Ruthless King: A Dark Mafia Romance

War of Roses Universe (Mice and Men, Book 1)

By: Lana Sky

Narrated by: Cordelia Diamond, Nico Haze

Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

After a decade spent claiming a throne for himself in the seething violence of the criminal underbelly, all Donatello Vanici craves now is peace.

Only a union forged between his heir and the most powerful mafia family in existence could ever be strong enough to end the bloodshed for good, but the Stepanov head resists his overtures at every turn...

Until tragedy strikes, and forces Donatello’s hand.

Haunted by a past that dogs her every thought, Willow Stepanov will do anything for the man who adopted her — until a chance encounter with the enemy lands her right in the middle of a dangerous power struggle and a war that grows more violent and vicious each day.

But it's not just her future her captor holds hostage.

He is a man with nothing left to lose — while she may just lose everything.

Her life, her family, and her heart…

Mice and Men is a new stand-alone series in the War of Roses Universe.

©2020 Lana Sky (P)2021 Lana Sky

Loved it

A beautiful dark Mafia romance book that is so well written with wonderful characters and great chemistry. Guaranteed to keep your attention the entire time. Amazing narration.

Dark, Intense & Fiercely Consuming

Dark, intense and fiercely consuming, this book snared me in its seductive web, made me more than happy to be there and it left me desperate for the next book. Just in case you are unaware, this series is a spin-off of the War of Roses trilogy but can be easily enjoyed all on its own. However, in my opinion you will have a deeper and richer reading experience if you do enjoy that series first, simply because characters do reappearance and of course that is where we originally meet Willow/Mouse. There is a skillfully crafted and potent blend of deep emotions, tension, turmoil, drama and angst flowing seamlessly across every page and that delivers an intriguing and addicting start to a series that I need more of STAT!!! If you love your reads gritty, raw and with wicked sharp edges, you are going to need to dive in NOW! I loved the dual narration and I'll freely admit it is my preferred format. For me personally, it just makes it easier to get into and stay connected with the book. I thought both performances were excellent and I thought the actors voices fit the characters nicely.

LOVE THIS BOOK

this book is beyond amazing. The male narrator is good and the female is ok...not my fave...I listened to this at 1.7 speed. the story was sooo good and and having it on audible is amazing!!! I love Lana Sky!!!! her books are amazing

Love it!

I love the dual narration and hearing all of the male voices from a male actor, and female voices from a female actor. It made the dual POV book so much better! I great story and continuation of the War of Roses Universe. I can't wait to see how this series continues. I just love Don and Willow!

Entertaining Audio Version

I am a fan of this book and had the pleasure of listening to the audio. Ruthless King has dual narrators. Something I didn't know I enjoyed until listening to this book. Like all Lana Sky books, this is a fast-paced gripping tale. Looking forward to audio for book 2.

Audible/arc Review

For honest Review. Donatello vanici is made mistakes while also climbing the ladder of the criminal underground but the one part of his past is now haunting him sophia now willow stepanov the littler girl he sold who is now back to torched him and take revenge. Fantastic.

SADLY DISAPPOINTING - female narrator

I’m so disappointed with this audiobook because I found Cordelia Diamond’s narration aggravating.. her fluctUatIng high pitch in hEr words totAlly ruinEd the duet-stYle dual POV narrAtion. The hero (.. not!) sold Safiya, his 12 year old mute Ward, to a very bad man after his world collapsed absolutely knowing what would be in store for her.. rape, abuse and death but he sold her and kept his nephew. However, what he doesn’t know is that she wasn’t abused because she was quickly sold to a caring Russian Mafia Don and absorbed into his loving family with a new identity. Haunted for 7 years by what he’d done, Donatello never forget little Safiya and the brutal death she must have endured because of him.. however, his focus has centered around his aspirations for his protégé nephew and going straight. So, when he comes face-to-face with an angry young silent woman clutching a knife aimed directly at him maybe pretending to be a vengeful Safiya, his anger flares and he does bad bad things to make her talk. And what follows is a clusterfu*k of bad decisions, hate, tears, fear and bloody revenge.

There is no romance or chemistry at this stage.. it’s an introduction to the brittle and damaged characters, their backstory and their clashing.. and it might have been a good first step into an age-gap Mafia four-part journey.. she’s 19. However, I won’t be following the cliffhanger ending by looking for Book 2 because the female narrator made this a painful listen. And, I love an alpha, dark, bad-boy anti-hero but Donatello Vanici just wasn’t likeable at all.

Worth a credit? IMO, and it IS only my opinion, no.. however the book version may be better.

I'm going to try to finish

If I'm being 100% honest the female narrator ruined this book for me unfortunately. she doesn't sound natural and i did try differentspeeds. It's almost like she's singing her parts. This is just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt.