Vasily Kavlov has been proud of one title in his life - head enforcer of the Medlov Organized Crime Family. As a Russian Mafia hit man, his entire purpose has been to protect his bosses and their families without prejudice. However, even the bravest hit man has loved at least once. To Vasily's detriment, it was his former boss, Leo Rasputin's wife, Lilly. After sticking his neck out once in the name of love to protect her, Vasily was nearly killed and then discarded by the very man whom he had sworn his allegiance. Given a second and better chance with Dmitry Medlov and his men, Vasily focused on climbing the ranks and becoming lauded by his brethren. Now the head of security for the Medlov Crime Family, a feared and revered faction of the Vory v Zakone, he put all ideas of love aside and follows the code of the Thieves-in-Law. That is until Leo breaks out of Attica and tries to hunt down Lilly in an attempt to take her life. Secret pacts between men and women come unbound as the race for $20 million in diamonds unveils the truth for Vasily. He might not only carry the title of enforcer but also the title of father to Lilly's eight-year-old son. Hiding them under the guard of the Medlov family, Vasily must find the diamonds, find the men responsible for the set up and finally find out the truth. Read Vasily's Revenge, the first book in the newest Russian Mafia series, The Medlov Men, by national bestselling author Latrivia S. Nelson.
When Doctor Fyodor Dyatlov accidentally discovers a hidden piece of paper within a ruined frame of a painting, he immediately becomes entangled in an international criminal conspiracy. It’s the Soviet Union, 1977. Decades before the incredible adventure of Giles, Michael, and Francis, the story of Vasily’s youth in the Ural Mountains begins. The Dyatlov family, central to his early days, departed the city of Perm to move east for a better life. Fyodor Dyatlov successfully secures this transfer and transports his family to an ancient cathedral town on the slopes of the eastern Ural Mountains, Verkhoturye. Instead of the cramped concrete sprawl of the city, Fyodor hopes to bring a more pure, wholesome life to his family. It is a dream come true for his eldest daughter, Galina. Being a strong, young spiritual girl, she often dreams of the far-off magical forests filled with elusive wonders and strange beings that stretch endlessly across the Soviet Union. Verkhoturye was laid down centuries ago and was meant to be the springboard to the far Russian east. Still a frontier town, the locals are hardy people. Forged to endure the hardships of the land. The town remains secluded, and relishes being forgotten by the outside world. As outsiders, the newly arrived Dyatlov family finds it initially challenging to adjust and find their place in a rural society, split three ways between the farming community, town folk, and the mysterious Woodlanders. Bit by bit, they become accustomed to their new life, and Galina sparks up a new friendship with a local Woodland boy, Vasily Ivanov. Week by week, a remarkable relationship between Galina and Vasily grows stronger. The two spritely youths share many adventures. Great love and a lifelong bond are established between them as they spend many days together exploring the mountain forests, searching for relics of mythical dwarves and elves while cementing Galina as a dearly cherished friend to the Woodland community. For Fyodor, the mystery of the discovered piece of paper leads him to follow a trail of questions that leads to the irrefutable conclusion that the fatal demise of the previous Doctor was not an accident, but murder. The suspense grows as Fyodor uncovers chilling coincidences, one at a time, as he edges perilously close to revealing a dark local conspiracy whose hidden, unseen chain stretches globally. So close he gets to exposing the truth that his investigative endeavours are quickly discovered, and his very life is threatened to keep the clandestine operation undiscovered. As a shadowy stalking doom closes in on her father, Galina accidentally uncovers a secret scheme from the Local Council, which plans to profit from a vast deforestation of the region. Her mother, Viktoriya, is promoted in the Council and is personally placed in charge of executing this secret plan. Appalled by the fate awaiting her beloved forests, an unbearable anxiety grows within Galina. She quickly joins forces with Vasily to stop the wanton assault on the forests. As a result, Galina is presented with a terrible choice thrust upon her: ultimately compelling her to choose between the forests and her family. Either path leads to terrible conclusions, and her tortured final decision results in an even darker end for the Dyatlov family.
“A definitive treatment of one of the Soviet Union’s most significant writers.”—The Russian Review Vasily Grossman (1905–64), one of the greatest authors of the twentieth century, served for over 1,000 days with the Red Army as a war correspondent on the Eastern front. He was present during the street-fighting at Stalingrad, and his 1944 report “The Hell of Treblinka,” was the first eyewitness account of a Nazi death camp. Though he finished the war as a decorated lieutenant colonel, his epic account of the battle of Stalingrad, Life and Fate, was suppressed by Soviet authorities, and never published in his lifetime. Declared a non-person, Grossman died in obscurity. Only in 1980, with the posthumous publication in Switzerland of Life and Fate was his remarkable novel to gain an international reputation. This meticulously researched biography by John and Carol Garrard uses archival and unpublished sources that only became available after the collapse of the Soviet Union. A gripping narrative. “Fascinating . . . gives the reader a very clear insight into the horrors of the War on the Eastern Front . . . For anyone interested either in WWII or Soviet Communism, this book is a must.”—R.J. (Dick) Lloyd, author of Three Glorious Years “Grossman is a sufficiently important Soviet cultural figure to deserve a biography, and through his the Garrards say a good deal about cultural politics, internal repression, and antisemitism in the Soviet Union.”—Foreign Affairs
The Life & Games of the Seventh World Chess Champion Vasily Smyslov, the seventh world champion, had a long and illustrious chess career. He played close to 3,000 tournament games over seven decades, from the time of Lasker and Capablanca to the days of Anand and Carlsen. From 1948 to 1958, Smyslov participated in four world championships, becoming world champion in 1957. Smyslov continued playing at the highest level for many years and made a stunning comeback in the early 1980s, making it to the finals of the candidates’ cycle. Only the indomitable energy of 20-year-old Garry Kasparov stopped Smyslov from qualifying for another world championship match at the ripe old age of 63! In this first volume of a multi-volume set, Russian FIDE master Andrey Terekhov traces the development of young Vasily from his formative years and becoming the youngest grandmaster in the Soviet Union to finishing second in the world championship match tournament. With access to rare Soviet-era archival material and invaluable family archives, the author complements his account of Smyslov’s growth into an elite player with dozens of fascinating photographs, many never seen before, as well as 49 deeply annotated games. German grandmaster Karsten Müller’s special look at Smyslov’s endgames rounds out this fascinating first volume. [This book] is an extremely well-researched look at his life and games, a very welcome addition to the body of work about Smyslov... – from the Foreword by Peter Svidler
Book Four: A tough American NAVY Seal falls hard and fast for a bratty African heiress adopted by a Russian mafia family. AMINATA USMANOV My adopted father has lied to me my entire life. I promised myself I'd never fall for a man like him... Strong... Stern... Rippling with cold authority. With Mace, I can't help myself. The fact that he's off-limits turns me on even more. One wrong move and I'm in his arms, breaking every rule that I've set. I can't have this chiseled soldier... But he's the one I dream about all night long. MACE HARWOOD JR. Protecting a spoiled daughter of a Russian oligarch isn't what I had in mind when I signed up for private contract work. She's the opposite of the tough-as-nails SEALs I've been surrounded by. From the moment I see her curvy body and that bright white smile, I have to have her. She's the last person I'm supposed to want, But the only woman I'll do anything to protect. This is Book Four in a 7 Book completed series by International Bestselling Romance Author, Jamila Jasper. This story can be read as a standalone. This addictive interracial mafia romance series continues the BWWM saga of interconnected, high-heat stories, not for the faint-hearted. Military romance & Mafia romance lovers, take a peek inside to dive into the NO cheating, guaranteed HEA romance story. Each story is available on audiobook and paperback. Book I: London Brotherhood I Book II: London Brotherhood II Book III: London Brotherhood III Book IV: Navy SEAL Brotherhood IV Book V: The Moscow Brotherhood V Book VI: The German Biker Gang Brotherhood VI Book VII: The Parisian Billionaire Brotherhood VII
The King of Mercenaries, Zhang Xiaobin, returned to the city and became a waiter in a small bar. Not only did he take away the top quality beauty, the boss, but he also managed to fool the beautiful female police. Even the beautiful maid Zhang Xiaobin, the peerless female assassin, and the beautiful widow fell in love with him.
When Jay McCaulay wakes up in a strange hotel room in Moscow, drugged and confused, she has no idea how she got there. When she makes it back to the UK, things only get stranger when she discovers that her beloved uncle is missing, and that she was kidnapped when out looking for him. Soon Jay finds herself entangled in a web of lies and betrayals that stretches from Newbury Race Course all the way to Siberia. And, as the body count rises, it's clear that Jay's biggest threat may be from the people she trusts the most . . . Back With Vengeance is another compelling, page-turning thriller from CJ Carver, following on from Gone Without Trace.
Book Five: A Russian mafia heir falls in love with a black American woman working as an au pair within a dangerous German family. VASILY USMANOV As the eldest brother in an ancient brotherhood, I know better. I should have never touched Draya. She's innocent, untouched, unsullied by my world. One intoxicating night of succumbing to lust and my dark obsession ignites. I have no place in a good girl's life... She deserves to be more than my captive. I have to let her go before it's too late. "You’re right. You’re everything I shouldn’t want. Dangerous…handsome… a mistake from the very beginning.” DRAYA MORRIS It's dark... cold... terrifying. Then I see him. Vasily. He's taller, larger and rougher than any man I've ever known. He sees the woman I was before the incident. The innocent one. The untouched one. The unbroken one. He doesn't know what darkness I'm carrying. And I like it. I may be his captive, but he's the only one to ever make me feel free. This is Book Five in a 7 Book completed series by International Bestselling Romance Author, Jamila Jasper. This story can be read as a standalone. This addictive interracial mafia romance series continues the BWWM saga of interconnected, high-heat stories, not for the faint-hearted. This is a sizzling hot dark mafia romance between a black woman and a white Russian man, take a peek inside to dive into the NO cheating, guaranteed HEA romance story. Each story is available on audiobook and paperback. Book I: London Brotherhood I Book II: London Brotherhood II Book III: London Brotherhood III Book IV: Navy SEAL Brotherhood IV Book V: The Moscow Brotherhood V Book VI: The German Biker Gang Brotherhood VI Book VII: The Parisian Billionaire Brotherhood VII
The definitive biography of Soviet Jewish dissident writer Vasily Grossman If Vasily Grossman’s 1961 masterpiece, Life and Fate, had been published during his lifetime, it would have reached the world together with Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago and before Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag. But Life and Fate was seized by the KGB. When it emerged posthumously, decades later, it was recognized as the War and Peace of the twentieth century. Always at the epicenter of events, Grossman (1905–1964) was among the first to describe the Holocaust and the Ukrainian famine. His 1944 article “The Hell of Treblinka” became evidence at Nuremberg. Grossman’s powerful anti‑totalitarian works liken the Nazis’ crimes against humanity with those of Stalin. His compassionate prose has the everlasting quality of great art. Because Grossman’s major works appeared after much delay we are only now able to examine them properly. Alexandra Popoff’s authoritative biography illuminates Grossman’s life and legacy.
