RuNyx

What happens when a legacy of ruin mates with a realm of blood?
Heir to the notorious Tenebrae Outfit, Dante Maroni has been trained since birth. A silent rebel in the shadows, he has learned to hide his ruthlessness under his charm, his brutality under his suits, and his love for one woman under his silence. Infiltrating the Syndicate responsible for the missing children, Dante discovers information that shatters his reality and forces him to trigger a lethal game.Daughter of the Maroni housekeeper, Amara has loved Dante for longer than she's known it. Abducted and tortured at the young age of fifteen, she loses herself, her life, and her home as she knows it. Years after, unknowingly protected, she's found some semblance of normalcy when her world collapses again, forcing her to join the game.Mysteries are unraveled. Secrets are discovered. And their young love is transformed, replaced by a deep intimacy, power, and survival.The reluctant king and inevitable queen play.An empire of death is born.---This book contains graphic violence and sexual content recommended for 18 years and above. This is a dark, contemporary mafia romance.

Dark Verse #3

The Emperor

Hana 

Win. Dante always said when dealing with his father – lose a battle, win the war. She needed to lose this.

He leaned down and kissed her softly, stretching out beside her.

“You okay, baby?” he asked against her lips as she cupped his jaw.

The door to the room opened, and Amara kept staring up, waiting for the medication to lull her back to sleep. It was probably just the nurse coming in to check her vitals as she’d been coming every two hours. After a long minute, when she didn’t hear anything, Amara turned her head to the side.

Dante Maroni sat on the chair in the room, looking absolutely wrecked. His tie was askew, his shirt crushed, his hair in disarray, and his eyes wild. Her breath caught in her chest. She’d never seen him look like this before.

grayson gruber

“She was just a girl and he was just a boy, and somehow, their broken pieces matched.” 

Who is this man and where did he come from?😳😳 Please tell me I'll have his book.

Souhaila

“He and I, we are doomed to bleed from a wound that will never heal.” 

The large man considered her for a long moment. “You have strength, Amara. I can see that. And the strong don’t have bleeding wounds; they have scars that heal.”

“Let go of everything inside your head. Feel. Just close your eyes and feel. The music. This moment. Me.”

“You’re not going to walk through life, Amara,” he uttered roughly, each word a vow that cemented itself in her heart. “You’ll dance through it. And I’ll fucking remove anyone who tries to break your rhythm. I promise you.”

Dante Maroni was a piece of art – a very fine, very exquisite piece of art. Every time she saw him, she wanted to do a chef’s kiss gesture to the sky. Yeah, he was that good.

I forgot how expressive RuNyx's writing is🤌

But never loud enough to reach ears that could help.

The best part of starting a new book? The dedications🙌

whether you carry your scars on your flesh or in your soul, whether you’ve seen the worst of humankind or fought the worst of fates, you’re still here. 

Lauren McGrail

aleksandra

4/5

Pure love, nothing else.


  
    "You’re the beat to my heart, Amara,”

"In his world of gunshots and screams, her voice was a gentle prayer, evidence that there was life after the endless noise."

i'm super conflicted on this because i fell in love with dante and amara in the previous book and i still loved them in this one but i just felt like something was missing? maybe it was the many time jumps? idk, 3.5 stars

Quickie Review (May contain spoilers, please be responsible)

The Emperor is the book that features a couple that was teased in the first two books. This one has such beautiful pining in it. There is something about the heroine pining after the hero that just works for me so well. And I really enjoyed the secret relationship dynamic that comes into play with this one here. I think I loved the first book a bit more than one, but only slightly. I did enjoy the heroine of this book way more though. I just love a softer heroine in a mafia romance. This also had a mix of unique tropes that really came out together in such a intense intriguing way. This is also a story that reading the first two books, will add more dimension to the characters. I was so grateful I had read these books in order and closer together. And I am so excited for the next book in the series. Its going to be purely fascinating that is for sure.

Lover of Romance 

Quickie Review (May contain spoilers, please be responsible)

The Emperor is the book that features a couple that was teased in the first two books. This one has such beautiful pining in it. There is something about the heroine pining after the hero that just works for me so well. And I really enjoyed the secret relationship dynamic that comes into play with this one here. I think I loved the first book a bit more than one, but only slightly. I did enjoy the heroine of this book way more though. I just love a softer heroine in a mafia romance. This also had a mix of unique tropes that really came out together in such a intense intriguing way. This is also a story that reading the first two books, will add more dimension to the characters. I was so grateful I had read these books in order and closer together. And I am so excited for the next book in the series. Its going to be purely fascinating that is for sure.

the emotional damage .

Dante and Amara are simply perfect. they are my parents, guys, and I am their child, they just don't know it.

I cried a lot too. wdym 7 or 8 years. I am losing my mind. the cat, man. the fucking cat. 

reading their pov from when they were children changed something inside of me. it actually destroyed me... seeing little Amara having a crush on Dante, and he knew that so he'd mess around with her. kill me. murder me!! 

Amara is the loml. also I am her. we are the same. I love her. she's actually the loml and my mother at the same time, idc how weird it sounds.

my heart hurts. they are so adorable. so cute. I can't do it anymore. Dante is so (€-€-2/#!2/#(#!# I'm not good. not good.

also it was good to see Tristan and Morana. and omfg Xander, I am actually not good. like wtf. their little found family **violently screaming**

I'm excited for the next book, I think it's about alpha? I liked him.

the last chapter is always so creepy, wtf.

marta 

Okey now- This book I loved it. Dantes girl I am✊🏻

I actually finished this book on 27th of November and immediately started with The Finisher, which I finished JUST now.

I love the series- even though I have hard time on fully focusing on reading and taking a loong time to finish the books. I am definitely going to re-read the series once I finish it and hell every book will be 5/5 stars. Periodt.

saidaa<3

Okey now- This book I loved it. Dantes girl I am✊🏻

I actually finished this book on 27th of November and immediately started with The Finisher, which I finished JUST now.

I love the series- even though I have hard time on fully focusing on reading and taking a loong time to finish the books. I am definitely going to re-read the series once I finish it and hell every book will be 5/5 stars. Periodt.



Renata

MY PARENTS DANTEAMARA PLS I LOVED THEM 
my new standard for men: dante maroni, one love that men and amara agh i wish she was my friend i love her so much I LOVED THIS BOOK SO SO MUCH, this was the beat of my heart 
the way the plot keeps getting more interesting and thick agh wow 

- "Then, maybe one day, when she grew up and looked beautiful, she could ask Mr. Maroni's son to give her one. He was very handsome. Maybe, he'd be nice and kiss her, after she became pretty enough to match his handsomeness. His name was handsome too. Could names be handsome? In that quiet of the room, in that dark of the night, Amara giggled at the thought and tasted his name for the first time on her lips. Yes, she decided. He would be her first kiss."

- "You're not going to walk through life, Amara," "You'll dance through it. And I'Il fucking remove anyone who tries to break your rhythm. I promise you."

- "She didn't know why he was there, or why he had felt the need to vindicate her, or why she was important enough for him to make that promise, or why he had come to tell her that himself, but in that moment, she was just a girl and he was just a boy, and somehow, their broken pieces matched."

- "The thing between them grew, feeling the sun and the water, feeling the nurture and the affection. They began to feel more like magnets than puzzle pieces, finding their way to each other, close but not close enough, as the tension between them built and built and built. She became his person. She became his."

- "I will kiss you and brand myself upon your heart, Amara,"

- "You're the beat to my heart, Amara," (...) She was the beat to his heart and he was the beat to hers, both of them pulsing together. Maybe, they were both the same beats. Maybe, theirs was the same heart."

- "What if I get hurt?" 
"Then, I'll kiss your scars"

- "You're in my blood, beating in my fucking heart. The only way you go is when the heart stops."

- "You remember what I told you about chess pieces? That I didn't know what piece you were?"
"Yes."
"You're the queen on the board, Amara. You're my most powerful piece, but my most vulnerable. They get you, they get me, and the game is over. So, I'll do whatever I need to make sure they never get you. Even if that means hiding you like my dirty little secret for the time being."

- "You're mine, Amara. Mine to cherish, mine to protect, mine to love. We may not be husband and wife to the world but I have been married to you in my heart for eight years. And no matter what comes at us, we will get through it together. We build our empire together. No more running. Promise me."

- "She probably didn't realize he had matched the structure of his back dragon tattoo to match her back scars, from one hip to one shoulder. If anyone looked at their naked backs together, they would see symmetry- a dragon breathing fire across her back in mirrored structure, side by side."

- "You're my magnum opus, Amara," "And I am your humble servant."
"No,""You are my emperor."

- "“And hours later, Tempest Talia Ava Maroni slid out into the world with a scream louder than her mother’s.”

- "You're the beat to my heart, Amara. Now,
she's a beat too."
"And mine."

- “Dante looked around at his chessboard, and with his queen by his side, he felt ready to play them all.”

Nialani Thompson

This book was amazing! I love Dante and amara so much and I couldn’t wait for them to get together! Amara is such a beautiful soul and I’m so happy with her character and the development she went through. Dante is so hot and I literally love everything about him. I love seeing Tristan and Morana too and now Xander is in their family my heart is just full. I love that Dante and Amara have a baby now it’s so precious and the kitten is just life. I love it

honya

4.5. amara and dante, queen and king, are my fav couple.

summary:
dante maroni was the heir to the maroni empire (the outfit), the “oldest” son of mr. maroni, the bastard. he started training really young and even had an outsider pink haired gf just to feel rebellious yk. his only real competition was tristan mf caine who was 2 years younger than him (my baby). tristan hates him and his whole bloodline (especially lorenzo). amara is the servants daughter who’s been obsessed with dante since she saw him kissing roni by a tree!!! at 10!!! she even told her mother to bring dante cookies since his mother died by “slitting her wrist” with dante’s younger brother, who had been 5, damien in the room who has asperger. dante was the one to find her and stepped into her blood. later on dante was forced to kill roni as a lesson because love had no place in their world. either that or she’d be raped just like his father had his mother. one day amara had overheard a convo between lorenzo and leo while walking down a hallway and a few days later she was kidnapped and her best friend vinnie’s face was slashed in the process too since the young soldier had tried to save her. she has a very low pain tolerance and she got burnt with acid, her skin was flayed and she was even raped by 3 when trying to escape. (“fucking slut.” the men held her down😭). tristan was the one to find her completely broken on the garage floor and dante came to take her to the hospital. she saw him and blacked out, trusting him. MY BABIES. her vocal cords had been broken since she was screaming so much while being tortured and the only people she would speak to in her healing era had been tristan, vinnie, her mother and her new friend morana. not dante because she didn’t want him to hear her new voice (crying). dante was the one to pick her up every morning and just bring her outside and have one sided convos with her to make her feel better (crying). she was lowkey suicidal in that phase too and she felt filthy. oh, and her half-sister nerea is back (whatdafuck). the tension between amara and dante rises when she asks him to kiss her and he says “i will kiss u and brand myself upon ur heart, amara. just make sure ur ready for me to” AHHH!!! she admits to her therapist that she´d be angry if dante had a gf because he´s hers (kill me now). she thinks that she doesn´t have chance with him tho because `girls like her don`t get happy endings with guys like him` BUT ITS ALWAYS BEEN HIM!!! she tells dante that her and her therapist were talking about how to navigate sex because thats what they did and hes jelly omfg “anyone i know?”. she tells him that she will have sex soon and HE ASKS WHETHER THERE ARE ANY CANDIDATES. SHE SAYS YOU. FUCK ME UP RN. THEY. MAKE. OUT. IN. THE. CAR. HE TELLS HER SHES THE BEAT TO HIS HEART. crying. she tells mr maroni she wants to pursue cognitive behavioral therapy spezializing in trauma when he asks and he offers to pay foe her entire education if she cuts off all ties with dante. if she deosnt accept the offer, her mother dies and dante´s brother will suffer. amara tells dante about the offer and dante tells her its a good one. her heart splinters. he tells her that they´re a tragedy and she has a better future ahead of her. she was complety alone in an apartment now, depressed, AND HE SENT HER A CAT: SHE DOESNT KNOW IT WAS HIM WHO SENT LULU. HE DIDNT WANT HER TO BE LONELY. he visits her and SHES MADDD “i fight for u every fucking day, amara. u and i, we will never be anyone else´s. i tried staying away…” they have freakyy time and she tells him to never take her from behind or call her a slut. crying. he came many times after that and each time a part of her heart chipped away. then news came that he was dead. she CRIED and moved to los fortis where alpha rules. he visits her, the licensed therapist, and they have a heart to heart. she admits she´s fucking preggo. turns out he ain´t dead and finds out the thing amara overheard was about the syndicate. CHILDREN. he also finds out that amara was raped at 15. he kills his father so now, he can visit her, but she´s over it. they do make up tho and then they get kidnapped (GOODBYE). kidnapped in the same place she was tortured and raped. she admits she´s pregnant while panicking. they escape (the hoes that kidnapped them were apart of the syndicate). they fight a few people and she starts bleeing and thinks the baby´s in harm. dante tells her to run away. then they both drive to the hospital and she says she´ll lose the baby. he promises he´ll love her even if she loses the baby andcan´t give him any more. they lost a baby but one survived. they got fucking twins. they´re happy but mourning. we find out that alpha is dante´s half bro cause lorenzo raped his mother as well. they help the children escape. they already know about tristan cause the mf shadowman told them about him. tristan and morana adopted one of the kids without a past. i can´t. he bought them rings with ´my queen´and ´my king´engravings WTFFF. leo tells amara at a party that lorenzo tried the shipment of one BATCH of kids and the reaper and gabriel´s kids got mixed up. we also find out that dante´s mother had also overheard the syndicate convo and was forced to slit her wrists by a spy. another shocker, amara´s dad, mr. x, is the head of the syndicate. he ordered her abduction, sanction her trauma, torture, rape. he gets killed. nerea turns out to be a jealous step sis who only wanted to worst for amara because she had an abusive father (mr. x) who let his friends rape her.. and her mother left her. she was happy when amara got exiled and he was the reason why dante and amara fell apart in the first place. she tells amara that she´s glad she lost her baby and she was the reason she got kidnapped in the first place so it was all because of her. she´s about to shoot amara in the stomach (she´s fucking preggo) but she defends herself and kills nerea. the baby is born then. THE END.

This book was Amara's childhood and growing up having a crush on Dante which was really cute. I loved how it carried on to present time. I prefer Dante over Tristan

Sara Uribe

HOLY SHIT. This book. This couple. UGH! UGH! UGH!

I NEED MORE. LIKE NOW.

Have you ever read a book and it literally makes your stomach churn in a good way while reading it. I’m talking about major butterflies and goosebumps. This is what that book did for me the entire time. The amount of detail and little specs of information we got here and there really kept me on my toes. I was constantly guessing what might happen and thought I was wrong most of the time, being left in the dark trying to figure out how everything was going to unfold was just part of all the fun. I was so excited for this book. Especially after reading book one and two. We met our main characters, Dante and Amara, throughout both books and I instantly loved them the moment they were introduced in the series. This book gave me all the feels. ALL OF THE FEELS. Dante and Amara have such great chemistry. It sizzles and sparks off the page. RuNyx does such a phenomenal job at crafting and creating such amazing, interesting, and unforgettable characters. It had such a great pace and truly kept me on my toes. I’m now ready for more.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

e<3(warners lover)

it was good but the other two were just better
love dante and amara tho

Nouran Hazem

** spoiler alert **
           Dante and Amara were PERFECT, they were a mess but I loved them.. they really served the childhood crush, unrequited love, friends to lovers, forbidden secret relationship.. Amara is an angel and absolute deserved the world, everything that happened in the first 30% made me sob…She was definitely one of the strongest fmcs and I just loved how she remained kind and empathetic after all she’s been through..
I love Dante, and loved that we got his POV too! He was so protective of Amara and just so absolutely in love with her… and their communication was everything I wanted!

 “You’re not going to walk through life, Amara, You’ll dance through it. And I’ll fucking remove anyone who tries to break your rhythm. I promise you.”

“You’re the beat to my heart, Amara.”

“He didn’t think she knew how much he loved her voice. In his world of gunshots and screams, her voice was a gentle prayer, evidence that there was life after the endless noise.”

“You’re my magnum opus, Amara, And I am your humble servant.”
“No,” she whispered, her words falling against his lips. “You are my emperor.”

“You’re mine, Amara. Mine to cherish, mine to protect, mine to love. We may not be husband and wife to the world but I have been married to you in my heart for eight years. And no matter what comes at us, we will get through it together. We build our empire together. No more running. Promise me.”
“Even if we lose the baby and I can’t give you any more?”
“Even then.” 

 I especially loved seeing Dante help Amara heal after everything that happened 😭😭 
  

  

   “Over the last year, Dante had become something like the sun. She waited every day to feel his warmth, if only just for a few minutes before the clouds returned. But as long as she had the sun, the clouds were bearable.”

“He was one of the biggest reasons she was as sane as she was, that she had held onto life through the worst of her trauma, that she had healed. He called her his lighthouse but he had always been hers, standing tall through the worst of the stormy nights, lighting up the dark, letting her know that shore was close.”

“Let go of everything inside your head. Feel. Just close your eyes and feel. The music. This moment. Me.”
“What if I get hurt?”
“Then, I’ll kiss your scars.”


 NOW THE TRSITAN MORANA SCENES OWN ME! And XANDER?!! It was perfect they’re my absolute favorite 💕 I just loved seeing more of all 4 of them together! They’re my found family 😭❤️
The plot was pretty fast paced and the plot twists had me constantly guessing and out of my mind.. 
  

  

   “So, will you play with me, my queen?”
“Yes, I will, my king.”

Nouran

I really liked this and I love Amara and Dante, i didn’t like it as much as the first two though but I was expecting that so I’m not disappointed, and I liked the developments that we got in the plot.

Jade 

Loulou

YES YES YES!! 
5 🌟
Dante Maroni has a special place in my heart but the person who carried this book is Amara. She's so strong and brave and I love her. Amara has taught me a lot and for that im very grateful to RuNyx, please keep writing these wonderful characters.
Btw, I need more avoy Tristan, Morana, and Xander 💕

now THIS is childhood friends to lovers. this is the true epitome of love at first sight, don’t know when or why or how you fell in love but you definitely did. i loved how the book was written in terms of past to present, it gave us so much detail about Dante’s life and his journey with Amara. Also the intel of young Tristan:,) love love love 

I love them, but I’ll be honest, I love Tristan and Morana more. There, I said it. 

That being said, Dante and Amara are so freaking strong. Such warriors oh my god. 

Also, vin is so precious. I love that man. 

Also, I do not condone a 17-year-old dating a 22-year-old. 

Keira 💫

They’re so freaking cute, I cannot. 

I love them, but I’ll be honest, I love Tristan and Morana more. There, I said it. 

That being said, Dante and Amara are so freaking strong. Such warriors oh my god. 

Also, vin is so precious. I love that man. 

Also, I do not condone a 17-year-old dating a 22-year-old. 

Allison Freedman

Dang, this book is my favorite out of the series so far. I looooove Amara and Dante. The glorious little crumbs of Dante we got from the first 2 book were NOTHING compared to the gem of a man we got in this one. Omg. He is the epitome of chefs kiss. I had to fan myself with my kindle many times reading this. RuNyx does spice and romance like no other. I’m gonna need a novella asap.

Cherryreads

No relationship development. No chemistry.

linhie

5/5 ☆ !!! started this at 3am and finished it. so so good. i will come back to this review xx

isha panwar

i don't know how to describe how much i loved this book, so i won't even try 

DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA DANTEAMARA

"secret love song, pt. II" by little mix
"kiss me" by ed sheeran - "i'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet/ kiss me like you wanna be loved"

“You’re not going to walk through life, Amara, You’ll dance through it. And I’ll fucking remove anyone who tries to break your rhythm. I promise you.”
“You’re the beat to my heart, Amara,” AHHHHHHH DANTE THE MAN YOU ARE

Dante and Amara's love story is just so devastatingly beautiful! omg Amara wait DR. AMARA is truly a WARRIOR QUEEN!! I CRIED SO MUCH FOR HER!! she deserves all the happiness with her emperor king hehe

"Over the years, he had kissed every inch of her body, seen every one of her physical scars, and lavished them with love like they were the most beautiful badges of bravery. They were her veins of gold, he’d said so many times."

 Daylight by Taylor Swift 
"Where before he had been a man not appreciating the sun until he went blind, now he was a blind man blessed with vision seeing the sunlight in all its glory."

"Amara wasn’t sunlight of clear skies; she was the sun hiding behind dark clouds, muted but powerful enough to still light the world."

"Over the last year, Dante had become something like the sun. She waited every day to feel his warmth, if only just for a few minutes before the clouds returned. But as long as she had the sun, the clouds were bearable."

 Haunted by Taylor Swift 
“I can still feel you haunting me here. I can feel you and I can’t live like that. You need to stop. Please. Let me go. Please, let me go,”

Jagoda

DANTE AND AMARA DESERVE ALL THE HAPPINESS IN THE WORLD!!!!! IT WAS SO SAD AND SO BEAUTIFUL I CAN'T

The Emperor Dark Verse #3

Reviews

Highlights