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From Russia... #2

From Russia With Fangs

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Between her family’s drunken antics and vicious verbal attacks from her so-called friends, Irina Sudenko Volkov is having the worst night ever. And that’s before she’s widowed.

Volatile, cheating, no-good Sergei’s death-by-assassin unleashes chaos in the werewolf criminal underground. Irina's panicked Papa assigns Beta wolf Viktor Zhukovsky to Irina’s security detail until her husband’s killer is found. As Irina's world crumbles around her, the perfect princess mask falls away and Viktor meets the sharp, passionate woman underneath. Their initial chemistry gives way to a deeper attraction when Irina begins to see the decency underneath Viktor’s gruff, tattooed exterior, despite his insistence that it doesn't exist.

Their tendency to find themselves semi-nude and in enclosed spaces is a source of amusement to her sister, Galina, but each of them knows of the deadly consequences if their relationship is brought to light. Things get even more complicated when Papa Sudenko begins to match-make Irina and Andrey Lupesco, who also happens to be in a secret relationship with Galina. Family dinners are awkward. With danger closing in on all sides, Irina has to find her claws and learn to howl.

In the much-anticipated sequel to From Russia with Claws, readers get a new perspective of the lusty exploits of the untameable Sudenko family. Gia Corona and Jacey Conrad craft a delightful tale of the anything-but-average human Irina and the libidinous lycanthropes in her life.

Unknown Binding

First published October 1, 2015

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About the author

Jacey Conrad

16 books54 followers
AKA Molly Harper

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Ian.
1,439 reviews183 followers
February 9, 2016
After her husband is murdered in front of her, Irina the adopted daughter of a Russian gangster finds herself at the centre of plots and intrigue. The only problem is, she isn't at the centre.

Let me explain.

From Russia with Claws (first lines)

"Galina Sudenko scanned the sea of vaguely familiar faces. The cream of the crop had turned out in full force at Katya Bulgakov’s Sweet Sixteen party."

From Russia with Fangs (first lines)

"If the DJ played one more Russian bubble gum pop song, Irina Sudenko Volkov was going to stab him with a swizzle stick. Well, she would pay someone to stab him with a swizzle stick. Her father had people who did that sort of thing. Irina knew it was wrong to be in such a foul mood at a Sweet Sixteen party."


So these two books are basically the same story being told from two different perspectives. Book one was Galina, and that was a story. I might have even rated it 5 Stars, I don't really remember. Book two is Irina and she was a minor character in book one and honestly she's not really a major player in this book either.

It's weird reading the perspective of someone who isn't even a witness to the major events of the story as laid out in book one.

From Russia with Fangs was OK in the same way a Malibu is an OK car. Nobody stops to watch one drive by. Nobody dreams of one day owning a Malibu. Honestly you could park one in a crime hot-spot with the keys in the ignition, the windows down and 5 bennys fanned out on the front seat...come back in an hour and it will still be there.

description

And that's this book. The author is great. One of the best. There just isn't enough of a story to make it worthwhile.

Profile Image for Trinesha.
704 reviews
December 23, 2018
I enjoyed being able to read this story from Irina's point of view and seeing how things in the family progressed.
Profile Image for Gaele.
4,076 reviews85 followers
April 25, 2016
AudioBook Review:
Stars: Overall 4 Narration 4 Story 4

Irina Volkov, recent widow of Sergei is the adopted and very human sister of Galina and Alexei. Her father, Ilya has never really treated his daughters as people, more seen them as pawns that he can use to gain advantages in the business world, and that can often be rather dirty. Head of the Russian Mob in Seattle, he had married her off to Sergei to secure one faction, and now feeling she needs protection, he assigns Viktor to protect her. Irina isn’t a shrinking violet however, and we get to relive many moments from book one (From Russia with Claws) as we get the story from her perspective, told in 3rd person.

With the abusive and not so bright Sergei gone, Irina doesn’t feel much but relief, and a touch of intrigue where Viktor is concerned. Most of all, she wants some breathing room and time to make her own decisions while she (along with the others) moves through the events and power struggles following Sergei’s death. It’s a wonderful perspective on the first book, filling in moments that Galina only ‘thought’ and giving us another person’s view on the events.

Personally, Irina has a very solid and believable attraction to Viktor, and he’s determined to protect her. She’s an anomaly in this family of werewolves, but she’s not lesser, just different – and wholly devoted to her sister. Alexei is another matter, however, as his behavior is becoming more erratic and uncharacteristic of the role of leader he hopes to step into. His attraction for Irina is startling to her, although his past behavior doesn’t signify the best judgment. Family is all important here, and often meddling, and there are so many different elements brought around to keep the mystery feeling fresh and the threats real, especially considering Irina’s fragility when compared to her were siblings.

Narration for this story is provided by Sophie Eastlake, and she does a wonderful job in flowing neatly from Russian flavored accents, to younger west-coast females, to wry observation. Distinct delivery, tone and pitch changes mark each character with as easy to recognize, and the pacing, inflections and variations in speed and volume were all perfectly suited to what had to have been a particularly difficult reading. A wonderful story that is perfectly in keeping (and best listened to after) the first book in the series.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Audible for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
This review was originally posted on I am, Indeed
Profile Image for Alice.
309 reviews
September 29, 2025
Better than from Russia with claws but still lacking the charm and humour of Molly Harper’s other books.
Large segments of the first five chapters were just copies of those from claws, with very minor revisions. Same time period bin the two books but this one is from Irma’s point of view.
Profile Image for Sandy S.
8,385 reviews206 followers
November 24, 2015
3.75 stars

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 24, 2015

Between her family’s drunken antics and vicious verbal attacks from her so-called friends, Irina Sudenko Volkov is having the worst night ever. And that’s before she’s widowed.



Volatile, cheating, no-good Sergei’s death-by-assassin unleashes chaos in the werewolf criminal underground. Irina's panicked Papa assigns Beta wolf Viktor Zhukovsky to Irina’s security detail until her husband’s killer is found. As Irina's world crumbles around her, the perfect princess mask falls away and Viktor meets the sharp, passionate woman underneath. Their initial chemistry gives way to a deeper attraction when Irina begins to see the decency underneath Viktor’s gruff, tattooed exterior, despite his insistence that it doesn't exist.



Their tendency to find themselves semi-nude and in enclosed spaces is a source of amusement to her sister, Galina, but each of them knows of the deadly consequences if their relationship is brought to light. Things get even more complicated when Papa Sudenko begins to match-make Irina and Andrey Lupesco, who also happens to be in a secret relationship with Galina. Family dinners are awkward. With danger closing in on all sides, Irina has to find her claws and learn to howl.

In the much-anticipated sequel to From Russia with Claws, readers get a new perspective of the lusty exploits of the untameable Sudenko family. Gia Corona and Jacey Conrad craft a delightful tale of the anything-but-average human Irina and the libidinous lycanthropes in her life.

•••••

REVIEW: 3.75 stars--FROM RUSSIA WITH FANGS is the second instalment in Jacey Conrad's (aka Molly Harper) and Gia Corona's contemporary, adult FROM RUSSIA paranormal, romance series focusing on the werewolves of the Russian Mob. This is beta wolf and security expert Viktor Zhukosvsky, and human female Irina Sudenko Volkov's storyline. FROM RUSSIA WITH FANGS runs parallel to, and crosses over with, the events of book one FROM RUSSIA WITH CLAWS therefore, if you have read book one, there is plenty of duplication and repetition.

Told from third person point of view (Irina) FROM RUSSIA WITH FANGS follows Irina in the days following the murder of her abusive husband and werewolf Sergei Volkov. Irina is the adopted, human female daughter of Russian mobster Ilya Sudenko, and has become the bargaining chip in her father's business dealings. When Irina's husband is killed, Ilya assigns beta wolf Viktor Zhukovsky as Irina's personal security guard in the hopes of protecting her from not only the probable repercussions upon her husband's death, but from a potential threat from someone inside the Sudenko family. What ensues is the building and forbidden relationship between Viktor and Irina, and a takeover at the top of the Sudenko pack.

The relationship between Viktor and Irina is quick to build and begins during the funeral visitation and ceremony. Four years earlier Irina had been forced into a marriage, by her father, with a wolf she never loved, and she is having a difficult time grieving the loss of her late, abusive husband. Viktor's protective nature found our heroine drawn to his strengths and need to protect; their attraction to one another is immediate and intense. The $ex scenes are seductive, entertaining and impulsive. Viktor and Irina are caught with their proverbial 'pants down' on several occasions, but they are not the only couple who get caught in a compromising position.

All of the Sudenko siblings play a secondary and supporting role including Irina's sister and alpha female Galina Sudenko. Galina's storyline begins in book one FROM RUSSIA WITH CLAWS and continues into the second instalment- there is a cross over between books one and two.

If you are a fan of Molly Harper, be warned, that the writing style is different and Harper's use of humour, wit, and sarcasm is not as prevalent, and the tone of the story(s) is altered and slightly darker, but that is not to say that different is less entertaining. The premise is intriguing and exciting; the characters are charismatic, aggressive and captivating; the romance is sensual and erotic.

Copy supplied by the publisher

www.thereadingcafe.com
Profile Image for Malinda.
1,852 reviews245 followers
February 28, 2016
3-3.5 stars

This was a pretty good story. I liked Irina and Viktor and their story was interesting and kept me pretty well engaged until the end.

Irina is the human adopted daughter of a crime boss. In addition to being a crime family, her adoptive family are also all werewolves. Unfortunately, Irina's father sees her as a bargaining chip for his business dealings and he basically sold her into her current marriage to Sergei, who is an abusive slime.

Viktor is a werewolf that works as an enforcer for Irina's family. He owes the family a lot and so he does his duty. He's not happy about this when he finds that this blocks him from being with the woman he wants.

When the story begins, Irina is at a birthday party for one of her cousins. Sergei is being horrible as usual and Irina is just trying to get through the night relatively unscathed. She certainly wasn't expecting to see Sergei get shot and killed right in front of her. Irina is shocked but since Sergei's been an abusive jerk, she ends up being more relieved to be free of him than in actual mourning over his death. Since no one knows who killed Sergei, Irina's father decided to put a security detail on her and the Viktor is the person in charge of her protection. There's a strong attraction between Irina and Viktor but they know Irina's father would never allow them to be together so they try to fight their attraction.

The story continues with Irina trying to get on with her life while fighting her attraction to Viktor (and not succeeding very well). There are difficulties raised by her father deciding that since she's free he can use her as a bargaining chip again and her brother having very un-brotherly feelings towards her (EW!!!). This story takes place during the same time period as the first book, From Russia With Claws so there's a fair amount of overlap in the stories. I read book #1 around 6 months ago so it wasn't fresh in my mind and I'm glad about that. I fear that if I'd have reread book #1 in prep for this one I'd have been annoyed with the overlap of the stories...already knowing what was basically going to happen was annoying enough. The story does end with Irina and Viktor getting their HEA (which wasn't specifically spelled out in book #1).

I enjoyed this story but I did have some issues with it. I liked Irina but I hated that she was so used! Both Sergei and her father sought to use her for their own benefit and she felt bad that she'd never really stood up for herself but I'm trying to figure out how she thought she could. I mean there's clear evidence that her father would have had her killed if she'd have tried to run away and have her own life so how could she unless she was willing to die to get her freedom? Both her and Viktor were victims of the system they were stuck in and I hated that the people in power didn't give a damn about the feelings of the people they're using. I could accept that from Sergei because he was scum, but Irina's father was supposed to love her and yet he used her terribly and I wanted to slap him! I also was slightly frustrating that most of the story didn't really seem to be based around the romance of Irina and Viktor...there was a good amount of separation between them and nothing really culminated into a true relationship until the end. Regardless of my complaints, I did enjoy the story and plan to read the next book in the series when it comes out. :)

* note - I listened to the audio version of this story and the narrator did a really good job.
Profile Image for Gaele.
4,076 reviews85 followers
April 25, 2016
AudioBook Review:
Stars: Overall 4 Narration 4 Story 4

Irina Volkov, recent widow of Sergei is the adopted and very human sister of Galina and Alexei. Her father, Ilya has never really treated his daughters as people, more seen them as pawns that he can use to gain advantages in the business world, and that can often be rather dirty. Head of the Russian Mob in Seattle, he had married her off to Sergei to secure one faction, and now feeling she needs protection, he assigns Viktor to protect her. Irina isn’t a shrinking violet however, and we get to relive many moments from book one (From Russia with Claws) as we get the story from her perspective, told in 3rd person.

With the abusive and not so bright Sergei gone, Irina doesn’t feel much but relief, and a touch of intrigue where Viktor is concerned. Most of all, she wants some breathing room and time to make her own decisions while she (along with the others) moves through the events and power struggles following Sergei’s death. It’s a wonderful perspective on the first book, filling in moments that Galina only ‘thought’ and giving us another person’s view on the events.

Personally, Irina has a very solid and believable attraction to Viktor, and he’s determined to protect her. She’s an anomaly in this family of werewolves, but she’s not lesser, just different – and wholly devoted to her sister. Alexei is another matter, however, as his behavior is becoming more erratic and uncharacteristic of the role of leader he hopes to step into. His attraction for Irina is startling to her, although his past behavior doesn’t signify the best judgment. Family is all important here, and often meddling, and there are so many different elements brought around to keep the mystery feeling fresh and the threats real, especially considering Irina’s fragility when compared to her were siblings.

Narration for this story is provided by Sophie Eastlake, and she does a wonderful job in flowing neatly from Russian flavored accents, to younger west-coast females, to wry observation. Distinct delivery, tone and pitch changes mark each character with as easy to recognize, and the pacing, inflections and variations in speed and volume were all perfectly suited to what had to have been a particularly difficult reading. A wonderful story that is perfectly in keeping (and best listened to after) the first book in the series.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Audible for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Profile Image for Kelly at.
1,145 reviews13 followers
November 23, 2015
Review will be posted at www.books-n-kisses.com .

Did you read From Russia with Claws? If not, go read it :). But don’t worry too much because reading From Russia with Fangs will not mess you up, but you still should go read From Russia with Claws.
You see, From Russia with Claws is Galina’s story where as From Russia with Fangs is Irina’s (Galina’s older sister) story. The fun thing about these two stories is that both take place at the exact same time. But in From Russia with Fangs we get to see all the events from Irina’s point of view. So this story has of the same events that take place and a few of the same conversations as From Russia with Claws. But I got answers to questions I had at the end of From Russia with Claws.
While some people may think it is strange or not a good idea to write a book like this, I loved it. I loved seeing everything from Irina’s view. I loved getting to see Irina and Victor’s relationship grow. I am really liking this series. I can’t wait to see what happens next. Oh and I am hoping for a story about Nik and Kon *wink wink*

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Jacey Conrad & Gia Corona in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

Profile Image for Wetdryvac Wetdryvac.
Author 480 books5 followers
June 18, 2025
Let's just say I have a loathing of sequels that re-tell the story from a different point of view. I've always found it to be a poor second to the primary work, and. Wait. How.

What?

This manages to use some of the very traps I can't stand - duplicate dialogue, spoilers, tone and color manipulation - and do it in such a manner that it's not just fine, it's perfect. No hand holding, no changing-the-words to make new, none of that crap. Strong character driven writing, solid *stand alone* characters, and viewpoint differences that are solid turn out to turn those tropes i loathe into something that somehow works flawlessly.

So. I stand corrected. This type of work can be done well, and I *can* love it. I'll just see myself out, shall I?
Profile Image for J.D. Nelson.
Author 30 books150 followers
December 1, 2015
When I first started reading this novel, I thought that it was essentially the same story as the first in the series and was a little disappointed. Boy, was I wrong! While the situation is the same, the story isn’t. I loved Irina’s character. In the first book I thought she’d be mousey and shy. That is so not the case. By the end of the book, I was impressed with her. She was bold and strong and more than capable to take on the love interest, Viktor. This was a great follow-up to the first of the series, and I hope to see quite a few more! 5 STARS!
Profile Image for Diana.
26 reviews1 follower
December 7, 2015
I am so glad they wrote Irina and Viktor's story. I really loved From Russia with Claws but I while reading it I wanted to read about Irina and Viktor since you got little snippets of their affair during the first story. This book doesn't disappoint. It was steamy and tied up some loose ends from the first book. I really enjoyed reading about Irina's growth from someone who just internalized everything to a fighter. I would highly recommend this book!
Profile Image for India.
Author 14 books97 followers
February 5, 2017
The second book in the series is Irina’s version of the first story; Irina’s romance with Viktor and the fight for the truth about what happened to their father all from the eyes of a human in a werewolf world.
The story is sweet, romantic, and full of action but having read the same story from a different point of view there were no real surprises. It was still a good read, and the ending was definitely interesting.

Profile Image for Autumn.
908 reviews10 followers
November 24, 2015
From Russia With Fangs is another epic installment from Conrad and Corona! They have an exceptional talent for creating their own brand of sidesplitting snark and serve it with just enough imagination to make it extra saucy.

With everything from Spanx to disco caskets, this book has it all. And we regret nothing…
Profile Image for Patrick Haggerty.
78 reviews1 follower
January 21, 2016
Criminally fun

Fun read with lots of irreverent, sexy, werewolf, Russian, characters. Only slight disappoint was this being a retelling of the same story from the first book in the series, only from a different characters POV.
Profile Image for BookReadingJenn.
649 reviews11 followers
February 7, 2016
Such an excellent book. Loved the storyline, the characters, the twists, the humor. More like this please!
4 reviews
January 17, 2016
Fun read

Hmm a girls just got to reach her limits!! Then bang it's ready to rumble with a hot hot hot viktor!
Profile Image for Andrea Heltsley.
Author 15 books324 followers
April 8, 2017
Another Molly Harper winner! It took a while to really get into the mafia shifter world, but once I did, it was a great read! Loved! Five glittery stars!
Profile Image for John BAMFORD.
125 reviews6 followers
January 15, 2018
Good read

This is Irena's side of the story similar to Galina's but just as good. Loved every moment of this book
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