Conclusion to a heart-wrenching trilogy

We have met and suffered with Giovanni throughout the three books, and each book breaks your heart on multiple occasions.

Exceptionally well written to the point that you want to reach in and help relieve the pain and heartache. The characters have such depth and diverse backstories that you are drawn in from the beginning.

The narration by Danial Carter was on point, but as usual, I did have to speed it up to 1.45 on audible. However, Danial does a great job of the characters, and he lulls you into a false sense of security before reading a part of the book that makes you cry. What a ride we went on.

Virtuous
Giovanni Book 3
By: Laura Lascarso
Narrated by: Daniel Carter
Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins

❤❤❤❤❤ Overall
🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 Narration
📚📚📚📚📚 Story
Read at 1.45 speed on Audible

I received this audiobook for free from GRR at my request. My review is my opinion and an honest review - neither the author nor GRR influenced my opinion.

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Wonderful Conclusion

M/M
D/S
Age gap
BDSM

Be sure to read the 3 books in order.

Trigger warning ⚠️
- grieving death of loved one
- off page suicide attempt
- Mentions past abuse/rape including child abuse.
- off page drug use/od

I loved the first book and thought Gio and his Master were perfect for each other, so I didn't expect to enjoy Gio and his Sir as much as I did. Especially after not really being fond of his Sir in book 2 and I bawled like a baby at the end of book 2. However, I ended up finishing this book thinking that this relationship actually surpassed what Gio and Valentine had and it was wonderful seeing Gio finally grow as a person and blossom. Perhaps Valentine was too much of an enabler and Sir gave Gio the push he needed to live again. This was a very pleasant surprise. It was a very sweet, emotional, and steamy story that I loved from start to finish. Glad Gio finally got the HEA he deserved. It was a wonderful story.

The narrator did a fantastic job. He expressed all the emotions perfectly and brought the story to life. He gave the characters distinct voices that suited each character perfectly and were pleasant to listen to. This was a pleasure to listen to.

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A fitting ending

The first two books in this series were super angsty…and this one was only mildly less so.

I love Giovanni. I’ve said this before – I want to wrap him in a big hug and hold him tight and tell him everything is going to be okay. Because things look dicey for him. His master died in the last book (okay, I still get teary at that), and he’s been left to the care of Signore (Sir) – Master’s younger brother.

On paper, at least, this seems like a good match – one is a masochist and one is a (sort of) sadist. One likes to Top and one likes to bottom. All isn’t easy, though. Sir prefers bondage while, for Giovanni, this has been a hard no. For super good reasons. But he wants to please Sir. For Sir, the infliction of deliberate pain is a hard no. But Giovanni needs pain to be inflicted like he needs air to breathe. So…can they compromise?

Also, Giovanni is still sort of broken, and anything that takes him away from his routine is liable to set him off. Sir can anticipate some of this, but at times, the depth of Giovanni’s mental illness confounds him. Still, he’s patient. He surrounds Giovanni with people willing to care for him. To nurture him. And, slowly, Giovanni makes progress. But it’s never linear – even as he finds courage to handle some things, he takes steps backward in others.

I yearned for a happy ending and I got one. Giovanni’s journey was one I was glad I listened to. Worth my time, for certain.

I’ll shout out to Daniel Carter who did a good job narrating this series. I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up more audios narrated by him and I’ll definitely be on the look out for more Laura Lascarso books.

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Love this series

Originally I had read the book but I really enjoyed the audio. I feel when the narrator is able to make you feel you are actually listening to the characters the emotion is deeper than reading the book. Daniel Carter brought these characters to life. I also picked up a few things that made me a lot happier at the end of the book. Giovanni made me feel that he had reached a place of being okay. He felt that the master had saved his life but Silvio was teaching him to live. This series is one I will re listen to even with the tears it brings.
My original book review:
I wanted more since after Giovanni and Master’s Schiavo. I felt the story was unfinished. I’m not sure I wanted nor expected this story, yet it completes the story at this point in their lives. Maybe it is just me but I’m really depressed and now hate to let go of Giovanni.
After Valentin’s death Giovanni is lost. He wants to be with Valentin and appears to be trying to do just that. Not eating nor sleeping and beyond missing Valentin. They were perfect together and with Valentin’s death, Giovanni is heartbroken.
Silvio is supposed to be taking care of Giovanni yet he has no idea what to do. He can’t even grieve himself for feeling guilty of failing Valentin’s wishes that he care for Giovanni. He is nothing like Valentin and cannot provide the same structure Giovanni needs.
This story deals with how these two men deal with Valentin’s death and how they try to put their lives back together. I felt for Silvio because I believe he will never feel confident that he has Giovanni’s heart. The relationship between them will always have Valentin’s strong personality in their thoughts. Yes, they may go on but….
It must have been heart breaking for the author to write this part of the story. It is original and true to life as events would probably play out. It is also why I feel this author is exceptional and is on my short list of authors to follow.

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amazing

Laura Lascarso has given us a brilliant trilogy, a journey that will forever be in my heart. I can't express with words the turmoil of emotions these books have raised when I read them.

Giovanni deserves to be loved, protected, and spoiled, and Silvio is the right man for the job. Only now he's lost, he does know how to fulfill Giovanni's needs. Master's absence is so present, his ghost everywhere, all the time.

Ugh, this book! I cried and screamed at the pages, and had my heart broken for both MCs. But Laura managed to put all the pieces together and give us a beautiful ending to the series.

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A fitting end to a great series

This is the third book with Giovanni and also this time it broke my heart not only once. I recommend reading or listening to the books in order to understand Giovanni and his pain. I suffered along with him, not only in this book, but also in the first two volumes.
The author wrote the books so well that I was very quickly immersed in the world of Giovanni, Silvio and Valentino. Giovanni did not come out of the last relationship unscathed and Silvio has his hands full trying to stop Giovanni's self-destructive behavior. But he, too, must be able to grieve at some point.
The characters have incredible depth and you can directly feel the pain while reading or listening to them and at the same time hope for a happy ending. I loved Giovanni, but Silvio is also endearing because he has a lot of patience with Giovanni and tries to give him what he needs.
I was happy about the ending, it fit for me. It was wonderful to accompany Giovanni on his journey, even if I needed some tissues.

Daniel Carter made me experience this audiobook very intensely. He was really good at portraying the emotions, the sadness, the pain, but also little joyful moments. He was the perfect narrator for this series and I will gladly look for more audiobooks with him as narrator.

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1 person found this helpful

Beautiful Conclusion

Virtuous is the third and final book in the Giovanni Trilogy, and my favorite. I highly suggest reading the first two books in the series otherwise you’ll be lost and miss key details. This series is beautifully written, but it does have triggers and content that is not suitable for everyone – read the warnings.

My heart broke in the second book when Valentin passed away. It was an emotional moment with the consequences echoing and revibrating throughout this book. This book is angsty – there’s no getting around that when dealing with grief – but it also has a beautiful and happy ending that fit so perfectly with the overall storyline. I really enjoyed seeing Giovanni and Silvio’s relationship transform and bloom into what it finally becomes. Valentin will never be forgotten, but neither will his memory keep Giovanni and Silvio frozen in a rut. The foundation of this trilogy has been love, and that is felt deeply until the very end.

The audiobook was narrated by Daniel Carter who does a wonderful job voicing all the characters and bringing the poignant moments to life. There was a lot of emotion and intensity within this story, and Daniel narrated it wonderfully by giving us a balanced performance that felt touching without being over the top. The audiobook production was well done.

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A Heartfelt & Compelling Series Finale! Great🎧📚

Laura Lascarso takes her readers and audiobook listeners on an emotional rollercoaster ride for the finale to Giovanni’s story, though I was not ready to say goodbye and hope to hear more from these characters again in the future. The author does an amazing job bringing you into her story, placing you alongside her characters and making you feel what they are going thru, their pain, despair and anguish. Losing his master devastated Gio, and Silvio is trying to remain strong for him, but is at a loss at what to do. He knows he can not fill Valentin’s shoes, but his brother wanted him to become a master to Gio, and he will have to do it in his own way. Despite suffering from his own grief, Silvio is doing the best he can, and he continues to learn things about Gio, his needs, his likes and even past events he was not aware of. And since he is as vulnerable as ever, he needs to get a handle on it all, before Gio relapses and falls into some old habits. This beautifully written and plotted story tugs on your heartstrings like no other and is a story that will stay with you for a very long time. Was it Silvio’s patience and perseverance that saved Gio, or his love? Either way, their love winds up healing them both and they learned to live again. Laura Lascarso, thank you for another great story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 Daniel Carter continues to do a fabulous job of portraying these characters, bringing out all their emotions and making you feeling every single one. He gives each character their own distinct voice, making it easy to follow along and tell who is who. Carter is a versatile voice artist and an entertaining storyteller, his narration enhances this to another level. Thank you for another great listen.

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Virtuous

I have followed Valentin, Gio and Silvio through so much in these three books and I am sad to leave them, but what a journey it was. I am happy in the knowledge that I can revisit them whenever I want and re listen to Laura Lascarso’s books expertly narrated by Daniel Carter.

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So heart-breaking, yet so hopeful and empowering

This is a fantastically beautiful ending to Giovanni's story, finishing on such a hopeful note for the future; although, greedy as I am, I can't help but want more. I want to see Giovanni's future, his growth, his new friendships. Still, I am content to know he is on his way.

This is such a sad, poignant story to start. After the death of his master, Giovanni is adrift, and seeks to join him and be with him. Silvio is caught in the middle, trying to be the "Sir" Giovanni needs, but knowing he cannot fulfill all his needs. Silvio also has his own emotions to deal with - grief, anger, jealousy, feelings of inadequacy - but he puts these aside to focus on Giovanni. This book is a story of despair, need, and grief, but also healing, growth, and hope. Laura has done a magnificent job painting these characters and the reader cannot help but be invested in their failure or success. Such a beautiful story and such a beautiful, empowering end.

The narration is fantastic. You feel and hear all the emotion, the desperation, the yearning, and the love. Absolutely marvelous delivery.

I received a free copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

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