Because You're Mine

By: Claire Contreras

Narrated by: Scarlet Chase, Stephen Dexter

From New York Times best seller Claire Contreras comes a new, sexy stand-alone novel...

When my sister asked me to take a course for her while she went out of town for work, I reluctantly agreed. I wasn't expecting to step into a university auditorium filled with overactive libidos lusting after the professor. And I certainly wasn't expecting to become one of those women myself, but there's something about Lorenzo Costello that makes him irresistible. He's the kind of man mothers warn their daughters about - mysterious, gorgeous, experienced, wild - and for some crazy reason he wants me.

I should run far away and save myself from the impending heartache. So why am I racing toward him? I’m totally going to get burned. A man like Lorenzo won’t leave me unscathed. He'll make ashes of me.

Because You're Mine is NOT a dark romance! It's sexy and will keep you listening.

©2018 Claire Contreras (P)2018 Claire Contreras

Because You’re Mine

This was a dark, gritty, suspenseful, and thrilling journey to go on. I enjoy Mafia romances and this one didn’t disappoint. This book grabbed my attention from the beginning and kept me entertained till the end.
Stephen Dexter was fabulous as always. I didn’t care for the female narrator but overall I enjoyed listening to this story.

Brilliant story

Lorenzo and Catalina's story, definitely a great story full of mafia, twist, and emotional turmoil. It's dual POV and the audiobook is narrated by Scarlet Chase and Stephen Dexter, I really enjoyed Stephen's narration he was on point, creating the perfect voice for Lorenzo, accent and all. The emotions were all there, however, Scarlet was a bit different from what I expected, she did good but I loved Stephen more. The story is fantastic, with great pace, and all the brilliant things Claire Contreras is known for. A must-hear for any mafia trope lover.

Welcome to the family

Catalina Alvarez is ashamed of her father’s last name. The Masseria name holds power and respect on the mafia community. To Cat it represents a life of crime where he breaks the law, launders money. And strong-arms people. She’s not built for a life of crime. She doesn’t want her mother or father’s life. She refuses to become a product of how she was raised. Cat focused on dancing separating herself from her father since her mother left of her own accord.
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Claire Contreras labeled this a mafia romance but it’s not really the type of mafia read I’ve grown to expect. Claire puts her own spin on this genre by focusing on the romance brewing between her and Lorenzo. Lorenzo is a lawyer and a professor. Im glad Claire didn’t write a typical mafia story. I appreciated the original concept. I also thought the mafia angle was a means to create a small forbidden barrier. There was a lot of hype regarding Cat’s character being adamant that she not get involved in the family business.
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I enjoyed Car’s no nonsense attitude towards these powerful men. She’s a spitfire of a character with plenty of sass. She doesn’t bend over for any man. For a dancer she’s definitely not fragile. I liked the love interest between her and Lorenzo. His Italian alpha-maleness was appealing. Claire Contreras made plenty of room for sexy time. The sex scenes were tasteful and seductive but not raunchy.
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This is part of the Sins & Deceit series. Each book can be read as a standalone. This is book one about Catalina and Lorenzo.
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I’m an eyes and ears person so of course I invested in both the audiobook and ebook. Scarlet Chase and Stephen Dexter graced my listening ears with a wonderful performance. I enjoyed the voice acting skills both narrators provided. I listened using the audible app. This was an unabridged audiobook allowing an easy follow along.

Enjoyed story but had mixed feelings on narrators

I've had this book sitting on my kindle and on my bookshelf since it came out. I realized recently that I hadn't read it yet, so when I had the chance to listen to the audio, I took it. Claire is one of my automatic one clicks, so I had high expectations.

I enjoyed the storytelling and liked the chemistry between Catalina and Lorenza (aka Loren). The cast of characters and settings was totally to my liking. I liked that Catalina was this beautiful 'older' (by dancer standards) professional ballet dancer and was trying to distant herself from the lifestyle of her family in Chicago. She totally made her own life in NYC and did it on her own. I love to read about strong women and she was it. Then there was Loren. I liked who his character was trying to be at the beginning. He was like this rude guy that you could feel steam coming off of him, but you could tell there was so much more to him and his background. SO when they meet at a dinner and you get the 'real' Loren, the sexual attraction is just POW right off the page (or for me...the audio). From then on, the game is ON! The lifestyle. The attraction. The steam. The lies/coverup.

While I liked the story itself, the audio wasn't my favorite. I liked the male narrator and he seemed like an authentic New York/east coast mafia member, but the female narrator bugged me. I liked when we got into the story, but it was when she announced each chapter and her inflection in her voice that just kept drawing me out. Such a small thing to pin point, but it was frustrating.

Overall, the story was good and I'd like to read the actual book to see how my feelings on the story may change. The audio was ok. The male narrator had me, but the female narrator I had mixed feelings about. But I can't take away from the storytelling and the chemistry of the characters. They were hot and I enjoyed the romance between them and the backstory of their characters.

Just ok

90% FMC. The HEA is just ok. It was like a teenager wrote the book.