Dark Prince

by K.C. Crowne

"Be a good girl and do as you're told,"
His baritone voice thunders through the hall.

Attending a sinister party with my stepmother...
The knowing eyes of strangers send chills down my spine.
Suddenly, a horrifying truth dawns on me: this isn't just any party.
It's my GOD D*MN wedding night.

Towering above me, a foot and a half taller…
Lukyan Ivanov.
Coldhearted killer. Feared by all. Including me.
My stepmother sold my soul to the devil himself to repay her debts.
My plan: escape.
But a plot twist stops me dead in my tracks.

I get pregnant with Lukyan's child,
And he transforms into someone entirely new:
A devoted husband who'll unleash hell to protect his family.


Readers note: This is full-length standalone, Russian mafia/bratva, forced marriage, age-gap romance in the Silver Fox Daddies series.

Genres: Romance, Dark Romance, Mafia Romance, Contemporary, Smut, Forced Proximity, Dark

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 17, 2024

About the author

️‍🔥Silver Fox Daddies (complete standalones)
1. Doctor Daddy
2. Taboo Daddy
3. Daddy's Best Friend
4. Daddy's Law
5. My Ex-Boyfriend's Dad
6. Daddy's Girl
7. My Ex-Best Friend's Daughter
8. Secret Daddy
9. Christmas with Dad's Best Friend
10. Vegas Daddy
11. Daddy's Obsession
12. Royal Daddy
13. Irish King
14. My Ex's Dad
15. Daddy's Orders
16. His Demands
17. The Arrangement
18. Sold to my Ex's Dad
19. Sexting the Silver Fox
20. Nanny for the Don
21. Dark Christmas
22. Sexting the Don
23. Boss Daddy
24. Forbidden Vows
25. Sinful Union
26. His Son's Ex
27. Under His Control
28. Masked Seduction

️‍🔥Chicago Bratva Series (shared world, bratva family)
1. Dark Prince
2. Dark Obsession
3. Dark Seduction

️‍🔥Antonov & Nicolaevich Bratva Series (shared world, bratva family)
1. Highest bidder
2. Bratva Daddy
3. Owned by the Bratva
4. Knocked up by the Bratva
5. Ruthless Rival
6. Scarred Prince
7. The Closer
8. Brother's Best Friend
9. Devil's Nuptials

️‍🔥For Her Pleasure, Reverse Harem Books (complete standalones)
1. Four Daddies for Christmas
2. Christmas Triad
3. Her Independence Day
4. Quadruple Daddies
5. Bossed by 3 Billionaire Brothers
6. Four Stepbrothers for Christmas
7. Christmas with Four Tattoo Artists
8. Men on a Mission
9. Christmas with Four Firemen
10. Dirty Cowboys
11. Big Bad Mountain Brothers (Menage)

️‍🔥Doctors of Denver Series (shared world, small town doctors)
1. Doctor's Secret
2. Doctor's Surprise Delivery
3. Irish Doctor's Secret Babies
4. Triplets for the Millionaire
5. Doctor's Baby Plan
6. New Zealand Doctor's Baby
7. Doctor's Duties
8. Billion Dollar Mistake
9. Irish Doctor's Gift
10. Irish Doctor's Orders
11. Irish Doctor's Valentine
12. Lucky Charm
13. Secret Babies for my Best Friend's Dad
14. Secret Baby Next Door
15. Secret Babies for the Mafia Doctor
16. Secret Babies for my Dad's Best Friend
17. The Doctor Who Stole Christmas

️‍🔥Mountain Men of Liberty Series (shared world, small town mountain men)
1. Baby for the Mountain Man
2. Junior for the Mountain Man
3. Knocked Up by the Mountain Man
4. Baby for Daddy's Best Friend
5. Triplets for the Mountain Man
6. Taken by the Mountain Man
7. Mountain Man's Secret Baby
8. Mountain Man's Accidental Surprise
9. Quadruplets for the Mountain Man
10. Delivering His Gifts
11. Mountain Man's Fate
12. Mountain Man's Lucky Charm
13. Mountain Man's Rival
14. Small Town Mountain Daddy
15. Mountain Man's Gift
16. Mountain Man's Christmas Surprise
17. Mountain Man's Valentine
18. Big Daddy
19. Fireworks with Three Mountain Men
20. Faking Mr. Right

️‍🔥Bearded Brothers (shared world, small town mountain men)
1. Her Mountain Daddy
2. Beauty and the Beard
3. Built and Bearded
4. Bride and Beard

Connect with me anytime!
https://authorkccrowne.com/pages/contact

Reviews

[Laquisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weak Tea😫

You know how sometimes you see a cup of tea and it looks like because of the dark color it will be a strong cup of tea but when you drink it , it’s very weak- almost no flavor! Well this book was the same way. The cover was intriguing as well as the synopsis, it was anything but. There were just too many loose ends. Lukyan started off hot, broading and fierce. I just knew he wasn’t to be messed with. Maura seemed likable at first but no! She was one of the dumbest, immature, impulsive females I have read about. She was just cringy. She told others about her pregnancy and not her husband, she kept getting taken because again she was dumb and impulsive. At one point I was like Lukyan just leave her be🤦🏽‍♀️. She wants to get kidnapped and tortured😂 The H handled a kidnapping with all the smarts of a chicken with his head missing. I wanted to throw my reading device because come on!!!!!! Lukyan’s ex made an appearance, for what I don’t know it really didn’t make a lot of sense. Maura didn’t tell her husband information she found out that was crucial and this was not mentioned again. There was a scene where her husband was basically leading her around in a chain like a dog. I didn’t think it was sexy and skipped. Authors bdsm is played out. Give it up! Besides no one did it better than Christian Grey anyways🤭. Also I was not buying the fact that she all of a sudden wanted her family legacy and was killing it at running the family business when she could not even make the smart decision about her crazy step mom. No real conversation or connection with her husband but all of a sudden they were saying I love you. I think I have read this author before but don’t remember the books being this bad. I will be skeptical about reading anymore because I did not enjoy this book at all!

[Teju A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caught!

Not my genre, Very quick read, a tad cheesy, but hey, not complaining. I'm going back to my lane now 😊

Solid 3.5 star!!!!

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

We get zero. Absolutely zero conversations between the H and h and then two months in they say I love you. Lots of loose strings. Predictable plot.

Maura just kept running away, how is she getting past this fortress of security. How are people getting inside the “fortress” not once but twice despite everyone fearing the Bratva.

Luk doesn’t reprimand Maura for running away ever just allows it to happen, again. The Bratva details were so vague and generic it felt like I was reading a story written by a very amateur author.

Liam comes back to take over the empire that he was ran off from by the step mom. Bro be fucking foreal. Felt like a last ditch effort for the author to tie up some loose ends. Why have Luk go meet other bosses to threaten them to just not even use them later on in the story they weren’t necessary to dedicate multiple pages to if you weren’t going to mention them again

Maybe I missed it but we don’t see them discuss the age of Maura OR Luk (although it’s implied he’s older) so how is this an age gap silver fox daddy book? It’s implied that Maura is young since she’s a Virgin but we get no actual age


I LOVEEEEE terrible quality and cheesy mafia books with marriage of convenience but this was so lacking I skimmed the pages that’s how bad this book truly was

[Teree & · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is this an AI created book?

Seriously. Very poor character development. Ridiculous use of exaggerated complex phrases that make no sense. There’s no true concept of time. She just met him. She loves him. She’s was kept in the house sooo long. (I think it was 2 months?) Someone is trying to kill her but she needs her freedom. Her father completely sheltered her, but she’s going to run the family mob because she’s so smart & strong? They’re so honest with each other, yet she keeps secrets. I made myself finish this book. I’m not happy that I did. Hints of BDSM that weren’t really. Very little spice, which would’ve been fine had the story been better developed.

[BookishAnya]

DNF

[Pam Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Potential is there for more stars

First, let me say this could easily become a 4 star review.

However, there are basic editorial issues throughout the book. Some are extremely easy fixes and I knocked off a full star because they are glaringly obvious, most specifically consistent failure to apply quotation marks st the beginning of remarks. Second, the failure to look over sentences to make sure words weren’t missing. Thus, correctly describing/relaying the story. I noted the one specific instance where an internal conversation happens - “want me to go to jail.” When it should be “wants me to go to the jail.” There were many more, but I got tired of identifying them. I’m a reader not the editor. I was going to DNF, but I felt I should give the storyline a fair shot.

I also want to talk about the Series name. I feel if a reader who was looking for an Age Play book might be very surprised it isn’t one and who feel mislead by the use of “daddies”. This read is more of a light erotica/bdsm book. In fact, the author seemed to not know the direction of BDSM relationship she wanted to display as it was varied throughout the book.

It’s definitely an interesting twisted Cinderellaish storyline, but it drags in places.

Here is my romance book review:

Action ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Believable storyline & overall plot ⭐️⭐️
Entertainment 🌟🌟🌟
Spicy 🌶️ 🌶️
Triggers 🚩🚩
Writing style & written format ⭐️ (needs editing)

Overall a solid 2/5

Note the lower the 🚩 the better, meaning not many triggers & defines it as a romantic read not dark romance.🥰

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of the Sliver Fox Daddies series hang on we have an evil stepmother who does the unthinkable to her stepchild and I will say you might want to make sure to double check that you are buckled up, dangerous men, alpha’s personified, possessive, oh, gorgeous, brooding all the makings of a story consisting with three D’s (dark, delicious, and dirty) 😊. There will be suspense, betrayal, death, darkness, secrets reveled, violence, hope, forgiveness, and maybe even love along the way! Maura all she has ever wanted was freedom from the evil stepmother who has treated her badly all her life dreams, hopes for it, but knows that is one dream that won’t come true because her stepmother is forcing her into an arranged marriage with a man she has never met rumor has it that he isn’t a very nice man, and she has lived with downright cruel her whole life now she is forced marry into the same treatment or so she thinks until she meets him. Luk sexy as all get out dark Prince doing his duty as expected of him to marry never thinking she will mean anything more to him than his duty but the moment he laid eyes on her he was going and top that with the wedding kiss well he knows he has been blessed with someone like her is beyond him. The magnetic pull between the two of them can’t be ignored so they fight together for their love despite how it began but there are threats against Maura unsure who the culprit it, doing investigations leads her to one person but before anything could be done of course he saves her but will they ever have a chance to settle down living a normal life, will her dreams of freedom come true with a man who accepts, loves her, will they find out who is making threats against her, why they are making them, and will they get the happiness they both seek?

[Tabatha Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ambushing the bride with surprise forced marriage? Sign me up. At least, in theory. This had a lot of potential but it just didn’t get there.

There was zero chemistry between the MMC and the FMC. Seriously, zero. It was extremely underwhelming. No tension could build between them because the heroine just immediately went along with everything. The hero was fine. He wasn’t particularly interesting.

The FMC has multiple TSTL moments despite being involved in this life her entire life. She was impulsive, selfish and stupid.

Virgin h
No condoms
Mild OW drama
No OM drama
No cheating
No sharing
No scenes with others
No separation
No third act breakup
HEA
Epilogue

Safety - the OW pops up a couple times, once trying to entice H to take her as mistress - he declines. She pops up again to irritate h. Nothing comes of it.

[Shifty Bugger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This was an astonishing book to read once you start you won't be able to stop until the end, the story was written well and the characters were amazing. This story was about Lukyan and Maura, this story gave you everything with a bit of Cinderella, action, drama, danger, Mafia, deliciously dark, sold to the highest bidder, kidnapping, abuse,drugged, twist, greed, secrets, lies, betrayal, chemistry between them was hot and electric and plenty more emotions throughout this book.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dreams✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t do it…. Just don’t.

[ria · Rating 1 out of 5]

(it may or may not contain spoilers, I dunno?)

The most confusing and disappointing book i've read so far…🫠
i thought i had skipped pages when i read that maura felt ‘safe’ with luke, and i was like???? girl, since when???? they basically never had any dialogue. Maura talked to Lily more than she did with Luk

The book seemed more about Brava's business than a romance... and when he says he loved her, HOW???? 0 dialogue, almost 0 romance and suddenly they loved each other????
Don't let me get started on the fact that Maura was described several times as ‘fierce’,"brave" and etc... once again HOW??? where does that come from?? at what point did she show herself to be fierce??? Even Luk didn't seem ‘gentle’ or ‘cold’ or even ‘brutal’.

Then when she's had several attempts to be uanlived and Luk tries to protect her, what does Maura do? b*tches about it and complains and on top of that, Elena doesn't co-operate 🤦🏾‍♀️
If I were Luk, I'd have lost patience and let her be taken away... ungrateful girl.
So when "the bomb" really goes off on her side, what does Elena do? - I know she didn't know but still, she shouldn't have got involved - She tells Luk to leave Maura alone, because she's too ‘brave’ and ‘fierce’ and to let her sort it out.
5 minutes later what does she do?? she goes into despair with Luk because she realises that something wrong has happened FFS💀

And the part where Maura doesn't let Luk unalive her stepmom bc they need to be ‘the better person’... GIRL! THIS IS THE FREAKING MAFIA???? they were LITERALLY trying to destroy her and then they need to be ‘the better person’?? pls send some help.
it had potential but unfortunately it was just not good.🥲
0 chemistry
0 character development- but it seems like there was -I'm being ironic- we just don't read about it throughout the plot and in fact it seems more like the characters were abducted and exchanged for others.
0 romance (basically)
Mega confusing
Then they had the AUDACITY at the end to say their relationship's foundation was "honesty"and "transparency"? Sure, it was so obvious since Maura spent more than 50% of the book hiding something from Luke.🤡

I tried my best to like this book, i almost dnf'it but i read to the end bc i'm not a quitter-most of the time- but nothing changed my opinion and look, this book, had my FAVOURITE tropes 😭


PS: absolutely NO hate towards the author, this is just my opinion.
i'm sure other people loved this book... that wasn't me unfortunately.
I've tried to be as gentle as possible with the review and if it seems that I wasn't, my sincere apologies to the author for the lack of kindness. ❤️‍🩹

PPS: sorry for the amount of
Typos 💀

[Nicole Bragg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler Alert

This book started out strong. Maura was forced to marry Luk but they were instantly attracted to each other. He wanted to marry her, don’t know what his true feelings for her were. But he was in this all the way. Once Maura saw him, she figured she’d make the best of this marriage.

The marriage was consummated on their wedding night and from that point on there was no lies, deceit, or duplicity. Things were going well. But what made me give this book 3 stars was her deceit as time went on.

At the wedding reception there was an attempt made on her life. Luk stopped it and vowed to find out who would dare to kill his bride. Well there were several more attempts and Maura decides that she wants to get to the bottom of this herself.

She recognizes one of her assailants and goes to her old neighborhood after sneaking out of the house where there was yet another attempt. I mean duh, if she had information tell your husband the “Bratva Boss” who’s already investigating this. Later, she gave her sister in law the slip along with the bodyguards.

How stupid can you be to continue to lie and connive, dodge and ditch, putting people in more danger than they had to be.

Elena, her sister-in-law told her the first day she met her how important it was to always tell Luk the truth. And she didn’t. Yes, they had to get to know each other. But there was no reason to distrust each other. Their relationship might as well had been love at first sight as easy as they got along and fell into a groove of married life and normalcy. (As much normalcy as you can have being a Bratva boss or being married to one)

I just couldn’t believe, she ran off again. Why won’t she confide in her husband and stop leaving him in the dark. He’s doubling security details, all to keep her safe and flounces that in his face. To hell with your efforts, I need to do this on my own. How dumb.

I had the hardest time reading to the end because I really couldn’t get pass her stupidity.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Prince is the eighteen book in the Silver Fox Daddies Series. A full-length standalone novel with no cheating or cliffhanger and complete with a happily-ever-after. A beautifully crafted story with complex characters and a twisty and fascinating storyline that grabs the reader attention from the first chapter and keeps you hooked and on the edge of your seat and turning the pages. A dark, twisted, fast paced and thrilling read. An addicting and unputdownable story. Immerse yourself in a world of heart-stirring emotions. Hang on to your kindle and make sure that you have cleared up your schedule for this tantalizing story. This is Lukyan and Maura story which is told from a dual point of view. A dark mafia romance, billionaire romance, touch-her-and-die romance, virgin heroine romance, polar opposite attracts romance, taboo romance, contemporary romance, organize crime story, Bratva romance, arranged marriage romance, forced proximity romance, aged gap trope romance, enemies-to-lovers romance, hate-to-love vibes story, romantic suspense romance, forced marriage romance, surprise pregnancy romance, possessive badboy romance, auction/sold romance, bought/own romance, protective hero romance, protector romance with lies, deception, secrets, emotions, angst, passion, betrayal, enemies, action packed, anger, hurt, drama, possessiveness, murder, obsession, threats, attacks, violence, pawn, attempted murder, scorching hot passion, breeding, kidnapping, mystery, danger, kink, twists and turns, suspense, survival, revenge, retaliation, revelations, greed, steam and love.
Lukyan Ivanov is head of the Ivanov Russian Bratva and the most feared man in Chicago. He's ruthless, cold-hearted, dangerous and powerful. Mafia princess Maura Flanagan is the daughter of the deceased Irish mafia boss. She's beautiful, sheltered, challenging and fierce. Maura was invited to gala and was accompanied by her cruel, monstrous and evil stepmother. She didn't know what was going on until she saw the looks on the guests faces that it wasn't an ordinary party but in fact her wedding night. She was sold to a cold-hearted killer was feared by all and she wasn't no exception. Her step-mother had sold her to worst man in city all because she owe him a debt that her son caused. Maura is the heir to the Flanagan empire but after her father's sudden death her step-mother had took over as if it belong to her and had made some questionable decisions that puts organization in jeopardy.
She had never met Lukyan before but yet her step-mother tells her that she has to marry him. But the night of the wedding there was an attempted assassination on Maura's life and lot more there of because Maura is hard-headed and is determined to figure out who was behind the attempts. Lukyan ruthlessness and vicious actions saved her life. Luk and Maura may have started out rough but they eventually grew to love each other and when he found out that she was carrying his heir he did a complete one eighty and was so protective of her. Maura continually puts herself in danger with Lukyan coming to her rescue. He searches to see who was attempting to kill his wife and when he found them he took care of the problem. Maura eventually grew in her own and became the Bratva queen that Lukyan was looking for and they both ran the Bratva and Flanagan Irish mafia together. Maura's step-mother had lots of ideas for the Flanagan's empire and she couldn't do that with Maura around. There was also other external threats who wanted her gone. But Lukyan by her side the two was able to eradicate the threats. She was one evil, vile and despicable human being.

I received an advanced copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Teigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to read another book by this author, I really did. But this was just complete and utter dog shit.

Now hear me out because it did start out okay to begin with.

Maura (FMC) is at a ceremony/party event but there's no theme to it until the stepmother declares that it's her wedding night. Stepmother's bodyguard drags her out to "get ready" even though she just sits in the dressing room doing fuck all.

As Maura is dragged to the end of the aisle, Luk (MMC) whispers "Be a good girl and do as you're told." - what happened to hello? My name is? How are you? What happened to that?

A guy tries to shoot Maura but Luk beats the shit out of the guy. Very good husband even though they haven't had a proper conversation yet. BUT then Luk holds her arm and tells her it's time to consummate the marriage. Bro couldn't wait like even a minute from killing the guy?

They do the deed and Maura is a virgin, he already knows this but he "bottoms out" and doesn't take it too gentle with her. For a virgin, you'd think she'd be in a bit of pain or have a little blood? Nooo this fmc begs for more and tries to get him to go deeper?!

It skips a few weeks, Maura is in a flower shop and his ex (Laurel) tells her to be careful because he's into "dark" stuff. She goes home and finds a collar with nipple clamps on her bed? They don't even use it. There's no dark kinks.

Chapter 13 - she has the door locked, she's sleeping, wakes up, a guy injects her in the arm with something, Grigory breaks the door down (despite Luk not being able to last chapter), then the guards run in and escort the attacker out?

So while this man is trying to find out who keeps attempting to and attacking his wife, it goes into her POV for chapter 16.

Chapter 16 - she knows the attacker but won't tell anyone and she's planning on sneaking out after she was just attacked?

It then skips two months later. From what we've seen they've had sex twice and not even 4 conversations yet between then two main characters yet he's "head over heels" SUREEE. Bro she's been attacked more times than a real conversation between the two of them.

She's been attacked 3 times and just ended up in hospital yet he's telling her to stay in the mansion where it's safe and she's arguing that she doesn't want to.

"So you are saying I'm your prisoner now?" - HE'S TRYING TO PROTECT YOU FFS.

She tells a maid that she's pregnant and all her information and what she needs help with to stop who's attacking her. TELL YOUR HUSBAND HE'S LITERALLY A MAFIA LEADER AND TRYING TO SAVE YOU!

There was no romance here. She's a stupid fmc for running out so many times and being so fucking naive. No brain cells at all. Manages to get out of zip ties within 2 minutes somehow? He's not even in the picture unless it's for sex or a gun fight trying to save the fmc.

Don't waste your time reading this book unless you love a dumbass FMC and an absent MMC in an arranged marriage.

[Claudia |✨Cushin Violeta's Bookish Realm✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝑨 𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒓 🔥

🆆🅷🅰🆃 🆃🅾 🅻🅾🅾🅺 🅵🅾🆁🆆🅰🆁🅳 🆃🅾:

🧨 Arranged Marriage
🧨 Mafia Romance
🧨 He's the bratva head
🧨 She's the plot twist in the evil stepmother's plan
🧨 She's from the Irish Mafia family
🧨 Family Secrets and drama
🧨 V1rg1n h
🧨 Chemistry that'll make you gasp with its intensity

🅼🆈 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆:

This one sweeps you off your feet right from the start.
A twisted plot of selfishness turns into a life changing fate for the sweet Maura when she's tricked into marrying the head of the Russian Bratva, Luk Ivanov.

One random party and the next moment, Maura is told that this would be her wedding. I really felt both scared and nervous for Maura as she has only heard scary tales of her infamous husband and how deadly he is.

But I have to say that first night together... I just didn't expect it to be so special and different and intense.
Luk and Maura might be complete strangers but when they come together, there's no denying the blazing sparks of Chemistry between them.
I was gasping and breathless from all the passion and Intensity displayed between them for sure.

But there's someone out there that's making constant moves to take out Maura and as Maura's life seems to be in danger now, Luk has to find out who's behind it all before the enemy is successful in taking out his new family.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Maura going from the shy and sweet girl to a girl who might have to stay in her husband's shadow yet successfully makes moves of her own and takes drastic actions that help her unravel the greater mystery behind the suspicious attacks on her life.

Maura is definitely one not to cower and her strength made me root for her.

This story takes us on a ride as both Luk and Maura independently strife to unravel the hidden clues and find the culprit.
There's an action riddled path with pleasant surprises and the bond between Luk and Maura just made me sigh as I was so not expecting them to make me feel so much but I was definitely sighing over the way they come closer and become stronger together.

Maura's friendship with Elena and Lily was absolutely sweet and Heart-warming.

Looking forward to more from this series. Loved this one.💗💗💗

[Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me say … the writer knows what they’re doing. Everything is edited, grammar is correct, and vocabulary is stellar.

The character arcs and story development is very subpar.

The main characters immediately have sex and fall in love, there’s no thoughts or internal dialogue that actually makes sense. Now don’t get me wrong, I love an “immediate obsession” narrative, but when I say there’s nothing there … no rhyme or reason. She’s a virgin but she immediately lays down for her arranged marriage husband without a second thought, he’s obsessed and he doesn’t even describe how she looks to him ever.

The dialogue doesn’t flow well and at times sounds like it’s from a ABC show.

There’s tons of description but no development to the story. You’ll read two whole chapters of just describing things and then action will happen without any lead up. All that description and I’m not sure how we even got here.

And then for two characters that seem like they’re supposed to be “smart” … at least that’s how the other characters describe them … they’re pretty dumb. I mean the stepmom asks for her inheritance, they attempted her life twice, she can personally link her assassin to the neighborhood her stepmom runs, the priest all but tells her it’s probably her stepmom. But then she still has to call a lawyer, then chapters later reads his notes and is like “omg maybe it’s my stepmom!!” And then the lawyer is dead because of a car accident the night he finds the evidence, and then she goes “I wonder if my stepmom killed him?” Well … not sh*t??? Aren’t you supposed to be smart, because I knew what her stepmom killed mamma was on in Chapter 4 and we in Chapter 27.

Ultimately, I’ve written less of a review for much worse books. But one thing my English teacher said to me, “I don’t mark up C papers… it’s a waste of time for me and them. I only mark up A & B papers because their effort deserves effort from me.”

So girl, if this is not a coincidence based app subscription, I’m downloaded your book off KindleUnlimited, and you have proper grammar, vocab, and ideas. We need to work on the character arcs and storylines… please.

I got halfway through the book before reading became mechanical and I had to bow out.

[Rebmay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book grabbed my attention right from the first page. A nasty and malicious stepmother, an arranged marriage to a dark, dangerous and intimidating stranger…..what’s a rather innocent pawn like Maura to do? She has no choice but to marry Lukyan (Luk), a member of a powerful Bratva family in payment for a debt owed by someone else. She acknowledges a strange pull toward her groom, but dread soon outweighs that feeling, especially when she is suddenly the target of an armed assailant. That is when she gets her first glimpse of the smouldering violence of this stranger to whom she is now married. Living a sheltered life up until then has in no way prepared her for what is to come as she assumes her role as a Bratva wife.

Maura soon realizes there are many sides to her enigmatic husband including a protective warrior, a dominant and demanding lover, a charming companion, and a brutal and intimidating boss. There is also a surprising tenderness and warmth to him when they are alone. Luc makes his own discoveries about his new wife. Beyond her beauty and innate sensuality, she is smart, has a formidable inner strength, and is capable of making quick adaptations to most situations. Maura quickly endears herself to the staff and his family alike. Theirs is an epic love story riddled with secrets, betrayals, unknown enemies, danger and suspense. They become an ultimate power couple, fiercely loyal and absolutely devoted to each other. Neither expected an arranged marriage would result in an everlasting love.

I thoroughly enjoyed this rather dark and intense book. I would give it more than five stars if I could and would recommend to those who love their romance to be on the darker, spicier side with a good dose of suspense.

[Karen Nastasio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read and I enjoyed how these two come together but end up being the perfect couple. Maura Flanagan is an Irish Mob princess that was never interested in that kind of life but when her father died her evil Stepmother has taken over and is ruining her family’s name and with both her Stepmother and Stepbrother racking up debts that they can’t pay for so her Stepmother sells her off to clear there debts to the Russian Bratva Mob and Leader Lukyan Ivanov. When Maura is taken to a party she’s not sure what it’s about and whe she see’s a gorgeous man staring at her she soon realizes it’s a wedding and she is the bride. Lukyan Ivanov is the ruthless leader of the Russian Bratva who has decided to take a wife when he is offered the Irish Princess as payment of the debts that are owed and he agrees but when he see’s his bride for the first time he is capvated by her beauty and so learns she new nothing about being married off but when someone try’s to kill his new wife he vows to protect her and to find them and make them pay. Maura is intrigued and scared of Lukyan because of all the rumors but when he is with her he is different and treats her well and the closer they get the stronger the bond between them grows and there sizzling nights together have now resulted in Maura being pregnant and Lukyan is thrilled and very protective for her more so now but someone is still trying t take her life and that of his unborn child. How does it all turn out in the end well get this book to find out.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Korkoi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her Unexpected Love Connection -
Maura had no choice but to resign herself to her fate of being forced by her stepmother into an arranged marriage, but she never expected the inexplicable pull she felt towards her new husband from the moment they kissed. Luk didn’t expect to be attracted to his innocent looking wife, but he realised after spending time inside and outside the bedroom, that he could be himself without limits.

Unfortunately, their relationship didn’t run smoothly, as there was a continuous threat on Maura’s life, but it was proving difficult to pinpoint the culprit. Regrettably, Maura’s secret investigation was discovered by the culprit and her life was put in jeopardy, Luk was able to save her. Just as they settled back into their lives and were enjoying their life changing news, their lives were disrupted again, but this time Maura had the confidence to fight for her freedom, so they could get the life of happiness they wanted.

This is a deeply moving and twisted romance story, that drew me in from the first page and kept my attention all through to the end. The story has everything you would expect to find in a bratva romance story and more, which made it a worthwhile reading experience.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ragu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Prince! Oh my W.O.R.D Ms. Crowne this book is beyond - well anything I can say! Amazing, A Must Read, Terrific, Spellbinding, Gripping, Frustrating and so much more. Maura the daughter of a deceased Irish Mafia Head that has since passed has suddenly found herself at a huge fancy party, celebration if you will at her father’s mansion that her disgusting step-mother is in the process of destroying everything her father built by her frivolous spending and idiocy; Maura keeps asking what the party is all about, why, who for, etc. when she looks across the room and sees the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen in her life staring at her. Lukyan Ivanov the Head of the Russian Mafia. Her step-mother had arranged this marriage without her knowing. This story has everything you are looking for, action, mystery, suspense, danger and a relationship that is full of passion. Can Maura learn to love Lukyan? Can and will they work with each other to figure out and take care of this issue? Will they navigate the danger around every corner in order to get to their HEA? THIS IS A MUST READ!! One of the better books I’ve read in a long time. I highly recommend. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Terry Sasada · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. You never think you’re gonna vote for what otherwise would be called the bad guys. In this book, it is the Bratva, otherwise known as the Russian mob in Chicago. Maura grew up in that life, better. Father kept her separate as much as he could. Now, thanks to her stepmother she is being forced into a marriage to Luk the head of the strongest mob in Chicago. Her stepmother is so evil in this book, it is easy to love to hate this woman. Luk and Maura struggle to find their way as a married couple. But from the first night, neither one could fight the attraction to each other. Luk no he had found the one in Maura. She is strong, independent, and beautiful inside and out. Now all he hast to do is keep her safe because someone is out to kill her and attempts have been made on her life. he comes to her rescue over and over, but it will never end until they can find out who it is that wants her dead. Now that she is pregnant there is so much more to lose. This book is exciting, dangerous, and very hard to put down, I loved every minute of this book. The author did an amazing job with character, descriptions and plots within plots. Such an excellent book with an amazing happily ever after.

[Julianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - 47%

You know those stupid women in horror movies who run UPSTAIRS instead of out of the front door while being chased by the killer? Maura is that girl.

Literally such an annoying and frustrating read.

Maura is.. an idiot. "I reply with a newfound determination 'No secrets.'" pg. 48... Then proceeds to keep MULTIPLE secrets that have the potential to get her killed.

Her stepmother had her bodyguard beat Maura - Maura lies to Luk about the bruises.

Maura recognizes her would be assassin as someone from where she is from - doesn't tell anyone.

Maura decides to investigate the assassin herself by leaving the safety of Luk's home and goes to where she is from - almost gets her killed. Shocker.

Luk brings her home and although the inner dialogue is saying that she thinks of them as a team she STILL doesn't tell him a goddamn thing when he says he is going to have a meeting with the bratva to figure everything out... Like... Maura is holding all the cards and everything would EASILY be solved if she just opened up to her husband.

That's where I stopped reading. Maura was acting like a spoiler brat and creating an island of her own making.

It would also benefit from a lot of editing.

[Smutzilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time connecting with the characters, they were a bit wooden and we didn't really get much sense of who they were other than the standard aura of big meany bratva & his sweet virgin wife.

The sex scenes were a bit formulatic and over quickly, but they don't actually spend any time together other than sex until the end of the book.

It's alluded that Luk knew of and had seen Maura before their wedding, but it's not actually elaborated on. A lot of things that would have built up their dynamic like that are not delved into. Especially the age gap. We know he's the oldest in the family and she's an innocent mafia princess but beyond that there's no real evidence that they even have an age difference as we never know their ages which was a bit confusing at its in the title.

I've read the author's books before and enjoyed them, but this one could have done with some more refinement, I think.

On the plus side, this bratva man is heavy on consent and gently introduces her into a pretty healthy D/s dynamic and respects her boundaries, which was great to see!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mafia Wife · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love it, but I liked it. Maura doesn't find out she is getting married until she is at her wedding celebration and everyone else seems to know what is going on while she is trying to figure it out. Forced to the alter, she doesn't meet her husband until they say their vows. There is mafia drama at the wedding that precipitates their quick retreat from the party. She is a virgin, standing in a hotel room with a man she has never even spoken to before when he tells her to remove her dress and she falls in line. She quickly gives up the Vcard with little thought or even lead up, it seems stilted and odd. The description of the spicy scenes seems formulatic and detached. There is no emotion, getting swept up in the moment, passion or otherwise. It feels off putting. The idea started out well but it just fell apart for me after that. It wasn't horrible, but the lack of feeling did not endear me to the characters or story. There are moments when the language relaxes, but the majority is forced and formal. The storyline works, the plot is laid out well.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let’s talk about this book. To put it mildly, it was a bit of a slog to get through. The storyline just dragged on and on, making it feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable read. I found myself skipping pages because, honestly, I just couldn't find anything compelling to keep me engaged.

The main characters didn’t help much either. The hero? Stiff as a board. Nothing he did made him likable. The heroine, on the other hand, was at least okay and tolerable, but even she had her issues. She kept ending up in danger seriously, like four times! It felt like a plot device that got overused really fast.

And don't even get me started on the villain. Completely predictable with motives that were just plain stupid and absurd. The dialogue was so amateurish it was laughable. It was like reading a bad cartoon script not the good kind of cartoons.

Then, after trudging through all of that, the epilogue was another letdown. It was just a typical, uninspired ending that didn’t redeem any part of the experience for me.All in all, this book was more of a bore than a thrill. If you're looking for something exciting and engaging, I’d suggest looking elsewhere. This one just didn't cut it.

[Rozebudzz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Luk and Maura

This is a forced marriage trope where Maura shows up at a party all dressed up and surprise!, is forced to marry Luk, who is the head of the bratva. Someone tries to kill her after the wedding. She’s shaken but consummates the marriage right away because sexy times are what you do after someone puts a gun to your head. I should’ve stopped reading at that point but sadly, I actually finished this book.

There are other attempts on her life but Maura has no instinct for self preservation and just keeps putting herself in situations where she needs to be rescued. I really dislike reading about women who have no common sense whatsoever. I kept hoping she’d get stronger but Maura and Luk have a dom/sub dynamic in the bedroom and it’s become her public persona.

The plot is predictable and follows a formulaic path to the HEA. The villain is predictable from the beginning. There are no twists or anything surprising that happens. This is dual POV. The age gap wasn’t really mentioned, just implied. I’m giving the next book, Lev’s, a read and hope it’s better than this one.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

What were they thinking*SPOILER ALERTS🚨

Cons: Maura was getting on my last nerve. With someone trying to kill her she still kept going rogue. So not smart when she was not trained to even defend herself plus she kept doing this without telling Luk who’s been leading the Bratva and trained longer.
Also I was mad at Luk bc if his wife kept being in harms way: kidnapped twice, car bombing, attacked in the home twice and running off; you’d think he’d install a tracker in her. But no all he kept doing was increasing security which kept wasn’t nothing bc people kept getting the drop on them.
This saying Luk stated in the book that they had trust was bill because she wouldn’t tell him anything and kept going off on her own but always ended up in danger.
Pro: Storyline was good but I was hoping after the first attempt on Maura’s life that she or Luk would have decided it’s time to train since she was sheltered from their underworld.
Glad book is finished.
Not my favorite Maura too soft and Luk too gentle with her. She didn’t grow as a character and he didn’t lead her to become more except what he wanted in her performing her wifely duties 🙄

[Marissa🪞🤍🫧 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ 2🌶️ I liked this book, wanted to get into more Mafia, dark romance and although this was heavily revolved around the Mafia the romance aspect was lacking. There was zero chemistry between the MMC and the FMC. It was extremely underwhelming. No tension could build between them because the heroine just immediately went along with everything. The hero was fine. He wasn't particularly interesting. Maura was okay, she was sheltered from the violence of the Mafia and a bit naive, however she had some character development and became stronger and not a pushover.
Maura and Luk’s relationship was a bit cheesy but there were some cute moments and got their happily ever after💕

Both terrifying and mesmerizing, capturing my attention in a way that is spellbinding.

“We are married, and this is our wedding night.” Then, in a slightly softer tone, he adds, “And I have wanted you like mad since the moment I laid eyes on you.”

“I can't believe I almost lost you tonight. I've been a damn fool. I should've told you this long before now—I love you. Every moment without you feels like an eternity.”
“I love you, too, Luk. More than you could possibly know,”

[Regina Thompson · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - young virgin bride finds out she’s marrying a stranger 20 minutes before the vows. And instead of being TERRIFIED on her wedding night, she’s a thirsty bitch. Old dude BOUGHT himself a virgin so he could train her to suit his fantasies.

My biggest question would have been “How long had the wedding been planned?” Venue was reserved, guests invited, everyone knew except her. Why was she not allowed to even meet her husband before the wedding? Why was she kept in the dark?

And since the whole thing was a surprise, she didn’t have an overnight bag packed. What did she wear home the next day? None of her things are at his house. Whose clothes Is she wearing?

If i found myself suddenly married to a powerful mafia boss, I’d insist upon a box full of wedding gifts. In that box I’d want my step mother’s enforcer’s hands. So he’d never lay them on anyone else. I’d want my step brother’s balls. Since he obviously didn’t need them. And I’d want my step mother’s eyes so she could never look upon her own beauty again along with her tongue so she could never again speak such hateful comments. But that’s just me….

[Linda Whitacre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wicked stepmother tries to backstab the Bratva.
Maura Flanagan has been bullied by her vicious stepmother, Sharon since her father died. Sharon has assumed leadership of the Irish Flanagan Crime Family but has run it into the ground and drained all their money. Maura has been kept as a virtual prisoner in the family home. Lukyan Ivanov is the powerful leader of the Ivanov Bratva in Chicago. Luk is in the market for a wife, and Maura, a beautiful Irish virgin mafia princess is perfect. Maura fits right into Luk’s family and household but there’s lots of trouble brewing. Someone wants Maura dead; the first attempt is at the wedding, and the attempts just keep happening. Luk is baffled, why Maura? He is on a mission to save the woman he loves.
Dark Prince is a wonderful love story but filled with treachery. Luk’s family is awesome and takes to Maura right away. Maura grows so much stronger and by the end of the story she holds her own as a leader in the mafia. I received an advanced copy of this story from Booksprout and these are my thoughts. Linda