Axel gave Victoria an impossible choice, and she chose him.

Victoria
My brother is dead. He’s been dead for five years and no one seems inclined to bring those who killed him to justice. Well, no one except me.

Axel
I’m in negotiation with the Albanian mob. They think I’m going to stand with them against the others. They’re wrong. Atlantic City is my town… or at least it’s going to be. And then I see her across a crowded bar at one of the city’s best casinos.

When Axel saves me from a drunk at the Blue Eye, I let myself have a wonderful weekend of indulgence and pleasure. When Axel wants me for arm candy at a high stakes poker game I figure why not?

Only that poker game is about far more than I knew and now I’m caught up in it with no way out.

The Syndicate Masters are in the US! They were assigned as Guardians by the goddess over six centuries ago. Each generation brings new and different challenges. These ruthless and wild dons are the protectors, the Guardians of their territories.

On the Eastern Seaboard the Masters control horse racing, casinos and gambling among other things. Get ready for over the top, possessive mob bosses who will do what is needed to find and protect their fated mates

The Reviews

Irene Talbert
5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE THIS SERIES....
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is the second book in the Syndicate Masters: Eastern Seaboard series. It's a fast-paced and standalone book that will keep you engaged from start to finish. There's action, adventure, drama, danger, suspense, twist/turns, enemies, survival, intrigue, humor, mystery/secrets, surprises, family, friends/friendships, anger, fear, pain, conflict, resolution, confusion, confidence, strength, courage, trust, truths, stubbornness, struggles, protection, kidnapping, tension, arrogance, doubts, turmoil (emotional), annoyance, complications, threats, confrontations, trauma, possession/possessiveness, compromise, treachery, conspiracies, acceptance, corruption, frustration, determination, patience, revenge/vengeance, betrayal, chaos, murder, grief, justice, mayhem, happiness, romance, passion/lust and love.
This is a story about a h who is looking for her brother's killer(s) and all she can think about is the revenge that she wants to deal out to said killer(s) and the H is the leader of the Scimitar Syndicate, a Scimitar cat shifter and in need of a mate.
Read to find out what happens. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and this review is my own opinion

Jen B.
4.0 out of 5 stars A Mobster and a Greiving Sister
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 31, 2022
Axel leads his clan and he loves it. He wants to find his fated mate because he understands it's time and he's ready. He even has a good idea who she is so he's delighted when he sees her in a bar. Tori is grieving the murder of her brother and is determined to avenge his death. She gets swept away when she meets Axel in a bar. The two of them find themselves in danger and have to solve a mystery to find their happily ever after.

Axel is an alpha, a gangster, the head of his clan, and he is trying to modernize his people (but only a little bit because he's still an "alpha"). I like that he was willing to let Tori get used to his world before he forced her to become a shifter. Tori is smart and capable. I like that she taught herself how to avenge her brother's death. They are a good couple. They do fall in love immediately and both accept that they are fated mates. The author did give an explanation for how they fall in love so fast.

I enjoyed this book. I think you can read this without reading the other books in the series but I would suggest reading the prior book first since the events take place at the same time. This is a contemporary romance that takes place in New Jersey.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Redrabbitt
VINE VOICE
5.0 out of 5 stars YOU ARE NO LONGER ALONE
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 30, 2022
The story is the second in the Syndicate Masters—Eastern Seaboard series. While it will mention some of the people from the first book, this book will read well as a stand-alone. The story will mainly focus on the two main characters, Axel Crane and Victoria ‘Tori’ Houghton.

The story will have some back story of Tori and her late brother David. It is his death that sets Tori in motion for revenge, and she begins to execute her plans. Axel knows it is time to lay claim to his fated mate—something that will make his clan very happy to see happen. When Tori and Axel meet and decide to have a hookup, they sizzle. Axel knows who she is, and she knows him and his reputation—but not that he is about to claim her. The erotic chemistry between them sizzles off the pages. I liked them together, but I will say that one scene was shocking but eventually resolved.

Tori: I’m not sure what to do with you, Axel.
Axel: I have a whole list of items I’d like to do with and to you.
Tori: Do I want to know what they are?
Axel: Depends on how lucky I’m going to get with you tonight.
Tori: Just tonight.
Axel: Oh, yeah. I’m going to get plenty lucky with you.
Tori: You’re sure of that.
Axel: I am. The only question is when that’s going to happen because you and I are inevitable—some might even say fated.
Tori: Does that no strings attached drink transfer to a hot anonymous night with you?
Axel: It wouldn’t be anonymous, but it would be hot, righteous, and nasty sex. I’ll have you naked before I get you on the bed and I’ll be at you all night.
Tori: Yeah? I think I could do with a night like that, but come tomorrow morning, it’s neutral corners.
Axel: Neutral corners in the morning, but you agree to have dinner with me and come to a high-end poker game with me tomorrow night.

The story is a fast-paced tale with things from the past and present intertwining. The chemistry also has angst besides passion. Not everyone is what they seem, some will betray those they call friends. The story has the good, the bad, and the dangerous. Life and death issues, murder, revenge, and resolutions are all part of this tale. I found the story exciting and the characters likable