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Ivanov Crime Family #2
Vicious Oath
When I give an order, I expect it to be obeyed.
She’s too smart for her own good, and it’s going to get her killed.
Against my better judgement, I put her under the protection of my powerful Russian mafia family.
So imagine my anger when the little minx ran.
For three long years I’ve been on her trail, always one step behind.
Finding and claiming her had become an obsession.
It was getting harder to rein in my driving need to possess her… to own her.
But now the chase was over.
I’ve found her.
Soon she will be mine.
And I plan to make it official, even if I have to drag her kicking and screaming to the altar.
This time… there will be no escape from me.
She’s too smart for her own good, and it’s going to get her killed.
Against my better judgement, I put her under the protection of my powerful Russian mafia family.
So imagine my anger when the little minx ran.
For three long years I’ve been on her trail, always one step behind.
Finding and claiming her had become an obsession.
It was getting harder to rein in my driving need to possess her… to own her.
But now the chase was over.
I’ve found her.
Soon she will be mine.
And I plan to make it official, even if I have to drag her kicking and screaming to the altar.
This time… there will be no escape from me.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published February 19, 2021
1773 people are currently reading
2136 people want to read
About the author
Zoe Blake
87 books3,136 followersZoe Blake is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the romantic suspense saga The Cavalieri Billionaire Legacy inspired by her own heritage as well as her obsession with jewelry, travel, and the salacious gossip of history’s most infamous families.
She delights in writing Dark Romance books filled with overly possessive billionaires, taboo scenes, and unexpected twists. She usually spends her ill-gotten gains on martinis, vacations, and red lipstick.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/zoeblakebooks/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/zoeblakebooks/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeblakebooks
She delights in writing Dark Romance books filled with overly possessive billionaires, taboo scenes, and unexpected twists. She usually spends her ill-gotten gains on martinis, vacations, and red lipstick.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/zoeblakebooks/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/zoeblakebooks/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeblakebooks
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 377 reviews
February 16, 2021
***4 STARS***
Zoe Blake continues this epic trilogy with Damien and Yelena’s romance.
Yelena has caught the attention of Damien “Demon” Ivanov, enforcer of the family. She has also come to the attention of the Colombian and Russian mob due to her horse racing scam. That combination is not good but Damien is determined to protect her and Yelena is determined to run. When he finally catches up to her the fireworks fly.
This is a dark romance and these Ivanov men have a firm hand and believe in discipline. These books are not for the soft hearted so beware. The chemistry was electric between these two. Well written and I am really looking forward to the last book in the series.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Zoe Blake continues this epic trilogy with Damien and Yelena’s romance.
Yelena has caught the attention of Damien “Demon” Ivanov, enforcer of the family. She has also come to the attention of the Colombian and Russian mob due to her horse racing scam. That combination is not good but Damien is determined to protect her and Yelena is determined to run. When he finally catches up to her the fireworks fly.
This is a dark romance and these Ivanov men have a firm hand and believe in discipline. These books are not for the soft hearted so beware. The chemistry was electric between these two. Well written and I am really looking forward to the last book in the series.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 24, 2021
Short afterword that should be at the end of this graphomaniac text but I bare hatred for any semblance of order: Damn… I wanted to keep this review short and simple :///
Okay-OK-ay (take 2), I’ve managed to finish the book so I’ll write my trash review and be done with this author… forever. Not because she is an untalented writer. She probably is. I’ve just come to sweet realization, based on my brief experience with her books, that we’re not compatiable as a reader/writer duet.
My mind is always a dark and chaotic place to be right after I read stories I didn’t particularly enjoy, but I’ll try to keep my nasty books’ bully side at bay just this once. Thank goodness, I have only three points to make, regarding: 1) sex scenes (urgh); 2) the heroine; 3) the Russian language. LMAO (at least I had a good laugh). I’m totally victim blaming myself when it comes to this particular point; believing that authors who write smutty books actually give a damn about being respectful of other cultures…so NAIVE):/
1) I must admit that this story surprised me solely with the fact that it all didn’t boil down to wild sex with a barbaric Russian male like I initially expected it would (I’m not actually believing my own choice of words here). The plot wasn’t interesting or intriguing enough for me (mostly cat and mouse routine that got old soon with an outward danger thrown in) but at least it did exist in the realm of this book. Boo. Sex happened in the second part of the book but the intense foreplay starts assaulting you (no pun intended) right from the very beginning and I cannot help pointing out that I, indeed, felt bothered by it how it was displayed. Putting aside my general dislike for dirty (aka considered hawt), porno style description of intimacy that is filled to the rim with blinding lust but is lacking in sweet and tender details like caring touches, prolonged eye-contact (sorry, I’m that cheesy🤡), sex was presented in a very patriarchal and, let’s cut the bullshit, degrading for women light. Sex as a tool to execute male dominance and a way to ensure female obedience is the concept AS OLD AND UNAPPEALING AS A MAMMOTH DUNG. I prefer mind games and manipulation🤡. LOL.
When the heroine is talking about her sexual activities with the hero she uses the words like “forced upon me” and fights him every now and then but at the same time she feels extremely aroused and thinks about letting him go all the way which MAKES ME CONFUSED AS FUCK because although the readers know her true feelings, the hero, despite him claiming otherwise, doesn’t.
Ask any rapist, he would tell you that his victim wanted him and was asking for it. I’ve read quite a few books featuring rape and dub-con scenes and I’m mostly fine with them (because I have no business judging women for exploring taboo subjects) as long as rape is called and regarded as what it actually is. Rape. PUNTO. All these half-hearted attempts at drawing excuses for the male character’s rapey behavior by portraying the act as something the woman in fact wanted and needed (in her thoughts), despite all the outward signs (crying and fighting) clearly telling the said male otherwise? U-T-T-E-R B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T. I don’t buy it.
2) I saw some reviewers say this heroine is a badass… Not me giving this book 2 stars just because she managed to stab the hero with a knife. For a second there I felt admiration for her lack of sensibilities (but that’s until a few pages later she gives all the reins to her vagina yet again,😂). Also she succeeded in escaping the hero a few times but unfortunately my brains don’t perceive this a sign of her extreme craftiness or cleverness… The only thought that circled my mind amounted to a simple question “is the male lead really that dumb?”🤡👹. The curtain falls.
3) Oh my…oh my… aren’t the Russian phrases in this one a little gem? Honestly, I don’t even know what to think of this author’s researching schemes anymore… Colour me intrigued😳.
a) Just to maintain the experimental integrity, I used Google translator in order to translate the deeply cherished by the author phrase “my little fallen angel” into Russian (overused endearment in the story) and guess fucking what??? Google translator, that poor little thing that had to endure my continuous contempt for so -so long, did in fact translate this one correctly as “moy malen'kiy padshiy angel”!!! “Moya malen'kiy padshiy angel” is not okay, guys, especially used by the hero I am supposed to find attractive. And I’m not about to start explaining why because I already did it in my other review. LOL. So my question is…what other means does the author resort to when translating into Russian? / By the way, am I the only one who finds “my little fallen angel” rather weird as an endearment, be it in English, Spanish or Russian? /
b) Levin Nikitina. Yes. Who knows knows. 😂
Are there any Russian speaking people out there capable of explaining what the actual fuck is that? LMAO. My brain stopped functioning for a second when I saw that. This strange thing named Levin Nikitina is supposed to be her stepfather. Levin is a Russian/Jewish surname, not a name. Nikitina? It´s a feminine variant of this surname.
I´ll stop here because I´m lazy and I´m not being paid for my editing commentaries (sadly).
At times I was fairly amused, other times I skimmed because it didn’t hold my interest, so 2 stars it is. Take my review with a big grain of salt by the way.
P.S. I urge the authors who cannot resist the temptation to give a human form to their stereotypes about Russians to NOT be squeamish about asking for help from Russian speakers. The Internet is a great invention, ya know. Isn’t this an ethical thing to do, after all?
I know that not in the scariest nightmares did Zoe Blake imagine that some of her readers would be petty enough to call her out on her lack of proper research but …
...........................................................................................................................................................................
Okay-OK-ay, this book is all over my feed lately so I'll read it...
Though it features a Russian male lead and I know that I'm probably setting myself up for an epic disaster.
Also I want to see if the author keeps Google translator as her bestie or she has improved the research skills🤞🤞🤞😌 since our first encounter
Okay-OK-ay (take 2), I’ve managed to finish the book so I’ll write my trash review and be done with this author… forever. Not because she is an untalented writer. She probably is. I’ve just come to sweet realization, based on my brief experience with her books, that we’re not compatiable as a reader/writer duet.
My mind is always a dark and chaotic place to be right after I read stories I didn’t particularly enjoy, but I’ll try to keep my nasty books’ bully side at bay just this once. Thank goodness, I have only three points to make, regarding: 1) sex scenes (urgh); 2) the heroine; 3) the Russian language. LMAO (at least I had a good laugh). I’m totally victim blaming myself when it comes to this particular point; believing that authors who write smutty books actually give a damn about being respectful of other cultures…so NAIVE):/
1) I must admit that this story surprised me solely with the fact that it all didn’t boil down to wild sex with a barbaric Russian male like I initially expected it would (I’m not actually believing my own choice of words here). The plot wasn’t interesting or intriguing enough for me (mostly cat and mouse routine that got old soon with an outward danger thrown in) but at least it did exist in the realm of this book. Boo. Sex happened in the second part of the book but the intense foreplay starts assaulting you (no pun intended) right from the very beginning and I cannot help pointing out that I, indeed, felt bothered by it how it was displayed. Putting aside my general dislike for dirty (aka considered hawt), porno style description of intimacy that is filled to the rim with blinding lust but is lacking in sweet and tender details like caring touches, prolonged eye-contact (sorry, I’m that cheesy🤡), sex was presented in a very patriarchal and, let’s cut the bullshit, degrading for women light. Sex as a tool to execute male dominance and a way to ensure female obedience is the concept AS OLD AND UNAPPEALING AS A MAMMOTH DUNG. I prefer mind games and manipulation🤡. LOL.
When the heroine is talking about her sexual activities with the hero she uses the words like “forced upon me” and fights him every now and then but at the same time she feels extremely aroused and thinks about letting him go all the way which MAKES ME CONFUSED AS FUCK because although the readers know her true feelings, the hero, despite him claiming otherwise, doesn’t.
Ask any rapist, he would tell you that his victim wanted him and was asking for it. I’ve read quite a few books featuring rape and dub-con scenes and I’m mostly fine with them (because I have no business judging women for exploring taboo subjects) as long as rape is called and regarded as what it actually is. Rape. PUNTO. All these half-hearted attempts at drawing excuses for the male character’s rapey behavior by portraying the act as something the woman in fact wanted and needed (in her thoughts), despite all the outward signs (crying and fighting) clearly telling the said male otherwise? U-T-T-E-R B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T. I don’t buy it.
2) I saw some reviewers say this heroine is a badass… Not me giving this book 2 stars just because she managed to stab the hero with a knife. For a second there I felt admiration for her lack of sensibilities (but that’s until a few pages later she gives all the reins to her vagina yet again,😂). Also she succeeded in escaping the hero a few times but unfortunately my brains don’t perceive this a sign of her extreme craftiness or cleverness… The only thought that circled my mind amounted to a simple question “is the male lead really that dumb?”🤡👹. The curtain falls.
3) Oh my…oh my… aren’t the Russian phrases in this one a little gem? Honestly, I don’t even know what to think of this author’s researching schemes anymore… Colour me intrigued😳.
a) Just to maintain the experimental integrity, I used Google translator in order to translate the deeply cherished by the author phrase “my little fallen angel” into Russian (overused endearment in the story) and guess fucking what??? Google translator, that poor little thing that had to endure my continuous contempt for so -so long, did in fact translate this one correctly as “moy malen'kiy padshiy angel”!!! “Moya malen'kiy padshiy angel” is not okay, guys, especially used by the hero I am supposed to find attractive. And I’m not about to start explaining why because I already did it in my other review. LOL. So my question is…what other means does the author resort to when translating into Russian? / By the way, am I the only one who finds “my little fallen angel” rather weird as an endearment, be it in English, Spanish or Russian? /
b) Levin Nikitina. Yes. Who knows knows. 😂
Are there any Russian speaking people out there capable of explaining what the actual fuck is that? LMAO. My brain stopped functioning for a second when I saw that. This strange thing named Levin Nikitina is supposed to be her stepfather. Levin is a Russian/Jewish surname, not a name. Nikitina? It´s a feminine variant of this surname.
I´ll stop here because I´m lazy and I´m not being paid for my editing commentaries (sadly).
At times I was fairly amused, other times I skimmed because it didn’t hold my interest, so 2 stars it is. Take my review with a big grain of salt by the way.
P.S. I urge the authors who cannot resist the temptation to give a human form to their stereotypes about Russians to NOT be squeamish about asking for help from Russian speakers. The Internet is a great invention, ya know. Isn’t this an ethical thing to do, after all?
I know that not in the scariest nightmares did Zoe Blake imagine that some of her readers would be petty enough to call her out on her lack of proper research but …
...........................................................................................................................................................................
Okay-OK-ay, this book is all over my feed lately so I'll read it...
Though it features a Russian male lead and I know that I'm probably setting myself up for an epic disaster.
Also I want to see if the author keeps Google translator as her bestie or she has improved the research skills🤞🤞🤞😌 since our first encounter
March 25, 2025
2024 reread update down below
I need to stop rereading books…
While he’s actively chasing after her, he doesn’t remain celibate? That lowers all the swoon I originally felt 🥴. I think I read this too close to book 1 where I got the same impression, but now I’m wondering if I misread that one too 😒😭.
😐
And, of course, she remains a virgin 🙄😐. There’s NO reason for her to remain celibate/a virgin while he’s sleeping around 🙄🥴🤬. Makes no sense.
This is why I avoid books with a heroine that has cobwebs in her v 😒
ORIGINAL REVIEW
Ahhh… I love a good chase. Tell me that there’s chasing in a book and I am there; that’s probably why I love enemies-to-lovers or opposites attract so much LOL (especially when there’s forced kissing/h runs away/H runs after her/maybe some slapping and hair grabbing too lol). This had chasing in spades.
Yelena is 18 along with her two best friends Samara and Nadia. On Nadia’s 18th birthday, Damien confronts Yelena and lets her know that he knows about her betting schemes. She’s managed to earn a lot of money in a short account of time because she’s figured out the algorithms to win. Her life is in danger because other organizations are figuring out what she’s doing, which means that she’s causing them to lose money. Damien tells her that he can protect her, but Yelena doesn’t want his protection; she wants to do things on her own. He has a… um… very SENSUAL way of convincing her 🥵🔥. I mean… I was here for it 👏🏻. You convince her Damien- with your spanking, your hands, your um… tongue 😉. Shoot… you can convince me too 💁🏻♀️ lol. Annnnd… he also takes care of her good-for-nothing abuser 👏🏻. Although he thinks he’s got her in the bag, he’s wrong lol. Let the chasing begin 😈.
She meets up with the girls and decides that they need to run away, well just her and Samara. For three years, they evade organizations after her as well as Nadia‘s brothers, Damien and Gregor. Damien wants Yelena, and he’s willing to chase her as long as he needs to.
i̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶o̶o̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶y̶s̶ ̶c̶e̶l̶i̶b̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶e̶e̶ ̶y̶e̶a̶r̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶’̶s̶ ̶a̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶Y̶e̶l̶e̶n̶a̶.̶ ̶H̶o̶w̶ ̶o̶f̶t̶e̶n̶ ̶d̶o̶e̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶a̶p̶p̶e̶n̶?̶?̶?̶ ̶N̶o̶t̶ ̶v̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶💁♀️♀̶️̶ ̶p̶o̶i̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶D̶a̶m̶i̶e̶n̶ ̶👏̶🏻̶.̶ ̶W̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶d̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶l̶o̶s̶i̶v̶e̶.̶ ̶S̶o̶ ̶m̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶p̶e̶n̶t̶-̶u̶p̶ ̶e̶n̶e̶r̶g̶y̶,̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶m̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶p̶e̶n̶t̶-̶u̶p̶ ̶t̶e̶n̶s̶i̶o̶n̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶’̶s̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶e̶l̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶😈̶🥵̶🔥̶.̶ ̶N̶o̶w̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶d̶s̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶’̶s̶ ̶s̶t̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶a̶ ̶v̶…̶ ̶u̶m̶…̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶l̶’̶ ̶f̶a̶s̶h̶i̶o̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶😉̶.̶ ̶H̶e̶’̶s̶ ̶“̶s̶w̶e̶e̶t̶”̶ ̶e̶n̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶t̶o̶p̶ ̶o̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶i̶z̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶t̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶s̶o̶o̶n̶ ̶a̶f̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶(̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶d̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶b̶i̶t̶)̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶m̶e̶d̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶🔥̶.̶
2024 Reread
My recent rereading has left me feeling 🥴🤬. Him not being celibate while chasing after her angers me🤬🥴:
Yeah. I don’t find it swoony when an “obsessed” man sleeps with women that look like the woman he’s “obsessed with 🤬🥴 🙄
You know what would’ve been swoony???
If he had remained celibate 🤷🏻♀️👏🏻.
What a novel thought 😱.
I know 🤯😱
🙄
2021:
Yelena is FEISTY, which I loved! She took self-defense classes and is willing to fight anyone physically, plus, she’s smart enough to get out a tight situation, including when she’s handcuffed or tied up. I was on the way to 5 star this read… until towards the end…
SPOILERS- she’s had sex ONE time, and Damien decides to punish her by smexxxing her in her forbidden area? 🤔ugh. This irritated me! At least let it be a few times in 😂😅. I’m ALL for an H bulldozing his way into the h’s life and forcing her to marry him- but when he does it (and he doesn’t listen to her concerns) and she explains why she doesn’t want to, I felt a little emotional about it 🥺we don’t see it and then the book is ending. Does he grovel? Kind of 😬🤔. I wished it had been drawn out more… I DO like that she made him work for it, but I wanted to SEE it more. Umph.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. I loooove when the h fights the H, and she did it- A LOT 😈😅🥵😉🔥. I mean, she stabbed him and hit him with a brick 💁🏻♀️😂😂😂. And yet, he still ends up grabbing her after 🥵😉. Also- gah- I love how he appreciates her likes and learns more about them. Like her horoscope connection, her love of fashion, even her happy meal toys (well, this is really more nostalgic). He learns and adapts and tries to please her. I loved that! Plus, he calls her baby/baby girl/Angel/beautiful etc 🥰.
⚠️ safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/owd/omd
-descriptive torture/killing of man/deaths/bloodshed
-stabbing of a horse to trample a man to death
-other killing details
-mostly dubcon but could be seen as noncon
-praise kink/spanking/ice cubes/smexxing the forbidden hole
-no condoms/she’s a virgin/who knows about him. I wish we had a clear explanation on his celibacy 🤬
-HFN/HEA/epilogue is about book 3’s couple
I need to stop rereading books…
While he’s actively chasing after her, he doesn’t remain celibate? That lowers all the swoon I originally felt 🥴. I think I read this too close to book 1 where I got the same impression, but now I’m wondering if I misread that one too 😒😭.
😐
And, of course, she remains a virgin 🙄😐. There’s NO reason for her to remain celibate/a virgin while he’s sleeping around 🙄🥴🤬. Makes no sense.
This is why I avoid books with a heroine that has cobwebs in her v 😒
ORIGINAL REVIEW
Ahhh… I love a good chase. Tell me that there’s chasing in a book and I am there; that’s probably why I love enemies-to-lovers or opposites attract so much LOL (especially when there’s forced kissing/h runs away/H runs after her/maybe some slapping and hair grabbing too lol). This had chasing in spades.
Yelena is 18 along with her two best friends Samara and Nadia. On Nadia’s 18th birthday, Damien confronts Yelena and lets her know that he knows about her betting schemes. She’s managed to earn a lot of money in a short account of time because she’s figured out the algorithms to win. Her life is in danger because other organizations are figuring out what she’s doing, which means that she’s causing them to lose money. Damien tells her that he can protect her, but Yelena doesn’t want his protection; she wants to do things on her own. He has a… um… very SENSUAL way of convincing her 🥵🔥. I mean… I was here for it 👏🏻. You convince her Damien- with your spanking, your hands, your um… tongue 😉. Shoot… you can convince me too 💁🏻♀️ lol. Annnnd… he also takes care of her good-for-nothing abuser 👏🏻. Although he thinks he’s got her in the bag, he’s wrong lol. Let the chasing begin 😈.
She meets up with the girls and decides that they need to run away, well just her and Samara. For three years, they evade organizations after her as well as Nadia‘s brothers, Damien and Gregor. Damien wants Yelena, and he’s willing to chase her as long as he needs to.
i̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶o̶o̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶y̶s̶ ̶c̶e̶l̶i̶b̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶e̶e̶ ̶y̶e̶a̶r̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶’̶s̶ ̶a̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶Y̶e̶l̶e̶n̶a̶.̶ ̶H̶o̶w̶ ̶o̶f̶t̶e̶n̶ ̶d̶o̶e̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶a̶p̶p̶e̶n̶?̶?̶?̶ ̶N̶o̶t̶ ̶v̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶💁♀️♀̶️̶ ̶p̶o̶i̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶D̶a̶m̶i̶e̶n̶ ̶👏̶🏻̶.̶ ̶W̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶d̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶l̶o̶s̶i̶v̶e̶.̶ ̶S̶o̶ ̶m̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶p̶e̶n̶t̶-̶u̶p̶ ̶e̶n̶e̶r̶g̶y̶,̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶m̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶p̶e̶n̶t̶-̶u̶p̶ ̶t̶e̶n̶s̶i̶o̶n̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶’̶s̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶e̶l̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶😈̶🥵̶🔥̶.̶ ̶N̶o̶w̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶d̶s̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶’̶s̶ ̶s̶t̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶a̶ ̶v̶…̶ ̶u̶m̶…̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶l̶’̶ ̶f̶a̶s̶h̶i̶o̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶😉̶.̶ ̶H̶e̶’̶s̶ ̶“̶s̶w̶e̶e̶t̶”̶ ̶e̶n̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶t̶o̶p̶ ̶o̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶i̶z̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶t̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶s̶o̶o̶n̶ ̶a̶f̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶(̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶d̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶b̶i̶t̶)̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶m̶e̶d̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶🔥̶.̶
2024 Reread
My recent rereading has left me feeling 🥴🤬. Him not being celibate while chasing after her angers me🤬🥴:
I couldn’t remember the last time I'd fucked a woman. At first, I had tried to erase her memory. Any beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes was fair game. But they all paled in comparison to Yelena. They all were false. Their beauty brittle. Their intellect a thin veneer. Their eyes didn’t have the same sparkle of defiance that Yelena’s had. Their skin wasn’t as silky soft. Their lips lacked her sweetness. Before, I had hesitated because of her age. She had been barely eighteen. Still a child. Now there was no such barrier. I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. This time, when I found her, the first thing I was going to do was claim her for my own. Once and for all…
Yeah. I don’t find it swoony when an “obsessed” man sleeps with women that look like the woman he’s “obsessed with 🤬🥴 🙄
You know what would’ve been swoony???
If he had remained celibate 🤷🏻♀️👏🏻.
What a novel thought 😱.
I know 🤯😱
🙄
2021:
Yelena is FEISTY, which I loved! She took self-defense classes and is willing to fight anyone physically, plus, she’s smart enough to get out a tight situation, including when she’s handcuffed or tied up. I was on the way to 5 star this read… until towards the end…
SPOILERS- she’s had sex ONE time, and Damien decides to punish her by smexxxing her in her forbidden area? 🤔ugh. This irritated me! At least let it be a few times in 😂😅. I’m ALL for an H bulldozing his way into the h’s life and forcing her to marry him- but when he does it (and he doesn’t listen to her concerns) and she explains why she doesn’t want to, I felt a little emotional about it 🥺we don’t see it and then the book is ending. Does he grovel? Kind of 😬🤔. I wished it had been drawn out more… I DO like that she made him work for it, but I wanted to SEE it more. Umph.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. I loooove when the h fights the H, and she did it- A LOT 😈😅🥵😉🔥. I mean, she stabbed him and hit him with a brick 💁🏻♀️😂😂😂. And yet, he still ends up grabbing her after 🥵😉. Also- gah- I love how he appreciates her likes and learns more about them. Like her horoscope connection, her love of fashion, even her happy meal toys (well, this is really more nostalgic). He learns and adapts and tries to please her. I loved that! Plus, he calls her baby/baby girl/Angel/beautiful etc 🥰.
⚠️ safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/owd/omd
-descriptive torture/killing of man/deaths/bloodshed
-stabbing of a horse to trample a man to death
-other killing details
-mostly dubcon but could be seen as noncon
-praise kink/spanking/ice cubes/smexxing the forbidden hole
-no condoms/she’s a virgin/who knows about him. I wish we had a clear explanation on his celibacy 🤬
-HFN/HEA/epilogue is about book 3’s couple
February 11, 2021
4 I Will Punish Your Ass Stars ⭐
You’ll not meet a saucier and more kickass heroine then Yelena Nikitina in Vicious Oath. Presently on the run for pissing off the Italians and Colombians, she’ll have no choice at this rate than to accept the help of Russian Enforcer Damian Ivanov.
Take a risk. Dream big. Chase the Impossible.
Raised by a low life, Yelena has been hustling since she was a teen. From petty theft to successfully punting on horses, she’s in over her head. So, at 18 she flees with her best friend. Except at that time she had caught the eye of Damien. Not realising his intentions were to marry her to keep her safe, she never imagined he would continue searching for her.
I still had every intention of marrying her. She would be mine in every respect of the word.
Except now, I wouldn’t bother asking first.
How could a tiny blonde allude his grasp? Damian may have been initially drawn to Yelena’s spark and beauty but now…he’s in complete awe of her. It’s taken him three years to find her. Keeping her is another complication.
He wrenched my head back to rest on his shoulder as he whispered into my ear, “You should be very scared right now, malen’kaya shalun’ya, because I’m going to hate fuck you into next week.”
Their history has been entwined from the beginning. Yelena may resist Damien at every turn (and trust me she is totally equipped to) however these two are fire together. They are equally matched and destined.
There was something so arousing about being taken by man. To being held down and having an incredible, mind-shattering orgasm forced upon you by expert hand.
And then I had to go hit him with a brick.
I’m sure this author thinks I have bipolar since I wasn’t a big fan of Savage Vow, the first book in this interconnecting series. And yet this time around, I was totally digging Damien’s manhandling and rough sex. In this instance I felt that Yelena was strong willed and naturally gravitated towards the darkness; so they fit. Vicious Oath had great banter, hot AF sexual encounters and a great storyline and characters. Bring on Betrayed Honor!
ARC provided by author in exchange for my honest opinion.
You’ll not meet a saucier and more kickass heroine then Yelena Nikitina in Vicious Oath. Presently on the run for pissing off the Italians and Colombians, she’ll have no choice at this rate than to accept the help of Russian Enforcer Damian Ivanov.
Take a risk. Dream big. Chase the Impossible.
Raised by a low life, Yelena has been hustling since she was a teen. From petty theft to successfully punting on horses, she’s in over her head. So, at 18 she flees with her best friend. Except at that time she had caught the eye of Damien. Not realising his intentions were to marry her to keep her safe, she never imagined he would continue searching for her.
I still had every intention of marrying her. She would be mine in every respect of the word.
Except now, I wouldn’t bother asking first.
How could a tiny blonde allude his grasp? Damian may have been initially drawn to Yelena’s spark and beauty but now…he’s in complete awe of her. It’s taken him three years to find her. Keeping her is another complication.
He wrenched my head back to rest on his shoulder as he whispered into my ear, “You should be very scared right now, malen’kaya shalun’ya, because I’m going to hate fuck you into next week.”
Their history has been entwined from the beginning. Yelena may resist Damien at every turn (and trust me she is totally equipped to) however these two are fire together. They are equally matched and destined.
There was something so arousing about being taken by man. To being held down and having an incredible, mind-shattering orgasm forced upon you by expert hand.
And then I had to go hit him with a brick.
I’m sure this author thinks I have bipolar since I wasn’t a big fan of Savage Vow, the first book in this interconnecting series. And yet this time around, I was totally digging Damien’s manhandling and rough sex. In this instance I felt that Yelena was strong willed and naturally gravitated towards the darkness; so they fit. Vicious Oath had great banter, hot AF sexual encounters and a great storyline and characters. Bring on Betrayed Honor!
ARC provided by author in exchange for my honest opinion.
February 4, 2021
3.5 ⭐
We are in book 2 in this series and this one was more plot then smut lol. And more cat mouse type of chase.
It was alittle slow in the beginning we learn more about these two. Yelena has messed up she did something to get on some bad men's radar and Damien is trying to help her. His first plan was to ship her far away because he was also attracted to her. But that plan was doomed when he found out more of Yelena past and wanted her to be his and she ran away from him. Now 3 years later he finally found her and he is going to do everything in his power to make her his. And I laughed at how Yelena handled everything she was kinda smart and knew what to do. She stabbed!! And had escape plan after escape plan. She was very crafty in escaping Damien 🤣🤣. Like I said above there relationship was alot of push/pull until there was more danger. But that didnt stop Yelena from chewing out Damien and didn't stop Damien from chasing after his woman.
I'll be honest at one point Yelena did mess up so Damien can catch her because running away 101 never use a card 🤣🤣🤣 so I knew she was done running.
I cant wait for the next couple.
Low angst,No ow/om drama (unless you count the dancing),No cheating, Drama, slight secondary characters, sexy times, virgin gal and no manwhore (he mentioned he tried to get over h during the separation never shown on page)
Recommend- yes/maybe
Cover-⭐⭐⭐⭐
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶
Slowburnish
Older/younger couple
21h/30H
Seperation 3 years (she was 18 he was 27)
Push away from both (but mostly h)
Ice play
Anal play/sex
Spankings/pubishments
Mention past abuse (h step father hit her)
Violence
Hea
Epilogue
We are in book 2 in this series and this one was more plot then smut lol. And more cat mouse type of chase.
It was alittle slow in the beginning we learn more about these two. Yelena has messed up she did something to get on some bad men's radar and Damien is trying to help her. His first plan was to ship her far away because he was also attracted to her. But that plan was doomed when he found out more of Yelena past and wanted her to be his and she ran away from him. Now 3 years later he finally found her and he is going to do everything in his power to make her his. And I laughed at how Yelena handled everything she was kinda smart and knew what to do. She stabbed!! And had escape plan after escape plan. She was very crafty in escaping Damien 🤣🤣. Like I said above there relationship was alot of push/pull until there was more danger. But that didnt stop Yelena from chewing out Damien and didn't stop Damien from chasing after his woman.
I'll be honest at one point Yelena did mess up so Damien can catch her because running away 101 never use a card 🤣🤣🤣 so I knew she was done running.
I cant wait for the next couple.
Low angst,No ow/om drama (unless you count the dancing),No cheating, Drama, slight secondary characters, sexy times, virgin gal and no manwhore (he mentioned he tried to get over h during the separation never shown on page)
Recommend- yes/maybe
Cover-⭐⭐⭐⭐
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶
Slowburnish
Older/younger couple
21h/30H
Seperation 3 years (she was 18 he was 27)
Push away from both (but mostly h)
Ice play
Anal play/sex
Spankings/pubishments
Mention past abuse (h step father hit her)
Violence
Hea
Epilogue
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2021
I am depraved!
February 25, 2021
I’m giving this a 3 cause it made laugh 😂 like seriously it was funny. Not sure if that was suppose to be the case.
I didn’t like that he was trying to replace/get over her in the 3 years she had gone with anyone that looked like her. I hate this in romances is it suppose to be romantic it’s not it’s quite silly and disgusting.
I didn’t like that he was trying to replace/get over her in the 3 years she had gone with anyone that looked like her. I hate this in romances is it suppose to be romantic it’s not it’s quite silly and disgusting.
January 6, 2023
May be my favorite couple of Blakes books ... No, I am certain this is my favorite couple!
Great read! Excitement! Danger! Burning Heat! Bad-ass FMC!
Yall....get this series! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Happy reading,
DD 🥂
Great read! Excitement! Danger! Burning Heat! Bad-ass FMC!
Yall....get this series! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Happy reading,
DD 🥂
February 23, 2021
Smut - smut-smut, but of questionable character (hot+cringey).
The captor-captive routine got repetitive - - - - - > I got bored...
The captor-captive routine got repetitive - - - - - > I got bored...
March 3, 2021
Oh my god. I loved this book so freaking much. 😭😭♥️♥️♥️
I want more.
This series is a must read. 🔥🔥🔥🔥
I want more.
This series is a must read. 🔥🔥🔥🔥
February 7, 2021
ALL MY REVIEWS CAN BE FOUND ON MY BLOG: ABSTRACT BOOKS
Never in my life had I underestimated a man before. Never in a million years would I have thought I would become his one driving obsession. Demon Damien Ivanov went on the hunt that night — and I was his unwitting prey.”
Star Rating : 4.5 / 5 stars
POV : Dual
Cliffhanger : None
Hero : Damien
Heroine : Yelena
Pace of the story : Fast
Angst Rating : 3/10
Heat Rating : 9/10
Triggers Involved : Dub Con scenes
Plot Summary :
Damien has always been a ruthless man. There is a reason he is known as the Demon Damien. His reputation makes people shake in fear. The only one who has come closer to thaw his heart is Yelena. That is until she betrayed him. Now he has no choice but to chase her and make her regret her actions all the while tying her to himself permanently!
Yelena had always liked Damien but at the same time he scared her too. She has gone too far this time and many dangerous people are now after her. She thinks Damien can protect her but then finds out that all he wants is to control her. So now she has no choice but to run . She thinks He will forget about her in some time. Ohh , how wrong she is. Damien has not set his eyes on his prey and there is now way he is letting her go at any cost!!
Overall Opinion :
I was in such a book funk and wanted a delicious dark tale to get me out of it. I have recently discovered this author and am not ashamed to say that I am absolutely addicted to her brand of darkness!! Zoe Blake is the queen of writing amazing storylines and steamy Dubcon scenes which are both my kryptonite. This book was the same!
Damein and Yelena have one hell of an explosive tale of which I enjoyed every word. There were a lot of dubcon scenes so please be careful about that. It was dark and gritty making me love every word of this masterpiece! The ending was the best part of this book and I can't wait for more from this author. I already know who are going to be the next couple and I am particularly excited about them. A must read for all the dark mafia Romance lovers out there!
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February 21, 2021
My favorite of the series so far!
I love Yelena!
This book is a huge cat and mouse game.
Yelena gets herself in trouble with her insane intelligence and ends up winning a crap ton of money on horse betting.... illegally.
“My job in the Ivanov family was to associate with the types who only crawled out of their holes in the dead of night. I kept to the corners of fine society. Dark corners for doing dark deeds. It was how I had earned the moniker Demon Damien. If I showed up on someone's doorstep, there were no more second chances. It was game over.”
What we find out really early on is that Damien, while a scary mother fucker, cares about Yelena on a deep level.
“My feelings for her were now not just a part of me but the only breathing warmth in my body.”
Yelena is his younger sisters best friend and throughout the years, he felt bad for her knowing she didn’t have a good home life. Catching her stealing, he in present time regrets not digging deeper and helping her out. So when he found out she dug herself a deep ass hole of T-R-O-U-B-L-E.. he wants to help her out. Truly.
Yelena knows Damien is into some bad shit. She literally thinks he’s going to kill her.
No trust in this relationship from day one, she flees.
If you read book one with Gregor and Samara.. you know Samara and Yelena ran and successfully ran for three years dodging these Russian bad boys.
Here’s where the book gets fucking amazing. Turns out, Yelena is a badass and has been taking self defense classes for the three years and manages to literally whoop Damiens ass and flees.
It’s a cat and mouse game. SO MUCH SEXUAL TENSION.
This book was pure 🔥🔥🔥🔥
The smut was 5/5. It was insane. Zoe Blake knows how to write sex and kinky scenes.
It’s a race against bigger enemies for Yelena as she’s got evil men trying to track her down and figure out how she can win on horse racing every time. Damien is trying to get this girl to stop for a damn minute and save her ass. She’s no damsel in distress. And he’s all alpha brutality.
Will she submit?
These two... are freaking steamy as hell. I absolutely loved this book.
I love Yelena!
This book is a huge cat and mouse game.
Yelena gets herself in trouble with her insane intelligence and ends up winning a crap ton of money on horse betting.... illegally.
“My job in the Ivanov family was to associate with the types who only crawled out of their holes in the dead of night. I kept to the corners of fine society. Dark corners for doing dark deeds. It was how I had earned the moniker Demon Damien. If I showed up on someone's doorstep, there were no more second chances. It was game over.”
What we find out really early on is that Damien, while a scary mother fucker, cares about Yelena on a deep level.
“My feelings for her were now not just a part of me but the only breathing warmth in my body.”
Yelena is his younger sisters best friend and throughout the years, he felt bad for her knowing she didn’t have a good home life. Catching her stealing, he in present time regrets not digging deeper and helping her out. So when he found out she dug herself a deep ass hole of T-R-O-U-B-L-E.. he wants to help her out. Truly.
Yelena knows Damien is into some bad shit. She literally thinks he’s going to kill her.
No trust in this relationship from day one, she flees.
If you read book one with Gregor and Samara.. you know Samara and Yelena ran and successfully ran for three years dodging these Russian bad boys.
Here’s where the book gets fucking amazing. Turns out, Yelena is a badass and has been taking self defense classes for the three years and manages to literally whoop Damiens ass and flees.
It’s a cat and mouse game. SO MUCH SEXUAL TENSION.
This book was pure 🔥🔥🔥🔥
The smut was 5/5. It was insane. Zoe Blake knows how to write sex and kinky scenes.
It’s a race against bigger enemies for Yelena as she’s got evil men trying to track her down and figure out how she can win on horse racing every time. Damien is trying to get this girl to stop for a damn minute and save her ass. She’s no damsel in distress. And he’s all alpha brutality.
Will she submit?
These two... are freaking steamy as hell. I absolutely loved this book.
February 15, 2021
DELICIOUS!!!! Zoe knows how to write dark. Loved every second of the devourlishious dark read.
April 7, 2024
Update: so he wasn’t celibate during separation??? yeah fuck that. i think it flew over my head the first time i read it🙄
Original review:
4.35 pleasantly surprised stars. i was very shocked how much i enjoyed it. i really enjoyed the tension and chemistry as well as the dedication the H had for the heroine. it was quite interesting to read about and lots of scenes made me laugh since the heroine was bold and funny. i liked reading about the heroine’s many, many escaped but the Hero always catching up to her. i think another reason i liked this book was that is reminded me of The Maddest Obsession by Danielle Lori. it’s literally my favorite book ever and this book had some similarities with the heroine and the Russian nicknames!!
the possessiveness and obsessiveness in this book was so good to read! this is a book series i’m going to start reading more of for sure.
Original review:
4.35 pleasantly surprised stars. i was very shocked how much i enjoyed it. i really enjoyed the tension and chemistry as well as the dedication the H had for the heroine. it was quite interesting to read about and lots of scenes made me laugh since the heroine was bold and funny. i liked reading about the heroine’s many, many escaped but the Hero always catching up to her. i think another reason i liked this book was that is reminded me of The Maddest Obsession by Danielle Lori. it’s literally my favorite book ever and this book had some similarities with the heroine and the Russian nicknames!!
the possessiveness and obsessiveness in this book was so good to read! this is a book series i’m going to start reading more of for sure.
February 20, 2021
1 star This book should be titled A Tale Of Rape.
I can’t even... I’m just so angry 😡 stay away from this entire series it should come with some serious trigger warnings. I’m staying away from this author for my own mental health.
Please just read my comments on quotes & under live activity for a more detailed look at my thoughts while reading this book. 😤
Trigger ⚠️ Warning: Rape, violence against woman, No consent. Etc etc
I can’t even... I’m just so angry 😡 stay away from this entire series it should come with some serious trigger warnings. I’m staying away from this author for my own mental health.
Please just read my comments on quotes & under live activity for a more detailed look at my thoughts while reading this book. 😤
Trigger ⚠️ Warning: Rape, violence against woman, No consent. Etc etc
February 28, 2021
OMG, I LOVE Damien and Yelena's story. I thought Savage Vow blew me away. But Damien and Yelena's story took my breath away. Each book is wonderful in its own right. With Vicious Oath, we get a very strong and intense woman in Yelena. She doesn't take anyone's crap and that includes Damien. The way these two go after each other in and out of bed keeps you wanting more and more. Vicious Oath is a book that keeps you going all the way through and then makes you wonder what the hell just happened. You want to keep reading even when the story is over.
If there is any series to read this year it is the Ivanov Crime Family!
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If there is any series to read this year it is the Ivanov Crime Family!
Blog: http://myfantasylandblog.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fantasylandblog
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fantasylandblog
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fantasyland...
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/27664...
February 6, 2021
Yelena Nikitina has a problem. Her mom is dead. Her step-father is an abusive ass. So she had a plan to take care of herself, because no one else has ever done it. It *may* have been illegal, but a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do. But Yelena got greedy and stepped on the wrong people’s toes. They’ve figured it out and she’s got to get out of town quickly. Luckily for her, one of her two best friends, Samara, wants out too because she’s had a marriage arranged to Gregor, so they decide to run together. But she doesn’t count on Damian chasing her too.
Damian. Gregor’s younger brother. The muscle. Always staying in the dark corners, watching. Damian doesn’t understand his feelings for Yelena, what makes him want to protect her. To be her champion. For three years he has been tracking her. She’s been staying just out of his reach and by the time he finally catches up he is a man obsessed. And he’s not letting his little fallen angel get away again.
Vicious Oath is the second installment in the Ivanov Crime family series. It can be read as a standalone, but best read after Savage Vow, but also contains some characters from Sweet Cruelty. If high handed, anti-hero stories with dubcon isn’t your jam, you probably won’t like this book. It is a dark, more gritty romance with a hero that’s super jealous/possessive, who knows “what’s best” for his heroine. Zoe Blake fans will NOT be disappointed!
Vicious Oath is seriously my favorite Zoe Blake novel yet!! This book is absolutely wonderful and the story had me gripped until the very end. There was just SO much chemistry between Yelena and Damian. Every time they came together was hot as f*ck and it just kept building! Yelena was a wonderful, strong, take charge kind of heroine that wasn’t going to passively accept her fate, fighting till the end. Damian was everything you want in an anti-hero; super sexy, protective and alpha, but also indulgent and thoughtful. I felt like I really got to know these characters and was invested in their happy ever after. We were able to see all our favorite characters from her past books and there’s a great lead in to Betrayed Honor - I cannot wait!!
Damian. Gregor’s younger brother. The muscle. Always staying in the dark corners, watching. Damian doesn’t understand his feelings for Yelena, what makes him want to protect her. To be her champion. For three years he has been tracking her. She’s been staying just out of his reach and by the time he finally catches up he is a man obsessed. And he’s not letting his little fallen angel get away again.
Vicious Oath is the second installment in the Ivanov Crime family series. It can be read as a standalone, but best read after Savage Vow, but also contains some characters from Sweet Cruelty. If high handed, anti-hero stories with dubcon isn’t your jam, you probably won’t like this book. It is a dark, more gritty romance with a hero that’s super jealous/possessive, who knows “what’s best” for his heroine. Zoe Blake fans will NOT be disappointed!
Vicious Oath is seriously my favorite Zoe Blake novel yet!! This book is absolutely wonderful and the story had me gripped until the very end. There was just SO much chemistry between Yelena and Damian. Every time they came together was hot as f*ck and it just kept building! Yelena was a wonderful, strong, take charge kind of heroine that wasn’t going to passively accept her fate, fighting till the end. Damian was everything you want in an anti-hero; super sexy, protective and alpha, but also indulgent and thoughtful. I felt like I really got to know these characters and was invested in their happy ever after. We were able to see all our favorite characters from her past books and there’s a great lead in to Betrayed Honor - I cannot wait!!
March 6, 2021
2nd book in the series
The 2nd brother Damien and yelena , these 2 were like Tom and Jerry, he is chasing her and she is running.... actually she did more than running 🙂 she stabbed him 2 😂 Sex was Hot , no cheating epilogue was nice he proposed to her in a romantic way ❤
Excited about the last couple 👍
The 2nd brother Damien and yelena , these 2 were like Tom and Jerry, he is chasing her and she is running.... actually she did more than running 🙂 she stabbed him 2 😂 Sex was Hot , no cheating epilogue was nice he proposed to her in a romantic way ❤
Excited about the last couple 👍
February 21, 2021
I love a strong badass heroine
March 22, 2021
Yelena was one feisty heroine! I enjoyed reading her shenanigans. Damien and Yelena's story was steamy, eventful and a little bit softer compared to the previous book in the series.
February 27, 2021
I am simply blown away by the caliber of the author to produce characters amd story lines this amazing!
This is a huge step up from Savage Vow (the first book) and that book is lit, in my opinion.
We get so much from this book. From Yelena's side of the story before and during her 3 years of running away from Damien (not overload info and not so much repetition), from her past with Damien up to the present was tastely incorporated by the author. I love Damien's obesSi0n and p0ssəsiveness for Yelena. His hunger to care, serve and protect her is so very macho and swoon-worthy.
I also love Yelena's sassiness and feisty attitude. It perfectly matches Damien's character and personality to a T. Everything about them screams "meant for each other" vibes. I alsp love thr camaraderie between all the guys and how they make fun of each other and also talk about their girls and how they keep them on their toes.
There's just so much I love in this story and I'm so excited in diving into this series more especially now that we had a glimpse of the third book.
This is a huge step up from Savage Vow (the first book) and that book is lit, in my opinion.
We get so much from this book. From Yelena's side of the story before and during her 3 years of running away from Damien (not overload info and not so much repetition), from her past with Damien up to the present was tastely incorporated by the author. I love Damien's obesSi0n and p0ssəsiveness for Yelena. His hunger to care, serve and protect her is so very macho and swoon-worthy.
I also love Yelena's sassiness and feisty attitude. It perfectly matches Damien's character and personality to a T. Everything about them screams "meant for each other" vibes. I alsp love thr camaraderie between all the guys and how they make fun of each other and also talk about their girls and how they keep them on their toes.
There's just so much I love in this story and I'm so excited in diving into this series more especially now that we had a glimpse of the third book.
February 7, 2021
Yalena is by far my favorite reluctant bride. Her quick wit an can do attitude were a perfect paring. She had that true ' phuck you' attitude I wished more lead females had in dealing with brutish men like Damien- who I expected would have been a bit more stern considering the lengths she went through to keep him away from her. (A brick REALLY 😅) But at the same time I appreciate his generosity and gentle nature with her considering the barriers he had to break down just to get through to her.
This Author has given us yet another wonderful tale finely woven in fine arts and high fashion . Fiesty women and men who love them. I'm sure the next installment is sure to be just as amazing a journey as ever!
This Author has given us yet another wonderful tale finely woven in fine arts and high fashion . Fiesty women and men who love them. I'm sure the next installment is sure to be just as amazing a journey as ever!
March 28, 2021
Better than the first one. But still after a while the push away from the h it's getting on my nerves.
But i feel like they were good together,and i could finish this read, in the other one i stopped at 44%.
But i feel like they were good together,and i could finish this read, in the other one i stopped at 44%.
December 1, 2021
Love that Yelena was able to fight back against Damien and kept fighting him until the end. I loved the chemistry between the two. Onto the last book!
February 19, 2021
I'm always going to be a Zoe Blake fan. Why? She writes books that have a hint of darkness, but not TOOOO dark for me. She skates right in the middle of what I'm comfortable with.
This is book 2 of the Ivanov crime family and it was my favorite of the two so far. Yelena is a girl on the run with Demon Damien right behind her. The timeline is actually during the same time as Gregor and Samara's story in Savage Vow. You don't have to read Savage Vow, but it would be helpful. Plus, that's also a great read =)
Yelena is a smart, cunning girl who is not a damsel in distress, but still a vulnerable woman. I love insta-love and Damien definitely falls for her from the beginning. I love that she gives Damien a run for his money and doesn't take any....thing 😂
There is a bit of dubcon during the $ex scenes so if you're not a fan or if it makes you uncomfortable, this may not be the book for you. But there is a pommel horse scene and it was amazing! It was the first time I've ever read a scene like that!! LOL!
Anyhoo, I loved it. Thank you Zoe Blake for this phenomenal read, and I'm looking forward to Nadia's story in Book 3!!
This is book 2 of the Ivanov crime family and it was my favorite of the two so far. Yelena is a girl on the run with Demon Damien right behind her. The timeline is actually during the same time as Gregor and Samara's story in Savage Vow. You don't have to read Savage Vow, but it would be helpful. Plus, that's also a great read =)
Yelena is a smart, cunning girl who is not a damsel in distress, but still a vulnerable woman. I love insta-love and Damien definitely falls for her from the beginning. I love that she gives Damien a run for his money and doesn't take any....thing 😂
There is a bit of dubcon during the $ex scenes so if you're not a fan or if it makes you uncomfortable, this may not be the book for you. But there is a pommel horse scene and it was amazing! It was the first time I've ever read a scene like that!! LOL!
Anyhoo, I loved it. Thank you Zoe Blake for this phenomenal read, and I'm looking forward to Nadia's story in Book 3!!
March 12, 2024
Not a fan at all. Basically, Book 1 repeated except instead of an arranged marriage, it's a marriage to save her.
Damien Ivanov (27, Russian mafia-ish) has the hots for his sisters BFF, Yelena Nikitina (18, virgin, annoying as hell), but he knows she's too young for him. Her dad's an ass, her mom is dead, so she starts making money by betting on horse races and cheating in some sort of way. She ends up making other mafia type people mad, Damien wants to help her, she decides to go on the run with Samara instead. It's the same schtick. Her yelling, hating, fighting, and running away from Damien, him trying to make her behave. Lots of start/stop sex scenes. I was so over it.
There was nothing interesting about this book. Nothing unique. I liked the Ruthless Obsession series much more.
Damien Ivanov (27, Russian mafia-ish) has the hots for his sisters BFF, Yelena Nikitina (18, virgin, annoying as hell), but he knows she's too young for him. Her dad's an ass, her mom is dead, so she starts making money by betting on horse races and cheating in some sort of way. She ends up making other mafia type people mad, Damien wants to help her, she decides to go on the run with Samara instead. It's the same schtick. Her yelling, hating, fighting, and running away from Damien, him trying to make her behave. Lots of start/stop sex scenes. I was so over it.
There was nothing interesting about this book. Nothing unique. I liked the Ruthless Obsession series much more.
May 16, 2022
Damien and Yelena
I can not get enough of Zoe Blake's work. Her novels keep pulling me in. This is only book two and I can already say that Yelena is definitely my favorite herione of the series. I feel like Damien definitely met his match because she was not giving up, for fighting for what she wanted.
I can not get enough of Zoe Blake's work. Her novels keep pulling me in. This is only book two and I can already say that Yelena is definitely my favorite herione of the series. I feel like Damien definitely met his match because she was not giving up, for fighting for what she wanted.
February 21, 2021
Ooh, this was right up my alley. I LOVE stories where the heroine is kickass and can hold her own, and has cat and mouse games with the sexy antihero. The hero's crazed pursuit of the heroine was HOT HOT HOT. Girl made him work for it, too. I love how she kept turning him on, then getting the best of him and slipping away from him. I wish there were more of these kinds of stories, with a cute and spirited feme fatale who is hard working and trying her best to survive, pursued by an OTT obsessed man. Lots of interplay of fighting and sex. It kind of reminded me of Jay Marie's Stronger series, but with the hero being a more redeemable version of Daren.
The heroine was adorable, like a cute but deadly hamster. Her thought processes and imaginary scenarios made me laugh. She reminds me a bit of some of MINK's heroines (with the silly thoughts and being adorable but deadly). I laughed so hard near the end when she got mad at the hero and started pacing her room flipping her pink knife, threatening to shank someone, and the hero was like, "I shouldn't have given back her knife." This couple was too cute!
As a heads up, heroine is a virgin (until the hero fixes that near the end, of course). She basically had no interest in romance, and was focused on just surviving and honing her fighting skills, until hero finds her again.The hero slept around before the heroine, and as a trigger warning, he DID sleep around with blonde hair blue eyed women who looked like the heroine during the 3 year time skip (where the heroine ran away from him and was on the run with Samara, the heroine of the first book). He was using them as replacements to try to get over the heroine, but of course none of them came close. Usually I hate stuff like that, but in this case, somehow I didn't really mind it as much. The hero and heroine never really got together beforehand, the heroine ran away from him and was basically doing everything she could to stay away from him, and he stopped sleeping around pretty early on in the 3 years when he realized no one would measure up to the heroine.
The heroine was adorable, like a cute but deadly hamster. Her thought processes and imaginary scenarios made me laugh. She reminds me a bit of some of MINK's heroines (with the silly thoughts and being adorable but deadly). I laughed so hard near the end when she got mad at the hero and started pacing her room flipping her pink knife, threatening to shank someone, and the hero was like, "I shouldn't have given back her knife." This couple was too cute!
As a heads up, heroine is a virgin (until the hero fixes that near the end, of course). She basically had no interest in romance, and was focused on just surviving and honing her fighting skills, until hero finds her again.The hero slept around before the heroine, and as a trigger warning, he DID sleep around with blonde hair blue eyed women who looked like the heroine during the 3 year time skip (where the heroine ran away from him and was on the run with Samara, the heroine of the first book). He was using them as replacements to try to get over the heroine, but of course none of them came close. Usually I hate stuff like that, but in this case, somehow I didn't really mind it as much. The hero and heroine never really got together beforehand, the heroine ran away from him and was basically doing everything she could to stay away from him, and he stopped sleeping around pretty early on in the 3 years when he realized no one would measure up to the heroine.
February 7, 2021
This was a page turner that catches your attention from the beginning, it is filled with lots of twist and turns and i absolutely enjoyed the two main characters they are from different worlds but fate has brought them together.
Yelena is quite headstrong and feisty can she obey the one man who owns her? Damien is not only an Alpha male but he wants Yelena to obey or face the consequences. He is very dangerous and dominate male and he is a force not to go up against, but has he met his match with the sassy Yelena?
Not a dull moment in this one because Yelena gives Damien a run for his money. She would rather face her punishment than obey Damien and follow his rules. This is an amazing well put together story with everything from steamy parts, to the chase and seeing how defiant Yelena really is to the rules set by Damien.
Yelena is quite headstrong and feisty can she obey the one man who owns her? Damien is not only an Alpha male but he wants Yelena to obey or face the consequences. He is very dangerous and dominate male and he is a force not to go up against, but has he met his match with the sassy Yelena?
Not a dull moment in this one because Yelena gives Damien a run for his money. She would rather face her punishment than obey Damien and follow his rules. This is an amazing well put together story with everything from steamy parts, to the chase and seeing how defiant Yelena really is to the rules set by Damien.
February 19, 2021
I really recommend you read book 1 Savage Vow. Damien and Gregor hunt for their brides at the same time and they find them both at the same time.
NOW back to these two crazy kids. Damien a.k.a Damien the Demon and Yelena a.k.a His Fallen Angel. I love Yelena with her Horoscopes reference through the book and she head strong & smart. My heart broke for her past & Damien regrets handing her over to her step father that use the beat her. Both characters are strong and they have regrets. Damien is dangerous and he will doing anything to protect his very clever bride. Yelena is in danger because of her intelligence for horse racing and that has kicked up a few feathers that I want to use her method & they want their money back.
❤Bring on Mikail & Nadi, codename Kitten
☆MUST READ☆
Dark, Enemies to Lover, Mafia Romance with some action and suspense.
NOW back to these two crazy kids. Damien a.k.a Damien the Demon and Yelena a.k.a His Fallen Angel. I love Yelena with her Horoscopes reference through the book and she head strong & smart. My heart broke for her past & Damien regrets handing her over to her step father that use the beat her. Both characters are strong and they have regrets. Damien is dangerous and he will doing anything to protect his very clever bride. Yelena is in danger because of her intelligence for horse racing and that has kicked up a few feathers that I want to use her method & they want their money back.
❤Bring on Mikail & Nadi, codename Kitten
☆MUST READ☆
Dark, Enemies to Lover, Mafia Romance with some action and suspense.
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