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Toxic Paradise #1
Skeletons of Society
So the streets taint another soul…
Ryan
To survive in the Los Muertos Cartel, you have to stay useful, especially when you're a woman. So I made sure I couldn't be replaced. Now my name is whispered about in the shadows— La Brujita de Los Muertos. Too bad I forgot that lies and deceit are the lifeblood of this toxic paradise.
I should have seen the betrayal coming.
My hands were always destined to be drenched in the blood of guilty men.
Gunner
Sometimes it takes someone willing to walk in the dark to allow others to live in the light.
She is a beautiful savage. All the things I am not supposed to have and maybe never will.
Meeting her changed all of my plans, altered the very fabric of my future.
Skeletons of Society is book 1 in the Toxic Paradise Series. The couple gets wrapped up in this book but the story arc will continue through the series. It's a contemporary crime romance (think mafia romance) featuring a strong female lead whose an arms dealer for the cartel and a male lead who is the Sergeant at Arms of the motorcycle club she's forced to work with. You will love this book if you like your characters to be morally grey, lots of action, and a woman with an attitude.
This book revolves around a cartel and due to the nature of that, this story is on the darker side of romance. And it is for those 18+ as it contains explicit sex/language, violence, and death.
Trigger warnings: graphic torture/death, sex trafficking (this does not occur to the main characters but it is a subject addressed in this book more than once. No graphic details are given) mentions of sexual assault (does not occur to the main FMC or MMC. No details are given), manipulation, and abuse.
Ryan
To survive in the Los Muertos Cartel, you have to stay useful, especially when you're a woman. So I made sure I couldn't be replaced. Now my name is whispered about in the shadows— La Brujita de Los Muertos. Too bad I forgot that lies and deceit are the lifeblood of this toxic paradise.
I should have seen the betrayal coming.
My hands were always destined to be drenched in the blood of guilty men.
Gunner
Sometimes it takes someone willing to walk in the dark to allow others to live in the light.
She is a beautiful savage. All the things I am not supposed to have and maybe never will.
Meeting her changed all of my plans, altered the very fabric of my future.
Skeletons of Society is book 1 in the Toxic Paradise Series. The couple gets wrapped up in this book but the story arc will continue through the series. It's a contemporary crime romance (think mafia romance) featuring a strong female lead whose an arms dealer for the cartel and a male lead who is the Sergeant at Arms of the motorcycle club she's forced to work with. You will love this book if you like your characters to be morally grey, lots of action, and a woman with an attitude.
This book revolves around a cartel and due to the nature of that, this story is on the darker side of romance. And it is for those 18+ as it contains explicit sex/language, violence, and death.
Trigger warnings: graphic torture/death, sex trafficking (this does not occur to the main characters but it is a subject addressed in this book more than once. No graphic details are given) mentions of sexual assault (does not occur to the main FMC or MMC. No details are given), manipulation, and abuse.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 2, 2022
1830 people are currently reading
17048 people want to read
About the author
Marie Maravilla
11 books802 followersThey say to write these things in 3rd person, but it feels weird. So, I'm not. Clearly. I'm a baby author who deiced it was finally time to purge the stories living in my head. I currently live in Tennessee with my two babies and husband. My life is a wonderful cycle of working, writing, mom-ing, and consuming questionable amounts of caffeine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 953 reviews
January 24, 2023
Why is it, more often than not when authors try and write a badass FMC, I get strong-ass iM nOt LiKe OtHeR gIrLs vibes and it cringes me the fuck out 😩
“I’m a female raised by the streets, and now I work for a criminal organisation. Sometimes I want to remind myself and others that l like dick; I don’t have one”
Uuuuggghhh.
And ofc she HAD to have a boys name (Ryan) and stab 2 men in the first 10%.
The characters weren’t fleshed out. The cartel wasn’t fleshed out. The dialogue was stiff and not bespoke for each character.
DNF
“I’m a female raised by the streets, and now I work for a criminal organisation. Sometimes I want to remind myself and others that l like dick; I don’t have one”
Uuuuggghhh.
And ofc she HAD to have a boys name (Ryan) and stab 2 men in the first 10%.
The characters weren’t fleshed out. The cartel wasn’t fleshed out. The dialogue was stiff and not bespoke for each character.
DNF
January 14, 2025
if you want the most iconic, take no shit, badass female main character, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!
this was literally EVERYTHING. it’s a cartel x motorcycle club romance and truly, you just need to read and experience it. the banter, the spice, the plot, the twists and turns, the side characters, the TENSIONNNNN.
1000000/10.
this was literally EVERYTHING. it’s a cartel x motorcycle club romance and truly, you just need to read and experience it. the banter, the spice, the plot, the twists and turns, the side characters, the TENSIONNNNN.
1000000/10.
August 6, 2025
There had to be something laced in these pages because I picked this book up around the 20% mark and next thing I knew… I was DONE. I literally could not stop.
Let me start by saying Sons of Anarchy is one of my all-time favorite shows, so the second this started giving me that same gritty, chaotic energy, I was SAT. I already thought it didn’t get better than a badass cartel queen… and then boom we get a tattooed, overprotective biker with a mustache?? MARIE. Are you kidding me?? Did you write this for me specifically? Be honest.
I don’t know if the author is secretly an SOA fan, but Gunner, our MMC, is so Jax Teller-coded it hurts SO GOOD. The way he moved, talked, his undeniable BDE and don’t even get me started on how this man handles a gun. I had actual hearts in my eyes —> 😍 me
He officially squeezed his way onto my top ten list. I’m obsessed.
But let’s talk about the real star of the show
RYAN.
My. MFIN. GIRL. 💅🏼🤭🧎🏼♀️👏🏻🔥🔪
Holy hell, this woman had me nodding my head at every single command, and I wasn’t even there.
The moment she took down a 200 lb dude in the ring I knew I was done for. I was going to love her endlessly and I did. She’s not just capable she’s cunning, smart, sassy, and straight-up hilarious. She runs the damn show, and Gunner? He’s just thrilled to be along for the ride(As he should be)
Power couple unlocked. And don’t even get me started on their chemistry (prime sexual tension btw) The way they fit together was perfection.
The whole plot played out like a TV show I was flipping pages so fast my eyes were struggling to keep up. Cartel + MC team-up? Gun running? A common enemy creeping into their territory? This was juicy, fast-paced, tension-filled slightly unhinged in all the best possible ways. Action, excitement, twists, and a whole lot of solid spice 🥵 (be prepared to highlight your ass off)
Gunner - “Babe….”
Me *aggressively highlights the entire page*
I’m so ready for the rest of this series. LET’S GO.
Let me start by saying Sons of Anarchy is one of my all-time favorite shows, so the second this started giving me that same gritty, chaotic energy, I was SAT. I already thought it didn’t get better than a badass cartel queen… and then boom we get a tattooed, overprotective biker with a mustache?? MARIE. Are you kidding me?? Did you write this for me specifically? Be honest.
I don’t know if the author is secretly an SOA fan, but Gunner, our MMC, is so Jax Teller-coded it hurts SO GOOD. The way he moved, talked, his undeniable BDE and don’t even get me started on how this man handles a gun. I had actual hearts in my eyes —> 😍 me
He officially squeezed his way onto my top ten list. I’m obsessed.
But let’s talk about the real star of the show
RYAN.
My. MFIN. GIRL. 💅🏼🤭🧎🏼♀️👏🏻🔥🔪
Holy hell, this woman had me nodding my head at every single command, and I wasn’t even there.
The moment she took down a 200 lb dude in the ring I knew I was done for. I was going to love her endlessly and I did. She’s not just capable she’s cunning, smart, sassy, and straight-up hilarious. She runs the damn show, and Gunner? He’s just thrilled to be along for the ride(As he should be)
Power couple unlocked. And don’t even get me started on their chemistry (prime sexual tension btw) The way they fit together was perfection.
The whole plot played out like a TV show I was flipping pages so fast my eyes were struggling to keep up. Cartel + MC team-up? Gun running? A common enemy creeping into their territory? This was juicy, fast-paced, tension-filled slightly unhinged in all the best possible ways. Action, excitement, twists, and a whole lot of solid spice 🥵 (be prepared to highlight your ass off)
Gunner - “Babe….”
Me *aggressively highlights the entire page*
I’m so ready for the rest of this series. LET’S GO.
April 21, 2024
4.5 stars - I love reading about violent, angry women <33
Ryan is the pseudo-daughter of the leader of the Los Muertos Cartel. She's angry, she's tired of being underestimated, and she's ready to prove herself. She was bloodthirsty and a killer but still feminine. I liked the way she dealt with the misogyny that she faced day to day, taking it in stride until they turned their backs, waiting until they least expected her.
I saw some reviews complain that she was a "not like other girls character" and while I guess I see where you could get that from, I don't agree. There were a lot of different types of female characters in this book, like her best friend, and they were never made to seem less than because she was "better." She also faced a wide range of emotions and allowed herself to feel and take her guard down around Gunner.
She's the arms dealer for the cartel, and she's now in charge of a deal between the cartel and an up-and-coming motorcycle club, the skeletons of society.
Gunner is in charge of dealing with the cartel, and going into the meeting he fully expects this "Ryan" to be a man, and when he meets her, he think shes there to take his drink order. The way that Ryan cut him down was BRUTAL and amazing to watch. I loved watching them all eat their words after she consistently proved them wrong for thinking she was weak.
It had a bit of an enemies-to-lovers vibe, but around 30-40% it did get a little insta-lovey.
I honestly didn't mind that thought because this was the first book I have read in forever that made me literally giggle and kick my feet as I was reading it.
I swear this author had to have had a history of writing fanfiction because she KNOWS what the people want. It was so funny. At the beginning of each chapter, there was a little note from her about that chapter and it was so fun. It felt like she was reading the book right along with me. There were lots of "touch her and die," AND "touch him and die."
MORE TOUCH HIM AND DIE IN BOOKS PLEASE!! Just soo many good tropes and I could not stop giggling.
Some of the plot twists had me literally gasping!! I didn't see them coming but when they did it was like everything clicked and they made sense.
This was a great no brain cells just vibes book. I had so much fun reading this and I can't wait to finish this series!! Would recommend :))
Quotes:
"I realized that darkness didn't equal evil. Good intentions often needed to be accomplished with what someone had determined were sins."
"I wanted to bear witness to her brutality while letting her know she didn't have to do it alone."
"Seemed she liked me violent. Noted. Bring her the heads of men who offend her."
"She was so beautiful with her scarred, caring heart and attitude as sharp as the blade she wielded. We were one and the same, she and I."
"She reminded me of a lioness stalking down her prey. There was no question Ryan was an apex predator, and this man was about to be eaten alive.
"Gunner showed me a man shouldn't demand you chain yourself to their feet. I didn't know what Gunner felt for me, but I knew he didn't keep me caged."
"Being in love with Gunner made me deadlier, not weak."
"I was a chained man living for nothing, and you came and changed that. Your soul isn't damaged, Ryan. You're strong enough to face what others won't, to do things others aren't willing to do to save the lost. I see your soul, Ryan. I love you, all of you. Every part."
Ryan is the pseudo-daughter of the leader of the Los Muertos Cartel. She's angry, she's tired of being underestimated, and she's ready to prove herself. She was bloodthirsty and a killer but still feminine. I liked the way she dealt with the misogyny that she faced day to day, taking it in stride until they turned their backs, waiting until they least expected her.
I saw some reviews complain that she was a "not like other girls character" and while I guess I see where you could get that from, I don't agree. There were a lot of different types of female characters in this book, like her best friend, and they were never made to seem less than because she was "better." She also faced a wide range of emotions and allowed herself to feel and take her guard down around Gunner.
She's the arms dealer for the cartel, and she's now in charge of a deal between the cartel and an up-and-coming motorcycle club, the skeletons of society.
Gunner is in charge of dealing with the cartel, and going into the meeting he fully expects this "Ryan" to be a man, and when he meets her, he think shes there to take his drink order. The way that Ryan cut him down was BRUTAL and amazing to watch. I loved watching them all eat their words after she consistently proved them wrong for thinking she was weak.
It had a bit of an enemies-to-lovers vibe, but around 30-40% it did get a little insta-lovey.
I honestly didn't mind that thought because this was the first book I have read in forever that made me literally giggle and kick my feet as I was reading it.
I swear this author had to have had a history of writing fanfiction because she KNOWS what the people want. It was so funny. At the beginning of each chapter, there was a little note from her about that chapter and it was so fun. It felt like she was reading the book right along with me. There were lots of "touch her and die," AND "touch him and die."
MORE TOUCH HIM AND DIE IN BOOKS PLEASE!! Just soo many good tropes and I could not stop giggling.
Some of the plot twists had me literally gasping!! I didn't see them coming but when they did it was like everything clicked and they made sense.
This was a great no brain cells just vibes book. I had so much fun reading this and I can't wait to finish this series!! Would recommend :))
Quotes:
"I realized that darkness didn't equal evil. Good intentions often needed to be accomplished with what someone had determined were sins."
"I wanted to bear witness to her brutality while letting her know she didn't have to do it alone."
"Seemed she liked me violent. Noted. Bring her the heads of men who offend her."
"She was so beautiful with her scarred, caring heart and attitude as sharp as the blade she wielded. We were one and the same, she and I."
"She reminded me of a lioness stalking down her prey. There was no question Ryan was an apex predator, and this man was about to be eaten alive.
"Gunner showed me a man shouldn't demand you chain yourself to their feet. I didn't know what Gunner felt for me, but I knew he didn't keep me caged."
"Being in love with Gunner made me deadlier, not weak."
"I was a chained man living for nothing, and you came and changed that. Your soul isn't damaged, Ryan. You're strong enough to face what others won't, to do things others aren't willing to do to save the lost. I see your soul, Ryan. I love you, all of you. Every part."
October 4, 2022
This was GOOD.
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️ good scenes, but only a few of them
Tropes: MC, cartel, badass heroine, “mine”
I have been itching to read a book with ✅ good spice, ✅ a badass / take no shit heroine, ✅ criminal backdrop, ✅ possessive MMC, ✅ hilarious side characters, and ✅ a great plot. And this book delivered and then some.
FMC, Ryan, is the arms dealer for Los Muertos. She gets paired up with Gunner, a member of the MC, on a guns deal. The banter and sexual tension between the two is immediate when Gunner mistakes Ryan for a stripper. And our girl puts him immediately in his place.
Ryan was so badass, after growing up on the streets and being taken in by the head of the cartel. When the two finally get together, boy is the spice 🤌. Throw in some seedy shit, and a psychopath in the cartel and you’ve got yourself a great book.
Negatives: the ending was quick and the “twist” at the end seemingly came a bit out of nowhere.
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️ good scenes, but only a few of them
Tropes: MC, cartel, badass heroine, “mine”
I have been itching to read a book with ✅ good spice, ✅ a badass / take no shit heroine, ✅ criminal backdrop, ✅ possessive MMC, ✅ hilarious side characters, and ✅ a great plot. And this book delivered and then some.
FMC, Ryan, is the arms dealer for Los Muertos. She gets paired up with Gunner, a member of the MC, on a guns deal. The banter and sexual tension between the two is immediate when Gunner mistakes Ryan for a stripper. And our girl puts him immediately in his place.
Ryan was so badass, after growing up on the streets and being taken in by the head of the cartel. When the two finally get together, boy is the spice 🤌. Throw in some seedy shit, and a psychopath in the cartel and you’ve got yourself a great book.
Negatives: the ending was quick and the “twist” at the end seemingly came a bit out of nowhere.
December 7, 2023
I looove when a heroine is so kick-butt and can take care of herself, and the heroine in this book was everything. She's the arms dealer for the mafia and has no problem taking out anyone who crosses her. She's in charge of setting up a deal with a local motorcycle club and she is instantly intrigued by one of their members and he can't take his eyes off of her. While it was pretty insta-love, the whole mafia setting and action and drama made it work. While some parts were over the top and the writing did feel like a first book, this had so many elements I loved and I was hooked from the start! I can't wait to read the next book in the series!!
January 21, 2024
4.5⭐️
Oh my gosh this book was even better than I expected!!! Think mindf*ck series energy with a mafia twist. Wow I just ate it up!!!!!
We love a badass bitch who can handle herself and make grown men cry. I am so obsessed with Ryan & Gunner. The tension between these two was melting the pages & I LOVED THEIR CHEMISTRY. Dex was actually my favorite & I actively laughed so many times at his character.
The last third of the book had me PACING & SHOOK!! The plot?! The plot TWISTS. Wow.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
Tropes:
Mafia
Enemies to lovers
Dark romance
Motorcycle club
Oh my gosh this book was even better than I expected!!! Think mindf*ck series energy with a mafia twist. Wow I just ate it up!!!!!
We love a badass bitch who can handle herself and make grown men cry. I am so obsessed with Ryan & Gunner. The tension between these two was melting the pages & I LOVED THEIR CHEMISTRY. Dex was actually my favorite & I actively laughed so many times at his character.
The last third of the book had me PACING & SHOOK!! The plot?! The plot TWISTS. Wow.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
Tropes:
Mafia
Enemies to lovers
Dark romance
Motorcycle club
February 28, 2023
Welcome to Toxic Paradise...
I don't often come across a book that gives me a badass FMC without her feeling ott or whose actions don't make her seem that strong after all. But M. Maravilla managed to make me LOVE Ryan from the very first page!
She's a strong, sassy, and total boss babe who exactly knows how good she is and demands respect. The way she dealt with all the misogyny felt pretty satisfying, and I LOVED how she put Gunner in his place 😂
Gunner was a sexy, broody MMC, so, of course, did I fall for him hard. Especially his foul mouth and how he didn't let any disrespect towards his girl slide 🥵.
The witty banter between the MCs and side characters made this book so damn entertaining. The only thing I wished we would've gotten more of is their backstory and the ending also felt a little too rushed.
This book is hella spicy. Sometimes it almost felt too much and took away from the story that kept me on my toes. I wished it would've been more balanced with the plot, but don't get me wrong, the spice was fire!🔥
🎧I have to highlight the narration of the audiobook! Especially the female narrator, Raquel Beattie, was perfect and brought these characters even more to life. I highly recommend listening to it!
Overall, Skeletons of Society is a steamy book filled with morally grey characters and an intriguing plot, and I highly recommend it to all mafia/cartel romance lovers.
🗂Genre: Dark Romance
📕Type: Interconnected Standalone
🏷Tropes:
- Crime everywhere - Cartel & MC
- Instant Lust
- morally gray badass fmc
- possessive mmc
- Suspense and twists
- Forced proximity/ working together
- Spicy AF
⚠️Safety: no cheating, slight omd/owd (not reciprocated by MCs), torture, misogyny, emotional manipulation (not MMC), sex trafficking, abuse, sociopathic behavior (not MCs)
📖Audiobook: 1st person, dual POV and narration (Raquel Beattie & Gregory Salinas)
🎧Theme song: Mothica - BUZZKILL, D Smoke - El Rey
📚If you loved this, check out: The Risk, Menace
I don't often come across a book that gives me a badass FMC without her feeling ott or whose actions don't make her seem that strong after all. But M. Maravilla managed to make me LOVE Ryan from the very first page!
She's a strong, sassy, and total boss babe who exactly knows how good she is and demands respect. The way she dealt with all the misogyny felt pretty satisfying, and I LOVED how she put Gunner in his place 😂
“My hands were always destined to be drenched in the blood of guilty men.”
Gunner was a sexy, broody MMC, so, of course, did I fall for him hard. Especially his foul mouth and how he didn't let any disrespect towards his girl slide 🥵.
The witty banter between the MCs and side characters made this book so damn entertaining. The only thing I wished we would've gotten more of is their backstory and the ending also felt a little too rushed.
This book is hella spicy. Sometimes it almost felt too much and took away from the story that kept me on my toes. I wished it would've been more balanced with the plot, but don't get me wrong, the spice was fire!🔥
“Right and wrong are not as black and white as people want to pretend. The gray area is where people who do the most good for others live. We are willing to bear the burden so others can stay solely in the light.”
🎧I have to highlight the narration of the audiobook! Especially the female narrator, Raquel Beattie, was perfect and brought these characters even more to life. I highly recommend listening to it!
Overall, Skeletons of Society is a steamy book filled with morally grey characters and an intriguing plot, and I highly recommend it to all mafia/cartel romance lovers.
🗂Genre: Dark Romance
📕Type: Interconnected Standalone
🏷Tropes:
- Crime everywhere - Cartel & MC
- Instant Lust
- morally gray badass fmc
- possessive mmc
- Suspense and twists
- Forced proximity/ working together
- Spicy AF
⚠️Safety: no cheating, slight omd/owd (not reciprocated by MCs), torture, misogyny, emotional manipulation (not MMC), sex trafficking, abuse, sociopathic behavior (not MCs)
📖Audiobook: 1st person, dual POV and narration (Raquel Beattie & Gregory Salinas)
🎧Theme song: Mothica - BUZZKILL, D Smoke - El Rey
📚If you loved this, check out: The Risk, Menace
May 4, 2023
These types of books are the hardest for me to review because there was so much potential for it to be an amazing read but it kept missing the mark.
For one, I couldn’t see the connection between Ryan and Gunner. It was way too much too soon. Their sexual attraction felt forced too. I swear Ryan could be on her death bed and Gunner would still get hard for her. There was no development for their relationship or for them as individuals.
Although neither character was well developed, Ryan did have one character trait, needing to let everyone know she was a killer. She could back up her words with actions but after her having to bring up how deadly and amazing she was to literally (and I mean LITERALLY) everyone she interacted with, it took everything interesting away from her. Gave the same energy as Joffrey yelling “I am the king”.
Finally the ending was a let down for me. Where was the grovelling? Where was the feeling of betrayal and needing time to process? It was the most frustrating make up I’ve read in a long time. If this was well developed with some appropriate anger, it would have been a four star read for me because regardless of some things I didn’t like, I still enjoyed the book.
For one, I couldn’t see the connection between Ryan and Gunner. It was way too much too soon. Their sexual attraction felt forced too. I swear Ryan could be on her death bed and Gunner would still get hard for her. There was no development for their relationship or for them as individuals.
Although neither character was well developed, Ryan did have one character trait, needing to let everyone know she was a killer. She could back up her words with actions but after her having to bring up how deadly and amazing she was to literally (and I mean LITERALLY) everyone she interacted with, it took everything interesting away from her. Gave the same energy as Joffrey yelling “I am the king”.
Finally the ending was a let down for me. Where was the grovelling? Where was the feeling of betrayal and needing time to process? It was the most frustrating make up I’ve read in a long time. If this was well developed with some appropriate anger, it would have been a four star read for me because regardless of some things I didn’t like, I still enjoyed the book.
July 25, 2022
2 stars
So I DNF’ed this at 74% - I never DNF so far into a book, but I tried so much and for so long to finish this. I had no interest in the story after a certain point.
The love story wasn’t believable.
The characters weren’t fleshed out properly - mostly the hero.
The love and attraction was too much too soon especially considering the serious circumstances in which those two met.
I don’t know. Things just didn’t flow. Some things didn’t make sense either.
Overall I was beyond bored and wanted to be done with this. Not a love story I’d read.
So I DNF’ed this at 74% - I never DNF so far into a book, but I tried so much and for so long to finish this. I had no interest in the story after a certain point.
The love story wasn’t believable.
The characters weren’t fleshed out properly - mostly the hero.
The love and attraction was too much too soon especially considering the serious circumstances in which those two met.
I don’t know. Things just didn’t flow. Some things didn’t make sense either.
Overall I was beyond bored and wanted to be done with this. Not a love story I’d read.
August 10, 2025
The fact that I hear NO ONE talk about or recommend this book is straight CRIMINAL! If you have read this book and are not telling everyone to read it, you need to go straight to jail. Because this book is so underrated and I need you all to read it so I have someone to talk about this one with.
I was hooked from the start with this book. The plot was pure perfection and one that I have never read before. Ok so picture this, you are the sergeant at arms for a MC club and your MC club has decided to partner up with the Los Muertos cartel to help run their guns. You think you are going to meet with this guy Ryan, who will be your point of contact for the cartel, only to find out that Ryan is a WOMAN! A feisty and stabby woman at that. Their meet cute was filled with TENSION and that tension was thick throughout the whole book!
I loved Ryan and Gunner so much! Ryan is so fiercely strong, independent and one you shouldn't cross. And that was a major turn on for our boy Gunner. Not only did he stand beside her but he was also there to provide support when needed. I loved them so much. Now Gunner, that man has a mustache. Which we love around here. Like can we get more books where the men have a stache please because holy hotness! Not only does he have a stache but there is more that meets the eye with Gunner 👀 it's part of the plot twist so we won't talk about it, but I loved it!
I also need to touch on the TOP TIER BANTER. I loved their banter. It was so much fun! You never knew what was going to come out of their mouths and I loved it. Ryan is snarky and their witty one liners gave me life.
At the end of the day, if you love a FMC who is strong and stabby, this is the one for you! I just loved how both of our MCs were morally grey. It gave me life but so did the plot. All around this book was so good and I need all of you to read this one!
You should most definitely read this book if like you:
- Dark Romance
- Cartel x MC Romance
- Morally Grey MCs
- Strong and Feisty FMC
- Mexicana FMC
- Top Tier Banter
- Suspenseful
I was hooked from the start with this book. The plot was pure perfection and one that I have never read before. Ok so picture this, you are the sergeant at arms for a MC club and your MC club has decided to partner up with the Los Muertos cartel to help run their guns. You think you are going to meet with this guy Ryan, who will be your point of contact for the cartel, only to find out that Ryan is a WOMAN! A feisty and stabby woman at that. Their meet cute was filled with TENSION and that tension was thick throughout the whole book!
I loved Ryan and Gunner so much! Ryan is so fiercely strong, independent and one you shouldn't cross. And that was a major turn on for our boy Gunner. Not only did he stand beside her but he was also there to provide support when needed. I loved them so much. Now Gunner, that man has a mustache. Which we love around here. Like can we get more books where the men have a stache please because holy hotness! Not only does he have a stache but there is more that meets the eye with Gunner 👀 it's part of the plot twist so we won't talk about it, but I loved it!
I also need to touch on the TOP TIER BANTER. I loved their banter. It was so much fun! You never knew what was going to come out of their mouths and I loved it. Ryan is snarky and their witty one liners gave me life.
At the end of the day, if you love a FMC who is strong and stabby, this is the one for you! I just loved how both of our MCs were morally grey. It gave me life but so did the plot. All around this book was so good and I need all of you to read this one!
You should most definitely read this book if like you:
- Dark Romance
- Cartel x MC Romance
- Morally Grey MCs
- Strong and Feisty FMC
- Mexicana FMC
- Top Tier Banter
- Suspenseful
May 9, 2025
wow! what a wild and high voltage read!
4 Stars
4 on the spice scale
4 Stars
4 on the spice scale
June 10, 2024
I got a girl crush... and her name is Ryan 🤍
I absolutely love a badass fmc. Ryan is everything. This was honestly such a fun read and I laughed my ass off several times. Ryan + Gunner are perfect.
"Seemed like she liked me violent. Noted. Bring her the heads of men who offend her."
"Touch him and die is hotter than touch her and die. I don't make the rules."
Mafia
Enemies to Lovers
Badass FMC
Possessive MMC
Forced Proximity
I absolutely love a badass fmc. Ryan is everything. This was honestly such a fun read and I laughed my ass off several times. Ryan + Gunner are perfect.
"Seemed like she liked me violent. Noted. Bring her the heads of men who offend her."
"Touch him and die is hotter than touch her and die. I don't make the rules."
Mafia
Enemies to Lovers
Badass FMC
Possessive MMC
Forced Proximity
September 21, 2022
1⭐️/2🌶
god it honestly took me forever to finish this and i’m surprised i just didn’t call it quits on this one. i wanted to like it but god imo the writing was terrible. and that is what did this book in.
the amount of times i cringed at the dialogue was ridiculous. there were also so many terrible references. for example mr worldwide himself was referenced i could have simply passed away bcos of that alone 🤣🤣. as well as a harry potter reference? oh absolutely not. it made no sense to be written in this story and took me out of it ngl.
here are some of my highlights of the cringiest things said IMO:
• “Ryan, where the hell ya been, loca?” he asked. Now it was my turn to laugh. “Dexy, did you just quote Twilight?” LIKE ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? FUCKING CHRIST
• “Witch—you’re actually a witch.” Without missing a beat, Nikki and I yelled out simultaneously. “You’re gonna look at me, and you’re gonna tell me I’m wrong?” THE VINE REFERENCE?? it’s giving quirky millennial im sorry oh my god 🤣
• “You know I don’t discriminate. Have dick? Will sit on it.”
• “Thank God for Pitbull because Mr. Worldwide made sure none of my welcome patrons heard the crunching sound of cartilage and bones breaking or the startled yelps from his club brothers.”
• “Mercury had to be in retrograde.”
okay i gotta stop or i’m just going to highlight the whole book
there were many moments that i felt like the fmc didn’t reflect being the arms dealer for the cartel. like through her dialogue it didn’t work for me.
and gunner? god sure there were moments that had me 👀🌶 but overall it just was SO incredibly cringey. he kept calling her “babe” and usually that doesn’t bother be but i seriously could not get behind it here. i’m sorry but it was giving douchebag frat boy energy every time he called her babe. and i gotta be honest this was the first time i’ve read where the mmc has facial hair to resemble tom selleck (but he was also said to have a handlebar mustache if im not mistaken) either way that ruined the mental image i had going for this man 🤣🤣🤣🤣
the dialogue overall absolutely sent me so many times bcos of how not good it was. like it was giving “trying too hard to be bad” vibes 💀
and im ngl the plot twist!? was definitely something i didn’t see coming but it was revealed at ~95%? no time to really resolve that in a way it would make sense. so didn’t love that.
god it honestly took me forever to finish this and i’m surprised i just didn’t call it quits on this one. i wanted to like it but god imo the writing was terrible. and that is what did this book in.
the amount of times i cringed at the dialogue was ridiculous. there were also so many terrible references. for example mr worldwide himself was referenced i could have simply passed away bcos of that alone 🤣🤣. as well as a harry potter reference? oh absolutely not. it made no sense to be written in this story and took me out of it ngl.
here are some of my highlights of the cringiest things said IMO:
• “Ryan, where the hell ya been, loca?” he asked. Now it was my turn to laugh. “Dexy, did you just quote Twilight?” LIKE ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? FUCKING CHRIST
• “Witch—you’re actually a witch.” Without missing a beat, Nikki and I yelled out simultaneously. “You’re gonna look at me, and you’re gonna tell me I’m wrong?” THE VINE REFERENCE?? it’s giving quirky millennial im sorry oh my god 🤣
• “You know I don’t discriminate. Have dick? Will sit on it.”
• “Thank God for Pitbull because Mr. Worldwide made sure none of my welcome patrons heard the crunching sound of cartilage and bones breaking or the startled yelps from his club brothers.”
• “Mercury had to be in retrograde.”
okay i gotta stop or i’m just going to highlight the whole book
there were many moments that i felt like the fmc didn’t reflect being the arms dealer for the cartel. like through her dialogue it didn’t work for me.
and gunner? god sure there were moments that had me 👀🌶 but overall it just was SO incredibly cringey. he kept calling her “babe” and usually that doesn’t bother be but i seriously could not get behind it here. i’m sorry but it was giving douchebag frat boy energy every time he called her babe. and i gotta be honest this was the first time i’ve read where the mmc has facial hair to resemble tom selleck (but he was also said to have a handlebar mustache if im not mistaken) either way that ruined the mental image i had going for this man 🤣🤣🤣🤣
the dialogue overall absolutely sent me so many times bcos of how not good it was. like it was giving “trying too hard to be bad” vibes 💀
and im ngl the plot twist!? was definitely something i didn’t see coming but it was revealed at ~95%? no time to really resolve that in a way it would make sense. so didn’t love that.
June 20, 2024
If you were to take The sons of Anarchy and mixed it with The Mexican Cartel you would get this book. Ryan is a savage, she is a woman causing mayhem in a man’s world and having fun while doing it. At a young age Ryan made her first kill but there was a witness that has never let her forget where he found her. Which is how she finds herself working for the Mexican Cartel running guns.
Gunner is in the towns MC club and they want to start doing business with the Mexican cartel. Ryan and Gunner start working together. The tension between them is off the charts, but they’re someone working behind the scenes that is trying to ruin things for them before anything gets started.
This story was action packed, I was flipping pages so fast and did not want to put it down. I will never stop recommending this book.
July 20, 2025
10/10 no notes 😩😍
January 23, 2023
Mommy? I’m sorry MOMMY?!?! & DADDY?!?! I’m obsessed this was FUCKING PERFECT! Do you like non-stop action, immaculate spice, bad ass female mc’s?!?! You need to read this. This cartel/mc romance was so entertaining I couldn’t stop listening to the audiobook. (It’s so well done 100% recommend) Ryan & Gunner are THE power couple and I’ll never be over them. My girl Marie knows how to write a woman and queen Ryan is one of the best female mc’s in a darker romance book I’ve ever read. I am just addicted to this world and can’t wait to see what Marie does next!
February 28, 2023
“I want to f*ck you, Ryan. To absolutely destroy you, put you back together, and do it all over again.”
Marie Maravilla, Skeletons of Society
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
This was my first book by Marie and JESUS! I seriously cannot believe this was a DEBUT novel. This book was phenomenal and had everything I love, we had amazing side characters, comedic relief, high sexuäl tension, action, the most bada$$ FMC ever, and a possessive & hot MMC. This book was the first book in a minute to be able to actually pull me out of the worst slump ever, which automatically is a green flag. If you love a woman who puts men in their place, can stand up for herself (mentally & physically), and is hot as hell, then Ryan is definitely the FMC for you. I cannot rave enough about how epic Ryan was in this book. She was constantly mistaken for a man, and every time she proved herself to have the biggest balls made me scream because of how awesome she is. Now, Gunner on the other hand is giving Jax Teller vibes which is instantly hot, but then add on the tension they radiate together and his dirty talk & smütty scenes, and i’m 🫠🫠🫠. I also can usually predict a plot twist, but this one snuck up on me at the end, but honestly made so much sense. This is such a great book, I highly encourage you check it out if you love dark romance and/or if any of this appealed to you.
Features:
-bada$$ fmc
-cartel x mc
-possessive mmc
-high tension
-enemies to lovers
-violence & action
-spit scene
-pegging scene
-praise
-dual pov
-comedic relief
✨Fav Quotes✨
“I didn’t know if I wanted to ride his face or punch it. Maybe I would just suffocate him with my pu$$y.”
“Ryan, where the hell ya been, loca?” he asked. Now it was my turn to laugh. “Dexy, did you just quote Twilight?”
“Mercury had to be in retrograde. Or whatever the f*ck Nikki called it when she blamed the planet for life’s fuck-ups.”
“That’s a good girl. Let me hear you choke on it.”
“Babe, you were never going to be anyone else’s. The moment your mouth opened when I first saw you, I knew I was f*cked. We are destined to burn in chaos together, so we might as well have great sēx while doing it.”
Marie Maravilla, Skeletons of Society
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
This was my first book by Marie and JESUS! I seriously cannot believe this was a DEBUT novel. This book was phenomenal and had everything I love, we had amazing side characters, comedic relief, high sexuäl tension, action, the most bada$$ FMC ever, and a possessive & hot MMC. This book was the first book in a minute to be able to actually pull me out of the worst slump ever, which automatically is a green flag. If you love a woman who puts men in their place, can stand up for herself (mentally & physically), and is hot as hell, then Ryan is definitely the FMC for you. I cannot rave enough about how epic Ryan was in this book. She was constantly mistaken for a man, and every time she proved herself to have the biggest balls made me scream because of how awesome she is. Now, Gunner on the other hand is giving Jax Teller vibes which is instantly hot, but then add on the tension they radiate together and his dirty talk & smütty scenes, and i’m 🫠🫠🫠. I also can usually predict a plot twist, but this one snuck up on me at the end, but honestly made so much sense. This is such a great book, I highly encourage you check it out if you love dark romance and/or if any of this appealed to you.
Features:
-bada$$ fmc
-cartel x mc
-possessive mmc
-high tension
-enemies to lovers
-violence & action
-spit scene
-pegging scene
-praise
-dual pov
-comedic relief
✨Fav Quotes✨
“I didn’t know if I wanted to ride his face or punch it. Maybe I would just suffocate him with my pu$$y.”
“Ryan, where the hell ya been, loca?” he asked. Now it was my turn to laugh. “Dexy, did you just quote Twilight?”
“Mercury had to be in retrograde. Or whatever the f*ck Nikki called it when she blamed the planet for life’s fuck-ups.”
“That’s a good girl. Let me hear you choke on it.”
“Babe, you were never going to be anyone else’s. The moment your mouth opened when I first saw you, I knew I was f*cked. We are destined to burn in chaos together, so we might as well have great sēx while doing it.”
February 28, 2023
THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!!!
I don’t really know where to start with this review! This book was so amazing!
This book has been on my tbr for a long time. I’ve heard so many amazing things about this book. This was a five star read for me!
Ryan and Gunner are everything! They are such a power couple! The chemistry between Ryan and Gunner is off the charts. The tension and the possessive protectiveness was just *chefs kiss*. This book had such great spice. There are scenes from this book that will live in my head rent free.
I can’t say enough good things. This was such a great read and I highly recommend. This is a dark romance, so check TWs/CWs.
Tropes:
♡ dark romance
♡ cartel & MC
♡ morally gray badass fmc
♡ possessive mmc
♡ forced proximity/working together
♡ suspense and twists
♡ spicy
I don’t really know where to start with this review! This book was so amazing!
This book has been on my tbr for a long time. I’ve heard so many amazing things about this book. This was a five star read for me!
Ryan and Gunner are everything! They are such a power couple! The chemistry between Ryan and Gunner is off the charts. The tension and the possessive protectiveness was just *chefs kiss*. This book had such great spice. There are scenes from this book that will live in my head rent free.
I can’t say enough good things. This was such a great read and I highly recommend. This is a dark romance, so check TWs/CWs.
Tropes:
♡ dark romance
♡ cartel & MC
♡ morally gray badass fmc
♡ possessive mmc
♡ forced proximity/working together
♡ suspense and twists
♡ spicy
February 5, 2023
first half of this book, not so good, second half of this book, very good. overall: 4/5 stars
May 28, 2022
5-star (ARC) review!!!
Gosh I can’t even describe how honored I am to have received an arc for this beautiful read. I can’t fault it! Loved the writing, the plot, the characters, everything. Ryan is so powerful and her strength is inspiring and Gunner is so sexy and manly, they fit together so well. I loved their interactions so much. This book is action and smut packed! Totally recommend!!!
Gosh I can’t even describe how honored I am to have received an arc for this beautiful read. I can’t fault it! Loved the writing, the plot, the characters, everything. Ryan is so powerful and her strength is inspiring and Gunner is so sexy and manly, they fit together so well. I loved their interactions so much. This book is action and smut packed! Totally recommend!!!
April 25, 2023
“𝐼’𝓂 𝒶 𝒻𝑒𝓂𝒶𝓁𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓇𝒶𝒾𝓈𝑒𝒹 𝒷𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓉𝓈, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝐼 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒶 𝒸𝓇𝒾𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝑜𝓇𝑔𝒶𝓃𝒾𝓏𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃. 𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓇𝑒𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝓎𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒹𝒾𝒸𝓀; 𝐼 𝒹𝑜𝓃’𝓉 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝑒."
Ok...where do I even begin with this book?! Holy hotness did I love it! My amazing friend @katereadsromance lives in a small town romance bubble but when she told me she only leaves her bubble for Marie, I said "say less". I immediately downloaded and devoured it!
I think that Ryan may be one of the most badass FMCs I've ever encountered. I feel like her and Kora from Sterling Falls would be besties for sure. And you already know my love for that series. I could not put this book down! The action, the suspense, the spice!
𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓃𝑜 𝒸𝓁𝓊𝑒 𝒶 𝓈𝓊𝒾𝓉 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒷𝑒 𝓈𝑜 𝓈𝑒𝓍𝓎 𝑜𝓃 𝒶 𝓌𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒶 𝒻𝓊𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑒𝓍𝑜𝓉𝒾𝒸 𝑔𝑜𝒹𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓈. 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓇𝒾𝓅 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝓊𝒾𝓉 𝑜𝒻𝒻 𝒽𝑒𝓇, 𝒷𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒮𝑒𝓇𝑔𝒾𝑜’𝓈 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓀, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒹𝓇𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝒷𝒷𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒸𝑜𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓂 𝓅𝓊𝓈𝓈𝓎.
I meannnnnnn.....come on! These two had so much sexual tension that you could feel it in the words on the page! The way they thought about each other, like they hated each other but also wanted to rip each other's clothes off....it was amazing. And to watch their relationship unfold was spectacular.
𝒮𝑒𝑒𝓂𝑒𝒹 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝓂𝑒 𝓋𝒾𝑜𝓁𝑒𝓃𝓉. 𝒩𝑜𝓉𝑒𝒹. 𝐵𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝓂𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝑜𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝓇.
If you like fast action, great writing, perfect plot and hot spice, this book is for you. Marie is also one of the sweetest humans! 10/10 recommend! Free on KU but worth the book trophy!
Ok...where do I even begin with this book?! Holy hotness did I love it! My amazing friend @katereadsromance lives in a small town romance bubble but when she told me she only leaves her bubble for Marie, I said "say less". I immediately downloaded and devoured it!
I think that Ryan may be one of the most badass FMCs I've ever encountered. I feel like her and Kora from Sterling Falls would be besties for sure. And you already know my love for that series. I could not put this book down! The action, the suspense, the spice!
𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓃𝑜 𝒸𝓁𝓊𝑒 𝒶 𝓈𝓊𝒾𝓉 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒷𝑒 𝓈𝑜 𝓈𝑒𝓍𝓎 𝑜𝓃 𝒶 𝓌𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒶 𝒻𝓊𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑒𝓍𝑜𝓉𝒾𝒸 𝑔𝑜𝒹𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓈. 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓇𝒾𝓅 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝓊𝒾𝓉 𝑜𝒻𝒻 𝒽𝑒𝓇, 𝒷𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒮𝑒𝓇𝑔𝒾𝑜’𝓈 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓀, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒹𝓇𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝒷𝒷𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒸𝑜𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓂 𝓅𝓊𝓈𝓈𝓎.
I meannnnnnn.....come on! These two had so much sexual tension that you could feel it in the words on the page! The way they thought about each other, like they hated each other but also wanted to rip each other's clothes off....it was amazing. And to watch their relationship unfold was spectacular.
𝒮𝑒𝑒𝓂𝑒𝒹 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝓂𝑒 𝓋𝒾𝑜𝓁𝑒𝓃𝓉. 𝒩𝑜𝓉𝑒𝒹. 𝐵𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝓂𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝑜𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝓇.
If you like fast action, great writing, perfect plot and hot spice, this book is for you. Marie is also one of the sweetest humans! 10/10 recommend! Free on KU but worth the book trophy!
June 3, 2022
Beta Read for June 13,2022 Release Date!
Book overall 5/5
Spice 4/5
This book was so so good! Ryan as the FMC is a total badass! She kills and never apologizes for the way she chooses to do so. Ryan grew up with a tough life but when she was taken into the family of the leader of the Los Muertos Cartel she knew she had to hold her own in some way. She build walls around herself and took life into her own hands.
Gunner the MMC is the Sargent of Arms of the Skeletons of Society Motorcycle Club. He want things done right. He is always right. When he is told he had to help Los Muertos with their arms deal he knows he’s going to have his hands full.
Gunner and Ryan have an amazing relationship dynamic. They know when to support each other and when to call one another out on their shit. The spice is amazing and the story is even better. I would consider this a semi slow burn because the spice starts at around 50% but the steam that comes before the spice is STEAMY. Lots of tension between these two and Dex says it best “the tension between you two is like foreplay”
Prepare yourselves and your TBR because Ryan is about to have you in a chokehold. Book world… meet your new book girlfriend.
Book overall 5/5
Spice 4/5
This book was so so good! Ryan as the FMC is a total badass! She kills and never apologizes for the way she chooses to do so. Ryan grew up with a tough life but when she was taken into the family of the leader of the Los Muertos Cartel she knew she had to hold her own in some way. She build walls around herself and took life into her own hands.
Gunner the MMC is the Sargent of Arms of the Skeletons of Society Motorcycle Club. He want things done right. He is always right. When he is told he had to help Los Muertos with their arms deal he knows he’s going to have his hands full.
Gunner and Ryan have an amazing relationship dynamic. They know when to support each other and when to call one another out on their shit. The spice is amazing and the story is even better. I would consider this a semi slow burn because the spice starts at around 50% but the steam that comes before the spice is STEAMY. Lots of tension between these two and Dex says it best “the tension between you two is like foreplay”
Prepare yourselves and your TBR because Ryan is about to have you in a chokehold. Book world… meet your new book girlfriend.
May 11, 2025
this was fun and all but yall know why im really here
*dex’s book*
*dex’s book*
February 15, 2023
Skeletons of Society is Marie Maravilla's debut novel, and the first book in her Toxic Paradise series: a contemporary crime romance series that centres around the Los Muertos Cartel.
Potential triggers: organized crime, mentions of human trafficking, violence and gore, grief and loss.
While I enjoyed the cartel x outlaw motorcycle club premise, the Mexican representation and the female protagonist, this book as a whole just didn't meet my expectations. I think this is partially a problem of personal preference, as I generally prefer slower burns and a lot of emotional depth. In this story, I struggled to find a believable build-up to the depth of Ryan and Gunner's feelings for one another beyond infatuation. I can admit that the smutty scenes were super hot — I just wish I believed in them a little more.
Ryan is a fierce female protagonist and definitely stole the show for me. She gave me Lana Myers vibes and is the main reason I stayed invested. She's bold, confident and bloodthirsty, and it always feels refreshing to see these attributes in a female character. Underneath this hard shell is a burning passion for helping and protecting abused women, which creates one hell of a character. I was definitely crushing on her more than Gunner!
Gunner is a "bad boy" with golden retreiver energy, if you can believe it. He's definitely a bit of an ass in the beginning, but becomes quickly enamoured with Ryan. While I think this was supposed to balance out Ryan's intensity, I couldn't help feeling that he just paled in comparison to her. I'm not entirely sure why he didn't work for me. But I do know that the "70's porn 'stashe" didn't help.
I loved the addition of Mario and his relationship with Ryan. It added angst, drama and complex emotions that I wish would have been amplified even more.
Overall this was as entertaining read, but I was left craving deeper emotions and a more intricate plot. There is one twist I didn't see coming, but unfortunately it dampened my feelings toward Gunner even more.
I would recommend this to readers who like: crime drama, comic relief, main character minority representation, fierce and unhinged FMCs, insta-love and hot spice.
I'm definitely going to read Syndicate of Sins — eventually — because I've heard the spice is even better.
Potential triggers: organized crime, mentions of human trafficking, violence and gore, grief and loss.
While I enjoyed the cartel x outlaw motorcycle club premise, the Mexican representation and the female protagonist, this book as a whole just didn't meet my expectations. I think this is partially a problem of personal preference, as I generally prefer slower burns and a lot of emotional depth. In this story, I struggled to find a believable build-up to the depth of Ryan and Gunner's feelings for one another beyond infatuation. I can admit that the smutty scenes were super hot — I just wish I believed in them a little more.
"You knew my reputation and still thought you would be able to outsmart La Brujita de Los Muertos. You made your bed. Now you get to die in it."
Ryan is a fierce female protagonist and definitely stole the show for me. She gave me Lana Myers vibes and is the main reason I stayed invested. She's bold, confident and bloodthirsty, and it always feels refreshing to see these attributes in a female character. Underneath this hard shell is a burning passion for helping and protecting abused women, which creates one hell of a character. I was definitely crushing on her more than Gunner!
Gunner is a "bad boy" with golden retreiver energy, if you can believe it. He's definitely a bit of an ass in the beginning, but becomes quickly enamoured with Ryan. While I think this was supposed to balance out Ryan's intensity, I couldn't help feeling that he just paled in comparison to her. I'm not entirely sure why he didn't work for me. But I do know that the "70's porn 'stashe" didn't help.
I loved the addition of Mario and his relationship with Ryan. It added angst, drama and complex emotions that I wish would have been amplified even more.
Overall this was as entertaining read, but I was left craving deeper emotions and a more intricate plot. There is one twist I didn't see coming, but unfortunately it dampened my feelings toward Gunner even more.
I would recommend this to readers who like: crime drama, comic relief, main character minority representation, fierce and unhinged FMCs, insta-love and hot spice.
I'm definitely going to read Syndicate of Sins — eventually — because I've heard the spice is even better.
December 3, 2025
⛓️🖇️🍷🥀🖤 A bloodthirsty heroine enters the chat.... ♟️
I had SO MUCH FUN reading Skeletons of Society. It's mafia/cartel romance about the cartel's arms dealer and the man who is partnering with her for a job. This man is part of a motorcycle club so it makes things more exciting! I usually do not read MC romances, but I do read mafia ones, so this was so exciting to me. I really loved every second I spent reading this book 🔪 The characters and the romance were my favorite thing!
Let's talk about the romance: You need to know that Gunner, the hero, is so down bad for Ryan. Like down badism? He's top of the class, gold medal, and high achievements in the field. As soon as he saw her, oh this man was a goner. And when he began to know her bits by bits, he was so in love and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Ryan was also so easy to love and you just want the best for her. I loved seeing how she was breaking down her walls for Gunner and it was so cute to see them interact. If you love scenes where she gets hurt and he comes running to her, in despair, OH YES THIS BOOK HAS IT!
The spice in this book is insane yall. He spits in her mouth and I was like okay... yeah yeah yeah. LIKE OH MY GOD??? I tell you this book was entertaining from start to finish, so many things happen, you don't get one low moment, like everything is always on and shit is going down at all times. So, it definitely made me want to keep reading! I'm intrigued about the couples in the next books 🔥
I had SO MUCH FUN reading Skeletons of Society. It's mafia/cartel romance about the cartel's arms dealer and the man who is partnering with her for a job. This man is part of a motorcycle club so it makes things more exciting! I usually do not read MC romances, but I do read mafia ones, so this was so exciting to me. I really loved every second I spent reading this book 🔪 The characters and the romance were my favorite thing!
Let's talk about the romance: You need to know that Gunner, the hero, is so down bad for Ryan. Like down badism? He's top of the class, gold medal, and high achievements in the field. As soon as he saw her, oh this man was a goner. And when he began to know her bits by bits, he was so in love and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Ryan was also so easy to love and you just want the best for her. I loved seeing how she was breaking down her walls for Gunner and it was so cute to see them interact. If you love scenes where she gets hurt and he comes running to her, in despair, OH YES THIS BOOK HAS IT!
The spice in this book is insane yall. He spits in her mouth and I was like okay... yeah yeah yeah. LIKE OH MY GOD??? I tell you this book was entertaining from start to finish, so many things happen, you don't get one low moment, like everything is always on and shit is going down at all times. So, it definitely made me want to keep reading! I'm intrigued about the couples in the next books 🔥
January 27, 2024
I did enjoy this book for the most part but I have to say that I'm glad I read this series out of order. If I had started with this book I'm really not sure if I would have continued on and I know that's mean to say but that was the thought I kept having while I was reading. It wasn't bad and I thought the characters were interesting but that was also one of the issues, they were so interesting I wanted more. Neither of them had much backstory and it made me wish that we could get to know them more. Especially when the plot twist came out of nowhere, and I'm sorry but it felt like a last minute decision the author made and then didn't flesh out enough. It tried to wrap the book up into a nice little bow but instead it gave me way too many questions that I then didn't have time to answer.
October 31, 2024
3.5 -4⭐️
3.5🌶️
Gotta say I did not like that ending. It didn’t end on a cliffhanger or anything it was just kind of lackluster. The rest of the story as a whole was pretty good. I don’t know if I would think about it constantly or recommend it as a book to get out of a slump, but it was pretty decent. However, just so you know she is in fact a female not a male. Yes she works as a gun runner. And yes she does not have a penis. Just thought you should know because it only mentions it a zillion times.
3.5🌶️
Gotta say I did not like that ending. It didn’t end on a cliffhanger or anything it was just kind of lackluster. The rest of the story as a whole was pretty good. I don’t know if I would think about it constantly or recommend it as a book to get out of a slump, but it was pretty decent. However, just so you know she is in fact a female not a male. Yes she works as a gun runner. And yes she does not have a penis. Just thought you should know because it only mentions it a zillion times.
June 3, 2022
⭐️ FIVE F**KING STARS ⭐️
I was lucky enough to receive an arc for this book and I was sooooo excited after all the snippets i’ve seen shared on bookstagram as anything involving an MC is an instant read for me.
Ryan, the FMC, is absolutely perfect, I am all for strong female characters who know how to handle themselves and don’t take any shit from misogynistic men. She is an absolute queen and quite frankly, i’d like to be her.
Then there’s GUNNER 🥵🥵🥵, 10/10, amazing, show stopping, incredible, take me as yours and do whatever you want to me… Ryan and Gunner’s first meeting is also top tier reading, I was SMIRKING throughout it and it just worked so so well for their characters.
This book has great characters, ones you will fall completely in love with and ones you will absolutely LOATHE (i’m looking at you Lolli), a plot twist I definitely did not see coming, and some IMMACULATE spice 🌶
I cannot wait for Scar’s story, and to see who else’s we’ll get in the future!!
I was lucky enough to receive an arc for this book and I was sooooo excited after all the snippets i’ve seen shared on bookstagram as anything involving an MC is an instant read for me.
Ryan, the FMC, is absolutely perfect, I am all for strong female characters who know how to handle themselves and don’t take any shit from misogynistic men. She is an absolute queen and quite frankly, i’d like to be her.
Then there’s GUNNER 🥵🥵🥵, 10/10, amazing, show stopping, incredible, take me as yours and do whatever you want to me… Ryan and Gunner’s first meeting is also top tier reading, I was SMIRKING throughout it and it just worked so so well for their characters.
This book has great characters, ones you will fall completely in love with and ones you will absolutely LOATHE (i’m looking at you Lolli), a plot twist I definitely did not see coming, and some IMMACULATE spice 🌶
I cannot wait for Scar’s story, and to see who else’s we’ll get in the future!!
February 6, 2023
Holy fuck, this was good! Ryan has been added to my list of badass FMC girlfriends. When I tell you I was left in shock when the end came, believe me I did not see that coming at all. All the characters seemed to steal my heart everyone fit together perfectly, gunner was what I call perfection the perfect amount of dominate while still giving Ryan control chef's kiss to that man. I wanted more from the epilogue, but I understand we’ll see them again soon, so yay for that. Onto Scar’s book now.🤭
“Babe, it wasn’t all a lie. The man who stood before you was me, raw and uncut. You unlocked my cage, Ryan. I was a chained man living for nothing, and you came and changed that. Your soul isn’t damaged, Ryan. You’re strong enough to face what others won’t, do things others aren’t willing to do to save the lost. I see your soul, Ryan. I love you, all of you. Every fucking part.”
“Babe, it wasn’t all a lie. The man who stood before you was me, raw and uncut. You unlocked my cage, Ryan. I was a chained man living for nothing, and you came and changed that. Your soul isn’t damaged, Ryan. You’re strong enough to face what others won’t, do things others aren’t willing to do to save the lost. I see your soul, Ryan. I love you, all of you. Every fucking part.”
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