What He Craves Review

By Kat Steele

From the Back

The most dangerous stray you'll ever take in won't have four legs. He'll have a Russian accent, a little girl's hand in his, and the Bratva at his back.

I run a shelter in Savannah. I care for the broken, the abandoned, the ones everybody else gave up on. So when a man calls about a dog for his daughter, I figure it's a normal Tuesday.

I could not have been more wrong.

Alexei Agapov sweeps the room before his eyes ever land on me. Ice-blue stare. Tattoos curling out of his collar. Every warning my mama ever gave me, wrapped up in one sinful package.

So naturally, I reach into my pocket to show him my kennel notes – and hand him a dog treat.

(In my defense. He's very distracting.)

It's his daughter who undoes me. Ivy. Six years old. A laugh that fills the room. And a father who looks at her like she's the only soft thing left in his world.

She comes back. Week after week. For a while, it's easy to pretend Alexei is just a mysterious rich guy with a quiet daughter.

But then they come for Ivy.

They don't get her, but she’s too shattered to let anyone near. Anyone but me.

So I follow her behind his gates – into the one place her father can keep her safe. I can resist a dangerous man. But a broken heart that needs a second chance? Never.

I keep telling myself it’s temporary. That I can care about Ivy and still walk away.

I'm lying. About every part of it.

Because in Alexei's world, love is leverage.

And no one can know I’m carrying his child.

What You Get

• single-dad mafia romance

• touch her & die

• sunshine x grumpy

• slow-burn

Review

I really enjoyed reading this story that follows Maggie and Alexei. The bantering between them was really great and entertaining. I really enjoyed Ivy. She was so fun to see and her interacting with the animals at the shelter were too cute. The side characters in the book are hilarious, especially Jules, Maggie’s best friend and assistant at the shelter. Even Roman, Alexei’s older brother, is a great secondary character although he isn’t funny, but he understands and acts as a voice of reason for Alexei. The plot was interesting enough to keep the story moving. I am looking forward to the conclusion in the next book in the duet. This was the an entertaining, quick read and I will be reading more books by this author. I recommend for the readers who love single-dad mafia men, slow-burn, and animals with personalities.