A SENSE OF DUTY (Volkov Bratva 2) by Sam Crescent -a review

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ABOUT THE BOOI: Release March 7, 2023

I was never supposed to marry Andrei Belov. He was meant to marry my beautiful sister. But she did something very wrong to have the man in charge of the Volkov Bratva change his mind.

Now I’m married to a man many call a monster. He ignores me. I mean nothing to him.

I’m trapped and alone in a loveless marriage. My parents don’t care. They have what they want. Andrei doesn’t like it when I have friends. He doesn’t like it when others take care of me. He claims not to have slept with my sister, but Bethany is still around to cause me trouble, to make me doubt.

It all starts with a kiss to get what I want. If I kiss him, I’ll get a reward, but soon the game changes.

I’m Andrei Belov’s wife. In this world, no one is safe, especially not me. I didn’t know it, but I have an enemy, one that wants me dead no matter the cost. I wasn’t supposed to marry into this family, but now, there is no way out

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REVIEW: A SENSE OF DUTY is the second instalment in Sam Crescent’s contemporary, adult VOLKOV BRATVA dark, erotic, Bratva romance series. This is forty year old, Bratva Brigadier Andrei Belov, and twenty-one year old Adelaide’s story line. A SENSE OF DUTY 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 (Adelaide and Andrei) A SENSE OF DUTY follows in the aftermath of the arranged marriage between forty year old, Bratva Brigadier Andrei Belov, and twenty-one year old Adelaide. Ivan Volkov is the head of the Volkov Bratva, and as such has arranged a marriage between his Brigadier Andrei Belov, and Adelaide’s sister Bethany but Bethany has angered the man in charge, and Andrei finds himself facing a woman who knows nothing about the life of which she is about to enter. Adelaide is an innocent, unaware of the nuances of Bratva life, and believes she is nothing more than a pawn in a bigger game for the Bratva alliances. From the outset Andrei Belov struggles with what to do with his new wife, a struggle that forces Andrei to push away the woman with whom he will fall in love but someone is targeting our story line couple, and with Andrei’s territory at risk, the safety of his young wife, and his need for control, threaten everything that has ever mattered. What ensues is the building but acrimonious relationship between Andrei and Adelaide, and the potential fall-out as Adelaide must face down an enemy she knows all too well.

The relationship between Adelaide and Andrei is an age gap, arranged marriage between a powerful member of the Volkov Bratva, and an innocent woman with issues of low self esteem, and a family who has turned their backs on their youngest daughter. Adelaide is the black sheep of the family, and as such as been sold to the Bratva to save someone else. Andrei’s attraction to Adelaide is hidden behind a mask of indifference and power but Andrei’s control is about to snap when the threat against Adelaide comes from a familiar place. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic, and provocative.

There is a large ensemble cast of interesting secondary and supporting characters. We are introduced to Andrei’s driver and security Leo; Adelaide’s friend Nathan, her sister Bethany, Volkov Pakhan Ivan Volkov; casino worker Anna; MC member Rage, and his ‘daughter’ Lottie, Oleg Pavlov, and the return of Aurora and Slavik Ivanov. The requisite evil has many faces.

A SENSE OF DUTY is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, fractured family dynamics, acceptance and love. The premise is dark, gritty and heart breaking; the romance is provocative but struggles in the face of issues of trust; the characters are broken, charismatic and tenacious.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy