Lord of Cruelty

The Bratva Lords #3

by Arianna Fraser

The Morozov Bratva vow: Family First, Always.
I've always straddled the line between the Bratva and my art - destruction and danger vs. creation and beauty. But my hand is gone now, and with it, the part of me capable of creating something more in this life.

Liria Krasniqi is the last of the Krasniqi Mob. Her dying father is begging to make amends for his attack on our family by giving us everything he has: as long as Liria's part of the deal.

Marry the daughter of the man who cost me my hand? I'll do it. But she'll spend the rest of her life paying for what I've lost.

My soul.


Tropes:
Hades and Persephone vibe
Surprise Pregnancy
Captive Bride
Hero with a disability
Found Family
Dark Bratva Romance

Lord of Cruelty is the third book in The Bratva Lords Series. There is no other woman drama and as always, an HEA.

Genres: Mafia Romance

365 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 14, 2026

Reviews

[Patricia Monica Provost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord of Cruelty:

Alexsey and Liria 🥰

❤️‍🔥My Review❤️‍🔥

Alexsey Morozov. Third sons of Ella and Maksim Morozov. The artist in the family. When an attack on his family left him with no hands on his left, his world just became a nightmare. No more painting, no more firing, he can’t protect himself or his family. All because of one man, Luan Krasniqi. Son of Dristan Krasniqi, the leader of the Krasniqi Albanian Fare.

Winning, the Morozov absorbed the family and with it, Liria. She was born outside of the Fare, no interaction between her and her father’s business, But just the name Krasniqi will put her in danger. And Alexsey will make her pay for it by marrying her. For being the stepsister to Luan.
Alexsey Morozov is darkness and will make her light disappear….

Third books in the Morozov Bratva Heirs series. And Alexsey. What can I say? His good conscience is battling hard against his revenge and cruelty against Liria. And Liria is battling against her feelings for him, her tormentor, her husband. And the journey they will have to endure is not what they are hoping for but what they will do to survive when two families are at war with each other’s.

Arianna Fraser went all in with Alexsey’s story. Hate, revenge, darkness, cruelty. But how far will someone go before it’s too late, too much. And then, he realized, it’s not worth it and just wants to find light again. And that’s why this story is so good, so well written and so much fun to read. I never have enough of her writing and storytelling. It’s fresh, never a dull moment and falling for the Morozov is always a great feeling. Maybe as much as the MacTavish but that’s an other series. Always a pleasure to read her stories. For that, there are not enough stars to rank them. But I will settle with perfect 5⭐️

[Heide · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anything Ms Fraser writes and this book did not disappoint. Def recommend. The only thing I would disagree about is a description that this is like Hades/persephone. Um no. More like Beauty and an angry beast (until he isn’t anymore). Will say MMC does have some creative skills wink wink 😉

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

where’s the extended epilogue?

I really enjoyed this book but am very disappointed to find that the extended epilogue is no longer available. This is a new release, so what’s going on?

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

arranged marriage business deal

This book was a good one. I’ve been enjoying this series. I finished this in one evening.
Rival families arrange a marriage for a truce.
I love their meet cute, and then the whole enemies to lovers aspect. It was done well.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creative spice

What can I say, the creativity in the spice made me happy.
Alexsey and Liria are perfect together, even if it takes him a while to redeem himself.....
If you enjoy Mafia Romance you need to pick up this series!

[jeannette lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

I loved the start of the story and how they come together i would have liked to have seen the last if her father but overall brilliant 👏 👌

[Marion Destounis · Rating 5 out of 5]

drop whatever

You are reading because you really want to read this book, after of course you’ve read the previous two. Exciting read from start to finish!

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

I’ve always thought painters are a little dangerous… like bad boys and girls with brushes and paint instead of weapons. Art feels like part of their soul. So Alexsey losing his hand, the very thing connected to his identity, passion, and ability to create, hurt so much. His loss was palpable and his pain was raw. It felt like someone slowly losing the air in their lungs, and the way that loss transformed him into someone cruel, revengeful, and consumed by pain was one of the saddest parts of the story. What made it even more tragic is that he lost it while saving his family… Family comes first.

Liria is also a talented artist in her own right… she’s a pianist, and playing is her life. When she is forced into marriage to save her estranged father’s organization, she believes her world has shattered… and for a while, it truly does. She is stripped of everything that gave her life meaning and reduced to an object of hatred, revenge, and threats by her father’s enemies and rivals… which is almost everybody. Slowly, Alexsey begins to realize that she means more than revenge and that she deserves so much better.

I loved the hidden identities during their first encounter, the one-night stand connection, the arranged marriage tension, and the slow burn underneath all the anger and resentment. Their story was painful, emotional, obsessive, messy, and intense in the best way, with a beautiful second chance at love and trust culminating in a surprise pregnancy. Artists really do love fiercely, and this book captured that perfectly.

As usual, the family dynamics were one of my favorite parts. The Morozov brothers genuinely felt like the Three Musketeers: one for all and all for one!!!! I loved how quickly the family embraced Liria and protected her like one of their own. The banter, warmth, humor, suspense, plot twists, attempted murders, and chaos made this such an addictive read. I also loved Roman 😭 he made the story feel lighter whenever things became too painful or heavy. Also… the chapter headings were hilarious as usual. That's Arianna’s signature.

This is honestly one of your best books yet, Arianna, and definitely one of the saddest, but thankfully they got their HEA :D.

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

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liria & Alexsey's story starts with a one night stand... and neither of them knows who the other is.... they have a lot of chemistry...

I love that when her father (who is kind of a douchebag) arranges a marriage for her, it's to Alexsey! Still... their circumstances make it a bit hard for them to fall in love... but I appreciate the way the book is written... the slow burn tension is great & they do find their happily ever after.

The book is fast paced with suspense, kidnapping, murders, attempted murders & unexpected plot twists... a well balanced romantic suspense book.

One of my favorite things about Arianna Fraser's writings are her chapter headings... they always make me laugh & add so much to the book!! An example from this book: "In which Alexsey thinks Liria handled her attempted murder very well." (the one about the meat sword is my favorite!! and how Liria is like, "don't ever call it that again!!" 😂🤣)

This is Book 3 of The Bratva Lords series, as interconnected standalones.

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

*dark Bratva romance
*morally grey MMCs
*ends in a HEA
*romantic suspense
*arranged marriage
*hidden identities
*starts as a one night stand
*hero with a disability (MMC has lost his hand)
*found family
*lovers to enemies to lovers 🤩🥰

Thank you to the author (Arianna Fraser) & Booksprout for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Catherine Budd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liria and Alexsey have a hot one-night stand in Boston where he was attending a charity function. He gives Liria a fake name while she is using her mother's maiden name.
He is injured in shootout after that which results in an amputation of his left hand. He is not coping well with his amputation since he is an artist.
He is hit with an arranged marriage to Dritan Krasnigi's daughter, he is the father of the shooter who caused him to lose his hand.
It turns out his bride is his one-night stand. He is antagonistic towards her which causes her emotional trauma. The females of his family take her under their wing and support her.
The Morozov Bratva are suffering loses which make Alexsey suspect her bodyguard who has been with her for years.
There is a significant turn of events which results in a HEA ending.
This story was very complex with a great plot, wonderful characters, real attraction between the main characters. The author adds secondary characters which add humor and spice to the story.
You won't want to put your Kindle down.

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

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

In book three of the Bratva Lords it is the story of Liria whose father is the Albanian Mafia Head and is also near death and Alexsey whose family is the Russian Bratva. She and Alexsey have a arranged marriage that she is not happy about and he is now determined to get his revenge on her family for the ambush that left him without his hand but when they meet is not their first meeting because they shared a unforgettable night a few months earlier. There is so much more to this story that will keep you turning the pages just to see what will happen next.

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

[Hilda Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing read!

I loved Lord of Cruelty! It has absolutely everything! I laughed at the jokes and the dialogue between Liria and Roan or Allexsey and his brothers. It felt real! I still have a smile on my face. I cried! I felt the sadness written in the scene, and felt the pain of loss they all felt. I felt the anger against Liria’s father and her cousin. I couldn’t wait for them to get theirs! And best of all, I felt the love between Allexsey and Liria! A wonderful book! I loved it!

[Alejandra Turrubiate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes!!

I love reading the previous books. But this one, I just can't put it down. I had to keep reading it. In my opinion a book that you can't put down, it means it's an amazing book that will hook you right from the beginning. Thank you Arianna Fraser for another amazing book. Looking forward for the next book in the series.

[Sherry Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story

An amazing book full of action, mystery and suspense that will keep you reading non stop! A beautiful love story where they start out as enemies and develop into a strong love for each other! Some hot sexy parts that spice things up included. A great read!