BEAUTIFUL TRAUMA (Irish Rogues 5) by Katie Ashley-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 27, 2025

KELLAN

I’m not built like the other Kavanaugh brothers. In a world ruled by violence and blood, I’ve always led with my heart. My compassion often led to my downfall like when a stunning blonde needed saving at my club. It wasn’t just her beauty that captured my attention. Her vulnerability spoke to the protector within me. Of course, the seduction that followed was only a ruse. Despite her devious actions, I couldn’t get her or the night we shared together out of my mind. When I find she’s in danger, I can’t help but risk everything to save her. But rescuing her comes at a price that has repercussions not only for me, but for my family.

MILA

As the daughter of a Bratva pahkan’s “second” family, I’ve always been made to feel second best. My beauty has often been used as a pawn in my father’s business schemes. His latest order was to infiltrate the Irish mafia by seducing one of the Kavanaugh brothers. I never expected a handsome, golden boy who was impossibly built, but with a soft voice and kind eyes. I didn’t expect to like him. But the greatest surprise was finding such a caring heart residing in his chest. I never imagined after duping him that he would once again come to my rescue. Just as I started falling for him, fate drove us apart. To protect me, he’ll walk into a war. But love born from lies and violence doesn’t always last. Especially when the truth comes back with a vengeance. And this time, it won’t miss.

••••

REVIEW BEAUTIFUL TRAUMA is the fifth instalment in Katie Ashley’s contemporary, adult IRISH ROGUES erotic, Mafia romance series. This is Bratva princess Mila Korolova, and Irish Mafia businessman Kellan Kavanaugh’s story line. BEAUTIFUL TRAUMA can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Some of the events of BEAUTIFUL TRAUMA cross over with and run parallel to the events of book four Safe & Sound.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Kellan and Mila) BEAUTIFUL TRAUMA focuses on the forbidden relationship between our story line couple. Mila’s brutal father and Bratva Pakhan Danill Korolova has arranged a marriage between Mila’s half-sister Annika, and the Irish Mob but Mila’s brothers had decided to use our heroine to seduce Kellan, in an effort to gain information for future use but Mila never expected to fall for the man in question, the man she betrayed from the sake of her family. While Mila’s family sees our heroine as nothing more than a pawn, Mila and Kellan will pay the price for falling in love against their families wishes.

The world building is dark and gritty as our couple must come to terms with what has happened and why. Mila finds herself on the outside looking in, a perceived betrayer to the family, a family that has destroyed her life and is determined to teach her a lesson from which she may never come back.

The relationship between Mila and Kellan is a forbidden romance-warring crime families that had once reached a tentative impasse but the Bratva ideology and treatment of women has placed Mila in a precarious position, with a fractured family, forced to work for the family in order to survive. Kellan never expected to fall in love with the woman sent to betrayal his family but the heart wants something more than revenge. The $ex scenes are erotic and provocative.

There is another large ensemble cast of colorful and sometimes questionable secondary and supporting characters including the return of Raphael & Maeve, Callum & Caterina, Quinn & Isla, Dare & Ava, and matriarch Orla Kavanaugh: Mila’s sister Kira, her brothers Dima, Maks, Lev, Aleks and, their brutal father Bratva Pakhan Danill Korolova.

BEAUTIFUL TRAUMA is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, dysfunctional family behavior, family and friendships, forgiveness and love. The premise is dramatic, edgy and twisting; the forbidden romance is passionate and seductive; the characters are desperate, dynamic and broken.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Poison and Wine
Dust to Dust
Fix You

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Katie Ashley is a New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Best-Selling author of both Indie and Traditionally published books. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her daughter, Olivia, and her spoiled mutt, Duke. She has a slight obsession with Pinterest, The Golden Girls, Shakespeare, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Scooby-Doo.

With a BA in English, a BS in Secondary English Education, and a Masters in Adolescent English Education, she spent eleven years teaching both middle and high school English, as well as a few adjunct college English classes. As of January 2013, she hung up her red pen and expo markers to become a full-time writer. Each and every day she counts her blessings to be able to do her dream job.

Although her roots are firmly planted in the red Georgia clay, she loves traveling the country and world to meet readers and hang out with fellow authors. When she’s not writing or chasing down her toddler, you might find her watching reruns of The Golden Girls, reading historical biographies, along with romance novels, or spending way too much time on Facebook.

CONNECT WITH KATIE

➜ NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/2ljVosh
➜ FACEBOOK: facebook.com/katie.ashleyromance
➜ FACEBOOK READER GROUP (ASHLEY’S ANGELS):facebook.com/groups/ashleyangels
➜ WEBSITE: www.katieashleybooks.com
➜INSTAGRAM: Instagram.com/katieashleyluv
➜ TWITTER: twitter.com/katieashleyluv
➜ PINTEREST: pinterest.com/katieashleyluv