Review: Bound by Lies by Lylah James

May 13, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

BOUND BY LIES
Series: Fatal Alliances #1
Genre: Dark Romance 
Author: Lylah James
Release Date: May 13, 2026

From Amazon bestselling author Lylah James comes a new dark, arranged-marriage romance about a mafia princess and the cruel man who did everything to ruin her in an effort to make her…his.

For the longest time, I had been a pawn between two empires built on blood.
I had been promised to Matteo, who was supposed to be my future.

But it was his brother who ruined me.

Adrian Salvatore—reckless, merciless, carved from sin and evil. The brother no one dared to control. The one who looked at me like I was always meant to be…his.

He stole my first kiss beneath the moonlight, right there at my engagement party.
And he never stopped.
Not when I begged.
Not when I threatened.

Until one night…

One mistake. One unforgivable moment that shattered everything I was raised to protect. My modesty, my virtue, my family’s honor.

Somehow I found myself bound to Adrian in ways I never wanted.

But he didn’t believe in love.
Everything he had ever done was driven by vengeance.

Adrian wasn’t going to protect me.
Instead, he had promised to break me.

Somewhere between the hate and fear became a reckless obsession.
And with that obsession came more destruction.
We were both damned, but only one of us would survive the monster we’d become.

BOUND BY LIES is book one in the dark and twisted FATAL ALLIANCES series. Please read the author’s note at the beginning of the book.

AMAZON

Inside, I burned and withered. Outside, I was the flawless pawn. Perfect wife. Perfect lie. Perfect illusion.

Did I finish this book or did it finish me? Because what do you MEAN with this cliffhanger? I AM NOT OK!!!

Our story was forged from shattered bones and built on splintered spines; our pages soaked in blood and stained with death, cursed from the first sentence by a fate neither of us would ever outrun.

Dark mafia romance fans, gather round, because if this book isn’t on your radar, you are seriously missing out.

Now let me tell you something. I love and I mean LOVE this genre. But as of late, stories that truly stick with me are few and hard to come by. Everything sort of feels generic, repetitive and with glorified shock value. Like a whole lot of meh. So for a story to have this level of a chokehold on me? That deserves 4 stars for that alone. But I digress. Let’s talk about this book.

This is book one in the Fatal Alliances series and it is not a standalone. That cliffhanger will hit you with the force of a two by four and I’m still licking my wounds. But the pain is so worth it because I DEVOURED this story.

Do you like your MMCs mean, villainous, and absolutely pitch black? Meet Adrian Salvatore. This man will have you hating him when you’re not lusting after him. And yes, it’s absolutely toxic, but man did I love him as much as I loved to hate him.
Do you like your FMCs fierce, to give as good as they get, and with a spine of steel? Meet Serafina Morelli. She is the Morelli mafia princes and promised to a Salvatore brother to unite the two families. But unbeknownst to her, the brother she’s not engaged has bigger plans, and suddenly she finds herself in the crosshairs of his dangerous game of revenge. Her world turned upside down, she’s suddenly drowning in lies and deadly secrets.

This wasn’t love. It wasn’t even affection. It was something else entirely. It was dark and feral. Obsessive and violent. A desperate need to feel something… anything… besides the horror and the fear and the hatred that consumed us both.

To say that Serafina and Adrian were absolutely toxic together is an understatement. I absolutely hated Adrian for the way he treated her. But I also loved the way she fights against his binds. This is a woman who doesn’t just take her fate lying down.

There is so much to both of their stories that we just scratch the surface with this book. We get a small snippet of understanding of what is driving Adrian. And the more I read, the more I began to understand him. Did I still judge him? Absolutely. But I also loved peeling back all of his many layers.

This was dark and deliciously twisty. Full of secrets and an electric chemistry that is as toxic as it is all consuming.

I have been rocking myself in a corner since I finished and will remain there until I get my hands on book two.

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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: Hunt The Villain by Rina Kent

March 24, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

HUNT THE VILLAIN
Series: Villain #2
Genre: Dark MM Romance 
Author: Rina Kent
Release Date: March 24, 2026

From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a standalone dark MM mafia rivals romance set in the world of Legacy of Gods.

I’m hunting a monster

The first time I met Yulian Dimitriev, it was hate at first sight.
He’s brash, chaotic, and a violence-junkie.
In short, everything I disregard.
As heirs to two notorious mafia organizations, we were shoved together in an unorthodox setting.
The more I learn about Yulian, the deeper my loathing seeps.
Until I truly see the person within, and something forbidden sparks between us.
But our coexistence is cut short when tragedy strikes.
Yulian and I go back to our respective, parallel worlds that shouldn’t cross.
But they do.
And once again, I’m dragged into the orbit of a man I shouldn’t want.
Two men can’t be together in our world.
But Yulian blurs every limit I thought existed until everything is in jeopardy.
Our hearts included.

Tropes:

  • Grumpy x Chaotic Sunshine
  • Mafia Romance
  • Enemies to Lovers
  • Second Chance Tension
  • Pining / Longing
  • Mutual Obsession
  • Bi Awakening

Hunt the Villain is a male x male dark college romance. This book can be read as a standalone, but for a better understanding of the world, it’s recommended to read Kiss the Villain first.

AMAZON

“Go ahead and kiss me. You know you want to.”
“I fucking despise you sometimes.”
“And the rest of the time?”
“I want to kill you.” My lips crash to his

Look, I don’t know what sort of book crack Rina pours into these books, but I hope she never stops. I thought I loved Nico and Brandon’s book, but then I met Yulian. And who knew someone can possibly get more feral and unhinged than Nikolai. But Yulian was an absolute masterpiece of manic chaos and obsession and I fell head over ovaries for this man.

Remember what I said before. One way or another, I always get what I want, Mishka.”

Where Yulian is manic chaos, Vaughn is controlled anger. This man is as calculated and masterful as his father. And when your father is THE Kirill Morozov, well, that’s some big shoes to fill. But Vaughn quickly shows that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

We finally understand and get to see where these two first cross paths and how they end back in each other’s orbit. And now that scene that hooked us all (Vaughn with his chain around Yulian) finally gets its origin story and boy was I here for it.

Yulian is obsession with laser focused intent. When he sets his eyes on Vaughn, he’ll stop at nothing to bring him back in his world. Rivaling mafia families? Doesn’t matter. Vaughn has a girlfriend? Well, let’s just say he deals with that one in a very Yulian way.

The banter and sexual tension between these two was on a whole other level. I couldn’t get enough of their angry lusting. And oh how much of that angry lusting! It was delicious. And then an obsessed Vaughn? GAH!

A universe where he belongs to someone else doesn’t fucking exist.

I read this book in whisper sync, with both audio and the kindle version. And trust me, if you want an experience for your ears, you need to experience this full cast audio book. And Teddy Hamilton as Yulian was an experience not to be missed.

I devoured this book and while it’s a THICK story, it read faster than I hoped because I didn’t want it to end. The chemistry was out of this world. The emotions were perfection. And the story, a non stop thrill ride. And the preview for the next book? I’m gagged.

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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: 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: 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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AUDIO Review: Sweet Venom by Rina Kent

December 10, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

 

SWEET VENOM
Series: Vipers #2
Author: Rina Kent
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: December 2, 2025

From the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a dangerously dark stalker hockey romance.


Can I outrun his merciless obsession?

I accidentally witnessed a brutal murder.
I froze, pretended I saw nothing, hoping I could leave it behind.
But my plan backfired, and my life spiraled downward.
Now, I’m the target of cold-blooded revenge.
Jude Callahan isn’t just a hockey god—he’s a devil no one dares to cross.
My existence disrupts his stardom, prestige, and possible serial killer career choice.
And he’s set out to make me pay for that moment of silence.
No matter how much I run or hide, he finds me, watching from the shadows.
Like a predator.
I thought he’d stop at the stalking.
Or even better, he’d kill me and finally end my misery.
But Jude has other plans.
He says I can’t die. I have to pay for my sins.
And just like that, he drags me into his depraved world, kicking and screaming.

Tropes:

  • Hockey romance x secret society
  • Antihero x Good girl
  • Enemies to lovers
  • He stalks her


This book can be read on its own but for better understanding of the world, it’s recommended to read Beautiful Venom first.

AMAZON

Please let me go.”
He shakes his head once, tsking as he pushes into me. “Don’t beg yet. We’ll get there… eventually.”

The way this audio had me in a complete chokehold for 3 days should be illegal. ILLEGAL I tells ya. But can you blame me when our lord and savior, Teddy, is narrating Jude? And I mean, JUDE. JUDE. Oh the man you are, Jude.

I don’t give a fuck who your type is. From now on, I’m your only type.”

I did a combo of ebook and audio with this and I’m so glad that I did, because this is a book you need to experience in audio. It just packs a different kind of punch when you get to experience Jude through Teddy. Trust me on this.

Yeah, well, you can have neither my heart nor my soul.”
“I will have your fucking everything, sweetheart.”

Now as for the story, while this is a standalone in an interconnected series, I do no recommend reading it out of order. You just won’t have the same level of appreciation for the story or the characters. So do yourself a favor and read Beautiful Venom first.

While I was super excited to read Jude’s book, admittedly I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Violet. After a peak into her in Beautiful Venom, I was afraid she may be too demure for my liking. And I am so happy to say that she surprised me in the best of ways. There were so many layers to her that the more the onion peeled back, the more I liked her.

If you’ve read Beautiful Venom, then you already know the dark connection with Violet and Jude. I won’t ruin it for you by telling you what it is but it landed her on Jude’s revenge list. He’s been stalking her for months, and now he’s prepared to finally do something about it. Except Violet is nothing what he expects because she welcomes his revenge. Violet was a dichotomy of strength and weakness. This is a woman who grew up in hell but didn’t let that rot her. There’s this layer of sweet and caring in her that on anyone else would seem almost cliche, but worked here.

And Jude? I LOVED Jude.

Yes, yes… oh God.”
“I can be your god, Violet. I’ll be your fucking everything.”

But I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that another secondary character took this book from a solid 4 straight to a 5 star read for me and that was Preston. The sheer chaotic madness of this man just carried the book.

I devoured this story but that ending has me wheezing for the next book. WHEEZING. I need it. With the kind of desperation I cannot even describe to you. 

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