Sovereign

Wicked Vows #1

by Jane Henry

Powerful and merciless. Cunning and cruel.
A monster wrapped in luxury and wealth.
Mikhail Romanov is my opposite in every way…
And my new husband.

In exchange for his protection…
He’ll demand everything from me.
My obedience. My submission.
My body.

But marriage is only the beginning.
I’ll have his baby, too.

I thought I was clever. A penniless hacker hiding from the world.
That no one would discover who I am and what I’ve done.
I was so wrong.

The Solution: Marry the man more powerful than my enemies.
While endless wealth and power don’t melt his icy glare…
The fiery tension between us threatens to combust every second we’re near.
Every command.
Every touch.

If I leave, I have nowhere to go.
I’m being hunted by his enemies.
But if I stay? I’m wedded to a monster who plans to keep me forever.

Please note: This is a dark Bratva romance with themes of forced marriage, dubious consent, and BDSM. Please read at your own discretion.

Genres: Dark Romance, Mafia Romance, Romance, Dark, BDSM, Marriage Of Convenience, Enemies To Lovers

360 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2024

About the author

Fueled by dark chocolate and even darker coffee, USA Today bestselling author Jane Henry writes what she loves to read – character-driven, unputdownable romance featuring dominant alpha males and the powerful heroines who bring them to their knees. She’s believed in the power of love and romance since Belle won over the beast, and finally decided to write love stories of her own.

Reviews

[Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️]

DNF @ 37%

The explanation for why he even needed to marry her (the reason a marriage will stop this Volkov dude) has not been explained to my satisfaction, there’s no decent mafia world building, the hero seems to be easily tricked…I’m bored and life’s just too short. Next.

[Noa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I will have you anywhere and everywhere I want. There's a reason I'm waiting right now, but you'll see. Do you understand me?"

Aria Cunningham is a college professor in her day to day.
But by night she is a hacker that just stumbled on something that could get her into a lot of trouble.
She needs protection. She needs help.
The only person that can help her?
The current head of the Russian Mafia - Mikhail Romanov.
But in exchange for her protection?
She must become his wife.

"He spared my life… but at what cost?

Mikhail Romanov needs a wife.
His empire is under attack and a wedding is the solution.
But he can't find any girl worthy of that title.
Until she comes strolling into his office.
And then Mikhail cannot stop thinking about Aria Cunningham.
And how she will be his at any cost.
Whether she wants to or not.

"No one will hurt you. No one will threaten you. Except for me."

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

"We’re on the cusp of war if I don't have a wife, a war we're not equipped to win."

Ok let's start with Aria Cunningham. For those who don't know I am a huge fan of "Arrow" I swear I've seen that shit like 9 times already and I am an even bigger fan of Felicity Smoak and when I tell you that Aria is giving major Felicity Smoak vibes I was all here for it!! I mean we love a hacker main character but when it is a hacker FMC I am like TAKE MY FUCKING MONEY BECAUSE I AM PAYING!! While she was kidnapped (technically) she still had that fire and spirit and served goddamn banter like her life was on the line and I am here for it!

"I can do this, What do I have to lose? I've already lost almost everything. Almost."

And we have Mikhail Romanov. For me you can never go wrong with a morally grey mafia MMC and we have another great one!! I mean forced marriage? Check. Touch her and I'll kill you? Check. You're mine? Check. I mean he fits the bill people and checks all the boxes. He was OBSESSED from the first moment and I loved that. He will do everything it takes to protect his family. No matter what. And Aria is part of that plan. And he's taking her. I MEAN COME THE FUCK ON!!! We love that energy!!

"I want to see her fight me when I take control."

I want to thank Jane Henry for putting my playlist in her book!! (OMFG I can’t believe I’m actually saying that tbh). So this is the official book playlist 🥰
The playlist is giving dark mafia romance and that is what we need at the end of the day isn't it??

(Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Gu... )

🎵 "Morally Grey" - April Jai, Nation Haven
🎵 "Only One King" - Tommee Profitt, Jung Youth
🎵 "OWN MY MIND" - Maneskin
🎵 "Sway With Me" - Saweetie, GALXARA
🎵 "You Put A Spell On Me" - Austin Giorgio
🎵 "Kryptonite (Reloaded)" - Jeris Johnson
🎵 "MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT" - Loveless
🎵 "engravings" - Ethan Bortnick
🎵 "do you really want to hurt me?" - Nessa Barrett
🎵 "Movement" - Hozier
🎵 "Dangerous Woman" - Ariana Grande
🎵 "Drama Club" - Melanie Martinez
🎵 "lovely liar" - Stevie Howie
🎵 "Do It For Me" - Rosenfeld
🎵 "DARKSIDE" - Neoni
🎵 "vicious" - Tate McRae
🎵 "Heaven" - Julia Michaels
🎵 "Victim" - Halfllives
🎵 "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" - Lorde
🎵 "Devil In Her Eyes" - Bryce Savage
🎵 "obsessed" - zandros, Limi
🎵 "Feeling Good" - Michael Buble
🎵 "I'm yours sped up" - Isabel LaRosa
🎵 "Disturbia" - Rihanna
🎵 "HAUNTED" - Isabel LaRosa
🎵 "Shivers" - Ed Sheeran
🎵 "Power - Sped Up" - Little Mix, Stormzy
🎵 "The Walls" - Chase Atlantic
🎵 "Prisoner" - Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa
🎵 "Eat Your Young" - Hozier
🎵 "Psychofreak" - Rain Paris
🎵 "Earned It" - The Weeknd
🎵 "Sucker for Pain" - Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne, Imagine Dragons, X Ambassadors, Logic, Ty Dolla $ign
🎵 "Dazed & Confused" - Ruel
🎵 "needy" - Ariana Grande
🎵 "Criminal" - Britney Spears
🎵 "Lay All You Love On Me" - The Butterfly Effect
🎵 "BABYDOLL (Speed)" - Ari Abdule
🎵 "Collide (Sped Up Remix)" - Justine Skye, Tyga
🎵 "Okay" - Chase Atlantic
🎵 "Raise Hell" - Dorothy
🎵 "Lipstick" - Charlie Puth
🎵 "Sharks" - Imagine Dragons
🎵 "Good Enough" - Little Mix
🎵 "HONEY (ARE U COMING?)" - Maneskin
🎵 "Killer In The Mirror" - Set It Off
🎵 "The Summoning" - Sleep Token
🎵 "Pretty In The Dark (Sped Up)" - Ashley Sienna, Ellise
🎵 "Seven Nation Army" - Stevie Howie
🎵 "Bad Blood" - Welshly Arms
🎵 "My Family" - Migos, KAROL G, Snoop Dogg, Rock Mafia
🎵 "Messed Up" - Once Monsters, Chloe Adams
🎵 "greedy sped up" - Tate McRae
🎵 "run for the hills" - Tate McRae
🎵 "My Name Is…" - Once Monsters
🎵 "Starving" - Hailee Steinfeld, Grey, Zedd
🎵 "Lion" - Saint Mesa
🎵 "Hurts So Good - Slow + Reverb" - Astrid S
🎵 "Can You Feel My Heart" - MOTHICA
🎵 "Yes, And" - Rain Paris
🎵 "King Of My Heart" - Taylor Swift

And add in some spice 🌶️🌶️ I'm just going to put in this one quote because I feel like it sums it up pretty well…

"Listen well, little hacker. If it's the middle of the night and I want your pussy, I'm going to take it. If it's broad daylight out and you're in the middle of something, if I ask you to sit on my face, you fucking will. If you wake in the morning with my cock in your mouth, you will obey me every fucking minute and take every drop. If I want to eat your pussy for breakfast, I will. When and how I want to."

💍 Tropes 💍

🌹 Dark Mafia Romance
🌹 Forced Marriage
🌹 Billionaire Romance
🌹 Hacker FMC
🌹 Touch Her and Die

Book edit - https://www.instagram.com/p/C2j5SwxAj6R/

[Ruhi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes I question what I read. This is one of those books.

[Sarah♡books · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5⭐️

♡ Hacker
♡ Mafia
♡ Forced marriage
♡ OTT j/p hero
♡ She needs his help
🚩no cheating or sharing, no OW/OM

Ahh I really liked this book and it would have been 5 ⭐️ but in the end there was too little action ( or like growling/ drama) in their relationship 🙊


𝘼𝙧𝙞𝙖 - 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙚 🩷

Hehe she is such a badass 🔥😍 Loved her and how she could literally hack anything 🧎🏻‍♀️🫠

In the beginning she had nobody and then when she met Micheal I felt like her personality bloomed 🫶🫂

Their connection was pretty fast but I still liked it 🦋✨️


𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙚𝙡- 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤 🩵

He is such a hottyyy 💥😻

Soo possessive and shows her how beautiful she is 🧎🏻‍♀️🙊🫶🔥

When he wasn't serious he was really funny and cute :))

Alsoo I loved his relationship with his siblings 🤞


All in all a really cute, hot and quick read 🤍🦋🫂✨️😻

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trope: captive
Angst: 😱😱1/2
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥

Enjoyed it! Love it when you have the hero with a heroine that seems to be a mis-match at first glance. For Sovereign, we have the morally gray mafia man with the nerdy hacker girl who needs someone capable of "protecting" her from the dangerous situation she finds herself in. Fast paced with lots of hot smexy times - what more could you want?

[Jane Henry]

Now Available!

This book is dark and delicious, and I can't wait to share this brand new series with all of you. We worked hard getting this cover just right, and I adore the final product. I hope you love it, too!

Grab your copy: https://amzn.to/46UZngN

[Rhiannon sullivan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not the best

It's a quick easy read but felt rushed and ill thought out, this book had the potential to be a gripping Mafia read and started off promising however in the end it left me wanting. It didn't really make sense why Mikhail being married would make a difference to his standing, he's a billionaire and couldn't get the man power behind him to defeat his enemies? So many bits weren't answered or explained like what happened to Mikhail's father, the siblings adoption, what happened to Aria's family? Just so many holes within the storyline and the ending was total pants considering the build up throughout the book. Aria gives in so fast to Mikhail, no real fight and she doesn't really seem that phased by anything that's happening to her, which makes no sense as she's described as an anti social geek working as a teacher; all of a sudden she loses her glasses (eyesight cured), gets drugged, kidnapped, forced marriage, witness people get killed on her wedding day the list goes on and on, yet she seems to forget all about her previous life and all the traumatic events that have taken place over night and becomes some beautiful princess happy to dress up and go to a gala with no anxieties issues over the crowds or the threat to her life and falls head over heels for her husband because he spanked her? Mikhail's character is no better, all the dark threats and promises he makes to Aria go out the window and no real depth to his personality, it would have been good if the PTSD was addressed maybe as way for the couple to come together and add much needed depth and strength to the characters and their growing relationship. It was just so blah and the writing amateurish, sorry to say but there are far better dark Mafia books out there.

[Luna ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

»Did you...help me get ready for bed?«
»Of course. I told you I take good care of what's mine.«

★ ★ ★ ★

❥ 𝑨𝒓𝒊𝒂
I liked her. She is intelligent, brave and confident. Aria was a relatable main character.

❥ 𝑴𝒊𝒌𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒍
The big bad mafiaboss who falls instantly for Aria. He is cocky, dangerous and knows what he wants.

✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
This story catched me off guard. I expected an okay romance regarding the bad reviews but I really liked this book!
It is entertaining, thrilling and funny. Yes, it‘s no dark mafia romance, but definitely enjoyable with great characters and setting.
The plot is good yet nothing new. It‘s a classic forced marriage book where he falls first and harder.
Aria and Mikhail have good tension and I liked reading about them. Both are confident and gravitate to each other. Mikhail treats Aria very good and it was cute to read about his gestures.
The side characters were introduced well and I‘m curious about the next books in this series.

𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
Yes, it’s an entertaining mafia romance with forced marriage and a lot of family banter.

𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓
plot: 4/5
spice: 3/5
humor: 4/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 4/5
happy end?: yes

𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
possessive and protective hero, mafia, instant attraction, lies and secrets, forced proximity, he falls first and harder, morally dark hero, darkromance, kidnapping, captor x captive, forced marriage, hacker x mafia boss

𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: both in their early thirties I think
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: breeding, bdsm

𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 Sovereign ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Sanctum ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Donna reads Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

INCREDIBLY FASCINATING!!
This dark Bratva forced marriage is everything you want in a mafia romance and MORE.
A dominant, possessive and powerful leading man and a smart a$$, feisty and endearing leading woman.
Right from the beginning you know that this book is going to captivate and consume you.
Mikhail needs a wife and as the newly named Pakhan to the Romanov Bratva he finds one. Aria is a woman on the run who needs protection after hacking her way into information that puts her life in danger. This little hacker finds herself forced into marriage. A marriage that has rules and Mikhail has no problem enforcing punishment if Aria disobeys. Let’s just say these punishment are deliciously erotic and HOT. The chemistry between Mikhail and Aria is scorching!! The relationship and bond they are building is so BEAUTIFUL.
Threats to their safety and lives from a known enemy puts all of Romanov’s and Aria in danger. Aria realizes that her masterful tiger will do all and everything to insure the security of his family and she discovers that his brothers, sister and mother will protect her as their own. He is her armor and that makes Mikhail so darn sexy!!!
I really enjoy the strong family dynamics in this story.
So if you’re looking for a mafia romance that will entertain you, intrigue you and entice you, you’ll be thoroughly satisfied with Sovereign.
Congratulations Jane, this new series is off to a REMARKABLE start!! I found Mikhail and Aria’s story highly interesting, deeply intense and STUNNING.

[Hibaslaoui49 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf 27%

0.5⭐️

The ONLY reason this is getting even 0.5 stars from me is because she's a hacker and i love that in books, other than that this book is shit. The mmc is LITERALLY sexually assaulting her, and she just accepted it. She also has the WORST personality i've ever seen, she's like "oh i'm weak so imma just let him do whatever he wants" (i know that in real life you'd probably react the same way because u have no other choice, but at least u wouldn't ENJOY HIM SEXUALLY ASSAULTING YOU !!!). Also, his sister is literally watching him do that to her and talk to her like that and she's just like, whatever (when she's literally supposed to be a good person (the sister))

Anyway, i made a decision that if i don't like a book, i'm NOT gonna force myself to read more of it, there are so many good books out there that SHOULD be read. Also, why THE FUCK do i still trust tiktok recs ?!!!!!!!!

[Sandra R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely written mafia Bratva romance. I liked that the Russian American hero stayed fairly true to his mafia character when it came to the steamy scenes. He didn't become a marshmallow, but almost. The heroine was pretty feisty and extremely intelligent, but realised early on that she enjoyed being a mafia possession. Sometimes, until she got cranky. Lol.

The book includes some Bratva action, uncomfortable torture scenes and has an interesting back story. 3.5 stars for an enjoyable read.

(PS. It's photographic memory. Not photogenic memory. 🙂)

[Claudia, Cmarie927 · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of dark, commanding, OTT dominant, Bratva reads, with all that entails, stop right now, and go one-click this book. You want to read this one.

This author consistently provides engaging and addictive reads, full of all the things we LOVE in a Bratva read. Mikhail Romanov and Aria don't initially have a love connection (or even trust) but both of them need each other.

Things I enjoyed about this one...
Family drama and dangers? ✔
Disloyalty and betrayals? ✔
Super steamy chemistry and scenes that include "punishments" for disobedience? ✔
A strong, sassy, intelligent woman in a tough spot? ✔
A guy, possessive of his new wife, willing to do anything to keep her and his family safe? ✔
YES! All of this, and more.

I settled in and lost myself in their world for a bit, happy that it's not real life! The pages turned themselves, as the storyline took many twists and turns, before the imminent threat was removed. I strongly recommend this book and any and all of this author's other works. They are all easy to read and enjoy.

[Elaine M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 67%

I started off LOVING this book, but then it got weird. I couldn’t read anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I like the really dark MMCs, but there is a difference between dark and downright abusive.

Mikhail is controlling to the extreme. He won’t let her dress herself, undress herself, wash herself, talk to anyone without his permission (and only women), go anywhere with clearing it through him first, and he monitors her messages… and he doesn’t even try to hide it. And the cursing… 🤬

He “punishes” her if she curses, but he has no problem with anyone else cursing? Or cursing at her???

And Aria changed from a slightly annoying, but tolerable quirky MFC with spunk, to an annoying trophy wife wannabe with a superiority complex. Yes, she’s still a hacking genius, but she’s so obnoxious.

I just get the creeps when men try to train women like dogs to mold them to their liking 🤮

[Melanie (mells_view)]

DNF @ 58% - I just am not invested enough to keep reading. It’s not bad, but it hasn’t had anything that makes it stand out or feel unique from other reads with a similar trope.

[Mira Gencheva · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book had the potential to be great and it really wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special either. I had just passed the first 60 pages when I realized that no matter how fast and light it might be to read it couldn't grab me the right way. In general, I read it because I had it as a read, not because I wanted to read it that much.

Much of the time I had the feeling that the author is trying too hard to build her characters into the well-known stereotypes such as the mafia leader, who is alpha male, terribly dangerous and wants everyone to obey him and the FMC who does not know when to shut her mouth and deliberately gets on his nerves just to challenge him. However, this did not go very well, as everything seemed forced, hasty and the chemistry between the main characters lacked almost to the middle of the book, and was strongly pushed in the face of the reader from the third chapter which did not do it for me. In the beginning, things happened too quickly, which did not allow me to delve enough into the nature of the situation in which the FMC was, but later the pace slowed down a little, so not everything was so rushed. And speaking of the situation in which Aria had fallen, which was the beginning of the story, and after probably five chapters, everyone forgot about this storyline, except for the occasional mention that she needed protection and therefore married Mikhail.

✨"Oh, you look amazing. Of my brother doesn't swoon for you, I'll marry you myself."
"Now wouldn't that be a plot twist," I murmur.✨

The characters are not the most superficially built, although there is no real depth either. They weren’t even in the golden mean – the reader rather understands a little about them, just to see that they had some life before the beginning of the story and that's it.

As I said - even if I did not like them initially as a couple, or more precisely - if they were indifferent to me, around the middle of the book my feelings for them warmed up and I began to like them. I want to emphasize that their teamwork is great and the scene where they had to cooperate for the first time to get away from the bad guys was very cool. And yes, at one point their scenes were cute, but they weren't as hot as the author was trying to get them out and honestly - their erotic scenes weren't written well enough to flicker something inside me.

✨God, I love when he gets all bossy on me, and I can show off.✨

The dynamics of the book are quite good, and I really appreciate that it was not only about the relationship between the two main characters, but also about the mafia war that was being waged between Mikhail's family and another family. It was these different subplots that made the action constant.

And I get to the point where everything went well, but the author has decided that there should be a drama between Mikhail and Aria, so something popped up literally out of nowhere, and this is an approach that I really do not approve.

Overall - I'm not particularly fascinated, as "Sovereign" for me was nothing special, but it was still not the worst. It just couldn't spark my interest and make me like it enough.
~~~
Rating: 3/5⭐

✨~~~This book was provided to me by Valentine PR for my honest opinion.~~~✨

[Kathy Heare Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE HACKER AND THE PAKHAN

The story is the first in the Wicked Vows series and Ms. Jane Henry hits another one out of the ballpark. Aria Cunningham and Mikhail Romanov offer a balanced level of angst, passion, submission, and control. Aria needs protection and Mikhail needs a wife, so it is tit for tat.

Aria Cunningham, professor by day and brilliant hacker by night. But she will stumble upon things that could cause a major worldwide crisis—and it could get her killed. She needs help, and going to her college friend, Tatiana, seems like a godsend, but has she been played?

Mikhail Romanov needs a wife, and fast. The clock is ticking down and his enemies are ready to knock down the door. When Aria enters his office as she owns the place, he uses this to his advantage. When he sends her out the door, she is miffed, but that is soon to change—it is all part of his plan.

“I can’t shake the feeling that Mikhail Romanov is a man that would stop at nothing to get what he wants.”

The story’s plot will bring Aria and Mikhail together during the day at his office, but he will surprise her at night. She finds herself at his mercy, as his ‘guest’ and under his lock and key. She will learn she will capitulate to his demands. It won’t be long before she will crave his dominance and control, and surrender is the only answer.

Mikhail: Why do you look away, Aria?
Aria: I’m naked.
Mikhail: You’re beautiful. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You belong to me now, and you will not hide what belongs to me.
Arai: What does that mean?
Mikhail: You will see.

“People have different definitions of consent, Aria. And I’m going to tell you this now. You belong to me now. You betrayed my family. Your life is forfeit to me. Do you understand me?”

The story is a page-turning tale of good, bad, and ugly. I liked the two main characters and many of the secondary characters. The Romanov family is likable, but you do not cross them, and some rules and boundaries must be adhered to. Mikhail, as head of the family, those under him must fall in line, and that includes Aria. She discovers that she has never been with a man who can make her body sing, or bring tears to her eyes with his discipline. She hates that she craves his control, but needs it, like the air she breathes. His family is loyal, to him, and that includes protecting her with their very lives.

The story does not end on a cliffhanger—or even anything to segue into but things within the story make me assume unions will be coming to form allegiances. The story is about power exchange and control, dubious consent, with discipline and rewards and explicit scenes. It does have some scenes of violence, bratva style.

[TheReaderVert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grab some candy

I love stories like this. I call them candy. The plot delivers, the characters are good, the smex is hot if not a little repetitive but at least ot feels kind of authentic to Russian culture it's sweet but gone quick and a little hard.

Micro-tropes:

"Oh, noosss the FMC is sick and the Big Bad MMC has to take care of her."

"My job is to take care of you now. You are no longer allowed to take your clothes off. That's my job. Don't take my job away"

Tropes:
domestic discipline. It was hot. Going for noncon vibes but it was definitely consensual.

Arranged marriage. It's not really fake. They have to get married for different reasons and the marriage is real.

Dirty talking MMC. He had good lines even the lovey dovey ones

Hot nerd girl. Aria is perfect just with glasses and a brilliant brain.

[Rhonda Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

She never disappoints

Jane Henry never disappoints in her storytelling. Once again her Bratva characters are complex with layers to their personalities. Add that to an intense drama with all the angst that goes with it, wrap it in a blazing chemistry with BDSM scenes and you get another five star review. It's wonderful.

[Basbosaa]

Dnf at 70%

[Jessica (Bestie Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars this book is your typical mafia romance. Our FMC is a hacker, who gets herself in trouble. She then turns to the head of the Russian bratva for help. That help doesn’t come free of charge because our MMC needs a wife. He needs a wife within a matter of days so he takes her.

Well, I did enjoy this book. I got bored in a few parts, and I do think some of the dialogue was unbelievable. Part of it is because I was coming off of reading an amazing book before this one so I feel like I might’ve judged it a little harshly. I also read a lot of mafia, so I get kind of critical with it as well. I do think the book is worth taking a chance on.

[wkretarcia · Rating 1 out of 5]

my first dnf this year...

[Ashley Abboud · Rating 2 out of 5]

Umm like at least the FMC was smart and good with hacking.

[Louise Car · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite my desire to savor this story and make it last longer, I couldn't help but plough through it. As with previous books, Ms. Henry is well-versed in the mafia lifestyle and is adept at both plot and character development, which in turn maintains her reader's interest from beginning to end. I loved the delicious sex and punishment scenes. I liked how Aria and Mikhail’s relationship was real. It may have been forced initially, but their physical attraction was off the charts.

Even though Mikhail was brutal, his need to keep Aria safe was paramount. I admired how he remained in charge while acknowledging Aria’s intelligence and skills as a hacker. Mikhail was the head of the Romanov Organized Crime Family, and he knew that he wanted Aria, so he married her. Not that she had a say in the matter since she had practically fallen into his arms.

Aria was sassy, intelligent, and loved to push Mikhail’s buttons. She was the perfect mix of strength and submission. Despite rough times, she came out the other side, unwilling to let go of Mikhail. A college professor by day and a computer hacker in her spare time. Rules were meant to be broken, but Aria went too far, uncovering dangerous information that made Mikhail’s enemies more dangerous.

I loved everything about this book. I felt that when danger was lurking, the connection between the characters was more explosive. The secondary characters also added depth and interest. A great read.

[Sydnee Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I wanted to say a massive thank you to Valentine PR & Jane Henry for the ARC of this book.

Who doesn’t love a good enemies to lovers, forced proximity trope read? Especially if it’s the Russian Bratva, count me freaking in! Aria and Mikhail couldn’t have been more opposite but that’s why they worked so freaking well together.

Mikhail is Pakhan to the Russian Bratva in New York and Aria is a college professor by day and hardcore hacker by night. Aria discovered something she should have and sought out the only person who could protect her. Someone above the law- enter Mikhal Romanov.

Sovereign is definitely a spicy read, and an awesome book to read if you’re coming out of a slump or need a change of genre. I really hope Polina gets her own book and gets a Russian hottie of her own.

This was the first book I read by this author and I really loved the story so much. I can’t wait for what comes next!

Tropes:
Forced Marriage
Russian Bratva
Forced Proximity
Enemies to Lovers

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ | 3.5🌶️


Nothing I love better than discovering a new mafia romance series featuring a family of brothers.

Sovereign gives us the story of Aria and Mikhail. Aria is a talented hacker whose curiosity gets her into trouble one day with powerful and dangerous people. She needs protection- and finds herself in the office of Bratva boss, Mikhail Romanov. Luckily for her, Mikhail desperately needs to get married right away in order to secure his family’s future in the eyes of the Bratva. The two enter into marriage with a tradeoff: Aria gives Mikhail her hacking services, obedience, and loyalty. He provides and protects for her.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat! It was a treat seeing how Aria and Mikhail’s relationship unfolded. The way Mikhail takes care of Aria though?! DREAMY. Loved how Aria brought a little spunk and flavor to the Romanov family dynamic. Finished this book in a day and I thought the pacing of the plot was well-written. There were definitely some plot twists that caught me off guard and I LOVED IT.




Seeing the different personalities of Mikhail’s siblings made me very excited for all the books to come!

Tropes:

dark/mafia romance
forced/arranged marriage
Age gap
Touch her and 💀

[Keza Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sovereign was the first in a new series from Jane Henry, and it was utterly captivating from the beginning for me.

Mikhail is the head of the Romanov Bratva, and he is in need of a wife. His luck turns when Aria hacks into his computer network just to get time to speak with him.

Aria is a computer genius. She is funny and sassy and super sharp.

I loved Mikhail. His touch her and die vibes were somewhat funny but absolutely hot as hell. He is dominant, possessive over the top protective but in a sweet way.

I love me some danger and suspense, and Sovereign definitely gave me that. It was equally exciting and intriguing.

The side characters I loved as well Polina was fun and sassy in her own way and wasn't afraid to speak her mind.

I absolutely look forward to more in the Wicked Vow series by Jane Henry. Mikhail and Arias was a great read and one I would definitely recommend.

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5⭐️
3/5🌶️

This was the perfect read for my lazy Sunday! I was in the mood for a dark romance & I devoured this book in one sitting. Let me just tell you, it is RARE that I do that nowadays… but I could not put this book down!

Sovereign follows Aria & Mikhail. Aria is an extremely skilled hacker who lands herself in some trouble when she stumbles upon information she isn’t supposed to know about some very well-known, high up people. She needs money & protection & she needs it fast — insert Mikhail, head of the Russia Bratva who, fortunately for Aria, is in need of a wife in order to protect his family. He promises to protect & provide for her as long as she marries him & plays the role of his dutiful wife. The last thing either of them expects is to fall in love.

Tropes:
- Dark/Mafia Romance
- Forced Arranged Marriage
- Mob Boss x Hacker
- Age Gap (10 yrs)
- Touch Her & D!e

[Kaity · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many of my light mafia girlies are eating this up! And I can see why. The premise of the FMC, Aria, being a professor by day and hacker by night was fun - definitely not seen often. Gives her some bad-ass kinda vibes. Of course it gets her into some trouble, and she asks the head of the bratva to protect her. Mikhail, the pakhan, kidnaps her that night, and he forces her into marriage. I enjoyed Aria’s found family kind of feeling she had with Mikhail’s sister and mother, and I loved the rivalry vibes with his brother who was in charge of the cybersecurity. This was a quick read with some suspense.

Plot: 3.75
Spice: 3

Tropes you’ll find: mafia romance, forced marriage, surprise pregnancy, mild romantic suspense, spanking, kidnapping, protective and possessive MMC, touch her and d¡e

Microtropes: my wife, he takes care of her

[Stasi Apple (The Reads of an Apple) · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I take out the bdsm elements, maybe this would be more of a 3.5 or 4 stars. I just really don't enjoy those, but even more so since it blend into their day to day life. I honestly started skipping a lot of the steamy scenes since it just doesn't do it for me and I didn't want it to affect the rating too much, since it is what it is. Where I really got disappointed was the gloss over of Aria's deep seated emotional trauma of being rejected and feeling like she wasn't valued for herself as a person. I didn't like that it was handled at the very end in like two pages (if that). Then end of the story. "I Love You"s don't really solve that. I also wanted her to push back a few times, especially outside of the bedroom, and not be "punished" for it.

[Adah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This ones got some great tropes and the most growly protective MMC. Our FMC is not meek and shy, she’s a bada** hacker and is running to the Bratva to protect her after she uncovers more than she should. I really enjoyed her character, and really all the characters in this one!

The actual like plot/turf war thing was confusing but it got the point across in the end. Until the twist that just was dumb and then I was annoyed at that.

Overall enjoyed, characters were good and so was the spice so that saved it

Tropes:
Bratva
Forced Marriage
Dark
Enemies to lovers
Dubcon

Thank you Valentine PR for the ARC