GRR Reviews Vice (Tortured Heroes Book 1) by Jayne Blue

As an undercover cop suspense mystery alone, Vice is a pretty darn well-plotted book, with enough twists and turns and red herrings that that should satisfy most suspense readers. The romance however is like the scoop of ice cream on pie a la mode, made it even better.

Jace has been forced out of the one thing he loved: his job as a police detective, mainly because his twin brother is the leader of a motorcycle club/gang that used to do nasty stuff, and words had been whispered that he interfered in investigations. A different police department offered him a lifeline: go undercover at a restaurant ran by a notorious mobster's niece and get some dirt on the big guy. Jace did get there, but he did the one thing he should not have... he fell for the manager Devin. She was totally honest, even though she knew her uncle is a mobster. What she didn't know was no one around her can be trusted, even workers and friends that had been around her for years... As Jace got closer to Devin, both Feds and uncle Cy are closing in, forcing them to choose sides... and making the wrong move means death...

Refreshingly, every character in the novel is properly motivated. Uncle Cy was "use any means to keep the folks in line and keep his empire running", Devin was "make the payment to Uncle Cy and buy the restaurant", right up to the moment she realized she was betrayed. Jace was initially "I just need a job" until his real undercover task was revealed, then it becomes "protect Devin if it's possible". Then it morphed into "protect Devin by any means necessary". Even the Feds are properly motivated. Often in romance, some characters are just evil because they "can be", or they exist solely to pester the FMC or MMC as some sort of a vendetta. Nothing like that here. This is a rare book where all the elements came together. The only nitpick I have is the ending was slightly too convenient.

Category: Romantic suspense

Primary Plot: Ex-Detective Must Infiltrate Restaurant Ran by Mob Boss's Niece; Can he save her from the mob boss AND the Feds?

Tropes: disguise, law enforcement, mafia, restaurant / bakery, protector, woman in peril

Overall Rating:  5/5