Lyssa can't resist a damsel in distress…but she'll wish she resisted this one.
The ferocious Styx Syndicate enforcer and trainer known as "the Wolf" has always been the hunter, never the hunted. So when Lyssa sees the gorgeous Scarlett getting harassed by thugs in a dive bar she's visiting for intel, she jumps straight into protective mode.
But Lyssa soon discovers that not every damsel needs saving.
And sometimes, wolves wear sheep's clothing…
Lyssa thought she'd buried her past, but now it's rushing back with a vengeance—literally. Scarlett has a score to settle, and she’s not going to back off.
The Styx Syndicate wants Scarlett dead. But Lyssa sees potential in her nemesis—and maybe something more. Something Lyssa has never allowed herself to want.
Something she didn’t think was even an option.
Can Lyssa persuade the Syndicate to give Scarlett a chance? Or will she follow orders like she always has, and destroy the one person who makes her feel like something more than a monster?
Thrown to the Wolves is part one of the Red Rivals Duet, a twisty, steamy contemporary Sapphic mafia romance based (very) loosely on the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale. Reader discretion is advised, and content notes are available on the Copyright page.
The stories get better from the first duology to present. The characters, the plot, the layers are more and more nuanced, just more everything! The world Persephone Black created with all the characters we learned to love and root for is just divine. It’s precious and such a gift to the fans.
This is my favorite of Persephone Black’s so far. The story is exciting and moving, the characters Lyssa and Scarlett have interesting backstories and great chemistry, and I was invested in the outcome.
This ends in a cliffhanger like Black’s other mafia duets so readers have to continue to book two if they want to see the story all the way through.
Voice actors Allie Shae and Megan Wicks are a good pairing and aren’t so different that it pulls you out of the story. Individually they are both excellent and I’m happy to have more appealing narrators to choose from in sapphic fiction.
I look forward to enjoying book two, Wolves at the Gate, next!
I have officially entered my Black Hole Era—and there is no coming back.
Since diving into Persephone Black’s Sapphic Mafia Universe, I’ve been in a state of absolute blissful captivity. These duets—The Underworld Duet, Bianchi Family Duet, Ruby Realm Duet, and Red Rivals Duet—are the kind of dark, deliciously intense, emotionally layered romances that refuse to let go until you’ve consumed every last word. And then? You hit replay.
Each story feels like its own world, richly built with high-stakes tension, devastatingly compelling characters, and a level of sapphic yearning that delivers—hard. Black doesn’t just write mafia romance—she elevates it. There’s blood, betrayal, forced proximity, forbidden love, vengeance, and ICE QUEENS who will freeze your heart before slowly, achingly melting into puddles of longing and love. I mean, YES please.
From the ruthless mercenary who kidnaps a bride on her wedding day, to a street-racing Irish mob daughter begrudgingly falling for her billionaire enemy, to an undercover fed losing herself in the velvet-laced world of a ladies-only mafia nightclub, to two deadly rivals whose passion burns hotter than the bullets flying around them—every duet is an experience.
And let’s talk about the audiobook narrators, because they are next-level phenomenal. Paige Reisenfeld, Aleksi Graves, Avery Reid, Quinn Riley, Megan Wicks, and Allie Shae—these voices are the characters. They don’t just read the story; they breathe it. It’s sultry, cinematic, and completely immersive. I’ve gasped. I’ve clutched my imaginary pearls. I’ve stared into space mid-scene wondering how I’ll recover (spoiler: I haven’t).
The steam? STEAMING. The sapphics? SAPPHICING. The suspense? Suspending. These duets are gripping, intoxicating, and—quite frankly—addictive as hell.
What I love most is how Persephone Black crafts these complex women—ruthless yet vulnerable, loyal yet fractured, terrifying yet so damn lovable. The romance always lands with deep emotional payoff. The slow burns burn. The character arcs arc. The tension? Chef’s kiss.
I haven’t binge-read (or binge-listened) an author like this in a long time, and I truly cannot stop myself. This universe has swallowed me whole and I’m not asking for rescue. If you’re even remotely into sapphic romance, mafia drama, or morally grey women who love hard and fight harder—start here.
4.5 ⭐️. This author just keeps getting better and better! Their ability to write these morally gray characters that you whole heartedly root for, even more so this time around, is truly magnificent! I admit that I waited to start this one until the duet was complete but I am now so excited to continue Lyssa and Scarlett’s story! Can’t wait to see how they take Grandmother down and if Ariadne is who I think she is. If you enjoy sapphic mafia romance then read these duets!!! (Especially Hadria and Aurora’s before this one)
This may be my favorite Persephone Black book yet. The MCs are easy to like and the story has a great flow to it. Plus the spice is spicing here too! lol Not a bad quick read at all.
Do I need to say I love Lyssa? I wasn't expecting this, I had an idea but idk I just wasn't expecting it like this, that doesn't mean I didn't like it, it's kind of cliche but idk I still liked it (I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY, I JUST LIKED IT)
QUOTES :P
"They have something I've never had, never wanted. Love is a weakness, a distraction, and the way Hadria has changed since Aurora only proves my point. She has something to lose, now. She has something that enemies can use for leverage."
"I should have done more. I should have tried to talk to him out of it, to find another way. But I was selfish, too focused on my own dreams to see the danger he was in."
"If I killed your brother, then he was no innocent. No saint. I don't kill good men, Scarlett."
"I find myself afraid, and I am not used to fear, Hades."
"I want justice for my brother." "Justice? or vengeance? Because those are two very different things."
"I don't want to kill Scarlett." We know Lyssa, we know ..." And if Hadria says Scarlett must die... then that's what will happen. Even if that means burying a part of myself along with her." ... "We have a reputation to uphold. There's no room for sentiment, no place for the glow of warmth that I feel when I think about Scarlett." ..."Humanity is not useful to someone like me."
"Maybe they didn't deserve to die for Adam. But none of them were innocent, Scar- and me most of all."
"You have let your goddamn feelings compromise everything."
"Because I didn't want justice, did I? That wasn't what I wanted and it wasn't what I got."
THE END? AAAAAAAAA
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Another mafia book in Bianchi universe. I just love these books. The Wolf meets her match in Scarlet. Who will come out on top. And will the Bianchi come to the wedding? Need to read this book to find some answers.
More great mob drama and steaminess from the ladies of the Styx Syndicate. This time Lyssa, deadly and hard as a diamond, meets her match, and disobey orders. Great stuff.
An entertaining well-written read. The characters are fully mafia, ruthless and relentless. But will love find that tiny chink in the Wolf’s armour? Read on in the hope that good triumphs over evil. Just don’t antagonise the Wolf.
My eyes burn from crying. This was a rough one. I was emotionally invested from the moment these 2 met. Despite knowing the inevitable was going to happen, I kinda just hoped for a miracle.
Lyssa and Scarlett are both bat shit crazy. Maybe that is what made them such a perfect pair. I mean, there's no need to mince words, these women are both violent assassin's. With that being said- violent assassin's need love too.
Secrets and lies eventually catch up with you, no matter how much you try to ignore or outrun them. Well, Scarlett and Lyssa find that out the hard way. I guess I'm perfectly okay with them choosing the angst filled route to eventual happiness because, lez-be-honest, the craziness made the sexy time that much more hot!
These 2 are made for one another and I refuse to accept the ending. Lol I'm hilarious, like I have any control over it. This is not a choose your own lesbian adventure. I'm so happy book 2 is has been released. I shall start that now so I don't sit here dwelling on things...
I really enjoyed this! I had no doubt, I love Persephone’s books. This is a dark sapphic mafia romance (make sure to check triggers). Enemies to lovers, revenge, found family, Assassin. Written in first person with 2x POV’s. 3x spicy scenes. The narrators did an amazing job with the audio to, Allie Shae and Megan Wicks.
It took me a while to work the link to the fairy tale so I enjoyed the assassins and wolves. Oh the Grandmother! What a strong character. I love the theme of choice. Great stuff
I’d never thought I would say this about a dark romance, much less a badly written one, but I’m not here for the romance I’m here for the plot, I am locked tf in
I’ll admit I wasn’t all that interested in Lyssa when reading Captive of the Crime Queen and its sequel. But as I found myself inexplicably drawn to Persephone’s writing, I knew I would read anything she offered up.
And I don’t regret it. Seeing more of the Wolf, watching someone hard and dark find a connection with someone else, that’s always a worthy journey. Add to that pure electrical sexual energy during the intimate scenes, just as there was in Captive and Consort, and Persephone has a winning combination here. The world she’s crafted draws you in as much as the characters do.
It seems like such a simple format: bad girl meets bad girl, they’re set to be enemies yet destined to become more, so much, more to one another. You know there’s going to be a betrayal and still, when it comes, you’re taken by surprise, then find yourself transfixed as you wait with baited breath to see how everything will unravel.
At the time of writing this review, the second book hasn’t been released. As I said, I came in not completely onboard with wanting to know Lyssa. Now I’m counting the sleeps for the sequel. As Captive and Consort drew me into this dark world, so too did Thrown to the Wolves.
Yes, this book is a version of the Big Bad Wolf with a lot of twists. Lyssa is looking for an assassin, but what she finds is someone that is on her same level of interest. Scarlet is someone that wants revenge When Grandma helps to take her in and train her to take a vengeance against Wolf that killed her brother They build a love that Lyssa never thought she could have but Scarlet is the assassin that has been killing the members of her family and order to kill her.Lyssa finds out that Grandma is still alive, the person that trained her to be who she is today The Big Bad Wolf but she is determined to kill Grandma for the things so has done to her and other girls. Can't wait for the next book.
Not my entire favorite. For how much the Wolf obeyed and followed Hades getting caught up on a one night stand was interestingly out of character. Again….i do understand the insta love concept but i think for this particular book it didn’t work well. That being said the plot of this book was interesting than both. Learning about Lyssa’s past was intriguing and there’s still a lot of plot that will hopefully be unwound in the next book. Scarlet was an…interesting main character. I kinda liked her but on the other hand she had a lot going on. I think the duality of her was interesting at the least.
Lyssa🥹 please my heart bleeds for her. out of everyone, she truly is the one that needs her H.E.A. shes someone who needs to put on a brave face 24/7, no matter what. shes who people are scared of. Hadrias right hand woman, her second. “the wolf” they call her. she’s so strong but so broken, much like Scarlett. These two are perfect for eachother. they are so similar, they see themselves in eachother, and i know they are gonna build eachother back up and be the best version of themselves.
I can’t wait to see what the next book has in store for them
This story I was not prepared for. It continues with Lyssa following a lead where Yuri was before he was found dead. Also a stiletto heal to the heart. Things quickly get out of hand and now Lyssa has a women she is protecting. But Lyssa quickly realizes that Scarlett is not innocent but is indeed the Stiletto killer of her men. This story took us to a place where Lyssa is trying to gather information before she gets killed. We learn a lot about Lyssa’s past, one which comes back from the dead. All exciting stuff. Ending with a bit of a surprise. On to the next book in this series.
I can't help but devour Persephone Black's books! I just finished the Red Rivals Duet and ...😱🤯🥰. I went through all the feels with this one!
Scarlett and Lyssa are both highly trained killers. They are both part of the dark underground world that forces them to be enemies. They should not be attracted to each other. Their story is one of vengeance, loyalty, redemption, rebirth, and, of course, love.
I honestly like the duet format because it seemingly gives you a break in the story... but I've been jumping immediately into the next one every time. They're just that good!
This is my first Persephone Black book and I'm in love!
Since I hadn't read any other books before this there were some characters in the same universe I didn't know. But the author did a good job making sure readers still get a sense of who those people were without previous knowledge.
Lyssa and Scarlett had great chemistry. I love those side characters as well. I appreciated that the writing was very conscious. I think if it wasn't, a lot of it would be cringy. So glad it wasn't the case. I can't wait to read book 2 in the series!
I really enjoyed the main series with Hadria and Auoura very much, but Lyssa was more my kind of lady. Seeing her here, as the main POV and focus with her struggles; wonderful. Scarlett was a good energy to match her, and I was definitely enthralled by their enemies to lovers/violence back and forth. The end had me in tears, and I'm incredibly looking forward to the next one at the end of the month.
Love this storyline! The heat and emotional roller coaster that Black paints throughout this storyline are perfect. I love the chemistry between the characters and the plot has me sitting on edge waiting to start the next book. I highly recommend reading this story but be prepared the cliffhanger is a doozy and I already have gotten the next book to follow through!
After reading the first two books in Hadria's perspective, I couldn't get enough! One of my favorite authors for WLW smut! Just the right amount while still having a solid plot line and keeping me hooked until the last word. You won't be disappointed!!
This book was crazy!! Badass characters all around, it’s a very exciting story from the beginning and absolutely enjoyed reading this book. Loved the twists and mystery you’re left with for book 2.
Giving this a 4/5 because it wasn’t as spicy/ steamy as I was hoping. Maybe that wasn’t the point of the book anyway because the story is great on its own, but was hoping for more.
Another fantastically captivating storyline from the mafia queens! This duology has everything - action, twists, turns, romance and spice!
The chemistry between the MCs has depth, builds well and packs a punch! Definitely worth a listen. This author is just smashing it and has quickly become one of my auto purchases when she releases new material!
This book will stab you in the heart, stitch you up, make love to you like no other and then rip your throat out only to be left to wonder what happens next
I cried and cursed and got hot in places other than my anger and if it wasn't on my kindle I would have thrown it across the room on a few occasions