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Brutal Birthright #2
Gestohlene Erbin
Sie haben meinen Vater getötet, deshalb habe ich ihre Tochter gestohlen ...
Sie ist meine Gefangene. Meine kleine Ballerina, die nur für mich tanzt.
Nessa ist süß und unschuldig. Sie hat das alles nicht verdient. Aber so funktioniert unsere Welt – die Wölfe fressen die Lämmer, egal wie sanft sie auch sein mögen.
Ich werde sie benutzen, um mich zu rächen. Es sei denn, ich gebe meinem Verlangen nach.
Sie ist meine Gefangene. Meine kleine Ballerina, die nur für mich tanzt.
Nessa ist süß und unschuldig. Sie hat das alles nicht verdient. Aber so funktioniert unsere Welt – die Wölfe fressen die Lämmer, egal wie sanft sie auch sein mögen.
Ich werde sie benutzen, um mich zu rächen. Es sei denn, ich gebe meinem Verlangen nach.
417 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2020
9730 people are currently reading
74449 people want to read
About the author
Sophie Lark
41 books23.6k followersPowerful Romance
Special Editions & Exclusive Stories:
https://sophielark.com/
Sophie lives in Southern California with her husband and three children. Her favorite authors are Emily Henry and Freida McFadden. She’s an Aquarius who loves fitness and looks forward to Halloween every year.
Special Editions & Exclusive Stories:
https://sophielark.com/
Sophie lives in Southern California with her husband and three children. Her favorite authors are Emily Henry and Freida McFadden. She’s an Aquarius who loves fitness and looks forward to Halloween every year.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,381 reviews
September 27, 2023
You think you’re not going to like it because of the trope… let me tell you that you’re wrong & you’ll actually fall MADLY in love with Miko 🥹
February 26, 2022
THE MAFIA MEETS BEAUTY & THE BEAST STORY I DIDN’T KNOW I NEEDED!!!! Nessa & Mikolaj had an amazing opposites attract vibe going, and I lived for it. also the lil bits we got of Callum & Aida made my HEART SO HAPPPPYYY!!! Have I mentioned i’m obsessed w the Gallos? I’m gonna need to jump into Nero’s & Dante’s books IMMEDIATELY because i’m the most excited for them. anyway. i’m just loving this SERIES, WHAT??? chokehold: fully placed!
“I’m more than good, and he’s more than bad. We’re opposites, and yet made for each other.”
“I’m more than good, and he’s more than bad. We’re opposites, and yet made for each other.”
February 21, 2021
3.75 Smut Stars
I read book one for this series a while back and enjoyed it well enough. It's by no means the best romance or mafia romance I have ever read, but it's definitely doing a solid job of fulfilling my need for mafia romance in general.
In fact, I could see this being one of those series that I return to, re-read, and end up up-rating.
I will definitely be reading book three.
I read book one for this series a while back and enjoyed it well enough. It's by no means the best romance or mafia romance I have ever read, but it's definitely doing a solid job of fulfilling my need for mafia romance in general.
In fact, I could see this being one of those series that I return to, re-read, and end up up-rating.
I will definitely be reading book three.
July 19, 2023
— 3.5 stars ✰
"love is the one thing you can't steal.
you can't create it, either. it either exists or it doesn't.
and if it exists, you can't take it by force."
idk what sophie lark puts in these books but i can’t put it down
CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE ARTWORK IN THE BOOK???
i've never been a huge fan of the kidnapping trope but i must say that sophie has done it so well. nothing intimate happened up until 50% of the book and thank god for that because with this trope it’s necessary to build up their relationship
the way miko acted towards nessa was so realistic, no insta love or guilt in the beginning. he was just so emotionless & sophie wrote his character development so well!! it was so interesting to see the "villain's" point of view, how he plotted against her family and literally could’ve destroyed them immediately 😭
he is a brooding, polish, grumpy blondie with A LOT of tattoos, she is a sunshine ballerina who brings out the best of him 🫠💘
klara >>>
i’m a sucker for tattoos if you couldn't tell 🫡
HE CALLS HER MY LITTLE BALLERINA 💗💘💕💞
"i see her, and she sees me"
— i think that the ending was a bit rushed and that there should’ve been a deeper conflict between miko and nessa's parents, also wished there would’ve been a conversation between nessa and serena after what happened
"love is the one thing you can't steal.
you can't create it, either. it either exists or it doesn't.
and if it exists, you can't take it by force."
idk what sophie lark puts in these books but i can’t put it down
CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE ARTWORK IN THE BOOK???
i've never been a huge fan of the kidnapping trope but i must say that sophie has done it so well. nothing intimate happened up until 50% of the book and thank god for that because with this trope it’s necessary to build up their relationship
the way miko acted towards nessa was so realistic, no insta love or guilt in the beginning. he was just so emotionless & sophie wrote his character development so well!! it was so interesting to see the "villain's" point of view, how he plotted against her family and literally could’ve destroyed them immediately 😭
he is a brooding, polish, grumpy blondie with A LOT of tattoos, she is a sunshine ballerina who brings out the best of him 🫠💘
klara >>>
i’m a sucker for tattoos if you couldn't tell 🫡
HE CALLS HER MY LITTLE BALLERINA 💗💘💕💞
"i see her, and she sees me"
— i think that the ending was a bit rushed and that there should’ve been a deeper conflict between miko and nessa's parents, also wished there would’ve been a conversation between nessa and serena after what happened
September 15, 2021
3 stars
Angstier than the first book but I had hoped for something more.
The Beauty and the beast references were very on the nose and that dulled my enjoyment. It was like it was drilled into me that I’m supposed to see them as beauty and the beast.
Everything from Nessa’s exquisite innocence and goodness to Miko’s dead cold heart which was reawakened by Nessa’s creative sensibilities and her inherent light… Bleah!
Even the house with its historically ambiguous decor and old books musty smells of fairytales, not to mention the enchanted garden.
And Nessa.. I don’t dislike her for her naivety and her weak demeanour, but I also can’t like her complacent attitude. I get that she was bored and he was temptation in a dangerous package, but her absolute surrender to whatever attraction was between them to the point of love came way too quickly and I just saw it as the infatuation of a silly little girl who doesn’t know better and hasn’t lived enough to understand the nuances of life and the shades of so called love.
Meh
Angstier than the first book but I had hoped for something more.
The Beauty and the beast references were very on the nose and that dulled my enjoyment. It was like it was drilled into me that I’m supposed to see them as beauty and the beast.
Everything from Nessa’s exquisite innocence and goodness to Miko’s dead cold heart which was reawakened by Nessa’s creative sensibilities and her inherent light… Bleah!
Even the house with its historically ambiguous decor and old books musty smells of fairytales, not to mention the enchanted garden.
And Nessa.. I don’t dislike her for her naivety and her weak demeanour, but I also can’t like her complacent attitude. I get that she was bored and he was temptation in a dangerous package, but her absolute surrender to whatever attraction was between them to the point of love came way too quickly and I just saw it as the infatuation of a silly little girl who doesn’t know better and hasn’t lived enough to understand the nuances of life and the shades of so called love.
Meh
October 31, 2022
two words: stockholm syndrome
December 2, 2024
1.5 ★'s
Blond men just don't hit the same
I decided to read this because I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic of Aida & Callum in the Brutal Prince. However, in this disgustingly cheesy retelling of Beauty & the Beast, we follow Nessa & Mikolaj.
Nessa's "thing" is that she is spoiled, innocent, and entirely uninteresting.
As if her "couldn’t hurt a fly", blushes every 5 seconds, & petulant child vibes aren't enough, we also have Mikolaj who is genuinely just an unlikable and admittedly boring character.
He's blonde and smells like cigarettes - which miss innocent of course romanticises? Although, it's not a very pleasant smell, is it?
You're telling me that after spending one month trapped in this man's house, you're in love? No babes, we call that Stockholm syndrome.
Even though the romance actually was nonexistent, the spice might've been the worst part.
Some highlights:
She had her first kiss and lost her virginity to her kidnapper that's 7 years her elder(she's 19). "Lady bits". She is so wet she thinks she wet herself.
This might've actually ruined Beauty & The Beast for me ngl.
The stars are for Sophie’s writing, the side characters and a bit for me bc I got through it(Yay me).
__________
⌞Pre-read:⌝
I need something else to break off with from my other read, and Brutal Birthright #1 has consumed so much of my brainspace since I read it, that it's only natural I go with this.🥰
Blond men just don't hit the same
I decided to read this because I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic of Aida & Callum in the Brutal Prince. However, in this disgustingly cheesy retelling of Beauty & the Beast, we follow Nessa & Mikolaj.
Nessa's "thing" is that she is spoiled, innocent, and entirely uninteresting.
As if her "couldn’t hurt a fly", blushes every 5 seconds, & petulant child vibes aren't enough, we also have Mikolaj who is genuinely just an unlikable and admittedly boring character.
He's blonde and smells like cigarettes - which miss innocent of course romanticises? Although, it's not a very pleasant smell, is it?
You're telling me that after spending one month trapped in this man's house, you're in love? No babes, we call that Stockholm syndrome.
Even though the romance actually was nonexistent, the spice might've been the worst part.
Some highlights:
She had her first kiss and lost her virginity to her kidnapper that's 7 years her elder(she's 19). "Lady bits". She is so wet she thinks she wet herself.
This might've actually ruined Beauty & The Beast for me ngl.
The stars are for Sophie’s writing, the side characters and a bit for me bc I got through it(Yay me).
__________
⌞Pre-read:⌝
I need something else to break off with from my other read, and Brutal Birthright #1 has consumed so much of my brainspace since I read it, that it's only natural I go with this.🥰
June 24, 2023
I don’t mind nice innocent heroines, but ugh I wanted Nessa to fight more! I was so frustrated by how she surrendered completely to her feelings towards him. She showed no struggle, no inner conflict and it was kinda unrealistic tbh. I know she’s the obedient sheltered daughter, but she was too agreeable in a situation where she should’ve been more conflicted at least?
This did have a more slower development tho. Not too fast like the first book, but still kinda fast if it makes sense. It wasn’t really dark for a “captive/captor romance” but it had some fun action scenes. They had that attraction, but I wouldn’t call what they have a true romance. They rarely interacted and when they do she completely surrendered which lessened my enjoyment.
Another thing that kinda bothered me is that he didn’t open up to her or told her his story. Like yes we as a readers knew his story, but it felt strange that he never talked to her about it. Idk it just sth that kinda bothered me.
#1 Brutal prince ~ 3 stars
This did have a more slower development tho. Not too fast like the first book, but still kinda fast if it makes sense. It wasn’t really dark for a “captive/captor romance” but it had some fun action scenes. They had that attraction, but I wouldn’t call what they have a true romance. They rarely interacted and when they do she completely surrendered which lessened my enjoyment.
Another thing that kinda bothered me is that he didn’t open up to her or told her his story. Like yes we as a readers knew his story, but it felt strange that he never talked to her about it. Idk it just sth that kinda bothered me.
#1 Brutal prince ~ 3 stars
October 18, 2020
I think this is the sweetest mafia romance I've come across. Sounds oxymoronic but it's truly a fine example of healthy relationship between a mafia man and his "captive", whatever it might mean lol.
I absolutely adored the heroine. She is such a sweetheart😍. I love how she is kind, loyal, devoted, sweet and funny.
And I love it how she is talented and passionate about her dancing. I want more heroines like her
I absolutely adored the heroine. She is such a sweetheart😍. I love how she is kind, loyal, devoted, sweet and funny.
And I love it how she is talented and passionate about her dancing. I want more heroines like her
November 1, 2024
the pacing felt a lil offf or something??? didn’t hit as hard as brutal prince but still a funsie time🤍🫶🏼🕯️ 3.75!!!!
September 14, 2021
This was such an enjoyable reading experience. Much better than book 1, in my opinion.
I preferred the characters, their development and their storylines. The Beauty and the Beast elements were woven into the story so well. I loved the mafia twists the author took. It was still very much reminiscent to the classic we all know, but it was darker, modern and mafia.
It took a bit for me to get used to the writing style. I still don’t find it the best. Some aspects were slightly too cheesy for my liking and cliche.
But other than that, this was a great story! I can’t wait to explore the rest of the series. Immediately.
I preferred the characters, their development and their storylines. The Beauty and the Beast elements were woven into the story so well. I loved the mafia twists the author took. It was still very much reminiscent to the classic we all know, but it was darker, modern and mafia.
It took a bit for me to get used to the writing style. I still don’t find it the best. Some aspects were slightly too cheesy for my liking and cliche.
But other than that, this was a great story! I can’t wait to explore the rest of the series. Immediately.
September 9, 2022
im such a hoe for tattoos 
January 13, 2025
2,5 ★
“𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙢𝙚𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙉𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖. 𝙉𝙤 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝, 𝙣𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩, 𝙣𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚. 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙤𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙙. 𝙄𝙛 𝙄 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣, 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚. 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
Thank you NetGalley and the author for sending me this book!
Pls Remember that this is a dark romance kidnapping story! The characters in this book are not 100% in the head so keep that in mind while reading this review and reading this book!
TW: r*pe, su*cide, stalking, etc
The first chapter has so many trigger warningslike pls check them I was so emotional and invested after reading that and the art in there🤌🤌 crying- and the first like 40% were kinda good yk but then it just went 📉 mostly bc:
𝟏. The kidnapping trope wasn’t done well. The only kidnapping stories I have read were on wattpad so idk if I have any say in this but the kidnapping trope was just not it??? Yk what I mean?? When it comes to dark romance story’s like kidnapping the story has to be written in a specific kind of way to make it enjoyable and not make you feel creeped out or like “what. Is. Going. On.” Dark romance is after all a side of romance that can go wrong very easily if it’s not written well.
𝟐. The length- tell me why my copy was 247 pages long 😭😭😭 did I get the right copy bc no way all of that happened in 247 pages- he fell for her way too quickly like there wasn’t any development he just went from “I hate her” to “I love her” and I was like where did this come from 😭 Nessa kinda too but not as bad as him.
𝟑. The romance. No slow burn, no tension, no consent. The moment he felt like he wanted her, he kissed her. I’ll go deeper into this later.
𝘕𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢
“𝙄 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙. 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙩. 𝙈𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡.”
She was cute, I liked her but there are some things she did that didn’t feel like her and something she did that I did not feel comfortable with. The way she was portrayed throughout the story didn’t fit in with what she did at times, they were very out of character.
The dance/str*pping scene was very out of character and just not Nessa. The Nessa she was supposed to be would not do that + the other sxual thing she did during and after that scene with her kidnapper while she was just crying 1 minute ago begging him to not kill her brother- if you haven’t read this you probably don’t understand what I’m talking about, but basically, these scenes were very out of character.
She also touched him while he was sleeping and that made me uncomfortable bc he may want you butttt that doesn’t give you the right to just go to the guys room and touch him the way you did while he is asleep and he literally pushed your hand away a couple minutes ago when you also tried it- PLUS IT DID NOT FIT HER CHARACTER ONCE AGAIN SHE IS SUPPOSED TO BE THIS SWEET INNOCENT SHY VIRGIN OR WHATEVER ANS SHES OUT HERE STRIPPING AND TOUCHING HIM LIKE BAE THAT IS NOT THE DEFINITION OF SHY
The way she thought about her parents after also was kinda…Idk. Like yea I can understand how you feel but you also gotta understand how your parents feel. You’ve been missing for a whole month and now you want to marry your kidnapper ofc they gonna be like “girl, go back to your room, you got school tomorrow”
If we forget all those points, she was a pretty fun character to follow around. Her fear and all was pretty realistic in the beginning and her crying like thatI would be crying too
𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘰
“𝙃𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.”
Uhm idk😃😃 I don’t really like him but I wouldn’t say I hate him. He is FCKED in the head and not like “owh psycho 🤭” no more like “owh psycho😟”I really hope you guys understand what I mean. We also never touched the topic of his sister again what was weird bc she was such a big part of his life so I expected an emotional scene that would bound them or something but no.
Anyways many things about him just didn’t sit well with me. The fact that he THOUGHT about undressing her while she was unconscious so she can be scared when she wakes up was already bad enough, but I’m happy he didn’t actually do it.
He’s fcked and he talks about women like objects even though he had a sister like 🤨🤨 okay, I understand. He’s supposed to represent a fcked up guy who’s mentally GONE but some things just didn’t sit well with me- you can write a psycho and have me go 🤭🤭 while reading, or you write him in such a way that I go 😳
“Of all the evil things I’ve done in my life, and they are legion, I’ve never forced myself on a woman. It’s the one thing I won’t do.”
And yet you just grabbed her hair and kissed her with no consent knowing you kidnapped her and she doesn’t like you. I can excuse murder but not touching someone with no consent.
Is that all you may ask?
No of course not😃 After that he watched her pleasure herself through the camera he placed in her room. I don’t think my girl knew that, she never mentioned she knew it if I’m right so wtf? Like wtf? Pls don’t, pls. Don’t. That made me very uncomfortable I’m sorry 😭
Anywayspls tell me why I end almost every review with anyways I’m probably going to continue the rest of the series but I don’t really recommend this
Smut: yea like 5/6 scenes
——
Hopefully I’ll enjoy this more than the first book- wish me luck 🫡
“𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙢𝙚𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙉𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖. 𝙉𝙤 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝, 𝙣𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩, 𝙣𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚. 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙤𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙙. 𝙄𝙛 𝙄 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣, 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚. 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
Thank you NetGalley and the author for sending me this book!
Pls Remember that this is a dark romance kidnapping story! The characters in this book are not 100% in the head so keep that in mind while reading this review and reading this book!
TW: r*pe, su*cide, stalking, etc
The first chapter has so many trigger warnings
𝟏. The kidnapping trope wasn’t done well. The only kidnapping stories I have read were on wattpad so idk if I have any say in this but the kidnapping trope was just not it??? Yk what I mean?? When it comes to dark romance story’s like kidnapping the story has to be written in a specific kind of way to make it enjoyable and not make you feel creeped out or like “what. Is. Going. On.” Dark romance is after all a side of romance that can go wrong very easily if it’s not written well.
𝟐. The length- tell me why my copy was 247 pages long 😭😭😭 did I get the right copy bc no way all of that happened in 247 pages- he fell for her way too quickly like there wasn’t any development he just went from “I hate her” to “I love her” and I was like where did this come from 😭 Nessa kinda too but not as bad as him.
𝟑. The romance. No slow burn, no tension, no consent. The moment he felt like he wanted her, he kissed her. I’ll go deeper into this later.
𝘕𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢
“𝙄 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙. 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙩. 𝙈𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡.”
She was cute, I liked her but there are some things she did that didn’t feel like her and something she did that I did not feel comfortable with. The way she was portrayed throughout the story didn’t fit in with what she did at times, they were very out of character.
The dance/str*pping scene was very out of character and just not Nessa. The Nessa she was supposed to be would not do that + the other sxual thing she did during and after that scene with her kidnapper while she was just crying 1 minute ago begging him to not kill her brother- if you haven’t read this you probably don’t understand what I’m talking about, but basically, these scenes were very out of character.
She also touched him while he was sleeping and that made me uncomfortable bc he may want you butttt that doesn’t give you the right to just go to the guys room and touch him the way you did while he is asleep and he literally pushed your hand away a couple minutes ago when you also tried it- PLUS IT DID NOT FIT HER CHARACTER ONCE AGAIN SHE IS SUPPOSED TO BE THIS SWEET INNOCENT SHY VIRGIN OR WHATEVER ANS SHES OUT HERE STRIPPING AND TOUCHING HIM LIKE BAE THAT IS NOT THE DEFINITION OF SHY
The way she thought about her parents after also was kinda…Idk. Like yea I can understand how you feel but you also gotta understand how your parents feel. You’ve been missing for a whole month and now you want to marry your kidnapper ofc they gonna be like “girl, go back to your room, you got school tomorrow”
If we forget all those points, she was a pretty fun character to follow around. Her fear and all was pretty realistic in the beginning and her crying like that
𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘰
“𝙃𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.”
Uhm idk😃😃 I don’t really like him but I wouldn’t say I hate him. He is FCKED in the head and not like “owh psycho 🤭” no more like “owh psycho😟”
Anyways many things about him just didn’t sit well with me. The fact that he THOUGHT about undressing her while she was unconscious so she can be scared when she wakes up was already bad enough, but I’m happy he didn’t actually do it.
He’s fcked and he talks about women like objects even though he had a sister like 🤨🤨 okay, I understand. He’s supposed to represent a fcked up guy who’s mentally GONE but some things just didn’t sit well with me- you can write a psycho and have me go 🤭🤭 while reading, or you write him in such a way that I go 😳
“Of all the evil things I’ve done in my life, and they are legion, I’ve never forced myself on a woman. It’s the one thing I won’t do.”
And yet you just grabbed her hair and kissed her with no consent knowing you kidnapped her and she doesn’t like you. I can excuse murder but not touching someone with no consent.
Is that all you may ask?
No of course not😃 After that he watched her pleasure herself through the camera he placed in her room. I don’t think my girl knew that, she never mentioned she knew it if I’m right so wtf? Like wtf? Pls don’t, pls. Don’t. That made me very uncomfortable I’m sorry 😭
Anyways
Smut: yea like 5/6 scenes
——
Hopefully I’ll enjoy this more than the first book- wish me luck 🫡
April 26, 2023
Beauty and the beast retelling but make it mafia? I really thought it was going to be terrible but I devoured this book in a one setting. It’s fast paced and the perfect cure for reading slump and i think Sophie Lark is going to be my go to in any reading slump condition. It’s perfect for dark romance beginners but for me personally as a heavy dark romance reader, this was like a romcom but i’d love to call it a palate cleanser and it’s so easy to get into.
Loved Miko and his gothic vibes that was so hot! Blond men are growing on me lately. Nessa our good girl (this could have been a flop but thank god it was a bop) loved her soft vibes.
I will definitely be continuing with the series, i love the vibes and excited for the upcoming characters. I just ordered Nero’s book (which the one with the most mixed reviews) wish me luck.
Add to the “Fun Books” list!
Loved Miko and his gothic vibes that was so hot! Blond men are growing on me lately. Nessa our good girl (this could have been a flop but thank god it was a bop) loved her soft vibes.
I will definitely be continuing with the series, i love the vibes and excited for the upcoming characters. I just ordered Nero’s book (which the one with the most mixed reviews) wish me luck.
Add to the “Fun Books” list!
September 1, 2023
i’m - 🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
July 4, 2025
1💫
I. Did. It.
What was this? No seriously, wth was this?
If you want romance, chemistry and understanding then don't read this. Even the smut was bad. Ohh and don't even get me started on the development because there was none. Not at all. Zero.
Nessa, I don't like you anymore and Mikolaj, never liked you for once.
Actually, they suit each other, perfect match.
🆃🆁🅾🅿🅴🆂.・。.・゜✭・
● Mafia romance
● Forbidden romance
● Revenge
● Captive x Captor
● Beauty and the Beast retelling
｡:ﾟ﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏ﾟ:｡
↝Pre-read°｡.ﾟ.｡♡
I liked Nessa in the first book so here we are~~~
"I stole you, Nessa. And you stole my heart. It’s yours forever."
I. Did. It.
What was this? No seriously, wth was this?
If you want romance, chemistry and understanding then don't read this. Even the smut was bad. Ohh and don't even get me started on the development because there was none. Not at all. Zero.
Nessa, I don't like you anymore and Mikolaj, never liked you for once.
Actually, they suit each other, perfect match.
🆃🆁🅾🅿🅴🆂.・。.・゜✭・
● Mafia romance
● Forbidden romance
● Revenge
● Captive x Captor
● Beauty and the Beast retelling
｡:ﾟ﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏ﾟ:｡
↝Pre-read°｡.ﾟ.｡♡
I liked Nessa in the first book so here we are~~~
June 19, 2021
Going into this one, I knew it was a captor/captive romance and that it was a loose Beauty and the Beast retelling. For the first 40%, I was worried this was going to be a three star read. Miko had kidnapped Nessa in retaliation for his father's death and Nessa was just stuck in his mansion. And that was in. But then the romance FINALLY moved and we got a story that was addicting and engaging. From probably 50% on, I couldn't put this book down. The plot started moving, there were action-packed scenes, and I had no idea how the characters were going to make the romance work. But I had to get through a slow and boring beginning. I don't like innocent, docile, and weak heroines in my mafia romance and that's really what Nessa was until well into the book. She just took what came to her and she was so innocent when it came to the mafia life. She didn't even know how to shoot a gun, yet she was raised by mafia men? She really made it hard for me to like this book, but when things started to get going at the end, I was glad she was finally standing up for herself. But that's definitely a personal preference of mine when it comes to mafia romance. I'm glad I ended up loving the second half of this book and I can't wait to continue on in the series!
Read
December 6, 2020Ohhh Mikolaj…my secret book boyfriend. He’s dark and moody and he lives in a haunted mansion. I had some real gothic Beauty and the Beast vibes writing this one. Nessa is my little ballerina Belle — smart and creative and kind. The only person who could melt Miko’s frozen heart.
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Brutal Birthright Series
geni.us/brutalbirthright
Join the Love Lark Letter:
https://sophielark.com/signup/
Brutal Birthright Series
geni.us/brutalbirthright
April 10, 2023
How many Slavic/Eastern European stereotypes can you fit into one book?
Sophie Lark: yes.
What did I just read??? Genuinely, what? I'm at a loss.
I find it so weird when authors write any kind of Slavic mafia, repeatedly, but it's still full of stereotypes?? If that's really how you think of Slavic people, maybe you shouldn't be writing about them, just a thought.
Also, I'm not Polish, but some of the sentences used in the book seemed a bit off, hopefully a Polish speaker can confirm.
But yeah like...even the first book had stereotypes, but to a lesser degree because only the villain was Polish. Now we have a main character who's Polish, who hates his country, makes constant jabs at it, the Polish mafia is basically described as the worst in brutality (at the start we even see their members raping a girl, but we never saw that with the Italian or Irish ones)...
The ONE bartender called Petra is a whore, but not the other bartenders with non-Slavic names.
Then a Russian character reinforces the stereotype that Slavic (in his case Russian) girls are whores because Petra was clearly not enough to convince us.
Speaking of the Russian character, he's Tatar, but it's written like taRtar...yes, like the sauce.
Aside from all of that, the book was boring. The first one was more entertaining and believable than this one.
And listen, I'm a dancer, I love reading books where dancing is included. But this was so stupid that it did not work for me.
It's a retelling of The Beauty and the Beast, which shows more in some parts than others. Like when Miko abducts her, and tells her she can go anywhere except the west wing. And you know, she also calls him Beast, there's that.
All Slavic languages are hard to learn, but Polish is one of the hardest, and Nessa of course picks it up fast and speaks full sentences in no time, sureee. It would make more sense if she could understand the gist of things, but not speak more than a few words herself, because you can't learn how to say everything she said just by comparing translations of a book.
While I'm at languages, I wonder if Sophie Lark (and every other author who does this), speaks more than one. I say this, because Miko will randomly call her his little ballerina in Polish while he's talking to Nessa in English.
When I'm talking to someone in English, I don't randomly switch to Serbian or Russian unless if the person I'm speaking to also speaks those and I forgot a word in English but remembered it in one of those.
If Miko was talking to himself out loud or in his own head, then okay, obviously he would refer to her in Polish. But this way it sounds cringy, I'm sorry. No one actually talks like that.
Oh and their love story happened so fast, one day they were captor and captive, and then suddenly he fell in love with her out of nowhere. I was like hold up, did we have a time skip I wasn't aware of?
I'm not sure if I'll be continuing the series, I was expecting a lot more from it because it's so hyped and it has pretty covers, but...eh. I might do it because I'm pretty sure there's at least one more book with a Slavic main character in it and I kind of want to see what stereotypes are in that one. If I do, be sure I'll point them out.
Sophie Lark: yes.
What did I just read??? Genuinely, what? I'm at a loss.
I find it so weird when authors write any kind of Slavic mafia, repeatedly, but it's still full of stereotypes?? If that's really how you think of Slavic people, maybe you shouldn't be writing about them, just a thought.
Also, I'm not Polish, but some of the sentences used in the book seemed a bit off, hopefully a Polish speaker can confirm.
But yeah like...even the first book had stereotypes, but to a lesser degree because only the villain was Polish. Now we have a main character who's Polish, who hates his country, makes constant jabs at it, the Polish mafia is basically described as the worst in brutality (at the start we even see their members raping a girl, but we never saw that with the Italian or Irish ones)...
The ONE bartender called Petra is a whore, but not the other bartenders with non-Slavic names.
Then a Russian character reinforces the stereotype that Slavic (in his case Russian) girls are whores because Petra was clearly not enough to convince us.
Speaking of the Russian character, he's Tatar, but it's written like taRtar...yes, like the sauce.
Aside from all of that, the book was boring. The first one was more entertaining and believable than this one.
And listen, I'm a dancer, I love reading books where dancing is included. But this was so stupid that it did not work for me.
It's a retelling of The Beauty and the Beast, which shows more in some parts than others. Like when Miko abducts her, and tells her she can go anywhere except the west wing. And you know, she also calls him Beast, there's that.
All Slavic languages are hard to learn, but Polish is one of the hardest, and Nessa of course picks it up fast and speaks full sentences in no time, sureee. It would make more sense if she could understand the gist of things, but not speak more than a few words herself, because you can't learn how to say everything she said just by comparing translations of a book.
While I'm at languages, I wonder if Sophie Lark (and every other author who does this), speaks more than one. I say this, because Miko will randomly call her his little ballerina in Polish while he's talking to Nessa in English.
When I'm talking to someone in English, I don't randomly switch to Serbian or Russian unless if the person I'm speaking to also speaks those and I forgot a word in English but remembered it in one of those.
If Miko was talking to himself out loud or in his own head, then okay, obviously he would refer to her in Polish. But this way it sounds cringy, I'm sorry. No one actually talks like that.
Oh and their love story happened so fast, one day they were captor and captive, and then suddenly he fell in love with her out of nowhere. I was like hold up, did we have a time skip I wasn't aware of?
I'm not sure if I'll be continuing the series, I was expecting a lot more from it because it's so hyped and it has pretty covers, but...eh. I might do it because I'm pretty sure there's at least one more book with a Slavic main character in it and I kind of want to see what stereotypes are in that one. If I do, be sure I'll point them out.
June 15, 2021
The whole concept of falling for your captor is so baffling.
July 21, 2021
wanted dante to punch miko so bad 😭
April 10, 2023
Idek if I like it or hate it or love it😭
Maybe im just not a fan of the kidnapping trope💀
Also it was too fast ig like this man had zero emotions and all of a sudden he’s in love with her because she’s too kind??? Same with nessa like this girl hated him and wanted to go back to her family so bad but when he actually tell her to go she doesn’t want to leave???😭 I didn’t feel their connection or whatever maybe i just wanted more of them together
Oh and I really like klara and marcel (not sure abt the names tho) they were adorable lol I wish we got more of them together
Anyway this was really fun and enjoyable, I loved how the two families are now and omg I can’t wait for Sebastian and Riona!! Also Dante tho I heard his book has a second chance trope and I don’t like it much but I really like Dante so hopefully it won’t disappoint
Quotes…
“Nessa is my prisoner.
No one touches her but me.”
“I see her, and she sees me.
I was death, and she was life.
I thought I’d had stolen her, brought her down to the underworld.
All the while she was waking me up. Stirring the blood in my veins. Breathing air into my lungs.”
“I’m more than good, and he’s more than bad.
We’re opposites, and yet made for each other.”
“Love is the one thing you can’t steal. You can’t create it, either. It either exists or it doesn’t. And if it exists, you can’t take it by force”
“He chose me over his desire for revenge.
He chose me over his brothers.
He chose me over his own life.”
“I stole you, Nessa. And you stole my heart. It’s yours forever. I couldn’t take it back if I wanted to”
Maybe im just not a fan of the kidnapping trope💀
Also it was too fast ig like this man had zero emotions and all of a sudden he’s in love with her because she’s too kind??? Same with nessa like this girl hated him and wanted to go back to her family so bad but when he actually tell her to go she doesn’t want to leave???😭 I didn’t feel their connection or whatever maybe i just wanted more of them together
Oh and I really like klara and marcel (not sure abt the names tho) they were adorable lol I wish we got more of them together
Anyway this was really fun and enjoyable, I loved how the two families are now and omg I can’t wait for Sebastian and Riona!! Also Dante tho I heard his book has a second chance trope and I don’t like it much but I really like Dante so hopefully it won’t disappoint
Quotes…
“Nessa is my prisoner.
No one touches her but me.”
“I see her, and she sees me.
I was death, and she was life.
I thought I’d had stolen her, brought her down to the underworld.
All the while she was waking me up. Stirring the blood in my veins. Breathing air into my lungs.”
“I’m more than good, and he’s more than bad.
We’re opposites, and yet made for each other.”
“Love is the one thing you can’t steal. You can’t create it, either. It either exists or it doesn’t. And if it exists, you can’t take it by force”
“He chose me over his desire for revenge.
He chose me over his brothers.
He chose me over his own life.”
“I stole you, Nessa. And you stole my heart. It’s yours forever. I couldn’t take it back if I wanted to”
November 19, 2021
Wowza! This started as a 4 star read for me. Right off the bat I knew I was into it. And it just got better and better.
This was the Beauty and the Beast Mafia retelling that we all deserved.
-Reread for 2021 favorites.
This was the Beauty and the Beast Mafia retelling that we all deserved.
-Reread for 2021 favorites.
April 11, 2023
si miko fuera mi secuestrador también me enamoraría.
la pasé muy bien leyendo este libro. no es tan rápido como esperaba, ni tan spicy como me hubiese gustado, pero me entretuvo un montón. y sí, me enamoré intensamente del mafioso <3.
la pasé muy bien leyendo este libro. no es tan rápido como esperaba, ni tan spicy como me hubiese gustado, pero me entretuvo un montón. y sí, me enamoré intensamente del mafioso <3.
December 2, 2021
0.5 stars.
I literally hated the book and wanted to throw it away. I hated the main characters and the story was totally dumb.
Why I hated Nessa?
I have to say I had never read a more pathetic heroine than her. Like no woman is as pathetic as her. I seriously don't know why the author loves showing Woman as pathetic and useless and as an idiot but no real woman is such an idiot as Nessa. Firstly she totally does not have a backbone and only knows how to cry. She literally gets kidnapped and all she does is cry and thinks how much of a fairytale it is and decides to be kind to her captors and wants to make friends. Like who in the right mind wants to make best friends with their captors but our heroine loves to be loved so she can definitely achieve that level of stupidity. Her brother Callum is doing everything to free her and all she does is play dress up with some clothes she found there and dancing like a two year old kid. Even a two year would have more of a brain than her. The hero Miko literally plans to torture and kill her brother and his wife infront of her but all she cares is that Miko May have suffered something so he became like this. Like girl there is no excuse to be a monster but she sees the good of everything. Miko shames her how she is not loved by her family and how bad of a blowjob she gives but she is totally in love with a man who does not even respect her. I wouldn't have been shocked if she would have started worshipping him too.
Why I hated Miko?
Miko's sister was raped by some monsters and then she commits suicide. So he kills the monsters and joins their gang and he kills and kidnaps innocent people but he doesn't consider himself a monster because he doesn't rape. DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE. But he has a sad past so definitely considers himself great. And definitely he is a playboy while Nessa is a virgin and he literally fucks other woman when he is hard after dancing with Nessa. I don't understand why romance authors hate women but the girl does not always have to be a virgin or else she is not pure. Like totally the same plot but different names of a man who fucks everyone and a girl who is pure because she is a virgin. Authors NEED to stop this mentality. And he hates Nessa's family and wants to kill them because they had killed his adopted father who was a complete shit and did every bad thing in the city. And he then judges his own men and kills them when HE doesn't want to kill her family because of her.
Literally there's nothing I liked in this book. I hope the next book is not like this one. I actually loved Aida and Callum's story but after reading this one I seriously have way low expectations from the next book. I hope no more pathetic women in this series anymore because I seriously can't read another Nessa and another disgusting Miko. Sorry for the rant but this needed to be said.
I literally hated the book and wanted to throw it away. I hated the main characters and the story was totally dumb.
Why I hated Nessa?
I have to say I had never read a more pathetic heroine than her. Like no woman is as pathetic as her. I seriously don't know why the author loves showing Woman as pathetic and useless and as an idiot but no real woman is such an idiot as Nessa. Firstly she totally does not have a backbone and only knows how to cry. She literally gets kidnapped and all she does is cry and thinks how much of a fairytale it is and decides to be kind to her captors and wants to make friends. Like who in the right mind wants to make best friends with their captors but our heroine loves to be loved so she can definitely achieve that level of stupidity. Her brother Callum is doing everything to free her and all she does is play dress up with some clothes she found there and dancing like a two year old kid. Even a two year would have more of a brain than her. The hero Miko literally plans to torture and kill her brother and his wife infront of her but all she cares is that Miko May have suffered something so he became like this. Like girl there is no excuse to be a monster but she sees the good of everything. Miko shames her how she is not loved by her family and how bad of a blowjob she gives but she is totally in love with a man who does not even respect her. I wouldn't have been shocked if she would have started worshipping him too.
Why I hated Miko?
Miko's sister was raped by some monsters and then she commits suicide. So he kills the monsters and joins their gang and he kills and kidnaps innocent people but he doesn't consider himself a monster because he doesn't rape. DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE. But he has a sad past so definitely considers himself great. And definitely he is a playboy while Nessa is a virgin and he literally fucks other woman when he is hard after dancing with Nessa. I don't understand why romance authors hate women but the girl does not always have to be a virgin or else she is not pure. Like totally the same plot but different names of a man who fucks everyone and a girl who is pure because she is a virgin. Authors NEED to stop this mentality. And he hates Nessa's family and wants to kill them because they had killed his adopted father who was a complete shit and did every bad thing in the city. And he then judges his own men and kills them when HE doesn't want to kill her family because of her.
Literally there's nothing I liked in this book. I hope the next book is not like this one. I actually loved Aida and Callum's story but after reading this one I seriously have way low expectations from the next book. I hope no more pathetic women in this series anymore because I seriously can't read another Nessa and another disgusting Miko. Sorry for the rant but this needed to be said.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2025
after loving brutal prince so much i was expecting to love this book the same way but it just felt very rushed. the good thing to come out of this book is my baby nessa <3
January 31, 2025
Loved this one more than the first.
It’s kinda of retelling of Beauty and the Beast and it’s great.
I love Miko and how awful he is in the beginning but kinda of fair. I love Clara, I love that we get to see my babies Aida and Cal , loved the whole family participation and I loved Nessa ! She is so cute and sweet, so good but she felt for the monster, for the beast and that shows she has a little edge to her personality. I can’t wait to read the others
It’s kinda of retelling of Beauty and the Beast and it’s great.
I love Miko and how awful he is in the beginning but kinda of fair. I love Clara, I love that we get to see my babies Aida and Cal , loved the whole family participation and I loved Nessa ! She is so cute and sweet, so good but she felt for the monster, for the beast and that shows she has a little edge to her personality. I can’t wait to read the others
June 23, 2022
This was a waste of time and brain cells.
(Sophie I'm sure you’re a nice person but this wasn’t it)
(Sophie I'm sure you’re a nice person but this wasn’t it)
January 20, 2024
If you told me a year ago I would love mafia romances this much…I would’ve believed you. They’ve always been fire.
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Nessa Griffin (19) | Mikolaj Wilk (26)
FEATURES
∘ mafia romance
∘ enemies to lovers
∘ fmc held captive by mmc
∘ revenge because of what family did
∘ emotionally numb before her
∘ brief irrational jealousy
∘ softhearted fmc / cold hearted mmc
REVIEW
This hit all the story beats an enemies to lovers mafia romance needs to hit. There’s the initial hatred, confusing instalust, reluctant love, and then full-blown devotion.
Nessa was not a fighter. She was quick to be afraid and even quicker to cry. I absolutely adored her. Her kindness and joy were refreshing, and I loved that she stayed true to who she was the entire novel, yet still grew as a person.
Mikolaj was cruel sometimes. He had a grudge, so I understood his point of view. It was amusing to watch his brutal moments actually have some restraint (eg cutting her hair instead of hurting her physically) all in the name of a “bigger goal”—when in reality, it’s because he had gone soft for her.
There’s severe stakes in these novels, and every action has consequences. Previously safe characters aren’t guaranteed to be safe (unless they have a book, of course), and it terrifies the hell out of me.
I cannot wait to read more of the series.
OW/OM DRAMA brief OW — Mikolaj receives oral sex in the beginning from a bartender at his club and then later has sex with her after meeting Nessa, but after this, she is not seen again
CHEATING none
THIRD ACT BREAKUP no
ENDING HEA
POV dual / first person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 5 / 5
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Nessa Griffin (19) | Mikolaj Wilk (26)
FEATURES
∘ mafia romance
∘ enemies to lovers
∘ fmc held captive by mmc
∘ revenge because of what family did
∘ emotionally numb before her
∘ brief irrational jealousy
∘ softhearted fmc / cold hearted mmc
REVIEW
This hit all the story beats an enemies to lovers mafia romance needs to hit. There’s the initial hatred, confusing instalust, reluctant love, and then full-blown devotion.
Nessa was not a fighter. She was quick to be afraid and even quicker to cry. I absolutely adored her. Her kindness and joy were refreshing, and I loved that she stayed true to who she was the entire novel, yet still grew as a person.
Mikolaj was cruel sometimes. He had a grudge, so I understood his point of view. It was amusing to watch his brutal moments actually have some restraint (eg cutting her hair instead of hurting her physically) all in the name of a “bigger goal”—when in reality, it’s because he had gone soft for her.
There’s severe stakes in these novels, and every action has consequences. Previously safe characters aren’t guaranteed to be safe (unless they have a book, of course), and it terrifies the hell out of me.
I cannot wait to read more of the series.
OW/OM DRAMA brief OW — Mikolaj receives oral sex in the beginning from a bartender at his club and then later has sex with her after meeting Nessa, but after this, she is not seen again
CHEATING none
THIRD ACT BREAKUP no
ENDING HEA
POV dual / first person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 5 / 5
September 18, 2020
I wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did. It wasn't a bad book and I think if I hadn't read so many other mafia books I would have maybe enjoyed it a lot more but there just felt like there was something missing with their relationship and only towards the end are we told about their connection but I never really saw it when she was living with him. They have a few scenes but it was more physical than emotional.
The drama also felt like it was too easily handled and everything wrapped up nice and neatly at the end.
Like I said, it's not a bad book but I was expecting something a bit darker and I couldn't help but compare it to Twisted Pride which is a tad unfair but it has a lot of similar themes.
The drama also felt like it was too easily handled and everything wrapped up nice and neatly at the end.
Like I said, it's not a bad book but I was expecting something a bit darker and I couldn't help but compare it to Twisted Pride which is a tad unfair but it has a lot of similar themes.
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