Hopeless Creatures: A Bratva Romance

by Eleanor Feighery

She was just trying to get home when the gunfire started.

Terrified, she ducks into a dark alley
only to hear a cough in the shadows.

A man is bleeding out at her feet, choking on his final breaths.
She doesn’t know he’s a mob boss when she chooses to save him.

She has no idea how obsessed he’ll become with his savior.

Cassandra never meant to step into the dark underworld of New York’s most feared crime family. But one impulsive act of compassion binds her to a man who doesn’t believe in letting debts go.

For fans of dark mafia romance, morally grey men, and dangerous obsessions, this story will leave you breathless.

This is a dark Bratva standalone romance featuring a badass FMC and a groveling, obsessed MMC who falls first. Guaranteed HEA. No cheating.

Genres: Dark Romance, Suspense, Slow Burn, Mafia Romance

290 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 5, 2025

About the author

Eleanor is a longtime reader who believes that Kindle Unlimited is losing money from the sheer quantity of books she consumes each month. When she’s not reading or writing, you can find her chasing her German Shepherd, Mazzy, through the house and brewing another cup of coffee.

Reviews

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for the first half
3 stars for the end because it felt very rushed.
Lets go with 3.75 overall

So the name of the book was very accurate. Our man Mikhail was obsessed with our FMC, Cassandra. She saves him one night after he’s shot and he spends months trying to find her. They meet again by coincidence and his obsession grows.

I loved Mikhail. He was the leader of the Bratva and yet he was such a cinnamon roll for his girl. This man begs and pleads with her. He’s not super heavy handed. He doesn’t demand things he literally begs for them because he wants her so much. He does mess up when he thinks she betrayed him but you can tell he’s devastated by it. The minute she tells him to go away and get some professional help the man literally goes to therapy and tells the therapist straight up I’m only here to get my girl back.

I’m not too sure about Cassandra though. I did like parts of her but other parts bugged me. Like she gave Mikhail so much shit for not opening up to her. She even pushed him away a few times because he didn’t want to tell her his whole life story but she was such a freaking hypocrite because she never told him anything either!! She has all this trauma he had no idea about because she never said anything. Why should he tell you everything if you weren’t willing to tell him anything as well? And for her to say he needed professional help was definitely pot meet kettle because the girl had a lot of issues that she definitely needed some help with so I didn’t like that. It really bugged me. Why can you have trauma and he can’t?

Also I did not like Sophia. She was a shitty friend in my opinion. She invited Cass out for a night out at a club, she can tell Cass isn’t too comfortable with it but she decides to spend all her time with the first guy who hits on her and then leave Cass to go home with the guy. Like what kind of friend does that? Knowing your friend isn’t quite comfortable at a place you brought her to. And then I felt like the author tried to make up for it by having the FMC talk about how much of a great friend Sophia is over and over again but by that point she can’t come back from that for me. I didn’t like her at all. Most of the secondary characters were trash to be honest with the exception of Ivan. Sophia is also just gone from the end of the book like she was never even there.

I didn’t like how fast the ending was. The conflict concludes at like 90%. We don’t even see them get engaged or married with was a huge waste in my opinion. At least the engagement would have been nice!! And then we don’t even hear about what happened with Cassandra’s mom. Like how is she doing?!!

This book was very low spice. It was a slow burn. His obsession starts early but they don’t kiss until after half way and then no sex scenes until after 80% and we only really get one and a half. Also I was confused by Mikhails sexual past. At the beginning he says he’s only had a few encounters but then a littler later he says he’s never gone this long without a good fuck. So which one is it? Him having touch aversion would make more sense if he’s only had a few encounters. He didn’t give manwhore vibes though. There’s no OW drama. His old hookup texts him to make plans but he says no and blocks her number which I appreciated.


SAFETY

No cheating
No op drama
No third act break up
No virgins
Age gap 22/31
FMC Drugged (not by FMC)
Murder
Past domestic violence of FMC (stepfather)
HEA

[Lani · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. liked this one a lot. This isn't a super dark mafia romance. More like a cozy mafia romance if that makes any sense. The MMC is a cinnamon roll for our FMC and will burn the world down for her from day one. The FMC is a strong character who doesn't let the MMC push her around or bully her into being with him. It had all the elements I love in a book. A good build up to the romance (not Insta Jump Into Bed Because He's So Hot), betrayal, good grovel, found family, soft only for her. Looking forward to more from this author.

[Morally_Gray_Nola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another where I am apparently the odd man out here—I loved this book.

‘Hopeless Creatures’ is only book 1 and I’m already hooked. Mikhial and Cassandra’s story is easy to become immersed into with all the interesting characters and well written storyline. Neither of the patriarchal figures from Mikhial and Cassandra’s youth provided anything close to the love and protection they deserved. Instead they were both left scarred from the mental and physical trauma. Somehow, in this huge world, they found each other. Perfect timing. Saving each other—in more ways than one.

I think the title of this book is perfect—together, they aren’t so hopeless after all.

*** Recommended ***

MMC:
✨Mikhial
FMC:
✨Cassandra
HEA/Cliffhanger:
✨HEA
Series:
✨Book 1
Tropes:
👉dark mafia romance
👉billionaire romance
👉age gap - 9 years - 31/22
👉touch her and ☠️
👉dual POV
Triggers:
💥18+
💥sex
💥profanity
💥violence, torture, abuse
💥death, murder
💥kidnapping
💥immuring
Burn Speed:
✨medium - ish
Spice Level:
✨🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
✨MF.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good, such a fun time to read! This book is way funnier than I expected it to be, but not in a way that took away from the darker elements in the story. Ivan is for SURE my favorite guy I love him so much. Also some genuinely beautifully written lines that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

[SammyJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting. As soon as I started I was hooked and couldnt put it down.

Cassandra & Mikhail had a connection from their first encounter even if that was a very unusual encounter.

I love how Mikhail chooses to work on himself for Cass and I love that he will do anything to be deserving of her and earn her trust back.

I hope Ivan gets his own book and Sophia too.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[raya · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great way to start the new year 🙏

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a brilliant book! It had me hooked and I read it in one sitting. The character development was visceral and detailed, the plot was superbly paced with a few twists and turns. Give this a go if you like mafia romances, well-shelled out characters and morally grey characters :)

[Jessica Modica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute Mafia romance. Slow burn for sure. The MMC is a total teddy bear for Cassandra. I definitely enjoyed this book!

[Jinane Abou Hassan zahran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply loved this book. It had everything: brotherhood, betrayal, childhood trauma, abuse, a Bratva and mafia war, and so many intriguing tropes. The slow burn worked perfectly because the story didn’t focus on intimacy from the start, yet the chemistry, tension, and respect were always there.

I loved how Mikhail took care of Cassandra, how soft and gentle he was with her until everything changed. Cassandra’s story broke my heart. She escaped an abusive stepfather, is trying to help her mother leave him. One night she finds a bleeding man on the street and tells him to “fight a bit longer”... and he does. He never forgets her, and she never forgets him. When they meet again, he’s a Pakhan and she’s a student, worlds apart, but then she becomes the target of his enemies and his only instinct is to protect her at any cost.

A great book with a strong depiction of trauma, insecurity, care, commitment, and a love powerful enough to make someone do anything for the person they choose… even seek professional help. I enjoyed every moment.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sachan Ishiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always ready to read new mafia romance and I'm happy to have read this one. The main characters are lovable, interesting and well depicted. The story keep me wanting to read the next page and I was sad that it finished that quickly.

Every challenges and difficulties they met, how they try to get better together and their fall out, all of this gave some rebonds giving more deep to the romance which was a sweet slow burn.
I like how Cassandra became stronger and won confidence in herself since meeting Mikhail, while on his side, he learn to open up.
I hope the author will continue with the secondary characters and create a séries with this interesting brutal but sweet family!

It was pretty good for a first book, even with some small incoherence sometimes and I recommand it for anyone looking for a safe mafia romance with slow burn (still spicy), "touch her and your are dead" trop and dual POV.

PS: I'm rooting for an IvanxSophia 😝.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sarah_A6210 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more

This book started off really strong for me. I liked the plot idea, I liked the characters. I was very impatient with them meeting up after the beginning and when they finally did it was slow.
That is probably my main complaint with this book, it is all very slow, there is a lot of filler and text talk but there is very little dialogue.

I struggle when we're told what's happening rather than feeling like we're reading/watching as the characters live and do.

I also felt like everything was left to the last 90%, felt rushed and a little random. I got bored to be honest. I wanted more of the together aspect after basically waiting all book for it to happen.

[maliareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had no business being SO GOOD! It had me hooked from the very beginning, and I genuinely could not put it down.

The way Mikhail was completely and utterly obsessed with Cassandra? Yeah, I’m not okay. This man was INFATUATED with her.

I love how he chose to work on himself to become deserving of her. It was also so lovely to see how they were both able to be so open and vulnerable with each other about their struggles, and how they both worked through those struggles, both independently and collectively.

I am also DESPERATE for Ivan to get his own book - I’d love to read more books in the world!

[Kanyinsola Oke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ I honestly like the plot of this book, but I feel like it was too short for everything going on. I feel as though it was kind of rushed, I wish the author went more into detail about a lot of things like, Mikhail’s father and brother, what exactly did he do, Cassandra’s stepfather, Mikhail’s enemy, I didn’t quite understand this one, which stems back to the lack of detail with what exactly his father did to wither down the Bratva, and so much more things. Honestly, overall I enjoyed the book but just wished it was longer.

[The Book Ssirren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cassandra never thought she’d end up with Mikhail indebted to her, even if she didn’t want him to be. And she sure as heck didn’t know she was saving the life of a mafia man. I loved how Mikhail was a hard man, but he was willing to work on himself and be a softer man for Cassandra. To spend time proving himself to her. And she was a strong woman as well. These two together were fire. Their connection was amazing. This book was so good, I read it in one sitting. I was holding on for dear life wanting to know more as the book went on. I can’t wait for the second one. This one was amazing.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is a dark romance so quite a few trigger warnings. I really like Cassandra and Mikhail together and I love how he genuinely tries to get better for her. I feel that doesn't happen alot expecially in dark romance. I love how it shows Cass overcoming her trauma actively throughout book. I did feel it was a little predictable at times and I wish there were more depth to the supporting characters. We learn a bit about Sophia and Ivan but it would have been nice to know more about them and the rest of the inner circle.

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 1 and I cannot wait for more.

The characters were so very dark and complex and complicated and absolutely perfect together. Plot was intriguing and exciting and well paced. World building was excellent and impressive. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

Grab a copy, kick back and enjoy!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Slene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put the book down. I love the story build up and the characters. It's great to find a book where the MMC is a hard man but is soft for the FMC. The FMC is also strong and not a push over. The chemistry between the 2 characters is palpable from the very start. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[SBee Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

★“What I want is her. And God help us both, I always get what I want.”★

This story offered all the elements I enjoy in a mafia read! A woman who wouldn’t back down from doing the right thing, who was at the right place at the right time to make a difference. A man who becomes obsessed with finding her, until chance brings them together again, and this time, he is not going to let her disappear again, no matter how challenging and dangerous his Bratva operations become.

[multitaskingmama · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters are flawed, damaged, and deeply human, and the story doesn’t shy away from the messiness of love when people are carrying heavy pasts. At its core, this book feels like a reminder that even broken things deserve love — not perfect love, but real, hard-earned connection. The chemistry is electric, the tension is constant, and the emotional depth gives the story real weight.

[Gabriela · Rating 1 out of 5]

I used to love dark romances idk wtf happened

literally wtf so u mean tracking her phone

and wtf do you mean, yea he tracked my phone after meeting him for the first time but he apologized and was nice about it so now i'm going on a date with him so he can tell me all about his illegal business???????
HELLO???????

needless to say i didn't finish it

[Cassandra Yuzak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need more.

I really enjoyed this book, but I have a few questions. There was a lot left unresolved. I need another 50 pages to tie up the loose ends. I need to know what happened with the roommate. I really need to know how that all played out. I also want to know if he ever won over the best friend. And how Ivan is doing. Just a few questions.

[Hadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written story that had me hooked right from the prologue. The writing flowed beautifully and made it such a fabulous read from start to finish.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the MMCs obsession with the FMC. This book kept me interested the whole time! I wished that there was some more detail and more of the MMC having to win over the FMC- their love felt a tad rushed.

[Ladnamal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining story with some drama, emotion and tension. Mikhail was such a sweet cinnamon roll for Cass.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[mary :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed reading this book. the characters and plot were interesting and made me want to dive deeper into this world. my only complaint is that i wish it was longer….i felt like the ending was rushed and i wished to see more of the relationship. nonetheless, it was an exiting read!

[Mache Muqattash · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it!

I hope this is the first of many books. Love how they both survived their traumatic pasts and conquered their demons and got their HEA

[Shira Kadashev · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Tin Hinane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this more than I thought I would, they were so sweet, and he was obsessed in a green flag way

[sali~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

idk why the ratings are so high this was so bad dnf 80%

[Autumn A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick Read

Took me about 8 hours total of reading! Cute, if predictable, story. Not a lot of spice, lots of FTB. Overall not bad :)