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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.

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 23, 2022

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About the author

Neva Altaj

13 books5,350 followers

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5 stars
14,839 (27%)
4 stars
17,932 (33%)
3 stars
15,101 (28%)
2 stars
4,542 (8%)
1 star
1,395 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,706 reviews
Profile Image for Maditales.
609 reviews29.9k followers
June 16, 2023
This book is basically: “omg I’m so tiny🥺”
Profile Image for Ayman.
252 reviews107k followers
December 11, 2023
nothing mind blowing but it was entertaining enough for me to mindlessly read it

this exchange had me bricked tho:

“You will end this fucking war you have started, you hear me? I don’t care how you do it, but end it, or so help me God, I’m going to kill you myself.”

“Marry me,” he says, “and I’ll stop the war.”

3.5 ⭐️
Profile Image for Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️.
1,916 reviews32.4k followers
September 29, 2022
3.5 Smut Stars

I'll be honest, this was very surface level as far as character development and plot...and I say that because I felt in my gut the whole time that the author was capable of adding that extra level of oooomph needed to make it truly great...

Regardless, this was solidly written for what it is: A smutty arranged marriage mafia romance.

And it scratched that itch HARD for me. I will definitely revisit this in the future and have already finished book two.
Profile Image for Isabella. R.
929 reviews1,734 followers
September 8, 2022
3 Staking Your Claim Stars ⭐

If you want a milder take on the whole mafia romance trope you would probably like this. Painted Scars was easy to read, low drama and humorous in parts. My feelings are mixed.

Pakhan mafia boss Roman needs a wife and Nina needs her dad not to be killed for taking money from the Russian Bratva. I guess it’s a win, win. It was meant to be a six-month contract except Roman is smitten by his kooky wife and Nina is charmed by the not so scary bossman.

I stare at him and laugh. “Man, I did good. I’m such a gold digger. My mom will be really happy when she hears.”

“Why?”

“She’s always advised me to marry well, among other things. I guess I can cross that one off the list.”

“And what are the other things.”

“Get a degree in economics. Not to bite my nails. Die my hair blonde.”


You know when a book isn’t brilliant but you’re happily reading along because your brain is chilled and there are worse things you could be doing? It’s just that the actual storyline was light on depth, cute in parts and the sex scenes lackluster. Strangely enough, I think I’ll read the next one…
Profile Image for Neelakshi.
460 reviews353 followers
October 28, 2022
The book was so .... fast.
One chapter they're meeting the next they're getting married.
I felt nothing.
I don't even know when they fell in love.
I felt NOTHING.

ALSO.

Someone in her family must be of Asian descent because there is a slight tilt to her eyes, which makes them appear cat-like.
I fucking hate everything about this sentence.

if you overlook her breasts, she could pass as a teenager

I love age gaps but thoughts like this unsettles me.
She could pass as a teenager and you a grown man thinking about her sexually.

Nina has an exotic beauty that attracts attention

As someone who has heard "exotic" used for me quite some times
Let me tell you
No woman wants to be called exotic as a compliment.
Profile Image for Dora Koutsoukou (hiatus).
1,951 reviews558 followers
June 7, 2022
4 💘💘💘💘🌟s❣️

The first thing you need to know is that Painted Scars is a very light mafia romance read (MRR 101). It was more focused on the element of romance rather than the mafia. The only ‘dark’ feature in this book was the cover, which was amazing!!

So, this debut brought such a huge smile on my face since I enjoyed it so much!!!!

Roman and Nina were in an unexpected six-months arranged marriage situation, to their knowledge, without having hostile feelings for each other.
Roman needed to be wed as to not be shown as a weak Bratva Pakhan since he was in a wheelchair after an attempted murder against him.
Nina’s father embezzled 3 million dollars from Bratva and his daughter was the best candidate for the bride position. Besides, she was great in mimicking other characters which meant she could very well act as a happy wife.

Despite any differences or situations occurred, they worked very well together and supported one another.
Roman was grumpy and reserved but with Nina was a different character. More compassionate and giving person.
They had a wonderful chemistry and their connection was developed effortlessly. They made a fantastic couple!!! I wish it was longer!!!

The secondary characters were interesting as well and I am anticipating for their stories to follow!!
Profile Image for isy | roth's wife.
227 reviews465 followers
April 24, 2023
Had I known how this author was a full blown plagiarist I would have never picked this book up, but seeing how I pretty much hated it anyways I figured why not review it 🤩

This gave nothing. It felt 2D in a way? I'm not sure if this makes sense to you guys, but it makes sense in my head so boom.
The characters? Flat.
The story/plot? What's that?
The smut? ... Two words: middle schooler.
This girl was coming after TWO thrusts and no foreplay... like get me whatever orgasm creating crack she is on please.

This is a no for me.
Profile Image for Batool Zainab Suleman.
133 reviews34 followers
August 12, 2022
Wattpad-esque with a few redeeming qualities

1.75/5

Boring, no depth, not much in the way of character development. Spice is usually one to three paragraphs (so no, the book is NOT full of heat).

Plot was meh. Execution was meh.

Nina was interesting and different, I'll give her that. But that doesn't make up for how superficial this book was.

Roman was static and just blah.

Honestly, I only kept reading for Nina. Otherwise I would have DNF'd.

The "tropes" were there, but in a typical Wattpad fashion. All telling, no showing.

Look, I like Wattpad as much as the next person, but this book was marketed very differently than how it actually is. That's my issue with it.
Profile Image for Tuba Özkat.
Author 59 books172 followers
March 30, 2023
Update - Çevirisini yaptığım için tekrardan bitirmiş oldum. Bir kez daha okuyacağım, bu sefer hepinizden önce Türkçe olarak okuyacağım :) Yine çok keyif alarak okudum :)

Gerçekten çok severek okudum.
Karakterler nefisti nefis.
1 yıldızı nereden kırdığımı yazacağım sonunda.
Erkek karakterimiz bir saldırı sonucunda dizinden yaralanmış ve 8 aydır tekerlekli sandalyeye mahkum olan bir mafya babası. Rus. Durumundan dolayı da acilen evlenmesi gerektiğini söylüyor sağ kolu. Kendisinden para çalan bir adam var, onu öldürtecekken oyunculuk becerisi iyi olan ressam bir kızı olduğunu öğreniyor ve rol icabı 6 aylığına evlenmesini söylüyor.
Kızımız dediğim gibi bir ressam, tam bir emo gibi falan böyle. Aşırı ufak tefek. Daha önce kendisine uzun ve iri yarı bir adam saldırmış, neredeyse tecavüz edecekmiş, o yüzden uzun adamlardan aşırı korkuyor, panik atak geçiriyor. Kadın karakter bugüne kadar okuduğum en taşşaklı 10 kadın karakter arasına girer :))
Adam, adamlarına kadın odaya girdiğinde oturmalarını falan söylüyor, kadının yanında koruma gönderecekse hep daha kısa olanları falan gönderiyor.. Swoooonnnn....

Sadece entrikası çok azdı, bu klasik birbirini yanlış anlamalar, bilmem neler yoktu. 1 puanı oradan kırdım :D
Profile Image for Kaye.
127 reviews63 followers
December 16, 2022
The only good thing about this book is Brando, the Chihuahua, because dogs make everything better.
Profile Image for Valentina.
1,079 reviews309 followers
May 27, 2023
Nina finds herself bound in marriage to Roman, head of the Bratva, in exchange for saving her father. But it's not really bad times at all. The originality of the heroine was refreshing; she even constructed and acted upon personas for situations, indulging the antihero, and both were left chuckling.

A light read, no artifice and a lot of humor and a spritely, quirky Nina matched with Roman's bad boy grumpiness, who really was a sweetheart to her. Not the usual tumultuous, enemies to lovers relationship and instead an attraction that simply creeps upon them and heats up. Again, I loved the straightforwardness of their relationship, no meaningless push and pull, hot and cold. Even the sexual attraction felt organic, and they gave into it simply because they wanted to without contrived second thoughts. This was a moderately spicy read.

Great story progression, and not a book I would classify as dark at all, just some violence but not graphic. These were two soulmates, a hero who was sweet to his woman, and she to him. An easy, comforting and warm read with a lot of humor, not relying on manufactured turmoil or angst as a plot tool, even if it, unfortunately, suffered the too common and irksome “third-act breakup” and separation. Still, intrigue in a humorous, possessive, I’ll break you for hurting her Bravta backdrop, this was such a cute story. I'm interested in other characters in this world.

Audiobook

Romance, humor, and intrigue with Nina and Roman

Nina agrees to give herself in marriage to the Pakhan as payment for her father’s embezzlement. Six months with the Bravta’s strongest leader? Sure, the spirited, good-natured artist Nina can do it, and she plays her role, literally, hilariously to the grumpy but quickly to become infatuated, Roman. In fact, their affinity blossoms into warm and then spicy attraction making this story comfortable and romantic interspersed with bouts of comedy, spice, and the underpinnings of Bratva business. Not to be forgotten: the many humorous roles Nina enacted to make their engagement, love affair, and “impromptu” marriage believable in an incredulous way; and the bellowing, bristling chef who only spoke Russian and tried to teach Nina how to cook. Even if, unfortunately, it suffered the too common and irksome “third-act breakup” and separation, it was still a great story with a possessive, dominating but indulgent Pakhan besotted with his lady.

The voice actors gave great performances, the actress stronger than the actor. She carried more range in her intonation, as well as ease of shift from male to female characters and dialogue to prose. Distinct and different voices. She didn’t, however, elicit the same humor and personality I felt in my book’s reading where Nina felt more lively and carefree fun. The actor represented Roman well with an overall grumpy undertone and patience with Nina, but at times, in rendering a grouchy tone, it missed stronger vitality, sounding somewhat linear at times, due to the homogenous cadence, pitch, and voice. His changing to other male characters was easier to distinguish since his tone, as I experienced it, sounded less uniform, more multidimensional as to generally recognize different male characters. His shift from male to female and vice versus was great even with his rather deep voice. Both of their rendering Russian accents were okay. Overall, I enjoyed the story and the listening experience and would love to listen to more stories in this world with a variety of favorite voice actors and actresses.
March 3, 2024
2.75 ⭐️

“𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒆,” 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 “𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒓.”

I can’t believe that i read this book just because of that one particular quote that has been going around in my TikTok FYP and i hereby want to say, it was underwhelming.

If you are in the mood for a mafia romance and pick this up expecting it to have some action and violence of the mafia setting, you would be heavily disappointed because this had none of those. This was so very mild it’s almost zero on the ‘mafia’ part. The MMC was a Pakhan but he did not feel like one. Apart from the mention of him killing a man in one scene, he was, most of the time, felt ‘soft’ to me. The FMC was annoying and she’s been acting like she married a saint when she clearly knew who she was forced to marry to in the place. Suddenly one day, she was shocked that her mafia husband who’s a Pakhan, killed a man and asked for a divorce because she can’t accept that her husband was a murderer like be fucking serious right now! She was nothing special. An easily forgotten character.

Overall, this was so bad but it does its job for getting me out of a slump. Also, this was such a quick and easy read. So i take that as a win. Will i continue with the series? Probably, for when i need an easy, no brainer read.
November 11, 2023
I went into this blind. Didn't even read the blurb except that it was a bratva book. This was a new author to me as well. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. This wasn't as dark as I was expecting, but instead had a depth to the characters and the interactions between the H and h as they were forced together that I really found quite lovely. I was surprised how much I loved it, but then again I love the underdogs and people who through grit and tenacity fight to overcome their handicaps, be it mental or physical.

This also had my book boyfriend "crack" which is a brutal violent Alpha who has a secret tender side reserved only for his love, or in this case his "little one." Roman was sexy as hell, but thoughtful too. He was so intrigued and captivated by Nina, and so he was determined to keep her safe and to help her overcome her fears. Roman wanted to see her free and happy.

“Patience.” He wraps an arm around my ribcage and raises me to sit on his stomach. Placing his hands behind my knees, he urges me up his body until I’m sitting on his breastbone.
“Roman?” I look down at him in surprise.
“You are not comfortable lying on your back. So, we improvise.”
His hands trail up my thighs until he’s gripping my butt cheeks, and he ushers my body forward until his mouth is positioned just a few inches from my core.
“Hands on the headboard,” he says, “and hold tight.”


Honestly I loved Nina. She was so different. Neither Roman or I had any clue what she was gonna do or what was gonna come out of her mouth. When they started getting physical she didn't stress about it or try to shame herself she just accepted this was what she wanted and went with the flow. I found her so refreshing, and I think her keeping Roman on his toes really kept him open and allowed their relationship to grow.

This was really well done. It isn't like the normal dark mafia book you'd be expecting, it was a sweeter love story with some bratva violence sprinkled in.
Profile Image for Grecia Robles.
1,572 reviews395 followers
November 23, 2022
¿Por qué no sabía de l, para existencia de esta serie?

Llegó a mi vida cuando más la necesitaba.

ME ENCANTÓ
ME ENCANTÓ
ME ENCANTÓ-

Pensé que sería un libro erótico, de mafia trashy para pasar el tiempo pero me sorprendió para bien fue mucho más de lo que esperaba.

La historia es de un matrimonio forzado entre el Pakhan de la mafia rusa en Chicago y la hija de uno de su agente inmobiliario que le robo.
Roman el Pakhan sufrió un atentado que le destrozó una rodilla y lo dejó en silla de ruedas y para que la gente no cuestionara su poder y catalogarlo como débil se tenía que casar o curarse por completo cosa que es casi imposible.
Para eso chantajean a la hija de su ex empleado para casarse con él por seis meses o ambos morirán.
Pero lo que Roman y Nina no se esperaban es que se iban a enamorar.

Nina me encantó, es una protagonista, fuerte, afrontó la situación de la mejor manera y le sacó provecho, y también se dio la oportunidad de conocer a Roman y desde luego enamorarse de él.

A pesar de no ser un libro muy extenso, tiene un buen desarrollo, escenas románticas, de acción, gore y obviamente con mucho fueguito.

Me aplaudo por haberle dado la oportunidad a este libro y no dejarme llevar por mis prejuicios y obviamente seguiré con esta serie.
Profile Image for Jenn (The Book Refuge).
2,087 reviews3,178 followers
February 27, 2023
This was a perfectly serviceable marriage contract Mafia Romance.

But I expected more.

The first half built great tension, loved the forced proximity and the hero needing to use mobility aids.

Then the second half just rushed through too much. Even the sex scenes were criminaly rushed through. But I would read more.

3.5 stars
2 on the spice scale.
Profile Image for readabookonce.
210 reviews188 followers
January 30, 2023
A mafia romance that is perfect for people who do not like mafia romances.

Roman is Pakhan to his Bratva (I’m so out of depth. This is humiliating). After he is injured, rumors start to circulate that he is unfit to lead. In order to put them to rest, he is advised to take a bride, with perfect timing, as Nina’s father was just caught embezzling money from Roman.

Despite the content, this “dark” romance is almost…light. Of course there’s murder, dismemberment, and other graphic depictions, but Roman is too…respectful toward Nina for this to be dark (I mean this in the BEST way). He was possessive without being aggressive, grumpy without being rude, and obsessed without being creepy. I love him.

It seems that mafia romances tend to have an innocent female main character who willfully puts herself in danger by having a “strong-will” a.k.a. ignoring when her mafioso husband tells her to do something for her safety but ignores him and runs off by herself without any guards. This is not what happened in this book.

I admired that Nina showed both tenderness and firmness, never bending to Roman’s whims, but never outright disrespecting him. While she was stubborn, she wasn’t stupid (oof—sorry).

I really liked this one. It had mutual pampering, clear communication, and unjustified jealousy (where neither character entertained the attractions toward them). Neva Altaj has given me a new series to binge, and I’m already sad it’s going to end.

★★★★★
July 15, 2023
OKAY, LIKE I HATED THE FEMALE CHARACTER. But I loved the male character. Why is she getting upset bcs he killed someone who hurt her...I could never. Man, I would get on my knees and thank him.
Profile Image for Jessica .
2,234 reviews14.7k followers
January 7, 2024
This was a solid arranged marriage, mafia romance! I really enjoyed how the heroine knew her father had messed up and had no choice to marry our hero. He was in a bombing, so he uses a wheelchair while he's rehabbing his legs and he's covered in scars. The heroine has a past where she was assaulted by someone, so she fears large men and her husband is NOT okay with this having happened to her. The two end up having a very sweet romance and really falling in love. I didn't super love the 3rd act break up and why the heroine was mad at the hero, seeing as he is the literal leader of the mafia, but overall I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more in the series!
Profile Image for Milica's Bookshelf.
880 reviews254 followers
March 11, 2024
If you are looking for a light mafia romance, then this book is the right choice.

I feel like it lacks more development of the complexity of the characters at some points, and the ending itself feels kind of rushed.
Considering this is the author's first book, I'm impressed. 👏
Profile Image for esperanza.
95 reviews26 followers
January 20, 2024
this was cute but boring 😭

this book had insta connection/love, didn’t really have a plot, a cute/soft romance with no conflict until the end of the book which honestly made this boring to read. I needed something more to happen in this story, like I would’ve loved if there was some plot, drama or just something interesting to make me want to keep reading. I still liked the romance but it wasn’t interesting enough to keep me invested 😩
Profile Image for Seda.
568 reviews177 followers
August 28, 2022
Karakterlere bayıldım, özellikle Nina’ya🤩🤌🏻😍 Roman da çiçek gibi davrandı hep Nina’ya😍😍

Sona doğru bir sürü şey yazayım diyerek olaylara hızlandırılmış tur yapmasaydı daha da güzel olacaktı. Kısa kitap yazmak istemiş ama araya onu da sıkıştırayım, bunu da ekleyeyim demiş sanki. Onun dışında çok keyifli, eğlenceli bir kitaptı. Bazı yerlerini sırıta sırıta okudum😁🤩
Profile Image for Pikolina.
810 reviews269 followers
March 11, 2024
Me gusta el estilo de la autora (no había leído nada de ella antes) y me ha gustado la historia.
Cortita pero chula.
Recomendable.

Seguiré con la serie.
Profile Image for shreya.
130 reviews272 followers
July 23, 2022
5 swoon starts ⭐️s and the award for the cutest-ever mafia story I have ever read goes to this book>>>>

This has to be one of the most unique one-of-a-kind mafia romances that I have read and I loved every second of it.

⚜️ Plot ⚜️

🎱 Roman - Leader of the Bratva who survived after someone tried to kill him, but shattered one of his kneecaps in the process. He is advised to marry so people in the mafia will be know they can secure an heir. Despite his aversion to the idea of forcing someone to marry him, he takes one look at Nina and decides to proceed… to blackmail her father (who stole $$ from him) with  a six-months arranged marriage with his daughter .

🎱 Nina - People tend to underestimate her due to her face and height, however when she was in this unplanned wedding-situation she didnt cower away from Roman and act like a scared wife. Roman and Nina act a rouse in front of the mafia people; aka pretend to fall-in-love-at-first-sight and get married and make the marriage seem believable. Including PDA.

🪞 What makes this unique 🪞

Roman, when people think of a BRATVA leader you immediately imagine and tall, muscular, strong, grumpy, 💀 kill-first questions-later vibe 💀. Roman is ALL OF THAT. However, after his attack his injury resulted him in wheelchair, physical therapy, crutches, cane, etc. He is capable of doing all the things he could before as a BRATVA leader but for some reason when it comes to Nina- he has insecurities hinder his mind 🥺. Deep down he really is a softie for her <3

<<< its unique bc i have never read a mafia romance where the H is so vulnerable sometimes and it just makes them more human. physical injury is not something even a mafia leader has control over so to see him tackle the idea of relying on crutches to walk and suffer the pain made his charecter so much more real >>>

Nina is a good actress when it comes to hiding her emotions (not to Roman tho) even tho she appears strong in front of him/ mafia he can still see the tremble in her eyes. She is someone who wants a sorta-normal life. Aka not very fond of ☠️ murder ☠️ . Which is basically Romans fav hobby 😝 . But when he finds out the reason she flinches sometimes he is ready to draw blood, even if she doesnt want anyone to get hurt.

Aside from that, their “fake marriage” shows a very domesticated side and its acc so cute to read.

🖤Like Nina joking with Roman saying that his new wife is a heavy spender and then shows him the lamps she wants to order for the house.

Nina: “Lamps. I love lamps. The bigger the better. They’ll bring in the sophisticated look, so I will put them everywhere. ”

Roman: “No lamps.”

Nina: “And my husband hates my lamps. But he knows he has zero interior design knowledge, and because he’s so crazy about me, he decides to leave my lamps in peace. All fourteen of them.”

#whipped 💡 also how can you hate lamps LMAO 😂

🖤 Like Nina calling Roman a kitten

“No one will be teaching you Russian, but me. Got that?”

“Got it, kotik.”

“You do not call a Russian pakhan “kitten”, Nina. I have an image to uphold here.”

“My deadly kotik. Better?”

“Nope.”


🖤 Like Roman eating popcorn and watching movies with her 😫😫😫

🖤 Like Nina learning Russian cooking for him 🧑‍🍳 🥮

🖤 Roman telling his all his guards to always sit down when she’s near because he know she get PTSD from tall men cause of the man who SAed her. (This was so attentive of him I SWOONED 🥰🥰🥰 )

🖤 Nina standing up to her family when they speak bad about Roman >> 👠😎

safeties
-HEA ofc
-no cheating
-no ow/om
-h was SAed and shows sign of ptsd (past is not vividly described)

<<< I tend to stay away from books that are on the shorter side because I assume it won’t be enough but im so glad I decided to read this books (im already halfway through the second book of this series and man am I squealing 😊) >>>
Profile Image for Dul.
225 reviews158 followers
July 23, 2023
“—𝙀𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙞 𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙖. 𝙃𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙚 𝙙𝙖ñ𝙤 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙝𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖ñ𝙤.”

💌; tropes

•MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE
•MAFIA ROMANCE
•AGE GAP
•DOBLE POV

Debido al error que comete, el padre de nina se ve obligada a fingir un matrimonio con el pakhan de la mafia rusa. Un acuerdo en el que estarán casados por 6 meses y puede complicar las cosas porque él no planea dejarla después de todo. 


Esta es mi tercera vez releyendo este libro y me sigue gustando como la primera vez lo leí, así que puedo asegurarles que es un libro muy adictivo cuando lo lean. Algo que amo de la autora es cómo nos dio algo corto e incluso adictivo y no solo eso, sino que también nos dio doble pov. 


Amo la personalidad de nina y Roman me sigue gustando aunque me encanta más nina. Los personajes secundarios fueron muy buenos y la historia me encanto. 


Si les gustando los matrimonios por convivencia y los libros independientes, esta serie es para ustedes porque pronto tendremos los demás libros en español para que puedan disfrutar de ellos. 


Esta serie es de las pocas de romance que me gustan y podría decir que es de mis favoritas. 


Muchas gracias a sirenaaudiobooks y a neva por mandarme el arc. 

3.5/5 ⭐️
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