Eight long years, I have been waiting, Patiently plotting my revenge. Now, I've found him, And I'm going to make him pay.
He hired me to guard his wife, Ensure her safety. And I'm going to kill the same woman I vowed to protect.
He'll suffer like I did, And when I'm done with him, he'll be begging for mercy, Mercy, I won't give.
Ravenna
He stares at me with hatred in his dark gaze, His eyes as black as an abyss, Following my every move.
Those eyes see everything; I can't escape that silent stare, Or hide the bruises that cover my body, Every mark proof of burned dreams.
I also can't deny the craving I have for a man, Who will never be mine.
*Burned Dreams is a full-length novel with several open-door steamy scenes, no cheating and a guaranteed HEA.
This is the seventh book in Perfectly Imperfect mafia series. Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order.
- Only a man could be so oblivious to the situation and dynamics between Ravenna and her husband. Only a man has the privilege to be so freaking clueless for as long as Alessandro was. Any woman would clock the abuse, control and manipulation in 10 seconds.
- The story could have been pretty great. The bones were there, the execution lacked bad.
- The amount of times Alessandro kept thinking of how he should kill Ravenna for his revenge had my head spinning. Change the script dude, you’re boring me. Not to mention, it sounded pretty stupid of him to think that, even after he learned of the fact that Rocco was abusive, that Ravenna was trapped and trying to escape and that Rocco would not give a shit if she died so what kind of revenge is Alessandro talking about then? It made no sense for him to keep taking about spilling her blood and talking about hating her after knowing the facts - it looked dumb. It made him 50% less attractive. Brains and critical thinking trump a 6’7” height and a dark and dangerous aura. In my case anyway.
- He was so wishy washy about his commitment to being with Ravenna. It was clearly doable and possible and all that jazz, but he had to complicate it to drag the story. Not a good look on him - pretty dumb again.
- Ravenna was too quickly into banging him and telling him she’s had naughty dreams of him. It definitely helped that she was being abused and he was a “saviour”. She definitely was “loving” him way too quick and shallowly.
- The story wasn’t really high stakes or developed behind what you can expect in a mediocre, half assed plot.
- I definitely had higher expectations cause the hero was hyped previously and the blurb promised an angsty revenge fantasy with a woman living a dangerous life and a guy infiltrating her life and then figuring each other out. When I think of it, and all the promise in the synopsis, the result was quite pathetic.
Burned Dreams was probably one of the best installments in this series. It was well written, full of suspense and had twists that kept me intrigued the entire time.
Revenge was my only desire. I lived for it. Nothing else mattered. And now, I’m lusting after one of my targets. It’s like fate has decided to royally fuck with me.
He has spent years plotting his revenge. An eye for an eye. Play the bodyguard for a mafia capo he plans to kill. But not before he's destroyed everything the enemy has built and loved.
She was a debt repayment. Ravenna Pisano has been living in luxurious imprisonment since she married. And what goes on behind closed doors remains private. Until she's assigned a new bodyguard. One that despises her on sight.
This story was perfectly paced. Alessandro had very valid reasons for his actions whilst Ravi was trying to survive as she planned her escape. You saw both their stories unfold separately and then slowly twine into this unavoidable attraction with everything at stake. It was really good!
To keep this short, let's just say that this book had so much potential, but the majority of it just ended up being a guy considering killing an already abused woman. I wanted pining and protection, not this. I did genuinely enjoy some of the books in this series. They were my guilty pleasures. But I'm starting to think there's more duds than hits.
Az is a man eager for revenge until he meets his target, a woman who will make him realize that things are not always what they seem.
“What I feel for you is greater than anything I’ve ever felt before, Ravenna. It’s like a beautiful blaze that consumes me, shining light on a darkness that has festered in my soul for so long. And I want to stay in this light forever if you’ll let me.”
I received an ARC for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ____________________ Follow me ♡ Instagram Facebook
I just finished this not 10 minutes ago, and I'm already salivating over the next book .... How is that even possible! I'm in denial, because Book hangover is HITTING ME HARD. The tension between Az and Ravenna was sooo palpable I had second hand tingles. EVERYWHERE.
The characters' growth, the events 🔥🤯, the transition between emotions, hate, love, d€ath, survival.... everything was epically put into motion to create this MASTERPIECE. I know with every book added to this series I say it's my favorite. But this is really OVERWHELMING, in the best way ever.
Trashy book where the couple is together thanks to insta lust and loneliness/trauma. I love the bodyguard trope, but this was not what I was hoping it would be
''My descent began the moment I set my eyes on you''
Safety warnings: - H late 30s / h 24 - No cheating (between MCs) - No OW/OM drama - Physical abuse - S*xual abuse - Attempted r*pe - Loss of loved ones - Violence/torture/d*ath - HEA
Alessandro was just out for his ultimate revenge when instead what he got was another chance at a HEA. All the plans and plotting went right out the window because of Ravenna. Everything he knew was put into question because of feelings he thought were long dead.
I was really intrigued by the little we got about Alessandro in this series so to finally get his story. He spends 8 years trying to find out who was responsible for basically destroying his life, he sets out to take out his targets wife just so he can feel the same loss but not everything is how it seems in that house. We see/hear about a few familiar faces too.
Ravenna is forced to marry her abusive husband because of her younger brother’s mistake and the life she leads after that is not one the fairytale the world sees (even Alessandro) but a nightmare.
This is a slow burn, but it was so worth it! I refuse to spoil anything because I want everyone to go through the pain that these two caused me for yourselves.
There were a few moments where I was not sure how the story would go based on a few certain events. Towards the end everything was super intense, especially since Az had to make difficult decisions and each would lead to different end results.
The ending was insane! We get to see someone who I am pretty sure will be getting their own book and I cannot wait.
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES Ravenna “Ravi” Pisano, née Cattaneo (24) | Alessandro Zanetti (37)
FEATURES ∘ mafia romance ∘ one-sided hate ∘ revenge plot ∘ enemy’s wife ∘ bodyguard
REVIEW Ravenna was that girl. She had plans, and even if Alessandro hadn’t entered her life, she was going to save her family.
Alessandro’s obsession (and own annoyance at said obsession) was a delight. His insistence on his revenge plan got a little old, but honestly? I didn’t mind it. He’d be like, “Ravenna, I can’t be with you.” And then cover her with blankets at night. He literally could not stay away.
Perhaps it wasn’t fair to her, but that man was a goner, and really, a man who worships the ground his woman walks on is all I need for a romance novel to be a hit for me.
OW/OM DRAMA not really OM — Revanna is married but her husband is a POS, so…🤷♀️ | past OW — Alessandro is seeking vengeance for his dead wife, and he often puts his revenge plot above his feelings for Ravenna (but he also describes how his love for Ravenna is different and more intense than it was for his wife) CHEATING yes, with each other THIRD ACT BREAKUP yes, but it lasts for not even a few minutes ENDING HEA — two years later epilogue
POV dual / first person SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5 RATING 4.5 / 5
La verdad quedé un poco disappointed. Esperaba más de este libro, de la historia de los personajes. No es un libro tan largo, sin embargo, se me hizo que duré una eternidad en terminarlo.
Los protagonistas son Alessandro y Ravenna, a ellos los conocimos en el libro de Salvarore y Alessandro es Az el compañero de Sergei como asesinos a sueldo en esa organización.
Alessandro entra a la Cosa Nostra para buscar venganza por la muerte de su esposa y las pistas dan a que es uno de los intregrantes, ahí dentro se entera que fue Rocco y de suerte anda buscando un guardaespaldas para su esposa por lo que se ofrece a ser él. Quiere desquitarse ojo por ojo y parte de su venganza es matar a Ravenna lo que nunca esperó es que se enamoraría de ella.
Ravenna está viviendo un infierno en su matrimonio, ella piensa escapar, pero ahora tiene un nuevo guardaespaldas, serio, aterrador que la hace sentir segura y protegida.
Hasta el romance que Neva lo hace muy bien, me quedó a deber y es que el estilo de ella es de matrimonios arreglados, chicas en apuros que ellos las protegen, pero en gran parte del libro están juntos lo que hace un buen desarrollo del romance y este libro si están juntos pero su interacción es muy limitada lo que hizo que la relación tuviera un desarrollo lento que hasta más de la mitad al fin vemos que avanza.
Al próximo libro le tengo muchas ganas y fe porque ese si es MATRIMONIO ARREGLADO y aparte la escenas final de éste libro da para otra historia y es que este mundo de Neva todavía tiene mucho que dar.
Small novels are something I'm used to in Neva Altaj's writing, but still, I can't help but notice it. It was not enough for me, I wanted more.
How quickly they fell for each other was surprising, but then again, why am I even surprised?
Some of the moments were really cringe-y and the smut scenes~~~ Let's just say that he knows what to write and makes the reader gasp. Still, the pacing is really quick.
3.5 stars “The interest I’ve developed in the woman I’m planning to kill is highly disturbing. As is as the unexplainable urge to walk up to them and remove her husband’s hand.”
It has been a while since I picked up a mafia romance. And I am not disappointed at all with Burned Dreams. This is a wonderful book. A dark, brooding, intense mafia romance. I love Alesandro. He is that type of antihero that I would love to fall in love with. The majority of the story is told from Alesandro's POV. Ravena is there but her character is rushed. Not quite develop well.
Miss Altaj done a brilliant job writing this story. I have not read the previous books in this series and now I am itching to pick one.
I was waiting for this mysterious guy to appear in one of the books in this series. The plot was nice but somehow it did not live up to my expectations...
𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖3🌟 My feelings were right ig the only part I liked was the epilogue lmao , and please what were those descriptions..
Let me give you a little look 👁👄👁. "On Alessandro , the coat reaches his knees . It swallows me up to my ankles" uuuh
"Come for me, my emerald-eyed angel," um wtf-
"A forbidden fruit, sure to send me straight to Hades now that I've dared to taste it."
-- you know my mind tell me to just skip this because 1- who tf are these characters? 2- the reviews are not the best and 3- I have a feeling this gonna piss me off ( the fmc) . But yeah here I am
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
Book Evaluation: Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️ World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎 Cover:📔📔📔📔 Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻.5 Heroine:🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️.5 Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒 Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞 Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂 Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖 Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧 Overall View: ✨✨✨✨.25
First Impressions Burned Dreams is the most recent release in the "Perfectly Imperfect" series. Its the seventh installment in the series and this is where we get Alessandro's book. This has a great mix of tropes with revenge and forced proximity. And this is also where we see some tortured characters who find some solace and redemption together. There is something about how this author writes that I am immediately drawn to. I just adore how she writes these stories. And what really appeals the most for me is how her characters are so easy to invest in.
Summary Alessandro has been on a long road of revenge for those that killed his wife and never had to suffer the consequences and he is determined to make sure that they do suffer the consequences. So he starts to work undercover as a bodyguard for the Nostra's wife. Ravenna, was forced into becoming a wife and is practically a prisoner in her own home. But she is slowly working her way through to get her freedom and free her family and trying to keep up appearances with her abusive husband. What she doesn't expect, is to find a protector with her new bodyguard. But his goal is to kill her as part of his revenge but when he falls hard for the woman, he will have to choose the best way to keep her forever...
What I Loved This story really packed a punch, especially on a deep human level and this is one of the talents from this author, she just makes these characters come alive for you and you just connect instantly with them no matter what they do. This is definitely a bit different from what we normally see from this author, but I enjoyed seeing her go this route with this book and seeing how it develops between our characters. There are so many ways that this one is forbidden, and forbidden love is one of my favorite tropes to read in romance. And seeing the small moments that these two pack just a strong connection and build between them was so superb. Neva AltaJ really developed their relationship just right that fit within the machinations of the plot. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. And if you love mafia romance, then this author most definitely needs to be on your list there.
What I Struggled With There was a bit of anti climatic the conflict ended up in, it ended up being resolved in ways I least expected. And while a surprise is fun, I definitely thought it would be more intense than it turned out to be. But the epilogue was good to see our couple in their HEA but also prepping us for what we need to be ready for in book 8!
Overall View Burned Dreams is a story that builds perfect tension, chemistry gradually built up to perfection, and a plot to keep you on your toes! A THRILLING MAFIA GEM!
Favorite Quote(s) y feelings for Ravenna Pisano don't resemble a forest stream. They're a f*cking waterfall. Unexpected. Ferocious. Passion, desire, and beautiful madness. I crave her more than a condemned man wanting her next breath.
Book Details (also in my shelves) Sub Genre: Dark Romance Character Types: Mafia, Assassin, Law Enforcement, Abused Heroine Themes: Crime, Secret Ops Tropes: Forbidden Love, Forced Proximity, Revenge
Book Perspective Duo POV
Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict A blend of both
Song This Book Inspires One Woman Man by John Legend
Recommendation For Reading Order You can read as standalone if needed, but for the connections within the world, I recommend reading these in order
Steam/Spice Explanations
Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Another great one from Neva Altaj, I continue to be engaged in this Mafia series and I eagerly await each new entry she shares.
This one felt very unique within the series. We were away from a lot of characters we have come to know and love. We are also in a very dark situation, that is nothing new, but this may be apart of the darker spectrum of this series. Please take the CWs to heart.
Our heroine, Ravenna is in a horrible position. She has been forced into a marriage after her brother lost a poker game with a powerful and sadistic mafia man. She wants to rebel but due to the viciousness of her new husband, she must be very covert in her resistance.
Enter Alessandro, her new bodyguard. A position that has historically been very short lived. As Ravenna's husband is quick to remove them when they get too friendly with her. But he's not really there to look out for her, he's there for revenge. Or so he thinks.
This book has a lot of tight ropes to walk and I feel that it succeeds on the whole. The only thing I wanted more of was the time these two are falling love... I felt like we went from hate to love without any shifting gears...
Overall, I flew through this book and I look forward to whatever the author writes next.
4 stars 3 on the spice scale
CW: Domestic abuse, violence towards women, death of a spouse, cheating (not between MCs), SA
Are these just getting progressively... worse? I don't know man. I was so excited for Az's book with the build up and teasers from Sergei's. The whole premise screamed a good guilty pleasure book.
But that execution? Tragically underwhelming. And disappointing. Disappointing that despite it being painfully obvious that Ravenna was in a forced, controlling and abusive marriage, Az seemed to hell bent on his "revenge" and apparently her death was the cherry topper even though she had no part to play in his past trauma. Also, is the woman not suffering enough? It made it all the more difficult to accept their inevitable voyage into their romance.
How my guy went from one worded responses to suddenly spewing pet names is beyond my comprehension.
I didn't feel the high stakes in this one. A weak spark.
Just give me Kostya's book. Let me laugh for at least half of it. But I hear we get Drago next and colour me intrigued. I'm game.
"Do you keep everyone you hate safe?” “No.” “Just you.” when he said this- this book delivered, it gave what it was supposed to and I loved it. alessandro mf zanetti, this man just raised my standards 💋
I'm conflicted about this book, but that's my problem. 😅
Safety warnings: - Violence - Domestic abuse - Torture - Gruesome death - No owd - Cheating (Ravi is married up to 88% of the book) - Forbidden romance - Bodyguard romance - Age gap (24/37) - Death of a loved one (Alessandro's wife)
Alessandro/Az (37) is on the revenge path against the guy responsible for his wife's death. He has been planning this for the last 8 years, and he'll never stop until that guy dies in a slow and painful way.
He loved his wife, but it was something that gradually happened. They both grew up in the foster care system and have been together since they were 17. They started as friends that turned into something deeper over the years. They were together for more than a decade, but I don't think the love he had for her was all deep and consuming.
But one day some drunk guy hit his wife and ran from the scene, and the guy's father did everything to clean up that accident and for his son not to be punished. He was heartbroken and made a vow to get revenge on those responsible for killing his wife.
Since his wife died, he has never been with a woman. He had a one-track mind, and his sole purpose was to finally get revenge by killing Rocco and Rocco's father.
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Ravenna/Ravi (24) is a Capo's daughter, but since her father died, they have been struggling a lot. One day, her younger brother decided to play poker with Rocco, and he lost, and she was taken as payment instead. She married him, and he has been abusing her (physically, mentally, and sexually) ever since. She tried to fight him at the beginning, but the abusive asshole only enjoyed it even more.
The asshole is also a jealous fucker, and he killed his previous three guards because he thinks they look at her in a different way. But then he hired Az to be his wife's bodyguard, thinking he's gay thanks to the rumors surrounding him that he's not interested in women.
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Az and Ravi met, but he hates her, or rather, what she represents and her connection with Rocco, but he cannot stop himself from being intrigued by her. Since the first time he saw her, he couldn't get her out of his head. That's not the case with Ravi; she's intrigued too, but she's more afraid for his safety because, again, her asshole husband is a jealous prick and doesn't have any problem killing her previous bodyguards. So she tried to be professional and cold with him at the beginning.
But then, with all the forced proximity and him being with her all day, the potential relationship buildup slowly happened. The mutual attraction got more intense with each passing day, as did the sexual tension. Until one day, everything snaps, and they both give in.
This is a slow-burn romance, and nothing happened between them until 63% of the book. After that, Az kept his distance, and he reminded himself that she shouldn't mean anything to him because she's part of his plan. It was annoying and frustrating to be reminded that all of his efforts are for his wife and that he would see to it that his revenge would be exact. His hot and cold treatment with Ravi is maddening too; one minute he wanted her to be his, then another hot minute he's pushing her away. Seriously, make up your mind, dude!
When Alessandro finally told Ravenna about what happened to his wife and his actual plans, she didn't get afraid of him but rather felt sad for what he went through. She also realized that he loved his wife so deeply that it sustained him for the last eight years as he plotted his revenge. According to her POV, she can't handle being a consolation prize, but then she loves him and is hoping one day for him to eventually feel the same way about her. And I was like, are you for real? Why would you even settle for something like that?
What annoyed me the most is that she asked him, not once but twice, mind you, to choose her over his original plan, but both times he didn't do so. His revenge outweighs everything; even Ravi and I just can't get with that.
But when she finally set him free, another group of enemies came and rained gunshots at the event she was attending. That's when he only realized how much he loved her, and he can't even bear to think about losing her. After that sh*t show, he dropped the love bomb on her, and she accepted him so quickly. And I really want to shake her so hard, because a few minutes before that shootout, he rejected her for the second time when she asked him to "run away together." And this realization only sinks into Az for about 85% of the book. So for me, it seems that the majority of the story is all about him executing his revenge plan and that, in the back of his mind, it was all for his dead wife.
I know that they fall in love, and what he feels for her is something he never felt with his wife. But it still didn't sit well with me how much he can't let go of his revenge or the fact that he didn't choose Ravi for the huge part of the book. Tbh, I'm so conflicted too, because I also want to give justice to the wife, but she's been long gone and Ravi's here, breathing, living, and loving him unconditionally. But he's so stuck in that payback, and he's letting her slip from his fingers.
On the positive side, he was very protective of Ravi. He shot her husband's hand when he saw the bruises on her neck. He also killed a guard who knew that Rocco was abusing Ravi but didn't do anything. He also scares away all the guys who are trying to talk to her or get close to her. And how he also protects her mother and brother. Also, their scenes together are hot, and though what they did was cheating, it is still hot. I can't deny that.
Overall, I think this is still a good book. Probably a 3 or 4 ⭐ but the retribution for the dead wife isn't just working for me. I tried, but the last 15% of the story isn't enough to make up for the majority of the book. Though this didn't work for me, other readers might find this up their alley.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
2.5 estrellas. No sé, la escritura de Neva Altaj no me convence del todo. Me aburre bastante y a veces la siento súper precipitada. Las escenas sexuales me terminan incomodando porque son raras JAJSJSJKS.
La pareja estaba bien. Delicioso cuando PIUM PIUM a Rocco y luego hicieron ahí cositas. Eso fue muy dark romance de su parte.
Me emocioné al final porque quiero mucho a SERGEI UWU.
Me debato entre seguir leyendo a Neva o no. Es que sus libros me parecen tan olvidables...
❥ 𝑹𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒂 She‘s a smart woman and knows how to pick her battles. I got to like her real quick and could relate to her.
❥ 𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒐 I was curious about Az since he appeared in Sergeis book and I was excited to read about him. He was big, dark and intimidating but he fell for Ravi and it was awesome to read.
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 Enjoyed it! This was another good mafia romance from Neva Altaj although I think the first three of this series are the best. Az and Ravi glued me to my kindle and I was curious about their story. It didn‘t disappoint but there could have been a little bit more. The whole plot was predictable without any big turns. I liked it but it was no five star read.