This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
About The Book
A Temptation I Couldn’t Resist…
I saw her being stuffed in a trunk: Yelena Yenina, only daughter of the most vicious Bratva boss in Chicago.
The Bratva hate my family. They burned my uncle alive. I should have left Yelena to her fate…
But she fought like a Valkyrie. Gorgeous, ferocious, and unbreakable.
I saved her so I could make her mine.
She says she’ll never submit to a man. I guess we’ll see…
I’ll push her to the limit. And far beyond.
Heavy Crown is the mind-blowing conclusion to the bestselling Brutal Birthright series. It’s a stand-alone Dark Mafia Romance with HEA and no cliffhanger. Contains extra-steamy scenes guaranteed to make your night!
The Lark Notes:
I knew I had to end the Brutal Birthright series with the biggest twists, the most intense action, and the hottest hero yet. I’ve always had a soft spot for Sebastian from the very first book – you’re going to be so surprised where his journey takes him!
Sometimes you have to reach out. Even when you know you’re only reaching into empty air
My Review
First Impressions
Heavy Crown is the final of the Brutal Birthright series and I was so nervous about this one. There are so many mixed ratings on this book, so I was super apprehensive on what we would have with this one but I have to say I was impressed with this book. After having such a slow read before this one, I was relieved that this book was such a page-turner and i was easily swept away by the story. I was more than happy with the setup and seeing this being a forbidden love trope. I adore this trope and Sophie Lark handled it just perfectly. Another five-star read for me from this author and I can’t express how happy this makes my heart. I really Sophie and of course Mr. Lark so much as human beings and y’all know how much I have struggled with her books in this series. But I definitely am thrilled to keep moving forward with the connecting series. This world can be complex though (the best video I have seen for the reading order if you are curious is HERE) Heavy Crown was such an emotional roller coaster of a reader, but for fans of the series, this is a must-read and really capitalizing on the familial connections.
For every blow, return three more,” I recite. “Our fury overwhelms their greed.
Summary
Heavy Crown involves Sebastian and Yelena. Sebastian is the young of the siblings but ironically it will be him to takes over the family business and be the Don. His father is mentoring him to one day take over. One night, Sebastian sees a young woman being forced into a trunk and then goes out to help her, and an instant attraction forms between Sebastian and Yelena. Sebastian is determined to have Yelena as his woman, he knows what between them is real and will fight for her. He knows she is from a family that is their enemy, and that her father especially is literally unhinged and has a vow of vengeance against them. But Sebastian is a fighter and he knows that he and Yelena are meant to be together. Yelena is in a terrible position of having to choose her family over the man she loves, but as she falls more and more for Sebastian, she knows that their love is worth fighting for even if that means losing her family forever…
Sebastian makes me laugh. He makes me feel safe. He takes me to beautiful places, so we can experience new sights and smells and tastes together.
What I Loved
There were so many aspects that I truly enjoyed with this story. Heavy Crown is packed with so many beautiful aspects. I really loved seeing all the siblings from the previous books play a role in this story. I have adored Sebastian since the first book and it was really impressive to see him take over the role of being the head of the family and learning to make decisions to fight for the family and what his father worked so hard for. He really begins to craft connections that are creative and you can tell that he is a natural-born leader. We see so much growth in his character as he comes into his element and embraces who he is. You feel for him in moments, because his siblings are moving in different directions, but you also see how that leads him on his path to becoming the head of his family and the business. As for Yelena, my heart just ached for her. She has a twin brother who is the heir, but she also is being controlled by her father who is scary at the best of times. You really see how as a woman she has very little control over her life. But seeing the way that she learns to fight for that control and take charge of her own destiny, is remarkable. She ends up being the perfect match for Sebastian. I adored the way they come together, even when there are times they need to work through some challenging situations, their love just shines through and I was completely cheering them on from beginning to end.
If the ocean were pleasure, and my body sand, then each time Sebastian thrusts into me, it’s like a wave breaking on the shore, soaking me in bliss.
What I Struggled With
I didn’t struggle with anything—–this book was just RIGHT!
Overall View
I found Heavy Crown to be a heartfelt, intense finale that won me over immediately. It’s a story of challenge, strength, growth, and enduring love. A TRUE GEM OF A READ!
Title: Heavy Crown
Author: Sophie Lark
Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Length: 426 Pages
Book Links
Amazon| Goodreads| LibraryThing| StoryGraph| Literal Club
Book Evaluation
Storytelling Quality: 5
Story Itself: 5
Character Development: 5
Writing Style: 5
World Building 5
Feels + The Romantic Heart 5
Pacing 5
Plot 5
Cover Art 5
Ending 5
Book Ratings
Overall Rating of the Book
Steam Level
Simmering—soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warm- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin’ up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.
Trigger Warnings
Gun violence, Death of parent, Domestic abuse.
Series Order
Brutal Birthright
Brutal Prince-Pub 2020 #1 in the Series
Stolen Heir-Pub 2020 #2 in the Series
Savage Lover-Pub 2020 #3 in the Series
Bloody Heart-Pub 2020 #4 in the Series
Broken Vow-Pub 2020 #5 in the Series
Heavy Crown-Pub 2021 #6 in the Series
About The Author
Sophie Lark is an Amazon Bestselling author who writes intense, intelligent romance, with heroines who are strong and capable, and men who will do anything to capture their hearts. She lives with her husband, two boys, and baby girl in the Rocky Mountain West.
She has a slight obsession with hiking, bodybuilding, and live comedy shows. Her perfect day would be taking the kids to Harry Potter World, going dancing with Mr. Lark, then relaxing with a good book and a monster bag of salt and vinegar chips.
Oh boy you really loved this one. Never read the author but I might have to try her.
I can read a dark romance, even a dark mafia romance as long as we see some sort of good in the hero by the end of the book.
Sounds like this was a real hit! I’ll have to check this out when I’m in the mood for a dark romance.
Sounds like this series saved the best for last. I haven’t read mafia romance in a bit, but this one sounds like a good bet.
I’ve only read Brutal Prince in this series. I need to get back to it. I’m curious now about those mixed reviews.
Yes! Some of the books in the series 1-4 have mixed reviews. I heard it best from a booktuber who is close to Sophie Lark, is that there is a book in the series for everyone to love. You just have to get through the whole series before you realize which one works out best.
Sounds like the series really ended with a bang! I’m so glad this was a big hit for you!