chaos_of_kati's reviews
152 reviews

Bratva Prince by T.J. Maguire

challenging dark funny mysterious tense 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? No

3.5

3.5⭐️2.5🌶️ 

 

I fell for Aleksandr..not gonna lie! He is a walking red flag..but he just tingled me the right way. 

And I loved Drea even more! She is hot and badass and mainly sooo hot. 

I loved that Drea is an alpha woman. She needs no rescuing or anything. She is the one any one else needs to be afraid of. 

 

This book is kinda had it all and a lot of it. Lot of hotness, fighting, blood and gore and family ties and plot twists and mystery.  

 

This second book definitely had more romance and smut! Again Aleksandr is just pheeeewww. 

 

I am looking forward to the rest of the mysteries and the plot. The siblings are all crazy and funny in their own way. 

Bratva Bride by T.J. Maguire

dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

3.25⭐️1.5🌶️ 

 

Ok so here is the deal..I picked this book up cause I saw it on TikTok. I was sooo excited for a bad ass, strong and stabby woman in the mafia/dark romance genre, cause, let’t be honest, we don’t get enough of those. 

Plus I saw some excerpts of found family and hilarious sibling dynamics and I was hella intrigued. 

 

T.J did not disappoint in that aspect, but delivered as promised: a bad ass Bratva family who does not take shit, a bat shit crazy female lead who is borderline psychotic, funny sibling banter with equally psychotic brothers - and what I believe to be an overarching plot line. 

 

 

The premise of the Mafia world TJ is building is also intriguing. We have the Bratva (obviously) but also the Cosa Nostra and the Mexican Cartel! 

The male lead is from princling of the Cosa Nostra and instantly falls for the FMC when they meet. He is a bit one-dimensional, but I think that is because TJ focused more on the actual Bratva family and overarching plot line. 

Hence this particular book lacked a bit in the feelings department, in a sense, that the MCs just fell for each other - a bit of insta lust situation. Which I get cause they are both hot and deadly, an undeniable combo! 

 

Overall I am really intrigued by TJs world and hope the other books get even better. I really like that her book did not solely focus on the romance but there is a greater plot at play. I am excited to find out more. 

Promise Me Forever by Sadie Kincaid

emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5⭐️3🌶️ 

 

Phewwwww so Drake has a hotter mouth than Nathan. 

This dude was borderline unhinged the way he got hot and bothered about his woman and damn..was I wishing to be Amelia. 

 

It was a solid billionaire office romance! Drake, the billionaire in question, was hot and broody and at times an ahole but in the end he has a good heart and a filthy mouth. 

Amelia was such a sweet and sassy girl. I liked how she stood up for herself when needed and knew how to navigate uncertain moments. 

She grew into the person she wanted to be aka Scarlet! 

 

I gotta say, I was surprised by the grief and had to shed a tear. But that is Sadie for you… 

 

Again nothing new in terms of billionaire office romance, but Sadie just knows how to write a good easy to read book. Can never go wrong with her books!

Between Desire and Denial by Shain Rose

emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5⭐️3.5🌶️ 

 

This was such a fun read. I personally would not classify it as a dark romance book, cause it only had few elements of such 

If you are looking for an obsessed and possessive MMC that is not super dark possessive, then Dimitri is for you. To this day, I dunno if he is a red or green flag.. 

 

The beginning of the story was so much fun. Olive and Dimitris banter is top tier and funny as hell. Olive a cute girl totally put this 6’6 inch wall of a man in his place by surprising him with her wit and determination. 

After spending a crazy night together, Dimitri becomes a bit obsessed with her and ultimately falls for her. However, Olive has major commitment issues due to past trauma and does not want to date Dimitri. 

Since usually it is the other way around, I thought this was a nice breath of fresh air. 

Their relationship turns into this push-pull thing, where they both desire each other to the brim but Olive is cautious of her heart and denies herself the love that she deserves. 

Their relationship turns a bit repetitive, as Olive struggles with her feelings and Dimitri is just waits for her to come to her senses. 

 

There is also a mystery subplot, which I was not expecting. I enjoyed the secret society theme, but had wished for a more elaborate story. Or for the subplot to be more immersed with the romance plot. 

I thin Shain is setting up the backstory for her next novels with this subplot. 

Snap Shot by Ruby Rana

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

I really wanted to like this book and give it 5 stars! 

I really was all here for it and the story line had much potential, but ultimately did not uphold at all.  It could use a good reedit, and delete roughly 150-200 pages of pure smut. 

 

The characters are flat and the entire plot line only focused on the physical relationship between the two MCs. Don’t get me wrong, I like smut but it is only good if written to add to the overall storyline. I felt with Indi and Landon there was only smut, just because. No sense or real logic behind it. 

The mentioned mental challenges of both MCs were skimped at best, only mentioned with a sentence here and there but no real in depth explanation how they resolved the issues. 

 

Nonetheless it had some fun moments, that had me giggle or laugh, but ultimately it was not my cup of tea. 

The Syndicater by RuNyx

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

4.5⭐️4🌶️ 

 

It took me half a day to recover from a great ending to a truly great dark romance series. 

 

I immensely enjoyed the last book, how all the different plot lines intertwined into a beautiful story. I honestly judge this book, by all the feels I had while reading. The heartbreak was real, the angst was real, the annoyance was real. All of it was just there.. 

Runyx truly created a world of its own for this series. It was gritty, it was dark, it was emotional, it was beautiful. 

One small disclaimer, the book had a few editing issues and typos, which interrupted the reading flow every now and then.

The Annihilator by RuNyx

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5⭐️3.5🌶️ 

 

Runyx was not kidding, when she said this is the darkest of the books so far…but it was still good. 

The Shadow Man was everything, that was promised to us. Especially after reading the authors note. I had to keep this in mind, while reading, cause the dude was different. He is totally morally black. And as all morally black MMCs he does not love, but obsesses over his girl. He is possessive of his girl and tries his best to heal her. 

I gotta say, I had trouble following all his reasons and actions. Sometimes I just wanted to punch him. But again towards the end, more is revealed to us readers. Giving us a glimpse of why the shadow man is and does, what he does. 

 

And Lyla..within the first two minutes I knew who she really was. My heart broke for her so many times. She literally went to hell. And still was able to pull herself out of the black void she was experiencing. Honestly, I think Runyx did a great job representing trauma and depression. How sometimes it can get too much, even for the brightest-shining people. 

I hope she will grow and heal more in the next book, and claim her power. 

 

The overall plot is thickening! My jaw was on the floor..I cannot wait to see how all the storylines end up being weaved into one beautiful masterpiece. 

The Finisher by RuNyx

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.5

4.5⭐️3🌶️
 
Girl! I am still shaking with this book and its ending! The last 10% were just sooo out of the blue. Talk about the most emotional surprise plot twist. 

 

Zephyr is my girl! I love her so much! Possibly even more than Alpha. 

The way she is the realest person, with insecurities and trouble thoughts, but never lets that keep her from truly being herself. She is a woman of worth and she knows it. I loved how openly she loves her family. How expressive and fun she is with it. Even with all the darkness around Alpha and his world, she still outshines it all. 

And Alpha is the perfect mix between Dante and Tristan. He has the capability to love and love deep, but just wasn’t given the opportunity. And seeing how the story ended…well maybe it was for the best. 

 

Anyways, I literally finished 5 mins ago, and I am writing this review solely, so I can jump into the next story. Cause I can’t wait to find out more about the Shadow Man and his Toy. 

The Emperor by RuNyx

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

4.75⭐️3🌶️ 

 

I am officially obsessed with this series! I already knew from the first duet, that I was gonna enjoy Amara and Dantes story, but I did not expect so much good plot! 

This entire series is not solely focused on the romance part, but has a great plot line and mystery. Every book leaves you with more questions, while simultaneously answering the ones you already had. 

Towards the end of the book, Runyx just kept throwing curveball after curveball! I was on the edge of my seat for the last part of the book. 

 

Amara is possibly the strongest character in this series, and I haven’t even read the others. But the pain and trauma that she had to endure..and then for her to be so loyal to her love, to even endure more pain….I don’t want to spoiler, so just take my word for it. It was that good. 

And Dante - I just love him. Why do I always love the Dantes in all the books?! But this particular Dante was just chefs-kiss. He is in love and not afraid to show it. What’s sexier than an emotionally intelligent man, that happens to be a master manipulator (in the bestest way possible). 

 

I am so intrigued. I wanna know immediately what’s happening next - so excuse me while I download the finisher. 

Wyatt by Jessica Peterson

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

4⭐️3.5🌶️

This was spicy 🥵 but cute! 

Giving this book 4 🌟 just for the vibes! Cause it was a fun, easy, no high stakes read! Perfect palette cleanser. 

Wyatt is just *humpf* and Sally is a real cool and witty girl! Would wanna be friends with both of them.