Harlows Plague

by Talia Atkins

Harlow: After being taken in by a motorcycle gang in Los Angeles at the age of thirteen, I should feel safe and protected. But used at their disposal, I am wielded as a weapon against their enemies and a slave to their every desire. Every part of my being is seeking nothing more than to be accepted and loved, so with every demand, I listen and obey. That is until they betray me in the most horrific way, and the one who is meant to be my enemy is the only one that can save me.



Plague: I have it all. Everything I have ever wanted. The road to running my empire hasn’t been an easy one, but it’s been worth every drop of blood I have shed. That is until she comes into my life, skipping and whistling like she is straight out of a musical. Her beauty makes her look harmless and alluring, but her eyes show who she really is. Dark and depraved, like me. Now I will make it my mission to take her from the Cobra’s so I can use and manipulate her the same way they have.



Please check the trigger warnings at the start of the book.

Genres: Dark Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Dark, Mafia Romance, Spicy

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 14, 2024

Reviews

[Cristina Georgiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Cuțitul ăla e ca o linie de salvare .”
“M-a salvat de mai multe ori în ultimii zece ani decât vei ști tu vreodată.”
“ într-o zi vreau să fiu eu cel care te salvează “ 🔥🌪️

[Emi Graciela ✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a new style of writing for me, and I have to say I truly enjoyed it. Harlow and Plauge give me Harley Quinn and the Joker vibes!! The deep obsession they had for each other from the start was super amazing. I love how they challenged each other. They found light in each others' darkness. I total recommend!!

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was so badly written I couldn’t even focus on the meaning of the words. I was just reading the words without making the connection of what they where saying

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me in a chokehold. Totally and completely unhinged and every moment was even crazier than the last.

Plague and Harlow... too cute. I am so here for that vibe we get when the FMC is even more unhinged than the MMC, she was just over here being so cute and feral. IT HAD A PLOT. Very rare when reading something dark, normally all of the focus is on MC's or the smut. This had it all. Literally like, having you cake and eating every damn bit of it!

So many extra characters that deserved there day and boyyyy, did they get it. Every dark inch of it and I love it so, so much.
One character in particular that I could just kiss and squeeze and keep forever. Quinn. Steal my beating heart, I love him. Those gifted 24 hours at the end were absolutely everything and when Harlow teared up, so did I.

Please, read. Like always, check those TW's first as it it is extremely heavy.

[Britni Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

⚠️Check the trigger warnings⚠️

This book was beautifully written. At first it starts out giving us a little back story of our FMC Harlow and how her parents were addicts and how she burns the house down with them inside when she is only 13.

This is when she gets mixed up with Tryce and becomes his little pet until the day she meets Plague. Then everything changes for Harlow.

Plague's question to Harlow "Do you want to kill me or fuck me more, baby girl?" 🥵
These two have a push and pull relationship from the start. But as the story progresses you get to see them grow with one another and get through their own demons that they battle.

One character I want to know more about though, is Quinn. At the end of the book he heads to Seattle for some business, and I feel that we need to know what he was up to out there, and if his feelings for Harlow ended up changing after she married Plague.

Check out a little TikTok video I made of some images I grabbed when thinking of the book as I read.
https://www.tiktok.com/@smutty.bookmo...

[ttxsxffiaa · Rating 1 out of 5]

0⭐️

Una puta basura

[Heather McGrath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought the duet was absolutely amazing but girl, you blew us out of the WATER with this book!!!!!! Keep writing them for us because you have the talent. This IS A top read of this year so far!!!!!!!

Harlow has a horrible past which in a way people can relate to her, always looking for the unconditional love feeling. Then she meets Plague who is just as self conscious about not being good enough for her.

[Ashley ADirtyRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harlow and Plague 🖤🔥

Deadly, toxic, crazy, and absolutely in love with each other. As Harlow said "No one will ever understand but us and I don't care." There's 🩸 🔪 ☠️ smutty times, and good vibes.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just not the book for me.

[Mariana Ferreira · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5🌟

[Shae Smithaniuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the story line had such potential! However it felt rushed, and the characters felt a little two dimensional. I think this story would’ve been epic as a novel instead of a novella.
What was unforgivable was the amount of typos. Missing or incorrectly used punctuation, improper capitalization, and straight up misspelled words. That really took away from the story and integrity of the writing.
Great idea, poor execution.

[Emily (emilysdarkcorner) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harlow's Plague by Talia Atkins

Wow just wow!! I fell in love with this book and these characters. Please check trigger warnings before reading this.

Harlow has grown up having a rough life and a mother who worried about other things besides her. She went through and dealt with things no children have to. Ends Harper enters Harlow.

Harlow has been taken in by the Cobra's and has had Trayce who has been there for her since he has taken her in. She works for them as long as being his pet. She gets told she has to do a job trying to find out the dirt about who is coming into their territory.

Enters Plague... Harlow sets her eyes on him and feels something and decides that she is going to make him hers. Little does she know Plague also decides she is going to be his. There is just something about her that draws her to him but he just doesn't know what it is. They start something that she knows is wrong because he is supposed to be the enemy and the one she is supposed to get rid of.

Once I started this I literally couldn't put it down. I loved the push and the pull between Harlow and Plague I couldn't get enough of it.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so this book was so good, if I’m going off vibes alone. I loved how the fmc was equally as obsessed as the mmc was.

The pacing of this book was a little off, I didn’t understand the whole Quinn situation at around 85% and felt like it wasn’t necessary. I think she was trying to do some sort of third act, but idk, it felt out of place

[Louise · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Hazel · Rating 2 out of 5]

𝕽𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌: ✯✨ 1.5
𝕾𝖕𝖎𝖈𝖊: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 2.5
𝕾𝖞𝖓𝖔𝖕𝖘𝖎𝖘:
Harlow being a child of drug addicts left her house at the age of 13,joins a motorcycle gangs ,used to be welding weapon against their enemies and used to be their slaves to every order just in accepted and to be loved until she met their rival Plague and fall in love with him at first sight.Plague who has set an empire in LA aim to take her away from the motorcycle gang
𝕽𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖊𝖜:
Honestly I have no words to explain how much I despise this book no plot just pure something nothing makes sense in it like at many points i questioned my choice of reading both MC'S are insufferable total s** freaks like so desperate and lusty for each it doesn't have any actual emotions just two people lusting on each other no story line I am sorry it wasn't my cup of tea at I disliked it alot they did give Harley Quinn and Joker vibe at some point but because of no storyline it made me dnf the book at many points but I am stubborn so I was like just finish it and make yourself suffer till the end,the Harlow (FMC ) was a baddie I might have like at some point but I hate her more like she is strongest infront of other but become totally helpless Infront of mmc and obey him like a n**** woman like so desperate, it was really fast like if author was running out of pages their banter didn't even last long she just gave in to him like a desperate woman the only thing was tolerable for me was chemistry between Harlow and mmc's bestfriend but it didn't last long ,it gave me reading slump 😭😭 I want to come out of it ,it was really bad book I have read after little stranger even that was a Little torrable

[Brynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is pretty good! I love that we not only have a dark MMC, but a dark FMC too! It didn't try to be anything deeper or different than what it was, a fun, quick story without twists and turns. Talia has a nice, casual prose that feels comfortable and easy to read and the flow and pacing of the story felt great!

My reasoning for 3 stars versus rating it higher comes down to either no editor, or a very poor editor, resulting in lots of writing mistakes that started taking me out of the story the more I saw them.

1. There were blatantly misspelled words that MS Word would catch, like "aggrovated".

2. Then there was consistently using a possessive 's rather than plural (i.e. "Columbian's" to refer to the group of Columbian people, Columbians).

3. The third was more to do with the fact that although the author is clearly British, the book setting and characters are all from LA. There were words used that are exclusively used in British English but aren't in American English. Examples are boot and bonnet to refer to truck and hood of a car, or "singlet" to refer to a sleeveless shirt.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

THORNS: I am a reader who feels when the characters feel, whether that’s through their actions, words, or facial expressions, etc., I can feel as they do. While reading this book, I didn’t feel as much as I knew I could’ve. If the story had been longer and more detailed when it comes to the characters and their backgrounds, I’m sure I would’ve felt more connected to the story. I felt the storyline was rushed and choppy and it lacked essence. Personally, I would’ve liked to see Quinn and Harlow’s friendship build, along with the background of Quinn and Plague. I prefer to read the character backgrounds and know how they came to be.

ROSES: Despite the thorns, this book was enjoyable, and the characters are likeable. I found Harlow to be funny and I respect her possessive nature towards Plague. Plague on the other hand, wasn’t my favorite MMC but he definitely had that serial killer energy that had my blood pumping. The MCs gave me ‘Harley Quinn’ and ‘Joker’ energy, but pre-Gotham stage.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Drug use, drug addiction, rape, sexual assault, self-harm, graphic murders, and explicit sexual content.

[Jasmine ⋆｡‧˚ʚ🥀ɞ˚‧｡⋆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

⭐️: 1.5/5

🌶️: 3/5


This book had strong potential, but it needed a lot more depth and development.

I really appreciated the FMC’s strength and no-nonsense attitude—she had the kind of energy I love to root for. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to spend enough time with her character in a meaningful way. Her personality was a highlight, but I wanted to see more of it, to really understand her through her choices, interactions, and inner world.

What held the story back for me was the lack of detail and build-up. There were little to no descriptions of the characters, which made it hard to visualize or connect with them. Relationships and plot points felt underdeveloped or rushed, and the pacing often jumped abruptly from one issue to another without the proper lead-in or emotional weight. It left things feeling choppy and disjointed, like scenes were missing or skipped entirely.


The world and premise definitely had promise.

[Charlotte Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning!! This book is addictive!

"Tell me baby girl, do you want to kill me more, or fuck me?" 🥵

This book had me totally hooked!!
It's a messed up romance between two people that definitely need therapy, I couldn't put it down. There is an instant connection between two members of opposite gangs, there's murder, branding, knife play, obsessive jealousy, and so much spiiiiice 🌶🌶🌶

It's not overly long took 3-4 hours to read, I would have happily read more, but I feel their story was well told and didn't leave me thinking something was missed.

I really hope we can get a side-story of Quinn and what he gets up to in Seattle, I feel like his story would be a welcomed addition to this building world.

[Maille grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

i love books with an unhinged fmc it’s my favorite trope so after reading reviews i had such high hopes for this. i feel like this could have been so good, but me personally i just wanted more from the fmc. anytime i thought she may put him in his place or get revenge they just ended up banging.

spoiler -
for how important that “apartment “ was to her the fact that she didn’t retaliate at all and she is so “ feared for being crazy” was disappointing to me. every time i thought she was going to do her big one she just didn’t.
as for plague i liked him at first but the character development was just lacking for me.

overall this book wasn’t horrible it was a fine read, but i wouldn’t ever pick it up again or tell my friends they should for sure read it.

[Sara Jamila · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was another bad one. I hate man whores, especially the ones that treat women like shit. I hate men that will purposefully make the fmc jelly. I hate men that will have their ex hookup around the fmc and not tell her about their past. I hate men that go out their way to hurt the fmc. I hate jealous and insecure men.
And guess which category of hate does the mmc fit into? ALL OF THEM.

My girl had to leave or at the very least stand up for herself. She went through too much for that bullshit. And I also really hate how authors try and write strong badass fmcs, but they will bend immediately for the mmc. WHERE IS UR BACKBONE?!?

It wasn’t dnf bad, but it isn’t something I would ever want to read again.

[Mrs Moa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you don’t like reading dark romance with trigger warnings, spicy steamy scenes, touch her & die vibes, found family, warring motorcycle gangs, lust at first sight, vengeance, enemies to lovers, twisted & broken characters seeking their own version of love…..
…then you need to avoid this book because Talia Atkins brings it all in one messy, psychotic bundle.

Such a great read, I really enjoyed it and am hoping Talia has Quinn’s (brother in arms), story in the pipelines.

The author very generously sent me their book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some spelling and gramatical errors throughout. Overall I enjoyed this story. It is definitely a toxic love. I'm not sure I like her with Plague. I hope to have a later book about Quinn. I would have preferred to have more scenes of Harlow either growing away or evolving more into her psycho side. She seemed almost a back seat player in her story at times and then others championing herself. It just wasn't really cohesive to her character. Plague is just ... Crazy. I don't know if I buy his jealousy issues at the end. I would have bought it more if they had been more pronounced.

[K Huskić · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start of this book hooked me.

Harlow was one tough girl, and grew into an equally as strong woman, though there was darkness in her.

Plague was possessive, a little messed up with his behaviour, but ultimately just wanted Harlow for himself.

These two were quite similar - both stubborn, twisted, possessive, jealous - but I liked them together.

I also liked Quinn. I want to know more about him.

This was the first I'd read from this author, and I liked the writing style. I'll have to read more of their work!

[Lizbeth Tobar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harlow has been through so much, first her junky parents, Tryce who turned out to be the manipulative new father figure, and then meeting Plague who was the only person who was her equal in a way she never thought possible. The way this story is laid out and is written, almost gives a she fell first he fell harder type of vibe which fits very well with this story line. This book is so amazingly written that you will never want to put it down.

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello Harley... I mean Harlow

This is the first book I've read by Talia Atkins and I loved it! Check the triggers because they're through the entire book. Harlow and Plague are a force to be reconned with they equally as dark but it shows in different ways. I really hope Quinn gets his own book like ASAP! Because I love his personality and feel like he didn't get enough attention.

[Kellys.bookcorner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well where do I start a obsessed Harlow and a possessive plague both as equally twisted and psycho as each other.

A dark and twisted journey as Harlow and plague find each other then try forge a unique, toxic but equally oh so good relationship.

The book is definitely worth a read, I loved it, for me it was a page turner.

[NayBookrecs · Rating 4 out of 5]

We never get to see the female being a badass with a dark past of her own doing and the women pursuing the male a good change in a plot. We get to see how Harlow becomes Harlow and how she does for what she knows is hers! the dynamic between Harlow and plague is unmatched , we get knife and blood play & plague doesn’t play with his ! Friend family ? Nobody touches his !

[Darrion Woulleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooftt.
Harlow is strong and stubborn but working with a motorcycle gang isn't where she wants to be in life.

Plague is the possessive young gun taking over the city. Killing anyone that gets in his way. That is until Harlow is in his sights.

From twisted, possessive, stubborn, spicy to swoony this book is amazing from start to finish.

[Sam Robbins Wyllie · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐⭐.5 This should have been a hit dark romance, comparable to Butcher & Blackbird, but unfortunately was executed poorly. The writing was often clumsy, contained spelling or punctuation errors, or was overwritten.
Absolutely loved the knife/blood play spicy scenes, but they couldn't redeem the entire book.