What do you think?
Rate this book
Made of Mayhem Duet #1
Königlicher Tyrann (Herrscher des Chaos)
He was a hot-blooded killer. A wise-cracking villain.
A dearly devoted psychopath.
When I was seventeen, I met the devil.
I was a sheltered mafia princess, living in a cage.
He was the bratva bad boy who dared to trespass on my father’s property… me.
The only man who flaunted the rules, and embraced chaos...
Darkly handsome, tattooed, and dangerous, his wicked smile haunted my dreams for years.
Nikolai Chernov crawled inside my mind and became the star of my fantasies and nightmares at the same time.
Now, he’s back, older, more terrifying, and more powerful—more everything.
He’s supposed to be my family’s prisoner, taken to pay off a family debt between my father’s famiglia and his bratva.
But Nikolai Chernov has never met a rule he didn’t want to break and doesn’t plan to go easy.
He escapes and takes me with him.
He says I'm his insurance, but he won't let me go even when it costs him his freedom.
He tells me he never will, and that should scare me more than it does.
When this sheltered mafia princess meets a bratva devil on the run, neither of them will ever be the same.
This time, the villain gets the girl. Malevolent King is Book 1 in a duet, and therefore ends in a cliffhanger. The story resolves in Runaway Queen. This is a dark mafia meets bratva romance, and as such contains dark themes which may not be to everyone’s tastes. Please read with caution.
A dearly devoted psychopath.
When I was seventeen, I met the devil.
I was a sheltered mafia princess, living in a cage.
He was the bratva bad boy who dared to trespass on my father’s property… me.
The only man who flaunted the rules, and embraced chaos...
Darkly handsome, tattooed, and dangerous, his wicked smile haunted my dreams for years.
Nikolai Chernov crawled inside my mind and became the star of my fantasies and nightmares at the same time.
Now, he’s back, older, more terrifying, and more powerful—more everything.
He’s supposed to be my family’s prisoner, taken to pay off a family debt between my father’s famiglia and his bratva.
But Nikolai Chernov has never met a rule he didn’t want to break and doesn’t plan to go easy.
He escapes and takes me with him.
He says I'm his insurance, but he won't let me go even when it costs him his freedom.
He tells me he never will, and that should scare me more than it does.
When this sheltered mafia princess meets a bratva devil on the run, neither of them will ever be the same.
This time, the villain gets the girl. Malevolent King is Book 1 in a duet, and therefore ends in a cliffhanger. The story resolves in Runaway Queen. This is a dark mafia meets bratva romance, and as such contains dark themes which may not be to everyone’s tastes. Please read with caution.
380 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2023
6377 people are currently reading
11536 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 774 reviews
November 29, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
''You're still my prize, and you always will be.''
Safety warnings:
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Violence/d*ath
- Torture
- Attempted s*xual assault/r*pe
- Body shaming
- Kidnapping
- Stalking
- Dub-con
- Captivity
- Mention of su*cide
- Cliffhanger
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
I read this book in one sitting, I honestly did not expect to love it, but I ended up really enjoying all the aspects of it.
Nikolai is the black sheep of his family, the half-brother of the newest Pakhan (he has his own duet) and the child of an affair. He loses his mother to suicide, and this places him in a difficult mental place and also forces him to live with his shit of a father who spends the next few years making him into a made man. He becomes unhinged and psychotic. Everyone knows him and believes he is a crazy murderer and honestly this is true. You see how his mind works and how he feels no remorse for the kills.
On the other side of the story, we have Sophia who is the daughter of his enemy (well the Italian mafia). She has been sheltered and forced to endure a life of nothing because of her father, she is forced to live with nobody around her (except her one friend, bodyguard, and house maid). Along with that she is also enduring gross contact with her older cousin who always tries to touch her inappropriately.
One day he takes her to a gambling club and places her as the winning prize, Nikolai is at the table and wins but Silvio (the cousin) does not give her up and takes her away. This is where Nikolai becomes obsessed and sees her as his prize and this is not meant as a possession but as an actual prize the world granted him in light of all the darkness he has endured and is.
His obsessed knows no bounds and I truly understand how unhinged he was, it was not a ploy or exaggerated but he truly is all the things’ people believe and more.
We get this book in two separate timelines, one that takes place in the present and one that is from 5 years ago where these two meets for the first time and all that happens between them. Sadly, they are separated for 5 years because he is shipped off to Russia where he ends up in prison and she believes he just forgot about her but when he shows up again wanting her, things take an extreme turn of events.
These two are obsessed with one another, he admits it and proves it while she is hesitant as she has only seen his obsession as a bad thing until she realizes he loves her and would do anything for her.
Sadly, things are never easy for them, and he is kept captive by her father in the basement and she is able to help him by giving him food and medical care.
We almost get them to escape together and be free, but things do not go their way and they are once again separated as he is placed in prison.
The last chapter of this book was heartbreaking for him as he is released, and his older brother Kirill tells him that she has died in the crossfires. Now, we know this is a lie as the second book to this duet clearly exists and she is alive, but we do not know the reasons and if his brother is in on it.
Nikolai was insane and somehow I loved it and saw no problems with it lol he was ALL ABOUT HER. His only thought from the moment he sees her is Sophia. Even in those 5 years of absence and the few months he was in Russia free, he seeks or wants nobody else as his sole focus was on her.
I described this book to a friend as:
Enemies to enemies to captive to sort of lovers to enemies to prisoner to lovers.
There is so much that goes on in this book and I barely scratched the surface so if you are okay with a dark mafia romance, psychotic MC and obsessed then this is the book for you.
''You're still my prize, and you always will be.''
Safety warnings:
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Violence/d*ath
- Torture
- Attempted s*xual assault/r*pe
- Body shaming
- Kidnapping
- Stalking
- Dub-con
- Captivity
- Mention of su*cide
- Cliffhanger
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
I read this book in one sitting, I honestly did not expect to love it, but I ended up really enjoying all the aspects of it.
Nikolai is the black sheep of his family, the half-brother of the newest Pakhan (he has his own duet) and the child of an affair. He loses his mother to suicide, and this places him in a difficult mental place and also forces him to live with his shit of a father who spends the next few years making him into a made man. He becomes unhinged and psychotic. Everyone knows him and believes he is a crazy murderer and honestly this is true. You see how his mind works and how he feels no remorse for the kills.
On the other side of the story, we have Sophia who is the daughter of his enemy (well the Italian mafia). She has been sheltered and forced to endure a life of nothing because of her father, she is forced to live with nobody around her (except her one friend, bodyguard, and house maid). Along with that she is also enduring gross contact with her older cousin who always tries to touch her inappropriately.
One day he takes her to a gambling club and places her as the winning prize, Nikolai is at the table and wins but Silvio (the cousin) does not give her up and takes her away. This is where Nikolai becomes obsessed and sees her as his prize and this is not meant as a possession but as an actual prize the world granted him in light of all the darkness he has endured and is.
His obsessed knows no bounds and I truly understand how unhinged he was, it was not a ploy or exaggerated but he truly is all the things’ people believe and more.
We get this book in two separate timelines, one that takes place in the present and one that is from 5 years ago where these two meets for the first time and all that happens between them. Sadly, they are separated for 5 years because he is shipped off to Russia where he ends up in prison and she believes he just forgot about her but when he shows up again wanting her, things take an extreme turn of events.
These two are obsessed with one another, he admits it and proves it while she is hesitant as she has only seen his obsession as a bad thing until she realizes he loves her and would do anything for her.
Sadly, things are never easy for them, and he is kept captive by her father in the basement and she is able to help him by giving him food and medical care.
We almost get them to escape together and be free, but things do not go their way and they are once again separated as he is placed in prison.
The last chapter of this book was heartbreaking for him as he is released, and his older brother Kirill tells him that she has died in the crossfires. Now, we know this is a lie as the second book to this duet clearly exists and she is alive, but we do not know the reasons and if his brother is in on it.
Nikolai was insane and somehow I loved it and saw no problems with it lol he was ALL ABOUT HER. His only thought from the moment he sees her is Sophia. Even in those 5 years of absence and the few months he was in Russia free, he seeks or wants nobody else as his sole focus was on her.
I described this book to a friend as:
Enemies to enemies to captive to sort of lovers to enemies to prisoner to lovers.
There is so much that goes on in this book and I barely scratched the surface so if you are okay with a dark mafia romance, psychotic MC and obsessed then this is the book for you.
August 18, 2024
HOLY FUCK. WOW. I loved this so fuckin much. This book is a prime example of why I love the boy obsessed trope sm. 10/10 stars because Nikolai Chernov is THE MAN. Despite me disliking the virgin heroine trope, I found myself liking it in this case because it was done so well. Sofia was a strong character and I thoroughly enjoyed reading her and Niko's story. Onto the next book we go because the ending in this one was PAINFUL.
safety squad:
- no OW/OM drama
- no cheating/sharing
- no condoms
- boy obsessed (H has been celibate ever since he saw the h five years ago and won her in a poker game)
- OTT J/P H
- virgin h
- no manwhores
- mafia romance (rival families)
- cliffhanger, book 1 in a duet
safety squad:
- no OW/OM drama
- no cheating/sharing
- no condoms
- boy obsessed (H has been celibate ever since he saw the h five years ago and won her in a poker game)
- OTT J/P H
- virgin h
- no manwhores
- mafia romance (rival families)
- cliffhanger, book 1 in a duet
Read
May 24, 2023I wanted to be immersed in this story but I had a hard time because I couldn’t connect with the main characters.
There were also some flashbacks from their initial encounter which distracted my attention.
Dnf @ 28%
There were also some flashbacks from their initial encounter which distracted my attention.
Dnf @ 28%
May 26, 2023
I am devastated! 90% of the book was stellar. There was really strong Remo and Sera vibes going on and the all went to motherfucking shit.
We get the cliche of h faking her death. Yeah, that one. I would have even been okay with it but….
I read some spoilers about the second book and 7 year separation! No! Absolutely never ever happening! Why I loved Twisted Pride is that the separation made sense and it was short! In my time limit, max 2 years
7 years is getting me a broken Kindle.
I felt so sure this is going to be 5 star read. Everything was perfect. Whyyyyyy 😭
🔸virgin h
🔸H was not manwhore and it was all about her
🔸 H was perfect crazy maniac ( Think Remo Falcone)
🔸no condoms used/ h was on birth control
🔸no cheating, no ow even in near vicinity
🔸flashbacks about the past ( really well done, didn’t ruin the flow)
🔸 cliffhanger
🔸TW -cousin is touching her inappropriately and hinting of raping her ( never happening)
Similar books
Terrible Beauty by Anna Zaires
Twisted Pride by Cora Reilly
We get the cliche of h faking her death. Yeah, that one. I would have even been okay with it but….
I read some spoilers about the second book and 7 year separation! No! Absolutely never ever happening! Why I loved Twisted Pride is that the separation made sense and it was short! In my time limit, max 2 years
7 years is getting me a broken Kindle.
I felt so sure this is going to be 5 star read. Everything was perfect. Whyyyyyy 😭
🔸virgin h
🔸H was not manwhore and it was all about her
🔸 H was perfect crazy maniac ( Think Remo Falcone)
🔸no condoms used/ h was on birth control
🔸no cheating, no ow even in near vicinity
🔸flashbacks about the past ( really well done, didn’t ruin the flow)
🔸 cliffhanger
🔸TW -cousin is touching her inappropriately and hinting of raping her ( never happening)
Similar books
Terrible Beauty by Anna Zaires
Twisted Pride by Cora Reilly
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2024
***spoilers***
Sofia is a mafia princess. Apparently that means she is her father’s property, a father who has controlled, repressed, caged, ignored, and even physically abused her and she yearns to be free. So naturally she spends most of this book fighting tooth and nail to return to her father and his cage, although she finds herself getting all hot and bothered with Nikolai, her obsessive psycho killer abductor sorta-kinda boyfriend stalker from her teenage years who’s been absent for the last five years because he was in a Russian prison. She’s felt abandoned by him all these years but when he shows up and abducts her, she repeatedly tries to abandon him.
So yeah, Sofia is another wish-washy Kane heroine who’s too stupid to live. Spoiler: turns out she was?
Nikolai really is an unapologetic obsessive psycho killer who laughs while being tortured and has an inhuman, totally cartoonish ability to withstand pain. He thinks there’s something missing from his brain and he’s right. He’s also the only bright spot in this dreary landscape because at least he’s interesting.
So Sofia betrays Nikolai by writing her father’s phone number on a truck while he’s not paying attention but with his gun pressed to her side (how? I dunno) and her father’s men show up and (YAY, I’m SO HAPPY for her) she gets to return home to her shit father and her creepy handsy cousin Silvio while Nikolai gets tossed in the dungeon because he stopped to save her worthless life during the capture.
Bad stuff happens to Nikolai in the dungeon, which he finds terribly funny, and Sofia is manhandled by Silvio while Silvio and his father plan to overthrow Sofia’s father, who’s arranged a marriage for Sofia with an old Sicilian don who can benefit his operation. GASP! So Sofia marches right down to that dungeon and climbs on Nikolai because she bravely decides she’ll make one choice over her body before she has to marry the old Sicilian.
OMG. She’s such a sad noodle and Nikolai looks even crazier for caring about her.
This book ends with an escape attempt from the dungeon gone sideways and Nikolai in the hands of the police because he’s saved his beloved Sofia yet again, only to find out in jail that she died.
Since this story is continued in another book, I’m assuming Sofia isn’t dead. But I wish she was.
*This was a buddy read with Duchess Izzah which, according to our shared notes, turned into a buddy roast fairly quickly.
Sofia is a mafia princess. Apparently that means she is her father’s property, a father who has controlled, repressed, caged, ignored, and even physically abused her and she yearns to be free. So naturally she spends most of this book fighting tooth and nail to return to her father and his cage, although she finds herself getting all hot and bothered with Nikolai, her obsessive psycho killer abductor sorta-kinda boyfriend stalker from her teenage years who’s been absent for the last five years because he was in a Russian prison. She’s felt abandoned by him all these years but when he shows up and abducts her, she repeatedly tries to abandon him.
So yeah, Sofia is another wish-washy Kane heroine who’s too stupid to live. Spoiler: turns out she was?
Nikolai really is an unapologetic obsessive psycho killer who laughs while being tortured and has an inhuman, totally cartoonish ability to withstand pain. He thinks there’s something missing from his brain and he’s right. He’s also the only bright spot in this dreary landscape because at least he’s interesting.
So Sofia betrays Nikolai by writing her father’s phone number on a truck while he’s not paying attention but with his gun pressed to her side (how? I dunno) and her father’s men show up and (YAY, I’m SO HAPPY for her) she gets to return home to her shit father and her creepy handsy cousin Silvio while Nikolai gets tossed in the dungeon because he stopped to save her worthless life during the capture.
Bad stuff happens to Nikolai in the dungeon, which he finds terribly funny, and Sofia is manhandled by Silvio while Silvio and his father plan to overthrow Sofia’s father, who’s arranged a marriage for Sofia with an old Sicilian don who can benefit his operation. GASP! So Sofia marches right down to that dungeon and climbs on Nikolai because she bravely decides she’ll make one choice over her body before she has to marry the old Sicilian.
OMG. She’s such a sad noodle and Nikolai looks even crazier for caring about her.
This book ends with an escape attempt from the dungeon gone sideways and Nikolai in the hands of the police because he’s saved his beloved Sofia yet again, only to find out in jail that she died.
Since this story is continued in another book, I’m assuming Sofia isn’t dead. But I wish she was.
*This was a buddy read with Duchess Izzah which, according to our shared notes, turned into a buddy roast fairly quickly.
July 11, 2023
Dnf'ed at 24%. The book was just so boring and I could not feel the chemistry between the main characters
May 28, 2023
someone pinch me I found my dream author!!! "I only write SAFE stories, there is never a place for another woman in my hero’s sights, once he's caught the scent of the heroine"
brb im about to read all her books
brb im about to read all her books
December 10, 2025
What even was the purpose?
‧₊˚✧[Buddy Read with Gloria]✧˚₊‧
Okay, I'll be honest. I read there was breeding kink, which is why I wanted to try it.
Sadly, this is going on the clean breeding shelf
・
・
・
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
‧₊˚✧[Buddy Read with Gloria]✧˚₊‧
Okay, I'll be honest. I read there was breeding kink, which is why I wanted to try it.
Sadly, this is going on the clean breeding shelf
・
・
・
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
October 18, 2023
i’m so conflicted on my feelings for this book. it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either? i genuinely don’t know 😭
August 12, 2025
WTH?! The ending?
No plot, NOTHING!
And what an atrocious cover:(
(0.75/5)
No plot, NOTHING!
And what an atrocious cover:(
(0.75/5)
January 8, 2024
3.5⭐️
I wanted to like this book more than I did 😕.
My first book by this author was Bad Intentions and I loved that book. 5⭐️ read for me. Niko was introduced to me in that story and I was really looking forward to getting to his book and ready about his craziness 😆😆.
I think too much of the story took place with Niko being captive and it was a bit boring. I skimmed through the shootout, but found the epilogue intriguing. The reviews I have read for book 2 seem to say it is better so I’ll get right to it!!
I wanted to like this book more than I did 😕.
My first book by this author was Bad Intentions and I loved that book. 5⭐️ read for me. Niko was introduced to me in that story and I was really looking forward to getting to his book and ready about his craziness 😆😆.
I think too much of the story took place with Niko being captive and it was a bit boring. I skimmed through the shootout, but found the epilogue intriguing. The reviews I have read for book 2 seem to say it is better so I’ll get right to it!!
May 16, 2023
Firstly I have been wanting Nikolai and Sofias book since I read Kirill and Mollys book and let me tell you this couple does not disappoint.
Is Nikolai absolutely off his rocker? Oh 100 percent, but I absolutely love it. He is crazy obsessed with Sofia, and let’s be real Sofia feels the exact same way for Nikolai but she tries to deny it, until she no longer can.
The chemistry between this couple is INSANE and the spice is just HOT 🥵
That cliffhanger I SWEAR- thank the lord we do not have to wait for book two����
Thank you to the author/smuthood for providing this e-arc
Is Nikolai absolutely off his rocker? Oh 100 percent, but I absolutely love it. He is crazy obsessed with Sofia, and let’s be real Sofia feels the exact same way for Nikolai but she tries to deny it, until she no longer can.
The chemistry between this couple is INSANE and the spice is just HOT 🥵
That cliffhanger I SWEAR- thank the lord we do not have to wait for book two����
Thank you to the author/smuthood for providing this e-arc
May 25, 2024
3 Stars
Just okay. Better than the last duet but still sorta meh to me. Might be my mood tho maybe idk.
Safety! Safe
No ow/om drama although heroine is in an arranged engagement but no drama with it
No cheating/sharing
Only with each other during speration and during book
Just okay. Better than the last duet but still sorta meh to me. Might be my mood tho maybe idk.
Safety! Safe
No ow/om drama although heroine is in an arranged engagement but no drama with it
No cheating/sharing
Only with each other during speration and during book
October 14, 2024
Продовжую читати про мафіозний світ Міли Кейн, і ця книга перша в дилогії про героя який заінтригував мене в попередніх книгах - Ніко🙃
Софія Де Санктис — 22 роки, дочка капо італійської мафії у Нью-Джерсі.
Ніколай Чернов — 24 роки, один з спадкоємців «Братви» у Нью-Йорку.
Знову ж таки в цій дилогії є дві часові лінії - перша це загальна яка відбувається в теперешньому часі, та минуле як герої познайомилися і що між ними сталося.
Софія єдина дочка і для батька вона не більше ніж товар який вигідно можна продати. Вона завжди підкоряється всім наказам і правилам, але все ж це не рятує її від жорстокості батька і фізичного насилля з його боку. Софія - це його іграшка яку він любить красиво одягнути і вивести в люди, щоб повихвалятись її красою. Здається, що може бути цікавого у такій тихій та слухняній дівчині, а я скажу характер. Адже вся її поведінка перед батьком це добре відтренерована маска, за якою ховається трішки невпевнена в собі дівчина з «кігтиками» які можуть поранити. Саме ця сміливіша сторона її характеру відкривається з Ніко…
Ніко називають божевільним, природженим вбивцею, дияволом якого бояться всі… Але яким він мав стати якщо виховував його справжній монстр.
Щоб вижити у «Братві» потрібно мати непередбачувану поведінку яка дає перевагу. Люди неминуче недооцінювали його, він не хотів щоб хтось бачив справжнього «його» під маскою клоуна-психопата, яку він носив. До зустрічі з нею - Софією.
Ця книга насичена подіями і тут вже набагато більше мафії, якщо порівнювати з минулою дилогією.
Сюжет динамічний та цікавий, Ніко опиняється у полоні сім‘ї Де Санктис і здав його в прямому сенсі цього слова - Кирилло, його брат. За домовленістю між ним і батьком Софії, Ніко мав пробути там певний час та заплатити своєю кров‘ю(не смертю) за те що «Братва» заплямувала репутацію сім‘ї Де Санктис.
Він в‘язень в підвалі над яким знущаються, але для Софії він той хто дарує свободу…
Мені однозначно сподобалась книга і головні герої - це 4/5🔥(було буквально кілька моментів, які не сподобались) плюс завершилось все кліфгенгером🫣 тому відразу читати наступну частину про цю пару👌🏻
November 17, 2023
Really enjoyed this one. The dynamics and layers to their relationship is crazy complex.
It was also sexy and wild and there's risk in every interaction. I couldn't put it down.
Niko and Sophia were a thrill to read. However... the cliffhanger.. see book 2 review for more.
4 stars
4 on the spice scale
TW: dubcon, kidnapping, abusive parents, Creepy cousin dynamics, knife play, blood play, somnophila (light), dirty talking
It was also sexy and wild and there's risk in every interaction. I couldn't put it down.
Niko and Sophia were a thrill to read. However... the cliffhanger.. see book 2 review for more.
4 stars
4 on the spice scale
TW: dubcon, kidnapping, abusive parents, Creepy cousin dynamics, knife play, blood play, somnophila (light), dirty talking
September 16, 2025
Genre: Mafia Romance
⭐️ 4.5/5
🌶 2.5/5
🧠 3/10
Noteworthy: Book 1 of a completed duology. Check TWs. Available on KU.
That cliffhanger! What the hell do you mean?? Absolutely not!!!
This book hooked me from page 1 and never let me go. Niko, the man that you are! Craziness and all! I adored this MMCs additude. He was so witty and quick with barbs and comebacks. Complete entertainment and smoking hot! Sofia is a strong-willed character but not in the annoying way some FMCs can be. The story is romance driven, but the plot supports it so well.
I only dinged it because there are just a few grammatical errors here and there, but not many. Grading on a scale of mafia romances it is up there with some of my favorites.
⭐️ 4.5/5
🌶 2.5/5
🧠 3/10
Noteworthy: Book 1 of a completed duology. Check TWs. Available on KU.
That cliffhanger! What the hell do you mean?? Absolutely not!!!
This book hooked me from page 1 and never let me go. Niko, the man that you are! Craziness and all! I adored this MMCs additude. He was so witty and quick with barbs and comebacks. Complete entertainment and smoking hot! Sofia is a strong-willed character but not in the annoying way some FMCs can be. The story is romance driven, but the plot supports it so well.
I only dinged it because there are just a few grammatical errors here and there, but not many. Grading on a scale of mafia romances it is up there with some of my favorites.
June 6, 2023
it took me awhile to be fully invested in this book. maybe it's the writing or the flow of the story or the flashbacks? i'm not sure but they didn't pull me in.
the mcs met when they were young niko (19) & sofia (17) and niko got interested then eventually obsessed with her. they met only a handful of times when they were young. then after sofia's prom night, niko was sent to russia and got jailed for 4 years. they were separated for 5 years but they never got involved with other people.
majority of the book was niko held captive at sofia's house. she goes to the basement to feed him or talk to him, basically just taking care of him.
i wouldn't say it was boring but something was lacking in this first book, there wasn't so much happening in here. maybe this is just to build up tension for the second book? idk. but i have to say the cliff-hanger was something i didn't see coming.
i'll just read the book conclusion maybe it'll be better.
the mcs met when they were young niko (19) & sofia (17) and niko got interested then eventually obsessed with her. they met only a handful of times when they were young. then after sofia's prom night, niko was sent to russia and got jailed for 4 years. they were separated for 5 years but they never got involved with other people.
majority of the book was niko held captive at sofia's house. she goes to the basement to feed him or talk to him, basically just taking care of him.
i wouldn't say it was boring but something was lacking in this first book, there wasn't so much happening in here. maybe this is just to build up tension for the second book? idk. but i have to say the cliff-hanger was something i didn't see coming.
i'll just read the book conclusion maybe it'll be better.
October 1, 2025
⭐️ 4.5
🌶️ 3
Was really in need of a mafia romance fix and this delivered 🖤
The gist is this: Sofia (h) a sheltered & overlooked mafia daughter gets kidnapped for security to break out of her father’s property. We follow the MCs through the woods as they trek farther away from h’s childhood home & find out their past ties to one another. We don’t stay in the woods all story w/ a good amount of the prisoner-princess aspect going on which was…😮💨🖤🍽️💋
It was a classic mafia romance that I really needed rn. Yes, the occasional cheesy line or grammatical error but overall enjoyable and kept getting me to open my kindle when I was supposed to be doing something else 😍
mafia, on-the-run, tiny past, med-paced, betrayal, guilt, enemies to lovers, he falls first,
———•TROPES & SUCH•———
🖤mafia
🖤pre-story-stalking
🖤kidnapping
🖤captive x prisoner
🖤H obsessed
———•SAFETY•———
virgin h
No opd
No cheating
cliffhanger (duet, book 2)
🌶️ 3
Was really in need of a mafia romance fix and this delivered 🖤
The gist is this: Sofia (h) a sheltered & overlooked mafia daughter gets kidnapped for security to break out of her father’s property. We follow the MCs through the woods as they trek farther away from h’s childhood home & find out their past ties to one another. We don’t stay in the woods all story w/ a good amount of the prisoner-princess aspect going on which was…😮💨🖤🍽️💋
It was a classic mafia romance that I really needed rn. Yes, the occasional cheesy line or grammatical error but overall enjoyable and kept getting me to open my kindle when I was supposed to be doing something else 😍
mafia, on-the-run, tiny past, med-paced, betrayal, guilt, enemies to lovers, he falls first,
———•TROPES & SUCH•———
🖤mafia
🖤pre-story-stalking
🖤kidnapping
🖤captive x prisoner
🖤H obsessed
———•SAFETY•———
virgin h
No opd
No cheating
cliffhanger (duet, book 2)
May 19, 2023
Holy Sh*t!!!
🖤Mafia romance
🖤Rival families
🖤Captor/Captive
🖤Possessive/obsessed MMC
Did I just find a 5 ⭐️ Mafia duet???
Yes, yes I did 🤩🖤
Where to even begin?
In this duet following on from the last we now have Nikolai’s book and my god it did not disappoint. Through the whole duet I was hooked!
Sophia and Nikolai meet when they are late teens/ early twenties….Sophia’s cousin then bets her in a card game. Nikolai wins her, her cousin backtracks and Nikolai goes on his obsessive pursuit of Sophia.
There is a few back and forth’s and then we have a time jump at which point Nikolai takes Sophia captive and takes her on the run….and the ANGST between these too…😮💨😮💨 The spice is 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼
This book has one hell of a cliffhanger!
But book two is now out and that was even better!!
🖤Mafia romance
🖤Rival families
🖤Captor/Captive
🖤Possessive/obsessed MMC
Did I just find a 5 ⭐️ Mafia duet???
Yes, yes I did 🤩🖤
Where to even begin?
In this duet following on from the last we now have Nikolai’s book and my god it did not disappoint. Through the whole duet I was hooked!
Sophia and Nikolai meet when they are late teens/ early twenties….Sophia’s cousin then bets her in a card game. Nikolai wins her, her cousin backtracks and Nikolai goes on his obsessive pursuit of Sophia.
There is a few back and forth’s and then we have a time jump at which point Nikolai takes Sophia captive and takes her on the run….and the ANGST between these too…😮💨😮💨 The spice is 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼
This book has one hell of a cliffhanger!
But book two is now out and that was even better!!
October 29, 2023
He is completely obsessed with her and I am completely here for it !!!!!!!!
August 15, 2024
»It means that you're mine, and you have been for a long time. I'm all your firsts, and I'll be your lasts. We are only ever for each other.«
★ ★ ★
❥ 𝑺𝒐𝒇𝒊𝒂
She felt flat and not well build as a character.
❥ 𝑵𝒊𝒌𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒊
I liked him as a side character in the previous duet but in his own books he seems boring?
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
This book was okay and nothing more.
Again I don‘t get why the author divided this story in a duet. Seems unnecessary and to be honest just to generate more money? I don‘t see the need to write two books about Sofia and Nikolai when literally NOTHING happens in the first book. Of course theirs the introduction but sooo many unnecessary scenes you could have easily cut out. This is one of the reasons I‘m not a fan of duets.
The story was basic and boring. I had problems to dive into the book but it was entertaining at least. I liked the idea and Nikolai as a character. Still I skipped a lot of pages because nothing happened.
Overall an okay mafia read.
𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
No.
𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓
plot: 2/5
spice: 2/5
humor: 3/5
couple/tension: 4/5
world building: 5/5
happy end?: yes
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
possessive and protective hero, mafia, instant attraction, lies and secrets, forced proximity, he falls first and harder, morally dark hero, darkromance, kidnapping, captor x captive, shared past
𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: both in their mid twenties I think
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: no
★ ★ ★
❥ 𝑺𝒐𝒇𝒊𝒂
She felt flat and not well build as a character.
❥ 𝑵𝒊𝒌𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒊
I liked him as a side character in the previous duet but in his own books he seems boring?
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
This book was okay and nothing more.
Again I don‘t get why the author divided this story in a duet. Seems unnecessary and to be honest just to generate more money? I don‘t see the need to write two books about Sofia and Nikolai when literally NOTHING happens in the first book. Of course theirs the introduction but sooo many unnecessary scenes you could have easily cut out. This is one of the reasons I‘m not a fan of duets.
The story was basic and boring. I had problems to dive into the book but it was entertaining at least. I liked the idea and Nikolai as a character. Still I skipped a lot of pages because nothing happened.
Overall an okay mafia read.
𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
No.
𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓
plot: 2/5
spice: 2/5
humor: 3/5
couple/tension: 4/5
world building: 5/5
happy end?: yes
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
possessive and protective hero, mafia, instant attraction, lies and secrets, forced proximity, he falls first and harder, morally dark hero, darkromance, kidnapping, captor x captive, shared past
𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: both in their mid twenties I think
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: no
August 27, 2024
2.5 ⭐️
“I knew what I was. A maniac, a monster, a damned man, through and through. Yet, I was her monster, and I always would be.”
The H: I liked him, he grew on me at some point.
The h: She was a childish and unlikable and i got sick of every time her tears threatened to fall (literally every chapter).
— The H (19/24) - The h (17/22)
— Stalker/kidnapping
— Insta-lust/love
— Virgin h / H was experienced but it’s not thrown in our face.
— The H has been celibate for 5 years (since he met the h for the first time).
— Push from the h but wait she has betraying body syndrome 🙄 so her pushing is nothing (As usual from FMCs in mafia books).
— OM : Her sick cousin is interested in her in a s*xual way and causes a lot of drama.
— No OWD/Cheating/Scenes with op
— Cliffhanger
“I knew what I was. A maniac, a monster, a damned man, through and through. Yet, I was her monster, and I always would be.”
The H: I liked him, he grew on me at some point.
The h: She was a childish and unlikable and i got sick of every time her tears threatened to fall (literally every chapter).
— The H (19/24) - The h (17/22)
— Stalker/kidnapping
— Insta-lust/love
— Virgin h / H was experienced but it’s not thrown in our face.
— The H has been celibate for 5 years (since he met the h for the first time).
— Push from the h but wait she has betraying body syndrome 🙄 so her pushing is nothing (As usual from FMCs in mafia books).
— OM : Her sick cousin is interested in her in a s*xual way and causes a lot of drama.
— No OWD/Cheating/Scenes with op
— Cliffhanger
December 23, 2023
4 stars
Tropes : mafia romance, enemies to lovers, possessive H, if you touch her you’re ☠️
Ending : cliffhanger
Triggers : violence, gore, death, child abuse, attempted sexual assault
Spice : 🌶️🌶️🌶️/3
Angst : 🔥🔥🔥/3
OM/OW drama : OM (h’s disgusting cousin)
Celibate while separated : yes
Kink: bondage, oral, spanking, virgin h, no condoms but h on pills
Hero : Nikolai Chernov (19/24)
Heroine: Sofia de Sanctis (16/21)
I took a long time to finished this bcs my mom passed away last sunday and I was busy for the past couple of days so I only finished this yesterday.
Truthfully I’m not in the mood to write any review but I’ll try.
This is a pretty good book. I enjoyed the writing and pace of the story and the plot was nice too.
Nikolai was the typical broken, psycho alpha bratva man. He was obsessed with Sofia with the capital O. Sofia was intrigued by him but didn’t want to admit it because she knew he was not a good guy.
They only had sex when Sofia was legal so don’t worry. I would like for her first time to be more romantic but the scene suit them both tbh.
The cousin was disgusting, bro she was your cousin, your family and you wanted to fck her??!
The ending was pretty heartbreaking. By now I’ve read the last book and will review it next.
Tropes : mafia romance, enemies to lovers, possessive H, if you touch her you’re ☠️
Ending : cliffhanger
Triggers : violence, gore, death, child abuse, attempted sexual assault
Spice : 🌶️🌶️🌶️/3
Angst : 🔥🔥🔥/3
OM/OW drama : OM (h’s disgusting cousin)
Celibate while separated : yes
Kink: bondage, oral, spanking, virgin h, no condoms but h on pills
Hero : Nikolai Chernov (19/24)
Heroine: Sofia de Sanctis (16/21)
I took a long time to finished this bcs my mom passed away last sunday and I was busy for the past couple of days so I only finished this yesterday.
Truthfully I’m not in the mood to write any review but I’ll try.
This is a pretty good book. I enjoyed the writing and pace of the story and the plot was nice too.
Nikolai was the typical broken, psycho alpha bratva man. He was obsessed with Sofia with the capital O. Sofia was intrigued by him but didn’t want to admit it because she knew he was not a good guy.
They only had sex when Sofia was legal so don’t worry. I would like for her first time to be more romantic but the scene suit them both tbh.
The cousin was disgusting, bro she was your cousin, your family and you wanted to fck her??!
The ending was pretty heartbreaking. By now I’ve read the last book and will review it next.
August 19, 2023
This is the first in a new duet, and my word what a complex, intricate, and in-depth storyline this is. Sophia is a sheltered mafia princess, while Nikolai is a bratva heir, who is intense, controlling, brutal, merciless, unhinged, and a killer, who is determined to make Sophia his. This story ends in a doozy of a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to read the second part.
This is a well written story which is raw, gritty, intense, action packed, with family, suspense, danger, intrigue, trust, emotions, enemies, witty banter, humor, drama, and love, which leads to an entertaining, twisted, haunting, unpredictable, and steamy dark mafia romance.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a well written story which is raw, gritty, intense, action packed, with family, suspense, danger, intrigue, trust, emotions, enemies, witty banter, humor, drama, and love, which leads to an entertaining, twisted, haunting, unpredictable, and steamy dark mafia romance.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 29, 2023
Super dark but I couldn’t stop reading and I ate it up 👏🏻
August 27, 2025
I ate this up… Niko = 🤤🤤
Starting the second book asap!
Starting the second book asap!
May 15, 2023
I read the chernov bratva duet on february and i fell in love with Nikolai and Sofia and i wanted so much to read their book, they didn´t dissapoint.
He is so obsessed and it made me obsessed with them and with the book.
I was hooked since the first chapter and i couldn´t stop reading until i finished this book. But then the ending came, something that i didn´t seen coming and i had to start reading it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
He is so obsessed and it made me obsessed with them and with the book.
I was hooked since the first chapter and i couldn´t stop reading until i finished this book. But then the ending came, something that i didn´t seen coming and i had to start reading it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 2, 2024
★★★★★. Second chance, secret romance, forbidden, enemies to lovers, boy obsessed, and he gets tortured for her? An easy 5 stars. I devoured this book in a mere hours with all the angst and pain of wanting Nikolai and Sofia to be happy, however time hates them and keeps breaking them up.
The second chance in this book was done SO WELL. I loved how Nikolai wanted her the minute he saw her 5 years ago and then continued to want her for 5 years and only her. Did he kidnap her and use her as insurance after seeing her again? Yes. Did he fight her and insinuated she meant nothing? Also, yes. But did he cut the hand off her cousin who touched inappropriately, got captured and tortured so he wouldn’t lose her, risked his life countless times to be with her, stalked her for a few weeks and made sure she was going with him and no matter what had freedom when escaping? YES YES YES.
Sofia, lastochka. She’s so strong. She put on such a facade to be the perfect mafia daughter to not get harmed. I loved how she was truly herself with Nikolai and couldn’t fake anything because he always saw the real her. She never let him take her down and always fought back which I loved. Her cutting his face and giving him a permanent scar only for him to end up being in love with her? A masterpiece. I loved how she had Angelo on her side and someone she could trust outside of Nikolai.
The ending?! I know she isn’t, but it still shocked me and has me wondering what Nikolai will do and how their reunion will be?
“It means that you’re mine, and you have been for a long time. I’m all your firsts, and I’ll be your lasts. We are only ever for each other.”
The second chance in this book was done SO WELL. I loved how Nikolai wanted her the minute he saw her 5 years ago and then continued to want her for 5 years and only her. Did he kidnap her and use her as insurance after seeing her again? Yes. Did he fight her and insinuated she meant nothing? Also, yes. But did he cut the hand off her cousin who touched inappropriately, got captured and tortured so he wouldn’t lose her, risked his life countless times to be with her, stalked her for a few weeks and made sure she was going with him and no matter what had freedom when escaping? YES YES YES.
Sofia, lastochka. She’s so strong. She put on such a facade to be the perfect mafia daughter to not get harmed. I loved how she was truly herself with Nikolai and couldn’t fake anything because he always saw the real her. She never let him take her down and always fought back which I loved. Her cutting his face and giving him a permanent scar only for him to end up being in love with her? A masterpiece. I loved how she had Angelo on her side and someone she could trust outside of Nikolai.
The ending?! I know she isn’t, but it still shocked me and has me wondering what Nikolai will do and how their reunion will be?
“It means that you’re mine, and you have been for a long time. I’m all your firsts, and I’ll be your lasts. We are only ever for each other.”
December 18, 2023
“My blood, your blood, it doesn’t matter. No one sees you like I see you, and no one ever will. We’re connected, you and I, and we both know it. I would tell you to stop fighting it, but I find your fear so intoxicating.”
I must have a thing for psycho, mafia/bratva guys because Nikolai "Nico" Chernov checked off ALL the boxes!
Red flags?
What are those?
I don't see any. Oh, Sofia. You never had a chance.
“Why is the only person in my life who believes in me the craziest one?”
I must have a thing for psycho, mafia/bratva guys because Nikolai "Nico" Chernov checked off ALL the boxes!
Red flags?
What are those?
I don't see any. Oh, Sofia. You never had a chance.
“Why is the only person in my life who believes in me the craziest one?”
June 5, 2023
Action packed!!!!
Wow this book is one action packed book!!! It's dark and gritty and everything you love about a mafia family. Sofia and Niko come from rival families but that didn't stop them from meeting. Sofia's creepy cousin offering her up in a poker game is the start of this game. Niko isn't a known for being kind and has a reputation. He's done jail time and is now stuck with the enemy. Sofia is his only light and reason for breathing.
My one complaint for this book is that at the beginning, it felt like I had missed a book before this but then it all started to flow a lot smoother. I couldn't put it down, I just had to see what happened next. There are some parts in this book that will make you cringe but you know that Sofia is strong enough to take care of herself and that she does. She fights until she can't anymore. I loved that she was like that and not some wallflower, girl in despair, pretty little princess, who can't defend herself.
This book is a thrill ride until the very end!! The bad guys get theirs in the end but there's still more to tackle I'm sure in the second book!!
Wow this book is one action packed book!!! It's dark and gritty and everything you love about a mafia family. Sofia and Niko come from rival families but that didn't stop them from meeting. Sofia's creepy cousin offering her up in a poker game is the start of this game. Niko isn't a known for being kind and has a reputation. He's done jail time and is now stuck with the enemy. Sofia is his only light and reason for breathing.
My one complaint for this book is that at the beginning, it felt like I had missed a book before this but then it all started to flow a lot smoother. I couldn't put it down, I just had to see what happened next. There are some parts in this book that will make you cringe but you know that Sofia is strong enough to take care of herself and that she does. She fights until she can't anymore. I loved that she was like that and not some wallflower, girl in despair, pretty little princess, who can't defend herself.
This book is a thrill ride until the very end!! The bad guys get theirs in the end but there's still more to tackle I'm sure in the second book!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 774 reviews