Ghost Ribbon: A Dark MM Mafia Romance

The Void Kings #2

by Melysia M.

I was supposed to survive college unnoticed.
Keep my head down. Get my degree. Disappear before anyone remembered my name.

Then Alexei Morozov noticed me.
The coldest monster on campus.
The Russian mafia’s favorite weapon.

One of the Void Kings.

He doesn’t have a heart.
He doesn’t know mercy.
And he never asks for permission.

I know loving him is a mistake. Because monsters don’t love. They consume.

Genres: M M Romance, Dark Romance, Dark, Mafia Romance, College, Forced Proximity, Romance

498 pages, Paperback

Published August 14, 2026

About the author

Melysia writes dark romance filled with characters who desperately need therapy but would rather fall in love instead. When she's not plotting emotional damage for fictional people, she's usually reading MM romances, binge-watching BLs, and adding far too many books to her TBR.

Reviews

[peoniesandmm]

PAIN 😭 such a beautiful story. possessive, toxic but at the same time a feel good story? I don’t even know how to explain it. I’m obsessed with these books and literally cannot wait for the third 😭😭

[Britt DS]

I am in Disneyland, the happiest place on earth, and I still cried.

How do I even begin to describe this book?
When I read the blurb, I didn’t expect such a heartbreakingly beautiful, emotional story. I am speechless.

The story literally made me cry in the first chapter.
The plot, the characters, the character development, the writing style, the spice, the setup for the next book - everything was *chef’s kiss*.

This book is the second book in the Void Kings series but can be read as a standalone, which is what I did.
I usually feel like reading the previous books first is a huge added value, but in this case I never felt like I was missing something. I will definitely be reading Phantom Flower next though.

(I received this book as an ARC and I am leaving this review voluntarily.)

[Cheyenne Minton]

A must read definitely my favorite out of the series so far and when a book makes me cry I know it’s good the characters in this book loved each other so much I love a I’ll do anything for you mmc especially in an dark mm romance

[Heather]

the killing 147 people to find a matching heart was so cringey. i felt like it was written by a teenager who were clueless in how to finish the story with HEA

[Asia]

He would burn the world down for his star.

My heart.. wow. And I thought the first book was good but this one??? MY GOD. Marco & Alexei are destined/fated mates if I’ve ever seen them. The way Alexei talked and how he felt about Marco was some of the most beautiful writing I’ve ever read. Everything was so beautiful even when it wasn’t.. their tragedies were even laced in a layer or grace and beauty.
Alexei would have burned the entire earth down to protect the smile on Marco’s face.. that’s what I LOVED.

Obsession. Possessiveness and other words I don’t think have been invented yet describe him so well. And my sweet angel Marco.. so innocent and sweet and criminally adorable. This mix of hard and soft was amazing. I devoured this book in a day!!

[Dayana]

I wasn't expecting much and it ended up enchanting me. I really liked the main characters; their first scene was so beautiful. I felt that tension between them when they reunited. I thought it would be tougher, but it wasn't. The way Alexei treats Marco and does everything for him is ❤️‍🔥

[Daniela Tavares]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5.

This is my second 6 star read of 2026!
I sort of knew what I was getting into but damn... This was so much more than what I thought it was going to be. There were moments where it was sad, hopeless, tense, despair but there were also moments where there was happiness, hope, lightheartedness and everything in between.

The first 4 chapters set the tone for the type of story this was going to be and oh boy, it did not disappoint. I knew then, I was in for a rollercoaster of emotions.

Alexei doesn't feel things like normal people do, something in his brain doesn't work like it should so he has been bored out of his mind but then he met a brave young kid who despite his struggles, believed that there was light where it was dark and that there's is no dark without light. This kid also gave his 'something' brave because he saw that Alexei was in need of it. The darkness inside him was getting bigger and bigger. Alexei couldn't help but swear under the moonlight and stars right then and there, that he would carry this kid's words, his memory and his brave thing until the day he stopped breathing.
Alexei felt something with him but because he was afraid of what that meant, he never searched for that kid until he laid eyes on him at school. Alexei being Alexei just watched from afar until he could no longer keep his distance.

Marco has been a question mark for me since Phantom Flower and I wondered what was wrong with him and I finally got my answers.
Marco was such a gentle, sensitive soul even though he went through so much his whole life.
I loved the way Marco loved people. He loved Rei so fiercely that he put himself in the crosshairs of Alexei even though he was so scared of what Alexei could do to him or others he loved. He loved his family so much that he stopped his treatments because his mother also needed to be taken care of and he felt like he needed to retribute what his parents did for him his entire life. Basically Marco loves his whole being and once Alexei entered his life, there was no going back for him because that's just who Marco is. He was Alexei's little star and Alexei was his moon. Both needed to coexist in the same space because being apart would be a tragedy.

Alexei took what he wanted and once he had Marco, the void he always felt inside of him started shifting to something more. There was no more black on black. Now there was a flimsy tiny sparkle of hope that he found the one thing that could turn him more humane in a way.
The devastation that followed after Marco's secret being out there was vast. To everyone. Not even us as readers are safe.
The hopelessness Alexei felt was absolute. The despair was catastrophic. The sadness was all encompassing and the yearning for no one to take Marco from him was devastating.
Alexei functioned around Marco and nothing else mattered. The world is ending? Not his problem. Someone is coming after him? Not while Marco is still breathing because he will do everything in his power to make sure his little star is being taken care of and no one will ever take him away from Marco. Not even all the mafia families.

Alexei being Marco's caretaker was a given but the way he folded to his little star requests when he shed a tear or two was adorable.
There were so many moments where Alexei was too much but never irreparably overwhelming to Marco. Alexei is intense no matter what he does and Marco knew that.
I just adore the romance between these two and while I cried at various points and it was indeed a rollercoaster of emotions, I wouldn't change a thing. They finally had their very hard earned hea and I couldn't be happier.
Be warned tho, chapter 26 and part 3 which was The letter will leave you sobbing. 🥺

We got more of Ilya in this one and I'm so sorry to Dimitri and Alexei but Ilya is my man. He's the apple of my eye. He is just awesome! He portrays himself as not having a care in the world, always happy and cheerful but I'm no dummy. Beneath all of that exists the real Ilya and I'm betting the real one feels things deeply and we will have to peel his multiple layers to finally see what's underneath his mask and I'm sure that once I see what's under his facade, I will be in love. 🙈
Kento made 2 appearances (that i remember) and the last one was memorable to say the least. He paid his little prince a favor and I cannot to see how that even happened to begin with.

Rei bickering with Alexei was gold, it was funny even though the situation was sad
, to say the least.
Rei uniting forces with Ilya to b!tch to Sacha's face was awesome. It was so fun and also ridiculous. I loved everything about it. When Rei and Ilya are in the same space, I will always have a great time.
One of the hightings of this story was the heart to heart Dimitri had with Alexei. Alexei has a void and because of it, he thinks people only see him as a tool to be used but that's not how Dimitri or Ilya operate. Family is family. I hope Alexei finally got the message and stop thinking of himself as some machine.
I also loved the moment Dimitri took the reins of the Morozov family, took the throne and left no room to ponder whether or not the other families could come after his cousin. Such a powerful display and I loved that this inevitably happened, not because he wanted the power per say but because powerful people were threatening his cousin and no one does that besides him.
I also found adorable and cute the insight we had when Dimitri was building Rei's garden. Dimitri, Ilya and Alexei together is just delightful. The banter is awesome. Loved everything about it.

Anyways, I am sooooo ready for Ilya and Kento now! Can't wait!

[Maddie]

Content Warnings (including spoilers) at end of review.

This book. This book broke me and then put me back together. I SOBBED. SOBBED for at least 40% of the book. I read this in one day and stayed up until 3:00am to finish it. I just had to make sure they got their happy ending. I mean I literally had to go check the blurb again and make sure it was going to happen.

This book was beautiful. The writing was immaculate. The deep love was poetic. I knew I would love it from the very first chapter. Marco’s description of stars was so unique. I was obsessed immediately.

Alexei became my favorite character, tied with Marco of course. He LOVED Marco. An obsessive yet pure love that no one could match. Marco deserved that love. The first 60% was Marco and Alexei building their relationship. It made me sad how much Marco feared Alexei at first so I was glad when he realized Alexei adored him.

Gosh the writing was amazing. The way this author writes love is beyond. You could literally feel the MCs love projected from the page. The way she writes grief is devastating. I could barely breathe through the sobbing. The way Alexei took care of Marco was so lovely. I can never read this book again, my heart just can’t take it. But I don’t regret reading it at all. It was perfection beginning to end. I rarely say that about books but this one was so good.

I loved her first book, truly, but this one stole my heart. My only wish was that we got more scenes of Alexei and Marco being happy after Marco’s surgery. I just want to experience them doing well. Hopefully we get to see that in Ilya and Kento’s book.

I wish Rei would have found out sooner. I do find it a little hard to believe that Marco’s parents would allow him to stay with Alexei when he was declining. I’m glad they did of course because Alexei took good care of him.

I LOVED how obsessed Alexei was with stars. Like he majored in astronomy because the little boy with ribbons in his hair inspired him🥹. Not to mention the tattoos covering him and how he stared at the stars every night.

Oh my gosh Marco’s letter. I don’t want to spoil it but be prepared to BAWL.

I was not surprised in the least what Alexei did to save Marco. I was actually expecting him to do it a lot sooner. I’m not even mad at him. Marco had to live.

I will say the mafia theme was minimal in this book. It really focused on Alexei and Marco. I’m not complaining AT ALL just putting that out there in case someone is expecting a hard core mafia book. Even if that’s what you want though, I still encourage you to read this. The writing alone is worth it, not to mention the beautiful characters. Of course check your trigger warnings though.

Anyway I may have more to say but these are my thoughts at 3:00am right after finishing it. I just had to talk it out.

✨Happy reading✨



Some Content Warnings below (‼️MAJOR SPOILERS‼️)
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Chronic heart condition of MC/Chronic pain
Momentary death of MC (his heart stops but he’s brought back)
Heavy themes of grief and loss (MC will be okay I promise)
Loss of parents (MC; A few brief mentions, no grief involved)
MC w/anti social personality disorder
Body insecurity (MC)
Needles (not graphic just treatment)
SC with diabetes (not graphic but emotional)
MCs family struggling with money
Mass Murder of innocents by MC for MC (no graphic description)
Bullying, brief mentions of homophobia
CNC
No safe words
Light BDSM (MC tied up & spanking)
Light mafia themes
Torture (a little graphic, not done by MC)
MC forcing himself into others MCs life

[Fee_Reads_Fiction]

I'm not even sure I can get through writing this review without crying! Many books have made me emotional, few have had me sobbing into my pillow at 4am 😭
I had already fallen completely in love with Marco whilst reading Phantom Flower and the wait between finishing that and starting Ghost Ribbons felt entirely too long - a whole 24 hours because I devoured PF so quickly, I had mis-timed being able to read them back to back.
The book starts with Alexei recounting the story of his personality disorders diagnosis and a tale from his childhood, and how he met Marco. This in itself is possibly one of the sweetest and most emotional meet-cutes that leaves you hungry for more. We then have the time jump to how the two are brought back into each other's orbits. This part of the story is your typical Mafia man sets his sights on the innocent boy with the ribbons in his hair and declares he's "mine". There are some comedy moments during this time that made me laugh. I particularly enjoyed the scenes including Alexei and his two cousins and between Marco and Ilya.

Much like Alexei, their original meeting is pushed to the darkest recesses of your mind and you're wondering how there is still another 60% of the book left. Whilst not a plot twist because it was basically fed to you in the opening chapters, like the MCs, you just pretend the bad stuff isn't going to happen...until it does. And then the tears started. I'm not being overly dramatic. The way the author wrote this part of the story will utterly destroy you. The emotions pouring from the page. The love and care between Alexei and Marco. The hopelessness. And then the big bad Mafia Man moment. He doesn't quite burn down the world for his man....no...what he does is far more effective. Oh how my heart took flight after that.
I would have liked more of the HEA beyond this point but the last part of the book moved fairly swiftly in setting us up for the next installment (which again I cannot wait for) but I don't actually think we could have been shown any more than had already been written about the depths of the love these two share

[Luminous Kingdom]

4.5/5. I liked the first book in the trilogy. But I loved this book. Thank you author for listening to your readers and expanding on the things we pointed out being short in your first book.

Alexei and his little star Marco were amazing to read and it made me cry reading in the second half of the book.

I'm looking forward to Kento and Ilya's book. As well as Luca's book.

Keep up the good work author ❣️

[Athina Kotsi]

🥲🥲🥲 there is just something beautiful when a person that was just sailing through life unfeeling unattached, suddenly feels too much ❤️

[J]

Consider my rating to be 2.5 stars, as usual this website is useless in letting people give anything more or less than an even number.

If your man doesn't indiscriminately murder 147 people to save you does he even truly love you?

Well, this was a far better story than Phantom Flower, even though it could have been edited down in length. It was extremely frustrating that it took a lot, I mean, a lot of chapters to get to what was going on with Marco. I'm not sure why it had to be dragged out this way because we know right at the beginning of the story that Marco isn't well. Actually we knew from Phantom Flower that Marco wasn't alright physically, so I don't understand why the author had to make a huge mystery of it.

My other criticism of the book is how Marco's family is portrayed. They're barely ever there beyond a few sentences when we're told that they've suffered a lot to make sure Marco had access to doctors & treatments. But throughout Marco's prolonged health issues during the course of the book, they're never around for anything. They never seem to communicate regularly, they just kind of wash their hands off and leave Marco to Alexie's devices and are only ever mentioned in passing. This is something I hate, don't tell me what someone is like, show me. Give me something solid to back up the claim.

The other issue is the ribbon, it's strange how that ties into Alexis and Marco's first meeting, yet it's almost never brought up again much. It really becomes a ghost ribbon, as it disappears entirely from the story, and we only get a brief mention of Marco wearing newer ribbons in his hair, maybe or twice, but never the original ribbon that Alexis has held on to for years. Which is funny as Phatom Flower made sure to bring up flowers on every other paragraph, and it seems like the author pivoted from that rather hard in this book despite making a ribbon the key artifact in the love story between Alexis & Marco.

We also never read about Alexis telling Marco about their 1st meeting, unless I completely blanked out when they have a proper discussion about it? Maybe I fully missed it, but it seems like a terrible omission.

Flaws aside, I liked learning about Alexi's own diagnosis, and what it means for him to actually feel any emotions beyond boredom. Of course that makes him the perfect candidate for what he does for Marco to survive. How they met, and their starry dates, the cute nickname Alexis calls Marco by are cute though.

Overall a good improvement in writing and a more even book than Phantom Flower IMHO. Don't expect a lot of spice, it's moderate and I understand given Marco's physical vulnerability, it makes sense that there aren't a lot of sex scenes in this book. Instead there is a lot of dialog between the two charas which I enjoyed.

Hopefully by the time we get to Kento & Ilya's story, there's even better writing to be had because I think I like the chaotic energy of Ilya a lot and I hope his story doesn't disappoint.

[Zahida Sayed]

I was in such a reading slump, and then I picked up Ghost Ribbon by Melysia M. and OH MY GOD. This book completely pulled me out of it. 😭

I was hooked from the very beginning. I genuinely could not put it down, and every time I thought I’d read “just one more chapter,” I ended up reading half the book.

I also really loved how it played with the whole stereotypical “poor sick boy” trope. You think you know where it’s going, but the way Melysia handled the vulnerability, caretaking, and emotional side of it made it feel so much more meaningful. The hurt/comfort??? SO GOOD.

And can we talk about the side characters?? Because I loved them. They added so much personality and chaos to the story, and I honestly want more of them. The dynamics between everyone made the world feel so much more alive, and some of their interactions had me laughing when I was supposed to be emotionally suffering. 😂

I also read book one, and now I’m even more invested in this whole series. There’s just something about these characters and their absolutely chaotic dynamics that keeps pulling me in.

AND THAT ENDING. I’m sorry, but WHAT. It ended SO well, and now I’m sitting here desperately waiting for book three.

Because Kento and Ilya??? That chaotic duo??? I AM READY. I already know they’re going to be an absolute disaster together, and I cannot wait to see what Melysia does with them. 😭 I need book three immediately.

Overall, Ghost Ribbon was exactly what I needed to get me out of my reading slump. Angst, hurt/comfort, romance, chaos, amazing character dynamics, and an ending that left me desperate for more.

[MAGGS]

I’m an ARC READER😭💚✨

But unfortunately I did not saw my spam😭so until yesterday I found that I had the privilege of reading this.

Obviously it took me ONE SINGLE DAY to finish this MASTERPIECE.

First, this was a 5 star book⭐️, the story was SO GOOD, the pace was smooth, the LOVE was SWEET AND BEAUTIFUL, the SPICE was SO F*CKING HOT and my pain was OFF CHARTS.

Melysia has an INCREDIBLE TALENT to hook me up with her books every single time, this was no exception. I love the world she created and I’m feeling overwhelmed because all the love I experienced through this book.

Alexei and Marco were two beautiful souls that settled in my heart and squeezed it with an enormous force. And I hope one day I can experiment a love that deep. My tears obviously won’t stopped falling and my smile was as wide as the ocean.

This IS a dark romance, but like I said before (when I read Phantom Flower), the pages are folded with such a care and sweetness you forget you’re reading dark things (until you’re reminded😱).

Everything Mel writes I will be diligently reading it.💞✨🙏🏻

I CAN NOT WAIT FOR ILLYA’S BOOK BECAUSE I AM FERAL!!!!

[Lauren Reads]

I have teared up reading before but I CRIED hard reading this. It was just so sad and beautiful and honestly I just adored this story.
Alexei and Marco met when they were kids and were reunited by chance years later. Marco is sick and the absolute sweetest ray of sunshine and Alexei is the total opposite but he is OBSESSED with Marco.
Genuinely this was such a sweet romance with some proper unhinged moments that made it all the better.
I cannot wait for the third book!!

[Jennifer Ervine]

I love a hard mafia psycho that thinks he doesn’t feel anything but falls completely in love and obsessed with the soft broken boy. Marco and Alexei’s journey is difficult and filled with pain and heartbreak and their happily ever after is hard earned. I loved every minute of their story. I had an idea of what was coming but I was still completely devastated. This book will break you in the best way and put you back together.

[CJ]

My first book review…WOW PHENOMENAL JUST WOW

I urge everyone to read Ghost Ribbon…i sobbed like a baby,it is perfect in every single way,After reading Phantom flower (book 1) i truly thought this book would be completely different,boy was i wrong. READ NOW

[Megan Harris]

SO GOOD!

The first book was amazing and this was even better. I can’t wait for book 3! This year is my top 10 for sure. ❤️

[Cia]

To the next person I date: kill 147 people in one night for me so I know it’s real 🙂‍↕️

10/10 no notes. 147/147 people killed.

[Erin | the.gremlin.reader]

BRB - Still crying.

[David Kelly]

I knew there was something about Alexei from the moment I met him in the first book.

This huge, stoic, cold man immediately caught my attention, and I just knew there had to be so much more underneath that intimidating exterior.

Well…

I WAS RIGHT. 😂🖤

Alexei and Marco completely stole my heart, and as much as I loved Rei and Dmitri, I think these two might officially be my favourites.

Marco is shy, timid, sweet, and innocent, and he’s living with a life-threatening illness that has shaped so much of his life. On the surface, he seems like someone who needs to be protected from the darkness surrounding him.

And yes, I absolutely wanted to wrap him in bubble wrap and keep him safe. 😂🥹

But Marco isn’t weak.

Underneath that quiet personality is someone incredibly strong and brave. His strength just looks different from Alexei’s. Marco doesn’t need to be physically intimidating or dangerous to prove himself. The things he’s faced and continues to face show exactly how much strength he actually has.

Then you put this sweet man beside Alexei…

GOOD LORD. 🖤🔥

Alexei is basically Marco’s complete opposite.

He’s cold. He’s dangerous. He’s intimidating. He’s a giant wall of a man who doesn’t exactly radiate warmth to the rest of the world.

He’s also a much more complicated character than that cold exterior initially suggests. Alexei has been diagnosed with a dissociative disorder and has some sociopathic personality traits, which added another interesting layer to the character I had already been curious about. There is so much going on underneath that stoic exterior, and finally getting his story allowed me to understand him so much better.

But when it comes to Marco?

That’s an entirely different story.

Alexei is completely and utterly obsessed with him.

And I ate up EVERY SECOND OF IT. 😂❤️

Their connection actually stretches back to when Alexei was only ten years old. Then, years later, their paths cross again, and that connection becomes something much deeper.

Once Alexei decides Marco is his person, that’s basically it.

Game over.

This man would literally kill for Marco. He would burn the entire world down if that’s what it took to keep him safe, and considering the dark mafia world surrounding these characters, I absolutely believe he would do it too. 🔥🔪

Alexei is the definition of “touch him and die.”

Except I’m pretty sure he’d consider simply looking at Marco wrong sufficient grounds for murder. 😂

That’s what I loved so much about their dynamic. To everyone else, Alexei can be terrifyingly cold and dangerous, but Marco gets to see the pieces of him that almost nobody else does.

And Marco brings something out in Alexei that makes this massive, stoic man even more interesting.

The obsession is definitely there, but so is the tenderness. 🥹🖤

I also wasn’t prepared for how FUNNY this book would be.

There were moments where I was genuinely laughing, smiling, and kicking my feet because these characters were absolutely ridiculous. 😂 The humor breaks through the darkness at exactly the right moments and makes the emotional parts hit even harder.

Because this book can turn around and absolutely rip your heart out too.

Marco’s illness adds this constant vulnerability to the story. You become invested in him, you understand how fiercely Alexei wants to protect him, and then you’re reminded that Alexei can’t necessarily solve every problem by threatening or killing someone.

For a man accustomed to being able to eliminate anything that threatens what’s his, that’s a completely different kind of fear.

And that HURT. 😭

The emotional swings in this book were so well done. One minute I was laughing and kicking my feet, and the next I was sitting there wondering why this book had decided to attack me personally.

Then we have the spice. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

For me, it was even better than the first book.

Alexei and Marco have this combination of tenderness, obsession, possessiveness, and intensity that made their chemistry work incredibly well. The spice fits their relationship rather than feeling separate from everything else happening in the story.

Honestly, I don’t know how else to describe Ghost Ribbon except as a well-written, spicy dark romance with an obsessive man, a sweet but surprisingly strong love interest, an illness trope, mafia darkness, violence, humor, and enough emotional damage to keep things interesting. 😂🖤

And these men are MORALLY GREY.

Actually…

We’re getting dangerously close to morally black when it comes to protecting the people they consider theirs. 😂🔪

That’s apparently part of the appeal.

I read this entire book in less than seven hours because I genuinely could not put it down. Every time I thought I’d take a break, something happened that made me need another chapter.

And then another.

And another.

Suddenly the book was finished and I was sitting there wanting more.

I loved Rei and Dmitri, but Alexei and Marco just hit differently for me. The contrast between this sweet, shy man and the giant, terrifying protector completely worked.

Give me a cold, stoic man who couldn’t care less about most of the world but would burn that same world to ashes for one person, and apparently I’m happy. 😂🖤🔥

Alexei and Marco are officially my favourite couple so far.

Now I NEED the next book.

🖤 Dark Romance
🔪 Mafia Romance
❤️ Insta-Obsession
🧊 Cold & Stoic x Sweet & Shy
🔥 Touch Him and Die
🛡️ Extremely Protective MMC
🥹 Illness Trope
💪 Hidden Strength
🧠 Dissociative Disorder Representation
🖤 Sociopathic Personality Traits
🌶️ High Spice
😂 Unexpected Humor
😭 Emotional Gut Punches
⚠️ Morally Grey… Almost Black
💕 MM Romance
👻 Obsessive Love
✨ Happily Ever After

[Ana Silva]

How in God’s name did Melysia manage to make book two even better than book one?! Ghost Flower was a freaking masterpiece and yet this one surpassed it.

I bawled my eyes out 90 percent of this book. From the moment Marco and Alexei met to the final chapter, my emotions were all over the place. Them meeting when they were kids and Marco changing Alexei’s life in just a few short minutes, was the most beautiful thing.

Even though Marco was seriously sick and didn’t know how long he’d live, he had such kind, beautiful words for a boy he’d just met. His words made Alexei feel things he was sure he’d never feel. Marco gave him hope that he could be different despite what the doctors said about him.

Marco’s zest for life and optimism awoke something in Alexei. His love for the stars and what they meant to him stayed with Alexei for a long time.
That night changed everything for him. He never looked at the stars the same way and against his own will, he looked at them wishing that the boy that gave him a reason to feel was ok.

Alexei had all the means to find Marco had he had the courage to do so. But he was too scared to find out whether he was alive or not. Either options would have devastated him. The first because he could have been with him and the other because he wouldn’t survive losing him. Ignorance in this case was the sweetest of bliss.

But fate has a twisted sense of humor and it put Marco on Alexei’s path in the most gory, disturbing way. Marco got to see a first hand how savage Alexei could be and it sent him running.

Alexei couldn’t believe that the boy he’d been yearning for all these years was not only alive, but in the same city as him. But that elation quickly died down when he remembered that Marco saw the real him. A monster.

To say that Marco was terrified of Alexei was an understatement. His fear of what Alexei could do was real, especially when Alexei took an interest in him. He knew how dangerous the Morozov family was and nothing good could come from being the object of their attention.

Yet when Alexei forces himself into Marco’s life, he can’t help but see a different side of Alexei the rest of the world doesn’t see. And when Alexei finds out how much Marco’s health is declining, he goes above and beyond to take care of him.

It’s not long before Marco finds himself falling for the man who thinks he doesn’t know how to love. His love might not be the conventional one but it sure is the best love he knows how to give.

And that love proves to be more real when Alexei goes berserk after Marco’s health takes a turn for the worse. The idea of losing him simply isn’t an option and he does what any psychopath in love would do.

Marco is the reason Alexei can feel. He’s not willing to lose him if he can do anything about it. There isn’t a world in which Alexei can live without his little star. He did what was necessary, casualties be damned.

"𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆. 𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆... 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌. 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕.”

There aren’t enough words to express how much I loved this book. There are just so many beautiful moments between Alexei and Marco that just made me swoon. As a lover of stars myself, this book hit even harder. So many quotes to choose from but this right here was just perfect:

𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑰 𝒕𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒔𝒐 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔.
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔, 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔.
𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.
𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆.
𝑴𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆.
𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒙𝒆𝒊 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒐𝒛𝒐𝒗.

Just READ THIS BOOK!

[Monica]

I just needed a moment to breathe properly after reading this beautiful masterpiece that is Ghost Ribbon.

Now look... I cried my eyes out. It hurt. But it was worth every tear, and I promise this ends with a HEA.

I loved the first book, Phantom Flower, but Ghost Ribbon? This book was next-level good, and I mean stunning.

The writing is incredible. The descriptions were out of this world. Then there are the little moments of what I can only describe as poetry woven into this dark MM romance. The prose is what hooked me from the very beginning.

I loved the found family dynamic, as always, and I loved getting to see Rei and Dimitri again from book one.

Okay... let's talk about Marco, our sweet Italian boy. And trust me, he's the sweetest.
He has never had it easy in life, and that shows, but he's still such a beautiful soul. My heart was ripped right out of my chest for him, his struggles, and everything he endured with his family. It resonated with me. Always feeling like you're a burden. Sometimes wondering if maybe... yes, I'm too much. I ask for too much while only asking for the bare minimum.
Marco deserved nothing less than unconditional love.

And let me tell you... Alexei? Wow.
If anyone ever talks about unconditional love, this man is the poster child for it. The way he loves Marco. The way he cares for him. Protects him. Simply exists for him. I've never swooned so hard in my life.
But my favorite thing about Alexei? He never changed who he was. He simply chose to become a better version of himself for Marco, and Marco alone. He gave every good part of himself to the man he loved.

I also loved that the author kept the timeline from Phantom Flower without ever info-dumping or lingering on previous events for too long. The focus always stayed exactly where it belonged: on Marco and Alexei's love story.

Then there was the moment they met at the beginning. It was perfect.

And the theme of the stars... Marco's hope star... the ribbons woven throughout the story... and even Alexei's smile. The metaphors and recurring themes were carried beautifully from beginning to end.

This has to be one of my all-time favorite reads, and I'll recommend it forever. I'll also forever be a reader of Melysia's books.

Words cannot do what I just read justice. They cannot begin to describe the emotional journey this book took me on.

It's phenomenal.

Here are some of my favorite things:

💚 My Little Star
🍋 Stars & Lemon Trees
⭐️ Smiles
💚 147
🍋 Those Italian Lesson (LOL)
⭐️ "Where did you get this from?"
"I made it."
💚 I love you. Ti amo. Ya tebya lyublyu.
🍋 "Start counting, Malyshka."

[paris]

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

*𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰*

⊹ | 𝙂𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙍𝙞𝙗𝙗𝙤𝙣 by Melysia M. is a dark and emotional M/M romance. It is the second book in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 series and follows Alexei Morozov and Marco Bellini. This story does explore themes that some readers may find triggering.

Okay, grab your tissues because you're going to need them—or at least I did. I absolutely loved this book, and I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to be an ARC reader. While I loved the first book as well, I can say with certainty that this one is my favorite. I laughed, I sobbed, and I can't believe that I'm finished so soon.

Alexei and Marco caught my attention back in book one. When I received the ARC for their story, I was over the moon. Once I started reading, I was addicted and couldn't put this book down. Their storylines were truly emotional and completely broke my heart at times. I swear there were moments when I genuinely put my Kindle down and just sobbed. Despite the many challenges that they both faced, I'm so happy that they found their HEA.

One thing about this series that I love is how, so far, each book has been centered around one thing. In the first book, it was different kinds of flowers. Now in the second, ribbons and stars were used. I think it's so cool how the author takes something so simple and has each book revolve around it. I'm interested to see how Ilya's book turns out, although I'm not ready for this series to be over.

Additionally, something I really enjoyed while reading was the connection that Ilya, Rei, Dimitri, Marco, and Alexei were creating. All their playful banter was hilarious, and you could tell that they all really care for one another. Since we can all probably guess that the next book will follow Ilya and Kento, I'm curious to see how Kento will fit into their little group. By the way, that scene between Kento and Ilya at the end of the book was so intriguing. I seriously can't wait to get my hands on their story next.

Overall, this book was beautiful, and I can't wait for everyone to read it. It's going to pull you in unexpectedly, and before you know it, you'll be crying your eyes out—but maybe that's just me. I'm definitely going to be recommending this story for a long time since it's one of those books that sticks with you. The tension, chemistry, and spice between Alexei and Marco were so good. I'm seriously attached to these characters. This book is also going on my 'top reads of 2026' list and I can't wait to purchase a copy for my bookshelf.


— 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒚 𝑷.𝑹.

[Shanice]

So I loved book one, right... At least I thought I loved book one. Then I read book 2 and realized what love was lol

I came into this like, “Alright, mafia romance. Here we go. It’s about to get crazy.” And let me say… THIS WAS MAFIA DEVOTION. But what I wasn’t prepared for was the emotional depth. I cried for the majority of this book, and that's not even a joke. I legit cried.

We follow Marco and Alexei through their tumultuous love story, and there are SO many layers to both of them and everything happening around them.

And our sweetest baby Marco? MARCO DESERVED EVERYTHING NICE IN THIS WORLD. And Alexei was determined to make sure he got it.

Nobody matches Alexei’s energy when it comes to Marco. Nobody. Because when Alexei said he was going to protect him, this man didn’t just run with it....he jumped in the water, learned how to swim, took that shit EVERYWHERE, and brought it back.

There was one particular moment where I literally had to reread the page because I said, “Wait… did that really just happen?” And THAT was when I realized… Alexei is about that life.

I absolutely loved getting Marco’s story because he was such a sweet butterfly in book one, and I was so excited to finally understand him more. And getting more of Rei and Dimitri was such a nice bonus. They were present without overpowering Marco and Alexei’s story, and I loved getting more insight into their relationship and how close they all are.

But honestly, one of my favorite things about this book was getting inside Alexei’s head.

He can come across as a complete psychopath, and he IS giving psychopath, but there are so many layers to the way he thinks, how he views people, and especially how he views Marco. I loved getting to understand what makes him and how his love and obsession go so deep for Marco.

And then there was this one chapter.
Y’all.
THAT. CHAPTER.

I cried through the ENTIRE thing. I literally had to stop reading because I couldn’t see the damn words through my tears.

I don’t even know how to properly explain how much I loved this book. I wish I could erase my memory and read it again for the first time because THAT’S how good it was.

I have loved book one in this series, but this one is definitely my favorite.

[Nala]

I genuinely don’t know how to put this book into words without sounding completely emotional, but here goes.

Marco and Alexei’s story was beautiful, painful, emotional, and honestly one of the most enjoyable things I have read today. There were moments when I found myself completely lost in the story, and there were moments when I actually cried. That, to me, is what makes a book special — when the characters stop feeling like characters and start feeling like people you somehow know.

And Alexei… oh, Alexei. I absolutely loved him.

The scene where Marco wakes up and sees Alexei beside his bed broke something in me. The tears, the trembling, the way he held Marco’s hand — I felt all of it. It was such a beautifully written moment, and I think that was when I realised just how attached I had become to these two.

And yes, I will admit it — the steamy scenes were HOT. But what I loved most was that the romance never felt like it existed only for those moments. There was emotion underneath it. There was tenderness, fear, longing, devotion and genuine love. That made everything hit so much harder.

I also have to appreciate the way you constructed the story. I came into this book expecting to read a few chapters and maybe put it down for a while, but somehow I kept going. I didn't scroll through it just to reach the end. I actually wanted to read every part of it. That is something I deeply appreciate in a writer — being able to create a story that makes a reader forget they are simply reading words on a page.

Dima and Rei were actually my first experience reading your books, and now Marco and Alexei have made me even more curious about what comes next. I already know I am going to enjoy Ilya’s story, and I am honestly looking forward to it.

But for now, I just want to say thank you for Marco and Alexei.

Thank you for the emotions, the heartbreak, the tenderness, the laughter, the tension, and all the little moments in between. Thank you for creating characters I could become attached to and a world I didn't want to leave.

I loved this book. Truly.

And Alexei has my heart. I don't make the rules.

[Nix]

Oh, Alexei and Marco… my babies🥺💗

I don't even know how to put into words how much I loved this book. I had been looking forward to their story ever since I finished Phantom Flower, and once again, this author completely pulled me in. There is just something about her writing that captivates me from the very beginning, and Alexei and Marco were no exception. From the very first chapter, I was HOOKED.

I spent so much of this book smiling like an idiot. 😭💕 Their story was so painfully beautiful, and somehow it made me fall in love with the stars all over again. The atmosphere, the romance, the emotions, it genuinely felt like I had stepped into some kind of fairytale.

And ALEXEI??? That man was so completely gone for Marco, and I ate it up. 😭 The way he seemed so distant and unapproachable to everyone else, but completely softened when it came to Marco?? HELLO??? I loved seeing that side of him.

And Marco, my sweet baby🥺 I wanted to wrap him up in a blanket and protect him from the entire world. He was so precious, and watching Alexei love and care for him made my heart ache in the best possible way.

This book had me emotional while somehow still making me smile through the tears. It's the kind of story that breaks your heart so gently, only to put every little piece back together until you almost forget it was ever broken.

Alexei and Marco are genuinely so precious to me, and I already know they're going to stay in my heart for a very, very long time <3

Thank you so much to the author for giving me the opportunity to read this early. I absolutely adored this story and can't wait to read Ilya and Kento's story! 🤍✨

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Alexsis Wilson]

Alexei and Marco. 

“Two boys met beneath the stars, and the heavens stitched their hearts together.”

This started off so adorable and also crazy. Alexei is his own kind of fucked up and it’s kinda funny to watch. And Marco is just so adorably innocent and I love it. These two together shouldn’t work but they do and I loved it. Marco woke something up in Alexei that he didn’t think he had and watching him try to understand what was happening was adorable to see. 

“And I sat there, undone by a kiss on the cheek from a boy who believed I had emotions, and didn’t know whether to be terrified or grateful that he might be right.”

Alexei would do anything for Marco and he proved that a hundred times over. And Marco deserved the world.

This book had me laughing giggling and fucking sobbing my eyes out. I think I about died in part III. Marco and Alexei were put through shit that would bring the strongest men to their knees. I was hurting for them. For Alexei having to witness the pain and for Marco having to feel it. But they still chose each other they chose to deal with that pain because being together was better than not. 

“I wanted you. God, Alexei, I wanted you. I wanted you the way I wanted the stars when I was a child - knowing I could never reach them, but looking anyway. And somehow, impossibly, I got you.”

Words can’t express how much I love these two. I want the world for them. I want the stars to never burn out and for la stella della speranza to shine the brightest for them always. I loved the side characters and honestly wish we had gotten more of Rei and Ilya interacting with Marco. 

[Eszter]

Basically rinse and repeat from Phantom Flower (first in the series) only a lot meaner MMC, Alexei and added extra 200 pages.

Alexei's need to mess with Marco was really weird and took too long before he was stopping with it. Way too long Marco was only an object for him, a laboratorium mouse to see what it will do if he does this or that. Was too cruel for my liking. He is coming to the conclusion too late that Marco is a person and has problems of his own (his own and mother's illness) to deal with and doesn't need his cruelty on top of all else.

Marco on the other hand, was inexplicably drown to Alexei and is in a sexual relationship with him in a blink of an eye. Huh? Why? And in the next breath he is not talking, opening up about his problems to ANYONE! Really, noone. Rei is a best friend and still he is not saying anything... Real healthy!

So two weirdly put together characters (original idea of their motivation is still to explain, but they are going on too long in their circles for my liking) and a very long-winded way to the solution. Which Alexei didn't deserve (if you pull your head out of your arse too late, than bare the consequences)! But the author is saving his pain in a very shocking way, which left me feeling icky.

Disappointing was the basic feeling with this book. (2.5 stars in reality) - Made up my mind, 2 stars. Disappointing enough...

[Kaylee Nicole]

( ARC REVIEW )
where do I even begin oh my god. This book was so so good⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD ⚠️

Let’s start with my sweet baby Marco, I loved him so so much. He’s truly an angel. The fact that he had so much love in heart despite his own heart being flawed and how despite how ppl treated him he never once was unkind. Especially with how Alexei treated him in the beginning of their relationship shows how good of a person he truly is. His pure soul is one of a kind, I sobbed my eyes out reading his letter😭 As for Alexei.. in the beginning I wasn’t the biggest fan, but as I read on I started understanding him and I fell absolutely in love with him. He’s loved Marco since they were children, basically his entire life. With how he was brought up he just didn’t know how to handle those new emotions Marco brought out of him. And god the way he loved him SO fiercely and simply existed purely for him🫠😩I loved the nickname “little star” the fact that he remembers every detail from their first meeting as children is so adorable. Him killing over 100 ppl in one night to find Marco a new heart had me gagged!!