I still want him, and he has no intention of letting me go."]

This was a perfectly adorable little story (with all of the appropriate violence, over-the-top protectiveness, and mafia-like obsession/ownership) for Vinnie (and Tom). It takes place after Lucien's story and in the middle of Angelo's story.

I hope (when I finally get to it/them) we get to see more of the men loyal to the Marchesi's get their HEAs in the Marchesi Loan Sharks series.

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, mentions of child/human trafficking, and more.

#lucien #angelo #devil #adevilishchristmas #mobboss #themarchesifamily #themarchesufamilyseries #themarchesufamilyuniverse #silviaviolet #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

A Devilish Christmas (Marchesi Family #3.5)

Here's Silvia Violet's "A Devilish Christmas." It's the next novel in the Marchesi Family series, which is the start of the Marchesi Family universe (in which I'm apparently reading in whatever order I want).

["Devil, my beast of a man, seduces me into eloping, then kidnaps me for a honeymoon in Christmastown, Vermont.

A lot of men would be furious. I simply planned revenge involving handcuffs.

My annoyance doesn’t last long. Devil rents my dream cottage and manages to draw me out of my Scrooge-like ways. But I’ve been keeping a secret, and it follows me all the way to Christmastown.

Can Devil and I enjoy each other, find our Christmas spirit, and keep ourselves safe from a vicious killer?"]

Of course Devil would use the term "lumbersexual" and mean it (and think it would appropriately help him blend in to a Hallmark Christmas village). Then again, he also didn't think to give Joe an option for marriage (just engagement) or their honeymoon so... Then again (x2), this big bad scary mafia man is a sucker for all things Christmas (and his husband) and all of his plotting was well-meaning...

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, stalking, and more.

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Devil (Marchesi Family #3)

Here's Silvia Violet's "Devil." It's the third novel in the Marchesi Family series, which is the start of the Marchesi Family universe (in which I'm apparently reading in whatever order I want).

["Devil is a mobster with a dangerous secret...

There's a cop who hates him.

A cop he caught and released.

A cop he can't get out of his mind after the one forbidden night they shared."]

Fucking Devil. Of cooouuurse he falls for a cop. A cop who thinks (knows) the illegal shit you get up to.

I'm not the biggest fan of mafia/cop romances; I can't always handle that level of angst in this kinda of forbidden romance. The MCs are also usually both very..broken. It's painful. This one was painful. But it was also worth it.

So worth it. There wasn’t nearly as much angst as I had thought. There wasn’t so much protectiveness and confused obsession and pure fluffy feelings. They were so fucking devoted and so fucking gone for each other.

Honestly, these two were my favorite couple in this series. I’m sooo glad they have their own novella.

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, gun play, mentions of human trafficking, SC with past domestic violence, and more.

Angelo (Marchesi Family #2)

Here's Silvia Violet's "Angelo." It's the second novel in the Marchesi Family series, which is the start of the Marchesi Family universe (in which I'm apparently reading in whatever order I want).

["Cameron didn’t realize how much he loved his grandparents’ bakery until Angelo Marchesi, a man he’s hated since high school, threatened to take it away.

But Cameron owes Angelo a debt.

A debt he can’t pay…

Unless he accepts Angelo’s indecent proposal and risks finding out how thin the line between love and hate really is."]

I struggled whether or not to put "past bullying" as a trigger for this because...it was almost just poorly disguised flirting. Cameron didn't think so, hence the trigger anyway, but Angelo didn't necessarily mean to come across as an ass (just as Cameron didn't mean to come across as stuck-up).

Though, it's hard to communication when you're baking (and eating) so many delicious creations.

These two were also a struggle. They fell fast into bed but didn't allow themselves to really think about how fast they were falling in love until it was too late to go back. It was spicy and kinky, but it was also fluffy and protective.

Devil's book...is going to be a rollercoaster from hell. I'm almost sure of it.

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, stalking, past bullying..ish, and more.

Monday, May 18, 2026

Lucien (Marchesi Family #1)

Here's Silvia Violet's "Lucien." It's the first novel in the Marchesi Family series, which is the start of the Marchesi Family universe (in which I'm apparently reading in whatever order I want).

["I never imagined the protector I longed for would be a mob boss who demanded complete control.

I shouldn’t have gone to Lucien’s office.

Once I looked into his eyes, I couldn’t leave.

He commanded me to kneel.

Beg.

Obey.

I couldn’t help myself.

One taste, and I craved more.

Lucien vowed to protect me from his enemies…

But who’s going to protect my heart from him."]

This was...harsher than the other books in the universe I've read so far. A lot darker. A lot less..overly and outwardly fluffy. It was still sweet in it's own ways, but Lucien was nothing like Remington. This family was nothing like the Theriots (apart from the whole mafia thing).

I still appreciated this book though. The darkness was still so very tempting. The possession and obsession and protection was still so very strong. The falling-in-love timeline was similar but slightly slower, at least admitting said falling-in-love.

It will be interesting (that's for damn sure) watching Angelo and Devil fall in love.

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, gun use, torture, kidnapping, mentions of domestic abuse between SCs, brief mention of child/human trafficking, and more.