Ivan by Sophie Lark

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After feeling a little ragey from Overruled and still fighting off a book slump, I wanted something that I knew I would enjoy. I checked through my tbr, but decided to jump back to Sophie Lark. She is having another live show with Jenn (The Book Refuge) on August 7th for her Kingmakers series. However, she and Mr. Lark mentioned in the previous live show that it would be best to read the Brutal Birthright series, the Underworld series until Snow and then go to the Kingmakers. I previously binged the Brutal Birthright series and decided to jump into the Underworld. The first book is Ivan, previously published as Emerald when the series was called Colors of Crime. I applied this read to the alternate/updated cover for the Summer of Swoon board 2.

We meet Sloane and assassin for hire in St. Petersburg, Russia. She's on a job undercover as a stripper to take down a politician. After finishing her job, she usually moves along. This time, a big contract comes through and she decides to go for it. Her new target is Ivan, head of his family. He captures Sloane as she breaks in to kill him and ends up keeping her prisoner. They both feel a pull to each other and she quickly becomes more than just his captive. 

I really loved this book. If I were to be super strict, it'd be more like a 4.5-stars, but I don't think it's quite there to round up to 5 for me. It felt quick, especially their trust in each other. Now don't get me wrong, I can get on board with insta-love and have liked a lot of it. This definitely felt more insta-lust to me. It was set up nicely, but I think you can tell it's an earlier book for Sophie. I certainly enjoyed how bad-ass that Sloane was and how she was willing to work with Ivan. She made it clear though that it would be with and not for him.

I really enjoyed this book and it definitely helped stave off my book slump for another day. We'll see how the next book fairs and I'm excited to get to the next book, Snow. Then I can jump to her Kingmakers series that almost everyone I follow that has read it absolutely loves. I do have a couple book club books I'd like to read by the end of the month. With me trying not to get slumpy and the Olympics happening, I'm not sure it's going to happen. I am definitely intrigued by this series and am excited to meet Snow (it's also his name). 

Have you read Ivan?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Ivan, Sophie Lark, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 243 pages, published in 2020