DARK ROMANCE COLLECTION
Release Date: March 25th
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Blurb
Not every love story begins in the light…
Sometimes, the prince isn’t charming.
The damsel causes more distress than she’s in.
Sometimes, the danger doesn’t come from a magic spell.
It comes from each other.
Welcome to dark romance.
Damiano De Luca by Parker S. Huntington:
A star-crossed mafia couple, forced apart ten years ago, reunite at a funeral. And as sparks and danger fly between them, it may not be the last one…
Rivalry: Slay One by Laurelin Paige:
He was her father’s most vicious enemy before she put his ring on her finger. Now he’s hers. Never bet on a game you aren’t guaranteed to win…
My Review
Before I start my review for book one in Laurelin Paige’s Slay Quartet, I need to be upfront with my feelings for Paige’s newest heroine…it even hurts my heart to call Celia Werner that because I never thought that the woman who made one of my favorite book couples of all time (Alayna and Hudson Pierce) lives’ hell with her spiteful and vindictive ways would ever be viewed as a central character, let alone one who, ultimately, would find her happily ever after, even if it’s by walking through fire and brimstone.
But that’s exactly the role Paige has penned for Celia, has been penned to play, so despite my disdain and loathing for her, I attempted to have an open mind about where Paige planned to take Celia and her readers in her latest release, and I have to say while I still don’t like her, I feel like I have a better understanding of who Celia Werner was when she and Hudson played their ‘games’ and the woman she is now, and with this new development in her life and the fact that someone else is actually playing a game against her – one that she doesn’t seem to know the rules of or can’t quite figure out how to play the creator of this new game – changes the woman she had worked so hard to portray and puts her in a rather precarious position – one that she’s not used to being in nor likes one bit, and I have to admit, I enjoyed watching her squirm…watching her feel overwhelmed, and while I don’t like the devil who has invaded her life with his own agenda and playbook, finding out that Celia isn’t as unfeeling as she’s always portrayed herself to be makes it quite interesting to be in her head space!
I wholeheartedly feel that the Celia Werner that readers were introduced to and detested in the Fixed series is nothing like the one we get in SLAY because even at the beginning of the book, when she’s determined to land her next ‘victim’ or do something else to get her out of her funk for lack of a better word, the fact that she reveals the reasons behind her need to not feel…her need to ‘run on nothingness and feast on void,’ it changes the picture of who she truly is…it lowers the mask, but what it also does is open up a multitude of questions as to why she chose to live her life that way and why everything changes when Mr. Edward M. Fasbender enters her life and proposes a new game for her to play, but it’s not one she’s ever played before and since he seems to be in complete control, constantly testing her and forcing her to play right into his hands, what the end game is for either of them is still too early to predict.
The devil has definitely come to play and as much as Celia likes to believe she’s a fiery dragon who will burn any adversary who gets in her way, Edward has the ability to stifle her fire and treat her as a broken bird – one he can easily manipulate and force her acquiescence at every stage of the game.
The Game is most definitely own, and unlike all of the other games Celia has played, she’s quite the underdog in this one, so readers will have to see as the series and the game continues, who has the advantage/upper hand when everything is said and done!
4.5 Poison Apples
Rough Edge by CD Reiss: She thought she knew her husband, but the man he is becoming is a cruel stranger. Worse than that? She’s starting to fall for his new, terrifying personality…
My Review
I’ve learned to expect the unexpected when it comes to CD Reiss’ darker reads; I almost always go in blind, dispelling any and all theories right out of the gate, allowing Reiss to take me where she wants me to go, knowing that the journey is not straightforward and that it will push my boundaries when it comes to separating the world and characters she’s created from the conscious world outside.
But, I have to admit, even with a solid game plan like the one I initiated before I read page 1, I was not at all prepared for where Reiss took her characters and consequently took her readers in Rough Edge, and that’s because the dark erotic vibe that I’ve come to love when it comes to Reiss’ layered story lines is beyond anything I’ve seen, which means that for a lot of it, I was lost in the complications of the plot and confounded by the actions and reactions of two people who love each other with an emotion that is both obsessive and essential at the same time.
I don’t want to give any of the plot away because to truly appreciate how masterfully Reiss crafts readers’ introduction and initial interaction into this married couple and all that they must endure now that they are both no longer in the Armed Forces, it must be experienced without preconceived notions because once readers have been immersed in all the kinky fuckery that abounds in the story as well as the healthy doses of dark and twisty encounters, they’ll find they can’t let go of this addictive read even after the last page of the book is read.
Absolutely Mindfucked…that’s the only way I can describe how I felt after reading the beginning of Greyson and Caden’s story, and it’s not just from the boundaries that Caden pushes when it comes to his physical relationship with his wife; it’s also
the fact that it was extremely difficult to wrap my brain around the two sides of Caden’s personality that seem to co-exist – one dominating the other, at times, but neither ever fully gain control, which means that the man behind the monster and the monster behind the man are both actively responsible for the crazy ride Greyson and Caden experience.
I also have to say that as much as I attempted to delve further into both Greyson and Caden’s psyches to truly understand their perspectives and the reasons behind their words and actions, I could never quite grasp them, and while that’s frustrating for me as a reader who needs to understand the inner workings of the plot and its characters, the analytical literary nerd in me loves that I’m only getting small fragments of the characters’ reality, which means that as the series continues, those pieces will begin to create the big picture, which scares the hell out of me, but it also leaves me anxiously waiting to see all of their craziness out in the open.
4.5 Poison Apples
Better When It Hurts by Skye Warren: Once, he was her foster brother. Now, he’s the man who’s sworn to avenge her betrayal–if only he can fight his growing attraction first.
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About Skye Warren
Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance. Her books have sold over one million copies. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.
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Website: http://www.skyewarren.com/books/
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About Laurelin Paige
With millions of books sold worldwide, Laurelin Paige is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author. She is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however.
When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones or Letterkenny, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn’t do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio.
She is represented by Rebecca Friedman.
Connect w/Laurelin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurelinPaige/
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Website: http://www.laurelinpaige.com
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About CD Reiss
CD Reiss is a New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn’t pick up, she’s at the well, hauling buckets.
Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master’s degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere, but it did give her a big enough ego to try her hand at books.
She’s been nicknamed the “Shakespeare of Smut,” which is flattering enough for her to put it in a bio, but embarrassing enough for her not to tell her husband, or he might think she’s some sort of braggart who’s too good to chop a cord of wood.
If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.
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Website: https://cdreiss.com
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About Parker S. Huntington
Parker S. Huntington hates talking about herself, so bear with her as she awkwardly toots her own horn for a few sentences and then bids her readers adieu.
Parker S. Huntington is from Orange County, California, USA. She has a B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of California, Riverside and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Liberal Arts (ALM) in Literature and Creative Writing from Harvard University.
She was the proud mom of Chloe, who will always be her forever love; has two puppies, Bauer and Rose; and lives with her boyfriend of five (almost six!) years—a real life alpha male, book boyfriend worthy hunk of a man.
Connect w/Parker
Website: https://www.parkershuntington.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/parkershuntington
Facebook Group: http://facebook.com/groups/Parkerettes
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About Kennedy Ryan
Fairest Of All Book Reviews 