Finding Beauty in the Darkness

A Dark Romance

De: Nikki Ash

Narrado por: Cecily Foster, Christian Leatherman

Author's note: Finding Beauty in the Darkness was previously published as Bordello by Nikki Ash. This story contains dark themes and situations that may be sensitive to some listeners.

Aria

Giovanni is my savior... But he wants me for himself.

I’ve grown used to men wanting me and taking what’s not theirs to take.

But he’s different.

He wants to keep me, make me part of his dark world, and I would gladly follow him into the darkness.

But his life is trapped in a cage, and his family holds the keys. If forced to choose, we could lose it all.

The danger doesn’t scare me half as much as the thought of living without him.

Giovanni

I didn’t choose this life. It chose me.

Born into a powerful mob family, darkness and danger are all I’ve ever known.

But when I stumble upon Aria being held captive in the basement of a senator's house, everything I've embraced and accepted about my life gets thrown out the window.

I’m drawn to her strength, to her lightness, to her beauty in my dark world.

But she deserves better than trading one cage for another.

Now I’m torn between protecting Aria... And keeping her for myself.

©2021 Nikki Ash (P)2025 Pink Flamingo Productions

4.5 stars

Finding Beauty in the Darkness is a dark romance.

I devoured this beautifully written story. Aria was a strong heroine that faced her troubles head on, and I liked how much Giovanni yearned to protect her, even from himself. The growing chemistry between Aria and Giovanni was intense. What an emotionally packed, twisted world.

Christian Leatherman and Cecily Foster portrayed these characters phenomenally! The narration depicted the pain and emotion so well.

Outstanding Performance

Wow!! These new to me narrators nailed it! I absolutely adored listening to Aria and Giovanni’s story. Their journey was rough but the way the author penned their love story… chef’s kiss. I read the ebook a while back and really enjoyed it but these performers were outstanding and elevated it from a 4 star read to 5 stars… it was so good!

Dark, Intense, Heartbreaking, Beautiful HEA

Nikki Ash has become a favorite author of mine. This audiobook was dark, intense, and heartbreaking. I had to pause a few times just to take a break. The rape/assault scenes broke me. I cried. But there were times I smiled, big. I was completely invested. This was realistic in ways that she doesn't gloss over the trauma at the end, but we still get a beautiful HEA.

The narrators were excellent. We get an emotional performance that had this audiobook rolling like a movie in my head. It was perfection.

#TheFlockonTour

Gio and Aria...

4.5 stars
Finding Beauty in the Darkness is a dark, mafia romance. It is action packed, twisted and has betrayals. Gio and Aria's story is heartbreaking and beautiful. you get all the feels, steam and their love shines through it all. I very much enjoyed this story.

Cecily Foster and Christian Leatherman did a great job with this story and these characters.

Another addictive read from Ash...

A high-ranking mob boss with … a heart? He runs a brothel but doesn’t allow any non-con, abûs3, tr4ffick|ng, etc. Interesting take—between that and the c4pativity situation, I found myself hooked very early in.

It’s one of those, ‘you know every single little detail about everything that’ll unfold’ from the first chapter reads, yet still manages to be gripping due to intriguing characters and juicy drama.

Both leads are faced with having to make life-altering decisions and one is forced to grow up, FAST … a couple times. Good stuff.

SA.
Captivity.
D0mestic vi0lence.
Scandal, scheming.
Brothel.
Fresh starts.
Second chances.


Overall:
Couldn’t put it down, read in one sitting and loved some connections to other books by this author. Gripping.

4 stars.


🎧 Audio:
Absolutely flawless production with stellare voice-acting. 5 stars.

THIS IS A MUST READ

This book was very emotionally gutting. Seriously, the physical and emotional trauma is beyond imagination, but it was written almost like a fact. There was a brevity to the sudden shift in the suspense, which made that shift even more shocking. Pure genius! This story is a definite repeat.

Captivating!

Giovanni and Aria’s story is dark, intense, and completely captivating. Both characters really stand out — Aria is strong, smart, and resilient, while Giovanni is mysterious, possessive, and fiercely protective. The pacing is great, and the world-building pulls you in right from the beginning. If you enjoy dark mafia romance, this one won’t disappoint. Cecily Foster and Christian Leatherman did a great job bringing the characters and their emotions to life.
I really enjoyed it!

Finding Beauty in the Darkness

Finding Beauty in the Darkness is about Giovanni and Aria and is told from both of their points of view. Giovanni is head of a mob family. Aria has been held hostage by her mother's husband since her mother's passing. She has been abused daily.

When Giovanni finds her he decides to rescue her, but also keeps her captive. His reasoning is because her abuser is still after her. As he has her in his place, they start to have feelings for each other. Aria brings Giovanni out of his hard shell. Giovanni helps Aria heal.

However, there are factors that are trying to rip them apart. Aria has been held captive for years. Can she finally get free and move on from her past? Can Giovanni let Aria go? Will they find their way back to each other? Will Giovanni and Aria get their happy ending? I loved seeing these two help each other heal and grow. Both Aria and Giovanni have gone through so much, and I loved getting to know them, and see what happened in their story.

The captive and the mobster

This was a dark, spicy, cute read. I loved the way Gio and Aria connected, him rescuing her from a horrific situation to bring her into another captivity, only a thousand times better. He treated her like a princess and never stopped despite all the odds stacked against them. It was a story of overcoming trauma, healing, finding happiness, and reconnection.

Resilience Unmasked

This is one of the darkest books from Nikki that I've read. There are multiple instances of SA, along with substance abuse, and violence. While these didn't stop me from loving the book, I do recommend checking your triggers.

Giovanni (Gio) Valentino is all kinds of alpha and dark, but he has his morals when it comes to the safety of women. It's something that initially makes him appealing. As the story goes on, the list of reasons grows.

Aria (Ari) Sutton Hightower... the things this woman is subjected to are horrible, but her strength and resilience in the adversity shines through. She's graped, beaten, and regularly abused, as well as strongly encouraged / forced to do drugs. Yet, she manages to come out on the other side. She may be weary, but I love that she's also hopeful.

The heat and chemistry are great, even when Gio fights it. The twists and turns kept me enthralled, even those that were predictable. The ending is a bit untraditional but so very fitting for this couple.

I received an author's copy of the audio book. The narrators, Christian Leatherman and Cecily Foster, are great. They bring the emotions and make this an enjoyable listen.

Story: 5 stars
Narration: 4 stars
Listening Speed: 1.8x