Kill for You

The Kozlov Brothers #2

by Syn Blackrose

LEV
I don't do relationships. I don't do feelings. I don't do what's considered the norm. I love hurting people. I love their screams. I love their begging. I live for it. Until him. Aaron. He has his own version of crazy. His crazy mixed with mine? That's a recipe for disaster.

AARON
My life is not my own. My stepbrother won't let me go. I have to end him. I'm not normal. I fantasize about things I shouldn't and it's his fault. Lev. Lev has been my obsession since we started working for the Kozlov brothers. I need him. I want to be owned by him. I want to drown in his crazy until we are one.

* This dark MM romance and contains content that won't be suitable for under 18s.

Genres: M M Romance, Dark Romance, Dark, Romance, Contemporary, Abuse, Crime

344 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2023

About the author

Hi my lovelies,

I'm afraid I am not active on Goodreads; therefore, I will not respond to messages or requests on here.

If you would like to reach out to me, please check out my Instagram account.

Thanks! Syn xx

Reviews

[Shelba · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Or rather, DNS. One look at the CWs and I’m good.

You know what authors need to stop doing? Censoring their fucking CWs. You write dark romance, but you put “unaliving” as a CW? Get the fuck outta here.

Not to mention, “unaliving”? Not very specific. Do you mean murder, or do you mean suicide? Because those are two different CWs.

Either way, suicide or murder aren’t slurs. Use your grown up words. If you can’t say it, you shouldn’t be writing it.

[Jane aka Coughy019 (Safety info included) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tropes: dark romance, killers
Feels: 2/5
Steam*: 3.5/5
Kinks: rough sex, dubcon, somnophilia, getting turned on by torture and murder
Angst: low
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: unsafe sex, murder, violence, SA, homophobia, adhd, mental health issues, unsafe sex

3.5 stars

Aaron is 24, gay, reluctantly working in a drug dealing Network, distantly under Lev. His mother died when he was around 12. He's been raised by his homophobic stepfather and internalized homophobic step brother Jake. Jake is obsessed with him. He's bullied and threatened him ever since he entered Aaron's life, and he started sexually harassing and then assaulting him from age 16 onward. Aaron struggles with his mental health, having ADHD and voices in his head, the voices are usually triggered by Jake traumatizing him. Aaron loves violence, it turns him on. He's had a crush on Lev, one of the brothers in charge of the drug operation, from afar for the last few months. He's really attracted to his violence. Lev is 27 and likely pan.

A brush in a competing drug dealers territory puts Aaron on Lev's radar. And then Lev is suspicious that Jake is not loyal to him and he has Aaron spy for him. As they interact, Aaron's craziness starts to become appealing to Lev, they have a lot in common, and their vices call to the other. But love doesn't do repeats and he doesn't do relationships, will he care enough to want something on going with Aaron?

This was a pretty good story. It was very bloodthirsty and violence and kinky. Which isn't entirely my thing. But it was done pretty well. I liked Aaron more than I liked Lev. Aaron was vulnerable. They were both on hinged crazy mofos though. They were a good match together. I liked the presents of Dima and Seb in this book.

Things I wasn't too huge fan of:
- It took Lev a very long time to even like Aaron. We were well past the 55% mark and Lev was talking about how he was glad Aaron left, how he was crazy and clingy and definitely someone he should stay away from. Lev didn't get protective of Aaron until the very end. Other people around him like his brother and his brother-in-law were worried about Aaron and telling Lev to go check up on him, afraid he was being harmed. And Aaron was being harmed by his step brother and other bullies. It took a long time for Lev to care
- Lev tried to F another guy the day after hooking up with Aaron. Aaron jealously interrupted that hook up. But I felt like Lev didn't care as much about Aaron. Even by the end of the book he couldn't really say I love you.


Some notable moments:

"“That's a contract you have just signed, by the way. Fine print says that you don't touch anyone else, Lev, I mean it. I'll cut your dick off in your sleep,” he says. So fucking romantic."

Boyfriends who kill together "I pick up a scalpel and Lev raises his brow. “Interesting choice. I'm gonna go for something a little different,” he says. He picks up a cordless drill then attaches a large drill head to it. Now that will hurt. “You wanna go first, doe?”"

"“Wanna watch me play, doe?” he asks. That voice. Goddamn. “Fuck yeah, then I want you to fuck me after,” I demand. “Aaron, seriously? I didn't need to know that,” Seb bemoans beside me. I forgot he was there. “Stop being a prude, Seb,” Lev teases and grabs my neck. I love the way he holds me. “You coming, Seb?” I ask “To the violence orgy? No thanks, I'm good. I'll wait here for D,” he says and continues to sip on his drink."


*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.

**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.

[Julia (bookish.jka) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I like you Lev, and I think I'm falling for you, or maybe I'm addicted to you? I know you don't do feelings, and this is probably your worst nightmare, but after everything that's happened, and before we go down there, I wanted to tell you I'm yours. You can do want you want to me, and I will do anything that you ask. But to be clear, you are mine too, and I won't let go."

Well now. Kill For You is the second book in the Kozlov Brothers duet and this one is Lev and Aaron's story. We first met Lev in Tied To You, as Dima's psychotic brother. And oh, he is soooo much worse in this one!

If you have any kind of triggers, I'd suggest you don't even pick this book up, because it has them all. This is a dark MM romance, with blood-play, dub con, abuse, murder and a whole lot more. It is not for the faint-hearted. Please don't read it and then 1 star it because it's not for you. You have been warned!

BUT if you like your MM books dark, dirty, dangerous and delicious then you've come to the right place! Syn Blackrose is carving out (quite literally!) a dark and demented niche for herself in this genre and I am totally here for it! 😈

[Tania ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is not for me, dnf 60%. And the «i don’t do relationships » cliché.. nope 🙄

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping this one would be a better installment and I almost ended my reading at 25%, but still decided to stick around - only to find out I got the same thing as in the previous book. But this time the author went a step further and added a severe mental illness to the repertoire, but they had no idea what they were talking about or had no clear vision on what they were trying to achieve with the problematic main character's mental state, so again, this read like a teenage m/f fantasy, at least to me.

The story was bogus, the main characters had absolutely no palpable connection, add a few quick fucks and as far as this author's concerned, you've got yourself a fated dark romance.

🟢 A Russian psycho evil-eyes mafioso/member of one of their drug dealing crews
🟣 MMCs both gay
🟡 One MMC has severe PTSD although he's pictured as being schizophrenic (and even that wasn't correct)
🔵 Absolutely no chemistry or connection
🟠 These guys aren't psychos, they need therapy and meds and forget that amateur torturing they've got going on
🟢 HFN - I can't see this one ending happily
🔵 Insta-love and it's not working
🟣 Could these characters be even less fleshed out? Just grinning, fucking and dreaming of blood isn't enough
🌶️ Some sex, but it felt just like hooking up, no depth, but was quite good; rimming; t/b

The thing that bothered me the most in this book was Aaron's mental struggles. Aaron had a very difficult upbringing with his mother dying on him and then him staying with his stepbrother and stepfather. When he turned 16, they really turned on him, even though they were already bad before that. Most heartbreaking was seeing his supportive stepbrother Jake becoming a complete sadistic asshole and consequently Aaron having severe PTSD from the trauma he endured. He never got help, was never treated, he had to stay in that hellhole of eventually Jake sexually abusing him as well.

But the way Aaron was presented it seemed like he was a deranged schizophrenic with his crazy grins and clinginess that was supposedly almost psychopathic. Where in the world did these definitions come from? How much was read on this topic?
Aaron just needed a couple of years of good therapy to get over the trauma that was inflicted upon him, but according to this story, Lev's dick took care of that problem and one day Aaron's broken inner child's voice simply disappeared.

"Last night, I truly saw the real Aaron behind his multiple masks. He craves attention and craves violence to obnoxious levels. It turns him on. It was a fucking rush being with someone that uninhibited, freely displaying the wild unhinged parts of them."

This is NOT Aaron from this book. A completely false description. Quit telling me who Aaron is if the story doesn't show it. The Aaron living on those pages wasn't unhinged and violent, he was lonely, broken and scared. The story didn't do him any kind of justice, it was more about trying to show us what a psycho he was.

Lev is Dima's brother and supposedly an even bigger psycho, although from what I've seen so far, Lev knows only how to grab a tool and make big threats, maybe hit someone and that's about it. He's more dark clothes, tattoos and the evil eyes, right? Right.

Aaron and Lev had absolutely no chemistry. Aaron was dickmatized for a little bit, but his character was too complex to settle just for a few nights of sex and some torture. This guy needed a serious story, I don't think hanging on to Lev and then just killing Jake was enough for Aaron.

Aaron needed someone to really get him on a deeper level and that clinginess that was trying to come to light, the need to be that close - that was supposed to be hot, he needed a complete emotional connection (for it), but Lev didn't give it. Lev was clear he's not the type for something like that and then he somehow just fell into it, because Aaron couldn't let go. Lev didn't seem like the perfect choice, he seemed like the only choice, a momentary fixation for Aaron, not the cure.

This is Aaron running into Lev trying to get with another guy. Nothing was happening between Aaron and Lev, they weren't together and they were both clear on nothing more could ever happen

“You know, I like this side of you, stabby- psycho Aaron. I knew you'd be a clinger. It’s like having a groupie.” “Yeah, well we can't all be perfect like you,” he says. Cheeky little shit.
“True. So tell me why you are here, apart from to block me from getting my dick wet.” 🙄

Aaron was constantly portrayed as a psycho, yet in my mind he was just a lost soul. He was hurting all the time and was just looking for a refuge from the hell he was going through at home. His life was shit. So if he came back again to maybe hook-up one more time, he's a psycho? And this was a constant in the book and couldn't be further from the truth.

"Mentally I am coming to terms with who I am, and I accept my quirks, psycho voices and all."

IT'S CALLED PTSD. This poor fucking guy, really. It was ridiculous how the author was writing about Aaron's inner child and how he was talking to the adult Aaron and then all the other Aarons. So amateurish and completely made up. It's not how it works either. Decide on the mental illness and truthfully describe it, not a little bit of everything added into the mix, gave me whiplash how Aaron's character acted!

🟡 Again, the whore and the slut thing, not to mention it's always felt how this author has a weird relationship with sex.

“Slutty doe, will you ever stop wanting my dick?” he says. So arrogant but I can’t deny that I do.
“No, I won’t. I want it to live inside me and I don't give a fuck how.” Wow, I really am a disgusting slut and I actually don't care.

See? Anything having remotely to do with sex makes you slutty for this author. Either you're a whore or slutty and that's just for wanting to get laid. It's not written as hot, it's covert slut shaming.

In general sex and intimacy is weirdly described, as usual and I can't seem to find that true lust, that believable tension and chemistry, maybe because of writing like this

"Collapsing on top of me, he leans over and our lips connect as his tongue caresses my mouth in a sensual mating kiss."

"Lev doesn’t allow me to adjust, he just pounds into me like a beast mating his prey in the wild."

"Oh hell yes. Tiny jabs of mini orgasms flare up around my cock at the sound of his warning."



I couldn't feel the crazy love between them, not even for a second. Granted, the sex was better described than in the first installment, but it never went further than just sex and when you've got complex characters like these and trying to show how deeply they're hooked on each other, well, it has to be just a little bit more than a hard fuck, doesn't it?

One would expect some comfort for Aaron, feeling like he finally found his home and can breathe, yet I couldn't. He just moved in with Lev. I didn't feel like Lev was onboard. He was hooked on Aaron's ass, yeah, but not much else.

So overall a duet that's not really thought-out and the author didn't quite nail it. They didn't. Not a thing I liked in these two books, maybe Aaron, but his character was botched completely and the cartoon mafioso Kozlov brothers are nothing but Johnny Bravo types who are all muscle and no substance.


There's a hint of Kai the bodyguard having a possible inappropriate relationship with Jules, his uncle - and god help me if their book is going to be an incest one. Definitely, definitely not something this author can pull off.
I strongly advise against it!

[True Loveislovereview · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dang, that was a vicious read! There are a whole lot of trigger warnings, so my expectations were high, thank goodness I wasn’t disappointed.
Don’t ignore them, you’ve been warned!

In his head, it’s the best plan ever to get rid of his sick abusive brother. After years of suffering, Aaron knows how to get Jake killed.
Aaron needs the Kozlov brothers to get his goal. They rule the town. When he thinks about Lev Koslov….? Ahhh!! Drool!!

Lev is a dominating cruel ’no repeats’ kind of guy, he’s impressed by Aaron’s jealousy and possessiveness towards him. He can play him, for a while, nothing more.
Only, one night isn’t enough, Aaron is just as crazy as himself.
They are toxic together, but apart even worse.
Aaron is an unstable, possessive little creeper when it concerns Levi. He wants his eyes on him, 24/7, period!

With every constriction Levi gives Aaron, Aaron gets harder, he loves it, and he wants to be consumed by Levi, forever and ever. Where Levi promised him hell, Aaron only sees heaven.
It’s not about loving, it’s about claiming.

Aaron has several personalities and moods, as a result of all the trauma he’s been through, he suffered so badly. The voices in his head, I fucking cried for him.
The only one to give his mind peace is the one who doesn’t seem to want to commit.


It’s a raw, gritty, tough story, nothing soft or sweet to find. A lot of abusive acts, torture, and super sexy hotness. It was a joy to read, just what I needed. I love me some dark, vicious stories. The author did an amazing job. It’s a strongly written story, consistently dark and cruel.
If you can’t stomach gore, don’t start this read!

[Tyler · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m rather confused about how this book passed the editing process.

146 uses of “I am”.

179 uses of “he is”.

Contractions are important in fiction, it’s okay to use them.

504 uses of the word “fuck” in different forms.

There are too many editing and grammatical errors to mention.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh I loved this!! I honestly wasn’t expecting much from Lev and Aaron’s story but damn it surprised me! Both characters are dark psychos with alllll the red flags but they fit together perfectly

The unhealthy, all consuming, wild OBSESSION they have with each other was so fun to read about. Aaron struggles with his demons and finding Lev to ground him and take away the voices in the most unhinged way was oddly romantic

I’m happy I discovered this dark MM duet! It was fun and spicyyyy

[b · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was SO good omg!!

[Sheena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars

[Rαιɳ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I mean, it was entertaining but it was objectively not good.

[Tee Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaron often wonders what happened to his life, how did he get here? He lost his mother only to left with abusers…Being the punching bag to his once loving older brother who turns out to be scum of the earth. Everything is a fight, to find food, to sleep safely, to breathe without being threatened with death. Is this what everyday has to offer? Pain? suffering? Don’t get him wrong Aaron loves pain just the pain of others and his desire to see his abuser snuffed out from this world fuels his determination. In the midst of the horror of his life is his shining become and death a destruction by the name of Lev Kozlov…. Aaron is determined to make Lev his…. His crazy matches Aaron’s crazy and it’s oh so delectable. If anyone tries to take Lev away he will take his blade to them without hesitation, that includes Lev himself. Lev may be the boss but Aaron is no wallflower he will show Lev what real crazy can do.

Lev nothing satisfies him for long, no drink no hot willing body…. They all become mundane hence why he never does repeats, one and done, in and out is his motto, until he comes across Aaron. Lev is baffled by Aaron quirks he is not all there the little psycho and that makes him a perfect bedmate for one night, except it’s not just one night, Aaron makes it clear from day dot that Lev is his…. Pffftt this insane guy looks up to Lev like he hung the moon… it should turn Lev off but it’s surprisingly has the opposite effect, why does Alec crave him with a ferocity he’s never felt before. Aaron is in danger and Lev will obliterate anyone who dares threaten his unhinged man.

[Kenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this but not as much as Dima and Seb like we got 200 pages of them and almost 400 of Lev and Aaron there were good don’t get my wrong but ughhhhh they should have flipped there were some boring parts, but enjoyable in some parts hence this rating.

[Emna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐
Funny but weird
To be honest I loved dima and seb more than those 2 even thier existence in some chap was the best part in the book

[Ray Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s mediocre at best.

If you’re looking for a cliche story then this one’s for you but don’t go in it thinking it’s a well thought out and written dark romance involving two psychopaths.

I had high hopes for this book and wanted to read it so that I could read the 1st book of the Kozlov Bodygaurd series but I’m highly disappointed and I just started the book.

Firstly the overuse of profanity. I get cursing and I get that a person may curse like a sailor (I do it) but it seems forced and unnecessary. Calling the MC a “dumb shit” and “dick” was unnecessary. Yes you’re a ‘gangster’ but even they don’t curse every other word and think that insulting someone every chance they get is professional and needed.

I swear to you I’m only on the 4th chapter and I’ve already decided to DNF it. I couldn’t make it past Lev’s POV this time and I’m surprised I made it past his first one.

Lev is your classic fuckboy ‘wannabe gangster’ that’s the best way to describe him. The author tried their best to make him seem intimidating and scary but what they failed to realize is that we don’t need you to constantly describe in every paragraph how he wants to fuck and kill people over and over and over again. That’s literally all I got from the 2(?) chapters I read of his POV.

He’s 1: tired 2: a manwhore 3: loves to kill and 4: won’t ever settle down.

How original author! Bravo! *clap clap* (can you taste the sarcasm?)

Decides those points there isn’t much to his character. All we were introduced with is how much he wanted to sex as many people as he could and then torture just as many. It was an overexaggeration.

I think what some authors fail to realize is that we the readers don’t need you to constantly validate how scary and dangerous your ML is. A little goes a long way especially in a dark romance where your ML is suppose to be a psychopath that loves death.

I REPEAT A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY!

As for the MC, A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY! The same pattern repeated itself with the MC. We couldn’t get away from how much he talked about wanting to kill his step brother and torture other people then how his dick would get hard at the thought of it.

I get it, you’re trying to set the scene but you did it all wrong. We don’t need to constantly here about how the MC wants his brother dead and how he loves to get hard at the thought of others dying in one of the very first chapters. You could have slowly added those details in so that we slowly start to understand the MC and his thought patterns but throwing it in all Willy Nilly and then continuously stating it was overkill.

In the book Midnight by April Jade, the MC was what I assume a sociopath and the author introduced him and his desires for death in such a way that it felt like we (the readers) could connect with what the MC was explaining. It was a gradual build up with hints all throughout the first ten or so chapters (maybe even less) but it felt right because it wasn’t a automatic “I like killing” it was a slow “sometimes I wonder what would xxx” and “I didn’t know it wasn’t okay to like seeing someone hurt” it was executed perfectly and brought in at just the right times to make you wonder what happened to the MC.

In this story it brought none of that.

It was point blank “I like death and torture” that just doesn’t sit right with it being barely the beginning of the second chapter. Asides from that I also did not care for him meeting Lev. It was truly cliche and had no build up. As soon as he heard Levs name it was like he’d become a slut (sorry not sorry) and when he was interacting with Lev it was awkward and seemed forced. Even the ‘deal’ they made was quick, forced and awkward. It was so abrupt that it left you wondering wtf just happened.

Lastly, when I skipped ahead and read through it was nothing but cliche. They both acted tough but it wasn’t executed in the way that it would seem real (can’t find the best word to put there, excuse my brain for blanking out please). When I read a part in which Aaron confronted a man that was flirting with Lev I just couldn’t help but cringe. It was excruciatingly embarrassing. It didn’t seem right. It just seemed forced.

Overall, you can find better authors out there please do not settle for this book.




.

[Jess.bookrecs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it bad that I read this and then decided to change my rating for the first one because I now realize that it was not that great because of how good this one is?
PSYCHO BOYFRIENDS
That’s how I’d describe lev and Aaron.. there was no declaration of love in this shit.. the author didn’t try to make psychopaths suddenly act Normal and fuck if the story wasn’t that more beautiful because of that.

[TJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Clench all you want, doe, but my dick is going in there. I'm going to rip your greedy hole apart until you can't take anymore. Then, I will breed your ass so good that you will feel my cum sloshing in you for days. Smelling like me for days. You ready for that, my little psycho?” - Lev

Warnings: See book for complete list. Includes (but not limited to) Violence, Death, Mental Illness, Sexual Assault, etc.


Main Character Information:
Lev: 27, Kozlov Brother (Crime), Lover of violence and torture, Black hair & green eyes
Aaron: ”Doe”, 24, Part of Team under Kozlov Brothers, Lev’s little monster, Black hair & brown eyes

My Ratings:
Spice: 3/5
Angst/Stress: 2.25/5
Fluff: 0.5/5
Structure/Format/Flow: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

Intimate/Spicy Moments Include:
15%, 33%, 38%, 42%, 62%, 79%, 90%, 95%, 96%
Strict roles, somnophilia, violence kink, masturbation, oral sex, gagging, face fuck, dick piercings, slapping, edging, marking, hand necklace, frotting, breath play, rimming, bareback, breeding, hands free orgasm, multiple orgasms, shower sex, spit for lube, minimal/no prep

Stuff I Want To Mention:
Aaron. I love Aaron. Hands down my favorite of this universe so far. It’s like seeing a rabid baby racoon and wanting to hold and comfort it knowing it’ll bite the shit out of you but thinking it won’t bite you because you’re you. Him and Lev were meant to be, and if they weren’t, I have a feeling Aaron would have made it so. There is a rough scene that involves sexual assault/attempted sexual assault. If this is too much it is chapter 30 or around 76%. Two deranged people find… not love love? Whatever it is, it’s toxic and crazy and beautiful. I just know Lev is going to get stabbed by Aaron. But I have a feeling he’d smile about it. If Lev notices how deranged and crazy someone is, that’s how you KNOW something is wrong. The level of co-dependency is phenomenal. I loved when Seb was encouraging the chaos at 59%, telling Aaron to go for it. Luckily, no one died. I appreciate how we got a follow up towards the end in regard to Shay’s sister being taken care of. Similar happened in the first with Nate’s family. They may be cruel and cold at times, but only to those who deserve/earned it.

Notable Side Characters:
Dima: Lev’s brother, Tied to You (The Kozlov Brothers #1)
Seb: Dima’s husband, Tied to You (The Kozlov Brothers #1)
Kai: New Guard, Jules’ Nephew Our Blood, Our Pain (The Kozlov Bodyguards #1)
Jules: Head Guard, Our Blood, Our Pain (The Kozlov Bodyguards #1)
Simon: Guard, Your Hate, My Claim (The Kozlov Bodyguards #3)
Carlos: Drug Distributor, Your Hate, My Claim (The Kozlov Bodyguards #3)

A strong hand grabs the back of my neck and instantly I am centered again and calm. Lev. Fucking Lev has now become the air I need to survive this life and while he laughs at my possessive comments, I won't let the fucker be without me. I refuse to be without him. - Aaron

It can be safely assumed all of my reviews are from books that are 1st Person, have a HEA, and have no intimate or spicy scenes with anyone/thing other than MC(s). I try to rate books objectively if they have something I don’t typically like (i.e. Break Ups, SA, 3rd Person, Single POV, Sharing Partners). If it’s still written well the author deserves the praise but I will make note to avoid for myself in the future. I do my best to mark different triggers/warnings as well as the intimate acts performed in case anything listed/done might not be something you would want to read. If M/M, Age Play, Interspecies, Insta Love, Erotica, MPreg, or Incest are something you actively avoid, you are probably better off avoiding most of the books I review.

DNF: Something off, couldn’t finish because of it. Maybe me, maybe the book.
1 Star: Just.. Just no, thanks. Do not recommend it. Need mind eraser.
2 Stars: Oh that was something but it was not something for me.
3 Stars: Decent, enjoyed enough. Hit marks it was supposed to. Might recommend.
4 Stars: Really enjoyed it, better than I though it would be. Would recommend.
5 Stars: I can see myself reading this again. Thoroughly enjoyed. Would recommend.

[read_romance.withgloria Gloria Worlikar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book as soon as I received it and god I LOVED IT SO MUCH 🔥💯 I have been a fan of the author since her debut book Tied For You, which was a good surprise for me in the Dark romance category and then comes this book which made me love her writing style more.

This is a DARK ROMANCE book so please check the triggers before diving into it.

We met Lev in the book Tied To You which was about his older brother Dima and you must have seen his side where he liked to play with humans & have sex a lot but no repeats that is his rule. Then there is Aaron, one of his crew members with is led by Jake his stepbrother. Aaron always has a crush on Lev & he has this crazy side of him which loves blood & seeing people in pain kinda but also has a vulnerable side of a young boy who was abused by his stepbrother & stepfather (I don't want to spoil more). But what happens when these two crazy souls meet?

Lev & Aaron were equally crazy & perfect for each other. From Lev & Aaron's first meeting, they were hooked to each other though you could tell Lev knew that Aaron might get cringy so he had already talked about it being only once but I think he also knew he was lying after he had sex I mean very hot sex with Aaron. I enjoyed Aaron's possessive side and how stabby he got. Also loved how Lev could calm the loud voices in Aaron's head and their foreplay was so good, that I liked how amazingly the author had written.

This book was amazing, I highly recommend you to check it out though it is a standalone you should try to read the author's first book as well, I feel it is a bit less dark than this one & would help you with knowing her writing style. I am looking forward to more books by this author, even better if it's related to the same world as this 🤭

* I received an ARC copy from the author and this is my honest review *

[DeniReadsMostlyMM · Rating 4 out of 5]

***ARC Review***

This is my honest and voluntary review for the ARC I received.

(The playlist for this book brought back some memories). This is a dark romance. The type of “dark” varies from author to author, but this one is pretty up there. I was a fan, but make sure to check out the author’s trigger warnings at the beginning of the book.

Aaron is dealing with a lot. His stepbrother, Jake, is a despicable and vile person. Aaron has some mental health issues that relate to his interactions with his stepfather and stepbrother. Aaron has admired Lev Kozlov since his brother’s crew started working for the Kozlov brothers.

Lev is used to no repeats with partners and no emotions, so it surprises him when Aaron gets under his skin. Lev and Aaron have insane chemistry. Their connection is unlike anything either of them have ever experienced before. Aaron and Lev have a somewhat toxic and unhealthy relationship, but it works for them! It’s clear that a “normal” relationship would not suit either of them. Aaron’s mental health struggles, Lev’s approach to people and relationships, and the violence kink they both share are all contributing factors to why a typical relationship wouldn’t cut it. Also, the obsessive and possessive tendencies that both MCs experience makes their connection extra hot, but it also complicates things. (Aaron and his switchblade! IYKYK).

It was cool seeing Seb and Dima again in this book. Kai is a good side character as well. I was glad that Aaron gets relief from his crappy situation. Both MCs achieve an HEA that works for them. This is the second book that I have read by the author and I would be happy to read more in the future.

[Amy Voce · Rating 5 out of 5]

🖤 𝙱𝙴𝚃𝙰 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆 🖤

“𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑢𝑠. 𝑊𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑐 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒. 𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑐𝑘 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑚, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚. 𝐿𝑒𝑣 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑚𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑤𝑛. 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ.”

Lev and Aaron are like a grenade, once the pin holding in their lust was released, everyone in their force field would feel the blast and some wouldn't make it out unscathed. I absolutely devoured Kill For You. It was a toxic, sexy and a whirlwind of savage beauty. Aaron was my kind of crazy, I felt so deeply for his character. He's definitely a few sandwiches short of a picnic, but there's a justifiable reason for it. Whereas, Aaron's had a life full of cruelty and emotional pain, Lev is usually one doling out his fair share of pain of a different type, as one half of The Kozlov brothers. Lev never dips into the same partner twice, once he's had a taste, but when his and Aaron's paths crossed, his crazy - calls to the doe-eyed boys crazy, there's very little he can do to stop the blazing chemistry between them (oh, does he try to deny Aaron! 😂). Seeing Lev get a good ribbing by Dima and Seb because he was under Aaron's thumb made me laugh so much, and I thoroughly enjoyed the lighter moments because there are heavy themes woven throughout that Syn did an incredible job delivering.

Kill For You is the second book by Syn Blackrose that I have read, and I'm really excited to see what comes next from this flourishing author!

[Bookloversofantastic · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5⭐️
Sooooo I was really excited for Lev's story and it was even darker than anything I could have expected, Aaron is definitely made for him.
Really really important to read the trigger warning before diving into this book, IT IS DARK and might not be everyone’s tea, so be careful.

Even with being ready for it, I was totally taken aback by Aaron’s personality, it was shockingly sad, exciting and disturbing. It was another way to see the effects of trauma, but it just made him crazy enough to be with Lev. I love how Lev is grounding him, giving him the peace he needs. They’re definitely made for each other even if Lev “doesn’t do repeat” ( we all know how this will work 🤣). Aaron is fearless, crazy and worships Lev completely disturbing Jules.
It’s another level of kink and for sure the stepbro is not in the right mind, he’s a crazy one.

Love seeing Dima and Seb, and the relationship they have with Lev, the jokes, the banters. By the way, now I’m even more intrigued by Jules, Simon and Kai !

I received an ARC Copy of this book from the author, this review is from my own thoughts 😍

[Sazzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, outstanding. Simply outstanding 👏

Lev & Aaron are literal psychos and made for each other.

For the love of God read the trigger warnings before you start this but, if they're a thumbs up for you then you're in for one hell of a ride 😁

[~BookNeeds~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I “killed” this story sooo much. lol.

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Argggg this book. After reading tied to you I knew I need to jump straight in to Levs book. And omg it was so damn good. I loved Aaron he has completely lost the plot but he was everything and the way Lev was with him. I was rooting for him to get his revenge from the start. I need mire from this world.

[Dayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this. It is a dark MM romance so please make sure to check your TW before you start.

This book is about Aaron who’s mother died of cancer and she leaves Aaron with his stepdad and stepbrother who he thought were loving before his mother died and they turn and start to mistreat him. They also got him into the drug trade where he meets Lev who Aaron is infatuated with. Things go sideways and Lev and Aaron start hooking up and dare I say it is HOT 🥵. The spice in this book will leave you 🥵

Lev is not one to do emotions or relationships but as soon as Aaron comes into the picture, things change and he starts getting possessive and jealous of anyone who goes near Aaron. Which I went feral for as who doesn’t love a feral possessive MMC.

My heart broke 💔 for everything that Aaron had to endure with Jake and his stepdad. It was so nice that Lev was Aaron’s safe place and Lev helped him move past his trauma and helped him cope.

“I would kill for you doe”- Lev

The ending of this was everything and more and I was so glad Aaron was able to get his happily ever after and heal after the trauma he went through.

**I received this book as an arc**

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went back and forth between 3 stars and 3.5 stars on this one but ultimately I feel like there were more things that I didn’t like than things I did like. This was another case of me getting my hopes for the second book because I liked the first book so much. This one didn’t quite work for me.

I think Dima from the first book ruined me and I kept wanting his brother, Lev, to be like him and it wasn’t the case here so I couldn’t enjoy it as much. In the first book Dima is completely obsessed and possessive of Seb the moment he sees him. Lev wasn’t like that at all. I felt like at best he tolerated Aaron. And even though Aaron was a psycho is his own right I feel like he deserved better than Lev. Lev’s first POV is him just finishing having sex with two people and usually I DNF at that point because I don’t even want to see that but I really wanted to read this book. I also didn’t get the impression from the first book that Lev was a manwhore or else I wouldn’t have been so excited to read this.

I mean Lev basically just uses him for sex and I know Aaron says he’s alright with it but clearly he’s not. I felt like Lev could have never seen Aaron again and he would have been okay with it, where as Aaron felt like he couldn’t live without Lev. Lev even tries to hook up with someone else and Aaron comes in and stops him and threatens to kill the guy but I think if that hadn’t happened Lev would have gone along with the hook up and this was after they had been together.

I loved Aaron’s possessiveness but I hate that it wasn’t reciprocated. I mean it’s past 90% in the book before Lev shows any kind of possessive tendencies and even then he denies being Aaron’s boyfriend to one of his old F buddies. Speaking of that, he tells Aaron to never call him baby and yet when his f buddy calls him bebe he has no problem with it. That really rubbed me the wrong way. He was also so nonchalant about how Aaron would probably run into a lot of his hookups around town in the future. The only consolation was Lev gave Aaron a few of his firsts.

I loved seeming Dima and Seb, I love them together. I’m intrigued to see what else this author comes up with.

-NO DESCRIPTIVE SCENES WITH OTHERS BUT HES JUST FINISHING HOOKING UP WITH A COUPLE IN THE SECOND CHAPTER
-LEV TRIES TO HOOK UP WITH SOMEONE ELSE BUT AARON STOPS THEM, THIS IS AFTER THEY HOOK UP SO IN MY OPINION ITS A FORM OF CHEATING
-OM DRAMA, see above. ALSO AARONS STEP BROTHER IS OBSESSED WITH HIM AND WONT LET HIM GO
-OW DRAMA, ONE OF LEVS F BUDDIES CALLS HIM TO TELL HIM SHES IN TOWN, NOTHING HAPPENS
-VERY GRAPHIC TORTURE
-MURDER
-PAST SA OF MC
-ON PAGE ATTEMPT OF SA ON MC
-NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP
CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS

[Jude · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, curiosity dragged me through #2 of this series. Same thing as first - I was hoping that the author would improve in their writing style, but no luck in that department.
The characters remain the same in development and cringy dialogue. They also continue to have no redeeming qualities.
I guess the final strike for me is the author has not done more than extremely surface-level research into personality disorders, yet delves into such a complex topic with little regard for facts or reality. Not my bag so while the story was okay, I am far from okay with it.

[Khan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review to come

[Jade · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never reading a book from.this author again

Just like the fist book, I couldn't finish it. Plain horrible. How are the books getting published is beyond me. UGH

[Mal · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot I enjoyed about Lev and Aaron’s books. The chemistry between these two is fire and the push and pull is great. It’s a dark romance with a bit of violence and gore and morally grey MCs. This book does come with a host of trigger warnings so please check those out but it’s a a quick easy read otherwise, where the characters do navigate their challenges in a fairly fast paced manner

I was looking forward to Lev’s story and I enjoyed his character. Hard, transactional and loyal with a possessive steak a mile wide. My heart broke for Aaron from the first chapter and also I was a bit in awe of this “… possessive little monster..” I liked his sharp edges and his complex character and how he didn’t give a damn just reached for what he wanted.

I liked the premise of the story and I think I would have loved it if the author had chosen to extend the plot beyond the few days the story covers and further exploration of the characters motivations would have added nuance and clarity for me.
It felt like some loose ends on the shifts we see in Aaron’s journey would have been easier for me to navigate if that happened. Also I would have enjoyed further depth to Lev’s character and background and his journey to where he is when we meet him specially informing his interactions with Aaron’s traumatising situation in parallel to his shift from annoyance to attraction.


”I really do think I’d let him do anything to me, and I would do anything for him to keep his eyes on me. I never knew what an attention whore I was.”

”Lev is the perfect drug for me and I want more.”

Aaron goes into this with a serious case of instant full blown attraction almost like imprinting on Lev.

”Do I want to fuck Aaron? Yes. But he displays all kinds of stage-five clinging and so many red flags it makes me look normal, well maybe that's a stretch.”

Lev on the other hand is more transactional, convinced this is a one and done thing for him. He is also not sure what to make of Aaron and that made for some funny moments

”I think the little doe gets off on the violence, and that in turn makes me want to strip him bare right now and rut into him until he can't move.”

”If I could choose to die in any way I wanted, it would be like this. Death by cock-choking. Lev’s cock.”

”He is yours, you gonna let him touch another man? I don’t fucking think so.”

”Fuck, I’m going to rip you apart,” I rasp. I don’t recognize my own voice. Aaron affects me physically and mentally, the sensory overload of it all is shattering. It’s a new experience for me.
“Just make sure you leave me in pieces, Lev,” he says with that damn grin.

The chemistry between the two was off the charts hot as they both discover their kinks align perfectly. I enjoyed the possessive vibe they threw off throughout the book

”So easy for me,” he says. I nod as he gently grabs my throat. “Only. Me.”
My breath hitches at the possessive tone. “Only. You,” I say.