Book: Pay the Piper by T.K. Drake
Reviewed by Maggie Hayes
Rating: 3.5/5
Pay the Piper by T.K. Drake
⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5/5)
Hockey meets Bratva and romance? What's not to like?
Misha is an enforcer and security for the Bratva, sent to Florida to protect the love of his best friend's life and hopefully find love for himself. Mission accomplished on both fronts. He meets Abby, aka Niamh, the abused wife of Canadian-Irish all-around bad guy Conor, who has sent her to Florida to spy on the Santorini family by seducing one of the brothers. Complicated? Most definitely, but also very intriguing.
Misha is hard on the outside—all tattoos and torturing those who go against the Bratva—but so soft for Abby. He lives to make her happy and show her how pleasurable sex can be. There is something so sweet about watching such a hard man daydream about having children and plan theme park dates. Given the way he was raised, it warmed my heart to see him find the kind of love he never believed would exist for him.
My heart broke for Abby. She was young and naive when she married Conor, who waited until they were wed to reveal the monster beneath the surface. After ten years of abuse, she deserves to find love and happiness with Misha. Her story is incredibly dark, which made it easy to understand some of her less palatable choices, particularly waiting to tell Misha the truth about who she really is even after he opens up to her about his role within the Bratva.
Pay the Piper is the third book in the Blades and Blood series, and while it can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the previous books first, as the couples at their centers are heavily featured.
Thank you to the author and The Smuthood for providing an ARC.