Review: The Rook by Taylor Danae Colbert (Brooklyn Bloodline #1)

Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Wildfire Marketing Solutions.

Taylor Danae Colbert is one of the new-to-me authors I discovered last year, and I fell in love with her Meade Lake series. So, when I found out that she had a brand-new series for 2021, I knew I had to check out the series starter. The Rook is the first novel in the Brooklyn Bloodline series, and let me tell you, this had a whole different feel compared to the Meade Lake books. Think darker--as in mafia dark--but still with that sort of quiet intensity and toe-curling romance that I have come to look forward to in Colbert's stories.

The Rook introduces readers to Avianna Castiano, the twenty-four-year-old head of the family business. Seven years before, Avie endured a life-altering incident. While she may have survived it, it continues to haunt her all these years later. The men who surround her know what happened back then. They've sworn to protect her at all costs. She trusts them, and trust isn't something she gives easily, which is why when her father's right-hand man brings someone new into the crew, Avie is wary. Thirty-year-old Leo O'Malley may be a sharpshooter, but he's also a stranger. Yet something about the man calls to her. He wants to scale her walls, and she may let him. And then, her past comes calling again.

This was a fantastic start to a new series. The writing was on-point, and the story caught my attention from the very beginning and refused to let go. Both Avie and Leo were the sort of main characters that are worthy of becoming emotionally invested in. I admired Avie's courage and resilience, having been through what she experienced as a teenager. And Leo? Goodness, talk about swoon-worthy! He was protective, dedicated and every bit the partner that Avie needed and deserved. Taylor Danae Colbert has set the bar high with this first Brooklyn Bloodline novel, and I can't wait for more. 4.5 stars go to The Rook.

Date Read: 19 March 2021

Learn more about Taylor Danae Colbert.

Purchase The Rook on Amazon.