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lifeinthebooklane's review
4.0
I’ll be honest and say that I beta read this, so I have a slightly vested interest but this is still my genuine opinion of the book.
Back when my kindle was still new and shiny, I discovered a love of mafia romance. I read every single one I could get my hands on, to the point that I overloaded on them and stopped reading them altogether. So I did initially worry about being the right person to read this, but incredibly well written characters and an intriguing storyline soon had me spellbound.
This is NOT an omegaverse, which is what the author is perhaps more well known for, but I’m still happy to recommend this novella serialisation that is fairly slow burn. Despite there being no actual sex scenes in this book, the sexual tension is high with enough scorching chemistry to hold your interest. The opening scenes are a little contrived, though they were given a nice sense of individuality and were definitely required for the set-up of the story.
Great writing meant I soon found myself caught up in the story, loving the not very subtle flirting between Elena and Evgeni and wondering where the tale would take me. Both MC’s were very easy to like, neither is perfect but they are honest characters, both believable and “normal”. Good world building and succinct descriptions readily set the scene. Enough to do a good job of building a mental picture, without being OTT or distracting.
Evgeni, our anti-hero, is actually a fairly decent human being. Well as much as a Bratva member can be, but he does have a sense of decency and integrity that set him above many of his mafia brothers. What really impressed me is that he isn’t portrayed as rich or powerful or indispensable within the organisation. He is, for want of a better description, just a common foot soldier, though one with both drive and ambition.
Elena is no doormat, but wisely chose her battles to pick. She’s a fun-loving girl and I can’t wait to see how she handles the situation with Evgeni. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but I do need to comment on how refreshing it was that in later parts of the book she wasn’t led by her libido.
There were times where in other books I would have been rolling my eyes at the heroine’s out of control lust, as in those circumstances sex would be the last thing on your mind. Instead we get a much more realistic response of Elena wondering if/when she and avoiding being physically close to Evgeni. I did a little happy dance that whilst she might find him attractive it didn’t make her forget the dire situation she is in.
Throughout the book one thing that stood out was how very genuine the emotions felt. The author certainly has a wonderful ability to put you inside her characters heads and hearts and has left me eager for the next book.
Back when my kindle was still new and shiny, I discovered a love of mafia romance. I read every single one I could get my hands on, to the point that I overloaded on them and stopped reading them altogether. So I did initially worry about being the right person to read this, but incredibly well written characters and an intriguing storyline soon had me spellbound.
This is NOT an omegaverse, which is what the author is perhaps more well known for, but I’m still happy to recommend this novella serialisation that is fairly slow burn. Despite there being no actual sex scenes in this book, the sexual tension is high with enough scorching chemistry to hold your interest. The opening scenes are a little contrived, though they were given a nice sense of individuality and were definitely required for the set-up of the story.
Great writing meant I soon found myself caught up in the story, loving the not very subtle flirting between Elena and Evgeni and wondering where the tale would take me. Both MC’s were very easy to like, neither is perfect but they are honest characters, both believable and “normal”. Good world building and succinct descriptions readily set the scene. Enough to do a good job of building a mental picture, without being OTT or distracting.
Evgeni, our anti-hero, is actually a fairly decent human being. Well as much as a Bratva member can be, but he does have a sense of decency and integrity that set him above many of his mafia brothers. What really impressed me is that he isn’t portrayed as rich or powerful or indispensable within the organisation. He is, for want of a better description, just a common foot soldier, though one with both drive and ambition.
Elena is no doormat, but wisely chose her battles to pick. She’s a fun-loving girl and I can’t wait to see how she handles the situation with Evgeni. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but I do need to comment on how refreshing it was that in later parts of the book she wasn’t led by her libido.
There were times where in other books I would have been rolling my eyes at the heroine’s out of control lust, as in those circumstances sex would be the last thing on your mind. Instead we get a much more realistic response of Elena wondering if/when she
Spoiler
might be raped,Throughout the book one thing that stood out was how very genuine the emotions felt. The author certainly has a wonderful ability to put you inside her characters heads and hearts and has left me eager for the next book.
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