This was a first read for me from this author. This story was compelling and suspenseful. Viktor and Sophia chemistry was off the charts! I completely fell for Viktor! Sophia was such a strong and lovable heroine. I truly enjoyed their story and I’m intrigued to see who’s story we get next.

*ARC given for my honest opinion.*

I loved the chemistry between Sophia and Vicktor. The whole princess/socialite mercenary aspect was intriguing and I wanted more. I glad Sophia stayed true to herself. She didn't just get the guy and lose focus of what she wanted to what he wanted. The only thing I wanted was more open communication between them before and after everything came to light.

I loved this book. Captivating and sexy. Setta Jay weaves such a tale that it will keep you locked in your seat till the end.

I really wanted to like this book. The cover is just breathtakingly beautiful and it drew my eye instantly. Unfortunately, I just cannot bring myself to finish this book.

What I liked about this book is the premise. I loved that there was something unique about the plot but unfortunately, it just didn't capture my attention at all. I've been trying to find time to read this book but every time I pick it up, I've been bored.

All in all, the writing is okay, the characters are okay, and the plot is just okay. The only thing about this book that drew my attention is the cover.

A book about a badass princess, mercenaries, intrigue and sizzling romance? Yes, count me in!
At least, that's what I was thinking when I read the blurb, but unfortunately the story fell a bit flat in my opinion.

Meet Sophia, the princess of a small island country called Porenza, who leads a double life as part of a vigilante group that targets the evil and corrupt.
She's had a crush on the dangerous Viktor for years, and he finally seems to have noticed her too while she's on a dangerous mission to spy on a target. He's intrigued by her and decides to uncover all her secrets. Sounds interesting right?

I never thought I'd say this, but for me there was waaayyy too much sex in this story, and not enough suspense. I expected so much more intrigue, scheming and dangerous situations, but it seems like the book was focusing more on their nights spent together.
Now, usually, I wouldn't mind that at all, but I had much higher hopes for how this book ended though! The ending felt rushed and didn't keep me on the edge of my seat like I expected to.

Don't get me wrong though, this book was definitely enjoyable if you're searching for steaming hot romance, and the main and side characters were awesome! Everyone knows how much I love kickass females and swoonworthy alpha males, and Sophia and Viktor definitely fit the bill. The author's writing also managed to hook me right from the start.

If there's ever a sequel to this, I will definitely read it! I'm hoping for a Jen x Ivan and Irina x Titian spin-off!

The first thing that caught my eye about this book was the cover. It popped on a page of other books and made me want to know what it was about. The cover drew me but the content of this book kept me coming back for more. I didn't want to put it down even when I had to. Sofia and Viktor had an amazing dynamic that was raw and gritty as well as playful and fun
If was the first book that I have read by Setta Jay but I can tell you that it will not be the last if her other books hook me like this one did. Cant wait to see if they make a cameo or two in upcoming books in this series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The cover and title caught my attention, then the blurb made this a must read.
This was a fantastic read with awesome secondary characters that I’m already antsy to read right now!

Would I recommend? Yes. This new series started with a bang. It has a great couple, strong plot and secondary characters you wont help but want to know more of :)

5+ stars
Absolutely fantastic!!!!! This book blew me away, amazing storyline, phenomenal characters.... I was not expecting this book to absolutely amaze me. I'm not sure if it was the intrigue, sexy HOT Russian, or the steamy scenes written so well... and WOW, these scenes were not smut but written perfectly

Sophia keeps a lot of secrets in her world. Family, social, dark. They all form a princess with a lot of heart and vulnerability who sees the world as it should be and wants to help get it there. Viktor's the son of an infamous Russian syndicate boss who wants the best for his little brother Feliks. The two leads are stark contrasts in what society perceives them to be: the perfect princess and the devil's own.

The Pros
- First will always be the friendships. Sophia, Irina, and Riot are very, very close friends who have a pretty deep relationship as women who expect the ability to do more within their positions of power. As their friendship circle grows and tightens, you understand the vulnerability in their missions and keeping money hidden for their use (very Hardison from Leverage). But it's not just the women and their circle. Viktor's friendship with Titian and Ivan are just as close. It's about building families. A very nice, organic element to the story.

- Second is the fact these women and their various friends use their positions for a pretty noble cause. It's about justice in some form is still a way of making the invulnerable fall and learn hard lessons.

- While Viktor felt a bit too cartoon-y Russian, the protection offered wasn't easily given. Nor was it easy for Sophia to take since it wasn't just her secrets to carry. Family means a lot when you build it from scratch.

The Cons
- Romance was very, very weak. It's mostly porn without plot between them. She's suffered an eight year crush while he just started to notice her a few years ago. Being covert is fine as mercenaries but I wanted to feel the connection. And the last couple sex scenes felt rushed.

- Pacing needs to be edited down in the beginning. I love character studies for the most part. It's probably what I do best as a reviewer, but I wanted to see her interact with people. To learn more about her through mannerisms and little quirks of personality.

- Her family felt way too evil and somewhat outdated for a contemporary romance. A little nuance would have gone a long way. Something to make the pain more immediate than an emotionally closed off princess while in Porenza.


I wanted to root for Sophia and Viktor, but I felt like they were underdeveloped as a couple. And at some points, he seemed very caricature while saying comments like 'his female' or 'his woman.' Sophia clearly wanted and needed independence to find herself and it felt way too contrived during those instances. The book picked up around 20% in and I think a thorough editing of showing and not telling would have really made it feel more engaging for me. I really enjoyed the mercenary haven Sophia's friends set up and their clear respect for each other.

I you love books like Lace by Shirley Conran, you'll love the way these girls bond together in boarding school. Very nice nods to Dynasty style living, too. If the pacing and more depth had been given to the romance, I would have rated higher. Sophia holds a lot of potential, as do Riot, Jen, and Irina. They're women who can handle just about anything that life throws at them. Always a plus in my book.

Thanks NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Sophia is a princess, but her life isn't a fairytale. Her family believes they control her every waking thought, but little do they know she has a secret life no one can imagine. Viktor is the man she has been obsessed with for years. Despite being a billionaire, his family history and dark reputation make even her fantasies borderline treason. Viktor can't help but notice her beauty, but a chance sighting of her doing something incredulous, intrigues him, and sets them in each other's path.


The Good:
1. Sophia is the perfect balance of too good to be true, and bad*ss. I was leery about the blurb, worried the premise would be too hard to pull off believably. I am so happy to be wrong.

2. Viktor is a delicious anti-hero. He is a criminal with a purpose, and a moral compass. The bad guy, the smart bad guys give a wide berth.

3. This is a great Illuminati tinged read. It was easy to sink into the world the writer built.

4. My kindle is on fire. I can't take it! lol The chemistry of this couple was super-hot.

5. Despite being the beginning of a series, it did not end in a cliffhanger.

The Bad:
1. The very beginning was a little heavy on exposition. The way the side characters were introduced made me wonder if this was a spin-off of an unread series.

Final Thoughts:
This is my first time reading this writer, but definitely not my last. I could not put this down, and can't wait to see what happens in the next book with the other characters.

*received ARC from Netgalley

I really enjoyed this story, Sophia was a very strong heroine and didn’t allow herself to be made into a door mat by the hero. Viktor was great, just enough alpha without being over powering and there was a great cast of secondary characters I look forward to reading about.

It's a different type of story then I am used to reading by Setta. Sophia was amazing and a great heroine. She was strong and fearless. Viktor was sexy, dark, dangerous and wow. The chemistry between them was hot and I could not stop reading. I loved this story from beginning to end. I loved the secondary characters and can't wait to dive in to their stories. Witnessing a murder bringing socialite girls together to write the wrongs of the priveledged and bring justice for those less fortunate. Sophia long time crush becoming a reality. Great story line.

I loved the uniqueness of the story. Vigilante Princess drawn to a dangerous Russian, yes please! With secrets, murder, secrets, spies, secrets, shadowy deals (and did I mention more secrets?) this book kept me glued to my kindle.

Sophia is the prim Princess of Porenza to the media and public but she hides a secret part of herself from everyone but a select few. An unjust killing and a murderer who got away scot free because of his family connections, power and wealth changed Sophia's view of the world and the meaning of justice when she was just a young girl.

Now, she is part of a vigilante group who's mission is to bring down evil and corrupt people who think because they have power and influence, they don't need to worry about consequences or fear any repercussions for their actions. Sophia and her team are all pretty bad ass, loyal to a fault and very ride or die. I liked everyone we were introduced to and can't wait for more of this series!

Sophia and Viktor had the best kind of explosive and all consuming chemistry and I loved them together. Sophia was definitely the focal MC and she was a great character. She had heart, brains and could hold her own when she needed too. This was a princess that didn't need the Prince to save her, she saved herself, which is the best kind of fairy tale ending, IMO. Viktor is a dominate, always-in-control, stubborn Russian but I loved that he learned to compromise and bend his rules for his princess. I love a Hero who is protective, possessive and devoted to his heroine and Viktor checked all these boxes.

Then there's the side characters :) Of course I'm dying to read Irina and Riot's stories but theres also Forde, the secretive Gabriella Cruz and of course, Jen and Ivan. I will be stalking the next in this series for sure.

Would I recommend? Yes. This new series started with a bang. It has a great couple, strong plot and secondary characters you wont help but want to know more of :)

I absolutely loved Mercenary Princess so so much!! It was a sleeper hit that came out of nowhere honestly as I didn't know what to expect. But Lord was it sexy, adrenaline pumping, swoony and filled with all the alpha-growly moments we love. Viktor and Sophia were absolutely amazing and I seriously never wanted it to end.

There is nothing more that I love than a sassy lady who delivers all the badassery and brings her alpha man to his knees but the fact that there is a team of Mercenary socialites who make it their mission to right the wrongs done by the upper echelons of society just blew me away. I absolutely loved this story! Sophia was so darn amazing and had all of the traits that I love in a heroine. She was strong, sassy, fearless and daring. Viktor likewise was sexy, dark, dangerous and so appealing. His raw edginess was just so delicious and the perfect counterpart to Sophia's "perfecr princess" facade. The fireworks between then was combustible and I could not stop reading. I loved this story from beginning to end!!

I cannot wait for more books in this series as I am sooo hooked! Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula

This author is new to me.
The cover and title caught my attention then the blurb and reviews made this a must read.

It’s crazy OTT.
I mean we have a crown princess and her socialite friends taking down the rich and powerful. It took me a while to settle in but then like I said this is a new author to me so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.
I’m not sure at what point I stopped settling and started loving but it happened. I was hooked, I couldn’t read fast enough and even fell asleep reading.

Sophie is controlled by her mother and brother the king of Porenza. To the extent where her friends and suitors are chosen for her and she’s afraid it’s only a matter of time before she’s forced to marry.

A devastating event at boarding school changed her life and that of her friends. It opened their eyes to the true evil in the world and the way money and power can be used. It changed the course of their lives and now they use their positions to take down the elite untouchables.

That’s the setting but the real story for me was the romance between Viktor and Sophia.
For eight years she’s dreamed and fantasized about him and now he’s actually noticed her. Can she allow herself to have Viktor even if only for a short time?

This book isn’t perfect (what book is?) but I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait for the next one.

Problems?
There’s a lot of sex. Now I’m not complaining but I would have liked more non-sex time between them. Because of this I didn’t feel their relationship developed as much as it should have. Lack of trust was also an issue but again the relationship wasn’t built up enough.
This is me being picky and despite this I couldn’t get enough and I’m going to check out her Guardians series while I wait for the next Mercenary book.

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by NetGalley

***5 “Don’t Even Mock My Crazy Right Now” Stars***

I almost...ALMOST...passed this baby up.

The cover was the hook and when I read the synopsis I had that gut feeling that it could be a totally ME book, but then I looked at my reading “schedule” and I waffled a bit because I didn’t know if I’d have the time to read it, but then I saw a little convo between two GR reviewers (one I follow, one I don’t) and I figured I’d chance ‘em. And I am so damn glad I did because this was such a fun read. I mean the goodness that is in this book is kinda everything. Smexy, funny, intriguing and filled with characters I want to spend more time with and find out all of their secrets.

Sophia and Viktor were all kinds of everything and I absolutely adored them. Sophia can play the part of the princess and appear cold, untouchable and just slightly...bland. But the woman beneath is so much more. She is sassy, savvy, intelligent and a golden heart. Viktor is lethal. Which is an understatement because the man is all kinds of alpha AF intense in all the good ways. Determined and intelligent, despite the blood on his hands, the man is a protector to his very core and will do anything for those he calls his.

Sophia and Viktor’s journey was so much fun. They simply clicked in every way possible. The sexual chemistry between them was intense from the start, hands down, so when the smexy times happen it was nuclear (have that B.O.B. charged up and ready to go) but it was as they started to get to know each other beyond the physical that it became more and more apparent how well they fit together. Both are strong willed with a very strong sense of self and moral code, so the playing field when it came to who was “in charge” was quite even ~ an a lot of fun to watch. I loved their little battles as well as the softer side to their relationship and when that little bump in their road happened, I did side with Sophia ~ couldn’t help it ~ but I loved how everything worked out for them in the end.

This is my first Setta Jay book and I’m really happy I took the plunge with Mercenary Princess. The writing hooked me right from the start and I got absolutely invested in the world she created. The whole mercenary situation worked for me because it felt like it was something that could happen, if it wasn’t already. Nothing was OTT or seemed implausible, everything made sense to me ~ even if it was in a James Bond kind of way. And then there are the unique cast of characters that populate this world. You all know I love me some well written secondary/soon to be primary characters and this book is chock full of them and they brought so much life and depth to the story. Jen is my fav and I’m hoping we’ll see more of her as the series progresses. I’m definitely looking forward to getting to know Irina, Riot and Forde more ~ as well as the rest of the mercenary squad, but Titian had me sitting up and taking notice in big, BIG way.

So, I now have a new author and series to #fangirl over and work at #praticingpatience until the next book drops!

For years, one man has ruled Sophia’s fantasies. The harmless obsession keeps her warm on the nights her double life starts to take its toll. She, unfortunately, gains his attention at the worst possible moment, when she’s in the middle of a dangerous job. Now, she’ll be forced to protect her heart along with her life of lies.Viktor has been tempted by the innocent princess’s lust-filled glances for far too long, and he has fought hard to resist her beauty. When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Setta Jay is magnifysent writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book.

A brand new series by Setta Jay about crown princess Sophia. Sophia lives a double life. In public she plays the perfect princess that her family requires her to be while she does a dangerous, but necessary, job behind closed doors. And all the while she has been pulled and fantasizing about one man that she doesn't believe she can ever have. Viktor has caught the looks that Sophia has sent his way over the years. And he has stayed away from her because he thinks she is too innocent. Until he see's her doing something an "innocent" princess shouldn't be able to do. And makes him want to learn not only her secrets but her body as well. The time for him staying away has ended. But neither realize just what is truly going on behind the scenes and how it will affect both of their lives in the long run.

I loved this book! I have always loved this author's book and her other series is excellent to read. I was slightly iffy going into this one, just because I have always associated her with PNR books. But let me tell you-it doesn't matter what she writes, it is all good! Sophia in this book is feisty, mouthy when needed, and even after everything innocent to a point. I love the fact that even with how her life has gone she still manages to do what she needs to do to make herself happy and feel worthwhile. Viktor is HOT!! He is definitely that strong alpha male that everyone love but he is also super protective and when he realizes exactly what he feels for Sophia, he is loving. He will do anything and everything for his family, regardless of blood. And putting them together just made the book that much better. I was hooked from the beginning and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Of course now I am sitting impatiently waiting for the next one and hoping it is about Irina!! Loved it!

Thank you, NetGalley for a chance to read this novel!

Title: Mercenary Princess
Author: Setta Jay
Genre: Adult Romance
Released: 16th August 2018
My Rating: 3 stars

Plot: Our main character, Sophia, is the Princess of Porenza. After she witnesses a crime with her friends when they are at school, she begins to realise that there is a dark side to her seemingly perfect world. After the crime is covered up by the authorities, the three friends decide to take matters into their own hands.

Since she first saw him when she was a teenager, Sophia has been fascinated with dangerous Russian Billionaire, Vikor. Years later, they meet and start a relationship, this is where the story starts.

Pros:
-Extremely addicting and fast-paced plot.
-Intriguing side characters that I would love to read about next.
-Unique storyline, I love the idea of a mercenary princess!

Cons:
-No truth or trust between the two main characters, even right up towards the end.
-The writing was very repetitive in places, repeating things that have already been mentioned.
-Whenever our two love interests meet, all they do is have sex. This would be fine, however, there is absolutely no relationship development, they hardly speak to each other.

Overall, I am glad I read this book. I may continue on with this series as it will be two different perspectives. If this sounds like something you would enjoy I always recommend giving it a go!

Vicktor and Sophia’s story is a very passionate and suspenseful adventure! She is a princess living a double life. She has always had secrets one included is her fascination and want for Viktor. Viktor is a powerful Billionaire and he has his sights set on Sophia. When these two come together it will make your kindle melt. They just have that undeniable chemistry that you can feel coming off the pages. Mercenary Princess by Serra Jay is the first for me by this author but I definitely won’t be the last. I can’t wait to see what happens next. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review after reading this arc.