Beautiful Beast

Perfectly Imperfect: Mafia Legacy #1

by Neva Altaj, Gregory Salinas (Narrator), Allyson Voller (Narrator)

Rafael

Nobody touches what's mine without deadly consequences, but when the most beautiful woman is brought to face my fury, my dead heart suddenly begins to beat again.

There are no fairy tales in this life. Beauty will never fall for the beast. But this monster doesn't intend to let her go.

Everybody has a price. It's just a question of currency. My sweet little hacker can't be swayed by money, but she will do whatever it takes to save her family.

Vasilisa

Kidnapped, trapped, and forced into penance. Stay and work for him or my loved ones will face his wrath.

His name alone evokes dread and terror. But my tremors have nothing to do with fear.

His scars make people turn away in horror. But my eyes don't want to look anywhere else.

My captor. My savior. My beautiful beast.

Beautiful Beast is the first book in the Mafia Legacy: Perfectly Imperfect spinoff series, but it can be enjoyed as a complete standalone. This is a full-length novel with no cheating and a guaranteed HEA.

Genres: Dark Romance, Mafia Romance, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Dark, Forced Proximity, Contemporary

12 pages, Audible Audio

First published July 19, 2024

Reviews

[Lilyya ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

“I think that fairy tales exist, after all, vespetta. and I believe, I owe you a present.” “what are you talking about,” she pants. “what present?” I smile. “A library.”

I confess that I have a soft spot for fairy tale retellings reincarnated as contemporary romances, and 'Beautiful Beast' is a shining exemplar of the genre's capacity to translate the essence of pure love. this captivating tale reinterprets the timeless story of 'Beauty and the Beast', transcending the superficial notion that physical appearance is the sole determining factor in romance.

Vasilisa is a brilliant tech whiz with a penchant for hacking security companies and occasionally, government agencies. as the daughter of a pakhan, she's accommodated to witnessing impunity, but her latest heist goes awry when she pilfers from Rafael Di Santi, the ruthless leader of Sicily's underworld, finding herself trapped between the pincers of Rafael's IT team. she must confront the consequences of her own ambition and the danger that lurks beneath the surface of Rafael's enigmatic persona. will she find a way to extricate herself from this precarious situation, or will she become an integral part of Rafael's empire?

the romance unfolded at a deliberate pace, and I devoured every moment of it. the push-and-pull dynamic between the leads was expertly crafted, and their verbal jousts showcased their undeniable attraction in a way that was both tender and tantalizing. Rafael's devotion to convincing Vasilisa to stay with him was a heart-wrenching yet beautiful display of love. I appreciated how the author resisted the temptation to simplify Vasilisa's decision-making process, opting instead to portray her as a complex character torn between her loyalty to her family and her growing feelings for Rafael.

all in all, It was a delight to reconnect with characters from Neva Altaj's anterior series, evoking a sense of nostalgia and familiarity. I'll refrain from revealing more about this novel, but suffice it to say that it has left me enamored with the protagonists – if not entirely smitten..

many thanks to the author for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review

—————
GOT THE ARC (omfgicantbelieveit )🥂🥳

[Soft Nectarine ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sure, he kidnaps her but also gives her an unforgettable romance in the Mediterranean 🍋‍🟩💚✨ scarred Sicilian tries to buy his way into love but finds out that the best things come for free!

“Have you ever had a man worship you, Vasilisa?”

When Vasilisa hacks the IT system of random security company (and donates $20 to charity lol) she doesn’t mean any harm. The girl is just trying to keep her brain ocupado, okay! Unfortunately, she hacks an organization of ASSASSINS and now the big bad Sicilian is after her. OPSIES! But let’s face it, Rafael ‘Beast’ De Santi would never hurt a single hair on Vasilisa’s gorgeous head. The sweetest mafia romance with the BEAUTY & THE BEAST retelling!

💚 romantic Sicilian setting!

💚 scarred mmc

💚 fmc can only wear his clothes

💚 his only request is…she doesn’t close her eyes

💚 slow burn

Since when are mafia romances sweet?! This was a beautiful story about two people finding their perfect match in an unexpected place. Vasilisa wanted for someone to see past her pretty face and Rafael definitely fell for her big brain.

Another mmc to fall in love with! Not going to lie. Rafael stole my heart and I don’t want it back. This scarred Sicilian was truly convinced he had to buy his way into love. His journey was beautiful and was hottt ✨ High expectations have been met!

DADDY ROMAN!! Omg his unhinged self was everything. If you’ve read Perfectly Imperfect series before you will die 💀 Sergeiiiiii please if you don’t!!

age gap 23f/39m (rarely mentioned)
insta love
kidnapping
forced proximity
smart fmc
touch her and 💀
protective mmc
summer feels ☀️
HEA

[Jen ♥]

Self note:


I'm so pissed!!! I can't believe it. Ugh! 😤 I never, and I mean never, have to worry about OW when it comes to this author. She used to be safe for me. But I read some reviews and found out there's an on-page detailed scene of the MMC and the OW. Like ewwww! Why do you even have to put that in?! Ms. Altaj, you never did it in your prior books, so why now?! 😭

Add to the OW were the reminders of his promiscuity. Idk, personally; I don't need to know that he wh*red before the FMC. I think, as a reader, I'd get the idea without having to throw that fact in my face. 🙄🤦‍♀️

Ughhhh! I was so excited for this, but f*ck now I'm just mad. Yeah, nope, not for me. I only need one scene to ruin the whole book in my eyes. This is the first time I'm gonna skip one of her books, and I'm honestly sad about it. I can't believe she would do this. 💔😭💔😭

[aira {vacay ia}]

it's been a while, mafia romance, but we meet again 😜

[Dul · Rating 4 out of 5]

He orders a search for the person who breached his system, never imagining that his heart would start beating for this hacker. To his surprise, she turns out to be the princess of the Russian Bratva. What began as a hunt becomes a dangerous game of attraction.

I was very excited to read this book, mainly because it's the beginning of the second generation, so I wanted to read about them as parents. I want to say that I love protagonists like Rafael, especially those who are imperfect and weren't loved. Give me more recommendations like this, and believe me, one of the reasons I follow Neva is because she creates imperfect protagonists but makes them perfect.

Vasilisa has her parents' personality and also has charisma with a great sense of humor. She just wanted to be taken seriously for the first time in her life, and I felt bad for her because she deserves all the good things. Rafael is incredibly hot, also overprotective, but I love his charisma and the love he gives her. In the end, I liked Rafael's development as a person, and I loved reading about both of them.

It was undoubtedly an enjoyable read, despite having its little quirks. These are the books that help me get out of a reading block or a bad streak.

Reading about Roman as a father was one of the funniest things I've read, and the book gave me so many moments. It made me remember myself from two years ago when I discovered this saga and eagerly waited to devour each book. I feel that same excitement with each of the characters that appear in every book.

The tension, chemistry, and undoubtedly the possessiveness of this couple pleased me, so I'm looking forward to the next book. At this point, I could read anything Neva publishes.

[Iqra · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You are so beautiful, that every time I’m with you, I have the urge to pinch myself to prove you’re real.” He pulls my face closer to his. “And you’re pretty on the outside, too.”

Goodbye 😭🔫

[natalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sike.

I rescinded the DNF and finished this out of spite.

Vasilisa has a major problem. 

She’s simply too beautiful.

She’s our modern Helen of Troy. How awful. She can’t dress nice because men will treat her like a possesion. Men want her too much. She’s forced to wear baggy, boring clothes. The horror. The anguish.

But beneath all that beauty, she’s not like other girls!

She’s a ✨hacker✨ and she wants to be part of her father’s criminal organisation! See? She’s got beauty and brains.

Rafael also has a problem.

He was burned and disfigured and now he’s a hideous beast? How could anyone ever love such a man! He’s forced to buy women's love. He only dates beautiful women, but it’s a transaction. Because he’s hideous. Oh, so ugly.

He’s an ugly manwhore who’s introduced to us most wonderfully; “I rear back, my cock slipping out of my latest hookup,”

What a man!

One time, he fucked a drunk woman all night long, but when she woke up and saw his face, she ran away.

And now he doesn’t believe he’s worthy of love.

Until!

Frankly, I didn't think Neva could write something more stupid than Darkest Sins. My mistake. Shouldn't have given her the benefit of the doubt.

The quality of her work has truly taken a nosedive. Maybe someone should introduce the phrase “quality over quantity” to her?

There was something childish about the writing despite the plot being crude and lewd. It just felt so immature.

[Milica's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first book about Roman and Nina until now, Neva never ceases to delight me with every new story.
Do you know how every series has some weaker and some better parts? The Perfectly Imperfect series has gotten better and better with each book... I think this second-generation series will set a new standard!

I love every page of this story. Neva's best book. ♥
It has everything I like in an amazing dark, mafia romance.

You guys, you'll love it. ♥
____________________
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[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unsafe

The first chapter in his POV during the present year (two weeks before meeting the heroine) has him slipping his cock out of another woman's vagina. He doesn't mention a condom, he doesn't get tested and there is nothing about STD and not long after that he fucks the heroine without protection

I love this author, she wrote one of my absolutely favorite mafia series. This one was a dissapointement


He says he rarely brings women home yet he was fucking this ow at his home office where h later spends some time. 🤢🤮


“I’m so sorry for calling this early, boss,” my IT specialist says on the other end of the line. “But, it happened again.”
I rear back, my cock slipping out of my latest hookup. She’s sprawled in front of me on the desk, her red hair spilling over the edge...



Other things I didn't like

The "not like other girls" trope. She is sooo beautiful men never take her seriously, they only ever care about her looks. This could have been done better paired with him, a scarred man that women only date because of his money and don't even like to look. But those two aspects of their characters are their whole personalities. The author overused this aspect of the story to the point I just wanted them to stop mentioning it.

Also, he takes the no one will ever care about me other than for my money in every single aspect of his live. This could have been nice if it happened once with an ex without him knowing at first and breaking up with her once he become aware she was a goldigger, but he being a manwhore was awful. He trying to pay the h like he did so many other times with other women was disgusting and not cute at all. It would be funny if he was offended when he noticed one ex was an golddigger but wouldn't care if the h was one because he wants her irregardless. But he didnt cara if the other wanted the money as well. The h of course doesn't care about it, so it would be romantic instead of a manwhore flashing his credit card to every beautiful woman out there in order to get some sex.

Also, the whole I am a mafia princess but daddy doesn't want me to be his hacker was nice, but again paired with I am so pretty and this is a burden and this is her whole personality. No other man has ever noticed she can be more than a pretty face other than him paired with daddy is overprotective. Hm. Not interesting enough.


This is just too much like her other books but with the disgusting whore aspect. Uninteristing after 10 books.


Other thing that bothered me and I think this is going to be an issue in the whole series because it is a second gen book is how much of a brat to her father she is. She is rich, her parents love her and she is spoiled. Really, the only problem in this girl life is to be so pretty all men are entranced by her looks and her father being over protective. What Roman being overprotective means:, she went to college, she dated, she disappeared 4 times for a weekend away with her friends when she was a rebel teen, but her father doesn't want her to risk her safety working at his mafia. Woe is me, how hard and unfair is this girl's life. How hard must be to be her. Her father is clearly super overprotective and is out of his mind. The girl is in sicily for 2 months while kidnapped but she doesn't tell him she fell in love so her father is wrong for trying to kill the man who admited to take her. For fucks sake vasya grow the fuck up.


Also, her fucking him in her parents frontlaw is disrespectful and jumping him to kiss him after her grabbed her ass in front of her father is also eww. Cmon

Roman is being sexist when he allowed her brother to work and not her and the hero here is impresses by her hacker talents and she helps him. Yet, the author instead of making her fierce chose a morre bratty way to show her being being indignant about her (she is right to be).

[readabookonce · Rating 3 out of 5]

so refreshing to see that the “not like other girls” trope is alive and well in these woke times /s

MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Vasilisa Petrova (23) | Rafael De Santi (39)

FEATURES
∘ mafia/bratva romance
∘ age gap
∘ beauty and the beast
∘ casual kidnapping
∘ instalove
∘ saved her as a child (never interacted after that until meeting again)

REVIEW
Listen, I had fun reading this. I’m about to go into a mini rant session, but do not let that distract you from the fact that I devoured this book.

First and foremost: I hate next generation books. They always manage to bastardize the characters we know by making them known only as quirky parents. In my mind, characters are frozen in time, so to see them in the future void of their charm outside of being parents is not appealing to me. For that reason, the plot was already working against itself.

I knew it was a next gen series before I started, so perhaps it’s unfair of me to penalize it. I really did go in with an open mind. And then came the instalove. I know from reading the previous series that the MMCs tend to fall hard and fast for no apparent reason. It shouldn’t have been surprising, but to see Rafael fall so fast for someone he was set on killing was a let-down. I would’ve loved to see him take more time to warm up to Vasilisa before he became obsessed with her.

However, what annoyed me the most in this book was Vasilisa. I didn’t hate her in the slightest. It’s just that I cannot feel bad for someone whose main struggle in life is they are too beautiful. Vasilisa constantly talked about how men only liked her for how she looked—and I understand why that would be annoying—but truthfully, I did not care. We also know that she grew up rich and relatively spoiled (not a bad thing), so her refusing Rafael’s money and being showered in expensive gifts from him does not pack the same punch as it would if she were poor. (Side note: this is another reason second gen stories have to work harder. Angst coming from loving parents and financial security is not powerful in the slightest.)

With all that being said, Neva Altaj writes in an engrossing way. Despite all of my complaints, I barely put the book down. I did enjoy Vasilisa’s sassiness and Rafael’s dramatic possessiveness. These books have all been page-turners, regardless of how I felt about the characters and/or plot.

OW/OM DRAMA OW — Rafael has a brief explicit scene with another woman in the beginning; she comes back briefly shortly after but isn’t heard from again
CHEATING none
THIRD ACT BREAKUP yes — a “if you love her, let her go” type thing
ENDING HEA — one month later epilogue

POV dual / first person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 3.5 / 5

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful reading. I loved this book.
The characters are really great. And I enjoy a lot
It’s worth reading.

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to the second generation!

I am so excited for this series from Neva! I have been anticipating it all year. Starting off with Roman and Nina's feisty daughter just seems meant to be. I thought Vasilisa had so much spunk and love how she was ready to fight tooth and nail right from the beginning.

Rafael is our scarred, grump of a crime boss. When he sends his men to "take care of" the hacker who has been messing up his businesses, he isn't expecting the spitfire he finds in his basement torture room. And he really isn't expecting the anger he feels at the marks his men put on her. He thinks its just his protectiveness of women, but we know better.

He comes up with a plan to keep her close to him: fix what she broke in his systems. Only, it soon becomes clear that no time is going to be enough. Especially when Sparks start to fly.

I thought these two played very well off each other, and there was a lot of push and pull. Almost... too much honestly. This book felt a lot longer than many of the previous Perfectly Imperfect books. I think they went back and forth a bit too much.

I loved all the chemistry and seeing Vasya pick at him until they both snap and devour one another was delightful. I liked them together a lot.

The only other thing that just... ate at me, and why this wasn't a 5 star read for me... It's something that many second generation series suffer from and that is making the original couples look a bit dim.. like, if Vasya has run away from her father multiple times.. I don't buy it for a second that he wouldn't have a tracker or more people watching her. I also don't think it would have taken months to find her.

And finally, the "big moment" with Seirgei at the climax.. just.. how would Rafael survive that? Why did it get to that point? I know "romance reasons" is what I'm supposed to believe. But this is why second generation stories are so hard to pull off. Because it makes heroes we love in the original series look either weak or ineffectual.

Anyway, I don't want to dump on this, I just expect a lot from Neva and the series that I love so much.
I look forward to the next couple!

4 stars
3.5 on the spice scale

CW: kidnapping, gore, torture, violence
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P.S. I didn't have ANY problem with a previous hook up being mentioned. It's not in the current time and Rafael doesn't even THINK about another woman once Vasya is under his roof. He is in fact, making a reference to how refreshing and wonderful Vasya is in comparison to how empty those hook ups were and how they hated his face in the light sooo... Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

[Ana | SheSaidYestoBooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way to start a book, Neva Altaj!—“I rear back, my cock slipping out of my latest hookup. She’s sprawled in front of me on the desk, her red hair spilling over the edge.” That should’ve been my cue for how bad this book would be.

The insta-love/obsession trope didn’t add much depth to the story either.

[Grecia Robles · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐

📚 Tropes:

❤️Mafia Romance
🖤Age Gap
❤️ Forced Proximity
🖤Grumpy/Sunshine

Este es el primer libro de la segunda generación de Perfectly Imperfect y tenemos como protagonista a Vasilisa la hija de Roman y Rafael un nuevo personaje que lo vimos en el libro de Kai.

Vasilisa tiene grandes habilidades en informática y uno de sus pasatiempos es hackear y sin querer se mete al sistema de la empresa de Rafael y el da la orden de atrapar al hacker lo que nunca se imaginó es que sería la hija del jefes de la mafia rusa.
Sabe que tiene que entregarla pero ella lo intriga y lo cautiva que decide quedarsela un poco más de tiempo.

Me gustó mucho como todos los libros de Neva, siempre he dicho que en la parte de mafia le falta profundidad pero los romances son demasiado lindos y este libro no es la excepción.
Es un retelling de La Bella y la Bestia AMOOO 😍 😍

Rafael desde que tuvo el accidente que le desfiguró la cara, las personas le tienen miedo a su apariencia no son capaces de mirarlo y con el tiempo ha tenido que pagar por afecto y una chica como Vasilisa que es demasiado bonita no se imagina que lo pueda llegar amar, pero ella no se fija en su apariencia sino en como la hace sentir sus gestos lindos hacia ella y que él también la ve más allá de su belleza.

Ahora en la espera del segundo libro que tendrá el trope de bodyguard

[Samantha (bookgramsaga reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (ARC review)

''Because it was him''

Safety warnings:
- H 39 / h 23
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Violence/d*ath
- Loss of loved ones
- Kidnapping
- HEA

Neva's new series with the next generation is starting off right!

We meet Rafael in the 9th book of the Perfectly Imperfect series, he was a mysterious scarred anti-hero. In this book we get his backstory and how he came to be who he is now.

Vasilisa is the eldest daughter of Roman and Nina who were the MC's of Neva's first book ''Painted Scars''. I would suggest reading a short extra scene that is available on Neva's website. It'll give you a little preview of Roman/Nina's life with their kids and how Vasilisa is just giving Roman a heart attack whenever she can with her ''antics''.

I don't want to spoil anything so this will be vague.

Rafael is OTT, he is obsessed to be point of no return. He immediately wants her and will do anything to keep her around. The lengths he goes is quite funny and petty, but he meant no harm from them.

Vasilisa and Rafael are connected in an unexpected way. It's pretty amazing and insane how they were meant to be.

I really enjoyed their banter and chemistry.

We get a few glimpses of the future books in this series, but it will not be out until 2025!

[Ankita Sarkar · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved the OG Perfectly imperfect series and I thought to give this second generation a go. The first 5% has me dnfed this book. Yes guys you heard it right. The author gave us a wonderful scene showing MMc with OW while they were fucking 😍 isn't it wonderful ? 😍
I love when authors do this without giving us a safety trigger. Go figures 💀🙃🙃🙃🙃
I appreciate readers who can stomach this OW trope but it isn't for me. Sorry.

[AvidReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75🌟.

I’m hungover! Which happens with almost all of this author’s book.

That prologue itself was addictive and after that I just couldn’t put this book down.
Rafael and Vasilisa was EVERYTHING!

They were such a joy to read and I adored the way Raff never disrespected her or saw her inferior to him in any way. It was quite the opposite- she was a Russian princess and he treated her as his Queen.
I also liked that Vasya often made him laugh and always snarked at him. She was one strong heroine.

As usual with Neva’s Heroes there were many hilarious actions that simultaneously made me go aww and laugh out loud. There were many beautiful moments too. The doodles and figs melted my heart.

Roman Petrov still gets the most dramatic hero award and his and Rafael’s scene in the epilogue was hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing.

This book was perfect save for one thing ( also the reason I didn’t give it 5🌟), it had an intimate scene of hero with Ow in the beginning before he meets the heroine. It was totally unexpected and I will be honest, made my mood plummet. I wasn’t expecting it and it bothered me a lot because it was unnecessary to the overall story. TBH if it was any other book I would’ve dnfed but I love this author.

Otherwise if you love mafia romance with obsessed hero and lovely heroine, don’t miss this.


—Beauty and Beast.
—He falls first and hard.
—Touch her and die, obsessed hero, hacker heroine.
—Forced proximity, opposite attract.
—Mafia/Mercenary.
—KU, standalone and recommended.

I received an advance review copy and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

[✶ ✶ Hummingbird ✶ ✶]

Self Note:

On page OW description:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Ewwwwwww. I hate authors who do this. Hate them. Ewwwwwwww. I’ve been waiting for this book for so long…. No more. Disgusting. This happens 2 weeks before BEFORE they meet

few years back, I picked up a woman at a club. Or rather, she picked me up. A well-known socialite from the mainland, she was in Sicily vacationing with her friends. One of them probably told her who I was. She was flying high on life—or maybe it was something more and I didn’t realize it at the time—and was clearly celebrating something that had champagne flowing freely at their table. By the time we made it to a suite at my hotel, she was singing the latest chart-toppers and could barely keep her hands off me. We fucked. Several times. She begged for more. I know how to please a woman in bed. The poor thing even asked me to marry her. But the following morning, when she woke up sober, but definitely hungover, and saw my face, she screamed. Two minutes later, she ran out of the room and straight into a taxi I called for her.


50% in
“There are two popular topics of speculation. The first—what happened that caused me to look like this. Theories are endless, from a car crash in the US to being tortured by Mancuso before I made my escape as a kid. The second revolves around my love life. Guido told me that every time I’m seen with a new hookup, there are bets on whether she’ll be the one who’ll capture my alleged heart.”
The man is a fucking whore

[Wobilba · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost always never like legacy stories but I gave this a fair chance. Some part of this story really annoyed me. FMCs major problem in life is she's "too pretty" and how she hates it? I also didn't really like the MMC.

Quite a decent read, just not sure i believe in these characters love tbh.

[MoeTC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah we've met Rafael in darkest sins I think he was the guy who had so many scars on his face or something..
I'm so excited for this book, I hope Vasilisa doesn't disappoint 😖👀
___________________

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐


Ok.... I don't know what to say anything. (I've read this at the same time with another book which I gave 5 stars.)
I wouldn't have made a review about this book if I didn't already express how much I wanted to read it before the release.

Ok hear me out. I LOVE Neva books. I love them with all my heart, perfectly imperfect is probably my favorite dark romance series of all time.

You can probably figure out how excited I was for this.
But it didn't click..... Seriously it just didn't.
I said before that I hope Vasilisa doesn't disappoint, she kind of did idk, meh. She was too perfect. Beauty and brain 😒.
But my problem with this book is actually Rafael.

Dude, without even mentioning the OW trope this has, (and I would've NEVER expected that from Neva books) that I can actually handle. It's just that Rafael is just so similar and different from the OG men in the original series at the same time.
He didn't click for me, he was kind of a manwhore and too clingy about "I'm a beast" or "I can't be loved" thing it kind of annoyed the hell out of me.

Just like the first book in the perfectly imperfect series, I hope this one is just the weakest and the next are going to be better.
Still... This was a really sweet read, I can't say it's not worth reading dude idk, this was just my opinion, try it maybe you get a better time out of it.

[Sarah♡books · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 🌟

♡ 2nd generation ( SHE IS ROMANS DAUGHTER)
♡ Mafia
♡ Age gap ( 23 l 39 )
♡ Scarred Hero
♡ Kidnapping
🚩No cheating or sharing, no OM

OW - he was with another woman around 10% into the book... I hated it so freaking much & that is the reason why it did not get 5 🌟...
When I read the scene I was so disappointed 😞 This has never happend in one of Nevas books & I hope she' ll leave out these kind of scenes in her future novels 😵‍💫👀


𝑽𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒂 - 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒆 🩷

I liked her 🤍 she is really nice & I loved her hacking hobby 😂🫢
Alsooo I really liked that she struggled because of her beauty 😍 not a lot of authors talk about it but I think it is also important to talk about the bad things of being pretty 🫶


𝑹𝒂𝒇𝒂𝒆𝒍 - 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒐 💙

Aside from the fact that he was with an OW he was okay. I loved that he was literally LIVING for her 🤍🥹
He is also insecure and I loved how he blossomed and grew with her on his side 🫂


All in all I would recommend this 10000% 🔥✨🦋🫂

Also side note - I lovvedddd Roman and Nina in this novel... He was so freaking funny 😂

[Karla ML · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buen comienzo de Neva con esta segunda generación.

Me gustó mucho la historia de Rafael y Vasilisa, haciendo referencia a la bella y la bestia, AMO!🥰❤️

Aquí encontrarán:

📌Age gap
📌prota italiano posesivo
📌chica hacker con unos ovarios bien puestos
📌Romance y obvio spicy

Definitivamente Neva no decepciona con sus historias. Me encanta su pluma. Ahora a esperar el siguiente.

[Paige]

So disappointed in this author for her OW scene in this book. I tried to move past it because I love her books but ultimately I couldn’t finish it. She has always been a go to, safe author for me and then decides to switch it up. Way to lose a bunch of readers for a scene that added literally nothing to the book.

[BeautyAndTheBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uhhh.
Hello???
This book. THIS goddamn book, was quite simply a masterpiece.

Because of my deranged mind I am a sucker for the kidnapping trope.
But there are still so many things I usually wish were done differently when I read those kinds of books.
But this fucking man knew how to kidnap someone properly!
God it’s too much to bear.

I mean, honestly, for me, everything was just great in this book.

I truly liked both the main characters.
Vasilisa’s desire to actually be a part of that world was one of my favourite traits about her. And I loved how she got the validation she deserved when being with Rafael. A common denominator in the “imperfectly perfect” series is the fact that the women aren’t really involved in their world, and it’s always bothered me, which is why I loved that she was different.
I feel like a lot of people will think “it must be such a hardship to be so pretty and get told you are all the time🙄🙄” but really, I think this is actually a common problem for a lot of women, and I loved how the book showed the importance of being loved for who you are and not how you look.

I feel like that was heavily interwoven with Rafael’s insecurities about his own looks because of his scars, and it was interesting to read everything with his gifts to her from both their point of views. Because he just wanted to give her an incentive to stay, but she never needed those things, because she just wanted him.

I felt like the story had a more solid plot than the other “perfectly imperfect” series.
Or maybe this book is simply longer? I don’t know. It felt different reading this one.

I loved the involvement of the characters from that series as well.
But it’s so difficult to imagine them as being a lot older.

I think the only thing I would change would be to see the relationship between Vasilisa and her father after the whole shooting incident.
She obviously hated him and didn’t even want to look at him straight after. And then things were fine and we never saw them have a conversation or something.

Honestly just read this book.
It was great.
I want to read it again already..maybe I will.

———

Okay. So I read it again.
Twice in two days.
When is the next coming out anyway??

———

Fine, I read it a third time. Sue me.

[Cheesy (Rhysand's wife) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,8 💫 | Estoy segurisima de que este libro fue pura presión social para Neva, a mí no me engañan.

Hace buen rato que lo terminé, pero estaba procesando mis pensamientos para que sean claros y decisivos 🙏.

⚠️CONTIENE SPOILER⚠️ (sobre aviso no hay engaño)

Como ya he dicho múltiples veces en algunas de mis reseñas (qué no son reseñas, solo son mi opinión), soy muuuuy fácil de convencer. Hazme reír y soy tuya 😘.

Y sí, me reí, pero porque la alternativa era ENCABRONARME 😠.

Primero, si Rafael mencionaba una vez más que la razón porque que ella nunca podría quererlo era por sus cicatrices y no por el clarisimo hecho de que la tenía SECUESTRADA y AMENAZABA A SU FAMILIA A CADA RATO, me daría un tiro.

Segundo, Vasilisa me gustaba, porque se ponía modo dura con él por ser un imbécil manipulador (que, aleluya, era era consiente de ello), pero apenas él la tocaba, ella se le derretida el cerebro, Dios mio 😒 No se decidía la pobrecita.

Y tercero, lo del casamiento no me molesto tanto como el hecho de que él decía que la dejaría decidir por ella misma si quería volver o no, pero va y le dice que el Jet solo estará esperando hasta el día siguiente a dicha hora y que si no lo abordaba, lo tomaría como una respuesta. AMIGO, LITERALMENTE NO HA VISTO A SU FAMILIA EN DOS MESES Y VAS Y LE DICES ESO. OSEA, SI LA AMAS, DEJARÍAS EL PUTO JET AHÍ, DÍA Y NOCHE, CON LA ESPERANZA DE QUE ELLA QUIERA VOLVER 😭😭😭.

Pido disculpas, me exalte 😔.

Pero, volviendo al tema, le doy 3 estrellas por el gratificante hecho de que Rafael recibió su muy merecido disparo que casi lo mata 😈 suena horrible, pero nimode.

En conclusión, este libro esta lejisimos de ser mi favorito de la autora, pero al menos hubieron escenas que si me gustaron, así que gracias por tu aporte, Neva.

Y no voy a crusificar a Neva por este libro cuando la mayoría de sus libros sí me gustan. Yo soy débil, si le tengo fé al libro de Yulia, es que es de romance guardaespaldas 😪.

[ya.vl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Шось мені якщо чесно вже набридли книги з тропом викладення, сюжет в них дуже банальний і однотипний🤦🏿‍♀️
А ще й не люблю книги про друге покоління, якщо чесно то вважаю їх зайвими, рідко їх читаю але тут вирішила почитати, як не як новинка від Неви, ну і вже були якісь очікування але вони не справдились🤷🏿‍♀️
Василиса принцеса здається Чиказької мафії але я не впевнена, дуже красива звісно через це вона постійно привертає увагу чоловіків а це їй дуже не подобається
Рафаель через те що врятував життя дитини залишився зі шрамами на обличчі а він вже привертає негативну увагу, жінки не можуть бути з ним через це тому він платить їм або купує дорогі подарунки
Те саме він робив з Василисою, хоча їй цього не потрібно було
Його можна зрозуміти він не знав як правильно себе поводити і робив так як вмів а це мінус
Ну крім цього мені дуже сподобалось його ставлення до неї, він і дбав постійно про неї, робив так щоб вона почувала себе краще, найняв 12 людей і наказав їм шуміти щоб вона почувалась як у дома, навіть вбив людину через те, що він погано себе поводив коло неї
Дуже бережно до неї ставився з таким трепетом і обережністю, дуже довгий час приховував своє обличчя щоб вона не злякалась шрамів
але все псувало його оте купування буду так називати
1 млн за поцілунок 😳 чувак ти серйозно? Вона що з бідної сім’ї яка грошей не має🤦🏿‍♀️ я така сиджу і думаю собі - шо ти ляпнув😅
А те що він погрожував їй що вбʼє її сім’ю це взагалі дуже низько і ужасно, розумію ти хотів її затримати подовше але це вже перебор
Історія цікава не спорю але книга нудна🤷🏿‍♀️ і розділи були дуже довгі, більшу половину книги вони товклись на одному місці

[Rachael*Caribbean*girl*bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead, 2.5*




Twenty years before the H saves a young girl from getting hurt by explosives he and his men had planted to destroy a business. He's horribly scarred from this incident
Twenty years ago the h was saved from harm by a stranger her family never found

Present day
The h is a sometimes hacker, the daughter of Russian mob boss Petrov. She's kidnapped when she hacks a security company's server on multiple occasions
The H is now head of his own operation in his home country, he's spent years building his empire. He never expected the hacker to be female or the daughter of a mob boss, he forced her to help him but as time goes along he realises he doesn't want his little hacker to leave but with his uncle mobilising and war on the horizon he orders her to leave. Only he's hopeful she'll return....until her dad finds out who took his beloved child

******
This absolutely does NOT stand up to the original
Maybe the author slapped me in my face with his previous "relationships" so much to show how different it was with the h? Idk but whatever her intent it sucked and I hope she never does it again
CONDOMS!!!!!!! I don't need a full on discussion but seeing as she saw fit to let me know he'd been basically bribing/paying women to fuck him and we had the totally unnecessary scene if his cock in another woman the least she could've done was let me know that he'd always used condoms or something that effect!!!!!!!!!!
I was bored a lot, disgusted sometimes, displeased most times but entertained sometimes
There were some truly sweet moments, moments where the H would be the kind of man I'd expect from this author but not enough to offset what else was happening
The h was ok
Petrov kinda made me want to smack him but I got it, nice to see he hadn't changed 😂
WHATEVER THIS AUTHOR TRIED WITH THIS BOOK PLEASE LET'S NEVER DO THIS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!











Final thoughts
I'm disappointed tbh, full review to come




Thoughts while reading
Whew I got scared for a minute, once you make it past the initial bs he's alllllll about the h. Him trying to hire house staff and ordering that they argue and make noise just because she mentioned it.....oh my heart 😍😊🥰









Original thoughts

For fucks sake dear author!! Not youuuuuuuu too 😭😒 and where's the fucking condom 🤢😧




I rear back, my cock slipping out of my latest hookup. She’s sprawled in front of me on the desk, her red hair spilling over the edge. I squeeze the phone at my ear. “What?”

Drop-dead gorgeous. My fucks always are. I’m used to having beautiful women by my side. Money can buy what appearance alone cannot. That’s the reality.

A few years back, I picked up a woman at a club. Or rather, she picked me up. A well-known socialite from the mainland, she was in Sicily vacationing with her friends. One of them probably told her who I was. She was flying high on life—or maybe it was something more and I didn’t realize it at the time—and was clearly celebrating something that had champagne flowing freely at their table. By the time we made it to a suite at my hotel, she was singing the latest chart-toppers and could barely keep her hands off me. We fucked. Several times. She begged for more. I know how to please a woman in bed. The poor thing even asked me to marry her. But the following morning, when she woke up sober, but definitely hungover, and saw my face, she screamed. Two minutes later, she ran out of the room and straight into a taxi I called for her.



I can do manwhores, I've actually said reformed manwhores done RIGHT make the best BBF.....but done right means don't slap me in my face with his past because wtf 😒 and coming from this author I didn't expect this, now I've got to reread the previous books to see if this kinda stuff was always there and I forgot 😭

#currentlyreading

[sahar (warner's version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

click here for my rating system
4⭐ | 3🌶️ | 3.5💞 | 3.5🔥 | 3.5🧪 | 3.75💌

Omg, I loved this a lot!!!! Read the whole book in a day because I just couldn't put it down 😫😫

Now imagine this absolutely cute meet-cute:
You hack into his company's system because you're bored and steal his money, donating it to a church, but whoops! He's an Italian mafia man, affiliated with your dad, and he kidnaps you—assuming you're a man hired by his enemies—to kill you for messing with his business. But when you tried to kill him first with a broken bottle, he fell for you on the spot and I quote:

"I think that's the first time ever a woman has tried to kill me. And I find it hot as hell."

Isn't that so swoony and cute? 😍🥰 Oh, to be kidnapped by an Italian man 😘😘😘💋💋

Anyways, YEAH!!! I think Nera served with this second-generation book, BUT I had a few issues 😭💔

First of all, the MMC has some insecurities regarding his looks (which are explained and I can totally understand why he feels the way he feels and why he acted like he did during certain plot points) BUT there was a certain scene where I couldn't take his self-deprecating talks anymore.
Vasya loved him for who he was and that was REALLY clear and unmistakable, but whenever issues arose in their relationship (to be fair, this only happened 2-3 times), he immediately pushed it onto the fact that his face & body are scarred and that she would be better off with a "beautiful man."
Also, a certain other scene because he looked so stupid acting that desperate 😨 like ermmm... Not cool.

And also the fact 1. she kept calling herself "just soooo beautiful" and that 2. her size was mentioned so often 😭 my man was literally scared to "crush her when she sleeps because he's scared to roll over her". I'm actually so for real right now and I have proof and receipts:

"I have fucking nightmares that I'll crush her while we sleep. She's so delicate."

Like bro.. relax.. 💀 are you in love with a hamster or what😨

But that's literally all and I think 4 stars are still well deserved because I had an amazing time. The marriage scene?? JAW ON THE FLOOR. Like lmao this man is UNHINGED and I loved every second of it.
Also, Roman's cameo?? I LOVE MY MAN!!! He is an amazing dad and his rage moments were so freaking funny, especially the last chapter & the epilogue 😭 I need to quote this because I loved it. It's not a spoiler, but skip if you want to read it for yourself:

"I'm going to kill him!" Dad yells while Mom tries to push him out of the room. "I'm going to skin him alive and hang his hide over my office window as a curtain!"

"Don't mind him," my mom chirps, grinning at us over her shoulder. "He's just really excited about the news and can't find words to express his happiness. Aren't you, kotik?"

"I won't be using a knife, oh no," the pakhan [Roman aka. her Dad] keeps roaring while Mom maneuvers him backward. "I'll use a fucking potato peeler. You're going to make amazing burlap drapes, De Santi! And every time your remnants rustle in the breeze, I'll remember your screams of agony!"

"We'll come back later," Mom whispers with a slightly comical irritated look and slams the door shut in their wake.

Like the potato peeler fucking got me 😭😭😭😭😭

I still think Darkest Sins is her best book though💋💋
So YEAH!!! READ HER BOOKS!!!

[Prateekshya]

0🌟......same old shit.
It's nothing new. The plot was similar to other mafia romance book out their with some extra possesive traits from ML where he stright went on killing and hurts his own loyal gang member for manhandling the same person he ordered to beat up. ML was such a hypocrite and FL doesn't know how to stick to her own words.
This book is a mess and way too predictable.
Complete waste of time.😑

[🐝 Shaz 🐝 · Rating 4 out of 5]

One scarred Sicilian boss, finds out he’s being hacked. He has the hacker kidnapped, only to find out she is a Russian bosses daughter.😱
Lot happening in this story, with some good banter included.