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Deception Trilogy #1
Yalanın Yemini
Benim kocam. Benim işkencecim.
Bir gün şehirdeki en kötü şöhrete sahip adam bana bir iş teklif etti. Benden ölü karısı gibi davranmamı istiyordu. Ve Adrian Volkov, hayır cevabını kabul edecek türden biri değildi. İşlerini demir yumrukla yönetirdi ve tüm emirleri hemen yerine getirilirdi. Teklifine karşı iki seçenek sunmuştu. Ya hapse girecektim ya da onun gazabına uğrayacaktım. Ben de başımın üstünde bir çatı olmasını seçtim. Rol yapmanın nesi bu kadar zor olabilirdi ki? Değil mi? Ama yanıldım. Karısının yerine geçtiğim anda her şey kontrolden çıktı. Artık hayatta kalmamın tek yolu Adrian’dan geçiyordu. Peki, gerçekten de öyle miydi?
Bir gün şehirdeki en kötü şöhrete sahip adam bana bir iş teklif etti. Benden ölü karısı gibi davranmamı istiyordu. Ve Adrian Volkov, hayır cevabını kabul edecek türden biri değildi. İşlerini demir yumrukla yönetirdi ve tüm emirleri hemen yerine getirilirdi. Teklifine karşı iki seçenek sunmuştu. Ya hapse girecektim ya da onun gazabına uğrayacaktım. Ben de başımın üstünde bir çatı olmasını seçtim. Rol yapmanın nesi bu kadar zor olabilirdi ki? Değil mi? Ama yanıldım. Karısının yerine geçtiğim anda her şey kontrolden çıktı. Artık hayatta kalmamın tek yolu Adrian’dan geçiyordu. Peki, gerçekten de öyle miydi?
336 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2021
9941 people are currently reading
86536 people want to read
About the author
Rina Kent
56 books64.1k followersRina Kent is a New York Times, USA Today, and #1 bestselling author of all things dark romance.
Better known for writing unapologetic anti-heroes and villains, Rina weaves tales of characters you shouldn’t fall for but inevitably do. Her stories are laced with a touch of darkness, a splash of angst, and just the right amount of unhealthy intensity.
When she’s not busy plotting mayhem for her ever-expanding Rinaverse, she leads a private life in London, travels, and pampers her cats in true Cat Lady fashion.
You can find her below:
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Better known for writing unapologetic anti-heroes and villains, Rina weaves tales of characters you shouldn’t fall for but inevitably do. Her stories are laced with a touch of darkness, a splash of angst, and just the right amount of unhealthy intensity.
When she’s not busy plotting mayhem for her ever-expanding Rinaverse, she leads a private life in London, travels, and pampers her cats in true Cat Lady fashion.
You can find her below:
Website
Newsletter
Bookbub
Amazon
TikTok
Reader Group
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,390 reviews
June 28, 2021
2.5 Stars
Kind of a train wreck, but interested enough to continue…
Kind of a train wreck, but interested enough to continue…
June 12, 2022
review to fucking come. 0 stars though. i am out for blood. i WILL murder someone.
the kindle phone app wouldn't let me access my notes and i was about to be so fucking pissed but now that i have managed to get access to them on my laptop and am reliving the experience - fuck you amazon, why didn't you just delete it for real
welcome to my 500th review. this is no cause for celebration. neither of us will have fun.
there will be SPOILERS
Adrian Volkov: I'm too irresistible to be a rapist.
Also Adrian Volkov: Is a rapist
if you like Adrian Volkov: you have terrible taste in men. i'm not even sorry.
this dude has no redeeming qualities. none.
he's an abusive piece of shit to his wife (or "wife", fuck do i know at this point) about whom he says this
"You’re my wife, my property, my thing. That means you walk the line I trace and make the decisions I allow."
he's a distant father at best and a fucking disgusting creep to his son at worst
“Papa, is Mommy in there?” I gasp at Jeremy’s voice and I try to scramble from Adrian’s hold, but he keeps me joined to him by the fingers inside me. “Let me go. Your son is outside.” He’s looking at me when he speaks to Jeremy, “Yes.” “Can I come in?” the little boy asks. I shake my head frantically, but Adrian says, “Yes.” “Are you crazy?” I hiss under my breath. “You said I don’t spend much time with him.”
ah yes, spending time with your five year old while you have your fingers inside your fake (?) wife will definitely earn you the father of the year award. but hey! at least he smiled at him once and affectionately called him "my little boy". what a man!! 🥰
and he is also an asshole to his staff and wouldn't hesitate to kill them at the smallest inconvenience. they should honestly just work together at this point and kill him themselves.
one of them gets shot and nearly dies and this is what good old Adrian has to say about it
“You’re saying that because you’ve known him his entire life. You find it hard to suspect him because of your bond.” “Apparently, you have no problem with that. Congratulations.” “I said to watch your tone, and no, Kolya, I have no problem distrusting people.” “So what now? Are you going to kill him?” “I’m not that cruel. I wouldn’t kill him without questioning him first.”
enough about Adrian though. not because i don't have more to say, because BOY DO I.
i'm just tired thinking about him.
let's move on to the plot: what the fuck was that?
what the fuck is the plot of this book? i feel like authors think they can just write whatever nowadays
nothing about the winter is lia thing but lia is also lying around somewhere comatose made any kind of sense.
i think even adrian is confused because he first treated "winter" like he actually didn't know her and then started treating her like his actual wife - which she is. or she isn't. who knows. who cares tbh.
which brings me to my final point and why this book is the worst
THIS IS A GODDAMN SERIES????
i was approaching the last ten pages and i was like "huh, wild, how you gonna wrap all this up" when i realized THERE ARE TWO MORE BOOKS.
i thought it was a trilogy in the sense that "here have three books about three different asshole men" BUT IT'S NOT? who is asking for more of this????
i would rather die than read more, so this is a standalone now, as far as i'm concerned
TL;DR: there's this one scene where adrian is taking a bath and winter is like "shock, gasp, he is naked" when he gets out. that's usually how people take baths yes. so same rating as the amount of brain cells she has: 0
August 2, 2024
well... this was something.
to sum up how i felt about this book succinctly:
• adrian made me feel angry and sad at the same time
• jeremy made me feel so depressed for him, no wonder he is the way he is
• winter is so annoying my god ‼️‼️ girl seriously needs to get a grip and understand priorities
and the sex scenes!!! i wanted to bleach my eyes out omg, the spanking and the “punishment” scenes were not it.
the ending though! i need to know more. so curious about what happened there.
loved reading my first rina kent book with buket ‼️🤍 we perfectly synced up our reactions despite knowing all the spoilers and i loved every moment 😜
to sum up how i felt about this book succinctly:
• adrian made me feel angry and sad at the same time
• jeremy made me feel so depressed for him, no wonder he is the way he is
• winter is so annoying my god ‼️‼️ girl seriously needs to get a grip and understand priorities
and the sex scenes!!! i wanted to bleach my eyes out omg, the spanking and the “punishment” scenes were not it.
the ending though! i need to know more. so curious about what happened there.
loved reading my first rina kent book with buket ‼️🤍 we perfectly synced up our reactions despite knowing all the spoilers and i loved every moment 😜
May 8, 2023
5 —mind-blowing— stars.
"She willingly closes her eyes and whispers, “I wish I’d never met you.” My lips brush against her forehead. “I’ll meet you over and over again if I have to.” "
Well, it was for sure a twisted and sick rollercoaster and I loved every part of it. woupsi!
Adrian Volkov is a high graded member of the New York Bratva. In the prologue we witness how his wife "died" so we wonder how lucky he’s to run —quickly after that— on her homelessand tracked by the police doppelgänger, Winter Cavanaugh ? Would she play along then and remplace the ghost of his wife?
I feel like nothing really happened in the book and yet a lot was going on. Like, most of the questions we begin with haven’t been answered and worse again we close the book asking even more ones. I mean the revelation—cliffhanger— at the end left me with a gaped mouth wondering if anything was real after all, I couldn’t and can’t even dissolve the truth from the lie at this stage.
The plot twists were abundantly raining throughout the book and were so well orchestrated that the mind f*ck game kept on going and changing the course of the storyline in its wake. I’m honestly impressed by Miss Kent and how she hooked me on this crazy ride just by a well written and bloody prologue.
"After all, monsters can only birth monsters. "
Adrian is the epitome of the "morally grey character",he tends to be more morally evil, tbh I understand that behind his sociopath persona there’s a maltreated child but I think we’ll get more answers about both of their pasts in the second book and I really need this part to be clarified.
" I realize that he’ll never see me. That, just like in the ballet, I’m only a shadow of someone else. An insignificant nobody."
Poor Winter had faced a lot even before she became the hostage of a mad man. And it broke my heart every time he called her Lia —his late wife’s name— instead of hers.
"Is there anything crueler than erasing one’s identity? Than wiping away the essence of their being as if it never existed? "
She made a dealwas forced to play a role and stole someone else’s life and identity. But what if after all she wasn’t playing?
"She willingly closes her eyes and whispers, “I wish I’d never met you.” My lips brush against her forehead. “I’ll meet you over and over again if I have to.” "
Well, it was for sure a twisted and sick rollercoaster and I loved every part of it. woupsi!
Adrian Volkov is a high graded member of the New York Bratva. In the prologue we witness how his wife "died" so we wonder how lucky he’s to run —quickly after that— on her homeless
I feel like nothing really happened in the book and yet a lot was going on. Like, most of the questions we begin with haven’t been answered and worse again we close the book asking even more ones. I mean the revelation—cliffhanger— at the end left me with a gaped mouth wondering if anything was real after all, I couldn’t and can’t even dissolve the truth from the lie at this stage.
The plot twists were abundantly raining throughout the book and were so well orchestrated that the mind f*ck game kept on going and changing the course of the storyline in its wake. I’m honestly impressed by Miss Kent and how she hooked me on this crazy ride just by a well written and bloody prologue.
"After all, monsters can only birth monsters. "
Adrian is the epitome of the "morally grey character",
" I realize that he’ll never see me. That, just like in the ballet, I’m only a shadow of someone else. An insignificant nobody."
Poor Winter had faced a lot even before she became the hostage of a mad man. And it broke my heart every time he called her Lia —his late wife’s name— instead of hers.
"Is there anything crueler than erasing one’s identity? Than wiping away the essence of their being as if it never existed? "
She made a deal
March 15, 2021
I am addicted to dark mafia romance!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚💙💜🖤❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📘📗📕📙📘
World building: 🌏🌏🌍🌏🌎
Character development: 😉😖🤨😤🥰
The Hero: Adrian Volkov - An Obshchak in the Russian Bratva. The only one he answers to is the Pakhan (Leader of the Bratva). He may or may not have killed his wife Lia, and he is replacing her with Winter who he seems to want to turn into Lia completely.
The heroine: Winter Cavanaugh (a.k.a. Lia) - she is homeless and a drunk at the beginning of the book and it all seems to revolve around an accident that she can’t get over in which her baby died. Also the mayoral candidate and owner of a shelter touched her inappropriately and she fought her way out of the situation before giving him a swift kick to the family jewels. However, he turned up dead the next day and she is the chief suspect.
The Love Story: Adrian offers Winter food and shelter to slip into the place of his wife as opposed to going to jail for Murder. She has no other choices so agrees to do what he wants.
It seems from the beginning Adrian wants Winter to be a submissive little pushover and she isn’t that since she has been living on the streets. Adrian is always dominant and in control and Winter can’t seem to help herself from defying him. Though I must say he is a bit too strict for my tastes. He wants her to follow his every rule and he demands that she not talk back to him which includes questioning him when he tells her to do something.
There are so many different storylines in this book, one of which is the Bratva Brotherhood that Adrian belongs to. In the Throne Duet, Adrian is a trusted member of the Bratva, but in this book he seems to be hiding things from them and worried that he will be caught. He job as a Bratva leader is to find people for the Brotherhood to bribe so he is basically the tech genius of the mafia.
He finds out everything there is to find about everyone he can use something against. He ensures his place by always having some sort of dirt on his enemies and even his so called Brothers. However, they also seem to be keeping secrets from him.
What happened to the original Lia is somewhat of a mystery though we know (from Throne of Vengeance) that at some point either she or Winter ran to Raina asking for help getting away from Adrian, and Raina put her in a safe house. I say that because this scene was in Throne of Vengeance and Rai didn’t know that there were two Lia’s so it wasn’t really clear which one it was. All the different secrets and mysteries in this book kept me reading all night long. I couldn’t put it down and the ending was spectacular. I can’t wait for the next book!
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚💙💜🖤❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📘📗📕📙📘
World building: 🌏🌏🌍🌏🌎
Character development: 😉😖🤨😤🥰
“Winter is no longer Winter. She’s Lia. She took my wife’s life, and her punishment is spending the rest of her existence being Lia’s replacement.”
The Hero: Adrian Volkov - An Obshchak in the Russian Bratva. The only one he answers to is the Pakhan (Leader of the Bratva). He may or may not have killed his wife Lia, and he is replacing her with Winter who he seems to want to turn into Lia completely.
The heroine: Winter Cavanaugh (a.k.a. Lia) - she is homeless and a drunk at the beginning of the book and it all seems to revolve around an accident that she can’t get over in which her baby died. Also the mayoral candidate and owner of a shelter touched her inappropriately and she fought her way out of the situation before giving him a swift kick to the family jewels. However, he turned up dead the next day and she is the chief suspect.
The Love Story: Adrian offers Winter food and shelter to slip into the place of his wife as opposed to going to jail for Murder. She has no other choices so agrees to do what he wants.
It seems from the beginning Adrian wants Winter to be a submissive little pushover and she isn’t that since she has been living on the streets. Adrian is always dominant and in control and Winter can’t seem to help herself from defying him. Though I must say he is a bit too strict for my tastes. He wants her to follow his every rule and he demands that she not talk back to him which includes questioning him when he tells her to do something.
There are so many different storylines in this book, one of which is the Bratva Brotherhood that Adrian belongs to. In the Throne Duet, Adrian is a trusted member of the Bratva, but in this book he seems to be hiding things from them and worried that he will be caught. He job as a Bratva leader is to find people for the Brotherhood to bribe so he is basically the tech genius of the mafia.
He finds out everything there is to find about everyone he can use something against. He ensures his place by always having some sort of dirt on his enemies and even his so called Brothers. However, they also seem to be keeping secrets from him.
What happened to the original Lia is somewhat of a mystery though we know (from Throne of Vengeance) that at some point either she or Winter ran to Raina asking for help getting away from Adrian, and Raina put her in a safe house. I say that because this scene was in Throne of Vengeance and Rai didn’t know that there were two Lia’s so it wasn’t really clear which one it was. All the different secrets and mysteries in this book kept me reading all night long. I couldn’t put it down and the ending was spectacular. I can’t wait for the next book!
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
February 19, 2025
This book? Negative infinity fucking stars. If there was an award for the worst book I’ve ever read, Vow of Deception would take the gold, the silver, and the goddamn bronze. And the worst part? I read this in 2023, vowed to never look back, and now here I am, forcing myself to relive this nightmare for the sake of my one-star reviews. Someone send help.
This was my first Rina Kent book. My first dark romance. And it made me want to bleach my brain. There is no romance here. NONE. What’s here instead? ABUSE. RAPE. PSYCHOLOGICAL TORTURE. This wasn’t a love story—it was a horror novel disguised as one. The kind of book that makes you wonder if the author thinks love = suffering.
And honestly, sometimes I wonder if Rina Kent is even a woman. Like, how demented do you have to be to call this a romance as a woman? But then again, authors like Cora Reilly exist. Still… I have my doubts. I have a real love-hate relationship with her books—loved some, hated some, no in-between.
🔪 THE PLOT (IF YOU CAN CALL IT THAT) 🔪
Girl is homeless. Gets picked up by scary mafia man to pretend to be his dead wife. Sounds kinda interesting, right? WRONG. Because what follows is 300 pages of Adrian treating her like a literal prisoner. Locked in a mansion. Can’t eat what she wants. Can’t dress the way she wants. Guards everywhere. Can’t even SPEAK without his permission. That is not romance. That is a hostage situation.
And THEN we have the “romance.” You know, the one that starts with rape. Oh, but don’t worry! Later she starts enjoying it! That makes it okay, right?! (It does NOT.) Every single interaction between them was disgusting. Every touch was forced. Every moment was filled with power imbalance and control. At no point did I feel any kind of chemistry, only fear.
AND THEN, just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, we get to the bathroom scene. Picture this: Adrian’s in the tub. Winter walks in. She gasps. GASP! HE’S NAKED! Ma���am. He is TAKING A BATH. What did you expect?? This moment has the same energy as walking into a bakery and screaming, “OMG, BREAD???”
👎 ADRIAN VOLOV (AKA SATAN HIMSELF) 👎
If you like Adrian Volkov, seek help. He is an abusive, controlling, self-obsessed monster. Oh, but wait! He has some cute domestic moments with his son! That means he’s a good guy, right? NO. Because here’s a real conversation between him and his child:
“Papa, is Mommy in there?”
Winter is literally panicking, trying to get away from Adrian.
Adrian: fingers still inside her “Yes.”
“Can I come in?”
Winter: shaking her head frantically
Adrian: “Yes.”
WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK. Who wrote this and thought, "Yes, this belongs in a romance novel"???
Oh, and speaking of his son—Adrian acts like he barely exists. That is, until Winter tells him he should be a better father. So what does he do? Pulls her onto his lap and says, “You said I don’t spend enough time with him.” SIR. THIS IS NOT WHAT SHE MEANT.
🤡 WINTER/LIA (A PROFESSIONAL DOORMAT) 🤡
Girl. GIRL. Where is your self-respect??? The amount of times Adrian literally BEATS HER and she still sits there like, “Maybe I love him??” STOCKHOLM SYNDROME IS NOT ROMANTIC. The way she acts like she has a choice in anything when she literally does not. She had all the personality of wet cardboard.
AND THEN SHE STARTS HAVING SEX DREAMS OF ADRIAN RAPING HER AND… MASTURBATES TO IT. IN HER SLEEP. I CANNOT MAKE THIS UP. This book gave me more icks than I have ever experienced in my entire life.
📉 WRITING? WHAT WRITING? 📉
This book reads like an AI-generated mafia romance. The dialogue is laughably bad. The “romantic” moments are skin-crawling. The smut is just abuse with extra steps. Rina Kent wrote God of Wrath—SHE KNOWS HOW TO WRITE. WHAT HAPPENED HERE?? Adrian is a cheap Walmart version of Jeremy. And somehow even less tolerable.
And to top it all off? IT’S A TRILOGY. I thought I was almost free, but NOPE. There are TWO MORE BOOKS. As far as I’m concerned, this is a standalone, because I would rather DIE than read the next ones.
🔥 FINAL THOUGHTS 🔥
This book glamorizes abuse and calls it love. This is not dark romance—it is straight-up horror. Rina Kent said, “What if I wrote a book about a rich man kidnapping a woman and forcing her to be his wife?” and THEN she tried to convince us it’s romantic. MA’AM. THAT IS NOT HOW ROMANCE WORKS.
OH, AND GUESS WHAT? LIA ISN’T EVEN DEAD! PLOT TWIST! Winter IS Lia, and the poor girl is only presumed dead because she JUMPED OFF A FUCKING CLIFF TO ESCAPE ADRIAN. And honestly? I GET IT. If your husband of five years is so horrific that you’d rather yeet yourself off a cliff than stay with him, I think we can all agree that’s not a love story—it’s a walking red flag with a gun. In fact? I WOULD’VE JUMPED TOO. No hesitation. Full sprint. Olympic dive.
AND IT GETS WORSE. Apparently, book two is all about their past (because clearly, we needed more trauma), where Adrian forces Lia to marry him because she gets pregnant. And this man—this absolute demon in a suit—has the AUDACITY to say:
"It's either you or her, and if you play stubborn and say I should go to her, I'm going to make you watch me marry her, then fuck her to put an heir inside her."
"I'll make you watch me with Kristina every night before I fuck you. She'll have to adopt your child as hers, too, because I will not allow my offspring to be treated as a bastard. So what's it going to be? A wife or a mistress?"
EXCUSE ME. WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK.
Who green-lit this? Who wrote this and thought, "Yes, this is romantic." This isn't dark romance. This isn't even mafia romance. This is just sick
TL;DR: I have never hated a book more in my life. If I could give it negative stars, I would. My final rating is the same as Winter’s brain cells: ZERO.
This was my first Rina Kent book. My first dark romance. And it made me want to bleach my brain. There is no romance here. NONE. What’s here instead? ABUSE. RAPE. PSYCHOLOGICAL TORTURE. This wasn’t a love story—it was a horror novel disguised as one. The kind of book that makes you wonder if the author thinks love = suffering.
And honestly, sometimes I wonder if Rina Kent is even a woman. Like, how demented do you have to be to call this a romance as a woman? But then again, authors like Cora Reilly exist. Still… I have my doubts. I have a real love-hate relationship with her books—loved some, hated some, no in-between.
🔪 THE PLOT (IF YOU CAN CALL IT THAT) 🔪
Girl is homeless. Gets picked up by scary mafia man to pretend to be his dead wife. Sounds kinda interesting, right? WRONG. Because what follows is 300 pages of Adrian treating her like a literal prisoner. Locked in a mansion. Can’t eat what she wants. Can’t dress the way she wants. Guards everywhere. Can’t even SPEAK without his permission. That is not romance. That is a hostage situation.
And THEN we have the “romance.” You know, the one that starts with rape. Oh, but don’t worry! Later she starts enjoying it! That makes it okay, right?! (It does NOT.) Every single interaction between them was disgusting. Every touch was forced. Every moment was filled with power imbalance and control. At no point did I feel any kind of chemistry, only fear.
AND THEN, just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, we get to the bathroom scene. Picture this: Adrian’s in the tub. Winter walks in. She gasps. GASP! HE’S NAKED! Ma���am. He is TAKING A BATH. What did you expect?? This moment has the same energy as walking into a bakery and screaming, “OMG, BREAD???”
👎 ADRIAN VOLOV (AKA SATAN HIMSELF) 👎
If you like Adrian Volkov, seek help. He is an abusive, controlling, self-obsessed monster. Oh, but wait! He has some cute domestic moments with his son! That means he’s a good guy, right? NO. Because here’s a real conversation between him and his child:
“Papa, is Mommy in there?”
Winter is literally panicking, trying to get away from Adrian.
Adrian: fingers still inside her “Yes.”
“Can I come in?”
Winter: shaking her head frantically
Adrian: “Yes.”
WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK. Who wrote this and thought, "Yes, this belongs in a romance novel"???
Oh, and speaking of his son—Adrian acts like he barely exists. That is, until Winter tells him he should be a better father. So what does he do? Pulls her onto his lap and says, “You said I don’t spend enough time with him.” SIR. THIS IS NOT WHAT SHE MEANT.
🤡 WINTER/LIA (A PROFESSIONAL DOORMAT) 🤡
Girl. GIRL. Where is your self-respect??? The amount of times Adrian literally BEATS HER and she still sits there like, “Maybe I love him??” STOCKHOLM SYNDROME IS NOT ROMANTIC. The way she acts like she has a choice in anything when she literally does not. She had all the personality of wet cardboard.
AND THEN SHE STARTS HAVING SEX DREAMS OF ADRIAN RAPING HER AND… MASTURBATES TO IT. IN HER SLEEP. I CANNOT MAKE THIS UP. This book gave me more icks than I have ever experienced in my entire life.
📉 WRITING? WHAT WRITING? 📉
This book reads like an AI-generated mafia romance. The dialogue is laughably bad. The “romantic” moments are skin-crawling. The smut is just abuse with extra steps. Rina Kent wrote God of Wrath—SHE KNOWS HOW TO WRITE. WHAT HAPPENED HERE?? Adrian is a cheap Walmart version of Jeremy. And somehow even less tolerable.
And to top it all off? IT’S A TRILOGY. I thought I was almost free, but NOPE. There are TWO MORE BOOKS. As far as I’m concerned, this is a standalone, because I would rather DIE than read the next ones.
🔥 FINAL THOUGHTS 🔥
This book glamorizes abuse and calls it love. This is not dark romance—it is straight-up horror. Rina Kent said, “What if I wrote a book about a rich man kidnapping a woman and forcing her to be his wife?” and THEN she tried to convince us it’s romantic. MA’AM. THAT IS NOT HOW ROMANCE WORKS.
OH, AND GUESS WHAT? LIA ISN’T EVEN DEAD! PLOT TWIST! Winter IS Lia, and the poor girl is only presumed dead because she JUMPED OFF A FUCKING CLIFF TO ESCAPE ADRIAN. And honestly? I GET IT. If your husband of five years is so horrific that you’d rather yeet yourself off a cliff than stay with him, I think we can all agree that’s not a love story—it’s a walking red flag with a gun. In fact? I WOULD’VE JUMPED TOO. No hesitation. Full sprint. Olympic dive.
AND IT GETS WORSE. Apparently, book two is all about their past (because clearly, we needed more trauma), where Adrian forces Lia to marry him because she gets pregnant. And this man—this absolute demon in a suit—has the AUDACITY to say:
"It's either you or her, and if you play stubborn and say I should go to her, I'm going to make you watch me marry her, then fuck her to put an heir inside her."
"I'll make you watch me with Kristina every night before I fuck you. She'll have to adopt your child as hers, too, because I will not allow my offspring to be treated as a bastard. So what's it going to be? A wife or a mistress?"
EXCUSE ME. WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK.
Who green-lit this? Who wrote this and thought, "Yes, this is romantic." This isn't dark romance. This isn't even mafia romance. This is just sick
TL;DR: I have never hated a book more in my life. If I could give it negative stars, I would. My final rating is the same as Winter’s brain cells: ZERO.
January 10, 2024
4 stars
I'm actually regretting a lot now! Because of Adrian's controlling behavior and some reviews, I never wanted to read this trilogy. I thought it would be full of Lia being a doormat, spanking scenes, toxic af scenes but there was more! It didn't disappoint 😭 Leave the romance, THE PLOT IS SO MESSED UP AND INTERESTING!
• Adrian found Winter – a homeless nobody – who looks like his dead wife Lia and asked her to pretend to be her. He framed her for a murder, and now he has control over her life. Winter is forced to act like Lia and give in to his demands.
This was depraved and messed up on so many levels! Sadly, I've spoiled this book for myself lol, but whatever this is, is super toxic! I mean ACT LIKE HIS DEAD WIFE 🤡✋🏻
Winter/Lia — though she did start to feel pleasure because she's a masochist, I do like her. She wasn't a doormat (much), and even though she wanted to tell Adrian to fuck off, she just couldn't because he held something over her head. I like how she's not just accepting everything and actually defied him so much! ✋🏻 #sorryforthebitchingLia.
Adrian — jshsjsjs Jennie would not like what I'll say! 😭 I DON'T HATE HIM. I'm just so happy right now because I said so many bad things about him! Adrian is possessive? YES. Too controlling? YES. But the way he cares for Winter, ahh love it! 🥺 I can't wait to know more about his past!
Spoilers
So I already knew Winter is Lia (thanks to my friend for spoiling), but if you forget that, making someone your dead wife and calling her name again and again is messed up on so many levels! It was the height of toxicity ahjwhaja, and I would've been mad! The nightmares about rape and killing were horrifying! At first, I literally thought he was about to rape Lia, but thank God it was a nightmare!
I actually hated that ONE TWO THREE FOUR spank counts because why tf would you start counting! I hated this so much while reading God Of Pain (which now I think is just a copy of Adrian and Lia's sadism/masochist relationship). She can't even say WHAT, OKAY, WHY, and that's just plain dumb and pathetic. I wanted to slap him hard for this, thank God he stopped. And what's with him suspecting Yan like that! Yan and Kolya deserve better 🤧
JEREMY 🥹 hsjshzjshs he's so cute! Love him so much! I get it now why he was talking about Lia being a Ghost and all in GOW! He's literally 5, but damn, nice memory! He's just such a cutie 😭💕 I love his scenes so much! His interactions with Adrian and Lia are the best scenes.
RATINGS:
• Vow Of Deception – 4 stars
• Tempted By Deception – 3 stars
• Consumed By Deception – 3.5 stars
I'm actually regretting a lot now! Because of Adrian's controlling behavior and some reviews, I never wanted to read this trilogy. I thought it would be full of Lia being a doormat, spanking scenes, toxic af scenes but there was more! It didn't disappoint 😭 Leave the romance, THE PLOT IS SO MESSED UP AND INTERESTING!
• Adrian found Winter – a homeless nobody – who looks like his dead wife Lia and asked her to pretend to be her. He framed her for a murder, and now he has control over her life. Winter is forced to act like Lia and give in to his demands.
This was depraved and messed up on so many levels! Sadly, I've spoiled this book for myself lol, but whatever this is, is super toxic! I mean ACT LIKE HIS DEAD WIFE 🤡✋🏻
Winter/Lia — though she did start to feel pleasure because she's a masochist, I do like her. She wasn't a doormat (much), and even though she wanted to tell Adrian to fuck off, she just couldn't because he held something over her head. I like how she's not just accepting everything and actually defied him so much! ✋🏻 #sorryforthebitchingLia.
Adrian — jshsjsjs Jennie would not like what I'll say! 😭 I DON'T HATE HIM. I'm just so happy right now because I said so many bad things about him! Adrian is possessive? YES. Too controlling? YES. But the way he cares for Winter, ahh love it! 🥺 I can't wait to know more about his past!
Spoilers
So I already knew Winter is Lia (thanks to my friend for spoiling), but if you forget that, making someone your dead wife and calling her name again and again is messed up on so many levels! It was the height of toxicity ahjwhaja, and I would've been mad! The nightmares about rape and killing were horrifying! At first, I literally thought he was about to rape Lia, but thank God it was a nightmare!
I actually hated that ONE TWO THREE FOUR spank counts because why tf would you start counting! I hated this so much while reading God Of Pain (which now I think is just a copy of Adrian and Lia's sadism/masochist relationship). She can't even say WHAT, OKAY, WHY, and that's just plain dumb and pathetic. I wanted to slap him hard for this, thank God he stopped. And what's with him suspecting Yan like that! Yan and Kolya deserve better 🤧
JEREMY 🥹 hsjshzjshs he's so cute! Love him so much! I get it now why he was talking about Lia being a Ghost and all in GOW! He's literally 5, but damn, nice memory! He's just such a cutie 😭💕 I love his scenes so much! His interactions with Adrian and Lia are the best scenes.
RATINGS:
• Vow Of Deception – 4 stars
• Tempted By Deception – 3 stars
• Consumed By Deception – 3.5 stars
November 8, 2021
Trigger Warnings:
Wow, what the fuck did I just read? That CLIFFHANGER BRUHH. I wanna dive into the next book but I wanna write a review first. I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did. My lovely friend Apoorva convinced me to start this trilogy and I cannot thank her enough, this book was just so damn good. This book is a dark mafia romance, there are some really dark and disturbing scenes in this so it isn’t for everyone. There are some non-consensual, dubious consensual scenes so if that also bothers you, I recommend you avoid this book. These books also tend to have more controlling guys so yea, avoid if you are bothered by that. This book had so many twists and turns, the plot was crazy, it’s so different from other mafia romance books I’ve read it was just so refreshing. This is the first time I have read a Rina Kent book and I LOVED IT. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, it’s currently 3:47AM but I had to write this review.
Winter is a homeless woman on the streets, she is struggling to get by. She runs into a stranger who later kidnaps her. She is forced to comply with his wishes, to be his wife and act with him. If she doesn’t, she could die or worse. Adrian works for part of the mafia and is one of the people in the higher-ups. Both Winter and Adrian fight one another in a game of push and pull until they finally face the truth and discover secrets.
Man this book is hard to summarize but it’s better to go in not knowing anything other than the fact that this is a mafia romance with twists and turns.
Now for spoiler
I am really loving this so far, I cannot wait to read the next book. I’ll be off, stay safe folks!
Wow, what the fuck did I just read? That CLIFFHANGER BRUHH. I wanna dive into the next book but I wanna write a review first. I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did. My lovely friend Apoorva convinced me to start this trilogy and I cannot thank her enough, this book was just so damn good. This book is a dark mafia romance, there are some really dark and disturbing scenes in this so it isn’t for everyone. There are some non-consensual, dubious consensual scenes so if that also bothers you, I recommend you avoid this book. These books also tend to have more controlling guys so yea, avoid if you are bothered by that. This book had so many twists and turns, the plot was crazy, it’s so different from other mafia romance books I’ve read it was just so refreshing. This is the first time I have read a Rina Kent book and I LOVED IT. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, it’s currently 3:47AM but I had to write this review.
Winter is a homeless woman on the streets, she is struggling to get by. She runs into a stranger who later kidnaps her. She is forced to comply with his wishes, to be his wife and act with him. If she doesn’t, she could die or worse. Adrian works for part of the mafia and is one of the people in the higher-ups. Both Winter and Adrian fight one another in a game of push and pull until they finally face the truth and discover secrets.
Man this book is hard to summarize but it’s better to go in not knowing anything other than the fact that this is a mafia romance with twists and turns.
Now for spoiler
I am really loving this so far, I cannot wait to read the next book. I’ll be off, stay safe folks!
March 21, 2025
5 stars
Me giving a Rina Kent book 5 stars is definitely a canon event.
Adrian forcing a homeless woman, Winter, who is the doppelgänger of Lia, his dead or missing wife, to become his fake wife? Rina really outdid herself this time. The plotline is intriguing, unputdownable, and captivated my attention from the very first chapter. A lot was happening, but also, not really much happened in this book. The way Rina intricately weaved and twisted plotlines into one mind-blowing, addicting, and unforgettable story fascinated me. Adrian and Lia’s story is intense, dark, and unhinged in all the best ways. The thrill and anticipation of finding out the truth about Lia, Adrian, and Winter’s tangled and messy lives left me on edge. It’s like I couldn’t get enough of their mind-fucked story.
Winter is a homeless woman and the doppelgänger of Lia, turned fake wife of Adrian Volkov. She never expected to find herself in a fucked-up situation like the one she is in now. She is forced to be Lia and erase every trace of Winter from her existence because Adrian is obsessed with Lia, and he would go to any lengths to bring Lia out of Winter? I felt bad for her because of how she is dragged into all this, but I also need to know the whole truth about her identity and connection to Lia.
“Is there anything crueler than erasing one’s identity? Than wiping away the essence of their being as if it never existed?”
Adrian Volkov is a mafia man through and through. He is charming in a dark and intense way, he is self-assured and arrogant, exudes raw power and authority, but there is something about him that’s different from other men written by RK. He is both dangerous and fascinating, and I couldn’t help but like him. I was obsessed with his obsession for Lia. He will do anything for her—one moment he is going all alpha on her, the next he is caring for her in such a sweet and thoughtful way. He is confusing me, but this man is something else, and I am already falling for him.
“She’s the addiction I didn’t see coming, and when I finally noticed her, she was already streaming in my blood.”
Winter and Adrian? Adrian and Lia? There was only lust and obsession between Winter and Adrian in this book. But there was also something different simmering beneath that lust, twisted lies, and the hatred Winter had for Adrian and his dark obsession with Lia, his wife. They have history, and a fucked-up one at that, and it was impossible for me to fully understand their relationship. They do have something more than just lust, but I guess I’ll have to read the next books for that. Also, the smut in this was immaculate.
I absolutely adored Jeremy and his bond with Winter. It was wholesome and heartbreaking at the same time. I am gonna need more of Jeremy in the next books.
I don’t know where the plot is going, and everything is so confusing so far. I have so many theories and questions, but no answers were given. The shocking and jaw-dropping reveal and plot twist at the end left me shooketh. It rarely happens that books take me off guard with plot twists, and Rina managed to do it twice. She slowly revealed little things in this book while always holding all her trump cards. I thought I had everything figured out, but I was so wrong. The cliffhanger at the end left me on edge, so I am gonna run and read the next books. This trilogy has taken over my life at this point, and I am so here for the madness.
———————
i just know Adrian and Lia are going to be my favourite Rina Kent couple 🤭 and this says a lot bcs i have hate sometimes like relationship with her books and characters 😗
“I wish I’d never met you.”
My lips brush against her forehead. “I’ll meet you over and over again if I have to.”
Me giving a Rina Kent book 5 stars is definitely a canon event.
Adrian forcing a homeless woman, Winter, who is the doppelgänger of Lia, his dead or missing wife, to become his fake wife? Rina really outdid herself this time. The plotline is intriguing, unputdownable, and captivated my attention from the very first chapter. A lot was happening, but also, not really much happened in this book. The way Rina intricately weaved and twisted plotlines into one mind-blowing, addicting, and unforgettable story fascinated me. Adrian and Lia’s story is intense, dark, and unhinged in all the best ways. The thrill and anticipation of finding out the truth about Lia, Adrian, and Winter’s tangled and messy lives left me on edge. It’s like I couldn’t get enough of their mind-fucked story.
Winter is a homeless woman and the doppelgänger of Lia, turned fake wife of Adrian Volkov. She never expected to find herself in a fucked-up situation like the one she is in now. She is forced to be Lia and erase every trace of Winter from her existence because Adrian is obsessed with Lia, and he would go to any lengths to bring Lia out of Winter? I felt bad for her because of how she is dragged into all this, but I also need to know the whole truth about her identity and connection to Lia.
“Is there anything crueler than erasing one’s identity? Than wiping away the essence of their being as if it never existed?”
Adrian Volkov is a mafia man through and through. He is charming in a dark and intense way, he is self-assured and arrogant, exudes raw power and authority, but there is something about him that’s different from other men written by RK. He is both dangerous and fascinating, and I couldn’t help but like him. I was obsessed with his obsession for Lia. He will do anything for her—one moment he is going all alpha on her, the next he is caring for her in such a sweet and thoughtful way. He is confusing me, but this man is something else, and I am already falling for him.
“She’s the addiction I didn’t see coming, and when I finally noticed her, she was already streaming in my blood.”
Winter and Adrian? Adrian and Lia? There was only lust and obsession between Winter and Adrian in this book. But there was also something different simmering beneath that lust, twisted lies, and the hatred Winter had for Adrian and his dark obsession with Lia, his wife. They have history, and a fucked-up one at that, and it was impossible for me to fully understand their relationship. They do have something more than just lust, but I guess I’ll have to read the next books for that. Also, the smut in this was immaculate.
“What do I smell like?”
“Like roses and fucking addictions.”
“How do you know what addictions smell like?”
“I didn’t. Until you.”
“Me?” she drawls the word.
“Yes, you.”
I absolutely adored Jeremy and his bond with Winter. It was wholesome and heartbreaking at the same time. I am gonna need more of Jeremy in the next books.
“Do you want me to be all alone, Malysh?” “No.”
“Then you have to give me your mother during the night.”
“Do you need Mommy too, Papa?”
Adrian pauses before he says calmly, assertively, “I do.”
I don’t know where the plot is going, and everything is so confusing so far. I have so many theories and questions, but no answers were given. The shocking and jaw-dropping reveal and plot twist at the end left me shooketh. It rarely happens that books take me off guard with plot twists, and Rina managed to do it twice. She slowly revealed little things in this book while always holding all her trump cards. I thought I had everything figured out, but I was so wrong. The cliffhanger at the end left me on edge, so I am gonna run and read the next books. This trilogy has taken over my life at this point, and I am so here for the madness.
———————
i just know Adrian and Lia are going to be my favourite Rina Kent couple 🤭 and this says a lot bcs i have hate sometimes like relationship with her books and characters 😗
July 22, 2024
– 3.5 stars ✰
This was such a roller coaster of emotions and events and it was fun. This had me questioning so many things, so I’m glad it gets continued in the next book.
I felt so bad for Winter but actually also for Adrian. Sometimes i truly felt like he was mentally ill, because he couldn’t accept that Winter wasn’t Lia.
“I wish I’d never met you.” My lips brush against her forehead. “I’ll meet you over and over again if I have to.”
This was such a roller coaster of emotions and events and it was fun. This had me questioning so many things, so I’m glad it gets continued in the next book.
I felt so bad for Winter but actually also for Adrian. Sometimes i truly felt like he was mentally ill, because he couldn’t accept that Winter wasn’t Lia.
“I wish I’d never met you.” My lips brush against her forehead. “I’ll meet you over and over again if I have to.”
September 6, 2024
જ⁀➴
3.5 stars
“From now on, you’re Lia Volkov. Wife of Adrian Volkov."
storyline
When Adrian finds and asks Winter to be his standin wife, Lia, she isn’t really given a choice in the matter to say no. Winter/Lia constantly stands up for herself and pushes back, but for every infraction Adrian issues a punishment, one that Winter/Lia comes to crave, but also secretly hates.
Adrian pushes and pushes Winter/Lia for the smallest things, forcing Winter to take on the persona of his wife and giving her no wiggle room. He knows she sometimes pushes his buttons wanting his sadistic punishments, whereas other times it’s her way of holding on to her strong personality.
~ Rina seriously wasn't kidding when she said that this book was an utter mindfuck!! This is a warning that she did not hold in this one.
Each and every chapter has its own suspense and turning point and by the end I had given up hope that things would turn out the way I wanted them to, but then that twist came at the very last page, in the very last paragraph, and holy shit, nothing was the same after that. I had to put my phone aside and blink a few times to digest what I just read! My brain was overflowing with theories 😭😭
The ending was the worst punch. Literally. I mean I know Rina has the worst cliffhanger but the cliffhanger in this book was something else entirely. i literally cant wait to dive into the next book!!
જ⁀➴ quotes i liked
➼ “I wish I’d never met you.”
“I’ll meet you over and over again if I have to.”
➼ “People say death is the end. For me, it’s only the beginning.”
➼ “Please stop torturing me with my own self. Please.”
➼ “You don’t seem to grasp the situation, so let me explain it to you for the last time, Lia. You’re my wife, my property, my thing."
➼ “My mom used to say that the best way to disarm someone is to tell them what they least expect.”
“From now on, you’re Lia Volkov. Wife of Adrian Volkov."
storyline
When Adrian finds and asks Winter to be his standin wife, Lia, she isn’t really given a choice in the matter to say no. Winter/Lia constantly stands up for herself and pushes back, but for every infraction Adrian issues a punishment, one that Winter/Lia comes to crave, but also secretly hates.
Adrian pushes and pushes Winter/Lia for the smallest things, forcing Winter to take on the persona of his wife and giving her no wiggle room. He knows she sometimes pushes his buttons wanting his sadistic punishments, whereas other times it’s her way of holding on to her strong personality.
~ Rina seriously wasn't kidding when she said that this book was an utter mindfuck!! This is a warning that she did not hold in this one.
Each and every chapter has its own suspense and turning point and by the end I had given up hope that things would turn out the way I wanted them to, but then that twist came at the very last page, in the very last paragraph, and holy shit, nothing was the same after that. I had to put my phone aside and blink a few times to digest what I just read! My brain was overflowing with theories 😭😭
The ending was the worst punch. Literally. I mean I know Rina has the worst cliffhanger but the cliffhanger in this book was something else entirely. i literally cant wait to dive into the next book!!
જ⁀➴ quotes i liked
➼ “I wish I’d never met you.”
“I’ll meet you over and over again if I have to.”
➼ “People say death is the end. For me, it’s only the beginning.”
➼ “Please stop torturing me with my own self. Please.”
➼ “You don’t seem to grasp the situation, so let me explain it to you for the last time, Lia. You’re my wife, my property, my thing."
➼ “My mom used to say that the best way to disarm someone is to tell them what they least expect.”
November 13, 2024
౨ৎ ⋮ "I wish I'd never met you."
My lips brush against her forehead. "I'll meet you over and over again if I have to."
sorry, ladies, but i just don’t get it. am i still diving into the trilogy? absolutely. giving it a -1 star for adrian being as exciting as a wet blanket, another -1 for winter being a total pain, and yet another -1 for the plot being as predictable as my morning coffee. seriously, rina, can we get a little variety with your leading ladies?
December 12, 2021
WHAT A WILD RIDE THIS BOOK AND SERIES WAS LMAOOOOO
Look up your TW before you read. Did i enjoy the series? YES.
Was I making predictions and talking out loud to myself while I read? ALSO YES
Look up your TW before you read. Did i enjoy the series? YES.
Was I making predictions and talking out loud to myself while I read? ALSO YES
January 2, 2022
3.5 stars
The amount of mental cartwheels this book has put me through deserves 5 stars. FR I have never used my brain so much in my life as I did trying to figure out all the bloody plot twists💀
The amount of mental cartwheels this book has put me through deserves 5 stars. FR I have never used my brain so much in my life as I did trying to figure out all the bloody plot twists💀
![Profile Image for moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645500038i%2F37448930._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
November 8, 2021
5 stars ☆
first of all, what the fuck?
second of all, WHAT. THE. FUCK? my reactions throughout this book:
↠ this book gave me whiplash after whiplash and i was confused but also freaking out...but also intrigued?? i was originally going to give this 4 stars bc the romance is what i often look forward to when picking up a book but i loved pretty much everything except the romance here. 😂 however, the mindfuckery made me decide it deserved a 5-star rating bc this had me feeling A L L kinds of emotions and im still not over those feelings. idk if i loved this book exactly, im most likely gonna read the whole trilogy before deciding but it was definitely an experience. 😭
❝ Why don't you fuck off?" Rai says point-blank. "I just want Sasha around, not you."
"Aleksander," Kirill stresses, "is my guard, Rai. We come as a set. Get used to it."
"I'm sure the only reason he's with you is because you're holding something over his head." Rai pats Aleksander's hand. "Don't worry, Sasha. I will save you from this demon."
Sasha—Aleksander—a guard who's even prettier than Yan, lowers his head, awkwardly clearing his throat.
"How about me, Rai?" Damien takes her free hand in his and kisses the back of it. "When are you going to save me? All you have to do is divorce Kyle and then we can ride into the sunset—or the battlefield. Same result."
She swiftly pulls her hand from his. "Only Kyle gets to touch me. Do it again and I will kick you in the balls. ❞
↠ THE SIDE CHARACTERS!! aside from the mindfuck i felt about this book, the side characters were also my fav part. the banters between them were chefs kiss. Kirill (I LOVE YOU, SIR), Damien, Yan, Jeremy, Rai—these characters truly had me whipped for them whenever they would appear in a scene. i need books for each of them pls!! maybe not Jeremy bc he's only 5 years old in this book lmao and i know Rai already has her own book but i would love stories on the other three. 🥺
↠ i wasn't really a fan of the whole punishment/spanking thing, but it's more of a personal preference. 🤣
↠ i just wanna know
sidenote: thank you to my dear friends, praveetha, apoorva and teesha for dealing with my annoying ass of spams and rants SJDHSFH ♡
first of all, what the fuck?
second of all, WHAT. THE. FUCK? my reactions throughout this book:
↠ this book gave me whiplash after whiplash and i was confused but also freaking out...but also intrigued?? i was originally going to give this 4 stars bc the romance is what i often look forward to when picking up a book but i loved pretty much everything except the romance here. 😂 however, the mindfuckery made me decide it deserved a 5-star rating bc this had me feeling A L L kinds of emotions and im still not over those feelings. idk if i loved this book exactly, im most likely gonna read the whole trilogy before deciding but it was definitely an experience. 😭
❝ Why don't you fuck off?" Rai says point-blank. "I just want Sasha around, not you."
"Aleksander," Kirill stresses, "is my guard, Rai. We come as a set. Get used to it."
"I'm sure the only reason he's with you is because you're holding something over his head." Rai pats Aleksander's hand. "Don't worry, Sasha. I will save you from this demon."
Sasha—Aleksander—a guard who's even prettier than Yan, lowers his head, awkwardly clearing his throat.
"How about me, Rai?" Damien takes her free hand in his and kisses the back of it. "When are you going to save me? All you have to do is divorce Kyle and then we can ride into the sunset—or the battlefield. Same result."
She swiftly pulls her hand from his. "Only Kyle gets to touch me. Do it again and I will kick you in the balls. ❞
↠ THE SIDE CHARACTERS!! aside from the mindfuck i felt about this book, the side characters were also my fav part. the banters between them were chefs kiss. Kirill (I LOVE YOU, SIR), Damien, Yan, Jeremy, Rai—these characters truly had me whipped for them whenever they would appear in a scene. i need books for each of them pls!! maybe not Jeremy bc he's only 5 years old in this book lmao and i know Rai already has her own book but i would love stories on the other three. 🥺
↠ i wasn't really a fan of the whole punishment/spanking thing, but it's more of a personal preference. 🤣
↠ i just wanna know
sidenote: thank you to my dear friends, praveetha, apoorva and teesha for dealing with my annoying ass of spams and rants SJDHSFH ♡
May 15, 2021
- Vow of Deception is part of a trilogy and is not standalone read.
Have you ever fell like Wft did I just read! This is one of those reads for me! I can only imagine that this Trilogy is going to get more intense the further we go a long
So I found myself still up last night around 3:45 reading the last few pages of this crazy good read
I want to 1st mention that getting Dark Deception is somewhat a waste of your time. since it is only teaser of this book, and also, it’s included in this book already
So, I was in the mood for dark read and a friend of my recommended this Trilogy to me … So fair warning this book was, so fu$ked up at times (trigger warnings on: almost rape & violence) but let me tell you, it made the book as dark and consuming as I wanted it to be.
“My name is Winter Cavanaugh and I was born in Michigan. My father died when I was a toddler, and my mom relocated us to New York for work reasons.”
Winter: has a past shrouded in mystery, and let me tell you she will draw you in with that mystery…..she's been homeless and living on the streets for a while fending for herself after an accident that caused her to lose both her mother and baby girl.
At some point in the beginning of this story , you might ask yourself why in the blazes is Winter staying after seeing Adrian’s dark & cruel side… than we meet Jeremy & than everything seems to fall into place for us
Adrian is a part of the Russian mafia, who seemingly had a great life, he's the second most powerful person in the bratva, just under the Pakhan, and is always the brains behind all of the operations, has a beautiful wife and a son. So that’s where some of that mind fuck comes into play… You aren’t completely sure what happen to the real Lia Volkov.
There crazy Cliffhanger: will be picking up the next book right away!
Man holding match
Deception Trilogy: Reading Order
#0.5 Dark Deception ✔️
#1 Vow of Deception ✔️
#2 Tempted by Deception
#3 Consumed by Deception
⬇Always remember⬇
📚 💖 Hope you enjoy this read 💖& also always keep in mind this is just my opinion+ Also I wouldn’t never discourage anyone from reading this book.
January 9, 2026
A hater would probably call this a hostage situation with a touch of stockholm syndrome, so I guess it's good that I'm a pretty big hater. Winter was a doormat and Adrian was an ass. Just needed to do a reread to see if the rating is accurate.
Read
March 17, 2021VOW OF DECEPTION IS LIVE!
Dark Marriage Mafia Romance.
AMAZON US ➜ https://amzn.to/36xgSHt
INTERNATIONAL ➜ https://smarturl.it/VODBuy
AUDIOBOOK ➜ https://amzn.to/38x8wkh
PREQUEL ➜ https://BookHip.com/RZJCDQG
Excerpt:
“Lie down."
"No, please."
"Every minute you waste of my time will be extracted from your flesh.”
Instead of waiting for me to do as he’s commanded, Adrian flips the tablecloth that holds all the plates and yanks it away with one merciless tug. Dishes clank together and the cups of coffee spill on the material and drip on the ground.
“Adrian…” I say, in an attempt of one final plea. “Please.”
“It’s too early to beg. Save it for when you'll actually need it.”
© Rina Kent, 2021
This book is part of a trilogy and is not standalone.
Deception Trilogy:
#0 Dark Deception
#1 Vow of Deception
#2 Tempted by Deception
#3 Consumed by Deception
Dark Marriage Mafia Romance.
AMAZON US ➜ https://amzn.to/36xgSHt
INTERNATIONAL ➜ https://smarturl.it/VODBuy
AUDIOBOOK ➜ https://amzn.to/38x8wkh
PREQUEL ➜ https://BookHip.com/RZJCDQG
Excerpt:
“Lie down."
"No, please."
"Every minute you waste of my time will be extracted from your flesh.”
Instead of waiting for me to do as he’s commanded, Adrian flips the tablecloth that holds all the plates and yanks it away with one merciless tug. Dishes clank together and the cups of coffee spill on the material and drip on the ground.
“Adrian…” I say, in an attempt of one final plea. “Please.”
“It’s too early to beg. Save it for when you'll actually need it.”
© Rina Kent, 2021
This book is part of a trilogy and is not standalone.
Deception Trilogy:
#0 Dark Deception
#1 Vow of Deception
#2 Tempted by Deception
#3 Consumed by Deception
July 11, 2021
I couldn't put this book down!
July 16, 2022
Adrian Volkov🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️
Rina Kent has finally done it and given me a hero i don’t hate with an insufferable burning passion or feel absolutely nothing for.
Rina Kent has finally done it and given me a hero i don’t hate with an insufferable burning passion or feel absolutely nothing for.
March 17, 2021
4.5 ✨
I don't understand anything, all the twists ??? I need the second book.
rtc
I don't understand anything, all the twists ??? I need the second book.
rtc
April 16, 2022
Wow, seriously just wow.
It’s a bold statement but I’m thinking this is my favorite mafia romance. Adrian is most definitely my favorite mobster.
Winter goes from being one of NYC’s multiple homeless numbers to being forced to take the place of a very powerful man’s wife. Apparently doppelgängers exist and Lia, Adrian Volkov’s missing wife is Winter’s.
It’s a battle of wills from the get go and Adrian’s not used to being refused. So he has no choice but to break her in the form of corporal punishment.
Omg this fed so many of my perverted, deviant needs. And Winter felt the same way because she enjoyed it as much as she hated it.
I will admit that she broke my heart with her past and her need to hold onto herself. It frustrated me when Adrian wouldn’t budge an inch.
The story progressed into one deception after another as each character fought for their own agenda.
By the end of this I had no idea what was right or wrong. Rina crested the ultimate epitome of a mindfuck and I am here for it.
It’s a bold statement but I’m thinking this is my favorite mafia romance. Adrian is most definitely my favorite mobster.
Winter goes from being one of NYC’s multiple homeless numbers to being forced to take the place of a very powerful man’s wife. Apparently doppelgängers exist and Lia, Adrian Volkov’s missing wife is Winter’s.
It’s a battle of wills from the get go and Adrian’s not used to being refused. So he has no choice but to break her in the form of corporal punishment.
Omg this fed so many of my perverted, deviant needs. And Winter felt the same way because she enjoyed it as much as she hated it.
I will admit that she broke my heart with her past and her need to hold onto herself. It frustrated me when Adrian wouldn’t budge an inch.
The story progressed into one deception after another as each character fought for their own agenda.
By the end of this I had no idea what was right or wrong. Rina crested the ultimate epitome of a mindfuck and I am here for it.
July 31, 2025
5 Stars!
Y’all don’t wanna know how many times I’ve reread this book since my first time reading. 🌝
MY NEWEST OBSESSION!!!!!! I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.
I'm so excited to read Rina Kent's books after having some of this author's series in my physical tbr-list for a very long time. I also read the prequel of this trilogy earlier this year, I have high hopes for this.
Y’all don’t wanna know how many times I’ve reread this book since my first time reading. 🌝
MY NEWEST OBSESSION!!!!!! I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.
I'm so excited to read Rina Kent's books after having some of this author's series in my physical tbr-list for a very long time. I also read the prequel of this trilogy earlier this year, I have high hopes for this.
March 9, 2025
➳ 2.5 ☆
i have no idea what i expected to feel while reading this but being confused was not one of them. i don't know how all of the events from this book are going to pick up with the second one since i felt a lot of the narrative in this book was superfluous. people have said this series picks up from book two, so i do think this could've been a duet instead of a trilogy.
i don't wanna spoil anything about her character so i won't talk about much in terms of the plot. she was honestly irrelevant in this book. although she had the majority of POVs, i felt like the story was happening around her, rather than to her. the only aspect of her that i enjoyed was her relationship with jeremy. i found that to be quite wholesome and cute.
this is EVERY. SINGLE. RINA. KENT. MAN. EVER. this bitch stressed me the fuck out to be honest. in terms of selling himself as a love interest??? i had no real feelings towards him. the possessiveness? the jealousy? the tension? the superiority complex? i felt nothing when he displayed those traits. everything was moving too quickly for any real payoff.
gry and i are gonna jump into book two ASAP. for being brain rot core, it was fast & entertaining to read. i love you bestie! <3
✄┈┈┈┈┈┈
ꕤ pre-read ꕤ
i don’t know why i started this on international women’s day. i can't wait to buddy read with my favorite girl, gry.
i have no idea what i expected to feel while reading this but being confused was not one of them. i don't know how all of the events from this book are going to pick up with the second one since i felt a lot of the narrative in this book was superfluous. people have said this series picks up from book two, so i do think this could've been a duet instead of a trilogy.
⌞lia volkov⌝
i don't wanna spoil anything about her character so i won't talk about much in terms of the plot. she was honestly irrelevant in this book. although she had the majority of POVs, i felt like the story was happening around her, rather than to her. the only aspect of her that i enjoyed was her relationship with jeremy. i found that to be quite wholesome and cute.
⌞adrian volkov⌝
this is EVERY. SINGLE. RINA. KENT. MAN. EVER. this bitch stressed me the fuck out to be honest. in terms of selling himself as a love interest??? i had no real feelings towards him. the possessiveness? the jealousy? the tension? the superiority complex? i felt nothing when he displayed those traits. everything was moving too quickly for any real payoff.
gry and i are gonna jump into book two ASAP. for being brain rot core, it was fast & entertaining to read. i love you bestie! <3
✄┈┈┈┈┈┈
ꕤ pre-read ꕤ
i don’t know why i started this on international women’s day. i can't wait to buddy read with my favorite girl, gry.
August 2, 2024
OH MY GOD THE ENDING👀‼️‼️‼️ i went into this knowing spoilers and wasn’t impressed for the most part BUT THE ENDING OH MY GODDDDDD
WINTER
🎶”Wanna put it all behind me, but baby
I see her in the back of my mind
All the time”
i was going to say if being dumb was a crime winter would be in prison, but then i remembered; being dumb is a crime and glyn has a life sentence🥰 (#glynslanderforlife)
ADRIAN
🎶”And I wonder
Do you see her in the back of your mind?
In my eyes?”
stop.breaking.my.heart.and.yours.
BABY JEREMY
~~~~
continuing my rina kent journey 🫡
this time i’m reading with my favorite girl lila‼️🩷 let’s see if adrian is as good as his son🤭
WINTER
🎶”Wanna put it all behind me, but baby
I see her in the back of my mind
All the time”
i was going to say if being dumb was a crime winter would be in prison, but then i remembered; being dumb is a crime and glyn has a life sentence🥰 (#glynslanderforlife)
ADRIAN
🎶”And I wonder
Do you see her in the back of your mind?
In my eyes?”
stop.breaking.my.heart.and.yours.
BABY JEREMY
~~~~
continuing my rina kent journey 🫡
this time i’m reading with my favorite girl lila‼️🩷 let’s see if adrian is as good as his son🤭
January 2, 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (6th reread and it's still as amazing as the first time)
''Satan himself - aka Adrian''
Safety warnings*:
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Mention of child loss
- Alcoholism
- Dub con
- R*pe scene (this is a nightmare h has and it never happened or happens)
- Mention of attempted assault
- Mental illness
- Cliffhanger
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
I keep rereading this because when you are still obsessed over an MC as I am obsessed with Adrian then you just need to keep on rereading the same books until you get over it (which I will not ever get over).
My favorite mafia romance books and this entire trilogy is sooo good - I never really got over it hence why I have read it 3 times in a year. This is also my favorite by Rina Kent.
''Everything about her is perfection''
Adrian Volkov is one of my favorite MCs and H's. Everything about him exudes all that I love in my book male characters. He is grumpy, cold, stand offish, obsessed, jealous, smart, mysterious and more adjectives.
Winter was an enigma and obviously you do not know what the hell is going on. How come she looks just like his wife and why is she needed to pretend to be his ''wife'' - a wife the readers are actually made to believe is most likely dead. We do have subtle hints that she is not so dead and might of either ran away or is around.
Adrian never once called her Winter and that should have been the sign of all signs that she is LIA. The end sentence of the book revealing her true identity is always chilling. The entire time in the book when you read it you think how horrible of a husband Adrian is, cheating on his wife or pretending to find someone who looks like her etc. The way he acts and the things he so easily does to her. How he never acknowledges her as anything other than Lia no matter what and no matter how many times she begs.
Whenever she was in her head trying to never forget who she was it broke my heart and the thoughts of her ''past''. It frustrated me the first time I read this when Adrian would not budge or even in the darkness remind her she is always Winter, but she needs to pretend.
''Thank you for welcoming me home''
We get to see how everyone disapproves of Adrian marrying someone who is not Russian and was being forced to marry her since she accidentally got pregnant when in reality he could have married a Bratva members daughter, but we know partially it is not the actual reason and it is much deeper than that which is discovered in book 2. He is loyal to his wife, and he protects her with everything he has.
''My wife is the only one that matters''
He was with his wife the entire time and that to me is 🔥 . You get glimpses of his thought process towards her during the end of the book. How he pretends to be indifferent to her in public but in reality genuinely cares for her and worships her. Let us not even discuss the spice and sex scenes 🔥 🔥 🔥
Honestly, I can talk about this book and trilogy for ages and dissect everything to the bone, but we will be here for ages.
''Do you need Mommy too, Papa?''
''I do''
Also rereading this and watching sweet baby Jeremy be adorable to knowing how he is as an adult in the Legacy of gods books is hilarious since I know so many of us assumed he would not grow up to be an absolute heathen.
''Satan himself - aka Adrian''
Safety warnings*:
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Mention of child loss
- Alcoholism
- Dub con
- R*pe scene (this is a nightmare h has and it never happened or happens)
- Mention of attempted assault
- Mental illness
- Cliffhanger
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
I keep rereading this because when you are still obsessed over an MC as I am obsessed with Adrian then you just need to keep on rereading the same books until you get over it (which I will not ever get over).
My favorite mafia romance books and this entire trilogy is sooo good - I never really got over it hence why I have read it 3 times in a year. This is also my favorite by Rina Kent.
''Everything about her is perfection''
Adrian Volkov is one of my favorite MCs and H's. Everything about him exudes all that I love in my book male characters. He is grumpy, cold, stand offish, obsessed, jealous, smart, mysterious and more adjectives.
Winter was an enigma and obviously you do not know what the hell is going on. How come she looks just like his wife and why is she needed to pretend to be his ''wife'' - a wife the readers are actually made to believe is most likely dead. We do have subtle hints that she is not so dead and might of either ran away or is around.
Adrian never once called her Winter and that should have been the sign of all signs that she is LIA. The end sentence of the book revealing her true identity is always chilling. The entire time in the book when you read it you think how horrible of a husband Adrian is, cheating on his wife or pretending to find someone who looks like her etc. The way he acts and the things he so easily does to her. How he never acknowledges her as anything other than Lia no matter what and no matter how many times she begs.
Whenever she was in her head trying to never forget who she was it broke my heart and the thoughts of her ''past''. It frustrated me the first time I read this when Adrian would not budge or even in the darkness remind her she is always Winter, but she needs to pretend.
''Thank you for welcoming me home''
We get to see how everyone disapproves of Adrian marrying someone who is not Russian and was being forced to marry her since she accidentally got pregnant when in reality he could have married a Bratva members daughter, but we know partially it is not the actual reason and it is much deeper than that which is discovered in book 2. He is loyal to his wife, and he protects her with everything he has.
''My wife is the only one that matters''
He was with his wife the entire time and that to me is 🔥 . You get glimpses of his thought process towards her during the end of the book. How he pretends to be indifferent to her in public but in reality genuinely cares for her and worships her. Let us not even discuss the spice and sex scenes 🔥 🔥 🔥
Honestly, I can talk about this book and trilogy for ages and dissect everything to the bone, but we will be here for ages.
''Do you need Mommy too, Papa?''
''I do''
Also rereading this and watching sweet baby Jeremy be adorable to knowing how he is as an adult in the Legacy of gods books is hilarious since I know so many of us assumed he would not grow up to be an absolute heathen.
December 23, 2022
WHATDIDHESAYYYYYY??????????
---------------------------
the non discreet cover needs a whole trigger warning.
---------------------------
the non discreet cover needs a whole trigger warning.
September 1, 2021
5⭐️
i'm still so fucking shocked. damn this is the ONE. god the best book i've read by rina kent. no joke had me on my toes the whole time.
its so fucking unique that i dont even know how to categorize this. i'm just still so shocked about that ending. i'm confused but in a good way. fuck me is adrian the hottest man alive.
this man can rail me any day now. HE'S SO FUCKING CARING. my fucking type 100%. i can't wait to continue this series because god damn its good.
“I’ll meet you over and over again if I have to.”
i'm still so fucking shocked. damn this is the ONE. god the best book i've read by rina kent. no joke had me on my toes the whole time.
its so fucking unique that i dont even know how to categorize this. i'm just still so shocked about that ending. i'm confused but in a good way. fuck me is adrian the hottest man alive.
this man can rail me any day now. HE'S SO FUCKING CARING. my fucking type 100%. i can't wait to continue this series because god damn its good.
March 16, 2021
I have only read a few books by Rina Kent, so I, unfortunately, don’t have much to compare the mindf@ckery to. However, this takes the cake. WOW! My brain hurts from trying to find all the bread crumbs. My suggestion is don’t read any spoilers and go in blind. Because trust me, we are all confused.
Vow of Deception is not your typical mafia dark romance story. Far from it, the concept and plot are something beyond your wild imagination. I need to know what Adrian is hiding. It’s big, whatever it is. And I am seriously on the fence about him. Don’t get me wrong, he is hot as sin, and the chemistry between him and Lia is steamy. I believe he cares about her, but I just have a feeling. Of course, I can be completely wrong. As there’re are so many secrets. After all, he is second in command in the Russian mafia.
This book has so many twists and turns with severe push/ pull that I have whiplash. It was awesome. Rina Kent is Brilliant; I tell you with her writing and how she kept us on our toes, pay close attention is my advice and be prepared not to have all your answers. Don’t forget you still have mafia business in the background. I say this is more of a psychological thriller versus a dark romance. There are dark undertones. So it’s a medium Gray on my dark scale. I have a feeling the following two books will be darker. Is it April yet? I need the next book—that cliffhanger something else.
Side note all I could sing throughout the book is Living Dead Girl by Rob Zombie; it’s fits the book perfectly.
Vow of Deception is not your typical mafia dark romance story. Far from it, the concept and plot are something beyond your wild imagination. I need to know what Adrian is hiding. It’s big, whatever it is. And I am seriously on the fence about him. Don’t get me wrong, he is hot as sin, and the chemistry between him and Lia is steamy. I believe he cares about her, but I just have a feeling. Of course, I can be completely wrong. As there’re are so many secrets. After all, he is second in command in the Russian mafia.
This book has so many twists and turns with severe push/ pull that I have whiplash. It was awesome. Rina Kent is Brilliant; I tell you with her writing and how she kept us on our toes, pay close attention is my advice and be prepared not to have all your answers. Don’t forget you still have mafia business in the background. I say this is more of a psychological thriller versus a dark romance. There are dark undertones. So it’s a medium Gray on my dark scale. I have a feeling the following two books will be darker. Is it April yet? I need the next book—that cliffhanger something else.
Side note all I could sing throughout the book is Living Dead Girl by Rob Zombie; it’s fits the book perfectly.
March 20, 2021
It’s intriguing.
It’s worth the reading!
It’s worth the reading!
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