Wilt

Mafia Rose #1

by Brooke Harper

He calls me his Rose.
But he’s determined to see me wither away.

My mother kept me hidden my entire life, never hinting at the vicious crime family I was born into.

Or the dangerous men who were out for my head.

So when I finally step into the pageant stage’s bright spotlight, he’s there waiting for me.

Nikolai Wilder, the leader of one of the most powerful gangs on the East Coast.

He is violent. Cruel. Lethal. Undeniably sexy… And obsessed with the one thing that’ll grant him the ultimate revenge.

Me.

But that’ll mean bloodshed.

It’ll mean war.

And it’ll lead to my absolute destruction.


This series is a dark age gap mafia romance. It contains situations and themes that some readers might find offensive and/or triggering.

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Dark, Contemporary Romance, Mafia Romance, Ebooks, Crime

Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2024

Reviews

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a good and safe reading. Nothing more!

[Bookaholic Shaima · Rating 5 out of 5]

I DEVOURED this 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼
I also highlighted the h€ll out of it.
Cause the mouth on this man🫠🫠🫠

"𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙸𝚝 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚠𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚎, 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝙸’𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘, 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔, 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠."

[Darkreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
This should have worked for me but didn't. The plot, such as it is, isn't original, but I don't need it to be. I enjoy character driven romance and don't need it to be too intricate or action packed. But, if that's what I'm getting, I need to be able to be invested in the characters and their romance. This didn't happen here. I get what the author was trying to do, but, to me, both characters came off as caricatures of who they were supposed to be. Their motivations and actions didn't make sense and appeared to be entirely driven by uncontrollable physical attraction. The heroine, in particular, had an extreme case of body betrayal from the first moment she laid eyes on the hero. Our virginal innocent heroine is basically humping the hero not even a minute into meeting him. All we get from her throughout the entire book is a spin cycle of hating the hero yet losing all sense the moment he walks into the room. Come on girl! The hero is also perpetually hard and has little control of his own actions. This is a 35 year old head of crime family. He tells us repeatedly about how bad he is, but his actions just don't make much sense. I just need a lot more character and relationship development in order to connect to the story and the characters. This is a new author and her writing has potential, but this one was a miss for me.

[Marcia Arguelles · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love me a good mafia romance every now and then, but this is not it girl. Not that the writing is bad, I’ve read much much worse, but the dialogues?? Jesus, no thank you. And don’t get me started on his p.o.v. Unnecessary, especially so early on.
30 pages was all I was able to read.

[Shania Trujillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Umm… wow! This book was so adequately and beautifully written but it had my head spinning! The plot revolving around Nikolai, the head of the mafia, a monster seeking out the blood of his enemy and to do so he kidnaps the enemies daughter and holds her hostage to seek his revenge.

When I tell you this is kidnapping romance style done so phenomenal, I mean it wholeheartedly! I was blown away.

The extremes of the sexual tension were burning and all consuming. Full of pure angst and vividly hot edging like I’ve never read before, my heart rate staying at an all time high throughout the entirety of the book.

This book AND the exceptional hot spice was raw, gritty and intoxicating!
My first book by this author and it won’t be my last!

[Sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raw and Gritty

This was a raw and gritty dark mafia story. There's nothing worse than not knowing who you really are. Rosalind has lived a sheltered life. Moving from place to p!ace, being home schooled and having no friends, Rosalind lived a very abnormal life and she had no idea why.

Nikolai Wilder is cold, deadly, ruthless and violent. He is obsessed with betting revenge and he found the perfect pawn to use in his little game......Rosalind.

Rosalind is Nikolai's prisoner but she craves his attention and his touch. Nikolai h8tes Rosalind but he is finding it hard to stay away from her. Somewhere along the way things have changed and Nikolai must alter his plans to achieve his desired result.

Unfortunately Rosalind is caught in the middle of a war she has no clue about and is stuck paying for the sins of her father. Now it's time for Rosalind to dig deep and show everyone what she's made of. This pretty Rose has thorns and it's time for her to start using them.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nikoli might very well have hit book boyfriend status for me. He was dangerous and scorching hot. The type of bad boy I like in my Mafia reads. Someone who shows no mercy but eventually has a soft spot for the heroine without losing his edge.

Rosalind is kidnapped to pay for the sins for a father she doesn't know exists. She does fall in lust with Nikoli rather fast especially since she saw him kill someone right in front of her when they first meet but I am able to suspend my disbelief in stories like these. It helps that Nikoli and Rose are scorching hot together.

The action really picks up towards the end and has left me wanting to know how it all ends.

Age gap: 14 years H: 35 h: 21

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

[Arielle stahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What did I just read!!! This book had me hooked from the beginning. If you love mafia books, you will absolutely be obsessed with wilt. The main female character rose starts off as a beauty pageant contestant, but soon, her whole life is changed. Is the guy who she has known as her uncle her whole life who he truly is? Can she actually fall for Nikolai when he kidnapped her and took her from everything she knew, or will she turn her back on him. I can't wait to read the second book as the ending left me wanting more. This book is full of spice and scenes of action.

[Christy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t even finish it

I tried, I swear I did. But by 32% the plot hadn’t even started to develop. It was like watching paint dry. I felt like I was watching live reality tv. It was so slow. Honestly, I am going to guess that if the author took out the ridiculous amount of filler, the story could be finished in one book. How do I know? I skipped to Chapter 25 and read from there. And I’m doing so, I literally missed one thing. One thing that took very little time to figure out. Especially since it leads to the cliffhanger. Before I skipped to the end, I might have waited for the last book to come out to read the epilogue, but the end of this book ruined it. I have no desire to read anything more from this author. And that stinks. Because the description sounded awesome. But she could not deliver.

[Elaine Delgado · Rating 4 out of 5]

dark and twisted

I received an ARC of Wilt and this is my honest review.


Wilt, by Brooke Harper was dark and captivating. This book had me on my toes the entire book and I didn’t want to put the book. Nico and Rose their chemistry was 🥵 even if they didn’t intend for it to be that way.
I am looking forward to reading Thorn to see what happens next. I have high hope for those two and I know I’m going to be on a heck of a ride.

Definitely recommend reading if you enjoy dark romances.

[Lola · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this and to be fair it is well written a few typos but nothing alarming. My problem is that it quickly ran out of plot. This should have been a novella leading up to book two not a full length novel. I'm afraid I started to skim when there was chapter and chapter of adjectives describing the hero - yep we get the fact he is hot, hot , hot and the vacuous musings of both the H and h. Page after page where literally nothing happened but the fact the heroine, Rosalind could not resist Nikolai the hero and displayed zero self control despite the fact she had witnessed his violence to both someone she had known all her life and the way he subdued her....

I love a dark romance but there has to be a shred of believability to the story. For me there was nothing here. I certainly felt little for the heroine who only mentioned the wellbeing of her best friend once despite knowing what Nikolai was capable of!

There's plenty of steam but the heroine was so weak, it didn't cut it for me. Sorry!

[Kerri Vogel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of the book, Wilt, is very appropriate to how we see Rosalind, the female lead. She is innocent on so many ways, having been hidden her entire life and moved from place to place without being told why. She wants to hate Nikolai, but her body responds to him and she doesn't understand why. Even she admits she has a huge case of Stockholm syndrome. Nikolai is a cruel mafia leader whose family was brutally murdered by Rosalind's father and he captures her for revenge. Both of them have some frustrating character flaws, but I felt that it added to the story and leaves me anxious to see where the next book will go and if they will redeem themselves. Do pay attention to the trigger warnings. There are some scenes that could be considered dub con, though it's hard for me to see it that way with as welcoming as Rose was.

[Amanda Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a good level of spicy to it and left me on a cliff hanger wanting me to buy the next book. One thing I disliked about this book is it didn’t focus on the plot as much as I’d like. It’s mostly sex, her being submissive and Stockholm syndrome taking effect.

“It’s a taunt, a signal, a siren song of innocence and sin”
“This little rose is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
“She’s a rose with hidden thorns”
“It’s the smile of a man who’d eat you alive and make you beg for more while he did it.”
“Defile her in the best ways”
“I’ll pluck her petals one by one until there’s nothing left”
"I want her. I need her. It claws at me, pulls me to an edge I've never been to, one I want to dive over to discover the twisted, dark, carnal delights below."
“That great iron control of mine rusts into dust with her. She’s a drug I can’t cut”
"You're a special kind of hell, wrapped in a veneer of heaven."

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rose (Rosalind FMC) gets kidnapped at the beginning of this book and the repercussions of that drop her right in the middle of a revenge plot that she has no idea what its all about. Rose is so sheltered and closeted that left her with an innocence & naivety. That in itself start off a game of cat and mouse between Rose and Nikolai. One where he uses carefully crafted manipulation to try and break her. Its a twisted story where the tables turn back and forth throughout it. Right up until the cliffhanger ending where i wanted to slap Nikolai for what he did. Saying that it was an outstanding read. One i enjoyed reading. Bring on book 2

[Kaitlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stockholm syndrome was somehow made worse. Don’t worry though, she frequently mentions that’s what’s happening to her.

[Zoe Lipman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Within the first POV chapter of MMC, I got the major ick. It took this dude less than 30 pages to violate the FMC. Maybe we make consent a thing, yeah?

I couldn’t make it past page 35. And based on some reviews I read, it gets worse. So this is getting a one star from me.

[BurgundyKitten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came for the virgin and age gap tropes, and I got them, which was great. But beyond that, the book was just okay. It was way too long, and it kept feeling longer as it stretched on, mostly due to the characters. I was hoping Rose would be a much stronger heroine than she was. It really wasn’t that hard for Nikolai to intimidate or seduce her. Nikolai, meanwhile, felt rather one-dimensional—lots of stubbornness, barkiness, and tough-guy-ness. He wants her, then pushes her away, then wants her, then pushes her away, over and over. For the vast majority of the book, there was almost no connection between the leads beyond lust, which would’ve been fine if the book weren’t so lengthy. But the constant lust/hate repetition eventually got boring. I didn’t hate the book; I got the tropes I came to see. But it ended in a cliffhanger, and I’m not sure I cared enough about the characters to continue the series.

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

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilt by Brooke Harper follows Rosalind Germaine (21) and Nikolai Wilder (35). For as long as Rosalind can remember, she and her mom were always on the move, staying hidden. When Rosalind lost her mom, she thought it was finally her time to shine by joining a beauty pageant, only to be found by Nikolai who wants to use her against her crime family whom her mom kept her hidden from. The undeniable attraction they have for one another was never part of Nikolai’s plan, but he’ll do whatever it takes to accomplish his revenge, even if it meant breaking his sweet Rose in the process.

For a mafia/crime story, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Nikolai‘s last name, Wilder. Just because it sounds so Western to me (I looked up the origin of the last name and accordingly to google it’s a English and German surname). I don’t think they’re ethnicity was mentioned in the book but idk I assumed they were Russian because of his name. But his cousin is also named Rush so maybe they’re not.

Anywaysssss, the main characters had an instant attraction towards one another. At the beginning of the book I did enjoy Nikolai’s point of view and how obsessed he was about his Rose. But as the story went on, I don’t know, he was a little too much for me.

I couldn’t tell you if I liked Rosalind or not. She spent a good chunk of the book hating Nikolai but also giving into him at the same time. A lot of push and pull and because of that it got a bit repetitive. Her character was suppose to be a spitfire but I felt like she was anything but that.

I do wish there was a bit more to the plot. I wish we got to know the characters more rather than just their physical attraction for each other. I wish we got to see the big and bad Nikolai could be. I wish there was a bit more crime incorporated into the story.

This was an ARC and I did notice some grammar and spelling errors in the book.

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

[kenzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved that I got the troupes that were mentioned but the book itself isn't really good. It is wayyyyy to long and it felt like the same thing was happening over and over again. I personally hate how the female mc was written but that's just my opinion, you might love the book 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️.

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

[Anett Simonsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't love this one. For me there was not enough going on, it was to slow paced for me. For me personally it would be more like a novella because the characters development was almost non existing in for Rosalind and Nikolai.
All in all, I did like the theory of the book and the cliffhanger leading into the next book, I might want to read the next book.

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

[The_Book_Brat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting storyline
*MF
*Contemporary
*Dual-POV
*enemies
*insta-obsession
*Mafia
*Witsec
*1/?
There was some good elements to this new series under this new pen name! The story line was interesting weaving the past together with the present and the thus the revenge story woven into this 😃
But I struggled with the characters themselves… Nikolai was very much the obsessive alphahole, (a trope I genuinely love) however it was very much focused on his monstrous element and vindictive mind games….there wasn’t a lot of redeeming elements to him! And some of our FMCs actions don’t quite match up with her virgin nature….for instance in the opening chapters she has a full on make out session with a stranger and willing to do ‘things’ to win - for me it just doesn’t quite add up! I just think they needed a little more depth to them, they felt a little flat.
I would read the next book to find out what happens with regards to the plot, and especially after the cliffhanger.

[Kathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this one. It was too long with not enough going on in the plot to keep a good pace. It would have been wonderful as a novella since character development was absent in both Rosalind and Nikolai. Another thing that detracted from my enjoyment were the numerous editing issues which left me having to reread sentences just to understand what was being said or going on. All in all, I did like the premise of the book and the cliff-hanger leading into the next book, which I will probably read and hope the above issues will be addressed.

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

[Beba Andric · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really hot and steamy tale. Very Maria style without the guns and violence one usually expects from a Mafia related read, although control is very evident. As is a burning need for revenge. But revenge is a fickle thing, it never has quite the outcome expected, as Nicolai quickly discovers. Nicolai is exactly as one would picture a mob boss, tough, unflinchingly remorseless, emotionless, unless it's about his family. Or is he... emotionless, I mean? As with any well forged plan, things go awry when he plans to use Roselind to enact his revenge against her father, what she brings out in him is not what he expected...as much as I wanted to despise Nicolai, I couldn't. Very soon I started loving everything about him. Even though his actions are abominable, his real character comes through and honestly, he's not all bad. If anything, this author has got me to feel so much sympathy for him, what he endured, why he is the way he is, isn't a simple "bad boy" Ms Harper has shown a side of him few see, she exposed all his "bad sides" yes... but through clever crafting of insights, she let's us see who he really is. And who he really is, is a guy VERY hard done by, a guy who lost it all, a guy who's pushed his feelings deep within him, a guy who's only recourse (in his mind) is to exact revenge on the person responsible. Roselind is his perfect means of doing just that. Or is it... I love how the author slowly has him questioning himself, fighting with himself and his whole plan. Which goes mainly exactly as he wanted it to, with some major deviations, the Roselind kind of deviation. You'll have to read it to appreciate how awesomely the author turned this, completely belly up!

Roselind has been squirreled for most of her life, she's completely naive and not prepared for truths she's forced to face, who she really is, why her mother kept her from being visible, and the fact that her nightmares are in fact memories, awful memories. I do like her spunk, as downtrodden as she is, she doesn't just give in. Her captivity at the hands of Nicolai brings her sexuality to the fore, throwing her into further turmoil. She comes to understand why her mother tried to hide her but it's too late. If she thought Nicolai was her worst nightmare and her greatest need, she's only just begun to realise the real nightmare is about to begin. Oh my word! WHAT Roselind deals with, and no, not only at the hands of Nicolai, but others too, the truths, the revelations she discovers, shatter her. Again, Ms Harper delivered this all for maximum impact and HECK it sure was mindboggling! There were times I really cringed and others where I felt the need, the attraction of both Roselind and Nicolai.

This book takes Mafia to a whole new level, the unscrupulous, morals flying out the window, disgust at what a parent can do, and a love as unlikely as a second sinking of the Titanic. There's a lot more to this book than the spice and steam, there is lots of heart in throat moments, lots of secrets, lots of action, lots of erotic scenes in a book ending in a major cliffhanger, that one can't help but be dying to find out what comes next!

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the start of the Mafia Rose series so hang on and buckle up this is a wild ride, dangerous men, alpha’s personified, possessive, oh, so 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 (ALL THINGS TO EXPECT FROM THE MAFIA WORLD). By the time you’ve figured out who is who and what is what, you’re already hooked, and you may as well give up the fight and prepare yourself for an all-nighter! CAN’T SAY YOU WEREN’T WARNED!!!!! Nikolai sexy as all get out ruthless, dangerous leader to one of the most dangerous mob bosses out to collect for the sins of a father, and he mean to take payment any way he can. Rosalind intelligent raised in secrecy pretty much hidden from the world by her mother never really understanding the why behind it all and when she gets a chance to be a part of the beauty pageant she give it her all not realizing she was putting herself on the radar of a ruthless leader with no moral code. The attraction is instant for him, but he is going to have to work for her attraction she is more afraid of him after being kidnapped forced to pay for the sins of a father she never met and witness the man who kidnapped her kill like it was nothing. Over the course of them getting to know each other not willing most times she learns who she really is or what family she comes from leaving her with so many questions and no one to answer them since her mom is gone so she can’t talk to her, the man she thought was her uncle well he isn’t and a man who is obsessed with her no matter how sexy she finds him she doesn’t trust him so what’s a girl to do is just one of the questions, will Nikolai realize revenge isn’t all it is chalked up to be especially when it comes to hurting his Rose but will he see that too late, will he push her past the point of forgiveness or even giving them a chance and where are they headed?.

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

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
Wilt is an intensely dark and gritty mafia romance featuring a villain with zero redeeming qualities and the innocent young woman paying for the sins of her father. Nikolai Wilder is a ruthless criminal mastermind consumed by his plan for revenge. He tracks down his enemy’s thought-to-be-deceased daughter and holds her captive. Rosalind Germaine is naive (and immature) that was hidden all of her life. Her father is Derek Finnegan, a depraved criminal, and she unknowingly has a target on her back. She’s simply a pawn in a game of war between families.

Rose struggles with the disconnect between her mind, heart, and body. She hates her cruel captor but can’t deny how he ignites her body and soul on fire. I was disappointed that Rose gave into Nikolai’s physical demands without a fight. Her words didn’t match her body’s reactions at all. It was definitely a Stockholm syndrome response. I was frustrated how eager she was even though Nikolai treated her very poorly. Like, come on girl, at least fight back some! She was portrayed to be a force to be reckoned with but she was just weak. Nikolai was also heavily conflicted with his unexpected feelings towards Rose. The problem is that I never felt as though he softened and developed any redeeming qualities. I love when the villain falls for the girl and has a charge of heart where he’ll burn the world down for her, but we just didn’t get that with Nikolai and Rose.

The book ended on an extremely frustrating cliffhanger. I’ll definitely read the next book because I want to know what happens but no amount of groveling can redeem Nikolai for me. I’m very much a reader that needs to find the villain appealing in some way but he was just terribly unlikable.

Tropes: Mafia romance, contemporary romance, captive romance, enemies-to-lovers, virgin heroine, secret identity
Heat: 4/5
TW: Please check trigger warnings as there are many instances in this book that may be troubling for some readers.

[Book Life With Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilt: A Dark Age Gap Mafia Romance and the first in the Mafia Rose series by Brooke Harper was utterly captivating!!! If you’re a fan of dark mafia age gap romances then this is the one for you!

Our beautiful and sheltered heroine Rosalind has lived the nomadic life with her mom, always being on the run but never knowing why—until one man enters her life, taking her in one fell swoop, and everything changes. Especially because Nikolai Wilder is a man on a mission and is utterly ruthless and cold as can be. And while he may be distracted by Rosalind’s beauty, his thirst for revenge only allows him to see his beautiful Rose as a pawn in the game against her father. A man she never knew…

What follows next is a fast whirlwind of a love/hate, captive/captor hot and steamy relationship that is utterly fire! Because even though Rosalind knows she should hate Nikolai, and only want to escape, she still yearns and craves his attention. And while Nikolai may have once felt only burning hatred for his Rose, things are definitely starting to heat up and lines are being crossed. Watching these two battle it out was perfection! Their chemistry and attraction was off the charts, and the hate they felt for each other only made it that much more delicious. But of course just when you think things are finally coming together…Bam! Harper throws us for yet again another loop that will leave you feeling for Rose and her situation once again.

Overall this story was absolutely riveting and is definitely a must read for anyone that loves enemies to lovers, mafia romances with dark elements such as kidnapping and slight stalker tendencies. And that ending?!? Talk about ripping your heart out of your chest and leaving you feeling all the pain right alongside Rosalind. But man am I dying for book 2!!!

[Aubrey Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wilt ( Mafia Rose Book 1)
By: Brooke Harper

Rating: 3.75⭐️/5
3🔥/5

⚠️Always Check Content/Trigger Warnings⚠️

⭐️Tropes⭐️
- Dark Romance
- Mafia
- Age Gap
- M/F
- Dual POV

Dark mafia romances are slowly creeping their way up to being my favorite trope and this book is a perfect example of a dark mafia romance! I haven’t read a book by this author before but for this being my first, I was not disappointed in the least! It does end on a cliffhanger and I’m already dying for book 2!

I enjoyed both of the main characters in this story. Rosalind is the epitome of sheltered. She doesn’t truly know who she is and has been lied to throughout her life. She just wants to be seen and is trying to put her stamp on the world. Nikolai is a stalker who is consumed with revenge. It is all he wants out of life and he doesn’t care who he hurts or has to sacrifice to get it. Once he kidnaps Rosalind you get to see how deep his need for revenge really goes. The dynamic between the two is explosive. The fine line they are walking is consuming and despite hating one another they can’t help the attraction. I know Rosalind is a fighter and I’m hoping she really thrives and comes into her own in this next book. I need her fight to amp up a bit more! As for Nikolai, he is definitely alpha a-hole all the way. I wouldn’t mind a whole lot of groveling on his part.

If you like dark mafia romances with a lot of triggers then this book will definitely be for you! I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and I’m excited to see how things play out in book 2.

[Rebecca Carsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could Not Put It Down!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review

This is my first read by Brooke Harper and let me tell you she did not disappoint with this book. It was riveting and dark and kept you on the edge of your seat from page one all the way to the end.

Nikolai is a dangerous and ruthless man and dead set on getting the revenge he so dearly craves. Rosalind is an aspiring Beauty Queen determined to be seen and to find her place in the world. Raised by her grandmother after losing her mother and never knowing her father she’s a bit naive but strong and determined. When these two’s lives collide it’s because he’s decided she’d be the perfect revenge against a father that doesn’t know she’s alive. The chemistry, attraction and hate between these two is intense and hot. The push and pull between them is absolutely off the charts.

This book definitely has some serious dark moments, it’s got stalker moments, kidnapping and some TW’s that I’d recommend checking out. There are moments that will definitely rip at your heart and others that will make you feel emotions along with Rosalind that you will leave you even questioning yourself. This ends on a cliffhanger and I am seriously looking forward to the next book and seeing where Brooke takes us with these two. Highly recommend this book!!

[Little monster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This.........this was a slow burning, raw, gritty Mafia Romance.

Rosalind has lived a life of not knowing who she really is, a sheltered life so to speak. Moved from pillar to post also home schooled, she has no idea who she really is. Nikolai Wilder is head of the Mafia, he's cold, calculated, depraved and damn right sexy as hell. This is a guy whose obsession with revenge takes him on a path he didn't see coming!!! Rosalind becomes his perfect little pawn in this revenge plan of his.

Rose 🌹 as he calls her, as become his prisoner, she's a brat and pushes his buttons to no end, she craves his attention left right and centre. Nik is just using Rose at the beginning and you can feel the hate he has for her in the beginning but.......yes you guessed it she's beautiful and she entrances him.

Unfortunately for Rose she's caught in a war between two powerful men, she has no clue the other man is her father!! Will Nikolai give in to her? Once he gets what he wants will he palm her off to her father? Or will be keep her safe and all to himself?

Honestly this has been one hell of a story and that cliffy!!!!!! 🥴 Can't wait for the next book! I really need to know what happens next!!!

[Amber Keehn · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I have to say, is do not spend too much time wondering what this book is about based on the blurb- just hop right in because it's got all the things dark romance/mafia romance readers love. This is a revenge plot focusing on innocent, 21 year-old Rosalind and 35 year-old Niko who kidnaps her from beauty pageant where she's competing. How does he do this? By bribing a security guard that in turn works with a mother who wants to knock out some competition. That little side plot made me giggle a bit. Aside from all that, Book 1 (this is set to be a trilogy) includes all of what one would expect from the initial plot in the series- Rosalind fights against him and Niko makes it his mission to force her to submit (without actually causing her harm). In this book Niko has pretty few, if any, redeeming qualities but that doesn't stop Rosalind from inevitably falling for him. Niko works to get his revenge on her father, who she doesn't remember and doesn't know having fled him as a young child with her now deceased mother, through a series of public dates and videos feature her sent to him. The book ends on a cliffhanger and I can't wait to see what Book 2 brings!.

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