The Darkest Temptation: 3 (Made)

After the first two books I was okay with not reading the third. It felt like the stories were all mapped out, even though brilliantly written it became pradictable with several repetitive chapers of the main characters dancing around their feelings etc but ultimately decided why not give this one a go and boy of boy am I glad I did!! BEST story out of the series, hands down. At first, I was not a fan of Ronan and was curious how the writer would manage to change that - AND did she! Mila's character here and there annoyed me a little but that was purely personal preference. I loved that this story had a bit of action, suspense and intrige. In a heartbeat I would read the 4th 📚 if there ever ended up being one, in the hopes that it was as action packed with romance and so much uncertainty

Ronan definitely takes the cake for being the most morally grey hero out of all them in this series so far, though considering their traumatic childhood and basically coming-of-age in a Russian prison, it's not all that surprising. It is a mafia romance so certain situations got *dicey*, people did terrible things, and there was a lot of toxicity. Not gonna lie, there were moments that had me questioning whether I was going to enjoy this once the book took a darker tone close to the halfway point; but things did get better and I ended up enjoying their romance! Mila and Ronan were like pure sunshine and killer grump opposites-attract enemies-to-lovers and I was here for it! I loved Mila and she was such an easy character to root for. I did think she was a little frustratingly naive at the beginning but it doesn't take long for me to love her when she's an animal-loving ray of sunshine who wears her heart on her sleeve. Her striking up a friendship with the most injured and almost rabid dog (literally) in the compound was a little cliche, and her rescuing animal moments were definitely Belle-esque, but I can't say I loved it any less! When it came to the romance, it was very insta-lust as Mila finds herself fangirl crushing on Ronan and his hand tattoos. I'm officially naming Danielle Lori the queen of sexual tension because the whole build-up was once again *chefs kiss!* Although they have a lot to overcome I do think that their relationship evolved believably and even when they hated each other their physical chemistry was undeniable and the tension only amped up with their barbed banter! Needless to say, things got pretty steamy and it was hot! 🔥 The latter half is when the enemies-to-lovers part kicks in because Ronan becomes so easy to hate and Mila's good feelings towards him very understandably burn to ashes. It was also at this point where I got pretty uncomfortable with some of the things that Ronan does (CW/TW: dub-con, non-con, revenge p*rn) and I honestly wasn't sure if he'd be redeemable. Mild spoiler: Ronan was a tough hero to like because there's morally grey and then there's Ronan who treads the line of being just plain bad. That said, my icy feelings towards him melted alongside Mila's and by the end, I thought he was alright. He has the filthy mafia hero persona down to a tee and although I wouldn't exactly say his "softer" side was very soft, I still loved the moments of vulnerability that we see from him. The ending was also a bit of a surprise as I didn't expect it to go that way and if I'm honest, it was a tiny bit anticlimactic...? But it was a very satisfying HEA (and of course, there's a HEA)!

“The moonlight loved her. But not as much as my shadows.” Here's what you can expect: Soft and sweet heroine who can hold her own ✔ Ruthless and complex antihero ✔ Grumpy sunshine trope ✔ Off the charts chemistry ✔ Hilarious banter and the cutest endearments in Russian ✔ Great character and romance development ✔ Loveable side characters including a puppy ✔ This was hands down my most anticipated release for 2020. I'm happy to say that Ronan and Mila have a special place in my heart and this book is going straight to my all-time favorites shelf. TDT has given me my favorite female character in Mila Mikhailova. She is soft and sweet with a heart of gold but don't be fooled- she stands up for herself and is Ronan's match in every way. I loved seeing the world through her eyes and her character development by the end of the book was amazing. Words can't express the love I have for her. Ronan has to be one of the most interesting male characters. He's an antihero- ruthless and rough, even cruel at times. However, we also got to see his vulnerabilities and his soft spot for Mila. Ronan doesn't know what love is and I loved watching him come to terms with his own emotions and feelings- things he hadn't experienced before Mila. TDT is definitely darker than the previous books but it's also balanced out with Mila and Ronan's personalities- they are polar opposites but being funny is one thing they have in common. They are definitely going to have the most hilarious kids one day. I adore them both so much! One of my favorite parts of the book is the banter between Mila and Ronan. They have the best chemistry I've ever come across- at times their interactions is funny, at other times it's very intense. From the very first meeting, they had an undeniable connection and I adored the angst in this book- the push and pull between Ronan and Mila is so worth it, especially for the ending. I was truly so invested in their relationship and happiness. The writing was beautiful as always and I loved the atmospheric descriptions- I almost felt like I was in Russia myself. I loved the depth to the characters, completed with a fun set of side characters. I have a soft spot for dogs and those scenes made me so soft! The side friendships were also so sweet as well as the appearances from Christian, Gianna and Kat. This review ended up being longer than I meant it to but it's a testament to how much I loved it! I can't wait for the next book in the Made Series and in the meantime, I'll definitely be rereading!

I loved this story not a typical captive falls in love troupe either lots of twists to keep you entertainined. Slow burn love story and I enjoyed the fights between the two m.c the development of Mila as a character from soft hearted to fiery was impressive I enjoyed the writing style it wasn't over done with internal dialogue that drone on for pages. Only negative or aspect I would change was the Russian phrases were not translated so I was constantly running to Google without much luck with the translation. I do understand it was written in a way that this reflected mila and her understanding of russian so it gave you key words occasionally however I would just have liked the translation to save me pulling away from the story for a translation.

Rating 3.5/5 After reading the first two books and loving them I was very excited to get to this book because I was hoping for that same gripping tension that caught me from the first chapter and just didn’t let me go. With this book, I feel like it started well and there was enough intrigue in the story for me to overlook Mila’s obvious naivety, which is not a bad thing in itself but I think I was expecting another feisty heroine so I was a little wary. Unfortunately, this story didn’t quite play out in the same way as the rest of the series, there is a very definite difference in Ronan’s motivation and this has a big impact on the romance aspect. Now I don’t take issue with the fact that Ronan takes Mila captive, what I found it really difficult to get past was how he treats her in the beginning, I know this is a story and that with any story you have to suspend belief but for me, this was perhaps just a step too far. I think this may stem from the fact that whilst the first two books in the series had violent moments they were not really directed at the heroine, whereas in this book Mila is being forced to suffer and it just didn’t sit right with me that she would then fall for him in any kind of healthy way. Don’t get me wrong I kept reading and eventually, I was caught up in the push and pull of their gravity toward each other, but the doubt was always at the back of my mind so I didn’t feel as absorbed in this story as I had in the others. It did help that there were glimpses of my favourite couple from the series so far in this book and that I got to see how their story progressed, which added a couple of high points to a very dark story. Even though Mila was very naive, almost ridiculously so at some points, she is a hard character to hate, she is so vulnerable but also completely herself, she is the sunlight in a bleak setting. So even when she could get to the stage where I feel like I am about to get wound up at her, I then admire her for still being herself in such a dire situation. Ronan, after starting well and then letting me down a little, does get back that mysterious dark edge that does help with the chemistry between the two, he doesn’t entirely redeem himself but he wasn’t difficult to read about either. It is a shame that this book wasn’t quite what I was hoping for, it had a lot of the right elements and I’m sure others could read past what happens to Mila and just really enjoy the story, it is just unfortunate that I am not one of those people. I am still looking forward to seeing what the author will come up with next.

OMG have loved this whole series but Mila and Ronan were my favourite. All three books had me hooked and I have severely struggled to do any chores this last few days, although at least I fed my dogs (including my German Shepherd!). Going to look for your other books. Found you by accident. You are now most definitely on my fav mafia author list. LOVE LOVE LOVE your humorous writing style. Thank you Danielle.

Ronan & Mila So many red flags with Ronan and I absolutely loved it! What an MMC! 🔥 Even though the story was a dark romance, the comedy in the sarcasm that they both had with each other was sooo good! Mila really came into her own , even after living such a sheltered life. She really took everything in her stride. Seeing Christian, Gianna and Kat was good and Kat is just hilarious!

I thought Christian Allister was something else, but his brother?! There are no words. There were so many times where I wanted to cry for Mila, and I didn’t understand how Ronan was going to fix the situation and redeem himself, because he was so cruel to Mila, but boy did he… “Ya lyublyu tebya. Tak sil’no chto ne mogu dumat’ kogda ty daleko ot menya.” and “I can’t imagine a world where you and all your yellow doesn’t exist. So if you die, you’ll take me with you. Your sacrifice would mean nothing, kotyonok. NOTHING.” That’s all 🥹

I really enjoyed this book and I think that the ending was really great. overall I loved the characters and I loved the story Evan if sometimes i wanted to scream at them.

I loved the book but I realized to late that the book wasn’t in good shape. This is the third book in a series and when I started this one I noticed the pages was not normal… :( Maybe for some this isn’t a big deal, but a book lover knows that this is heartbreaking

Yes, definitely the darkest Made book of the 3 written by Danielle Lori!! Her writing style is really unique. She has this incredible insight into human nature and into human emotions. Immediately, her characters come alive and draw you into their lives and their thoughts. You are immediately immersed into Mila's life and wonderful psyche. Mila and Ronan are complete opposite. She has been sheltered since she was born, she is truly an angel at heart and tries to see the good in people, while he is the Devil who rules a violent, dark world. It is hard to do justice to this book. The characters are simply unforgettable! 💘 The story will haunt you for a long time. It is really disturbing and dark at times mostly in the 1st half of the book because Ronan is one of the most ruthless character ever written. She is his captive for two third of the book so it was disturbing to read how he tried many times to humiliate Mila and break her spirit. But she manages to stand her ground and because she has a heart of gold, she manages to crack his ruthless "shell"... The book will keep you awake. There are some scenes and some quotes that are so beautiful that they will stay in your mind for a long time. I especially love these quotes: "I loved his black, his gray and every shade in between, I loved him so much my skin was embedded by him" And "the moonlight loved her but not as much as my shadow" " Did he dream? And if he did, was it filled with blood and murder? We might not see each otjer ever again shortly, but a part of me hoped I'd leave him to dream of yellow" 💘 Read it!! Danielle Lori has become a favourite of mine. I can't wait to read The Vintage Club and The Purest addiction.

I couldn’t put this down. By far my favorite of the 3 books. I wish I went on and on.

Alles gut.