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Betrayal and jealousy will rip me apart…

When I looked up, I knew it was over. The life we had started to build was falling down around us. My father had broken his promise to Dante Corsetti and made a deal with another. A deal that was coming back to haunt me.

I worried most about Nico, his emotions ran deep. Nico Marchesi was a tortured soul, an unstable human who loved me more than life itself. When the needle pierced my skin, it was his face that flashed in my mind. All three of them would be furious, but Nico would be broken. Unhinged.

If I lived through this, would we make it? Would Nico’s need for revenge outweigh his love for us all?

This is a dark reverse harem series with cliffhangers and an HEA at the end of the series. Please check Nikki Rome’s Author website for a complete list of content warnings.

194 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 15, 2022

92 people are currently reading
158 people want to read

About the author

Nikki Rome

54 books132 followers
USA Today Best Selling Romance Author Nikki Rome has been a romance junky since a young age. As a girl she reached for book after book, looking for that happily ever after she always believed in. She loves all forms of romance and you can find her latest read not far from her reach.

Nikki writes contemporary romance with a touch of danger and kink. Her love of realistic characters who face real problems provides a story that touches the hearts of many. As a writer, reader and lover of words, it only made sense that she publish her stories.

Now years letter she owns and manages Smut Lovers: The Community. A group of like minded individuals that come together to talk about their love of all things smut. You can find her hosting Smut Lovers: The Podcast or running Smut Lovers: The Conference. Either way you know she'll always be talking about her love of books.

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5 stars
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79 (32%)
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29 (11%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Arabella Auberon.
387 reviews12 followers
July 19, 2022
I liked this book, and the overall story is interesting and not difficult to read, especially as a dark romance book. I liked seeing Valentina become a stronger character, but for a while it seemed disjointed because she was behaving, speaking and thinking in a more childish mindset. I will say that seemed to change more realistically after spending time in Nico’s workshop.

I feel like this one is written better than the first book, which I read through KU, and it had a lot of typos and out of place words and I am happy to see that this book does not have that problem. At least not much, but I have to make note here that the spelling of Matteo changed back and forth randomly with Mateo, and while 1 t isn’t a huge difference, for me it was distracting.

All-in-all, I’m very interested in reading the next book, and I am really hoping Valentina learns how to fight, because if she’s as good with a gun as I think she will be, and Nico teaches her how to use blades properly, then by adding in the physical fighting aspect she would be unstoppable.

Even without that, I’m still on board for whatever comes next.


5 ⭐️s= Perfect story, exciting, engrossing, well developed complex characters, solid plot with few to no holes, descriptive environments and place settings, great mystery elements, realistic dialogue, believable reactions and behaviors, loved this story so much I’d buy it.

4 ⭐️s= Great story, highly entertaining and enjoyable, exciting storyline, well developed characters and settings, a few discrepancies but nothing that can’t be overlooked. Believable actions and reactions, realistic dialogue, a book I would consider buying.

3 ⭐️s= Good but not great story, noticeable discrepancies, grammatical and or spelling errors, undeveloped characters or unbelievable behaviors but still readable. Nothing majorly wrong with the story, just not interesting enough for me to continue. Would not buy the book.

2 ⭐️s= Not offended by the story, but not interested enough to finish. Unbelievable characters, poor writing, many mistakes, big holes or discrepancies, many spelling or grammatical errors, characters not believable, unlikeable or TSTL.

1 ⭐️= Offensive, extremely poor writing, horrible characters, victimization, gaslighting, blatant abuse, unnecessary violence, child endangerment, or any other highly objectionable behaviors by Main characters. Would never buy this book, and do not recommend it to anyone.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Dee.
5,064 reviews56 followers
July 3, 2022
This is the second book in The Dark Kings series buckle up this is a wild ride, dangerous men, alpha personified, possessive, oh, so gorgeous, brooding all the makings of a deliciously story 😊. There will be suspense, betrayal, arranged marriage, secrets reveled, violence, hope, forgiveness, and maybe love.
Once you start this reverse harem you won’t stop even when you know you have things to do so by the time you’ve figured out who is who and what is what, you’re already hooked, and you may as well give up the fight and prepare yourself for an all-nighter!
Can’t say I didn’t warn you.
Recap: Valentina’s life hasn’t been easy living with a father who didn’t always treat her well especially when she didn’t do what she was told often times putting in a small room like a cell most of her childhood she has her way of coping, she was promised as a young girl to one man who was expected to come for her at the age of 18 but he never showed now at 21 years old her father was going to give her to a vile human being in the form of a man older enough to be her father, who had six wives already he did unthinkable things to them even killing half of them and this is who her father intended for her (yep father of the year award …yeah absolutely not) currently he has her locked in her cell with two guards outside. After being saved by her boys yep, all three of them belong to her and after learning what they had to do to save her, accepting what they did to save her, and her making her own demands which resulted with her being kidnap set up by the very cousin she thought cared for her so its pickups where her boys are working with the kidnapper to get her back. The one woman that feels Valentina’s her special, tortured Nico belongs to her someone they thought was dead but along the way they became friends Nico’s crazy ex. who treated her well while being held to renegotiate her kidnapping not realizing their girl was going to invite Nico worst nightmare to come and visit them in NY for a while basically throwing them all off but they will be okay especially now that his ex knows his heart belongs to only one his girl so hopefully when she comes to NY they can convince her to get the help needed. Inf the meantime her cousin has stirred up so much trouble approaching other families under their protection, hiring local gangs, motorcycle clubs trying to get enough men to go against the Dark kings so Dante set up a meeting to inform them pretty much get in his way and he will mowed them down along with her cousin Mario and meeting with Mario who shows up with very arrogant trying to pretend to be sorry for what happened to his dear cousin but he is anything but and as they are concluding the meeting heading out something happens to one of her men although she had the feeling that something was off and now she knows her Dante has been shot and grrrrrrrr that is where it left off, oh man why do we have cliffhangers which you guys learned last time I hate, anyway can’t wait to find out if they get their HEA or is there more shenanigans?.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Ally Doby (Schleicher).
1,123 reviews12 followers
July 17, 2022
What a wild ride

What a ride. You will feel all the emotions with this one. You get to see them all develop their relationship and grow as their own person and a team through this whole book. You get a better understanding of Dante in the first book and a better understanding of Nico with this book.

I loved watching Valentina grow and find out who she truly is and stale her claim on her role with this family. I love all the love that they all love and care for her but are ruthless when it comes to her safety. I loved how instead of taking down the person who took her, she saw the help they needed and stepped up to help when no one else would.

What a way to end the book, I can’t wait for the next one to come out so we can see a deeper side of Ares and what all happens!
Profile Image for Ellie .
735 reviews21 followers
July 11, 2022
We're in the thick of everything Nico when we first start book 2. Oh Nico, my poor handsome, broken Nico. He really didn't come out of this unscatched, and it really shows.

We find out who the woman is that started her issues with Nico, Dante & Ares. We also see where Valentina is by chapter 2, and who has her and how she's been treated while being under their watch.

We dive really deep into The Dark Kings world, the different families, how they're each tied together. It's crazy, it's almost like a web of who's who, and how powerful they are. We also see how Valentina learns to be apart of their family but also learning that there's certain rules she'll have to abide by.

We also get very steamy scenes, action packed moments, and so much more! I am itching for book 3, that cliffhanger was brutal.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
5,934 reviews29 followers
July 10, 2022
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I loved this fantastic book it was amazing, the story was written well by author Nikki Rome and the characters were intriguing. Alessia took an innocent Valentina with the jealousy she held for someone she had loved many years ago. Nico, Dante and Ares grew up together then Nico started dating Alessia until Nico thought he had killed her he went back home to Dante, Nico was very depressed and said he will never love again. Dante was supposed to get married but Dante doesn't think he is ready Valentina ended up getting to know Valentina and then started to know Nico and Ares she fell in love with all three. Now other families are wanting to take them out or can Dante, Nico and Ares save and cherish what they have.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Nikki Rome.
Author 54 books132 followers
Read
July 9, 2022
🖤🖤🖤 6 MORE DAYS until we get to watch Valentina come into her own and take her place next to the kings.

Scroll on for a little teaser. 😉

“Nico doesn’t scare me.”
“I didn’t say that he does.”
“No, but you implied it. Which is insane because I thought we were past this.” I took a step back and looked at both of them. “I know you are concerned about me, and I won’t try to tell you not to be but if you both continue to question Nico’s stability then we are going to have much bigger problems than trying to decide who sleeps next to who.”
They both stood there in silence.
“Now, I’m going in there because I’m choosing to go. If there is something I don’t want to see, I will leave, but otherwise, I’m staying with Nico. Got it?”
“Yes, little girl. I’ve…‘Got it’” Dante said with more attitude than was necessary, and Ares just mumbled something incoherent.


PREORDER your copy today:

Envy: A Dark Captive Mafia Romance
🖤Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XLYLSCV
🖤Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...
Profile Image for Lauren.
1,011 reviews2 followers
July 16, 2022
WHAT?! I have no words! NONE!
I cannot believe it ended the way it did, the suspense!
This is book two and it's all kicking off.
I have to say these men are hot! Like crazy hot, oh and possessive!
Valentina is really coming into her own too and I'm intrigued to see how she handles herself in book 3.
This was a really great read and I'm desperate for the next one!
Profile Image for MsRoman.
1,142 reviews4 followers
July 15, 2022
Envy: A Dark Captive Mafia Romance (The Dark Kings Book 2) By Nikki Rome. Valentina is rescue by Dante, Nico and Aries. Valentina is resilient, feisty,with such a warm heart..Dante , Nico and Ares will avenge all that hurt her girl. Love this story and recommend it..
2,030 reviews9 followers
July 15, 2022
Another fantastic instalment in the series. Deliciously dark and dangerous. Plenty of twists and turns. Great character development, and storyline evolution. Would recommend. Cannot wait for the next book.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Rose Hawks.
209 reviews6 followers
July 12, 2022
Suspense, betrayal, reverse harem, it basically has it all. Valentina had me in my feelings once again and I WILL ALWAYS LOVE DANTE. This series is addicting and I can’t wait for possibly another book. I need more! I recommend this series and will recommend it to all my friends because it’s perfection!
Profile Image for Judy Chestnutt.
373 reviews3 followers
July 9, 2022
I loved the first book about how the three men rescued Valentina and how their love grew and then she is kidnapped and we think we know who took her in book 1 but not what we though and we finally get some answers and find a queen for her men such a great book.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Candace.
803 reviews1 follower
May 24, 2023
Valentina & The Dark Kings book 2. I'm still in love with the Kings and in this book Valentina became more of a badass.

The did a quick stunt in Sicily where Nico's ex, Alessia had taken Valentina. We are led to believe that Alessia is like Dante but crazy like Nico. She isn't quite right in the head. Nico was in love with Alessia but during sex (with knives) he cut a little too deep and though he killed her. He obviously didn't. Alessia is still in love with Nico and takes Valentina from the Costas (they were going to kidnap her at the end of the first book but Alessia came in and grabbed her first). She planned to exchange Valentina for Nico but Alessia also isn't a complete horrible person because she and Valentina befriend each other. Even though Alessia was trying to keep Nico, Valentina was still friends with her and told her that Nico was hers and that they would help Alessia find a husband that she could have children with. That was her main want and Nico was comfortable to her and she was ready to take that next step.

So that was a little weird because Alessia was made to be this big adversary but she wasn't at all. She'll be coming to NY and staying with them so hopefully in book 3 she goes BSC and raises hell against Valentina and the King's enemies. TBD.

They are all getting comfortable in their 4-some and Valentina wants to confront her cousin about his attempts to gather followers and take over. That was pretty anti-climatic too. We are left with a cliffhanger where Dante is shot. Opening book 3 to finish up series because I'm enjoying it. I love that these aren't all long and drawn out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for A. Adams.
724 reviews11 followers
March 2, 2023
This is the continuation of the story of Valentina and her 3 mafia men the Dark Kings Dante, Ares, and Nico. This book picks up where the last book left off with Valentina being kidnapped. The Dark Kings must locate Valentina and get her back. Valentina was promised to Dante by her father when she turned 18 but her father did not follow through with the deal. Now Valentina's father is dead and what's left of her family is trying to take her father's place and work directly against them. Valentina does fall more in love with all these men and they talk about what their future holds before the shooting. There are also plenty of steamy scenes between Valentina and her men! Great book!

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Mary Fazzi.
1,257 reviews10 followers
February 7, 2024
another great read by Nikki

Dante, Ares and Nico are the Dark Kings and they are fighting for their Queen Valentina but not many know about her yet since they don’t make it known. They like keeping her safe in their home and away till she was grabbed in their club and a trade was needed to get her back but she can’t expect that. She can’t leave one of her loves behind even though he chose to. As the book goes on they find more out about people who are betraying their rules, family and everything in between. They will not stand for it. It is not what Valentina wants and she is left out again.
Profile Image for Bookmom1213.
437 reviews8 followers
December 30, 2022
This book picks up where book one stopped. Valentina had been taken by one of Nico’s ex. All the ex wanted was Nico so they traded him for her. This didn’t set right with Valentina and she was able to work her magic and they were able to take Nico home. They have talked about their future and what the goals each had, like marriage and kids.
The main concern for the dark kings besides Valentina’s safety was her idiot cousin who was trying to turn loyal families against the dark kings.
I have enjoyed this series and can’t wait to finish it in book 3. I love Nikki’s books.
Profile Image for Emma (emjbookshelf).
979 reviews22 followers
January 8, 2023
Great Read

Envy is book two in The Dark Kings Trilogy. We pick up where the ended in Book one where the king's go to Sicily to get Valentina back. In this book we learn more of Nico's back story. We also see them all develop their own relationship & feelings with Valentina.

We watched Valentina grow as she started to tell the men what she wants and how she wants to be included in everything and not have their business secrets kept from her.

Again we ended on a cliffy and I can't wait to jump in and see how this story ends.
265 reviews2 followers
April 25, 2023
Not a stand- alone story

The first book Lust ends on a cliffhanger as well as this book.If you plan on this as a trilogy, fine.This is a violent series with alot of conflict and emotion.Valentina has little personality besides being massively oversexed.Having violent sex with 3 guys throughout every single day would be tiring.Ares is barely spoken about,mostly Nico and Dante.The next book Wrath has " Ares" on the cover,so I assume the last book is more about him.It is a series as a whole.
8,834 reviews63 followers
July 4, 2022
With Valentina been kidnapped its up to Nico, Dante and Ares to get her back, but just when ypu think things can't get any worse they do. This story holds your attention through out. And leaves you needing more with that cliffhanger! Engaging steamy action desires and more! Great addition to the series.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
2,704 reviews33 followers
July 17, 2022
The fire was explosive in this book. Nico and Valentina are getting closer but definitely not without their issues but their chemistry is definitely off the charts.
I am loving this series and I highly recommend these books and I'm looking forward to the next book. Great series!!
This was an ARC and this is my honest review.
Profile Image for J.R..
Author 1 book6 followers
January 25, 2024
Meh...

The second book, like the first drops off on a weird cliffhanger. Way too many grammatical and punctuation errors that are utterly jarring. The story makes little sense and bounces around too often. I feel like this was a lack luster attempt at a RH dark mafia story by someone who was given the genre definition and not much more
Profile Image for Terri Zumbrook.
2,800 reviews20 followers
November 24, 2022
Suspenseful and hot

The Dark Kings start ENVY by going to Sicily where Valentina was taken. We learn more about what troubles Nico. The bo d between the four grows as they face challenges to them and the Corsetti family.
Profile Image for Rena Graves.
221 reviews
January 26, 2024
Great series!

This is an awesome series. I just love these guys. I like the relationship between the 3 guys and then you add the girl to it and she is turning in to a wonderful women. Check this series out.
Profile Image for Jordy.
53 reviews2 followers
March 27, 2024
Book 1 was so girl dinner so I’m not really sure why I am not feeling that same feeling with this book. I may need to come back to this series when I’m in a different mood and see if I feel the same about it
Profile Image for Jeanne.
533 reviews
April 25, 2024
So when i first started reading this one, and what came of the first little storyline i was like fuck.. im gonna hate this book. But it definitely didn't turn out the way i thought. It got much better and she is only falling more and more for the men which also means more yummy BDSM style spice. All about that life lol.
Profile Image for NCA.
42 reviews
July 29, 2022
Love Love this book series. I can't wait for Book #3 to be out. I highly recommend it.
Profile Image for Nate.
24.2k reviews19 followers
July 30, 2022
Loving this series & can’t wait for more. I got a copy of the book. And am voluntarily leaving my review.
Profile Image for Cherie Clark.
4,288 reviews17 followers
October 9, 2022
Absolutely loved this book and series. 📚🔥💞🔥📚💞📚🔥📚
Profile Image for Emeline.
72 reviews5 followers
January 3, 2024
The way this book grabbed my soul is undeniable. The twists and turns of this book had me completely on edge and I loved every freaking page.
Profile Image for Kathy Landis.
651 reviews4 followers
January 7, 2024
Good plot

There is a lot of good, but also a lot of story problems. It's definitely readable and worth reading. You just have to be able to ignore the contradictions.
Profile Image for Lindsay.
631 reviews3 followers
March 7, 2024
There were a couple of places where I felt like Valentina had lost her mind or gotten a lobotomy, but other than those random points, I enjoyed the continuation of this series.
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