Reviews

Falling for the Villain by Rachel Van Dyken, M. Robinson

tj_darkreads's review

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5.0

As soon as I saw that these ladies were releasing the 2nd book I freaking didn't even care if it was their grocery list or whatever it was, because I knew these ladies were going to give us a helluva story and damn if they did not disappoint.

This book was all kinds of dark deliciousness and yes there are triggers for those of you who have them, but then if you need a trigger warning this book isn't for you. This picks up where Juliet has been taken by Donovan who is all kinds of dangerous sex appeal on a stick. That's all I'm going to say you'll just have to read it to find out why and what he has planned for her and boy I did not see those secrets being revealed

beckyrendon's review

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5.0

I had no expectations for what was coming. M. Robinson and Rachel Van Dyken blew me away with Romeo's tale. So I couldn't even imagine where this would lead and let me tell you, even if I could have, I would have been so wrong. Yet, it is so right!

Only something so wrong, can be so right! Master is more than a villain. He's more than her captor. Master is everything. One twisted day after another, Master will pull you in...tie your insides up...and confuse your basest self. You will long, need, a d crave everything he does and does not give you.

And in the end, you won't remember life before him...Or is it the beginning...


If you like dark, you are going to devour this book. If you're on the edge of everything you've ever read, know these authors will consume your to be read list. Once you go down this rabbit hole, you'll only ask why it took so long to find it.

Best of luck...and say hi to Master for me!

bookboyfriendandhusbandmake3's review

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4.0

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book with this level of hotness, Donavan isn’t like other book boyfriends that straddle the line of dominant, he lives, breathes, and oozes dominance from the depths of him and it was all sorts of deviously dark deliciousness.

Juliet was fiery and stubborn, but there was also a side of her that seemed settled by being able to let someone else take control.

Donavan was a level of alpha-hole I haven’t come across in a long time. He oozed alphaness like it was air, and had zero phux to give when it came to how he finally had his hands on the woman who had captivated him at first sight.

Donavan and Juliet had sizzling chemistry the moment they met, and with every interaction that sizzle evolves into a forest fire of soul searing chemistry.

I loved diving back into this world that RVD and M. Robinson created, and the extra level of darkness in this was exactly what I didn’t know I needed.

I loved seeing Juliet’s stubborn side as much as I adored the other sides of her, a gentle reminder inside the pages that we don’t have to be one thing or another, and nobody can decide that but you.

Juliet and Donavan had this palpable physical awareness for one another, but there was also a feeling that there was much more than that between them. There were little bits sprinkled on the pages that make your head spin trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

An all-consuming, extra steamy, dark mafia romance by 2 of my favorite authors was exactly what I needed today.

An exhilarating blend of soul searing chemistry, an anti-hero that oozes dominance, a sassy heroine, a threatening presence that will give you chills, heart fluttering, feels, and steam that will undoubtedly heat up your kindle.




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gecagayo's review

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4.0

Ever since I’ve read the Mafia Royals series, I’ve been a fan of Rachel Van Dyken. I was curious about her new book with M. Robinson because it seemed different from the ones she had written before.

I may be into dark romance but this was darker than anything I’ve read before. This is a story about Juliet, Mafia princess to the Sinacore family, and Donovan, the villain captor. I have to admit their initial encounters during Juliet’s captivity made me uncomfortable. This is a Stockholm Syndrome novel. It’s dark and disturbing, definitely not for the faint of heart.

M. Robinson and Rachel Van Dyken did a great job in creating the villain character Donovan. I thought I wasn’t going to like Donovan at all, but with the way they wrote his redemption story, they managed to make me fall for someone I probably shouldn’t.

Another thing I loved about this book was how it incorporated classical music into the story. The authors painted such beautiful scenes using classical music that it made me download those songs in my Spotify playlist. They did a fantastic job choosing such beautiful classical pieces - it was the perfect soundtrack for setting the mood while reading the book.

Overall, the redemption story of Donovan was beautifully written. It’s definitely not for people sensitive to sadistic urges. But if you have no triggers and you are looking for a dark dark romance, then you should read this book.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

nicki_theoverflowingbookcase's review

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5.0

Perfectly written dark, oh so dark psychological trap that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat and in the end will wonder what is right and what is wrong. And if it is wrong - then they will want to be so very wrong. Unlike the normal angsty romance that M. Robinson and Rachel Van Dyken are known for, the duo has taken their level of heat, their level of danger and level of taboo to a new level that took this book to way above epic level. The warning at the beginning should NOT be taken lightly. Donovan and Juliet will remain a favorite couple for a very long time.

bookishproblems's review

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3.0

Let me start this off by saying you should not go into this one looking for a hero, redemption of any kind, or a sweet love story. This is not that. There are some parts that are hard to get through with the overall concept of the story being about Stockholm Syndrome and a "sex-slave trainer."

Donovan is the master and Juliet is his pet. While he may think that many of the things he's doing is for her own good, he has also been obsessed with her for quite some time and decides to kidnap her. Their pasts are more intertwined than we know and some revelations towards the end cause some twists. Although Donovan is incredibly psycho and manipulative he can be oddly sweet and caring. He suffered horrible trauma as a kid that definitely shaped him into who he is today, but at the end of the day you have to own your actions - which he does. Even with the odds against this unique couple, they fall in love.

It's crazy to think how the human mind can change and adapt to situations depending on the need for survival. Juliet suffers through a lot in this book, but I couldn't really connect with her character as much as I would have liked.

kfriend's review

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3.0

<3.5 stars>

I love nothing more than seeing authors taking risks with their writing- giving us a story we don’t expect from them. And, this was just that- something unexpected, and in some ways that really paid off, but unfortunately more so in ways that didn’t- at least for me. As you can see from the copious 5-star reaction to this story- there is a lot to appreciate and many readers will enjoy it, so I hope you still give it a try. And, there were certainly parts I admired.

But for me, I felt like the actual story telling was missing. This book reads more like vignette- small windows into a coupling, primarily physical, that certainly tintilates and inspires curiosity, but ultimately felt incomplete. And, felt like a missed opportunity to showcase the many strengths of these two veteran story tellers- their ability to build substantial and complicated emotional chemistry as well as their brilliance when it comes to weaving intricate, suspenseful, and unpredictable plots.

Some of this comes down to the narrative structure. I’ll be the first to admit that the master-slave trope isn’t my favorite, but what I do find fascinating about it is how the characters psychologically evolve and break each other, how the dynamics build over time and how power shifts back and forth when feelings evolve. The trope relies on a lot of cause and effect- the little actions and moments that construct the relationship dynamic and the psychological impact that has on the characters. Only here- we get the effect, without really getting to immerse ourselves in the evolution. The choppy time hops not only make the story feel disjointed in places, but it also means we miss out on what makes the master-pet story the most interesting. It’s like the story wants to reap the rewards of this kind of dark story-telling without exploring the dynamics that got it there- or at the very least, it glosses it over.

From there, again, we have mostly these physical vignettes. I’m never going to say a book is too sexy, but I will say this book relies heavily on the sex scenes to create character connection, and not much else. Which is a fine artistic choice, and a meaningful point of view, just not what I am used to with these authors, and I prefer a bit more emotional chemistry. I felt like we never really got to know these characters outside of their pet-master dynamic, minus some brief glimmers into their past that shape their actions- and not until the end of the story. I just wanted a bit more emotional and character complexity for me to truly feel their connection- it more so read like a novella in terms of character and plot.

Once we got into some more externalized action in the ending, and tied into the prior book, I found myself more invested- and I did appreciate the relational components at the end. Not to mention we get some of the twist, unexpected story telling that makes these two so dynamic. The writing style itself is well done, and like I mentioned, this book is sexy AF- IF you don’t have triggers or are into master-pet steam.

I respect these authors and have no doubt about their skills as creators- and because the writing was strong and I admire authors going outside of their boxes, I’m going with 3.5- even if this was a big miss for me. And, again, I seem to be in the minority on this- so pick it up and decide for yourself.

nttl's review

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2.0

2.5/5 stars

eden317's review

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2.0

2.5/5 stars