Hello, fearless readers! Are you ready to delve into the shadowy world of power, loyalty, and forbidden love? Welcome to our daring exploration of Russian Mafia romance books, where the stakes are high, and the romances are as intense as they are captivating. In these stories, love battles against the backdrop of the Russian underworld, a place where danger lurks around every corner, and passion runs as deep as the loyalty that binds its members.
From brooding mafia bosses to strong-willed heroines who challenge them at every turn, get ready to be swept off your feet into a world where love defies all odds. Buckle up and prepare for an adrenaline-fueled journey through the heart of Russia’s most powerful syndicates. The intrigue begins now!
7 Russian Mafia Romance Books (Crime Love Story)
Russian mafia romances typically feature alpha male protagonists who are powerful, dominant, and possessive. These characters exude confidence, strength, and a dangerous allure, making them irresistible to readers who enjoy alpha heroes. The romance between a member of the Russian mafia and an outsider, such as a civilian or someone from a rival organization, involves forbidden love. The illicit nature of their relationship adds tension and excitement to the story as they challenge the dangers and consequences of falling for someone outside their world.
In contrast to the dangerous world of the Russian mafia, many heroines in these romances are portrayed as strong, independent women who can hold their own against their alpha male counterparts. These heroines challenge the stereotypes associated with women in organized crime, asserting their independence and agency in a male-dominated world.
After reading a lot of Russian romances, I set a plan to read a Russian mafia love story because I found my interest when I read Anna Karenina. I can not express my feelings enough about this famous book. Now, I will discuss my favorite 7 Russian mafia romance books that include action, suspense, and intrigue elements. Let’s begin!
| Name | Key Focus | Rating (Goodreads) |
|---|---|---|
| The Maddest Obsession by Danielle Lori | A Russian mafia family lives in NY, and one has an affair with a girl, which is also a second-chance romance. | 4.3/5 |
| Savage Tracker by Maggie Cole | A woman falls in love with her neighbor, a Russian mafia. | 4.5/5 |
| Dark Queen by Ker Dukey | A Russian mob picks a dancer for an arranged marriage. | 3.7/5 |
| Tears of Salvation by Michelle Heard | Two rival mafias somehow make a one-night stand and struggle with many challenges. | 4.4/5 |
| Menace by J.M. Darhower | A Russian mobster immediately falls in love with a girl, and he follows her as a stalker. | 4.1/5 |
| The Arrangement by Bethany-Kris | A mafia daughter tries to get married for her safety. | 3.8/5 |
| The Professional by Kresley Cole | A Russian mafia is trying to save his boss’s daughter, and they build a taboo romance. | 4/5 |
1. The Maddest Obsession (Made)
The Maddest Obsession is the second book in the Made series. It’s a Russian mafia romance companion novel, meaning that each book focuses on a different couple and has its own story. But they have an overarching story, and the characters you see build throughout. The entire series focuses on a mafia group within New York City called the Cosa Nostra. There are a lot of arranged marriages and business deals. They are married to people that they’re not in love with. It’s all a matter of gaining power within the mafia.
So this book, in particular, focuses on a girl named Gianna. She has had a very rough upbringing. Her father was a horrible man, and she, at the ripe age of practically 18, was married off to a man who was old enough to be nearly her grandpa. He was 50, and she was 19. So there’s no love within the marriage, but you feel like a mafia woman.
So, Gianna is a young, bright-eyed girl who wants to try with her husband, but he’s a horrible person who cheats on her every day, and she becomes very hardened at a very young age. She is not your typical little respectable mafia girl. She is a troublemaker and ends up in jail a few times, where we see the man of the story enter the picture. His name is Christian Allister.
For most of the story, he’s called Alastair, a federal agency that works with the mafia, which is a common thing. There are a lot of people in law enforcement and government in the story that are secretly working with the Russian Mafia. So they help each other out and stay out of prison, whatever.
At the beginning of this story, we see the story jump around in timeline and point of view. So, we do see Ginna and Christian in the past. Their story spans many years, many meetings, and then there is a present-day story. We initially see Ginna and Christian meet because he has to bust her out of jail. After all, she got in on partying, drugs, whatever. Ginna is married throughout the story, and she drives Allister crazy. There’s a lot of angsty tension between the two.
We see this journey of them where Christianity is exciting. He’s from Russia, has been in prison, and has OCD. His biggest obsession with number three is that he only sleeps with the same girl three times. That’s a known thing and a rumor about him. So he and Gianna have a tumultuous relationship where they come back together every few years and despise each other, but they cannot stay away simultaneously. If you love dark crime erotica, read it.
Author: Danielle Lori
Tropes: Thriller, Possessive-hero, Enemies-to-lovers, Second-chance
Number Of Pages: 376
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle
2. Savage Tracker (Mafia Wars)
Savage Tracker is a BDSM romance with a Russian mafia boss. We see Selina as a woman in a very abusive relationship, trying to get away from her husband. Our characters from the first three books get involved in that process, in helping her leave her husband. I’ve always wanted her to find her way after that situation.
In the previous books, we get a bit of a teaser that Obrecht, a Russian mob, has taken it upon himself to keep an eye on her. They live in the same building, so it’s a neighbor’s romance. You can tell that Obrecht’s interest is more than her welfare. So, I’m very excited to get back into the Mafia Wars. The series has many books, and the author started her spinoff. From what I’ve heard, it’s not a spinoff that you can jump in, and you must read the series first.
Author: Maggie Cole
Publisher: Pulse Press (1st edition)
Tropes: Gothic, Multicultural, Action, Adventure, Suspense, Age-gap
Number Of Pages: 480
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Kindle
3. Dark Queen
Dark Queen is a marriage of convenience, a Russian dark mob romance. The heroine is a waitress, and she’s a ballet dancer as well. So she’s very down on her luck. She’s poor, and our hero must marry to inherit his money or position. He decides to pick her. So it’s a marriage of convenience, dark romance, and different social classes, which was very different.
The story could be more satisfying, and the plot could be clearer. I loved the romantic tension between the characters. There are trigger warnings for murder, betrayal, abuse, and violence. If you have no issue with the age gap and angsty slow-burn love, check this out.
Author: Ker Dukey
Tropes: Alpha-male, Arc, Twist
Number Of Pages: 318
Available: Paperback | Kindle
4. Tears of Salvation (Underworld Kings)
Tears of Salvation is a one-night-stand crime romance. After spending a night, the characters meet up again three months later. They’re both in the Russian mafia world and are part of rival families. It’s an enemies-to-lovers forbidden romance situation, and I’m very excited about that one.
Author Michelle Heard has another similar spicy mafia romance series, where The Tears of Betrayal is one of the books that represent a mafia family. The heroine for this one is the daughter of the Bradford Mafia family. She gets kidnapped by a Russian guy named Dimitri. It sounds like he has a boogeyman reputation. We get to see a captor captive Russian underworld crime lord romance. Don’t miss it!
Author: Michelle Heard
Publisher: MA Heard
Tropes: Hate-to-love, Amnesia, Strong-heroine, Drama
Number Of Pages: 393
Available: Paperback | Kindle
5. Menace (Scarlet Scars)
Menace is the first book in the series, representing dark crime, mystery, suspense, mafia world, and romance. We follow a Russian mafia and an assassin named Lorenzo. He’s not a main character in the series, but you see him appear, and then he has his spinoff. So it’s set in the same world. One day, he bumps into a woman named Morgan, who immediately intrigues him. She’s very mysterious, and he is so bored that he decides to figure out more about her, what she’s running from, and her past.
The plot, storyline, dialogue, and narration are excellent, but the writing is slow, and the female character is annoying. She is a thief and sex-positive. I enjoyed the Scarlet Scars duology and recommended reading it after the Monster In His Eyes trilogy. It’s because it does spoil things, and it’s more fun to read about Lorenzo after you read those three books.
Author: J.M. Darhower
Tropes: Social abuse, Humor, Angsty, Anti-hero
Number Of Pages: 349
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Kindle | Audio CD
6. The Arrangement (The Russian Guns)
The Arrangement is a dark romantic suspense with a Russian mafia family. The first three books of the series follow Viviana and Anton. Then, book four or five follows their children and romances. So I do recommend reading these in order. The Viennese family is brutally murdered, and Viviana is the only one living. At this point, she’s distanced herself from the Mafia and doesn’t have that many ties. But suddenly, there is a threat to her life. Anton finally decides it’s time to get married and wants to protect her.
It’s an arranged marriage, so she’s not into it, but she decides it’s the safest thing for her because her uncle threatens her life. I recently binged the entire series. I loved the characters and their romance. All these books are addicting, and I wanted to know what happened.
The first three books are about one couple, the rest about their children and future marriages. Don’t pick the hardcover because of negative quality issues; the paperback is excellent for cover, color, font size, binding, and paper quality.
Author: Bethany-Kris
Publisher: Bethany-Kris (1st edition)
Tropes: Arranged marriage, Mystery
Number Of Pages: 326
Available: Paperback | Kindle
7. The Professional
The Professional is a Russian mafia BDSM romance. Sevastyan is a Russian mafia, and the female love interest is Natalie. She’s living her best life in college. Suddenly, the last guy comes and tells her, Hey, you have a father who’s in Russia, and I got to take you because his enemies are trying to contact you. So, she’s taken from her life once again.
Sevastyan tries his best to save his boss’s daughter, and he is obsessed with possessing her. So, Natalie can not hold herself to falling in love with this firm, protective alpha male. I did enjoy their great smut moments. The story is fast-paced and adventurous. If you like bodyguard romance with many dark vibes, check this one out.
Author: Kresley Cole
Publisher: Gallery Books
Tropes: Crime Thrillers, Arc, Insta-love, Suspense
Number Of Pages: 402
Available: Paperback | Kindle | Mass Market Paperback
Through every twist and turn, secret alliance, and heart-stopping moment of passion, these stories have captivated us with their complex characters and high-stakes love affairs. Beyond the danger and power struggles, at the core of each tale is the undeniable strength of love—proving that even in the darkest corners of the mafia world, hearts can find a way to triumph.
As you close the pages of the latest mafia romance, remember the exhilarating ride these stories have taken us on, and know that the adventure doesn’t stop here. The world of Russian Mafia romance is vast and filled with untold stories waiting to be discovered. Until we meet again, keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and your love stories most thrilling of all. Stay safe, and happy reading!
Read more similar books:
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10 Mafia Arranged Marriage Romance Books
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