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Throne Duet #1

Throne of Power

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Nel mondo della mafia il potere è tutto e per Rai Sokolov, unica erede di un impero criminale russo, sedere sul trono è un obiettivo che vale ogni sacrificio. Quando il destino la costringe a un matrimonio di convenienza, Rai scopre che il suo futuro marito non è solo un’ombra del passato, bensì una minaccia concreta al suo regno.



Kyle Hunter era il protettore di Rai, il suo guardiano; ora, è il suo nemico più pericoloso. Tornato per reclamare ciò che crede sia suo di diritto, Kyle è disposto a tutto pur di ottenerlo.



In un gioco letale di tradimenti, segreti e desideri proibiti, ogni mossa può essere l’ultima. E, quando il sangue inizia a scorrere e la guerra diventa inevitabile, Rai e Kyle scopriranno che il confine tra odio e amore è pericolosamente sottile.





Throne of Power è il primo romanzo non autoconclusivo della dilogia Throne.

Nel testo troverete violenza fisica e psicologica, scene di dubbio consenso sessuale e informazioni mediche fuorvianti.





 

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 21, 2021

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About the author

Rina Kent

57 books61.6k followers
Rina Kent is a New York Times, USA Today, and #1 bestselling author of all things dark romance.
Better known for writing unapologetic anti-heroes and villains, Rina weaves tales of characters you shouldn’t fall for but inevitably do. Her stories are laced with a touch of darkness, a splash of angst, and just the right amount of unhealthy intensity.
When she’s not busy plotting mayhem for her ever-expanding Rinaverse, she leads a private life in London, travels, and pampers her cats in true Cat Lady fashion.


You can find her below:

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,827 reviews
Profile Image for Ana.
61 reviews
March 25, 2021
I'm about to go on a very aggressive tangent. Fair warning. This is the perfect example of the toxic bullshit "women say no but they actually mean yes."
I was instantly intrigued by Rai. Ready for a true strong woman to bring some assholes to heel. It's all good and dainty until she and Kyle actually meet. Then she turns into a stupid blob. All self control is gone because she had a crush on him. He's been gone for 7 years and you fall ALL OVER YOURSELF ??? FOR WHAT ?? She questions his motives here and there but is not really willing to put any effort into discovering more. He's a stranger that threatens everything you worked for. The family and lifestyle you supposedly love.


****Spoilers ahead****


Kyle is an overbearing disgusting pig. There, I fucking said it. Fight me on it.
● Exhibit A. Her wedding. Some shooting happens and of course he needs to assert his dominance by telling her to stay behind and hide. Because he is her husband and he'll take care of it. I was excited when she doesn't listen and goes to defend her family anyways. EXCEPT SHE GETS INTO TROUBLE. OF FUCKING COURSE SHE DOES. AND WHO RESCUES HER ? Yeah...that asshole. Fuck. My. Life.
●Exhibit B. His fucking disregard of her personal space and boundaries. After the wedding night fiasco she is flustered and closes herself in the bathroom. So what does Kyler say ? "You don’t get to lock yourself away from me. It’s part of the rules you have to follow now that you’re my wife." Then she tries to take a shower and he shows up behind her, grabs her neck and it's all over because he fondles her pussy. Wow. Really tho ?
● The sex toy fiasco. She repeatedly tells him not to touch her but his response is: "Are you that scared of your body betraying you ?" So just because the body can get aroused it means yes ? They make some stupid bargain instead which would be enertaning if they had an actual chemistry.
● The thing that tipped me over the edge comes right after this. Rei has a family meeting with all the highest members of the organization. A woman in charge is unheard of in the mafia. She is still fighting to be taken seriously. The minute the meeting starts Kyle decides to play a little game and activate the sex toy. It's not even playful. No, she is forced to be carried out of there because she is not "feeling well" and makes a fool out of herself. Let's not forget the disgusting remark from Kyle: "It appears I exhausted her last night." Sure, why don't you piss all over her hard work and smidge of respect she has.
Things are looking up when in a moment of hallelujah slaps his fucking face off, telling him not to do it again. His answer ? "I’ll play with you however I please." She should play with your nuts on the floor. How about that ?
But it's okay since he respects her independence and strong nature. Or so he says. The reality is a little more everything but that.
● Fucking her without a condom when she says otherwise. Not pulling out when she asks. Hurting her and not slowing down when SHE SPECIFICALLY says so. Breaking the door because she wanted some privacy. Threatening her. Some absurd talk about babies. And the most STUPID THING I'VE EVER HEARD: “You know the morning-after pill actually slaughters the child if he’s already formed, right?” After a few hours since you had sex the child is already formed ? That's not what science says. God, he is such a piece of shit.
● THE PLAYLIST IS FIRE THO 🤡
Profile Image for Clace .
873 reviews2,991 followers
June 7, 2024
2.50!

“When the hurricane hits him out of nowhere, he’ll understand why storms are named after women.”


I mean it is Rina Kent so idk why I even was excited 😭😭 it was enjoyable tho so I am not gonna give it a 1 and I also do wanna read more of it. The writing wasn't honestly RES bad it was not deception good either it was mid but it did the job, I was addicted and I flew through.

Rai was all bark and no bite like all of Rina's fmc's and Kyle was I'll fuck you even if you say no because I no you want it kind of mmc. I mean both have potential and both were ok it was just that the book was 280 pages long and 150 pages of it was filled with smut scenes so I couldn't get into the characters or the plot to be very honest. I liked Damien and Kirill tho 👀

The romance was mostly lust and there was one scene where they talked and I liked but other that it was just sex and IK the smut scenes are hot but like they are so unrealistic because he did not just put a sex toy inside of her for the full day and told her to go to meetings and was also increasing the intensity of the toy while they were in public and the fmc was still okay??😭😭😭 yeah I didn’t understand that.

All in all, Classic RK but I had a fun time with this!
__
I have to read this duology and the monster trilogy before 13th and I can do that! because I usually read RK's books in a day or two and its been months since I've read her books (I miss the trashy fun) wish me luck!!
Profile Image for Lilyya ♡.
653 reviews3,721 followers
April 27, 2023
2.75 stars not rounded up bc im mad

"Didn’t you tell me we choose our own destiny?”
“I lied. It’s always decided beforehand. Every action we take only throws us back to the path we were always meant to follow."


Here we are, once again, with an appealing promise mediocrely executed. Rai Solocov is a princess, the New York Bratva’s princess. She tried to cement —during years— herself among the brotherhood that is surprise, surprise a misogynistic and men-only world but, she eventually secured a pillar role while managing V-Corp; one of the most rentable business’ of the organization. She was a powerful figure up until her fate was tied with a shadow from her past, Kyle Hunter aka her ex-bodyguard and new —vengeful— husband.

" You left. You fucking left, Kyle."

Something was missing. A huge part of their past was left to the imagination and fantasy only. How they first met, how he taught her some rudimentary fighting skills and most importantly the significance and depth of their sort of "ex-relationship". It felt like a contextual retelling was needed maybe drawn as a prequel or at least pulled with a few chapters here and there translating some segments of their prior bond. It felt like their relationship was shallow and driven by lust and revenge only, I couldn’t connect with either one of the protagonists or their relationship because whenever they opened up to each other it was quickly followed by a sex scene and wasn’t further developed.

"Just because I was born a woman, doesn’t mean I’ll let anyone stomp all over me."

What happens when a "male-alpha" marries an independent and stubborn woman? *Boomboom shaka laka*, a battle of power. It was enjoyable for the first chapters but then.. they got married and the battle was exclusively orbiting around a sex dominance. Every part of it was displeasing, every time he tried to submit her with a sex-toy when they were alone or surrounded by the brotherhood,it wasn’t hot or sexy, it just felt like he wanted to discredit her position among them even if he knew how much it was important for her and kept highlighting how she’s an impressive and powerful woman in his inner monologues but his actions said otherwise, for me at least, and this contradictory aspect of his personality was so disturbing.

"Don’t ever, and I mean ever, repeat that. You’re my wife—know your fucking place.”
“And you’re my husband,” I mutter through clenched teeth. “Know your fucking place."


I am always partially retissant to read mafia romances or dark romances in general because there’s often a sort hypocritical nuances between other women and other men’s drama. The audacity of Kyle, in this book, to let an Italian goddess throw herself in his arms in front of his "wife" and then let her remind him that he drunk-slept the night before at her brother’s house —accessory hers— but would throw a tantrum if his dite wife would even as put her eyes on man, made my blood boil. Rai defended herself cleverly but didn’t hold any grudges, she was good with comebacks but bad at making her words and convictions actually being heard.

"I was only protecting my honor. Disrespect me again and I will disrespect you in return."

" Eye for an eye, Kyle. You know I believe in that. So next time you let a woman throw her arms around you, know I’ll find another man to throw my arms around. Fuck a woman and I’ll fuck two men—and a woman, if I’m in the mood."


In this case he assured Rai that nothing happened with the Italian goddess but honestly if i was her i wouldn’t trust or believe him.

And can we admire also the fact that he announced in front of her family that they’re expecting a "child" when they did it just once. This was sick.

"But how long would I have lived in that pipe dream before the bubble burst? Before I saw Kyle for what he truly is?
A mastermind of destruction.
A man who will ruin my family."


The book ended with a cliffhanger, Rai discovered that she was only a chess piece in Kyle’s vengeful plan. The ending was pretty intriguing, let’s just hope that the second book is better orchestrated.



————
the problem with miss Kent is that you need to DIIIIIIIIG to actually find a masterpiece 😭 and after 'the deception trilogy' i know she can deliver! so fingers crossed for this duet.
let’s not talk about the fact that i don’t read the author’s series in the chronological order🙃
Profile Image for Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️.
2,946 reviews2,673 followers
February 7, 2021
Sizzling Hot, with a great big finish!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: ❤️💙💜💛💚
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 👤👤👤👤👤

The Hero(s): Kyle Hunter - Kyle was brought in to the Bratva though nobody really knew much about his background. He was a Hitman and very good at his job. Though seven years ago he disappeared without a word. Now he is back and claiming to be the son of one of the 4 Kings of the vory. The son that was kidnapped at age 5 and never seen again until now.

The heroine: Rai (Raina Sokolov) - She is the Grand-daughter of the former Bratva’s Pakhan, and now the Grand-niece of the current one. She wants more power herself but the Bratva is a man’s world and they don’t allow women. Though in the time since Kyle left and her Babushka died, she has gained a bit of her own power.

The Love Story: When Kyle left seven years ago it nearly broke Rai and she has become a different person since then. She is upset when the Bratva takes Kyle back so easily after he basically left them. Nobody leaves the mafia. In order to save her innocent niece from an arranged marriage, Rai takes her place, but when she agreed, she had no idea the groom would be Kyle.



This is a dark mafia romance where the bride is stuck in an arranged marriage against her will. The groom has a very shady past and she doesn’t trust him at all. The fact that she knew him well in the past, trusted him and was attracted to him before he left and broke her heart, makes her that much more acrimonious. Though Kyle wants his new wife, it seems he might just be toying with Rai while having another agenda completely.

The arranged mafia marriage is a trope used often in dark romance, but it is one I continue to like. However, the misogynistic mafia world is often hard to take, but I genuinely liked Rai and Kyle. Though some of the things Kyle did weren’t great. Especially getting crazy jealous when she even talked to another guy. It is one thing in a book to show jealousy but another to tell a woman she can’t even talk to another guy when she isn’t flirting with the guy(s).

This book has tie in’s to some other of Rina’s books, though I won’t go into which ones since that may be a spoiler, but I enjoyed that since I have read all her books. The ending of course was a Cliffhanger since this is book one of a Duet, but it was definitely Spectacular!!!



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Profile Image for lulu ☆.
80 reviews704 followers
September 6, 2024
જ⁀➴ 2 stars

“Just because I was born a woman, doesn’t mean I’ll let anyone stomp all over me.

~ There are so many undertones of devious things going on, this book wasnt exciting even outside of the relationship between kyle and rai. i just found kyle extremely immature and rai was said to be "girlboss" but i saw none of that in her character she js cries alot throughout the whole duet.

Kyle Hunter is said to be a twisted, sarcastic and sadistic man. i have way more bad things to say than good about him he is the literal definition of male alpha and i found myself laughing out loud at the things he says to seem "tough" and i kept cringing when he constantly kept putting the damn sex toy in her and turning it on every time they were alone or surrounded by the brotherhood it wasnt attractive of him at all. his personality was nothing but disturbing i hope i never stumble upon a male character as cringe and disturbing as him in any book.

Rai Sokolov was described as tough, powerful and stubborn. i kept looking for those qualities in her character but i just couldnt. those qualities were nowhere to be found.
i simply found her annoying and weak. i have nothing else to say about her. goodnight.

~ the only thing i liked about this read was the characters. the ones other than kyle and rai and also the aesthetic the book holds made me feel things! it was also very fast paced.

~ i hope i never read a book with characters that were this annoying and cringey. stay safe yall.

~ thank you youssra for buddy reading with me 💌
Profile Image for Randaa •。ꪆৎ ˚.
25 reviews6 followers
September 15, 2024
➵ ”𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒉𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏.”

This book had me thinking loads of things was completely confused throughout, yes i was but i kept pushing through and that ending oooo im patiently waiting to see what Rai does next and while there was literally no plot strangely i was intrigued throughout and somewhat it was quite enjoyable!! even tho i thought this was gonna be one of her best books sadly it wasn’t like everyone says it is but i will eat up a mafia book ANY day of the week no matter what

𝐑𝐚𝐢
╰┈➤ She is the niece of the Pakhan and has an important role at V corp which she has worked hard to get and omddd what a freaking bad ass!! i love the way she stood up for herself against Kyle and his Andrew Tate attitude tho it mostly consisted of swearing and i hate you's but i was here for it and was rooting for her every step of the way. She is confident and quite literally gives zero f's of what people think of her and when she wants smth believe me nothing stops her from getting it. I also love just because she a woman apart of the mafia, she lets no one dare to bad mouth her

➵ “𝑹𝒂𝒊 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒏𝒆𝒅. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒕.”

𝐊𝐲𝐥𝐞
╰┈➤ I do have mixed thoughts about him and i do like him tbh he was funny and cocky but not necessarily in a bad way and he regrets for ever breaking Rai's heart tho it wasnt rly his fault ig and he is DOWN BAD for this woman and is a bit better than some mmc's ive read about and like he was literally her own personal shield??? and he calls her princess AND he's british 😩😩i mean what more could a girl want 🤭🤭~ ❝𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆, 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔.❞ JUST TAKE MY MONEY 😊.However, a couple things about him just grossed me out. But when they get attacked I loved how he ALWAYS shielded this woman and protected her I mean her literally took a bullet for her and almost died that is what I call dedication my friends.

➵ “𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒉𝒊𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚.”

Anyway getting onto the gross part i hate, HATE just the whole sex toy thing one it was annoying to read about and two it was just so weird and disgusting and the fact he FORCED her to keep it in her um yk and and the way he would turn it on during her important meetings was just horrible he just lacks respect for her and the ppl in the room and he says “punishes” her if she doesn’t keep it in her 🐱 anymore which is quite immature if u ask me and if I was her I wouldn’t have listened to him. It’s a no from me 😀

Also lmaoo why was theyre some sort of attack in almost every chapter like i get their apart of the Mafia and stuff but damn how many ppl are out for their blood.

➵ “𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏, 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒑 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆.”~hahahaa PERIOD QUEEN!

i wasnt rly a fan of the dynamics of their relationship to me it was purely just physical and i didnt see much going on for them but ig we shall see how it changes in the next book and pls tell me why half the book was just smut literally i remember there being 4 smut chapters BACK 2 BACK like just tone it down pls 🙏 Even tho this books wasn’t that great did I still eat it up in like two days, yes , yes I did.

One of my fav quotes of the book ~ “𝑬𝒚𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒚𝒆, 𝑲𝒚𝒍𝒆. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕. 𝑺𝒐 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅. 𝑭*𝒄𝒌 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒇*𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒏—𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏, 𝒊𝒇 𝑰’𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒅.” ~ she is literally MOTHER i'll take her over Kyle without hesitation
lmaooo 🤭

Extra brownie points for my pookies named Damien Orlov and Kirill Morosov I was swooninggggg for them both like they’re both so funny, yet charming at the same time 🤭and then there’s Adrian who I’m not very interested by so far but we’ll see how that changes in the other books 👀

Lastly I almost forget loll but I love her relationship with Anastasia I love what she did to protect her from the arranged marriage so she did it myself they were just sooo cuteee and I dont rly have thoughts on Reina and Rai yet ig maybe I’ll see more when I read her book but toddler Gareth is literally so adorable and we BETTER get his book cuz I totally ship Gareth X Kayden and the first ever student-professor book yh I want that.
Profile Image for Rina Kent.
Author 57 books61.6k followers
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January 23, 2021
THRONE OF POWER IS ON LIVE!
Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance.

AMAZON US ➜ https://amzn.to/3p6LdV4
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Excerpt:


I hit his chest with a closed fist. He lets me then feigns a dramatic wince. “Kinky this early in the evening? I’m going to have my hands full with you tonight, aren’t I, wife?”

“Not if you want to keep your dick where it belongs.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

He chuckles, the laugh lines around his eyes turning them lighter and more sinful. “Oh, it will stay where it belongs, but maybe I should use it to shut that stubborn mouth for once.” He grabs me by the chin, his expression darkening. “You won’t have much to say when your lips are wrapped around my dick, will you?”

© Rina Kent, 2020

This book is part of a duet and is not standalone.

Throne Duet:
#1 Throne of Power
#2 Throne of Vengeance
Profile Image for Flor ❁ (HIATUS).
236 reviews57 followers
June 3, 2023
2.5✨

I had high expectations with Kyle and Rai since I read All The Truths, but I didn't connect much with the story.

So, why it didn't wor me?

💡They "had" chemistry and there was a bit of tension, but I feel like it was too fast, Kyle appears again, she marries him and she's so dummy around him??? He disappeared for SEVEN years!!

💡There was something that made me uncomfy (maybe it's me 😅): him fucking her without protection when she didn't want to (she wasn't on birth control) cause he wanted to get her pregnant, that whole scene was disappointing and YES I know this is tagged as dark romance but babies can wait xx

💡I'd have liked to see some povs from their past to understand better their relationship/background (I hope we have some of this in the next book)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for annie.
336 reviews2,031 followers
January 3, 2024
3.5 stars

Tbh, Rina Kent ensures her books have a captivating side plot to engage readers. Even though you might dislike the dynamic between the couple at times – which I didn't in this book, you just keep pushing through. So, I'm super curious to know what'll happen next!

❝Just because I was born a woman, doesn’t mean I’ll let anyone stomp all over me.❞


This is an arranged marriage, enemies-to-lovers romance without Rina's favorite virgin trope. ✨

Rai Sokolov — she's the executive director at V corp and is an elite member in the brotherhood (alongside other members aka Kirill, Damien & Adrian). She's always looked down upon because she's a woman, but she fought and gave as good as she got because she doesn't give a fuck about anyone. She wants to stay on top to protect the people she loves. She wants power.

Ngl, she is wayyy cooler than I anticipated. She's better than her daughters. I actually quite liked her attitude and how she dealt with Kyle, he's wayy too much of an alpha-hole, so it was shocking that this book did not show much misogyny. Rai is a badass, but yes, she suffered from BODY BETRAYING SYNDROME too.

Kyle Hunter — he's a professional and the best hitman in Bratva. He left Rai 7 years ago for a mission, and now he's back in the brotherhood. I actually liked him, he's quite arrogant and overconfident, but still, he's much better and is kinda smitten with Rai. I'm curious to know his secrets and past, but overall, he isn't bad and he'd just DIE FOR HER.

❝I knew you would be the death of me, Princess.❞


He used his body as a shield for her and also got shot 😩. Idk, but I'm over the top because of this gesture lmao.

The only thing I hate and kinda gave me ick was the sex toys thing. Like please, I just find it gross, and he really has no regard about Rai's position if he just actively turns them on during meetings and disturbs her. I found them very unflattering ✋🏻, and when finally those stop, his OTT ways to ensure she won't talk to Vlad and all but on the other hand, he let a woman hug her.

❝I’m your wife, and therefore, your equal, not a second-rate citizen you can do with as you please. Don’t dish out your double standards on me—you won’t like how I'll react.❞

I was cheering Rai for putting him in his fucking place! Sometimes the situation would be over pretty quickly, but here it made Kyle flustered, and he confessed it was nothing. I hate double standards so much, and there were some scenes, but not much that they became intolerable. The sex scenes were good and covered 40% of the book. Their past – when Kyle was Rai's bodyguard – isn't much discovered in this book. The ending was predictable and didn't leave me as shocked as her trilogies do.

I already hate Adrian because of the things he did to Lia – judging because of reviews – and told myself not to read that book lmaooo, but I really wanna know what happened with Lia that she was so cowered and was having PTSD. Damien remains my favorite character through and through, and AHHH KIRILL 💕✋🏻

Throne Of Vengeance – 3.75 stars
Profile Image for Marianna Moore.
471 reviews64.7k followers
July 7, 2024
If Rina Kent writes a dark mafia romance you best believe I’m gonna read it and I’m going to absolutely gobble it up. Rai is that fucking bitch, quite possibly my favorite RK FMC. Kyle is your classic morally black man written by Rina Kent, possessive and unhinged and psychotic as hell and for some reason I never get tired of it.

A good, very spicy time, we read these for the vibes and the vibes only.
Profile Image for sara.
808 reviews314 followers
October 26, 2024
‧͙⁺˚*・༓☾☆ 1.5 stars ☆☽༓・*˚⁺‧͙

ummm did we read the same book?!?!? 🫠🫠 i’m gonna be in the minority here.

this is going to be * a quick rant *

Rai and Kyle showed SO MUCH promise, like they were giving powerful couple, arranged marriage, former bodyguard/mafia princess, second chance romance. But, we got this bullshit.

the beginning? I was living for it. I was so excited. A lot of people found it boring, but I love mafia talk and with a strong woman trying to gain power?? ugh it was so good. but then Kyle came in and that motherfucker is a fucking ass.

the FIRST thing he does as a husband is put a toy inside Rai and turn it on whenever she tries to plant herself in a mafia plan with the important men and belittles her by telling everyone “he exhausted her”. Usually, this is kinda hot, but because of the fucker in question, i hated it.

It gets worse.

he fucks her and after she tells him REPEATEDLY that she doesn’t want him to come inside her cause she doesn’t want to get pregnant, he does it like 4 times in one day 🫠🫠 and when she tells him she’s going to get the morning after pills, he then manipulates her by telling EVERYONE she’s pregnant. ?????? how is that attractive???? Rai gets confused cause “I said no, but my body says yes? it’s just so good!!!” UGHHHH, i hate that. every time she said NO, Kyle would take it as a yes, and her mind would change later cause it’s just SO GOOD 🤢🤢

and then is Rai. She’s always threatening people, especially Kyle, but what does she do? NOTHING!!! apparently the power of Kyle’s HUGE dick is too strong that she can’t say a single sentence and leaves her absolutely useless because it’s just too big. Like this girl would go LIMP at the simple SIGHT of Kyle’s fingers or smirk or his HUGE dick. did i mentioned his dick was HUGE ??? 🙄🙄🙄🙄

AND THEN 😂😂😂😂😂 Rai has been suspicious of Kyle because of how quickly he is climbing up the latter in the family and gaining their trust, BUT this bitch trusts him instantly because he acted as a shield for Sergei (the mafia boss and Rai’s granduncle), and OBVIOUSLY the guy who now is one of the closest guys to the boss, who’s been here for weeks, could NOT possibly have a secret agenda, because HE SACRIFICED HIMSELF, he loves me so much, he is truly loyal to the family 🥰🥰🥰🥰

(is the sarcasm clear or…🫣)

after that beginning with the Mafia talk, we get then a bunch of nothing. Literally. It was all sex and Rai’s:

“oh i hate him, i’m gonna kill him *insert pout and a stomp to the floor like a kid* but also he is so hot and me is so horny i can’t do anything else 🥺👉🏻👈🏻”

and Kyle’s:

“This family is going down 😤 im so dangerous and this is my vengeance. but oh, my wife’s so hot damn i might take her with me when i leave to fuck her 24/7 yeah😎”

i can not.

Kyle was a manipulative, conniving, abusive, condescending asshole and by the end he is just sooOooOoOooO in love with Rai, but I just didn’t care.

I’m kinda hoping Rai dumps him now that she knows and pulls a queen move on him and ends up as a divorced mafia boss 🫢 that would be awesome. Kyle’s death would be soooooooo satisfying to watch 😌

p.s. the playlist was fire lmao. I was vibing while angry and it was awesome.


╭─━━━━━━━━━━━━─╮

Throne Duet

Throne of Power #1 — 1.5 stars
Throne of Vengeance#2 — 2 stars

╰─━━━━━━━━━━━━─╯
Profile Image for Ri ♡ .
572 reviews2,202 followers
March 21, 2025
3 stars

“Just because I was born a woman, doesn’t mean I’ll let anyone stomp all over me.”


I need more characters like Rai Sokolov in Rina Kent’s books!

I think Rina is better at writing mafia romances than high school bully romances. Honestly, the plot in this book was more interesting than the entire RES series (not including Ruthless Empire because that book is something else). I liked how the mystery plot around the Irish mafia and the killings was explored, and I must say it was more intriguing and captivating than the romance in this book.

“Don’t ever, and I mean ever, repeat that. You’re my wife—know your fucking place.”
“And you’re my husband,” I mutter through clenched teeth. “Know your fucking place.”


I liked Rai the most. She’s a true Russian mafia princess. Reina was the mean bitch twin, but Rai is the badass twin. She’s always trying to rise up in the brotherhood, where fate and intelligence are determined by the gender you belong to. What I did not like was how easily she was manipulated by Kyle. Apparently, she’s not a badass when it comes to her vengeful husband. She did give him as much as he did, and I liked that she didn’t tolerate his bullshit attitude, but I also wish she had fought Kyle when he forced her with sex toys. But then again, every interaction leads to sex, so I guess it’s worthless in the end.

“I’m your wife, and therefore, your equal, not a second-rate citizen you can do with as you please. Don’t dish out your double standards on me—you won’t like how I react.”


Kyle is just like all the asshole MMCs written by Rina Kent. He’s ruthless, vengeful, and arrogant because he’s the best hitman in the Bratva. His manipulative toxicity got on my nerves so many times. I hated the way he treated Rai, always trying to tame her with sex toys even though he knew how hard she worked to earn her position in the brotherhood. It was like he didn’t care if they judged her because he always turned them on during the brotherhood meetings. But I also liked how he tried to save her every time with his own life, even when he claimed to hate her. I guess I’m conflicted about him until I finally find out his real motives in the next book.

“She tastes like addiction and bad decisions, and yet I would still come back for a hit every day.”


The romance was just lust, sex, and tension. I didn’t feel the emotional connection between Rai and Kyle. The arranged marriage trope was executed well, but I think what I was truly missing was the past timeline—where they spent months together, Rai fell for him, but then he left her without giving her a reason. It just felt weird because the past was left undiscovered, and there was no retelling of what actually happened between Kyle and Rai seven years ago or what their dynamics were like when he worked as an assassin/bodyguard for her. I hope we get some chapters from the past timeline in the next book because that part feels essential to establish Rai’s mixed feelings for Kyle. But the hunter x Russian mafia princess dynamics served in this book.

“Come here, Rai.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you close.”
“Why do you want me close?” Her voice is small, as if she doesn’t know how to ask that question.
“Because at the moment when I thought it was the end, that’s the only thing I wanted.”
That’s the only normal moment they had in this book—the rest is just angst and sex.


Talking about side characters? Adrian, Kirill, and Damien have all my attention, and I can’t wait to read their books!
Profile Image for Huda.
314 reviews480 followers
September 15, 2024
2.5/5
God, can Rina Kent not write romance without them fucking like bunnies 24/7?
I wanted burn and angst because they are apparently enemies-to-getting arranged, married. But just no god no.
2 stars for Rai only<3
The ending was what I needed through the whole book.
If you want to read this book, just read the first 10 chp and the last 3 chp. cz they fuck in between

fingers... crossed?🥲
Profile Image for Jessica .
2,637 reviews16k followers
June 10, 2025
SO GOOOODDDD. I love a kick-butt mafia FMC and that's exactly what Rai is. I have been so intrigued by her since I read the Monster trilogy and her story did not disappoint. Throw in second chance and marriage of convenience? Sold.
Profile Image for youssra.
158 reviews893 followers
July 7, 2024
– 3 stars ✰


Rai Sokolov is the forbidden fruit I should’ve never tasted, because one single taste isn’t enough. Neither is the second, the third, or the tenth.

And yet he betrayed her😔 anyway i enjoyed this and it was really fast paced.
Profile Image for M..
510 reviews736 followers
January 24, 2021
This is not me giving it 1 star just because I don't like the author, nor because it was bad, it's actually because this was so damn boring.

I really liked the previous duet so I thought I would give this a shot because mafia + Kyle being Ray's bodyguard aka mafia princess, BUT she changed that fact and left it in a marriage of convenience between enemies, which I would have liked if it weren't for the fact that Kyle was SO annoying and there was 0 chemistry between them, even the "sexual tension" that she tried to writing felt weird and uncomfortable.

I liked Ray but hated the fact that before Kyle turned her back she was this cold and determined mob princess with an actual personality, but the moment Kyle made his grand entrance, all that determination was gone and she was all giggles and a mess.

The only part I liked was that single reinaasher breadcrumb and the scene about the non-existent baby. Overall the plot was very forgettable and I can't even remember the side characters anymore.
Profile Image for aleksandra.
775 reviews3,715 followers
December 19, 2023
3/5

Rai for pakham people!

"Why do you want me close?” Her voice is small, as if she doesn’t know how to ask that question. “Because at the moment when I thought it was the end, that’s the only thing I wanted.”

"Who cares about oxygen when I’m breathing her in as my favorite type of drug? This woman will cause both our downfalls."
Profile Image for giulsxx.
211 reviews247 followers
August 31, 2024
3★
“We’re Sokolovs, Rai,” he told me once. “We don’t bend the knee. Everyone else does.”
Profile Image for Abstract ♥ Books.
1,281 reviews1,765 followers
January 31, 2022



ALL MY REVIEWS CAN BE FOUND ON MY BLOG: ABSTRACT BOOKS

line

KYLE HUNTER :



RAI SOKOLOV :



Web-Photo-Editor I’m going to get under Kyle Hunter’s skin so deep, exploit his power, and then use it against him. When the hurricane hits him out of nowhere, he’ll understand why storms are named after women.”


Star Rating : 4.5 / 5 Stars

POV : Dual

Cliffhanger : yes

Hero : Kyle Hunter. Former Assassin who left the brotherhood years ago. He is now back after years to join again and claim his rights. He was Dominant , Cocky and absolutely ruthless in whatever he did!

Heroine : Rai. She is the ice queen of the brotherhood. She is ruthless and Cold in her life and does whatever she wants in her life to achieve her aims.

Pace of the story : Fast

Angst Rating : 6/10

Heat Rating : 9/10

Triggers Involved : Past trauma

Plot Summary :
Kyle used to be Rai’s bodyguard once and one of the few people she trusted. That is until he betrayed everyone and left her alone. After years she is finally near to achieving her goal of getting a place in the brotherhood , when he barges back. Now he was the man she was destined to marry and there was nothing she could do about it.

No part of her trusted Kyle and she knew he had his own reasons to come back and none of that included marrying her. She is going to uncover his secrets and then destroy him to take her rightful place among the brotherhood. If only she doesn;t lose herself to him first.

Overall Opinion :

Web-Photo-Editor “I hate you.”
“But you’ll love my games, Princess.”


Clear out your Top read Shelves! Kyle and Rai are coming in HOT!

The moment I saw the blurb of this story , I was bursting with excitement! It’s Rina with my favourite genre , arrange marriage + second chance and there was no way I was missing this book! It was definitely as explosive as I expected it to be if not more.

Rai is definitely one of the best heroines of Rina. That roman was cold as hell and had very few scenes when she opened herself up or let herself feel anything, Kyle was her perfect partner. Those who have read Ruthless Empire I would say he was a mixture of Aiden and Ronan! He had a playful part and the ruthless one which he didn’t hesitate to use when needed.

The storyline of the book was amazing and Rina left me hanging with half clues and a big freaking cliffhanger to guess what happens in the next book!! I want the next book now! Ughhh, Kyle and rai are perfect and trust me , if Ruthless heroines and Badass heroes are your thing then make sure you read this one! Rina kept me guessing till the very end about what she actually has in mind for us and I am still not able to figure it out.. Like I said before I need the second book NOW!!!

A definite recommendation to all the Dark romance lovers out there! If you are addicted to themes like mafia , Arranged Marriage , second chance , ruthless Hero and Badass heroines then this book is your next fix!

Final Verdict :
A must read for all mafia lovers!
Rina once again has me speechless with her writing and I loved the way she kept me guessing till the very end!
The cliffhanger was big and I can’t wait for the next book!

My-Post-3
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Profile Image for Samantha (bookgramsaga reviews).
910 reviews1,195 followers
January 16, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Reread)

''Don't attempt to play with my fire''

Safety warnings:
- Slight age gap (H 35 / h 28)
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Violence
- Arranged marriage
- Cliffhanger

Reading this duet again to prepare for Kirill's trilogy!

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

I never wrote a review for this duet (I only started truly writing reviews since last summer) and so rereading this I thought I remembered a bunch of stuff but let's be honest: I did not so here is my review (mainly for myself) to remember things that happened in the Rina world lol

I love Mafia books and I love arranged marriage tropes. Add a bit of hate and angst and you got one of my favorite types of romance.

If you have not read the Truths and Lies duet by Rina - read that first. This duet spoils that storyline a lot and it would be a shame for it to be known without reading Rai's twin sisters story and how the hell it all came down.

Kyle left 7 years ago and Rai never really forgave him. He was her bodyguard and just never came back one day, no phone calls, no letters, nothing. It wasn't like these two were in a relationship or had any sort of emotional connection that this would be a bf or a lover fucking off. Nope. She did like him and found him attractive but that's as far as it went between them. She was 21 and he was 28. He was only her guard for 2 years and helped her deal with the issues concerning her sister’s safety.

I'll be honest and say Kyle isn't my favorite MMC from Rina. How can he be when he was sharing a bunch of scenes with Adrian aka the god of MMC's (in my eyes). We know he is back after all those years to get revenge on the Irish and the Russians, but you don't really know why and what prompted this change. It's however not difficult to imagine it might have to do with his parents and his childhood.

He weasels his way in and gets Rai to agree to an arranged marriage between them and attempts to impregnate her for some reason even though in his POV he is constantly thinking about leaving after his mission is finished.

Slowly but surely these two find common ground and have explosive sex. Kyle becomes OTT and obsesses with Rai. We don't know much about what he was up to in those 7 years of absence, but I wish we had gotten a glimpse?

Neither are virgins. Rai lost it according to her 10 years ago (to someone we don't know) and since then has not been with anyone and it's not because she was sad about Kyle leaving but mainly because she never felt like she needed/wanted sex or wanted guys. She was too focused on being part of the Bratva and making herself important in the world of the misogynistic men around her.

Obviously, things go to shit once these two get a bit of peace between each other. Rai overhears Kyle on the phone plotting the Bratva's demise and saying Rai means nothing...someone attacks her and throws her down the stairs.

We get a good chunk of insights about Kirill and his bodyguard and Rai knows something about them but we don't know what yet.

Also, every time Adrian was mentioned or in the scenes it made me smile. I love him and any glimpses of him makes me automatically happy. We got some Lia scenes, and you realize how deep everyone believes Adrian doesn't love his wife.

The end of this book leaves you with more questions then answers.
Why is Kyle trying to destroy the Russians along with the Irish when the Irish/Russian do not get along?
Who hurt Rai at the end?
What will Rai do now that she knows Kyle has been lying and plotting?
Betrayal in the Bratva is punished with death – so how will Kyle get out of that?
What’s the story behind Kirill and his bodyguard?


Profile Image for Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus} .
1,236 reviews1,748 followers
January 4, 2025
4.5 out of 5 stars!

Rina Kent can do no wrong.

————————————
I’ve been craving Rina Kent books, ever since I read the Vow of Deception trilogy, and very recently recommended a friend of mine to give that series a try as well.

I’ll try to pick up another set of trilogy of hers very soon, hopefully. And the minute I’m done with those books, I’ll start reading this duology.

The goal is to read all of these RK series this year!
Profile Image for ☆EmilyEverAfter☆.
198 reviews785 followers
February 5, 2024
The way I devour Rina's books, every. single. time. should be illeagl. 😂 These red flags having mafia men are a work of art. I hope Ria kicks his ass for the bs he's pulling. I need the grovling to be next level. Lol
Profile Image for Sarah.
555 reviews338 followers
September 26, 2025
Was gonna rate this a 2.5 until Rina Kent, out of nowhere, decided to make Kyle, her hero extremely unattractive by writing a scene where he says the morning after pill is known to "slaughter" the "baby" in the womb...?

Um, okay. . .

My panties dried up faster than I could say "EW."

Nothing is less attractive than an uneducated man.

What type of science book is Rina Kent reading?

Are we supposed to believe this hero operates higher than at a 3rd grade level when you write him saying stupid shit like that?

And do authors know their heros need to be attractive in order for us to root for them.

Panties will be dry everywhere if you make your hero sound like a stupid, uninformed dumb-dumb, who says dumb shit. Dumb men are not attractive.

If they were, everyone would be stepping over themselves wanting to fuck flat-earthers and anti-vaxxers.

And when Rina made Kyle say this line, all I was thinking about is why is Rai fucking a flat-earther...?
Profile Image for Lady Raven RAVE!.
1,824 reviews1,505 followers
January 24, 2021
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Style: Dark Mafia Romance
Story: 3/5
Enjoyment: 3.5/5
Dark Level: 2/5
Sexual: SEX-CITINGLY APPEALING
Triggers: NO
Male: Mysterious, Dark & Alpha
Series: Book 1(Cliffhanger)
Pages: 271
Kindle Unlimited: Yes

STORY:
The book started out strong as the author paints this mafia world of brotherhood and the players at hand. Towards the middle, I found it to be ok, then towards the end, it peaked my interest again. As this is a cliffhanger, there were still a lot of unanswered questions as Kyle is a hit man and his true motives with the brotherhood are still unknown. With Rai, we see a reversal of power throughout the story. In the beginning she is portrayed as a no nonsense head b**ch in charge in a world surrounded by men. However, the moment she marries Kyle, she was a different person. Almost seem like two different characters. She still had traces of her stubbornness, but Kyle turned her out and I liked how he did it. Having dual POV help a lot of getting insight on both aspects.

ENJOYMENT / CHEMISTRY :
I have to say, although the story so far felt ok for me, my pleasure did not falter at the constant sex-capdes between Kyle and Rai. They lit up my Kindle. The way Kyle took over and manage Rai was sexy. It definitely was a power struggle, but Kyle sexily took over Rai effortlessly. This made their relationship and chemistry appealing and exciting to read.

SECONDARY CHARACTERS:
Honestly, no one in the brotherhood stood out to me. I actually found Kyle’s connection and hit men team more interesting and wanted to know more. Even though we don’t see much of Anastasia, Rai’s sister, I wonder if we will see a story for her depending on how book 2 plays out.

Overall, the story was ok, still likable so far and good chemistry between Rai and Kyle. It ended with a good cliffhanger and definitely makes you curious.

***I don’t equate these stories to real life. It’s about personal taste and what you would or want to tolerate with the books you read. I know we all have different opinions and preferences with what we read and hope this review was helpful.
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