Monarch by Sophie Lark

MONARCH is a return to the gothic town of Grimstone - the hotel specifically. I’m a huge fan of gothic romance and this story gives me all those creepy, suspenseful, and foreboding elements to make it really great.

After the first chapter, I knew I was going to have to set aside a chunk of time to read this all the way through because from the time Elena and Lorne meet in Lviv, it was clearly going to be a page turner. And then Atlas and Elena meet at the Monarch in Grimstone and things start to happen that ramp up the anxiety and I loved it.

I was able to read an early copy of this book to provide my opinion, and It makes me wonder what is in store next for Grimstone.

Love Contract by Sophie Lark

In LOVE CONTRACT, Sophie Lark put an interesting twist on the fake dating trope. Sully and Theo knew one another in high school but it’s not a romance reunion. It looks like  Sully was an obnoxious bully in high school, in fact, and Theo was a target.

Theo has done some growing up, but Sully helps her see what she’s doing that keeps herself from being fulfilled in her job. Together they make a pact involving Theo’s much detested boss.

The humor in the book had me chuckling whether it was the self depreciating things Theo came up with or the “manic golden retriever” humor of Sully’s twin brother, Reese. The romance was choppy - they confused each other with their feelings and actions. I liked the zing the small bouts of jealousy put in there.

I kept turning the pages of this advanced copy of the book, eager to find out how Sully and Theo pulled things off with her boss. My opinion of this book is given voluntarily and I enjoyed it.

Grimstone by Sophie Lark

This book did not resonate with me.  I have read all of Sophie Lark’s books and love the risks she takes writing.  She creates this town of GRIMSTONE that we are sure to visit again in other stories.

This dark romance is quite spicy.  The thing that fell short for me, though, was I didn’t get the feels of a relationship progressing to love. Maybe what I wanted from the story wasn’t matching what it was supposed to be.  I can still appreciate the intelligent writing I always expect from Lark’s books, however.

Anastasia by Sophie Lark

One of the reasons Sophie Lark is one of my favorite authors is because she can be counted on to do something that stretches one’s intellect as well as imagination, and Anastasia is an example of this.  It’s a loose retelling with fantasy elements, dark elements, and an impressive creation of her Anastasia’s world. The attention to detail about the Cossack army, for example, made it feel so authentic.

I am not a reader of historical fiction, but right from the start I was hooked because of the characters.  Even the secondary characters are memorable and significant.  I admit I did want more romance not only because I like romance, but because of Anastasia and Damien’s romance.

I have to mention the stunning artwork throughout the book.  I loved the ones of Anastasia and Damien, but also the more fantastical imagery that stopped my reading so I could study the color and detail.

I received an advanced copy of this book to read and this is my voluntary review.

The Savage by Sophie Lark

The thing I like most about Sophie Lark’s books is they immerse the reader in the culture with intelligence.  She never assumes we won’t understand the history, language or societal mores in which the her characters exist.

THE SAVAGE pushes hard at the edges of darkness.  It challenges the reader to accept a character like Sabrina who seems to have few morals or control over her danger loving behavior while at the same time respecting her skill, intelligence and ingenuity.  The pairing with Adrik should put into question his own control and its impact, yet we understand his apparent weakness despite him being a strong leader of his brothers.  But he regularly gives up control to both Sabrina and his pack without diminishing his power.

Simply put, this is a book I loved to hate.  I couldn’t put down.  I was put off from the start by Sabrina.  I was disappointed in Adrik for not being able to go alpha on her.  I kept thinking what a tough character Adrik must have been to write for that reason.  It does not disappoint when it comes to passion and decadence.  

So I read this advance copy of THE SAVAGE to offer my voluntary opinion of this addition to the Kingmakers series that I didn’t know I was missing.

There is No Devil by Sophie Lark

No guilt refers to me not feeling guilty over finding a serial killer swoon-worthy.  Cole is that addictive while dark.

Mara will fascinate you.  You’ll wonder if you want to be her then will stop yourself and remember what Shaw, and even Cole have done.

Peppered with evocative words and mesmerizing debauchery,  THERE IS NO DEVIL delivers a satisfying conclusion to this seriously dark anti-hero romance.

I read an advance copy of this book provided by the author and this is my voluntary review.

There Are No Saints by Sophie Lark

 Intelligent, dark and psychologically gripping, THERE ARE NO SAINTS is a departure for Sophie Lark showing her versatility and depth as a writer.

I can’t say this was an easy book to read, but the discomfort was delicious.  It’s a book you read and say to yourself, “How can I like these characters??”  From out of the gate, Shaw and Cole are clearly horrible, but then we have Mara who seems to be both the catalyst for conflict and for transformation.

I had to push myself past the 30% mark because this book was out of my comfort zone, but I was rewarded with a fascinating psychopathic journey that thankfully is not over yet.  Book 2 cannot come soon enough.

I read an advance copy of THERE ARE NO SAINTS and this is my voluntary review of that book.

Bratva’s Heir by Sophie Lark and Jane Henry

This collaboration by Sophie Lark and Jane Henry is mafia romance gold.  Constantine and Clare meet while he is serving a 25 year sentence for killing his fiancée.  Not quite a meet-cute but he exerts his grisly alpha dominance on idealistic prison psychologist Clare.

It’s a book you’ll want to sit and read cover to cover.  There is no good place to stop and put it aside until later because finding out how the various threads of the plot unravel is compelling.

The best thing, though, is a well written story that feels like every word counts.  There’s passion, intrigue, suspense, shoot outs, smuggled “products”, dank warehouses, a sex club, physical persuasion in interrogation, and safe houses.  It’s got all that and a heart pounding romance between Constantine and Clare.  I loved it!

I received an advance copy of this book to read.  This is my voluntary review.

The Spy by Sophie Lark

This will probably be my shortest book review I have written because there is so much revealed in THE SPY that has to be kept under wraps for future readers.

It was remarkable how Sophie Lark brought everything together from the first three books in the series.  There were hints in each book and their meaning became clear when we knew more about what THE SPY was up to.  It’s a great story and I loved how it wrapped up the series.

The Bully by Sophie Lark

How could The Kingmaker’s series possibly get any better?  It didn’t seem possible until I read THE BULLY - Dean and Cat’s story.  There is so much going on in this book that details Dean’s broken life from his damaged father’s sanity to his mother’s abandonment and what lies in Dean’s future.

One relationship that bears attention is the relationship between Dean and my favorite Underworld hero, Snow.  Dean needed a strong male to guide him to being a man, and Snow was perfect.  As always, the research, in this case about boxing, was interesting as well as important in the plot.

Dean and Cat were delicious and decadent.  There is never a dull moment with these two and the passion ignites the pages.  What they go through as individuals and as a couple was so well written, I felt it.  

So the book is not only outstanding, it is also setting up the last book “The Spy”.  I know all of the readers are trying to figure out who The Spy is and what they are up to.  The complexity of this overarching theme is really becoming evident. 

Read this book!

I received an advance copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.

The Rebel by Sophie Lark

The Kingmaker’s series just got better with the second book, THE REBEL featuring Zoe and Miles.  The story was so intense.  I could could feel the evil oozing out of Rocco Prince from the first page. There didn’t seem to be anyone that could penetrate his psychopathic mind.

Sophie Lark does such a fabulous job putting down words that evoke real feelings.  I felt fear and hate for Rocco, was so surprised at what Zoe brought out in Miles, cried with Ozzy, and felt gripping apprehension with Cat.  It was an amazing story told in a skillful way.

While the first book did not end in a cliffhanger, it is a good idea to read The Heir first.  THE REBEL covers the second school year for the series.  The first book tells us more about the school campus, history and about the students that are now sophomores. THE REBEL doesn’t end in a cliffhanger, either, but it is clear some parts of the story will carry into the next book which most certainly will be year 3 for the core group.

I highly recommend this book.  I received an advance copy and this is my voluntary review.

The Freshman by Sophie Lark

THE FRESHMAN is a gripping novel of the young adult children of mafia families around the world attending the Kingmakers Academy to learn their role in their crime families from learning to lead to setting up shell corporations to launder money.

Leo and Anna come from Chicago mafia families and Leo’s cousin Dean is also a member of the freshman class.  Back in the day, Dean’s father Adrian was set on fire by Leo’s father so, Dean is not in a cousinly mood.

The book introduces us to everything about the Academy from classes to it’s isolated ancient castle on an island in the Adriatic Sea.  

I couldn’t put the book down.  I liked Anna most of all.  She was so grounded and knew what she wanted.  She didn’t let irrational thinking derail herself.  Leo and Dean were transformed because of her, yet in wildly different ways. Anna’s ethereal beauty, intelligence, and kindness attracts both young men creating further conflict between Leo and Dean, and internal struggles within Anna.

I’m so impressed with this start of a new series.  I loved the stories about their parents in the Brutal Birthrights series, but this is not just a continuation of that.  There is an entirely different feel to it that makes me eagerly await the next book.

I received an advance copy of this book.  This is my voluntary review.

Starlet by Sophie Lark

Sophie Lark’s STARLET is a dramatic mystery that takes place during the Golden Age of Hollywood.  Alice Bloom has to watch what she says when having coffee with Hedda Hopper, wonders what she will discover from a tense encounter with Bugsy Malone and try to please the temperamental Cecil B. DeMille landing in his major motion picture without a day of acting experience.

The novel has a rich variety of characters that each bring a piece of the period to the story.  As I look back, I realized there were really quite a few people to keep track of, but they were each had that unique link to the past that made them memorable.  Patrolman Jack Wood provides the sultry chemistry with Alice and we impatient wait to see if anything will come of it.

This is a mystery with creative twists.  Any good mystery reader is trying to narrow down the suspects as they go along, but you cannot help but be surprised where this story goes.  After each “aha!” moment another layer of intrigue instead of clarity arrives.

This is not one of Sophie Lark’s usual dark romance novels - and it not supposed to be. It is more like an elegant glide through an Art Deco hotel lobby with soft notes of jazz filtering out of the lounge.  The mood created by the playlist on Spotify and Apple Music is the perfect backdrop to this story.

Heavy Crown by Sophie Lark

The last book in the series did a few things - told the much awaited Sebastian’s story, tied together some events that brought the other characters from the series together, and planted the seeds (literally) for the next generation of Chicago mafia family leaders.

But, HEAVY CROWN was about a love doomed from the start.  It’s about the bond between these brothers - Nero, Dante and Sebastian - and how they each have to bear the heavy crown of family leadership.  My favorite brother was always Dante, and just by the way he briefly appeared in this book, his whole story and how it made me feel came back to me.  I loved that.

The tragic direction of the pairing of Seb and Yelena was heartbreaking especially after they had been so consumed with love.  I really felt Seb’s fury, pain and need for revenge and Yelena’s helplessness and despair.

So along with drying eyes while staying up late into the night to consume this compelling read, it was also a story with the right amount and kind of heat.  I felt sad finishing the series because I felt there was one more story to be told, but I somehow think we’ll get at some of it in the next series.

Broken Vow: A Dark Mafia Romance by Sophie Lark

There are so many reasons to like this book.  One observation I gave to make is that while all the books in the series are standalone, there are characters and events that overlap, so I knew Riona before BROKEN VOW and she was not very likeable.  This book started to show her closed off and off putting attitude from the start but we get the benefit of seeing her facade crumble over time.  Another characteristic of the books is that they all have a different feel to them.  This one was not as dark as some of the others but it was more intense in other ways.

Raylan couldn’t have been more perfect.  His protective nature and his ability to read her and not take offense when she was trying to be deliberately acerbic was what she needed.  Their passionate encounters - especially the first one -  well, and the second one -  were ‘get me a fan’ hot.  He was so effective because he wasn’t manipulative.  He was honest and giving her what he knew she wanted even if she didn’t.

I loved that we got to see Dante and Simone’s wedding.  They were the couple that really twisted my heart.  To top it all off, I started playing the song “All Of Me” when it is mentioned in the book and it was a poignant backdrop to the words that followed about the wedding.  It was goosebump worthy.

In short, another phenomenal addition to this series!  Read it!

Bloody Heart: A second chance Mafia romance by Sophie Lark

Having read all the previous books in the series, we’ve been teased with Dante’s story from the start.  We knew there was a love from his past, and that he was emotionally detached from that and his time in the Iraq to the point that his brothers and sister were always worried about him.

Now we find out what haunted him and the depth of his pain and longing for his first love, Simone.  I was drawn in from the very start and there is truly never a dull moment in this book.  The chemistry between the two characters was one thing, but the passion was flaming!

I loved this story because of the enduring nature of their love for each other despite what they endured, and what they endured is refreshingly original and enthralling.  I think this was my favorite book so far although they were all great.  Dante and Simone will have a special place in my book families.

Savage Lover by Sophie Lark

 When we first meet Nero it is pretty clear everyone wants to be him or be with him, and he can’t stand anyone.  Girls throw themselves at him and he uses them unapologetically.  Even so, he’s so alluring that they can’t help themselves.

Camille knows Nero from high school.  No one wants to be her.  She’s poor and filthy most of the time, working as a mechanic in her father’s garage.  She has some of the snarkiest put downs, though, and hides her vulnerability behind a rough exterior.

So Nero is a member of the Italian mafia and has robbed banks, armored cars, and has no compunction about a little crime to move things toward a goal.  Camille gets involved with some criminal activity. She does it to take care of her sick dad and younger half brother.  She gets involved with Nero, too, and they steam up some car windows together.

This book is intense and dark without being gruesome.  It is a dark atmosphere from the broken souls of Nero and Camille.  There is some heart pounding suspense, too, and I really enjoyed reading it.  It wasn’t much mafia related content like warehouses, wet work, rival mobs, etc. but you won’t be disappointed.

Stolen Heir: Brutal Birthright Book 2 by Sophie Lark

The opening pages of STOLEN HEIR give the necessary insight into what took the soul from Mikolaj.  The was a wonderful story of opposites and salvation.  I loved how Nessa was the epitome of innocence and purity while Miko was violence and darkness.

Sophie Lark is one of my favorite authors for writing about beautiful, tortured men and strong, grounded women that save them from themselves.  I so look forward to that moment when the hero realizes he’s unable to live without her.  She doesn’t disappoint us in STOLEN HEIR. 

Passion, action and intrigue make STOLEN HEIR a book to add to your reading list.  It fits seamlessly with Brutal Birthright Book 1 and I am ready for book 3.

Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark

There are enemies to lovers romances, and then there is BRUTAL PRINCE by Sophie Lark.  Callum and Aida not only couldn’t stand one another, it wouldn’t have surprised me if they would come to blows.  Aida was not going down from any situation without a fight.  Cal was not going to be bested by a Gallo, so the gauntlet had been cast on their wedding day - a really memorable start to this rocky Union.

This was a book to take your breath away first at the conflicts of the combined mafia families, but mostly at the holy hotness, Batman encounters between the newlyweds, each starting as a test or a battle that ignited a wild flame of passion.  They couldn’t help it that they started liking each other more and more as time went on.  They couldn’t help the mutual trust and respect that was growing between them.

I love a book with a strong protector and a knight rescuing his damsel, but some damsels are made of sterner stuff and are not so bad at doing the rescuing themselves.

This is a mafia romance with dark elements, but it is also very real and humorous, too.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading BRUTAL PRINCE.

Ash: A Dark Mafia Romance by Sophie Lark

I read a lot of books, but Sophie Lark’s books are to be savored.  ASH is one of those books that the reader becomes immersed in and I found it particularly satisfying that two of my other favorite COLORS OF CRIME books were connected to ASH - EMERALD and SNOW (in the epilogue).

Dom is unexpected as a Bratva leader.  Everything about his time with Lara is about his gentleness, his devotion, and doing literally anything for her.

Lara has one really gigantic secret, but part of the enjoyment in reading about these two is there is real honesty and it isn’t long before they trust one another so well that every secret comes to light.  So their love is drama free, but the other circumstances of their lives make up for it.

I must mention that the quality of Sophie Lark’s writing sets her books apart from many others.  The dialogue is seamless and the descriptions creative and colorful.  Do yourself a favor and read this book.