Roma, Underground by Gabriel Valijan

Title: Roma, Underground

Author: Gabriel Valijan

Series: Roma Series #1

Got: For Review

RATING: 3.5 STARS 

~MY THOUGHTS~

This book fulfilled a challenge in the Spooktober Read-a-Thon: Read a book with a creepy cover. The stairs in this cover kinda give me the creeps...so it fit.

I really did enjoy this book. I'm not always a mystery reader, as sometimes I don't enjoy the buildup of the plot of mysteries. I get impatient a lot of the time. But I found myself really enjoying the pacing of this book. It had just enough mystery, at the same time giving away details that kept me wanting to know more. I guess I never really gave mysteries a try, but this book makes me want to read more.

I liked the concept of this book. It is so unlike anything I see mysteries as. It had a financial twist in it, which I really liked. It just was an avenue of mysteries/suspense that I don't hear a lot about.

So, the story centers around Alabaster Black (love the name) who is hiding in Rome as Bianca. She was part of a secret organization that investigated financial issues in companies and uncovered crimes going on it that manner. She is hiding due to an issue she had with her last assignment.

Enter Dante. He has to be one of the most layered characters I have ever met. I mean in the beginning he is kind of painted as this Italian who is an auditor. But as the book kind of progresses, he is found out to have other "hobbies." Hobbies that are quite similar to Alabaster's life she is trying to hide from.

I will say that I enjoyed the mystery and plot of this book. As well as the characters. I didn't so much like the spattered Italian, as I had no idea what it meant, and kept having to look it up online. It just threw me out of the story. I understand that it takes place in Italy, but it just got confusing to me.

I loved the writing of the story. It flowed nicely and the pacing was spot on. For somebody who isn't into mystery pacing, it hooked me and kept me wanting to read. So for that, kudos. I think it takes a great book to introduce somebody into a new genre of reading, and I am glad I started mysteries with this one. I can't wait to get onto the next one in the series!