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His Dark Paradox
Nuri Narek is ready to resign from his position as the secretary to the most powerful man on the planet Ignite.
Having worked for Silver since he was a teenager, Nuri is more than ready to move on with his life, and put the one-sided crush he’s harbored for years to bed. Too bad it doesn’t seem like Silver is willing to accept his resignation. When Silver finds himself blackmailed he makes a deal with Nuri. They play a game and the winner takes all. It’s not the way things typically go, and is a total abuse of power, but how can Nuri argue?
Silver Rien is the Emperor of Ignite, CEO of Rien Inc., and a bona fide psychopath.
When his father gifted him Nuri Narek in high school as a means to help keep Silver in line, he was at first furious. Until the smaller man grew on him and elicited a possessiveness Silver had never experienced before. Now, years later, he may have to find a way to admit his true feelings. The only other option is to allow Nuri to leave him. Not. Happening. Orchestrating a game of Cat and Mouse seems to be the best plan to help give him more time, but what happens when Nuri discovers that not all is as it seems with Silver?
Will Nuri still insist on running, or will Silver be able to convince him some things are worth having, if only in the dark?
*Trigger Warnings: This is a dark romance that features a seriously possessive psychopathic emperor and the man he believes has always been his. It contains manipulation, dubious consent, and explicit sexual scenes not suitable for all readers. HEA guaranteed! This book is also set in the universe as author Chani Lynn Feener's MM Sci-Fi books, with permission. While none of her books need to be read in order to read this one, please note there is similar terminology taken from her universe. Again, this was done with permission!
Having worked for Silver since he was a teenager, Nuri is more than ready to move on with his life, and put the one-sided crush he’s harbored for years to bed. Too bad it doesn’t seem like Silver is willing to accept his resignation. When Silver finds himself blackmailed he makes a deal with Nuri. They play a game and the winner takes all. It’s not the way things typically go, and is a total abuse of power, but how can Nuri argue?
Silver Rien is the Emperor of Ignite, CEO of Rien Inc., and a bona fide psychopath.
When his father gifted him Nuri Narek in high school as a means to help keep Silver in line, he was at first furious. Until the smaller man grew on him and elicited a possessiveness Silver had never experienced before. Now, years later, he may have to find a way to admit his true feelings. The only other option is to allow Nuri to leave him. Not. Happening. Orchestrating a game of Cat and Mouse seems to be the best plan to help give him more time, but what happens when Nuri discovers that not all is as it seems with Silver?
Will Nuri still insist on running, or will Silver be able to convince him some things are worth having, if only in the dark?
*Trigger Warnings: This is a dark romance that features a seriously possessive psychopathic emperor and the man he believes has always been his. It contains manipulation, dubious consent, and explicit sexual scenes not suitable for all readers. HEA guaranteed! This book is also set in the universe as author Chani Lynn Feener's MM Sci-Fi books, with permission. While none of her books need to be read in order to read this one, please note there is similar terminology taken from her universe. Again, this was done with permission!
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 5, 2023
155 people are currently reading
874 people want to read
About the author
Avery Tu
4 books44 followersAvery Tu has a degree in Creative Writing and grew up on the East Coast. She's half Chinese, enjoys visiting coffee shops and bookstores, and loves cats. She and author Kota Quinn publish under Custom Cat and can be found on Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
November 14, 2024
That was a nice read. Unfortunately, I couldn't really enjoy it. I wish I had known how to categorize this book before I read Chani's “The Devils of Vitality” series. Maybe then I would have liked the book about Nate better.
In the aftermath now, I involuntarily draw a comparison to that series and then this book just isn't quite as great and intense.
It's still a good story and I'm still glad I read it to fill in the knowledge gap about Nate's brother.
The relationship between Nuri and Silver is also, as usual, very different from what we know from Chani's psychotic characters. In this respect, it is once again interesting and wonderful. It's a rather short story and I don't find it that deep in terms of the psychotic and emotional aspect. And even though there are fewer pages, I was a tiny bit bored. Until it came to the grand finale and I was completely blown away. Once again.
“Your time is my time. Or have you forgotten?” His expression was steely when he turned to Nuri. “I own you.”
For a moment, a rush of heat flooded through him at the possessive statement, but then Nuri got a grip. Silver didn’t mean it in a romantic, or even a sexual, way. For him, it was a matter of fact. 🖤😳🖤
So, a possessive asshole and a completely unhealthy relationship, yay.
“Because,” Silver lowered his head, his mouth coming dangerously close to Nuri’s, the proximity instantly wiping all other thoughts from his head, “when I win I plan to take and take until you have nothing left. I’m going to devour you, Nuri.” He planted his forehead against his, smiling when that had Nuri gasping and freezing. “And then the only thought left in that sexy little mind of yours is going to be how badly you want to give.” 🖤😳🖤
In the aftermath now, I involuntarily draw a comparison to that series and then this book just isn't quite as great and intense.
It's still a good story and I'm still glad I read it to fill in the knowledge gap about Nate's brother.
The relationship between Nuri and Silver is also, as usual, very different from what we know from Chani's psychotic characters. In this respect, it is once again interesting and wonderful. It's a rather short story and I don't find it that deep in terms of the psychotic and emotional aspect. And even though there are fewer pages, I was a tiny bit bored. Until it came to the grand finale and I was completely blown away. Once again.
“Your time is my time. Or have you forgotten?” His expression was steely when he turned to Nuri. “I own you.”
For a moment, a rush of heat flooded through him at the possessive statement, but then Nuri got a grip. Silver didn’t mean it in a romantic, or even a sexual, way. For him, it was a matter of fact. 🖤😳🖤
So, a possessive asshole and a completely unhealthy relationship, yay.
“Because,” Silver lowered his head, his mouth coming dangerously close to Nuri’s, the proximity instantly wiping all other thoughts from his head, “when I win I plan to take and take until you have nothing left. I’m going to devour you, Nuri.” He planted his forehead against his, smiling when that had Nuri gasping and freezing. “And then the only thought left in that sexy little mind of yours is going to be how badly you want to give.” 🖤😳🖤
November 13, 2024
This book was enjoyable, though it did have its dull moments. The main issue was the miscommunication between the characters, a trope I’m not particularly fond of, which made it difficult to fully connect with the couple.
At first, I wasn’t fully engaged, but the ending pushed my rating higher than I anticipated. I loved how Silver became so desperate for Nuri not to leave him that he dropped to his knees, while Nuri maintained an impressive calmness during that scene.
While I expected a bit more from the story, it ultimately provided a solid reading experience.
At first, I wasn’t fully engaged, but the ending pushed my rating higher than I anticipated. I loved how Silver became so desperate for Nuri not to leave him that he dropped to his knees, while Nuri maintained an impressive calmness during that scene.
While I expected a bit more from the story, it ultimately provided a solid reading experience.
February 13, 2024
2024 re-read
The miscommunication trope is so strong here. I do think I enjoyed this more the second time around and loved the little Easter eggs from the Devils of Vitality world. Hello December Trace-- now I kinda want to re-read Echo to read about your prodigy son again haha.
And it was fun seeing Nate. I plan on diving into his book ASAP.
-------------
I keep changing my review from 3 stars to 4 then back again, I'm so indecisive. Okay, so time flew by when I was reading this. It is absolutely entertaining and the dark aspects are about controlling, possessing, and manipulation -- no violence against either protagonist, in case anyone wanted to know.
Seriously I was hooked on this book wanting to know how Silver would either be redeemed, forgiven, or... how Nuri would just give in. It is quite a slow burn as things progress between them BUT (here is where I keep thinking 3 stars) when I finally looked at my percentage I was 70% through and I thought I was only 50% because of how far apart their relationship was. There is a lot of miscommunication going on and that was pretty much the last of the book so I felt let down a bit???
So UGH, but at the same time I just loved being in this world and I loved Nuri. There is just so much going on in the background, so it might have been nice to explore that too??? Like seriously Silver is a Swift which means??? I have no idea except he looks different in moonlight. I'd love if more had come of this or Nuri tried touching his horns or something.
But honestly, I'm assuming/hoping there will be another book set in this world and we might get more insight. There was a lot of explanation about the planet Nuri's siblings Neve and Nathan live on sooooo 👀👀 my eyes are definitely peeled for more.
Alright, for entertainment received which is pretty much 90% of what my star rating is based off of hahaha I'm rounding my 3.5 stars up to 4 and going to recommend it to people looking for dark romance that DOES NOT involve violence.
The miscommunication trope is so strong here. I do think I enjoyed this more the second time around and loved the little Easter eggs from the Devils of Vitality world. Hello December Trace-- now I kinda want to re-read Echo to read about your prodigy son again haha.
And it was fun seeing Nate. I plan on diving into his book ASAP.
-------------
I keep changing my review from 3 stars to 4 then back again, I'm so indecisive. Okay, so time flew by when I was reading this. It is absolutely entertaining and the dark aspects are about controlling, possessing, and manipulation -- no violence against either protagonist, in case anyone wanted to know.
Seriously I was hooked on this book wanting to know how Silver would either be redeemed, forgiven, or... how Nuri would just give in. It is quite a slow burn as things progress between them BUT (here is where I keep thinking 3 stars) when I finally looked at my percentage I was 70% through and I thought I was only 50% because of how far apart their relationship was. There is a lot of miscommunication going on and that was pretty much the last of the book so I felt let down a bit???
So UGH, but at the same time I just loved being in this world and I loved Nuri. There is just so much going on in the background, so it might have been nice to explore that too??? Like seriously Silver is a Swift which means??? I have no idea except he looks different in moonlight. I'd love if more had come of this or Nuri tried touching his horns or something.
But honestly, I'm assuming/hoping there will be another book set in this world and we might get more insight. There was a lot of explanation about the planet Nuri's siblings Neve and Nathan live on sooooo 👀👀 my eyes are definitely peeled for more.
Alright, for entertainment received which is pretty much 90% of what my star rating is based off of hahaha I'm rounding my 3.5 stars up to 4 and going to recommend it to people looking for dark romance that DOES NOT involve violence.
May 6, 2023
This is such a great book. Silver the demanding and possessive slightly psycho boss and friend of Nuri, Nuri is his secretary who has always had a crush on his boss.
Things take a sharp turn in this book and we witness the hot as hell insistence and possessiveness of Silver and his obsession with Nuri.
Nuri was a sweetheart, and at times an annoying non decisive sweetheart who also turned into a kinky slut for his Silver.
Loved the storyline, manipulation, obsession and just the controlling nature of Silver. He is definitely the star of this book. Loved it.
Things take a sharp turn in this book and we witness the hot as hell insistence and possessiveness of Silver and his obsession with Nuri.
Nuri was a sweetheart, and at times an annoying non decisive sweetheart who also turned into a kinky slut for his Silver.
Loved the storyline, manipulation, obsession and just the controlling nature of Silver. He is definitely the star of this book. Loved it.
December 7, 2023
(DEUTSCH WEITER UNTEN)
Okay, I only read this book because Chani Lynn Feener said in her blog post about the new book in the „Devils of Vitality“ series that it would be nice to have read „His Dark Paradox“ because characters appear that also play a role in this book.
I didn’t think anything of it, was like „Okay, I’ll do it, it’s nothing“ and well .... weeeeeeell .... I ... uhm.... No.
First of all, I find the cover really awful - but I generally have something against the fact that such „romance“ books always have to have (half-naked) „hot“ people on them in strange compositions. At first I thought I was reading one of those „trashy novels“ you used to be able to buy at the kiosk. Heaven help eh - luckily it was only on Kindle and nobody saw it.
Then there’s spelling and grammar. There can be mistakes in a book - but not many. At least there shouldn’t be many. (My opinion) But here? Words were missing here and there, were put the wrong way round, then something was missing and you couldn’t understand the paragraph and so on.
Really - I can overlook small things, but this was more than just annoying and also noticeable. I expect a little more from a published book that I pay money for. (Because I can also read fanfiction with and without spelling mistakes and at a very high level on ao3)
Unfortunately, I found the story itself very flat and the characters not very consistent/convincing in their characteristics. In the beginning they were both very chilly characters and as soon as the action „aka sex“ started (while one of them was completely out of it due to painkillers) it was all lascivious and obsessive and also rude and assaultive. And of course there was a lot of dub-con and somehow that really bothered me because it was extremely glorifying and the characters just came across as very clichéd and pubescent.
This „Oh he knew he shouldn’t and THAT was his plan, but he wanted to get f*cked and what was his plan again? He’d forgotten all about it again.“ Oh and it’s the next day and only then does he realise that he actually had a job, but the sex was so good and the dub-con so nice that he forgot all about it?
It was ... perhaps a pleasant basic idea for dark romance, but in my eyes the realisation was unfortunately rather underwhelming and I didn’t enjoy reading it.
At the end it was suddenly all peace and joy because the Dude with the personality disorder suddenly cried and said „I love you“.
God please.
(DEUTSCH)
Okay, ich habe dieses Buch nur gelesen, weil Chani Lynn Feener in ihrem Blogbeitrag zum neuen Buch in der „Devils of Vitality“ Serie gesagt hat, das es nett wäre, „His Dark Paradox“ gelesen zu haben, da Charaktere auftauchen, die auch in diesem Buch eine Rolle spielen.
Ich dachte mir nichts dabei, war so „Okay, mach ich, is nichts dabei“ und naja .... naaaaaaja .... ich ... uhm.... Nein.
Zu allererst finde ich das Cover ganz schlimm - aber ich habe generell etwas dagegen, dass auf so „Romance“ Büchern immer (halbnackte) „hotte“ Menschen in seltsamen Kompositionen drauf sein müssen. Ich hab hier erst gedacht, ich lese so einen „Schundroman“, wie man sie früher am Kiosk kaufen konnte. Himmel hilf eh – ein Glück war das nur Kindle und niemand hat es gesehen.
Dann Rechtschreibung und Grammatik. In einem Buch können Fehler drin sein – aber nicht viele. Jedenfalls sollten es nicht viele sein. (Meine Meinung) Aber hier? Hier haben Wörter gefehlt, waren falsch herum gesetzt, dann hat was gefehlt und man hat den Absatz nicht mehr verstanden und und und.
Wirklich – ich kann ja über kleine Dinge hinwegsehen, aber das war mehr als nur störend und auch auffällig. Von einem veröffentlichen Buch, für das ich Geld bezahle, erwarte ich ein wenig mehr. (Weil Fanfiktions mit und ohne Rechtschreibfehler und auf sehr hohem Niveau kann ich auch auf ao3 lesen)
Die Geschichte an sich fand ich leider sehr flach und die Charaktere in ihren Eigenschaften nicht sehr beständig / überzeugend. Am Anfang waren beides sehr kühle Charaktere und sobald es einmal zu Sache ging, (während einer durch Schmerzmitteln voll weggeballert war) war da alles lasziv und obsessiv und auch frech und übergriffig. Und es war natürlich sehr viel dub-Con und irgendwie hat mich das hier sehr gestört, da es extrem verherrlichend wirkte und die Charaktere einfach sehr klischeehaft und pubertär rüberkamen.
Dieses „Oh er wusste, er sollte das nicht und das war sein Plan, aber er wollte gef*ckt werden und was war nochmal sein Plan? Er hatte schon wieder alles vergessen.“ Oh und es ist der nächste Tag und erst da fällt ihm wieder auf, dass er eigentlich einen Auftrag hatte, aber der Sex dann so gut und dub-con war, dass er das alles vergessen hat?
Es war ... vielleicht eine angenehme Grundidee für Dark-Romance aber in meinen Augen war die Umsetzung leider sehr schwach und ich hatte keinen Spaß beim lesen.
Am Ende war plötzlich alles Friede Freude Eierkuchen, weil der Dude mit der Persönlichkeitsstörung plötzlich geheult hat und sagt „Ich liebe dich“.
Please.
Okay, I only read this book because Chani Lynn Feener said in her blog post about the new book in the „Devils of Vitality“ series that it would be nice to have read „His Dark Paradox“ because characters appear that also play a role in this book.
I didn’t think anything of it, was like „Okay, I’ll do it, it’s nothing“ and well .... weeeeeeell .... I ... uhm.... No.
First of all, I find the cover really awful - but I generally have something against the fact that such „romance“ books always have to have (half-naked) „hot“ people on them in strange compositions. At first I thought I was reading one of those „trashy novels“ you used to be able to buy at the kiosk. Heaven help eh - luckily it was only on Kindle and nobody saw it.
Then there’s spelling and grammar. There can be mistakes in a book - but not many. At least there shouldn’t be many. (My opinion) But here? Words were missing here and there, were put the wrong way round, then something was missing and you couldn’t understand the paragraph and so on.
Really - I can overlook small things, but this was more than just annoying and also noticeable. I expect a little more from a published book that I pay money for. (Because I can also read fanfiction with and without spelling mistakes and at a very high level on ao3)
Unfortunately, I found the story itself very flat and the characters not very consistent/convincing in their characteristics. In the beginning they were both very chilly characters and as soon as the action „aka sex“ started (while one of them was completely out of it due to painkillers) it was all lascivious and obsessive and also rude and assaultive. And of course there was a lot of dub-con and somehow that really bothered me because it was extremely glorifying and the characters just came across as very clichéd and pubescent.
This „Oh he knew he shouldn’t and THAT was his plan, but he wanted to get f*cked and what was his plan again? He’d forgotten all about it again.“ Oh and it’s the next day and only then does he realise that he actually had a job, but the sex was so good and the dub-con so nice that he forgot all about it?
It was ... perhaps a pleasant basic idea for dark romance, but in my eyes the realisation was unfortunately rather underwhelming and I didn’t enjoy reading it.
At the end it was suddenly all peace and joy because the Dude with the personality disorder suddenly cried and said „I love you“.
God please.
(DEUTSCH)
Okay, ich habe dieses Buch nur gelesen, weil Chani Lynn Feener in ihrem Blogbeitrag zum neuen Buch in der „Devils of Vitality“ Serie gesagt hat, das es nett wäre, „His Dark Paradox“ gelesen zu haben, da Charaktere auftauchen, die auch in diesem Buch eine Rolle spielen.
Ich dachte mir nichts dabei, war so „Okay, mach ich, is nichts dabei“ und naja .... naaaaaaja .... ich ... uhm.... Nein.
Zu allererst finde ich das Cover ganz schlimm - aber ich habe generell etwas dagegen, dass auf so „Romance“ Büchern immer (halbnackte) „hotte“ Menschen in seltsamen Kompositionen drauf sein müssen. Ich hab hier erst gedacht, ich lese so einen „Schundroman“, wie man sie früher am Kiosk kaufen konnte. Himmel hilf eh – ein Glück war das nur Kindle und niemand hat es gesehen.
Dann Rechtschreibung und Grammatik. In einem Buch können Fehler drin sein – aber nicht viele. Jedenfalls sollten es nicht viele sein. (Meine Meinung) Aber hier? Hier haben Wörter gefehlt, waren falsch herum gesetzt, dann hat was gefehlt und man hat den Absatz nicht mehr verstanden und und und.
Wirklich – ich kann ja über kleine Dinge hinwegsehen, aber das war mehr als nur störend und auch auffällig. Von einem veröffentlichen Buch, für das ich Geld bezahle, erwarte ich ein wenig mehr. (Weil Fanfiktions mit und ohne Rechtschreibfehler und auf sehr hohem Niveau kann ich auch auf ao3 lesen)
Die Geschichte an sich fand ich leider sehr flach und die Charaktere in ihren Eigenschaften nicht sehr beständig / überzeugend. Am Anfang waren beides sehr kühle Charaktere und sobald es einmal zu Sache ging, (während einer durch Schmerzmitteln voll weggeballert war) war da alles lasziv und obsessiv und auch frech und übergriffig. Und es war natürlich sehr viel dub-Con und irgendwie hat mich das hier sehr gestört, da es extrem verherrlichend wirkte und die Charaktere einfach sehr klischeehaft und pubertär rüberkamen.
Dieses „Oh er wusste, er sollte das nicht und das war sein Plan, aber er wollte gef*ckt werden und was war nochmal sein Plan? Er hatte schon wieder alles vergessen.“ Oh und es ist der nächste Tag und erst da fällt ihm wieder auf, dass er eigentlich einen Auftrag hatte, aber der Sex dann so gut und dub-con war, dass er das alles vergessen hat?
Es war ... vielleicht eine angenehme Grundidee für Dark-Romance aber in meinen Augen war die Umsetzung leider sehr schwach und ich hatte keinen Spaß beim lesen.
Am Ende war plötzlich alles Friede Freude Eierkuchen, weil der Dude mit der Persönlichkeitsstörung plötzlich geheult hat und sagt „Ich liebe dich“.
Please.
February 10, 2025
Feb 2025
Kindle edition
Re-read for group challenge week 5. Eh, didn't enjoy it so much this time around. After Apollo and Kai's stories, I found Silver was a bit whiny having his toy taken away and compared to the other two, pre-school. I realized this was the opening intro to the IPF Apollo & Shadow, as well as the school and Rabbit Trace. Probably should've started with this one.
Received a copy from Booksirens. Nope I wasn’t paid for this. Yep, full honesty. I’m bouncing between 3.5 and 4 stars for this one.
So, Booksirens has their books three across, nice a big with simple tags underneath. I casually scroll through and see if anything catches my attention. I did a double take on this one. The rose placement was bizarre to me. I continued scrolling, thought about it, went back and clicked the blurb.
I’m all for cat and mouse games with hidden intentions, so of course I was going to give this one a go. I’m glad I did. The book starts with the line, There was a psychopath on the throne. Great start, fully invested.
It’s an Emperor/CEO and a secretary romance. Nuri is all ready to leave when everything starts going wrong. It was obvious Silver was behind it and I didn’t doubt that he already knew about the resignation letter.
I liked that Nuri stuck to his guns and continued trying to do his job, raise someone to do his job and get away knowing Silver’s true side.
In turn, Silver was everything you’d expect from importance. He had that suave dark vibe to him and knew what he wanted. Not usually a fan of manipulation, but Silver played it like a pro.
Chapter 5&6 was where it started getting embarrassing for me. The whole injured dream sex thing but not a dream was cringy. It took a car crash for Nuri to be vulnerable.
On Nuri’s side, there’s a lot of doubt and I’d say insecurity. He was stuck playing the fool for a bit too long. The game rigging was clever, but going through with each reward was a bit too much. It felt like Nuri had been cornered. So I was relieved when he finally clocked on and showed Silver who was boss.
Silver breaking down was surprising and sweet. I liked the moment they both finally caught on and the miscommunication was settled. Nice little ending. I hope they clean the kitchen afterwards.
It was possessive. Threats were made. There are a couple of moments, like the sex tape, that push things a bit. Other than that, there’s no abuse or harming Nuri in anyway, Silver cares too much for that. It comes down to both being oblivious and Silver never wanting to let go. I enjoyed this one.
Kindle edition
Re-read for group challenge week 5. Eh, didn't enjoy it so much this time around. After Apollo and Kai's stories, I found Silver was a bit whiny having his toy taken away and compared to the other two, pre-school. I realized this was the opening intro to the IPF Apollo & Shadow, as well as the school and Rabbit Trace. Probably should've started with this one.
Received a copy from Booksirens. Nope I wasn’t paid for this. Yep, full honesty. I’m bouncing between 3.5 and 4 stars for this one.
So, Booksirens has their books three across, nice a big with simple tags underneath. I casually scroll through and see if anything catches my attention. I did a double take on this one. The rose placement was bizarre to me. I continued scrolling, thought about it, went back and clicked the blurb.
I’m all for cat and mouse games with hidden intentions, so of course I was going to give this one a go. I’m glad I did. The book starts with the line, There was a psychopath on the throne. Great start, fully invested.
It’s an Emperor/CEO and a secretary romance. Nuri is all ready to leave when everything starts going wrong. It was obvious Silver was behind it and I didn’t doubt that he already knew about the resignation letter.
I liked that Nuri stuck to his guns and continued trying to do his job, raise someone to do his job and get away knowing Silver’s true side.
In turn, Silver was everything you’d expect from importance. He had that suave dark vibe to him and knew what he wanted. Not usually a fan of manipulation, but Silver played it like a pro.
Chapter 5&6 was where it started getting embarrassing for me. The whole injured dream sex thing but not a dream was cringy. It took a car crash for Nuri to be vulnerable.
On Nuri’s side, there’s a lot of doubt and I’d say insecurity. He was stuck playing the fool for a bit too long. The game rigging was clever, but going through with each reward was a bit too much. It felt like Nuri had been cornered. So I was relieved when he finally clocked on and showed Silver who was boss.
Silver breaking down was surprising and sweet. I liked the moment they both finally caught on and the miscommunication was settled. Nice little ending. I hope they clean the kitchen afterwards.
It was possessive. Threats were made. There are a couple of moments, like the sex tape, that push things a bit. Other than that, there’s no abuse or harming Nuri in anyway, Silver cares too much for that. It comes down to both being oblivious and Silver never wanting to let go. I enjoyed this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2023
5 stars
When I started this book, I did not realize it was set in the same universe as the Lords of Vitality. Although there isn't real main character crossover, it was still fun. This is my first from this writing duo, but I will be looking for more.
When I started this book, I did not realize it was set in the same universe as the Lords of Vitality. Although there isn't real main character crossover, it was still fun. This is my first from this writing duo, but I will be looking for more.
October 13, 2023
Tropes: boss/employee, miscommunication, paranormal romance
Feels: 3.5/5
Steam*: 4.5/5
Kinks: rough sex, almost getting caught, kinky in general
Angst: medium
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: lots of om/ow drama, on page sex with others, dumbasses waste years not communicating properly, antisocial personality disorder, dubcon, rough sex, manipulative and deceptive behavior
Nuri and Silver are both about 28 years old. Nuri was assigned as basically a babysitter to Silver back when they were in school. Silver always acted out, especially because of his antisocial personality disorder, and because he is next in line to be emperor he needs to behave and maintain a reputation. Nuri fits so well with Silver but he became his most valued permanent employee. Nuri has always had a thing for Silver but Mary has always kept it professional and cool between them. Silver is extremely possessive of Nuri. Nuri wants to quit, he's unhappy for various reasons. When he finally quits because Silver went too far with his controlling behavior, Silver won't let him quit and he challenges him to a game where is Silver wins Nuri stays.
This was well written story. Interesting plot. Deep and complex characters with a lot of history and emotion between them. Well written steam. Judging it based on what it was objectively, I give this four stars.
However personally I didn't like the story. This section is going to be spoilery, so give it a pass if you don't want the spoilers. The miscommunication trope was strong in this book and that's just frustrating to me when dumb communication is the main thing keeping people apart for years. If you're sensitive to other man / other woman drama, give this book a pass. So much of this book is centered on both of them having sex with other people. More so Silver because he's more sexually active. The main mystery of the book is Silver is being blackmailed over a sex tape, which he plays for Nuri, and he assigns Nuri to deal with his blackmailer and cover it up. Nuri investigates because he thinks there's a mole close to Silver. Nuri accidentally reveals his crush when he's drugged after an injury and Silver jumps on the opportunity to have sex with him. Silver is upset to learn that 28-year-old Nuri wasn't a virgin, he kind of thought Nuri was asexual, and at various times in the book he awkwardly grills Nuri in a possessive way about past and potential future hookups. They have a bunch of awkward conversations about Silver's past hookups too, Nuri even wants to recreate Silver's hookups and experience it himself. It's just ugly that all that is such a central plot to the story, especially because they have lived in each other's pockets their entire adult lives. Both of them are secretly pining for each other. They should have just talked. I'm glad Nuri wasn't just pining and saving himself, but Silver was quite self-centered to think a 28 year old wasn't doing anything and not pay enough attention to him to realize he had a life.
Some notable moments:
"He wanted to experience sleeping with Silver. Really, it came down to what was more important to him. Getting railed by the Emperor? Or his freedom? It should be an easy enough question, and yet…"
"“I’m sorry,” Silver said, the apology rushing out of him along with his desperation. “I was selfish. I was wrong. I’ll never do it again. Just please. Please.” He pressed his face against the small of Nuri’s back, only realizing that he was crying when the material instantly began to soak from his tears. He couldn’t even muster up embarrassment, still too overcome by the suffocating feeling of grief and loss and fear. “Please.” “What’s—” Nuri seemed to be struggling as well, “What’s going on? Are you…Are you crying?”"
"The message ended and the device shut down. Sort of like Nuri’s soul. He groaned and dropped his head into his hands, mortified. “Come on,” Silver said, “it’s not that bad.” “We drove my siblings out of their apartment because we were fucking too loud. What part of that isn’t that bad?”"
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
Feels: 3.5/5
Steam*: 4.5/5
Kinks: rough sex, almost getting caught, kinky in general
Angst: medium
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: lots of om/ow drama, on page sex with others, dumbasses waste years not communicating properly, antisocial personality disorder, dubcon, rough sex, manipulative and deceptive behavior
Nuri and Silver are both about 28 years old. Nuri was assigned as basically a babysitter to Silver back when they were in school. Silver always acted out, especially because of his antisocial personality disorder, and because he is next in line to be emperor he needs to behave and maintain a reputation. Nuri fits so well with Silver but he became his most valued permanent employee. Nuri has always had a thing for Silver but Mary has always kept it professional and cool between them. Silver is extremely possessive of Nuri. Nuri wants to quit, he's unhappy for various reasons. When he finally quits because Silver went too far with his controlling behavior, Silver won't let him quit and he challenges him to a game where is Silver wins Nuri stays.
This was well written story. Interesting plot. Deep and complex characters with a lot of history and emotion between them. Well written steam. Judging it based on what it was objectively, I give this four stars.
However personally I didn't like the story. This section is going to be spoilery, so give it a pass if you don't want the spoilers. The miscommunication trope was strong in this book and that's just frustrating to me when dumb communication is the main thing keeping people apart for years. If you're sensitive to other man / other woman drama, give this book a pass. So much of this book is centered on both of them having sex with other people. More so Silver because he's more sexually active. The main mystery of the book is Silver is being blackmailed over a sex tape, which he plays for Nuri, and he assigns Nuri to deal with his blackmailer and cover it up. Nuri investigates because he thinks there's a mole close to Silver. Nuri accidentally reveals his crush when he's drugged after an injury and Silver jumps on the opportunity to have sex with him. Silver is upset to learn that 28-year-old Nuri wasn't a virgin, he kind of thought Nuri was asexual, and at various times in the book he awkwardly grills Nuri in a possessive way about past and potential future hookups. They have a bunch of awkward conversations about Silver's past hookups too, Nuri even wants to recreate Silver's hookups and experience it himself. It's just ugly that all that is such a central plot to the story, especially because they have lived in each other's pockets their entire adult lives. Both of them are secretly pining for each other. They should have just talked. I'm glad Nuri wasn't just pining and saving himself, but Silver was quite self-centered to think a 28 year old wasn't doing anything and not pay enough attention to him to realize he had a life.
Some notable moments:
"He wanted to experience sleeping with Silver. Really, it came down to what was more important to him. Getting railed by the Emperor? Or his freedom? It should be an easy enough question, and yet…"
"“I’m sorry,” Silver said, the apology rushing out of him along with his desperation. “I was selfish. I was wrong. I’ll never do it again. Just please. Please.” He pressed his face against the small of Nuri’s back, only realizing that he was crying when the material instantly began to soak from his tears. He couldn’t even muster up embarrassment, still too overcome by the suffocating feeling of grief and loss and fear. “Please.” “What’s—” Nuri seemed to be struggling as well, “What’s going on? Are you…Are you crying?”"
"The message ended and the device shut down. Sort of like Nuri’s soul. He groaned and dropped his head into his hands, mortified. “Come on,” Silver said, “it’s not that bad.” “We drove my siblings out of their apartment because we were fucking too loud. What part of that isn’t that bad?”"
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2023
“Because,’ Silver lowered his head, his mouth coming dangerously close to Nuri’s, the proximity instantly wiping all thoughts from his head, “when I win I plan to take until you have nothing left. I’m going to devour you, Nuri… “And then the only thought left in that sexy little mind of yours is going to be how badly you want to give.”
I seriously devoured this book! To the point where I’m a little sad that it’s over and actually contemplating an immediate reread. Silver & Nuri’s chemistry is palpable. No matter how steamy a book is or should I say is a book even steamy without chemistry that could set you on fire at a glance? Well these two have that. There is legit a elevator scene where nothing happens in chapter 3 that left me breathless.
Please pay attention to those triggers though, if you are uncomfortable with dub/con this is not for you. But if you enjoy a steamy dark romance and power imbalance between a psycho and a reluctant “good boy” then enjoy!
I seriously devoured this book! To the point where I’m a little sad that it’s over and actually contemplating an immediate reread. Silver & Nuri’s chemistry is palpable. No matter how steamy a book is or should I say is a book even steamy without chemistry that could set you on fire at a glance? Well these two have that. There is legit a elevator scene where nothing happens in chapter 3 that left me breathless.
Please pay attention to those triggers though, if you are uncomfortable with dub/con this is not for you. But if you enjoy a steamy dark romance and power imbalance between a psycho and a reluctant “good boy” then enjoy!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2023
you know what it's my fault for picking it up
dnf-for-now-may-finish-later
August 13, 2023Going to DNF this for now at 34%. I just got done reading Echo by Chani Lynn Feener. Though the author of this book got permission from Chani to use the same universe it is almost like she borrowed from the actual book. Soooo many phrases and just the sequence of events and dubcon really felt too similar. Idk if maybe I need more time between the books but they’re too similar in areas.
May 3, 2023
Nuri was employed on the planet Ignite by the Emperor Silver who had Antisocial Personality Disorder. Even though Nuri had always cared for the Emperor, he wasn't blind to Silver's lack of empathy and inability to feel emotion. When Silver's secret obsession for Nuri starts to be expressed sexually, Nuri doesn't want to give his heart out of fear of being hurt, thinking he's playing games. I loved Silver's possessive desire for Nuri who is kind and caring. Yes, its a power balance issue but this is another planet! The steamy scenes ramp up the sexual craving here. This book is a winner! The best of sci fi, fantasy and m/m together combined into one book that I totally loved and am ready to read again already. I received a copy of this book through BookSirens and this is my honest opinion.
September 20, 2023
Nuri & Silver story.
Silver manipulated basically everything to keep Nuri with him, very possessive (it was hot tbh), blackmailed, you think it he did to keep Nuri by his side.
Nuri was a good character and knew how to deal with Silver the best, I do think he didn’t make Silver beg/grovel enough but maybe I just like to see men on their knees (I’ve never had a man on their knees for me to be frank *sighs sadly*)
Steam-3/5
Silver manipulated basically everything to keep Nuri with him, very possessive (it was hot tbh), blackmailed, you think it he did to keep Nuri by his side.
Nuri was a good character and knew how to deal with Silver the best, I do think he didn’t make Silver beg/grovel enough but maybe I just like to see men on their knees (I’ve never had a man on their knees for me to be frank *sighs sadly*)
Steam-3/5
May 28, 2023
Sociopaths are my favorite
June 9, 2023
HOLY… what a book!
I knew since page 1 this was going to be one of my favourites. I loved every single page of it and I just couldn’t put it down for one second.
Amazing story
Amazing world building
The characters?? 🔥🔥🔥🥵🥵🥵
The tension between them?? 🔥🔥🔥💥💥💥
This is the best book I’ve read lately. It looks like a standalone right now, but I’m dying to read more about Nur & Silver. They were Hot, hot 🥵 and soooo yummy! I need a sequel. Or another story from this universe.
Please please, this can’t be it!
“N.I.M., roll the dice for the Emperor please” 🔥🔥🔥 🎲
I knew since page 1 this was going to be one of my favourites. I loved every single page of it and I just couldn’t put it down for one second.
Amazing story
Amazing world building
The characters?? 🔥🔥🔥🥵🥵🥵
The tension between them?? 🔥🔥🔥💥💥💥
This is the best book I’ve read lately. It looks like a standalone right now, but I’m dying to read more about Nur & Silver. They were Hot, hot 🥵 and soooo yummy! I need a sequel. Or another story from this universe.
Please please, this can’t be it!
“N.I.M., roll the dice for the Emperor please” 🔥🔥🔥 🎲
June 9, 2023
This is so over the top… but very fun. If you’re into the controlling psychopath / oh no I keep making bad decisions because I want his magic dick / sci-fi corporation vibes, you’ll enjoy this.
February 5, 2024
4 stars 🌟
This whole thing was built off of a misunderstanding 😂 I was all for the angst tho and the OTT, possessive, will do anything and I mean WILL LITERALLY DO ANYTHING ml to keep the mc. I don’t think I’ve read anything this over the top outside of a mafia romance book lol.
This whole thing was built off of a misunderstanding 😂 I was all for the angst tho and the OTT, possessive, will do anything and I mean WILL LITERALLY DO ANYTHING ml to keep the mc. I don’t think I’ve read anything this over the top outside of a mafia romance book lol.
January 6, 2026
ReREAD: 5th Jan, 2025. i wanted this year to start good so ofc i read my fav book of all time. This has the best sex i've ever read, bar none. Seconded only by Break Me, Daddy and EWB.
🔹Story- 3.5⭐, Characters- 4.5⭐, Sex- 5⭐, Epilogue- 5⭐
Starring River as Nuri & Sid and Silver. i'm so happy that this turned out to be the exact office i imagined. Full stock list is available in the DA page.
i cover this in my original review, but Silver was completely upfront from the start. He wanted Nuri. How Nuri somehow translated that into “he only wants me as a secretary” is beyond me. And the idea that Silver was playing him makes even less sense, when Silver literally confessed early on that he kept doing these things becuz he was scared Nuri would leave. They were basically having 2 entirely different convos the whole time. All this to say, the reasoning in climax didn’t add up.
Anyways. This only made me love Silver even more.
Nuri kept resisting Silver till the very end of the book (except epilogue). And he never once tried to understand Silver's persp. And the book is majority in his pov. He's been an unreliable narrator all along.
Oh and ofc, this has a "fuck you" in sex too. :D
i didn't even skip anything this time, cuz why should i? 😃 Ofc it still has janky writing, so beware.
╔═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╗
Original review:
💜Read 9th May, 2025.
So this broke my brain. Despite my problems with this book, i gave it a 5 stars simply becuz of how it made me feel. Let me explain. This had some very specific things that i’ve been looking for in a scifi book; for a decade now. i’m amazed that this story and the fantasies i’d laid out back then, were playing out slightly differently through these pages. i can tell you this: i will never find another book as satisfying as this. This is a long review, tropes at the end.
What i’ve been looking for:
💜 Mutual pining. For Silver it was obsessive and borderline sociopathic. Ironic considering he has ASPD.
💜 Doesn’t care for the whole planet except Nuri.
💜 A very cold and reserved King/CEO that doesn’t even talk well with Nuri. And Nuri is the perfect PA unwilling to work but has to fit in the role.
💜 Majority pov is of Nuri and he assumed a lot of wrong things about the emperor. So lot’s of misunderstandings & miscommunications on both sides.
💜 Desperately wanting to be noticed and be loved by the man, but simultaneously hating him for being too possessive over him assuming the man doesn’t love you. Ohh. 💋
💜 Having sex with the man thinking he doesn’t love you, that it’s one sided. Thinking that, to him it’s just a game. It’s not. 💋
💜 The insane lengths Silver went just to keep Nuri to himself. From leaking the old king’s death video, his own sex tape (and making Nuri watch it) to outright putting Nuri on a no flight list!! And then taking all his rights away.
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
💜Forcefully keeping him locked in Silver’s house. You can’t go anywhere, want to run away. Yet you’ve always yearned to call this place your home.
💜 Some POTN level of goodness:
💜 Whatever this shit is:
💜 THE SEX. Esp the daily sex part. OMG the sex was out of this world!!! i mean, they are aliens, so… 😂 There are 4 sex scenes and 1 sex act. i love how they went straight to it and the dc was not some blow job. Silver’s a man possessed by jealousy. //i count intercourse as separate from sex acts.
And particularly:
💜 THE GROVELING. That way?! I never saw it coming. So reading it brought all the pieces together. Every dam thing i ever wanted.
💜 Silver doing everything in his power to appease Nuri. Just read this bit. He's so terrified of losing Nuri that at the first hint of rejection, he folds instantly. Like a husband in a spat just nodding along to everything! 😂😂
The only thing this book didn’t have was literal alien abduction. It did have an abduction of sorts, so hey, i’m happy! 😃
But apart from that, i had some serious gripes with this book particularly its writing style:
♦This is such a bizarre mix of an Emperor/CEO who was also the MC's college roommate (paid for by the king). For the first 30%, Silver acts purely as a CEO, then abruptly shifts into Emperor mode. These phases are separate and you can see the change on page.
♦Lot of info dumping just to establish the world and the planet. i found myself skipping cuz it was too much tell and not much show. Then i realised this is the exact style of Chani Lynn Feeners books. And this is a fanfic, right? i dnfed all her books cuz the writing style didn't match with me. Yet here i am, reading a spin off. And loving every bit of it.
♦Lots of tangential talking, non sequiturs in the middle of a scene or dialog. Like the narration going off on how he used to have crushes on boys but none like he had for Emperor- All while in the middle of sex. This is also why i dnf-ed Chani’s books.
♦Why base an entire alien planet on the usa? Nuri struggling with healthcare costs and no streaming subscriptions? It's another planet ffs. Surely they could invent something truly new instead of just mirroring? This is sci-fi's biggest flaw imo. "New" worlds that are just the author's home country with a fake name.
This isn’t a critic on just this book, it’s on contemporary scifi genre as a whole. Writers do this often, and it’s the main reason why i don’t read much scifi.
♦ There’s detailed on page OM sex scene. It’s a sex tape that Silver plays and is being blackmailed with.
And yet… like i said, i could not put it down!
Tropes: 💜Aliens, 💜bi x gay, 💜scifi, 💜CEO x secretary, 💜royalty MC, 💜hookup to lovers, 💜one sided enemies to lovers, 💜codependency, 💜care taking, 💜rich x poor, 💜slow burn, 💜grumpy/grumpy, 💜situationship, 💜strict t/b, 💜obsessive & possessive MC, 💜toxic MC, 💜very jealous MC, 💜want to own MC, 💜‘pet’ as pet name, 💜MC with ASPD, OM drama.
Sex Acts: 💜Very rough sex, 💜spanking, 💜moaning, 💜begging, 💜crying, 💜“it’s too big, stop,” 💜choking, 💜restraints, 💜multiple orgasms, 💜edging, 💜oral, 💜praising.
Some of my fav quotes:
Find me on Insta at real.Sudsana
🔹Story- 3.5⭐, Characters- 4.5⭐, Sex- 5⭐, Epilogue- 5⭐
Starring River as Nuri & Sid and Silver. i'm so happy that this turned out to be the exact office i imagined. Full stock list is available in the DA page.
i cover this in my original review, but Silver was completely upfront from the start. He wanted Nuri. How Nuri somehow translated that into “he only wants me as a secretary” is beyond me. And the idea that Silver was playing him makes even less sense, when Silver literally confessed early on that he kept doing these things becuz he was scared Nuri would leave. They were basically having 2 entirely different convos the whole time. All this to say, the reasoning in climax didn’t add up.
Anyways. This only made me love Silver even more.
Nuri kept resisting Silver till the very end of the book (except epilogue). And he never once tried to understand Silver's persp. And the book is majority in his pov. He's been an unreliable narrator all along.
Oh and ofc, this has a "fuck you" in sex too. :D
“Come on, pet,” Silver leaned over him, running his free hand through the silky strands of Nuri’s hair before grabbing on and roughly tugging his head back to elicit his desired response, “let it out. Don’t hold back. I want to hear you talk pretty.”
“Fuck you,” he snarled, the anger in his eyes only rising when Silver laughed at him all over again.
“You’re the one who asked for it rough,” he lowered his voice and reminded sweetly. “I’m only giving you what you wanted. If anything, you should be thanking me.”
i didn't even skip anything this time, cuz why should i? 😃 Ofc it still has janky writing, so beware.
╔═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╗
Original review:
💜Read 9th May, 2025.
So this broke my brain. Despite my problems with this book, i gave it a 5 stars simply becuz of how it made me feel. Let me explain. This had some very specific things that i’ve been looking for in a scifi book; for a decade now. i’m amazed that this story and the fantasies i’d laid out back then, were playing out slightly differently through these pages. i can tell you this: i will never find another book as satisfying as this. This is a long review, tropes at the end.
What i’ve been looking for:
💜 Mutual pining. For Silver it was obsessive and borderline sociopathic. Ironic considering he has ASPD.
💜 Doesn’t care for the whole planet except Nuri.
💜 A very cold and reserved King/CEO that doesn’t even talk well with Nuri. And Nuri is the perfect PA unwilling to work but has to fit in the role.
💜 Majority pov is of Nuri and he assumed a lot of wrong things about the emperor. So lot’s of misunderstandings & miscommunications on both sides.
💜 Desperately wanting to be noticed and be loved by the man, but simultaneously hating him for being too possessive over him assuming the man doesn’t love you. Ohh. 💋
💜 Having sex with the man thinking he doesn’t love you, that it’s one sided. Thinking that, to him it’s just a game. It’s not. 💋
💜 The insane lengths Silver went just to keep Nuri to himself. From leaking the old king’s death video, his own sex tape (and making Nuri watch it) to outright putting Nuri on a no flight list!! And then taking all his rights away.
But now that he’d seen the determination to go in Nuri’s eyes, Silver knew he was out of time. It was either this or release him, and letting Nuri leave was not an option.
If Nuri kept insisting?
Silver would take away the choice.
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
💜Forcefully keeping him locked in Silver’s house. You can’t go anywhere, want to run away. Yet you’ve always yearned to call this place your home.
”Don’t worry, he’s under strict instructions not to touch anything else. It’s not like you’ll need any of it anyway, everything you could want will be provided for here, at home.”
-“Stop saying that,” Nuri snapped. This wasn’t his damn home.
-“You’re losing hold of your temper again, Narek,” Silver warned. “What did we just discuss?”
💜 Some POTN level of goodness:
The guards stepped forward and before Silver would wave them off, Nuri saw and reacted.
He shoved Nate to the side with more force than expected, so that Nate practically fell against the end table, and then he dropped to his knees on the ground, bowing low to Silver. His panic was palpable, his gaze swinging between Silver and the guards. “Majesty, please forgive him, he’s worried about me that’s all! He didn’t mean it!”
💜 Whatever this shit is:
“Did I say you could leave?” Silver asked in a rough tone.
Acting on instinct, Nuri shook his head.
💜 THE SEX. Esp the daily sex part. OMG the sex was out of this world!!! i mean, they are aliens, so… 😂 There are 4 sex scenes and 1 sex act. i love how they went straight to it and the dc was not some blow job. Silver’s a man possessed by jealousy. //i count intercourse as separate from sex acts.
“Once a day?” He sputtered, sure he’d misheard. “You want to—”
“Fuck you,” Silver confirmed, “daily. Yes.”
And particularly:
💜 THE GROVELING. That way?! I never saw it coming. So reading it brought all the pieces together. Every dam thing i ever wanted.
💜 Silver doing everything in his power to appease Nuri. Just read this bit. He's so terrified of losing Nuri that at the first hint of rejection, he folds instantly. Like a husband in a spat just nodding along to everything! 😂😂
“I’d really prefer if we left business speech out of our intimate relationship,” Silver said, recalling he’d made that statement before.
“And I’d really prefer that you hadn’t lied all—”
“Okay! Never mind. Talk however you want. I love the way you talk. I love the sound of your voice. No matter what you’re saying.”
The only thing this book didn’t have was literal alien abduction. It did have an abduction of sorts, so hey, i’m happy! 😃
But apart from that, i had some serious gripes with this book particularly its writing style:
♦This is such a bizarre mix of an Emperor/CEO who was also the MC's college roommate (paid for by the king). For the first 30%, Silver acts purely as a CEO, then abruptly shifts into Emperor mode. These phases are separate and you can see the change on page.
♦Lot of info dumping just to establish the world and the planet. i found myself skipping cuz it was too much tell and not much show. Then i realised this is the exact style of Chani Lynn Feeners books. And this is a fanfic, right? i dnfed all her books cuz the writing style didn't match with me. Yet here i am, reading a spin off. And loving every bit of it.
♦Lots of tangential talking, non sequiturs in the middle of a scene or dialog. Like the narration going off on how he used to have crushes on boys but none like he had for Emperor- All while in the middle of sex. This is also why i dnf-ed Chani’s books.
♦Why base an entire alien planet on the usa? Nuri struggling with healthcare costs and no streaming subscriptions? It's another planet ffs. Surely they could invent something truly new instead of just mirroring? This is sci-fi's biggest flaw imo. "New" worlds that are just the author's home country with a fake name.
This isn’t a critic on just this book, it’s on contemporary scifi genre as a whole. Writers do this often, and it’s the main reason why i don’t read much scifi.
♦ There’s detailed on page OM sex scene. It’s a sex tape that Silver plays and is being blackmailed with.
And yet… like i said, i could not put it down!
Tropes: 💜Aliens, 💜bi x gay, 💜scifi, 💜CEO x secretary, 💜royalty MC, 💜hookup to lovers, 💜one sided enemies to lovers, 💜codependency, 💜care taking, 💜rich x poor, 💜slow burn, 💜grumpy/grumpy, 💜situationship, 💜strict t/b, 💜obsessive & possessive MC, 💜toxic MC, 💜very jealous MC, 💜want to own MC, 💜‘pet’ as pet name, 💜MC with ASPD, OM drama.
Sex Acts: 💜Very rough sex, 💜spanking, 💜moaning, 💜begging, 💜crying, 💜“it’s too big, stop,” 💜choking, 💜restraints, 💜multiple orgasms, 💜edging, 💜oral, 💜praising.
Some of my fav quotes:
Find me on Insta at real.Sudsana
December 27, 2025
So I picked this book up for two reasons.
First, because I’ve read a lot from this author already, and this one was written under a different pen name with a co-author.
Second and honestly the bigger reason because while reading Devil May Care, we hear about Nate’s brother Nuri, who’s apparently married to a psychopathic emperor. And obviously I needed to know what that situation was about. Curiosity won. I went in expecting chaos.
What we actually get is a decade-long relationship between Nuri and Silver, starting way back in high school. Nuri is hired by Silver’s father the emperor at the time to basically shadow Silver everywhere. The reason? Silver has been diagnosed as a psychopath, and the emperor wants someone steady, sensible, and endlessly patient to keep him out of trouble and away from scandal.
Fast forward ten years and Nuri is still there. Still working. Still serving. And Nuri is done. He’s exhausted. He’s missed his family, and sacrificed everything for this job. On top of that, he’s been quietly, painfully in love with Silver since he was sixteen… with zero hope of it ever being returned. Because Silver doesn’t feel like normal people do. Or so we’re told.
Nuri wants to quit. He’s promised the late emperor that he’ll take care of Silver, so he keeps waiting for the “right time.” But somehow, every time he’s ready to leave boom. Another crisis. Another mess that he needs to fix. And surprise surprise, we find out Silver knows exactly what he’s doing. He sees Nuri pulling away and starts manipulating the situation stacking problems, delaying replacements, even going as far as restricting Nuri’s ability to leave by putting him on the no flight list That’s where Nuri finally snaps.
Now… let’s talk about Nuri.
On paper, he’s the good guy. In reality? Oh my god. This man felt like a grandfather trapped in a young man’s body. Constantly stiff, constantly serious, permanently with a stick lodged firmly up his ass. Only removed when it’s replaced by silver’s dick and back again when they are done. No flexibility. No fun. No looseness. The emperor listens to him, trusts him, respects him and Nuri still acts like He doesn’t matter to Silver, like hello?? Are you blind?!?! . I tried. I really tried to find something interesting about him, but he was just… painfully boring. Responsible to the point of being dull. Pious. Emotionally constipated. Sir, unclench for the love of what’s holy.
Now Silver. The supposed psychopath.
We’re told he’s dangerous, emotionally incapable, someone who doesn’t understand human feelings. His father literally hired Nuri to protect the world from him. And yet… while reading the book? I kept waiting for that version of Silver to show up. He never really does.
What we actually see is a man who’s been pining just as long as Nuri has. Someone who understands consequences, understands fear, understands love enough to hide it because he knows his father would destroy Nuri if he ever found out. After his father’s death, Silver still doesn’t act because what if Nuri doesn’t feel the same? What if he ruins the one good thing in his life?
That’s not psychopathy. That’s emotional awareness. That’s restraint. That’s insecurity.
Yes, Silver is arrogant. Yes, he’s selfish. Yes, he manipulates situations to keep Nuri close. But that doesn’t automatically make him a psychopath Honestly? Nuri showed less emotional range than Silver most of the time.
And then there’s the ending Silver on his knees, crying, openly breaking down, repeating “I love you” like his world is ending. I’m sorry, but… what? You cannot sell me a character who supposedly doesn’t process emotions normally and then turn around and give me that level of emotional expression without it feeling wildly weird .
That said… it wasn’t bad. It was fine. Enjoyable enough. Just frustrating in places.
For me, this lands at a 3.5 stars not because it didn’t work at all, but because it could have been so much better This honestly feels like an earlier work, and if that’s the case, it shows. Because in the author’s later books? The psychopathic characters are genuinely terrifying and emotionally convincing.
So yeah.
Decent read. Missed potential.
And Nuri… my guy… please chill .
First, because I’ve read a lot from this author already, and this one was written under a different pen name with a co-author.
Second and honestly the bigger reason because while reading Devil May Care, we hear about Nate’s brother Nuri, who’s apparently married to a psychopathic emperor. And obviously I needed to know what that situation was about. Curiosity won. I went in expecting chaos.
What we actually get is a decade-long relationship between Nuri and Silver, starting way back in high school. Nuri is hired by Silver’s father the emperor at the time to basically shadow Silver everywhere. The reason? Silver has been diagnosed as a psychopath, and the emperor wants someone steady, sensible, and endlessly patient to keep him out of trouble and away from scandal.
Fast forward ten years and Nuri is still there. Still working. Still serving. And Nuri is done. He’s exhausted. He’s missed his family, and sacrificed everything for this job. On top of that, he’s been quietly, painfully in love with Silver since he was sixteen… with zero hope of it ever being returned. Because Silver doesn’t feel like normal people do. Or so we’re told.
Nuri wants to quit. He’s promised the late emperor that he’ll take care of Silver, so he keeps waiting for the “right time.” But somehow, every time he’s ready to leave boom. Another crisis. Another mess that he needs to fix. And surprise surprise, we find out Silver knows exactly what he’s doing. He sees Nuri pulling away and starts manipulating the situation stacking problems, delaying replacements, even going as far as restricting Nuri’s ability to leave by putting him on the no flight list That’s where Nuri finally snaps.
Now… let’s talk about Nuri.
On paper, he’s the good guy. In reality? Oh my god. This man felt like a grandfather trapped in a young man’s body. Constantly stiff, constantly serious, permanently with a stick lodged firmly up his ass. Only removed when it’s replaced by silver’s dick and back again when they are done. No flexibility. No fun. No looseness. The emperor listens to him, trusts him, respects him and Nuri still acts like He doesn’t matter to Silver, like hello?? Are you blind?!?! . I tried. I really tried to find something interesting about him, but he was just… painfully boring. Responsible to the point of being dull. Pious. Emotionally constipated. Sir, unclench for the love of what’s holy.
Now Silver. The supposed psychopath.
We’re told he’s dangerous, emotionally incapable, someone who doesn’t understand human feelings. His father literally hired Nuri to protect the world from him. And yet… while reading the book? I kept waiting for that version of Silver to show up. He never really does.
What we actually see is a man who’s been pining just as long as Nuri has. Someone who understands consequences, understands fear, understands love enough to hide it because he knows his father would destroy Nuri if he ever found out. After his father’s death, Silver still doesn’t act because what if Nuri doesn’t feel the same? What if he ruins the one good thing in his life?
That’s not psychopathy. That’s emotional awareness. That’s restraint. That’s insecurity.
Yes, Silver is arrogant. Yes, he’s selfish. Yes, he manipulates situations to keep Nuri close. But that doesn’t automatically make him a psychopath Honestly? Nuri showed less emotional range than Silver most of the time.
And then there’s the ending Silver on his knees, crying, openly breaking down, repeating “I love you” like his world is ending. I’m sorry, but… what? You cannot sell me a character who supposedly doesn’t process emotions normally and then turn around and give me that level of emotional expression without it feeling wildly weird .
That said… it wasn’t bad. It was fine. Enjoyable enough. Just frustrating in places.
For me, this lands at a 3.5 stars not because it didn’t work at all, but because it could have been so much better This honestly feels like an earlier work, and if that’s the case, it shows. Because in the author’s later books? The psychopathic characters are genuinely terrifying and emotionally convincing.
So yeah.
Decent read. Missed potential.
And Nuri… my guy… please chill .
January 5, 2025
2⭐️
“I’m not trying to keep you because you’re my secretary, Nuri. I’m trying to keep you because you’re you. Because I want you, and I’ve always wanted you. Because you’re literally the only thing I have ever cared about on this entire planet and possibly in the whole universe. All those times I said you were mine, I didn’t mean you were my employee. I meant it exactly how it sounded.”
The 2 stars are for Silver and ONLY Silver because I couldn’t and still can’t stand Nuri stubborn Narek.
“You were only sleeping with me because you realized I had feelings and you could use them against me.”
“What?” He scowled. “I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“Obviously I did because that’s not even remotely true.”
You know what my problem with Nuri was? He wouldn’t stop ASSUMING. There were things Silver didn’t say out loud, and he’d interpret his silences however he wanted, talking about him like he knows everything about him, bitch you don’t. YOU DON’T KNOW HIM OR HOW HE FEELS SO STOP PROJECTING YOUR OWN SHIT ON HIM.
“You’re forgetting you are a psycho. And you don’t like to lose.”
“No one likes losing, Narek.”
“So you admit that’s all this is?”
“Stop putting words in my mouth.”
He was one of those characters I just couldn't stand because they argued about EVERYTHING, even when they had no reason to. And when he finally did have a reason, all I could think was "this is what you have been waiting for to keep being a pain in the ass."
“Nuri, I’ve been in love with you since high school.”
“You’re lying.”
I wanted to smack him in the face.
“You’re really being serious.”
“I’m literally on my knees for you,” Silver pointed out. “Of course I’m being serious!”
“You… You love me?”
“I love you.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s just…I’m in love with you too.”
OH STFU PLS. So, apparently, he was in love with him but wouldn’t stop arguing over every little thing. Like, it got so bad it wasn’t even funny anymore. By the time I finished the book, I was straight-up doubting his feelings for Silver.
”I’m trying to be gentle with you, but it seems like you’re intent on fighting me at every turn. All right, if that’s the way you want it.”
Was he manipulating him? Yeah, for sure. I’m not gonna excuse that, but at least I get why he did what he did. He knew Nuri was gonna leave him so he did everything to stop it. He communicated, he was clear, and he never implied anything else. Meanwhile, the other idiot took everything he said AND didn’t said and twisted it to fit his own narrative, just so he could play the victim later.
“You should know me well enough to know I’m only ever tender toward you.”
“Don’t do that.” He leaned away, brushing Silver’s hands off of him. “I’m already here. There’s no reason for you to ply me with pretty lies.”
Silver had to lie and manipulate you because even when he was being honest with you, you kept doubting and fighting him. This man was on his knees for you, crying while begging you to not leave him and you were STILL doubting his feelings? Nah he deserved better.
“I’m not trying to keep you because you’re my secretary, Nuri. I’m trying to keep you because you’re you. Because I want you, and I’ve always wanted you. Because you’re literally the only thing I have ever cared about on this entire planet and possibly in the whole universe. All those times I said you were mine, I didn’t mean you were my employee. I meant it exactly how it sounded.”
The 2 stars are for Silver and ONLY Silver because I couldn’t and still can’t stand Nuri stubborn Narek.
“You were only sleeping with me because you realized I had feelings and you could use them against me.”
“What?” He scowled. “I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“Obviously I did because that’s not even remotely true.”
You know what my problem with Nuri was? He wouldn’t stop ASSUMING. There were things Silver didn’t say out loud, and he’d interpret his silences however he wanted, talking about him like he knows everything about him, bitch you don’t. YOU DON’T KNOW HIM OR HOW HE FEELS SO STOP PROJECTING YOUR OWN SHIT ON HIM.
“You’re forgetting you are a psycho. And you don’t like to lose.”
“No one likes losing, Narek.”
“So you admit that’s all this is?”
“Stop putting words in my mouth.”
He was one of those characters I just couldn't stand because they argued about EVERYTHING, even when they had no reason to. And when he finally did have a reason, all I could think was "this is what you have been waiting for to keep being a pain in the ass."
“Nuri, I’ve been in love with you since high school.”
“You’re lying.”
I wanted to smack him in the face.
“You’re really being serious.”
“I’m literally on my knees for you,” Silver pointed out. “Of course I’m being serious!”
“You… You love me?”
“I love you.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s just…I’m in love with you too.”
OH STFU PLS. So, apparently, he was in love with him but wouldn’t stop arguing over every little thing. Like, it got so bad it wasn’t even funny anymore. By the time I finished the book, I was straight-up doubting his feelings for Silver.
”I’m trying to be gentle with you, but it seems like you’re intent on fighting me at every turn. All right, if that’s the way you want it.”
Was he manipulating him? Yeah, for sure. I’m not gonna excuse that, but at least I get why he did what he did. He knew Nuri was gonna leave him so he did everything to stop it. He communicated, he was clear, and he never implied anything else. Meanwhile, the other idiot took everything he said AND didn’t said and twisted it to fit his own narrative, just so he could play the victim later.
“You should know me well enough to know I’m only ever tender toward you.”
“Don’t do that.” He leaned away, brushing Silver’s hands off of him. “I’m already here. There’s no reason for you to ply me with pretty lies.”
Silver had to lie and manipulate you because even when he was being honest with you, you kept doubting and fighting him. This man was on his knees for you, crying while begging you to not leave him and you were STILL doubting his feelings? Nah he deserved better.
May 14, 2023
Nuri is the secretary (possibly slave) of the emperor of the planet. Has been for years and they haven’t necessarily been happy years. When he decides it’s time to quit he is foiled time after time. He just can’t seem to get away. Silver is the one doing the foiling, because “Silver cared about what Silver cared about” (technically, he was diagnosed with “Antisocial personality disorder”, in other words, he is a sociopath. When Silver finally gets Nuri in his clutches he’s not about to let go. Nuri clearly knew his boss had issues but kept accepting the reasons he needed to stay because he was the only one capable of putting out the numerous fires.
Silver was written very well as a truly despicable person. Totally unlikeable but true to his nature. On the other hand it was hard for me to develop any sympathy for Nuri. His infatuation with Silver kept allowing his duty and fascination to keep him mired in a job that got harder everyday. The big secrets (at least what I thought they could be) were fairly easy to figure out.
I felt the authors took mostly unlikeable characters and gave them a compelling story.
I received an arc of this book from Booksirens.
Silver was written very well as a truly despicable person. Totally unlikeable but true to his nature. On the other hand it was hard for me to develop any sympathy for Nuri. His infatuation with Silver kept allowing his duty and fascination to keep him mired in a job that got harder everyday. The big secrets (at least what I thought they could be) were fairly easy to figure out.
I felt the authors took mostly unlikeable characters and gave them a compelling story.
I received an arc of this book from Booksirens.
April 29, 2024
***DNF'ED @ 54%***
Sigh, I really wanted to like this book, but sadly, I couldn't bring myself to finish it. It was soooooo boring 😴...
This book is 75% exposition and 25% dialogue, and the dialogue is no nonsensical and childish. I just wanted it to stop.
I mean, there are pages and pages of just exposition, and when you do get dialogue, it's like a one-liner with 3 words... 🙄
Also, the book started out by saying that the emperor is a psychopath. And I'm like, cool fun, sounds like something I could get behind.
Then we get to the emperor's POV only to find out that, not only is it not a psychopath, he actually has antisocial personality disorder.... Again, not a psychopath. Not even a narcissist. He's antisocial!
Really?
I shudda tapped out then, but my dumbass was like, "No, finish it. The reviews say it's good". Well, the reviews lied.
Never again.
Sigh, I really wanted to like this book, but sadly, I couldn't bring myself to finish it. It was soooooo boring 😴...
This book is 75% exposition and 25% dialogue, and the dialogue is no nonsensical and childish. I just wanted it to stop.
I mean, there are pages and pages of just exposition, and when you do get dialogue, it's like a one-liner with 3 words... 🙄
Also, the book started out by saying that the emperor is a psychopath. And I'm like, cool fun, sounds like something I could get behind.
Then we get to the emperor's POV only to find out that, not only is it not a psychopath, he actually has antisocial personality disorder.... Again, not a psychopath. Not even a narcissist. He's antisocial!
Really?
I shudda tapped out then, but my dumbass was like, "No, finish it. The reviews say it's good". Well, the reviews lied.
Never again.
January 2, 2024
I liked this book but they irritated me sometimes. They didn't communicate and just assumed things and because of that lost time together they could have had. But alas, I liked them. Silver was so unapologetic, he wanted Nuri and there was that. Nuri also wanted Silver but because he tought the feelings were on sided, never tried. I liked them together, their moments the serious ones and the funny ones, very good
May 8, 2023
Dark & Possessive
I'm rounding this up from 3.5. This is one where the reader absolutely needs to check the trigger warnings. As long as you take the story as it is, a story, then it's a good read. It's just heavy on what many might find to be triggers.
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
I'm rounding this up from 3.5. This is one where the reader absolutely needs to check the trigger warnings. As long as you take the story as it is, a story, then it's a good read. It's just heavy on what many might find to be triggers.
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
May 10, 2023
OMGGGG! This book just became one of my favorites!! It is sooo good. I loved their banter and especially how obsessed Silver was with Nuri!!! I know I will read this book a thousand times over. Plus, the book was very steamy and funny!!! I’m definitely going to keep an eye on the author
May 17, 2023
I loved, loved His Dark Paradox by Avery Tu and Kota Quinn!!!! I love the dynamics between Nuri and Silver. I love their cat and mouse game. And I so love the ending. It was just perfect!!!!
June 22, 2023
4.5 stars
July 24, 2023
Good premise, bad execution. No bond, no connection.
June 1, 2024
4.25, their love was sooo good, friends to lover and he was his boss YES PLS🤭
July 27, 2024
we love a good grovel
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