Book Review: “The Predator” by RuNyx

Book: The Predator (Dark Verse Book One)

Author: RuNyx

Genre: Dark Romance / Mafia Romance.

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers / Rivals / Mafia / STEM Heroine / Tortured Hero / Forced Proximity.

My Rating: 5 Star ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

POV: 3rd

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I came across this book while searching for a solid enemies to lovers dark romance, the quote that initially captured my attention was:

Tristan: "No one else gets to kill you, Ms. Vitalio," he spoke quietly. "The last face you see before you die will be mine. When it comes to death, you're mine."

And I was sold from that moment onwards.

In enemies-to-lovers romance, I love a brew of hatred, tension and passion. Where the characters find themselves in a web of conflicting emotions, fulled by the animosity they hold towards each other and yet a confusing attraction grows, drawing them closer to each other despite their better judgment.

“The Predator” by RuNyx offers 370 pages of this with a cocktail of Mafia lore, inter-family feuds, and well-guarded secrets. Tristan Caine, a prominent member of the 'Tenabrae Outfit' and protege of the 'Maroni' family, is known among his peers as the sole non-blood member of the family. Morana Vitalio, a certified technological genius and daughter of the rival 'Vitalio' mob family, found herself in a precarious situation when her software code she had written was stolen. This code, if misused, had the potential to ignite a full-blown war between the Vitalio’s and the Maroni’s, two families already feuding from a broken alliance.

Tracing the theft back to Tristan Caine, known as “The Predator,” Morana confronts him, only to discover that someone is trying to frame him. Faced with this unexpected turn of events, the two rivals realise that their only chance at recovering the code and avoiding a war is to team up and find the true culprit behind the theft. Forced into an unlikely alliance, Tristan and Morana must navigate the dangerous underworld of organised crime while unraveling a web of deceit that tied them together from birth.

The book sets the tone from the first chapter with Morana attempting to murder Tristan in his own territory, followed by his choice to let her escape unharmed. From that moment on the two characters are charged with a mix of desire, protection, and aggression.

Morana: "One day, I'm going to carve your heart out and keep it as a souvenir. I promise."

Tristan: “You assume I have a heart, wildcat?”

Swoon-worthy 🔥

The tension between Tristan and Morana is undeniable throughout the story. Tristan stares at Morana a lot which started very intriguing but bordered on uncomfortable at some stages, how was his eyes not so dry and itchy?? As the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that Tristan's fascination with Morana is rooted very deep in their childhood, and the staring somehow added to the tension from then so I let it happen despite of my concern for his visual health. The last chapter brings the plot to a climax which had me hung on everyword until the very end and solidified Tristans place among the best of the book boyfriends.

As far as an indie mafia romance goes, this gets a 5 star from me. I burned through this book and was pleasantly greeted with a sequel to cure my Tristan/Morana hangover. The pacing is just right, the burn is slow, but so worth it. This feels very tame in comparison to other dark romances on the market, but it has graphic violence, abuse and has themes of organised child exploitation and trafficking so ideal for somebody looking to test their nerve in the genre.

If I had to pick my drawbacks it would be that the author repeats phrases a lot. After Tristans voice being described as ‘Whiskey and Sin’ the 50th time, I was bored of it. That’s not to say it took away from the story, but it would have been nice to see some different metaphors used. Amplified by the fact that he didn’t really do much talking, just staring, it felt very repetitive.

My second would be that the mystery around ‘who stole the codes’ becomes almost forgotten at stages. Morana spends a lot of time doing no action to finding the person who stole it. Admittedly, it’s a fast paced story so there’s always something engaging happening, but there are not many developments in this subplot until the last few chapters.

If this hasn’t already convinced you to dive into Amazon and download this book, here’s a list of my favourite quites to solidify it for you:

Morana: “She'd been raised around sharks. And she'd learned not to bleed.”

Tristan: “Don't you know not to run away from predators, sweetheart? We like the hunt.”

Tristan: 'Apparently, you're not out of my system, Ms. Vitalio.' - oof ❤️‍🔥