Vow of Deception (Deception Trilogy, #1) by Rina Kent

Vow of Deception (Deception Trilogy, #1) Reviews

• 
  ♡tanaz♡

  Not me acting like I'm in an episode of Criminal Minds trying to figure out wtf is going on in this book & doing up FBI...
  
  This is Rina's best book yet! I mean the concept, the plot, the execution, everything just flowed together so well, this is definitely my most anticipated trilogy of the year and I need book 2 like yesterday.
  
  Adrian is a part of the Russian mafia, who seemingly had a great life, he's the second most powerful person in the bratva, just under the Pakhan, and is always the brains behind all of the operations, has a beautiful wife and a son. Except as soon as you read the prologue we see actually his wife is MIA/possibly/kinda dead and he decides to pluck our heroine Winter off the streets to replace her! We love a thoughtful king 😍
  
  Winter has a past shrouded in mystery, she's been homeless and living on the streets for awhile fending for herself after an accident that caused her to lose both her mother and baby girl. Until Adrian, the brute forces his way into her life and turns her into his wife Lia.
  
  These two were fire together, I can't even describe their chemistry to you because it was off the fucking charts. Adrian was strict, hardcore, and domineering, yet he showed moments of softness, protectiveness, looked after her, and gave her the exact amount of pain she needed. I loved Winter's strength, how even when she knew she was losing a battle she never shied away from her true self & stood up to Adrian.
  
  I spent 50% of my time salivating over Adrian and Winter and the other half trying to figure out where the real Lia is, what happened to Winter, who the man in her nightmares is, and why Adrian is hiding stuff from the mafia. The ending was a total mindfuck, and I'm so excited for the next book, lets fast forward to April, March is canceled! 💋
• 
  Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️

  2.5 Stars
  
  Kind of a train wreck, but interested enough to continue…
  
  
• 
  Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️

  I am addicted to dark mafia romance!
  
  
  
  The following ratings are out of 5:
  Romance: 💚💙💜🖤❤️
  Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
  Story/Plot: 📘📗📕📙📘
  World building: 🌏🌏🌍🌏🌎
  Character development: 😉😖🤨😤🥰
  
  

  “Winter is no longer Winter. She’s Lia. She took my wife’s life, and her punishment is spending the rest of her existence being Lia’s replacement.”

  
  
  The Hero: Adrian Volkov - An Obshchak in the Russian Bratva. The only one he answers to is the Pakhan (Leader of the Bratva). He may or may not have killed his wife Lia, and he is replacing her with Winter who he seems to want to turn into Lia completely.
  
  The heroine: Winter Cavanaugh (a.k.a. Lia) - she is homeless and a drunk at the beginning of the book and it all seems to revolve around an accident that she can’t get over in which her baby died. Also the mayoral candidate and owner of a shelter touched her inappropriately and she fought her way out of the situation before giving him a swift kick to the family jewels. However, he turned up dead the next day and she is the chief suspect.
  
  The Love Story: Adrian offers Winter food and shelter to slip into the place of his wife as opposed to going to jail for Murder. She has no other choices so agrees to do what he wants.
  
  
  
  It seems from the beginning Adrian wants Winter to be a submissive little pushover and she isn’t that since she has been living on the streets. Adrian is always dominant and in control and Winter can’t seem to help herself from defying him. Though I must say he is a bit too strict for my tastes. He wants her to follow his every rule and he demands that she not talk back to him which includes questioning him when he tells her to do something.
  
  There are so many different storylines in this book, one of which is the Bratva Brotherhood that Adrian belongs to. In the Throne Duet, Adrian is a trusted member of the Bratva, but in this book he seems to be hiding things from them and worried that he will be caught. He job as a Bratva leader is to find people for the Brotherhood to bribe so he is basically the tech genius of the mafia.
  
  He finds out everything there is to find about everyone he can use something against. He ensures his place by always having some sort of dirt on his enemies and even his so called Brothers. However, they also seem to be keeping secrets from him.
  
  What happened to the original Lia is somewhat of a mystery though we know (from Throne of Vengeance) that at some point either she or Winter ran to Raina asking for help getting away from Adrian, and Raina put her in a safe house. I say that because this scene was in Throne of Vengeance and Rai didn’t know that there were two Lia’s so it wasn’t really clear which one it was. All the different secrets and mysteries in this book kept me reading all night long. I couldn’t put it down and the ending was spectacular. I can’t wait for the next book!
  
  
  
  I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
  
  
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• 
  Lilyya ♡

  5 —mind-blowing— stars
  
  "She willingly closes her eyes and whispers, “I wish I’d never met you.” My lips brush against her forehead. “I’ll meet you over and over again if I have to.” "
  
  Well, it was for sure a twisted and sick rollercoaster and I loved every part of it. woupsi!
  
  Adrian Volkov is a high graded member of the New York Bratva. In the prologue we witness how his wife "died" so we wonder how lucky he’s to run —quickly after that— on her homeless and tracked by the police doppelgänger, Winter Cavanaugh ? Would she play along then and remplace the ghost of his wife?
  
  I feel like nothing really happened in the book and yet a lot was going on. Like, most of the questions we begin with haven’t been answered and worse again we close the book asking even more ones. I mean the revelation—cliffhanger— at the end left me with a gaped mouth wondering if anything was real after all, I couldn’t and can’t even dissolve the truth from the lie at this stage.
  The plot twists were abundantly raining throughout the book and were so well orchestrated that the mind f*ck game kept on going and changing the course of the storyline in its wake. I’m honestly impressed by Miss Kent and how she hooked me on this crazy ride just by a well written and bloody prologue.
  
  "After all, monsters can only birth monsters. "
  
  Adrian is the epitome of the "morally grey character", he tends to be more morally evil, tbh I understand that behind his sociopath persona there’s a maltreated child but I think we’ll get more answers about both of their pasts in the second book and I really need this part to be clarified.
  
  " I realize that he’ll never see me. That, just like in the ballet, I’m only a shadow of someone else. An insignificant nobody."
  
  Poor Winter had faced a lot even before she became the hostage of a mad man. And it broke my heart every time he called her Lia —his late wife’s name— instead of hers.
  
  "Is there anything crueler than erasing one’s identity? Than wiping away the essence of their being as if it never existed? "
  
  She made a deal was forced to play a role and stole someone else’s life and identity. But what if after all she wasn’t playing?
• 
  Pinky

  Trigger Warnings: Graphic rape scene (nightmare of mc, does not happen), neglected in childhood, homeless circumstances, sexual assault, dubious consent / non-consensual scenes, rough sex, spanking/whipping (mc gets welts), grooming, violence, kidnapping, agoraphobia, insomnia, stillborn, loss of loved one, hallucinating, alcohol addiction, violence, guns
  
  Wow, what the fuck did I just read? That CLIFFHANGER BRUHH. I wanna dive into the next book but I wanna write a review first. I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did. My lovely friend
  Apoorva convinced me to start this trilogy and I cannot thank her enough, this book was just so damn good. This book is a dark mafia romance, there are some really dark and disturbing scenes in this so it isn’t for everyone. There are some non-consensual, dubious consensual scenes so if that also bothers you, I recommend you avoid this book. These books also tend to have more controlling guys so yea, avoid if you are bothered by that. This book had so many twists and turns, the plot was crazy, it’s so different from other mafia romance books I’ve read it was just so refreshing. This is the first time I have read a
  Rina Kent book and I LOVED IT. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, it’s currently 3:47AM but I had to write this review.
  
  
  Winter is a homeless woman on the streets, she is struggling to get by. She runs into a stranger who later kidnaps her. She is forced to comply with his wishes, to be his wife and act with him. If she doesn’t, she could die or worse. Adrian works for part of the mafia and is one of the people in the higher-ups. Both Winter and Adrian fight one another in a game of push and pull until they finally face the truth and discover secrets.
  
  Man this book is hard to summarize but it’s better to go in not knowing anything other than the fact that this is a mafia romance with twists and turns.
  
  Now for spoiler
  
  
  Damn so where do I begin? Well when we first start off, I felt really bad for Winter, the girl was struggling on the streets and she lost her daughter. When she runs into Adrian for the first time, their encounter was so interesting. I didn’t think much of it and then he ends up kidnapping her. So I expected him to tell her what he expected her to do since they were supposed to act like they were married, but the guy just lets her into his house without telling her anything. She didn’t even know about Jeremy until she saw him and I was like man Adrian you really gotta give her a heads up. At first, I felt so conflicted since Adrian was able to move on with Winter so quickly, he was ready to have sex with her and was treating her like his wife, he warmed up to the idea so quickly. When Winter slapped Adrian I was like oh my god and freaked out but luckily Adrian didn’t do anything, sure he threatened her but knowing him now, I doubt he would’ve done anything extreme. I read
  The Darkest Temptation before this and the main character in that was a lot more aggressive IMO, he did more things to hurt the heroine so this was refreshing. Then again it’s a given in mafia romance so I can’t be surprised if he did do something.
  
  
  I really liked Winter so much, I loved how she just didn’t give a fuck and stood up for herself. I loved that she was persistent in escaping and talked back to Adrian even though he was intimidating. I was surprised she didn’t know the guy was part of the mafia until Olga told her. When he said that she lost her memories and shit, I thought it was a good excuse for people to stop questioning her. But after reaching the end of the book, I realize that Adrian might not have been lying, Winter is Lia, a total mindfuck, but who is the Lia that is wired up? Wait let’s get to that later. Anyway, I loved Winter a ton, I loved how she was persistent in reminding herself of who she was and how pissed she was that Adrian was tryna erase her identity. I loved her connection to Jeremy and how she took care of him, everything about her was bloody amazing.
  
  
  Winter and Adrian had so much chemistry, it was insane. When I read the rape scene, I literally couldn’t. I was so scared that he was actually raping her, I was disgusted, I was like bro if this guy raped her there is no redeeming him. It was so graphic I was surprised. But when we find out it was a nightmare, I was like yea that makes sense, she didn’t mention feeling sore when she woke up so all of that made sense (the bite marks and arm tattoo thing threw me off for a second though). But the whipping scenes and spanking scenes were a little much for me, it sounded painful. I’ve read books that had scenes like this but it wasn’t that extreme. I know she orgasmed and stuff but she had welts on her and she felt pain sitting down, but I guess as long as she felt pleasure in it, it’s fine. Their first kiss was bloody amazing, it reminded me of a scene in
  The Maddest Obsession with my favourite couple, Gianna and Christian. The thing is Winter didn’t really get a say in much since it is a mafia romance so Adrian called the shots but he did take care of her really well. Whenever they had a sex scene and Winter always tried to avoid using her voice to show that she felt pleasure, I loved that she was protesting in her own way. And I loved how much it bothered Adrian, it just showed he loved her voice and everything, he even says it in the end which was sweet. There were questionable dubious scenes that didn’t bother me too much but they were there. While reading I just kept thinking it was weird how easily Adrian moved on to Winter and didn’t feel weird about his wife. And I found it weird that in his perspective, he didn’t mention Lia properly, he just kept calling Winter - Lia. And when Winter would yell at him for calling her Lia and he didn’t argue much, he was like nope you’re Lia, and I understood Winter’s frustration. Since Adrian continued to persist in calling Winter - Lia, I started to get a little suspicious, I was like wait, what if Winter is Lia? But then we see Lia glaring at Winter from the guesthouse and I threw that theory out the window. Now I’m sitting here confused as hell.
  
  
  Bro I just wanna fangirl at the things Adrian did for Lia. Like he literally held his hand to cover the roof of the car while she got in so her head wouldn’t hit the ceiling. I watched a kdrama where this actor did that and apparently this actor (Ji Sung) does this for his wife too, it’s the sweetest gesture ughh. When I read that Adrian did that I thought it was so sweet.
  
  
  
  When he fed her the sandwich in the car ughh. And the fact that he helps her shower and blowdries her hair and all, ugh. And oh ma god whenever she rolls to the edge of the bed and he goes and spoons her every night. I was surprised at how soft he was when the beginning showed that he didn’t even feel anything when his dad died and he came off as an unemotional main character. But obviously, this guy would go crazy if anything happened to his wife, I just loved it. When Lia got kidnapped and he freaked out and said MY WIFE I was like hmmm she might actually be Lia, but the other Lia is throwing me off, like who is she bro? And when he, Lia and Jeremy hung out outside and he asked for a kiss on the cheek like Jeremy, my heart couldn’t take it ugh.
  
  
  When Winter first sees Lia I was like what the fuck. We know Lia is alive because we hear Adrian talk about her being alive on the phone or something. But then in the end we find out that Winter is Lia which doesn’t make any sense because we know that Lia is wired up in the guesthouse. I mean, Lia saw Lia, BRUH THAT SENTENCE. THIS BOOK IS CRAZY. When Yan looked out for Lia and would answer some of her questions, I liked him. And when he told Lia where to look I was confused because why would he help her? I liked how Kolya and Yan would question Adrian even though he was their boss. And I found it interesting that Adrian’s job was a stay-at-home office kinda job that focuses on strategies and shit. I liked that. But yea it was clear that Adrian was hiding a lot, there’s so much to unravel I doubt I’ll be able to cover everything. But what made me suspect that Lia IS Lia is because of how Adrian was acting. He would stiffen whenever she said she is Winter when Lia was having a nightmare and he kept saying Lia and she didn’t respond and when he said Winter she woke up, it was interesting. You can see that bothered him so much, and it wasn’t just because he wanted Winter to be Lia, it was cuz Winter IS Lia and she just didn’t remember. Winter is clearly unstable, she has nightmares and hallucinations, she is constantly unable to decipher what is fake and real, which is why she was an unreliable narrator. It made things so much more interesting since the story was so complicated, I loved it. Everything is not what it seems.
  
  
  The whole party scene had so much tension, I was freaking out for Lia the entire time. Whenever Winter reminded herself of her identity, I kept saying it with her because she had every right to feel angry and conflicted. When she felt like she was cheating and being the other woman to Lia, I felt for her, she was such a self-aware, woke character that would openly admit how she felt. It was nice to feel that no matter what Adrian did to her, she was not gonna break. And when everyone was talking to Lia in condescending ways, I was freaking out, but she dealt with it like a champ and stood up for herself. It was interesting to see how everyone told her she was different and rarely stood up for herself. I just wanna know how Lia ended up as Winter, I am just confused. My guess is that she successfully managed to run away and then she told herself a fake story and gave herself a fake identity and lied to herself until she believed her lies and forgot the reality of her situation. It’s just sad because she walked away from Jeremy, we all know Winter would be pissed about that. And what made Lia wanna leave Adrian, let alone attempt to kill him?
  
  
  Wait up...The intro had a girl running away and Rai mentioned that she saw Lia running away cuz her worker helped Lia. But Adrian knew and came after her and she forgot what happened afterwards. The intro had a girl fall off of a cliff and Adrian cradles the girl in his arms. Soo...Who is the doppelganger and who is Lia and how’d they get into Adrian’s life? Bruh.
  
  
  I loved Yan so much for protecting Lia and I loved when Lia carried him all the way after they got kidnapped. I was surprised that Lia worked with the Luca guy and attempted to kill Adrian. The whole ending had me shook cuz I was like wait what? Lia was homeless and she lost a kid and her mom and shit, was that all her imagination? Her hallucinations were so real it would make sense. I’m guessing the next book is gonna focus on what Lia remembers and the reader will find out how Lia ended up as Winter. It’s weird how she immediately knew she was Lia once Luca told her, but whatever. Anyways, so far my questions are:
  
  Who was the girl in the beginning? Lia or the doppleganger?
  Who tried to kill Lia for ending a life at the beginning?
  Why does Lia wanna kill Adrian?
  Who the hell is Luca and how’d they become partners?
  Why was Lia homeless?
  How are Rai and the others involved?
  What does Adrian know?
  Why is Lia having nightmares and hallucinations?
  Who is the doppelganger Lia?
  Why did Lia become ghost Lia (Jeremy mentions it a lot)?
  Why is she in the guesthouse and wired up?
  Why was Kolya against Lia coming home?
  And so. Much More.
  
  
  Anyway that is it for spoilers
  
  
  I am really loving this so far, I cannot wait to read the next book. I’ll be off, stay safe folks!
  
• 
  moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus]

  5 stars ☆
  
  first of all, what the fuck?
  
  second of all, WHAT. THE. FUCK? my reactions throughout this book:
  
  
  
  
  ↠ this book gave me whiplash after whiplash and i was confused but also freaking out...but also intrigued?? i was originally going to give this 4 stars bc the romance is what i often look forward to when picking up a book but i loved pretty much everything except the romance here. 😂 however, the mindfuckery made me decide it deserved a 5-star rating bc this had me feeling A L L kinds of emotions and im still not over those feelings. idk if i loved this book exactly, im most likely gonna read the whole trilogy before deciding but it was definitely an experience. 😭
  
  ❝ Why don't you fuck off?" Rai says point-blank. "I just want Sasha around, not you."
  "Aleksander," Kirill stresses, "is my guard, Rai. We come as a set. Get used to it."
  "I'm sure the only reason he's with you is because you're holding something over his head." Rai pats Aleksander's hand. "Don't worry, Sasha. I will save you from this demon."
  Sasha—Aleksander—a guard who's even prettier than Yan, lowers his head, awkwardly clearing his throat.
  "How about me, Rai?" Damien takes her free hand in his and kisses the back of it. "When are you going to save me? All you have to do is divorce Kyle and then we can ride into the sunset—or the battlefield. Same result."
  She swiftly pulls her hand from his. "Only Kyle gets to touch me. Do it again and I will kick you in the balls. ❞
  
  ↠ THE SIDE CHARACTERS!! aside from the mindfuck i felt about this book, the side characters were also my fav part. the banters between them were chefs kiss. Kirill (I LOVE YOU, SIR), Damien, Yan, Jeremy, Rai—these characters truly had me whipped for them whenever they would appear in a scene. i need books for each of them pls!! maybe not Jeremy bc he's only 5 years old in this book lmao and i know Rai already has her own book but i would love stories on the other three. 🥺
  
  ↠ i wasn't really a fan of the whole punishment/spanking thing, but it's more of a personal preference. 🤣
  
  ↠ i just wanna know who the fuck was the "Lia" that was in the forbidden room?? the fact that i guessed Winter IS Lia had me shook bc i genuinely didn't expect to be right and my theory was simply a guess. 😂
  
  sidenote: thank you to my dear friends,
  praveetha,
  apoorva and
  teesha for dealing with my annoying ass of spams and rants SJDHSFH ♡
• 
  pauline

  WHAT A WILD RIDE THIS BOOK AND SERIES WAS LMAOOOOO
  
  Look up your TW before you read. Did i enjoy the series? YES.
  
  Was I making predictions and talking out loud to myself while I read? ALSO YES
• 
  ✘Paulette & Her Sexy Alphas❤️☾ ⋆

  
  
  - Vow of Deception is part of a trilogy and is not standalone read.
  
  Have you ever fell like Wft did I just read! This is one of those reads for me! I can only imagine that this Trilogy is going to get more intense the further we go a long
  
  So I found myself still up last night around 3:45 reading the last few pages of this crazy good read
  
  
  I want to 1st mention that getting Dark Deception is somewhat a waste of your time. since it is only teaser of this book, and also, it’s included in this book already
  
  So, I was in the mood for dark read and a friend of my recommended this Trilogy to me … So fair warning this book was, so fu$ked up at times (trigger warnings on: almost rape & violence) but let me tell you, it made the book as dark and consuming as I wanted it to be.
  
  “My name is Winter Cavanaugh and I was born in Michigan. My father died when I was a toddler, and my mom relocated us to New York for work reasons.”
  
  Winter: has a past shrouded in mystery, and let me tell you she will draw you in with that mystery…..she's been homeless and living on the streets for a while fending for herself after an accident that caused her to lose both her mother and baby girl.
  
  At some point in the beginning of this story , you might ask yourself why in the blazes is Winter staying after seeing Adrian’s dark & cruel side… than we meet Jeremy & than everything seems to fall into place for us
  
  Adrian is a part of the Russian mafia, who seemingly had a great life, he's the second most powerful person in the bratva, just under the Pakhan, and is always the brains behind all of the operations, has a beautiful wife and a son. So that’s where some of that mind fuck comes into play… You aren’t completely sure what happen to the real Lia Volkov.
  
  There crazy Cliffhanger: will be picking up the next book right away!
  
  
  
  
  Man holding match
  
  
  Deception Trilogy: Reading Order
  #0.5 Dark Deception ✔️
  #1 Vow of Deception ✔️
  #2 Tempted by Deception
  #3 Consumed by Deception
  
  
  ⬇Always remember⬇
  
  
  📚 💖 Hope you enjoy this read 💖& also always keep in mind this is just my opinion+ Also I wouldn’t never discourage anyone from reading this book.
  
  
• 
  Mareeva

  3.5 stars
  
  The amount of mental cartwheels this book has put me through deserves 5 stars. FR I have never used my brain so much in my life as I did trying to figure out all the bloody plot twists💀
  
  The way I read the synopsis and my very first thought was Winter is Lia BET😭😭😭bye.
• 
  Rina Kent

  VOW OF DECEPTION IS LIVE!
  Dark Marriage Mafia Romance.
  
  AMAZON US ➜
  https://amzn.to/36xgSHt
  INTERNATIONAL ➜
  https://smarturl.it/VODBuy
  AUDIOBOOK ➜
  https://amzn.to/38x8wkh
  PREQUEL ➜
  https://BookHip.com/RZJCDQG
  
  Excerpt:
  
  “Lie down."
  "No, please."
  "Every minute you waste of my time will be extracted from your flesh.”
  Instead of waiting for me to do as he’s commanded, Adrian flips the tablecloth that holds all the plates and yanks it away with one merciless tug. Dishes clank together and the cups of coffee spill on the material and drip on the ground.
  “Adrian…” I say, in an attempt of one final plea. “Please.”
  “It’s too early to beg. Save it for when you'll actually need it.”
  
  © Rina Kent, 2021
  
  This book is part of a trilogy and is not standalone.
  
  Deception Trilogy:
  #0
  Dark Deception
  #1
  Vow of Deception
  #2
  Tempted by Deception
  #3
  Consumed by Deception
• 
  Jonathan

  🙂🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫
  review to fucking come. 0 stars though. i am out for blood. i WILL murder someone.
  
  
  the kindle phone app wouldn't let me access my notes and i was about to be so fucking pissed but now that i have managed to get access to them on my laptop and am reliving the experience - fuck you amazon, why didn't you just delete it for real
  
  
  welcome to my 500th review. this is no cause for celebration. neither of us will have fun.
  
  
  there will be SPOILERS
  
  
  Adrian Volkov: I'm too irresistible to be a rapist.
  Also Adrian Volkov: Is a rapist
  
  if you like Adrian Volkov: you have terrible taste in men. i'm not even sorry.
  this dude has no redeeming qualities. none.
  
  
  he's an abusive piece of shit to his wife (or "wife", fuck do i know at this point) about whom he says this
  
  "You’re my wife, my property, my thing. That means you walk the line I trace and make the decisions I allow."
  
  
  he's a distant father at best and a fucking disgusting creep to his son at worst
  
  “Papa, is Mommy in there?” I gasp at Jeremy’s voice and I try to scramble from Adrian’s hold, but he keeps me joined to him by the fingers inside me. “Let me go. Your son is outside.” He’s looking at me when he speaks to Jeremy, “Yes.” “Can I come in?” the little boy asks. I shake my head frantically, but Adrian says, “Yes.” “Are you crazy?” I hiss under my breath. “You said I don’t spend much time with him.”
  
  ah yes, spending time with your five year old while you have your fingers inside your fake (?) wife will definitely earn you the father of the year award. but hey! at least he smiled at him once and affectionately called him "my little boy". what a man!! 🥰
  
  
  and he is also an asshole to his staff and wouldn't hesitate to kill them at the smallest inconvenience. they should honestly just work together at this point and kill him themselves.
  one of them gets shot and nearly dies and this is what good old Adrian has to say about it
  
  “You’re saying that because you’ve known him his entire life. You find it hard to suspect him because of your bond.” “Apparently, you have no problem with that. Congratulations.” “I said to watch your tone, and no, Kolya, I have no problem distrusting people.” “So what now? Are you going to kill him?” “I’m not that cruel. I wouldn’t kill him without questioning him first.”
  
  
  enough about Adrian though. not because i don't have more to say, because BOY DO I.
  i'm just tired thinking about him.
  
  
  let's move on to the plot: what the fuck was that?
  
  what the fuck is the plot of this book? i feel like authors think they can just write whatever nowadays
  
  nothing about the winter is lia thing but lia is also lying around somewhere comatose made any kind of sense.
  i think even adrian is confused because he first treated "winter" like he actually didn't know her and then started treating her like his actual wife - which she is. or she isn't. who knows. who cares tbh.
  
  
  which brings me to my final point and why this book is the worst
  
  THIS IS A GODDAMN SERIES????
  
  i was approaching the last ten pages and i was like "huh, wild, how you gonna wrap all this up" when i realized THERE ARE TWO MORE BOOKS.
  i thought it was a trilogy in the sense that "here have three books about three different asshole men" BUT IT'S NOT? who is asking for more of this????
  
  i would rather die than read more, so this is a standalone now, as far as i'm concerned
  
  
  TL;DR: there's this one scene where adrian is taking a bath and winter is like "shock, gasp, he is naked" when he gets out. that's usually how people take baths yes. so same rating as the amount of brain cells she has: 0
• 
  Bibi

  I couldn't put this book down!
• 
  D.L. Howe

  Wow, seriously just wow.
  
  It’s a bold statement but I’m thinking this is my favorite mafia romance. Adrian is most definitely my favorite mobster.
  
  Winter goes from being one of NYC’s multiple homeless numbers to being forced to take the place of a very powerful man’s wife. Apparently doppelgängers exist and Lia, Adrian Volkov’s missing wife is Winter’s.
  
  It’s a battle of wills from the get go and Adrian’s not used to being refused. So he has no choice but to break her in the form of corporal punishment.
  
  Omg this fed so many of my perverted, deviant needs. And Winter felt the same way because she enjoyed it as much as she hated it.
  
  I will admit that she broke my heart with her past and her need to hold onto herself. It frustrated me when Adrian wouldn’t budge an inch.
  
  The story progressed into one deception after another as each character fought for their own agenda.
  
  By the end of this I had no idea what was right or wrong. Rina crested the ultimate epitome of a mindfuck and I am here for it.
• 
  ellie

  Adrian Volkov🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️
  
  Rina Kent has finally done it and given me a hero i don’t hate with an insufferable burning passion or feel absolutely nothing for.
• 
  marwah

  WHATDIDHESAYYYYYY??????????
  
  ---------------------------
  
  the non discreet cover needs a whole trigger warning.
• 
  Crystal (Crystalreads2)

  I have only read a few books by Rina Kent, so I, unfortunately, don’t have much to compare the mindf@ckery to. However, this takes the cake. WOW! My brain hurts from trying to find all the bread crumbs. My suggestion is don’t read any spoilers and go in blind. Because trust me, we are all confused.
  
  Vow of Deception is not your typical mafia dark romance story. Far from it, the concept and plot are something beyond your wild imagination. I need to know what Adrian is hiding. It’s big, whatever it is. And I am seriously on the fence about him. Don’t get me wrong, he is hot as sin, and the chemistry between him and Lia is steamy. I believe he cares about her, but I just have a feeling. Of course, I can be completely wrong. As there’re are so many secrets. After all, he is second in command in the Russian mafia.
  
  This book has so many twists and turns with severe push/ pull that I have whiplash. It was awesome. Rina Kent is Brilliant; I tell you with her writing and how she kept us on our toes, pay close attention is my advice and be prepared not to have all your answers. Don’t forget you still have mafia business in the background. I say this is more of a psychological thriller versus a dark romance. There are dark undertones. So it’s a medium Gray on my dark scale. I have a feeling the following two books will be darker. Is it April yet? I need the next book—that cliffhanger something else.
  
  Side note all I could sing throughout the book is Living Dead Girl by Rob Zombie; it’s fits the book perfectly.
• 
  ☽ mira

  5⭐️
  
  

  “I’ll meet you over and over again if I have to.”

  
  
  i'm still so fucking shocked. damn this is the ONE. god the best book i've read by rina kent. no joke had me on my toes the whole time.
  
  its so fucking unique that i dont even know how to categorize this. i'm just still so shocked about that ending. i'm confused but in a good way. fuck me is adrian the hottest man alive.
  
  this man can rail me any day now. HE'S SO FUCKING CARING. my fucking type 100%. i can't wait to continue this series because god damn its good.
  
• 
  Carla Bulian

  It’s intriguing.
  It’s worth the reading!
• 
  Nazanin

  4.5 Stars
  
  People say death is the end. For me, it’s only the beginning.
  
  Told in dual POV, 1st person, it’s the first installment in the "Deception Trilogy" and ends on a huge cliffhanger but don’t worry, book 2 is already out. Vow of Deception is a dark marriage romance with a dictator as an alpha anti-hero who is also a real cold asshole. You could feel the power emanating off of him. I liked that every time Winter had a chance, she fought with him. There is a twist that at the end, instead of being solved, it raises more questions. The story grasped my whole attention from the first chapter and I couldn’t read it faster. The chemistry between the MCs was well done and I was entertained by the dynamics between them. Overall, loved it and hope you enjoy it as well!
• 
  Karla

  3.75 stars**
• 
  Ria | Abstract ♥ Books

  
  
  
  ALL MY REVIEWS CAN BE FOUND ON MY BLOG:
  ABSTRACT BOOKS
  
  
  
  
  
  

  I’m going to live as someone else.
  I won’t be Winter Cavanaugh anymore.
  My thoughts are reinforced when the Russian says,
  “From now on, you’re Lia Volkov. Wife of Adrian Volkov.”

  
  
  Star Rating : 4.5/5 Stars
  
  POV : Dual
  
  Cliffhanger : yes!
  
  Hero : Adrian Volkov
  
  Heroine : Winter Cavanaugh
  
  Pace of the story : Moderate
  
  Angst Rating : 5/10
  
  Heat Rating : 9/10
  
  Triggers Involved : Dub Con , Past Triggers
  
  

  People say death is the end. For me, it’s only the beginning.”

  
  
  Plot Summary :
  Winter is barely living her life. Living on the streets is what she prefers and the only reasons she is making it is because of her daughter. The girl she lost. The one for whom she has to live for. That is until she becomes witness to a crime. A crime involving the scary and intimidating Adrian Volkov. And things worsen when she gets caught. Now she has two choices, either to go to jail Or accept his proposition. A proposition where she has pretended to be his dead wife.
  
  It won't be that tough, would it?! She just has to pretend. If only it were like that. She soon realises that she has bitten off more than she can chew and Adrian is hiding something from her. Nothing is alright at his house. Everyone seems so weird and familiar. They all have their secrets with Adrian being the most secretive of them all. And by the time he would be done with her, there would be nothing left of her.
  
  Overall Opinion :
  OMG , Rina seriously wasn't kidding when she said that this book was an utter mindfuck!! This is a warning that she did not hold in this one.
  
  She managed to spin this tale so well that I have tons of questions!! Even though I got some answers and am happy that some of my theories were correct about this book, I have Tons of new questions!! Adrian and Winter have a tale that will confuse and intrigue you in the most enticing way possible.
  
  Each and every chapter has its own suspense and turning point and by the end I had given up hope that things would turn out the way I wanted them to, but then that twist came at the very last page, in the very last paragraph, and holy shit, nothing was the same after that. I had to put my kindle aside and blink a few times to digest what I just read! My brain was overflowing with theories and the worst thing was that I had to wait for the next book to get more answers!! 😭😭
  
  I have been reading Rina's book since the time she published Elite series and trust me when I say that this is definitely Rina's top work till now!! She is at her best and has me completely speechless after this book. I don't think it's a secret that how crazy I was about meeting Adrian and he was everything I wanted so much more. He was dark, commanding and intimidating and so freaking hot! The man had me gasping every time he made an appearance in the book!
  
  The ending was the worst punch. Literally. I mean I know Rina has the worst cliffhanger but the cliffhanger in this book was something else entirely. I was THIS near to go to rina's house myself and demand for the next book!! That's how crazy it was. Sinful and utterly addicting, VOW OF DECEPTION is Rina's most twisted work till date. She will give you crumbs of answers for your questions and at the same time you will develop even more questions. I mean, I seriously have no idea how she managed to write this book. So freaking amazing!!
  
  A must read for all the Dark Romance lovers out there! If you want to get your mind fucked in the most addictive way possible, then don't hesitate to meet Adrian Volkov. The man doesn't disappoint!!
  
  
  
  
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• 
  ✨❤ Summer ❤✨ Solstice

  not me trying to start with RK's backlist with arguably the best rated series by her (by my friends, they're the only ratings i trust a lil lmao) <3
• 
  Penny

  “I wish I’d never met you.”
  My lips brush against her forehead. “I’ll meet you over and over again if I have to.”

  
  me?? never said a bad thing about RK in my life 🤪🥰
  
  the way i DEVOURED this omg. i stayed awake until 3:00 am to finish it and i can't wait to keep reading and fail all of my upcoming exams next week 😍 but wow, i loved this. Adrian.....
  
  
  

  “Where the fuck did you go, Lenochka? Keep your attention on me when I’m fucking you.”

  
  he's most definitely a walking red flag, and i wouldn't judge anyone who hates him lmao, but something about him just ✨ worked. in fact, this book reminded me of how i felt after reading
  Bitter Heat—it had so many things that typically don't work for me, but i ate them all up. why? i think i can justify pretty much any attitude from the hero as long as i feel his obsession with the heroine. and Adrian was so obsessed, it was beautiful to see 🧎‍♀️
  

  I’ll bring my Lia out of this woman, even if it’s the last thing I do.

  
  i see a man who's just so desperate to bring his wife back and i have to stan, i'm sorry. i was a goner from the moment we met him and saw he still wore the ring 🥰 the bar is on the floor yes, thank you for asking. but ahhh something about the second chance/marriage in crisis trope just gets to me. he acted like a robot in public, pretended that nothing fazed him and that he didn't give two shits about Lia when they were around other people, but in reality he was so into her 😭
  

  “He’s looking at you all the time; why don’t you look at him?” My voice chokes and I try to clear my throat.
  “How about you?” he whispers.
  “Me?”
  “Do you look at me?”

  
  
  
  i feel like i'm becoming less and less of a feminist each day jskdha (when it comes to fiction of course 😌). i know i would've loved Adrian's toxic traits at 15, hated them at 19, and now... here i am again. he fucking loses it when she touches his bodyguard's HAND. he asks her to change her clothes when she's showing too much cause he doesn't want anybody else to see her like that. i.... 👁👄👁
  

  “The big deal is that no one looks at you the way I do. No one gets a glimpse at what’s mine.”

  
  he starts showing more vulnerability towards the end and by then i was SWOONING. some of the stuff he says is 🥺🥺🥺
  

  I love making her happy. I love how she melts in my arms and I intend to show her how much I love it all night long.

  
  
  
  I was more indifferent towards Lia/Winter. I neither loved nor hated her lol. I really felt for her at some points, but other than that, I didn't feel like I fully understood her. hopefully that will change in the next books. buuut i did love the way she occasionally stood up to Adrian, even if she was more submissive in general. how she refused to moan out loud every time he touched her reminded me of
  The Sweetest Oblivion with Elena refusing to kiss Nico, and pfff something about that just hits different. she drove Adrian desperate with it 😌
  

  “Tell me to fuck you,” he rasps.
  “Fuck me,” I murmur. “But you won’t be hearing anything.”

  
  and the way she treated Jeremy!! WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THERE WAS A CUTE KID IN THIS 😭😭😭 no wonder i liked this so much. i love cute kids in romance books 👉👈 now Adrian better step up to be a more present dad or else 🔪
  

  “Do you need Mommy too, Papa?”
  Adrian pauses before he says calmly, assertively, “I do.”

  
  i'm not sure if it was necessary for this to be a trilogy, so i hope the plot isn't drawn out and i don't end up exhausted by the end of book 3 lol. but so far i'm excited to keep reading and can't wait for certain things to take place. i'm also really glad i picked this up because i haven't liked the two previous books i tried by RK, but this was something else 🥰
  

  “You’re so beautiful,” he rasps, rolling his hips until his cock is all the way inside me. “You’re fucking home.”
• 
  Precious ✨

  2.25 but I still need to know what happens stars.
  
  
  Me giving this rating. after everyone told me they loved it.
  
  
  
  Honestly, I think the things that worked for everyone were exactly the reason it did not work for me. The female lead Winter/Lia is dealing with mental issues, i.e. paranoia, hallucinations, nightmares... so you don't really understand or know what is happening. But the level it was written at caused it to come off to me like a bad unreliable narrator novel.
  
  I didn't like that we had a secondary point of view from the male lead that didn't help my opinion. Again this is how the book was meant to come off and maybe I am burnt out but it just was not vibing with me. Winter got on my nerves, Adrian got on my nerves. Honestly just let me have Kolya, Yan, and Jeremy become some blended family and leave the couple alone to jump off somewhere and I'd be happy.
  
  Like chick did you really think you were about to take this man's son with no money?? no resources??? to the guy you were just scared of two seconds ago?? My gosh I just --
  
  
  I was really interested in the beginning but around the halfway mark I was waiting for the revelation, which came as a cliffhanger instead. Which in turn had me skimming through this to get to the promise land.
  
  I still want to know what happens though so I will say Rina always has that working in her favor.
  I always feel like -
  
  
  I am currently reading the second book now, and my feelings towards the coupe really hasn't changed, if anything, it has intensified.
  
  Pros? the spice level is good and the H is a grumpy softie and does sweet aftercare. the h does have a good moments here and there (saving my yan ban) but still disappointed with this and myself for continuing to the next book overall.
  
  🤡
• 
  hala

  ✩ 4 stars.
  
  

  ’I’m a marionette in his hands, but he’s not taking my logic away. He’s engraving himself under my skin. He’s stealing my common sense and my breath. He’s opening doors inside me I didn’t realize existed.’

  
  
  best book i read by rina kent so far!
• 
  She-who-must-not-be-named

  Absolutely phenomenal. My all-time-favourite shelf was growing a bit rusty but I don’t have to worry about that anymore.
• 
  ApoorvaReads

  REREAD 27 JAN’ 23: 4 stars
  adrian<33
  
  
  FIRST READ MARCH’21: 4.25 stars ⭐️
  “Those monsters make the law wherever they go”
  
  A ‘vow of deception’ was really something else! I’m having a feeling that this trilogy might end up being my fav series by Ms.Kent.
  
  “my instincts are intact and they can at least recognize danger.
  This man is the definition of it.
  His good looks, strong physique, and effortless confidence don’t fool me. If anything, I view them as his tools of destruction.”
  
  Adrian was really a sociopath in this one. I’m highly intrigued by his personality and charm and can’t wait to find out more about him in the upcoming books!
  
  “My first and most important role in life is survival. I’m not living for myself. I’m living on behalf of my baby girl. For the life she couldn’t have.”
  
  Winter still has me confused. I can’t really get a grasp over who she really is. The cliffhanger has got me all sorts of in confusion and I’m crying over the wait for book 2.
  
  The push and pull between those two was amazing! The chemistry, the defiance of Winter to Adrian’s possessiveness everything was great besides the cliffhanger (of course😩) There are so many twists in this one that its so crazy! Tho, my one theory did end up actually being happening, the others threw me out of my mind!
  
  I’m so so excited for the next instalment! Rina really did a great job with this one!
• 
  Grecia Robles

  FUCKING CLIFFHANGER!!!
  
  Este libro es un total misterio, empiezas sin saber nada y terminas sin saber nada.
  Aparte del misterio, tiene suspenso, intriga y un señor PLOT TWIST.
  No sabes si lo que te están contando es la verdad, están fingiendo o que piensan que es la verdad y no lo es, es enredoso, pero yo me entiendo.
  
  Adrian Volkov era un personaje intrigante en Throne Duet, tenía muchas ganas de leer su historia y no me decepciono, un personaje, oscuro que emana poder.
  Lia también es un gran personaje, en ningún momento se deja intimidar, nunca pierde su espíritu de lucha y eso se agradece.
  
  Posiblemente es uno de los mejores libros de Rina y es que la verdad es muy bueno te mantiene con un tensión en todo el libro.
  
  No sé qué estoy haciendo reseña si ya debería estar leyendo el siguiente libro.
  Nos vemos en el siguiente.
• 
  Maddy

  Pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed reading this book.
  
  While it was blatantly obvious who the real Lia was (I realised this within the first few pages when we were introduced to the heroine and never wavered despite heavy handed red herrings)...you still keep turning the pages to try and find out why all the mystery. BTW we don’t find out in this book.
  
  Adrian was the cold calculated antihero we all love. His obsession with Lia was sizzling. I was also intrigued with the other characters involved in the Bratva organisation (glad to find out there are already books on some of them which I will be reading).
  
  Triggers: dub-con and rape (nightmare); indications of mental illness; mentions of loss of a child