Book Review: God Of Pain By Rina Kent
God Of Pain By Rina Kent
God Of Pain by Rina Kent - Book 1 in the Legacy of Gods series.
Tropes: dark romance, morally grey hero, enemies to lovers, obsession, possessive love interest, bully romance, mafia princess, forced proximity, grumpy sunshine
Summary:
In God of Pain, the second book in Rina Kent’s Legacy of Gods series, Annika Volkov knows her future was never her own to decide—as a mafia princess, her life is bound by family loyalty and dangerous alliances. But she makes one mistake: falling for the wrong man.
Creighton King is silent, brooding, and untouchable. His cold exterior hides something even darker, and Annika soon learns he’s not just a forbidden choice—he’s her sworn enemy. Their connection is combustible, laced with hatred, lust, and the desire to break each other. The more she resists, the more he pushes, until the lines between love and ruin blur completely.
A gripping mix of dark romance, enemies-to-lovers intensity, and high-stakes mafia drama, God of Pain proves that Rina Kent is the queen of delivering twisted love stories that keep you turning the pages late into the night.
💚 LD
While I didn’t connect to God of Pain as strongly as I did with God of Malice, there’s no denying it delivered on spice, tension, and drama. Creighton and Annika’s dynamic was as complicated as it was intense, and while their particular brand of heat wasn’t always my personal favorite, the sheer chemistry between them was undeniable.
The absolute highlight for me? Hands down seeing Adrian and Lia again. Their POV chapters were like coming home to two of my favorite characters, and the Adrian vs. Aidan confrontation? Pure chef’s kiss. It’s the kind of scene Rina Kent fans live for.
While I struggled a little to fully invest in Creighton and Annika as a couple, the ongoing plot threads, family drama, and side character development kept me hooked. Rina has set up so much for future books, and I’m beyond excited to see where she takes the Legacy of Gods cast next.
“Hypothetically speaking and only hypothetically, because this isn't a real situation, why do you not want to date me?" "Hypothetically speaking, I have deviant tastes and violent tendencies for the opposite sex. You're so fucking breakable, I'd crush you in no time.”
🤍 AD -
God of Pain had me hooked from the very first page. Creighton King completely stole the spotlight for me... he’s cold, calculated, and the kind of hero who makes you desperate to read between his silences. Every time he was on the page, I was glued to the words.
Annika is the perfect counterpart to his intensity. As a mafia princess, she’s used to danger, but Creighton pushes her boundaries in ways that challenge both her pride and her heart. Their relationship is a tangled mess of attraction and hostility, and it’s impossible to look away.
The plot twists in this book were top-tier. Rina Kent kept me second-guessing every character’s motive, and the balance between the romance and the overarching series intrigue was perfection. Easily one of my favourite Legacy of Gods installments, Creighton is unforgettable.
“You're the only person who ever reached inside me, saw the ugly, rotten parts, but stayed anyway. you gave me yourself in spite of knowing how empty I am.”
💙 AG -
I went into God of Pain with high expectations after loving God of Malice, and it still managed to surprise me. I adored the slower burn between Creighton and Annika, it allowed all the tension to build until the payoff hit that much harder.
Creighton is pure Rina Kent magic: dangerous, magnetic, and endlessly complex. He’s not an easy character to love, but that’s exactly why he’s so compelling. Annika’s strength really shone here. Even when the world was stacked against her, she refused to back down, and I admired her resilience.
Beyond the romance, the glimpses into the wider Legacy of Gods world were addictive. The cameos, the foreshadowing, and the little seeds Rina plants for future stories made me want to binge the entire series all over again. This was dark romance at its finest: gritty, emotional, and completely unputdownable.
“Creighton…this is called kidnapping.” “And you shooting me is called attempted murder, but you don’t see me putting a label on that.”
