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Yakuza Bad Boys #1
Claimed by the Yakuza
“If being with you puts me in danger, why is it that I only feel safe when I’m in your arms?”
Kenichi
I’ve been killing men since college and my father raised me to take his crown. Now he’s dead and I have sworn to avenge him.
I hired Cassandra to do one thing: teach me English to help expand our family business. Before our first lesson starts, I claim her curvy body and show her who’s boss. It only takes once, and she’s addicted to me. Twice, and she’s caught in the crossfire between me and my rivals.
They’ve messed with the wrong man. If they think they can take her from me, they’re wrong. Dead wrong.
Cassandra
I came to Tokyo to teach English, but I never expected to be tutoring a Yakuza mob boss!
After one scorching pre-lesson f*ck, he’s all I can think about. His possessive attitude only makes me want him more. The further we go, the more dangerous it gets. Every time he gets closer to revenge, his dark side is exposed and my innocence is stripped away.
I should know better than to play with the Japanese mafia, but how can I let him go when he’s the one person who makes me feel alive?
Set in the gritty underworld of Tokyo, Claimed by the Yakuza is a stand-alone dark romance between a dangerous bad boy and a fiery heroine with sinfully sexy scenes, gripping action and a happily ever after!
141 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 11, 2016
266 people are currently reading
207 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 16, 2019
Claimed by the Yakuza by Ariel London was a good action-packed, romantic read but repetition lowered my rating.
3 star read
3 star read
October 27, 2021
1.5 Gaijin Stars
This book is an example of Dual POV made wrong... At the beginning of each chapter, while altering between the main characters, there is repetition of the events that previously occurred almost word by word.... Kenichi and Cassandra's story was fast-passed and I wouldn't described is as "dark". The only dark in this book is the cover... It was a typical mafia book, with low steam, insta-love/lust, few dead bodies and a mafia war.
This book is an example of Dual POV made wrong... At the beginning of each chapter, while altering between the main characters, there is repetition of the events that previously occurred almost word by word.... Kenichi and Cassandra's story was fast-passed and I wouldn't described is as "dark". The only dark in this book is the cover... It was a typical mafia book, with low steam, insta-love/lust, few dead bodies and a mafia war.
August 27, 2020
This was a short quick read. Kenichi has taken his father place after he does he wants to expand the business he needs to learn English he hires Cassandra. Cassandra came to Tokyo to teach English she never thought that she would hook up with a gangster. This was a pretty good read when his enemies come after Kenichi and Cassandra gets caught in the crossfire he will do anything to keep her safe. This was my first time reading this author and this is a new series too me. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
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September 12, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (9/12/2019)! 🎁
August 3, 2017
3.75 stars
May 9, 2024
Mmk, so this would've been a 4 star read for enjoyment alone, but it's a shorty, and novelettes/novelas need to be top tier to be able to pull off a good rating.There's a lot of skimming over character building which ok fine I could've gotten over but the real issue that caused my review to drop is simply an editing one.
This is peppered with typos, like not so many to make it unreadable, but it's noticeable after a while. One whole chapter is the previous chapter from the FMC POV, but it's a copy and paste job that is completely uneeded and doesn't add any insight into her thoughts or a different understanding of the situation. There was even a line that had been copied from the previous chapter, which was the MMCs internal thoughts that hadn't been taken out 🤣.
Now listen, overall, did that matter? Not a whole lot. The writing itself is very readable, and I enjoyed the content. The story was fun, like a romance/action movie. I'm a sucker for a yakuza romance, and I didn't get secondhand embarrassment from anything like I frequently do when authors write about different cultures and do so in the most unrealistic cringe way. This wasn't that so bonus points there. So this is more a 3.5 for me, and I'll definitely read the next one.
3.5 yakuza boyfriends out of 5 times the American girlfriend becomes a tough guy really easily (second nature to these girls for some reason)
This is peppered with typos, like not so many to make it unreadable, but it's noticeable after a while. One whole chapter is the previous chapter from the FMC POV, but it's a copy and paste job that is completely uneeded and doesn't add any insight into her thoughts or a different understanding of the situation. There was even a line that had been copied from the previous chapter, which was the MMCs internal thoughts that hadn't been taken out 🤣.
Now listen, overall, did that matter? Not a whole lot. The writing itself is very readable, and I enjoyed the content. The story was fun, like a romance/action movie. I'm a sucker for a yakuza romance, and I didn't get secondhand embarrassment from anything like I frequently do when authors write about different cultures and do so in the most unrealistic cringe way. This wasn't that so bonus points there. So this is more a 3.5 for me, and I'll definitely read the next one.
3.5 yakuza boyfriends out of 5 times the American girlfriend becomes a tough guy really easily (second nature to these girls for some reason)
December 8, 2024
»If being with you puts me in danger, why is it that I only feel safe when I'm in your arms?«
★ ★ ★
❥ 𝑪𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒂 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
I liked her. She is brave and trusts in her love for Kenichi.
❥ 𝑲𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒊 ࣪⋆✮
A hot Jakuza mob boss with an obsession for his english teacher.
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
This book was by far no literary masterpiece but it kept me entertained. It is a short story so everything happens quickly and there is not much character depth. But I didn‘t expect something else cause there are only 140 pages which isn‘t a lot.
I enjoyed the Jakuza setting although there were a lot of foreign words I didn‘t understand.
Cassandra and Kenichi have a quick love story with insta lust and love. I wish the author gave their relationship more time cause they nearly instantly drop the „love“-word. Still this book was a fun and quick read.
𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
Maybe, if you‘re in the mood for a quick insta love Jakuza story.
𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 ׂㅤ𐙚 ࣪ ⭒
plot: 2/5
spice: 1/5
humor: 3/5
couple/tension: 2/5
world building: 4/5
happy end?: yes
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 ᡣ𐭩ྀི₊ ⊹
possessive and protective hero, instant attraction, mafia romance, morally dark man, touch her and die, instant love, jakuza boss x english teacher
𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: Cassandra (23) and Kenichi (29)
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: no
★ ★ ★
❥ 𝑪𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒂 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
I liked her. She is brave and trusts in her love for Kenichi.
❥ 𝑲𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒊 ࣪⋆✮
A hot Jakuza mob boss with an obsession for his english teacher.
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
This book was by far no literary masterpiece but it kept me entertained. It is a short story so everything happens quickly and there is not much character depth. But I didn‘t expect something else cause there are only 140 pages which isn‘t a lot.
I enjoyed the Jakuza setting although there were a lot of foreign words I didn‘t understand.
Cassandra and Kenichi have a quick love story with insta lust and love. I wish the author gave their relationship more time cause they nearly instantly drop the „love“-word. Still this book was a fun and quick read.
𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
Maybe, if you‘re in the mood for a quick insta love Jakuza story.
𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 ׂㅤ𐙚 ࣪ ⭒
plot: 2/5
spice: 1/5
humor: 3/5
couple/tension: 2/5
world building: 4/5
happy end?: yes
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 ᡣ𐭩ྀི₊ ⊹
possessive and protective hero, instant attraction, mafia romance, morally dark man, touch her and die, instant love, jakuza boss x english teacher
𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: Cassandra (23) and Kenichi (29)
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: no
May 24, 2025
I lost braincells reading this. poorly written with smut written like a 14yo. the dual pov was clunky and often a line was written from the wrong pov. almost gives ai with the constant repetition and incorrect tense use. at least it was a quick read hence I stuck with it rather than dnf
March 31, 2017
I tried
I tried, but I was unsuccessful. This is the 2nd book I have attemped to read by this author and IT will be my last. I couldn't get through the first chapter. I wanted to keep reading, but I couldn't. The ages of the characters threw me off; both were under 30, with Cassandra being just 23. I couldn't go on reading after that. I tried, I really did ☹. I'm sure there are plenty of people who like reading about barely legal characters placed in situations they aren't equipped to deal with. However, I dont. In my oponion, that seems to be the ongoing theme with this author. And that conclusion is based on this book and one other one I read. I am well aware that with fiction anything, there is that level of suspended reality. But, I just couldn't suspend my reality that much. Not again. I could not torture myself like that. I like to read about mature adults. Preferably 30 or older. I stopped reading about teenagers when I was a teenager. Well, I've said all I can say about this book. I don't recommend nor do I recommend this book. I will leave that up to whomever is reading this review and let them decide for themselves if they want to make a purchase. I hope someone found this helpful.
I tried, but I was unsuccessful. This is the 2nd book I have attemped to read by this author and IT will be my last. I couldn't get through the first chapter. I wanted to keep reading, but I couldn't. The ages of the characters threw me off; both were under 30, with Cassandra being just 23. I couldn't go on reading after that. I tried, I really did ☹. I'm sure there are plenty of people who like reading about barely legal characters placed in situations they aren't equipped to deal with. However, I dont. In my oponion, that seems to be the ongoing theme with this author. And that conclusion is based on this book and one other one I read. I am well aware that with fiction anything, there is that level of suspended reality. But, I just couldn't suspend my reality that much. Not again. I could not torture myself like that. I like to read about mature adults. Preferably 30 or older. I stopped reading about teenagers when I was a teenager. Well, I've said all I can say about this book. I don't recommend nor do I recommend this book. I will leave that up to whomever is reading this review and let them decide for themselves if they want to make a purchase. I hope someone found this helpful.
August 9, 2021
No, just no.
This book was not good. She is a English teacher. He needs English lessons. He speaks English as good as she does and she was stupid. I don’t recommend.
This book was not good. She is a English teacher. He needs English lessons. He speaks English as good as she does and she was stupid. I don’t recommend.
May 17, 2019
3/5 - this is NOT a dark YAKUZA romance.
This is a mafia romance based on the yakuza in Tokyo. I appreciate the author’s love of Japanese culture and I liked the story but there were problems.
The Hero is not alpha enough, not brutal enough, not shady enough, not criminal enough. A “dark” romance hero should really be an anti-hero but Kenichi reads like the young boy next door. His brother and soldiers are yakuza anti-heroes but, not the head of this criminal family.
I’m not a fan of re-capping what happened from the previous chapter from a different POV. It’s unnecessary if it’s verbatim.
This is an insta-love on steroids. They have sex the first time they spend any amount of time together. Yes, the first time I have sex with a guy I just met and don’t know is bent over a couch right before his friends come over. No condom. No discussion of anything. Just hi. Kiss. Off with your clothes. Bend over. Bound her hard. Knock-knock. Get dressed.
Then they break up for half a day and our naive American heroine embraces the yakuza gangsta life no problem. The BIG decisions she makes are done at break neck speed. I don’t buy the romance. It’s based solely on sex. That’s all they do. He’s a mob boss and has his secret criminal life. He comes home jacked up on adrenaline and fucks her to sleep.
Editing. We need to talk about keeping characters names straight. And content editing and format editing.
Sex: it’s vague. It’s not graphic or explicit. It’s ho-hum sex.
This is a mafia romance based on the yakuza in Tokyo. I appreciate the author’s love of Japanese culture and I liked the story but there were problems.
The Hero is not alpha enough, not brutal enough, not shady enough, not criminal enough. A “dark” romance hero should really be an anti-hero but Kenichi reads like the young boy next door. His brother and soldiers are yakuza anti-heroes but, not the head of this criminal family.
I’m not a fan of re-capping what happened from the previous chapter from a different POV. It’s unnecessary if it’s verbatim.
This is an insta-love on steroids. They have sex the first time they spend any amount of time together. Yes, the first time I have sex with a guy I just met and don’t know is bent over a couch right before his friends come over. No condom. No discussion of anything. Just hi. Kiss. Off with your clothes. Bend over. Bound her hard. Knock-knock. Get dressed.
Then they break up for half a day and our naive American heroine embraces the yakuza gangsta life no problem. The BIG decisions she makes are done at break neck speed. I don’t buy the romance. It’s based solely on sex. That’s all they do. He’s a mob boss and has his secret criminal life. He comes home jacked up on adrenaline and fucks her to sleep.
Editing. We need to talk about keeping characters names straight. And content editing and format editing.
Sex: it’s vague. It’s not graphic or explicit. It’s ho-hum sex.
May 29, 2021
As someone that is learning Japanese and love the culture, I have to say this book is accurate about the culture and grammar. The kanji, hiragana and katana that the author used are well written.
It even has a glossary, which helps a lot, most of the things I knew , so I didn't had to look at the glossary.
My only is issue is that I felt the pacing really fast and characters had a insta-romance. but either way, is a fun read.
It even has a glossary, which helps a lot, most of the things I knew , so I didn't had to look at the glossary.
My only is issue is that I felt the pacing really fast and characters had a insta-romance. but either way, is a fun read.
September 17, 2019
I enjoyed reading this book and catching a glimpse into the life of the Yakuza, how it is run, people are dealt with, and their honour. The story itself is fast-paced, no long drawn out backgrounds, and "red strings" to boot! I will be reading the next one for sure!
November 14, 2019
Pleasant Read
I really enjoyed this story. Kenichi and Cassandra are wonderful characters. Even with having some words that I didn't know, the book read well. Their journey is done well. The writing and flow of this book is good. I do recommend this book.
I really enjoyed this story. Kenichi and Cassandra are wonderful characters. Even with having some words that I didn't know, the book read well. Their journey is done well. The writing and flow of this book is good. I do recommend this book.
October 31, 2020
Sorry but this was terrible. The writing is flat and boring. The plot is really...
Don't get me wrong, I know writing a book is not easy and I applaud the effort. But this was really bad. The author should keep on writing and improving though. I wish them the best.
Don't get me wrong, I know writing a book is not easy and I applaud the effort. But this was really bad. The author should keep on writing and improving though. I wish them the best.
May 1, 2025
so cutee
The plot start is very saddening tho you have no connection to anyone but it still pulls you in. The spicy in here is very much sweet but cute. I can’t wait to head to book 2!
The plot start is very saddening tho you have no connection to anyone but it still pulls you in. The spicy in here is very much sweet but cute. I can’t wait to head to book 2!
December 17, 2017
Great read!
I love that the female lead was not weak and scared..... hesitant but not scared.
Thought it through.... but didn't run in fear. She followed her heart.
I love that the female lead was not weak and scared..... hesitant but not scared.
Thought it through.... but didn't run in fear. She followed her heart.
December 2, 2019
Good story with criminal action - the emotional development traceable but felt a bit short - nevertheless a solid story
January 14, 2020
An interesting but entertaining read, about the Japanese mafia. I found the storyline intriguing and the characters likable. Overall a enjoyable read.
June 29, 2021
The relationship was practically nonexistent and the sex scenes were terrible.
May 4, 2025
maybe 3.5... more insta-lovey than I would have preferred. MMC needed to be more violent.... and some writing choices stuck out to me.
June 12, 2025
A love story
I enjoyed this story. The boy meets girl in a new country theme. It shows that love finds you no matter what. It’s a good book to read.
I enjoyed this story. The boy meets girl in a new country theme. It shows that love finds you no matter what. It’s a good book to read.
December 23, 2025
A very easy and insta-love read. It's quick and fun, if a bit unbelievable.
September 1, 2016
Shows Some Research but Needs More Heart
The story itself was fine. It checked off the boxes. The steamy scenes were more descriptive than hot, the action scenes were unbelievable, and the cultural references seemed based on a decent amount of research. Cassandra is whatever Kenichi needs in the moment, while Kenichi flips from gone to all-in with no explanation.
The story itself was fine. It checked off the boxes. The steamy scenes were more descriptive than hot, the action scenes were unbelievable, and the cultural references seemed based on a decent amount of research. Cassandra is whatever Kenichi needs in the moment, while Kenichi flips from gone to all-in with no explanation.
September 3, 2016
Claimed by the yazuka
Interesting read especially with Japanese version it was actually wonderful. I can't wait toread the second book Owned by Yakima which will happens shortly.
Thanks - Henry Etebar
Interesting read especially with Japanese version it was actually wonderful. I can't wait toread the second book Owned by Yakima which will happens shortly.
Thanks - Henry Etebar
October 7, 2016
2 1/2 Stars
January 2, 2017
A fantastic read.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews