Big thanks to Netgalley and Shana Collins for the eARC in exchange for a review.

An assassin and.. an assassin? When something needs getting done, don't send a man, you send a woman.
But when the jobs overlap, the steam heats up.

This gives some Amelia Hutchins vibes, with a little dub-con spice.

This is a rough and ready kinda book so don't expect to be eased into anything.

4 stars.

Although I haven't read the first book in the series this didn't effect my reading experience. I love a mafia romance and this one did not disappoint, both main characters were strong and witty. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series. If you're a fan of mafia romance this book is for you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of A Love That Bleeds in exchange for my honest review!

This book had me hooked from the first page—A Love That Bleeds is a dark, seductive blend of paranormal romance, mystery, and emotional tension. If you’re a fan of vampires with depth, high-stakes passion, and just a touch of danger, this one delivers.

Shana Collins created a world that felt atmospheric and intense, with characters that were layered and flawed in all the right ways. The push and pull between the main couple kept me invested the entire time. Their connection felt powerful but never rushed, and I appreciated the emotional weight beneath all the tension and bloodlust.

What really stood out was how this book balanced darkness with heart. It’s sexy, yes—but there’s real soul in the story too. The pacing had a few dips, but the ending left me satisfied and wanting more.

Highly recommend if you’re craving a vampire romance that feels both familiar and fresh.

#ALoveThatBleeds #NetGalley #ShanaCollins #VampireRomance #ParanormalRomance #BookReview #ARCReview #SpicyReads #RomanceBooks #BookLovers #DarkRomance #BookTokReads

I was definitely intrigued by the concept 0f this book, but unfortunately the writing style just isn't for me. I really did enjoy the character dynamics throughout. The MMC was a silver tongue devil, super witty and had the edge that makes a mafia man so delicious. The spice was also delectable, and the FMC was a certified BADDIE.

But as I said before, the writing style just didn't work for me. Rushed pacing, and the internal monologues sometimes completely disconnected me from the story instead of helping me immerse myself in the tension. I think if you love a fast paced, dirty, and quick read, this would be perfect!

I wish I read the first one in the series to get some background but overall it did not affect the story. A fast paced mafia romance that had me not wanting it to end. I can't wait to read the first one and any others that follow! An exceptional job and an author I’d so read from again!

absolutely loved this book!! ❤️
it is a mafia romance and the 2nd book in the Savin Brothers Bratva series but can be read as a stand alone.
The book has a great plot following our main fmc Ivy and the main mmc Nikolai a protective man who would kill anyone who touched her but her being a badass fmc who is an assasin .
The story contains sizzling spice scenes throughout. 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶
I can't wait for the rest of this series.

Not for the faint of heart, not for anyone under 18. It is a cliffhanger. Lots of x-rated romance. When a young woman turned assassin by life’s circumstances falls in love with a Savin she doesn’t know what she’s in for or does she!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you for allowing me to review

The review below is already posted on Goodreads and Amazon.

I absolutely devoured this book. I wish I read the first one in the series to get some background but it didn't affect the overall story since it can be read as a stand alone. It was a fast paced mafia romance that had me wanting more. I believe it's my first mafia romance novel and I could not get enough of it, I can't wait to read the first one along with anything else that comes out connected to this storyline. Shana Collins did an exceptional job and I can see her becoming one of my favorite authors very fast.

This was an oddly paced story, and I think I would have enjoyed it better if the pacing improved. The characters were easy to anticipate, there was not much character development, and the excessive amount of exclamation marks was disconcerting. The insta-lust and sexual escapades just made the story more contrived. There were several instances in the story that conversations happened, without additional backstory, and it just made the scene unnecessarily confusing.

I would recommend this if you want a very short mafia book without much teeth.

Such a good read ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Thoroughly enjoyed this, finished in 2 days. Which us pretty good as a mum of 2's busy life.

I really enjoyed how the story was told, especially with each chapter being from Ivy's and Nikolai's perspective! Who doesn't love a bad boy aswell - and Nikolai was definitely that. Sign me up to the next books pleaseee! I bet Andrei's and Dmitri's stories are just as ❤️‍🔥

Was interesting to read who had hidden the camera's and how to the end the story all linked.

Well done 5*****

I love dark mafia romance!
A Love That Bleeds by Shana Collins was a great read.
This was a fun and entertaining read that I basically knocked out.
The characters were so much fun, and their chemistry was amazing!.
I thought the writing was phenomenal and engaging.

I liked both the main characters but felt if this was slightly longer they could have been more well rounded and better developed.

Some of the sex scenes just came out of nowhere and made no sense. They disrupted what little plot there was in the first 50%.

The second half was much better but overall just needed something more. That being said, the sex scenes left nothing to be desired. HOT AS HELL. If anything I think they could have been longer!

Honestly I didn’t enjoy this book,half of the time I didn’t understand plot, though I understand that enjoying books is quite relative.. By the time I got to the ending, I was more confused than satisfied — it just didn’t tie together in a way that made sense. The spice was okay, nothing groundbreaking, but decent enough.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This book, a dark romance, was okay, but didn't fully hit the mark for me.
Two assassins entwined in a dangerous game of attraction and survival - a lethal girl and a brooding Bratva energy man, with off-the-charts chemistry.
Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with some of the characters. The pacing of the entire book wavered, while some scenes were thrilling, others seemed dragged or underdeveloped. While the cliffhanger confirms a third book, it seemed abrupt rather than intriguing. Overall, it was a decent read with potential.

Tropes:
🖤Enemies to Lovers
🖤Morally Gray
🖤Forbidden Love
🖤Found Family
🖤Broken Heroine
🖤Possessive Love Interest
🖤Love Triangle
"You're the boy with the different-colored eyes!"

📚A Love That Bleeds📚
Arc review
Rating 4🌟
Release date: 7th July 2025
I was so happy to be accepted to read this book before it came out
This was my first book from this author, and she didn't disappoint.
This is the second book in the series (i need to read book 1). It can be read as a standalone, but this book has been left on a cliffhanger. im excited to see what happens next. This book also has a lot of spice as well.

3.5⭐️ — A spicy, chaotic assassin romance with serious attitude

Ivy is a fierce FMC who owns every scene she’s in—confident, deadly, and not afraid to stir things up (including some bold FFM and FMF moments). Nikolia is the broody, protective mafia MMC who’s clearly hooked on her from the start. Their chemistry? 🔥

The "touch her and die" vibes, assassin drama, and mysterious backstory kept me reading—but I struggled to connect with the first half. It felt like something was missing. The second half picked up and gave me the action, heat, and emotional threads I was hoping for.

There is a cliffhanger (ugh), and Elise’s character didn’t really land for me, but I’m still curious to see where this wild ride goes next.

Fans of dark romance with strong heroines, high spice, and a dash of chaos might enjoy this more than I did.

“Gentle is not for couple like you and me”

The second book of the Savin brothers Bratva series, “A Love That Bleeds”, follows Ivy and Nikolai through the dark underworld of the Cartel and a feisty dark romance.

I really like Ivy and I thought there was a decent amount of storyline to accompany the spicy scenes. The leading couple are quite cute, it’s very much a “touch her a die” trope. I loved the little twists and turns along the way.

A quickly and easy read. 4*

Be forewarned there is a cliffhanger, which I will admit is not my favorite thing. Ivy is an assassin for hire and there is some blood shed so check those triggers. She is badass and fierce. Nikolia is part of the mafia and is a strong MMC himself. The beginning of the book was a bit of a struggle and it took me quite some time to get into the story. I did like the murky part of Ivy's past and the touch her and die vibes. I do wish there was more story development.

There is a lot of spice in here with some FFM and FMF scenes. The chemistry between Ivy and Nikolia was great and you do get an HEA even with the cliffhanger but I guess it could also change in the next book which leaves me wanting to know what happens next. Elise was hard to understand and frankly not sure I like her character very much. I am hoping that there is more development of her character in further books.

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for this ARC. My opinions were freely given.

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for this ARC. I'm placing my honest thoughts below.

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This book is the second book in Shana's series that follows the Bratva mafia boys, with our FMC being Ivy Kelley. After a rough upbringing, she is brought up to be a killer for hire, with her friend, Elise, being her handler.

Her path crosses with the Bratva "Colonel", Nikolai Savin, and it changes her life forever without her knowing the full depth of that at first. As she falls in love with the man brought in to kill her target, she is left face to face with the thought of losing it all.

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I couldn't stand Elise and Ivy at the very beginning and thought Ivy was a huge grump. Not that I thought Elise was any better. I thought Elise was so uppity and my thoughts on her didn't change at the end of the novel.

This was the first book in this series that I dove into but I wish I had read the first book before I started this one. I think that's my biggest regret. I know the book said I could read this one as a standalone but I have a feeling that reading the first book would have helped me.

I did end up liking Ivy in the end and thought she was my favorite character at the end of the book. She reminds me a lot of the FMC from Den of Vipers, honestly, though I can't remember that FMC's name off the top of my head at the moment.

I was hoping she would go back to Nikolai by the end of the book and I'm so glad she did. I couldn't have asked for more than that, I think. I'm glad she got the happy ending she needed, though I'm curious if I'll be interested enough in the third book when it comes out to read it. I might.

I normally don't DNF a book because of how a character acts but I almost did because of Elise, honestly. I still think she's a bit of a [REDACTED] but we'll see what they do with her in subsequent books.

Yeah, I don't want to swear in this review because I want to add it to Amazon. lol I still don't like Elise, though. I don't want my entire review of this book to be complaining about Elise but I came pretty close. lol

A decent read. Plenty of spice & characters were fun. Wanted to know more about the other characters mentioned too. Did have a “cliff hanger” ending. However it was abrupt & in the middle of the scene so just felt as though it finished before it was meant to.