This was an entertaining romance featuring a sweet heroine and a strong alpha male. It was a great story with enjoyable characters.

I'm obsessed with mafia books. Third one drew me in and that was it. Now I need more Renee Rose books.

After trying to read this book several times, it eventually ended up on my DNF shelf. I wanted to like it, I think this review and rating is simply based on how dark the book was. I have enjoyed dark romance before, I think I was just not in the mood and needed something lighter. My review should not reflect the actual book; it's me, not the book.

"He wanted to change her fear into desire, wanted her breath qucik from passion, not terror."

There is no doubt that Renee Rose has a knack for romance and erotica. The Russian has some very heated scenes that will keep readers engaged. Yet I found that in between the sex the characters fell flat and the dialogue strained.

I find it hard to believe that Yuri would have been so transparent with his emotions toward Lucy so early on or that Lucy would have been such a willing captive. A little bit more fine tuning and this would have been a must read for the genre.

Another super read from Renee I just loved this book if you like a good dark and intense read with plenty of action then you should give this a go it was really well written and I just did not want to put it down, I really liked the chemistry between Yuri and Lucy/sunshine these two were so hot together.A super read with plenty of twists this is a super read and I would recommend it

This book wasn't as enjoyable as I hoped it might have been. I would have preferred for the story to have been longer than it was so that the relationship between the characters could have been developed a bit better.

The whole mafia genre is hot right now, and this book falls right in perfectly! Yuri the Fury is cold, calculating, dominant and hard. Our heroine is an edgier lady than typically found in romance, and I LOVED it! The sex was dirty, the pace was fast, and the man knows how to protect his lady! What's not to love?
I am curious, however, about the scene that was edited out and added as a bonus at the end. (spoiler alert: between their reconciliation and their trip) Why did it need to be edited out? It would have fit in the timeline just fine and was definitely hot.

I have read several of Renee Rose's books and I have found all of them to be enjoyable reads, however, "The Russian" was not one of her's that I could become engrossed in. Perhaps that is because it is different than her Science Fictions works. I am considering rereading the book because it was a good read but I don't think I was reading it without comparison toward her other novels.

Yuri is former Russian Mafia, turned; and now working undercover for the FBI on an Italian Mob case in LA. Lucy Carr is a DJ at her brother Jake's nightclub. Jake owes the Mob money, and Lucy becomes their target. Yuri has become enamored of the girl he calls "Sunshine" as they have watched.her at the club. The race is on as Yuri juggles his assignment and Lucy's safety. This novella has good, well developed characters that entice you into the story. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tried to read this book through and through. This was not something I would recommend to anyone. The storyline was hard to follow and the characters weren’t that well developed. I really couldn’t finish this book. I tried multiple times and never got pass chapter 3.

I thought I had read this book years ago, and it seems I did or very similar. I love Mafia stories and hot alpha's too and you get both. Lucy's brother owes the mafia money and unfortunately they are going to use Lucy to get it, in come Yuri. Yuri is a who is an enforcer and FBI, and he is not going to allow Lucy to become collateral no matter what. I wont tell you more so that you can read for yourself. Enjoy!

This is a fast paced story that changes scenes often. Yuri and two other enforcers are sent to a club to retrieve the owner, and come to find out he is gone. After waiting they take the pretty D.J. who is the owners’ sister. Yuri who is attracted to her tells her that she won’t be harmed if she follows the instructions. It is while she is being held that there is some light BDSM and when the two of them act on their feelings towards one another. After she is rescued and being held in the police station you find out Yuri’s true identity and she is upset. They go weeks without talking until she finally sees him and agrees to speak to him. The epilogue ties everything up to end this short story with a lot of hot scenes. A good book for a short read, of course could have been better if the story was longer, but the author had to make everything happen fast and give you characters. With that it was good.

This was one of the best books I've read so far I 2018. Such a great story and characters. High praise for a superb book. Loved it

Yuri would do anything to protect Lucy. His sunshine would brighten any room when his days were dark and grey. Taking matters into his own hands when Lucy becomes an unwilling participant things quickly change and she sees the big bad Russian isn’t what he truly seems. She will find the man he doesn’t share with anyone.

I had high hopes for this book. I had to give this book 2 stars.

The plot was pretty simple but it was interesting enough. I think the main thing besides the writing that held this back was the characters. They all fell so flat for me. They weren't interesting, they weren't well developed and I found that I didn't care what happened to them in the end. I can't even blame it on this being less than a 100 pages because it can be done. I've read short stories with really well fleshed out characters.

The Russian
Renee Rose
3⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a super crazy story. I didn’t really understand the characters actions in this one. It’s one thing to like a bad boy but who in there right mind has the hots for the person that is holding her captive and has threatened her life. Not really my kind of story.
Thanks NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Renee Rose never fails to delight. Her novella "The Russian" is well written and unique. It was a fast paced dark hot ride. I liked both the hero and heroine who seemed made for each other. So handle this smoking book with care. Don't say I didn't warn you.

A short read that I didn't really enjoy as much as I have other books by this author. Of course the sexy is there it's just the story as a whole and the characters that I wasn't really feeling. Give it a try you might enjoy it.

Sexy hot and dark, a strong romance with a good story and well written.