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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Thank you to Raya Morris Edwards & The Author Agency for trusting me with this ARC.
This book sucked me in relatively early and made me stay up way too late reading it. The writing was very poetic and I found the characters really relatable. Bittern stole the show for me though I loved Deacon's foul mouth and Freya's little quirks as well.
Favorite Quotes (subject to change in final copy):
"The world has made it clear that sex will change me, but men, they reincarnate themselves before the bed is cold. Sin doesn't stick to them, somehow."
"Alone is my favorite place. Quiet is my favorite sound."
"There's nothing poetic about loneliness. It just fucking hurts."
"That doesn't go away. I can give her safety for the rest of her life, but she'll still always cringe inside every time she messes up, expecting to be abused."
*Trigger warning list may include information that could be considered a spoiler to some.*
Characters:
MMC: Deacon Ryder, 40
FMC: Freya Hatfield, 22
Nicknames: Sweetheart, Girl
Children: Slate (5) & Gage (toddler) in epilogue
Pets: Dogs named Stu & Chicken, Horses with very long names; no animals harmed
POV: Alternating first person
Pace: Medium
Type: Third in a series of standalones
Tropes:
📚 Dark Romance
📚 Cowboy
📚 Woman in Peril
📚 Age Gap
📚 Kidnapping
📚 Stalker
📚 Tattooed MMC
📚 Morally Grey MMC
📚 Man Obsessed
📚 Touch Her & Die
📚 Caretaker MMC
📚 Rich MMC
📚 Stepdad's Enemy
Spice:
🌶 Daddy kink (& a few "sir"s)
🌶 Inexperienced FMC
🌶 SO MUCH 🐱 eating (he's a MUNCH)
🌶 BDSM & Dom/Sub dynamics
🌶 Bondage (including a 🍑 hook scene, spreader bar, suspension & a chastity belt)
🌶 🍑 fingering & sex
🌶 Light spanking (🍑 & 🍒)
🌶 "Wear the Hat" implication
🌶 Subspace
🌶 Pierced MMC
🌶 Praise & Degradation in equal measure
🌶 Blowjobs
🌶 Rough sex
🌶 🐱 fingering
🌶 Pain kink
🌶 Object insertion
🌶 Squirting
🌶 💦 play
🌶 Spitting
🌶 💦 in pants
🌶 Breeding kink
🌶 🍆 warming
🌶 Biting
🌶 "Crawl to me"
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)
⚠️ Dead bugs (like... a lot of em)
This book sucked me in relatively early and made me stay up way too late reading it. The writing was very poetic and I found the characters really relatable. Bittern stole the show for me though I loved Deacon's foul mouth and Freya's little quirks as well.
Favorite Quotes (subject to change in final copy):
"The world has made it clear that sex will change me, but men, they reincarnate themselves before the bed is cold. Sin doesn't stick to them, somehow."
"Alone is my favorite place. Quiet is my favorite sound."
"There's nothing poetic about loneliness. It just fucking hurts."
"That doesn't go away. I can give her safety for the rest of her life, but she'll still always cringe inside every time she messes up, expecting to be abused."
*Trigger warning list may include information that could be considered a spoiler to some.*
Characters:
MMC: Deacon Ryder, 40
FMC: Freya Hatfield, 22
Nicknames: Sweetheart, Girl
Children: Slate (5) & Gage (toddler) in epilogue
Pets: Dogs named Stu & Chicken, Horses with very long names; no animals harmed
POV: Alternating first person
Pace: Medium
Type: Third in a series of standalones
Tropes:
📚 Dark Romance
📚 Cowboy
📚 Woman in Peril
📚 Age Gap
📚 Kidnapping
📚 Stalker
📚 Tattooed MMC
📚 Morally Grey MMC
📚 Man Obsessed
📚 Touch Her & Die
📚 Caretaker MMC
📚 Rich MMC
📚 Stepdad's Enemy
Spice:
🌶 Daddy kink (& a few "sir"s)
🌶 Inexperienced FMC
🌶 SO MUCH 🐱 eating (he's a MUNCH)
🌶 BDSM & Dom/Sub dynamics
🌶 Bondage (including a 🍑 hook scene, spreader bar, suspension & a chastity belt)
🌶 🍑 fingering & sex
🌶 Light spanking (🍑 & 🍒)
🌶 "Wear the Hat" implication
🌶 Subspace
🌶 Pierced MMC
🌶 Praise & Degradation in equal measure
🌶 Blowjobs
🌶 Rough sex
🌶 🐱 fingering
🌶 Pain kink
🌶 Object insertion
🌶 Squirting
🌶 💦 play
🌶 Spitting
🌶 💦 in pants
🌶 Breeding kink
🌶 🍆 warming
🌶 Biting
🌶 "Crawl to me"
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)
⚠️ Dead bugs (like... a lot of em)
dark
funny
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:
No
Rating: 5/5 stars
Spice:4.5/5
I am obsessed!! Words can't explain how much I loved this story, Deacon and Freya own my heart.
Deacon is a man I didn't know I needed, he was such a mystery in Weston that I wanted his story more and more. His background explains how he is the way he is and why he took his protectiveness so seriously when it came to Freya. His loyalty to her after just seeing her once was unstoppable. I love a slightly unhinged psychic man and Deacon was just that.
Freya is that girl, seeing her slowly become confident with the help of Deacon was everything. Despite all the trauma she went through, she allowed Deacon to be someone she could count on.
I cannot wait for Jenson story, I've been in love with him since the first time he was mention.
If you like these tropes I highly recommend picking this up
-Touch her and die
-Daddy kink
-BDSM
-Age gap
-Stalking
Thank you Raya for the ARC
Spice:4.5/5
I am obsessed!! Words can't explain how much I loved this story, Deacon and Freya own my heart.
Deacon is a man I didn't know I needed, he was such a mystery in Weston that I wanted his story more and more. His background explains how he is the way he is and why he took his protectiveness so seriously when it came to Freya. His loyalty to her after just seeing her once was unstoppable. I love a slightly unhinged psychic man and Deacon was just that.
Freya is that girl, seeing her slowly become confident with the help of Deacon was everything. Despite all the trauma she went through, she allowed Deacon to be someone she could count on.
I cannot wait for Jenson story, I've been in love with him since the first time he was mention.
If you like these tropes I highly recommend picking this up
-Touch her and die
-Daddy kink
-BDSM
-Age gap
-Stalking
Thank you Raya for the ARC
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
I haven’t read the first 2 in this series (yet) and had no problem reading this as a standalone!
Holy, breaking the cycle of generational trauma! Freya’s story is so sad, but the way she blossoms halfway through the book is just beautiful. She really starts to build up her confidence, and her trust in others. Her relationship with her step brother Bittern is also so sweet and sad. I wish I had another few pins for her stepfather (iykyk) he was a mean man.
Deacons past is also tragic. But he was mostly adjusted and ready to settle down.
Deacon is a beautiful balance of completely unhinged, and an utterly obsessed, protective love sick fool.
I was sad, happy, turned on, and worried sometimes all at once.
Freya comes from a mentally and emotionally abusive upbringing. She's trying her hardest to find an ounce of freedom from the roof she lives under, and to break the cycle of the women that came before her. Deacon is a man obsessed the moment he lays eyes on her, and will scheme in any way to make her his. She doesn't have a choice in falling for Deacon, despite the fact that from the outside he seems like the father that makes her life a living hell each and every day. With both men at odds, she's stuck trying to figure out how to survive the aftermath.
*****
I loved this one. It had its moments of being slow, but it has enough going on to keep you engaged throughout. There are times when a scene seems to be going in one direction, only for it to stop and change course. It was occasionally confusing and a bit choppy as it drew the momentum in a completely different direction and caused those scenes to slow down, but there was so much going on that it still kept me burning through this well into the night.
I enjoyed Freya's character, although I wouldn't call her a strong female lead. She's a broken lead who's surviving day by day, by taking it laying down and trying to be invisible. When we finally see her standing up for herself it's in the very last moments and with the knowledge that she has a man who can support her through it. She's more of a broken lead that's led through her trauma to feel safe, so if you're looking for a badass, she's not your girl.
Deacon is unhinged and morally black. He's obsessed, possessive and controlling - with the intent for Freya to find happiness. Does that mean he crosses several lines, manipulates her and forces her hand? Hell yeah. Knowing that he's a messed up man who will do anything to have her, and not someone you're necessarily supposed to cheer for, will make the spicy scenes hit just right. If you're not into BDSM, this one won't be for you. If you are? buckle up because this is the perfect level of spice, dominance and kinks to fly through it.
Overall this is a great spicy dark cowboy romance, with a sweet HEA that ties everything up nicely.
*****
Thank you to The Author Agency for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
*****
I loved this one. It had its moments of being slow, but it has enough going on to keep you engaged throughout. There are times when a scene seems to be going in one direction, only for it to stop and change course. It was occasionally confusing and a bit choppy as it drew the momentum in a completely different direction and caused those scenes to slow down, but there was so much going on that it still kept me burning through this well into the night.
I enjoyed Freya's character, although I wouldn't call her a strong female lead. She's a broken lead who's surviving day by day, by taking it laying down and trying to be invisible. When we finally see her standing up for herself it's in the very last moments and with the knowledge that she has a man who can support her through it. She's more of a broken lead that's led through her trauma to feel safe, so if you're looking for a badass, she's not your girl.
Deacon is unhinged and morally black. He's obsessed, possessive and controlling - with the intent for Freya to find happiness. Does that mean he crosses several lines, manipulates her and forces her hand? Hell yeah. Knowing that he's a messed up man who will do anything to have her, and not someone you're necessarily supposed to cheer for, will make the spicy scenes hit just right. If you're not into BDSM, this one won't be for you. If you are? buckle up because this is the perfect level of spice, dominance and kinks to fly through it.
Overall this is a great spicy dark cowboy romance, with a sweet HEA that ties everything up nicely.
*****
Thank you to The Author Agency for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
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 Read #16📚
5⭐️🙌🏼
5🌶🙌🏼
📖 Deacon by Raya Morris Edwards : for everybody who prefers their cowboys a little wild!
“You’d better pray Deacon Ryder can really f*cking fight."
‼️ Y'all this freaking book had me melting thru the entire dang thing! To say Deacon Ryder is the ultimate package is an understatement 🥵🥵🥵 holy hell I ate this book up! I have loved every book of the Sovereign Mountain Series but Deacons book 🤌🤌🤌‼️
And I mean how can you not already fall for a book when this is the dedication "This book is for everyone who wants a tatted up, unhinged cowboy daddy with a special piercing. Deacon is for you."
■Dark Cowboy
■Small Town
■Age Gap
■BDSM
■St@lking
■Step-dad's Rival
■Tattooed + pierced cowboy
■Daddy Kink
➡️Deacon is here April 11th⬅️
⚠️Please check content warnings as this book contains heavy themes and content that may be upsetting.⚠️
Deacon can be read as the 3rd book in the Sovereign Mountain Series or as a standalone. I HIGHLY SUGGEST READING THEM ALL 🤌🥵🤌
5⭐️🙌🏼
5🌶🙌🏼
📖 Deacon by Raya Morris Edwards : for everybody who prefers their cowboys a little wild!
“You’d better pray Deacon Ryder can really f*cking fight."
‼️ Y'all this freaking book had me melting thru the entire dang thing! To say Deacon Ryder is the ultimate package is an understatement 🥵🥵🥵 holy hell I ate this book up! I have loved every book of the Sovereign Mountain Series but Deacons book 🤌🤌🤌‼️
And I mean how can you not already fall for a book when this is the dedication "This book is for everyone who wants a tatted up, unhinged cowboy daddy with a special piercing. Deacon is for you."
■Dark Cowboy
■Small Town
■Age Gap
■BDSM
■St@lking
■Step-dad's Rival
■Tattooed + pierced cowboy
■Daddy Kink
➡️Deacon is here April 11th⬅️
⚠️Please check content warnings as this book contains heavy themes and content that may be upsetting.⚠️
Deacon can be read as the 3rd book in the Sovereign Mountain Series or as a standalone. I HIGHLY SUGGEST READING THEM ALL 🤌🥵🤌
🤠Dark Cowboy Romance
🖤Tattooed + pierced cowboy
🤠Age Gap
🖤Step-dad’s Rival
🤠BDSM
🖤Dubcon
🤠Stalking
🖤Kidnapping
🤠Small Town
Star: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
In Deacon, Raya Morris Edwards delivers another gripping and emotionally raw instalment in The Sovereign Mountain Series—a story of obsession, redemption, and the fierce pull of love where it’s least expected.
At the centre of the storm is Freya Hatfield, a young woman who’s spent her life dodging the shadows cast by men like her stepfather Aiden—brutal, controlling, and capable of leaving emotional scars that never truly fade. When she escapes to rural Montana, the last thing she expects is to find herself drawn to someone eerily similar on the surface… yet dangerously different underneath.
Deacon Ryder is the very picture of a brooding anti-hero—older, inked, and carved out of pain and grit. But Raya Morris Edwards has a way of peeling back the rough exterior to reveal a tender, deeply complex man whose protectiveness walks the line between devotion and obsession. What makes this novel stand out is how it challenges the reader's preconceptions about dominance and desire, crafting a relationship that’s as emotionally tangled as it is steamy.
The chemistry between Freya and Deacon is palpable—explosive, even—but it’s the underlying emotional stakes that really punch you in the gut. Their story isn’t just about lust or power; it’s about healing from generational trauma, learning to trust what feels dangerous, and choosing love even when it's complicated.
When Aiden re-enters the picture and a power struggle unfolds, the stakes climb sharply. Freya’s arc—her fight for autonomy, her slow reckoning with what love can really look like—is powerful and well-earned. Edwards doesn’t shy away from the darker corners of desire, but she also infuses the narrative with just enough hope, making the eventual emotional payoff feel richly deserved.
Deacon is more than a romance—it’s a moody, atmospheric dive into the ways people hurt and heal, wrapped in sharp dialogue, slow-burn tension, and the haunting beauty of the Montana wilderness. Fans of dark romance with depth will find this one hard to forget.
Content warnings: Mentions of emotional abuse, obsession, and controlling behaviours—handled with nuance but still emotionally intense.
🖤Tattooed + pierced cowboy
🤠Age Gap
🖤Step-dad’s Rival
🤠BDSM
🖤Dubcon
🤠Stalking
🖤Kidnapping
🤠Small Town
Star: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
In Deacon, Raya Morris Edwards delivers another gripping and emotionally raw instalment in The Sovereign Mountain Series—a story of obsession, redemption, and the fierce pull of love where it’s least expected.
At the centre of the storm is Freya Hatfield, a young woman who’s spent her life dodging the shadows cast by men like her stepfather Aiden—brutal, controlling, and capable of leaving emotional scars that never truly fade. When she escapes to rural Montana, the last thing she expects is to find herself drawn to someone eerily similar on the surface… yet dangerously different underneath.
Deacon Ryder is the very picture of a brooding anti-hero—older, inked, and carved out of pain and grit. But Raya Morris Edwards has a way of peeling back the rough exterior to reveal a tender, deeply complex man whose protectiveness walks the line between devotion and obsession. What makes this novel stand out is how it challenges the reader's preconceptions about dominance and desire, crafting a relationship that’s as emotionally tangled as it is steamy.
The chemistry between Freya and Deacon is palpable—explosive, even—but it’s the underlying emotional stakes that really punch you in the gut. Their story isn’t just about lust or power; it’s about healing from generational trauma, learning to trust what feels dangerous, and choosing love even when it's complicated.
When Aiden re-enters the picture and a power struggle unfolds, the stakes climb sharply. Freya’s arc—her fight for autonomy, her slow reckoning with what love can really look like—is powerful and well-earned. Edwards doesn’t shy away from the darker corners of desire, but she also infuses the narrative with just enough hope, making the eventual emotional payoff feel richly deserved.
Deacon is more than a romance—it’s a moody, atmospheric dive into the ways people hurt and heal, wrapped in sharp dialogue, slow-burn tension, and the haunting beauty of the Montana wilderness. Fans of dark romance with depth will find this one hard to forget.
Content warnings: Mentions of emotional abuse, obsession, and controlling behaviours—handled with nuance but still emotionally intense.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
-age gap
-stalker
-pierced peen
-pushes it back in
-there’s some spitting
-breeding
Sovereign Mountain. Ryder Ranch. Deacon. Oh…. Deacon. He sees Freya once, and knows she is his. The things this man does for her.
I may have screamed a little, laughed a little, clutched my pearls a little, and even cried a little.
This was amazing. I loved every minute of it. I can’t wait to see what Jensen is going to be like. This series has me in a hold, and I just love it.
4.25⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
The smut is smutting with Daddy Deacon.
Good girl Freya has lived a sheltered life and god, does she find herself a man who wants to own her, care for her and eat her like she’s his last meal!
This book was definitely smut heavy, but also had a good amount of plot to keep you engaged.
Thank you Raya for the opportunity to receive this as an ARC!
Thank you to the author agency for this ARC!
Deacon is a morally grey cowboy. He had a rough childhood and is rough around the edges. When he sees Freya Hatfield, working at a local bakery, he has to have her! He begins following her and getting to know her from afar.
Freya lives with her step brothers and stepfather. They’ve moved from Kentucky to Montana. She’s inexperienced, but has lived in a bad situation her whole life. Her stepfather is controlling.
When Deacon begins coming to her rescue, Freya lets him take control. He makes her feel good and desired. She knows he’s not a good man, but he would never hurt her. They begin a Dom/sub relationship and have to hide around her family. When Aiden finds out, Deacon has to take care of his love and his land!
I’ve really enjoyed this series of dark cowboys!!
Deacon is a morally grey cowboy. He had a rough childhood and is rough around the edges. When he sees Freya Hatfield, working at a local bakery, he has to have her! He begins following her and getting to know her from afar.
Freya lives with her step brothers and stepfather. They’ve moved from Kentucky to Montana. She’s inexperienced, but has lived in a bad situation her whole life. Her stepfather is controlling.
When Deacon begins coming to her rescue, Freya lets him take control. He makes her feel good and desired. She knows he’s not a good man, but he would never hurt her. They begin a Dom/sub relationship and have to hide around her family. When Aiden finds out, Deacon has to take care of his love and his land!
I’ve really enjoyed this series of dark cowboys!!
ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is the 3rd book in the Sovereign Mountain series. And I tell yall it was a wild ride. Deacon Ryder has always been a misfit cowboy living in the dark. That is until he sees Freya Hatfield. The girl with sad eyes who seems to lighten up his life. He needs her, but he doesn't want to come on too strong. He becomes obsessed from the get-go, and he will protect her no matter what. They both suffered in their pasts, so they are afraid to let go. Whenever they finally give in its fireworks. This book has some dark elements and thriller aspects. It's killed or be killed, and Deacon delivers. I really loved it. If you want some unhinged cowboys, then this series is where it's at.
"She’s patient, she’s kind. She’s everything I’m not. And that makes me want her more."
"His presence is coal on fire, black as night and hot as the sun."
"I love her enough to hold her pain forever, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get some good, old-fashioned revenge for it."
“Mind if I borrow that pussy for a minute?”
“You don’t have to thank me, sweetheart,” he says. “Just love me.”
"She feels like something I’m too rough to own but too far gone to give up."
This is the 3rd book in the Sovereign Mountain series. And I tell yall it was a wild ride. Deacon Ryder has always been a misfit cowboy living in the dark. That is until he sees Freya Hatfield. The girl with sad eyes who seems to lighten up his life. He needs her, but he doesn't want to come on too strong. He becomes obsessed from the get-go, and he will protect her no matter what. They both suffered in their pasts, so they are afraid to let go. Whenever they finally give in its fireworks. This book has some dark elements and thriller aspects. It's killed or be killed, and Deacon delivers. I really loved it. If you want some unhinged cowboys, then this series is where it's at.
"She’s patient, she’s kind. She’s everything I’m not. And that makes me want her more."
"His presence is coal on fire, black as night and hot as the sun."
"I love her enough to hold her pain forever, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get some good, old-fashioned revenge for it."
“Mind if I borrow that pussy for a minute?”
“You don’t have to thank me, sweetheart,” he says. “Just love me.”
"She feels like something I’m too rough to own but too far gone to give up."