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Murder always comes with a price.

Whether or not it’s worth it depends on who you kill.
When someone’s hunting my family, I shoot first and don’t bother worrying about the fallout.
But I didn’t know how far the repercussions of one death would go. How his ghost would haunt me even now, stalking me from the shadows… except ghosts can’t steal you away.
They can’t make your skin ignite with their touch.
They can’t torture you with their tongue.
They can’t make you question everything.
The scariest part is I know I need to run. To escape the madman before he takes his revenge.
But I fear it’s already too late. I’m trapped with my ghost, more alive than I’ve ever been.
He’s not who I think he is, and the only thing he wants is me—dead.
All I can do is hope for him to show me mercy…
If he has any…

265 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2022

64 people are currently reading
151 people want to read

About the author

Cathleen Cole

32 books550 followers
Cathleen Cole currently lives in Utah with her husband Frank, their six dogs, four goats, and flock of chickens. Cathleen and Frank have nomadic souls, so they don’t expect to be tied down to one place indefinitely.

Animals, dog sports, traveling, scuba diving, and everything books are just a few of Cathleen’s passions in life. She measures her quality of life based off the different experiences and adventures she gets to have.

You’ll see every book written by either Cathleen Cole or Frank Jensen will always credit the other as co-authors and that is because they use each other as sounding boards during their writing processes as well as they are each other’s main beta readers. As husband and wife, they insist on sharing all successes and failures equally.

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5 stars
141 (63%)
4 stars
59 (26%)
3 stars
21 (9%)
2 stars
2 (<1%)
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth).
2,264 reviews1,532 followers
September 6, 2022
Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4.5)
Trope: kidnapping, instalove
Angst: 😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Malice manages to be a nail biting thriller of a ride while also being a (strangely) sweet romance. It is well written and super fast paced with a cast of characters you'll fall in love with. Not sure what it is about sociopathic heroes that I absolutely love, but Makar definitely has it in spades 🤷🏻‍♀️. Well, I have a couple of ideas: eyes only for his girl, touch her and 🔪 vibes, the somewhat endearing social ineptitude, and the fact they always seem to be confused about how they ended up falling in love, lol. Makar is quickly all in with Ros and she really is the perfect match for him. Malice is a great addition to the series and it was awesome to see all the MCs from the previous books! And I'm loving the gangsta girl squad feel, lol.

Malice is the 4th book in the Discord series by Cathleen Cole and can be read as a standalone, but best enjoyed when read in series order. It is told in first person, from dual perspective.

⛔️ My bookshelves can sometimes contain spoilers
Profile Image for Kate V.
1,848 reviews368 followers
January 10, 2023
4.5 stars!

"I wanted to wrap myself around her and never let go. I’d be her shield, her protector, and entwine myself so tightly around her life she wouldn’t be able to live without me."


This is the fourth book in the Discord series and features Makar and Ros and yes...I started with book four. I do think this can be read as a standalone but you'll get more enjoyment if you know the previous couples.

Malice was an action packed, angsty, and steamy ride and I've come to expect this from Cole's books. Makar was a sociopathic hero and I loved everything about him. EVERYTHING. Makar kidnaps Ros and gets way more than he bargains for when Ros stirs *gasp* feelings in him. I loved how he fell in love and legitimately is baffled how he got from point A to point B. Ros was his perfect other half and she was a breath of fresh air with her down-to-earth and patient personality.

Makar and Ros were super hot together and Cole writes the best steamy bits and I adore how she is able to weave such a fast-paced and entertaining story in with the romance. I will definitely be going back and reading the rest of the books in this series.
Profile Image for Allie Felske.
56 reviews
September 7, 2022
Absolutely loved it!!

Cathleen does an AMAZING job at bringing these two characters together. I’ve never read a book with a character like Makar and she does a fantastic job at capturing him throughout the book.

As we know Malice follows the story of Rosario and Makar on their journey. If you have read the teaser at the end of Deviant then you know that Makar is the brother of the man Rosario kills. I was very curious to see who Cathleen was going to make their story work and she did NOT disappoint! Makar is a diagnosed sociopath who, in his mission to avenge his brother's death, finds out that his death was not as it seemed. While Rosario is struggling with the fact that she took a life she’s confronted with his brother looking for revenge and an attraction she didn’t expect. Makar doesn’t understand the feelings she brings out in him and Rosario isn’t sure she should trust the man that wanted her dead.


Profile Image for Emily Franzen.
307 reviews5 followers
September 7, 2022
This book is not your average romance novel. These characters are just so much extra. I love Makar's journey dealing with actual feelings. Ros is so strong. I loved the way these characters came together. Will reread!
Profile Image for LJ Metzger.
339 reviews3 followers
September 9, 2022
I've been curious about Rosario's story since we first learned about her in the beginning. Growing up with the awful brothers she had I wondered what kind of damage that would have on her. Then she meets Makar in true enemies to lovers fashion. They challenge each other in ways that neither of them expect. I really enjoyed this book and the whole series! We finally get the see who the main bosses are that have been terrorizing our MCs through the series. And the Epilogue at the end was just beautiful!!!
Profile Image for ♡Lea♡.
442 reviews3 followers
October 12, 2022
I received an ARC from the author for an honest review...

Wow this is the second book I've read from this author and I was again blown away. This is the fourth book in the Discord series and follows Makar and Rosario as they battle past demons. To read the growth in these two characters was an experience. This is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️'s for me but don't take my word for it grab your own copy on September 15th, 2022 you won't be disappointed 😉

Happy Reading 📚
Profile Image for Mrs T.
385 reviews1 follower
September 15, 2022
Makar and Rosario.

Two damaged people, a hit man and a woman entrenched in Mafia life.

Rosario is sexy, sassy, loving, tough yet vulnerable from her violent family past and having had to kill someone for the first time to protect loved ones. The guilt is hanging around her neck.

Makar is a sociopathic psychotic hit man. He really truly doesn't know how to handle many emotions. He does the job he's paid to do and moves on. This time however, his job is personal and he certainly doesn't expect the freight train that is Rosario.

The background is Mafia battles over territory, however the story is so well written, encompassing the love and friction within Rosario's adopted family and the violent passion of hers and Makar's relationship as it builds from kidnap, to sexual frustration and release, to love. The extra bite to the story, for me, is the way Makar has no handle on any emotion, whether his or Rosario's, resulting in some quite literal interpretations of instructions with unexpected results, some hurt feelings and frustrations. But ultimately finding his way to love.

Plenty of violence, heat, possessiveness and a gripping storyline.
Profile Image for Watts of Reading .
144 reviews3 followers
September 15, 2022
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🥵🥵🥵🥵/5
Kidnapping ✅
Insta-Attraction ✅
Strong FMC ✅
Sociopath MMC ✅
Please check warning list!!!

One thing I have learned when diving into a Cole/Jensen book is that there will be a Independent FMC and one Alpha MMC. Malice did not disappoint.

Marak and Ros are two characters that are complete opposites. He's a sociopath that doesn't understand feelings except for taking people out. She's all about love and family after a trauma filled childhood.

You'll find character growth throughout the pages mixed in with some romance, spicy scenes, and gruesome acts. This book while a little dark will still give your heart some "awww" moments. I enjoyed the connects not just between Marak and Ros but also between the supporting characters in the book.

A dark mafia romance that will have you binge reading.

Who wants a prince when you can have a monster?

ARC was provided by the author for an honest review.








402 reviews
September 15, 2022
Amazing read. Couldn't put it down

It was clear from the last book and beginning of this Rosario was a little lost. She needed love and was not only missing the love of a family, but the love for a companion too. Makar is just her best match. There was no better character for her because she needed someone who had a dangerous side to him to make her feel whole. This book if beautifully written and I can't wait for the next one.
Profile Image for Lindsy Hart.
154 reviews1 follower
September 6, 2022
I loved Malice and Ros's story. She didn't have a easy life growing up. He comes into her life and everything changes. Everyone wasn't very sure of him or that they were together, but they learned they could trust him. I loved that he didn't know how to communicate or know if he could be what she wanted, but he tried and learned as he went. Another great book to an awesome series!!
Profile Image for Victoria Shelton.
1,034 reviews14 followers
September 8, 2022
This story follows Ros and Makar, each one of them have their own dark pasts. Ros actually kills a family member of Makar, he takes her hostage while investigating how the kill happened. They end up following for each other and having some interesting occurrences between the two in the story line. Can’t wait to read the next book
Profile Image for Trissa.
6 reviews
September 25, 2022
THIS book! I'll tell you I didn't have the highest regards for Ros after the incident with Ming, but I relate to this woman in every mental aspect la pobresita went thru. Definitely made this my favorite of this series.

Silently wanting more from this series but absolutely loved if this is the end.
Profile Image for bobamami.
253 reviews16 followers
December 24, 2023
Well this took a turn I never expected but overall, a really good read.

The writing was nice, very easy to read and follow, the storyline flowed well with lots of interesting events and details, and like I said earlier, turns that I never saw them coming before

The chemistry between our 2 mains was good. He was strangely, psychotically and chaotically sweet; and she was so fierce and strong. Now looking back, their relationship might have been a little fast, as everything only happened in a few weeks to a month, or maybe 2 months tops, but it certainly didn’t feel insta-love to me, so that’s really nice, I like it.

Also, the epilogue was just beautiful. Now we (I) need an extra epilogue where the characters, especially Makar, interact with toddler Donovan, and hopefully his siblings as well. Gah just thinking about Makar being a daughter’s fool, and I know for sure that he will, make me so excited I need it now!!
Profile Image for Terrie Romero.
513 reviews1 follower
July 31, 2024
I loved it. I loved Makar and him trying to understand his Prize. It was cute towards the end. I was laughing especially at Nico’s reaction to what he had done and who was at the door. Great series.
193 reviews3 followers
September 8, 2023
Fave so far

I fell so hard for Makar. His lack of emotions or empathy just made my heart do all the flops. I LOVED this book and this series!!! OBSESSED!
Profile Image for whorefortyler.
486 reviews10 followers
November 2, 2023
3.5 stars - obsessive anti-social disorder bf x crime family daughter <33
this was cute. i really liked these characters together, and will never turn down a psychopath Hero. also, i thought that lack of push + pull was super refreshing !

however, i feel like a bunch of backstory was missing. we keep hearing about the heroines family, but we never really get anything in depth ab what happened to her.
there was also too much eye language happening (i.e. looking into his eyes - i could tell he had a dark history, i could read death and glee in his eyes, etc etc) - idk how these
people are able to tell someone’s whole fr life story just from a look in their eyes but it got a bit repetitive for me imo.

regardless, i loved how obsessed the H was w the h, and how quickly he became obsessed. loved the whole found family aspect, and the spice was super hot ! <33
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
586 reviews
August 19, 2024
This was ok.
The good: I liked Makar and Rosario together after they got past the kidnapping. I liked that he would hunt down anybody that hurt her. She acclimated to his antisocial personality disorder quite well.

The not so good: stop calling women sluts when having sex - seriously authors, make it stop. The within the first 24 hours of being kidnapped by a psychopath sex was too much. More lust than love for this couple. A little more couple-getting-to-know-you time would have been nice.
557 reviews1 follower
June 22, 2025
Completely Adorable

So I’ve just finished what appears to be the last book in the series and I’m trying to work out how it went from vengeful hitman seeking retribution to a totally adorable love story.

The answer is, I’m not really sure but it works!
1 review
May 16, 2023
next book?

I liked this book but I was expecting a next book to be next about Stacey. Maybe I’m missing something. Seemed like there we a bunch of unanswered parts about her
1,362 reviews
July 3, 2024
Mafia romance
3 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Lite breeding kink
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

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