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rellimreads's review against another edition
1.0
✅ Lack of consent
✅ Cheating
✅ Love triangle
✅ One storyline dragged into FOUR books
✅ Cliffhanger
✅ Immature heroine
✅ Emotionally abusive “Hero”
✅ Physically abusive “Hero”
✅ Lack of consent (it happens more than once)
✅Usually wonderful narrator sounding bored
Yup, this checks nearly all my boxes of what makes an audiobook terrible.
DNF @ 50%. I doubt I would have made it this far but I kept waiting to hear something that would remotely justify the 5-Star reviews.
I guess if you have Audible Escape and are willing to invest 44 hours in this circus, go for it.
✅ Cheating
✅ Love triangle
✅ One storyline dragged into FOUR books
✅ Cliffhanger
✅ Immature heroine
✅ Emotionally abusive “Hero”
✅ Physically abusive “Hero”
✅ Lack of consent (it happens more than once)
✅Usually wonderful narrator sounding bored
Yup, this checks nearly all my boxes of what makes an audiobook terrible.
DNF @ 50%. I doubt I would have made it this far but I kept waiting to hear something that would remotely justify the 5-Star reviews.
I guess if you have Audible Escape and are willing to invest 44 hours in this circus, go for it.
jensreading's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVE this book!!! I have read it before, and was thrilled to read it again.
Raine is a young woman that was saved from her horribly abusive past by Macen when he finds her outside his club. She is taken in, sheltered, given a job, and has a "family" that loves her. However, this isn't exactly what she wants. She wants to have the one man that she loves and adores.
Macen is a strong, determined, dominant, Alpha man. However he hides the fact that he is craving Raine, and wants her badly. He has been hiding this for so long, he can't seem to let it show or let go of his control enough to admit how he feels.
Liam is an old friend of Macen's and another Dom at the club. He has been watching Macen & Raine dance around each other for some time, and yet he wants to make sure she is taken care of.
When Raine & Macen have a roaring fight and she decides she has no other option but to run, Liam stands in and talks to her, and offers to help her out. Liam takes her under his protection and becomes her Dom and is the man that is responsible for her well being.
However, Macen & Raine still have feelings for each other. When things heat up between the two of them, it goes from a low simmer to a three alarm fire in no time.
These three amazing people must figure out how to be around each other, how to take care of their relationships, and yet be true to who they are. This means admitting what they need, being honest with what they are feeling and what they need.
This is an amazing story with two Alpha males, a strong and determined submissive young woman, who is torn between being who they have been or being true to themselves and honest about their needs. There is a lot of passion, love, laughs, and yet they are a family of sorts.
If you like Alpha men, BDSM, strong women, and powerful relationships, this is a perfect read for you. This is the first book in this amazing series.
Raine is a young woman that was saved from her horribly abusive past by Macen when he finds her outside his club. She is taken in, sheltered, given a job, and has a "family" that loves her. However, this isn't exactly what she wants. She wants to have the one man that she loves and adores.
Macen is a strong, determined, dominant, Alpha man. However he hides the fact that he is craving Raine, and wants her badly. He has been hiding this for so long, he can't seem to let it show or let go of his control enough to admit how he feels.
Liam is an old friend of Macen's and another Dom at the club. He has been watching Macen & Raine dance around each other for some time, and yet he wants to make sure she is taken care of.
When Raine & Macen have a roaring fight and she decides she has no other option but to run, Liam stands in and talks to her, and offers to help her out. Liam takes her under his protection and becomes her Dom and is the man that is responsible for her well being.
However, Macen & Raine still have feelings for each other. When things heat up between the two of them, it goes from a low simmer to a three alarm fire in no time.
These three amazing people must figure out how to be around each other, how to take care of their relationships, and yet be true to who they are. This means admitting what they need, being honest with what they are feeling and what they need.
This is an amazing story with two Alpha males, a strong and determined submissive young woman, who is torn between being who they have been or being true to themselves and honest about their needs. There is a lot of passion, love, laughs, and yet they are a family of sorts.
If you like Alpha men, BDSM, strong women, and powerful relationships, this is a perfect read for you. This is the first book in this amazing series.
sylv13's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
chelsiemarie1218's review against another edition
1.0
Audiobook - characters were hard to get into and didn’t feel very developed. Could have use some more development and details, seemed to skip and overlook a lot of the backstory details that shaped the character and formed their reactions.
mistysreads's review against another edition
4.0
Raine Kendall was saved by her boss Macen "Hammer" Hammerman and over the years she's fallen in love with him. She is determined to make sure he notices her, but he's busy burying his feelings. After an argument between Raine and Hammer, his best friend Liam steps in and ends up taking her for himself. After hearing Hammer destroying furniture in a room she goes to him to see if he's ok and what's going on. Hammer finally, drunkenly, confesses his feelings for her and they share a hot night together. Liam finds them together and after hearing Hammer break her heart again, he decides to take her away so they can build their relationship absent of Hammer. With Raine's absence, Hammer is sent into a downward spiral. Will Liam allow Raine to go home to help Hammer, or keep her for himself?
I'm a fan of Shayla Black's books and have read her Wicked Lovers series and look forward to each new story. I have not heard of the other two authors writing this series with Shayla, and am looking forward to reading some of their work now as well. I enjoyed this story, it ended on a cliffhanger and left me saying, "Ugh, what happens next." I am looking forward to continuing the series and seeing how everything turns out for Hammer, Liam, and Raine.
Received ARC in exchange for honest review.
I'm a fan of Shayla Black's books and have read her Wicked Lovers series and look forward to each new story. I have not heard of the other two authors writing this series with Shayla, and am looking forward to reading some of their work now as well. I enjoyed this story, it ended on a cliffhanger and left me saying, "Ugh, what happens next." I am looking forward to continuing the series and seeing how everything turns out for Hammer, Liam, and Raine.
Received ARC in exchange for honest review.
wanderinglynn's review against another edition
3.0
A hard audiobook to rate. This is an over-the-top erotic fantasy that I admit I got sucked into the story despite several things that bugged me. But it's like a telenovela you just can't stop watching no matter how ridiculous it gets.
The things that bugged me include a want-to-be sub who's supposed to be 23 but often acts like a petulant 12-year-old. She also needs serious therapy because her backstory is eek. Lots of trigger warnings in this story to say the least. Also, for someone who's spent 6 years at a BSDM club, she knew surprisingly little. On top of that, she sexually assaults a Dom/her boss when he's asleep. Um, lack of consent is a big no-no in the BSDM world. At the minimum, she should have known that.
Of course, the breaking the BSDM rules didn't stop with her. And that's why I labeled this an "erotic fantasy" because it's not really reflective of reality. But despite all that, I still listened to the entire thing . . . and some of that is because I love the narration of Christian Fox.
The things that bugged me include a want-to-be sub who's supposed to be 23 but often acts like a petulant 12-year-old. She also needs serious therapy because her backstory is eek. Lots of trigger warnings in this story to say the least. Also, for someone who's spent 6 years at a BSDM club, she knew surprisingly little. On top of that, she sexually assaults a Dom/her boss when he's asleep. Um, lack of consent is a big no-no in the BSDM world. At the minimum, she should have known that.
Of course, the breaking the BSDM rules didn't stop with her. And that's why I labeled this an "erotic fantasy" because it's not really reflective of reality. But despite all that, I still listened to the entire thing . . . and some of that is because I love the narration of Christian Fox.
sassytw's review against another edition
4.0
Be warned this book is part of a serial.
Having said that, I struggled with this book. Not because it was a serial. Not because it was poorly written. No I struggled because I didn't care for the characters. Raine has always loved Hammer but he fails to see that she is all grown up. At least he fails to let Raine see just how grown he sees her. But Hammer has issues and his issues had issues. One thing I can say about this story, Ms. Black, Ms. Jacob and Ms. LaPearl did a wonderful job of building layers upon layers to their characters. But then Liam steps into the picture and while Liam had good intentions at some point he falls in love with Raine himself and that is when things go off the rails. Talk about a neverending soap opera... You knew it wasn't going to end well and at some point you were like run, run run far away. That is as you quickly turned the page to see what happens next. I kept hoping that Raine would grow a backbone or Hammer would catch a clue. I have no idea how this will get resolved but I really want to know, so I guess that means the authors did a wonderful job of baiting the hook!
Having said that, I struggled with this book. Not because it was a serial. Not because it was poorly written. No I struggled because I didn't care for the characters. Raine has always loved Hammer but he fails to see that she is all grown up. At least he fails to let Raine see just how grown he sees her. But Hammer has issues and his issues had issues. One thing I can say about this story, Ms. Black, Ms. Jacob and Ms. LaPearl did a wonderful job of building layers upon layers to their characters. But then Liam steps into the picture and while Liam had good intentions at some point he falls in love with Raine himself and that is when things go off the rails. Talk about a neverending soap opera... You knew it wasn't going to end well and at some point you were like run, run run far away. That is as you quickly turned the page to see what happens next. I kept hoping that Raine would grow a backbone or Hammer would catch a clue. I have no idea how this will get resolved but I really want to know, so I guess that means the authors did a wonderful job of baiting the hook!
ava_2421's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
robyearby27's review against another edition
4.0
Loved the continuation of this story. Anka's story was great.
nicki_theoverflowingbookcase's review
5.0
Wow - just wow. Hammer took Raine under his care when he found her abused and alone behind the dumpster of his club, Through the years he has left her at arms length but safe. Now she is older and finds herself in love with him but he will not allow her to act on them. When his friend Liam comes to visit he sees that heartbreak that surrounds Raine and decides he wil be the one to allow her submission. Once this happens friendships are over and Raine is caught in-between love and loss. Emotionally gripping and in true Black/Jacobs fashion the scenes are spicy. I cannot wait to see what happens next.