The cover peaked my interest, because let's face it, it's pretty hot no matter what size screen you're viewing it on, the synopsis had me moving my cursor over to one click it and I figured what the hell, the author is new to me so why not give her a go and from the first paragraph I was hooked. Yes it is dark, there is abuse of all kinds: sexual, mental, emotional, there is a shitton of gratuitous violence, you do have to accept some things as fact and the course of the story is predictable but I accepted it all because I had this need to be apart of 818/Raze's journey 
 This story is told in dual 1st person POV, so you are able to feel what both Kisa and Raze are, and though what Kisa is put through is gut wrenching in it's own right, it's Raze's experiences, thoughts and feelings as he works his way to gaining his goal that got to me, especially as he starts to remember bits and pieces of his past and I saw who he was and what had really been lost. I just wanted to hold him, even though his, big, bad, scary scarred self probably wouldn't be too thrilled with it. 
 Kisa, for lack of a better word, interested me. She's the Bratva princess and only child of the head of the Bratva. She's been raised in a world of privilege, never lacking for anything and yet she is a prisoner. First because being the daughter of the boss means she is always under watch and second, her fiance is an obsessive monster who would rather see her dead than not with him. And yet she manages The Dungeon, the illegal cage fighting business for the Bratva where she is surrounded by men just as psychotic and sadistic as her fiance and despite dealing with all that darkness she's an inherently good person. Her reactions to some things, like finding out about the Gulag had me scratching my head considering what she does at The Dungeon, but then the light bulb went off and I got it. I'd go into it, but then it would veer into spoilerville, but it's there if you look just a little deeper. 
 I've seen comments saying that Kisa and Raze's relationship falls under the insta-love category, but I don't agree. Their relationship does move quickly and for some that is the definition of insta-love, but when you look at each step that was taken towards their HEA, which does happen, they were making emotional connections. And though it did feel as if she went from being with one possessive male to another one, there is no doubt that in the end the level of psycho was dialed down by a lot. The ending/epilogue did feel a little rushed because there were questions that I had wanted answered. Like the situation surrounding 362. Where Raze is in dealing with being apart of the Bratva, in all ways, now. But, Kisa and Raze got their HEA, or at least what would constitute as one in their world. 
 As I said in the beginning this story is filled with gratuitous violence, abuse of all kinds and you do bear witness to all of it since you are in their heads, as well being somewhat predictable, but there was heart and the journey that Raze goes on was what really grabs you and makes this read worthwhile.