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heylittlesiren's review against another edition
4.0
I really love the cover. He is so hot. I can easily visualize Alexei now. I love this book so much.
hilskris's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
thebritishbibliophile_'s review against another edition
5.0
'The Belles & Mobsters are back with a bang, and Alexei is here to shake things up! Prepare yourself to meet your Mobster for this read!'
Thank you to Eva Winners for sending me an ebook Advanced Reader Copy as part of her ARC Team, for me to read and leave an honest review.
-------------------------------
Ding dong, these belles are going to chime! I'm back with another Belles & Mobsters read from Eva Winners with 'Alexei', book four in the series. With the exception of Nico, this is a series in which I've enjoyed reading from the beginning. Luciano in this series so far has been my frontrunner favourite, but let's see if Alexei will match that or even, dare I say it, be my new no.1 mobster in the series? Find out at the end!
Alexei Nikolaev. Blessed with the face of Adonis. Cursed with eyes colder than the Arctic and a past he can’t escape.
Right from the off, you're getting a read that's straight away a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am read. It didn't take long for things to get down and dirty and wow, Alexei has the moves! The reason how this fantastic opener of a book came to be will all be made clear as you progress through the next chapters, bringing you nicely around back in a circle to head towards what we hope is another Happily Ever After for our Belle and her Mobster.
His history is as tragic as a Dostoyevsky tale. He’s been on the FBI’s radar for years but has managed to always stay a step ahead and just out of their grasp. When I’m forced to work with him, fire ignites and things spiral out of control. Despite the desire felt from his mouthwatering body, covered in tattoos, distrust between us is deep.
We've met our Mobster, now who is the said Belle in question? Well as the above part of the blurb reads, she gets as up close and personal as it gets--in more than one way--with Alexei, and their start is as rocky as it gets. Aurora has not only her family on her shoulders, her job and her past, she now carries Alexei up there too and when the load gets too much, there's only one way for it to go, and that's crashing down to the floor.
Eva writes as ever, a gripping story which had me holding my breath as to how these two would recover from the inevitable crash, with the last pages getting closer and closer to nab, sew up and savour the moment where the stars aligned with them once more. It was a close one, but I think like I did myself, readers of Eva who love her and this series will feel satisfied and happy with the ending given to these characters who really deserve it after all they've been though. It was quite the emotional and for Alexei at least, wringer.
That said, it was worth being put through it as a reader, too. So, so worth it.
But unless we learn to work together and trust each other, we’re both as good as dead.
This story it must be said, is not for the faint of heart and that is in no means a bad thing. Often as I've said in other reviews, authors decide to leave out or gloss over certain subjects or things within life that might make for uncomfortable reading, and quite possibly a few negative reviews or negative feedback in general. Eva should be praised and applauded for not only what she included within this book, but how it was written and the situations/characters, respected.
Alexei is a mature, dark adult romance that contains dubious situations (both intimately and not), and maybe a few triggers for readers. However, the way this book was executed in its writing, the way it was used to build up a past for both characters, their families and the storyline only made for better reading, and gives hope that even in the darkest of situations, there will always be the light to make things brighter again. You want a read that's got as much in its trousers as our leading man, this is the book for you!
Now to answer the question left at the start of this review. Is Alexei, the character, better or tied than my current B&M leading man, Luciano. The answer is...its a tie! Luciano has a special place in my heart, and all the men although are on the same side, are so different. It's impossible to chose between them. Alexi and Luciano both have many qualities about them that make them as equally unforgettable book boyfriend as they are characters, and I'm thrilled that Eva has written another man in Alexi that I know will be many readers' favourite.
Eagerly awaiting the next book in the series but until then, it's time to take another spin with Alexei!
Five stars!
Thank you to Eva Winners for sending me an ebook Advanced Reader Copy as part of her ARC Team, for me to read and leave an honest review.
-------------------------------
Ding dong, these belles are going to chime! I'm back with another Belles & Mobsters read from Eva Winners with 'Alexei', book four in the series. With the exception of Nico, this is a series in which I've enjoyed reading from the beginning. Luciano in this series so far has been my frontrunner favourite, but let's see if Alexei will match that or even, dare I say it, be my new no.1 mobster in the series? Find out at the end!
Alexei Nikolaev. Blessed with the face of Adonis. Cursed with eyes colder than the Arctic and a past he can’t escape.
Right from the off, you're getting a read that's straight away a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am read. It didn't take long for things to get down and dirty and wow, Alexei has the moves! The reason how this fantastic opener of a book came to be will all be made clear as you progress through the next chapters, bringing you nicely around back in a circle to head towards what we hope is another Happily Ever After for our Belle and her Mobster.
His history is as tragic as a Dostoyevsky tale. He’s been on the FBI’s radar for years but has managed to always stay a step ahead and just out of their grasp. When I’m forced to work with him, fire ignites and things spiral out of control. Despite the desire felt from his mouthwatering body, covered in tattoos, distrust between us is deep.
We've met our Mobster, now who is the said Belle in question? Well as the above part of the blurb reads, she gets as up close and personal as it gets--in more than one way--with Alexei, and their start is as rocky as it gets. Aurora has not only her family on her shoulders, her job and her past, she now carries Alexei up there too and when the load gets too much, there's only one way for it to go, and that's crashing down to the floor.
Eva writes as ever, a gripping story which had me holding my breath as to how these two would recover from the inevitable crash, with the last pages getting closer and closer to nab, sew up and savour the moment where the stars aligned with them once more. It was a close one, but I think like I did myself, readers of Eva who love her and this series will feel satisfied and happy with the ending given to these characters who really deserve it after all they've been though. It was quite the emotional and for Alexei at least, wringer.
That said, it was worth being put through it as a reader, too. So, so worth it.
But unless we learn to work together and trust each other, we’re both as good as dead.
This story it must be said, is not for the faint of heart and that is in no means a bad thing. Often as I've said in other reviews, authors decide to leave out or gloss over certain subjects or things within life that might make for uncomfortable reading, and quite possibly a few negative reviews or negative feedback in general. Eva should be praised and applauded for not only what she included within this book, but how it was written and the situations/characters, respected.
Alexei is a mature, dark adult romance that contains dubious situations (both intimately and not), and maybe a few triggers for readers. However, the way this book was executed in its writing, the way it was used to build up a past for both characters, their families and the storyline only made for better reading, and gives hope that even in the darkest of situations, there will always be the light to make things brighter again. You want a read that's got as much in its trousers as our leading man, this is the book for you!
Now to answer the question left at the start of this review. Is Alexei, the character, better or tied than my current B&M leading man, Luciano. The answer is...its a tie! Luciano has a special place in my heart, and all the men although are on the same side, are so different. It's impossible to chose between them. Alexi and Luciano both have many qualities about them that make them as equally unforgettable book boyfriend as they are characters, and I'm thrilled that Eva has written another man in Alexi that I know will be many readers' favourite.
Eagerly awaiting the next book in the series but until then, it's time to take another spin with Alexei!
Five stars!
elfsteel's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
would have given this 3 stars except for the surprise baby at the end of the book (knocked off 1/2 star for that). otherwise, the writing varies wildly in quality — sex scenes are amazing, but the dialogue and narration outside of the sex scenes is stilted and awkward. also a lot of the plot and details about the FBI feels like it was ripped straight from criminal minds.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Slavery, Trafficking, Sexual content, Stalking, and Violence
jsromancebookblog's review against another edition
5.0
Alexei is the gripping fourth installment in the Belles and Mobsters series, and it’s now my favorite of these books. This emotional story focuses on the menacingly quiet Alexei and the object of his obsession, Aurora, and is a dark, opposites attract mafia romance with plenty of violence and other triggers but so much passion, too.
I love a dark romance with troubled characters, and this book has exactly that. Alexei is so completely damaged from the trauma that he endured for so much of his life, but then he finds solace in Aurora. She not only helps heal him, but she also helps him begin to show himself as the man he already is deep down. He’s a fierce hero, but he’s met his match in FBI agent Aurora. She’s able to balance his character and bring a lightness to the story and Alexei, and I adored how their story played out.
And the chemistry! This is definitely one of the steamiest books I’ve read by Winners, and the sizzling attraction jumps off the pages. Alexei and Aurora’s relationship is hot, but I enjoyed that it’s not just a physical closeness between them. There’s also such a tenderness that permeates this story despite the brutality of what’s happened to the characters in their pasts and what’s happening in the larger scope of the series’ storyline. Alexei and Aurora have this palpable connection, and I couldn’t put this book down. I loved their journey from start to finish.
The books in this series are obviously interconnected, but you don’t necessarily need to read the other books to be able to understand what’s happening in this story. However, I think the previous books do offer all the insight you might want into what’s happening in this larger world that Winners has created, and really they’re so good and worth reading. I absolutely recommend this book for anyone into mafia and/or dark romances that feature deeply wounded characters that find their HEAs.
I love a dark romance with troubled characters, and this book has exactly that. Alexei is so completely damaged from the trauma that he endured for so much of his life, but then he finds solace in Aurora. She not only helps heal him, but she also helps him begin to show himself as the man he already is deep down. He’s a fierce hero, but he’s met his match in FBI agent Aurora. She’s able to balance his character and bring a lightness to the story and Alexei, and I adored how their story played out.
And the chemistry! This is definitely one of the steamiest books I’ve read by Winners, and the sizzling attraction jumps off the pages. Alexei and Aurora’s relationship is hot, but I enjoyed that it’s not just a physical closeness between them. There’s also such a tenderness that permeates this story despite the brutality of what’s happened to the characters in their pasts and what’s happening in the larger scope of the series’ storyline. Alexei and Aurora have this palpable connection, and I couldn’t put this book down. I loved their journey from start to finish.
The books in this series are obviously interconnected, but you don’t necessarily need to read the other books to be able to understand what’s happening in this story. However, I think the previous books do offer all the insight you might want into what’s happening in this larger world that Winners has created, and really they’re so good and worth reading. I absolutely recommend this book for anyone into mafia and/or dark romances that feature deeply wounded characters that find their HEAs.
ashlinnweldonn's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars!!! Oh my god this series is going to be the end of me I love every single book, I’m so glad Kingston is alive!!
biblioniche's review against another edition
5.0
Alexei Nikolaev deserves all the fuckin hugs in the world *cries*
fairyyeah's review against another edition
4.0
I have accepted the fact that I fall irreversibly in love with tragic characters. Alexei is a cold, stoic man who only becomes alive around Aurora, and Aurora can't help but be attracted to him even when she knows he's no good. Though Alexei and Aurora must both work together to defeat a common enemy, Aurora knows of his reputation and is wary of working with him. This does nothing to deter Alexei though as he's set on his own mission for vengeance and justice.
There is so much tension and chemistry between the two that was bound to snap, and when it did it was so so worth it. The pain Aurora and Alexei went through hurt them both so much, and yet they managed to find love in each other despite it all.
Secrets and the truth are revealed as time goes on and while it's sad, it's also nice being able to see these two grow. These two are broken characters that, despite one of them not knowing it, have been connected since they were children. They're able to help each other heal and become better versions of themselves through closure and despite the pain they know they're there for each other no matter what.
I'm excited to read about the Ashford brothers, most of all Kingston (assuming he gets his own book) because I feel like he still has so much healing to do. This also convinced me to read the rest of this series lol.
Arc received in exchange for an honest review.
There is so much tension and chemistry between the two that was bound to snap, and when it did it was so so worth it. The pain Aurora and Alexei went through hurt them both so much, and yet they managed to find love in each other despite it all.
Secrets and the truth are revealed as time goes on and while it's sad, it's also nice being able to see these two grow. These two are broken characters that, despite one of them not knowing it, have been connected since they were children. They're able to help each other heal and become better versions of themselves through closure and despite the pain they know they're there for each other no matter what.
I'm excited to read about the Ashford brothers, most of all Kingston (assuming he gets his own book) because I feel like he still has so much healing to do. This also convinced me to read the rest of this series lol.
Arc received in exchange for an honest review.
bookfreak08's review against another edition
5.0
First off, kudos on choosing the perfect model for Alexei’s book cover. I mean if I wanted to dream up a guy for Alexei, Kyle Beaumont would be it, no questions. Secondly, Eva, you are a genius with mafia romance and for me, Alexei is now your best work yet. He is magnetic, possessive, domineering and unyielding but at the same time, he is maybe the most emotive hero I’ve ever read. He makes you burn with his arctic eyes and despair in need of touching his soul. He is utterly devoted to Aurora in ways that can only be explained in insanity. He gave his word to her when she was 5 and he never gave up. To be honest, I’ve cried some ugly tears when reading what he’s been through and I truly felt invested in his happiness by the end. As a bonus point, I have to mention that the intimate scenes between our couple is wayyyyy to hot