Lethal Abduction

by Paula Walshe

ABBY
What if love means war?

I tried not to fall in love.
Love is dangerous, and I'd sworn off danger.
And Dimitry isn't just dangerous.
He's lethal.
But somehow, he got under my skin.

I know anyone can be killed.
Especially bratva warriors who protect what is theirs.
I couldn't let Dimitry die for my mistakes,
So I left.
And that was when my past came for me.

Dimitry doesn't know why I left him.
He doesn't know that I love him.
So he isn't coming to save me.
Nobody is.
Because if they do, it will mean war.

DIMITRY
How do I choose between love and loyalty?

Abby wanted a normal life.
One without the blood, violence, and loyalty the bratva demands.
But the bratva is who I am. Who I've always been.
So I let her go.
What choice did I have?

But the bratva doesn't feel like home anymore.
And loyalty has started to chafe like a noose around my neck.
Home was Abby, but now she's gone.
I can't move on,
Even if she isn't coming back.

But what if she never really meant to leave?
What if she was taken?
Choosing Abby means betraying everything I thought I was.
It's a choice between my past, and the only future I've ever wanted.
But I love her.
And when it comes to Abby, there was never a choice.

*Lethal Abduction is the third book in the Lethal Legacy series. It's a full length standalone novel set in the interconnected Lethal Legacy world, and has no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA.

Lethal Abduction is primarily a love story, set amid the high stakes danger and international luxury of the Russian bratva. It has enough heat to sear your eyeballs, and enough dark emotion to have you howling into your handkerchief. It will take you on a high octane ride of tears, laughter . . .and battery powered devices.

Yours, that is.

Genres: Dark Romance

510 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 11, 2025

About the author

I live in Broome, a tiny tropical beach town in the far north of Western Australia. It's my favorite place in the world, and a beautiful place to dream up stories. I also work week on, week off in mining, operating drill rigs out in the Pilbara. I absolutely love my job, and the banter of the boys on my team often creeps into my books! I've loved mafia romance since I was a teenager, so writing it has felt really natural. I also write historical fiction and travel memoir under the name Paula Constant, as well as fantasy/paranormal romance under the name Lucy Holden.

Reviews

[Dora Koutsoukou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part 3

4 🦚💥🌪️❤️‍🔥🌟🌟🌟🌟s❗️❗️❣️❣️

The 3rd instalment was another great read for me!
I devoured it completely!!

It’s an amazing series, holding my interest and enthusiasm from the first till the last page!!!

Very well written, great main and secondary characters, solid and rich plot, intriguing twists and turns, fast paced, chemistry is off the charts and yes! it has steamy moments!

I'm really looking forward to the next part!!! 😱😱😱😱

[Maureen Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paula you smashed it, another great read in this series.
This book grabs you and doesn’t let go till the end. The plot is intense and emotional, a few tears shed throughout, happy and sad.
The characters and their tangled relationships are so well done and I am completely invested in this world.
Paula Walshe keeps getting better. Can’t wait for book 4

Thank you for the ARC, this is my honest review.

[Redcurlsangel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book in advance as part of the ARC team and I don't even know where to begin. The book is a gem; the plots are ingenious, the connecting threads are excellently staged. The development of the individual characters is outstanding. For example, the friendship between Dimitry and Roman, the partnership between Abby and Dimitry, and also the characters from the first two books. Suspense, emotions and smut (lots of hot smut) are not neglected either. You'll like it.
I would love to live in this world and experience new stories every day. I want to be in the brilliant mind of author Paula Walshe so I don't miss how all the plots and stories develop. I can hardly wait until the fourth book comes out in October. If you'd like to read updates in the meantime, you can subscribe to the newsletter, where Paula Walshe writes a diary about what's happening between the books.

[Sandy S · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5stars-LETHAL ABDUCTION is the third instalment in Paula Walshe’s contemporary, adult LETHAL LEGACY dark, erotic, Mafia romance series. This is Dimitry Stevanovsky, and Abby Chalmers’ story line. LETHAL ABDUCTION can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Dimitry and Abby met in books one and two-Lethal Legacy and Lethal Alliance.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Dimitry and Abby) following dual timelines, LETHAL ABDUCTION focuses on the acrimonious relationship between Dimitry Stevanovsky, and Abby Chalmers’. Abby’s best friend Lucia / Darya met and following a dangerous courtship, fell in love with Bratva Pakhan Roman Borovsky but Roman’s dislike for Abby would set into motion another harrowing ordeal for our story line heroine. Abby, having already lived a life of torture and abuse, finds herself falling for a man she cannot trust but a man who is willing to give up everything for our story line heroine. Fearing the past would destroy the people she loves, Abby goes on the run, only to disappear without a trace, leaving a heart sick Dimitry in its’ wake but all is not as it appears to be, when Dimitry goes on the hunt for the woman he loves, and to take down the man who destroyed his life.

The richly layered world building is detailed, complex and gritty as we are up close and personal with the horrendous betrayal perpetrated on our story line couple. From the early years of Dimitry’s life in Russia, and his need to take down the people responsible; and Abby’s haunting abuse in South America, in the wake of obsession and madness.

The relationship between Abby and Dimitry begins as enemies to friends to lovers but Abby struggles with Dimitry’s lifestyle, as a member of the Borovsky Crime family, having experienced her own h*ll with the Cardenas Cartel. On the run, hiding in plain sight, Abby is always leery, distrusting and one step ready to bolt, but falling for Dimitry threatens all of Abby’s hard fought work to stay in the shadows. The $ex scenes are erotic and provocative.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, questionable and edgy secondary and supporting characters including the return of Roman and Darya., Mickey, and Pavel. We are introduced to Makari Tereschenko and Leon Volkov; Abby’s parents Peter and Susan Chalmers, numerous victims /survivors of human trafficking, and several members of the Cardenas Cartel. The requisite evil has many faces.

LETHAL ABDUCTION is a story of secrets and lies, power and control, betrayal and vengeance, obsession and tragedy, forgiveness and love. The character driven premise is dramatic, dark and haunting; the romance is heart breaking , spicy and passionate; the characters are broken but determined and energetic.

copy supplied for review

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Walshe has fast become one of my favorite authors.❤️

I absolutely devoured the first two books in this series.
When this came out I couldn't wait to start and seriously dropped everything to start this book.😮‍💨 Ofcourse I also devoured this one. 😍
That being said I do have some buts... 🙈

It feels like this book was split into 2 parts. The before and the after. Ofcourse I understand that a before is necessary because of background, details and character development.
I just didn't care for ALL the flashbacks.🙈 It made it very difficult for me to get into the book. I have to be completely honest and say I've skimmed a little to get to the good parts.🤐
This ofcourse is MY opinion and what works for a lot of other readers may just not work for me.
It's a dual POV and like I said the first part of the book consists of mostly flashbacks to 2 years before and a lot of spice and I just did not care for it. Don't get me wrong I'm all for the spice 🤤 but I like a good build up of the story first and this kinda felt backwards... I also had a little difficulty with the MMC's nickname for the FMC. I love originality. Seriously I do. But "Skip"? I understand why!! But yeah No... 😑

The second part of the book was brilliant. I loved it. 🤩
These books just have such great plot. The storyline is amazing and if there ever was a movie being made of these books I would RUN to the theaters. 🏃‍♀️

So all with all this book was amazing. Did I love the first 2 books more? Absolutely. Can I wait for the next one to come out? Absolutely not....

[Patricia Monica Provost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abby and Dimitry🥰

Third book of the Lethal Legacy series. Dimitry Stevanosky is the enforcer for Roman Borovsky, Pakhan for the Stevanosky Bratva. Abby Chalmers is Darya’s best friend, married to Roman. Abby and Dimitry relationship began in the other books. They have been together for 18 months. But Dimitry knows she’s hiding a secret and he can tell that she doesn’t want anyone to know. She ran away from something or someone and it’s putting their relationship in danger. Until one day, he woke up and find Abby gone. She needs a break to think. What that she doesn’t know, her nemesis, the one that she wants to run a away from, find her and she just vanished from the world. Will Dimitry finds her in time? Will that cost his place and his brotherly love with Roman? Is she worth losing everything?

We met Abby and Dimitry in the previously books. I already love their relationship and the way they interacted with each other. This cat and mouse relationship is funny, Heartbreaking , full of secrets, where trust is just a weakness. It’s a long book to read but I didn’t feel like it. Was a fast reading. I’m amazed by how Paula can write such broken but so much strong characters. The way Dimitry will do everything in his power to find her back, is insane. The side characters are funny and help to take a break and just laugh! Really, after each books, it’s getting better and better each time. Give 5⭐️

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this was truly a book two halves for me.
Let me try to explain.
I absolutely loved the previous books. Featuring Roman and Darya. During these I also fell in love with Abby and Dimitry, the kids etc. I couldn’t wait for their books.

Now it could be me. I accept that. I’ve been battling a cold/cough which has left me with a nasty chest infection.

But I found myself almost annoyed with the first half of the book. So much sex, it began to feel like filler. Abby was getting on my nerves which she hadn’t in the past. And whereas the flashbacks worked so well with Roman and Darya (it’s how we discovered their pasts). Here they were grating on me (again I accept it’s probably me since the other reviewers love them). Not the ones filling in the past but the ones with Abby and Dimitry together. We know they’re good together we’d been through it with them. It didn’t seem to move the story forward.

And then it did.

And wow the second half is amazing. It’s exciting and I couldn’t put it down. It’s everything I wanted from Abby and Dimitry’s book and more.

Now I’m eagerly awaiting the next book. And it’s Zinaida’s…..wow, I can’t wait for that one.

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by the author.

[Anni · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
An Emotional, Gripping Rollercoaster – Best of the Series So Far!

Thanks for the ARC

OMG—what a journey! Lethal Abduction is Paula Walshe’s third book in the Lethal series, and hands down, my favorite so far. Abby and Dimitry (aka Skip and Muscle Boy) completely stole my heart. The chemistry between them was electric, and their story had me hooked from page one.

This book made me laugh, cry, and gasp at the unexpected twist and turn. Paula’s vivid description of Thailand—especially the boat scene on the river—was cinematic. I felt like I was right there with them.

I absolutely adored Darya and Roman’s story from the earlier books, but this one hit differently. I felt more emotionally invested and connected to the characters. I was initially worried about Abby and Dimitry not being together from the start, but Paula’s clever use of flashbacks gave their relationship such depth and intimacy.

I could honestly wax lyrical about this book all day. It had romance and suspense and I can’t recommend it enough. Paula, please keep doing what you’re doing—your storytelling is incredible. I’m already counting down the days to book 4!

[Emma Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

AH-MAZING! Couldn’t put it down! I absolutely loved this book! Lethal Legacy is a fast-paced mafia romance with lots of action, steamy moments, and twists that kept me guessing. I couldn’t put it down. It had just the right amount of love and drama. Highly recommend if you’re into dark romance with a bit of danger! Bring on Part 4!!
😍😍😍

[jean Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Read It

OMG My eyes are leaking This pair had a rough start then found each other only to be apart .. Then Dmitry goes after his girl
I love this authors style of writing. It feels like you're there with them
This book is part of a series. Start at the beginning, and you won't be disappointed

[Debbie Ballard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading the fabulous and fantastic mafia romance. When Dimitry finds out Abby is in trouble, he will do anything and everything to save her. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting love story by the amazing author, Paula Walshe.

[Saundra Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these characters!

I absolutely love these characters. There's an extensive cast beyond the main characters that recur throughout the series. Even the peripheral characters are well developed with hints at rich backstories. Join this chosen family on a dangerous adventure that spans the globe to rescue one of their own. Heart pounding action amidst a beautiful love story.

[Vic · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Lethal Abduction, Abby has always wanted a normal life, but she’s always been surrounded by danger. She made some questionable choices when she was younger and thought she can leave her past behind. She falls in love with Dimitry, who we first met in lethal Legacy. He is Roman’s best friend. It’s an interesting relationship because Abby’s best friend, Darya, is with Roman. You would think it would be perfect for these two couples to be together and double date. However the life Dimitry lives is not the life Abby ever wanted so she leaves. Will she regret it?? Will she come back?

Dimitry has only known the bratva. He has known Roman since they were kids and has stuck by him all this time. He’s been Roman’s second in command for years. He’s had his back for so many things. He has been in love with Abby forever and has tried to convince her to have a life with him. However, he knows she doesn’t want the dangerous life he has so he lets her go. Things now are not the same without her. He starts to question whether she will ever be back. He loves her too much so he has a choice to make. Will he let her go and stay in the bratva or will he go looking for her?

Paula Walshe threw me on one very emotional roller coaster. I felt so bad for everything Abby goes through. I was crying for most of the book. She also made us see a little deeper into Dimitry’s heartbreaking past. No matter what they go through, they can’t forget each other. They are so perfect for each other. Their chemistry is amazing. They had some extremely hot scenes. The twists and turns throughout the book had my jaw dropping. When I thought it was over, another twist came up. I was thoroughly entertained through the entire book and I did not want to stop until the very end. Once I finished, I wanted to know more. I am so excited that the series is continuing and cannot wait for the next one.