What do you think?
Rate this book
Deadly Distractions
When two great forces collide, nothing is left but destruction.
Agent Nine was once part of an elite unit created to eliminate the world’s darkest threats — until she was betrayed, framed for the murder of her mentor, the only man she ever trusted.
Now a ghost in the shadows, she infiltrates the Mafia underworld in search of redemption. But fate has other plans — and brings her face-to-face with the one man she never thought she’d see again.
Aristarkh Pushkin has risen from the ashes of his family’s empire, forged by blood and vengeance.
With nothing left to lose, he’ll destroy anyone who stands in his way.
Especially the dark-haired beauty who derailed his mission years ago.
When their paths cross again, hatred crackles — but so does an irresistible, forbidden desire.
Will their thirst for revenge tear them apart, or will it set them ablaze?
Agent Nine was once part of an elite unit created to eliminate the world’s darkest threats — until she was betrayed, framed for the murder of her mentor, the only man she ever trusted.
Now a ghost in the shadows, she infiltrates the Mafia underworld in search of redemption. But fate has other plans — and brings her face-to-face with the one man she never thought she’d see again.
Aristarkh Pushkin has risen from the ashes of his family’s empire, forged by blood and vengeance.
With nothing left to lose, he’ll destroy anyone who stands in his way.
Especially the dark-haired beauty who derailed his mission years ago.
When their paths cross again, hatred crackles — but so does an irresistible, forbidden desire.
Will their thirst for revenge tear them apart, or will it set them ablaze?
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 12, 2025
8 people are currently reading
2072 people want to read
About the author
J.D Ray
4 books5 followersHi, I’m J.D. Ray, a spicy romance author with a love for happily-ever-afters and stories that leave you breathless. My tales weave together dark romance, secret agents, espionage, and the dangerous allure of the mafia, creating passionate, suspense-filled adventures.
While I’m drawn to the shadows of crime and forbidden love, my heart also beats for the supernatural. Paranormal romance holds a special place in my soul, and I can’t wait to bring you stories that merge the seductive and the otherworldly.
Reading has always been my escape, and now, I invite you to escape with me.
As a daydreamer, I’m constantly creating new characters and twists, thrilled to share them with you. Where anything is possible—and nothing is off-limits.
Ready to dive into a world of spice, suspense, and romance? Let’s get lost in a story together!
You can find me on
Instagram @jdrayauthor
TikTok @jdrayauthor
While I’m drawn to the shadows of crime and forbidden love, my heart also beats for the supernatural. Paranormal romance holds a special place in my soul, and I can’t wait to bring you stories that merge the seductive and the otherworldly.
Reading has always been my escape, and now, I invite you to escape with me.
As a daydreamer, I’m constantly creating new characters and twists, thrilled to share them with you. Where anything is possible—and nothing is off-limits.
Ready to dive into a world of spice, suspense, and romance? Let’s get lost in a story together!
You can find me on
Instagram @jdrayauthor
TikTok @jdrayauthor
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 27, 2025
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for choosing me.
I had a great time with Karina and Aristarkh as I unraveled everything piece by piece. There was chaos and mystery. There was violence. There were also two people in the midst of all of it that not only fell in love but found their family too. They had to fight for it. They had to wade through the mess to find each other, and it was beautiful.
I'll be on the lookout for more books by J.D Ray.
I had a great time with Karina and Aristarkh as I unraveled everything piece by piece. There was chaos and mystery. There was violence. There were also two people in the midst of all of it that not only fell in love but found their family too. They had to fight for it. They had to wade through the mess to find each other, and it was beautiful.
I'll be on the lookout for more books by J.D Ray.
August 27, 2025
ARC Review
Pub Date: September 12th, 2025
4 stars ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
This took like 4 days to finish cause I kept getting distracted but this is a mafia romance with Russian bravta focus and the FMC Karina is giving baddie vibes. She is violent and can protect herself and she has her ways with her knives and such. She has a traumatic past and in the future she wants to get revenge on the “Collector” who was in her past and she wants to find her real parents as she finds out that in her past they weren’t her real ones. Along the way she comes across dark and mysterious but caring mafia man and the romance is spicy but Karina is a hard nut to crack and she fights him off many times. Enemies to lovers for sure and it was great plot wise and action wise.
Pub Date: September 12th, 2025
4 stars ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
This took like 4 days to finish cause I kept getting distracted but this is a mafia romance with Russian bravta focus and the FMC Karina is giving baddie vibes. She is violent and can protect herself and she has her ways with her knives and such. She has a traumatic past and in the future she wants to get revenge on the “Collector” who was in her past and she wants to find her real parents as she finds out that in her past they weren’t her real ones. Along the way she comes across dark and mysterious but caring mafia man and the romance is spicy but Karina is a hard nut to crack and she fights him off many times. Enemies to lovers for sure and it was great plot wise and action wise.
September 12, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I really enjoyed this book—the plot was gripping and addictive.
At the start, I did find the writing a little over-descriptive and somewhat clunky, but it quickly smoothed out and became much easier to sink into.
I loved the main characters, Nine and Aristarkh. They had amazing chemistry—their relationship felt real and heartfelt. Nine, in particular, really stood out to me—she carries a quiet sadness from all the hardships she’s faced, yet she remains strong and resilient.
The family dynamics also added so much depth to the story and made it even more engaging. A can see a few books emerging from this world.
I’m definitely looking forward to book two in this series!
Thank you to the author for the ARC—this is my honest review.
I really enjoyed this book—the plot was gripping and addictive.
At the start, I did find the writing a little over-descriptive and somewhat clunky, but it quickly smoothed out and became much easier to sink into.
I loved the main characters, Nine and Aristarkh. They had amazing chemistry—their relationship felt real and heartfelt. Nine, in particular, really stood out to me—she carries a quiet sadness from all the hardships she’s faced, yet she remains strong and resilient.
The family dynamics also added so much depth to the story and made it even more engaging. A can see a few books emerging from this world.
I’m definitely looking forward to book two in this series!
Thank you to the author for the ARC—this is my honest review.
August 19, 2025
Well.. I get to leave the first review and let me just say woohoo!!
So mob/mafia something I enjoy.
You have a young woman who was… has some family issues, has a found family situation, finds out the truth about her parents. And falls in love.
I’m trying to keep this spoiler free so yes you should read. Yes there are twists and turns and moments. And one of the sexiest things a dark book man can say!!! I swoon, I swoon..
I feel I need more but I’m ok with this being the end if it is because it basically had a HEA.
But I enjoyed it!
So mob/mafia something I enjoy.
You have a young woman who was… has some family issues, has a found family situation, finds out the truth about her parents. And falls in love.
I’m trying to keep this spoiler free so yes you should read. Yes there are twists and turns and moments. And one of the sexiest things a dark book man can say!!! I swoon, I swoon..
I feel I need more but I’m ok with this being the end if it is because it basically had a HEA.
But I enjoyed it!
September 10, 2025
This took me a bit to get through. I really enjoyed the beginning and the ending. The middle was tough for me for some reason. It felt too drawn out with nothing going on at times. However, the plot was enjoyable. I would love to see a spin off of stories of Dimitri and Nines shadow agency days. Those would make a killer (no pun intended) story. Overall though, I enjoyed this novel. It was well written. I’ll definitely be interested in a sequel.
October 16, 2025
As a first novel Deadly Distractions is well written with great characters. That said I do want to give warning that it has some violence within the sex scenes that some people may not like. These scenes are quite explicit too. I enjoyed the readability of this book and will watch out for its follow up in the series.
January 5, 2026
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
The writing style of this book is not my favorite. The story felt a little rushed at times, often giving many pieces of info at once that felt a little out of nowhere, and jumping from one thing to another quickly. I did enjoy the overall story line and plot, as well as the main characters. I just wish it had felt a little more balanced and less jumpy.
The writing style of this book is not my favorite. The story felt a little rushed at times, often giving many pieces of info at once that felt a little out of nowhere, and jumping from one thing to another quickly. I did enjoy the overall story line and plot, as well as the main characters. I just wish it had felt a little more balanced and less jumpy.
September 20, 2025
This is the first book in the Blaze Of Shadows series. It’s a very well written mafia /Bratva romance. The plot was well developed and held my interest. The characters have great chemistry. It’s a great enemies-to-lovers romance.
September 13, 2025
Enjoyed the characters and plot.
Can’t wait to read the next in the new series and see whats in store for the other characters.
Always love a good mafia/bratva book!
Can’t wait to read the next in the new series and see whats in store for the other characters.
Always love a good mafia/bratva book!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews