ABOUT THE BOOK
I was never supposed to marry Andrei Belov. He was meant to marry my beautiful sister. But she did something very wrong to have the man in charge of the Volkov Bratva change his mind.
Now I’m married to a man many call a monster. He ignores me. I mean nothing to him.
I’m trapped and alone in a loveless marriage. My parents don’t care. They have what they want. Andrei doesn’t like it when I have friends. He doesn’t like it when others take care of me. He claims not to have slept with my sister, but Bethany is still around to cause me trouble, to make me doubt.
It all starts with a kiss to get what I want. If I kiss him, I’ll get a reward, but soon the game changes.
I’m Andrei Belov’s wife. In this world, no one is safe, especially not me. I didn’t know it, but I have an enemy, one that wants me dead no matter the cost. I wasn’t supposed to marry into this family, but now, there is no way out.
MY REVIEW
I enjoy Sam Crescent’s writing, but I was disappointed that book 2 followed a similar plotline as the first book. They are both stories about an arranged marriage of the “ugly” virgin sister and the silent but deadly Bratva brigadier.
Adelaide is a curvy woman who is ostracized by her family and forced to marry the Bratva brigadier who was originally engaged to her greedy and power-hungry sister. She has been conditioned by her family’s toxic dynamic to believe that she is unworthy of love and attention and this insecurity is further fueled by her sister’s constant belittlement and lies and Andrei’s stoic demeanor. I prefer stronger female leads and found Adelaide a bit whiney and immature for my liking. Personally, I thought Andrei was very lenient toward her which is uncommon for a man in his line of work. She does finally come into her own toward the end of the book by conquering her fear and being the wife Andrei would be proud of, but I wished her epiphany had come sooner in the story.
Andrei Belov is not your typical Bratva soldier. Yes, he kills people for a living, but he shows a surprising tender side toward Adelaide, which can be attributed to a secret from his past that involves her. His possessiveness and protectiveness toward her stem from his mistrust of everyone around her, as he rightly fears that she may be harmed due to his profession. When he finally opens his heart and shows her his smile, it’s game over for both of them.
The supporting characters include Andrei’s Pakhan and strange matchmaker Ivan Volkov who is a cross between a kindly father and a psychopath, Slavik and Aurora from the first book who have a marriage for Adelaide and Andrei to aspire to, and Adelaide’s mysterious friend Nathan who has an interesting secret life.
The danger is eminent and the suspense is fierce as the Volkov Bratva hunts down traitors, forms new alliances, and get their long-awaited revenge. Not to mention, the chemistry between the main characters is provocative and worth waiting for.
Despite the duplication in storylines, I recommend this book for those who love romantic suspense and complex characters destined to live happily ever after.
Thank you to Ms. Crescent for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
Volkov Bratva Series
1. Second Best (2021) – My review
2. A Sense of Duty (2023)
3. The Mistake (2023)
BUY THE BOOK
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sam Crescent is passionate about fiction. She loves a good erotic romance and so it only made sense for her to spread her wings and start writing. She began writing in 2009 and finally got that first acceptance in 2011 by Total-E-Bound.
She loved creating new characters and delving into the worlds that she creates. When she’s not panicking about a story or arguing with a character, she can be found in her kitchen creating all kinds of havoc. Like her stories the creations in the kitchen can be just as dubious but sometimes things turn out great.
Follow Sam on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads.
