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Spearcrest Kings #4
Spearcrest Wolf
Iakov Kavinski
It’s been years since I’ve seen my best friend’s little sister. Beautiful Zahara, hiding all her sadness behind her thorny exterior. I would have done anything to keep her safe, but she hated me anyway.
One night, everything changed and she told me she never wanted to see me again. I’m nothing if not obedient—her dog through and through. So I stayed away from her.
Then my best friend asks me for the one favour I can never deny him: protect his little sister—against her will if I have to.
Zahara Blackwood
In London's high society, I hide behind the glittering mask of a socialite, concealing all the broken pieces of me. I thought I could take charge of my destiny—until the stalker who’s been haunting me for years breaks into my home.
My brother's solution? Turn to the one man I swore to never see again. Tall, tattooed, messed-up Iakov Kavinski, my brother’s best friend and my infuriating protector.
Now, we're trapped together, teetering on the edge of attraction and resentment, a precarious balance of desire and denial.
And I refuse to be the first to fall.
Spearcrest Wolf is a new adult standalone brother's best friend romance. It contains dark themes and graphic sexual scenes which may not be suitable for all readers.
It’s been years since I’ve seen my best friend’s little sister. Beautiful Zahara, hiding all her sadness behind her thorny exterior. I would have done anything to keep her safe, but she hated me anyway.
One night, everything changed and she told me she never wanted to see me again. I’m nothing if not obedient—her dog through and through. So I stayed away from her.
Then my best friend asks me for the one favour I can never deny him: protect his little sister—against her will if I have to.
Zahara Blackwood
In London's high society, I hide behind the glittering mask of a socialite, concealing all the broken pieces of me. I thought I could take charge of my destiny—until the stalker who’s been haunting me for years breaks into my home.
My brother's solution? Turn to the one man I swore to never see again. Tall, tattooed, messed-up Iakov Kavinski, my brother’s best friend and my infuriating protector.
Now, we're trapped together, teetering on the edge of attraction and resentment, a precarious balance of desire and denial.
And I refuse to be the first to fall.
Spearcrest Wolf is a new adult standalone brother's best friend romance. It contains dark themes and graphic sexual scenes which may not be suitable for all readers.
402 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 20, 2023
109 people are currently reading
2536 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 297 reviews
November 1, 2023
“everybody dies, kolyuchka.”
“not you. you have to live. i command it.”
“i can’t live forever.”
“then live until i allow you to die.”
he watches me in silence for a long time. then he drops to his knees, startling me, and he bows his head in front of me, resting his forehead against my thighs. “until you allow me to die, then. i swear it.”
no thoughts, head empty. iakovzaro invented true love <33
September 9, 2025
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 3.75/5
This is the whole review because in my honest opinion that's all a man should need to say to HIS woman for her to know how he feels about her.
If I were her, I would fold so fast because why is that so much better than him saying "I love you" (though he still says that too). Iakov was everything and I'm happy that I enjoyed a dark romance book after a long time so wins all around. 😌🤧
-------
pre-read: Zachary raised standards, but I was more interested in Iakov. For being the kind of girl who dodges men in general irl, I guess I have something for the emotionally-unavailable man in books.
“Then live until I allow you to die.”
He watches me in silence for a long time. Then he drops to his knees, startling me, and he bows his head in front of me, resting his forehead against my thighs.
“Until you allow me to die, then. I swear it.”
This is the whole review because in my honest opinion that's all a man should need to say to HIS woman for her to know how he feels about her.
If I were her, I would fold so fast because why is that so much better than him saying "I love you" (though he still says that too). Iakov was everything and I'm happy that I enjoyed a dark romance book after a long time so wins all around. 😌🤧
-------
pre-read: Zachary raised standards, but I was more interested in Iakov. For being the kind of girl who dodges men in general irl, I guess I have something for the emotionally-unavailable man in books.
July 29, 2025
iakovzaro i adore you
July 4, 2025
The lead-up from the previous books to truly understand the silent, broody, mysterious enigma that is Iakov Kavinski and finally get inside his head was well worth the wait. His dry humor cracked me up and his relationship with Zack and Anton was so sweet. Zahara has been through it. It was so sad to see how much she internalized her past trauma and relationships, but so satisfying to watch her work through that to finally shine into the confident and determined woman she really is - to take pride in being a thorny rose. She projected a lot of her own anger and judgment toward Iakov, but he was beyond patient and compassionate because he could see that sadness in her. He didn’t just see her, he appreciated every facet that made up Zahara and loved her for it.
I also appreciated how he struggled to start anything with Zahara because of his loyalty to her brother, Zach, that the Blackwood family meant so much to him that he didn’t want to do anything to mess things up. Lord Blackwood’s appearances never miss and him being his children’s biggest shippers was such a vibe. I absolutely LOVED the friend groups! I’m so happy Zahara had Sanvi and Rhiannon on her side every step of the way. Seeing how Iakov’s friendship with each Young King has influenced his life in little, meaningful ways just shows how their friendship has lasted beyond their Spearcrest years. I can’t tell you the number of times I screamed when one of them was mentioned or appeared in this book. Last thing - The crumbs, THE CRUMBS, of Luca!! Book #5, I’m ready for you :)
Aurora Reed - I’m going to be so sad when this series ends, but whatever concoction you have for your next series, I look forward to reading and supporting your work in the future (always) <3
Thank you to the author for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I also appreciated how he struggled to start anything with Zahara because of his loyalty to her brother, Zach, that the Blackwood family meant so much to him that he didn’t want to do anything to mess things up. Lord Blackwood’s appearances never miss and him being his children’s biggest shippers was such a vibe. I absolutely LOVED the friend groups! I’m so happy Zahara had Sanvi and Rhiannon on her side every step of the way. Seeing how Iakov’s friendship with each Young King has influenced his life in little, meaningful ways just shows how their friendship has lasted beyond their Spearcrest years. I can’t tell you the number of times I screamed when one of them was mentioned or appeared in this book. Last thing - The crumbs, THE CRUMBS, of Luca!! Book #5, I’m ready for you :)
Aurora Reed - I’m going to be so sad when this series ends, but whatever concoction you have for your next series, I look forward to reading and supporting your work in the future (always) <3
Thank you to the author for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 15, 2024
3.5 stars
he deserves so much better than the whiny ass bitch.
he deserves so much better than the whiny ass bitch.
March 31, 2024
4.8 stars.
iakov kavinski is the type of man you fix a sandwich for at 3am.
iakov kavinski is the type of man you fix a sandwich for at 3am.
November 4, 2023
Reading Aurora Reed's books is like playing russian roulette: you never know if you'll win at it spectacularly or loose completely.
Let me start with the positives and some facts you should know before diving into this book:
- the author is very talented, every story is "alive" and authentic;
- although the author has some tropes in her books, she doesn't rely heavily on them and lets the plot and the characters take the driver's seat, so that the story feels very organic and not forced 🙌;
- every book is completely different BECAUSE every character is different. There's no predictability with her books and no character is a copy of another character (which tends to happen in a lot of different authors' books)
But here lies the problem with the last point: it's HIT or MISS big time depending on what character speaks to you personally.
Because this book? It had a great and original hero, his pain and his troubles and everything about him was so beautifully written❤️👑
BUT BOY DID I HATE THE HEROINE WITH A PASSION OF A BILLION PASSIONFRUITS!!!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡☠️☠️☠️☠️
Zahara was whiny, wallowing in self-pity and self-loathing, always playing the victim instead of fucking going to therapy. She made her problems seem so big and sophisticated, when in reality IT WAS ALL IN HER HEAD AND COULD BE SOLVED WITH ONE CONVERSATION WITH HER FATHER!!!!!!! The fact that this bitch had the audacity to compare her "troubles" with the troubles of the hero INFURIATES me! Plus, until around 65% mark she was HORRIBLE towards him. She was worse than any bully, because she found all his insecurities and ran with it. She was so rude to him, calling him stupid, ugly, worthless, a DOG!!!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 Even her friends noticed her weird behaviour and told her he's sad and looks like he had troubled childhood, so she should take it easier on him, to what she replied THAT HE HAS NO FEELINGS AND LET'S MOVE ON!! 🆘🤬☠️🤡😈🤡🤡 She was kicking a book he was reading WITH HER FOOT REPEATEDLY! She was throwing herself at him and when he said "No" she laughed at him, called him a hypocrite and that he "wants her" 🆘🆘🤷🏼♀️ but screamed that he should get out and THREW THINGS AT HIM!!!!!! I never really wanted them to get together after it.
The book was enjoyable in it's writing, the hero was great, it was nice to see previous couples and where they were at. Plus, the scenes with Luca, next book's hero were PHENOMENAL!!!! 👑👑👑👑👑❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I can't wait to get to his book! Yet the heroine in this book was a flaming shithole, so I'll have to lower my rating.
Let me start with the positives and some facts you should know before diving into this book:
- the author is very talented, every story is "alive" and authentic;
- although the author has some tropes in her books, she doesn't rely heavily on them and lets the plot and the characters take the driver's seat, so that the story feels very organic and not forced 🙌;
- every book is completely different BECAUSE every character is different. There's no predictability with her books and no character is a copy of another character (which tends to happen in a lot of different authors' books)
But here lies the problem with the last point: it's HIT or MISS big time depending on what character speaks to you personally.
Because this book? It had a great and original hero, his pain and his troubles and everything about him was so beautifully written❤️👑
BUT BOY DID I HATE THE HEROINE WITH A PASSION OF A BILLION PASSIONFRUITS!!!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡☠️☠️☠️☠️
Zahara was whiny, wallowing in self-pity and self-loathing, always playing the victim instead of fucking going to therapy. She made her problems seem so big and sophisticated, when in reality IT WAS ALL IN HER HEAD AND COULD BE SOLVED WITH ONE CONVERSATION WITH HER FATHER!!!!!!! The fact that this bitch had the audacity to compare her "troubles" with the troubles of the hero INFURIATES me! Plus, until around 65% mark she was HORRIBLE towards him. She was worse than any bully, because she found all his insecurities and ran with it. She was so rude to him, calling him stupid, ugly, worthless, a DOG!!!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 Even her friends noticed her weird behaviour and told her he's sad and looks like he had troubled childhood, so she should take it easier on him, to what she replied THAT HE HAS NO FEELINGS AND LET'S MOVE ON!! 🆘🤬☠️🤡😈🤡🤡 She was kicking a book he was reading WITH HER FOOT REPEATEDLY! She was throwing herself at him and when he said "No" she laughed at him, called him a hypocrite and that he "wants her" 🆘🆘🤷🏼♀️ but screamed that he should get out and THREW THINGS AT HIM!!!!!! I never really wanted them to get together after it.
The book was enjoyable in it's writing, the hero was great, it was nice to see previous couples and where they were at. Plus, the scenes with Luca, next book's hero were PHENOMENAL!!!! 👑👑👑👑👑❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I can't wait to get to his book! Yet the heroine in this book was a flaming shithole, so I'll have to lower my rating.
November 1, 2023
i will never love another character as much as i love iakov kavinski, nobody gets him like i do we're bonded we're twin souls forever tethered 🔐♾
iakovzaro my people <3 they will always have a special place in my heart but nothing is ever topping zachtheo for me (they're the realest truest love in my books) sorry.
"You make me happy, I want to tell her. My beautiful rose, my thorny saviour. You make me happy because you’re the place where I feel most safe and most loved. And one day, I’m going to marry you"
iakovzaro my people <3 they will always have a special place in my heart but nothing is ever topping zachtheo for me (they're the realest truest love in my books) sorry.
February 15, 2024
First of all, huge thanks to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.75 STARS
I want to start the review by saying that this is not a bad book by any means (much better than Zachary's and his virgin mary girlfriend... just saying) but it has some aspects that deserved a bit more of insight.
Let's start talking about CHARACTERS:
🐺 Iakov Kanivnski
MY DROP DEAD GORGEOUS PRINCE FOR EVER! Iakov is definitely (underline it like twenty more times) the best part of this book. He's what women's dreams are made of. He's the perfect everything you could ever want. I just want to highlight that this gentleman spent like 50% of this book on his knees unlacing Zahara's heels after a party or devoting his entire being to her existence. When Aurora says he's loyal to fault like a dog, take her word for it cause DAMN. I swear Zahara spent most of the first part of the book calling him names for no reason and not even once he complained or demanded an apology, he's just amazing like that without coming off like a total loser. Iakov is kind, he's smart (even tho he doesn't get Plato... but neither did I in high school buddy), but most of all he's resilient. Iakov is oh so resilikent: his story (until the Blackwood siblings) is one of abuse, trauma and pain all buried deep inside him in the desperate attempt to avenge the little sister he loved so much. Ugh. Nothing better than a man so enamored with his mom and little sister, I swear. Biggest green flag ever. If you loved Evan in the first book like I did it will be impossible not to love Iakov... he's like the depressed version of Evan (YIKES!). Let me elaborate: if Iakov could spend the rest of his miserable life following Zaro around and carrying her shopping bags for her using only his pinkie he would die an happy man.
P.s. When #they started calling him 'Yasha' I'll admit a felt the urge to shed some tears here and there.
P.p.s I loved him so much that I completely forgot about how much the blood moon story and those ukrainian children beating each other for ransom cringed me! That's saying something.
Some lines I loved:
🥀 Zahara Blackwood
Here we go with the first problem for this book. Zahara's character has her peaks during this story but if you take out those few moments... she just exists. Her story is definitely one that should have had some more insight because this is a woman that grew up being groomed by EVERYONE. Not even kidding, this girl has never had a normal boyfriend that doesn't belong in the hospital's geriatric department until Iakov and all we know about this trauma of hers is that she feels unloved and lonely... really? I wasn't expecting some deep psychological analysis of it but it deserved more than just a few lines thrown in just to add some dept to her character because it didn't work. I'm disappointed to say I felt next to nothing for Zaro when Iakov wasn't in the picture because without him she's bland. She's just a beautiful rich girl haunted by the so called daddy issues that can't stand up for herself when older man use her for fame or sex, but there's no DEPT to it. It's all said and not shown, there's no reflection on it to the point that I couldn't give a damn when her stalker's identity was revealed... we all knew who he was anyways.
Another thing that should have been explained better his her hatred for Iakov. Okay she might have wanted her privacy, okay he didn't kiss her back when she was sixteen but SO WHAT? Who the hell calls someone with dog names just for something as shallow as this? She has her glow up when stops being petty and starts seeing Iakov as the real life saint that he his. Zahara really has her glow up when she stops being obsessed with the idea of being loved (since the people that count in her life already do) and makes a vow to start loving in return: those few lines where she swears to love iakov at her best nearly made me BAWL with how much I was happy for him to finally receive what he deserves.
🧨Rhiannon and Sanvi🧬
I guess they were good friends for Zahara and that's all cause their relationship was't really explored. I get it, this is a series where we know the majority of the characters already and adding two more in between of everything is a tricky thing, something's gotta give and their dept was it in this case.
Anton
Heavy mixed feelings here. Yes, he let Iakov at the mercy of his father and never said a thing but in the end what could he have done without getting himself killed and leaving Iakov without anyone at all? He wasn't good but you have to appreciate his character. I liked him, hopefully we'll get to know something about how their relationship evolved after everything in Luca's book.
Pavel
No comment rot in hell.
Zach and Theo
Hopefully I won't have to read about their blessed by the angels themselves love for each other again in Luca's book.
🤺 Luca Fletcher-Lowe
WE WAIT FOR YOU LIKE YOU'RE THE NEW AGE MESSIAH. just saying...
🐈⬛ Willow Lynch
Sadly she didn't make a big impression on me. Like what you mean she's a low class scammer living on the outskirts and she's supposed to be with #the Luca Fletcher-Lowe... we'll see.
PLOT:
I think the focus of the book was supposed to revolve around overcoming Zahara's stalker and Iakov fixing his family issues... but he totally stole the show. The whole mystery around that stalker wasn't a mystery at all and really Zaro's trauma seemed to pale a little when it came to Iakov's story. That is not because what she went through is any less (this is not a competition) but because the way their stories are treated made it seem like that. Let's just say the plot wasn't the highlight of this book.
ROMANCE:
Not by any means at EvanSophie's level of iconicity BUT they had many swoon moments. If you can overlook the lack of explanation on Zaro's part for her initial hatred where Iakov is concerned they really have a way to complement each other that can make you emotional. Picture it: the rich girl who throws herself at undeserving disgusting married geriatric men and her patient brooding lost doberman puppy boyfriend with no class whatsoever and a knack for bloody fights... WHAT'SB THERE NOT TO LIKE?
“I love you so much I wish I could lock you inside my heart and keep you there forever.”
GENERAL THOUGHTS
I do think that Aurora Reed as a romance author has much more writing abilities that some other people out there you’ll have the misfortune to read and see promoted on the internet these days. This book wasn't her best tho. It wasn't mind-blowing or particularly emotional. What was it then? It was a great way to spend my time and it's the first one I've managed to finish in weeks so that has to count for something.
Spice level
🌶🌶.5 (but it didn't make me cringe like some other shit)
Tropes
I would add them but aside brother's best friend it's like they're a category of their own. We love that.
3.75 STARS
I want to start the review by saying that this is not a bad book by any means (much better than Zachary's and his virgin mary girlfriend... just saying) but it has some aspects that deserved a bit more of insight.
Let's start talking about CHARACTERS:
🐺 Iakov Kanivnski
MY DROP DEAD GORGEOUS PRINCE FOR EVER! Iakov is definitely (underline it like twenty more times) the best part of this book. He's what women's dreams are made of. He's the perfect everything you could ever want. I just want to highlight that this gentleman spent like 50% of this book on his knees unlacing Zahara's heels after a party or devoting his entire being to her existence. When Aurora says he's loyal to fault like a dog, take her word for it cause DAMN. I swear Zahara spent most of the first part of the book calling him names for no reason and not even once he complained or demanded an apology, he's just amazing like that without coming off like a total loser. Iakov is kind, he's smart (even tho he doesn't get Plato... but neither did I in high school buddy), but most of all he's resilient. Iakov is oh so resilikent: his story (until the Blackwood siblings) is one of abuse, trauma and pain all buried deep inside him in the desperate attempt to avenge the little sister he loved so much. Ugh. Nothing better than a man so enamored with his mom and little sister, I swear. Biggest green flag ever. If you loved Evan in the first book like I did it will be impossible not to love Iakov... he's like the depressed version of Evan (YIKES!). Let me elaborate: if Iakov could spend the rest of his miserable life following Zaro around and carrying her shopping bags for her using only his pinkie he would die an happy man.
P.s. When #they started calling him 'Yasha' I'll admit a felt the urge to shed some tears here and there.
P.p.s I loved him so much that I completely forgot about how much the blood moon story and those ukrainian children beating each other for ransom cringed me! That's saying something.
Some lines I loved:
“I weep because of Iakov, not just his face, or how rough his voice sounds, and not even because whatever Iakov just went through, he still made sure to come home with a sweet treat for me.”#I would have thrown myself at his feet and wept for those sweet treats.
“I bury myself between her legs, delve deep with my tongue, let her grind herself on my wet face, which should never be anything more than a tool for her pleasure.”not even gonna comment on this let's move on.
“I follow her obediently—don’t I always? Am I not devoted to her, abjectly obedient, her dog to command and mistreat and reward as she pleases?”forget what you know about poetry.
🥀 Zahara Blackwood
Here we go with the first problem for this book. Zahara's character has her peaks during this story but if you take out those few moments... she just exists. Her story is definitely one that should have had some more insight because this is a woman that grew up being groomed by EVERYONE. Not even kidding, this girl has never had a normal boyfriend that doesn't belong in the hospital's geriatric department until Iakov and all we know about this trauma of hers is that she feels unloved and lonely... really? I wasn't expecting some deep psychological analysis of it but it deserved more than just a few lines thrown in just to add some dept to her character because it didn't work. I'm disappointed to say I felt next to nothing for Zaro when Iakov wasn't in the picture because without him she's bland. She's just a beautiful rich girl haunted by the so called daddy issues that can't stand up for herself when older man use her for fame or sex, but there's no DEPT to it. It's all said and not shown, there's no reflection on it to the point that I couldn't give a damn when her stalker's identity was revealed... we all knew who he was anyways.
Another thing that should have been explained better his her hatred for Iakov. Okay she might have wanted her privacy, okay he didn't kiss her back when she was sixteen but SO WHAT? Who the hell calls someone with dog names just for something as shallow as this? She has her glow up when stops being petty and starts seeing Iakov as the real life saint that he his. Zahara really has her glow up when she stops being obsessed with the idea of being loved (since the people that count in her life already do) and makes a vow to start loving in return: those few lines where she swears to love iakov at her best nearly made me BAWL with how much I was happy for him to finally receive what he deserves.
“If God let me have Iakov, I would spend the rest of my life trying to deserve him.”
“I swear to myself to lavish so much love upon Iakov Kavinski that he won’t know what to do with it. And I swear to myself to make him smile and laugh. I’ve always been so obsessed with being loved, being happy. None of it has even been as important as this. Making sure Iakov is loved, making sure Iakov is happy.”
🧨Rhiannon and Sanvi🧬
I guess they were good friends for Zahara and that's all cause their relationship was't really explored. I get it, this is a series where we know the majority of the characters already and adding two more in between of everything is a tricky thing, something's gotta give and their dept was it in this case.
Anton
Heavy mixed feelings here. Yes, he let Iakov at the mercy of his father and never said a thing but in the end what could he have done without getting himself killed and leaving Iakov without anyone at all? He wasn't good but you have to appreciate his character. I liked him, hopefully we'll get to know something about how their relationship evolved after everything in Luca's book.
Pavel
No comment rot in hell.
Zach and Theo
Hopefully I won't have to read about their blessed by the angels themselves love for each other again in Luca's book.
🤺 Luca Fletcher-Lowe
WE WAIT FOR YOU LIKE YOU'RE THE NEW AGE MESSIAH. just saying...
🐈⬛ Willow Lynch
Sadly she didn't make a big impression on me. Like what you mean she's a low class scammer living on the outskirts and she's supposed to be with #the Luca Fletcher-Lowe... we'll see.
PLOT:
I think the focus of the book was supposed to revolve around overcoming Zahara's stalker and Iakov fixing his family issues... but he totally stole the show. The whole mystery around that stalker wasn't a mystery at all and really Zaro's trauma seemed to pale a little when it came to Iakov's story. That is not because what she went through is any less (this is not a competition) but because the way their stories are treated made it seem like that. Let's just say the plot wasn't the highlight of this book.
ROMANCE:
Not by any means at EvanSophie's level of iconicity BUT they had many swoon moments. If you can overlook the lack of explanation on Zaro's part for her initial hatred where Iakov is concerned they really have a way to complement each other that can make you emotional. Picture it: the rich girl who throws herself at undeserving disgusting married geriatric men and her patient brooding lost doberman puppy boyfriend with no class whatsoever and a knack for bloody fights... WHAT'SB THERE NOT TO LIKE?
“I like your thorns, though. And roses without thorns are weaker. They die faster.”
“You’re just saying that,” she says with a huff of tearful laughter.
“No. It’s true. Look it up.”
“You’re a botanist now?”
“I have to be. My girl loves plants.”
“Why should I not want him? He’s the only person in the world who sees me for who I am and still wants me. So why can’t I want him back? Why can’t I have him?”
“I love you so much I wish I could lock you inside my heart and keep you there forever.”
GENERAL THOUGHTS
I do think that Aurora Reed as a romance author has much more writing abilities that some other people out there you’ll have the misfortune to read and see promoted on the internet these days. This book wasn't her best tho. It wasn't mind-blowing or particularly emotional. What was it then? It was a great way to spend my time and it's the first one I've managed to finish in weeks so that has to count for something.
Spice level
🌶🌶.5 (but it didn't make me cringe like some other shit)
Tropes
I would add them but aside brother's best friend it's like they're a category of their own. We love that.
January 7, 2026
they don’t make men like these anymore 💔
October 10, 2023
zahara my perfect princess who just wants to be loved and iakov literally best boy😣😣
December 4, 2023
ill never get over them i fear 🤕
January 31, 2026
*posted the review again so the book will be in my gr challenge cause I accidentally deleted it😭
⤷ ゛4,5⭐️ ˎˊ˗
*still debating the rating
ᯓᡣ𐭩 I enjoyed this book from the beginning, but the second half was extremely good, waaaay better than the first!
Yes, I do think Zahara was imature sometimes, unreasonable other times and extremely mean to Iakov and yes, I do think Iakov should’ve told her something and not behave like a dog, but the fact that he took every jab from her and did nothing about it was emotional to me.😔
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
⋆. 𐙚 ˚𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚝 sucked me right in, I was wandering what could happen next, and I loved when other characters were introduced.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
𑣲𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎.Now when we talk about the romance…Zahara and Iakov met several times in the past, Iakov was taking care of her because her brother, his best friend, asked him to do so and that’s one of the reasons Zahara started hating him.He was always honest with her and that’s another reasone she hated him.They both had a troubled past and the present might’ve been even worse and I think they fell in love through trauma bonding.
Look, the love for each other in the beginning was kinda out of nowhere but afterwards it was raw , emotional , adorable even. I loved their interactions so much! They let themselves be vulnerable, their love for each other was precious, and once Zahara wasn’t as bitchy as she was before, their moments together and the sex scenes were filled with an emotion that sparked something special through me.
There were some repetitive scenes and if the book was written a little bit better, it would have been even better.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
⋆. 𐙚 ˚𝙻𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚢,I enjoyed this so much regardless of some things that weren’t done the best.I’m so glad I read this book and I’ll definitely read the other books from the series.I forgot to add that I absolutely LOVED the brotherhood from this book!! Iakov and Zach and the father son like relationship between Iakov and Anton!!I loved that extremely!!
────୨ৎ────
•» 🎀𝓕𝓲𝓷𝓲𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓭 𝓸𝓷 5𝓽𝓱 𝓸𝓯 𝓙𝓪𝓷𝓾𝓪𝓻𝔂 🎀 »•
—————————————————————————————
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭
•» 🎀 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓮𝓭 1𝓼𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓙𝓪𝓷𝓾𝓪𝓻𝔂 🎀 »•
After searching for a mafia book that satisfies my interests and not finding one I started randomly what I had downloaded on my kindle and so far it’s good😻
⤷ ゛4,5⭐️ ˎˊ˗
*still debating the rating
ᯓᡣ𐭩 I enjoyed this book from the beginning, but the second half was extremely good, waaaay better than the first!
Yes, I do think Zahara was imature sometimes, unreasonable other times and extremely mean to Iakov and yes, I do think Iakov should’ve told her something and not behave like a dog, but the fact that he took every jab from her and did nothing about it was emotional to me.😔
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
⋆. 𐙚 ˚𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚝 sucked me right in, I was wandering what could happen next, and I loved when other characters were introduced.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
𑣲𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎.Now when we talk about the romance…Zahara and Iakov met several times in the past, Iakov was taking care of her because her brother, his best friend, asked him to do so and that’s one of the reasons Zahara started hating him.He was always honest with her and that’s another reasone she hated him.They both had a troubled past and the present might’ve been even worse and I think they fell in love through trauma bonding.
Look, the love for each other in the beginning was kinda out of nowhere but afterwards it was raw , emotional , adorable even. I loved their interactions so much! They let themselves be vulnerable, their love for each other was precious, and once Zahara wasn’t as bitchy as she was before, their moments together and the sex scenes were filled with an emotion that sparked something special through me.
There were some repetitive scenes and if the book was written a little bit better, it would have been even better.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
⋆. 𐙚 ˚𝙻𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚢,I enjoyed this so much regardless of some things that weren’t done the best.I’m so glad I read this book and I’ll definitely read the other books from the series.I forgot to add that I absolutely LOVED the brotherhood from this book!! Iakov and Zach and the father son like relationship between Iakov and Anton!!I loved that extremely!!
────୨ৎ────
•» 🎀𝓕𝓲𝓷𝓲𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓭 𝓸𝓷 5𝓽𝓱 𝓸𝓯 𝓙𝓪𝓷𝓾𝓪𝓻𝔂 🎀 »•
—————————————————————————————
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭
•» 🎀 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓮𝓭 1𝓼𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓙𝓪𝓷𝓾𝓪𝓻𝔂 🎀 »•
After searching for a mafia book that satisfies my interests and not finding one I started randomly what I had downloaded on my kindle and so far it’s good😻
October 20, 2023
“Yes, you've been thorny, and you've scratched me. You've scratched hard, Kolyuchka, but you've never hurt me.” I swipe my thumb across her lips, wiping away the tears. “I don't think you even really wanted to hurt me. Probably because you love me or something.”
Aurora Reed and her Spearcreast Kings series are among my top discoveries of 2023 🫶
I've been anticipating Iakov's book the moment I started this series, so I was so happy to get the arc! His and Zahara's story was a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish. I adored it and was so invested in it that I couldn't put down my kindle. They even dethroned Zach and Theo as my favorite couple!
I'd completely forgotten that the plot wouldn't take place at Spearcrest Academy, but I didn't mind at all as the vibe from the previous books was still there. Zahara is now in college, and Iakov is back in Russia working for his father. He is sent on a mission to England just as Zach asks him to protect his sister from a stalker. Iakov has been Zaro's "bodyguard" in the past, but their relationship didn't end on a good note, and now she hates him. He still protects her and has to stay at her place, which creates a lot of tension between them. The chemistry between Iakov and Zaro is excellent, and I loved the way they grew closer and confided in each other, as well as all the sweet moments they shared while living together. They also never doubted each other, and I think that's what made me love their relationship so much!
With Luca, Iakov is the character that intrigued me the most in the series, and I was curious to learn more about him and his past. His story was painful, and he had to grow up in terrible conditions. He has a lot of pain and darkness in him, but once you get to know you see that he is a good man who deserves to be loved. As for Zaro, she also has a lot of sadness in her, which I didn't expect when meeting her in the previous book of the series. She has severe trauma of being preyed on by older men and feeling like it's her fault because of her father's negligence. She is so loved and protected by her best friends and brother, but I liked that Iakov taught her how to defend herself and not be scared. Both of their character's development was so well written, and I loved them individually and as a couple so much!
The bond between Iakov and Zach was also one of the highlights of the book for me! Zach, and Theo as well, care so much about him, and it took Iakov a long time to understand that. Their reactions to him dating Zaro were so precious! The moment with Séverin and Anaïs was cute too, and I loved seeing that they're still close friends!
This series is unique, and I don't think I've ever read anything like it! While I didn't care much for Luca in the previous installments, his interactions with Iakov, and his love interest have piqued my curiosity. I'm looking forward to reading his story and seeing his interactions with the rest of the Spearcrest Kings!
*ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
July 9, 2024
Safe for me
Brother's best friend trope
No mention of hero's past ( but in book #3, a girl mentioned him went down on her but turned out some things she told were lies, and I believe this one too because hero doesn't seems like the type to.)
Hero is celibate, and Heroine isn't. She's with om after meeting the hero
There's a lot of om drama.
Love the hero 😍
HEA
Brother's best friend trope
No mention of hero's past ( but in book #3, a girl mentioned him went down on her but turned out some things she told were lies, and I believe this one too because hero doesn't seems like the type to.)
Hero is celibate, and Heroine isn't. She's with om after meeting the hero
There's a lot of om drama.
Love the hero 😍
HEA
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2023
Ships between two broken people who find love in each other and help each other will always be famous to me!! Iakov Kavinski ilysm.
January 30, 2026
I love this man.
April 12, 2024
2 ⭐️
zahara’s character is a little complicated and im trying not to overanalyze her situation bcz this is her coping mechanism but at the same time she knows its grooming and would still go along with it if it meant this was her way out of feeling less lonely. I cannot defend her actions.
Iakov I believe deserves better than what he was given. Despite his past ans trauma he’s always there to help others and zahara mostly. I enjoyed his character he’s my favorite after zach.
as a couple I feel like it was more given from one side. more based on lust rather feelings….
“I’m your dog, aren’t I? A cruel mistress is still a mistress.”
zahara’s character is a little complicated and im trying not to overanalyze her situation bcz this is her coping mechanism but at the same time she knows its grooming and would still go along with it if it meant this was her way out of feeling less lonely. I cannot defend her actions.
Iakov I believe deserves better than what he was given. Despite his past ans trauma he’s always there to help others and zahara mostly. I enjoyed his character he’s my favorite after zach.
as a couple I feel like it was more given from one side. more based on lust rather feelings….
“I’m your dog, aren’t I? A cruel mistress is still a mistress.”
July 5, 2025
lock me in a room with iakov alone and the whole neighborhood would stay up all night due to the noises
October 5, 2023
"𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙟𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪," 𝙄 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩. "𝙄 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚; 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣. 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙆𝙤𝙡𝙮𝙪𝙘𝙝𝙠𝙖. 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡, 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚. 𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛."
rate: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
tension: 📈📈📈📈📈
spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
When I tell you I never thought that anyone could top Zach for me I meant that. But Iakov is something special. I had the pleasure to once again Beta read for Aurora and honestly the entirety of the book had be gasping and loosing my mind. I can't go into much details cause the book isn't out yet but that one quote is enough to tell you how dynamic and deep the relationship between him and Zahara is.
Zahara Blackwood: My thorny princess. The way I related to this girl on a deeper level, the experiences that she has had are similar to some I did especially when it came to wanting to be silence about some trauma and finding it hard to seek help from your love ones even though you know they will stand by you. She has been though the worst and craziest of things but somehow, somehow she manages to be strong and stand tall. Though her relationship with her dad is strained you can tell it is one of the driving factors to the way that she not only views about also approach her relationships. Just some daddy issues if you will.
Iakov Kavinski: in the past 3 books and even in the novella we caught a glimpse of what he is like on a surface level but actually reading and getting into his thoughts is literally a trip. In a way the way he carries/organizes his space is a reflection of how he views everything and organizes his thoughts. While chaotic at times his true priorities and things he values always stays intact and in perfect reach. I love the relationships with him and Zach, him and Anton (he is SOOO DADDY *urgh just rail me*) and him and my main, my next hubby Luca. Even though each is curated for purpose they all helpedd him.
Honourable mentions:
Savi and Rhi being the polar opposites and Zaro biggest supports warms me.
Theo: she literally is the sweetest
Zach: Overbearing, nosy, protective and overall best big brother
DADDY BLACKWOOD: This man can never do any wrong. He just comes and slays in each of his kids book. The way he welcomed their orphaned (just kidding) partners too is everything.
The Shadow: this one have me spinning
Overall Aurora this is everything I wished for and if I've said it once i'll say it a million times. I love you and love your work. You are brilliant doll.
TROPES X Themes
» forbidden love
» kinda second chance
» boy obsessed
» mutual pinning
» brother's bestfriend
» forced proximity
» attempted sa (not by mc)
» childhood trauma
» mentioned of grooming
» death
» child abuse
» loss
» dark themes
rate: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
tension: 📈📈📈📈📈
spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
When I tell you I never thought that anyone could top Zach for me I meant that. But Iakov is something special. I had the pleasure to once again Beta read for Aurora and honestly the entirety of the book had be gasping and loosing my mind. I can't go into much details cause the book isn't out yet but that one quote is enough to tell you how dynamic and deep the relationship between him and Zahara is.
Zahara Blackwood: My thorny princess. The way I related to this girl on a deeper level, the experiences that she has had are similar to some I did especially when it came to wanting to be silence about some trauma and finding it hard to seek help from your love ones even though you know they will stand by you. She has been though the worst and craziest of things but somehow, somehow she manages to be strong and stand tall. Though her relationship with her dad is strained you can tell it is one of the driving factors to the way that she not only views about also approach her relationships. Just some daddy issues if you will.
Iakov Kavinski: in the past 3 books and even in the novella we caught a glimpse of what he is like on a surface level but actually reading and getting into his thoughts is literally a trip. In a way the way he carries/organizes his space is a reflection of how he views everything and organizes his thoughts. While chaotic at times his true priorities and things he values always stays intact and in perfect reach. I love the relationships with him and Zach, him and Anton (he is SOOO DADDY *urgh just rail me*) and him and my main, my next hubby Luca. Even though each is curated for purpose they all helpedd him.
Honourable mentions:
Savi and Rhi being the polar opposites and Zaro biggest supports warms me.
Theo: she literally is the sweetest
Zach: Overbearing, nosy, protective and overall best big brother
DADDY BLACKWOOD: This man can never do any wrong. He just comes and slays in each of his kids book. The way he welcomed their orphaned (just kidding) partners too is everything.
The Shadow: this one have me spinning
Overall Aurora this is everything I wished for and if I've said it once i'll say it a million times. I love you and love your work. You are brilliant doll.
TROPES X Themes
» forbidden love
» kinda second chance
» boy obsessed
» mutual pinning
» brother's bestfriend
» forced proximity
» attempted sa (not by mc)
» childhood trauma
» mentioned of grooming
» death
» child abuse
» loss
» dark themes
October 11, 2023
3.75 stars
it hurts me a bit to give an aurora reed book anything less than 4 or 5 stars, but i think these also depend on a matter of taste. spearcrest wolf is in no way a bad book, in fact i'm always a little amazed at how good aurora is at weaving this series together, when every book happens to follow such a different theme with vastly different character dynamics. and it was a success here too!
i've been intrigued by iakov kavinski since the start. among the kings, its him and zach that are that are the most mature guys, and its clear to see, even through their ever-growing friendship and bond in the books. iakov's crumbs in all the previous books so far have been some of the best, leaving him out as a mystery but also someone with a sad past, secret family and so much kindness. he's also claimed as the author's favorite and i sooo get why!!! i loved being in his pov, seeing the truth of his life, and his thoughts. he's got a lot pain and darkness in him, a little feral, and yet at his core, he radiates goodness.
now coming to iakovzaro, this is the place where i had to lower my rating a little bit. i think, overall, iakovzaro are not really favorite relationship. they don't affect me the way some of the previous couples in this series have. i partly also don't feel much for zaro. her storyline, with her older men issues, wasn't something i was too interested in. that being said, aurora still is really good at writing their relationship. i liked their soft moments, even with the banter and fun of having them live together. i love that he trains her to defend herself. and the way they're both two lonely people who end up falling for each other. seeing them come together by the end, finding happiness of their own, healing from their internal wounds, and being together through all of it, was perfect.
i loved seeing the other spearcrest cast here!!! its been what, 5 years? since they left, and thats crazy to think about. i'm way too excited for luca's book. meeting willow on page was everything. and lastly, aurora i am at your door begging for a sevanais novella. their crumbs, along with zachtheo's, made this book extra memorable.
a big thank you to the author for giving me the arc 💗
it hurts me a bit to give an aurora reed book anything less than 4 or 5 stars, but i think these also depend on a matter of taste. spearcrest wolf is in no way a bad book, in fact i'm always a little amazed at how good aurora is at weaving this series together, when every book happens to follow such a different theme with vastly different character dynamics. and it was a success here too!
i've been intrigued by iakov kavinski since the start. among the kings, its him and zach that are that are the most mature guys, and its clear to see, even through their ever-growing friendship and bond in the books. iakov's crumbs in all the previous books so far have been some of the best, leaving him out as a mystery but also someone with a sad past, secret family and so much kindness. he's also claimed as the author's favorite and i sooo get why!!! i loved being in his pov, seeing the truth of his life, and his thoughts. he's got a lot pain and darkness in him, a little feral, and yet at his core, he radiates goodness.
now coming to iakovzaro, this is the place where i had to lower my rating a little bit. i think, overall, iakovzaro are not really favorite relationship. they don't affect me the way some of the previous couples in this series have. i partly also don't feel much for zaro. her storyline, with her older men issues, wasn't something i was too interested in. that being said, aurora still is really good at writing their relationship. i liked their soft moments, even with the banter and fun of having them live together. i love that he trains her to defend herself. and the way they're both two lonely people who end up falling for each other. seeing them come together by the end, finding happiness of their own, healing from their internal wounds, and being together through all of it, was perfect.
i loved seeing the other spearcrest cast here!!! its been what, 5 years? since they left, and thats crazy to think about. i'm way too excited for luca's book. meeting willow on page was everything. and lastly, aurora i am at your door begging for a sevanais novella. their crumbs, along with zachtheo's, made this book extra memorable.
a big thank you to the author for giving me the arc 💗
June 30, 2025
5⭐️/5⭐️
Safe to say Iakov and Zahara owns my heart now
They story was so interesting and I loved how Iakov protected Zaro even tho she treated him really badly in the beginning
Iakov my Russian man he’s so freaking loyal, protective and the most caring man
He genuinely cares for Zaro and lets her treat him however she wants
I would say he was down bad desperate for him
His story was so sad he deserved to be loved and taken care of
His inner monologues were so sad the way he thought he’s only good for death
Zahara the thorny rose well was a relatable character
There was times she made stupid decisions and angered me a lot
But I loved her cause she’s just so sweet and so much relatable
I loved how bossy she was and literally ruled over Iakov
“Walk him like a dog sis walk him like a dog”
Miss Zahara did exactly that!
“I laugh, a rough, scratchy sound. “You, Zahara. All you. Every last thorn.”“Because I’ve hurt you so much?” Her voice breaks.“Because I can’t get you out of my skin”
Man let her humiliate him make him feel dumb do anything but will still love and protect him
I love them so much!
Also I ate up Zach and Theo scenes!
Safe to say Iakov and Zahara owns my heart now
They story was so interesting and I loved how Iakov protected Zaro even tho she treated him really badly in the beginning
Iakov my Russian man he’s so freaking loyal, protective and the most caring man
He genuinely cares for Zaro and lets her treat him however she wants
I would say he was down bad desperate for him
His story was so sad he deserved to be loved and taken care of
His inner monologues were so sad the way he thought he’s only good for death
Zahara the thorny rose well was a relatable character
There was times she made stupid decisions and angered me a lot
But I loved her cause she’s just so sweet and so much relatable
I loved how bossy she was and literally ruled over Iakov
“Walk him like a dog sis walk him like a dog”
Miss Zahara did exactly that!
“I laugh, a rough, scratchy sound. “You, Zahara. All you. Every last thorn.”“Because I’ve hurt you so much?” Her voice breaks.“Because I can’t get you out of my skin”
Man let her humiliate him make him feel dumb do anything but will still love and protect him
I love them so much!
Also I ate up Zach and Theo scenes!
October 20, 2023
WOW WOW WOW.
I love everything that she writes, she could never dissapoint.
I loved both, Iakov and Zahara, they were so good for each other.
Iakov´s storyline broke me so much, but in the end Zahara helped him and they were made for each other.
We got more scenes of Theo and Zach, I LOVE THEM. And Zach´s friendship with Iakov? THE BEST
Thanks to the author for the ARC
I love everything that she writes, she could never dissapoint.
I loved both, Iakov and Zahara, they were so good for each other.
Iakov´s storyline broke me so much, but in the end Zahara helped him and they were made for each other.
We got more scenes of Theo and Zach, I LOVE THEM. And Zach´s friendship with Iakov? THE BEST
Thanks to the author for the ARC
October 6, 2023
ARC 4.5 🌟
Let me just say that Aurora Reed hasn’t written one bad book in this series. Every single book has ate down, up, left and right! Keep up the amazing work bestie 🫶🏻
Although I’m not as rich and beautiful as Zahara Blackwood I saw a lot of myself in her. Her relationships with older men stemming from her daddy issues? Okay call out. Chasing love only to end up heartbroken and disappointed when they leave her, questioning why it’s so hard for somebody to love her? Hit a little too close to home. Masking her true emotions with fighting words? Hit the mark straight on. I could go on and on but I won’t. I think because I relate so much to her I was seriously rooting for Zahara and her happiness. I applaud her for her strong character and remaining resilient about fighting back at her problems because I truly would have given up at the first time. She had her amazing friends, brother, and Iakov (even though she tried to fight this one away) standing by her side and ready to go to war for her because Zahara is worth it all even if she can’t see it herself. Watching (reading) her growth throughout the book just makes me want to give her the biggest hug and tell her how proud I am of her 😭. From the moment he was introduced I knew that Iakov was HIM! He is exactly the type of character that I am always drawn to; silent, mysterious, seems like an asshole but actually isn’t. He is the most loyal, honest,respectful, and loving man despite his upbringing. It’s always the people with the harshest backstories that come out the strongest. Iakov just has a way of seeing a persons real emotions/thoughts through their eyes and I think that’s why he was able to see the truth Zahara couldn’t and understood her better than anyone else did. Although I do love a “hates everyone but her” man I just LOOOOOVED that Iakov was so nice and respectful to everyone important in Zaro’s life and was only an asshole when necessary and deserved. Zahara and Iakov were two halves of a whole and the missing piece was the other. They fought against their real feelings for different reasons but still came out strong in the end and I absolutely love that for my pookie bears.
Thank you Aurora for the spearcrest gang crumbs you gave us. They weren’t a lot but they were everything to me. That’s my familia right there! I absolutely adored Iakov and Zach’s moments, they added something really special to this book. Sanvi and Rhiannon were a great addition as well and I’m hoping we get to see them again. Now it’s time to impatiently wait for Luca’s book.
Let me just say that Aurora Reed hasn’t written one bad book in this series. Every single book has ate down, up, left and right! Keep up the amazing work bestie 🫶🏻
Although I’m not as rich and beautiful as Zahara Blackwood I saw a lot of myself in her. Her relationships with older men stemming from her daddy issues? Okay call out. Chasing love only to end up heartbroken and disappointed when they leave her, questioning why it’s so hard for somebody to love her? Hit a little too close to home. Masking her true emotions with fighting words? Hit the mark straight on. I could go on and on but I won’t. I think because I relate so much to her I was seriously rooting for Zahara and her happiness. I applaud her for her strong character and remaining resilient about fighting back at her problems because I truly would have given up at the first time. She had her amazing friends, brother, and Iakov (even though she tried to fight this one away) standing by her side and ready to go to war for her because Zahara is worth it all even if she can’t see it herself. Watching (reading) her growth throughout the book just makes me want to give her the biggest hug and tell her how proud I am of her 😭. From the moment he was introduced I knew that Iakov was HIM! He is exactly the type of character that I am always drawn to; silent, mysterious, seems like an asshole but actually isn’t. He is the most loyal, honest,respectful, and loving man despite his upbringing. It’s always the people with the harshest backstories that come out the strongest. Iakov just has a way of seeing a persons real emotions/thoughts through their eyes and I think that’s why he was able to see the truth Zahara couldn’t and understood her better than anyone else did. Although I do love a “hates everyone but her” man I just LOOOOOVED that Iakov was so nice and respectful to everyone important in Zaro’s life and was only an asshole when necessary and deserved. Zahara and Iakov were two halves of a whole and the missing piece was the other. They fought against their real feelings for different reasons but still came out strong in the end and I absolutely love that for my pookie bears.
Thank you Aurora for the spearcrest gang crumbs you gave us. They weren’t a lot but they were everything to me. That’s my familia right there! I absolutely adored Iakov and Zach’s moments, they added something really special to this book. Sanvi and Rhiannon were a great addition as well and I’m hoping we get to see them again. Now it’s time to impatiently wait for Luca’s book.
October 8, 2023
I received the ARC of this book which already made me happier than words could describe. Also, this is the first review I ever wrote so let me share my opinion the best I can. :)
I have loved every single one of the Spearcrest kings books and this one gets even more love from me since it’s about Iakov fucking Kavinski and Miss Zahara Blackwood.
Iakov the man that he is would get beaten up and still get the love of his life a nice delayed breakfast. Iakov the man that he his would go through hell for his friends, his family and Zahara. Iakov the man that he is is perfect beyond measurements.
Iakov has the warmest, purest heart out of the boys and he doesn’t even know it. I think we all can connect to the self hatred that he has for himself though we all have it for different reasons.
Iakov shows that no matter what you may look like to other people, the way that you are on the inside does not reflect on it in the slightest.
Zahara is full of thorns and in need to be loved. Sounds relatable, too, huh?
She tolerated the bad behavior of the men she dated because she wanted to feel loved in any way she could get. She has always felt like a shame to her family, especially her father which influenced her heavily.
Again, very relatable.
Zaro is definitely a character you have to get used to but once you do she steals your whole heart.
Now about their relationship.
I would go as far as saying that they’re twin flames.
Both were in need of love their whole lives and both always wanted to give their love to the right person.
They heal the hurt parts of each other and slowly teach each other how healthy love should feel like.
Iakov would do absolutely anything for Zaro and as soon as she realises that, she’s able to admit that she would - too - do anything for him. She gets the princess treatment she always wanted and deserved by Iakov while he enjoys to finally give out the love he carries in his big heart.
What made me really happy about this book is that Zachary did not make a big deal out of their relationship and was genuinely happy for his sister and his dearest friend.
Seeing Anaïs and Sev was very needed and I’m pleased that Aurora delivered.
This book has been incredibly good and oh, I’m sure Iakov and Zahara will live rent free in my head from now on <3
I have loved every single one of the Spearcrest kings books and this one gets even more love from me since it’s about Iakov fucking Kavinski and Miss Zahara Blackwood.
Iakov the man that he is would get beaten up and still get the love of his life a nice delayed breakfast. Iakov the man that he his would go through hell for his friends, his family and Zahara. Iakov the man that he is is perfect beyond measurements.
Iakov has the warmest, purest heart out of the boys and he doesn’t even know it. I think we all can connect to the self hatred that he has for himself though we all have it for different reasons.
Iakov shows that no matter what you may look like to other people, the way that you are on the inside does not reflect on it in the slightest.
Zahara is full of thorns and in need to be loved. Sounds relatable, too, huh?
She tolerated the bad behavior of the men she dated because she wanted to feel loved in any way she could get. She has always felt like a shame to her family, especially her father which influenced her heavily.
Again, very relatable.
Zaro is definitely a character you have to get used to but once you do she steals your whole heart.
Now about their relationship.
I would go as far as saying that they’re twin flames.
Both were in need of love their whole lives and both always wanted to give their love to the right person.
They heal the hurt parts of each other and slowly teach each other how healthy love should feel like.
Iakov would do absolutely anything for Zaro and as soon as she realises that, she’s able to admit that she would - too - do anything for him. She gets the princess treatment she always wanted and deserved by Iakov while he enjoys to finally give out the love he carries in his big heart.
What made me really happy about this book is that Zachary did not make a big deal out of their relationship and was genuinely happy for his sister and his dearest friend.
Seeing Anaïs and Sev was very needed and I’m pleased that Aurora delivered.
This book has been incredibly good and oh, I’m sure Iakov and Zahara will live rent free in my head from now on <3
May 18, 2025
KNUCKLES
August 22, 2025
4.2 stars for the thorny rose & her wolf.
‼️THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS‼️
I’d like to start off by saying, my hopes for this book & series were indifferent. I was both excited and nervous, because I’ve seen a few comparisons for this series to R*na Kent books. Anyone that knows me, knows I don’t touch her books for multiple reasons, that I don’t want to get into on this review.
Secondly, I havent devoured a book like this in MONTHS. Almost a year, actually. That means so much to me because these last 2 years, I’ve been in the biggest slump imaginable. Even books I’ve been enjoying I haven’t read THIS fast.
I want to tattoo this book onto my skin.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ The Plot:
It was both character driven and had a lot going. though there’s so much going in the book I never felt bored, confused, or lost. it was slow to the start but doesn’t take long to pick up.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ Background characters:
I’m reading these books well out of order. but it still feels like I know the side characters. Zach & Theo are wonderful and I’m excited for their book. Willow is interesting and kind of reminds me of Lana Myers, just a tad bit. I know I’ll love her. Luca is… well he creeps me out. I was excited for his character bc I’ve seen quite a few of reviews but idk how I feel abt him. Sanvi & Rhiannon deserves books, or at least novellas of their own. I love them so much. I love the girls friendship. they are everything to me.
❀༺♥༻❀
zahara blackwood. my lonely, sad, thorny, beautiful, fierce, chaotic, sweetheart. I loved her the minute she was on the page. her character is so complex and raw. she deserved the world. she was breaking my heart for most of the book. I could feel her loneliness & sadness radiating off the page. she just wanted to be seen and loved🙁.
I also found myself relating to her in ways. her talking about being lonely and sad and wanting to be excepted made me want to eat glass.
❀༺♥༻❀
iakov kavinski. my grumpy, gentle giant, loyal, brash, honest, force to be reckon with king. his character was soft and hard all at the same time. cold and warm all at once. he was such a sad character to read about. I just wanted to hug him the whole time. his loyalty to Zahara, Zach, and those he cares abt was truly beautiful.
also I loved how iakov got his revenge. he deserved that, at the very least. seeing anton step up and defend him was wonderful.
that chapter abt him & zahara visiting his sister made me cry.
❀༺♥༻❀
zahara & iakovs relationship.
the banter? EATS. the push and pull between them. the mutual pining they had for each other, even though they don’t admit it like 90% of the book. even when Zaro claimed to hate him most of the book… you could feel the love they have for one another.
his nature is quite the opposite, iakov was one of the most gentle & soft hero’s I’ve read about in a while. especially in a dark romance book. it’s not common, unfortunately. he was so patient and soft with zahara, even when she was being relentless with her insults. I loved every second of it.
・❥・➸ Favorite quotes:
And my father is just a man, after all. A liar like any other.
(made me want to throw up but it’s so true)
None of them hold more disappointment and disdain than I hold for myself.
(REAL)
The only good dream I ever have, the girl in gold, but every time I try to touch her, she vanishes like mist.
(he dreams abt her😭)
He has this way of looking at me, like his eyes are reaching right through and seeing some part of me nobody else sees.
“Would my pain soothe yours?” he murmurs. “Then hurt me, Kolyuchka. Any way you like. I’m your dog, aren’t I? A cruel mistress is still a mistress.”
Fuck, she’s beautiful, beautiful like I could fall to my knees at her feet, and I’m still so tired I half-wonder if I’m dreaming.
(MAN IS OBSESSED)
“You want him gone?” I stand up. “Then he’s gone, Kolyuchka.”
I love you. All the beauty of you, all the thorns, too.
(silent love confessions you will always be famous🤞)
“But you think I’m beautiful.” “Yes,” he says. “I’m not blind or dead—of course you’re beautiful. You’re so beautiful it hurts to look at you. But I don’t love you because you’re beautiful. I love you because you’re thorny, smart, strong. I love all those things. I wish you loved those things too.”
(can you see me crying in the background??)
The Blackwood siblings are made from angelic stock. And Zahara, it would seem, is my angel of death.
You make me happy, I want to tell her. My beautiful rose, my thorny saviour. You make me happy because you’re the place where I feel most safe and most loved. And one day, I’m going to marry you.
(this is the last one. since I basically highlighted half the book 😭🤞)
‼️THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS‼️
I’d like to start off by saying, my hopes for this book & series were indifferent. I was both excited and nervous, because I’ve seen a few comparisons for this series to R*na Kent books. Anyone that knows me, knows I don’t touch her books for multiple reasons, that I don’t want to get into on this review.
Secondly, I havent devoured a book like this in MONTHS. Almost a year, actually. That means so much to me because these last 2 years, I’ve been in the biggest slump imaginable. Even books I’ve been enjoying I haven’t read THIS fast.
I want to tattoo this book onto my skin.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ The Plot:
It was both character driven and had a lot going. though there’s so much going in the book I never felt bored, confused, or lost. it was slow to the start but doesn’t take long to pick up.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ Background characters:
I’m reading these books well out of order. but it still feels like I know the side characters. Zach & Theo are wonderful and I’m excited for their book. Willow is interesting and kind of reminds me of Lana Myers, just a tad bit. I know I’ll love her. Luca is… well he creeps me out. I was excited for his character bc I’ve seen quite a few of reviews but idk how I feel abt him. Sanvi & Rhiannon deserves books, or at least novellas of their own. I love them so much. I love the girls friendship. they are everything to me.
❀༺♥༻❀
zahara blackwood. my lonely, sad, thorny, beautiful, fierce, chaotic, sweetheart. I loved her the minute she was on the page. her character is so complex and raw. she deserved the world. she was breaking my heart for most of the book. I could feel her loneliness & sadness radiating off the page. she just wanted to be seen and loved🙁.
I also found myself relating to her in ways. her talking about being lonely and sad and wanting to be excepted made me want to eat glass.
❀༺♥༻❀
iakov kavinski. my grumpy, gentle giant, loyal, brash, honest, force to be reckon with king. his character was soft and hard all at the same time. cold and warm all at once. he was such a sad character to read about. I just wanted to hug him the whole time. his loyalty to Zahara, Zach, and those he cares abt was truly beautiful.
also I loved how iakov got his revenge. he deserved that, at the very least. seeing anton step up and defend him was wonderful.
that chapter abt him & zahara visiting his sister made me cry.
❀༺♥༻❀
zahara & iakovs relationship.
the banter? EATS. the push and pull between them. the mutual pining they had for each other, even though they don’t admit it like 90% of the book. even when Zaro claimed to hate him most of the book… you could feel the love they have for one another.
his nature is quite the opposite, iakov was one of the most gentle & soft hero’s I’ve read about in a while. especially in a dark romance book. it’s not common, unfortunately. he was so patient and soft with zahara, even when she was being relentless with her insults. I loved every second of it.
・❥・➸ Favorite quotes:
And my father is just a man, after all. A liar like any other.
(made me want to throw up but it’s so true)
None of them hold more disappointment and disdain than I hold for myself.
(REAL)
The only good dream I ever have, the girl in gold, but every time I try to touch her, she vanishes like mist.
(he dreams abt her😭)
He has this way of looking at me, like his eyes are reaching right through and seeing some part of me nobody else sees.
“Would my pain soothe yours?” he murmurs. “Then hurt me, Kolyuchka. Any way you like. I’m your dog, aren’t I? A cruel mistress is still a mistress.”
Fuck, she’s beautiful, beautiful like I could fall to my knees at her feet, and I’m still so tired I half-wonder if I’m dreaming.
(MAN IS OBSESSED)
“You want him gone?” I stand up. “Then he’s gone, Kolyuchka.”
I love you. All the beauty of you, all the thorns, too.
(silent love confessions you will always be famous🤞)
“But you think I’m beautiful.” “Yes,” he says. “I’m not blind or dead—of course you’re beautiful. You’re so beautiful it hurts to look at you. But I don’t love you because you’re beautiful. I love you because you’re thorny, smart, strong. I love all those things. I wish you loved those things too.”
(can you see me crying in the background??)
The Blackwood siblings are made from angelic stock. And Zahara, it would seem, is my angel of death.
You make me happy, I want to tell her. My beautiful rose, my thorny saviour. You make me happy because you’re the place where I feel most safe and most loved. And one day, I’m going to marry you.
(this is the last one. since I basically highlighted half the book 😭🤞)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2024
4 ⭐️
I really enjoyed this book, by far my favourite so far in the series 😭. I literally liked every bit of this book, I read the majority of it in one day, that’s how invested I was.
Lakov was a character when I was interested in right from the beginning, we knew that he has things going on in his life but we never knew in deep. He was known as the fighter. I loved his character so much, I thought he wouldn’t beat Zach but he did. I love his humour, it’s one that not many people would understand but I found it funny 😂. Honestly, the way zahara would constantly come at him and he would just take it, he wasn’t even mad, infact I think he was amused, he never demanded an apology. We got to see his life in detail and read about the abuse he went through, see his sister being taken, he all that trauma build inside of him. I just adored his character.
Zahara, the thorny princess, at times she annoyed me but overall I liked her. She has her trauma of her girl, girl was always so unlucky 😭. Give her a break of constantly being groomed, she went though all that and yet she felt like she couldn’t tell anyone, she felt like she had to hide her fear. She has went through some of the craziest things such as being stalked yet she always managed to remain strong, that’s why called a thorn, she’ll stand her ground. Once thing I love about her is her confidence however again it annoyed me when she would just sometimes act petty, like who starts name calling!? But I did like her in the end, I still wish we got to see more depth.
Their relationship was forbidden (or so they thought) she used to despise him and when he came to live with her because of the promise to her brother (Zach) I was literally screaming, I live for a book when they have live in one house. She made it very clear she didn’t want him there and he made it clear he doesn’t care, just that he’ll protect her. The tension 🤌 zahara started to seduce him, make him jealous, and yeah it worked but he kept trying to stay away but at the same time he’d make comments which would prove his emotions. I couldn’t stop reading because I kept wanting to see if they would give in. The build up was intense for these two and I think that’s what made it great. This was a huge “TOUCH HER AND YOU DIE”. Though is still doesn’t get why she hated him so much at the beginning, like I get it but I don’t as well. But I loved them, even when she hated him 😂.
Okay so in this book we actually saw bonds, I live Zach and Lakov’s friendship, we saw the closeness in Zach’s book but I thought it would just need after they leave sixthform but I didn’t, they always had each others back and Zach trusted Lakov with his sister, infact he was happy when he found out the fell in love. Oddly enough, I didn’t expect Luca to really be in this book since yk how he is “the psycho” but I get why because his book is next WHICH I CANT WAIT FOR, it seems that Luca always kept a hook on all of the group, kept track of them but it was good. I liked anton, I think? He protected Lakov from his father in the end and you have to appreciate him. as for Zara’s friends I loved them, they always had her back, helped her though everything, even bonded with Lakov, they were just great.
The first two couples in this series were pretty much non existent in this book, they were mentioned but didn’t appear which is no surprise because as I said the kings were a group on school just for the name for the most part, though it does seem their all friends. I just wish all the girls would meet 😭. We only really see Theodora and Zahara together which I love their friendship.
Also we got a bit of an inside into the next fmc, willow lynch, she seems confident but we basically know nothing, she’s mysterious so I have no thoughts yet. But I can’t wait to see how she outskirts The Luca Fletcher-Lowe. I want to read it so bad 😭😭.
Overall it was good, if you want a forced proximity, forbidden relationship, enemies to lovers (one side) then this is the book for you. I really enjoyed it. Also, Lucas book isn’t out yet and there’s no book after this so I have to wait 😭 but I know rose has a book, well a novella, it’s short but it’s a full story with a love interest and everything so I’m going to read that.
I really enjoyed this book, by far my favourite so far in the series 😭. I literally liked every bit of this book, I read the majority of it in one day, that’s how invested I was.
Lakov was a character when I was interested in right from the beginning, we knew that he has things going on in his life but we never knew in deep. He was known as the fighter. I loved his character so much, I thought he wouldn’t beat Zach but he did. I love his humour, it’s one that not many people would understand but I found it funny 😂. Honestly, the way zahara would constantly come at him and he would just take it, he wasn’t even mad, infact I think he was amused, he never demanded an apology. We got to see his life in detail and read about the abuse he went through, see his sister being taken, he all that trauma build inside of him. I just adored his character.
Zahara, the thorny princess, at times she annoyed me but overall I liked her. She has her trauma of her girl, girl was always so unlucky 😭. Give her a break of constantly being groomed, she went though all that and yet she felt like she couldn’t tell anyone, she felt like she had to hide her fear. She has went through some of the craziest things such as being stalked yet she always managed to remain strong, that’s why called a thorn, she’ll stand her ground. Once thing I love about her is her confidence however again it annoyed me when she would just sometimes act petty, like who starts name calling!? But I did like her in the end, I still wish we got to see more depth.
Their relationship was forbidden (or so they thought) she used to despise him and when he came to live with her because of the promise to her brother (Zach) I was literally screaming, I live for a book when they have live in one house. She made it very clear she didn’t want him there and he made it clear he doesn’t care, just that he’ll protect her. The tension 🤌 zahara started to seduce him, make him jealous, and yeah it worked but he kept trying to stay away but at the same time he’d make comments which would prove his emotions. I couldn’t stop reading because I kept wanting to see if they would give in. The build up was intense for these two and I think that’s what made it great. This was a huge “TOUCH HER AND YOU DIE”. Though is still doesn’t get why she hated him so much at the beginning, like I get it but I don’t as well. But I loved them, even when she hated him 😂.
Okay so in this book we actually saw bonds, I live Zach and Lakov’s friendship, we saw the closeness in Zach’s book but I thought it would just need after they leave sixthform but I didn’t, they always had each others back and Zach trusted Lakov with his sister, infact he was happy when he found out the fell in love. Oddly enough, I didn’t expect Luca to really be in this book since yk how he is “the psycho” but I get why because his book is next WHICH I CANT WAIT FOR, it seems that Luca always kept a hook on all of the group, kept track of them but it was good. I liked anton, I think? He protected Lakov from his father in the end and you have to appreciate him. as for Zara’s friends I loved them, they always had her back, helped her though everything, even bonded with Lakov, they were just great.
The first two couples in this series were pretty much non existent in this book, they were mentioned but didn’t appear which is no surprise because as I said the kings were a group on school just for the name for the most part, though it does seem their all friends. I just wish all the girls would meet 😭. We only really see Theodora and Zahara together which I love their friendship.
Also we got a bit of an inside into the next fmc, willow lynch, she seems confident but we basically know nothing, she’s mysterious so I have no thoughts yet. But I can’t wait to see how she outskirts The Luca Fletcher-Lowe. I want to read it so bad 😭😭.
Overall it was good, if you want a forced proximity, forbidden relationship, enemies to lovers (one side) then this is the book for you. I really enjoyed it. Also, Lucas book isn’t out yet and there’s no book after this so I have to wait 😭 but I know rose has a book, well a novella, it’s short but it’s a full story with a love interest and everything so I’m going to read that.
January 19, 2024
(4.5 stars) this book made me go through a rollercoaster of emotions and i believe that if a book leaves you thinking about it after reading it, and you feel you can't move one it's because it is a freaking amazing one and this book was it.
zahara and iakov are two broken souls that find their band-aids in each other's arms. i cant even put into words how beautifully written their characters are and how heart-wrenching their story is.
IAKOV KAVINSKI THE MAN YOU ARE !!! he deserves all the love in the world. no, he deserves the entire world and beyond. HE IS EVERYTHING ! the way he speaks and thinks of her is so beautiful, like he doesn't just see her, he appreciates every facet that made up zahara and loves her for it.
“If I found out she was from another world, I wouldn’t be so surprised. Beauty like this seems too good to exist alongside the rest of us.”
and zahara !! my baby girl :( it was so hard and sad to see how she felt unworthy of true love and how she internalized her trauma. at the beginning it was difficult for me to read how she projected a lot of her own anger and judgment towards iakov, but throughout the book you get to really know and understand her and empathize with her.
zahara and iakov are two broken souls that find their band-aids in each other's arms. i cant even put into words how beautifully written their characters are and how heart-wrenching their story is.
IAKOV KAVINSKI THE MAN YOU ARE !!! he deserves all the love in the world. no, he deserves the entire world and beyond. HE IS EVERYTHING ! the way he speaks and thinks of her is so beautiful, like he doesn't just see her, he appreciates every facet that made up zahara and loves her for it.
“If I found out she was from another world, I wouldn’t be so surprised. Beauty like this seems too good to exist alongside the rest of us.”
and zahara !! my baby girl :( it was so hard and sad to see how she felt unworthy of true love and how she internalized her trauma. at the beginning it was difficult for me to read how she projected a lot of her own anger and judgment towards iakov, but throughout the book you get to really know and understand her and empathize with her.
October 7, 2023
ARC READER
Iakov “Fido” Kavinski + Zahara “Zaro” “Kolyuchka” Blackwood
« Would my pain soothe yours? Then hurt me, Kolyuchka. Any way you like. I’m your dog, aren’t I? A cruel mistress is still a mistress. »
« I’ll do anything you want me to. Always. No matter what. »
A brother’s bestfriend romance. This book had me all over the place with their denied love and the apartment problem. Since “Spearcrest Saints”, we have seen Iakov and Zahara’s relationship start with Zach. I love how Aurora included Zach in this book to show the main characters love and respect for him. In the prior books, we get told how little Iakov speaks even to his friend group and in the prior book how Zahara just wants to be truly loved. We are able to see their true personalities in this book and why they feel and act this way. There is a lot more I would love to share about this book, but it is still not out and I would love for everyone to have their own personal experience of what happens in this book. This book is an emotional roller coaster, that showcases their love, story, and troubles. I hope everyone loves this book just as much as I do!!❤️🩹❤️🩹
!!PLEASE READ TRIGGER WARNINGS!!
I would love to thank Aurora for this opportunity of being an Arc Reader. Thank you!!
Iakov “Fido” Kavinski + Zahara “Zaro” “Kolyuchka” Blackwood
« Would my pain soothe yours? Then hurt me, Kolyuchka. Any way you like. I’m your dog, aren’t I? A cruel mistress is still a mistress. »
« I’ll do anything you want me to. Always. No matter what. »
A brother’s bestfriend romance. This book had me all over the place with their denied love and the apartment problem. Since “Spearcrest Saints”, we have seen Iakov and Zahara’s relationship start with Zach. I love how Aurora included Zach in this book to show the main characters love and respect for him. In the prior books, we get told how little Iakov speaks even to his friend group and in the prior book how Zahara just wants to be truly loved. We are able to see their true personalities in this book and why they feel and act this way. There is a lot more I would love to share about this book, but it is still not out and I would love for everyone to have their own personal experience of what happens in this book. This book is an emotional roller coaster, that showcases their love, story, and troubles. I hope everyone loves this book just as much as I do!!❤️🩹❤️🩹
!!PLEASE READ TRIGGER WARNINGS!!
I would love to thank Aurora for this opportunity of being an Arc Reader. Thank you!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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