diloretobeth89's review against another edition
5.0
Wow
Amazing! I loved the MC series. But I'm hoping this gets made into a series. It had everything. Love, betrayal & vengeance
Amazing! I loved the MC series. But I'm hoping this gets made into a series. It had everything. Love, betrayal & vengeance
the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Klara was just five years old when she witnessed her father being labeled a traitor and murdered by a man named Vlad. Brought into his house to be raised as a reminder of his first kill, Klara has always been fascinated by the man she calls "V".
Fifteen years have passed and Klara is now a beautiful 21-year-old woman. Her feisty spirit and regular disobedience have Vlad paying more than a little attention to her. Giving into his attraction for Klara is not something Vlad can allow himself to do.
When Klara takes matters into her own hands those sparks ignite into a raging fire with repercussions that could burn them all.
So WOWZA was this book good. The writing was fantastic. The plot was fast paced and intricate. It was gritty. It was heartbreaking. It was tragic. The characters (both main and secondary) were well developed. The relationship between Vlad and Klara was slowly built up and multi-layered. I loved so many of the secondary characters and I hope we will be seeing more books with them in it. Lastly, the ending GUTTED me...I was bawling my eyes out. WHY Miz Bextor...WHY?!
Two HUGE thumbs up from yours truly!
lzw's review
5.0
Empires and Kings (A Mafia Duet Book 1) by A.C. Bextor is the first book I have read from this author, but definitely won’t be the last! Mafia. Words can’t express how much I love my dark & decadent Mafia books, and this one did not disappoint. It is written in first person alternating POVs by the two main characters, Vlad and Klara. Love, love, love reading first person POV as you really get into the characters mind! I gave this book 5 stars, and will be stalking the author for more;) The story sucked me in from the beginning, their tragic meeting….the heartbreak…then they meet again many years later. So much drama, angst, heat, twists, and hope. Love stories like these where the heroine should NOT fall for the guy, and yet….she is attracted & can’t seem to pull away. As always, the sinister cruel mafia leader isn’t all that he seems;) This story just had it all: great flow, interesting plot, just the right amount of push/pull, and intense chemistry. Loved!
bookingbonkers's review
5.0
This book was an extremely intense and gripping read from start to finish! It has a brilliant storyline to it and reflects the brutal, harsh mafia lifestyle very well.
The characters are great, even the male lead who can at times be overbearing and a bit much. But he has his reasons that are unfortunately proved by some tragic occurrences in the story. He is the ultimate alpha male character. I really like how the romance element to this story isn't all that romantic as that would of made no sense and destroyed a gritty and raw story.
When I got to the end of this book, I realised that it is the first of a series and the ending promises so much more to come. I cannot wait to read the next one and the ending of this book seems to only be a build up to a new and higher level of intensity to this tale.
This author, I feel, is certainly one to watch out for and soak up as much of their work as I can.
The characters are great, even the male lead who can at times be overbearing and a bit much. But he has his reasons that are unfortunately proved by some tragic occurrences in the story. He is the ultimate alpha male character. I really like how the romance element to this story isn't all that romantic as that would of made no sense and destroyed a gritty and raw story.
When I got to the end of this book, I realised that it is the first of a series and the ending promises so much more to come. I cannot wait to read the next one and the ending of this book seems to only be a build up to a new and higher level of intensity to this tale.
This author, I feel, is certainly one to watch out for and soak up as much of their work as I can.
jendarle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
elizjmcfarland's review
2.0
It was just mehhh...
Follows the relationship of Klara and Vlad. When Klara was 5, Vlad killed her traitorous father, and kept her in his house to raise. Fast forward 15 years, they start to see each other in a different way. Vlad and Klara both have enemies and those enemies emerge through the woodwork.
I like a little taboo in my stories, but this was awkward. I felt uncomfortable reading it, not the story itself, but by the way the author wrote it. It's like they were uncomfortable writing it. It had potential, but it needed to be re-worked a little in my opinion.
Follows the relationship of Klara and Vlad. When Klara was 5, Vlad killed her traitorous father, and kept her in his house to raise. Fast forward 15 years, they start to see each other in a different way. Vlad and Klara both have enemies and those enemies emerge through the woodwork.
I like a little taboo in my stories, but this was awkward. I felt uncomfortable reading it, not the story itself, but by the way the author wrote it. It's like they were uncomfortable writing it. It had potential, but it needed to be re-worked a little in my opinion.
shardy1's review
3.0
OMG
Klara was the perfect innocent heroine in this story. She had a great heart and showed her emotions to everyone.
Enter Vlad aka Vee. This is an alpha male at his finest. Leader of his Mafia group, he leads with a strong presence but loving heart. He truly loved his family and his soldiers but because of his own father had a hard expressing himself.
Great book. Totally recommend this
Klara was the perfect innocent heroine in this story. She had a great heart and showed her emotions to everyone.
Enter Vlad aka Vee. This is an alpha male at his finest. Leader of his Mafia group, he leads with a strong presence but loving heart. He truly loved his family and his soldiers but because of his own father had a hard expressing himself.
Great book. Totally recommend this
yaruz7's review
4.0
Ok so I didn't fall in love with the main characters but the story draw me in and kept me guessing how everything would play out. Can't wait to see what happens next.
This was my first A.C. Bextor book and definitely won't be the last.
This was my first A.C. Bextor book and definitely won't be the last.
kaciethesahm's review
4.0
First Book
I chose a four star rating because the book was full of suspense, anger, madness, humanity, and sorrow. It would have gotten a five star rating had there been more to the epilogue. Hopefully we as readers will learn more with this next installment.
I chose a four star rating because the book was full of suspense, anger, madness, humanity, and sorrow. It would have gotten a five star rating had there been more to the epilogue. Hopefully we as readers will learn more with this next installment.