Axel

A Belles & Bratva Beasts Standalone

By: Kelly Finley

Narrated by: Stephen Dexter, Hannah Chiclana

A dark, steamy, mafia romance, sizzling with heat when the stalked… stalks back.

Axel is my hot dickhead boss who stalks me. I know. He's arrogant. Powerful. Evil. But those eyes.

So, I stalked him back, and that's when I discovered… He's the escaped heir to a criminal empire. A dark prince. The head of a secret society of vigilante mafia kings.

I spied on their taboo ex-Bratva rituals. I know their dark secret, how they initiate their queens.

And he busted me.

Now, Axel says he owns me. He makes me stay with him … or else.

Or fall in love with my sinful stalker?

Or become the mafia queen to the son of the most dangerous man in the world?

Axel is a standalone, dark, not-mafia-mafia romance set in a world of taboo traditions, biting banter, morally grey heroes in a band of brothers with some heavy themes, and very hot scenes. This is an interconnected romance with a guaranteed HEA.

Contains mature content. A complete list of content warnings can be found on the author's website.

©2025 by Kelly Finley Publishing, LLC (P)2026 Podium Audio

4.75 Stars

This is the best mafia romance that I have read in awhile. The story was so engaging and the narrators did an insanely exceptional job bringing the story to life. I am absolutely obsessed with our FMC. this is how I need all my FMCs to be! Feisty.

Love This Series

This series is so good! Axel was so fun to listen to! Really good and I was constantly laughing!

OMG

When I found out that this was being made into an audiobook and that it was going to be Stephen Dexter as Axel and Hannah Chiclana as Ruby I grinned like the Cheshire Cat whilst kicking my feet. Axel is my favorite book of this series because it is heat, yearning, spice, and so much love. Stephen Dexter’s smooth deep rumbling “mafia” voice was absolute perfect as Axel. Hannah Chiclana’s sultry smoky badass voice was the perfect voice for Ruby’s character. This book has great plot, excellent character development, and lots of heart. The stalker becomes the stalkee, they fall hard, they build trust, and they have a litter of kittens—all while winning your heart. Listen to this and then check out the rest of this series and the rest of Kelly Finley’s catalog.

Ummmmm

Okay, I read and listened to the first book of this series. I was intrigued, and it was okay. So I decided to continue with this one. The King and Queen initiation ritual is something you'll either like or not; for me, the first book was tolerable, but I just can't with this second book. Axel was a bit mysterious in the first book; after listening/reading his story and Ruby's, the plot screams WTF!!! After finding out one of his secrets, it's a big doozy. Just NO, "N to the freakin' O"; I don't give a sh*t, whatever reason he got from the side female character. Yes, they were both adults, but the MMC was thinking like a teen who can't say NO to a special request just because you wanted to protect her and want her to smile again because somebody made her cry and feel ugly. Some might understand this side of the story in this book, because yeah, no girl or woman should feel that way about themselves; for me, it was just so much to take on, especially when you find out about the relationship between them and the other characters in the book. When Axel finally tells Ruby about it, her reaction was just, "Oh, okay, I understand, but I'm hurt you didn't tell me." That's it!!!! From then on, it just fell apart for me. I had to force myself to finish it. Some readers and listeners might like this, but romantazing a G*ngB*ng, as the heroine called it at first, for the sake of safety from Axel's ruthless Bratva father and being initiated to be part of the family. Yes, the spicy scene between the MMC and FMC was there, definitely hot. A cute enemies-to-lovers. The banter and tension were funny for both of them, and also the side characters. Others might like this book; unfortunately, not for me. The narrators did well specially Stephen Dexter. The female narrator was so-so for me. I won't be complaining like others that it was a waste of money purchasing this book because, for me, it wasn't. It was enlightening, and it's part of being an avid reader who loves audiobooks that helped me discover what my limits are.