Queen of the Underworld

A Dark Mafia Romance Series, Book 3

By: Stasia Black, Lee Savino

Narrated by: Jack Calihan

Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's Summary

The king of the underworld saved me from the streets, treated me like a princess, and locked me in a tower. Then, he turned into a beast. There's a darkness in him. I've seen it face-to-face. 

He says I'm his light. But if our love is going to last, I'm going to have to be more than his princess. I need to become a queen.

Queen of the Underworld is the final chapter in Marcus and Cora's story.

©2019 Stasia Black and Lee Savino (P)2019 Stasia Black and Lee Savino

Already irritated

"""""SPOILER ALERT."""Only on chapter 3, and thinking about skipping ahead to when Cora stops being an idiot. She needs to grow up and stop playing the games she says hates for Marcus to do. Hope she gets her act together soon. Ghaaaa, chapter 18 and she is now on the verge of being my last favorite heroine EVER. Her mixed signals are killing me. About to skip to the epilogue and the HEA that Cora doesn't deserve. Can't believe I've waited so long to finally get this. I'm so disappointed. 5 hrs left for her to get her (Cora) sh*t together. But not sure if she can overcome her stupidity.

Marcus & Cora's Mythology-Infused Journey!

Marcus And Cora's Mythology-Infused Journey Weaves A Dark Love Story Into A Suspenseful Read Set In New Olympus About Mobsters, Turf Wars, And Revenge. Marcus Grows Weary Of Waiting For Cora To Return, So He Takes Matters Into His Own Hands While Cora Works To Prove Herself A Strong, Independent Woman.


This is book three in the Dark Romance Trilogy, or the Tales of Olympus series. It is preceded by Innocence and Awakening, The series is plot-driven; books one and two end in cliffhangers.

From book one, Innocence:

Cora Vestian, nineteen, finally escaped the from home. She was raised off the grid by a rigid and overcontrolling mother who lectured about needing to protect Cora from the dangers of the world. She had kept Cora's existence a secret to protect her, yet her own mother beat her and locked her away for days at a time.

Cora is the epitome of innocence when she makes her way from her remote farm to New Olympus without money or ID. She soon secures a nanny job. Bad luck seems to follow her, and when she finally makes friends and goes out, she ends up drugged and kidnapped. But she crosses paths with a handsome knight in shining armor, and her life soon becomes like a fairy tale.

Marcus Ubeli, thirty-two, is taken aback by Cora's beauty when she enters his office, dirty and tattered. Her innocence reminds him of someone - and a debt is owed. He doesn't do emotions and he isn't going to start now, yet he can't let Cora go. He is the perfect gentlemen with her, courteous and thoughtful. To everyone else, though, he is the cold Lord of the Underworld of New Olympus, a master manipulator and brutal crime lord in command of his own army, the Shades.

From book two, Awakening:

Four months have passed since Cora awoke in a hospital bed and overheard her husband’s words. His treatment of her after their wedding ceremony had nearly destroyed her. Her innocence is certainly long gone. But she finally thought they had a break though, and that the Marcus she fell in love with still resided somewhere inside the cold-hearted crime lord’s body. The unguarded words he had spoken in her hospital room to his second in command, Sharo, shattered that illusion.

Minus the bodyguards, Cora has a certain level of freedom now, so long as she behaves and performs her duties in the public eye. As for the bedroom, Marcus is often too busy to pay her much attention. Bereft of her dreams of true love and resigned to a loveless marriage, Cora is determined to make friends. She continues to volunteer with Maeve. Armand, her husband’s business partner, continues to hire her on occasion for modeling jobs and their friendship continues to grow. Cora makes a new friend of Olivia, who turns out to be a tech genius. Anna, a stripper, makes her way into Cora’s rather untraditional list of friends as well. Marcus might neglect her, but Cora is determined to keep herself busy and occupied in his absence.

Marcus is determined to keep order in New Olympus, even if that means neglecting his new bride until things settle down once again. She is a distraction, much to his chagrin. New Olympus depends upon him – it is a city with needs. Marcus learned that shutting everything down doesn’t work – it only invites unprincipled enemies in to fill the void. So he tries to satisfy the population by providing controlled indulgences while keeping his enemies at bay. He has been hard at work negotiating to bring in a new designer drug, but in the meantime the newest musical sensation, The Orphan, has been brought to town. Marcus has him for a two week engagement, headlining at his club, Elysium. The fans are ecstatic. Unfortunately, Marcus learns that The Orphan’s manager is an old acquaintance.

Years ago Marcus had rid New Olympus of the Titans, who now rule over nearby Metropolis. But AJ Wagner, a businessman affiliated with the Titans, has somehow wormed his way back in. Marcus has no choice but to allow AJ’s presence in the city for the duration of The Orphan’s contract. But with the big deal about to go down and an impending election, timing couldn’t be worse. Marcus’s philanthropy and businesses provide a nice cover for his nefarious activities, but the fragile nature of the dirty politics that his operations rely upon leaves an element of uncertainty.

In this book:

Two months have passed since Cora left her husband’s estate in the middle of the night. She had left word that she needed time alone to think and asked him to respect her wishes. For two months she and her new friend Anna have stayed with Olivia, having lots of girl time – and Armand often joins in as well. With his assistance, Cora has become an entrepreneur, beginning an event planning company and representing models. She no longer wants to be defined by her marriage to Marcus. At twenty, she is trying to figure out who she is and prove that she is a strong, independent woman. Although thoughts of Marcus have never left her, the nightmares of what led up to her leaving him still plague her, robbing her of the ability to sleep. She has yet to process what happened, but as time goes on, she begins to believe that she might have a future without him.

Marcus has given Cora two months. She had promised she would speak to him, but his patience has reached its limit. Cautious not to overwhelm her, he sees her at a gala. They don’t get that opportunity to talk things through, but he is not about to give up on his wife or his marriage. Things get complicated when Philip Waters demands payment for the confiscated shipment. Mayor Zeke Sturm has cut off all communication with Marcus, so he cannot arrange for its return, and hence cannot sell the goods and pay Waters. With the Titans in the background, salivating over an opportunity to get back into New Olympus, trust is at a deficit amongst the various players.

Marcus and Cora's mythology-infused journey weaves a dark love story into a suspenseful read about mobsters, turf wars, and revenge. Both have transformed over the course of their courtship and marriage. Cora is no longer the timid girl who less than a year ago left her remote farm and learned about the outside world for the first time. And Marcus has developed an entirely new side, though he reserves it just for Cora. He is supportive and encouraging. His incredible patience gives young Cora the ability to choose him, to choose their marriage. Although he still is predisposed to act out on his possessive tendencies with regard to her, he is capable listening and learning.

While in book one the two dance around their feelings for one another under deeply emotional circumstances, in book two they fall into a pattern of denial and avoidance as they pursue their separate interests. Book three finds them even more distant as Cora remains in denial and the space the Marcus affords her leaves her unanchored. In the end, Marcus and Cora earn their happy ending. The prologue introduces several figures from the Beauty and the Rose series, whom the Ubelis meet at a gala.

Wow! Marcus and Cora's dark and angsty story will leave you satisfied as the final book in the series comes to an end. The couple's chemistry is incredible, and BDSM elements play a role. Their story is well-written. The plot is somewhat complex. It unfolds slowly, revealing surprises along the way. It takes place in the vivid world of New Olympus, which appears in other books by the authors as well. The characters are nicely defined. The story is written in third person. The POV alternates between Cora and Marcus, though book three has three brief chapters from Mayor Zeke Sturm’s POV and one in Armand’s. I rate this book 4.5 stars.


As for the Audio: it is well-performed. I enjoyed the male voice! It is consistent with the book, with the exception of word or two on a rare occasion.

I received a copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Careless "too stupid to live" annoying heroine

I was excited when this book came out but Cora continues to do some really stupid things—like losing her security detail even though she knows what the stakes are. I understand that she is trying to show her independence but still does careless things that get her kidnapped. I loved books 1 and 2 but am having a hard time with this one. She leads Marcus on—loving and sexy one minute and cold the next, showing her age. I would recommend this book to get closure from the first two books and the book is well written.

Jack Calihan did an outstanding job with the narration of all three books!

Frustrating

Great books. I felt like I had to read all 3 for closure but Cora really frustrated me the whole time.

Great book!!

I was intrigued with the book from beginning truly loved the ending of this book.

An absolute MUST read 3 book series!!

I had been leary buying this series in that I don't care for only one narrator being several different characters. But Lee Savino did an incredible job that I easily saw the main characters individually. Between his voice (s) and Stasia Black's incredible story line , I would rate this book 10 stars if it were possiblr!

totally worth the read

so sad the story is over! Best romance novel I've listened to in a long time

Love the books, the narrator? Not so much.

I’ve read the whole series, once or twice, okay, okay, maybe more than that! I enjoy the book, well written and engrossing. The audio book is a complete turn off. Mr. Calihan is way to dramatic, all the time. The deep & husky way of speaking would be sexy, during the sexy parts but it all the time. NDF

Perfect Ending

I'm not a fan of cliffhanger series, but this one was great. This is the last book in the 3 book series
Unexpected twists that made Cora shine and Marcus was the perfect alpha male we all want for ourselves.
Jack Calihan did an amazing job, perfect voice for this series.

A fantastic Mafia series

This is a fantastic mafia story, it is well written and well told. I enjoyed her writing style. Jack Calihan is awesome narrator. Highly recommend listening to this audiobook.

Great ending

This is the final book of the series and I am sad that it was over. I think our of all three this one is my favorite. It was so great to see Cora come out of her shell and show some or her inner darkness. Her and Marcus are the perfect pair, and I am so glad their ending was happy for them.

As always, Jack Calihan did a great job with the narration.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great Series

This is the third book in the series and I have thoroughly enjoyed them all even though they were not my usual listen.

I found the characters very real and down to earth. The narration was fabulous! What a voice! The best I have heard in a long time.

Would I listen to more by these author’s you bet.

Loved it!

I listened to this a while back and loved it. Queen of the Underworld is the perfect conclusion to the Dark Mafia Romance Trilogy. The ending was unpredictable and brilliant. Stasia Black and Lee Savino make a fantastic team; I will listen to or read anything written by them. Jack Calihan is a super talented narrator with an incredible voice. The above combination made this series a fabulous one. If you're a fan of mafia romance, give this one a try, you won't be disappointed.

A perfect conclusion to this trilogy

This book starts a few months after we left off in the second one. Marcus and Cora are still struggling with their relationship, their roles and where they are meant to be. I think there is the most growth in this book in Cora. She seems to have gone through the gamut of emotions and is finally accepting her role. Marcus and Cora finally have that happy ending they have so longed for, that I have been routing for them to have. I could not put this book down. and I still want more. I felt as if Marcus and Cora became friends throughout this series. I was right there with them through all their struggles and triumphs. This was a great way to end their story.

Jack Calihan is one of my favorite narrators. His narration of a mafia story will keep me hooked from the first chapter to the last. He has a great voice and is amazing with his variety of tones to keep all of the characters separate and distinct. jack has a voice perfect the the rough, strong, alpha males of the mafia. I cannot wait to hear more from Jack Calihan.

Fantastic storyline

These books have been brilliant. I love how the characters have grown over these 3 books. Jack gives an amazing performance. Very enjoyable and highly recommend.

Interesting conclusion

Cora is the biggest focus in this the final book of the series. She finds even with trying to break away from Marcus and his dark world a new beginning isn’t in the cards. Twists turns, suspense, intrigue and an acceptance of her husband’s for who he is with a HEA.
Enjoyed Jacks narration with bringing these characters to life.
Reviewed for a fair and honest opinion.