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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
dark
Raya Morris Edwards has done it again!! This book was absolutely perfection and I ate it up! Deacon and Freya’s story was everything I wanted and more.
Deacon Ryder is a rough around the edges horse trainer. He goes into town one day and lays his eyes on Freya Hatfield and immediately becomes entranced by her. He starts stalking her and becomes completely obsessed with her.
Freya Hatfield is a strong woman with a rough home life that she uses hobbies to escape from. She moves to Montana with her family and starts working at a cafe. She starts to feel like someone is watching her for months. After a very unlucky day Freya meets Deacon when he offers to take her home after she is stuck outside in a storm. She is very worried because she sees a lot of similarities between her abusive stepfather and Deacon but is pleasantly surprised that he is very different from the men she is used to.
The BDSM in this book is done so well! Raya Morris Edwards knows her stuff and the kink is exciting and spicy. I will say this is the first time I have read a book with suspension and it was so great! I was so excited going into this and she did not disappoint.
Additionally, I would like to talk about how cool it was that one of Freya’s hobbies was amateur entomology. It was very unique and made it a really fun read.
Honestly, I have nothing at all negative to say about this book. I loved everything about it and devoured it as fast as I was able to. The entire Sovereign Mountain series has me in a chokehold and I cannot wait to see what is in store when she releases Jensen next.
I want to thank Raya Morris Edwards and her team for choosing me as an ARC reader and I am very grateful for the opportunity to read and review an ARC from one of my favorite series!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
Deacon is the third installment in Raya Morris Edwards' Sovereign Mountain series. The narrative centers on Freya Hatfield, who, after a tumultuous upbringing in the Appalachian Mountains under her stern stepfather Aiden Hatfield, relocates to rural Montana. There, she becomes the fixation of her neighbor, Deacon Ryder—a seasoned, tattooed rancher with a shadowy history. Despite her initial reservations, a chance encounter during a stormy night ignites a complex relationship between them. As tensions escalate between Aiden and Deacon, Freya finds herself ensnared in their conflict, leading her to confront unexpected darkness and discover something worth fighting for.
The novel delves into themes of obsession, power dynamics, and redemption, set against the rugged backdrop of Montana's ranchlands. Edwards intricately portrays the psychological struggles of her characters, particularly Freya's internal conflict as she navigates her attraction to Deacon, who embodies the very traits she vowed to avoid. The narrative is enriched with elements of suspense and emotional depth.
This novel is deep and dark and not a good choice if you are looking for light and breezy. It is not like what I usually read, but I did enjoy it. I would cautiously recommend it to someone who is a dark romance fan. There was a lot of spice, but the spicy scenes fit in with the story and there was a lot of story and plot to the book
The novel delves into themes of obsession, power dynamics, and redemption, set against the rugged backdrop of Montana's ranchlands. Edwards intricately portrays the psychological struggles of her characters, particularly Freya's internal conflict as she navigates her attraction to Deacon, who embodies the very traits she vowed to avoid. The narrative is enriched with elements of suspense and emotional depth.
This novel is deep and dark and not a good choice if you are looking for light and breezy. It is not like what I usually read, but I did enjoy it. I would cautiously recommend it to someone who is a dark romance fan. There was a lot of spice, but the spicy scenes fit in with the story and there was a lot of story and plot to the book
Freya Hatfield's tale begins with her stepfather stepping in after her mom hits the road during her early years. As she grows, we catch snippets of her less-than-glamorous treatment by her stepdad and stepbrothers. The Hatfield clan packs up and moves from the Appalachian Mountains to the wide-open spaces of Montana, where Freya catches Deacon's eye.
Deacon's past is a rollercoaster of battles; he's clawed his way to where he is and won't let anything—or anyone—keep Freya away. His obsession is like a dog with a bone, determined to keep her safe from her stepfather's meddling in their romance. As their connection blooms, Freya starts to trust Deacon, recognize her own yearnings, and dream up a shared future.
This whole saga is a delightful tangle of lovable characters popping out of nowhere to lend a hand to each other!
Content Warnings
age gap (40M/22F). stalking, discussions of childhood neglect and emotional abuse, heavy use of kink, instances of dubcon (mainly regarding stalking and pregnancy), Violence and weapon use, consensual sex without birth control. Pregnancy and childbirth related content, abusive home environment. Emotional and physical incest (not between blood relatives) is implied, pregnancy that results from an abusive relationship between non-blood relatives in a character’s past, Chasity belt, anal hooks, suspension, use of mirrors
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
🤠ARC REVIEW🤠
🤠Dark Cowboy Romance
🖤Tattooed + pierced cowboy
🤠Age Gap
🖤Step-dad’s Rival
🤠BDSM
🖤Dubcon
🤠Stalking
🖤Kidnapping
🤠Small Town
This series has a chokehold on me. Every single book I have picked up and devoured. Freya and Deacon’s story is no different.
Freya is a so sweet and mistreated. Dealing with family who is supposed to love and care for her but treat her like trash (besides Bittern) and now forced to move to an unfamiliar place. She’s so strong and resilient.
Deacon has a lot of trauma and has had to do bad things to get where he is and do I care? Not one bit. As soon as he catches sight of Freya, it’s all over.
Lots of drama, suspense, some effed up things come to light, and all the HEAT and romance.
Ahem Ch. 13 🫠🫠🫠
I absolutely LOVED it.
“If I am the girl who wanted to live in the stars, he’s the mountains down below. Together, we feel like that place where the heavens and the Earth meet. Beautiful, perfect. Meant to exist.”
All roads lead to Sovereign Mountain 🫡
🤠Dark Cowboy Romance
🖤Tattooed + pierced cowboy
🤠Age Gap
🖤Step-dad’s Rival
🤠BDSM
🖤Dubcon
🤠Stalking
🖤Kidnapping
🤠Small Town
This series has a chokehold on me. Every single book I have picked up and devoured. Freya and Deacon’s story is no different.
Freya is a so sweet and mistreated. Dealing with family who is supposed to love and care for her but treat her like trash (besides Bittern) and now forced to move to an unfamiliar place. She’s so strong and resilient.
Deacon has a lot of trauma and has had to do bad things to get where he is and do I care? Not one bit. As soon as he catches sight of Freya, it’s all over.
Lots of drama, suspense, some effed up things come to light, and all the HEAT and romance.
Ahem Ch. 13 🫠🫠🫠
I absolutely LOVED it.
“If I am the girl who wanted to live in the stars, he’s the mountains down below. Together, we feel like that place where the heavens and the Earth meet. Beautiful, perfect. Meant to exist.”
All roads lead to Sovereign Mountain 🫡
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I usually like a good stalking romance, but this one was a little much. Deacon is still a good book, though. This book is well written and has some well developed characters. And the spice is nice.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
ARC Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
This dark age gap comboy romance was intense from start to finish!
Deacon Ryder was an obsessed, morally black cowboy who went after what he wanted with an intensity like no other. From his business dealings, his land and getting his woman, he didn’t hesitate to get it done! While his methods might’ve been unhinged, he loved and cared with that same intensity.
He was such a daddy and wasn’t afraid to use his mouth!
Freya was a broken women after living a life filled with trauma and it was heartbreaking to read. Witnessing her gain her strenght was a special part of this story. The generational traumas were etched deep into these characters and added a layer of heartbreak to the story.
I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to what’s next in this series.
As always, please check the trigger warnings as this book touches on heavy subjects.
I would like to thank Raya Morris Edwards and The Author Agency for the opportunity to read and review Deacon.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you TAA and Edwards for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
4⭐️ 4.5🌶️
Safe to say that this is a favourite from the series! Deacon is just...woah.. no words. Soft and gentle,yet possessive and such an alphahole. I k new what the tropes were going into this, but it felt like i was waiting a bit longer than usual, as Deacon seemed to really care for Freya and did right by her. But when that spice hit, it packed a punch. And it was GLORIOUS! 😍❤️
I usually have an issue with the FMCs Edwards writes, but I loved Freya. I wanted to hug her, and protect her.. she was such an interesting character. My heart broke for all of them but Bittern (her stepbrother) just stuck with me. He tried his best to protect Freya and he was just numbing his own demons.
I was gripped by this book, I didn't want to put it down. I loved this one. It had its moments of being slow, but it has enough going on to keep you engaged throughout.
🖤age gap (h 22/H 40)
🖤kinks galore
🖤touch her and you 💀
🖤stepdad's rival
🖤tattooed cowboy MMC
🖤bug enthusiast FMC
“I can be a gentle beast for her, but not for the rest of the world."
I am so excited for Jensen's book!! He seems like such an interesting character. But what I really, REALLY want is Jack's book! 🙏
Triggers:
⚠️ Murder & violence (graphic, on page)
⚠️ Mentions of rape (no actual rape)
⚠️ Mentions of grooming/underage (not on page)
⚠️ Verbal abuse
⚠️ Slut shaming & misogyny
⚠️ Pregnancy (& worries about the loss of the fetus, labor/delivery)
4⭐️ 4.5🌶️
Safe to say that this is a favourite from the series! Deacon is just...woah.. no words. Soft and gentle,yet possessive and such an alphahole. I k new what the tropes were going into this, but it felt like i was waiting a bit longer than usual, as Deacon seemed to really care for Freya and did right by her. But when that spice hit, it packed a punch. And it was GLORIOUS! 😍❤️
I usually have an issue with the FMCs Edwards writes, but I loved Freya. I wanted to hug her, and protect her.. she was such an interesting character. My heart broke for all of them but Bittern (her stepbrother) just stuck with me. He tried his best to protect Freya and he was just numbing his own demons.
I was gripped by this book, I didn't want to put it down. I loved this one. It had its moments of being slow, but it has enough going on to keep you engaged throughout.
🖤age gap (h 22/H 40)
🖤kinks galore
🖤touch her and you 💀
🖤stepdad's rival
🖤tattooed cowboy MMC
🖤bug enthusiast FMC
“I can be a gentle beast for her, but not for the rest of the world."
I am so excited for Jensen's book!! He seems like such an interesting character. But what I really, REALLY want is Jack's book! 🙏
Triggers:
⚠️ Murder & violence (graphic, on page)
⚠️ Mentions of rape (no actual rape)
⚠️ Mentions of grooming/underage (not on page)
⚠️ Verbal abuse
⚠️ Slut shaming & misogyny
⚠️ Pregnancy (& worries about the loss of the fetus, labor/delivery)
Im so fucking easy, give me a hot man that works with horses and is instantly obsessed with the FMC and I’m sold.
I felt so bad for Freya. Life gave her the worst cards without a single reason. And Deacon too, the start of his life was rough and not what any child should live like.
<b>“Yeah, how’s it feel to be a little bitch?”</b>
Deacon was unintentionally funny. That man said “no tracker on her phone cause it’s invasive…but I’m going to clone it so I can see her texts and stuff :)”
When the spice hit I was not expecting Freya to be so hot but I was happy. It was also a lot sad to see how words stuck to her and tainted a part of life that’s not only natural but healthy. It was so especial to see her reclaiming that hurtful word with Deacon’s help.
He was rough but caring and sweet. He listened and payed attention to all the things that made Freya happy. He plotted and schemed to get her and worked to keep her.
I need him to go see a doctor about his nose because it probably would be better off having some steel in it…
<b>"Why put flowers in my hair?" she whispers.
"Because I'm about to give you the most disrespectful fucking you've ever had, and I want you to feel beautiful for it,"</b>
Freya was too nice for her own good sometimes. She was naive and scared, wanting to break the cycle but not knowing how. The moment she met Deacon she saw a new path, but fear still held her back. The BDSM dynamic helper not only him, but also Freya, giving her the opportunity to let control and fear go and lay her trust on Deacon’s feet. I liked how open and willing she was once she trusted, and that trust was strong. She believed in Deacon and his feelings for her wholeheartedly.
<b>“I always feel loved now. That has changed me, fundamentally rewiring my brain, healing my heart.”</b>
It annoyed me a little how naive and ignorant Freya was in terms of “leaving” her stepfather and what he was plotting for her and the land. She kept comparing Deacon to her stepfather and while they appeared similar it was unfair once she got to know Deacon.
<b>"Mind if I borrow that pussy for a minute?" he says, kissing up my neck.
"It's all yours, daddy,"</b>
Around the 64% mark it’s when it felt a little slow. Like the pace was dragging and the same loop of things kept happening with minimal changes. I wanted to shake Freya so she would stop being scared because as much as I understood her train of thoughts, it was frustrating. But then it picked up again and they connected deeper and opened up to each other.
The solution for the easement came to me at like 79% because I’m a genius (jk I was ruminating about the little tidbits of info we got from the beginning and boom idea) And then turns out I was wrong. (You can laugh at my delusional detective skills)
And after meeting Sovereign and Westin I’m DEFINITELY going back to read about them.
Thank you to The author agency and Raya for the e-arc!!
I felt so bad for Freya. Life gave her the worst cards without a single reason. And Deacon too, the start of his life was rough and not what any child should live like.
<b>“Yeah, how’s it feel to be a little bitch?”</b>
Deacon was unintentionally funny. That man said “no tracker on her phone cause it’s invasive…but I’m going to clone it so I can see her texts and stuff :)”
When the spice hit I was not expecting Freya to be so hot but I was happy. It was also a lot sad to see how words stuck to her and tainted a part of life that’s not only natural but healthy. It was so especial to see her reclaiming that hurtful word with Deacon’s help.
He was rough but caring and sweet. He listened and payed attention to all the things that made Freya happy. He plotted and schemed to get her and worked to keep her.
I need him to go see a doctor about his nose because it probably would be better off having some steel in it…
<b>"Why put flowers in my hair?" she whispers.
"Because I'm about to give you the most disrespectful fucking you've ever had, and I want you to feel beautiful for it,"</b>
Freya was too nice for her own good sometimes. She was naive and scared, wanting to break the cycle but not knowing how. The moment she met Deacon she saw a new path, but fear still held her back. The BDSM dynamic helper not only him, but also Freya, giving her the opportunity to let control and fear go and lay her trust on Deacon’s feet. I liked how open and willing she was once she trusted, and that trust was strong. She believed in Deacon and his feelings for her wholeheartedly.
<b>“I always feel loved now. That has changed me, fundamentally rewiring my brain, healing my heart.”</b>
It annoyed me a little how naive and ignorant Freya was in terms of “leaving” her stepfather and what he was plotting for her and the land. She kept comparing Deacon to her stepfather and while they appeared similar it was unfair once she got to know Deacon.
<b>"Mind if I borrow that pussy for a minute?" he says, kissing up my neck.
"It's all yours, daddy,"</b>
Around the 64% mark it’s when it felt a little slow. Like the pace was dragging and the same loop of things kept happening with minimal changes. I wanted to shake Freya so she would stop being scared because as much as I understood her train of thoughts, it was frustrating. But then it picked up again and they connected deeper and opened up to each other.
The solution for the easement came to me at like 79% because I’m a genius (jk I was ruminating about the little tidbits of info we got from the beginning and boom idea) And then turns out I was wrong. (You can laugh at my delusional detective skills)
And after meeting Sovereign and Westin I’m DEFINITELY going back to read about them.
Thank you to The author agency and Raya for the e-arc!!
dark
fast-paced
Basically, take Yellowstone and make it romance. We've moved a bit beyond morally gray with this series, and we're leaning into morally charcoal MMCs.
I've enjoyed all the Sovereign Mountain books so far, but this one took the cake. While you learn a little about Deacon in the earlier books, I feel like it was barely the tip of the iceberg. As always, note these books are dark and heavily get into some darker themes, but who doesn't enjoy a little kidnapping by a MMC. I loved how this book flowed seamlessly in with the others since parts have a bit of overlap with the other stories. This one had some darker themes going on and the side characters had a lot of trauma too but it was all really well handled and I was happy with how it all came together in the end.
"You kidnapped me," She hisses. I take a beat. She's not wrong, but in my mind, I'd framed it as more of a heist. Or a stagecoach robbery.
I am so happy I got to read this one early thanks to Raya Morris Edwards and The Author Agency.
I've enjoyed all the Sovereign Mountain books so far, but this one took the cake. While you learn a little about Deacon in the earlier books, I feel like it was barely the tip of the iceberg. As always, note these books are dark and heavily get into some darker themes, but who doesn't enjoy a little kidnapping by a MMC. I loved how this book flowed seamlessly in with the others since parts have a bit of overlap with the other stories. This one had some darker themes going on and the side characters had a lot of trauma too but it was all really well handled and I was happy with how it all came together in the end.
"You kidnapped me," She hisses. I take a beat. She's not wrong, but in my mind, I'd framed it as more of a heist. Or a stagecoach robbery.
I am so happy I got to read this one early thanks to Raya Morris Edwards and The Author Agency.