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Oryolov Bratva #2
Cruel Promise
It started with an accidental dirty voicemail.
It ended with my boss’s baby in my belly.
One butt dial changed my life forever.
Ruslan Oryolov went from boss to baby daddy in the blink of an eye.
But other stuff changed along the way, too.
I learned who Ruslan is—who he REALLY is.
I learned that the children I’ve come to love as my own can’t stay in this city anymore.
I’ve learned that none of us can.
So we’re running.
But of course, Ruslan won’t let us go that easily.
And when he learns about what I’m taking from him—the baby in my belly—he makes me a promise.
A very, very cruel promise.
No matter where you go… No matter how far or how fast you flee…
I will always find you.
CRUEL PROMISE is Book Two of the Oryolov Bratva duet. Ruslan and Emma’s story begins in Book One, CRUEL PARADISE.
It ended with my boss’s baby in my belly.
One butt dial changed my life forever.
Ruslan Oryolov went from boss to baby daddy in the blink of an eye.
But other stuff changed along the way, too.
I learned who Ruslan is—who he REALLY is.
I learned that the children I’ve come to love as my own can’t stay in this city anymore.
I’ve learned that none of us can.
So we’re running.
But of course, Ruslan won’t let us go that easily.
And when he learns about what I’m taking from him—the baby in my belly—he makes me a promise.
A very, very cruel promise.
No matter where you go… No matter how far or how fast you flee…
I will always find you.
CRUEL PROMISE is Book Two of the Oryolov Bratva duet. Ruslan and Emma’s story begins in Book One, CRUEL PARADISE.
466 pages, Paperback
Published September 7, 2023
4304 people are currently reading
3650 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Fox
195 books4,804 followersNicole 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 994 reviews
February 21, 2024
Somehow Emma became an even bigger doormat in this one. Ruslan treated her absolutely horribly (for the dumbest reason too might I add) and she kept coming back for more! She’d actively seek him out knowing how rude and hurtful he was time and time again. Also let’s just say I don’t think they’ve ever heard of the word grovelling, and this man needed to do a lot of it throughout the entire book. This stone head of a man could do literally anything and she would already forgive him without him even apologizing. On top of that, he tried to blame his idiocy on others. It wasn’t him being an immature swine that made him react the way he did at the end of the first book, it was Remmy that made him do it apparently. Sir, he didn’t force you to jump to conclusions and not hear Emma out, he didn’t force you to treat her like the gum under your shoe, that was all you my man. There’s so much more I can’t be bothered to get into. I’m tired.
September 8, 2023
i'm so mad. i really loved the first book in this duet but omg this was not it. i was literally yelling at the heroine to grow a backbone at some points in this book. we get it you're horny and he's hot but he just cussed you out ma'am.
thank you to booksprout and the publisher for an arc one exchange for an honest review.
thank you to booksprout and the publisher for an arc one exchange for an honest review.
December 20, 2023
A manbaby.🤡
I hate misunderstandings ew
I hate misunderstandings ew
January 3, 2024
She's pregnant. She’s stressed. She was on the run for a hot minute. She forgives way to easily… *Sigh*
This wasn't my favourite, but I have to say there were some sweet moments (I’m starting with the positives, before the negatives make an appearance).
Example :
Kidnappers have been sent to take Emma and her kids, but Ruslan finds them before they reach her. The kidnapper is begging for his life and says the below line.
————
“I-I’ve got kids, man,” he tries.
I squat down in front of him and clutch his destroyed hand. His scream echoes into the empty, unforgiving night.
I look him right in the eye, my voice low and menacing. “Those are my kids up there. Those are my kids you’re after.”
————
Now did I find this adorable...yes I did. It's the fact that he's broken up with her, but still thinks of those kids as his, and wants to protect them.
There are lots of moments where I thought this man was so sweet and other moments when I thought this man is a total pr!ck. It was honestly leaning more towards the latter than the former.
Now this is probably a ‘me’ problem because this trope is all about morally grey men, but his constant vindictive behaviour started to grate on me.
He treats her like trash at the start of the book, is constantly throwing jabs and he made my blood boil with his behaviour at the baby appointment. All he needed to do was talk to her and resolve their issues, but of course that wasn't happening.
He justified acting rude and disinterested all the time, as he needed to distract himself from looking into her eyes and being captivated by her. Poor justification. Is this man being serious ?
At this point it's not even a ‘miscommunication’, he's just being pig headed. He believes she has somehow betrayed him and doesn't believe she's innocent, until he hears it from another man. Not from her.
Anyway, there is a pretty quick resolution. She forgives him also immediately and then I skipped to the epilogue. He’s showing you all his red flags, you need to run. I think I was at about 60%, before the book started to drag and I just wanted the ending.
This book wasn't my cup of tea, but if Kirill had a book, I would read that instantly. He was so funny and remains level headed, despite being ‘the muscle’.
Maybe I need a zen (in a psychotic way) Mafia boss. That would be a change of pace.
This wasn't my favourite, but I have to say there were some sweet moments (I’m starting with the positives, before the negatives make an appearance).
Example :
Kidnappers have been sent to take Emma and her kids, but Ruslan finds them before they reach her. The kidnapper is begging for his life and says the below line.
————
“I-I’ve got kids, man,” he tries.
I squat down in front of him and clutch his destroyed hand. His scream echoes into the empty, unforgiving night.
I look him right in the eye, my voice low and menacing. “Those are my kids up there. Those are my kids you’re after.”
————
Now did I find this adorable...yes I did. It's the fact that he's broken up with her, but still thinks of those kids as his, and wants to protect them.
There are lots of moments where I thought this man was so sweet and other moments when I thought this man is a total pr!ck. It was honestly leaning more towards the latter than the former.
Now this is probably a ‘me’ problem because this trope is all about morally grey men, but his constant vindictive behaviour started to grate on me.
He treats her like trash at the start of the book, is constantly throwing jabs and he made my blood boil with his behaviour at the baby appointment. All he needed to do was talk to her and resolve their issues, but of course that wasn't happening.
He justified acting rude and disinterested all the time, as he needed to distract himself from looking into her eyes and being captivated by her. Poor justification. Is this man being serious ?
At this point it's not even a ‘miscommunication’, he's just being pig headed. He believes she has somehow betrayed him and doesn't believe she's innocent, until he hears it from another man. Not from her.
Anyway, there is a pretty quick resolution. She forgives him also immediately and then I skipped to the epilogue. He’s showing you all his red flags, you need to run. I think I was at about 60%, before the book started to drag and I just wanted the ending.
This book wasn't my cup of tea, but if Kirill had a book, I would read that instantly. He was so funny and remains level headed, despite being ‘the muscle’.
Maybe I need a zen (in a psychotic way) Mafia boss. That would be a change of pace.
January 30, 2024
This is what happens when you stretch a book too far. Duets and trilogies are rarely good. The first book can be a five star but the momentum is hard to keep going without writing a bunch of boring filler. That’s what this book was boring filler to the hea.
January 23, 2024
I’m going to quote the FMC to explain my rating.
“Honestly, I deserve to have my feminist card revoked.”
“Honestly, I deserve to have my feminist card revoked.”
September 8, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
Things did not end well for Emma and Ruslan in Cruel Paradise. He believes she’s betrayed him, she’s hiding a massive secret from him, and life as she knows it has been completely upended.
Emma hatches a plan to run away from New York & Ruslan (and her awful BIL Ben), with the kids and never look back, but things do not go according to plan.
Cruel Promise was honestly a perfect ending to Emma and Ruslan’s story. It wasn’t as spicy as the first one, but there was tons of drama and action, and it kept me hooked.
They do get their happy ending though, and I absolutely adored how Ruslan stepped up after he finally pulled his head out of his ass!
Things did not end well for Emma and Ruslan in Cruel Paradise. He believes she’s betrayed him, she’s hiding a massive secret from him, and life as she knows it has been completely upended.
Emma hatches a plan to run away from New York & Ruslan (and her awful BIL Ben), with the kids and never look back, but things do not go according to plan.
Cruel Promise was honestly a perfect ending to Emma and Ruslan’s story. It wasn’t as spicy as the first one, but there was tons of drama and action, and it kept me hooked.
They do get their happy ending though, and I absolutely adored how Ruslan stepped up after he finally pulled his head out of his ass!
August 22, 2024
Ruslan was emotionally abusive about 55% of the story and we didn’t get nearly enough groveling to compensate for it in the end. Emma forgave him as soon as he turned his attention back to her and her desperation for him reeked like garbage left in the hot sun.
October 13, 2023
DNF @ 61%
idc i’m adding this on my read pile since the two books were just way too long and could’ve done without some of the filler scenes. i also only went so far as to see when the miscommunication is finally resolved. ruslan literally wouldn’t let anybody get a word in every time they try to explain so they just let it be and it’s ridiculous that it went on for so long just bc of that 😂
idc i’m adding this on my read pile since the two books were just way too long and could’ve done without some of the filler scenes. i also only went so far as to see when the miscommunication is finally resolved. ruslan literally wouldn’t let anybody get a word in every time they try to explain so they just let it be and it’s ridiculous that it went on for so long just bc of that 😂
January 30, 2024
I flew through this book. I had fun reading it but there was a couple things that annoyed me about the hero.
Spoilers
Spoilers
Ruslan was so stubborn that he didn’t even wanna hear Emma’s side of the story. He was so cruel to her cuz he believed she “betrayed” him. The miscommunication lasted about 50% or even more and that annoyed me. Especially with Ruslan acting as an asshole. I wanted to smack him during the scene where he went with Emma to her doctors appointment and was so not caring and aloof. He even left before her.
Now lets talk about when Ruslan learned the truth about his uncle Vadim and got drunk. The things he said were brutal. He told Emma that shouldn’t nag him because she isn’t his wife. The he said that only ONE of those kids is his and the kids heard him. This happened after they asked if he is their father now and he confirmed. That. Was. Brutal. The kids have gone through so much already especially Josh and Ruslan was being an asshole. He didn’t even grovel and that annoyed me. Even Emma said that he should come to their penthouse everyday and try to explain until they decided to hear him out. He went to them only one time and didn’t go back. He opted for sending them gifts and toys. Emma and Josh didn’t open their presents cuz they felt he’s trying to buy them. Emma and the kids got kidnapped and Ruslan saved them and all was forgiven. I hate when authors do that. I wanted them to resolve the conflict by talking and Ruslan groveling not him saving them and he’s forgiven by doing the bare minimum.
Spoilers
Spoilers
Ruslan was so stubborn that he didn’t even wanna hear Emma’s side of the story. He was so cruel to her cuz he believed she “betrayed” him. The miscommunication lasted about 50% or even more and that annoyed me. Especially with Ruslan acting as an asshole. I wanted to smack him during the scene where he went with Emma to her doctors appointment and was so not caring and aloof. He even left before her.
Now lets talk about when Ruslan learned the truth about his uncle Vadim and got drunk. The things he said were brutal. He told Emma that shouldn’t nag him because she isn’t his wife. The he said that only ONE of those kids is his and the kids heard him. This happened after they asked if he is their father now and he confirmed. That. Was. Brutal. The kids have gone through so much already especially Josh and Ruslan was being an asshole. He didn’t even grovel and that annoyed me. Even Emma said that he should come to their penthouse everyday and try to explain until they decided to hear him out. He went to them only one time and didn’t go back. He opted for sending them gifts and toys. Emma and Josh didn’t open their presents cuz they felt he’s trying to buy them. Emma and the kids got kidnapped and Ruslan saved them and all was forgiven. I hate when authors do that. I wanted them to resolve the conflict by talking and Ruslan groveling not him saving them and he’s forgiven by doing the bare minimum.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2024
eh, yani..
January 19, 2024
"Everyone is human. Everyone can leave. even heroes can die."
Triggers/ What to expect:
- HEA
- Bratva
- Office Romance
- CEO/Sectary
- Single Mum
- Pregnancy
- Grumpy Boss
- Misunderstanding
- Miscommunicating
- Death of Family
- Death of Parent
- Violence
- Past Child Abuse
So much miscommunication- Ruslan doesn't listen to anyone, so much could have been resolved. If he allowed people to talk or if he just spoke to Emma like an adult.
I understand that Josh has a lot on his shoulders but he was portrayed a lot older more like an adult than an 8 year old.
Emma was too much of a doormat. Ruslan walks over her too much, she needed to grow a backbone. She is too forgiving, even though Ruslan does apologise, so much more grovelling was required.
Favourite Quotes:
"There's something about the soothing nature of a big body of water. It supports your weight if you trust it enough. It hides your tears no matter how hard you cry."
"It wasn't a burden to look after those kids; it was a privilege."
"I'm starting to realize that sometimes the healthiest thing you can do with certain people is simply to walk away."
"I knew exactly what you would be to me from the moment I heard that accidental voicemail you left me."
Triggers/ What to expect:
- HEA
- Bratva
- Office Romance
- CEO/Sectary
- Single Mum
- Pregnancy
- Grumpy Boss
- Misunderstanding
- Miscommunicating
- Death of Family
- Death of Parent
- Violence
- Past Child Abuse
So much miscommunication- Ruslan doesn't listen to anyone, so much could have been resolved. If he allowed people to talk or if he just spoke to Emma like an adult.
I understand that Josh has a lot on his shoulders but he was portrayed a lot older more like an adult than an 8 year old.
Emma was too much of a doormat. Ruslan walks over her too much, she needed to grow a backbone. She is too forgiving, even though Ruslan does apologise, so much more grovelling was required.
Favourite Quotes:
"There's something about the soothing nature of a big body of water. It supports your weight if you trust it enough. It hides your tears no matter how hard you cry."
"It wasn't a burden to look after those kids; it was a privilege."
"I'm starting to realize that sometimes the healthiest thing you can do with certain people is simply to walk away."
"I knew exactly what you would be to me from the moment I heard that accidental voicemail you left me."
February 11, 2025
So, I really liked this couple until I didn’t. A good 70% of this book was just a bunch of toxicity, misunderstandings and attempts to flee but not really.
While I did like how Emma took action for the kids, I didn’t like how little self respect she had for herself. Her whole life was about the kids, and I respect that so much because single mothers do everything for their babies, but whenever something came down to HER — she just had no backbone.
I was expecting pure grovelling. I mean, the longing and crying and begging and just general pathetic ness wasn’t there on Ruslan’s end.
And yes, he’s fucked in the head and had a fucked life, but is it really so hard to just use your brain? You can’t buy people’s love. It’s not conditional in the sense you can earn it back after you buy them something equal to it (in your eyes). The way he treated them towards the end of the book was completely unfair, and not to mention how vile he treated Emma in the first 50%. It really grated on me.
And that wife line was cruel. This was so not the Ruslan I was shown in the first book. I feel like it was dragged out, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
While I did like how Emma took action for the kids, I didn’t like how little self respect she had for herself. Her whole life was about the kids, and I respect that so much because single mothers do everything for their babies, but whenever something came down to HER — she just had no backbone.
I was expecting pure grovelling. I mean, the longing and crying and begging and just general pathetic ness wasn’t there on Ruslan’s end.
And yes, he’s fucked in the head and had a fucked life, but is it really so hard to just use your brain? You can’t buy people’s love. It’s not conditional in the sense you can earn it back after you buy them something equal to it (in your eyes). The way he treated them towards the end of the book was completely unfair, and not to mention how vile he treated Emma in the first 50%. It really grated on me.
And that wife line was cruel. This was so not the Ruslan I was shown in the first book. I feel like it was dragged out, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
September 23, 2023
I loved this book just as much as I liked the first. I understand the reason for leaving the first on a cliffhanger, but I wish the second book wasnt the last in the series :( I enjoyed watching the relationship and family develop. There was some shocking information given in this book. Not to give it away, but there are some breadcrumbs about one thing, but that secret it nothing compared to the big secret the family discovers!!! Emma and Ruslan are so cute together but in this book they spend most of the time working through issues that are tearing them apart. The growth in Josh is wonderful and I feel so bad for how his childhood has made him behave as an adult. I am going to look into other series by Nicole Fox
September 24, 2023
Now I did like the first book in this duet series. The old assistant/boss thing was hot not gonna lie. And the misunderstanding was gold because we only keep seeing the heroine melt for the hero since day 1. But imagine my disappointment when she forgives the hero in literal seconds after him realizing his mistake. Sure, his apology is sincere and he does make up for it..but damn I really wanted to see some hardcore groveling from this dude!
November 28, 2024
Immediately after finishing book 1... had to start the 2nd one... which left in a cliffhanger!!
“For fuck’s sake, Emma: you are the best mother I have ever seen. You have everything stacked against you but you make those kids think the world was made for them and them alone. You struggle so they don’t and you’d jump off a bridge before you let them see you quit or show fear. You give them so much love, so much hope, so much reason to believe that the future holds nothing but happiness for them.”
Audible purchase 🤗 ✨️ 4.5 rating..
“For fuck’s sake, Emma: you are the best mother I have ever seen. You have everything stacked against you but you make those kids think the world was made for them and them alone. You struggle so they don’t and you’d jump off a bridge before you let them see you quit or show fear. You give them so much love, so much hope, so much reason to believe that the future holds nothing but happiness for them.”
Audible purchase 🤗 ✨️ 4.5 rating..
January 15, 2025
3⭐️
2🌶️
Though it was still as entertaining as the last one, it wasn’t as good. They really do be forgetting that Josh is only 8. Like some of the stuff with him involved… I mean I understand that he is mature for his age I mean the author said that multiple times in both books, but he was still a kid. A KID! Doesn’t matter if he was “mature for his age” he was still just a kid no matter how much he wanted to protect his sisters and Emma.
Also Emma seemed to be much more of a doormat in this one than the last one. She talked a good talk, but never walked the walk. Instead she let people walk all over her. She’s supposed to be an adult, but she acted more immature than Josh sometimes.
One more thing Ruslan… I could never be mad at you even though I really should be. You have my heart
2🌶️
Though it was still as entertaining as the last one, it wasn’t as good. They really do be forgetting that Josh is only 8. Like some of the stuff with him involved… I mean I understand that he is mature for his age I mean the author said that multiple times in both books, but he was still a kid. A KID! Doesn’t matter if he was “mature for his age” he was still just a kid no matter how much he wanted to protect his sisters and Emma.
Also Emma seemed to be much more of a doormat in this one than the last one. She talked a good talk, but never walked the walk. Instead she let people walk all over her. She’s supposed to be an adult, but she acted more immature than Josh sometimes.
One more thing Ruslan… I could never be mad at you even though I really should be. You have my heart
September 30, 2023
Can not figure out how this book got such high ratings. DNF. I tried so hard to finish but I just couldn’t do it. There was a lot wrong with this book.
-The main characters are ridiculous. The “hero”, Ruslan, is supposed to be an intimidating, ruthless mafia head. However, he acts like a child through most the book. And the heroine, Emma, continues to desire him no matter how mean he is to her.
- Sloppy writing. The author pays no attention to reality. 1) Emma is chasing kidnappers and calls Ruslan for help. He is able to get to her in just a few minutes through NY traffic. 2) No one is supposed to know where Emma is hiding out but her parents are able to send her court documents. 3)Apparently, a contract holds up in a court of law even if there were not any witnesses to see the contract being signed. 4)a large newspaper company can be purchased in a few weeks on a whim. It takes much longer than that for the transaction and transfer to take place.
- the 8 yr old is way too mature for his age. I realize that he is supposed to have a lot on his shoulder but he acts completely like an adult.
- the inside mole it is so obvious that I lack even more respect for Ruslan for not figuring it out.
- not a mafia romance. This is a sappy, eye rolling romance. It was pathetic.
This was my third try at Nicole Fox books and I dislike each one. I just don’t like her writing style and he heroines are too weak minded.
-The main characters are ridiculous. The “hero”, Ruslan, is supposed to be an intimidating, ruthless mafia head. However, he acts like a child through most the book. And the heroine, Emma, continues to desire him no matter how mean he is to her.
- Sloppy writing. The author pays no attention to reality. 1) Emma is chasing kidnappers and calls Ruslan for help. He is able to get to her in just a few minutes through NY traffic. 2) No one is supposed to know where Emma is hiding out but her parents are able to send her court documents. 3)Apparently, a contract holds up in a court of law even if there were not any witnesses to see the contract being signed. 4)a large newspaper company can be purchased in a few weeks on a whim. It takes much longer than that for the transaction and transfer to take place.
- the 8 yr old is way too mature for his age. I realize that he is supposed to have a lot on his shoulder but he acts completely like an adult.
- the inside mole it is so obvious that I lack even more respect for Ruslan for not figuring it out.
- not a mafia romance. This is a sappy, eye rolling romance. It was pathetic.
This was my third try at Nicole Fox books and I dislike each one. I just don’t like her writing style and he heroines are too weak minded.
March 23, 2024
3,5
En esta segunda parte el drama está en todo su apogeo. Ruslan ha dejado de ser el caballero de la brillante armadura, o eso intenta él hacer. Se siente traicionado y se lo intenta hacer pagar a Emma, pero tiene demasiados sentimientos por ella y encima están los niños.
Por otra parte tiene que solucionar el desastre del lanzamiento de su droga. Sospecha que tiene un traidor en su organización.
Esta segunda parte la he encontrado muy trepidante. Tenemos el conflicto amoroso, con todo el drama que conlleva eso. Y por otra parte el thriller al tener que descubrir quien está traicionando a la Bratva Orylov.
En esta segunda parte el drama está en todo su apogeo. Ruslan ha dejado de ser el caballero de la brillante armadura, o eso intenta él hacer. Se siente traicionado y se lo intenta hacer pagar a Emma, pero tiene demasiados sentimientos por ella y encima están los niños.
Por otra parte tiene que solucionar el desastre del lanzamiento de su droga. Sospecha que tiene un traidor en su organización.
Esta segunda parte la he encontrado muy trepidante. Tenemos el conflicto amoroso, con todo el drama que conlleva eso. Y por otra parte el thriller al tener que descubrir quien está traicionando a la Bratva Orylov.
September 21, 2023
Okay so this duet was good but not that great. I mean I loved the kids and some side characters but Ruslan & Emma had their flaws. Emma acted so irresponsibly by constantly jeopardising the kids' safety. I wanted her to grow a backbone but she was still a doormat in this book too. Ruslan didn't have a good character development. Until the very end, he acted like his same asshole self. I liked him only when he interacted with the kids and in the epilogue. He constantly pushed Emma away and I was tired of the same thing happening between them. I wanted Ruslan to grovel after what he did in the last book but he was so cold and closed off which was a total disappointment. I did not feel the chemistry between him & Emma because of that. Overall, this duet was worth reading but most of the time, both Emma & Ruslan's actions drove me crazy.
December 16, 2023
lol i thought book 2 will be better but emma really gets under my skin, she is still a doormat and this time it's for ruslan. and ruslan doesnt even have any good quality apart from that he is rich. i think emma stayed bc of the money lol raising 3 children is hard in this economy.
April 20, 2024
Not rating any lower than 3 because I've seen worse doormats.
I shouldn't have expected much from this considering this fell short like any other duet does with the second book as the downfall.
Just want to quantify it, 50% - half the book was full of Ruslan hurting Emma and till literally 51% he didn't get to know the truth. It took about 10% of groveling with little to no resistance from the heroine about forgiving him.
All that aside, the kidnapping was at such a convenient time, I was like "dramatic much?".
:::::::::
Also, why is it that when I went to surf through the author's other works because there are so many bratva romances, each of the blurbs I'm finding to be the carbon copies of each other? He is a mob, her boss, needs a baby. She is too poor, too desperate, have a traumatic and haunting past and will do anything for him.
I shouldn't have expected much from this considering this fell short like any other duet does with the second book as the downfall.
Just want to quantify it, 50% - half the book was full of Ruslan hurting Emma and till literally 51% he didn't get to know the truth. It took about 10% of groveling with little to no resistance from the heroine about forgiving him.
All that aside, the kidnapping was at such a convenient time, I was like "dramatic much?".
:::::::::
Also, why is it that when I went to surf through the author's other works because there are so many bratva romances, each of the blurbs I'm finding to be the carbon copies of each other? He is a mob, her boss, needs a baby. She is too poor, too desperate, have a traumatic and haunting past and will do anything for him.
April 9, 2025
Wow! I can't believe that I liked this one even more than the first book
October 9, 2023
The book was too repetitive and as the story moved on I realized I don't like any of the characters .
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spoilers !
Maybe I'm missing the whole point here ... but this is how I felt : Russlan lost all my sympathy as soon as I realized he created a rape drug .
Emma lost it when she found out about it and didn't make the right choice of leaving him and saving her sister's children from a life with a drug dealer and a killer .
I couldn't ignore it , and I felt really sorry for the children , especially Josh.
In my eyes Emma is indeed an unfite mother if she knowingly chose to attach hers and the children's life to such a man even if the attraction was great and the money didn't hurt too .
I kept thinking that if her awfull parents were raising the children maybe they would have been less happy but at the end they wouldn't grow to become criminals like their step-dad .
The nasty reporter was right surching to expose the true story about Russlan , and although his methods were wrong , he wasn't a lowlife killer and a criminal , and he paid with his life for it .
I was disappointed that Emma , who seemed smart and responsible chose to close her eyes to all this and be a part of it as equal partner .
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spoilers !
Maybe I'm missing the whole point here ... but this is how I felt : Russlan lost all my sympathy as soon as I realized he created a rape drug .
Emma lost it when she found out about it and didn't make the right choice of leaving him and saving her sister's children from a life with a drug dealer and a killer .
I couldn't ignore it , and I felt really sorry for the children , especially Josh.
In my eyes Emma is indeed an unfite mother if she knowingly chose to attach hers and the children's life to such a man even if the attraction was great and the money didn't hurt too .
I kept thinking that if her awfull parents were raising the children maybe they would have been less happy but at the end they wouldn't grow to become criminals like their step-dad .
The nasty reporter was right surching to expose the true story about Russlan , and although his methods were wrong , he wasn't a lowlife killer and a criminal , and he paid with his life for it .
I was disappointed that Emma , who seemed smart and responsible chose to close her eyes to all this and be a part of it as equal partner .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2024
IT ALL START WITH A VOICEMAIL!!!! Screaming 😱😱
Boss and secretary
Contract love
Mafia
Powerful hero
Children involved that will melt you hear Love how he connected with the kids AsAP
Emma is just a normal assistant that accidentally send her box a sex voicemail which leads to a sex contract and then a baby contract
Honestly, this story is so beautiful but at the same time so sad specially because of the children Absolutely love this books
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Boss and secretary
Contract love
Mafia
Powerful hero
Children involved that will melt you hear Love how he connected with the kids AsAP
Emma is just a normal assistant that accidentally send her box a sex voicemail which leads to a sex contract and then a baby contract
Honestly, this story is so beautiful but at the same time so sad specially because of the children Absolutely love this books
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read
November 11, 2024dnf at 7%. you maybe thinking like wtf? but the first book is good, the fmc left the mmc at the end.... i thought book 2 is the mmc going to spend grovel but turns out the fmc called the mmc back at the first chapter of this book. this ain't my ride
September 26, 2023
Ruslan held onto his bitterness a little long in this one. The big twist at the end was, unfortunately, predictable 🥲.
January 31, 2024
"It doesn’t matter how bright a person shines; it doesn’t matter how invincible they seem or how perennial they may appear… Everyone is human. Everyone can leave. Even heroes can die."
MCs
Emma & Ruslan
SUBPAR SYNOPSIS
During a rare moment alone, Emma mistakenly calls her boss, Ruslan, while fantasizing to him. When he notices the voicemail he decides to draft a contract with her for a carnal relationship in exchange for money. While she considers refusing the offer, she ultimately ends up taking it as she's desperate to be able to provide for her nephew & nieces after becoming their caregiver when their mother, he sister, dies tragically. She's attracted to him and cannot resist the offer to better their lives especially since their father, her brother-in-law Ben, has done nothing but drink, manipulate, and abuse them in his "grief". Ruslan makes it clear that their arrangement is to remain secret and that no feelings are to be involved but it doesn't take long for them to develop after he meets her dependents and all 4 of them come to rely and grow attachments to him. Navigating betrayals, revenge, and his own inability to allow his heart to soften, Ruslan pushes them away despite every instinct not to until dangers outside of his control force him to face his fears and his feelings toward Emma and the kids.
THOUGHTS
This duet was pretty good but I'm gonna be honest, I didn't love Emma & Ruslan throughout. The epilogue is sweet & I definitely chuckled a bit but the path getting there had some rough moments I didn't really feel had any healthy resolution. She remained absolutely loyal to him throughout and he just sucked at facing it. All that complaining aside, the books read quickly for me and I was hooked throughout. I may not have loved it all but it was entertaining all the same. Josh & Kirill was clearly the stars of this book & they earned it.
SERIES OVERALL
4.0/5
WOULD I RECOMMEND?
Duets aren't usually a big investment and this series read smooth without a lot of wasted space. I'd recommend it to those who like dark romances with assholic MCs.
December 25, 2024
When you’re in charge of the bratva and everything falls in front of you, you ask yourself a lot of questions... What did you do wrong? Did you trust the wrong people? Or someone in your family betrayed you? And sometimes you break...shatter into little pieces, and in this process, you hurt your loved ones. Ruslan believed that he would never marry or love someone… Sometimes, I got angry with him. They needed each other, and this man always pushed her away...
I always knew that Emma was strong, and it made me hurt when she questioned herself about her parenting style. But you know what? Not every birth parent deserves to have a child. Ben sold his little kids to the enemy and never regretted it. Emma's parents never really cared about her or grandchildren, only money and fame. But Emma? She was their mother. She was always there. That’s the meaning of love.
Building family takes time. And it's okay to make mistakes. Ruslan did. Emma did. Everyone did. But do you know what matters? That you learn something from them. I know they did. And they deserved this happy ending. They deserved to be family. Love them with all my heart, and I am proud of them.
I always knew that Emma was strong, and it made me hurt when she questioned herself about her parenting style. But you know what? Not every birth parent deserves to have a child. Ben sold his little kids to the enemy and never regretted it. Emma's parents never really cared about her or grandchildren, only money and fame. But Emma? She was their mother. She was always there. That’s the meaning of love.
Building family takes time. And it's okay to make mistakes. Ruslan did. Emma did. Everyone did. But do you know what matters? That you learn something from them. I know they did. And they deserved this happy ending. They deserved to be family. Love them with all my heart, and I am proud of them.
September 21, 2023
This book picks up where the first one ends. The characters have chemistry for days, but the main male character has his head up his keester and won't let anyone tell him the truth about anything then is mad that he is the last to know or has to grovel (which he does a crap job of) to get back into good graces of everyone. In spite of those flaws, the duet is really quite good and the action is moving more quickly in the plot of this second book in the duet. There is still some spice so never fear, you'll get your hot and spicy fix too! Overall, a great entertaining read!
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