GHOST by A. Zavarelli
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ever since reading ‘Crow’, I’ve been curious about Alexei, the mysterious and reclusive Russian friend of Lachlan. It was evident that there was far more beneath the surface and I was dying to hear his story. Finally, we get his story in ‘Ghost’ and it does not disappoint. I devoured this book!
Talia is a far cry from the young woman she was when she went missing. Betrayed by her “boyfriend” Dmitri and sold into sexual slavery, she’s suffered unimaginable horrors. Her only goal is to find a way to end her own life, freeing her from the hell of her daily existence.
When Alexei is asked to find Mack’s best friend, Talia, he does far more than he’s asked to. Seeing her picture, he becomes enamored with the missing lady. He decides, before ever meeting her, that this is the woman he will marry. He’s agreed to find her, but he has no intention of ever letting her go. He plans to rescue her from one prison and thrust her straight into another.
Alexei arranges to take Talia from her owner, Arman, as collateral for a deal that Arman failed to deliver on. Neither man has any intention of letting her go, but Alexei finally has her in his possession. With the help of his loyal house staff, Alexei begins to nurse Talia back to health while setting plans in place to make his “ownership” of her permanent.
For the first time in her life, Talia is important to someone. She finds a mother-figure in Magda, the woman who raised Alexei and now oversees his household. She is cared for and treated well. Yet, she still longs for the type of love that Alexei says he will never give.
Coerced into a marriage of convenience, Talia realizes that she is, yet again, enslaved to a man. Alexei might be nicer than the men before him, but like the others, he’s using her. She knows that he will never love her.
Marrying her was Alexei’s way of preventing his own arranged marriage to Katya, the daughter of another high-ranking member of the Russian Mafia. Despite her persistence, Alexei has no intention of ever being married to the woman that betrayed him with his own brother. However, Katya is not planning to let him go without a fight.
From start to finish, I did not want to put this book down. I have loved every book in this series, but I think this one has been my favorite. Alexei and Talia were so broken and yet, so perfect together. I love dark, twisted stories and their story just called to me.
Make no mistake, this story is a dark one. This story addresses the topics of rape, physical and psychological abuse, etc. If you’re put-off by stories that contain darker themes like these, then ‘Ghost’ will not be for you.
On the other hand, if you love darker reads like I do, ‘Ghost’ is a phenomenal choice! I loved every minute of this disturbing story! It’s a new favorite of mine.
Book Addict Haven 