Book Review: Buttons & Blood

Title: Buttons & Blood
Author: Penelope Sky
Genre: Romance, Dark Romance, Fiction

What It’s About: Bones and Vanessa live in his apartment, and one night Crow calls Bones to come to Club Belissima. He meets Crow and Cane, and tells the two men the truth of how he and Vanessa met, leaving out the details of the relationship really starting out because he was getting sex from her in exchange for sparing them. Crow and Cane don’t do anything, but continue to be suspicious of Bones and his relationship with Vanessa.

Later on, Vanessa and Bones attempt to have dinner with Pearl & Crow, but Crow storms out before the dinner can start, and Bones follows him to a nearby bar. The two men talk, with Bones claiming that he loves Vanessa, but Crow does not believe him. After the two men storm out, Vanessa and Pearl also talk during dinner, where Vanessa assures her mother that Bones is the man she loves and wants to be with, and hopes that they can all get past who his father is so that they can get to know Bones as his own individual. After dinner, there is no resolution, and as part of discussing what to do next, Bones suggests that they move to Tuscany to be closer to her parents in hopes that they see each other more often would allow them to see that Bones truly does care for Vanessa. They do move to Tuscany, to a house that Bones rents for them not too far from her parents. Vanessa hangs up her paintings in the vineyard, and helps with wine tastings. Bones on the other hand helps with crates of wine, for free. On his first day at the vineyard, Cane actually slugs him twice in the face, while Crow continues to insult Bones.

Conway arrives in Tuscany with Sapphire in tow, and Crow calls him into his office, where he tells him the truth about Vanessa and Bones. Conway visits them to try to see what the deal is with Vanessa and why she’s with this criminal, but Vanessa asks him to keep an open mind. She reminds him that after all, she got kidnapped by Knuckles and shot because of Sapphire, who is going to be Conway’s wife. He agrees to leave it alone, but doesn’t trust Bones. Bones and Vanessa stay for a while in Tuscany- a couple of months-in hopes to convince her parents of how good Bones is to her. There are moments where Crow and Pearl make steps forward, talking to Bones to get to know him. Then there are other times when they, specifically Crow, talk down to him. Furthermore, due to his mistrust of Bones, Crow has his family to wear guns, including Pearl, around Bones when they’re at the vineyard, which Bones thinks is overkill. It truly frustrates him that they are not willing to look past what he does and who his father was to get to know him as an individual. At one point, Crow asks Bones to leave his job as a hitman if he wants to be with Vanessa because Crow wants her safe, and tells him that no matter how good Bones may be at separating his private life from his work life, there will come a time where someone will come after Vanessa because of him. Bones asks for a guarantee in turn that Crow will give his approval for their relationship, but Crow is unable to do that, so the men remain at an impasse.

Carmen, Vanessa’s cousin and Cane’s only daughter, is the only one that is Bones’ ally and she tells him that when she sees him. Cane sees Bones talking to Carmen and starts to get into a fight with him, telling Bones to stay away from his daughter. Carmen tells Cane off, and warns him that she will get their mother to come kick his ass, which causes Cane to stop. He warns off Bones again, and Bones walks away, liking Carmen out of the whole Barsetti clan. Vanessa also finds out the truth about Sapphire and Conway’s relationship–specifically the part where Conway purchased her and kept her as his slave–and is pissed about the double standard. Pearl and Crow sit Vanessa down another day and tell her about Bones Sr, and what he did to Pearl, which is why it’s hard for them to look past this with Bones. Vanessa knew at least a small portion of it, and she’s heartbroken for her mom, but tells them that Bones is not his father, and they need to try to get to know him. Later, Bones makes Vanessa promise him that she’ll marry him someday, and Vanessa tells him yes, but then they talk about kids and he isn’t sure. So she tells him to think about it before he asks her to marry him because she does want children and it’s non-negotiable for her.

Bones has to go to Australia for a job, so he leaves her at the Vineyard. During a call with Mark, Vanessa tells Mark to tell Bones that she loves him and that he better come home in one piece, or she will find him and shoot him herself. Upon hearing the message, Bones chuckles because that’s his girl and he knows that she will carry out on that threat, but he also realizes that he will give up his career for her despite the fact that he had asked Vanessa not to ask him to give it to her. He tells Mark that he will walk away once he has confirmation that they can be together, because he just doesn’t want her to worry about him anymore. While Bones was in Australia, Vanessa talked to her dad, and told him that she’s not waiting for an answer any longer–Bones will be her husband and the father of her kids some day so she wants to know if he can accept Bones. Crow folds and says okay, and Pearl agrees later on at dinner when Vanessa visits.

When Bones returns from Australia, they have sex and the next day, Vanessa asks him to go to the winer to talk to her dad, because it is good news. Bones gets excited and goes to have a conversation with Crow, which seems to go well, until Crow starts to question the details of the relationship–he doesn’t understand why Bones isn’t out to kill them considering Bones is still pretty much angry with them. As a result, Bones is forced to tell him that he was holding back the vendetta and the idea of murdering everyone in the Barsetti clan in exchange for sex with Vanessa. Crow takes out his gun, points it between Bones’ eyes, and tells him to disappear for good–warning him that if he comes near Vanessa ever again, he’ll shoot him. Bones leaves the office heartbroken that he lost what he really wanted- Vanessa.

My Thoughts: This was intense, and so messed up. I love Bones and Vanessa together, and it’s so heartbreaking that Crow, Pearl, Cane and the rest of them have so much hatred towards Bones Sr that they are taking it out on Bones, when he’s nothing but gentle and kind to Vanessa, when he worships the ground underneath her feet. I really want them to be together, and I wonder if the next book will bring any resolution to the relationship so that they can finally be together. Great story, and an even greater love story–I really hope that the two end up together.