paperbackpassionista's reviews
600 reviews

I think this has to be the most domesticated, wholesome, gentle yet violent at times, mafia romance I’ve ever read! And for this to be @neva_altaj duet novel makes me so happy! When I tell you this book sucked me in and had me reading during meeting at work just to see how Nina and Roman story would play out, it was everything!! I’m forever in love!

This story starts off with Nina visiting her family when her father tells her that he’s in big trouble with the Bravta because he stole something from them and he needs her to marry the Don, Roman, or they will have him killed. Unfortunately for Nina, she’s stuck in a situation she can’t get out of because of her love for her father. So she agrees to meet with Roman where she learns that the arrange marriage is only for a short amount of time and when this arrangement is over, her and her father are free. But what happens when Roman starts feeling things for Nina that he’s never felt for anyone else before? Roman quickly calls off the arranged marriage and decides to keep her forever.

I don’t know how many times I can say that I’m in love with this series and @neva_altaj writing style! I’ve never read a mafia book where you are able to see the domesticated and loving side of the mafia boss while being scared to death of him if anyone crossed him. And the disability rep in this book was top tier!! I didn’t know I needed to see the more human side of a mafia boss until I read this book. I’ve never read a book where the Don was in a wheelchair for the majority of the book but still controlled his empire with an iron fist while being loving, gentle, vulnerable, and understanding to his woman behind closed doors. And let me tell you, Roman “loved” his woman down thoroughly!

Ok! Ok!!! I finally can see a little bit as to why people love and rave about this author! @tangiestaysbooked said that this is the better book in the series and I would agree! Finn and Molly had me going through it with them but I’m so glad they made it out on the other side together.

This story picks up with two side characters from the first book, Finn and Molly, and they have been divorced for almost 6 years now with two little kids that they co-parent. One day Molly goes to her mail box and there’s a letter there from her ex-husband Finn written 15 years ago after their first date. Molly is confused as to why she’s never seen the letter before when they were married but also why would Finn send the letter now. Although Finn isn’t the one sending her these letters. So who is it? Will the letters be a way for Finn and Molly to reconcile their marriage?

This book had me feeling all of the emotions. Happiness, sadness, giddy, annoyance, heartache, and heartbreak! Finn and Molly had so much to work through in their marriage that at times it felt like they would never get back together. But the love these two shared was unmatched. You could tell that even though they were divorced for 6 years, they were still in love with each other. Their love and devotion to their children and their dedication to making sure their kids knew that they were loved even though their parents weren’t together was so beautiful! But baby!!! Finn was fully prepared and ready to be back in Molly’s bed when she gave him the green light! That man left no stone unturned when it came to reconnecting to his wife.

The amount of excitement I had to read Frankie’s story was unreal but to be let down like this really crushed my soul. Yes the book was heart wrenching and had me going through it but not for the reasons I wanted it to.

This story starts off with Frankie getting a call about his younger brother getting into a sports accident and he needs to go back home to check on him. When Frankie makes it back home he comes face to face with the people he left behind, his close friends and his ex, Arlo, the man that still holds his heart.

The book started out great! We got information into Arlo and Frankie’s relationship before he left his home town and we also learned a little bit as to why Frankie left in the first place. But when it came time for Frankie to return home and reconnect with Arlo it turned into everyone else’s story but their second chance romance. I get it, this book is supposed to lay the groundwork for the other books in the series so we needed the world building and we needed to be introduced to all the characters that will get their own books but it felt like the main focus of the book was about their friends and Frankie’s little brother recovery from his accident and not about the love story of Frankie and Arlo. They deserved so much more.

Omg!!! I just found a new favorite author!!! Instant buy! @neva_altaj how could you put all my favorite tropes in one book and make me fall in love with not one but both of these unbelievably strong yet broken people!! Mikhail and Bianca hold a special place in my heart! Dare I say they are right next to Archer and Bree!!!! And I just know the next book with Sergei is going to break me even more. I’m unwell!

This book starts right where the first one leaves off. You don’t have to read the first book in the series to know what’s happening in this book but for the best experience and enjoyment, read them in order! This book starts off with Roman, the Russian Don, meeting with his man to inform them that one of them needed to marry the Italian Don middle daughter, Bianca, to form a better “alliance”. When Roman passes a picture of her around, Mikhail instantly recognizes her and says that she is his and no one else’s. Roman reluctantly agrees to let Mikhail marry her but he informs Mikhail that Bianca is mute. Roman says that that will not be a problem for him but little does everyone else knows Mikhail has been stalking her for weeks.

Ever since I finished this book this weekend, I have not been well!! All I can think about is them. Mikhail and Bianca hold a very special place in my heart!! Forever! The amount of pain and agony these two characters go through before they meet each other is sickening. But to see them slowly let their guards down and give into each others love, will live with me for the rest of my life!! And to see how soft, attentive, loving and protective Mikhail was to his daughter had me ready to give my husband some babies so I could see that type of love and devotion in real life! Mikhail is book husband material! And Bianca!!! She was everything Mikhail and his daughter needed even with her disability she was there for them and my heart was so full reading how much she loved them! But Mikhail in the sheets was nothing short of demanding, generous, and down right nasty with it and I ate that sh*t up!!

This was my first time reading by this author and I had an ok time. I don’t know what it was but this book just didn’t hit the spot like other monster novellas. Maybe I wasn’t in the right head space but it did redeem the name “Poppy” a tiny bit for me. If you are looking for a sapphic monster romance that’s straight smut and under 50 pages, this is the perfect palate cleanser for you.

I absolutely love this author!! She’s my go to whenever I need something spicy and taboo but this book wasn’t it for me. I really wanted to like it because of who the author is but I just couldn’t. Everyone in this book annoyed the hell out of me and the couple needed therapy more than the needed to rekindle their failing marriage.

This story starts off with Olivia getting a very alarming call that her soon to be ex-husband, Bennette, has been in a really bad car accident and she needs to get to the hospital asap. As Olivia nervously pace around the hospital for hours, she’s notified that her husband is out of surgery but he’s in a coma due to the extent of his injuries. But when Bennette open his eyes, all he remembers is the love he has for his wife Olivia and not the last two years they’ve been at odds and their marriage being on the door steps of divorce.

This story started out great!! It was full of angst, drama, in-laws being extra, close friends being for and against the couple getting back together, side pieces acting like their connections to Olivia or Bennette meant more than what it was and a lot of forced proximity! But when it came time for the couple to work through their issues and the reasons they fell apart really drove me insane!!! With Bennette not remembering the last two years of their marriage, I really appreciate how sympathetic and heartbroken he was over his part in what made them fall apart and how willing he was to do and try everything for them to reconcile. But Olivia just couldn’t let go that he cheated on her but she would never acknowledge that she pushed him away. This entire book Olivia was on her high horse like she didn’t have a hand in their down fall. Then the third act breakup made no sense!! No real person in their right mind would keep a secret like that from the person they are trying to get back with. AND THE COUPLE NEVER WENT TO THERAPY! Bennette mentioned that they should see someone before they started having issues and they never went after they reconcile. All they had was a miracle baby at the end and all was well.

It’s been three months since I finished this book and I’m still in shock and awe that I’ve been reading dark romance for almost 7 years and I’m just now reading a masterpiece such as this. @authorrunyx took me on a journey, built a whole world that I feel like I was apart of every step of the way. @authorrunyx is now one of my favorite authors!! I’ll read their grocery list if they publish it!! This book and maybe the whole series has made the list for favorite book/series of this year!

Being the daughter to a mafia boss, Morana Vitalio knows that she can never have a normal life. So to keep herself and her mind busy she turns to the world of computers. With the super high IQ she has, she was able to develope a code that if placed in the wrong hands will destroy everything her father and his rival has built. When Morana’s ex boyfriend steal her codes and give them to her father’s enemy, Morana has to do the unthinkable before her father finds out. When Morana breaks into the enemy’s house, she comes face to face with a man that has pledged his life to killing her, Tristan Caine.

Listen, @authorrunyx is probably the only author that can get me to read third person and a lot of internal repetitive dialogue and have me not wanting to crawl out of my skin and through my kindle to the other side of the room. There was something about the way Morana’s mind work that kept me drawn in and fascinated about how she viewed the world. Aside from her mind, she was everything you would think a daughter to a mafia boss would be. She was tough, smart at the mouth, brave, can handle weapons and a mustang better than any man. And Tristan!!!! Y’all know I have a thing for a man that doesn’t talk much!! My heart hurt for this broken yet heavily feared man. To go through what he experienced in his childhood and still have a heart of gold under all that hard exterior is simply amazing. This story will take you on a journey and leave you wanting more. I can’t wait to see what happenes in the next book.

This was my first time listening to a book by this author and I really enjoyed it! I can’t wait to listen to the other book in this series because I just know I’m in for a crazy, wild, funny, good time with a lot of black love and culture.

This story starts off with Jo working for a high end jewelry company when one day her boss asked her to personally deliver a necklace to a very high profile client. When she and the company’s bodyguard arrive at a hotel, they are invited back into the bedroom where the famous rapper Everett “Big South” is sitting on the side of the bed naked with a very exposed woman sleeping next to him. Jo is disgusted by the act and throws his necklace in his lap and walks out. Big South is baffled yet intrigued by this and decides he will not rest until he gets to know more about Jo.

If you don’t learn anything else from my review know that everyone needs someone to love and adore them the way Everett loved Jo and both their daughter. Everette is the true definition of family man and it showed all throughout this book. No mater the time of day or what his very busy rap schedule demanded of him, he made sure that he was available and present for all of them! And his level of “I’m going to defend and ride for my woman against the world” was top tier! Big South would go to war for Jo. If you are looking for a beautiful love story with a lot of crazy ex drama, this is the book for you.

Have you ever read a book and realized you would have loved it only if you read it early on in your reading career? Yea that’s exactly how I feel about this book. It was ok but I would have loved it if I read it around the time I was in my fifty shades of grey era and all those other books that had that same time of “traditional formula”.

This story starts off with Erica recently graduating from Harvard and ready to expand her business. She has an opportunity to pitch her business to investors for more funding but when she goes to her meeting she comes face to face with a man, Blake Landon former hacker and billionaire, who is determined to get under her skin and make her his forever.

The book was ok. The male main character was very jealous and possessive which I loved but also very secretive towards Erica but got mad when she withheld information or didn’t want to talk about her past. I could tell that was the only way the author could extend this story line into other books but that tactic has been played out so much that I didn’t feel like reading the other books would give me satisfaction when learning more about why Blake was so secretive.