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ellie1987's review
3.0
Bit repetitive main character a bit annoying. Meant to be chill and smooth and just raged and shouted all the time.
criticallyromantic's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars
I'm not usually one for the kind of dark that this book is with all of the crimes and the murdering, but I really, really enjoyed this and loved the way that the relationship played out. Often, in these types of books, the characters can feel like caricatures rather than people, but in this book they very much felt like people with actions and reactions and feelings that made sense for the personalities and histories. So good. Can't wait for the next one.
I'm not usually one for the kind of dark that this book is with all of the crimes and the murdering, but I really, really enjoyed this and loved the way that the relationship played out. Often, in these types of books, the characters can feel like caricatures rather than people, but in this book they very much felt like people with actions and reactions and feelings that made sense for the personalities and histories. So good. Can't wait for the next one.
bookishfrag's review against another edition
5.0
Tillie Cole never fails to deliver! This was such a good read and I’m cursing myself for waiting so long to read it.
Arthur and Cheska are the best! I associate the song “no words” by Christina Perri to them. It’s like it’s made for them. So beautiful
I highly recommend this if you like dark gangster genre with descriptive killing scenes.
— bookishfrag
Arthur and Cheska are the best! I associate the song “no words” by Christina Perri to them. It’s like it’s made for them. So beautiful
I highly recommend this if you like dark gangster genre with descriptive killing scenes.
— bookishfrag
renaes01's review against another edition
3.0
So I started off really liking the book.
I loved the sexual tension between Arthur and Cheska and how they had this forbidden attraction going on.
I also liked the side characters and thought they had great personalities.and how women were involved in the mafia.
However....
It really went down hill for me.
I don’t know how some people call this a slow burn when they had sex once, apparently were together for 5 years (which we never saw) and then randomly started loving each other. Seriously. They had like two deep conversations and the rest was smut. Don’t get me wrong I love me some smut but I wanted romance and there was literally no emotional development between them.
The chapters were also enormous for no apparent reason.
I also didn’t really like the plot twists either because they had no impact on the story. For example, when someone would come back to life that we all thought was dead, but then a few lines later....they would die. Like what’s the point of that?
My biggest gripe is the dialogue. I started to find it so cringy between Arthur and Cheska. Like when they would call each other, “my dark king/queen”. Or when they went on that giant monologue when they were talking about themselves in third person. For example, “she wants the eternal fucking darkness. She wants to sit beside the king on his treasured throne of bones”. Like who the hell talks like that? Or how Arthur would say “fucking” literally every couple of words because he’s such a badass.
Despite all my issues it was still entertaining and a good distraction!
I loved the sexual tension between Arthur and Cheska and how they had this forbidden attraction going on.
I also liked the side characters and thought they had great personalities.and how women were involved in the mafia.
However....
It really went down hill for me.
I don’t know how some people call this a slow burn when they had sex once, apparently were together for 5 years (which we never saw) and then randomly started loving each other. Seriously. They had like two deep conversations and the rest was smut. Don’t get me wrong I love me some smut but I wanted romance and there was literally no emotional development between them.
The chapters were also enormous for no apparent reason.
I also didn’t really like the plot twists either because they had no impact on the story. For example, when someone would come back to life that we all thought was dead, but then a few lines later....they would die. Like what’s the point of that?
My biggest gripe is the dialogue. I started to find it so cringy between Arthur and Cheska. Like when they would call each other, “my dark king/queen”. Or when they went on that giant monologue when they were talking about themselves in third person. For example, “she wants the eternal fucking darkness. She wants to sit beside the king on his treasured throne of bones”. Like who the hell talks like that? Or how Arthur would say “fucking” literally every couple of words because he’s such a badass.
Despite all my issues it was still entertaining and a good distraction!
thebookplatypus91's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my god. Before I even get started with my review, let me just say, this became one of my top five favorite reads of 2020. Hands down. I fucking devoured this book in one night.
“There weren’t many people in London who didn’t know the Adley family. Knew that we were the London reapers. When we came calling, it was because you’d made a deal with the devil. The fucking dark lord himself.”
East London gangsters. The fucking devils themselves. These boys are insane. Hot. Brutal. Messed up. Hot again.
Arthur Adley. Our main badass.
This story is half romance. An angsty as fuck dark romance that took a while to build. Arthur is a hard one to crack. And it was beautiful to watch him unfold for the one and only Cheska.
Then we have the suspense and the mystery on who’s messing with his business.
“They have no idea what the fuck they’ve just started. They’ve opened the gates of hell, and the fucking devil and his demons are now leading the charge.”
Let me just say, you many think you have this story predicted. You’ll think you pin down the enemy quick in the book. No. The surprise shocked me to my core. Tillie Cole wrecked me.
This book got my crying! I’m not a cryer!!! This book got me flooding my face!
Tillie Cole is a phenomenal writer. She writes these imperfect brutal boys, these antiheroes that you can’t help but swoon for.
You’ll love Arthur.
Ugh. I want to say so much but honestly, If you like dark romance and angst and suspense... read it. I need to talk to people about this book!
“There weren’t many people in London who didn’t know the Adley family. Knew that we were the London reapers. When we came calling, it was because you’d made a deal with the devil. The fucking dark lord himself.”
East London gangsters. The fucking devils themselves. These boys are insane. Hot. Brutal. Messed up. Hot again.
Arthur Adley. Our main badass.
This story is half romance. An angsty as fuck dark romance that took a while to build. Arthur is a hard one to crack. And it was beautiful to watch him unfold for the one and only Cheska.
Then we have the suspense and the mystery on who’s messing with his business.
“They have no idea what the fuck they’ve just started. They’ve opened the gates of hell, and the fucking devil and his demons are now leading the charge.”
Let me just say, you many think you have this story predicted. You’ll think you pin down the enemy quick in the book. No. The surprise shocked me to my core. Tillie Cole wrecked me.
This book got my crying! I’m not a cryer!!! This book got me flooding my face!
Tillie Cole is a phenomenal writer. She writes these imperfect brutal boys, these antiheroes that you can’t help but swoon for.
You’ll love Arthur.
Ugh. I want to say so much but honestly, If you like dark romance and angst and suspense... read it. I need to talk to people about this book!
sydney_09's review against another edition
2.0
I love Tillie Cole minutes this fell short for me. The phrase "fuck all" was used entirely too much in my opinion. Same for the word "bird" it was overused in my opinion and forced in some areas. The story didn't flow very well in my opinion. I have read dark romance before and this one didn't work for me. I liked the characters but I think some times it felt like there were too many characters because they had great development but not enough time or a place to expand it. I see it is part of a series as of now I don't feel inclined to read them.
erinxtexas's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. I thought they handled the span of time well and in an interesting way. I love Peaky Blinders and this has a strong modern vibe of that show and read like a good season of it. I was sucked into the world and the characters easily and am looking forward to more from this series. Also the cover is just perfection.
heather_whit's review against another edition
5.0
What can I say about this dark & twisted mindf@#k of a story. I was taken on one hell of an emotional roller coaster ride when I curled up with this book. Holy moly the twist and turns that are thrown at you will keep you completely and utterly enthralled. There are things that take place between these pages that will leave your heart hurting and pulse pounding. When you fall down this rabbit hole remember these two people are the different sides to the same coin. You will know what I mean by this statement when you read this book. If you enjoy a slightly dark and really twisted storyline then please grab yourself a copy, curl up someplace quiet, and enjoy this magic carpet ride.
There is something about a broody moody alpha that makes my heart melt. Arthur is no exception to this rule. He learned early on that the world is a dark and dangerous place. He is the perfect man for Cheska. Like a moth to a flame she is enamored with the closed off mysterious Lord of London Town. Their love story is one filled with angst and heartache.
Looking forward to seeing what happens next in this family.
There is something about a broody moody alpha that makes my heart melt. Arthur is no exception to this rule. He learned early on that the world is a dark and dangerous place. He is the perfect man for Cheska. Like a moth to a flame she is enamored with the closed off mysterious Lord of London Town. Their love story is one filled with angst and heartache.
Looking forward to seeing what happens next in this family.
dirtylittleromance's review
5.0
“He did more than fuck me; he consumed me, owned me.” What is it about possessive alpha males that is so attractive?
I seriously couldn’t stop reading this book. It was full of angst, spice, twist and turns. If you are looking for a dark romance to suck you in, this is definitely the book for you.
I seriously couldn’t stop reading this book. It was full of angst, spice, twist and turns. If you are looking for a dark romance to suck you in, this is definitely the book for you.
riri8's review against another edition
5.0
(TW: Sexual Assault/Attempted Rape, Grief, Mental Illness (Paranoid Schizophrenia), Human Trafficking)
Nando's Spice Rating - Hot/Extra Hot
DAMNNNNNN!!!!!!
THIS IS LITERALLY ONE OF MY NEW FAVOURITES!!!!!!
If you are a fan of Peaky Blinders, you will LOVE this book. You 100% HAVE to read this book.
Personally, I have never read a book about a British firm before (because honestly a "firm" does NOT sound all that scary) but this book was the best surprise. It was extremely violent which I was not expecting. I have not read something so violent in a long time. Naturally, there is a lot of death in this book and a lot of grieving. In a lot of mafia/crime syndicate books, this is often overlooked or not a big part of the story so I really appreciated how integral this was to the story.
On another note, there is just something about the "Dark Lord of London Town" boiling a kettle and making a cup of tea that just had me laughing so much. Like just how British is that hahaha. I really loved all the chess analogies, like the chess conversation with Arthur and Cheska, like I loved them before but I was like obsessed with them after this and I don't know why this conversation sticks out to me so much either but it just does. The best part was seeing their relationship of the 10+ year span the book covers.
The character development in this book was great; they all had so much depth which I loved. The camaraderie between the whole Adley family was amazing, the bond between them was so well written that it goes deeper than biology and they just really are a strong family unit. The author really built up back stories for some of them.
Even though there were moments where I felt not much was happening, I was so invested in the story and in Arthur and Cheska's relationship which really is down to the writing. This is my first book by this author and I definitely will be looking for more. I usually don't like when authors write in accents and thank goodness the author DOESN'T do that here because reading a Cockney accent on paper that would not be easy. Also was such a fan of all the British slang.
I absolutely loved the plot twists like most of them I saw coming but not in the way they unfolded - honestly no words. I mean no spoilers or anything. There is a HEA and all the reviews I read said there is a plot twist at the end that doesn't affect Arthur or Cheska which I really disagree with that. Like yes you could probably read this as a standalone but I don't see how the next book about this twist wouldn't be about them or not from their perspective. SO now I'm annoyed because I have to wait for the next book to be released.
Honestly couldn't recommend this book enough but it's definitely not for those who don't like a lot of violence. LITERAL PEAKY BLINDER VIBES!!!!!!!!!
Nando's Spice Rating - Hot/Extra Hot
DAMNNNNNN!!!!!!
THIS IS LITERALLY ONE OF MY NEW FAVOURITES!!!!!!
If you are a fan of Peaky Blinders, you will LOVE this book. You 100% HAVE to read this book.
Personally, I have never read a book about a British firm before (because honestly a "firm" does NOT sound all that scary) but this book was the best surprise. It was extremely violent which I was not expecting. I have not read something so violent in a long time. Naturally, there is a lot of death in this book and a lot of grieving. In a lot of mafia/crime syndicate books, this is often overlooked or not a big part of the story so I really appreciated how integral this was to the story.
On another note, there is just something about the "Dark Lord of London Town" boiling a kettle and making a cup of tea that just had me laughing so much. Like just how British is that hahaha. I really loved all the chess analogies, like the chess conversation with Arthur and Cheska, like I loved them before but I was like obsessed with them after this and I don't know why this conversation sticks out to me so much either but it just does. The best part was seeing their relationship of the 10+ year span the book covers.
The character development in this book was great; they all had so much depth which I loved. The camaraderie between the whole Adley family was amazing, the bond between them was so well written that it goes deeper than biology and they just really are a strong family unit. The author really built up back stories for some of them.
Even though there were moments where I felt not much was happening, I was so invested in the story and in Arthur and Cheska's relationship which really is down to the writing. This is my first book by this author and I definitely will be looking for more. I usually don't like when authors write in accents and thank goodness the author DOESN'T do that here because reading a Cockney accent on paper that would not be easy. Also was such a fan of all the British slang.
I absolutely loved the plot twists like most of them I saw coming but not in the way they unfolded - honestly no words. I mean no spoilers or anything. There is a HEA and all the reviews I read said there is a plot twist at the end that doesn't affect Arthur or Cheska which I really disagree with that. Like yes you could probably read this as a standalone but I don't see how the next book about this twist wouldn't be about them or not from their perspective. SO now I'm annoyed because I have to wait for the next book to be released.
Honestly couldn't recommend this book enough but it's definitely not for those who don't like a lot of violence. LITERAL PEAKY BLINDER VIBES!!!!!!!!!