I thought she could never be mine until I saw her in the jaws of the devil himself.
Levan
I walked away from her because she was too pure and innocent to live in my world.
The Bratva was not for happily-ever-afters.
When I saw her across the room with that sadistic monster. I knew right away something was wrong.
Bianca was the most beautiful soul I’d ever met and only something terrible could … and only something terrible could land her anywhere near that slimy creature.
So I snatched her from his clutches.
Reason played no part. It was take her, or lose her forever.
I told myself I needed to save her, but in my heart I knew it’s much more than that.
All actions have consequences. The monster had his pride. He wanted her back, at any cost.
He was older, and more experienced than me, but I was a more formidable opponent than he could ever have imagined.
Because I was determined he would never feel the beauty of her soft hair, or run his hands along her silky skin.
That, I vowed, even if it meant I had to go to war or die in the process.
She was still hurting from my past actions, but now that fate had placed her under my protection, I would make her understand why I did what I did.
She was my woman.
No one. Not even my own family could take take away what my heart felt or this second chance.
A full-length Russian Mafia romance with HEA.
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I loved this mafia romance! It’s one of the best I have read. I was so caught up in the passion and the danger and the incredible chemistry between Bianca and Levan that I couldn’t put it down. Oh Levan! This beautiful man is willing to leave his family, prepared even to lay down his life, for the woman he loves. Bianca is just as devoted to him. Their sweeping passion and profound love for each other leaps from every page of this story. No one wants them together but their love never wavers. I wasn’t quite sure how the author was going to give them their HEA, but she did it and I can’t wait to read Maxim’s story. 4.5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book from Booksprout. This review was posted voluntarily.
This is beyond a deep dark mafia romance.
This is the story of Levan & Bianca. Levan is in the Russian Mafia. Bianca owns a bakery. They met in college, and after telling him she loved him by text, he never got back to her, and just disappeared on her. He thought he had saved her from the mafia wife’s life. Two years later he sees her in a restaurant with another man, who is also in the Russian Mafia. He realizes something is terribly wrong. She does not want to be with that man. Levan is in charge of the NY area. He’s loved her for two years, so then it begins. This is an amazing story, if not a gruesome one. Action never stops in this story. It’s steamy scenes you will feel with your heart. You feel every emotion with the way it is written. I loved it from beginning to end, and with it never had to end. Looking forward to another book from Georgia Le Carre.
I enjoyed this book. Levan and Bianca’s story has a good balance of emotion and excitement, suspense and drama and action and steam. These two have a lot of emotional turmoil to work through and big obstacles to overcome on the way to a HEA. While I liked both characters and I thought that their chemistry was strong, I did wish I could feel more of a deeper emotional connection between them. As for the story itself, it was entertaining but I felt the pacing fluctuated a bit along the way. My one big pet peeve that I had while reading this book was the encompassing feeling I had that I was reading books out of order. Now don’t get me wrong this is a standalone book but it does have ties to With This Ring (which features Levan’s brother, Maxim). I know it shouldn’t have mattered and I knew I wasn’t but I sure felt that way and I truly wish that this book had been released before With This Ring because the things just seemed a bit skewed.
Bianca and Ivan met years ago through her father. Now years later, Bianca is told she must marry an old man to save her father from being tortured and killed by his henchmen. Ivan disappeared from Bianca’s life to protect her. He never forgot about her and now he will save her. He also will make Bianca his for life.
I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am leaving a review.
I received this ARC from Bad Boy Update. Oooh…a mafia second chance romance, I’m in! Bianca has only ever loved one man, but he broke her heart. Leaving Bianca was the hardest thing Levan had ever done, but he thought is was for her own good. Now Bianca is in an impossible situation and she fears for her future, until Levan comes back for her. Now nothing will stand in his way of protecting, and claiming her. Loved it!!!
Levan And Bianca’s Story About A Reluctant Bratva Leader And The Woman He Walked Away From Is Packed With Action And Tension As The Couple Gets A Second Chance At Love. Levan’s Brother Maxim Gets His Own Book In ‘With This Ring.’
Bianca Russet, roughly twenty-four, hates games. The kindhearted yet strong headed baker religiously opens the doors to her bakery at seven each morning except Sundays, without fail, keeping up the tradition her mother began twenty years ago. It wasn’t long ago that her mother succumbed to her illness and died, but the bakery was in Bianca’s blood and the business kept her mind occupied, so she kept it running. And though her father had been a miserable husband and poor excuse of a father, she never wavered in her support of him, even if he only stopped by to raid the cash register every couple weeks. So when her father arrives early one morning, bloodied and missing three fingers, and announces he owes Russian mobster Bogdan Litvinenko a half million dollars and the only payment Bogdan will accept is Bianca herself, she agrees to go.
Bogdan isn’t just a criminal. He is a psychopath. The heartless Russian built his empire on human and fentanyl trafficking. He throws away his women when he tires of them, but rumor has it the women leave with both emotional and physical scars – forever changed from the months of humiliation and abuse while under his rule. When Bianca meets him at the Manhattan restaurant, he claims he has had his eye on her for some time, and explains she must obey him in everything, no matter how degrading or repulsive, for her father’s debt to be repaid.
Levan Ivankov, roughly twenty-four, never wanted to run his family’s New York businesses. The Ivankovs lead a billion dollar conglomerate and are the top Russian Bratva family. Their magnetism exudes power and respect. They are politically connected which keeps them out of legal trouble, though Levan’s older brother Maxim, who now heads the family’s international businesses, turned the American enterprise into a legal business. Still, there is danger. Their criminal father spends much of his time in Spain, where the boys spent half their time growing up. Levan knows in their business it is kill or be killed, and he is prepared to take a life if and when needed.
Levan had wanted a different life. He once dreamed of owning a winery and living quietly. With Bianca. He met her two years ago while studying accounting at NYU. She was perfect and he would have left the family for her, even though it would be construed as a betrayal. He had been carefree then. But something happened that hardened him. He realized that she was safer without him in her life, so he pulled back and disappeared, though she never left his heart.
When Levan comes crashing back into her life, Bianca cannot trust that he won’t just disappear again. Lacking self-confidence to begin with, she hadn’t recovered from opening her heart to Levan just to have him ghost her two years earlier. When Levan sees Bianca with Bogdan, he knows he can’t let harm come to her. And this time he doesn’t plan to let her go. But between Bogdan’s determination to get Bianca back and the anger Levan’s family feels over the trouble caused by his involvement with her, the couple faces great challenges and uncertainty.
Levan and Bianca’s story about a reluctant Bratva leader and the woman he walked away from is packed with action and tension as the couple gets a second chance at love. Although capable, Levan is soft in comparison to his father and brother. It is easy to see that though he accepted his role, he lacks the edge sometimes required. Granted his youth and inexperience might explain some of this, but his brother Maxim had been dealing with psychopaths since seventeen. Levan’s humanity gets in the way sometimes. Bianca’s loyalty makes her perfectly suited to him. His love for her makes him vulnerable, but it also empowers him. The couple earns a short but sweet HEA.
Maxim Ivankov, Levan’s brother, gets his own book in With This Ring. He is much like Levan, but cold and more hardened. Near the end of this book, there are rumblings of an arranged marriage for Maxim which will unite two powerful families.
Levan and Bianca’s action-packed story is engaging. It is well-written. The story is plot driven. There are several moving parts at play as Levan and Bianca work out what they are willing to sacrifice for love. The characters are nicely developed. It is written in first person. The POV alternates between Levan and Bianca. I rate this book four stars.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
With This Secret by Georgia Le Carre is the story of Levan Ivankov and Bianca Russet.
Levan and Bianca meet a few years ago but Levan ended up leaving and she hasn’t seen him since. Now in their present day Bianca is informed that she must be given to a man named Bogdan Litvinienko to pay her father’s debts. Levan is the second son of Ivankov who is in the Russian Mafia that rules New York. Levan has been working for his father but he has been keeping his eye on Bianca and he not allowing her to go to anyone but him. This of course starts trouble.
This was a very exciting hot read!
4.5 stars rounded up.
Levan walked away from Bianca to keep her safe. She was so innocent and deserved so much more from life than what he could offer. That was before her father did the stupidest thing possible. He got in debt he couldn’t repay and traded his daughter instead. The man he gave her to likes to cause fear and pain just for fun, When Levan sees her with him his vision goes red and he knows he needs to act. The draw of Bianca is just too much to resist. This story moves at a fast pace and will keep readers engaged throughout.
This is an adult book with some very dark adult situations. If this makes you uncomfortable this book is not for you. If you’ve read and enjoyed other book from Georgia Le Carre you will like this story. The characters are dynamic and there’s the deep tortured souls we all love so much. There’s also a nice balance between dark romance and your second chance redemption.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.