Owned by the Badman (Russian Bratva)

Owned by the Badman is a dark, twisted, and beautiful romance!Maxim has bought Haleigh from her parents to pay back a debt, and is set to marry her. Haleigh is a prima ballerina, and knows nothing except for ballet, she has no friends, her family treats her horribly, and as much as she wants to hate the idea of being in an arranged marriage, she's excited about the possibility of living her life.When Maxim and Haleigh meet the first time, it's at their wedding, and as much as I wanted to hate Maxim, the way he took care of her that first night was sweet and you could see she brought out a gentler side to him. Haleigh is not very sure of herself, or the deal she has been brought into, but throughout the first few days with Maxim she finds her backbone, and I loved watching her tell him how it was.These two have some amazingly sweet and romantic moments, some down right sexy moments, and some that you just go WTH just happened?! Every time you think these two are going to finally have happiness and no more worries, something comes up and tears them apart again. I wanted to punch Maxim for how he treated Haleigh when she returned, as well as when he returned after being gone a year. For being so smart, at times I felt as if he was extremely dumb. He states he loves her with everything he has, but at times he treats her horribly.As this book is told in dual point of view, you really get to see inside both of these characters minds and feel what they are feeling throughout this tangled and twisted story. I really enjoyed watching Haleigh grow so much into who she was at the end of this book. She's strong, fierce, and stands up for herself and her family. Maxim is a bad guy, but the way he loves Haleigh and his family is something fierce and at times I tended to look past how bad of a guy he really was.Owned by the Badman is not for the faint of heart. It has some dark, dark moments in this book, but it also has some really sweet moments as well. Haleigh and Maxim's relationship isn't perfect, but it's perfect for them. This book is the first in the Russian Bratva series by Hayley Faiman, but it is a stand-alone. I do recommend this book if you're looking for a dark, twisty love story, dealing with the Russian mafia! I will definitely be picking up more books in this series as they are released to see how other characters stories play out!

She loves him, though I'm not sure why. He occasionally has redeeming moments, but too selfish overall. I feel like the story jumps around. I had to skim the last 30% of the book because I just wasn't as into the story. Are least there were plenty of sex scenes, though they got a little repetitive.

I haven’t been into Russian romances in a while but this one sucked me right back in. I wasn’t sure what to expect after reading all of her MC series. I was addicted to those even though I hated what was happening in some of them. That’s how good of a writer Hayley Faiman is. This book is no different. Her heroes start out so damn terrible but by the end of the book, you love them and want the main characters to be together so damn bad. (Spoilers ahead).Anyway Maxim isn’t too bad at first and he is smitten with his new virgin bride that he bought. She’s smitten with him too because he rescued her from two very abusive parents and he treats her well. She comes to find out that he has a mistress who is already trying to come between Maxim and Hayleigh. Of course I hated him for this and it disgusted me. I deplore cheating and sex with OW in my books. Normally I quit a book immediately when that happens. But here’s where Hayley’s excellent writing comes in because I couldn’t stop reading and I had to find out what happened. He was so remorseful and gutted that he hurt his bride that way and I actually forgave him—I’ve never done that. Hayley is a genius at redeeming her flawed heroes.But that’s not the end of Maxim’s transgressions. (Here I’m not talking about OW). There are some big things that happen in this book and Maxim handles them horribly and just when you think he’s gonna fix it, he makes it worse.Normally I would have HATED that Hayleigh goes after him. I don’t like it when the heroine has to go after the hero. But I’m this book— I loved it. This book had me so angry one minute and crying the next. When Hayleigh and Maxim are finally reunited I felt immense relief and joy. — That’s how great of a writer I have found Hayley Faimam to be.

5 starsHaleigh shy, isolated, ignored by her parents, all she wants to do is get lost in dance. Raised as a ballerina to fulfill her mother's lost dream, Haleigh retreats into her performances to escape the abusive life that she knows.Maxim a ruthless, deadly Russian mobster is obsessed by Haleigh. When Haleigh's father gets in trouble with Maxim, he realizes it is the perfect opportunity to get what he has been desiring.I loved this book! It is a raw and gritty read. Hayley Faiman has written a cast of flawed but beautiful characters. Was it violent? Yes. Was it heartbreaking? Several times. Was it emotional? Undeniably so.Haleigh is so pure. That is the best way to describe her. Physically and emotionally. She knows there is more to Maxim than meets the eye but she doesn't give up that optimistic outlook that the situation will eventually get better. She goes through so much abuse and despair but knows that life with Maxim is worth what she has to endure. Haleigh is a woman that gets stronger with every obstacle that knocks her down.But as Haleigh gets stronger you see Maxim get softer. Don't get me wrong he is still ruthless but I think he finally starts seeing Haleigh as more than a delicate, sensitive ballerina girl. Like a lot of men, he thought he knew what was best for Haleigh without consulting her. And of course it was his past that eventually tried to destroy them.One of the best parts of this book is you could never really tell who was a good guy or bad guy. Some of the most malicious Russian mobsters in this book I am dying to know more about! You could feel the evil from them but also know there is a great story there. I know this is just the beginning for Hayley Faiman's Russian Bratva series and I can't wait for the next book!

This author is new to me and I was not disappointed with the beginning of the series. This is an intensely romantic story that captured my interest from the first page, these alpha male fall hard and deep for their women.This was an easy 5 stars from me.

A story of a bad bad man and a n innocent girl who saved him. The story of Maxim and Halege was full of twists and turns with ever forgiving emotions. Though very bad and criminal she stood by him with steadfast love. A very interesting story.

I had a few minutes spare to start this book but had absolutely no idea I wasn’t going to be able to put it down. Therefore a few hours later, finishing it in the wee hours of early morning, I know I’m going to be cursing this fabulous author when my alarm wakes me for work.Highly recommend it!!

Wow purchased this book as I had nothing else to read and expected it to be ok, Well I loved it there are so many little twists in this book, and Maxim and Haeligh wow they have to fight tooth and nail for each other, proving their love for each other never lessens.Cant wait for April for the next book.

Really dark romance. Too much sex scenes.The story is completely unbelievable and the heroin is not credible.I did not like it.