Finding Beauty in the Darkness

A Dark Romance

By: Nikki Ash

Narrated by: Cecily Foster, Christian Leatherman

Author's note: Finding Beauty in the Darkness was previously published as Bordello by Nikki Ash. This story contains dark themes and situations that may be sensitive to some listeners.

Aria

Giovanni is my savior... But he wants me for himself.

I’ve grown used to men wanting me and taking what’s not theirs to take.

But he’s different.

He wants to keep me, make me part of his dark world, and I would gladly follow him into the darkness.

But his life is trapped in a cage, and his family holds the keys. If forced to choose, we could lose it all.

The danger doesn’t scare me half as much as the thought of living without him.

Giovanni

I didn’t choose this life. It chose me.

Born into a powerful mob family, darkness and danger are all I’ve ever known.

But when I stumble upon Aria being held captive in the basement of a senator's house, everything I've embraced and accepted about my life gets thrown out the window.

I’m drawn to her strength, to her lightness, to her beauty in my dark world.

But she deserves better than trading one cage for another.

Now I’m torn between protecting Aria... And keeping her for myself.

©2021 Nikki Ash (P)2025 Pink Flamingo Productions

THIS IS A MUST READ

This book was very emotionally gutting. Seriously, the physical and emotional trauma is beyond imagination, but it was written almost like a fact. There was a brevity to the sudden shift in the suspense, which made that shift even more shocking. Pure genius! This story is a definite repeat.

Another addictive read from Ash...

A high-ranking mob boss with … a heart? He runs a brothel but doesn’t allow any non-con, abûs3, tr4ffick|ng, etc. Interesting take—between that and the c4pativity situation, I found myself hooked very early in.

It’s one of those, ‘you know every single little detail about everything that’ll unfold’ from the first chapter reads, yet still manages to be gripping due to intriguing characters and juicy drama.

Both leads are faced with having to make life-altering decisions and one is forced to grow up, FAST … a couple times. Good stuff.

SA.
Captivity.
D0mestic vi0lence.
Scandal, scheming.
Brothel.
Fresh starts.
Second chances.


Overall:
Couldn’t put it down, read in one sitting and loved some connections to other books by this author. Gripping.

4 stars.


🎧 Audio:
Absolutely flawless production with stellare voice-acting. 5 stars.

Finding Beauty in the Darkness

Finding Beauty in the Darkness is about Giovanni and Aria and is told from both of their points of view. Giovanni is head of a mob family. Aria has been held hostage by her mother's husband since her mother's passing. She has been abused daily.

When Giovanni finds her he decides to rescue her, but also keeps her captive. His reasoning is because her abuser is still after her. As he has her in his place, they start to have feelings for each other. Aria brings Giovanni out of his hard shell. Giovanni helps Aria heal.

However, there are factors that are trying to rip them apart. Aria has been held captive for years. Can she finally get free and move on from her past? Can Giovanni let Aria go? Will they find their way back to each other? Will Giovanni and Aria get their happy ending? I loved seeing these two help each other heal and grow. Both Aria and Giovanni have gone through so much, and I loved getting to know them, and see what happened in their story.

Dark, Intense, Heartbreaking, Beautiful HEA

Nikki Ash has become a favorite author of mine. This audiobook was dark, intense, and heartbreaking. I had to pause a few times just to take a break. The rape/assault scenes broke me. I cried. But there were times I smiled, big. I was completely invested. This was realistic in ways that she doesn't gloss over the trauma at the end, but we still get a beautiful HEA.

The narrators were excellent. We get an emotional performance that had this audiobook rolling like a movie in my head. It was perfection.

#TheFlockonTour

Outstanding Performance

Wow!! These new to me narrators nailed it! I absolutely adored listening to Aria and Giovanni’s story. Their journey was rough but the way the author penned their love story… chef’s kiss. I read the ebook a while back and really enjoyed it but these performers were outstanding and elevated it from a 4 star read to 5 stars… it was so good!

Great!

Aria and Giovanni

This one is different from what I'm used to from Nikki Ash. I listened and enjoyed the audio of Aria and Gio's story. This is a dark story. Aria goes through a lot in this story and some is not so pleasant but no matter what she is still feisty and sassy. Gio saves her and finds himself fascinated with her but tries to stay away because he doesn't do relationships and his life he was groomed for he doesn't want to drag innocent women into. I liked their story I found it to be a bit suspenseful, funny and hot. The narrators did a good job.

Gio and Aria

This a story of Aria, an innocent young woman and Giovanni, the leader of one of the largest mob families in Vegas. Aria is broken after living a nightmare caused by her stepfather. Giovanni is determined to put her broken soul back together. Their love story is heartbreaking and filled with family drama that may keep them from their HEA.

Great narration.

Fantastic Story & Narration🎧 Riveting & Intense!

Nikki Ash blew me away with this dark and twisted mafia romance, a story like no other and one that captivates your attention and tugs at your heartstrings the entire time. Giovanni was born into the mafia and is running one of the family’s businesses, a bordello, and after taking it over, he made it even more successful, making it a high-end private club. He is protective of his workers and when one of his girls gets roughed up by a client, a senator, who owes him money, he sets him straight and then pays him a visit, and something or rather someone caught his attention there. Unable to do anything about it then, he did not forget her. Aria’s life took a turn for the worse after her mother died, held captive in a basement and forced to do unspeakable acts. Then she saw him, begged to be saved, but he left her there, and her speaking out cost her another beating. Then he comes back and saves her, brings her back to his home and nurses her back to health. Giovanni does not do romance or relationships, but there is something about Aria that penetrates the walls around his heart. He knows she is too good for his world, a world that would only bring more danger in her life, and that it does. It was great to watch these two interact and get to know each other as he keeps her safe. There is never a dull moment in this cleverly plotted story, a story with non-stop drama, angst, twists, thrilling suspense, heartfelt emotions, and steamy romance. There are some intense scenes that may take some out of their comfort zone, so it may be best to check with the author if you have any triggers. “Finding Beauty in Darkness” is a very fitting title for this story and Nikki Ash does just that. Thanks for another amazing story and wild ride.

🎧📚🎧  Cecily Foster and Christian Leatherman did a fantastic job bringing these characters to life, giving each a voice that was fitting and was believable in every role. I loved how they took each role and made it their own, while grasping every aspect of their character’s personality and demeanor to deliver a perfect portrayal of each. Leatherman nailed it as Giovanni, playing the perfect alpha boss, also showing his softer side, which he hid well from others. Foster was just as fabulous as Aria, brought out her fierceness and strength, also nailing her fear and torment. Both were fantastic performing the roles of the side/secondary characters too. Their pacing and tone were right for the story, and they captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling them all. These two made a great team, with voices and talent that complemented each other and a riveting performance that keeps you glued to the story. They are entertaining storytellers and a pleasure to listen to.

Rising Above!

Loved this one but check your trigger warnings if you have them. Gio is strong, protector who isn't looking for love. Aria is an amazing character who goes through so much in such a short amount of time but doesn't let it dull her zest for living. Gio "rescues" Aria and tries to keep her protected but he's unable to keep her from danger lurking but he'll go scorched earth to save his girl. I usually enjoy this author's work, but this one was so consuming that I didn't want to stop until it was done! The narration (Cecily Foster and Christian Leatherman) was great and brought the characters to life!

Loved it

I couldn't stop listening to this audio as soon as I started it. It's a bit dark with plenty of angst. With twists and turns that will keep you guessing. I loved how, from the beginning, you see the connection between Aria and Giovanni. They saved and healed each other while also saving themselves. Definitely recommend.

I really enjoyed listening to this. The narrators did an amazing job bringing the characters to life.