Heartless Salvation

Wicked Souls #4

by Morgan Elliott

Juliette
Six years ago, I found out the man I loved didn’t love me back.
Not only that, he thought I was a mistake – a regret.
There was no way I could tell him I was carrying his child, so I ran.
I left behind everything – my family, my home – just to escape him. To be free.
Now, I’m raising our son on my own, far from the past I left behind. I’ve built us a life here. I’ve moved on. Or so I thought.
But fate has a twisted sense of humor.
The Universe’s latest joke? It puts me face to face with the man I’ve tried so hard to forget. The rage in his eyes tells me I made the right choice by leaving.
But nothing could’ve prepared me for the look in his eyes when he sees our son.


Dean
For six years, I’ve been drowning in guilt.
Guilt that’s torn apart my life and led me to destroy everything I’ve touched. I’ve all but ruined my life. But I never stopped searching for her.
My bluebird.
The night she ran from me shattered something deep inside. I’d do anything to make things right, to undo my mistakes. It’s all I’ve thought about for six long years. But how do I fix things when I don’t even know where to begin?
I’ve searched the world and found nothing. It’s as if the woman I love never existed. That is, until I’m forced back to the one place I’ve been avoiding for years. Home.
And that’s when I see her.
But Juliette isn’t alone. She has a secret – a secret that might obliterate everything I’ve ever known.

Tropes:
Second Chance
Secret Baby
Mafia
Miscommunication
Slow Burn-Ish
Brothers Ex-Best Friend
Mental Health Rep

Trigger Warnings:
Domestic Violence (not between main characters)
Alcoholism
Dub-Con

Genres: Second Chance, Dark Romance, Contemporary, Romance, Mafia Romance, Dark, Surprise Pregnancy

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 16, 2025

About the author

Morgan Elliott is a dreamer, lover, and believer in all things romance. When she’s not busy being a mother to her five children and wife to her very own soul mate, you can usually find her in her writing cave weaving together spicy stories with strong female leads and the men who fall hard for them. Morgan wholeheartedly believes everyone deserves a happily ever after, she strives to create one for every character that lives rent free in her imagination.

Reviews

[CriSsStina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, this one did not meet my expectations 😭. I kind of loved the MMC. But the FMC and both their families were annoying and incredibly selfish.

The book needs at least one more round of editing. There were so many mistakes, missing words, and even switched names, I mean, a few mistakes were just there, easily to see. Also, the kid grew up in Ireland, and his mom put dollars in the jar when she swears!?? Dollars?? In Ireland? Since when!?

The part with the serial killer. Interesting but poorly executed. Who would let a serial killer out on bail, that easy? And also, without having cops tracking down his every move, if anything like that happens. It's fiction, sure, but let's make it make sense 😉. Also, the twist was not twisting since it was easy to spot earlier who the helper was. But the idea was nice, really, just the execution lacked.


.
.

This being said, she should have groveled. Her and their families. Because keeping such a big secret out of spite was incredibly selfish. Poor Dean. He really wanted to find her and keep her safe, whatever it takes 😭. He did have a part of guilt, and he did make mistakes, but come on. He was robbed of so many years with his son. Because of such a HUGE misunderstanding. And for her mom and sisters to not see earlier that something is definitely fishy. Why would he search for her for so many years if he didn't love her? Idiots, all of them, except the MMC.

Anyway, I'll be reading the next one when it is published. Because damn.

What to expect
- miscommunication
- drama
- more drama and secrets
- a serial killer
- a little bit of amnesia
- second chance
- spicy, HEA

[Soph · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★. Dean gets all the stars. Juliette I felt bad for but she honestly tossed PJ (the son) to anyone and everyone when she had the chance. Her mental health wasn’t great and she relied heavily on medication and then it randomly became better after her therapist turned out to be a killer?

Declan was so annoying. Warren is amazing. I can’t wait for his.

For my safety people, safe. Juliette had sex once or twice with a boyfriend. Dean stayed celibate. The author commented on tiktok she hates when mmcs sleep around while professing this obsession for a fmc especially during second chance. So she is a safe author!

[The Bou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok hear me out: it was not a bad book it has just some weird elements that I just don’t know how to rate it… First there is no mafia thingy… it’s basically a hidden pregnancy/miscommunication trope.

The MMC is a drunk and a cry baby (I think he cried a least 5 times in the book… ok ok men can cry blabla but when I read mafia books I want a badass H)

The MFC is unsecured as hell!
Also, and that’s just me, I don’t like when kids make clever comments. More generally I don’t like books with kids.

There are a lot of twists that just don’t last… like we find something out and two pages later it’s already over(I don’t want to write too much to avoid spoilers)

Things I found weird:
-she hates her body due to pregnancy but wear crop tops
-the debate about the art in the hospital
-the comment about hotweels being sold in square box
-“she came so hard she made a puddle on his chest”🥴
-the MMC attacked a flight attendant and still have to court to defend himself… is it a mafia book or not?? Where are the privilege and bribery??

I loved the first books of this series, and again this one is not bad, it’s just different.

[Nicki Louise 🤍 · Rating 4 out of 5]

They weren’t supposed to find their way back to each other…
But some loves never die—no matter how much it hurts.
Heartless Salvation wrecked me in the best possible way. 🖤

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Morgan Elliott masterfully blends heartbreak, heat, and healing into a single breathtaking journey. Heartless Salvation tore me apart and stitched me back together again. Juliette and Dean’s second-chance love story is raw, imperfect, and overflowing with emotion—I found myself stopping just to catch my breath.

The “secret baby” trope is written with rare sensitivity, layered with guilt, love, and the ache of redemption. I loved how mental health and trauma were woven in without ever glamorizing the pain—it brought a depth that so many mafia romances overlook.

Dean is the very picture of tortured loyalty, and Juliette? She’s fierce, resilient, and heartbreakingly human, carrying the weight of her past while raising their son alone. Their reunion isn’t easy or convenient—it’s real, and that’s what makes it so powerful.

The tension simmers, the wounds run deep, and the slow burn is unforgettable. Though it’s book four, it stands strong enough to pull in new readers who crave high-stakes, high-heart, emotionally charged romance.

If you’re drawn to second chances, messy love, and stories that punch you right in the chest before melting your heart, Heartless Salvation is a must-read.

Tropes:
🖤A Serial Killer
🖤Miscommunication
🖤Secret Baby
🖤Little Bit Of Amnesia
🖤Drama
🖤Second Chance

2 of my favourite quotes:

“𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙛—𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙜𝙤 𝙪𝙥 𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨. 𝙄𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙘, 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙨. 𝙉𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙪𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚.”

“𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡—𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚. 𝙏𝙤𝙤 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚. 𝘽𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚, 𝙄 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙜. 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙚. 𝘼𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙚.”

📖Available on Kindle Unlimited
✍️📕 Author @authormorgane

#EmotionalRomance #SecondChanceRomance #HeartlessSalvation #MorganElliott #MafiaRomanceBooks

[Anna Bullard · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 40%
I could look past the bad therapist, the questionable parenting choices and even the poor portrayal of a boyfriend becoming abusive, but as soon as the amnesia trope was thrown in, I'm done. There was a, frankly stupid, miscommunication that led a childish, pregnant FMC to leave a drunk, crybaby MMC. Is no one else disturbed by this premise? A 29 year old man falls in love with a 19 year old girl he grew up with, gets her pregnant in the "back of his Impala", overhears a phone call, gets drunk and tells her she's a mistake. Then spends 6 years trying to find her, while she's making many eyebrow raising parenting choices and being a bad representative for mom's with mental health issues. Then she gets beat by her boyfriend who she's been stringing along, not even liking him. And then, lo and behold, she wakes up not knowing who anyone, even her son, is. Nope, just. Nope. Too many tropes were slapped together haphazardly for me. Nothing was detailed, my brain had to fill in so many blanks because there were probably 10 descriptive words in the 40% I struggled to get through. The second time her son meets this man, the first he is in handcuffs, she blurts out that he's his father! The FMC is selfish, only thinking about how things affect her. Not her son, her brother, her BD, nor her boyfriend at the beginning. I'm not in the habit of giving 1 stars or writing reviews, but this needed to be done.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I can fully express how dramatic this book actually is. There's miscommunication. There's a secret baby. Everyone knows the secret except Dean and Declan. Juliette is dating a cop that she doesn't even like because he's a father figure for her son? Dean is a raging alcoholic. Declan hates Dean now. There's amnesia? Honestly, it was completely over the top. And I ate every bit of this up.

The relationship was so angsty and just reeking of toxicity (music to my ears frankly.) The dynamics between Juliette and Dean were just riddled with needing to sit down and have an actual discussion. It didn't stop me from loving it. From start to finish, I was strapped in and just enjoying the ride. That being said, the few chapters of amnesia were so unnecessary that it felt like it was added just for more pages. It came so far out of left field that it did kill the vibes.

Overall, I loved this. I wish I had known that there was going to be so much exposition that was lost by not reading the books before it. It's certainly possible to read this without, but there was a lot of family history that was only vaguely referenced that got missed. Otherwise, just a fun read.

[Shelly Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another 5 Star Read 🖤

I have loved this series from the beginning. And this one hooked me like the rest.

Dean and Juliette are classic miscommunication. Had they just TALKED to each other, it would have been fine. But then we wouldn’t have this awesome story to devour.

Juliette left Vegas and has been living in another country for six years…raising the child Dean has no idea even exist. All the while, Dean has looked everywhere for her and has been struggling with her being gone. But when fate happens and he ends up in the same country everything for them both is about to change.

Throw in a little suspense. A serial unaliver that is closer than they realized.

PJ is the perfect addition. He’s witty humor and just adorable self makes you fall for him instantly.

Of course there is spice. 🥵 check your content warnings. And dive in!

Happy Reading Ya’ll

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deduced .5 star because of text errors (as others have mentioned). Would have benefited from one more round of edits. I also would describe this book as mafia adjacent, not a true mafia romance.

This is the only book in the series I've read.

I wish this book was longer so we could have gotten more details and dived deeper into certain plotlines. The MMC has spent six years being a drunk but his struggle to stay sober after reconnecting with Juliette isn't addressed until the epilogue. For most of the book I completely forgot he's supposed to be an alcoholic.

I loved the mental health rep. Other reviews have called Juliette insecure but as someone who struggles with mental health issues, I found her to be relatable. Especially the self-talk.

I enjoyed the plot twists and am looking forward to the release of the next book in the series.

[Nikki Cazes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb was so interesting, but after getting into the book.. I was annoyed and disappointed. I usually don't mind the miscommunication trope, and I liked the fact that the main characters tell each other what happened. BUT Juliette just annoyed me to no end. Even though Dean misheard and misjudged a situation in which he should have asked about.... Juliette did what she did out of spite. 6 years is a long time and then when the truth came out, she tried to justify her actions and got mad at Dean for his reactions. I almost dnf but I wanted to finish it just in case. This book just wasn't for me.

[Kimberly Glass · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars rounded up. Quick and easy read. There were a few surprise moments that I enjoyed and didn’t see coming. I didn’t realize this was booked four and definitely missed a lot of family explanation and background. The girl leaves Vegas pregnant and doesn’t let dad know. They run into each other six years later in Ireland. he finds out. he’s actually been looking for her the whole time. There’s a little suspense. I probably would’ve enjoyed it more if I had started at the beginning of the series and knew more of what was going on with the family. Might actually check out the others in the series.

[J Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would truly rate this 2.5 stars. And I think that’s being charitable. This was completely predictable. Completely. I did like the MMC, but the FMC was like a wet rag. Honestly, she was totally in her own way. Hiding out with a child who is five years old? Very childish. I don’t care how he reacted. You can give her grace because she was like 19, BUT she also ghosted her own family… I think I am done with this series after this book. There are much better mafia books out there. Maybe some quality editing could save this, but I felt like it was a struggle to get through the last 45%. The first half was alright.

[Karina Gabriela · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it, it made me so angry! She was terribly immature, and everyone blames Dean for the situation. Yes, of course he misinterpreted things and was cruel, but it certainly didn't justify everything she did. It went on for too long, and it was practically over the dumbest reason! She lost her family and left her son without a father because she couldn't stand him treating her badly for two minutes over a misunderstanding? Who does that? And her grandparents knew the whole time and they blame him? How on earth is this his fault? Who can justify that? His only fault was messing with an immature girl with no emotional capacity.

[NOUR · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Heartless Salvation unfortunately didn’t live up to my expectations. The beginning seemed promising, but as the story progressed, the pacing felt slow and repetitive, with no real buildup to keep me engaged. The characters felt a bit shallow, and their reactions weren’t very convincing, which made it hard for me to connect with them or feel their emotions. Even the romance, which I expected to bring some excitement, felt flat and lacked impact. This book might appeal to readers who enjoy this type of heavy drama, but for me, it simply wasn’t the enjoyable experience I was hoping for."

[Bree · Rating 1 out of 5]

Juliette was a disappointment

“You didn’t love me so you didn’t deserve to know you have a child, now you know how I felt” when the author wrote that I lost all respect for the fmc. Juliette was a pest in the previous books but I was excited for Dean. It would’ve been better if it eas Dean getting over Juliette with another woman and sharing the child tbh. Juliette deserved Arnie.

[✧ Lala ✧ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/5

it was definitely different from the typical “mafia” book trope and i don’t know if i necessarily liked it, and i felt myself skipping throughout the book.

i normally love a good mafia/pregnancy tropes because it’s a nice mix of dark romance. i think i’ve read enough of them to have a good sense and unfortunately, it didn’t pass my standards..

and i don’t like miscommunication tropes lol..

would i recommend this book? yes, maybe, no.
-no.

[Courtney perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

good read

This was a good read, Maria romance, second chance, secret kid romance.
While I did enjoy this book, it’s a 3 because it’s just not going to be one that I remember and would read again.

With that said I still recommend this if your into mafia second chance with babies. The plot twists were great! I was definitely engaged in the book and it kept my interest. But there was alot that to me made little sense or felt rushed. But over all good read.

[Ashley Durden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the story and plot

plot twists are phenomenal... The spice was top notch, loved Dean 😍
But the whole secret pregnancy trope isn't my thing and I know their wouldn't be a story if the main characters would have just communicated and talked to each other at the beginning...lol

[Rosa garnica-gentry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salvation

It was good to see the family getting back together, well sort of, need to wait for the next book, it is good to see flawed people, capable of big sacrifices and able to love deeply, less steamy than the other books, but still a pretty good book, less what's going to happen

[TR · Rating 1 out of 5]

hate the pick me and forced computer nerd. whilst the author has no technical experience whatsoever with computers and how they work, so they make up a bunch of stuff to seem cool and make the fmc seem "smart". its a load of malarkey. also why move back to Ireland. Even the mafia stuff didn't make sense.

[Merryann · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyable but…

This was a good book. A new take on Mafia, which is always welcome. However, this book did not do Juliette justice. She starts this book as a bada** hacker and that is completely lost as the book continues. Morgan should’ve focused on the stronger side of Juliette throughout this book, she missed a great opportunity to expand on that character trait. Would’ve been 4 ⭐️ for me if she had done that.
Few minor typos and weird grammatical errors, but not enough to take away from the story.

[plantscoffeeandlibros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morgan Books are amazing

This book was not my favorite but it was still good. My favorite so far is Vivianne story and Declan’s. Anyways I am happy Dean and Juliette got their second chance. They deserved it 🥹😊

[Jess_feelzinsane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omgg id give this 10 stars if I could!

I couldn't put this book down! An unknown child..to lives at stake! And the ending!! This book was soo good!!

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is definitely my favorite of the four but it also barely has crazy mafia content so that could be why

[Elizabeth Peggs · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was pretty much a wattpad special… too many typos and a little boring.

[Madison Lebourgeois · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one was good, but didn’t really live up to the rest of the series for me! I expected more.

[Rebekah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Juliette was annoying af.

[Chelsea Newsome · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m soooo sad the next book isn’t out yet. I loved this series.

[Alina]

edit : the author said he's been celibate but doesn't remember if it's mentioned in the book

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Everyday I question my KU subscription

The best part was when he offered to cut his own leg off

[Karina]

terrible