Pink

Happenstance if you want a word to sum up the earlier meeting of Lev and Gigi before life took them on their journeys, before he became Pink Andino Marcello's enforcer and she an internationally recognised supermodel. When Pink and Gigi Rey meet again five years later pure happenstance.The development of the plot slowly drawing us into a world of glamour and the cult of beauty but peel away the veneer below is a pit of depravity. Pink the silent enforcer of Andino was more than I expected as a character. A man with responsibilities, a single parent, who loved big, a man with strong loyalties and who could laugh at himself. The origins of his name Pink was simple and yet suited him.This story was engrossing I read it a day. Why you ask? It had the unexpected. An enforcer and a supermodel an unusual coupling.  The parallel story with the backdrop of fashion and the agencies that make, break, dictate include the power of  outside forces, the cult of celebrity the intrusion of the paparazzi and how all of that can be manipulated and exploited was the suspense. Using the mafia connection as a smoking mirror on which to distract from the true villians made weaving the world of the Marcello's and The Comission plausible.The characters of Gigi and Pink  were well matched seeing their passion and feelings develop gave the story depth and balance.Pink's protective nature and interactions with his daughter was just what you would expect of a parent trying to do the best he can for his child in which he is her only family.The strength of Gigi as a woman who remained independent in a world of airbrushing and shallowness gave us a glimpse of the ugly side of beauty. Who survived the unimaginable. Found the love, support and understanding she wanted and needed. Pink had the right amount of suspense didn't overplay the gore or horror of sex trafficking and  naturally progressed towards a HEA that had you routing for Pink and Gigi.

I always enjoy Bethany-Kris books. Another favourite

This was definitely a book of two halves for me. 5+ stars for the first half, 3 for the second.When I started this I could not put it down. I absolutely loved the whole Before and After thing, getting to know Pink as Lev and how he grew into the Pink persona. He's an awesome dad, broadsided with taking on his little baby with no hesitation or doubts at all. I especially LOVED seeing how his relationship with Andino grew into the epic friendship they had, and don't even get me started on just how much I adore Andino. Thank you BK for scratching the surface so we could see just how deep Andino loved and cared, his loyalty was truly phenomenal to witness. I took to Gigi right away too, loved the confidence she had in herself to achieve what she set out to, without cramping Lev's style in any way.Then we get to the After and, IDK but something was just missing. I say time after time that I love the way this author's characters love, she has the genius knack of pulling me in to feast on the characters feels, but this time it just didn't hit the mark.I felt the pacing was a bit off in the second half, things that shouldn't have been rushed - were. Then she went THERE and I truly wish she hadn't, even though the event happened off page it just came out of nowhere and was totally unexpected and didn't sit well with me at all. I want to unread that and forget about it. What did surprise me though was that Lev's jail time worked for me, it gave Gigi the time she needed to heal but still, I really wish she hadn't needed to have that healing.The last thing that put the kibosh on me upping my rating was that I wanted to see and feel the pain of one of the baddies getting their comeuppance instead of this also happening off page. I wanted that POS to SUFFER, I wanted Andino to unleash holy hell and make them pay whilst suffering (I'm nice like that, ha!)I'm going with 4 stars because although the second half wasn't what I'd hoped for, the first half was pure BK gold.

What a rewarding and absorbing read! With so much atmosphere and a blend of grit and glamour, Pink pulled me into Lev's world where he works to survive and, despite his hard background and straightened circumstances, always has time in his big heart, for others. He is a great character! A man of few words, but a man of his word. His meeting with Gigi is one of immediate attraction on both sides and the start of huge changes in both their lives.This story is character driven, with some heat, but, mostly, with lots of heart. The origin of 'Pink' is funny, sweet and, in the circumstances perfect. It is wrapped up in a precious bundle! Lev's relationship with Andino is brilliant, and brings that lovely touch of a friendship, that on the surface, seems unlikely, but proves to be true.With action, baddies, adventure, love and heart, Pink is a book which has proved to be one which has me searching for more titles by this author. Fabulous! 💖💖💖💖💖

Finally the silent man speaks and Pink in all his glory is magnificant but the added bonus of Gigi made my day. I loved how the story took us back to the start with Lev when first meets Gigi and and Andino. I really felt like I got to know Lev/Pink, for much of the story he's a man conflicted. He's at a crossroads between providing for his family,his new job and staying alive. Lev the dad was just beautiful, he loved her with everything he had she completely stole my heart. Lev and Gigi were perfect for each other but sometimes we meet the right person at the wrong time. When they meet again Gigi is a famous model and he is firmly entrenched with the family. As with all Bethany's books the story is full of drama and action. I could feel the tension building because even though I knew something was coming it didn't lessen the impact. A second chance love story set in the mafia world what's not to love.

May 2020 -- 5 StarsThis is going right on my favorites pile. I'll tell you why in a minute. First, I want to say, I found this author a little over a year ago. She has become a favorite, go-to, auto-buy author. She writes gripping, gritty, character driven stories. They are well thought out. They aren't outlandish and in the end, you were able to escape and become immersed in the characters and in THEIR story. She write a different story for each person. They aren't formulaic. Or, at least I've not found it yet.Some people may disagree with me, but any time I read a book, with great characters and a story who happens to also have children and/or animals in them, I love it a little bit more. Some don't, but I sure do. This one had a little girl you just love immediately. Her dad is her hero and he quickly became mine too. This guy really came from nothing. He lost his parents and spent his last few years of his own childhood in the system. It made him a better person. More appreciative. He knew how to appreciate the hard-won things in life. He knew how to love and show it to the people who where important to him. This really is his story.Andino is one of my favorite characters from other books by this author. I loved getting to revisit him a little bit. I like him even more now. He is such a Champion and good friend to a deserved "Pink."Gigi -- she has an interesting story. She has a unique beauty. One of those "ugly duckling" that turns into something unique and beautiful as she matures. She is a confident, quirky person who never seems to lose herself to all the fame she eventually gains. Bad things can still happen to her, but she has a great support network to work through it all. She loves Len and his little girl.This quarantine thing has had us all trying to find escape in quiet activities. Normally, this time of year I'm deep in the throes of softball and all that entails. I don't have that this year and am really missing it. So, I've been rereading books I know will provide me some pleasant escape. I've been rereading Cross's stories by Bethany, and then Pink dropped in, in the middle of my reread. I took some time to read it, before moving on to and Andino + Haven reread. Between Lauren Gilley and Bethany-Kris, I've been able to survive a spring of world change. Because, people, life as we knew it is forever changed. It is nice to know, we still have books written by true talents to take us away for a little while.I enjoyed Pink. I'll read this story again and again. I highly recommend it. It is escapism at its' very best!Happy Reading!An advanced copy was provided by the author for an honest and impartial review. Thank you Bethany. I loved it from the Beginning to the End!

« Monsters really did exist. They wore tailored suits, had too much money and smiled like humans. »Amazing Bethany-Kris. She writes it, I read it!Pink was full of action and suspense. A true roller coaster ride of emotions, with enough angst and grit to keep me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. My poor heart!I loved that there were 2 stories delightfully intricated in this book : Lev x Gigi’s love story, plus Lev x Andino’s friendship story.Be ready for a brilliant, wild, and unpredictable ride, à la Marcello…

La historia de amor entre Pink y Gigi es simple y complicada a la vez. Simple porque desde la primera vez que están juntos, son incapaces de olvidarse el uno del otro, incluso cuando se separan durante 5 años. Y complicada, porque Gigi es una modelo famosa perseguida constantemente por los paparazzi, mientras que Pink es el enforcer personal del jefe de la mafia de NY, Andino Marcello.Conseguir que su relación funcione ya es un reto, pero sis eso le sumas las amenazas que ambos sufren por sus respectivos trabajos...Súper fan del mundo criminal de BK, y éste es otro magnífico ejemplo del buen trabajo de esta autora.

Whenever I see Bethany Kris has a new novel out I do not hesitate to preorder it because I will not be disappointed and this certainly was no exception. This is Lev "Pink" Arsov's story, a character her fans have come to know in previous Legacy series books. Pink is enforcer to Andino Marcello, head of the Marcello mafia family in New York, also one of his few trusted friends. Lev hooked up over five years ago before he became an enforcer with a young up and coming model Gigi Rey Parker and it was a memorable time for both. Gigi later became one of the world's top models known simply as Gigi Rey and years later came back to New York for fashion week to model and an opportunity for second chance love with Lev. During this time Lev became a single father to a beautiful intelligent little girl named Aurley and his life changed dramatically overnight. This book had me frantically turning pages as it had so many ups and downs with kidnapping, murders, human trafficking, bomb scares, corruption, abuse, crazed paparazzi, and so much more. As well Lev and Pink were explosive together and so many wonderfully cute scenes with little five year old Aurley. This book also brought new insight into Andino Marcello for me that made me like him as the character he is that I hadn't appreciated before this story. I also enjoyed seeing characters from other books in the series Cara, Coronado, Alessio in addition to others. This book definitely will be one I will reread over and over again. Thanks for this one Kris and I cannot wait for your next book!

BK writes a good mafia romance. This had an epic feel and I loved the characters. Pink aka Lev is pretty much the perfect hero, devoted to his daughter, hard working, great friend. I enjoyed Gigi’s ride to fame. There’s an extra dose of darkness in this one with human trafficking. I think Gigi’s circumstances were packed up pretty quickly at the end, but I do want a HEA, so I understand not wanting to dwell too much on that. I so love it when my favorite characters are roles and it’s nice to see Andino take such a big one, and Cara too. I love the mafia world here.