SERGEI : Mafia IR Romance (Her Russian Protector Book 5)

So I have to say I was a little disappointed w/ Sergei. I've read all 4 previous books in this series and they were amazing books: the characters were easy to identify w/, their struggles throughout the plot were believeable, the storylines were very well thought out, the passion and chemistry between the H & h was scorching and I really felt like none of these we're present for Sergei & Bianca. I know that initially this was only going to be a 4-part series so the storylines that started w/ Ivan and wrapped up w/ Nikolai was planned and tho each story had its own plot & challenges, they were still parts of a whole. The author either needed to build upon the threads that ran thru the previous books, or she needed to start fresh w/ new threats & problems instead of tryin to do both and missing the mark completely.There was conflict in this story that affected Bianca on a personal level and there was conflict that was not only personal for her but it tied in Sergei along w/ Nikolai and "the family" but in my opinion it fell short and fizzled. I never got the gut-wrenching fear that all the other characters got w/ their stories: Erin trying to save her sister and getting up close & personal w/ 2 nasty gangs; Benny's trouble w/ her brother and then the real estate developer causing problems that nearly killed her & Dimitri; someone from Yuri's past sets up Lena's family to be killed by a cartel and she's almost killed twice thru their story; Nikolai & Vivian brutally attacked and Vee getting kidnapped along w/ the secret from their past that has bound them together from the beginning...each couple gets thrown into a life or death situation and they come out on the other side but their love is stronger for it. I didn't feel any of that w/ Bianca & Sergei.I also really didn't feel their connection to one another. They shared some experiences in their respective pasts to give them kindred spirits but I didn't feel like their histories bonded them or made their love any deeper.and I get that Bianca's a strong, independent woman but we don't need to be told ALL the time!! I felt like every time there was the slightest issue or argument, Bianca was either telling us she was a strong woman or Sergei was telling her she was. Got a little old!!!But more than all those issues, one thing really really bothered me: where were the scorching hot love scenes?? The first one felt like the only complete one to me. It was like she wrote about most of the intimate scene and then just left the rest to our imagination....uhm, no!! In Ivan, Dimitri & Yuri's stories the passion and the sex scenes were red hot bu they were always tastefully done and never raunchy, even w/ Dimitri's BDSM- like tendencies. Now w/ Nikolai & Vivian's story, the lack of sex was understandable because Vivi was a virgin and refused to cross that line even if she was engaged to Nikolai. But, in my opinion, there was no need to cut Bianca & Sergei's sex scenes in half or not include them at all. At one point in the book Bianca is thinking back on the weekend and mentions them getting "dirty" on the drop cloth while completing one of her renovation projects....why not write that scene out? One of the main points of the story is Bianca's remodeling and finishing of her home: it was brought up in Nikolai, Sergei mentions it over & over while the story's being told from his POV - hell, her attempt at a DIY project is pretty much the catalyst that finally brought these 2 together after 5 months of dancing around each other - but it's never expanded upon. It would have been wonderful to read about them working together on something, building their relationship while developing the characters!!!I guess all in all, this story really fell short of the kind of quality I've come to know & expect from Roxie Rivera. I had been counting down the weeks and days until this book was available, then I had to wait for payday to purchase it and I was really anxious and excited for it, which makes it all the more disappointing.Would I recommend this book? Even tho it fell short in my expectations, yes, I would still recommend it.Will I read it again? Yes.Will I read the next book in this series? Absolutely. Especially since it's a whole second book about Nikolai & Vivian and Nikolai's first book (bk 4 in the series) was my fave story from this series.I only hope Ms. Rivera goes back to her original ways for the upcoming books.All in all I'd give Sergei, Book 5 in the "Her Russian Protector" series, 3.5 Stars.

All he wanted was a normal life. Sergei Sakharov was indebted to Nikolai Kalasnikov for saving his mother and brother and for getting him out of Russia. He wanted more out of life but had to pay back his debt to the Houston Mob Boss for his freedom. It was taking longer than he wanted especially after dealing with an unscrupulous immigration lawyer. Now he was stuck MMA fighting on top of jobs Nikokai had for him to earn more money.Bianca Bradshaw was a beautiful BBBW who was a successful businesswoman and designer. Being good friends with Vivian, Nikolai's wife made it possible to come into contact with Sergei. It was an instant attraction for both of them but Bianca was insistent about not getting involved with someone working for a crime family with her brother's death on her mind. Sergei knew that Bianca was out of his league but he would not give up. She held up a fight for five months until Vivi conveniently BORROWED her phone sending Sergei as a courier. Things ignited from there. Sergei was determined to do what was necessary to keep Bianca safe and help her with her home, until the reality of his mob affiliation came home to roost, making Bianca's associating with him dangerous.The love bug bit them both hard. Sergei loved Bianca enough to give her up to keep her safe, but Bianca was not having it. She missed his presence terribly and loved him enough to do what was necessary to keep him in her life and she did.This is my favorite story written by Rosie Rivera. This unlikely couple of the handsome muscle-bound giant Russian and the thick Black woman goes to show you that the heart wants what the heart wants. Bianca knew that Sergei could have any woman he wanted and could not understand why he wanted her. Sergei knew that Bianca deserved better than him, but once she let him in her life after five months, there was not stopping their love. It ignited into a life of its own, so very strong and so very hot. Even the antics of exes did not put a damper on their love. Sergei is my kind of man, he knows what he wants and goes after it and makes no qualms about how he goes about saying and showing it. That mouth of his.....WOW!It's is a welcomed change to read stories located in Houston instead of New York, California or Chicago.

Sergei, you are a giant amongst men, literally, so honourable to your family, so loyal to your friends and so fiercely protective to the ones you love, all I could think about was Bianca trying and ultimately failing miserably to deny her ever growing feelings for him but she finally relented Wham!, she was a gonna, such a good match for him, brave, proud and loving just a perfect couple, great story loved hearing about the other couples and the interweaving story with the Connolly brothers nice blend of high drama, action and I have to say loads and loads of the steamy stuff, phew, really enjoying this series but the more I hear about them the more I'm looking forward to Alexis and Kostya's stories, can't wait.

Part of me was not sure whether or not I wanted to purchase this book after reading some of the reviews and after reading the other books in the series first quite quickly I took a break. I am glad that I waited to purchase this book as it was really good. The story of Sergei and Bianca was a lovely one, it was a heart warming story with enough romance and action thrown in. Will be buying the next book in the series as I really enjoy reading about these Russian alpha males.

What made this different to all the others so far is that the heroine in this book is black, plus size and a business woman who is so far the opposite of Sergei it's like they inhabit two different planets but they work. It's crazy to think the roles have been reversed and Sergei is the one in need of protecting and help, and has a vulnerable side. Loved it

I found this series by chance, the first is a freebie. After the first, i was hooked. Hot russian bad boys, sexy as hell and quite tremendous in the sack, the quality of the sex is important, can you tell?. The books are quite pricey at the mo so it might be worth waiting to see if they come down,

I loved it. It was nice reading how even though it wasn't a good thing they got together they never gave up on each other. I love reading about alpha males and Sergei didn't let me down.