Review: Green Eyed Devil by Veronica Lancet

April 3, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

GREEN EYED DEVIL
Series: Morally Questionable #2
Genre: Dark Romance 
Author: Veronica Lancet
Release Date: April 3, 2026

Allegra Agosti is dead.
She died five years ago, while her husband watched.

But now she’s back.

Alive, unrecognizable, and colder than the girl she used to be. The girl who loved too deeply. Trusted too fully. Broke too easily.
And Enzo Agosti… He is not the man she remembers.

His reputation precedes him. Beautiful. Lethal. Amoral. As do his conquests: every week he has a new stunning model on his arm.

So why, then, when he sees Allegra again, he looks at her like she is the answer to all his prayers?

Their marriage was once tragic obsession dressed as love. Now it’s longing sharpened into a weapon.

And no matter how much time passes, some things never change:

Allegra is the only person Enzo has ever loved.

But Enzo is the one person Allegra has vowed to kill.

Revenge is a dish best served cold. But every time Allegra and Enzo come together, they burn hotter than ever.

They circle each other with old hunger and new wounds—too angry to forgive, too bound to let go.

Yet only one outcome is possible: either she kills him first, or he teaches her how to love him again.

Green Eyed Devil is a DARK enemies to lovers romance. Parts were previously published in Morally Decadent.

AMAZON

Wretched is the one who loves but can never be loved back.

I first discovered Veronica’s writing with her Morally Questionable series (and loved Morally Corrupt. I have no idea why I never finished the series but when I saw that she’s revamping the books, I saw it as my sign. And one binge read later, here we are.

Now this is one of those books where you will need to fully suspend your disbelief and go on vibes only. Because if you can’t, this book is not for your, friend, and you will not enjoy it. However, if you like morally grey mafia men, dark themes and even darker details, with a splash of unrequited (or is it?) love, this is definitely a good time.

I devoured the first 65% of this book. I mean I binge read it until the break of dawn and I don’t remember the last time I did that. That deserves a star of its own. But I digress. The story starts in the present, where we meet our FMC, who everyone thinks is dead, including her husband.

Allegra Agosti died five years ago. They didn’t just kill my body—they killed my heart, my spirit, my hope. Now I am a shell with a purpose… And no one can stop me.

After that, we spend the majority of the story in the past. We get to see how everything comes to pass; Allegra’s fateful meeting with Enzo and the absolute madness that her life becomes.

Now if you know me, then you know how much I love my fictional red flags. So is it any wonder that I fell head over heels over the emotionally constipated, quick to jealous rages, manipulative adonis that was Enzo Agosti? I think not.

Allegra and Enzo’s story is as toxic as it comes. Its obsession drenched in dark possession. And for everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) that Allegra goes through, she never loses her spark or her backbone. This is a woman who gives as good as she gets, whether it’s her husband, his toxic family, or her own. Now I will say that this book suffered from one too many villains. Like literally 85% of the secondary characters in this story are the literal scum of the earth. It didn’t need all that and at times it was almost too much and began to take away from the story. It became a distraction and a game of how much one person can go through and survive. I mean, remember when I told you to suspend your disbelief? This is why.

Both of the characters had many layers and the more that the onion was peeled back, the more I fell for Enzo. By the end of the book, I understood exactly why he was the way he was even when I wanted to hate him in parts of the book for the way he treats Allegra in the effort to keep her at arm’s length. I enjoyed Allegra’s character too, as well as her growth through the years.

The story spans over several years; from the time that they meet to 5 years later when she “dies”. The story is fast paced and action packed. And although it did feel too much was thrown in, it was still incredibly entertaining and kept me reading into the night. Though I did regret that decision after reading two of the most excruciatingly graphic torture scenes that I fear may live rent free in my head for the foreseeable future. But it’s a dark romance, so I didn’t exactly expect fluffy kittens and rainbow. However, I am slightly traumatized, not going to lie.

Anyways, this was an entertain, gritty and dark read that I definitely enjoyed. Was it perfect? No. But it hit the spot and it brought me out of my slump. So 4 stars for the vibes.

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Review: Burning Blood by Pepper Winters

March 27, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

BURNING BLOOD
Series: Darkest Destiny Trilogy #2
Genre: Dark Romance Fantasy Fusion
Author: Pepper Winters
Release Date: March 27, 2026

The second book in the Darkest Destiny Trilogy by New York Times Bestseller, Pepper Winters.

Lucien has three goals.
Escape Cinderkeep.
Ignore his feelings for Rook.
And drown in a sea of his enemies’ blood.

Rook only has one goal.
Stay alive.

But if she gives him what he wants…one of them will die.
And if one dies…the other follows.


Dark. Obsessive. Fated.
Perfect for readers who love morally grey villains, forced proximity, touch-her-and-die energy, and romance that becomes elemental.

Tropes:
Fated Mates
Elemental Magic
High Stakes
Secrets & Lies
The Burn is REAL
Power Play
Corruption
Soul Bonds
Modern to Epic Fantasy
Morally grey antihero
Touch-her-and-die energy

AMAZON

We were both driven to a disastrous edge. An edge that promised total destruction if we didn’t stop. But we couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop.

After the painful cliffhanger in book one, I was pretty sure I was ready to sell my soul for my next hit of this trilogy. And if you’ve ever read a Pepper Winters book, then you already know how masterfully she can suck you into her dark prose.

At the end of Darkest Trilogy, we were left with more questions than answers. And I’m sorry to inform you, but it’s ten fold with this book. I may have the shakes after finishing it.

We get one step closer to the mystery of who Rook and Lucien really are. Why does Rook suffer debilitating headaches? Why is she the only one who can calm the raging fiery storm that brews inside Lucien. What does Lucien’s blood really do? And how do they fit together within their destinies. Those are all things we get one step closer to learning but only graze the surface.

Herein also lies the rub of my review. Because I did find myself struggling to finish. The pacing felt slow and a touch repetitive in parts. It took me about 5 days to finish and I found losing interest from the 20%-70% mark. Now, my mood could also have a lot to do with this so take this with a grain of salt. Because once I got to the 70% mark, the plot thickens, and I was absolutely riveted to the pages.
We finally get a taste of the action that I’ve been craving, only to be hit with another cliffhanger that I swear felt even harder than the first.

So here I am, yet again, shaking until I can get my hands on the conclusion.

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Review: Beautiful Savage by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

February 3, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

BEAUTIFUL SAVAGE
Series: Dark Empire #2
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Author: Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Release Date: July 20, 2020

A dark, mafia standalone from Wall Street Journal #1 bestselling authors Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

I’ll destroy them all to make her mine…

I want to forget the man I used to be. But violence just keeps calling my name. To avenge her, I’ll become that savage again.

Dark.

Corrupted.

Brutal.

Hers.

She was broken by the men who took her, so now I’m going to make them bleed.

I might be her saviour, but I’m no valiant knight.

There’s only one thing I want in return for helping the girl I found in the wilderness. And that’s her.

Winter may not remember who she is, but she’ll soon realise that the only thing she needs to be is mine.

I’m the shadow of two men and the total of none, though she might be what I need to rebuild myself.

So once I lay their heads at her feet, I’ll cast my tattered soul down with them.

And I’ll paint her a happily ever after in their blood.

Nicoli and Winter’s story is a Stand-Alone Dark Mafia Romance with revenge themes and a HEA and no cliffhanger. It contains heat, passion and explosive steamy scenes for readers who enjoy mature content. For the best reader experience, start with book 1 Beautiful Carnage.

AMAZON

I’ll be your warrior, Winter. Because you need vengeance and I need redemption.

You know that feeling when you absolutely LOVE and devour the first book in the series and you are so giddy to read the next one, only to end up rage reading it to spite yourself? Yeah? I didn’t either, but I sure do now. Because what a disappointment this book was. It was like night and day from book one and I’m still bitter that I forced myself to finish it. I kept thinking that surely it will get better. Right? WRONG. I have bitten off my nose to spite my face and I have all the regrets. Le sigh.

After the curve ball of a twist we get at the end of Beautiful Carnage, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Nicoli’s book. And I remained excited right up around 20%, and then the excited began to rapidly wane. And annoyance and cringe entered the chat. First of all, the nicknames in this book gave me a nervous tick. The amount of times he called her “savage girl” and “Baby doll” was like nails on a chalkboard after a while. One overused nickname is enough, but two just about did me in. He calls her “baby doll” 83 times and “savage girl” 64 times. And yes, I counted.

But that aside, there was just something about this story that just didn’t land. Winter’s character had so much potential but she was flat. There was nothing more to her outside what was described. I couldn’t connect with her for the life of me. Her connection with Nicoli also felt flat. The chemistry was just not there. I felt like every nuance of this book was a tell instead of show and it just didn’t land. The spice began to take over the plot and by the 60% mark, I was skimming over every sex scene because it just got repetitive and boring. It also got eye roll inducing cliche of we’re in danger so therefore we must bang.

Considering how much I loved the first book, this one fell so flat. I regret forcing myself to finish but I did enjoy the additional POV of the rest of the brothers. I do hope we get books for them eventually, because I’m super intrigued. But this book was sadly not it for me.

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Review: Beautiful Carnage by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

February 2, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

BEAUTIFUL CARNAGE
Series: Dark Empire #1
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Author: Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Release Date: January 4, 2020

A dark, mafia standalone from Wall Street Journal #1 bestselling authors Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

His family killed my brother, so I stole his bride…

I was there to murder her father, but then I saw her walking down the aisle.

She’s been my secret obsession for too long. The sinfully beautiful Calabresi princess.

Sloan was the perfect payment for their crimes.

Now she’s mine.

Mine to claim.

Mine to possess.

Mine to destroy.

Her fiancé is still hunting for us, but his bride might not be so innocent by the time he tracks her down.

I’m lining her family up like dominoes. And she’ll be the first to fall.

Unless I fall prey to temptation and decide to keep her for myself.

Rocco and Sloan’s story is a Stand-Alone Enemies to Lovers Dark Romance with a HEA and no cliffhanger. It contains heat, passion and explosive steamy scenes for readers who enjoy mature content.

It all began with letters. Every word he wrote etched itself into my mind, into my soul.  
I had no choice but to fall for him. Was it really so bad that the letters were part of a penpal program … for prisoners? Or that they weren’t addressed to me? 
 
It’s not as if we’d ever meet. It’s not as if I’d ever get to look into Beau’s eyes that yearn for the ranch he left behind. Or that I’d ever get to feel his work-roughened hands dominating my body just as he does my fevered dreams. What harm could there be? 
 
Until one afternoon when I find myself standing in front of Beau—pretending to be someone I’m not. But the joke’s on me because for all my pretenses, his deception is much crueler … The hardened, dangerous, impossibly beautiful man is nothing like the man in the letters. 
 
And it’s too late for me to run. 
 
Content Guidance: 
The contents of this dark romance book may be triggering to some readers. It contains explicit sexual content and a morally gray hero. 
 
Trigger warnings: false identities, stalking/obsession, revenge/retribution, abduction, drugging, blackmail/coercion, forced marriage, violence, bondage, knife play, gun play, dubious consent, non-consent, off-the-page domestic abuse set in the past, off-the-page murder set in the past, parental grief 

AMAZON

I didn’t think I could hate anyone more than I hate you,” she breathed as the silence stretched between us.
A dark laugh escaped me and I leaned forward in my chair, moving so close to her that she had no choice but to turn and look at me. “I don’t think that’s true, bella,” I said in a low voice.
“You don’t think I hate you?” she asked, arching an eyebrow at me like I was insane.
“I think you hate me so hard, it eats you up. You hate me so hard you dream about me and all the awful things I might do to you. But I think that in those dreams you don’t actually hate it so much when I do them…”

Oh the giddy excitement that I devoured this book with. OMG. I have wanted to try more of their books since I read and loved Forget-Me-Not Bombshell but I’m not yet adventurous enough to delved into their series. Don’t judge me. I have the attention span of a fly. But I digress. I was in the mood for a true enemies to lovers dark mafia romance but everything I would pick up was just sort of BLAH. Ya know? Like it just wouldn’t hit the right way. I’ve had this one on my TBR for a while and 5 DNFs and 1 star later, I thought, why not. What do I have to lose. Apparently my entire day is what. Because it was an absolute blur as I devoured this book.

It had me hooked from the very first page. And I mean HOOKED. We’re talking true enemies to lovers where these two first meet when Rocco comes after her family but for some reason decided to spare her life. A few years later, Sloan is back to where it all started. She’s not the same 18 year old girl who was almost a victim. SHe’s a fighter. But one thing that she can’t fight, is her father’s plan for her. Which is to marry Nicoli, his protege. And it’s her duty to agree. But the wedding goes off with a bang when Rocco and his brothers crash it. And what’s a man to do when his revenge plan to kill a rival family doesn’t go as planned? Kidnap the bride, of course. DUH. And here, my friends, is where the real fun begins.

Because Sloan is not some easy prey. She gives as good as she gets and the banter between these two was EVERYTHING. This book had everything; a dark and gritty story, a slow burn romance full of tension and chemistry, delicious spice when it finally hits, and two main characters that I couldn’t get enough of.

If you love dark mafia romance and you haven’t read this one yet, do yourself a favor and grab this one. You won’t be disappointed!

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Review: Branded by Saffron A. Kent

February 1, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

BRANDED
Genre: Dark Wester Romance
Author: Saffron Kent
Release Date: October 28, 2025

In this dark western romance, a college student uses a false identity to exchange spicy letters with a prison inmate, only to be hunted down when the convicted cowboy is released—perfect for fans of J.T. Geissinger’s Pen Pal and the Yellowstone TV series. 
 
It all began with letters. Every word he wrote etched itself into my mind, into my soul. 
 
I had no choice but to fall for him. Was it really so bad that the letters were part of a penpal program … for prisoners? Or that they weren’t addressed to me? 
 
It’s not as if we’d ever meet. It’s not as if I’d ever get to look into Beau’s eyes that yearn for the ranch he left behind. Or that I’d ever get to feel his work-roughened hands dominating my body just as he does my fevered dreams. What harm could there be? 
 
Until one afternoon when I find myself standing in front of Beau—pretending to be someone I’m not. But the joke’s on me because for all my pretenses, his deception is much crueler … The hardened, dangerous, impossibly beautiful man is nothing like the man in the letters. 
 
And it’s too late for me to run. 
 
Content Guidance: 
The contents of this dark romance book may be triggering to some readers. It contains explicit sexual content and a morally gray hero. 
 
Trigger warnings: false identities, stalking/obsession, revenge/retribution, abduction, drugging, blackmail/coercion, forced marriage, violence, bondage, knife play, gun play, dubious consent, non-consent, off-the-page domestic abuse set in the past, off-the-page murder set in the past, parental grief 

AMAZON

He’s my adventure. The one I’ve been waiting for my whole life.

Did this take me a hot minute to read? Yes it did. I started this in audio back in December, and definitely enjoyed the narrators. But then somewhere around the 40% mark, I began to slightly lose interest and so I decided to finish it on ebook because I read faster than I listen. Look. It is what it is.

Now I love me a dark western romance especially when there’s a delicious revenge plot. So the premise of this book was calling to me like nothing else. Pen Pal meets Yellowstone, yes please. Though I wouldn’t really compare it to Pen Pal, per se. Does the FMC exchange letters with a convict? Yes. But that’s about where the parallel ends. It definitely does give Yellowstone vibes.

The writing is a bit different than what I’m used to from Saffron. This gave me old school Lora Leigh vibes. If you know, you know. And if you don’t know, think uber alphas and the dirtiest of dirty talk. And usually this works for me. And I mean I will gobble it up. But somewhere around the 40% mark, it began to slide from hot into cringey. The dirty talk just didn’t land. Something about “college girl snatch” and the constant reminders of how monster his c*ck is and how little her snatch is just got tiresome. So did the dialogue. The virgin FMC with much older and experienced MMC just got weird, if I’m being perfectly honest. And while virgin FMC isn’t my fave, I’ll read it and enjoy it when it’s written in a way that lands for me. This one sadly didn’t land.

Do you know what position that is?” I jerk out a nod, my breaths already choppy in this moment, already hard to come by, and he hasn’t even done anything yet. “Tell it to me,” he orders.
“D-doggie style,” I whisper and then blush like crazy.
His lips stretch up in a lopsided smile as he praises, “Good girl.”
God, he shouldn’t say things like this when I’m so scared. Because then I become even more turned on and I don’t know what to do with myself.
“You read that in a book?” he asks next.
“Yes,” I reply, clenching and unclenching my thighs.
His smile widens and so does the fondness in his eyes, in his tone. “Yeah, you did. ’Cause my sweet wife is a college girl, ain’t she? Straight-A student, no less. Except sociology though. That’s how she got stuck with a no-good ex-con like me.”
“Arsen, you—” “And the reason it’s called that is ’cause that’s how dogs fuck,” he says, making me flinch and somehow even hornier. “That’s how all animals fuck, by the way. Don’t know if they taught you that in your big, fancy college but you grow up on a ranch, you know these things. But the point is I’m gonna fuck you like that.

As much as I enjoyed Arsen in some parts, I couldn’t for the life of me connect with Reverie. There was absolutely no depth to this girl. Beyond her body issues even though she’s described as having a bombshell body with curves, there were was nothing else to her. She was just…flat. No pun intended. Her character was two dimensional and I so wanted something more from her that sadly never came.

One moment she’s a virginal ingenue that blushes and gets offended over vulgar sex talk. The next moment she’s using that sex talk herself without so much as a stutter. She was frustrating and the more I turned the pages, the more frustrating she became.

The story was interesting for the first 30-40% but then it just began to lose me. The sex began to take over the story and I began to skim. And don’t get me wrong, I love me some spice. And I can enjoy a sex driven story for the most part. But I felt like by the last 50% of this book, the sex was really the only thing in the story and I just lost interest. The story dragged and I found myself zoning in and out.

The only thing that kept me reading was the snippets of Peyton and Rad. I loved Peyton’s fiery personality and I’m so curious about her book (which is next).

Oh, you sweet summer child, you haven’t seen the kind of havoc I can wreak. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be cursing the day you ever laid your eyes on me.”

Sadly, her bestie Reverie just didn’t evoke anything other than frustration and eye rolls from me by the end.

And while I didn’t love this book, I am intrigued enough by the premise of the family feud and definitely Peyton’s storyline to want to read the next one.

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Review: Veiled in Hate by BJ Alpha

January 30, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

VEILED IN HATE
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Author: A Zavarelli
Release Date: July 16, 2023

Veiled in Hate

Veiled In Hate is a standalone Dark Mafia Romance based on Luca from SHAW: STORM ENTERPRISES Book 1.

Luca

I’m filled with darkness, thriving on the only thing I feel, hate.

The blood I’ve shed to avenge my sister’s death has done nothing to appease me.

When my don creates an alliance between our enemies to create peace, I’ve no choice but to comply.

That doesn’t mean I’ll make it easy for her—the Ricci Princess.

She will be the perfect target for my hate.

Hate has never felt so good.

In blood we’re bound. In trust we live.

Camille

He hates every fiber of my being.

Luca Varros tried to end my bloodline in a quest for vengeance. He refuses to listen to reason.

When we’re forced together as part of an alliance, he turns his hate toward me.

But I see beyond his darkness, I see a glimmer of a man I will him to become.

And when my own veil of hate is about to slip, I’m reminded of the truth.

Luca Varros feels nothing. His quest for vengeance will always come first.

In blood we’re bound. In truth we live.


The book features dark elements and triggers so please check the authors website for details.

 

AMAZON

In blood we’re bound. In trust we live

I genuinely can’t remember the last time I gave a book one star. But when I finished this in a plume of rage, morbid curiosity, and the last shred of sanity I had, I simply couldn’t rate it anything higher. Because oh my god the way I hated this book. And speaking of the word “hate”, that was used 140 times. Yes, you read that right. 140 times. And that quote above? 14 times.

As a predominantly dark romance reader that loves mafia romance and red flags of MMCs who happen to be super mean, this blurb read like absolute trope candy to me. But the actual story? Well that read like a mix of low budget porn and pure shock value. I also love a mean MMCs and the whole revenge plot, but this was straight abuse porn. Nothing hot, sexy or entertaining about it. I feel like I have PTSD after finishing it.

The characters had absolutely no depth or character development. The MMCs has two moods running on rotation; homicidal rage and horny. That’s it. Nothing more. When he’s not raging, he’s horny, and when he’s not horny, he’s raging. Although sometimes he was both.

I lean over her body, grab a hold of her, and yank her head up so our eyes clash. I spit in her face. The rage and arousal combined make for a deadly concoction. “Say you fucking understand!” I slam inside her again, taking the air from her lungs.

How a book could feel like it goes on forever and too quick at the same time is beyond me. But this did. Because we spend 90% of this book with the MMC essentially abusing the FMC for daring to share the same blood as her now deceased twin brother who allegedly raped and killed Luca’s sister. And the FMC being both a virginal ingenue and master d*ck sucker at the same time. Every time I thought she grew a backbone and would sass him, she would then turn around and let him basically crap all over it. She forgave him the most atrocious things and I just couldn’t deal.

We go back and forth in this cloud of hate sex and Luca repeating ad nauseam just how much he hates Camille. And Camille just taking it while at the same time kinda sorta enjoying it but not really. Then Luca does something so atrocious at the end that short of crawling on his knees in broken glass to beg Camille’s forgiveness, nothing less would do. Sadly, all that happens is that she runs away, he find her, admits his love, and she forgives him. At that point, I think I would have preferred him getting hit by a bus rather than a HEA and I feel sick just saying it out loud. But never has a character deserved a HEA less than Luca.

There was nothing truly dark about this book. It was pure shock value with way too many sex scenes as filler and some of the cringiest dirty talk I have ever read.

Fuck. I’m going to come. I’m going to come so fucking hard on you.” I imagine his lips parted, his eyes crazed, and his body strung tight. “Fuck, that’s it. Drown in my cum, Camille. Fucking drown in it.”

And as a reader who has the memory of a gold fish, I wish I could forget this book. But alas, it’s now etched in my memory banks for the foreseeable future. Which I suppose deserves at least one star for that.

Le sigh.

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Review: Darkest Destiny by Pepper Winters

January 28, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

DARKEST DESTINY
Series: Darkest Destiny Trilogy #1
Genre: Dark Romance Fantasy Fusion
Author: Pepper Winters
Release Date: January  28, 2026

From New York Times Bestselling Pepper Winters comes a Dark Romance with a twist…

For twenty years, Lucien Ashfall has been caged by the very men who profit from his blood.
He’s dangerous, uncontrollable, and deadly.
He’s also the only one carrying his bloodline and they need another.
Every six months, thirty girls are sent into his prison and tasked with one goal: Make him create an heir by any means necessary.
But everyone who goes in, never comes out.
Until Rook Snowdon is thrown into Cinderkeep by mistake.
She isn’t a seductress.
And she certainly isn’t there to save anyone.
In fact, she only has three goals in life:
One, hide her true identity for as long as possible.
Two, nap and self-medicate with wine.
Three (and most problematic) ignore the fact that stress is slowly killing her.
Lucien only has one goal: escape and burn everything to the ground.
Unfortunately, everyone has their secrets and these two have many.
They just don’t know it yet.
Because she might be the key to getting him free.
But if he gets out, it’s not the world that will burn.
It’s him.

This isn’t just a Dark Romance.
It’s fated, feral, and dangerous—until it becomes something else entirely.

Tropes:
morally grey, caged & tortured antihero
chronically ill heroine with a twist
emotional support pet (unalives for fun)
captive / captor tension
touch-her-and-die energy
her touch terrifies him for a good reason
luxury palace built to cage a monster
slow-burn obsession → forbidden, fated bond
modern dark romance that mutates into fantasy

AMAZON

I’d never seen someone who could suffocate a room with his very arrival. Never seen someone as beautiful as him—but just like beauty could make people commit awful mistakes, his beauty promised cold-blooded murder.

Holy…wow. How do I even begin to review this without spoiling the smallest detail? Because this is a story that you have to go into absolutely blind. Just trust me on this.

This was unlike anything I’ve read in a long while and I loved that about it. It wasn’t quite modern fiction, not quite fantasy. Yet it was this dark and gritty mix of both with a twist. It also had some vibes of beauty and the beast mixed with cinderella.

Rook thinks she’s going to an exclusive spa and instead gets thrown into a game of survival that she’s not even remotely prepared for. She ends up at Cinderkeep in the crosshairs of the elusive Lucien, who’s more legend than man. He’s also more feral than human, with a panther for his only companion. He’s been caged within the confines of Cinderkeep for over 20 years. His blood a currency he’s forced to give, while he dreams of escape and bloody revenge.

Women are thrown into his fortress in the hopes of being his mistress and bearing an heir….or killing him. But Rook doesn’t fall into any of those categories. But how do you convince a man who’s only know pain and betrayal his whole life that you want nothing from him? You don’t. You survive him.

This was very much a slow burn romance, and I loved every agonizing moment of it. It took me a little bit to get fully immersed in this world, but right around the 30% mark, I couldn’t stop reading. And that cliffhanger? DESPERATELY NEED the next book!

 

 

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Review: Pretty Prey by A. Zavarelli

January 26, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

PRETTY PREY
Series: Empire of Kings #2
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Author: A Zavarelli
Release Date: January 26, 2026

It started with a message from a stranger.
Or so I thought.
Beneath a veil of anonymity, he lured out my secrets, fears, and desires.

Behind the mask, he could be anyone.
And somehow, it felt safer not knowing.

He comes to me under the cover of darkness, pulling me deeper into this forbidden game.
I give myself to him, knowing the consequences could destroy my life.
I just didn’t expect him to be the one to ruin me.

When the mask comes off, the truth cuts deep.
He isn’t just a man obsessed.
He’s the same man who’s hated me for the last nine years.

In the Cosa Nostra, they call him Il Lupo.
The wolf.
And all this time…
I’ve been his prey.

 

AMAZON

There’s something so primal about the way he touches me. It isn’t just want. It’s possession.

It’s official, I’m obsessed with this series. It should come as no surprise, considering I live for A Zavarelli dark romance and mafia romance. But something about the Vitale brothers just hits oh so good. I was so excited for Romeo’s story after being introduced to his quiet storm as a secondary character in Beautiful Torment. But as a main character? He exceeded all of my expectations and then some.

She spends her days dreaming and creating. I spend mine destroying and taking. She’s sunshine, and I’m nightmare fuel.

Gabi and Romeo have a long standing history, rooted in pain and regrets. As a teenager, Gabi was in love with Romeo. But she never got to know what it would be like to be his. Because one fateful night changed the trajectory of their future and irrevocably changed his. She thinks that he hates her. He’s spent every moment he has in her presence antagonizing and throwing barbs her way after all. But little does she know that he has a secret that she’s at the center of.

Did you kill them?”
I consider lying to her, so I don’t scare her away. But Gabi’s too smart for that, and I don’t want to do that to her. “Acts of Service is my love language,” I tell her. “It was a romantic gesture.”

Romeo is the king of unhinged that I live for when it comes to my fictional men. This man is obsessed and he’s absolutely feral with it. I loved his single minded possessiveness.

I’m a one-mate animal, Gabriela,” he murmurs. “It’s primal for me. I have to have you.”

There was something so incredibly vulnerable about both of their characters. Gabi and her people pleasing ways, she struggles with her duty to her family and the cost that it would have to her. Her engagement to a man she doesn’t want, nothing but a business connection for the Cosa Nostra. And her pining for a man she can never is something she can’t seem to get away from.

The romance and the spice was absolutely delicious. The angst, the emotion, the sizzle of it all just hit every spot for me.

This was more mafia light than the previous book, but it was very much a page turner nonetheless. I loved the romance, I loved the characters, and I loved the story.

But sometimes all you need is someone to stand with you in the storm until it passes.”

I’m already itching for my next hit of this series and can’t wait for the next book!
A. Zavarelli is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of dark and contemporary romance.

When she’s not putting her characters through hell, she can usually be found watching bizarre and twisted documentaries in the name of research.

She currently lives in the Northwest with her lumberjack and an entire brood of fur babies.

Connect w/A. Zavarelli: 

Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter | Mailing List | Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Bookbub 

Check out more information on the books and authors coming this fall HERE—> https://under-world-kings.com

Keep up-to-date with all things Underworld Kings in the Reader Group HERE—> https://bit.ly/3ArB5vx

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Review: Darling Diana by Scarlett Finch

December 20, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

DARLING DIANA
Series: Blackstem Universe #1
Author: Scarlett Finch
Genre: Dark, Dystopian Omegaverse Romance
Release Date: December 9, 2025

“Because you are mine, and I am yours.”

In the ruins of this broken world, omegas are currency—I’ve stayed off that particular radar by pretending I’m not one, utilizing the resources as a nurse in a neutral zone to suppress everything about my scent.

Then he shows up.

He smells something on me that shouldn’t be possible. Something that I’m still grappling with.

Judge doesn’t let go of what’s his, and he’ll burn the whole damn world down to chase after me.

Darkly intense, brutally seductive, and charged with emotional heat. Darling Diana is a dystopian omegaverse novel. For fans of slow-burn obsession, morally black power plays, and heroines who refuse to break.


What type of Omegaverse is this?
-No shifters- -M/F- -scents are everything- -he bites without permission- -estrous- -purring- -knotty times- -craving… so much craving-

Dystopian Wastelands setting, in the frigid winter. Perfect for December <3

TRIGGER: Coerced bite mark, dub-con explicit scenes, graphic violence, assault attempts (nothing on page), substance use + substance used on people, taking people, mental collapse, emotional breakdown, manipulation, betrayal, some stockholm

This is book 1 of 2, and the second book is a guaranteed HEA.

AMAZON

Oh fuck you,” I manage out. He smiles slowly and sits down on the couch. “In due time, nurse.”

I am suing. SUING I tell ya. Suing for emotional damages because what do you MEAN you’re going to leave us like this, Scarlett Finch? My flabbers are gasted my even cannot. This is the kind of emotional damage a reader doesn’t come back from and the sheer audacity to write it so nonchalantly? I bow down to your evil genius. But I digress.

I discovered Charlotte Mallory earlier this year and was immediately hooked. If you haven’t read The Improper Bastards series yet, change that immediately. So when I saw she’s releasing an omegaverse dystopian romance under her pen name, Scarlett Finch? Suffice it to say I couldn’t get on it quick enough. There is just something about the way this woman writes an MMC that is absolute chefs kiss. And she did not disappoint with Judge. Holy walking red flag and morally gray epicness!

When I tell you that I devoured this book, I mean I couldn’t set it down from cover to cover. I was so wholly immersed in this world, that I dreaded finishing. And with good reason too, since that cliffhanger damn near killed me. But I digress. If you like hate lust, enemies to lovers vibes, fierce FMCs and morally gray MMCs, you’ll need this in your life.

In the dystopian wasteland world, Omegas are a currency between powerful and corrupt alpha led gangs. It’s like Mad Max meets romance sort of vibes and I was here for it. Diana has spent years hiding her Omega self by purchasing illegal suppressants that hide her true sent. In a desperate bid for more of the drugs, she stumbles into the crosshairs of one of the most dangerous alphas and a force to be reckoned with, Judge. Judge is the leader of the biker gang and notorious for his violence and ruthlessness. And she also just so happens to be his scent match. Sounds utterly delicious right? It really was!

This is very much a slow burn romance and I loved their chemistry filled journey. I also loved the way that Diana, while in impossible odds, doesn’t back down and holds her ground against a man who makes grown men tremble in fear.

I haven’t read as much omega verse romance and I have no idea why because this book hit the spot so well and so hard that now I’m craving more knotty times. But if you’re looking for something dark, gritty, sizzling, with plenty of tension and deliciously fun banter, look no further.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go die a slow death until the sequel comes out on March 23.

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Review: Sins of the Father by Isabel Lucero

December 19, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

SINS OF THE FATHER
Author: Isabel Lucero
Genre: Dark, MM Romance
Release Date: November 17, 2025

He comes to me through a lattice in a confessional booth in my church.

He’s brash, vulgar, and confessing to things that would send him to hell, and yet, I find myself intrigued by the mysterious man.

His sinful words thrill me. His way of life, so different from my own, has me coveting excitement that’s long been missing. The more I’m around him, the more I realize how long I’ve been deprived of so much, and the more my own deviance begins to emerge.

On paper, nothing about the two of us makes sense, and there are many reasons why I should keep my distance. I try to be pious, but if anyone were to find the skeletons in my closet, I’d be excommunicated from the church.

When something from my past reveals itself, I find myself being pulled into a way of life I didn’t think would be in my future, and now I straddle the line between right and wrong. Morality vs necessity.

I’m a priest. He’s a murderer. But we’re both sinners.

AMAZON

You got me on my knees, Father. Should I make a confession?” I nod once. “I’m about to ruin your life.”

The second I saw the blurb for this book, I knew it would be my first Isabel Lucero read. I am a sucker for the forbidden and the dark, and when you throw some mafia in? Stick a fork in me, I’m done!

A priest and a killer for hire? Yes please and gimme!

You can’t have sex, and I want to be the one to fuck you. To make a priest break his vow,”

While I enjoyed the story, I feel like I may have let my expectations also get the best of me. Carlo’s character development never quite clicked for me. The priesthood element felt glossed over and just thrown in for the plot, but never really fully touched. I missed the depth of the internal struggle and that never really happened. I understand that Carlo’s choice of the church wasn’t really a choice, but being in it for as long as he was, I expected at least some internal struggle. But it just felt like a switch was flipped and he no longer thought of it. And then the direction he took at the end, felt super off. I just couldn’t buy into it. I don’t want to ruin the twist, so I won’t spoil it, but I lacked the connection to really believe or buy into the direction of Carlo’s character.

As for Javi, I absolutely loved him and his filthy mouth. I do wish we got a bit more of his backstory development, but it was also just enough to connect me with him.

And while the chemistry was there, I felt like there wasn’t enough to really make the romance element believable. It went too quick too fast, that it just sort of happened, but lacked the development and the angst I’d expect.

If you like a dark mafia romance, this would hit the spot. It probably could have been done without the priesthood element and been just as good if not better. But again, my expectations got away from me with this one. Did I enjoy it? For the most part, yes. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

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