Aleksei

Marinov Bratva #2

by Lilian Harris

A NEW steamy Russian Mafia, Forced Marriage, Enemies to Lovers STANDALONE romance

I tried to take his freedom.
Now he owns mine.

Aleksei Marinov is the Bratva’s most ruthless killer.
Feared. Cold-blooded. Vicious.
Now—for better or worse—my husband.

I tried to put him behind bars.
He put a ring on my finger instead.

But it wasn’t a choice.
I could either let my family suffer
or sell myself to the one man I hate.

This isn’t love. It’s revenge.
And Aleksei will stop at nothing to break me.

Possessive. Obsessive. Brutal.
He’s everything I swore I’d never want,
but the only man who’s ever made me feel safe.

He touches me like I’m sacred.
Looks at me like I’m already his.
And somewhere between hate and hunger,
I fall for the enemy.

Until I uncover the truth
and swear I’ll never forgive him.

But when I’m taken, the man who claimed I meant nothing
tears the world apart to save me.
AUTHOR NOTE: Check for content warnings on my website.

Genres: Dark Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Mafia Romance, Stalker, Romance, Dark, Marriage Of Convenience

471 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 9, 2026

About the author

Hi! I'm only on Goodreads on occassion. You may find me on my website www.LilianHarris.com

Or, connect with me through social media.

Thanks!

MAILING LIST: https://lilianharrisauthor.myflodesk....
BOOKBUB:
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lilia...
AMAZON:
https://www.amazon.com/Lilian-Harris/...
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/LilianHarrisBooks/
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/lilianharrisauthor/
WEBSITE: lilianharris.com
EMAIL: LilianHarrisAuthor@gmail.com

Reviews

[Lilian Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you ready for Aleksei? He's a whole vibe LOL. Join my reader group for more teases. https://www.facebook.com/groups/Lilia...

A smirk splits his face, sharp enough to bleed.
“You have three seconds to run, moya okhotnitsa,” he growls, voice guttural, dangerous.
“And you’d better pray I don’t catch you.”

Spoiler alert. He does.

[Jen ♥]

Note:

Hey friends, got any safety deets? I know this author's works can have some double standards and are unsafe sometimes. I'm intrigued by the blurb, though, but I don't want to dive in without knowing more. I've learned my lesson—been there, done that, so... 🤷‍♀️ TIA!

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lilian tells us that this is her 20th book, but I've only read ten. It doesn't matter, after reading about all kinds of mafia families, I like the Russians too.
Konstantin is special, but Aleksei has also won me over. The change that Fiona brings about in him is so brutal that you have to read it.

If there is a king of stalkers, it's Aleksei. His level of obsession is out of this world.
Fiona is a strong, feisty woman, a prosecutor who failed to convict him and ends up madly in love with him.

If you like enemies to lovers, forced marriages, obsessed men, stories of the mafia, family, betrayal and action, this is the book for you. But don't forget to check the triggers.

I'm already looking forward to reading Kirill's story, which I hope will be with the waitress and not with an Italian woman.

[zoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not bad, but it wasn't what I expected.

الكتاب صفاحته كثيرة، ولما أقول كذا، معناها ما يستاهل كل هالصفحات، كانت تقدر تختصره ويطلع حلو، بس لا.. مطوله السالفة على ولا شي. يا حبهم للتمطيط.
القصة عادية ما فيها تشويق، بس الهوس من البطل أليكسي كان موجود وبقوة هنا. مريض نفسي بجدارة.
البطله فيونا مو شخصية قوية ولا ساخرة ولا شي، بكلمتين وقعت للبطل وصارت مازوخية. ما حبيت شخصيتها.
اكره الانفصال قبل النهاية، الي بس فصلين ويرجعون لبعض. يا تخلونه انفصال لوقت محترم ومشكلة حقيقة مو مجرد تفاهة يا بلاها.
بشكل عام، استمتعت فيه شوي، بس مليت في النهاية، كنت ابيه يخلص، واحسب كم صفحة باقي لي عشان اخلصه.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notes for me

Aleksei Marinov

Fiona Prosecutor on Aleksei’s murder trial. Has segmented vitiligo on right hip.

His brother Konstantin is married to her best friend Emilia.

He was acquitted and is now showing up everywhere she goes. She feels like he’s stalking her but can’t help but be intrigued.

Her parents own a vineyard and it’s about to be foreclosed on. He will bail them out if she marries him. She promised to ruin him with prison. He is forcing her to marry someone who will never love her and will destroy her.

Safety

She was attacked in her home a few months ago. Ended up unconscious with a large gash on her forehead.

Absolutely safe. He hasn’t even thought about another woman. He’s totally caught up with Fiona.

He has one brief thought of women in his past meaning nothing.

[Nicole Holstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

HEAR me out ok.. I am *not* a mafia romance girly, but this book!!! I was screaming the entire time, giggling and kicking my feet. put this on your tbr right now

[Rahma Mohamed · Rating 2 out of 5]

كتير عليه الريت دا بس حسيت استمتعت شويه 🤏

[Allia Reads (semi hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

What an amazing read. I absolutely devoured every single moment, and I lovedd the way both of them yearned for each other. It was absolutely everything, and the way Aleksei was so goddamn sweet, like wow.🫠😮‍💨

I feel so bad for the brothers because they have all been through so much, and it’s definitely the reason why they are so damaged because of their asshole father. I am excited to read about Anton, and I think his story is also going to be a good one, especially since I saw that he is a virgin. All of the brothers’ backstories are sad, and they all deserve their own HEA.

I also liked Fiona a lot too. Definitely an FMC with lots of personality and her own charm. I liked how she was such a badass with the way she tried to put Aleksei away in prison, and he just became immediately obsessed with her after that.

I have no notes on this other than I loved everything.😋

Safety info:

There were also no others after meeting, no OWD, and no cheating.

They both only have eyes for each other, and he has been stalking her for around five months and has never entertained the thought of OW.

There’s also no info about their past relationships, but he doesn’t come across as a manhoe.

[Seeri · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF this isn’t even a romance book that is just a book full of an ungodly amount of smut wtf. Where is the bloody plot???

[Buffy・❥・ · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I loved the first book of this series and this one was no different the only reason for my 4/5 star rating is some of the spicy scenes weren’t really my vibe and there were times I wanted to strangle the MMC but you know 🤷🏼‍♀️ it is what it is I’m excited for the next book of the series

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️
I feel like her books are beginning to become so insta lust. I love her books the plots are good but the smut is happening way too quickly.
- Forced Marriage
- Prosecutor/ Mafia
- Dislike to love
- Touch her and die
- Stalking and Obsessed.

[Bri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

[Readerofbooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow, not particularly well written - the narrative gets confusing - and the heroine comes across as a helpless, brainless damsel in distress when she’s meant to be a public prosecutor! Please note how many times this so called independent, intelligent woman puts herself in harms way only for him to swoop in and kill the person and her going back to hating him and fucking him and fucking up again.
1. She’s attacked at her flat - fair, she didn’t know, but doesn’t bother to find out more about it
2. She allows herself to be stalked by not 1 but 2 men, one turns out to be the hero but the other is some unknown character who communicates to her through unmarked snail mail, and does she do anything about it or report it? Nope
3. She allows another man who is trying to buy her parents’ vineyard but gives her the creeps and literally on day 1 of meeting him agrees to go out for dinner to discuss the matter - which really isn’t the place to discuss a sale with a random person. She gives him her number and address and takes his car to the venue. Dumb to the level of infinity. Anyways, he takes her to a sex club and tries to assault her.
4. Then, as if that isn’t enough, on another instance she allows herself to be roofied by taking a drink from a complete stranger while she’s plastered in another club. I mean there’s a limit to being a dumb ass
5. She listens to the incognito stalker and finds a document says her parents signed her off to marry the hero back when. This was before everything started and she/ he say I love yous to each other. And she’s all like omg how could you sell me, blah blah blah - which really made no sense with the plot because she knows she made a cash deal/ marriage of convenience with him a few days later any ways and at this present time after he said I love you to her, he signed the deed back in her name. But does she listen to either her parents or her beloved husband? Spoiler alert no - she believes her stalker and makes herself vulnerable again. At some point, she deserves to be offed for being this stupid.

Towards the end it gets extremely melodramatic - very cringey. Overall could have been something really good but not executed well. I’d say it’s 2.5 stars

[Tashia · Rating 5 out of 5]

“So please, tell me you want this too.” His next words are barely a whisper. “I don’t know how to do this, Fiona. I wasn’t raised to love. I wasn’t built for it. But I will do whatever you need, however you need it. Just…don’t walk away. Teach me.”

This is book 2 in the Marinov Bratva series by Lilian Harris and this book was so damn good it’s not funny. I laughed, I cried, I got mad, I was surprised. It had everything you could want in a book. This was a true stalker romance. Aleksei was completely and I do mean completely unhinged in this one. The characters are well written and I like how the author includes characters from the other series. It keeps it all cohesive. I loved Aleksei. He was so vulnerable and the groveling! I actually liked both main characters, which is rare for me. Lilian Harris writes FMC's who are empowered and smart. That's important to me when reading these kinds of books. You can't be a push-over with these kinds of men.
Some of the tropes were:
Stalker
Mafia
Morally grey
Enemies to lovers
5⭐
3🌶
FMC and MMC
Aleksei was who Fiona needed. Fiona was who Aleksei need too. They tried to fight their feelings for each other, but you could tell it was a lost cause. They affected each other in every part of their lives.
Fiona saw everything in black and white, not knowing who she truly was. But when the truth of who she was was revealed, I screamed!
Aleksei was a murderous, impatient, unhinged lunatic and that’s the way I like my morally grey characters. In the other series you got a sense that he was dangerous, but you definitely didn't get how dangerous until his own book. This was so well written that you could feel the hate he had for her and you could see when that hate turned to obsession.
There's so much more I could say here, but it would give too much of the plot away. I highly recommend this book.
This was a very well written story. It was fun, adventurous with great twists.

[Taylor Urquhart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t like the first one - decided to continue reading the series - felt shocked I also didn’t like the second???

I’m my own worst enemy

Throwing the towel in the bag I just need a good mafia book ok

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

She tried to cage him up.
Only he walked away a free man.
And, now he wants her to know what it really means to be captured.

When the devil has someone in his sights there is nothing he wouldn’t do…

“When you swore to destroy me, I made a promise too. That one day, I’d take everything from you.”

Aleksei Marinov, is a man or rather a devil with only one purpose in life now and having Fiona Clark bend to his will is just one of them. Stalking her to the point of obsession. Only now he’s becoming more bolder as he attempts to knock down the shields that Fiona has up everytime he’s around.

Fiona knows Marinov family should be feared, even if her best friend is married to the oldest brother, she can’t deny the deadly beauty of Aleksei and hates that she lost the courtroom to him. But, what she hates even more? That Aleksei touch is weakening her to her knees.

To save her parents' crumbling business though, it seems like Fiona will have no other choice than to accept the help from cunning Aleksei. With a ring on her finger she walks into the lion's den.

But, could she be the one to make him purr and open up old wounds allowing forgotten emotions rise to the scarred surface?

“I hate you.”
“Good…Hate me harder.”

Aleksei Marinov is just waiting to be your next book boyfriend! He definitely consumed me while I read his & Fiona story!

All the angst, hate, tension…all leads to some epic steamy reading and you fall even deeper the more this story pulls you in. From reading Konstantin book1 you knew that Aleksei was going to be next with Fiona out for locking him up for good, but that couldn’t happen as we needed-yarned for these two to meet outside of the courts and just watch how they light up too!

Of course, more secrets and twists are surprising you and at the centre of it all the family. The Marinov’s are deadly, you certainly wouldn’t cross them and it’s safe to say their pet pigs are well fed! This family really does come together, the brothers' pasts reflect a lot on them now and Fiona is now a part of them. She is a strong character who fights her emotions for Aleksei…however, he has a trick or two to wrap her around his fingers. We have different sides from both of them, how Fiona brings out a-dare I say a “softer” side to him.

If you love the “touch her die” trope then you will love this!

“Ti moya.”

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

The first half was a struggle: I really didn’t enjoy the heavy body-betrayal vibes in the first 30%, and I was bored until around the 40% mark when the plot finally started to gain some momentum. The pacing early on felt sluggish and repetitive, and while Aleksei is suitably dark and intimidating, his character didn’t grip me the way I expected, especially compared to Konstantin in book one. Things did improve once the stakes increased and I appreciated the darker mafia atmosphere and flashes of emotional depth as the story progressed. It wasn’t a bad read by any means, just uneven, and while this one didn’t fully hit for me, it absolutely did its job of setting up Kirill—whose book I’m genuinely looking forward to.

[Gennaskindletbr 🩶 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. I loved Aleksei and Fiona.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everybook in this series gets better and better. I love this man beyond words. This book kept me on the edge of my seat waiting for what would happen. I love there love hate relationship. So perfect.

[Camii · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Tú eres mucho más de lo que yo podría ser. No solo eres mi igual. Eres una versión mejor, y siempre lo serás"

Con este libro me doy cuenta que los hermanos si bien fueron criados por el mismo hombre despiadado y sin corazón cada uno quedo con una herida diferente y en este caso en Aleksei fue el negarse constantemente a tener sentimientos y amar porque después de una experiencia traumática que paso con su hermanito pequeño en manos de su papá se dió cuenta que el amor solo hace dañó y los hace débiles 😭.

La historia de amor entre los personajes fue algo muy de banderita roja porque Aleksei hacía muchas cosas que estan moralmente mal porque en su cabeza siempre lo que quería lo tomaba, sin permiso y desde el día en que Fiona quiso meterlo preso se obsesióno con ella e hizo de todo para tenerla en su vida (hasta acosador nos salió el hombre)

Ellos tenían mucha conexión y al principio ambos luchaban con sus sentimientos ella porque no quería amar a un criminal porque iba en contra de sus pensamientos y trabajo y el porque no quería una debilidad en su vida, algo que no me gusto mucho es que resolvían todo con sexo aunque entiendo que era la manera que encontraron de demostrar sus sentimientos sin palabras pero yo necesitaba que aprendieran a comunicarse hablando las cosas que pasaban y no reprimiendo lo que sentían, me falto esa pequeña conexión que la tuvieron solo al final cuando paso lo del drama con la familia de Fiona (cosa que no esperaba porque no había pistas ¿?)

En fin no fue mi libro favorito pero está entretenido 🫶🏻

[Theresa Styles · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
💥CHECK AUTHORS WEBSITE FOR CONTENT WARNINGS💥

OH MY ALEKSEI, I'm not gonna lie, at first I was like okay I'll read this book just to learn more about the Marinova brother cause I thought I read my man KONSTANTIN already so I'm good these brothers im not to interested in BUT THEN LILIAN HARRIS SAID HOLD MY BOOK 🤣 &
💥MADE ME LOVE ALEKSEI💥, At first I thought somehow he was a lil rougher than Konstantin & that says alot but as always Lilian Harris gives us a rough, alpha that just when he let's you in & let's you see him you see the real him and understand how & why him & his brothers are the way they are & it just breaks your heart because of course they were broken as little boys by someone who they should of been able to trust & Aleksi even as a little boy has wanted to be loved & accepted more than anything and when he starts seeing that he's getting that from Fiona even after forcing her to be with him he realizes he doesn't have to be the monster he was taught to be. He can love and accept Fionas love. Fiona is amazing, after trying to put Aleksi behind bars & him determined to make her life miserable she's still force on her own & doesn't give up without a fight, eventually overtime she falls for her alha husband. 💥DEFINITELY A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READ💥

[De_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hog heaven

The hogs did it for me!
So, in trying not to reveal spoilers, which again I always add a disclaimer for individuals who do -- readers like the element of surprise when they read a book, not read the entire book's plot word for word in a review you decide to write!
Moving along --
I do like my mafia and bratva nice and dark. Don't proclaim it as such if there is none featured or it's too sappy to include any. This one worked out well! Lilian Harris paints a graphic, vivid picture of Aleksei's morally black life, which he has endured for some years. His personality and actions were more believable than Fiona's in following the plot. Personally, I too, grew very tired of her personality and actions early, early in. Boring. For one example, her lack of releasing info to him was just ... unintelligent ... on her part. It seemed an issue she would drop in conversation even, but she had to be 'that character'.
As I said, the plot was good. Excellent writing, inner and outer dialogue, very good descriptions.
The side characters were likable, and I look forward to seeing more of them as well.
* I mistakenly stated this one ended on a cliffy. NO cliffhanger! Sorry, Ms. Harris!
I just have to try and wait patiently for the next brother's saga, "Kirill"!

If you've gotten this far, give it a read, form your own opinion!

[Rice Aly · Rating 3 out of 5]

بدايه الكتاب كانت جدا حللوه وكنت مستمتعه فيها خاصتا كان بينهم توتر وانجذاب كبييير كانو مابين الهوس والكراهيه حرفيا كانو مايطيقون بعض واساس علاقتهم كان مثير للاهتمام خاصتا ان البطله هي الي دخلت البطل السجن وهو انجذب لها بسبب شخصيتها القويه وكان مهووس فيها لدرجه اهخ مستعد يدمر كل شي علشانها وكل ذا وهو ماعترف لنفسه حتى انه يحبها بس بعدين جاء زواج مصلحه بينهم وذا الشي حسيت انه خرب الروايه خاصتا ان كان فيه غموض بالبدايه وكان فيه احد يلاحق البطله بس بعدين الكتابه حسيت نست الموضوع وركزت على علاقتهم مع انه فيه تمطيط موطبيعي وكنت متأكده انها ماتعرف وش تسوي احداث وجاء اعترافهم لبعض (توقعت شي افضل )وصارت الاحداث ممله و صار الوضع يطفش وماصرت احس بشغف بينهم بعد ذا الشي وبدييين فجاءه الكتابه تذكرت ان فيه غموض واحداث وسالفه خطفها جدا حسيتها تافهه وغبيه وماعرفت تخلي المشهد فيه مشاعر حبيت رده فعل البطل اهخ والبطله عجبني موقفها وانها اخذت حقها وبعدها صارو عائله طبيعيه تجتمع مع بعض (احس شي ماحبيته صراحه )ويعني كانت ممتعه بالبدايه

[Pat Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aleksei is a dark Russian mafia romance about Aleksei and Fiona, whose intense love-hate relationship sparks off the page🔥🔥🔥. They engage in sharp, dynamic exchanges that maintain a sense of tension between them. Both characters possess strong family connections that influence their involvement in the relationship. Unbeknownst to Fiona, her parents have concealed secrets that affect her safety. This narrative presents a fast-paced, action-driven, and passionate romance.

Story - ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice - 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞:
❤️ Russian Mafia romance
❤️ Enemies to lovers
❤️ Forced marriage
❤️ Age gap
❤️ Stalker x Obsessed
❤️ Touch her & die
❤️ Light BDSM
❤️ DVP
❤️ You can take it
❤️ He’s pierced
❤️ Groveling

[٭ · Rating 1 out of 5]

قرأت منه ممكن مئة صفحة من شي أسبوع وماشدني ركنتو على جنب لا اعطيه فرصة ثانية.. الحين صديقتي لقت فيه إستعراض مستحيل قرب عليه 😭ليليان زي إيفا ماركس أمرهم ميؤس كتبهم دائما ماشية على نفس وتيرة الفشل.

[Jhoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Bailey Boughton · Rating 5 out of 5]

epic read

One of my favorite stories ever! Starting 2026 off with a bang! This is one of the best stories ever. The tension between Fiona and Aleksei is off the charts and a story I could not put down

[Breezi.ocean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in two days. I don’t know how Lilian keeps topping herself with each book or what magic she puts in each book, but I swear I could not put this book down. This might be my favorite book yet and my favorite male main character. And can I just say the banter top-tier. Overall, I cannot stop thinking about this story and I’m already waiting till I can plan a reread.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing! This might be my favorite series in the crime family yet

[marinaa · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.8⭐

First of all, sorry, but I'm not russian, so excuse me for not understanding whatever Aleksei says in the language literally in almost every sentence🤷🏼‍♀️😅.

Then. Until he kindly forces her into the marriage it's the same motif😫. Fiona feels Alexei watching her ➡️ Alexei stalks her➡️ Alexei goes to her➡️ she calls him Marinov➡️ he calls her mrs. Prosecutor➡️ he touches her➡️ she keeps saying she will stop it➡️ she never stops him because apparently her body has a mind of his own➡️ he's all smug➡️ she comes ➡️ she's angry➡️ she says it's over and that it was the last time➡️ she sleeps three hours, constantly thinking about him➡️ he's obsessed and acts like a lovesick puppy saying he should kill her blah blah blah🧐.

The smut?! Yeah, never ending😶. Up at the point of the marriage where i dnfed, i think there was no plot but smut😏. And that's not necessarily bad, but the smut in that book was🫥. Meh.

Anyway, perhaps i didn't need that kind of book right now, so dnf it is🥺. Maybe I'll return another time.😋