The seductive and suspenseful Semyonov Bratva series continues with this third installment featuring a fake marriage that soon becomes all too real once MC and Mafia worlds cross paths. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Walking Red Flag by Lani Lynn Vale, along with my impressions of it, then be sure to add it to your bookshelf!
Life isn’t fair.
If anyone on Earth should know that, it’s Milena Semyonov.
She’s suffered blow after blow, and the hits just keep on coming.
Just when she’s sworn off being happy, that maybe being numb is the better way to navigate life, she meets him.
Cutter Carson Clayborne.
The man that finally shows her how a real man is supposed to treat her.
Just when she didn’t think life could get any worse, the man that abused her as a young, impressionable teen is back, showing her that life can, in fact, get worse.
When she’s ready to quit, Cutter is there, making sure that she knows that he’ll be there, whether she wants him there or not.
He is her husband, after all. And the unlikely pair have an understanding that they’ll stay married for two years, make a baby, and join two crime syndicates in unholy matrimony.
Cutter has other plans, though. He only agrees to the original plan to make her his.
He won’t ever give her up. What’s his stays his. And there’s not a man on the earth that’ll ever touch Milena again. Not with Cutter alive and able to take out anyone that tries.
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Not having read the other books in this series had me concerned that I wouldn't be fully consumed by the connection between two apparent opposites, but I should've known better. Ms. Vale has a way of bringing strangers together to form an unexpected family. The feelings first ignited between Milena and Cutter may have felt a bit rushed, but it wasn't long before I was rooting for the heroic anti-hero to keep the girl he quickly came to love.
Cutter's an intense man, a man who doesn't like seeing women hurt. His protective instincts run high from the moment he sees Milena and he's soon willing to do whatever necessary to keep her from harm...including marrying her in a fake marriage that becomes oh so much more. Milena's brother Shasha, and Cutter, also make a formidable pairing...a pairing determined to keep Milena safe from a past that's quickly coming back to hurt her again. Milena's the kind of heroine you can't help but like. She's lived through a traumatic event when she was younger, had some bumps along the way, but she still pushes on. She doesn't want to be treated with the kid gloves of her brother anymore, so I applauded Cutter helping her start living life to the fullest with a romance that steadily grew.
From start to finish the Semyonov Bratva's an intense presence in this story. The men ooze danger, a calm yet cool demeanor, but when it comes to Milena they show their soft underbelly. This dichotomy has me looking forward to immersing myself in their world yet again once the next book in this series is published. Cutter and his Truth Keepers MC are an intriguing addition to this story, with characters introduced who I long to see more of. There was good chemistry between both groups, characters who brought out chuckles while adding to the suspense. Though the steamy times took a bit of time to emerge, the journey to get there kept me fully invested and satisfied by the turn of the final page.
My rating is a B+
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
DISCOVER THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE SEMYONOV BRATVA SERIES:
STAY TOXIC (#1)
ALWAYS SALTY (#4 - Releasing April 8th)
AUTHOR INFO:
Lani Lynn Vale is an American author of humorous romantic suspense novels. Born in the Great State of Texas, she has lived the majority of her adult life in East Texas where most of her novels are based. She’s married to her high school sweetheart whom her readers refer to as “LLV’s Bearded Half.” She published her first novel, Boomtown, in the summer of 2013 after the birth of her third child. She’s gone on to publish over 100 novels, with most of them going on to become USA Today Bestsellers.
