REVIEW: Stolen Heir by Sophie Lark

Stolen Heir by Sophie Lark: All actions have consequences and when Miko’s father is brutally murdered by a rival mafia family, you can bet good money on the fact that he is going to get his revenge. It just so happens that Miko has his sights set on the sweetest most vulnerable member of the Griffin family, the darling little daughter Nessa. The plan was simple really kidnap Nessa and hold her hostage while pitting the Griffin’s and Gallo’s against each other as they try to figure out who took the sweet little ballerina, the only problem being Miko never accounted for actually developing feelings for his reluctant house guest… maybe beauty can tame the beast but has to much damage already been done?

Stolen Heir was pure perfection! This book was even better than Brutal Prince and that had already set a pretty high standard. There was something very dark fairytale about this book that just worked for me, I liked the whole beauty and the beast vibe that came with Miko, his desolate castle and Nessa bring it back to life. I really liked that this book picked up right where we left off in the previous book but at the same time you could still read this as a standalone. The entire Stockholm syndrome, forced proximity, forbidden love trope all worked perfectly for Miko and Nessa.

“I was death and she was life. I thought I’d stolen her, brought her down to the underworld. All the while she was waking me. Stirring the blood in my veins. Breathing air into my lungs.”

Nessa was such an amazing leading lady, for all her life she has been sheltered and protected but this really did not do her any favours, however in saying this we get to see that she is actually a lot stronger than anyone gives her credit for and I for one liked this about her character. We get to see her character grow as the book progresses and I loved that she becomes a stronger more vocal version of herself while with Miko. I just loved her passion for dance but more so for creating a story using dance. I just loved that she basically created a dance version of her love story with Miko. Now for our dark hero, well for all his mean and dark exterior Miko was actually a really great hero. We get to see him soften up a bit thanks to Nessa, but we also get to see that he is fiercely protective and loyal. I loved his character growth and the fact that he was willing to prove that his feelings and intentions for Nessa had truly grown into something pure.

“I was a corpse when I met you, Nessa. No breath, no heart, no life. I felt nothing, cared about nothing. Then I saw you, and you woke me up inside. I was such a fool at first. I was so numb that I thought that spark must be hatred. If I were a normal person, I would have realized it was love. Love at first sight. From the second I laid eyes on you.”

At first the connection between Nessa and Miko had a major Stockholm syndrome vibe but I think it was actually more than this, even though they were forced together they actually brought out a better side to each other. I loved the underlying tension and attraction fighting to come to the surface. I really liked that their shared love for literature and music helped bond them but at the same time I think this could have been used a bit more to help Miko open up to Nessa in regard to his past.

The supporting characters were all great, we get to see the Gallo boys, Aida and Callum again. I also liked getting to see a bit more of Aida and Nessa’s relationship and how they have grown closer. I will say that I loved getting to see the bond between Nessa and Klara develop and getting to see Nessa learn Polish with a bit of help from Klara. As much as I loved the main romance between Nessa and Miko, I was as invested in getting to see Klara and Marcel finally get their act together! All in all I really liked all of the supporting character and the side plots that they added to this love story.

Stolen Heir is a total must read, this dark yet sweet mafia romance will have you captivated from the very first chapter!

Book Info:

Publication: Lark Publishing LLC | August 12, 2020 | Brutal Birthright #2

They Murdered My Father, So I Stole Their Daughter…

She’s my captive, my little ballerina who dances only for me.

Nessa is sweet and innocent. She doesn’t deserve any of this. But that’s how our world works – the wolves eat the lambs, no matter how gentle they may be.

I’ll use her to get my revenge. Unless I give in to my hunger first…