The Darkest Temptation (Made, #3) By Danielle Lori
read ê eBook or Kindle ePUB É Danielle Lori
A fortune teller once told Mila she’d find a man who would take her breath away. She refrained from telling her it would be literally while Mila ran for her life.
Having always done what is expected of her, Mila dresses the part, only dates college boys with exemplary backgrounds, and doesn’t ask questions. Not about her papa’s absences or his refusal to let her set foot in her birthplace—Russia.
Suffocated by the rules and unanswered questions, Mila does what she’s always wanted to. She boards a plane to Moscow.
She never expected to fall for a man on the way. One with unexplained wealth, tattoos on his hands, and secrets in his eyes. But it doesn’t take long for his caress to become a rough grasp muffling her screams.
Revenge is a dish best served cold. Unfortunately, a Russian winter is the coldest of them all, and Mila soon learns the only way to escape intact is to do the impossible and thaw her captor’s heart. The Darkest Temptation (Made, #3)
edit: DISCLAIMER! Y’all getting mad in the comments and at this point it’s a little cyclical.
You’re mad I got an ARC for a book I didn’t like. I guess the whole “honest review” part is hard to understand. I love Danielle Lori’s writing. I think she’s fantastic and I buy all her books. The reason for the 1 star is exclusively for the sexual assault that happens in the book. I’m not gonna debate with y’all on what constitutes sexual assault because not only is that offensive but you’ve lost the argument before you’ve started with me.
You’re pissed I didn’t like it and reviewed. I’m upset I didn’t like it and still had to review. I don’t like giving 1 star on an ARC. I was asked to give an honest review so I did. If you’re gonna get judgemental and mad about how I feel on certain topics then go somewhere else and mind your business.
****
Guys... I really didn't want to do this.
I'm actually so sad. And I hate to say this but this book top to bottom wasn't for me.
Listen, I live for this series. Sweetest Oblivion is one of my favourite books ever and Maddest Obsession was incredible as well....
But this book feels like a completely different world. It doesn't even kind of feel similar. The writing is there! It's well written but the content is just not for me in every way possible.
I really really didn't want to rate this poorly, I was even planning on giving it at least 3 stars because despite my personal preferences, it's a good book (for someone else). But then something happened at 30% and I can't not rate at this point.
Now the things that just weren't for me, but are hugely my personal preference:
- Age gap. Some people don't care about an age gap, some people love it. But for me it's a huge turn off and I almost always DNF books with a huge age gap. Especially when we're talking over a decade. And a kid who's a teenager (or in this case JUST turned 20, literally the day the book starts).
And in defence of this series, TSO had a bit of an age gap. Elena was 21 to Nico's 29. But, they were in the same age group and maturity levels. in TMO Gianna and Christian had an 4 or 5 year difference I think but because Gianna was all over the place mentally, she wasn't ready for a healthy relationship until 28.
What we've got here... is one of the most immature heroines of all time. So supremely naive. It wasn't just that she was sheltered but she was almost incapable of putting two and two together to the point where she got TSTL and got herself kidnapped. And I'm saying got herself because it's exclusively her fault that she found herself in this situation.
-Captive/Stockholm shit. Now some of y'all are really into that. And to each their own kink. It personally creeps me out and chafes with my ethics but whatever. And in my defence, I added this to my TBR before the blurb even came out so I never even saw the bottom line that hints at captivity... And I wasn't constantly checking it as things and teasers were released to see if it wouldn't be for me. And the rest of the series is about women who've been raised in the mafia. They know what they're getting into and understand the violence that's always a step or two away from them.
-I didn't feel any real chemistry between Ronan and Mila. But, again, that's subjective. But but but, this series has always been dripping in chemistry for me so it was strange that I couldn't connect with it here.
All those personal preferences aside, those aren’t always hard no’s for me. And with the tone of the other two books I didn’t think it’d be something I wouldn’t like. It sucks but that’s not my reason for the rating...
***
Now for the stuff that isn't a personal preference and is just not ok. And I'll put it in a spoiler warning in case you don't wanna know.
I'm frustrated because I waited 9 months for this book, and admittedly, I probably hyped it up too much in my mind. But based on how the previous two books went I thought Darkest Temptation would be a guaranteed win for me.
But unfortunately it wasn't. And I'm really bummed about it. Especially because I got it as an ARC and I feel really rude not liking something I was generously gifted 😓
That being said I'm not giving up on this series and I sure as hell will read the next two books. Romance, Fantasy, Fiction
5 narcissistic 🌟
Believe it or not : Spoiler Free Review
“Why are you such a hippie?”
“Why are you such a mobster?”
So, anyone who knows me knows this is one of my all time favorite series. It really be like this :
𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 : 𝘀𝗼 𝗜’𝗺 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗰-
𝗠𝗲 : 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗶.
𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 : 𝘆𝗲𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁-
𝗠𝗲 : 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗲. 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲. 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗶.
I have a plethora of commitment issues and, usually, I can’t read past 2/3 books of a series before they come out full force, but for this series? ᶜᵒᵐᵐⁱᵗᵐᵉⁿᵗ ⁱˢˢᵘᵉˢ???
Any-always-rambling way, back to the book. This was everything I wanted and much, much, more.
You know when you read a book and everything, from the writing, to the characters, romance, just everything works for you and you have that stupid lovesick smile from beginning to end? The only time you’re hurting is when you realize you’re nearing the end of the book, and that just breaks your heart? And once you finish and close the book, you take a deep breath and smile wistfully while thinking to yourself what a time to be alive and what a way to end a truly shitty year? This was that book for me.
“I’d follow this man to the fiery gates of hell if he just held my hand.”
𝐖 𝐑 𝐈 𝐓 𝐈 𝐍 𝐆
“Heavy breaths and Russian words. Stars on his shoulders. Stars in my eyes.”
If you’re lucky, once in a lifetime (or more than once, but that’s if you personally robbed the remaining 7B people of their chance at luck), you stumble upon an author whose words speak to your soul. Whose characters take residence in your heart. Whose descriptions are vividly painted on your eyelids. All you need to do is close your eyes, and you’re transported to another world, another life, another dimension, in which your acne clears, your crops grow, your boss gives you a raise and your student loans simply vanish.
“What do you want?”
Anything.
Everything.
You don’t read about the characters, you are the characters. Every stomach drop, butterfly flight, feather-light touch, soft whisper, you feel it all. Oh, and that author? It’s undoubtedly Danielle Lori for me. She definitely brought her A-game to tell Ronan and Mila’s story, and it shows in the way they jump off the page and suck you in.
“Ivory skin and goose bumps. Soaked Brioni and tattoos. Selflessness and greed.”
𝐂 𝐇 𝐀 𝐑 𝐀 𝐂 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑 𝐒
— MILA MIKHAILOV
“In this world, things weren’t black and white.
I preferred yellow anyway.”
Each heroine in the Made universe is looking for something. And what I love about it is that, yes, she finds it in the hero, but she also succeeds in finding it in herself by the end.
Elena was looking for romance, for love, for her happily ever after.
Gianna was looking for acceptance, for her to be seen, appreciated and loved for who she was, for her to feel worthy.
And Mila? Mila is looking for home. It’s in her quest for home that she boards that plane to Russia.
Yes, she starts out extremely naïve, but that’s a byproduct of her upbringing. And along the way, you witness her grow into herself, break out of the silent disappointment of her father and find her place in the world she had no idea she existed in.
𝗜𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗲 : ᴵᵐ ᵃ ʳᵃʸ ᵒᶠ ˢᵘⁿˢʰⁱⁿᵉ
𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗮 : 𝗯𝗶𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗵 𝗜’𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗻 𝗦 𝗨 𝗡
And it’s true. Mila has the power to bring light to the darkest places, warm up the coldest hearts, but she also won’t hesitate to burn you down on the spot if need be. Yes, people. We finally have a heroine who’s sweet, soft but no fucking doormat. This girl gives as good as she gets. The sass and sarcasm on her, I’m desperately in love. 😭
“I wouldn’t hand this devil my soul.
If he wanted it, he’d have to rip it from my chest.”
Mila is the kind of person who’ll help you, no matter how much you hurt her, and even knowing you’d hurt her again. That doesn’t make her a weak person, it just means that she refuses to have her heart corrupted by the darkness of the world. In time of despair, hopelessness and misery, we all look for the saving grace. The light in the dark. The beauty in the ugliness, and the little spark of hope. That little spark is Mila, and if you just nurture her, she’d light up your whole universe, and she’ll show you that there’s beauty in grey.
“It’s just so romantic. A Russian winter wonderland, very sturdy medieval doors, and an age gap. I’m living in a Disney movie.”
I think it’s pretty clear by now that I absolutely loved her. The way she always kisses Ronan’s scar deserves a special mention, because it made me so soft. And I don’t do soft, y’all. 🥺
— RONAN (MARKOV?) ALLISTER
“Handsome in the way rough palms muffle screams, the way people bow to kings, and most of all . . . the way an angel falls from grace.”
Similar to the heroines, all the Made heroes have distinct personalities, and something that fuels their actions.
Nico is impulsive. That Russo blood in him want what it wants, and it wants it now, regardless of the consequences.
Christian cannot function without complete and utter control, because he’s been denied it for the better part of his life.
And Ronan? Ronan doesn’t know how to feel. All he’s ever known is violence and abuse, he cannot come into terms with the fact he..has feelings, much less for someone.
“Instead of enjoying the sight, I experienced an urge to pull the fabric down and wondered if this was what human decency felt like. Slightly nauseating.”
Ronan is everything I wish for in an anti-hero : dark, brutal, unhinged, fucking crazy, possessive, and the list goes on. But he’s so freakin’ funny too. This man could order for someone to be cut to pieces, while eating his Fruit Loops and playing Candy Crush. 😂
He’s made a name for himself as the Devil of Moscow, a reputation he maintains by being aloof, uncaring, jaded and ruthless. His name is whispered with fear and reverence in the darkest corners of Moscow, and he controls his city with an iron grip.
“Ronan . . . did Moscow get an Eiffel Tower of its own recently?”
“I would never allow that kind of romantic tourism in my city.”
What I absolutely adored about Ronan is that, while you could see the unhinged mobster in him, you could also feel the lost little boy inside of him. The one who doesn’t know how to love because he wasn’t taught how. The one who doesn’t know how to trust because people always betray you. And the one who doesn’t know how to care because people always leave you.
“Am I that easy to leave, kotyonok?”
Look, I can spend the whole night here just talking about all the ways I’m obsessed with Ronan. But they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here :
✨for all my classy peeps
✨for all my hoes
Watching Ronan come to terms with his feelings for Mila was funny, entertaining, swoon worthy and emotional.
𝐑 𝐎 𝐌 𝐀 𝐍 𝐂 𝐄
“The moonlight loved her.
But not as much as my shadows.”
These two were incredibly perfect for each other. They’re a match in every possible way, and I can’t imagine either of them being with anybody else.
“Ivory and tan skin. French-tipped nails and tattoos. Soft and rough.”
The transition from soft crush, to a captive/captor dynamic, to more was smooth, heartfelt and utterly addictive. I couldn’t get enough of the banter, chemistry and steam. Ronan & Mila were ON FIRE together.
Honestly, if my man doesn’t teach me the ABC’s like Ronan, I don’t want him.
“Does it make you feel big and strong to push me around?”
“No. It makes me hard.”
“You should treat me like anyone else who happens to look at you the wrong way.”
“I find your sacrificial lamb mentality nauseating.”
me lying down bc I can’t carry all this single shit anymore
Ever since Mila met Ronan, she felt something for him. That something went through ups and downs, highs and lows, from one extreme to the other, until it settled on the kind that last forever and beyond. As for Ronan, from the moment a yellow, rebellious, heart-on-her-sleeve girl ran quite literally into him, he stood absolutely no chance. It was just a matter of owning up to it, which he did by the end.
I love what each of them brought to the other.
Mila found herself, stretched her wings and discovered the infinitely deep pools of strength inside of her, while Ronan discovered that even the blackest of hearts still beats, that just because there’s darkness doesn’t mean there cannot also be light, and that the marriage of both-darkness and light- can give life to the most beautiful of greys.
“I loved his black and his gray and every shade in between.”
𝐒 𝐈 𝐃 𝐄 𝐂 𝐇 𝐀 𝐑 𝐀 𝐂 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑 𝐒
— YULIA, THE MAID
Her interactions with Mila were so fun. It’s a Danielle Lori book when the side characters are as interesting and amazing as the main ones. ✨
“Just let me die here in peace.”
“I like this room. Go die downstairs.”
— ROYALTY AKA THE ALLISTER FAMILY
𝗠𝗲 : 𝗢𝗠𝗚 𝗜 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗔 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗠𝗬 𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗥𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘
*𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘃𝗼𝗱𝗸𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱*
𝗠𝗲 : 𝗨𝗠 𝗢𝗞𝗔𝗬… 𝗜- 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗜- 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲- 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗛❓
*𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗼𝗱𝗸𝗮, 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘆𝗲*
𝗠𝗲 : 𝗜’𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆, 𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥, 𝗠𝗬 𝗪𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗗𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗦𝗜𝗥 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗠𝗘 𝗜𝗙 𝗜 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥
Y’ALL. If you think you can’t handle one Allister brother, imagine having BOTH on the page. Those murdered trees are honored and blessed. The laptop this was written on has never been better. My glasses? I don’t need them anymore, my vision is now 10/10. I just wanna ask Christian and Gianna what’s it like to be the most iconic couple in the universe. 😭
Their scenes honest to God gave me life.
Christian talking about his love for Gianna gave me life.
“I loved Gianna for years before she ever even looked at me. Love isn’t hearts and flowers. Sometimes, it fucking sucks.”
Gianna’s advice to Mila gave me life.
“Just remember . . . you have a goddess inside you.” She stepped into the hall and turned to look at me. “You just have to find her.”
The bond between the two brothers gave me life.
“Ivan lunged for me but halted when Kristian pulled out his gun and aimed it at his head, tumbler still in hand.”
Christian and Kat interactions gave me life.
“He lifted her, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“I love you, Papa.”
His eyes softened. “I love you too, malen’kaya volchitsa.”
Kat absolutely shredding someone who was rude to her mom gave me life.
“I’m sure you’re only so rude because of lots of past ’motional trauma.” Then she added, “No offense, of course.”
Basically? If you see me (or my friend Phuong for that matter) screaming about this family, and now RonanMila, everywhere for the foreseeable future, mind your own business. 😌
healthy is overrated anyways
Lastly,
“Darkness there, and nothing more”
In darkness lays some of most beautiful things in existence. It’s just a matter of dragging them to the light, joining them in the dark or swimming in an ocean of grey, in the middle.
Romance, Fantasy, Fiction DISCLAIMER: racist author, i don’t support her and you shouldn’t either
ok y’all… so this one grew on me. first few chapters i was like 😵💫 and before i knew it i’m ovulating on the my bedsheets😩
these scenes had me feeling all the emotions. one minute i’m clawing the sheeting and the next im screeching off the top of my lungs. i was legit laughing out loud. i was bawling my eyes out at some scenes. i lit up like a god damn firework. maybe because i’m so easily entertained
ronan is funny af and when this mf speaks russian, i start queefing. i fucking love him and his shadows. bruhhhh to be mila…kinda.
mila i liked her. she was annoying sometimes but overall a funny character to read about. they really are like yin and yang together.
if anything this book felt like 50 pages longer than it should have been
final rank of made men/ couples
men: ronan & christian are on the same level tbh (i can’t choose) then Nico
couples: christian & gianna , ronan & mila , nico & elena Romance, Fantasy, Fiction 3.5-3.75 stars ✩⋆
『 reread update 』aight it's been like 5 months and my og review is still not here so imma just try and remember what i said and rewrite everything because i'm a dumbass and didn't save this anywhere sooo i decided to reread this again because i'm a perfectionist and i have nothing else to do i guess 🤠
but yes, ronan is still a dickhead, mila? loved her, albert deserves the world, yulia can adopt me, and CHRISTIANGIANNA SUPREMACYYY ✨
anyways, sooo is that trip to russia still on or...?
* * *
does amazon perhaps sell an italian mafia dude who's possessive and kinda crazy? or a russian FBI who's emotionless and cold and is an asshole to everyone but obsessed you? or his russian mobster dude brother who is
asking for a friend.
i have been looking forward to this book ever since i found out the one and only
it's the slowburn, hate to love for me
it's the whole dark, captive-captor dynamic for me
it's the sexual tension for me
it's CHRISTIAN AND GIANNA WITH THEIR CUTE DAUGHTER for fucking me.
✧ p l o t
↠ so this is about Mila Mikhailova (h) wanting answers about her shady father and past because she's been sheltered her whole life. so she traveled to Russia and that's lo and behold that's where she meets Ronan Markov (H) who seems like the perfect gentleman but as it turns out, he's the biggest dick ever because he suddenly kidnaps and holds Mila as a prisoner in exchange for her father, because yes, her dad was dick too so it's just your typical men fighting over who has the biggest dick/ego.
anyways, this review is just me rambling about the whole entire book so enjoy y'all.
— tw (spoilers) : kidnapping, dub con scene in chapter 31 (kinda like that scene from kiss thief), the H being too rough on h, basically a lot of ✨toxic✨ shit you can think of
･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･ PART I･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･．
so this book starts with Mila trying to find answers about her mother when she traveled to Russia and you know what, i'm just like her because i for real wanna know why everyone is scared of Tatiana aka Mila's mom and Mila herself. the whole mystery why people are acting sus and staring at her is the reason why i couldn't put the book down. I WANNA KNOW. and not gonna lie, i found myself more interested in the mystery than the romance in the beginning because like-
why are people scared of her?
why are they calling her d'yavol?
who is her mother?
what is her mother?
WHY is her mother?
i really wanted to know.
and y'all have that one friend that is into a dude that you know is toxic but your friend is kinda blind to their toxicity but on the inside they know they're toxic too they just don't wanna see it and you're just internally screaming and wanna whoop the dickhead's ass and make sure your shoulder is available for them to cry on?
yup. this was me towards Mila in this part.
when Mila first meets Ronan, at first she kinda had a fangirl crush towards him, as any woman should apparently. so obviously, knowing that i'm a ho for enemies to lovers, of course my first reaction is this:
seriously tho, bro chill. you barely know this russian man, don't go and fall in infatuation with him that quick PLS i need some hateful feelings right now!!! i was waiting for them to hate each other and the fact mila's crushing him? nah that ain't for me. i thought this was enemies to lovers what the fu-
but you know what? home girl is BOLD bold so i gotta give it to her. thought she was gonna be shy with her infatuation but i guess not.
･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･ PART II ･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･．
she hates him now woohoo!! enemies to lovers part is finally activated fuuUUUCK yes!!
she finally figured out that the dude she’s falling for is actually the one who has been orchestrating all these bad things happening to her. i fucking love it. but then... im a little uncomfy not gonna lie. Ronan does... things... you know, filmed them... then sent it to her dad... then slapped her.... doing dub-con/non-con acts.... uhh.
honestly tho, my interest for the story 📈 my love for Ronan📉. ooo i wanted to fight him so yeah, imma just list the things that made me uncomfy in this book so SPOILERS AHEAD
↠ dislike #1 : repetitiveness and filler
part 2 is a little repetitive in the beginning lemme just show y'all how it would go:
1. they eat breakfast.
2. banter for a little bit while eating breakfast.
3.ronan seduces mila (the audacity i know).
4. banter some more where they may or may not almost kiss.
5. H leaves her alone.
6. repeat.
it was still entertaining but just a little repetitive mainly. i do love how mila's coming out of her shell and talks back to ronan when hes being a little shit tho. this is my favorite thing in this part.
also, he just keeps talking about how hot mila is and how hard he always is around her and that's so annoying to me like sir please stop thinking with your dick when you already are one ✋🏼 this is probably a me thing because i just find it irritating when we get to the Hs pov chapters and 50% of the time he just talks about how they wanna fuck the heroine and its just- i don't like it because i'm more of an emotional connection type of girl but i guess these type of mindset is normal for dudes? ugh i don't fucking know, i'm not a dude.
but yeah the banter was great and all that but there wasn't enough depth that garners a satisfying emotional connection. at least for me. it was getting a little repetitive. it's time to open up lovebirds we’re halfway through chop chop!!
↠ dislike #2 : ronan (calm down, i only dislike him 60% of the time)
if you don't wanna read any ronan slander, just skip this part because i'm about to rant about your book boyfriend, sorry
you know in the beginning of this part i highkey hated Ronan. his taunts are- well his taunts make my eye twitch. he filmed them hooking up and sent it to her dad, slapped her, calls her his pet, and then there's that dub-con scene in ch 31... yeah he's a lot.
and you know by then since i think mila is cute and adorable and must be protected my mama bear mode is on thus whenever mila would cry and lose hope and then ronan taunts her i just wanted to punch him because seriously-
listen i love assholes especially anti-heroes who stay anti-heroes and never turn all uncharacteristically soft but dammit it was just so hard for me to sympathize or like ronan sometimes. i guess because of the repetitive situations and the constant thought he had about his dick + mila’s physical traits, i just didn’t see character development. there were hints but it wasn’t satisfying enough for me. yes i like that he stayed in character but i guess i wanted more “sweetness” from him towards the heroine because he really was mean and too rough to the h.
68% in and i still didn’t trust him with Mila. when push comes to shove, he reacts badly- and im not exaggerating. he left her outside in sub temperature for a few minutes. and if he doesn’t get his way he lowkey acts like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum and kinda gaslights the heroine too. i mean seriously. he did all these shitty things, at least balance out the good and the bad.
↠ what i did like
they were cute in the last 30%. ronan was waaay more likeable and his inner monologue wasn’t all about Mila making him hard anymore so that’s nice.
and yulia and milas ✨enemies to lovers✨ is superior. and mila is so fucking funny to me because she's so dramatic like look:
✧ M I L A
↳ Please don't eat me, I blurted unsteadily. I won't taste very good to you. I'm vegan.
i can't with this bish sometimes 😭✋🏼
and of course, can't forget Christian and Gianna with their cute little daughter. UGH i'm a ho for Christian spoiling his daughter, or Gianna and her daughter acting as a commentator during that catfight scene with the OW at the end.
OW/OM drama
↳ there's a little bit of OW drama here where Nadia texts Ronan about hooking up (he ignores her), and where she shows up near the end to cause some drama and you know what? i know i should not like catfights because it's not progressive and all that but it was funny OKAY Gianna and her daughter just joining in and cheering Mila on pLS i fucking love it.
and as for the OM drama, Mila's bodyguard Ivan is kinda into her and kisses her around 53% which then lead to the kiss thief scene, which is where the tw // dubcon scene happens
･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･．
goodreads better not delete this review pls and thx.
honestly, this book was okay. i like Mila and her dramatic ass but with Ronan... i know i shouldnt compare but- i cant help but think “Christian Allister would NEVERRR” every time Ronan does something stupid or... questionable.
anyways, if you were to ask me who i like better: nico vs christian vs ronan? psychosis vs malyshka vs kotyonok? please don’t ask me...
... ʲᵏ ⁱ ᵈᵒ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵗʰʳᵉᵉ ʰᵒˡᵉˢ ᶠᵒʳ ᵃ ʳᵉᵃˢᵒⁿ
･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･ Made series ･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･．
#1: the sweetest oblivion — nico x elena ↠ 5 stars
#2: the maddest obsession — christian x gianna ↠ 4.5 stars
#3: the darkest temptation — ronan x mila ↠ 3.75 stars
#4: untitled ↠ tbr Romance, Fantasy, Fiction My review for this mysteriously disappeared. Which is very annoying. Needless to say. I loved the shit out of this. Loved loved loved. Romance, Fantasy, Fiction
Am I missing something? I don't like this story. What happened?Romance, Fantasy, Fiction ☆⋅⋆ ── 1st read 2020: 4.25 stars
☆⋅⋆ ─── 2nd read 2023: 4.25 stars 🌻
Holding eye contact with him felt like a deadly game. Like Russian roulette. A revolver and one bullet. A single wrong blink, and I’d be dead.
Re-reading this series was the best decision I made this year so far. The writing for the Made series is so electric and unlike any other series. It's so good. The sexual tension between these characters *chef's kiss*
SONGS:
Strawberries & Cigarettes – Troye Sivan
Feelings – Lauv
The Darkest Temptation at a glance:
❄️ russian mobster anti-hero
🌼 sweet & sassy virgin heroine
❄️ captor/captive romance with dub-con
🌼 age-gap (h is 20, H is 32)
❄️ a journey through winter wonderland in Russia
This review is divided into two section. Part 1 is completely spoiler free and can be read before reading the book, while I reserved Part 2 for the spoiler-talk. That part best be read after reading the book or only if you don't mind spoilers going into a book.
Holding eye contact with him felt like a deadly game. Like Russian. A revolver and one bullet. A single wrong blink, and I'd be dead. But it also evoked a whisper of adrenaline, as warm as half a bottle of UV Blue and the Miami sun.
PART 1: SPOILER-FREE
You know it's a Danielle Lori book when the Hero kills another guy in honor of his girl after she was insulted. Classic move and the Made series wouldn't be the same without it. 😂
Heavy breaths and Russian words. Stars on his shoulders. Stars in my eyes.
oenomel (n.)
– something combining strength with sweetness
➶✨ MILA MIKHAILOV ✨
No one can save you from me. His eyes shone indifference laced with a dark edge. Not even God.
I was soo afraid not to like Mila, because she is naive and was sheltered all her life. That's are some characteristics in heroines I'm not super fond of. But fortunately, I had no problem with her at all. She's an easy character to love. While she's this innocent and way too naive hippie girl, in the beginning, with too much hope for the world and rose-colored glasses, she quickly adapted to the world she was born into, but was protected from.
Mila has such a soft heart and would give away her clothes that other would feel warm. I don't think she's capable to really hurt a single soul, but if the time calls for it, she has a spine of steel and is no doormat. One of the best thing was Mila's character development and how she grew from a sheltered girl into a women during her captivity. Her and Ronan's verbal spars were so good. Her sarcasm and sass really made me smile. Mila's development makes me feel like a proud mama, because she came to Russia to seek some answers, but found herself and broke out of her golden cage (literally and metaphorically) . 🥺
You are late for breakfast, devushka.
Just let me die here in peace.
I like this room. Go die downstairs.
Another thing I loved was Mila's relationship with Yulia, the housekeeper. How they poked at each other, it was just refreshing and added a great comic element to the story. Mila really held her own with the prude women who may or may not have a screw loose. Overall I have to say that all the secondary characters around Ronan were great additions and seeing them warming up to Mila.
philophobia (n.)
– fear of becoming emotionally connected with another person
➶ ✨ RONAN MARKOV ✨
I thought he was handsome. Handsome in the way rough palms muffle screams, the way people bow to kings, and most of all.. The way an angel falls from grace.
If I was sure of one thing, then that I would be on my knees for Ronan. Danielle Lori knows how to write alpha anti-heroes and she knows how to write them well no matter the circumstances.
Ronan was such an enigma. Compared to Christian and Nico he is way more extroverted and likes to talk. It was so funny to see how he could be this dark and brutal character who kills one person without blinking an eye and the next second you hear him playing Candy Crush on his phone and eating Fruit Loops. The range this man has is incomparable. Other men please watch and learn. His dry sense of humor is just on another level. Ronan made me laugh so hard, because he's such a comedian!
One of my favorite things about this book was seeing Ronan come to terms with his feelings for Mila. This dude couldn't deal with his feelings to save his life and it was one of the most amusing things I've read. The way Ronan would rather have cancer or deal with an atom bomb than facing the fact that he actually cares for someone. Here is one small expample:
I went to slide my fingers through her ponytail but stopped the impulse when I realized the ridiculous shit I just thought. Hitting my thirties had made me disgustingly sentimental.
Ronan and Christian's past made me once again so angry at their good for nothing mother. It's sad to see how it unconsciously made Ronan not wanting to get close to anyone. Luckily he found Mila. 💛
keyframe (n.)
– a moment that seemed innocuous at the time but ended up marking a diversion into a strange new era of your life
➶ ✨ RONAN + MILA ✨
You're not thinking about shooting me, are you?
Eyes sliding to his, I grasped onto the first response that popped into my mind. Depends. Would you die, or does it take a stake through your heart? I don't want to waste my time.
A bullet hasn't killed me yet, but there's always a first time for everything.
A single step is all it took to change Mila's whole life for the worse and then later for the better. When Mila packed her bag with her bohemian dresses, boarded a plane to Russia, all she wanted to do was to find her father, learn a bit more about her family history and maybe explore her birth country a little bit. What's the worse that could happened during her little one week trip? What she didn't expect is that once she stepped foot into Russia, the devil of Moscau has already set his eyes on her. At the same time, Ronan didn't think much when he set his revenge plan in motion, trying to destroy one of his enemy using his daughter. But how do you say it: even the best laid plans often go awry.
Ronanmila's journey was a hard one, makes it more fulfilling when they finally find their way back to each other. They perfectly complemented each other and worked so well together. Ronan fell in love with Mila's soft heart and brightness, while Mila really embraced Ronan lowkey unhinged side and found a bit of darkness in herself. They delivered some really good banter and bickered like some old married couple sitting at the breakfast table.
I could really see that Danielle Lori improved her writing. The writing and TSO and TMO was already good, but this book had a depth, the other books didn't have. Ronan and Mila's background story was more fleshed out compared to the other characters. In TMO we got a small glimpse into Christian and Ronan's childhood and the relationship they had with their mother. In TDT there were just more flashbacks that give the characters an extra layer.
elysian (adj.)
– blissful, delightful, perfect
➶ ✨ THE ALLISTER FAMILY ✨
“Touch my wife, and what my brother has done to you will suddenly look like fun.”
What a blessing to have Allister as a family name? Every single person with that name was meant for greatness. All the means are the definition of big-dick-energy while the women have queen-energy!
I've never made a secret out of my obsession love for Christian and Gianna. So I was very very excited for their scenes to say it mildly (ask Mina she can confirm lmao). My expectations were sky high and Danielle hit it out of the park. She NAILED every single scenes with them so much, they've become my nightly prayers. Rereading all their scenes again as we speak.
Ronan's relationship with Kat is nothing short but adorable. When he calls her moya neposlushnaya plemyannitsa (my naughty niece) I was truly gobsmacked! I knew Russian is hard to learn, but I didn't know it would take a trip around the globe to saying something so simple as my naughty niece LMAOOO. No wonder Russian constantly need vodka in their life to deal with that. I finally understand and it makes so much sense now. 😌
Christian and Ronan's brotherly bond AHAHAHAHHAAHA! Honestly I can't stop laughing. Both of them have such dry humor and are so apathetic, which makes them together in a room a comedy show for me. I love them, your honor. They are the brother duo I didn't know I needed. Christian helping Ronan with stuff… no comment 🤣
PART 2: SPOILERY-TALK
WARNING: Spoilers from here on. Read at your own risk.
↘ Why not 5 stars ↙
Danielle was very transparent about the fact that this book will have dub con in it and while dub con or rather non con scenes can be more of a miss for me, I didn't mind it that much here, because IMO the dub con is not that bad.. maybe I've read worse in dark romance and feel desensitized to it? I don't know. 🤷🏽♀️ I think it definitely helped that Ronan and Mila already established a connection during Part 1 of the book when Ronan befriended Mila and showed her around Moscau, if I can say it like that,
My biggest issue was the Ronan and Mila's first sex scene when he was taking her virginity. Throughout the book Mila and Ronan have this little cat and mouse game they play where Mila tells him some BS to get a reaction out of him. Ronan even calls her little liar and it somehow has become their thing. So when Mila tells him that she's still a virgin, he doesn't believe her and just takes her with not enough foreplay. And I was like ?????? dude ???? Mila really deserves better than a hard thrust and then a please tell me that you're just very tight and an emotional fuck. Excuse me sir 😭😭😭 I really think Ronan should have believed Mila, because he saw how inexperienced she was with how awkward she tried to kiss him the first time. This scene gave ma really bad flashback to The Kiss Thief by LJ Shen which had a very similar scenes which I also didn't like. If you loved TKT, you won't have a problem with this book at all.
Some other minor issues:
Every time Ronan opened his mouth and something in Russian 🔥🔥🔥🔥 I don't know what he said, but it sounded hot! Most of the story is set in Russia, so it's understandable that the Russian language would be included much more compared to The Maddest Obsession. While Mila understands a little Russian, she doesn't understand everything and the things she didn't understand, we as the readers, from her POV, didn't understand either. If you're curious as I am, you will look up every sentence, which interrupted my reading flow a little in this case. Would have loved a direct translation in the book in brackets or something, but this is really criticism on a very high level.
The pacing was during the middle a bit too slow for me, so it was a bit dragging, cause I got a little tired of Ronan and Mila's push and pull game and wanted something different to happen.
Things I need to get off my chest or I will explode
Kat really needs her own book where she will give some guy 'motional trauma. No offence, of course. Please 😭, I would sell my kidney, my first born and my soul for that book. That girl was born to rule the world hands down. She's already a genius at three years old and I love her so much 💖💖💖💖
Kat is the perfect blend of Christian's personality and Gianna's sense of style. I think it was perfectly shown what kind of relationship Christian and Gianna have with their daughter. The eye-contact battle Kat and Christian engaged in omg my heart 😭😭😭😭 how Kat just needs to say something softly with her cute voice, bat her eye lashes a little and Daddy Christian is gooonneee. He has no chance in winning ANY battle and would give his little girl the world. That girl is spoiled rotten as she should be. Queens should be treated like queens. 💅
When Christian called Kat little wolf in Russian bYEEE I love you Gianna, I really do, but I really really need a minute or two alone with your husband to show him HOW much I love him. 🧎🏼♀️😌
Lastly, let me close this review with one last word that described my feelings for The Darkest Temptation perfectly.
serendipity (n.)
– finding something good without looking for it
Initially I started to read for the christiangiannakat breadcrumbs (as you can see as 1/5 of this review is dedicated to them LOOL)and down the road I fell in love with Ronan and Mila. Now I have two more characters to obsess about. 😂
MADE SERIES
#1 The Sweetest Oblivion – 3.5 stars
#2 The Maddest Obsession – 6 stars
#3 The Darkest Temptation – 4.25 stars Romance, Fantasy, Fiction ✨Upgraded to 4.5 shining stars✨
Do I have mixed feelings about this story? Yes, I do. But when I finish the book and instead of elevation and relief I feel like I want, no, I
First and foremost, I want to express my sincere gratitude to Danielle Lori for doing her research!!!
The Russian language in this book was pretty decent if not perfect. There were a few minor inconsistencies and punctuation errors, but all the sentences in Russian sounded authentic!
Y'all don't wanna know how many books I've read in which the Spanish/Russian/Italian phrases were so badly worded it hurt my poor eyes. When everybody and their momma has access to the Google search engine, those authors have only one excuse to justify them: laziness, unwillingness to put effort into the research and unprofessionalism.
Forced diversity hits home. 🗿
On second thought, I can't seem to remember any other foreign author whose Russian or Spanish didn't make me cringe internally. When my clueless innocent fellow reviewers salivate over their improperly worded endearments or full-blown sentences, it adds days to my life. 😂🤌🏻
Anyway, in Lori's case, I'm happy my fears weren't justified and my eyes get all teary when the whole GR community cites Russian phrases. 🥰😂😇 I don't really understand, though, why Danielle didn't include translations at the end of each chapter ...
Although this book features some old and funny, albeit popular stereotypes about Russia, I didn't find them annoying. The climate in Russia isn't that cold (especially in Moscow...let alone many southern regions) and the country doesn't give off such medieval vibes. In large cities, that is. 🌚 What about people believing Mila (h) was a witch??? That was endearingly weird.
But I got carried away so back to the ambiguous feelings the book managed to elicit from me.
To be fair, the first half of the story didn't impress me. The things kept happening and I wore my poker face expression while flipping through pages... yet it was engrossing enough to not let me give up on it.
Ronan (H) came across as cold, cruel and emotionless and I was yet to take notice of the internal fire that could compensate for his wicked ways. In that regard, he was more multilayered and less obvious and easy-to-read than Nico and Christian. Mila (h) fell for him on sight, which didn't make much sense to me. Mila didn't try to see what Ronan was hiding. Hiding not too hard. 😂
When Ronan showed his true colors in their full glory, they weren't rainbow bright and cheerful, and I was there for it. 😈 Ronan's rough treatment excited me.
That being said, I didn't detect any non-con scenes or over-the-top cruelty, even if I can see how their first sex scene can make sensitive readers feel uncomfortable...Embrace the discomfort, guys. 🥳 Hearts and flowers are nice, but where's the excitement in that? Mila was a willing participant. But of course if what you're looking for (in a dark mafia romance 😇) is a hero who writes a formal letter asking for permission to touch her hand, kiss her lips or press her body against his hard muscled chest that burns with possessiveness? Drop this book like a hot potato, sisters.
It was the minor details and numerous subtle ways in which Ronan couldn't hide his exponentially growing feelings for our girl that made this couple superior. Subtlety is so hard to come across in the genre and so imminently satisfying. *little sob*
In the second half of the book their chemistry was growing more and more palpable. It took time to warm up to Ronan... (still not sure I was entirely won over).
I liked the way Mila reacted to him, how she put up a tough façade to deal with her plight, while not losing her softness and naivety.
Her catfight with Nadya, followed by Gianna and little Kat's cheering comments, was fucking hilarious. 😂
To cut a long story short, when I finally started warming up to the story, it was already reaching the end. 👺👹 The book was long, but I wanted so much more. More of Mila and Ronan's banter. More of their incredible chemistry.
But all I see is the end and I cry out in outrage, throwing my kindle against the wall with a wild cry of abandonment. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK (just kidding... or not). More Ronan and Mila for this girl over here, please. Romance, Fantasy, Fiction why does goodreads keep deleting my review of TDT??? that's twice now 😭 i don't even save my reviews anywhere ugh... anyways ronan lemme sit on your lap so you can pet my hair and call me your kotyonok. Romance, Fantasy, Fiction My review was deleted for some weird reason... Thank God I had it saved in my notes or I would've disintegrated into thin air.
5++++ STARS
”You call me sick,” I drawled, “but I think you might be a little twisted too.”
The expectations were sky high, but I should have known Danielle would crush every single one of them.
Writing a review for a book you love is the hardest thing ever. I could go on and on about how much I loved the characters, the setting, the writing, the whole thing. And while all that is true and so much more, it’s not enough at all. It's hard to put into words what this book did to me. Not only was it literally the fresh breath I needed in 2020; it was the whole freaking party. This year has been the worst book year ever (amongst other things...), I think I can count my five star reads with one hand. The year was coming to an end, and I had all my hopes set for this book, and not only were all my expectations met, they were exceeded, far more beautifully than I'd thought possible. Being completely serious here: I don't think I've ever loved anything more in my life.
The characters, as always, were fleshed out in glorious fashion. I really, really, no matter how I try, can’t put into words how much I loved Mila and Ronan.
Mila Mikhailov is the sweetest heroine, so beyond selfless, so brave and beautiful I would have torn my heart from my chest if she’d asked me to. The best thing about Mila is that even though she was so inherently good and bright, she had this insane will, this spine of steel. She's an oxymoron, a girl so soft, yet so strong, so bright yet so lethal. Her strength was undeniable and she gave as good as she got. I fell in love with her so hard, so completely and insanely, that it probably isn't even healthy. Her banter and sass with Ronan had me on the floor, sometimes gasping for breath, sometimes for mercy. She is so damn clever and bubbly, her come backs were pure gold and comedy. I think she’s honestly my favorite Danielle Lori heroine so far, I loved, loved being inside of her head. My baby.
And then... Ronan. Oh, Ronan. The impossible happened and he made me love him more than his brother. They are honestly very different, but Ronan was just... more to me. More messed up. More insane. More unhinged. Just more. And y’all know I love me some more ;).
He carried his ruthlessness like a crown, never shying away from what he was. He's the Dyavol in every sense of the word. You cross him, you die. An anti-hero I'll be damn well free to serve anytime he wants, no questions asked. And yet... under all the cruelty and mercilessness there is this aching soul that needed to feel accepted and loved. And the way Mila manages to peel his layers off, one by one, was truly a sight to behold. There were so many scenes where I just kept clutching my heart because these two could be so damn soft and vulnerable it really did hurt my soul. Ronan, for me, is the best hero I've had the pleasure reading about. There was just something about him that was so sexy, so devilish, so freaking manly. Ughhhh! He just owns me, every part of me!
The relationship development was done so well, ugh... I can’t even- It had everything I’d hoped for: the conflict, the banter, the steamy scenes, the feelings, the resistance and the eventual acceptance.
The way they just clicked on every single wavelength, like I've never seen a couple do. And I think that is one of Danielle's best gifts as an author: she gives her characters the partners they need, crave and can't live without. She pairs them with people they belong to. Mila and Ronan's journey really was not an easy one but these two were made for each other. Mila’s the tit for Ronan’s tat. The missing piece. The thing he needs but didn’t know he did.
Ronan, as cruel as he was in the beginning, falls in spectacular fashion for his lady. It had always been inevitable, and watching it happen gave me immeasurable pleasure. Mila was like this bright wrecking ball that left Ronan breathless, that left me breathless. I can’t put into words how much they fit each other. Their dynamic was absolutely everything and these two will go down as one of my top couples in history.
The writing here is spectacular, people, and you can definitely see how much Danielle has grown as an author. This book had more depth to it, the feels were stronger, it was just more, more, more. I’m also convinced now that this woman is incapable of writing a single bad book.
The side characters really were the icing on the cake. I loved them all very, very much, all of them were so entertaining to read about and we also got our giannachristiankat crumbs so there’s that, as well. All in all, this really hit me so deep, this whole book... It was a glorious ending to this God-awful year, and you bet I’m going to reread this tomorrow again.
I truly hope you guys love this book as much as I did. It’s truly my favorite thing to come out of 2020 so far. Romance, Fantasy, Fiction