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adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book so much! It was addictive and steamy! SeRaya has become an auto read author for me! There is nothing I couldn't read from her that I wouldn't love. She has a way of keeping you on the edge of your seat with her writing. Her characters always have such amazing chemistry that is evident from the start!
At the beginning, you aren't sure how to feel about Jamal, but then he quickly becomes such a sweet, vulnerable man, and it melted my heart to see how deeply he fell for Sienna! The mouth on that man was to die for! The steam in this book was top-notch!
It's hard to believe this is her second book! SeRaya's writing is wonderful and definitely a top choice to dip your toe into the dark romance world. She will not disappoint!
At the beginning, you aren't sure how to feel about Jamal, but then he quickly becomes such a sweet, vulnerable man, and it melted my heart to see how deeply he fell for Sienna! The mouth on that man was to die for! The steam in this book was top-notch!
It's hard to believe this is her second book! SeRaya's writing is wonderful and definitely a top choice to dip your toe into the dark romance world. She will not disappoint!
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
โ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฆ๐.โ
โ๐๐ก๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ?โ
โ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ .โ
โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐.โ
โ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐,โ
โ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐งโ๐ญ,โ
โ๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.โ
โ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฌ ๐โ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ซ๐ ๐ฆโ โโ
โ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐.โ
โ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐?โ
๐บ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐.
โข
โข
โข
When the dedication starts like this:
๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ ๐ข๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ค, ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ . You listen! THIS STORY WAS STRAIGHT HEAT! OMG! From the moment, Jamal laid eyes on Sienna, he wanted her to be his and he made it happen. Then in his POV, at the beginning when he would be thinking and refer to Sienna as his wife! *squealing* You could feel the tension between them growing as they both came to terms with their feelings for one another. The heat was coming off the pages then turned into an inferno once the MCs got together.
I love the use of different languages in a story specifically in Mafia romances because I feel like it always adds another layer of depth to the MMC but I wish they were translated somewhere in the book so you knew the authorโs direct useage because online translations may not be completely accurate.
โ๐๐ก๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ?โ
โ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ .โ
โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐.โ
โ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐,โ
โ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐งโ๐ญ,โ
โ๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.โ
โ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฌ ๐โ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ซ๐ ๐ฆโ โโ
โ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐.โ
โ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐?โ
๐บ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐.
โข
โข
โข
When the dedication starts like this:
๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ ๐ข๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ค, ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ . You listen! THIS STORY WAS STRAIGHT HEAT! OMG! From the moment, Jamal laid eyes on Sienna, he wanted her to be his and he made it happen. Then in his POV, at the beginning when he would be thinking and refer to Sienna as his wife! *squealing* You could feel the tension between them growing as they both came to terms with their feelings for one another. The heat was coming off the pages then turned into an inferno once the MCs got together.
I love the use of different languages in a story specifically in Mafia romances because I feel like it always adds another layer of depth to the MMC but I wish they were translated somewhere in the book so you knew the authorโs direct useage because online translations may not be completely accurate.
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I should have dnf'd this book but I skimmed most of it instead. No hate or anything but unfortunately I think that this author is not for me because I had the same problems with this book that I had with the last. The pacing was off, the plot towards the end was anti-climatic and too much spice. One of the spice scenes lasted for four chapters straight. So much spice that the emotional connection felt off and weird as well as fast. I also couldn't connect to the characters as a couple. Individually they were okay though. This wasn't it sadly.
A huge thank you to Good Girls PR and the author, SeRaya, for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
"Ashes," the second installment in The Vendetta Series by SeRaya, unfolds a compelling narrative centered around Doctor Sienna Bruni. Known for her selfless dedication to her family and her profession, Sienna's life takes an unexpected turn when she discovers her father's misguided choices have led to her future being gambled away. Forced into an unwanted marriage with a stranger. But things takes an unexpected turn when Jamal Brown, a cybersecurity co-owner driven by a singular goal of avenging his parents' death, enters the scene and steals her away from her arrange marriage and takes her husband-to-be's place.
ใฐ the plot:
I did not expect this book to be so wholesome when I began reading it since it's supposed to be a dark romance book. The backstories to each character, their dedication to their professions, found family, and I can't leave out the tension, dirty talk, and smut is what kept me so engaged. I could have read this book in one sitting if it wasn't for other priorities lol
ใฐ the characters:
I wanted to start the book hating Jamal Brown but having his past be introduced to us from the beginning made it hard to do so. Being the only one in charge of the cooking in the house made me get so soft because what's better than a man who's out for revenge being domestic. The way he fights with himself every time he's with Sienna made my heart so warm. Struggling with pushing her away or letting her see all of him made it clear that from the beginning, she was going to be the person to change him. He may be the tough guy with scars but he is also a big baby!
And I love how Sienna was with him. Although she's not experienced, it seems like she has always imagine what a life she wanted with a partner. Even though she was forced into this marriage with Jamal, I loved how she wanted to give it a shot even though she hated him at the beginning. She was willingly to know more about him and I think it just how much of a big heart she has.
honorable mentions:
ใฐ There's something going on with Kai and Valentina and I want to know more so badly. What are their lives like outside of working with Jamal? Valentina especially because she seems so tough and secretive but she also gives me big sister vibes. And the way Kai just knows everything about Jamal is so cute. It's even cuter because Jamal knows that Kai knows so he can't even lie to him or act like he doesn't know what Jamal is talking about.
ใฐ I love Sienna's relationship with her friends, Kenna and Esra. They're so understanding of each other. I like how they say that they don't do things like hug but there's so many times in the book where they're hugging each other and it's so cute. The ending so cute when they're all together because that's something Sienna has always wanted, happiness.
overall and additional comments
I give this a 4 out of 5 stars.
ใฐ I wished this story was a bit darker. I feel like Jamal had so much potential to make the people who hurt him suffer and I really wanted to see it. But I'm not going to lie, I was also LIVING for his softness too.
ใฐ And with that being mentioned, I wished we got to see the other side (the enemies) torturing them more. Not that I wanted to see Jamal or Sienna go through things but I feel like it would have made them be forced to rely on each other more.
ใฐ I give the smut a solid 5 out of 5 stars. Tell me why I was blushing so hard. The way Jamal is talking and guiding Sienna through everything was steamyyyyyyyyy. He had a way with words. Especially the tension the town hard before the lead up.
"the idea of how often this happened to him and who took care of him when it did crowded my thoughts."
"Ashes," the second installment in The Vendetta Series by SeRaya, unfolds a compelling narrative centered around Doctor Sienna Bruni. Known for her selfless dedication to her family and her profession, Sienna's life takes an unexpected turn when she discovers her father's misguided choices have led to her future being gambled away. Forced into an unwanted marriage with a stranger. But things takes an unexpected turn when Jamal Brown, a cybersecurity co-owner driven by a singular goal of avenging his parents' death, enters the scene and steals her away from her arrange marriage and takes her husband-to-be's place.
ใฐ the plot:
I did not expect this book to be so wholesome when I began reading it since it's supposed to be a dark romance book. The backstories to each character, their dedication to their professions, found family, and I can't leave out the tension, dirty talk, and smut is what kept me so engaged. I could have read this book in one sitting if it wasn't for other priorities lol
ใฐ the characters:
I wanted to start the book hating Jamal Brown but having his past be introduced to us from the beginning made it hard to do so. Being the only one in charge of the cooking in the house made me get so soft because what's better than a man who's out for revenge being domestic. The way he fights with himself every time he's with Sienna made my heart so warm. Struggling with pushing her away or letting her see all of him made it clear that from the beginning, she was going to be the person to change him. He may be the tough guy with scars but he is also a big baby!
And I love how Sienna was with him. Although she's not experienced, it seems like she has always imagine what a life she wanted with a partner. Even though she was forced into this marriage with Jamal, I loved how she wanted to give it a shot even though she hated him at the beginning. She was willingly to know more about him and I think it just how much of a big heart she has.
"although i wouldn't admit it to myself, i was enjoying being able to look at himโsoaking in this momentโwithout him knowing. There wasn't a single wrinkle on his face as he slept.
a shocking fact especially with the amount of frowning he did. i'd expected at least a few frown lines."
honorable mentions:
ใฐ There's something going on with Kai and Valentina and I want to know more so badly. What are their lives like outside of working with Jamal? Valentina especially because she seems so tough and secretive but she also gives me big sister vibes. And the way Kai just knows everything about Jamal is so cute. It's even cuter because Jamal knows that Kai knows so he can't even lie to him or act like he doesn't know what Jamal is talking about.
ใฐ I love Sienna's relationship with her friends, Kenna and Esra. They're so understanding of each other. I like how they say that they don't do things like hug but there's so many times in the book where they're hugging each other and it's so cute. The ending so cute when they're all together because that's something Sienna has always wanted, happiness.
overall and additional comments
I give this a 4 out of 5 stars.
ใฐ I wished this story was a bit darker. I feel like Jamal had so much potential to make the people who hurt him suffer and I really wanted to see it. But I'm not going to lie, I was also LIVING for his softness too.
ใฐ And with that being mentioned, I wished we got to see the other side (the enemies) torturing them more. Not that I wanted to see Jamal or Sienna go through things but I feel like it would have made them be forced to rely on each other more.
ใฐ I give the smut a solid 5 out of 5 stars. Tell me why I was blushing so hard. The way Jamal is talking and guiding Sienna through everything was steamyyyyyyyyy. He had a way with words. Especially the tension the town hard before the lead up.
"lie down," he said hoarsely, lifting his head. "and keep your heels on."
OMG! I really don't have words to describe how much I enjoyed this book. The tropes were the best and SeRaya's writing is just beautiful.
Things I loved:
The characters with different ethnicities and cultures. (PS: I'm Dominican and since I knew Sienna was from that nationality and how WELL she handled certain words about my culture so well. I loved it. I loved every word in Jamal's French even though most of the time I was translating on my Kindle but the good thing is that I already know how to curse in French.
I loved that the book wasn't heavy at all, so much so that I finished reading it in TWO days. That's the best part about liking what you're reading.
I love this new author. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to get this ARC.
Things I loved:
The characters with different ethnicities and cultures. (PS: I'm Dominican and since I knew Sienna was from that nationality and how WELL she handled certain words about my culture so well. I loved it. I loved every word in Jamal's French even though most of the time I was translating on my Kindle but the good thing is that I already know how to curse in French.
I loved that the book wasn't heavy at all, so much so that I finished reading it in TWO days. That's the best part about liking what you're reading.
I love this new author. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to get this ARC.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First ever book by this author and looking forward to reading more!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
๐ธ๐ค๐๐๐ค ๐ธ๐ฃ๐ โ๐๐ง๐๐๐จ
Thank you to @authorseraya and @good.girls.pr for allowing me this arc in exchange for a honest review!
๐๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐จ๐ช๐ณ๐ญ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ, ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ช๐ณ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ต ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
Rating : 5 ๐
Spice : 3 ๐ถ๏ธ
I thought book 1 was amazing ??? Yea no I ate this book up even moreeee !!!! This was everything I need the whole series released nowwwww!
This book follows Sienna and Jamal. Both with major problems going on in their life, someway find comfort and peace in each other!
Jamal lost his parents when he was young to a crazyyyy fire! But what he didnt know was that fire was not an accident but intentional! Years later he is ready to take his revenge on the ones who ruin him the most.
Sienna never had a great relationship with her parents, but finding out your father auctioned you off soon as he had to pay his dues didnt make things any easier! Being the protector of her younger sisters she said yes no questions!!! But while at her arranged wedding, a man walks him claiming she belonged to him first !!
I personally loved the hate to love aspect of this book it was written soooo perfectly! I loved the slow burnnn soooo badddddd. The chemistry between them definitely had me devouring this book badddd! The character development was amazing he went from being a grump to being able to smile without it hurting his face from faking it ๐คฃ. She was able to find the ones that genuinely cared for her. Basically her found family!
I definitely recommend this reallll baddd it was everythinggggg ๐ฅน need the physical books aspppp ! Again thank you Seraya cuz this was amazingggggg โค๏ธ
Thank you to @authorseraya and @good.girls.pr for allowing me this arc in exchange for a honest review!
๐๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐จ๐ช๐ณ๐ญ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ, ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ช๐ณ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ต ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
Rating : 5 ๐
Spice : 3 ๐ถ๏ธ
I thought book 1 was amazing ??? Yea no I ate this book up even moreeee !!!! This was everything I need the whole series released nowwwww!
This book follows Sienna and Jamal. Both with major problems going on in their life, someway find comfort and peace in each other!
Jamal lost his parents when he was young to a crazyyyy fire! But what he didnt know was that fire was not an accident but intentional! Years later he is ready to take his revenge on the ones who ruin him the most.
Sienna never had a great relationship with her parents, but finding out your father auctioned you off soon as he had to pay his dues didnt make things any easier! Being the protector of her younger sisters she said yes no questions!!! But while at her arranged wedding, a man walks him claiming she belonged to him first !!
I personally loved the hate to love aspect of this book it was written soooo perfectly! I loved the slow burnnn soooo badddddd. The chemistry between them definitely had me devouring this book badddd! The character development was amazing he went from being a grump to being able to smile without it hurting his face from faking it ๐คฃ. She was able to find the ones that genuinely cared for her. Basically her found family!
I definitely recommend this reallll baddd it was everythinggggg ๐ฅน need the physical books aspppp ! Again thank you Seraya cuz this was amazingggggg โค๏ธ
challenging
funny
medium-paced
dark
emotional
medium-paced
This was my first book by this author and I loved it! The spice was spicy, Jamal and his acts of service were perfection! He opens doors for her, cooks for her, knows how she takes her coffee. This book touched a lot on โeldest daughter responsibilitiesโ & having to grow up too soon, which I think a lot of people will relate to. Siennas family was AWFUL meanwhile she was so down to earth, I really liked her! Sienna and Jamal get together due to revenge and Siennas dad screwing up so itโs also f0rced marriage but they evolve into such a good couple. Will definitely be reading more by this author!