Bratva Sweetheart (Ivankov Brotherhood 2) by Sabine Barclay-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 9, 2022

She thought it was only for one night…

I’ve never let anyone into my life.

At least not like her. Not until her.

She sees a side of me that isn’t the bratva monster everyone else believes.

Now that she knows, she’s mine.

Mine to keep and protect. Mine to please. In return, it’s her love I crave. She’s my soulmate.

Every kiss, every touch will take her to her limits, and I’ll be the one to catch her.

Bratva Sweetheart is an interconnecting, standalone Dark Mafia Romance with a HEA and no cliffhanger. It contains extra-steamy scenes that will make your toes curl and your granny blush. This is book two in The Ivankov Brotherhood, a six-book series that’ll keep you warm at night.

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REVIEW: BRATVA SWEETHEART is the second instalment in Sabine Barclay’s contemporary, adult THE IVANKOV BROTHERHOOD erotic, dark, Bratva romance series. This is twenty-seven year old, Russian Bratva businessman, Bogdan Kutsenko, and building inspector/architect Christina ‘Tina’ MacNally’s story line. BRATVA SWEETHEART can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise including ‘daddy kink’, r@pe fantasy, bondage, discipline as well as graphic violence, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Bodgan and Tina) BRATVA SWEETHEART follows the building relationship between twenty-seven year old, Russian businessman, Bratva Bogdan Kutsenko, and building inspector/architect Christina ‘Tina’ MacNally’. A one night stand between Russian businessman Bogdan Kutsenko, and Christina MacNally ends when the next morning, our heroine ghosts our story line hero. Christina MacNally works as a building inspector for the city of Manhattan but never expected to come face to face with her one night stand when she is tasked with inspecting a new build at one of the Kutsenko constructions sites but all is not well when our heroine discovers a number of irregularities, irregularities that may or may not be attributed to the man in charge. Afraid of losing her job, Christina offers to back away knowing their relationship may be used as potential fodder should something go wrong but Bogdan Kutsenko knows that to never see Christina would mean breaking his heart. What ensues is the building and highly sexual relationship between Christina and Bogdan, and the potential fall-out as a war between the Russian Bratva, the Irish and Italian Mafia and the Cartel is about to pull Christina into a world she knows little about.

Christina MacNally is about to be thrown head first into the criminal world of bribery and corruption, murder and vengeance, betrayal and power. Bogdan is desperate to protect the woman with whom he is falling in love but there is always someone or something waiting to take them down. Bogdan Kutsenko has loved and lost, and our hero refuses to place himself in a position to lose someone he loves but as the battle for control hits too close to home, Bogdan is willing to walk away to protect the woman with whom he is falling in love.

The relationship between Bogdan and Christina is one of daddy-kink and baby girl with the added bonus of bondage and discipline when Christina refuses to obey. From the outset Bogdan claims he is not a Dominant nor a daddy-wanna be; and Christine says she is not a submissive, nor a ‘little’, and does not like to be treated as a child yet Bogdan demands submission, the calling of ‘daddy’ or sir, and often places our heroine in his lap, or over his knee. A bit of a conundrum; some confusion as to the who, what and why the denial of the obvious but in the end the ‘daddy-kink’ is strong, intense, and not relegated to only the bedroom. The $ex scenes are erotic, intense, and vivid.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic and powerful secondary and supporting characters including Bogdan’s brothers: Maksim and Laura (Bratva Darling 1), Nikolai and Aleksei, and their mother Galina Kutsenko, as well as their cousins Anton, Sergei and Michail; Christina’s parents Liam and Catriona MacNally, and her brothers Tristan and Danny. The requisite evil includes the Irish Mafia, the Italian mob, the Mexican Cartel, and several people getting paid to look the other way.

BRATVA SWEETHEART is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, family and relationships, acceptance and love. The slow building premise is detailed and dramatic; the romance is erotic and highly sexual; the characters are captivating.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy