Crave

Beneath the Secrets, Book 3

De: Luna Mason

Narrado por: Angelina Rocca, Joe Arden

I am completely and obsessively in love with my best friend's sister.

Twenty years ago I was saved by the Volkov brothers and I made a vow… to protect their younger sister, Lara, with my life.

And not a day goes by that I don’t take that seriously.

She is my best friend and the keeper of my sanity.

And when our enemies try to take her from me, they will pay the price with their life.

I told her one kiss wouldn’t ruin our friendship.

I was so very wrong.

She is sweeter than any addiction.

I may be crazy, but that is nothing in comparison to the way I feel about my pchelka.

So I take matters into my own hands; I will never go back on my promise.

Even if that means watching her as she sleeps.

Except, what I didn’t realize, is this was never about protection, I did all of this out of love.

With her, I stand to lose everything.

Without her, I lose my mind… and my heart. Even when we’re torn apart, there isn’t a single force on this earth that can stop me from protecting her.

Not even her brothers.

I can save her from any dangers in the outside world, but will my love be enough to save her from the demons in her mind?

©2024 Luna Mason (P)2024 Luna Mason

Alexei and Lara

4.75 stars

This is the third audiobook in the Beneath the Secrets series and it is Alexei and Lara’s story. These two have not had the easiest of upbringings which has left them with feelings of inadequacy and not being good enough. Lara is a person who is there for other people regardless of how she is feeling inside. She is also dealing with some mental challenges that others will be able to relate to. Alexei has always been devoted to Lara and would do anything for her. He is the person you want in your corner because he is loyal to a fault. The narrators did a wonderful job emoting the vulnerabilities of the characters. Joe Arden once again demonstrates his versatility in crafting a character that wears his emotions on his sleeve. The intensity, rawness, and accent were truly on point. It took a moment to warm up to Angelina Rocca’s voice but then she matched Mr. Arden’s’ energy to breathe life into Lara, resulting in a powerful performance. Overall, this is one intense listen with twists, turns and spicy banter that will have your ears tingling for more.

How could anyone not love Alexei and his pchelka!

"My love for you is my fuel, one spark and I can set the world on fire. Our love is forever. No beginning, no end. Infinite."

Listeners will get the pleasure of having Angelina Rocca and Joe Arden giving life to Lara and Alexei and they deliver excellence chapter after chapter after chapter. Listeners are graced with accents from both of them.

Joe somehow once again nails the tone of the MMC when it came to Alexei. The accent, the somewhat innocent tone I always heard in my head when reading the story and yet the darkness that lurks underneath when it comes to his loved ones, especially Lara. I have to say there was a certain scene in chapter 10 that had me giggling so hard.

Angelina has the perfect voice for the character of Lara. She is a woman who suffers silently and has some inner turmoil. Her spirits only ever seem to be lifted when around Alexei and I do not believe there is a female narrator out there that could have done justice to Lara like Ms. Rocca does.

It is official, Alexie is my favorite from this series. I have wanted his story since he first popped up and Luna did not disappoint. I can honestly say Lara and him as a couple did not cross my mind until the end of Caged! I couldn't picture Lara with crazy Alexei but they work! He is this man who is carefree, living life on the wild side, never afraid of the danger.

Alexei has protected Lara almost his entire life. He takes that role very seriously because he loves her. She is more than just his best friend but he doesn't think he is good enough for her. Lara is so deserving of love and she only wants it from Alexei yet feels she isn't deserving of his love. Right away they are meant to be. While Alexei is pretty much an open book Lara is not and finding out what she has been battling for a big portion of her life was so heartbreaking.

The bond between them is insanely strong. The lengths that Alexei goes to for Lara's protection is beyond crazy. There is no limit to what he is willing to do which of course makes him pretty much perfect! Once that first kiss happens it is game over, there will never be another for either of them. The proof is in the shocking little tidbit about Alexei that melted my heart so much.

Too many times in this story my heart was racing but then it wouldn't be a Luna Mason book if she didn't give her readers anxiety inducing scenarios. I felt like just as all was well it truly was not and it was time for another round and then that last final plot twist that happened....

Lovedddddd

Loved the voice actors it helped me to get in the story even more and the actual story was veryyyy good

ALEXEI !!

𝙻𝚞𝚗𝚊 𝙼𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 absolutely 💯% delivered with this one.
It’s Intense, hilarious,full of heat,with the craziest insane banter, and thrilling moments.
This suspenseful mafia romance will leave you 𝓬𝓻𝓪𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 more especially with the fantastic performances from The Angelina Rocca and The Joe Arden!
Just Fantastic!


Story:5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:4:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Performance:10/10 🎧🎤
Audiobook Review ALC 🎧
Crave: Beneath the Secrets, Book 3
* Listening Length: 8 hours and 53 minutes
* Author: Luna Mason
* Narrator: Angelina Rocca, Joe Arden


ALEXEI AND LARA STORY 🦩


“𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙭𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙥𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙠𝙖.”


Alexei 🍭
The loveable teddy bear with a sweet addiction the epitome of protector. He will let nothing stand in his way when it comes to protecting Lara.
His job as Lara's protector he took seriously even from a young age He’s always wanting to give her joy and love.

Alexei went beyond protecting, he fills her fridge, he cooks, he throws birthday party, buys her a house…..buys her a cabin, and goes skydiving just to be closer to her while she is there, and the ultimate act.. he even unalive for her, why?
Because she is his number one addiction.
So you can imagine when she was taken that it was a pivotal moment!





"My love for you is my fuel, one spark and I can set the world on fire. Our love is forever. No beginning, no end.
Infinite."





Lara 🦩
The girl that’s so broken, the girl with an unimaginable amount of trauma eating disorder and mental issues, she doubted anyone could understand much less to love her.
But deep down she has always known that the beautiful man .. her best friend, her protector sees ..Her.
And so she wonderd it.. .. just maybe he would want her..even perhaps love her, although she is broken.?





After making a pact with someone he shouldn’t Tatiana .. (a chameleon) who helps in rescuing Lara.
Both giving into that kiss which wasn't supposed to change a thing but allows them to finally give into what they've been 𝓬𝓻𝓪𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 all of these years….Each Other.
Yeah.. this was one of those epic eff it moment for sure!

Alexei Character has a child-like innocence in some respects.. but completely unhinged and feral the next …. So much complexity and I loved it!




🦩💕
ALEXEI
A man obsessed with his best friend’s sister and will do anything to protect her, even if it means losing his own Sanity.






This Audiobook was everything!
I had a 𝓬𝓻𝓪𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 for this book since listening to CAGED.. and it didn’t disappoint, especially when listening to The Joe Arden and The Angelina Rocca performed the shitzue out of this one.. and if you know these two .. then you are in for a freaking treat!

🦩
What can I say.. 𝙻𝚞𝚗𝚊 𝙼𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗.. you did good girl!
From the story to the characters to the narrators.. so good!



🦩*🦩*🦩💕🦩*🦩*🦩



🦩𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚. 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚, 𝙨𝙤 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙣 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤, 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜. 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙮. 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙.” 🦩🐝



There’s not a future where I’m not here with her. It doesn’t exist. I won’t let it.🦩



“𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙭𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙥𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙠𝙖.”

💯 Recommend listening to this incredible audiobook… these characters are …. Whew… And their stories… incredible!


Vibes you’ll Crave!
🦩Best friends to lovers
🦩Brothers best friend
🍭Mental health
🦩Touch her and die
🍬Stalker
🦩Mafia Romance
🐝Trauma
🦩Disorder
🦩He Saved himself!!!
🍭 Dual POV
🦩Fantastic Narration!



Be sure to check your triggers before diving into this one ..



A special thanks to BNA for this incredible opportunity of reviewing such amazing work!
And also thank you book besties for reading my review, hope to catch you next time.
Until then, One Love 💕
Georgious🦋

From Bodyguard to Hers

From bodyguard to hers, Alexei has it bad for Lara and I really enjoyed how much he loved her and how he did everything he could for her, even if his methods were a bit unconventional. As the relationship between these two heats up, Alexei admits to Lara that he's a virgin and she's the only woman he ever wanted so he waited for her. Lara, while into Alexei also brings out her own dirty talk and tells Alexei everything she wants from him. I love a strong, sassy FMC who knows what she wants and does what's necessary to get it. These two together were the perfect blend of sweet, sassy and dangerous and I could not stop listening. Crave had the perfect bit of suspense mixed in with all that sexy to keep the story moving right along to its perfect ending.

The audiobook narraation by Angelina Rocca and Joe Arden was excellent. I thought Angelina did a great job bringing out Lara's insecurities towards her body, but also the confidence to tell Alexei exactly what she needed in the bedroom. Joe did a great job with the accent for Alexei and also how he would sometimes misunderstand a translation. That kept the story fun and entertaining and made the dialogue between the characters more endearing. An overall excellent performance from both narrators.

TROPES:
Mafia Princess
Virgin MMC
Its Always Been You
Brother’s Best Friend
Forbidden

LOVED IT

I've been DYING for Lara & Alexei's story and really enjoyed finally getting it! Both of them have been close for years, ever since they were young and I love how their friendship has grown. They both rely on each other to calm their chaotic feelings and feel at peace with each other. Both also struggle with different past issues/trauma, but they both are just trying to be strong for one another. The spice between them is HOT and I loved it so much!! I also had a few moments where I was literally laughing out loud while listening to this! The audio narration was well done and very enjoyable to listen to! Now I'm ready for Mikhail's story in the next book!

ALC review

ALC review!

Joe Arden completely kills an emotional narration every dang time! This was no different!! Joe & Angelina did this one so well!

Book 3 in the Beneath the Secrets series. & while it wasn’t my favorite so far, I still absolutely loved the relationship & story of Alexei and Lara. Best friends sister, friends to lovers, mental health representation, and all the emotional & angsty moments. This was definitely slower than the others, but the wait was sooo worth it 🌶️🔥

I can’t wait to continue this series!!

Great performances, great book

These books just keep getting better and better. Crave is the third book in the Beneath The Secrets series. This book follows the sometimes clueless, hilarious, candy addict Alexei and Lara. Lara is the sweet and supportive Volkov sister. Alexei has been her protector since they were children and he takes his job very seriously. Lara and Alexei are as close as two people can be. They are so dependent on each other, the thought of starting a relationship is terrifying for both of them.
Once again, Luna Mason has written a fun, fast paced, hot as hell love story with so much genuine emotion. Alexei has my heart. The way he cares for Lara and loves with his whole soul is beautiful. Their journey to their happily ever after is not easy, but so worth the ride. The addition of Joe Arden as the voice of Alexei on this audiobook is perfect. His performance is amazing. Angelina Rocca did a beautiful job of making Lara just as vulnerable as she is sexy. Another home run for this series and the audio!

Beautiful written and excellent narration

Omg this book was so beautiful. I loved Alexei so much—he’s hands down my favorite character in this series so far. He’s an alpha male to the core, protective in every bone of his body when it comes to Lara, and will stop at nothing to keep her safe. He’s quirky, silly, completely unhinged… but also one of the sweetest MMCs I’ve ever read.

And Lara… oh man, my heart hurt for her. Her story was painful but also so beautiful. I related to her struggles in a way that hit home for me. She was sweet, compassionate, selfless—the perfect match for Alexei.

They met as kids and developed this deep, unbreakable bond built on friendship, affection, and that constant longing for something more. But neither of them wanted to risk what they had… until Lara gets taken—and Alexei goes absolutely feral. That line between friendship and love? Gone.

This book was emotional, sweet, and packed with heat that’ll leave you sweating 🥵😆

The audio was narrated by Joe Arden and Angelina Rocca and they nailed it. Their chemistry brought every scene to life. Highly recommend going the audiobook route for this one 🤌🏻😮‍💨

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

⚠️ This one covers some heavy topics, so definitely check the TWs before diving in.

Tropes:
💞Friends to lovers
💛 Mental health rep
💙 Brother’s best friend
❤️‍🔥 He falls first
🖤 Touch her and 💀

Alexei & Lara

Alexei has been devoted to Lara for a long time, willing to do whatever it takes to protect her. Their bond runs deeper than either of them realizes, and when they finally acknowledge it, the chemistry between them is electric. Lara is battling her own inner demons, and Alexei's gentle, unwavering support is exactly what she needs. He never pushes but just quietly stands by her side, offering strength. Joe Arden and Angelina Rocca were phenomenal as Alexei and Lara, fully capturing the depth and intensity of their connection.

Thank you, Luna Mason and Blue Nose Audio for the review opportunity.