Amy's 5 star ARC review of Matteo (Rossi Family #1) by Rachael Orman

Synopsis

Being born into slavery, I never thought my owner, my very mother, would sell me. And she didn’t. 

Until Matteo. 

I was tormented, struggling to come to terms with my new life then he narrowed it down to two things. 

Pleasure. Pain. 

The man confused me at every turn with his unexpected and unattainable desires. 

If only he’d speak to me. 

If only he’d tell me how to avoid upsetting him. 

If only I could please him. 

**Disclaimer: This is a DARK erotic Italian Mafia story. There are twisted behaviors in this book not everyone will be able to handle. Explicit, violent, and sexual scenes are involved. Not for the wary of heart.**

5 stars with a disclaimer –Im giving this book this rating due to the factual information given at the end of the book and the way this story sheds light on a horrific reality in our world. To say the storyline is good is not appropriate – the storyline is brutal. You cannot state something as “this is a fantastic book due to the content” but this is a book that needs to be read by EVERY woman out there if you are able to handle the theme. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to review this book but for some reason I pushed on and was proud that I did. Let me explain. This review is not like any other that I have written because this is another horrific crime that we chose to believe is not out there happening in our big wide world; even stateside. Its one of those things that society convinces itself it isn’t real because the emotional scars of dealing with such brutality is too difficult. We choose then to ignore it. There is a bold disclaimer at the beginning of this book from Ms. Orman. If you are not able to handle the subject of human trafficking, modern slavery, domestic violence/abuse and rape then you do NOT want to read this book. DO NOT CLICK. Ms. Orman also enlightens us with some staggering and disturbing statistics at the end of the book. THIS is when I found myself proud of the fact that I fought through the struggle or reading the story although parts are fictitious; especially in how the story ends and it does have an HEA but in the intertwines of getting there lies atrocious, evil and cruel renderings on the pages. The story begins with Matteo, our lead male being forced into a place where he does not want to be. He is only there to prove to his father that he is loyal and willing. None of the women being paraded in front of him please him. Expressing his displeasure with any of his choices, Madame leads him into a room where he finds a sole female sitting alone. Matteo immediately without hesitation purchases her. Realizing she is a virgin, he remedies that in the dark cell like room before leaving with her. Gia is treated just as the other girls but never did she think her own mother would sell her. She was kept with the rest and the women came and went but she thought her place would always be the cell where she sometimes educated the women and guided them prior to being sold. But maybe this man was not so bad. He had in fact called her “his bella” while he took her violently in the cell room; the room she had only known as home for her short 20 years. Gia knew her life was about to change. How badly, how tormented she would be, she didn’t know. But Matteo seemed kind. He was much more accommodating than her own mother had ever been. Gia tried to be good, she tried to do as she was told but at times she didn’t understand. She hadn’t been trained to be sold. She knew after the first time she upset her new master that she had to learn and learn quickly. She did not want to endure what she had to at his hands ever again. The story lays out explicit dark behaviors in what is endured as a slave. Im not going to lie I cringed numerous times while reading but was glad I continued to turn the pages. Im not uneducated in this type of criminal activity as I have a husband in the military who has been over all the world. Because of him I have been educated on always being aware of my surroundings; especially when I am alone either day or night. More than 75% of human trafficking is for sex slavery. It is said that within the next few years, human trafficking will overtake the drug trade as the most profitable trade in the world. New York, California and Florida are the most common states where trafficking occurs. Nearly half of all victims either know their abductor/recruiter or have seen them many times in the same establishments as them before they were taken. The information alone at the end of this book is worth the click. Im not going to lie to you; the story is brutal but eye opening. Believe it or not I applaud Ms. Orman for bringing such a horrific crime into light in such as way that more people will become aware of the horrors and what potentially is to come if we don’t become aware of this REAL event. Here in my area Spring Break is like a holiday for traffickers. Men and women who are not coherent are an easy target. I understand if you are not able to read this book but if you are able I highly recommend it. I can personally tell you I will be making my twenty year old daughter read this. AUTHORS DECLAIMER BELOW: **Disclaimer: This is a DARK erotic Italian Mafia story. There are twisted behaviors in this book not everyone will be able to handle. Explicit, violent, and sexual scenes are involved. Not for the wary of heart.**