BOOK REVIEW: El Santo

El Santo 

(Saint-Sinner #1) 

by M. Robinson

Pub Date: November 16, 2017

Synopsis:

I didn’t know darkness and evil lurked inside me until I had to murder in order to survive. Forced to become my own worst enemy. With so much blood on my hands, I was surprised I could still see my own skin.
I killed.
I tortured.
I loved…
I played God while I was rotting in Hell. Thriving on control and power was the only way I knew how to live. There were no other options.
If you weren’t my friend, you were my foe.
If you weren’t with me, you were against me.
Traitors, as I called them. There were no imaginary lines. I’d crossed them all. No boundaries. No second chances. No redemption.
Not for me.
For them.
For anyone.
Only for her…
She loved me. Always convinced I was a saint, never believing I was just another sinner.
A fucking monster.

Until it was too late.

Except, I didn’t choose this life. It. Chose. Me.

My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Amira is nine when her family is viciously stolen from her. 

Damien is eighteen when he gets a brutal reality check as he unwittingly takes part in destroying a young girl’s family.

Amira and Damien meet and bond as a result of this heinous and traumatizing event.  But life isn’t through with throwing curveballs.  Amira is now hidden from the Dictator who wanted her dead and Damien who is hiding her is a soldier in his army.

Throughout the years and as their feelings change, Amira blossoms while Damien is lead down a dark path, falling ever more towards cynicism.  Amira being his only light.  As their feelings and circumstances change, their bond is severely tested.

Will Damien and Amira overcome their hurdles and be together or will they stumble and fall separating them forever?

This book.  My god this book is filled to the brim with feeling.  I believe this book has wrung out every emotion I could possibly feel.  Sadness, fear, yearning, happiness, anger, despair, hate and love.  There really is no good way to review this book.  It simply must be felt. 

The prologue, pulled me in.  From there, I buckled my proverbial seatbelt and got ready for a bumpy ride.  I never felt dread and pain like this in a book before.  It was daunting.

Amira and Damien become star-crossed lovers who formed and unlikely but everlasting bond from absolute tragedy.  Their bond is strong but throughout this book, it is put to the test.

This is a soul-singeing, heartbreaking read.  To see two characters who love each other and want to be together go through trial after trial simply tears the heart from your chest.  Decisions are made and words are thrown down like knives and daggers through the heart

This book is told in dual POV and is book 1 in a duet.  It flowed well and is fast-paced and well written.

I recommend this to anyone who loves angst and the “feels” in their book.  I would also recommend a box of tissue while you read.

I received an ARC of this book.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For My Review of El Pecador the conclusion to this duet, click here: https://suesromancereviews.blogspot.com/2018/05/review-tour-el-pecador.html

REVIEW: Beast

Beast

Author: A Zavarelli

Twisted Ever After Book 1
Pub Date: May 16, 2017
Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance

Synopsis: 

Once upon a time, I believed in fairytales.

But then he took me.

And he taught me that life isn’t a fairytale.

He is scarred. Broken.

A dark and wild thing.

His beauty is violent and his words are cruel.

His heart is a shadowed landscape where nothing can grow.

He tells me he could never care for me, and he proves it every day.

He’s destroyed my life.

Tortured me.

And worse…

He’s trained me to beg for his affection.

This prison is a place where sunlight doesn’t reach.

He taught me that hate is born in darkness.

And then he taught me that sometimes love is too.
 

My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

“And I rise to every one of his challenges, meeting them with determination.  Because I can hear the lies in his voice.  How much he doesn’t want to like it.  It chafes him and it gives me power.”

Isabella Rossi is a pop singer who has lost her passion for singing and is now disillusioned with the music industry and life itself.  She is also worried about her father who is MIA after a mission with the CIA or NSA.  She actually does not know where he was or who he was working with since he left her in the dark about these matters.  One thing she does know and remember is a boy her father had mentioned to her Javier Castillo.  She knows Javier could shed light on what happened to her father if only she could find him.

“She was not made to be fucked by a beast like me.  Beautiful things are not meant to be touched.  But I have touched her anyway.”

Javier Castillo is a tortured and dark soul.  He is a recluse and has but one friend, River, a boy he met while in a sanitarium.  Their friendship has lasted throughout the years for one reason-revenge.  They both have been affected by the actions of Isabella’s father, Ray, but Javier will be the one to settle the score.  He will kidnap and then break Isabella and flaunt it in front of her father.

Will Javier succeed in destroying Isabella’s light?  Or, will Isabella bring light to Javier’s dark world?

This is a very dark read that is told in dual POV.  It is well written and fast paced.  I kept turning the pages so consumed was I in this story.  It is gritty, raw and definitely not for the faint of heart.

A. Zavarelli takes an absolutely dark, ugly, twisted story and makes it beautiful quite seamlessly.  This includes Javier’s transformation as well

This book was psychological warfare.  It made me feel like I went down the rabbit hole and that I was going crazy.  How could I come to love and want to know more of such a manipulating character? 

A.Zavarelli skates the edge in this dark read.  She pushes her characters and readers almost to the breaking point.  I both hated and loved Javier and Isabella’s actions in equal measure.  He was cruel and hateful but also tortured and loveable.  He did wicked things and beautiful things as well.  Isabella seemed at some points like a doormat while at other times, I couldn’t believe how strong and resilient she was.  Throughout the book, I was wondering how I could root for this couple to be together.  This, my friends, is the magic that this author brings to her work.  To be able to create such flawed characters and make us love and understand them is quite the feat.

The only real critique I have is that for me, the author did not completely overshadow my doubts about Stockholm Syndrome between these characters.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it definitely will not be my last.  When all is said and done I loved it.  I loved how the author was not scared to go completely dark and push the boundaries.  I recommend this book to anyone who loves a dark and engrossing read-To anyone who is unafraid to look for the light in the dark.

BOOK TOUR: Bloom

Bloom

The Order Series 1
by Nikki Rae
Genre: Adult Dark Contemporary Romance

Synopsis

Given to The Grimm Order as an infant, Fawn was raised in a world shaped by the rich and powerful. When she was sold at the age of nine to a Suitor, Fawn believed he would protect her from the “Mainworld”, where those who know nothing about the Order live. Living with the cruel man who bought her freedom, she finds just what the Order is about: money, control, and status for the Owner and humiliation and abuse for those they own.

Unwilling to accept the expectations of being Owned, Fawn goes from golden girl to maid, content to live in the shadows of the Order as long as she isn’t Owned again.

It’s been ten years since she disgraced her former Owner’s name, and now the brooding Frenchman Elliot Lyon wants her. Master Lyon is kind, smart, and unlike any man she’s met. She doesn’t want to admit it to herself, but Fawn is drawn to him despite constantly planning her next escape.

Even the prettiest flowers have thorns, and Master Lyon is hiding secrets that will uproot everything she thinks she knows about him.

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Purchase Link Amazon

My Review ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5 STARS)

What would it be like to have you every move monitored, to be told what to do, to have to agree when you didn’t, to have your life ruled by someone else?

This was a dark read that I enjoyed.  It was captivating and engaging.  My curiousness was peaked wondering where the story was headed.  Why did Master Lyon choose Fawn out of all the beautiful girls there?  Why does he show her kindness?  Why does he care?  This leads up to a twist I DID NOT see coming!

This story is told through Fawn’s POV only.  I believe this affected the pace of the story because there was an overwhelming amount of internal dialogue.  I agree that her internal dialogue had to be explored however, for me, it left a lack in verbal interaction between the characters and Elliott’s character development also suffered. I also feel like this story has only scratched the surface and I would have liked it to delve just a little deeper.

The writing in this story overall was wonderful.  The way Fawn’s character is explored and developed is perfect.  She was a strong and compelling character.  She is no mouse.  She is crafty and cunning.  She fights, argues and plots her escapes.  She is constantly thinking of her next move.  She weighs the pros and the cons of her behaviour.  She is a survivor and she’ll go through and do anything to escape.

Although I did not get much of Elliott’s character, he is kind to Fawn.  He is her master, but he always gives her a choice, he does not demand.  I’m hoping in the next book, I get to see more of him.

This book ended on a cliff-hanger and I am engaged and captivated enough that I want to know what happens to these characters.  This book is just a little tease into this enthralling world.  I am definitely excited to read the next chapter.

 Excerpt

Ice clinked in his glass as he took another gulp and then set it back down. “He wasn’t supposed to touch you,” he finally said.

I knew it was impossible, but it sounded almost as if he was apologizing. Angered by his audacity—that he thought I would buy one word he refused to say—I couldn’t bite my tongue. “Why does it matter?”

My tone was ice; I had to wrap my arms around myself again.

I heard him inhale, but he still didn’t face me. “Of course it matters.” The edge to his voice sounded as appalled as I had felt the moment he’d tied my hands behind my back and made me even more helpless than I already was.

Anger flared in me even brighter. “Why should it?” I asked. “I’m only here for what men like that want to do with me. He’s just more honest about his intentions than some.” I wanted to sew my mouth shut. No one ever spoke to their Owner in such a way. I knew better, yet I couldn’t stop the truth from spewing out of my mouth. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the impact of his open palm across my cheek, still damp from the condensation on his glass, but it didn’t come.

He casually took another drink of amber liquid, leaving just enough remaining in case he decided he wanted more. “Dry off.”

About the Author

Nikki Rae is an independent author who lives in New Jersey. She explores human nature through fiction, concentrating on making the imaginary as real as possible. Her genres of choice are mainly dark, scary, romantic tales, but she’ll try anything once. When she is not writing, reading, or thinking, you can find her spending time with animals, drawing in a quiet corner, or studying people. Closely.

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BOOK TOUR: Stripping a Steele

 Welcome to the Stripping a Steele by Elizabeth Knox Blog Tour organized by IndieSage PR. Follow the tour here and comment and/or interact for your chance to win .  You will get excerpts, reviews, teasers and much more!

STRIPPING A STEELE

AUTHOR:  Elizabeth Knox

PUBLICATION DATE: February 11, 2018

GENRE:  Adult, Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

SYNOPSIS:

Christian There were only three things I cared about: women, money and booze. That is, until saw Selena Jacobson, a goddess in the flesh if I've ever seen one. I wanted her from the very first second that I laid my eyes on her. Something carnal inside me flipped a switch, and I knew she would be mine. When life threw us both a big curveball, I made her mine, in every way possible. Every dark desire inside me came to life, and I'll be damned if anyone takes her away from me.

Selena Christian Steele was nothing but an arrogant prick; one that I tried to stay away from. Tried and failed. Dammit to hell, I liked a lot of things about Christian that I would never admit. When we lost my parents, one to death and another to abandonment, I became the bread-winner, and, for a time, I just want to feel irresponsible. Christian makes me feel in ways I never thought possible and not just between the sheets.

Purchase: Amazon 

MY REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5 STARS)

Selena Jacobson had to grow up quickly.  She missed out on her teenage years and gave up all hopes, dreams and aspirations of running and becoming a bar owner.  Her mother left when she was seventeen and has not been heard from since.  Her father died one year ago of cancer.  Since then, she has been working two jobs that barely keep her family afloat.  The mortgage is past due and stress is high.  She works both as a secretary by day and a stripper by night.  Dancing as Star, she feels what she does not during the day.  She feels powerful, sensual and in control.

Christian Steele, one of three brothers that own Steele Enterprises, is know by the media as a playboy.  They see what he wants them to.  But underneath the façade, he enjoys his work as an enforcer with ties to the mafia.  He is lethal both in the business world as well as his private life.  Christian is demanding and high-handed.

The first time these two met was at a high-end art exhibit.  There was a spark and they wined and dined and danced.  But, when Selena finds out who he really is, she disappears without a trace.  Months later Christian finds her again while having meeting a strip bar to discuss transporting guns with Matteo Varca, an errand boy for the Italian mafia.  He’s got her in his sights and this time, he will NOT let her go.

Read for FREE in KU:

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I enjoyed reading this book it is the second in a series.  Although I believe this can be read as a standalone, I believe more enjoyment would be had if both were read because there are tie-ins to characters from the first book.  Stripping a Steele was well written and intriguing but left the following loose ends that I wish would have been tied. 

During the book, there is a question about Christian’s paternity but it is never resolved.

It is also stated in the book from Christian’s character: “I have to wonder if anyone ever will see me for who I am, monsters and all” I don’t believe this was fully explored. We know he is an enforcer and so do his brothers so it’s unclear, for me, what monsters and all entails.

The last is the hatred Selena has for her mother.  Although understandable, I believe this should have been resolved one way or another.

With those small critics out of the way, I must say the author wrote Selena’s character beautifully.  She was portrayed as a woman who does not bemoan her life. A wonderfully strong character who has given up everything to take care of her family and keep them together.  Becoming a “surrogate mom” to her brother and sisters.  She is depicted as a fighter and even though she keeps taking blows, she keeps getting back up.  Just when you think she’s a cute little kitten, the claws come out and you hear her roar.  Although I was completely heartbroken for Selena when she is attacked, she is so strong.

Christian although dominant, cocky, controlling and self-assured, is exactly what Selena needs.  She needs someone she can lean on and trust and from the very first, he was her rock.  My heart completely melted when he helps her after a traumatizing event.  He cares for her and puts her first.  This is the first time in her life that someone has done that.  She is his Queen.  He is willing to do whatever is necessary to keep her safe.  I believe the following quote from the book sums up his feelings for her perfectly: “I will never give up on her.  I will always fight for what she and I can be, until my last dying breath.”

To me this story is about learning that it’s ok to stay down and trust someone to fight for you.  To understand you do not need to be an island onto yourself, alone.

I adored this book and would love to read another instalment.  Please note that this book does have triggers and is a dark read.  This book was received as an ARC from the author.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

TEASER

AUTHOR

Elizabeth is a new author who writes suspenseful romance books. She loves the MC and Mob genre, always offering a twist in her work. She was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland and currently still lives in Maryland.

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COVER REVEAL: Bloom

Bloom

The Order Series 1

by Nikki Rae

Genre: Adult Dark Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Given to The Grimm Order as an infant, Fawn was raised in a world shaped by the rich and powerful. When she was sold at the age of nine to a Suitor, Fawn believed he would protect her from the “Mainworld”, where those who know nothing about the Order live. Living with the cruel man who bought her freedom, she finds just what the Order is about: money, control, and status for the Owner and humiliation and abuse for those they own.

Unwilling to accept the expectations of being Owned, Fawn goes from golden girl to maid, content to live in the shadows of the Order as long as she isn’t Owned again.

It’s been ten years since she disgraced her former Owner’s name, and now the brooding Frenchman Elliot Lyon wants her. Master Lyon is kind, smart, and unlike any man she’s met. She doesn’t want to admit it to herself, but Fawn is drawn to him despite constantly planning her next escape.

Even the prettiest flowers have thorns, and Master Lyon is hiding secrets that will uproot everything she thinks she knows about him.

Goodreads * Amazon

Excerpt 

“Fawn,” he said suddenly, his voice soft but still making me jump in my seat. “Were they out of flower names?” he asked, a smile in his voice.

He let on that he knew about the inner-workings of the actual Compound more than my last Owner. Then again, my last one only cared about one thing. He didn't play these mind games this guy seemed to like.

Master Lyon sighed, convinced I wouldn't answer, but for some reason I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

“I was one of the originals at the California Compound.” I hesitated almost too long before I brought my eyes back to his face. He was staring, waiting for me to say more.

“We all had animal names,” I said, trying and failing to hide the disgust in my voice.

“Fawn,” he said. “With those eyes?”

 I blinked, wondering what he meant.

“They’re so large and expressive,” he explained. “You’re more of a Doe to me.”

So this would be my new name? Not Dog or Whore, but Doe?

He smiled like I’d said something funny but I wasn't joking. “Do you not like it?”

I didn't know why he cared if I did or did not like something. It shouldn't matter to him. I didn't like any of this and it was obvious. He was asking to toy with me, get me to talk. I was done talking. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep the words from spilling out

About the Author

Nikki Rae is an independent author who lives in New Jersey. She explores human nature through fiction, concentrating on making the imaginary as real as possible. Her genres of choice are mainly dark, scary, romantic tales, but she’ll try anything once. When she is not writing, reading, or thinking, you can find her spending time with animals, drawing in a quiet corner, or studying people. Closely

Website * Newsletter * Facebook * Fan Group * Twitter * Instagram * Amazon * Goodreads

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