Tag Archives: Bratva romance

KEEPING RUBY (Volkov Bratva 2) by Alannah Carbonneau-review

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KEEPING RUBY (Volkov Bratva 2) by Alannah Carbonneau-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 20, 2024

She came to me as a favor.
A burden I didn’t want or need.
A tiny thing with fiery hair and a temper that defies her innocence.
She holds strong to a faith I threaten to shatter with ugly truths.
She’s my salvation, but she calls me her devil.
I might not be the one who stole her.
But I’ll be keeping Ruby.

••••••

REVIEW: KEEPING RUBY is the second instalment in Alannah Carbonneau’s contemporary, adult VOLKOV BRATVA erotic, Bratva romance series. This is forty-three year old, Russian bank owner Kirill Volkov, and twenty-three year old, Bratva princess Ruby Belle Popov’s story line. KEEPING RUBY can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. Kirill is the brother of Ilya LITTLE BLUE (book one).

NOTE : Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers. The author reminds the readers the Volkov Bratva series is a medium/light Bratva romance with some dark details.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Kirill and Ruby) KEEPING RUBY follows in the wake of the abduction of our story line heroine. Ruby Belle is a prisoner of a man she has never met. Oblivious to the point of naive, Ruby is completely unaware of her father’s life. Forced to marry Kirill Volkov for her own protection, our heroine will discover there is more to her father, and the family, she knew nothing about. Defiant and rebellious, Ruby struggles with her new husband, having become a prisoner in a gilded cage, but a prisoner none the less. As the relationship begins to develop, our heroine will be targeted; a price on her head; for the sins of her father, a man she never really knew. What ensues is the building but tempestuous relationship between Ruby and Kirill, and the potential fall-out when threats against Ruby come to fruition.

The world building focuses on Ruby’s past; her father’s lies; her husband’s life straddling a dark grey line between businessman and crime lord; and the growing relationship between two people who are thrown together by betrayal, secrets and lies.

The relationship between Kirill and Ruby is an age-gap, forced marriage, in which Ruby is but a pawn in a much large game. Ruby is an innocent, unaware of her father or her new husband’s lifestyles, and in this, our heroine is thrown to the proverbial wolves as she is failed time and time again. Kirill wants to protect the woman with whom he is falling in love but his attempts to seduce are hindered by his need to claim and protect. The
$ex scenes are provocative and intense.

We are reintroduced to Kirill’s brother Ilya, as well as several members of the Kirill’s security team including Maxim and Ilya’s head of security Pavel.

KEEPING RUBY is a story of betrayal and vengeance, power and control, secrets and lies, acceptance and love The premise is dramatic and tragic; the romance is seductive and fated; the characters are dynamic, energetic and determined.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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BRATVA JEWEL (Ivankov Brotherhood) by Sabine Barclay-review tour

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BRATVA JEWEL (Ivankov Brotherhood 6) by Sabine Barclay-review & excerpt tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 24, 2023

I can’t resist her. I don’t want to…
She’s tried to leave our life behind, but no one walks away from the bratva.
She can run, but she can’t hide.
I’ll be the one to catch her when she falls. And she will because she’s walking a fine line.
I’ll be there because she’s mine.
I’ll go to the ends of the Earth for her. She’ll discover her limits and realize only I can please her.
She’s my soulmate, and I’m hers. Heaven help anyone who gets in the way.

••••••

REVIEW: BRATVA JEWEL is the sixth instalment in Sabine Barclay’s contemporary, adult IVANKOV BROTHERHOOD erotic, dark, Bratva, romance series. This is twenty-nine- year old Ivankov Brotherhood Avotoritet (brigadier) Mikhail ‘Misha’ Andreyev, and thirty two year old, registered nurse Katerina ‘Kitty’ Vasilieva’s story line. BRATVA JEWEL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

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

Told from dual first person perspectives (Mischa and Kitty) BRATVA JEWEL is a complicated and detailed story line focusing on the search and rescue of Kitty’s sister, attorney Larisa Vasilieva. Larisa is missing, presumably kidnapped, and Katerina has returned to Moscow in search of her sister but never expected to come face to face with the Ivankov Brotherhood, heads and members of the New York Russian Bratva. In Russia to attend a funeral, of a former informant, along with his father and brothers, Mischa Andreyev finds himself pulled into the aura that is our story line heroine. When Katerina reveals who she is, what has happened, and the family’s connection to the Podolskaya Bratva, Mischa becomes guardian and aggressor in the hunt for Larisa and the people responsible. What ensues is the quick building relationship between Katerina and Mischa, and the potential fall-out as Katerina is willing to risk her life for the safe return of her beloved sister.

The relationship between Mischa and Katerina is quick to develop and intensely sexual in nature. Within hours of meeting, Mischa has claimed Katerina as his own, under the Ivankov Brotherhood protection, and in doing so, sets into motion a series of events to locate Katerina’s missing sister. Katerina is instantly drawn to our story line hero, a man who is willing to risk it all for the woman with whom he is falling in love. There is a strong ‘daddy kink’ aspect to the relationship including discipline, bondage, $ex toys, BDMS and voyeurism and exhibitionism. The $ex scenes are erotic, provocative and intense.

Once again, there is an extremely large and energetic ensemble cast of colorful and impassioned secondary and supporting characters: Security Chief /Enforcer Anton, Sergei, and their parents Alina and Grigori; Pakhan Maksim and Laura (Bratva Darling 1), Bogdan and Christina (Bratva Sweetheart 2), Pasha and Sumiko (Bratva Beauty 4), and their mother Galina; Aleksei and Heather (Bratva Angel 5); Katerina’s sister Larisa, and their parents Vadim and Dariya; Bratva member Semyon, Yuri Preobrazhensky,Besnik and Yelena, as well as several members of the Russian Bratva, Albanian Mob, Irish Mob, Cuban and Mexican Cartels.

BRATVA JEWEL is a story of betrayal, vengeance, and obsession; power and control; family and relationships, acceptance and love. The premise is complex and captivating ; the romance is heavy, sensuous, vigorous and aggressive; the characters are powerful, spirited, and determined

Previous Reviews and Reading Order

Bratva Darling
Bratva Sweetheart
Bratva Treasure
Bratva Beauty
Bratva Angel

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

“Malyshka—”
“I am not your baby girl. Why do you call me that? You have no right.”
That’s a good question and an accurate point. But who am I kidding? I’ve thought of her this way since the start. I had plenty of time to consider what it would mean to bring her into my life and what that would look like. Surviving the upbringing I had meant being able to deeply analyze a situation or facts and come to a decisive conclusion quickly. I’ve played out various scenarios already today, and I already know where I want this to go.
“Not yet, maybe.”
“Not ever.”
I take a step closer and peer down at her. She doesn’t step away, and the defiance from a moment ago slips away. I ease my arm around her waist again, and she doesn’t push at my chest or tense. I keep my voice low since I don’t want anyone to hear us.
“I’ve never called another woman that in my life. But I think you could do with someone to look out for you. And if you were with Sem for five years, then you definitely deserve someone to take care of you.”
“And you think that should be you.”
“We both know it will be.”
“Your certainty is rather pushy.”
“But you aren’t disagreeing.”
My free hand cups her cheek, and she closes her eyes.
“How are you so gentle? No one your size should be. No one who does what you do ever is.”
“Because I will never intentionally hurt you, Kitty.”
I’m the one who tenses as that slips out. Her eyes snap open as her brow furrows.
“Why’d you call me that?”
“Instead of malyshka?”
I offer her a soft smile.
“That too.”
“Would you let me kiss you before I answer that?”
“My guess is I won’t like the explanation.”
I shrug. She waits a moment, then nods. She tilts her head back before our lips meet. Holy hell. I’ve kissed plenty of women, but nothing has felt like this. Her lips are plump and soft. Her body feels amazing pressed against mine. She smells divine. Something floral. As she opens to me, I swipe my tongue inside her mouth. I can taste the gum she must have chewed earlier. There’s a hint of cinnamon lingering. She sighs as I deepen the kiss.
When she slips her arms around my waist, I don’t stop her. I’ve never let a woman do that while I’m carrying my gun. I’ve always kept their hands away, so I don’t have to explain. But I’ve already felt her gun twice and seen it. Her hands wander over my back while mine slip to her ass. She’s wearing the sweater she had tied around her waist earlier. Her ass is soft and firm at the same time. I don’t know how, but I want to do things—dirty, dirty things—to it and with it. I squeeze, but not enough to hurt. She arches her back, so I tighten my grip. Each bit of extra pressure makes her press herself against me.
I slide one hand up her back and fist her hair. I hold her head in place and take control of the kiss. Her fingers dig into my shoulders, and she moves like she can’t get close enough.
“Is this what you like?”

Sabine Barclay, a nom de plume also writing Historical Romance as Celeste Barclay, lives near the Southern California coast where she’s a former rower and a hopeful surfer, a self-proclaimed foodie, and a lover of the outdoors. Sabine enjoys attending reader events and travels domestically and internationally for book signings and speaking engagements. Before becoming a full-time author, Sabine was a Social Studies and English teacher. She holds degrees in International Affairs (BA), Secondary Social Science (MAT), and Political Management (MPS). She channels that knowledge into creating engrossing contemporary romances that bring the steam will make your toes curl and your granny blush.

Website: http://www.sabinebarclay.com

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabinebarclayauthor

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Defiant Queen (Savage Heir 6) by Jagger Cole-Review Tour

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Defiant Queen (Savage Heir 6) by Jagger Cole-Review Tour

 

 

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 March 10, 2022

She can’t remember.
I won’t forget.

Two houses, both alike in indignity.

In violence, bloodshed, and tragedy.

But this rose by any other name would still be mine.

Death couldn’t take her from me.

Her running away won’t either.

I pulled her from her darkness, and wrapped her in mine.

Now I’ll turn the world to ash to find her.

My sweetest torment, and cruelest obsession.

My tale of woe.

A shattered Juliet, for the anti-Romeo.

••••••

REVIEW:DEFIANT QUEEN is the sixth instalment in Jagger Cole’s contemporary, new adult SAVAGE HEIRS dark, erotic, Mafia romance series, and the second instalment in the author’s interconnected due focusing on eighteen year old Mafia princess Mara Belsky, and heir to the Reznikov’s throne Konstantin Reznikov. DEFIANT QUEEN should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of BROKEN GOD.

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

SOME BACKGROUND: Several weeks earlier Mara Belsky woke from a four year coma, a coma induced by a bullet to the back of her head. Forced to move in with Konstantin Reznikov, Mara’s slow recovery of her memories begin to reveal dark and dangerous truth that sends our heroine on the run.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Konstantin and Mara) DEFIANT QUEEN follows Mafia princess Mara Belsky as she journeys to Russia to uncover the truth about the day she was struck by an assassin’s bullet but the target upon our heroine’s back has yet to be removed, and Mara finds herself in constant danger from an unknown source, and the man that she loves. Konstantin Reznikov is keeping secrets from our story line heroine, secrets he knows could destroy the limited trust between Mara and himself but the past refuses to die, and our couple continue to be the focus of a series of reminders that everything they knew could very well be a lie. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship between Konstantin and Mara, and the fall-out as an assassin returns to finish the job.

Konstantin Reznikov’s backstory is heart breaking and dark; a backstory that has groomed a man to be cold and unforgiving, dangerous and deadly. The only light in Konstantin’s young life was destroyed by the people sworn to protect, and our hero refuses to watch the woman he loves succumbed to the same end.

The relationship between Mara and Konstantin is tempestuous and unforgiving. Mara believes Konstantin is the ultimate betrayer, and Konstantin struggles to reveal the truth. A slow rebuilding of trust and acceptance forces Konstantin to expose the darkness he has endured all of his life. The $ex scenes are aggressive, erotic and intense.

Once again, Mara’s twin sister Lizbet and her boyfriend Lucas (Brutal King) are front and center in our heroine’s life, as well as her former bodyguard Grigori, and Konstantin’s best friend and right hand man Vadim and his father Gavan. The requisite evil has many faces.

DEFIANT QUEEN is a story of betrayal and revenge; obsession and delusion; trust and understanding; friendship and family, love and acceptance with a few twists and turns to add shock and surprise. The premise is dark, gritty and haunting; the romance is spicy and provocative; the characters are broken, flawed, determined and strong.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one BROKEN GOD

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

A reader first and foremost, Jagger Cole cut his romance writing teeth penning various fan-fiction stories years ago. After deciding to hang up his writing boots, Jagger worked in advertising pretending to be Don Draper. It worked enough to convince a woman way out of his league to marry him, though, which is a total win.

Now, Dad to two little princesses and King to a Queen, Jagger is thrilled to be back at the keyboard.

When not writing or reading romance books, he can be found woodworking, enjoying good whiskey, and grilling outside–rain or shine.

You can find all of his books at www.jaggercolewrites.com

Grab a FREE book for joining my fans-only newsletter – https://dl.bookfunnel.com/8rld1ik3sd

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Broken God (Savage Heir 5) by Jagger Cole-Review Tour

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BROKEN GOD (Savage Heirs 5) by Jagger Cole-Review Tour

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 February 24, 2022

He’s my deepest damnation. And my darkest desire.

Konstantin Reznikov’s war buried me in darkness.

Four years later, he’s the one dragging me screaming from my coma.

The viciously domineering, brutal, terrifyingly gorgeous tyrant who haunts the shattered fragments of my memories. The man with dark gray eyes as cold as his dark gray soul.

I remember almost nothing from my past. But he does. Now, he owns my present, and my future.

Because Konstantin didn’t wake me up for free. He brought me out of my darkness to engulf me in his.

To own me. To trap me in a maze of twisted games and jagged thorns.

Now I’m bound to the broken god of wrath and ruin who might hold the key to my past.

Or maybe, to my unraveling.

Broken God is book 1 in a duet and not a standalone book. The completed duet is a standalone story within the Savage Heirs series, though. You do not need to have read the previous books in this series to read this duet.

This extra dark Bratva academy romance is guaranteed to leave your kindle steaming. Step into the viper’s nest of Oxford Hills Academy and meet the Savage Heirs of Bratva kings and oligarchs. )Absolutely no cheating,

•••••••

REVIEW:BROKEN GOD is the fifth instalment in Jagger Cole’s contemporary, new adult SAVAGE HEIRS dark, erotic, Mafia romance series, and the first instalment in the author’s interconnected duet. This is eighteen year old Mafia princess Mara Belsky, and heir to the Reznikov’s throne Konstantin Reznikov’s story line. BROKEN GOD can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but for back story I recommend reading BRUTAL KING where Mara’s story begins.

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

Told from dual first person perspectives (Konstantin and Mara)and emails from the past, BROKEN GOD focuses on the weeks after eighteen year old Mara Belsky wakes from a four year coma, a coma induced by a bullet to the back of her head. Mara has no recollection of what happened four years earlier, and in the ensuing time, only bits and pieces from throughout her hospital stay come to the forefront and quickly disappear but Mara’s return to ‘civilization’ begins with her introduction to the Oxford Hills Academy, a private, preparatory school for the rich and infamous, an introduction that includes the dark and dangerous Konstantin Reznikov. Konstantin Reznikov has a precarious and murderous reputation, a reputation earned by his need for control and his ability to kill without remorse, but Konstantin has set his sights on our story line heroine, blackmailing and threatening a young woman who is barely able to control her own life; a girl who is unable to remember what happened or why. What ensues is the acrimonious but building relationship between Konstantin and Mara, and the fall-out as hidden secrets reveal a much darker and more dangerous betrayal than Mara could have ever imagined.

The relationship between Mara and Konstantin is that of jailer and prisoner. Konstantin wants to control every aspect of Mara’s life but in doing so slowly succumbs to his attraction to our story line heroine. Mara knows that to defy Konstantin would threaten the lives and families of the people she loves, people who struggle to understand the control Konstantin has over our story line heroine. The $ex scenes are aggressive and intense with some behavior and actions of questionable consent.

Most of the previous story line couples have cameo roles. We are reintroduced to Mara’s twin sister Lizbet and her boyfriend Lucas (Brutal King); the requisite mean girls, as well as Mara’s former bodyguard Grigori.

BROKEN GOD is a story of betrayal and vengeance, power and control, murder and retribution, secrets and lies. The premise is dark, gritty, raw and dramatic; the characters are broken, embattled, powerful and charismatic; the romance is a power-struggle in which Mara is often threatened when she disobeys or talks back-Konstantin is broken, a bully, a powerful Mafia ‘god’ who is determined to break our story line heroine. BROKEN GOD ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Reading Order and previous reviews
Savage Heir
Dark Prince
Brutal King
Forbidden Crown

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

A reader first and foremost, Jagger Cole cut his romance writing teeth penning various fan-fiction stories years ago. After deciding to hang up his writing boots, Jagger worked in advertising pretending to be Don Draper. It worked enough to convince a woman way out of his league to marry him, though, which is a total win.

Now, Dad to two little princesses and King to a Queen, Jagger is thrilled to be back at the keyboard.

When not writing or reading romance books, he can be found woodworking, enjoying good whiskey, and grilling outside–rain or shine.

You can find all of his books at www.jaggercolewrites.com

Grab a FREE book for joining my fans-only newsletter – https://dl.bookfunnel.com/8rld1ik3sd

FOLLOW: WEBSITE / Facebook / Bookfunnel Newsletter / Goodreads / Amazon Author / Instagram /

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SAVAGE HEARTS (Queens and Monsters 3)by JT Geissinger-Review tour

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SAVAGE HEARTS (Queens and Monsters 3) by JT Geissinger-Review & Excerpt tour

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 November 19, 2021

Savage (adjective):
1) Not domesticated; wild and untamed
2) A brutal or vicious person
3) Malek Antonov

He’s a myth. A ghost. A legend.
A Bratva assassin so feared, some won’t even dare to speak his name.

He comes in search of vengeance for the death of his brother, but what he finds instead is me.

A girl he thinks is someone else.
Someone unrelated to the man who killed his brother.
Except I am.

And when he finds out my true identity, he decides to take me as repayment for what he lost.

Now, I’m a little bird trapped in a cage, and the only way to survive is to make friends with the monster who captured me.

Except friendship isn’t what the monster has in mind.

••••••••

REVIEW: SAVAGE HEARTS is the third instalment in JT Geissinger’s contemporary, adult QUEENS AND MONSTERS erotic, Mafia, romance series. This is thirty-three year old, Bratva assassin Malek Antonov, and twenty-four year old freelance editor Riley Keller’s story line. SAVAGE HEARTS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Riley is Sloane Keller’s sisters (Carnal Urges 2). For fans of JT Geissinger, there is a character cross over with the author’s DANGEROUS BEAUTY, and BEAUTIFULLY CRUEL series.

NOTE: There are some scenes of sexual spanking and breath play that may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from several first person perspectives including Malek, Riley, Declan and Kage, SAVAGE HEARTS focuses on Bratva assassin Malek Antonov’s need for revenge in the wake of his brother’s murder by the Irish Mob. Malek is a ghost, known as the ‘hangman’ in the criminal underworld but a man determined to right a wrong no matter the cost. Believing his target, head of the Boston Irish mob Declan O’Donnell, is possibly trafficking our story line heroine Malek offers to ‘free’ Riley Keller but quickly discovers Riley will be more useful as a pawn in his need for revenge. An attempt on Malek’s life finds Riley in the direct line of fire, and in the aftermath our heroine is whisked to places unknown, while Malek desperately tries to save the life of the woman with whom he will fall in love. What ensues is the building relationship between Malek and Riley, and the potential fall-out as Malek’s star is on the rise in the Russian Bratva, and Riley finds herself alone, wondering where everything went wrong.

Riley Keller is estranged from her sister Sloane but a surprise phone-call finds Riley a virtual prisoner more than a guest at her sister’s new home with the man that she loves but the Irish mob is at war with the Russian Bratva, and Riley will quickly discover that she is a pawn in a much larger game of betrayal and death. Malek Antonov doesn’t do relationships, as he is constantly on the go as an assassin for the Russian mob.Abducting Riley brings our hero up close and personal with a woman that pushes all of his buttons, buttons that haven’t been pushed in a very long while. Falling for his captive means placing our heroine in a dangerous position, a position that will bring our couple face to face with the man in charge.

The relationship between Malek and Riley begins as a need for revenge as Malek must avenge the death of his younger brother but kidnapping Riley forces Malek to reconsider his need for vengeance, a vengeance that is often guided by the heart and not the head. Time spent together finds Riley falling for her sexy abductor, a man who stirs something deep within our story line heroine. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and passionate.

We are reintroduced to Riley’s sister Sloane and her fiance Declan O’Donnell’s, Declan’s right-hand men Kieran, and Spider aka Homer; head of the Russian Bratva in New York Kazimir ‘Kage’ Porter and Natalie Peterson (Beautiful Creatures), Killian Black, and the King of the Bratva Pakhan. Spider’s story is next in BRUTAL VOWS.

SAVAGE HEARTS is a story of betrayal and revenge, power and control, family and blood, acceptance and love. The premise is haunting, gritty and twisted; the romance is provocative and spirited but I am not a fan of the male lead called ‘daddy’; the characters are energetic, controversial, animated and intense-the back and forth between Riley, and most of the other story line characters is often humorous, quirky, frenetic and fun.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Ruthless Creatures
Carnal Urges

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

“Yeah. Oh—can I ask you a favor? Will you please not hurt him? Kieran, either. He’s the other bodyguard. The bigger one. They’re both really nice.”
Malek stares at me in disbelief.
“Sorry. Is that asking too much? It’s just that I’d never get over it if they got hurt because of me. They’re only trying to do their jobs.”
After a moment, he says angrily, “You know who I am. You know what I do. Correct?”
“Yes. I’ve been filled in on the particulars.”
“And you’re lying there with my hand around your neck asking me not to hurt your bodyguards.”
He says it like my sanity is in question.
“I know it’s maybe a little unorthodox.”
“No,” he says flatly.
“Please?”
He growls, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“There’s no need to get testy.”
“Testy?”
“I’m just saying. You don’t have to get all mad about it.”
Furious again, he glares at me, grinding his jaw and probably calculating how much pressure it will take to snap the brittle bird bones in my neck.
Before he does, I say, “I also want to thank you for the rose you left me. That was really nice. I’ve never had a man bring me flowers before. I know it was only the one, and also you thought I was a captive prostitute at the time, but still. It was thoughtful. So thank you.”
He stares at me with an expression somewhere between confusion and amazement, with a healthy dose of disgust on the side.
“Now is probably a good time to remind you that I’m still the same person you left the rose for. So if you did kill me, you’d be killing her, too. Just a thought.”
“Are you on drugs?”
“Not at the moment, no. Why, do you have any?”
“There’s something wrong with you. Mentally. Right?”
That makes me laugh. “Oh, totally. I’ve got more than a few screws loose. At least that’s what my dad tells me. But he’s super uptight, zero imagination, so his opinion doesn’t really count. Not that he’s wrong, because he isn’t, but normies shouldn’t judge creatives. They just have no idea how we’re wired. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’ve never had a conversation with an insane person before.”
“Very funny.”
“It wasn’t a joke.”
“Ouch.”
We stare at each other in silence. His hostile, mine hopeful. He still hasn’t murdered me, so things are looking up.
“Malek?”
“What.” He says it flatly. With dread.
“Thank you for not killing me.”
He says emphatically, “Don’t thank me yet.”
“You’re still deciding?”
“If only to get you to shut up, yes.”
“In that case…” I make a zipper motion across my lips.
He watches with outrage, astonishment, and absolute disbelief.
“Actually, before I shut up, I also want to say that it was really sweet that you tried to save me from being a sex worker. I mean, what a gentleman! A gentleman killer who gives strangers big wads of cash in restrooms. You’re quite the puzzle, Mr. Ghost. Or is it just Ghost? I’m never sure how the nickname thing works, except between me and my sister, but that doesn’t count because my whole family is a little weird. I’ll just call you Malek, if that’s all right. Or Mal for short, since we’re such buds now, what with you breaking into my various bedrooms for midnight visits and all. Okay, I’m shutting up now. Here I go.”
I press my lips together and gaze up at him, watching him struggle with dueling urges to cut off my air supply or break something over my head.
Maybe he’s right about me being insane, because rather than terrifying, I find his indecision understandable.
He’s not the first man I’ve driven to the brink of murder. He’s just the most capable of actually going through with it.
“Oh, one more thing—”
“I know a way to keep that mouth quiet,” he snaps.
Then he kisses me.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads /Pinterest / Instagram /

A former headhunter, J.T. Geissinger is the author of more than a dozen novels in contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.

She is the recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and is a two-time finalist for the RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America®. Her work has also finaled in the Booksellers’ Best, National Readers’ Choice, and Daphne du Maurier Awards.

Join her Facebook reader’s group, Geissinger’s Gang, to take part in weekly Wine Wednesday live chats and giveaways, find out more information about works in progress, have access to exclusive excerpts and contests, and get advance reader copies of her upcoming releases.

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Deceptive Vows (Blood and Thorns 3) by Faith Summers-Review Tour

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Deceptive Vows (Blood and Thorns 3) by Faith Summers-Review Tour

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 October 15, 2021.

What kind of happily-ever-after do you get when you’re forced to marry a monster?

A monstrous Bratva leader who bounds your wrists and promises to break you.Mikhail Dmitriyev is a beautiful devil with a villainous heart and a thirst for revenge.The choices he gave me when he stole me away from my home with an army of men were very clear—marry me or die.

I chose to marry him and live.But there’s one small problem with his grand plan to reign Armageddon on the Mexican Cartel.I’m not the woman he thinks I am.I’m not the cartel princess he thinks he took to make his enemies bow to him.

When my captor finds out my secret and realizes he married the wrong woman, love won’t be enough to save me.And neither will his obsession.

Deceptive Vows is a dark mafia arranged marriage romance. It contains dubious situations, mature content, and graphic violence some readers might find offensive and/or triggering.

••••••

REVIEW:DECEPTIVE VOWS is the third instalment in Faith Summers’ contemporary, adult BLOOD AND THORNS dark,erotic Bratva romance series. This is twenty-eight year old Mikhail Dmitriyev, and nineteen year old Natalia de Leon aka Adriana Alvarez’s story line. DECEPTIVE VOWS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. There is a slight cross over with the author’s DARK SYNDICATE series with the cameo appearances by Eric Markov (Heartless Lover-Dark Syndicate 5).

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

Told from dual first person perspectives (Natalia and Mikhail) DECEPTIVE VOWS follows in the aftermath of the obliteration of the Alvarez Cartel, leaving Natalia de Leon aka Adriana Alvarez alive, and her body guard clinging to life. Years earlier, the Alvarez Cartel abducted, tortured and murdered Mikhail’s sister, and in the years following our hero sought his revenge. Fast forward to present day where a few months earlier Mikhail’s mother was murdered, leaving Mikhail struggling to survive. Enacting revenge against the Alvarez Cartel, Mikhail sets his sights on taking control by first taking the only daughter of Raul Alvarez. Enter Adriana Alvarez aka Natalia deLeon. What ensues is the building but acrimonious relationship predicated on mistaken identity between Natalia and Mikhail, and the potential fall-out as Natalia’s secrets are revealed, and the remaining members of the Dmitriyev family are targeted from within.

Natalia de Leon was nothing more than a slave to the Alvarez Cartel, and a handmaiden to the princess Adriana Alvarez but an attack against the Cartel leaves Natalia as one of the sole survivors, and a case of mistaken identity, finds our heroine assuming the role of the Cartel princess. In an effort to take control and assume the top position, Mikhail Dmitriyev kidnaps and marries our story line heroine only to discover that betrayal from within forces Mikhail to reconsider his future options.

The relationship between Natalia and Mikhail begins as a forced proximity, mistaken identity, imprisonment of our story line heroine. Mikhail and his father have plans to take control of the Alvarez Cartel by staking a claim on Adriana Alvarez. Natalia knows that once her true identity is revealed, there is nothing saving our heroine from her immediate demise. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic, aggressive and intense with some questionable issues of consent.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including the appearance of Eric Markov (Heartless Lover 5). We are introduced to Mikhail’s father and Pakhan of the Baranov Bratva Sergei Dmitriyev, a man whose life is nearing the end; Sergei’s sister Sophia, and Mikhail’s half-brother Ivan; Natalia’s ‘bodyguard’ Jose Diaz, caretaker Aleksander as well as several members of the Mexican Cartel.

DECEPTIVE VOWS is a story of secrets and lies, power and control, betrayal and vengeance, murder and blood, dysfunctional family, jealousy, hate and love. The premise is dark, haunting and raw; the romance is unconventional, and dramatic; the characters are tragic and impassioned.

I will add that Deceptive Vows seems more at home with the Dark Syndicate series than the Blood and Thorns series, as B&T is currently labelled a duet.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Merciless Vows
Merciless Union

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

“Your marriage to me will seal the deal on my control of the cartel. That’s the easy way to conquer your father’s empire without rebellion. But I could do it the other way. The harder, hellish way where I kill you and reign hell on Mexico. So, princess, your choices are marry me, or die.” 

My mouth goes dry, as if someone has stuffed it with sand. 

Marry him or die? Those are my choices. 

They both sound like the same thing to me. 

Like death. 

It’s just that one might prolong my life a little longer. 

“What’s it going to be, princess?” 

“I don’t want to die,” I choke out. 

 “I didn’t think so.”

Jesus. What did I get myself into? 

He’s going to marry me thinking I’m someone else. 

This is not a man you mess around with. 

What will he do to me when he discovers I’m not the Cartel Princess. 

I’ve gone from the fear of being placed up for auction to getting ready to marry a Russian mobster. 

How the hell did that happen?

Faith Summers is the Dark Contemporary Romance pen name of USA Today Bestselling Author, Khardine Gray.

Warning !! Expect wild romance stories of the scorching hot variety and deliciously dark romance with the kind of alpha male bad boys best reserved for your fantasies.

Dive in and enjoy her naughty page-turners.

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Merciless Vows (Blood and Thorns 1) by Faith Summers-Review tour

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Merciless Vows (Blood and Thorns 1) by Faith Summers-Review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 21, 2021

When I was sixteen a gypsy fortune teller told me my future held darkness and death.
She was right.
But what she didn’t tell me was the devil himself would rise from hell in the form of Lucca Dyshekov and take everything from me with a gun held to my head.

He’s the Bratva assassin they all call Merciless.
On our wedding day, he taught me real monsters aren’t the ones who hide in the dark.
They’re the ones who stare you in the face and steal your soul.

On a quest for revenge, he takes me and unearths secrets from the past that will cause a war.When death lies on the horizon the enemy of my enemy becomes my friend.
In this instance he’s my husband.The real question is when he finishes uncovering the truth, will he keep me or kill me.

••••••

REVIEW:MERCILESS VOWS is the first instalment in Faith Summers’ (aka Khardine Gray) contemporary, adult BLOOD AND THORNS erotic, dark, Mafia romance duet focusing on soon to be twenty-five year old Italian Mafia princess Aria De Marchi, and twenty-eight year old, Bratva assassin Lucca Dyshekov.

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

Told from dual first person perspectives (Aria and Lucca) using present day and memories from the past, MERCILESS VOWS follows the enemies to lovers relationship between soon to be twenty-five year old Italian Mafia princess Aria De Marchi, and twenty-eight year old, Bratva assassin Lucca Dyshekov. Two and half years earlier Aria De Marchi lost her mother, and she herself almost died, leaving our heroine in a coma for close to six months. Upon awakening, Aria is suffering with retrograde amnesia, and presently is unable to remember any of her earlier life. Sold to Lucca Dyshekov for sins of the father, Aria soon discovers there is more to her history, family and new life than she could have ever imagined. Both hating and growing to love our story line anti-hero, Aria slowly begins to recover her memories, memories that threaten everything she ever knew about her life, years ago. What ensues is the building but acrimonious relationship between Aria and Lucca, and the potential fall-out as Lucca is targeted, and betrayal rides high on the list of suspects.

Aria De Marchi doesn’t remember anything prior to her ‘accident’ almost three years earlier. The death of her mother weighs heavily on her mind but her father’s sins are about to place Aria in the direct line of fire, as she becomes a pawn in a bigger game of the Mafia vs the Russian mob. Lucca Dyshekov lost his entire family years before, but the death of a friend pushes Lucca over the edge. When Lucca gets information about his past, from the Mexican Cartel, Lucca sets out to take down the people responsible but betrayal from within finds Lucca fighting for his life.

The relationship between Lucca and Aria begins as a business arrangement, payment for sin, by our heroine’s father. Aria is an innocent, and knows nothing about her father’s life, but with the return of her memories, Ari begins to suspect that her father is not who he pretends to be. Lucca struggles with both his attraction to, and need to destroy our story line heroine but as their relationship grows, Aria’s love for Lucca is tested when Lucca discovers the truth. The $ex scenes are dramatic and intense, and not without some question of consent.

We are introduced to Aria’s father Raphael De Marchi; Lucca’s foster-father, of a sorts, Damien Mikhailov; Pakhan Grigori Ivanov; Lucca’s right hand man ad security specialist Jon, and Alexei; psychiatrist Dr. Belmont; as well as Lucca’s housekeeper Marylin.

MERCILESS VOWS is a story of betrayal and vengeance; family and deceit; secrets, lies, brutality and the truth. The premise is dark and gritty; the romance is aggressive and intoxicating; the characters are broken, powerful and hostile. MERCILESS VOWS ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

We stare at each other for what feels like forever, and my nerves spike with every second that passes.
The way he looks at me makes me uncomfortable. It’s with an air of fascination that makes me wonder if it was he I lost my virginity to.
Annoyingly, the thought sends a shiver of arousal through me, and the weight pulls on my core.
There’s an attraction between us I don’t want to accept, especially after last night. And this morning.
Yet, as I stare at him, I can’t help but wonder how we would have met if my father didn’t know I knew him.
How close were we?
I have so many questions, ones I feel he won’t answer,
“Go on, Printsessa,” he urges with a cocky smile that should be as illegal as he is. “Ask me. I don’t want my bride’s head to explode with all those questions she has swirling around in there.”
Him calling me his bride makes me cringe.
“Why do you want to marry me? What sort of business benefit is there in marrying me?”
“Business benefit?” He inclines his head, and his hair drifts over his shoulder. The fading sunlight captures the lighter hints of brown in the dark mass of wild hair.
“You don’t love me, so don’t play with me. Tell me the truth. You’re marrying a woman who has no memories beyond the last two and a half years. I think I deserve some explanation.”
He looks like he’s considering it. When he sets his shoulders back, my hopes rise.
“You fit in with my plans,” he answers.
“What plans?”
“Those don’t concern you.”
“How don’t they concern me? You have access to my whole life. This is wrong. You know it is.”
“Right and wrong are shades of gray that people manipulate to take whatever form they want. This is mine.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want to marry you.”
“You don’t have a choice, and if I were you, I wouldn’t create problems. Your father wasn’t joking when he told you to do as you’re told. You need to. If you don’t create problems, you won’t have a problem with me.”
He touches my cheek, and my body instantly betrays me.
The memory of his face comes into my mind, along with a kiss—the one from last night and another from before. That was the one I dreamt about.
“Where do I know you from?”
“I told you, you shouldn’t try and remember me.”
“Why? You’re the only thing I remember,” I confess, and as the words leave my lips, I regret it. I don’t think I should have told him that.
“Is that so? How unfortunate for you.” He backs away.
“You said you wouldn’t hurt me.”
“I guess I must have lied.”


 

Faith Summers is the Dark Contemporary Romance pen name of USA Today Bestselling Author, Khardine Gray.

Warning !! Expect wild romance stories of the scorching hot variety and deliciously dark romance with the kind of alpha male bad boys best reserved for your fantasies.

Dive in and enjoy her naughty page-turners.

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