Cruel Savior (Ruthless Arrangements #1) by Lilith Vincent

 

I saved his life. Now he owns mine. I've lived my whole life in a golden cage, the captive daughter of a powerful Mafia don. When my father arranges my marriage to Vincenzo Vici, a cold-blooded assassin from a rival family, it's a death sentence. For both of us. Because my father uses our engagement to slaughter the Vicis and take their territory. But he makes a grave error. He doesn't kill the most dangerous Vici of Vincenzo himself. I've never met my intended fiance, so when I stumbled upon a handsome, bloodied stranger being tortured in a laundromat in the middle of the night, I follow my instincts and save his life. Big mistake. The man I saved is Vincenzo Vici, and when he discovers I'm the woman who led his family to slaughter, I realize there are circles of hell my father never showed me. Vincenzo should kill me. He wants to kill me. Instead, he decided to make me pay in a different way - by holding me to our arranged marriage and exacting his revenge on me. But Vincenzo isn't the monster I expected. His ruthless kisses light up my soul. His darkness is a dangerous addiction. And when my father hands me poision and orders me to finish what he started, I'm caught between two impossible loyalty to my own blood, or devotion to the darkness that sets me free. Cruel Savior by Lilith Vincent was published February 25th, 2026. This is the first book in Ruthless Arrangements series. 

I was given this book for my honest review from Lilith Vincent and The Smuthood. Let's talk about the cover first. The cover of this book is amazing! I feel like this character really brings out the character in the book. It also really drew me to the book so well done on the cover Lilith. Okay, let's talk about this book. This book is grade AMAZING! I could not put this book down for the life of me. I lost many hours of sleep reading this book. This book had the drama, had the romance, had the twist and turns. It had me crying and had me squealing in giddiness. The plot of this book is perfection and I felt like there was nothing that I needed to know more about. It had the perfect amount of background that gave you some answers but yet was not over running the whole book. The smut scenes are tame for a Dark Romance but still hot with tension. The tension between the two main characters is there from the first few chapters that make you want to fan yourself. The two characters are well written. I really like how the author wrote the Mafia princess in this book. You can tell that she was shelter from certain things and yet how she also suffered from abuse. She acted how a person would act if she was abused most of her life. I absolutely loved this book. I cannot wait till the second book comes out in May. 

Quotes that I Loved 

"Where do you think you're going, my pretty little Savior?" 

"You're getting off on this? There are bodies right there. We're both soaking in their blood." 

"Doe knows how to handle herself, Zia. First time I met her, she brained me with a baseball bat." 
"Was that before or after you kissed her?"
"After."
"Damn, you need to work on your technique." 

"Eyes on me. I want to see your face when you come on my cock. Want to watch you fall apart for me." 

Ruthless Arrangement Series

1. Cruel Savior 

2. Forbidden Vow (May 6th, 2026) 

Tropes

Mafia 

Enemies to Lovers

Arrange Marriage 

Virgin

Dark Romance 

Slow Burn 

He Falls First 

A Long Time Coming (Cane Brothers #3) by Meghan Quinn

 

A witty take on a romantic comedy classic, My Best Friend's Wedding. Steamy, laugh-out-loud, and full of charm, these two best friends heat up the pages while proving true love might be right in front of you. Have you ever heard of a man-in-waiting? Yeah, neither has my best friend's soon-to-be monster-in-law. Ooo, sorry, I meant mother-in-law. Nor has she heard of the term, what the bride wants, the bride gets. With wedding planning underway and short timeline, my best friend, Lia, has recruited me to help her battle the snarly beast that is Mrs. Beaver. Not scared at all, I accept the challenge as her man-in-waiting--aka, man of honor--and take matters into my own hands. The only problem is, but now...I find myself staring a touch too long. My hand lingering for one more minute. And when she's upset? Allowing her to sleep in my bed. And before I know what's happening, it hits me like a ton of bricks. I'm in love with my best friend. Not just in love, but infatuated. A Long Time Coming by Meghan Quinn was published in January 2023. This is book three of Cane Brother series. This book was nominated for Goodreads Choice award for Best Romance in 2023. 

I read this book awhile ago so bare with me. I cracked up laughing through this whole book. So far I haven't found a book by Meghan Quinn that hasn't given me a case of laughter. I loved Breaker in the other books but often found him shy compare to the other two brothers. But in this book he really shined and I learned a lot about him and more about his family. I loved that this was a best friend romance and could see how the relationship between Breaker and Lia was already formed when the book started. They already had secret jokes and could know when the other was having a rough day. But I could totally see where this book was leading when Lia was already questioning her wedding to her fiancé. Both characters were so well rounded and I loved that you were able to see the whole story through both of their eyes. As a lot of what was happening was in their heads and yet they were saying different things. The dialogue in this book was the right fit, it wasn't too much and wasn't too little. It had the right flow that helped break up descriptions and when the characters were in their heads. The humor in this book was spot on. This book showed how their relationship changed and grew into falling in love. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend all of the Cane Brothers series. 

Cane Brothers Series

1. A Not So Meet Cute

2. So Not Meant to Be

3. A Long Time Coming 

Quotes That I Loved 

"Your mustache is offensive. I'm pretty sure it would make even the most randy of women go dry." 

"You know, I've never had a girl tell me that I possess the uncanny ability to dehydrate the nether regions of the female race with just my facial hair." 

"He doesn't deserve her. He's not good enough." 

"You're in love with your best friend, and you just finally realized it." 

"Jesus fucking Christ....Fuck, I think I like her."

"Nah, man. You love her. End of discussion." 

"Fuck, if you were my fiancee, my wife, I'd never let you leave the bedroom. Your voice would be hoarse from every fucking orgasm I gave you." 

"I want my girl to be desperate, needy, and begging for me, so when she does take me in her mouth, she worships it. Just like I would worship her aching pussy." 

"Your pussy deserves to be tongued, consumed, and fucked so hard that you can't walk the next day." 

"What if he doesn't want to fuck me?"

"Then he's not the man for you because, Lia...you deserve to be fucked. Just like you deserve to be worshipped. Hard." 

"I love you too much to be happy to love you less."

Tropes

Friends to Lovers 

Billionaire

He Falls First 

Rom Com 

Slow Burn

Hunted (SEAL Endgame #1) by Leslie North

 

Former Navy SEAL Clint Backwater just wants to keep his head down and mind his business. So when a beautiful, young mother arrives at his gun range desperate to buy a weapon, he knows he has a problem. No way he can sell a gun to someone as frantic as Leila Ortiz. But he feels driven to protect the terrified woman and her child, at all cost. With her abusive ex-husband released from prison, Leila will do whatever it takes to keep her baby safe. She wants a gun, not a protector. But when Leila wants and what she needs are two different things. And it isn't long before she finds herself falling for the honorable former SEAL...And falling hard. Hunted by Leslie North was published in September 2019. This is the first book in SEAL Endgame series. 

This book was a pleasant surprise. I have read a lot of military romance theme books and some of the books can feel repetitive. This one had it's own idea that I haven't seen yet in the books that I have read in the past. The two characters Clint Backwater and Leila Ortiz are a little flat with I wanted more personality but it was easy to over look especially as the book went I felt like they needed some umph in their personality. Also thought that Clint would be more freaking out about the mess in his house after he said he liked to keep his place clean. Also thought that Leila might chew his head off if he made any comments about it. It was a little too soft on that aspect. Though, I really enjoyed the plot in this story. I thought it flowed really well and there was no long slow parts that were hard to trudge through which is a huge plus. The smut isn't very spark inducing which is normal for a lot of military books I have read. Though, I wish there were more. Also I wanted to see more interaction between Clint and Thomas (Leila's little boy). All all its a wonderful book and can't wait to read book 2. 

Quotes That I Loved 

"The way you let your fear override the joy in your life. You keep your head down and your heart locked away, thinking that's the best way to keep it safe, but in reality, all it does is make you sad, lonely, miserable man when you could have so much more." 

"She's not your wife. And maybe if you treated her like the queen she is when you had the chance, she never would've left you. How about we settle this man to man? Or are you going to hide behind the women." 

SEAL Endgame series 

1. Hunted 

2. Guarding His Pretend Wife

3. Guarding His Unexpected Twins 

Tropes

Men in Uniform - Military

Single Parent 

Terms and Conditions (Dreamland Billionaires #2) by Lauren Asher

 

Declan is destined to become the next CEO of his family's media empire. The only problem? His grandfather's inheritance clause. Fulfilling his dying wish of getting married and having an heir seemed impossible until his assistant volunteers for the job. Their marriage was supposed to be the perfect solution to his biggest problem. But the more they act in love for the public, the more unsure Declan feels about their contract. Caring about Iris was never part of the deal. Especially not when breaking her heart is inevitable. Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher was published in February 2022. This is book two in the Dreamland Billionaires series. This book was nominated for Goodreads Choice Award for Romance in 2022. 

Let's talk about the two characters in this book first. I fell in love with Iris and her quick thinking. I wanted to high five her for trying to help Declan out. But also I loved how she didn't let Declan ruin her life. Also her friendship with Declan's little brother was so funny. She had her faults and strength. It was interesting to see how her faults came to play with her own relationships. Declan, I hated in book one and the start of this book. I didn't want to like him and his mean remarks. But, like in book one we know what the kids went through to be the way they are. You slowly seem to see the soft side of Declan that he hides from everyone. The plot in this book is amazing that I read this book in a day. I did not want to put it down and fell in love with both characters. I wanted to fight their fight. The smut in this book is to die for. There was not too much that is was overpowering but just the right amount for me. I highly recommend checking out this book after book one. 

Quotes That I Loved 

"Special is the last word I would use to describe you." 

"You're trying to tell me that you're engaged to Declan Kane? Willingly? 

"Is it so hard to believe?"

"No. Not really, to be honest." 

"Declan and I could be the last two people on Earth and I would still choose my vibrator over him." 

"I never asked for an increased paycheck, but since you so generously offered..."

"Well played."

"Thank you sir. You taught me everything I know." 

"I finally found the perfect way to shut you up...All I need to do is keep your mouth permanently occupied." 

Whoever this man is, he must be a figment of my imagination. There's no other explanation for the backward ball cap, athletic pants, and T-shirt speckled in powdered sugar. 

"Welcome to the dark side --we have liquor." 

"Jose does have a way with words."

"Who the fuck is Jose?"

"Nobody important."

"Good, then at least no one will miss him when he's dead."

"I'm enjoying the view."

"Says the man who hasn't even looked outside once."

"That's not the view I'm talking about." 

"What are you doing?"

"Helping my wife."

"You're growing a bit too comfortable with that nickname for my liking."

"I use it to remind you of your place."

"And what's that?"

"Mine." 

"Daisuki"

"Szeretlek"

"Ich liebe dich" 

Dreamland Billionaires Series in Order

1. The Fine Print

2. Terms and Conditions 

3. Final Offer 

Tropes

Billionaire

Boss / employee

Fake Dating

Age Gap

Grumpy Sunshine

Forced Proximity 

The Fine Print (Dreamland Billionaires #1) by Lauren Asher

 

Rowan is in the business of creating fairy tales. Theme parks, production companies. Five-star hotels. Everything could be his if he renovated Dreamland. His initial idea of hiring Zahra was good in theory, but then he kissed heer. Things spiraled out of control once he texted her using an alias. By the time Rowan realized what went wrong it was too late. The Fine Print by Lauren Asher was published in December 2022. This is the first book of Dreamland Billionaires series. 

For some reason, I was avoiding to read the series. That's not saying every time I saw anything of of it on instagram, twitter, and booktok didn't draw me in it did. But I think the book cover just didn't draw me in further. Anyways, don't let the book cover throw you from this book. Let's talk about the two main characters. The two main characters are so different from each other. It's really opposites attract kind of thing. Rowan is trying to get his inheritance that his Grandpa gave him in his will. The only thing is that he and his brothers had to do exactly what Grandpa wants them to do. Lucky for Rowan he had to fix some things in Dreamland (AKA Disney) and then three people were voting whether or not it was good. He was stubborn and he had a lot of issues. Which you slowly find out through the book that it was because his Dad treatment of him as a kid. I really wanted to hate how Rowan was in this book but the more I learned about him the more that I started to like him. Then his gooeyness came out around Zahra and boom I loved him. Zahra is all sunshine and starbeams. She has an amazing family and loves Dreamland. She just doesn't like how Dreamland big wigs treat the people who make the magic work. She has many dreams and the old big wig (Grandpa) took her under his wing. Don't let sunshine and starbeams throw you off though as Zahra does have a little mean side and it comes out when she is protecting her Dreamland, family, and love. The plot in this book is amazing, I didn't feel like things were rushed at all in the book. But also did not feel like it was slow in parts. It had amazing pacing and I loved how backgrounds were woven in through the book. I highly recommend checking out this book. I can't wait to read book two. 

Quotes that I Loved 

"Well, this was the first big step in letting go of the past. Maybe it needed to happen like this."

"Yesterday you said fate was a fool's way to avoiding plans." 

"Don't tell me you're referring to Mr. Kane. He wouldn't know a good mood if he was overdosing on Valium." 

"You better have a massive dick to back up that attitude or else people will be mighty disappointed." 

"Care to bring out a ruler and test your theory?"

"I left my magnifying glass at home, so maybe tomorrow." 

"Are you always this impossible?"

"I don't know. Are you always this much of an asshole?" 

"Take a breath. I'm not in the mood to call ambulance when you pass out and crack your head open."

"How dare I consider for a second that you would would catch me before that happens."

"That requires caring and I'm fresh out of fucks to give." 

"You don't want me to help you with that problem?"

"Take a man out to dinner first." 

"Does my pussy count?"

"Fuck" 

"Do you plan on staring at me all night or are you going to get on with the show?"

"I like the view." 

"I'd like mine better if your face was between my legs." 

"You're mine." 

Dreamland Billionaires Series in Order

1. The Fine Print

2. Terms and Conditions 

3. Final Offer 

Trope

Grumpy Sunshine

Billionaire

Boss / employee

Slow Burn

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