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Dark Verse #3
The Emperor
What happens when a legacy of ruin mates with a realm of blood?
Heir to the notorious Tenebrae Outfit, Dante Maroni has been trained since birth. A silent rebel in the shadows, he has learned to hide his ruthlessness under his charm, his brutality under his suits, and his love for one woman under his silence. Infiltrating the Syndicate responsible for the missing children, Dante discovers information that shatters his reality and forces him to trigger a lethal game.
Daughter of the Maroni housekeeper, Amara has loved Dante for longer than she's known it. Abducted and tortured at the young age of fifteen, she loses herself, her life, and her home as she knows it. Years after, unknowingly protected, she's found some semblance of normalcy when her world collapses again, forcing her to join the game.
Mysteries are unraveled. Secrets are discovered. And their young love is transformed, replaced by a deep intimacy, power, and survival.
The reluctant king and inevitable queen play.
An empire of death is born.
Heir to the notorious Tenebrae Outfit, Dante Maroni has been trained since birth. A silent rebel in the shadows, he has learned to hide his ruthlessness under his charm, his brutality under his suits, and his love for one woman under his silence. Infiltrating the Syndicate responsible for the missing children, Dante discovers information that shatters his reality and forces him to trigger a lethal game.
Daughter of the Maroni housekeeper, Amara has loved Dante for longer than she's known it. Abducted and tortured at the young age of fifteen, she loses herself, her life, and her home as she knows it. Years after, unknowingly protected, she's found some semblance of normalcy when her world collapses again, forcing her to join the game.
Mysteries are unraveled. Secrets are discovered. And their young love is transformed, replaced by a deep intimacy, power, and survival.
The reluctant king and inevitable queen play.
An empire of death is born.
443 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 6, 2021
About the author
RuNyx
10 books13.2k followersUSA TODAY and international bestselling author, RuNyx enjoys creating universes and setting them on fire. She loves to travel, wants to adopt a dog before 30, and learn different languages. When she's not writing, she's reading, traveling, meditating, daydreaming, and most of all, procrastinating.
Even though she's intensely private, she shares a strong bond with her readers. Her favorite part about writing is knowing that it has somehow changed somebody's day in some corner of the world for the better.
Join her newsletter tribe for all updates and stalk her on her social media (although she's self-admittedly most active on Instagram).
Website ➡️https://runyxwrites.com
Newsletter ➡️ tinyurl.com/runyxnewsletter
Instagram ➡️ instagram.com/authorrunyx
Reader Group ➡️ facebook.com/groups/runyx
Even though she's intensely private, she shares a strong bond with her readers. Her favorite part about writing is knowing that it has somehow changed somebody's day in some corner of the world for the better.
Join her newsletter tribe for all updates and stalk her on her social media (although she's self-admittedly most active on Instagram).
Website ➡️https://runyxwrites.com
Newsletter ➡️ tinyurl.com/runyxnewsletter
Instagram ➡️ instagram.com/authorrunyx
Reader Group ➡️ facebook.com/groups/runyx
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,107 reviews
September 18, 2022
♾/5⭐️ this felt like the 3rd season, with 24 episodes, of the best tv show on the planet. just when i thought this series couldn’t get any better, it fucking did. this is my top in the series so far. i fucking flew through this book like it was my last day on earth. my eye sockets burned and melted reading this so fucking fast. i’m not even fucking joking like i can barely see myself write out this review so excuse the typos if there are any. this is hands down one of the top, if not the top book i’ve read this year. yeah it’s that good.
you don’t know what forbidden love is and how absolutely heart wrenching and devastating and beautiful it is until you’ve read this book. Dante and Amara’s love for one another isn’t just the fiercest thing i’ve read but most ferocious.
i went from reading scenes that had me swooning to crying on the floor ready to throw this book all the way to the moon only for me to catch it back and continue reading. Dante and Amara’s souls are cosmically intertwined and destined to be together in any lifetime.
Dante…omg i want this man to serenade me..bro that dirty talk?!? i didn’t know words could be stitched together like that. he’d say the most filthiest things and my back arched like a cat’s. the vile and wicked things i’d do to get this man in my blood stream…if he was real, he’d have a restraining order against me.
Amara was such a refreshing pov to read from. she’s literally so relatable and reads romance too?!! like @ me already. her bravery and courage was admirable to read about. i legit was balling my eyes out, snot dripping down my nose, crying and trembling over the shit she went through and the way she still ended up the baddest bitch in the bunch.
i literally don’t know how tf can i ever read another book ever again after reading this masterpiece?!
you don’t know what forbidden love is and how absolutely heart wrenching and devastating and beautiful it is until you’ve read this book. Dante and Amara’s love for one another isn’t just the fiercest thing i’ve read but most ferocious.
i went from reading scenes that had me swooning to crying on the floor ready to throw this book all the way to the moon only for me to catch it back and continue reading. Dante and Amara’s souls are cosmically intertwined and destined to be together in any lifetime.
Dante…omg i want this man to serenade me..bro that dirty talk?!? i didn’t know words could be stitched together like that. he’d say the most filthiest things and my back arched like a cat’s. the vile and wicked things i’d do to get this man in my blood stream…if he was real, he’d have a restraining order against me.
Amara was such a refreshing pov to read from. she’s literally so relatable and reads romance too?!! like @ me already. her bravery and courage was admirable to read about. i legit was balling my eyes out, snot dripping down my nose, crying and trembling over the shit she went through and the way she still ended up the baddest bitch in the bunch.
i literally don’t know how tf can i ever read another book ever again after reading this masterpiece?!
January 11, 2024
╰┈➤ #3 read - december 2023 ➵ ♾️♾️ stars
i’ve come to the conclusion that this is my favorite book in the whole world. whenever i read this book it feels like i can finally breathe again. this book is my air, and it’s my favorite fucking kind of oxygen. i go somewhere completely else when i’m reading this book, and it’s literally my kind of magic. i can’t even begin to explain my love for this book, or dante and amara with words. they have a special place in my heart, if not my whole ass heart. they’re story and journey it’s both heartbreaking and beautiful, and it makes me feel. i will forever be thankful for this book, because the things this book has done to me when i felt like absolute shit is incredible, this book will always pick me up, even if i’m at my lowest. i cannot wait for more people tohopefully fall in love with dante and amara like i did. ngl i was kinda scared to read this book again, because what if i didn’t love it as much as the first and second time. but that wasn’t the case, i actually love it more each time i read it, and i already can’t wait to read this book again. as i said in my review on the first book in this series “the predator” this series is a comfort series to me. but especially this book, because reading about dante and amara felt like coming home. and i can’t explain why i feel as i feel with these two, but i can try.
this book takes us back in time. where we see and get to know little amara and little dante, and we get to know their story right from their first interaction. this book is split up in three parts, and what those three parts are about you’ll have to find out yourself. normally i’d hate that, but it’s written in a way where i actually don’t mind. because it’s not really a time jump from chapter to chapter. we start right from scratch, and then slowly move on from that, along with dante and amara themselves.
side note; as i said in my previous review, please do yourself a favour and go into this series as blind as you can. don’t search it up on social media, because there can be some spoilers ! the first time i read this series, i went in blind, and it was amazing ! because the plots are gonna be plotting. which is why i’m not gonna do a summary, just read the back of the book <3
characters:
amara rossi
my precious bbygirl. amara is such a woman, and she’s the love of my fucking life ! my connection to amara gets stronger each time i reread, she’s such an amazing and strong character. i can see so much of myself in her character, and some parts of her journey. she is one of my favorite fmc’s. amara went through a lot, from a very young age, but exactly what, you’ll have to find out yourself. her character development is so admirable, and i absolutely adore her. amara became the person she needed the most, and that is one of my favorite things in the whole world. atp i don’t know if i want to be her, or want to be with her. her character has a special effect on me, because i can just see her bloom through the pages, and it’s just one of the most beautiful things ever. i just wanna run into her arms and hug the shit out of her, because she’s such a safe place for me.
dante maroni
my man, my man, my man. i’m so in love with dante. now don’t get me wrong, he has some flaws, but he always makes up for them. he is a mobster, but he’s actually a “golden retriever”with a dirty mouth, for his woman. dante’s character is well mannered, doesn’t curse around ladies, as emotionally healthy as mobster can be, acts like an adult, can communicate, can admit to his own mistakes, doesn’t shy away from his feelings, etc. this man is actually perfect. when dante was little, he actually wanted to be a sculptor, and i don’t know why i find that so attractive, but oh well here we are. and as if he wasn’t perfect enough already he also wears reading glasses, as i said; this man is perfect. i think i could talk about dante for hours, and not even stutter. it’s safe to say, that i fell completely in love with his character all over again. and i truly don’t blame little amara for crushing on him, because i’d probably faint if he so much as looked at me. there’s also just something comforting about dante’s character for me, that i can’t explain. the way dante protects the people he loves is the most precious thing ever, he truly deserves the world and more.
⎯ when dante calls amara; “my lady”, “my queen” etc. i always fall just a little harder for him,believe it to not, it’s possible, when you begin to understand the reason why. no matter how many times i read this book i’ll always start to bawl my eyes out reading the scene where dante explains what his back tattoo is, because it’s matched to amara’s scares so it looks like a dragon that’s spewing fire when they stand beside each other. there is just something about this book, that there isn’t in the other books in this series, it just touches my heart. dante and amara was always there for each other, even when they couldn’t physically. dante helped amara through her trauma, in the most beautiful ways. and amara could read dante just by looking into his eyes. these characters are written so perfectly to me, and i completely connect with them, what they feel i feel. these two have the cutest, but also must heartbreaking story. they’ve known each other since they were little, there’s so much more to it than that tho, but read the book ! and they’ve been through so much together, and would honestly do everything and anything for each other. dante and amara literally complements each other so fucking well, like they’re actually perfect for each other. i can’t really go into depth about them, because then i’d have to spoil somethings a little, and i don’t want to do that. dante and amara is my favorite couple of the year along with evajacks. i’ll honestly never get enough of them, and i will be rereading this sometime again soon. dante and amara just makes me believe in love. i hear them in every love song, beautiful or heartbreaking. my heart and soul truly belongs to danteamara.
how i look when i suddenly in my everyday life remember when amara woke up with dante between her legs:
in my opinion an infinity star rating is the only right thing for this book. i love this book and danteamara more than i love lifebad comparison since i actually hate life, but you know what i mean. their story just deserves an infinity star rating, no discussions or questions about that. and i’ve actually seen a few mixed reviews on this book, and i’ll shamelessly say, that i don’t agree. everyone has their own opinions tho but like you're wrong.
・❥・ i’d also just like to write a little love letter to runyx for giving me danteamara. the way she has written this book is just so incredible and admirable, the story, journey, characters touch my heart in way i didn’t think was possible. this book is literally my favorite place to be in the entire universe. when i’m holding it in my hands i feel like i’m holding my whole heart in my bare hands. so thank you runyx for giving me this book ! like tristan said; “you need to find something or someone to live for” this book is my something, and danteamara is my someone. when that’s said i will be sending runyx some therapy bills, because i’ve got books to buy so i can’t just use all my money on therapy.
favorite moments and quotes:
“Don’t ever lose your heart, my baby.”
“But in that moment she was just a girl and he was just a boy, and somehow, their broken pieces matched.”
“A small smile while her eyes were in a nightmare.”
“She became his person. She became his.”
“Dante had become something like the sun. She waited every day to feel his warmth, if only just for a few minutes before the clouds returned. But as long as she had the sun, the clouds were bearable.”
“Her torture had been written on her skin and stained on her mind.”
“I will kiss you and brand myself upon your heart, Amara. Just make sure you’re ready for me to.”
“You’re the beat to my heart, Amara.”
“He always had a bit of my heart, but I’m not that girl anymore. My heart isn’t the same anymore. This new heart, it doesn’t just love him, Ma. It beats for him.”
“Ask me to kiss you.”
“Kiss me.”
“What if I get hurt?”
“Then, I’ll kiss your scares.”
“He didn’t know when he fell in love with Amara. He just did.”
“He didn’t think she knew how much he loved her voice. In his world of gunshots and screams, her voice was a gentle prayer, evidence that there was life after the endless noice.”
“You’re in my blood, beating in my fucking heart. The only way you go is when the heart stops.”
“You and I, Amara we will never be anyone else’s.”
“Lie back.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
“Did you just quote The Princess Bride while I’m trying to seduce you?”
“You never have to try, Amara.”
“You’re the queen on the board, Amara. You’re my most powerful piece, but my most vulnerable. They get you, they get me, and the game is over.”
“Home. He felt like home.”
”There was no other Dante for her, and she knew there was no other Amara for him.”
“Amara, baby, look at me. Give me your beautiful eyes.”
“Fuck I want to kiss you right now.”
“Get yourself out of the chair first, badass.”
“We may not be husband and wife to the world but I have been married to you in my heart for eight years.”
“You should’ve known not to run from me, crazy girl. I would chase you to the ends of this earth.”
“You’re the beat to my heart, Dante.”
“And you’re mine.”
”He had memorized her like his favorite song.”
“You’re my magnum opus, Amara. And I am your humble servant.”
“No. You are my emperor.”
song; say you won't let go by james arthur
♫ “And I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old”
“Just say you won't let go” ♫
⤷ dante and amara 🫀
spotify playlist; the emperor: dante and amara
(the link only works on laptop tho)
tropes; mafia romance, age gap, childhood crush to lovers, forbidden romance, she fell first he fell harder, touch her and you die
╰┈➤ #2 read - november 2023 ➵ ♾️ stars
╰┈➤ #1 read - may 2023 ➵ 5 stars
“𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝘼𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙖. 𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙞𝙩. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙞’𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙝𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙢. 𝙄 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
i’ve come to the conclusion that this is my favorite book in the whole world. whenever i read this book it feels like i can finally breathe again. this book is my air, and it’s my favorite fucking kind of oxygen. i go somewhere completely else when i’m reading this book, and it’s literally my kind of magic. i can’t even begin to explain my love for this book, or dante and amara with words. they have a special place in my heart, if not my whole ass heart. they’re story and journey it’s both heartbreaking and beautiful, and it makes me feel. i will forever be thankful for this book, because the things this book has done to me when i felt like absolute shit is incredible, this book will always pick me up, even if i’m at my lowest. i cannot wait for more people to
this book takes us back in time. where we see and get to know little amara and little dante, and we get to know their story right from their first interaction. this book is split up in three parts, and what those three parts are about you’ll have to find out yourself. normally i’d hate that, but it’s written in a way where i actually don’t mind. because it’s not really a time jump from chapter to chapter. we start right from scratch, and then slowly move on from that, along with dante and amara themselves.
side note; as i said in my previous review, please do yourself a favour and go into this series as blind as you can. don’t search it up on social media, because there can be some spoilers ! the first time i read this series, i went in blind, and it was amazing ! because the plots are gonna be plotting. which is why i’m not gonna do a summary, just read the back of the book <3
characters:
amara rossi
my precious bbygirl. amara is such a woman, and she’s the love of my fucking life ! my connection to amara gets stronger each time i reread, she’s such an amazing and strong character. i can see so much of myself in her character, and some parts of her journey. she is one of my favorite fmc’s. amara went through a lot, from a very young age, but exactly what, you’ll have to find out yourself. her character development is so admirable, and i absolutely adore her. amara became the person she needed the most, and that is one of my favorite things in the whole world. atp i don’t know if i want to be her, or want to be with her. her character has a special effect on me, because i can just see her bloom through the pages, and it’s just one of the most beautiful things ever. i just wanna run into her arms and hug the shit out of her, because she’s such a safe place for me.
“𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙨 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.”
dante maroni
my man, my man, my man. i’m so in love with dante. now don’t get me wrong, he has some flaws, but he always makes up for them. he is a mobster, but he’s actually a “golden retriever”
“𝙂𝙤𝙙, 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙩. 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚.”
⎯ when dante calls amara; “my lady”, “my queen” etc. i always fall just a little harder for him,
how i look when i suddenly in my everyday life remember when amara woke up with dante between her legs:
in my opinion an infinity star rating is the only right thing for this book. i love this book and danteamara more than i love life
・❥・ i’d also just like to write a little love letter to runyx for giving me danteamara. the way she has written this book is just so incredible and admirable, the story, journey, characters touch my heart in way i didn’t think was possible. this book is literally my favorite place to be in the entire universe. when i’m holding it in my hands i feel like i’m holding my whole heart in my bare hands. so thank you runyx for giving me this book ! like tristan said; “you need to find something or someone to live for” this book is my something, and danteamara is my someone. when that’s said i will be sending runyx some therapy bills, because i’ve got books to buy so i can’t just use all my money on therapy.
favorite moments and quotes:
“Don’t ever lose your heart, my baby.”
“But in that moment she was just a girl and he was just a boy, and somehow, their broken pieces matched.”
“A small smile while her eyes were in a nightmare.”
“She became his person. She became his.”
“Dante had become something like the sun. She waited every day to feel his warmth, if only just for a few minutes before the clouds returned. But as long as she had the sun, the clouds were bearable.”
“Her torture had been written on her skin and stained on her mind.”
“I will kiss you and brand myself upon your heart, Amara. Just make sure you’re ready for me to.”
“You’re the beat to my heart, Amara.”
“He always had a bit of my heart, but I’m not that girl anymore. My heart isn’t the same anymore. This new heart, it doesn’t just love him, Ma. It beats for him.”
“Ask me to kiss you.”
“Kiss me.”
“What if I get hurt?”
“Then, I’ll kiss your scares.”
“He didn’t know when he fell in love with Amara. He just did.”
“He didn’t think she knew how much he loved her voice. In his world of gunshots and screams, her voice was a gentle prayer, evidence that there was life after the endless noice.”
“You’re in my blood, beating in my fucking heart. The only way you go is when the heart stops.”
“You and I, Amara we will never be anyone else’s.”
“Lie back.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
“Did you just quote The Princess Bride while I’m trying to seduce you?”
“You never have to try, Amara.”
“You’re the queen on the board, Amara. You’re my most powerful piece, but my most vulnerable. They get you, they get me, and the game is over.”
“Home. He felt like home.”
”There was no other Dante for her, and she knew there was no other Amara for him.”
“Amara, baby, look at me. Give me your beautiful eyes.”
“Fuck I want to kiss you right now.”
“Get yourself out of the chair first, badass.”
“We may not be husband and wife to the world but I have been married to you in my heart for eight years.”
“You should’ve known not to run from me, crazy girl. I would chase you to the ends of this earth.”
“You’re the beat to my heart, Dante.”
“And you’re mine.”
”He had memorized her like his favorite song.”
“You’re my magnum opus, Amara. And I am your humble servant.”
“No. You are my emperor.”
song; say you won't let go by james arthur
♫ “And I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old”
“Just say you won't let go” ♫
⤷ dante and amara 🫀
spotify playlist; the emperor: dante and amara
tropes; mafia romance, age gap, childhood crush to lovers, forbidden romance, she fell first he fell harder, touch her and you die
╰┈➤ #2 read - november 2023 ➵ ♾️ stars
╰┈➤ #1 read - may 2023 ➵ 5 stars
May 30, 2021
I don’t know where to start. I apologise for the freakin long review in advance, I just had things I needed to say! I just love how this series isn’t “stereotypical” its different in its storyline and the way it deals with certain situations. it’s also pretty clear that the author’s writing really improved here. This one was darker than the previous two, but still so emotional and so raw? Dante and Amara’s relationship was just so sweet? So strong? So real? Those two were just so perfect together.
“You’re the beat to my heart, Amara,”
I love Tristan. I really do, that man doesn’t talk much, but he knows how to make you love him. Now, I was surprised by how much I freakin loved Dante here. I mean I liked him before. But here? He just owned my heart without even trying. Let’s talk a little about how protective considerate loving and caring Dante is....
~ He is a mafia heir who listens to audiobooks in the early mornings while he sculptures.
~ He found a lost damaged boy and did every annoying thing he could do to befriend him. I loved him and Tristan’s bromance so much.
~ He gave her heels??? Amara suffered a traumatic event that made her unable to walk, so he used to carry her out everyday. And when she has healed, her balance was off so she couldn’t wear heels. He brought her heels and hold her hand and made her dance. (No not me getting emotional again)
“You’re not going to walk through life, Amara,” he uttered roughly, each word a vow that cemented itself in her heart. “You’ll dance through it. And I’ll fucking remove anyone who tries to break your rhythm. I promise you.”
~ He was so freakin understanding and caring and considerate. He didn’t rush her or push her. He moved with her pace.
“It works with you stopping me when you need to, and me stopping. Or you telling me to keep going, and me going on. Simple as that.”
“And if I keep stopping you?” she voiced the one fear she had.
“Then I stop. No questions.”
~ He kept fighting for her. For them. For a future he wasn’t sure of. But he still believed in them. And she believed in him. So they just kept their intense forbidden love hidden even if it was hard for both of them, but they still fought for each other.
“One day, I’m going to put my ring on that finger, Amara,” he grit out, pushing up another inch into her. “One day, I’m going to put my babies inside you. Just wait for me, baby. Please wait for me.”
~ After her exile, he got her a cat and left it in front of her house so she doesn’t feel lonely. She didn’t even know that the cat that kept her company and made her feel less alone was from him.
~ This...
“We both fucked up, Amara,” he told her, his eyes blazing. “And we’re both going to own up to it. And we’re both going to talk about this and forgive and move on. I’m not giving you a choice here. I didn’t work my ass off all these years for something trivial as lack of communication to break us.”
A man who can freakin communicate?? I never thought I would see someone who use communication to fix things. I thought those are rare species.
“In sickness in health, in life in death, in murder in mayhem, isn’t that how it goes?”
I also really loved Amara. She’s a freakin hero. I loved her sweet side. Her broken side. Her strong fighting side. She was so amazing. A true queen. I loved these two together so much. And I loved seeing the old characters here as well. And no you can’t make me chose between Tristan and Dante, I’ve decided that I want them both to be mine! Somehow, this series has become so special to me and uhhh I can’t wait for the next book!!
#1 The predator ~ 4.25 stars
#2 The Reaper ~ 4.5 stars
#3 The Emperor ~ 4.5 stars
Song recommendation:
Exile by Taylor swift ft. Bon Iver
Power by Isak Danielson
Love and war by Fleurie
Skulls by Bastille
February 2, 2024
—— 4.5 ✰ stars.
・❥・ Mood of the book:
: ̗̀➛ Prisoner by Rapahel Lake
: ̗̀➛ Far From Home by Sam Tinnesz
: ̗̀➛ A Drop in the Ocean by Ron Pope
: ̗̀➛ My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark by Fall Out Boy
I devoured this book lol. I ate it up and left no crumbs bitch. I am writing this without any kind of coercion from Siff(help please), who is going to murder me as soon as she sees the 4✰ stars, but no pain no gain.
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.
What I like about this series, which is what usually keeps me away from dark romance, is that the author does not romanticize SA, the main male characters, although they have gray morality, are not toxic in the sense of treating their partner badly. Runyx did that. AND THE PLOT. Plot be plotting for real, I have 10 bald spots on my head of how much hair pulling I did. ALSO THANK YOU SIFF FOR BEARING WITH ME IN THE PROCESS.
Now, why isn't this book a 5✰ star? We will have to talk about the plot first, since this book is the third, I can't say much without spoilers, so it will be very vague.
'You're in my blood, beating in my fucking heart. The only way you go is when the heart stops.’
This time we follow Dante and Amara, characters we already know from the first two books. The first 50% of the book tells us their past, from when they were children and adolescents to the final event of the second book. The other half continues the story.
Well, if it were just for the first part, the book would be hands down 5✰ stars, it had me hooked the entire time, despite already knowing parts of the story from the first books, it's just incredible and I was kicking my feet in the air and smiling like an idiot
'She was just a girl and he was just a boy, and somehow their broken pieces matched'
The second part was also incredible, but their romance didn't make me feel the same as in the first part, I cared much more about the plot and continuing to unmask all the secrets, which, by the way, left me with my ass and jaw on the floor.
'You're not going to walk through life, Amara, you'll dance through it. And I'll fucking remove anyone who tries to break your rhythm. I promise you.’
I LOVE MY BABIES WITH ALL MY HEART, I WILL DIE PUNCHING EVERYONE WHO HURTS THEM. Ok, after this attack of love aggression, let's continue.
No, but seriously, I loved both characters, they are both strong in their own way and the way they love each other is simply to die for. Runyx ate with Dante Maroni, and that's it. The way he loves, respects and cherishes Amara is beautiful, where can I find a man like that? NOWHERE.
'What if I get hurt?' 'Then I will kiss your scars'
Amara is the definition of a survivor, in every sense of the word, she is a strong woman, who despite the traumatic experiences she has had to go through, continues to see the light in people and in life, she deserves a hug.
'Despite being through everything she'd been through, walking through hell and fighting the demons in her mind, she still had a love for life that unmanned him. The most generous of hearts, the most steely of spines.’
This is going to be the moment when Siff will take a shovel to start digging my grave, but I wasn't very convinced by the smut in this book, I think it was a thousand times sexier in the previous books, I even skipped one or two scenes at the end. (GASP. I KNOW, GIRL I KNOW).
I loved them so much in this book, Tristan remembered that the vocal cords have a use and decided to use them, hooray for him. No, but seriously now, I loved reading about them through the eyes of Amara and Dante, and their story is going very well. Morana's brain is still the sexiest thing in the world and Tristan's acts of service are something to cry about and makes me want to hold him forever.
I don't have much to say about him except that he deserves protection and love, and that I love the representation of Asperger's in the book.
"Damien, this is Amara."
"Green Eye Girl," Damien said in an almost toneless voice.
Dante chuckled, turning to the side, casually leaning against the marble pillar. "Yeah, Green Eye Girl."
"Hello, Green Eye Girl," Damien said in that same toneless voice, moving a piece. "Are her eyes really the color of forests?"
"Why don't you see for yourself?" Dante dared him and looked at the board.
Damien glanced up at her, his dark eyes fleetingly coming to hers for two seconds, before he looked back at the board again, tapping his foot on the ground in sets of three.
Dante looked at him in surprise, before glancing at her. "He looked you in the eye."
‘Being a good person and doing good things weren’t always the same. Her hero could be the villain in someone else's story.’
‘He always had a bit of my heart, but I'm not that girl anymore. My heart isn't the same anymore. This new heart, it doesn't just love him, Ma. It beats for him.’
‘He didn't think she knew how much he loved her voice. In his world of gunshots and screams, her voice was a gentle prayer, evidence that there was life after the endless noise.’
‘You remember what I told you about chess pieces? That I didn't know what piece you were?’
‘Yes.’
He turned his neck to put his eyes on hers. ‘You're the queen on the board, Amara. You're my most powerful piece, but my most vulnerable. They get you, they get me, and the game is over.’
‘You're mine, Amara. Mine to cherish, mine to protect, mine to love. We may not be husband and wife to the world but I have been married to you in my heart for eight years. And no matter what comes at us, we will get through it together. We build our empire together. No more running. Promise me.’
‘Give me your dreams and your nightmares, your pleasure and your pain, your fantasies and your fears. Give me everything. And make me fucking yours, so everyone who looks at my ring knows I have you finally. Say yes, Amara.’
I really want to continue with the series, The Finisher is calling me from the shelf, but I know that if I get too involved in a series, I get slumped so bad, so it will have to wait a little, but soon, scout's word (I'm not a scout)
Dark verse series:
╰┈➤ The Predator , 4. ✰ stars.
╰┈➤ The Reaper, 4.5 ✰ stars.
╰┈➤ The Finisher , 4. ✰ stars.
╰┈➤The Annihilator , 3.✰ stars.
￫ Old updates:
jan 14: Im balder than vin diesel rn. I don’t know how to rate this book 😭😭. rtc
jan 13: if you saw me starting another book, no you didn’t. I just feel a dark romance will be easier to read during exams 🫡. AND DANTE MARONI BABY IM HERE FOR YOU 🥹🥹
‘So will you play with me, my queen?’ ‘Yes, I will, my king.’
・❥・ Mood of the book:
: ̗̀➛ Prisoner by Rapahel Lake
: ̗̀➛ Far From Home by Sam Tinnesz
: ̗̀➛ A Drop in the Ocean by Ron Pope
: ̗̀➛ My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark by Fall Out Boy
I devoured this book lol. I ate it up and left no crumbs bitch. I am writing this without any kind of coercion from Siff
'You are the beat to my heart, Amara'
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.
What I like about this series, which is what usually keeps me away from dark romance, is that the author does not romanticize SA, the main male characters, although they have gray morality, are not toxic in the sense of treating their partner badly. Runyx did that. AND THE PLOT. Plot be plotting for real, I have 10 bald spots on my head of how much hair pulling I did. ALSO THANK YOU SIFF FOR BEARING WITH ME IN THE PROCESS.
Now, why isn't this book a 5✰ star? We will have to talk about the plot first, since this book is the third, I can't say much without spoilers, so it will be very vague.
'You're in my blood, beating in my fucking heart. The only way you go is when the heart stops.’
ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ 𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖙ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ
This time we follow Dante and Amara, characters we already know from the first two books. The first 50% of the book tells us their past, from when they were children and adolescents to the final event of the second book. The other half continues the story.
Well, if it were just for the first part, the book would be hands down 5✰ stars, it had me hooked the entire time, despite already knowing parts of the story from the first books, it's just incredible and I was kicking my feet in the air and smiling like an idiot
'She was just a girl and he was just a boy, and somehow their broken pieces matched'
The second part was also incredible, but their romance didn't make me feel the same as in the first part, I cared much more about the plot and continuing to unmask all the secrets, which, by the way, left me with my ass and jaw on the floor.
ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ𝕯𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕬𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖆ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ
'You're not going to walk through life, Amara, you'll dance through it. And I'll fucking remove anyone who tries to break your rhythm. I promise you.’
I LOVE MY BABIES WITH ALL MY HEART, I WILL DIE PUNCHING EVERYONE WHO HURTS THEM. Ok, after this attack of love aggression, let's continue.
No, but seriously, I loved both characters, they are both strong in their own way and the way they love each other is simply to die for. Runyx ate with Dante Maroni, and that's it. The way he loves, respects and cherishes Amara is beautiful, where can I find a man like that? NOWHERE.
'What if I get hurt?' 'Then I will kiss your scars'
Amara is the definition of a survivor, in every sense of the word, she is a strong woman, who despite the traumatic experiences she has had to go through, continues to see the light in people and in life, she deserves a hug.
'Despite being through everything she'd been through, walking through hell and fighting the demons in her mind, she still had a love for life that unmanned him. The most generous of hearts, the most steely of spines.’
This is going to be the moment when Siff will take a shovel to start digging my grave, but I wasn't very convinced by the smut in this book, I think it was a thousand times sexier in the previous books, I even skipped one or two scenes at the end. (GASP. I KNOW, GIRL I KNOW).
ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ𝕿𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖓 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕸𝖔𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖆ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ
I loved them so much in this book, Tristan remembered that the vocal cords have a use and decided to use them, hooray for him. No, but seriously now, I loved reading about them through the eyes of Amara and Dante, and their story is going very well. Morana's brain is still the sexiest thing in the world and Tristan's acts of service are something to cry about and makes me want to hold him forever.
ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ𝕯𝖆𝖒𝖎𝖊𝖓 𝕸𝖆𝖗𝖔𝖓𝖎ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ
I don't have much to say about him except that he deserves protection and love, and that I love the representation of Asperger's in the book.
"Damien, this is Amara."
"Green Eye Girl," Damien said in an almost toneless voice.
Dante chuckled, turning to the side, casually leaning against the marble pillar. "Yeah, Green Eye Girl."
"Hello, Green Eye Girl," Damien said in that same toneless voice, moving a piece. "Are her eyes really the color of forests?"
"Why don't you see for yourself?" Dante dared him and looked at the board.
Damien glanced up at her, his dark eyes fleetingly coming to hers for two seconds, before he looked back at the board again, tapping his foot on the ground in sets of three.
Dante looked at him in surprise, before glancing at her. "He looked you in the eye."
ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ𝕾𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖖𝖚𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖘 𝖎 𝖊𝖓𝖏𝖔𝖞𝖊𝖉ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ
‘Being a good person and doing good things weren’t always the same. Her hero could be the villain in someone else's story.’
‘He always had a bit of my heart, but I'm not that girl anymore. My heart isn't the same anymore. This new heart, it doesn't just love him, Ma. It beats for him.’
‘He didn't think she knew how much he loved her voice. In his world of gunshots and screams, her voice was a gentle prayer, evidence that there was life after the endless noise.’
‘You remember what I told you about chess pieces? That I didn't know what piece you were?’
‘Yes.’
He turned his neck to put his eyes on hers. ‘You're the queen on the board, Amara. You're my most powerful piece, but my most vulnerable. They get you, they get me, and the game is over.’
‘You're mine, Amara. Mine to cherish, mine to protect, mine to love. We may not be husband and wife to the world but I have been married to you in my heart for eight years. And no matter what comes at us, we will get through it together. We build our empire together. No more running. Promise me.’
‘Give me your dreams and your nightmares, your pleasure and your pain, your fantasies and your fears. Give me everything. And make me fucking yours, so everyone who looks at my ring knows I have you finally. Say yes, Amara.’
I really want to continue with the series, The Finisher is calling me from the shelf, but I know that if I get too involved in a series, I get slumped so bad, so it will have to wait a little, but soon, scout's word (I'm not a scout)
Dark verse series:
╰┈➤ The Predator , 4. ✰ stars.
╰┈➤ The Reaper, 4.5 ✰ stars.
╰┈➤ The Finisher , 4. ✰ stars.
╰┈➤The Annihilator , 3.✰ stars.
￫ Old updates:
jan 14: Im balder than vin diesel rn. I don’t know how to rate this book 😭😭. rtc
jan 13: if you saw me starting another book, no you didn’t. I just feel a dark romance will be easier to read during exams 🫡. AND DANTE MARONI BABY IM HERE FOR YOU 🥹🥹
November 6, 2023
Perfect. Absolutely perfect 🥹🥹❤️🔥 Dante and Amara have my whole heart. If Tristan and Morana's journey was a five star read, Dante and Amara's is six stars.
I loved everything about this book. The sheer beauty of coping with the trauma inflicted on Amara, Damien and unfortunately Nerea was a ride. While we see two of them deal with it in a healthy manner, one of them goes down in a way I didn't see coming and although I felt hurt and emotional, it was surely a journey to read.
I went in with the thoughts of falling in love with Dante, and which I did. But it's Amara who took me by surprise and it's her who is the real hero of this book. I adored her and her heart. I loved the way she never gave up on herself or the way the world was. She fought back like a true warrior queen. Dante was obviously swoon worthy. The man can talk dirty 🥵 I loved how devoted he was to Amara. I loved how her love slowly grew on him in their teen years. Their journey from childhood to adults was worth reading. They never truly gave up on each other. Their struggle to get together was a tough one yet so satisfying at the end.
The plot twists were chef's kiss 🤌 I can't wait to see how the Dark verse unfolds in the next few books. I got my hopes high.
One thing that kinda irked me was we see Vin and Amara be the best of friends in the childhood and adolescent years but once Amara came back, I longed for their interactions. They didn't really talk? That bothered me a bit. But anyway... I would love to see more of Vin, and am guessing I will.
I loved Lulu. As someone who has pets of her own, I understand their value in times of darkness... I adored Dante as a cat dad too. Interesting to see how things developed with Xander and "Tempest" Yeah I ain't calling her that 😂
The ending was short and sweet with the bonus epilogue leaving me wanting for more 😩😩
~•~•~
Dante baby, am here for you finally 😍
Also, why is my paperback 93 pages shorter than the ones on GR? 😅
I loved everything about this book. The sheer beauty of coping with the trauma inflicted on Amara, Damien and unfortunately Nerea was a ride. While we see two of them deal with it in a healthy manner, one of them goes down in a way I didn't see coming and although I felt hurt and emotional, it was surely a journey to read.
I went in with the thoughts of falling in love with Dante, and which I did. But it's Amara who took me by surprise and it's her who is the real hero of this book. I adored her and her heart. I loved the way she never gave up on herself or the way the world was. She fought back like a true warrior queen. Dante was obviously swoon worthy. The man can talk dirty 🥵 I loved how devoted he was to Amara. I loved how her love slowly grew on him in their teen years. Their journey from childhood to adults was worth reading. They never truly gave up on each other. Their struggle to get together was a tough one yet so satisfying at the end.
The plot twists were chef's kiss 🤌 I can't wait to see how the Dark verse unfolds in the next few books. I got my hopes high.
One thing that kinda irked me was we see Vin and Amara be the best of friends in the childhood and adolescent years but once Amara came back, I longed for their interactions. They didn't really talk? That bothered me a bit. But anyway... I would love to see more of Vin, and am guessing I will.
I loved Lulu. As someone who has pets of her own, I understand their value in times of darkness... I adored Dante as a cat dad too. Interesting to see how things developed with Xander and "Tempest" Yeah I ain't calling her that 😂
The ending was short and sweet with the bonus epilogue leaving me wanting for more 😩😩
~•~•~
Dante baby, am here for you finally 😍
Also, why is my paperback 93 pages shorter than the ones on GR? 😅
March 30, 2023
"You’re not going to walk through life, Amara, You’ll dance through it. And I’ll fucking remove anyone who tries to break your rhythm. I promise you."
SOULMATES THAT'S WHAT DANTE AND AMARA ARE 😭❤️
Amazingly beautiful ✨���❤️ This book was so so beautifully written. I can't even articulate how much I love this book and this couple. It was just perfect. Dante and Amara's story was painful, beautiful, and very heartwarming for me to read. I didn't expected this much from this book but it really outdid every expectations I had from it. This book was a roller coster ride of emotions for me. One minute I was smiling and giggling and the other minute I was a sobbing mess because of what they both went through 😭 I was so intrigued by Dante and Amara when they both were mentioned in "The Predator" because I knew that they were a forbidden love and that they both loved each other since they were child, and it all had me excited for their book and "The Emperor" delivered it all.
The Emperor is the third book in Dark Verse Series. Well this book continues from where the "The Reaper" ended. But there are some scenes that were kinda repeated from the previous books in this series but from Amara and Dante's pov. This one is also written in third pov but has dual pov of both Dante and Amara. Some parts were really hard to read because of what Amara went through (CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS FIRST).
This one was much darker than the other two books because of the assault and torture that had happened to young Amara and all the dark secrets they found out about the Syndicte.
The story is divided into two parts. The first one is the childhood of Dante, Amara and Tristan and the second part is of the present where Dante and Amara love blossoms into something much more beautiful.
They were a forbidden love because Dante was the heir to the Outfit while Amara was the daughter of the servant of the Outfit. Their love was so pure in spite of all the darkness in their lives. It was so so beautiful 🥺 They both fought for each other, for their love and for their future. And they both deserve all the happiness 😭❤️ Dante and Amara are so precious for me 💖
I loved the teenage Amara, Dante and Tristan. Amara was so adorable and cute. And Dante a rebellious teenager who loved to messed with his fucked up father (but that didn't ended well for him). Tristan the dangerously adorable silent teenage boy. I bet he was cute but his silent glares would kill anyone. I just want more of teenage Tristan 🥲
Amara fell in love with Dante when she was just a ten year old girl. She thought that it was just a crush and that it would just pass. But nope, her whole live she only loved and longed for only one man. Dante Maroni.
It was so cute all those stolen glances and Amara giving cookies to Dante and the sweetness of their realtionship. Amara went through a lot when she was just a fifteen year old but Dante was there for her at every step of her recovery. Dante was her anchor.
It was just beautiful to watch him help Amara healing and all the while falling for her. Their friendship was so adorable 😭❤️ Tristan helped Amara too, he wouldn't speak to her much but his actions said all the things he couldn't say to her.
The second part of the book is set in the present day which still focuses on the mystery of The Syndicate and also discovering the truths about Amara's kidnapping. So much is happening in Dark Verse Series and hell everytime I think yesss yesss I know what is gonna happen next. RuNyx as always drops the bomb of some shocking truth or a hella lot complicated mystery. Well I think you just can't predict everything when you are reading RuNyx's books.
Dante Maroni "The Emperor"
This man god I don't have words for how much I love him😭💖 The way he talks and the way he cares for Amara is just 🤌😭. His fierce protectiveness for Amara and his loved ones. God, he is such a gentleman. He is sweet, kind, dangerous, respectful and a very hot dirty talker in the bed. But I'm not even complaining because Dante Maroni knows how to use his mouth at its best whether its talking or 👅😏 He even matched the structure of his dragon tattoo on his back to match her scars so that it looked like a dragon breathing fire across her back when they stood side by side 😭 He loves to listen to Audiobooks and is a fuckin' Potterhead. Are you kidding me !?! This man is just so perfect but fictional. This is so unfair god 🥲 He fought for the love of his life and for their future even though that war was against his father. Well his father was a shit hole.
One of my most favourite thing in this book was Tristan and Dante's buddy romance. Lol I am convinced they are besties but Tristan won't admit this truth 🤣 If I can sum up their friendship, Bromance it will be like......
Dante "Tristan you’re my buddy now 😁"
Tristan "piss off 🖕"
Amara Rossi "The Warrior Queen"
My best best girl 😭💕 she's so precious and deserves so so so much better. I'm so proud of her about how she dealt with her trauma and never let her assault and trauma to tear her apart. She has the purest and the most beautiful soul. She is not a broken beauty but she is a warrior queen. I will do anything for her just to see her happy 🥺 People thought that she's just so fragile because of her low voice and her kindness but they didn't know that she will kill you if you ever tried to mess with her loved ones. I love her so much 😭❤️
I loved the budding friendship between Morana and Amara and how both the women stood by each other's side whenever needed.
Tristan and Morana's relationship is also developing on a very healthy path. Hell Tristan is even thinking about honeymoon resorts because Morana keep showing those to him. He even gave Dante some relationship advice about how communication is good for relationships. Haha my man is totally whipped 🤣 There was this scene where Tristan was making pizza for Xander Ahhh I absolutely adore this duo 🥺 (I think there's more to know about Xander. He doesn't seems like a lost child who was just rescued by Tristan and Dante)
Tristan and Morana is still my favourite couple of this series and I don't think it will ever change in future. I love my Caveman and Wildcat 😌
There is always this tension between Lulu (Amara's cat) and Tristan 🤣 I bet Lulu just wants to know how Tristan feels but that man wouldn't even let her touch him and I know he would never let Morana adopt a cat because he knows there will be a tough competition between the cat and him 🤣
The ending was perfect ✨️. Dante and Amara had a wedding and they also had their baby girl Tempest Talia Ava Maroni 🥺💖 I know they are going to be amazing parents 😌 I was crying and giggling at that scene when Amara entered holding Tempest in her arms and Dante kissed his daughter's forhead and then kissed his woman. Ahhh they are so adorable and they deserve this 😭❤️
—Favourite Quotes—
➸ "You’re my magnum opus, Amara,” he told her, pressing his forehead against hers, “And I am your humble servant.”
“No,” she whispered, her words falling against his lips. “You are my emperor."
➸ "You are a fucking warrior queen, and I’m so proud of you."
➸ "You remember what I told you about chess pieces? That I didn’t know what piece you were?”
“Yes.” He turned his neck to put his eyes on hers. “You’re the queen on the board, Amara. You’re my most powerful piece, but my most vulnerable. They get you, they get me, and the game is over. So, I’ll do whatever I need to make sure they never get you."
➸ "In his world of gunshots and screams, her voice was a gentle prayer, evidence that there was life after the endless noise."
➸ "I will kiss you and brand myself upon your heart, Amara. Just make sure you’re ready for me to.”
➸ "You're in my blood, beating in my fucking heart. The only way you go is when the heart stops."
➸ "You're the beat to my heart, Amara."
➸ "Give me your dreams and your nightmares, your pleasure and your pain, your fantasies and your fears. Give me everything. Be my queen outside, and my filthy girl inside, And make me fucking yours, so everyone who looks at my ring knows I have you finally. Say yes, Amara."
➸ "You’re the queen on the board, Amara. You’re my most powerful piece, but my most vulnerable. They get you, they get me, and the game is over. So, I’ll do whatever I need to make sure they never get you."
➸ "He always had a bit of my heart, but I’m not that girl anymore. My heart isn’t the same anymore. This new heart, it doesn’t just love him, Ma. It beats for him."
God, I am already missing them 😭 And this book was not enough for me I need more of Dante and Amara. I just hope I'll get to read more about them in the next books in this series because I NEED MORE OF DANTE AMARA AND TRISTAN MORANA.
I am kinda intrigued about whoever this Shadowman is 👀 He is kinda sus......
Ahhh Dark Verse is one of the best series I have ever read (I know it's not completed yet but my decision is not gonna change). I dived into this series without any expectations but hell it is so so so fucking good 🔥😩
SOULMATES THAT'S WHAT DANTE AND AMARA ARE 😭❤️
Amazingly beautiful ✨���❤️ This book was so so beautifully written. I can't even articulate how much I love this book and this couple. It was just perfect. Dante and Amara's story was painful, beautiful, and very heartwarming for me to read. I didn't expected this much from this book but it really outdid every expectations I had from it. This book was a roller coster ride of emotions for me. One minute I was smiling and giggling and the other minute I was a sobbing mess because of what they both went through 😭 I was so intrigued by Dante and Amara when they both were mentioned in "The Predator" because I knew that they were a forbidden love and that they both loved each other since they were child, and it all had me excited for their book and "The Emperor" delivered it all.
The Emperor is the third book in Dark Verse Series. Well this book continues from where the "The Reaper" ended. But there are some scenes that were kinda repeated from the previous books in this series but from Amara and Dante's pov. This one is also written in third pov but has dual pov of both Dante and Amara. Some parts were really hard to read because of what Amara went through (CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS FIRST).
This one was much darker than the other two books because of the assault and torture that had happened to young Amara and all the dark secrets they found out about the Syndicte.
The story is divided into two parts. The first one is the childhood of Dante, Amara and Tristan and the second part is of the present where Dante and Amara love blossoms into something much more beautiful.
They were a forbidden love because Dante was the heir to the Outfit while Amara was the daughter of the servant of the Outfit. Their love was so pure in spite of all the darkness in their lives. It was so so beautiful 🥺 They both fought for each other, for their love and for their future. And they both deserve all the happiness 😭❤️ Dante and Amara are so precious for me 💖
I loved the teenage Amara, Dante and Tristan. Amara was so adorable and cute. And Dante a rebellious teenager who loved to messed with his fucked up father (but that didn't ended well for him). Tristan the dangerously adorable silent teenage boy. I bet he was cute but his silent glares would kill anyone. I just want more of teenage Tristan 🥲
Amara fell in love with Dante when she was just a ten year old girl. She thought that it was just a crush and that it would just pass. But nope, her whole live she only loved and longed for only one man. Dante Maroni.
It was so cute all those stolen glances and Amara giving cookies to Dante and the sweetness of their realtionship. Amara went through a lot when she was just a fifteen year old but Dante was there for her at every step of her recovery. Dante was her anchor.
It was just beautiful to watch him help Amara healing and all the while falling for her. Their friendship was so adorable 😭❤️ Tristan helped Amara too, he wouldn't speak to her much but his actions said all the things he couldn't say to her.
The second part of the book is set in the present day which still focuses on the mystery of The Syndicate and also discovering the truths about Amara's kidnapping. So much is happening in Dark Verse Series and hell everytime I think yesss yesss I know what is gonna happen next. RuNyx as always drops the bomb of some shocking truth or a hella lot complicated mystery. Well I think you just can't predict everything when you are reading RuNyx's books.
Dante Maroni "The Emperor"
This man god I don't have words for how much I love him😭💖 The way he talks and the way he cares for Amara is just 🤌😭. His fierce protectiveness for Amara and his loved ones. God, he is such a gentleman. He is sweet, kind, dangerous, respectful and a very hot dirty talker in the bed. But I'm not even complaining because Dante Maroni knows how to use his mouth at its best whether its talking or 👅😏 He even matched the structure of his dragon tattoo on his back to match her scars so that it looked like a dragon breathing fire across her back when they stood side by side 😭 He loves to listen to Audiobooks and is a fuckin' Potterhead. Are you kidding me !?! This man is just so perfect but fictional. This is so unfair god 🥲 He fought for the love of his life and for their future even though that war was against his father. Well his father was a shit hole.
One of my most favourite thing in this book was Tristan and Dante's buddy romance. Lol I am convinced they are besties but Tristan won't admit this truth 🤣 If I can sum up their friendship, Bromance it will be like......
Dante "Tristan you’re my buddy now 😁"
Tristan "piss off 🖕"
Amara Rossi "The Warrior Queen"
My best best girl 😭💕 she's so precious and deserves so so so much better. I'm so proud of her about how she dealt with her trauma and never let her assault and trauma to tear her apart. She has the purest and the most beautiful soul. She is not a broken beauty but she is a warrior queen. I will do anything for her just to see her happy 🥺 People thought that she's just so fragile because of her low voice and her kindness but they didn't know that she will kill you if you ever tried to mess with her loved ones. I love her so much 😭❤️
I loved the budding friendship between Morana and Amara and how both the women stood by each other's side whenever needed.
Tristan and Morana's relationship is also developing on a very healthy path. Hell Tristan is even thinking about honeymoon resorts because Morana keep showing those to him. He even gave Dante some relationship advice about how communication is good for relationships. Haha my man is totally whipped 🤣 There was this scene where Tristan was making pizza for Xander Ahhh I absolutely adore this duo 🥺 (I think there's more to know about Xander. He doesn't seems like a lost child who was just rescued by Tristan and Dante)
Tristan and Morana is still my favourite couple of this series and I don't think it will ever change in future. I love my Caveman and Wildcat 😌
There is always this tension between Lulu (Amara's cat) and Tristan 🤣 I bet Lulu just wants to know how Tristan feels but that man wouldn't even let her touch him and I know he would never let Morana adopt a cat because he knows there will be a tough competition between the cat and him 🤣
The ending was perfect ✨️. Dante and Amara had a wedding and they also had their baby girl Tempest Talia Ava Maroni 🥺💖 I know they are going to be amazing parents 😌 I was crying and giggling at that scene when Amara entered holding Tempest in her arms and Dante kissed his daughter's forhead and then kissed his woman. Ahhh they are so adorable and they deserve this 😭❤️
—Favourite Quotes—
➸ "You’re my magnum opus, Amara,” he told her, pressing his forehead against hers, “And I am your humble servant.”
“No,” she whispered, her words falling against his lips. “You are my emperor."
➸ "You are a fucking warrior queen, and I’m so proud of you."
➸ "You remember what I told you about chess pieces? That I didn’t know what piece you were?”
“Yes.” He turned his neck to put his eyes on hers. “You’re the queen on the board, Amara. You’re my most powerful piece, but my most vulnerable. They get you, they get me, and the game is over. So, I’ll do whatever I need to make sure they never get you."
➸ "In his world of gunshots and screams, her voice was a gentle prayer, evidence that there was life after the endless noise."
➸ "I will kiss you and brand myself upon your heart, Amara. Just make sure you’re ready for me to.”
➸ "You're in my blood, beating in my fucking heart. The only way you go is when the heart stops."
➸ "You're the beat to my heart, Amara."
➸ "Give me your dreams and your nightmares, your pleasure and your pain, your fantasies and your fears. Give me everything. Be my queen outside, and my filthy girl inside, And make me fucking yours, so everyone who looks at my ring knows I have you finally. Say yes, Amara."
➸ "You’re the queen on the board, Amara. You’re my most powerful piece, but my most vulnerable. They get you, they get me, and the game is over. So, I’ll do whatever I need to make sure they never get you."
➸ "He always had a bit of my heart, but I’m not that girl anymore. My heart isn’t the same anymore. This new heart, it doesn’t just love him, Ma. It beats for him."
God, I am already missing them 😭 And this book was not enough for me I need more of Dante and Amara. I just hope I'll get to read more about them in the next books in this series because I NEED MORE OF DANTE AMARA AND TRISTAN MORANA.
I am kinda intrigued about whoever this Shadowman is 👀 He is kinda sus......
Ahhh Dark Verse is one of the best series I have ever read (I know it's not completed yet but my decision is not gonna change). I dived into this series without any expectations but hell it is so so so fucking good 🔥😩
February 20, 2024
❛❛“you” thrust “are” thrust “mine”.❜❜this quote is i c o n i c.
i wasn’t expecting Dante & Amara’s romance to navigate the plot-line it had. i love how their second chance romance wasn’t shaped through the conventional trope that is used and recycled in one too many romances i’ve encountered. i’m honestly in awe with RuNyx’s writing style, brain and plots. i’m in love with the way her plume could always pull the surprise element. every time my naïve brain thinks it has the entirety of the chess board in place, RuNyx pulls new, impromptu pieces into the narrative.
•i ended up highlighting the hell out of this book because this author is a freaking poet. here’s some of my favorite quotes 🥺:
“you’re the beat to my heart, Amara.”
“and you’re mine,” she replied, her voice barely audible, her words tattooed on his skin.”
“they were lovers and friends, strangers and acquaintances, all those things, none of those things.
they just were.”
“you’re not going to walk through life, Amara,” he uttered roughly, each word a vow that cemented itself in her heart. “you’ll dance through it. and I’ll fucking remove anyone who tries to break your rhythm. I promise you.”
“she had always been there, and Dante had never noticed like a man never noticed the light of the sun until he went blind.”
“maybe, they were both the same beats.
maybe, theirs was the same heart.”
“her hero could be the villain in someone else’s story.”
———
THEY BETTER BE AS FIRE AS MOARANATRISTAN
November 8, 2022
I absolutely love Dante in the first 2 books but in this one, he became my husband and true love.
The way he cared Amara right from the beginning was heartwarming.
First it was on a friendship more protective level but THEN AHHHHH.
The way he cared Amara right from the beginning was heartwarming.
First it was on a friendship more protective level but THEN AHHHHH.
December 20, 2023
3.75 stars
Could they be any more perfect and strong? They're a literal warrior couple! I love them both so much as characters and their dynamic together. ♥️
Amara — My heart hurts for what she's been through. I knew I'd like her after reading The Predator. She was so sweet yet so strong, I loved how she fiercely protected herself and her unborn child. I truly respect her; she's literal WIFE MATERIAL.
Dante — He's the greenest red flag ever! Listen to me, this man is perfect! Not at all like other mafia men! He's not shy to express his feelings, needs, and unafraid to show affection. He's vulnerable at times and had an amazing personality in TP & TR. The way he cared for Amara and gradually fell in love with her by taking care of her. His words of affirmation, his respect for her boundaries, and how over the years he learned what gestures she's comfortable with— I'M TRULY IN LOVE. If not for the story, then read this book for Dante. 🥺💕
"In his world of gunshots and screams, her voice was a gentle prayer."
➤ It was so freaking sad when I realized that in Amara's inner monologue she used to say how PITCHED her voice gets whenever someone talks to her about Dante, and then she lost that voice and it's not pitched anymore. 💔 It freaking hurts.
➤ The reason for 3 stars — TristanMorana's story gradually evolved (glaring and too much glaring were part of their slow burn), so their relationship was more detailed. Since this book was a standalone, the past chapters were quite rushed. I mean it's good that the author didn't bother repeating certain scenes from Book 1 and 2, but I still would've loved Amara's POV on those scenes or what Dante thought when he first met Morana. A lot of scenes made me curious, and I wanted to know. The past years went by, but I didn't really enjoy how DanteAmara's secret relationship was told: weeks went by, months went by, years went by, and then bam! 7 years.not really impressive. 😭
➤ If this book had less smut (which I started skimming because after 2 or 3, it was boring to me) and focused more on the progress of their relationship, I would've enjoyed it more.
TristanMorana CAMEOS! 😭💕 I didn't realize how much I love them before reading these cameos. While reading this book I started pretending to be Morana, which is weird asf, but I enjoyed that, and I even made a huge, long imaginary scenario of how Morana tried to plead with Tristan to get a CAT! 🥺😂 Hsksk I already read the bonus chapter, and AAAAGHHH TRISTAN SAID HE'D LET HER BUY A CAT 🦋🦋🦋 and Xander 🥹
"You have a cat?" Morana blinked. "That’s adorable. Can we get a cat?" She looked up at Tristan. "No."
➤ Nerea is a bitch! Just because her pain was more than Amara's doesn't mean she didn't suffer. I kind of started doubting her when she came into the outfit. I knew she would be a spy for something, and I'm still suspicious of Vin. I love him. He's amazing, and he's so pretty in my imagination?! 🤡 I'll be sad if his character becomes bad in the other books.
➤ I can't wait to know about this Syndicator! I do think that it's someone CLOSE. Because, you know, sometimes the authors shock us with someone we already know. Hsjsjs, I don't know right now. Amara's mom? Too nice 💀 and well, none other is that important. Chiara is only Tristan's lizard ex.
RATINGS:
• The Predator – 3 stars
• The Reaper – 4 stars
• The Emperor – 3.75 stars
• The Finisher – 3.5 stars
• The Annihilator – 3.75 stars
"You’re the beat to my heart, Amara."
Could they be any more perfect and strong? They're a literal warrior couple! I love them both so much as characters and their dynamic together. ♥️
Amara — My heart hurts for what she's been through. I knew I'd like her after reading The Predator. She was so sweet yet so strong, I loved how she fiercely protected herself and her unborn child. I truly respect her; she's literal WIFE MATERIAL.
Dante — He's the greenest red flag ever! Listen to me, this man is perfect! Not at all like other mafia men! He's not shy to express his feelings, needs, and unafraid to show affection. He's vulnerable at times and had an amazing personality in TP & TR. The way he cared for Amara and gradually fell in love with her by taking care of her. His words of affirmation, his respect for her boundaries, and how over the years he learned what gestures she's comfortable with— I'M TRULY IN LOVE. If not for the story, then read this book for Dante. 🥺💕
"In his world of gunshots and screams, her voice was a gentle prayer."
➤ It was so freaking sad when I realized that in Amara's inner monologue she used to say how PITCHED her voice gets whenever someone talks to her about Dante, and then she lost that voice and it's not pitched anymore. 💔 It freaking hurts.
➤ The reason for 3 stars — TristanMorana's story gradually evolved (glaring and too much glaring were part of their slow burn), so their relationship was more detailed. Since this book was a standalone, the past chapters were quite rushed. I mean it's good that the author didn't bother repeating certain scenes from Book 1 and 2, but I still would've loved Amara's POV on those scenes or what Dante thought when he first met Morana. A lot of scenes made me curious, and I wanted to know. The past years went by, but I didn't really enjoy how DanteAmara's secret relationship was told: weeks went by, months went by, years went by, and then bam! 7 years.
➤ If this book had less smut (which I started skimming because after 2 or 3, it was boring to me) and focused more on the progress of their relationship, I would've enjoyed it more.
TristanMorana CAMEOS! 😭💕 I didn't realize how much I love them before reading these cameos. While reading this book I started pretending to be Morana, which is weird asf, but I enjoyed that, and I even made a huge, long imaginary scenario of how Morana tried to plead with Tristan to get a CAT! 🥺😂 Hsksk I already read the bonus chapter, and AAAAGHHH TRISTAN SAID HE'D LET HER BUY A CAT 🦋🦋🦋 and Xander 🥹
"You have a cat?" Morana blinked. "That’s adorable. Can we get a cat?" She looked up at Tristan. "No."
➤ Nerea is a bitch! Just because her pain was more than Amara's doesn't mean she didn't suffer. I kind of started doubting her when she came into the outfit. I knew she would be a spy for something, and I'm still suspicious of Vin. I love him. He's amazing, and he's so pretty in my imagination?! 🤡 I'll be sad if his character becomes bad in the other books.
➤ I can't wait to know about this Syndicator! I do think that it's someone CLOSE. Because, you know, sometimes the authors shock us with someone we already know. Hsjsjs, I don't know right now. Amara's mom? Too nice 💀 and well, none other is that important. Chiara is only Tristan's lizard ex.
RATINGS:
• The Predator – 3 stars
• The Reaper – 4 stars
• The Emperor – 3.75 stars
• The Finisher – 3.5 stars
• The Annihilator – 3.75 stars
February 25, 2024
5 ⭐️
➢ spoilers are marked~
first, thank you to my love annie for making me read this series :( though it's not the last in the series, this book will def be my favorite. 💋💋🫶🏼
🩶🎧 playlist | dante & amara
⊹ ࣪ ˖ invisible string — taylor swift
⊹ ࣪ ˖ skin & bones — ruelle
⊹ ࣪ ˖ if you call me — p1harmony
⊹ ࣪ ˖ this is how you fall in love — jeremy zucker
⊹ ࣪ ˖ end game — taylor swift
✮ ˚｡⋆ ⦗ plot ⦘ ˚₊ ♟️
this book takes us through time – we see dante & amara’s love story right from their first interaction. we saw them grow from little kids to grown adults, and it was so beautiful.
stage 1 – unrequited love
˚₊ · »-♡→ “well, happy birthday, amara,” he told her softly and saw her blush again. god, her crush was intense, but he wasn’t going to call her out on it.”
ohmygoddddd i literally was giggling and kicking my feet this entire time.. and so was amara- i was right guys, dante was a flirt from the VERY beginning,, i was done for by chapter 3 💔
stage 2 – he realizes
˚₊ · »-♡→ “you’re not going to walk through life, amara. you’ll dance through it. and I’ll fucking remove anyone who tries to break your rhythm. i promise you.”
it gets super dark here FAST. amara goes through a LOOTTT of trauma, and dante – who grows to love amara back – holds back his love for a while and cares for her deeply. he kisses her scars and holds her at her lowest.
stage 3 – fall out
˚₊ · »-♡→ “we’re not a love story. we’re a tragedy in the making. there’s no happy ending for us.”
i'm not exactly sure how, but this part simultaneously BROKE & HEALED me. the writing here is impeccable – runyx, i LOVE ur writing style sm T–T. amara, though heartbroken beyond belief, takes it day by day, month by month, and year by year. we see more of amara’s growth without dante here, from a fragile teen to a strong, independent woman. she takes ZERO shits you guys….
stage 4 – the king and the queen
˚₊ · »-♡→ “dante maroni as a boy had been her unrequited; dante maroni as a man was her undoing.”same amara, same here.
when dante comes back in her life, he can only be with her in the dark. with all the targets on his back, he doesn’t wanna risk any chance of her getting hurt. after months of back and forth of secrecy, they are able to come out of hiding. they go through many ups and downs with family + enemies, but their love stays stronger than ever <3
✮ ˚｡⋆ ⦗ dante maroni & amara rossi ⦘ ˚₊ ♟️
i KNEW I JUST KNEW danteamara would be my roman empire. i was so right omfg these two have imprinted themselves in my mind, heart, body, and soul. they have forever ruined mafia romance for me bc they are now my standard.
dante can do whatever he wants to me. the way he's such a gentleman but also can say the most dirty, out of pocket thingssay them to me omg… 🧎♀️🐕🐕🐕 also for some reason i find it so wholesome that dante originally wanted to be a sculptor,, i got to see the soft part of him through those scenes <3
++ miscommunication?? I DONT KNOW HER. THIS BITCH THREW THAT TROPE OUT TO MARS AND I HAVE NEVER LOVED A CHARACTER MORE!!! && omg amara… :( my heart breaks for her. she is a fmc i will forever remember; her character development was so satisfying to read – she is THE definition of a survivor <3
✮ ˚｡⋆ ⦗ final thoughts ⦘ ˚₊ ♟️
— my highlighters better be so thankful im reading this online because if i had a physical copy, the ENTIRE book would be covered in highlights and markings. i'm not even the least bit kidding.
— THEYRE SO INVISBLE STRING CODED IM ACTUALLY SITTING HERE IN TEARS 💔💔
“fate is always weaving its threads, Dante. we just don’t see them until our eyes open.”
spoiler! 📢📢
— DANTE PROTECTED AMARA EVEN WHEN THEY WERE APART FOR ALL THOSE YEARS,, he was the one who gave her lulu (this will forever keep me up at night)
— finding out amara’s back scars matches dante’s back dragon tattoo will be my last straw.
“if anyone looked at their naked backs together, they would see symmetry – a dragon breathing fire across her back in mirrored structure, side by side.”
— amara waking up to find dante between her legs will be the hottest thing i will and have ever read. no comment.
— UM ALSO DANTE’S FIGHTING SKILLS ARE SO HOT- like the way he throws the knife and shoots to protect amara holy shit (this is slightly concerning ik…)
spoiler! 📢📢
— that plot twist in the end i’m actually going insane. AMARA’S OWN FATHER ORDERED HER ABDUCTION?!?!?!? wtf with the dads in this universe like 😭😭
✮ ˚｡⋆ ⦗ quotes ⦘ ˚₊ ♟️
“so, will you play with me, my queen?” amara looked into the eyes of the man she loved, saw that same love reflected back at her, and sealed their fates. “yes, i will, my king.”
“he had been her first infatuation, her first love, her first kiss, her first lover that she had allowed into her body, her first everything.”
“dante had learned her breaths to learn her responses and anticipate her needs. he had spent years tracking the changes in them, understanding what each variation meant. he had memorized her like his favorite song.”
“you’re my magnum opus, amara, and I am your humble servant.”
“no, you are my emperor.”
“did you know she was mine?” the other man’s eyes widened as he sputtered. “no, no. I swear I didn’t know she was yours. I never would have taken the job if I knew.” dante picked up his napkin and wiped his mouth. “well, at least you know exactly why you’re dying. goodbye, asshole.”
---
pre-review: currently buried 10 feet underground bc this book ended me so bad 😭 danteamara u have engraved urself in my soul 💔💔
rtc 🩶❕
pre-read: DANTEAMARA IM COMING FOR UUUUUUU 😭😭🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
i just know theyre gonna ruin me and im so excited for it 🫣
➢ spoilers are marked~
“we may not be husband and wife to the world but I have been married to you in my heart for eight years. and no matter what comes at us, we will get through it together. we build our empire together. no more running. promise me.”
first, thank you to my love annie for making me read this series :( though it's not the last in the series, this book will def be my favorite. 💋💋🫶🏼
🩶🎧 playlist | dante & amara
⊹ ࣪ ˖ invisible string — taylor swift
⊹ ࣪ ˖ skin & bones — ruelle
⊹ ࣪ ˖ if you call me — p1harmony
⊹ ࣪ ˖ this is how you fall in love — jeremy zucker
⊹ ࣪ ˖ end game — taylor swift
✮ ˚｡⋆ ⦗ plot ⦘ ˚₊ ♟️
this book takes us through time – we see dante & amara’s love story right from their first interaction. we saw them grow from little kids to grown adults, and it was so beautiful.
stage 1 – unrequited love
˚₊ · »-♡→ “well, happy birthday, amara,” he told her softly and saw her blush again. god, her crush was intense, but he wasn’t going to call her out on it.”
ohmygoddddd i literally was giggling and kicking my feet this entire time.. and so was amara- i was right guys, dante was a flirt from the VERY beginning,, i was done for by chapter 3 💔
stage 2 – he realizes
˚₊ · »-♡→ “you’re not going to walk through life, amara. you’ll dance through it. and I’ll fucking remove anyone who tries to break your rhythm. i promise you.”
it gets super dark here FAST. amara goes through a LOOTTT of trauma, and dante – who grows to love amara back – holds back his love for a while and cares for her deeply. he kisses her scars and holds her at her lowest.
stage 3 – fall out
˚₊ · »-♡→ “we’re not a love story. we’re a tragedy in the making. there’s no happy ending for us.”
i'm not exactly sure how, but this part simultaneously BROKE & HEALED me. the writing here is impeccable – runyx, i LOVE ur writing style sm T–T. amara, though heartbroken beyond belief, takes it day by day, month by month, and year by year. we see more of amara’s growth without dante here, from a fragile teen to a strong, independent woman. she takes ZERO shits you guys….
stage 4 – the king and the queen
˚₊ · »-♡→ “dante maroni as a boy had been her unrequited; dante maroni as a man was her undoing.”
when dante comes back in her life, he can only be with her in the dark. with all the targets on his back, he doesn’t wanna risk any chance of her getting hurt. after months of back and forth of secrecy, they are able to come out of hiding. they go through many ups and downs with family + enemies, but their love stays stronger than ever <3
✮ ˚｡⋆ ⦗ dante maroni & amara rossi ⦘ ˚₊ ♟️
i KNEW I JUST KNEW danteamara would be my roman empire. i was so right omfg these two have imprinted themselves in my mind, heart, body, and soul. they have forever ruined mafia romance for me bc they are now my standard.
dante can do whatever he wants to me. the way he's such a gentleman but also can say the most dirty, out of pocket things
++ miscommunication?? I DONT KNOW HER. THIS BITCH THREW THAT TROPE OUT TO MARS AND I HAVE NEVER LOVED A CHARACTER MORE!!! && omg amara… :( my heart breaks for her. she is a fmc i will forever remember; her character development was so satisfying to read – she is THE definition of a survivor <3
✮ ˚｡⋆ ⦗ final thoughts ⦘ ˚₊ ♟️
— my highlighters better be so thankful im reading this online because if i had a physical copy, the ENTIRE book would be covered in highlights and markings. i'm not even the least bit kidding.
— THEYRE SO INVISBLE STRING CODED IM ACTUALLY SITTING HERE IN TEARS 💔💔
“fate is always weaving its threads, Dante. we just don’t see them until our eyes open.”
spoiler! 📢📢
— DANTE PROTECTED AMARA EVEN WHEN THEY WERE APART FOR ALL THOSE YEARS,, he was the one who gave her lulu (this will forever keep me up at night)
— finding out amara’s back scars matches dante’s back dragon tattoo will be my last straw.
“if anyone looked at their naked backs together, they would see symmetry – a dragon breathing fire across her back in mirrored structure, side by side.”
— amara waking up to find dante between her legs will be the hottest thing i will and have ever read. no comment.
— UM ALSO DANTE’S FIGHTING SKILLS ARE SO HOT- like the way he throws the knife and shoots to protect amara holy shit (this is slightly concerning ik…)
spoiler! 📢📢
— that plot twist in the end i’m actually going insane. AMARA’S OWN FATHER ORDERED HER ABDUCTION?!?!?!? wtf with the dads in this universe like 😭😭
✮ ˚｡⋆ ⦗ quotes ⦘ ˚₊ ♟️
“so, will you play with me, my queen?” amara looked into the eyes of the man she loved, saw that same love reflected back at her, and sealed their fates. “yes, i will, my king.”
“he had been her first infatuation, her first love, her first kiss, her first lover that she had allowed into her body, her first everything.”
“dante had learned her breaths to learn her responses and anticipate her needs. he had spent years tracking the changes in them, understanding what each variation meant. he had memorized her like his favorite song.”
“you’re my magnum opus, amara, and I am your humble servant.”
“no, you are my emperor.”
“did you know she was mine?” the other man’s eyes widened as he sputtered. “no, no. I swear I didn’t know she was yours. I never would have taken the job if I knew.” dante picked up his napkin and wiped his mouth. “well, at least you know exactly why you’re dying. goodbye, asshole.”
---
pre-review: currently buried 10 feet underground bc this book ended me so bad 😭 danteamara u have engraved urself in my soul 💔💔
rtc 🩶❕
pre-read: DANTEAMARA IM COMING FOR UUUUUUU 😭😭🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
i just know theyre gonna ruin me and im so excited for it 🫣
Read
February 3, 2021Am I allowed to say that this story left me raw? Because it did.
LIVE NOW ON ALL PLATFORMS!
Grab your copy: https://books2read/the-emperor
LIVE NOW ON ALL PLATFORMS!
Grab your copy: https://books2read/the-emperor
September 2, 2023
dante will be the father of my kids🤭
April 14, 2024
Best in the series so far for me but they all have been sooo good. RTC
- - -
Dante Maroni I'm ready for you🧎♀️let's see if this will dethrone book 2 😍
- - -
Dante Maroni I'm ready for you🧎♀️let's see if this will dethrone book 2 😍
January 16, 2024
This book couldn't be any better!!
--------------------------
Thank you all for participating in the poll!!! This one came in firsttttt
Dante Amara here I come 🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️ hopefully this doesn't make mecry
--------------------------
Thank you all for participating in the poll!!! This one came in firsttttt
Dante Amara here I come 🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️ hopefully this doesn't make me
April 5, 2023
"You're the beat to my heart, Amara," he whispered against her mouth, pressing his forehead to hers. She was the beat to his heart and he was the beat to hers, both of them pulsing together. Maybe,
theirs was the same heart.
Ahh I loved this book! It just fed my sad/angsty girl mood right now. The writing in each of these books gets better and better. This book changes its focus from Tristan and Morana to Dante and Amara's story, and I had been dying to get my hands on their book bc I have been so curious about Amara since we met her in The Predator.
Amara is such a well written female character that you rarely see in books. She is strong and fierce in this very quiet way and her capacity for love and kindness is showcased as one of her greatest strengths and makes her resilient in the face of severe trauma and devastation. I loved her so much and her journey to heal throughout this book was inspiring.
Dante manages to be sweet and menacing at the same time and it's so charming. I loved how we got to go back in time and see them both grow up together and see what they had to go through and how their relationship evolved. Dantes relationship with his brother is one of my favorite things in this book, how he loves and accepts him is beautiful and squeezed my heart.
UPDATE I just wanted to specify that Dante's brother has ASD and the representation is handled so well, and since its Autism Awareness month I wanted to highlight this specifically!
We got to see glimpses of Tristan and Morana throughout the book which was so fun, and I wanted more of them bc of course we love them! The last quarter of the book was a little slow and lacked the explosive ending that we got from the first two books but ultimately, I really enjoyed this book so much! 💙💙💙
theirs was the same heart.
Ahh I loved this book! It just fed my sad/angsty girl mood right now. The writing in each of these books gets better and better. This book changes its focus from Tristan and Morana to Dante and Amara's story, and I had been dying to get my hands on their book bc I have been so curious about Amara since we met her in The Predator.
Amara is such a well written female character that you rarely see in books. She is strong and fierce in this very quiet way and her capacity for love and kindness is showcased as one of her greatest strengths and makes her resilient in the face of severe trauma and devastation. I loved her so much and her journey to heal throughout this book was inspiring.
Dante manages to be sweet and menacing at the same time and it's so charming. I loved how we got to go back in time and see them both grow up together and see what they had to go through and how their relationship evolved. Dantes relationship with his brother is one of my favorite things in this book, how he loves and accepts him is beautiful and squeezed my heart.
UPDATE I just wanted to specify that Dante's brother has ASD and the representation is handled so well, and since its Autism Awareness month I wanted to highlight this specifically!
We got to see glimpses of Tristan and Morana throughout the book which was so fun, and I wanted more of them bc of course we love them! The last quarter of the book was a little slow and lacked the explosive ending that we got from the first two books but ultimately, I really enjoyed this book so much! 💙💙💙
August 5, 2021
~ 𝟯.𝟱
✔ 𝗛𝗨𝗛… 𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗟, 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗦... unexpected. Basically, I went into The Emperor with sky high expectations. Which, I know, I shouldn't have done. But, at the same time, I feel like I couldn't help but have the bar set exponentially high. See, in both The Predator and The Reaper author RuNyx hyped up the romance between Dante and Amara. Throughout both books hints and clues about Dante and Amara's relationship are shown//told to us. Those little insights are both heartbreaking and romantic. Therefore, immediately upon finishing THE REAPER I decided to automatically jump into THE EMPEROR.
✨ᴡʜɪᴄʜ… ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴡᴀꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ᴍᴏᴠᴇ✨
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧
✔ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗦… 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗, 𝗕𝗨𝗧… something was definitely missing. Which, to be quite honest really sucks. I wanted to love Dante and Amara as much as I came to love Tristan and Morana. Sadly, that kinda never happened. Now, that's not to say that DanteAmara didn't have really sweet and cute moments, they one hundred percent did.
For example, the way they loved each other was fierce, everlasting, and eternally loyal.
There was a soft sweetness to DanteAmara that I wasn't expecting, but that I really enjoyed nonetheless. Dante and Amara truly seemed to love each other in that sweet childhood sweethearts kind of way. They were gentle and kind with each other and it contrasted rather nicely with the brutal backdrop of their world.
Additionally, there was a real dorky (for lack of a better word) feel to their relationship that I honestly wish we had gotten more of. For example, my favorite scene is probably the time that Dante quoted The Princess Bride at Amara. It was so goofy and cute, but at the same time it was so them.
That said, the romance almost took a backseat to the plot towards the second half of the book.
For instance, the time between Dante telling Amara this,
And this,
Is extremely short, about twenty percent, and due to that any romantic development between them felt very unearned. Added to that, the main angst Amara and Dante have to deal with (hiding their relationship) is told to us via Amara's internal monologuing. We're told that seven years have passed. And, in the end, all that angst, longing, and sadness is resolved not even a couple chapters later.
In essence, the romance feels a bit rushed. Even in the beginning I'm still not sure why Dante becomes enamored with Amara. I get why she initially likes him, he's fucking hot and she's in the throes of puberty. And then after her intense trauma he was there for her, scars and all. But why does Dante like her? She's five years younger than him. And when he does rescue her she's fifteen and he's twenty. I don't know… it felt… fast.
Ultimately, I really liked Amara and Dante. But, I feel like this book needed to be split up. Part one and part two felt like two different books. Part one was slow(er), it allowed for us to get to know Dante and Amara, and for the most part I understood why they fell in love. Meanwhile, part two decided that adult DanteAmara needed a shit ton of plot to go along with their romance. While the inclusion of said mafiaplot didn't break the romance for me, it did cause the romance to feel like it was taking a backseat in its own story.
✘ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗙𝗜𝗔 𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗔 𝗕𝗜𝗧 𝗠𝗨𝗖𝗛… 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗔 𝗕𝗜𝗧. If THE PREDATOR and THE REAPER reminded me why I shouldn't write off the mafia genre, then THE EMPEROR reminded me why it's not my favorite genre. The plot in THE EMPEROR was both… a lot and nonsensical at the same time. I noticed hints of the above descriptors in books one and two, but it appears that any semblance of restraint was thrown out the window in this book.
In this book especially I began to notice a familiar formula crop up… it goes something like this,
Basically, there comes a time when RUNYX asks me to care more about the mafia-shit then the romance. In essence the romance becomes shoved out of the way in favor of the plot. And, to be perfectly honest, I'm never gonna be able to get on board with that. Especially, when said mafia-shit is resolved in the lamest way possible.
↯ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 ↯
↯ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 ↯
↯ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 ↯
↯ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 ↯
↯ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 ↯
↯ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 ↯
𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗔 𝗪𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥… and, tbh, I am still salty about the way her arc was handled. So, basically Amara's sister (yes i forgot her name… bite me) turns out to be the mole The Syndicate placed within The Outfit. Now, I think her character could've made for a great villain reveal. She could've formed a close friendship with Amara, we could've seen the way Amara actually came to really care for her, and thus when she was revealed to be "a villain" we the readers (and Amara) would've been crushed.
✨ʙᴜᴛ ᴀʟᴀꜱ… ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ.✨
Instead, she pulls a gun on a very pregnant Amara, and starts villain monologuing. And you want to know the most maddening part? The reasons she "turned villain" were extremely compelling. But, instead of using her in future books, or even attempting to redeem her she just gets killed. *sigh* what a waste of a good character.
♥ 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡 𝗙𝗨𝗖𝗞𝗜𝗡' 𝗖𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗠𝗬 𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚… and I love him very much. Which, yeah… that's pretty much all I have to say. If anything I wish there were more baby Tristan cameos. I loved watching him learn to emote from Dante and Amara's point of view, and pretty much every scene Tristan was in automatically became pure gold.
See Exhibit A.
Exhibit B.
Exhibit C.
And Exhibit D.
In summary… I am currently in love with Tristan Caine and I will fight any who attempt to besmirch my silent King. He is mine. I don't even care that he's a fictional character. That's not my reality.
🆂🅾🅻🅸🅳 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗟… 𝗜 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞, 𝗕𝗨𝗧… I did have my issues with it. My main issues really stem from the sidelining of Dante and Amara's romance. Part one was good, and while it wasn't issue free, I really enjoyed it. I loved getting to see young Dante and Amara (as well as young Tristan), and I really felt the love they held for one another. My issues really started in part two of, THE EMPEROR. That's where the sidelining of DanteAmara began, at least for me. I think the plot-to-romance ratio became a bit skewed.
That said, I am still really glad that I picked THE EMPEROR up. There is something so very addicting about the entire Dark Verse series. The characters are all very compelling, and each couple seems to be distinguishable enough from the other. Additionally, these books once they get going are never boring. That's why I am really looking forward to the next few books in the series. I can't wait to see where author RUNYX takes things next!!
❝I will kiss you and brand myself upon your heart, Amara,❞ he told her quietly. ❝Just make sure you’re ready for me to.❞
✔ 𝗛𝗨𝗛… 𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗟, 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗦... unexpected. Basically, I went into The Emperor with sky high expectations. Which, I know, I shouldn't have done. But, at the same time, I feel like I couldn't help but have the bar set exponentially high. See, in both The Predator and The Reaper author RuNyx hyped up the romance between Dante and Amara. Throughout both books hints and clues about Dante and Amara's relationship are shown//told to us. Those little insights are both heartbreaking and romantic. Therefore, immediately upon finishing THE REAPER I decided to automatically jump into THE EMPEROR.
✨ᴡʜɪᴄʜ… ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴡᴀꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ᴍᴏᴠᴇ✨
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧
Amara has loved Dante Maroni, heir to the Heir to the notorious Tenebrae Outfit, for as long as she can remember. However, it's always been an unrequited love.
That all changes during her fifteenth year. That is the year she is abducted, tortured, and rescued.
Dante Maroni has always noticed Amara. Daughter of a kind housekeeper she has always been on his radar. However, the days, months, and years following Amara's kidnapping things change. Dante begins to fall in love with her.
Cut to the present. Amara and Dante are still fighting to keep their love alive. Can they do it when seemingly the entire mafia underworld is against them?
✔ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗦… 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗, 𝗕𝗨𝗧… something was definitely missing. Which, to be quite honest really sucks. I wanted to love Dante and Amara as much as I came to love Tristan and Morana. Sadly, that kinda never happened. Now, that's not to say that DanteAmara didn't have really sweet and cute moments, they one hundred percent did.
For example, the way they loved each other was fierce, everlasting, and eternally loyal.
➜ ❝What if I get hurt?❞ she whispered into his jacket. He pulled back so she could see him, his eyes solemn, soft, sincere on hers.
His face dipped closer and he pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. ❝Then, I’ll kiss your scars.❞
There was a soft sweetness to DanteAmara that I wasn't expecting, but that I really enjoyed nonetheless. Dante and Amara truly seemed to love each other in that sweet childhood sweethearts kind of way. They were gentle and kind with each other and it contrasted rather nicely with the brutal backdrop of their world.
➜ ❝You and I, Amara, we will never be anyone else’s,❞ he murmured, his words ghosting over her lips.
Additionally, there was a real dorky (for lack of a better word) feel to their relationship that I honestly wish we had gotten more of. For example, my favorite scene is probably the time that Dante quoted The Princess Bride at Amara. It was so goofy and cute, but at the same time it was so them.
➜ … ❝Lie back,❞ she told him quietly and saw his lips pull up in his typical smirk.
❝As you wish, my lady.❞
A laugh escaped her. ❝Did you just quote The Princess Bride while I’m trying to seduce you?❞
❝You never have to try, Amara.❞ …
That said, the romance almost took a backseat to the plot towards the second half of the book.
For instance, the time between Dante telling Amara this,
➜ ❝We’re not a love story. We’re a tragedy in the making. There’s no happy ending for us. I feel that you have a better future ahead of you, and you should take it.❞
And this,
➜ ❝So, will you play with me, my queen?❞
Amara looked into the eyes of the man she loved, saw that same love reflected back at her, and sealed their fates. ❝Yes, I will, my king.❞
Is extremely short, about twenty percent, and due to that any romantic development between them felt very unearned. Added to that, the main angst Amara and Dante have to deal with (hiding their relationship) is told to us via Amara's internal monologuing. We're told that seven years have passed. And, in the end, all that angst, longing, and sadness is resolved not even a couple chapters later.
Dante Maroni as a boy had been her unrequited; Dante Maroni as a man was her undoing.
In essence, the romance feels a bit rushed. Even in the beginning I'm still not sure why Dante becomes enamored with Amara. I get why she initially likes him, he's fucking hot and she's in the throes of puberty. And then after her intense trauma he was there for her, scars and all. But why does Dante like her? She's five years younger than him. And when he does rescue her she's fifteen and he's twenty. I don't know… it felt… fast.
She became his person. She became his.
Ultimately, I really liked Amara and Dante. But, I feel like this book needed to be split up. Part one and part two felt like two different books. Part one was slow(er), it allowed for us to get to know Dante and Amara, and for the most part I understood why they fell in love. Meanwhile, part two decided that adult DanteAmara needed a shit ton of plot to go along with their romance. While the inclusion of said mafiaplot didn't break the romance for me, it did cause the romance to feel like it was taking a backseat in its own story.
✘ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗙𝗜𝗔 𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗔 𝗕𝗜𝗧 𝗠𝗨𝗖𝗛… 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗔 𝗕𝗜𝗧. If THE PREDATOR and THE REAPER reminded me why I shouldn't write off the mafia genre, then THE EMPEROR reminded me why it's not my favorite genre. The plot in THE EMPEROR was both… a lot and nonsensical at the same time. I noticed hints of the above descriptors in books one and two, but it appears that any semblance of restraint was thrown out the window in this book.
In this book especially I began to notice a familiar formula crop up… it goes something like this,
ᴏʙꜱᴛᴀᴄʟᴇ ᴀ ɪꜱ ɪɴᴛʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇᴅ ➜ ᴏʙꜱᴛᴀᴄʟᴇ ᴀ ᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇꜱ ᴀ ʙɪᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʀᴏᴜʙʟᴇ ➜ ᴛʜᴇɴ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ɪꜱ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴏʙꜱᴛᴀᴄʟᴇ ᴀ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ʀᴇꜱᴏʟᴠᴇᴅ ➜ ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴏʙꜱᴛᴀᴄʟᴇ ʙ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ɪɴᴛʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇᴅ ➜ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʏ ᴇɴᴅ ɪᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴍᴏꜱᴛʟʏ ʙᴇ ʀᴇꜱᴏʟᴠᴇᴅ ➜ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ ᴜɴᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ꜰᴀᴄᴛᴏʀꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏʙꜱᴛᴀᴄʟᴇ ʙ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴄᴀʀʀʏ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴜᴀʟ ɴᴇxᴛ ʙᴏᴏᴋ.
Basically, there comes a time when RUNYX asks me to care more about the mafia-shit then the romance. In essence the romance becomes shoved out of the way in favor of the plot. And, to be perfectly honest, I'm never gonna be able to get on board with that. Especially, when said mafia-shit is resolved in the lamest way possible.
↯ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 ↯
↯ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 ↯
↯ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 ↯
↯ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 ↯
↯ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 ↯
↯ 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙎 ↯
𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗔 𝗪𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥… and, tbh, I am still salty about the way her arc was handled. So, basically Amara's sister (yes i forgot her name… bite me) turns out to be the mole The Syndicate placed within The Outfit. Now, I think her character could've made for a great villain reveal. She could've formed a close friendship with Amara, we could've seen the way Amara actually came to really care for her, and thus when she was revealed to be "a villain" we the readers (and Amara) would've been crushed.
✨ʙᴜᴛ ᴀʟᴀꜱ… ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ.✨
Instead, she pulls a gun on a very pregnant Amara, and starts villain monologuing. And you want to know the most maddening part? The reasons she "turned villain" were extremely compelling. But, instead of using her in future books, or even attempting to redeem her she just gets killed. *sigh* what a waste of a good character.
♥ 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡 𝗙𝗨𝗖𝗞𝗜𝗡' 𝗖𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗠𝗬 𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚… and I love him very much. Which, yeah… that's pretty much all I have to say. If anything I wish there were more baby Tristan cameos. I loved watching him learn to emote from Dante and Amara's point of view, and pretty much every scene Tristan was in automatically became pure gold.
See Exhibit A.
➜ ❝You ever try to leash me, I’ll fucking strangle you with it.❞
If angels could sing, that was the moment Dante heard the whole freaking choir.
Exhibit B.
➜ ❝You know I’m not going anywhere, right?❞ Dante mumbled through the fabric over his mouth, and finally, after a year of drilling, the younger guy spoke.
❝Piss off.❞
Gold. He’d hit gold. Dante grinned behind the handkerchief. ❝Nice to meet you too, Tristan. You’re my little buddy now.❞
Exhibit C.
➜ Morana rushed to perch herself on the space by her bed, her eyes going to Dante’s shirtless chest that he deliberately flexed because he knew it would rile Tristan up. On cue, Tristan glared at him.
❝Don’t you have a shirt?❞
Dante grinned. ❝Actually, no, I don’t Tristan.❞
Tristan sighed, and Amara chuckled as Morana leaned forward to hug her.
And Exhibit D.
➜ ❝Dante will be a good Daddy,❞ Morana gave a cheeky wink, making Amara sputter. ❝So would Tristan,❞ Amara pointed out.
Morana raised her glass. ❝To finding good fathers for our kids. We scored in that department.❞okay that last quote didn't actually have Tristan physically present… oh well… semantics.
In summary… I am currently in love with Tristan Caine and I will fight any who attempt to besmirch my silent King. He is mine. I don't even care that he's a fictional character. That's not my reality.
🆂🅾🅻🅸🅳 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗟… 𝗜 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞, 𝗕𝗨𝗧… I did have my issues with it. My main issues really stem from the sidelining of Dante and Amara's romance. Part one was good, and while it wasn't issue free, I really enjoyed it. I loved getting to see young Dante and Amara (as well as young Tristan), and I really felt the love they held for one another. My issues really started in part two of, THE EMPEROR. That's where the sidelining of DanteAmara began, at least for me. I think the plot-to-romance ratio became a bit skewed.
That said, I am still really glad that I picked THE EMPEROR up. There is something so very addicting about the entire Dark Verse series. The characters are all very compelling, and each couple seems to be distinguishable enough from the other. Additionally, these books once they get going are never boring. That's why I am really looking forward to the next few books in the series. I can't wait to see where author RUNYX takes things next!!
┍━━━━━━✧✦━━━━━━┑
𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦
ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏɴᴇ: ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴅᴀᴛᴏʀ ~ 𝟰.𝟮𝟱 ✧
ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴛᴡᴏ: ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴘᴇʀ ~ 𝟰.𝟱 ✧
ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ: ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ ~ 𝟯.𝟱 ✧
ʙᴏᴏᴋ ꜰᴏᴜʀ: ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪɴɪꜱʜᴇʀ ~ 𝙩𝙗𝙧
┕━━━━━━✧✦━━━━━━┙
November 4, 2022
not a single thing happened lmfao what
i miss morana and tristan idc idc
i miss morana and tristan idc idc
March 13, 2024
꒰꒰ ˸ ୧ re-read on 03.12.2024
— ∞ /5 stars ★
screaming, crying, throwing up 'cause i'm forever a danteamara apologist.
꒰🔪 ⊹ ˚ tropes:
⤷ dark mafia romance
⤷ childhood friends to lovers
⤷ forbidden
⤷ secret relationship
⤷ she falls first, but he falls harder
⤷ she's a survivor
⤷ healing journey
⤷ social class disparity
— TW: panic attack, PTSD, sexual assault against minor, violence against minor, murder, mentions of r*pe and torture, mentions of human slavery, and trafficking.
To every survivor,
whether you carry your scars on your flesh or in your soul,
whether you've seen the worst of humankind or fought the worst of fates, you're still here.
꒰🍂 ⊹ ˚ plot summary :
the emperor is the third book in the dark verse series, chronicling the tale of dante and amara. dante is the prince of the most feared mafia in town, while amara is the daughter of a helper in dante's estate. despite being a hopeless romantic as a child, amara never would have thought she would develop a crush on dante. however, he does not take her feelings seriously. in amara's eyes, everything about dante is perfect and she sees him through rose-colored glasses. as the story progresses, dante starts to realize that amara's crush is not one-sided or a fleeting infatuation. he begins to see her in a new light and develops feelings for her as well. however, as a prince of the mafia, dante does not agree with everything his father does, particularly his involvement in the skin trade. this is something he is determined to change. unfortunately, amara goes missing and is eventually found, but she has lost herself in the process. she turns to dante for help in finding her true identity again. as they spend more time together, their feelings for each other grow stronger. however, their love is not approved by dante's father, and the two are forced to separate.
"Where before he had been a man not appreciating the sun until he went blind, now he was a blind man blessed with vision seeing the sunlight in all its glory. Amara wasn't sunlight of clear skies; she was the sun hiding behind dark clouds, muted but powerful enough to still light the dark."
꒰🏹 ⊹ ˚ characters:
𖥻 🫀 ִ ۫ ּ dante maroni
⤷the emperor
MY MAN. a perfect gentleman in the streets and freak in the sheets. his dirty talks?? omg. he could speak the filthiest things in sweet ways. if he was a drug, i would inhale that shit like crazy.
"You're not going to walk through life, Amara. You'll dance through it. And I'll fucking remove anyone who tries to break your rhythm. I promise you."
𖥻 🪽 ִ ۫ ּ amara rossi
⤷the queen
amara is such an inspiring character. her courage, resilience and her bravery were incredibly admirable. her past made me tear up and tremble with emotion. despite every thing she went through, she came out as the baddest bitch. the moments of her crushing over dante were so adorable and had me smiling like a mad woman.
"He always had a bit of my heart, but I'm not that girl anymore. My heart isn't the same anymore. This new heart, it doesn't just love him, ma. It beats for him, he came into this new heart to help me rebuilt it, day after day, and he just never left."
𖥻♟️ ִ ۫ ּ dante + amara
the romance between dante and amara is so beautiful and poignant; it almost wanted to make me cry. the story truly broke me in many ways. i found myself going from being transported into scenes of sweet, sweeping romance, to be completely frazzled in tears. dante and amaras' journey throughout the book was unbelievably moving, and the passion between them from their first meeting was undeniable. no matter what obstacles they faced, their souls were only ever drawn together.
꒰ 🀄 ⊹ ˚ favorite quotes:
─ ⌗ "Dante Maroni was piece of art — a very fine, very exquisite piece of art."
─ ⌗ "He didn’t think she knew how much he loved her voice. In his world of gunshots and screams, her voice was a gentle prayer, evidence that there was life after the endless noise.”
─ ⌗ "You should've known not to run from me, crazy girl. I would chase you to be the ends of this earth."
─ ⌗ “We may not be husband and wife to the world but I have been married to you in my heart for eight years.”
─ ⌗ "We're not a love story. We're tragedy in the making. There is no happy ending for us. I feel that you have a better future ahead of you, and you should take it."
─ ⌗ "His obsession was born out of emotion he had not thought himself capable of. When it began, he didn't know. Maybe it was the second she collided into him and fearlessly demanded his attention, or it was when he held her broken body in his arms after searching her for days, or maybe it was when she looked at him mindless pain before slumping in relief; or maybe it was when he saw her trying to walk on her hurting feet, fall and push herself again."
"Dante didn't know when he fell in love with Amara. He just did."
─ ⌗ “You ever try to leash me, I’ll fucking strangle you with it.”
─ ⌗ "Give me your dreams, your nightmares, your pleasure, and your pain, your fantasies and your fears. Give me everything. Be my queen outside, and my filthy girl inside. And make me fucking yours, so everyone who looks at my ring knows that I have you finally. Say yes, Amara."
─ ⌗ “It’s not where we’re planted but where we bloom that defines us.”
─ ⌗ “He'll be everything dark and you're afraid of the dark, remember?”
─ ⌗ “Dante had never noticed like a man never noticed the light of the sun until he went blind.”
─ ⌗ "You're in my blood, beating in my fucking heart. The only way you go is when the heart stops."
─ ⌗ "He circled behind her, looking at the skin on her back, three thin strips of acid-burned flesh scarred diagonally across one hip to one blade. She probably didn't realize he had matched structure of his back dragon tattoo to match her back scars, from one hip to shoulder. If anyone looked at their naked back together, they would see symmetry — a dragon breathing fire across her back mirrored structure, side by side."
꒰🫀 ⊹ ˚ favorite scenes:
🖇️𖥻 [ scene one ]
➛ watch dante go from this:
"If I'm no consequence to you".
Dante tilted his head to the side, seeing her. Like seeing her. Really seeing her. Uh-oh.
"It's odd you'd say that. My mother used to often tell me," he mused quietly after the moment, his eyes on hers. "People are like chess pieces. Anyone on the board is of consequence."
Amara shook of her little tremor that started at the base of her spine. "And you think I'm on the board?"
"I don't know yet," he said softly, still watching her avidly.
➛ to this:
“You remember what I told you about chess pieces? That I didn’t know what piece you were?"
“Yes.”
He turned his neck to put his eyes on hers. “You’re the queen on the board, Amara. You’re my most powerful piece, but my most vulnerable. They get you, they get me, and the game is over. So, I’ll do whatever I need to make sure they never get you.”
🖇️𖥻 [ scene two ]
"And if I want this?" she asked him softly, hand fingers wrapped around his wrist, feeling his steady pulse under her palm. "What then? What do we do for now?"
"We hide in the shadows for now." Dante gave her that little grin, the one that always sent butterflies fluttering in her belly, and whispered against her lips, "So, will you play with me, my queen?"
"Amara looked into the eyes of the man she loved, saw that same love reflected back at her, and sealed their fates.
"Yes, I will, my king."
🖇️𖥻 [ scene three ]
They became roots of a tree, buried deep underground, out of sight, twined together, entangled together, strengthening each other, weakening each other, taking all the love like nourishment, storing it in secret places, all the while waiting for the tree that had been violently cut to sprout leaves again.
It took time for forests to grow, kingdoms to built, and empires to exist. Where one was being broken, another was being molded to take its place.
They were lovers and friends, strangers and acquaintances, all those things, none of those things.
They just were.
Waiting.
Chip, chip, chip.
Her exile never ended.
They never truly began.
But empires took more time to break people, and it slowly cracked.
🖇️𖥻 [ scene four ]
He cupped her face in his hands, overcome with the riot of emotions she inspired in him.
"You're my magnum opus, Amara," he told her, pressing his forehead against hers, a move that always brought turmoil in him to standstill.
"And I'm your humble servant."
"No," she whispered, her words falling against his lips. "You are my emperor."
꒰🎱 ⊹ ˚ overall ratings:
the predator
⤷ 4 stars ★
the reaper
⤷ 5 stars ★
the emperor
⤷ 5 stars ★
the finisher
⤷ 3.5 stars ★
the annihilator
⤷ 2 stars ★
the syndicator
⤷ yet to release.
꒰꒰ ˸ ୧ read on 11.27.2023
— ∞ /5 stars ★
screaming, crying, throwing up 'cause i'm forever a danteamara apologist.
꒰🔪 ⊹ ˚ tropes:
⤷ dark mafia romance
⤷ childhood friends to lovers
⤷ forbidden
⤷ secret relationship
⤷ she falls first, but he falls harder
⤷ she's a survivor
⤷ healing journey
⤷ social class disparity
— TW: panic attack, PTSD, sexual assault against minor, violence against minor, murder, mentions of r*pe and torture, mentions of human slavery, and trafficking.
To every survivor,
whether you carry your scars on your flesh or in your soul,
whether you've seen the worst of humankind or fought the worst of fates, you're still here.
꒰🍂 ⊹ ˚ plot summary :
the emperor is the third book in the dark verse series, chronicling the tale of dante and amara. dante is the prince of the most feared mafia in town, while amara is the daughter of a helper in dante's estate. despite being a hopeless romantic as a child, amara never would have thought she would develop a crush on dante. however, he does not take her feelings seriously. in amara's eyes, everything about dante is perfect and she sees him through rose-colored glasses. as the story progresses, dante starts to realize that amara's crush is not one-sided or a fleeting infatuation. he begins to see her in a new light and develops feelings for her as well. however, as a prince of the mafia, dante does not agree with everything his father does, particularly his involvement in the skin trade. this is something he is determined to change. unfortunately, amara goes missing and is eventually found, but she has lost herself in the process. she turns to dante for help in finding her true identity again. as they spend more time together, their feelings for each other grow stronger. however, their love is not approved by dante's father, and the two are forced to separate.
"Where before he had been a man not appreciating the sun until he went blind, now he was a blind man blessed with vision seeing the sunlight in all its glory. Amara wasn't sunlight of clear skies; she was the sun hiding behind dark clouds, muted but powerful enough to still light the dark."
꒰🏹 ⊹ ˚ characters:
𖥻 🫀 ִ ۫ ּ dante maroni
⤷the emperor
MY MAN. a perfect gentleman in the streets and freak in the sheets. his dirty talks?? omg. he could speak the filthiest things in sweet ways. if he was a drug, i would inhale that shit like crazy.
"You're not going to walk through life, Amara. You'll dance through it. And I'll fucking remove anyone who tries to break your rhythm. I promise you."
𖥻 🪽 ִ ۫ ּ amara rossi
⤷the queen
amara is such an inspiring character. her courage, resilience and her bravery were incredibly admirable. her past made me tear up and tremble with emotion. despite every thing she went through, she came out as the baddest bitch. the moments of her crushing over dante were so adorable and had me smiling like a mad woman.
"He always had a bit of my heart, but I'm not that girl anymore. My heart isn't the same anymore. This new heart, it doesn't just love him, ma. It beats for him, he came into this new heart to help me rebuilt it, day after day, and he just never left."
𖥻♟️ ִ ۫ ּ dante + amara
the romance between dante and amara is so beautiful and poignant; it almost wanted to make me cry. the story truly broke me in many ways. i found myself going from being transported into scenes of sweet, sweeping romance, to be completely frazzled in tears. dante and amaras' journey throughout the book was unbelievably moving, and the passion between them from their first meeting was undeniable. no matter what obstacles they faced, their souls were only ever drawn together.
꒰ 🀄 ⊹ ˚ favorite quotes:
─ ⌗ "Dante Maroni was piece of art — a very fine, very exquisite piece of art."
─ ⌗ "He didn’t think she knew how much he loved her voice. In his world of gunshots and screams, her voice was a gentle prayer, evidence that there was life after the endless noise.”
─ ⌗ "You should've known not to run from me, crazy girl. I would chase you to be the ends of this earth."
─ ⌗ “We may not be husband and wife to the world but I have been married to you in my heart for eight years.”
─ ⌗ "We're not a love story. We're tragedy in the making. There is no happy ending for us. I feel that you have a better future ahead of you, and you should take it."
─ ⌗ "His obsession was born out of emotion he had not thought himself capable of. When it began, he didn't know. Maybe it was the second she collided into him and fearlessly demanded his attention, or it was when he held her broken body in his arms after searching her for days, or maybe it was when she looked at him mindless pain before slumping in relief; or maybe it was when he saw her trying to walk on her hurting feet, fall and push herself again."
"Dante didn't know when he fell in love with Amara. He just did."
─ ⌗ “You ever try to leash me, I’ll fucking strangle you with it.”
─ ⌗ "Give me your dreams, your nightmares, your pleasure, and your pain, your fantasies and your fears. Give me everything. Be my queen outside, and my filthy girl inside. And make me fucking yours, so everyone who looks at my ring knows that I have you finally. Say yes, Amara."
─ ⌗ “It’s not where we’re planted but where we bloom that defines us.”
─ ⌗ “He'll be everything dark and you're afraid of the dark, remember?”
─ ⌗ “Dante had never noticed like a man never noticed the light of the sun until he went blind.”
─ ⌗ "You're in my blood, beating in my fucking heart. The only way you go is when the heart stops."
─ ⌗ "He circled behind her, looking at the skin on her back, three thin strips of acid-burned flesh scarred diagonally across one hip to one blade. She probably didn't realize he had matched structure of his back dragon tattoo to match her back scars, from one hip to shoulder. If anyone looked at their naked back together, they would see symmetry — a dragon breathing fire across her back mirrored structure, side by side."
꒰🫀 ⊹ ˚ favorite scenes:
🖇️𖥻 [ scene one ]
➛ watch dante go from this:
"If I'm no consequence to you".
Dante tilted his head to the side, seeing her. Like seeing her. Really seeing her. Uh-oh.
"It's odd you'd say that. My mother used to often tell me," he mused quietly after the moment, his eyes on hers. "People are like chess pieces. Anyone on the board is of consequence."
Amara shook of her little tremor that started at the base of her spine. "And you think I'm on the board?"
"I don't know yet," he said softly, still watching her avidly.
➛ to this:
“You remember what I told you about chess pieces? That I didn’t know what piece you were?"
“Yes.”
He turned his neck to put his eyes on hers. “You’re the queen on the board, Amara. You’re my most powerful piece, but my most vulnerable. They get you, they get me, and the game is over. So, I’ll do whatever I need to make sure they never get you.”
🖇️𖥻 [ scene two ]
"And if I want this?" she asked him softly, hand fingers wrapped around his wrist, feeling his steady pulse under her palm. "What then? What do we do for now?"
"We hide in the shadows for now." Dante gave her that little grin, the one that always sent butterflies fluttering in her belly, and whispered against her lips, "So, will you play with me, my queen?"
"Amara looked into the eyes of the man she loved, saw that same love reflected back at her, and sealed their fates.
"Yes, I will, my king."
🖇️𖥻 [ scene three ]
They became roots of a tree, buried deep underground, out of sight, twined together, entangled together, strengthening each other, weakening each other, taking all the love like nourishment, storing it in secret places, all the while waiting for the tree that had been violently cut to sprout leaves again.
It took time for forests to grow, kingdoms to built, and empires to exist. Where one was being broken, another was being molded to take its place.
They were lovers and friends, strangers and acquaintances, all those things, none of those things.
They just were.
Waiting.
Chip, chip, chip.
Her exile never ended.
They never truly began.
But empires took more time to break people, and it slowly cracked.
🖇️𖥻 [ scene four ]
He cupped her face in his hands, overcome with the riot of emotions she inspired in him.
"You're my magnum opus, Amara," he told her, pressing his forehead against hers, a move that always brought turmoil in him to standstill.
"And I'm your humble servant."
"No," she whispered, her words falling against his lips. "You are my emperor."
꒰🎱 ⊹ ˚ overall ratings:
the predator
⤷ 4 stars ★
the reaper
⤷ 5 stars ★
the emperor
⤷ 5 stars ★
the finisher
⤷ 3.5 stars ★
the annihilator
⤷ 2 stars ★
the syndicator
⤷ yet to release.
꒰꒰ ˸ ୧ read on 11.27.2023
June 10, 2023
DanteAmara are mother and father king and queen 🙏
Rtc
Rtc
Currently reading
April 16, 2024think i'm finally in the mood for this🙌🏽
April 2, 2024
Dante Maroni: the mobster with the greenest flags of all💚🛐🛐
April 28, 2023
If you like dark romance or honestly romance in general, this series is A MUST READ
It has twists and turns while also portraying the personal development of each individual character as well as their relationships. I love my babies so much, I would read anything this woman writes💖💞
It has twists and turns while also portraying the personal development of each individual character as well as their relationships. I love my babies so much, I would read anything this woman writes💖💞
April 14, 2024
"In sickness in health, in life in death, in
murder in mayhem, isn't that how it goes?"
I don’t have the words to describe this masterpiece of a book, it has my entire heart!! Dante and Amara's journey was so heartbreaking and beautiful, I loved every second of it.
➷ Amara my sweet girl, she’s such a beauty of a woman. She’s incredibly strong, generous, understanding, caring and comforting. I love how fiercely protective she is of those she loves. How despite everything she went through, she didn’t lose her heart and came out a badass is so admirable.
➷ Dante my man, ugh I fell in love with him immediately. He’s such a perfect gentleman. He’s so protective and respectful, but also ruthless and possessive when needed. He’s well mannered, can communicate, doesn’t hide how he feels and worships Amara like his life depends on it. How he kills so effortlessly and for her?? How he got a dragon tattoo on his back that matches the scars on hers?? IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL FOR SOMEONE TO BE THIS PERFECT.
I just knew these two were going to own me the moment I started loving them before even reading their book. I seriously couldn't get enough of them!! everything between them had my heart melting. And how he would call her “my lady" "my queen" and "my warrior queen” HAD ME LOSING MY MIND. This book truly ruined me in the best way possible. I will forever love danteamara, they’re the beat to my heart <33
February 16, 2024
daily reminder that dante eats 🐱 for his own pleasure.
I just know this man has a breeding kink
August 27, 2023
OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD I AM SCREAMING!!!!!! RTC
April 16, 2022
I loved the predator and the reaper but this book was a miss for me. The romance was all over the place and i really didnt feel any chemisty between Dante and Amara. From the beginning their relationship development was all over the place, one moment she is like 11 with a crush on Dante and suddenly she is 15 with Dante being protective of her.
Some of the lines were cringe af and cheesy, but overall the lack of romantic development bothered me compared to the predator and reaper. I know Dante and Amara knows each other for a long time and had feelings for each other but again THERE WAS NO DEVELOPMENT, IT WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE.
Some of the lines were cringe af and cheesy, but overall the lack of romantic development bothered me compared to the predator and reaper. I know Dante and Amara knows each other for a long time and had feelings for each other but again THERE WAS NO DEVELOPMENT, IT WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE.
August 29, 2023
“𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘢,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺, 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢 𝘷𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. “𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘮. 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”
_dante and amara's relationship>>>,
this book did things to my heart🥺, at first i had my doubts because if im being honest i thought that nothing can beat tristan and morana but oh my this was just as magical, the things amara had been through made me love how fuckin strong she is, I'm a sucker for a good survivor character and amara is one of my favourites now🫶🏽
“𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘉𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦”
_seriously asking tho how could anyone not fall for Dante??, He's my dream man you guys😭, i loved how open about his feelings he was, the characters were well played in the whole series and the plot wasn't boring one bit which actually still surprises me with every book i read, i'd highly recommend this to anyone who wants a good series to truly enjoy 🫶🏽
now with some of my favourite quotes 🥰 :
“𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘴.”
“𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭.”
“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵?”
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘴.”
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩”
“𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘦𝘴; 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘴, 𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥.”
_dante and amara's relationship>>>,
this book did things to my heart🥺, at first i had my doubts because if im being honest i thought that nothing can beat tristan and morana but oh my this was just as magical, the things amara had been through made me love how fuckin strong she is, I'm a sucker for a good survivor character and amara is one of my favourites now🫶🏽
“𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘉𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦”
_seriously asking tho how could anyone not fall for Dante??, He's my dream man you guys😭, i loved how open about his feelings he was, the characters were well played in the whole series and the plot wasn't boring one bit which actually still surprises me with every book i read, i'd highly recommend this to anyone who wants a good series to truly enjoy 🫶🏽
now with some of my favourite quotes 🥰 :
“𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘴.”
“𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭.”
“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵?”
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘴.”
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩”
“𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘦𝘴; 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘴, 𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥.”
July 2, 2023
#1 The Predator — 2.75 stars (good bad)
#2 The Reaper — 2.25 stars (bland)
#3 The Emperor — 2.5 stars (bad bad)
i CANNOT believe im saying i prefer staring & silent conversations (TristanMoana), but what Mr. Macaroni did to Amara was unforgiveable while what he did for her in this book DIDNT even reach the 📈bArE minimum📈!!!! 👹 yesss, he said all the right things and was sweet with Amara. their scenes together had me darting off heart eyes at them...BUT lets take off the horse glasses for a while and see:
i liked Dante. he could be caring, protective, and charming. however, his treatment towards Amara (over things that shouldve counted the most) left a lot to be desired. 🤧 meanwhile, Amara taking it all in submissively was a turn off. i feel like instead of character development, Dante just enabled & coddled Amara. so yeah, this series is still trash but im continuing because its the principle of the thing to not leave series unfinished. 🙃
(read as an audiobook)
#2 The Reaper — 2.25 stars (bland)
#3 The Emperor — 2.5 stars (bad bad)
i CANNOT believe im saying i prefer staring & silent conversations (TristanMoana), but what Mr. Macaroni did to Amara was unforgiveable while what he did for her in this book DIDNT even reach the 📈bArE minimum📈!!!! 👹 yesss, he said all the right things and was sweet with Amara. their scenes together had me darting off heart eyes at them...BUT lets take off the horse glasses for a while and see:
***spoilers***
— Amara was kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and LOST THE USE OF HER VOICE because she didnt betray Dante & his stupid power hungry family. he went berserk when he heard her missing, but in the end it was TRISTAN who found her, picked her up, and brought her to safety.
— lets not forget that he pushed her away saying they couldnt be together cause one day he’d have to marry a mafia princess anyway. 😒 it was a bluff, but he still said it. the words still hurt. then he pulled her in again only to hide her in secret FOR YEARS because he couldnt risk his father finding out their relationship. 🙄
— the worst was he had the nerve to FAKE DEAD without telling the LOVE of his life (but his best friend & his girlfriend knew)!!!! on top of that he IMPREGNATED her, left her alone, vulnerable, and in danger. 👺👺👺
— in all of that, Amara always stayed by his side being saintly understanding & supportive of him. girl, you went through SO MUCH because of & for this ungrateful son of a...😭 please, let yourself know you deserve better!! Amara shouldve made him grovel. at the very least, let him suffer a little.
i liked Dante. he could be caring, protective, and charming. however, his treatment towards Amara (over things that shouldve counted the most) left a lot to be desired. 🤧 meanwhile, Amara taking it all in submissively was a turn off. i feel like instead of character development, Dante just enabled & coddled Amara. so yeah, this series is still trash but im continuing because its the principle of the thing to not leave series unfinished. 🙃
(read as an audiobook)
November 7, 2023
IM FUCKING FREE 🙏🏼 I’d burn this book rfn if global warming wasn’t a thing 😩 in the bin it goes for now 🦵🏻📖🗑
Thank god I managed to skip all their scenes, cause Idgaf about these two. But I doubt I missed out on anything since it just felt like a long version of what was summarised in the first two books.
Tristanmorana are the only ones that matter and this whole series should’ve been from their pov imo 💗
Spoiler alert 🚨 why did Nerea have to die 🥲 she deserved so much better ugh. AMARA SHOULD’VE DIED INSTEAD 🥱
This book made me appreciate rabies so much. Mr. Wolf is the better ephebophile bc at least he waited for her to turn 18 😍😍 idk how anyone can like dante, he’s such a pussy 🤢, he kept their "relationship" a secret FOR YEARS, didn't know she was sexually assaulted ?? (he clearly didn't care enough to know) AND left her alone and made her think he was dead while she was pregnant 🤡 i have nothing to say about amara cause i didn't give a fuck about her, I just wish tristanmorana had more friends so i wouldn't have to read about these two mfs😫
I’m never ever buying whole book series again without doing any research first after this.
SIDE NOTE I SHOULD’VE KNOWN BETTER, his last name literally means balls 😸 AND the book starts with a child having a crush on a teenager 🤢
Anyways not me losing friends/mutuals bc my opinions hurt their fragile feelings 🥱🥺
Tristanmorana quotes 💗💗
"You have a cat?" Morana blinked.
"That's adorable. Can we get a cat?" she looked up at Tristan.
"No."
"Traitor, I know he smells nice, but stay with me for a second!"
Lulu stretched towards Tristan. Tristan stared at the cat, before shaking his head and taking a step back. "Get that thing away from me, please.”
——————————————————————
I heard they kissed when she was 17 🤢🤢 what’s with authors pairing up kids with senior citizens.
Only reading this bc I miss tristanmorana 🥹✊🏻 I doubt I’ll like danteamara
Thank god I managed to skip all their scenes, cause Idgaf about these two. But I doubt I missed out on anything since it just felt like a long version of what was summarised in the first two books.
Tristanmorana are the only ones that matter and this whole series should’ve been from their pov imo 💗
Spoiler alert 🚨 why did Nerea have to die 🥲 she deserved so much better ugh. AMARA SHOULD’VE DIED INSTEAD 🥱
This book made me appreciate rabies so much. Mr. Wolf is the better ephebophile bc at least he waited for her to turn 18 😍😍 idk how anyone can like dante, he’s such a pussy 🤢, he kept their "relationship" a secret FOR YEARS, didn't know she was sexually assaulted ?? (he clearly didn't care enough to know) AND left her alone and made her think he was dead while she was pregnant 🤡 i have nothing to say about amara cause i didn't give a fuck about her, I just wish tristanmorana had more friends so i wouldn't have to read about these two mfs😫
I’m never ever buying whole book series again without doing any research first after this.
SIDE NOTE I SHOULD’VE KNOWN BETTER, his last name literally means balls 😸 AND the book starts with a child having a crush on a teenager 🤢
Anyways not me losing friends/mutuals bc my opinions hurt their fragile feelings 🥱🥺
Tristanmorana quotes 💗💗
"You have a cat?" Morana blinked.
"That's adorable. Can we get a cat?" she looked up at Tristan.
"No."
"Traitor, I know he smells nice, but stay with me for a second!"
Lulu stretched towards Tristan. Tristan stared at the cat, before shaking his head and taking a step back. "Get that thing away from me, please.”
——————————————————————
I heard they kissed when she was 17 🤢🤢 what’s with authors pairing up kids with senior citizens.
Only reading this bc I miss tristanmorana 🥹✊🏻 I doubt I’ll like danteamara
November 6, 2023
5 stars!!
"Kissing him was heaven. Kissing him was sin. It was everything in between, and she was addicted."
TristanMorana walked so DanteAmara could run. I am going to start this review with the characters because I adore them so much. Dante was the standard for every man out there. He will make you swoon, blush, gush, cry and laugh. He's the whole package but what I loved was the lengths he went to be with Amara. How much he cared for her and how much he was willing to risk for her. They are literally soulmates and you can't tell me otherwise.
"Amara, you're the beat to my fucking heart."
Amara, god why was she so hot. Like thank god this wasn't a movie because I know damn well that I would've just stared at her and would've done nothing else. Amara was kind and pure so very pure. She was also graceful and elegant despite surviving such horrors that no one should've gone through at her age 😔 how she dealed with the loss and carried on was something I really enjoyed reading and it made me admire RuNyx for highlighting that out.
"We're not a love story, were a tragedy in the making. There's no happy ending for us. I feel that you have a better future ahead of you, and you should take it."
The romance, I loved how this one was so different. How it progressed into something and blossomed eventually with time. They are soulmates, even when divided thought and longed for each other and found their way back together. Amaras love for Dante can be seen through every chapter the way she looks at him. How she admires him and thinks about little things that might affect him and dante absolutely killed it with the way he took care of Amara when she went through the torture. He looked after her and listened. What mattered the most was they were there for each other. Other than that oh boy this was smutty and the good kinda smutty. Dante and his dirty mouth will quite literally be the death of me. I was fanning my self.
"You're in my blood, beating in my fucking heart. The only way you go is when the heart stops."
I loved how the plot was balanced with the romance in this one as well. There was enough of both to satisfy you. Action sequences along with thrilling scenes and plot twists that surely I wasn't expecting at all. The development of the story and the path it's progressing in was really smooth and the execution was a 10/10.
"I would for you for an eternity, Dante maroni"
RuNyxs range of writing can be seen here. The way she took this book in the same series with the same plot going but from different characters perspectives and made it like it was their own story amazed me because it was so different from the first book the characters and their romance as well. How she handled it and executed it all perfectly was the one thing that she will be praised for by me. She mad me fall in love with Dante and Amara.
"You're the queen in the board, Amara. You're my most powerful piece, but my most vulnerable. They get you, they get me, and the game is over. So I'll do whatever I need to make sure they never get you. Even if that means hiding you like my dirty secret for the time being."
The side characters, Tristan and Morana god it feels weird to say that cuz they had two books as the main characters. Both were there for the majority part of the book had cute good scenes. Like really enjoyable scenes but didn't feel like the main focus which imo was how it should've been. Lulu our precious cat who has been scarred and traumatized by listening to Dante dirty talk with her mother. Such a cutie fluffball and finally our new character and also the main character of the next book Alessandro 'alpha' something (I forgot the last name) his character was very intriguing and the revelations were 🤯 I definitely want to know more about him.
Reread#1
~~~
If I die the reason for my death would be Dante and Amara and everytime he asked her to ask him to kiss her and she did ❤️🔥😭.
~~~
I love Dante and Amara so much! This is part 3 where me and Roxy dive deeper into Dante and Amaras story.
"Kissing him was heaven. Kissing him was sin. It was everything in between, and she was addicted."
TristanMorana walked so DanteAmara could run. I am going to start this review with the characters because I adore them so much. Dante was the standard for every man out there. He will make you swoon, blush, gush, cry and laugh. He's the whole package but what I loved was the lengths he went to be with Amara. How much he cared for her and how much he was willing to risk for her. They are literally soulmates and you can't tell me otherwise.
"Amara, you're the beat to my fucking heart."
Amara, god why was she so hot. Like thank god this wasn't a movie because I know damn well that I would've just stared at her and would've done nothing else. Amara was kind and pure so very pure. She was also graceful and elegant despite surviving such horrors that no one should've gone through at her age 😔 how she dealed with the loss and carried on was something I really enjoyed reading and it made me admire RuNyx for highlighting that out.
"We're not a love story, were a tragedy in the making. There's no happy ending for us. I feel that you have a better future ahead of you, and you should take it."
The romance, I loved how this one was so different. How it progressed into something and blossomed eventually with time. They are soulmates, even when divided thought and longed for each other and found their way back together. Amaras love for Dante can be seen through every chapter the way she looks at him. How she admires him and thinks about little things that might affect him and dante absolutely killed it with the way he took care of Amara when she went through the torture. He looked after her and listened. What mattered the most was they were there for each other. Other than that oh boy this was smutty and the good kinda smutty. Dante and his dirty mouth will quite literally be the death of me. I was fanning my self.
"You're in my blood, beating in my fucking heart. The only way you go is when the heart stops."
I loved how the plot was balanced with the romance in this one as well. There was enough of both to satisfy you. Action sequences along with thrilling scenes and plot twists that surely I wasn't expecting at all. The development of the story and the path it's progressing in was really smooth and the execution was a 10/10.
"I would for you for an eternity, Dante maroni"
RuNyxs range of writing can be seen here. The way she took this book in the same series with the same plot going but from different characters perspectives and made it like it was their own story amazed me because it was so different from the first book the characters and their romance as well. How she handled it and executed it all perfectly was the one thing that she will be praised for by me. She mad me fall in love with Dante and Amara.
"You're the queen in the board, Amara. You're my most powerful piece, but my most vulnerable. They get you, they get me, and the game is over. So I'll do whatever I need to make sure they never get you. Even if that means hiding you like my dirty secret for the time being."
The side characters, Tristan and Morana god it feels weird to say that cuz they had two books as the main characters. Both were there for the majority part of the book had cute good scenes. Like really enjoyable scenes but didn't feel like the main focus which imo was how it should've been. Lulu our precious cat who has been scarred and traumatized by listening to Dante dirty talk with her mother. Such a cutie fluffball and finally our new character and also the main character of the next book Alessandro 'alpha' something (I forgot the last name) his character was very intriguing and the revelations were 🤯 I definitely want to know more about him.
Reread#1
~~~
If I die the reason for my death would be Dante and Amara and everytime he asked her to ask him to kiss her and she did ❤️🔥😭.
~~~
I love Dante and Amara so much! This is part 3 where me and Roxy dive deeper into Dante and Amaras story.
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