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A review by donnareadsromance
Deceptive Vows by Khardine Gray, Faith Summers
5.0
Wow!
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Tropes: Dark, mafia/bratva, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, marriage of convenience
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Triggers: Violence, guns, drugs, human trafficking, torture, kidnapping, rape, dubious consent, loss/grief of murdered family
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“I’m a fake, and he’s my captor.
We exist on lies and secrets.”
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Synopsis: Natalia is a servant to a spoiled & cruel cartel princess, daughter of Raul Alvarez, and who is about to be married. The bride to be wants to sneak out of her father’s home to party in town, so Natalia is called upon to stand in for her during her wedding dress fitting. During the fitting, the NYC bratva, led by Mikhail Dimitryov, storm Raul’s compound, murdering Raul and other key leaders in the cartel. Natalia is mistaken for Adriana and kidnapped by Mikhail so he can marry her, thus easily taking over the cartel without a full stage war. Since Adriana was killed as she tried to leave the estate during the beginning of the siege, and since Raul was overly secretive about his daughter, there’s no one to out Natalia.
From there, the plot follows along the standard outline for the trope…he forces her, but eventually she develops feelings for him and he forces her. There’s a lot of drama with his family, and a painfully dis functional dynamic between Mikhail, his half brother Ivan, and their father, the leader or pakhan of the bratva. Family ties and loyalties are questioned, and the only sure thing happening is our hero and his fake cartel princess are falling for each other. Can their love survive her secrets? Can Mikhail hunt down the conspiracy that lead to his mother’s and sister’s deaths?
The twist is crazy, the conclusion is hard fought, and the epilogue is epic.
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Notes: Gosh, I really enjoyed this book! It was jam packed with action, suspense, and spice. The plot moves at a good pace, the characters are vibrant and full of life. The story itself is told in first person dual voice, shifting back and forth between Mikhail and Natalia. There are so many morally grey characters, it’s difficult to determine just who the villain(s) is. This wasn’t a casual read to me…I was hooked from the beginning until the nearly heart stopping end.
And the kicker? I picked this book solely because I recognized the incredibly attractive cover model. Although this author has a few mafia series, this is billed as a stand alone.
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Ratings: Movie rating NC17, 5/5 overall, 4/5 romance, 4/5 violence, 3/5 spice and 4/5 cover. Check your triggers, but if you like dark romance and the consent issue doesn’t squick you out, I recommend.
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Tropes: Dark, mafia/bratva, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, marriage of convenience
********************
Triggers: Violence, guns, drugs, human trafficking, torture, kidnapping, rape, dubious consent, loss/grief of murdered family
********************
“I’m a fake, and he’s my captor.
We exist on lies and secrets.”
********************
Synopsis: Natalia is a servant to a spoiled & cruel cartel princess, daughter of Raul Alvarez, and who is about to be married. The bride to be wants to sneak out of her father’s home to party in town, so Natalia is called upon to stand in for her during her wedding dress fitting. During the fitting, the NYC bratva, led by Mikhail Dimitryov, storm Raul’s compound, murdering Raul and other key leaders in the cartel. Natalia is mistaken for Adriana and kidnapped by Mikhail so he can marry her, thus easily taking over the cartel without a full stage war. Since Adriana was killed as she tried to leave the estate during the beginning of the siege, and since Raul was overly secretive about his daughter, there’s no one to out Natalia.
From there, the plot follows along the standard outline for the trope…he forces her, but eventually she develops feelings for him and he forces her. There’s a lot of drama with his family, and a painfully dis functional dynamic between Mikhail, his half brother Ivan, and their father, the leader or pakhan of the bratva. Family ties and loyalties are questioned, and the only sure thing happening is our hero and his fake cartel princess are falling for each other. Can their love survive her secrets? Can Mikhail hunt down the conspiracy that lead to his mother’s and sister’s deaths?
The twist is crazy, the conclusion is hard fought, and the epilogue is epic.
********************
Notes: Gosh, I really enjoyed this book! It was jam packed with action, suspense, and spice. The plot moves at a good pace, the characters are vibrant and full of life. The story itself is told in first person dual voice, shifting back and forth between Mikhail and Natalia. There are so many morally grey characters, it’s difficult to determine just who the villain(s) is. This wasn’t a casual read to me…I was hooked from the beginning until the nearly heart stopping end.
And the kicker? I picked this book solely because I recognized the incredibly attractive cover model. Although this author has a few mafia series, this is billed as a stand alone.
********************
Ratings: Movie rating NC17, 5/5 overall, 4/5 romance, 4/5 violence, 3/5 spice and 4/5 cover. Check your triggers, but if you like dark romance and the consent issue doesn’t squick you out, I recommend.