Arranged mafia marriage, enemies to lovers - a fast moving story great for the weekend or vacation. Enough heat without being overly graphic so will please a variety of readers.

Savage Boss
How to write a Mafia novel
•Sweet Virgin heroine who's sometimes tough
•Broody Grumpy edgy Mafia lord who hates everyone but her
•arranged marriage
•Meddling and horrible parents
•Sex
•revenge plot
Bam your Novel is ready!
Not hate here tho. I love these kinds of stories.

Even though it is a nice and quick read, it doesn't have substance that would set it apart from the other book in the genre. It follows the general storyline that you see in mafia books, but thats it. The book is really faithful to the mafia book writing manual guide.You know the book you read after finishing a reallllly good book and can't kind another fantastic read? This is the type of book you read in between. Nice to not fell in a reading slump, but def not the kind you would sing praises about. The writing was basic and easy to read. However I liked the romance between Alexandra and Viktor, it was really well written. I especially liked the bit where Viktor was hesitant to accept his feelings for her because of his duty and thoughts....and the scene at the end where he searched for her was so cute 🥺
Overall the book was...nice and a grear romance...and not worth a second read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

On the surface this appears to be a traditional mafia romance but it actually leans more towards sweet than dark.
This was a new author for me and I enjoyed their story telling and pacing. I'd have liked to see a bit more nuance and depth to the characters however. The main female character feels slightly stereotypical, especially In the first half.
A solid 3.75\5

I got a free copy from Netgalley all opinions are my own.

This book is a run of the mill arranged mafia book. It's fairly short and easy/quick to read.
Not much of a murder mystery, and it's almost an instant love/attraction situation.

Alexandra annoyed me, she is a naive, innocent airhead.
I usually don't mind those characteristics to much, but it got tiring really quickly for me.

Viktor is supposed to be this scary mob boss, but I felt like he was more talk than action. He just had his brother do the dirty work.

I wished that there had been some grovelling, and wished that she didn't forgive him so quickly. I find that weak and hate it.

Anyways I didn't really like this book, and I most likely won't continue with this series.

When I signed up to read this book, I kind of knew what I was letting myself in for. It's your typical Mafia Arranged Marriage Trope except I found the writing style really hard to get on with. The first few chapters I realised the book is very fast paced and throughout the book I felt like I was left wanting more from Alexa and Viktor. I really wanted to enjoy this book but I was left feeing half empty.

This was actually a decent read; I was a little on the fence with the dynamic between Alexandra and Viktor's relationship. I like to think that Viktor had her best interests at heart but It seemed like he just hated her so much the entire book. I wanted more heat instead of hate, overall this book was a quick read and definitely a read I wanted more of! There relationship was fierce and bold but I defining was lacking some kind of affection and love for one another.

2/5 stars:
i enjoyed the concept of this book but felt it lacked depth in character description & plot. the storyline has extreme potential, however, the novel felt flat because of the fast pace & minimal detail. i would breakdown the story slower while adding more depth to fine tune the characters & make them really jump off the page. with those tweaks i think this book could be a knockout!

“I’m finally getting married, and to a rich, powerful Russian mafia boss, too. My own happy ever after”
“And as my father’s eldest son, what was his now passes to me”
I don’t know if the most concerning part about me reading this book is the fact that it wasn’t an intense mafia romance or the fact that I truly liked it !!! A Russian mafia romance with arranged marriage, enemies to lovers and very very intense sharing of intimacy between Alexandra and Viktor. The possessive alpha male was there … all of it … and I was there too for it !!!
I actually really enjoyed it because of it !!!
The fact that they find ground between them in the most unexpected of ways was really intriguing. But most of all, I was completely interested in getting to know these female main character whose dream in life was marrying a mafia boss … I guess we all have our own ideas of happy ever after !!!
I believe that we still have many great things to expect from this series and I truly hope for a possible future between a certain best friend and a certain bodyguard !!!
“She was confident now that she knew how to win Vikot over. Seduction”
“I will let others know that my wife will be late to the meeting”

This is your typical mafia arranged marriage trope. I love the plot and this series! All these tough alpha males make me swoon!!! Despite the circumstances Viktor and Alexandra are cute together! I wanted a little more angst. I did not like how easily she accepted her destiny to be wed to an older man, and then at the wedding she is marrying his son. Talk about submissive. What did occur was solved quickly.

Savage Boss is a fast-paced and entertaining mafia romance that doesn't end on a cliffhanger but definitely eludes to a second book involving secondary characters.

Alexandra has always dreamed of marrying a powerful mafia boss. When her father arranges for her to marry a much older Boris Sokolov, a Russian mafia boss, Alexandra is excited to begin her happily ever after. However, as she's about to walk down the aisle, she learns from Boris's handsome son, Viktor, that Boris has been killed. In order to preserve the arrangement that was agreed upon by both Alexandra's father and Boris, Viktor decides to marry Alexandra on behalf of his late father. Although the original plans have changed, Alexandra is ecstatic to be married to Viktor and continue her dreams of being a mafia boss's wife. Viktor, on the other hand, is not so keen on being married and is more focused on figuring out who murdered his father. As clues arise, Alexandra's father becomes one of the prime suspects in Boris's murder. When Viktor confronts Alexandra, things get tense as Alexandra refuses to believe her father would murder Boris and is determined to prove his innocence.

This book was a little fast-paced in my opinion. I would have liked for Viktor to not fall so quickly for Alexandra. His character had some traits of being a mafia boss but I felt he gave into Alexandra a little too easily. I think it would have been a bit better, for me personally, if Viktor would have been a bit more stoic or villainous before succumbing to Alexandra. I also really liked the secondary characters' interactions with each other, Roman and Elena. It is hinted that they may be the main characters of a second book. I would really love to read their story as their interactions intrigued me a bit more than Viktor and Alexandra. Overall, this was a good book and I would definitely recommend it to those that love the mafia or arranged marriage tropes.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fast paced mafia romance novel, after the proposed groom Boris is killed on his wedding day, his son Viktor steps in and marries Alexandra, and when it is suggested that her father was behind the murder, Alexandra wants to prove his innocence which results in her putting herself in the real killers way. Viktor realises in the nick of time and saves the day and his marriage.

Savage Boss is an excellent read by a new to me author.
Alexandra and Viktor's story isn't your typical arranged marriage/age gap romance. Actually she was intended for Viktor's father Boris which of course was considerably older than her. Boris is murdered on their wedding day and Viktor takes the bride to be as his own. You would think Alexandra, being raised to be in an arranged marriage would be timid.
Nope, not her, she's fierce and opinionated, strong and determined and that takes Viktor by surprise, pleasantly. I can't wait for what's next from this author. She's definitely a great find based on this book.

Savage Boss by Bella Ash

Typical mafia romance with a fairly predictable plot surrounding a forced marriage. While the plot may not surprise you, this was fast-paced and enjoyable!

Thank you NetGalley and Relay Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Things have gone from being the happiest day of Alexandra’s life to the worst. The wedding was to a different groom and it was all rushed. She didn’t get to enjoy any of the things she had dreamed about and the man she just married seems like a very mean person. Viktor just got married to the bride who was supposed to be marring his dad. Since someone murdered his dad he took his place. He was not expecting to have feelings for Alexandra but things get really rocky when she might be part of having his father killed. I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Savage Boss by Bella Ash is a great mafia romance.

This is one of my favorite tropes and Ash did a great job at setting the scene and creating wonderful characters.
I story was quick and enjoyable.
Characters interesting and engaging.
I had a great time readig their story.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Relay Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you’re looking for a fast arranged marriage mafia book, this is IT!! I loved Alexa and Viktor and the foreshadowing for the next books (please give me Roman and Elena 😭). Even though it’s a great book and I liked it A LOT, a few things bothered me, like Viktor’s constant mood change (I do understand that it’s connected to the plot, but it still is quite annoying). Definitely recommend it!

The description of the book had me really excited to read it. Sadly it fell short. The story was missing a lot of development and the characters were very immature

You know, this book was way less murder-y than I thought it would be.

<i>Savage Boss</i> is not so different from other mafia stories—an arranged marriage, the virgin bride, the reluctant groom, the horrible parents, and an inciting death or two.

That being said, this book was entertaining and immersive as hell.

It is fast-paced, making it a quick read. This leads to some less fleshed-out storylines and a lack of closure, but I don’t think it’s unsatisfying. You can pretty much guess where the story is going and what will happen, but predictability is not a bad thing.

Viktor is an asshole in a charming way. Even when he is cruel, he is considerate. The relationship between him and Alexandra is dysfunctional as hell. She is incredibly naive and childish; he is clueless and capricious. It’s a pairing that works well in mafia romances.

The implied cleverness of the characters is undermined by how oblivious they are. Their single-mindedness caused them to willfully ignore clues and weird behaviors. It was kind of frustrating but not unexpected.

I’ll definitely be continuing the series. I hope to see many more books featuring some of the side characters. I know there is one with Roman, an enforcer, and Elena, Alexandra’s best friend. I do hope to see Viktor’s brothers get their own books.

<b>Something to note:</b> The blurb is misleading and is an inaccurate portrayal of the story. It implies deceitful behavior from both characters toward each other that is not at all present. It also states that Viktor decided to marry Alexandra, suspecting her father murdered his, but that is not the case.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Relay Publishing for this copy of Savage Boss by Bella Ash.