Ruthless King

Kings of Temptation #1

by Sienna Cross

Love is gentle, love is kind, but my love kills.

Introducing a new, steamy Italian mafia romance must-read for fans of Sophie Lark, Ana Huang and Sadie Kincaid!

Sold to the mob.

Four words I never thought I'd utter.

Worse, it was my father who did the unthinkable.

When the creditors come to collect, I'm handed over to the most ruthless man in New York City--Luca Valentino.

The head of the notorious Kings is as gorgeous as he is lethal. Dark, possessive, and violent. Nothing like the boy I grew up with, my dead brother's best friend.

And now I'm his…

The longer I spend in this gilded cage, the more certain I become he will ruin me for anyone else.

One click now to devour this spicy, enemies-to-lovers mafia romance. I dare you not to fall for Luca Valentino!

Ruthless King is the first fiery story in the blazing hot Kings of Temptation series. Each book is a standalone novel complete with a HEA, of course, because even villains deserve a happy ending. Please this is a dark romance novel with scenes that may be triggering and sexually explicit in nature.

Genres: Dark Romance, Mafia Romance, Romance, Dark, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, Crime

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 15, 2023

About the author

Sienna Cross was kidnapped by mobsters, saved by her super-hot step-brother, then forced into an arranged marriage with a billionaire. From there, things got really interesting… She loves to write about dark, morally-gray alpha males and the captivating women that bring them to their knees. For all the inside info, join Sienna Cross’s Heartbreakers on Facebook, like her page, and follow her on Instagram and Tiktok. She has a thing for stalkers ;)

Reviews

[SGetch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruthless King is the first book in the Kings of Temptation series by Sienna Cross. It is a dark and steamy mafia romance that follows the story of Stella Esposito McKenzie and Luca Valentino's second chance at love.

Luca Valentino, the 27-year-old CEO of King Industries, is both respected and ruthless. Despite his strikingly handsome appearance and pristine public image, he's a broken soul. Luca lives by strict rules to keep his love life uncomplicated, which are critical to his work. However, he soon finds himself breaking these rules for Stella.

Stella Esposito McKenzie is a 21-year-old college student taking care of her father. After getting her associate degree, she plans to attend the University of Florida. Stella dreams of sandy beaches, surfers, and most importantly, freedom from her alcoholic father, harassing ex-boyfriend, and the painful past that took away her mother and older brother. Unfortunately, her dream shatters when she discovers her father has sold her to the Kings to pay off his debts.

Although categorized as "dark romance," Stella and Luca's relationship is endearing. Luca is protective of Stella, even before realizing she's his best friend's little sister. Their past is complicated and untold secrets stand in the way of achieving their happy ending. I found this story to be cliché, but cliché in the best of ways!

If you're seeking an edgy captive romance with a feisty heroine and a damaged hero brought to his knees by the woman he loves, Ruthless King by Sienna Cross is the book for you!!

Dual POV
Standalone

Safety Spoilers / Content Warning: profanity, on-page sex (no virgins), violence, death, physical assault (not between MCs), reference to childhood trauma/neglect/abuse, references to addiction & gambling, kidnapping, attempted SA & threats of a sex tape (not between MCs).

No cheating or sharing. H is a manwhore. Slight OW drama (H's ONS makes a few appearances). OM drama (h's ex-boyfriend tries to cause trouble). MCs are always respectful of each other IMO, and truly only have eyes for each other.

HEA + Epilogue

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[marlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf. The heroine is kinda annoying. Her ex was abusive and now she's stuck with Luca, she keeps acting as if he's a monster but he's saved her multiple times so I don't understand why she's acting this way. She acts kinda childish. Also I thought this would be much darker, Luca honestly doesn't act like a capo tbh.

[Mia S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luca mob boss and is taking over debt made by a father who gives daughter to allow for time to get money- some of the story is confusing because in the beginning to debt was for her completely and debt satisfied but later they take as collateral while giving Father Time to make first payment? Also I wish they would’ve done into Vinny’s story- what happened, how? Still a good story and hopefully the later series answers more questions….

[Seeri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf the writing was so wattpad vibes

[Marche Thompson · Rating 1 out of 5]

don’t even do it

This book was really bad. Normally I don’t mind it too much but the story got extremely boring half way in with zero stakes. Why don’t they have an army of men at all times? Why was bo a punching bag and why did his father watch? It doesn’t make sense. None of the other characters actually have descriptions. They are extremely flat. The book just dragged on and on and on trying to convey stakes that don’t exist. I seen a Dante and Rose coming halfway through the story without even getting that for him, because none of the other characters actually have any development. The main characters don’t have a decent character development. I now know which author to completely avoid.

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read!

Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: captive, secret past
Angst: 😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥

This was my first book by Siena Cross, but definitely won't be my last. I got a copy via a book box and I'm glad I jumped in. Ruthless King was well written, fast paced, and tons of action. The story was very engaging and easily held my attention. I love it when they've known each other as kids and managed to find their way back to each other. Looking forward to reading more in this series!

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

[Rethika Athukorala · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 🌟
When will it be my turn to be kidnapped by a sexy Italian mafia boss 😭💔

[Ioana Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️/5
4🌶/5

[Tina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Giving up at 27%. The random Italian words thrown here and there drove me crazy. Cannot finish this.

[pageswithparis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I loved this book so much!

Luca Valentino is 27 & the ceo of King Industries and head of his mafia. He’s handsome, well respected, ruthless and follows a strict set of rules for his life. Despite the control he keeps over everything, deep down he’s a broken soul who knows what it’s like to have love and lost.

Stella Esposito McKenzie is a 21 year old college student who takes care of her alcoholic father that gambles his life away. Stella is trying her hardest to save enough money and leave him, her town, and never look back, but her dad has gotten into a bad predicament.

Luca & Stella have a playful side to them and I couldn’t help but love their banter and fight towards each other. Stella wasn’t afraid to break down Luca’s walls & “rules.”
They were such an amazing match & I couldn’t help but swoon.
I don’t want to give too much away, so READ THIS ONE RIGHT NOW!!

𝚃𝚁𝙾𝙿𝙴𝚂:
•mafia romance
•enemies to lovers
•brothers best friend
•captive
•forced proximity
•protector
& so much more!

*thank you so much Sienna for sending me an arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

[Cataa (Taylor's Version) · Rating 1 out of 5]

1,5 ⭐️Quiero comenzar diciendo que me comencé este libro por un vídeo de TikTok.
Mmmm verán no es que haya pasado una escena en concreta para que le haya dado esa nota pero es que en si todo el libro me pareció muy tedioso, quiero culpar a que tuve que leerlo en traducción mecánica 😭.

La trama en si, estaba bien o sea era clasicaaaaaa y predecible pero estaba bien y aunque los capítulos eran cortos sentía que no avanzaba y adicional había mucho relleno y en especial con escenas Spicy SIN SENTIDO. Y obvio no soy hipócrita porque he leído libros así y les he dado más pero es que este ni trama tenía bien definida.

Stella no me desagradó pero me pareció un personaje muy simple ¿? Y sin personalidad, tenia sus momentos pero parecía que toda ella se basaba en Luca, quien tampoco me desagradó pero creo que he leído tantos libros con este estilo que en realidad para mi solo fue uno más del montón.

Me da un poco de rabia el hecho de que las siguientes tres historias si se ven interesantes pero creo que aquí comencé con el pie izquierdo y dudo bastante en continuar.

El .5 es solo porque se arrodilló por ella para que volviera a su vida y ya.

Lo siento. Muy aburrido. Mucho “CEO” y poca trama.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a dark mafia romance this isn’t really too dark, nothing that happens between our main couple is ever non-consensual other than kidnapping Stella which after day one, Stella really isn’t unhappy about and it’s definitely not Stockholm syndrome living in luxury.

Watching Luca and Stella fall in love is so rewarding, because I really love a slow burn and oh do they fight it to start, Luca has a secret he’s scared Stella will find out. Stella is a wonderfully fierce and strong woman despite what she’s been through. I loved the chemistry between Stella and Luca, and you know their love is meant to be.

Will they get their HEA, well I’m not spoiling this, you’ll have to read for yourself, but I can tell you it’s an addictive, fast paced and gripping read, full of interesting characters, great chemistry and Im looking forward to more.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[LaToya (Readingbythebayou) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Luca and Stella's story. Luca is the head of his family's business legal and illegal. Stella is used as a pawn to become Luca's prisoner for a month. Unbeknownst to her they share a past and he just wants to protect her. So they make an arrangement for her to be his fake girlfriend to keep the throngs of women off of his back. And for her to attend several galas with him. Luca is a man of few words but he protects what he deems as his which is Stella. This was a great beginning to the series and I can't wait to read the next book!
✓mafia
✓forced proximity
✓fake dating
✓enemies to lovers
✓tragic pasts
✓brother's best friend

[Michelle Fritz PA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot and throughly addictive! This unputdownable book has drama, angst, true love, and lots of toe curling scenes. This bad boy redemption arc is superbly written.

Sienna Cross is just an absolute delight, and her characters are fierce and fiery. This mafia romance will captivate as it takes you hostage. I loved this and can't wait for book two!

The King Brothers are delicious, and the writing is... marvelous! *Chef kiss* Where has S.C. been hiding!? I've just been gifted a new favorite author.

[Devons book corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book one in the new Kings of Temptation series, Ruthless King was AMAZING. Sienna Cross absolutely delivered in this enemies to lovers, dark mafia romance story. Luca and Stella will absolutely captivate your attention and leave you swooning. I can't wait for Savage King.

[Kate]

DNF 60%

[Jasmine Syrah · Rating 2 out of 5]

holy canoli

[Enni (on hiatus) ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book with zero expectations but was definitely in for a pleasant surprise!

I wouldn’t just ruin her, she’d devastate me.

Luca used to be best friends with Stella's brother but after Vinny's death, for which Luca blames himself, he ran away and lost contact with Stella. One day, Stella's ex-boyfriend is harassing her at a train station when a stranger jumps in and knocks her ex out giving her a way out. Stella escapes in a train and has no contact with Luca at this point. Later on, Stella ends up waiting Luca at the bakery she works at. At this point, Luca begins to think there is something familiar about her, beyond him being intrigued about her.

Stella's father ends up being indebted, once again, and, this time, their home has been ransacked, he has been taken and he has left a note with an address for Stella. When arriving at the address, Stella is restrained next to her father and, in the end, she is kept as collateral against the debt. If her father pays the first installment of the debt in a month, she will be released.

Like the earth and moon, we’re helplessly drawn to each other. On a deadly collision course. I’m not sure how I know he feels the same compulsion, but I do. It’s written across his face, in the tense set of his coiled muscles.

Despite being held against her will, Stella cannot help but be attracted to Luca who is a handsome mob boss, only a couple go years older than her, and who seems to have a soft spot for her. Before agreeing to how the debt will be repaid, Luca has recognized Stella and wants to keep her close. There is something different about her, in addition to their shared past, and he is inexplicably drawn to her.

“If there’s anything else I can do for you, my name is Mitsy.”
“Noted. However, I’m certain my date will be more than capable of tending to all my needs.”

Luca has many rules in place in order to stay in control of his life and keep people at a safe distance from him. These rules include no kissing, only having s*x with a person once and always from behind, never taking anyone into his own bedroom and no staying over. All of the rules are meant to ensure that he forms no attachments to women. He also never takes the same escort to the same society function twice.

Stella is staying at Luca’s penthouse and everyone who knows him, immediately recognizes that it is way out of the ordinary. Since she is confined to the penthouse, he decides to take her as his standing escort to many of the societal functions that he regularly needs to attend.

“Are you happy?”
“Why would I be happy?”
“Because I broke another rule for you.”
“You call that a kiss?”
“Our lips touched, didn’t they?”
“I had better kisses in middle school.”

Little by little, both Luca and Stella lower their inhibitions around each other and get more comfortable with each other. Stella still has not realized that Luca is the same Luca that used to be her brother’s best friend despite her being aware that there is something familiar about Luca.

Despite the relationship between Luca and Stella not being your typical captor-captive relationship, especially after they start having sex, it’s not all shits and giggles. Luca is still keeping a massive secret from her and constantly having to hide Vinny’s death date tattooed on his chest. Also, the month is nearing its end which causes both Luca and Stella be on edge since they do not talk about the looming expiration date.

“Sunshine and rainbows.“
“Why do you always say that?”
“Because that’s what you are to me, my brilliant light, the riot of colors that illuminates the endless night.”

Luca is held down by his path since he blames himself for Vinny’s death. After all, Vinny wanted to be like Luca who had joined the mob at a young age. Never mind that Vinny’s grandfather was the capo at the time. That, and his past in general, is part of the reason why Luca is battling against him being good enough for Stella at all.

Once Stella finds out about their shared past and how Luca abandoned her after Vinny’s death, she leaves Luca’s apartment and goes to stay with her friend Rose. Just when things were starting to be good between them and, due to Stella’s mom and brother being dead and her dad a deadbeat, Luca had become one of the few people in her life that really mattered.

When Stella leaves her friend’s place to go take her final exam, she ends up being captured by her ex-boyfriend and his goons on the way home. Even the guy Luca had following Stella was unable to help due to facing all the others by himself. Once Luca gets word of Stella being kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend, all hell breaks loose.

“What’s wrong?”
“Everything.”
“Then why are you smiling?”
“Because I’ve never been so happy to be wrecked.”

Stella is close to being raped when she manages to try to run away from her ex-boyfriend and, at the same time, Luca and the cavalry burst through the doors to come save her. Shots start being fired and Stella is pushed to the ground. When the shooting is over, she is covered in blood. Only, it is not hers but Luca’s brothers, who has been shot four times in the abdomen. Luca is forced to leave the scene to avoid being tied to it and Stella is left trying to keep Dante alive long enough to get to a hospital.

At the hospital, Luca and Stella finally reconnect which leads to Luca apologizing and confessing his feelings to Stella. Once faced with the possibility of losing each other for good, both Stella and Luca realize that they are in love with each other and have been since their childhood.

“Dio, Luca…”
“That’s right, princess. I am your god, and you are mine.”

Both Luca and Stella’s characters are multi-layered and well written. They have their own sordid past that has, in large part, affected in how their lives have shaped out. The bigger character development is definitely seen in Luca since in the beginning of the book he is detached, cold and calculated while at the end of the book, he is way more humane thanks to Stella. Luca also helps Stella to become more confident in herself. For plot-wise, there is definitely more going on with, e.g. several kidnappings.

I’m hopelessly addicted; I need Luca Valentino like I need air in my lungs, my heart to beat and my soul to live. Luca Valentino was my beginning, my middle, and is my perfect end.

This book just completely took me by surprise and I am just out of words. There were a couple of things that bothered me throughout the book and brought the rating down to four stars, otherwise this would have been a five-star read for me. First of all, as often is, I think this book ended too quickly, basically right after the main characters made up. Especially, since the epilogue was from Dante’s POV and a prelude to the next book. I would have preferred to see at least an epilogue from either of the main character’s POV. Also, I would have preferred to have more insight from the main characters as to their feelings for each other and how they changed and grew, especially for Stella when she left Luca and decided to forgive him. Finally, I have to admit that I was, once again, disappointed in the lack of spice. Many of the spicy scenes could have, in my opinion, been further elaborated.

This was a mafia romance where the mafia element was left in the background and, in my opinion, it should have been brought up more. With Luca as the head of the mob and Stella’s ex-boyfriend belonging to Chinese mafia, it was weird that mafia was mentioned on a side note at a couple of points but, for the most part, the book was focused on the relationship between Luca and Stella. The mafia element was on the forefront with the kidnappings but, there would have definitely been more potential for the mafia to hold a bigger role in the book.

I received an ARC of Ruthless King in exchange for an honest review

[Alithea King · Rating 2 out of 5]

I personally don’t like when a book starts in the present and automatically goes into the past. FMC’s dad is trash and she said therapy helped her see her ex was abusive- get a refund, they should have worked with you on your dad. The trope of sassy during a dangerous situation in which that would be stupid. Finally, poor people don’t take a week off. So realistic

[Yuuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serinin ilk kitabı. Aksiyonu bol bir mafya romantizmi.

[Dreams✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me all over the place but i enjoyed it thoroughly. The plot had so many holes yet I slipped into all those holes with giddy anticipation

[hey it’s dar · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
full review to come

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ 1.75🌶️ 3.5🎧

[Florence Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good fast reading Mafia book lots of sex and a lot of action

[Jacklyn B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Dedication: “To all the women who find it perfectly acceptable to be kidnapped by a gorgeous Italian mobster…”

Stella is so close to moving away from her crappy life. After her mother and brother passed away she was stuck with her alcoholic father. She is weeks away from moving to Florida when her father’s gambling debts ruin her plans.

Luca Valentino, CEO of King Industries and head of the Italian mafia is shocked to see Stella being handed over to his men as collateral. She looks so familiar… Luca decides to keep her with him but the longer they are in his penthouse, the harder it is to keep his walls up….

I love mafia books and I really enjoyed the second chance element in this story! My heart broke for young Stella and Luca and the guilt they carried for years. As adults they had great chemistry and I loved their banter. Stella is feisty and fierce and kept Luca on his toes! She slowly destroyed all of his rules. Luca tried so hard to keep his walls up but he clearly loved Stella so much. He was so sweet with her (even when he tried not to be.) The picnic scene is one of my favorites! They had some very steamy scenes.

I really enjoyed the plot twists woven throughout this story! I think it was a unique story and I liked the added drama with the Red Dragons and Stella’s ex. Luca’s brother Dante slowly won me over, and now I can’t wait for his story next!!

🌟Tropes
🥀Mafia Romance
🩶Morally Grey characters
💜Who Hurt You
🖤Forced Proximity
💛Second Chance
🔥OTT MMC
💋Feisty FMC

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stella Esposito McKenzie knows her Father is horrible, he checked out years ago and has done everything he can to destroy the little things they have. Being sold to the mob though as collateral is a whole new level of disgust she feels for her Dad. Luca Valentino, the head of the Kings mafia though is not wavering on letting her go. Stella does not plan to be an easy hostage and fights Luca at every turn. Stella becomes Luca's pretend girlfriend but feelings soon become involved and Luca wants Stella as his, but he is carrying a secret that could destroy everything he is building with Stella. Can he prove he is worth taken a chance on.

Fast paced page turning mafia romance. I really loved this one, high praise to the author. I was pulled in, Stella is unpredictable and I found myself stunned in one part of the book. I liked the fact that Luca begins acting out of character drawing pause by some close to him. Checking out the next book.

[Micronova · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a mafia romance with an interesting plot. I had the pleasure of reading the prequel, Ruthless Blood and this is where I really fell for the two main characters, Stella and Luca, where they met as kids at Stella’s mothers funeral.

Ruthless King takes place many years after the prequel. Stella is getting ready to finish up her associates degree at community college, and living with her gambling, alcoholic father. Her father ends up acquiring a huge gambling debt with The Red Dragons who have given him two weeks to square up. Stella is one step from selling herself to clear this debt with her ex boyfriends gang, to save her father…

Turns out that the debt is taken over by The Kings and her father lets The Kings take her for a month while he is supposed to trying to come up with the first payment towards paying off his loan. Stella cannot believe her father leaves her with The Kings. This is where we find out The Kings are run by Luca, CEO of King Enterprises.

There are plot twists and mystery throughout this novel. There is plenty of action, mafia romance, brothers best friend, forced proximity and oooooh, the spice!! The pace and momentum were great through most of the book. I was engaged and invested in the plot and characters right up until the end when Luca went too soft for me. However, I loved this story and am excited for the sequel that’s coming.

I received an advanced reader copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me completely enthralled. I could not put it down. The characters, the plot, the banter, the chemistry, the spice, the action and drama, it was all SO GOOD!

When I saw the tropes for this book, I immediately knew it was my kind of book and it did not disappoint. The kidnapping / captive trope is done a lot in mafia books however Sienna managed to put a spin on this with the twist of their intertwined past and it added an element of suspense. The plot, action and drama created for an incredible story with surprises and a whole lot of chemistry and angst.

It bought out so many emotions, I could feel the heartache coming through the pages in the words.

Highly recommend if you love..
🖤 dark mafia romance
🖤 kidnapping / captive
🖤 brothers best friend
🖤 billionaire
🖤 touch her and 💀

Luca is a powerful businessman and mafia boss, he thrives on control and lives by a set of rules to ensure he never lets anyone close again. That is until Stella walks back into his life and he’s left questioning everything. The way he was with her had me swooning, even while he was meant to be her ruthless captor, he couldn’t help himself.

I love how Sienna left us crumbs of Dante and his story being next, I am excited to find out more about him and what his story is!

[A.BookNerd.Bookseller&Bibliophile.Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruthless King by Sienna Cross is a dark mafia romance and the first installment in the Kings of Temptation series. It is an enemies-to-lovers story that has some modern-day Beauty and the Beast elements with a dark undercurrent of mob life in New York City. And on his throne sits Luca Valentino, our dark and ruthless king who seems to have a weakness for the bright light of our heroine Stella Esposito.

Watching these two fall for each other was enjoyable because they of course both fight it at first. Stella is distrustful of Luca, and for good reason – he is keeping a secret that could turn her life upside down. Meanwhile, he has his own trauma he deals with throughout the story, which he realizes gets lighter the more he lets Stella into his life.

Stella is such a strong character despite the tragedies she’s endured. She really gives Luca a run for his money – she is definitely not going down without a fight. Little does she know that Luca isn’t going to let her go so easily.

The chemistry and tension between these two made for some sizzling spice. It was one of those loves that feels inevitable, and I think that is one of the reasons why Stella and Luca both fought their own feelings for so long. They were truly meant for each other, and it was a huge relief to see them get their HEA!
~Kelsey💜