His Ruthless Queen

Black Hearts, Book 3

De: A.N. Stauber

Narrado por: Jason Clarke, M.K. Blackwood

Saoirse Murphy.

Fierce, stubborn, strong,

She was the temptation I couldn’t give in to. I would’ve gone through hell for her. Even if it meant removing myself from her life to save her the heartache that comes from being with a Made Man.

But when she needed me, I couldn't resist her call. I would always be there for her. Even if it meant seeing her in the hands of another man. At least that’s what I told myself. Saoirse was walking temptation, and I didn’t believe I could resist.

Jameson Scott Burne.

Best friend, confidant, protector.

I’d always loved him, but he left me, destroying everything before we even had a chance. He was my everything until he wasn’t. He swore we could be nothing, until I called his bluff.

But when the bratva prince wanted to force me into marriage to cement his hold over Boston, Scotty came back. He claimed me—tried to make up for the past.

Could I trust him to keep me safe? Could the man who left me be trusted with my life, now that I was engaged to someone else?

***His Ruthless Queen is a stand-alone in an interconnected series. All books can be enjoyed in any order.***

©2023 A.N. Stauber (P)2024 A.N. Stauber

Fantastic Story & Narration🎧Captivating & Steamy!

This dark Mafia romance is fantastic, the story is original with interesting storylines that are captivating from start to end. Saoirse Murphy is a Mafia princess, and despite not being involved in the family business, she was still under their protection because they look out for their own and she could become a target. She became close with her bodyguard, so much so, she fell in love with him. Jameson Scott Burne, aka Scotty, is a made man sworn to the Murphy clan in Boston. Saoirse was under his protection, and as the sister of the leader, she was off limits. After he got shot, he realized she was too good for his lifestyle and as hard as it was for him to do; he walked away, asking for someone else to be assigned to protect her. She was upset over this and asked her brother to arrange a marriage for her, which he did to a politician. The Russians lost most of their power in Boston and are desperate to gain it back, so they are trying to make a power play by forcing Saoirse to marry one of their leaders. Scotty hears this and goes into protective mode and is back on her protective detail. He is not liking that she is engaged to Corbin, a governor who plans to run for the White House, he is not liking him either. Saoirse knows what the deal is with Corbin and has accepted it, regardless if Scotty approves, likes it or not, he has no say in the matter. Or does he? Scotty broke her heart by leaving, so how could she ever trust him again? There is never a dull moment in this book, the story has a perfect balance of drama, angst, action, thrilling and suspenseful moments, emotional moments and steamy romance. This was my first book written by A.N. Stauber and consider me impressed, her writing, plotting and world building are fantastic and the same goes for character growth and development. I hope more of her book come to audio soon. Thank you for this amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 M.K. Blackwood and Jason Clarke were the perfect cast to bring these characters to life and did so with a complete understanding of who they were portraying, giving each a voice that was fitting and believable, accents and all. Blackwood aced it as Saoirse, grasping every aspect of her personality, from her insecurities to her fierceness, and all in between. Clarke nailed it as Scotty, a strong and determined alpha, who was not afraid to show his caring side and his Russian was great, too. Both were just as amazing performing the roles of the secondary characters, too. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling each one. These two made a fantastic team, their voices and talent complemented each other and they were a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another amazing listen.   

Brilliant Casting & lovely story!

Guys. This was my first AN Stauber book and I was NOT disappointed. 💋 I will be going back for the rest of the series because I want ALL the stories from the family but this was one that kept me entranced the whole time I was listening.

AN wrote a beautiful, strongly willed, independent and intelligent FMC in Saoirse 🖤 I adored how her story played out and enjoyed seeing her sass so stinking much. MK Blackwood was a lovely narrator choice for this character!

Scotty… Jamie. Ugh. Where to begin. He’s a brilliant pitch black MMC. He will stop at nothing to Saoirse and I adore that. Sometimes I wanted to smack him upside the head for being a man, but what can you expect from a broody, Irish mafia body guard who literally grew up in the life?? AND Jason Clarke’s performance *chefs kiss* 😘 that man can growl all the dirty words with the best grumble.

I’m off to download the rest as soon as I possibly can! Kay. Byeeee ✌🏼

Aurally Delicious Dark Mafia Romance!

Fierce, stubborn, and strong Saoirse Murphy is the Irish mafia princess that foot soldier and bodyguard Jameson Scott "Scotty" Burne must keep at arms-length, both for her protection from the dark mafia world, but also from himself. Saoirse is forbidden, made for more than the likes of him. So he sends her away, breaking her heart and trust in process, a temptation he can't resist.

Only she doesn't stay away. Newly engaged to be married to another man, Saoirse becomes the target of the rival Russian bratva prince looking to solidify his hold over Boston. In her darkest hour of need, Saoirse's avenging angel Scotty finds her, claims her as his own, and she must ultimately decide if she can trust him to protect her heart again in the same way she trusts him to protect her body.

His Ruthless Queen is the third book in Author A.N. Stauber's Black Hearts dark mafia series. Stauber has written a gripping story full of chemistry, tension, action, and SPICE! I don't always read dark romance, or mafia romance, but thanks to Stauber, I am a convert now, especially after hearing M.K. Blackwood and Jason Clarke bring every nuanced emotion to Saoirse and Scotty.

Blackwood is new to me, but she hits that mark every. damn. time. Saoirse's fierceness and tenderness and insecurities and every nuanced emotion in between are beautifully voiced. I could have listened to this book in solo narration with Blackwood alone. Her Saoirse is one of my favorite femme voice actor performances of 2024 already.

Clarke's portrayal of a quintessential morally black MMC is wholly satisfying. We are treated to a growly Scotty, whose possessive "mine," "my wife," and touch her and die moments are everything we have come to expect from a Jason Clarke performance. But there was one scene in particular that had me deep in my feelings. And, his Russian language lines are ones I revisited over and over.

Performed in dual 1st person POV, both voice actors had multiple characters to perform, and their range and execution are impressive.

I look forward to reading Stauber's backlist, and listening to the audio versions as they are rolled out.

As always, please prioritize your mental health and check content warnings. But if everything is green, then this is a must listen.

Good mafia story

This is the first mafia story I’ve enjoyed. It’s not my typical genre so I was a bit skeptical as, in my opinion, the few mafia books I have read (even movies) are very soap opera style and over the top. This one has an actual story tied into it with a nice side of spice. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a nod to Pride and Prejudice?! I love the environmental aspects of it too, and a cat named Frog! I was vegan for five years and it shows that either the author did their homework, or is/knows someone who is vegan. Speaking of homework, from what I was told from mafia lovers that the author did do their homework on the correct usage of names of the “mob bosses” - I do not know if “mob boss” is a technical term and is my own word it because it is a new world to me. I tell ya, I am into this story and now I’m curious about Irish mobs! MK Blackwood and Jason Clarke did a fantastic job narrating and bringing this story to life.

Great Story

I love this series I have read all them that are currently out and cannot wait for the next book. I did read all of these first. I did just finish listening to it on audible and loved it! The narrators for this were perfect to me for these characters. I cannot wait to listen to the rest of the series now. I do recommend listening to this story!