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496 reviews
The Game by Belle Harper
Mila has two boys in her corner who she trusts implicitly. But there are two other boys who know nothing of the lies and stories that the three of them have concocted in order to survive. But if she is to keep pursuing the boys who give her butterflies she is going to have to let Asher and Jace in on the secrets. Roman is being blackmailed by a mafia boss and the cover-up of Roman's father's death. If the boys care for Mila as much as they say will they be able to keep their secret?
Add to that the fact that Jace and Asher have made it their mission to become one of Mila's boyfriends. Jace knows he messed up by torturing Mila the way he did when he was angry with her. Using her arch-nemesis to hurt her was the worst thing he could have done. And now, while he is forgiven, he has to earn her trust back. He will forever be an outside until she decides to give him a kiss to signal that he is one of her boys. Asher steps up to help Mila in a very tough situation and in turn ended up defending and protecting her other boys as well. He proved to Mila that he was not just out to keep her safe but also to guard all those who have pieces of her heart. Will Mila finally let Jace and Archer in?
This book was so unbelievably choppy. The issues that had been plaguing them throughout the series just get solved in a matter of a few chapters. The characters and their actions start to not make any sense at all. Like Mila's dad finding out about her multiple boyfriends and grounding her only to un-ground her a little later for no reason what-so-ever. Or even the fact that the father who wanted to have a place in his daughter's life so badly when she returned but then spent so much time away with his girlfriend that they had ZERO time together. I know the parental characters just got in the way of the romance but at least make his reason for disappearing plausible.
Add to that the copious spelling, grammatical and just sentence structure issues and it was very hard to keep my focus. In one scene there was an entirely different word in place of another during a sex scene which just completely killed the whole mood of the scene for me. I just rolled my eyes, set the book aside and went back to it when I had more patience.
I didn't like how little this book progressed the story. It literally just threw out all the old antagonistic events and characters and created a whole new one that we don't even discover until the last page because... of course, there has to be a cliffhanger. Probably wise because if there hadn't been I probably would have stopped at this book and not carried on to the next one as I plan to.
In summary, this could have been better by a lot if the author had put a little more effort into the story or gave it a cursory once over.
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2.0
Mila has two boys in her corner who she trusts implicitly. But there are two other boys who know nothing of the lies and stories that the three of them have concocted in order to survive. But if she is to keep pursuing the boys who give her butterflies she is going to have to let Asher and Jace in on the secrets. Roman is being blackmailed by a mafia boss and the cover-up of Roman's father's death. If the boys care for Mila as much as they say will they be able to keep their secret?
Add to that the fact that Jace and Asher have made it their mission to become one of Mila's boyfriends. Jace knows he messed up by torturing Mila the way he did when he was angry with her. Using her arch-nemesis to hurt her was the worst thing he could have done. And now, while he is forgiven, he has to earn her trust back. He will forever be an outside until she decides to give him a kiss to signal that he is one of her boys. Asher steps up to help Mila in a very tough situation and in turn ended up defending and protecting her other boys as well. He proved to Mila that he was not just out to keep her safe but also to guard all those who have pieces of her heart. Will Mila finally let Jace and Archer in?
This book was so unbelievably choppy. The issues that had been plaguing them throughout the series just get solved in a matter of a few chapters. The characters and their actions start to not make any sense at all. Like Mila's dad finding out about her multiple boyfriends and grounding her only to un-ground her a little later for no reason what-so-ever. Or even the fact that the father who wanted to have a place in his daughter's life so badly when she returned but then spent so much time away with his girlfriend that they had ZERO time together. I know the parental characters just got in the way of the romance but at least make his reason for disappearing plausible.
Add to that the copious spelling, grammatical and just sentence structure issues and it was very hard to keep my focus. In one scene there was an entirely different word in place of another during a sex scene which just completely killed the whole mood of the scene for me. I just rolled my eyes, set the book aside and went back to it when I had more patience.
I didn't like how little this book progressed the story. It literally just threw out all the old antagonistic events and characters and created a whole new one that we don't even discover until the last page because... of course, there has to be a cliffhanger. Probably wise because if there hadn't been I probably would have stopped at this book and not carried on to the next one as I plan to.
In summary, this could have been better by a lot if the author had put a little more effort into the story or gave it a cursory once over.
Ours by A.K. Rose
Ryth is once more in the hands of the Order but at least this time she isn't alone. This time she has Caleb or at least she thinks she does until he is ripped away from her. Faced with the potential of another harrowing experience at the hands of the Order Ryth fights tooth and nail to get free of them but it only when her father reaches out to the Order with an offer they can't refuse that she is reunited with Caleb and they are made to wait for word from her father as to their potential freedom. But what will it cost? And even if she is freed, after what she has experienced this then den of hell how can she managed to bring herself back to her brothers with anything more than a wounded spirit? Can her men bring her back to life once the Order spits her out or will the stain they left on her heart never be healed again?
This series is starting to be come so convoluted that it is taking away from how delectable the first book was. The antagonists are starting to become overwhelming to the point where the heroes and heroine never get a break. There is always someone new lurking around the corner. The Rossis. The Order. The mysterious Mr. King. Ryth's mother. Another unknown enemy. They just keep battering the characters until there is more running and shootouts than there is romance and mystery sleuthing. Every time there is a kernel of information revealed it is then shown to either be a lie or something that doesn't truly help their situation. I found myself more riddled with anxiety and confusion than enjoying the series anymore.
Between Nick feeling like their dynamic with Ryth is temporary, Caleb feeling like he will be Ryth's undoing, Tobias being so obsessed with Ryth that he will put his own health and life at risk more than necessary, and Ryth turning into more of a damsel in distress than she had originally been it just became too much. The relationship between them at the end of the book seemed shaky which would have been fine if the next book featured them but from what I understand the next book moves on to Vivienne and her situation. What? What about Ryth! That's not done! There's no conclusion there! It's just... no. Not okay.
The reason this book received the rating it did was because the first book was so absolutely stunning that I can't fathom any of the books being below at least mid-rating. But I do feel it could have been better with at least a few loose ends tied up.
3.0
Ryth is once more in the hands of the Order but at least this time she isn't alone. This time she has Caleb or at least she thinks she does until he is ripped away from her. Faced with the potential of another harrowing experience at the hands of the Order Ryth fights tooth and nail to get free of them but it only when her father reaches out to the Order with an offer they can't refuse that she is reunited with Caleb and they are made to wait for word from her father as to their potential freedom. But what will it cost? And even if she is freed, after what she has experienced this then den of hell how can she managed to bring herself back to her brothers with anything more than a wounded spirit? Can her men bring her back to life once the Order spits her out or will the stain they left on her heart never be healed again?
This series is starting to be come so convoluted that it is taking away from how delectable the first book was. The antagonists are starting to become overwhelming to the point where the heroes and heroine never get a break. There is always someone new lurking around the corner. The Rossis. The Order. The mysterious Mr. King. Ryth's mother. Another unknown enemy. They just keep battering the characters until there is more running and shootouts than there is romance and mystery sleuthing. Every time there is a kernel of information revealed it is then shown to either be a lie or something that doesn't truly help their situation. I found myself more riddled with anxiety and confusion than enjoying the series anymore.
Between Nick feeling like their dynamic with Ryth is temporary, Caleb feeling like he will be Ryth's undoing, Tobias being so obsessed with Ryth that he will put his own health and life at risk more than necessary, and Ryth turning into more of a damsel in distress than she had originally been it just became too much. The relationship between them at the end of the book seemed shaky which would have been fine if the next book featured them but from what I understand the next book moves on to Vivienne and her situation. What? What about Ryth! That's not done! There's no conclusion there! It's just... no. Not okay.
The reason this book received the rating it did was because the first book was so absolutely stunning that I can't fathom any of the books being below at least mid-rating. But I do feel it could have been better with at least a few loose ends tied up.
The Lie by Belle Harper
Mila has definitely shaken things up since her reappearance. Now, Jace is sequestered away from the group, Roman gets himself in hotter water trying to protect her, and Hunter must come to terms with the fact that Mila will never be a one-man girl. Between lies, betrayal, secrets, and Roman's dangerous lifestyle the group have a lot they have to deal with on top of trying to find some common ground in their romances. Mila will do anything for the men in her life but when Jace pushes her too far she wonders if he may be a lost cause after all. Their pact is broken and now Mila has to find a way to keep her boys together despite it.
This book seemed very geared towards Roman and his troubles. I felt that was a wise choice because there was no way that the author would have been able to make the drama of Mila's return stretch through a multiple book series. There had to be more. Now she still had the Jace drama which I felt was a bit of a stretch as well but it was a way to keep Jace out of the mix while Mila focused more on Roman. She had already won over Hunter at this point without much effort at all.
Roman got to be such a martyr. I know he was trying to push Mila away to spare her from the dangerous aspects of his life. However, when Mila refused to give up on him or be deterred by his cold-shoulder, that would have been the ideal time for him to get closer to her if for no other reason but to keep her safe. After her accident which he fully took the blame for I can understand him pulling away. The men who are bent on destroying him due to his dad's drug debt were willing to harm those he cared for to get what they wanted from him. I felt terrible for the life Roman was forced to live and wish that he could have been taken out of that environment so much sooner.
The book series holds promise and there is just enough details and plot twists that make me keep reading. The romance is slow burn and not your typical smutty book. There is heat but it is a simmer heat not a raging fire. So if you're looking for a reverse harem that pulls out all the taboo stops, this isn't for you. If you want a romance that grows over time? It's worth a read.
3.0
Mila has definitely shaken things up since her reappearance. Now, Jace is sequestered away from the group, Roman gets himself in hotter water trying to protect her, and Hunter must come to terms with the fact that Mila will never be a one-man girl. Between lies, betrayal, secrets, and Roman's dangerous lifestyle the group have a lot they have to deal with on top of trying to find some common ground in their romances. Mila will do anything for the men in her life but when Jace pushes her too far she wonders if he may be a lost cause after all. Their pact is broken and now Mila has to find a way to keep her boys together despite it.
This book seemed very geared towards Roman and his troubles. I felt that was a wise choice because there was no way that the author would have been able to make the drama of Mila's return stretch through a multiple book series. There had to be more. Now she still had the Jace drama which I felt was a bit of a stretch as well but it was a way to keep Jace out of the mix while Mila focused more on Roman. She had already won over Hunter at this point without much effort at all.
Roman got to be such a martyr. I know he was trying to push Mila away to spare her from the dangerous aspects of his life. However, when Mila refused to give up on him or be deterred by his cold-shoulder, that would have been the ideal time for him to get closer to her if for no other reason but to keep her safe. After her accident which he fully took the blame for I can understand him pulling away. The men who are bent on destroying him due to his dad's drug debt were willing to harm those he cared for to get what they wanted from him. I felt terrible for the life Roman was forced to live and wish that he could have been taken out of that environment so much sooner.
The book series holds promise and there is just enough details and plot twists that make me keep reading. The romance is slow burn and not your typical smutty book. There is heat but it is a simmer heat not a raging fire. So if you're looking for a reverse harem that pulls out all the taboo stops, this isn't for you. If you want a romance that grows over time? It's worth a read.
Breaking Lucia by Raissa Donovan, Addison Wolf
Lucia thought she had it all planned out. She could escape into the night and never have to see her father or betrothed again. Her life would be her own for once and she could almost taste freedom. That was until two large males stepped onto the same train as her and demanded she come with them. Without any other choice she went but not before her haughty mob princess tone got under their skin completely. Now she was the unwilling captor of a rival mob family. And they will stop at nothing to bring her to heel. What they plan to do with her becomes spotty when Lucia's father decides that the asking price of her safe return is less than favorable. Lucia starts to wonder if she holds value with anyone aside from herself and this weakness is well and truly preyed upon by the men who surround her. Will Lucia ever find her freedom or is she destined to die at the hands of three despicably dangerous men?
I have read a lot of dark romance books in my time as a reader and reviewer. I have never balked at any of it and I got through Skeleton King which was by far the most grotesque book I have ever read. I have very few triggers and I always seem to find some sort of redeemable quality to the book. This one I could not find a single stitch of likeability for me. There is a difference between dark romance and porn. This book read more like the latter in a number of ways.
First, there was no romance to be found. None. Not a stitch. Not a "I'm hard on her but I secretly love her" feeling. These men used this poor girl and repeatedly raped her. Granted, she did agree at one point to the arrangement, but when confronted with the debauched things they were interested in she started to try to say 'no'. They would only threaten her or force her and not let her have a choice either way. The minute she says 'no' is the minute any consent she gave to begin with was rescinded. Then it just becomes rape. And the unfortunate part was there weren't even situations like that where eventually she got into it or some kindness was bestowed upon her to change her mind. No. She didn't want it through the entire act. That's... that's deplorable.
Second, there was barely any plot to the story through all the sex scenes. The sex scenes just seemed to get more kinky, taboo, and degrading the more the book went on. Humiliation and degradation are a hard limit for me but usually in literature I can kinda put that aside a bit as long as there is some quality aftercare or some affection sprinkled in. But this had none of that. The sex was purely for the men and she was just their medium of use to achieve it. Nothing more. So just, really reaffirming that whole 'no romance' vibe.
And finally, I am not in favor of M/M relations within the 'harem'. That is just a preference for me. And while there wasn't any real blatant acts, there were hints of it headed that way. I also didn't like that one of them was homophobic to an extreme. I am sure it is because of him warring within himself but it was still unsettling.
In essence, this book was not at all what I would call a dark romance. This was humiliation/degradation abusive porn that in some areas I believed to be close to being snuff porn. There needs to be more to a dark romance book than just how far you can push that limit.
1.0
Lucia thought she had it all planned out. She could escape into the night and never have to see her father or betrothed again. Her life would be her own for once and she could almost taste freedom. That was until two large males stepped onto the same train as her and demanded she come with them. Without any other choice she went but not before her haughty mob princess tone got under their skin completely. Now she was the unwilling captor of a rival mob family. And they will stop at nothing to bring her to heel. What they plan to do with her becomes spotty when Lucia's father decides that the asking price of her safe return is less than favorable. Lucia starts to wonder if she holds value with anyone aside from herself and this weakness is well and truly preyed upon by the men who surround her. Will Lucia ever find her freedom or is she destined to die at the hands of three despicably dangerous men?
I have read a lot of dark romance books in my time as a reader and reviewer. I have never balked at any of it and I got through Skeleton King which was by far the most grotesque book I have ever read. I have very few triggers and I always seem to find some sort of redeemable quality to the book. This one I could not find a single stitch of likeability for me. There is a difference between dark romance and porn. This book read more like the latter in a number of ways.
First, there was no romance to be found. None. Not a stitch. Not a "I'm hard on her but I secretly love her" feeling. These men used this poor girl and repeatedly raped her. Granted, she did agree at one point to the arrangement, but when confronted with the debauched things they were interested in she started to try to say 'no'. They would only threaten her or force her and not let her have a choice either way. The minute she says 'no' is the minute any consent she gave to begin with was rescinded. Then it just becomes rape. And the unfortunate part was there weren't even situations like that where eventually she got into it or some kindness was bestowed upon her to change her mind. No. She didn't want it through the entire act. That's... that's deplorable.
Second, there was barely any plot to the story through all the sex scenes. The sex scenes just seemed to get more kinky, taboo, and degrading the more the book went on. Humiliation and degradation are a hard limit for me but usually in literature I can kinda put that aside a bit as long as there is some quality aftercare or some affection sprinkled in. But this had none of that. The sex was purely for the men and she was just their medium of use to achieve it. Nothing more. So just, really reaffirming that whole 'no romance' vibe.
And finally, I am not in favor of M/M relations within the 'harem'. That is just a preference for me. And while there wasn't any real blatant acts, there were hints of it headed that way. I also didn't like that one of them was homophobic to an extreme. I am sure it is because of him warring within himself but it was still unsettling.
In essence, this book was not at all what I would call a dark romance. This was humiliation/degradation abusive porn that in some areas I believed to be close to being snuff porn. There needs to be more to a dark romance book than just how far you can push that limit.
Hers by A.K. Rose
Ryth has been sold to The Order by her mother and stepfather after they discovered the relationship between her and her stepbrothers. The Order is a secretive whorehouse of sorts where women are bought, sold, and trained to be just the right submissive for powerful men. They are dressed in the manner to which they are valued in the company. Those in red lingerie are sold and available for use with the men, the black lingerie are those up for sale and can be touched but not made to have sex with, and the white lingerie is for viewing only often because they are still in training and have not been thoroughly broken yet. It is an awful organization and one Ryth never knew she would find herself caught up in. Especially at the hands of her own mother. But she has to have faith that her stepbrothers will find a way to free her. She just has to stay strong.
Nick, Tobias, and Caleb are all attempting to find a way into The Order through their various contacts. Tobias digs into the underworld while Caleb, who already has previous involvement with The Order tries to endear himself to them to find a way in that way. Nick, recovering from his near death experience turns to helping Tobias when Caleb shuns him. It seems all the boys have dark pasts and even darker secrets that they even hide from each other, but they are willing to get themselves as dirty as possible if it means getting Ryth back.
This book was hard on my boy, Caleb. I knew Caleb was kind of that Daddy Dom type but this kind of showed that it was more than just his preference it was almost a compulsion. And that compulsion made him do some unsavory things in the past. Him having to dip into that world again not only made him question his sanity but his loyalty to Ryth. And throughout the rest of the book he spent the entire time hating himself for the things he had to do to try to free Ryth. He was a bit of a whiny martyr and that kind of too a few of his attractiveness points away. I get that he hated himself for what he did and his past involvement with The Order knowing what it is, but he became borderline suicidal and it was not a great look for the man. I still claim him as my favorite though. That didn't change much.
This book, unlike the first, was a lot more action filled and less sexually driven. There were sex scenes but they weren't as heavily plastered across the pages as in the first book. That had a lot to do with having to explore the plot a bit more outside of the relationship between the boys and Ryth. I did like getting to see a bit of a different aspect than just their overwhelming obsessions with Ryth. This book got to the meat of the characters and gave the reader a better feel for them as a whole. As well as explaining a bit of what happened to lead them to their current situation.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There were a few errors peppered throughout the book and a few aspects of characters and plot that I side-eyed, but overall still a very well done second installment.
4.0
Ryth has been sold to The Order by her mother and stepfather after they discovered the relationship between her and her stepbrothers. The Order is a secretive whorehouse of sorts where women are bought, sold, and trained to be just the right submissive for powerful men. They are dressed in the manner to which they are valued in the company. Those in red lingerie are sold and available for use with the men, the black lingerie are those up for sale and can be touched but not made to have sex with, and the white lingerie is for viewing only often because they are still in training and have not been thoroughly broken yet. It is an awful organization and one Ryth never knew she would find herself caught up in. Especially at the hands of her own mother. But she has to have faith that her stepbrothers will find a way to free her. She just has to stay strong.
Nick, Tobias, and Caleb are all attempting to find a way into The Order through their various contacts. Tobias digs into the underworld while Caleb, who already has previous involvement with The Order tries to endear himself to them to find a way in that way. Nick, recovering from his near death experience turns to helping Tobias when Caleb shuns him. It seems all the boys have dark pasts and even darker secrets that they even hide from each other, but they are willing to get themselves as dirty as possible if it means getting Ryth back.
This book was hard on my boy, Caleb. I knew Caleb was kind of that Daddy Dom type but this kind of showed that it was more than just his preference it was almost a compulsion. And that compulsion made him do some unsavory things in the past. Him having to dip into that world again not only made him question his sanity but his loyalty to Ryth. And throughout the rest of the book he spent the entire time hating himself for the things he had to do to try to free Ryth. He was a bit of a whiny martyr and that kind of too a few of his attractiveness points away. I get that he hated himself for what he did and his past involvement with The Order knowing what it is, but he became borderline suicidal and it was not a great look for the man. I still claim him as my favorite though. That didn't change much.
This book, unlike the first, was a lot more action filled and less sexually driven. There were sex scenes but they weren't as heavily plastered across the pages as in the first book. That had a lot to do with having to explore the plot a bit more outside of the relationship between the boys and Ryth. I did like getting to see a bit of a different aspect than just their overwhelming obsessions with Ryth. This book got to the meat of the characters and gave the reader a better feel for them as a whole. As well as explaining a bit of what happened to lead them to their current situation.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There were a few errors peppered throughout the book and a few aspects of characters and plot that I side-eyed, but overall still a very well done second installment.
Pageant by Lilith Vincent
Lilia thought that she finally was living her own life. She has escaped a loveless marriage and the mafia ties her father and recently passed husband shared. She was a model and exploring the world of independence for herself without a man dictating her obedience at every turn. But then she was captured by three dangerous men from the world she thought she had been free of. And they have a game they want to play. They have gathered sixteen women who will compete in various levels of the competition in the hopes of winning and gaining the hand in marriage of the men's leader, Konstantin. But Lilia knows this world too well and she knows obedience only gets you so far. She will position herself as the person to draw the heat away from the others since one of the men has already signed her death warrant. Lilia's man from the past will be the one to bring about her end but not before she is humiliated and destroyed. Somewhere along the way Lilia starts to feel a modicum of attraction for the men but is it enough to derail her plans to free herself and the women of the pageant? Or will the love that she thought she had once been so close to achieving be her downfall?
I loved the fire that Lilia had. Even when you thought she was falling into her feelings for the men she was calculated in the things she did. She never let her fear show and wasn't afraid to die if the cost of her death meant the other women survived. She had grown up around evil men so what were three more? She was by far one of my favorite baddie female characters. Even when she was letting herself lust after the men she never let her morals sway away from what was right and what was wrong.
Out of the men I don't know if I truly like any of them. I think Elyah is the gentlest even when he hated Lilia on sight. But Kirill never hid who he was or played mind games. He was unapologetically unhinged and you had to just accept it. At least there was no deception there like with the other two who were quick to play mind games.
I feel the story was captivating and it had an interesting unique-ness to it. I hadn't read anything even remotely similar in all my time as a reader but I would have thought after kidnapping the women for the purpose of finding a bride that the trials they went through would have been a little more difficult. It did just feel like a very aggressive interview with a bunch of sobbing drama queens. But it helped the main character to stand out which was the main purpose. I enjoyed the read. It was something new which is always a plus.
4.0
Lilia thought that she finally was living her own life. She has escaped a loveless marriage and the mafia ties her father and recently passed husband shared. She was a model and exploring the world of independence for herself without a man dictating her obedience at every turn. But then she was captured by three dangerous men from the world she thought she had been free of. And they have a game they want to play. They have gathered sixteen women who will compete in various levels of the competition in the hopes of winning and gaining the hand in marriage of the men's leader, Konstantin. But Lilia knows this world too well and she knows obedience only gets you so far. She will position herself as the person to draw the heat away from the others since one of the men has already signed her death warrant. Lilia's man from the past will be the one to bring about her end but not before she is humiliated and destroyed. Somewhere along the way Lilia starts to feel a modicum of attraction for the men but is it enough to derail her plans to free herself and the women of the pageant? Or will the love that she thought she had once been so close to achieving be her downfall?
I loved the fire that Lilia had. Even when you thought she was falling into her feelings for the men she was calculated in the things she did. She never let her fear show and wasn't afraid to die if the cost of her death meant the other women survived. She had grown up around evil men so what were three more? She was by far one of my favorite baddie female characters. Even when she was letting herself lust after the men she never let her morals sway away from what was right and what was wrong.
Out of the men I don't know if I truly like any of them. I think Elyah is the gentlest even when he hated Lilia on sight. But Kirill never hid who he was or played mind games. He was unapologetically unhinged and you had to just accept it. At least there was no deception there like with the other two who were quick to play mind games.
I feel the story was captivating and it had an interesting unique-ness to it. I hadn't read anything even remotely similar in all my time as a reader but I would have thought after kidnapping the women for the purpose of finding a bride that the trials they went through would have been a little more difficult. It did just feel like a very aggressive interview with a bunch of sobbing drama queens. But it helped the main character to stand out which was the main purpose. I enjoyed the read. It was something new which is always a plus.
Crowned by Lilith Vincent
Lilia has escaped her three captors and is now trying to live a life of her own once more. But as was the first time, Lilia can't catch a break. First she is found by her father who wishes for her to return home and remarry after her former husband's death but there is a small wrench in that matter. Lilia is pregnant and the men who she ran from are hunting her down. When they find her and figure out her secret will they want rid of her just like her father or will they embrace her and love her unborn child completely?
This book was so focused on Lilia's pregnancy that it didn't have a whole lot of depth to it. Aside from Lilia's father trying to get her back there is no real antagonist anymore. The three antagonists have become the protagonists and so the book read more like a breeding kink homage than an actual romance book. Lilia spent most of the book waffling between trusting the three men and whining about her baby being potentially taken away from her. The baddie from the previous book was no more. She was gone. This woman in her place was unfortunate to watch. I would have liked to watch her stand tall and still willing to fight and do what she needs to do to survive without being weak due to being pregnant.
That being said my dislike for Lilia was counteracted by my sudden affection for the guys (even Kirill). They all had soften and instead of being complete assholes they were just... moderate assholes. Their mission to capture Lilia again and get back Konstantin's diamonds was derailed when they found out she was pregnant. They were all completely devoted to her and the unborn baby from the moment they laid eyes on her. That is one aspect of the whole pregnancy trope that I love as a woman. When the father finds out and becomes fiercely protective. These three had that going for them in spades.
There was a lot of melodrama. Lots of overthinking and whining about whether the men were going to be good fathers, whether they loved her and why they wouldn't apologize for the pageant. It was creating drama for the book, I know, but it just seemed like Lilia was constantly grasping at straws in her trust for the men. Even when they did everything they could to prove to her that they were being sincere she still was a blubbering mess of nerves. It did get very tedious.
I really wish there was more to the story than just the occasional problem that they solved fairly quickly and then moved on with the relationship stuff. I would have liked there to be a few more driving forces trying to force the couples apart than just their own stubbornness. That being said, it still wasn't a terrible read. It was middle of the road for me. There were some aspects that could have been improved on but it wasn't a hardship to read.
3.0
Lilia has escaped her three captors and is now trying to live a life of her own once more. But as was the first time, Lilia can't catch a break. First she is found by her father who wishes for her to return home and remarry after her former husband's death but there is a small wrench in that matter. Lilia is pregnant and the men who she ran from are hunting her down. When they find her and figure out her secret will they want rid of her just like her father or will they embrace her and love her unborn child completely?
This book was so focused on Lilia's pregnancy that it didn't have a whole lot of depth to it. Aside from Lilia's father trying to get her back there is no real antagonist anymore. The three antagonists have become the protagonists and so the book read more like a breeding kink homage than an actual romance book. Lilia spent most of the book waffling between trusting the three men and whining about her baby being potentially taken away from her. The baddie from the previous book was no more. She was gone. This woman in her place was unfortunate to watch. I would have liked to watch her stand tall and still willing to fight and do what she needs to do to survive without being weak due to being pregnant.
That being said my dislike for Lilia was counteracted by my sudden affection for the guys (even Kirill). They all had soften and instead of being complete assholes they were just... moderate assholes. Their mission to capture Lilia again and get back Konstantin's diamonds was derailed when they found out she was pregnant. They were all completely devoted to her and the unborn baby from the moment they laid eyes on her. That is one aspect of the whole pregnancy trope that I love as a woman. When the father finds out and becomes fiercely protective. These three had that going for them in spades.
There was a lot of melodrama. Lots of overthinking and whining about whether the men were going to be good fathers, whether they loved her and why they wouldn't apologize for the pageant. It was creating drama for the book, I know, but it just seemed like Lilia was constantly grasping at straws in her trust for the men. Even when they did everything they could to prove to her that they were being sincere she still was a blubbering mess of nerves. It did get very tedious.
I really wish there was more to the story than just the occasional problem that they solved fairly quickly and then moved on with the relationship stuff. I would have liked there to be a few more driving forces trying to force the couples apart than just their own stubbornness. That being said, it still wasn't a terrible read. It was middle of the road for me. There were some aspects that could have been improved on but it wasn't a hardship to read.
The Pact by Belle Harper
Mila returns from her 4-year hiatus with her vindictive and neglectful mother once her mother replaces her with a new baby. Mila couldn't be happier with the outcome as she has missed her friends and her father dearly. When she returns she hopes that her longtime friends would greet her with open arms, what she didn't expect was the cold chill that wafted her way when they looked at her. She knew that she had cut them out of her life when she moved away not being able to bear hearing them have a good life without her but she had hoped once she was free of her mother's clutches that everything would return to normal.
But their opinion of her isn't the only thing that changed. She left three scrawny twelve-year-old boys four years ago and returns to three sixteen-year-old Adonises. The comfortable connection they once had was changing and Mila could only embrace it and hope that eventually they would let her back in. However, they have all changed and now there may no longer be space in their lives for their once great love to just prance back into their lives.
Mila has to convince them that now that she is back they can trust her once more, but what is if there is no going back?
The main crux of the story is that Mila moved away because her mother was a vindictive shrew who wanted to take the one thing Mila's dad loved most away from him: Mila. She kept her away from him for four years until all the joy of sticking it to Mila's dad wore off and she threw her back at him wanting to embark on a new life with her new husband and new family. Of course, Mila is more than happy to return to people who actually care about her so it works out well. Now, if the boys knew she didn't have a choice in moving all they can really be salty over is the fact that she ghosted them. Which, fair, that can be frustrating, but to the point where they act as if they hate her? That seems a bit much. It works for the story plotline but seems a bit farfetched to be completely believable.
As with any reverse harem, I always have my favorite. That lies in Roman for this series. He has such a troubled life and I like that Mila is his knight in shining armor. It's a nice change to see the female protagonist willing to fight for one of the males to protect them. Roman seems almost to have an autistic vibe with his aversion to being touched and not being very verbal. Although that could simply be from trauma of an abusive home life. I honestly would love if it were the former though. I feel like autism is kind of under-represented in books and especially in romance books. Which... just kind of endears Roman even more to me.
This book was fairly middle of the road for me though. The antagonistic events felt a little forced as if they were made to be bigger deals than they should have. I felt the jealousy was very short lived when it was the main focus of the whole plot. And, I also felt that Mila's time in a neglectful environment where she was so depressed she turned to sex, drugs, and alcohol, should have effected her more. She should have come back weary not hopeful and happy. There were holes in the story and the characters that made it hard to really pour myself into the pages like I like to do but it wasn't an unpleasant read overall.
3.0
Mila returns from her 4-year hiatus with her vindictive and neglectful mother once her mother replaces her with a new baby. Mila couldn't be happier with the outcome as she has missed her friends and her father dearly. When she returns she hopes that her longtime friends would greet her with open arms, what she didn't expect was the cold chill that wafted her way when they looked at her. She knew that she had cut them out of her life when she moved away not being able to bear hearing them have a good life without her but she had hoped once she was free of her mother's clutches that everything would return to normal.
But their opinion of her isn't the only thing that changed. She left three scrawny twelve-year-old boys four years ago and returns to three sixteen-year-old Adonises. The comfortable connection they once had was changing and Mila could only embrace it and hope that eventually they would let her back in. However, they have all changed and now there may no longer be space in their lives for their once great love to just prance back into their lives.
Mila has to convince them that now that she is back they can trust her once more, but what is if there is no going back?
The main crux of the story is that Mila moved away because her mother was a vindictive shrew who wanted to take the one thing Mila's dad loved most away from him: Mila. She kept her away from him for four years until all the joy of sticking it to Mila's dad wore off and she threw her back at him wanting to embark on a new life with her new husband and new family. Of course, Mila is more than happy to return to people who actually care about her so it works out well. Now, if the boys knew she didn't have a choice in moving all they can really be salty over is the fact that she ghosted them. Which, fair, that can be frustrating, but to the point where they act as if they hate her? That seems a bit much. It works for the story plotline but seems a bit farfetched to be completely believable.
As with any reverse harem, I always have my favorite. That lies in Roman for this series. He has such a troubled life and I like that Mila is his knight in shining armor. It's a nice change to see the female protagonist willing to fight for one of the males to protect them. Roman seems almost to have an autistic vibe with his aversion to being touched and not being very verbal. Although that could simply be from trauma of an abusive home life. I honestly would love if it were the former though. I feel like autism is kind of under-represented in books and especially in romance books. Which... just kind of endears Roman even more to me.
This book was fairly middle of the road for me though. The antagonistic events felt a little forced as if they were made to be bigger deals than they should have. I felt the jealousy was very short lived when it was the main focus of the whole plot. And, I also felt that Mila's time in a neglectful environment where she was so depressed she turned to sex, drugs, and alcohol, should have effected her more. She should have come back weary not hopeful and happy. There were holes in the story and the characters that made it hard to really pour myself into the pages like I like to do but it wasn't an unpleasant read overall.
Mine by Atlas Rose, A.K. Rose
Ryth only thought her stay with the Banks family was temporary. Eventually after her mother recovered enough from their home being burned down, they would move out and find a way to get her father released from prison. But things change very quickly. Now she is hearing her mother in bed with the man she said was just a friend from college and listening beside her is her mother's lover's angry son. But it isn't until her mother starts to change and announces her impending nuptials that Ryth knows this is not going to be temporary. She will eventually become the angry son and his two brother's stepsister. The same stepbrothers that love to torment her with equal amounts of pain and pleasure. She knows it's wrong to desire her future stepbrothers but wrapped up in the mystery of her father's incarceration and the questionable actions of her mother and soon-to-be stepfather, she has nobody else to turn to but the bullies she lives only a few doors down from. But will they hell her or will they simply force her out of their home as they plan to?
Ryth is such a meek little thing. She has almost no backbone to speak of when she first comes to the Banks home. She cowers and hides her odd cheek birthmark behind a curtain of hair afraid of giving anyone more ammo to bully her with. She also is a little be twisted. While she is completely submissive there are times when she gets a little fire in her eyes and a little steel in her voice that make the boys perk up a little with surprise. Ryth showed a lot of growth throughout the book which I love to see. Especially in meek characters, it's important that they don't stay that way or I will lose interest fast and find them just to be a chronic damsel in distress.
Out of the boys I find myself drawn a bit towards Caleb. He seems like he is more in the wheelhouse of an actual Dom as opposed to the other two who don't really adhere to the same rulebook as Caleb does. The others don't really take no for an answer and they offer encouragement. They offer degradation and humiliation more often. Which is fine in some places but I like dominant characters who command obedience without having to resort to such antics. Caleb I felt was like that.
All of them fall into different roles. Caleb is the emotionally supportive type, Nick is the protective approachable type and Tobias despite his gruff exterior is a caregiver. While he is telling her he hates her he is also putting pajamas on her while she sleeps so she doesn't get cold and the first one to fetch her food whenever she needs. They all kind of fill a need and they work well together. Simply missing one of them in the mix would throw the whole dynamic off I feel.
I liked the romance, I am still puzzled about the mystery, and I am hungry for more!
5.0
Ryth only thought her stay with the Banks family was temporary. Eventually after her mother recovered enough from their home being burned down, they would move out and find a way to get her father released from prison. But things change very quickly. Now she is hearing her mother in bed with the man she said was just a friend from college and listening beside her is her mother's lover's angry son. But it isn't until her mother starts to change and announces her impending nuptials that Ryth knows this is not going to be temporary. She will eventually become the angry son and his two brother's stepsister. The same stepbrothers that love to torment her with equal amounts of pain and pleasure. She knows it's wrong to desire her future stepbrothers but wrapped up in the mystery of her father's incarceration and the questionable actions of her mother and soon-to-be stepfather, she has nobody else to turn to but the bullies she lives only a few doors down from. But will they hell her or will they simply force her out of their home as they plan to?
Ryth is such a meek little thing. She has almost no backbone to speak of when she first comes to the Banks home. She cowers and hides her odd cheek birthmark behind a curtain of hair afraid of giving anyone more ammo to bully her with. She also is a little be twisted. While she is completely submissive there are times when she gets a little fire in her eyes and a little steel in her voice that make the boys perk up a little with surprise. Ryth showed a lot of growth throughout the book which I love to see. Especially in meek characters, it's important that they don't stay that way or I will lose interest fast and find them just to be a chronic damsel in distress.
Out of the boys I find myself drawn a bit towards Caleb. He seems like he is more in the wheelhouse of an actual Dom as opposed to the other two who don't really adhere to the same rulebook as Caleb does. The others don't really take no for an answer and they offer encouragement. They offer degradation and humiliation more often. Which is fine in some places but I like dominant characters who command obedience without having to resort to such antics. Caleb I felt was like that.
All of them fall into different roles. Caleb is the emotionally supportive type, Nick is the protective approachable type and Tobias despite his gruff exterior is a caregiver. While he is telling her he hates her he is also putting pajamas on her while she sleeps so she doesn't get cold and the first one to fetch her food whenever she needs. They all kind of fill a need and they work well together. Simply missing one of them in the mix would throw the whole dynamic off I feel.
I liked the romance, I am still puzzled about the mystery, and I am hungry for more!
Inferno: Twisted Flames MC by M. Sinclair, M. Sinclair, R.L. Caulder
How quickly a life can change in a blink of an eye. One minute Thea is with her family of witches, donating her blood weekly to keep an illness from overtaking them, and living out her life happy with those she feels love her. The next she is waking up in a dark alley with two handsome strangers looking at her like she was the second coming of Jesus. Then once they bring her home to recover from whatever ordeal she had gone through to cause her to wind up in a strange part of a city she knew nothing about she finds out there are two more men who look at her in much the same way. The possessive men confess that they are her mates and that she was stolen before she was even born. They had never thought to see her again and yet here she was. It was a lot to swallow, especially when everything Thea had known of her life and the world outside of her coven's home was completely different. But there is no denying the draw she has with each of them. As if they hold the key to her entire existence and that she couldn't take her next breath without them. But will Thea be able to figure out her past in hopes of having a future with these four delicious mates she never knew she had?
I devoured this book in a single night. It wasn't a long read but it was completely engaging. It was unlike anything I had ever read before and that is saying something since I was a hardcore paranormal romance girlie before I dove into contemporary. I think the male characters were every bit the possessive alphas they needed to be without being complete alphaholes.
Thea was interesting. I didn't find her as enjoyable as the men. She cried so often that I felt like I should make a drinking game out of it the next time I wanted to get blackout drunk. She was very soft and looking at the cover I never would have seen her as that. I would have thought she'd have been a badass who would have kicked her mates asses right along with their enemies. But she was incredibly meek which did get on my nerves a bit. She was praised at one point for seeming to be even stronger than the males but then she never actually showed her ability to be that. She would run to her men any chance something bad happened like a little mouse. Thea is the only reason this book wasn't a five star read for me.
But even with Thea not being my cup of tea the book was still stellar. I will happily be reading more of the books in this Syndicate world to see how they measure up to this one. But straight out the gate this was a good one to start with.
4.0
How quickly a life can change in a blink of an eye. One minute Thea is with her family of witches, donating her blood weekly to keep an illness from overtaking them, and living out her life happy with those she feels love her. The next she is waking up in a dark alley with two handsome strangers looking at her like she was the second coming of Jesus. Then once they bring her home to recover from whatever ordeal she had gone through to cause her to wind up in a strange part of a city she knew nothing about she finds out there are two more men who look at her in much the same way. The possessive men confess that they are her mates and that she was stolen before she was even born. They had never thought to see her again and yet here she was. It was a lot to swallow, especially when everything Thea had known of her life and the world outside of her coven's home was completely different. But there is no denying the draw she has with each of them. As if they hold the key to her entire existence and that she couldn't take her next breath without them. But will Thea be able to figure out her past in hopes of having a future with these four delicious mates she never knew she had?
I devoured this book in a single night. It wasn't a long read but it was completely engaging. It was unlike anything I had ever read before and that is saying something since I was a hardcore paranormal romance girlie before I dove into contemporary. I think the male characters were every bit the possessive alphas they needed to be without being complete alphaholes.
Thea was interesting. I didn't find her as enjoyable as the men. She cried so often that I felt like I should make a drinking game out of it the next time I wanted to get blackout drunk. She was very soft and looking at the cover I never would have seen her as that. I would have thought she'd have been a badass who would have kicked her mates asses right along with their enemies. But she was incredibly meek which did get on my nerves a bit. She was praised at one point for seeming to be even stronger than the males but then she never actually showed her ability to be that. She would run to her men any chance something bad happened like a little mouse. Thea is the only reason this book wasn't a five star read for me.
But even with Thea not being my cup of tea the book was still stellar. I will happily be reading more of the books in this Syndicate world to see how they measure up to this one. But straight out the gate this was a good one to start with.