Innocence (a Dark Mafia Romance Book 1) Kindle Edition

Wow! These two ladies wrote us a perfect Alphawhole in Marcus. Our poor Cora nearly suffered whiplash from the speed in which her new husband went from the sweet perfect gentleman, to a damaged, cold, cruel captor. While I would have liked to see her resist the "magic dick" syndrome a bit longer, she at least showed an initial feisty spirit. The only thing I struggled with was the lack of obvious effects that would have been present in someone having such a socially restrictive and abusive childhood. She just seemed at times too knowledgeable and well adjusted to reflect such deprivation. It might have set her up as the perfect victim, but she has sense of self preservation that at least prevents her from coming off as a tragic doormat. Overall I like Cora and can see her seeping into the cracks around our anti hero's heart. I loved the cliffhanger, and look forward to seeing how Marcus reconciles his need for revenge, with his growing love for Cora.

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 innocense 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.Marcus and Cora's journey weaves a dark love story into a suspenseful read about mobsters, turf wars, and revenge. Marcus and Cora can't be more opposite. Marcus is scary and emotionless, while Cora is seeing and learning about the outside world for the first time ever. Her naivete contrasts starkly with Marcus's manipulation skills. He has a plan for Cora, but her sincere affection gives him pause. Meanwhile, Cora sees the goodness in Marcus in spite of what she hears from others. Under deeply emotional circumstances, the two dance around their feelings for one a other. At the end of the day, though, Cora is a survivor, and if need be she will escape her new life and Marcus just as she had escaped her mother. This book ends at a good transition point leading into book two of the series. For those paying attention to the details, the length of time that Cora is in New Olympus doesn't always add up, so that is sometimes confusing. It is a minor discrepancy, though, and easily overlooked when reading.Wow! Marcus and Cora's dark and angsty story will leave you reaching for book two in the series. 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. I rate this book 4.5 stars.

This book was wickedly twisted and will mess with your mind. I wanted to stop reading several times but the directions the story kept taking kept me reading. The subtle allusions to Hades and Persephone had me intrigued and I was waiting for this to really develop but it ultimately never came to anything. I found th character of Cora to be unrealistic. Marcus was a well thought out character, there is clearly something off about him from the beginning. I am not sure I will read the next one.

I love these dark mafia stories, however it does hit some of those holy-fuck-my-morals-are-tarnished kind of book. I liked that so much I borrowed it from a another GR friend. Cora is a country girl, sweet, shelter, a naive virgin moved to the big city when she turned of age running away from a abusive mother who kept her sheltered on a farm and locked her in the dungeon when she felt like Cora didn't do what she felt like Cora should do.Cora had nothing but once she moved to the city she found a in home nanny's job immediately, which worked for Cora because she had no where to live. For the first time Cora felt as if she was making her own decision, free from the clutches of her mother. First night out having fun with other nanny's she allowed a guy to buy her cranberry juice Cora thought she was careful but now she was starting to feel funny, yes she had been drugged. Now she knew if she didn't fight for her life things would go terribly wrong for her. If mama could only see her now, guess Cora's mother was correct that she was not ready for the big city. As Cora tried to stay awake she manage to get a burst of energy and falls out of kidnappers car and ran like crazy into a the first facility she could. Little did Cora know she ran right into the big bad wolf. Marcus Ubeli King of the criminal underworld her family arch nemesis. However Cora didn't know that at the time, she thought of him as her savior from the kidnapper who had drugged her drink. Now on her wedding night she finds out exactly who the big bad wolf really is.

Marcus and Cora come from different backgrounds. When they meet she takes him as the kind wealthy man and ignores all the red flags around him. Once she realize that he is the monster in her story she is already tied to yin forever.But sometimes revenge and love have away of being the same. Marcus loves with the need to protect and submit. Coras love is freely given and easy manipulated...but pure. I can't wait to see where this story goes and how they come together. Becuase if there is anything I know this book has the burn the world to the ground and watch out heroine rise from the ashes.

The emotions I felt through this story were like a roller coaster! One min I love the MMC then next he was the scum of the earth! The FMC has a heart of gold but naive as well. One day something will go right for her.

It's very good and interesting story. I don't like submissive female lead but in this story I love Cora character. ❤️ I can read this story again and again.

At the start I wasn’t sure on the book but then PLOT TWIST I COULDN’T STOP READING !! It’s amazing

Poor naive Cora what a shock twist on her wedding night.I'm looking forward to seeing how this trilogy plays out.

Okay after reading all three books I have changed my review. My original is at the bottom of this review, however I would suggest you ignore it.Give this book a chance. It is a great series and I come to love the characters. They take long to learn and grow from their mistakes, and it can be super annoying to read, especially in the first book, but it's worth it. This quickly became one of my favourite series.The first book is I'd say is slow moving but I promise you it gets better. So glad I continued instead of giving up like I almost did! Great development.*Old review*Spoilers about their relationship as I wish I had known this when I started.I love books where the guy is cold and closed off, but he softens and let's her in etc. This book isn't the case so far, it's the opposite. First the powerful man was nice to her in ways we can only dream of a guy being to us. But it is all false. He is after revenge and so he pretends to like her in order for her to marry him so then he can abuse her (sexually - like dom/sub) in order to get submission from her as his form of revenge. Of course he has developed some feelings for her and when we hear his side you can tell he cares for her. But I struggle to get through the book waiting for this abuse to end and for him to treat her right...if that will ever even happen.Cora is a difficult character to tolerate. She submits far to easily to him and has no fight in her. When she is fighting it's at the wrong times, such as when she wants the toilet. However when it comes to sexually things she doesn't say no or fight him, and I wish she would.Theres just something about it that makes it hard to read but hopefully it gets better as I continue! I'd love to actually see a stable and healthy relationship between them.

Good story line. Interesting characters. Excessive use of the word "gods" got a it tedious. Looking forward to more in the next book.