The Player: A Bratva Rockstar Romance (Chicago Bratva Book 8)

A highly sympathetic and well written story, covering human trafficking and the effects on a survivor, and her journey back to feeling like a woman.Flynn is an incredible mixture of gentle dominance and overall nice guy.

A surprisingly sweet love story as Nadia finally finds the strength and courage to move on from the horrific abuse she has suffered at the hands of sex traffickers with the help of Flynn. I loved how Nadia’s character developed throughout this book from a timid mouse to a strong and confident young woman as she gradually overcame her fears and became more independent to the extent that she asked Flynn to be her ‘friend with benefits’. I loved that it wasn’t portrayed as being an instant transformation. She had setbacks and certain things would trigger panic attacks but with Flynn’s help she fought through the bad times. Flynn didn’t try to be overprotective like her brother was. He encouraged Nadia to fly and live her life on her terms. It wasn’t a one-sided relationship though, Nadia encouraged Flynn to strive for more with his band. There was fantastic chemistry between them but more importantly there was trust and ultimately love. This book is probably my favourite one in the Chicago Bratva series so far.

Oh I loved this one!!! Flynn and Nadia's story is just awesome..... full of some intense emotions, heartbreaking but so full of courage and some hot passionate scenes!Nadia is the sister of Adrian (The Cleaner), who got kidnapped, raped and tortured before Adrian set her free. She suffers terribly from nightmares and triggers and has been a recluse in her flat.... until she starts for fall for Flynn, the guitar player and brother of Story (The Enforcer), and she finds she can sit, watch and listen to him in the club and not have a panic attack.Flynn is known for being a player, always with a different girl, but he likes Nadia and but does not realise how affected she is when he first sees her watching him. But Flynn is drawn to her in a way like no one else and can't stay away, even though the rest of the Bratva are threatening him to keep away from her!!These two are just awesome together, how Flynn sets her at ease and cares for her, he is the calm she needs and manages to quieten her triggers when they start. Flynn's mum has panic attacks so he has an idea of how to be around her. They fall hard for each other, but their ride is not an easy one with lots of hurdles for them to both struggle against. Nadia doesn't want to be the broken girl anymore and is determined to overcome her triggers, if Flynn will just carry on and help her, but she knows its just friends with benefits and he is not looking for a relationship, and she is too damaged. But Flynn develops some deep feelings for Nadia is wants more with her, but is unsure how to proceed without pressuring her.Nadia has had some horrible things done to her, but her grit and determination to overcome this shine through, she is an absolute trooper in this, battling on!! Flynn is the calm, he always seems to know just what to do and how to act, so that she feels normal and empowered, he was so good with her, they make the perfect couple! This was a brilliant addition to this fantastic Chicago Bratva series, highly recommended reading!

I adore this world of the Kremlin and all its characters within. I knew the story of Nadia and Flynn was going to be a good one. I adored the shy crush she had on him in her brother's story (The Cleaner) and how crushing on him gave her a purpose to leave the building and extend her boundaries a little. Nadia's story is known if you have read The Cleaner as her brother went to extreme lengths to rescue her from the human traffickers she had been captured by. Nadia suffers the effects of the trauma and torture both her mind and body were put through. It was always going to take someone incredibly patient and understanding to help her overcome.Along comes Flynn with his player reputation and his lack of commitment to anything, but experience in dealing with mental health with patience and sensitivity. He is drawn to Nadia and he feels a need to protect her and help her with her challenges. From this stems a friends with benefits type situation in which Nadia takes ownership of herself and her body. Flynn is incredibly kind and loving and fits perfectly with the needs that Nadia has. He is quietly confident and willing to take on her Bratva brother (and the numerous other Bratva members looking out for her too).I adored Flynn's cluelessness and enjoyed the ride of him realising he was falling for her. I am sucker for a male lead wanting to improve himself and finding his muse. Nadia was his perfect match.Incredibly sweet and romantic story dealing with recovery from trauma and the impact of mental health on recovery. And while this is a romantic tale, these two are also incredibly heated and passionate. Made more powerful by Nadia learning that physical intimacy doesnt have to be associated with her traumatic past.Oh and fear not if you thought Flynn and Nadia would be the last of the Kremlin. There is a little sneak of Maykl the doormans story at the end!!

Finally, it was time to share Nadia's story which kicked off in the Bratva series and her story has appeared in snippets throughout the series.This was always going to be an emotional story, Nadia is attracted to Flynn, and when he invites her to an after-party things were just too good to be true when she slipped away. But to take that initial step was mammoth, there was more drama to come for them both on Nadia's journey to take back her life. I loved how Flynn was prepared to support and build her up, he may have been a player but as he spent time with her he comes to realize that is not who he wants to be.Would nearly go so far as to say this may be my favorite book of the series as reading Nadia's storyline and observing how she came back from her ordeal was empowering.Was gifted an ARC copy of this book and would not hesitate to recommend reading this emotional story.