From the author of Mount Mercy and Alaska Wild comes a standalone romantic suspense that will leave your heart pounding.Konstantin. A mob boss so powerful, he controls senators and judges. He’s ruthless. Gorgeous. All of New York knows his name. Me? I’m invisible. As an FBI surveillance specialist, I spend my life watching Konstantin and he’s never once noticed the shy girl taking photos from … noticed the shy girl taking photos from across the street.
But when Konstantin’s beautiful but evil “companion,” Christina, is injured in a car crash, the FBI gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring him down. They use plastic surgery to make me look just like her and send me into his mansion in her place. I need to stay focused, because if he suspects for one second that I’m not her, he’ll kill me. But every time he pushes me up against the wall and growls in that Russian accent, I go weak.
I soon learn that his relationship with Christina was empty and cold…but the feelings we have for each other are becoming all too real. There’s more to Konstantin than anyone knows. That cold, evil exterior hides a soul-deep pain and a fierce, protective heart. I know he’s the enemy but I’m falling for him. And I need to know, is he falling for her…or me?
Standalone Russian mafia romantic suspense, guaranteed HEA, no cheating.
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Here’s the thing. THE DOUBLE by Helena Newbury has one of the most improbable plots I have read in a book ages. There are plenty of twists and turns, secrets and manipulations. It certainly is one rollicking adventure of a book and I could easily see this book play out in a big screen action film. As long as you are happy to suspend belief, there is plenty of substance to this book that makes it worth reading.
The other caution I will add is that there is an element of BDSM to this book. I was not aware of this before I started reading as this is not a genre I gravitate towards. When I first came across it in the book I did consider stopping. I am glad I continued. The kinky sex is more alluded to than it is explicit and when we do get a full scene, I thought it was quite tame.
So what did I enjoy? Let’s start with Hailey. She’s an FBI surveillance specialist, a role that suits her solitary life. She and has spent the last 2 years closely observing Konstantin Gulyev, a top criminal who controls large swathes of New York City. The observation has come from a distance, yet Hailey has become obsessed with him. I really enjoyed Newbury’s writing as she describes Hailey’s fascination. Nothing is off limits; his clothes, his body, his speech, his behaviour. I could feel what Hailey was feeling – the strong attraction warring with knowledge this man was dangerous.
The plan to infiltrate Konstantin’s inner circle by having Hailey play to role of his girlfriend Christina also made me curious. Getting the physical aspects correct would be relatively easy, but it’s the intimate moments, the conversations, the secrets (if any) they share that would be harder to emulate. I liked the moments between Hailey/Christina and Konstantin. The physical attraction between them was obvious but the attraction went beyond this, to a helplessness that neither could resist. It certainly kept me turning the pages.
And finally, I liked the turn-paging suspense of wondering what will happen next. It’s a romance, so the couple ends up together. But how? Hailey’s deception, the FBI, Konstantin’s competitors, both Hailey’s and Konstantin’s jobs are all factors that work against them.
What can I say? The story has more holes than the proverbial Swiss cheese but I liked it.
Konstantin…Russian mafia king. Tall, handsome, muscled and protector of his people.
Christina…His girlfriend. Aloof, cold, hateful to servants, beautiful.
Hailey…FBI specialist aka photographer. Sweet, naïve, unsure, glasses, mud brown frizzy hair.
The FBI has a plan to take him down. Hailey must become Christina. Falling in love with him was never the plan.
Wowzer but this book has all the feels! The characters are described so well. The dialogue is top notch. I read this book at one time much to the dismay of my bladder. It’s a keeper. Action, adventure, suspense, romance and a happy ever after…it doesn’t get better than this.
The Double is a steamy Mafia romance with action and suspense. I have to admit, it’s kind of a stretch to believe that a smart man like Konstantin couldn’t figure out that Hailey was a double. Her body is different and her personality is a complete opposite of Christina’s. Setting that aside though, I loved the chemistry between these characters and the unfolding of their love story. At heart, Konstantin is a man who cares about his people and just needs some love, which Hailey has an abundance of. I think the writing is great and it held my interest to the end. Turns out that I really enjoyed this book!
I am voluntarily reviewing an advance reader copy of this book.
I am voluntarily reviewing an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
This was an OK read for me. Konstantin and Hailey were somewhat interesting characters, but I had a hard time empathizing with them. There were times the storyline really bogged down and the pace lagged. Normally I love most everything Helena Newbury writes. But even with the great cover model, this book was just OK
What an amazing roller coaster of emotions and heart pounding twists!! When I wasn’t reading it’s all I was thinking about, when I was reading I just wanted to devour it. There were moments early on that set my emotions on edge, fighting a few tears. Konstantin and Hailey go on a journey that gripped me and with all the drama and fear, I couldn’t get enough of them. I’d love to get to know more about Calahan, his intesity interests me. This is a must! I’ll be digging in to this series.
I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Oh. My. God.
This book.
This is one of the best books I read from Helena Newbury.
The plot was familiar, and yet, I can’t just helped but love it – by the way she made the storyline. It wasn’t boring, and as the story goes, it just got more interesting.
The characters are just amazing – Konstantin is a powerful mob boss, a Russian who rules half of New York. FBI wants to get their hands on him, but he’s simply too intelligent to fall into their traps.
Hailey spent two years behind binoculars and cameras doing under surveillance for the FBI, and her subject – Konstantin. She likes her work, and she’s good at it. After all, it was easy for her to be invisible.
When FBI finally got that rare chance of getting inside Konstantin’s world, they immediately grabbed it. And shy Hailey should now try and mimic the seductress and woman of the world that Konstantin dated. Can she do it? Because if she can’t do it, and Konstantin realizes she’s an impostor – she might end up dead.
But then everything changes when Hailey went into his world and realized that he was more than the mob boss. There was more to him than what every one thought. Soon, Hailey was torn between him and her job. What will she chose when her loyalties starts to falter?
Helena Newbury keeps me on my toes, on the edge of my seat with my heart just barely hanging on in there. This was one of the best reads coming from her so far, not just because I fancy those strong Russian accent – but the surprises and twists that kept coming on and on, until the final chapters. You thought you had it figured out, you thought you are almost in the end and nothing’s going to happen major now – I was so wroooong! The momentum was still there, and it kept on until the final pages, when finally, my heart starts to beat in a more regular rhythm, and Helena gave me an ending I so deserve after everything she did in this novel. LOL.
3.75 stars—THE DOUBLE by Helena Newbury is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, Russian Mafia romance story line focusing on Russian mobster Konstantin Gulyev and FBI photographer Hailey Akers. Konstantin first appeared as a minor character in the author’s Kissing My Killer. THE DOUBLE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line(s) is revealed where necessary.
NOTE: THE DOUBLE contains scenes of light bondage and discipline, that may not be suitable for all readers.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Konstantin and Hailey) THE DOUBLE follows FBI photographer Hailey Akers as she willingly goes under cover, and under the knife to take down Russian mobster Konstantin Gulyev. With the mobster’s girlfriend Christina Rogan currently in custody, following a motor vehicle accident overseas, Hailey, having previously met our hero while on a stake out at a Boston hotel, agrees to plastic surgery in an effort to resemble the mobster’s live in love. What ensues is the building relationship and romance between Konstantin and Hailey aka Christina, as Hailey searches for information and proof of Konstantin’s crimes, and the potential fall-out as Konstantin is double crossed by more than the woman with whom he is falling in love.
Hailey Akers has lusted after Konstantin Gulyev since she first spotted our hero through the lens of her camera. Believing herself capable, our heroine offers herself up as Christina’s double in an effort take down a man the FBI believes is evil and bad. Konstantin Gulyev doesn’t do serious relationships but something about ‘Christina’ has changed since the recent accident, a change wherein Konstantin reconsiders his future with the woman with whom he is falling in love. When a Bratva rival is determined to destroy Konstantin Gulyev, Hailey, in the guise of Christina, becomes fodder in a war with the Russian mob.
The relationship between Hailey and Konstantin begins as a ruse. Hailey is undercover as the mobster’s high-society girlfriend, a role Hailey discovers may be harder than first revealed. Konstantin likes a little kink in his sex life including a ‘dungeon’ that the original Christina loved more than our story line heroine. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
We are introduced to FBI head Carrie Blake, and Hailey’s agency partner Sam Calahan, as well as Christina Rogan, Konstantin’s right hand man Grigory, and rival mobster Dmitri Ralavich.
THE DOUBLE is a story of secrets and lies; betrayal and trust; love and loss. The premise is entertaining and captivating; the romance is sexy and seductive; the characters are colourful and animated.
On the flip side, the reader will have to suspend belief and reality with regards to our heroine’s transformation. Five days out of surgery, for a complete facial reconstruction, and laser eye surgery to change not only her sight but her eye colour as well,Hailey is completely healed and ready to go undercover and start a new life with her Russian mobster, a man who barely notices the physical differences between Christina and the imposter. There are also a few issues of grammar that should have been caught by a decent editor.
Bravo for another spectacular, wrenching story from Helena Newbury. All of her stories bring out that fear of starting the story just knowing you’re going to give your heart to the characters. Each story that Ms. Newbury writes, pulls more and more from the reader and The Double is no exception. I am thrilled to have a return to more mafia stories.
Hailey was perfect in her innocence for The Double -sweet, shy, innocent, invisible. I felt for her from her first awkward moment. And gawd Konstantin – from his first scowl and revelations of inner thoughts, you know things are going to get intense! The Double is a killer of romance read!
They were identical in their beauty. He knew them apart with just a kiss.
Little Hailey Akers. Surveillance geek. Invisible to the world; watching him from afar for years. Falling in love with him through the camera lens. Obsessed by him. Made to look like his mistress by the wonder of plastic surgery. Placed in his mansion to bring down Konstantin Gulyev, one of the three most powerful Russian crime bosses in New York. But, could she? Did she really want to?
Konstantin Gulyey. Untouchable. Russian mafia boss – smuggling, guns, protection, billion-dollar construction contracts, bribed officials. Yet, the people under his control knew he would take care of him and were not afraid.
So, meek little Hailey infiltrates the majestic world of money, greed, violence of Konstantin Gulvey. I cannot tell you how good this book is. There are not enough adjectives to describe the quality of this romantic suspense. The twists and turns she incorporates into the plot keep the reader engaged to the last page.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. And, honestly, I could not recommend it more highly!
Yessss!!! I love a good Russian mob story. And what I love more is the ruthless and cruel hero who turns into a romantic and tender lover. I hoped this will happen but what amazed me the most in the story was his transformation. His clumsy way of trying normal stuff the couples do on a daily basis, his trying to do and be better. I found it so humbling coming from him that I fell for him hard and fast just as Hayley did. But the pain he’s hiding deep within his soul 🙁 I wanted to cuddle him and tell him that everything will be alright. Harley is an amazing heroine and “the perfect woman for him”: shy and nerdy at first glance but deep down loyal and brave like no other.
It’s action packed and thrilling and that twist from the end had me breathless. When you thought it’s too much happening and it will slow down at some point something else will occur. Prepare to bite your nails and constantly pray for the best. I found myself shouting many times “kick and run!” and I am not ashamed to admit :)) 5 bratva stars!!