Pas de Deux

by Lina Harper

Aleksandr Drakov was never meant to be my Prince Charming.
He’s dark, ruthless, and powerful—and when he decides he wants something, he takes it. Including me.
I’ve survived my mental illness through rituals and rules, but he breaks every one. He buys my ballet theatre like it’s nothing to remind me that every part of me belongs to him. I should be scared. Instead, I crave him. And that terrifies me more.
Because men like Aleksandr don’t fall in love. They consume.

Evangeline Vale is forbidden in every way that matters.
She’s too soft for my world. Too innocent. A ballerina on the edge of stardom, and the sister of the man I hate most.
I know I should leave her untouched. But I can’t. I want her breathless. Ruined. Mine. And I’ll destroy anything that stands between us.
Even her world.



Pas de Deux is a dark mafia/ballet romance featuring:


- Ballet FMC
- Mafia MMC
- OCD rep
- Brother’s enemy
- Forbidden love
- Touch her and die
- Spice with light kink
- Obsessed at first sight

Genres: Romance

367 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 21, 2026

About the author

Lina Harper is a dark romance author who occasionally writes things completely unserious. She began writing long ago under her true name, but got frustrated with publishing and decided to write privately for fun. Her stories are filled with obsession, sarcasm, and spice that’ll have you taking a cold shower contemplating whether to read the next one or not (spoiler alert: you should).

She’s spent her whole life learning to manage her mental illness and neurodiversity, and enjoys writing characters who struggle with some of the same things. When she’s not writing, she leads a private life in the United States with her husband and dog.

Reviews

[Emily Henning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for the eARC of Pas de Deux (which I devoured in just over 24 hours). I’ve been wanting to dip my toes in the dark romance genre and man was this the place to start!

Eva is our innocent FMC, a ballerina and extremely sheltered young 20s who struggles with OCD and intrusive thoughts. Right from the beginning we see her mental struggles, and they stayed consistent throughout. It’s so important to show how mental health can affect people, even those who seem otherwise flawless on the outside. Eva is an incredible dancer, but on the inside she doesn’t see that, and the author did a great job showing us that. In general the prose were incredibly smooth, with great showing not telling and the perfect amount of interiority to action to keep the plot moving. Every scene felt important and lush.

And Alek?? Holy mafia god! He’s everything I wanted in a dark romance MMC and so much more. Rough around the edges, no nonsense, precise, except when it comes to his girl. His dialogue with her and interiority surrounding her felt very realistic and I loved seeing him soften for her. He’s violent/aggressive toward everyone else but not Eva- her eternal protector. Their chemistry is palpable and banter believable.

I really really enjoyed this and am so thrilled to see that this will be a series! The prologue for the second installment was included in the ARC and I am already hooked!

Highly recommend this debut!

[Madison (madinotmaddiereads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

the moment i see a ballerina romance, i get so excited but frankly, i have yet to find one that delivers a balance between a compelling plot, romance and a fair amount of substance that acknowledges the world of ballet.

sadly, this one is another miss although i was really looking forward to it! the premise of a Romeo & Juliet retelling was so very intriguing but the way this was being fleshed out was not at all appealing to my reading preference as the fmc was extremely infantilized. this is already something that turns me away from any story but particularly when it comes to dark romance, i find it alarming and impossible to ignore so it’s difficult to enjoy other aspects of the story.

the romance develops very abruptly so this would definitely fall under the insta-lust category which is not something i prefer personally. i can overlook this when it’s just appreciating the aesthetic appeal after first impressions but the mmc’s pov was baselessly & jarringly possessive upon MY first impression so i did not form an attachment to either main character to feel compelled to follow.

as far as the representation, i know the author mentions the fmc’s struggle with OCD is inspired by her own experience and i’ll commend her for writing these moments in the story with careful intention.

i hope pas de deux finds its audience in the right hands but alas, it was not my own.

thank you to the author for the chance to read an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could tell that Pas De Deux was written with a lot of heart. The pacing is good; I didn’t come across any parts that moved too quickly or slowly.

This book reminds me of the golden age of soap opera, in the best way! Haha.

The Romance romances, the Spice spices, and the Lovers love! What more can one ask for? Solid plot and character developments. Yes, it’s a sexy novel, but the romance itself is front and center.

To me, this is Dark Romance done right: yes, there are dark elements, but the MMC never once demeans, abuses, or demoralizes the FMC. A lot of times, people think that “Dark Romance” is the Get Out of Jail Free card, a carte blanche for them to write whatever they want and still claim that it’s “romance.” When I read Pas De Deux, I got to experience the thrill of darkness, but actually left feeling good after, which is what Romance is supposed to inspire at the end of the day, regardless of subgenre.

Another thing the author does well is giving the characters a lot of interiority.

Alek is a totally unhinged love interest, and a lot of fun to read. He’s crazy, but…sweet. 😅 His craziness is believable, considering the line of work that he’s in. He doesn’t strike me as cruel, but more like someone who has the stomach to do what he does, know what I mean? But, regardless of all that and any personal vendettas he may have, he always chooses Evangeline first. That contradiction is difficult to write—someone who has the stomach for cruelty, but isn’t a cruel person, you know? But here, the author succeeds.

Speaking of Evangeline, I love how her character is written, too. She’s 21 but has led a sheltered, overprotected life, and here’s how Lina Harper (author) makes her so believable: she is mature in many respects, but also naive in others. A lot of times when a sheltered or overprotected character is written, authors make the mistake of infantilizing them; that isn’t the case here. Harper understands how to write contradictions in ways that feel intentional and believable.

But, you know who captured my heart, though? Jules—Evangeline’s older brother, and I’m so excited that he’s getting his own book!

I received the ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Character Archetypes: Grumpy (but secretly a sweetheart) - Sunshine (but is more than meets the eye).
Romance Subgenre: an excellent balance of Erotica and Romance. Has dark elements, but not disturbing. Honestly, I found this story to be so heartwarming, as far as Dark Romance goes. Check the triggers, though everything is written with taste, tbh.
Romance: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Passion: ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Violence: ⚔️
Other-Man / Other-Woman Drama: No.

[Lina Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi, my loves! I'm Lina, the author of PAS DE DEUX, and I wanted to take a moment to give you a little insight into this book and also to thank you for giving my debut a chance.

PAS DE DEUX TROPES:
🖤 Ballet FMC
🖤 Mafia MMC
🖤 Touch her and ☠️
🖤 Romeo and Juliet forbidden love
🖤 Brother’s enemy
🖤 Spice with praise and a little bit of choking kink

I've always loved reading dark romance, especially mafia/crime family romance where the MMC is dark, brooding, and dangerous. But despite having this idea for a long time, I've never pursued writing one of my own because I actually write under my real name for traditional publishing with books that are a lot different. When that started to slow, I knew I needed an outlet, so I decided to see how indie publishing would go for me! It's been really difficult, but I've enjoyed it so far. It's been healing for me, in a way, and I know I'll be able to say the same about future books as well.

As much as I would love to say I am like delicate and coquettish Evangeline, I'm really not. I'm more like another Dangerous Dance FMC we will have the pleasure of seeing later. But there are parts of me inside her, from her struggles with OCD to her experience dancing. The only difference is that Evangeline is actually good at ballet, and despite doing ballet for 15 years, I really wasn't. That world has always felt so magical and so at odds with the mafia books I love that I knew I wanted to write something that at least I have never seen!

Writing PAS DE DEUX was extremely difficult, but I enjoyed almost every moment (okay, I hated editing, but that's at least over). I'm so glad I get to stay in this world for Book 2, Adagio, which you can see a sneak peek of at the end of Book 1. Trust me, if you like groveling, you'll like this one. And as a little hint, Book 3 will have a juicy marriage of convenience and Book 4 will be a lot darker than the others with a stalker romance. But that's all you're getting from me!! You'll just have to stick around to see more.

Speaking of seeing more... if you want updates on future books (there are some fun ideas in my head I'm excited to write when I'm done with the Dangerous Dance series), bonus scenes, and more, subscribe to my Substack, authorlinaharper.substack.com! Or follow along on social media.

Thank you again for looking at my baby, which I hope brings you as much happiness as it brought me to write it.

With love and death,

Lina🖤🩰

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I genuinely don’t even know where to start with this one because I finished it and just sat there staring at the wall trying to process everything.

Pas de Deux is a dark, obsessive romance set in the world of ballet, and the contrast between those two worlds was honestly one of my favorite things about this book. On one side you have discipline, beauty, and perfection in ballet… and on the other side you have danger, power, and morally grey choices. It created such an intense atmosphere throughout the story.

Evangeline is a ballerina who has spent her life dedicated to dance, and watching her world collide with Aleksandr’s was so gripping. Aleksandr is the definition of a morally grey MMC — powerful, protective, and very much used to getting what he wants. Their relationship is complicated, messy, and full of tension in the best way. I was hooked watching everything unfold between them.

One thing I really loved was the way the story included text conversations between characters throughout the chapters. They added so much personality and gave extra insight into the relationships without interrupting the pacing.

And speaking of pacing — this book moves. Once things start happening, it’s very hard to put down. I kept wanting to read just one more chapter to see what would happen next.

The Romeo and Juliet parallels with the ballet production were such a clever touch too. When the story started revealing more about Evangeline’s family and the connection to Aleksandr’s world, the tension just kept building.

The romance itself leans into obsession, intensity, and forbidden love, and if you like dark romance with strong chemistry and a possessive MMC, this will absolutely deliver.

This was such a unique mix of mafia romance and the ballet world, which I honestly hadn’t seen done like this before.

Tropes:
🩰 Ballet setting
🖤 Mafia / dark romance
🔥 Morally grey MMC
💔 Forbidden love
🛡️ Protective, dominant hero
❤️ He falls first
🧠 Mental health representation

Definitely check the content warnings because this book explores some heavy themes, but if dark romance is your genre, this one is a really compelling read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Sandy Belrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this story but unfortunately I almost DNF it so many times because the FMC was getting on my nerves too much with her people pleasing tendencies and letting her brother control her every moves so much. It just wasn't for me and made me really annoyed and angry.

The book probably triggered me since I used to struggle a lot with people pleasing and intrusive negative thoughts and I just did not like how I saw the FMC struggle with that and her brother was being too much of a controlling a$$hole.

The number of times I wanted to shake the FMC for her thoughts and for letting everyone walk all over her especially her brother were too many to count and it just made it really hard for me to fully enjoy the story and get into it.

I liked the character of Alek but I feel like it did not make sense how fast the insta lust happened for Eva since she was a virgin and so insecure and overthinking everything so it was hard to believe what she allowed to happen on their 2nd meet especially since she kind of made the first move on that stage. It felt a lot rushed and it did not make sense with how she was portrayed.

I did like that Alek helped build her confidence and stand up for herself although it took the whole book for that to actually happen. He did help also replace her negative intrusive thoughts.

I appreciate the mental health rep and I did enjoy the ballet and mafia setting but I just really struggled with the FMC unfortunately.

Tropes:
- Dark romance
- Ballet/ mafia setting
- He falls first
- Possessive MMC
- Virgin, inexperienced and sheltered FMC
- Mental health rep (OCD)
- Grumpy MMC
- Age gap (8 years)
- Forbidden love (Brother's rival)
- Romeo & Juliet vibes
- Morally grey MMC

Thank you Netgalley and Lina Harper for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Michelle Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m literally staring at my wall trying to process what I just read. 🫠 Aleksandr is the definition of "he’s a 10, but he might ruin your entire life".
Pas de Deux is dark, obsessive, and low-key unhinged, and I was completely hooked. Aleksandr is not a nice man. At all. But he’s nice to HER, and that’s all I need. Watching him bulldoze into her carefully controlled world was addictive.
I went into this expecting a typical mafia story, but the tension between the grit of his world and the elegance of the ballet world was just... chef’s kiss. Aleksandr is absolutely unhinged—the sheer audacity of this man to just stomp into Evie's life and decide she’s his property?? It’s toxic, it’s possessive, and I devoured every single second of it. 💀
My heart actually hurt for Evie, though. Seeing her struggle to keep her rituals in place while her world was literally being dismantled by this man was so intense. I loved that she wasn't just a "weak" heroine; she’s a fighter in her own way, even when she’s terrified of how much she wants him. I loved seeing a ballerina FMC whose strength comes from discipline and routine, especially with the OCD rep. Her need for control felt real, not romanticized, and that made every interaction with Aleksandr hit harder because he is chaos, which was kind of what she needed.
The "touch her and die" energy was off the charts. Like, sir, please calm down (but also don't). The ballet vs. mafia contrast was such a cool touch. If you like your MMCs obsessed and your romances high-stress and high-heat, you need this. I finished it in one sitting, and now I have a massive book hangover. 5 stars, no notes, just vibes. 🩰🔥🖤

[Ruby Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review will contain spoilers.

Mafia x Ballerina
Romeo & Juliette retelling
3.5 ⭐️
3 🌶️
I want to start off by saying that there are so many things that I enjoyed about Pas de Deux. Mafia romance books are some of my favorite to read and I think that the forbidden aspect of Eva & Alek’s relationship works well with both themes of mafia and Romeo & Juliette. The writing had a clear voice and their story felt complete. It was easy to follow and the overall story arc was well paced. The author also did a nice job of setting up future books in this series.

Alek is a classic, possessive and protective, mafia male lead. He sees her. He wants her. He gets her. But along the way, he also helps Eva gain confidence in herself. He supports her without being controlling which is something that she has never experienced before. And when he discovers who she is, he does not question her intentions towards him, which is something that happens far too often in mafia romances.

The struggle that I had with this book is with Eva. There is a difference between inexperience and immaturity and unfortunately, Eva crossed that line several times throughout the book. Because of that, her sexual relationship with Alek often made me uncomfortable as a reader. A character that cannot talk about sex probably shouldn’t be having it.

I am still looking forward to continuing this series. I think that this author has the potential to do wonderful things in this world that she has created.

[charleighreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Lina Harper for this ARC.

I loved this book. And I loved the main character Evangeline. She’s written with anxious tendencies and there’s an accurate representation of OCD rumination. Evangeline has her own childhood trauma and has learned to be a people pleaser which has gone hand-in-hand with the development of her disorders. I found her experience to be refreshing, insightful, and relatable and not at all distressing. She’s a skilled ballerina, a bit of a loner, and has grown up quite sheltered with her older brother being her guardian.

Main male character Aleksandr is a dream. He has Russian and Italian heritage and I loved reading him with an accent. If an audiobook is released I will sell my soul for it. He’s cocky, possessive, but soft in all the right moments. His cousin, Nikolai is hilarious, and has Carrion Fisher energy. The dynamic between the cousins kept some of the heavier scenes a little lighter.

I thought the book was steady paced with equal parts romance, action, and tension. The character developments were enormous yet felt realistic. Minor characters were also likeable and stood out.

This whole story was very much a modern day nod to Romeo and Juliet and I think any fans of Keri Lake, Brynne Weaver, Callie Hart, or Karina Halle would really enjoy it.

I can’t wait to read the next book.

[Trash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pas de Deux by Lina Harper had such an intense, moody atmosphere that really fit the ballet world setting. The drama, ambition, and high-stakes emotion kept me invested, and I appreciated how immersive the environment felt. The tension throughout the story definitely kept the pages turning.

However, I really struggled with Julian’s character. As Eve’s brother, his controlling and overbearing behavior felt suffocating at times. I understand he was meant to be protective, but the way he tried to dictate so much of Eve’s life crossed a line for me and made parts of the story frustrating to read.

As for the romance with Alek, I enjoyed the chemistry and the push-pull dynamic, but I sometimes wished their relationship had a bit more emotional balance and development. There were moments that were powerful and passionate, but I didn’t always feel fully convinced by the depth of their connection.

Overall, it’s a dramatic, dark ballet romance with strong atmosphere and tension, but some character dynamics made it hard for me to completely love it. If you enjoy intense family conflict and broody romance, this might work really well for you.

[Mads · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMGGGGGG THIS WAS SO GOOOOODDDDD. It was delicious with lots of tension, and for a dark romance, it surprisingly had a lot of depth with Eva's mental illness, Aleksandr's past loss, and her feelings toward her brother. Definitely recommend.

Things I loved:
🩰Mental illness rep, especially the bathroom scene
🩰HE FALLS FIRST and he fell hardddddd. This man was down bad for her
🩰Ballet/mafia was something I didn't even know I needed, and now I need more of them. Thank god this is a series
🩰The texts added a little bit of fun in between chapters
🩰The spice was spicing and it was soooo good but it wasn't too much that it took away from the plot
🩰The pacing was perfect and the prose was surprisingly really good at times for a dark romance. Usually it's a lot more basic but it wasn't

A perfect love story for Valentine's Day. Can't wait for the rest of the series!!

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pas de Deux
4.5 ⭐️ ARC REVIEW
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the author for the arc!🩵✨ Book release date: March 21st 2026

This book is a dark romance which includes heavy themes. I am literally staring at my wall in silence trying to process what I've just read. Pas de Deux is a dark, obsessive and lowkey unhinged romance. I was completely hooked from the very beginning.

The book mixes the disciplined world of ballet with a dark romance which makes the overall atmosphere feel beautiful but unsettling at the same time.

The book follows our FMC Evangeline who is a dedicated ballerina whose life becomes entangled with our MMC Aleksandr. Aleksandr is a powerful and morally grey man. I enjoyed the contrast between Evangeline's life as a ballerina and Aleksandr's dark and dangerous world. Their relationship is complicated but full of tension which kept me hooked and interested.

[Jessica Heuertz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Russian Mafia, Virginia FMC, Praise, OCD, Touch her and die, Brothers enemy
GREAT BANTER 😍
Eva & Alek
Eva the sweet ballerina chasing perfection with that nagging negativity in her mind. Alek is heir to the Russian mafia, instantly obsessed with her. There’s only one problem, the guided cage her brother has placed her in. Ultimately feeding that negative voice in her head.
Alek purchasing the ballet was just the beginning of the obsession and I absolutely devoured it!
Side note:
Mia - Eva’s best friend their banter is hilarious. She’s one of my favorite characters. Also the texting had me cackling. Nikolai (Alex’s cousin and bestie in the book) absolutely rooting for him to get his own book!!

Thank you so much Lina for the ARC 💚💚

[Hollie | Romantasy Reads 💫🧚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this down! Everything was enticing from the storyline, the chemistry the spice. I loved the two main characters especially Eva. On first impression I thought she would be very reserved and quiet but soon came to realise she was a secret spicy one! Aleksandr on the other hand.. morally grey.. taking what he wants with no concern for repercussions or anyone else. They make a steamy pair.

I audibly gasped throughout the book knowing what bombs were about to be dropped! The spice didn’t disappoint either and there was plenty of it throughout the book but not too much where it consumed the whole story. A brilliant combination.

Already can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

[RuinMeReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Umm, what did I just read? I am NOT okay.
Let me be honest for a second, I never get my hopes up with ARCs anymore. I've been let down too many times. This one? I started it and could NOT put it down. Lina absolutely nailed the tiny details, and I love that. I don't want to just read a book, I want to feel like I'm there... and she delivered.
Now let's talk about Aleksandr and Eva.. She's the sheltered, shy ballerina. He's the dark, moody mafia man who doesn't care about anyone... until Eva. When their worlds collide, she becomes his obsession and he becomes completely unhinged about her.
🖤Warning🖤
Expect tension, obsession, possession and pure chaos.

Definitely 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Jasmine Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Author

4.5 ⭐️
3 🌶️
3 🩶

This book was DELICIOUS! We have our innocent, picture perfect FMC, Eva, who happens to be a dainty ballerina 🩰. Then we have our super POSSESSIVE, touch her and die, moody MMC, Alek, a Mafia boss 🥵 She is a princess and he is her villain.

The yearning for each other throughout the entire book is 🤌 I absolutely LOVEDDDD how he could not get enough of her, his possessiveness (very toxic) and his determination to make her see how perfect she was, despite all of her internal struggles and OCD. When he tells her “you’re mine” he means MINE and it holds weight!

I will say I fell in love with Alek as a character, almost instantly, but Eva did take some time to grow on me. She is so innocent, there were times she felt almost child like in the beginning (sugarplum). However, she did grow on me and I do love who she has become. The names took time to grow on me as well, but the characters were all beautifully written and there was so much thought put into each and every one of them. I’m excited to read Jules’ story, as well as seeing how Lina progresses as an author. Great first book!

There’s spice, banter, plot, more spice which we love. If you’re new to dark romance, this would be a great starter, and if you’ve been dark and twisty for a while like myself, it’s good pallet cleanser.

[Sarah Baseley · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars!!!!!!!!

Im a tiny bit obsessed with this and very thankful I was lucky enough to be given an ARC opportunity.

The chemistry between these two were electric. I loved that this dark "repear" was so soft for her, that she literally saw him as her Knight. I mean, swoon.

She was sweet, innocent and sweet, with a little of them dark urges creeping in that match so perfectly with the darkness inside of him.

Throw in some shootings, family issues, fire and hot smut and this was an easy 5 star read.

You'll love Eva and Alek just as much as I did!

[Bookish_Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! This is the first book I have ever read by Lina Harper and I can confidently say I will be back for her future books. Everything about this book was wonderfully planned out. Eva and Alek are polar opposites, and yet they fit perfectly together. She is soft and sweet and kind hearted while he has rough edges from running the mafia, but she is clearly what he needs as the sunshine in his life. This is the best Romeo and Juliet story I have ever read and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advanced copy received from NetGalley

This book has me hooked from page 1.

I feel the “darkness” and the “romance” were perfectly balanced.
We got obsession and spice, but also the perfect pet name and actual feelings!

I truly enjoyed the Romeo and Juliet parallel, and even as I started foreseeing where the story was going, it was still delivered in a way that didn’t make it feel predictable at all.

Thank you for the team for sharing this book with me, and I will definitely be waiting for the next in the series!

[Monica Minniti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet Alek and Eva. She lives in a bubble. He thrives in the shadows. They have a meet-cute. I mean, it can’t be said better than that. She is enthralled by him. She has a little OCD and some past trauma. He was immediately drawn to her and had to consume her. The push and pull is fantastic. The emotions are all over the place and you can’t help but root for these two! What a story. Spice is 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ and stars are 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Tressie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome! I fell in love with the characters and story. The spice was spicing! If you like the touch her and die troupe and protective family vibes you will love this book. There were enough twists to make it interesting but not so many that it was stress inducing or confusing. The story was easy to follow and flowed naturally. I picked it up and could hardly put it down.

[Toni Probert]

I was lucky to get a ARC copy of this book and I absolutely loved it! I loved how the characters can't help but be constantly drawn to each other and how the plot thickens between the the familes. Definitely a must read!

[kaylynn housley · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love alek and eva!! im soo happy with eva’s character development as well

[Kaycee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a dark romance where our innocent FMC finally gets a taste of freedom and boy does freedom taste good. If you like the “touch her and die” MMC then this is a book for you as our MMC is POSSESSIVE! I’m very excited to see this is going to be a series where the other characters get a chance to shine as I’d love to learn more about the other characters in this book too.

Thank you to the author for an eARC of this because it was amazing. I devoured it