Ruthless Vow

Ruthless #3

by Roxy Sloane

Mafia prince, Nero Barretti. The boy I once loved… And now the man who controls my fate.

I thought I knew the price I was paying, but he won’t stop until I belong to him.

Forever.

Genres: Romance, Dark Romance, Mafia Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Second Chance, Dark, Smut

188 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 8, 2022

About the author

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Roxy Sloane is a romance junkie with a dirty mind. She lives in Los Angeles and loves writing sexy, complex stories about pushing the boundaries and risking it all.

Reviews

[Karly Feltman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished the series purely because I’m no quitter

[Krystin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review is for the whole series: Ruthless Heart, Ruthless Games and Ruthless Vow

The plot potential was there but there was just way too much spice. It took away from the story and actually got to a point where I was skipping past it. The same phrases were repeated constantly and there are a lot of typos. It just wasn’t an overly enjoyable read and it was super predictable but I had to finish just to know what happened with the 20% of the plot I was interested in.

[figuranta❤️addicted❤️to❤️books❤️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 Star for each book if this Trilogy

I am not a fan of trilogies in general, and to be frank, these 3 books in this series were so unnecessary when quite easily been only 1 book.

In short, immature characters, no chemistry, and unnecessary drama created to make up words.

[Kellie Ferris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant end to this Mafia romance trilogy, with plenty of spice throughout

[Carlie Neary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m a firm believer that smut books are judged on a separate scale, but even on those standards this is barely a one star. It’s not even 200 pages and somehow I lived through about 10 different “I hate him I’ll never talk to him again” and then two pages later “I need him more than oxygen”. There was not a crumb of logic or common sense or good writing. At least the first two were fun but this one… I will be taking a break from smut for the foreseeable future

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This conclusion to the trilogy sees lose ends pulled together and Lily and Nero finding their peace. Nero truly finds himself and just needs to convince Lily that he means to show his live is also true.
I have enjoyed this series, but did feel it relied rather on the explosively passionate scenes between Lily and Nero and not enough on the complex rivalries within Nero's world. There was a much bigger story to be told here which didn't, in my opinion, develop. That said, this did not staunch my appetite for, and interest in, this wider world. I just wanted a bit more about it. Mind you, keep a fan close by as Lily and Nero definitely burn up the pages!

[Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leave me alone. I'm just here to vibe and consume media.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was predictable. A great ending to this trilogy. It was a quick read for this last book, and I finished the trilogy in just a few days. I wouldn’t read it again, the characters were too toxic and the character and plot and discussions were super repetitive.

I enjoyed the story for what it was, it kept my attention and the story had potential. I was happy to have read it.

The characters choices didn’t surprise me at all. I also really enjoyed Lily’s very human way of stopping and really assessing what Nero’s motives were, sensing it didn’t add up and she could see right through him. The two times that happened in the series I was like “Yessss girl cuz we know our man!” 👏 I loved it, it was a very human touch to bring that character to life, which is hard to capture in a novel.

[Delight In The Quiet · Rating 1 out of 5]

This series could have been one book. The same thing happens on a rinse and repeat cycle in all 3 books. I found the story to be quite cliche & unoriginal. I didn’t really like the MMC but I could not stand the MFC. She literally gave me whiplash. She was forever in a state of deciding if she was leaving or loving. The intimate scenes were gratuitous & I wondered if they had been written by a man. Example: The word beast was used by the MMC to describe his…..I assume that was an attempt by the author to make the H seem hawt.🔥 😬🙄 I cringed so hard and found myself rolling my eyes alot. I found my self skipping through those scenes because they were just so bad. The h had the worst case of BBS that I’ve ever read. I wanted her to get a clue and use one of the few brain cells that she had. There were a lot of typos throughout the series. I can’t comment on the ending because I DNF’d the 3rd book. I just couldn’t force myself to finish it. The line that did me in was one where the H wanted the two of them to take a break from and disagreements and problems. He said “no drama or mafia shit.” 🙈

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I was entertained and I did end up finishing the series in one sitting (though this is not uncommon for me).

I personally felt like it was a bit redundant at times. The constant back and forth of love and hate was fun at first, and then it was like ok be for real, third book in, you guys don't hate each other.

Other than that, I found the plot made sense and was easy to follow. I liked the amount of action and the spice was very well written in my opinion. There wasn't too much at first, but it definitely picked up in books 2 and 3.

Overall pretty on par with my expectations for a mafia romance.

[Kennedy Hayden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh… this one left much to be desired… Three stars feels generous but here I am…. Feeling generous apparently 🙃

I have questions. A lot of them. None of them matter enough to be asked though. 💅🏼 I hope to never read another story where the MMC names his *ahem* again.
The “beast” gave me “Kroll the Warrior King” from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vibes but whatcha gonna do about it? I’ll just need brain bleach now. 🥲

[Julie Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

not that good “spoilers below”

It was extremely repetitive and not very good. The only guy I liked was Kyle and he got killed so yk.

[Donna Repsher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think Roxy Sloane would ever be able to top her previous novel, Flawless Book 5--make it any hotter, any more angst-filled, any more violent, any more suspenseful, or any more surprising, but that's precisely what she just did in Ruthless Vow, Book 6 in her Flawless series. It get 5 exhausted stars from this reviewer, who stayed up until dawn to read it in one sitting because there was simply no way I could put it down.

Book 6 picks up right where the cliffhanger ending of Book 5 stopped, and to say it stopped with a bang is as accurate as I can be--and yes, there's another teaser/cliffhanger at the end of this installment. Told in dual narration, this is absolutely not a series you can start reading in the middle, but if you're new to Roxy Sloane's novels, you'll be lost unless you start with the first installment, but what an exciting set of reads you have in front of you.

The love/hate/lust relationship between Nero and his not entirely willing wife, Lily, continues in this novel, but if you've been following this addictive series, you are in for some staggering surprises, and just when you think they've finally resolved all their issues and you've reached the HEA ending you've been waiting for, think again. This novel had me holding my breath, shocked, in tears, and gasping in surprise as their not so storybook marriage hits challenges you just don't see coming. I can't tell you more without spoilers, except to say that once again, Roxy Sloane knocked this one out of the park, and I'm happy to recommend it.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel provided by the author. The opinions expressed are my own.

[anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

for the whole series:
if you’re into super toxic dark romance, then this might be up your alley. im def a dark romance girlie but this level of toxicity was not my cup of tea. they went back and forth so much i got whiplash how it went from 0 to 100 so fast… like for example, the FMC would be like ugh i hate him, hes dangerous i can’t trust him and in the next moment would jump his bones bc she literally could not contain herself. and he would downright demean her for the way her body responded to him and i did not like that. like the self respect was just not anywhere in sight in this series 😀? they just annoyed me so much.
i could not stand the constant lust in this series, it seemed like all they had was physical chemistry, which yes is very important, but for it to be the only thing that keeps them interested??? the actual romance didn’t form until like the third book it felt like. they would make progress in their relationship but then something (literally ANYTHING) would set them back to loathing each other. it was like one step forward and three steps backward… but i guess this worked for them
howeverrrrr, two things: the smut was freakin fantastic. like each book was about less than 250 pages but the amount of smut… PHEWWWW. it was 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼
and, it did entertain me. the cliffhanger from the second book had me running to grab the third book. i really liked the simmering thriller aspect throughout the series!
the storyline had depth, just not the characters :/ which made me sad because i really wanted to love these books since the covers are gorgeous and the blurb and tropes made me so intrigued.

[Renee Entress · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 star

I was pulled right into this story. This is a 3-part story so be prepared to get all 3 parts. The story has laughs, suspense, secrets, naughty fun, and heartbreak.

This is the start of Lily and Nero’s story. They were in love until she was forced to leave him. When he finds her, he takes her and holds her prisoner. But at what cost to them both? She is worried about her family, but does he care? Can they figure out what is happening before even more people get involved? After all another wants her and is willing to stop at nothing to have her.

This is more of Lily and Nero’s story. This story starts where the last one left us. More suspense and more heat. But in the heart of it another beautiful story that has you wanting more. The more Roxy gives you the more you need. Plenty of suspense and passion throughout the story to keep you turning the pages. Can’t wait for the next part of this story. This story leaves you on a cliff hanger but that is expected and should have you all ready or the next part hoping to get more of your questions answered.

This is the conclusion of Lily and Nero’s story. This story starts where the last one left us. Your questions from the first two books will be answered. The hotness and naughty times continue and will leave you wanting to cool off. Story pulls in all the heat and plenty of suspense to keep you hooked. Great ending to this 3-part story.

I recommend this book.

[Hearteater · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm finally DNF'ing this shitty ass book @ 37%/page 65, after it sitting on my currently reading since 2023. I was trying to power through because the first two books were fairly entertaining for me, but this one has just been a fucking SNORE. I started to hate Lily and Nero at some point, probably before this book, so I set it down for a little while, thinking I'd pick it back up later to finish it because I hate not finishing a series. I mean, it's not like there are any important story details I'm going to forget since this doesn't have much of a plot, and sure enough, even after picking it back up 2 years later, I still know what's going on. However, I just can't bring myself to care or read through any more cringy smut scenes, or bullshit miscommunications, so I'm done. It feels kind of liberating to finally get this thing off my shelf! I jumped forward to the end to see what happens and it was as boring as I expected, so I'm not sad at all that I didn't read the stuff in-between.



If you're looking of a mafia romance, I can't suggest any better options because this isn't my usual genre...but I can tell you that this one fell flat for me and really could have wrapped up within two books. This is one of those series where it just feels like 90% super cringy smut and 10% "story". You can find better on Ao3 or Wattpad, believe me.

[One Loves Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

We kicking off from the end of Ruthless Games and yes Lily is still struggling with her head & heart with Neo:

"You can't die on me!" I yell at hislifeless body, out of my mind. "You can't. Not when you madr me love you, you bastard."

Neo is a live but he doesn't know who is saved and he is determined to end the life of the man that blew up his car and he is also the mole...no spoilers

Lily & Neo's chemistry is off the SCALE! From hating each other to loving each other with all their hearts. Which I jump for joy that they are both on the same page FINALLY...no spoilers on how this happens but I promise you will love it. I love that both wish that they could have normal lives and that's when Mary & George was born...no spoilers 🖤

THEN...there is a heart breaking scene that did destroy me... no spoilers

Lily & Nero relationship has been a VERY TENSE complex and steamy romance. I promise you will not be bored because their is suspense, action and betrayals & twists. Roxy has a new fan here! I love this trilogy 💍🖤

The suspense of this mafia world she has create is perfect and the layer of deception and back stapping pulls togther very nicely at the end...for the couple

Love this was made into audiobook series and I have some narrators in mind😍

☆MUST READ & FAV☆

[Kendra Vaughn · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the first book, I speed-read the rest of the series merely to be able to give a complete review. The book was not terrible, the writing was done well enough that I was able to complete it (I will normally stop reading if the writing style is done poorly). However, I feel like the three books could have been done in one. In my personal opinion, I feel like they were separated simply to give dramatic effect in the form of a cliffhanger, and the concept was dragged on for two other books. Again, in my personal opinion, I feel there should have been more going on in the other books, but the same ideas were being used for each book, so it felt very redundant to me.
In regard to the characters, I feel like Nero was written fairly well, the typical morally gray character that you end up slightly liking in the end. However, I could not find it in me to like Lily. I can understand her dodginess at the beginning due to everything she has been through, but after some time her back and forth feelings towards Nero started to annoy me to the point that I actually pitied Nero.

****SPOILERS******'
I did not like the characters enough/ was not emotionally invested in the story enough to be okay with him KILLING HER MOTHER and her being okay with it (eventually)????? In other books, I would be able to put my morals aside because, well for one it's a book, but if the story is done well enough one can simply forgive a character because they are in love with them. This book unfortunately fell short.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this series has been pulling me in then slapping me across the face. LOL! Like, do I like it, do I keep reading. When I find both the characters to be annoying AF, it keeps luring me back to “It has always been you” type of feeling and then I’m reeled back in. Ok I love third act breakups, but there were like fourth, fifth, sixth act breakups at this point. It’s so unnecessary at this point where they know they are extremely in love. The heartbreaking moment when the car explosion happened, I was really gasping out loud. Thank you for having the characters FINALLY realizing their feelings and deciding to stick together because I don’t know how much more I can take if they break up one more freaking time. The angst is always there in the forefront and I LOL when they were referring to each other as George & Mary.


“You can’t die on me!” I yell at his lifeless body, out of my mind. “You can’t. Not when you made me love you, you bastard.”

•Forced marriage
•Childhood lover to enemies to lovers
•Family rivals
•Burn the world for her
•”Mine” possessive
•”My wife”
•”Good girl”
•Finger licking good
•Forced proximity
•Love hate

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roxy knows how to tell a story! This book picks up where the previous book left off, and what a ride. Just when it seemed Nero and Lily were headed to their HEA, forces put a hold on it, and their angst love/hate/love/hate relationship continues.

There are so many twists and surprises in this book, as well as the series. As the story continues, we’re still learning more about Nero and Lily. Yes, they’ve loved each other since they were teenagers, but life has made a way of changing their views on life and love. The present isn’t as black and white as their teenage love was, and both have some work to do if they want each other in their lives. Both will have to compromise their stubborn ways. There’s so much heat between Nero and Lily, and try as they might, their bodies can’t seem to stay away from each other. Nero is an alpha in everything he does and I love him for it. Past hurts and fights are finally settled, and what an ending!

Love this series, and looking forward to the next (mentioned in the book).

[Patricia Koch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruthless Vow (Flawless Book 6)

Right where it ended, bomb blowing up left Lily looking for her husband Nero. She finds him and he isn't breathing. She starts doing CPR on him and telling him you can't die, I love you to much to let you die. Finally she gets him to breathtaking. Nero's guys shows up and Lily wants them to take him to the hospital. Nero says no. They take him to Lily and Nero home. The doctor is called to take care of him. Nero gets back to his old nasty self. They both still have fire between them. So much hot chemistry between them. This book has it all, drama, sex, happiness etc. It's not a cliffhanger end so I am not going to spoil the story for you! But, it's a awesome story. The author did a amazing job in writing this whole series. Lots of twists and turns in this story. You will not be disappointed with this series. Enjoy!!!☺

[Kriss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whole series:

The plot was okay! I feel like so much more could have happened with the plot they have but it was more concentrated on rated R scenes.

Ruthless Heart: It was interesting at the beginning but it did not pick up the rest of the book. nothing was revolved and nothing begin. The misunderstanding where there and she thinks he is bad.

Ruthless Games: What the couple advances in book 1, they took 2 steps back. Then back to aging? This book contains the most Rated R scenes. The story works slowly.

Ruthless Vow: The last book is better than the second and the first. But the story, in my point of view, was fast. it feels rushed mostly the last chapters.

Overall: The story could have been better, she had a great plot with good characters, but there were too many misunderstandings and problems that could have been easily resolved.

[Erika A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional torture

I can’t even describe the emotional rollercoaster I’ve been throw in this series! And this book was no different. One minute you want to strangle one character, the next they’ve got you hot and sweating, and then you want to throat punch the other character. This final book was fabulous! Your in for a couple surprises… and be prepared to be angry. And the end scene is totally out of left field. I definitely suspected something going on with this character but I’m really upset with what happen.

I can’t wait for the next installment in the series though, Priceless Kiss. We’ll get to learn about Avery’s life in the Baretti world. I just know this one’s going to be another rollercoaster of a ride. I must be a narcissist, cause I can’t wait!

[Erin Whipple · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25🌟 This one was definitely better. It still annoyed me how Nero talked about sex, but he was a little better in this one. I still want more of Lily with her friends. There was literally no plot in these books, it was just Lily and Nero fucking, but I will say, the ending got me. I can’t believe Chase killed Kyle! I actually liked him :( and then Chase kidnapped Lily??? I knew the mole was Chase, and obviously he was going to go after Lily. I really don’t remember much about this book other than the fact that Nero was a stubborn bitch and Lily deserves all the art classes she wants. And Miles is dead??? I feel bad for Avery, and now she has to settle for Sebastian. But of course we do see them in a loving relationship in Roxy’s other books so🤷‍♀️

[Katie MacLeod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This was the ending we needed for this series. The last book ended with a car explosion and we had no idea what would happen to Nero and Lily. From the first chapter into this book, I was already mad at Nero. He’s constantly going back and forth from being madly in love to walls up not talking about feelings. Emotional constipation is super annoying but Lily works so hard to make it all work out and when they are good - we absolutely love them. The ending is a wild turn and we suspected it all along but the truth always comes out. The happily ever after is perfect for Nero and Lily and I can’t wait to see more of them in the next trilogy set in this series.

[Jinn C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead: good but frustrating read

I did enjoy this trilogy. I think out of all 3 I liked the second book the best. Sex scenes were good enough a little repetitive but good. Im all for dirty talk. Character development for Nero was wonderful. As for lily as stated in my first review of the first book she got on my nerves. Her constant back and forth about what to do and right from wrong. I also got frustrated by the third book they're still bickering about the past. Also Nero not seeing chase betraying him was kind of dumb , it was clear where chases loyalty lies from the beginning of the series. Overall good series. I am excited to read more about Avery.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was it award winning literature? No. Did I absolutely devour the entire series in 12 hours? Oh absolutely. There were times where I felt like the spice overwhelmed the book. I feel like the first book had the perfect balance. But ultimately, this book wrapped up the series the way it was supposed to. I wish we’d gotten an epilogue as it felt the book was cut a little too short in an effort to set up the next series. However I loved Nero and Lily like it is so rare to see mcs with common sense 😭😭😭 yeah they made stupid decision to propel the plot forward but where it mattered, they always figured things out.

[Heather David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finally lovers, but the series fell short.

Overall 2/5
Spice 3.5/5

There’s no denying the sexual chemistry between Lily and Nero. He has a filthy mouth and she wants all he has to offer… which is a lot.

Unfortunately, the entire series fell short for me. It was always missing something. Plus the constant back and forth between Lily and Nero gave me whiplash. Then, everything comes to a very quick end. No mention of Kyle’s death, no close of the real estate venture, no future, just a honeymoon in Paris. Just too much left unfinished for me. Even with a spinoff, I highly doubt it will wrap up anything.

[Heather Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ but rounding up!

A pretty solid ending to the trilogy. The last hundred pages of Ruthless Vow were definitely the most intense and had me turning the pages quickly. I’ve enjoyed this series overall, but I did feel it leaned a little too heavily on the explosively passionate scenes between Lily and Nero, and not enough on the intricate rivalries and dangerous world surrounding them. It felt like there was a bigger, more layered story to be told that never fully developed.

While this wasn’t my favorite trilogy from Roxy Sloane, I still had a good time with it and will absolutely keep picking up more of her books.

[Brianna at Renee Entress's Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars!

Roxy Sloane is back with book six in the Flawless series and book three in the Ruthless trilogy and y'all... whoa. What a book and sooo many feels, twists and allll of the heart, heat and angst.

Ruthless Vows picks up where the last book left off and thrusts us back into Nero and Lily's world and gahhhh, my heart y'all.

Nooooooo spoilers from me but this was completely unexpected at times and hooked me from the start to the very last word.

I can't recommend this author or this series as a whole enough.

Reviewed for Renee Entress's Blog.