In this gritty Southern BWWM mafia romance, loyalty is tested, love is on the line, and vengeance has a name—Lennox Wilde.Lennox “Top Dog” Wilde is done playing nice. With enemies circling and betrayal closing in, he’ll stop at nothing to protect Nadia “Velvet” Deere—the woman who owns his heart and haunts his past. As Nadia tries to rebuild her life, their bond is tested by secrets, scars, and an unforgiving world that won’t let them go.
In this BWWM southern mafia romance sequel, loyalty bleeds into vengeance, and love is put on the line. When Nadia must choose between her past and Lennox’s future, will their second chance survive the storm—or burn to ash?
Perfect for readers who crave gritty romantic suspense, Alpha protector heroes, and Dixie mafia heat.
From USA Today bestselling author Tiana Laveen comes Book one of the 7 Deadly Kins series. Come along for a dark love story packed with suspense, revenge and passion. ‘The Top Dog – Lust’ is an exciting friends to lovers, second chance, destined for love, possessive alpha hero, bad boy, sexy, slow burn, contemporary romance. It’s the first installment in the series, but can be read as a standalone double novel. It has no cliffhanger, and has a HEA (Happily-ever-after). This book includes mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all audiences; reader discretion is advised. Please look inside the first book of this series - BOOK 1/PART 1, under the ‘Trigger Warnings’ for possible topics that may be deemed personally objectionable.
Tiana Laveen was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. She moved away, and now lives inside of her mind, but her heart is occupied with her husband, two children, and twisted imagination. She enjoys a fulfilling and enriching life that includes writing books, public speaking, drawing, painting, listening to music, cooking, and spending time with loved ones.
Tiana Laveen is a uniquely creative and innovative author whose romance fiction is geared towards those who not only want to temporarily escape from the daily routines of life, but also became pleasantly caught up in the twisted, well developed journeys of her unique characters. Tiana creates a painting with words as she guides her reader into the lives of each and every main character. Her dedication to detail and staying true to her characters is evident in each novel that she writes.
I am starting to dislike Tiana Laveen’s books because they all seem to follow the same formula. The characters often engage in lengthy monologues that come across as preachy. There’s a recurring emphasis on detailing the music they’re listening to, which feels unnecessary and disconnects from the story—especially since many of the songs I’ve never heard of and I’m unlikely to stop reading to listen to them. The spice scenes are poorly executed, coming off as juvenile and cringey. The characters frequently indulge in drawn-out, unrealistic conversations that make it feel like I'm reading about the same people in each book, just with different names. The blurbs of these books are always great. But when you get to the actual reading of the book it just falls short. Its boring. The whole chapter with the therapist was just weird. I skipped over the entire thing.
The only reason this book kept my attention for so long is because I wanted to see how the conflict with the grandpa was resolved. And honestly what was written was a great big let down. The grandpa was hyped up to be the biggest and the baddest but yet he was able to fall easily when Lennox applied a little bit of pressure. There are some funny dialogue moments sprinkled throughout the book but its not enough for me to want to rate this above 3 stars or even want to recommend this book to anyone.
Tiana wrote the hell out of this book with so many heart-rending thought provoking passages. I loved Saint's session with Nadia talking about men as sprinklers in the garden and their roles in family. That was deep. Nadia took his advice though, no matter how hard it was for her to do. But she had Lennox by her side to be her backup.
Grandpa Wilde came up against them but the Top Dog proved why he's called Top Dog and finally got the best of him. They didn't need the tempest of Hurricane Nadia, Top Dog was the storm that took care of that evil man and earned his respect as a result. Even though Grandpa Wilde destroyed Lennox's relationship with his family, now he can work on restoring it.
Lennox's vows to Nadia during their wedding was so beautiful. He poured all of his love into her with his words. He wanted to be a sprinkler and now he's found his garden, Nadia. He was accomplishing everything he set out as his goals in life. As long as Nadia is by his side, they can achieve anything. God brought them back together after so many years because it was finally their time.
NOTE: Favorite passage. Moved by how far he’d come in life. Immensely thankful. Everything he ever wanted was materializing. A dream come true. He wanted autonomy over his own life. Done. He wanted his own fitness company. Almost complete. He wanted a better relationship with his father. In the works. He wanted his broken relationship with his sister repaired. Fixed. He wanted to fall in love and find his soulmate. Bingo. He wanted to get married and plant roots. Accomplished. He wanted children. Fingers crossed, that would be soon on the horizon. He wanted to be a sprinkler. Hot damn, he’d found his garden… He wanted to nourish that woman. Protect her. Make her always feel loved, respected and cherished. He wanted to water her to quench her thirst for true love, not drown her in the storms of life. She was his harness, when he needed to be yanked back and redirected. Separate, they were not to be trifled with. Together, they were double the trouble. ... Nadia has no idea how much she’s inspired me. She has no idea how much I love her. She couldn’t, because there’s no words in existence to describe it. At night, she may have been Velvet, but in the new light of day, when the sun shone bright, she was the next beat of his heart.
Laveen, Tiana. The Top Dog - Part 2: Lust (pp. 291-292). Tiana Laveen. Kindle Edition.
This was an amazing story told in 2 books and well worth it! To see a guest appearance from Saint was very surprising but b necessary to bridge the gaps in this talks of two hearts landing to bear as one. Lennox and Nadia made an amazing couple and became ports of safety in each others' lives. Grandpa Wilde is a hot mess and needs a personal encounter with Jesus!!
The struggles and healing for both Lennox and Nadia were not for the weak. They were left wounded but they survived. Recognizing their need for healing in order to be the best version of themselves for themselves, each other, and others they put in the work to heal and become whole. More of us should do the same.
These books are not for the faint of heart because it deals with trauma, abuse and neglect and can be triggering but it also deals with getting professional help to address and fix those wounded parts and living a fulfilling life. Great job Tiana Laveen!!
I'm looking forward to this series. TL does not disappoint. Hopefully, it won't take too long for the other books in the series to be released. Books one and two were great. I loved that there was no wait between books 1 and 2. Most authors make u wait so long between book releases, u forget what you've read and dnt care to finish the series you were excited about reading. Anyway, this was wonderful and I repeat, didn't disappoint. Lennox was the truth and I loved Nadia. These were mature, well developed characters. I loved the pace of the book and grandpa Wilde, well, he's a lot, that is all I'm gonna say about him. I won't spoil this with spoilers but a fan fav shows up. Read these books. This series seems like it is gonna be awesome. Her series never disappoint.
In Part two of 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕋𝕠𝕡 𝔻𝕠𝕘: 𝕃𝕦𝕤𝕥, Lennox plays the game like a true Grandmaster, proving he’s the top dog in this intense cat-and-mouse drama. His strategy and moves are absolutely brilliant! Nadia shows she’s his ride or die, and her character growth was a joy to watch. I thoroughly enjoyed every twist and turn in this thrilling conclusion! Can’t wait to continue the rest 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒔 series.
This was really good! I cannot stand Grandpa! He is evil to the core! I am so glad that Lennox stood up to him and fixed him good! LOL! I am also glad that he had made peace with his sister Silva and his dad, too. I am also glad that Nadia had made her peace with her mom. This was so romantic and sexy and I am glad that Lennox and Nadia got their HEA! I cannot wait for the next book in the series that will feature the other cousins and how they will deal with crazy Grandpa!
This was a wonderful book. I loved Lennox and Nadia together. They both had suffered trauma and family drama, but we're stronger together. The other characters in the story were interesting and humorous. It would be great if Nadia's Mom, JoAnn could find someone that can finally show her what love actually feels and looks like. I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of the cousins.
Lennox and Nadia, love their chemistry, love the story all together.I honestly finish both folks in two days because I could not put it down. I had to know how Lennox and Nadia was going resolve this. And a quest appearance from my favorite character was great, I love it!.
Grandpa ID in a category all on his own. Lennox and Nadia had his answer. They were made for each other because they both came from two messed up families. Thank you Tiana, for not making us wait for the conclusion of their chapter. Now I'm ready for the next messed up cousin.
I'm already loving this series .just to know and find out who will finally get this old dog the best. I'm hoping rage . I liked Lennox and Nadia but I think she was a bit to hung up on her feelings toward her mom. But glad they worked it out. Kind of wondering about Silva also what's up with that situation.
This story was captivating, clever and well thought out. I was riveted by grandpa's audacity. I was impressed how Lennox out foxed the fox. I have been waiting for months for a new release by this author. It was definitely worth the wait. I am excited to know Roman's story is next.
Omg this book has everything family trauma, secrets , betrayals and heartbreak but also the breaking of family chains and a love so strong and pure that makes you believe in fairytales I don’t want to give anything away but this is a must read I can’t wait for the next book but until then I recommend you read Lennox and Nadia’s love story
Author Tiana Laveen’s work is normally a go to but…
…this series thus far wasn’t as intriguing to me as her earlier work. The two books in this series were way too wordy…conversations lasted for too many pages. The two books could have easily been one. Not a bad storyline but this was missing the grit and emotion Ive read in her earlier work.
There are always obstacles in life that we face, some are like boulders and seem immovable however, there is always a solution to each problem and damn if the Top Dog Lennox didn't handle his business. Well Done Ms. Laveen!!
4.5 Stars Great conclusion to Lennox and Nadia's story The two MC, are likable and kept you entertained though out parts 1 and 2 Grandpa is still a mean mofo, he is a reaper. Looking forward to the next book in this series
Thrilling conclusion to Top Dog. Lennox and Nadia joined forces against ole grandaddy to determine their own destiny. Loads of action, passion, and excitement. A definite roller-coaster end. Well done!
I loved that Lennox and Nadia were on their healing journey together. Together they were stronger and brought out the best in each other. I loved how they came behind each other.