Ruthless Reign: Bratva Kings, Book 1

Bratva Kings #1

by Monica Kayne

She's the last woman I should want and the only one I can't resist.

I’m the right hand to the most powerful mob boss in Russia—everything I desire, I get.

Except for her.

Liza Ivanova is pure temptation... and strictly off-limits as my business partner’s fiancée. She looks like an angel with a body made for sin, but nothing about Liza is as it seems.

I vow to stay away, but that becomes impossible when I’m required to act as her bodyguard on a trip to London.

When she sneaks out in the middle of the night, I follow her to an exclusive club and find her on stage, auctioning her innocence to the highest bidder.

As if I’d let another man touch her.

If Liza craves the forbidden, I’ll be the one to indulge her every dark fantasy.

But one taste will never be enough, and this dangerous game threatens to ruin us both.

Ruthless Reign is a forbidden love mafia romance. It has no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Can be listened to as a complete standalone.

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

Audible Audio

Published November 21, 2024

About the author

Monica Kayne is a TV producer turned proud romance writer. She writes dark and swoony romance novels with a liberal dose of sass and humor.

Her favorite characters to write are sweetly possessive bad boys and the feisty, smart-mouthed heroines that they can’t resist.

When she’s not dreaming up sexy plots, she can be found searching for the perfect negroni and her next K-drama fix. She lives with her family in Toronto, Canada.

Join Monica Kayne's newsletter for a FREE short story:
https://linktr.ee/monicakayne

Reviews

[Allia Reads (semi hiatus)]

Self note:
Not for me

The H is obsessed with the FMC, but he has a business arrangement with the OW where he lets her parade him around🤡 The OW kisses him in front of the h, and the H did try to push the OW away because he is not interested. The OW often tries to make the h jealous, and the H did nothing other than tease her about caring for him.

If y’all are curious about the OW, just search for “Katerina” (The OW name) in the book and you will find the pathetic OW scenes🤡😪

[Dino Queen · Rating 4 out of 5]

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: HFN
POV: dual 1st person POV
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: attempted r@pe, cancer, cheating, death of a child (recounted), death of a parent (recounted), domestic violence, emotional abuse, gambling addiction, gun violence, human trafficking, kidnapping, murder, sexual assault, suicidal thoughts, torture, violence
Kinky Content: anal play, BDSM, blindfold, cum play, cumming in pants, deep throat training, dirty talk, edging, exhibitionism, finger licking good, fingering, grinding, impact play, irrumatio, knife kink, oral, praise, queening, restraints, sex club, sex toys, somnophilia, virginity auction, voyeurism
standalone: book 1 of Tarnished Reign series
final thoughts: this book was great- dark, thriller/suspense, kinky, mafia with sweet romantic moments and a surprisingly sweet (but only for his girl) MMC.
I felt like I was missing some context and had to keep checking that this was book 1 of a series and not book 2. I wish we got Kira and Maxim’s story first so we could have their background since he seems to be the top guy, but I really enjoyed them as side characters.
I look forward to seeing where the rest of the series goes with Nikolai- I think that will be a great book too.

read this book if you love
🔢 age gap (13 years)
😬 angst
💍 arranged marriage
⛓️ BDSM
🫡 big MMC
💵 billionaire
💂 bodyguard
🖤 dark romance
🥵 dirty talk
💬 epistolary
❌ ex fiancé’s partner
😳 forbidden lovers
🏝️ forced proximity
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 great side characters
😎 good girl/bad boy
👦 he falls first and hard
🤫 hidden secrets
🩹 hurt/comfort
💰 kidnapped
😏 kinky
🔫 mafia
💞 mutual pining
❓ mystery
🥰 nicknames
🔀 opposites attract
😜 over the top, jealous, possessive MMC
🙏 praise
🤜 rivals-to-lovers
🤐 secret relationship
💓 slowburn
🤓 “teach me”
💔 no third act breakup
☠️ “touch her and die”
💳 virgin
🌍 world building

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sorry, this was boring in too may parts. I fell asleep 3 nights in a row trying to finish it and I finally just had to push through.

I doubt I will remember it after a week. 🤷‍♀️ I'm reading the to get caught up to the new release, so fingers crossed I like the next one better

3 Stars
3.5 on the spice

*thank you to the author for a complimentary copy of this title*

[Bella Toric · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way I would have folded for Roman? Immediately 😌

The way I already loved the two of them in Shattered Crown I knew I would be running to read their book. Monica never fails to write toe curling spice, devastating chemistry & such fantastic plots in all her books.

I devoured Roman and Liza’s book, I just couldn’t get enough of them. They were perfection and I loved this book so much 🥵😩

Thank you for an ARC Monica & team because I needed these two desperately 😌

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️🌶️

Book like this is why I love mafia romance!

The tension, angst, playfulness, and lust between these 2?!?! And then it turned to longing, trust and love!!

The plot itself was so good I could not wait to figure out who what when where why!!!!!

Roman!!!! I have never read about a Roman that I do not love!!! The flirtation and sarcastic side of this man was written for me!!

And this gave me a bit of the bodyguard trope I love so much!!!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly can't remember much about this book... but I remember enjoying it. It's a fairly typical mafia romance.

[Naz.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️ 3/5 🌶️
- Mafia
- Virgin FMC
- Protective MMC
- Age gap

I adored the MMC Roman. He was pretty much obsessed with Liza from the start and was so attentive towards her. All he wanted to do was cherish and protect her. Liza is a strong FMC, doing what she can to help her family. I liked how smart and realistic she was.

These two were drawn to each other from the beginning and thanks to Liza’s friend Kira, they were able to give into that spark that ignited into more. I do wish we had more intimate scenes between them like the night of the auction and after the opera.

I liked all the action and seeing Anatoly’s undoing. That man was the definition of pure evil. The two side characters I’m very intrigued by are Pavel and Nikolai. I hope we get to read their books in the future.

If you love a mafia romance where the MMC is obsessed and extremely protective of the FMC I think you’d really like this one. It has a great balance of romance and action.

[Nessiet · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

[hey it’s dar · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Firstly, big big thanks to Monica for the opportunity to read Ruthless Reign in exchange for providing a fair and honest review. And congratulations on your new release!!

Our MMC Roman is everything! The way he is so enraptured and caring of Liza is everything. Liza deserves the world, and Roman is prepared to give it to her. I literally could not help to fall in love with Liza, and I truly applaud her strength and loyalty to her sister Sofiya is inspiring.

iI was so excited for this read, having absolutely loved the Kozlov series, and this read did not disappoint! I enjoyed the connections to Kira and Maxim and the ties back to the Kozlov characters.

The smex club scenes were superior, and Roman is the perfect amount of morally gray, protective and possessive MMC I was foaming at the mouth. This is easily going to be one of my new fav mafia romance recs!! 🖤🖤
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Sera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was drawn into this story right from the start. Being a mafia romance there is an arranged marriage which is a favorite trope of mine. Then we are introduced to Roman (her bodyguard) and all bets are off. The chemistry between these two is off the charts. Liza our heroine is so desperate to get out of marrying her fiancé. Roman is always there to keep her safe and eventually to have her for himself no matter the consequences. In the end we get our HEA although it seems impossible. I loved this couple so much and highlighted so many amazing quotes. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

[Megan L Harnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down! I felt for Liza and all the things she was dealing with her family and sorry excuse for a fiancé. I loathed him! In comes Roman to the rescue! Their chemistry was off the charts. The only thing that made me mad was that if Liza and Roman actually talked to each other and told each other the truth they could have worked together sooner to stop Anthaly. But this looks like a good start to this series!

[Chaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liza went through it and handled it beautifully. She's exceedingly kind and intelligent. Her family doesn't deserve her, and I love how she handled it all in the end. Her parents are worthless. Roman, I wasnt a huge fan of him. By the end, I adored him. He would go to any lengths for Liza! Thats a man worth having. I don't know whose book is next but I know I want to read it.

[Sarah♡books · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️

[Katie’s Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

"You're temptation personified. But I can’t bring myself to fight against it."

I LOVE a good mafia romance with a morally-grey (morally-black lets be honest) hero. Like Roman is a bratva man, but he's a good bratva man.

The heat was obvious between Liza and Roman right off the bat, when he was just a little obsessed with her and she was insisting she hated him. I love how she slowly began to trust him with her secrets, and once he knew them he was 100% willing to risk it all and fight for her

So this story is about Liza, who is the best friend of Kira, the heroine from Shattered Crown, but you definitely don't have to have read that story to understand this one!

[Amber Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something about mafia books that just put a smile on my face. Liza and Roman pop off the page. The push and pull, the tension, and when they finally collide was so good! Liza is stuck in a situation she would give anything to get out of. She hides the truth from everyone except the one man who can see right through her. He is forbidden, her fiancée’s business partner, but she feels alive when he is near. Roman is a dark man and he has never wanted more than the Bratva until Liza. She is off limits but something deep down in him makes him want to claim her. He will stop at nothing to protect her and give her the world.

Tropes:
•Bratva
•Dark Mafia Romance
•Forbidden Love
•Age Gap
•Virgin Heroine
•He unalives for her
•Protective/Bodyguard Vibes
•Sex Club Fun
•Dual POV

⚠️Trigger Warning⚠️

Quote: “Actions speak louder than words, and I'll show her what it means to conquer the world for the woman I love.”

Rating: 4⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Readingwithdesi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freaking phenomenal! Five stars can you give more than five stars? I loved this book and all the dark morally grey characters and sleeze bags and smex and mafia all the things my kind of book disappoint. This is one of my favorite books.Hands down

[Aurora Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. Let’s talk about Ruthless Reign because… what a ride. 🎢

This book follows Liza, the human embodiment of “🫠 girl, please,” and Roman, the “I could fix her but also murder her enemies” MMC. He’s flirty, broody, protective, and somehow manages to be the only person in this story with functioning brain cells. Liza? Love her sometimes. Want to shake her most of the time.

So, Liza’s parents sold her hand in marriage (classy 🙄), and her fiancé is a walking red flag factory. 🚩🚩🚩 Roman, who’s been into her since forever, steps in to help cue the forbidden longing, the “we can’t be together” angst, and me yelling “JUST KISS ALREADY” at my Kindle.

Now… let’s address the elephant in the bedroom. 🐘
FIFTY PERCENT of this book is literally about her virginity.
I am not exaggerating. Everyone in this fictional universe apparently has a PhD in “Liza’s Intimate Status.” It’s like the worst game of telephone ever “Did you hear she’s still a virgin?” “Oh yeah, her fiancé’s uncle’s gardener knows too.” Like, WHY are we all invited to this conversation?! 😭

And then our girl decides to auction it off.
Yes. AUCTION. HER. VIRGINITY.
Liza, sweetie, we’ve all had bad ideas, but this one is Olympic-level. I was both horrified and impressed. Bold move, queen, but maybe therapy next time? 💀

The pacing? Actually solid. The book starts slow but picks up once Roman gets all protective and the bullets start flying. 💥
The plot? Engaging, though it occasionally meanders into “did we really need this scene?” territory.
The romance? A little insta-lusty for me it went from “we shouldn’t” to “let’s risk our lives and moral integrity” real quick.
The spice? 🔥🔥🔥 Monica Kayne always delivers in that department. Roman’s filthy mouth and possessive energy could make a nun blush. But maybe next time we dial down the “virginity as a personality trait” thing, yeah?

I did appreciate the emotional core of Liza’s trauma, her fierce love for her sister, and the impossible situation she’s trapped in. There’s real heart there, even if it gets a little buried under the melodrama and poor decision-making. Roman, on the other hand, is that rare dark romance hero who manages to be terrifying and tender. The man simps HARD and I respect that. 🖤

Also, can we talk about the side characters?! Nikolai and Sofiya definitely stole some scenes (though… her being 17 and her love interest being 30+? 🚨 Hard pass until we see that time skip, thank you).

Final Thoughts:
👉 Good tension
👉 Decent pacing
👉 Too much virginity discourse
👉 Needed more depth in the romance
👉 But yes, I’ll still read book 2 because I’m weak for mafia men with emotional issues
If you like your romance with danger, sass, and at least three near-death experiences, Ruthless Reign will scratch that itch. Just be prepared to roll your eyes while you fan yourself. 😏

Would I recommend it? ✔️
Would I sell my virginity to Roman? Girl, no. But I’d maybe let him guard me. 😏

[Iram Karim · Rating 5 out of 5]

another 5🌟 of this year and am so glad
i pick this one up 💕🫶🏼
this has everything i wanted in a mafia
romance though, am not a fan of forbidden romance in mafia books, but this one outdid me 🥺🫰🏻🫠

╰┈➤ Roman Vasiliev : My god this man was intense as hell and the way he was so obsessed
with her have me on chokehold 🫶🏼💕 his dialouges, his presence, and ofcouse his
way of loving her had me blushing, giggling and fall head over heels for him 🥹🔥 Roman can happily take me on my knees and i won't complain.
All he wanted to do was cherish and protect her.
Liza deserves the world, and Roman is prepared to give it to her. i thought this will be the perfect
enemies to lovers, but man....he was already
OBSESSED with her 🙂‍↕️😭🤌🏻🥺

╰┈➤ Liza Ivanov : She is everything a girl should be in a worlf they live. She was strong asf...and the way she loves her sister ?? 🥺🤌🏻
couldn't put this book down! I felt for Liza and all the things she was dealing with her family and sorry excuse for a fiancé.

i love each and everything about this book
including the story, the chemistry, the plot,
the spice 🙈🥵 the tension, and ofcourse
the forbidden trope was done so damn well

my first monica kayne book, and am afraid this is not the end because now i am jumping onto the next one and the remaining series, specially kira and maxim's story that had my eyes 🥹💕🫶🏼

if you love, forbidden trope with obsessed mmc where he can burn down the whole world for her ?? Then this is your sign to pick this up

[destiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

i knew i loved roman and liza from the moment i met them in “shattered crown” (the kozlov empire series). they shared such an undeniable chemistry and to see how their story unfolded in “ruthless reign” was truly beautiful ❤️ and being able to see characters like kira and maxim again just made my heart so full. kira is such a girls girl (the sex club 🤭). i knew miss girl was up to something.

i love a good mafia, bodyguard, forbidden romance and monica kayne DELIVERED 👏🏼 this book was everything and more. thank you for giving me the opportunity to read the first book to the new series “tarnished reign” as an arc !! as always, such amazing work. from the plot, to the tension, spice, banter, and unexpected scenes … i quite literally banged this out in one sitting !!

liza, this girl had me sobbing the way she put everyone else’s needs before her own. she sacrifices her own happiness for the sake of her family’s own mistakes and troubles. she protects her sister with her life and does everything she can to make sure she has a better life. i absolutely loved liza. she is a strong and independent woman.

roman … oh this man 😩 from the moment i met him in the kozlov empire series i just KNEW i would love him. mans was ready to start a war to protect liza. the things this man said had me CRUMBLING !! i would’ve immediately folded. and the way he kept calling liza “milaya” which means sweetheart !!! oh i was SWOONING !!

their story was so beautifully written, i can’t stop thinking about it even after a few days of finishing !! i will forever be in love with this book world and i’m so stoked to see what’s next 🖤

🌶️🌶️🌶️ (PLEASEEEEE MY TOES CURLED !!! the club scene … i would’ve folded so fast. where can i find myself a roman to take me to a cabin and forget about the world ??)

[mary ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

He wants her but can’t have her.
And she’s trapped in a nightmare that everyone thinks is her dream.

Liza was a different kind of character from what I’m used to. All she wants is to protect her sister and take care of her because their fucked-up parents sure as hell aren’t. So she steps up. When her father loses money at one of the clubs, she’s forced to marry a man she hates. Oh and surprise he’s abusive too.
When I tell you Anatoly, that piece of shit, made my blood boil, I mean it. But thank God, he eventually got what he deserved at the hands of Roman, who was nothing like him.

“You’ve consumed my every thought, my every breath, since we’ve been apart. Deny it all you want, but you belong to me. You were always meant to be mine.”

Roman had been obsessed with Liza since the first time he saw her. But she was off-limits, his business partner’s fiancée. Still, when he’s assigned to bodyguard duty in London to make sure she and her friend are safe, the lines start to blur. A lot. And I was so here for it.
The way he looked at her, how he noticed everything. The way her eyes lit up in a bookstore. How she looked in forest green. The way she hummed when she was happy. They were perfect for each other.
He even read her favorite book like, come onnnn. If that doesn’t scream perfect I don't know what does
I just didn’t like the OW drama it felt too much.
But the writing style? I loved it. It was so fun to read, and the character development was honestly amazing.

[Julie ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Monica NEVER disappoints.

Ruthless Reign is a perfect mix of tension, angst, steamy scenes, and heartfelt emotions.

Roman and Liza have been dangling in the fine lines of wanting each other, knowing they shouldn’t, but still wanting it nonetheless.

Roman was everything I love in a morally grey character, but I ultimately swooned when he realized that something was wrong and Liza needed to”saving”.

Liza’s circumstances were suffocating to say the least. Given what’s going on with her family, I truly felt she believed she had no place to go and tried to do the best with what she could. Anatoly was truly the biggest piece of garbage and every time he popped in the story, I had such a disgust for him 😭. He definitely had everything coming for him.

The buzzing and electrifying chemistry between the two had me wanting to keep figuring out what would happen next. Definitely, if you’re into mafia romances and bodyguard romances, I highly recommend this book.

I cannot wait to see what Monica brings next and if you never read any of her books, I sincerely urge you to!

-eARC for honest thoughts and opinions.

[Karen Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You were always meant to be mine.”

As I continue to bask in my biggest mafia romance era yet, I just met another gem by new-to-me author Monica Kayne. Ruthless Reign had me in a chokehold from beginning to end. My heart raced the whole time reading. Holy high!

Prepare to fall for this forbidden mafia love story starring a powerful Bratva hero and his business partner’s fiancée. The very first page had me breaking for the heroine, Liza, stuck in a bad situation with seemingly no escape. Roman is a dark knight … the ultimate protector … her protector. Together, this hero and heroine explode with undeniable chemistry and a soul-deep connection.

Ruthless Reign took me on one incredible, heart-racing roller coaster of a romance full of thrills, twists, turns, and all the feels. I was a prisoner of this dark mafia romance—dominated—where I felt every ounce of this potent mix of pain and pleasure. Pure addiction! I caught myself holding my breath again and again as I felt every enticing word.

💋💋💋💋💋 ruthless kisses

➡️ https://amzn.to/3QUqzGP

Reviewed on behalf of Bookalicious Babes Blog

[Megan Moser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this audio from Monica as a gift and I am grateful! I really enjoyed this mafia story and the narrators overall were good and easy to listen too.

I’ve listened to some other books that Nikki Grey has narrated and they were all well done. She has this like Smokey smooth voice that fits well with mafia books. It was my first time listening to Stephen Dexter and though I didn’t really picture a mafia man with his tone he read the story very well and kept you intrigued.

There was a lot of suspense and action throughout and the chemistry between Roman and Liza was so good! I love a big ole bada** mafia man who will do anything for his girl and this was definitely the story for that!

Really enjoyed this!

🌟Forbidden romance
🌟 Russian Mafia
🌟 He’s her bodyguard
🌟 Will ☠️ for her
🌟 Age gap
🌟 Possessive MMC

[Paige Oelke · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️/3🌶️

I have been waiting for more Roman ever since Maxim and Kira’s book! I am obsessed with him and Liza together. This book has everything you want in a dark mafia romance, angst, heart wrenching love, spice and a little sprinkle of murder! I loved seeing the relationship between Liza and her sister and can’t wait to see how her story unfolds.

[Courtney Gharet · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Monica writes it! I’m reading it!! It was a total thrill ride, sexy, steamy and kept me so intrigued. I absolutely loved this. Trigger warning please check them. I volunteered to read and review this for Monica! And chefs kiss!!!

[Michellelovesreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Umm Roman. I will definitely be rereading this book

[Rai · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Allison Riegelmayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would have liked it more if it was shorter

[Brianna Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Liza and Roman was captivating and so entertaining to read. Shout out to Kira - she’s a real one! Onto the next!

[Brooke Collick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean…..would your man stab someone in the neck with a shattered beer bottle for disrespecting you? 🥰