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Dark Verse #4

The Finisher

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What happens when a beast of blood finds a bride of light in the land of death?

Growing up on the streets of Los Fortis, Alessandro 'Alpha' Villanova scrapped his way to the top, fighting for his very survival, losing everything in the process. A city that shunned him then is now the one he rules, albeit alone, as the king of a dark empire few know about.

Far from Alpha's world, Zephyr de la Vega has a normal life, normal family, normal drama. Her biggest problem is people trying to make her lose a few pounds. When a chance encounter puts her on his path, she makes a proposition that changes the course of their lives.

As a killer goes on a spree in Alpha's city, taking apart his scarred empire corpse by corpse, and The Syndicate comes into play, their partnership evolves into something deeper, more enduring, more powerful than either of them anticipated.

Evil ascends. Darkness descends.

A new order is born.

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 14, 2021

About the author

RuNyx

15 books16.8k followers
RuNyx is a New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author of romance. Her stories range across subgenres from dark contemporary to gothic to historical to fantasy and more, and are currently being translated into over 10 languages.

Her pen name has a very special meaning to her. When she's not writing, she's reading, traveling, meditating, daydreaming, and most of all, procrastinating.

Join her newsletter tribe for all updates and stalk her on her social media.

Website ➡️ https://runyxwrites.com
Newsletter ➡️ https://runyx.myflodesk.com/newsletter
Instagram ➡️ instagram.com/authorrunyx
Reader Group ➡️ facebook.com/groups/runyx

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5 stars
15,173 (38%)
4 stars
14,749 (37%)
3 stars
7,721 (19%)
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1,589 (4%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,983 reviews
Profile Image for Ayman.
268 reviews113k followers
September 20, 2022
i am in shock… omfg…

ok so this book follows zephyr and alpha (yeah that’s his name) and the best way to describe this book is dark mafia romance + grumpy X sunshine + second chance + marriage of convenience all in one. and i fucking loved it.

now i’d say the underlying plot that connects all the books together was done the best in this one. i did not see shit from a mile away. the shit that was unraveled towards the end had me gasping out loud, smacking my hand to my forehead, and running it down my face.

zephyr and alpha..god i love them. it’s the way he’s so possessive over her and the way she teases him that gets to me. it’s like poking a bear with a stick, literally because apparently he’s this beast like man with a monstrous cock that you’re reminded about every few chapters.

zephyr is a fucking baddie and i love her. she’s so funny and side note but i loved the fact that she’s unapologetically a curvy woman. she’s lusted and pined after like she deserves.

and ngl the dante & amara cameos were one of my favorite parts. they are still my number 1💞💞💞
Profile Image for Clace .
743 reviews658 followers
November 5, 2024
Absolutely amazing even this time around. (rtc today 🙂‍↕️)
~~~
Round 3 with Mr. Hip Breaker and buddy read No.2 of this book with Roxy. To
~~
This is part 4 of me and Roxy diving into different destinations as we follow the story of Alessandro and zephyr. She's gonna enjoy this one so much 🤭😩
Profile Image for kendyl ʚ♡⃛ɞ (review slump).
188 reviews3,539 followers
Read
September 30, 2024
𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭:
guys i cried so much. idk if it’s because i’m on my period, but i love all these characters so bad. review to come!

❥09/14/24
you know a series is addicting when you push writing the reviews to the side just to continue binge reading🙈i promise i’ll write the reviews for the previous two books soon! i just need to continue🤭
Profile Image for Lilyya ♡.
466 reviews2,858 followers
September 20, 2024
I WAS HAPPY EVERYONE WAS HAPPY WHY THE FACK DID SHE PULL THAT WILD CARD IN THE LAST CHAPTERS??

pre review: idk what this author puts in her books but IM ADDICTED
Profile Image for SK.
487 reviews8,298 followers
November 15, 2023
"Who. Am. I?"
"My husband."
"And who are you?"
"Your wife."
"Mine."


Huh so that was unexpectedly mild. I thought it would be dark but instead I was met with fluff which really impacted my enjoyment levels. I had a whole lot of expectations from this given the first three books in the series were really good. This one is probably the weakest book in the series for me.

See it's not bad but it's not anything special either. When you have Tristan Morana and Dante Amara as leads in the previous books, Alpha and Zephyr don't really leave that much of a mark. They're quite forgettable imo. Don't get me wrong, I liked them both but they really didn't stand out compared to other characters.

Alpha was okayish. He's the sort who hates everyone but her. I liked how he slowly warmed up to Zephyr. I didn't like the nickname he gave her tho, it was kinda meh. Zephyr had more depth to her, her emotional and mental battles made me sympathize for her. I have went through similar sort of struggles, so her story really touched me. But apart from that, she was just okayish too. I liked Zenith tho. I loved her..... 🥹🥹

The romance was fluff. The spice was hip breaking. The marriage of convenience was a possessive one. So in short, fun.

Plot wise? It was a let down. There were just glimpses of the Syndicate and what's cooking behind the scenes. I wanted more of that. I had also hoped I would see Vin in it, but I didn't.. So hopefully in the next one.

The ending was damn good. I loved it. I cried. But I really loved it. Ahhh I cannot wait for the next one, I hear it's much darker.. Which is what I want 👀🫣


~•~•~
Man's broke a woman's hip during seggsy time and got traumatized. RTC
~•~•~
The question is will this book finish me, perhaps in a good way? 👀
Profile Image for shei ღ.
221 reviews1,000 followers
March 2, 2024
—— 4 ✰ stars.
‘I don’t know if I’ll ever remember anything. I don’t know if what I feel is love. I don’t know what the future holds. But I know I want you by my side. I know I don’t want to forget you now’


・❥・ Mood of the book playlist:
: ̗̀➛ Bubblegum Bitch by MARINA
: ̗̀➛ Bones by wens
: ̗̀➛ White Flag by Bishop Briggs

I WILL SEND MY THERAPY BILL TO RUNYX FOR WHAT SHE HAS DONE IN THIS BOOK.
OK, IM CALM NOW!!!!! SUPER CALM!!! DON'T YOU SEE ????????? eye twitch.

I have to say, possibly this book would have had a higher rating if I hadn't been in a slump. Once again I have to say that I am not a dark romance girly, and that this series is my first dark romance so my opinion may differ from a regular reader of the genre.

I am highly surprised with this book, in the content warnings, it was written that this book would be darker than the previous ones, but I think that Alpha and Zephyr are the softest couple of the series, I am not complaining at all, this book made me cry a lot, a lot of soft moments between them AAAAAA!!! wipes tears.

‘love that went so deep into the bones it changed the course of being’


・┆✦𝓹𝓵𝓸𝓽✦ ┆・


I don't think it's convenient to really explain what this book is about, since the less information you know and the more blindly you approach it, the more everything surprises you, therefore, I'm going to explain it very ambiguously.

Zephyr, following her boyfriend, finds out that he is being unfaithful, there she meets Alpha, an old boyfriend, when Zephyr confronts him, she realizes that he does not remember her, and she forms a plan to make him fall in love again.

'it was a kiss, both new and familiar, like a melody she'd heard long ago and never forgot'

This has been a very, very poor way of describing the plot of the book, but really, listen to me, the less you know, the better.

Runyx is a true genius, when you think you've caught her she turns everything around and you're left with a clown's face and your jaw so low that a building fits in your mouth.

'I've loved you as a boy, and I love you as a beast. All of you have always been loved by me.

・┆✦𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼✦ ┆・


✦𝒜𝓁𝓅𝒽𝒶: Ok, I really liked Alpha, especially the mystery about his past and identity. Emotionally he is ruined, his life has been very hard, and he thinks he no longer has the capacity to love. He has many scars, on his face and body, plus the lack of an eye, I'M JUST SAYING, HE WEARS A PATCH. I LOVE HIS AESTHETIC NOT GOING TO LIE HERE. I would have liked to read more of his points of view, I think it was a little unbalanced in that sense.

‘He was a protector; he always had been. That was one of the things she’d loved the most about him’

✦𝒵ℯ𝓅𝒽𝓎𝓇: MOTHERFUCKING CURVY ASS BITCH QUEEN SLAY. I think you all got it. I love Zephyr very much, I felt super identified with her. She is a happy woman, who loves her body and knows its value, but still has insecurities since people keep telling her what is the best for her and her body. SHE IS PERFECT. She is literally a ray of sunshine in a gray cloud. She is a WOMAN, with all the letters, she changes her hair color depending on her mood, she supports each and every woman, I don't understand how anyone could not love her. It's early to say, but she may be my favorite girl in the series.

‘She loved too much, trusted too easily, got hurt too often, and maybe she needed to harden herself. But she would lose the essence of who she was if she did, and so she never did. Feeling hurt was more acceptable than feeling dead. The ugly in her head got awful’

・┆✦𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮✦ ┆・


I loved it and I cried like a baby omg, I think they are perfect for eachother. I will quote my baby siff here, in her review she describes them like this: ‘zephyr is the only woman who could ever match alpha, and alpha is the only man who could ever handle zephyr.’ AND I CANT AGREE MORE.

‘My life has been nothing but gray for as long as I remember. Rainstorms and thunder clouds that never went away. You filtered through that, all bright colors and exuberance and life. And the clouds are still there, but my eyes can’t leave the rainbow long enough to see them. You changed things.’

I liked the smut, even though Alpha held back a lot at first because he broke his last lover's hip (yes, you read that right HAHAHA). I think they are underrated, reading the reviews I have realized that they are not very loved by the fans, and I really don't understand why.

・┆✦𝓺𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼 𝓘 𝓮𝓷𝓳𝓸𝔂𝓮𝓭✦ ┆・


‘ I want to eat your smile, sunshine. Swallow it whole and light up my insides with it.’

‘She wished emotions were like flowers, pretty and color-coded so she could pick and choose which ones she wanted at what time. For some, maybe they were. Not for her. Her flowers had thorns, and they made her bleed.’

‘The gray won’t be forever, rainbow’


Dark Verse series:
╰┈➤The Predator , 4✰ stars.
╰┈➤ The Reaper , 4.5 ✰ stars.
╰┈➤ The Emperor , 4.5✰ stars.
╰┈➤The Annihilator , 3 ✰ stars.

➙ Old Updates:
WTF. MY HEART IS BROKEN BITCH???
rtfc.
jan 20: runyx includes crack on this books 🫡 just saying
Profile Image for Sabrina (semi-hiatus) .
153 reviews776 followers
September 27, 2024
3.5 stars

While the first half of this was mostly on the lighter side, the last few chapters were absolutely criminal. RuNyx is such a mastermind with her plot twists and ability to connect everything. me and hoda predicted who the culprit was but the other twist was such a shock?! It left me theorizing EVERYTHING that it felt like this finished me

This read more like a dark rom com with the fluff we’re met with initially and a contrast to the previous ones. it all felt fitting considering how true the calm before the storm? was shown here given how it ended and the little I know of how dark the Annihilator is.

Alpha and zephyr and their love was.. unconventional from the other couples in being less intense and low on angst yet its own thing and sweet all the same

Zephyr screamed sunshine yet was also someone who dealt with her own share of issues that made her character feel relatable enough. I felt for her and adored her plenty tbh. Aside from that, I thought her humor was cringe sometimes but it was also pretty hilarious 😂 her determination to make alpha fall in love was sending me. i loved how open she was with her sister in telling her this too. She was completely bold and knew what she wanted by going after it. I did like seeing her try to break down alphas defenses until I wanted her to stop because he needed to see what it would look like to lose her. She truly was a ray of sunshine in his dark world

With alpha, it was obvious how darkness surrounded him throughout his life with what he’s been through. I wanted to slap the missing sense into him but ended up meeting his rough edges with more understanding and acceptance. Especially once he warmed up to zephyrs affections and made the effort to work on things. i thought it was ultimately sweet how he saw her, like when he talked about her many smiles as it was reflective of him paying attention to everything about her where she was concerned. They were cute

This wasn’t my favorite in the series, however, it wasn’t bad as I thought and did really enjoy it. I would've loved to have gotten more their past together as it was more tell than show but I did see that its possible for that to be a possibility one day. i also liked the crumbs of everyone as brief as it was since it gave us a glimpse into the found family they’ve all made with each other. the bonus scene with Tristan and Morana during a certain scene here is a must read if you haven’t read it. that moment of angst was also endearing to read about 🥹 loved it.

Thank you to my love hoda for the br 🥰 I had such a fun time reading and reacting to it all with you 🤭 can’t wait to do this again. her review highlights more

the emperor review

Some quotes

“You’re my wife now. Mine. And I’d bathe this whole city in blood before I let you change that.”

”There was nothing more powerful than a woman on a mission.”

“He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted to smile before she jumped into his world, a burst of colorful explosions in the stark gray of his sky, a sprout of life blooming in the land of death, a festival in a field that had only witnessed funerals. And now that he’d experienced that, like an addict, he wanted more.”

“She loved that he let her see him like that, at what he felt was his ugliest. Idiot man. His ugly was her beautiful.”

“You changed things. And I’m not letting you go zephyr. Im not letting you go. Get that out of your head”
-
He broke someone’s hip during sex? 🤔 do I call him alpha or hip breaker lol
Profile Image for annie 🇵🇸.
298 reviews794 followers
October 25, 2024
3.5 stars

I have a love-hate relationship with this series. I like the books, but they bore me in the middle and then make me love them in the ending. The start is always amazing! Even though this book has all my favorite tropes and I totally enjoyed the start, I kinda got bored in the end, but the last 15% is totally worth it!

Zephyr — Unlike Amara and Morana, she had a really nice life. I'm not complaining lol, but I understand why everyone was wary of her since she was new. Personally, I related a lot to Zephyr and her struggles. No doubt she was a bit clingy, but at least she was confident and eventually found love. It was quite touching how she never gave up on her love from a decade ago!

Alpha — Is he good? Yes. Better than Tristan and Dante? No. 💀 Hskshsjs I'm currently having Tristan-fever rn, and even though Alpha is endearing, I prefer the first two characters. Alpha, unlike Dante, doesn't show emotions openly, but he isn't emotionless. He's considerate, caring, and I appreciate all he does for everyone, always ensuring their protection. He truly has a heart of gold!

➤ The story was super fast-paced in the beginning, and Zephyr did some things that I would never do. She literally said, 'MARRY ME' 😭 hahahaha she was so overconfident, but I'm glad she didn't experience second-hand embarrassment by getting rejected. I don't blame Alpha for keeping his distance, he has trust issues and has suffered a lot. 🙂

He lost his memories of Zephyr and the torture he faced when he lost his eye. The few past scenes (literally only one and some dialogues 🤡) that were given to us like crumbs WERE SO GOOOOD??!!! I wanted to cry. 🥲 I loved them, and there should have been more.

➤ The shadow man is being a bitch. What the fuck do you mean by 'should've sought me before' after getting Zenith killed? I KNOW IT'S NOT HIS FAULT, but why the fuck would he say this even though Alpha clearly ASKED him who the Fortis Killer is? Hypocrite double standard idiot 😭 (I'm so sad for myself because I would've been interested and all that who's his TOY is, but I already know 🤡)

➤ Tristan and Morana are literally occupying my thoughts 24/7. When Morana got shot hskxhsjs I've read Tristan's POV on that scene, and I WANT MORE 😭. The way Tristan went all feral, broke all speed limits, and even told her that they'd get a cat.


RATINGS:

• The Predator – 5 stars
• The Reaper – 5 stars
• The Emperor – 3.75 stars
• The Finisher – 3.5 stars
• The Annihilator – 3.75 stars
• The Syndicater – Tbr
Profile Image for siff ♡.
139 reviews1,106 followers
November 24, 2023
#2 read - november 2023 ➵ 4 stars
“𝙃𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙, 𝙖 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙠𝙮, 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝.”


first of all, i’m in a little bit of a review slump right now, so this review probably isn’t gonna be as good as it could have been <3 anyway, this book is such a comfort read for me, and i don’t know what exactly makes this book feel like such a comfort read for me, but i maybe have an idea or two, but we’ll get to that. zephyr and alpha is probably the most “normal” couple, in the dark verse series universe. these two have always been such an adorable couple (imo) they’re just so precious, and i always appreciate a good second chance romance book. this book has always hit me a little differently from the others in the series, and i’ve tried to figure out why, but i just can’t.

again i’m not gonna do a full summary, because of spoilers, but i’ll explain a little about the book; this book is about zephyr and alpha, and them finding their way back to each other. which is a little complicated, because they were in a relationship when they were teenagers, but something happened to alpha and he lost his memory and disappeared for many years. and then suddenly zephyr is at an underground fighting match with her shitty new boyfriend alec, where she sees alpha. and then she slowly realizes that alpha doesn’t remember her. this isn’t a full or good explanation in any way, but i don’t wanna say more, because i think you need to read it and find out for yourself <3

side note; as i’ve said in my previous reviews for this series, please don’t look this series up on social media, because of possible spoilers. this series needs to be read without knowing much about it, for the full experience and the jaw-dropping plot twists.

characters:
zephyr de la vega / rainbow
zephyr is such a girls girl, she’s always doing what she can to make sure other woman are comfortable, and she’s always hyping them up. i’m actually so in love with zephyr’s character ! she’s not for everyone tho, which i both understand and don’t understand. she’s goofy, determined, no filter, supportive, etc. she’s just such a woman istg. she actually reminds me a little bit of bryce from the crescent city series, and if you’ve seen my review for that series, you know i love bryce. there’s so many things i love about zephyr’s character e. g. her changing her hair color after her moods, the way she’s always hyping other woman up, the way she makes sure people around her are comfortable, etc. she’s just so precious and i love and adore her so much <3 zephyr is confident yet insecure. she’s almost always comfortable in her own skin, even tho everyone besides her sister, and alpha, is constantly telling her to loose weight. but zephyr is not only hyping other woman up, she’s also hyping herself up, which i find so admirable. she’s truly just a real woman in my eyes.

“𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙚’𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧.”


alessandro villanova / alpha / mr. hip crusher
probably one of the most emotionally ruined mmc i’ve ever read about, just my type fr. alpha has been through a lot, from a very young age. his character development is so good (imo). he went from a cold man without a heart, to a still cold man but with a heart for his woman, again, just my type. zephyr is the perfect match for a man like alpha, and he’s the perfect man for a woman like zephyr. alpha has always found himself ugly, but not in a way where he pitted himself, just that he looks rough and has many scars, plus he misses an eye. his story always manages to break my heart, and i honestly just wanna hug the man, but luckily zephyr will do that for me.

“𝙃𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚.”


⎯ zephyr is the only woman who could ever match alpha, and alpha is the only man who could ever handle zephyr. this couple is so underrated, which actually annoys me, but i do understand. as i’ve said these two are the most “normal” couple in this series, well they’re not exactly normal, but compared to the rest they are. these two’s journey always makes me so emotional. these two are the perfect example of learning to grow and love together, without giving up (imo). what i think makes these two a comfort couple for me, is their journey, their healing, and the way they are with each other. i also love how everyone has always made zephyr feel like shit about her body, and then there's alpha making her feel like the smallest, most beautiful woman, that's just too cute, it makes me wanna cry.

favorite moments and quotes:
“I will scar you.”
“I might want it.”


“She hadn’t been married to him one day and she was causing him heart problems already.”

“Chemistry lies, Zephyr.”
“Then what tells the truth?”
“Heart.”
“And what does yours say?”
“Nothing. Fucker hasn’t spoken in years. It’s a dead, scarred piece of useless muscle.”


“I mean just yesterday someone asked me if it wasn’t a ‘real marriage’ and if I wanted to hook up for the wedding, which was very flattering, but—“
“Who?”
“Doesn’t matter. My point is you saying that will give people the impression that we’re in some kind of open relationship here—“
“This is not an open marriage. I don’t share.”


“Talk to my wife, you die.”

“and though they were more physically intimate than they’d ever been, she’d never felt as far away from him as she did then.”

“Alpha loved her hair.”

“You forgot me.”
“I didn’t forget you.”
“You did. And you don’t even know it.”


“Everything felt empty. And quite. Too quiet. There was no sound of laughter, no feminine banter, no pop music on loudspeakers that he didn’t enjoy one bit. Just him and his solitude, just like he’d wanted before. He didn’t want it now.”

“She stared at him constantly, always finding new reasons to check him out, and he loved that. He loved the way her eyes appreciated his damaged form, openly and honestly.”

“He loved how she lit up when he looked at her.”

“There was nothing like cocooning under a blanket, lying down on soft pillows and clean sheets, and letting time pass by while hiding from the world.”

“Nothing said change like hair color.”

“The ugly voice whispered, and Zephyr stayed under her cocoon, hiding from it.”

“She wished emotions were like flowers, pretty and color-coded so she would pick and choose which ones she wanted at what time. For some, maybe they were. Not for her. Her flowers had thorns, and they made her bleed.”

“I don’t remember.”
“I know. It’s okay.”


“I cut the hand of a man who touched your hair, Zephyr. What do you think I’m going to do to the one you move on with.”

“I might not remember you. But you’re my wife now. Mine. And I’d bathe this whole city in blood before I let you change that.”

“You cannot save people, you can only love them.”

“Your touch.”
“My touch?”
“I didn’t realize how much I missed your touch. You gave a staved man a feast every day until he forgot what hunger felt like, and then took it away.”


“My wife wouldn’t like it if I let you touch me. She’s possessive.”

“His ugly was her beautiful.”

“Remember when I told you my heart was a dead scar tissue.”
“Hmm.”
“I feel it pumping again with you. My lifeblood. My little rainbow.”


tropes; mafia romance, grumpy x sunshine, second chance, marriage of convenience, and found family

song; fooling you by rachel platten
“You saw my wild ways
Stuck around through my ugly days”

zephyr and alpha 💚

spotify playlist; zephyr and alpha
(the link only works on laptop tho)
------
pre-review:
if we ignore how alpha (mmc), once broke a girl’s hip mid fuck impressive, i’ll give him that, this is actually one of my favorites in the series, well he’s not dante but no one is.

#1 read - may 2023 ➵ 4 stars
Profile Image for ♥︎ Heather ⚔(Notification Issue).
781 reviews2,135 followers
October 28, 2024
meh. Worst one so far imo.

Preparing to jump into book 4... 🥁🥁 All this effort to catch up and The Syndicater's release date has been pushed back to 11/15 😩

Buddy read with my darling twinsie 👯‍♀️♒❤️ Manas

╰⪼ 🔪Grumpy ✘ Sunshine
╰⪼ 🩸Second Chance
╰⪼ 🔪Marriage of Convenience
╰⪼ 🩸Amnesia
╰⪼ 🔪Mafia
Profile Image for mira.
862 reviews1,346 followers
January 20, 2022
1.5⭐️

“I want to eat your smile, sunshine," he said against her mouth. "Swallow it whole and light up my insides with it.”


before any of y'all come for me, yes i'm shocked that i gave this book such a low rating. i've been waiting for this book for MONTHS and when the release date got delayed 6 times, i was like its ok because i love this series and it'll be worth it.

its not worth the wait. no where NEAR worth the wait. plot twist, nothing happened except for maybe the bonus epilogue and maybe the last 2 chapters in the book. but its predictable.

tropes

- insta love from the heroine
- amnesia
- slowburn for the hero
- grumpy/sunshine
- marriage of convenience
- hero celibate for a year before he sees her
- annoying heroine (yes this is a trope)
- second chance
- captive

i wanted to write a whole ass proper review for this book but listen this shit wasn't worth the read let alone to write a review.

anything beyond this point is a spoiler

lets start with our annoying heroine. bitch had it coming. not at one point did i feel bad for her. she was on my last nerve.

“He was her love-at-first-meeting. And she didn’t know who he was now, but he was hers. He’d always been hers.”



1. she basically knew from chapter 1, right after she jumped on him and kissed him, that he did not know her. yet she made it her mission for him to fall in love with her AGAIN.

“Because I've heard you haven't been with a woman in a while, Mr. Villanova. And you'd have me, and I'm fantastic in bed if I say so myself. I also have something of yours. And for six months of your life, I’ll return the secret back to you.” She leaned forward earnestly. “Be my husband, and I’m yours. You have nothing to lose, and so much to gain. I’ll happily be your friend, your lover, your wife, whatever you need.”


2. she was hella fucking desperate for his dick, this girl got on her knees and BEGGED him to suck him off. she begged him for everything. she was willing to do anything for this marriage too.

“God, she was a fool. An overemotional fool who attached herself too easily to hope.”


3. now the part where i lost it with her. this bitch knew he had amnesia, yet she got PISSED at him for not remembering her. excuse me, miss ???? she legit ghosted him because he wasn't feeling the same way. ya ma'am you had 10 years to love him and he doesn't even fucking know you bitch. and then she wouldn't fucking talk to him; therefore, HE had to fucking apologize to her... HE DOESNT KNOW YOU. i fucking can't stand this bitch. poor guy doesn't know what the fuck is going on.

“Poor man, he’d have to learn. She was a crier.”


anyway, im done with this bitch.

i did like some of the smut because the hero does say some nice things hence the +0.5 stars.

“Watch yourself be a little slut for me. Just for me,”


mmm, i'm a slut too.

anyway, if you are here for the plot twist, here you go:



am i still excited for the next book? yes. will i be waiting patiently? yes. i'm a whore for this series.
Profile Image for Rebecca (life's chaotic catching up).
395 reviews1,264 followers
May 29, 2023
3.5 Stars

Well, that was.......... different. 🙈😂

Ok, so we are back with book four in our Dark Verse universe and it's a new city with new main characters. Zephyr, a 29 year old hair stylist with a heart of gold is running out of time to get married in order to get her inheritance when by chance she runs into Alpha (aka the hip crusher), a huge beast of a man with one eye and the leader of his own underworld organization, but she knows him, a first love that she lost many years ago and now that she has found him again, she is determined to get him back. There is only one problem though, he doesn't remember her bc of the accident he suffered that left him sans one eye. Zephyr will not let anything stand in her way and she concocts a plan to marry Alpha under the guise of her inheritance but the only thing she really wants to gain is Alpha's heart.

This book was a weird transition from book 3. I was expecting something else I think, but from pretty much chapter one I had to adjust my expectations and kind of just embrace the chaos. This is definitely not the sweeping romantic vibes of Tristan and Morana or Dante and Amara, but it is cute and endearing and parts are funny, really, really funny. More ironically funny but it still counts!

I wasn't a huge fan of Zephyr out of the gate, but she did grow on me and by the end I loved her. Alpha is........ Ok, I don't know what Alpha is but I know that I love him! 😂 He is an underdog for sure with a heart of gold and even though he may not be romantic or say the right things he means well, and he loves big!

And speaking of BIG..........haha! You guys KNOW I have to address the elephant in the room, and I am guessing its the size of an elephant bc WHAT IN THE EVER-LOVING HELL? HOW DO YOU BREAK A WOMANS HIP WITH YOUR LUGGAGE DOWN THERE SIR?!!! I have never laughed so hard in my life! Seriously, it's not the dream, please authors just stop, none of us are fantasizing about permanent sex injuries impairing the rest of our lives! All I could think about is this poor woman and how she must be traumatized for life now! Even Alpha said he could still hear the bone snap!!! THE TRAUMA!!!! I mean seriously, LOGISTICALLY, HOW DOES HE EVEN WALK AROUND?!!! JUST STAHHPPP!!! 😂😂😂 I fear that this is going to live rent free in my head forever now, like I am going to be at lunch months from now and this poor woman is just going to pop into my brain!

I loved the cameos of my faves Dante and Amara and also Tristan and Morana and that ending, I was not expecting it to be so emotional!! I can't wait to read the next book and I really need them to find HER!! (if you know, you know)

My Dark Verse rankings
1-The Emperor (book3)
2-The Reaper (book2)
3-The Finisher (book4)
4-The Predator (book1)
Profile Image for manas.
100 reviews177 followers
November 1, 2024
➳ 3.5 ☆

“you’re my wife now. mine. and i’d bathe this whole city in blood before i let you change that”.


buddy read with twinie, heather!!

unfortunately, this book was the worst one in the dark verse thus far. there was a jarring disconnect the finisher displayed for the overarching plot. there was a seamless chain of events that we were building towards over the course of three books, howbeit, this book felt unnecessary to the overall story. i still enjoyed them as a couple + romance, but it was a sub-par addition to this series.

zephyr : she is the main female character for this novel, and as much as i liked reading about her story, there was something missing. sadly, i don't think runyx knew how she wanted to portray her, because her mannerisms and overall archetype was a combination of both amara and morana. i am well versed with the fact that you cannot rip off your own work, but due to this copy + paste similarity, her character's nodus felt bereft. while she is a sunshine girl, who is very bent on communication, there are aspects to her deportment that made her more likeable. she is unfortunately the girl that got the short end of the stick. while, morana and amara were the moving factors for their respective stories, alpha was that center focus in this one, putting her on the back burner of the diegesis.

as long as it wasn’t her alpha, the lady could suck whatever she wanted. she’d always been irrationally possessive of him.


she'd just seen this man pummel another, and there she was on him like an orangutan with its favorite tree.


he was kinda hot when he was threatening her, though she doubted he’d appreciate it if she said that to his face at the moment.


she took another bite of the delicious sandwich, enjoying the companionable silence as they both ate, silently falling a little more in love with the new him, enough for the both of them until he could catch up.


zephyr had a girl crush on amara and she wasn't even ashamed about it.


alpha : again, similarly with his girl, my man alpha did not possess anything new or unique. he had characteristics of both tristan and dante, making his character more watered down. alpha was unlike any character i have been exposed to, and for this i give the author props. a lot of the men in her books are possessive, jealous, very protective, and their deportment is quite questionable. yet, they all have distinctive traits that set them apart from the rest. alpha was a strong character in this novel, however, i think his conclusion was blaring and ended too quickly. his compelling backstory and overall idiosyncratic traits were a solid factor, yet nothing was explored. although alpha was a typical morally grey hero, as always, runyx's aptness to create this world and these characters is quite peculiar. the men are GREEN flags, and this is a rarity when it comes to dark + taboo romance. people get on my ass constantly for requesting dark subject matter that can equate to meaningful stories without glorifying and romanticizing abusers & bigots, especially men. while the bar might be in hell, you can produce work with these topics, as seen here.

zephyr tilted her head back to keep her gaze locked with his, and he hated to admit it, but she was adorable.


“you talk to my wife, you die.”


“i cut the hand of a man who touched your hair, zephyr. what do you think i’m going to do to one you move on with?”


his life had been brutal and ugly and monstrous, all rough edges and bleeding wounds and selfish interests, and she, she was all softness and light and generosity.


everything crashed on him and there, holding her hand while she slept, he cried in a hospital after twenty years.


the romance : while this book had equivocal subject matter, i personally think it was done quite adequately. where i have contention from this novel is the romance and the pacing of their relationship. grumpy x sunshine will always hit, however, runyx tried too hard to provide them a backstory which did not feel salient for the plot. as two separate characters they were really strong leads, but when they were together, i did not believe they impacted and benefited from each other. i do love them both, sadly, their development was rushed and chaotic.

lastly, i loved reading about the other couples appearances. my fatass got ALL the spoilers for book five (we don't talk about that), but i am very excited to move on with their story. it has the potential to be my favorite!

alpha knew better than to say anything about dante's little princess. fucker was whipped by both girls in his life, and shamelessly so.


and it wasn’t just dante, but the dangerous-looking man at his side looking at the spectacled woman beside amara. what the hell did these guys eat up here?


also this bitch broke someone’s hip?? goodnight.
Profile Image for Rowan.
174 reviews83 followers
November 5, 2024
Alessandro Please- my god I just know this man have the most delicious biceps, I want to climb him like a tree …









3.75! (Rounded up)
Profile Image for Paige.
187 reviews1,087 followers
November 1, 2024
”He was her love at first meeting. And she didn’t know who he was now, but he was hers. He’d always been hers.”

3 stars 🌟

I didn’t see the plot twist coming and I have so many questions after that cliffhanger 🤨 One thing RuNyx is going to do is deliver a solid plot with a side of spice 🔥

While I did like Alpha and Zephyr their story was probably my least favourite so far, it was short and there’s so much more that could have been explored. I’m hopeful we will get a better glimpse into them in the final instalment.

———

I need a break from fantasy and to finish this series before the last book comes out next month 🤩 I don’t think any couple can top Dante and Amara for me tho 🥰
Profile Image for Ri ♡ .
427 reviews1,466 followers
November 7, 2024
4.25 Stars

“I might not remember you,” he whispered, his lips almost at hers. “But you’re my wife now. Mine. And I’d bathe this whole city in blood before I let you change that.”

I just love RuNyx, her mind, her words, her story-telling so much.

RUNYX DID IT AGAIN! A dark twisty marriage of convenience story in a mafia world with a second chance trope? This book was so addicting from the starting to the end. I know this was still a dark romance book but there was more fluff and wholesomeness in this book rather than the dark elements for which Dark Verse series is famous for. Not that I'm complaining because I enjoyed the story, literally devoured this in just few days and loved Alpha and Zephyr because they both were just so adorable but I just.....expected more. Two-third part of this book was just fluff, sex, Alpha being grumpy and Zephyr seducing him, Alpha being grumpy and then them having sex, Alpha being grumpy and fighting, their three cute and grumpy dogs, Zephyr loving Alpha, him not understanding why she's like this with him. Just their usual and typical but hot Marriage of Convenience moments 🤭❤️‍🔥


The blade came to her chin then, almost like his fingers always did, directing her focus back to himself. “Who am I?” he demanded quietly, her face level with his waist, her eyes enraptured with his.
“What?”
“Who. Am. I?” She swallowed.
“My husband.”
“And who are you?” Her mouth parted.
“Your wife.”


The feminist in me is rolling in her grave. Doing damn cartwheels 🤸🏽‍♀️



I liked the murder-mystery sub-plot in this book but there wasn't much focus on The Syndicate as there was in the previous books. The Finisher was more focused on Alpha and Zephyr's relationship, their fake marriage and why someone is trying to frame Alpha for the murders happeing in his city. I was definitely shocked by the ending and the jaw dropping plot twist. RuNyx never fails to surprise me with her mind fucked plot twists. I have developed trust issues because of this series 😭


“Her first love, the one she never recovered from. Love, the kind she could give everything and replenish yet again to give more, the kind that snuck in under the radar and one day it was there, mixed into the cement of her foundations, love that went so deep into the bones it changed the course of being. He had been that love.”

Stab me in the heart why don't you 😭❤️‍🩹



I loved seeing other couples from the previous books but mostly I loved that we finally got Amara and Dante's wedding scene 💘🥺 It was perfect! One of my favourite part of this book was seeing Dante being a dotting husband to Amara and an amazing father to Tempest. I also loved Zenith and Zephyr's love for each other and the way they both cared and loved each other. It was so precious and beautiful. I thought I would be okay with the classic RuNyx trauma dumping in her books but I AM NOT OKAY 😭 not after knowing what Zenith had to endure before she escaped. She deserved better than just that fucked up ending but I was happy for her that she had Zephyr in her new life who loved her wholeheartedly.


➸ 𝙕𝙚𝙥𝙝𝙮𝙧 𝙙𝙚 𝙡𝙖 𝙑𝙚𝙜𝙖 “𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘸”

Zephyr is such a Lover girl 💘 I love her character so much. She's such a sweet, caring and a sunshine girl who is literally an angel always helping and supporting people who needs comfort, care and love. What I loved most about her is that she loved complementing and hyping up people when they looked good or did something good because she knew how important is it to hear some words like "hey! I love your new hair." or just a simple "you're beautiful." She is a plus size heroine but she never felt unsure or uncertain of her body type. She has her own insecurities but she never let them overpower her and I loved how she didn't tried to compare her body with others. She owned her body confidently, her chaotic and hopeless romantic heart with every fiber of her being. She might have lived a normal life unlike Amara and Morana but she never stopped trying to fit in Alpha's world because she just loved him so much to do that.


“She wanted to seep down to his dried roots, nourish the soil of his heart, and fill him with life again.”



➸ 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙤 𝙑𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙖 “𝘈𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘢”

Alpha is the grumpiest mmc in this series with the most terrible and brutal past. He was a protector and a fighter for all his life and I respect him so much for the way he built his own empire without having anything. I still don't know or understand how he managed to break some girl's hips but considering his sex drive I think anything is possible 😗 He wanted to give Zephyr every beautiful thing and even though he didn't remember her anymore ge still fulfilled his promise to her and his mother. He carried his scars without any shame but he also was living his life in a self pity until Zephyr just one day barged into his life and kissed the hell out of him and asked him to marry her. He didn't knew how be express his emotions except his grumpiness almost about everything but I liked how he went through an impressive character development. He is still a grumpy alpha but for Zephyr he would do anything 🫠 literally ANYTHING!


“He needed her kiss to make it through, like she was salvation for his sins.”



╰┈➤ 𝙕𝙚𝙥𝙝𝙮𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙡𝙥𝙝𝙖

They are the most underrated couple in this series and maybe its because of how normal their dynamics were when they met again. Zephyr and Alpha complement each other so well. They fit so perfectly in each other lives even with their polar opposite personalities. Zephyr is the sunshine or as Alpha says a Rainbow to his dark life. She might have lived a comfortable and lovely life but she always knew of the struggles and brutal life he went through. Alpha didn't knew what gentleness and love was after he lost his mother at a very young age and Zephyr was exactly what he needed to feel all those things again in his life. She brought all the love, comfort, warmth and joy in his life with her jovial personality and the way he made her feel like she's just the smallest and the most beautiful in the world for him with his small and little actions like carrying her and picking her up. It was just so sweet and adorable 🥺💘


“You know how a rainbow is made?” Zephyr frowned. “When sunlight passes through a raindrop.” “My life has been nothing but gray for as long as I remember,” he told her softly. “Rainstorms and thunder clouds that never went away. You filtered through that, all bright colors and exuberance and life. And the clouds are still there, but my eyes can’t leave the rainbow long enough to see them. You changed things.”



I loved that she was always the one leading her relationship with Alpha. Her seducing tactics might seem funny at first but I admire her for how she just give give and give Alpha her everything without asking him for anything in return. I loved how they both just didn't helped each other grow but they learned to actually grow together. I loved that they both never gave up on each other. It took Alpha some time to actually accept his feelings for her but the moment he knew what she meant to him he literally went from a grumpy and ruthless man to a whipped and soft hearted one but only for Zephyr.


“But in the arms of the man she'd loved for years, would love for years, Zephyr felt herself being able to breathe. The gray won't be forever.”



I will never forgive RuNyx for that ending. How dare she broke my heart 😭 I just don't want to think about it again 😭

I'm so excited for Shadowman in next book. He's just so hot and mysterious you know....definitely my type 🤭



————————————

The ending of this book 😭❤️‍🩹 rtc

————————————
Marriage of convenience trope and He is her first love and first kiss but he doesn't remember her!?? So excited to be back in Dark verse world 🤭
Profile Image for Lindsey♡ (Semi-Hiatus).
152 reviews218 followers
September 21, 2024
“You’re a twisted beast. I’m a twisted beauty. We’re totally meant to be, handsome. It's written in the fairytales.”


I am so behind on my reviews for this series because I binge-read it and did not stop to even write them. Okay so I would have to say this one is my least favorite of the series. Not that anything was wrong with the book I just did not personally connect to Alpha and Zephyr the way I did Tristan and Morana or Danta and Amara. Since I could not really connect with these characters I wasn't as personally invested into the story line. However, the book was still enjoyable and Alpha and Zephyr brough a little bit of comedy to the dark series. Overall, it was still a fun read.

જ⁀➴Favorite Quotes
"He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted to smile before she jumped into his world, a burst of colorful explosions in the stark gray of his sky, a sprout of life blooming in the land of death, a festival in a field that had only witnessed funerals. And now that he���d experienced that, like an addict, he wanted more."

“Don’t look at me with those stars in your eyes, Zephyr. You’re fooling yourself if you think I’m anything but a beast under this skin.” Zephyr raised her wine glass to him. “Then the world needs more beasts like you.”

“I didn’t realize how much I missed your touch. You gave a starved man a feast every day until he forgot what hunger felt like, and then took it away.”



Pre-read Review Buddy reading with the bestie Bella❤️
Do I really need new characters?
I just want Tristan and Morana and Dante and Amara forever!
Book Four Here We Go!✨
Profile Image for EmBibliophile.
624 reviews1,922 followers
October 26, 2024
Re-read #2 (10/24/2024) 3.25 Stars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I’ve been such a fan of this series. I really enjoyed the first three books despite its minor flaws. My problem with this one tho, is that I’ve put a lot of expectations on it. I was highly anticipating Alpha’s story and was so looking forward to the marriage of convenience trope.

Then it ended up being so different from what I thought it would be. In a way that wasn’t so interesting and didn’t really work for them. Their relationship was kinda insta-lovey and it kinda lacked the development I needed to see.

I really liked the crumbs of seeing all the other characters and I want more of Xander oh and baby tempest is such a cute addition. Anyways, I’m still excited for the next book. Hopefully we’d get all the answers.

#1 The predator ~ 4.25 stars
#2 The Reaper ~ 4.5 stars
#3 The Emperor ~ 4.5 stars
#4 The finisher ~ 3 stars
Profile Image for luna_inthesouth.
141 reviews403 followers
January 22, 2024
Ate this one up!!!! In one sitting!!!
Istg i never see these twists coming 😭
Profile Image for buket.
874 reviews1,348 followers
September 21, 2024
fav hero
fav heroine
fav plot
fav romance
fav back story
fav couple

in conclusion, my favorite dark verse book <3
October 15, 2024
‧₊˚ ┊ “𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚖. “𝚃𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚎.” 𝙷𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜. "𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚎."

★★.50 ┊ 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 🤧🤧

𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 𝘐’𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯.

°•*⁀➷ My first issue to start: I literally 𝑪𝑶𝑼𝑳𝑫 𝑵𝑶𝑻 relate to these characters, even the 𝑵𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑺 I couldn’t keep up with the Zephyr and Zennet. It was the first book that didn’t have the fmc coming from a rough past, but GIRL how could you be so bold and confident?! I literally could not with the whiplash Zephyr’s character gave me 😵‍💫

‧₊˚ ┊ “𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜. 𝙷𝚎’𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜.”

─ .✦ Also, please don’t get me started with how weirdly fast this book moved, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 20% 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠, 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩? Yet I feel like the rest of the book 𝙇𝙄𝙏𝙀𝙍𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙔 𝙉𝙊𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙒𝘼𝙎 𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙀𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂 🥱🥱 The last 15% of the book finally felt like a book that belonged in this series, but the rest of this book felt like 𝙁𝙇𝙐𝙁𝙁.

‧₊˚ ┊ “𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝚊𝚖 𝙸?” 𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚕 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚝, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚜. “𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝?” “𝚆𝚑𝚘. 𝙰𝚖. 𝙸?” 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍. “𝙼𝚢 𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍.”

╰┈➤^^ Please this quote made my ovaries want to shrivel up and fall off. 𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. I kept hearing mention that Alpha is such a “beast” but nothing really happened with his character?? 𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙞𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙫𝙞𝙗𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 🫣

°˖➴ The first three books in the series were just SO GOOD. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙃𝙐𝙉𝙂𝙍𝙔 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙄𝙏𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? Even if these characters felt like background characters I expected the book to give me more than just a really plain fmc, and a mmc that has amnesia and 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦? 😭

‧₊˚ ┊ “𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚊���𝚝𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸'𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝, 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛?”

─ .✦ Also, I don’t know if it’s just me but unlike the other three books which had character progression, direction and an ending this book didn’t really have any of that? Especially an ending?? 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒂$$ 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 🥴

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨┊🏹
› 𝕄𝕠𝕣𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕪 𝕄𝕖𝕟
› 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕜 ℝ𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖
› 𝕋𝕠𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕙𝕖𝕣, 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕚𝕖
› 𝕄𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕪/ℂ𝕣𝕚𝕞𝕖
› 𝕀’𝕧𝕖 𝕒𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦
› 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕘𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖

𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔
➵ 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℙ𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣 4★
➵ 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕖𝕣 5★
➵ 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔼𝕞𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕠𝕣 5★
➵𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕣 2.50 ★

𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔
જ⁀➴ This book just didn’t do it for me, really wish it did but every series has to have a one off (normally) and I’m hoping this is it and 𝑰𝑴 𝑺𝑶 𝑷𝑼𝑴𝑷𝑬𝑫 𝑭𝑶𝑹 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑵𝑬𝑿𝑻 𝑻𝑾𝑶 𝑩𝑶𝑶𝑲𝑺 𝑬𝑬𝑬𝑲!


‧₊˚ ┊ “𝙸'𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎. 𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚋𝚘𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝. 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚖𝚎."
Profile Image for Hoda.
207 reviews1,162 followers
September 14, 2024
” i’m not letting you go zephyr. My life has been nothing but gray as long as I remember. Rainstorms and thunder clouds that never went away. You filtered through all that,all bright colors and exuberance and life. And the clouds are still there, but my eyes can’t leave the rainbow long enough to see them. You changed things. And I’m not letting you go zephyr. Im not letting you go. Get that out of your head”


Runyx you’re so brilliant for connecting everything together omg. I loved it. Even though I predicted the plot and who the killer was she was still able to surprise me by this heartbreaking ending. i need you to pay for my therapy 🫵🏻 she actually made us think “oh this is going to be the lightest & fluffiest book in the series” because of zephyr sunshine and rainbow vibes but then she ripped our heart out by this ending 🤡

” I might not remember you” he whispered his lips almost at hers. “ but you’re my wife now. Mine. And i’d bathe this whole city in blood before I let you change that.”


alpha. runyx never fails to make me fall in love with any men she creates ( or women). He is so grumpy but also so soft from the inside. It took him a while to win me over especially with how mean and rude he was at the beginning and the way he treated zephyr but i guess I understand why he was acting like that. I loved the way he was struggling to understand why he was feeling this way towards zephyr and how it made him go crazy. How soft he become after that. It was so good seeing him open up and love again after his brutal and traumatizing past.

” I’m not going anywhere handsome. I’ve loved you as a boy, and i’d love you as a beast. All of you has always been loved by me”


Zephyr this woman omg i love her. She frustrated me at times but she was so funny and she made me laugh so many times. Her sunshine energy and her sassy comments made it so hard not to love her. She’s so kind and sweet and helps people and support them. She so determined and confident, she doesn’t shy away from what she wants ( the mastermind plan she made to make aloha fall in love with her again ). It was so refreshing reading about her and how relatable she was at times. As i said she frustrated me a-lot at first because she was the one who was giving and giving and giving to make the relationship work even tho I understand why she did it. i wanted her to distance herself from him for sometime to make him realize what he was doing to her to her. I was so happy when she did it at the end because it made him realize what he did. ✋🏻

” he needed her kiss to make it through, like she was salvation for his sins”


alpha&zephyr before i read this i saw them getting a-lot of hate so i went to this excepting to hate them too but surprisingly i didn’t and I don’t know why they get this hate. They were so adorable. The way he was so protective over her and was always seeking her company because she brought light and sunshine to his life. And she was also so protective over him which was so cute because she is literally small and can’t even kill a fly if she wanted to 🤭 i wanted more flashbacks of them tbh but the ones we got were so cute. The dreams he wanted to make for her when he was rich and how he made them without even knowing. The way he suddenly started to love cuddling with her after saying that he doesn’t love cuddling. It was the little things that made them so adorable and made me love them 🤍

” we’ll be okay, won’t we, handsome?”
“The gray won’t be forever, rainbow”
“No, it wouldn’t be. In the arms of the man she loved for years, would love for years, zephyr felt herself being able to breath. The gray won’t be forever”


Reading this with sabrina was the best thing ever. Thank u for reading it with me bestie 🤍 can’t wait to read the next one with u too🤭🤭
Profile Image for Roxy.
85 reviews56 followers
November 2, 2024
dnf'd it the last time I was in a slump, im still in the worsttt slump :( but gotta complete the series before book 6
August 31, 2024
this is easily the worst book of the series. i saw the twist coming from a mile away.
seriously, you can skip this book and you'll miss nothing vitalio (pun intended)

i'm gonna say something really controversial here: the only reason RuNyx is popular is because amongst this era of repeated, reused and recycled stories; she is the only one writing dark romance with a thick plot of mystery weaved through the series and a sprinkle of erotica on top; BUT actually, her books have average writing, the smut is cringe and the twists are just for the sake of shock factor that come out of nowhere and make no sense just for the sake of being unpredictable. her men are the blandest piece of ominous silence though her heroines are quite alright. and booktok is crazy about her because she is amongst the first ones to popularize this genre of dark erotic thriller and 5 years later when we'd have gotten more authors in this genre, people are gonna realise that her books were mediocre at best and BOOM! she'll be the new colleen hoover.

that being said, The Emperor is still an amazing fucking book and tristanmorana are not that bad either. AlphaZephyr on the other hand were the most underwhelming, yawning, pretentious pieces of dogshit 🤡
Profile Image for stel ⁴⁴⁴.
22 reviews316 followers
June 4, 2023
GIVE ME MY BRAINCELLS BACK BECAUSE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WAS THIS SHIT?! How did we go from pure excellence (danteamara) to this… The main fmc was so fucking annoying and way too desperate and horny for the mmc’s dick and the mmc was so quirky because he fractured a woman’s hip during sex because his dick is too big. 💀

Also, her nickname “rainbow” constantly made me cringe!!! I would fr kms if a guy ever called me rainbow. The one star is solemnly for dante only
Profile Image for Yana.
104 reviews7,807 followers
June 29, 2024
My least favorite out of the series so far. I didn’t like Zee nor Alpha if I’m being honest. The whole relationship seemed weird to me, at at times even pathetic. Alpha needs to either step it up or f*ck off, Zee needs to relax a bit.
Profile Image for Arini.
857 reviews2,072 followers
July 2, 2023
2.25 stars (cringe)

unlike the first 3 books this one had all most of my fave tropes, but none of it was done well. the H served, but the h was so cringey i cant. 💀

— it was second chance, but the context in which the MCs shared a past was ambiguous. there were no flashbacks to show how they met & formed a connection. as a result, the romance was insta love (mostly from the h).

— it was marriage of convenience with an unconventional twist because it was the h who proposed. she was persistent, but it read as clingy, needy, desperate, and embarrassing.

— the H had amnesia. he couldnt remember that he had known the h from his life before. unfortunately, this subplot had no running thread (only used as a plot device). the H never regained his memories about the h.

— the H had more restraint than the h which i liked. on the other hand, the h was so eager & hungry for the Hs love that even the slightest attention from him had her all wet & ready and bEggiNg to suck his mOnsTer cock.

i swear i didnt come here to hate read. i went in with no expectations. yet no matter what, seems like i cant win with this series/author. 😩

(read as an audiobook)

my thoughts on:
#1 The Predator — 2.75 stars (good bad)
#2 The Reaper — 2.25 stars (bland)
#3 The Emperor — 2.5 stars (bad bad)
Profile Image for Emma.catherine.
540 reviews39 followers
October 15, 2024
"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." -William Shakespeare

In all honesty, despite, or maybe because of my pure enjoyment of the previous books, I was nervous to read this one. Solely because the synopsis sounded somewhat different from the previous 3 books. This book wasn’t about the characters I had come to know and love…this one was about Alpha and Zephyr; an unknown entity. However, I felt I owed it to myself and the series to give it a go…

Maybe it’s my connection with being in and out of hospitals so much but I was surprised how quickly I connected with Zephyr. Pleasantly surprised. The introduction to this instalment is set in a hospital, 18 years ago! Zephyr, aged 10, lying in a hospital bed opposite an elderly lady (Alpha’s mum). Fast forward to the present day and we are met with another feisty girl in the mix 😈 She knew what she wanted and how to get it, yet Zephyr had a gentleness to her, a great memory and a huge heart ❤️

‘Hugs were her thing. People loved her hugs. If hugging was a contest, she'd surely be a runner-up. So she’d hug him. Every day, she’d hug him until he returned it, until he accepted that it was normal, until he began to crave it from her. She’d break down his defenses, one hug at a time.’ 🥰

Alpha on the other hand was another matter…There’s no hiding from it, Alpha started out cold. And fair enough, this strange woman had just suddenly thrown herself at him. He had no memory of the past…He was cautious. But day by day she would grow on him. One win after another. All in good time. She was there now, in his house (three tiered compound!!). That was the win of the day.

Despite his cold front, he was obviously a very kind hearted man. He not only built an empire to protect sex workers but also adopted 3 dogs that he’d found dumped in an alley. He couldn’t let them stay out crying in the cold and so he made a home for them. He was a protector.

"I want to eat your smile, sunshine," he said against her mouth. "Swallow it whole and light up my insides with it."

The characterisation of both of these main characters surprised me. In fact, this whole book swept me away. I was shocked at how quickly RuNyx was able to develop these incredibly powerful and complex characters and create a grounded storyline surrounding them.

Furthermore, Zephyr’s relationship with her sister Zen is so precious. It makes me wish I had a sister to share things with. However, as Zephyr becomes more involved in Alpha’s life, I liked the way she slowly started to lean on other members of the wider family; particularly Amara. And of course, Amara always comes through with affection and compassion. And quickly what I feared the most - lack of OG character content - was eased…Alpha and Zephyr were to be expected at a celebration (keeping this spoiler free) held by Dante and Amara 🎉 Their cameo roles were definitely a favourite part of this book; what can I say, I still love the OG’s.

“And in the end, we were all humans, drunk on the idea that love, only love, could heal our brokenness." -Christopher Poindexter"

Overall, this book took me by surprise and I enjoyed it much more than I had anticipated. A very pleasant surprise to say the least. It also provided a good backdrop and some important scene setting for further exploration…I am honesty quite surprised that this instalment doesn’t get better reviews. On the one hand, I can see why - it is definitely different to the previous books, however, I can still see RuNyx writing coming through with strong characters and plot. But mannnnn I cannot wait for WHAT COMES NEXT 👀


🌟🌟🌟🌟
July 26, 2024
⋆⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ 3.75 ★ ୨୧ ‧₊˚⋅⋆

🌿𓍢ִ໋`˖˚You’re a twisted beast. I’m a twisted beauty. We’re totally meant to be, handsome. It's written in the fairytales.˚˖𓍢ִ໋`🌿
It's concerning how I finish one book a day in the middle of the busiest week ever. I'm so in love with this series. I don't know what type of drugs you put in this runyx but I'm fucking addicted to say the least 😭💚

➻❥ Zephyr

God, I love this woman with all my heart! She reminded me of myself so much it felt like I was looking in the mirror when I was reading about her in this book. In every other book the fmcs have gone through intense traumatic pasts but I love how the author portrays insecurities just as importantly. She's a curvy pink hair badass and I love her and how she held her head high knowing her value even though everyone by her side besides her sister and alpha tries to bring her down. And on top of that she's the biggest girl's girl to exist. Not only does she feel confident herself but empowers every woman to feel just as confident. she's such a woman and I love her for it. This girl deserves the gold chest at the end of the rainbow, and I couldn't be prouder of her!

🌿𓍢ִ໋`˖˚She loved too much, trusted too easily, got hurt too often, and maybe she needed to harden herself. But she would lose the essence of who she was if she did, and so she never did. Feeling hurt was more acceptable than feeling dead.

She wished emotions were like flowers, pretty and color-coded so she could pick and choose which ones she wanted at what time.
˚˖𓍢ִ໋`🌿

➻❥ Alpha

Alpha survived the storms life threw at him, but he believes he is not capable of love or has the capacity for it...until a certain pink haired, flower dress princess and the rarest gem seeks him out for no explainable reason, especially 'cause nothing about him is approachable, the underworld beast. He fought for himself and built a whole empire promising safety of s3x workers, and I respect him so much for it. Not only did he build everything by himself with nothing but he's doing something this world doesn't have the guts to and I love him for that. I do wish we got more of his pov but I still appreciated this man so so much. also, PLEASE! he has an eye patch - like pirate shit - im lowkey swooning!

🌿𓍢ִ໋`˖˚I don't know if I'll ever remember anything. I don't know if what I feel is love. I don't know what the future holds. But I know I want you by my side. I know I don't want to forget you now.

I didn’t realize how much I missed your touch. You gave a starved man a feast every day until he forgot what hunger felt like, and then took it away.
˚˖𓍢ִ໋`🌿

➻❥ The finisher

They are the softest couple among all the books and I'm not complaining. Their love story was just as precious. The rainbow one didn't know they need in their life until it's taken away, leaving u in gray hues. she's that rainbow, and she lighted his world up because even though he can't remember her, he was hers in the past, present, future and she's on a mission to make him never forget it.

🌿𓍢ִ໋`˖˚Who am I? - What? - Who. Am. I.? - My husband. - Who are you? - Your wife. - Mine ˚˖𓍢ִ໋`🌿
Profile Image for Sanyah(Taylor’s Version).
220 reviews250 followers
February 1, 2023
1/22/2022: After much reflection: it’s 4 stars

I really like Alpha and his bois. I would LOVE to live at his palace. The men in these series just does it for me.

Can’t wait for the next book!



*******
So at this point I’m going to give this book no rating.

Only because it really depends on Tristan’s sister because I thought that was Zenith.

I throughly enjoyed it until that scene with the two sister and Hector. I hate Hector. That’s all for now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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