Cognac Vixen

Pushkin Bratva #2

by Nicole Fox

One evil stepfather.
Two ex-fiancés fighting to claim me.
Three beautiful “Happily ever after.”

I ran from my old life because the monsters in my past thought they could own me.
For one brief moment, Ivan Pushkin gave me a taste of a happy ending to my story.
But now, those same monsters are back to finish the job.

Francia wants me dead.
My stepfather wants me married.
And the Sokolovs want me chained to them forever.

The only thing between me and them is Ivan.
But there’s stuff between me and him, too.
Lies. Secrets.
Heartbreak. Hope.

This whole thing started with a sip of cognac.
Is the man who poured it my hero…
Or my villain?

COGNAC VIXEN is Book Two in the Pushkin Bratva duet. Ivan and Cora’s story begins in Book One, COGNAC VILLAIN!

Genres: Romance, Mafia Romance, Dark Romance, Dark, Contemporary, Fiction, Forced Proximity

460 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 19, 2023

About the author

Nicole Fox writes smart, sexy mafia romance novels. She is a crazy cat lady in her late 30s with a coffee addiction, an overactive imagination, and a husband who somehow puts up with her impulsive need to keep buying new plants for their house.

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Reviews

[~*~Princess Nya Vasiliev~*~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot 🔥, intense, and all around hilarious conclusion to this 2 book series...
The Villains/Enemies still came off as a bit juvenile, but the ending and Epilogue made up for that for me...

I would definitely recommend this two book series to those who love this genre..

Ivan... Lawd Have Mercy!👀🙈🙉🙊🤯🤯💦💦💦💦🙌🙌🙌

[abbie s · Rating 4 out of 5]

*this is book 2 of the Pushkin Bratva duet. Book 1, Cognac Villain, must be read first

After devouring book 1, I immediately dove into this book to see what happens. I finished this book in a day because I couldn't stop turning the page!

I really loved Cora's growth in this book. Her and Ivan have undeniable chemistry and the spice!!! I'm obsessed with Ivan and love how he isn't afraid of using *toys*. Definitely up there as one of my favorite Nicole Fox book boyfriends.

The drama and plot twists just kept coming in this book and I was here for it! I also really loved all the side characters in this duet like Anya, Jorden, Yasha and of course Niles. Definitely recommend this duet!

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

L O L ok a few things:

1. This didn’t need to be a duet.
2. It’s LAUGHABLE that this is considered a Bratva book. Maybe if the Bratva was run by the 3 Stooges, cuz these guys were an absolute joke.
3. The drama was more extra than a telenovela, and the villains were actual whack-a-moles.

It’s a no.

[Collette · Rating 1 out of 5]

The second in the series just became silly.

Ivan agreed to marry Francia to make sure Cora isn’t killed.

Cora agrees to marry Mikhail because she believes her friend Jorden will be hurt if not.

Really far fetched and painful to follow and can Francia just die already. Why they kept letting her live I’m not sure.

[Charlene Gaskins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 2 was just ho...hum for me and a bit of a disappointment. A poorly executed game of chess for a Bratva story. The story had great supporting characters that kept me entertained and motivated to continuing reading the story even when the rest of the story failed at times to hold my interest.

The solid story that began in book one fell short in book 2. There were too many instances in book 2 whereas the storyline felt "stage and forced" vs., an "ebb and flow" plot. Cora's kidnapping was predictable whereas she ends up with daddy dearest, who has minimal security and lives in anything but a secure fortress while Ivan plans her escape.

Francia's character was a surprise and as much as I couldn't stand her, felt she had successfully pulled off a big con; even to her girlfriends. Francia goes to Ivan and threatens Cora's demise even though daddy needs Cora to marry Mikhail who is living at his home, not with Francia. Daddy isn't going to kill Cora because she is his "pay day" yet Francia uses that as a bargaining chip to convince Ivan to marry her.

The story slowly lost it's appeal when we get to the part of the book that Cora is going to marry Mikhail and Ivan is going to marry Francia. It became so convoluted and dramatic that I was pushing myself to complete the book. The little charade that involves Cora and Ivan SLOWLY plays out while Ivan's plan is hatched to rescue Cora. That portion of the book is filled with Ivan's rescue plan coming to fruition and wedding plans and painful interactions that take place amongst the four characters. The whole story felt bogged down with needless minutia filling the pages.

I've read too many stories from this genre that were dealing with very critical hostage situations that were handled in a way a reader expected from a crime family such as a Bratva. This one was more of a negotiation vs., a rescue.

The lack of communication between the two main character still prevailed in book 2. Cora and Ivan still reverted to sex vs., actually communicating and characters such as Cora's dad, Mikhail, Francia and Konstantine kept popping up again and again like "whack a moles" because Ivan never retaliated until the end of the book. Finally at the end of the book Cora's dad, Mikhail and Francia finally get their due. I was disappointed that Konstantine didn't meet his maker.

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick Summary: A steamy, spicy mix of bombshell magnitude

My Review: Cognac Vixen by Nicole Fox is part 2 of 2 in the Pushkin Bratva set. It is a thrilling continuation of Ivan and Cora's story.

About the Book: Bad guys, dark feuds, fiery bombs, sinister plans, crazytown psychopaths, and hot and heavy loving are all a part of this installment. There was never a dull moment.

My Final Say: This one gets two thumbs up.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: Yes
Re-read: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Status: M
Level: 💥💕💣
Series: Yes
Triggers: SA, Abuse, K, MDK

#wishlistread

[🦉Maggie Whitworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
🥵🥵🥵
😈😈😈
🤬

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so want to give this more than 2 stars but I just can't. The first third of the book I loved, but man, the rest I was so close to dnf'ing because it was so slooow and monotonous. I loved the characters and it started off so promising but it was a tough slog

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part two of the Pushkin Bratva conclusion picking up where book one left off again I must start off with hang on and double check that you are buckled up, dangerous men, alpha’s personified, possessive, oh, gorgeous, brooding all the makings of a story consisting with three D’s (dark, delicious, and dirty) 😊. There will be suspense, betrayal, death, darkness, secrets reveled, violence, hope, forgiveness, and maybe even love (ALL THINGS TO EXPECT FROM THE MAFIA WORLD). By the time you’ve figured out who is who and what is what, you’re already hooked, and you may as well give up the fight and prepare yourself for an all-nighter! CAN’T SAY YOU WEREN’T WARNED!!!!! Cause it Cora is about to get married again being forced down the aisle by her father all for money and she only just really realized that she loves only one but will he be able to free himself in time to save her or will she have to go through with the marriage. But just when it looks like the Sokolovs look they will have her chained to them of course Ivan steps in but it starts a war that neither of the want but will fight if need be and knowing she isn’t prepared to fight Ivan insist she learns some form of protection or just enough to run. Also, Ivan finds her biological father bringing him back into her life but just when they think Ms. Crazy is dead, she come back full force, so does Cora’s training kick in to protect herself this time, will they finally get rid of the crazy girl who keeps coming back from the dead, and will they finally get the happiness they have fought so hard for?

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was great, and it ended wonderfully. Ivan and Cora became the king and the queen of the Bratva and defeated everyone that was in their way. They became everything and more. I love that it also included a look into their lives in the future and the still were into each other.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Christie Binks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need a Bratva Don in my life 🥵

I binged this within two hours !

This outdone the first book by a mile which I didn’t think was possible. Oh my lord Ivan Pushkin …… you fine specimen of a man. Tall handsome tatted and who would hurt anyone who tried to hurt his girl !

I can’t do a proper review without spoiling this book as every single part was incredible you just have to read it for yourself. The HEA in this book is one that I will remember not only for the FMC & MMC but for another couple too !
This series has been my first Bratva series and I think I maybe hooked !!

Nicole Fox ! You smashed it with these two books straight out the park and past Yashas ass on display in a door frame !

[GEM the bookaholic · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the first book, Cognac Villain, and that’s the reason why I was excited with this book. But I was disappointed. When I reached Chapter 23, I stopped reading. I’ve read so many books about Mafia and I find Ivan to have a very weak personality for being a soon-to-be pakhan for their Bratva. How come he still cowered at Francia’s craziness considering he already knew where Cora is… living with her stepfather who doesn’t have bodyguards/security around the house. If Ivan was said to be a true pakhan, he would have already barged into the house and ready to claim Cora no matter what the consequences would be. But what happened? He still allowed Francia to manipulate him. And with that, I no longer want to read the book.

[Elisa Machado · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I thought the second book wasn’t really necessary. The first 200 pages were good, i could understand the reason of qhy they were there, the next 70 pages could have been the epilogue and it would have been a great book, but nooo lets not kill that bitch that clearly would only stop when dead and let’s pretend that everything is fine even tho the people who ruined our lives are still out there, anyway there is no way that letting everyone alive was a good idea, and from there it got boring.

[Craving Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uh I actually found the second book hilarious like Francia thinking she can blackmail the bratva don into marriage that just killed me 😂 I wanted to see her get killed so bad. But other than that Cora and Ivan relationship just softens your heart. The way he is protected and show her he loves her is really sweet
Love this book so much
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[JM · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to DNF. The first book was good but the plot completely fell apart in book 2. SPOILER Ivan is supposed to be powerful Bratva but he can’t get it together to rescue Cora from her stepdad’s house or deal with Francia. He was so weak here I just couldn’t keep going.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Silly. As with all second books, it is three quarters sex and one quarter plot with the insecure FMC. After almost nothing happening in this book, at about 78%, all the plot threads come crashing down.

I thought it would never end.

[Jessica Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

the plot is so thin

You can see through it. How can a big bad cool MMC mafia king get brought down by some chick with no real connections and why would he just automatically go with her plan? It makes no sense and is just there to further the plot

[Bridget · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me, siding with Ivan's father that he's too much of a weenie to run the Bratva. Book 1 was pretty good... only for book 2 to be completely blah. You HAD her in your arms in the bathroom... just grab her and get out ffs.

[Amandaluvstoread · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story did not need to be a duet. I did not like this book. I've enjoyed 2 other duets by this author, but this second book was awful. Less can be more. Not everything needs to be a duet.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very …. repetitive

This second book is about 8 people that want Cora dead so they all try different ways to “get” her. Over and over.

I only finished bc I am not a quitter.

[natii · Rating 2 out of 5]

for a moment i thought my eyes would get stuck at the back of my head from how many times i rolled my eyes throughout this book

[CyscaReadsSmut · Rating 1 out of 5]

A BIG NO…

After they let Francia walk out of the door like nothing happened I jumped to the end just to know the end…

No plot, no consistency, no smut no Nada

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cognac Vixen is book two in the Pushkin Bratva duet. Ivan and Cora’s story begins in Book one, Cognac Vixen! A brilliantly written story with multifaceted characters and a complex storyline that captures the audience attention from the first chapter and keeps you hooked and invested with it's pulse-pounding action, suspense and twists and turns. A thrilling, gripping and addictive story that keeps you turning the pages. It's filled with pain, heartaches, survival, anger, lies, lust, deception, revenge, betrayal, enemies, retaliation, mystery, hatred, resentment, mafia romance, arranged marriage, kidnapping, threats, attacks, jealousy, forced proximity, madness, surprises, drama, danger, violence, mafia war, violence, blackmail, manipulations, bloodshed, family issues, hatred, steam, envy, courage, power and control, evil family, hope, greed, and love.
The story picks up from the jaw-dropping cliffhanger where Cora was kidnapped by her evil step-father whose determine to make her marry Mikhail Sokolov even though she's already married to Ivan. Her ex-friend Francia wants her dead, and the Sokolovs wants to keep her chain to them forever. Ivan is her only saving grace in all the madness and he has his problems within his Bratva that he must overcome in order for them to reunite again. He makes a deal with the evil troll that he will marry her in order to buy him some time to save his wife. He gets a message to Cora through a new maid that he's on his way to save and to hold tight. Cora step-dad is forcing her down the aisle with Mikhail out of greed so that he could benefit financially from their their union. Ivan rescue her and it turned into one rollercoaster ride of cat and mouse chase with various enemies coming out of the wood work to take them, the evil troll won't stay dead. Ivan and Cora’s story started with sip a Cognac and ripped dressed. Great ending to the story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cognac Vixen picks up right where Cognac Villain left off. Cora was pretty weak and fragile in the beginning but that was to be expected in her circumstances. I don't particularly like it when kidnapped victims are feisty with their abusers, because I keep thinking to myself, fight smarter not harder and usually most of these people will just fight back with no point to it. So Cora didn't annoy me. And most of these women do, so good on that.

Ivan gives in to Francia and agrees to marry her but otherwise keeps planning to rescue Cora. I couldn't understand why he waited until the wedding or why Cora's stepdad didn't get extra security knowing Ivan was coming for him. Him strategizing how to get to her would have been more interesting to me than a couple of fighting scenes, but it's not that relevant overall to the story. I don't understand why either of them let Francia live after she tried to kill Cora and blackmail Ivan. Isn't he supposed to be ruthless? Even if Cora was too emotional to do it, he has no relationship to her and no reason to let her go. Plus, he should know better. He has experience in these types of things.

I wish we got a little more of Francia's perspective of her being rejected by the people in Ivan's home and family and how that made her feel, her exploring the home and discovering things she can use to her advantage, etc. Anything more than she deserved to have what Cora did and ran away from. I also wanted to know why she thought Cora's reasoning for escaping weren't good enough, because, as her friend, she definitely would have been told why she did what she did. But because she was a villain, she remained pretty one-dimensional, and this is a romance, so I let it go.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sunshine · Rating 3 out of 5]

really great characters, but some major plot holes

I really did enjoy this book and the first. I adored the characters! There were some issues though, because things just became very unbelievable and I have questions. Just remember, I really enjoyed this duet despite these plot holes.



*****SPOILERS*****


1) If Francia had a plan all along to get Ivan, why was she working at the Mexican restaurant? She didn’t know who Cora was, and it makes no sense that she’d be working there when she was on the Sokolov payroll.
2) Cora’s dad may not have been able to fight for custody once MacAllister was the stepdad, but no court would have let the kid live on the street when dad was actively trying to get the kid back. Make it make sense!
3) Ivan snuck in the back door of the restaurant and into the women’s room AND GOT FREAKY WITH HER while Psycho #1 was rabidly awaiting her return AND snuck back out, and yet it wasn’t possible to just take her then?? This whole “we can’t get you out yet” part of the book makes absolutely zero sense! He’s supposed to be the baddest of the bad, but couldn’t get her out immediately?
4) If her stepdad was so determined to marry her off to someone rich, why didn’t he just try and work for I an instead? She accidentally wound up in love with a rich man that could use him to “fix” things, yet he throws it away to work for the less important bad guys??
5) lastly, is Francia secretly Black Window or something?? No way that the Sokolov’s trained her to fight and shoot, yet someone she trains not one, but several of the most dangerous of the bratva over in russia, sneaks into America, murders Ivan’s bratva guards, and gets in that house. I 100% cannot believe that one.

There are more questions, but I’ll leave it at that.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found myself initially drawn to the duet's first book, "Cognac Villain," It has sat at the top of the Amazon Charts. This series has all the things I loved but it did not live up to the hype at all. I actually hated it and am mad I wasted time.

I stuck with book 1 hoping book 2 would be better and the story would move forward. However, my anticipation quickly waned as I delved into the pages. By the time I reached 40% of the book my interest had dwindled to the point where I decided to discontinue reading. Having consumed numerous Mafia-themed novels, I was hopeful that this book would provide a fresh perspective. Unfortunately, my expectations were not met.

In particular, the portrayal of Ivan, the soon-to-be pakhan of the Bratva, left me underwhelmed. Given his impending leadership role, I anticipated a stronger, more resolute personality. It perplexed me to witness his hesitation in the face of Francia's erratic behavior, especially considering he possessed knowledge of Cora's whereabouts. Where was the dominance. Where was the alpha male that should be leading the Bratva. Love interest Cora resided with her stepfather, who notably lacked substantial security measures. In my estimation, a true pakhan would have seized the opportunity to assert dominance and secure Cora's position, regardless of the potential repercussions.

Regrettably, this was not the path Ivan followed. Instead, he allowed Francia to manipulate him, a decision that I found disheartening. This turn of events dampened my enthusiasm for the book to the point where I no longer wished to continue reading.

[Trishaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me scream, cry, laugh and lose my heart.... in the end.

I'm completely in love with this duet. This book I just finished within two hours and regretted for reading it superb fast. I was damn curious to know what happens next between CORA and IVAN, they're surrounded by a lot of problems. My heart shattered seeing Ivan agree to marry that bitch in order to protect Cora, I literally felt his pain. For sure I was glad to see the way Ivan's chef and best friend treat that bitch who betrayed Cora and plotted everything in her hand to marry Ivan.

On the other hand, seeing Cora being forced into to marry Mikhail... I was definitely plotting everything in my hand to kill him and her step dad. Damn... they deserved to be dead for hurting my babies.

In the end, the author did an extraordinary job with this duet. I got the satisfaction of reading a book, after a long week of hectic work and also I would say the author did her best to keep me continuing with the book and making it my priority even though I had a project to submit the next day. (That just say how much addicted I got to this story) I also didn't even feel this book as a book, I somewhere lived with the characters and felt their heart breaks too.

Honestly, I am not a big fan of Nicole Fox but now I have made up my mind to read all her past published and upcoming books. It's time I fill my KINDLE with her books.

Thanks for the ARC @Booksprout and @Nicolefox I truly devoured this duet and it matched to my expectations. I'm glad that I picked this book to review.

[Monique Delaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twisty turny conclusion to this fun duet

There were a lot of moving parts in this second book which kept things going and fast paced.
The book starts off with Cora having recently been kidnapped and now once again a prisoner of her previous fiance and stepfather. And Ivan has been blackmailed into an engagement with the surprise villain of book one- Francie.

Like the first book I felt this one was equally well written, fun and entertaining.
We were treated to some growth on the part of Cora learning to rescue herself and Ivan learning to give into his feelings.

Only thing that threw me was some of the Bratva stuff. Ivan is the Pakhan (top boss) but he seems to handle almost everything himself. I kept wondering how many people he had in his Bratva. Throughout both books he, his woman and his home were under-guarded and underprotected. He also seemed to feel powerless to go get Cora, focusing on diplomacy a lot of the time which also made me question how big and strong of a Bratva he actually had.

I was also confused as to why he allowed certain psychotic characters to live and walk away repeatedly which resulted in repeated attempts on his and his woman's life and freedom. At times I was nearly yelling at the book the way you do when a girl in a horror movie goes down the dark stairs alone to investigate a noise lol

Despite that aspect, I really loved this duet. It was an enjoyable read. The ending was sweet and perfect. I look forward to more books by this author.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

The Pushkin Bratva duet has been popping up on my kindle suggestions for a while. When I went to check it out, it was sitting at number one in romantic suspense; of course, I was intrigued. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this dark mafia romance.

Ivan was the typical, non-communicative, over-protective bratva leader with a world of duty and responsibility on his shoulder. Cora was a girl on the run from some mysterious secret who didn't want any part of Ivan's universe. Dangerous circumstances had led to their fake engagement.

Cora and Ivan's sexual chemistry was instantaneous. They both had their reasons to believe they didn't have a future together despite their obvious attraction. Their miscommunication and secrets were the biggest obstacle to their relationship. However, it was a delight to witness how this fierce vixen torn down the icy wall that surrounded the broody villain's heart.

The suspense and drama they encountered were fast-paced and twisty. After so many mafia romance, I could still find plot twists that I didn't expected and kept me engaged.

Nicole Fox is a new-to-me author. After this unexpectedly engrossing dark mafia romantic suspense, I plan to go through her backlog shortly.

Follow Me: Maggie’s Escape Book Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

[Grinning Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

MMC/FMC- Ivan and Cora
POV- 1st person dual
Genre- Mafia Romance
Sub Genre- Bratva
Heat level % some kink involved
Series? Y. Second book in a duet. NOT A STANDALONE.
Safety:
-Cheating/Sharing? N
-OM/OW Drama? Y
-Virgin/Celibacy? N
-Cliffhanger? N
HEA/HFN? Y
Triggers- Language In Two Languages, Graphic Violence, Explicit Erotic Content, Kidnapping.
Tropes- He Ain’t Heavy- He’s My Bratva, Wicked Stepfather, Exes From Hell, Forced Engagement, Dysfunctional Families FTW, Mine, Someday I’ll Find You, #1 With A Bullet.
What I liked- as always with a Nicole Fox book, this was well written. The chemistry between the two main characters is strong and their love is fierce. The Hero is certainly willing to burn down the world if he doesn’t get the heroine back. And some of the erotic scenes were very hot (like that time in the car….). The characters were all interesting, whether they were primary, secondary, or tertiary.
What I didn’t- the Bratva is almost incidental in this book. I’d have liked to see more of the soldiers have the Hero’s back. And the erotic scenes with the toy didn’t sizzle; the toy didn’t add anything to the scenes and made it feel like the author was trying too hard.
Verdict- Recommended. All of Nicole Fox’s work is worth the read, and she does Bratva books better than almost anybody.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.