This is a new to me author and the third book in this series. Ilya Dragonovich (yes that is the main character’s name), originally I thought this was a shifter story, but it is so much more. Russian Mafia, gypsies, bad exes, psycho family members and interesting friends abound. There is substantial heat, the tattoos, background story and romance, make this an excellent read.

Lethal Nights started out with a bang (literally) but quickly became rather boring in its lack of dialogue and long paragraph descriptions. The writing was very repetitive, making the book much longer than it felt it needed to be. Somewhere near the halfway point of the book, it became more intriguing and I really began to enjoy Ilya and Emma Jane's story. Until then though, it was a bit of a struggle.

Love a stoic and alpha man? Look no further than Ilya Dragonovich. The bastard son of the infamous Dragon, Ilya should have been treasured as the only son of the Dragon. Instead, he's been treated in the worst of ways as a child. The horrific acts perpetrated on a child ten and under are pure evil. Each of these acts were encouraged by his birth mother. This is unfathomable to me. How can a mother treat their child so horribly? Or encourage such body scarification? She should be drawn and quartered over a period of days. Young Ilya's traumatic childhood sets the foundation for his strength and determination in his adulthood. No one will ever take advantage of him or place him in a vulnerable position. Nor will he have anyone attached to him who could be used against him. This leads for a very lonely life. When he meets Emma Jane, this all changes.

Emma Jane is a breath of fresh air. She is a woman with a steel spine. She may have been hoodwinked by her ex-husband, but that isn't going to happen again. What I liked about Emma Jane aka EJ is that she knows how to protect herself. She may not be trained to defend against assassins, but she definitely can handle a gun and scurry herself to safety. She's no one's victim. Her compassion and empathy for Ilya is one of her more endearing traits. Her ability to connect with him and love him even when he is afraid to open up is sweet. This kind of romance with an obstinate male and stubborn female is one of Ms. Leigh's trademarks. She does it so well and this slow seduction is just at the right pace and heat. This story is probably one of the less erotic filled by Ms. Leigh. She does keep a good sexual tension between EJ and Ilya. Their chemistry is more a slow burn than an intense explosion.

For those who have read other series by Ms. Leigh, they may be able to catch the cameo of other characters hiding in the background from other series. I love how she entwines her series. It makes it a richer world building for me. The different layers and how different military groups and organized crime can work together is a rosy picture I enjoy. The similarities between the two groups is higher than most people think. I hope Ms. Leigh features more of the Dragon gypsy clan. One which also involves a bit of mystical paranormal senses that intrigues me. This romantic suspense is recommended for readers who love a bad boy black knight coming to the rescue of a damsel who can slay the dragon for herself.

I received and ARC of Lethal Nights to review. As a huge fan of Lora Leigh's work I am always very pleased with her stories but this one lacked something. The story was just ok, it did not have any anticipated, wow moments for me as her other works. The story line was too detailed and I got lost trying to keep up with the dragon lineage and the tattoos. Did they really come to life, can the dragon relatives really communicate with each other telepathically. Good story, but not one of her best.

Lethal Nights is the third book in Lora Leigh's Brute Force series. I haven't read the first two but I now intend to circle back to them. I had no problem becoming engrossed in the story without the prior background knowledge. It's everything you expect from Lora Leigh and more, hot, steamy and packed with intrigue. Ilya Dragonvich is drawn to Emma Jane from the moment they first meet but he is beyond complicated and she doesn't need complicated. She may need protection but she is still a tough cookie. A must-read series for fans of Lora Leigh and spicy romantic suspense novels.

Who doesn't want their own dragon?!!
I read this book while on holiday and it kept me amused and interested during an afternoon at the pool. The story was good, characters interesting and the whole thing was just an easy read.

Best book of the series, Classic Lora of old. You are back and in fantastic fashion. Well done, want more from these guys.

I just could not get into this book. A lot of the text was repeat and just didn't grab my attention unfortunately. Maybe this was part of a series and I overlooked that, because from the beginning I felt like I missed something.

*I received an arc from Netgalley & publisher for an honest review*. The is the third book in the Brute Force series by Lora Leigh & it features couple IIya & Emma Jane. It was a great entertaining read & you won’t be disappointed! It can be read as a standalone but would recommend reading books 1 & 2 first. I’m looking forward to the next book!

I have read every book this author has written and this book was another great read. This book was written in such detail I did not want to miss a word. I read it twice just in case. The chemistry and suspense was so good I could not put down.

This book was another chip off the old block for Lora Leigh. She keeps you in suspense and keeps you reading with every page. I love, love, love Ilya. I want me a Dragon of my own. I couldn't wait to find out more about what was going on and who was behind things but I hated when it was over.

Lethal Nights book 3 in the Brute Force series is fast paced, full of suspense, drama and a whole lot of steam. From the first moment Ilya sees Emma Jane, he knew automatically what she would mean to him, he was intensely attracted to her and already feeling possessive. Emma Jane was in the process of divorcing her no good, selfish and immature husband and since still technically married, would not act on their mutual attraction. He leaves her for her own good, but when she is placed in danger, all bets are off.

Lora Leigh never disappoints with her books and Lethal Nights is no exception. The chemistry between Emma Jane and Ilya was explosive and the suspense of who the bad guys were definitely kept me on toes. I did get a bit confused with all the references of the dragon clans, but it did not take away from how intense the storyline was. What I also really enjoyed was the humor included in this story. I loved Emma Jane’s commentary regarding Ilya’s dragon tattoo, there were so many moments I was smiling and laughing. It was actually really cute.

All in all, another great read to a great series.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

Lethal Nights is a terrible title that doesn't describe any part of Ilya and Emma Jane's story. The Dragon's Mate would be better. Or more accurate, The Dragon Gang Heir Whose Tattoo and Blood Sing To Its Mate. And if you can figure out that title, then you can make sense of this convoluted, histrionic tale of a bad guy who refuses to be with the good girl he lusts for because of the assassins his mom sent after her. A classic boy meets girl tale, if you will, except the boy has a dragon tattooed on his face and is the heir to a dragon-themed criminal syndicate:
The ink proclaims me the Dragon grandson and heir.” He grinned in anticipation of how she would take the coming information. “When Grandfather steps down I’ll be head of all the dragon tribes and those loyal to them. You could say I’m a prince of a very large, far-flung nation of gypsies.”


So yeah, Ilya has a dragon tattooed on his face. As you do. His grandfather tattooed it on his face after his uncle deliberately slashed his face. This is after his mom went psycho because his father refused to marry her. So many details, so little sequitors. Anyhoo, Ilya's tattoo apparently communicates with Emma Jane who has been in total lust for Ilya since he agreed to provide her security after her divorce.
[Your dragon tattoo] seems alive at times.”

Ilya seemed to freeze for a moment before he sat back in his chair and watched her curiously. “Alive? How so?” he asked.

She grinned at the question. “Ilya, sometimes the dragon seems amused, or curious, sometimes angry. With me, he’s incredibly flirtatious.”


Everything about Ilya is dragon-themed. This is hammered home so often that I kept checking if this was actually a shifter book (imagine a Lora Leigh dragon shifter story??). Ilya hoards a specially made vodka named Dragon's Blood (natch). Every dragon heir gets marked with a "Dragon's heart mark" with their mate's birthstone. Their blood sings when their dragon kin are near. Emma Jane constantly calls him her dragon:
“You think I don’t know the man you are or the dragon you can become, Ilya?” she asked him softly. “And Matt doesn’t mean anything to me one way or the other. It’s one impossibly stubborn, far too protective dragon I care about."


After a while, the dragon stuff started to, well, drag. Ilya does a terrible job of protecting Emma Jane who isn't TSTL but real close. It is never clear why Ilya is so head over heels for Emma Jane, whose own father said of her, "“We love her, but I swear when God was giving out street smarts that girl musta been playin’ with the butterflies.”

And then the dragon stuff started to get metaphysical:
“Did you know dragons can sing in my dreams? Like the haunting, deep-throated sound filled with mystery,” she sighed, her smile filled with remembered joy. “It was beautiful.”

Oh yeah, he knew dragons sang.
Even Ilya got tired of the dragon woo-woo:
Son of a bitch, this dragon shit was a hell on a man’s nerves. He’d learned not to believe in fairy tales or legends, yet he felt as though he were living just that.
Same, Ilya, same.

Note: I voluntarily read and reviewed this ARC generously provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

The Dragon has found his mate!!! Ilya Dragonovich is heir to a powerful dynasty,part of the Russian mafia he also has many enemies. Emma Jane needed help and little did she know she would end up in danger. Ilya will do anything to keep her safe. I’ve been reading Lora Leigh’s books for years and this one did not disappoint. Lots of action and suspense to keep the pages turning. Super intense Alfa males and sex scenes hot enough to scorch the pages. Keep em coming

Ilya only purpose has always been to protect his people. His life has been filled with danger and blood until he meets Emma Jane. Emma Jane is just trying to save her home and fix the her crazy life that her ex husband messed up. Ilya appears on her doorstep with what appears to be the answer to her prayers, but all Emma Jane sees is this mesmerizing man with a dragon tattoo that appears to be flirting with her.

I enjoyed every moment of this story and found both Emma Jane and Ilya “Dragon” fascinating. I was almost sad to see the end of the book, I wanted it to keep going on .

This is Book 3 in the Brute Force series. Although I had not read the previous two instalments I could easily follow the storyline. I did however enjoy the book so much I will be reading the previous two stories. This is a well thought out novel, full of suspense and with great characters who you cant help but love. Well done LL. Another fantastic story.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. All views are my own.

The story line was a bit confusing at times. Overall, many of the elements the author uses in previous books are present here.

This is Book 3 in the Brute Force series. Even though this is a series, you can read this book as a stand-alone book and have no problems understanding what’s going on. I thought this was a great story! Ilya Dragonovich has helped Emma Jane save her home. Dragon expects Emma Jane to be scared of him but she shows him that that is the last emotion that he will get from her. There’s no way that she’s going to be scared of him. She calls him the Russian Lothario and she knows that is the perfect name for him. Then someone tries to kill her and he rushes to keep her safe. The chemistry between them will keep you hot enough to melt ice cubes. And trying to figure out who is trying to kill her will keep you on the edge of your seat. There’s so much that we don’t know about Emma Jane’s Dragon! You will be so surprised at everything you read. There’s something in this book to keep everyone interested from the first word until you read the last word. I don’t think Lora Leigh can write a bad book. They just keep getting better and better. I can’t wait to read more books in this series. They are all fantastic books! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book that I received from Netgalley.

EJ and Ilya's story was great. As per usual with this author you are one pins ad needles wondering when sometime is going to happen and then bam! I love the build up and slow burn in this book! Great story and great addition to the Brute Force series.

I felt that the beginning was a little slow. I had to go back and reread the previous book to see if Emma Jane was featured and I somehow forgot her. But then that just added to the mystery of Illya, as I just thought of him as Ivan's good friend. As I read more about him, I became intrigued by this mysterious, ruthless, driven man who has the capacity to love so deeply.

Once the action started in the story, it didn't seem to stop. Something was always happening that kept my invested in Emma Jane and Illya. It was almost like watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie..... who was behind these attacks?! I couldn't book the story down because I HAD TO KNOW. The additional information about the traditions of the Dragonovich family help to shape Illya as a character and build on the relationship between him an Emma Jane.

Unfortunately, the ending was not what I was hoping for. Yes, they find the source behind the attacks. But that's when it became more like a soap opera. Then, after that, it seemed like a rush to finish the story with a bright pretty bow. These characters and this series is part of a world that Lora Leigh has created, and I'm not very curious what happens to them. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if Illya and Emma Jane had another book. There just seems to be something missing from their story, and I would really like to continue it.

Hopefully, we will see more of them in future Brute Force novels. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC e-book in exchange for an honest review.