Book Review: Buttons & Desire

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

What It’s About: Carmen moves in with Bosco, and at first during her meeting with Vanessa, she tells her that she’s not seeing him. Then, she ends up revealing the truth and Carmen tells Vanessa that she negotiated a three month agreement with Bosco that will be actually signed on paper in front of a witness. Carmen asks Vanessa to not share any information, and Vanessa agrees to lie for her.

Carter’s wedding happens and the whole Barsetti family finds out that Mia cannot bear children because her tubes get tied. Carmen has a hard time sleeping without Bosco, and during a phone call to him, she admits it to him alongside with the fact that Mia was abused. Bosco asks her what the guy’s name is so he can kill the guy for her, but Carmen never tells him. When she returns home to him, Bosco takes Carmen with him to the casino as a result of her admittance that she can’t sleep without him. He does have to go anyway, because Ronan dangled a high-stakes poker game that has a buy in of $25 million that he wants to be a part of. He wins it, making a good amount of money, surprising even Carmen with how much he’s made; however, throughout the whole game, the man known as the Butcher keeps staring at Carmen. Bosco had let him into the Casino but had to warn him off already for trying to hurt the women that work for Bosco. Bosco notices that the Butcher keeps staring at Carmen (and it freaks her out) so he actually stares the Butcher down as he gets up to leave the table with Carmen. The Butcher looks away and stays looking away. The two walk away from the table, and Bosco takes her to his office in the Casino, where they end up having sex and staying the night.

One day, Carmen forgets her shop key and is forced to return home. She overhears Ruby, a woman with whom Bosco had slept twice, offer herself up to Bosco. Ruby goes as far as unzipping her shirts to show off her boobs to Bosco, and it’s because she wants to be taken care of and pampered the way that only rich men can do it. Ruby has run out of men for the time being to be interested in that will give her what she wants–sex, expensive items and flights around the world–so she comes back to Bosco. But Bosco is not interested in her, and tells her to leave, opening up the elevator for her to get out. It really makes Carmen happy that Bosco was not interested in other women, but she really hates Ruby after that, even complaining about her to Vanessa.

While it begins to rain in Florence, there are no customers for Carmen to sell to, so she locks up early a few times. One of those days, she looks up and sees the Butcher watching her from a balcony like a gargoyle–not even moving, but not caring that she’s seen him. She is so unsettled when she comes home to Bosco, that he asks her what is wrong and she tells him what goes on. This bothers him too, and he raises his security at home, and calls his brother Ronan to tell him that if the Butcher shows up at the Casino, he’s to be thrown into the ring against another dude for looking at Carmen. Bosco then promises Carmen that the Butcher will be dead within 24 hours. Sure enough, the Butcher shows up at the Casino, and he gets tossed into the ring with another guy who stole 2 million in chips from another patron at the Casino. Bosco tells Carmen that she must come with him, and when she tries to wiggle out of it, he tells her that she needs to show him that she’s not afraid of the Butcher. Knowing that she doesn’t really have a choice, Carmen ends up going with Bosco to the ring. Bosco talks to the Butcher and tells him why he’s in the Brawl, and the fight starts. The Butcher defeats the other guy quite easily, and Bosco steps in to fight him, which causes Carmen to be terrified of losing him. At one point it begins to look like the Butcher won, especially when he knocks Bosco unconscious, so the Butcher begins to speak the vile things that he will do to Carmen. Suddenly, the Butcher stops speaking as Bosco takes him down, breaks his arm, and then his back. The Butcher, realizing he’s been defeated, asks for mercy, so Bosco shoots him. Ronan chuckles and says to Carmen that Bosco has one hell of a poker face, but Carmen doesn’t understand the reference at least until Ronan explains that Bosco realized that he would have to use subterfuge to take down the Butcher. This event also brings a lot of respect to Bosco amongst all of the criminals that are in his surroundings.

Bones visits Vanessa while she’s in the gallery, and she wants to ask him a question–before she does ask him, he tells her that he agrees with the decision. Vanessa tells him that there’s no way that he knew what she wanted to ask him, and asks him if it would be possible to name their son after her father–Crow. Bones is absolutely amenable to that as Crow has become a father figure to him, and tells her that he knew what she wanted to name their boy because of how close she is to her father and how much it means to her. Bones then goes to visit Carmen’s store and notices that it is dark. Worried, he goes by to her apartment and when she doesn’t open, he picks the lock, goes inside and sees that it hasn’t been used in a while. Then, he calls her while he checks her mailbox which is when he notices that it’s pretty full–several weeks had gone by. On the call, Carmen tells him that she’s at home and since it’s raining, there hasn’t been as much foot traffic. Bones realizes that she’s lying to him, and he pieces it together that she’s with Bosco.

Bosco’s men tell him that Bones has figured out and had come by his apartment where Bones saw Carmen’s car in front. Bosco visits Bones’ house at 4 am in the morning, and Bones is mad that he’s there because he’s too close to Vanessa and his unborn child, paranoid that Bosco is there to kill her. Bosco assures him that he’s not interested in the least in Vanessa–he’s more interested in Carmen. Bosco then asks Bones not to tell Carmen’s father because he wants a chance with Carmen, and when Bones does not agree, Bosco threatens to kill him and his family. Once Bosco clarifies that the relationship is only supposed to last three months, Bones says that he won’t say anything about this since it will end soon anyway, and Bosco will remain a dirty little secret.

Carmen is at work when Bones marches in and yells at her for not staying away from Bosco. He tells her that Bosco showed up at 4 am threatening everyone in the Barsetti family, which wasn’t good as he was too close to Bones’ wife and unborn child and that put him on edge. Carmen goes home and tries to talk to Bosco about the whole situation with Bones, as well as why Bosco thought it was appropriate to show up at 4 am near her cousin and Bones. Bosco then threatens her family again, and Carmen decides to call the relationship off, because she doesn’t do well with her family being threatened. She begins to pack to leave, but Bosco apologizes to her and promises her to never do that again. Eventually Bosco tells Carmen that he loves her and tries to get her to say it to him, but Carmen doesn’t.

So he goes to work every single day, knowing that Carmen can’t sleep without him, in order to make a point to her. Carmen knows that he’s doing it on purpose and making a point that she can’t be without him, but she can’t get herself to tell him that she loves him, even if it is true, because he’s not her ideal husband. One day after work, she goes to the bank to deposit money, and a robbery happens. The robbers tell everyone to give everything of value that they have, and so she lets go of the money, but tries to hide the necklace that her father gave her at Carter’s wedding, which is really expensive. The robber finds it, and she tries to fight back against him, but gets beaten up by him. Suddenly, there’s an explosion–the bank’s windows are bulletproof and the robbers locked the doors–and Bosco shows up with his men. He kills the robber who hurt Carmen, and apologizes to her that he had to set off a grenade to get in there. At that point Carmen tells him that she loves him, and Bosco takes her home, making sure to return her necklace to her.

My Thoughts: The relationship between Carmen and Bosco is definitely heating up. I find it to be a bit softer than Bones, in that he doesn’t exactly kidnap her though he does pressure her. But Carmen is a smart girl and she’s able to keep her wits about her, which is pretty amazing. I like the relationship between them and how it’s developing, but I still think that Vanessa & Bones are my favorite couple and story thus far in this series. I am looking forward to finding out how this relationship ends and whether Bosco will be welcomed to the family or there will be other issues.