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Ruthless Reign

Monica Kayne

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5 stars

389 (43%)

4 stars

320 (35%)

3 stars

150 (16%)

2 stars

33 (3%)

1 star

5 (<1%)

Displaying 1 - 30 of 248 reviews

Dino Queen

343 reviews59 followers

June 21, 2024

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: HFN
POV: dual 1st person POV
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: attempted r@pe, cancer, cheating, death of a child (recounted), death of a parent (recounted), domestic violence, emotional abuse, gambling addiction, gun violence, human trafficking, kidnapping, murder, sexual assault, suicidal thoughts, torture, violence
Kinky Content: anal play, BDSM, blindfold, cum play, cumming in pants, deep throat training, dirty talk, edging, exhibitionism, finger licking good, fingering, grinding, impact play, irrumatio, knife kink, oral, praise, queening, restraints, sex club, sex toys, somnophilia, virginity auction, voyeurism
standalone: book 1 of Tarnished Reign series
final thoughts: this book was great- dark, thriller/suspense, kinky, mafia with sweet romantic moments and a surprisingly sweet (but only for his girl) MMC.
I felt like I was missing some context and had to keep checking that this was book 1 of a series and not book 2. I wish we got Kira and Maxim’s story first so we could have their background since he seems to be the top guy, but I really enjoyed them as side characters.
I look forward to seeing where the rest of the series goes with Nikolai- I think that will be a great book too.

read this book if you love
🔢 age gap (13 years)
😬 angst
💍 arranged marriage
⛓️ BDSM
🫡 big MMC
💵 billionaire
💂 bodyguard
🖤 dark romance
🥵 dirty talk
💬 epistolary
❌ ex fiancé’s partner
😳 forbidden lovers
🏝️ forced proximity
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 great side characters
😎 good girl/bad boy
👦 he falls first and hard
🤫 hidden secrets
🩹 hurt/comfort
💰 kidnapped
😏 kinky
🔫 mafia
💞 mutual pining
❓ mystery
🥰 nicknames
🔀 opposites attract
😜 over the top, jealous, possessive MMC
🙏 praise
🤜 rivals-to-lovers
🤐 secret relationship
💓 slowburn
🤓 “teach me”
💔 no third act breakup
☠️ “touch her and die”
💳 virgin
🌍 world building

arranged-marriage author-arcs bdsm

Bella Toric

517 reviews35 followers

June 25, 2024

The way I would have folded for Roman? Immediately 😌

The way I already loved the two of them in Shattered Crown I knew I would be running to read their book. Monica never fails to write toe curling spice, devastating chemistry & such fantastic plots in all her books.

I devoured Roman and Liza’s book, I just couldn’t get enough of them. They were perfection and I loved this book so much 🥵😩

Thank you for an ARC Monica & team because I needed these two desperately 😌

arc-reads

Naz.reads

77 reviews84 followers

June 18, 2024

4/5 ⭐️ 3/5 🌶️
- Mafia
- Virgin FMC
- Protective MMC
- Age gap

I adored the MMC Roman. He was pretty much obsessed with Liza from the start and was so attentive towards her. All he wanted to do was cherish and protect her. Liza is a strong FMC, doing what she can to help her family. I liked how smart and realistic she was.

These two were drawn to each other from the beginning and thanks to Liza’s friend Kira, they were able to give into that spark that ignited into more. I do wish we had more intimate scenes between them like the night of the auction and after the opera.

I liked all the action and seeing Anatoly’s undoing. That man was the definition of pure evil. The two side characters I’m very intrigued by are Pavel and Nikolai. I hope we get to read their books in the future.

If you love a mafia romance where the MMC is obsessed and extremely protective of the FMC I think you’d really like this one. It has a great balance of romance and action.

Nessiet

214 reviews11 followers

June 25, 2024

2.5 ⭐️

Allia Reads

156 reviews49 followers

Shelved as 'dnr-not-safe'

June 19, 2024

Self note:
Not for me

The H is obsessed with the FMC, but he has a business arrangement with the OW where he lets her parade him around🤡 The OW kisses him in front of the h, and the H did try to push the OW away because he is not interested. The OW often tries to make the h jealous, and the H did nothing other than tease her about caring for him.

If y’all are curious about the OW, just search for “Katerina” (The OW name) in the book and you will find the pathetic OW scenes🤡😪

hey it’s dar

83 reviews11 followers

June 21, 2024

ARC Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Firstly, big big thanks to Monica for the opportunity to read Ruthless Reign in exchange for providing a fair and honest review. And congratulations on your new release!!

Our MMC Roman is everything! The way he is so enraptured and caring of Liza is everything. Liza deserves the world, and Roman is prepared to give it to her. I literally could not help to fall in love with Liza, and I truly applaud her strength and loyalty to her sister Sofiya is inspiring.

iI was so excited for this read, having absolutely loved the Kozlov series, and this read did not disappoint! I enjoyed the connections to Kira and Maxim and the ties back to the Kozlov characters.

The smex club scenes were superior, and Roman is the perfect amount of morally gray, protective and possessive MMC I was foaming at the mouth. This is easily going to be one of my new fav mafia romance recs!! 🖤🖤
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2024 arcs

Sera

363 reviews100 followers

June 24, 2024

I was drawn into this story right from the start. Being a mafia romance there is an arranged marriage which is a favorite trope of mine. Then we are introduced to Roman (her bodyguard) and all bets are off. The chemistry between these two is off the charts. Liza our heroine is so desperate to get out of marrying her fiancé. Roman is always there to keep her safe and eventually to have her for himself no matter the consequences. In the end we get our HEA although it seems impossible. I loved this couple so much and highlighted so many amazing quotes. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Megan L Harnett

306 reviews10 followers

June 23, 2024

I couldn't put this book down! I felt for Liza and all the things she was dealing with her family and sorry excuse for a fiancé. I loathed him! In comes Roman to the rescue! Their chemistry was off the charts. The only thing that made me mad was that if Liza and Roman actually talked to each other and told each other the truth they could have worked together sooner to stop Anthaly. But this looks like a good start to this series!

read-in-2024

Readingwithdesi

728 reviews37 followers

June 25, 2024

Freaking phenomenal! Five stars can you give more than five stars? I loved this book and all the dark morally grey characters and sleeze bags and smex and mafia all the things my kind of book disappoint. This is one of my favorite books.Hands down

Amber Brooks

99 reviews1 follower

June 27, 2024

There is something about mafia books that just put a smile on my face. Liza and Roman pop off the page. The push and pull, the tension, and when they finally collide was so good! Liza is stuck in a situation she would give anything to get out of. She hides the truth from everyone except the one man who can see right through her. He is forbidden, her fiancée’s business partner, but she feels alive when he is near. Roman is a dark man and he has never wanted more than the Bratva until Liza. She is off limits but something deep down in him makes him want to claim her. He will stop at nothing to protect her and give her the world.

Tropes:
•Bratva
•Dark Mafia Romance
•Forbidden Love
•Age Gap
•Virgin Heroine
•He unalives for her
•Protective/Bodyguard Vibes
•Sex Club Fun
•Dual POV

⚠️Trigger Warning⚠️

Quote: “Actions speak louder than words, and I'll show her what it means to conquer the world for the woman I love.”

Rating: 4⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Destiny Lam

149 reviews24 followers

June 17, 2024

i knew i loved roman and liza from the moment i met them in “shattered crown” (the kozlov empire series). they shared such an undeniable chemistry and to see how their story unfolded in “ruthless reign” was truly beautiful ❤️ and being able to see characters like kira and maxim again just made my heart so full. kira is such a girls girl (the sex club 🤭). i knew miss girl was up to something.

i love a good mafia, bodyguard, forbidden romance and monica kayne DELIVERED 👏🏼 this book was everything and more. thank you for giving me the opportunity to read the first book to the new series “tarnished reign” as an arc !! as always, such amazing work. from the plot, to the tension, spice, banter, and unexpected scenes … i quite literally banged this out in one sitting !!

liza, this girl had me sobbing the way she put everyone else’s needs before her own. she sacrifices her own happiness for the sake of her family’s own mistakes and troubles. she protects her sister with her life and does everything she can to make sure she has a better life. i absolutely loved liza. she is a strong and independent woman.

roman … oh this man 😩 from the moment i met him in the kozlov empire series i just KNEW i would love him. mans was ready to start a war to protect liza. the things this man said had me CRUMBLING !! i would’ve immediately folded. and the way he kept calling liza “milaya” which means sweetheart !!! oh i was SWOONING !!

their story was so beautifully written, i can’t stop thinking about it even after a few days of finishing !! i will forever be in love with this book world and i’m so stoked to see what’s next 🖤

🌶️🌶️🌶️ (PLEASEEEEE MY TOES CURLED !!! the club scene … i would’ve folded so fast. where can i find myself a roman to take me to a cabin and forget about the world ??)

Julie ❤️

171 reviews7 followers

July 2, 2024

Once again, Monica NEVER disappoints.

Ruthless Reign is a perfect mix of tension, angst, steamy scenes, and heartfelt emotions.

Roman and Liza have been dangling in the fine lines of wanting each other, knowing they shouldn’t, but still wanting it nonetheless.

Roman was everything I love in a morally grey character, but I ultimately swooned when he realized that something was wrong and Liza needed to”saving”.

Liza’s circumstances were suffocating to say the least. Given what’s going on with her family, I truly felt she believed she had no place to go and tried to do the best with what she could. Anatoly was truly the biggest piece of garbage and every time he popped in the story, I had such a disgust for him 😭. He definitely had everything coming for him.

The buzzing and electrifying chemistry between the two had me wanting to keep figuring out what would happen next. Definitely, if you’re into mafia romances and bodyguard romances, I highly recommend this book.

I cannot wait to see what Monica brings next and if you never read any of her books, I sincerely urge you to!

-eARC for honest thoughts and opinions.

gail

160 reviews4 followers

July 2, 2024

Ive been in a marriage of convenience trope binge for a month now and i have been obsessed with all the books that i have read with this trope. Not only that but i ate up every jealousy scene and roman being so over protective. Fictional men just always do it right. I needed to read more mafia romances and the writing was so entertaining. I loved the sexual tension between the two and i very much enjoyed the bdsm and spicy scenes. The smuttt was exquisite 🥵. I cannot wait to read more books of this author.

Paige Oelke

370 reviews7 followers

June 20, 2024

5⭐️/3🌶️

I have been waiting for more Roman ever since Maxim and Kira’s book! I am obsessed with him and Liza together. This book has everything you want in a dark mafia romance, angst, heart wrenching love, spice and a little sprinkle of murder! I loved seeing the relationship between Liza and her sister and can’t wait to see how her story unfolds.

Courtney Gharet

120 reviews5 followers

June 27, 2024

If Monica writes it! I’m reading it!! It was a total thrill ride, sexy, steamy and kept me so intrigued. I absolutely loved this. Trigger warning please check them. I volunteered to read and review this for Monica! And chefs kiss!!!

Michellelovesreading

1,004 reviews132 followers

June 22, 2024

Umm Roman. I will definitely be rereading this book

Gabriela

376 reviews11 followers

June 29, 2024

This book is full of twists and turns just like I like it! I couldn’t put this book down, I loved it , Roman’s and Liza’s story was amazing good 🖤

Rai

189 reviews20 followers

October 2, 2024

3.5 ⭐️

dark-romance mafia romance

Kim Merkenhof

91 reviews1 follower

June 12, 2024

Mafia, my favorite trope in a book. Love me a good mafia romance and this is a good mafia romance.

I hated Anatony and the fmc mom, absolutly hated them ugh. So glad Liza could Escape them and found the love of her live. Ramon meight be my new bookboyfriend. He is everything we want in a man.

Katelynn

875 reviews25 followers

July 28, 2024

Liza and Roman did not disappoint and transformed me into a fan of this author! Liza has been a pawn for her parents forced into an abusive engagement. Enter in his business partner, Roman, who finds himself obsessed with the young beauty. Roman becomes her bodyguard giving the most delicious forbidden vibes. He is protective, jealous and deadly as a major player in the Russian mafia. There are no lengths he won't go to in order to save Liza. I appreciated Liza was resourceful always looking for a way out of her upcoming nuptials without risking her sister. Even more she still showed a lot of love to parents that fed her to the wolves. This book had tension, angst and plenty of danger. I'm so intrigued by the sister's upcoming story because the taste we get for her story hasn't left my mind.

Caged Soul

163 reviews3 followers

June 21, 2024

"She is the last woman i should want and the only one I can't resist”

Book- Ruthless Reign
Author- @monicakayneauthor

Rating- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice- 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

I really loved this book. This is my first time reading Monica Kayne. I must say I really loved the way she wrote.

The way she expressed each and every emotion. The chaos in the mind of FMC and MMC was felt really easily by the way author has written it.

I can't help but fall in love with Liza and Roman. Liza's strength and resilience are inspiring, and I admired how she handled herself and maintained toughness no matter what life threw at her. Roman's pure dedication and fascination with Liza was amazingly expressed.

The way Roman cared for her and was literally willing to do absolutely everything for her. He had me folded over there. Also the nickname he gave her “Milaya” which means sweetheart. I AM SO DOWN FOR THIS MAN... ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I’m eagerly waiting for an extended epilogue and am particularly intrigued by the prospect of Nikolai and Sofiya’s narrative unfolding in the next book.

And I have to complete my backlog as well..

Eleanor Butler

187 reviews8 followers

June 17, 2024

Ruthless Reign
A decent read by this author new to me absolutely love the cover !
It’s an exciting enemies to lovers, Mafia, Age Gap Romance, one of Redemption,Sacrifice, Courage and Love.

Ok let’s get into it .

This is a romance story with the mafia bad guy Bodyguard vibes ..
Roman Vasiliev.” the protagonist in this story is the second or is it third in command of the Syndicate had to be a bodyguard to his boss/friend pregnant wife and her friend Liza on a trip to London. But this friend happened to be the woman he is enamored with, Liza, who seems to dislike him for whatever reason until they call truce, they ended up getting closer after a night out to a sex club, not soon after he then found her selling her V card for reasons she stubbornly refuse divulge, but there’s something she is hiding that he intend to find out hopefully before her wedding.
Listen can this girl can keep a secret!
But Liza has taken up residence in his head he sees no one but her, she is under his skin !

“You know what they say, there's a thin line between love and hate."

Yes she is engaged but the girl has big problems.
Liza the FMC is living a complete lie .. this girl is in danger! Her parents had lost everything and ended up in debt which was taken over by her fiancé who is a cruel abusive depraved man.
He took over the debt in exchange for her hand in marriage and her virginity, or so he claimed, this man had wanted her for a long time, back then she didn’t pay him any attention, so of course part of him wanting her is to exact his revenge, and let me tell you this man depravity knows no bounds!
But crap Almighty this girl needs help and refuses to accept or acknowledge it . Instead She has decided to keep her suffering to herself and lie rather than take help from her friend or Roman who she is madly attracted to and is falling for.

"All I need is you, milaya."

Let’s talk about her family for a sec…,

Christ this girl family … her mother is a piece of .. her Father worse..they’re Pathetic, disgusting, unbelievable people, but yet she literally is willing to suffer for them, her sister however is the only good person in her family, The one she is most concerned about because man Liza is engaged to is of the worse kind. So while Liza wrestled with protecting her little sister from his evil clutches her sperm doners were busy racking up the debt and signing Sofia up for marriage unbeknownst to them!
And so the saga Begins !

This is a story about love, sacrifice, and finding courage, Despite witnessing abuse in the pasts,Roman was still haunted by it and knew the signs, he was sure he would do anything for Liza not be in that situation, so his determination and strength is what will take them through the toughest battles to come, I love that Liza eventually open up to Roman and made decisions together on how to deal with all that’s happening with her terrible depraved fiancé.
I really enjoyed the play between ROMAN and LIZA

"YOU PUSHED ME BECAUSE YOU WANTED A REACTION.
YOU WANTED TO SEE
what happens when you challenge a man like me a dangerous man.
WELL, MILAYA, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS. GET ON YOUR KNEES."

Recommend this good read

Grab if you’re into
♥️Bratva/Dark Mafia Romance
👠Forbidden Love
🔥Age Gap
♥️Virgin Heroine
👠He unalives for her
🔥Protective/Bodyguard vibes
♥️Smex Club Fun
👠light BDSM
♥️Possessive MMC
❤️‍🔥Exciting conclusion
♥️HEA
(Some above is my own POV )
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ .5

Please note my ratings may change after I read the edited version. *
An ARC Review
Georgious_eleanorpb 🦋

Thelma

173 reviews1 follower

August 12, 2024

Roman & Liza
Ever since I discovered Monica Kayne's books(the Koslov Empire series) she's been on my auto-buy list. Reading this book was like savouring a cup of my favourite ice cream. I couldn’t put this book down. The passion between these two, the banter, the drama, not forgetting the awesome plot twist. I knew I loved them from the moment I saw them in Shattered Crown, reading their book and being able to see Maxim and Kira again was swoony.
This is the first book in the Tarnished Reign series.
Roman is the right hand to the Pakhan and has taken up a new responsibility to oversee a new partnership, this responsibility collides with the one woman whose thoughts have filled his head and is now engaged to his new partner. Roman had me curling my toes in excitement. The mouth on this man...*fans self*
Liza is engaged to someone hates but has decided to go ahead with it for the sake of her sister and parents. Her best friend has decided to give her a last hoorah before she gets married and her best friend's husband's right hand is tasked with their protection detail. Reading everything Liza had to go through gave me heartache but I loved her independence and brilliance.
What You'd Find
💝Dark Mafia Romance
💝Age Gap
💝Arranged Marriage
💝Smex Club
💝Inexperienced FMC
💝Bodyguard Romance
💝Forbidden Romance
💝Touch Her You ☠️
Favourite Quote/Scene 💝“You've consumed my every thought, my every breath, since we've been apart. Deny it all you want, but you belong to me. You were always meant to be mine."
💝“Roman or God.” He smiles devilishly. “I answer to both.”
💝But it’s over now. I’ll burn down the world, I’ll kill. I’ll do whatever I have to to keep you and Sofiya safe.”
💝It’s all the proof in the world I need that she belongs to me.
💝It's on the tip of my tongue to tell her how deeply I feel for her, how I’d fight through hell itself to keep her safe and happy. I’d lay down my life for her without a second thought.
But I hold back. Actions speak louder than words, and I'll show her what it means to conquer the world for the woman I love. All that matters is this moment, us together; everything else is just noise.
💝For the first time in a long time, I have something precious to lose—someone I can't bear to live without.
💝“Believe it, milaya. From now on, it's you and me against the world. I love you, so damn much, and I regretted not being able to say that to your face every day that we were apart. But it's true, and all I care about is making you mine.”
💝“I love you too, Roman.” It’s the absolute truth. I feel it in my body, in my bones, and down to my very marrow. “More than I ever thought possible. More than I can put into words.”
💝This nightmare has crystallized one thing for me: Liza is my future. I would give everything up for her. Nothing matters if she isn’t by my side. Ever since she came into my life, she has filled every corner of my heart, my mind, and my very being. Now, nothing stands in our way.
💝But there’s only one priority: marrying Liza as soon as possible. She’s broken down my walls, filled my soul, and thawed my frozen heart. There’s nothing more to say. I’m claiming her as mine forever.
💝“I don't know how I got so lucky, but I've never been happier. No one else makes me feel like you do.” His words take my breath away. “You complete me. You’ve turned my world around and made me a better man for it. This life isn’t worth living unless you’re by my side.”
💝Roman is my sanctuary, my protector—my everything.

Ally D

8 reviews4 followers

June 21, 2024

I would highly recommend this book and would re-read this again!

Please check the Trigger & Content warnings before reading the book!

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice: 🌶 🌶 🌶.5

Tropes:
Dark Romance
Bratva/Mafia
He unalives for her
Age Gap
Virgin FMC
Forbidden Love
Possessive MMC
Forced Proximity
Smex Club

I hadn’t read any of Monica Kayne’s previous work. So when I tell you that I went into this book totally blind, I mean it! When I tell you that this book had me in a chokehold and on the edge of my seat from literal start to finish, 😮‍💨 I mean it! The plot was so good and had so many twists and turns to keep you wanting to find out what was going to happen next.

Liza, our FMC is a fierce and strong-willed independent woman who sacrifices her life and happiness to rectify her parent’s debts and social standing. She agrees to marry Anatoly, a type-A A-hole who verbally and physically abuses her. She does everything in her power to keep her sister Sofiya, happy and protected. She doesn’t tell anyone about her problems and keeps everything a secret even from her best friend, Kira. Liza hopes to find a solution to her problems however is re-introduced to Roman, Kira’s bodyguard and Kira’s husband’s right hand man. Sparks fly between the two and you can definitely tell there’s chemistry between the two.

Roman, our MMC, is the epitome of bad boy who will kill you for looking at him the wrong way. Loyal to a fault, Roman falls for Liza and falls hard. He is so sweet and caring towards Liza that it hurts. He literally puts her wants, needs and safety before his own. We all want and need a Roman in our lives! Roman is Kira’s husband (Maxim) right hand man and would do anything for him given the history they have. The biggest downfall for Roman was to find out that Liza is Anatoly’s fiancé. The forbidden love and Maxim’s business partner. He is torn between wanting to make Liza his and burying his feelings for Liza because she’s a business partner’s betrothed.

All in all, this was such a good read and definitely became an auto-buy author! The story was rich in detail, plot and action! I’m sad that the story is over however looking forward to the next in the series!

Again, I would recommend this book for all the tropes listed above as well a story that takes the reader by the throat (no pun intended 😉) from page 1 and leaves them wanting more by page 387 (397 e-book).

Happy Reading!

arc

Salina Oodal

35 reviews

September 4, 2024

Ruthless Reign is book one in the Tarnished Reign series. It follows Roman Vasillev who is the right-hand man of Maxim Belov, (Kozlov Empire Series: Shattered Crown, Book 4)

Liza's best friend, Kira, is married to Maxim who is the head of the Bratva but is looking to step back. He has a right-hand man that serves him named Roman. Roman is a bodyguard for the girls and ever since he met Liza he can't get her out of his head. But there's one little problem...Liza is engaged to someone else.

Liza has found herself in a situation when she agrees to become engaged to Anatoly. He is a power-hungry asshole who wants her simply to have control over her, which to an extent he does because Liza's family has debts that need to be paid and by marrying him he takes care of those things, including paying for her sister Sofiya’s school, the only important person in her family that matters to her.

Roman is tasked with watching Lisa & Kira during a trip to London. The attraction and chemistry between Roman and Lisa are so high from the start which brings them closer together on the trip. On the trip to London, she sees a chance for freedom, even if it’s fleeting, Roman follows Lisa when she sneaks out and is auctioning off her innocence to be able to be free. The moment that Roman realizes what's happening holy hell let’s just say I love when a man will k**l for someone disrespecting their woman.

But she can't just leave her life and be with him? Can she? When danger strikes, decisions need to be made and Liza needs to choose for herself. But what will happen to her family?

If you wanna find out more about Roman and Lisa and if they get there happy ever after you have to read the book. 😉 promise you won't be disappointed.

Monica does such a great job with mafia romance and this one was no exception! We get the suspense, spice, and angst in this forbidden romance! I really enjoyed the characters and can't wait to see where this series goes!

Book Stats:
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. 🌶🌶🌶/5
Series: Tarnished Reign Series Book 1
POV: Dual
Tropes: Dark Mafia Romance, Forbidden Love, Age Gap, FMC (25 yrs old), MMC (38 yrs old), Obsessive/Protective MMC, He Unalives for Her, Virgin FMC, Protective/Bodyguard Vibes, Smex Club Fun,
CW/TW: Before reading

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.

Oriana

22 reviews

June 22, 2024

Review:

Roman Vasiliev is the right hand of Maxim Belov. Trusted to watch over Kira, Maxim’s wife, and Lisa, her best friend and the bane of his existence, during a trip to London. Will their sizzling chemistry burn into a growing flame or turn them to ash.
Liza Ivanova does everything for one sole reason, give Sofiya, her younger sister, a better life, even if it means sacrificing her own. Engaged to a violent men, Liza sees in London a chance for freedom, even if fleeting.
Roman and Liza have chemistry from the beginning of the book and their pull and push game was very entertaining to read. I loved their story. It was intense and hot, but it was also filled with tender moments that I was not expecting at all.
Roman is a dangerous mafia man, but he’s so caring with Liza. I loved Roman’s character. He helped Liza heal and escaped the gold cage she was brought up in.
Liza is such a complex character. She’s fragile in the sense that she had to forget herself so many times for the sake of others that she’s lost in who she truly is. Choosing herself is not something that comes easily to her. Seeing her grow and be free was so heartwarming. She deserves a life full of happiness and I’m happy she got it.
Some of the side characters of this book definitely had moments where they shined. I loved Pavel’s sassiness and his friendship with Roman, the moments where he messed with Roman about Liza were some of my favourites. I love an unhinged Nikolai and I was hopping to read his story with Sofiya, so I has very happy to discover theirs will be the next book in the series.
I fell in love with Monica Kayne’s writing in the Kozlov’s series, but this book was on another level. I usually don’t love the first book in a series, but this one took me by surprise in how good it was. Monica’s writing was already good, but it got a lot better in this book. I can’t wait for Savage Reign, I’m sure I’m going to love has much or even more than this one.
This book deals with a lot of triggers so you should definitely check it out before you read the book.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.

Simran Ramphal

4 reviews

July 3, 2024

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Character development: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

My thoughts💭:
Liza is forced by her parents into a marriage with Moscow’s most influential man (Anatoly). She agrees for the sake of protecting her younger sister.
Liza goes on a girls trip (or what she considers as her last bout of freedom before her marriage) with her best friend Kira. They are accompanied by a bodyguard, Roman Vasiliev, who is the right hand to Kira’s husband.
Roman has been obsessed with Liza since he met her a year ago. The problem is she is forbidden and she belongs to another man. So he decides to keep his “feelings” to himself.
All caution is thrown to the wind when he finds Liza in a smex club in the middle of auctioning her virginity.
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•
It is rare to find a strong FMC in a mafia romance. Liza is a breath of fresh air. She shoulders the burden of her parents’s debts to protect her sister even it means marrying an abusive, controlling man. Liza did not accept her faith. She continuously sought out ways to earn money to pay off the debts. She fought till the end. 💪🏽
Roman started off as the typical grumpy man, who feigns annoyance towards Liza. But from the moment he spotted Liza on that stage ogled by other men who are bidding on her at, all sensible train of thoughts left his brain and temptation and possessiveness took the lead😂.
The spicy scenes from here on was chef’s kiss. 🥵🤌🏽
Roman was ready to burn the world for Liza and her sister. What else do we expect from our MMC with a traumatic past. A past which he sees Liza in the same predicament as his mother. I believe that aspect played a big part of his protectiveness for Liza🖤
Liza’s parents are despicable human beings. I wanted to tussle with the mother throughout the book🤺🤺

Overall Ruthless Reign is an amazing read. It is a page turner for sure. We get a mafia forbidden romance, touch her and you’ll die scenarios, spice that’s off the charts, a strong FMC, and a an MMC who is hot, older, dangerous and ready to worship the ground his woman walks on🖤

Nasi

172 reviews12 followers

June 19, 2024

"Tarnished Reign" the new series starts with the forbidden love of 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 & 𝑳𝒊𝒛𝒂 in "Ruthless Reign" and it was really the best decision to start with them. I loved Roman and Liza's characters since their appearance in "Shattered Crown", they had an undeniably chemistry since than and i was so curious how they story would be like and "Ruthless Reign" didn't disappoint.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 🌶️🌶️🌶️,5

𝑳𝒊𝒛𝒂 is a strong and independent woman, she is sacrificing her own happiness for her families troubles, she accepting to marry Anatoly, a abusive piece of sh!t. Liza has one thing in mind to protect her younger sister Sofiya and she is willing to do anything. She is keeping everything as a secret even though from her best friend Kira with the hope to finding a way to fix this freaking situation by herself. When Roman comes in to her life when will she be ready to trust Roman and reveal her secrets and let him in?!?

💫“𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝑰 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒔𝒐 𝒍𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒚,” 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔, “𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆?”💫

𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏, omg this man is everything, loyal to the bones and caring and puts Liza's need above everything. He is ready from the beginning to fight for Liza but one thing is keeping him and makes Liza forbidden, Roman is Anatoly's business partner and he has to focus on his work.

💫 "𝑰𝒇 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅, 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰𝒇 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕, 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖."💫

💫“𝑫𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅. 𝑵𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒚 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂 𝒇𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒄é. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒂. 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅, 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍, 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐, 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒐𝒇𝒊𝒚𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆.”💫

⚡⚡⚡
I really enjoy Monica's writing and love her characters. This story was an awesome read with betrayel, angst, danger, hope plot twists and great amount of spice.
Recommend ✅
⚡⚡⚡

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩/𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
⚡Mafia Romance (Bratva)
⚡Age Gap (H38/h25)
⚡Possessive MMC
⚡Forbidden Love
⚡Forced Proximity
⚡Bodyguard vibes
⚡Smex Club
⚡Abused FMC
⚡Morally Gray MMC
⚡Virgin FMC

⚠️𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚃𝚆 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐!⚠️

Lookin forward to the next story of this series, its gonna be another great read. 👏

Renee

4,592 reviews63 followers

June 18, 2024

I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie's Book Reports.

This is the story of Liza and Roman and I am warning you now that you are going to love them and not be able to lay this book down. She has always been a pawn to her parents and they have forced her to be in a really abusive engagement. I really felt for her and my heart broke so many times. Roman is in the Syndicate and finds himself on a trip to London as his bosses bodyguard. However his boss has brought his wife and her friend Liza on this trip and Liza is the woman that he has always had an attraction to. These two seemingly can't stand each other and the time has come for them to call a truce. He even has to rescue her from some crazy decisions a time or two. However she is holding on to secrets and I am telling you now Liza is locked up tighter than a vault when it comes to the secrets she carries. She is a pawn in a mixed up twisted game of revenge thanks to her family who has lost everything to the man she is engaged to and she is his chance at revenge. I can't say to much more about this book or I will give something away. I don't want to do that. But I can tell you that I devoured this book. I loved every single second of it. But man oh man did I hate a few people in this book with a fiery passion. Her mother is an absolutely horrible woman. And Anthony. Don't even get me started on him. If I could have jerked them out of this book and hit them up the side of the head a few times I would have been happy. They enraged me so much. I loved Liza and Roman. I loved watching their story unfold. He is fiercely protective of her and he is more than determined to get her out of the situation she finds herself in thanks to her horrible family. I love watching Liza find her strength and become the strong fierce woman she was always meant to be. This is a book that I really loved reading. You do not want to miss it.

Ashleigh Martin

79 reviews

June 21, 2024

4.7 stars out of 5 stars (Standard rounding rules apply)

Everyone needs to get themselves a Roman. He was top tier alpha protective book boyfriend. While Liza was living a double life all in order to take care of and protect her sister. These two characters complimented each other wonderfully, with banter and passion that was off the charts.

Their story is a dark bratva romance with an age gap, and forbidden aspect to it. Like most of Monica Kayne's novels this one is top tier and keeps you on your toes from the very beginning with the dedication. There are a lot of twists and turns with lots of actions and plenty of romance.

While this is the first book in the new series, and a stand-alone novel we do get to catch up with Kira and Maxim from the final book in the Kozlov Empire series. While Shattered Crown (Kira and Maxim's story) isn't needed, their story does give you a picture of who Roman and Liza are as that's when we are first introduced to them.

There are plenty of characters within the novel that will make you want to throw your book from the cruelty they display. Or even from our own main characters stubbornness. That marks a good book for me, when I throw (gently) my Kindle because I'm "upset" only to dive for it and start reading again. Something I have done a couple times with this novel.

There is plenty of action throughout. Though, I won't lie, it was the spice that kept me hooked tight. I would give this book a three-point-five chili-peppers out of five chili-peppers. (Please keep in mind this is my personal opinion and may be more or less than yours.) The spice starts in a smex club, and just progresses from there. The knife scene though.... if you know, you know.

I would absolutely recommend this book. Monica Kayne is an instant buy author for me - everything she has written has been fantastic... Roman and Liza's story is no different.

Displaying 1 - 30 of 248 reviews

Ratings & Reviews for

Ruthless Reign

Monica Kayne

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