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Crossed Lines #2
Hard Bargain: Crossed Lines Book 2
A deal made to survive turns into a dangerous obsession.
Knox Wolfe learned early on how to survive: keep your guard high, your debts low, and never bow to anyone. But above all—trust no one. It’s a rule that’s saved his life more than once. For years, it worked, until Stockton’s streets stopped playing fair. When he witnesses something he was never meant to see, survival means facing an impossible choice: run or make a deal with the devil himself.
Dominic Rivera owns Stockton. He’s rich, powerful, and used to getting exactly what he wants. When he offers Knox a deal in exchange for silence and loyalty, refusal isn’t an option. Now, Knox finds himself answering to the city’s most ruthless man.
What starts as control twists into something darker—hungrier. Dominic doesn’t just crave Knox’s compliance; he wants complete surrender.
Knox tells himself it’s still about survival, but every glance and dangerous touch says otherwise. He’s not gay. Neither is Dominic. But obsession doesn’t play by the rules, and what began as a bargain turns into something neither of them saw coming.
HARD BARGAIN is a dark, high-heat MM romance packed with dangerous attraction, raw obsession, and a love story that blurs every line.
Tropes & Themes: Double Bi Awakening ∣ Age Gap ∣ Power Imbalance ∣ Hate to Lovers ∣ Morally Gray MC ∣ Medium Burn ∣ HEA
Knox Wolfe learned early on how to survive: keep your guard high, your debts low, and never bow to anyone. But above all—trust no one. It’s a rule that’s saved his life more than once. For years, it worked, until Stockton’s streets stopped playing fair. When he witnesses something he was never meant to see, survival means facing an impossible choice: run or make a deal with the devil himself.
Dominic Rivera owns Stockton. He’s rich, powerful, and used to getting exactly what he wants. When he offers Knox a deal in exchange for silence and loyalty, refusal isn’t an option. Now, Knox finds himself answering to the city’s most ruthless man.
What starts as control twists into something darker—hungrier. Dominic doesn’t just crave Knox’s compliance; he wants complete surrender.
Knox tells himself it’s still about survival, but every glance and dangerous touch says otherwise. He’s not gay. Neither is Dominic. But obsession doesn’t play by the rules, and what began as a bargain turns into something neither of them saw coming.
HARD BARGAIN is a dark, high-heat MM romance packed with dangerous attraction, raw obsession, and a love story that blurs every line.
Tropes & Themes: Double Bi Awakening ∣ Age Gap ∣ Power Imbalance ∣ Hate to Lovers ∣ Morally Gray MC ∣ Medium Burn ∣ HEA
435 pages, Paperback
Published August 28, 2026
About the author
Ivy Vera Gray
4 books241 followersIvy Vera Gray writes emotional, high-heat MM romance novels. Her stories are driven by unexpected connections, messy love, and flawed characters with chemistry that burns. She’s obsessed with creating tension that keeps you turning pages.
Find her on Instagram @ivyveragray.author.
Find her on Instagram @ivyveragray.author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
September 4, 2026
Extremely disappointed. I'm giving it two stars because I made it to the end.
September 3, 2026
Knox and Dominic
Dark Romance
Double Bi Awakening
Mob Boss / Gas Station Worker
Gay for You
Age Gap
Enemies to Lovers
Gives off D/S vibes a bit
LOVING this series so far, cannot wait for Cassian and Mason's books <3
Spice - 3.5/5
Story - 5/5
Dark Romance
Double Bi Awakening
Mob Boss / Gas Station Worker
Gay for You
Age Gap
Enemies to Lovers
Gives off D/S vibes a bit
LOVING this series so far, cannot wait for Cassian and Mason's books <3
Spice - 3.5/5
Story - 5/5
Review of advance copy received from Author
I could not get enough of this dark romance. Dominic and Knox are two broken souls who meet by chance and are instantly connected. This romance takes its time as Dominic slowly tests Knox's trust within his world, and as Dom's trust grows, so does his need to control, own, and protect Knox.
This story takes you on a wild ride through the world of a mob boss who takes his job very seriously. Knox, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, is forever indebted, which slowly turns into a cat-and-mouse game as both circle their feelings for one another, but they can only hold out for so long before their self-control completely combusts.
Overall, this story is a whirlwind of emotions, moments of danger, intrigue, and primal ownership between Dom and Knox. They are deeply connected, sharing a similar perspective and brokenness, and are finally seen by another. Their journey is amazing, and watching them both fall so effortlessly for each other, despite the risks involved, was brilliantly done.
I cannot wait for the next entry in this series. I love how each story is so different from the next, leaving me eager for what is to come.
*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this story.***
This story takes you on a wild ride through the world of a mob boss who takes his job very seriously. Knox, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, is forever indebted, which slowly turns into a cat-and-mouse game as both circle their feelings for one another, but they can only hold out for so long before their self-control completely combusts.
Overall, this story is a whirlwind of emotions, moments of danger, intrigue, and primal ownership between Dom and Knox. They are deeply connected, sharing a similar perspective and brokenness, and are finally seen by another. Their journey is amazing, and watching them both fall so effortlessly for each other, despite the risks involved, was brilliantly done.
I cannot wait for the next entry in this series. I love how each story is so different from the next, leaving me eager for what is to come.
*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this story.***
September 3, 2026
Disappointed.
I'm sure you've read this exact MF mafia romance: A naive, innocent 'cinnamon roll' does something mind-bogglingly stupid, accidentally stumbling into a mob boss's criminal underworld. Out of nowhere, the boss decides to spare her. Then, while manipulating and controlling the poor girl, the boss magically realizes--'oh, she's so special', instantly falls hard, starts trusting her blindly, and throws all his rules out the window. Amazingly, our little cinnamon roll adapts to the mafia lifestyle with terrifying ease and falls head over heels for the boss—because honestly, who wouldn't fall for a bulletproof knight who solves all their problems? (*Toss in random jealous-spite scenes along the way.) Eventually, a rival gang discovers the boss's brand-new 'weakness' and kidnaps the cinnamon roll. This sends the boss into an agonizing rage—'No, not my love!!'—cue him obliterating the rivals and riding off into the sunset with her.
The only twist here? The cinnamon roll is a dude, slapped with a convenient 'gay for you' patch.
And this book managed to drag this exact same dusty-ass cliché out for over 400 pages!!!
The only reason this didn't get 1 ⭐️ from me is that some of the sex scenes actually had decent tension.
If you don't have much patience for glacially slow plots wrapped in dusty old tropes, do yourself a favor and steer clear.
I'm sure you've read this exact MF mafia romance: A naive, innocent 'cinnamon roll' does something mind-bogglingly stupid, accidentally stumbling into a mob boss's criminal underworld. Out of nowhere, the boss decides to spare her. Then, while manipulating and controlling the poor girl, the boss magically realizes--'oh, she's so special', instantly falls hard, starts trusting her blindly, and throws all his rules out the window. Amazingly, our little cinnamon roll adapts to the mafia lifestyle with terrifying ease and falls head over heels for the boss—because honestly, who wouldn't fall for a bulletproof knight who solves all their problems? (*Toss in random jealous-spite scenes along the way.) Eventually, a rival gang discovers the boss's brand-new 'weakness' and kidnaps the cinnamon roll. This sends the boss into an agonizing rage—'No, not my love!!'—cue him obliterating the rivals and riding off into the sunset with her.
The only twist here? The cinnamon roll is a dude, slapped with a convenient 'gay for you' patch.
And this book managed to drag this exact same dusty-ass cliché out for over 400 pages!!!
The only reason this didn't get 1 ⭐️ from me is that some of the sex scenes actually had decent tension.
If you don't have much patience for glacially slow plots wrapped in dusty old tropes, do yourself a favor and steer clear.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I'm obsessed. Ivy Vera Gray has done it again!
I cannot press this enough, but PLEASE check tw's/cw's before reading this one. There are many dark themes within these pages and you know you best.
While far darker than Ivy's debut, Hard Bargain was such a quick read for me. I, yet again, could not put this one down and when I had to, I could only think about when I could jump back in. There's an age gap, socioeconomic difference, crime boss, action, gore, and so much more that had me enthralled. I also loved how the mutual yearning and attraction unraveled throughout the plot. This was a wild ride and I loved every minute of it!
I cannot press this enough, but PLEASE check tw's/cw's before reading this one. There are many dark themes within these pages and you know you best.
While far darker than Ivy's debut, Hard Bargain was such a quick read for me. I, yet again, could not put this one down and when I had to, I could only think about when I could jump back in. There's an age gap, socioeconomic difference, crime boss, action, gore, and so much more that had me enthralled. I also loved how the mutual yearning and attraction unraveled throughout the plot. This was a wild ride and I loved every minute of it!
August 30, 2026
I was so looking forward to this after the first book, Off Script! Knox is Jacob's half-brother who is about 20 years younger than him, and they never knew of each other for years and never met until 6 months prior to the events of this book at their father's funeral.
Dominic is a formidable man who is the leader of basically the mafia, for all intents and purposes. He basically owns the city Knox lives in, and he isn't one you cross.
Unfortunately - or fortunately however you look at it - when Knox comes across and sees something he shouldn't when he's walking home from work one night, his whole lives changes when he meets Dominic Rivera that fateful night.
Dominic lets him live, but only because he says Knox now owes him for sparing his life after he and so Knox now essentially works for him.
But it doesn't take long for Knox to become so much more than another worker for Dominic. Not only because Knox is actually quite good at the job and notices more than the average person, but also because of their growing feelings for each other.
I will say there is one on screen moment of these two with women, and a few more times they're either vaguely described or told it happens off page. This is all before they're together and committed, but I'll detail what happens under the spoiler tag below:
There is ONE instance where Dominic is so in denial - this is after they've had full on penetrative sex and Dominic says it "was only one time" and "can't happen again" - that he almost says yes to a woman wanting sex with him that he doesn't really want or care about to try to get back to how he used to do things (not caring about any of his sexual partners like he does Knox) but Knox stops it and nothing happens there either.
It takes awhile for them to truly commit and say "I don't want you fucking anyone else while you're fucking me" but once they do, they aren't with anyone else.
But I just wanted to detail it all for anyone who would be curious to know.
Anyway, while this one didn't hit quite as hard for me as the first, it was pretty damn close. I still absolutely loved this and Knox and Dominic had such a different dynamic to Jacob and Liam.
I was almost worried we wouldn't get much sex when it says there's high heat, as it takes awhile for these two to do things and then really go all out, but not to worry, it comes soon enough, just more in the latter half of the book. These two felt better at resisting than Jacob and Liam (although that's funny of me to say since those two DID resist for so long, actually lol. It just felt like they didn't, maybe because they eventually gave into having an affair together idk)
These two were delightfully unhinged together, though. Knox has a darkness to him that he finally gets to let out around Dominic. And Dominic finally basically finds his equal in that regard, someone to match his fucked up nature.
I don't know if they count as sociopaths or what. Kind of? In a way. Dominic even more than Knox, it seems. Because Knox loves and cares about his mother even as she's continually awful to him. And he comes to care a lot about Jacob as they start to form a bond in this book (we don't get much, one scene near front of the book and a few scenes near the end, but what we do get is a forming of a connection between them, slowly but surely) so Knox isn't devoid of feelings.
Dominic cares about his cousin, Cassian, and I think he might care about his other family? He doesn't have many thoughts about them in this book, so who knows? He has a big family but they aren't very present in this book aside from Cassian. Who even knows if they know that Dominic does illegal things? Maybe they think he's just a legit business man, I don't know. But yeah, aside from Cassian, Knox because basically the only one he truly cares for and loves. So I guess Dominic almost cares about no one?
He comes close to a sociopath in my eyes, but Knox definitely has his fucked-upness too. I don't know, they're both complicated and that's what so interesting about them.
And of course I couldn't get enough of Dominic being possessive of Knox and think he was his and he would fuck up anyone who touched what was his.
The ending was so
So this was still a 5 star read, still an excellent read I couldn't put down.
I highly look forward to Mason's story next, and then Cassian's in book 4.
Until then! 😘
My Ratings for the Crossed Lines Series:
✨ Off Script: 5 stars (my review)
✨ Hard Bargain: 5 stars
Dominic is a formidable man who is the leader of basically the mafia, for all intents and purposes. He basically owns the city Knox lives in, and he isn't one you cross.
Unfortunately - or fortunately however you look at it - when Knox comes across and sees something he shouldn't when he's walking home from work one night, his whole lives changes when he meets Dominic Rivera that fateful night.
Dominic lets him live, but only because he says Knox now owes him for sparing his life after he and so Knox now essentially works for him.
But it doesn't take long for Knox to become so much more than another worker for Dominic. Not only because Knox is actually quite good at the job and notices more than the average person, but also because of their growing feelings for each other.
I will say there is one on screen moment of these two with women, and a few more times they're either vaguely described or told it happens off page. This is all before they're together and committed, but I'll detail what happens under the spoiler tag below:
There is ONE instance where Dominic is so in denial - this is after they've had full on penetrative sex and Dominic says it "was only one time" and "can't happen again" - that he almost says yes to a woman wanting sex with him that he doesn't really want or care about to try to get back to how he used to do things (not caring about any of his sexual partners like he does Knox) but Knox stops it and nothing happens there either.
It takes awhile for them to truly commit and say "I don't want you fucking anyone else while you're fucking me" but once they do, they aren't with anyone else.
But I just wanted to detail it all for anyone who would be curious to know.
Anyway, while this one didn't hit quite as hard for me as the first, it was pretty damn close. I still absolutely loved this and Knox and Dominic had such a different dynamic to Jacob and Liam.
I was almost worried we wouldn't get much sex when it says there's high heat, as it takes awhile for these two to do things and then really go all out, but not to worry, it comes soon enough, just more in the latter half of the book. These two felt better at resisting than Jacob and Liam (although that's funny of me to say since those two DID resist for so long, actually lol. It just felt like they didn't, maybe because they eventually gave into having an affair together idk)
These two were delightfully unhinged together, though. Knox has a darkness to him that he finally gets to let out around Dominic. And Dominic finally basically finds his equal in that regard, someone to match his fucked up nature.
I don't know if they count as sociopaths or what. Kind of? In a way. Dominic even more than Knox, it seems. Because Knox loves and cares about his mother even as she's continually awful to him. And he comes to care a lot about Jacob as they start to form a bond in this book (we don't get much, one scene near front of the book and a few scenes near the end, but what we do get is a forming of a connection between them, slowly but surely) so Knox isn't devoid of feelings.
Dominic cares about his cousin, Cassian, and I think he might care about his other family? He doesn't have many thoughts about them in this book, so who knows? He has a big family but they aren't very present in this book aside from Cassian. Who even knows if they know that Dominic does illegal things? Maybe they think he's just a legit business man, I don't know. But yeah, aside from Cassian, Knox because basically the only one he truly cares for and loves. So I guess Dominic almost cares about no one?
He comes close to a sociopath in my eyes, but Knox definitely has his fucked-upness too. I don't know, they're both complicated and that's what so interesting about them.
And of course I couldn't get enough of Dominic being possessive of Knox and think he was his and he would fuck up anyone who touched what was his.
The ending was so
So this was still a 5 star read, still an excellent read I couldn't put down.
I highly look forward to Mason's story next, and then Cassian's in book 4.
Until then! 😘
My Ratings for the Crossed Lines Series:
✨ Off Script: 5 stars (my review)
✨ Hard Bargain: 5 stars
Did Not Finish
August 30, 2026This book has TONS of tension. I felt how Dom was dominant and the boss. The tension between him and Knox was well done but there was so much push and pull almost TO MUCH push and pull. But I loved it when they let their players all down and when they were together.
I loved the writing, which was high quality and something I’ve been wanting, and I want to keep reading from this author but I feel like this trope of them both being straight in the beginning just isn’t for me. But she did a great job pacing it. However, knowing they were so straight and never thought of another man took me out of the story but that’s not on the author that’s on ME.
Again this writing was on another level of quality and I can’t wait to read more from them. It’s hard for me to read 3rd person and she wrote it effortlessly and when reading. The flow was perfect! I loved the characters and loved the unique take on going about revealing Dom and his lifestyle. just because the trope isn’t for me doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate this book. This totally deserves the hype and the rating I gave it!
I loved the writing, which was high quality and something I’ve been wanting, and I want to keep reading from this author but I feel like this trope of them both being straight in the beginning just isn’t for me. But she did a great job pacing it. However, knowing they were so straight and never thought of another man took me out of the story but that’s not on the author that’s on ME.
Again this writing was on another level of quality and I can’t wait to read more from them. It’s hard for me to read 3rd person and she wrote it effortlessly and when reading. The flow was perfect! I loved the characters and loved the unique take on going about revealing Dom and his lifestyle. just because the trope isn’t for me doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate this book. This totally deserves the hype and the rating I gave it!
October 8, 2026
I kept putting this book off for far too long. I really loved Off Script, and it was only after reading it that I came across some accusations about this author and AI use.
I can’t say I agree or disagree, because I’m honestly not good at detecting AI involvement. I will only speak for my own reading experience, and I’m all about how a book makes me FEEL.
And well.
This one was EVERYTHING.
It was so perfect that I was actually struggling to find at least *some* remarks, but I genuinely can’t 😭
“Dominic’s jaw flexed.
‘No. Always thought I was straight.’
His mouth quirked, half-bitter.
‘Then you walked in and ruined my math.’”
Double bi-awakening is a tricky thing to write. Featuring an older and very respected character makes it even trickier. The way it was handled here deserves a medal. It was so mature and healthy that I was genuinely amazed.
Dominic and Knox had simply INSANE chemistry, tension, and pull between them. I was hot all over, pulsing and aching in multiple places during each and every one of their interactions 🥵
“Nothing in his life had prepared him for this. Every encounter he’d had with women felt muted now, distant.
This was raw voltage.”
And the way the dramatic turnabout was handled was PERFECT. I am genuinely surprised to find myself with absolutely nothing to complain about!!!
One thing that always gets my attention is how the third-person POV is handled, and here I didn’t even register that slight discomfort I sometimes get with it.
To make my point even more valid, I struggled a lot more with Heated Rivalry 🙈
I honestly don’t know what else to say.
I just LOVED it 💜
And I can’t find it in my heart to deduct even 0.25 stars from this one.
I can’t say I agree or disagree, because I’m honestly not good at detecting AI involvement. I will only speak for my own reading experience, and I’m all about how a book makes me FEEL.
And well.
This one was EVERYTHING.
It was so perfect that I was actually struggling to find at least *some* remarks, but I genuinely can’t 😭
“Dominic’s jaw flexed.
‘No. Always thought I was straight.’
His mouth quirked, half-bitter.
‘Then you walked in and ruined my math.’”
Double bi-awakening is a tricky thing to write. Featuring an older and very respected character makes it even trickier. The way it was handled here deserves a medal. It was so mature and healthy that I was genuinely amazed.
Dominic and Knox had simply INSANE chemistry, tension, and pull between them. I was hot all over, pulsing and aching in multiple places during each and every one of their interactions 🥵
“Nothing in his life had prepared him for this. Every encounter he’d had with women felt muted now, distant.
This was raw voltage.”
And the way the dramatic turnabout was handled was PERFECT. I am genuinely surprised to find myself with absolutely nothing to complain about!!!
One thing that always gets my attention is how the third-person POV is handled, and here I didn’t even register that slight discomfort I sometimes get with it.
To make my point even more valid, I struggled a lot more with Heated Rivalry 🙈
I honestly don’t know what else to say.
I just LOVED it 💜
And I can’t find it in my heart to deduct even 0.25 stars from this one.
September 2, 2026
just tried to read the first chapter, and it feels like AI to me. SOOOOO many superfluous metaphors. SOOOO much purple prose.
October 4, 2026
Hard Bargain is addictive. I love Miss Gray story telling. Knox and Dominic is more intense. Their connection is raw and real. I love reading how Dominic finally breaks down and falls in love.
A very good book.
4 stars
A very good book.
4 stars
August 31, 2026
This is the second book in a debut series, and once again I came away thinking Ivy Vera Gray has real potential but is still working her way toward it.
There’s quite a bit I like here. The pacing is good, the characters are complicated and morally gray without becoming impossible to root for, and the author is very willing to let people be messy, which I appreciate. Her books don’t feel overly sanitized or afraid of bad decisions.
Where she loses me a little is the steam, which is an unfortunate place to lose me because I am extremely supportive of steam as a concept.
Gray seems to have a habit of finding a few tried-and-true sexy little chestnuts and then plugging them in repeatedly. And I mean repeatedly. Knox “whimpered” ten times. I know this because I have a Kindle and apparently no better use for modern technology. Every single time, Dominic reacts like this is an astonishing new development. By whimper four, I think we can safely establish that Knox is a whimperer.
Dominic also says some variation of “Look at you”—begging for it, dying for it, gagging for it, etc.—six times.
And listen. She has identified her audience correctly. Those of us who enjoy D/s, praise kink, daddy kink and their neighboring municipalities absolutely do respond to a well-deployed “look at you”. Throw in a whimper and I’m listening. But these things are not an unlimited ticket that gets you on every ride. Use one more than once and we notice. Use it over and over and eventually you have somehow rendered something hot completely inert.
Which is especially frustrating because I actually think she could have leaned much harder into the D/s dynamic here. An aimless younger man and a mob boss sixteen years his senior? Come on. The soil is fertile. She occasionally brushed up against something much more interesting—particularly with the “yes, sir” stuff—but then backed away and returned to the same familiar beats. There was an opportunity here for a genuinely smoking-hot power dynamic, and I wanted her to trust it more.
There were also a few things that felt oddly unfinished. Dominic’s family, for example, gets enough page time that I assumed they would matter later, and then…not really. Why introduce me to all these people if we’re never going to do anything with them?
Still, I’m interested. Two books in, Gray hasn’t entirely gotten there for me yet, but she has enough going for her that I genuinely want to keep reading and see what happens as her writing develops.
And one thing I will continue to give her unequivocal props for: these covers. Chef’s kiss. Sexy without being embarrassingly literal, suggestive without showing me everything, and exactly the sort of cover I wish more romance authors would embrace.
There’s quite a bit I like here. The pacing is good, the characters are complicated and morally gray without becoming impossible to root for, and the author is very willing to let people be messy, which I appreciate. Her books don’t feel overly sanitized or afraid of bad decisions.
Where she loses me a little is the steam, which is an unfortunate place to lose me because I am extremely supportive of steam as a concept.
Gray seems to have a habit of finding a few tried-and-true sexy little chestnuts and then plugging them in repeatedly. And I mean repeatedly. Knox “whimpered” ten times. I know this because I have a Kindle and apparently no better use for modern technology. Every single time, Dominic reacts like this is an astonishing new development. By whimper four, I think we can safely establish that Knox is a whimperer.
Dominic also says some variation of “Look at you”—begging for it, dying for it, gagging for it, etc.—six times.
And listen. She has identified her audience correctly. Those of us who enjoy D/s, praise kink, daddy kink and their neighboring municipalities absolutely do respond to a well-deployed “look at you”. Throw in a whimper and I’m listening. But these things are not an unlimited ticket that gets you on every ride. Use one more than once and we notice. Use it over and over and eventually you have somehow rendered something hot completely inert.
Which is especially frustrating because I actually think she could have leaned much harder into the D/s dynamic here. An aimless younger man and a mob boss sixteen years his senior? Come on. The soil is fertile. She occasionally brushed up against something much more interesting—particularly with the “yes, sir” stuff—but then backed away and returned to the same familiar beats. There was an opportunity here for a genuinely smoking-hot power dynamic, and I wanted her to trust it more.
There were also a few things that felt oddly unfinished. Dominic’s family, for example, gets enough page time that I assumed they would matter later, and then…not really. Why introduce me to all these people if we’re never going to do anything with them?
Still, I’m interested. Two books in, Gray hasn’t entirely gotten there for me yet, but she has enough going for her that I genuinely want to keep reading and see what happens as her writing develops.
And one thing I will continue to give her unequivocal props for: these covers. Chef’s kiss. Sexy without being embarrassingly literal, suggestive without showing me everything, and exactly the sort of cover I wish more romance authors would embrace.
August 29, 2026
4.5 stars ☆
He set the cloth down within reach and moved onto the bed. The mattress dipped under his weight and Knox turned his head. Knox’s expression was still unfocused, like he hadn’t fully come back yet. Dominic watched him. “Are you alright?”
Knox blinked, then a tentative smile tugged at his mouth. “Yeah. I’m good.”
Dominic stilled. That smile—it caught him off guard. Before he could think better of it, his hand lifted. He brushed Knox’s hair back from his face, fingers moving slowly, lingering as they traced along his temple.
i loved this omg!! 🥹 i loved Knox and Dominic. the tension. the obsession. the “trying hard to fight the feelings but i can’t stop thinking about you” moments. i also loved the side characters, especially Cassian (i’m glad we’re eventually getting his book bc he seems like the type who doesn’t take life too serious but will fuck you up if you hurt his loved ones😭). i loved the and learning about Mason and his own love life has me curious about him now too. 👀 so excited to get more books from this universe!!
He set the cloth down within reach and moved onto the bed. The mattress dipped under his weight and Knox turned his head. Knox’s expression was still unfocused, like he hadn’t fully come back yet. Dominic watched him. “Are you alright?”
Knox blinked, then a tentative smile tugged at his mouth. “Yeah. I’m good.”
Dominic stilled. That smile—it caught him off guard. Before he could think better of it, his hand lifted. He brushed Knox’s hair back from his face, fingers moving slowly, lingering as they traced along his temple.
i loved this omg!! 🥹 i loved Knox and Dominic. the tension. the obsession. the “trying hard to fight the feelings but i can’t stop thinking about you” moments. i also loved the side characters, especially Cassian (i’m glad we’re eventually getting his book bc he seems like the type who doesn’t take life too serious but will fuck you up if you hurt his loved ones😭). i loved the and learning about Mason and his own love life has me curious about him now too. 👀 so excited to get more books from this universe!!
Read
July 31, 2026Beta read - Full RTC once published. 10/10 Knox & Dominic completely stole my heart 🥹💙
Review of advance copy received from Author
"In that breathless moment, nothing in the world existed except that order, and the boy on his knees who’d chosen to obey."
Oh my, it's another absolute banger from Ivy Vera Gray! I totally adored her debut book Off Script - and if you haven't read that yet, download it immediately - you still have time before Hard Bargain drops on 28 August!
Hard Bargain is book 2 in the Crossed Lines series and this is Knox and Dominic's story. Whilst you can absolutely read it as a standalone, there are some cameo appearances from book 1's gorgeous MCs Jacob and Liam, as Jacob is Knox's half-brother, and I think it adds to this story knowing theirs.
What To Expect:
❥MM romance
❥Double bi-awakening
❥Dark themes
❥Criminal underworld
❥Age gap (16 years)
❥First times
❥Alll the spice
❥Some angsty times
❥Found family
❥Mine
❥HEA
"Dominic’s pulse kicked. Ordinary declarations felt meaningless next to what lived inside him, but he saw the doubt and knew it was his fault. "I didn’t say it because the word love is too damn small. You want a name for it? Call it obsession. Call it worship. Call it whatever you like. But understand that it doesn’t end. Not in this life. Not in any other."
Of course I loved it!
And of course it's 5+++ stars!
Oh my, it's another absolute banger from Ivy Vera Gray! I totally adored her debut book Off Script - and if you haven't read that yet, download it immediately - you still have time before Hard Bargain drops on 28 August!
Hard Bargain is book 2 in the Crossed Lines series and this is Knox and Dominic's story. Whilst you can absolutely read it as a standalone, there are some cameo appearances from book 1's gorgeous MCs Jacob and Liam, as Jacob is Knox's half-brother, and I think it adds to this story knowing theirs.
What To Expect:
❥MM romance
❥Double bi-awakening
❥Dark themes
❥Criminal underworld
❥Age gap (16 years)
❥First times
❥Alll the spice
❥Some angsty times
❥Found family
❥Mine
❥HEA
"Dominic’s pulse kicked. Ordinary declarations felt meaningless next to what lived inside him, but he saw the doubt and knew it was his fault. "I didn’t say it because the word love is too damn small. You want a name for it? Call it obsession. Call it worship. Call it whatever you like. But understand that it doesn’t end. Not in this life. Not in any other."
Of course I loved it!
And of course it's 5+++ stars!
September 13, 2026
My god this was terrible. The writing was so bland and without emotion that it reminded me of those AI novels you see on tik tok. How are you going to write a book about the mafia romance so boring that I could barely mange to read?!
August 28, 2026
Pure, Unfiltered Perfection—Ivy Vera Gray Has Blown Me Away Yet Again!
📚Book = interconnected Standalone (Bk 2)
🔥Burn = Medium,
🎭OW/OM Drama = No,
🐺Alpha Men = Yes,
🌶️Heat/spice =
😬Angst = High,
💔Third Act Breakup = Yes,
🤥Cheating = No,
🌈MM/FF = MM,
🤷🏻♀️RH/ Poly = No,
🔹Writing = 3rd Person, Dual POV
🔸Genre = Dark Romance
🔹Tropes = MM : Double Bi-Awakening : Age Gap : Power Imbalance : Hate to Lovers / Enemies to Lovers : Forced Proximity : Morally Gray MC : Possessive MC : Hurt/Comfort : Caretaking : Competence Kink : Praise Kink : HEA :
‼️Triggers - my POV = Medium. (Please check before reading)
After Off Script completely stole my heart and became my all-time absolute favourite, I was counting down the days for Ivy’s next book, and my god, she has done it again! This time we are on the gritty streets of Stockton with a young lad named Knox Wolfe, who is just trying to survive by keeping his walls firmly up and trusting no one. But he ends up witnessing something he shouldn't have, which drops him straight into the dangerous world of Dominic Rivera, the city’s wealthy kingpin. Dominic forces him into a brutal choice—absolute loyalty or face the consequences. What starts as a forced, icy transaction quickly turns into this insanely intense, possessive bond. Both of them swear they are straight, but the proximity sparks a massive, chaotic double bi-awakening, mixed with a heavy age gap and a crazy power imbalance that had me completely hooked.
The tension between Knox and Dominic is just... wow!! It is a wonderful high-burn, high-heat dark romance, and the chemistry is so scorchingly hot it practically flies off the pages. Dominic completely stole the show for me—he is this dominating, powerful alpha, but watching his icy control utterly fracture into pure, unfiltered protectiveness over Knox was just magnificent to read. There is a deeply jealous club scene, along with some protective caretaking moments later on, that I know I’ll be replaying in my head for months. And oh my god, getting to see Jacob and Liam woven back into the story was the absolute cherry on top for me, I gasped! Ivy’s writing style is just brilliant, she handles the dangerous, dark edges of this enemies-to-lovers story so effortlessly, keeping the pace moving fast while packing a massive emotional punch.
If you love a possessive, morally gray lead and a story that doesn't hold back on the dark angst, you need to read this immediately. Ivy Vera Gray is a phenomenal author and I am officially an even bigger fan now!
📚Book = interconnected Standalone (Bk 2)
🔥Burn = Medium,
🎭OW/OM Drama = No,
🐺Alpha Men = Yes,
🌶️Heat/spice =
😬Angst = High,
💔Third Act Breakup = Yes,
🤥Cheating = No,
🌈MM/FF = MM,
🤷🏻♀️RH/ Poly = No,
🔹Writing = 3rd Person, Dual POV
🔸Genre = Dark Romance
🔹Tropes = MM : Double Bi-Awakening : Age Gap : Power Imbalance : Hate to Lovers / Enemies to Lovers : Forced Proximity : Morally Gray MC : Possessive MC : Hurt/Comfort : Caretaking : Competence Kink : Praise Kink : HEA :
‼️Triggers - my POV = Medium. (Please check before reading)
After Off Script completely stole my heart and became my all-time absolute favourite, I was counting down the days for Ivy’s next book, and my god, she has done it again! This time we are on the gritty streets of Stockton with a young lad named Knox Wolfe, who is just trying to survive by keeping his walls firmly up and trusting no one. But he ends up witnessing something he shouldn't have, which drops him straight into the dangerous world of Dominic Rivera, the city’s wealthy kingpin. Dominic forces him into a brutal choice—absolute loyalty or face the consequences. What starts as a forced, icy transaction quickly turns into this insanely intense, possessive bond. Both of them swear they are straight, but the proximity sparks a massive, chaotic double bi-awakening, mixed with a heavy age gap and a crazy power imbalance that had me completely hooked.
The tension between Knox and Dominic is just... wow!! It is a wonderful high-burn, high-heat dark romance, and the chemistry is so scorchingly hot it practically flies off the pages. Dominic completely stole the show for me—he is this dominating, powerful alpha, but watching his icy control utterly fracture into pure, unfiltered protectiveness over Knox was just magnificent to read. There is a deeply jealous club scene, along with some protective caretaking moments later on, that I know I’ll be replaying in my head for months. And oh my god, getting to see Jacob and Liam woven back into the story was the absolute cherry on top for me, I gasped! Ivy’s writing style is just brilliant, she handles the dangerous, dark edges of this enemies-to-lovers story so effortlessly, keeping the pace moving fast while packing a massive emotional punch.
If you love a possessive, morally gray lead and a story that doesn't hold back on the dark angst, you need to read this immediately. Ivy Vera Gray is a phenomenal author and I am officially an even bigger fan now!
September 3, 2026
🔫
🔪
🩸
ARC Review - Hard Bargain by Ivy Vera Gray
Ivy Vera Gray did not disappoint! To say I thoroughly enjoyed this book is an understatement.
Knox is 22, carrying more on his shoulders than anyone his age should. He’s broken, running on fumes, and buried under family obligations. Dominic is 38, ruthless, formidable, and the dangerous crime boss who runs Stockton.
One night, Knox sees something he was never supposed to see, throwing him straight into Dominic’s orbit. Instead of making one very permanent decision, Dominic pulls Knox into his world, and that’s where the obsession begins.
Dominic can’t stop thinking about Knox. Knox can’t stop thinking about Dominic. The tension. OMG, the teeeeension. Their push-and-pull is fierce, especially when both insist they aren’t into men while simultaneously being incapable of staying away from each other. And when that slow burn finally catches fire? WORTH. THE. WAIT.
Beyond the tension, what really had me falling hard was Dominic seeing Knox for who he truly is, not someone who needs saving, but someone with talent and strength, and recognizing that Knox has a darkness of his own. Watching Knox realize he deserves to be wanted, chosen, and valued, while learning to embrace his own darkness, had me hooked on these two from beginning to end.
Ivy Vera Gray is an author you do not want to miss! Off Script and Hard Bargain have both been ♾️ stars for me! And I’m so excited for what's next!!
P.s. The Liam and Jacob cameos gave me life and had me tearing up 🥹
Started: August 11th, 2026
Finished: August 12th, 2026
Format: Kindle
🔪
🩸
ARC Review - Hard Bargain by Ivy Vera Gray
Ivy Vera Gray did not disappoint! To say I thoroughly enjoyed this book is an understatement.
Knox is 22, carrying more on his shoulders than anyone his age should. He’s broken, running on fumes, and buried under family obligations. Dominic is 38, ruthless, formidable, and the dangerous crime boss who runs Stockton.
One night, Knox sees something he was never supposed to see, throwing him straight into Dominic’s orbit. Instead of making one very permanent decision, Dominic pulls Knox into his world, and that’s where the obsession begins.
Dominic can’t stop thinking about Knox. Knox can’t stop thinking about Dominic. The tension. OMG, the teeeeension. Their push-and-pull is fierce, especially when both insist they aren’t into men while simultaneously being incapable of staying away from each other. And when that slow burn finally catches fire? WORTH. THE. WAIT.
Beyond the tension, what really had me falling hard was Dominic seeing Knox for who he truly is, not someone who needs saving, but someone with talent and strength, and recognizing that Knox has a darkness of his own. Watching Knox realize he deserves to be wanted, chosen, and valued, while learning to embrace his own darkness, had me hooked on these two from beginning to end.
Ivy Vera Gray is an author you do not want to miss! Off Script and Hard Bargain have both been ♾️ stars for me! And I’m so excited for what's next!!
P.s. The Liam and Jacob cameos gave me life and had me tearing up 🥹
Started: August 11th, 2026
Finished: August 12th, 2026
Format: Kindle
August 30, 2026
5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Disclosure: I received a complimentary eARC of Hard Bargain by Ivy Vera Gray in exchange for an honest review.
Hard Bargain by Ivy Vera Gray is the gripping second book in the Crossed Lines series, released on August 28, 2026. The story follows Knox Wolfe, a twenty-two-year-old surviving a grim life of paying bills, caring for a sick and abusive mother, and keeping his guard high. When Knox accidentally witnesses something he was never meant to see on Stockton's ruthless streets, his only choice of survival is to make a deal with Dominic Rivera—the rich, powerful, and dangerous man who owns the city.
What begins as a forced bargain for silence and loyalty quickly twists into something darker and hungrier. Dominic doesn't just demand compliance; he wants complete surrender. Featuring a double bi-awakening, a stark power imbalance, an age gap, and intense hate-to-lovers dynamics, the medium-burn tension eventually explodes into scorching, obsessive chemistry between two men who never expected to cross that line.
Ivy Vera Gray proves her sexond release is an absolute triumph, effortlessly turning immoral behavior and gritty themes into a spellbinding romance. Gray writes trauma, grief, and violence with remarkable ease, elevating the dark psychological elements. Dominic’s commanding charisma, control, power and restraint contrast brilliantly with Knox's claustrophobic reality, leading to unforgettable emotional payoffs and razor-sharp dialogue that lingers long after the final page.
Hard Bargain is an epically dark, twisted, and deeply satisfying read. If you love morally gray characters, intense power dynamics, and delicious psychological angst, this is an unmissable triumph.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary eARC of Hard Bargain by Ivy Vera Gray in exchange for an honest review.
Hard Bargain by Ivy Vera Gray is the gripping second book in the Crossed Lines series, released on August 28, 2026. The story follows Knox Wolfe, a twenty-two-year-old surviving a grim life of paying bills, caring for a sick and abusive mother, and keeping his guard high. When Knox accidentally witnesses something he was never meant to see on Stockton's ruthless streets, his only choice of survival is to make a deal with Dominic Rivera—the rich, powerful, and dangerous man who owns the city.
What begins as a forced bargain for silence and loyalty quickly twists into something darker and hungrier. Dominic doesn't just demand compliance; he wants complete surrender. Featuring a double bi-awakening, a stark power imbalance, an age gap, and intense hate-to-lovers dynamics, the medium-burn tension eventually explodes into scorching, obsessive chemistry between two men who never expected to cross that line.
Ivy Vera Gray proves her sexond release is an absolute triumph, effortlessly turning immoral behavior and gritty themes into a spellbinding romance. Gray writes trauma, grief, and violence with remarkable ease, elevating the dark psychological elements. Dominic’s commanding charisma, control, power and restraint contrast brilliantly with Knox's claustrophobic reality, leading to unforgettable emotional payoffs and razor-sharp dialogue that lingers long after the final page.
Hard Bargain is an epically dark, twisted, and deeply satisfying read. If you love morally gray characters, intense power dynamics, and delicious psychological angst, this is an unmissable triumph.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2026
I am OBSESSED with this book. Like… genuinely, completely, ridiculously obsessed. 😭
After loving Off Script, I was already so intrigued by Knox, so there was absolutely no way I was passing on the ARC for his story. And somehow, Ivy Vera Gray managed to make me love this one even more.
Knox and Dominic?? WHAT A PAIR. 😮💨
We have a younger Knox, a much older and ridiculously powerful Dominic Rivera, a mafia world, a massive power imbalance, possessiveness, danger, obsession, and two men who are very much convinced they’re straight. And then… double bi awakening. 👀
One of my favorite parts was watching Knox slowly find his place in Dominic’s world. He’s always felt like he doesn’t quite belong where he is, so seeing him step into this new world of power and influence—and realizing how naturally he fits into it—was SO satisfying. Their interest in each other building from there? SO GOOD.
And Papi Dominic… I truly don’t know what to say about this man. 😮💨 He’s ruthless, commanding, morally gray, and completely certain of what he wants. The way he and Knox clash, challenge each other, and slowly give in to that attraction had me hooked. And the tension??? Delicious. 🔥
I was fully invested from beginning to end. I laughed, I screamed, I stared at my Kindle like an idiot, and I absolutely did not want this book to end.
If you love MM romance, age gaps, mafia, morally gray men, power imbalances, possessiveness, double bi awakening, high heat, and addictive chemistry, you NEED to read this one.
Hard Bargain was everything I wanted it to be and more. ❤️💙
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
After loving Off Script, I was already so intrigued by Knox, so there was absolutely no way I was passing on the ARC for his story. And somehow, Ivy Vera Gray managed to make me love this one even more.
Knox and Dominic?? WHAT A PAIR. 😮💨
We have a younger Knox, a much older and ridiculously powerful Dominic Rivera, a mafia world, a massive power imbalance, possessiveness, danger, obsession, and two men who are very much convinced they’re straight. And then… double bi awakening. 👀
One of my favorite parts was watching Knox slowly find his place in Dominic’s world. He’s always felt like he doesn’t quite belong where he is, so seeing him step into this new world of power and influence—and realizing how naturally he fits into it—was SO satisfying. Their interest in each other building from there? SO GOOD.
And Papi Dominic… I truly don’t know what to say about this man. 😮💨 He’s ruthless, commanding, morally gray, and completely certain of what he wants. The way he and Knox clash, challenge each other, and slowly give in to that attraction had me hooked. And the tension??? Delicious. 🔥
I was fully invested from beginning to end. I laughed, I screamed, I stared at my Kindle like an idiot, and I absolutely did not want this book to end.
If you love MM romance, age gaps, mafia, morally gray men, power imbalances, possessiveness, double bi awakening, high heat, and addictive chemistry, you NEED to read this one.
Hard Bargain was everything I wanted it to be and more. ❤️💙
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
September 14, 2026
Bayıldım.👌🏻
August 6, 2026
ARC ON EXCHANGE OF MY HONEST REVIEW
There are so many good things to say about this book I dont even know where to start 😍🤷🏽♀️
the part I enjoyed the most was without a doubt the pace of the story never feels boring it never feels rushed nor does it feel slow everything happens at the right time I loved that the story between Dominic and Knox didnt rush nothing went from zero to one hundred really fast you see how they slowly fall in love , how trust grows ,the love between them getting real , how they start to obsess over each other to the point they cant live without one another
I loved that Knox wasnt just the typical guy who got lucky that a maf!a man set his eyes on him but that he also had a purpose he was important to the story the skill he had was important for the story and for Domincs development I loved how Dominic took care of him how he had a protective side towards Knox how he always looked after him how he fed him how he never let anything happen to him how he took care of him
It is such a beautiful lovely love story 😭 I am so so happy with this book one of my best reads this year without a doubt I cant wait to read more from this author to see what they bring us in the future truly I just cant wait 🫶🏽😩🧡🫶🏽
There are so many good things to say about this book I dont even know where to start 😍🤷🏽♀️
the part I enjoyed the most was without a doubt the pace of the story never feels boring it never feels rushed nor does it feel slow everything happens at the right time I loved that the story between Dominic and Knox didnt rush nothing went from zero to one hundred really fast you see how they slowly fall in love , how trust grows ,the love between them getting real , how they start to obsess over each other to the point they cant live without one another
I loved that Knox wasnt just the typical guy who got lucky that a maf!a man set his eyes on him but that he also had a purpose he was important to the story the skill he had was important for the story and for Domincs development I loved how Dominic took care of him how he had a protective side towards Knox how he always looked after him how he fed him how he never let anything happen to him how he took care of him
It is such a beautiful lovely love story 😭 I am so so happy with this book one of my best reads this year without a doubt I cant wait to read more from this author to see what they bring us in the future truly I just cant wait 🫶🏽😩🧡🫶🏽
September 29, 2026
I feel like Ivy Vera Gray writes books specifically for me. I love how she writes. I love how she writes her characters, their intimate scenes, the inner workings of their minds, etc. It just reels me in, and I don’t come out of the reading cave until it’s done. I literally read this book all day long and by the time I was finished (at 9 pm), I was like “….. did I eat today?” I loved her first book, and I thought that there was no way she could do better than that, and he she is, doing even better than that.
So we start off with Knox. My sweet, sweet Knox who is running himself into the ground just to make sure his mother is taken care of. If you read book 1, Knox is Jacob’s half brother. Anyway, Knox is walking home one night, cutting through an alley in a very bad part of town, as one does, and he sees some stuff he definitely was not supposed to. And that is how he meets Dominic, our older mob/organized crime boss. And to prove his loyalty that Knox swears he won’t tell anyone what he saw, he gets roped into said organized crime. God be with him.
Knox and Dominic are OBSESSED with each other. And I am OBSESSED with them. Ugh they are so great. Just seeing how they go from barely tolerating each other, if even that, to “I will kill anyone who even thinks a mean thought about you” was just spectacular. And add in the fact that they both thought they were straight? MY KRYPTONITE. And once they start getting intimate, wooooooo baby. This author knows how to write some sex scenes. I literally would have to put my phone down. They both have so many walls and so many layers. It wasn’t easy for them getting to where they are at the end of the book, but it was super enjoyable to read.
There were a few things I wasn’t a fan of. There were a couple MF scenes. While they weren’t detailed at all, it just wasn’t what I was here to read. What’s a girl doing here!?!? One of the scenes, I get why the author did it, what she was setting us up for. But one of them just felt super unnecessary. Not loving that.
I also wanted a different love confession. They didn’t really say it to each other. That’s my favorite part of every romance book, so I felt a little let down there.
I also wished there was more of a reaction when it was found out that Knox’s brother is a famous actor. I wished they talked about that more. I know it’s not super important, but I definitely felt like it was worth mentioning? And lastly, I wished we had a meet the family scene. Not important at all, but with how much they gave Dominic a hard time of not being in a relationship, I just felt like it would’ve been fun to read about Dominic introducing Knox to his big family. Anyway these are my negatives, but they still don’t take away from how much I loved this book.
Ivy is making her way to one of my top authors to read. I have enjoyed both books so far, and I have a feeling I will enjoy her next one just as much.
So we start off with Knox. My sweet, sweet Knox who is running himself into the ground just to make sure his mother is taken care of. If you read book 1, Knox is Jacob’s half brother. Anyway, Knox is walking home one night, cutting through an alley in a very bad part of town, as one does, and he sees some stuff he definitely was not supposed to. And that is how he meets Dominic, our older mob/organized crime boss. And to prove his loyalty that Knox swears he won’t tell anyone what he saw, he gets roped into said organized crime. God be with him.
Knox and Dominic are OBSESSED with each other. And I am OBSESSED with them. Ugh they are so great. Just seeing how they go from barely tolerating each other, if even that, to “I will kill anyone who even thinks a mean thought about you” was just spectacular. And add in the fact that they both thought they were straight? MY KRYPTONITE. And once they start getting intimate, wooooooo baby. This author knows how to write some sex scenes. I literally would have to put my phone down. They both have so many walls and so many layers. It wasn’t easy for them getting to where they are at the end of the book, but it was super enjoyable to read.
There were a few things I wasn’t a fan of. There were a couple MF scenes. While they weren’t detailed at all, it just wasn’t what I was here to read. What’s a girl doing here!?!? One of the scenes, I get why the author did it, what she was setting us up for. But one of them just felt super unnecessary. Not loving that.
I also wanted a different love confession. They didn’t really say it to each other. That’s my favorite part of every romance book, so I felt a little let down there.
I also wished there was more of a reaction when it was found out that Knox’s brother is a famous actor. I wished they talked about that more. I know it’s not super important, but I definitely felt like it was worth mentioning? And lastly, I wished we had a meet the family scene. Not important at all, but with how much they gave Dominic a hard time of not being in a relationship, I just felt like it would’ve been fun to read about Dominic introducing Knox to his big family. Anyway these are my negatives, but they still don’t take away from how much I loved this book.
Ivy is making her way to one of my top authors to read. I have enjoyed both books so far, and I have a feeling I will enjoy her next one just as much.
September 24, 2026
Two stars because it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever read, but it’s pretty bad. On top of the fact it’s entirely forgettable and I honestly couldn’t care less about the characters. (Jk, I updated it to one star)
I feel like this is the same plotline 100 other books have had and nothing set it apart from them. I can forgive books that are reminiscent of others (almost everything under the sun has been written about in one way or another, after all) but when it’s done in a boring and lackluster kinda way, you lose me.
We learn virtually nothing about Dom aside from he kills people and runs legal and illegal businesses. There’s a scene in the book where Knox asks him how it all came to be, and we’re basically told it just happened. Literally. It basically fell into his lap and he somehow became like the biggest crime lord in Stockton? Sure. Alright. Saves the author from having to come up with an original idea, I guess.
Also, quite a few plotholes and things just left unresolved. I don’t really mind since I wasn’t at all that invested in the book, but these things would definitely bug the hell outta me if I was more invested.
I feel like this is the same plotline 100 other books have had and nothing set it apart from them. I can forgive books that are reminiscent of others (almost everything under the sun has been written about in one way or another, after all) but when it’s done in a boring and lackluster kinda way, you lose me.
We learn virtually nothing about Dom aside from he kills people and runs legal and illegal businesses. There’s a scene in the book where Knox asks him how it all came to be, and we’re basically told it just happened. Literally. It basically fell into his lap and he somehow became like the biggest crime lord in Stockton? Sure. Alright. Saves the author from having to come up with an original idea, I guess.
Also, quite a few plotholes and things just left unresolved. I don’t really mind since I wasn’t at all that invested in the book, but these things would definitely bug the hell outta me if I was more invested.
September 6, 2026
I can’t even properly put how I feel about this book into words, but one thing I know for sure: it’s a NO. 😭 And no, I’m not sorry.
I know I said Book 1 felt AI-ish, but honestly? I’ll pick that over this joke.
I know I said Book 1 felt AI-ish, but honestly? I’ll pick that over this joke.
November 1, 2026
Eh.
This is very disappointing to say that I didn’t really think much of this book when I loved the first one so much. I even reread the first one in preparation for this one, because I remember liking it, but rereading it, I fell in love with it all over again. This book was not that.
I think more than anything, there were such a disconnect between the tone and the subject matter of the first book to the second book, that was really hard to wrap my head around. This is an interconnected series, but they don’t need to be read in order to understand them. There’s no overarching plot from the first book to the second book, but going from the first book in the series which is about two Hollywood actors cheating on their wives and falling in love with one another, to a story about a ruthless mafia man falling for a kid that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time…was very strange.
And so the merging of the two world didn’t work for me at all. There wasn’t much overlap between the characters of the first book into this book, but it was enough that was very jarring to read. Especially because one of my favorite parts of the first book with how realistic it felt. I felt like the book was pretty grounded and realism when it came to the hardships of cheating on your spouse and it didn’t paint the two main characters in a good light. This book was not as realistic to me, and therefore I couldn’t really relate to it and I found myself struggling to like it.
I liked that Dominic didn’t have a super dark backstory, nor was he part of a mafia family like a lot of these kinds of characters are, but there wasn’t enough information about him. I don’t understand why he is the way he is or why he’s in the business that he is in. We get a very vague explanation from him, but it doesn’t really paint a full picture. We see a little snippet of his family in one of the chapters and we see how he interacts with them, but it doesn’t really lend itself to a backstory or really an explanation. I wish he had felt a bit fuller and I wish his personality made sense with his history and I just wish it came together for me and it didn’t.
In fact, I wasn’t really a fan of Dominic at all. I didn’t hate him, but he was kind of a nothingburger to me. He wasn’t psychotic enough, but he wasn’t super soft and sweet impatient. He was kind of a muddled mix of the two, but neither side really showed itself enough for me. More than anything, I found him a little boring, and I felt like he was going through the motions of a down bad romantic lead, but there wasn’t enough conviction behind it.
Knox was a little bit better, but not by much. I like that we got a better sense of him and his character than we did Dominic, but I still wasn’t very endeared toward him. I wish there was a little bit more vulnerability to him, especially given his background. We got a little bit of that vulnerability and angst toward the very, very end of the book, but it would’ve been better had we gotten it a little bit more in the beginning as well. He was a little too unaffected by everything for me to fully believe him. I found it interesting that he leaned into the dark side of Dominic‘s world, and I have no problem with that, but I do wish there had been maybe a little bit more resistance on his part. It felt super unrealistic to me that this kid just immediately immerses himself into this world and takes to everything fairly quickly without really being affected by it.
Honestly, this book just felt like it was going through the motions of everything a book like this has. The older mafia guy is overprotective and possessive, the younger guy is a brat and pushes his buttons, there’s violence and a big bad guy that kidnaps the younger guy at the end of the book… I just feel like I’ve read all of this before, and I’ve read all of it to a better degree than this book.
ESPECIALLY the fact that Mercer is defeated in one chapter! I know that his sub plot wasn’t a huge part of the book, but if he is this big bad character that we have been told about since the beginning of the book, and he kidnapped one of the romantic leads, I want more than just one chapter! And we don’t even see his death! It just felt like we were building up to something big and grand, and it fell completely short! It felt like there were no stakes to be had because he literally gets killed a chapter after he kidnapped Knox!
Also: I’m a little pissed off that we didn’t even see Knox say I love you to Dominic! Knox mentions that he says it to Dominic, but Dominic has never said it back to him, but we never saw him say it! That was such an odd choice to me, and I’m a little sad that we missed it. Especially because we didn’t get a lot of softness or romanticism when it came to their relationship, so it would’ve been nice to see a sweet moment from them and we missed it!
I would say one of my biggest problems with this book is that so much of their relationship is sexual, and we don’t get nearly enough time with them outside of sex. And there’s a good deal of section in this book, and a lot of it is very close together and I really feel like they didn’t even start to feel much of anything besides lust and curiosity for one another until like 80% into this book. They never fully came together as a couple for me.
I’m not sure I could believe them as a couple, even at the very end of the book when they were established. I think they were just worlds apart from one another, and I never got the impression that they truly liked and knew each other. I believe that they were attracted to one another, and they enjoyed having sex with one another, but that romantic connection just never came together for me.
Overall, I’m a little disappointed by this book. I was really hoping for something more than what this book gave me, but this is still an author that I really enjoy, and I’m curious enough about Mason and his love interest to tune in for the next book! 🫡
This is very disappointing to say that I didn’t really think much of this book when I loved the first one so much. I even reread the first one in preparation for this one, because I remember liking it, but rereading it, I fell in love with it all over again. This book was not that.
I think more than anything, there were such a disconnect between the tone and the subject matter of the first book to the second book, that was really hard to wrap my head around. This is an interconnected series, but they don’t need to be read in order to understand them. There’s no overarching plot from the first book to the second book, but going from the first book in the series which is about two Hollywood actors cheating on their wives and falling in love with one another, to a story about a ruthless mafia man falling for a kid that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time…was very strange.
And so the merging of the two world didn’t work for me at all. There wasn’t much overlap between the characters of the first book into this book, but it was enough that was very jarring to read. Especially because one of my favorite parts of the first book with how realistic it felt. I felt like the book was pretty grounded and realism when it came to the hardships of cheating on your spouse and it didn’t paint the two main characters in a good light. This book was not as realistic to me, and therefore I couldn’t really relate to it and I found myself struggling to like it.
I liked that Dominic didn’t have a super dark backstory, nor was he part of a mafia family like a lot of these kinds of characters are, but there wasn’t enough information about him. I don’t understand why he is the way he is or why he’s in the business that he is in. We get a very vague explanation from him, but it doesn’t really paint a full picture. We see a little snippet of his family in one of the chapters and we see how he interacts with them, but it doesn’t really lend itself to a backstory or really an explanation. I wish he had felt a bit fuller and I wish his personality made sense with his history and I just wish it came together for me and it didn’t.
In fact, I wasn’t really a fan of Dominic at all. I didn’t hate him, but he was kind of a nothingburger to me. He wasn’t psychotic enough, but he wasn’t super soft and sweet impatient. He was kind of a muddled mix of the two, but neither side really showed itself enough for me. More than anything, I found him a little boring, and I felt like he was going through the motions of a down bad romantic lead, but there wasn’t enough conviction behind it.
Knox was a little bit better, but not by much. I like that we got a better sense of him and his character than we did Dominic, but I still wasn’t very endeared toward him. I wish there was a little bit more vulnerability to him, especially given his background. We got a little bit of that vulnerability and angst toward the very, very end of the book, but it would’ve been better had we gotten it a little bit more in the beginning as well. He was a little too unaffected by everything for me to fully believe him. I found it interesting that he leaned into the dark side of Dominic‘s world, and I have no problem with that, but I do wish there had been maybe a little bit more resistance on his part. It felt super unrealistic to me that this kid just immediately immerses himself into this world and takes to everything fairly quickly without really being affected by it.
Honestly, this book just felt like it was going through the motions of everything a book like this has. The older mafia guy is overprotective and possessive, the younger guy is a brat and pushes his buttons, there’s violence and a big bad guy that kidnaps the younger guy at the end of the book… I just feel like I’ve read all of this before, and I’ve read all of it to a better degree than this book.
ESPECIALLY the fact that Mercer is defeated in one chapter! I know that his sub plot wasn’t a huge part of the book, but if he is this big bad character that we have been told about since the beginning of the book, and he kidnapped one of the romantic leads, I want more than just one chapter! And we don’t even see his death! It just felt like we were building up to something big and grand, and it fell completely short! It felt like there were no stakes to be had because he literally gets killed a chapter after he kidnapped Knox!
Also: I’m a little pissed off that we didn’t even see Knox say I love you to Dominic! Knox mentions that he says it to Dominic, but Dominic has never said it back to him, but we never saw him say it! That was such an odd choice to me, and I’m a little sad that we missed it. Especially because we didn’t get a lot of softness or romanticism when it came to their relationship, so it would’ve been nice to see a sweet moment from them and we missed it!
I would say one of my biggest problems with this book is that so much of their relationship is sexual, and we don’t get nearly enough time with them outside of sex. And there’s a good deal of section in this book, and a lot of it is very close together and I really feel like they didn’t even start to feel much of anything besides lust and curiosity for one another until like 80% into this book. They never fully came together as a couple for me.
I’m not sure I could believe them as a couple, even at the very end of the book when they were established. I think they were just worlds apart from one another, and I never got the impression that they truly liked and knew each other. I believe that they were attracted to one another, and they enjoyed having sex with one another, but that romantic connection just never came together for me.
Overall, I’m a little disappointed by this book. I was really hoping for something more than what this book gave me, but this is still an author that I really enjoy, and I’m curious enough about Mason and his love interest to tune in for the next book! 🫡
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2026
2 stars. This was entirely forgettable. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Off Script, but at least that book was interesting enough to remember details. This one was just boring af.
September 1, 2026
5/5 ⭐️
4/5 🌶
I'll be the first to say that I am not a fan of dark romance including mafia romance but I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed this book. The passion, possessiveness, protection, and care Gray was able to write into this book were top notch.
The attraction between Knox and Dominic was off the charts from first realizing it to actually giving in to it and then it progressing to love. Both characters were so well fleshed out and the push and pull between them shaped them into what they needed of each other. The ending was absolutely perfect bring it all together.
Bonus points for Jacob and Liam from Off Script appearing here!!!
Highly recommend!!!
4/5 🌶
I'll be the first to say that I am not a fan of dark romance including mafia romance but I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed this book. The passion, possessiveness, protection, and care Gray was able to write into this book were top notch.
The attraction between Knox and Dominic was off the charts from first realizing it to actually giving in to it and then it progressing to love. Both characters were so well fleshed out and the push and pull between them shaped them into what they needed of each other. The ending was absolutely perfect bring it all together.
Bonus points for Jacob and Liam from Off Script appearing here!!!
Highly recommend!!!
September 7, 2026
Sometimes being in the wrong place at the wrong time is a good thing and will lead you to the love of your life….
Knox and Dominic are an unlikely pair. They both think they are straight and are very closed off emotionally. BUT they each create a spark in the other. Their chemistry was very hot as a result! Very intense.
This book had a very different vibe than book 1. This book was VERY dark! This can be read as a standalone though. I’m super happy Cassian gets a book but it won’t be next.. that’s Mason’s turn.
Knox and Dominic deserve each other and I loved the end.. 🔫💀
Knox and Dominic are an unlikely pair. They both think they are straight and are very closed off emotionally. BUT they each create a spark in the other. Their chemistry was very hot as a result! Very intense.
This book had a very different vibe than book 1. This book was VERY dark! This can be read as a standalone though. I’m super happy Cassian gets a book but it won’t be next.. that’s Mason’s turn.
Knox and Dominic deserve each other and I loved the end.. 🔫💀
September 8, 2026
Feeling good to be back in Ivy Vera Gray's hands again.
Beneath the fear and adrenaline, one thing settled with absolute certainty. Nothing about his life would ever be the same again. And whatever debt had just been written into his skin was going to cost him more than he could afford to lose.
Knox owed him now. That alone ensured they would meet again. Debts weren’t theoretical in Dominic’s world. They were tangible, and always collected. When he saw the boy again, he would decide what he was: a liability, or an asset worth keeping.
I loved Off Script. It was a debut novel and a spectacularly good one. It hits some notes that not all readers like, like infidelity, and the writing was delightfully unapologetic. This time, she goes dark. Truly dark, gritty, tense, psychological, and while it isn't without a couple of issues, like overuse of words, the length of it, it's over 400 pages, it's good. Really addictively good. I cannot get over just how invested I am in Gray's characters. I looked forward to being with Knox and Dominic. I'm invested in the world she's created in this series. I'm really, REALLY looking forward to Cassian's story. Bring. It. On.
Blog review at
Beneath the fear and adrenaline, one thing settled with absolute certainty. Nothing about his life would ever be the same again. And whatever debt had just been written into his skin was going to cost him more than he could afford to lose.
Knox owed him now. That alone ensured they would meet again. Debts weren’t theoretical in Dominic’s world. They were tangible, and always collected. When he saw the boy again, he would decide what he was: a liability, or an asset worth keeping.
I loved Off Script. It was a debut novel and a spectacularly good one. It hits some notes that not all readers like, like infidelity, and the writing was delightfully unapologetic. This time, she goes dark. Truly dark, gritty, tense, psychological, and while it isn't without a couple of issues, like overuse of words, the length of it, it's over 400 pages, it's good. Really addictively good. I cannot get over just how invested I am in Gray's characters. I looked forward to being with Knox and Dominic. I'm invested in the world she's created in this series. I'm really, REALLY looking forward to Cassian's story. Bring. It. On.
Blog review at
August 31, 2026
My first impression is that it's boring BUT it gets better around 60% imo
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