Dark Russian Angel: A Vancouver Mafia Romance

This has to be one of the best stories I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of read. It was exciting and unpredictable. Not your typical mafia story. I loved it and highly recommend it.

Action-packed, complex and interesting, this mafia romance is worlds away from Odette Stone’s hockey series, but still features the same great writing. It took me a little while to get into this one - Andrusha is not the typical romance “hero” and his lifestyle is anything but typical - but the mysterious, seductive romance drew me in as the story progressed. Andrusha may be a cold, hard man with a penchant for control, but with Olivia he is protective, tender, and downright loving. If you’re looking for a read that’s a little different from the norm, this is certainly worth a try. The story follows Olivia, a dancer turned stripper who has had a string of bad luck leading her to a life so unlike the one that was once in reach. After witnessing a murder, she’s now in protective custody but the cops can’t be relied on to keep her safe. Enter Andrusha, a Russian mafia boss who wants to keep Olivia alive long enough to testify - so that she can put his enemy away. But something about Olivia draws him in, and it becomes more and more difficult to let her go. Given the choice between death and a chance at survival, Olivia is willing to put her life in Andrusha’s hands, no matter the cost. It’s a dark romance that focuses quite a bit on the grittier parts of the mafia world, but the relationship between Andrusha and Olivia remains pretty light. There are triggers galore here so keep that in mind while reading, but I loved the relationship that slowly builds between these two. Andrusha doesn’t make the best first impression, and I was wary of his sexual preferences, but ultimately none of that stood in the way of the creation of a really great relationship. There’s plenty of action and suspense, but also a solid focus on the romance which made for an intriguing combination. I really enjoyed the direction it took towards the end and now I’m hooked on wanting to find out what’s next for some of these characters. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

DARK RUSSIAN ANGEL is a spin-off from Odette's Vancouver Wolves Hockey romance series. Andrusha Sokolov first made his appearance in PENALTY BOX as Mica Petrov's childhood friend and it's his title as the head of the Russian mafia in Vancouver that gets Mica into trouble off the ice. In DARK RUSSIAN ANGEL, Andrusha fights to maintain order in the city as Ivan Bunko, a new underground player, tries to take control of the streets by any means necessary. Olivia Childs is a dancer that could never catch a break. After an injury ended her ballet career, she takes up stripping to pay the bills. Then, one night, she ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time and is the only known witness that can place Bunko behind bars. When the police are unable to keep her safe, she finds herself locked away under Andrusha's protection. Andrusha is a man of plan and action. He has contingencies for every scenario and strategizes his every move. Taking in Olivia is just another way to ensure his new enemy never succeeds: the benefits of keeping her alive long enough to testify against Bunko far outweigh the risks of having her near. What he doesn't expect is the way he reacts to her presence; she is reluctant to be near him and doesn't throw herself at him like most women, but she also stubbornly refuses to leave his side when he tries to keep her out of direct harm's way. He finds her endearing and adorable and as such, claims her as HIS. Though he wants her, he does his best to keep his hands off - Olivia is more than just a naïve pretty face in danger, she's a virgin that he doesn't want to taint with his darkness. Andrusha is the definition of every girl's Bad Boy fantasy and every mother's warning. Andrusha is Olivia's unlikely guardian angel, but she quickly becomes his weakness. There are dangers from all around as Bunko's reach increases throughout Vancouver. Just as the pair find their mutual attraction too much to resist, everything Andrusha has worked for, including Olivia's safety, is threatened by someone close to him. DARK RUSSIAN ANGEL is an action-packed mafia romance that delivers a sweet and satisfying ending. Those seeking a story with a one-and-only lover, no cheating, and happy ending are in for a treat. Odette shows the underside of her Vancouver is just as full of love as life in the hockey rink. Readers get a glimpse into Mica's life after the end of his book, too, as Andrusha and Mica's friendship remains strong. My only critique is that Andrusha claims to always need to be in control and promises Olivia she is in over her head when it comes to his sexual proclivities; he prefers to tie up his women and reprimand disobedience in the bedroom with spankings. None of this comes to pass, though he does assert his dominance over Olivia with sexually charged manhandling outside of the bedroom. None of this detracts from the story, making readers shy of or avoiding BDSM in their romance perfectly safe to enjoy DARK RUSSIAN ANGEL.

Andrusha and Olivia—their love story will bounce around in your heart after you finish the book. They loved with purity and passion and courage. A slow burn with an oh-so-satisfying HEA. Both characters had to grow and change to find their best selves in this story. The author took time to develop the characters and takes readers on a heart-stopping ride through their adventure. A few old friends show up along the way, and true friendships in the story give us more insights into the “Dark Russian Angel’s” loyal commitment to people around him and vice-versa. You’ll be tempted to read this book in one sitting because it is a page-turner. This was the kind of book that caused the rest of the world to go silent while I read. The story grabbed me and didn’t let go.

I feel like this book advertises itself as one thing and then delivers something a little different. I was a quarter of the way through this book when I realized that this author’s main characters are usually hockey players. And it very much does have the feel of a sports romance rather than a darker mafia one. The book made a little more sense when you take that into account. To be clear, there were parts of the book I enjoyed. The plot was promising: A stripper needs protection after witnessing a murder at the club where she works and after several attempts in witness protection, she is rescued by an aloof and dangerous Russian mafia boss. Only he can protect her! I think the reason I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would is because the MMC-Andrusha is made out to be this big, bad, dom type who wants control, and in his own words: “Wants to do things to the main character that she won’t be able to handle.” In reality he’s just very sweet, kind and loving and all of their lovemaking is vanilla at best. Is it cute? Absolutely. Honestly if you want a really sweet romance with just a hint of bad boy, this would be perfect for you. Personally, I’d prefer it a bit darker. Also I didn’t really enjoy that the FMC was a virgin. It doesn’t make sense really and I feel like it was just added because that’s a trope that shows up a lot in these types of books. I’m a bit tired of it.

Never was a fan of mafia love stories, never had an interest in reading them. But this is the second Russian mob love story I've read (different authors), and loved! In this one, the heroine is a sweet, innocent young woman with not so great background. Our H is a Russian mob boss who rescues her after 2 attempts on her life while under witness protection (she witnessed a murder by another very bad mob boss who is intent on taking over the area from existing crime families. The H initially puts her under his protection because it's in his interest to have her testify and put the intruder mob boss behind bars. Watching the changes in these two as they come to know each other is a beautiful thing. This author developed her characters and their love story in a way that is seamless and totally believable. There is plenty of intrigue and action to hold your interest as well as a few twists. A great story and well written...the only error I noticed ("She covered her hand with her mouth. "...supposed to be the other way around lol!) was in the epilogue after all had been resolved so it really didn't take anything away from this story. So...i'm 2 for 2 in the Mafia love stories....looks like i'll be reading another one in the near future!

FMC “You’re pretty bossy.” “You don’t know the half of that statement,” he shot back. In regard to MMC “ I knew from our kids that being with him would require me to abandon control. I wasn’t sure how anyone could handle that.” Good Bratva story. The love wasn’t instantaneous. Enjoyed watching the attraction play out. The intrigue and betrayal rounded out the story.

I read a lot and this is a new author for me and I !over it. The story and writing were excellent, it didn't drag there wasn't a bunch of filler to drag the book out. It was great from the first sentence to the last. Can't wait to read more books thanks Odette!!!

This book started off strong, setting the pace for this new standalone mafia series that takes place in the author’s shared world of a fictional Vancouver. Its suspenseful, character driven plot was full of fast paced tension while also focusing on the romance between the main characters. As this is a mafia romance that’s darker than the author’s previous work, trigger warnings are included at the end of my review on Goodreads. Twenty three year old Olivia saw something she shouldn't have, and not even living in witness protection with police escorts is enough to stop the criminal responsible from trying to silence her before the trial. When yet another attempt on her life puts her in the reluctant care of the gorgeous and powerful mafia leader Andrusha, she knows she’s trading one danger for another, but with the constant threat to her life paired with the cops’ inability to keep her safe, the hugely intimidating Russian man is her only option for survival. Now living in his home and dependent on his kindness, Olivia sees a softer side to Andrusha that she’s hesitant to accept, but with an old flame and new betrayals arising to further complicate the situation, not even Andrusha’s surprisingly caring gestures are enough to distract her from the truth: the danger she’s been hiding from has found her, putting a target on not only her back, but the back of the man she’s come to care for as well. Between keeping rival gangs from turning on each other in the new chaos on the streets, to avoiding his ex who won’t take no for an answer, Andrusha is aware that finding the mole in his operation needs to take priority if he wants his men to survive the upcoming battle, yet protecting the tiny dancer living in his home is all he can think about. Andrusha knows Olivia is the key to taking down his enemies, but the thought of putting her in danger when she’s relying on his help doesn’t sit right with him anymore. As schemes from all sides fall into place and the final battle creeps closer to them, lines between Andrusha and Olivia are crossed indefinitely, and no matter how much they prepare for it or wish otherwise, staying apart may be the only way to face the upcoming conflict and survive. This book was a great first introduction to the darker side of this author’s take on a fictional Vancouver. Its plot was a mixture of intense and sweet, easily flipping between fast paced criminal activity and the soft, heartfelt romance between the main couple. It was full of clever intrigue, action (in more ways than one), and complications that made the book hard to put down. It was fun to read and had great tension, showing off the author’s ability to write a seriously good mafia story without taking it too far in a dark direction. The main characters all had rich backstories, and even the background characters seemed to be more than just tools to move the plot along. The main couple had a fun, slowish burn relationship that despite the dangerous circumstances, they made work. The chemistry between them added delicious tension to the story, and I loved reading both their characters grow into people who could fully accept and trust each other. Readers have seen a bit of Andrusha in past books, so seeing him finally get his happy ending with Olivia was lovely, and I liked how the author was able to give a glimpse into a past couple’s life without letting it take over the story. Overall, this was a fast paced, intriguing, and sweet story that moved easily between the action and the soft moments. I really enjoyed it!

This book was soooooo good. I don't particularly like to read mafia romance anymore, because some of them can have quite abusive relationships, (I know they are dark romances, but they don't have to be toxic), but this one was just PERFECT. Andrusha ad Olivia are perfect for each other <3 He is so protective, kind and strong. All of his POV'S were read in a Russian accent in my head, and that made him 100% hotter. Olivia is so sweet, strong and admirable. Recommend this to anyone who wants a mafia romance book, without any abusive and toxic relationships, like the ones in arranged marriages.

Andrusha ... swoon! I really enjoyed this book. It was a great mix of action, romance, sexiness and humour. I appreciate the layers that Odette gives all her characters, and it is always fun to see how characters from previous books entwine in the current plot.

This.. was.. INCREDIBLE! Literally every thing I hoped it would be and more it’s positively amazing! The story the love the hate the everything ! I’m so lost for words I can’t use grammar properly it was incredibly! A fantastic read by far!

Andrusha was hot, but could've been hotter. He had the potential to be the best head of Mafia I have ever read, ughhh such ashame! Olivia was a stripper, who was also a virgin, in witness protection. I still don't know if I liked her. I can't even tell you how old she was, because she read like she was 18. This book started out great and then kinda didn't get better. I like Stones writing and I'm totally obsessed with her hockey series, so I don't regret reading this. Would I rec this book? Probably not. Will I carry on and read Viktor's book? Probably will 😆 If I could rename this book, I would rename it Light Russian Angel, because obviously it wasn't very dark lol.