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Painted Scars
by Neva AltajSeries: Perfectly Imperfect #1
Published by Self-Published on May 24, 2022
SubGenres: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance
Format: AudioBook, eBook
Pages: 240
Narrator: Gregory Salinas, Allyson Voller
Length: 6 Hours And 25 Minutes
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Audience: 18+/Adult
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Nina
Charming, captivating, and seductive,And a cold-blooded killer.But I married the Pakhan of the Russian Bratva anyway.I had to. It was part of the deal.
Now, I’m faking marital bliss,As I tremble with fear,And I cannot wait to be out of the clutches of this ruthless man.
Roman
I get anything I desire.And I want this perfectly imperfect little manipulator.
The way she can deceive anyone into believing she’s crazy in love with me,Just makes me want her even more.
She doesn't know it yet,But I am not letting her go.The deal - is off.
*Painted Scars is a full-length novel with several open-door steamy scenes, no cheating and a guaranteed HEA.
This is the first book in Perfectly Imperfect dark mafia series. Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order.
I’m a reader who will pick up a book solely due to the cover, and that was what happened when I kept seeing Neva Altaj’s books on my IG feed. I thought, why not, and dived right into the first book in Neva Altaj’s Perfectly Imperfect series, Painted Scars. With that being said, I enjoyed this book, but did have some issues with it.
I knew immediately, with the length of the book and how fast-paced it was when reading, that there wasn’t going to be much to character development or even plot. This book also read tame for being a mafia romance, which I expect to have darker themes, but that didn’t stop me from reading it. It kept me entertained and didn’t take long to read, given how short it is. It had some tropes I enjoy reading: marriage of convenience/fake marriage (temporary marriage) with an age gap between the characters.
I loved the characters individually, and how Nina handled herself after she was forced to marry Roman and how she handled other women that came around that wanted to start drama. She wasn’t a pushover, and I loved how she stuck up for Roman too. I liked how Roman was protective of Nina, and he didn’t try to change her when they got married. He was an alpha male, but not over the top where he was a jerk to Nina.
Both characters have traumas that have happened to them, and both end up helping each other with those traumas. Roman, though, will take care of what happened to Nina, and when she finds out, she’s not happy about it. This is one part of the story that may have ticked me off since it was the third-act breakup. She knew what she was getting into with Roman, and even her mother reminded her.
I think if the story had been longer and had more mystery, especially with Roman’s trauma he experienced and how he was trying to figure out who was targeting him (I figured out who was behind it right away), then I probably would have loved this book more. Overall, I give this book 3.5-stars and will pick up the next book in the series.
POV: First Person (Dual POV)
Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you enjoy reading fast-paced steamy Mafia Romance between two characters who are forced to marry in a fake marriage, then check out this book.
What to Expect:
🖤Mafia Romance
🖤Marriage of Convenience/Fake Marriage
🖤Age Gap
🖤Grumpy/Sunshine
🖤Alpha Hero
🖤Artist Heroine
🖤Disability Rep
About Neva Altaj
Neva Altaj writes steamy contemporary mafia romance about damaged antiheroes and strong heroines who fall for them. She has a soft spot for crazy jealous, possessive alphas who are willing to burn the world to the ground for their women.
Her stories are full of heat and unexpected turns, and a happily-ever-after is guaranteed every time.
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My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
- Review: ‘Painted Scars’ by Neva Altaj - July 29, 2026
- Book Blitz + Giveaway: ‘All the Way to the Moon’ by Rose Titus - July 28, 2026
- Limited Time eBook Deals – July 27th - July 27, 2026