DANGEROUS KING/ SHADOW KING (Savage Kings of New York 2 & 4) by Bella Ray-reviews

Dangerous King
Savage Kings of New York 2
by Bella Ray
Genre: adult, contemporary, dark, erotic, Mafia

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

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RELEASE DATE: August 21, 2025

I spent fourteen years surviving the mafia. But falling for its prince might destroy me.

I grew up a hostage.Collateral in a blood-soaked deal between my father and the mafia.For fourteen years, I was hidden in the shadows of the Giordano estate—unseen, unheard, and never free.
Until the night they went too far.

They kidnapped a girl and strapped her to the same torture chair I once bled in.This time, I couldn’t stay silent.I risked everything to free her.I didn’t know she was the sister of Enrico Sartori—heir to one of New York’s most ruthless mafia families.

A man with a reputation carved in fear.A man who doesn’t owe anyone.But he owed me.And he paid that debt with fire.Now I’m under his protection.In his fortress.Wearing his name, even if it’s only temporary.He says I’m safe.That no one will ever touch me again.But when Enrico looks at me, safety is the last thing I feel.

He’s cold fury wrapped in tailored suits. Brutal. Possessive. Untouchable. And when he calls me piccolina, I forget how to breathe. But power in the mafia is never stable. Enemies are closing in—some hiding behind blood ties, others behind thrones. And I’m not just leverage anymore.

I’m a liability. A distraction. A weakness he can’t afford. Now the man who swore to protect me may be forced to choose: His family. Or me. And in this world, love is the most dangerous gamble of all.

•••••••

REVIEW: DANGEROUS KING is the second instalment in Bella Ray’s contemporary, adult SAVAGE KINGS OF NEW YORK dark, erotic,Mafia romance series. This is thirty year old, Mafia boss Enrico Sartori, and nineteen year old Catalina ‘Cat’ Costa’s story line. DANGEROUS KING can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

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

Told from dual first person perspectives (Enrico and Catalina) DANGEROUS KING follows in the wake of the abduction of Enrico Sartori’s sister Isabella but upon her rescue Enrico discovers another young woman who help save the life of his sister. Catalina ‘Cat’ Costa has been a prisoner for close to fourteen years, a pawn between the criminal underworld and the political elite. With the arrival of Isabella, Cat saw her chance to escape, and with it, a chance at a happily ever after with the man that would call to her heart but a fight for power is about to send the crime world into a spiral, and our couple will be caught in the middle.

The world building follows the rescue and healing of Catalina Costa,as she begins to blossom into herself. Enrico sees the woman that he will one day marry but the family is about to go to war, and the people at the top have been betraying the people who trust them the most.

The relationship between Cat and Enrico begins as a rescue but quickly turns into something more. Enrico has become Cat’s guardian and protector but our heroine is struggling to find her place in the world. The $ex scenes are erotic and provocative.

There is a large and diverse ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including members of the Mafia, Cartel, and Russian Bratva. We are introduced to Cat’s parents Mayor Cesare and Loredana Costa; Cat’s siblings Lucas and Sabine :Enrico’s parents Fabrizio and Eliza; sister Isabella, brothers Dante, Mattheo, Tommaso, as well as Don Edoardo, and Don Antonio ‘Toni’ DeLuna. The requisite evil has many faces, and those closest to our couple can’t always be trusted.

DANGEROUS KING is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, jealousy and madness,family and relationships, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is detailed, dramatic and edgy; the romance is seductive and spicy ; the characters are animated, charismatic and determined.

Copy supplied for review

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SHADOW KING
Savage Kings of New York 4
by Bella Ray
Genre: adult , contemporary, dark, erotic, Mafia romance

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 18, 2025

As the daughter of a mafia don, I was born into power and danger— but nothing could prepare me for him. He was supposed to be my bodyguard. My father’s most trusted soldier. A man carved from silence and shadows. He wasn’t meant to look at me the way he did. And I wasn’t meant to want him.

One night, everything changed. One promise turned into a cage. And I learned what it meant to be owned by the wrong man. Then Raffael came for me. He isn’t a savior. He’s a killer—cold, ruthless, forged in blood. He doesn’t protect to save. He protects to possess.

Now I’m trapped between the man who controls me and the man who would burn the world to set me free. He says I belong to him. He says he’ll never let me go. And the terrifying part? I believe him. I should fear him. I should hate him.

Instead, I crave the monster who was never meant to love me.

•••••••

REVIEW: SHADOW KING is the fourth instalment in Bella Ray’s contemporary, adult SAVAGE KINGS OF NEW YORK, dark,erotic, Mafia romance series. This is businessman Raffael DeSantis, and Mafia princess Sophia Orsi Giordana’s story line. SHADOW KING can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Some of the events of SHADOW KING cross over with , and run parallel to some of the events of the previous story lines.

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

Told from dual first person perspectives (Raffael and Sophia) covering three years, SHADOW KING follows in the wake of the arranged marriage between Sophia Orsi, and man who would meet a brutal end. Raffael DeSantis has been in love with Sophia for as long as he can remember but he believed he was a nobody, and without the power to save the woman he loved. Three years would pass, and Raffael would set into motion a plan to rescue our story line heroine, a rescue that may be too late to save our heroine’s soul but all is not as it appears to be, Raffael is about to embark on a new path towards a future he never new existed, a future that now lays claim to our story line heroine.

The world building follows Raffael as he begins a new life, a new direction in the face of betrayal and the loss of the woman he loves but for three years Raffael has struggle without our story line heroine, a struggle Raffael knew nothing about.

The relationship between Raffael and Sophia begins as an assignment when Raffael is assigned to protect our story line heroine but Sophia was young and immature, and in this, her behavior would ultimately end with a man who destroyed her soul. Raffael is determined to reclaim the woman he loves, a woman who has always loved the man who stole her heart. The $ex scenes are passionate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, questionable and dangerous secondary and supporting characters. We are introduced to Sophia’s father Carlos Orsi, her brothers Angelo and Marcello Orsi, nurse Violet; women’s shelter coordinator Lexy, Gray Elia; Don Edoardo, Roberto Giordano, and Roberto’s powerful grandmother Donna Margarita. The requisite evil has many faces.

SHADOW KING is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, family and friendships, relationships and love. The character driven premise is dramatic, edgy and dark; the romance is impassioned but the couple spend about fifty percent of the book apart; the character desperate, determined and charismatic.

Copy supplied for review

Reviews by Sandy