The Predator (Dark Verse, #1) (2024)

– 2.4 stars

What this book has:

💫 a heroine in a mafia setting with a brain
💫 a heroine who is not just waiting for her father to arrrange a marriage for her
💫 a dark hair, blue eyed hero with BDE
💫 a hero who doesn't speak much
💫 enemies-to-lovers

What this book also has:

📌 3rd POV
📌 endless monologues
📌 staring so MUCH STARING 👁👄👁
📌 SILENCE
📌 guns and violence
📌 did I already mentioned staring? if not, yeah, a lot of staring 👁👄👁
📌 blue eyes
📌 a motorcycle
📌 the words "TRISTAN CAINE" (219 times to be exact)
📌 a voice of whiskey and sin (that was not used nearly enough)
📌 I wanna do this review for The Predator justice so I gotta mention once again the eye staring contest Tristan and Morana had going on throughout this whole book 👁👄👁
📌 no talk, only stares 👁👄👁

Not to compliment myself, but I think I did a good job of summarizing The Predator. If something is missing from that list, my DM's are wide open for suggestions. 😇

A staredown. She didn't remove her eyes from his, and he didn't remove his from hers, neither willing to look away first.

Morana Vitalio: Stop staring.
Tristan Caine: No.

I wanted to say that reading this book was such a great experience, but just looking at the rating, that would be a big lie. It was painful af. The first 40% of this book were hands down a solid 1.5 stars rating from me. The monlogues, the eye starring, the silence I hated everything about it. It was so mind-numbing. The voices in my f*cking head talked more than the characters in this whole book. 😭💀

Tristan had the potential to be up there with all the great heroes. Is there anything this man can't do? But due to the writing I couldn't care enough about him. Same applies for Morana. For the first 40% I was just begging for someone to end my misery (I'm dramatic ik just let me 🤡🤚) that by the time when something interesting between the main character happened I was like

Tristan f*cking Morana in the restroom while her father's men are standing behind the door calling out to her? Yeah, even I can admit that scene was something. If I had to choose my favorite scenes from this book, then it probably that one or the Tristan & Morana rain kiss in the last chapter. That were the scenes were I was mourning this couple potential, cause they could have slapped so hard and end all other mafia couples, but nah sorry missed that mark with all the staring instead of talking.

"Next time, I'm going to see how loud you can scream, Ms. Vitalio. I'm going to make you so sore you won't know if it's from the screaming or the f*cking."

There was actually an interesting flashback scene between Tristan and Morana that I somewhat enjoyed, until I got to the point where it was revealed why Tristan hates Morana that much. And oh boy.. oh hell. Here is my reaction:

He stilled even more, impossibly.
She stilled even more, reflexively.
The air between them stilled, dangerously.

Conclusion

The first half was pretty much a disaster, the second half was somehow better, but I still don't care enough. Usually I'm all about the side characters, but even Dante and Amara didn't do anything for me, because I'm already dreading how the writing is going to be 💀 I'm still going to read the next books, but for now I need a break. 🏃🏻‍♀️

┍━━━━━━━━━━━━━┑
DARK VERSE SERIES

#1 The Predator – 2.4 stars
#2 The Reaper – tbr
#3 The Emperor – tbr
#4 The Finisher – tbr
#5 The Annihilator – tbr
┕━━━━━━━━━━━━━┙

i read this in one sitting and now i’m a changed woman. you don’t know what enemies to even more enemies to enemies with benefits to enemies that still aren’t lovers is until you read this masterpiece. i read this in less that 24hrs and now my skin is glowing.

this sh*t changed my hair color. the slow burn, longing, and copious amounts of staring made me feel like someone pushed me onto incoming traffic. and i loved every bit of it. i finished it and suddenly a cliff appeared in front of me.

Tristian and Morana are two characters that i’m deadly afraid of yet two characters i’d let take me any which way. their tension made me want to jump off the golden gate bridge, throw a toaster into a bath tub, and jump into it. my body folded like an origami with that bathroom and shower scene. anyways can’t wait to read the sequel next.

I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. This is one of my first mafia romances and I'm obsessed. The characters are *actual* enemies to lovers which I LOVE. The first chapter literally starts with Morana trying to kill Tristan. *swoon*😅

BUT I also love that it's not a toxic or morally grey romance. This book is definitely a dark romance because the mafia world is dark but Tristan and Morana have such good hearts.

OMG OMG THAT LAST CHAPTER WAS BOMB.

It’s been a MINUTE since I stayed up till 3 am to read a book. 𝐎𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐙𝐈𝐍𝐆. It gave me EVERYTHING I had no idea was missing from my life. I can see myself rereading this every month or some sh*t. Like it was that good.
It came to a point where I wanted to start the book again just so I could relive their first encounter forever. Bc my god, I WAS NOT EXPECTING IT. AT ALL.

𝐎𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐝 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫. There were so many times when I couldn’t predict what the characters would do and that’s something I truly ADORE.

Okay, I have to say that it was the third pov that kinda made me waver a little since I just got disconnected sometimes when there were too many she said, he said. Also there wasn’t much ✨romance✨ (and when I say romance I mean emotional connection) but that’s part of the story and hopefully I’ll get that in the next book. And the writing was sometimes corny but whatever bc 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐎 𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓.
𝗠𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝗜’𝗺 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁 😃

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚 was chef's kiss. 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. She gave herself time to process and basically gave herself interventions lmao. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋. I loved her the entire time and it's so hard to find a book where I love the FMCS too.

𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 was a tough nut to crack and srsly I’ve still not got him figured out. 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐌𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐌𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 He had more personality in the texts than IRL bro he never even spoke much 😩
Ngl him staring had me a little like okay dude LMFAO 💀 but then I found out why and I was like damn okay I'll allow it.

𝐀𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐌𝐄? Each character was so FIIIINEEEE. 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗲 💅

pls, what is in their water bc 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄??!! 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣.
𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝. Her backstory? Ugh, I wanted to cry. I love her sm.

𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 𝐒𝐊𝐀𝐉𝐄𝐊𝐄𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐎 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃!!

𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲:
Best believe I’m licking those DanteAmara crumbs off the table. 𝐈 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄! I can’t wait for sh*t to hit the fan with them sksjdkdhk

𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀: 🎧
Russian roulette - Rihanna
Devil in a dress - Rhea Raj
Wish I never - kehlani
I’m yours - Isabel LaRosa
Proud - SoMo
Bite - EMM
Villain - Julia Wolf
Talking in your sleep - DREAMDNVR
Down - Simon ft. Trella
Man's world - Nova Miller
Nights - Adrian Daniel
Peachy - EMM
Antihero - AViVa
Body - purpleheart ft. Adrian Daniel
Hate you but I don’t - Sophia Gripari

𝗙𝗮𝘃 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀:

"𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗲."
…"𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜," he remarked evenly,
~SJSVEUKENSKSN IM SCREAMINGGG

"𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂! 𝗪𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸!"
𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐲’𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐞.
~Lmfaoo 💀

"𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲."
"𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲."
~SCREAMMMM

"𝗡𝘂𝗵-𝘂𝗵. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂,𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗼 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿."
He stilled, his gaze intensifying. "𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀."
~HAHAHHAHA I'M CACKLING.

‘Even as she steadied herself, 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐤, 𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙠.’
~THIS ugh the neck holding just makes me go feral

𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲.
"𝙄 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨."
~ help. pls.

“𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗻𝗮𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂,”
~THE LATTER PLS TY

“𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱.”
~pls stop bc this sh*t is hurting me

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀:
The devils night series - Penelope Douglas

***

I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF EVERYONE TEASING ME WITH THIS SERIES SO… it’s finally happening.

***

I’m seeing this EVERYWHERE on my feed!!

Should I or should I??

➳ 4/5 stars

"Don't you know not to run away from predators, sweetheart? We like the hunt"

Well, i have had this series for some time now but it never really piqued my interest but after one of my good friend spoke so highly of it i finally decided to give it go and let me tell u it didn't disappoint. Although the writing was typically lousy and boring but i can ignore it because the characters were soo good and the storyline was excellently executed. The plot was pretty interesting as well and kept me wanting to read it more and more.

So in this captivating narrative, we're immersed in the world of two influential families, the Vitalios and the Maronis. Morana Vitalio, Gabriel Vitalio's daughter, is a computer expert who has created some codes, which found in the wrong hands could cause a war between the two families. Enter Tristan Caine, also known as 'The Predator,' a protege of Lorenzo Maroni. As Morana and Tristan uncover the truth behind the theft, they realize they're pawns in a larger game. Together, they form an unlikely alliance to retrieve the stolen codes and prevent potential harm to both of the families.

Although the pacing of book was very good and kept me intrested because something was happening all the time but the writing was lousy, bland and repetitive, there were countless mentions of his whiskey and sin voice and also his blue eyes and with every single mention i wanted to throw my book because it became way too much like once or twice would've been tolerable but it was literally more than twenty times and this might be the only reason im not rating it five stars because good writing literally matters to me the most. This book is considered dark romance although i couldn't feel the romance at all but man the sexual tension between them was off the charts ngl i could literally feel it through the pages.

╰┈➤ Tristan Caine

This guy embodied all the classic traits of a dark romance lead: mysterious, brooding, and haunted by a troubled past. As I delved into his backstory, I couldn't help but feel a wave of sympathy wash over me. His struggles and hardships gave context to his guarded demeanor and quiet disposition. It became clear why he was so hesitant to trust or open up to others. In the end, I found myself rooting for him to find the closure and peace he so rightfully deserves.

"They called him the predator. His reputation preceded him. He rarely went on hunt but when he did, it was over.”

╰┈➤ Morana Vitalio

Morana stands out as one of the most memorable female leads I've come across. She embodies beauty, intelligence, and a fierce determination that commands respect. What truly captured my attention were her sharp wit and fearless demeanor—her snarky comments added a delightful flair to her character. However, there were moments when her reactions felt a bit exaggerated, especially when she couldn't resist his intense gaze. Despite this, her intelligence and unwavering resolve remained admirable throughout the story.

Morana's upbringing in a mafia family shaped her into a strong and independent woman from the start. Despite being surrounded by dangerous men, she fiercely fought for her freedom—a refreshing departure from the typical portrayal of women in mafia romances as submissive and doormat types.

"She'd been raised around sharks. And she’d learned not to bleed"

Despite being constantly surrounded by people, Morana experienced deep loneliness, with no one truly there for her when she needed support the most. It was heartbreaking to see her endure so much hardship when she deserved nothing but love and understanding.

"She cried because she had no one to give her a shoulder and hold her as she cried, because she had to wrap her arms around herself”

What actually disgusted me the most was morana's sh*tty father istg that man was such a f*cked up piece of sh*t. He basically always prostituted and humiliated his own daughter in front of other men like I can't imagine a dad not snapping the neck of the man who tried to touch his daughter in a wrong way but this man he literally sat there when some other man tried to touch his own daughter and then proceeded to be an ass about it and let's not even forget about him f*cking throwing her down the stairs just because he was angry istg she could've died but he gave no f*cks about her, istg such a terrible piece of sh*t.

It's undeniable that this book was a captivating read from start to finish, keeping me hooked with every turn of the page. And let's talk about that iconic rain scene! Despite not fully understanding the hype beforehand, experiencing it firsthand had me completely swept away. It was steamy and intense in all the right ways, leaving me absolutely hooked.

"He devoured her in the rain, with his gun beneath her jaw."

°˖➴ "Overall, if you're craving a gripping read that will captivate you from start to finish, look no further. Dive into this book and let yourself get lost in its compelling storyline. Enjoyy!!" 💌

౨ৎ QUOTES ✧˖°.

⚘ "No one else gets to kill you, Ms Vitalio, the last face you see before you die will be mine. When it comes to death, you're mine."

⚘ "Death isn't the main course, sweetheart. It's the dessert. Never make the mistake of thinking you know me. It might just prove to be your last”
“—Never make the mistake of thinking you scare me." “It might be your last"

⚘ "The man who'd claimed her death had given her a glimpse of life by doing something he probably didn't even realize he'd done. In that moment, the enemy had done what no one had ever even tried to do for her. He had made her feel a little less lonely."

⚘ "We've been honest so far, Ms. Vitalio. I'll be honest now. I despise you but I want you. f*ck it, I do. And I want you out of my system."

⚘ "One day, I'm going to carve your heart out and keep it as a souvenir. I promise.”
"You assume I have a heart, wildcat.”

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

꒰🌷⊹ ࣪ pre-read review ᯓᡣ𐭩

Well, this book have been side-eyeing me from my shelf since ages and i think it's finally the time to pick it up, soo hope it delivers!!!! 😙💗

—— 4 ✰ stars.

“Don't you know not to run away from predators, sweetheart? We like the hunt”

・❥・ Mood of the book:
: ̗̀➛ Russian Roulette by Rihanna
: ̗̀➛ Die For You by The Weekend
: ̗̀➛ Love Runs Out by Martin Garrix, G-Eazy & Sasha Alex Sloan
: ̗̀➛ Sweet Little Lies by Bülow

OK OK OK OKKKKKKK!!! JUMPS EXCITELY!!! Before starting I must clarify that

I am pleasantly surprised with this book, I did not have many expectations because it was a dark romance, but it has completely exceeded them, the plot has kept me super interested and wanting to read more and more, yesterday I had to stop myself because It was 4 in the morning and I had 2 chapters left but my eyes were literally closing. I must also say that the 4✰ stars are subjective, I think that objectively the book may deserve 3.5✰ , but I had such a good time and it got me out of a slump!! So, f*ck it and 4✰ stars for this book.

┏━✦❘༻𝓹𝓵𝓸𝓽༺❘✦━━┓

┏━✦❘༻𝓹𝓪𝓬𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰༺❘✦━━┓

Now I will talk a little about romance and smut, if you are not comfortable with this, you can skip to the characters area, lets be responsible readers.

The romance did not convince me much, it seemed to me that there was more sexual tension than anything else, it is true that, after understanding certain things towards the end of the book, Tristan's behavior can be understood a little more, but the Morana's is a bit... weird lmao. He basically dedicated himself to observing her, the whole book was a staring competition, I'm worried about his vision, should I give Tristan some glasses?
About the smut, i found it.. weirdly hot? LMAO. Like I didn't even know how to feel about it half of the time, since he said things like “I don't know whether to snap your neck or f*ck the life out of you” AND I WAS LIKE SIR???

┏━✦❘༻𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼༺❘✦━━┓

“She'd been raised around sharks. And she’d learned not to bleed”

“She cried because she had no one to give her a shoulder and hold her as she cried, because she had to wrap her arms around herself”

“I don't think anyone can handle you. “Not if you don’t want to be handled”

🕸✘𝓣𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓷 𝓒𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓮✘🕸 He must have had 20 dialogues during the entire book, but… mmm well! He stares a lot!! Ok ok poor Tristan, let's stop bullying him. He is a very mysterious character, you never know what he is thinking or what his next move is going to be. he has the traumatized vibe and in some parts I really felt sorry and sad for him, he is also very lonely. He deserves a hug.

“They called him the predator. His reputation preceded him. He rarely went on hunt but when he did, it was over.”

“Damn it, the man was a book of blank pages written in invisible ink that she had no idea how to discover”

🕸✘𝓓𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓮 𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓲✘🕸 We didn't get much of him but I'm so excited for that!! I can't say a lot about him, but I really really liked him!!

🕸✘𝓐𝓶𝓪𝓻𝓪 𝓡𝓸𝓼𝓼𝓲✘🕸MY BABY. She was truly a friend to both Morana and Tristan and she deserves the world.

“In another life, in another world, she could actually have been friends with Amara. But she wasn't in another life or in another world. This was her reality. And her reality was alone.”

I will definitely continue with the series, especially because the plot is super interesting, I don't know if I will venture into more dark romance for now but if you have any good recs that will not traumatize me, let me know!! I hope to read The Reaper very soon!!

┏━✦❘༻𝓺𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼 𝓘 𝓮𝓷𝓳𝓸𝔂𝓮𝓭༺❘✦━━┓

“I prefer you blonde”

“--Death isn't the main course, sweetheart. It's the dessert. Never make the mistake of thinking you know me. It might just prove to be your last” “—Never make the mistake of thinking you scare me. “It might be your last”

“One would think that people with too much red on their lives would avoid that color. Instead, they seemed to bask in it.”

“No one else gets to kill you, Ms Vitalio, the last face you see before you die will be mine. When it comes to death, you're mine.

“In that moment, the man who'd claimed her death had given her a glimpse of life by doing something he probably didn't even realize he'd done.”

“Just because she’d lost everything known to her didn’t mean she couldn’t find something beautiful in the unknown.”

I want to comment on a couple of things with spoilers, read at your own risk:

Ok, Tristan's story was super sad, my eyes were full of tears when I read his point of view when he was 8 years old, the love he had for his sister, life is so unfair I swear to god. He was just a little boy, and he should have been helped, not isolated. AAAA PAIN!!!

Morana's father really disgusts me, the way he basically prostituted and humiliated his daughter? Immediate castration. And let's not even talk about when he threw her down the stairs.

The rain scene at the end was super intense, THEY FINALLY KISSED, I WAS SCREAMING. He made a decision and I need the second book to discover who the f*ck stole the codes and what the f*ck is happening, AND WHO IS THE REAPER??? So many unanswered questions.

END OF SPOILERS.

Thank you so much if you read until here. Thank you siff, for doing such an amazing review that convinced me to read this, I love you so much.

Dark Verse series:
╰┈➤ The Reaper, 4.5✰ stars.
╰┈➤ The Emperor, 4.5✰ stars.
╰┈➤ The Finisher, 4✰ stars.
╰┈➤The Annihilator , 3✰ stars.
➙ old updates
AAAAA ok RTC!!!
nov 2: let’s read our first dark romance wish me luck 🫶🏼🥹

"Don't you know not to run away from predators, sweetheart? We like the hunt."

OMG OMG OMG!!! what was that!! The ending and the last few chapters 👀

This book is just so good 😩🔥 It literally had me screaming, giggling, and crying in the ending chapters. It has angst, staring, hatred, tension, attraction, mystery and a very heartbreaking past. This is exactly how Enemies to Lovers books are suppose to be written. The starting was amazing, Morana planning to kill Tristan in his own house 💅 and the ending was painful 😭

The book is written in third pov but it was really easy for me adapt to it. The story was fast paced but also a little slow I don't know how to explain that. I love RuNyx's beatiful and exquisite writing and the third pov brings more life to this book.

Its dark and gore. But I am a sucker for dark romances. So here I am 😌 It was perfect although there were long narrations and less dialogue but I get that in the end why Tristan speak so less to everyone. Its because of his past and how those people treated him when he was young. He was traumatised. Ahhh those people😠 I want to kill them😤🔪

And yess there is lots of staring... like literally lots and lots of staring 👁👁 and it is the only thing that bothered me in this book. They both just couldn't keep their eyes away from each other. It was good in the start because it made all the tension between them looks hot but then sometimes it was just too much. But still the sexual tension between Tristan and Morana were hot ❤️‍🔥

✦ Tristan "The Predator" Caine
He had been through hell. Everyone around him thought he was a monster but they never really thought that he was just a small boy, an innocent boy, who was just trying to protect someone. It was hard when I was reading about his past. I was a sobbing mess while reading that chapter. He deserves everything. He deserves Morana because she is the only one who makes him feel alive, when he had been dead inside for over twenty years. He deserves Dante and Amara because they are the only family he has. I love him sm. I just wish he gets his closure and the love he deserves. I want Morana and Tristan to be happy and in love. He is the king of silent kings and those who thinks he is not attractive just because he doesn't speak much I am ready to fight them 🤺

Also Tristan has more personality when he is speaking to Morana on texts then he is speaking with her face to face. (It was kinda relatable though 🤣)
AND TRISTAN CAINE IS AN AMAZING COOK!? CAN THIS MAN GET ANY MORE PERFECT 🤤🔥

✦ Morana Vitalio "The nerdy IT girl"
omg she is just amazing. She is intelligent, passionate, strong, fierce and independent. I love her so much. All her life she just wanted her freedom and love and a few friends. I don't know how horribly her father treated her that she is even scared of making friends. But I am glad she found Amara, Dante and Tristan. Even though they are her father's enemy yet they all protected her and made her feel safe and happy.

✦ Dante Maroni: Have I told you that This Man IS A f*cking Gentleman. I can't wait to read his book. And the way he talks is just🤌🤭

✦ Amara: she is a friend in need, always ready to be there for you when you need her. She is so sweet. I love her. And I know her past will shatter my heart into million pieces 💔

Also the tension between Dante and Amara was delicious. I know their book is gonna be amazing and heartbreaking

➙ Tristan and Morana's relationship
They both have such an electric chemistry 🔥And the way they both are so hot and scumpdiddlyumptious. Their first encounter was iconic. Morana Vitalio trying to kill 'The Predator' with a knife at his throat 🧎‍♀️ I knew they are going to be my favourite from that moment. The enemies to lovers trope, the tension, the staring everything was amazing and I loved it.

And that KISS IN THE RAIN 😭🤌💖

THE ENDING Don't talk me to me about that 😭💔 I am still in Pain. LOTS OF PAIN. For Tristan, for Morana and what they both had to deal with at such a young age 😭 They both deserve all the happiness in this world and I will do anything to protect my precious beautiful idiots 😭💘

— Favourite Quotes —

➸ "We've been honest so far, Ms. Vitalio," he murmured. "I'll be honest now. I despise you but I want you. f*ck it, I do. And I want you out of my system."

➸ "Apparently, you're not out of my system, Ms. Vitalio."

➸ "No one else gets to kill you, Ms. Vitalio," he spoke quietly. "The last face you see before you die will be mine. When it comes to death, you're mine."

➸ "The man who'd claimed her death had given her a glimpse of life by doing something he probably didn't even realize he'd done.
In that moment, the enemy had done what no one had ever even tried to do for her.
He had made her feel a little less lonely."

➸ "I don't want to fix him. I want to fix me. And he's the only thing that seems to be working."

➸ "He kissed her – without his tongue, without his hands, without his body. Just his lips – soft, firm, present – on hers. It was the most beautiful kiss she could have ever dreamed of, the most untainted she’d ever imagined from him, with a softness she’d not thought him capable of. With his intensity, with his blazing eyes, the silent promises had been of devouring. This wasn’t devouring. This was savoring."

I really can't wait to read more of this series and to unravel all the mystery!

While an entertaining and binge worthy read, it had some flaws which I can't overlook, as they made a direct impact on my enjoyment levels.

✅What I liked-

1. Romance- The chemistry between Tristan and Morana is so good. I liked how it wasn't insta lovey and it gradually intensified and developed. The two had such good moments together, I was giggling and blushing. The spice was hot.

2. Characters- Tristan and his mysterious persona kept me engaged. I wanted to find out the reason for his hate and I was not disappointed. I loved how he carried himself, the man exudes power and he knows it. Morana was interesting, I liked her complexities with her father. But at the same time, she was dumb af for someone who's supposed to be smart.

3. First half- The thing about codes was an interesting storyline and to see it get abandoned so quickly in the second half was a buzzkill.

4. Amara and Dante- Look, I liked Tristan and Morana but I know for a fact I'll love Amara and Dante more. In the few scenes they have together, there's already far more chemistry between them and I know it's gonna be angsty. I need more of them.

5. That kiss in the rain- Hello?? I swooned.

❌What I didn't like-

1. Second half- The execution of the plot became messy and weak. It wasn't as enjoyable as the first half. It was underwhelming and seemed like the codes were forgotten altogether.

2. His blue eyes. Magnificent blue. Striking blue. Fierce blue eyes. x100 times.

3. His whiskey and sin voice. x2000 times.

Am sorry but I can't stand repetition. I got the first ten thousand times.

Am invested in the story and the world created so will continue with the series.

~•~•~
Am finally in the mood for this. LET'S GOOOO!!

↦↦4.25

(𝓈𝓅❀𝒾𝓁𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌)

જ⁀➴ This book f**ked me up in all the best possible ways. I didn’t know mafia romance was for me until I read this book. It ripped my heart out, chewed it up, and spit it right back at me. As a newbie to this whole mafia dark romance thing, I thought it was just going to be some smut after smut, but it was nothing like that; I couldn't put it down, even if I'd tried. It tore my heart out, devoured it, and left it dry ass clean. When I read the first chapter and saw the knife to the throat trope that I love so much, that when I knew that there was no turning back,

જ⁀➴ Tristen A predator with a bleeding heart—that's how I'd describe Tristen Caine. This MF did not even talk, just watching everything like a damn hawk, which was sexy but also creepy. At first glance, it's like he's got no soul, just a ruthless killer lurking behind those dark eyes. But the thing is, the guy's got a heart after all, and it's for her. Her only😤. Under that icy exterior, there's a heart that's been shattered into a million pieces, and it's only when he looks at her that it starts to beat again.🥹❤️‍🩹also my man can cook! likeeee I was not expecting that

જ⁀➴Morana She is my idol😤; she is basically my spirit animal. She's got skills in computers that are downright wicked. She's like a version of me, except about a million times cooler and smarter. Morana is the type of woman who knows what she wants and goes after it, no matter what obstacles stand in her way. She's a total role model for me. She is smart, strong, and doesn’t take sh*t from anyone. She got that killer instinct, the one that will make heads roll if she needs it to. She's tough as nails, but deep down, she has a heart of gold and will do anything to protect those she loves. Morana, I am you, and you are me, sis!😚🫡

જ⁀➴Dante and Amara Not much to say about them, but I just know they are going to make a sweet couple I can't wait to read their book 💜😁

જ⁀➴The way RuNyx built up the tension between Tristan Caine and Morana Vitalio is what kept me glued to the edge of my seat. They were a match made in hell. fire and ice, water and sun, but together they were everything. I love the connection between them, especially given their different backgrounds.

જ⁀➴Those two spicy scenes left me watering ngl🔥🥵🥵. Like, I don't even know what to say. The way RuNyx wrote them had me clutching my pillow in a death grip, my toes practically doing the tango, even my eyes weren't cooperating, doing this weird 360-degree turn like I was possessed or something. no amount of smut could have satisfied me like those two scenes did. Yeah........ it was really that good. 🤭😮‍💨🤤
જ⁀➴ My complaints😶‍🌫️😕👀

↦↦１． There was no communication between Tristan and Morana, just a bunch of staring. As much as I loved the tension between them, the constant staring at each other was a bit too much and creepy. At first, I didn’t mind, but it came to a point where I felt like I wanted to be in the book, get in between them, and spray bleach with pepper in both of their eyes so they can stop doing that lol.

↦↦２． The writing could have definitely been better; that was one of the biggest factors that was really taking my enjoyment from the book and the reason why it was not a 5-star rating. It was giving Wattpad vibe. It was really cringy and confusing at times. There was some weird and awkward phrasing that kept taking me out of the story. such a shame because the plot itself was quite interesting, but I couldn't shake off my annoyance at the writing style. It just didn't do justice to the engaging characters and juicy plotline.

↦↦３. I don't mind 3rd person pov but I really really wish this book had been written in first person perspective🥺. I'm not a big fan of third person POV because I feel like it disconnects me from the characters. When I'm reading first person, I feel like I'm living through the experiences of the protagonist instead of just a passive observer. Plus, it gives me a chance to get inside the character's head and really understand their thoughts and feelings. so yeah I was still able to feel that spark with 3rd Pov but still wished it was 1-person Pov.

↦↦４.There were way too many repetitive descriptions in the book. I mean, I get it, the author wanted to emphasize the characters' features, but it got really tiring seeing the same descriptions over and over again. The eyes were the biggest culprit - I must have read the description of those blue eyes a million times and don't even get me started on that 'whiskey and sin' voice. I had no idea what the author was trying to convey with that 😂 😂💀

Ｔｈａｔ Ｅｎｄｉｎｇ？！！👌

જ⁀➴That kiss in the rain at the end of the book was just nothing but PERFECTION!!. all the pent-up tension and attraction between Tristen and Morana finally boiled over in one passionate moment. The rain was the perfect backdrop to set the mood, and it added an extra layer of intensity and emotion to the scene that left me swooning and feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. I'm honestly tempted to reread that scene just to experience the magic all over again. Such a beautiful way to end the book. 🥹💔 😩🤌💕

જ⁀➴Overall the book was still enjoyable, and I appreciated its balance of dark romance elements and lighter aspects because dark romance is not really my go to subgenre but this one was really good. The author did a good job of incorporating just the right amount of darkness without going overboard with the violence, angst, or excessive smut. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a light mafia dark romance with crime mystery and suspense, as it has all the elements that make it a thrilling read. While it may not be perfect, it's still a satisfying and entertaining read that will keep you hooked.

there’s just something about men who don’t talk that is 🫦
———
bismillah..

2.75 stars

lol (mostly) all they did was stare at each other, and you call that a romance?!?!? ugh, puh-leasseee. was it why it was called ‘The Predator’ - cause they ALWAYS followed each other with their eyes, sometimes they barked, and a couple times they actually bit (read: f*cked)???

im mostly annoyed by the lack of dialogues. they came few and far between with long narratives that were mostly overwrought with grammatical errors, misspellings, and repetitive descriptions. i get that the author was trying to build suspense and tension.

it worked the first few times. but if she hadnt done it through bad writing, i wouldnt have felt compelled to skip - which i ultimately did. the mystery was intriguing, and some of the actions were epic. but the romance was lackluster, and the sex was... *crickets*

this guy’s default mode was silent - even when he was doing the nasty. only it wasnt nasty at all bcs there was no dirty talk and no touching - apart from their connecting ‘channels’. idk if i want to read the next book, but theres a small part of me thats also curious to know more.

“In that moment, the man who'd claimed her death had given her a glimpse of life by doing something he probably didn't even realize he'd done.”

★ 4 stars

Enemies to lovers and they are actually enemies? SOLD.

This was such a fun read, it's been awhile since I enjoyed a mafia series despite me loving them, it's really hard to find one that isn't overdone. Every time my feminism goes out the window for a morally grey man🧎‍♀️

Morana Vitalio is a strong heroine. I loved that the author gave her a fiery strong personality and didn't make her like every other docile mafia princess. She's a coder and she is constantly doing badass things she shouldn't be. She answers to no one.

“She'd been raised around sharks. And she'd learned not to bleed.”

Tristan Cane... where do I begin and how do I get him stalking me outside my window?

“Don't you know not to run away from predators, sweetheart? We like the hunt.”

The ending took my by surprise and I loved the cliffhanger. I'm curious how there story will continue in the next book. I will definitely be continuing the series because it seems it will only improve.

Overall I was unsure about this at the start as it's a slow burn, for a relatively short book, however, I'm glad their story is written over two books so it didn't feel rushed. The writing is okay, a little repetitive at times but the tension and chemistry is what made this book an exciting read. This had an interesting plot that kept my attention and I didn't find it overly predictable. While there was some spicy/steamy scenes, it's didn't consume the whole book (probably 3 scenes max) and there was a lot more offered by this book than just smut which appealed to me.

I can't wait to continue and see more about Amara and Dante, because that woman is an angel and deserves the world and Dante is a snack 🍩💅

Thanks my love giuls for buddy reading this with me, I had sm fun 💖

Quotes

“One day, I'm going to carve your heart out and keep it as a souvenir. I promise.”
"You assume I have a heart, wildcat.”

“Death isn't the main course, sweetheart. It's the dessert. Never make the mistake of thinking you know me. It might just prove to be your last.”
“Never make the mistake of thinking you scare me. “It might be your last.”

“No one else gets to kill you, Ms Vitalio. The last face you see before you die will be mine. When it comes to death, you're mine.”

“We've been honest so far, Ms Vitalio, I'll be honest now. I despise you but I want you. f*ck it, I do. And I want you out of my system.”

“I'm a territorial man. And this has been mine since the moment you locked that bathroom door.”

⎯⎯ ୨ Pre-review: ୧ ⎯⎯

I'm in the market for a new mafia book boyfriend 👀 br with my boo giuls 💖✨

#2 read - october 2023 ➵ 4 stars

“𝙉𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙈𝙨. 𝙑𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙤. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙞𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝, 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚.”

this series just has a special place in my heart istg, i honestly think it’s my comfort dark romance series ! i’ll never get over it, and i’m still impatiently waiting for 6th book to come out, and it feels like forever. i love every single mc character in this series, and TRUST me that’s hard to find. well obviously i have my favourites which is; dante and amara from the third book, my precious babies <3 but i won’t lie, tristan and morana’s story is just absolutely amazing. this book is mostly an into to the whole world, some of the characters, etc. tristan and morana’s story will continue in “the reaper” the second book.

okay but can i just say i forgot the major plot twist in the end, how tf could i forget that ? y’all should’ve seen my face lmao. ! now that we’re already talking about the plots in this series

“𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙙.”

tristan caine
this man doesn’t talk much, but when he does >>> even though i’m a dante girl through and through, there’s just something about tristan. idk exactly what it is, his character just has this mysterious, traumatized, kinda vibe and it just works for him idk how to explain smh. tristan’s story never fails to make me sob, and it’s not even done yet. honestly tho, i just really wanna give this man a hug ! he deserves some love <3

“𝙃𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙨𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡.”

can we just appreciate morana and tristan’s first interaction ? i’ll never get over that. their first interaction fits perfectly to their characters, and i absolutely love it ! plus morana and tristan are so chase atlantic coded omfg, i was listening to my chase atlantic playlist while reading this, and oh my, i would definitely recommend doing that, it was just absolutely perfect.

“Mind that mouth of yours, wildcat.”

“We have unfinished business, Ms. Vitalio.”
“I’m done with the codes.”
“I’m not talking about the codes.”

“Did I hurt you?”
“Why do you care?”
“Did I hurt you.”

------

#1 read - april 2023 ➵ 4 stars

breaks into his house and threatens to kill him gf, kisses her in the rain with his gun under her jaw bf

HEEELLLPPP I LOVED THISS AAAHHHHHH

THE KNIFE TO THE THROAT VIBES >>>>>>>

i’m a changed woman! i’ll die when i read the rest!

4.5 ⭐️

“don't you know not to run away from predators, sweetheart? we like the hunt.”

alexa, play “this is the hunt” by ruelle ⚔️

⚠️

i am actually writing this review from room 143 of the mental asylum… yeah i was brought there since i became delirious after finishing this book 🤕

this book was CRAZY: the plot twists, characters, tensions - everything was MINDBLOWING.. and omfg the tension between tristan & morana?? UNMATCHED. you don’t know enemies-to-lovers until you’ve read this book fr 🥲 lately the enemies-to-lovers trope books have basically been ~2 minutes of rivalry and then they somehow like each other~ or ~not actually enemies~, but this book RLY ENEMIED IN THE ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS. ugh i could cut the tension with a freakin 10 inch knife omfgggg
++ idc if the author kept repeating tristan’s “whisky and sin” aura,, i ate it up regardless🧎‍♀️

⸝⸝ ꒰ CHARACTERS ⛓️ㆍ₊⊹
↪︎

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⸝⸝ ꒰ FINAL THOUGHTS ⛓️ㆍ₊⊹
can we talk about the KISS SCENE. IN. THE. RAIN. holy cow istg i was literally on the edge of my bed, frantically texting annie “MF THEY HAVENT EVEN KISSED AND ITS THE LAST CHAPTER WTFF” ughhh i was literally pulling my hair and then. the holy kiss scene happens. that quite literally changed my life. my skin is clear, my hair is glowing, i am a new person now.
–– “he devoured her in the rain, with his gun beneath her jaw. he devoured her while tasting like the whiskey and sin she heard in his voice.” :: THE THINGS THIS QUOTE DOES TO ME 😖😖😖 i am a mess bc of tristanmorana.
+ the only reason i gave this a 4.5 is bc the first couple chapters were a bit slow, but it was just so amazing after chapter 6 👩🏼‍🍳💋 i cannot WAITTT to start book 2 ;–;

⸝⸝ ꒰ FAVORITE QUOTES ⛓️ㆍ₊⊹

she knew he would destroy her, but not today. today, for the first time, she got to be no one but a girl on the back of a man's motorcycle, if even for a moment. today, for the first time, she was just a woman with no past and no future, just this endless road with this man, this freedom, and this life.

“i see how he looks at you. despite knowing about you all my life, i never thought he'd be as he is with you.”
“how is he with me?”
“alive.”

“no one else gets to kill you, ms. Vitalio. the last face you see before you die will be mine. when it comes to death, you're mine.”

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pre-review: GOODBYE THIS WAS SO FREAKIN GOOD,, YALL WERE SO RIGHT AB THIS 😮‍💨😫🥲😖🫠 tristanmarano for life u guys ✋✊✊ (still settling on the rating omfg aaahhh)
rtc~~!! (i've got sm to say- 🤭🤭)
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pre-read: trying out smth new hehe~~
(&& ty annie for recommending this to meee <33)

This series is going to be my newest obsession. I can feel it!!

I enjoyed this one so much and I was so invested in the story. From the full of action plot. To Tristan who was and I quote; “A walking, talking Mission Impossible, that's what he was.” I just really really liked him. He definitely goes to the list of my -favourite toxic book boyfriends I never want to meet in real life- (or maybe I do?). He rides a motorcycle better than any one I know. He climb walls. When he saw the heroine looking like hell on his door, he prepared a room and a bath without saying a word, left her and then sent a message to check that she’s okay? Even though he’s only two doors away? You don’t know how much giving her space meant to me! It might show that he didn’t care enough, but I disagree!!! And many many perfect scenes more. I like him, okay? I just do!

I like Morana as well; her smart mouth, her genuineness, and how she stood her ground. For such a genius, she kinda made a lot of stupid decisions tho. That even I know they were stupid.

'Apparently, you're not out of my system, Ms. Vitalio.'

Those two definitely gave me power couple vibes and the sexual tension was so freaking crazy!! And their chemistry was just so freaking explosive. I have a tiny problem with the amount of staring they did tho. No couple stare at each other that much! There were a lot of scenes with them making eye contact and just staring at each other that at some point I was like, are we done?? The inner monologues were kinda long and too much as well. But overall I really enjoyed this. The last chapter was so good that I’m jumping into the next book immediately!

#1 The Predator - 4.25 stars
#2 The Reaper - 4.5 stars
#3 The Emperor - 4.5 stars

Song recommendation:
Secrets and lies by Ruelle
Like that by Bea Miller
Bravado by Lorde

this could have been so much better, so much more interesting, if it was a bit tragic.

think: moana wants to kill triscuit, but she can’t. fate and his possessiveness brings them together and over time, they become close. they fall in love. he doesn’t have weaknesses, except for her. we see her struggle with her emotions and how to reconcile her need for revenge with her new and real love for him. as the reader, we don’t know what she chooses. we assume she chose love, because wouldn’t you? then she shoots him while they’re asleep in his bed.
it’s tragic, it’s confusing and messy and almost ridiculous. her long-harbored vengeance pulled at her new need for love and affection until she was so confused and violence won out like it always does in the end.

or maybe, the whole book goes on as it does now: they hate each other, then kind of fall for each other, but his history keeps them on a precipice. she finds out, confronts him about it, and he gets to choose. will he kill her, like he’s always planned, always relied on, or will he move forward, perhaps with her? they stand together in the gloom, the rain drops down her face and he kisses her for the first time, caressing her face with the loaded gun. the tension and indecision is palpable, then boom- she crumples forward into his arms before falling to the floor a corpse.
he almost had it all, but humans don’t always want to be happy, can’t accept that. he’d grown his resentment from a seedling to a tree that started in hate of her but now only serves to hinder his own efforts at happiness. humans are emotional and rash and triscuit spends the rest of his life trying to sate his anger and understand why he shot her. maybe he becomes a serial killer, wouldn’t that be the most interesting character arc!

of course, that doesn’t happen. no, they’re too busy being kind of in love and definitely in lust but not happy and never communicative enough to have any dimensionality.

anyways,
moana (morana) is annoying to no end, the perfect example of trying to make a fmc independent and interesting and admirable and absolutely failing.
triscuit (tristan) is slightly less annoying only because he has no personality to begin with except anger, blue eyes, and a voice of whiskey and sin. *please read that in a condescending moira rose impression, because that is how i wrote it*

the writing is uninteresting, kind of confusing, EXTREMELY REPETITIVE (no, her apparent “genius iq” is not an excuse for that WHEN IT ISNT EVEN FIRST PERSON), and there’s so little dialogue (because they’re always f*cking staring and breathing at each other) that it often gets boring and feels overly descriptive.
i am also an unapologetic lover of 3rd person pov, and while this was in third person, it felt overly personal and should have been in first person.

not to mention- SHE ISNT EVEN THAT SMART?? I HAVE SEEN 0 EVIDENCE FOR THIS AND AM HAVING AN EXTREMELY HARD TIME BELIEVING HER STATUS AS A CERTIFIED GENIUS.

am i going to read the next book?
probably.

also buddy read with aliki, sorry i left you behind babe!

If I have to read one more time about magnificent, or firce blue eyes I'll burn the book. She wrote about main character blue eyes over 70 times in the book. Just enough already. This was so painful to read..

y'all weren't lying this is an addicting series!! 😋

guys do you think i can take Morana in a fight? because i need want her man

~~~~
reading this series for my pookie wookie <3 i hope it’s good because i feel like our friendship depends on me loving this🙏🏼🧸

dnf @ 47%

“Tristan Caine: Apparently, you're not out of my system, Ms. Vitalio.”

somehow i managed to accidentally delete my whole ass review on this book, so this is a rewritten version.

anyway, this book already had me on the verge of tears, because of how bad it was.it was my first and apparently last mafia books, cause if the other ones like alike this, i don’t want it, thanks.

let’s start.

first of all, the writing style. that was a f*cking fire, guys. the amount of mentions of “his blue eyes”, “our gazes locked” and “he stares at her” caused me 5 years of my life minimum.

exhibition A:

And he turned his neck, his blue eyes locking with hers.

exhibition B:

She could feel eyes on her. His eyes. Hungry eyes.

exhibition C:

But she felt those eyes caress every inch of her exposed back, felt her nape prickle in awareness as her body buzzed with sensation, imagining him, sitting somewhere, devouring her with those blue, blue eyes.

exhibition D:

But she could feel that stare on her back, zinging across her skin.

i understood even from the first sentence that they’re not blind. i’m not an optometrist, i don’t give a single f*ck about your eyes. you’re not mute, therefore you can speak. so why then i feel like i was watching “animal planet”?? and someone really should buy a dictionary for the author as a birthday present, because how can be otherwise explained, that the word combination “Tristan Caine” was mentioned 228 times? and when it wasn’t that, it would be “he” the whole goddamn chapter.

And it did puke out a truckload of information at her, mainly IP addresses that did not belong to Tristan Caine, as they'd been framed to look like. Either Tristan Caine happened to be one brilliant Machiavellian

i thought that everyone have to attend middle school, but apparently it’s not necessary? can someone explain how we got to the point, where the books to publish don’t even have to have a basic editing? how this even went past the drafts? i’m not reading a fanfic on wattpad, where people are beginners.

now, the romance aspect💀. when morana(h) and tristan’s(H) relationship didn’t consisted of the threats to kill each other and staring contest, they had dialogues like this one:

"My mother loved the rain."
A pause.
"I thought you had a mother."
A familiar knot constricted her throat.
"I don't anymore.”

people who recommend this sh*t to anyone deserve jail. and i haven’t even got to their first sex scene, guys. that was a real bomb.

"We've been honest so far, Ms. Vitalio," he murmured. "I'll be honest now. I despise you but I want you. f*ck it, I do. And I want you out of my system.”

was that supposed to make me hot and turn on? anyway, what do you think? after all this “angst” and “tension” there must be super sexy and steamy sex scene, where tristan worships morana and her golden puss*. haha WRONG. their first sex aka quickie was in the public bathroom in the restaurant with their enemies and moron’s father in it. oh, and have i already mentioned, that tristan was mute the whole time? like literally. who”s here was complaining about bad dirty talk? what about no dirty talk at all? dear runyx, i’m not reading your whole ass fanfic for finally reach the smut scene and find out that the guy not only bad at dirty talk, but in speaking overall?? i’m not asking him to retell the whole “war and peace” during sex, but maybe he at least can moan to let the heroine know, that he didn’t fall asleep while they were banging?? and right after that mind-blowing scene, tristan mf caine gave out this:

"Not as experienced as you wanted me to believe, Ms. Vitalio,”

gosh, if you haven’t already understood what a cheesy piece of sh*t this book is, i have more examples:

"Tristan doesn't allow people into his space. Everyone who knows him knows that." Morana blinked, still reeling from questions about the incredibly baffling man.
"Then why did he let me, of all people, stay here?" Why had he insisted that she stay? Why had he growled like that when Dante had been ready to offer her his apartment?

im dying right here. but what was my last straw is morana’s inner monologue.

Thunder crackled in the sky, a split of lightening bathing everything in brilliant white before disappearing. Droplets hit the glass in tandem, trying to break it like bullets, trying to reach her but unable to. She sat behind that wall, longing to feel those droplets on herself, longing to let them sear her, but unable to. And wasn't that her life. Longing for things she couldn't reach, things that tried to reach her and came up against a wall. A glass wall. Where she could see everything, know exactly what she was missing, drown in her awareness even as the glass couldn't break. Because just as it did now, breaking the glass meant death.

when will authors understand, that their terrible, ugly, absolutely hideous pseudo-poetic writing doesn’t attract absolutely no one? in fact, that wasn’t even the worst one. and the author is describing morana as the smartest woman on earth and technology genius? this bitch is dumb as f*ck. the first scene in this book started with her, wanting to kill tristan in his apartment. she was alone with a knife. eventually she failed and it was tristan threating her with her knife. the thinking process of a genius is right here.

bullsh*t bruhhhh

THE KNIFE TO THE THROAT VIBES ?!?!? YESSS SIGN ME TF UP
YES.YES.YES.

5 ★

Edit: I’m already thinking about rereading someone help

“𝙄𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙞𝙨.”

I’m writing this review in a rush, so sorry if it’s messy but omg, you have no idea how shocked I am that I loved this. I was so scared getting into this considering it is my first mafia book but man, it did not disappoint. There was not a second I was bored and the tension😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨 magnificent.

“𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙄 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪?”,

I’m so happy this wasn’t as smutty as I thought it would be- yes I did skip a couple scenes and there were some mentions but it was very easy for me to skip and I was loving the story so much I didn’t mind skipping at all. I stayed awake till 3 in the morning to continue reading and every time I was not reading it I was thinking about it and I don’t have that feeling a lot.

“𝙀𝙮𝙚𝙨, 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙, 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡.”

My obsession with this was so bad I can’t remember the last time I felt like this- like yes I stayed awake to read Kulti a couple days ago and many other books but how this made me feel? Unbelievable

The weather was also so perfect. It fit perfectly with the scenes and situations and brought out the perfect vibe🤭

“𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙃𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣,
𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙪𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙟𝙖𝙬.”

I don’t know what this says about me and my taste in books but yk what? I don’t care. I had a good time and I’m so happy I did🥹

Also the biting? I understand that when you try to protect/safe yourself you will do everything you can, including biting the person but man it made me laugh so much 😭😭😭😭 she just went for it every time huh💀 There also were a couple scenes that were very cringe besides the biting but it’s okay- I enjoyed the book enough to not care about it

I can see why some people didn’t enjoy this tho, I can’t really describe it but I definitely see the parts in it that some people might not like

I’m so excited to continue this 🤭🤭 and I really hope the other books are just as good or better than this one- I want no lovey dovey sh*t or constant smut so it better deliver 🔪🔪🔪 and if it does contain a lot of smut, the story better be so freaking good I won’t mind skipping page after page

Anyways, big thank you to my bae Iqra🥹
love you big time love 🤭🤭🫶🫶🫶

Extra:

▸ “𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙥 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙝𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙢, 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙙 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙨. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛, 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙡���� 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙠, 𝙘𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙠.”

▸ “𝙈𝙮 𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣. 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙨𝙤 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙮."
𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 ����𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚 *****, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙤𝙡.
"𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚," 𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙.

▸ “𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤'𝙙 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖 𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙝𝙚'𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚.
𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧.
𝙃𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙮.”

▸ “𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙧𝙖𝙥 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙮. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙.”

▸ “𝙄 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚’𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
“𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚?” 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢.
𝘼𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙠𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙, 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙡𝙮.
“𝘼𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚.”

Smut:
Yes, I skipped like 3 scenes and there were very short mentions of it that were very easy to skip!

—

“This is the first book of the Dark Verse series. As the name suggests, everything about this world is going to be dark, brutal and raw. The characters, their behaviors, and circ*mstances are all a direct result of their world. Morality is grey and humanity is questionable. This is not a world of rainbows and butterflies. With each book, I will be exploring more of the darkness and the good that can still exist in it. However, if you have certain expectations of how a character ought to behave, certain ideas that are cemented about the good and bad, or if you aren’t fully ready to immerse yourself into this verse, this book might not be for you. It is dark and it is ugly. If you are not going to be comfortable with that, I sincerely urge you to pause.”

😳😳I’m so scared but I guess there is a first for everything-
Doing this for you Iqra 🤭

Tristan: 🧿👄🧿

Morana: 📀👄📀

Author: "Her heart pounded in the silence, as she stayed unmoving, barely breathing, nerves stretching tighter and tighter with every single breath, her nipples hardening under the constraining fabric of her bra, heat pooling between her legs. Good lord, she was ready to combust just by his stare alone."

We'll talk when Tristan Cane develops a hobby other than having blue eyes and a voice of whiskey and sin.
And when Morana's entire personality is not simply getting horny by Tristan's glares.

HOLY KNIFE TO THE THROAT FCK THIS BOOK WAS SO DAMN GOOD😭

No one else gets to kill you, Ms. Vitalio," he spoke quietly. "The last face you see before you die will be mine. When it comes to death, you're mine.”

tristianmorana you give me life!!! this reread felt a lot different as i think i’m much harsher with my ratings. although this is more like a 3.5 (oops) tristian is too fine for this sh*t to be rated lower.

i think we lose the plot for a bit in the middle of the book and it kinda makes the pacing a little off but it picks back up 70% making the rest honestly easy to read. i forget how many reveals are in this first book and ngl they kinda eat.

i do hate having to hear whiskey n sin everytime this man talks 😭 what the actual f*ck does that mean? and please i beg i know what his eye color is, i may have granny memory but i don’t need to be reminded every chapter!!

anywho this is still good but nothing hits like the second book soz!

3.75⭐

“When it comes to death, you are mine.”

the rawness and intensity of the dark romance had me hooked from start to finish. the way i begged my cousin to read this with me she didn’t want to read a full chapter then her finishing this before me 🙃(she rated it 3.5). this broke me out of my slump🙌🏽 . all thanks to siff for your wonderful review that convinced me to jump on the dark verse train.

the dynamic between the two main characters was amazing. the fact that they're rivals from opposing mafia families and have this intense hatred for each created such a captivating tension. it's amazing how the writing can make you feel that energy between them. i absolutely loved tristan and morana's story. it was so captivating that i couldn't put it down. although there were a few moments that left me wanting more.their understanding of each other with just a look was fascinating . it added an extra layer of depth to their connection.

tristan is such a complex character. tristan's personality really shines through when he's texting with morana compared to when they're talking face to face. it's relatable how some people can be more expressive and open in writing. but he's also an amazing cook? talk about the complete package! who can resist a man who knows their way around the kitchen🧎🏽‍♀

morana she's smart, driven, powerful, and stands on her own. she's a force to be reckoned with! it's heartbreaking to see her all alone in life with no one to turn to. but i'm so glad she found dante and amara, who are always there for her and have become her support system. it's beautiful to see her surrounded by people who truly care for and want to protect her, alongside tristan. it's like she finally has the family she deserves!

here are a few reasons why it didn't quite hit the 4-star mark for me: the repetitive use of tristan cane's name, the constant mention of his eye color, and the frustrating delayed answers in the inner monologue. i also wished for more dialogue and moments between the main characters to fully enjoy their sizzling chemistry.

it would've been so cool if the book had dual povs. getting a glimpse into the minds of both characters and understanding their feelings and perspectives. some of the descriptions were a bit long, but they don't overshadow the story.

for me, it was a slow medium burn. tristan, had such a tragic backstory, but it wasn't revealed until the very end of the story. 😭 however, i think it's worth sticking it out if you can because it really pulls the entire story together. it's like the missing piece of the puzzle. stories like this, where the answers are revealed only at the very end, can make me feel iffy. i hope book 2 will address all those lingering questions.i feel the next book in the series has the potential for a 4 stars and up.

the “who did this to you?” trope always a fav
that hate sex in the bathroom was hot! 🥵 🌶

can't wait to dive into the next book in the series!

fav scenes/moments:

“Death isn’t the main course.It’s the dessert.”

“I prefer you blonde. “
“I prefer you gone.”

Tristan Caine was toast.But he was a smooth toast.

“I’m no gentleman to give you a free pass,”he spoke quietly.”You are in my debut.”

“Who sent you.”he asked again,the same question he’d asked her the first time he’d pinned her to the wall with herownknives.

the absolute gorilla grip chokehold this goddamn book had on me was UNREAL. i feel so bad for my neighbors bc istg i was screaminggggg and throwing my kindle across my bed the whole time. at some point the tension between tristan and morana was so insane that i tried to scream but the sound that came out of my mouth sounded more akin to mickey mouse's laugh (which should absolutely convince you to read this). when i tell you i was giggling and kicking my feet the whole timeeeeeee. such a slay c*nty queen book. when i say all men belong in jail, my man tristan "the predator" caine is the only exception to that. now every time i have to talk to a man (besides my bf) that's not tristan caine i think to myself "what fresh hell is this". i absolutely ate this up, licked the plate, then said f*ck it and ate the plate too. love you 5ever RuNyx.

3.5 stars. Yeah I'm about to start some stuff today bc you guys LIED to me!!! 😂😂 Ok, ok maybe not bold faced lied bc I did ultimately enjoy parts of this book but you definitely oversold this to me by a lot!!!

The Predator is about the daughter of a mafia boss, Morana, getting entangled with one of the leaders of an opposing mafia syndicate. Tristan Caine. (as if I will EVER be able to forget this name for the rest of my life!) They are forced to work together even tho they hate each other while also drawn to each other (who knew staring contests were hot foreplay?) and if they get caught it could cause a war between the syndicates.

Ok, let me start off being positive and sharing what worked. The pull of this book was the TENSION! The freaking tension between the two main characters was insane and kind of addictive. The "they hate each other but they want each other" back and forth was done really well. That bathroom scene was next level hot btw! Another thing was the depiction of the mafia world in general. It was callous and violent, and it wasn't romanticized at all which I appreciated, and it lent to the overall understanding of the characters motivations. I thought that ending revelation was pretty awesome and kept me hooked in for the next book for sure.

Morana, I liked her grit, she was ballsy AF and I loved that about her but she also has to be the dumbest smart person ever! 😂 How is she this "genius" that can create this groundbreaking code but she can't find out basic information? Or hack an IP address? Or understand basic safety strategies and tactics when she has grown up in the most hostile environment ever? But she apparently has some super Spidey sense for whenever Tristan's eyes are on her.

Tristan Caine, What was with the staring bro?! It was so weird! He also barely speaks so we don't really know anything about him other then he's murdery and hot and in case you missed the thousand references he has blue eyes and a whiskey and sin voice. And I realize the intention of Morana using his whole name ok but wtf?! Did I have to read, Tristan Caine sat down, Tristan Caine sipped his water, Tristan Caine stood up, we got the point already!

I liked the writing, but it could use some editing bc it was super repetitive. I think I went into this book with really high expectations bc of all the great reviews. I was expecting something a little more polished but in reality, it's more of a rougher read. So, I don't regret reading bc I did enjoy it most of the time and I will read the next one, but I will manage my expectations. 💙💙💙