
Savage Hearts (Queens and Monsters, Bk. 3)
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Overview
From USA Today bestselling author J.T. Geissinger comes the third scorching installment in the Queens and Monsters mafia romance series — where John Wick meets Romeo and Juliet.
Malek Antonov is not a man you speak of lightly. He is a Bratva assassin — a myth, a ghost, a legend whose name alone is enough to make hardened criminals go silent. He moves through the underworld like a shadow, and when someone he loves is taken from him, he comes looking for blood. He arrives searching for vengeance over his brother's death, hunting the man responsible. What he finds instead is a girl.
She isn't who he thinks she is — or at least, that's what he believes at first. She appears to be a stranger, someone with no connection to the man who destroyed his family. But the truth is far more dangerous than that. When Malek discovers who she really is, everything changes. She isn't a coincidence. She's leverage.
Now she's his captive — a little bird locked in a cage, belonging to a monster who has every reason to hate her. Survival means learning to navigate the terrifying man who holds her fate in his hands. But the closer they get, the more complicated the lines between captor and captive become. Malek didn't come looking for anything beyond revenge. Friendship, warmth, connection — those weren't part of the plan. They still aren't. But monsters don't always want what they expect.
Series Information
Series Name: Queens & Monsters
Series Reading Order
This series is best read in publication order.
Book 1 - Ruthless Creatures
Book 2 - Carnal Urges
Book 3 - Savage Hearts
Book 4 - Brutal Vows
Reviews and Author Praise
"Holy smokes! This series just keeps getting better and better! I can always count on this author for a sexy and laugh out loud funny romance. She straddles these two extremes so very well."
— Book Twins Reviews
"Utterly perfection, from giggling to swooning this had exactly the right amount of everything. I inhaled this book in record speed, every single one of my boxes were ticked!"
— Kitty Kat's Crazy About Books
"J.T. loves her surprises and this book contained plenty to keep us coming back for more. I can't wait to see what she has planned for us next in this series."
— Carl's Crazy Bookish World
"Guys, don't miss the Queens & Monsters series if you love mafia romance!"
— Alba and Her Secrets
"If you haven't been reading J.T. Geissinger's books, you have been missing out on some of the best written, snarky, funny, hot and twisty romantic suspense books around!"
— Reading Addict
Topics and Key Themes
Narrative Tropes
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Slow Burn
Dark Romance
Captive Romance
Key Themes
Captor turned protector — a Bratva assassin's revenge mission unravels when his captive becomes his weakness.
Identity as weapon — who she really is changes everything, making her both leverage and liability.
Vengeance versus connection — grief-driven obsession collides with warmth neither captor nor captive expected.
Survival inside the cage — navigating a monster's volatile world requires more than fear, it requires trust.
Monsters resisting their own softening — a hardened killer confronts desires that have no place in his world.
Who is this book for?
Primary Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5: Very Spicy
Turning up the heat! Multiple steamy scenes with clear, descriptive detail and strong chemistry. Romance and spice share the spotlight here.
Fans of Katee Robert's dark captive romance will enjoy the explosive enemies-to-lovers tension, brutal Bratva hero, and scorchingly steamy slow-burn between a feisty heroine and the lethal assassin who refuses to let her go.
About the Author
J.T. Geissinger is a New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of thirty-five novels and novellas. Ranging from funny, feisty romcoms to intense erotic thrillers, her books have sold over twenty million copies worldwide and been translated into more than two dozen languages. She is a three-time finalist in both contemporary and paranormal romance for the RITA® Award, the highest distinction in romance fiction from the Romance Writers of America®. She is also a recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and the HOLT Medallion for Best Erotic Romance.
Similar Authors
Penelope Douglas, Katee Robert, Callie Hart
Reader FAQs
It sits at the darker end of the genre. The hero is a Bratva assassin motivated by grief and vengeance, the captive dynamic is not softened, and the tension is built on genuine threat and power imbalance rather than surface-level danger.
The romance is the primary driver. The Bratva setting and revenge premise provide context, but the emotional core is the slow, complicated shift between captor and captive. Readers who prioritize character tension over plot complexity will find it well-suited to them.
Both write dark captive romance with high tension and morally complex heroes. Geissinger tends toward slower emotional build and more internal character conflict, while Robert often moves at a faster pace. Readers who enjoy one are likely to appreciate the other.
The book is written for adult audiences. It carries a spice level of 4 out of 5, features a dark captive romance dynamic, and contains mature content including violence, explicit scenes, and morally difficult subject matter. It is not suitable for younger readers.
The story's tension is anchored in identity — the heroine's true connection to the hero's past reframes the entire dynamic once revealed, making her simultaneously leverage and liability. That structural irony gives the enemies-to-lovers arc more complexity than a straightforward captive setup.
Info
ISBN: 9781250388261
Published Date: April 22, 2025
Publisher: Bramble Books
Language: English
Page Count: 386
Size: 8.25" l x 5.38" w x 1.00" h
Category
Fiction