Blake by Karice Bolton

I was living my dream, playing soccer professionally, enjoying life on the road, and staying far away from my family, but all that came crashing down around me the night of my injury. Life as I knew it was over.
It wasn’t until Ava Dalton came bounding into my world that hope came back, but she brought with her a dark secret. The injury was no accident. Ava knew who stole my dreams—my future—away from me.
My family was ruthless and coldhearted, and I always thought I wasn’t one of them. My family always had a habit of destroying everyone in their path.

They were the V Mafia.
I was the good guy.
Until this happened.
Now, I wanted to make the man pay who shattered my world.

Yet, life isn’t that simple. Not when you fall in love with a woman like Ava Dalton. An angel who makes me want to become a better man, but she has her own secrets. The demons that follow her wherever she goes will not stop until they claim her.
She won’t ask for help. She’s too full of pride and false determination to help the very ones who want to destroy her, but I made Ava a silent promise. I would protect her no matter the cost.
And I will. After all, the V Mafia is in my blood too.

Blake Volkov is not my type. He’s a professional athlete, charming, cocky, and his family is part of a notorious criminal underground in Manhattan. I know this because my father’s a cop, and I’m a psychiatrist working with the criminally insane.
But all it takes is one defining moment to understand who the real Blake Volkov is. That second in time rips away everything I thought I knew about him, revealing someone far more loyal, protective, and charming than I ever expected. With his brooding sexiness and fierce determination to protect me, it’s hard not to fall for him.

At least a little bit, even if it’s only for one night…