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stayyreading's review against another edition
4.0
**ONLY READ FOR ASH CITY BY PENELOPE DOUGLAS**
I will literally read anything by Penelope Douglas and this too short story was so good but wish it was a full length novel. I want more of Ash & Castel ❤️
I will literally read anything by Penelope Douglas and this too short story was so good but wish it was a full length novel. I want more of Ash & Castel ❤️
maddyrdz13's review against another edition
4.0
Holy crap I read Penelope's short story and that was amazing. I loved it so much. I want it to be a full length book it was that good. I absolutely loved the plot and there was a spice scene too that was very very good. Just finished Cutthroat and holy crap that was a wild ride too. killing out of possessiveness... kinky. wish that their last chapter was like pen's where we kinda got to see them in the future the short story is left up to your imagination sorta so beware.
nancyjreads's review against another edition
Honestly I only read Pen’s Ash City because…. QUEEN! And she did not disappoint.
It’s about 65 pages long but loved every page. I just wished it was longer!! My rating is for this novella only.
It’s about 65 pages long but loved every page. I just wished it was longer!! My rating is for this novella only.
megwoman25's review against another edition
5.0
MM/MF Dark Romance Anthology
4 MM/ 12 MF
Scouts
***Warnings*** Some of these stories are DARK. If you have triggers, this probably isn’t for you.
Boy Scout
noun
*a member of an organization for boys ages 11 to 17
*Boy Scouts participate in group activities, learn skills, and are encouraged to have good morals and be good citizens.
All of the stories in this anthology are about Eagle Scouts, the badge they were given and how they applied it to their adult lives. All the scouts are depraved in general but especially when it comes to applying their badge knowledge in the real world. They do NOT have good morals, are NOT good citizens and most of them are certifiably crazy. I LOVED it.
I finished this book in early December yet some of these stories are so fresh in my mind, it’s like I read this yesterday. Some of the romances, while dark, were full of depraved humor like the first story, Cutthroat by Natasha Preston. I was both appalled and couldn’t stop laughing at the absurdity of the main character, Zeke, and his obsession with Nora Vanderbilt.
I liked every story with the exception of ONE. Carnal Value by Shane Starrett had me cringing at what the women go through in this story. It was hard to read because of all the non-con. I skimmed the majority of it.
My favorite reads were:
*Ash City By Penelope Douglas. I’ve wanted to read a book by this author for awhile and this was a fabulous intro to her style of writing. The badge was fire building.
* Fertile Ground By Jennifer Bene. This story was about the main character’s gardening badge and was super twisted. It actually reminded me of a short story I read in the Stalkers Anthology earlier in the year. I wouldn’t call this romance per say yet it was everything I look for in a good dark read.
I also liked all the MM ones especially Archer’s Release by Kamisa Cole and Andi Jaxson’s Corruption because they were full with kink related to the badges they obtained. Archery & Horses.
This was a great dark read. I loved it.
4 MM/ 12 MF
Scouts
***Warnings*** Some of these stories are DARK. If you have triggers, this probably isn’t for you.
Boy Scout
noun
*a member of an organization for boys ages 11 to 17
*Boy Scouts participate in group activities, learn skills, and are encouraged to have good morals and be good citizens.
All of the stories in this anthology are about Eagle Scouts, the badge they were given and how they applied it to their adult lives. All the scouts are depraved in general but especially when it comes to applying their badge knowledge in the real world. They do NOT have good morals, are NOT good citizens and most of them are certifiably crazy. I LOVED it.
I finished this book in early December yet some of these stories are so fresh in my mind, it’s like I read this yesterday. Some of the romances, while dark, were full of depraved humor like the first story, Cutthroat by Natasha Preston. I was both appalled and couldn’t stop laughing at the absurdity of the main character, Zeke, and his obsession with Nora Vanderbilt.
I liked every story with the exception of ONE. Carnal Value by Shane Starrett had me cringing at what the women go through in this story. It was hard to read because of all the non-con. I skimmed the majority of it.
My favorite reads were:
*Ash City By Penelope Douglas. I’ve wanted to read a book by this author for awhile and this was a fabulous intro to her style of writing. The badge was fire building.
* Fertile Ground By Jennifer Bene. This story was about the main character’s gardening badge and was super twisted. It actually reminded me of a short story I read in the Stalkers Anthology earlier in the year. I wouldn’t call this romance per say yet it was everything I look for in a good dark read.
I also liked all the MM ones especially Archer’s Release by Kamisa Cole and Andi Jaxson’s Corruption because they were full with kink related to the badges they obtained. Archery & Horses.
This was a great dark read. I loved it.
ashliesydel's review
4.0
I really wish that we could do half stars because this would be 4.5 stars for me. Full disclosure I've never read an entire anthropology. I usually just go to the author I know and like, read their story then move on. However I was too impatient to wait for this book to hit KU and preordered it for $5 so I felt like I owed it to my wallet to read every single story.... A bitch was not disappointed, my reviews will be in order of the stories I liked the most. Pen was the only author I knew coming in but I have developed an extreme interest in many of the featured ones in this series.
5 Star Stories *******************************************
Ash City by Penelope Douglas
This is the entire reason why I bought this book. I love Pen and will sell my left kidney to get my hands on everything she writes. This story was HOT. First props for having a woman of color as the lead. It's always exciting to see that especially when it's by a white author because you know that it was a conscious decision that they researched. Cas and Ash have some amazing dynamic. They were magnets, everything around sizzled. There was action, blood, plot twists, age gap, a bit of taboo, and the ending was just OMFG I needed more. It was hot.
Asphyxiate by Ally Vance
This was so unexpected. Benny is fucked up in the head. He's level of obsession is serial killer. His rational is twisted. I loved him and wanted him to get the win he was looking for. Triggers for this would be breath play. It's not a kink I've ever been curious about... until this story lol.
Tamed by Measha Stone
Have you ever been reading something and you think HOLY FUCKING SHIT what the FUCK did I just read?? That was me, this entire story. All I kept repeating was RUN BITCH RUN. Triggers for this would be, I don't fucking know kidnapping, bdsm, humiliation, and physical harm. I was literally in a state of shock reading this and yet I loved ever fucking minute of it. Maybe I should talk to a therapist??
Exposure by Vicki James
This one had me all in my feelings. Dude was a victim of sexual assault at the hands of some selfish, evil, bitches. This entire story was about him getting revenge and closure. The sick bitch that I am wishes the details of his revenge had been more in depth but I was glad he got an HEA.
Terrene by Yolanda Olson
This read like an episode of Dateline. OMFG the plot twists were plentiful. Nothing about this story was predictable. Harvey needs Jesus. He needs help and Libby, that bitch. Triggers in this story - rape, murder, suicide, torture
4 Star Stories ***************************************
Carnal Value by Shane Starrett
I struggled with this one. It was HOT. But it was all over the place. I enjoy multiple POVs but this one had too many and the ending just was not want I wanted. I wish this was a full on novel so that we could get MORE. I feel like this was not focused too much on the Scouts but more so the female.
Fertile Ground by Jennifer Bene
This was a very sophisticated read. I felt like this could have been on the BBC or a Vincent Price feature. Annabelle is so freaking smart and she handled everything she was presented with in the calmest my logical way possible while freaking the fuck out. Theo gave me Red Dragon vibes. This story could be adapted into a movie feature my boy James McAvoy.
Malefactor by Abigail Davies
This is very vanilla with a dash a violence. I would say it's a true love story and probably one of the few stories where the Scout is a high functioning sociopath. This is Lifetime movie level in regards to darkness. Solid read, I have no complaints.
Corruption by Andi Jaxon
This gave me The Woodsman Vibes (Kevin Bacon movie, very intense). I wanted to dislike Scott so much but I couldn't. He was seriously struggling and Corbin, the little minx was testing and pushing him. There was a lot of hotness and an HEA I was mostly satisfied with.
3 Star Stories **************************************
Axed by Samantha Towle
Fresh out of prison for second degree murder our boy Axel learns that his high school crush is now his parole officer. I liked Axel, he had a compelling back story and the worst luck. I was not a fan of Eden though. I feel like she ruined the entire story but just existing. Their love story is taboo due to her position of power and there is a dash of mystery/suspense. But all in all it was a vanilla story that could be featured on the Hallmark channel.
Corrupt Us by J.M. Walker
Giving this 3 stars was hard. This story is HOT both Kitson and Bryson are likable, damaged, sexy, and gave me goosebumps. Every interaction between them had me holding my breath. BUT the storyline. I rather have 40 pages of sex scenes then an all over the place storyline. It was just everywhere and messy. There were so many holes, the author introduced characters for no reason. They played with my emotions by suggesting kinks but then didn't follow through. The patch was scuba, and it's like they were 98% done and remembered they needed to try and work in WTF a scuba patch had to do with things.
2 Star Stories **************************************************
Cutthroat by Natasha Preston
Look, this is the first story in the book. It started off ominous and exciting, then it just went flat. I'm a very analytical person so when the author presents you with every logical reason as to why the main characters didn't need to take the actions that they did, then fuck me but I'm gonna be a bit flabbergasted by their dumbassary! Nora was annoying AF and Dude (I can't even remember his name) was just messy.
History X by Ellie Meadows
Bryant was just too predictable for me. The story moved too slow for my liking. There was too much build up for nothing.
Sanctum by Claire C Riley
This could have been 3 stars except the ending tanked that. Dude has issues, lives isolated yet random chicks shows up on his 20 acres of private property and shit just gets weird. He has a dark and dominating side that we only get to see for a very very brief moment. I think what pissed me off is, I was on his side, I wanted him to have an HEA, and then the chick steps out of line with her thinking. It was unbelievable.
Caged by Cole Denton
As a parent, as an analytical person, the idea of someone giving up so much to pursue a crush is insane and the fact that no one questioned it made me want to scream. In a nutshell, Travis tracks down his dead brother's ex so he can what?? Make a move?? Travis just irritated me. Kyle hit me in the feelings. He struggled with his feelings as the brother of his former lover was bringing out a lot of personal conflict. I feel like this story was too short and didn't give enough to the reader to feel satisfied.
Archer's Release by Kamisa Cole
I debated on making this a 1 star. But I just couldn't be that mean. There are only 4 chapters and it took me hours to sit my ass down and finish them. These step brothers are sexually attracted to each other and it's a game of cat and mouse and it's not that good. Victor was just all up in his head with bullshit and Zion just got shit on. The pain/pleasure scenes were hot but that's all I got to say about that.
BOOM!!!! I did it, this is my longest review ever. I enjoyed this series. Every story had a lot of sexual energy and overall I would recommend this series to anyone that's into dark romance and has NO triggers. There are NO trigger warnings so I wouldn't even touch this book if you have any.
5 Star Stories *******************************************
Ash City by Penelope Douglas
This is the entire reason why I bought this book. I love Pen and will sell my left kidney to get my hands on everything she writes. This story was HOT. First props for having a woman of color as the lead. It's always exciting to see that especially when it's by a white author because you know that it was a conscious decision that they researched. Cas and Ash have some amazing dynamic. They were magnets, everything around sizzled. There was action, blood, plot twists, age gap, a bit of taboo, and the ending was just OMFG I needed more. It was hot.
Asphyxiate by Ally Vance
This was so unexpected. Benny is fucked up in the head. He's level of obsession is serial killer. His rational is twisted. I loved him and wanted him to get the win he was looking for. Triggers for this would be breath play. It's not a kink I've ever been curious about... until this story lol.
Tamed by Measha Stone
Have you ever been reading something and you think HOLY FUCKING SHIT what the FUCK did I just read?? That was me, this entire story. All I kept repeating was RUN BITCH RUN. Triggers for this would be, I don't fucking know kidnapping, bdsm, humiliation, and physical harm. I was literally in a state of shock reading this and yet I loved ever fucking minute of it. Maybe I should talk to a therapist??
Exposure by Vicki James
This one had me all in my feelings. Dude was a victim of sexual assault at the hands of some selfish, evil, bitches. This entire story was about him getting revenge and closure. The sick bitch that I am wishes the details of his revenge had been more in depth but I was glad he got an HEA.
Terrene by Yolanda Olson
This read like an episode of Dateline. OMFG the plot twists were plentiful. Nothing about this story was predictable. Harvey needs Jesus. He needs help and Libby, that bitch. Triggers in this story - rape, murder, suicide, torture
4 Star Stories ***************************************
Carnal Value by Shane Starrett
I struggled with this one. It was HOT. But it was all over the place. I enjoy multiple POVs but this one had too many and the ending just was not want I wanted. I wish this was a full on novel so that we could get MORE. I feel like this was not focused too much on the Scouts but more so the female.
Fertile Ground by Jennifer Bene
This was a very sophisticated read. I felt like this could have been on the BBC or a Vincent Price feature. Annabelle is so freaking smart and she handled everything she was presented with in the calmest my logical way possible while freaking the fuck out. Theo gave me Red Dragon vibes. This story could be adapted into a movie feature my boy James McAvoy.
Malefactor by Abigail Davies
This is very vanilla with a dash a violence. I would say it's a true love story and probably one of the few stories where the Scout is a high functioning sociopath. This is Lifetime movie level in regards to darkness. Solid read, I have no complaints.
Corruption by Andi Jaxon
This gave me The Woodsman Vibes (Kevin Bacon movie, very intense). I wanted to dislike Scott so much but I couldn't. He was seriously struggling and Corbin, the little minx was testing and pushing him. There was a lot of hotness and an HEA I was mostly satisfied with.
3 Star Stories **************************************
Axed by Samantha Towle
Fresh out of prison for second degree murder our boy Axel learns that his high school crush is now his parole officer. I liked Axel, he had a compelling back story and the worst luck. I was not a fan of Eden though. I feel like she ruined the entire story but just existing. Their love story is taboo due to her position of power and there is a dash of mystery/suspense. But all in all it was a vanilla story that could be featured on the Hallmark channel.
Corrupt Us by J.M. Walker
Giving this 3 stars was hard. This story is HOT both Kitson and Bryson are likable, damaged, sexy, and gave me goosebumps. Every interaction between them had me holding my breath. BUT the storyline. I rather have 40 pages of sex scenes then an all over the place storyline. It was just everywhere and messy. There were so many holes, the author introduced characters for no reason. They played with my emotions by suggesting kinks but then didn't follow through. The patch was scuba, and it's like they were 98% done and remembered they needed to try and work in WTF a scuba patch had to do with things.
2 Star Stories **************************************************
Cutthroat by Natasha Preston
Look, this is the first story in the book. It started off ominous and exciting, then it just went flat. I'm a very analytical person so when the author presents you with every logical reason as to why the main characters didn't need to take the actions that they did, then fuck me but I'm gonna be a bit flabbergasted by their dumbassary! Nora was annoying AF and Dude (I can't even remember his name) was just messy.
History X by Ellie Meadows
Bryant was just too predictable for me. The story moved too slow for my liking. There was too much build up for nothing.
Sanctum by Claire C Riley
This could have been 3 stars except the ending tanked that. Dude has issues, lives isolated yet random chicks shows up on his 20 acres of private property and shit just gets weird. He has a dark and dominating side that we only get to see for a very very brief moment. I think what pissed me off is, I was on his side, I wanted him to have an HEA, and then the chick steps out of line with her thinking. It was unbelievable.
Caged by Cole Denton
As a parent, as an analytical person, the idea of someone giving up so much to pursue a crush is insane and the fact that no one questioned it made me want to scream. In a nutshell, Travis tracks down his dead brother's ex so he can what?? Make a move?? Travis just irritated me. Kyle hit me in the feelings. He struggled with his feelings as the brother of his former lover was bringing out a lot of personal conflict. I feel like this story was too short and didn't give enough to the reader to feel satisfied.
Archer's Release by Kamisa Cole
I debated on making this a 1 star. But I just couldn't be that mean. There are only 4 chapters and it took me hours to sit my ass down and finish them. These step brothers are sexually attracted to each other and it's a game of cat and mouse and it's not that good. Victor was just all up in his head with bullshit and Zion just got shit on. The pain/pleasure scenes were hot but that's all I got to say about that.
BOOM!!!! I did it, this is my longest review ever. I enjoyed this series. Every story had a lot of sexual energy and overall I would recommend this series to anyone that's into dark romance and has NO triggers. There are NO trigger warnings so I wouldn't even touch this book if you have any.
sleepymama's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
3.75
So many great authors in one book! Stories ranged from murderers to stepbrothers. Some material may be triggering.
lindseydomokur's review
4.0
I read some of these, I really enjoyed Penelope Douglas' Ash City a lot. It was a 5 star, but some of the other ones were just not my cup of tea. I realize these are dark romances, but some are just too dark for me. If you love dark romances though.. these will definitely be up your alley!