Little Blue

Volkov Bratva #1

by Alannah Carbonneau

He stole me from my bed. He stole me from my country. He stole me from my life. Now, he says...I'm his.

He's a Bratva King. Hard. Cruel. Obsessed with her.
She thinks his world is a thing of fiction. Until he takes her.

I knew when I met him that he was no good. The prey inside me quivered at the predator in him, and I fled.

That should have been it. Simple. Done. Forgotten.

But things are never simple. Life has taught me that much, at least.

I smell him where I shouldn’t, winter and sin. I wake in the night, heart pounding, sweat clinging to my skin like dew. I'm certain he’s standing in the shadows, watching.

It’s crazy, I know. It’s impossible. And yet...I fantasize about the wrongness of his obsession.

Until he steals me.

Until fantasy becomes a nightmare.

Now, he says I’m his. My body, innocence, freedom…all his.

He vows to make me love him.

But he’s still the wolf who hunted me, and I’ll always be his little rabbit.

(Little Blue is what I consider a medium light Mafia/Bratva romance. There will be dark themes...this is a Mafia/Bratva Romance, after all. And...if you read Deal with the Devil, then you know Ilya is no saint.)

Genres: Dark Romance, Mafia Romance, Forced Proximity, Dark, He Falls First, Contemporary, Slow Burn

432 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 4, 2024

About the author

Born and raised in Alberta, Canada, Alannah Carbonneau is only a short drive away from the Rocky Mountains that have a staring place in so many of her novels. With seventeen novels and counting currently available on Amazon, Alannah is not only a full-time author, but a full-time mom of two beautiful boys, and wife to an amazing man who always has her back. She lives in a rambling ranch house that needs way too many renos and has one too many cats, but she is happy and in love.

With a solid circle of friends and family, and a very manly, supportive husband who does his best to make sure his family is taken care of, Alannah’s novels feature manly men (sometimes they can be a LOT manly) and friend/family relationships weaved into the stories, because life is about a whole mess of people, and although this is fiction, the best fiction is sprinkled with sweet (and sometimes not so sweet) bits of reality.

Because she loves romance, Alannah writes Contemporary and New Adult Romance. Soon to be released is the Creekwood Valley Series that has ties to the reader beloved Donnelley Brother Series, where light suspense and romance weave to create titillating stories that not only steal your heart but keep you on the edge of your seat. She is the author of the highly rated Teach Me Series, an emotional read about love, life and lessons learned. Our Dark Design is a standalone erotic romance peppered with enough suspense to keep you turning the pages, and The Choice is an entirely unconventional standalone romance about three.

She is currently working on a Cross World Fantasy Romance Series for Adults she can’t wait to share with you, because this will feature hot men who are a little bit dominant and a lot protective who are head over heels in love with stubborn, magnificent women.

When Alannah isn’t writing or spending time with her three men, she can be found in her garden, or with a paint brush in hand. But no matter where she is or what she’s doing, you can bet that she’s thinking of a love story she can share with you.

Reviews

[Hart's Reader Group · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was sexy, suspenseful, emotional… and annoying. Irelynn is supremely annoying. She lives in romance La La Land, wanting love that surpasses rationality, reads Mafia romances, and lives a sad, lonely life--but SHE FIGHTS THE HERO because…. Why? He is offering her everything she wants and she's being stubborn and stupid about it. I can understand the fear of being with a stranger, but for a character that reads and ENJOYS Mafia romance, she was awfully pig-headed about everything. That annoyed the hell out of me. Overall, it was fun to see characters from previous books, and I am eager to read the books about the brothers. This book was okay….

[deeena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had some of my favorite tropes. Kidnapping, OTT and possessive alpha male

However there was some parts that got exhausting. FMC cries in just about every single chapter. I’m dead serious. And not just cries but sobs majority of the book. I know in these kinds of books the MMC typically has a soft spot for the FMC but god if I was him the crying would have ticked me off to no end. Girl started crying over a jar of lotion….

I dnf at 80% cause I lost interest in the couple. They don’t get together sexually until 79% and then it’s I love yous from there

Would have been a lot more interesting if the FMC actually tried to escape in the book. Instead she just cried and basically accepted that she now lives in Russia

[MaryLovesRomance · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF @49%

I’m bored. What is the purpose of this book because I can’t see any excitement or romance that is drawing me in at this point. Sure it’s fine. I just resist reading it at every turn.

Irelynn is kidnapped by Ilya, a dangerous mafia boss who is obsessed with her and wants to make her his wife. That’s kind of the whole plot. Nothing else has happened in all 49% of this book.

The weirdest part is that in spite of kind of being into the whole scenario, Irelynn resists him. And I honestly don’t know why. She wants to go home but her home and her life are honestly both absolute shit. Ilya wants to give Irelynn everything she asks for and she’s like “nah I want to go back to my shithole apartment where I don’t have any food and my job where I’ve been having to put up with I wanted advances from my gross boss.” Like, ok Irelynn.

I don’t want to read anymore so I won’t be.

[Deana · Rating 4 out of 5]

St@lking, obsession, k!dnapping, hunting, revenge, love, spice. Everything I love in a book! I always love a big tough scary guy who is only soft for his woman and Ilya is that 💯 the way he cares for Irelynn and even Lucifer (Lucy), her cat, is amazing. Little Blue is such a strong woman. After her parents died, she was put into foster care where she was abused by her foster brother until she was able to escape. She then was living on her own with only her cat Lucy, until Ilya took her to keep for himself. He took her to Russia without her knowledge and slowly got Irelynn to fall in love with him because he loved her from first sight in his casino. The twists were great of course. I do enjoy mafia romances as there’s always some kind of war/action, bad guys, scary stuff, but also love, and softies who will do anything to protect the one they love. This book kept me intrigued and wanting more! I’ve loved Ilya since Devil’s Heartbreak and am so glad Alannah wrote Ilya’s story for us to read and enjoy!

[Moka Alvarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very joyful book. Something I love about mafia romances are morally grey men, something in the way they say : WHO DID THIS TO YOU? Always win.

Little Blue is an instant love story, he definitely falls first and he does everything in his power to be with her. Even things she hardly approved 👀🤣.

Ilya and Irelynn's relationship was good and the plot was quite amazing. I only wished for more suspense and mafia related things in it.

I didn't find this one very dark, for me it was kinda light dark romance so if you're starting this wonderful genre, Little Blue is perfect for you 💗.

Thank you BookSirens and Alannah Carbonneau for providing me this eArc.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slow and thought he was not quite hard enough and was extremely soft and lenient for a kidnapper but still amazing book. I loved how much she resisted and how she complained to the dogs about him. The betrayer was super easy to figure out and very predictable. I loved it I love a good kidnapper romance and this hit the spot.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Air Loves to Read · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know I’m crazy for this but a 42 year old kidnapping a 21 year old really doesn’t get me going but I was pushing through until I find out his mom was kidnapped at 18 by his 42 year old father and became even more disgusted.

Also, there’s really nothing between the two of them. Crazy insta-lust and that’s really all. He’s in love with her but only ever had one real conversation with her about her life, everything else he just knew from the stalking.

[Mar-Mar bookaholic]

DNF 31%

Too prosaic for my taste. I couldn’t get into the book because of it. Also, my pet peeve is H being ridiculous aka we have to hear his ridiculous thoughts about being so jealous.

Love this author, but this book is a mess.

🔸 virgin h
🔸kidnapping
🔸 taken to another country
🔸 triggers ( so far) : memories of being in foster care and the son is touching h

[Jess Morgan]

Flashback to my review of Alannah Carbonneau's All Good Things Exposed:

...Olivia muses that if she can't run a bookstore, she can write her own books. She favors the sort of books that involve "a delicious alpha gangster and an endearingly sweet heroine." Now I get it: Alannah is committing to paper her own daydreams of writing this dreck all day, not having a day job, and being magnetically attractive to a sexy billionaire for absolutely no reason.

Accordingly, Little Blue does indeed involve a delicious alpha gangster and an endearingly sweet heroine. Of course, by "endearingly sweet," I mean "frustratingly blank," and by "delicious," I mean "probably would be delicious to the piranhas I'm dying to feed him to." But that's the difference between Alannah and me.

We begin with hero Ilya beating up a worse gangster, followed by heroine Irelynn being forced to get dolled up and attend some casino night with her horny BFF. Irelynn has a shitty job, a creepy boss, her virginity, two dead parents, and not much affection for the BFF. So she'll have nothing to lose when Ilya coerces her into his life. This begins when he sidles up to her, bringing with him "the scent of winter and masculine cologne." As opposed to that feminine cologne we all know. And where I come from, winter smells like bus exhaust and spilled mouthwash.

Irelynn spends the rest of the chapter feeling fluttery and intimidated at his talk of "risky bets" before getting out of there. Cut to Ilya's POV:

...the little beauty in blue walks away from me, as though she has every right. (She does, asshole.) ...She'd been afraid of me. I know, because I could scent it. It dripped from her pores like saccharine honey after the comb has been ripped viciously from the hive. Addictive and sticky sweet. Still, sensing that she'd encountered a true predator, she didn't cow. She didn't buckle under the weight of my glacial stare. She didn't wait for the dismissal I always gave when my prey refused to give the chase I craved, before she dismissed me.

The hunting motif was already too much in Irelynn's POV, but this is getting silly. Are their olfactory lobes going to do all the work?



Ilya has sidekick Misha conduct the preliminary stalking. He learns about her beloved pet cat, her taste for mafia romances (quelle coïncidence!), and how easy it is to break into her apartment. He also learns that she claimed to be seeing someone else when she turned down her creepy boss. Ilya thinks she "needs to learn who she belongs to." Once again, Alannah can't be arsed to justify her MMC's insta-obsession. And don't tell me the mere fact of an attractive woman dismissing him is justification enough, because it's not.

Minor randomness: While inspecting the contents of Irelynn's fridge, Ilya deems her a "crazy, infuriating woman" for favoring blueberry jam over "the red jam." I mean, I prefer raspberry too, but did blueberries kill his grandma or something?

Irelynn knows by smell that "the wolfman" has been there. She tells herself she wouldn't be into a real-life mafia romance, although "there is something seductive about a dark man, incapable of love, falling in love with a woman he'd burn the world for." Okay, whatever floats her fictional boat. I don't think I'd want my husband to burn the world for me, if he could. Let me check:

Me: Would you burn the world for me?

He: But then we'd have nowhere to go. And there'd be nowhere for the bears. Or the otters. I'd burn your enemies, though.

See? Much saner. If there's a "cinnamon roll who loves fuzzy animals and has reasonably healthy impulse control" MMC, send him my way.

Irelynn describes Ilya's lingering aroma as "[t]he scent of winter and flame, spiced berries and sin." Later that evening, she's "still smelling winter and flame, spiced berries and sin." When he drugs and kidnaps her in the middle of the night, she feels his body heat "cocooning [her] in winter and flame, spiced berries and sin."



She wakes up at Ilya's place in Russia, having been knocked out through all of the "plane, then car" trip there. He brought her cat, even though he doesn't like cats. I hope that thing shreds all his suits. He declares that she'll be his wife. Despite her primal attraction, she's shriekingly, sobbingly, furiously not in. He doesn't care, because her mere existence has finally brought him to feel an emotion. Her refusal forces him to go for the hard sell:

"You've never been in the presence of someone as dangerous, as lethal as me. I've slain many monsters and have yet to encounter one more deadly than myself. I've torn flesh from bone, hearts from chests, and made grown men who own monstrous sins scream for mercy. I've claimed more souls than I can count, and I will claim more before my time comes to an end, this I promise you. But as monstrous as I am, as lethal and dangerous, as toxic and violent, I will only ever be gentle with you. For you, I would lay down my own life. I would trade myself to an eternity of torture, simply to ensure your safety, your comfort.... So, you will sleep next to your monster every night, where I know you are safe, Irelynn. In this, you will behave. This is not a negotiation. Am I understood?"

Hey, Ilya, let's do business. I'll take Irelynn in myself. She'll be safe and comfortable here, and you'll get that eternity of torture. Works for everyone.

Irelynn considers. If she can get back to NYC within 50 days, she can get back to her month-to-month rental before her "junk lord" throws away all her stuff. And she'd rather not lose her job, although she was probably going to anyway over not sucking her boss's dick. But that job came with free coffee! Besides, Ilya couldn't possibly want her, because she has baggage! Lame excuses all, but I get it. We know from our last go-around with Alannah that her heroines become willing to sacrifice their independence for men eventually. This time she's made sure Irelynn doesn't value hers at all, not even on principle. God knows we need to make things easier for the international bratva kidnapper with a private plane, armed security, and kitchen staff who laugh off Irelynn's comment about not being "here by choice" like it's an episode of Nu pogodi!.

What's Nu pogodi!? It's a Soviet cartoon about an adorable little hare outwitting a Eurotrash wolf. My Ukrainian grandfather had all the episodes on VHS. It's a thematically appropriate reference to make here.



About Irelynn's baggage: She has "hurt people before." One person in particular, "[b]ecause he hurt [her]." It was implied earlier that "he" was her rapey foster brother. Ilya wants to know these details, most likely so he can throw the foster brother to the literal wolves, but she won't share everything with him yet. Pity Misha's stalking didn't uncover that one.

On the topic of Misha, Irelynn gives him and bodyguard Luka a "bright, and wide, and beautiful" smile when they're formally introduced. "She's never smiled at me like that," Ilya pouts. I don't think I really need to clap back.

That night, Irelynn tries to sleep in the other bedroom in Ilya's suite. She wakes up in his bedroom, figuring someone carried her there while she was dreaming of "the taste of winter and flame, berries and sin". Unspiced this time? She really hopes she doesn't end up falling for him, because she doubts he'll care properly for her "tender, bruised, cracked heart." A safe assumption. But since escaping is too difficult, she goes to play Yahtzee with the kitchen staff. Ilya finds her there later after she's had a drink or two:

I'm well aware of the strength of Daniil's drinks, and if my Little Blue has had more than one, she's going to be well on her way to thoroughly imbibed. ("Imbibed" refers to the physical act of drinking liquid, not getting drunk. You're really testing me, Alannah.) ...I'll have to have a talk with [Luka] about his spatial awareness while he's been charged with her safety. I'd hate to have to end his life because she got so much as a paper cut.



Bedtime. Ilya decrees that Irelynn will either wear one of his shirts or sleep in the nude henceforth. If she doesn't, he'll rip off whatever she does wear and "ravish" her. Because they were going to spend the night binging Bridgerton on his laptop if she followed orders? Sure. Irelynn cries herself to sleep in his arms:

...because it's been so long since I've felt wanted. Like I belong. Like I'm safe in the arms of someone bigger and stronger than me.... Hope that I might not be unworthy of love after all. Hope that maybe, just maybe, I'm worth living for.

If you're a regular romance reader, you know an HEA is inevitable. It's the one ironclad rule of the genre, however big a piece of shit either MC happens to be. So it's not easy to create a feeling of true tension throughout. But at least some authors TRY.

While he's back in the States, presumably to kill someone, Ilya leaves Irelynn an e-reader full of books she might like. He doesn't know those things give her terrible headaches, so she can't read them.



She explores the spare bedrooms in his house. "They're all beautiful, and big, and lovely. But they don't smell like winter and flame, spiced berries and sin." OH DO SHUT UP.

Ilya spends two weeks away, long enough for Irelynn to realize with horror that "[she] crave[s] the scent of him when [she] sleep[s]." Oh, which scent would that be? The scent of summer and ice cubes, unseasoned tofu and virtue, I take it? But he's on his way back, and her own smell beckons: "Not long now and I'll inhale cookies." There's something unspeakably ridiculous about putting such a clinical verb next to such a childlike noun. Like "I am committed to leveraging Pikachu." But it gets even more ridiculous once Ilya returns:

I inhale a sharp, surprised breath that tastes of Ilya. The thief threatening to steal my soul. The devil threatening to cut the strings of my heart so that he might capture the organ rather than let it flutter happily in the wind of his woo.



I... just... WHAT.

She's mad because he left her there for two weeks, which pleases him. She also cops to her virgin status, which pleases him even more. He ties her to the bed and fingers her into an orgasm. So that's out of the way. But she still wants to go home, which does not please him:

"Anything your heart desires, I will give to you. Any destination you wish to travel, I will take you. Diamonds, pearls—yours. If you begged me for the moon, I'd find a way to give it to you, fuck the tides. Whatever you want, I am at your mercy. But the one thing I will never do, never give, no matter the tears you cry or the fits you throw, is your freedom—not if you use that freedom to rip my heart from my chest.... That is exactly what you would do. You're talons deep in my heart, love. Like it or not, it's yours. Walk away now, and I'll bleed out after you."

I like the sound of him bleeding out. Wait, can we go back to All Good Things Exposed again?

"This life you've always known, with the freedom to walk without protection, is no longer yours. For as long as you are mine—and you will be mine until you take your last breath, possibly even after that—you will be mine. So that life you had with those freedoms are something you need to accept are now gone and will remain gone. Forever."

I don't think al-Qaeda hates our freedoms as much as Alannah's MMCs do. More importantly, is this the story? Is it just going to be Ilya gifting and gisming his way past Irelynn's objections until, I assume, he rescues her from the designated bad guy? Haven't we had enough of those?



Ilya explains the "Little Blue" thing:

"When I first saw you, there was a sadness about you. Like an aura of blue. Tears, and sorrow, and grief.... Then I saw your eyes, and they matched your gown perfectly. A blue so light, it could have been a pool of tears. And you're so beautifully little. So tiny. So easily overpowered, delicate, and mine."

What if her eyes were brown and she wore a brown dress? Would that have put him off the sad and breakable part? Doubt it.

It occurs to Irelynn that her history of paternal abandonment and semi-brotherly assault is the reason she craves Ilya, and perhaps always craved someone like him, instead of accepting the overtures of "[n]ice, upstanding men." Therefore the solution is to give into that craving, despite being well aware of the risks? I hope dark romance readers aren't taking that away from these books. That's a yum that deserves a whole lot of yucking.

Irelynn finally spills the beans about her foster brother. Ilya promises that "his days are numbered." "Because he touched me?" she demands. "No. Because he touched what is mine," he replies. I hope that doesn't faze her. To the extent that "she" existed, she's been fully assimilated into "what is his."

Ilya's mother, Tara, comes to visit. She's also American and came to marry Ilya's father exactly the way he expects Irelynn to marry him. Also, he's in the bratva. This is a reveal. Irelynn is so horrified that she turns to a cup of tea: "The soothing scent of chamomile wafts below my nose, infiltrating the invasive scent of winter and flame, spiced berries and sin."



To calm her down, Ilya shares the details of his first kill in graphic detail, followed by a rationale for the kidnapping:

"I've killed more men than I've bothered to count, fucked more women than I care to admit, and ran more miles than I'll ever be able to track—all in the attempt to feel my own heart beat in my chest...when I first saw you in the casino that night, it was like my heart had been gripped by a fist. When I sat next to you, inhaling the sweet scent of cookies, my heart thundered. When I stood next to you and watched you sleep, my heart skipped with every breath you breathed.... I took you, Irelynn, because you're the first person—the first thing—to make me feel alive."

And that makes it all okay! NO IT FUCKING DOESN'T. Not even after Tara assures her that it's just dandy:

"...your mind is telling you it's wrong and dirty, shameful to feel the things you do. But it's not.... For both your sakes, I pray you reject the wrongs of society and instead listen to the rights inside your heart. I pray you find it within yourself to forgive him, so that you can move forward and accept the undying love that a bad man who will only ever be good for you has."

Back to the other book again:

"He's the kind of man who takes care of what's his. And, babe, you're his. You can try and fight it, try and hold on to your independence, but why would you want to when giving him you is the greatest gift you could ever give him?"



Irelynn must agree, though, because she cries to Ilya about her dead parents and her now-empty container of cookie-scented skin cream, which reminds her of her dead parents. He cuddles her and gives her a pretty dress and takes her to see the ballet. Plus she's been getting to bake with the housekeeper and hang out with his dogs. I look forward to their next date, when he buys her a pony and helps her build her Barbie Dream House.

And then he raw-dogs her in the snow.

Suuuuuuuu-WERVE.

Ilya feels bad that their first time wasn't gentle. She insists she wanted it rough. He doesn't buy it. Did she REALLY want it? Did she run in the snow because she wanted him to chase her, or was she trying to get away? Is she apologizing for his suddenly sullen mood because she feels bad, or because she regrets it all? He must know! "I want her to want me. I need her to need me." He'd love her to love him. He's begging her to beg him. And so she does.



Now Ilya has everything he wants. Irelynn has everything he was hellbent on making her think she wanted, plus the cat. He officially proposes, and she accepts, on the condition that they keep their future brood to three children, max. I don't know which sex would fare worse with him as a father. His sons would have to enter the business, but his daughters would have to become chattel. Maybe they should just stick to the dogs.

Okay, I'm tired. Let's just breeze through the rest.

Another bodyguard is a traitor. He facilitates Irelynn's second and much less sexy kidnapping. The kidnapper is the guy Ilya's been after since the first chapter. He plots to rape Irelynn in front of Ilya before selling her as a sex slave. But he decides to keep her for himself, because she's "a diamond in a sea of gemstones." Even the designated bad guy needs to think the sun shines out of the FMC's bungus.

Ilya and his men storm in, kill the traitor, chain up and torture the bad guy, and rescue Irelynn. Amazingly, her post-hostage hospital trip does not reveal that she's already pregnant. Also, Luka gets over to the States to find and kill the foster brother. Business doesn't stop just because the final battle with your worst enemy is on.

Happy family Christmas. Picture-perfect library. Blatantly spelled-out Beauty and the Beast reference. Ilya and Irelynn fuck and profess their love.



With this one? Yes. With Alannah? I certainly hope so. Her books are so predictable that they make my reviews predictable.

[Mariam · Rating 5 out of 5]

ATE. THIS. UP!!!


im a sucker for a well-written mafia romance with compelling characters, a swoony romance, and a hint of darkness behind the characters. i adore a little domesticity, chatting up the guards, besties with the chef, a pet running around the compound. throw in some stockholm syndrome, a soft fmc and an mmc who is soft for his girl (and no one else!) i fuck with it. more of a 4 star book but i admire any mafia romance that gets me excited since now ive read the entire genre and then some, so i fail to be surprised or emotional, but this one got me.

“The pretty golden blonde pup, who really isn’t a pup at all, scoots closer until she’s pressing her entire right side to the fence. I heave another sorrowful sigh. “I would pet you. I want to pet you, but the oompa loompa behind me takes orders from the aftershave ape—and he says I’m “not allowed.” I lean forward to whisper, “I think he’s just afraid you’ll love me more.”
And then a deep rumble sounds, “I have no doubt they will love you more. But until I’ve introduced you as a friend, they’re more likely to tear you to pieces. This would cause me great grief, because I would destroy anything and anyone who harmed even a hair on your head. And I happen to like my dogs very much. I would not take pleasure in destroying them.”


“You won’t flirt with my men,” he grits from between clenched teeth. “Your smiles, they’re mine. If you want to flirt, you flirt. With. Me.”
Oh, God, he’s—he’s jealous.”


“No one hears me. They’re too taken with her.
What is happening?
She’s standing close enough to touch them now. They’re both looking down at her in bewitched fascination as she tips her head back and says softly, innocently, “I’ve been kidnapped. Please, please help me.”
At this, Luka’s head whips up and his eyes land on me. He looks struck dumb.
He’s not the only one.”

[Stacey T · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Russian Mafia first in series romance with kidnappings, obsession, betrayal, and revenge. Irelynn is all alone in this world except for her cat, Lucy. She is struggling to keep them housed and fed while avoiding the advances of her boss and hoping the lies on her resume are never revealed. Ilya is the head of the Russian mafia and has finally fallen under the Volkov men family curse. When he sees and speaks to her for the first time, he knows he has met the woman that will become his wife and the only thing that could destroy him. After a brief meeting, he’s determined to have her and he will, even if it means taking her in the night. Coming to grips with being kidnapped is a struggle for Irelynn, but at least he stole her cat too. As they learn more about each other, he knows that his heart beats for her alone and she will find out that provoking a monster can have unexpected consequences.
Full disclosure – I don’t usually read mafia romances because I like my alpha males to be good guys and not running drugs, weapons and doing other illegal activities. However, I was introduced to Ilya from the series, Devils Heartbreak and was already a fan of his and wanted to read his story. I liked that this was more about the relationship between the two MC’s with a sprinkling of his business activities, except for the war with his enemy. I enjoyed the different sides of Ilya and easily understand the appeal of the dark and monstrous versus his caring and generous side. Overall, I think the story was captivating and made me want to continue reading. Not sure if I have been converted to a mafia romance fan, but definitely want to continue the journey with this Russian Bratva family. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Mags · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good. I love me a good Bratva story and this one delivered.

Irelynn live with Lucy (Lucifer) her cat in a crumby little apartment. She treats the cat like a king but barely looks after her own needs. She works at a construction firm that she lied to get in the door too with her friend Rae.

Ilya is a bratva boss with a cold dark heart. His heart doesn't work the same as normal people until she appears in his life.

Basically they briefly meet when he is at the same place that her Xmas party is being held. He then starts obsessing over her. To the point that he kidnaps her and steal her away to Russia. Turns out that his dad did the exact same thing to his mum. These Bratva men fall hard and take what they want.

He is convinced that he can get her to fall in love with him and she is convinced that it's not going to happen. It all works out in the end and is really kinda sweet.

I will say that there is a character and I didn't like him as soon as we meet him I was convinced there was something off about him and i'm happy to say I was correct. There was a slight twist to what was off about him that I didn't see coming. I felt bad for Irelynn when it came to this guy she did try with him.

There is some of the usual Bratva type stuff and then there is the business to talk care of from Irelynn past. I think i've read one to many Bratva books because I thought it was really sweet that it wasn't Ilya that took care of it for her and the fact that the let this person take care of it said alot about Ilya.

I loved the names of his dogs.

This was a the first book from this author and i'm pretty sure that it won't be the last. In fact I look forward to Kirill story and I need to go and find Kane's story.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll always love rooting for these morally grey characters.

Ilya’s heart beats for the first time the moment he laid his eyes on his Little Blue in his casino. With one look, he knew he had to have her, so he stalked her before he took her in the middle of the night and brought her to his home in Russia.

Of course Irelynn was not happy with this. She couldn’t understand how a man she met once could obsess over her, to claim he loves her and that they will be wed someday. She fought her desire and love for as long as she could until she couldn’t help but to fall in love with him.

I loved Ilya, I loved the man he was with Irelynn. How he was soft and tender but also how he would lose control with her due to his obsession with her. It was like he couldn’t breathe without her.

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about Irelynn. A part of me hates her for fighting it for so long, but the reasonable part of me understands that the situation she was put in was scary and that she was in uncharted territory. I did like that she missed him when he was gone. I loved that she felt safe with him. I loved that eventually she just wanted to please him. I loved her relationships with the animals and the people he surrounded himself with.

This book is advertised as a medium light mafia romance so don’t go in thinking it’s going to be dark. There’s some scenes here and there but this book was mostly a story of their love.

Thank you BookSirens for providing me with this ARC for my honest review. I can’t wait to read the next book.

[Michelle Frater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obsession is the name of the game, and I absolutely loved it! There’s no denying that Ilya is not a good man, but the fact that his heart beats for Irelynn alone is powerfully seductive and the way he holds himself back and refuses to take what’s not his simply shows that what he says is true. Despite her circumstances, there’s a hint of steel in Irelynn that may not be apparent at first glance. Her life (much like Ilya’s) has been empty and lonely with only her cat, Lucy as her friend. So, you may ask why is she so determined to get back to such a barren life? While there are flashes of Ilya’s cold ruthlessness and he talks of killing countless men, he remains nothing but patient with Irelynn, albeit he holds her against her will. I loved Irelynn’s cat, Lucy, who seemed to keep watch over her and gave Ilya his stamp of approval. I also loved that Ilya took Lucy with him when he kidnapped Irelynn. So, as Irelynn slowly settles into this new, unfamiliar life, makes new friends and starts to see Ilya in a whole new light, it would seem to be the beginning of the end of this story, but more is yet to come as Irelynn learns what it truly means to be part of the Bratva life.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Chloe Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

God I love a good brooding simp. And he made sure he brought her cat with them!?!?!? A true gentleman <3 Lucifer the cat supremacy. Also big shoutout to the puppers, I love that they are vicious guard dogs but all named after Disney Princesses (and I love that Lucifer was the cat in Cinderella, so their pets have an inadvertent theme! Their love was written in the stars LOL) It was a wild fun ride, and I lovedddd Ilya. 10/10, any man who builds his lady a library is a god tier book boyfriend in my book. I'm only knocking a star bc homegirl was wayyyyyyyyyy too deadset on escaping (girl you're poor to the point where you're starving yourself, your apartment is decrepit, not to mention you're on another continent, in the middle of the Russian woods on a guarded estate. What makes you think that running is even a good idea, let alone that's the life you wanna go back to!??!), and honestly I feel like there were a few loose ends with her life back in NY (you mean to tell me her only friend hasn't tried looking for her or Irelynn hasn't thought about her once? and did Ilya kill her creepy boss (please)??) that could have easily been resolved in a quick epilogue. I would love to see their story continue and can't wait to read the next book in the series!!!

[Aria Maze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Ilya!!

I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting into with this book. I saw Keeping Ruby and knew I wanted to read it so I started here. I enjoy forced marriage stories as much as the next unhinged girlie. Ilya claims he always knew he would end up seeing and loving a woman immediately as passionately just like his dad. (I need Alexei and Tara’s story.)

Irelynn is your run of the mill girl just trying to make ends meet and take care of her cat Lucifer. She crosses Ilya at a work party that’s being held at one of the casinos he owns. He takes her to his home and that’s the start of their romance(?).

I loved their tension and I adored how he doted on her. I also really liked Polina, any maternal figure in mafia/bratva/cartel romance always hits a soft spot for me.

At the end of the day I really enjoyed this. I loved the big hard Pakhan being soft for his woman. The spice was superb as well! Especially the chase scenes. It truly doesn’t get any better than that.

[Brittany (Brit.tea.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒑𝒔𝒚𝒄𝒉𝒐 𝑰 𝒂𝒎, 𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒆.

Oh, Ilya, you crazy, obsessive, psychotic romantic. 😂 I adored you!

𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒔.

Ilya takes one look at Irelynn and falls madly in love. He must know everything about her because he can’t live without her. He dr*gs and kidnaps her and takes her back to Russia with him, not before taking her cat too because she loves her cat, and who could leave Lucifer behind?

𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆.

She wakes up in a strange bed, noticing that her monster has taken her.

𝑰 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑰𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚𝒏𝒏, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏—𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈—𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆.

She tells him she’ll try to escape and never love him, but oh, little does she know that those threats only turn him on more. He has made it his life’s mission to make her fall in love with him. Oh my, the things he does and says he's crazy 😂 but I loved every minute of it.

𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑰𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚𝒏𝒏.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I 👏 love 👏 mafia 👏 romance 👏

Irelynn works a regular job and ends up at a holiday party. It is at a casino that the head of the Russian Bratva owns. They meet and he is stunned by her. She walks away from. No one walks away from him and lives to tell about it. He finds out everything he can about her, drugs her and takes her to his home in Russia. When she wakes up, she is mad. She tries to leave him, even though she finds him really attractive.

🔥Forced relationship
🔥Smoking hot MMC
🔥Captor falls first
🔥Morally grey (grey’s my favorite color)

This is your typical mafia romance. It isn’t as dark as others but it does have elements of it (on the lighter side). The spice is spicy but I feel it could be spicier, considering the circumstances he put them both in, for 5 stars.

Special thanks to #BookSirens for this #ARC to review. These opinions are my own.

#MafiaRomance #LittleBlue #Tropes #MMC #FMC #EnemiestoLovers #BookReview

[Evy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooooo I love this spin-off! Volkov brothers for the win! Ilya is everything I thought he would be, I loved it. He’s a monster but has a tenderness when it comes to Irelynn, the fact that he wanted to take Lucy as well, warmed my heart.

He once told her: “But as monstrous as I am, as lethal and dangerous, as toxic and violent, I will only ever be gentle with you. For you, I would lay down my own life. I would trade myself to an eternity of torture, simply to ensure your safety, you comfort.” So swooning. There was also a hint to a new story about Kirill, so exciting. And somehow I wish Luka and Misha will get their own story!

A really great read with some drama, suspense and romance!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sabrina Flachsmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a switch for me from the author's other books I had started with. Oddly enough, that is where I met Ilya and knew I had to read his book if he ever had one. Irelynn was a fun choice for him. In Ilya's brother Kane's book, his love interest Nevaeh had said it would take a certain woman to be with Ilya and she was right! While I struggled with falling for Ilya like I did for Kane, Irelynn had my heart from the beginning. I think the world building that Alannah does it amazing. I feel like the story is both a slow burn but also fast instalove at the same time. The men are strong alpha types but the woman have so much inner strength it's amazing. I can't wait to see what is next for the other brother.

[aleah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well finally! Something in these long months to hold my attention. A new author for me and I have to say with a few tweeks this author could go places for me.
If you want a hot alpha dominant Bratva boss who is completely a Psychopath for everyone else EXCEPT his heroine… come on down.
I love the setting , the characters and the plot.
The things that I could have done without was the writing style mainly. Less repetition please especially with the inner dialogue. The heroine was an over analyser so it became an annoying trait . More confidence queen style and less insecurities would have been fabulous. But over all I loved this. Probably could have even notched up the smex scenes a little too. Great start looking forward to digging into another one

[Magic book club · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars

,, He looks like a god of war come to claim his prize. There’s something
wild in the depths of his eyes. Something that ignites a fire deep within the
core of me, the flames wild and uncontrolled and demanding. It’s a fire only
he can sate. “

—

This is the first time I am reading something by this author and imagine my surprise when I saw that she has written a bunch of books so far. Shame on me! This book was very good, it's one of my favorite genres and I enjoyed reading it. I liked the main male character because he is careful, ignorant and full of love and patience for everyone he loves.I liked the female character less, I don't know why. I simply didn't feel anything towards her, somehow I was indifferent even though her background story was bad. As a couple they were ok, the chemistry was palpable and that's why I liked the book.

I can't wait for the next part about Kane, I liked him in this part too even though he only appeared in one chapter.


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[zanesmyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

so good

This book was so good. It’s so very well written and it captures your attention from the start. Everything about Ilya and Irelynn’s relationship, from the time they meet and he instantly becomes obsessed with her, then when he kidnaps her, and how the relationship evolves. I love how he takes to her cat, Lucifer “Lucy” for short. So many characters intertwined in their lives to love, the guard dogs, his parents, Misha his second in command, Luka the bodyguard, and Polina and Daniil , the couple that take care of his home. I didn’t want to set the book down until it ended. Can’t wait for book 2, his brother Kirill’s story.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. Loved. This. Book.

I feel like I highlighted the entire book. I totally understand where Irelynn is coming from - her anxious attachment style. I also love Ilya's persistence. Sure, it was definitely instalove on his side, but her pushing away because of past trauma is relatable. I feel that sometimes the whole kidnapping trope gets strung along quite long and becomes almost annoying, but I think this one was the right amount.

If you're looking for a hard Bratva man in decked out tacticle gear who NEVER hurts her and chases her endlessly no matter how many times she pushes him away, this is definitely the book for you.

[netty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was led here because he kidnaps her... but also her cat.

and that was about where the novelty ended. Ilya has insta love for a sad, single woman who is at his casino one night and he kidnaps her to Russia to marry her.
Irelynn started out compelling as a character to read but she got boring fast. She befriended the cook and charmed bodyguards and gets kidnapped again (ha, and right after the i love yous--I guess it could have been worse, it could have been the 'i'll never accept your job until you do horrible violent things to save me and then its fine' thing).

had potential at about 18% I was excited to come back to reading it after a break but the rest... nah

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Now, he says I’m his. My body, innocence, freedom…all his. He vows to make me love him."

This is a go to trope for me. Bratva, Mob, Mafia, Cartel, I've love them all!

The angst, the steam, the action!

This is a new to me author! So, I'm so happy to have found her!

I love a good stalker/kidnapping story line!

Ilya will have Irelynn no matter what!

Will he win her love?

Or will Irelynn find a way to go home?

I definitely enjoyed this and will be checking out the author's backlist!

[Shifty Bugger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Wow, this book felt so seductively hot, deliciously, arousing. When they connect it is explosive. She is taken from her home to wake up in another country with her cat on her chest while she looks around and then she sees him the stranger she keeps dreaming of. Ilya is Pakhan to the Bratva his father had run. He is a man that knows he wants her the first time he sees her, he never was interested in a relationship until her. Irelynn keeps trying to plan her escape.

[Tess · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was typical beauty and beast retelling(one of my favs!) but the plot was a bit stilted at times-it got boring for some reason-I think it could be the FMC and her crying. She cries a LOT! The MMC is all in from get go and she takes so much time to come around and apart from sadness there really isn't much she brings to the table. I wish she was sassy, spunky or gave a bit of fight but it kinda got repetitive & boring. Still has all the tropes that I love in a mafia lite romance so...Also wish there was a epilogue with kids...

[Bel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high expectations for this and guess what... Mmc is an asshole, walking red carpet.

He need some psychological help.

He kidnapped the Fmc, held her captive ( Alright, i read many tropes like this) but what makes me frown was his bad, very bad behavior towards her. If she is the love of his life, at least treat her like a human not as a fucking dog. Show some respect, meet her basic needs. He didn't even bother to take her shopping and never listened to her. He's damn self-centered.

Fmc is a confused doormat.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading about the members of Devil's Heartbreak and loving each one of them, I am glad to see Kane's brother, Ilya, get his own story. He believes he is worse than the devil and void of feeling and emotion until he meets Irelynn. Irelynn is young, but understands heart break and tragedy well. Their relationship built on fear and dominance becomes a relationship strengthened by love.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.