The Final Hour by London Miller

That was the perfect conclusion to the Mishca and Lauren story line. It's been a while since I read the previous novels in this series and though we are left with a lot of unanswered questions, I think the solutions to their past unraveled and progressed wonderfully, even if it occasionally became a tad too easy.

For every good plot execution, there was some underlying, questionable executions and though their past have been put to rest, their future is anything but stable.

We focused on the Bratva and Mishca's involvement and duties, as oppose to his relationship with Lauren and his "family". With the exception of their wedding, the romantic elements were few as was the sex scenes. This, I didn't mind, because there was so much going on that took precedence over who was poking who.

We got the opportunity to explore Klaus and Luka's character and though I have some clarity, I am also confused. I understand their personalities and thirst for blood but I really want to know more about the Albanian-Russian enforcer and the Russian mercenary. Especially the question of who is Klaus's next target.

This novel was more about closure via mind games with a relative amount of violence. Minus the club scene. That was just brutal! I loved the moments Mishca spent in police custody, battling with Agent Green and the time spent on the court proceedings. I could feel the emotions on both side from desperation to anxiety.

We learnt more about Mishca than any other character which led me to understand his stance on the Bratva and living a life of organized crime. I will never fully understand Lauren, especially with her earlier inclinations, but she stood by her man in the roughest of times and it was interesting to see her in the role of a Bratva queen as she adjusted to the problems as they arise.

Everyone had a role to play and I am sad that we had to lose a major character. When I figured it out, I was fairly surprised but it had a stronger impact when everyone was made aware and decisions had to be made. So you can imagine how badly I now wanna know Luca's secret.

There was a ton of grammatical and spelling errors that led me to believe that I might have an unedited copy but I edit it myself as I read and it did not detract from the engaging story line and delivery that had me up till early morning fighting sleep to see what would happen in the final hour.

London Miller has always gave us good and intriguing stories on the Russians and their associates and this time was no different. There was drama, love, lies, culture and history as far back as necessary. It was detailed in it's delivery and never left me wanting for more when an issue was closed. Unfortunately, I have to patiently wait for the next installment and I can't wait to dive deeper into Klaus and Luka's crazy world!

- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22710714-the-final-hour

Until the End By London Miller

I find the last chapter more interesting than the novel in it's entirety. If not for that last chapter, I would see that as a cat and mouse game with a last minute conflict that technically has nothing to do with the Bratva personally.

I also remembered that I do hate cliffhangers and I found out that I am more invested in this story than I thought. I have always dismissed this story as a comfort read, that's neither intriguing nor boring, but at the end of this installment, I am left reeling and needing to know what is coming next, a feeling I link to being invested in a story.

The players are moving and a mafia war is on the cusp. The possibilities are endless and the addition of Naomi and Klaus has me tethering on the edge. Yup, I am even more interested in this story now that I don't have book 3 waiting in my library ... #karma :(

The story line and characters continue to grow and we get introduced to new characters and secrets every day. Mishca is starting to behave and embody the role of a Bratva captain and I don't know who is this Lauren, though she is still feisty and out spoken. With the proper training, I could see her as lethal, at the top of the criminal ladder with Mishca. Vlad and Luca would make good right-hand men. I doubt either of them would want that though, Mishca through his fear of unintentionally hurting Lauren and Lauren because she believes in justice too much to lead a FULL life of crime.

With the budding romance story out of the way, this novel focused more on beefs (no, not meat) and secrets of Mischa's past. Yup! There is skeletons in this man's closet that I am dying to get a hold of! Klaus in particular, because I just love a good Russian enforcer!

There is no dwelling in this novel, it's constant and with every new day and setting sun, someone is changed. Alex of 'Until the End' is surely not the Alex of 'In the beginning'.

For all the progression in the story line and characters; the grammatical, spelling and editing errors were still more frequent than I hoped. The narration also threw me off a lot and had me doing a few reviews to figure out whose POV I was in. The chapter titling helped in the last novel, but without it this go, I had some struggles. This series so far needs an editor or friend to review and correct some of these glaringly obvious editing mistakes.

The dynamics have changed, with not only the world of crime, but Lauren's friends away from Mischa's life. People are changing to acclimate to the war that is brewing and forces are being realigned. Lines are drawn in the sand and every one seems to be stepping over said lines.

Even with the editing errors and the slow pace at the beginning of this novel, the end and future of this series have me captivated. I think this series will get better as it goes and the length is perfect enough to not bore you before you reach the end.

Don't look for the people you left in 'In the beginning', they are gone. Every one has made decisions and this story is moving forward towards a blood bath for more than one reason. If the teasers are anything to go by, I could come out of book three hating Ms. Miller or loving Mischa and Lauren even more.

New players, new games, new rules ... it's all coming to a head and this is just the beginning!

- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20887269-until-the-end

In the Beginning By London Miller

This was a cut and clear mafia romance novel. It had all the basics, including rules, punishments and illegal activities. I assume those elements are for those who have yet to read a novel of this genre. I wasn't a fan of the parts used to explain the Bratva, but I guess it was a necessary evil for clarification. It just came off robotic.

I liked the characters, story line and development. The characters were each unique and not the set your frequently see in a mob romance; There were two worlds that rarely crossed and I loved the individuality each world possess. Everyone has their issues and other character's problems were highlighted while we wait for the big reveals.

This story hit the ground running and had me interested and hanging on to every word, which is hard, with the amount of grammatical and spelling errors in my copy. It lost momentum occasionally, but for the most part, it was on track and fluid. Time moved and with it, interest, decisions and feelings. Change came with each chapter.

I can't see Mishca as a Bratva Captain. He came off as a regular business man looking for love and I appreciate that there was no insta-love and dirty talk, as they took the time to know each other and slowly acclimate to each other's worlds. Mishca was fierce, loyal, witty and quite the romantic when given the chance. I could ask for more from the semi-sex scenes, but otherwise, it good in a familiar sense. They came off as a married couple of 10 years and I hope they get that.

Even abiding by the rules of the Vory v Zakone, this story had some rules of it's own, so don't expect the heroine to fall in love with the bad guy and forsake all others. Lauren has a head on her shoulders and quite the support system, plus revenge runs thick in this girl blood. She's fierce and I love that she doesn't cower and throw fits, she stands up for what she believes and want and isn't afraid to investigate if necessary. Turn a blind eye is not this one!

The criminal aspects of this novel weren't highlighted in detail like most, time was spent fighting within the family over matters blood than they did guns, drugs or women. Don't be mistaken though, there was still death, as well as, respect, hierarchy and a whole lot of Maury drama! Even if it was October 2013, I wouldn't say I hate the cliffhanger ending, but it's April 2014 and I already have book two queued up :)

The ending of this novel sets you up for a storm of possibilities. I like Alex and I hate that she had to get hurt in the crossfire, but I love that it didn't deter Lauren in her revenge.

It's not flashy or as heavy as I expected. This is a romance story about two strangers meeting in a coffee shop with ties from their past that bind them in ways that are bound to cost unrest. Filled with the basics of a Russian mob romance, it adds it's own flair and take you on a crazy ride. Get your Google translate out and give this novel a try. It won't have you at the end of your seat, but it's another comfort read for a rainy, romantic, mystery filled afternoon.

- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18224293-in-the-beginning