**spoiler alert** I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I liked it more than I thought I would. It's not perfect but it's a solid entertaining read.**spoiler alert** I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I liked it more than I thought I would. It's not perfect but it's a solid entertaining read. I don't know how realistic it is but realism isn't the goal with these kind of books.
I mostly enjoyed Ever. She's definitely a bit naive going out into the woods to track "Wild Man" but it gets the story going quickly. Her thoughts, actions and reactions felt authentic to me once Wild Man had her trapped out there. Thankfully it doesn't take too long for her Stockholm syndrome to kick in.
We only get a handful of chapters in the entire book from Wild Man's point of view. I really enjoyed his chapters and I wish we had gotten more of them. I loved how fiercely possessive of Ever he was. Talk about "Mine, mine, mine!" This book is definitely all about that vibe.
It's a fast burn, the spice kicks off around 10%. The first few times they are together are pretty straight noncon. It's around 30% when Ever starts to enjoy their time together. Though she still wants to get away at that point.
There's no OW/OM drama here, no cheating, there is a brief separation. There is a definite breeding kink going on here.
This was a pretty great read overall, I do recommend!...more
**spoiler alert** This is definitely a memorable read. I don't read a lot of historical or regency romance. I was unable to resist the notion of a dar**spoiler alert** This is definitely a memorable read. I don't read a lot of historical or regency romance. I was unable to resist the notion of a dark regency romance. Dark romance is my jam.
This story is fairly short and it definitely grew on me as I read it. I was pretty unimpressed in the beginning. The hero is an asshole. Not an alphahole. Just a plain old asshole so it took a big portion of the book before he grew on me. If you like this kind of story he'll probably grow on you too. If you don't enjoy dark romance, you probably aren't ever going to read this.
Most of the spice in this is dubcon/noncon, depending on how you look at it. The heroine definitely doesn't want to be involved with the hero but the historical setting makes her at his mercy which he relishes. This is short and smutty all the way through.
The H's total and complete obsession over the heroine is what saved this from being terrible. It just grows and grows throughout. He doesn't want her attention on anyone but him for any reason. It becomes quite endearing. He's rather helpless to his complete obsession with the heroine.
No OW/OM drama, no cheating, breeding kink, some spanking in there (yawn), no separation or 3rd act breakups here. It's safe in regard to OW/OM stuff and cheating. The H does muse to himself about his past dalliances with OW but he has no desire for anyone but h now. ...more
**spoiler alert** I didn't like this one and I'm bummed. This author definitely writes stuff that is right up my alley but this one is a miss on a num**spoiler alert** I didn't like this one and I'm bummed. This author definitely writes stuff that is right up my alley but this one is a miss on a number of levels. If you are really into this author, I'll say this book is meant to be read pretty blind and definitely without spoilers. It's my humble opinion, it's not worth the trouble.
This review will contain spoilers, I can't even properly give safety details without revealing spoilers. I can assure you there is no OW drama and that's about all I can reveal without spoiling the plot twist in this book which was super dumb to begin with.
So on with it, spoilers beyond this point.
So the plot twist here is dumb, as I've mentioned. It really doesn't even make a ton of sense which further adds to how dumb it is.
Twins, the H is actually a twin who is swapping back and forth with his other twin around the heroine. One of them, Nero (the one they are both pretending to be) is j/p and super into the heroine. The other one, Luca, is an unlikable, cold jackass that you'll want to punch in the throat.
I'm not even going to lay into how nonsensical the whole twin swapping thing is. This author should have gone back to drawing board when this stinker of an idea popped into her head.
The H you are supposed to like isn't even that likable. I'm not into any sort of humiliation kink and I think you have to be to like this H. He just pissed me off and turned me off, the exact opposite of what was intended.
Safety - there is no OW stuff or cheating with OW. Technically, there's not cheating at all. However, unbeknownst to the heroine at the time, she sleeps with both of the twins. Her sex with Nero is supposed to be hot and sexy but if you aren't into embarrassment or humiliation it's just cringy. The sex with Luca (masquerading as Nero at the time) is cold, robotic, mechanical and not detailed. I found all of it to be unappealing. The sex with Luca doesn't even make sense, he needs Viagra to get it up and it's under the guise of having a child but he had a vasectomy before they even had sex the first time. It's all bizarre....more
**spoiler alert** This book is everything. Everything. I stayed up til almost 2 am reading and I have zero regrets. I was downright giddy reading this**spoiler alert** This book is everything. Everything. I stayed up til almost 2 am reading and I have zero regrets. I was downright giddy reading this entire thing. This book is so ridiculously good. It’s easily one of the best books I’ve read this entire year… or ever really. I can’t praise it enough.
This is definitely a dark romance and not meant for everyone. If you don’t like dark romance, don’t read this. This isn’t meant for all readers.
Most “steal her from another man” tropes end up being really underwhelming and disappointing. This did not disappoint me. Its execution is perfect. It’s literally everything I’ve ever wanted in this kind of book.
The hero, Derek, is intense. He’s solely focused on getting the girl, by any means necessary. Literally, the end justifies the means to this man. He’s quite unhinged for Chloe (the heroine). He’s absolutely ruthless in his pursuit of her. This is my kind of hero through and through. No pesky morals to get in his way. There is no line he won’t cross if it means getting Chloe.
Chloe tries throughout to escape his clutches and cope with his laser focused intensity. She’s overwhelmed by Derek’s methods. The chemistry between them is sizzling.
This is pretty spicy. It’s a fast burn. They get it on for the first time around 15% and it carries throughout the entire book. With the exception of their first encounter, when she’s using her hall pass, most of the spicy bits would be considered dubcon, possibly toeing the noncon line.
No virgins No manwhore Push away from h No OW/OM drama No 3rd act breakup Separation HEA Epilogue
Safety - this is pretty safe *between* Derek and Chloe. In the beginning, Chloe’s paraplegic fiancé grants her a hall pass. She doesn’t want to use it but Derek seduces her after finding out about it. After that, the rules of the hall pass are broken so technically Chloe is cheating on her fiancé however unwillingly.
After, the hall pass is used, she shares a few kisses with her fiancé but it never progresses beyond that.
Do I feel sorry for the fiancé? Not really. He obviously isn’t the one for Chloe. Derek basically incentivized/bribed him to step out of the picture and he doesn’t fight to keep Chloe.
The separation stems from her pushing him to get treatment for his mental health. He’s in treatment for a little over 2 months and they have no contact during that time....more
**spoiler alert** This is quite the reading experience. I read the special edition of this, so I'm not sure what the differences are fully between the**spoiler alert** This is quite the reading experience. I read the special edition of this, so I'm not sure what the differences are fully between the version I read and the original. This isn't perfect but I did mostly enjoy it.
Xavier is definitely OTT jealous, possessive once he's claimed Marissa. He apparently stalked her for two years before claiming her. She had a serious boyfriend so that doesn't scream possessive to me but once he's got the boyfriend out of the picture his possessiveness kicks in.
This whole thing is kind of OTT. We don't get a lot of insight into why the characters are behaving the ways that they do but it was still interesting. I wasn't as put off by it as I normally am when reading.
Marissa is a big old doormat but Xavier is mostly good to her - and when he's not she seems to like it more than not.
Fast burn - there is a lot of sex, really quickly. I can't remember the exact percentage but it's very, very early on.
No virgins Former manwhore H Push away from h OW/OM drama No cheating between H/h HEA Epilogue
Safety - this isn't 100% safe, if you need complete safety, avoid this. The heroine is in a relationship in the beginning. Her then boyfriend is bi.They go to Red Night which is essentially an orgy. The H ends up taking her boyfriend from behind while the boyfriend is banging her. Then H whisks her away and the soon to be ex boyfriend goes off to have sex with another guy he has a big crush on - this was largely orchestrated by Xavier. ...more
**spoiler alert** This book is a wiiiiild ride. I don’t know how Sam Mariano works her magic but I’m thankful she does. I couldn’t put this down once **spoiler alert** This book is a wiiiiild ride. I don’t know how Sam Mariano works her magic but I’m thankful she does. I couldn’t put this down once I started. Killian is a dream of a hero.
His obsession was everything. This man gave up everything for her. Everything. He put her through the wringer to get there but it was WORTH IT for the end result. Brynn was so deserving of everything Killian to ensure they ended up together.
I do think this is best read blind. I’m an anxious reader and I don’t make that claim lightly. I live for spoilers and often can’t read without them. I’m sure this review will contain spoilers so proceed at your own risk.
Killian’s obsession and need for Brynn comes like a slow boil. She doesn’t realize at first how crazy he is for her. He’s really not good at hearing the word “no” from her. He’s totally gone for her. You could feel how desperate he was at times.
Then around 70% you learn that Killian is in an arrangement where he’s supposed to marry someone in an arranged marriage. It seems hopeless for Killian and Brynn. It appears that there isn’t a way out. She’s heartbroken and angry and feeling betrayed by him. He’s increasingly desperate to bind her to him by any means necessary. While it was extremely shitty of him not to tell Brynn about his upcoming arranged marriage both he and OW had an understanding that they would both do as they pleased until the engagement was official so, not cheating.
The OW he’s supposed to marry had previously tried to sabotage Brynn earlier and isn’t amused by any of this. She’s a real gem, that one. Killian swoops in to save the day.
I don’t want to spoil the whole thing but logically you know you are reading a romance here. Killian and Brynn do work out in the end, of course. The OW former fiancée finds herself in her own predicament but you can hardly feel sorry for her.
The men Sam Mariano dreams up are delectable and kind of scary. I wouldn’t mind reading more about Hex or maybe even Aiden. Trust me, if you are a fan of this author you will probably be interested too.
You get to see snippets of Dare, Aubrey and Silvan here too. It’s clear Dare is up to things but you only get a few breadcrumbs. The scenes with Aubrey and Dare are so good though. “Beware of bi girls who bring your girlfriend baked goods” made me squeal with delight. It was good to see Dare trying to make things up to Aubrey after his shenanigans in the Sleeping Beauty short story.
Reading this made me want to reread all the Coastal Elite books again. I’m probably going to read them over and over until Hannah’s book releases.
I loved this story so much. I loved how obsessed and desperate Killian was for Brynn. I loved that he sacrificed his ambition to keep her. I loved how completely ruthless he was overall. This was just amazing all around.
Fastish-Medium burn, h loses her vcard at 35%. There’s some oral earlier on around 16%. Lots of dubcon here.
Virgin h H definitely not a virgin but didn’t seem like a complete manwhore either OW/OM drama No cheating No sex scenes with others No sharing HEA Epilogue
Safety - technically H was to be engaged to OW but they agreed it was ok to be with others until the engagement was official. So again, not cheating. Both H and OW were with other people. The OW fiancée lets on to h that more is happening with them than it is to hurt her and rub salt in the wound. H doesn’t have sex with the OW fiancée despite proceeding with the engagement until he can figure a way out. He remains faithful to Brynn. Killian continues to pursue Brynn even after the engagement is out of the bag and she *tries* to resist. Killian is not a fan of “no” from Brynn though and this is a Sam Mariano book. ...more
**spoiler alert** I totally forgot about Layla Simon until I stumbled across this book while browing KU. Unfortunately, this one wasn't my favorite bu**spoiler alert** I totally forgot about Layla Simon until I stumbled across this book while browing KU. Unfortunately, this one wasn't my favorite but I see she's released several books since I last read her and I'm excited to dive into the others.
Don't get me wrong. This one isn't bad,it's totally fine. It just didn't hit the sweet spot for me. This author still gives off those Sam Mariano vibes for me which is the appeal for me with her writing. The banter between her hero and heroine is so remininiscent of Sam's banter it's very cute. There's not noncon/dubcon in this one which actually surprised me a bit. It's been present in all the other Layla Simon books I've read. I think one of the things that was missing here was that bit of bite.
There is an OW here who was terribly obnoxious. She needled the heroine quite a bit in her scenes. Luckily she's only present briefly on page but she left a lasting memory that was offputting. What is it with OW that get jealous after they've thrown their toys away. You didn't want it anymore move on already and let someone else who appreciates it more play with it.
While this one did end up missing the mark for me I enjoyed it generally and it was overall a decent read. I'm definitely reading the next book in the series and the other Layla Simon books I missed in between.
Medium burn, things get spicy right near 52%.
No virgins H didn't give manwhore vibes spanking No real push away from either Some OW drama No OM drama No cheating No separation or 3rd act breakups HEA
Safety - the OW here is extra obnoxious, she definitely wants h jealous and it sorta works but also not to the extent OW would like. The H is completely over OW so it's a nonissue. ...more
**spoiler alert** I have been putting off reading this one for entirely too long. I loved Her Soul To Take and I LOVED LOVED LOVED Her Soul for Reveng**spoiler alert** I have been putting off reading this one for entirely too long. I loved Her Soul To Take and I LOVED LOVED LOVED Her Soul for Revenge. Harley Laroux is such a talented author.
I was a bit gunshy with this one because I suspected from the previous books that Everly was either a switch or the dominant role in the relationship with her demon. I wouldn't dare yuck anyone else's yum but neither of those things are remotely appealing *to me*. I wasn't excited for that and I wasn't excited to end this series. It's been so good.
My fears were true. Callum is definitely pretty dominant at times but they were both definitely switches and swapped the dom/sub role throughout their spicy times. I ended up skimming all the scenes that Everly was playing the domme in, it's just not my thing.
It was so fascinating to see this story from Everly's perspective. It was good to see Leon, Raelynn, Zane and Juniper again.
This is definitely a solid conclusion to this trilogy. I'll definitely miss all the characters.
Fast burn, the spicy bits kick off at 25%
Virgin h He might have been a bit of manwhore previously, he's a demon, after all. No condoms No push away from either No OW/OM drama No cheating No breakups Small separation when H is summoned to Hell early in the book, h has her hands full at the time with her family. No separation when they are reunited HEA Epilogue
**spoiler alert** I saw this mentioned in a Facebook reader group and was intrigued. I wasn’t expecting much. Indeed, it doesn’t deliver much. I would**spoiler alert** I saw this mentioned in a Facebook reader group and was intrigued. I wasn’t expecting much. Indeed, it doesn’t deliver much. I would drop the series here if it weren’t for the multiple reviews proclaiming this is the worst book of the series.
I’m not sure why the authors thought here is the starting point. The H is needlessly assholish for about 85%. Seriously, what was the purpose? He was unnecessarily unlikable ON PURPOSE UNTIL his personality flips on a dime and he’s telling her she’s it for him, he’ll never take another and eventually dropping love bombs. What was the point of him being captain asshole in the beginning?? What was the reason? It didn’t make him hot. I wasn’t creaming my pants for him. I was baffled about why he was such a raging douchecanoe. Whatever the authors hoped to achieve they failed miserably as evidenced by the reviews noting that this book is the worst of the seven. Ouch.
It made the heroine look terrible. She comes across as weak and pathetic and honestly stupid. She’s having tons of UNPROTECTED sex and it never occurs to her that she’s going to get pregnant?? There’s 0 discussion of the consequences of the unprotected sex before he drops the news he’s trying to get her pregnant. What was she thinking?? Some lame excuses are tossed in the book but that’s just what they are. Lame excuses to cover a glaring plot hole. Lame. Excuses.
Medium burn Coerced consent No push away but h constantly proclaims she hates him with cause Virgin h No condoms Breeding No OW/OM drama No separation HFN
Safety - there’s no cheating or anything. He does torture and kill a guy who tried to harm h. He also kills a “honeypot” who tried to seduce him....more
**spoiler alert** I’ll admit, I was frustrated with the first book in this series. Particularly the format the author chose to relay the story, going **spoiler alert** I’ll admit, I was frustrated with the first book in this series. Particularly the format the author chose to relay the story, going from past to present every other chapter. Flashbacks are the worst, the first book is mostly one long flashback with small bits in the present.
I’m pretty much unable to write a review without spoilers so proceed at your own risk here. Spoilers abound below.
This book is told entirely in the present with the exception of the first chapter which is a prologue. There is a long history between Alexei and Alina so there was a lot to tell. This book is short in both time covered and actual length. It packs an unusually angsty punch though and makes up for the lack of spice in the first book.
This is more what I expect from Anna Zaires stories and it feels good to be back. Alex is intensely obsessed with Alina. His desire for her is absolutely visceral on the page. He’s ruthless in his conquest. He’s still blindingly jealous even of his own brother.
Alina is a pushover for him. She wrestles internally with defiance but caves in immediately when he touches for her. They have intense chemistry.
I don’t usually think Anna writes huge cliffhangers but this is more cliffhanger-ish than most. We end with a pregnancy and diagnosis of brain cancer. This *is* a romance novel so Anna Zaires obviously isn’t going to kill off Alina without enraging her readers, I’m not super excited about what lies ahead for this unfinished story. I wish this had been a nice neat duet.
I re-read the Molotov Obsession duet right before this, it was a solid lead in to this book since we first meet Alina in that duet.
The spice here very much dubcon/noncon. No cheating, scenes with others or separations between them. This is a safe read. ...more
I’m a mood reader but dark romance is my preferred genre. I don’t read a ton of taboo stuff because my brain rails against **spoiler alert** 2.5 stars
I’m a mood reader but dark romance is my preferred genre. I don’t read a ton of taboo stuff because my brain rails against suspending my disbelief for it. I think it possible to read and maybe like a book that fails to suspend your disbelief but it’s definitely more of a challenge.
This is not a book I would have normally chosen. The taboo element here is HEAVY. If you really enjoy dark taboo reads then you are in for a treat. When I decided to read this I didn’t actually realize it was as taboo as it is. There will major spoilers going forward. I marked this as a spoiler review and I’m not playing. Spoilers abound below.
Okay, so when I borrowed this from KU I had the initial impression it was like stepsiblings. I based my decision to read it on a Facebook reader group recommendation. I don’t recall of the original poster mentioned it being a sibling thing or not, if they did I didn’t notice. I was grabbing it for different reasons. It was dark, fast burn, obsessed H, captive AND the poster felt it was unlikely to remain on Amazon for very long based on the noncon content. Who doesn’t want to read a banned book before it gets banned? I was sold. Do I think it will be banned? Honestly, I think so. It’s pretty unapologetic and approaches the entire taboo/noncon stuff with all the finesse of a bull in a china shop.
I realized quickly it was actually half siblings. Then late in the book you discover that’s it’s actually full siblings. Surprise!
This book does have an HEA. The H proclaims loudly throughout his love and devotion to h. Understandably she takes most of the book to return his affection. They do end up together happily and consensually with the help of some Stockholm syndrome, of course. However, despite the HEA and H’s proclamations of love this book isn’t really romantic. Definitely dark and taboo erotica with talk of love but little actual romance.
This started out a bad foot. The first scene with H is him in a meeting with his mafia dudes and he’s getting a blow job right there in the middle of it. The OW he’s using has the audacity to complain about his treatment so he throws her out. I didn’t need to see H with his dick in OWs throat to understand the mob boss had not pined away in celibacy waiting for the right time to claim his unwilling sister. Dark romance or not H having dick inside OW *on the page* is never welcome. This is one circumstance you should really just fucking tell and not show and let’s not forget there are other ways to show me that don’t actively involve having Hs dick in an OW on page. Good fucking grief. I should have probably just quit here.
The Hs actions don’t match his words. He treats the h very poorly in the beginning. She’s literally chained naked, spread eagle to a bed for over 2 months and raped several times a day. There’s some acknowledgment of how detrimental to her health this is but it’s extremely unrealistic in how much worse shape she’d actually be in if this were the case. She has some weakness and pins and needles feeling but is functional again after a massage ...more
**spoiler alert** Read this on impulse when it popped up in an ad. It’s not the worst alien romance I’ve read but it’s pretty meh. There were a few pa**spoiler alert** Read this on impulse when it popped up in an ad. It’s not the worst alien romance I’ve read but it’s pretty meh. There were a few parts I disliked immensely.
There will definitely be spoilers in this review so proceed with caution.
I won’t restate the blurb since you’ve likely read it and it gives a good summation of the premise. Going in I assumed this was going to be the alien taking a “breeder” and keeping her for that purpose but it’s not.
The aliens comes once a year and breed all the 21 year old women and leave. The next year they snatch up the male babies from the last go and breed the new 21 year olds etc. I didn’t love that because I came for a relationship. Luckily, new ground is broken with h.
Kel D’rek is instantly attracted to the angry, defiant h. He doesn’t care that she’s angry with him he just wants to breed. He has to wait 2 years to do this and he’s chomping at the bit. She’s not going to make it easy. She tries to hide but then runs when that doesn’t work. He ends up dry humping her when he catches her and knocks her out so he can take her with him. Charming, eh?
She’s furious when she wakes. The H doesn’t seem to understand why she’s being so obstinate. He vacillates between anger and bewilderment but mostly anger. Luckily for her, he can’t quite bring himself to rape her when she starts crying because he doesn’t understand why it makes him feel uncomfortable. So he sets about negotiating permission.
We see the standard hallmarks of Hs growing obsession with h but not understanding why he feels that way. Aside from orgasms the h doesn’t get much out of their relationship. He’s not cruel mostly but oblivious and it grows irksome to her that he views her and other humans so derisively. She, of course, falls in love with the asshole anyway.
One of the things that turned me off here is the references to her female bits. I understand that as aliens they won’t have the same terminology. I’ve read lots of alien romances over time and I haven’t found any others quite so off putting before. Constant reference to her mammary glands and breeding hole and breeding slit became a big turn off.
Xalthurian females were largely wiped out by a virus but I wouldn’t have been shocked if they all just ran away when they were old enough. It’s obviously a largely patriarchal society but these chicks are not only hold no value for their world but get no pleasure from mating. As far as we know it’s not painful but only the dudes enjoy it.
The death blow for this book for me came near the end when H was angry and enacted a vicious punishment. Looking at this punishment objectively I understand that there are readers who would find this scene very hot and sexy to read but it really, not only turned me completely off, but also knocked a whole star off my rating.
H drugs her by feeding a bunch of berries that will make her unbearably aroused, so much so, that it literally physically hurts to not achieve release. He physically immobilizes her so she can’t move. He brings in this guy that he was jealous she was *talking* to in his absence. He torments and tortures her sexually while she begs him to fuck her and he continuously mocks her and denies her orgasm though she’s in literal pain.
It was just a leap too far for me and tanked the book for me. There would no coming back from it. The H realizes the next day he’s fucked up when she’s seemingly broken. I r do think he hurt her immeasurably but some of her brokenness was clearly acting when she broke character to yell at him during it.
H does become desperate to fix his wrongs but the author duo’s solution was laughably inadequate. He sets himself with the immobilization cuffs and the equivalent of the horny berries and leaves him to her mercy. Oh yes, what a punishment ...more
**spoiler alert** Stumbled across this one in a Facebook reader group. The poster said they thought the book could potentially be banned because Amazo**spoiler alert** Stumbled across this one in a Facebook reader group. The poster said they thought the book could potentially be banned because Amazon is quick to ban stuff nowadays.
I’m honestly not sure if I’d have read it if it weren’t for the notion that Amazon might ban it. I always hear about books getting pulled after the fact and I wanted the inside scoop here.
Do I think this could be banned? I don’t think so but what do I know? If you search this in KU and can’t find it just search for the authors name and click on a different book then click on her name from that book listing. It will bring up all her book, including this one. Why all the intrigue?
This is mostly smut. Filthy, degrading smut. If you like that sort of thing you’ll love this. Stupidly rich men, wanting babies without the annoying baby mamas, pay these women for a 48 hour masked gangbang. 10 men, 5 women - all bareback with the purpose of knocking the ladies up. The women get $50,000 immediately for the weekend and if they have have a baby they get 1 million dollars for handing it over.
Spoilers below, in case you’ve changed your mind about wanting spoilers.
The story focuses on Baylee and Ted. Baylee is an obnoxious, whiny brat and Ted is a raging asshole. Match made in heaven. My next sentence might be unnecessary from the description above but just in case it isn’t clear :
⚠️⛔️Don’t read this book if you need safety.⛔️⚠️
Baylee has sex with all the men, Ted is a full and enthusiastic participant in her degradation. He knows she could become pregnant from another man but I think he thinks if he puts the most semen in her he’ll win by volume or something ...more