Darkly Ever After: An Organized Crime Anthology

If this had been more than a dollar I’d honestly feel scammed. The book basically consists of prequels, preludes or intros to a bunch of books, most of which appear to not even be live yet. So this is basically what amounts to advertisement of a bunch of books you can’t even read yet. I hate cliffhangers. Additionally, not a single one of the snippets I read constitute dark romance. Blegh. The only positive thing I have to say is that most of the authors are decent writers, so the collection apparatus to be free of any glaring typos or grammar issues. I read about half of the collection and only found one complete story with no cliffhanger. Not a fan and didn’t finish.

*updated to add review on Viper by Catherine Wiltcher - I really became invested in this story and need more*I really enjoyed this anthology! I really was wanting to read due to a couple of my favorites having stories in the anthology and they didn’t disappoint by any means Illicit Acts by Cora Kenborn and Mogul by Cole Denton. Overall I was highly impressed and really enjoyed all of the stories. A few really stood out and I added a few new books to my tbr and preordered a coupleI can’t wait to read the rest of Silla Webb’s Shattering JusticeFloved Finding Sin by Gwyn McNamee and can’t wait to dive into the Wrath TrilogyReap by Abbi Cook…That gun scene was so freaking hot!!! Pre-ordered Savage HeartDevils Den by Aidee James - what a fantastic strong female character Sarah was loved it!!Twisted Prince by Beck Knight was good and I enjoyed itIllicit Acts by Cora Kenborn - as always with Cora she leaves me wanting more! Great intensity and angst with fantastic charactersMogul by Cole Denton - great story building with awesome characters, as always Cole gets me invested in his story’s world and charactersSnatch by Indi Hayes - I am a new fan, I loved this story and need more and already preordered the next book SplitDangerous Reign by Jagger Cole - this was my first Jagger Cole and I loved it and Adrian made it to the book boyfriend list…this book had a good mix of angst and romanceTainted Beginnings by Khardine Gray and Faith Summers - another first for me - loved Nick and Tennessee and Nick is Swoon worthyTaken by Mafia by Lee Savino and KT Strange - another fantastic story loved the characters and story - want to read more by these authorsHeiress Mastered by Sienna Snow - was a good story and I enjoyed itTraded to Him by SR Jones - another great story and can’t wait to read Nikolai and Siennas storyI will go back and reread my favorites stories and found some new authors to follow and my tbr grew so much

So many fantastic authors writing under the banner of "An Organzied Crime Anthology!" When this book was introduced months ago I knew I had to pre-order - as oranized crime is my go to genre. I love a great story with the strong alpha-hole and equally as strong h who is a well developed character in her own right. As many of these stories are compelling and leave me wanting more I have to talk about two in a bit more detail: Illicit Acts by Cora Kenborn and Devil's Den by Aidee Jaimes. Let's begin with Illicit Acts shall we?Illicit Acts by Cora Kenborn deserves every bit of 5 stars as you can give - honestly though - 5 stars doesn't do this story justice. Let's begin with Mik, aka Iceman, a stone cold killer, a professional hit man (do I have your attention yet?). Mik comes across a hit being taken out on a name he recognizes...his only friends daughter, a name he is all too familiar with. Now Mik is a complicated man. He hasn't seen his best friend in years and is fighting some demons of his own, but he knows he has to take this hit. And he does. This best friend is none other than Niko Gaheris. *side note - if you haven't been introduced to Niko Gaheris and his lovely wife, head of the Miami Bratva, Ava Chernova, do yourself a HUGE favor and read Darkest Deeds, you will thank me later. Back to Illicit Acts...Mik shows up at Ava's club and while waiting for Niko a "dancer", (aka Zasha, the best friends daughter), catches his attention. After a little back and forth between the two, the dancer offers Mik a lap dance which turns into WAY more than a simple lap dance...in the RED ROOM...(cue background knowledge from Darkest Deeds)...NOT THE RED ROOM...well, well, well...not only does Mik realize after it's too late he just "entertained" Niko's daughter in the Red Room - or did she "entertain" him? - and Niko will be after him, he also has the 'hit' that was placed on Zasha to contend with. A story filled with all the things you love in a deliciously dark romance - enemies to lovers, best friend's daughter, age gap, jealous/possessive hitman, I could not get enough! I can't wait for the full length novel!Devil's Den by Aidee Jaimes an abosolute 5 star read! This story is a prequel to a duet that includes "Devil's Vow" and "Devil's Own." If you are not familiar with Aidee's writing - let me tell you - she can write twists into a story that you don't see coming! And she does not disappoint with this one. Sarah and Alejandro have insane chemistry from the beginning - even though they meet while Alejandro is holding a gun to Sarah's head! But something catches Alejandro's eyes and he refrains from killing Sarah. Instead he vows to protect her. Sarah is no wilted flower and as you read through the story you realize she is a little spit fire who can hold her own! A great beginning to a duet that will no doubt satisfy every organized crime loving bone in my body!Again, several stories were captivating in this anthology but I had to highlight the two best stories from the group! Happy reading!

Dark mafiaAge gapOTT Jealous possessive5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Page turnerDevoured it 🥵All story’s well writtenReceived an arc for an honest reviewI have to say when I read an anthology there is always one or two I don’t like or can’t read but for this anthology that wasn’t the case I completely devoured every story by each author and most of these authors were new to me.I can’t just pick one story inside that was my fav but the ones that really stuck with me was Cora kenborn’s and aidee James. I just couldn’t put it down lots of sleepless nights but so worth it.Mafia is my go to books so this was a massive treat for me. Can’t wait for some of these books to become full novelsI’ll also just add that some of the books had amazingly hot scenes 🥵Updating!!Viper 🐍🐍🐍 by Catherine wiltcherVipers prequel was a perfect novella and teaser ready for the full book coming soon. This prequel is being released in the darkly ever after anthology.I completely devoured this book and can’t wait for the full book I just need more of viper and Annie.Danny razor is seriously all man even though he’s only 18 in this book he’s hot and powerful. He loves to race fast cars and Annie is the perfect girl for him she’s been through and and at the end of this book I’m dying to see how they reconnect 💥100% well worth jumping in toBest anthology I’ve read so far

I devoured this Anthology from the beginning to the very last page. I've discovered a lot of new authors and I can't wait to delve into their stories. I fell hard for all the ruthless, dark and dangerous men as they lured me into the sinister and seductive web of organized crime.I loved all the stories but my favourites were definitely Illict Acts - Cora Kenborn, Viper - Catherine Wiltcher, Devil's Den - Aidêe Jaime and Twisted Prince - Beck Knight.Illicit Acts - Cora Kenborn 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟HOTT DAMN!! What an exhilarating page turner, Darkness and suspense with added steam of an age gap romance, this book had it all and I LOVED IT!! Mikhail is a deadly hit man for hire and Zasha is trouble with a capital T. They had such intense sizzling chemistry but it's left them in a world of trouble they shouldn't be together but it's to late to turn back, it's gonna be an explosive ride. ❤💥Viper - Catherine Wiltcher 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟WOW!!! What a prequel, Danny Razor in three words....dark, tormented and dangerous. This novella gives us an insight into the man he becomes as he struggles to contain the violence simmering under the surface. I loved how Danny and Annie met, two broken souls who recognise the raw pain in each other. They share one summer together, then it all went wrong. That epilogue broke me but it's left me salivating for The Lethal Blade that is Viper. 🐍❤Devil's Den - Aidêe Jaime 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Absolutely devoured this one, Alejandro and Sarah's story was thrilling, fast paced and addictive.Alejandro was delicious, dark and dangerous and the attraction between them sizzled, SO HOT!! I seriously hope we get more from them and Santos and Sonia too, especially Santos...BOO!! 😉Twisted Prince - Beck Knight 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟This was a fantastic little read with so much potential, I'm really hoping there's going to be a full story. Deeply dark and disturbing but fascinating. The game between Nickolaj a dark avenging angel and Vlad a terrifying, disturbed devil with poor innocent Edith stuck in the middle. Who will get to her first?Shattering Justice - Silla Webb 🌟🌟🌟🌟I need the rest of this story so bad, Justice is trying to survive her husband Harlan, he's violent, unpredictable and dangerous, she fears for her life if he ever finds out the truth. My heart was in my mouth, the suspense was killing me. I need to what's going to happen next because that ending OMFG!! So terrifying but so exciting.Finding Sin - Gwyn McNamee 🌟🌟🌟🌟This story sucked me into a dangerous and exciting new world. Rea is forced to marry a man she's terrified of for the sake of her family. Tarek and Konstandin Morina are twins and are both deadly, Tarek is ruthless, cruel and cold he strives for power. Konstandin is a deadly killer but he hides a trace of something softer inside. I'm intrigued to see what happens between them all and who will survive?Reap - Abbi Cook 🌟🌟🌟🌟This was a fast pace kidnapping story Sienna was a job that literally fell into Alarac's lap. He couldn't believe his luck when his beautiful target was such an easy job, but his plan doesn't quite go as he expected. I loved the tension and the chemistry and the heat. I can't wait to see where their story goes.I'm sure there're going to be a few surprises instore.Depraved Souls - Christy Anderson 🌟🌟🌟🌟Ruthless assassin Bane Knox turns stalker in this steamy, dangerous and delicious story. As the king of his castle everything comes so easy to Knox he becomes restless. When he sees a raven haired beauty working in his casino he wants her. He follows her every move a true Hunter stalking his Prey. I can't wait to see what happens between them.Mogul - Cole Denton 🌟🌟🌟🌟I do love s successful business man with a dark and dangerous side and Michael Alatorre owner of Black Diamond Resorts definitely had the power, the wealth and the influence. I loved how he saw Aria and instantly wanted to claim her. I need the rest of their story. Aria is one lucky lady.Snatch - Indie Hayes 🌟🌟🌟🌟There was so much going on in this story I couldn't flip the pages quick enough, it was riveting. Eden gives up everything to help her family, but she has no idea who she's sacrificed herself to until she enters some sort of secret society to settle her debt. I enjoyed this story it was exciting and very spicy, l loved the characters and that ending.....I can't wait to see what happens next.Dangerous Reign - Jagger Cole. 🌟🌟🌟🌟Adrian and Celeste stole my heart and I loved them together. They were so in love and happy then their world changed and they spent years apart. Their story was intense full of lies and betrayal and after everything they still loved each other with so much passion. Adrian is a dangerous man who'll do anything to protect the woman he loves.Counterplay - Jennifer Rebecca 🌟🌟🌟🌟This story was a suspenseful twisted tale of vengeance, a dangerous game but just who is playing who? Delilah and Marco are both keeping secrets and they know you can't trust anyone in this world. Deliah wants justice and her feelings for Marco won't stop her from getting it. I loved Marco he was sweet and caring but with deadly violent side. Marco wants to bring his own justice, but who will get there first?Tainted Beginnings - Khardine Gray & Faith Summers 🌟🌟🌟🌟Tenesee is on a girls weekend in Vegas when she meets a dark and handsome stranger Nick Bellotto. But what happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas when trouble follows her home and she's in danger and only Nick can protect her. I absolutely loved these two, so much passion and scorching chemistry. I'm intrigued to explore this world and the other characters.Taken By The Mafia - Lee Savino & KT Strange. 🌟🌟🌟🌟This one has a bit of everything, mystery, steam and suspense with dark elements and humour too. Royal was just swoon worthy with an edge of danger, he's always ten steps ahead of the game. Leah was as sweet as the cakes she baked, I loved her and her devious streak which made me laugh. I'll never look at a pink cupcake the same. I loved how the epilogue was the prologue, it was a nice touch.Sins Of The Syndicate: The Debt - Lexxi James. 🌟🌟🌟🌟Smoke and Tia have left me breathless, their story sucked me right in. Smoke looked after Tia after she was knocked unconscious. He was a real hero and a gentleman. He's also sinfully sexy, I loved him. I'm desperate to know if he can stay away from his little Sparrow,. I seriously doubt it, he's drawn to her to much to let her go forever. Enzo was a fantastic character too, I loved the banter between him and Smoke.The Vendetti Devil - Sapphire Knight 🌟🌟🌟🌟This story had so much going on, so many family members my head was spinning. I loved the overall feel of the story and the characters were fantastic. Dante is a dark and deadly killer and Emilia is a girl born into a world she doesn't understand. Dante promised to keep her safe at his family's home and he's trying to keep his distance. I'm intrigued to find out if Emilia learns the truth about her family and what's that means for her and Dante. I'm definitely checking out the rest of the books in the Vendetti Empire.Heiress Mastered - Sienna Snow. 🌟🌟🌟🌟A secret organisation to take down human trafficking, ,a couple keeping secrets, a planned wedding and kidnapping. This little teaser packed in a lot..Eric was hott, calm and in control with a dominant side. Briana is a badass always seeking something, running from her commitments but now they've finally caught up with her.Traded By Him - SR Jones 🌟🌟🌟🌟Ooooh!! This one was so bloody good, such a fantastic storyline, it was dark and seductive. Full of dangerous men who grabbed my attention and I need to know all about them. Poor Sofia has been traded for a debt. Vadmin takes one look at Sofia and he knows he has to take the bet, he can't let anyone else have her. I loved these two they have an insane amount of chemistry it was HOTTTT!! I'm excited to find out what Nikolai will do with Sienna.

This anthology is fantastic! I loved all of the stories … each for different reasons. This is a hard thing to do - enjoy the whole collection but Darkly Ever After has a wonderful ensemble of authors who bring it in spades! Also I have found so many new to me authors that I can add to my TBR. If you love dark mafia/crime and a great story with captivating characters then you will love this collection. Go get it!*Blank reviews to be written up…I will add them ASAP.SHATTERING JUSTICE SILLA WEBB ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The plot twists in Shattering Justice are fan-freaking-tastic!Justice has many secrets and so much to lose if things go south for her.Nail biting stuff! Silla Webb writes with amazing ease that draws you in, keeps you reading and wanting more. I definitely want more!FINDING SIN GWYN MCNAMEE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Absolutely loved Finding Sin…it had me gripped. Rea finds herself in an impossible situation to get out of. Her fiancé is pretty much the devil and she has no one to turn to…or does she? Gwyn McNamee has just acquired a new reader in me!REAP ABBI COOK ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The heat is off the charts with Sienna and Alaric in Reap. Abbi Cook is also a new to me author and I have to say I’m super impressed. The storyline and characters are gripping and that ending! I desperately need more!DEVIL’S DEN AIDEE JAIMES ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Aidee Jaimes brings it all in Devil’s Den. Alejandro is dark and deadly perfection! Sarah should be terrified of him but what she feels for him is anything but fear. The spice factor here is amazing. Another new to me author who I definitely want to read again.TWISTED PRINCE BECK KNIGHT & ECHO GRAYCE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️VIPER CATHERINE WILTCHER ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️DEPRAVED SOULS CHRISTY ANDERSON ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️MOGUL COLE DENTON ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Mogul is Cole Denton’s first attempt at organised crime romance and he has smashed it! From the very beginning he reeled me in and had me on tenterhooks…like I need to know this dude’s story! Michael Alatorre oozes crime boss swagger and his very presence sizzles off of the pages but he also has a starkly different side as a single father. I can’t wait to read more about Michael’s life. I’m waiting avidly for more!ILLICIT ACTS CORA KENBORN ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️SNATCH INDIE HAYES ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️DANGEROUS REIGN JAGGER COLE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️COUNTERPLAY JENNIFER REBECCA ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️TAINTED BEGINNINGS KHARDINE GRAY & FAITH SUMMERS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️TAKEN BY THE MAFIA PRINCE LEE SAVINO & KT STRANGE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️SINS OF THE SYNDICATE: THE DEBT LEXXI JAMES ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️THE VENDETTI DEVIL SAPPHIRE KNIGHT ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️HEIRESS MASTERED SIENNA SNOW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️TRADED TO HIM SR JONES ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Viper - Catherine Wiltcher. 🐍After meeting Danny Razor aka Viper in A London Villain with his little pink haired friend… I knew he was special. For a side character you get a lot of him in A London Villain so I would recommend reading it if you haven’t already. It’s such a good read.Viper is just a small glimpse into his life as a teenager. How he meets Annie Carter. They’re both teenagers that are completely lost and alone. This is down to there fathers.-(In a London Villain you see Danny as a adult)Danny meets Annie at school. He sees her being bullied. Him having a hard life himself he sees something in her and takes her under his wing.Annie’s father is a very dark corrupt politician who has been arrested for very dark things.She looses her friends, her mother becomes a drunk. Annie and Danny have a very strong connection, they form a relationship. But Danny knows it won’t last and the last thing he wants to do is leave Annie alone.Danny is about to join his father organised crime firm to learn everything there is, so one day he will completely take over. Once he’s apart of that would nothing else will matter.I don’t normally read Prequel Novellas. It’s like giving me something I so desperate want then taking it away lol. That’s how I feel right now. Just from reading that small part I can honestly say this book will be one of my favourites, not just of Catherine’s book but all books.I will definitely recommend reading A London Villain, it’s available on KU.Not only is Viper in this prequel but many other great authors, such as Cora Kenborn, Abbi Cook and many more.“Break me as him, then fix me as you.” - Annie. Favourite quote 🤍I honestly can’t wait to read the full book.

5 stars are not enough for this novella.I just read the last line….all I want to do is throw my kindle, scream, cry a little- I’m also h0rny because that last chapter was 🔥 as Danny ate cake.13.000 words - that’s all Catherine needed to give us a beautiful love story, 360 degrees characters, an exquisite level of introspection, extraordinary dialogue and well break our hearts.We meet Danny for the first time in Ricochet and then we see snippets of the man he became in A London Villain but I was not prepared for this version of Viper - sweet, caring, with a good understanding of both grief and love.Annie is an exquisite FMC and I am so in love with her amazing personality, her ability to fight back without hurting others, her view on life and the way she just wants to stop being alone…until Danny and after him.The ending broke me because we know neither of them had an easy life.Book by book I am falling more and more in love with the work of this amazing author and her beautifully crafted characters. I am eagerly waiting for A London Viper.