Sokolov Brothers Series by Leslie North

Viktor Sokolov doesn’t know if he should make love to his beautiful new wife… or kill her. Growing up with a father who held a high position in the Russian mob, Alexandra Volkin was thrilled when her parents signed a contract promising her to a Russian mob boss, even though she’d never met him. All she’d ever wanted was to be the powerful woman of a man everyone respected. So, when her intended is murdered and she is promised to another, Alexandra is nearly unfazed... moreViktor Sokolov doesn’t know if he should make love to his beautiful new wife… or kill her. Growing up with a father who held a high position in the Russian mob, Alexandra Volkin was thrilled when her parents signed a contract promising her to a Russian mob boss, even though she’d never met him. All she’d ever wanted was to be the powerful woman of a man everyone respected. So, when her intended is murdered and she is promised to another, Alexandra is nearly unfazed. One mob boss is as good as another. Besides, she can’t deny the strong attraction she feels for Viktor. Alexandra learned at a young age that sex equals power, and she’s about to exert a heavy dose of power on her new, coldly distant husband. It’s not long, though, before she learns Viktor believes her father murdered his own. Through a dark twist of fate, Viktor marries the woman intended for his murdered father—and his lovely bride’s own father is the likely murderer. As the saying goes, though, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. It’s not so big a sacrifice when your enemy is your sexy new wife. Viktor doesn’t have the stomach for the brutal violence his father exacted on his enemies, but it’s almost a certainty that his wife’s father killed his own father, and that leaves him with little choice. Yet, while he can ignore his pretty wife’s pleas, and her insistence that her father is innocent… ignoring how she makes him feel is a whole different challenge. There isn’t a going to be a happily ever after for the two of them. Unless, that is, she can prove her father’s innocence. less

Elena Popov would do anything for her ruthless father—including assassinate Viktor Sokolov, her best friend Alexandra’s husband. She’ll have no problem with this request, in fact, as Alexandra was forced to marry him. Elena will simply be rescuing her friend from a cruel mob boss. Pretending she’s defecting, Elena heads to the Sokolov compound, escorted by the most maddening and distracting man she’s ever met. It’s almost as if Roman Garinovich was created just to get under her skin... moreElena Popov would do anything for her ruthless father—including assassinate Viktor Sokolov, her best friend Alexandra’s husband. She’ll have no problem with this request, in fact, as Alexandra was forced to marry him. Elena will simply be rescuing her friend from a cruel mob boss. Pretending she’s defecting, Elena heads to the Sokolov compound, escorted by the most maddening and distracting man she’s ever met. It’s almost as if Roman Garinovich was created just to get under her skin. Still, Elena won’t let Roman stop her from completing her deadly task. There’s just one hitch: Alexandra really loves Viktor, and killing him will crush her. Torn between her loyalty to her father and her best friend, Elena continues to plot, trying to ignore the growing instinct telling her to spare Viktor’s life—and also working to ignore her growing attraction to Roman. Roman doesn’t believe a word that comes out of Elena’s mouth, however, and he’s not about to let his guard down around her. Deep in his gut, he knows something’s not right about her story… but that doesn’t stop him from acting on his unwelcome attraction to her. Even as he lets Elena into his heart, though, he knows she’s not all that she seems. When he discovers her true reason for being in the Sokolov compound, he’ll have to choose between the woman he loves and his deep loyalty to his friend. As danger swirls around Elena and Roman, the question becomes whether they can learn to trust not only each other, but what’s in their hearts. less

Kostya “Mad Dog” Sokolov has earned his reputation as a ruthless enforcer for the Russian mob. Cold, menacing, and driven, he has long ago dismissed any softness that might have been inside of him. And since his father was murdered, he’s wanted only one thing: revenge on the man who did it. The best way for Kostya to flush out his prey—Anatoly Popov—is to follow Popov’s daughter, Maya... moreKostya “Mad Dog” Sokolov has earned his reputation as a ruthless enforcer for the Russian mob. Cold, menacing, and driven, he has long ago dismissed any softness that might have been inside of him. And since his father was murdered, he’s wanted only one thing: revenge on the man who did it. The best way for Kostya to flush out his prey—Anatoly Popov—is to follow Popov’s daughter, Maya. What Kostya doesn’t count on is getting knocked out and forgetting why he’s in London or how he ended up in the flat of a beautiful woman. But once he remembers his mission, he realizes the only thing standing in his way is a pretty girl with a too-big heart. A pretty girl who’s the daughter of the man he’s vowed to kill. Maya has rejected everything about her father since learning at a young age that he’s a brutal mob boss. She’s changed her last name to Orlov and set about creating as much distance between her and the Russian mob as she possibly can. So, when she discovers that the man she’s rescued outside her London flat—the man she’s falling for—is her father’s greatest enemy, she’s torn. She hates her father, but she hates the violence surrounding her family even more. How can she allow Kostya to carry out his plan? And, at the same time, how can she resist Kostya when his kisses make her weak-kneed and his touch makes her wish for a life that she can never have? less