SYNOPSIS
Blood. Sex. Revenge.
It ain't easy being king.
Drug lord Javier Bernal has sliced and diced his way to the top of the Mexican drug trade, presiding over the country's largest cartel. But his rise to power comes at a brutal price: the death of his sister, Alana. Devastated and wracked with guilt, he turns away from his new wife, Luisa, forcing their marriage into a steady decline. But it isn't until she's pushed into the waiting arms of Esteban Mendoza, his right-hand man, that Javier realizes everything he's lost.
And it isn't until he learns the truth about Alana, that he realizes everything there is to gain.
Blood will spill.
Cities will burn.
Heads will roll.
Because Javier will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.
And what he wants is raw, ruthless revenge.
The most dangerous man is the one with nothing left to lose.
REVIEW
Well shit.Fuck.
Dayum.
Aye Dios Mio.
WTF.
Awwww.
Get him! Get him!
That is the jist of what you'll be thinking when reading Dirty Promises. This book will push at your comfort zone. It's not easy. It's brutally honest on how the cartels work and with how the characters you've come to love or hate portray themselves.
Way back when Karina introduced us to Javier Bernal, we knew how his mind worked. He's conniving, vindictive and dramatic but he's also a lover, a fighter and the king to his domain. In Dirty Promises, Javier is not in a good place. He's losing his family and a little of his sanity(whatever is left of it). He takes us to a dark dark place where we hope he finds the light to bring him out of his hell. Luisa, his wife, is his light. She tries to light the path to Javier back to her even if it takes a little of her soul. Luisa is one the bravest and courageous heroines I've come across. What she endures at the hands of evil men is not comprehensible because of the brutality of it. Javier and Luisa are living in their own secret hell but when they break free; it's to show the world they come out guns and knives wielded out to fuck you back.
Now. One character that I had hoped would get his story was Esteban. Him? I didn't see coming. Yes, I knew he wanted Javier's domain but fuckamotherfuckingfuckduck how did I not see what he was capable of. In the short story Dark Paradise, I thought I saw the good in him. Esteban was just a greedy bastard who got what was coming to him.
As always, I love the way Ms. Halle tells her stories. They're done flawlessly and creatively. You will not read the same story with any of her books. She has the knack for writing and it's highly entertaining.
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