Dangerous Innocence
by Cora Reilly
Self-Published
Book 1 in the Five-Leaf Clover series
Aislinn Killeen is a good girl.
When her sister goes missing during a trip to New York, Aislinn leaves her hometown Dublin behind to search for her. She finds shelter with her uncle, a priest in the city's biggest Irish-catholic parish and also the confessor for the Irish mob. Her investigations soon lead her to the criminal underworld and one of its major Lorcan Devaney.
Lorcan Devaney’s reign is brutal, his temper feared, and his patience non-existent.
Aislinn is sure he’s the man who knows what happened to her sister. She realizes too late that attracting the attention of a man like Lorcan is a horrible idea. When secrets from her family’s past are revealed, she’s forced to marry the man who might be responsible for her sister’s disappearance.
Will she find her sister and escape the unwanted marriage, or will she be the second Killeen to disappear?
Genre:
Triggers:
Violence, murder, torture, and dub-con
Dangerous Innocence has been on my TBR since I first read that Cora Reilly was writing a new mafia series, centering around the Irish mafia. Despite some rather annoying editing issues in her books, I have grown to love her dark, mafia based romances. My love for Irish characters being added into the mix sounded thrilling.
That being said, I found myself kind of ... bored.
Dangerous Innocence is good. As I have mentioned, the more seasoned of a writer Cora has become, her writing has gotten better and better. Editing is still an issue, but not as bad of a one as it used to be.
I just didn't connect to it as much as I have with her other mafia families.
I wish I could pinpoint why.
Maybe it's because this was the first book in the series, and it was establishing a different world, with different rules, and it bored me a bit? Maybe, but it's not a heavily bogged down fantasy world. It's pretty simple to follow, so I don't think it's that.
Perhaps it was because I was frustrated with Aislinn. I definitely was. Her character felt a little all over the place and her decisions sometimes hard to empathize with. I found myself annoyed by the conclusions she would come to, and her absolute refusal to see what was right in front of her.
Actually ... I think that is it.
It wasn't the dark nature of the book.
And it's certainly darker than her other mafia books. Considering her other books involve torture, murder, and sometimes rape, there is a part of this book that stands out as different from her previous work. I don't want to say what it is to avoid spoilers, but lets just say it involves a shipping container. For those who have read it, you know what I'm talking about.
Despite my frustration with Aislinn, I didn't hate it.
I liked Lorcan. The perfect bad boy.
The story was interesting, if a bit frustrating. I hate the miscommunication trope. It's too easy to pin all the problems on the characters not talking to one another. It's not interesting, and it's annoying. Dangerous Innocence, in a nutshell, is a giant pile of miscommunication.
Dangerous Innocence wasn't bad, but it's definitely not my favorite Cora Reilly book. It has a different vibe than her other mafia series, which I appreciate, because it definitely stands out. If Aislinn was a bit more open of a character, and Cora didn't make miscommunication the problem in this book, I think I could have enjoyed it more. Will I read the next one? Of course. I won't pretend I'm not intrigued by the Devaney brothers.
Lorcan: “As sweet as I thought. Oh, Aislinn, you got yourself in way too deep.” Aislinn: “I sold my body, not my mind. So take what you bought but don’t expect me to enjoy it. That wasn’t part of the deal.” Aislinn: “What are you doing?”
Lorcan: “Isn’t that obvious? I’m trying to make you sing hallelujah.” Balor: “Your coffee is shit.”
I poured myself a cup before I sank down on the uncomfortable chair in front of the desk since my older brother made no move to vacate my desk chair.
Lorcan: “It’s meant to drive guests away.”
Balor: “It’s succeeding,” Lorcan: “But I see you like being told what to do. You like being my good girl, don’t you?” Lorcan gave the girls a harsh smile.
Lorcan: “A word of advice. Kittens should keep their claws in when playing with a tiger.” Lorcan: “Ahh, sweet Aislinn.”
He brushed a thumb across my lips.
Lorcan: “Your innocence is fading too fast.”
Aislinn: “Losing interest?”
Lorcan: “Not at all, not at all.” Lorcan: “Suck my cock,”
I gave him a disbelieving look.
Aislinn: “Aren’t you feeling the slightest bit guilty? We’re in church.”
Lorcan: “And I’m sure spilling my cum down your sweet throat will make me sing hallelujah. Now suck me.” I sank my teeth into my lower lip, scoffing.
Aislinn: “I’m not going to fuck you now. I’m mad at you.”
Lorcan: “Angry fucking is the best fucking.” Balor: “I never used my chance. If you think she is yours, don’t throw it away. Not without having turned every stone first.”
